bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crypto cravings: Gender differences in crypto investment intentions and the mediating roles of financial overconfidence and personality
Authors: Nyhus Ellen Katrine , Frank Darius‐Aurel , Król Michał Krzysztof , Otterbring Tobias
Published: October 2023

Cryptocurrencies have ballooned into a billion‐dollar business. To inform regulations aimed at protecting consumers vulnerable to suboptimal financial decisions, we investigate crypto investment intentions as a function of consumer gender, financial overconfidence (greater subjective relative to objective financial knowledge), and the Big Five personality traits. Study 1 (N = 126) found that people believe each Big Five personality trait as well as consumer gender and financial overconfidence to predict consumers' crypto investment intentions. Study 2 (N = 1741) revealed that less than 1 in 10 consumers from a nationally representative sample (Norway) are willing to invest in crypto. However, the proportion of male (vs. female) consumers considering such investments is more than twice as large, with less (vs. more) agreeable and less (vs. more) conscientious, but more (vs. less) open and more (vs. less) financially overconfident consumers also being increasingly inclined to consider crypto investments. Financial overconfidence, agreeableness, and conscientiousness mediate the link between consumer gender and crypto investment intentions. These results hold after accounting for a theoretically relevant confounding factor (financial self‐efficacy). Together, this research offers novel implications for marketing theory and practice that help understand the observed gender differences in consumers' crypto investments.
A Novel Hydrophobic Polyimide Film with Sag Structure Derived from Multi‐Hybrid Strategy
Authors: Tao Kangkang , Sun Gaohui , Zhang Shuai , Wang Jun , Chen Rongrong , Han Shihui
Published: October 2023

Polyimide (PI) film with hydrophilic greatly limits their application in the field of microelectronic device packaging. A novel hydrophobic PI film with sag structure and improved mechanical properties is prepared relying on the reaction between anhydride‐terminated isocyanate‐based polyimide (PIY) containing a seven‐membered ring structure and the amino‐terminated polyamide acid (PAA) via multi‐hybrid strategy, this work named it as hybrid PI film and marked it as PI‐PIY‐X. PI‐PIY‐30 showed excellent hydrophobic properties, and the water contact angle could reach to 102°, which is 20% and 55% higher than simply PI film and PIY film, respectively. The water absorption is only 1.02%, with a decrease of 49% and 53% compared with PI and PIY. Due to that the degradation of seven‐membered ring and generation of carbon dioxide led to the formation of sag structure, the size of sag structures is ≈16.84 and 534.55 nm for in‐plane and out‐plane direction, which are observed on surface of PI‐PIY‐30. Meanwhile, PI‐PIY‐30 possessed improved mechanical properties, and the tensile strength is 109.08 MPa, with 5% and more than 56% higher than that of pure PI and PIY film, showing greatly application prospects in the field of integrated circuit.
Assessing potential spawning locations of Silver Chub in Lake Erie
Authors: McKenna Jorden R. , Bowen Anjanette , Farver John R. , Long James M. , Miner Jeffrey G. , Stott Nathan D. , Kočovský Patrick M.
Published: October 2023

Objective

Silver Chub Macrhybopsis storeriana, a predominately riverine species throughout its native range, exists within Lake Erie as the only known lake population. Its population declined in the 1950s and never fully recovered. Canada has listed Silver Chub in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River as endangered and has initiated a recovery plan that recognized the identification of spawning areas as a critical component to inform Silver Chub's recovery potential.

Methods

We investigated potential spawning locations of Silver Chub using capture records, otolith microchemistry, and daily age analysis. Lapillus otolith Sr:Ca ratios from 27 age-0 Silver Chub were used to identify potential spawning areas. Daily ages estimated from lapilli were used to calculate hatch dates, which then were compared with capture data of adults and river flows to further inform potential spawning areas.

Result

The Detroit River (and its nearshore area) was all but ruled out as a potential spawning location. The Maumee, Portage, and Sandusky rivers or their nearshore areas were all possible spawning locations. Projected hatch dates spanned the end of May through the end of June and occurred across a wide range of flows, although some peaks in hatch dates corresponded to flow peaks, indicating recruitment is potentially enhanced by high flows.

Conclusion

Silver Chub spawning period and hypothesized spawning rivers or lacustuaries overlap those of invasive Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon idella, creating a need to jointly consider Grass Carp control efforts with conservation of Silver Chub when assessing management alternatives. Further research on spawning guild and the use of rivers themselves or nearshore areas influenced by rivers as spawning areas are required to maximize potential for conservation and recovery of Silver Chub.
Rapid production of Plasmodium sporozoite detection paper dipstick assays using cellulose nanocrystals: Proof‐of‐concept for bio‐based, locally developed, point‐of‐care devices
Authors: Gomez‐Maldonado Diego , Au Gabriel , Zohdy Sarah , Davis Virginia A. , Peresin Maria S.
Published: October 2023

