bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
External validity of multi-criteria preference data obtained from non-random sampling: measuring cohesiveness within and between groups
Authors: Babashahi Saeideh , Hansen Paul , Peeters Ronald
Published: November 2022

An important component of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in the public sector is the elicitation and aggregation of preference data collected via surveys into the relative importance of the criteria for the decision at hand. These aggregated preference data, usually in the form of mean weights on the criteria, are intended to represent the preferences of the relevant population overall. However, random sampling is often not feasible for public-sector MCDA for logistical reasons, including the expense involved in identifying and recruiting participants. Instead, non-random sampling methods such as convenience, purposive or snowball sampling are widely used. Nonetheless, provided the preference data collected are sufficiently ‘cohesive’ in terms of the extent to which the weights of the individuals belonging to the various exogenously defined groups in the sample are similar, non-random sampling can still produce externally valid aggregate preference data. We explain a method for measuring cohesiveness using the Kemeny and Hellinger distance measures, which involve measuring the ‘distance’ of participants’ weights (and the corresponding rankings of the criteria) from each other, within and between the groups respectively. As an illustration, these distance measures are applied to data from a MCDA to rank non-communicable diseases according to their overall burden to society. We conclude that the method is useful for evaluating the external validity of preference data obtained from non-random sampling.
Analysis of barriers, supports and gender gap in the choice of STEM studies in secondary education
Authors: Merayo Noemí , Ayuso Alba
Published: November 2022

Society is more digitised than ever and there is an urgent need to train people in these sectors, where women are still under-represented. A quantitative descriptive, correlational and explanatory descriptive design was used to identify barriers, supports and gender gaps in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Secondary Education by analysing the interest and perception of 1562 students and 432 teachers. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Lambda test and Crame’s V or Phi test were performed together with a qualitative analysis. The results show that fewer female students want to pursue STEM studies, with girls preferring health and education professions and boys preferring engineering and computer science. Indeed, their motivation is different since we found correlations between being a girl and choosing STEM for helping people and society, while earning money is important for boys. Girls believe more necessary than boys to have qualities to study STEM and less often perceive themselves as intelligent and courageous. Our study revealed that families and teachers encourage more boys than girls towards STEM activities. Teachers believe that girls are influence by preconceived ideas, lack of STEM knowledge and lower self-esteem. Regarding gender equality, almost half state that no objectives are included in the curricula, 43.85% do not include it in subjects and only 30% received training. Consequently, female vocations need to be promoted by teaching how STEM solves real-life problems, fostering creativity, increasing self-confidence, promoting STEM activities and making female role models visible. Teachers should receive more gender training and promote gender-sensitive STEM education.
Re-Consenting Pediatric Research Participants as Legal Adulthood Approaches: Lessons from the SPARK Autism Study
Authors: Anderson Connie , Iampieri Alan , Franklin Leah , Daniels Amy , Diehl Katharine , Law J. Kiely
Published: November 2022

To explore issues surrounding re-consenting youth in longitudinal studies as they reach legal adulthood interviews were conducted with 46 parents plus 13 autistic teens enrolled in the Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge (SPARK) study. Qualitative analysis focused on family sensitivities regarding guardianship decisions, transition concerns, and the re-consenting process. Questions regarding guardianship were difficult for parents unsure of a teen’s future status. Mothers were key facilitators of re-consenting for soon-to-be-independent teens. As legal adulthood approached, parents were willing to assist teens with re-consenting but needed support, asking for multiple contacts, transition resources, and explanatory materials from the research team. Most teens were not cognizant of SPARK but willing to continue participation once made aware.
Postmarketing all-case surveillance trends and contribution to safety measures of drugs approved in Japan: a cross-sectional survey in 1999–2019
Authors: Nakao Minami , Nakamura Yuri , Shimokawa Masafumi , Maeda Hideki
Published: November 2022

Background

Postmarketing all-case surveillance (PACS) is a safety monitoring activity predominantly conducted for drugs with few domestic clinical trials, orphan drugs, or anticancer drugs that potentially cause serious adverse events.

Aim

This study comprehensively analyzed drugs in Japan requiring PACS as an approval condition and those implementing PACS-results-based safety measures.

Method

We included drugs approved in Japan between 1999 and 2019.

Results

During the 20-year survey, 1871 drugs were approved in Japan, including 277 (14.8%) requiring PACS as an approval prerequisite. The drug number requiring PACS for approval and its ratio to the total approved-drug number is increasing annually. In 2018, the number and percentage of PACS-requiring drugs reached a 37-drug maximum (32.5%). Additionally, among the 277 PACS-requiring drugs, upon examining the results of 87 drugs for which reexamination results had already been obtained, all 87 drugs (31.4%) were found to be in Category 1 which means there is no need to revise drug-approval conditions, indicating that their usefulness is consistent with approval. Furthermore, measures such as revising the package insert and providing information to medical institutions were adopted for 53 drugs, 14 of which had PACS-results-based safety measures.

