bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Local radial basis function collocation method preserving maximum and monotonicity principles for nonlinear differential equations
Authors: Zheng Zhoushun , He Jilong , Du Changfa , Ye Zhijian
Published: April 2023

In this paper, a hybrid numerical scheme based on combining exponential time differencing (ETD) and local radial basis function collocation method was constructed. Model problems with different boundary conditions were considered, and the resulting linear system was carefully analyzed. The relation between the number of points employed in the local radial basis function collocation method and the condition number of the coefficient matrix was given. For application, three typical differential equations were investigated, that is, the Allen–Cahn equation for checking the maximum‐preserving property, the combustion equation for checking the monotonicity‐preserving property, and the Gray–Scott system for checking the robustness of the proposed scheme. Numerical examples show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Supporting families through paediatric brain tumour: Unmet needs and suggestions for change
Authors: Young Kate , Cashion Christine , Hassall Timothy , Ekberg Stuart , Bradford Natalie
Published: April 2023

Objective

From diagnosis and beyond, a paediatric brain tumour and its treatment impact the child and their family in a myriad of ways. While it is considered best practice to offer ongoing psychosocial support for all family members, there is little scholarly investigation of both families' experiences and the practical implications of offering such care. We aimed to explore families' experiences of paediatric brain tumour and their associated psychosocial health service needs.

Methods

Families receiving care at the Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, for a child (0–18 years) who had been diagnosed with a brain tumour between 2019 and 2022 were invited to be interviewed about their experiences. Using qualitative description, we analysed these interviews to identify families' unmet psychosocial health service needs and their suggestions for improvement.

Results

Twenty‐three clinically and socially diverse families were represented. While parents/carers expressed gratitude for the care their child had received, most also described unmet needs for the broader family. We identified three primary needs to be addressed: (1) parents want accessible psychological/emotional support for themselves; (2) parents/carers want additional guidance to navigate the hospital setting to reduce uncertainty and loss of control; and (3) parents want support to minimise treatment‐associated trauma for their child.

Conclusions

Our findings evidence the need for improved family‐centred psychosocial care within paediatric brain tumour care in Queensland, Australia. We propose a counselling and care coordination intervention to support parents/carers to care for themselves, their child, and their family through an extremely challenging experience.
Depression, anxiety, and resilience during COVID‐19 in Dutch patients with cystic fibrosis or primary ciliary dyskinesia and their caregivers
Authors: Noij Lieke , Haarman Eric , Hashimoto Simone , Terheggen‐Lagro Suzanne , Altenburg Josje , Twisk Jos , Verkleij Marieke
Published: April 2023

Background

The COVID‐19 pandemic has spread across the world, leading to government measures associated with a negative impact on mental health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on depression, anxiety and resilience in Dutch people with cystic fibrosis (PwCF) or primary ciliary dyskinesia (PwPCD) and their caregivers.

Methods

Adolescents (12–17 years) and caregivers of children (0–17 years) with CF, and adolescents, adults and caregivers of children with PCD completed questionnaires on depression, anxiety and resilience between September 2020 and February 2021. The psychosocial impact of COVID‐19 was measured by the Exposure and Family Impact Survey (CEFIS) Part 2. Mixed model analyses compared depression and anxiety results to participants' prepandemic scores.

Results

One hundred ten participants (10 PwCF, 31 PwPCD, 52 CF caregivers, 17 PCD caregivers) completed questionnaires during the pandemic. Prepandemic outcomes were available for 87 participants. The prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety (PHQ‐9 or GAD‐7 scores ≥5) in PwCF and PwPCD and their caregivers before and during the pandemic was high, with an increase in depression in PwCF (2.75; 95% confidence interval: 0.82–4.68) and increase in anxiety in CF caregivers (1.03; 0.09–1.96) during the pandemic. Resilience was within the normal range for all groups, CEFIS scores corresponded to a low to normal impact.

Conclusion

PwCF and PwPCD and their caregivers were at risk of elevated depression and anxiety symptoms both before and during the pandemic, which emphasizes the importance of mental health screening and psychological care in CF and PCD.
Effect of radon exposure on asthma morbidity in the School Inner‐City Asthma study
Authors: Banzon Tina M. , Greco Kimberly F. , Li Longxiang , Mukharesh Lana , Vieira Carolina L. Zilli , Steiner M. Kathryn , Hauptman Marissa , Ratchataswan Thanaporn , Koutrakis Petros , Phipatanakul Wanda , Gaffin Jonathan M.
Published: April 2023

Background

Radon may have a role in obstructive lung disease outside its known carcinogenicity. Little is known about radon's effects on asthma morbidity.

Objective

To determine the effect of radon on fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO), asthma symptom‐days, and lung function in inner‐city asthmatic school children.

Methods

Two hundred ninety‐nine school‐aged asthmatic children enrolled in the School Inner‐City Asthma Study (SICAS‐1) were followed. One and two‐month averaged radon was assessed using a spatiotemporal model predicting zip code‐specific monthly exposures. FENO and spirometry were measured twice during the academic year. Asthma symptoms were assessed four times during the academic year. The interaction between indoor radon exposure (Bq/m3) and seasonality predicting log‐transformed FENO, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) % predicted, forced vital capacity (FVC) % predicted, FEV1/FVC, and asthma symptom‐days was evaluated.

