bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Professional Learning Supporting Multilingual Children’s Social and Emotional Development in Diverse Australian Early Childhood Education and Care Settings
Authors: McInnes Elspeth , Whitington Victoria , Neill Bec , Farndale Amy
Published: February 2024

This research examined the conditions under which codesigned approaches to educator professional learning in multilingual, birth to five settings were accessible and supportive of children’s social and emotional development across diverse types of Australian early childhood services. The research sites, in the suburbs of a capital city, comprised a long day childcare center, two short term informal community creches for birth to 5-year-old children of migrants and refugees attending English classes, and a family hub short term informal community creche for children of Afghan refugees. Professional learning mentors visited the participating sites eight times for 2 h every 2 weeks for 16 Weeks in 2021, demonstrating resources and strategies to assist young children to identify their own and others’ emotions and engage with social settings. Over 20 weeks, 97 participants provided data, commencing before and extending after the professional learning program. Participants included professional learning mentors, staff and volunteers, parents, and children via observation. Using Reggio Emilia principles, the research identified that professional learning, flexibly delivered over time, enabled educators and volunteers to build their social and emotional development knowledge, and to try resources and strategies with children in their care. Recruiting educators who shared children’s home or community languages, in addition to professional learning, supported multilingual children to engage with emotional literacy resources, while still developing spoken English. The research affirmed that educators, volunteers, parents, and children benefitted from a sustained focus on children’s social and emotional development in the early childhood education and care settings.
Exploring the Fiscal policy—income inequality relationship with Bayesian model averaging analysis
Authors: Musibau Hammed Oluwaseyi , Zakari Abdulrasheed , Taghizadeh-Hesary Farhad
Published: February 2024

The authors have employed several techniques to account for model uncertainty in the inequality-growth model. However, the BMA technique is the most prominent approach that solves model uncertainty in the inequality-growth literature. This study applied a recent BMA analysis using panel data to examine the role of fiscal policy on income inequality in 37 OECD countries from 2000 to 2015. Fiscal policy (in terms of tax revenue increase) serves as a redistributive tool or instrument to transfer income from higher income earners to lower earners and is considered a mechanism for income equality. To the best of the author’s knowledge, only a few empirical growth studies have considered fiscal policy impact in their income inequality model setup. Our work contributes to very little research on the fiscal policy–income nexus using a novel BMA and MCMC regression as a robust methodology. Our empirical evidence on the role of fiscal policy on income inequality has found three variables, namely, economic growth, fiscal policy, and urban population, to impact income inequality significantly. We also found that the countries are conditionally neither converging nor diverging because of the probability of their coefficient being high at 100%. As expected, the coefficient of fiscal policy has a significant negative relationship with income inequality, indicating that fiscal policy reduces income inequality significantly by an average of 22% (with 100% certainty) for both BMA and Bayes models in OECD countries.
Effects of herbivory, fire, and vegetation type on soil compaction and aggregate stability in a semi-arid savanna
Authors: Malongweni Siviwe Odwa , van Tol Johan
Published: February 2024

Vegetation type is an important component of savannas contributing to changes in soil health. In savanna landscapes, the tree-grass balance is primarily governed by water, nutrients, fire, herbivory, and their interactions. Here we investigated the long-term effect of herbivores, fire, and vegetation type, and their interactions on selected physical properties (bulk density, penetration resistance, aggregate size fractions, and mean weight diameter (MWD)) of water stable aggregates within the crest and foot-slope of 20-year-old Nkuhlu exclosures located in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Burning, herbivory, and open grassland zones had a significant main and interactive ecological impact on all the soil physical properties under investigation. The interactions between fire, herbivores, and vegetation type within the crest and foot-slope of the Nkuhlu exclosure had a significant impact on soil bulk density, with areas under tree canopies having lower bulk density than open grassland zones in all the exclosures. In all the sampling sites, both burnt and unburnt plots of the full exclosure had lower penetration resistance than the control site and partial exclosure. Moreover, unburnt plots and canopy cover increased aggregate size distribution and mean weight diameter of water stable aggregates. Since fire and herbivory are closely linked and bring about changes in soil physical properties, the understanding of the dynamics of fire, herbivory, vegetation, and their interactions can then be used to help make effective management decisions that incorporate concerns of biodiversity in savanna ecosystems.
Modelling complex spatial–temporal drivers of habitat suitability for an imperilled stream fish
Authors: Bzonek Paul A. , Drake D. Andrew R. , Brownscombe Jacob W.
Published: February 2024