Conclusion

PACS implementation for drug approval will potentially continue increasing. Normally, PACS is not conducted overseas, as it is a safety-monitoring activity exclusive to Japan, and the burden on institutions, such as medical sites and pharmaceutical companies, is heavy. Thus, ensuring a balance between the obtained effect and this burden is imperative.
A heuristic approach based on Leiden rankings to identify outliers: evidence from Italian universities in the European landscape
Authors: Daraio Cinzia , Di Leo Simone , Leydesdorff Loet
Published: November 2022

We propose an innovative use of the Leiden Rankings (LR) in institutional management. Although LR only consider research output of major universities reported in Web of Science (WOS) and share the limitations of other existing rankings, we show that they can be used as a base of a heuristic approach to identify “outlying” institutions that perform significantly below or above expectations. Our approach is a non-rigorous intuitive method (“heuristic”) because is affected by all the biases due to the technical choices and incompleteness that affect the LR but offers the possibility to discover interesting findings to be systematically verified later. We propose to use LR as a departure base on which to apply statistical analysis and network mapping to identify “outlier” institutions to be analyzed in detail as case studies. Outliers can inform and guide science policies about alternative options. Analyzing the publications of the Politecnico di Bari in more detail, we observe that “small teams” led by young and promising scholars can push the performance of a university up to the top of the LR. As argued by Moed (Applied evaluative informetrics. Springer International Publishing, Berlin, 2017a), supporting “emerging teams”, can provide an alternative to research support policies, adopted to encourage virtuous behaviours and best practices in research. The results obtained by this heuristic approach need further verification and systematic analysis but may stimulate further studies and insights on the topics of university rankings policy, institutional management, dynamics of teams, good research practice and alternative funding methods.
Laughing Matters: Humor, Free Speech and Hate Speech at the European Court of Human Rights
Authors: Godioli Alberto , Young Jennifer , Fiori Brando Matteo
Published: November 2022

This article conducts an interdisciplinary analysis of a corpus consisting of ten cases from the European Court of Human Rights. The selected cases range from 2004 to 2022 and engage with the nexus between hate speech and humorous expression, spanning across various forms of humor (from political satire to disaster jokes) and different media (from verbal jokes to cartoons). Building on insights from linguistics, semiotics and literary theory, we discuss how the ECtHR deals with the interpretive challenges posed by humor, with particular attention to the following key aspects: (1) The rhetorical/semiotic mechanisms underlying the contested verbal, visual or multimodal texts; (2) The dialogue between the contested expression and previous texts by means of allusion, commentary or parody; (3) The role played by a broad range of contextual factors, including the conventions of a given humorous genre as well as the specific socio-political circumstances in which humor is produced and circulated; (4) The possible outcomes of the interpretive process, namely the different manners in which humor and disparagement may relate to each other in a given disputed expression; (5) The ways in which courts can reconstruct the actual or presumed reception of an ambiguous joke or cartoon within a given audience. In addition to highlighting a number of recurring issues and occasional inconsistencies in the corpus, this contribution aims to demonstrate how humanities-based humor research can set the basis for a more consistent and methodical approach to humor in court, with special but not exclusive regard to hate speech jurisprudence.
The concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in drinking water from Shiraz, Iran: a health risk assessment of samples
Authors: Mohammadpour Amin , Emadi‬ Zahra , Samaei Mohammad Reza , Ravindra Khaiwal , Hosseini Seyedeh Masoumeh , Amin Mohammad , Samiei Mojtaba , Mohammadi Leili , Khaksefidi Razyeh , Zarei Amin allah , Motamed-Jahromi Mohadeseh , Mousavi Khaneghah Amin
Published: November 2022

The existence of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in water bodies has posed a menace to human health. Thus, water resources should be protected from PTEs, and their effect on the exposed population should be investigated. In the present investigation, the concentrations of PTEs such as lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), and iron(Fe) in the drinking water of Shiraz, Iran, were determined for the first time. In addition, hazard quotient, hazard index, cancer risk, and sensitivity analysis were applied to estimate the noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic impacts of Pb, Hg, Mn, and Fe on exposed children and adults through ingestion. The mean concentrations (µg/L) of Pb, Hg, Mn, and Fe were 0.36, 0.32, 2.28, and 8.72, respectively, in winter and 0.50, 0.20, 0.55, and 10.36, respectively, in summer. The results displayed that Fe concentration was more than the other PTEs. PTE concentrations were lower than the standard values of the Environment Protection Agency and World Health Organization. Values of the degree of contamination and heavy metal pollution index for lead, mercury, manganese, and iron were significantly low (< 1) and excellent (< 50), respectively. Based on the Spearman rank correlation analysis, positive and negative relationships were observed in the present study. The observations of the health risk assessment demonstrated that mercury, lead, iron, and manganese had an acceptable level of noncarcinogenic harmful health risk in exposed children and adults (hazard quotients < 1 and hazard index < 1). The carcinogenic risk of lead was low (< E − 06), which can be neglected. Monte Carlo simulation showed that water intake rate and mercury concentration were the most critical parameters in the hazard index for children and adults. Lead concentration was also the most crucial factor in the cancer risk analysis. The results of the present study proved that the drinking water of Shiraz is safe and healthy and can be confidently consumed by people.
Obsessive-compulsive symptoms and resting-state functional characteristics in pre-adolescent children from the general population
Authors: Weeland Cees J. , van den Heuvel Odile A. , White T. , Tiemeier H. , Vriend C.
Published: November 2022

