bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Histidine Photooxygenation Chemistry: Mechanistic Evidence and Elucidation
Authors: Matsukawa Ryota , Yamane Mina , Kanai Motomu
Published: September 2023

Histidine photooxygenation has been the subject of extensive investigation for many years. The intricate nature of histidine distinguishes it from other amino acids, as its side chain readily undergoes changes in charge state and tautomerization in response to pH, and the polarity of the imidazole ring inverts upon oxidation. This complexity gives rise to a diverse range of oxidation products and mechanisms, posing challenges in their interpretation. This review aims to provide a thorough overview of the chemistry involved in histidine photooxygenation, encompassing a comprehensive analysis of resulting products, mechanisms engaged in their formation, and analytical techniques that have contributed to their identification. Additionally, it explores a wide range of applications stemming from this transformation, offering valuable insights into its practical implications in fields such as materials science, biomedical research, and drug development. By bridging the existing gap in literature, this review serves as a resource for understanding the intricacies of histidine photooxygenation and its diverse ramifications.
Multilingual Learners' Access to College: Students, School Counselors, and Institutional Doxa and Hysteresis
Authors: Jiang Lei , Harklau Linda
Published: September 2023

Despite the substantive scholarship on secondary language education with multilingual learners (MLs) and growing body of work on MLs' postsecondary access, relatively few studies have examined the influence of educators other than classroom teachers such as high school counselors on MLs' academic outcomes. We report on a qualitative study comparing and contrasting college access beliefs and experiences of MLs with those of school counselors in one diverse school district in the southeastern U.S. Data come from mentoring sessions with students; interviews with school counselors; school documents; student record data; and student observations. ML and educator perceptions and behavior are interpreted through a Bourdieusian practice theory lens that sees college access as shaped by the interaction of student resources and dispositions with school social structures. In particular, we tap Bourdieusian notions of the role of institutional belief systems (or doxa) about college access to show how students negotiate discontinuities (or hysteresis) between their assumptions and beliefs and the new educational system they encounter. We find that despite counselors' best efforts, MLs faced significant challenges to college access. Implications are offered for how educational stakeholders can advocate for college‐bound MLs.
Selenium and zinc alleviate hepatotoxicity induced by heavy metal mixture (cadmium, mercury, lead and arsenic) via attenuation of inflammo‐oxidant pathways
Authors: Ozoani Harrison , Ezejiofor Anthonet N. , Okolo Kenneth O. , Orish Chinna N. , Cirovic Ana , Cirovic Aleksandar , Orisakwe Orish E.
Published: September 2023

Heavy metals (HM) are believed to be injurious to humans. Man is exposed to them on daily basis unknowingly, with no acceptable protocol to manage its deleterious effects. These metals occur as mixture of chemicals with varying concentrations in our atmosphere. There are growing calls for the use of essential metals in mitigating the injurious effects induced by heavy metals exposure to man; therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effects of essential metals (Zinc and Selenium) in a mixture of heavy metal toxicity. In this study, except for negative controls, all other groups were treated with lead (PbCl2, 20 mg kg−1); cadmium (CdCl2, 1.61 mg kg−1); mercury (HgCl2, 0.40 mg kg−1), and arsenic (NaAsO3, 10 mg kg−1) that were formed in distilled water. Pb, Cd, As, and Hg were administered as mixtures to 35, 6 weeks old rats weighing between 80 to 100 g for 60 days. Group I served as normal control without treatment, group II positive control received HM mixture, while groups III to V received HMM with Zn, Se, and Zn + Se respectively. Animal and liver weights, HM accumulation in the liver, food intake (FI), water intake (WI), liver function test, malondialdehyde (MDA), and inflammatory/transcription factor/apoptosis markers were checked. Also, antioxidant enzymes, and histological studies were carried out. Metal mixture accumulated in the liver and caused toxicities which were ameliorated by Zn and Se administration. HM caused significant decrease in FI, WI and distorted the level of liver enzymes, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, antioxidants and architecture of the liver. Co administration with Zn or Se or both reversed the distortions. This study lays credence to the evolving research on the public health implications of low dose metal mixtures and the possible ameliorative properties of Zn and Se.
Exploring the mechanism of lung injury induced by lunar dust simulant in rats based on metabolomic analysis
Authors: Gu Chen , Yin Yuhang , Sun Yan , Liu Jinguo , Li Xiongyao , Zhang Xiaoping
Published: September 2023

