bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fatigue Behaviour of an Additively Manufactured Drive Wheel Made of Ti6AL4V
Authors: Kaschube Deborah , Bohlmann Berend
Published: January 2024

This contribution investigates the fatigue behaviour of a newly designed drive wheel made of Ti6Al4V using cold metal fusion. In addition to its actual task, the new drive wheel also serves as a spring element to cushion force peaks caused by the application and thus protect surrounding components. The special design with integrated spokes and stop points allows for a rotation within the drive wheel of 2.9°. The entire wheel was subjected to shape, strength, weight, and function optimisation by means of topology optimisation and specially designed for additive manufacturing using cold metal fusion. Previous tests on small specimens provide the necessary material parameters to carry out a strain life fatigue strength simulation. The simulation was validated by means of component tests on the test bench and in the vehicle.
Estrogen and psychosis — a review and future directions
Authors: Mu Eveline , Gurvich Caroline , Kulkarni Jayashri
Published: January 2024

The link between sex hormones and schizophrenia has been suspected for over a century; however, scientific evidence supporting the pharmacotherapeutic effects of exogenous estrogen has only started to emerge during the past three decades. Accumulating evidence from epidemiological and basic research suggests that estrogen has a protective effect in women vulnerable to schizophrenia. Such evidence has led multiple researchers to investigate the role of estrogen in schizophrenia and its use in treatment. This narrative review provides an overview of the effects of estrogen as well as summarizes the recent work regarding estrogen as a treatment for schizophrenia, particularly the use of new-generation selective estrogen receptor modulators.
Initial damage and failure load of zirconia-ceramic and metal-ceramic posterior cantilever fixed partial dentures
Authors: Bömicke Wolfgang , Boisserée Philipp , Rammelsberg Peter , Rues Stefan
Published: January 2024

Objectives

The aim of this study was to compare failure load and initial damage in monolithic, partially veneered, and completely veneered (translucent) zirconia cantilevered fixed partial dentures (CFPDs), as well as completely veneered metal-ceramic CFPDs under different support and loading configurations.

Materials and methods

Eight test groups with anatomically congruent CFPDs (n = 8/group) were fabricated, differing in CFPD material/support structure/loading direction (load applied via steel ball (Ø 6 mm) 3 mm from the distal end of the pontic for axial loading with a 2-point contact on the inner cusp ridges of the buccal and oral cusps and 1.3 mm below the oral cusp tip for 30° oblique loading): (1) monolithic zirconia/CoCr abutment teeth/axial, (2) monolithic zirconia/CoCr abutment teeth/oblique, (3) partially veneered zirconia/CoCr abutment teeth/axial, (4) partially veneered zirconia/CoCr abutment teeth/oblique, (5) completely veneered zirconia/CoCr abutment teeth/axial, (6) completely veneered CoCr/CoCr abutment teeth/axial (control group), (7) partially veneered zirconia/implants/axial, and (8) partially veneered zirconia/natural teeth/axial. Restorations were artificially aged before failure testing. Statistical analysis was conducted using one-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests.

Results

Mean failure loads ranged from 392 N (group 8) to 1181 N (group 1). Axially loaded monolithic zirconia CFPDs (group 1) and controls (group 6) showed significantly higher failure loads. Oblique loading significantly reduced failure loads for monolithic zirconia CFPDs (group 2). Initial damage was observed in all groups except monolithic zirconia groups, and fractography revealed design flaws (sharp edges at the occlusal boundary of the veneering window) in partially veneered zirconia CFPDs.

Conclusions

Monolithic zirconia CFPDs might be a viable alternative to completely veneered CoCr CFPDs in terms of fracture load. However, oblique loading of monolithic zirconia CFPDs should be avoided in clinical scenarios. Design improvements are required for partially veneered zirconia CFPDs to enhance their load-bearing capacity.

Clinical relevance

Monolithic zirconia may represent a viable all-ceramic alternative to the established metal-ceramic option for CFPD fabrication. However, in daily clinical practice, careful occlusal adjustment and regular monitoring should ensure that oblique loading of the cantilever is avoided.
How the experience of California wildfires shape Twitter climate change framings
Authors: Ko Jessie W. Y. , Ni Shengquan , Taylor Alexander , Chen Xiusi , Huang Yicong , Kumar Avinash , Alsudais Sadeem , Wang Zuozhi , Liu Xiaozhen , Wang Wei , Li Chen , Hopfer Suellen
Published: January 2024

