bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Review on Comparative Study of Solid Polymer Electrolyte Polyethylene Oxide (PEO) Doped with Ionic Liquid
Authors: Rawat Suneyana , Singh Pramod K. , Pandey Shri Prakash , Singh Ram Chandra
Published: February 2024

Future demands for energy shortages have prompted a lot of effort to be put into finding alternatives. The use of renewable energies as a revolutionary energy source has gained acceptance. Due to their high flexibility and the interaction between the electrode and the electrolyte, solid polymer electrolytes are employed as a favorable electrolyte for application of electrochemical devices to storage renewable energy. As these are easy in synthesis, have much lower mass density, shows high mechanical stability, also have low binding energy with salts, and high mobility of charge carriers, polyethylene Oxide (PEO) based electrolyte has attracted a lot of interest. Configuration rectification combining PEO with ionic liquids has been introduced to enhance the low ionic conductivity and poor thermodynamic stability of the PEO materials in high‐voltage devices at ambient temperature. This configuration modification can successfully validate the applications of PEO polymer electrolyte with large electro‐stable voltage ranges. Solution casting method has been used for the synthesis of polymer electrolyte. The essential physical characteristics of PEO in polymer matrices work as a polymer host in SPEs has been described in this review paper, along with several modifications to overcome these limitations. It has been seen that the addition of ionic liquid increases the all over conductivity of the solid polymer electrolyte in most cases also improves the electrical stability of the electrolyte.
Toxicological Effects of Metal Nanoparticles Employed in Biomedicine: Biocompatibility, Clinical Trials, and Future Perspective
Authors: Krishna Rohith , Nagar Varad , Kaur Anureet , Rai Abhishek R. , Awasthi Kumud Kant , Awasthi Garima , Sankhla Mahipal Singh
Published: February 2024

Metal nanoparticles play a crucial role in the medical industry due to its desirable properties such as antimicrobial activity, anti‐cancer property, and its application in disease diagnostics. These properties enable the nanoparticles to be used as efficient medical devices for various treatments as well as drug delivery systems. Despite all the positives, metal nanoparticles are known for causing toxicity in the living system. The toxicological effects of metal nanoparticles are due to their size, surface*e coating, and the dose administered. Therefore, it is important to study the toxic effects of these nanoparticles before they are used as medical devices for various treatments. This review focuses on the five major metal nanoparticles used in the medical field, namely; silver, gold, iron oxide, zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles. The non‐exhaustive review consists of an introduction to the toxicological effects of these nanoparticles, the biocompatibility, and the current and future clinical perspective on metal nanoparticles.
Gastroprotective Effects of Biological Macromolecule: Polysaccharides
Authors: Pathak Rashmi , Pandey S. P. , Chandra Phool
Published: February 2024

The large molecular weight of the macromolecules sets them apart from all other components. This may range from 10 000 to over a million. While the molecular weight of other plant metabolites is seldom beyond 1000. Chemically, macromolecules are made up of long chains and little “building pieces,” which are joined covalently in a variety of ways. Biological macromolecules are large, naturally occurring cellular building blocks that play a range of crucial roles in the development and existence of living organisms. Biomacromolecules are essential in the biomedical field and other related professions. They feature a variety of beneficial properties, including excellent biodegradability, suitable mechanical strength, enhanced bioavailability, etc. They also have significant biocompatibility. They display a variety of biological characteristics, such as antimalignant, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory. The use of essential carbohydrates including alginate, chitosan, pectin, starches, carrageenan, fucoidan, etc. is common in commercial applications. Natural substance‐based pharmacotherapy is now considered to be a highly promising future alternative to conventional medicine. Along with proteins and polynucleotides, polysaccharide is a vital biomacromolecule that has a crucial function in the growth and expansion of living things. A crucial element of higher plants, cell membranes of animal, and cell walls of microbes is polysaccharide. It is intimately tied to physiological processes as well. The importance of polysaccharides as a significant class of bioactive natural compounds has received more attention recently. Numerous studies have shown that natural polysaccharides contain bioactivities, which have led to the use of polysaccharides in the treatment of illness. The many parts of the research findings on the bioactivities of polysaccharides in gastro‐protection are included in this paper.
Studying the adsorption of emerging organic contaminants in zeolites with dispersion‐corrected density functional theory calculations: From numbers to recommendations
Authors: Fischer Michael , Brauer Jakob
Published: February 2024