Inflammatory response and oxidative stress are considered to be important mechanisms of lung injury induced by lunar dust. However, the pulmonary toxicological mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, Wistar rats were exposed to CLDS‐i 7 days/week, 4 h/day, for 4 weeks in the mouth and nose. Lung tissue samples were collected for histopathological analysis and ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. Enzyme activities and expression levels of key metabolic enzymes were detected by biochemical analysis and real‐time PCR. The pathological features of lung tissue showed that CLDS‐i caused congestion and inflammation in the lungs, and the lung structure was severely damaged. Metabolomics analysis showed that 141 metabolites were significantly changed in the lung tissue of the CLDS‐i group compared with the control group. Combined with Kegg pathway analysis, it was found that the changes of amino acid metabolites were involved in these pathways, indicating that the simulated lunar dust exposure had the most obvious effect on amino acid metabolism in the lung tissue of rats. Real‐time PCR analysis showed that the mRNA expression of six key enzymes related to amino acid metabolism was changed, and the enzyme activities of these key enzymes were also changed, which were consistent with the results of qPCR. These results suggest that changes in amino acid metabolism may be closely related to the pathogenesis of lung injury induced by lunar dust, and amino acid metabolism may be a potential biomarker of lung diseases related to lunar dust exposure.
Development of biobased plasticizers with synergistic effects of plasticization, thermal stabilization, and migration resistance: A review
Authors: Han Yu , Weng Yunxuan , Zhang Caili
Published: September 2023

Plasticizers are widely used in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), polylactic acid (PLA), thermoplastic starch (TPS), and other modified powder materials to enhance the flowability, flexibility, and processability of macromolecules. Because of the reprotoxicity of phthalates in animals and humans, certain phthalates have recently been banned in the United States and Europe. Biobased plasticizers from green biomass–derived renewable resources with low toxicity are expected to be a substitute for phthalates. Among a variety of newly developed biobased monomers, cardanol, and isosorbide are the two most promising materials because of their unique structural features. This review summarizes the research progress of cardanol‐ and isosorbide‐based plasticizers with synergistic effects of plasticization, thermal stabilization, and anti‐migration. By summarizing and analyzing the relationship between molecular structure of plasticizer and plasticizing performance, this review can provide theoretical guidance for future research on the design of isosorbide‐ and cardanol‐based plasticizers.

Highlights

Biobased plasticizers with low toxicity are expected to replace certain phthalates.

The plasticizing effect of single biobased plasticizer is not good.

Biobased plasticizer with synergistic effects is required.

There exists the trade‐off effect between the molecular weight and the compatibility.

Epoxidized isosorbide ester can be used as a heat stabilizer.
Fatal avian pox in a backyard flock of domestic ducks in Bangladesh
Authors: Pervin Munmun , Ferdausi Tangila , Miyuu Tanaka , Izawa Takeshi , Kuwamura Mitsuru , Parvin Rokshana
Published: September 2023

This case study describes a fatal avian pox outbreak in a backyard flock of domestic ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) in Bangladesh. A total of six ducks of varying ages were affected and presented with solid tumour‐like masses on the legs. A 6.5‐month‐old female duck was presented for clinical examination, and a 2 cm3 solid, nodular mass was surgically excised from the left leg. Histopathological examination of the tumour mass revealed marked epidermal hyperplasia with ballooning degeneration and eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies, as well as severe proliferation and necrotising dermatitis, with marked heterophilic and histiocytic infiltration. Electron microscopy revealed numerous dumbbell‐shaped virus particles within the intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies on degenerating keratinocytes, confirming Avipoxvirus infection. This is the first case report of avian pox in ducks in Bangladesh.
Detecting electrochemical changes in a nickel–zinc battery by operando x‐ray computed‐tomography analysis during charge–discharge tests
Authors: Kohmoto Daichi , Miyazaki Kohei , Morita Masahito , Fukuda Katsutoshi , Abe Takeshi
Published: September 2023

This study developed a method to detect and analyze deterioration in sections of a battery during charge–discharge tests in real time. This method is based on a time‐series analysis using x‐ray computed tomography, three‐dimensional reconstruction of the battery volume, and unsupervised machine learning. The developed method detects not only electrochemical changes in a battery through the conventional voltage‐capacity diagram but also physical changes such as the deterioration of the parts of a battery that cannot be found via human inspection directly from the sliced images of the three‐dimensional reconstructed volumes. Furthermore, the characteristics of these changes inside a battery can be captured through precise analysis using persistent homology, a mathematical machinery, at degrees 0 and 1. This demonstrates that our method can capture both continuous and discrete structural changes (e.g., a continuous deformation of active materials and compounds that are precipitated randomly in the electrolytes) within a battery. As a by‐product, the start of the venting system implemented near the anode of a battery can be detected using the method from a specific cycle during the charge–discharge tests.
BaCu2SiS4: A New Member of the AIIBI2MIVQ4 Chalcogenide Family with a Chiral Crystal Structure
Authors: Sarkar Arka , Viswanathan Gayatri , Wu Kui , Miller Gordon J. , Kovnir Kirill
Published: September 2023

