bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cost benefit analysis and the FDA: measuring the costs and benefits of drug approval under the PDUFA I-II, 1998–2005
Authors: DeCanio Samuel
Published: April 2024

This paper examines the Food and Drug Administration’s regulation of drug safety. In one of the most sophisticated cost-benefit analyses to date, (Cost-benefit analysis of the FDA: The case of the prescription drug user fee acts, The Journal of Public Economics, 92, 1306–1325.) argue that between 1998 and 2005 the FDA’s drug submission process under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) increased social surplus by $14–31 billion. However, this conclusion is based upon inappropriate data that underestimate the welfare costs of drugs that were withdrawn from the market due to their harmful side effects. Once appropriate epidemiological data are used to calculate the welfare costs of a single drug, Vioxx, which was withdrawn from the market after it was found to cause heart attacks, PDUFA I-II are found to have caused a net reduction in social welfare of between $1-201 billion. This indicates that statistically infrequent regulatory mistakes may have large social welfare implications that can counteract the benefits of years of accurate regulatory decisions. Thanks to Sarah Bernhardt, Romit Bhattacharya, Stephen DeCanio, Marco Giani, Colin Jennings, John Meadowcroft, and Tariq Thachil for helpful comments and suggestions. Special thanks to the helpful comments offered by two anonymous referees.
Participatory Research with Museum Practitioners: A reflection on the process
Authors: Shaby Neta , Peleg Ran , Coombs Ian
Published: April 2024

This research explores the process of a Participatory Research (PR) project that brought together university researchers with museum practitioners to create reflective tools that can be used to better understand real practical challenges. This project followed Bourke’s (2009) definition of PR, viewing the process as a collaborative endeavour between researchers and practitioners in all steps of the way including project planning, research design, data collection and analysis, and distribution and application of research findings. In this project, we ran three main workshops with small group meetings in between, which were audio and video recorded and subsequently transcribed. These were then analysed to capture the PR process using James and Shaw’s (2023) Heuristic Framework as our analytical framework while using deductive and inductive techniques. Our analysis focused on understanding the dynamics between researchers and practitioners in this PR project in order to better understand how to conduct PR projects in this context. Our analysis offers a refined model that can be adapted and used with museum practitioners while identifying areas that need further attention in the process of PR. We included an important phase of reflection, and we offer recommendations for those who would like to take a PR approach in their research.
European SMEs’ growth: the role of market-based finance and public financial support
Authors: Boccaletti Simone , Ferrando Annalisa , Rossi Emanuele , Rossolini Monica
Published: April 2024

The study investigates the role of market-based finance and public financial support in aiding scaling up by European SMEs. First, we analyse the impact of public loan guarantee schemes on firms’ access to market-based instruments. Second, we study whether firms’ access to market-based finance and the use of public grants boost a firm’s (ex post) growth. The analysis is based on a unique and original dataset of about 31,000 Eurozone firms in the 2009–2020 period. The study finds that firms’ access to market-based finance is (i) driven positively by the previous use of public financial support schemes and (ii) has a positive effect on subsequent growth. In particular, SMEs display relatively higher growth in fixed assets, while for large firms, growth is mainly driven by current assets. Moreover, SME issuers using public grants achieve significantly stronger growth than comparable firms.
Rieger, Schwabe, Suess-de Vries: The Sunny Beats of Resonance
Authors: Stefani F. , Horstmann G. M. , Klevs M. , Mamatsashvili G. , Weier T.
Published: April 2024

We propose a self-consistent explanation of Rieger-type periodicities, the Schwabe cycle, and the Suess-de Vries cycle of the solar dynamo in terms of resonances of various wave phenomena with gravitational forces exerted by the orbiting planets. Starting on the high-frequency side, we show that the two-planet spring tides of Venus, Earth, and Jupiter are able to excite magneto-Rossby waves, which can be linked with typical Rieger-type periods. We argue then that the 11.07-year beat period of those magneto-Rossby waves synchronizes an underlying conventional $\alpha-\Omega $
α
−
Ω
-dynamo by periodically changing either the field storage capacity in the tachocline or some portion of the $\alpha $
α
-effect therein. We also strengthen the argument that the Suess-de Vries cycle appears as an 193-year beat period between the 22.14-year Hale cycle and a spin-orbit coupling effect related with the 19.86-year rosette-like motion of the Sun around the barycenter.
Global-Scale Processes and Effects of Magnetic Reconnection on the Geospace Environment
Authors: Fuselier S. A. , Petrinec S. M. , Reiff P. H. , Birn J. , Baker D. N. , Cohen I. J. , Nakamura R. , Sitnov M. I. , Stephens G. K. , Hwang J. , Lavraud B. , Moore T. E. , Trattner K. J. , Giles B. L. , Gershman D. J. , Toledo-Redondo S. , Eastwood J. P.
Published: April 2024

