bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is there still a place for autologous salvage transplantation in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma in the era of novel therapies?
Authors: Karp Simone , Trautmann-Grill Karolin , Warncke Paul , Zolnowski Dominik , Röllig Christoph , Pannach Marcel , Zinn Jessica , Kroschinsky Frank , Morgner Anke , von Bonin Malte , Hänel Annette , Herbst Regina , Fricke Stephan , Bornhäuser Martin , Hänel Mathias , Teipel Raphael
Published: February 2025

For patients (pts) with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) after previous autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT), novel agents, cellular and immunotherapies are increasingly available. Options for second-line treatment mostly include triplet regimens based on proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs and anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies and since recently also CAR T cells. The importance of autologous salvage transplantation (retransplantation, Re-AHCT) has significantly decreased in recent years due to the availability of many new treatment options. Therefore, we performed a retrospective analysis of 171 pts cases with RRMM who received Re-AHCT between 2002 and 2021. With a median follow-up of 74.7 months, the 5-year rates of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 18% (median 20.6 months) and 57% (median 65.0 months), respectively, the 100-day mortality rate was 4%. Multivariate analysis identified R-ISS stage and duration of previous response (DoR) as independent prognostic factors for PFS and OS. While the revealed high-risk population (R-ISS stage II/III, DoR ≤ 24 months) was associated with a significantly worse PFS (HR 2.728) and OS (HR 3.129), the low-risk group (R-ISS I, DoR > 24 months) achieved a median PFS and OS of 45.0 months and 80.2 months, respectively. Therefore, Re-AHCT could remain an option in such prognostically favorable pts with RRMM even in the era of novel therapies especially when more potent treatment modalities are not available.
Fizz-computed tomography as a novel modality of objective esophageal hiatal assessment
Authors: Chan Daniel Leonard , Yin Grace Huan , Chug Manish , Hennessy Annemarie , Iliopoulos Jim , Talbot Michael Leonard
Published: February 2025

Background

Traditional investigations of esophageal hiatal assessment for reflux disease and hiatal hernia (HH), such as endoscopy and barium swallow are subjective. High resolution manometry (HRM) limits hiatal hernia assessment to vertical length. We report a novel use of 3D volumetric Computed Tomography with effervescent oral contrast (Fizz-CT) as a means of preoperative HH diagnosis.

Methods

A pilot series of 12 consecutive patients who underwent preoperative Fizz-CT assessment, as well as a combination of traditional investigations for HH (five primary, seven revisional HH).

Results

The median age was 70years (IQR 57.5-76.8years) and median BMI 28.62 kg/m2 (IQR 24.9–34.1 kg/m2). Seven patients (58%) had a recurrent HH and five patients (42%) had a primary hiatus hernia. Fizz-CT was able to diagnose the HH in all cases. The median oesophageal hiatal surface area (HSA) was 9.46cm2 (IQR 4.66-13.79cm2). The median HH sac volume was 36.3cm3 (IQR 26.0-80.3cm3). All patients had a least one other investigation that has been traditionally used to diagnose HH. Seven of the 12 patients subsequently underwent laparoscopic HH repair surgery with intraoperative findings further confirming the radiological diagnosis of hiatus hernia.

Conclusion

Fizz-CT imaging is a novel and accurate means of objective esophageal hiatal assessment in both primary and revisional HH patients. Vertical and radial measures of hiatal defects as well as hernia volumetry can be obtained. In post-surgical patients the relationship between the esophago-gastric junction and an infra- or supra-diaphragmatic fundoplication can also be assessed.
WOVOdat web service data retrieval system for comprehensive volcano monitoring
Authors: Nang Thin Zar Win , Widiwijayanti Christina , Espinosa-Ortega Tania , De Groote Julie , Taisne Benoit
Published: February 2025

WOVOdat, the World Organization of Volcano Observatories database, serves as a repository for global volcano unrest data, housed within a MySQL structure and accessible via the user-friendly web interface, wovodat.org. This paper introduces a novel web service tool designed to facilitate seamless access to this wealth of data, streamlining the search process through structured query scripts. This tool enables users to effortlessly modify variable values to suit their specific needs, enhancing the efficiency of data retrieval. We explore the numerous benefits of employing web services, highlighting their convenience and effectiveness, particularly in handling large datasets. By leveraging the Web Service Interface (WSI), users can retrieve data by specifying key parameters such as volcano name, data type, and time range in a standardized format over HTTP. Additionally, the Application Programming Interface (API) endpoint facilitates the integration of functionalities into scripts, enabling automated data retrieval for further analysis. By offering flexible access options to WOVOdat, the web service tool simplifies the exploration of its comprehensive global volcano unrest data. Leveraging the wealth of compiled unrest datasets, researchers can identify key precursory patterns and their correlations, thereby improving statistical analysis capabilities for eruption forecasts. The database also enables researchers to understand volcanic processes, compare volcanic behavior across diverse volcanoes worldwide, and conduct analogue studies, contributing to a deeper understanding of volcanic activity and its associated hazards.
Lymphatic and vascular anatomy define surgical principles for bowel-sparing radical treatment of ileal tumors
Authors: Vasic Teodor , Stimec Milena , Stimec Bojan Vladimir , Ignjatovic Dejan
Published: February 2025

Background

There is no consensus on the level of vascular ligation and the extent of lymphadenectomy in the treatment of ileal tumors. This study aims to define lymphovascular bundles of the terminal ileal artery (TIA) and subsequent ileal arteries. It also aims to extrapolate results from two distinct methodologies to define the level of arterial ligation and the dissection area for radical and bowel-sparing surgery.

