bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Will the decrease in food availability affect food tourism? A historical and contemporary perspective: horizon 2050 article
Authors: Okumus Bendegul
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study aims to discuss the possible consequences of food crises caused by unsustainable food production and distribution, as well as how the rapid depletion of food resources may affect human life, destinations and the food tourism industry.

Design/methodology/approach

To address the lack of research examining the impact of sustainability issues and food crises on food tourism, this study conducted a critical review of the literature and reports related to agriculture, food production and sustainability.

Findings

Global conflicts, climate change and supply disruptions result in the reduction of food availability and quality. The high price of food and energy in such circumstances will further exacerbate poverty and delay destination development, which will negatively impact food tourism's economic sustainability. Furthermore, local businesses will be limited in their ability to offer a variety of culinary experiences, which will negatively impact the overall experience of food tourism. In this context, there is a pressing need to investigate the experiential aspects of food tourism as well as today's challenges relating to food crises at multiple levels, sustainable approaches, food quality and food services.

Research limitations/implications

The United Nations, FAO, WHO, UNICEF and other regional and international organizations refer to unsustainable practices and food crises on a variety of levels. Several sectors, including the food tourism industry, are predicted to be negatively affected by the current situation. However, governments have not adopted an emergency code to address this issue, except in some regions experiencing extreme inflation and food shortages. Besides promoting sustainable practices, responding to global crises and enhancing culinary and cultural tourism experiences, food crisis management and sustainability efforts can have a significant impact on future research, practical applications and societal outcomes.

Originality/value

As one of the first studies conducted in this field, this study examines the effects of declines in food production and issues in the supply chain on the food tourism industry.
Social barriers faced by students with sensory impairment in higher education in Tanzania
Authors: Kisanga Sarah Ezekiel
Published: September 2024

This study explored the social barriers facing students with sensory impairment in Tanzanian higher learning institutions across different settings. Twenty‐seven students were involved in semi‐structured interviews, focus group discussions and open‐ended questionnaires. Students with sensory impairment reported that across the different settings, other people view them as incapable and as a socio‐economic burden. They also revealed that they were viewed as beggars. Their perceptions of these negative views resulted in their social isolation, and difficulties in forming and maintaining friendships. The study recommends setting up awareness‐creation campaigns aimed at demonstrating the capabilities of disabled people in Tanzania. In addition, the law governing the employment of disabled people in Tanzania should be enforced accordingly to increase their employment opportunities in different sectors.
Single‐cell atlas of healthy vocal folds and cellular function in the endothelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition
Authors: Liu Danling , Zhang Yunzhong , Guo Luo , Fang Rui , Guo Jin , Li Peifang , Qian Tingting , Li Wen , Zhao Liping , Luo Xiaoning , Zhang Siyi , Shao Jun , Sun Shan
Published: September 2024

The vocal fold is an architecturally complex organ comprising a heterogeneous mixture of various layers of individual epithelial and mesenchymal cell lineages. Here we performed single‐cell RNA sequencing profiling of 5836 cells from the vocal folds of adult Sprague–Dawley rats. Combined with immunostaining, we generated a spatial and transcriptional map of the vocal fold cells and characterized the subpopulations of epithelial cells, mesenchymal cells, endothelial cells, and immune cells. We also identified a novel epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition‐associated epithelial cell subset that was mainly found in the basal epithelial layers. We further confirmed that this subset acts as intermediate cells with similar genetic features to epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Finally, we present the complex intracellular communication network involved homeostasis using CellChat analysis. These studies define the cellular and molecular framework of the biology and pathology of the VF mucosa and reveal the functional importance of developmental pathways in pathological states in cancer.
Modified gel immersion method during endoscopic ultrasonography and injection sclerotherapy for esophageal varices
Authors: Soga Koichi , Kobori Ikuhiro , Tamano Masaya
Published: September 2024

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Real‐world evaluation of the effects of tirzepatide in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Kelly Michael S. , Scopelliti Emily M. , Goodson Kaylee E. , Lo Ching Mann Anne , Nguyen Huelena X. , Simon Barbara
Published: September 2024

Aims

Tirzepatide is a first‐in‐class combination glucose‐dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist and glucagon‐like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP1‐RA) approved for treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and chronic weight management. The aim of this analysis was to assess the real‐world efficacy of tirzepatide in patients with T2DM.

Methods

This retrospective observational study evaluated patients with T2DM from a large urban academic medical centre who received at least 3 months of continuous tirzepatide treatment. The primary outcome was change in A1C from following tirzepatide treatment. Secondary outcomes included change in body weight and body mass index (BMI) after tirzepatide was initiated.

Results

A total of 1896 patient charts were reviewed, and 612 patients were evaluated for the primary outcome. Over a median time period of 10.4 months, treatment with tirzepatide resulted in a mean A1C reduction of 1.02 ± 1.48% (p < 0.001). A total of 570 patients were evaluated for the secondary outcomes. Tirzepatide was associated with a mean reduction in body weight of 7.3 ± 9.3 kg (p < 0.001) and a mean reduction in BMI of 2.5 kg/m2. Greater A1C lowering and weight loss was observed in patients without prior GLP1‐RA treatment compared to those switched to tirzepatide from GLP1‐RA.