Noncentrosymmetric ternary and quaternary chalcogenides are studied as promising nonlinear optical (NLO) materials in the mid‐infrared region. Here, we report the synthesis of a new material BaCu2SiS4 in the AIIBI2MIVQ4 family (A=divalent metal; B=monovalent metal; M=tetrel, Q=chalcogen), and discuss its crystal structure, thermal stability, optical behavior, and electronic structure. BaCu2SiS4 crystallizes in the noncentrosymmetric chiral space group P3221 with lattice parameters a=6.1440(3) Å, c=15.3542(8) Å, V=501.95(6) Å3, Z=3. The structure features helical channels formed by corner‐sharing [CuS4] and [SiS4] tetrahedral units. Synthesis was carried out in a molten salt flux, as opposed to a traditional solid‐state route from elements, to minimize the formation of a competing ternary phase, Ba2SiS4. BaCu2SiS4 is a semiconductor with an experimentally‐determined direct bandgap of ~2.2 eV. The material exhibits second harmonic generation (SHG) activity, confirming the noncentrosymmetric nature of the structure. Analysis of reported AIIBI2MIVQ4 crystal structures pointed out a correlation among potential structure types and the radii of the constituent elements. Total energy calculations were carried out to explore the relative stability of several reported crystal structures in this family of compounds.
Administration
Authors: Mendes Felipe Cardeneti , Sarna Piotr , Emelyanov Pavel , Dunlop Cynthia
Published: September 2023

A database’s automated admin operations work to keep things tight and tidy behind the scenes, but a level of supervision is required. Databases don’t know your business and could very naively decide to execute resource-intensive admin operations at what’s actually a performance-critical time. This final chapter details how common admin operations tend to impact performance. It covers the nature and severity of representative impacts and offers some tips on how you might mitigate them.
Your Project, Through the Lens of Database Performance
Authors: Mendes Felipe Cardeneti , Sarna Piotr , Emelyanov Pavel , Dunlop Cynthia
Published: September 2023

The specific database performance constraints and optimization opportunities your team will face vary wildly based on your specific workload, application, and business expectations. This chapter is designed to get you and your team talking about how much you can feasibly optimize your performance, spotlight some specific lessons related to common situations, and also help you set realistic expectations if you’re saddled with burdens like large payload sizes and strict consistency requirements. The chapter starts by looking at technical factors, such as the read/write ratio of your workload, item size/type, and so on. Then, it shifts over to business considerations like consistency requirements and high availability expectations. Throughout, the chapter talks about database attributes that have proven to be helpful—or limiting—in different contexts.
Database Drivers
Authors: Mendes Felipe Cardeneti , Sarna Piotr , Emelyanov Pavel , Dunlop Cynthia
Published: September 2023

Databases usually expose a specific communication protocol for their users. This protocol is the foundation of communication between clients and servers, so it’s often well-documented and has a formal specification. Some databases, like PostgreSQL, implement their own binary format on top of the TCP/IP stack. Others, like Amazon DynamoDB, build theirs on top of HTTP, which is a little more verbose, but also more versatile and compatible with web browsers. It’s also not uncommon to see a database exposing a protocol based on gRPC or any other well-established framework.
Benchmarking
Authors: Mendes Felipe Cardeneti , Sarna Piotr , Emelyanov Pavel , Dunlop Cynthia
Published: September 2023

We won’t sugarcoat it: database benchmarking is hard. There are many moving parts and nuances to consider and manage—and a bit of homework is required to really see what a database is capable of and measure it properly. It’s not easy to properly generate system load to reflect your real-life scenarios. It’s often not obvious how to correctly measure and analyze the end results. And after extracting benchmarking results, you need to be able to read them, understand potential performance bottlenecks, analyze potential performance improvements, and possibly dive into other issues. You need to make your benchmarking results meaningful, ensure they are easily reproducible, and also be able to clearly explain these results to your team and other interested parties in a way that reflects your business needs. There’s also hard mathematics involved: statistics and queueing theory to help with black boxes and measurements, not to mention domain-specific knowledge of the system internals of the servers, platforms, operating systems, and the software running on it.
Neoliberalism and Social Investment: Paving the Way for Medicalization and Psychologization
Authors: Ariaans Mareike , Reibling Nadine
Published: September 2023

In this chapter, Ariaans and Reibling outline how the medicalization and psychologization of social problems in recent decades must be viewed in the context of how contemporary welfare states have been transformed through neoliberal and social investment ideas. Both policy paradigms have shaped social policy discourses and reform agendas since the 1980s. While medicalization and psychologization are not commonly conceived as being integral to these paradigms, medical and psychological ideas, institutions, and actors have been part of the impact of medicalization and psychologization on the welfare state. Drawing on their empirical results from the previous chapters, the authors reveal how medicalization and psychologization have both been intentionally integrated into these paradigms and how they represent unintended consequences of neoliberal and social investment discourses and reforms.
Concurrent Hyperproperties
Authors: Finkbeiner Bernd , Olderog Ernst-Rüdiger
Published: September 2023

Trace properties, which are sets of execution traces, are often used to analyze systems, but their expressiveness is limited. Clarkson and Schneider defined hyperproperties as a generalization of trace properties to sets of sets of traces. Typical applications of hyperproperties are found in information flow security. We introduce an analogous definition of concurrent hyperproperties, by generalizing traces to concurrent traces, which we define as partially ordered multisets. We take Petri nets as the basic semantic model. Concurrent traces are formalized via causal nets. To check concurrent hyperproperties, we define may and must testing of sets of concurrent traces in the style of DeNicola and Hennessy, using the parallel composition of Petri nets. In our approach, we thus distinguish nondeterministic and concurrent behavior. We discuss examples where concurrent hyperproperties are needed.
Klein–Gordon–Maxwell Equations Driven by Mixed Local–Nonlocal Operators
Authors: Cangiotti Nicolò , Caponi Maicol , Maione Alberto , Vitillaro Enzo
Published: September 2023

