bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vitamin supplementation in the treatment of curled toe paralysis in 50 CHABRO chicks
Authors: Arya Kanchan , Bahuguna Abhishek , Bisht Gauri Shankar
Published: October 2024

Chickens are much more susceptible to deficiency diseases, especially vitamin deficiencies, than other animals. Chicken being the monogastric animal, the gut flora of chicken does not synthesise any vitamins rather competes with the host for dietary vitamins. In this case report, some of the 50 Chabro chicks showed reduced feed intake, toe deformities, unable to walk properly, loose faeces and mortality. The chicks were reared under a backyard poultry farm. All the chicks were given commercial ration. On clinical examination, the chicks had curled toes, feed particles in the beak, soiled feathers and mucus in the eyes. The chicks were given Vitaplex Pro in drinking water for 15 days. The chicks were found fully recovered after 3 weeks of treatment. This case report revealed the possibility of rearing newly hatched chicks with immediate access to feed and water along with supplementation of multivitamins for optimum growth performance.
A Semi-physical Multi-layer Tyre Temperature Model that Enables a Pragmatic Parameter Identification
Authors: Schabauer Martin , Scherndl Christoph , Lex Cornelia
Published: October 2024

This article deals with the enhancement of a previously developed tyre temperature model based on a multi-layer modelling approach for vehicle handling dynamics analyses. The enhancements include boundary conditions, modelling of internal heating mechanisms and especially the description of heat generation within the contact patch. Based on the proposed simple but effective modelling approaches, the dissipation power due to periodic deformation of the rotating tyre structure and sliding within the contact patch is described by information from steady-state tyre force characteristics only. All boundary conditions are modelled by semi-physical approaches to enable a pragmatic parameter identification, even by educated estimates if no measurement data is available. The parameter identification is discussed and the enhanced tyre temperature model is validated with measurement data from a tyre testing series. Measured temperature distributions of the outer surface of the tread, the inner liner and the sidewall including the tyre shoulder are presented. The model performance is analysed based on three different parameter sets, which differ in the considered quantity of measurement and tyre property data that is available for parameter identification. The applicability of the proposed model is demonstrated and the influence of parameter uncertainties on simulated tyre temperatures is analysed.
Social Sustainability Framework for Measuring Socio-cultural Impacts of Cultural Heritage Adaptive Reuse
Authors: Żbikowska Agata , Roszczyńska-Kurasińska Magdalena , Ślosarski Bartosz , Domaradzka Anna
Published: October 2024

This chapter argues that successfully applying circularity frameworks in cultural heritage projects, especially those tied to local identity, shared history, and a sense of place, often requires ongoing monitoring of the socio-cultural environment, with particular attention to social sustainability. This is crucial for two main reasons: first, the socio-cultural context plays a significant role in shaping how adaptive reuse efforts are perceived and embraced, influencing changes both in the physical environment and within the local community’s mindset. Second, adaptive reuse projects themselves impact the socio-cultural landscape by introducing new ideas and solutions. This dynamic creates a feedback loop, which can either reinforce community cohesion and make the reuse project a success, or, conversely, result in minimal changes or even unintended negative consequences for the neighborhood.
Multidimensional Spillovers of Cultural Heritage Through Regional Development and Circular Economy
Authors: Stanojev Jermina , Gustafsson Christer
Published: October 2024

In the phase of the advancement of conservation as a science and process, defined as Conservation 3.0, conservation of historic environments is observed as a source for development and shall be envisaged as a production factor, and as investments that are anticipated to be central to the returns in the future (Ost 2009). In line with that, an enlarged significance has been determined in evaluating social environmental and economic spillover effects of cultural heritage that could be understood as a vector with focus on development and continuity (Janssen et al. 2017). This indicates that the consequence, or the spillover effects, from investing in cultural heritage are comprehended as contributors to sustainable development and are used as starting points for planning the priorities for cultural heritage management (Gustafsson 2019). The importance for the cultural heritage sector is no longer solely on preservation and protection- to be able to identify new actions to take place in historic buildings has become more essential. Adaptive re-use is defined as “any building work and intervention aimed at changing its capacity, function or performance to adjust, reuse or upgrade a building to suit new conditions or requirements” (Douglas 2006). These activities and actions are expected to bring spilovers at the regional level.
Business Models for Cultural Heritage Adaptive Reuse
Authors: Vellecco Immacolata , Martone Assunta
Published: October 2024

Literature on business models is a pillar of management research and its recent contributions have broadened traditional frameworks to include sustainability and circular economy issues. However, contributions focused on business models of cultural heritage have always been scarce; moreover, most of the studies on adaptive reuse of cultural heritage are based on the analysis of individual assets. A few studies make in-depth analysis of the business model and they hardly produce generalizable results, due to the idiosyncratic nature of cultural heritage and its link with the cultural, social, environmental and economic context, that makes it difficult to replicate the process and decisions of reuse (in structural and managerial terms).
Heritage-Led Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Skills and Role of Startups and Innovation
Authors: Gravagnuolo Antonia , Lupu Aliona , Stanojev Jermina , Catanese Valeria
Published: October 2024

