bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social Sustainability and Inclusive Environments in Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools
Authors: Revellini Rosaria
Published: June 2023

Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment (NSA) tools are voluntary rating systems for certifying sustainable neighbourhoods in case of new constructions or urban renewals. They consist of categories and indicators to value specific performances. Their purpose is to objectify planned interventions assigning a final score which identifies the overall performance of the district in terms of sustainability. However, is it possible to affirm that these systems actually contribute to the improvement of inclusiveness and healthy living in the neighbourhoods? This question arises as a reflection on the two main issues that contemporary cities have to face urgently which are urbanization and ageing population, focusing attention on developed countries. In this regard, “new” urban spaces are called to achieve inclusion and healthy living for all the people and the neighbourhood represents the right scale for reasoning about. The present study investigates some of the most commonly used neighbourhood scale tools (BREEAM Communities, GBC Italia, DGNB Districts, Living Community Challenge, EcoDistricts) looking at how these systems can help to create more inclusive districts. In particular, the analysis aims to understand how much the social pillar of sustainability affects on urban wellbeing. In fact, there is the evidence that in most NSA tools environmental dimension shall prevails on the others. Through a review of each protocol’s “social” categories and of the recent literature on these topics, the study wants to underline criticalities and potentialities of NSA systems and tries to understand in which way a new protocol should act in order to help municipalities, planners and stakeholders in designing inclusive and accessible environments for all.
Inclusive Neighborhoods in a Healthy City: Walkability Assessment and Guidance in Rome
Authors: Eledeisy Mohamed
Published: June 2023

With the increasingly global and European attention toward healthy inclusive cities, the focus on pedestrian-friendly environments, as a tool to encourage and support healthy lifestyles for people of all social groups and ages, continues to rise. This article aims to assess “walkability” as one of the main conditions of a built environment that enhances “healthy living”, a core theme of the Zagreb Declaration for Healthy Cities. Transit-Oriented Development Standard (TOD Standard) is used as a tool to evaluate the walkability level in San Giovanni area in Rome, Italy. Through urban plans and measurements of the pedestrian realms, the research evaluates the state of walkability through a metric scoring method of the walkways’ segments. The analysis demonstrates the percentages of all-accessible walkway segments and crosswalks that are safe in all directions; segments with visually active frontages; physically permeable frontages; and segments that incorporate adequate shade or shelter. The results show the pedestrian realm’s level of safety, completeness, accessibility to all; its activeness and vibrance; and its level of comfort. The conclusions provide guidance for areas of intervention to make walking accessible for everyone and support decision-making processes to develop inclusive neighborhoods, as a part of the future policies for equitable access and mobility in a healthy city.
Tools and Strategies for Health Promotion in Urban Context: Technology and Innovation for Enhancing Parish Ecclesiastical Heritage Through Sport and Inclusion
Authors: Daprà Francesca , Allegri Davide , Mosca Erica Isa
Published: June 2023

The relationship between the built environment and health is an increasingly important issue in the planning and regeneration of the contemporary city. The contribution reflects on the impact of sport and social inclusion on the population’s health and well-being, moving from the results of a research experience. The project involves the parish ecclesiastical heritage. It proposes methods committed to its regeneration and innovation, aiming to enhance the oratorio sports facilities in a multi-generation, inclusive, and health education perspective. The definition of a multidisciplinary and analytical tool is based on a set of qualitative and quantitative criteria, for assessing the structures in different aspects, to reconsider the pre-existing sport facilities, and suggesting strategies for the renovation and innovation of their spaces and services. The application of the tool to the parish facilities brings extensive reflections on the importance of promotion of physical activity and of the creation of accessible social environments, suggesting strategies for more liveable and healthy community spaces; moreover, it contributes to the definition of systemic strategies and scientific tools for the enhancing of built heritage in the urban context.
Design of CCHP System with the Help of Combined Chiller System, Solar Energy, and Gas Microturbine
Authors: Safaei Samaneh , Keynia Farshid , Haghdady Sam , Heydari Azim , Lamagna Mario
Published: June 2023

This work was conducted to design a combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system with photovoltaic energy which provides simultaneous generation of electricity, heat, and cold for a high-rise office building (23 floors) in the city of Mashhad in Iran. Our strategy was to supply load electric, thermal, and refrigeration with the help of solar energy. In addition, its superiority over other systems was evaluated. Analysis and study of solar radiation and the maximum level of solar panels use, according to the architectural plan, were carried out at the project site. The analysis of shadow points, the use of inverters and electrical detectors to increase the maximum solar power, and its cost-effectiveness were carefully studied via PVSOL software. Additionally, the amount of heat, cold, and electricity consumption was accurately calculated according to international standards and utilizing HAP software. The criteria for saving on the initial cost reduction, carbon dioxide emission reduction, operating cost reduction, payback period, revenue, and the minimum life expectancy of the equipment compared to those in other methods were also evaluated. The results obtained from the designed system of simultaneous generation of electricity, heat, and refrigeration, which combines gas microturbines as the primary stimulus, a combination of absorption and compression chiller to provide refrigeration load, a boiler for auxiliary heat load, and a thermal photovoltaic system to produce both electric and thermal loads, were finally revealed. This is believed to be a cost-effective strategy for high-rise residential or commercial buildings with a geographical location like that of Mashhad. Based on the electricity sales to the grid, with the rate of increase in inflation in electricity tariffs, this design in the Mashhad project was estimated to have an annual income of 166.676 thousand dollars. Moreover, the initial capital return period in this project was calculated to be 5.19 years.
The Proximity of Urban Green Spaces as Urban Health Strategy to Promote Active, Inclusive and Salutogenic Cities
Authors: Buffoli Maddalena , Rebecchi Andrea
Published: June 2023