Fish populations rely on complex environmental conditions involving physical, chemical, and biological factors. Understanding the factors that control population persistence and productivity is essential for species management. We assessed the distribution and associated habitat features of a species at risk in Canada, Silver Shiner (Notropis photogenis), within Sixteen Mile Creek, a tributary of Lake Ontario. Using random forest models, we quantified a range of ecological factors (n = 25) to estimate habitat associations for sampled populations and life stages (juvenile, adult). A complex set of ecological factors were informative predictors of Silver Shiner distribution, including physical (stream morphology, water velocity, substrate type), and biological (aquatic and riparian vegetation) conditions. Juveniles were less responsive to habitat conditions but exhibited high seasonal variability in occurrence. Adults were most common in stream sections with greater than 0.5 m depth and stream velocity less than 0.6 m/s, and areas without silt substrate. Broadly, the models predicted Silver Shiner distribution with 68–92% accuracy in non-training data. Our findings describe the habitat conditions that Silver Shiner currently occupies in an urban drainage, which may serve as a point of reference for habitat protection and restoration. Further, predictive species distribution models can serve to identify habitat for further monitoring and restoration.
The Ricci Rotation Coefficients in the Description of Trajectories of Spinning Test Particles Off-equatorial Plane in the Gravitational Field of a Rotating Source
Authors: Velandia Nelson , Leyva J. Alfonso , Cano-Arango Javier Alexander
Published: February 2024

We describe the trajectories of circular orbits of spinless and spinning test particles around a rotating body in equatorial and non-equatorial planes via the Mathisson-Papapetrou-Dixon equations. In this paper, these equations include the Ricci rotation coefficients with the purpose of describing not only the curvature of space time, but also the rotation of the spinning test particles that orbit around a rotating massive body. We found a numerical difference between the trajectories of spinless test particles and spinning test particles in the order of $${\varvec{10}}^{\varvec{-7}}$$

10

-
7

. We take as parameters: radius, energy, Carter’s constant and angular momentum.
Effect and safety posterior scleral reinforcement on controlling myopia in children: a meta-analysis
Authors: Chen Jing , Tang Yu , Lin Zhihong , Tao Zhengyang , Deng Hongwei
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of posterior scleral reinforcement (PSR) on the control of pediatric myopia. Electronic databases were systematically searched.

Methods

Standardized mean differences (SMDs) of outcomes were calculated. Eight studies with 357 patients with pediatric myopia were included. The SMD for the increase in mean axial length (AL) in the PSR and control group was − 1.19 (95% CI − 1.71, − 0.68).

Results

The SMD for decrease of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) LogMAR in the PSR and control group was 0.85 (95% CI 0.28, 1.43). The SMD for change in intraocular pressure (IOP) at the time of surgery and at the end of the follow-up period in the PSR group was − 0.01 (95% CI − 0.48, 0.47).

Conclusion

This meta-analysis indicates that PSR surgery may be an effective therapeutic strategy to control the progression of myopia in childhood with acceptable adverse effects.
Investigation of the influence of Al layer and total film thicknesses on structural and related magnetic properties in sputtered Ni/Al multilayer thin films
Authors: Kaplan Nadir , Kuru Hilal , Köçkar Hakan
Published: February 2024

The effects of parameters of Al layer thickness and total film thickness on the structural and related magnetic properties of Ni/Al multilayer films were investigated. The films were deposited by a dual sputtering. The Ni content decreased gradually while the Al content increased as the Al layer thickness increased. It was also observed that the total film thickness had little effect on the film content. All films have a face-centred cubic structure. And, the surface morphology of Ni/Al films is more uniform and homogeneous than the surface of Ni film. For magnetic analysis, the properties were strongly changed with the parameters. The saturation magnetisation, Ms of Ni film was obtained as 572 emu/cm3 while the Ms of the Ni/Al films decreased from 441 to 298 emu/cm3 with increasing Al content in the films caused by the Al layer thickness. And, the increase of total film thickness resulted in a decrease of Ms value. While the coercivity, Hc value of the Ni film was 90 Oe, Hc of Ni/Al films was decreased to ~ 39 Oe with the formation of multilayer structure. Ni/Al multilayers were obtained magnetically softer than the Ni film. The Ms and Hc values were significantly affected by the variation of the film content and crystal structure caused by the changes in deposition parameters. Therefore, this is a fundamental step for Ni/Al multilayers to improve the properties of these films for their potential applications in microelectronic devices.
Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) concentration and health risk assessment of aerosols dust in Nicosia, North Cyprus
Authors: Zakaly Hesham M. H. , Abbasi Akbar , Almousa Nouf , Savaşan Ahmet
Published: February 2024

This study was carried out to evaluate the distribution of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and radiological risk indexes in aerosol dust in Nicosia, Cyprus utilizing a high-resolution HPGe gamma-spectrometry. The activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in the selected aerosol dust samples ranged from 25.9–52.4, 21.7–46.3, to 471–1302 Bq kg−1, respectively. The average activity concentrations of 40K were found to be above the Earth's crust average. The internal and external hazard indexes are well below the acceptable limit in most dust samples. All investigated samples met the exemption dose limit of 0.3 mSv y−1.
Development of low-temperature decontamination medium for decommissioning
Authors: Čubová Kateřina , Němec Mojmír , Šobová Tereza , Drtinová Barbora
Published: February 2024

Decommissioning is inevitable for each nuclear facility and, lately, it has become one of the most topical issues. Several decontamination methods have been successfully applied worldwide; however, variations in operating chemistry and/or different composition of the construction materials play a very important role and can cause unexpected problems. The experiments aim at dissolving the most resistant chemical present in corrosion layers, chromium (III) oxide, using redox chemistry and further test the found redox system on stainless steels and its model corrosion products. It was found out that persulfate solution in diluted sulfuric acid supported by Ag+ ions can efficiently dissolve Cr2O3 and selected substrates at temperature as low as 50 °C.
A systematic review of the impact of brain tumours on risk of motor vehicle crashes
Authors: Tran Sophie , Lapidus Adam , Neal Andrew , Peters Katherine B. , Gately Lucy , Ameratunga Malaka
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Brain tumours are associated with neurocognitive impairments that are important for safe driving. Driving is vital to maintaining patient autonomy, despite this there is limited research on driving capacity amongst patients with brain tumours. The purpose of this review is to examine MVC risk in patients with brain tumours to inform development of clearer driving guidelines.