While functional brain characteristics of obsessive-compulsive disorder have been extensively studied, literature on network topology and subnetwork connectivity related to obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) is sparse. Here we investigated the functional brain characteristics of OCS in children from the general population using a multiscale approach. Since we previously observed OCS-related differences in thalamus morphology, we also focused on the network participation of thalamic subregions. The study included 1701 participants (9–12 years) from the population-based Generation R study. OCS were measured using the Short Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Screener. We studied the brain network at multiple scales: global network topology, subnetwork connectivity and network participation of thalamic nodes (pre-registration:https://osf.io/azr9c). Modularity, small-worldness and average participation coefficient were calculated on the global scale. We used a data-driven consensus community approach to extract a partition of five subnetworks involving thalamic subregions and calculate the within- and between-subnetwork functional connectivity and topology. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to model the relationship between OCS and functional brain measures. No significant associations were found when using our preregistered definition of probable OCS. However, post-hoc analyses showed that children endorsing at least one OCS (compared with controls) had higher modularity, lower connectivity between frontoparietal, limbic and visual networks as well as altered participation of the lateral prefrontal thalamus node. Our results suggest that network characteristics of OCS in children from the general population are partly symptom-specific and severity-dependent. Thorough assessment of symptom dimensions can deepen our understanding of OCS-related brain networks.
Transferability of robotic console skills by early robotic surgeons: a multi-platform crossover trial of simulation training
Authors: Larkins Kirsten M. , Mohan Helen M. , Gray Matthew , Costello Daniel M. , Costello Anthony J. , Heriot Alexander G. , Warrier Satish K.
Published: November 2022

Robotic surgical training is undergoing a period of transition now that new robotic operating platforms are entering clinical practice. As this occurs, training will need to be adapted to include strategies to train across various consoles. These new consoles differ in multiple ways, with some new vendors using flat screen open source 3D enhanced vision with glasses and differences in design will require surgeons to learn new skills. This process has parallels with aviation credentialling across different aircraft described as type rating. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that technical robotic console operating skills are transferrable across different robotic operating platforms. Ten participants sequentially completed four Mimic®(Surgical Science) simulation exercises on two different robotic operating platforms (DaVinci®, Intuitive Surgical and HUGO™ RAS, Medtronic). Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained for this study. Groups were balanced for key demographics including previous robotic simulator experience. Data for simulation metrics and time to proficiency were collected for each attempt at the simulated exercise and analysed. Qualitative feedback on multi-platform learning was sought via unstructured interviews and a questionnaire. Participants were divided into two groups of 5. Group 1 completed the simulation exercises on console A first then repeated these exercises on console B. Group 2 completed the simulated exercises on console B first then repeated these exercises on console A. Group 1 candidates adapted quicker to the second console and Group 2 candidates reached proficiency faster on the first console. Participants were slower on the second attempt of the final exercise regardless of their allocated group. Quality and efficiency metrics and risk and safety metrics were equivalent across consoles. The data from this investigation suggests that console operating skills are transferrable across different platforms. Overall risk and safety metrics are within acceptable limits regardless of the order of progression of console indicating that training can safely occur across multiple consoles contemporaneously. This data has implications for the design of training and certification as new platforms progress to market and supports a proficiency-based approach.
Low temperature, cold spells, and cardiorespiratory hospital admissions in Helsinki, Finland
Authors: Sohail Hasan , Kollanus Virpi , Tiittanen Pekka , Mikkonen Santtu , Lipponen Anne H. , Zhang Siqi , Breitner Susanne , Schneider Alexandra , Lanki Timo
Published: November 2022

There is only limited scientific evidence with varying results on the association between hospital admissions and low ambient temperatures. Furthermore, there has been no research in Northern Europe on cold-associated morbidity. Therefore, this study investigated the associations of daily wintertime temperature and cold spells with cardiorespiratory hospital admissions in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland. Daily number of non-elective hospital admissions for 2001–2017 was obtained from the national hospital discharge register and meteorological data from the Finnish Meteorological Institute. Quasi-Poisson regression models were fitted, controlling for potential confounders such as time trend, weekday, holidays, air pollution, barometric pressure, and influenza. The associations of cold season daily mean ambient temperature and cold spells with hospital admissions were estimated using a penalized distributed lag linear models with 21 lag days. Decreased wintertime ambient temperature was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for myocardial infarction in the whole population (relative risk [RR] per 1 °C decrease in temperature: 1.017, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.002–1.032). An increased risk of hospital admission for respiratory diseases (RR: 1.012, 95% CI: 1.002, 1.022) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (RR: 1.031, 95% CI: 1.006, 1.056) was observed only in the ≥ 75 years age group. There was an independent effect of cold spell days only for asthma admissions (RR: 2.348, 95% CI: 1.026, 5.372) in the all-ages group. Cold temperature increases the need for acute hospital care due to myocardial infarction and respiratory causes during winter in a northern climate.
Erratum to: Cold Atmosphere Plasma Modification on Beta-Carotene-Loaded Nanofibers to Enhance Osteogenic Differentiation
Authors: Moradi Yasamin , Atyabi Seyed Alireza , Ghiassadin Ali , Bakhshi Hadi , Irani Shiva , Atyabi Seyed Mohammad , Dadgar Neda
Published: November 2022

