bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of structural parameters on the load distribution unevenness in CFRP hybrid bonded‐bolted joint
Authors: Shi Jianwei , Yang Xiaodong , Du Kou , Guo Qiming , Bai Zhaohui
Published: November 2024

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) Hybrid Bonded/Bolted (HBB) joint structures are distinguished for their superior jointing performance among current mechanical joint systems, making them a favored option for mechanical joints. These structures are characterized by many structural parameters, with the relationship between these parameters and jointing performance being notably complex. Additionally, the laminate's brittleness and the uneven distribution of bolt loads in multi‐bolt joint structures impair the overall jointing performance. To investigate the impact of structural parameters on the uneven load distribution within CFRP HBB joint structures and improve their jointing performance, a finite element analysis (FEA) model grounded in 3D Hashin failure criterion is developed. Validation of the model with experimental data confirmed the uneven load distribution among bolts in multi‐bolt joints. The study elucidated the influence of changes in structural parameters (overlap length, bolt‐hole spacing, and clearance fit) on the uneven load distribution and the connection strength of CFRP HBB joint structures. A negative correlation is found between the unevenness of load distribution and connection strength, offering insights for enhancing and researching connection strength in CFRP HBB joint structures.

Highlights

Developed a FEA model based on the 3D Hashin failure criterion for CFRP Bonded‐Bolted joints.

Identified key factors affecting HBB joint load distribution and jointing performance.

Evaluated the impact of overlap length, bolt‐hole spacing, and clearance fit on CFRP joints.

Suggested design optimizations for enhancing the performance of HBB joints.
Perovskite Solar Cell Stability Analysis Using Entropy‐Based Support Vector Machines Learning
Authors: Bhaduri Rupam , Manasa S.
Published: November 2024

Lead halide perovskites have demonstrated significant potential for photovoltaic (PV) applications over the past 10 years. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) stability, however, continues to limit their commercialization, and the inability to compare previous stability data to assess possible directions for increasing device stability is caused by a lack of effectively established unified stability testing and disseminating standards. In this article, we suggest applying machine learning (ML) to improve the thermal, chemical, and structural stability of PSCs. Data normalization and data augmentation are common preprocessing steps that are where the process starts. Then, using the Modified Grasshopper Optimisation Algorithm (MGO), feature selection techniques are used to remove unnecessary or irrelevant features. Finally, there is a novel machine learning technique that uses support vector machines (ESVM) that are based on entropy to forecast the stability classification of stable/unstable. The proposed reaches an accuracy of 0.99% far better than the proposed methods.
In‐Depth Proteome Profiling of the Hippocampus of LDLR Knockout Mice Reveals Alternation in Synaptic Signaling Pathway
Authors: Park Hong‐Beom , Kim Hyeyoon , Han Dohyun
Published: November 2024

The low‐density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) is a major apolipoprotein receptor that regulates cholesterol homeostasis. LDLR deficiency is associated with cognitive impairment by the induction of synaptopathy in the hippocampus. Despite the close relationship between LDLR and neurodegenerative disorders, proteomics research for protein profiling in the LDLR knockout (KO) model remains insufficient. Therefore, understanding LDLR KO‐mediated differential protein expression within the hippocampus is crucial for elucidating a role of LDLR in neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we conducted first‐time proteomic profiling of hippocampus tissue from LDLR KO mice using tandem mass tag (TMT)‐based MS analysis. LDLR deficiency induces changes in proteins associated with the transport of diverse molecules, and activity of kinase and catalyst within the hippocampus. Additionally, significant alterations in the expression of components in the major synaptic pathways were found. Furthermore, these synaptic effects were verified using a data‐independent acquisition (DIA)‐based proteomic method. Our data will serve as a valuable resource for further studies to discover the molecular function of LDLR in neurodegenerative disorders.
Production of Polylactide Nanoparticles Loaded With Isoniazid and Vitamin C: A Promising Candidate for the Treatment of Resistant Forms of Tuberculosis
Authors: Galiyeva Aldana , Daribay Arailym , Tabriz Nurlan , Tazhbayev Yerkeblan
Published: November 2024

Nowadays, the method of directed transport of drugs is becoming increasingly important in medicine and pharmacology. It allows for increasing the concentration of delivered substances in a certain place and blocking or severely limiting their accumulation in healthy organs and tissues. One of the promising drug carriers used in the development of controlled drug delivery systems is polylactic acid (PLA). We were interested in using biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with isoniazid (INH) and vitamin C (VC) which have sustained action, targeted delivery, high efficacy, and low toxicity. It will help to expand the use of these simple drugs for the rapid treatment of multidrug‐resistant forms of tuberculosis. Thus, in this work, PLA‐INH‐VC NPs were prepared by double emulsion method where several factors affecting particle size were investigated. TGA/DSC and IR spectroscopy studies identified the presence of molecularly dispersed drugs (INH and VC) in polylactide nanoparticles. VC was found to reduce the degradation of the polymer and thus prolonged the release of the drug from the polymer matrix. PLA‐INH‐VC nanoparticles were analyzed for mycobacterial activity and the nanoparticles were found to inhibit the growth of INH‐resistant mycobacteria.
Synchronized motion of interface residues for evaluating protein–RNA complex binding affinity: Application to aptamer‐mediated inhibition of TDP‐43 aggregates
Authors: Panei Francesco Paolo , Di Rienzo Lorenzo , Zacco Elsa , Armaos Alexandros , Tartaglia Gian Gaetano , Ruocco Giancarlo , Milanetti Edoardo
Published: November 2024