Methods

A systematic review was performed using Medline and EMBASE. Observational studies were included. The outcome of interest was MVC or measured risk of MVC in patients with benign or malignant brain tumours. Descriptive analysis and synthesis without meta-analysis were used to summarise findings. A narrative review of driving guidelines from Australia, United Kingdom and Canada was completed.

Results

Three studies were included in this review. One cohort study, one cross-sectional study and one case–control study were included (19,135 participants) across United States and Finland. One study evaluated the incidence of MVC in brain tumour patients, revealing no difference in MVC rates. Two studies measured MVC risk using driving simulation and cognitive testing. Patients found at higher risk of MVC had greater degrees of memory and visual attention impairments. However, predictive patient and tumour characteristics of MVC risk were heterogeneous across studies. Overall, driving guidelines had clear recommendations on selected conditions like seizures but were vague surrounding neurocognitive deficits.

Conclusion

Limited data exists regarding driving behaviour and MVC incidence in brain tumour patients. Existing guidelines inadequately address neurocognitive complexities in this group. Future studies evaluating real-world data is required to inform development of more applicable driving guidelines.

Systematic review registration number

PROSPERO 2023 CRD42023434608.
Merging of Neural Networks
Authors: Pašen Martin , Boža Vladimír
Published: February 2024

We propose a simple scheme for merging two neural networks trained with different starting initialization into a single one with the same size as the original ones. We do this by carefully selecting channels from each input network. Our procedure might be used as a finalization step after one tries multiple starting seeds to avoid an unlucky one. We also show that training two networks and merging them leads to better performance than training a single network for an extended period of time.
New natural dyes extracted by ultrasonic and soxhlet method: Effect on dye-sensitized solar cell photovoltaic performance
Authors: Aslan Fehmi
Published: February 2024

This study employed soxhlet and ultrasonic methods to extract novel natural dyes from Rhamnus tinctoria seed, Rubia fruticosa fruits, and Pinus pinea bark, which were then used as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). XRD data showed that TiO2 in the photoanode layer was in the anatase phase. The produced DSSCs were assessed for photovoltaic performance and electrochemical charge transfer while sensitizing dyes were characterized using UV–vis spectroscopy and FTIR. Natural dyes leached with different extraction methods showed different absorption behaviors in the UV–vis region. FTIR results revealed the presence of both carbonyl and hydroxyl groups, which enhanced the interaction between the extracted dyes and the TiO2 thin film. All cells using sensitizers obtained by the Soxhlet method showed higher efficiency compared to the ultrasonic method. The highest cell performance (ɳ = 0.47%) was obtained with 0.71 V Voc, 0.92 mA/cm2 Jsc, and 0.72 FF for the sensitizer extracted from Rhamnus tinctoria seeds by the soxhlet method.
A Pulsed Hollow Cathode Discharge Operated in an Ar/N$$_2$$/O$$_2$$ Gas Mixture and the Formation of Nitric Oxide
Authors: Hippler Rainer , Cada Martin , Knizek Antonin , Ferus Martin , Hubicka Zdenek
Published: February 2024

A hollow cathode discharge with a CuNi (Cu50Ni50) cathode was operated in an Ar/N$$_2$$

2

/O$$_2$$

2

gas mixture. The energy distribution of plasma ions is investigated with the help of energy-resolved mass spectrometry. Formation of singly ionised Ar$$^+$$

+

and of Cu$$^+$$

+

and Ni$$^+$$

+

ions is observed in pure argon. With the addition of N$$_2$$

2

or O$$_2$$

2

gas the additional formation of molecular N$$_2^ +$$

2
+

or O$$_2^+$$

2
+

ions is observed. The intensity of these ions is reduced in the Ar+N$$_2$$

2

+O$$_2$$

2

gas mixture and molecular NO$$^+$$

+

ions become the most abundant ionic species. The formation of neutral NO molecules is confirmed by optical emission spectroscopy. Gas samples collected at the exhaust of the vacuum chamber confirm the formation of NO and, additionally, of NO$$_2$$

2

molecules.

