bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Driving digital engineering integration and interoperability through semantic integration of models with ontologies
Authors: Dunbar Daniel , Hagedorn Thomas , Blackburn Mark , Dzielski John , Hespelt Steven , Kruse Benjamin , Verma Dinesh , Yu Zhongyuan
Published: March 2023

Engineered solutions are becoming more complex and multi‐disciplinary in nature. This evolution requires new techniques to enhance design and analysis tasks that incorporate data integration and interoperability across various engineering tool suites spanning multiple domains at different abstraction levels. Semantic web technologies (SWT) offer data integration and interoperability benefits as well as other opportunities to enhance reasoning across knowledge represented in multiple disparate models. This paper introduces the digital engineering framework for integration and interoperability (DEFII) for incorporating SWT into engineering design and analysis tasks. The framework includes three notional interfaces for interacting with ontology‐aligned data. It also introduces a novel model interface specification diagram (MISD) that provides a tool‐agnostic model representation enabled by SWT that exposes data stored for use by external users through standards‐based interfaces. Use of the framework results in a tool‐agnostic authoritative source of truth spanning the entire project, system, or mission.
Prediction of aerodynamic performance of NREL offshore 5‐MW baseline wind turbine considering power loss at varying wind speeds
Authors: Lin Yu‐Hsien , Chen Hsuan‐Kuang , Wu Kuan‐Yi
Published: March 2023

In this study, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to simulate the aerodynamic performance of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) offshore 5‐MW baseline wind turbine with single rotor and full wind turbine. Using statistical methods, the relation between pitch angle and performance when the speed is above the rated wind speed was analyzed; furthermore, other published data were compiled to establish the functional equations of power, thrust with various inflow wind speeds, and pitch angles. In addition, according to shape optimization based on parametric modeling, the two‐dimensional cross‐section of the wind turbine blade can be defined through a metasurface approach, and the three‐dimensional surface modeling of the wind turbine blade, nacelle, and tower is completed using the nonuniform rational B‐splines (NURBS) interpolator. In terms of aerodynamic simulation, the unstructured polygon mesh was used herein to discretize the space and simulate the highly curved and twisted surfaces of the blade. In this study, the compact and accurate mesh form obtained through a grid independence test will be used to analyze the distribution of the pressure coefficient, shear stress coefficient, and limited streamline on the blade surface at various inflow wind speeds and pitch angles to understand the differences between different turbulence models and the causes of power and thrust attenuation at high inflow wind speeds. In addition, the phenomena of blade‐tip vortices, dynamic stall, blade loading, and the interaction between nacelle and tower were collectively explored.
Managing the migration – Maasai Mara National Reserve and Serengeti World Heritage Site connectivity
Authors: Nzioka Jacinta
Published: March 2023

The greatest natural mass wildlife migration on the planet, involving one ecosystem, two different nations and millions of animals, brings together the Serengeti World Heritage Site (WHS) in Tanzania and the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. In terms of natural heritage, the border is crossed by the Mara River and represents a fluid boundary. On the scale of Indigenous local communities, the borderlands area is also shared on both sides by the Maasai peoples, long associated with a pastoral and herding tradition of domesticated animals, but more recently through transformed engagement in conservation and tourism activities. But with regard to the more substantive conservation, tourism and other economic or political aspects, the boundary between Kenya and Tanzania forms a more challenging frontier which, to be truly effective, demands a greater degree of cooperation and joined-up management of the ecosystem.
Preventing violent extremism in cross-border villages in the Lake Chad Basin countries: A lesson in cross-border cooperation
Authors: Hervé Allahissem
Published: March 2023

This article summary covers the activities carried out by the Youth Organization for Peace and Development (YOPD) in the cross-border villages of the Lake Chad basin. The YOPD is an organization governed by Chadian law which works particularly in the cross-border villages of the Lake Chad basin. Thus, the Youth Organization for Development and Peace promotes peace and peaceful cohabitation between young Chadians, Cameroonians, Nigerians and Nigeriens of different religious denominations living in cross-border villages located in the Lake Chad basin. The YOPD also offers literacy courses to stateless populations living in cross-border villages in these countries, who are unfortunately excluded from the traditional education system because they lack nationality and official papers. Finally, the OJDP offers vocational training to disadvantaged young people in order to enable them to take charge of themselves and not succumb to the temptation to join the Boko Haram group.
Regional cooperation for the conservation of biodiversity in the Congo Basin forests: Feedback on actions carried out in the TRIDOM-TNS landscapes
Authors: Resende Tales Carvalho , Meikengang Avenir Geradine
Published: March 2023

