bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive professional learning for teacher agency in addressing ethical challenges of AIED: Insights from educational design research
Authors: Mouta Ana , Torrecilla-Sánchez Eva María , Pinto-Llorente Ana María
Published: August 2024

Continuing professional development plays a pivotal role in creating opportunities for teachers to explore the evolving educational landscape. With the integration of Artificial Intelligence into education, these opportunities involve grasping teachers' attitudes, expectations, and pedagogical approaches, with a focus on ethical considerations. Nevertheless, existing research and professional learning opportunities often overlook the perspectives of educators on these themes. Aiming to bridge this gap, this Educational Design Research approach began with a systematic literature review, followed by a Delphi study to gather educational stakeholders’ insights on the ethical concerns of using AI in education. The current study presents the research third phase. It explores findings from focus groups with educators responsible for K-12 teacher education, informing the design of a training programme that addresses ethical concerns and agency. Four groups were conducted using a semi-structured script, centred on pre-provided scenarios. Data analysis involved thematic coding using both deductive and inductive approaches, revealing key themes related to: employing AI applications in course delivery for a mindful, hands-on exploration; discussing ethical and policy frameworks with a focus on contextual needs and technogeographies; addressing uncertainty, resistance, and transition; and fostering individual and collective agency regarding ethical issues through informal learning channels to build a nuanced narrative that challenges the corporate one. The study concludes by highlighting the importance of greater investment in professional development to enable educators to critically assess and reshape the values associated with education in the context of Artificial Intelligence, thereby contributing to the movement of aligning AI with our humanity.
Teaching English for general purposes through a MOOC in higher education: A quasi-experimental study to explore its effects on learner achievement and satisfaction
Authors: Uygun Emre , Cesur Kürşat
Published: August 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic has notably increased the use of distance education, particularly in Türkiye’s higher education English courses. Even after the normalisation process, compulsory English courses in Türkiye, the learners of which receive education in English for general purposes, are still being taught via distance education. Such a practice could well be implemented with a massive open online course (MOOC), called a language MOOC (LMOOC). To this end, the current study focused on the development, implementation, and evaluation of a General English Language MOOC (GELMOOC) designed according to the syllabi of Turkish universities. With 2957 participants enrolled, the course’s effectiveness was assessed through a single group pretest-posttest design, employing a quasi-experimental study. Accordingly, learners’ language achievement levels were assessed prior to and after the GELMOOC treatment. Then, a learner satisfaction survey was also administered post-course. Results showed significant improvements in English proficiency and high satisfaction with the course’s content, design, and delivery. The findings highlight the potential of and areas for improvement in LMOOCs in the literature and the foreign language teaching context.
Border Carbon Adjustments and Leakage in the Presence of Public Pollution Abatement Activities
Authors: Tsakiris Nikos , Vlassis Nikolaos
Published: August 2024

This paper sheds light on the unidentified effects of unilateral environmental and trade actions within an international trade framework with two large open economies, transboundary pollution, and Public Pollution Abatement (PPA) activities. When private and public abatement coexists in the exporting country, stricter environmental policy by the importing one magnifies the carbon leakage effect. Pareto efficiency dictates that Border Carbon Adjustment (BCA) should account not only for the difference in carbon taxes between the two countries, but also for the policy’s unintended consequences on PPA. More importantly, we argue that a conditional reduction of BCA, subject to stricter environmental policy by the country that exports the polluting good, decreases global pollution and increases countries’ welfare. Such reform strategy generates strong incentives for countries with laxer environmental policy to adopt a stricter one.
Assessing the potential long-term effects of sea-level rise on salt marsh’s coastal protective capacity under different climate pathway scenarios
Authors: de Souza de Lima Andre , Cassalho Felicio , Miesse Tyler W. , Henke Martin , Canick Michelle R. , Ferreira Celso M.
Published: August 2024

Salt marshes act as natural barriers that reduce wave energy during storm events and help protect coastal communities located in low-lying areas. This ecosystem can be an important asset for climate adaptation due to its particular capability of vertically accrete to adjust to long-term changes in water levels. Therefore, understanding marsh protection benefits thresholds in the face of sea-level rise (SLR) is important for planning future climate adaptation. In this context, the main goal of this manuscript is to examine how the storm protection benefits provided by salt marshes might evolve under SLR projections with different probability levels and emission pathways. In this study, a modeling framework that employs marsh migration predictions from the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) as parameterization into a hydrodynamic and wave model (ADCIRC + SWAN) was utilized to explicitly represent wave attenuation by vegetation under storm surge conditions. SLAMM predictions indicate that the SLR scenario, a combination of probability level and emission pathways, plays a substantial role in determining future marsh migration or marsh area loss. For example, results based on the 50% probability, stabilized emissions scenario show an increase of 45% in the marsh area on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore by 2100, whereas Dorchester County alone could experience a 75% reduction in total salt marsh areas by 2100 under the 1% probability, growing emissions scenario. ADCIRC + SWAN results using SLAMM land cover and elevation outputs indicate that distinct temporal thresholds emerge where marsh extent sharply decreases and wave heights increase, especially after 2050, and exacerbates further after 2080. These findings can be utilized for guiding environmental policies and to aid informed decisions and actions in response to SLR-driven environmental changes.
Microplastics pollution in tropical lakes: water, zooplankton, and fish in Central Mexico
Authors: Jiménez-Contreras Jorge , Fernández-Medina Raquel I. , Fernández-Araiza Mario A.
Published: August 2024

