bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Novel erectile analyses revealed augmentable penile Lyve‐1, the lymphatic marker, expression
Authors: Fujimoto Kota , Hashimoto Daiki , Kim Sang Woon , Lee Yong Seung , Suzuki Takuya , Nakata Masanori , Kumegawa Shinji , Asamura Shinichi , Yamada Gen
Published: April 2024

Purpose

The pathophysiology of penis extends to erectile dysfunction (ED) to conditions including sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and cancer. To date, there has been little research evaluating vascular drainage from the penis. We aimed to evaluate penile blood flow in vivo and analyze its possible relationship with the lymphatic maker.

Materials and Methods

We established an in vivo system designed to assess the dynamic blood outflow from the corpus cavernosum (CC) by dye injection. To analyze lymphatic characteristics in the CC, the expression of Lyve‐1, the key lymphatic endothelium marker, was examined by the in vitro system and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection to mimic the inflammatory conditions.

Results

A novel cavernography methods enable high‐resolution morphological and functional blood drainage analysis. The expression of Lyve‐1 was detected along the sinusoids. Furthermore, its prominent expression was also observed after penile LPS injection and in the erectile condition.

Conclusions

The current in vivo system will potentially contribute to the assessment of penile pathology from a novel viewpoint. In addition, current analyses revealed inducible Lyve‐1 expression for LPS injection and the erection state, which requires further analyses on penile lymphatic system.
Teacher positioning within the figured world(s) of urban school science
Authors: Wade‐Jaimes Katherine , Askew Rachel
Published: April 2024

Although research has highlighted the challenges of teaching in urban settings, particularly for science teachers, it has paid less attention to the development of science teaching identities in urban settings. This paper situates science teaching identity within societal discourses of science, education, and teaching to explore the ways in which macro‐level discourses influence the positions available to science teachers in urban schools. Using questionnaire data from 64 teachers, discourse analysis is used to demonstrate how participants reinscribe or disrupt prominent macro‐level discourses, including the elitism of science, accountability, and deficit views of urban areas, and the resulting positions that are created by this negotiation process. The findings include possible positions relative to science, education, and teaching as well as a consideration of differences between elementary and secondary teachers and between beginning and experienced teachers. Although many participants successfully disrupted damaging discourses of science as elite and disconnected, as well as discourses of accountability and the role of standardized testing, they were not able to disrupt deficit discourses that resulted in positioning themselves as outside of their students' worlds, often as saviors. The findings demonstrated the strong influence of deficit discourses on teachers' descriptions of their experiences as science teachers and the need to support teachers in understanding the historical and cultural contexts of urban education to identify and disrupt deficit discourses and create teacher positions based on asset and justice‐based views of students, schools, and communities.
Conceptualizing community scientific literacy: Results from a systematic literature review and a Delphi method survey of experts
Authors: Busch K. C. , Rajwade Aparajita
Published: April 2024

The predominant conceptualization of scientific literacy occurs on the micro scale of an individual person. However, scientific literacy can also be exhibited at the meso scale by groups of people in communities of place, practice, or interest. What comprises this community level scientific literacy (CSL) is both understudied and undertheorized. In this paper, we utilized a systematic literature review to describe how CSL is characterized in the extant literature and a Delphi survey of experts to elicit more current thought. Guided by cultural‐historical activity theory, inductive and deductive analyses produced seven elements of CSL and their constituent characteristics: (1) resources, (2) attributes of those resources, (3) actors, (4) interactions between actors, (5) contexts, (6) topics, and (7) purposes. The typology created through this process is meant to be generative, serving as a starting point for continuing refinement within science education and other fields related to science learning and knowing.
Amphiphilic Post‐Modification of Red Algae‐Derived Carrageenan Coatings for Balanced Marine Antifouling Applications
Authors: Do Jihwan , Kang Sung Min
Published: April 2024

Polysaccharide coatings are of interest for marine antifouling applications because of their good marine antifouling properties and environmentally benign characteristics. However, the hydrophilic nature of polysaccharide coatings can lead to the adsorption of marine sediment, which can negatively impact their antifouling properties. Amphiphilic modification of polysaccharide coatings has been demonstrated to address these issues. In this study, we report a simple method for post‐modification of a sulfated polysaccharide carrageenan (CAR) coating to make it amphiphilic. A hydrophilic CAR coating is first formed on solid substrates, followed by grafting hydrophobic molecules onto the CAR‐coated surfaces through metal‐ion‐mediated coordinate bond formation. The resulting amphiphilic CAR coating effectively reduces both marine sediment (silt) adsorption and marine diatom adhesion, achieving a balanced marine antifouling performance.
In Vitro and In Silico Anticancer Evaluation of Secondary Metabolites from an Endophytic Fungus Aspergillus Fumigatus Isolated from Monarda Citriodora
Authors: Gupta Nidhi , Singh Gurpreet , Qayum Arem , Ovais Dar Mohammad , Singh Shashank , Katoch Meenu , Sangwan Payare L.
Published: April 2024