Biodiversity does not adhere to political boundaries. Globally, more than 50% of all terrestrial species have a range that crosses an international border. This includes more than 50% of all mammals, 25% of all amphibians and almost 70% of all birds. Of the threatened species, over 20% had a transboundary range (Mason et al., 2020). Covering a total area of more than 1.5 million km2 in six Central African countries (Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo), the so-called Congo Basin forests are the second largest tropical forest in the world after the Amazon Basin. They form the most diverse assemblage of plants and animals in Africa, and are home to some 10,000 species of plants, 1,000 birds, 700 fish and 400 mammals, including many iconic species such as forest elephants, lowland gorillas and chimpanzees. Currently, almost 15% of the total forest area of the Congo Basin has protected area status. The management of these protected areas is now based on a new paradigm: the landscape conservation approach. Twelve landscapes have been identified as priorities in the Congo Basin because of their relative taxonomic importance, overall integrity, and the resilience of the ecological processes they represent. Among these landscapes, the TRIDOM (Trinational Dja-Odzala-Minkébé) (Cameroon, Congo and Gabon) and TNS (Trinational Sangha) (Cameroon, Congo and Central African Republic) stand out as hosting the majority of the last remaining forest elephants, lowland gorillas and chimpanzees in Central Africa. The presence of four of the eight natural World Heritage sites in the Congo Basin forests testifies to the exceptional importance of these two contiguous transboundary landscapes. This article will review the evolution of regional cooperation for the conservation of biodiversity in the Congo Basin forests by providing feedback on actions carried out in the TRIDOM and TNS landscapes.
Lake Chad Cultural Landscape: An uncommon transnational potential in the midst of multiple challenges
Authors: Koffi Bryan , Diawara Bandiougou , Moriset Sébastien
Published: March 2023

In the heart of the Sahelian belt, on the borders of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria, lies the Lake Chad Cultural Landscape, one of the largest inhabited lacustrine landscapes on our planet. This immense freshwater expanse in the middle of a desert is shared by Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria and currently covers 17,000 km2. This area offers a great diversity of wetland ecosystems that makes it a great source of life for many animal species in this semi-desert environment. On the shores of the lake, the desert sands and the water meet in a complex network of meanders, sometimes turned into areas for cultivation and breeding by the inhabitants. Lake Chad is unique in that it is covered by hundreds of islands, many of which are inhabited by several communities that rely on its resources and perpetuate sober lifestyles that ensure their resilience. This cohabitation between Man and nature, which dates back to the Palaeolithic era, gives a true dimension of cultural landscape to this vast lake.
Justification and Scope of the Book
Authors: Muradian Roldan , Villamayor-Tomas Sergio
Published: March 2023

Academic schools are important institutions for consolidating and disseminating ideas. They can be defined as diffused communities held together by a collectively constructed body of knowledge, a shared worldview and a network of social relations. Identifying and delimiting academic schools might be a hard endeavor, since they are embedded in a fluid “state of spirit,” which is context- and time-specific, and not always easy to systematize and communicate. However, we still think that the notion (or metaphor) of “school” still makes sense to characterize the bonding elements that hold together and give coherence to the diverse ideas, debates and approaches represented in this book.
Materials Flow Analysis in Latin America
Authors: Pérez-Rincón Mario Alejandro
Published: March 2023

Based on a systematic and organized literature review, the academic production for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) on Material Flow Analysis (MFA) was evaluated. This allowed us to know the research developments and to identify the influence of the “Barcelona School” (EB) and Professor Joan Martínez-Alier in this field of work in the region. The general balance of the literature reviewed (47 texts), shows the important influence of the EB for LAC: more than half of the publications have its origin, more than a third correspond to doctoral theses linked to the ICTA-UAB and 30% are published in journals originating in the ICTA-UAB. Thematically, the articles evaluated incorporate the main topics promoted by the EB. They are oriented towards studying the relationships between the metabolic dynamics of economies, environmental pressures and liabilities, and ecological distributive conflicts. These orientations correspond precisely to Professor Martínez-Alier’s central field of work: the link between ecological economics and political ecology. Methodologically, the potential and weaknesses of MFA were identified. Long-term material flow series have the potential to study large material-economic transitions, but little depth. Short and more detailed series, combining MFA with other methodologies, allow to better delve into the black box of energy-material flows and the environmental impacts of economic dynamics.
Biophysical Approaches to Food System Analysis in Latin America
Authors: Ramos-Martin Jesus , Falconí Fander
Published: March 2023

One of the main lines of research of the Barcelona School of Ecological Economics is representing the economic process from its biophysical side. In particular, this chapter focuses on the biophysical analysis of food systems in Latin America. The different approaches presented allow for comprehensive biophysical representations of food systems that may inform policymakers in rural development, sustainable production, trade, and nutrition policies in a way that broadens and complements conventional monetary analysis. Building on the concepts of unequal exchange and ecologically unequal exchange, we use here the concept of caloric unequal exchange, which defines the deterioration of terms of trade in food in terms of calories. The conclusion reached is that, although calories exported by the region to the rest of the world are more expensive than those imported, the ratio is deteriorating over time.
Ecologically Unequal Exchange: The Renewed Interpretation of Latin American Debates by the Barcelona School
Authors: Saes Beatriz Macchione
Published: March 2023