Methods

Analysis of 3D-CT mesenteric vascular reconstructions of 104 operated patients. The second dataset consisted of 5 human cadavers for anatomical dissection. In one case, harvested viscera underwent the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) perfusion after ligation of the TIA.

Results

The calibers of the first three ileal arteries were: 2.67 ± 0.98 mm, 2.22 ± 0.78 mm, 2.31 ± 1.24 mm. The distances from the first three ileal arteries to the ileocolic artery (ICA) origin were: 12.45 ± 8.79 mm, 27.45 ± 13.47 mm, and 43.04 ± 16.94 mm. The SMA trifurcated in 61 (59%) of cases and bifurcated in 43 (41%). In 89 cases, the combined ICA + first jejunal artery caliber (6.7 ± 1.6 mm) was greater than the TIA caliber (4.84 ± 1.42 mm). The ileal artery lymphatic clearances were 0.85 mm to the preceding vessel. In the D3 volume at the ICA origin, 3–8 lymph nodes were observed. Internal calibers of the small bowel marginal artery, after selective TIA ligation and the SMA perfusion, were: proximal jejunal part 0.417 mm and distal ileal part 0.291 mm.

Conclusions

Ileal tumors are irrigated through the TIA, which can be ligated without consequences. Lymphadenectomy should encompass the adjacent vessels (1st jejunal artery, ICA) and can include the central nodes (D3 volume) at the surgeon’s preference. Preserving the adjacent vessels and the marginal artery is paramount for bowel-sparing surgery.

Graphical abstract
Exploring motivations of peer supporters for caregivers of patients with hematological malignancies—a qualitative study
Authors: Myrhøj Cæcilie Borregaard , Nielsen Iben Husted , Visler Camilla Louise , Nørskov Kristina Holmegaard , Piil Karin , Jarden Mary
Published: February 2025

Purpose

Social support interventions, particularly peer support from former family caregivers, offer unique assistance to caregivers of newly diagnosed patients. Since voluntary peer support is driven by personal choice, understanding the motivations for participating and how motivation evolves over time is essential. This study explores the motivations for becoming a peer support provider for family caregivers of patients with hematological malignancies and how motivation changes over time.

Methods

This qualitative study encompasses 18 semi-structured interviews with family caregivers providing peer support (N = 11) at two time points: (1) just after certification as peer supporters but prior to starting the peer support program and (2) at the 6-week mark of their 12-week peer support program. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data.

Results

Motivation for participating in a voluntary peer-to-peer support program as a peer support provider center on four main themes: “Driven by past experiences”, “Moral obligation is intrinsic to identity”, “Meaningful use of personal experiences”, and “Guiding new caregivers”. Motivation was influenced during the support program, particularly by the presence or absence of feedback from family caregivers and by participation in network meetings with other peer support providers.

Conclusions

This study emphasizes the importance of networking meetings for family caregiver peer support providers, as they facilitate exchange of knowledge and insights and discussion of challenges and rewards and provide an ongoing support and motivation. It also highlights the untapped potential of volunteering to provide unique social support benefiting both the family caregiver recipient of support and the support provider.
Material recovery as a strategy for landfill remediation: a case study of Nkolfoulou landfill, Cameroon
Authors: Ndiforngu Ateh Suh Nkwekeu , Raga Roberto , Mfokou Abdou Nasser Njoya , Tan Paula Ngo Fin , Chounna Gergino Yemele
Published: February 2025

This study sought to evaluate the potential advantages of recovering both fresh and old waste from the Nkolfoulou landfill as a remediation technique, a means of gaining airspace, and a means of retrieving material, thus increasing the flow of secondary resources in the local economy. The current treatment procedures were assessed. Waste sampling and characterization, largely based on an adapted version of the French standard for household waste characterization, was carried out for six districts of the capital of Cameroon (Yaounde1- Yaoundé 6) for fresh and old waste samples. The results revealed the low efficiency of the current waste management strategy and highlighted that fresh waste recovery would yield a potential of roughly 22% of recoverable material and a 29.2% gain in airspace per ha which is more significant than the current system. This would consequently prolong the lifespan of the landfill. In addition, landfill mining had a recovery potential of 19%, but to address the current state of the landfill and economy, pretreatment of waste by material recovery of fresh waste proved more feasible and beneficial. It would be advised as a primary barrier and preferred to landfill mining.
A Proof-of-Concept Solution for Co-locating 2D Histology Images in 3D for Histology-to-CT and MR Image Registration: Closing the Loop for Bone Sarcoma Treatment Planning
Authors: Phillips Robert , Zakkaroff Constantine , Dittmer Keren , Robilliard Nicholas , Baer Kenzie , Butler Anthony
Published: February 2025