Investigating the binding between proteins and aptamers, such as peptides or RNA molecules, is of crucial importance both for understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate cellular activities and for therapeutic applications in several pathologies. Here, a new computational procedure, employing mainly docking, clustering analysis, and molecular dynamics simulations, was designed to estimate the binding affinities between a protein and some RNA aptamers, through the investigation of the dynamical behavior of the predicted molecular complex. Using the state‐of‐the‐art software catRAPID, we computationally designed a set of RNA aptamers interacting with the TAR DNA‐binding protein 43 (TDP‐43), a protein associated with several neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We thus devised a computational protocol to predict the RNA–protein molecular complex, so that the structural and dynamical behavior of such a complex can be investigated through extensive molecular dynamics simulation. We hypothesized that the coordinated and synchronized motion of the protein‐binding residues, when in contact with RNA molecule, is a critical requisite in order to have a stable binding. Indeed, we calculated the motion covariance exhibited by the interface residues during molecular dynamics simulation: we tested the results against experimental measurements of binding affinity (in this case, the dissociation constant) for six RNA molecules, resulting in a linear correlation of about 0.9. Our findings suggest that the synchronized movement of interface residues plays a pivotal role in ensuring the stability within RNA–protein complexes, moreover providing insights into the contribution of each interface residue. This promising pipeline could thus contribute to the design of RNA aptamers interacting with proteins.
Why is binding of a divalent metal cation to a structural motif containing four carboxylate residues not accompanied by a conformational change?
Authors: Lushchekina Sofya , Weiner Lev , Ashani Yacov , Emrizal Reeki , Firdaus‐Raih Mohd , Silman Israel , Sussman Joel L.
Published: November 2024

We earlier showed that Torpedo californica acetylcholinesterase (AChE) contains a cluster of four conserved aspartates that can strongly bind divalent cations, which we named the 4D motif. Binding of the divalent metal cations greatly increases its thermal stability. Here we systematically examined all available crystallographic structures of T. californica AChE. Two additional metal‐binding sites were identified, both composed of acidic and histidine residues. Relative binding to the 4D and additional sites was studied using metadynamics simulations. It was observed that in crystal structures devoid of metal ions in the 4D site, the conformation of T. californica AChE is almost identical to that in structures in which it is occupied by a divalent metal ion. Closer examination of the 4D motif reveals that three of the four acidic residues form ion pairs with conserved basic residues surrounding them. We named this new motif the 4A/3B motif. Molecular dynamics with quantum potential simulations was used to quantify the 4D motif's binding strength compared with that of the metal‐binding site in the protein fXIIIa, which consists of four aspartates, but is devoid of adjacent cationic residues. Whereas fXIIIa's 4D site, in the absence of a metal cation, expanded significantly in the simulation, that of Torpedo AChE displayed only minor periodic changes in size. Furthermore, the energy of metal ion unbinding from the two sites differs by ca. 10 kcal/mol. We identified several other proteins in the PDB that contain the 4A/3B motif, whose conformations are identical in the presence or absence of a metal ion. An animated Interactive 3D Complement (I3DC) is available in Proteopedia at https://proteopedia.org/w/Journal:Protein_Science:4.
A protein fitness predictive framework based on feature combination and intelligent searching
Authors: Zhang Zhihui , Li Zhixuan , Wang Qianyue , Wu Hanlin , Yang Manli , Zhao Fengguang , Tan Mingkui , Han Shuangyan
Published: November 2024

Machine learning (ML) constructs predictive models by understanding the relationship between protein sequences and their functions, enabling efficient identification of protein sequences with high fitness values without falling into local optima, like directional evolution. However, how to extract the most pertinent functional feature information from a limited number of protein sequences is vital for optimizing the performance of ML models. Here, we propose scut_ProFP (Protein Fitness Predictor), a predictive framework that integrates feature combination and feature selection techniques. Feature combination offers comprehensive sequence information, while feature selection searches for the most beneficial features to enhance model performance, enabling accurate sequence‐to‐function mapping. Compared to similar frameworks, scut_ProFP demonstrates superior performance and is also competitive with more complex deep learning models—ECNet, EVmutation, and UniRep. In addition, scut_ProFP enables generalization from low‐order mutants to high‐order mutants. Finally, we utilized scut_ProFP to simulate the engineering of the fluorescent protein CreiLOV and highly enriched mutants with high fluorescence based on only a small number of low‐fluorescence mutants. Essentially, the developed method is advantageous for ML in protein engineering, providing an effective approach to data‐driven protein engineering. The code and datasets for scut_ProFP are available at https://github.com/Zhang66-star/scut_ProFP.
Amino acid variability at W194 of Staphylococcus aureus sortase A alters nucleophile specificity
Authors: Kodama Hanna M. , Lindblom Katy M. , Walkenhauer Erich G. , Antos John M. , Amacher Jeanine F.
Published: November 2024

