bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laser fluorescence assessment of dental caries arrest with two silver fluoride agents in patients with special needs– a preliminary report
Authors: See Lydia , Zafar Sobia , Fu David , Ha Diep H. , Walsh Laurence J. , Lopez Silva Claudia
Published: April 2024

Purpose

While silver diamine fluoride has been used extensively for caries arrest and desensitising, silver fluoride (AgF) at neutral pH may also have value as a minimally invasive dental caries treatment. This study explored the effectiveness of two AgF products (AgF/KI and AgF/SnF2) when used in adult patients with special needs (SN) who had high caries risk and salivary gland hypofunction.

Methods

This split-mouth clinical study, over two appointments 3-months apart, compared the impact of a single application of AgF/KI (Riva Star Aqua, SDI) and AgF/SnF2 (Creighton Dental CSDS, Whiteley) on matched carious lesions in the same arch, by clinical visual-tactile (cVT) assessment of caries status and laser fluorescence (LF, DIAGNOdent) evaluation of bacterial load in the lesions, using repeated measures analysis.

Results

Twelve participants were recruited in the study. A total of 56 teeth (28 pairs) were included. Both AgF products gave a significant decrease in caries activity as measured by cVT (P < 0.0001) and LF (P = 0.0027). There were no statistically significant differences between the two AgF treatments, with response rates for improvements in active lesions of 92% in the AgF/KI arm, and 96% in the AgF/SnF2 arm. There was no effect of tooth type, lesion type, arch type, plaque metabolism and plaque area at the site level on outcomes, nor was there a clustering effect of sites in a patient level analysis. Overall, LF was superior to cVT for detecting lesions that still progressed despite treatment (P = 0.0027).

Conclusion

A single application of AgF/KI or AgF/SnF2 has high predictability (over 90%) for achieving arrest in active caries lesions in adult patients with SN and high caries risk. Clinical assessment should use visual-tactile examination combined with LF readings to detect lesions that are still progressing and that require additional treatments. Future studies should compare these AgF modalities with SDF and explore factors such as time between applications and the need for repeated applications.

Trial registration

The study was registered with the Australian Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12621001139864p) on 23/08/2021.
Recreation and its synergies and trade-offs with other ecosystem services of Alpine and pre-Alpine grasslands
Authors: M.Schmitt Thomas , Haensel Maria , Kaim Andrea , Lee Heera , Reinermann Sophie , Koellner Thomas
Published: April 2024

Alpine and pre-Alpine grasslands provide numerous ecosystem services including provisioning services (e.g. fodder production), regulating services (e.g. soil erosion reduction), and cultural services (e.g. recreation). While intensively managed grasslands specifically target the production of fodder, more extensively used grasslands are known for being hotspots of biodiversity. However, there is a need to better understand the relationship among the supply of ecosystem services, specifically regarding the use of grasslands for cultural ecosystem services such as recreation. In this study, we investigated the synergies and trade-offs of ecosystem services and analyzed underlying variables related to the recreational use of grasslands. We investigated the supply of recreation (indicated by Photo-User-Days from geo-tagged photos on grasslands), fodder production (indicated by yield), and regulating and habitat ecosystem services (indicated by agri-environmental payments), and analyzed their relationship to management-related variables with a Redundancy Analysis. To better explain the recreational use of grasslands, we further analyzed how environmental and infrastructural features influence the occurrence of Photo-User-Days with a hurdle regression. Finally, we conducted spatial analyses to understand the distribution of Photo-User-Days in space. We found a weak but significant negative relationship between Photo-User-Days and yield, which implies that people slightly prefer extensive grassland to intensive grassland for recreation. Our results also show that agri-environmental schemes targeted towards extensive grassland management can positively influence the recreational use. Other factors, such as proximity to touristic features (e.g. castles), presence of infrastructural features (e.g. cable cars), and environmental characteristics (e.g. low share of croplands, distance to forests), also influenced the spatial distribution of photos on grasslands. The importance of these factors underscores the value of grasslands as a component of the cultural landscape for recreational purposes. These results also suggest that cultural ecosystem services of grasslands can be considered to be co-produced by natural, social, and infrastructural components. The study further discusses limitations to the explanatory power of geo-tagged photo analysis to determine the wide range of cultural ecosystem services of grasslands. We conclude that grasslands play an important role for recreation in (pre-)Alpine landscapes, which can also be effectively supported through targeted agri-environmental payments.
External relations, regional productivity, and exogenous shocks: lessons from the Italian experience
Authors: Bettarelli Luca , Resmini Laura
Published: April 2024

This study provides novel insights into the debate concerning the external drivers of productivity at local (NUTS-3) level. In particular, it explores the role played by global production networks, measured through ownership ties among multinational firms and their subsidiaries abroad, in shaping patterns of productivity growth of local economies. Focusing on the Italian experience and using spatial econometrics techniques, the article demonstrates that external relations play a crucial role in sustaining the productivity of Italian provinces, even during periods of severe economic downturns, like the Great Recession. In detail, productivity growth is positively correlated with the Intensity of the networks established by multinational firms and their geographical dispersion.
Artificial intelligence strategies for simulating the integrated energy systems
Authors: Talaat M. , Tayseer M. , Farahat M. A. , Song Dongran
Published: April 2024