Conclusions

In a real‐world population of US patients with T2DM, tirzepatide was associated with clinically and statistically significant reductions in A1C and body weight. Greater reductions in both A1C and body weight were observed among patients who were GLP1‐RA naïve compared to patients switched from GLP1‐RA to tirzepatide.
Can AI Empower L2 Education? Exploring Its Influence on the Behavioural, Cognitive and Emotional Engagement of EFL Teachers and Language Learners
Authors: Zhou Changyin , Hou Fanfan
Published: September 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming L2 education, yet its specific impacts on English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers and language learners' engagement remain understudied. To address this deficiency, this study, grounded in Fredricks, Blumenfeld, and Paris's (Review of Educational Research, 74, 109) three‐dimensional engagement model, explored the impacts of AI on the behavioural, cognitive and emotional engagement of EFL teachers and language learners through semi‐structured interviews with 24 EFL teachers and 38 college language learners, followed by a thematic analysis with MAXQDA to uncover the effectiveness of AI. The study found that behavioural engagement showcased the integration of AI tools, highlighting increased frequency of use and their practical applications in enhancing language acquisition tasks. Cognitive engagement was marked by the recognition of AI capacity to augment teaching strategies and learning processes, although it also surfaced concerns about the potential overreliance on technology. Emotional engagement reflected a complex interplay of attitudes, with most informants viewing AI positively but acknowledging concerns about job displacement, and its impacts on emotions of students and teachers as well as the relations between them. The study concluded that while AI held promise for L2 education, the integration must consider its limitations and ethical implications. The research provided valuable insights for educators, learners, technology developers and policymakers, encouraging innovative practices and informed decision‐making in L2 education.
Attention and Attendabilia: The Perception of Attentional Affordances
Authors: McClelland Tom
Published: September 2024

Agents are continually faced with two related selection problems: i) the problem of selecting what to do from a space of possible behaviours; ii) the problem of selecting what to attend to from a space of possible attendabilia. We have psychological mechanisms that enable us to solve both types of problem. But do these mechanisms follow different principles or work along the same lines? I argue for the latter. I start from the theory that bodily action is supported by a sensitivity to affordances. Strong evidence suggests that affordances feature in our perception of the world and that affordance perception can trigger the neural preparation of the afforded act. An agent can thus see a teapot as grippable and their doing so can automatically ready a gripping response. Something affords attending for an agent just in case it is a possible target of their focal attention. I argue that we are sensitive to these attentional affordances in much the same way. First I argue that we perceive things as attendable. Second I argue that our doing so can trigger the preparation of shifts in focal attention. My case for this is based on a variety of phenomenological, neurological and behavioural parallels between our sensitivity to bodily affordances and our sensitivity to attentional affordances. This yields a unified account with specific implications for our understanding of attention and affordance perception and general implications for our understanding of how the mind solves selection problems.
Do high‐centrality CEOs influence audit outcomes?
Authors: Mazboudi Mohamad , Chahine Salim , Fang Yiwei , Cheng Mingying
Published: September 2024

Using insights from the social network theory which posits that individuals with high network centrality have influence and power within their social networks, we argue that CEO network centrality increases the CEO bargaining power in audit fee negotiations. We find that audit fees are lower in firms managed by CEOs with high network centrality. We also find that high‐centrality CEOs do not negotiate audit fees at the expense of lower‐quality audit services. We further document the influence high‐centrality CEOs have on the audit decisions of their social peers within the network. For example, we show that less central (i.e., peripheral) CEOs are likely to hire auditors that do work for firms with CEOs enjoying high levels of network centrality. Together our findings suggest that high network centrality reflects a bargaining power CEOs can use to lower their audit fees.
The Big Four: Multiple Functions and Power in Global Value Chains
Authors: Iliopoulos Panagiotis (Takis) , Wójcik Dariusz
Published: September 2024

Many believe that the Big Four are simply global accounting firms with a large menu of additional services. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, we show that their role in the world political economy extends much beyond such description. We argue that the Big Four play a coordinating role in the organization and expansion of global value chain (GVC) in multiple territories, value‐chain segments and at multiple scales. Building on the literature of the multidimensionality of power in the GVC, we investigate the multiple dimensions through which the power of the Big Four is exercised. Uncovering the power manifestations of the Big Four as global actors, the article contributes both empirically and conceptually to the dialogue among the literatures on the international political economy, critical accounting and GVC.
Changes in faecal microbiota in 6‐ to 12‐year‐old children after a new nutritional strategy: the ALINFA randomised controlled trial
Authors: Andueza Naroa , Riezu‐Boj Jose I. , Clemente‐Larramendi Iñigo , Cuervo Marta , Navas‐Carretero Santiago
Published: September 2024