Recent multi-point measurements, in particular from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft, have advanced the understanding of micro-scale aspects of magnetic reconnection. In addition, the MMS mission, as part of the Heliospheric System Observatory, combined with recent advances in global magnetospheric modeling, have furthered the understanding of meso- and global-scale structure and consequences of reconnection. Magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause and in the magnetotail are the drivers of the global Dungey cycle, a classical picture of global magnetospheric circulation. Some recent advances in the global structure and consequences of reconnection that are addressed here include a detailed understanding of the location and steadiness of reconnection at the dayside magnetopause, the importance of multiple plasma sources in the global circulation, and reconnection consequences in the magnetotail. These advances notwithstanding, there are important questions about global reconnection that remain. These questions focus on how multiple reconnection and reconnection variability fit into and complicate the Dungey Cycle picture of global magnetospheric circulation.
Impact of different forms of selenium supplementation on growth and physiological performance of New Zealand white rabbits
Authors: Moustafa Kout-Elkloub M. El. , EL-Hosseiny Hoda M. , Shaheen G. F. , El-Kotamy E. M. , Ghoniem Abd elghani , Younan G. E. , El-Nahrawy M. M. , Farag Mona E. , Mohamed Manal S.
Published: April 2024

Forty-eight weaned male New Zealand White rabbits aged 6 weeks with an initial body weight of (709.67 ± 13 g) were randomly divided into six experimental groups (8 rabbits each) for 6–14 weeks of age experimental periods. The present study was planned to evaluate the effect of using different forms of Selenium element (inorganic, nanoparticles and organic) as dietary supplementation on productive performance of rabbits. Six experimental groups in completely randomized design were used. The first group (G1, control) was fed the basal diet to cover maintenance and production allowances. Rabbits in the other groups G2, G3, G4 and G5 were fed the basal diet supplemented with Nano- Se at 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05 mg/kg diet, respectively. The 6th group (G6) was fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.1 mg/kg diet of salinized yeast (Se-yeast) as organic form. The results indicated that the highest values of nitrogen free extract (NFE) and crude fiber (CF) digestibility, live body weight, daily weight gain, hot carcass weight and dressing percentage were observed with those supplemented with Nano-Se at all levels compared with other treatments. However, feed conversion, net revenue and economic efficiency values were improved with Nano-Se groups followed by organic Se group in comparisons with the control group. Conclusively, the Nano-Se in rabbit’s diet has a positive effect in improving rabbit’s performance and economic efficiency compared to the inorganic Selenium.
Does commercial indoxacarb pose ecotoxicological consequences? Employing a multi-marker approach in the model species Theba pisana
Authors: Radwan Mohamed A. , Gad Amira F. , Abd El-Aziz Amira M. , El-Gendy Kawther S.
Published: April 2024

Indoxacarb is one of the most extensively used oxadiazine insecticides worldwide, but it may exert detrimental effects on ecosystems, population dynamics, and health. Due to the lack of knowledge on the ecotoxicity of indoxacarb, it is still challenging to assess whether this insecticide poses an ecotoxicological impact on terrestrial environments. Therefore, our study aims to provide novel data on the toxic effects of 28-day dietary exposure to commercial grade indoxacarb at two environmentally relevant concentrations, 0.02 µg/mL and tenfold (0.2 µg/mL) on the model species, Theba pisana. Their effects were studied using a multiple biomarker approach by evaluating physiological, biochemical, and histopathological responses. After 28 days of treatment, indoxacarb at both concentrations significantly reduced the food intake and growth of the treated snails. Also, it caused decreases in lipid peroxidation (LPO)  levels after 7 and 14 days of exposure, whereas an opposite effect occurred after 21 and 28 days. All treated snails were found to exhibit a lower content of glutathione (GSH) after all times of exposure. Moreover, catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, as well as protein content (PC), were elevated in the treated snails after all time intervals. Post exposure to both realistic indoxacarb concentrations, changes in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity between a decrease and an increase were observed. Furthermore, indoxacarb caused histo-architectural changes in the hepatopancreas of T. pisana. Our results demonstrate that, at environmentally relevant concentrations, indoxacarb poses negative consequences for T. pisana, indicating its ecotoxicological impacts.

Graphical Abstract
Implications of mineral price volatility on the outcome of social life cycle assessment interpretation—a battery material case study
Authors: Orola Anni , Uusitalo Ville , Levänen Jarkko
Published: April 2024

Purpose

New research methods are needed to better understand the progress toward social sustainability goals. Social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) is one way to measure this progress, but price volatility may cause challenges in using monetary value-based S-LCA modelling with typical S-LCA databases. To address these methodological concerns, the study focuses on assessing the impacts of price volatility on S-LCA results through a comparative case study on the social risks of battery materials.

Methods

The Social Hotspot Database (SHDB) was used to compare cathode active material (CAM) production in Finland and globally to see how price volatility of minerals impacts the results of comparative S-LCA. Also, a sensitivity analysis was performed on the prices of multiple minerals and energy types used in NMC 811 CAM production.

Results and discussion

This study shows that price volatility might have an unanticipated effect on the results of S-LCA, e.g., by increasing the social risks when the mineral price is decreased due to price volatility. This may cause challenges with interpretation of the results or when results of two different studies using price data from different years are compared with each other, e.g., the results of social product declarations (SPD). However, one of the main purposes of using the SHDB is to find the countries and sectors with the highest social risks in the supply chain, and these results were less sensitive to price volatility except for lithium which also had the highest price fluctuation.