Classical results concerning Klein–Gordon–Maxwell type systems are shortly reviewed and generalized to the setting of mixed local–nonlocal operators, where the nonlocal one is allowed to be nonpositive definite according to a real parameter. In this paper, we provide a range of parameter values to ensure the existence of solitary (standing) waves, obtained as Mountain Pass critical points for the associated energy functionals in two different settings, by considering two different classes of potentials: constant potentials and continuous, bounded from below, and coercive potentials.
On phantom publics, clusters, and collectives: be(com)ing subject in algorithmic times
Authors: Petersmann Marie , Van Den Meerssche Dimitri
Published: September 2023

This article starts from the observation that practices of ‘algorithmic governmentality’ or ‘governance by data’ are reconfiguring modes of social relationality and collectivity. By building, first, on an empirical exploration of digital bordering practices, we qualify these emergent algorithmic categories as ‘clusters’—pulsing patterns distilled from disaggregated data. As fluid, modular, and ever-emergent forms of association, these ‘clusters’ defy stable expressions of collective representation and social recognition. Second, we observe that this empirical analysis resonates with accounts that diagnosed algorithmic governance as a threat to legal subjectivity and socio-political cohesion, and called for a reinvigoration of democratic values and their re-alignment with new ‘infrastructural publics’. Against this backdrop, however, we explore alternatives avenues of legal imagination by pushing in a different (somewhat opposite) direction. Against the re-inscription of liberal categories, we linger with the promise and prospect of illegibility as resistance against the foreclosure of future potentialities in algorithmic forms of subject-making. Instead of falling back on the projection of autonomous human agency and liberal subjectivity to counteract the ‘cluster’, we imagine emancipatory expressions of resistance that are enacted through fugitive, opaque, and experimental collectivities.
Virulence of Beauveria sp. and Metarhizium sp. fungi towards fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda)
Authors: Apirajkamol Nonthakorn , Hogarty Timothy Michael , Mainali Bishwo , Taylor Phillip Warren , Walsh Thomas Kieran , Tay Wee Tek
Published: September 2023

The development of effective pest management strategies for Spodoptera frugiperda is a high priority for crop protection across its invasive ranges. Here, we examined six Beauveria and five Metarhizium fungal isolates against this pest. Two Beauveria isolates (B-0571, B-1311) induced high mortality toward 3rd and 6th instar caterpillars and adults. For B-0571 mortality was 82.81 ± 5.75%, 61.46 ± 6.83%, and 93.75 ± 3.61%, and 73.72 ± 2.51%, 71.88 ± 5.41%, and 97.92 ± 2.08% for B-1311, with deaths in caterpillars largely occurring under 24 h (3rd instar control 0.74 ± 0.33%, B-0571 73.96 ± 7.85% and B-1311 62.08 ± 3.67%; 6th instar control 0%, B-0571 66.67% ± 11.02% and B-1311 62.5% ± 9.55%). Infection from both Beauveria isolates fully prevented reproduction in surviving S. frugiperda females. In contrast, all five Metarhizium isolates tested and the remaining four Beauveria isolates exhibited lower virulence. The discovery of two highly virulent Beauveria fungal isolates to S. frugiperda opens avenues to develop novel biological control tools against this highly invasive pest.
Heat band, rain band and heat low migration: process-based evaluation of some CMIP6 GCMs over West Africa
Authors: Annor Thompson , Ackon Apphia Tetteh , James Rachel , Dyer Ellen , Webb Thomas , Pokam Wilfried Mba , Kuete Gouandjo Giresse , Washington Richard , Abiodun Babatunde J.
Published: September 2023

Climate model evaluation presents a crucial pathway into the investigation of the simulation of future climate. It presents the only lens through which the future states of the climate of the planet can be explored. In this study, reference datasets including reanalysis products have been used to demonstrate the climatological annual migration of the West African Monsoon System (WAMS) in three components, namely, the West African Heat Low (WAHL), the West African Heat Band (WAHB) and the West African Rain Band (WARB). We have used 8 Global Climate Models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) to assess how the models represent the climatological annual migration of these three features over the same domain for the same period. The results show close linkages between the WAHL, WAHB and the WARB as signature components of the WAMS in their climatological annual dynamics. All three features migrate from the south (with the minimum intensities) in January to the north (with the maximum intensities) in August over the region. The GCMs represent the climatological annual dynamics of all three features to some extent. However, in most of the models analysed the WAHL is too weak, and the WAHB and WARB are located too far south. Insights from this study can be beneficial for investigations of the future state of the WAMS. Also, development of models for the region should target the improved simulation of these features, specifically the intensity of the WAHL, and the locations of the WAHB and WARB.
Diagnostic performance of additional imaging tests for staging purposes in a bicentric German series of low-risk early breast cancer patients
Authors: Jung Lisa , Huwer Sarah Isabelle , Taran Florin-Andrei , Unger Clara , Müller Carolin , Solomayer Erich-Franz , Juhasz-Böss Ingolf , Neubauer Jakob
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Low-risk early breast cancer rarely leads to the development of metastatic disease, and in these patients, additional imaging test is controversial. The aim of our study was to evaluate the conventional staging procedures in a bicentric German series of low-risk breast carcinoma patients.

