bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Downregulation of dermatopontin in cholangiocarcinoma cells suppresses CCL19 secretion of macrophages and immune infiltration
Authors: Xu Peng , Li Siyang , Liu Ke , Fan Rui , Liu Fahui , Zhang Haoxuan , Liu Donghua , Shen Dongyan
Published: February 2024

Objective

The tumor microenvironment (TME) in cholangiocarcinoma (CHOL) is typically characterized by a low level of immune infiltration, which accounts for the dismal prognosis of this patient population. This study sought to investigate the mechanisms underlying the reduced infiltration of immune cells into the CHOL TME.

Methods

We constructed a Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression model to identify prognosis-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The 'Corrplot' package was employed to analyze the correlation between dermatopontin (DPT) and immune infiltration in CHOL. The Tumor and Immune System Interaction Database (TISIDB) was used to evaluate the association between DPT and immunology. Single-cell analysis was conducted to localize CCL19 secretions. Western blot and qPCR were utilized to detect DPT expression, while immunofluorescence was performed to investigate the cellular localization of DPT. Additionally, ELISA analysis was employed to assess the alteration in CCL19 secretion in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and macrophages.

Results

Our findings revealed that CHOL patients with low DPT expression had a poorer prognosis. Enrichment analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between DPT levels and the infiltration of immunomodulators and immune cells. Moreover, high DPT levels were associated with enhanced anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapeutic responses. Furthermore, DPT expression impacted the landscape of gene mutations, showing a negative association with tumor grade, stage, and lymph node metastasis. Based on the results of protein peptides analysis and cell experiments, it was inferred that the downregulation of DPT in CHOL cells effectively suppressed the secretion of CCL19 in macrophages.

Conclusions

DPT is a novel prognosis-related biomarker for CHOL patients, and this study provides preliminary insights into the mechanism by which DPT promotes the infiltration of immune cells into the CHOL TME.
Skeletal muscle extramedullary plasmacytoma transformed into plasmablastic plasmacytoma: a case report
Authors: Zhang Shuang , Zhi Zheng , Yang Jie , Cao Shumin , Wu Nan , Kang Lin , Zhao Jing
Published: February 2024

Background

Extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) is a rare plasma cell malignancy, especially when the tumor originates in skeletal muscle. Plasmablastic plasmacytoma is an anaplastic round cell tumor with highly malignancy and poor prognosis. To date, there have been no reports on the transformation of skeletal muscle EMP into plasmablastic plasmacytoma. Therefore, the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cases of this pathologic transformation are unclear.

Case presentation

This article reports a case of an elderly male patient who presented with a painless mass in the right calf and was diagnosed with EMP by puncture pathology. Complete remission was obtained after sequential chemoradiotherapy. 6 months later, another puncture was performed due to plasmablastic plasmacytoma multiple distant metastases, and the pathology showed that EMP was transformed to plasmablastic plasmacytoma. Despite aggressive antitumor therapy, the disease continued to deteriorate, and the patient ultimately died of respiratory failure.

Conclusion

The transformation of EMP into plasmablastic plasmacytoma is very rare, and its diagnosis and treatment require the participation of both experienced pathologists and clinicians. We report this case in order to raise clinicians' awareness of the diagnosis and treatment of EMP and its transformation to plasmablastic plasmacytoma, and to avoid misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis.
Lifetime maximization of wireless sensor networks while ensuring intruder detection
Authors: Çorapsız Muhammed Fatih
Published: February 2024

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) have a wide variety of application areas and one of these areas is border crossing security. Unauthorized crossing of border areas, unauthorized arms and drug trafficking can be avoided at a lower cost and easier than conventional methods by monitoring the borders with the help of a WSN. In this study, we offer a mathematical model that guarantees the detection of possible intruders by scheduling the activities of the sensors whatever the route the intruder follows throughout the border zone or whatever the time the intruder enters to the route. To achieve the highest possible WSN management efficiency, we integrate coverage, routing, data routing, and sensor scheduling WSN design issues into the mathematical model. We first demonstrate the effectiveness of scheduling the sensors by the help of the offered mathematical model by comparing it against a random activity schedule of the sensors with respect to network lifetime and intruder detection ratio performance measures. We also develop a Lagrangean heuristic strategy to solve realistic sized instances of the proposed problem. We produce several random border zone instances with varying sizes and test the proposed solution strategy to illustrate the effectiveness of the offered solution strategy by comparing its performance against the performance of a commercial mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) solver.
In subjects with chronic low back pain, does neuropathia exclusively correlated to neuronal compression? A correlation study of PainDETECT questionnaire and corresponding MRI and X-ray findings
Authors: Sima Stone , Lapkin Samuel , Diwan Ashish D.
Published: February 2024

Introduction

Understanding the complex nature of low back pain (LBP) is crucial for effective management. The PainDETECT questionnaire is a tool that distinguishes between neuropathic (NeP), nociceptive (NoP), and ambiguous pain. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between pain classification and lumbar intervertebral degenerative parameters obtained from imaging.