Urban Green Spaces (UGS) have several positive effects on Public Health, environmental quality, and cities’ resilience to climate change; UGS are crucial in urban regeneration actions and urban health purposes. Moreover, to better define the UGS’ health impacts, it is important to define and guarantee UGS’ proximity, accessibility, and quality. Aim of the research is a quali-quantitative assessment of the UGS in Italian metropolitan cities, taking Milan, Turin, Florence, and Bologna as preliminary case studies. One of the 1st phases was to draw up dynamic and descriptive GIS-based maps of the relationships between density of population and of urban fabric, UGS’ availability, and their accessibility. Only the areas with a size greater than 15,000 square meters were considered; three buffer zones of proximity were defined: 250, 500, and 750 m. By combining the UGS’ availability with the population’s density, it was possible to quantify the citizens included in the three buffer zones. From the 1st analysis, it is observed that about 90% of the population is served by a quality green area within a buffer area of 750 m; 78% by the buffer zone of 500 m; 49% by the buffer zone of 250 m. Both the elaborated maps and graphs obtained show how population is not equally served by close and accessible UGS. Their geo-localization it’s a preliminary quantitative step (process started in Italy with the introduction of regulations like green areas’ census, mapping, maintenance legislation, and strategic plans), but it’s even more crucial to evaluate the UGS’ quality in terms of accessibility, safety and security features, provision of services and paths.
Introduction: Reproductive Justice and Transnational Feminism
Authors: Selberg Rebecca , Kolankiewicz Marta , Mulinari Diana
Published: June 2023

This volume represents a cross-disciplinary effort to understand transnational feminist struggles for reproductive justice. We use the concept of transnational feminism to grasp the emergence of a historical subject—feminism—that despite its heterogeneity constitutes a central voice in gendering democracy and engendering citizenship. We use the concept of reproductive justice to underline an understanding of struggles for abortion rights that expand and challenge liberal feminist notions of women’s choice. Finally, we explore the counter-movements and strategies to restrict access to abortion and suppress reproductive justice: specifically, the establishment of religious fundamentalist, right-wing and neofascist coalitions threatening women’s and sexual minorities’ rights worldwide.
Parenting the Nation: State Violence and Reproduction in Nicaragua and Sweden
Authors: Alm Erika , Berg Linda
Published: June 2023

Reproduction is a core question for the state, a site of struggle between the reproduction of the nation and the reproduction of liveable lives, especially for those citizens whose rights are rarely recognised in the first place. What role does the exceptionalisation of reproductive rights play in the reproduction of the nation-state? Nicaragua and Sweden are countries where debates about reproductive justice highlight tensions in the projection of a state that cares for its citizens: Nicaragua, the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with one of the most repressive and punitive legislations on abortion in the world, and Sweden with its reputation as a pioneering nation in matters of gender equality and reproductive justice. This chapter draws on a particular formulation of the centrality of the state in theories and practices of reproductive justice: the notion of the state as a parent with a particular responsibility to protect and foster, but also discipline and subjugate, its citizens. Political leaders, Fathers and Mothers of the Nation, form the discourse within which the state regulates its imagined children’s, the citizens, reproductive rights. As such the governance of reproduction is a vital aspect of the political fantasy about the nation-state and its futuriority.
Everyday Bordering and the Struggle for Reproductive Justice in Ireland
Authors: Bodelson Sarah
Published: June 2023

The bodies of women and pregnant persons are unceasingly at the centre of nation-building projects and increasingly subject to bordering processes. State borders are becoming ever more delocalised and mobile, as state migration regimes move into and circumscribe the everyday and intimate lives and rights of persons deemed not to belong. In a growing number of EU member states, rights to healthcare and housing inter alia are tied to a person’s legal-political status. However, little attention has yet been paid to the effects of bordering on organising for and realising reproductive justice. Following the repeal of the 8th Amendment (the abortion ban) in 2018 in Ireland, conversations and contestations are taking place that serve as a compelling starting point to explore the implications of bordering on organising for and realising reproductive justice. In this chapter, I explore the calls made by the migrant and ethnic minority bloc during the March for Choice 2019 in Dublin, which link state borders to reproductive injustice in Ireland. I draw on preliminary fieldwork conducted in Dublin, interviews and informal conversations online, and secondary material, to understand how colonial, raced, sexed and gendered borders are reproduced and, more importantly, contested in the struggle for reproductive rights and justice in Ireland.
¡Aborto YA!—Feminist Strategies in the Struggle for Easy, (Legal,) Safe and Free Abortion in Chile
Authors: Persson Alva
Published: June 2023

Based on a study initiated in 2018 (Persson, ¡La maternidad será deseada o no será!: En kvalitativ analys av feministiska strategier i kampen för fri, (laglig), säker och gratis abort i Chile (Thesis). Lund University, 2019), this chapter revisits and re-examines feminist mobilisations around reproductive rights and justice in Chile. Focusing on performative and discursive strategies used by feminist organisations in the struggle for free abortion, the aim of the chapter is to analyse how such strategies are grounded in epistemologies of embodied resistance to past and present biopolitical and anti-gender regimes. The theoretical framework draws upon a feminist trajectory of (gendered) biopolitics, and embodied performativity and reproductive justice are key concepts in the analysis.