Methods

Retrospective evaluation of all patients diagnosed with early, low-risk breast cancer at Saarland University Hospital and Freiburg University Hospital in 2017 was performed. Clinical patient characteristics, the number and type of additional imaging examinations, follow-up examinations, and results were evaluated. The detection rate of metastases and the rate of false-positive findings were analyzed.

Results

A total of 203 patients were included, with all patients received at least one additional imaging test. Initially, a total of 562 additional imaging examinations were performed: 166 chest X-rays, 169 upper abdominal ultrasounds, 199 bone scans, 27 computer tomographies (CT) chest and abdomen, and 1 CT abdomen. 6.8% of patients had abnormal findings reported, requiring 38 additional imaging examinations. One patient (0.5%) was found to have bone metastases. The rate of false-positive findings in the performed additional imaging procedures was 6.6%.

Conclusion

Metastatic disease was detected in one of 203 patients with low-risk early breast cancer. A total of 562 examinations and additional 38 follow-up examinations were performed without detection of metastasis (this corresponds to approximately 3 examinations/patient). The rate of false-positive findings was 6.6%. The performance of additional imaging procedures for detection of distant metastases should be critically reconsidered in patients with low-risk early breast cancer.
Frequency of social burden and underage children in neuro-oncological patients
Authors: Kamp Marcel A. , von Sass Christiane , Januzi Donjetë , Dibué Maxine , Libourius Katharina , Lawson McLean Anna C. , Baumgarten Peter , Lawson McLean Aaron , Dinc Nazife , Senft Christian A.
Published: September 2023

Objective

Brain tumours can cause significant burden for patients and their families, including physical, psychological, and social challenges. This burden can be particularly difficult for patients with malignant brain tumours and those with underage children. However, the frequency of social burden among neuro-oncological patients and the proportion of patients with underaged children is currently unknown. The aim of this retrospective study is to determine the frequency of social and family dysfunction among neuro-oncological patients, the percentage of such patients who have underage children, and to assess their associated burden.

Methods

During a 22-month period, all brain tumour patients were asked to complete a short questionnaire that included epidemiological data, the EORTC-qlq-C30 and -BN20 questionnaire, and the distress thermometer. Data were collected and analysed using Prism 9 for macOS (version 9, GraphPad Prism).

Results

Our analysis included 881 brain tumour patients, of which 540 were female. Median age was 61 years (ranging from 16 to 88 years). Of all patients, 228 suffered from malignant intracranial tumours. More than half of all patients and more than 65% of patients with malignant tumours reported that their illness or medical treatment interfered with their social activities and family life. Almost 30% of patients reported moderate or severe complaints. About 27% of all patients (and 31% of patients with malignancies) expressed moderate or major concerns that their family life could be disrupted. Among the patients with malignancies, 83.5% of patients had a total of 318 children at the time of tumour diagnosis, with a mean age of 33 ± 0.9. Of these patients with malignancies, 38 (17.9%) had a total of 56 underage children at the time of tumour diagnosis, and currently have 53 underage children. Patients with minor children had more financial worries but less interference of their disease with social activities, less psycho-oncological distress, and a more positive outlook into the future (each, p < 0.0001). They evaluated their general health status and quality of life in the week prior to their current appointment significantly better (each p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

Our study found that 17.9% of patients with malignant brain tumours have underage children. However, having underage children may actually be a positive resource for these patients, as they show lower distress values and better quality of life.
Recovery of Plane Curves from Branch Points
Authors: Agostini Daniele , Markwig Hannah , Nollau Clemens , Schleis Victoria , Sendra-Arranz Javier , Sturmfels Bernd
Published: September 2023

We recover plane curves from their branch points under projection onto a line. Our focus lies on cubics and quartics. These have 6 and 12 branch points respectively. The plane Hurwitz numbers 40 and 120 count the orbits of solutions. We determine the numbers of real solutions, and we present exact algorithms for recovery. Our approach relies on 150 years of beautiful algebraic geometry, from Clebsch to Vakil and beyond.
On Angles in Higher Order Brillouin Tessellations and Related Tilings in the Plane
Authors: Edelsbrunner Herbert , Garber Alexey , Ghafari Mohadese , Heiss Teresa , Saghafian Morteza
Published: September 2023