Climate communication scientists search for effective message strategies to engage the ambivalent public in support of climate advocacy. The personal experience of wildfire is expected to render climate change impacts more concretely, pointing to a potential message strategy to engage the public. This study examined Twitter discourse related to climate change during the onset of 20 wildfires in California between the years 2017 and 2021. In this mixed method study, we analyzed tweets geographically and temporally proximal to the occurrence of wildfires to discover framings and examined how frequencies in climate framings changed before and after fires. Results identified three predominant climate framings: linking wildfire to climate change, suggesting climate actions, and attributing climate change to adversities besides wildfires. Mean tweet frequencies linking wildfire to climate change and attributing adversities increased significantly after the onset of fire. While suggesting climate action tweets also increased, the increase was not statistically significant. Temporal analysis of tweet frequencies for the three themes of tweets showed that discussion increased after the onset of a fire but persisted typically no more than 2 weeks. For fires that burned for longer periods of more than a month, external events triggered climate discussions. Our findings contribute to identifying how the personal experience of wildfire shapes Twitter discussion related to climate change, and how these framings change over time during wildfire events, leading to insights into critical time points after wildfire for implementing message strategies to increase public engagement on climate change impacts and policy.
Modeling climate change adaptation for sustainable coastal zones using GIS and AHP
Authors: Marzouk Mohamed , Azab Shimaa
Published: January 2024

The world is currently confronting one of its biggest environmental challenges: combating climate change. Coastal zones are one of the areas thought to be most sensitive to current and future climate change threats. The paper integrates Remote Sensing (RS), Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to detect vulnerable areas from climate change impacts in coastal zones in order to recommend adaptation systems in new coastal zones that can withstand various climatic changes. The proposed decision-making framework was developed in three phases: 1) climate data collection and processing; 2) Coastal Climate Impact Assessment (CCIA) model development; and 3) implementation and adaptation system selection. The climate data collection and processing phase involves determining the most significant climate change parameters and their indicators that affect coastal zone stability, extracting climatic data indicators from different climate database sources, and prioritizing the selected indicators. The indicators’ weights were estimated using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) through a questionnaire survey shared with experts in climate change impacts. A CCIA model development phase involves the formulation of the proposed model using GIS technique to discover the vulnerable areas according to the most dominant impact. The implementation and adaptation system selection phase involves the application of the framework to Al-Alamein New City in Egypt. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to measure the behavior of several climate change parameters to identify the most critical parameter for climate change in Al-Alamein New City. The results showed that the geology of the region is the most crucial component influenced by climate change. It is capable of producing a very sensitive area in the coastal zone while also taking other factors into account. When creating new urban neighborhoods, the erosion of the shoreline is the least important factor to consider. This is because coastal deterioration is caused by both the influence of metrological data on the region and the impact of human activity. Shoreline deterioration will be reduced if climate conditions are maintained while limiting the impact of human activities. To adapt to the long-term effects of climate change on coastal zones, a combination of soft and hard protection systems should be considered.
HyperPUT: generating synthetic faulty programs to challenge bug-finding tools
Authors: Felici Riccardo , Pozzi Laura , Furia Carlo A.
Published: January 2024

As research in automatically detecting bugs grows and produces new techniques, having suitable collections of programs with known bugs becomes crucial to reliably and meaningfully compare the effectiveness of these techniques. Most of the existing approaches rely on benchmarks collecting manually curated real-world bugs, or synthetic bugs seeded into real-world programs. Using real-world programs entails that extending the existing benchmarks or creating new ones remains a complex time-consuming task. In this paper, we propose a complementary approach that automatically generates programs with seeded bugs. Our technique, called HyperPUT, builds C programs from a “seed” bug by incrementally applying program transformations (introducing programming constructs such as conditionals, loops, etc.) until a program of the desired size is generated. In our experimental evaluation, we demonstrate how HyperPUT can generate buggy programs that can challenge in different ways the capabilities of modern bug-finding tools, and some of whose characteristics are comparable to those of bugs in existing benchmarks. These results suggest that HyperPUT can be a useful tool to support further research in bug-finding techniques—in particular their empirical evaluation.
Autoethnography of a Japanese academic in an Australian university: the development and changes of professional identity
Authors: Yoshida Reiko
Published: January 2024

This study uses autoethnography to examine the development of and changes in my professional identity through my study and work experiences since I came to Australia from Japan. I am currently an academic teaching Japanese language and research in the field of applied linguistics in an Australian university. I wrote a self-narrative about my experiences and the related emotions covering the time of my arrival in Australia from Japan in 1997. Because teaching and research are the major roles in my current position, I coded the narrative for statements concerning my teacher identity and my researcher identity. After reading the narratives and repeatedly reviewing the coding, I produced stories about my teacher and researcher identities. The development and changes of my professional identity were closely linked to sociopolitical aspects of my work in my immediate teaching and research contexts and to my linguistic and cultural backgrounds. My relationships with students and research colleagues tended to trigger positive emotions and contribute to the development of a positive professional identity, whereas relationships with higher management at the university were likely to cause negative emotions and contribute to the development of a negative professional identity.
Ageism and age anxiety experienced by Chinese doctoral students in enacting a “successful” career script in academia
Authors: Horta Hugo , Li Huan
Published: January 2024