In recent decades, the operational impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategies is massively dominating the scientific arena of improving the operation of energy systems and their hybrid integrations. Comprehensively, this paper highlights the firm methodological link of AI strategies with the different defined categories of numerical methods in hypothetically simulating the complex integrated energy systems especially the integration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). The conducted studies in this paper are related to the bifurcations of the applied numerical simulation methodologies for efficient energy systems and the practical implementations of the optimal operated energy systems considering the integration scenarios of these methodologies with AI strategies. Furthermore, this research reviews innovatively several case studies and practical examples to emphasize the effective contributions of AI strategies in enhancing the computational analysis of numerical simulation methods forming a smart approach for assessing experimental studies that are associated with energy systems. Finally, this paper deeply discusses the concept of integration either in the hybrid controlling strategies combining AI with numerical simulation methods or in combining different energy systems in one hybrid model for reliable operation considering the complexity level.
Video-based beat-by-beat blood pressure monitoring via transfer deep-learning
Authors: Omer Osama A. , Salah Mostafa , Hassan Loay , Abdelreheem Ahmed , Hassan Ammar M.
Published: April 2024

Currently, learning physiological vital signs such as blood pressure (BP), hemoglobin levels, and oxygen saturation, from Photoplethysmography (PPG) signal, is receiving more attention. Despite successive progress that has been made so far, continuously revealing new aspects characterizes that field as a rich research topic. It includes a diverse number of critical points represented in signal denoising, data cleaning, employed features, feature format, feature selection, feature domain, model structure, problem formulation (regression or classification), and model combinations. It is worth noting that extensive research efforts are devoted to utilizing different variants of machine learning and deep learning models while transfer learning is not fully explored yet. So, in this paper, we are introducing a per-beat rPPG-to-BP mapping scheme based on transfer learning. An interesting representation of a 1-D PPG signal as a 2-D image is proposed for enabling powerful off-the-shelf image-based models through transfer learning. It resolves limitations about training data size due to strict data cleaning. Also, it enhances model generalization by exploiting underlying excellent feature extraction. Moreover, non-uniform data distribution (data skewness) is partially resolved by introducing logarithmic transformation. Furthermore, double cleaning is applied for training contact PPG data and testing rPPG beats as well. The quality of the segmented beats is tested by checking some of the related quality metrics. Hence, the prediction reliability is enhanced by excluding deformed beats. Varying rPPG quality is relaxed by selecting beats during intervals of the highest signal strength. Based on the experimental results, the proposed system outperforms the state-of-the-art systems in the sense of mean absolute error (MAE) and standard deviation (STD). STD for the test data is decreased to 5.4782 and 3.8539 for SBP and DBP, respectively. Also, MAE decreased to 2.3453 and 1.6854 for SBP and DBP, respectively. Moreover, the results for BP estimation from real video reveal that the STD reaches 8.027882 and 6.013052 for SBP and DBP, respectively. Also, MAE for the estimated BP from real videos reaches 7.052803 and 5.616028 for SBP and DBP, respectively.

Graphical abstract

Proposed camera-based blood pressure monitoring system
RiskSchools: a prioritization-based system for the risk assessment of school buildings combining rapid visual screening smartphone app and detailed vulnerability analysis
Authors: Karafagka Stella , Riga Evi , Oikonomou George , Karatzetzou Anna , Fotopoulou Stavroula , Pitilakis Dimitris , Pitilakis Kyriazis
Published: April 2024

A multi-purpose and multi-scale tool for the seismic vulnerability and risk classification of critical buildings, such as schools, is proposed for pre- and post-event decision-making to mitigate the risk and reduce losses. The herein proposed “RiskSchools” system, is capable of performing the seismic risk assessment and grading of school buildings at various scales (district, municipality, region etc.), using (a) a pre-seismic rapid visual screening and grading of the school buildings in different vulnerability-risk classes and (b) a seismic risk assessment of the school buildings population, applying probabilistic or scenario-based methods for the seismic hazard and analytical methods for the vulnerability and risk assessment, also leading to a grading of the buildings’ risk. The results of the two approaches are compared and combined through a flexible and adaptable expert elicitation scheme to provide a final classification of the seismic risk of the school buildings in the scale of interest and a prioritization scheme with respect to the need for seismic upgrade and retrofitting. The RiskSchools system consists of a powerful, state-of-the-art, user-friendly, and easy-to-use smartphone application for the compilation of the inventory and the rapid visual screening, and a project-dedicated multi-purpose webGIS platform for the seismic vulnerability and risk classification of school buildings at any scale. Although it is initially developed and applied to the school building stock of the Region of Central Macedonia in Greece, it has been specifically designed to be easily applied to other regions of Greece and worldwide and adapted to other critical buildings, like health care and hospital buildings. The ultimate scope of the RiskSchools System is to allow for the optimal design of decision-making procedures in support of disaster management to enhance critical buildings resilience.
Long-term effects of aromatase inhibitor withdrawal on bone mineral density in early breast cancer patients: 10-year follow-up results of the BREX study
Authors: Blomqvist Carl , Vehmanen Leena , Kellokumpu-Lehtinen Pirkko-Liisa , Huovinen Riikka , Ruohola Johanna , Penttinen Heidi , Sievänen Harri , Nikander Riku , Utriainen Meri , Saarto Tiina
Published: April 2024

Purpose

We aimed to provide long-term bone mineral density (BMD) data on early breast cancer patients of the BREX (Breast Cancer and Exercise) study. The effects of exercise and adjuvant endocrine treatment 10 years after randomization were analyzed, with special emphasis on aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy discontinuation at 5 years.