Chemical investigation of endophytic fungal extract of Aspergillus fumigatus strain KF436391 isolated from medicinal plant Monarda citriodora yielded one new compound 2‐methylenedecanedioic acid (1) along with seventeen known compounds (2–18) including (E)‐Undec‐2‐enedioic acid (2), Ergosterol (3) Ditryptophenaline (4), Gliotoxin (5), Pseurotin A (6), 12, 13‐dihydroxyfumitremorgin C (7), Brevianamide F (8), Demethoxy fumitremorgin C (9), Fumitremorgin C (10), Bisdethiobis (methylthio) gliotoxin (11), Cephalimysin A (12), Neofipiperazine C (13), Antibiotic FD838 (14), Monomethylsulochrin (15), trans‐p‐coumaric acid (16), trans‐ferulic acid (17) and 6‐Methoxyspirotryprostatin B (18). Anticancer evaluation study of all the compounds against a panel of eleven human tumor cell lines (PC‐3, HT‐29, MCF‐7, OVCAR‐5, HCT‐15, SF‐268, A549, HCT‐116, SW620, T47D and MD‐MBA‐435) of varied tissue origin revealed that compound 5 found to be the most potent cytotoxic agent against all the cancer cell lines examined, with an IC50 value <1.0 μM. But, it also showed cytotoxicity for normal human cells. Compounds 12, 14 and 15 exhibited maximum cytotoxicity against colon (HT‐29) cancer cell line with IC50 values 2.2, 2.8 and 7.7 μM respectively and were nontoxic for normal human cells. Docking studies of all the isolated compounds carried out using the Gaussian 09 suite of programs at B3LYP/6‐31+G(d) level of theory against three different proteins Poly [ADP‐ribose] polymerase‐1 (ID: 1UK0), TRAF2 (ID: 2X7F) and Matrix Metalloproteinase‐2 (ID: 1HOV) and maximum binding affinity was observed for TRAF2 (2X7F) protein. The in silico and in vitro anticancer results revealed that compounds 14 and 15 have the potential to be developed as anticancer agents against colon cancer cells.
On the accessibility of the grayscale version of a PoN‐enabled use case notation
Authors: El‐Attar Mohamed
Published: April 2024

The physics of notations (PoN) is a framework for designing cognitively effective notations. Cognitive effectiveness refers to the ease (speed and accuracy) by which model readers read models. In 2019, a PoN‐Enabled notation for use case diagrams was proposed. It has been empirically proven that the cognitive effectiveness of this new notation is superior to the original use case notation. The new notation however relies in part on the use of color. The accessibility of this new design has not been validated for use by the colorblind community, or any users who need to use a grayscale version of the models created. The PoN framework was not designed to explicitly account for the colorblind community or users who can only access grayscale versions of models. Inclusivity should not be an afterthought in software engineering practice or research. To this end, this paper empirically evaluates the cognitive effectiveness of the PoN‐enabled use case notation in situations where it is viewed in grayscale.
Long‐Term Intracellular Tracking of Label‐Free Nanoparticles in Live Cells and Tissues with Confocal Microscopy
Authors: Gusta Muriel F. , Ernst Lena M. , Moriones Oscar H. , Piella Jordi , Valeri Marta , Bastus Neus G. , Puntes Victor
Published: April 2024

The label‐free imaging of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) provides a powerful and versatile tool for studying interactions between NPs and biological systems. Without the need for exogenous labels or markers, it simply benefits from the differential scattering of visible photons between biomaterials and inorganic NPs. Validation experiments conducted on fixed and living cells in real‐time, as well as mouse tissue sections following parenteral administration of NPs. Additionally, by incorporating reporter fluorophores and utilizing both reflectance and fluorescence imaging modalities, the method enables high‐resolution multiplex imaging of cellular structures and NPs. Different sizes and concentrations of Au NPs are tested as for Ag, Fe3O4, and CeO2 NPs, all with biological interest. Overall, the comprehensive study of NP imaging by confocal microscopy in reflectance mode provides valuable insights and tools for researchers interested in monitoring the nano‐bio interactions.
Competition and profit orientation in microfinance
Authors: Muyeed Ahadul Kabir , Han Ruoning
Published: April 2024

This study examines how microfinance lenders design their loan contracts to motivate borrower repayments under competition. We develop a model of an individual lending scheme in which a dynamic incentive mechanism is employed to mitigate borrower strategic defaults. We find that competition affects loan terms and borrower welfare in different ways depending on whether lenders are non‐profit or for‐profit. Non‐profits always charge the lowest feasible interest rate and show some degree of leniency toward defaulters by renewing their contracts. An increase in competition leads non‐profits to curtail leniency to a level that induces repayment, without affecting borrower welfare. In contrast, for‐profits charge the highest feasible interest rate and show no leniency to defaulters. They respond to competition by lowering the interest rate, leading to welfare gains for borrowers.
Interfacial Band Engineering of Highly Efficient PEDOT:PSS/p‐Si/ZnO Heterojunction Solar Cells
Authors: Liu Hao , Jiang Wenzheng , Fan Zining , An Yue , Wei Ganghui , Li Yanzheng , Wang Libo , Liu Jinpei , Liu Chenxi , Li Qiong , Li Junshuai , Liu Qiming , He Deyan
Published: April 2024

Hybrid heterojunction solar cells (HHSCs) using different active materials as hole‐selective transport layers and electron‐selective transport layers show great potential in both low cost and high power conversion efficiency (PCE). Herein, PEDOT:PSS/p‐Si/ZnO backcontact heterojunction solar cells are prepared using the simple low‐temperature solution method. PEDOT:PSS is introduced into p‐Si‐based solar cells as an antireflective and passivation layer to optimize device performance. The effect of the work function (WF) of ZnO on device performance is investigated, and a PCE of 10.74% is achieved using low‐WF ZnO. In addition, the PEDOT:PSS layer is doped with Nafion, and the surface passivation quality of the p‐Si is dramatically enhanced. By optimizing the doping concentration of Nafion, the PCE of the optimized device reaches 11.43%, which is currently the highest PCE for p‐Si‐based solar cells using solution method. The findings provide a simple and promising method to achieve high‐performance PEDOT:PSS/p‐Si/ZnO HHSCs.
Melatonin promotes cell cycle progression of neural stem cells subjected to manganese via Nurr1
Authors: Chen Nan , Zhou Han , He Bin , Peng Sen , Ding Feng , Liu Qi‐Hao , Ma Zhuo , Liu Wei , Xu Bin
Published: April 2024