Bacterial sortases are a family of cysteine transpeptidases in Gram‐positive bacteria of which sortase A (SrtA) enzymes are responsible for ligating proteins to the peptidoglycan layer of the cell surface. Engineered versions of sortases are also used in sortase‐mediated ligation (SML) strategies for a variety of protein engineering applications. Although a versatile tool, substrate recognition by Staphylococcus aureus SrtA (saSrtA), the most commonly utilized enzyme in SML, is stringent and relies on an LPXTG pentapeptide motif. Previous structural studies revealed that the requirement of a glycine in the binding motif may be due to potential steric hindrance of amino acids possessing a β‐carbon by W194, a tryptophan located in the β7‐β8 loop of the enzyme. Here, we measured the effect of seven single point mutants of W194 (A, D, F, G, N, S, Y) saSrtA using a FRET‐based activity assay. We found that while the LPXTG motif remains a requirement for initial proteolytic cleavage, the nucleophile specificity of our variants is altered. In particular, W194A and W194S saSrtA recognize a D‐Ala nucleophile and are able to perform ligation reactions. Notably, an LPXT(D‐Ala) peptide was not cleaved by either mutant enzyme. We hypothesize that these variants may potentially be utilized to develop an irreversible sortase‐mediated reaction. Taken together, this experiment reveals new insight into sortase specificity and possible future SML strategies.
Re‐engineering of a carotenoid‐binding protein based on NMR structure
Authors: Nikolaev Andrey S. , Lunegova Daria A. , Raevskii Roman I. , Shishkin Pavel E. , Remeeva Alina A. , Ge Baosheng , Maksimov Eugene G. , Gushchin Ivan Yu. , Sluchanko Nikolai N.
Published: November 2024

Recently, a number of message passing neural network (MPNN)‐based methods have been introduced that, based on backbone atom coordinates, efficiently recover native amino acid sequences of proteins and predict modifications that result in better expressing, more soluble, and stable variants. However, usually, X‐ray structures, or artificial structures generated by algorithms trained on X‐ray structures, were employed to define target backbone conformations. Here, we show that commonly used algorithms ProteinMPNN and SolubleMPNN display low sequence recovery on structures determined using NMR. We subsequently propose a computational approach that we successfully apply to re‐engineer AstaP, a protein that natively binds a large hydrophobic ligand astaxanthin (C40H52O4), and for which only a structure determined using NMR is currently available. The engineered variants, designated NeuroAstaP, are 51 amino acid shorter than the 22 kDa parent protein, have 38%–42% sequence identity to it, exhibit good yields, are expressed in a soluble, mostly monomeric form, and demonstrate efficient binding of carotenoids in vitro and in cells. Altogether, our work further tests the limits of using machine learning for protein engineering and paves the way for MPNN‐based modification of proteins based on NMR‐derived structures.
The molecular architecture of the desmosomal outer dense plaque by integrative structural modeling
Authors: Pasani Satwik , Menon Kavya S. , Viswanath Shruthi
Published: November 2024

Desmosomes mediate cell–cell adhesion and are prevalent in tissues under mechanical stress. However, their detailed structural characterization is not available. Here, we characterized the molecular architecture of the desmosomal outer dense plaque (ODP) using Bayesian integrative structural modeling via the Integrative Modeling Platform. Starting principally from the structural interpretation of a cryo‐electron tomography (cryo‐ET) map of the ODP, we integrated information from x‐ray crystallography, an immuno‐electron microscopy study, biochemical assays, in silico predictions of transmembrane and disordered regions, homology modeling, and stereochemistry information. The integrative structure was validated by information from imaging, tomography, and biochemical studies that were not used in modeling. The ODP resembles a densely packed cylinder with a plakophilin (PKP) layer and a plakoglobin (PG) layer; the desmosomal cadherins and PKP span these two layers. Our integrative approach allowed us to localize disordered regions, such as the N‐terminus of PKP and the C‐terminus of PG. We refined previous protein–protein interactions between desmosomal proteins and provided possible structural hypotheses for defective cell–cell adhesion in several diseases by mapping disease‐related mutations on the structure. Finally, we point to features of the structure that could confer resilience to mechanical stress. Our model provides a basis for generating experimentally verifiable hypotheses on the structure and function of desmosomal proteins in normal and disease states.
Impact of primary sequence changes on the self‐association properties of mammalian cystathionine beta‐synthase enzymes
Authors: Lee Hyung‐Ok , Gupta Kushol , Wang Liqun , Dunbrack Roland L. , Majtan Tomas , Kruger Warren D.
Published: November 2024