The article Cold Atmosphere Plasma Modification on Beta-Carotene-Loaded Nanofibers to Enhance Osteogenic Differentiation, written by Yasamin Moradi, Seyed Alireza Atyabi, Ali Ghiassadin, Hadi Bakhshi, Shiva Irani, Seyed Mohammad Atyabi, and Neda Dadgar, was mistakenly originally published without open access. After publication in Vol.23, No.1, page 18–27 this was corrected and the article was made an open access publication. Therefore, the copyright of the article has been changed to and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12221-021-0033-y), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

The original article has been corrected.
Early Postnatal Exposure to Intermittent Hypercapnic Hypoxia (IHH), but Not Nicotine, Decreases Reelin in the Young Piglet Hippocampus
Authors: Despotovski Vanessa , Vivekanandarajah Arunnjah , Waters Karen A. , Machaalani Rita
Published: November 2022

This study evaluated the expression of reelin, an extracellular protein involved in lamination and migration of neurons, in the hippocampus of young piglets, and quantified to examine the following: (i) baseline levels within layers of the hippocampus and dentate gyrus (DG); (ii) differences between ventral and dorsal hippocampi; and (iii) changes attributable to postnatal exposure to continuous nicotine for 12 days, or intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia (IHH), with further analysis according to duration of IHH (1 vs 4 days). Additionally, we analysed whether any exposure altered DG morphology and whether it is related to altered reelin expression. Reelin was visualised via immunohistochemistry, and the number of positive reelin cells/mm2 was measured in the CA4/Hilus, layers of the DG, and the CA1. The dorsal DG had significantly more reelin within the subgranular zone compared to the ventral DG (p < 0.01). There was no difference in reelin between nicotine (n = 5) and controls (n = 5). IHH exposed piglets (n = 10) had significantly lowered reelin in the CA1 (p = 0.05), specifically the stratum pyramidale (p = 0.04) and the hippocampal fissure (p = 0.02), compared to their controls (n = 7); the duration of IHH had no effect. No exposure was associated with an alteration in DG morphology. This study shows that postnatal IHH exposure decreased reelin expression in the developing piglet hippocampal CA1, suggesting that IHH may result in altered neuronal migration.
Evaluation of reservoir sedimentation using bathymetry survey: a case study on Adebra night storage reservoir, Ethiopia
Authors: Mekonnen Yitbarek Andualem , Mengistu Tamene Dagnaw , Asitatikie Asimamaw Nigusie , Kumilachew Yilikal Wondimu
Published: November 2022

Reservoir sedimentation is a serious challenge that reduces reservoir life. Because it decreases the initial capacity of the reservoir and has an impact on drinking water supply, irrigation, and hydropower activities. Inadequate land activities and poor management techniques cause soil erosion and reduce reservoir storage capacity. As a result, accurate sediment estimation was assist in the adoption of sustainable land-use activities and best management practices that lead to effective reservoir operations. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the rate of sedimentation and remaining capacity of Adebra night storage reservoir (NSR) using a bathymetric survey and Arc-GIS 10.8. A comparison of original and current reservoir capacity was used to evaluate the quantity of sediment deposition in the reservoir. The latter was developed using Arc-GIS 10.8 and a bathymetry survey that was used to develop the TIN surface and evaluate reservoir volume. The Adebra NSR reservoir capacity was decreased by the accumulation of sedimentation from 36,902 m3 in 2012 to 27,722 m3 in 2020. The results of this study showed that the Adebra night storage reservoir had lost on average 24.8% of its capacity due to sedimentation, during 8 years of operation. The average deposition rate of sedimentation in Adebra NSR was estimated to be 1147.5 m3/year, with a loss rate of 3.1% per year. The value of sedimentation rates found in live storage of the reservoir area was 1147.5 m3/year. At the current time, the expected life of the night storage reservoir was reduced due to a lack of proper soil conservation practices in the reservoir catchment areas. In general, the study finding showed that the capacity of NSR was reduced by the accumulation of sedimentation year to year throughout the design period. Therefore, to improve the capacity of NSR should be planning and implementing different techniques of sediment control and removal, depending on the estimation of sediment production from watersheds of inlets and outlets of reservoirs.
Experimental and numerical modeling of various energy dissipater designs in chute channels
Authors: Kumcu Serife Yurdagul , Ispir Kamil
Published: November 2022

Energy dissipater in the stilling basin is a structure designed to protect downstream of the spillway from erosion and scour by reducing flow energy in the energy dissipation pool. Energy dissipation pool is an important element of hydraulic structures as a transition between the high-velocity flow and the sensitive tail water. The aim of this study is to investigate the energy dissipation ratios of baffle blocks which constructed in Type III stilling basin with different geometric shapes by using physical and numerical modeling methods. In all types of baffle blocks, the block heights and widths are chosen equally, and the total baffle block lengths are designed to be 50% of the stilling basin width. Energy dissipation ratio of the baffle blocks in 4 different geometric shapes was determined in 3 different layouts as single row, two rows and two rows without threshold structure, in a total of 12 different designs and 7 different flow rates are tested. In addition, these experimental studies were tested in the FLOW-3D software program, and the results of experimental and numerical studies were compared. As a result of the study, it was determined that the T-shaped energy-dissipating block had the highest energy dissipation ratio, and it was observed that the results obtained from the experimental studies and the FLOW-3D software were similar to each other with in the range of 5%.
Adsorption of acetic acid onto activated carbons produced from hazelnut shell, orange peel, and melon seeds
Authors: Hasdemir İbrahim Metin , Yılmazoğlu Emre , Güngör Senem , Hasdemir Belma
Published: November 2022