Results

Participants with high radon exposure had greater change in FENO from warm to cold periods compared to low radon exposure (interaction p = 0.0013). Participants with >50th percentile radon exposure experience significant FENO increase from warm to cold weather ( = 0.29 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.04–0.54], p = 0.0240). We report a positive association between radon 1‐month moving average (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.01, p = 0.0273) and 2‐month moving average (IRR = 1.01, p = 0.0286) with maximum asthma symptom‐days (n = 299, obs = 1167).

Conclusions

In asthmatic children, radon may be associated with increased asthma morbidity, suggesting radon may be a modifiable environmental risk factor for airway inflammation.
Structural, Optical, and Electrical Properties of SnO2–CdO–In2O3 Films Prepared by Magnetron Co‐sputtering
Authors: Guan Xue , Han Yu-Rui , Gu Guang-Rui
Published: April 2023

SnO2–CdO (SCO) films and SnO2–CdO–In2O3 (SCIO) films are successfully deposited on Si (100) and glass substrates by radio frequency and direct current magnetron co‐sputtering. The films are characterized by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, ultraviolet visible near‐infrared spectroscopy, and four‐point probes. SCO films exhibit Cd2SnO4 (011) preferred orientation, and the SCO film deposited at the sputtering power of 80W exhibits excellent crystalline quality and transmittance. The arrangement of clusters changes from sparse to dense when the indium element concentration increases. The resistivities of SCIO films are of two orders of magnitude lower than those of the SCO films. However, the visible light transmittances decrease slightly and the optical bandgap values decrease from 5.00 to 4.85 eV. The results indicate that the indium element plays an important role in improving the electrical properties of SCO films. SCIO films are expected to be a good candidate for transparent conductive films.
Effect of Cobalt Doping on Structural, Morphological, Magnetic, Electrical, and Optical Properties of (Ba0.7Sr0.3)0.98Ca0.02Ti1−XCoxO3 Ceramics for Device Applications
Authors: Mahmud Hasan , Ahamed Jamal Uddin , Khan Mohammed Nazrul Islam
Published: April 2023

Considering the multifunctional performance, the (Ba0.7Sr0.3)0.98Ca0.02Ti1−xCoxO3 (x = 0.00–0.2) ceramics are successfully synthesized using the traditional solid‐phase reaction method. The effect of cobalt doping on the samples’ structural, morphological, magnetic, electrical, and optical characteristics is elucidated. Raman spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction data confirm the dopants’ integration into the cubic perovskite microstructure. At room temperature, the magnetization–magnetic field intensity hysteresis loops from vibrating sample magnetometer reveal the samples’ ferromagnetic character, with a maximum magnetization of 0.091 emu g−1 achieved for x = 15%. The real part of the initial permeability demonstrates that the replacement of Co2+ causes a shift in resonance toward higher frequencies above 85 MHz, indicating the potential of the synthesized ceramics for high‐frequency magnetic applications. The variation in dielectric characteristics from 100 Hz to 10 MHz is explained using electron hopping on octahedral sites and Maxwell–Wagner's model. The increase of AC conductivity in the high‐frequency region is consistent with the strengthening of the grain effect on the conduction mechanism, which supports the small‐range polaron‐hopping theory. The complex electric modulus's peak (M′′) shifts toward a higher‐frequency region with cobalt content, suggesting a reduction in the relaxation rate. The optical bandgap is observed to decrease from 3.08 to 2.96 eV with cobalt content.
Bright Emission at Reverse Bias After Trailing Edge of Driving Pulse in Wide InGaN Quantum Wells
Authors: Tepaß Jannina , Uhlig Lukas , Hajdel Mateusz , Muziol Grzegorz , Schwarz Ulrich T.
Published: April 2023

In group‐III‐nitride quantum wells (QWs), a strong piezoelectric field is formed. A built‐in potential from the p–n junction is working in the opposite direction depending on an externally applied voltage. Furthermore, the electric field in the QW can be partially screened by a high charge carrier density. Herein, the influence of these effects on recombination and spectrum for over 10 nm wide InGaN QWs is investigated. The very low overlap of electrons and holes would suggest inefficient devices. However, it is shown that thick QWs can be more effective and reach high optical gain. This can be explained by the screening of the electric field, resulting in a high overlap of excited electron and hole states that enable lasing. Herein, a pulsed electrical excitation scheme is used, where carrier injection at forward bias and predominant recombination at zero or reverse bias are separated in time. The interplay between the piezoelectric field and the built‐in potential on carrier recombination in dependence on an external bias voltage is observed. In particular, a strong increase of the radiative recombination rate after the trailing edge of the driving pulse is observed.
ChatGPT use could change views on academic misconduct
Authors: McCarthy Claudine
Published: April 2023

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA — Student and faculty use of ChatGPT has quickly become one of the biggest controversies in higher education. As detractors resist the free, online text‐generating tool like the plague and others delight in its exciting possibilities, ChatGPT is taking the world by storm, threatening to upend longstanding concepts of plagiarism, authorship, ownership, and learning, according to intellectual property expert Jacob Rooksby, J.D., Ph.D., Professor and Dean of the Gonzaga University School of Law, and IP Optimization Strategist with FIG. 1 Patents, PLLC. He spoke at Stetson University's annual National Conference on Law and Higher Education.
Don't make leadership hard
Authors: Williams Melva K.
Published: April 2023