The ecological perspective of unequal exchange between core and peripheral countries or regions has been discussed at least since the 1980s, when Stephen Bunker analysed how the lack of political power in the Brazilian Amazon extractivist areas led to an unequal distribution of extraction costs and benefits, favouring central importing regions. Subsequent contributions are based on different theoretical perspectives, from Marxist and world-system approaches to thermodynamics and Odum’s energy framework. In Barcelona School of Environmental Social Science, researchers and students led by Joan Martínez-Alier have contributed empirically and theoretically to the ecologically unequal exchange approach advancement since the mid-1990s. This chapter analyses those contributions, highlighting their original interpretation of Latin American debates and theories. I discuss how the debate over the external debt in Latin America – which seriously affected these countries in the 1980s – and the main theories of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), have decisively influenced the unequal trade theoretical and empirical works developed at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB). Firstly, these works reinforced the Latin American environmental justice organizations’ claim for the recognition of an ecological debt from Global North to Global South. Secondly, they provided a renewed interpretation of ECLAC economist Raúl Prebisch’s hypothesis that trade terms are structurally unfavourable to peripheral countries.
Critical Mapping for Researching and Acting Upon Environmental Conflicts – The Case of the EJAtlas
Authors: Del Bene Daniela , Ávila Sofia
Published: March 2023

In this chapter, we revise the trajectory and relevance of the Global Atlas of Environmental Justice (EJAtlas) as one of the main research projects and outcomes of the Barcelona Research Group in Environmental Justice Studies and Political Ecology. We first trace the origins, scope, and methodology of the EJAtlas as a unique participatory mapping project that is both global in scope and informed by the co-production of knowledge between academia and groups seeking environmental justice. We then highlight how the work of the EJAtlas reflects and contributes to a larger trend in the field of Environmental Justice that looks to integrate critical cartography and mapping practices into both research and activist efforts. Looking ahead, we reflect on the limits and unresolved challenges of the platform, as well as on the innovative uses of the tool for advancing a spatial, comparative, and statistical political ecology.
A Barcelona School of Ecological Economics and Political Ecology
Authors: Martínez-Alier Joan
Published: March 2023

The first 21 years of my life were spent in Barcelona (all of them under General Franco’s regime, since I was born in 1939). The following 14 years I spent in Oxford, Stanford, in Andalusia and again in Oxford (St. Antony’s College) until 1973. In between, long stays in Cuba, Peru and Brazil and some periods in Paris, with the publishing house of Ruedo ibérico. At 35 years of age and feeling rather defeated by the lack of “transitional justice” in Spain after Franco’s death, I came back to Barcelona, with a chair in the new Universitat Autònoma (UAB) in Economics and Economic History, which I held until I was 70 years of age. I continued my travels in the sabbatical years, to Oxford in 1984–1985, Stanford again in 1988–1989, to Ecuador (the Flacso in Quito) in 1995–1995, to Yale University in 1999–2000 and in the meantime also often to India after my first visit in 1988. My interests and my books followed this trajectory, first some books on agrarian history and land conflicts in Andalusia, Cuba and Peru between 1968 and 1977, then between 1984 and 2022 many books on ecological economics and political ecology.
(In)Justice in Urban Greening and Green Gentrification
Authors: Anguelovski Isabelle
Published: March 2023

Large cities are increasingly using urban greening, nature-centered projects, and green infrastructure to address socio-environmental and health challenges and harness widespread benefits for citizens, industries, and investors, while protecting existing urban ecosystems, resources, environmentally-sensitive areas, and built infrastructure. This chapter starts with the argument that the alliance of urban redevelopment with greening creates a paradox and examines the production of inequalities as a result of greening projects. I argue that even while greening certainly provides economic, ecological, health, and social benefits to many, it may create new and deeper vulnerabilities and processes of green gentrification for historically marginalized residents – working-class groups, minorities, and immigrants – even in the many cases where interventions are meant to redress historic inequalities in the provision of parks or green spaces. Urban greening inequalities are thus particularly acute because of what can be defined as “green gaps” upon which municipalities, private investors, and privileged residents capture a “green rent” through new commercial and residential investments. As a result, as I show in this chapter, urban greening interventions targeting lower-income, minority, and immigrant neighborhoods risk being increasingly associated with a GreenLULU or green Locally Unwanted Land Use (Anguelovski, J Plan Lit, 1–14, 2016). Last, I examine civic responses to green inequalities and close this chapter with a broader discussion around the need to repoliticize urban greening practices.
Iberian Anarchism in Environmental History
Authors: Gorostiza Santiago
Published: March 2023