This work presents a proof-of-concept solution designed to facilitate more accurate radiographic feature characterisation in pre-surgical CT/MR volumes. The solution involves 3D co-location of 2D digital histology slides within ex-vivo, tumour tissue CT volumes. Initially, laboratory dissection measurements seed the placement of histology slices in corresponding CT volumes, followed by in-plane point-based registration of bone in histology images to the bone in CT. Validation using six bisected canine humerus ex-vivo CT datasets indicated a plane misalignment of 0.19 ± 1.8 mm. User input sensitivity was assessed at 0.08 ± 0.2 mm for plane translation and 0–1.6° deviation. These results show a similar magnitude of error to related prostate histology co-location work. Although demonstrated with a femoral canine sarcoma tumour, this solution can be generalised to various orthopaedic geometries and sites. It supports high-fidelity histology image co-location to improve understanding of tissue characterisation accuracy in clinical radiology. This solution requires only minimal adjustment to routine workflows. By integrating histology insights earlier in the presentation-diagnosis-planning-surgery-recovery loop, this solution guides data co-location to support the continued evaluation of safe pre-surgical margins.
Explained Deep Learning Framework for COVID-19 Detection in Volumetric CT Images Aligned with the British Society of Thoracic Imaging Reporting Guidance: A Pilot Study
Authors: Fouad Shereen , Usman Muhammad , Kabir Ra’eesa , Rajasekaran Arvind , Morlese John , Nagori Pankaj , Bhatia Bahadar
Published: February 2025

In March 2020, the British Society of Thoracic Imaging (BSTI) introduced a reporting guidance for COVID-19 detection to streamline standardised reporting and enhance agreement between radiologists. However, most current DL methods do not conform to this guidance. This study introduces a multi-class deep learning (DL) model to identify BSTI COVID-19 categories within CT volumes, classified as ‘Classic’, ‘Probable’, ‘Indeterminate’, or ‘Non-COVID’. A total of 56 CT pseudoanonymised images were collected from patients with suspected COVID-19 and annotated by an experienced chest subspecialty radiologist following the BSTI guidance. We evaluated the performance of multiple DL-based models, including three-dimensional (3D) ResNet architectures, pre-trained on the Kinetics-700 video dataset. For better interpretability of the results, our approach incorporates a post-hoc visual explainability feature to highlight the areas of the image most indicative of the COVID-19 category. Our four-class classification DL framework achieves an overall accuracy of 75%. However, the model struggled to detect the ‘Indeterminate’ COVID-19 group, whose removal significantly improved the model’s accuracy to 90%. The proposed explainable multi-classification DL model yields accurate detection of ‘Classic’, ‘Probable’, and ‘Non-COVID’ categories with poor detection ability for ‘Indeterminate’ COVID-19 cases. These findings are consistent with clinical studies that aimed at validating the BSTI reporting manually amongst consultant radiologists.
Distributed inexact Newton method with adaptive step sizes
Authors: Jakovetić Dušan , Krejić Nataša , Malaspina Greta
Published: February 2025

We consider two formulations for distributed optimization wherein N nodes in a generic connected network solve a problem of common interest: distributed personalized optimization and consensus optimization. A new method termed DINAS (Distributed Inexact Newton method with Adaptive step size) is proposed. DINAS employs large adaptively computed step sizes, requires a reduced global parameters knowledge with respect to existing alternatives, and can operate without any local Hessian inverse calculations nor Hessian communications. When solving personalized distributed learning formulations, DINAS achieves quadratic convergence with respect to computational cost and linear convergence with respect to communication cost, the latter rate being independent of the local functions condition numbers or of the network topology. When solving consensus optimization problems, DINAS is shown to converge to the global solution. Extensive numerical experiments demonstrate significant improvements of DINAS over existing alternatives. As a result of independent interest, we provide for the first time convergence analysis of the Newton method with the adaptive Polyak’s step size when the Newton direction is computed inexactly in centralized environment.
Psychological drivers shaping mobile learning utilization among visually impaired university students
Authors: Şahin Ferhan
Published: February 2025