This paper employs the notion of a “career script” as a conceptual basis to examine how age-based academic career norms are internalized, strategized, and reproduced among PhD students aspiring to become academics. It draws on interviews with 70 PhD students at leading universities in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau that were organized and explored using narrative inquiry. The findings suggest that the tournament-like, age-based career scripts are primarily shaped by institutional policies on recruitment and funding applications and reinforced through social interactions. Doctoral students internalize the established criteria for success defined by the career scripts and stigmatize those who lag behind in the attainment of institutionally predetermined milestones, thus discouraging any attempt to rescript career norms. While enacting successful career scripts, students experience age and temporal anxiety at a fairly young age, exacerbating ageism in the academic labor market.
Trajectories of Post-Sustainability
Authors: Adloff Frank
Published: January 2024

Faced with climate change and other ecological crises, sustainability has become an inescapable normative framework for organizations and societies worldwide. However, it conceals very different practices and imaginaries of a sustainable future. Firstly, this article introduces the three imaginaries of modernization, transformation, and control and explores what chances of implementation these trajectories have. Modernization is the dominant path driven by governments and corporations, transformation efforts by civil society actors are marginalized, and control is currently becoming more influential as a trajectory in the wake of a renaissance of strong nation-states. Secondly, this article works out the idea that sustainability, in the sense of an open future, is no longer achievable. Too many ecological burdens already exist, or can no longer be averted, so much so that one should be speaking instead about the politics of post-sustainability. It is highly probable that catastrophes and social collapses can no longer be prevented, and a rapid decarbonization of economies and societies in the coming years is so unlikely that the question thus arises as to how positive visions of the future for living together can still be derived from this. Finally, using the example of the rights of nature, it is discussed how there can, nevertheless, be forms of conviviality that could (albeit slowly) grow out of the multiple social and ecological crises and which are based on an amalgam of modernization, transformation, and control.
The 12 October 2021, $$M_W$$=6.4, Zakros, Crete earthquake
Authors: Lentas Konstantinos , Gkarlaouni Charikleia , Kalligeris Nikos , Melis Nikolaos S.
Published: January 2024

We study the strong 12 October 2021, $$M_W$$

M
W

=6.4, offshore Zakros, Crete earthquake, and its seismotectonic implications. We obtain a robust location (azimuthal gap equal to 17$$^{\circ }$$

∘

) for the mainshock by combining all freely available local, regional and teleseismic phase arrivals (direct and depth phase arrivals). Based on our location and the spatial distribution of the poor aftershock sequence we parameterise the fault area as a 30 km $$\times $$
×
20 km planar surface, and using three-component strong motion data we calculate slip models for both earthquake nodal planes. Our preferred solution shows a simple, single slip episode on a NE-SW oriented, NW shallow-dipping fault plane, instead of a N-S oriented, almost vertical nodal plane. An anti-correlation of the aftershocks spatial distribution versus the maximum slip ($$\sim $$
∼
27 cm) of our model further supports this, although the accuracy of the aftershock hypocentral locations could be somewhat questionable. Coulomb stress changes calculated for both kinematic models do not show substantial differences, as the aftershock seismicity within the first 3 months after the mainshock is distributed along the stress shadow zone and over the stress enhanced areas developed at the southern fault edge, induced by the mainshock. The Kasos island tide gauge record analysis shows a small signal after the earthquake, but it can hardly demonstrate the existence of tsunami waves due to the low signal-to-noise ratio. Tsunami simulations computed for the two nodal planes do not yield conclusive evidence to highlight whether the causative fault plane is NE-SW oriented, NW shallow-dipping plane, or the N-S oriented plane, nevertheless, the power spectrum analysis of the NW shallow-dipping nodal plane matches the spectral peak at 8 s period and is overall closer to the spectrum of the tide gauge record. A USGS Shakemap was also produced with all available local strong motion data and EMSC testimonies. This was also investigated in an effort to document the responsible fault. The overall analysis in this study, slightly suggests a rather westward, shallow-dipping offshore fault zone, being antithetic to the main Zakros almost vertical normal fault which shapes the coast of eastern Crete and is perpendicular to the direction of Ptolemy Trench in this area. This result agrees with seismotectonic and bathymetric evidence which support the existence of approximately N-S trending grabens, east and northeast of Crete.
Exploration of quality variation and stability of hybrid rice under multi-environments
Authors: Chen Rirong , Li Dongxu , Fu Jun , Fu Chenjian , Qin Peng , Zhang Xuanwen , Sun Zhenbiao , He Kui , Li Liang , Zhou Wei , Wang Yingjie , Wang Kai , Liu Xuanming , Yang Yuanzhu
Published: January 2024