The presence of microplastics in freshwater systems can have harmful effects on the food chain. Zooplankton, especially suspension and filter feeders, can ingest microplastics, which can cause adverse effects and transfer them to higher trophic levels. Here, we analyze the presence, abundance, and distribution of microplastics in surface water, zooplankton, and fish in two tropical lakes in central Mexico. We collected water samples in triplicate at three sites in each lake and 120 fish of the genus Chirostoma. From each water sample, 300 rotifers and 150 microcrustaceans were randomly isolated and processed independently. Of the particles found in the water, zooplankton, and fish from both lakes, the fragments were the predominant ones. The total abundance of microplastics in the water column of both lakes varied between 1.2 and 17.0 items L−1. In zooplankton, fragments were found predominantly with up to 0.1 items ind−1, while in fish, up to 4.5 items ind−1 was recorded. Our results confirm the presence of microplastics in different compartments of the food webs of freshwater bodies, water column, zooplankton, and fish. Further work is required on the possible effects of these stressors at the different trophic levels.
The Schema and Organization of the Cell: An Introduction to Ernst Brücke’s Die Elementarorganismen (1861)
Authors: Liu Daniel
Published: August 2024

Ernst Brücke’s 1861 essay Die Elementarorganismen has often been cited as a watershed in the history of physiology as well as in the history of cell theory. In its time it was widely read as a reform of animal cell theory, shifting the concept of the cell away from Schleiden and Schwann’s original cell schema of a membranous vesicle with a nucleus, and towards the protoplasm theory that had developed in botany, centered on the cell’s living contents. It was also notorious for its arguments against the necessity of both the nucleus and the cell membrane. An English translation of “The Elementary Organisms” is presented for the first time in this journal issue, with annotations and illustrations, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10739-024-09773-9. Brücke’s essay was not only an intervention into cell theory: historians can read it as a continuation of debates on the nature of the organism and theories of organization, and as an epistemological meditation on the microscope. In addition, although Brücke was known as a founder of the Berlin school of organic physics, “The Elementary Organisms” shows how he combined an avant-garde physicalist physiology with a much older tradition of comparative anatomy and physiology. The following introductory essay will provide a scientific biography of Ernst Brücke up to 1863, with background on debates on biological organization, cell theory, and muscle histology.
Rethinking Wear Rate Analysis: a New Dentin Exposure Proxy and its Applications to Ancient Chinese Populations
Authors: Yang Shiyu , Martínez Laura M. , Romero Alejandro , Carrascal Susana , Guo Jie , Dyowe Albert E. , Zhang Quanchao , Pérez-Pérez Alejandro
Published: August 2024

Assessing age through dentin exposure often leads to underestimated age due to assumptions of constant molar wear rate. New methods for age-related dentin exposure accrual could facilitate cross-population comparisons independent of dietary habits and sociocultural strategies. We analyzed 3D dentin exposure surfaces in four Chinese archaeological samples to reveal variations in dentin exposure rates linked to socioeconomic practices. Linear regression models of dentin exposure areas across molar rows showed significant correlations, with the first molars exhibiting steeper slopes and smaller intercepts compared to the second molars, which had intermediate values, and the third molars showing the highest intercepts and lowest slopes. The first molar contributed most to overall dentin exposure in the molar quadrant, while the second molar wore faster post-eruption. Among populations, Banlashan, predominantly agriculturalist; Houtaomuga, focused on fishing; and Jiayi, a nomadic hunting society, displayed similar wear rate patterns. In contrast, Dunping, a Bronze Age nomadic settlement situated on a high-altitude plateau, exhibited distinctively lower wear rates. These observed dentin exposure rates aligned with ecological and dietary constraints, enabling interpopulation comparisons using the proposed 3D dentin exposure proxy. Moreover, the statistical model allows for comparing wear rates across populations relative to dietary habits and potentially estimating age at death for isolated archaeological specimens, whether humans or animals. The precision of this physiological age estimation depends on the regression models used, necessitating further research with specimens of known age at death.
Halide tuning in derivative organic–inorganic perovskites, MAPb(Br1-xClx)3 (x = 0–1): exploring structural, optical and vibrational characteristics
Authors: Dutt Shankar , Trivedi Ayushi , Rambadey Omkar V. , Sagdeo Pankaj R. , Sagdeo Archna
Published: August 2024