Methods

The BREX study randomized 573 pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer patients into a 1-year supervised exercise program or a control group. 372 patients were included into the current follow-up analysis. BMD (g/cm2) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at lumbar spine (LS), left femoral neck (FN), and the total hip. Separate groups were displayed according to baseline menopausal status, and whether the patient had discontinued AI therapy at 5 years or not.

Results

The BMD change from 5 to 10 years did not significantly differ between the two randomized arms. AI discontinuation at 5 years had statistically significant BMD effects. The FN BMD continued to decrease in patients who discontinued AI therapy during the first 5-year off-treatment, but the decrease was three-fold less than in patients without AI withdrawal (− 1.4% v. − 3.8%). The LS BMD increased (+ 2.6%) in patients with AI withdrawal during the first 5 years following treatment discontinuation, while a BMD decrease (-1.3%) was seen in patients without AI withdrawal.

Conclusion

This study is to our knowledge the first to quantify the long-term impact of AI withdrawal on BMD. Bone loss associated with AI therapy seems partially reversible after stopping treatment. Trial registration: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ (Identifier Number NCT00639210).
Relevance of Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin on the Pathogenesis of Glioblastoma: Role of the Neutrophil
Authors: Infante Cruz Alejandra , Coronel Juan Valentin , Saibene Vélez Paula , Remes Lenicov Federico , Iturrizaga Juan , Abelleyro Martín , Rosato Micaela , Shiromizu Carolina Maiumi , Candolfi Marianela , Vermeulen Mónica , Jancic Carolina , Yasuda Ezequiel , Berner Silvia , Villaverde Marcela Solange , Salamone Gabriela Verónica
Published: April 2024

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most predominant and malignant primary brain tumor in adults. Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a cytokine primarily generated by activated epithelial cells, has recently garnered attention in cancer research. This study was aimed to elucidate the significance of TSLP in GBM cells and its interplay with the immune system, particularly focused on granulocyte neutrophils. Our results demonstrate that the tumor produces TSLP when stimulated with epidermal growth factor (EGF) in both the U251 cell line and the GBM biopsy (GBM-b). The relevance of the TSLP function was evaluated using a 3D spheroid model. Spheroids exhibited increased diameter, volume, and proliferation. In addition, TSLP promoted the generation of satellites surrounding the main spheroids and inhibited apoptosis in U251 treated with temozolomide (TMZ). Additionally, the co-culture of polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells from healthy donors with the U251 cell line in the presence of TSLP showed a reduction in apoptosis and an increase in IL-8 production. TSLP directly inhibited apoptosis in PMN from GBM patients (PMN-p). Interestingly, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production was elevated in PMN-p compared with PMN from healthy donors. Under these conditions, TSLP also increased VEGF production, in PMN from healthy donors. Moreover, TSLP upregulated programed death-ligand 1 (PDL-1) expression in PMN cultured with U251. On the other hand, according to our results, the analysis of RNA-seq datasets from Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencing platform performed with TIMER2.0 webserver demonstrated that the combination of TSLP with neutrophils decreases the survival of the patient. In conclusion, our results position TSLP as a possible new growth factor in GBM and indicate its modulation of the tumor microenvironment, particularly through its interaction with PMN.

Graphical Abstract

Protumoral activity of TSLP. Neutrophils (derived from GBM patients) and GBM cells (under EGF stimulus) not only produce TSLP but also express its receptor. TSLP induces PDL1 expression and decreases apoptosis on both GBM cells and neutrophils. TSLP also increases proliferation and satellite development on GBM cells, whereas favors more neutrophil infiltration by increasing IL8 production.
Cost and response time optimization of edge architectures
Authors: Entrialgo Joaquín , Moreno-Vozmediano Rafael , Díaz José Luis
Published: April 2024

The cloud service provider market has recently expanded its offerings by providing edge as a service. This involves offering resources equivalent to those already available in the cloud, but through data centers located closer to the end user, with the goal of improving service latencies. Application providers face the challenge of selecting appropriate resources, both from the edge and cloud, to deploy their applications in a way that minimizes deployment costs while satisfying latency requirements. This paper presents Edarop (EDge ARchitecture OPtimization), an innovative orchestration mechanism for the optimal allocation of virtual machines in geographically distributed edge and cloud infrastructures. Edarop is capable of handling different edge and cloud vendors, each offering various types of VMs in different regions, with different prices, and network latencies. It also supports multiple simultaneous applications with different latency requirements and load profiles. Edarop employs Integer Linear Programming (ILP) to ensure the globally optimal solution within a reasonable time frame for the considered use cases. Several variants of the mechanism are provided, depending on whether the objective is to minimize cost, response times, or both. These variants are compared to each other and to alternative approaches, with the results showing that, unlike other methods, Edarop consistently respects latency constraints while minimizing the proposed objectives.
An enhanced sea-horse optimizer for solving global problems and cluster head selection in wireless sensor networks
Authors: Houssein Essam H. , Saad Mohammed R. , Çelik Emre , Hu Gang , Ali Abdelmgeid A. , Shaban Hassan
Published: April 2024