Enhanced and rapid surveillance for diseases is critical to public health and meeting United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal for Good Health and Well‐being by allowing for targeted and accelerated prevention and control response strategies. Human malaria, caused by Plasmodium spp. and transmitted by mosquitoes is no exception. Advances in sustainable materials provide an opportunity to improve fast, sustainable, and equitable testing assays. Here, naturally abundant polymers and biomaterials, such as cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and chitosan, were used to increase antibody density deposition on the assay detection line when compared to traditional free antibody deposition, and thus the sensitivity, of easily assembled rapid tests designed to detect Plasmodium vivax infective (sporozoite) parasites in mosquitoes, a critical indicator of malaria transmission. The immobilization of antibodies onto chitosan‐coated CNCs allowed for antigen detection with a lower number of antibodies used in each test; likewise, the immobilization allowed to directly place the CNC‐Ab without the traditionally needed blockers layer on the paper like bovine serum albumin (BSA). This bio‐based prototype of a paper‐based dipstick assay shows a promising pathway for the development of rapid disease surveillance tools using sustainable and globally available materials.
Nurse educator competence in four European countries—A comparative cross‐sectional study
Authors: Elonen Imane , Kajander‐Unkuri Satu , Cassar Maria , Wennberg‐Capellades Laia , Kean Susanne , Sollár Tomáš , Saaranen Terhi , Pasanen Miko , Salminen Leena
Published: October 2023

Aim

The aim of this article is to describe and compare the nurse educator competences in four European countries using three different evaluators: nurse educators (n = 329), heads of a nursing subject (n = 60) and student nurses (n = 1058).

Design

The study was conducted as a comparative cross‐sectional survey in Finland, Malta, Slovakia and Spain between May 2021 and February 2022.

Methods

The data were collected with an online survey. The instrument used was a 20‐item Tool for Evaluation of Requirements of Nurse Teachers, utilizing a 5‐point Likert‐type scale. The data were analysed statistically and reported according to STROBE guidelines.

Results

Nurse educators' competence evaluated positively in all the groups of evaluators, with a mean of >3.5. The self‐evaluation of nurse educators' competence was higher than the other evaluators' evaluations. Having a degree in nursing, having completed some pedagogical studies and longer work experience as a nurse educator had a positive association with higher self‐evaluated competence among nurse educators.

Conclusions

Nurse educator competence is at a good level in the selected European countries, but further studies are required to find the reasons behind the differences in evaluations.

Public Contribution

Each participating educational institution named a contact person who distributed the surveys to the participants and returned the study's metadata to the researchers.
Differential effect of gastric bypass versus sleeve gastrectomy on insulinotropic action of endogenous incretins
Authors: Salehi Marzieh , Peterson Richard , Tripathy Devjit , Pezzica Samantha , DeFronzo Ralph , Gastaldelli Amalia
Published: October 2023

Objective

Prandial hyperinsulinemia after Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass surgery (GB), and to lesser degree after sleeve gastrectomy (SG), has been attributed to rapid glucose flux from the gut and increased insulinotropic gut hormones. However, β‐cell sensitivity to exogenous incretin is reduced after GB. This study examines the effect of GB versus SG on prandial glycemia and β‐cell response to increasing concentrations of endogenous incretins.

Methods

Glucose kinetics, insulin secretion rate (ISR), and incretin responses to 50‐g oral glucose ingestion were compared between ten nondiabetic participants with GB versus nine matched individuals with SG and seven nonoperated normal glucose tolerant control individuals (CN) with and without administration of 200 mg of sitagliptin.

Results

Fasting glucose and hormonal levels were similar among three groups. Increasing plasma concentrations of endogenous incretins by two‐ to three‐fold diminished prandial glycemia and increased β‐cell secretion in all three groups (p < 0.05), but insulin secretion per insulin sensitivity (i.e., disposition index) was increased only in GB (p < 0.05 for interaction). However, plot of the slope of ISR (from premeal to peak values) versus plasma glucagon‐like peptide‐1 concentration was smaller after GB compared with SG and CN.

Conclusions

After GB, increasing incretin activity augments prandial β‐cell response whereas the β‐cell sensitivity to increasing plasma concentrations of endogenous incretin is diminished.

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Effects of a supervised exercise training on body composition after bariatric surgery: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Boppre Giorjines , Borges Lara Pereira Saraiva Leão , Diniz‐Sousa Florêncio , Veras Lucas , Devezas Vitor , Preto John , Santos‐Sousa Hugo , da Costa Teresa Helena Macedo , Oliveira José , Fonseca Hélder
Published: October 2023

Objective

This study aimed to determine the effects of a multicomponent exercise intervention during the first year post‐bariatric surgery (BS) on body composition, weight loss (WL), energy expenditure, and nutrient intake.

Methods

A total of 84 patients were included in this study and were randomly assigned to either an exercise group (n = 41) or a control group (n = 20). The exercise group participated in a multicomponent exercise program that began 1‐month post‐BS, whereas the control group received only standard medical care post‐BS. Body composition was assessed by dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry, and physical activity energy expenditure was assessed by accelerometers. Nutritional intake was assessed through a 4‐day food diary.