Cystathionine beta‐synthase (CBS) is an evolutionarily conserved enzyme that plays a key role in mammalian sulfur amino acid biochemistry, mutations in which are the cause of classical homocystinuria (HCU), an inborn error of metabolism. Although there is agreement in the literature that CBS is a homomultimer, its precise structure is a source of confusion. Here, we performed a series of experiments examining the quaternary structure of various wild‐type and mutant CBS enzymes using a combination of native gel electrophoresis, in situ activity assays, analytical ultracentrifugation, and gel filtration. Our data show that recombinantly expressed and purified full‐length wild‐type human CBS enzyme (hCBS) and HCU‐causing variants (p.P422L, p.I435T, and p.R125Q CBS) form high molecular weight assemblies that are consistent with the properties expected of a filament. The filament is enzymatically active, and its size is sensitive to protein concentration. This behavior contrasts sharply with hCBS enzymes containing small deletions within the Bateman domain, which form stable tetramers and octamers regardless of concentration. Examination of liver lysates from humans and mice confirms the existence of enzymatically active high molecular weight aggregates in vivo, but also shows that these aggregates are specific to human CBS and do not occur in mice. Molecular modeling using AlphaFold2 suggests that these experimentally observed differences may be explained by subtle differences in the interaction mediated by the Bateman domains. Our results show that small differences in amino acid sequence can cause large differences in the size and shape of CBS multimers.
Complexity associated with caprylate binding to bovine serum albumin: Dimerization, allostery, and variance between the change in free energy and enthalpy of binding
Authors: Capili Marc Joseph A. , Oerlemans Sophie K. , Wright Leah , Falconer Robert J.
Published: November 2024

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and pressure perturbation calorimetry (PPC) were used to study different aspects of the diverse interaction between the fatty acid caprylate and bovine serum albumin (BSA). The ITC thermogram was consistent with exothermic binding to a single site on BSA, which was electrostatic but had little or no hydrophobic contribution. ITC revealed that small changes to solution conditions and temperature were associated with apparent enthalpy–entropy compensation, causing large changes in enthalpy (ΔH) during binding, but with little corresponding changes in free energy (ΔG). ITC also detected a slower endothermic interaction at a low mole ratio. Dynamic light scattering suggested that this was due to dimerization or similar self‐association. DSC demonstrated that further interactions took place at higher mole ratios. This was consistent with weak binding of caprylate to multiple binding sites which had a considerable impact on the structural conformation of BSA. PPC showed that the conformational change of BSA was accompanied with a reduction in surface hydrophobicity of the protein. PPC also demonstrated that in solution caprylate's hydrocarbon tail is hidden from water as no clathrate‐like water is evident, which is consistent with the lack of hydrophobic contribution during binding. Cumulatively, the three calorimetric techniques offer a comprehensive view of caprylate and BSA interactions, highlighting the role of electrostatic interaction in binding accompanied by probably dimerization and considerable structural change associated with weaker binding to BSA.
Market informed portfolio optimization methods with hybrid quantum computing
Authors: Salirrosas Giancarlo Martínez , Gao Jinglun , Yu Arthur , Verma Anish Ravi
Published: November 2024

This document presents a portfolio optimization framework that employs a hybrid quantum computing algorithm and a futures market sentiment indicator—The Market Sentiment Meter (MSM) variable, developed jointly by CME Group and 1QBit. The methodology used was the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE). The work presented here is divided into four portfolio optimization problem formulations, of binary and continuous variable formulations, determining which assets to pick their weights. This work demonstrates that adding the MSM variable can improve the performance of hybrid quantum solutions, by informing the asset selection problem with market environment information through the four MSM states.
Percolation on High‐Dimensional Product Graphs
Authors: Diskin Sahar , Erde Joshua , Kang Mihyun , Krivelevich Michael
Published: November 2024

We consider percolation on high‐dimensional product graphs, where the base graphs are regular and of bounded order. In the subcritical regime, we show that typically the largest component is of order logarithmic in the number of vertices. In the supercritical regime, our main result recovers the sharp asymptotic of the order of the largest component and shows that all the other components are typically of order logarithmic in the number of vertices. In particular, we show that this phase transition is quantitatively similar to the one of the binomial random graph. This generalizes the results of Ajtai, Komlós, and Szemerédi [1] and of Bollobás, Kohayakawa, and Łuczak [5] who showed that the ‐dimensional hypercube, which is the ‐fold Cartesian product of an edge, undergoes a phase transition quantitatively similar to the one of the binomial random graph.
Impact of rural transformation on rural income and poverty for sustainable development inBangladesh: A moments‐quantile regression with fixed‐effects models Approach
Authors: Al Abbasi Al Amin , Alam Mohammad Jahangir , Saha Subrata , Begum Ismat Ara , Rola‐Rubzen Maria Fay
Published: November 2024

This study examines the impact of rural transformation on income and poverty in Bangladesh using district‐level panel data from five rounds of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey conducted in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2016. Two key indicators are assessed: the share of high‐value agriculture and non‐farm employment. Fixed effects and moments‐quantile regression models are employed to analyze the relationships between rural transformation, income, and poverty, accounting for education, healthcare, electricity access, and land ownership. The results show that both high‐value agriculture and non‐farm employment significantly boost rural income and reduce poverty. Geographic disparities are evident, with high‐value agriculture being most effective in agriculturally favorable regions, while non‐farm employment has a stronger impact in areas with fewer agricultural opportunities. These findings are critical in shaping policies aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 1, which seeks to eradicate poverty. The findings indicate the need for policies to prioritize high‐value agriculture and non‐farm employment to promote income growth and reduce poverty. Expanding agricultural extension services and vocational training is vital for this transformation, alongside targeted investments in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and energy access to enhance rural development and poverty alleviation across Bangladesh.
Violent sustainability: Blitzscale and counteraccounting in an Indian agtech start‐up
Authors: Agrawal Nikhit
Published: November 2024