Higher education administrators are often asking about the secrets of good leadership. This question is the most important in moving the needle toward student success.
Did court dismiss student's Title IX claim?
Authors: Lyerly Eric
Published: April 2023

A cheerleader at Georgia College and State University went on a spring break trip with a few classmates. On this trip, a male student sexually assaulted the cheerleader while she was intoxicated. The cheerleader didn't remember the assault but woke up the next morning with her shirt off and soreness in her vaginal area.
Regional collaboration for the sustainable development goals: Experiences from developing a multi‐actor platform in Sweden
Authors: Krantz Venus , Gustafsson Sara
Published: April 2023

The 2030 Agenda and its integrative and indivisible sustainable development goals (SDGs) challenge traditional ways of governing. Hence, collaboration across sectors, actors, and levels is fundamental in SDG localisation, where subnational levels (actors at regional and local levels) play key roles in forwarding societal transformation. The paper sheds light on the complexity of collaboration by exploring the early stages of developing multi‐actor collaboration for SDG implementation at a county level in Sweden. The analyses depart from interviews and observations. One of the main conclusions is that it is important to discuss the involved organisations' understanding and ambitions more in‐depth early on in such collaboration processes. To be able to do so, the actors need to have the capacity to see beyond their traditional roles. Moreover, the study indicates that leadership is essential in this context, but this leadership needs to be based on neutrality, which, in practise, is a challenge.
The four main elements of dynamic complexity
Authors: Yasarcan Hakan
Published: April 2023

Accumulation processes, feedback loops, nonlinearities, and delays are the four main elements of dynamic complexity. Knowing about and understanding these elements is necessary in conceptualizing and constructing dynamic feedback models. Therefore, the elements are major topics when teaching system dynamics. This short note aims to explain the relations of these elements with each other in the hope of providing a perspective that can help improve the understanding of students of system dynamics. We also suggest an order of presentation of these elements in teaching based on the relations between them. © 2023 System Dynamics Society.
Novel Zn/Mn‐Based Perovskite (ZnMnO3) as Fabricated by a Sol‐Gel Method for Energy Storage Devices
Authors: Tahir Farid Hafiz Muhammad , Noman Saeed Muhammd , Gouadria Soumaya , Farraj Alharbi Fatemah , Aman Salma
Published: April 2023

Energy‐saving strategies and programs have been developed by the appropriate organizations in response to rising concerns about the pollution created by fossil fuels in the environment. Compared to conventional batteries, supercapacitors have several advantages than other, including faster charge and discharge times, higher power density, a longer cycle life, and fever negative effects on the environment. Researchers explored perovskite as a novel class of eco‐friendly electrodes for energy conversion devices. In this study, we developed ZnMnO3 via a sol gel route for supercapacitor application. The phases, structure, valance, morphology and surface of the material are determined by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET), respectively. The electrochemical behavior manifested that the fabricated perovskite exhibited high capacitive efficiency of 889 F g−1 at 1 A g−1. The GCD stability test displays the highest capacitive retention of 97 % after 5000 cycles and shows prolong the stability of 50 h. Our findings suggest that the perovskite exhibited the fascinating feature for supercapacitor application to replace the other polluted source of energy.
Controllable surface reconstruction of copper foam for electrooxidation of benzyl alcohol integrated with pure hydrogen production
Authors: Han Yingnan , Yu Chang , Huang Hongling , Wei Qianbing , Dong Junting , Chen Lin , Qiu Jieshan
Published: April 2023

Electrocatalytic water splitting that is coupled with electrocatalytic chemical oxidation is considered as one of the promising methods for efficiently obtaining hydrogen energy and fine chemicals. Herein, we focus on an electrochemical redox activation strategy to rationally manipulate the microstructure and surface valence states of copper foam (CF) and boost the corresponding performance towards electrocatalytic benzyl alcohol oxidation (EBA), accompanied by the efficient hydrogen production. Correspondingly, the Cu(II)‐dominated species are gradually formed on the CF surface with the dissolution and redeposition of copper in the suitable potential range. The new species containing Cu2O, CuO, and Cu(OH)2 during surface reconstruction process of the CF were confirmed by multiple characterization techniques. After 220‐cycled activation (CF‐220), the activated CF achieves an increase of current density for EBA in anode from 9.5 for the original CF to 29.3 mmol/cm2, while the pure hydrogen yield increases threefold than that of the original CF at 1.5 VRHE. The produced new species can endow the CF‐220 with abundant acidity sites, which can enhance the adsorption toward Lewis‐basicity benzyl alcohol, confirmed by NH3‐temperature‐programmed desorption. In situ Raman result further reveals that the as‐produced CuO, Cu(OH)2, and Cu(OH)42− are the main active species toward the EBA process.
Rational Construction of 2D/3D Co3O4/NH2‐MIL‐53(Al) Heterostructures to Facilitate Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution
Authors: Li Xiaohong , Jin Zhiliang
Published: April 2023