Gut microbiota seems to play a critical role in health and disease. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a nutritional intervention in children 6–12 years old on the microbiota and to identify possible dietary components involved in the change. A 2‐month parallel, controlled randomised trial was conducted. The nutritional intervention was based on the recommendations of the Mediterranean diet, for both intervention groups, with the difference that in the ALINFA group a more intensive intervention based on a complete diet, while in the control group, dietary advice was provided. After the intervention, ALINFA group showed an increase in the richness and diversity of their microbiota as well as changes in the abundance of different bacterial heels. These changes were mainly influences by fibre intake and the type of fat consumed. The ALINFA nutritional intervention seems to be able to positively influence children's microbiota, showing significant changes within 2 months.
Effects of X‐ray irradiation on pathogen inactivation, quality changes, and hydrocarbon profiles of pork cutlets
Authors: Yeom Seo‐Joon , Kim Sang‐Su , Yoon Ki‐Nam , Cho Min‐Ji , Song Beom‐Seok , Park Jong‐Heum , Kim Young‐Min , Kim Jae‐Kyung
Published: September 2024

Pork cutlets are susceptible to cross‐contamination with foodborne pathogens during processing. Food irradiation effectively improves food hygiene by eliminating microbes. We investigated the application of X‐ray irradiation (0.5–10 kGy) on pathogen inactivation (D10 value), quality changes [total aerobic bacteria (TAB), yeast and mould (Y&M), total coliform (TC), colour, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), and pH], and the hydrocarbon profile of pork cutlets. D10 values of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus were 0.37, 0.62, 0.52, and 0.36 kGy, respectively. At least 3.10 kGy (5‐D10 values) is required to ensure the microbiological safety of pork cutlets. X‐ray irradiation dose‐dependently reduced all microbial counts, and up to 7 kGy had no adverse effects on colour, TBARS, and pH. Furthermore, 1,7‐hexadecadiene and 8‐heptadecene were potential markers for irradiated pork cutlets. X‐ray irradiation of up to 7 kGy is effective in improving hygiene levels while maintaining pork cutlet quality.
Outcome of regenerative endodontic procedures in delayed replanted immature permanent teeth with apical periodontitis: A retrospective study
Authors: Sheng Kai , Ding Ning , Zhao Shi‐Min , Chen Hui , Lai Guang‐Yun , Wang Jun
Published: September 2024

Background

Regenerative endodontic procedures (REPs) is effective for treating young permanent teeth with pulp necrosis. However, its efficacy on delayed replanted avulsed teeth is unclear.

Aim

This retrospective study aimed to assess the efficacy of REPs in treating delayed replanted immature permanent teeth with apical periodontitis.

Design

Avulsed teeth receiving REPs were systematically screened based on predetermined criteria. This study assessed the REP outcomes, postoperative periodontal healing, and overall treatment efficacy. Samples were grouped by REP outcomes and root development stage, with Fisher's exact tests used to compare outcomes among different groups.

Results

Among the included 17 teeth, 47.1% exhibited successful REPs and periodontal healing. Another 47.1%, due to replacement resorption or REP failure, were categorized as tooth survival. Healing of periapical lesions was observed in 88.2% of the cases, but only 41.2% demonstrated continued root development. Although differences were not significant (p = 0.05), teeth with continued root development had a higher rate of functional healing (85.7%) compared to those without (30%).

Conclusion

Within the limitations of this study, REPs presented reliable outcomes for treating delayed replanted immature permanent teeth with apical periodontitis mainly in periapical lesion healing. Teeth with continued root development after REPs exhibited a higher rate of functional healing. Further investigation is required to explore potential synergies between REP outcomes and periodontal healing.
Optimization of self‐ or parent‐reported psychiatric phenotypes in longitudinal studies
Authors: Ivankovic Franjo , Johnson Sharon , Shen James , Scharf Jeremiah M. , Mathews Carol A.
Published: September 2024

Background

The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study is a longitudinal study of US adolescents with a wide breadth of psychiatric, neuroimaging and genetic data that can be leveraged to better understand psychiatric diseases. The reliability and validity of the psychiatric data collected have not yet been examined. This study aims to explore and optimize the reliability/validity of psychiatric diagnostic constructs in the ABCD study.

Methods

Parent‐and‐child‐reported psychiatric data for 11,876 children (aged 9.5 ± 0.5 at first assessment) were examined over 4 years to derive specific constructs for psychiatric diagnoses using longitudinal information. Rates of psychiatric disorders were calculated and compared to those reported in the epidemiological literature.

Results

The rates of self‐reported psychiatric disorders at any single time point (broad diagnostic construct) were higher than indicated by epidemiological studies. Narrow diagnostic constructs, which required the endorsement of psychiatric disorders at a majority of longitudinal assessments, demonstrated a better rate approximation of literature‐reported prevalences for most disorders (e.g. the prevalence of broad obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) was 13.3% compared to narrow OCD at 2.6% and a literature‐reported prevalence of 2.3%). Analysis of comorbidity, using OCD as a representative example, also showed a better approximation of literature‐reported comorbidity rates using the narrow construct, with some exceptions.