In recent years, there has been rapid digitalization in agriculture, with India seeing a significant rise in agricultural technology (agtech) start‐ups. Many of these start‐ups promise to address the climate crisis by promoting the economic and ecological sustainability of agriculture through market‐driven business models. Using institutional ethnography and counteraccounting at an Indian agtech start‐up, this article illuminates social, economic, and ecological relationships that are obscured by one firm's accounting practices. It shows how, despite tech‐entrepreneurs intending to help farmers, violence remains built into the design and effects of rapidly scaled‐up (“blitzscaled”) sustainability programs. The article proposes violent sustainability as a concept to highlight the unintended harm caused to potential beneficiaries due to structural violence underlying tech‐entrepreneurialism and inherent design flaws in blitzscaled sustainability programs. In doing so, it challenges the normalization and monetization of recurrent failures prevalent in tech‐entrepreneurial ventures.
Composite Solid‐State Electrolyte with Vertical Ion Transport Channels for All‐Solid‐State Lithium Metal Batteries
Authors: Sun Hao , Cheng Guangzeng , Wang Haoran , Gao Yanan , Wu Jingyi
Published: November 2024

Composite solid electrolytes (CSEs) consisting of polymers and fast ionic conductors are considered a promising strategy for realizing safe rechargeable batteries with high energy density. However, randomly distributed fast ionic conductor fillers in the polymer matrix result in tortuous and discontinuous ion channels, which severely constrains the ion transport capacity and restricts its practical application. Here, CSEs with highly loaded vertical ion transport channels are fabricated by magnetically manipulating the alignment of Li0.35La0.55TiO3 nanowires. The construction of densely packed, vertically aligned ion transport channels can effectively enhance the ion transport capacity of the electrolyte, thereby significantly increasing ionic conductivity. At room temperature (RT), the presented CSE exhibits a remarkable ionic conductivity of up to 2.5 × 10−4 S cm−1. The assembled LiFePO4/Li cell delivers high capacities of 118 mAh g−1 at 5 C at 60 °C and a RT capacity of 115 mAh g−1 can be achieved at a charging rate of 0.5 C. This work paves an encouraging avenue for further development of advanced CSEs that favor lithium metal batteries with high energy density and electrochemical performance.
Enhancing collaborative advantage through critical systems thinking: An augmented viable system model intervention in a cross‐sector partnership social policy context
Authors: Clark Andrea , Brocklesby John , Elias Arun
Published: November 2024

Cross‐sector partnerships are essential for addressing wicked problems but are typically ineffective because of messy human and organisational dynamics. Systemic approaches are needed to re‐design collaborations for a collaborative advantage. While the Viable System Model (VSM) is suited to this task, little guidance is provided on managing multiple perspectives or marginalisation in VSM interventions. Hence, we trial and evaluate the utility of a novel multimethodology approach combining the VSM with Team Syntegrity (TS), which is a workshop protocol for supporting fair dialogue and stakeholder pluralism. Our findings show this combination supports joined‐up thinking about improvements for viability and synergies from combining these methodologies. We propose that before a VSM diagnosis, an understanding of ‘what a system does’ and existence of VSM functions is established to ensure more meaningful selection of intervention participants and consideration of the VSM's insights. We also identify four avenues for marginalisation that need careful consideration in critical systems interventions.
Optimization of Amylose to Amylopectin Ratio and Degree of Substitution in Quaternized Starch as a Tool to Improve Paper Strength
Authors: Kang Shaomin , Guo Jiaqi , Makarov Igor S. , Khan Mohammad Rizwan , Xiao Huining , Song Junlong
Published: November 2024

Cationic starch serves as a prevalent wet‐end additive in the papermaking industry. Yet, the definitive effects of the ratio between the two principal components—amylose (AM) and amylopectin (AP)—and the degree of substitution (DS) on the mechanical strength enhancement of paper sheets remain incompletely understood. This study synthesizes a series of quaternized amylose (QAM) and quaternized amylopectin (QAP) with varying DS levels and blended these derivatives in diverse ratios. Subsequently, these mixtures are integrated into pulp suspensions to ascertain the DS and the AM‐to‐AP ratio that optimize paper strength. These results indicate that a QAM‐to‐QAP blend with a DS of 0.08 at a ratio of 2:8 yielded the most pronounced improvement in paper mechanical properties. This precise formulation significantly enhances tensile, burst, and tear strength indices, increasing by approximately 55.0%, 44.4%, and 78.4%, respectively, under the most favorable conditions and with an additive dosage of 1 wt.%. This investigation provides substantive and actionable knowledge for selecting starch additives in the wet‐end of papermaking, which can significantly augment the efficiency and efficacy of paper manufacturing processes.
Role of Oral Yeast in Replenishing Gastric Mucosa with Yeast and Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Kadkhodaei Sara , Hatefi Atousa , Pedramnia Shahrzad , Godini Elham , Khalili‐Samani Saman , Saniee Parastoo , Sarrafnejad Abdolfattah , Salmanian Ali‐Hatef , Sotoudeh Masoud , Graham David Y. , Malekzadeh Reza , Siavoshi Farideh
Published: November 2024