Improving quality is an essential goal of rice breeding and production. However, rice quality is not solely determined by genotype, but is also influenced by the environment. Phenotype plasticity refers to the ability of a given genotype to produce different phenotypes under different environmental conditions, which can be a representation of the stability of traits. Seven quality traits of 141 hybrid combinations, deriving from the test-crossing of 7 thermosensitive genic male sterile (TGMS) and 25 restorer lines, were evaluated at 5 trial sites with intermittent sowing of three to five in Southern China. In the Yangtze River Basin, it was observed that delaying the sowing time of hybrid rice combinations leads to an improvement in their overall quality. Twelve parents were identified to have lower plasticity general combing ability (GCA) values with increased ability to produce hybrids with a more stable quality. The parents with superior quality tend to exhibit lower GCA values for plasticity. The genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified 13 and 15 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with phenotype plasticity and BLUP measurement, respectively. Notably, seven QTLs simultaneously affected both phenotype plasticity and BLUP measurement. Two cloned rice quality genes, ALK and GL7, may be involved in controlling the plasticity of quality traits in hybrid rice. The direction of the genetic effect of the QTL6 (ALK) on alkali spreading value (ASV) plasticity varies in different cropping environments. This study provides novel insights into the dynamic genetic basis of quality traits in response to different cropping regions, cultivation practices, and changing climates. These findings establish a foundation for precise breeding and production of stable and high-quality rice.
Disentangling drivers of temporal changes in urban pond macroinvertebrate diversity
Authors: Granath Gustaf , Hyseni Chaz , Bini Luis Mauricio , Heino Jani , Ortega Jean C. G. , Johansson Frank
Published: January 2024

Ponds are key elements for ecosystem functions in urban areas. However, little is known about pond biodiversity changes over time and the drivers underlying such changes. Here, we tested whether past species assemblages, land cover and pond environmental change influence pond macroinvertebrate species richness and temporal beta diversity. We also compared spatial and temporal beta diversity, and investigated species-specific colonization and extinction rates over time. We sampled for presence of Odonata and Trichoptera (larvae), and Coleoptera and Hemiptera (larvae and adults) species in 30 ponds in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2014 and 2019. Past species richness was the best predictor of current species richness, whereas temporal changes in land cover and pond environment were not significantly related to current species richness. No correlations between temporal beta diversity and land cover or pond environmental changes were detected. However, ponds showed large changes in their temporal beta diversity, with equal contributions from species gains and losses. The probability of species colonizing and going extinct from ponds revealed that more common species were more likely to colonize a pond, while uncommon species were more likely to go extinct in a pond. Within our 5-year study, we found (i) highly similar spatial and temporal beta diversity, (ii) that past species richness is a good predictor of current species richness; however, the same does not hold true for species composition. The high dynamics of urban pond communities suggest that a large number of ponds are required to maintain high species richness at a landscape level.
Privacy-preserving data publishing: an information-driven distributed genetic algorithm
Authors: Ge Yong-Feng , Wang Hua , Cao Jinli , Zhang Yanchun , Jiang Xiaohong
Published: January 2024

The privacy-preserving data publishing (PPDP) problem has gained substantial attention from research communities, industries, and governments due to the increasing requirements for data publishing and concerns about data privacy. However, achieving a balance between preserving privacy and maintaining data quality remains a challenging task in PPDP. This paper presents an information-driven distributed genetic algorithm (ID-DGA) that aims to achieve optimal anonymization through attribute generalization and record suppression. The proposed algorithm incorporates various components, including an information-driven crossover operator, an information-driven mutation operator, an information-driven improvement operator, and a two-dimensional selection operator. Furthermore, a distributed population model is utilized to improve population diversity while reducing the running time. Experimental results confirm the superiority of ID-DGA in terms of solution accuracy, convergence speed, and the effectiveness of all the proposed components.
Gender and Risk-Taking in the Building of U.S. Retirement Wealth
Authors: Giannikos Christos I. , Korkou Efstathia D.
Published: January 2024

The growing weight being placed on self-directed retirement accounts within the United States retirement income policy framework, and the time inconsistency challenge of individuals, particularly women, tending to under-invest in retirement savings accounts motivated the current work. Using data from the United States Federal Reserve Board’s Survey of Consumer Finances, for a period spanning from 1989 to 2019, 11 cross-sections of data, the paper investigated the role of gender in United States retirement risk-taking investment strategies of single (never married) individuals. The analysis documented increasing trends in the risk-taking of both single women and single men but recorded differences in the risk-taking profiles of the two groups, with single men taking more risk than single women in their retirement wealth building in most cross-sections, with the gender risk-taking gap dropping, nonetheless, algebraically in magnitude from 1989 to 2019.
Photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol using nanomaterials silver halide catalysts
Authors: Moja Mahlako Mary , Mapossa António Benjamim , Chirwa Evans Martin Nkhalambayausi , Tichapondwa Shepherd
Published: January 2024