Results

A total of 6‐months post‐BS, exercise was found to be effective in mitigating the loss of lower‐limb and appendicular lean mass (LM), as well as favoring trunk fat mass (FM) loss. Moreover, it further decreased percent FM and promoted additional excess WL. After 12 months, exercise not only reduced waist circumference but also helped to lessen the loss of total, trunk, and appendicular LM.

Conclusions

Exercise further induced trunk fat mass, percent FM, excess WL, and waist circumference reductions. Moreover, exercise attenuated the loss of total and regional LM.
Physical activity in the new era of antiobesity medications
Authors: Jakicic John M. , Rogers Renee J. , Church Timothy S.
Published: October 2023

Contemporary antiobesity medications (AOMs) are highly efficacious for the treatment of obesity and obesity‐related comorbidities. Given this effectiveness, lifestyle factors within the context of AOM treatments need to refocus and move away from efforts to enhance weight loss. Rather, lifestyle considerations should pivot to being complementary to the benefits realized with AOM treatment and be redirected to enhancing holistic patient health and well‐being. Physical activity is an important lifestyle behavior that contributes to many health benefits both in conjunction with, and in the absence of, weight loss. Physical activity improves cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, and physical function. Physical activity may attenuate the loss of lean mass that is observed with AOM treatments and may enhance the quality and function of muscle. Physical activity is a key behavior for holistic health within this era of contemporary AOMs that warrants appropriate attention within the clinical care of patients.
Collaborative improvement of electrical‐thermal‐mechanical properties of kaolin‐filled ethylene propylene diene monomer and mechanism analysis
Authors: Li Guochang , Feng Hao , Deng Wenhao , Xiao Chenglong , Xu Zhuang , Li Shengtao , Wei Yanhui
Published: October 2023

With the rapid development of offshore wind power, large‐capacity wind turbine generators have put forward higher electrical and mechanical performance requirements for the cable. In this paper, kaolin/ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) composites are prepared to investigate the effect of kaolin content on the electrical properties, mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of EPDM composites. The results show that appropriate amount of kaolin could synergistically improve the electrical‐thermal‐mechanical properties of EPDM. The composite with 30 wt% kaolin content achieves the best performance. The breakdown strength of kaolin/EPDM composites increases by 13.47%–72.19 kV/mm compared with that before modification, and the volume resistivity increases from 1013 to 1015 Ω·cm after modification. In addition, with the doping of kaolin, the tensile strength of composites significantly improves by over 500%–6.97 MPa, and the thermal conductivity of the composite is slightly improved. This work has important guiding significance for the development of insulation materials for cables.

Highlights

Kaolin in EPDM scattered more uniform after modification.

The addition of kaolin improves the electrical‐thermal‐mechanical properties of the composite.

Kaolin/EPDM composites have promising applications.
Phenotyping and predicting wheat spike characteristics using image analysis and machine learning
Authors: Hammers Mik , Winn Zachary J. , Ben‐Hur Asa , Larkin Dylan , Murry Jamison , Mason Richard Esten
Published: October 2023

Improvements in trait phenotyping are needed to increase the quantity and quality of data available for genetic improvement of crops. In this study, we used moderate throughput image analysis and machine learning as a pipeline for phenotyping a key wheat spike characteristic: spikelet number per spike. A population of 594 soft red winter wheat inbred lines was evaluated in the field for 2 years and images of wheat spikes were taken and used to train deep‐learning algorithms to predict spikelet number. A total of 12,717 images were used to train, test, and validate a basic regression convolutional neural network (CNN), a visual geometry group application regression model, VGG16, the ResNet152V2 model, and the EfficientNetV2L model. The EfficientNetV2L model was the most accurate, having the lowest mean absolute error, second lowest root mean square error, and highest coefficient of determination (mean absolute error [MAE] = 0.60, root mean square error [RMSE] = 0.79, and R2 = 0.90). The ResNet152V2 model was slightly less accurate with a slightly better fit (MAE = 0.61,m RMSE = 0.78, and R2 = 0.87), followed by the basic CNN (MAE = 0.75, RMSE = 1.00, and R2 = 0.74) and finally by the VGG16 (MAE = 1.51, RMSE = 1.29, and R2 = 0.076). With an average error of just above one half of a spikelet, utilizing image analysis and machine learning counting methods could be used for multiple breeding applications, including direct selection of spikelet number, to provide data to identify quantitative trait loci, or for training whole genome selection models.
What can AlphaFold do for antimicrobial amyloids?
Authors: Ragonis‐Bachar Peleg , Axel Gabriel , Blau Shahar , Ben‐Tal Nir , Kolodny Rachel , Landau Meytal
Published: October 2023