The relationship between oral and gastric yeasts and their role in the colonization of Helicobacter pylori in the stomach was studied. Four groups of 221, 7, 44, and 10 patients were used for the isolation of H. pylori and oral and gastric yeasts. In Group 1, gastric biopsies were used for the isolation of H. pylori and yeast, rapid urease test (RUT), staining with Gram's and hematoxylin & eosin (H&E), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) methods. In the other three groups, DNAs extracted from H. pylori and yeasts were used for the amplification of H. pylori‐specific genes. Wet mounts of yeasts in Group 2 were examined to observe intracellular bacteria and released EVs. Among 221 patients, 65 (29.3%) had oral yeast, 35 (15.8%) H. pylori, and 31 (14%) gastric yeast. Culture of oral yeasts showed a significant correlation with the detection of H. pylori by IHC (10.3%), Gram stain (9%), RUT (6.3%), H&E (4.9%), and culture (4%) (p < 0.05). Gram‐stained biopsies showed the occurrence of yeast and H. pylori, and the release of EVs from yeast. Detection of similar H. pylori genes in oral and gastric yeasts from patients in Group 2 showed their common source. Oral yeasts in Groups 3 and 4 also carried H. pylori genes. Wet mount preparations of yeasts showed intracellular bacteria inside the yeast vacuole and the release of EVs that could carry H. pylori. Oral yeast protects its intracellular H. pylori and releases it inside EVs to safely reach gastric mucosa. Yeast, as the environmental reservoir of H. pylori, plays a crucial role in bacterial reinfection after successful eradication.
Challenging Stereotypes About Young People Who Hear Voices
Authors: Bortolotti Lisa , Malpass Fiona , Murphy-Hollies Kathleen , Somerville-Large Thalia , Kapoor Gurpriya , Braid Owen
Published: November 2024

Recent work on clinical communication has highlighted the possibility that vulnerable young people may experience epistemic injustice and have their sense of agency undermined in encounters with mental healthcare providers. In particular, five dimensions of agency have been studied: validation of the person’s perspective; legitimisation of the person’s concerns; acknowledgement that the person may have complex interests and needs; affirmation of the person’s capacity to contribute to change; and inclusion of the person in shared decision-making processes. Building on previous work in this area, and utilising the illustrative power of Aesop-style fables, we identify three potential areas where empirical investigation could help advance the study of epistemic injustice in interactions involving young people who hear voices.
Preserving Dignity and Epistemic Justice in Palliative Care for Patients with Serious Mental Health Problems
Authors: Grassi Luigi , Cruciata Marco , Belvederi Murri Martino , Folesani Federica , Caruso Rosangela
Published: November 2024

Dignity and preservation of dignity have emerged as a central and mandatory aim to pursue in all the areas of medicine, including palliative care. People with severe mental disorders (SMI) who are at the end of life pose further challenges because of the problem of stigma, which is intrinsically imbued in palliative care, as well as of other the variables including marginalization, alienation, and epistemic injustice typically associated with mental illness and psychiatry. A person-centred approach, which promotes a medicine of the person, for the person, by the person, and with the person, can increase the sense of personal dignity, as the other side of stigma, and epistemic justice for patients with SMI who are at the end of life. Dignity-oriented intervention, such as Dignity Therapy, can also be applied in palliative care settings for people with SMI with the aim to offer them an opportunity to reflect upon crucial existential and relational issues, to review aspects of their lives and of self, and to help in preparing a legacy of memories, words of love and wisdom with significant others.
Introduction
Authors: Tomlinson Maria Kathryn
Published: November 2024

This introduction explores the emergence of the global menstrual movement, tracing its roots back to the early twentieth century. Focussing on Great Britain, this chapter identifies the key aims of the menstrual movement as well as the political and educational changes this movement has inspired. Drawing on scholarly literature, it examines five topics with which the movement in Great Britain is concerned, namely, menstrual stigma, ‘period poverty’, sustainability, menstrual health conditions, as well as inclusion and intersectionality. The introduction situates the book within critical menstruation studies, feminist scholarship, social movement studies, and the broader disciplines of sociology and communication whilst also highlighting its original contribution to these areas.
The Demands of the Menstrual Movement: Stigma, Misinformation, and Social Inequalities
Authors: Tomlinson Maria Kathryn
Published: November 2024