Methods

A cohort study was conducted involving 279 patients, aged 18 years and above, who completed PainDETECT questionnaires and underwent lumbar MRI and/or X-ray scans.

Results

The study included 102 patients with NoP, 78 with ambiguous pain, and 99 with NeP. The NeP group had lower mean age (58.21 vs. 53.63, p < 0.05) and higher mean numerical rating scale score (7.9 vs. 5.9, p < 0.001) compared to the NoP group. A negative correlation was found between PainDETECT scores and pelvic incidence (τ = − 0.177, p = 0.043). The NeP group exhibited significantly higher severity of foraminal stenosis (U = 18.962, p = 0.002), spinal stenosis (U = 14.481, p = 0.005), and Pfirrmann grade (U = 14.221, p = 0.028) compared to the NoP group. A higher proportion of NeP patients had intervertebral disk bulge (96% vs. 78% vs. 78%, p = 0.002) and high-intensity zones (51% vs. 41% vs. 19%, p < 0.001) compared to those with NoP and ambiguous pain.

Conclusion

NeP, as determined by the PainDETECT questionnaire, is associated with more severe neural compression, increased presence of discogenic disease and inflammatory disk severity, and decreased pelvic incidence. This pioneering study establishes a connection between pathological findings and pain categorization, providing clinicians with valuable guidance for formulating tailored management plans and reducing the need for unnecessary pharmacotherapy, imaging, and non-targeted surgical interventions.
Influence of active electrode impurity on memristive characteristics of ECM devices
Authors: Michieletti Fabio , Chen Shaochuan , Weber Carsten , Ricciardi Carlo , Ohno Takeo , Valov Ilia
Published: February 2024

Memristive devices are promising candidates for the implementation in more than Moore applications. Their functionalities, electrical characteristics, and behavior, such as high scalability and stability at extreme conditions such as low/high temperatures, irradiation with electromagnetic waves and high-energy particles, and fast operation are required for solving current problems in neuromorphic architectures. Electrochemical metallization (ECM)-based memristive devices are among the most relevant in this scenario owing to their low power consumption, high switching speed, showing high HRS/LRS resistance ratio in digital mode, and as well multilevel to analogue-type performance, allowing to be used in wide spectrum of applications, including as artificial neurons and/or synapses in brain-inspired hardware. Despite all the advantages and progressing industrial implementation, effects of materials selection and interactions are not sufficiently explored, and reliable design rules based on materials approach are still to be formulated by the correct choice of structures and materials combinations to ensure desired performance. In this work, we report on the effects of impurities in the copper active electrode on the electrical characteristics of Cu/Ta2O5/Pt ECM devices. The results demonstrate that Cu impurity is modulating the electrochemical behavior and switching speed due to different catalytic activity and redox reaction rates. In addition, stability and variability are improved by decreasing the number of foreign atoms. Our results provide important additional information on the factors needed to be considered for rational device design.
Low SAA4 gene expression is associated with advanced HCC stage and a poor prognosis
Authors: Li Shilong , Kong Dejun , Zhang Weiqi , Li Yan , Wang Hao , Yang Ruining , Sun Qian , Wang Zhenglu , Zhang Zhongwei
Published: February 2024

At present, although there are tumor markers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), markers with better predictive efficiency are needed. SAA4 gene expression in liver tumor and paracancerous tissues was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed and visualized by heatmap and volcano plot. Survival analysis was performed based on SAA4 expression. SAA4 expression was compared in patients grouped based on clinicopathological features, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted. Immunohistochemical staining was used to verify the SAA4 protein staining intensity from The Human Protein Atlas database and our center’s samples. The diagnostic value of SAA4 for HCC was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves. SAA4 was expressed at low levels in HCC tissues, and low SAA4 expression was associated with a poor prognosis in HCC. In addition, SAA4 expression decreased with HCC progression. There were 188 upregulated DEGs and 1551 downregulated DEGs between the high and low SAA4 expression groups. Complement and coagulation cascades, fatty acid metabolism, and ECM receptor interaction were significantly enriched in the GSEA. SAA4 had good predictive efficacy for HCC and even early HCC and was superior to AFP. In general, low SAA4 expression was associated with advanced HCC stage and a poor prognosis. In addition, SAA4 may be helpful for the diagnosis of early HCC and may become a novel tumor marker with good predictive power for HCC.
Trophic niche partitioning among non-native fish species coexisting in a Colombian high Andean reservoir
Authors: Nieto Juan David , Martínez-Toro Lina María , Ospina Juan Sebastián , Valencia-Rodríguez Daniel , Restrepo-Santamaria Daniel , Jiménez-Segura Luz Fernanda
Published: February 2024