Organic–inorganic metal halide perovskites (OIMHP’s), particularly CH3NH3PbX3 (X = I, Br, Cl) and their derivatives shows favorable properties for energy harvesting such as high absorption coefficients, adjustable band gaps, and low charge recombination rate. The structure and hence nature of bonding between different atoms of these perovskites is known to affect their properties significantly. Tuning of band gap can be achieved in these systems with the help of compositional variation. These systems are studied extensively in the single halide compositions (MAPbI3, MAPbBr3 and MAPbCl3); while, their derivatives seem to have gained less attention though being important for various applications. So, in this work, halide tuning is achieved in derivative perovskite, MAPb(Br1-xClx)3 (x = 0 to 1) and further studied for structural and optical properties along with vibrational properties using X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy techniques, respectively. A decrease in the lattice parameter is observed as the Chlorine content increases in the MAPb(Br1-xClx)3 (x = 0 to 1) perovskite. The substitution of Chlorine with Bromine also results in significant increase in the band gap value. In contrast to previous reports, it was clearly observed that the Urbach energy strongly depends on the composition. For the first time, appearance of two features for torsional mode of methylammonium (MA) is discussed even at room temperature, indicative of disorder. It is observed that although the band gap tuning is achieved with the help of halide mixing (Br and Cl), it is also found to introduce disorder in the intermediate compositions; while, the stability increases toward Chlorine compositions. Interestingly, the information of disorder is found to be contained in both the global as well as local measurements which opens up new pathways for studying these materials. This study will lay down a pathway for better understanding of key properties of these hybrid mix halide perovskites which are promising material for futuristic energy applications.
Telling Ecopoetic Stories: Wax Worms, Care, and the Cultivation of Other Sensibilities
Authors: Grünfeld Martin
Published: August 2024

Recently, a beekeeper discovered the metabolic wizardry of wax worms, their ability to decompose polyethylene. While this organism has usually been perceived as a model organism in science or a pest to beekeepers, it acquired a new mode of being as potentially probiotic, inviting us to dream of a future without plastic waste. In this paper, I explore how wax worms are entangled with material practices of care and narratives that give meaning to these practices. These stories, however, are marked by manipulation, exploitation, and extermination, and call for a questioning of our modes of caring. Consequently, I offer a counter-narrative that questions our anthropocentric practices of caring and the stories we attach to them. Borrowing Puig de la Bellacasa’s notion of ecopoetics, I tell another story based on my participation in the making of an art installation hosting wax worms. The installation creates an opening of a world of curiosity and cultivates a sensibility for wax worms expanding their modes of being and our capabilities of appreciation. In the end, I argue that by mattering and storying differently, we have the opportunity to challenge anthropocentric interests and make a different world of caring and co-existence possible.
Structure Development in Cross-Linked, Soybean Oil-based Waterborne Polyurethanes
Authors: Petrović Zoran S. , Djonlagić Jasna , Hong Jian , Vuković Milica Lovrić , Ilavsky Jan , Bush Brian G. , Zhang Fan
Published: August 2024

Development of waterborne polyurethanes (WPU) using bio-based sources represents a step towards sustainable materials science and industry. We synthesized bio-based cationic water-dispersed crosslinked polyurethanes from high oleic soybean oil (HOSO) polyol, isophorone diisocyanate, and methyldiethanol amine, with varying ionic group contents after neutralization with acetic acid. Our primary objective was to analyze how crosslinking affects the dispersion process and film properties in multifunctional systems. The synthesis-structure-property relationship is elucidated through comprehensive analyses of the products at different stages of the synthesis. The dispersion of the WPU particles in water must occur prior to gelation during the final preparation, leading to incomplete conversion and the formation of imperfect networks. Insight into the synthesis process and polymer structure was gained by simulating polymer network parameters. Morphological analyses using synchrotron-based X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy revealed a hierarchical structure within the WPU films. Importantly, all the films prepared in this study, without using coalescence agents, have low water absorption and high water contact angles, demonstrating their potential for textile and leather coatings and other applications.

Graphical Abstract
Identification of mycobacterial Thymidylate kinase inhibitors: a comprehensive pharmacophore, machine learning, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation studies
Authors: Chikhale Rupesh V. , Pawar Surbhi Pravin , Kolpe Mahima Sudhir , Shinde Omkar Dilip , Dahlous Kholood A. , Mohammad Saikh , Patil Pritee Chunarkar , Bhowmick Shovonlal
Published: August 2024

Thymidylate kinase (TMK) is a pivotal enzyme in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), crucial for phosphorylating thymidine monophosphate (dTMP) to thymidine diphosphate (dTDP), thereby playing a critical role in DNA biosynthesis. Dysregulation or inhibition of TMK activity disrupts DNA replication and cell division, making it an attractive target for anti-tuberculosis drug development. In this study, the statistically validated pharmacophore mode was developed from a set of known TMK inhibitors. Further, the robust pharmacophore was considered for screening the Enamine database. The chemical space was reduced through multiple molecular docking approaches, pharmacokinetics, and absolute binding energy estimation. Two different molecular docking algorithms favor the strong binding affinity of the proposed molecules towards TMK. Machine learning-based absolute binding energy also showed the potentiality of the proposed molecules. The binding interactions analysis exposed the strong binding affinity between the proposed molecules and active site amino residues of TMK. Several statistical parameters from all atoms MD simulation explained the stability between proposed molecules and TMK in the dynamic states. The MM-GBSA approach also found a strong binding affinity for each proposed molecule. Therefore, the proposed molecules might be crucial TMK inhibitors for managing Mtb inhibition subjected to in vitro/in vivo validations.
Analysis of PANoptosis-related ceRNA network reveals lncRNA MIR17HG involved in osteogenic differentiation inhibition impaired by tumor necrosis factor-α
Authors: Li Jia-Xuan , Qu Yu-Dun , Xia Chang-Liang , Zhang Wei , Wang Song-Song , Ou Shuan-Ji , Yang Yang , Qi Yong , Xu Chang-Peng
Published: August 2024