Cultural heritage is recognized as a powerful driver of sustainable development in cities and regions. The adaptive reuse and regeneration of cultural and natural heritage can become a driver of jobs creation, as demonstrated by many experiences. At the same time, cultural heritage adaptive reuse can involve communities in innovative and unexpected ways, generating multiple positive impacts in the territories and boosting a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable development model to finally create cities of opportunities connecting culture and innovation. This chapter aims to share the experience of the Horizon 2020 CLIC project in developing innovative circular business models for cultural heritage adaptive reuse, through the selection and training of start-ups during the entrepreneurial event of the CLIC Startup Competition in 2020 and subsequent mentoring programme. The chapter presents virtuous case studies as examples of successful social entrepreneurship and circular business model of heritage reuse and regeneration. A critical reflection on the role of social entrepreneurship and innovative business models for circular cultural heritage adaptive reuse is provided based on the experience of the project.
Understanding Best Practices of Cultural Heritage Adaptive Reuse in the Perspective of the Circular Economy: In-Depth Assessment of Case Studies
Authors: Buglione Francesca , Gravagnuolo Antonia , Angrisano Mariarosaria , Iodice Silvia , Bosone Martina , De Toro Pasquale , Fusco Girard Luigi
Published: October 2024

The CLIC adaptive reuse of cultural heritage argued that cultural heritage adaptive reuse can represent a viable strategy for the implementation of circular cities and regions, contributing to the reuse of natural and cultural resources, the re-generation of values of heritage sites and buildings, and in many cases also to social and community bonds regeneration thanks to new social uses of heritage sites. In the first phase of the adaptive reuse of cultural heritage, the theoretical circular model of cultural heritage adaptive reuse was developed applying inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary approaches involving adaptive reuse of cultural heritage and practitioners from diverse fields in a common reflection. The circular model was discussed, and further explored through the analysis of cultural heritage adaptive reuse practices, applying statistical analysis tools to identify the “best practices” in the perspective of circularity. The experiences analysed were not meant initially to reach specific circularity goals, and therefore they do not represent yet “ideal” solutions for circular adaptive reuse of cultural heritage. However, relevant lessons can be learnt from these practices, that can be applied in the design and implementation of future circular solutions for abandoned and underused cultural heritage.
The CLIC Multidimensional Impacts Assessment Framework: Criteria and Indicators for Circular “Human-Centred” Adaptive Reuse of Cultural Heritage
Authors: Gravagnuolo Antonia , Bosone Martina , Fusco Girard Luigi
Published: October 2024

Heritage is present in everyday society and it is a resource linked to social capital, economic growth, and environmental sustainability (Bandarin and van Oers 2014). Adaptive reuse is defined as “any building work and intervention aimed at changing its capacity, function or performance to adjust, reuse or upgrade a building to suit new conditions or requirements” (Douglas 2006). In Historic Preservation: Curatorial Management of the Built World (1982), James Marston Fitch points out that the adaptive reuse of historic buildings “is more economic” not only in terms of the “conservation of the energy represented by the built environment,” but also for the “relative costs of old and new built space”. Adaptive reuse can be an effective conservation strategy allowing present and future use of abandoned heritage buildings, groups of buildings, landscapes or sites, changing and enhancing their functions and adapting the existing features to new needs (Bullen and Love 2010). However, the adaptive reuse intervention should not compromise heritage values, thus the threshold of transformation versus conservation should be carefully identified. Cultural heritage adaptive reuse is a complex activity, where multiple and often conflicting values need to be considered (CHCfE consortium 2015). Therefore, adaptive reuse should be supported by adequate multidimensional and multicriteria evaluation tools which enable to deal with multiple values and needs, also considering the diverse range of stakeholders, users and beneficiaries of the interventions This study presents the structured framework for the ex-post and ex-ante evaluation of the impacts of cultural heritage adaptive reuse practices in the perspective of the circular economy. It builds on previous analysis of more than 120 case studies of cultural heritage adaptive reuse. The aim of this chapter is to identify multidimensional evaluation tools, as criteria and indicators, according to the CLIC framework of circular adaptive reuse of cultural heritage, starting from the analysis of previous studies and ex-post evaluation of adaptive reuse practices, to structure a comprehensive operational framework for ex-ante evaluation and participatory decision-support in the perspective of circularity.
A New Approach to Universal F-inverse Monoids in Enriched Signature
Authors: Kudryavtseva Ganna , Lemut Furlani Ajda
Published: October 2024

