bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A new bimodal approach for sentinel lymph node imaging in prostate cancer using a magnetic and fluorescent hybrid tracer
Authors: Michalik Bianca , Engels Svenja , Otterbach Maximilian C. , Frerichs Jorina , Suhrhoff Paula E. , van Oosterom Matthias N. , Maurer Martin H. , Wawroschek Friedhelm , Winter Alexander
Published: November 2023

Purpose

To obtain initial data on sentinel lymph node (SLN) visualisation by pre-operative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and intra-operative bimodal SLN identification using a new magnetic fluorescent hybrid tracer in prostate cancer (PCa) patients.

Methods

Ten patients at > 5% risk for lymph node (LN) invasion were included. The day before surgery, a magnetic fluorescent hybrid tracer consisting of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) and indocyanine green was transrectally injected into the prostate. Five hours after injection, transversal pelvic MRI scans were recorded and T2*-weighed images were screened for pelvic LNs with SPION uptake. Intra-operatively, magnetically active and/or fluorescent SLNs were detected by a handheld magnetometer and near-infrared fluorescence imaging (FI). Extended pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) and radical prostatectomy completed the surgery. All resected specimens were checked ex situ for magnetic activity and fluorescence and were histopathologically examined.

Results

Pre-operative MRI identified 145 pelvic LNs with SPION uptake. In total, 75 (median 6, range 3‒13) magnetically active SLNs were resected, including 14 SLNs not seen on MRI. FI identified 89 fluorescent LNs (median 8.5, range 4‒13) of which 15 LNs were not magnetically active. Concordance of the different techniques was 70% for pre-operative MRI vs. magnetometer-guided PLND and 88% for magnetic vs. fluorescent SLN detection.

Conclusion

These are the first promising results of bimodal, magnetic fluorescent SLN detection in PCa patients. Our magnetic fluorescent hybrid approach provides the surgeon a pre-operative lymphatic roadmap by using MRI and intra-operative visual guidance through the application of a fluorescent lymphatic agent. The diagnostic accuracy of our new hybrid approach has to be evaluated in further studies.

Trial registration

DRKS00032808. Registered 04 October 2023, retrospectively registered.
Diaphragmatic hernia repair porcine model to compare the performance of biodegradable membranes against Gore-Tex®
Authors: Scuglia Marianna , Frazão Laura P. , Miranda Alice , Martins Albino , Barbosa-Sequeira Joana , Coimbra Diana , Longatto-Filho Adhemar , Reis Rui L. , Nogueira-Silva Cristina , Neves Nuno M. , Correia-Pinto Jorge
Published: November 2023

Background

Patch repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) using Gore-Tex® is associated with infection, adhesions, hernia recurrence, long-term musculoskeletal sequels and poor tissue regeneration. To overcome these limitations, the performance of two novel biodegradable membranes was tested to repair CDH in a growing pig model.

Methods

Twelve male pigs were randomly assigned to 3 different groups of 4 animals each, determined by the type of patch used during thoracoscopic diaphragmatic hernia repair (Gore-Tex®, polycaprolactone electrospun membrane-PCLem, and decellularized human chorion membrane-dHCM). After 7 weeks, all animals were euthanized, followed by necropsy for diaphragmatic evaluation and histological analysis.

Results

Thoracoscopic defect creation and diaphragmatic repair were performed without any technical difficulty in all groups. However, hernia recurrence rate was 0% in Gore-Tex®, 50% in PCLem and 100% in dHCM groups. At euthanasia, Gore-Tex® patches appeared virtually unchanged and covered with a fibrotic capsule, while PCLem and dHCM patches were replaced by either floppy connective tissue or vascularized and floppy regenerated membranous tissue, respectively.

Conclusion

Gore-Tex® was associated with a higher survival rate and lower recurrence. Nevertheless, the proposed biodegradable membranes were associated with better tissue integration when compared with Gore-Tex®.
Luminol and the postmortem interval estimation — influence of taphonomic factors
Authors: Ermida Catarina , Cunha Eugénia , Ferreira Maria Teresa
Published: November 2023

The estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) is one of the key challenges for forensic anthropologists. Although there are several methods referenced for this purpose, none is sufficiently effective. One of the main reasons justifying the complexity of this task is the influence of several taphonomic factors.

The study of the Luminol technique has stood out as a promising method for estimating PMI, complementing the existing methods, since it is an economic, easy and reproducible method that operates as a presumptive test. However, it is not known which taphonomic factors can influence the results obtained by this technique.

The aim of this study is to test the influence of taphonomic factors, such as temperature, humidity, soil type and pH, on the estimation of the PMI by the Luminol technique.

In order to test the influence of the referred factors, a sample consisting of 30 clavicles, with known and similar PMI, collected from autopsies, was distributed as evenly as possible by six vases and buried with different decomposition conditions for a period of 12 months. After the exhumation and sample preparation, the Luminol technique was applied.