Excessive exposure to manganese (Mn) through drinking water and food during pregnancy significantly heightens the likelihood of neurodevelopmental damage in offspring. Multiple studies have indicated that melatonin (Mel) may help to relieve neurodevelopmental disorders caused by Mn, but potential mechanisms underlying this effect require further exploration. Here, we utilized primary neural stem cells (NSCs) as a model to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the protective function of Mel on Mn‐induced cell proliferation dysfunction and cycle arrest. Our results showed that Mn disrupted the cell cycle in NSCs by suppressing positive regulatory proteins (CDK2, Cyclin A, Cyclin D1, and E2F1) and enhancing negative ones (p27KIP1 and p57KIP2), leading to cell proliferation dysfunction. Mel inhibited the Mn‐dependent changes to these proteins and the cell cycle through nuclear receptor‐related protein 1 (Nurr1), thus alleviating the proliferation dysfunction. Knockdown of Nurr1 using lentivirus‐expressed shRNA in NSCs resulted in a diminished protective effect of Mel. We concluded that Mel mitigated Mn‐induced proliferation dysfunction and cycle arrest in NSCs through Nurr1.
RETRACTED: Development of gene panel for predicting recurrence in early‐stage cervical cancer patients
Authors: Ma Yun , Zhu Weipei
Published: April 2024

Cervical cancer (CC) is a common malignancy affecting women worldwide. Our objective was to develop a consensus‐based gene panel using multi‐omics data that could effectively predict recurrence in early‐stage cervical cancer patients. We utilized the “Multi‐Omics Consensus Integration Analysis (MOVICS)” package for consensus clustering design to integrate multiple omics datasets and improve the molecular classification landscape of early‐stage CC. We identified the “resting and naive” tumor microenvironment (TME) as cancer subtype (CS) 2. Leveraging the feature genes from the CS classifier, we employed machine learning algorithms to identify a gene panel, including ALDH1A1, CLDN10, MUC13, and C10orf99, which could generate a consensus machine learning‐driven score (CMLS) for each patient. Stratifying patients into high and low CMLS groups resulted in Kaplan–Meier curves demonstrating a significant difference in recurrence rates between the two groups. This difference remained significant even after adjusting for clinical features in multivariate Cox regression analysis, with the risk ratio of CMLS surpassing that of clinical characteristics. Furthermore, the TME exhibited notable differences between the different CMLS groups, suggesting that patients with low CMLS may exhibit a better response to immunotherapy. This study highlights the potential of the CMLS approach in predicting recurrence in early‐stage cervical cancer patients and provides a screening model for selecting patients suitable for immunotherapy.
Will you take the opportunity to assess and manage cardiovascular risk?
Authors: Patel Riyaz S
Published: April 2024

Opportunistic cardiovascular risk assessment and management in specialist settings can have a major long‐term impact on patients’ health and quality of life. At its core the process is simple and feasible to deploy in all clinical settings, as the author explains.
Recurrent skin opening induced by chronic sternal osteomyelitis caused by a bite wound in a cat: A case report
Authors: Yu Seung‐yeon , Lee Sungin
Published: April 2024

Background

Chronic sternal osteomyelitis is a rare condition in felines, with limited reported cases to date.

Objectives

We report the case of a 2‐year‐old castrated male, domestic shorthair cat, weighing 4.68 kg, that presented with skin openings every 3–4 months, despite skin debridement and reconstruction.

Methods

A subcutaneous dead space larger than the skin defect was detected. Haematological analysis revealed elevated levels of inflammatory markers. Thoracic radiography revealed sternal deformation and suspected osteomyelitis. Computed tomography revealed a fistula extending from the third to the fourth sternebrae.

Results

Bone and soft tissue debridement and abscess flushing were performed along with long‐term antibiotic therapy. The cat remained recurrence‐free throughout an 18‐month post‐surgery follow‐up period.

Conclusion

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of chronic osteomyelitis occurring in a cat's sternebrae and represents the first successful case of its treatment. This case showcases the potential for improved treatment outcomes in similar cases. Understanding and successful treatment of such cases can pave the way for better management of feline osteomyelitis.
Ante‐factum legislative general vaccination mandates as a solution to legal hypocrisy in pandemics
Authors: Radavoi Ciprian N.
Published: April 2024

With the next pandemic likely not far off, the debate over the suitability of a broad, general vaccination mandate (GVM) goes on. This essay proposes a novel argument in favor of GVM—one based on the reality that left to its own devices, executive power, from governments to the local administration and even corporations, tends anyway to impose on the nonvaccinated restrictions of such harshness that vaccination becomes de facto mandatory. The most coercive measure was banning the nonvaccinated from the workplace, which was done—despite the fundamental importance of the right to work to the human being—without any genuine examination of the elements of balancing (necessity, proportionality) required whenever a right is limited by the authorities. Mandating vaccination de jure, by parliaments, before the next pandemic strikes would have the merits of avoiding legal hypocrisy and would be achieved following national public debate and a thorough process of balancing the rights at stake.
Provider directory inaccuracy and timely access to physical therapy
Authors: Elton Thomas , Xu Wendy Y. , Haeder Simon F.
Published: April 2024