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in anarchism from both social movements and critical academic circles. When tracing the genealogy of anarchist perspectives since the nineteenth century, radical geographers have pointed out the importance of the anarchist movement in Spain, and particularly in the city of Barcelona. During the 1960s and 1970s, authors like Murray Bookchin shared an interest in social ecology with a militant passion to vindicate the historical significance of Spanish anarchism and the achievements of anarcho-syndicalist collectives in the 1936 revolution. Before interest in these perspectives faded among critical geographers in the 1980s and 1990s, the experience of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) was key to the research on the relation between social anarchism and the environment. In the context of the emergence of political ecology and environmental history in Spain during the 1990s, I examine the scholarship on human ecology and Iberian anarchism, first developed by Eduard Masjuan in the journal Ecología Política. Masjuan’s doctoral research, supervised by Joan Martínez-Alier, delved into the rich debates on urbanism and birth control that took place in anarchist circles from Catalonia to Latin America between 1860 and 1937. Masjuan’s research constitutes an essential reference to explore the depth of the environmental dimensions of Spanish anarchism during these years and has informed degrowth discussions on population and the collective ethics of self-limitation. Despite the impact of Masjuan’s research, I argue that the environmental history and political ecology of the 1936 revolution is still to be written. I show some examples of work to date, from urban water management under anarcho-syndicalist principles to collectivised urban agriculture. Finally, I point out that, while not always acknowledged, the influence of anarchist practices can also be found in the research on today’s social movements carried out at the Barcelona school of political ecology and ecological economics.
The Ups and Downs of Feminist Activist Research: Positional Reflections
Authors: Mingorria Sara , Binimelis Rosa , Monterroso Iliana , Ravera Federica
Published: March 2023

Trained in the fields of ecological economics and political ecology, we are four women activist-researchers motivated by and interested in contributing to processes of social transformation. In this chapter, we make visible part of our critical thinking process in academia, departing from our experience in the fields of food sovereignty, commons and institutions, climate change, and environmental justice. Our common base ground at the Barcelona School of Ecological Economics and our similar experiences in Participatory Action Research processes in the Global North and Global South converge in this chapter. Connecting the theoretical learning with our activist role in the field, we pretend to invite an exercise of feminist reflexivity that implies reflecting on the positionality of us as activist-researchers: the challenges, the ups and downs we have experienced, and the mutual support woven into these processes. Such exercise contributes to open new windows for a radical critic to neoliberal academia and a transformative change needed in our way of doing transdisciplinary science.
Agrobiodiversity in Mexican Environmental Policy
Authors: Arizpe Nancy , Escobar-Moreno Dario
Published: March 2023

Mexico is a biologically and culturally megadiverse country. The cultures in the country developed a great technological experience over thousands of years with which they have been able to use and manage between 5000 and 7000 plant and animal species. Therefore, this complex socio-environmental framework maintains a process of coevolution of around 10,000 years. However, since the middle of the last century, and with special emphasis during the last three decades, agricultural modernization policies were promoted based on the paradigm of the Green Revolution. In this chapter, we explore the potential that Mexico has to revalue its agrobiodiversity and achieve the objective of food sovereignty, based on the use of analytical techniques from the socio-environmental branch of Barcelona School of Ecological Economics.
Work and Needs in a Finite Planet: Reflections from Ecological Economics
Authors: Gómez-Baggethun Erik
Published: March 2023

Drawing on work from Joan Martínez Alier, this chapter discusses the contribution of ecological economics to thinking concrete utopias, with attention to the future of work. First, I note how cultural, economic, technological and environmental changes are destabilizing established conceptions of work. Second, I review alternative visions on the future of work, with an emphasis on the case for a Universal Basic Income. Next, I discuss common criticisms addressed to these visions. Finally, drawing on early ecological economic texts rescued from oblivion by Martínez Alier, I discuss the case for a Universal Civil Service, a variant of basic income premised in the egalitarian distribution of the volume of work required for the reproduction of society. I call for expanding traditional emphasis in basic income debates on individual freedoms towards considerations of collective justice, and I make a case for a future of work organized around the principle of fair distribution of minimal necessary work.
Metaphysical Midwifery and the Living Legacy of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen
Authors: Farrell Katharine N.
Published: March 2023

Although classified by many as a sub-field of economics, ecological economics was originally conceived of, in the late 1980s, as a transdiscipline, employing a range of expertise, in collaboration with social actors, to address a common matter of concern: how to halt, and reverse, the rampant destruction of the biological substrate of life on earth, which is being caused by modern industrialization? From humble beginnings, ecological economics today enjoys increasing recognition as a key academic discourse addressing the combined challenges of social and ecological instability that characterize the global assemblages of twenty-first century human society. At least in part, this can be seen as a result of circumstance having demonstrated the foresight of early contributors to the discourse, among them, Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen. Both his censure, from the early 1970s until his death in the mid-90s, and the recent renaissance of interest in his work help illustrate something exceptional about The Barcelona School of ecological economics and political ecology: the costs and benefits of a persistent commitment to understanding the human condition as an embedded part of the complex living-systems dynamics of planet earth. Central to this posture are two elements common to the work of both Georgescu-Roegen and Joan Martínez-Alier, long one of his staunchest advocates, and to the Barcelona School of ecological economics and political ecology: i. systematic and structured attention to the historicity of contemporary socio-ecological situations and ii. formal attention to constructing what Foucault, in responding to Kant, once called “a critical ontology of ourselves.” The former reflects a critique of the disregard for life, human and non-human, that has accompanied the rise of the Anthropocene; the latter a response to the epistemological and methodological implications of the integral role played by the hegemonic globalized academia in producing and perpetuating that disregard for life.
Strategic Opportunism: A Pragmatic Approach to Conservation in Africa
Authors: Huntley Brian John
Published: March 2023