We show that the universal X-generated F-inverse monoid F(G), where G is an X-generated group, introduced by Auinger, Szendrei and the first-named author, arises as a quotient inverse monoid of the Margolis-Meakin expansion $$M(G, X\cup {\overline{G}})$$

M
(
G
,
X
∪

G
¯

)

of G, with respect to the extended generating set $$X\cup {\overline{G}}$$

X
∪

G
¯

, where $${\overline{G}}$$

G
¯

is a bijective copy of G which encodes the m-operation in F(G). The construction relies on a certain dual-closure operator on the semilattice of all finite and connected subgraphs containing the origin of the Cayley graph $${\text {Cay}}(G, X\cup {{\overline{G}}})$$

Cay
(
G
,
X
∪

G
¯

)

and leads to a new and simpler proof of the universal property of F(G).
Wood treatment by inorganic alumino-silicate polymers
Authors: Barbero-López Aitor , Kinnunen Paivo , Haapala Antti
Published: October 2024

This work assesses the effectiveness of dilute inorganic alumino-silicate polymer suspensions in enhancing wood’s durability, fire resistance, and mechanical properties. Alumino-silicate polymer-treated wood exposed to Coniophora puteana lost less than 3% mass on average, compared to 20% for controls. The moduli of elasticity and rupture of treated specimens were nearly twice as high as those of the controls. Coating with the inorganic polymer was also effective as a fire retardant. Results indicate that inorganic alumino-silicate polymers are a very promising wood treatment.
Chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and pyrite chemistry in stratiform sediment-hosted Cu(-Co) metallogenic districts: trace element characteristics and factors controlling polymetallic mineralization
Authors: Bertrandsson Erlandsson Viktor , Foltyn Krzysztof , Muchez Philippe , Rantitsch Gerd , Ellmies Rainer , Melcher Frank
Published: October 2024

Stratiform sediment-hosted Cu deposits are significant global sources of Cu and other important metals. The Polish Kupferschiefer produces Ag, Au, Pb, Ni, Se, and Re as by-products, whereas Co is one the of most important metals in the stratiform sediment-hosted Cu-Co deposits of the Central African Copperbelt and the Namibian Dolostone Ore Formation deposit. This study combines new and published laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry sulfide trace element data from these stratiform sediment-hosted copper districts. All the investigated districts exhibit sulfides occurring as disseminations and within later veins. Chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and pyrite trace element contents vary significantly between the metallogenic districts as well as between different ore stages. Random Forest discriminates the stratiform sediment-hosted Cu(-Co) districts based on trace element geochemistry. High Ag and Tl in chalcopyrite is attributed to the Polish Kupferschiefer, Ga and Ge to the Katanga Copperbelt, and Zn and In to the Dolostone Ore Formation deposit. Sphalerite from the Polish Kupferschiefer and the Dolostone Ore Formation deposit can be distinguished on the basis of the Fe and Cd contents. Cobalt and As are significantly elevated in pyrite from the Katanga Copperbelt and Mn in pyrite from the Dolostone Ore Formation deposit. The trace element contents also show that the stratiform sediment-hosted Cu(-Co) deposit sulfide data cluster separately from other deposit types. The variation in sulfide trace element contents between the three investigated stratiform sediment-hosted Cu(-Co) districts suggests that sulfide chemistry is related to the geology of the host basin and the nature of the underlying basement, which includes preexisting ore occurrences.
Classification, angioarchitecture and treatment outcomes of medullary bridging vein-draining dural arteriovenous fistulas in the foramen magnum region: a multicenter study
Authors: Ozaki Tomohiko , Hiramatsu Masafumi , Nakamura Hajime , Niimi Yasunari , Tanoue Shuichi , Mizutani Katsuhiro , Nakahara Ichiro , Matsumaru Yuji , Matsumoto Yasushi , Krings Timo , Fujinaka Toshiyuki
Published: October 2024

Purpose

This study aimed to classify medullary bridging vein-draining dural arteriovenous fistulas (MBV-DAVFs) located around the foramen magnum (FM) according to their location and characterize their angioarchitecture and treatment outcomes.

Methods

Patients with MBV-DAVFs diagnosed between January 2013 and October 2022 were included. MBV-DAVFs were classified into four groups. Jugular vein-bridging vein (JV-BV) DAVF: located in proximity to jugular fossa, Anterior condylar vein (ACV)-BV DAVF: proximity to anterior condylar canal, Marginal sinus (MS)-BV DAVF: lateral surface of FM and Suboccipital cavernous sinus (SCS)-BV DAVF: proximity to dural penetration of vertebral artery.