Based on the principle of strengthening photogenerated carrier separation and interfacial charge transfer, the heterojunction structure is constructed to improve the performance of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. For this reason, a 3D gear‐like NH2‐MIL‐53(Al) material is synthesized by the template‐free hydrothermal method, and then the 2D irregular loose flake material Co3O4 derived from metal–organic framework is loaded. The hydrogen evolution rate of the composite photocatalyst Co3O4/NH2‐MIL‐53 (Al) is much greater than that of two single catalysts after progressively improving the experimental conditions. First of all, this is attributed to the heterojunction structure formed by the appropriate arrangement of energy bands. Second, the rationality of the heterojunction structure is confirmed by the change of binding energy of atoms in in situ irradiation X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the calculation results of density functional theory. Further testing of the materials’ photoelectrochemical properties reveals that the composite photocatalyst Co3O4/NH2‐MIL‐53 (Al) has improved light adsorption, a lower overpotential, and a smaller Tafel slope. These results show that the hybrid material Co3O4/NH2‐MIL‐53 (Al) improves the charge separation activity and hydrogen evolution reaction kinetics, thus enhancing the photocatalytic performance.
Evaluation of Starch Properties for Selecting Sorghum Planted under Environmental Stress with Superior Noodle‐Making Properties
Authors: Li Xiao , Kang Xuemin , Hu Jiyong , Gao Wei , Cheng Yue , Yu Bin , Sui Jie , Wang Jiangfei , Cui Bo
Published: April 2023

KT and Nuo sorghum are planted in saline‐alkali (SA) soil (KT‐S, Nuo11‐S) and nonsaline‐alkali (NSA) soil (KT‐S, Nuo11‐NS) to demonstrate the impact of SA stress on the structure and properties of sorghum starch. SA decreases the amylose content (27.57%–20.43%) but increases the B2 + B3 chain content of branched amylopectin (18.86%–19.57%) in KT, in contrast to Nuo. The X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) results confirms the crystallinity of sorghum starch, and the degree of ordering in semicrystalline lamellae is arranged as follows: Nuo11‐S > Nuo11‐NS > KT‐S > KT‐NS. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) confirms that SA improves thermal stability of starch granules. The noodles made of sorghum starch exhibit significant hydrolysis resistance compared to common noodles, and a higher hydrolysis rate is shown in SA‐starch noodles. Overall, it is essential to understand the fine structure and physicochemical properties of starch isolated from sorghum planted in different soils to help determine its appropriate applications.
Towards Formal XAI: Formally Approximate Minimal Explanations of Neural Networks
Authors: Bassan Shahaf , Katz Guy
Published: April 2023

With the rapid growth of machine learning, deep neural networks (DNNs) are now being used in numerous domains. Unfortunately, DNNs are “black-boxes”, and cannot be interpreted by humans, which is a substantial concern in safety-critical systems. To mitigate this issue, researchers have begun working on explainable AI (XAI) methods, which can identify a subset of input features that are the cause of a DNN’s decision for a given input. Most existing techniques are heuristic, and cannot guarantee the correctness of the explanation provided. In contrast, recent and exciting attempts have shown that formal methods can be used to generate provably correct explanations. Although these methods are sound, the computational complexity of the underlying verification problem limits their scalability; and the explanations they produce might sometimes be overly complex. Here, we propose a novel approach to tackle these limitations. We (i) suggest an efficient, verification-based method for findingminimal explanations, which constitute aprovable approximationof the global, minimum explanation; (ii) show how DNN verification can assist in calculating lower and upper bounds on the optimal explanation; (iii) propose heuristics that significantly improve the scalability of the verification process; and (iv) suggest the use ofbundles, which allows us to arrive at more succinct and interpretable explanations. Our evaluation shows that our approach significantly outperforms state-of-the-art techniques, and produces explanations that are more useful to humans. We thus regard this work as a step toward leveraging verification technology in producing DNNs that are more reliable and comprehensible.
Validating Streaming JSON Documents with Learned VPAs
Authors: Bruyère Véronique , Pérez Guillermo A. , Staquet Gaëtan
Published: April 2023

We present a new streaming algorithm to validate JSON documents against a set of constraints given as a JSON schema. Among the possible values a JSON document can hold, objects are unordered collections of key-value pairs while arrays are ordered collections of values. We prove that there always exists a visibly pushdown automaton (VPA) that accepts the same set of JSON documents as a JSON schema. Leveraging this result, our approach relies on learning a VPA for the provided schema. As the learned VPA assumes a fixed order on the key-value pairs of the objects, we abstract its transitions in a special kind of graph, and propose an efficient streaming algorithm using the VPA and its graph to decide whether a JSON document is valid for the schema. We evaluate the implementation of our algorithm on a number of random JSON documents, and compare it to the classical validation algorithm.
Antichains Algorithms for the Inclusion Problem Between $$\omega $$-VPL
Authors: Doveri Kyveli , Ganty Pierre , Hadži-Đokić Luka
Published: April 2023

We define novel algorithms for the inclusion problem between two visibly pushdown languages of infinite words, an EXPTime-complete problem. Our algorithms search for counterexamples to inclusion in the form of ultimately periodic words i.e. words of the form $$uv^{\omega }$$

u

v
ω

where $$u$$
u
and $$v$$
v
are finite words. They are parameterized by a pair of quasiorders telling which ultimately periodic words need not be tested as counterexamples to inclusion without compromising completeness. The pair of quasiorders enables distinct reasoning for prefixes and periods of ultimately periodic words thereby allowing to discard even more words compared to using the same quasiorder for both. We put forward two families of quasiorders: the state-based quasiorders based on automata and the syntactic quasiorders based on languages. We also implemented our algorithm and conducted an empirical evaluation on benchmarks from software verification.
ParaQooba: A Fast and Flexible Framework for Parallel and Distributed QBF Solving
Authors: Heisinger Maximilian , Seidl Martina , Biere Armin
Published: April 2023