Can patients find physical therapists in their networks, and can they access physical therapy when they need to? To answer these questions, we analyzed provider directory accuracy and timely access for physical therapists for all managed care plans available in California in 2018 and 2019 using secondary data obtained from the California Department of Managed Health Care for a total of 119,084 physical therapy listings (60,967 for 2018 and 58,117 for 2019). Overall, 19% of listed providers in 2018 and 8% of listed providers in 2019 showed inaccuracies. However, we found substantial differences across markets, with a low of 54% accuracy for Medicaid listings in 2018. Commercial plans were consistently most accurate. In terms of adequacy, we found that more than 90% of listed providers were accessible within 15 days and 97% within 30 days, with Medicaid providing the highest rates of timely access. Overall, barriers to consumer access with regard to physical therapy appear to be primarily in the form of provider directory inaccuracies. High rates of inaccuracies raise concerns for patients as well as regulators. Ultimately, California is one of the most regulated states when it comes to network adequacy and access.
Die Vielfalt der Ungewissheit bei der Entsorgung hochradioaktiver Abfälle
Authors: Seidl Roman , Becker Frank , Eckhardt Anne , Mintzlaff Volker , Scheer Dirk
Published: April 2024

Dieser Band handelt von Ungewissheiten. Ungewissheiten sind aus dem Alltag bekannt, auch, wenn sie nicht differenziert oder explizit so benannt werden. Wir wissen nicht sicher, wie das Wetter wird, wie der Arbeitstag verlaufen wird, ob das Kind gesund von der Schule heimkommt, und auch nicht, ob wir in zwanzig Jahren noch im selben Ort leben werden. Und dennoch kommen wir mehr oder weniger gut zurecht, treffen alltäglich Entscheidungen und planen darüber hinaus in die Zukunft. Wir handeln also auf Basis von Entscheidungen unter Ungewissheit; das gilt auch für Entscheidungsträger:innen in Politik, Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft.
Das Unbekannte vorausdenken?
Authors: Eckhardt Anne , Becker Frank , Mintzlaff Volker , Scheer Dirk , Seidl Roman
Published: April 2024

Entscheiden unter Ungewissheit ist ein aktuelles Thema. Große, komplexe Herausforderungen wie der Klimawandel, bei denen zudem unterschiedliche Sichtweisen und Werthaltungen aufeinandertreffen, erfordern innovative Ansätze zum Umgang mit Ungewissheiten. Die Entsorgung hochradioaktiver Abfälle ist eine gesellschaftliche Aufgabe, die aufgrund ungewöhnlich weitreichender zeitlicher Realisierungs- und Bewertungshorizonte mit erheblichen Ungewissheiten verbunden ist, obwohl die Entsorgungsoption der Endlagerung im geologischen Untergrund auch deshalb gewählt wurde, um Ungewissheiten einzudämmen. In Deutschland tragen zudem Belastungen durch eine konfliktreiche Vergangenheit zu Ungewissheiten über politische und gesellschaftliche Ereignisse und Entwicklungen auf dem Entsorgungsweg bei. Entscheidungen zum Umgang mit konkreten, charakterisierten Ungewissheiten, die zum Beispiel die Sicherheitsbarrieren eines Endlagers betreffen, lassen sich entlang des in diesem Beitrag dargestellten Schemas (Abb. 1) treffen. In Einzelfällen kann und sollte von diesem Schema aber auch mit guten Gründen abgewichen werden. Entscheidungen unter teils komplexen und wenig charakterisierten Ungewissheiten auf dem Entsorgungsweg können affirmativ, robust oder adaptiv (Abb. 2) getroffen werden. Mit Entscheidungen unter Ungewissheit und zum Umgang mit Ungewissheiten sowohl auf Sicherheit, wie sie aus wissenschaftlich-technischer Perspektive verstanden wird, als auch auf weitgehenden gesellschaftlichen Konsens hinzuarbeiten, ist für alle Akteure der Entsorgung anspruchsvoll. Governance, der Einfluss menschlicher und organisatorischer Faktoren sowie kommunikative Erkenntnisse müssen bei Entscheidungen unter Ungewissheit und zum Umgang mit Ungewissheiten einbezogen werden.
Offene Zukunft und unsicheres Zukunftswissen: die Endlagerung hochradioaktiver Abfälle
Authors: Grunwald Armin
Published: April 2024

Die sichere Lagerung radioaktiver, insbesondere hochradioaktiver und damit wärmeentwickelnder Abfallstoffe ist in Deutschland als Endlagerung in einer tiefen geologischen Formation beabsichtigt. Bestimmte Ungewissheiten resultieren aus der Notwendigkeit, lange Zeiträume, für die Zukunftswissen grundsätzlich unsicher ist, in Betracht ziehen zu müssen. Jegliche Strategie zum langfristigen Umgang mit hochradioaktiven Abfällen ist angesichts der Halbwertszeiten der jeweiligen Nuklide bzw. ihrer Zerfallsprodukte mit der Notwendigkeit konfrontiert, für lange, teils sehr lange Zeiträume zu planen bzw. Vorsorge zu treffen. Es geht um Sicherheit vor Strahlung und möglichen toxischen Effekten durch die Abfälle bzw. ihre Zerfallsprodukte für eine Million Jahre, wie dies 2010 vom Umweltministerium festgelegt wurde. Die erwartete Gewährleistung bzw. ein Nachweis dieser Sicherheit kollidieren insbesondere mit der Erfahrung, dass Zukunftswissen generell und insbesondere für derart lange Zeiträume unsicher ist. Die Spannung zwischen dieser bekannten Unsicherheit und dem Wunsch nach Sicherheit ist Gegenstand dieses Kapitels. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf erkenntnistheoretischen Fragen des Zukunftswissens, wobei Zukunftswissen nach naturwissenschaftlichen und gesellschaftlichen Feldern erkenntnistheoretisch differenziert betrachtet wird. Die Übertragung dieser allgemeinen Betrachtungen auf die Endlagerung erlaubt Schlussfolgerungen für Verantwortungszuschreibung und Handeln.
Ad Calendas Graecas? Ethische und politische Bemerkungen zum offiziellen „Abschied von 2031“ bei der Endlagersuche
Authors: Ott Konrad
Published: April 2024