Adsorption energies obtained from dispersion‐corrected density functional theory (DFT) calculations show a considerable dependence on the choice of exchange‐correlation functional and dispersion correction. A number of investigations have employed different approaches to compute adsorption energies of small molecules in zeolites, using reference values from high‐level calculations and/or experiments. Such comparative studies are lacking for larger functional organic molecules such as pharmaceuticals or personal care products, despite their potential relevance for applications, e. g., in contaminant removal or drug delivery. The present study aims to fill this gap by comparing adsorption energies and, for selected cases, equilibrium structures of emerging organic contaminants adsorbed in MOR‐ and FAU‐type all‐silica zeolites. A total of 13 dispersion‐corrected DFT approaches are compared, including methods using a pairwise dispersion correction as well as non‐local van der Waals density functionals. While absolute values of adsorption energies vary widely, qualitative trends across the set of zeolite‐guest combinations are not strongly dependent on the choice of functional. For selected cluster models, DFT adsorption energies are compared to reference values from coupled cluster (DLPNO‐CCSD(T)) calculations. Although all DFT approaches deliver systematically more negative adsorption energies than the coupled cluster reference, this tendency is least pronounced for the rev‐vdW‐DF2 functional.
Prevalence of panoramic radiographs findings of cementum‐osseous dysplasia with calcification in the department of oral surgery at hospital: A retrospective study
Authors: Sato Kazumichi , Kurihara Kinue , Tanaka Aya , Yoshida Masayasu , Sekiya Kazumi , Ishizaki Ken
Published: February 2024

Aim

Cemento‐osseous dysplasia (COD) is a benign, non‐neoplastic, fibro‐osseous lesion that is often asymptomatic and discovered incidentally on dental radiographs. Radiological examination, rather than biopsy, is recommended for diagnosis because of the risk of infection. The dentist working at a hospital sometimes requests a family dentist to follow up on the progress of COD discovered accidentally during panoramic radiography at a hospital. However, there are few reports on the prevalence of COD on panoramic radiographs obtained at the oral surgery department of a hospital; therefore, we investigated this in this study.

Materials and methods

We examined the prevalence of COD with calcification (classification, presence of infection, and complications with simple bone cysts) in 1194 patients for whom panoramic radiographs were obtained.

Results

Twelve patients (1.0%) had findings of COD with calcification: four cases of periapical COD (three females and one male), five cases of focal COD (four females and one male), and three cases of florid COD (three females and zero males). Infection was seen in one case of Florid COD and one case of Focal COD. A simple bone cyst was observed in one patient with Florid COD.

Conclusion

COD with calcification was observed in a certain percentage of patients, and many were asymptomatic. Dental healthcare workers need to understand that COD carries a risk of infection and that there are diseases that need to be differentiated. Patients should also be advised about the need for long‐term follow‐up.
Late‐life mood disorder as the initial presentation of progressive supranuclear palsy: A case series
Authors: Ichijo Kei , Takahata Keisuke , Kurose Shin , Watanabe Takemi , Nagase Yukihiro , Endo Hironobu , Tagai Kenji , Ishitobi Makoto , Higuchi Makoto
Published: February 2024

Aim

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by Parkinsonism, supranuclear ophthalmoplegia, postural instability, and cognitive impairment.

Patients

This case series describes three patients initially diagnosed with late‐life mood disorders (depression and bipolar disorder) who were later diagnosed with PSP because of the development of typical neurological symptoms.

Result

The diagnostic challenge of PSP is highlighted in this case report, particularly in the early stages, when characteristic symptoms may not be present. The importance of considering PSP in the differential diagnosis of late‐life mood disorders, especially in the absence of response to standard antidepressant therapy, is also emphasized. The heterogeneity of PSP is described, with various subtypes and atypical variants presenting with different clinical features. The psychiatric symptoms of PSP include apathy, disinhibition, depression, and anxiety, whereas hallucinations and delusions are less frequent. Tau positron emission tomography imaging is discussed as a potential biomarker for atypical PSP.

Conclusion

Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for improved outcomes in PSP, necessitating further research to enhance the diagnostic and treatment strategies for PSP and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Evaluating the effect of individual characteristics and COVID‐19 pandemic on people living under extreme poverty conditions in Greece
Authors: Mimarakis Dimitrios , Alegakis Athanasios , Koukouli Sofia
Published: February 2024

Poverty dimensions and COVID‐19 are risk factors for a low quality of life and anxiety. The aims of this study are to: (a) examine the quality of life and anxiety levels of citizens living under poverty and (b) explore whether this population's characteristics shaped the way the pandemic affected their anxiety and quality of life. Data were collected from two groups, each one consisting of 50 citizens of the Attica region of Greece who live in poverty. The first wave was collected in 2019 and the second in 2021. The same information was collected in both waves, including individual characteristics, quality of life dimensions, and anxiety traits. Both sample groups were receivers of “TEBA,” a social solidarity allowance for people living in poverty in Greece. Specific individual characteristics were more strongly associated with better quality of life and different anxiety levels during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The results offer potential insights into specific sociodemographic characteristics which are strongly associated with quality of life and/or anxiety, factors which are being constantly affected by the poverty phenomenon.
Who do learners of English as a lingua franca want to sound like? English speaker role models and envisioned selves in imagined communities
Authors: Savova Lilia , Azarnoosh Maryam
Published: February 2024