Results

Twenty patients were included, three JV-BV, four ACV-BV, three MS-BV and ten SCS-BV DAVFs, respectively. All groups showed male predominance. There were significant differences in main feeders between JV (jugular branch of ascending pharyngeal artery) and SCS group (C1 dural branch). Pial feeders from anterior spinal artery (ASA) or lateral spinal artery (LSA) were visualized in four SCS and one MS group. Drainage pattern did not differ between groups. Transarterial embolization (TAE) was performed in three, two, one and two cases and complete obliteration was obtained in 100%, 50%, 100% and 0% in JV, ACS, MS and SCS group, respectively. Successful interventions without major complications were finally obtained in 100%, 75%, 100%, and 40% in JV, ACS, MS and SCS group, respectively.

Conclusion

JV-BV DAVFs were successfully treated using TAE alone. SCS-BV DAVFs were mainly fed by small C1 dural branches of vertebral artery often with pial feeders from ASA or LSA, and difficultly treated by TAE alone.
Elevated Trans-mitral Pressure Gradient Predicts Surgery in Young People with Moderate–Severe Rheumatic Mitral Regurgitation
Authors: Williamson Jacqueline M. , Whalley Gillian A. , Horton Ari E. , Morris Peter , Remenyi Bo
Published: October 2024

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most common lesion in children with rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Progression of RHD results in the need for surgical intervention, the timing of which is dictated by left ventricular dilatation and the onset of heart failure symptoms. We sought to determine whether elevation in trans-mitral pressure gradient (TMPG) in those with moderate or severe rheumatic MR without significant mitral stenosis (MS) could predict the need for future surgical intervention. Echocardiographic studies were reviewed for 116 children and young people with moderate or severe rheumatic MR. Those with significant mitral stenosis or concurrent aortic valve disease were excluded. Trans-mitral pressure gradient was measured at baseline and details of mitral valve surgical intervention were retrieved from a registry database. Time to future surgery (up to six years) was compared between those with TMPG < 5 mmHg and TMPG ≥ 5 mmHg. Survival curves demonstrated an increased risk of surgery for those with TMPG ≥ 5 mmHg with Cox proportional regression analysis providing a hazard ratio of 5.8. The proportion free from mitral valve surgery at one year for the TMPG < 5 mmHg group was 0.94 (95% CI 0.86–0.97), compared to 0.62 (95% CI 0.42–0.77) in the ≥ 5 mmHg group. Trans-mitral pressure gradient is a strong predictor of future mitral valve surgery in children and young people with significant rheumatic MR without MS. This non-invasive measure could be used to signal the need for more aggressive monitoring in order to optimize the timing of intervention.
Retinal oxygen metabolic function in choroideremia and retinitis pigmentosa
Authors: Prétot Dominique , della Volpe Waizel Maria , Kaminska Karolina , Valmaggia Philippe , Placidi Giorgio , Falsini Benedetto , Fries Fabian N. , Szentmáry Nóra , Rivolta Carlo , Scholl Hendrik P. N. , Calzetti Giacomo
Published: October 2024

Purpose

To measure the retinal oxygen metabolic function with retinal oximetry (RO) in patients with choroideremia (CHM) and compare these findings with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients and controls.

Methods

Prospective observational study including 18 eyes of 9 molecularly confirmed CHM patients (9♂; 40.2 ± 21.2 years (mean ± SD), 77 eyes from 39 patients with RP (15♀ 24♂; 45.6 ± 14.7 years) and 100 eyes from 53 controls (31♀ 22♂; 40.2 ± 13.4 years). Main outcome parameters were the mean arterial (A-SO2; %), venular (V-SO2; %) oxygen saturation, and their difference (A-V SO2; %) recorded with the oxygen saturation tool of the Retinal Vessel Analyzer (IMEDOS Systems UG, Germany). Statistical analyses were performed with linear mixed-effects models.

Results

Eyes suffering from CHM differed significantly from both RP and control eyes, when the retinal oxygen metabolic parameters were taken into account. While RP showed significantly higher A-SO2 and V-SO2 values when compared to controls, CHM showed opposite findings with significantly lower values when compared to both RP and controls (P < 0.001). The A-V SO2, which represents the retinal oxygen metabolic consumption, showed significantly lower values in CHM compared to controls.

Conclusion

The retina in CHM is a relatively hypoxic environment. The decrease in oxygen levels may be due to the profound choroidal degeneration, leading to decreased oxygen flux to the retina. RO measurements may help understand the pathogenesis of CHM and RP. These findings may provide useful details to inform the planning of clinical trials of emerging therapies for CHM.

Key messages

What was known before?

Retinal oxygen metabolic function measured with retinal oximetry (RO) shows significant alterations in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

What this study adds:

RO function in choroideremia is significantly altered when compared to controls.

Furthermore, RO in choroideremia shows opposing findings within different oxygen metabolic parameters to those that were so far known for retinitis pigmentosa.