The chapter argues that the demands for easy, (legal,) safe and free abortion constitute the frame within which the struggle for free abortion is situated. Subsequently, the struggle situates itself outside of the binary scope of the pro-choice/pro-life dichotomy. The chapter also demonstrates how feminists use a wide range of discursive and embodied performative strategies to centre upon issues such as linguistic androcentrism, sociocultural stigma around abortion, misogyny institutionalised in the healthcare system, compulsory motherhood, economic inequalities and racism. Hence, the struggle for abortion is connected to the struggle to improve the material conditions of women’s lives as well as to the struggle for an extensive democratisation of Chilean society.
Millennium Development Goals and Women’s Reproductive Health and Justice in African Countries in the Era of Global Neoliberalism, Neoconservatism and Fundamentalism
Authors: Ahlberg Beth Maina , Okumu Jecinta , Hamed Sarah
Published: June 2023

We examine the millennium development goals (MDGs) not only because they constitute an attempt by the Global North to steer development in the Global South but, crucially, for their vague articulation of women’s reproductive health and rights. Using a postcolonial lens, we highlight some of their shortcomings and paradoxes concerning women’s reproductive justice and problematise the absence of discourse focusing on reducing inequalities. At the core of these shortcomings is the limited reflection on or engagement with neoliberalism, neoconservativism and the growing religious fundamentalism, particularly its views on sexual and reproductive rights. While neoliberalism claims to offer women agency to make free choices, its emphasis on individuals as free entrepreneurs holding sole responsibility for their financial situation is a deterrent for most women, because neoliberalism simultaneously undermines the institutions that enable self-sufficiency. In addition, neoconservatism and religious fundamentalism focus on preserving traditional family structures, regarding marriage as a heterosexual institution and the rights of the unborn as central. This is particularly critical for women in the Global South, especially African countries, where the application of the gag rule by Global North funding agencies restricts access to sexual and reproductive rights, including abortion, in the name of protecting the unborn.
Factorization at next-to-leading power and endpoint divergences in gg → h production
Authors: Liu Ze Long , Neubert Matthias , Schnubel Marvin , Wang Xing
Published: June 2023

Abstract

We derive a factorization theorem for the Higgs-boson production amplitude in gluon-gluon fusion induced by a light-quark loop, working at next-to-leading power in soft-collinear effective theory. The factorization is structurally similar to that obtained for the h → γγ decay amplitude induced by a light-quark loop, but additional complications arise because of external color charges. We show how the refactorization-based subtraction scheme developed in previous work leads to a factorization theorem free of endpoint divergences. We use renormalization-group techniques to predict the logarithmically enhanced terms in the three-loop gg → h form factor of order $$ {\alpha}_s^3{\ln}^k\left(-{M}_h^2/{m}_b^2\right) $$

α
s
3

ln
k

−

M
h
2

/

m
b
2

with k = 6, 5, 4, 3. We also resum the first three towers of leading logarithms, $$ {\alpha}_s^n{\ln}^{2n-k}\left(-{M}_h^2/{m}_b^2\right) $$

α
s
n

ln

2
n
−
k

−

M
h
2

/

m
b
2

with k = 0, 1, 2, to all orders of perturbation theory.
Mehrlinge
Authors: Vonzun Ladina , Ochsenbein-Kölble Nicole
Published: June 2023

Mehrlingsschwangerschaften gelten als Risikoschwangerschaften, da sie sowohl für die Mutter als auch für die Feten mit einem erhöhten Risiko für verschiedene Komplikationen einhergehen. Eine korrekte Datierung und Klassifizierung der Chorionizität und Amnionizität im ersten Trimenon bildet die essenzielle Grundlage für eine optimale Schwangerschaftsbetreuung, da sowohl die pränatale Betreuung als auch der ideale Geburtszeitpunkt und -modus davon abhängig sind. Insbesondere monochoriale Schwangerschaften gehen mit spezifischen Komplikationen einher, wie z. B. dem fetofetalen Transfusionssyndrom, weshalb 2‑wöchentliche Schwangerschaftskontrollen indiziert sind. Die Früherkennung der Komplikationen sowie ein richtiges Management derselben vermögen die Risiken für ein schlechtes Outcome zu minimieren. Oft ist daher die Mehrlingsbetreuung in Zusammenarbeit mit oder an einem spezialisierten Zentrum sinnvoll.
Tatbeteiligte, Umfelddaten und Strafverfolgung bei häuslicher Gewalt: Hellfeldstudie an allen Ermittlungsverfahren eines Jahres in Thüringen
Authors: Niederegger S , Muggenthaler H , Hubig M , Sauer S , Mall G
Published: June 2023

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden erstmals alle 1403 unter der Rubrik „häusliche Gewalt“ archivierten staatsanwaltschaftlichen Ermittlungsakten Thüringens aus dem Jahr 2009 umfassend ausgewertet. Fokus der vorliegenden Arbeit war die deskriptive Darstellung von Daten zu den Beschuldigten, zu den Geschädigten, zu Umgebungsfaktoren, zu den Taten sowie v. a. zur Strafverfolgung.