This chapter, which focuses on the mediation of menstruation in the news and on social media, provides a thematic analysis of interviews conducted with 32 menstrual advocates from across Great Britain. It examines their views on the media’s role in shaping social norms, knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of menstruation. In so doing, the chapter fills a significant gap within critical menstruation studies which is yet to deeply evaluate the relationship between menstrual activists and the media. As the findings in the chapter indicate, there are three aspects of mediation that activists believe to most harm menstruating women and people: the circulation of menstrual stigma, the dissemination of misinformation, and the perpetuation of social inequalities. Although participants’ criticisms are primarily aimed at traditional news media, they articulate that social media, despite offering a valuable space in which activists can self-mediate, are also responsible for perpetuating menstrual stigma and misinformation. By revealing activists’ criticisms of traditional and social media, the chapter exemplifies why the menstrual movement is critical of, and aims to change, media narratives.
Seeing Menstruation in the Media: The News, Advertisements, and Memes That Teenagers Encounter via Social Media and the Mainstream Media
Authors: Tomlinson Maria Kathryn
Published: November 2024

Based on focus groups with 77 boys, girls, and non-binary teenagers across Yorkshire, this chapter explores young people’s engagement with menstruation on social media and in news media. It focuses on memes, news stories, and advertisements. This chapter argues that social media and news media perpetuate misinformation, menstrual stigma, and a narrow view of lived experiences of menstruation. This chapter demonstrates that, through minimising menstrual pain and portraying a monolithic view of menstruation, advertisements can negatively impact the wellbeing of girls and other young people who menstruate. Nevertheless, this chapter also indicates that the visibility of menstruation on social media and news media is encouraging young people to view menstruation as a normal topic of discussion. Memes, for example, albeit sometimes perpetuating pejorative stereotypes, are having a positive influence on young people through encouraging them to question menstrual stigma, feel a sense of collective identity, share their menstrual experiences, or engage in mixed-gender discussion about menstruation. Hence, as this chapter argues, it is humour, rather than explicitly politically driven communication, that is most significantly contributing to both the normalisation of menstruation and young people’s perceptions of menstrual experience.
The Impact of the Media and the Mediated Menstrual Movement on Young People’s Attitudes Towards Activism, Menstruation, and Menstrual Stigma
Authors: Tomlinson Maria Kathryn
Published: November 2024

Drawing on focus groups with 77 male, female, and non-binary teenagers in Yorkshire, this chapter examines the extent to which the menstrual movement, social media, and the news media have destigmatised menstruation for young people in Great Britain. The chapter argues that the ‘everyday’ presence of menstruation in young people’s virtual worlds is encouraging them to view it as a natural bodily experience about which they can speak openly with family, with friends, and, increasingly, within mixed gender groups. Since the menstrual movement has catalysed and sustained this increased visibility, these findings offer a very strong indicator of the success of the movement’s central aim of destigmatising menstruation. Nevertheless, many young men do not feel included by the menstrual movement and feel unsure as to when and how they can communicate about menstruation. They are, however, keen to learn more about menstrual experiences and how they can better support their family and friends. Thus, the most impactful way in which menstrual activists can further reduce menstrual stigma is to engage men effectively and to support them to become allies. Furthermore, the chapter argues that the menstrual movement would resonate better with young people through amplifying the voices of activists from ethnic minority groups. Finally, the chapter illustrates that social media has transformed how young people understand, appreciate, and conduct activism.
The Impact of the Media and the Mediated Menstrual Movement on Young People’s Awareness and Perceptions of Menstrual Inequities
Authors: Tomlinson Maria Kathryn
Published: November 2024

This chapter explores young people’s awareness and perceptions of period poverty, menstrual health conditions, sustainability, and the experiences of transgender people who menstruate. It also considers the extent to which their awareness of these four themes has led to a change in their attitudes and offline behaviours. This chapter argues that, thanks to social media in particular, young people in Great Britain are becoming increasingly aware of issues around menstrual equity. Nevertheless, they have limited knowledge about menstrual health such as being able to identify if symptoms are typical or atypical. Ultimately, as my findings demonstrate, the changes that will have the greatest impact on young people are improved access to high quality menstrual education (which includes tactile engagement with menstrual products and discussions of lived experiences), opportunities to develop their media literacy skills, and the fostering of an inclusive and open culture around menstruation in educational settings. The menstrual movement must therefore continue to work with the government to improve menstrual education in schools and, where possible, support teachers and pupils.
Teil C: Erinnerungen
Authors: Großmann Tobias Santosh
Published: November 2024

Das Kapitel Erinnerungen beantwortet den zweiten Teil der Forschungsfrage, der sich mit den konkreten Auswirkungen des institutionellen Organisationsrahmens auf das Leben der Migrantinnen befasst. Dies wird durch die Präsentation biografischer Porträts der Frauen realisiert. Die Grundlage bilden Expertinneninterviews mit Zeitzeuginnen der ersten Generation von ehemaligen Ordenskandidatinnen ab 1960 und ehemaligen Krankenschwestern der Nirmala-Aktion ab 1964.
Teil D: Analyse
Authors: Großmann Tobias Santosh
Published: November 2024

Der Analyseteil beginnt mit einer kirchenrechtlichen Einordnung der Migrationsvorgänge und reflektiert die daraus resultierenden rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen. Das Verhalten kirchlicher Akteure wird im Kontext des damaligen kanonischen Rechts analysiert. Anschließend werden die Ereignisse in ihrer Ambiguität zusammengefasst, aus verschiedenen Perspektiven diskutiert und die Implikationen herausgearbeitet. Zum Abschluss werden die Ergebnisse mit aktuellen Entwicklungen verknüpft, mögliche weitere Forschungsansätze aufgezeigt und die zentralen Erkenntnisse in den Schlussbetrachtungen zusammengefasst.
Revisiting the minimal Nelson-Barr model
Authors: Murai Kai , Nakayama Kazunori
Published: November 2024