An efficient variant of the recent sea horse optimizer (SHO) called SHO-OBL is presented, which incorporates the opposition-based learning (OBL) approach into the predation behavior of SHO and uses the greedy selection (GS) technique at the end of each optimization cycle. This enhancement was created to avoid being trapped by local optima and to improve the quality and variety of solutions obtained. However, the SHO can occasionally be vulnerable to stagnation in local optima, which is a problem of concern given the low diversity of sea horses. In this paper, an SHO-OBL is suggested for the tackling of genuine and global optimization systems. To investigate the validity of the suggested SHO-OBL, it is compared with nine robust optimizers, including differential evolution (DE), grey wolf optimizer (GWO), moth-flame optimization algorithm (MFO), sine cosine algorithm (SCA), fitness dependent optimizer (FDO), Harris hawks optimization (HHO), chimp optimization algorithm (ChOA), Fox optimizer (FOX), and the basic SHO in ten unconstrained test routines belonging to the IEEE congress on evolutionary computation 2020 (CEC’20). Furthermore, three different design engineering issues, including the welded beam, the tension/compression spring, and the pressure vessel, are solved using the proposed SHO-OBL to test its applicability. In addition, one of the most successful approaches to data transmission in a wireless sensor network that uses little energy is clustering. In this paper, SHO-OBL is suggested to assist in the process of choosing the optimal power-aware cluster heads based on a predefined objective function that takes into account the residual power of the node, as well as the sum of the powers of surrounding nodes. Similarly, the performance of SHO-OBL is compared to that of its competitors. Thorough simulations demonstrate that the suggested SHO-OBL algorithm outperforms in terms of residual power, network lifespan, and extended stability duration.
Time series clustering with random convolutional kernels
Authors: Jorge Marco-Blanco , Rubén Cuevas
Published: April 2024

Time series data, spanning applications ranging from climatology to finance to healthcare, presents significant challenges in data mining due to its size and complexity. One open issue lies in time series clustering, which is crucial for processing large volumes of unlabeled time series data and unlocking valuable insights. Traditional and modern analysis methods, however, often struggle with these complexities. To address these limitations, we introduce R-Clustering, a novel method that utilizes convolutional architectures with randomly selected parameters. Through extensive evaluations, R-Clustering demonstrates superior performance over existing methods in terms of clustering accuracy, computational efficiency and scalability. Empirical results obtained using the UCR archive demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach across diverse time series datasets. The findings highlight the significance of R-Clustering in various domains and applications, contributing to the advancement of time series data mining.
Teacher Motivational Scaffolding and Preschoolers’ Motivational Triggers in the Context of Playful Learning of Multiliteracy and Digital Skills
Authors: Ollonen Briitta , Kangas Marjaana
Published: April 2024

This research focuses on exploring teacher motivational scaffolding and preschoolers motivational triggers in a playful learning project conducted in a Finnish preschool context. The aim of playful learning was to promote preschoolers’ multiliteracy and digital skills in a news-making project. The participants were 17 preschoolers and their teacher. Video ethnography and qualitative content analysis were employed as research methods. The findings indicate that the teacher’s motivational scaffolding strategies in playful learning pedagogy included connecting with the preschoolers’ prior experiences and interests, promoting exploration skills, supporting the different developmental levels of the preschoolers, and encouraging them to participate in playful learning. The following motivational triggers were identified for preschoolers: 1) engaging in discussions about news, 2) exploring news through traditional and digital media, 3) utilizing digital tools, and 4) creating and engaging in news-related activities. The findings contributed to the development of a motivational design model for playful learning.
Carbon footprint of higher education institutions
Authors: Paredes-Canencio Kevin Nabor , Lasso Ana , Castrillon Rosaura , Vidal-Medina Juan R. , Quispe Enrique C.
Published: April 2024

Higher education institutions (HEIs) play a fundamental role in sustainability, promoters of innovation, science, and technology. Therefore, every day more institutions are joining the fight against global warming. One of the contributions of HEIs is the carbon footprint (CF) report, to implement policies and management systems to establish strategies to reduce polluting gas emissions from their campuses. In the present study, a systematic review was carried out for 50 reports of CF, where 94% of the studies were published from 2018 to 2022. This research compiles methodologies, scope, results, and trends in Carbon Footprint calculations and provides a procedure to evaluate CF on college campuses. This research shows that the most evaluated emission sources were the consumption of electrical energy (78%), transportation (74%), and the use of fuels (64%). In addition, the HEIs with the lowest emission factors for electricity consumption are Finland, England, and Colombia. Furthermore, establishing a specific carbon footprint guideline for universities would improve reports and allow better comparisons between HEIs.
ICEMS Characterization of NixFe3-xO4 (0.7 ≤ x ≤ 1.7) thin films grown by ion beam sputtering on (0001) Al2O3 substrates
Authors: Prieto P. , Prieto J. E. , Serrano A. , Soriano L. , de la Figuera J. , Marco J. F.
Published: April 2024