Graphic Abstract

Sample taken from the exhaust of the plasma chamber with a liquid-nitrogen-cooled glass container showing solid nitrogen oxide (blue).
Experimental and Numerical Study on Polymer Ablated Arc Characteristics with One Side Flow Outlet Model
Authors: Nakano Yusuke , Tanaka Yasunori , Ishijima Tatsuo
Published: February 2024

An experimental and numerical study was conducted on the polymer ablated arc with an electrode configuration of a one-side gas flow outlet model. The polymers used for molded case circuit breaker and gas circuit breaker, such as PA6, POM, and PTFE, were compared. In the experiment, the polymer ablated arc characteristics of arc voltage, arc energy, and mass loss of polymer by ablation were measured. In the numerical calculation, an electromagnetic thermofluid simulation for polymer ablated arc was conducted using a calculation model of similar structure but without using empirical values. In the model used, the polymer ablation was treated as the pyrolytic ablation rather the photodegraded ablation because the arc plasma was definitely in contact with the polymer. The comparison of both experiment and numerical simulation results revealed the relationship between arc energy and mass loss of polymer by ablation, and these values agreed well. Therefore, the numerical simulation model with pyrolytic ablation developed was indicated to be valid for predicting the polymer ablated arc with plasma-polymer contact.
Anchor-based minimal important difference values are often sensitive to the distribution of the change score
Authors: Vach Werner , Saxer Franziska
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Anchor-based studies are today the most popular approach to determine a minimal important difference value for an outcome variable. However, a variety of construction methods for such values do exist. This constitutes a challenge to the field. In order to distinguish between more or less adequate construction methods, meaningful minimal requirements can be helpful. For example, minimal important difference values should not reflect the intervention(s) the patients are exposed to in the study used for construction, as they should later allow to compare interventions. This requires that they are not sensitive to the distribution of the change score observed. This study aims at investigating to which degree established construction methods fulfil this minimal requirement.

Methods

Six constructions methods were considered, covering very popular and recently suggested methods. The sensitivity of MID values to the distribution of the change score was investigated in a simulation study for these six construction methods.

Results

Five out of six construction methods turned out to yield MID values which are sensitive to the distribution of the change score to a degree that questions their usefulness. Insensitivity can be obtained by using construction methods based solely on an estimate of the conditional distribution of the anchor variable given the change score.

Conclusion

In future the computation of MID values should be based on construction methods avoiding sensitivity to the distribution of the change score.
Inference serving with end-to-end latency SLOs over dynamic edge networks
Authors: Nigade Vinod , Bauszat Pablo , Bal Henri , Wang Lin
Published: February 2024

While high accuracy is of paramount importance for deep learning (DL) inference, serving inference requests on time is equally critical but has not been carefully studied especially when the request has to be served over a dynamic wireless network at the edge. In this paper, we propose Jellyfish—a novel edge DL inference serving system that achieves soft guarantees for end-to-end inference latency service-level objectives (SLO). Jellyfish handles the network variability by utilizing both data and deep neural network (DNN) adaptation to conduct tradeoffs between accuracy and latency. Jellyfish features a new design that enables collective adaptation policies where the decisions for data and DNN adaptations are aligned and coordinated among multiple users with varying network conditions. We propose efficient algorithms to continuously map users and adapt DNNs at runtime, so that we fulfill latency SLOs while maximizing the overall inference accuracy. We further investigate dynamic DNNs, i.e., DNNs that encompass multiple architecture variants, and demonstrate their potential benefit through preliminary experiments. Our experiments based on a prototype implementation and real-world WiFi and LTE network traces show that Jellyfish can meet latency SLOs at around the 99th percentile while maintaining high accuracy.
Web Consequence Untangled
Authors: Krämer Stephan
Published: February 2024

Under the standard modal explication of consequence, a conclusion is a consequence of some premises just in case necessarily, if the latter are true, so is the former. Notoriously, this explication yields some results that at first glance are counter-intuitive. In particular, a necessary truth is a consequence of arbitrary premises, and premises that cannot all be true together entail arbitrary conclusions. In his paper ‘On Ground and Consequence’ (Synthese, 2021), Benjamin Schnieder introduces a novel notion of web consequence, defined on the basis of the concept of ground, which, he argues, fits our intuitive conception better. Building on his idea, the present paper examines the concept of web consequence in more detail. In particular, I provide three alternative, and simpler semantic characterizations of Schnieder’s propositional logic of web consequence, two within a form of truthmaker semantics, one within a many-valued setting. I then consider some natural variations on that logic and establish their connections to well-known subclassical logics such as FDE, $$\hbox {K}_3$$

K
3

, and LP. Finally, I provide sound and complete tableaux-based proof systems for each of the logics of web consequence so obtained.
Do animal husbandry operations contaminate groundwater sources with antimicrobial resistance: systematic review
Authors: Meyer Cameron , Price Skyler , Ercumen Ayse
Published: February 2024