By providing insights into the retinal oxygen metabolic mechanisms, RO can help understand the underlying pathophysiology in choroideremia.
Mises-Fisher similarity-based boosted additive angular margin loss for breast cancer classification
Authors: Alirezazadeh P. , Dornaika F. , Charafeddine J.
Published: October 2024

To enhance the accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis, current practices rely on biopsies and microscopic examinations. However, this approach is known for being time-consuming, tedious, and costly. While convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have shown promise for their efficiency and high accuracy, training them effectively becomes challenging in real-world learning scenarios such as class imbalance, small-scale datasets, and label noises. Angular margin-based softmax losses, which concentrate on the angle between features and classifiers embedded in cosine similarity at the classification layer, aim to regulate feature representation learning. Nevertheless, the cosine similarity’s lack of a heavy tail impedes its ability to compactly regulate intra-class feature distribution, limiting generalization performance. Moreover, these losses are constrained to target classes when margin penalties are applied, which may not always optimize effectiveness. Addressing these hurdles, we introduce an innovative approach termed MF-BAM (Mises-Fisher Similarity-based Boosted Additive Angular Margin Loss), which extends beyond traditional cosine similarity and is anchored in the von Mises-Fisher distribution. MF-BAM not only penalizes the angle between deep features and their corresponding target class weights but also considers angles between deep features and weights associated with non-target classes. Through extensive experimentation on the BreaKHis dataset, MF-BAM achieves outstanding accuracies of 99.92%, 99.96%, 100.00%, and 98.05% for magnification levels of ×40, ×100, ×200, and ×400, respectively. Furthermore, additional experiments conducted on the BACH dataset for breast cancer classification, as well as on the LFW and YTF datasets for face recognition, affirm the generalization capability of our proposed loss function.
Snow leopard phylogeography and population structure supports two global populations with single refugial origin
Authors: Cancellare Imogene A. , Weckworth Byron , Caragiulo Anthony , Pilgrim Kristine L. , McCarthy Thomas M. , Abdullaev Alisher , Amato George , Bian Xiaoxing , Bykova Elena , Dias-Freedman Isabela , Gritsina Mariya , Hennelly Lauren M. , Janjua Safia , Johansson Orjan , Kachel Shannon , Karnaukhov Alexander , Korablev Miroslav , Kubanychbekov Zairbek , Kulenbekov Rahim , Liang Xuchang , Lkhagvajav Purevjav , Meyer Tara K. , Munkhtsog Bariushaa , Munkhtsog Bayaraa , Nawaz Muhammad A. , Ostrowski Stephane , Paltsyn Mikhail , Poyarkov Andrey , Rabinowitz Salisa , Rooney Thomas , Rosen Tatjana , Rozhnov Viatcheslav V. , Sacks Benjamin N. , Schwartz Michael K. , McCarthy Kyle P.
Published: October 2024

Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) inhabit the mountainous regions of High Asia, which experienced serial glacial contraction and expansion during climatic cycles of the Pleistocene. The corresponding impacts of glacial vicariance may have alternately promoted or constrained genetic differentiation to shape the distribution of genetic lineages and population structure. We studied snow leopard phylogeography across High Asia by examining range-wide historical and contemporary genetic structure with mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite markers. We genotyped 182 individuals from across snow leopard range and sequenced portions of the mitogenome in a spatially stratified subset of 80 individuals to infer historical biogeographic and contemporary patterns of genetic diversity. We observed a lack of phylogeographic structure, and analyses suggested a single refugial origin for all sampled populations. Molecular data provided tentative evidence of a hypothesized glacial refugia in the Tian Shan-Pamir-Hindu Kush-Karakoram mountain ranges, and detected mixed signatures of population expansion. Concordant assessments of microsatellite data indicated two global genetic populations, though we detected geographic differences between historical and contemporary population structure and connectivity inferred from mitochondrial and microsatellite data, respectively. Using the largest sample size and geographic coverage to date, we demonstrate novel information on the phylogeographic history of snow leopards, and corroborate existing interpretations of snow leopard connectivity and genetic structure. We recommend that conservation efforts incorporate genetic data to define and protect meaningful conservation units and their underlying genetic diversity, and to maintain the snow leopard’s adaptive potential and continued resilience to environmental changes.
From greatest simplicity to full power
Authors: Gomes Luís , Branco António , Silva João , Branco Ruben
Published: October 2024

While language processing services are key assets for the science and technology of language, the possible ways under which they may be made available to the widest range of their end users are critical to support an Open Science policy for this scientific domain. Although providing such processing services under some web-based interface, at large, offers itself as an immediate and cogent response to that challenge, turning this view into an effective access to language processing services is an undertaking deserving a clear conceptual direction and a corresponding robust empirical validation. Based on an extensive overview of major undertakings towards making language processing tools available and on the design principles worked out and implemented in the PORTULAN CLARIN infrastructure, in this paper we advocate for a Research-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (RIaaS) model. This model unleashes accessibility to language processing services in as many web-based interface modalities as the current stage of technological development permits to support, in order to serve as many types of end users as possible, from IT developers to Digital Humanities researchers, and including citizen scientists, teachers, students and digital artists among many others.
Appreciating dyslexic thinking in qualitative research: reflections and recommendations for culturally competent, neuro-inclusive academia
Authors: Ademolu Edward
Published: October 2024