Understanding the various factors influencing the utilization of mobile learning is pivotal to ensuring that visually impaired students can fully harness its benefits. However, there exists a notable gap in empirical research concerning the influence of psychological needs on the adoption of mobile learning among visually impaired students. This study delves into exploring mobile learning adoption among university students with visual impairment, focusing on the influence of basic psychological needs using a path modeling approach grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model and Self-Determination Theory. The investigation involves 341 visually impaired students enrolled in an open education faculty of a state university. Confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and bootstrapping were employed for the analysis. The results affirm the model’s substantial explanatory power, revealing that the constructs—perceived ease of use (81.5%), perceived usefulness (84.8%), and behavioral intentions (74.7%)—are well elucidated by the proposed framework. The results underscore the significance of competence and relatedness in influencing acceptance and intention to use mobile learning among visually impaired students, highlighting the pivotal role of fostering skills mastery and social support in shaping technology adoption. Intriguingly, certain relationships, notably autonomy- > perceived usefulness and perceived usefulness- > behavioral intention, were deemed insignificant, revealing nuanced dynamics in acceptance and use. This study contributes valuable insights into understanding the complex interplay between basic psychological needs and mobile learning adoption, emphasizing the necessity for tailored interventions and support mechanisms to foster inclusive and effective technology use in the educational journey of visually impaired students.
Ovarian function and response to gonadotropins after prolonged perfusion of whole ewe ovaries in a bioreactor
Authors: Hatekar Prajakta , Tsiartas Panagiotis , Gómez Lucía de Miguel , Mateoiu Claudia , Sehic Edina , Hellström Mats , Patrizio Pasquale , Akouri Randa
Published: February 2025

Purpose

Fertility preservation for pre-pubertal girls undergoing gonadotoxic cancer treatments and women with systemic cancers at high risk for ovarian metastasis remains limited. Current options, such as ovarian cortex transplantation, risk reintroducing malignant cells. This study presents a novel approach focusing on ex vivo folliculogenesis and mature oocyte retrieval for cryopreservation, mitigating this risk.

Methods

This experimental study optimized an ex vivo ovarian perfusion system in sheep, refining gonadotropin stimulation to yield mature oocytes. Eleven ovaries were divided into two experimental subgroups: Group 1 (n = 5) and Group 2 (n = 6). Both groups were perfused in a bioreactor for 4 to 8 days under distinct perfusion protocols, differing in gonadotropin administration overnight—Group 1 did not receive overnight gonadotropin stimulation, whereas Group 2 received basal gonadotropin stimulation overnight. Assessments included follicular proliferation, oocyte maturity, apoptosis, ovarian function-related gene expression, and the levels of hormones, metabolites, and electrolytes in the culture medium, compared across subgroups.

Results

The protocol without overnight ovarian stimulation yielded mature MII oocytes, despite fewer secondary follicles and overexpression of the pro-apoptotic BAX gene. Conversely, ovaries with overnight stimulation yielded mostly GV-MI oocytes and exhibited reduced secondary follicle proliferation and higher HIF1A expression. Hormone levels, metabolites, and electrolytes remained stable across groups and time.

Conclusions

This study is the first to report the successful harvesting of MII oocytes following extended ex vivo perfusion of intact ewe ovaries, highlighting the potential of the perfusion model to support advanced follicular development. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate underlying mechanisms and refine protocol efficiency.
Infill pattern strategy impact on the cross-sectional area at gauge length of material extrusion 3D printed polylactic acid parts
Authors: Cañero-Nieto J. M. , Campo-Campo R. J. , Díaz-Bolaño I. , Ariza-Echeverri E. A. , Deluque-Toro C. E. , Solano-Martos J. F.
Published: February 2025

This study aims to explore the impact of various infill patterns on the mechanical properties of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) specimens, particularly focusing on the minimum cross-sectional area, which correlates with mechanical strength. A randomized controlled trial design was employed, testing four different infill patterns: concentric, gyroid, 3D honeycomb, and rays. Each pattern was printed in PLA using a standard material extrusion 3D printer. The specimens were subjected to tensile stress using a universal testing machine, following the ASTM D638-14 standard. The cross-sectional area at gauge length was calculated using the line-plane intersection method from GCODE analysis, highlighting the minimum cross-sectional area: the weakest sections theoretically prone to failure. This work involved testing specimens with varying infill patterns to determine their influence on the mechanical integrity and performance of the parts. The concentric infill pattern exhibited the highest relative line-plane intersection points (RLPI) and maintained minimal variability in mechanical properties across the sample size. Experimental results demonstrated that different infill patterns significantly affect tensile strength, with the concentric pattern providing the most favorable outcomes in terms of strength and reliability. The choice of infill pattern in material extrusion 3D printing of PLA significantly influences the mechanical properties, particularly the tensile strength and distribution of material within the cross-sectional area. The concentric pattern consistently outperformed other types in maintaining structural integrity under stress. These findings provide crucial insights for optimizing 3D printing settings to enhance the durability and performance of printed parts.
Does Happiness Foster Social Bonds? A Research Synthesis Using an Online Finding Archive
Authors: Sharma Nidhi , Agrawal Shruti , Veenhoven Ruut
Published: February 2025