Der Artikel reflektiert die 2023 eingetretene Lage der Verschiebung der Entscheidung für einen Endlagerstandort in den Zeitraum von 2046 bis 2068. Der Artikel verknüpft eine Situationsdeutung (1) mit einer ethischen Analyse (2) und einer normativen Positionierung (3) unter der Annahme, dass durch die Verlängerung des Suchverfahrens die Ungewissheiten auf dem Entsorgungspfad größer und die Risiken der Zwischenlagerung nicht kleiner werden. Es wird besonders auf die Ambivalenzen der Forderung nach Partizipation reflektiert (4). Es wird eine Konstellation bzw. ein Dispositiv aus Wirkfaktoren analysiert, das erklärt, warum Deutschland dabei sein könnte, den Pfad in Richtung einer dauerhaften Oberflächenlagerung einzuschlagen (5). Die normative Positionierung impliziert es, davor zu warnen (6).
Gewissheit der Ungewissheit
Authors: Kramer Kevin , Neumann Henrike , Preisler Karla , Schäfer Christopher
Published: April 2024

Die Entsorgung von Atommüll ist ein kontroverses Thema, das technische, ökologische, und politische Überlegungen beinhaltet. Um gesellschaftliche Aspekte und Bedenken der Bevölkerung zu berücksichtigen, ist im Standortauswahlgesetz eine Beteiligung der Öffentlichkeit fixiert. Im TRANSENS-Forschungsvorhaben ist die AGBe an der Untersuchung der Frage, wie die Öffentlichkeit als einzubeziehender Akteur mit Ungewissheiten umgeht, beteiligt. Im Sinne dieses Kapitels sind unter Ungewissheiten Zustände zu verstehen, in denen etwas nicht feststeht (vgl. Duden „Ungewissheit“, „Bedeutung“ Zugriff:https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Ungewissheit.). Hierbei kann es sich beispielsweise um nicht eindeutig bewiesene Sachverhalte, unbestimmte Entwicklungen oder auch nicht als Fakten bestätigte Informationen oder Vermutungen handeln. Zunächst ergaben sich Ungewissheiten zu Beginn der Mitarbeit zu der Frage, welche Anforderungen an die Gruppe gestellt werden. Eine weitere Überlegung betrifft den Unterschied zwischen einer Bürger- und einer Laienbeteiligung und die Entwicklung von beteiligten Bürgern und Laien mit gewissen Fachkenntnissen durch die Aneignung von Wissen im Verlauf der Zusammenarbeit. Die Ungewissheit, ob und wie die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Bürgern mit geringen Vorkenntnissen und den beteiligten Wissenschaftlern funktionieren kann, begleitete die Arbeitsgruppe im ersten Jahr. Letztendlich beschäftigt sich die AGBe mit Fragen zum Umgang mit den auch bei der Wissenschaft verbleibenden Ungewissheiten, die sich aus dem unvorstellbar langen Zeitraum ergeben, der Generationengerechtigkeit und dem gesellschaftlichen Wandel.
Atomkraft und Endlagerung: Von der parallelen Existenz von (Un-)Gewissheiten in Politik und Zivilgesellschaft seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg
Authors: Kirchhof Astrid Mignon
Published: April 2024

Weder in der vergangenen noch in der gegenwärtigen bundesdeutschen Atomkraft- und Endlagerpolitik gab es eine Zeit gesellschaftlich unhinterfragter Gewissheiten im Sinne einer bedingungslosen Zustimmung zur Atomkraft und Endlagerung. Gewissheit bedeutet im vorliegendem Beitrag einerseits die politische Zustimmung zur Atomkraft, aber auch die Gewissheit, diese durchsetzen zu können. Seit den 1970er Jahren formierte sich eine breite Anti-Atomkraft-Bewegung, wodurch das Gewissheitsnarrativ der politischen und wirtschaftlichen Entscheidungsträger:innen durch die Wahrnehmung eines hohen Katastrophenpotentials und die Formulierung starker Ungewissheiten in Bezug auf die Atomkraft durch die Zivilgesellschaft infrage gestellt wurde. Dennoch war es nicht die Kritik der deutschen Anti-Atomkraft-Bewegung, die zur aktuellen Endlagersuche führte, sondern die Nuklearkatastrophe von Fukushima. Das bedeutet, dass die jahrzehntelang formulierten Ungewissheiten der deutschen Anti-Atomkraft-Bewegung nur mittelbar der Grund für den Ausstieg aus der Atomkraft waren; an einem demokratischeren Prozess der aktuellen Endlagersuche hatte die Bewegung indes unmittelbaren Anteil, da politische Entscheidungsträger:innen lernten, dass sich Entsorgungsprogramme in Deutschland nicht einfach durchsetzen lassen, sondern dass mit Ungewissheiten zu rechnen ist, die Anpassungen erfordern können.
Einleitung
Authors: Strangalies Christian
Published: April 2024

Nachhaltige Investments gewinnen zunehmend an Bedeutung. Ersichtlich wird das am wachsenden Markt für nachhaltige Investments, der unter Berücksichtigung aller Anlagestrategien im Jahr 2020 weltweit ca. 35,3 Billionen US-Dollar umfasst. Im Vergleich zu 2018 verzeichnet der Markt ein Wachstum in Höhe von 15 %.
Selbsterhaltung von Systemen durch neuen Sinn
Authors: Strangalies Christian
Published: April 2024