Dyslexia and its associated learning challenges are often misconstrued as intellectual deficits, leading to erroneous assumptions that individuals with dyslexia cannot thrive or contribute meaningfully to academic institutions. However, this article contends that the unique thinking patterns associated with dyslexia are complementary to and can substantially enrich the professional practice of qualitative research. The social model of disability emphasises how Higher Education Institutions, rooted in ableist and neurotypical norms, often marginalise and fail to accommodate dyslexic cognitive profiles. Conversely, cultural competency, as an actionable conceptual framework, calls for transformative changes that promote understanding, build meaningful relationships, and ensure effective communication with neurodivergent individuals. Drawing on my experience as a dyslexic academic, I examine critical discussions on disability, neurodiversity, higher education, and qualitative research. Adopting an autoethnographic methodological approach, I highlight my professional strengths within this context, and propose an adaptable cultural competency framework aimed at cultivating neuro-inclusive—and specifically dyslexic-friendly practices, at the individual and organisational levels within academia.
Putting the Honor Back in Academic Honor Systems
Authors: Cheung Kelly , Vaish Amrisha
Published: October 2024

In higher education in the United States, the language of honor is prevalent in academic settings. For the purposes of creating a fair educational environment and aiding in students’ personal character development, many universities and colleges implement honor systems that require students to adhere to honor codes. Most of these honor systems penalize forms of academic dishonesty, with some extending to include inappropriate social behaviors such as discrimination and harassment. We argue that the focus of academic honor systems on sanctioning honor violations overemphasizes the extrinsic motivation for compliance and detracts from the intended goal to nurture personal character development and the intrinsic motivation to act honorably. Despite this divergence from their intended goal, academic honor systems should be preserved because, if modified to align with the psychological principles underlying intrinsic motivation and the internalization of and adherence to moral norms, they can serve the significant goal, especially in an educational setting, of shaping individuals and a society that value honor and integrity.
Perceptions of fairness, inclusion and safety: the differential impact of contrasting experiences on academics and professional services staff
Authors: Pinho Mariana , Colston Belinda
Published: October 2024

The current study explores how organizational dimensions relate to and impact organizational commitment, comparing staff in academic positions with staff in professional services roles. Data was collected from 281 academic and 294 professional services staff within university environments who completed extensive questionnaires. Overall academics manifested lower levels of emotional attachment to, and perceived obligation to remain in their university, felt less safe to take interpersonal risks, to speak up and lower support for their work-life balance than their professional services colleagues. The perception of procedural fairness and discrimination impacted academics loyalty and felt obligation to remain and reciprocate organizational investments to a higher extent. Psychological safety positively influenced staff’s commitment. Emotional and obligation-based types of commitment were more strongly affected by psychological safety among academics than professional services staff. Finally, work-life balance support positively influenced staff’s commitment, appearing to be an equally important dimension to drive emotional and obligation-based types of commitment from both academics and professional services staff. This study brings important contributions to research on the working environment of academics and professional services staff and indicates that development of clear policies to promote and maintain fairness, psychological safety and work-life balance, together with active monitoring and evaluation of their impact, should be a key focus for higher education institutions.
Recovering MRI magnetic field strength properties using machine learning based on image compression quality scores
Authors: Urbaniak Ilona , Biskup Piotr
Published: October 2024

Over the years, significant hardware advancements have led to higher magnetic field MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) acquisitions, providing improved diagnostic image quality at a higher cost. While higher image quality is desired, the investment required for high-field MRI imaging systems remains a significant consideration. Furthermore, historical patient records may still contain low-field magnetic strength MRI data. In this work, we present how image compression quality scores of MRI images could be used to recover their magnetic field strength properties. This work presents an interesting inverse problem scenario where output properties are used to recover an input property of an image. We implemented supervised machine learning models that utilize compressed image quality scores - based on Mean Squared Error (MSE), Structural Similarity Index (SSIM), Visual Information Fidelity (VIF), and Earth Movers Distance (EM) metrics - as inputs. These models classify images into specific classes of magnetic field strength at which they were acquired (Low, Medium, and High) based solely on the quality scores of their compressed copies. The trained machine learning models (Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic Regression, K-nearest Neighbours (KNN), Decision Tree and Random Forest) achieved nearly 100% performance efficiency based on accuracy and F-1 score for all considered quality measures. This comprehensive evaluation offers insights into how compression techniques and quality factors impact image fidelity across various MRI magnetic field strengths. The findings of this study may prove valuable in recovering missing meta-tag information in historical image DICOM records and Context-Based Retrieval Systems (CBRS). The approach of using quality scores as features in training machine learning models, as demonstrated in this work, can be extended to other image groups where input parameters create statistically significant distinctions or are challenging to extract from images.
Surviving Exile. Queer Displaced People’s Lived Experiences of Aid, Risks and Coping in Kakuma
Authors: Krause Ulrike , Segadlo Nadine
Published: October 2024