Conclusions

Self‐ or parent‐report‐based assessments tend to overestimate prevalences of psychiatric disorders in the ABCD Study, particularly when longitudinal data are summed to create lifetime prevalences. Such assessments should be accompanied by more in‐depth assessments or clinician‐administered structured interviews if using data where accurate disorder classifications are paramount.
Advancing regional flood mapping in a changing climate: A HAND‐based approach for New Jersey with innovations in catchment analysis
Authors: Bazzett D. , Marxen Lucas , Wang R.
Published: September 2024

Regional flood mapping poses computational and spatial heterogeneity challenges, exacerbated by climate change‐induced uncertainties. This study focuses on creating a state‐wide flood mapping solution with enhanced accuracy and computational speed to support regional flooding hazard analysis and the assessment of climate change, using New Jersey as a case study. The Height Above Nearest Drainage (HAND) framework was employed for large‐scale flood mapping. The model was validated against high water marks (HWMs) collected after Hurricane Irene. Based on the National Water Model (NWM), synthetic rating curves in HAND were calibrated by tuning Manning's roughness, aligning the predicted and observed flood depths. The roughness values were generalized across the state from the validated water basins to the ungauged ones, using a multivariate regression with the hydrologic and geographic information. To map the future climate‐change‐induced flooding, a correlation between NOAA historical precipitation totals and NWM flow data from 2010 to 2020 was established to link precipitation and runoff. This study also invented a novel method for correcting catchment discontinuities, inherent in the HAND model, based on a computer vision scheme, the Sobel filter. The modeling results show that average and worst‐case storm events have the potential to increase 10%–50% in the state, where mountain areas and major river banks would be exposed to this impact more significantly.
Body schema and body image as internal representations of the body, and their disorders. An historical review
Authors: Vallar Giuseppe
Published: September 2024

Since the early 1900s, the terms body schema and body image denoted the internal representations of the body. Bonnier's (1905, Revue Neurologique, 13, 605) schema is a conscious spatial representation of the size, shape, and position of the body, and of body parts, whose dysfunction brings about aschématia, and hypo‐, hyper‐, and paraschématia. The two schemata of Head and Holmes (1911, Brain, 34, 102) are an unconscious plastic postural schema, for the maintenance of posture and balance and for the coding of the position of body parts, and a conscious superficial schema, for the localisation of somatosensory stimuli. Pick's (1922, Psychologische Forschung, 1, 303) body schema refers to a structural description of the body, including the position of body parts and their spatial relationships, defective in autotopagnosia. Schilder's (1935, The image and appearance of the human body) body image is a comprehensive construct, covering physiological, evolutional, neurological and neuropsychological, psychiatric and sociological aspects. Lhermitte's (1939, L'image de notre corps) image, based on the views of the abovementioned authors, is defective in bodily neuropsychological disorders. The two terms have been used interchangeably, to denote (hemi‐)asomatognosia, anosognosia, autotopagnosia, depersonalisation, personal neglect, phantom and supernumerary limbs, somatoparaphrenia. Their properties have been summarized with general dichotomies: schema for action in space (“where” system), image for perception (“what” system), after primary sensory processing. While schema and image fractionated into multiple representations of aspects of the body, the two terms are still used to refer to some of these representations, and to their disorders.
Cigarette Smoking Is Associated With Lower Chance of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Seroclearance and Altered Host Immunity
Authors: Kwok Tsz‐Yan , Hui Rex Wan‐Hin , Mao XianHua , Ling Guang‐Sheng , Wong Danny Ka‐Ho , Huang Fung‐Yu , Fung James , Seto Wai‐Kay , Yuen Man‐Fung , Mak Lung‐Yi
Published: September 2024

Cigarette smoking is associated with worse clinical outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection, but the effects on hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of active smoking on HBsAg seroclearance (SC) and its impact on peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with CHB infection. Longitudinal follow‐up data was retrieved in 7833 antiviral‐treated CHB subjects identified from a centralised electronic patient record database (Part 1). Phenotypic analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 27 CHB‐infected patients (6 active smokers; 13 with SC) was performed by flow cytometry to assess programmed death‐1 (PD‐1) expression and proportion of regulatory T cells (CD4+CD25+CD127lo). Effector function of HBV‐specific T cells was examined by comparing granzyme B (GZMB) and transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) production in undepleted PBMCs and Treg‐depleted PBMCs after 7 days in vitro stimulation with HBV envelope protein overlapping peptides (Part 2). Over a median follow‐up of 5 years, smoking was associated with lower probability of SC (aHR 0.70, 95% CI 0.57–0.87). PD‐1 expression was increased in CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and CD20+ B cells among smokers compared to non‐smokers and positively correlated with pack years (all p < 0.05). Treg depletion led to partial functional recovery of HBV‐specific T cells, with significantly bigger magnitude in smokers (p = 0.0451, mean difference = 4.68%) than non‐smokers (p = 0.012, mean difference = 4.2%). Cigarette smoking is associated with lower chance of HBsAg seroclearance, higher PD‐1 expression on lymphocytes, and impairment of effector functions of HBV‐specific T cells in CHB.
Mass Mortality of the Invasive Sea Urchin Diadema setosum in Türkiye, Eastern Mediterranean Possibly Reveals Vibrio Bacteria Infection
Authors: Dinçtürk Ezgi , Öndes Fikret , Alan Vahit , Dön Emre
Published: September 2024