Die Beschuldigten waren zu über 90 % deutsch, zu über 80 % männlich und zu fast 75 % Lebenspartner der Geschädigten. Die meisten Fälle häuslicher Gewalt ereigneten sich am Wochenende und zwischen 18 und 24 Uhr. Zu über 70 % wurden die Taten zeitnah (am gleichen Tag) angezeigt. Etwa 43 % der Geschädigten stellten einen Strafantrag, fast ein Drittel der Anträge wurde wieder zurückgenommen. Ermittelt wurde in 1216 Fällen wegen einfacher Körperverletzung; die übrigen Fälle verteilen sich auf andere Straftatbestände. Insgesamt wurden rund 87 % aller Ermittlungsverfahren im Vorverfahren eingestellt. In 6 % der Fälle wurde Strafbefehlsantrag gestellt, in 7 % Anklage erhoben. In rund 8 % der Fälle wurden (u. a. nach Einsprüchen gegen die Strafbefehle) Hauptverhandlungen durchgeführt. Mehr als die Hälfte der Beschuldigten und fast alle Verurteilten hatten Einträge in das Bundeszentralregister bzw. waren vorbestraft.

Zusammenfassend wurden mit der vorliegenden Studie erstmals umfassende Daten (alle Fälle eines Jahres in einem Bundesland) zur Strafverfolgung in Fällen häuslicher Gewalt erhoben und deskriptiv ausgewertet.
Unified a priori analysis of four second-order FEM for fourth-order quadratic semilinear problems
Authors: Carstensen Carsten , Nataraj Neela , Remesan Gopikrishnan C. , Shylaja Devika
Published: June 2023

A unified framework for fourth-order semilinear problems with trilinear nonlinearity and general sources allows for quasi-best approximation with lowest-order finite element methods. This paper establishes the stability and a priori error control in the piecewise energy and weaker Sobolev norms under minimal hypotheses. Applications include the stream function vorticity formulation of the incompressible 2D Navier-Stokes equations and the von Kármán equations with Morley, discontinuous Galerkin, $$C^{0}$$

C
0

interior penalty, and weakly over-penalized symmetric interior penalty schemes. The proposed new discretizations consider quasi-optimal smoothers for the source term and smoother-type modifications inside the nonlinear terms.
Sensory weighting of position and force feedback during pinching
Authors: Geelen Jinne E. , van der Helm Frans C. T. , Schouten Alfred C. , Mugge Winfred
Published: June 2023

Human hands are complex biomechanical systems that allow for dexterous tasks with many degrees of freedom. Coordination of the fingers is essential for many activities of daily living and involves integrating sensory signals. During this sensory integration, the central nervous system deals with the uncertainty of sensory signals. When handling compliant objects, force and position are related. Interactions with stiff objects result in reduced position changes and increased force changes compared to compliant objects. Literature has shown sensory integration of force and position at the shoulder. Nevertheless, differences in sensory requirements between proximal and distal joints may lead to different proprioceptive representations, hence findings at proximal joints cannot be directly transferred to distal joints, such as the digits. Here, we investigate the sensory integration of force and position during pinching. A haptic manipulator rendered a virtual spring with adjustable stiffness between the index finger and the thumb. Participants had to blindly reproduce a force against the spring. In both visual reference trials and blind reproduction trials, the relation between pinch force and spring compression was constant. However, by covertly changing the spring characteristics in catch trials into an adjusted force-position relation, the participants’ weighting of force and position could be revealed. In agreement with previous studies on the shoulder, participants relied more on force sense in trials with higher stiffness. This study demonstrated stiffness-dependent sensory integration of force and position feedback during pinching.
Prognostic survival biomarkers of tumor-fused dendritic cell vaccine therapy in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma
Authors: Takei Jun , Kamata Yuko , Tanaka Toshihide , Fukasawa Nei , Gomisawa Kazutaka , Satake Mari , Mori Ryosuke , Yamamoto Yohei , Suzuki Tomoya , Oda Ayaka , Murahashi Mutsunori , Fukuda Takahiro , Shimoda Masayuki , Murayama Yuichi , Akasaki Yasuharu
Published: June 2023

Dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy has been applied to glioblastoma (GBM); however, biomarkers informing response remain poorly understood. We conducted a phase I/IIa clinical trial investigating tumor-fused DC (TFDC) immunotherapy following temozolomide-based chemoradiotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed GBM and determined prognostic factors in patients receiving TFDC immunotherapy. Twenty-eight adult patients with GBM isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wild-type (IDH-WT) were enrolled; 127 TFDC vaccine injections (4.5 ± 2.6 times/patient) were administered. Patients with GBM IDH-WT had a respectable 5-year survival rate (24%), verifying the clinical activity of TFDC immunotherapy, particularly against O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) unmethylated GBM (5-year survival rate: 33%). To identify novel factors influencing overall survival (OS) in GBM IDH-WT treated with TFDC immunotherapy, clinical parameters were assessed and comprehensive molecular profiling involving transcriptome and exome analyses was performed. MGMT promoter methylation status, extent of tumor resection, and vaccine parameters (administration frequency, DC and tumor cell numbers, and fusion ratio) were not associated with survival following TFDC immunotherapy. Old age and pre- and post-operative Karnofsky performance status were significantly correlated with OS. Low HLA-A expression and lack of CCDC88A, KRT4, TACC2, and TONSL mutations in tumor cells were correlated with better prognosis. We validated the activity of TFDC immunotherapy against GBM IDH-WT, including chemoresistant, MGMT promoter unmethylated cases. The identification of molecular biomarkers predictive of TFDC immunotherapy efficacy in GBM IDH-WT will facilitate the design of and patient stratification in a phase-3 trial to maximize treatment benefits.
Cost‐Efficacy Analysis of Use of Frozen Section Histology for Margin Assessment During Breast Conservation Surgery in Breast Cancer Patients
Authors: Agarwal Gaurav , Sattavan Swati , Vishvak Chanthar K. M. M. , Kumar Anup , Sabaretnam M. , Chand Gyan , Mishra Anjali , Agrawal Vinita
Published: June 2023

Background

Margin assessment is an essential component of breast conservation surgery (BCS). Re‐excision of infiltrated margin(s) detected on paraffin section histology (PSH) needs reoperation, adding time, inconvenience and cost. Intra‐operative assessment of margins using frozen section histology (IFSH) can potentially obviate need for re‐operation, thus facilitating one‐step oncologically complete BCS.

Methods

IFSH and PSH reports of consecutive patients undergoing BCS (2010–2020) were reviewed. Accuracy and cost‐efficacy of IFSH were assessed, considering PSH as gold standard. Cost of achieving oncologically complete BCS in whole cohort with IFSH (Scenario‐A) was calculated and compared using appropriate statistical tests, with hospital costs for the cohort in a hypothetical Scenario‐B, where IFSH was presumed not to have been used and all patients with infiltrated margin(s) on PSH would have been re‐operated.

Results

Of the 367 patients screened, 39 were excluded due to incomplete IFSH data. Of 328 patients analyzed, 59 (18%) had one or more margins were reported infiltrated on IFSH, managed by re‐excision or mastectomy in the same sitting, thus avoiding a reoperation. Additional 8 (2.4%) had involved margins on PSH (False negative IFSH). Significantly higher number of reoperations (p < 0.001) would have been needed in scenario‐B. Average cost of the first operation with use of IFSH was Indian Rupees (INR) 25791 which included INR660 as IFSH cost. The average cost of reoperation was INR23724 which could be avoided in 59 (18%) by use of IFSH. The average cost per patient to achieve oncologically complete surgery in scenario A utilizing IFSH was significantly lower (p = 0.001) by INR3101 (11.7%), c.w. that in scenario B. Significant cost‐saving with IFSH was maintained in cost‐efficacy analysis undertaken with various higher and lower costs assumptions.

Conclusions

Use of IFSH facilitates one‐step oncologically complete BCS in majority of patients and results in considerable cost saving, resulting in avoidance of reoperations, besides preventing patient anxiety and delay in adjuvant treatment.

Trial Registration

Clinical Trials Registry—India (CTRI/2021/08/035896).
Quantifying the energetic cost tradeoffs of photovoltaic pumping systems for Sub-Saharan African smallholder farms
Authors: Liang ZhiYi , Shorter Amanda L. , Winter Amos G.
Published: June 2023

As solar technology has matured, irrigation using photovoltaic pumping systems (PVPSs) has gained popularity in developing markets as an effective means to alleviate poverty and increase food security. Yet, there remains a barrier to adoption; the upfront costs of PVPSs pose a financial burden for many low-income farmers. In a PVPS, the capital cost of the solar array contributes a large portion of upfront system costs. The solar pump is the largest energy consumer in the system, thus its efficiency directly impacts the size and cost of the solar array. There is a limited quantitative understanding of how solar pump efficiency affects the capital cost of the solar array. This study presents a technoeconomic framework to directly quantify the impact of solar pump efficiency on the cost of the solar array in a PVPS, for a range of hydraulic operating conditions. New empirical efficiency scaling laws were created by characterizing the efficiencies of 4-inch multistage centrifugal borehole pumps and induction motors. The utility of the technoeconomic framework is demonstrated through a case study comparing solar pump architectures with motors of different efficiencies. Results indicate that, despite the increased motor cost, the use of high-efficiency motors in solar pumps may lead to an overall cost reduction in a PVPS. Counter to the conventional capital cost-driven process, this work demonstrates that an efficiency-driven design process could improve low-cost, solar-powered system design. Engineers and system designers can leverage the presented framework during the design process to make informed decisions to achieve more cost-effective PVPSs.
Antimicrobial Effects of Sophora flavescens Alkaloids on Metronidazole-Resistant Gardnerella vaginalis in Planktonic and Biofilm Conditions
Authors: Fan Linyuan , Liu Zhaohui , Zhang Zhan , Bai Huihui
Published: June 2023