Despite billions of dollars invested in recent decades by international aid agencies in Africa, the state of the continent’s environment and its biodiversity continues to decay. Turning failure to success is possible. This book presents pragmatic approaches learned from a wide diversity of long-term projects in both rich and poor countries, distilled into twelve fundamental drivers of success. The projects have been led by visionary and passionate champions, within teams of like-minded collaborators.
Overcoming the Taxonomic Impediment: SABONET and the African Plants Initiative
Authors: Huntley Brian John
Published: March 2023

Following the release of Nelson Mandela from prison, the dawn of democracy in South Africa led to an unprecedented era of collaboration between ten African countries, later expanded to the rest of Africa and even later, to the Global Plants Initiative. The thread through all of this was to train and equip African herbaria to share the rich resources of botanical information held in northern institutions and to reinforce local, African, capacity. This chapter discusses the challenges to reaching ambitious goals, taking advantages of political moments, unexpected opportunities, and networks of like-minded champions.
Twelve Fundamentals for Conservation Success
Authors: Huntley Brian John
Published: March 2023

The case studies analysed in this book present a diversity of lessons that can guide the conceptualisation and implementation of successful conservation and biodiversity research projects in Africa. Twelve fundamentals are identified and illustrated – the key elements of strategic opportunism. These are: Identify an urgent and existential crisis; Present an inspiring vision, clear goals and realistic strategies; Develop networks of synergistic collaboration; Communicate effectively with all stakeholders; Synthesise existing or create new biodiversity knowledge and understanding; Secure institutional support and develop project implementation capacity; Promote champions and nurture strategic leadership talents; Create and capitalise on quick wins; Recognise the critical importance of good governance; Embrace the unexpected opportunities of serendipity; Seize the political moment of changes in governance; and Develop creative financing strategies.
Topological quantum computation on supersymmetric spin chains
Authors: Jana Indrajit , Montorsi Filippo , Padmanabhan Pramod , Trancanelli Diego
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Quantum gates built out of braid group elements form the building blocks of topological quantum computation. They have been extensively studied in SU(2)k quantum group theories, a rich source of examples of non-Abelian anyons such as the Ising (k = 2), Fibonacci (k = 3) and Jones-Kauffman (k = 4) anyons. We show that the fusion spaces of these anyonic systems can be precisely mapped to the product state zero modes of certain Nicolai-like supersymmetric spin chains. As a result, we can realize the braid group in terms of the product state zero modes of these supersymmetric systems. These operators kill all the other states in the Hilbert space, thus preventing the occurrence of errors while processing information, making them suitable for quantum computing.
Chaos and pole-skipping in a simply spinning plasma
Authors: Amano Markus A. G. , Blake Mike , Cartwright Casey , Kaminski Matthias , Thompson Anthony P.
Published: March 2023

Abstract

We study the relationship between many-body quantum chaos and energy dynamics in holographic quantum field theory states dual to the simply-spinning Myers-Perry-AdS5 black hole. The enhanced symmetry of such black holes allows us to provide a thorough examination of the phenomenon of pole-skipping, that is significantly simpler than a previous analysis of quantum field theory states dual to the Kerr-AdS4 solution. In particular we give a general proof of pole-skipping in the retarded energy density Green’s function of the dual quantum field theory whenever the spatial profile of energy fluctuations satisfies the shockwave equation governing the form of the OTOC. Furthermore, in the large black hole limit we are able to obtain a simple analytic expression for the OTOC for operator configurations on Hopf circles, and demonstrate that the associated Lyapunov exponent and butterfly velocity are robustly related to the locations of a family of pole-skipping points in the energy response. Finally, we note that in contrast to previous studies, our results are valid for any value of rotation and we are able to numerically demonstrate that the dispersion relations of sound modes in the energy response explicitly pass through our pole-skipping locations.
Exploring non-invertible symmetries in free theories
Authors: Niro Pierluigi , Roumpedakis Konstantinos , Sela Orr
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Symmetries corresponding to local transformations of the fundamental fields that leave the action invariant give rise to (invertible) topological defects, which obey group-like fusion rules. One can construct more general (codimension-one) topological defects by specifying a map between gauge-invariant operators from one side of the defect and such operators on the other side. In this work, we apply such construction to Maxwell theory in four dimensions and to the free compact scalar theory in two dimensions. In the case of Maxwell theory, we show that a topological defect that mixes the field strength F and its Hodge dual ⋆F can be at most an SO(2) rotation. For rational values of the bulk coupling and the θ-angle we find an explicit defect Lagrangian that realizes values of the SO(2) angle φ such that cos φ is also rational. We further determine the action of such defects on Wilson and ’t Hooft lines and show that they are in general non-invertible. We repeat the analysis for the free compact scalar ϕ in two dimensions. In this case we find only four discrete maps: the trivial one, a ℤ2 map dϕ → −dϕ, a 𝒯-duality-like map dϕ → i ⋆ dϕ, and the product of the last two.
Precision of slot widths and torque transmission of in-office 3D printed brackets
Authors: Bauer Carolien A. J. , Scheurer Mats , Bourauel Christoph , Kretzer J. Philippe , Roser Christoph J. , Lux Christopher J. , Hodecker Lutz D.
Published: March 2023