To examine speaker role models (SRMs) in second language acquisition (SLA), this study explored the sociolinguistic English as a lingua franca (ELF) perspective targeting international intelligibility. Thus, it examined the way ELF learners align with self‐selected English speakers and anonymous (audio‐recorded) English speakers as potential SRMs. The researchers asked the participants, 57 Iranian English majors, “Who do you want to sound like in English and why?” and analyzed their answers in the context of their SRMs and envisioned selves in imagined communities (ICs). The study's findings revealed that most participants had SRMs with three sets of characteristics—high English language proficiency and intelligibility, likeable personal attributes, and notable professional accomplishments. To explore anonymous English speakers in particular as potential SRMs, the researchers asked participants to rate anonymous speakers' intelligibility and likeability. The findings established that, based on the sound of their voices alone, anonymous audiorecorded speakers were less likely to be selected as SRMs. Further, the study found no significant difference between anonymous native and nonnative speakers, celebrities and others, for whom accent intelligibility and likeability increased but did not determine the likelihood of selecting them as their SRMs. Based on its findings, this study draws implications for language and teacher education and offers classroom applications with specific activities.
Military Spending and the Burden Sharing Debate
Authors: Du Bois Cind
Published: February 2024

In 2022 worldwide military spending peaked largely due to the invasion of Russia in Ukraine. This paper provides an overview of the world’s military spending over the last three decades where we clearly see an influence of the geopolitical situation on the budgets. On a more theoretical note, models on military spending have traditionally focused on the aspect of burden sharing between allies. By giving a synopsis of this academic literature on burden sharing, we set the frame for a discussion on the current differences in worldwide military spending. We highlight the caveats one should keep in mind when comparing military expenditure data and debating defense burdens.
Multilingual Stories for Immigrants and Refugees: A Language-as-Resource Approach
Authors: Stranger-Johannessen Espen , Damiani Valeria
Published: February 2024

A major challenge for many immigrants and refugees, particularly those with little or no formal schooling, is learning the language of the host country. Open educational resources (OER), including courses and websites with multilingual stories, are ways to address this challenge. This chapter will present and analyse the OER developed in three projects funded by the Erasmus+ Programme: Advenus and Regap, which integrated language and content learning in courses, and LIDA Stories (https://lidastories.net), a collection of country-specific websites with multilingual stories for youth and adult immigrants and refugees who are learning the language of the host country. The chapter concludes by highlighting the key role of stories for the acquisition of the host country language by migrants and refugees.
The Relationship Between Negative Self-Concept, Trauma, and Maltreatment in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Melamed Daniela M. , Botting Jessica , Lofthouse Katie , Pass Laura , Meiser-Stedman Richard
Published: February 2024

Experiencing trauma in childhood is a global public health issue linked to worse physical and mental health outcomes, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Self-concept is a transdiagnostic concept linked to various psychopathologies and understanding its unique relationship to trauma is important. This meta-analysis aimed to understand the size of the effect between trauma and maltreatment and self-concept in children and adolescents. The current meta-analysis searched PubMed, PILOTS, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases. Inclusion criteria involved studies with defined trauma exposure, valid measures of self-concept, and participants’ mean age under 18 years old. One-hundred-and-thirty-four studies were included in the meta-analysis (N = 255,334). A random-effects meta-analysis was performed. A small negative relationship was observed between trauma exposure and self-concept (r = − 0.20, 95% CI − 0.22, − 0.18). This relationship was significantly moderated by some variables (type and nature of trauma exposure) but not others (participant gender, type of self-concept measure, quality of studies, country economic status). A small relationship between trauma exposure and negative self-concept in children and adolescents was detected, with repeated trauma exposure and type of trauma exposure moderating this relationship. This provides important directions for clinical practice around providing support for those exposed or most vulnerable to experiencing trauma.
Using automatic model calibration for 3D morphological simulations: a case study of the Bodendorf reservoir flushing
Authors: Shoarinezhad Vahid , Olsen Nils Reidar Bøe , Wieprecht Silke , Haun Stefan
Published: February 2024

Reservoir sedimentation poses a significant challenge to water resource management. Improving the lifespan and productivity of reservoirs requires appropriate sediment management strategies, among which flushing operations have become more prevalent in practice. Numerical modeling offers a cost-effective approach to assessing the performance of different flushing operations. However, calibrating highly parametrized morphological models remains a complex task due to inherent uncertainties associated with sediment transport processes and model parameters. Traditional calibration methods require laborious manual adjustments and expert knowledge, hindering calibration accuracy and efficiency and becoming impractical when dealing with several uncertain parameters. A solution is to use optimization techniques that enable an objective evaluation of the model behavior by expediting the calibration procedure and reducing the issue of subjectivity. In this paper, we investigate bed level changes as a result of a flushing event in the Bodendorf reservoir in Austria by using a three-dimensional numerical model coupled with an optimization algorithm for automatic calibration. Three different sediment transport formulae (Meyer-Peter and Müller, van Rijn, and Wu) are employed and modified during the calibration, along with the roughness parameter, active layer thickness, volume fraction of sediments in bed, and the hiding-exposure parameter. The simulated bed levels compared to the measurements are assessed by several statistical metrics in different cross-sections. According to the goodness-of-fit indicators, the models using the formulae of van Rijn and Wu outperform the model calculated by the Meyer-Peter and Müller formula regarding bed patterns and the volume of flushed sediments.
On Optimizing Ensemble Models using Column Generation
Authors: Aziz Vanya , Wu Ouyang , Nowak Ivo , Hendrix Eligius M. T. , Kronqvist Jan
Published: February 2024