The invasive Diadema setosum (Leske, 1778) long‐spined sea urchin has been in the Mediterranean Sea since 2006, and then, it has been known that its population density has reached high values on the southern Aegean coasts of Türkiye. This study aimed to report the mass mortality event of D. setosum with the determined agent on the Aegean coast of Türkiye. In addition, it was targeted to provide information on the current status of its density based on seasonal SCUBA diving observations for the period between January 2023 and November 2023. The results showed that the mass mortality of D. setosum was determined in Muğla, Aegean Sea, in August 2023. Spine loss, the mucoid layer at the bottom of the appendages, and the outer body surface were observed as the clinical symptoms of the diseased samples. Bacterial growth was detected on Vibrio‐selected TCBS agar plates, while no other parasitic agents were determined in the coelomic fluid of sea urchins. The results of the biochemical (API 20E) and molecular tests confirmed the isolated bacteria as Vibrio spp. The density of D. setosum showed statistically significant temporal changes, and the highest and lowest mean density values were recorded in autumn and spring, respectively. Environmental stressors, such as increasing sea temperature levels, affect the marine ecosystem and lead to opportunistic pathogens. Long‐term monitoring of disease outbreaks is necessary to understand the interactions between species and the ecosystem.
Proposed criteria for the O'Sullivan McLeod syndrome: Case series and literature review
Authors: Hu Nan , Shen Dongchao , Qian Min , Cui Liying , Liu Mingsheng
Published: September 2024

We aimed to summarize the clinical characteristics of the O'Sullivan McLeod syndrome and propose the diagnostic criteria of the syndrome. We reviewed our database to identify patients with the O'Sullivan McLeod syndrome. Online databases including PubMed, EMBASE, and OVID were also searched for relevant cases. We identified a total of 24 cases, including 3 cases from our database and 21 ones from online searching. A predominance of male was observed [17 (73.9%)] with median onset age of 31 (range: 15–56) years old. The median (range) disease duration was 9 (0.5–28) years at the time of the visit. All patients showed involvement of hands and ~1/3 patients reported weakness and atrophy of right/left forearm. The upper arm was scarcely affected (8.7%). Needle electromyography suggested chronic denervation in C7‐T1 among the majority of involved cases (over 78%). Cervical magnetic resonance imaging showed longitudinal T2‐hypertenssive signals among 5/14 (35.7%) patients, which confined to the anterior horn area. No patients showed responsiveness to immunotherapy. Ten patients remained clinical stable during follow‐up, nine ones manifested chronic progressive course. The O'Sullivan and McLeod syndrome, characterized by progressive weakness and atrophy in upper limbs, might be an incurable disorder of lower motor neuron. Onset in early adulthood, the plateau period of over 12 months and years of chronic progression in clinical manifestations might be supportive indicators for the diagnosis of the syndrome. The prognosis is relatively good with no effective treatment.
Emerging roles of the renin‐angiotensin system in select oral diseases
Authors: Liu Yixing , Liu Zhe
Published: September 2024

Objectives

The renin‐angiotensin system (RAS) plays essential roles in cardiovascular and renal function regulation. Recent studies have shown that the RAS components are widely expressed in oral tissues, but their roles in oral diseases remain underexplored. This review aims to summarize the effects of the RAS in select oral diseases including oral squamous cells carcinoma (OSCC), periodontitis, oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), and ageusia/dysgeusia.

Subjects and Methods

Data searches were performed using PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus through July 2024. A narrative overview of current literature was undertaken to synthesize the contexts with elaboration and summary.

Results

In OSCC, ACE/Ang II/AT1R promotes OSCC by inducing angiogenesis, cell proliferation and invasiveness. Conversely, ACE/Ang II/AT2R and ACE2/Ang (1–7)/MasR inhibit OSCC progressions. In periodontitis, ACE/Ang II/AT1R upregulates inflammatory cytokines and promotes osteoclast differentiation factor RANKL, whereas ACE2/Ang (1–7)/MasR exerts opposite effects by preventing inflammation and alveolar bone loss. In OSF, Ang (1–7) counters the profibrotic and proinflammatory action of Ang II. In dysgeusia, Ang II suppresses salt taste responses and enhances sweet taste sensitivities, while Ang (1–7) exhibits opposite effects.