It was possible to clearly observe differences in the results. Thus, according to our research, it is possible to conclude that the results obtained by the application of Luminol are influenced by taphonomic factors. Therefore, the context in which a body is found should always be considered for applying this technique.
Taming impulsive high-frequency data using optimal sampling periods
Authors: Tzagkarakis George , Maurer Frantz , Nolan John P.
Published: November 2023

Optimal sampling period selection for high-frequency data is at the core of financial instruments based on algorithmic trading. The unique features of such data, absent in data measured at lower frequencies, raise significant challenges to their statistical analysis and econometric modelling, especially in the case of heavy-tailed data exhibiting outliers and rare events much more frequently. To address this problem, this paper proposes a new methodology for optimal sampling period selection, which better adapts to heavy-tailed statistics of high-frequency financial data. In particular, the novel concept of the degree of impulsiveness (DoI) is introduced first based on alpha-stable distributions, as an alternative source of information for characterising a broad range of impulsive behaviours. Then, a DoI-based generalised volatility signature plot is defined, which is further employed for determining the optimal sampling period. The performance of our method is evaluated in the case of risk quantification for high-frequency indexes, demonstrating a significantly improved accuracy when compared against the well-established volatility-based approach.
Vortex formation time in female athletes
Authors: Cirovic Stefan , Malmgren Andreas , Kurdie Rayane , Bilal Dejan , Dencker Magnus , Gudmundsson Petri
Published: November 2023

Regular, vigorous physical activity can have a significant impact on cardiac function, leading to cardiac morphological alterations that may be challenging to distinguish from pathological changes. Therefore, new screening methods are needed to accurately differentiate between adaptive changes and pathological alterations in athletes. Vortex formation time (VFT) is an emerging method that shows potential in this regard, as it involves the formation of a rotating vortex ring in the left ventricle during the early filling phase of diastole. In this study, we investigated the difference in VFT between two groups of women: professional handball players and healthy middle-aged female athletes, along with their corresponding control groups. By using echocardiography-Doppler analysis of the heart, VFT was calculated based on the left ventricular ejection fraction, the ratio between the end-diastolic volume and the diameter of the mitral annulus, and the ratio of the atrial contraction volume to the total inflow via the mitral valve. The study reveals a significant increase in VFT in both professional handball players and middle-aged female athletes compared to their respective control groups. Moreover, statistically significant differences between handball players and middle-aged female athletes were observed, indicating that the level of physical activity may affect the VFT. These results suggest that VFT could be a promising screening tool for identifying cardiac adaptations due to long-term vigorous training, potentially enabling more accurate diagnoses of cardiac morphological alterations in athletes.

Graphical abstract

Representation of the graphical abstract of the conducted research
The effect of eugenol anesthesia on the electric organ discharge of the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus
Authors: Lehotzky Dávid , Eske Annika I. , Zupanc Günther K. H.
Published: November 2023

Eugenol, the major active ingredient of clove oil, is widely used for anesthesia in fish. Yet virtually nothing is known about its effects on CNS functions, and thus about potential interference with neurophysiological experimentation. To address this issue, we employed a neuro-behavioral assay recently developed for testing of water-soluble anesthetic agents. The unique feature of this in-vivo tool is that it utilizes a readily accessible behavior, the electric organ discharge (EOD), as a proxy of the neural activity generated by a brainstem oscillator, the pacemaker nucleus, in the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus. A deep state of anesthesia, as assessed by the cessation of locomotor activity, was induced within less than 3 min at concentrations of 30–60 µL/L eugenol. This change in locomotor activity was paralleled by a dose-dependent, pronounced decrease in EOD frequency. After removal of the fish from the anesthetic solution, the frequency returned to baseline levels within 30 min. Eugenol also led to a significant increase in the rate of ‘chirps,’ specific amplitude/frequency modulations of the EOD, during the 30 min after the fish’s exposure to the anesthetic. At 60 µL/L, eugenol induced a collapse of the EOD amplitude after about 3.5 min in half of the fish tested. The results of our study indicate strong effects of eugenol on CNS functions. We hypothesize that these effects are mediated by the established pharmacological activity of eugenol to block the generation of action potentials and to reduce the excitability of neurons; as well as to potentiate GABAA-receptor responses.
In vitro effects of a natural marine algae polysaccharide (λ-carrageenan) on seabream erythrocytes, tumour cell lines and marine bacterial pathogens
Authors: Campos-Sánchez Jose Carlos , Guardiola Francisco A. , Esteban María Ángeles
Published: November 2023