In this study, the photocatalytic activity of nanomaterials Ag/AgX (X = Cl, Br, I) is reported. Highly efficient silver halide (Ag/AgX where X = Cl, Br, I) photocatalysts were synthesized through a hydrothermal method. The samples were characterized using a range of techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) to check their structural, morphology, textural and optical properties. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of photocatalysts was evaluated through the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) under UV and visible light irradiation. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of a single-phase structure (pure phase) in the synthesized photocatalysts. SEM micrographs showed agglomeration with a non-uniform distribution of particles, which is a characteristic of surfactant-free precipitation reactions in aqueous media. The Ag/AgBr photocatalyst exhibited the best degradation efficiency, resulting in 83.37% and 89.39% photodegradation after 5 h of UV and visible light irradiation, respectively. The effect of catalyst loading, initial solution pH, and 2,4-DCP concentration was investigated for the best-performing Ag/AgBr photocatalyst. The degradation kinetics were best described by the pseudo-first-order Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. The photocatalytic capacity of Ag/AgBr decreased by 50% after five reuse cycles. SEM images revealed heightened levels of photodegradation on the catalyst surface. The study proved the feasibility of using simple synthesis methods to produce visible light active photocatalysts capable of degrading refractory phenolic pollutants in aqueous systems.
Exploring Variational Auto-encoder Architectures, Configurations, and Datasets for Generative Music Explainable AI
Authors: Bryan-Kinns Nick , Zhang Bingyuan , Zhao Songyan , Banar Berker
Published: January 2024

Generative AI models for music and the arts in general are increasingly complex and hard to understand. The field of explainable AI (XAI) seeks to make complex and opaque AI models such as neural networks more understandable to people. One approach to making generative AI models more understandable is to impose a small number of semantically meaningful attributes on generative AI models. This paper contributes a systematic examination of the impact that different combinations of variational auto-encoder models (measureVAE and adversarialVAE), configurations of latent space in the AI model (from 4 to 256 latent dimensions), and training datasets (Irish folk, Turkish folk, classical, and pop) have on music generation performance when 2 or 4 meaningful musical attributes are imposed on the generative model. To date, there have been no systematic comparisons of such models at this level of combinatorial detail. Our findings show that measureVAE has better reconstruction performance than adversarialVAE which has better musical attribute independence. Results demonstrate that measureVAE was able to generate music across music genres with interpretable musical dimensions of control, and performs best with low complexity music such as pop and rock. We recommend that a 32 or 64 latent dimensional space is optimal for 4 regularised dimensions when using measureVAE to generate music across genres. Our results are the first detailed comparisons of configurations of state-of-the-art generative AI models for music and can be used to help select and configure AI models, musical features, and datasets for more understandable generation of music.
Deep Industrial Image Anomaly Detection: A Survey
Authors: Liu Jiaqi , Xie Guoyang , Wang Jinbao , Li Shangnian , Wang Chengjie , Zheng Feng , Jin Yaochu
Published: January 2024

The recent rapid development of deep learning has laid a milestone in industrial image anomaly detection (IAD). In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of deep learning-based image anomaly detection techniques, from the perspectives of neural network architectures, levels of supervision, loss functions, metrics and datasets. In addition, we extract the promising setting from industrial manufacturing and review the current IAD approaches under our proposed setting. Moreover, we highlight several opening challenges for image anomaly detection. The merits and downsides of representative network architectures under varying supervision are discussed. Finally, we summarize the research findings and point out future research directions. More resources are available at https://github.com/M-3LAB/awesome-industrial-anomaly-detection.
Carbon Nitride Supported Ultra-fine Bismuth Sulfide Based Supercapacitor for Low Frequency Oscillator Application
Authors: Kumari Pooja , Perla Venkata K. , Ghosh Sarit K. , Saha Chandan , Kommu Parameshwar , Mallick Kaushik
Published: January 2024

In this study, a high temperature in-situ route is reported for the synthesis of one dimensional carbon nitride supported bismuth sulfide nanoparticles. The x-ray diffraction study confirmed the formation of orthorhombic crystal structure of bismuth sulfide with the space group of Pnma (62). The synthesized product was used as an electrode material for supercapacitor application. Electrochemical performance of the three-electrode configuration demonstrated the specific capacitance value of 190 F.g−1 at the current density 1.5 A.g−1. A symmetric supercapacitor device, fabricated using identical synthesized material, resulted a specific capacity of 101.7 mAh.g−1 at 0.02 A.g−1, with energy and power density values of 24.35 mWh.kg−1 and 186.57 W.kg−1, respectively. The symmetric device also exhibited excellent cycling stability that retained 99% of its initial capacity after 500 cycles at 0.12 A.g−1. The coin cell based symmetric supercapacitor can generate the low frequency waveform and functioned as an oscillator.

Graphical Abstract
GRAMO: geometric resampling augmentation for monocular 3D object detection
Authors: Guan He , Song Chunfeng , Zhang Zhaoxiang
Published: January 2024