In recent years, an interest appeared in integrating various optimization algorithms in machine learning. We study the potential of ensemble learning in classification tasks and how to efficiently decompose the underlying optimization problem. Ensemble learning has become popular for machine learning applications and it is particularly interesting from an optimization perspective due to its resemblance to column generation. The challenge for learning is not only to obtain a good fit for the training data set, but also good generalization, such that the classifier is generally applicable. Deep networks have the drawback that they require a lot of computational effort to get to an accurate classification. Ensemble learning can combine various weak learners, which individually require less computational time. We consider binary classification problems studying a three-phase algorithm. After initializing a set of base learners refined by a bootstrapping approach, base learners are generated using the solution of an linear programming (LP) master problem and then solving a machine learning sub-problem regarding a reduced data set, which can be viewed as a so-called pricing problem. We theoretically show that the algorithm computes an optimal ensemble model in the convex hull of a given model space. The implementation of the algorithm is part of an ensemble learning framework called decolearn. Numerical experiments with CIFAR-10 data set show that the base learners are diverse and that both the training and generalization error are reduced after several iterations.
Quantifying agricultural land-use intensity for spatial biodiversity modelling: implications of different metrics and spatial aggregation methods
Authors: Roilo Stephanie , Paulus Anne , Alarcón-Segura Viviana , Kock Lucas , Beckmann Michael , Klein Nadja , Cord Anna F.
Published: February 2024

Context

Agricultural intensification is a major driver of farmland biodiversity declines. However, the relationship between land-use intensity (LUI) and biodiversity is complex and difficult to characterise, not least because of the difficulties in accurately quantifying LUI across heterogeneous agricultural regions.

Objectives

We investigated how the use of different LUI metrics and spatial aggregation methods can lead to large variations in LUI estimation across space and thus affect biodiversity modelling.

Methods

We used three spatial aggregation methods (square, hexagonal, and voronoi grids) to calculate ten commonly used LUI metrics describing three LUI dimensions: land use, land management and landscape structure. Using a virtual species approach, we compared how LUI values sampled at biodiversity monitoring sites vary across different metrics and grids. We modelled the distribution of three virtual species using Generalised Additive Models to test how omitting certain LUI dimensions from the models affected the model results.

Results

The density distributions of LUI values at the presence points of the virtual species were significantly different across metrics and grids. The predefined species-environment relationships characterising the environmental niches of two out of three virtual species remained undetected in models that omitted certain LUI dimensions.

Conclusions

We encourage researchers to consider the implications of using alternative grid types in biodiversity models, and to account for multiple LUI dimensions, for a more complete representation of LUI. Advances in remote sensing-derived products and increased accessibility to datasets on farm structure, land-use and management can greatly advance our understanding of LUI effects on biodiversity.
An ensemble approach for classification of tympanic membrane conditions using soft voting classifier
Authors: Akyol Kemal , Uçar Emine , Atila Ümit , Uçar Murat
Published: February 2024

Otitis media is a medical concept that represents a range of inflammatory middle ear disorders. The high costs of medical devices utilized by field experts to diagnose the disease relevant to otitis media prevent the widespread use of these devices. This makes it difficult for field experts to make an accurate diagnosis and increases subjectivity in diagnosing the disease. To solve these problems, there is a need to develop computer-aided middle ear disease diagnosis systems. In this study, a deep learning-based approach is proposed for the detection of OM disease to meet this emerging need. This approach is the first that addresses the performance of a voting ensemble framework that uses Inception V3, DenseNet 121, VGG16, MobileNet, and EfficientNet B0 pre-trained DL models. All pre-trained CNN models used in the proposed approach were trained using the Public Ear Imagery dataset, which has a total of 880 otoscopy images, including different eardrum cases such as normal, earwax plug, myringosclerosis, and chronic otitis media. The prediction results of these models were evaluated with voting approaches to increase the overall prediction accuracy. In this context, the performances of both soft and hard voting ensembles were examined. Soft voting ensemble framework achieved highest performance in experiments with 98.8% accuracy, 97.5% sensitivity, and 99.1% specificity. Our proposed model achieved the highest classification performance so far in the current dataset. The results reveal that our voting ensemble-based DL approach showed quite high performance for the diagnosis of middle ear disease. In clinical applications, this approach can provide a preliminary diagnosis of the patient's condition just before field experts make a diagnosis on otoscopic images. Thus, our proposed approach can help field experts to diagnose the disease quickly and accurately. In this way, clinicians can make the final diagnosis by integrating automatic diagnostic prediction with their experience.
What is Your Reference Point? How Price Volatility and Organizational Context Affect the Reference Points of Family and Nonfamily Managers
Authors: Stommel Evelyn , Gottschalck Nicole , Hack Andreas , Eddleston Kimberly A. , Kellermanns Franz , Kraiczy Nils
Published: February 2024