Conclusions

Price volatility can have significant impacts on the results of the monetary value-based S-LCA. It is recommended that the mineral price volatility is considered if developing product category rules for battery-related sectors. The importance of sensitivity analyses should be emphasized, and physical unit-based reference flow should be preferred if site-specific data collection about worker hours is possible.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on symptomatic breast cancer presentations in an Irish breast cancer unit: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Higgins Áine , O’Reilly Seamus , O’Sullivan Martin J.
Published: April 2024

Background

The coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic caused delays in the diagnosis and management of breast cancer which may have affected disease presentation. The aim of this study was to compare rates of metastatic disease, tumour characteristics and management in breast cancer patients diagnosed before and after the onset of COVID-19.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients in a university teaching hospital who were diagnosed with invasive symptomatic breast cancer in 2019 (prepandemic control group) and in 2020, 2021, and 2022 (pandemic study groups). Rates of new metastatic presentations, tumour histopathological characteristics, operation type, and therapies administered were statistically compared.

Results

A total of 1416 patients were identified. There was a significant increase in new metastatic breast cancer presentations in 2022 compared to 2019 (14.0% vs 3.8%, p ≤ 0.001), with non-significant increases in 2020 and 2021. Rates of adjuvant radiotherapy increased in 2020 and decreased in 2022 compared to 2019, with no significant change in neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy rates. Rates of axillary surgery increased during 2020 and 2021. There was an increase in high-grade tumours and lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and less frequent oestrogen receptor (ER) positivity in pandemic groups. No significant change was noted in BCS to mastectomy ratios, overall nodal positivity rates, or median tumour size.

Conclusion

Symptomatic breast cancers diagnosed since the onset of COVID-19 demonstrated an increase in new metastatic presentations and more aggressive histopathological characteristics when compared to a pre-pandemic control group. Rates of adjuvant radiotherapy and axillary surgery increased during the pandemic.
NFATc4 Knockout Promotes Neuroprotection and Retinal Ganglion Cell Regeneration After Optic Nerve Injury
Authors: Mackiewicz Joanna , Tomczak Julia , Lisek Malwina , Sakowicz Agata , Guo Feng , Boczek Tomasz
Published: April 2024

Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), neurons transmitting visual information via the optic nerve, fail to regenerate their axons after injury. The progressive loss of RGC function underlies the pathophysiology of glaucoma and other optic neuropathies, often leading to irreversible blindness. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify the regulators of RGC survival and the regenerative program. In this study, we investigated the role of the family of transcription factors known as nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), which are expressed in the retina; however, their role in RGC survival after injury is unknown. Using the optic nerve crush (ONC) model, widely employed to study optic neuropathies and central nervous system axon injury, we found that NFATc4 is specifically but transiently up-regulated in response to mechanical injury. In the injured retina, NFATc4 immunolocalized primarily to the ganglionic cell layer. Utilizing NFATc4−/− and NFATc3−/− mice, we demonstrated that NFATc4, but not NFATc3, knockout increased RGC survival, improved retina function, and delayed axonal degeneration. Microarray screening data, along with decreased immunostaining of cleaved caspase-3, revealed that NFATc4 knockout was protective against ONC-induced degeneration by suppressing pro-apoptotic signaling. Finally, we used lentiviral-mediated NFATc4 delivery to the retina of NFATc4−/− mice and reversed the pro-survival effect of NFATc4 knockout, conclusively linking the enhanced survival of injured RGCs to NFATc4-dependent mechanisms. In summary, this study is the first to demonstrate that NFATc4 knockout may confer transient RGC neuroprotection and decelerate axonal degeneration after injury, providing a potent therapeutic strategy for optic neuropathies.
Do photos matter? the effect of hosts’ facial features on customers’ booking intentions in peer-to-peer accommodation: heterogeneity of host gender
Authors: Bai Shizhen , Huang Xinyue , Han Chunjia , Yang Mu , Yu Dingyao , Bi Xinrui
Published: April 2024

This study aims to investigate the effect of hosts’ facial features of different genders on customers’ booking intentions on the Airbnb shared accommodation platform. A comprehensive model was built to analyze hosts’ facial features in the United States (n = 105,084) through big data combined with an artificial intelligence facial recognition system. Results show that beauty, smile, aging, and wearing glasses positively affect customers’ booking intentions. There is gender heterogeneity in the effect of hosts’ facial features on customers’ booking intentions. Compared to female hosts, smiling is significant for male hosts, and wearing glasses has a greater impact on female hosts. Host reputation somewhat weakens the positive effect of host facial features on customers’ booking intentions, and the shared housing type strengthens the positive effect of facial features on customers’ booking intentions. This study provides insights into customer decision-making that may be influenced by hosts’ facial features.
Biomechanical load quantification of national and regional soccer players with an inertial sensor setup during a jump, kick, and sprint task: assessment of discriminative validity
Authors: Bastiaansen Bram J. C. , Vegter Riemer J. K. , Wilmes Erik , de Ruiter Cornelis J. , Goedhart Edwin A. , Lemmink Koen A. P. M. , Brink Michel S.
Published: April 2024