Background

Inflammatory cytokines such as Interleukin 1β(IL1β), IL6,Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) can inhibit osteoblast differentiation and induce osteoblast apoptosis. PANoptosis, a newly identified type of programmed cell death (PCD), may be influenced by long noncoding RNA (lncRNAs) which play important roles in regulating inflammation. However, the potential role of lncRNAs in inflammation and PANoptosis during osteogenic differentiation remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the regulatory functions of lncRNAs in inflammation and apoptosis during osteogenic differentiation.

Methods and results

High-throughput sequencing was used to identify differentially expressed genes involved in osteoblast differentiation under inflammatory conditions. Two lncRNAs associated with inflammation and PANoptosis during osteogenic differentiation were identified from sequencing data and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Their functionalities were analyzed using diverse bioinformatics methodologies, resulting in the construction of the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network. Among these, lncRNA (MIR17HG) showed a high correlation with PANoptosis. Bibliometric methods were employed to collect literature data on PANoptosis, and its components were inferred. PCR and Western Blotting experiments confirmed that lncRNA MIR17HG is related to PANoptosis in osteoblasts during inflammation.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that TNF-α-induced inhibition of osteogenic differentiation and PANoptosis in MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts is associated with MIR17HG. These findings highlight the critical role of MIR17HG in the interplay between inflammation, PANoptosis, and osteogenic differentiation, suggesting potential therapeutic targets for conditions involving impaired bone formation and inflammatory responses.
Data-driven linearization of dynamical systems
Authors: Haller George , Kaszás Bálint
Published: August 2024

Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) and its variants, such as extended DMD (EDMD), are broadly used to fit simple linear models to dynamical systems known from observable data. As DMD methods work well in several situations but perform poorly in others, a clarification of the assumptions under which DMD is applicable is desirable. Upon closer inspection, existing interpretations of DMD methods based on the Koopman operator are not quite satisfactory: they justify DMD under assumptions that hold only with probability zero for generic observables. Here, we give a justification for DMD as a local, leading-order reduced model for the dominant system dynamics under conditions that hold with probability one for generic observables and non-degenerate observational data. We achieve this for autonomous and for periodically forced systems of finite or infinite dimensions by constructing linearizing transformations for their dominant dynamics within attracting slow spectral submanifolds (SSMs). Our arguments also lead to a new algorithm, data-driven linearization (DDL), which is a higher-order, systematic linearization of the observable dynamics within slow SSMs. We show by examples how DDL outperforms DMD and EDMD on numerical and experimental data.
Bifurcations in planar, quadratic mass-action networks with few reactions and low molecularity
Authors: Banaji Murad , Boros Balázs , Hofbauer Josef
Published: August 2024

In this paper we study bifurcations in mass-action networks with two chemical species and reactant complexes of molecularity no more than two. We refer to these as planar, quadratic networks as they give rise to (at most) quadratic differential equations on the nonnegative quadrant of the plane. Our aim is to study bifurcations in networks in this class with the fewest possible reactions, and the lowest possible product molecularity. We fully characterise generic bifurcations of positive equilibria in such networks with up to four reactions, and product molecularity no higher than three. In these networks we find fold, Andronov–Hopf, Bogdanov–Takens and Bautin bifurcations, and prove the non-occurrence of any other generic bifurcations of positive equilibria. In addition, we present a number of results which go beyond planar, quadratic networks. For example, we show that mass-action networks without conservation laws admit no bifurcations of codimension greater than $$m-2$$

m
-
2

, where m is the number of reactions; we fully characterise quadratic, rank-one mass-action networks admitting fold bifurcations; and we write down some necessary conditions for Andronov–Hopf and cusp bifurcations in mass-action networks. Finally, we draw connections with a number of previous results in the literature on nontrivial dynamics, bifurcations, and inheritance in mass-action networks.
Large basins of attraction for control-based continuation of unstable periodic states
Authors: Kruse Niklas , Wallner Hannes , Dittus Anna , Böttcher Lukas , Barke Ingo , Speller Sylvia , Starke Jens , Just Wolfram
Published: August 2024

Numerical continuation tools are nowadays standard to analyse nonlinear dynamical systems by numerical means. These powerful methods are unfortunately not available in real experiments without having access to an accurate mathematical model. Implementing such a concept in real world experiments using control and data processing to track unstable states and their bifurcations, requires robust control techniques with large basins and good global properties. Here we propose design principles for control techniques for periodic states which lead to large basins and which are robust, without the need to have access to a detailed mathematical model. Our analytic considerations for the control design will be based on weakly nonlinear analysis of periodically driven oscillator systems. We then demonstrate by numerical means that in strong nonlinear regimes successful control with large basins of attraction can be achieved when only plain time series data are available.
Russian grammar as a constructicon: beyond a list
Authors: Zhukova Valentina , Janda Laura A.
Published: August 2024