Carrageenan is a high molecular weight sulphated polysaccharide used to induce experimental inflammation in mammals. In addition, it possesses a wide variety of properties that have not yet been studied in fish. This study evaluated the hemagglutinating, hemolytic, cytotoxic, and antibacterial activities of λ-carrageenan. The results showed that λ-carrageenan has hemagglutinating and hemolytic activities on gilthead seabream erythrocytes, which were dose and time-dependent during the first 6 h of incubation. No significant effects on the haemolytic activity of erythrocytes were observed after incubation for 12 or 24 h with λ-carrageenan. The PLHC-1 cell line showed significant increases in cytotoxic activity after 6 or 12 h of incubation compared with control cells, and the highest doses of λ-carrageenan caused cytotoxicity in PLHC-1 cells after 24 h of incubation. The morphology of PLHC-1 cells incubated with the highest doses of λ-carrageenan for 12 or 24 h showed obvious cell death changes compared with control cells. Interestingly, no significant variations in cytotoxic activity were observed in SAF-1 cell line after incubation with λ-carrageenan. Furthermore, λ-carrageenan showed significant dose-dependent bactericidal activity against Photobacterium damselae but had no significant effect on the bactericidal activity of Vibrio harveyi, Vibrio anguillarum, and Tenacibaculum maritimum. The study suggests that λ-carrageenan has potential applications in aquaculture and aquatic pharmaceutical industries as a hemagglutinating, hemolytic, and antibacterial agent.
Recyclability of a bio-based biocomposite under different reprocessing conditions
Authors: Titone Vincenzo , La Mantia Francesco Paolo , Botta Luigi
Published: November 2023

The present paper studies the effect of reprocessing, on both dry and wet reprocessing conditions, on the rheological and mechanical properties of a biocomposite made of a bio-based, biodegradable polymer with 40 wt% wood flour. The results show that the viscosity of the matrix decreases as the number of extrusions increases, with the greatest reduction for samples processed under wet conditions. The same behavior was observed for the biocomposite, but since the viscosity of the biocomposite is much higher than that of the matrix, this causes a greater reduction of molecular weight. Mechanical results show that properties such as tensile strength and elongation decrease as the number of extrusions increases for the matrix. In terms of maximum variations, the tensile strength experiences a decrease of approximately 18%, while the elongation at break shows a more significant reduction of about 40%. Conversely, the biocomposite shows an increase in tensile strength (about 30%) and elongation at break (about 90%) after the first extrusion and then a slight decrease, but with values of tensile strength and elongation higher than those of the virgin biocomposite.
How do American and British Nonsmokers Value Secondhand Smoke Health Risks?
Authors: Nduka Eleanya
Published: November 2023

Despite concerted efforts to enforce smoke-free laws in various countries, nonsmokers, particularly women and children, continue to be exposed to daily secondhand smoke (SHS), resulting in significant health risks. While existing studies have assessed the health effects of numerous diseases, the quantification of SHS spillovers remains understudied. This research employs choice experiments and contingent valuation techniques to rigorously quantify the attributes of SHS health risks, with a specific emphasis on facilitating cross-country comparisons. Our investigation reveals that nonsmoking individuals in the United Kingdom exhibit an attitude of indifference towards a proposed policy offering increased disposable income as compensation for SHS exposure. Conversely, nonsmoking Americans express a contrary perspective. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that nonsmoking Americans attribute a higher value to SHS health risks compared to their British counterparts. Consequently, this research uncovers a hitherto unexplored dimension of health risk-related behaviors. These findings hold the potential to significantly contribute to the development of future smoke-free policies, offering valuable insights that can inform policy decisions and address the persistent challenges associated with SHS exposure, particularly among vulnerable populations.
On the Telegraph Process Driven by Geometric Counting Process with Poisson-Based Resetting
Authors: Di Crescenzo Antonio , Iuliano Antonella , Mustaro Verdiana , Verasani Gabriella
Published: November 2023

We investigate the effects of the resetting mechanism to the origin for a random motion on the real line characterized by two alternating velocities $$v_1$$

v
1

and $$v_2$$

v
2

. We assume that the sequences of random times concerning the motions along each velocity follow two independent geometric counting processes of intensity $$\lambda $$
λ
, and that the resetting times are Poissonian with rate $$\xi >0$$

ξ
>
0

. Under these assumptions we obtain the probability laws of the modified telegraph process describing the position and the velocity of the running particle. Our approach is based on the Markov property of the resetting times and on the knowledge of the distribution of the intertimes between consecutive velocity changes. We obtain also the asymptotic distribution of the particle position when (i) $$\lambda $$
λ
tends to infinity, and (ii) the time goes to infinity. In the latter case the asymptotic distribution arises properly as an effect of the resetting mechanism. A quite different behavior is observed in the two cases when $$v_2<0<v_1$$

v
2

<
0
<

v
1

and $$0<v_2<v_1$$

0
<

v
2

<

v
1

. Furthermore, we focus on the determination of the moment-generating function and on the main moments of the process describing the particle position under reset. Finally, we analyse the mean-square distance between the process subject to resets and the same process in absence of resets. Quite surprisingly, the lowest mean-square distance can be found for $$\xi =0$$

ξ
=
0

, for a positive $$\xi $$
ξ
, or for $$\xi \rightarrow +\infty $$

ξ
→
+
∞

depending on the choice of the other parameters.
Accuracy of Local Authority Population Forecasts Produced by a New Minimal Data Model: A Case Study of England
Authors: Rees Philip , Wilson Tom
Published: November 2023