For a locally finite set in $${{{\mathbb {R}}}}^2$$

R

2

, the order-k Brillouin tessellations form an infinite sequence of convex face-to-face tilings of the plane. If the set is coarsely dense and generic, then the corresponding infinite sequences of minimum and maximum angles are both monotonic in k. As an example, a stationary Poisson point process in $${{{\mathbb {R}}}}^2$$

R

2

is locally finite, coarsely dense, and generic with probability one. For such a set, the distributions of angles in the Voronoi tessellations, Delaunay mosaics, and Brillouin tessellations are independent of the order and can be derived from the formula for angles in order-1 Delaunay mosaics given by Miles (Math. Biosci. 6, 85–127 (1970)).
Minimally invasive third ventriculostomy with stereotactic internal shunt placement for the treatment of tumor-associated noncommunicating hydrocephalus
Authors: Niedermeyer Sebastian , Terpolilli Nicole A. , Nerlinger Pia , Weller Jonathan , Schmutzer Michael , Quach Stefanie , Thon Niklas
Published: September 2023

Background

Intracranial tumors can cause obstructive hydrocephalus (OH). Most often, symptomatic treatment is pursued through ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VS) or endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV). In this study, we propose stereotactic third ventriculostomy with internal shunt placement (sTVIP) as an alternative treatment option and assess its safety and efficacy.

Methods

In this single-center, retrospective analysis, clinical symptoms, procedure-related complications, and revision-free survival of all patients with OH due to tumor formations treated by sTVIP between January 2010 and December 2021 were evaluated.

Results

Clinical records of thirty-eight patients (11 female, 27 male) with a mean age of 40 years (range 5–88) were analyzed. OH was predominantly (in 92% of patients) caused by primary brain tumors (with exception of 3 cases with metastases). Following sTVIP, 74.2% of patients experienced symptomatic improvement. Preoperative headache was a significant predictor of postoperative symptomatic improvement (OR 26.25; 95% CI 4.1–521.1; p = 0.0036). Asymptomatic hemorrhage was detected along the stereotactic trajectory in 2 cases (5.3%). One patient required local revision due to CSF fistula (2.6%); another patient had to undergo secondary surgery to connect the catheter to a valve/abdominal catheter due to CSF malabsorption. However, in the remaining 37 patients, shunt independence was maintained during a median follow-up period of 12 months (IQR 3–32 months). No surgery-related mortality was observed.

Conclusions

sTVIP led to a significant symptom control and was associated with low operative morbidity, along with a high rate of ventriculoperitoneal shunt independency during the follow-up period. Therefore, sTVIP constitutes a highly effective and minimally invasive treatment option for tumor-associated obstructive hydrocephalus, even in cases with a narrow prepontine interval.
Discipline identification, identity incompatibility, belonging and their association with deep approaches to learning and academic self-efficacy during COVID-19 in the UK
Authors: Grozev Vladislav H. , Easterbrook Matthew J. , Jessop Donna C.
Published: September 2023

Previous research indicates that discipline identification — the level of integration of one’s discipline of study into the self-concept — is associated with deep approaches to learning and academic self-efficacy. However, it is not known whether these relationships would hold in the context of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study investigates this, as well as exploring whether belonging, identity incompatibility, and virtual and in-person time spent with fellow students and with faculty act as potential antecedents of discipline identification. A cross-sectional online survey with n = 385 students in the UK was conducted during the spring term (February–May) of the 2019–2020 academic year, when UK universities were under COVID-19 restrictions. Of those students, n = 109 completed a follow-up survey during the autumn term (September–December) of the 2020–2021 academic year. Due to pandemic-related changes, the two waves of data were analysed separately using path analysis. During the spring term, identity incompatibility and discipline identification were significantly associated with both deep approaches to learning and academic self-efficacy. There were also significant indirect effects of belonging on both deep approaches to learning and academic self-efficacy via discipline identification. During the autumn term, discipline identification was again significantly associated with both academic outcomes. Identity incompatibility was significantly associated with academic self-efficacy. There were also indirect effects of identity incompatibility and belonging on deep approaches to learning via discipline identification. These results add to the literature on the importance of discipline identification and associated social-psychological processes in predicting important higher education outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students’ school success in challenging times: importance of central personal and social resources during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Stang-Rabrig Justine , Vogel Sebastian Nicolas Thomas , Forciniti Marco , McElvany Nele
Published: September 2023

Students’ well-being, learning activities, and learning success are key student outcomes that can be affected by challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, it is vital to investigate the role of important personal (resilience, self-efficacy) and social resources (support from family, friends, teachers, important other) for central student outcomes (life satisfaction as a vital aspect of well-being, learning activities, and learning success) alongside perception of the COVID-19 situation. While the pandemic affected all of society, adolescents as a group who face core developmental challenges were especially vulnerable towards being negatively affected by the pandemic. Thus, analyses are based on 220 adolescent students (60.9% female, 37.7% male, 1.4% diverse) in Germany who were 16.21 years old on average (SD = 0.88) at time of data collection in May 2021. Students filled out an online questionnaire on sociodemographics and variables of interest. Path models revealed that perceiving the COVID-19 pandemic as stressful was negatively related to life satisfaction (β = -.27). Furthermore, perceiving the COVID-19 pandemic as stressful was negatively related to students’ self-efficacy (β = -.22) and positively to support from an important other (β = .32). Moreover, several resources were mainly positively related to our central student outcomes (β = .13-.41), and perception of the COVID-19 situation mediated two of those relations. Results underscore the importance of students’ self-efficacy, which was related to all student outcomes. Furthermore, the results and methodological issues can impact further research and practice.
Looking for future biological control agents: the comparative function of the deutosternal groove in mesostigmatid mites
Authors: Bowman Clive E.
Published: September 2023