In this study, hazelnut shells, orange peel, and melon seeds were selected as raw materials in the preparation of activated carbon. Various activators at different concentrations under two activation temperatures of 300 °C and 500 °C were utilized. All produced adsorbents and a commercial activated carbon as a reference were used for the adsorption of acetic acid from its aqueous solutions in the various initial concentrations. The effect of the amounts of adsorbents was also studied. Removal efficiencies (Re%) and adsorption capacities (Qe) were experimentally determined. Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherms were modelled, and their parameters were calculated. The surface area, pore volumes, and average pore width of the activated carbons were characterized by N2 adsorption at 77.35 K using the BET, t-plot, and BJH methods, respectively. The highest BET surface area of the activated carbon from hazelnut shells was obtained as 717.738 m2/g at 500 °C activation temperature and 60% H3PO4 concentration. SEM images and FTIR analyses were investigated. It was found that activated carbons of hazelnut shells and orange peel showed higher efficiencies than commercial activated carbon.
Design, construction and testing of an improved solar water disinfection system (SODIS)
Authors: Amatobi Damiana A. , Agunwamba Jonah C.
Published: November 2022

This study improves on the conventional SODIS design to make it more effective and increase its acceptability. An improved SODIS was designed to allow polyethylene teraphalate (PET) bottles serving as reactors to be under approximately 97% sunrays’ cover, and with a provision for a heat absorber. The improved SODIS was tested for inactivation of microorganisms by loading it with eight PET bottles filled with water containing 105 to 107 CFU/100 ml of Escherichia coli. The test was conducted simultaneously with a conventional SODIS, consisting of an improvised rooftop arrangement, containing same quantity of water-filled bottles with same concentration of E. coli. The two systems were placed close to each other, and exposed to direct sunlight for seven hours each day, on six different days. Ambient temperature was measured with a general-purpose thermometer. The thermometer was inserted into one bottle on each system to measure (representative) temperature. At hourly time intervals, a bottle was taken out from each system for enumeration of E. coli concentration. Hourly ambient and bottle temperatures were read simultaneously. The improved SODIS achieved a temperature of 4 °C above ambient and 1 °C above the conventional SODIS. In all the experiment days, complete inactivation of E-coli below detectable limit (less than 1 CFU/100 ml) was achieved at the fourth hour of exposure to sunlight by the improved SODIS and sixth hour by the conventional SODIS. The inactivation rates, K, for E. coli were 0.53 and 0.46 for the improved SODIS and the conventional (rooftop) SODIS, respectively.
The effect of chemical dispersant of the third generation (Finasol OSR 62) on the microbial biodegradation process of Zarzaitine oil in water treatment
Authors: Elarbaoui Soumaya , Smii Latifa , Alhalili Zahrah , Smiri Moêz
Published: November 2022

The application of chemical dispersants aims to stimulate microbial oil degradation by increasing the bioavailability of oil compounds. Overall, nine microcosms were prepared (three for each treatment) using treated sediment with (i) dispersant (d: 25 ppm), (ii) oil (500 ppm), and (iii) with oil + dispersant (500: 25 ppm), respectively. There are also three control microcosms containing only water and sediment without petroleum. Then, we analyzed bacterial abundance, total hydrocarbon, biological oxygen demand (BOD5), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in each microcosm. Bacterial response density was significantly affected after 40 days of exposure; it was higher in the control microcosm and d (> 24.103 cell/l) than in the other treatments. The index of total hydrocarbons was equal to 53 mg/kg dw in oil and 56 mg/kg dw in oil + dispersant. The higher BOD5 found in oil and in oil + d shows the increased amount of oxygen consumed, which indicates enhanced bacterial activity. Microcosms treated with dispersant had higher COD than the others, but the dispersant did not stimulate microbial hydrocarbon degradation.
The European Commission’s Green Deal is an opportunity to rethink harmful practices of research and innovation policy
Authors: Bernstein Michael J. , Franssen Thomas , Smith Robert D. J. , de Wilde Mandy
Published: November 2022

The European Union’s Green Deal and associated policies, aspiring to long-term environmental sustainability, now require economic activities to ‘do no significant harm’ to EU environmental objectives. The way the European Commission is enacting the do no significant harm principle relies on quantitative tools that try to identify harm and adjudicate its significance. A reliance on established technical approaches to assessing such questions ignores the high levels of imprecision, ambiguity, and uncertainty—levels often in flux—characterizing the social contexts in which harms emerge. Indeed, harm, and its significance, are relational, not absolute. A better approach would thus be to acknowledge the relational nature of harm and develop broad capabilities to engage and ‘stay with’ the harm. We use the case of European research and innovation activities to expose the relational nature of harm, and explore an alternative and potentially more productive approach that departs from attempts to unilaterally or uniformly claim to know or adjudicate what is or is not significantly harmful. In closing, we outline three ways research and innovation policy-makers might experiment with reconfiguring scientific and technological systems and practices to better address the significant harms borne by people, other-than-human beings, and ecosystems.
Half-waves and spectral Riesz means on the 3-torus
Authors: Fairchild Elliott , Sussman Ethan
Published: November 2022