We report here on the ICEMS characterization of nickel ferrite (NixFe3−xO4) thin films having different nickel contents grown on alumina substrates by Ion Beam Sputtering. The spectra corresponding to the films with nominal x = 0.7, 1.0 and 1.2 are characteristic of compounds crystallizing in a spinel-related structure showing two different magnetic sextets associated with Fe3+ located in the tetrahedral and octahedral sites of such structure. The spectra show an additional broad third sextet with a large isomer shift which suggests the occurrence of electron hopping between Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions sitting in the octahedral sites. With increasing nickel content, the linewidth of the sextets increases and their corresponding hyperfine magnetic fields decrease. This is an indication of an increase in structural disorder in the deposited films as their nickel concentrations increase. The cation distribution of the iron ions over the tetrahedral and octahedral sites appears also to depend on the nickel content. The film with x = 1.2 shows a significant increase in the fraction of octahedral iron ions as compared with the expected nominal value suggesting that, for this composition, some Ni2+ could also occupy tetrahedral sites. The Mössbauer spectrum corresponding to the film with x = 1.7 shows a magnetic pattern with very broad lines similar to those shown by amorphous or disordered materials. The average isomer shift is quite high (around 0.40 mms− 1) and characteristic of Fe3+ in octahedral oxygen coordination. This indicates that for the largest nickel content studied (x = 1.7), the film does not contain Fe3+ in tetrahedral environments suggesting that the spinel structure is no longer present. This correlates well with the X-Ray Diffraction data which indicate a structural change from spinel to a disordered rock-salt structure for this particular film with high nickel content.
Identifying and characterising promising small molecule inhibitors of kinesin spindle protein using ligand-based virtual screening, molecular docking, molecular dynamics and MM‑GBSA calculations
Authors: Elseginy Samia A.
Published: April 2024

The kinesin spindle protein (Eg5) is a mitotic protein that plays an essential role in the formation of the bipolar spindles during the mitotic phase. Eg5 protein controls the segregation of the chromosomes in mitosis which renders it a vital target for cancer treatment. In this study our approach to identifying novel scaffold for Eg5 inhibitors is based on targeting the novel allosteric pocket (α4/α6/L11). Extensive computational techniques were applied using ligand-based virtual screening and molecular docking by two approaches, MOE and AutoDock, to screen a library of commercial compounds. We identified compound 8-(3-(1H-imidazol-1-ylpropylamino)-3-methyl-7-((naphthalen-3-yl)methyl)-1H-purine-2, 6 (3H,7H)-dione (compound 5) as a novel scaffold for Eg5 inhibitors. This compound inhibited cancer cell Eg5 ATPase at 2.37 ± 0.15 µM. The molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the identified compound formed stable interactions in the allosteric pocket (α4/α6/L11) of the receptor, indicating its potential as a novel Eg5 inhibitor.

Graphical Abstract
Regularised Diffusion–Shock Inpainting
Authors: Schaefer Kristina , Weickert Joachim
Published: April 2024

We introduce regularised diffusion–shock (RDS) inpainting as a modification of diffusion–shock inpainting from our SSVM 2023 conference paper. RDS inpainting combines two carefully chosen components: homogeneous diffusion and coherence-enhancing shock filtering. It benefits from the complementary synergy of its building blocks: The shock term propagates edge data with perfect sharpness and directional accuracy over large distances due to its high degree of anisotropy. Homogeneous diffusion fills large areas efficiently. The second order equation underlying RDS inpainting inherits a maximum–minimum principle from its components, which is also fulfilled in the discrete case, in contrast to competing anisotropic methods. The regularisation addresses the largest drawback of the original model: It allows a drastic reduction in model parameters without any loss in quality. Furthermore, we extend RDS inpainting to vector-valued data. Our experiments show a performance that is comparable to or better than many inpainting methods based on partial differential equations and related integrodifferential models, including anisotropic processes of second or fourth order.
Improved performance of solar cells using chemically synthesized SnSe nanosheets as light absorption layers
Authors: Mukai Kohki , Wanibuchi Ryosuke , Nunomura Yuto
Published: April 2024