This paper examines the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ displaced individuals in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. Drawing on situated knowledge and relational agency, it delves into how queer people experience the humanitarian-aid system on-site, what risks they encounter, and how they exert agency to cope with the prevalent challenges of day to day life. Findings reveal that, in a country context where same-sex relations are illegalized and queer people criminalized, those displaced face heightened risks. They are confronted with the heteronormative paradigms inherent to the humanitarian-aid system, ones resulting in their neglect and denied access to much-needed assistance and protection. Structural and physical violence such as discrimination, exclusion, harassment and threats of murder exacerbate unrelenting fears and tangible risks in the camp. To navigate these challenges, they employ diverse individual and especially collective coping strategies, creating safe spaces for mutual support, exchange and hope.
Thrombotic complications following bariatric surgery: how medical tourism poses challenges to comprehensive care in obesity medicine
Authors: Mandour Mandour Omer , Bakewell Robert , Ong John
Published: October 2024

The global prevalence of obesity has more than tripled since 1975. Unfortunately, bariatric surgery waiting lists can last many years therefore many patients seek alternative options such as “medical tourism” by venturing abroad for surgery. We describe two cases of porto-mesenteric venous thrombosis in patients who travelled abroad for bariatric surgery. Upon returning both cases required interventional radiological management, and in the first case, the patient underwent a small bowel resection for bowel ischaemia. Porto-mesenteric complications are significant and have profound lifelong consequences. Therefore, it is imperative that patient education is significantly improved, and more stringent regulations by health authorities are put in place to avoid the growing complications of negative health tourism.
Advances in the role of membrane-bound transcription factors in carcinogenesis and therapy
Authors: Deng JiaLi , Zhou Jie , Jiang BinYuan
Published: October 2024

Protein shuttling between the cytoplasm and nucleus is a unique phenomenon in eukaryotic organisms, integral to various cellular functions. Membrane-bound transcription factors (MTFs), a specialized class of nucleocytoplasmic shuttling proteins, are anchored to the cell membrane and enter the nucleus upon ligand binding to exert their transcriptional regulatory functions. MTFs are crucial in cellular signal transduction, and aberrant nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of MTFs is closely associated with tumor initiation, progression, and resistance to anticancer therapies. Studies have demonstrated that MTFs, such as human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER), fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR), β-catenin, Notch, insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R), and insulin receptor (IR), play critical roles in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Targeted therapies developed against HERs and FGFRs, among these MTFs, have yielded significant success in cancer treatment. However, the development of drug resistance remains a major challenge. As research on MTFs progress, it is anticipated that additional MTF-targeted therapies will be developed to enhance cancer treatment. In this review, we summarized recent advancements in the study of MTFs and their roles in carcinogenesis and therapy, aiming to provide valuable insights into the potential of targeting MTF pathways for the reseach of therapeutic strategies.
Exploring the relationship between sarcopenia and 11 respiratory diseases: a comprehensive mendelian randomization analysis
Authors: Su Yue , Zhang Youqian , Zhang Di , Xu Jinfu
Published: October 2024

Background

Sarcopenia (SP) is an aging-related loss of muscle mass and function, affecting the respiratory system. However, the causality of the association between sarcopenia on lung diseases remains elusive.

Methods

The bidirectional univariate Mendelian randomization (UVMR), multivariate MR (MVMR) analysis, and mediation MR were utilized to systematically investigate the genetic causal relationship of SP and 11 respiratory diseases. Independent genomic variants related to sarcopenia or respiratory diseases were identified as instrumental variables (IVs), and the summary level data of genome-wide associated studies (GWAS) were obtained from the UK biobank and FinnGen. MVMR analysis was conducted to explore the mediation effects of body mass index (BMI), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), smoking, education attainment (EA), physical activity, and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).