Drawing from prospect theory, we use an experimental study design to explore how and why reference points of managers of family and nonfamily firms differ. We contribute to research on the role of economic theories for family businesses by elaborating on decision-making mechanisms in the context of family firms. Furthermore, we investigate whether family and nonfamily managers within family firms vary in their investment decisions. Our study demonstrates the importance of price volatility as a determinant of reference points and shows how the same type of information can lead to different reference points based on whether the manager is from a family or nonfamily firm.
Learning to Generalize over Subpartitions for Heterogeneity-Aware Domain Adaptive Nuclei Segmentation
Authors: Fan Jianan , Liu Dongnan , Chang Hang , Cai Weidong
Published: February 2024

Annotation scarcity and cross-modality/stain data distribution shifts are two major obstacles hindering the application of deep learning models for nuclei analysis, which holds a broad spectrum of potential applications in digital pathology. Recently, unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) methods have been proposed to mitigate the distributional gap between different imaging modalities for unsupervised nuclei segmentation in histopathology images. However, existing UDA methods are built upon the assumption that data distributions within each domain should be uniform. Based on the over-simplified supposition, they propose to align the histopathology target domain with the source domain integrally, neglecting severe intra-domain discrepancy over subpartitions incurred by mixed cancer types and sampling organs. In this paper, for the first time, we propose to explicitly consider the heterogeneity within the histopathology domain and introduce open compound domain adaptation (OCDA) to resolve the crux. In specific, a two-stage disentanglement framework is proposed to acquire domain-invariant feature representations at both image and instance levels. The holistic design addresses the limitations of existing OCDA approaches which struggle to capture instance-wise variations. Two regularization strategies are specifically devised herein to leverage the rich subpartition-specific characteristics in histopathology images and facilitate subdomain decomposition. Moreover, we propose a dual-branch nucleus shape and structure preserving module to prevent nucleus over-generation and deformation in the synthesized images. Experimental results on both cross-modality and cross-stain scenarios over a broad range of diverse datasets demonstrate the superiority of our method compared with state-of-the-art UDA and OCDA methods.

Graphical abstract
The role of children’s emotion regulation and maternal emotion socialization in preschoolers’ behavioral difficulties during the COVID-19 lockdown
Authors: İşcanoğlu Zülal , Çakmak Zeynep , Çiçek Nuray Mustafaoğlu , Steele Miriam
Published: February 2024

Turkey, like many countries, implemented protective measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. One such measure involved isolating young children to reduce virus transmission. However, this regulation presented parents with the challenging task of juggling work responsibilities while caring for their young children without the usual support from external resources. Given these difficult circumstances, young children may struggle with emotion regulation, while isolation can impede parents from effectively addressing their children’s negative emotions. This online study aims to examine the dynamic relationship between children’s emotion regulation ability and maternal emotion socialization capacity in predicting children’s behavioral difficulties. The study revealed a positive correlation between maternal punitive and minimizing emotion socialization reactions and children’s behavioral difficulties. However, this association was primarily observed in children with high negative emotionality and low effortful control. Notably, when children had low negative emotionality scores, maternal minimizing emotion socialization behaviors were negatively associated with their behavior problems. These findings support the idea that during stressful periods, such as a pandemic, the diathesis-stress model may become more applicable. It emphasizes the interaction between individuals’ vulnerabilities and environmental triggers leading to unfavorable outcomes, such as higher levels of children’s externalizing problems. These results underscore the importance of tailored intervention programs for parent-child dyads experiencing limited psychological resources during stressful events like a pandemic.
Modulation of intestinal metabolites by calorie restriction and its association with gut microbiota in a xenograft model of colorectal cancer
Authors: Zhang Yuhuan , Dong Lintao , Dai Xingchen , Huang Yongli , Gao Yujing , Wang Fang
Published: February 2024

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant tumor, and its occurrence and development are closely related to dysbiosis of gut microbes. Previously, we found calorie restriction altered the composition of the microbial community in a colorectal cancer mouse model and inhibited in vivo growth of CRC cells. Here, we aim to further investigate alteration in the intestinal metabolites and explore the interplay between gut microbiota and intestinal metabolites upon calorie restriction.