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common infectious disease of the lower female reproductive tract, which is characterized by the augmentation of anaerobic bacteria. Gardnerella (G.) vaginalis plays a predominant role in BV recurrence relating to its higher virulence potential and biofilm formation ability. With the increased proportion of metronidazole-resistant G. vaginalis, controlling resistance to metronidazole and finding more effective drugs became a major concern. In this study, 30 clinical strains were cultured from the vaginal secretions of BV patients, followed by PCR and 16S rDNA sequencing identification. According to the CLSI guidelines for anaerobic drug sensitivity testing, 19 strains were identified as metronidazole-resistant (minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC ≥ 32 μg/mL), of which 4 clinical strains were observed to be strong biofilm producer and the final minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) of metronidazole was increased to 512 μg/mL. Sophora flavescens Alkaloids (SFAs), a traditional chinese medicine, could not only inhibit the growth of metronidazole-resistant G. vaginalis in planktonic (MIC: 0.3125–1.25 mg/mL), but also eliminate the biofilm formation (MBIC: 0.625–1.25 mg/mL). In the high-magnification scanning electron, it was observed that the morphology of biofilm changed from a thick to flaky shape and was nearly depleted. These results indicate that SFAs could not only inhibit the growth of metronidazole-resistant G. vaginalisin planktonic and biofilm levels, but also destroyed the biofilm morphology and microstructure, which may contribute to the prevention of BV recurrence.
Estimating uncertainties in the life cycle assessment of composting household biowaste and urban green waste in Germany
Authors: Joseph Ben , Stichnothe Heinz
Published: June 2023

Life cycle assessment (LCA) of waste treatment processes is often associated with considerable uncertainties. The aim of this study is to estimate the total uncertainty in the modelled composting system and the influence of material and process parameters on the uncertainty. Four composting combinations with fresh (FC) and mature substrate compost (MSC) from partially enclosed (PEC) and open composting (OC) were investigated. Perturbation analysis was used to determine the effect of parameters on the result and Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate the total uncertainty. This study showed that the production of MSC using PEC had the lowest overall impacts across all impact categories except ozone depletion. Results of the Monte Carlo simulation showed that comparing composting options was challenging. The sensitivity ratios obtained from the perturbation analysis showed that the process parameter percentage of carbon fraction degraded was the most influential for FC. In MSC, the moisture content in the input material and the substitution factor used for peat were the most influential. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrated the overall uncertainty of the model and its relevance when comparing results between combinations. The perturbation analysis identified the parameters that required more accurate data to reduce the uncertainty in the model.

Graphical abstract
Brood survival in the Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio in eastern Poland
Authors: Golawski Artur , Mroz Emilia , Golawska Sylwia , Parapura Agnieszka , Zduniak Piotr
Published: June 2023

Brood survival as an expression of breeding success is a component of bird fitness and the principal parameter underlying bird population dynamics. The main factor limiting brood survival is predation pressure, and birds have developed anti-predator strategies by selecting safer places for building nests and breeding. Here, we examined whether nest location affected the level of predation pressure. To do so, we analyzed brood survival in a Red-backed Shrike (RBS)Lanius colluriopopulation breeding in the low-intensive agricultural landscape of eastern Poland. The mean survival probability for the whole nesting period was 0.540 and was higher for the incubation period (0.787) than for the nestling period (0.696). Cox’s proportional hazard model did not show any significant traits describing the location of the nesting shrub or the nest’s position in the shrub that could have affected RBS brood survival. We consider the composition of the local predator community to influence brood survival more than the location of a nest in the bush. The Eurasian MagpiePica picais mainly responsible for RBS brood predation. Red-backed Shrikes do not defend their broods against Magpies using acoustic signals and direct contact. Since Magpies search the bushes thoroughly, the shrikes’ nest concealment strategies are ineffective in the face of this predator.
Patients’ perspectives on their motivations for participating in non-clinical medical teaching and what they gain from their experience: a qualitative study informed by critical theory
Authors: Massé Julie , Grignon Sophie , Vigneault Luc , Olivier-D’Avignon Geneviève , Tremblay Marie-Claude
Published: June 2023