Conclusions

The RAS cascade plays crucial roles in OSCC, periodontitis, OSF and ageusia/dysgeusia. The imbalanced RAS may aggravate the progression of these diseases.
Estimating the astigmatic power of the crystalline lens and eye from ocular biometry
Authors: Evans Tanya , Rozema Jos J.
Published: September 2024

Purpose

To estimate the astigmatic power of the crystalline lens and the whole eye without phakometry using a set of linear equations and to provide estimates for the astigmatic powers of the crystalline lens surfaces.

Methods

Linear optics expresses astigmatic powers in the form of matrices and uses paraxial optics and a 4 × 4 ray transfer matrix to generalise Bennett's method comprehensively to include astigmatic elements. Once this is established, the method is expanded to estimate the contributions of the front and back lens surfaces. The method is illustrated using two examples. The first example is of an astigmatic model eye and compares the calculated results to the original powers. In the second example, the method is applied to the biometry of a real eye with large lenticular astigmatism.

Results

When the calculated powers for the astigmatic model eye were compared to the actual powers, the difference in the power of the eye was (where T represents the matrix transpose) and for the crystalline lens, the difference was (power vector format). A second example applies the method to a real eye, obtaining lenticular astigmatism of −5.84 × 175.

Conclusions

The method provides an easy‐to‐code way of estimating the astigmatic powers of the crystalline lens and the eye.
Molecular epidemiology of Cercospora leaf spot on resistant and susceptible sugar beet hybrids
Authors: Chen Chen , Keunecke Harald , Neu Enzo , Kopisch‐Obuch Friedrich J. , McDonald Bruce A. , Stapley Jessica
Published: September 2024

Cercospora leaf spot (CLS), caused by Cercospora beticola, is a major foliar disease impacting sugar beet production worldwide. The development of new resistant sugar beet hybrids is a powerful tool to better manage the disease, but it is unclear how these hybrids affect CLS epidemiology. We used a molecular epidemiology approach to study natural epidemics of CLS affecting two susceptible and two resistant sugar beet hybrids at two field sites. Infected plants were geotagged on a weekly basis. Isolations of C. beticola were made from infected leaves and genotyped using six simple‐sequence repeat loci to identify clones. We determined that CLS epidemics had a later onset in plots planted to resistant hybrids, but once the pathogen established an infection, there was little difference between resistant and susceptible hybrids in the probability of localized spread and dispersal. We found that different clones often infected the same leaf and that clusters of infected plants were often colonized by a mixture of clones. There was little overall difference in genetic diversity of C. beticola collected on resistant and susceptible hybrids; however, genotypic diversity was lower on the resistant hybrid at one site, suggestive of a selection bottleneck. At the end of the epidemic infections were not randomly distributed across the fields and we found that a single clone could spread over a distance of 100 m during a growing season.
Intrinsic Properties and the Problem of “Other Things”
Authors: Wasserman Ryan
Published: September 2024

Intrinsic properties are those which cannot be had or lacked in virtue of other things. Being a square is intrinsic, in this sense, whereas being next to a square is not. But what, exactly, counts as an “other thing” in this context? As it turns out, this is a surprisingly difficult question. I provide a critical assessment of three existing proposals (in terms of identity, mereology, and ontology), before developing my own, alternative account. Along the way, we highlight ways in which this project intersects with other philosophical issues, including debates over the nature of existence, the essentiality of origins, and the truth of priority monism.
On global robustness of an adversarial risk analysis solution
Authors: Yang Jinming , Joshi Chaitanya , Ruggeri Fabrizio
Published: September 2024

Adversarial Risk Analysis (ARA) can be a more realistic and practical alternative to traditional game theoretic or decision theoretic approaches for modeling strategic decision‐making in the presence of an adversary. ARA relies on quantifying the decision‐maker's (DM's) uncertainties about the adversary's strategic thinking, choices and utilities via probability distributions to identify the optimal solution for the DM. ARA solution will be sensitive to the choices of prior distributions used for modelling the expert beliefs. Yet, to date, no mathematical results to characterize the robustness of the ARA solution to the misspecification of one or more prior distributions exist. Prior elicitation is known to be challenging. We present the very first mathematical results on the global robustness of the ARA solution. We use the distorted band class of priors and establish the conditions under which an ordering on the ARA solution can be established when modelling the first‐price sealed‐bid auctions using the nonstrategic play and level‐ thinking solution concepts. We illustrate these results using numerical examples and discuss further areas of research.
Thermal Management of SOI-Based Devices Using Holey Silicon-Based Lateral Thermoelectric Cooler
Authors: Luo Jiajian , Chen Jingjing , Venugopal Archana , Lee Jaeho
Published: September 2024