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global health concern. Animal husbandry operations are AMR hotspots due to heavy antibiotic use and dissemination of animal waste into the environment. In this systematic review, we examined the impact of swine, poultry, and cattle operations on AMR in groundwater. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, CAB Direct, and the North Carolina State University Agricultural and Environmental Science databases in June 2022. The search returned 2487 studies. Of the 23 eligible studies, 17 were conducted in high-income countries (primarily the USA, also Canada, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus), and 6 were conducted in a single upper-middle-income country (China). Studies investigated facilities for swine (13), poultry (4), cattle (3), and multiple types of animals (3). The sampling distance ranged from onsite to > 20 km from facilities; the majority of studies (19) sampled onsite. Most studies collected samples from monitoring wells; only 5 studies investigated private drinking water wells. AMR in groundwater was associated with animal husbandry operations in 74% (17/23) of all studies, 65% (11/17) of studies in high-income countries, and 100% (6/6) of studies in China. Contamination was mostly found in onsite wells, especially downgradient of waste lagoons, but also in offsite private wells up to 2–3 km away. Few studies reported weather data, but AMR contamination appeared to increase with rainy conditions. Future studies should sample private wells at varying distances from animal husbandry operations under different weather conditions and include low- and middle-income countries where food animal production is intensifying.
Potential of stable isotope analysis to deduce anaerobic biodegradation of ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) in groundwater: a review
Authors: van der Waals Marcelle J. , Thornton Steven F. , Rolfe Stephen A. , Rock Luc , Smith Jonathan W. N. , Bosma Tom N.P. , Gerritse Jan
Published: February 2024

Understanding anaerobic biodegradation of ether oxygenates beyond MTBE in groundwater is important, given that it is replaced by ETBE as a gasoline additive in several regions. The lack of studies demonstrating anaerobic biodegradation of ETBE, and its product TBA, reflects the relative resistance of ethers and alcohols with a tertiary carbon atom to enzymatic attack under anoxic conditions. Anaerobic ETBE- or TBA-degrading microorganisms have not been characterized. Only one field study suggested anaerobic ETBE biodegradation. Anaerobic (co)metabolism of ETBE or TBA was reported in anoxic microcosms, indicating their biodegradation potential in anoxic groundwater systems. Non-isotopic methods, such as the detection of contaminant loss, metabolites, or ETBE- and TBA-degrading bacteria are not sufficiently sensitive to track anaerobic biodegradation in situ. Compound- and position-specific stable isotope analysis provides a means to study MTBE biodegradation, but isotopic fractionation of ETBE has only been studied with a few aerobic bacteria (εC −0.7 to −1.7‰, εH −11 to −73‰) and at one anoxic field site (δ2H-ETBE +14‰). Similarly, stable carbon isotope enrichment (δ13C-TBA +6.5‰) indicated TBA biodegradation at an anoxic field site. CSIA and PSIA are promising methods to detect anaerobic ETBE and TBA biodegradation but need to be investigated further to assess their full potential at field scale.

Graphical abstract
Towards authentic purposes for student science writing using culturally relevant pedagogy
Authors: Sedlacek Quentin C. , Lomelí Karla
Published: February 2024

A growing body of research demonstrates the value of asking students to write about science for authentic purposes. But which purposes–and, just as importantly, whose purposes–count as authentic? In this theoretical article, we review several conceptions of authentic purpose drawn from science education and literacy education and use these to question the meaning and significance of authenticity in student science writing. Next, we examine the framework of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) and ask how it might be used to define authentic purposes for science writing. We offer an additional conception of authentic purpose, one focused on situations where students’ purposes for writing about science directly overlap with teachers’ purposes for asking students to write. We share an illustrative example from our work as teacher educators that demonstrates how CRP can focus our attention on the types of classrooms and interactions that might create conditions where students becoming increasingly likely to pursue their own purposes through writing. Finally, using CRP as a framework, we offer seven strategies that might help create such situations, and discuss their implications for science educators and science education researchers. We argue that using CRP to operationalize science writing for authentic purposes can push the field forward by suggesting new directions for research and practice.
Controlling Plasmonic Field Enhancement via the Interference of Orthogonal Plasmonic Modes
Authors: Bánhegyi Balázs , Tóth Lázár , Dombi Péter , Budai Judit , Hanus Václav , Rácz Péter , Pápa Zsuzsanna
Published: February 2024

Optical nanoantennas concentrate light into their local fields. The field concentration property is governed by the plasmonic resonances and their interference. Here, we present a method for controllable local-field interferences in the hot spot of nanorods and experimentally demonstrate that the field enhancement can be tuned in a wide range. For this, we design nanoparticles with given phase relations between their plasmonic eigenmodes and at the same time tune the phase between the components of the external field by changing its polarization state to achieve in-phase excitation of the plasmon modes. Strong-field photoemission is applied to probe the field enhancement property of the nanorods employing femtosecond pulses of different polarization states. Our findings provide a new degree of freedom in plasmonic resonance tuning and may inspire diverse designs of local-field responses and expand the applications in nanoscale sensing, spectroscopy, and dynamically tunable devices.
Study rationale and design of the PEOPLHE trial
Authors: Milanese Gianluca , Silva Mario , Ledda Roberta Eufrasia , Iezzi Elisa , Bortolotto Chandra , Mauro Letizia Antonella , Valentini Adele , Reali Linda , Bottinelli Olivia Maria , Ilardi Adriana , Basile Antonio , Palmucci Stefano , Preda Lorenzo , Sverzellati Nicola ,   the PEOPLHE consortium, Aliotta Lorenzo , Barbarino Sebastiano , Borzì Santo , Casotto Virginia , Catalano Marco , Cavalieri Domenico Maria , Clemenza Mariangela , Contino Martina , Crimi Luca , Curia Bruno , Favia Pasquale , Gallone Vita Ida , Guicciardi Giulia , La Rosa Giuliana , Leo Ludovica , Mura Rebecca , Priore Antonella , Ruongo Lidia , Scavone Carlotta , Zilioli Carlotta
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Lung cancer screening (LCS) by low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) demonstrated a 20–40% reduction in lung cancer mortality. National stakeholders and international scientific societies are increasingly endorsing LCS programs, but translating their benefits into practice is rather challenging. The “Model for Optimized Implementation of Early Lung Cancer Detection: Prospective Evaluation Of Preventive Lung HEalth” (PEOPLHE) is an Italian multicentric LCS program aiming at testing LCS feasibility and implementation within the national healthcare system. PEOPLHE is intended to assess (i) strategies to optimize LCS workflow, (ii) radiological quality assurance, and (iii) the need for dedicated resources, including smoking cessation facilities.