It is widely agreed that social bonds should be strengthened but is not clear how that can be achieved. One way could be to foster happiness, since happiness seems to foster social bonds. If so, two desirables can be achieved together: happier people and stronger social bonds. This raises the following questions: Does happiness really foster social bonds? If so, is that effect universal? How strong is the effect? Does the strength vary across persons and situations? What are the causal mechanisms? To answer these questions we took stock of the available research findings, restricting to longitudinal studies examining the effect of earlier happiness on later social bonds. We used the World Database of Happiness (WDH), a findings-archive consisting of data about happiness in the sense of the subjective enjoyment of one’s life-as-a-whole. To date, the WDH contains the results of 16 follow-up studies on the relation between earlier happiness and later social bonds, which together yield 33 findings. We found strong evidence for a causal effect of happiness on the formation and stability of primary social bonds on happiness, in particular, with marriage, love and friendship. Happiness fosters social bonds and this effect seems to be universal. Consequently, fostering happiness can be used as a means to strengthen social bonds. This is another reason to opt for policies that aim to achieve greater happiness for a greater number.
Mo Money Mo Problems? Economic Freedom and Subjective Happiness in Europe, 2010–2020
Authors: Martinussen Pål E. , Hilland Geir H.
Published: February 2025

It is widely held that economic freedom is fundamental for a society’s prosperity and growth, and neoliberalism has now become the dominant ideology in shaping our world. While a large literature on economic freedom has documented mainly favourable impacts on economic outcomes, only a handful of studies have examined the link between economic freedom and life quality. Building on the most recent data available on European countries, we combined the Index of Economic Freedom from the Frasier Institute with data from the World Bank, Varieties of Democracy and the European Social Survey in the period 2010–2020, allowing for a multilevel analysis of a total of nearly 199,000 respondents from 28 countries. At the individual level, the analysis controlled for the respondents’ demographic background, socio-economic status and social trust. At the country level we controlled for levels of democracy through a composite index. The results for the aggregate models indicate that there is a reversed U-shaped curvilinear association between economic freedom and happiness. However, the results of the disaggregate models, where we tested the associations between each of the individual components of economic freedom and happiness, indicate a reversed U-shape for only one of the five components, sound money. The one-sided focus on minimal government in the research and discourse on economic freedom seems mis-specified. By treating economic freedom as a general composite measure, we run the risk of dramatically over-simplifying the processes at play. Recent developments in multilevel methods and improved access to data should inspire further studies of how economic freedom can serve and benefit citizens’ well-being and thus contribute to well-functioning societies.
The M-PerFeCt questionnaire: assessing higher education students’ motivation in a peer feedback context
Authors: Pereira Priyanka D. , Heitink Maaike C. , Schildkamp Kim , Veldkamp Bernard P.
Published: February 2025

In higher education, teacher feedback has increasingly been replaced or complemented with peer feedback. But, when students lack motivation, they may not participate in the peer feedback activity adequately, and, thus, the activity may not have the desired effect. Motivation is a complex, difficult-to-measure concept, and existing questionnaires for assessing students’ motivation in the context of a peer feedback intervention in higher education have each considered only a few aspects of motivation to learn or motivation to participate in the peer feedback activity. However, a questionnaire that concurrently assesses (almost) all aspects of higher education students’ motivation in a peer feedback context is needed for researchers and practitioners to obtain a complete picture of students’ motivation, so they can determine whether and how this motivation needs to be improved. Therefore, this study aimed to develop the Motivation in a Peer Feedback Context (M-PerFeCt) questionnaire. Methodological pluralism was used to capture this complex concept while ensuring more rigorous scientific results, including eliciting a student and expert appraisal of the questionnaire and collecting responses to the questionnaire from higher education students in The Netherlands and performing exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Pre-activity and post-activity forms of the questionnaire were developed and validated. The final questionnaire comprised 66 items in 19 scales. The questionnaire provides insight into the underlying structure of students’ motivation in a peer feedback context. Additionally, it enables teachers and researchers to assess students’ motivation in a peer feedback context.
Haeccities and the triviality of the identity of indiscernibles
Authors: Elgin Samuel Z.
Published: February 2025

The Identity of Indiscernibles is the principle that objects cannot differ only numerically. It is widely held that one interpretation of this principle is trivially true: the claim that objects that bear all of the same properties are identical. This triviality ostensibly arises from haecceities (properties like is identical to a). I argue that this is not the case; we do not trivialize the Identity of Indiscernibles with haecceities, because it is impossible to express the haecceities of indiscernible objects. I then argue that this inexpressibility generalizes to all of their trivializing properties. Whether the Identity of Indiscernibles is trivially true ultimately turns on whether we can quantify over properties that we cannot express.
Efficient in vitro germination of the endangered Sinai hawthorn (Crataegus sinaica)
Authors: Aly Hebatallah , Mahmoud Shrouk , El-Bakry Ahmed
Published: February 2025