The introduction of non-native species to a new environment poses a threat to local biological diversity, causing instability in the functioning of the ecosystem. The ecological effects caused by these species have been scarcely documented in the Magdalena basin. By studying predator–prey interactions, we characterized the trophic niche of three non-native species (Cyprinus carpio, Micropterus salmoides, and Oncorhynchus mykiss) that dominate a high Andean reservoir in the Magdalena basin. This study allows us to understand their specific feeding behaviors and how these behaviors facilitate their establishment in the reservoir. We evaluated the diversity of the prey they consume, their feeding strategy, and possible differences in the feeding scheme. Forty individuals were analyzed, with the highest representation of M. salmoides with 17 individuals, followed by C. carpio (13 individuals), and finally O. mykiss with 10 individuals. We identified twenty categories of food as prey for these species, with aquatic invertebrates and vegetation material being the predominant prey. The analysis of stomach contents in these samples suggested that they are representative for determining specialized or generalist feeding strategies. There were no differences in the number of prey items consumed by these three species. The analysis revealed that the feeding strategies are specific for each species. There was no overlap in the diet of C. carpio with the other two species, however, the composition of the diet is similar between M. salmoides and O. mykiss. Analyzing the diet of these non-native fish provides a useful tool for describing trophic interactions in this aquatic environment. Our results contribute information on the existing interactions amongst non-native species in the Magdalena basin, which is important for the development of strategies to manage and mitigate their impact.
How Corporate Social (Ir)Responsibility Influences Employees’ Private Prosocial Behavior: An Experimental Study
Authors: Koch-Bayram Irmela Fritzi , Biemann Torsten
Published: February 2024

The micro-level corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature has broadly demonstrated the effects of CSR on employees’ behavior but has mostly been limited to employees’ behavior within the work domain. This business-centered focus overlooks the potential of organizations to change employees’ private social and environmental behavior and thus to address grand societal challenges. Based on the social psychology literature on moral consistency and moral balancing, we conduct three experiments to investigate whether employees’ private prosocial behavior is consistent with their organization’s corporate social (ir)responsibility or whether employees aim to balance their private prosocial behavior, e.g., by compensating for their organization’s CSR activities with a reduced willingness to contribute outside the work domain. Our results provide support for a consistency effect such that employers’ environmental CSR activities increase employees’ donations and willingness to volunteer outside work. Environmental corporate social irresponsibility activities, on the contrary, reduce employees’ private donations and willingness to volunteer. We further find that the positive effects of environmental CSR are partly explained by the strengthening of employees’ environmental self-identity. Our findings highlight that organizational activities have consequences for employees’ moral behavior outside the work domain and thus have important implications for research and practice.
Phase 1 study of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in Japanese patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer
Authors: Nogami Naoyuki , Tokito Takaaki , Zenke Yoshitaka , Satouchi Miyako , Seto Takashi , Saka Hideo , Ohtani Junko , Han Shirong , Noguchi Kazuo , Nishio Makoto
Published: February 2024

Background

Part E of the KEYNOTE-011 (NCT01840579) study assessed the safety and antitumor activity of pembrolizumab plus platinum-etoposide chemotherapy in Japanese patients with previously untreated extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).

Methods

Patients received 4 cycles of pembrolizumab (200 mg) every 3 weeks in combination with cisplatin (75 mg/m2) and etoposide (100 mg/m2; days 1, 2, 3) in cohort 1; with carboplatin (AUC 5 mg/mL/min) and etoposide (100 mg/m2; days 1, 2, 3) in cohort 2; or with cisplatin/etoposide and pegfilgrastim (3.6 mg; cycle 1, day 4) in cohort 3. Combination therapy was followed by pembrolizumab monotherapy (31 cycles). The primary endpoint was safety and tolerability (including dose-limiting toxicities; DLTs).

Results

Fifteen patients were included in the study (cohort 1, n = 6; cohort 2, n = 6; cohort 3, n = 3). Median time from treatment allocation to data cutoff was 22.1 months (range, 4.1‒32.4 months). DLTs occurred in 3 patients in cohort 1 (one patient with grade 4 laryngeal stenosis and grade 3 febrile neutropenia; two patients with grade 3 febrile neutropenia); no patients in cohorts 2 or 3 experienced DLTs. Grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events included leukopenia (67%) and neutropenia (87%). Among all patients, ORR was 67% (95% CI, 38%‒88%) and median DOR was 4.5 months (range, 2.8‒28.8 months). Median PFS was 4.2 months (95% CI, 3.0‒7.8 months) and median OS was 22.1 months (95% CI, 7.4‒25.9 months).