Despite its numerous advantages, the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology presents significant challenges in thermal management and exacerbates the local hotspot issue in microelectronic devices. The introduction of the buried oxide (BOX) layer hinders vertical heat dissipation, making conventional cooling solutions based on air and liquid coolers inefficient. To address this problem, we for the first time experimentally demonstrate the holey silicon-based lateral thermoelectric cooler (TEC) to provide thermal management for the SOI-based devices. By redistributing heat laterally, this lateral TEC overcomes the limitation of poor vertical heat dissipation caused by the BOX layer, meanwhile taking advantage of sustained temperature gradient from the hotspot. In our devices, vertical holey silicon fabricated by deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) is situated in the SOI device layer, acting as an efficient thermoelectric material compatible with conventional microfabrication processes. Neck size as small as 1.26 μm is created to enhance phonon boundary scattering, resulting in low in-plane thermal conductivity while retaining good electrical characteristics (i.e., electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient) from bulk silicon. The TEC electrodes (i.e., Peltier heater and cooler) deposited by e-beam evaporation align laterally with the holey silicon, enabling active heat removal in lateral direction. In addition to the TEC components, a coupled heating and temperature sensing system is implemented on the top surface using nickel thin-film structures with various dimensions. Two types of TEC designs are fabricated: asymmetric “S” type (3000 × 3000 μm2) for optimal temperature reduction and symmetric “R” type (2250 × 3000 μm2) for CMOS transistor-compatible design. All devices are generated in an SOI wafer with the following dimensions: device layer : oxide layer : handle layer = 25:5:500μm. Thermoelectrical measurement and the cross-checking IR thermography measurement are performed. While the majority of characterization is still working in progress, preliminary IR measurement results indicate large metal-silicon contact resistance is existed which hinders the TEC cooling. With further process control, optimal device demonstration and substantial cooling performance are expected in the future. In general, compared to the existing microscale TECs designed at a packaging level, our TEC allows for direct integration with the SOI-based architecture including power electronics, MEMS and microprocessors, which shows promise of a more compact and efficient cooling system for SOI-based devices.
Study of Liquid Breakup Process in Solid Fuel Booster Rocket Chamber
Authors: Amano Ryo S.
Published: September 2024

This paper presents a solid fuel booster rocket, both experimental and simulation studies of Al2O3 molten flow. The propulsion of aluminum composite fuel in booster rocket chambers causes severe conditions, such as high temperature and pressure, thus resulting in accumulation into molten droplets. These particles impinge on the walls in the propulsion chamber; thus, particle size and droplet distribution are the major parameters affecting erosive behavior. In this study, we investigated the phenomenon of the breakups in the relationship between gas velocity and molten particle size. The high-temperature, high-speed gas discharged from the solid fuel booster rocket has a large erosion damage on the nozzle, especially the alumina (Al2O3) particles in the gas, playing a major role in the erosion of the nozzle material. The erosion phenomenon is a serious problem since it negatively affects ballistic performance. It was discovered that the number of droplets increases by increasing gas speed in the inlet section. In the throat section of the combustion chamber, regardless of the gas speed, the average droplet size increases due to more breakup phenomena because gas velocity speeds up as the gas passes through the nozzle. However, the average droplet size decreases in the throat section by increasing gas velocity due to flow convection. The number of droplets increases by increasing gas velocity in the throat section. In the exit section of the channel, the average droplet size decreases and increases due to the flow convection.
Effect of Blowing Ratio on the Film Cooling Effectiveness on a Flat Plate With Various Blockage Ratios
Authors: Aly Omar Deyab , Wright Lesley M. , Hassan Ibrahim
Published: September 2024

Effusion cooling has emerged as an advanced cooling technique for applications that function at high temperatures, especially in gas turbines. Although this technology has shown higher cooling effectiveness compared to traditional cooling schemes, it is not yet considered a sustainable application for turbine stators and rotors due to manufacturing and structural challenges. The emergence of 3D printing techniques, especially additive manufacturing, is making significant strides in this direction. One such modification is the use of partition walls, barriers that are placed between the cooling holes, which were proposed to enhance the mechanical strength of the cooled components. This study aims to identify the effect of blowing ratio on the film cooling effectiveness over partitioned walls with various blockage ratios.

To understand this effect, flat plates with full effusion or partial effusion were additively manufactured. For the partial effusion configurations, blockage ratios of 20%, 40%, and 60% were studied. In a flat plate wind tunnel, the mainstream velocity was maintained at 21.6 m/s, and tests were conducted on all plates based on coolant blowing ratios of 0.1, 0.25, and 0.7 at a fixed density ratio (DR = 1.0). Pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) was used to measure the film cooling effectiveness on each plate. The results showed that raising the blowing ratio increased the coolant flow and cooling effectiveness. However, there was a practical limit to that increase since high blowing ratios resulted in significant coolant detachment, pressure decreases and flow instability. That practical limit for the baseline flat plate was at a blowing ratio of 0.25. At low blockage ratios, the cooling effectiveness varied minimally. The reduction became more significant at blockage ratios of 40%, especially for low blowing ratios, until reaching its minimum at a blockage ratio of 60%.
Effectiveness of Multi Baffles With Trefoils on the Performance of Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger
Authors: Ali Farhad , Amin Khan Tariq , Ahmad Qureshi Zahid , Muzafar Muhammad , Li Wei
Published: September 2024