Data augmentation is widely recognized as an effective means of bolstering model robustness. However, when applied to monocular 3D object detection, non-geometric image augmentation neglects the critical link between the image and physical space, resulting in the semantic collapse of the extended scene. To address this issue, we propose two geometric-level data augmentation operators named Geometric-Copy-Paste (Geo-CP) and Geometric-Crop-Shrink (Geo-CS). Both operators introduce geometric consistency based on the principle of perspective projection, complementing the options available for data augmentation in monocular 3D. Specifically, Geo-CP replicates local patches by reordering object depths to mitigate perspective occlusion conflicts, and Geo-CS re-crops local patches for simultaneous scaling of distance and scale to unify appearance and annotation. These operations ameliorate the problem of class imbalance in the monocular paradigm by increasing the quantity and distribution of geometrically consistent samples. Experiments demonstrate that our geometric-level augmentation operators effectively improve robustness and performance in the KITTI and Waymo monocular 3D detection benchmarks.
Adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research recommendations for cancer prevention in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors: results from the SURVAYA study
Authors: Gavioli Costanza , Vlooswijk Carla , Janssen Silvie H. M. , Kaal Suzanne E. J. , Kerst J. Martijn , Tromp Jacqueline M. , Bos Monique E. M. M. , van der Hulle Tom , van der Graaf Winette T. A. , Lalisang Roy I. , Nuver Janine , Bijlsma Rhodé M. , Kouwenhoven Mathilde C. M. , Husson Olga , Beijer Sandra
Published: January 2024

Purpose

For adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors with a good prognosis, having a healthy lifestyle prevents morbidity and mortality after treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of (un)healthy lifestyle behaviors and related determinants in AYA cancer survivors.

Methods

A population-based, cross-sectional study was performed among long-term (5–20 years) AYA cancer survivors (18–39 years old at diagnosis) registered within the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Self-reported questionnaires data about health behaviors were used to calculate the 2018 World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) adherence score. Associations between the score and clinical/sociodemographic determinants of (un)healthy behaviors were investigated using logistic regression models.

Results

The mean WCRF/AICR score was low to moderate, 3.8 ± 1.2 (0.5–7.0) (n = 3668). Sixty-one percent adhered to “limit the consumption of sugar sweetened drinks,” 28% to “be a healthy weight,” 25% to “fruit and vegetable consumption,” and 31% to “limit alcohol consumption.” Moderate and high adherence were associated with being a woman (ORmoderate = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.14–1.85, and ORhigh = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.46–2.4) and highly educated (ORmoderate = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.30–1.83, and ORhigh = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.46–2.4). Low adherence was associated with smoking (ORmoderate = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.50–0.92, and ORhigh = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.21–0.44) and diagnosis of germ cell tumor (ORmoderate = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.39–0.86, and ORhigh = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.30–0.69).

Conclusions

Adherence to the 2018 WCRF/AICR lifestyle recommendations was low to moderate, especially regarding body weight, fruit, vegetables, and alcohol consumption. Men, current smokers, lower-educated participants, and/or those diagnosed with germ cell tumors were less likely to have a healthy lifestyle.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

Health-promotion programs (e.g., age-specific tools) are needed, focusing on high-risk groups.
Antiarrhythmic Treatment in Heart Failure
Authors: Könemann Hilke , Güler-Eren Sati , Ellermann Christian , Frommeyer Gerrit , Eckardt Lars
Published: January 2024

Purpose of Review

Arrhythmias are common in patients with heart failure (HF) and are associated with a significant risk of mortality and morbidity. Optimal antiarrhythmic treatment is therefore essential. Here, we review current approaches to antiarrhythmic treatment in patients with HF.

Recent Findings

In atrial fibrillation, rhythm control and ventricular rate control are accepted therapeutic strategies. In recent years, clinical trials have demonstrated a prognostic benefit of early rhythm control strategies and AF catheter ablation, especially in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction. Prevention of sudden cardiac death with ICD therapy is essential, but optimal risk stratification is challenging. For ventricular tachycardias, recent data support early consideration of catheter ablation. Antiarrhythmic drug therapy is an adjunctive therapy in symptomatic patients but has no prognostic benefit and well-recognized (proarrhythmic) adverse effects.

Antiarrhythmic therapy in HF requires a systematic, multimodal approach, starting with guideline-directed medical therapy for HF and integrating pharmacological, device, and interventional therapy.
Herbal medicine and gut microbiota: exploring untapped therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative disease management
Authors: Guan Yueyue , Tang Guohua , Li Lei , Shu Jianzhong , Zhao Yuhua , Huang Li , Tang Jun
Published: January 2024

The gut microbiota that exists in the human gastrointestinal tract is incredibly important for the maintenance of general health as it contributes to multiple aspects of host physiology. Recent research has revealed a dynamic connection between the gut microbiota and the central nervous system, that can influence neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). Indeed, imbalances in the gut microbiota, or dysbiosis, play a vital role in the pathogenesis and progression of human diseases, particularly NDs. Herbal medicine has been used for centuries to treat human diseases, including NDs. These compounds help to relieve symptoms and delay the progression of NDs by improving intestinal barrier function, reducing neuroinflammation, and modulating neurotransmitter production. Notably, herbal medicine can mitigate the progression of NDs by regulating the gut microbiota. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the potential mechanisms by which herbal medicine regulates the gut microbiota in the treatment of NDs can help explain the pathogenesis of NDs from a novel perspective and propose novel therapeutic strategies for NDs. In this review, we investigate the potential neuroprotective effects of herbal medicine, focusing on its ability to regulate the gut microbiota and restore homeostasis. We also highlight the challenges and future research priorities of the integration of herbal medicine and modern medicine. As the global population ages, access to this information is becoming increasingly important for developing effective treatments for these diseases.
Embedding routine health care data in clinical trials: with great power comes great responsibility
Authors: Handoko M. Louis , de Man Frances S. , Brugts Jasper J. , van der Meer Peter , Rhodius-Meester Hanneke F. M. , Schaap Jeroen , van de Kamp H. J. Rik , Houterman Saskia , van Veghel Dennis , Uijl Alicia , Asselbergs Folkert W.
Published: January 2024

Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) are vital for medical progress. Unfortunately, ‘traditional’ RCTs are expensive and inherently slow. Moreover, their generalisability has been questioned. There is considerable overlap in routine health care data (RHCD) and trial-specific data. Therefore, integration of RHCD in an RCT has great potential, as it would reduce the effort and costs required to collect data, thereby overcoming some of the major downsides of a traditional RCT. However, use of RHCD comes with other challenges, such as privacy issues, as well as technical and practical barriers. Here, we give a current overview of related initiatives on national cardiovascular registries (Netherlands Heart Registration, Heart4Data), showcasing the interrelationships between and the relevance of the different registries for the practicing physician. We then discuss the benefits and limitations of RHCD use in the setting of a pragmatic RCT from a cardiovascular perspective, illustrated by a case study in heart failure.
Implementing Youth Worker Networks to Achieve Social Impact in the Eradication of LGBTQIA-Phobia
Authors: De Witte Kristof , Garcia-Yeste Carme , Gallardo-Nieto Elena , Canal-Barbany Josep Maria
Published: January 2024

Introduction

The problem of LGBQIA-phobia has been extendedly reported as a problem that threatens the quality of life and well-being, particularly for trans and intersex individuals. Scientific evidence points at the high presence of this form of violence and discrimination during adolescence and youth, negatively affecting the prospects of the victims. At the same time, there is a lack of evidence on the role and potential impact of Youth Worker Networks involved in analysing gender-based violence and finding strategies to improve the situation of LGBTQIA+ youth.

Methods

This study has focussed on the reality of a network of youth workers through a mixed method approach belonging to a transnational project funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Program (REC) of the European Commission. The implementation of 160 questionnaires and 5 semi-structured interviews in 2022 with the training participants provides evidence on the social impact that networking and evidence-based training may have in tackling LGBTQIA-phobia in youth environments.

Results

The findings of the current study show how the implementation of Youth Worker Networks can provide relevant results to achieve more respectful youth spaces toward diversity. The presence of traditional dominant masculinities together with the lack of quality training seem to be an important barrier for youth workers to fight against gender and sexual discrimination. In contrast, the professionals’ motivation and the group potential and support of the network appear to be a significant strength in overcoming forms of violence and discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression in youth contexts.

Conclusions

The results indicate that the role of youth workers, the quality of the training and environments are crucial in the work to identifying, preventing, and acting against any form of violence on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Policy Implications

Our findings point to the significant power of networks to overcome violence and discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community. Our recommendation for achieving social impact is to provide evidence-based data and empower participants to become active upstanders against any form of violence or discrimination.
Reconstructing Disease Histories in Huge Discrete State Spaces
Authors: Schill Rudolf , Klever Maren , Rupp Kevin , Hu Y. Linda , Lösch Andreas , Georg Peter , Pfahler Simon , Vocht Stefan , Hansch Stefan , Wettig Tilo , Grasedyck Lars , Spang Rainer
Published: January 2024

Many progressive diseases develop unnoticed and insidiously at the beginning. This leads to an observational gap, since the first data on the disease can only be obtained after diagnosis. Mutual Hazard Networks address this gap by reconstructing latent disease dynamics. They model the disease as a Markov chain on the space of all possible combinations of progression events. This space can be huge: Given a set of $$n\ge 266$$

n
≥
266

events, its size exceeds the number of atoms in the universe. Mutual Hazard Networks combine time-to-event modeling with generalized probabilistic graphical models, regularization, and modern numerical tensor formats to enable efficient calculations in large state spaces using compressed data formats. Here we review Mutual Hazard Networks and put them in the context of machine learning theory. We describe how the Mutual Hazard assumption leads to a compact parameterization of the models and show how modern tensor formats allow for efficient computations in large state spaces. Finally, we show how Mutual Hazard Networks reconstruct the most likely history of glioblastomas.
Comparison of skin dose in IMRT and VMAT with TrueBeam and Halcyon linear accelerator for whole breast irradiation
Authors: Seok Jae Hyun , Ahn So Hyun , Ahn Woo Sang , Choi Dong Hyeok , Shin Seong Soo , Choi Wonsik , Jung In-hye , Lee Rena , Kim Jin Sung
Published: January 2024