Purpose

To investigate a novel in-office three-dimensionally (3D) printed polymer bracket regarding slot precision and torque transmission.

Methods

Based on a 0.022″ bracket system, stereolithography was used to manufacture brackets (N = 30) from a high-performance polymer that met Medical Device Regulation (MDR) IIa requirements. Conventional metal and ceramic brackets were used for comparison. Slot precision was determined using calibrated plug gages. Torque transmission was measured after artificial aging. Palatal and vestibular crown torques were measured from 0 to 20° using titanium–molybdenum (T) and stainless steel (S) wires (0.019″ × 0.025″) in a biomechanical experimental setup. The Kruskal–Wallis test with post hoc test (Dunn–Bonferroni) was used for statistical analyses (significance level p < 0.05).

Results

The slot sizes of all three bracket groups were within the tolerance range according to DIN 13996 (ceramic [C]: 0.581 ± 0.003 mm; metal [M]: 0.6 ± 0.005 mm; polymer [P]: 0.581 ± 0.010 mm). The maximum torque values of all bracket–arch combinations were above the clinically relevant range of 5–20 Nmm (PS: 30 ± 8.6 Nmm; PT: 27.8 ± 14.2 Nmm; CS: 24 ± 5.6 Nmm; CT: 19.9 ± 3.8 Nmm; MS: 21.4 ± 6.7 Nmm; MT: 16.7 ± 4.6 Nmm).

Conclusions

The novel, in-office manufactured polymer bracket showed comparable results to established bracket materials regarding slot precision and torque transmission. Given its high individualization possibilities as well as enabling an entire in-house supply chain, the novel polymer brackets bear high potential of future usage for orthodontic appliances.
Second course of re-irradiation in pediatric diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma
Authors: Bergengruen Paula Maria , Hernaíz Driever Pablo , Budach Volker , Zips Daniel , Grün Arne
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Concomitant chemoradiation followed by repeat (dose-deescalated) irradiation has become standard of care in treating childhood diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) during first line treatment and at first progression. Progression after re-irradiation (re-RT) is in most cases symptomatic and either treated systemically with chemotherapy or new innovative approaches including targeted therapy. Alternatively, the patient receives best supportive care. Data on second re-irradiation in DIPG patients with second progression and good performance status are sparse. This is a case report of second short-term re-irradiation to shed further light on this option.

Methods

Retrospective case report of a 6-year-old boy with DIPG receiving a second course of re-irradiation (with 21.6 Gy) as part of an individual multimodal approach in a patient with very low symptom burden.

Results

The second course of re-irradiation was feasible and well tolerated. No acute neurological symptoms or radiation-induced toxicity occurred. Overall survival was 24 months after initial diagnosis.

Conclusion

A second course of re-irradiation can be an additional tool in patients with progressive disease after first- and second-line irradiation. It is unclear whether and to what extent it contributes to progression-free survival prolongation and if—since our patient was asymptomatic—progression-associated neurological deficits can be alleviated.
The association of radiologic body composition parameters with clinical outcomes in level-1 trauma patients
Authors: Sweet Arthur A. R. , Kobes Tim , Houwert Roderick M. , Groenwold Rolf H. H. , Moeskops Pim , Leenen Luke P. H. , de Jong Pim A. , Veldhuis Wouter B. , van Baal Mark C. P. M.
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The present study aims to assess whether CT-derived muscle mass, muscle density, and visceral fat mass are associated with in-hospital complications and clinical outcome in level-1 trauma patients.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on adult patients admitted to the University Medical Center Utrecht following a trauma between January 1 and December 31, 2017. Trauma patients aged 16 years or older without severe neurological injuries, who underwent a CT that included the abdomen within 7 days of admission, were included. An artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm was used to retrieve muscle areas to calculate the psoas muscle index and to retrieve psoas muscle radiation attenuation and visceral fat (VF) area from axial CT images. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were performed to assess associations between body composition parameters and outcomes.