Conclusion

Pembrolizumab in combination with platinum-etoposide therapy had manageable toxicity with no new safety signals and was associated with antitumor activity in Japanese patients with ES-SCLC.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01840579.
Element contents and their seasonal dynamics in leaves of alder Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn
Authors: Hrdlička Petr , Kula Emanuel
Published: February 2024

Alnus glutinosa is an actinorhizal plant that fixes N via actinomycetes. Compared to other trees, A. glutinosa is more resistant to environmental stress and able to uptake soil nutrients more easily. Alnus glutinosa grows well not only in natural stands but also in degraded environment or soil in need of restoration. Changes in the contents of selected macro-, micro-, and non-nutrient elements in the leaves of A. glutinosa during the vegetation season were monitored in the Ore Mountains (Czech Republic), an area affected by extreme air pollution in the past. Decreased foliar content of N, P, K, and Cu, and increased content of Ca, Mn, Zn, and Al were observed; the content of other elements (S, Mg, Pb, and Cd) varied during the growing season or remained constant. From the viewpoint of nutrition, the content of N, S, Ca, and Mg macroelements was adequate; concentrations of P and K were low. Excessive amounts of Mn and Zn were measured, and the level of Cu was good. Non-nutrient elements Pb and Cd were present at the background level, and the level of Al was high. N/P, N/Ca, N/Mg, and Ca/Mg ratios were balanced, S/N value showed the lack of S, and N/K ratio indicated low content of K, which caused also suboptimal K/Ca and K/Mg values. The P/Al ratio varied from balanced to lower values. The content of individual elements and monitored changes were influenced by the amount of elements in the soil, moisture conditions, foliage phenology, and altitude.
Differentially private Riemannian optimization
Authors: Han Andi , Mishra Bamdev , Jawanpuria Pratik , Gao Junbin
Published: February 2024

In this paper, we study the differentially private empirical risk minimization problem where the parameter is constrained to a Riemannian manifold. We introduce a framework for performing differentially private Riemannian optimization by adding noise to the Riemannian gradient on the tangent space. The noise follows a Gaussian distribution intrinsically defined with respect to the Riemannian metric on the tangent space. We adapt the Gaussian mechanism from the Euclidean space to the tangent space compatible to such generalized Gaussian distribution. This approach presents a novel analysis as compared to directly adding noise on the manifold. We further prove privacy guarantees of the proposed differentially private Riemannian (stochastic) gradient descent using an extension of the moments accountant technique. Overall, we provide utility guarantees under geodesic (strongly) convex, general nonconvex objectives as well as under the Riemannian Polyak-Łojasiewicz condition. Empirical results illustrate the versatility and efficacy of the proposed framework in several applications.
Social media platforms’ responses to COVID-19-related mis- and disinformation: the insufficiency of self-governance
Authors: Warnke Lina , Maier Anna-Lena , Gilbert Dirk Ulrich
Published: February 2024

The spread of mis- and disinformation on social media platforms is a significant societal threat. During the COVID-19 pandemic, mis- and disinformation played an important role in counteracting public health efforts. In this article, we explore how the three most relevant social media platforms, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, design their (IT) self-governance as a response to COVID-19-related mis- and disinformation, and provide explanations for the limited scope of their responses. Exploring the under-researched connection between the operating principles of social media platforms and their limited measures against mis- and disinformation, we address a relevant research gap in the extant literature on digital platforms and self-governance, particularly the role of IT governance (ITG), providing the ground for our argument against an overreliance on self-governance. In our qualitative study that draws on publicly available documents, we find that the shortcomings of current responses to mis- and disinformation are partly due to the complex nature of mis- and disinformation, as well as the wider political and societal implications of determining online content’s factuality. The core problem, however, is grounded in the current overreliance on self-governance. We argue for an enhanced dialogue and collaboration between social media platforms and their relevant stakeholders, especially governments. We contribute to the growing ITG literature and debate about platforms’ roles and responsibilities, supporting the intensifying calls for governmental regulation.
Two is better than one: longitudinal detection and volumetric evaluation of brain metastases after Stereotactic Radiosurgery with a deep learning pipeline
Authors: Hammer Yonny , Najjar Wenad , Kahanov Lea , Joskowicz Leo , Shoshan Yigal
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Close MRI surveillance of patients with brain metastases following Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) treatment is essential for assessing treatment response and the current disease status in the brain. This follow-up necessitates the comparison of target lesion sizes in pre- (prior) and post-SRS treatment (current) T1W-Gad MRI scans. Our aim was to evaluate SimU-Net, a novel deep-learning model for the detection and volumetric analysis of brain metastases and their temporal changes in paired prior and current scans.

Methods

SimU-Net is a simultaneous multi-channel 3D U-Net model trained on pairs of registered prior and current scans of a patient. We evaluated its performance on 271 pairs of T1W-Gad MRI scans from 226 patients who underwent SRS. An expert oncological neurosurgeon manually delineated 1,889 brain metastases in all the MRI scans (1,368 with diameters > 5 mm, 834 > 10 mm). The SimU-Net model was trained/validated on 205 pairs from 169 patients (1,360 metastases) and tested on 66 pairs from 57 patients (529 metastases). The results were then compared to the ground truth delineations.

Results

SimU-Net yielded a mean (std) detection precision and recall of 1.00±0.00 and 0.99±0.06 for metastases > 10 mm, 0.90±0.22 and 0.97±0.12 for metastases > 5 mm of, and 0.76±0.27 and 0.94±0.16 for metastases of all sizes. It improves lesion detection precision by 8% for all metastases sizes and by 12.5% for metastases < 10 mm with respect to standalone 3D U-Net. The segmentation Dice scores were 0.90±0.10, 0.89±0.10 and 0.89±0.10 for the above metastases sizes, all above the observer variability of 0.80±0.13.