The physics of fluid laminar flow through an idealised deutosternum assembly is used for the first time to review predatory feeding designs over 72 different-sized example species from 16 mesostigmatid families in order to inform the finding of new biological control agents. Gnathosomal data are digitised from published sources. Relevant gnathosomal macro- and micro-features are compared and contrasted in detail which may subtly impact the control of channel- or ‘pipe’-based transport of prey liquids around various gnathosomal locations. Relative deutosternal groove width on the mesostigmatid subcapitulum is important but appears unrelated to the closing velocity ratio of the moveable digit. Big mites are adapted for handling large and watery prey. The repeated regular distance between deutosternal transverse ridges (‘Querleisten’) supports the idea of them enabling a regular fluctuating bulging or pulsing droplet-based fluid wave ‘sticking’ and ‘slipping’ along the groove. Phytoseiids are an outlier functional group with a low deutosternal pipe flow per body size designed for slot-like microchannel transport in low volume fluid threads arising from daintily nibbling nearby prey klinorhynchidly. Deutosternal groove denticles are orientated topographically in order to synergise flow and possible mixing of coxal gland-derived droplets and circumcapitular reservoir fluids across the venter of the gnathosomal base back via the hypostome to the prey being masticated by the chelicerae. As well as working with the tritosternum to mechanically clean the deutosternum, denticles may suppress fluid drag. Shallow grooves may support edge-crawling viscous flow. Lateral features may facilitate handling unusual amounts of fluid arising from opportunistic feeding on atypical prey. Various conjectures for confirmatory follow-up are highlighted. Suggestions as to how to triage non-uropodoid species as candidate plant pest control agents are included.
Pectoral muscle removal in mammogram images: A novel approach for improved accuracy and efficiency
Authors: Chen Simin , Bennett Debbie L. , Colditz Graham A. , Jiang Shu
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Accurate pectoral muscle removal is critical in mammographic breast density estimation and many other computer-aided algorithms. We propose a novel approach to remove pectoral muscles form mediolateral oblique (MLO) view mammograms and compare accuracy and computational efficiency with existing method (Libra).

Methods

A pectoral muscle identification pipeline was developed. The image is first binarized to enhance contrast and then the Canny algorithm was applied for edge detection. Robust interpolation is used to smooth out the pectoral muscle region. Accuracy and computational speed of pectoral muscle identification was assessed using 951 women (1,902 MLO mammograms) from the Joanne Knight Breast Health Cohort at Washington University School of Medicine.

Results

Our proposed algorithm exhibits lower mean error of 12.22% in comparison to Libra’s estimated error of 20.44%. This 40% gain in accuracy was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The computational time for the proposed algorithm is 5.4 times faster when compared to Libra (5.1 s for proposed vs. 27.7 s for Libra per mammogram).

Conclusion

We present a novel approach for pectoral muscle removal in mammogram images that demonstrates significant improvement in accuracy and efficiency compared to existing method. Our findings have important implications for the development of computer-aided systems and other automated tools in this field.
Are All Laws of Nature Created Equal? Meta-laws Versus More Necessary Laws
Authors: Hirèche Salim , Linnemann Niels , Michels Robert
Published: September 2023

Two approaches to elevating certain laws of nature over others have come to prominence recently. On the one hand, according to themeta-lawsapproach, there are meta-laws, laws which relate to laws as those laws relate to particular facts. On the other hand, according to themodal, ornon-absolutist, approach, some laws are necessary in a stricter sense than others. Both approaches play an important role in current research, questioning the ‘orthodoxy’ represented by the leading philosophical theories of natural laws—Humeanism, the DTA view, dispositional essentialism and primitivism. This paper clarifies the relations between these two emerging approaches, as well as their applicability to physical laws and the status of the challenges they pose for standard theories of laws of nature. We first argue that, despite some significant similarities between the two approaches (especially in the context of Lange’s counterfactual account of laws), they are in general distinct and largely independent of each other. Then, we argue that the support for meta-laws from physical theory and practice is more questionable than usually presented.
(No) time to engage: an exploratory mixed-method study into factors predicting the engagement of postgraduate research students in Ireland
Authors: Guigui Daniel , Faas Daniel , Darmody Merike , Fhlannchadha Siobhán Nic
Published: September 2023