Methods

PEOPLHE aims to recruit 1.500 high-risk individuals across three tertiary general hospitals in three different Italian regions that provide comprehensive services to large populations to explore geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic diversities. Screening by LDCT will target current or former (quitting < 10 years) smokers (> 15 cigarettes/day for > 25 years, or > 10 cigarettes/day for > 30 years) aged 50–75 years. Lung nodules will be volumetric measured and classified by a modified PEOPLHE Lung-RADS 1.1 system. Current smokers will be offered smoking cessation support.

Conclusion

The PEOPLHE program will provide information on strategies for screening enrollment and smoking cessation interventions; administrative, organizational, and radiological needs for performing a state-of-the-art LCS; collateral and incidental findings (both pulmonary and extrapulmonary), contributing to the LCS implementation within national healthcare systems.
StatePol – Eine Datenbank zu den Mitgliedern von Regierungen und Parlamenten in den 16 Bundesländern
Authors: Koch Elias , Kuhlen Daniel , Müller Jochen , Stecker Christian
Published: February 2024

Diese Research Note stellt mit StatePol eine neue Datenbank vor, die Informationen über die Mitglieder der Landesparlamente und -regierungen enthält. Die Informationen umfassen sowohl soziodemografische Merkmale als auch Karrieredaten wie Mitgliedschaften und Ämter in Fraktionen, Ausschüssen, Parlamentspräsidien und Regierungskabinetten. Der Mehrwert von StatePol besteht insbesondere darin, dass diese Daten weitestgehend tagesgenau vorliegen und somit auch Dynamiken innerhalb von Legislaturperioden erfassen. Auf diese Weise umfasst StatePol Informationen zu 6946 individuellen Entscheidungsträger:innen in den deutschen Bundesländern und insgesamt 22.379.186 tagesweise Datenpunkte mit Informationen über ihre Ämter und Mandate in Legislative und Exekutive.

Wir illustrieren das Potenzial von StatePol, indem wir uns explorativ der deskriptiven Repräsentation von Gender, Alter und regionaler Herkunft (Ost‑/Westdeutschland) widmen und hierbei Schlaglichter auf tagesgenaue Veränderungen werfen. Es zeigt sich, dass der Frauenanteil in den Länderparlamenten seit den 2000er-Jahren bei etwa 30 % stagniert, wobei erhebliche Unterschiede zwischen Parteien bzw. Fraktionen erkennbar sind. Die Daten konstatieren auch einen stetigen Anstieg des Durchschnittsalters der Abgeordneten, insbesondere bei Bündnisgrünen und Linken. Während Menschen ostdeutscher Herkunft zwar in den Landtagen und Regierungen der ostdeutschen Länder dominieren, sind sie in westdeutschen Landesparlamenten und -regierungen kaum vertreten. Demgegenüber stellen in Westdeutschland geborene Menschen in allen Landesregierungen kontinuierlich einen substanziellen Anteil der Entscheidungsträger:innen. Mithilfe der hochaufgelösten Daten, die mit der Veröffentlichung der Allgemeinheit zur Verfügung stehen, können künftig wichtige Fragen der Repräsentationsforschung im deutschen Kontext umfassend untersucht werden. Zur Research Note steht ein Onlineangebot bereit, das es ermöglicht, die präsentierten Daten eingehend zu erkunden und herunterzuladen.
Long-term prescribed drug use in stage I–III rectal cancer patients in Sweden, with a focus on bowel-regulating drugs after surgical and oncological treatment
Authors: Boman Sol Erika , Fuentes Stina , Nordenvall Caroline , Martling Anna , Chen Lingjing , Glimelius Ingrid , Neovius Martin , Smedby Karin E. , Eloranta Sandra
Published: February 2024

Purpose

To describe long-term prescribed drug use after rectal cancer treatment.

Methods

We identified 12,871 rectal cancer patients without distant metastasis between 2005 and 2016 and 64,341 matched population comparators using CRCBaSe (a Swedish nationwide register linkage of colorectal cancer patients). Mean defined daily doses (DDDs) of drug dispensing during relapse-free follow-up were calculated by Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical drug categories. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from negative binomial regression were used to compare drug dispensing between patients and comparators.