Conclusion

Automated detection and volumetric quantification of brain metastases following SRS have the potential to enhance the assessment of treatment response and alleviate the clinician workload.
Examining the Determinants of Poland’s Middle Class Life Satisfaction
Authors: Szczepaniak Małgorzata
Published: February 2024

Recent works suggest that the increasing income inequalities decreased the middle class size and threatened life satisfaction (LS). However, no such studies link LS with middle-income class problems. The present study aims to fill this gap and characterize LS across the middle-income class in Poland. The main novelties are the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) to measure LS of the middle-income class in Poland and the methodological approach based on classification-regression trees (CART) to identify the determinants of LS. The analysis is conducted on the new database obtained from the survey of members of the middle-income class in Poland divided into three subgroups: the lower-middle-income class, the mid-income middle class, and the higher-middle-income class. For comparison, the low-income and high-income classes were also considered. Based on the SWLS results, relatively low diversity in middle-income class LS was identified. However, the inter-class comparison revealed that LS increased with belonging to a higher income class. The CART results support the primary importance of economic conditions such as, for instance, wealth and the level of savings in determining the middle-income class LS and show that their effect depends on their characteristics like professional status.
Neue Lokal- und Systemtherapien bei Epidermolysis bullosa
Authors: Prodinger Christine , Laimer Martin
Published: February 2024

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) bezeichnet eine seltene, heterogene Gruppe von Genodermatosen, charakterisiert durch eine gesteigerte Fragilität von Haut und Schleimhaut. Mit zunehmender Aufklärung der molekularen Pathophysiologie haben sich in den letzten Jahren sämtliche lokale und systemische Therapieansätze in klinischen Studien etabliert. Ein bedeutender Meilenstein ist die Zulassung der FDA für die topische Gentherapie Beremagene Geperpavec (B-VEC) zur Behandlung chronischer Wunden bei dystropher EB mit Mutationen im COL7A1-Gen. Diese Therapie basiert auf modifizierten HSV-1-Vektoren, um funktionales COL7A1 in die Hautzellen zu übertagen. In einer Phase-3-Studie zeigten sich etwa drei Viertel der chronischen Wunden nach 3 Monaten komplett verschlossen, im Vergleich zu 20 % in der Placebogruppe. Klinische Studien mit RNA-basierten Therapien, wie medikamentös induzierte PTC-Readthrough und zellbasierten Therapien wie ABCB5+ mesenchymale Stammzellen zeigen Potenzial für weiteren Einsatz. Durch das 2022 speziell für EB zugelassene Filsuvez® Gel (Oleogel S‑10, Chiesi, Wien) und das topische Vitamin-D-Analogon Calcipotriol kann die Wundheilung verbessert werden, während TGF-β-Inhibitoren, z. B. Losartan, die EB-assoziierte Fibrose adressieren. Biologika wie Dupilumab, JAK- und mTOR-Inhibitoren erweitern das therapeutische Armamentarium. Immuntherapien gelten aktuell als First-line-Therapie für aggressive EB assoziierte Plattenepithelkarzinome und werden neben Multikinase-Inhibitoren (Rigosertib) in Studien untersucht. Zukünftig könnten auch MikroRNA sowohl in der Frühdiagnostik als auch topisch zur Reduktion der Tumoraggressivität eingesetzt werden. Insgesamt markieren diese Entwicklungen einen bedeutsamen Fortschritt in der therapeutischen Landschaft von EB und vermitteln Hoffnung für Betroffene und Angehörige.
Facile synthesis and physical properties of magnesium dititanate nanoparticles for antibacterial applications
Authors: Elnobi Sahar , Abuelwafa Amr Attia , Abd El-sadek M. S. , Wasly H. S.
Published: February 2024

The modified aqueous co-precipitation approach was used to successfully manufacture magnesium dititanate (MgTi2O5) nanoparticles. Thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry (TG/DSC) was used to clearly reveal the thermal stability. Moreover, pseudobrookite structure, and surface morphology of MgTi2O5 nanoparticles were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques, respectively. The average size of the crystallites calculated by Scherer approach was compared to Williamson-Hall and TEM images results. The optical band gap of MgTi2O5 nanoparticles was found to be 3.81 eV for direct transitions. The effect of temperature on the conductivity of DC electricity was tested between the rages 303–503 K. The data on antibacterial activity showed that MgTi2O5 nanoparticles were antimicrobial and stopped the test microorganisms from growing. These findings revealed that MgTi2O5 will be extensively promising in environmental pollution control and antibacterial research.
Heritage buildings management: the role of situational awareness and cyber-physical systems
Authors: Nota Giancarlo , Petraglia Gennaro
Published: February 2024