While linguistics traditionally keeps lexicon separate from grammar, Construction Grammar takes the grammatical construction as the basic unit of language. A grammatical construction integrates the roles of lexemes with their typical grammatical contexts, suggesting the advantages of a comprehensive approach. Furthermore, according to Construction Grammar, grammatical constructions comprise a system in which constructions mutually reinforce each other. We reveal the complex connections among Russian grammatical constructions that emerge from the Russian Constructicon, a resource with over 2200 annotated constructions. We achieve this by focusing on a single semantic subclass of 110 constructions labeled Sets and elements. Our analysis follows the connections among constructions through two domains: semantics and syntax. We find that all constructions fit into groupings at various levels of semantic schematicity, as well as presenting various syntactic dimensions. A given construction has affinities both to constructions with similar meanings and with similar form, and any given construction may have multiple affinities in either or both of these domains. Through our focus on multiword grammatical constructions, we reach beyond traditional approaches that separate words from grammar, instead viewing words in their grammatical context and grammar in its lexical context.
Potassium-competitive Acid Blockers: Current Clinical Use and Future Developments
Authors: Scarpignato Carmelo , Hunt Richard H.
Published: August 2024

Purpose of the Review

Acid suppression with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) represents the standard of care in the treatment of acid-related diseases. However, despite their effectiveness, PPIs display some intrinsic limitations, which underlie the unmet clinical needs that have been identified over the past decades. The aims of this review are to summarize the current status and future development of the new class of antisecretory drugs (potassium-competitive acid blockers, P-CABs) that have recently been introduced into medical practice.

Recent Findings

Over the past decades, clinical needs unmet by the current acid suppressants have been recognized, especially in the management of patients with GERD, Helicobacter pylori infection and NSAID-related peptic ulcer. The failure to address these needs is mainly due to their inability to achieve a consistent acid suppression in all patients and, particularly, to control nighttime acidity. It was then realized that an extended duration of acid suppression would exert additional benefits. The available data with P-CABs show that they are able to address these unmet clinical needs.

Four different P-CABs (vonoprazan, tegoprazan, fexuprazan and keverprazan) are currently available. However, only two of them are approved outside Asia. Vonoprazan is available in North, Central and South America while tegoprazan is marketed only in Latin American countries. Two other compounds (namely linazapran glurate and zestaprazan) are presently under clinical development. While clinical trials on GERD have been performed with all P-CABs, only vonoprazan and tegoprazan have been investigated as components of Helicobacter pylori eradication regimens. The available data show that—in the above two clinical indications—P-CABs provide similar or better efficacy in comparison with PPIs. Their safety in the short-term overlaps that of PPIs, but data from long-term treatment are needed.
The influence of cancer on the reprogramming of lipid metabolism in healthy thyroid tissues of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma
Authors: Zwara Agata , Hellmann Andrzej , Czapiewska Monika , Korczynska Justyna , Sztendel Alicja , Mika Adriana
Published: August 2024

Background and objectives

Over the years we observed changes in the metabolism of glucose, amino acids, fatty acids (FA) and nucleotides in cancer cells in order to maintain their viability and proliferate. Moreover, as the latest data show, cancer also forces a complete change in the behavior of other tissues. For instance, fat-filled adipocytes are often found in the vicinity of invasive solid human tumors. We investigated the effects of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) on the lipid metabolism of healthy tissue distant from the tumor.

Method

Thyroid tissue was collected from female patients immediately after surgical removal of the entire thyroid gland. Blood samples were collected from PTC patients and healthy volunteers. Real-time PCR assays were performed to analyze the expression of lipogenic genes and a broad panel of FA was determined using the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method.

Results

The concentration of lipids was higher in paratumor tissue than in healthy thyroid tissue (p = 0.005). The lipogenic genes tested were significantly increased in paratumor tissue compared to healthy tissue, especially enzymes related to the synthesis of very long-chain saturated and polyunsaturated FAs (VLCSFAs and PUFAs, respectively) (p < 0.001). The FA profile also showed increased levels of C22-C26, VLCSFAs and almost all PUFAs in paratumor tissue (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Our study suggests that a restructuring of lipid metabolism occurs in the adjacent healthy thyroid gland and that the metabolism of VLCSFAs and PUFAs is higher in the paratumor tissue than in the distant tissue of the healthy thyroid gland.
Der Rechtsanspruch auf einen Freiwilligendienst
Authors: Fischer Jörn
Published: August 2024