Results

A total of 404 patients were included for analysis. The median age was 49 years (interquartile range [IQR] 30–64), and 66.6% were male. Severe comorbidities (ASA 3–4) were seen in 10.9%, and the median ISS was 9 (IQR 5–14). Psoas muscle index was not independently associated with complications, but it was associated with ICU admission (odds ratio [OR] 0.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65–0.95), and an unfavorable Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score at discharge (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.45–0.85). Psoas muscle radiation attenuation was independently associated with the development of any complication (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.42–0.85), pneumonia (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.41–0.96), and delirium (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.28–0.87). VF was associated with developing a delirium (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.12–3.41).

Conclusion

In level-1 trauma patients without severe neurological injuries, automatically derived body composition parameters are able to independently predict an increased risk of specific complications and other poor outcomes.
The utility of a type 2 diabetes polygenic score in addition to clinical variables for prediction of type 2 diabetes incidence in birth, youth and adult cohorts in an Indigenous study population
Authors: Wedekind Lauren E. , Mahajan Anubha , Hsueh Wen-Chi , Chen Peng , Olaiya Muideen T. , Kobes Sayuko , Sinha Madhumita , Baier Leslie J. , Knowler William C. , McCarthy Mark I. , Hanson Robert L.
Published: March 2023

Aims/hypothesis

There is limited information on how polygenic scores (PSs), based on variants from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of type 2 diabetes, add to clinical variables in predicting type 2 diabetes incidence, particularly in non-European-ancestry populations.

Methods

For participants in a longitudinal study in an Indigenous population from the Southwestern USA with high type 2 diabetes prevalence, we analysed ten constructions of PS using publicly available GWAS summary statistics. Type 2 diabetes incidence was examined in three cohorts of individuals without diabetes at baseline. The adult cohort, 2333 participants followed from age ≥20 years, had 640 type 2 diabetes cases. The youth cohort included 2229 participants followed from age 5–19 years (228 cases). The birth cohort included 2894 participants followed from birth (438 cases). We assessed contributions of PSs and clinical variables in predicting type 2 diabetes incidence.

Results

Of the ten PS constructions, a PS using 293 genome-wide significant variants from a large type 2 diabetes GWAS meta-analysis in European-ancestry populations performed best. In the adult cohort, the AUC of the receiver operating characteristic curve for clinical variables for prediction of incident type 2 diabetes was 0.728; with the PS, 0.735. The PS’s HR was 1.27 per SD (p=1.6 × 10−8; 95% CI 1.17, 1.38). In youth, corresponding AUCs were 0.805 and 0.812, with HR 1.49 (p=4.3 × 10−8; 95% CI 1.29, 1.72). In the birth cohort, AUCs were 0.614 and 0.685, with HR 1.48 (p=2.8 × 10−16; 95% CI 1.35, 1.63). To further assess the potential impact of including PS for assessing individual risk, net reclassification improvement (NRI) was calculated: NRI for the PS was 0.270, 0.268 and 0.362 for adult, youth and birth cohorts, respectively. For comparison, NRI for HbA1c was 0.267 and 0.173 for adult and youth cohorts, respectively. In decision curve analyses across all cohorts, the net benefit of including the PS in addition to clinical variables was most pronounced at moderately stringent threshold probability values for instituting a preventive intervention.

Conclusions/interpretation

This study demonstrates that a European-derived PS contributes significantly to prediction of type 2 diabetes incidence in addition to information provided by clinical variables in this Indigenous study population. Discriminatory power of the PS was similar to that of other commonly measured clinical variables (e.g. HbA1c). Including type 2 diabetes PS in addition to clinical variables may be clinically beneficial for identifying individuals at higher risk for the disease, especially at younger ages.

Graphical abstract
Growth rates and age at maturity of Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles estimated from a single-population foraging ground
Authors: Baldi Giulia , Furii Giovanni , Del Vecchio Massimo , Salvemini Pasquale , Vallini Carola , Angelini Valeria , Pari Sauro , Lombardi Moraes Kamyla , Margaritoulis Dimitris , Çurri Anxhela , Lazar Bojan , Casale Paolo
Published: March 2023

In sea turtles, somatic growth rates and Age at Sexual Maturity (ASM) are important parameters for investigating population dynamics. Moreover, ASM informs on the time lag needed to observe the effects of past environmental variables, threats and conservation measures acting at nesting beaches on future numbers of clutches or nesting females, that are the most monitored indices. Assessing ASM of mixed populations that share the same foraging areas is difficult, as in the case of the Mediterranean Sea that is frequented by turtles originating from both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Here we investigated growth rates of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) foraging in the Adriatic Sea, known to be frequented only by individuals of Mediterranean origin. Capture–mark–recapture records of 79 turtles provided growth rates ranging from – 1.1 to 9.6 cm yr−1 which were analyzed through Generalized Additive Models. When integrated with previous data on growth rates in the first years of life, results indicate a non-monotonic growth curve, likely due to an ontogenetic shift from oceanic to neritic areas. Using an integration equation, we estimated mean ASM to be 29.5 or 25.0 year based on mean nester size in Greece (83.4 cm curved carapace length, CCL) or across the Mediterranean (79.7 cm CCL), respectively. Growth rates and size-at-age are similar to the Atlantic population, but Mediterranean turtles mature earlier at a smaller size. The heterogenous growth rates and ASM reported so far in the Mediterranean are probably due, at least in part, to different foraging areas.
Efficacy comparison of antibiotic bone cement–coated implants and external fixations for treating infected bone defects
Authors: Wang Linhu , Lu Shuaikun , Luo Wen , Wang Guoliang , Zhu Zhenfeng , Liu Yunyan , Gao Hao , Fu Congxiao , Ren Jun , Zhang Yunfei , Zhang Yong
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of antibiotic bone cement–coated implants compared with external fixations for treating infected bone defects.