We report the method to fabricate SnSe nanosheet (NSs) coated solar cells with very high performance compared to similar solar cells previously reported using chemically synthesized SnSe nanocrystals. SnSe NSs do not contain toxic metals and are promising materials for the top layer of tandem solar cells. SnSe NSs synthesized using the hot injection method were not suitable for coating as a light absorption layer because of their nonuniform size and tendency to aggregate. The one-pot synthesis produced SnSe NSs with uniform size, making them suitable for fabricating flat and homogeneous films when mixed with conductive polymers. The photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.8% was achieved using films with a sheet coverage of 14.2% of SnSe NSs. The PCE value was nearly two orders of magnitude higher than that of previous similar SnSe-coated solar cells. SnSe NSs coated films, which can be easily produced unlike vapor phase methods, were shown to have the potential to make an important contribution to the field of photovoltaic power generation.
Influence of vanadium and dysprosium co-doping on phase stability, microstructure, and electrical properties of Bi2O3
Authors: Ibrahim Ahmed H. , Abbas Yehia M. , Ali Marwa H. , Ayoub H. A. , Aldoori Mustafa
Published: April 2024

Herein, we report the synthesis of Dy–V co-doped Bi2O3 ceramics using the solid–state processing technique under atmospheric conditions. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns demonstrate the stability of the cubic fluorite δ-Bi2O3 in the V-rich ceramics. However, in Dy-rich ceramics, a mixture of phases, including α and δ, gradually diminishes with increased mutual dopant concentrations, suggesting a transition to the single fcc δ-phase with Fm-3 m space group. According to the Rietveld analysis and electron density representation, it is evident that there are no impure peaks present in α-Bi2O3, which highlights the clear transition to the δ-phase polymorphs. The DTA curves for samples M4 and M7 display a distinct endothermic peak at temperatures around 724.5 and 744.5 °C, indicating a phase transition from the monoclinic α-phase to the cubic δ-phase. These peaks are also attributed to an order-disorder transition (ODT). The FESEM micrographs consistently revealed the existence of irregular and aggregated grains, with an average grain size ranging from 0.80 to 5.57 μm. The level of aggregation became more apparent with the escalation of Dy3+ doping, as opposed to the 5–20 wt% V loading. Moreover, the as-sintered pellets M2 demonstrated the absence of any pore formation compared to other samples, confirming a remarkably high degree of densification. As a result, the as-sintered pellets have a low level of void space, with an apparent porosity of no more than 2.5%. Based on the conductivity measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Bi0.85V0.10Dy0.05O1.5 exhibits the highest electrical conductivity of 0.965 (Ω cm)−1 and an optimal activation energy of 0.537 eV at 627 °C compared to other prepared compositions. This remarkable performance is attributed to the high polarizability and mixed valence cations, especially in V5+-rich ceramics, compared to the Dy3+-rich compositions with a reduced conductivity of 0.010 to 0.097 (Ω cm)−1. The Nyquist plots indicate that impedance decreases with vanadium doping increases until it reaches Bi0.85V0.10Dy0.05O1.5. Higher Dy3+ content increases impedance, leading to lower cell performance. The typical composition can be a solid electrolyte in SOFCs operating at moderate temperatures.
Development of flexible PVDF/ BaTiO3-MoS2 polymer nanocomposites for energy harvesting and gas sensing applications
Authors: Parangusan Hemalatha , Al-Sowaidi Dana , Elhadrami El-Hassan , Ponnamma Deepalekshmi , Bhadra Jolly
Published: April 2024

The need for flexible and wearable devices is quite great in the modern era of advanced electronics and the Internet of Things (IoT). Here, we present a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/Barium Titanate–Molybdenum Disulfide (BaTiO3–MoS2) composite-based flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) with an improved electroactive phase. The electroactive, β-phase of the PVDF is shown to increase with the addition of BaTiO3–MoS2 fillers as a result of the filler’s good interfacial interaction with the polymer matrix. The improved electroactive phase in the PVDF matrix was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction method and FTIR analysis of the composite films. The uniform dispersion of filler particles in the polymer matrix was confirmed by a scanning electron microscopy analysis. The developed piezoelectric nanogenerator device generated peak-to-peak output voltage of 4.9 V with a high dielectric constant of 22 and a low dielectric loss of 4.7. The fabricated gas sensor can perform at room temperature and exhibits good gas sensing performance toward the NH3 gas. It was found that, compared to all other samples, the composite PVDF/BaTiO3–MoS2 films had a high level of sensitivity. Additionally, the composite films showed response and recovery times of 11 and 17 s. The composite based on PVDF/BaTiO3–MoS2 is a suitable material for NH3 sensor applications.
A Fast Monte Carlo Algorithm for Evaluating Matrix Functions with Application in Complex Networks
Authors: Guidotti Nicolas L. , Acebrón Juan A. , Monteiro José
Published: April 2024

We propose a novel stochastic algorithm that randomly samples entire rows and columns of the matrix as a way to approximate an arbitrary matrix function using the power series expansion. This contrasts with existing Monte Carlo methods, which only work with one entry at a time, resulting in a significantly better convergence rate than the original approach. To assess the applicability of our method, we compute the subgraph centrality and total communicability of several large networks. In all benchmarks analyzed so far, the performance of our method was significantly superior to the competition, being able to scale up to 64 CPU cores with remarkable efficiency.
The 2022–2023 seismic sequence onshore South Evia, central Greece: evidence for activation of a left-lateral strike-slip fault and regional triggering of seismicity
Authors: Serpetsidaki Anna , Ganas Athanassios
Published: April 2024