Safeguarding and conservation of cultural heritage is an important issue that requires both theoretical knowledge and practical implementation to effectively protect this valuable asset. In recent years, new technologies have enabled the development of advanced monitoring and control systems that can provide more precise and timely information about the condition of heritage buildings. Additionally, these systems can collect and analyze a large amount of data, allowing decision-makers to make informed decisions regarding maintenance and other management processes. With a situational awareness model proposed for heritage building conservation as a starting point, this work outlines how the design and implementation of a cyber-physical system to support conservation processes can be done. The model combines decisional processes that involve both humans and automated systems and can be used as a guideline for the realization of decision support systems for the management of heritage buildings. The paper provides a case study describing the steps for the realization of a cyber-physical system for automated monitoring and control at the Royal Palace of Carditello, a prominent cultural attraction in Italy.
A bibliometric and visualized in oral microbiota and cancer research from 2013 to 2022
Authors: Gu Zhiyu , Liu Yunkun
Published: February 2024

Numerous studies have highlighted the implication of oral microbiota in various cancers. However, no bibliometric analysis has been conducted on the relationship between oral microbiota and cancer. This bibliometric analysis aimed to identify the research hotspots in oral microbiota and cancer research, as well as predict future research trends. The literature published relating to oral microbiota and cancer was searched from the Web of Science Core Collection database (WoSCC) from 2013 to 2022. VOSviewer or Citespace software was used to perform the bibliometric analysis, focusing on countries, institutions, authors, journals, keywords and references. A total of 1516 publications were included in the analysis. The number of publications related oral microbiota and cancer increased annually, reaching its peak in 2022 with 287 papers. The United States (456) and China (370) were the countries with the most publications and made significant contributions to the field. Sears CL and Zhou XD were the most productive authors. The high frequency of keywords revealed key topics, including cancer (colorectal cancer, oral cancer), oral microbiota (Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis), and inflammation (periodontal disease). The latest trend keywords were F. nucleatum, dysbiosis, prognosis, tumor microenvironment, gastric microbiota, complications and survival, suggesting a new hotspot in the field of oral microbiota and cancer. Our study provides a comprehensive analysis of oral microbiota and cancer research, revealing an increase in publications in recent years. Future research directions will continue to focus on the diversity of oral microbiota impacted by cancers and the underlying mechanism connecting them, providing new ideas for targeted therapy of tumorigenesis.
Semantics of Belief Change Operators for Intelligent Agents
Authors: Sauerwald Kai
Published: February 2024

This paper summarises several contributions to the theory of belief change by the authors’ dissertation thesis. First, a relational characterization of belief revision for Tarskian logics is considered, encompassing first-order predicate logic, description logic, modal logics and many monotonic logics with model-theoretic semantics. Those logics where total preorders are the standard semantics for revision are characterized. The second contribution considered is a theory of belief revision that builds upon the idea that agents are limited in what the outcome of a revision is. Furthermore, advancements in principles for iterated belief contraction given in the thesis are outlined.
Decision Quality and Errors in Content Moderation
Authors: Schwemer Sebastian Felix
Published: February 2024

In certain instances, algorithmic content moderation by online platforms is a process with binary outcomes: those that are “right” and those that are “wrong”. And, in a copyright content moderation context, this binary nature, in principle, holds true: the ultimate question is simply, “Is this content illegal?” However, some content moderation decisions are more straightforward than others that require more robust assessment, whether by domain experts, or even the courts. This article explores the relationship between errors in content moderation decision-making and decision quality, as well as how errors are addressed in the Digital Services Act and the Directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market.
Removal of Congo red dye by electrochemical advanced oxidation process: optimization, degradation pathways, and mineralization
Authors: Mansour Dorsaf , Alblawi Eman , Alsukaibi Abdulmohsen Khalaf Dhahi , Al Shammari Basmah
Published: February 2024

The degradation of Congo red dye has been studied by electrochemical advanced oxidation process based on the generation of powerful oxidizing agents especially hydroxyl radicals ·OH. In this study, the effect of several experimental parameters, such as pH, ferrous ion concentration, electrolyte support concentration and current intensity, on the process was investigated. The experimental design of Doehlert was applied to determine the optimum conditions of three factors, namely current intensity, initial Fe2+ concentration and electrolysis time for the Congo red removal. The relationship of response to experimental variables was represented graphically by the construction of the two-dimensional iso-response contour plots and those indicated that 360 mA, 19 mM Fe2+ and 30 min reaction time were optimal under 50 mM Na2SO4 at pH 3, leading to a total Congo red degradation. A quadratic polynomial model was determined and its statistical significance was verified through the variance analysis, which indicated that the proposed model was statistically meaningful and convenient for the results prediction. The mineralization of Congo red under the obtained optimum conditions was examined and the results showed a high TOC removal rate (81.1%) after 300 min of reaction time. Finally, a plausible degradation pathway was suggested.
Making Sense of Projects—Developing Project Portfolio Management Capabilities
Authors: Ahlemann Frederik , Bergan Peder , Karger Erik , Greulich Malte , Reining Stefan
Published: February 2024