Training load quantification methods may help optimize soccer performance. However, whole-body indicators potentially underestimate biomechanical load. A new inertial sensor setup allows joint-specific biomechanical load quantification. Good discriminative validity further supports the use of this method, and therefore the purpose of this study is to assess the discriminative validity of this method during soccer-specific activities. Twelve national and sixteen regional soccer players wore an inertial sensor setup and performed countermovement jumps, soccer kicks, and 30 m sprints. Between-group differences in angular acceleration-based biomechanical load indicators Knee Load, Hip Load, and performance were assessed using MANOVAs and Cohen’s effect sizes. Furthermore, relationships with performance were explored. National players showed higher Knee Load during jumping (mean difference: 0.11 A.U., ES = 0.93, p = 0.02), kicking (mean difference: 1.94 A.U., ES = 0.94; p = 0.02), and almost during sprinting (mean difference: 12.85, ES = 0.77; p = 0.05). Hip Load did not differ between groups across all tasks, although national players outperformed regional players on all tests. Significant relationships between Knee Load (rjump = 0.41, rkick = 0.65), Hip Load (rjump = 0.42), and performance were observed with 95% confidence intervals ranging from trivial to large. The results confirm discriminative validity of Knee Load for jumping and kicking, but not for sprinting and Hip Load in general. The confidence intervals of the established relationships suggest that the biomechanical loads might not entirely explain between-group differences in performance. The results can be used as reference values for biomechanical load quantification in the field.
Microbes in porous environments: from active interactions to emergent feedback
Authors: Jin Chenyu , Sengupta Anupam
Published: April 2024

Microbes thrive in diverse porous environments—from soil and riverbeds to human lungs and cancer tissues—spanning multiple scales and conditions. Short- to long-term fluctuations in local factors induce spatio-temporal heterogeneities, often leading to physiologically stressful settings. How microbes respond and adapt to such biophysical constraints is an active field of research where considerable insight has been gained over the last decades. With a focus on bacteria, here we review recent advances in self-organization and dispersal in inorganic and organic porous settings, highlighting the role of active interactions and feedback that mediates microbial survival and fitness. We discuss open questions and opportunities for using integrative approaches to advance our understanding of the biophysical strategies which microbes employ at various scales to make porous settings habitable.
The effect of GnRH-a on the angiogenesis of endometriosis
Authors: Filindris Theodoros , Papakonstantinou Efthymia , Keramida Maria , Panteris Eleftherios , Kalogeropoulos Sotiris , Georgopoulos Neoklis , Taniguchi Fuminori , Adonakis George , Harada Tasuku , Kaponis Apostolos
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Neoangiogenesis is necessary for adhesion and invasiveness of endometriotic lesions in women affected by endometriosis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the main components of angiogenesis and is part of the major pathway tissue factor (TF)-protease activated receptor-2 (PAR-2)-VEGF that leads to neoangiogenesis. Specificity protein 1 (SP1) is a transcriptional factor that has recently been studied for its crucial role in angiogenesis via a specific pathway. We hypothesize that by blocking angiogenetic pathways we can suppress endometriotic lesions. Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone-agonists (GnRH-a) are routinely used, especially preoperatively, in endometriosis. It would be of great interest to clarify which angiogenetic pathways are affected and, thereby, pave the way for further research into antiangiogenetic effects on endometriosis.

Methods

We used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to study mRNA expression levels of TF, PAR-2, VEGF, and SP1 in endometriotic tissues of women who underwent surgery for endometriosis and received GnRH-a (leuprolide acetate) preoperatively.

Results

VEGF, TF, and PAR-2 expression is significantly lower in patients who received treatment (p < 0,001) compared to those who did not, whereas SP1 expression is not altered (p = 0.779).

Conclusions

GnRH-a administration does affect some pathways of angiogenesis in endometriotic lesions, but not all of them. Therefore, supplementary treatments that affect the SP1 pathway of angiogenesis should be developed to enhance the antiangiogenetic effect of GnRH-a in patients with endometriosis.

Trial registration

Clinicaltrial.gov ID: NCT06106932.
Working in the Dark? Exploring the Relationship Between the Dark Triad and Early Maladaptive Schemas
Authors: Judith Ray Simone , Fritzon Katerina
Published: April 2024