Da es sich bei der Systemtheorie um eine sehr komplexe Theorie handelt, deren theoretische Leistungsfähigkeit erst durch eine ganzheitliche Betrachtungsweise abrufbar ist, ist es nicht ausreichend mit einzelnen theoretischen Schlagworten zu arbeiten, vielmehr ist eine Beschreibung der systemtheoretischen Logik in der Gesamtbetrachtung notwendig. Daher wird in diesem Kapitel eine grundlegende Einführung in die Systemtheorie nach Luhmann gegeben und beschrieben, wie soziale Systeme langfristig bestehen. Anschließend erfolgt eine Beschreibung, wie die Steuerungsformen „Markt“, „Hierarchie“ und „Netzwerke“ aus systemtheoretischer Sicht funktionieren, ferner werden deren Interdependenzen dargestellt.
Gesamtfazit
Authors: Strangalies Christian
Published: April 2024

Hinsichtlich der Frage, welchen Einfluss Nachhaltigkeitsratings auf eine nachhaltige Entwicklung haben, wurde in vorliegender Arbeit aus systemtheoretischer Sicht untersucht, welche Bedeutung Nachhaltigkeitsratings für die Gesellschaft haben. Zur These, dass Nachhaltigkeitsratings zu einer sinnvollen Gesellschaft beitragen, indem sie eine Selbststeuerung der Wirtschaft durch eine begrenzte Reflexion in Unternehmen ermöglichen, wurden zu den jeweiligen Unterthesen zusammenfassend folgende Erkenntnisse erzielt.
Transforming Radical Differential Equations to Algebraic Differential Equations
Authors: Falkensteiner Sebastian , Sendra J. Rafael
Published: April 2024

In this paper, we present an algorithmic procedure that transforms, if possible, a given system of ordinary or partial differential equations with radical dependencies in the unknown function and its derivatives into a system with polynomial relations among them by means of a rational change of variables. The solutions of the given equation and its transformation correspond one-to-one. This work can be seen as a generalization of previous work on reparametrization of ODEs and PDEs with radical coefficients.
Seismic Signal Discrimination of Earthquakes and Quarry Blasts in North-East Italy Using Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Ertuncay Deniz , Lorenzo Andrea De , Costa Giovanni
Published: April 2024

Separation of seismic sources of seismic events such as earthquakes and quarry blasts is a complex task and, in most cases, require manual inspection. In this study, artificial neural network models are developed to automatically identify the events that occurred in North-East Italy, where earthquakes and quarry blasts may share the same area. Due to the proximity of the locations of the active fault lines and mining sites, many blasts are registered as earthquakes that can contaminate earthquake catalogues. To be able to differentiate various sources of seismic events 11,821 seismic records from 1463 earthquakes detected by various seismic networks and 9822 seismic records of 727 blasts manually labelled by the Slovenian Environment Agency are used. Three-component seismic records with 90 s length and their frequency contents are used as an input. Ten different models are created by changing various features of the neural networks. Regardless of the features of the created models, results show that accuracy rates are always around 99 %. The performance of our models is compared with a previous study that also used artificial neural networks. It is found that our models show significantly better performance with respect to the models developed by the previous study which performs badly due to differences in the data. Our models perform slightly better than the new model created by using our dataset, but with the previous study’s architecture. Developed model can be useful for the discrimination of the earthquakes from quarry blasts in North-East Italy, which may help us to monitor seismic events in the region.
The dynamic connectedness between collateralized loan obligations and major asset classes: a TVP-VAR approach and portfolio hedging strategies for investors
Authors: Papathanasiou Spyros , Kenourgios Dimitris , Koutsokostas Drosos , Pergeris Georgios
Published: April 2024

Motivated by the increasing demand for alternative assets that can contribute to reducing portfolio risk, this paper examines the volatility spillovers between collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) and various in-demand investment instruments, including equities, bonds, crude oil, commodities, gold, bitcoin, shipping and real estate. The applied methodology comprehends the time-varying parameter vector autoregressive (TVP-VAR) modification of the classical spillover approach, for the period from January 1, 2012, to August 31, 2023. The empirical findings show moderate levels of dynamic connectedness; albeit several external shocks strengthened the interconnection among the assets. Moreover, we compare the ability of CLOs for hedging, during the overall sample period and multiple subperiods, by estimating hedge ratios and optimal portfolio weights, in order to inform investors about feasible portfolio adjustments. Our results indicate that CLOs constitute an effective hedging tool, irrespective of the period covered, as the short position in their volatility provides high hedging effectiveness for investors holding long positions in the volatility of all the remaining assets.
Multiresidue analysis of bat guano using GC-MS/MS
Authors: Peter Michelle , Bakanov Nikita , Mathgen Xenia , Brühl Carsten A. , Veith Michael , Müller Christoph
Published: April 2024

Bats are the second largest mammalian order and are an endangered species group with a strong need for contamination monitoring. To facilitate non-invasive monitoring of the ecological burden in bat populations, a multiresidue method for the simultaneous quantification of 119 analytes including pesticides, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), UV blockers, plasticizers, and other emerging pollutants in bat guano with gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was developed. Sample preparation and clean-up were performed with a modified QuEChERS approach based on DIN EN 15662. The method uses 1.00 g bat guano as sample with acetonitrile and water for liquid-liquid extraction. Phase separation is assisted by citrate-buffered salting out agent. For clean-up of the extract, primary secondary amine (PSA) was combined with graphitized carbon black (GCB). The lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) ranged between 2.5 and 250 µg kg−1. Linearity was shown in a concentration range from the respective LLOQs to 1250 µg kg−1. The median of the mean recovery was 102.4%. Precision was tested at three concentrations. Method and injection precision were adequate with a relative standard deviation (RSD) below 20%. Furthermore, the comparative analysis with LC-MS/MS demonstrated the reliability of the results and provided a valuable extension of the analytical scope. As proof of concept, three guano samples from a German nursery roost of Myotis myotis were analysed. The results show a time-dependent change in contaminant concentration, highlighting the strong need for non-invasive contamination monitoring of whole bat populations.