60 Jahre Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr (FSJ) heißt auch: 60 Jahre Projektförderung – also eine Förderung, die sich vor allem durch eine zeitliche Begrenzung auszeichnet. Was das bedeutet, wurde im Herbst 2023 deutlich: Der Entwurf des Bundeshaushalts für das Jahr 2024 sah eine Kürzung der Mittel für das FSJ, das FÖJ, den Internationalen Jugendfreiwilligendienst und den Bundesfreiwilligendienst um 113 Mio. € in den folgenden zwei Jahren vor. Das entsprach einer Kürzung von etwa einem Drittel des Etats für diese Freiwilligendienste. Viele Träger befürchteten daraufhin einen Kahlschlag und rechneten vor, dass 25.000 bis 30.000 der rund 100.000 Freiwilligendienststellen in Gefahr seien. Nicht zuletzt mit Hilfe einer groß angelegten Kampagne „Kürzt uns nicht weg“ und einer Petition an den Bundestag gelang es, die Kürzung für das Haushaltsjahr 2024 in letzter Minute abzuwenden. Der Vorgang machte aber auf schmerzliche Art deutlich, dass eine Finanzierung von Freiwilligendiensten, über die jedes Jahr im Rahmen von Haushaltsverhandlungen erneut politisch entschieden wird, auf tönernen Füßen steht. Was hat das mit Rechtsanspruch zu tun? Mit einem Rechtsanspruch wäre das nicht passiert, denn: Der Bund finanziert weite Teile der oben genannten Freiwilligendienste. Gäbe es ein Gesetz, das regelt, dass jede Vereinbarung über einen Freiwilligendienst, die zwischen einem Freiwilligendienstträger und einem jungen Menschen getroffen wird, auch finanziell gefördert würde, wäre die Finanzierung von Freiwilligendiensten den jährlichen Haushaltsverhandlungen entzogen und damit langfristig gesetzlich abgesichert. Die konkrete Ausgestaltung des Rechtsanspruchs kann dabei so aussehen, dass die Jugendlichen einen Anspruch auf einen Platz in einem Freiwilligendienst haben und die Träger der Dienste einen Anspruch auf die Finanzierung eben dieses Dienstes.
Characterization of corrosion mechanism and traditional soldering treatment of a composite bronze lamp from the Greco-Roman period of Egypt
Authors: Abdelbar Mohamed , Ahmed Saleh
Published: August 2024

This paper presents a study of treatment by soldering for a unique bronze oil lamp combined with Eros and dog figurines. In this object, there are two types of soldering; the first is ancient, used to join the three pieces together, and the other is used in conservation treatments to stop the degradation of the object. Soft solders have been a modern method of repair, with its historical use as the original joining technique demonstrating its general durability and effectiveness. Optical microscopy, portable X-ray fluorescence, and micro-Raman spectroscopy were used to identify the soldering treatment, the chemical composition of the alloy, and the corrosion products. Investigation techniques showed the use of a modern tin-lead alloy as soft soldering in past interventions to treat cracks and fill losses. Cracks propagated due to soil pressures and ongoing corrosion processes, as well as the combined action of tensile forces and the surface-active molten solder. The ancient solder used to attach the dog and Eros to the lamp was a hard solder. The three pieces were made of high-leaded tin bronze, with Pb contents ranging from 10.5 to 13 wt%. The chloride and sulfate corrosion products detected by µ-RS were more aggressive in the object structure. The corrosion products of the soft solder consisted mostly of lead and tin oxides, basic carbonates, and sulfates.
Landslide Mitigation of Urbanized Slopes for Sustainable Growth: A Summary of Recent Developments in Structural and Non-structural Countermeasures to Manage Water-Triggered Landslides
Authors: Thakur Vikas , Depina Ivan , Degago Samson Abate , Alene Gebray Habtu , Oguz Emir Ahmet , Singh Mahendra , Chandel Anoopsingh
Published: August 2024

This paper summarizes recent developments made in terms of structural and non-structural solutions to manage the safety of urbanized slopes. The paper gives an overview of the pioneering effort to integrate the climate modeling chain into landslide susceptibility assessment using TRIGRS, application of virtual reality to improve the landslide risk awareness, the advancement of upstream flexible barrier system and debris flow screens to reduce the entrainment and impact on terminal barriers, and finally, internal seepage-induced progressive failure of reservoir rim slopes. These advancements are done using numerical modeling, simulations of real cases and physical modeling using small- and large-scale models.
Current state-of-the art review of footwear-ground friction
Authors: Rebenda David , Sáha Tomáš
Published: August 2024

The most important role of footwear is to ensure safe, functional walking, and foot protection. For the proper functionality of not only the work shoes, the anti-slip behavior of the shoe under various conditions and environments plays an important role in the prevention of slips, trips, falls, and consequent injuries. This article is intended to review the current understanding of the frictional mechanisms between shoe outsoles and various counterfaces that impact the evaluation of outsole slipperiness. Current research focuses on the mechanisms driving outsole friction on different ground surfaces or the definition and description of parameters that influence outsole friction. Subsequently, the review discusses the effect of various surface contaminants on footwear friction. Lastly, challenges and outlooks in the field of footwear outsoles are briefly mentioned.
Influence of water evaporation on elastohydrodynamic lubrication with water-containing polyalkylene glycols
Authors: Hofmann Stefan , Lohner Thomas , Stahl Karsten
Published: August 2024