In 2019–2021, we engaged in a project aimed at developing, implementing, and evaluating an educational intervention actively involving patient-teachers in undergraduate medical education at Université Laval, Quebec, Canada. Patient-teachers were invited to participate in small group discussion workshops during which medical students deliberate on legal, ethical, and moral issues arising from medical practice. Patients were expected to bring other perspectives, based on their experience with illness and the healthcare system. Little is still known about patients’ perspectives on their participation experience in such context. Informed by critical theory, our qualitative study aims to document,: (i) the motivating factors for patients’ participation in our intervention; and (ii) what patients gained from the experience. Data collection was based on 10 semi-structured interviews with patient-teachers. A thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo software. Motivators for participation arose from: (i) perceived consistency between patients’ individual characteristics and those of the project, and (ii) conceiving the project as a means to reach individual and social goals. What patients gained mainly refers to (1) the appreciation of a positive, enriching, motivating yet uncomfortable and destabilizing experience; (2) a deconstruction of biases against the medical field and critical thinking about their own experience; (3) new knowledge, with a potential impact on their future interactions with the healthcare system. Results reveal patients as non-neutral thinking and knowing subjects, engaged in the participation experience as active teachers and learners. They also highlight the empowering and emancipatory nature of the learning gained through patients’ participation experience. These conclusions prompt us to promote transformative interventional approaches that question the pervasive power issues in medical teaching and value patients’ specific knowledge in teaching and learning the Art of Medicine.
(Un)intended lock-in: Chile’s organic agriculture law and the possibility of transformation towards more sustainable food systems
Authors: Contesse Maria , Duncan Jessica , Legun Katharine , Klerkx Laurens
Published: June 2023

Food systems transformations require coherent policies and improved understandings of the drivers and institutional dynamics that shape (un)sustainable food systems outcomes. In this paper, we introduce the Chilean National Organic Agriculture Law as a case of a policy process seeking to institutionalize a recognized pathway towards more sustainable food systems. Drawing from institutional theory we make visible multiple, and at times competing, logics (i.e., values, assumptions and practices) of different actors implicated in organic agriculture in Chile. More specifically, our findings identify five main institutional transformative logics underpinning the interests and actions of organic actors. However, we find that the Law was not motivated by these logics and did not advance them. Rather, the Law was designed to support a market niche targeted to elite consumers and to reinforce agricultural exports. As a result, the Law constrains rather than enables the practice of organic agriculture and access to organic food by consumers, especially at the domestic level. We note that attention to institutional logics in the analysis of food systems, and specifically food system transformation, is relevant to more comprehensive assessments of the transformational potential of food systems policies. We conclude that there is a need to further consider and make visible the way in which different drivers (i.e., laws) are constituted through and by diverse, and often competing, institutional logics.
Predictors of Treatment Adherence and Virological Failure Among People Living with HIV Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy in a South African Rural Community: A Sub-study of the ITREMA Randomised Clinical Trial
Authors: Gumede Siphamandla B. , Wensing Annemarie M. J. , Lalla-Edward Samanta T. , de Wit John B. F. , Francois Venter W. D. , Tempelman Hugo A. , Hermans Lucas E.
Published: June 2023

A large proportion of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa reside in rural areas. Knowledge of enablers and barriers of adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) in these populations is limited. We conducted a cohort study of 501 adult PLHIV on ART at a rural South African treatment facility as a sub-study of a clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03357588). Socio-economic, psychosocial and behavioral characteristics were assessed as covariates of self-reported adherence difficulties, suboptimal pill count adherence and virological failure during 96 weeks of follow-up. Male gender was an independent risk factor for all outcomes. Food insecurity was associated with virological failure in males. Depressive symptoms were independently associated with virological failure in both males and females. Household income and task-oriented coping score were protective against suboptimal pill-count adherence. These results underscore the impact of low household income, food insecurity and depression on outcomes of ART in rural settings and confirm other previously described risk factors. Recognition of these factors and targeted adherence support strategies may improve patient health and treatment outcomes.
Iron necessity for chlamydospore germination in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense TR4
Authors: Were Evans , Viljoen Altus , Rasche Frank
Published: June 2023

Fusarium wilt disease of banana, caused by the notorious soil-borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 (Foc TR4), is extremely difficult to manage. Manipulation of soil pH or application of synthetic iron chelators can suppress the disease through iron starvation, which inhibits the germination of pathogen propagules called chlamydospores. However, the effect of iron starvation on chlamydospore germination is largely unknown. In this study, scanning electron microscopy was used to assemble the developmental sequence of chlamydospore germination and to assess the effect of iron starvation and pH in vitro. Germination occurs in three distinct phenotypic transitions (swelling, polarized growth, outgrowth). Outgrowth, characterized by formation of a single protrusion (germ tube), occurred at 2 to 3 h, and a maximum value of 69.3% to 76.7% outgrowth was observed at 8 to 10 h after germination induction. Germination exhibited plasticity with pH as over 60% of the chlamydospores formed a germ tube between pH 3 and pH 11. Iron-starved chlamydospores exhibited polarized-growth arrest, characterized by the inability to form a germ tube. Gene expression analysis of rnr1 and rnr2, which encode the iron-dependent enzyme ribonucleotide reductase, showed that rnr2 was upregulated (p < 0.0001) in iron-starved chlamydospores compared to the control. Collectively, these findings suggest that iron and extracellular pH are crucial for chlamydospore germination in Foc TR4. Moreover, inhibition of germination by iron starvation may be linked to a different mechanism, rather than repression of the function of ribonucleotide reductase, the enzyme that controls growth by regulation of DNA synthesis.
Oil absorption stability of modified cellulose porous materials with super compressive strength in the complex environment
Authors: Lang Daning , Zhang Chengbo , Qian Qianqian , Guo Chengxin , Wang Lingling , Yang Chao , Wu Ronglan , Wang Wei , Wang Jide , Fu Jihong
Published: June 2023