Sinai hawthorn, Crataegus sinaica, is a rare wild tree species of economic importance with potential for medicinal uses. The in vivo seed germination of this tree species is extremely low. The present study aimed to develop an efficient in vitro seed germination that can contribute to the successful propagation, restoration, and preservation of this critically endangered species. The study examined factors that could enhance seed germination frequency (GP) and dormancy break of mature seeds. This included stratification temperature, cytokinin type and concentration, sinapic acid (SA) concentration, gibberellic acid (GA), and substituting nutrient media with water. Cold-stratified seeds for 4 weeks at 7 °C showed highest GP of 29.3%. GP of 36% was obtained on media containing 0.5 mg/L of each 6-Benzyladenine (BA) and meta-Topolin (mTp). Low concentrations of SA increased GP (50%) in both full and ½ Murashige and Skoog basal media with Gamborg B5 vitamins (MSB5). Sterile ddH2O supplemented with selected combined GA, SA, and mTp treatment showed a higher GP (46%) compared to the control. The study investigated the physiology of seed maturation during late growing season and after stratification and their correlation with germination efficiency. Stratification at 7 °C increased total soluble sugars, decreased abscisic acid (ABA) content, and increased GA. This study presents the first report on seed germination in Sinai hawthorn, highlighting the importance of environmental and physiological treatments for improved efficiency. It also offers a simple, inexpensive, method for in vitro seed germination with high efficiency that may be applied in propagation and restoration.
Public Archives and Data Protection
Authors: Friedewald Michael , Jaillant Lise , Kashumov Alexander , Palla Luisa , Szekely Ivan
Published: February 2025

Public archives play an important role in our society by identifying, assessing and preserving documentary
material of long-term value, ensuring accountability of government and other organizations. Privacy and
data protection are most important reasons to limit access to these archives. Many documents in public
archives contain sensitive information about individuals, making data protection a primary concern that
limits access to recent archive holdings. This creates a conflict between the need for transparency and
accountability and legal obligations to protect personal data. There are still uncertainties regarding
the practical implementation of the GDPR on the ground. In this article we explore the perspectives of
different interest groups and discuss how an appropriate balance of rights and interests can be realized.
Physics-Informed Neural Networks for Predicting Particle Properties in Plasma Spraying
Authors: Bobzin K. , Heinemann H. , Dokhanchi A.
Published: February 2025

Plasma spraying is a key industrial coating process that exhibits intricate nonlinear interactions among process parameters. This complexity makes accurate predictions of particle properties, which greatly affect process behavior, very challenging. Specifically, particle velocities and temperatures profoundly impact coating quality and process efficiency. Conventional methods often require empirical correlations and extensive parameter tuning due to their limited ability to capture the underlying physics within this intricate system. This study introduces physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) as a solution. By seamlessly integrating known physical laws and constraints directly into the model architecture, PINNs offer the potential to learn the underlying physics of the system. For comparison, artificial neural networks (ANNs) are also developed. Computational fluid dynamics simulations of a plasma generator and plasma jet model provide data to train both ANN and PINN models. The study reveals an improvement in particle velocity prediction through the proposed PINN model, demonstrating its capability to handle complex relationships. However, challenges arise in predicting particle temperature, warranting further investigation. The developed models can aid in optimizing the plasma spraying process by predicting essential particle properties and guiding necessary process adjustments to enhance coating quality.
Persistence in China’s household consumption level: implications for the new growth model
Authors: Claudio-Quiroga Gloria , Gil-Alana Luis Alberiko , Larrarte Andoni Maiza
Published: February 2025

In this paper, we investigate the statistical features of China’s household consumption level by calculating its degree of persistence and testing for the existence of trends in the data. Further, we contrast the results obtained in China with those corresponding to the G7 economies and in the other three countries that make up the fastest developing BRICs group, that is, Brazil, Russia and India. Our results show large degrees of heterogeneity depending on the country and the model used for the analysis though, in general, lower degrees of dependence and thus, more evidence of transitory shocks is observed in China and the rest of BRIC economies than in the G7 countries.
The Biosemiotic Glossary Project: Habit
Authors: Bernardi della Rosa Simone , Zengiaro Nicola
Published: February 2025

In 2014, Morten Tønnessen and the editors of Biosemiotics initiated the “Biosemiotic Glossary Project” with the scope to clarify the terminology used in biosemiotics. This initiative was designed to actively involve the biosemiotic community, fostering dialogue that would contribute to the theoretical evolution of the field. In this paper, we explore how the term “habit” is defined and applied within biosemiotics, and how it relates to general semiotics and philosophy. In biosemiotics, “habit” refers to the regular, recurring behaviors or patterns that emerge from an organism’s interactions with its environment. This concept, deeply rooted in Charles Sanders Peirce’s philosophy, is understood as an adaptive mechanism where repeated actions lead to the stabilization of organisms or systems. Over time, these repeated actions form patterns that guide future behaviors. Peirce extended this concept beyond organisms, suggesting that habits also structure biological and non-biological phenomena by turning random events into predictable regularities. In biosemiotic theory, habits play a central role in semiosis, the process by which living systems generate and interpret meaning, as they regulate interactions and responses in both evolutionary and adaptive contexts. This notion bridges biological development and semiotic processes, offering a deeper understanding of how organisms establish semiotic relationships with their environments. This paper aims to clarify the role of ‘habit’ in biosemiotic discourse and encourage further discussion within the community to refine its use and implications.
Data management as a joint value proposition—A design theory for horizontal data sharing communities
Authors: Lefebvre Hippolyte , Krasikov Pavel , Legner Christine , Flourac Gabin
Published: February 2025