Over the last years, innovative parallel and distributed SAT solving techniques were presented that could impressively exploit the power of modern hardware and cloud systems. Two approaches were particularly successful: (1) search-space splitting in a Divide-and-Conquer (D &C) manner and (2) portfolio-based solving. The latter executes different solvers or configurations of solvers in parallel. For quantified Boolean formulas (QBFs), the extension of propositional logic with quantifiers, there is surprisingly little recent work in this direction compared to SAT.

In this paper, we present ParaQooba, a novel framework for parallel and distributed QBF solving which combines D &C parallelization and distribution with portfolio-based solving. Our framework is designed in such a way that it can be easily extended and arbitrary sequential QBF solvers can be integrated out of the box, without any programming effort. We show how ParaQooba orchestrates the collaboration of different solvers for joint problem solving by performing an extensive evaluation on benchmarks from QBFEval’22, the most recent QBF competition.
Entanglement of stationary states in the presence of unstable quasiparticles
Authors: Horváth Dávid X. , Calabrese Pasquale , Castro-Alvaredo Olalla A.
Published: April 2023

Abstract

The effect of unstable quasiparticles in the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of certain integrable systems has been the subject of several recent studies. In this paper we focus on the stationary value of the entanglement entropy density, its growth rate, and related functions, after a quantum quench. We consider several quenches, each of which is characterised by a corresponding squeezed coherent state. In the quench action approach, the coherent state amplitudes K(θ) become input data that fully characterise the large-time stationary state, thus also the corresponding Yang-Yang entropy. We find that, as function of the mass of the unstable particle, the entropy growth rate has a global minimum signalling the depletion of entropy that accompanies a slowdown of stable quasiparticles at the threshold for the formation of an unstable excitation. We also observe a separation of scales governed by the interplay between the mass of the unstable particle and the quench parameter, separating a non-interacting regime described by free fermions from an interacting regime where the unstable particle is present. This separation of scales leads to a double-plateau structure of many functions, where the relative height of the plateaux is related to the ratio of central charges of the UV fixed points associated with the two regimes, in full agreement with conformal field theory predictions. The properties of several other functions of the entropy and its growth rate are also studied in detail, both for fixed quench parameter and varying unstable particle mass and viceversa.
Parity-violation in bouncing cosmology
Authors: Zhu Mian , Cai Yong
Published: April 2023

Abstract

We investigate the possibility of the enhancement of parity-violation signal in bouncing cosmology. Specifically, we are interested in deciding which phase should generate the most significant parity-violation signals. We find that the dominant contribution comes from the bouncing phase, while the contraction phase has a smaller contribution. Therefore, bouncing cosmology can enhance the parity-violation signals during the bouncing phase. Moreover, since the bouncing phase has the highest energy scale in bouncing cosmology, we can also probe new physics at this scale by studying the parity-violation effect.
Aging microglia
Authors: Antignano Ignazio , Liu Yingxiao , Offermann Nina , Capasso Melania
Published: April 2023

Microglia are the tissue-resident macrophage population of the brain, specialized in supporting the CNS environment and protecting it from endogenous and exogenous insults. Nonetheless, their function declines with age, in ways that remain to be fully elucidated. Given the critical role played by microglia in neurodegenerative diseases, a better understanding of the aging microglia phenotype is an essential prerequisite in designing better preventive and therapeutic strategies. In this review, we discuss the most recent literature on microglia in aging, comparing findings in rodent models and human subjects.
Existence of Steady Solutions for a Model for Micropolar Electrorheological Fluid Flows with Not Globally log-Hölder Continuous Shear Exponent
Authors: Kaltenbach Alex , Růžička Michael
Published: April 2023

In this paper, we study the existence of weak solutions to a steady system that describes the motion of a micropolar electrorheological fluid. The constitutive relations for the stress tensors belong to the class of generalized Newtonian fluids. The analysis of this particular problem leads naturally to weighted variable exponent Sobolev spaces. We establish the existence of solutions for a material function$${\hat{p}}$$p^that is$$\log $$log-Hölder continuous and an electric field$$\textbf{E}$$Efor that$$\vert \textbf{E}\vert ^2$$|E|2is bounded and smooth. Note that these conditions do not imply that the variable shear exponent$$p={\hat{p}}\circ \vert \textbf{E}\vert ^2$$p=p^∘|E|2is globally$$\log $$log-Hölder continuous.
Quantification methods of determining brewer’s and pharmaceutical yeast cell viability: accuracy and impact of nanoparticles
Authors: Eigenfeld Marco , Wittmann Leonie , Kerpes Roland , Schwaminger Sebastian , Becker Thomas
Published: April 2023