Results

The overall pattern of drug dispensing was similar among cancer survivors and comparators, although patients had higher mean DDDs of drugs regulating the digestive system. Excess dispensing of drugs for constipation (IRR, 3.35; 95% CI, 3.12–3.61), diarrhea (IRR, 6.43; 95% CI, 5.72–7.22), functional gastrointestinal disorders (IRR, 3.78; 95% CI, 3.15–4.54), and vitamin and mineral supplements (IRR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.24–1.50) was observed up to 10 years after surgery. Treatment with Hartmann’s procedure was associated with higher dispensing rates of digestive drugs compared to surgery with anterior resection and abdominoperineal resection but the association was attributed to higher use of diabetic drugs. Additionally, excess digestive drug dispensing was associated with more advanced cancer stage but not with (chemo)radiotherapy treatment.

Conclusions

Excess drug use after rectal cancer is primarily driven by bowel-regulating drugs and is not modified by surgical or oncological treatment.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

The excess use of bowel-regulating drugs after rectal cancer indicated long-standing postsurgical gastrointestinal morbidity and need of prophylaxis. Reassuringly, no excess use of other drug classes was noted long term.
Remote Ischemia Postconditioning Mitigates Hippocampal Neuron Impairment by Modulating Cav1.2-CaMKIIα-Aromatase Signaling After Global Cerebral Ischemia in Ovariectomized Rats
Authors: Wang Lu , Gao Fujia , Chen Lingling , Sun Wuxiang , Liu Huiyu , Yang Wei , Zhang Xin , Bai Jing , Wang Ruimin
Published: February 2024

Brain-derived estrogen (BDE2) is gaining attention as an endogenous neurotransmitter. Recent research has revealed that selectively removing the aromatase gene, the pivotal enzyme responsible for BDE2 synthesis, in forebrain neurons or astrocytes can lead to synaptic loss and cognitive impairment. It is worth noting that remote ischemia post-conditioning (RIP), a non-invasive technique, has been shown to activate natural protective mechanisms against severe ischemic events. The aim of our study was to investigate whether RIP triggers aromatase-BDE2 signaling, shedding light on its neuroprotective mechanisms after global cerebral ischemia (GCI) in ovariectomized rats. Our findings are as follows: (1) RIP was effective in mitigating ischemic damage in hippocampal CA1 neurons and improved cognitive function after GCI. This was partially due to increased Aro-BDE2 signaling in CA1 neurons. (2) RIP intervention efficiently enhanced pro-survival kinase pathways, such as AKT, ERK1/2, CREB, and suppressed CaMKIIα signaling in CA1 astrocytes induced by GCI. Remarkably, inhibiting CaMKIIα activity led to elevated Aro-BDE2 levels and replicated the benefits of RIP. (3) We also identified the positive mediation of Cav1.2, an LVGCC calcium channel, on CaMKIIα-Aro/BDE2 pathway response to RIP intervention. (4) Significantly, either RIP or CaMKIIα inhibition was found to alleviate reactive astrogliosis, which was accompanied by increased pro-survival A2-astrocyte protein S100A10 and decreased pro-death A1-astrocyte marker C3 levels. In summary, our study provides compelling evidence that Aro-BDE2 signaling is a critical target for the reparative effects of RIP following ischemic insult. This effect may be mediated through the CaV1.2-CaMKIIα signaling pathway, in collaboration with astrocyte-neuron interactions, thereby maintaining calcium homeostasis in the neuronal microenvironment and reducing neuronal damage after ischemia.
Deep learning-based PET image denoising and reconstruction: a review
Authors: Hashimoto Fumio , Onishi Yuya , Ote Kibo , Tashima Hideaki , Reader Andrew J. , Yamaya Taiga
Published: February 2024

This review focuses on positron emission tomography (PET) imaging algorithms and traces the evolution of PET image reconstruction methods. First, we provide an overview of conventional PET image reconstruction methods from filtered backprojection through to recent iterative PET image reconstruction algorithms, and then review deep learning methods for PET data up to the latest innovations within three main categories. The first category involves post-processing methods for PET image denoising. The second category comprises direct image reconstruction methods that learn mappings from sinograms to the reconstructed images in an end-to-end manner. The third category comprises iterative reconstruction methods that combine conventional iterative image reconstruction with neural-network enhancement. We discuss future perspectives on PET imaging and deep learning technology.
Comparing corporate giving and individual giving: evidence from Chinese foundations
Authors: Wang Qun , Boden Daniel
Published: February 2024

Nonprofit organizations receive charitable contributions from both institutional donors and individual donors. Existing studies have traditionally focused on factors related to nonprofits’ total donation income rather than exploring similarity and difference in the two types of donors’ preference for donation recipients. Following Wang’s in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 52(3), 787–816 (2023) call for the distinction between institutional donors (i.e., corporations) and individual donors, this study regresses corporate giving and individual giving separately on four themes of explanatory variables, namely organizational legitimacy, political connections, organizational attributes, and environmental factors, of a sample of 2,021 Chinese foundations for the year 2013. The results showed that multiple variables are related to corporate giving and individual giving differently to varying degrees. This study suggests future research (1) consider the potentially different effects of predictors on multiple sources of giving when analyzing nonprofits’ total donation income and (2) theorize the different preferences of the two types of donors.
Crossed molecular beam studies of bimolecular reactions of atomic oxygen with nitrogen-bearing organic molecules (nitriles and N-heterocyclic)
Authors: Pannacci Giacomo , Vanuzzo Gianmarco , Balucani Nadia , Casavecchia Piergiorgio
Published: February 2024