The preparation of forecasts for small and local area populations involves many challenges. Standard cohort-component models are problematic because of small numbers, which make estimation of rates unreliable. Because of this, the Synthetic Migration Population Projection (SYMPOPP) model was designed to forecast local populations without need for detailed area-specific information. This model had been used successfully for small area forecasts in Australia. The objective of the paper is to assess its performance when applied to local areas in England. The model uses a bi-regional structure based on a movement population account. Sub-models of total population change are employed to control future change. Fertility, mortality and migration rates are borrowed from national statistics, constrained to small area indicators. The model uses an Excel workbook with VBA routines and is relatively easy and quick to use. Model inputs were calibrated for 2006–2011 and used to forecast for 2011–2021. Results were tested against the census-based 2021 mid-year populations. A new error statistic, Age Structure Error, was used to evaluate Basic and Refined model versions against official projections. The two versions of SYMPOPP posted lower errors. The simple models had fewer areas with errors of 10% or more (12.3–12.6%) compared with the official projections (14.5% of areas). Investigation revealed that these errors occurred in local authorities with high military, student, prison, or ethnic minority populations, influenced by factors not captured in a projection model for the general population.
Global waterfowl production: stocking rate is a key factor for improving productivity and well-being—a review
Authors: El Sabry Mohamed I. , Almasri Obaida
Published: November 2023

Waterfowl is an important animal-protein source, which has the potential to get a bigger share in the animal production sector. However, waterfowl farming practices and welfare standards are not well established yet. Stocking rate is one of the farming standards that can enhance the productivity, behavior, and well-being of birds; however, rare studies are available in this area. Thus, this article (1) gives an overview of the recent global waterfowls’ meat and egg production and their population distribution, (2) reviews the effects of stocking rate on social, feeding, and sexual behaviors, (3) shows the effects of stocking rate on growth performance, carcass weight, and meat quality of ducks and geese, and (4) declares the relationship between the stocking rate and egg production. Conclusively, an optimal stocking rate standard can improve behaviors, productivity (meat-egg), and meat quality. Moreover, using weight (kg)/m2 will help in affording the required space allowance for different ducks and geese under various housing systems. The fish-waterfowl production system could be a promising and sustainable solution for increasing waterfowl production, maintaining the welfare of birds, saving energy, and reducing the water footprint of waterfowl meat. Based on prior research findings, we recommended adopting the stocking rate (SR) standard for specific duck and goose breeds to achieve an optimal production-welfare balance.
CAT-Seg: cascaded medical assistive tool integrating residual attention mechanisms and Squeeze-Net for 3D MRI biventricular segmentation
Authors: Shoieb Doaa A. , Fathalla Karma M. , Youssef Sherin M. , Younes Ahmed
Published: November 2023

Cardiac image segmentation is a critical step in the early detection of cardiovascular disease. The segmentation of the biventricular is a prerequisite for evaluating cardiac function in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI). In this paper, a cascaded model CAT-Seg is proposed for segmentation of 3D-CMRI volumes. CAT-Seg addresses the problem of biventricular confusion with other regions and localized the region of interest (ROI) to reduce the scope of processing. A modified DeepLabv3+ variant integrating SqueezeNet (SqueezeDeepLabv3+) is proposed as a part of CAT-Seg. SqueezeDeepLabv3+ handles the different shapes of the biventricular through the different cardiac phases, as the biventricular only accounts for small portion of the volume slices. Also, CAT-Seg presents a segmentation approach that integrates attention mechanisms into 3D Residual UNet architecture (3D-ResUNet) called 3D-ARU to improve the segmentation results of the three major structures (left ventricle (LV), Myocardium (Myo), and right ventricle (RV)). The integration of the spatial attention mechanism into ResUNet handles the fuzzy edges of the three structures. The proposed model achieves promising results in training and testing with the Automatic Cardiac Diagnosis Challenge (ACDC 2017) dataset and the external validation using MyoPs. CAT-Seg demonstrates competitive performance with state-of-the-art models. On ACDC 2017, CAT-Seg is able to segment LV, Myo, and RV with an average minimum dice symmetry coefficient (DSC) performance gap of 1.165%, 4.36%, and 3.115% respectively. The average maximum improvement in terms of DSC in segmenting LV, Myo and RV is 4.395%, 6.84% and 7.315% respectively. On MyoPs external validation, CAT-Seg outperformed the state-of-the-art in segmenting LV, Myo, and RV with an average minimum performance gap of 6.13%, 5.44%, and 2.912% respectively.
Besov wavefront set
Authors: Dappiaggi Claudio , Rinaldi Paolo , Sclavi Federico
Published: November 2023

We develop a notion of wavefront set aimed at characterizing in Fourier space the directions along which a distribution behaves or not as an element of a specific Besov space. Subsequently we prove an alternative, albeit equivalent characterization of such wavefront set using the language of pseudodifferential operators. Both formulations are used to prove the main underlying structural properties. Among these we highlight the individuation of a sufficient criterion to multiply distributions with a prescribed Besov wavefront set which encompasses and generalizes the classical Young’s theorem. At last, as an application of this new framework we prove a theorem of propagation of singularities for a large class of hyperbolic operators.
Swiss paediatric dentists’ preferences and experience on the use of articaine and other local/topical anaesthetics
Authors: Baumgartner L. , Papageorgiou S. N. , van Waes H. , Hamza B.
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study was conducted to explore the preference and experience of paediatric dentists based in Switzerland regarding the use of articaine and other local and topical anaesthesia.