Early maladaptive schemas (EMS) may contribute to the Dark Triad’s (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy) dysfunctional workplace outcomes. EMS — the core concept of Schema Therapy — are entrenched emotional, cognitive, memories, and physiological patterns that form during early life in response to unmet needs and elaborate throughout life. As the workplace can involve hierarchy and power, EMS may be potentially reinforced in this context. This novel study aimed to explore the relationships between EMS and the Dark Triad facets within a working sample. The study also examined whether the Dark Triad facets yield distinct relationships with EMSs. The sample (N = 210) reported working ≥ 20 h per week in paid- or full-time role in private and public sectors. Participants completed an online self-report survey comprising the Young Schema Questionnaire Short Form-Third Edition, Five Factor Narcissism Inventory-Short Form (Antagonism and Extraversion facets), Five Factor Machiavellianism Inventory (Planfulness, Antagonism and Agency facets), and Corporate Psychopathy Inventory-Revised (Boldness, Ruthlessness, and Interpersonal Dominance facets). Zero-order correlations indicated that all Dark Triad facets significantly and positively correlated with the Entitlement/Grandiosity, Unrelenting Standards, and Punitiveness EMSs. Most Dark Triad facets positively correlated with Approval/Recognition Seeking and Mistrust/Abuse EMSs. The Entitlement/Grandiosity EMS demonstrated the strongest positive correlation with most Dark Triad facets. The results suggest that those with elevated Dark Triad traits in the working sample share a similar cognitive and emotional worldview (i.e., EMS) that may activate in the workplace context. Expanding this research could inform a ‘Dark’ Schema Workplace model and Schema Therapy interventions to potentially reduce the Dark Triad’s dysfunctional workplace outcomes.
Early progression is associated with worse survival in patients with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia
Authors: Xiong Wenjie , Wang Zanzan , Wang Huihan , Li Chunrui , Chu Xiaoxia , Li Bingzong , Yu Ying , Sun Hao , Cao Xinxin , Jiang Zhongxing , Yang Guangzhong , Song Jia , Cai Zhen , Du Juan , Sun Chunyan , Niu Ting , Wei Yongqiang , Xue Hua , Huang Honghui , Li Zhenling , Cui Rui , Qiu Lugui , Li Jian , Yi Shuhua ,   On behalf of Chinese Working Group of Walderström Macroglobulinemia (CWWM)
Published: April 2024

Early progression of disease within 24 months (POD24) of diagnosis is associated with inferior overall survival (OS) in follicular lymphoma, but its prognostic role in Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM) is still unclear. Here, we performed a retrospective analysis of 373 patients pooled from the database of the Chinese Registration Network for WM (CRNWM) to determine the outcomes of early progressors. POD24 occurred in 98 evaluable patients (26.3%). The median OS in patients with POD24 was 40 months (95%CI: 15.2–64.0), which was significantly shorter than that without POD24 (156 months, 95%CI: 123.6–188.4; HR: 6.587, 95% CI 4.392–9.881, P < 0.0001). Moreover, subgroup analysis showed that POD24 still maintained its predictive ability of inferior OS in patients treated with rituximab or bortezomib-based treatment. Patients with a very high-risk rIPSSWM stage were more likely to have POD24 (P = 0.020). In conclusion, POD24 was associated with poorer survival and may represent a useful endpoint in future prospective clinical trials.
Effects of microplastics on soil carbon pool and terrestrial plant performance
Authors: Chen Yalan , Li Yang , Liang Xinru , Lu Siyuan , Ren Jiaqi , Zhang Yuqin , Han Zichen , Gao Bo , Sun Ke
Published: April 2024

Soil, as a primary repository of plastic debris, faces an escalating influx of microplastics. Microplastics have the potential to decrease soil bulk density and pH, as well as alter soil pore structure and aggregation. These changes in soil physicochemical properties subsequently lead to habitat degradation for microbes and environmental shifts that impact plant growth. Masquerading as soil carbon storage, microplastics can distort assessments of the soil carbon pool by introducing plastic-carbon and associated leachates, influencing soil organic matter (SOM) turnover through priming effects (e.g., dilution, substrate switching, and co-metabolisms). Additionally, microplastics can influence the distribution of soil carbon in particulate and mineral-associated organic matter, consequently affecting the accumulation and stability of soil carbon. Furthermore, microplastics can also influence the chemodiversity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soils by increasing DOM aromaticity and molecular weight while deepening its humification degree. The changes observed in soil DOM may be attributed to inputs from microplastic-derived DOM along with organo-organic and organo-mineral interactions coupled with microbial degradation processes. Acting as an inert source of carbon, microplastics create a distinct ecological niche for microbial growth and contribute to necromass formation pathways. Conventional microplastics can reduce microbial necromass carbon contribution to the stable pool of soil carbon, whereas bio-microplastics tend to increase it. Furthermore, microplastics exert a wide range of effects on plant performance through both internal and external factors, influencing seed germination, vegetative and reproductive growth, as well as inducing ecotoxicity and genotoxicity. These impacts may arise from alterations in the growth environment or the uptake of microplastics by plants. Future research should aim to elucidate the impact of microplastics on microbial necromass accumulation and carbon storage within mineral-associated fractions, while also paying closer attention to rhizosphere dynamics such as the microbial stabilization and mineral protection for rhizodeposits within soils.