Methods

Human colorectal cancer HCT116 cells were used to establish a colorectal cancer xenograft mouse model. The changes of intestinal metabolites in the ad libitum group and calorie restriction group were investigated through untargeted metabolomics analysis. The integrative analysis of gut microbiota and metabolites to elucidate the associations between gut microbiota and intestinal metabolites.

Results

Compared with the mice in the ad libitum group, mice upon calorie restriction exhibited downregulation of Isoleucyl-Valine, and upregulation of D-Proline, 1-Palmitoylphosphatidylcholine, and 4-Trimethylammoniobutanoic acid. Additionally, an integrative analysis of gut microbiota and metabolites revealed that Lactobacillus, Parabacteroides and rC4-4 genus were upregulated in the calorie restriction group and positively correlated with D-Proline, 4-Trimethylammoniobutanoic acid or 1-Palmitoylphosphatidylcholine, while negatively correlated with Isoleucyl-Valine. In contrast, the Nitrospirae and Deferribacteres phylum exhibited opposite trends.

Conclusion

Calorie restriction affects the abundance of gut microbes such as Nitrospirae phylum and Lactobacillus genus in mouse model of colorectal cancer, leading to changes in the metabolites such as D-Proline、Isoleucyl-Valine, which contributes to the suppression of in vivo growth of CRC by calorie restriction.
Strangulation During Sex Among Undergraduate Students in Australia: Toward Understanding Participation, Harms, and Education
Authors: Sharman Leah S. , Fitzgerald Robin , Douglas Heather
Published: February 2024

Background

Strangulation is becoming a more common sexual practice despite its potentially fatal consequences and associated short- and long-term sequelae. This research provides a preliminary examination of participation and perception toward strangulation during sex among Australian undergraduates.

Methods

This study utilized a confidential, cross-sectional online survey collected in 2022–2023. Analysis included 168 undergraduate students at an Australian University and explored their awareness of the harms of strangulation, understanding of criminalization, and the impact of education on these attitudes.

Results

In total, 56% reported ever being strangled during sex and 51% ever strangling a partner. Seventeen percent of participants reported being strangled and 13% strangling a partner during their last sexual experience. Higher frequency, wanting, and positive perceptions of strangulation were associated with more liberal sexual attitudes. However, there were differences depending on gender. Participants generally did not perceive strangulation to be harmful and had limited knowledge about its criminalization. Lastly, a brief education intervention on strangulation harms revealed reductions in positive perceptions of strangulation that were pronounced among women.

Conclusions

In this convenience survey, Australian university students commonly reported previously engaging in strangulation during sex but with limited awareness of the potential consequences. Our results indicate that education on these consequences could reduce positive perceptions of strangulation, particularly among women.

Policy Implications

Education on strangulation harms are likely more effective than criminalization alone in improving awareness of its consequences and changing perceptions of strangulation. These findings could help guide targeted policy and education on strangulation within sexual health contexts.
The Development and Evaluation of an Educational Video for Breast Cancer Patients Requiring Adjuvant Radiation Therapy
Authors: Moussa Yvonne , Jimenez Yobelli , Wang Wei , Nahar Najmun , Ahern Verity , Stuart Kirsty
Published: February 2024

Patient education and informed consent are required prior to adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) for early breast cancer (EBC), and include the role, rationale, potential toxicities and practicalities of the treatment process. Current education of patients about RT is verbal, in the form of a consultation by a radiation oncologist, often supplemented with print or online materials. This approach is limited by its doctor-dependency and non-standardised nature. Video education is being recognised increasingly as an opportunity to remediate this and appeal to patients’ preference for visual learning. The purpose of this study was to design and produce a video as an educational adjunct for EBC patients’ viewing prior to adjuvant RT, and to evaluate its acceptability through content analysis of three online focus group discussions, among ten participants with EBC requiring RT. After qualitative content analysis of the focus group transcripts, data were summarised into three main categories: (1) understanding of RT, (2) ease of engagement with the video and (3) anxiety and preparedness for RT. The 18-min video was positively received by all participants, and discussion feedback was used to inform improvements to the video. This focus group study demonstrated that the video was well understood, informative and acceptable to EBC patients in preparing them for RT. The effectiveness of the video in improving knowledge and alleviating distress in preparation for therapy will be further evaluated in an ethics-approved biphasic quasi-experimental study.
Pore structure characterization of sandstone under different water invasion cycles using micro-CT
Authors: Mao Weizheng , Yao Yujing , Qin Zhe , Liu Yongde , Han Jihuan , Liu Zhen
Published: February 2024