For a full rank lattice$$\Lambda \subset \mathbb {R}^d$$Λ⊂Rdand$$\textbf{A}\in \mathbb {R}^d$$A∈Rd, consider$$N_{d,0;\Lambda ,\textbf{A}}(\Sigma ) = \# ([\Lambda +\textbf{A}] \cap \Sigma \mathbb {B}^d) = \# \{\textbf{k}\in \Lambda : |\textbf{k}+\textbf{A}| \le \Sigma \}$$Nd,0;Λ,A(Σ)=#([Λ+A]∩ΣBd)=#{k∈Λ:|k+A|≤Σ}. Consider the iterated integrals$$\begin{aligned} N_{d,k+1;\Lambda ,\textbf{A}}(\Sigma ) = \int _0^\Sigma N_{d,k;\Lambda ,\textbf{A}}(\sigma ) \,\textrm{d}\sigma , \end{aligned}$$Nd,k+1;Λ,A(Σ)=∫0ΣNd,k;Λ,A(σ)dσ,for$$k\in \mathbb {N}$$k∈N. After an elementary derivation via the Poisson summation formula of the sharp large-$$\Sigma $$Σasymptotics of$$N_{3,k;\Lambda ,\textbf{A}}(\Sigma )$$N3,k;Λ,A(Σ)for$$k\ge 2$$k≥2(these having an$$O(\Sigma )$$O(Σ)error term), we discuss how they are encoded in the structure of the Fourier transform$$\mathcal {F}N_{3,k;\Lambda ,\textbf{A}}(\tau )$$FN3,k;Λ,A(τ). The analysis is related to Hörmander’s analysis of spectral Riesz means, as the iterated integrals above are weighted spectral Riesz means for the simplest magnetic Schrödinger operator on the flatd-torus. That the$$N_{3,k;\Lambda ,\textbf{A}}(\Sigma )$$N3,k;Λ,A(Σ)obey an asymptotic expansion to$$O(\Sigma ^2)$$O(Σ2)is a special case of a general result holding for all magnetic Schrödinger operators on all manifolds, and the subleading polynomial corrections can be identified in terms of the Laurent series of the half-wave trace at$$\tau =0$$τ=0. The improvement to$$O(\Sigma )$$O(Σ)for$$k\ge 2$$k≥2follows from a bound on the growth rate of the half-wave trace at late times.
Inkjet Printed Quantum Dots Color Conversion Layers for Full-Color Micro-LED Displays
Authors: Qin Feng , Liu Cao , Wu Wenhui , Peng Wenxiang , Huo Sitao , Ye Jiandong , Gu Shulin
Published: November 2022

With the ever-growing demands for larger size and high resolution displays, Micro-light-emitting diode (Micro-LED) display with quantum dots (QDs) film as color conversion layers (CCLs) has become one of the most promising candidates of future display for its advantages in low power consumption and wide color range. In this study, we report a novel full-color display based on blue Micro LED, which has patterned red and green QDs color conversion (QDCC) layers fabricated by inkjet printing (IJP). A structure of double-layer bank was designed to reduce color deviation, prevent crosstalk, and flatten the QDCC layer. By optimizing the thickness of the red/green QDCC layers and the wavelength of blue Micro LED backlights, a full-color QDCC-LED display with 228 PPI resolution and size of 1.11-inch was successfully fabricated and showed superb performance. We not only effectively reduced crosstalk, but also improved the color conversion efficiency of QDs. In addition, this QDCC-LED display prepared by embedded bonding process shows a color gamut of 107.53% NTSC.

Graphical Abstract
Phytochemicals derived from Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit (Fabaceae) biomass and their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities: HPLC analysis of extracts
Authors: Elbanoby Nourhan Elsayed , El-Settawy Ahmed A. A. , Mohamed Abeer A. , Salem Mohamed Z. M.
Published: November 2022