Amyloids, protein, and peptide assemblies in various organisms are crucial in physiological and pathological processes. Their intricate structures, however, present significant challenges, limiting our understanding of their functions, regulatory mechanisms, and potential applications in biomedicine and technology. This study evaluated the AlphaFold2 ColabFold method's structure predictions for antimicrobial amyloids, using eight antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), including those with experimentally determined structures and AMPs known for their distinct amyloidogenic morphological features. Additionally, two well‐known human amyloids, amyloid‐β and islet amyloid polypeptide, were included in the analysis due to their disease relevance, short sequences, and antimicrobial properties. Amyloids typically exhibit tightly mated β‐strand sheets forming a cross‐β configuration. However, certain amphipathic α‐helical subunits can also form amyloid fibrils adopting a cross‐α structure. Some AMPs in the study exhibited a combination of cross‐α and cross‐β amyloid fibrils, adding complexity to structure prediction. The results showed that the AlphaFold2 ColabFold models favored α‐helical structures in the tested amyloids, successfully predicting the presence of α‐helical mated sheets and a hydrophobic core resembling the cross‐α configuration. This implies that the AI‐based algorithms prefer assemblies of the monomeric state, which was frequently predicted as helical, or capture an α‐helical membrane‐active form of toxic peptides, which is triggered upon interaction with lipid membranes.
Highlights from the Diabetes UK Professional Conference 2023
Authors: Bishop Katherine
Published: October 2023

The Diabetes UK Professional Conference, held this year in Liverpool, featured presentations on pharmacological treatment across the spectrum of diabetes care, promoting safe and effective use of medications to optimise outcomes. Dr Katherine Bishop reports on some key prescribing topics.
Antibacterial and in vitro anticancer activities of the antimicrobial peptide NRC‐07 encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles
Authors: Turky Nancy O. , Abdelmonem Noura A. , Tammam Salma N. , Gad Mohamed Z. , Breitinger Hans‐Georg , Breitinger Ulrike
Published: October 2023

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics and chemotherapy in the treatment of multidrug‐resistant pathogens and drug‐resistant cancers. Clinical application of AMPs is limited due to low stability and inefficient transport. Encapsulation in nanocarriers may improve their therapeutic potential. Chitosan nanoparticles (CS‐NPs) are efficient carriers for proteins and peptides, improving the treatment of microbial infections and targeted drug delivery. We examined toxicity against cancer cell lines and antibacterial activities of the pleurocidin‐like AMP NRC‐07 upon encapsulation in CS‐NPs by ionotropic gelation. The biological activities of various formulations of free and encapsulated NRC‐07 and free nanoparticles were evaluated against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and breast cancer cells, using assays for cell viability and lactate dehydrogenase cytolysis with non‐cancer cell lines as controls. NRC‐07‐containing nanoparticles decreased the bacterial and cancer cell viability in a concentration‐dependent manner. Activities of encapsulated peptide were >2‐fold higher than those of free NRC‐07 peptide. Unloaded CS‐NPs and free peptide were not cytotoxic against control cells. Encapsulation of NRC‐07 into CS‐NPs enhanced the antibacterial and selective cytotoxicity of the peptide, possibly enhancing anticancer activities. Encapsulation presents a promising tool for the development of efficient drug delivery systems.
Left behind and left out: Evaluating (dis)connections in the spatially focused migration network of England and Wales
Authors: Sanderson Rachael , Franklin Rachel , MacKinnon Danny , Matthews Joe
Published: October 2023

Previous research has often linked socioeconomic decline and 'left behind' places with out‐migration and depopulation. Few analyses have reflected on the role of connectivity in the migratory system, and how this varies across groups and places to produce peripheralisation. Using detailed migration in England and Wales, we examine the level of spatial focusing of migration flows between local authority origins and destinations, using the Gini index. The study extends the established spatial focusing literature to consider the role of age and investigates the phenomenon in 'left behind' places. Our findings show the complexity of the role of migration in the production of left behind places, with implications for population redistribution.
Ueber die Identifizierung von Kohlenwasserstoffen der Formel
Authors: Rinkes I. J.
Published: October 2023

Vorstehende Mitteilung befasst sich mit der Identifizierung von drei Kohlenwasserstoffen der Formel magnified image, nämlich 1‐Methyl‐4‐äthylbenzen, 1‐n‐Hexyl‐4‐n‐heptylbenzen und 1‐Methyl‐4‐n‐octylbenzen, und zwar des ersten und des zweiten durch den Schmelzpunkt der Tetrabromverbindung, des dritten durch den Schmelzpunkt des Acetylderivats von dem Reduktionsprodukt der Nitroverbindung. Die bisher noch unbekannte Struktur des 1‐Methyl‐4‐äthyltrinitrobenzens wurde aufgeklärt.
Automatic scenario generation for efficient solution of robust optimal control problems
Authors: Zagorowska Marta , Falugi Paola , O'Dwyer Edward , Kerrigan Eric C.
Published: October 2023