On 29 November 2022, an earthquake of ML 5.0 (Mw 4.8) occurred onshore South Evia Island (central Greece) preceded by a ML 4.7 (Mw 4.6) event. The pattern of relocated aftershocks indicates the activation of a single, near-vertical fault segment, oriented NW-SE at shallow crustal depths (6–11 km). We suggest that both events ruptured a blind, left-lateral strike-slip fault, about 5 km southeast of village Almyropotamos. We observed that a clear foreshock activity (N=55 events) existed before the two moderate events. The impact of the static stress loading on neighboring fault planes diminishes after a distance of 7 km from the November 2022 epicenters, where the static stress falls below +0.1 bar. We further explore triggering relationships between the 29 November events and the late December 2022 moderate events (ML 4.9) that occurred about 60 km toward NW in the Psachna and Vlahia regions of central Evia. We present evidence of possible delayed dynamic triggering of the late December 2022 central Evia sequence, based on marked changes in seismicity rates and on measured peak ground velocities (PGVs) and peak dynamic strains, both exhibiting local maxima in their map distributions. The causes of the delayed triggering may be related to the well-known geothermal field in central/north Evia and the NW-SE strike of the seismic fault.
Multi-Model UNet: An Adversarial Defense Mechanism for Robust Visual Tracking
Authors: Suttapak Wattanapong , Zhang Jianfu , Zhao Haohuo , Zhang Liqing
Published: April 2024

Currently, state-of-the-art object-tracking algorithms are facing a severe threat from adversarial attacks, which can significantly undermine their performance. In this research, we introduce MUNet, a novel defensive model designed for visual tracking. This model is capable of generating defensive images that can effectively counter attacks while maintaining a low computational overhead. To achieve this, we experiment with various configurations of MUNet models, finding that even a minimal three-layer setup significantly improves tracking robustness when the target tracker is under attack. Each model undergoes end-to-end training on randomly paired images, which include both clean and adversarial noise images. This training separately utilizes pixel-wise denoiser and feature-wise defender. Our proposed models significantly enhance tracking performance even when the target tracker is attacked or the target frame is clean. Additionally, MUNet can simultaneously share its parameters on both template and search regions. In experimental results, the proposed models successfully defend against top attackers on six benchmark datasets, including OTB100, LaSOT, UAV123, VOT2018, VOT2019, and GOT-10k. Performance results on all datasets show a significant improvement over all attackers, with a decline of less than 4.6% for every benchmark metric compared to the original tracker. Notably, our model demonstrates the ability to enhance tracking robustness in other blackbox trackers.
The Scream: Lament as a Way to Hear Silence Into Speech
Authors: Cooke Amanda
Published: April 2024

In this article, I discuss Edvard Munch’s iconic artwork, The Scream, as a contemplation on the voicelessness of intense suffering and the power of lament. I first recall a clinical case in the hospital setting where a patient was lamenting but lacked compassionate witnesses to understand her lament. I then discuss Munch’s iterative process for creating The Scream and explore questions that this masterpiece evokes. Painted in 1893, the work resonates with its viewers, powerfully representing human anguish, anxiety, and existential dread. I review Munch’s biography and upbringing, suggesting that Munch’s painting is his own attempt at having the viewer witness his own lament—a witness he did not have in his childhood. After reflecting on The Scream and Munch’s upbringing, I discuss theologian John Swinton’s work on lament. He asserts that lament is a faithful response to suffering and can restore the sufferer’s faith and relationship with God. I assert that a similar framework, such as asking patients to speak their own illness narrative, should be further explored as an important part of modern holistic medical care.
Site-scale soil conditions influencing the decline of Aleppo pine stands in Mediterranean Spanish woodland
Authors: Gómez-Sanz Valentín , Gastón Aitor , García-Viñas Juan Ignacio , Serrada-Hierro Rafael
Published: April 2024

Background and aims

Decline in tree species is a complex phenomenon involving multiple factors, among edaphic conditions are assumed to play an important role as factor of predisposition of forests to this process. In this regard, scarce information exists on the effects of the internal variability of the soil with depth on the predisposition to decline, an aspect that requires further evaluation.

Methods

Characterization of the internal variability of soil was carried out at 20 sites (10 with evidence of decline and 10 with no signs of decline) and the results analyzed to determine their role in modulating the effect of drought, which is the main cause of the observed decline in Aleppo pine stands in the Comunidad Valenciana (Spain).

Results

The soil properties found to be the most explanatory were those associated with soil quality in terms of available space for root exploration, which is vital for nutrition and, above all, water uptake. Episodes of decline are associated with stands where soils have a shallow effective depth due to a low degree of profile development or through marked textural anisotropy because of particularly clayey horizons that cause abrupt changes in permeability and aeration.