For industrial processes, a fast, precise, and reliable method of determining the physiological state of yeast cells, especially viability, is essential. However, an increasing number of processes use magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for yeast cell manipulation, but their impact on yeast cell viability and the assay itself is unclear. This study tested the viability of Saccharomyces pastorianus ssp. carlsbergensis and Pichia pastoris by comparing traditional colourimetric, high-throughput, and growth assays with membrane fluidity. Results showed that methylene blue staining is only reliable for S. pastorianus cells with good viability, being erroneous in low viability (R2 = 0.945; $$\widehat{\sigma }$$

σ
^

= 5.78%). In comparison, the fluorescence microscopy–based assay of S. pastorianus demonstrated a coefficient of determination of R2 = 0.991 at $$\alpha =0$$

α
=
0

($$\widehat{\sigma }$$

σ
^

= 2.50%) and flow cytometric viability determination using carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA), enabling high-throughput analysis of representative cell numbers; R2 = 0.972 ($$\alpha =0$$

α
=
0

; $$\widehat{\sigma }$$

σ
^

= 3.89%). Membrane fluidity resulted in a non-linear relationship with the viability of the yeast cells ($$\alpha \ne 0$$

α
≠
0

). We also determined similar results using P. pastoris yeast. In addition, we demonstrated that MNPs affected methylene blue staining by overestimating viability. The random forest model has been shown to be a precise method for classifying nanoparticles and yeast cells and viability differentiation in flow cytometry by using CFDA. Moreover, CFDA and membrane fluidity revealed precise results for both yeasts, also in the presence of nanoparticles, enabling fast and reliable determination of viability in many experiments using MNPs for yeast cell manipulation or separation.
Evaluation of volatile and chemical profile of sherry-like white wine Vernaccia di Oristano from Sardinia by comprehensive targeted and untargeted approach
Authors: Petretto Giacomo , Urgeghe Pietro Paolo , Cabizza Roberto , Del Caro Alessandra
Published: April 2023

This study investigated the chemical–physical and volatile profile of sherry-like white wines with different aging time from three different areas of Sardinia. Proximate chemical composition, CIELab color coordinates and absorbances at 280 and 420 nm were determined. Volatile compounds were determined by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) followed by gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer (GC/MS) using a targeted and untargeted approach. Significant correlations among the age of the wine and most of the chemical physical parameters, such as alcohol content, total acidity, volatile acidity, glycerol and polyphenols were observed. A280 and A420 values were highest, as expected, in the oldest wines as well as an increase of a* low values for L* were found during aging. Fifty-nine volatile compounds were identified, among which ethyl acetate, amyl/iso-amyl alcohol, ethyl octanoate, benzaldehyde, ethyl decanoate and phenylethyl alcohol were predominant. The untargeted approach was able to discriminate wines according to their production area, and within each group, according to the year of production.
Predictors of Nodal Disease in Rectal Cancer Patients with Complete Mucosal Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy
Authors: Emile Sameh Hany , Maron David J. , Horesh Nir , Garoufalia Zoe , Gefen Rachel , Zhou Peige , Wexner Steven D.
Published: April 2023

Background

Some patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) achieve complete mucosal response following neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) and may be candidates for watch and wait strategy. This study aimed to identify predictors of nodal disease in patients with LARC who had a complete mucosal response to NAT.

Methods

This case–control study included patients with LARC who were treated with NAT in the National Cancer Database between 2004 and 2019. Patients with complete mucosal response, defined as pathologic T0, were identified and classified according to the status of the pathologic N stage into complete response (pT0, pN0) and complete mucosal response with positive nodal disease (pT0, pN +). The two groups were compared regarding baseline demographics and tumor characteristics to determine the predictors of nodal disease after NAT.

Results

A total of 5529 patients (59.7% male) with a mean age of 59.6 ± 12.2 years had a complete mucosal response following NAT. Nodal disease was detected in 443 (8%) patients with a complete mucosal response. Independent predictors of nodal disease were clinical N + stage (OR: 1.87, p < 0.001), mucinous histology (OR: 3.8, p = 0.003), and lymphovascular invasion (OR = 4.01, p < 0.001). The clinical T stage was inversely related to the risk of nodal disease.

Conclusions

Despite having a complete mucosal response following NAT, 8% of patients had nodal disease. Clinical evidence of nodal involvement on preoperative assessment, mucinous tumor histology, and lymphovascular invasion predicted nodal disease after NAT. These findings should be considered when making a decision on watch and wait strategy in patients with clinical complete response.
Low-frequency variability enhancement of the midlatitude climate in an eddy-resolving coupled ocean–atmosphere model—part II: ocean mechanisms
Authors: Kurashina Ryosuke , Berloff Pavel
Published: April 2023