Project management and project portfolio management (PPM) foster competitiveness by facilitating the implementation of organizational strategy. Although organizations often struggle to develop PPM capabilities, the academic community does not have an in-depth understanding of the conditions for successfully developing these capabilities. In response, we conducted a multiple-case study with 50 interviewees to develop a theoretical model of the PPM capability-building process. This model is built on the notion of organizational sensemaking and identifies aspects that comprehensively explain why it usually takes so long to develop PPM capabilities. We conceptualize the PPM capability-building process as one that is strongly influenced by (1) the effects of structural rearrangements, (2) the appropriate use of external resources during that process, (3) the role of executive support and legitimization, (4) episodes of regression, and (5) the need for internalization and habitualization. In addition, we provide starting points for explaining organizational capability building in more general terms.
Water desalination using PV panels based on boiling and evaporation
Authors: Iskander John , Shihimi Othman , El Mahallawy Nahed , Abd-Elhady M. S.
Published: February 2024

The annual share of water in Egypt has decreased to approximately 500 m3 per capita, while the annual water scarcity level is 1000 m3 per capita, which indicates that Egyptians are at a high risk of living. A domestic desalination unit based on solar energy was designed, built, and tested to solve this problem in remote areas that do not have access to fresh water or electricity but have access to salty water. The desalination unit has a new design that depends on boiling salty water using photovoltaic solar cells and then condensing the water vapor through a heat exchanger to obtain freshwater. This new design has not been implemented before and can compete with the solar stills used for domestic applications. The output of the developed unit was compared to those of passive and active solar stills that have been developed and built. The new desalination design produced almost the same amount of daily fresh water, 4 Liter/day, compared to the other solar stills (2–4.75 Liter/day), but the cost per unit volume of the new design, 31 $/m3, is less by 30% compared to the best performing solar still, 44.55 $/m3, which produces only 2 Liter/day. The price of the distilled water produced by the new design was 75% lower than the market price at the time of conducting the experiments. Converting a Solar still from a passive system, that is, operating only during sunlight, to an active system operating day and night improves the water productivity rate. However, this is not feasible because of the added accessories that increase the initial cost, consequently increasing the cost of desalination.
Antioxidant and anti-glycation activity of eight Moroccan honeys from different botanical origins
Authors: Lakhmili Houssam , Warda Karima , El-Abbassi Abdelilah , Hafidi Abdellatif
Published: February 2024

Eight monofloral honey samples from different botanical and geographical origins in the central and eastern parts of Morocco were examined for their phenolic composition, capacity to scavenge free radicals, and ability to inhibit advanced glycation end–products. According to the melissopalynological analysis, the examined honey samples were considered to be natural honeys, and were classified as monofloral with very frequent pollen grains characteristic of each types of the selected Moroccan honey samples: Zantaz (Bupleurum sp.), fennel, thistle, eucalyptus, spurge, thyme, jujube, and carob. Our results showed that the average moisture content varied from 16.3 ± 0.1% to 19.9 ± 0.1%, and the mean color intensity ranged from 30.94 ± 7.42 to 166.9 ± 6.43 mm Pfund. The highest total phenolic content recorded was 163.83 ± 1.84 mg of gallic acid equivalent per kg, while the highest flavonoid content was 84.44 ± 1.20 mg of catechin equivalent per kg. Zantaz honey exhibited potent antioxidant capacity, as demonstrated by ABTS, DPPH, β-carotene bleaching, FRAP, and ORAC assays. The most significant results were obtained for the ORAC test, with the highest ORAC value of 4.65 mM Trolox equivalent per gram was recorded for Zantaz honey extract. HPLC–DAD analysis revealed different polyphenolic profiles, which can be attributed to differences in floral origin. Furthermore, our study revealed that the extracts of thistle honey, fennel honey, and Zantaz honey were the most effective glycation inhibitors, with the highest inhibition percentage of 96% obtained for the thistle honey extract.
Emoji and Social Media Paralanguage
Authors: Zappavigna Michele , Logi Lorenzo
Published: February 2024

Emoji are now ubiquitous in our interactions on social media. But how do we use them to convey meaning? And how do they function in social bonding? This unique book provides a comprehensive framework for analysing how emoji contribute to meaning-making in social media discourse, alongside language. Presenting emoji as a visual paralanguage, it features extensive worked examples of emoji analysis, using corpora derived from social media such as Twitter and TikTok, to explore how emoji interact with their linguistic co-text. It also draws on the author's extensive work on social media affiliation to consider how emoji function in social bonding. The framework for analysing emoji is explained in an accessible way, and a glossary is included, detailing each system and feature from the system networks used as the schemas for undertaking the analysis. It is essential reading for anyone wishing to investigate the role of emoji in digital communication.
Cognitive Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition of Chinese
Authors: Wu Shu-Ling , Huang Lihong , Polley Carl
Published: February 2024