Methods

An 18-question survey was developed, piloted, and distributed to the members of the Swiss association of paediatric dentistry (n = 460). The following information were collected: most used local anaesthetic in different age groups, time needed to inject a full ampule, frequency of observed local and systemic side effects, application of topical anaesthetic prior to injection, time waited between application and the injection, and perceived effectiveness of topical anaesthetic. The dentists’ responses were analysed with logistic regressions reporting odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) at 5%.

Results

The response rate was 37% (n = 168) out of the 460 questionnaires sent, with the responders being predominantly female (67%) and 47-year-old on average. More than 80% of the dentists used articaine in all age groups. 45% of responders took longer than 60 s to inject a full ampule. Local and systemic side-effects were observed by 82% and 28% of respondents respectively, although the nature and the significance of those were not detailed due to the anonymous nature of the questionnaire. Significantly less local adverse effects were seen for older children (p = 0.04) and among dentists with more years of experience (p = 0.01). Most responders applied topical anaesthetic and half of them waited longer than 60 s before injection.

Conclusions

Articaine is a widely used local anaesthetic by the studied group of Swiss paediatric dentists regardless of patient’s age. The use of topical anaesthetic before injection is a common practice with good perceived effectiveness.
MuSelect Chain: trusted decentralized mutual selection through blockchain
Authors: Shi Xiaohu , Chang Ying , Fu Zhongqi , Zhang Yu , Ma Deyin , Yang Yi
Published: November 2023

Mutual selection (the process of two types of objects choosing each other) often occurs in practical applications, such as those concerning financial credit. Considering the increasing demands for credibility, traditional artificial methods often cannot satisfy the corresponding requirements for security and transparency. Blockchain technology has the characteristics of decentralization, traceability, transparency, and being tamper-resistant, making it a potential method for solving the abovementioned problems. However, the existing consensus algorithms have some shortcomings in terms of efficiency, fault tolerance, security, and other relevant aspects, rendering them unsuitable for direct implementation in a mutual selection scenario. In this study, a system for mutual selection operations, denoted as “MuSelect Chain," is established. First, the institution information initialization method on blockchain is developed via a smart contract, ensuring the authenticity of information stored on the chain. Second, a mutual selection relationship confirmation algorithm is designed to ensure a reliable automated mutual selection process. Next, considering the characteristics of nodes participating in the network, a consensus algorithm called “Proof-of-Leadership” is proposed to ensure consistency of information stored by different nodes on the chain. Subsequently, an incentive mechanism is established with the focus on improving MuSelect Chain efficiency. Finally, a MuSelect Chain prototype is built. Simulation results prove that the proposed MuSelect Chain is secure with strong fault tolerance.
From Religious Populism to Civil Religion: a Discourse Analysis of Bolsonaro’s and Lula’s Inaugural and Victory Speeches
Authors: Mezzanotti Gabriela , Løland Ole Jakob
Published: November 2023

Religion played a major role during the presidential elections in Brazil in 2018 and 2022. Although much has been written about Bolsonaro’s religious influence on Brazilian politics, there is a need to understand how politicians on other sides of the political spectrum have positioned themselves in regard to religion. Thus, through transdisciplinary research rooted in Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) explanation phase, this article seeks to assess both Bolsonaro’s and Lula’s victory and inauguration speeches and their intricacies that appeal to various sorts of politicized religion by problematizing contrasting meanings in discourses of these Brazilian leaders and exploring how social circumstances have enabled or provided conditions for the reproduction of power relations between these politicians and the realm of religion, primarily Christianity. Hence, the article questions: First, which forms of political religion are expressed in the two presidents’ victory speeches and inauguration speeches in the aftermath of the last two general elections? Second, in what ways have both presidents been contributing to the politicization of religion and to what degree do Lula and Bolsonaro differ in this regard? It concludes by arguing that although Bolsonaro’s exclusionary religious populism can be contrasted to Lula’s inclusionary civil religion, there are also some important similarities in their discourses as both politicize Brazilian religion.
Eh Across Englishes: A Corpus-Pragmatic Analysis of the Corpus of Global Web-Based English
Authors: Westphal Michael
Published: November 2023

This paper presents an analysis of the pragmatic marker eh, which is typical of spoken discourse, in written online discourse from nine varieties of English using the Corpus of Global Web-based English. The analysis focuses on sentence-final eh and considers variation in terms of variety, punctuation, text type, and function. This paper also includes a variationist analysis of eh in contrast to huh. Although there are cross-variety differences, eh is used across all nine varieties in similar ways. Eh is mostly combined with a question mark, it is more frequent in blogs than in general websites, and emphatic functions dominate over narrative and interrogative uses. A qualitative analysis of the indexicalities demonstrates that eh mainly signals orality and informality in online writing but also has specific local meanings. The variationist analysis shows that eh is preferred over huh in the Canadian and New Zealand components. This preference is even more pronounced for the British and Philippine components. In contrast, huh dominates in the US component. These results show that eh is well integrated into online writing and can be characterized as a translocal pragmatic marker as it is used globally but has developed local characteristics.
Privatisation and Climate Change: a Question of Duties?
Authors: Herlin-Karnell Ester
Published: November 2023