Existing methods for nonlinear robust control often use scenario‐based approaches to formulate the control problem as large nonlinear optimization problems. The optimization problems are challenging to solve due to their size, especially if the control problems include time‐varying uncertainty. This paper draws from local reduction methods used in semi‐infinite optimization to solve robust optimal control problems with parametric and time‐varying uncertainty. By iteratively adding interim worst‐case scenarios to the problem, methods based on local reduction provide a way to manage the total number of scenarios. We show that the local reduction method for optimal control problems consists of solving a series of simplified optimal control problems to find worst‐case constraint violations. In particular, we present examples where local reduction methods find worst‐case scenarios that are not on the boundary of the uncertainty set. We also provide bounds on the error if local solvers are used. The proposed approach is illustrated with two case studies with parametric and additive time‐varying uncertainty. In the first case study, the number of scenarios obtained from local reduction is 101, smaller than in the case when all extreme scenarios are considered. In the second case study, the number of scenarios obtained from the local reduction is two compared to 512 extreme scenarios. Our approach was able to satisfy the constraints both for parametric uncertainty and time‐varying disturbances, whereas approaches from literature either violated the constraints or became computationally expensive.
Resilient adaptive event‐triggered synchronization control of piecewise‐homogeneous Markov jump delayed neural networks under aperiodic DoS attacks
Authors: Zhao Shanshan , Zhang Haiyang , Xiong Lianglin , Wen Shiping , Cao Jinde , Zhang Yi
Published: October 2023

Under the aperiodic Denial‐of‐service (DoS) attacks, this paper studies the resilient adaptive event‐triggered synchronization control problem for a class of Piecewise‐Homogeneous Uncertain Markov Jump Neural Networks (PHUMJNNs) with time‐varying delays. First of all, a new way of carving DoS attacks is given from the defenders' perspective, that is, aperiodic DoS attacks based on fixed detection periods. Then, under such attacks, a new Resilient Adaptive Event‐triggered Communication (RAETC) is designed between sensor and controller, which has a threshold function based on the net change rate and is real‐time updated depending on the present sampling state. Next, a single functional is used in the construction of the Lyapunov‐Krasovskii functional, while a new looped functional is introduced that makes full use of the state information of the current instant , the trigger instant and the next trigger instant . Based on the constructed single functional, under the framework of the input delay method and the linear matrix inequality technique, the exponential mean square stabilization criterion of the error system is obtained, which makes the master system and the slave system synchronized. In the end, three simulation examples are used to illustrate the validity of the obtained results.
Enhanced Ponceau‐4R and Brilliant Blue Degradation using Mesoporous TiO2 Nanoparticles with Activated Carbon as Support Material
Authors: Ernawati Lusi , Hing Wong Ngie , Amrullah Apip , Agung Wahyuono Ruri , Yang Kong Zong , Sunarso Jaka
Published: October 2023

Biomass wastes are inexpensive and readily available to be converted to activated carbon (AC) support material for photocatalysts. This work first synthesized the AC from tamarind fruit shells and then dispersed TiO2 nanoparticles onto the AC to generate AC/TiO2 composites via the ultrasonic‐assisted sol‐gel method. Most TiO2 nanoparticles were uniformly distributed and deposited onto the AC, forming four stable different AC/TiO2 composites. Compared to the pure TiO2 (i. e., 177.19 m2 g−1), the optimal AC/TiO2 (1 : 5) composite exhibited significantly higher specific surface area (i. e., 281.43 m2 g−1). TiO2 anatase phase in the composite enhanced the photocatalytic activity. AC/TiO2 (1 : 5) also exhibited the Pseudo‐Second‐Order Type 1 model, yielding the best dye degradation kinetic fitting of up to 98.4 % under ultraviolet (UV) light. A possible photocatalytic mechanism of dye degradation was proposed. This work provides insights into synthesizing a TiO2 composite using a low‐cost and readily available AC as a support material to promote the photocatalytic activity.
Selective Single‐step Co‐hydroprocessing of Light Cycle Oil and Waste Cooking Oil Mixtures for Diesel Fuel Production
Authors: Verma Vikas , Mishra Ankit , Khan Azeem , Farooqui Saleem Akhtar , Sinha Anil Kumar
Published: October 2023

This study investigates the co‐hydroprocessing of light cycle oil (LCO) with waste cooking oil (WCO) as a potential strategy to enhance LCO′s qualities and overall performance. The study involves the integration of LCO with WCO in three different ratios, facilitating a combined hydrotreatment process within a fixed bed continuous down‐flow reactor. The findings reveal that incorporating WCO into LCO hydrotreatment enhances LCO′s properties, albeit with a minor reduction in hydrodesulfurization efficacy. WCO demonstrates approximately 10.7 % density and 26 % cetane number improvements compared to the LCO/WCO (70/30) blend at 380 °C. The most significant reduction in di and poly‐aromatic compounds is observed at 340 °C for pure LCO, while WCO inclusion has minimal impact on poly‐aromatic saturation. The yield range for medium distillates across all products is between 87 % and 93 %. The time‐on‐stream study suggests excellent catalyst stability and activity up to 456 h, which is one of the highest lifetimes reported so far. TGA study of the spent catalyst indicates 22 wt % coke deposition complemented by TEM results. FTIR analysis revealed absorptions of alicyclic hydrocarbons‐type compounds deposited over the catalyst surface. This research contributes to the development of innovative catalysts for selectively converting LCO and WCO into diesel‐range hydrocarbons through single‐step process.
3‐Amino‐thiophene‐2‐carbohydrazide Derivatives as Anti Colon Cancer Agents: Synthesis, Characterization, In‐Silico and In‐Vitro Biological Activity Studies
Authors: Şenol Halil , Çakır Furkan
Published: October 2023