Conclusion

The internal variability of the soil, closely linked to the degree of pedogenetic development, is identified as a factor that plays an important role in predisposing the vegetation to the effects of drought.
Biochar application for enhancing water and nitrogen use efficiency of understory acacia species in a suburban native forest subjected to nitrogen deposition in Southeast Queensland
Authors: Sun Weiling , Li Yinan , Xu Zhihong , Bai Yifan , Bai Shahla Hosseini
Published: April 2024

Purpose

The fuel reduction prescribed burning and biochar application can have significant impacts on water and nitrogen (N) use efficiency of understory acacia species as well as soil carbon (C) and N pools in a suburban native forest subject to N deposition in Southeast Queensland, Australia.

Methods

We evaluated the impact of biochar application rates (0, 5.0 and 10.0 t biochar per hectare) and prescribed burning on soil-plant interactions in carbon (C) and N cycling in a suburban native forest in the first two years of biochar application or three and half years of the recently prescribed burning.

Results

Anthropogenic N deposition not only enhanced N losses caused by N leaching and denitrification, but also inhibited biological N fixation (BNF) by increasing N availability in forest systems. The Acacia leiocalyx with higher water use efficiency was more inclined to utilize easily available N resources (from N deposition), compared with A. disparismma. In this study, biochar application could indeed reduce N loss in forest soil and improve soil fertility by improving plant water and N use efficiency. Meanwhile, soil moisture content affected by biochar application also influenced soil N transformations by affecting soil microbial activity.

Conclusion

For urban forest soils, the high N availability caused by N deposition could inhibit the BNF in a suburban native forest ecosystem. The high-porosity physical structure of biochar applied increased the soil water content and soil N retention capacity.
Ethnic fertility and exposure to armed conflict: the case of Sri Lanka
Authors: Sharma Manasvi
Published: April 2024

This paper investigates the impact of exposure to armed conflict on fertility in Sri Lanka. Using a difference-in-difference methodology, I find that exposure to civil war led to a reduction in female fertility in Sri Lanka, with evidence of an increased female age at marriage in high-conflict districts as a mechanism. The paper further focuses on ethnic disparities in demographic adjustments triggered by exposure to conflict. It determines if conflict altered the fertility patterns of the Sinhalese majority and the Sri Lankan Tamil minority differently. Estimates suggest that there is a differential in fertility adjustments of the two ethnic groups in response to conflict: the reduction in crude birth rate was significantly smaller for the Sri Lankan Tamils compared to the Sinhalese across various model specifications. The presence of an ethnic group-level replacement effect led to a lesser reduction in fertility for Sri Lankan Tamils. These results contribute to the literature on the impact of armed conflict and underscore the importance of studying demographic adjustments by sub-groups, specifically ethnicity in this context, as the intensity of adjustment often varies with the socio-political vulnerability of the group. Understanding these disparities is crucial as a sustained demographic differential has the potential to impact the ethnic composition of Sri Lanka and may further crystallize the ethnic divide in an already volatile political setting.
Endocrine involvement in hepatic glycogen storage diseases: pathophysiology and implications for care
Authors: Rossi Alessandro , Simeoli Chiara , Pivonello Rosario , Salerno Mariacarolina , Rosano Carmen , Brunetti Barbara , Strisciuglio Pietro , Colao Annamaria , Parenti Giancarlo , Melis Daniela , Derks Terry G.J.
Published: April 2024

Hepatic glycogen storage diseases constitute a group of disorders due to defects in the enzymes and transporters involved in glycogen breakdown and synthesis in the liver. Although hypoglycemia and hepatomegaly are the primary manifestations of (most of) hepatic GSDs, involvement of the endocrine system has been reported at multiple levels in individuals with hepatic GSDs. While some endocrine abnormalities (e.g., hypothalamic‑pituitary axis dysfunction in GSD I) can be direct consequence of the genetic defect itself, others (e.g., osteopenia in GSD Ib, insulin-resistance in GSD I and GSD III) may be triggered by the (dietary/medical) treatment. Being aware of the endocrine abnormalities occurring in hepatic GSDs is essential (1) to provide optimized medical care to this group of individuals and (2) to drive research aiming at understanding the disease pathophysiology. In this review, a thorough description of the endocrine manifestations in individuals with hepatic GSDs is presented, including pathophysiological and clinical implications.
Creative management: a framework for designing multifunctional play biotopes - lessons from a Scandinavian landscape laboratory
Authors: Wiström Björn , Mårtensson Fredrika , Ode Sang Åsa , Litsmark Anna , Hedblom Marcus
Published: April 2024

Most children grow up in urbanised settings with a low possibility to experience biodiversity and nature. However, experiencing nature and other species increases children’s wellbeing, health, learning abilities and their understanding of nature values. Play biotopes is one solution for supporting a co-existence between children and different species in nature-based play settings. Play biotopes are based on ecological theories, where structures in the morphology of landscapes at different scales and the content of flora and fauna can support children’s interplay with a part of the landscape. However, traditional landscape management is not adapted to support the dynamic nature of play biotopes, especially when considering multiple scales. This makes it interesting to explore more dynamic management concepts arching over multiple scales. Accordingly, we here explore creative management as a scale-based framework for design by management to further develop the concept of play biotopes. Using examples from a landscape laboratory in southern Sweden, we propose that a creative management framework combining the scales of landscape, biotope, place, and object together with play connectivity can support the creation and management of multifunctional play biotopes.