The occurrence of oil spills has severe damage upon both the environment and human health. Hence, the development of a green, recyclable, complex environment resistant, and efficient oil–water separation aerogel is required in order to effectively absorb marine or industrial oil. In this study, modified cellulose/N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide/tannin (PCMT) composite porous materials were prepared utilizing the sol–gel method and were modified with tertbutyl acrylate. PCMT possesses a three-dimensional interpenetrating porous structure, exhibiting remarkable oil–water separation performance and excellent compressive strength (PCMT can capable of bearing 7000 times its own weight; PCMT can endure 290.3 kPa pressure at 80% strain when the amount of tannin is 0.2 g). The unique pore structure of PCMT engenders differential oil adsorption capacities (PCMT0, PCMT0.05, PCMT0.1, and PCMT0.2 evince higher adsorption capacities for petroleum ether and dichloromethane, n-hexane and dichloromethane, toluene, and toluene and dichloromethane, respectively). Of critical import, PCMT demonstrates exceptional adaptability to complex environments, wherein the porous materials maintain good hydrophobicity and oil absorption capacity under conditions of vigorous stirring, a wide pH range (1–14), a wide temperature range (4–160 °C), ultraviolet irradiation (8 h), and tape peeling (10 times). Moreover, the porous materials may be employed for the recovery of oil through simple mechanical extrusion, thus demonstrating certain economic significance and the application potential in the treatment of oil spills.
Does Mind-Wandering Explain ADHD-Related Impairment in Adolescents?
Authors: Dekkers Tycho J. , Flisar Ajda , Karami Motaghi Adrian , Karl Alexandra , Frick Matilda A. , Boyer Bianca E.
Published: June 2023

Currently, diagnostic criteria for ADHD mainly reflect behavioral symptoms, neglecting internal phenomena like mind-wandering. Recent studies found that mind-wandering explains impairment beyond ADHD symptoms in adults. To better capture ADHD-related impairment in adolescents, we aimed to elucidate whether mind-wandering is associated with impairments that are prevalent in adolescents (i.e., risk-taking behavior, homework problems, emotional dysregulation, and general impairment) beyond ADHD symptoms. Furthermore, we sought to validate the Dutch translation of the Mind Excessively Wandering Scale (MEWS). We assessed a community sample of 626 adolescents on ADHD symptoms, mind-wandering, and the impairment domains. The Dutch MEWS had good psychometric properties. Mind-wandering was linked to general impairment and emotional dysregulation beyond ADHD symptoms, but was not linked to risk-taking behavior and homework problems beyond ADHD symptoms. Internal psychological phenomena such as mind-wandering may add to the behavioral symptoms of ADHD in explaining part of the impairment that adolescents with ADHD characteristics experience.
Knowledge graph embedding methods for entity alignment: experimental review
Authors: Fanourakis Nikolaos , Efthymiou Vasilis , Kotzinos Dimitris , Christophides Vassilis
Published: June 2023

In recent years, we have witnessed the proliferation of knowledge graphs (KG) in various domains, aiming to support applications like question answering, recommendations, etc. A frequent task when integrating knowledge from different KGs is to find which subgraphs refer to the same real-world entity, a task largely known as the Entity Alignment. Recently, embedding methods have been used for entity alignment tasks, that learn a vector-space representation of entities which preserves their similarity in the original KGs. A wide variety of supervised, unsupervised, and semi-supervised methods have been proposed that exploit both factual (attribute based) and structural information (relation based) of entities in the KGs. Still, a quantitative assessment of their strengths and weaknesses in real-world KGs according to different performance metrics and KG characteristics is missing from the literature. In this work, we conduct the first meta-level analysis of popular embedding methods for entity alignment, based on a statistically sound methodology. Our analysis reveals statistically significant correlations of different embedding methods with various meta-features extracted by KGs and rank them in a statistically significant way according to their effectiveness across all real-world KGs of our testbed. Finally, we study interesting trade-offs in terms of methods’ effectiveness and efficiency.
When teachers construct tests for assessing students’ competencies: a taxonomy
Authors: Becevic Semir
Published: June 2023

Little is known about how teachers construct tests. For that reason, this study addresses the use of teacher-constructed tests for assessing educational goals, expressed in terms of student mathematical competencies. The focus is on meanings that upper secondary school mathematics teachers assign to their own test construction practices for assessing educational goals, expressed in terms of mathematical competencies in the curriculum. The methodological approach of grounded theory, underlined by symbolic interactionism, is applied to semi-structured interviews with teachers. The core category, the emerging taxonomy, is derived by revealing distinctions in degree of paying attention to competencies: no attention, superficial attention, and qualitative attention, as well as two different phases of the assessment: constructional and marking. Finally, a couple of possible implications for developing and improving test construction are offered. This includes collaborative work, inside and outside of schools, with both prospective and in-service teachers, for improvement of competence implementation in regular teaching and learning in alignment with mathematical content.