If the state outsources a responsibility to private actors to plant trees, is that necessarily a bad thing? Surely, one would think not. Still, in constitutional theory, there are many forceful arguments against privatisation. One of the core arguments against privatisation is the question of who ought to do what and what it means for a policy area to be inherently public. In this paper, I am interested in varieties of privatisation and in particular what privatisation means in the context of climate change. The aim of the paper is to show that precisely because there is a variety of privatisation, in some areas, such as the environment and regarding climate change, we may discuss the question of ‘duty’ rather than privatisation as such.
Bio-inspired adsorption sheets from waste material for anionic methyl orange dye removal
Authors: Abdel-Aziz A. B. , Alrefaey Khlood A. , El-taweel Reem M. , Sh Husien , Pal Kaushik , Fahim Irene S. , Said Lobna A. , Radwan Ahmed G.
Published: November 2023

Nano zero-valent iron (nZVI), bimetallic nano zero-valent iron-copper (Fe0–Cu), and Raw algae (sargassum dentifolium) activated carbon-supported bimetallic nano zero-valent iron-copper (AC-Fe0–Cu) are synthesized and characterized using FT-IR, XRD, and SEM. The maximum removal capacity is demonstrated by bimetallic activated carbon AC-Fe0–Cu, which is estimated at 946.5 mg/g capacity at the condition pH = 7, 30 min contact time under shaking at 120 rpm at ambient temperature, 200 ppm of M.O, and 1 g/l dose of raw algae-Fe0–Cu adsorbent. The elimination capability of the H3PO4 chemical AC-Fe0–Cu adsorbent is 991.96 mg/g under the conditions of pH = 3, 120 min contact time under shaking at 120 rpm at room temperature, 200 ppm of M.O, and 2 g/l doses of H3PO4 chemical AC-Fe0–Cu adsorbent. The Bagasse activated carbon adsorbent sheet achieves a removal capacity of 71.6 mg/g MO dye solution. Kinetic and isothermal models are used to fit the results of time and concentration experiments. The intra-particle model yields the best fit for bimetallic Fe0–Cu, AC-Fe0–Cu, H3PO4 chemical AC-Fe0–Cu and bagasse activated carbon(CH), with corrected R-Squared values of 0.9656, 0.9926, 0.964, and 0.951respectively. The isothermal results emphasize the significance of physisorption and chemisorption in concentration outcomes. Response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANN) are employed to optimize the removal efficiency. RSM models the efficiency and facilitates numerical optimization, while the ANN model is optimized using the moth search algorithm (MSA) for optimal results.

Highlights

The Fe0–Cu composite, when combined with activated carbon from Bagasse Pulp (CH), exhibited the most effective decolorization effectiveness for anionic colours present in wastewater.

The utilization of composites presents a promising opportunity for efficient dye removal due to its cost-effectiveness and environmentally sustainable nature.

The utilization of response surface approach and artificial neural network modelling improves the efficacy of removal processes and treatment techniques.
Dynamic 3D-Cartographic Symbols for VR Geovisualizations
Authors: Olberding Helge , Vetter Mark
Published: November 2023

Geovisualizations that use a virtual reality headset can have a more immersive effect on users than when only a desktop application is viewed. However, to have an overview, a VR 3D map is usually viewed from a top-down perspective. On the other hand, the first-person perspective is used when the scenario is visualized as realistically as possible, and the ultimate goal is to feel present inside the 3D city. With the help of dynamic cartographic visualization methods, such as animated symbols appearing or a dynamic change of selected or complete visualization, it is possible to convey targeted information while being inside the 3D. For this purpose, techniques and ideas from cartography and video games were utilized and combined. The combination resulted in dynamically changeable symbol objects, which can be placed automatically using tables or building information, and dynamically changeable post-processing methods. Users can interactively select a predefined set of visualization methods and show/hide dynamic cartographic symbols in the running application via an interface. The study aims to develop cartographic visualization methods that can be technically used within a game engine for VR applications to improve spatial perception.
Recent Developments in Self-Assembling Multi-Robot Systems
Authors: Bray Edward , Groß Roderich
Published: November 2023

Purpose of Review

This review studies recent developments towards the physical design and control of self-assembling multi-robot systems.

Recent Findings

A wide range of novel robotic systems have been developed lately, for potential applications in terrestrial, aquatic, and aerospace environments. They increasingly make use of connectors which enable modules to join with each other at arbitrary points instead of discrete locations. Although the majority of contemporary algorithms are shape-driven, an increased focus on task-driven algorithms is observed.