The meso-structural changes of rocks during repeated cycles of water invasion are the fundamental cause of macroscopic physical property damage. In this paper, based on the computed tomography scan images of rock samples under different numbers of water invasion cycles, a three-dimensional pore network model was constructed to analyze the changes in pore structure under the action of water invasion. The damage variable was introduced to quantitatively characterize the parameter damage of each pore and reveal the evolution of rock meso-damage. The results show that 81% of the pore radius is less than 10 μm under 0 water invasion cycles and that 76% of the pore radiuses are less than 10 μm after 10 water invasion cycles. After 10 water invasion cycles, the peak range of the pore radius distribution enlarged from the initial range of 2–4 μm to that of 4–6 μm and the proportion of pore throats with a radius less than 10 μm decreased from an initial 82–72%. With an increase of water invasion cycles, the proportion of large pores increased and the connectivity among pores enhances gradually. The damage variable of each pore parameter changed the most during 2–5 water invasion cycles. After 10 water invasion cycles, the maximum degree of damage that the pore volume reached was up to 41.44% and the minimum degree of damage of the pore coordination number was 5.80%. The test results helped to reveal the pore structure changes and the damage of rock samples during water invasion cycles.
Open Theism
Authors: Rhoda Alan R.
Published: February 2024

This Element shows Open theism as a monotheist model of God according to which the future is objectively open-ended, not just from the finite perspective of creation, but from God's perspective as well. This Element has three main sections. The first carefully defines open theism, distinguishes its major variants, compares it to other monotheistic models, and summarizes its history. The second develops biblical and philosophical arguments for open theism against its main rivals, emphasizing a novel philosophical argument that a causally open future must also be ontically, alethically, epistemically, and providentially open as well. The third responds to common objections against open theism related to perfect being theology, the ethics of risk-taking, biblical prophecy, and theological tradition.
Localizing Christopher Marlowe
Authors: Ide Arata
Published: February 2024

This study punctures stereotyped portrayals of Marlowe, and in doing so reveals the social and cultural discourses out of which such myths emerged.
Generation of polarized electron beams through self-injection in the interaction of a laser with a pre-polarized plasma
Authors: Yin L. R. , Li X. F. , Gu Y. J. , Cao N. , Kong Q. , Büscher M. , Weng S. M. , Chen M. , Sheng Z. M.
Published: February 2024

Polarized electron beam production via laser wakefield acceleration in pre-polarized plasma is investigated by particle-in-cell simulations. The evolution of the electron beam polarization is studied based on the Thomas–Bargmann–Michel–Telegdi equation for the transverse and longitudinal self-injection, and the depolarization process is found to be influenced by the injection schemes. In the case of transverse self-injection, as found typically in the bubble regime, the spin precession of the accelerated electrons is mainly influenced by the wakefield. However, in the case of longitudinal injection in the quasi-1D regime (for example, F. Y. Li et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 135002 (2013)), the direction of electron spin oscillates in the laser field. Since the electrons move around the laser axis, the net influence of the laser field is nearly zero and the contribution of the wakefield can be ignored. Finally, an ultra-short electron beam with polarization of

$99\%$

can be obtained using longitudinal self-injection.
Classical Studies Trends: teaching Classics in secondary schools in the UK
Authors: Hunt Steven
Published: February 2024

The Classical Association, working with the charity Classics for All, is conscious of the vulnerability of Classics in the secondary education system and wants to understand the reasons behind this. Concern about the decline of classical subjects at GCSE and A Level has been mounting, indicated largely by exam entry data suggesting that entries for classical subjects are low and in the case of the ancient languages in decline.1 The Council of University Classics Departments Bulletin annually publishes statistics for student entries for national examinations at GCSE and A level in classical subjects. But this does not capture the full picture, nor does it represent the other constituent parts of the UK, which have their own examination systems. Therefore, in late 2021 the Classical Association and Classics for All designed a new Classical Studies Survey (the ‘Survey’), to fill in more detailed information about what is going on in schools' classics departments more widely through the UK, across Key Stages 3–5, and to provide practising teachers with an opportunity to make recommendations for future developments in courses for classical subjects. The Survey asked teachers to comment on the current situation for Latin, Ancient Greek, Classical Civilisation and Ancient History, the factors affecting these trends, and what support they considered they would need for Classics to survive in their institutions. This Survey collated data rigorously and enables the Classical Association on behalf of the classics teaching community to make compelling arguments in relation to education policies and examination reform.
Rewriting the Textbook: an investigation into students’ practices with creative composition in a Year 7 Latin class
Authors: Trusted Adam
Published: February 2024

This project investigated the effectiveness of a creative Latin composition exercise. Within this exercise, students built upon existing Latin textbook material, inserting their own character into an existing Cambridge Latin Course (CLC) story (CSCP, 1998). This form of exercise has links to more conventional prose composition exercises, but it also takes inspiration from exercises which use fanfiction to improve language skills (Bahoric and Swaggerty, 2015).
Global Vegetation‐Temperature Sensitivity and Its Driving Forces in the 21st Century
Authors: Yuxi Wang , Li Peng , Yuemin Yue , Tiantian Chen
Published: February 2024