This paper investigates the spatial inhomogeneity of the time-averaged, quasigeostrophic, double-gyre circulation response to fixed, realistic, large-scale modes of wind-stress forcing. While the companion paper of this study focused on understanding the anatomy of low-frequency, midlatitude climate variability in an idealised, eddy-resolving coupled model, this paper looked at understanding the nature of the wind-induced ocean gyre response using an ocean-only configuration of the same model. Our analysis revealed two, time-averaged responses to an east–west dipole, wind-stress curl anomaly in the ocean basin. Firstly, wind-stress anomalies in the western ocean basin led to changes in relative strength of the inertial recirculation zones and jet-axis tilt. This is consistent with an advection-dominated, nonlinear adjustment of the ocean gyres to anomalous forcing. Secondly, wind-stress curl anomalies in the eastern ocean basin was found to induce a largely independent response involving meridional shifts of the western boundary current extension (WBCE). The effects of time-averaged advection in this region are weak and the discovery of westward-propagating Rossby waves along the WBCE revealed the response is more akin to a baroclinic Rossby wave adjustment.
First results of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, applied as a screening tool for psychosocial difficulties in pediatric audiology
Authors: de Jong Tjeerd J. , van der Schroeff Marc P. , Achterkamp Marieke D. , Vroegop Jantien L.
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Despite major improvements in rehabilitation possibilities, children with sensorineural hearing loss are at risk for psychosocial difficulties. These difficulties can impact their educational and career achievements and may be two to three times more common in children with hearing loss compared to those with normal hearing. Early identification of psychosocial difficulties can be facilitated using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and may improve outcomes and quality of life. We implemented the SDQ into the clinical follow-up of children with hearing loss in a tertiary referral hospital. With this, prevalence and severity of difficulties in specific psychosocial domains and several predictors were investigated.

Methods

A retrospective, cross-sectional investigation was performed of the following factors in association with the SDQ results: type of hearing device, type and degree of hearing loss, speech perception in quiet and in noise, and type of schooling.

Results

Between June 2020 and January 2022, parents of 312 children (age 4–18) completed the SDQ. An additional 113 child-reports were completed. The response rate of the parents was 69%. Problems with peer relationships and prosocial behavior were the most affected areas with clinically elevated scores in 22% of the children. Psychosocial difficulties were distributed similarly across types of hearing device, nature and degrees of hearing loss, and educational settings. Better speech perception in quiet was significantly associated with fewer parent-reported conduct problems.

Conclusion

The results of the present study suggest that children with hearing loss may be at risk of experiencing challenges with social interactions and attachment in social contexts. Using the SDQ in clinical follow-up may improve the chances for early psychological assessment and intervention. In addition, the study found that children’s mental health may be impacted by their communication abilities.
Reduced order homogenization of thermoelastic materials with strong temperature dependence and comparison to a machine-learned model
Authors: Sharba Shadi , Herb Julius , Fritzen Felix
Published: April 2023

In this work, an approach for strongly temperature-dependent thermoelastic homogenization is presented. It is based on computational homogenization paired with reduced order models (ROMs) that allow for full temperature dependence of material parameters in all phases. In order to keep the model accurate and computationally efficient at the same time, we suggest the use of different ROMs at few discrete temperatures. Then, for intermediate temperatures, we derive an energy optimal basis emerging from the available ones. The resulting reduced homogenization problem can be solved in real time. Unlike classical homogenization where only the effective behavior, i.e., the effective stiffness and the effective thermal expansion, of the microscopic reference volume element are of interest, our ROM delivers also accurate full-field reconstructions of all mechanical fields within the microstructure. We show that the proposed method referred to as optimal field interpolation is computationally as efficient as simplistic linear interpolation. However, our method yields an accuracy that matches direct numerical simulation in many cases, i.e., very accurate real-time predictions are achieved. Additionally, we propose a greedy sampling procedure yielding a minimal number of direct numerical simulations as inputs (two to six discrete temperatures are used over a range of around 1000 K). Further, we pick up a black box machine-learned model as an alternative route and show its limitations in view of the limited amount of training data. Using our new method to generate an abundance of data, we demonstrate that a highly accurate tabular interpolator can be gained easily.
“If only I had”, patients’ experiences during early oncology trials
Authors: van Sasse van IJsselt Maaike E. A. , van der Biessen Diane A. J. , van Puffelen Andrea J. , Robbrecht Debbie G. J. , Oldenmenger Wendy H.
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Until today, it is not clear why patients decide to continue with early clinical trial (ECT) participation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore to which extent the self-determination theory of Ryan and Deci, according to the ECT enrollment phase, corresponds to the motivations of participants during ECT’s.

Methods

This study has a qualitative design. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and were deductively analyzed in Nvivo12 using the thematic analysis approach of Braun and Clarke.

Results

As a result of the deductive analysis performed, six themes and twenty subthemes emerged which matched the three personal needs: competence, relatedness, and autonomy (n = 11). “Competence” included the following themes: mixed future expectations, treatment expectations, and control of the outcome. “Relatedness” included the theme altruistic motivation. “Autonomy” included the themes; to live and act in harmony as well as mental and physical burden.

Conclusion

Participants felt they tried everything and that they were treated to the limit. This not only gives the motivation to continue participating but also a sense of altruism. Despite different burdens, side-effects, and the feeling of being a test subject, the participants will not easily choose to stop participation in order to prevent saying afterwards: “If only I had”.
Evolution driven by the infinity fractional Laplacian
Authors: del Teso Félix , Endal Jørgen , Jakobsen Espen R. , Vázquez Juan Luis
Published: April 2023

We consider the evolution problem associated to the infinity fractional Laplacian introduced by Bjorland et al. (Adv Math 230(4–6):1859–1894, 2012) as the infinitesimal generator of a non-Brownian tug-of-war game. We first construct a class of viscosity solutions of the initial-value problem for bounded and uniformly continuous data. An important result is the equivalence of the nonlinear operator in higher dimensions with the one-dimensional fractional Laplacian when it is applied to radially symmetric and monotone functions. Thanks to this and a comparison theorem between classical and viscosity solutions, we are able to establish a global Harnack inequality that, in particular, explains the long-time behavior of the solutions.
Stochastic homogenization of degenerate integral functionals with linear growth
Authors: Ruf Matthias , Zeppieri Caterina Ida
Published: April 2023