The design and analysis of shell and tube heat exchangers are essential for efficient heat transfer in various industrial applications. This study focuses on investigating the performance of a shell and tube heat exchanger using multi-baffles with four different trefoil geometries, i.e., rectangular, square, triangular and hexagonal shapes. The objective of this research is to optimize the heat transfer efficiency by examining the effects of these multi-baffle geometries on the performance of the heat exchanger. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and theoretical calculations are employed to evaluate the thermal performance of each geometry. CFD simulations are conducted to analyze the flow patterns, pressure drop, and heat transfer characteristics for each geometry. The effectiveness of the heat exchanger and the overall heat transfer coefficient are calculated to compare the performance of different configurations. The results obtained from the simulations and calculations provide valuable insights into the influence of different trefoiled baffle geometries on the heat exchanger’s performance. The findings indicate that each geometry has its unique impact on the heat transfer rate, pressure drop, and overall efficiency of the heat exchanger. The trefoil baffles exhibit improved heat transfer performance with hexagonal trefoil results in higher heat transfer while triangular baffles result in lower pressure drops. This research enhances our understanding of the relationship between multi-baffle geometries on the performance of shell and tube heat exchangers. The findings can be utilized to optimize the design and selection of baffle configurations based on specific industrial requirements, aiming for improved heat transfer efficiency and reduced energy consumption. Future research can explore additional multi-baffle geometries and investigate the effects of other operating parameters on heat exchanger performance to further enhance its design and performance.
Generation of Controlled Single Bubbles for Phenomenological Study of Nucleate Boiling Using a Dual-Lens Laser Spot Heating Approach
Authors: Subhani Salma , Fuentes Jesus , Melendez Karen , Lee Eileen , Quintero Michael , Dhillon Navdeep Singh
Published: September 2024

Nucleate boiling, despite its broad applications, remains poorly understood in several aspects. We aim to enhance the boiling performance parameters through a novel laser-based controlled bubble generation technique to enable groundbreaking phenomenological studies of the boiling process. The lab’s specialized boiling chamber and the continuous iterations regarding its surrounding set up, address practical challenges. Recent enhancements, like implementing a glass window to the experimental dual-lens set up, contribute to advancing our understanding and application of controlled bubble generation in boiling processes.
A Reproducible Molecular Dynamics Approach to Investigate the Thermal Conductivity of Al2O3 Mono Nanofluid
Authors: Smrity Araf Mim Ahmed , Yin Peng
Published: September 2024

Water-based Al2O3 mono nanofluid (MNF) is considered as a potential thermo-fluid for advanced cooling systems and energy storage due to its hydrophilic nature and enhanced dispersion stability. The reproducible molecular level exploration is imperative for the widespread practical applications of Al2O3 MNF. The research objective of this study is to develop a reproducible molecular dynamics (MD) simulation approach to investigate the thermal conductivity of Al2O3 MNF as a function of weight concentration (wt%) and temperature. The MD simulation framework was developed by Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator (LAMMPS) simulation tool considering Al2O3 nanoparticles wt% of 0.1, 0.5, and 1, and temperature range from 30°C to 100°C. Critical aspects including system initialization, interatomic potentials, and equilibration processes are discussed in detail in this study to ensure reproducible framework for both novice and adept researchers. The results indicated that as the wt% of nanoparticles in the Al2O3 MNF increased, there was a corresponding enhancement in thermal conductivity, with optimal performance observed at 1 wt% and 100°C. The simulation approach and results were validated by comparing with the experimental data in existing literature, which showed a difference of 3% relative to the experimental data. Future studies are planned to develop reproducible MD simulation framework to investigate factors influencing the stability of nanofluids.
Analytical Study of the Thermal Performance for an Embedded Microfluidic Cooling System
Authors: Wilhite Jarred , Kharangate Chirag
Published: September 2024

A compact, actively cooled heat dissipation solution has been designed and developed to adequately address the issue of increased heat generated within compact electronic devices and systems. High power density applications such as modular power converters can benefit from implementing this newly designed microfluidic cooling system, which consists of a 3-D manifold architecture and a finned microchannel array. Embedded cooling allows the manifold-microchannel (MMC) to be directly integrated into silicon carbide (SiC) based electronics, providing a more efficient thermal management system with significant mass and volume savings compared to conventional cooling strategies. This study investigates the feasibility of utilizing an MMC sample fabricated in SiC to meet chip-level heat dissipation targets of 100 W/cm2. The thermalfluidic performance was analyzed for different MMC configurations to obtain various measurements such as pressure and temperature for single-phase working fluids (i.e., water, low-GWP refrigerants, etc.). Analytical results produced from a reduced-order model show that the flow rate and the microchannel height greatly impact the performance of the MMC. Increasing the microchannel height from 200 to 300 μm provides thermal resistance of less than 0.3 K/W and pressure drop of less than 2 kPa across the system for certain working fluids.