Graphical Abstract
Prediction of wrinkle patterns in tensioned thin-film structures containing rigid elements
Authors: Sun P. , Huang J. , Zhang J.Y. , Meng F.B. , Zhao P.B.
Published: April 2024

With the in-depth study of thin-film structures, nonuniform thin films with rigid elements have been applied in the aerospace and flexible electronics industries. For thin-film structures with rigid elements, there is an interaction force between the rigid element and the thin film; therefore, the wrinkling mode of the thin film changes under the influence of the interaction force. In this study, a wrinkle model was developed to predict the wrinkle morphology of thin-film structures with rigid elements on the diagonal. First, the wrinkle patterns of the rigid elements were observed at different positions using tensile experiments. Then, the relationship between the tilt of the rigid element and the wrinkle wavelength was investigated using a finite-element eigenvalue buckling analysis. Finally, local wrinkling caused by the perturbed stress of the rigid element was introduced, and a wrinkling model of a square thin film with rigid elements on the diagonal under tension was established. The theoretical analysis results were compared with simulation and experimental results, demonstrating that the model can accurately describe the wrinkle patterns of thin-film structures containing rigid elements on the diagonal under tension.
Electronic health record-based identification of inpatients receiving antibiotic treatment for community-acquired pneumonia
Authors: Yang David , Cressman Leigh , Hamilton Keith W. , Dutcher Lauren
Published: April 2024

We conducted a retrospective study to assess performance of provider-selected antibiotic indication (PSI) in identifying hospitalized adults with community-acquired pneumonia. PSI showed moderate sensitivity (64.4%) and high specificity (96.3%). PSI has potential utility for targeted real-time antibiotic stewardship interventions, though future research should investigate methods to improve sensitivity.
Navigating the network: a narrative overview of AMR surveillance and data flow in the United States
Authors: Robillard Darin W. , Sundermann Alexander J. , Raux Brian R. , Prinzi Andrea M.
Published: April 2024

The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance landscape in the United States consists of a data flow that starts in the clinical setting and is maintained by a network of national and state public health laboratories. These organizations are well established, with robust methodologies to test and confirm antimicrobial susceptibility. Still, the bridge that guides the flow of data is often one directional and caught in a constant state of rush hour that can only be refined with improvements to infrastructure and automation in the data flow. Moreover, there is an absence of information in the literature explaining the processes clinical laboratories use to coalesce and share susceptibility test data for AMR surveillance, further complicated by variability in testing procedures. This knowledge gap limits our understanding of what is needed to improve and streamline data sharing from clinical to public health laboratories. Successful models of AMR surveillance display attributes like 2-way communication between clinical and public health laboratories, centralized databases, standardized data, and the use of electronic health records or data systems, highlighting areas of opportunity and improvement. This article explores the roles and processes of the organizations involved in AMR surveillance in the United States and identifies current knowledge gaps and opportunities to improve communication between them through standardization, communication, and modernization of data flow.
Growing indoor environmental infrastructure: designing for microbial diversity with implications for pollutant metabolism and human health
Authors: Mankiewicz Ledins Phoebe , Bhattacharya Chandrima , Dyson Anna , Hénaff Elizabeth
Published: April 2024

Urban inhabitants spend upwards of 90% of their time indoors where building design and mechanical air-handling systems negatively impact air quality, microbiome diversity and health outcomes. Urban bioremediation infrastructure designed to improve indoor environmental quality by drawing air through photosynthesizing plants and metabolically diverse rhizospheres have been investigated since the 1960s; however, in-depth analysis of the potential impacts on indoor environments is required: (1) although recent evidence has illustrated human microbiome alteration and associated health benefits related to exposure to green wall systems, the mechanism(s) of diversification have not yet been established, (2) microbial metabolism and airborne chemical dynamics are extraordinarily complex and hypotheses pertaining to rhizosphere microorganisms metabolizing pollutants require more attention. To explore these areas, we applied a shotgun metagenomic approach to quantify microbial diversity and establish preliminary metabolic profiles within active green wall modules spanning a range of growth media and plant selections. Results indicate that fundamental design decisions, including hydroponic vs. organic growth media, support rhizosphere microbiomes with distinct diversity and metabolic profiles which could impact system performance. The described relationships indicate fundamental green infrastructure design represents an opportunity to “grow” indoor microbial diversity and metabolisms with potential benefits for human pollutant exposure and health outcomes.
Spectral proper orthogonal decomposition of time-resolved three-dimensional flow measurements in the turbulent wake of the Ahmed body
Authors: Chen C.W. , Wang S. , Ghaemi S.
Published: April 2024

This study investigated the turbulent wake flow behind a flat-back Ahmed body using a combination of time-resolved tomographic particle image velocimetry measurements and spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD). The experiments were conducted at a Reynolds number of ReH = 10 000, which is defined as U∞H/ν, where U∞ represents the free-stream velocity, H is the height of the body and ν represents the viscosity. The SPOD analysis revealed four distinct flow motions present in the wake of the Ahmed body, each occupying a specific range of Strouhal number, StH. Here, StH is defined as f × H/U∞, where f is the frequency of the motion. At the lowest resolved StH of 0.007, the system exhibited a bi-stability mode, in which the wake switched between asymmetric states consisting of a tilted toroidal vortex and a streamwise vortex. In the next StH range of 0.014 to 0.123, the flow demonstrated swinging/flapping motions, characterized by small spanwise and vertical movements of the wake barycentre. These movements were attributed to the tilting of the toroidal vortex. The third category included the vortex-shedding motions and consisted of quasi-streamwise vortices. These vortices advected in the downstream direction, causing oblique displacements of the barycentre in the streamwise-vertical plane. The peak energy of the vortex shedding was observed at StH = 0.164. Finally, shear layer instabilities induced small vertical and spanwise velocity fluctuations along the shear layers at a high StH of 1.147.
When is an administrator an ‘officer’ of the company?
Authors: Wood John M
Published: April 2024