Methods

We retrospectively enrolled 119 patients with infected bone defects in our hospital from January 2010 to June 2021, of which 56 were treated with antibiotic bone cement–coated implants and 63 were with external fixation.

Results

The pre-operative and post-operative haematological indexes were tested to assess the infection control; the post-operative CRP level in the internal fixation group was lower than that in the external fixation group. No statistical significance was found in the rate of infection recurrence, loosening and rupture of the fixation, and amputation between the two groups. Twelve patients in the external fixation group had pin tract infection. In the evaluation of the Paley score scale, bone healing aspect revealed no significant difference between the two groups, while in the limb function aspect, antibiotic cement–coated implant group showed a much better score than the external fixation group (P = 0.002). The anxiety evaluation scale result also showed lower score in the antibiotic cement implant group (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Compared with external fixation, antibiotic bone cement–coated implant had the same effect on controlling infection and was more effective in recovering limb function and mental health in the first-stage treatment of infected bone defects after debridement.
Humoral response to mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine and booster effect of a third dose in patients with mature T cell and NK-cell neoplasms
Authors: Kobayashi Mirei , Mori Akio , Onozawa Masahiro , Tsukamoto Shihori , Senjo Hajime , Ishio Takashi , Yokoyama Emi , Kanaya Minoru , Izumiyama Koh , Saito Makoto , Muraki Haruna , Morioka Masanobu , Teshima Takanori , Kondo Takeshi
Published: March 2023

Patients with lymphoid malignancies have impaired humoral immunity caused by the disease itself and its treatment, placing them at risk for severe coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and reduced response to vaccination. However, data for COVID-19 vaccine responses in patients with mature T cell and NK-cell neoplasms are very limited. In this study of 19 patients with mature T/NK-cell neoplasms, anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike antibodies were measured at 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months after the second mRNA-based vaccination. At the time of the second and third vaccinations, 31.6% and 15.4% of the patients were receiving active treatment. All patients received the primary vaccine dose and the third vaccination rate was 68.4%. In patients with mature T/NK-cell neoplasms, both seroconversion rate (p < 0.01) and antibody titers (p < 0.01) after the second vaccination were significantly lower than those in healthy controls (HC). In individuals who received the booster dose, patients had significantly lower antibody titers than those in HC (p < 0.01); however, the seroconversion rate in patients was 100%, which was the same as that in HC. The booster vaccine resulted in a significant increase of antibodies in elderly patients who had shown a response that was inferior to that in younger patients after two doses of vaccination. Since higher antibody titers and higher seroconversion rate reduced the incidence of infection and mortality, vaccination more than three times may have the advantage for patients with mature T/NK-cell neoplasms, especially in elderly patients. Clinical trial registration number: UMIN 000,045,267 (August 26th, 2021), 000,048,764 (August 26th, 2022).
Microstructure–properties relationship in ethylene-propylene diene monomer (EPDM)/nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) nanocomposites
Authors: Paran Seyed Mohamad Reza , Naderi Ghasem , Mirzaee Moslem , Ghoreishy Mir Hamid Reza , Włoch Marcin , Esmaeili Amin , Abida Otman , Saeb Mohammad Reza
Published: March 2023

Structure–properties relationship in complex rubber nanocomposites is a key for enlarging the performance window. Herein, halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are added at variable content to ethylene-propylene diene monomer (EPDM)/nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) rubber blends compatibilized with maleic anhydride grafted HNTs to evaluate cure characteristics, along with microstructure, and mechanical and swelling behavior. The crosslinking rate increased by HNTs loading, but the scorch time decreased. Moreover, a 45% rise in tensile strength was observed for systems containing 10 wt% HNTs. SEM and TEM micrographs revealed a rough fracture surface with proper dispersion of HNT within EPDM/NBR. The modulus of EPDM/NBR/HNTs nanocomposites is theoretically estimated by modified Kolarik model, demonstrating a good agreement with experimental value. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) revealed a higher storage modulus up to 2.27 GPa with the introduction of HNTs into EPDM/NBR compound. Correspondingly, lower solvent uptake (decreased by 38%) is reported. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed higher thermal stability for highly-loaded systems.