Self-assembling multi-robot systems allow the same set of robots to adopt specific morphologies for different tasks. The requirements for robots to be able to connect to each other, locomote, and communicate have led to a wide range of physical designs realising different trade-offs. While algorithms are validated extensively in simulation, only a small portion are yet tested on real robotic platforms. Future research should investigate the real-world application of these systems, possibly aided by the introduction of standardised and open hardware.
Trust as foundation and endangerment of democracy
Authors: Dietz Simone
Published: November 2023

What are the consequences of lies for democracy? Contrary to a widespread assumption, they often do not lead to a loss of trust in politicians and a crisis of politics, because trust in politics is not primarily directed toward truthfulness. Systematic lying in politics does not necessarily threaten democracy as such, but it threatens specifically deliberative democracy and its procedures of rational opinion- and will-forming. The article starts from the thesis that it is not a general loss of trust but the one-sided concentration of political trust solely in the abilities of individual politicians or in scientific or technical expertise that endangers deliberative democracy. In answer to the question “Who owes whom trust in what in a democracy?” a distinction is made between moral trust and functional reliance, the significance of moral trust for collective action in democracy is explained, and three variants of trust that endanger deliberative democracy are outlined: autocratic, scientistic, and technocratic variants.
“Paperwork is so important!”: processes of literacising in bureaucratic contexts in Benin and Bolivia
Authors: Abou Moumouni Issifou , Krauß Rebekka
Published: November 2023

In both Bolivia and Benin, the state presumes that citizens can navigate its bureaucracy even if it does not provide them with the requisite literacy skills. However, bureaucratic procedures are highly characterised by literacy and digital literacy and people with little or no literacy require alternative strategies to manage them. This article contributes to debates on (il)literacy and bureaucracy studies by looking at the learning practices of persons with little or no literacy competence in La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia, and Parakou, Benin. It investigates their ways of coping with such bureaucratic requirements and especially how they manage to acquire specific literacy abilities in order to complete procedures. Our conclusions are based on empirical data obtained through various kinds of interviews and participant observation that we carried out during more than 12 months of fieldwork.

Our article shows how participants have independently acquired literacy competence on their own to achieve their goals and resolve highly relevant issues. For them, literacy is not so much an end in itself but a means of dealing with the state. During bureaucratic procedures, concurrent processes of illiteracising and literacising, as well as processes of learning and unlearning literacy, take place. We conceptualise and amplify the notion of this learning and unlearning with the terms “literacising” and “illiteracising” as processual and relational. Thus, we interpret literacising in the context and during the experience of bureaucracy as an instrument through which individuals try to affect, cope with and control bureaucratic procedures.
Atomic construction and spectroscopic characterization of FeSe-derived thin films on SrTiO3 substrates
Authors: Zhang Yao , Zhang Zhi-Mo , Nie Jin-Hua , Zhang Wenhao , Fu Ying-Shuang
Published: November 2023

Controllably fabricating low-dimensional systems and unraveling their exotic states at the atomic scale is a pivotal step for the construction of quantum functional materials with emergent states. Here, by utilizing the elaborated molecular beam epitaxy growth, we obtain various FexSey phases beyond the single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films. A synthetic strategy of lowering substrate temperature with superfluous Se annealing is implemented to achieve various stoichiometric FeSe-derived phases, ranging from 1:1 to 5:8. The phase transitions and electronic structure of these FexSey phases are systematically characterized by atomic resolution scanning tunneling microscopy measurements. We observe the long-ranged antiferromagnetic order of the Fe4Se5 phase by spin-polarized signals with striped patterns, which is also verified by their magnetic response of phase shift between adjacent domains. The electronic doping effect in insulating Fe4Se5 and the kagome effect in metallic Fe5Se8 are also discussed, where the kagome lattice is a promising structure to manifest both spin frustration of d electrons in a quantum-spin-liquid phase and correlated topological states with flat-band physics. Our study provides promising opportunities for constructing artificial superstructures with tunable building blocks, which is helpful for understanding the emergent quantum states and their correlation with competing orders in the FeSe-based family.
1002 km twin-field quantum key distribution with finite-key analysis
Authors: Liu Yang , Zhang Wei-Jun , Jiang Cong , Chen Jiu-Peng , Ma Di , Zhang Chi , Pan Wen-Xin , Dong Hao , Xiong Jia-Min , Zhang Cheng-Jun , Li Hao , Wang Rui-Chun , Lu Chao-Yang , Wu Jun , Chen Teng-Yun , You Lixing , Wang Xiang-Bin , Zhang Qiang , Pan Jian-Wei
Published: November 2023

Quantum key distribution (QKD) holds the potential to establish secure keys over long distances. The distance of point-to-point QKD secure key distribution is primarily impeded by the transmission loss inherent to the channel. In the quest to realize a large-scale quantum network, increasing the QKD distance under current technology is of great research interest. Here we adopt the 3-intensity sending-or-not-sending twin-field QKD (TF-QKD) protocol with the actively-odd-parity-pairing method. The experiment demonstrates the feasibility of secure QKD over a 1002 km fibre channel considering the finite size effect. The secure key rate is $3.11\times 10^{-12}$
3.11
×