Abstract

We revisit the minimal Nelson-Barr model for solving the strong CP problem through the idea of spontaneous CP breaking. The minimal model suffers from the quality problem, which means that the strong CP angle is generated by higher-dimensional operators and one-loop effects. Consequently, it has been considered that there is a cosmological domain wall problem and that leptogenesis does not work. We point out that just imposing an additional approximate global symmetry solves the quality problem. We also propose a simple solution to the domain wall problem and show that the thermal leptogenesis scenario works.
Toward double copy on arbitrary backgrounds
Authors: Ilderton Anton , Lindved William
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Double copy relates scattering amplitudes in a web of gravitational and gauge theories. Although it has seen great success when applied to amplitudes in vacuum, far less is known about double copy in arbitrary gravitational and gauge backgrounds. Focussing on the simplest pair production amplitudes of scalar QCD in a background gauge field, we construct, at next-to-leading order in perturbation theory, a double copy map to particle production in general metrics (and associated axio-dilatons) constructed from the gauge background. We connect our results to convolutional and classical double copy and, turning to examples, identify a class of gauge fields which generate FRW spacetimes via double copy. For this case we are able to conjecture the all-orders form of the double copy map.
CMC surfaces of revolution, elliptic curves, Weierstrass-$$\wp $$ functions, and algebraicity
Authors: Dey Rukmini , Paul Anantadulal , Singh Rahul Kumar
Published: November 2024

This paper establishes an interesting connection between the family of CMC surfaces of revolution in

$$\mathbb {E}_1^3$$

E
1
3

and some specific families of elliptic curves. As a consequence of this connection, we show in the class of spacelike CMC surfaces of revolution in

$$\mathbb {E}_1^3$$

E
1
3

, only spacelike cylinders and standard hyperboloids are algebraic. We also show that a similar connection exists between CMC surfaces of revolution in

$$\mathbb E^3$$

E
3

and elliptic curves. Further, we use this to reestablish the fact that the only CMC algebraic surfaces of revolution in

$$\mathbb E^3$$

E
3

are spheres and right circular cylinders.
Impacts of Supplemental Feeding on Sunbird-Pollination Systems in Young Fynbos Varies with Floral Abundance
Authors: Mantintsilili Asekho , Geerts Sjirk , Seymour Colleen L. , Coetzee Anina
Published: November 2024

Supplementary sugar-water feeding offers nectarivorous birds a source of spatially concentrated food, as opposed to the dispersed food available in flowers. This could impact bird visits to native flowers and alter plant-bird mutualisms, particularly in young post-fire vegetation. This study examined the effects of sugar-water feeders on nectarivorous birds and their plant mutualists in young (burned 18 months previously) and transitional vegetation (burned 5 years previously). A supplementary feeding experiment was conducted at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve in South Africa, using sugar-water feeders when floral abundance was low (winter) and high (spring). We compared bird abundance and visitation rates to flowers before, during, and after feeder presence in both seasons. The use of sugar-water feeders by nectarivorous birds was inversely related to floral abundance, with 679 bird visits (6.94 ± 1.40 bird visitation rate per hour) to feeders in winter and only 90 visits (0.41 ± 0.16 visitation rate per hour) during spring. Bird visits were higher at flowers than at sugar-water feeders, in both seasons. Sugar-water feeders did not influence the visitation rate of sunbirds to flowers in both seasons, contrasting with findings from areas abutting suburbia, suggesting that feeder influence on bird visitation rate may not be apparent in areas with no history of sugar-water feeders. We find that low numbers of feeders do not necessarily compete with natural nectar resources but may instead provide birds with an additional food source, particularly when floral resources are low.
Sun–Jupiter–Saturn System May Exist: A Verified Computation of Quasiperiodic Solutions for the Planar Three-Body Problem
Authors: Figueras Jordi-Lluís , Haro Alex
Published: November 2024

In this paper, we present evidence of the stability of a model of our Solar System when taking into account the two biggest planets, a planar (Newtonian) Sun–Jupiter–Saturn system with realistic data: masses of the Sun and the planets, their semiaxes, eccentricities and (apsidal) precessions of the planets close to the real ones. (We emphasize that our system is not in the perturbative regime but for fixed parameters.) The evidence is based on convincing numerics that a KAM theorem can be applied to the Hamiltonian equations of the model to produce quasiperiodic motion (on an invariant torus) with the appropriate frequencies. To do so, we first use KAM numerical schemes to compute translated tori to continue from the Kepler approximation (two uncoupled two-body problems) up to the actual Hamiltonian of the system, for which the translated torus is an invariant torus. Second, we use KAM numerical schemes for invariant tori to refine the solution giving the desired torus. Lastly, the convergence of the KAM scheme for the invariant torus is (numerically) checked by applying several times a KAM–iterative lemma, from which we obtain that the final torus (numerically) satisfies the existence conditions given by a KAM theorem.