Although cognitive processes are fundamental in shaping the language that we speak, they are often overlooked in language teaching and learning. This groundbreaking book addresses how to use key cognitive linguistic (CL) concepts to analyze the Chinese language and to advance L2 Chinese teaching and learning. It presents an overview of the most prominent CL research published in both Chinese and English and explores how it applies to L1 and L2 Chinese studies. Including sample lesson plans and classroom activities, it demonstrates to language teachers how to use CL-based approaches to explain and teach a wide range of linguistic phenomena to their students. Researchers will also gain new insights from the summaries of recent advances and contrastive analyses between English and Chinese. Covering up-to-date research, yet written in a clear and engaging style, it will foster a new understanding of teaching and learning Chinese.
Hajj across Empires
Authors: Choudhury Rishad
Published: February 2024

Rishad Choudhury presents a new history of imperial connections across the Indian Ocean from 1739 to 1857, a period that witnessed the decline and collapse of Mughal rule and the consolidation of British colonialism in South Asia. In this highly original and comprehensive study, he reveals how the hajj pilgrimage significantly transformed Muslim political culture and colonial attitudes towards it, creating new ideas of religion and rule. Examining links between the Indian Subcontinent and the Ottoman Middle East through multilingual sources – from first-hand accounts to administrative archives of hajj – Choudhury uncovers a striking array of pilgrims who leveraged their experiences and exchanges abroad to address the decline and decentralization of an Islamic old regime at home. Hajjis crucially mediated the birth of modern Muslim political traditions around South Asia. Hajj across Empires argues they did so by channeling inter-imperial crosscurrents to successive surges of imperial revolution and regional regime change.
The Body Politic in Roman Political Thought
Authors: Mebane Julia
Published: February 2024

How did Roman writers use the metaphor of the body politic to respond to the downfall of the Republic? In this book, Julia Mebane begins with the Catilinarian Conspiracy in 63 BCE, when Cicero and Catiline proposed two rival models of statesmanship on the senate floor: the civic healer and the head of state. Over the next century, these two paradigms of authority were used to confront the establishment of sole rule in the Roman world. Tracing their Imperial afterlives allows us to see how Romans came to terms with autocracy without ever naming it as such. In identifying metaphor as an important avenue of political thought, the book makes a significant contribution to the history of ideas. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.
Perspectivism in Archaeology
Authors: Laguens Andrés
Published: February 2024

Perspectivism in Archaeology explores recurring features in Amerindian mythology and cosmology in the past, as well as distinctions and similarities between humans, non-humans and material culture. It offers a range of possibilities for the reconstruction of ancient ontological approaches, as well as new ways of thinking in archaeology, notably how ancient ontological approaches can be reconciled with current archaeological theories. In this volume, Andrés Laguens contributes a new set of approaches that incorporate Indigenous theories of reality into an understanding of the South American archaeological record. He analyses perspectivism as a step-by-step theory with clear explanations and examples and shows how it can be implemented in archaeological research and merged with ontological approaches. Exploring the foundations of Amerindian perspectivism and its theoretical and methodological possibilities, he also demonstrates applications of its precepts through case studies of ancient societies of the Andes and Patagonia.
The Macroeconomics of Decarbonisation
Authors: Claeys Grégory , Le Mouel Marie , Tagliapietra Simone , Wolff Guntram B. , Zachmann Georg
Published: February 2024

Decarbonisation is the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions using low carbon power sources, lowering output of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. This is essential to meet global temperature standards set by international climate agreements. To limit global warming to 1.5°C, hence avoiding the worst-case scenarios predicted by climate science, the world economy must rapidly reduce its emissions and reach climate neutrality within the next three decades. This will not be an easy journey. Shifting away from carbon-intensive production will require a historic transformation of the structure of our economies. Written by a team of academics linked to the European think tank Bruegel, The Macroeconomics of Decarbonisation provides a guide to the macroeconomic fundamentals of decarbonisation. It identifies the major economic transformations, both over the long- and short-run, and the roadblocks requiring policy intervention. It proposes a macroeconomic policy agenda for decarbonisation to achieve the climate goals of the international community.
Contested Autonomy: Black Denominational Debates in the Early Jim Crow Era
Authors: Harper Matthew
Published: February 2024

As Black church leaders decried the arrival of Jim Crow segregation, many also celebrated the racial independence of their churches. They touted advancements such as women's ordination as examples of what Black churches could do when freed from white control. Other Black ministers defended remaining in majority-white denominations as a way to abolish the color line. This article argues that scholars miss much about Black religious history if we assume that Black churches’ resistance to racial subjugation started with a settled and uncontested racial autonomy. On the contrary, Black churches throughout the nineteenth century kept open a lively forum about the virtues and vices of such autonomy. Interracial cooperation often undermined Black autonomy, and Black Christians debated which better countered racial caste. To track the heated debates over racial independence and interracial cooperation within and between Black churches, this article analyzes Black newspapers, sermons, church minutes, and letters, mostly among Black Methodists but also among Black Baptists and Presbyterians throughout the late nineteenth century. It focuses on particular debates surrounding women's ordination, attempts to unite Methodists, and conflicts over Baptist education.