Graphical Abstract
Area of hydronephrosis is a useful predictive factor of impacted ureteral stones
Authors: Iwahashi Yuya , Kohjimoto Yasuo , Deguchi Ryusuke , Wakamiya Takahito , Yamashita Shimpei , Hara Isao
Published: April 2024

Ureteroscopic lithotripsy for impacted stones is challenging, but it is important to predict impacted stones preoperatively. Hydronephrosis, which is evaluated by a grading system, is often apparent in impacted stones. However, the currently used grading system is a qualitative evaluation. We, therefore, focused on a quantitative evaluation: the area of hydronephrosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the area of hydronephrosis could predict impacted stones more accurately than Society for Fetal Urology grade. We retrospectively identified 160 patients who underwent ureteroscopic lithotripsy for ureteral stones at our hospital between January 2014 and April 2022. Impacted stones were defined as stones fixed to the ureteral wall that could not be moved by means of ureteroscopic manipulation or water pressure. Of the 160 patients, 54 (33.8%) had impacted stones. Comparing patient characteristics, there were significant differences in stone size, ureteral wall thickness, Society for Fetal Urology grade, renal pelvic width and area of hydronephrosis (all P < 0.01). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that area of hydronephrosis was the more significant predictive value (area under the curve 0.781) compared with Society for Fetal Urology grade (area under the curve 0.676, P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed that significant independent predictive factors of impacted stones were thicker ureteral wall thickness and larger area of hydronephrosis (both P < 0.01). The area of hydronephrosis and ureteral wall thickness were significant predictors of impacted stones in patients undergoing ureteroscopic lithotripsy for ureteral stones. These factors may be useful for selecting the treatment and preoperative settings.
The impact of crystal phase transition on the hardness and structure of kidney stones
Authors: Michibata Uta , Maruyama Mihoko , Tanaka Yutaro , Yoshimura Masashi , Yoshikawa Hiroshi Y. , Takano Kazufumi , Furukawa Yoshihiro , Momma Koichi , Tajiri Rie , Taguchi Kazumi , Hamamoto Shuzo , Okada Atsushi , Kohri Kenjiro , Yasui Takahiro , Usami Shigeyoshi , Imanishi Masayuki , Mori Yusuke
Published: April 2024

Calcium oxalate kidney stones, the most prevalent type of kidney stones, undergo a multi-step process of crystal nucleation, growth, aggregation, and secondary transition. The secondary transition has been rather overlooked, and thus, the effects on the disease and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. Here, we show, by periodic micro-CT images of human kidney stones in an ex vivo incubation experiment, that the growth of porous aggregates of calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD) crystals triggers the hardening of the kidney stones that causes difficulty in lithotripsy of kidney stone disease in the secondary transition. This hardening was caused by the internal nucleation and growth of precise calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystals from isolated urine in which the calcium oxalate concentrations decreased by the growth of COD in closed grain boundaries of COD aggregate kidney stones. Reducing the calcium oxalate concentrations in urine is regarded as a typical approach for avoiding the recurrence. However, our results revealed that the decrease of the concentrations in closed microenvironments conversely promotes the transition of the COD aggregates into hard COM aggregates. We anticipate that the suppression of the secondary transition has the potential to manage the deterioration of kidney stone disease.
Twinning International Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Programs: A Transformative Educational Experience for Trainees with Potential for Global Adoption
Authors: Kelleher Sean T. , Kyle William B. , Penny Daniel J. , Olsen Jillian , Nolke Lars , Allen Hugh D. , McMahon Colin J.
Published: April 2024

Over the last decade, having endured the COVID-19 pandemic, education and training in pediatric cardiology have undergone a profound disruptive transformation. Trainees experience considerable stress achieving all the competencies required to become a competent pediatric cardiologist. Often the quality of the training experienced by trainees, the approach to patients, and potential institutional preference in management strategy is heavily influenced by the center in which they train. We developed an online live twin program of education between Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas and Children’s Health at Crumlin Dublin Ireland in 2019. We explored using grounded theory whether a regular scheduled shared teaching program improved fellow education and training between both centers. Trainees were surveyed to evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of such a twin program. The majority (93%) found the sessions helpful from an educational standpoint with many trainees reporting it to be a transformative experience. Three important learning themes emerged: practice variation between centers, managing uncertainty in clinical practice and cognitive overload. This pedagogical model could be replicated across multiple international pediatric cardiology units and facilitate “collaborative learning” among centers across the globe. Furthermore, this novel educational model could also be adopted by other medical specialties.
Bifidobacterium modulation of tumor immunotherapy and its mechanism
Authors: Pei Bo , Peng Shixuan , Huang Chuying , Zhou Fuxiang
Published: April 2024