In this study, starting from 3‐amino‐thiophene‐2‐carboxylic acid methyl ester, eighteen new arylidenehydrazide derivatives (4–21) were synthesized. To determine cytotoxic activity of target compounds they were tested against human colon cancer and human umbilical vein endothelial cell lines. To determine prospective inhibition mechanism, binding affinity and complex stability molecular docking and molecular dynamics studies were carried out on transforming growth factor beta‐2 (TGFβ2) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) proteins. According to the biological activity studies compounds (E)‐2,4‐dichloro‐N‐(2‐(2‐(4‐fluorobenzylidene)hydrazine‐1‐carbonyl)thiophen‐3‐yl)benzamide (11) was found as the highest selective and active compound. Anti‐cancer activity results compared to reference drugs doxorubicin and gefitinib. Most active compound was found as 7‐fold and 4‐fold more selective than doxorubicin and gefitinib, respectively. The detailed in vitro and in silico biological activity studies revealed that related compound demonstrated strong and selective anti‐colon cancer effect and also it has promising inhibitory effects on TGFβ2 and VEGFR2. As a result, this compound is a promising candidate for further exploration and development in the field of colon cancer treatment.
Large‐Scale Perovskite Single Crystal Growth and Surface Patterning Technologies
Authors: Zhang Jinshuai , Song Jiepeng , Zhang Qing
Published: October 2023

In the past decade, metal halide perovskite polycrystalline films have witnessed significant advancements in the field of high‐performance optoelectronic devices, including photodetectors, solar cells, light‐emitting diodes, and lasers. Perovskite films with periodic micro/nanoarrays have garnered substantial attention due to their capability not only to improve the efficiency of individual devices but also to hold great promise for future commercialization. Surpassing their polycrystalline counterparts, perovskite single crystals typically exhibit longer carrier diffusion lengths, extended carrier lifetimes, and enhanced carrier mobility due to the absence of grain boundaries and reduced defects, positioning them as promising candidates for both fundamental studies and advanced optoelectronic devices. To this end, significant endeavors have been dedicated to the development of diverse methodologies for synthesizing large‐scale perovskite single crystals, including bulk single crystals and single‐crystal thin films. Furthermore, aiming to integrate the distinctive functionality with single crystals, considerable efforts have been directed toward the design of certain patterns on single‐crystal surfaces. Herein, this review presents recent progress in technologies for the preparation of large‐scale single crystals and the approaches to patterning their surfaces, highlights the unique advantages of each method, and presents their promising advances in various optoelectronic applications as well as the potential challenges.
faas‐sim: A trace‐driven simulation framework for serverless edge computing platforms
Authors: Raith Philipp , Rausch Thomas , Furutanpey Alireza , Dustdar Schahram
Published: October 2023

This paper presentsfaas‐sim, a simulation framework tailored to serverless edge computing platforms. In serverless computing, platform operators are tasked with efficiently managing distributed computing infrastructure completely abstracted from application developers. To that end, platform operators and researchers need tools to design, build, and evaluate resource management techniques that efficiently use of infrastructure while optimizing application performance. This challenge is exacerbated in edge computing scenarios, where, compared to cloud computing, there is a lack of reference architectures, design tools, or standardized benchmarks.faas‐simbridges this gap by providing (a) a generalized model of serverless systems that builds on the function‐as‐a‐service abstraction, (b) a simulator that uses trace data from real‐world edge computing testbeds and representative workloads, and (c) a network topology generator to model and simulate distributed and heterogeneous edge‐cloud systems. We present the conceptual design, implementation, and a thorough evaluation offaas‐sim. By running experiments on both real‐world test beds and replicating them usingfaas‐sim, we show that the simulator provides accurate results and reasonable simulation performance. We have profiled a wide range of edge computing infrastructure and workloads, focusing on typical edge computing scenarios such as edge AI inference or data processing. Moreover, we present several instances where we have successfully usedfaas‐simto either design, optimize, or evaluate serverless edge computing systems.
Identifying metamorphic relations: A data mutation directed approach
Authors: Sun Chang‐ai , Jin Hui , Wu SiYi , Fu An , Wang ZuoYi , Chan Wing Kwong
Published: October 2023

Metamorphic testing (MT) is an effective technique to alleviate the test oracle problem. The principle of MT is to detect failures by checking whether some necessary properties, commonly known as metamorphic relations (MRs), of software under test (SUT) hold among multiple executions of source and follow‐up test cases. Since both the generation of follow‐up test cases and test result verification depend on MRs, the identification of MRs plays a key role in MT, which is an important yet difficult task requiring deep domain knowledge of the SUT. Accordingly, techniques that can direct a tester to identify MRs effectively are desirable. In this paper, we propose MT, a data mutation directed approach to identifying MRs. MT guides a tester to identify MRs by providing a set of data mutation operators and template‐style mapping rules, which not only alleviates the difficulties faced in the process of MR identification but also improves the identification effectiveness. We have further developed a tool to implement the proposed approach and conducted an empirical study to evaluate the MR identification effectiveness of MT and the performance of MRs identified by MT with respect to fault detection capability and statement coverage. The empirical results show that MT is able to identify MRs for numeric programs effectively, and the identified MRs have high fault detection capability and statement coverage. The work presented in this paper advances the field of MT by providing a simple yet practical approach to the MR identification problem.
A holistic life cycle design approach to enhance the sustainability of concrete structures
Authors: di Summa Davide , Parpanesi Matteo , Ferrara Liberato , De Belie Nele
Published: October 2023