The reduction of frictional power losses in power transmitting gears takes a crucial role in the design of energy- and resource-efficient drivetrains. Water-containing lubricants like glycerol and polyalkylene glycols have shown great potential in achieving friction within the superlubricity regime with coefficients of friction lower than 0.01 under elastohydrodynamic lubrication. Additionally, a bio-based production of the base stocks can lead to the development of green lubricants. However, one challenge associated with the application of water-containing lubricants to gearboxes is the evaporation of water and its impact on the lubricant properties. In this study, the influence of water evaporation on elastohydrodynamic friction and film thickness was investigated for three water-containing polyalkylene glycols. Two nominal water contents of 20 wt% and 40 wt% and two viscosities were considered. The results show that the friction increases continuously with higher evaporated water content, while the overall friction level remains low in nearly water-free states. A similar trend is observed for film thickness, where the strong increase in viscosity results in a notable increase in film thickness. Nevertheless, the sensitivity of friction and film thickness to water evaporation is low for small amounts of evaporated water. This allows generous thresholds for permissible variations in water content.
Revisiting Teacher-Family Partnerships: A Critical Policy Analysis of Pacific Education Policy 2009–2030
Authors: Cooper Maria , Oldehaver Jacinta , Hedges Helen
Published: August 2024

Strong teacher-family partnerships are vital for children’s educational success. Educational policies influence how teachers perceive and engage in these significant relationships. Critical policy analysis focuses on the language, and underlying meanings and beliefs that reify certain understandings and positions in policy. We trace changes in positioning teacher-family relationships in three versions of policy, illustrating the prioritisation of dominant non-Pacific cultures over Pacific languages, cultures, and identities. We propose embracing Samoan concepts like va tapuia (sacred relationships) and teu le va (looking after relationships) as ethical imperatives for teachers to value and nurture respectful relationships with Pacific peoples. We recommend an open-minded approach, including strengths-based visits to Pacific children’s family homes. Drawing from successful projects in Aotearoa New Zealand, we urge policymakers and educational leaders to ensure teachers have the time and resources for the dialogue and reflective activities before and following visits that are needed to transform practice.
Focused, Flourishing, but Not in Flow: Achievement Strivers’ Experiences of Competence, Flow, and Well-Being During Personally Expressive Activities
Authors: Hill Taylor G. , Loock Johanna V. , Mackinnon Sean P.
Published: August 2024

One effective route to increasing well-being is through the pursuit of activities which suit a person’s personality strengths (i.e., person-activity fit). People who strive for achievement tend to organize their behaviors in ways that promote goal attainment and well-being. We tested the hypothesized process that achievement striving would lead to increased well-being over time through feelings of competence and flow. A secondary aim was to describe the types of personally valued activities and whether activity type facilitates competence and flow. Undergraduate students (N = 346 at Time 1; N = 244 at Time 2) completed an online survey measuring personality, personally expressive activities, basic psychological need satisfaction, flow, and well-being at two timepoints ~ 4 months apart. Two coders thematically coded activities into seven types (e.g., reading and writing, hobbies). We used cross-sectional and longitudinal serial mediation models to test our hypothesis with eudaimonic (life worth) and hedonic (life satisfaction) well-being, controlling for sample characteristics (recruitment source and term). Achievement striving was positively correlated to competence and well-being, but the indirect effects did not show that well-being is boosted by feeling competent and in flow during in personally expressive activities, cross-sectionally or longitudinally. Perceived competence was comparable across activity types, although flow was highest in reading and writing activities. While achievement strivers tended to feel happy and competent at personally expressive activities, the mechanistic pathway to well-being is not yet clear. Future studies might recruit larger sample sizes and utilize smaller time lags (e.g., ecological momentary assessment).
Two Approaches of ‘Proactive Consultation’: Towards Well-Functioning Clinical Ethics Consultation
Authors: Kogetsu Atsushi , Koimizu Jungen
Published: August 2024

In recent years, the global need for clinical ethics consultation services (CECS) has increased to address ethical challenges, dilemmas, and moral distress in clinical environments. In Japan, many hospitals have introduced CECS over the past decade, but few such services work effectively because of the small number of consultations. To address this, we propose two proactive ethics consultation methods: inter-professional ethics rounds and patient note reviews. This paper provides a detailed explanation of these methods, complete with scenarios based on actual cases. These methods can make CECS ‘well-functioning’ by shifting the starting points of consultation from consultees to CECS providers. We then examine the impact and value of proactive ethics consultation as well as four critical factors for its success including attitude, positioning, and competency of proactive consultation teams. We believe our suggestions will provide valuable insights for future clinical ethics consultations and stimulate academic debate about what constitutes a ‘well-functioning’ CECS.
Comparative analysis of 12 water lily plastid genomes reveals genomic divergence and evolutionary relationships in early flowering plants
Authors: Song Weicai , Shi Wenbo , Wang Huan , Zhang Zirui , Tao Ruiqing , Liu Jin , Wang Shuo , Engel Michael S. , Shi Chao
Published: August 2024