With the increasing use of flattening filter free (FFF) beams, it is important to evaluate the impact on the skin dose and target coverage of breast cancer treatments. This study aimed to compare skin doses of treatments using FFF and flattening filter (FF) beams for breast cancer. The study established treatment plans for left breast of an anthropomorphic phantom using Halcyon’s 6-MV FFF beam and TrueBeam’s 6-MV FF beam. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) with varying numbers of arcs and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) were employed, and skin doses were measured at five points using Gafchromic EBT3 film. Each measurement was repeated three times, and averaged to reduce uncertainty. All plans were compared in terms of plan quality to ensure homogeneous target coverage. The study found that when using VMAT with two, four, and six arcs, in-field doses were 19%, 15%, and 6% higher, respectively, when using Halcyon compared to TrueBeam. Additionally, when using two arcs for VMAT, in-field doses were 10% and 15% higher compared to four and six arcs when using Halcyon. Finally, in-field dose from Halcyon using IMRT was about 1% higher than when using TrueBeam. Our research confirmed that when treating breast cancer with FFF beams, skin dose is higher than with traditional FF beams. Moreover, number of arcs used in VMAT treatment with FFF beams affects skin dose to the patient. To maintain a skin dose similar to that of FF beams when using Halcyon, it may be worth considering increasing the number of arcs.
Die Grenzen der Pflicht und die Grenzen der Supererogation
Authors: Reinhardt Karoline
Published: January 2024

Wozu sind wir verpflichtet – und was geht gegebenenfalls darüber hinaus? Das ist eine der Grundfragen der Supererogationsdebatte. Welchen Grenzen unterliegt unsere Pflichterfüllung? Welche Handlungen müssen wir als (moralisch) außergewöhnlich betrachten? Seit der Veröffentlichung von James O. Urmsons Aufsatz „Saints and Heroes“ im Jahr 1958 gibt es eine rege Debatte um Fragen der Definition, der Rechtfertigung und der möglichen Anwendung der Kategorie der Supererogation auf konkrete moralische Probleme. Eine der Kerneinsichten feministischer Philosophie aber, dass hinsichtlich der Frage, welche Handlungen wir als Pflicht oder als darüberhinausgehend betrachten, keine ‚Genderneutralität‘ herrscht, hat innerhalb der Supererogationsdebatte wenig Aufmerksamkeit erfahren: Es fehlt bislang eine systematische Untersuchung, welche Implikationen dieser Befund für die Kategorie der Supererogation hat. Insbesondere bei den Zuschreibungen von Heldenhaftigkeit und Heiligkeit, die Urmson zu den paradigmatischen Fällen von Supererogation zählt, ist der Einfluss von Genderrollen besonders auffällig und bedarf einer genaueren Analyse. Diese Beobachtung nimmt der Beitrag zum Ausgangspunkt, um zu zeigen, dass in der Supererogationsdebatte verwendete Beispiele oft mit (impliziten) Annahmen darüber verwoben sind, wer die Akteur:innen sind, die diese Handlungen vollführen – und dass diese Annahmen in hohem Maße an konventionelle und stereotype Geschlechterrollen gebunden sind. Darüber hinaus werden in dieser Debatte die Leistungen von Frauen* im Besonderen oft naturalisiert und marginalisiert. Schließlich ist die Kategorie der Supererogation bis heute häufig mit normierenden Vorstellungen darüber verbunden, was von jemandem erwartet werden kann und was nicht. Ich werde ausgehend von Urmsons einschlägigem Aufsatz eine feministische Analyse der verwendeten Beispiele vornehmen und deren Implikationen für die Kategorie der Supererogation herausarbeiten.
Electrospun polymeric nanohybrids with outstanding pollutants adsorption and electroactivity for water treatment and sensing devices
Authors: Scaffaro Roberto , Maio Andrea , Gammino Michele
Published: January 2024

Graphene oxide (GO) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were loaded at different mutual ratios into poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-co-HFP) matrix and electrospun to construct mats that were assessed as smart sorbents for decontaminating water from methylene blue (MB) pollutant, while ensuring the additional possibility of detecting the dye amounts. The results revealed that sorption capacity enhances upon increasing GO content, which is beneficial to wettability and active area. Equilibrium adsorption of these materials is precisely predicted by the Langmuir isotherm model and the maximum capacities herein achieved, ranging from 120 to 555 mg/g depending on the formulation, are higher than those reported for similar systems. The evolution of the structure and properties of such materials as a function of dye adsorption was studied. The results reveal that MB molecules prompted the increase of electrical conductivity of the samples in a dose-dependent manner. Mats containing solely CNTs, while displaying the worst sorption performance, showed the highest electrical performances, displaying interesting changes in their electrical response as a function of the dye amount adsorbed, with a linear response and high sensitivity (309.4 µS cm−1 mg−1) in the range 0–235 µg of dye adsorbed. Beyond the possibility to monitor the presence of small amounts of MB in contaminated water and the saturation state of sorbents, this feature could even be exploited to transform waste sorbents into high-added value products, including flexible sensors for detecting low values of pressure, human motion, and so on.

Graphical Abstract

Multifunctional materials for dye absorption and detection, pressure sensing, fabricated by integrating GO and CNTs into PVDF-HFP matrix via electrospinning.