We study the limit behaviour of sequences of non-convex, vectorial, random integral functionals, defined on$$W^{1,1}$$W1,1, whose integrands are ergodic and satisfy degenerate linear growth conditions. The latter involve suitable random, scale-dependent weight-functions. Under minimal assumptions on the integrand and on the weight-functions, we show that the sequence of functionals homogenizes to a non-degenerate deterministic functional defined onBV.
Versorgung des rupturierten abdominellen Aortenaneurysmas (AAA) 2020/2021
Authors: Schmitz-Rixen Thomas , Löffler Ann-Kathrin , Steinbauer Markus , Grundmann Reinhart T.
Published: April 2023

Zielsetzung

Die Daten für die Jahre 2020 und 2021 des Registers des Deutschen Instituts für Gefäßmedizinische Gesundheitsforschung (DIGG) der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Gefäßchirurgie und Gefäßmedizin zur Versorgung der rupturierten abdominellen Aortenaneurysmen (rAAA) werden vorgestellt.

Methodik

Die Versorgung eines rAAA meldeten im Jahr 2020 58 von 148 (38,5 %) und im Jahr 2021 57 von 156 (36,5 %) der am Register teilnehmenden Kliniken. Zur Auswertung kamen die Daten von insgesamt 574 Patienten mit rAAA.

Ergebnisse

231 (40,2 %) Patienten wurden mit EVAR und 343 (59,8 %) mit OR versorgt. Patienten mit gedeckter Ruptur machten bei EVAR 91,1 % (204/224) aus, bei OR waren es 75,2 % (255/339) (p < 0,001). Umgekehrt betrug der Anteil der Patienten mit freier Ruptur bei EVAR 8,9 %, bei OR 24,8 %. Die Klinikletalität machte bei EVAR 19,0 % (44/231), bei OR 32,1 % (110/343) aus (p < 0,001). Für die gedeckte Ruptur betrug sie bei EVAR 14,7 % (30/204), bei OR 27,8 % (71/255) (p < 0,001). Bei freier Ruptur ergab sich bei EVAR eine Klinikletalität von 65 % (13/20), bei OR von 45,2 % (38/84) (p = 0,027). Die Klinikletalität war vom Alter der Patienten abhängig, Patienten über 80 Jahre wiesen bei EVAR eine Klinikletalität von 27,8 % (20/72), bei OR von 60 % (39/65) auf (p < 0,001). Die Klinikletalität betrug bei den Frauen bei EVAR 21,4 % (9/42) vs. 48,5 % (33/68) bei OR (p = 0,030). Bei den Männern waren es 18,5 % (35/189) bei EVAR vs. 28,0 % (77/275) bei OR (p = 0,018). Krankenhausaufenthaltsdauer und Verweildauer auf der Intensivstation waren bei EVAR signifikant kürzer als bei OR.

Schlussfolgerung

Patienten mit endovaskulärer und offener Versorgung eines rAAA waren nicht ganz vergleichbar, der Anteil an Patienten mit freier Ruptur war bei OR signifikant höher und der Aneurysmadurchmesser tendenziell größer. Nichtsdestoweniger bestätigen die Ergebnisse der Jahre 2020/2021 die Aussagen der Leitlinien, nach denen, wenn technisch machbar, beim rAAA das endovaskuläre Vorgehen dem offenen vorzuziehen ist.
Antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity of silver nanoparticles biosynthesized with Cystoseira algae extracts
Authors: Fernandes Mário , González-Ballesteros Noelia , da Costa André , Machado Raúl , Gomes Andreia C. , Rodríguez-Argüelles Maria Carmen
Published: April 2023

Antimicrobial resistance is an ever-growing global concern to public health with no clear or immediate solution. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have long been proposed as efficient agents to fight the growing number of antibiotic-resistant strains. However, the synthesis of these particles is often linked to high costs and the use of toxic, hazardous chemicals, with environmental and health impact. In this study, we successfully produced AgNPs by green synthesis with the aid of the extract of two brown algae—Cystoseira baccata (CB) and Cystoseira tamariscifolia (CT)—and characterized their physico-chemical properties. The NPs produced in both cases (Ag@CB and Ag@CT) present similar sizes, with mean diameters of around 22 nm. The antioxidant activity of the extracts and the NPs was evaluated, with the extracts showing important antioxidant activity. The bacteriostatic and bactericidal properties of both Ag@CB and Ag@CT were tested and compared with gold NPs produced in the same algae extracts as previously reported. AgNPs demonstrated the strongest bacteriostatic and bactericidal properties, at concentrations as low as 2.16 µg/mL against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. Finally, the capacity of these samples to prevent the formation of biofilms characteristic of infections with a poorer outcome was assessed, obtaining similar results. This work points towards an alternative for the treatment of bacterial infections, even biofilm-inducing, with the possibility of minimizing the risk of drug resistance, albeit the necessary caution implied using metallic NPs.

Graphical abstract