The aquatic plant Nymphaea, a model genus of the early flowering plant lineage Nymphaeales and family Nymphaeaceae, has been extensively studied. However, the availability of chloroplast genome data for this genus is incomplete, and phylogenetic relationships within the order Nymphaeales remain controversial. In this study, 12 chloroplast genomes of Nymphaea were assembled and analyzed for the first time. These genomes were 158,290–160,042 bp in size and contained 113 non-repeat genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. We also report on codon usage, RNA editing sites, microsatellite structures, and new repetitive sequences in this genus. Comparative genomics revealed that expansion and contraction of IR regions can lead to changes in the gene numbers. Additionally, it was observed that the highly variable regions of the chloroplast genome were mainly located in intergenic regions. Furthermore, the phylogenetic tree showed the order Nymphaeales was divided into three families, and the genus Nymphaea can be divided into five (or three) subgenera, with the subgenus Nymphaea being the oldest. The divergence times of nymphaealean taxa were analyzed, with origins of the order Nymphaeales and family Nymphaeaceae being about 194 and 131 million years, respectively. The results of the phylogenetic analysis and estimated divergence times will be useful for future evolutionary studies of basal angiosperm lineages.
Prognosticating accelerated deterioration in skeletally mature adolescent idiopathic scoliosis curves of 40–50° using uniplanar radiographic measures of axial rotation
Authors: Shea Graham Ka-Hon , Ng Samuel Yan-Lik , Zhang Changmeng , Wang Guodong
Published: August 2024

Purpose

The management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) curves between 40 and 50° is controversial. Here, we investigated the prognostic significance of simple radiographic rotational parameters to identify curves of this magnitude with accelerated deterioration following skeletal maturity.

Methods

Seventy-three patients were identified with AIS and Cobb angles of the major curve between 40 and 50° at skeletal maturity. We defined fast progressive curves as those increasing by ≥ 2° per year after skeletal maturity. From the apical vertebra of the major curve upon presentation and skeletal maturity, we determined the modified Nash–Moe index (×100), and from thoracic major curves, the Rib Index. T tests were performed to compare fast-progressive curves with those that deteriorated by < 2° per year. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to establish optimal cutoffs, sensitivity, and specificity measures for rotational parameters.

Results

The average duration of follow-up post was 11.8 ± 7.3 years. Thirteen out of seventy-three patients were fast progressors. The modified Nash–Moe index was similar between groups at presentation (p = 0.477) but significantly higher in fast progressors than non-fast progressors at maturity for major thoracic curves (25.40 ± 6.60 vs. 19.20 ± 4.40, p < 0.001). Rib Index values were also higher among fast progressors at skeletal maturity (2.50 ± 0.90 vs. 1.80 ± 0.60, p = 0.026). An ROC curve for a modified Nash–Moe index of 0.235 for thoracic curves achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.76 for discriminating fast progressors. A threshold of 1.915 for Rib Index at maturity achieved an AUC of 0.72 for discriminating fast progressors. In combining both rotational parameters, an AUC of 0.81 was achieved.

Conclusion

These simple rotational parameters may be useful to predict fast progression in 40–50° AIS curves following skeletal maturity indicated for early fusion, but further validation upon larger cohorts and non-thoracic major curves is required.
Centaurs and Snake-Kings
Authors: McInerney Jeremy
Published: August 2024

Griffins, centaurs and gorgons: the Greek imagination teems with wondrous, yet often monstrous, hybrids. Jeremy McInerney discusses how these composite creatures arise from the entanglement of humans and animals. Overlaying such enmeshment is the rich cultural exchange experienced by Greeks across the Mediterranean. Hybrids, the author reveals, capture the anxiety of cross-cultural encounter, where similarity and incongruity were conjoined. Hybridity likewise expresses instability of identity. The ancient sea, that most changeable ancient domain, was viewed as home to monsters like Skylla; while on land the centaur might be hypersexual yet also hypercivilized, like Cheiron. Medusa may be destructive, yet also alluring. Wherever conventional values or behaviours are challenged, there the hybrid gives that threat a face. This absorbing work unveils a mercurial world of shifting categories that offer an alternative to conventional certainties. Transforming disorder into images of wonder, Greek hybrids – McInerney suggests – finally suggest other ways of being human.
Style and Meaning in Late Antique Art
Authors: Bassett Sarah
Published: August 2024

How do we best see and understand the art of late antiquity? One of the perceived challenges of so doing is that this is a period whose visual production has been defined as stylistically abstract and emotionally spiritual, and therefore elusive. But this is a perception which – in her path-breaking new book – Sarah Bassett boldly challenges, offering two novel lines of interpretative inquiry. She first argues, by focusing on the art of late antiquity in late nineteenth-century Viennese intellectual and artistic circles, that that period's definition of late antique form was in fact a response to contemporaneous political concerns, anticipating modernist thinking and artistic practice. She then suggests that late antique viewers never actually abandoned a sense of those mimetic goals that characterized Greek and Roman habits of representation. This interpretative shift is transformative because it allows us to understand the full range and richness of late antique visual experience.