When a company becomes insolvent, particularly if it is a large company, this will often mean that there will be a large-scale redundancy process. The requirements of the process can be technical, but there is a list of obligations that must be adhered and these are set out within the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULRCA 1992).
Verifying the Australian MWA EoR pipeline I: 21-cm sky model and correlated measurement density
Authors: Line J.L.B. , Trott C.M. , Cook J.H. , Greig B. , Barry N. , Jordan C.H.
Published: April 2024

We present the first of two papers dedicated to verifying the Australian Epoch of Reionisation pipeline (AusEoRPipe) through simulation. The AusEoRPipe aims to disentangle 21-cm radiation emitted by gas surrounding the very first stars from contaminating foreground astrophysical sources and has been in the development for close to a decade. In this paper, we build an accurate 21-cm sky model that can be used by the WODEN simulation software to create visibilities containing a predictable 21-cm signal. We verify that the power spectrum (PS) estimator CHIPS can recover this signal in the absence of foregrounds. We also investigate how measurements in Fourier-space are correlated and how their gridded density affects the PS. We measure and fit for this effect using Gaussian-noise simulations of the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) phase I layout. We find a gridding density correction factor of 2.651 appropriate for integrations equal to or greater than 30 minutes of data, which contain observations with multiple primary beam pointings and LSTs. Paper II of this series will use the results of this paper to test the AusEoRPipe in the presence of foregrounds and instrumental effects.
CITRO OR CEDRO REFICIT? ON AN EMENDATION TO A FRAGMENT OF VARRO'S DE BIBLIOTHECIS (FR. 54 GRF FUNAIOLI)
Authors: Verdura Umberto
Published: April 2024

This paper discusses an earlier emendation to fr. 54 GRF Funaioli from Varro's De bibliothecis and argues that, while the text et citro refers to cedar oil, it should not be emended to et cedro. A comparison with a passage from Pliny the Elder (HN 13.86) is used to support the view presented in the article.
JUSTICE IN THE LIMINAL: THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE AND THE RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
Authors: Heri Corina
Published: April 2024

As the human right to a healthy environment is codified around the globe, some systems still lag behind. One noticeable straggler is the Council of Europe, which is currently undergoing its fourth attempt to recognize the right. This article examines the proposals tabled within this system in light of overarching debates about climate justice and environmental rights, before focusing specifically on the spatial and temporal limits of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the institutional features of its Court. First, the article describes what the author sees as the current liminal moment in the development of human rights law, a time of transition in which established legal concepts can be questioned or reaffirmed. Second, it sketches recent proposals for locating and conceptualizing the right to a healthy environment within the Council of Europe. Evaluating different options, it makes the case for including this right in the ECHR. Third, the article discusses the right's potential to reshape the spatial and temporal limitations on legal subjectivity and Convention protections. These proposals come at a crucial time when the system's ability to protect human rights from environment-related impacts is being tested by climate litigation. The article understands these developments as interrelated and discusses whether current proposals could deliver on demands for climate justice by extending protection to future generations and for extraterritorial environmental impacts.
The role of State Shinto and sport in integrating Singapore into the Japanese Empire, 1942–45
Authors: Blackburn Kevin
Published: April 2024

During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, military and civilian officials governing Singapore used a combination of State Shinto and sport to assist in culturally assimilating Singapore into Japan's Empire. A planned massive sports complex was to be located at Singapore's own State Shinto shrine, the Syonan Jinja, which was partly modelled on Japan's Meiji Shrine which regularly held on its own grounds sports events and games that mixed the rituals of State Shinto with athleticism. Participation in sport was used to assimilate local populations into an imperial identity, united under the helm of the Japanese Emperor.
Buddhist kingship and governance in the Dali Kingdom, 1140s to 1200
Authors: Daniels Christian
Published: April 2024

Like coeval classical kingdoms of Southeast Asia, the Dali Kingdom (937–1253 CE) of Yunnan adopted politico-religious ideologies for Buddhist kingship. Understanding Buddhist kingship as a medium for bolstering both spiritual and temporal authority, this article investigates if relations between twelfth-century Duan monarchs and their Gao ministers of state were the same as those depicted in post-thirteenth-century sources and scrutinises the argument for the eighteenth monarch Duan Zhixing (r.1173–1200) promoting himself as a dharmarāja to assert superiority over his Gao ministers. I reframe Duan-Gao relations from one of tension and conflict to one of collaboration, and postulate twelfth-century Duan-Gao relations then changing before the 1250s, when thirteenth century sources mention Gao domination. I argue for a working hypothesis of the dissemination of Duan Zhixing's politico-religious ideology dovetailing with administration at the kingdom's core areas. Dissemination was implemented by Gao ministers of state and monks from the royal Chongsheng Temple, and the process reveals a collaborative rather than confrontational relationship between Duan monarchs and the Gao clan.
Putting the Violence Back in the Late Medieval German Feud
Authors: Sharp Tristan W.
Published: April 2024