In this contribution, dedicated to the memory of Prof. Gian Gualberto Volpi, we provide a short review of recent work carried out in our laboratory on reactive scattering studies of the reaction dynamics of atomic oxygen with nitrogen-bearing organic molecules. Specifically, we focus on the polyatomic bimolecular reactions of atomic oxygen, both in the ground and first excited state, O(3P) and O(1D), with the simplest unsaturated nitriles, namely HCCCN (cyanoacetylene) and CH2CHCN (cyanoethylene, or acrylonitrile), and with the simplest six-member ring N-heterocyclic compound, pyridine (C5H5N). Using the crossed molecular beam (CMB) scattering technique with universal electron-impact ionization mass-spectrometric detection and time-of-flight analysis to measure product angular and velocity distributions, the primary product channels and their branching fractions were determined, thus assessing the central role played by intersystem-crossing (ISC) in this class of reactions. The experimental work was synergistically accompanied by theoretical calculations of the relevant triplet and singlet potential energy surfaces (PESs) to assist the interpretation of experimental results and elucidate the reaction mechanism, including extent of ISC. Cyanoacetylene and cyanoethylene are of considerable interest in astrochemistry being ubiquitous (and relatively abundant) in space including comets and the upper atmosphere of Titan. Being oxygen the third most abundant element in space, the title reactions are of considerable relevance in the chemistry of extraterrestrial environments. In addition, they are also important in combustion chemistry, because thermal decomposition of pyrrolic and pyridinic structures present in bound N-containing fuels generates N-bearing compounds including, in particular, the above two nitriles.
Recovery of Potassium from Pyrolysis Product of Sugar Fabrication Waste Carbonation Cake and Vinasse Mixture and Production of Adsorbent for Wastewater Treatment
Authors: Türk Feride N. , Arslanoğlu Hasan
Published: February 2024

In this study, percolation tests with water were carried out on the products that were subjected to pyrolysis and obtained in order to carbonize the organics in the vinasse carbonation cake mixtures. For this purpose, the mixtures prepared from the concentrated vinasse supplied from Sugar Factory and the carbonation cake supplied from Sugar Factory were heated at 500 °C for 4 h, and the extractability and dissolution rate of potassium into water were determined by leaking water over the products. The ability of the residue to remove methylene blue from the aquatic environment was determined. It should be emphasized that the solid residue from the potassium extraction has a considerable amount (289–370 mg/g) and a basic dye removal capacity greater than that of the raw carbonation cake (208 mg/g). COD value in the extract of the pyrolysis product with a cake/vinasse ratio of 0.5 was determined as 970 mg/l with a significant increase. The methylene blue removal capacity of the extraction residue samples obtained in this group of experiments decreases as the dry cake–vinasse ratio increases. It should be emphasized that the composite product obtained by taking advantage of these results can be actively used in the production of compound fertilizer.
Impact of pulmonary complications following esophagectomy on long-term survival: multivariate meta-analysis and restricted mean survival time assessment
Authors: Manara Michele , Bona Davide , Bonavina Luigi , Aiolfi Alberto ,   OGSA Group for Esophagogastric Surgery, Bonitta Gianluca , Guraj Juxhin , Guerrazzi Guglielmo , Campanelli Giampiero , Cavalli Marta , Popa Călin , Schlanger Diana , Griffiths Ewen A , Biondi Antonio
Published: February 2024

Pulmonary complications (PC) are common after esophagectomy and their impact on long-term survival is not defined yet. The present study aimed to assess the effect of postoperative PCs on long-term survival after esophagectomy for cancer. Systematic review of the literature through February 1, 2023, was performed. The included studies evaluated the effect of PC on long-term survival. Primary outcome was long-term overall survival (OS). Cancer-specific survival (CSS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were secondary outcomes. Restricted mean survival time difference (RMSTD), hazard ratio (HR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used as pooled effect size measures. Eleven studies were included (3423 patients). Overall, 674 (19.7%) patients developed PC. The RMSTD analysis shows that at 60-month follow-up, patients not experiencing PC live an average of 8.5 (95% CI 6.2–10.8; p < 0.001) months longer compared with those with PC. Similarly, patients not experiencing postoperative PC seem to have significantly longer CSS (8 months; 95% CI 3.7–12.3; p < 0.001) and DFS (5.4 months; 95% CI 1.6–9.1; p = 0.005). The time-dependent HRs analysis shows a reduced mortality hazard in patients without PC at 12 (HR 0.6, 95% CI 0.51–0.69), 24 (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.55–0.73), 36 (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.55–0.79), and 60 months (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.51–0.89). This study suggests a moderate clinical impact of PC on long-term OS, CSS, and DFS after esophagectomy. Patients not experiencing PC seem to have a significantly reduced mortality hazard up to 5 years of follow-up.

Graphical abstract