The development of innovative cementitious materials such as Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) requires tailored approaches to assess both the environmental and economic impact of structural applications employing them. For this purpose, in this paper, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) methodologies are integrated into a Durability Assessment‐Based Design (DAD) workflow which combines structural design algorithms for UHPC with the assessment of the durability performance, with the aim of predicting the evolution of the structural performance all along the service life (SL) in the intended scenarios. As a case study a water tank made of UHPC has been herein selected and compared to a reference made of ordinary reinforced concrete (ORC). While the ORC solution was designed with cantilever cast in situ walls, two different design concepts were assessed for the UHPC basin: one with cast in situ walls and one with precast slabs supported by ORC columns. Moreover, two different mix designs (mainly differing on the alternative presence of silica fume or slag) have been investigated for the UHPC basin and a SL equal to 50 years has been taken into account for each structure. The optimized design, together with the reduced frequency of the maintenance activities for the UHPC structure, allowed by the UHPC superior material and structural durability, resulted into consistent reductions of environmental impacts, up to 76% as for Human Toxicity and Fresh Water Aquatic Ecotoxicity in comparison to the ORC solution. In addition to this, an assessment of the overall construction and maintenance costs that occur during the lifetime of the structures showed a cost reduction higher than 40% for both UHPC solutions, mainly due to a reduction of up to 6% during the construction phase and 91% for the maintenance activities. This also highlights the importance of the correct metrics in evaluating the sustainability of UHPC structural applications, which has to move forward from the units volume or mass of material and its individual constituents to functional units, representative of the benefits of using advanced cement based materials in structurally and environmentally challenging service scenarios.
2.4 GHz/5.6 GHz Dual‐Use Wearable Patch Antenna Integrated with Electrodes and Parasitic Element for Wireless Body Area Network
Authors: Muramatsu Dairoku , Sasaki Yukino
Published: October 2023

This study explores the development of a wearable antenna designed for use within a wireless body area network (WBAN), based on the IEEE 802.15.6 WBAN standard. We present a novel, dual‐use antenna designed to operate on the narrow band physical layer at 2.4 GHz, Wi‐Fi at 5.6 GHz, as well as human body communication. Furthermore, we evaluate the performance of the proposed antenna using electromagnetic field simulation, incorporating a multilayered arm model to consider human impact. Our findings suggest its effectiveness for WBAN applications, as indicated by reflection coefficients, radiation efficiencies, and radiation patterns. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Pollution index of soils along and against the wind direction within a 40 km distance of Morupule Fly Ash Dumpsite, Botswana
Authors: Gajaje Katumelo , Monnakgotla Omphile , Ultra Venecio U. , Manyiwa Trust
Published: October 2023

Arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, and zinc concentrations were measured in the leeward and windward directions within 40 km of the Morupule power station to assess the long‐term effects of fly ash deposition on the hazardous metal contamination of soils. Based on the quantities of these metals in the soil, the contamination factor, pollution load index, and potential ecological risk index were calculated to determine the potential of these metals will harm the ecosystem and human health. The results showed that areas (0.1–2 km) nearer to the dumpsite, especially in the leeward direction had higher contamination factors, 3.08–3.51 for Cr, 4.28–5.18 for Cu, and 3.10–3.17 for Pb. On the same distance, along the windward direction, the average contamination factor was 1.17× for Cr, 1.31× for Cu, and 1.7×x for Pb, less than that of the leeward direction. On the other hand, the potential ecological risk index was low for all the toxic metals being less than 40 index value independent of the wind direction. Similarly, the comprehensive ecological risk of various toxic metals indicated that the study area had a low ecological exposure as the index value was below 150. Overall, the toxic metal contamination in the soil due to the contamination factor is moderately polluted to unpolluted, especially on the leeward side, and the ecological risk of contamination is low across the study area, but continuous deposition of fly ash without proper management will increase the ecological risk.
Women's agency in nutrition in the association between women's empowerment in agriculture and food security: A case study from Uganda
Authors: Barak Farzaneh , Efitre Jackson , Odong Robinson , Melgar‐Quiñonez Hugo
Published: October 2023