It has been projected that climatic warming will contribute to vegetation productivity variability at the global scale. With a continued warming, to what extent and where the vegetation productivity is most affected by warming has still not been adequately quantified. Herein, based on 11 earth system model outputs, we predict the characteristics of vegetation‐temperature sensitivity (Svpt, defined as higher/lower temperature produce more/less vegetation) changes under different CO2 emission scenarios and various vegetation types, further assessing the relationship of the Svpt to socio‐ecosystems. At the end of the 21st century, the area proportion with the global temperature increases >2°C under the SSP1‐2.6, SSP2‐4.5, SSP3‐7.0, and SSP5‐8.5 scenarios are 3%, 40%, 97%, and 99%, respectively. The largest contribution to the global terrestrial gross primary productivity growth is at low latitudes. 33%–63% of global terrestrial ecosystems show a significantly negative trend in the Svpt, indicating the weakened promotion effect of warming on vegetation growth. In particular, in 2060, there will be a clear reversal of the trend from carbon sink to carbon source under the SSP3‐7.0 scenario, spatially distributed mainly in the Amazon rainforest, tropical Africa, and southern North America. Precipitation is also an important factor affecting the Svpt change, and there is an inverted U‐shaped relationship between them. Precipitation thresholds are higher under the high emission scenario when Svpt reaches its highest value. Moreover, socio‐demographic pressures in places like Central Africa and East Africa will offset the promotion of vegetation growth by warming; in the future, these countries should develop appropriate population and land management strategies to achieve socio‐ecosystems sustainable development.
Shared genetic architecture and causal relationship between sleep behaviors and lifespan
Authors: Wu Yong , Zhang Chu-Yi , Liu Xiaolan , Wang Lu , Li Ming , Li Yi , Xiao Xiao
Published: February 2024

Poor sleep health is associated with a wide array of increased risk for cardiovascular, metabolic and mental health problems as well as all-cause mortality in observational studies, suggesting potential links between sleep health and lifespan. However, it has yet to be determined whether sleep health is genetically or/and causally associated with lifespan. In this study, we firstly studied the genome-wide genetic association between four sleep behaviors (short sleep duration, long sleep duration, insomnia, and sleep chronotype) and lifespan using GWAS summary statistics, and both sleep duration time and insomnia were negatively correlated with lifespan. Then, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) and multivariable MR analyses were applied to explore the causal effects between sleep behaviors and lifespan. We found that genetically predicted short sleep duration was causally and negatively associated with lifespan in univariable and multivariable MR analyses, and this effect was partially mediated by coronary artery disease (CAD), type 2 diabetes (T2D) and depression. In contrast, we found that insomnia had no causal effects on lifespan. Our results further confirmed the negative effects of short sleep duration on lifespan and suggested that extension of sleep may benefit the physical health of individuals with sleep loss. Further attention should be given to such public health issues.
Age at lung cancer diagnosis in females versus males who never smoke by race and ethnicity
Authors: Blechter Batel , Wong Jason Y. Y. , Chien Li-Hsin , Shiraishi Kouya , Shu Xiao-Ou , Cai Qiuyin , Zheng Wei , Ji Bu-Tian , Hu Wei , Rahman Mohammad L. , Jiang Hsin-Fang , Tsai Fang-Yu , Huang Wen-Yi , Gao Yu-Tang , Han Xijing , Steinwandel Mark D. , Yang Gong , Daida Yihe G. , Liang Su-Ying , Gomez Scarlett L. , DeRouen Mindy C. , Diver W. Ryan , Reddy Ananya G. , Patel Alpa V. , Le Marchand Loïc , Haiman Christopher , Kohno Takashi , Cheng Iona , Chang I-Shou , Hsiung Chao Agnes , Rothman Nathaniel , Lan Qing
Published: February 2024

Background

We characterized age at diagnosis and estimated sex differences for lung cancer and its histological subtypes among individuals who never smoke.

Methods

We analyzed the distribution of age at lung cancer diagnosis in 33,793 individuals across 8 cohort studies and two national registries from East Asia, the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). Student’s t-tests were used to assess the study population differences (Δ years) in age at diagnosis comparing females and males who never smoke across subgroups defined by race/ethnicity, geographic location, and histological subtypes.

Results

We found that among Chinese individuals diagnosed with lung cancer who never smoke, females were diagnosed with lung cancer younger than males in the Taiwan Cancer Registry (n = 29,832) (Δ years = −2.2 (95% confidence interval (CI):−2.5, −1.9), in Shanghai (n = 1049) (Δ years = −1.6 (95% CI:-2.9, −0.3), and in Sutter Health and Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʽi in the US (n = 82) (Δ years = −11.3 (95% CI: −17.7, −4.9). While there was a suggestion of similar patterns in African American and non-Hispanic White individuals. the estimated differences were not consistent across studies and were not statistically significant.

Conclusions

We found evidence of sex differences for age at lung cancer diagnosis among individuals who never smoke.