This paper explains how a sanitized image of the late medieval German feud has come to predominate in contemporary German scholarship and explores its consequences for understanding the social implications of feuding violence. By tracing out the reception of Otto Brunner's seminal Land and Lordship (1939) in post-WWII German feud research, this paper shows how a complex interplay between democratic-liberal sensibilities, Brunner's feud as legal institution model, and his own historical vision of violence resulted in the sanitized model of feuding violence. This model divides feuding violence into categories of rational–functional violence and dysfunctional violence, which, as this article argues, do not map onto the empirical evidence for feuding violence. A series of case studies elucidates the limitations of this model, providing a de-sanitized and de-domesticated image of feuding by vividly demonstrating some overlooked realities of feuding violence: from high rates of interpersonal violence between elites to sexual violence against female non-combatants among others. On the basis of these case studies, this article argues for a fundamental revision of how medieval historians have hitherto approached the topic of violence more broadly.
Vast Workshop and Laboratory: Labor and Refugees to the Bohemian Lands and Czechoslovakia, 1914–39
Authors: Frankl Michal
Published: April 2024

As a part of the conversation in the forum “Austria and the Czech Republic as Immigration Countries: Transnational Labor Migration in Historical Comparison” this article revisits the history of refugees in the Bohemian Lands and Czechoslovakia, from World War I until the occupation by Nazi Germany in 1939. Taking stock of existing research, it suggests alternative lines of thinking about the management of migrants' labor and contributes to the wider discussion about how to conceptually combine refugee studies and research on labor migration. For analytical purposes, it focuses on three distinct state approaches to managing refugee labor that often existed in parallel: mobilization of refugee labor in a crisis situation, the support of labor as a pathway to future citizenship, and the denial of work as a sign of statelessness. These three approaches show how refugees' work impacted their status, communicated ideas about the future, and reproduced hierarchies defined by ethnicity, class, or political persuasion.
Design and singularity analysis of a parallel mechanism with origami-inspired reconfigurable 5R closed-loop linkages
Authors: Kuang Yili , Qu Haibo , Li Xiao , Wang Xiaolei , Guo Sheng
Published: April 2024

The reconfigurable mechanisms can satisfy the requirements of changing environments, working conditions, and tasks on the function and performance of the mechanism and can be applied to machine tool manufacturing, space detection, etc. Inspired by the single-vertex fivefold origami pattern, a new reconfigurable parallel mechanism is proposed in this paper, which has special singular positions and stable motion due to replicating the stabilizing kinematic properties of origami. Through analyzing the topologic change of the folding process of the pattern and treating it as a reconfigurable joint, a new reconfigurable parallel mechanism with 3, 4, 5, or 6 degrees of freedom is obtained. Then, the kinematics solution, workspace, and singularity of the mechanism are calculated. The results indicate that the singular configuration of the origami-derived reconfigurable parallel mechanism is mainly located in a special plane, and the scope of the workspace is still large after the configuration change. The mechanism has the potential to adapt to multiple tasks and working conditions through the conversion among different configurations by folding reconfigurable joints on the branch chain.
Variation in the production of Basque ergativity: Change or stable variation?
Authors: Gondra Ager , Rodríguez-Ordóñez Itxaso , Franco-Landa Eukene
Published: April 2024

This study examines the extent to which the Basque ergative -k marker is undergoing change in the Basque Autonomous Community. The inclusion of Standard Basque in the education system since 1982 has brought a significant generational change in the mode of language acquisition: older speakers had no formal education in Basque, whereas younger speakers were educated in the Basque immersion program. Contrary to popular belief, results provide no evidence of ergative loss in apparent time; rather, they are consistent with linguistic stabilization. We claim that the differences in social constraints of gender and language use among the younger group reflect social changes, in which mode of language acquisition is responsible for the social stabilization and further stratification of ergativity. We conclude by arguing that minoritized contexts undergoing language revitalization provide important implications for sociolinguistic change, whereby social changes are embraced in assessing linguistic change.
You can only be lucky once: optimal gossip for epistemic goals
Authors: van Ditmarsch Hans , Gattinger Malvin
Published: April 2024

It is known that without synchronization via a global clock one cannot obtain common knowledge by communication. Moreover, it is folklore that without communicating higher-level information one cannot obtain arbitrary higher-order shared knowledge. Here, we make this result precise in the setting of gossip where agents make one-to-one telephone calls to share secrets: we prove that “everyone knows that everyone knows that everyone knows all secrets” is unsatisfiable in a logic of knowledge for gossiping. We also prove that, given n agents,
$2n-3$
calls are optimal to reach “someone knows that everyone knows all secrets” and that
$n - 2 + \binom{n}{2}$
calls are optimal to reach “everyone knows that everyone knows all secrets.”