10

−
12

per pulse at this distance. Furthermore, by optimizing parameters for shorter fiber distances, we conducted performance tests on key distribution for fiber lengths ranging from 202 km to 505 km. Notably, the secure key rate for the 202 km, the normal distance between major cities, reached 111.74 kbps.
Topological magnetic line defects in Fe(Te, Se) high-temperature superconductors
Authors: Wu Xianxin , Yin Jia-Xin , Liu Chao-Xing , Hu Jiangping
Published: November 2023

The realization of Majorana zero modes in condensed matter have been attracting enormous interests from fundamental science such as topological quantum computation. Recently iron based superconductors were identified as a high-temperature platform for realizing topological superconductivity and Majorana modes. As unconventional superconductors, one of the most important characteristics of them is that they are in the vicinity of magnetic states due to the strong Hund’s coupling in iron atoms. Here we propose that the line defects with missing Te/Se anions in Fe(Se, Te) superconductors provide the realization of intrinsic antiferromagnetic (AFM) chains with Rashba spin-orbit coupling. Against conventional wisdom, Majorana zero modes (MZMs) can be robustly generated at these AFM chain ends. These results can consistently explain the recent experimental observation of zero-energy end states in line defects of monolayer Fe(Te, Se)/SrTiO3 by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements. Our research not only demonstrates an unprecedented interplay among native line defect, emergent magnetism and topological superconductivity but also explores a high-temperature platform for Majorana fermions.
Long-lifetime coherent storage for microwave photons in the magnomechanical resonator
Authors: Xu Guan-Ting , Wang Yu , Zhang Mai , Shen Zhen , Ren Xi-Feng , Guo Guang-Can , Dong Chun-Hua
Published: November 2023

The storage of quantum states and information is essential for enabling large quantum networks. The direct implementation of storage in magnonic systems, which are emerging as crucial components in quantum networks, has also garnered attention. In this study, we present experimental investigations of magnomechanical microwave storage for the first time. By reducing the ambient temperature to 8 K, we can achieve a mechanical mode with a narrow linewidth as low as 6.4 Hz, resulting in an energy decay time of 24.8 ms. Furthermore, we employ Ramsey interferometry to investigate the coherence of the magnomechanical memory. The mechanical interference can be utilized to evaluate the decoherence lifetime of 19.5 ms. Our proposed scheme provides the potential to utilize magnomechanical systems as quantum memory for photonic quantum information.
Comparison of Disposcope endoscope with Macintosh laryngoscope for laryngoscopy
Authors: Gu Ziyu , Zhu Liang , Wu Zhouquan
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Disposcope is a novel fibreoptic intubation device that allows visualization of the glottis without aligning the oral, pharyngeal, and tracheal axes. This device may offer advantages in improving glottis exposure, or reducing hemodynamic disturbance, and minimizing movement of the upper cervical spine (C-spine). In this study, we aimed to evaluate laryngoscopy using Disposcope compared to Macintosh laryngoscope.

Methods

This study enrolled 60 adult patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1 and 2), both male and female, underwent lumbar spine surgery, scheduled for general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. We compared the Cormack and Lehane grade, hemodynamic response, and the maximal change in the angle between adjacent cervical vertebrae and cumulative upper C-spine movement between Disposcope and Macintosh laryngoscope. A crossover trial design was employed, with half of the patients being exposed to the glottis using the Macintosh laryngoscope first, followed by the Disposcope, and vice versa for the other half.

Results

The intubation time in the Disposcope group was significantly lower than that in the Macintosh laryngoscope group (P < 0.01). Using the Disposcope resulted in improved views of the glottis (Z = −4.82, P < 0.01). Cormack and Lehane grade I views were achieved with the Disposcope in more patients than the Macintosh laryngoscope (36.7% versus 13.3%, P < 0.01). Grade II views were obtained in 58.3% of patients with the Disposcope, whereas a lower percentage (43.3%) was observed with the Macintosh laryngoscope. The incidence of grade III views was significantly lower with the Disposcope than with the Macintosh laryngoscope (5% versus 33.3%, P < 0.01). Additionally, there was significantly less hemodynamic disturbance (mean arterial pressure and heart rate) with the Disposcope compared to the Macintosh laryngoscope (P < 0.01). Finally, the median cumulative upper C-spine movement was greater with the Macintosh laryngoscope than with the Disposcope (26.9° versus 9.4°, P < 0.01).

Conclusions

In comparison to the Macintosh laryngoscope, the Disposcope provided improved views of the glottis and resulted in less hemodynamic disturbance and movement of the upper C-spine during laryngoscopy in patients.
God and the Problems of Love
Authors: Clark Kelly James
Published: November 2023

Religious believers are often commanded to love like God. On classical accounts, God seems a poor model for human beings: an immutable and impassable being seems incapable of the kind of episodic emotion (sympathy, empathy) that seems required for the best sorts of human love. Models more conducive to human love, on the other hand, are often rejected because they seem to limit God's power and glory. This Element looks first at God and then divine love within the Abrahamic traditions—Islam, Christianity and Judaism. It will then turn to love and the problem of hell, which is argued as primarily a problem for Christians. The author discusses the kind of love each tradition asks of humans and wonders, given recent work in the relevant cognitive and social sciences, if such love is even humanly possible. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.