The biomass production from Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit (family Fabaceae) is a valuable source for chemical biorefinery. The bioactive molecules from the methanol extracts (MEs) from various parts of L. leucocephala grown in Egypt were evaluated. The antibacterial activity against the growth of Erwinia amylovora, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and Staphylococcus aureus was determined by the inhibition zones (IZs) and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). The antifungal activity against the growth of Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium solani, and Alternaria solani was recorded by measuring the fungal growth inhibition (FGI %) and MICs. The phytochemical compounds in the MEs were identified by HPLC–DAD, where the higher compounds identified (mg/kg ME) in seeds were benzoic acid (1520.44), myricetin (848.73), and rosmarinic acid (792.46); in roots, were benzoic acid (554.04), naringenin (419.99), and myricetin (205.51); in leaves were rosmarinic acid (4768.16), resveratrol (2983.99), quercetin (2052.43), myricetin (1432.63), and naringenin (1182.39); in branches, were rosmarinic acid (2230.26), resveratrol (1605.3), o-coumaric acid (691.16), and myricetin (681.93); in fruits were rosmarinic acid (431.43) and resveratrol (261.07); in stem-wood, were ellagic acid (1319.75), p-coumaric acid (1051.59), and ferulic acid (512.45); and in stem-bark, were resveratrol (1079.01), benzoic acid (1071.11), and catechol (305.51). The MEs at the concentration of 4000 mg/L from stem-wood, leaves, and stem-bark, the higher IZs against the growth of E. amylovora, A. tumefaciens, and S. aureus with values of 4.06 cm, 2.5 cm, and 2.63 cm, respectively, were found. The range of MICs values of MEs was 75–500 mg/L, 75–125 mg/L, and 75–125 mg/L, against the growth of A. tumefaciens, E. amylovora, and S. aureus, respectively. MEs prepared from seeds, fruits (pod), and stem-bark at 4000 mg/L showed the higher FGI (100%) against the growth of A. solani; MEs from seeds and branches observed the higher FGI values of 63.83% and 63.6%, respectively, against the growth of F. solani, and all MEs showed potent antifungal activity (FGI 100%) against R. solani except for leaf ME (88.06%). MICs were in the range of 250–500, 250–500, and 500–1000 mg/L against A. solani, F. solani, and R. solani, respectively. At 500 mg/L, the roots ME showed the highest total antioxidant activity (94.30%) compared to vitamin C (VC) (98.30%) at 100 mg/L. The EC50 values of the MEs from seeds, fruits, stem-bark, branches, stem-wood, leaves, and roots were 424.24 mg/L, 131.40 mg/L, 341.78 mg/L, 380.50 mg/L, 153.59 mg/L, 153.59 mg/L, and 129.89 mg/L compared with VC (6.88 mg/L). In conclusion, the botanical parts of L. leucocephala have several bioactive compounds, which can act as promising antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.
Die MISSCARE-Austria-Studie – Teil I
Authors: Cartaxo Ana , Eberl Inge , Mayer Hanna
Published: November 2022

Hintergrund

Studien zufolge müssen Pflegepersonen im Krankenhaus u. a. aufgrund von Ressourcenknappheit notwendige Pflegetätigkeiten weglassen bzw. können diese nur mit einer für die Patient*innen nachteiligen Verzögerung durchführen. Dieses Phänomen wird auch als Missed Nursing Care (MNC) beschrieben (Kalisch et al. 2009). In Österreich fehlt es an einer validen Datengrundlage dazu.

Ziele

Missed Nursing Care in österreichischen Krankenhäusern zu erheben und Einflussfaktoren darauf zu identifizieren. Unterschiede bzw. Zusammenhänge in MNC nach Krankenhaus- und Stationscharakteristika sowie nach soziodemografischen und beruflichen Merkmalen von Pflegepersonen zu untersuchen.

Methode

Deskriptiv-komparative quantitative Querschnittstudie mittels onlinebasierter Fragebogenerhebung anhand des Revised-MISSCARE-Austria-Instruments. Zielgruppe waren alle Pflegepersonen, die in diesem Zeitraum auf Allgemeinstationen in österreichischen Krankenhäusern tätig waren. Die Datenanalyse erfolgte mittels deskriptiver Statistik, Korrelationskoeffizienten und nichtparametrischen Gruppenvergleichstests.

Ergebnisse

1006 Pflegepersonen haben an der Studie teilgenommen und die Einschlusskriterien erfüllt. 84,4 % (n = 849) davon gaben an, dass in ihren Teams in den letzten 2 Wochen mindestens eine der erfassten Tätigkeiten in der akuten Patient*innenversorgung weggelassen wurde. Dies betrifft vornehmlich Interventionen, bezogen auf emotionale Unterstützung, auf Beratung und Schulung sowie auf Gesprächsführung. Vor allem jüngere Pflegepersonen (p < 0,001), Pflegende auf Stationen mit mehr Betten (p < 0,001), Personen mit einer Vollzeitanstellung (p = 0,036), mit weniger Berufserfahrung (p = < 0,001) und diplomierte Gesundheits- und Krankenpflegepersonen in der direkten Patient*innenversorgung (p = 0,003) berichten über eine höhere Häufigkeit von MNC. Die häufigsten Einflussfaktoren auf MNC sind Multitasking, häufige Unterbrechungen, Personalmangel, gesteigerter Versorgungsaufwand, gesteigerte Aufnahme- und Entlassungsdynamiken sowie die eigene Erschöpfung und mangelnde Unterstützung von den direkten Vorgesetzten.

Schlussfolgerung

MNC wurde erstmalig in österreichischen Krankenhäusern erfasst. Die Ergebnisse geben deutliche Hinweise auf implizite Rationierung der akuten Versorgung. Die identifizierten Einflussfaktoren sollten bei der zukünftigen Entwicklung von Strategien für die Sicherung der Versorgungsqualität im akuten Bereich berücksichtigt werden.
Transcription factor NRF2 as potential therapeutic target for preventing muscle wasting in aging chronic kidney disease patients
Authors: Gómez-García Erika F. , del Campo Fabiola Martín , Cortés-Sanabria Laura , Mendoza-Carrera Francisco , Avesani Carla Maria , Stenvinkel Peter , Lindholm Bengt , Cueto-Manzano Alfonso M.
Published: November 2022

Increased muscle protein catabolism leading to muscle wasting is a prominent feature of the syndrome of protein-energy wasting (PEW) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). PEW and muscle wasting are induced by factors such as inflammation, oxidative stress and metabolic acidosis that activate theubiquitin–proteasome system, the main regulatory mechanism of skeletal muscle degradation. Whether deficiency of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), which regulates expression of antioxidant proteins protecting against oxidative damage triggered by inflammation, may exacerbate PEW has yet to be examined in aging patients with CKD. This review focuses on the hypothesis that NRF2 is involved in the maintenance of muscle mass and explores whether sustained activation of NRF2 by non-pharmacological interventions using nutraceutical activators to improve redox homeostasis could be a plausible strategy to prevent skeletal muscle disorders, including muscle wasting, sarcopenia and frailty associated with PEW in aging CKD patients.