Worldwide, HEIs strive to provide the best possible training for their PGRs, the next generation of researchers. PGRs engagement is crucial for a successful completion of their training, however, research on the experiences of PGRs is limited. Moreover, the number of international PGRs has increased steadily over the last decade, which poses the question whether international PGRs have different engagement levels compared to local PGRs. Therefore, thus study is aimed at filling this research gap by investigating the mechanisms that influence the engagement of these groups of students. The paper focuses on the dimensions of (1) students’ engagement with the supervisor, (2) their engagement within the department, and (3) their cognitive engagement, by taking a mixed-method approach that draws on the Irish PGR StudentSurvey.ie 2019 data and 14 semi-structured interviews conducted with PGRs at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in 2021. The findings indicate that differences in engagement between Irish and international students are mainly influenced by perceived financial security and familiarity with institutional structures and environments, are mediated by their relationship with the supervisor, and ultimately influence the time available for engagement. Therefore, the findings will be relevant to policymakers and HEIs as they offer insights into how challenges for PGR students can be mitigated through supervisor support to encourage higher levels of engagement.
Optimal Parameters for Numerical Solvers of PDEs
Authors: Frasca-Caccia Gianluca , Singh Pranav
Published: September 2023

In this paper we introduce a procedure for identifying optimal methods in parametric families of numerical schemes for initial value problems in partial differential equations. The procedure maximizes accuracy by adaptively computing optimal parameters that minimize a defect-based estimate of the local error at each time step. Viable refinements are proposed to reduce the computational overheads involved in the solution of the optimization problem, and to maintain conservation properties of the original methods. We apply the new strategy to recently introduced families of conservative schemes for the Korteweg-de Vries equation and for a nonlinear heat equation. Numerical tests demonstrate the improved efficiency of the new technique in comparison with existing methods.
Nickel hydrazine nitrate/TNT hybrid: toward novel castable energetic nanocomposite with customized performance and decomposition kinetics via novel synergistic effect
Authors: Elbasuney Sherif , Ismael Shukri , Yehia M.
Published: September 2023

Advanced energetic metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) can expose novel characteristics. Highly crystalline nickel hydrazine nitrate (NHN) MOF of 50 nm size was developed via wet coordination. NHN experienced superior decomposition enthalpy of 3100 J g−1 at 222 °C using differential scanning calorimetry. NHN could act as a sensitizer for trinitrotoluene (TNT) and could boost its decomposition enthalpy, detonation velocity, and decomposition kinetics. NHN nanoparticles were effectively integrated into TNT energetic matrix; proper particle dispersion was verified via energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, whereas TNT experienced decomposition enthalpy of 340 J g−1; NHN boosted TNT decomposition enthalpy by 282%, with decrease in main decomposition temperature by 31 °C. NHN/TNT nanocomposite revealed a decrease in TNT activation energy by − 23.5% and − 22% via Kissinger and KAS models, respectively. The synergistic effect of NHN on TNT was ascribed its high decomposition enthalpy, gaseous products. NHN could secure novel catalytic effect on TNT decomposition with increase in detonation velocity by 11%; this was ascribed to the release of active hydrogen that could support CH-α attack with the exclusive formation of nickel nanocatalyst.
The Framing of Diversity Statements in European Universities: The Role of Imprinting and Institutional Legacy
Authors: Philippczyck Nicole , Grundmann Jan , Oertel Simon
Published: September 2023

We analyze the role of institutional founding conditions and institutional legacy for universities’ self-representation in terms of diversity. Based on 374 universities located in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Poland, we can differentiate between a more idealistic understanding (logic of inclusion and equality) and a more market-oriented understanding (market logic) of diversity. Our findings show that the founding phase has no significant effect on the likelihood of a university focusing on a market-oriented understanding of diversity—however, we observe an imprinting effect with respect to the adoption of a diversity statement in general and an equity-oriented statement. Moreover, our findings show that there is a socialistic heritage for universities in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries that is at work and still influences universities’ understandings of diversity today.
Testimonial knowledge and content preservation
Authors: Pollock Joey
Published: September 2023

Most work in the epistemology of testimony is built upon a simple model of communication according to which, when the speaker asserts that p, the hearer must recover this very content, p. In this paper, I argue that this ‘Content Preservation Model’ of communication cannot bear the weight placed on it by contemporary work on testimony. It is popularly thought that testimonial exchanges are often successful such that we gain a great deal of knowledge through testimony. In addition, the testimonial knowledge so gained is thought to be informative: it closes off epistemic possibilities for the agent. However, in the literature on truth-conditional content, there is no theory of content that can underpin both of these commitments simultaneously if the Content Preservation Model is true. There is a minimal notion of content, which is commonly preserved in communication, but which is typically uninformative; there is a maximal notion of content, which is often informative, but which is not often preserved in communication; and, although there are moderate positions between these two extremes, these views cannot strike the right balance between informativeness and shareability. Thus, an epistemology of testimony that endorses the Content Preservation Model faces a dilemma: on the first horn, testimonial exchanges are rarely successful; on the second horn, testimonial content is rarely informative. I suggest that this dilemma motivates further exploration of alternative communicative foundations for the epistemology of testimony.