In the data economy, organizations are increasingly engaging in data ecosystems, managing and sharing data as valuable assets to address business and societal challenges. Whereas organizations have traditionally exchanged data vertically along the value chain, we observe a growing trend where they share complementary data assets with others, even at times with their competitors. Despite the rising significance of data ecosystems, research on this emerging form of horizontal data sharing is still scarce. Building on the theory of communities of practice, we study a pioneer data sharing community involving over 40 multinational companies that developed an innovative approach to pool data management efforts. We derive a design theory for horizontal data sharing, structured around eight design principles that align with key dimensions grounded in theory: domain of interest, shared practice, and community. By offering prescriptive design knowledge, our findings make an important contribution to the emerging literature on cross-company data sharing. Our research also provides practitioners with actionable insights on how to establish and operate data sharing communities effectively.
Abnormal Driving Behavior Detection: A Machine and Deep Learning Based Hybrid Model
Authors: Uddin Md. Ashraf , Hossain Nibir , Ahamed Asif , Islam Md Manowarul , Khraisat Ansam , Alazab Ammar , Ahamed Md. Khabir Uddin , Talukder Md. Alamin
Published: February 2025

Car accidents remain a leading cause of unintentional fatalities, with many incidents stemming from driver behaviors that impact vehicle control, such as steering, braking, accelerating, and gear shifting. Activities like searching for items, using mobile devices, or listening to the radio can distract drivers visually, audibly, and physically, posing significant risks to road safety. While various methods have been developed to detect such distractions, their effectiveness often falls short in real-world applications. This paper introduces a novel approach that combines machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) techniques to identify both safe and risky driving behaviors. Six ML classifiers were evaluated on real-world data to distinguish between driving behaviors such as aggressive, fatigued, and normal driving, with the Random Forest classifier demonstrating superior performance. Additionally, a specialized deep-learning baseline model was developed using ResNet50 and EfficientNetB6 to classify driving-related images into distinct categories. The hybrid model integrates ML for analyzing tabular data and DL for image recognition, achieving a classification accuracy of 99.3% on the UAH-Drive dataset. Deep learning experiments further revealed that the Base Model outperformed other models, achieving accuracies of 99.32% on the UAH-Drive dataset and 99.87% on the SFD3 dataset. This research presents a robust hybrid ML-DL framework for detecting abnormal driving behaviors, addressing shortcomings of existing techniques in real-world conditions, and offering valuable insights for improving road safety and reducing accidents.
Farmer perceptions of the vulnerabilities of traditional livestock farming systems under global change
Authors: Morales‐Reyes Zebensui , Barbosa Jomar M. , Sánchez‐Zapata José A. , Pérez-Ibarra Irene
Published: February 2025

The continuity of traditional extensive livestock farming is being challenged by rapid socioeconomic and environmental changes, threatening livelihoods and ecosystem services critical to food security and sustainability. We conducted a large-scale assessment involving 255 livestock farmers across six extensive livestock farming systems in Spain to understand their perceptions of vulnerabilities. Using the Coupled Infrastructure Systems framework, we identified 24 different vulnerabilities, mainly caused by external socioeconomic and biophysical disturbances, such as resource costs, low profitability of livestock products, climate variability, and conflicts with wildlife. The main factors explaining these vulnerabilities were primary productivity, farm location, presence of large predators, and climatic conditions. The findings highlight the complex interplay of these factors and provide important insights for the maintenance of extensive livestock farming systems in Europe. This information is crucial for informing policy decisions aimed at supporting these farming systems and ensuring their contribution to food security, sustainability and biodiversity conservation.
Analysis of histological features and recurrence risk assessment of papillary thyroid carcinoma according to presurgery FNAC category
Authors: Wolde Sellasie Sium , Amendola Stefano , Guidobaldi Leo , Piticchio Tommaso , Nardone Isabella , Zaccaria Simona , Tacchi Giovanni , Pedicini Francesco , Uccioli Luigi , Trimboli Pierpaolo
Published: February 2025

Identifying preoperatively cases of more indolent papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC)could be of high interest. The aim of this study was to verify previously published data on the prognostic value of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC)in PTC, also comparing findings from high-volume (HV)and low-volume (LV)institutions. From January 2022 to June 2024, the institutional database of the endocrinological surgery unit of Sant’Eugenio Hospital (Rome, Italy)was retrospectively reviewed to select patients who underwent thyroid surgery for PTC. To evaluate the prognostic value of presurgical FNAC, all histological features and the ATA risk of the study groups were compared. Later, data of patients entirely managed at our institution, considered as an HV institute, were compared with that of cases operated at our institution following FNAC performed LV centres.The 159 PTC nodules included were classified as TIR3B (20.1%),TIR4 (32.7%),and TIR5 (47.2%).The distribution of FNAC report between HV and LV was different (p = 0.01). The presence of lymph node metastasis (p = 0.004), and peri-thyroid tissue invasion (p = 0.02)increased according to the FNAC category. Significant difference among the three FNAC categories was also observed in PTC subtype (p = 0.006)and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (p = 0.02).In addition, a significant different trend was found in ATA risk assessment, being the risk of recurrence more prevalent according to the FNAC category (p = 0.008). According to the second study aim, the higher prevalence of low-risk cases in TIR3B was confirmed in both HV (p = 0.04) and LV (p = 0.03)subgroups.PTCs with preoperative TIR3B have different histological features and ATA risk assessment with respect to cases with presurgical FNAC of TIR4/5.Particularly, PTC from TIR3B should have a pattern of more indolent cancers. As non-negligible extension, this data is not influenced by the institutional setting with high or low thyroid-FNAC volume.
Pre-clinical Medical Student Generated Formative Questions Can Inform the Topics Covered in Faculty Review Sessions Prior to Summative Assessments
Authors: Karom Jarod , Stanforth Corinne , Banks Laura M. , Hirsch Jason L. , Paul Samuel N. , Bazan Jose A. , Pfeil Sheryl , Pierson Christopher R.
Published: February 2025