Graphical abstract
Structural behaviour and micro-structural characteristics of coloured kilned glass panels
Authors: Silvestru Vlad-Alexandru , Giesecke Rena , Dillenburger Benjamin
Published: November 2022

In recent years, the architecture, engineering and construction industry is increasingly embracing digital design approaches and robotic production methods. This is as well noticeable in the façade design sector, especially when it comes to architectural design tasks dealing with complex geometries or adaptive components. Although glass is mainly used in facades due to its transparency, it often determines significantly the aesthetic appearance of a building and has to control the transmitted light and the visibility between exterior and interior. Recently, a novel method for producing polychromatic glass panels by fusing granular glass powder of different colours onto the surface of annealed float glass in a kilning process was developed at ETH Zurich. By using a multi-channel tool attached to a robotic arm for placing the granular powder onto the glass surface, digitally designed patterns can be realised precisely and repetitively. This paper focuses on the structural behaviour and the micro-structural characteristics of this novel type of coloured glass panels for façade applications. The bending strength of such glass panels was determined based on four-point-bending tests and was compared to that of annealed float glass. A non-negligible decrease in the bending strength was observed. Furthermore, the reasons for this reduction in structural performance were analysed based on microscopic investigations. It was observed that both the kilning process and the density of deposited granular powder had an influence on the surface microstructure. The presented results are essential for the production of polychromatic kilned glass as well as for future applications of this type of glass panel in façades.
Suitability of Amaranthaceae and Polygonaceae species as food source for the sugar beet weevil Asproparthenis punctiventris Germar
Authors: Dittmann Lena , Spangl Bernhard , Koschier Elisabeth H.
Published: November 2022

This study explores the food plant spectrum of the sugar beet weevil (Asproparthenis punctiventrisGermar; Coleoptera: Curculionidae), one of the most important pests of sugar beet (Beta vulgarissubsp.vulgarisAltissima group). It examines the potential of various weeds and other plants to maintain populations ofA. punctiventrisadults and larvae outside sugar beet fields. To this end, leaf consumption of females and males on twelve Amaranthaceae and six Polygonaceae species was compared over a 24-h period in a laboratory environment. Both sexes consumed the greatest amount of leaf mass from Beta spp. and on average about a third less from Atriplex spp., indicating that these plants have the highest nutritional value forA. punctiventris. Weevils consumed between 30 and 60% of the amount ofA. retroflexusand Chenopodium spp. than they fed on sugar beet leaves. LikeSpinacia oleracea(Amaranthaceae), plant species of the Polygonaceae family were hardly or not at all fed on. Mated females generally consumed more leaf mass than unmated, especially from Chenopodium spp. andA. retroflexus, i.e. plants with low feeding value. Experiments with potted plants revealed that the most and heaviest 4th instar larvae developed on sugar beet, while fewer individuals with lesser weight were found onB. vulgarissubsp.maritimaandA. hortensis. Very few larvae were able to develop onC. album, and none onA. retroflexus. To prevent promotion of pest population, special attention should be paid to the control of weeds from the Amaranthaceae family in sugar beet growing areas.
Impact of Pulsed Laser Parameters and Scanning Pattern on the Properties of Thin-Walled Parts Manufactured Using Laser Metal Deposition
Authors: Liu Weiwei , Al-Hammadi Gamal , Saleheen Kazi Mojtaba , Abdelrahman Ahmed , Liu Huanqiang , Zhang Zhidong
Published: November 2022

The quality of parts manufactured using laser metal deposition (LMD), similar to other additive manufacturing methods, is influenced by processing parameters. Such parameters determine geometric stability, favorable microstructures, and good mechanical properties. This study aimed to investigate the effects of pulsed laser parameters (duty cycle and pulse frequency) and scanning patterns (unidirectional and bidirectional patterns) on the properties of parts fabricated using LMD. Results show that the properties of the LMD-fabricated parts are obviously influenced by pulsed laser parameters and scanning patterns. Using the unidirectional scanning pattern in both pulsed laser parameters enhances the properties of the thin-walled parts prepared using LMD. An increase in duty cycle can improve geometric stability, increase grain size, and reduce microhardness. Furthermore, the geometric stability does not vary considerably with the use of different frequencies, but the microstructure of fabricated parts shows various grain sizes with different pulse frequencies. In addition, the microhardness increases as the frequency increases from 13.33 to 50 Hz. In general, the influence of the duty cycle on geometric properties is greater than that of frequency. Meanwhile, the impact of frequency on microhardness is greater than that of the duty cycle.