The advent of tumor immunotherapy in patients has revolutionized the treatment of tumors and significantly improved survival rates for a wide range of tumors. However, the full therapeutic potential of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has yet to be realized, as not all patients have a lasting survival benefit from them, and a significant proportion of patients show primary or acquired resistance to immunotherapy. Bifidobacterium is one of the most common probiotics, and its antitumor and immunomodulatory effects have been demonstrated in recent years, but its immunomodulatory effects in tumors, especially on ICIs and in combination, have not been extensively studied in clinical practice, and its effects on the immune system and the mechanisms that modulate immunotherapy are largely unknown. Therefore, this review will focus on the immunomodulatory effects of Bifidobacteria in malignancies and the possible mechanisms of action of Bifidobacteria on immunotherapy in the hope of providing a basis for further research and better application of Bifidobacteria in clinical practice.
Detecting Spatial Patterns of Peatland Greenhouse Gas Sinks and Sources with Geospatial Environmental and Remote Sensing Data
Authors: Christiani Priscillia , Rana Parvez , Räsänen Aleksi , Pitkänen Timo P. , Tolvanen Anne
Published: April 2024

Peatlands play a key role in the circulation of the main greenhouse gases (GHG) – methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Therefore, detecting the spatial pattern of GHG sinks and sources in peatlands is pivotal for guiding effective climate change mitigation in the land use sector. While geospatial environmental data, which provide detailed spatial information on ecosystems and land use, offer valuable insights into GHG sinks and sources, the potential of directly using remote sensing data from satellites remains largely unexplored. We predicted the spatial distribution of three major GHGs (CH4, CO2, and N2O) sinks and sources across Finland. Utilizing 143 field measurements, we compared the predictive capacity of three different data sets with MaxEnt machine-learning modeling: (1) geospatial environmental data including climate, topography and habitat variables, (2) remote sensing data (Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2), and (3) a combination of both. The combined dataset yielded the highest accuracy with an average test area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.845 and AUC stability of 0.928. A slightly lower accuracy was achieved using only geospatial environmental data (test AUC 0.810, stability AUC 0.924). In contrast, using only remote sensing data resulted in reduced predictive accuracy (test AUC 0.763, stability AUC 0.927). Our results suggest that (1) reliable estimates of GHG sinks and sources cannot be produced with remote sensing data only and (2) integrating multiple data sources is recommended to achieve accurate and realistic predictions of GHG spatial patterns.
Prognostic value of depression and anxiety on colorectal cancer-related mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis based on univariate and multivariate data
Authors: Xia Shijun , Zhu Yuwen , Luo Lidan , Wu Wenjiang , Ma Lijuan , Yu Linchong , Li Yue
Published: April 2024

Background

Depression and anxiety are common mental disorders in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC); however, it remains unclear whether they are related to cancer mortality.

Method

Based on a systematic literature search, 12 eligible studies involving 26,907 patients with CRC were included in this study.

Results

Univariate analysis revealed that anxiety was associated with an all-cause mortality rate of 1.42 (1.02, 1.96), whereas multivariate analysis revealed that anxiety was not associated with an all-cause mortality rate of 0.73 (0.39, 1.36). In univariate and multivariate analyses, depression was associated with all-cause mortality rates of 1.89 (1.68, 2.13) and 1.62 (1.27, 2.06), respectively, but not with the cancer-associated mortality rate of 1.16 (0.91, 1.48) in multivariate analyses. Multivariate subgroup analysis of depression and all-cause mortality showed that younger age (≤65 years), being diagnosed with depression/anxiety after a confirmed cancer diagnosis, and shorter follow-up time (<5 years) were associated with poor prognosis.

Conclusions

Our study emphasizes the key roles of depression and anxiety as independent factors for predicting the survival of patients with CRC. However, owing to the significant heterogeneity among the included studies, the results should be interpreted with caution. Early detection and effective treatment of depression and anxiety in patients with CRC have public health and clinical significance.
Lessons learned from revision procedures: a case series pleading for reinforcement of the anterior hiatus in recurrent hiatal hernia
Authors: Geerts Jorrit H. , de Haas Job W. A. , Nieuwenhuijs Vincent B.
Published: April 2024

Background

Hiatal Hernia (HH) is a common structural defect of the diaphragm. Laparoscopic repair with suturing of the hiatal pillars followed by fundoplication has become standard practice. In an attempt to lower HH recurrence rates, mesh reinforcement, commonly located at the posterior site of the esophageal hiatus, has been used. However, effectiveness of posterior mesh augmentation is still up to debate. There is a lack of understanding of the mechanism of recurrence requiring further investigation. We investigated the anatomic location of HH recurrences in an attempt to assess why HH recurrence rates remain high despite various attempts with mesh reinforcement.

Methods

A retrospective case series of prospectively collected data from patients with hiatal hernia repair between 2012 and 2020 was performed. In total, 54 patients with a recurrent hiatal hernia operation were included in the study. Video clips from the revision procedure were analyzed by a surgical registrar and senior surgeon to assess the anatomic location of recurrent HH. For the assessment, the esophageal hiatus was divided into four equal quadrants. Additionally, patient demographics, hiatal hernia characteristics, and operation details were collected and analyzed.

Results

54 patients were included. The median time between primary repair and revision procedure was 25 months (IQR 13–95, range 0–250). The left-anterior quadrant was involved in 43 patients (80%), the right-anterior quadrant in 21 patients (39%), the left-posterior quadrant in 21 patients (39%), and the right-posterior quadrant in 10 patients (19%).

Conclusion

In this study, hiatal hernia recurrences occured most commonly at the left-anterior quadrant of the hiatus, however, posterior recurrences were not uncommon. Based on our results, we hypothesize that both posterior and anterior hiatal reinforcement might be a suitable solution to lower the recurrence rate of hiatal hernia. A randomized controlled trial using a circular, bio-absorbable mesh has been initiated to test our hypothesis.