This study examined the relationship between women's empowerment in agriculture (WEA), women's agency in nutrition, and their food security. It aimed to quantify the moderating effect of women's agency in nutrition on the association between WEA and food security. Data from the NutriFish project, a gender‐ and nutrition‐sensitive agricultural intervention in fishing villages in Uganda, were utilized. The study included 380 primary Ugandan female decision makers in dual adult households. WEA was measured using the Project‐level Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (pro‐WEAI). Women's agency in nutrition was assessed through measures of agency in regular diet, pregnancy diet, breastfeeding diet, and food purchase. Binary logit regression models were employed to estimate differential associations between WEA and food security, testing three‐way interactions between WEA, agency in regular diet, and food purchase. Results showed that WEA was associated with a 0.18 increase in the predicted probability of food security (p < .01). Women's participation in food purchase decisions strengthened the WEA‐food security association by 0.33 (p < .05). The results suggested that promoting women's food purchase agency can enhance the positive link between WEA and food security. Prioritizing interventions empowering women in food purchase decisions improves food security in gender‐ and nutrition‐sensitive programs.
Aid Relationships and Power Dynamics in the Global Fund Grants
Authors: Isabekova Gulnaz
Published: October 2023

This chapter discusses the types of aid relationships formed between stakeholders involved in the Global Fund grants to the Kyrgyz Republic. Building on the theoretical framework and empirical findings presented in the previous chapters of this book, it shows how power dynamics evolved in the project and how structural factors were conducive to their persistence or alteration. The actors’ roles throughout the project life cycle, their interests, and the ways they created power (based on Haugaard, European Journal of Social Theory, 6(1), 87–113, 2003) and approached their resources were equally relevant to the development of certain power dynamics. These laid the foundation for specific types of aid relationships between aid providers (donor–donor), providers with recipients (donor–recipient state, donor–civil society organization), and aid recipients with each other (recipient state–civil society organization).
The Unsung Virtues of Ambiguity in Subcontracted Work
Authors: Lot Nicolas , Journé Benoît
Published: October 2023

Academic literature deems ambiguity must be eliminated or pushed outside these organizations, since it is considered to weaken risk management. Based on a qualitative study, this chapter demonstrates that ambiguity can offer a powerful means to facilitate coordination between stakeholders involved in preparing and carrying out complex and hazardous activities. This assumes that ambiguity is accepted and managed rather than eliminated. To turn ambiguity into an advantage, it is important to be able to discuss multiple interpretations, choose ‘the best one’ and negotiate or create new ones in order to produce a shared frame of reference that is appropriate to the situation. Management systems can be designed to support these discussions of multiple interpretations ahead of work being carried out. We show that ambiguity is managed ‘cold’, outside the process of action, and during action, depending on the quality of interactions between the relevant stakeholders and the soft skills employed by those involved.
How to Break the Silence of Subcontractors
Authors: Walter Jorge
Published: October 2023

Research on risk management in subcontracting networks has emphasized the analysis of abuses committed and their consequences on the health and safety of workers. In this chapter, we pay special attention to experiments that have attempted—successfully—to mitigate, or even revert said abuses. They have achieved that in a “projects industry”, as it is the case for construction, a subcontracting-intensive activity. Our goal was to find some common traits between the experiments, beyond the different contexts in which they were embedded, to obtain some general guidelines that can be applied in different contexts with identical results. The most important of these guidelines is in the title of the present text: to overcome the silence of workers and managers in contracted companies, building bonds of trust, based on a real delegation of responsibilities and on the active listening of their perspectives and recommendations.
Beyond the Territorial State?
Authors: Mazzoleni Oscar
Published: October 2023

When a territory is stabilised and acquires an institutional character, it takes the form of a delimited space with fixed boundaries that is controlled by a group of people and has exclusive internal sovereignty and equal external status. The paradigmatic example of an institutionalised territorial space in modern times is the state, as it always presupposes a territory. But how does this relationship develop? This chapter discusses the role of the concept of territory in relation to the state and the historical dynamics shaping this relationship.
Territorial Voting
Authors: Mazzoleni Oscar
Published: October 2023

The analysis of voting behaviour is an important component of a territory-oriented research agenda. Starting with an approach based on political cleavages, this chapter tries to demonstrate how centre–periphery and urban–rural divides continue to shape voting patterns in contemporary democracies. Although globalisation and urbanisation have transformed territorial ties in profound ways, recent examples of elections and referendums in Europe and the United States have demonstrated that voting orientations continue to be influenced by the places where people grow up and live.
A Stress-Test for Global Health Multilateralism: The Covid-19 Pandemic as Revealer and Catalyst of Cooperation Challenges
Authors: Guilbaud Auriane
Published: October 2023

Because of its multidimensional nature, its global scale and the magnitude of measures taken by government and international organizations, the Covid-19 pandemic severely challenged global health multilateralism in 2020. It acted both as a revealer of long-term trends in global health cooperation and as a catalyst of the changes that it precipitated. This chapter will show that if the Covid-19 pandemic appeared as a crisis with the potential to reorder global health multilateralism, it did so precisely because it occurred in an environment marked by fault lines and an accumulation of incremental change. Through this perspective, it will provide a broad overview of the dynamics of health multilateralism and help identify the challenges created by this specific crisis. We will first briefly analyze the historical dynamics of global health multilateralism that led to a fragmented system of cooperation on both the organizational and the normative levels. We will then focus on the tensions and challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic, which partly explain why it is often perceived as a major crisis. Finally, we will address new developments in global health multilateralism, and how they relate to previous dynamics.