Review sessions are challenging for preclinical medical school faculty to prepare due to year-to-year variability of the strengths and weaknesses of different classes. To optimize review session planning, we piloted a novel, co-creation-based workflow within a student-faculty partnership which was well received by faculty in terms of feasibility and utility.
Organizational-performance pay and compensation dispersion
Authors: Bao Jiayi , Wu Andy , Zhang Miaomiao
Published: February 2025

To drive organizational performance, managers design compensation packages to incentivize the collective contribution of individuals across the organization. Different pay components across individuals may prompt individual concerns based on their views of fairness: those with equity concerns believe that compensation should reflect individual contributions and thus support differences in pay (dispersion), while those with equality concerns believe that similar compensation would be fairer, thus supporting uniform pay (compression). We document the performance implications of compensation dispersion under organizational-performance pay; in increasingly prevalent compensation forms such as stock options or pooled bonuses, individual compensation consists of a pre-designated share of rewards contingent on organizational performance. We argue that prevailing equality concerns under organizational-performance pay generate opposing and asymmetric responses to dispersion from individuals with high vs. low shares of the rewards, leading to lower overall organizational performance under unequal, heterogeneous share dispersion (vs. equal, homogeneous share compression). Evidence from a controlled experiment with online workers and a supplementary field study of professional eSports athletes validates our predictions. Manipulation of two boundary conditions in the experiment further supports the proposed mechanism, as the observed effects are more pronounced when equality concerns are stronger: (1) when the payment scheme involves reward sharing (vs. not) and (2) when the rewards are presented in a percentage framing (vs. a point framing) that facilitates a stronger perception of reward-sharing.
Energy-Conserving Hermite Methods for Maxwell’s Equations
Authors: Appelö Daniel , Hagstrom Thomas , Law Yann-Meing
Published: February 2025

Energy-conserving Hermite methods for solving Maxwell’s equations in dielectric and dispersive media are described and analyzed. In three space dimensions, methods of order 2m to

$$2m+2$$

2
m
+
2

require

$$(m+1)^3$$

(
m
+
1
)

3

degrees-of-freedom per node for each field variable and can be explicitly marched in time with steps independent of m. We prove the stability for time steps limited only by domain-of-dependence requirements along with error estimates in a special semi-norm associated with the interpolation process. Numerical experiments are presented which demonstrate that Hermite methods of very high order enable the efficient simulation of the electromagnetic wave propagation over thousands of wavelengths.
Optimisation of Passive Energy Renovation Strategies in Residential Buildings for Life Cycle Global Warming Potential Reduction and Cost-effectiveness
Authors: Arbulu Markel , Oregi Xabat , Etxepare Lauren
Published: February 2025

The European Union (EU) regulations claim an efficient evaluation of the building renovation processes, highlighting the quantification of the life cycle carbon and cost-efficiency, towards the carbon-neutrality targets. The integration of the life cycle thinking (LCT) in the environmental field – by the life cycle assessment (LCA) – and in the economic field – by the life cycle cost (LCC) – are the most promising methodologies for the required evaluation. Based on this, the study aims to optimise passive energy renovation strategies in residential buildings to achieve efficient life cycle carbon reduction and optimal global warming potential (GWP) and cost-efficiency. For this, the research employs the “PARARENOVATE-LCT” tool as a new approach for the parametric enviro-economic evaluation of energy renovation strategies in residential buildings with LCT. As a working methodology, firstly, we define the evaluation scope, case study and life cycle inventory (LCI); secondly, we evaluate each of the 245 scenarios composed by all the combinations of different types of intervention in façade, roof and windows; and thirdly, we conduct the multi-objective optimisation in terms of optimal life cycle GWP reduction and cost-efficiency. The multi-objective optimisation performed by the Pareto method identifies 17 optimal strategies. The results show that the maximum GWP reduction strategies do not coincide with the maximum cost-effectiveness strategies. Therefore, more than half of the GWP can be reduced by some strategy, but with medium cost-effectiveness; however, the strategies with the highest cost-effectiveness reduce around one-third of the climate impact.

Graphical Abstract