Results

Forward UVMR analysis based on the primary method revealed that pneumoconiosis was associated with a higher risk of appendicular lean mass (ALM) (OR = 1.01, p = 0.03), and BMI (10.65%), smoking (10.65%), and physical activity (17.70%) had a mediating role in the effect of pneumoconiosis on ALM. In reverse MR analysis, we found that genetically predicted ALM was significantly associated with an increased risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) (OR = 1.24, p = 7.21E-05). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR = 0.98, p = 0.002) and sarcoidosis (OR = 1.01, p = 0.004) were identified to increase the loss of left-hand grip strength (HGS). Conversely, the increase in left- HGS presented a protective effect on chronic bronchitis (CB) (OR = 0.35, p = 0.03), (OR = 0.80, p = 0.02), and asthma (OR = 0.78, p = 0.04). Similarly, the loss of the right-HGS elevated the risk of low respiratory tract infection (LRTI) (OR = 0.97, p = 0.02) and bronchiectasis (OR = 1.01, p = 0.03), which is also an independent protective factor for LRTI and asthma. In the aspects of low HGS, the risk of LRTI was increased after MVMR analysis, and the risk of sarcoidosis and pneumoconiosis was elevated in the reverse analysis. Lastly, asthma was found to be related to the loss of the usual walking pace, and the reverse MR analysis suggested a causal relationship between the usual walking pace and LRTI (OR = 0.32, p = 2.79 × 10−5), asthma (OR = 0.24, p = 2.09 × 10−6), COPD (OR = 0.22, p = 6.64 × 10−4), and PE(OR = 0.35, p = 0.03).

Conclusions

This data-driven MR analysis revealed SP was bidirectional causally associated with lung diseases, providing genetic evidence for further mechanistic and clinical studies to understand the crosstalk between SP and lung diseases.
Antibacterial and antifungal activities of Platycladus orientalis leaf extract-mediated Fe2O3 and Ce-doped Fe2O3 nanoparticles
Authors: Ogwuegbu Mercy C. , Olatunde Olalekan C. , Pfukwa Trust M. , Mthiyane Doctor M. N. , Fawole Olaniyi A. , Onwudiwe Damian C.
Published: October 2024

Green synthesis of nanomaterials harnesses naturally occurring materials, including plant extracts, to offer environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional biomedicine, agriculture, and other field applications. This study explores the green route to Fe2O3 and cerium-doped Fe2O3 (Ce-doped Fe2O3) nanoparticles synthesized for the first time using the leaf extract of Platycladus orientalis. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized for their structural, morphological, chemical, and optical properties. The hematite phase of Fe2O3 nanoparticles with spherical morphology was obtained. The introduction of Ce as a dopant into Fe2O3 increased the lattice strain of Ce-doped Fe2O3 nanoparticles (0.51%) compared to pristine Fe2O3 (0.46%) even though the size of both nanomaterials was similar. Compared to pristine Fe2O3 nanoparticles, Ce-doped Fe2O3 nanoparticles also demonstrated enhanced antimicrobial and antifungal activities against Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Listeria monocytogenes, Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus niger, and Mucor mucedo. The green-synthesized Ce-doped Fe2O3 nanoparticles possess potential for application in biomedical and environmental fields based on their relevance to human health and food safety, diversity in microbial characteristics, and potential for resistance to conventional treatments.
Acoustic black hole effect enhanced micro-manipulator
Authors: Yin Qiu , Song Haoyong , Wang Zhaolong , Ma Zhichao , Zhang Wenming
Published: October 2024

Microparticle manipulation is a critical concern across various fields including microfabrication, flexible electronics and tissue engineering. Acoustic-activated sharp structures have been designed as simple and flexible tools to manipulate microparticles with their good compatibility, fast response, and broad tunability. However, there still lacks rational acoustic-structure design for effective energy concentration at the acoustic-activated sharp structures for microparticle manipulation. Here, we present the acoustic black hole (ABH) effect as enhancement for the acoustic micro-manipulator. It provides great reliability, simplicity and ease of use, supporting custom design of high-throughput patterning modes. Moreover, compared to commonly used configurations, such as cylindrical or conical microneedles, those microneedles with ABH profile exhibit superior acoustic energy focusing at the tip and induce stronger acoustofluidic effects. The average acoustic flow velocity induced by the ABH microneedle is 154 times greater than that of the conical one and 45 times greater than that of the cylindrical microneedle. Besides, the average acoustic radiation force (ARF) produced by the ABH microneedle against acrylic microparticles is about 319 times greater than that of the cylindrical one and 16 times greater than that of the conical one. These results indicate that ABH design significantly enhances microparticle manipulation. We demonstrate this concept with ABH effect enhanced microparticle manipulation and study the parameters influencing its performance including operating frequency, operating voltage and particle diameter. Furthermore, considering the flexibility of this system, we employ it for various patterning and high-throughput microparticle manipulation. This work paves the way for controllable microparticle manipulation, holding great potential for applications in microfabrication and biomedicine.
A near-infrared fluorescence probe based on the ICT (intramolecular charge transfer) mechanism for the detection of hydrogen peroxide in cells
Authors: Zeng Han , Wu Yuanyuan , Chen Shijun , Wang Haijie , Wang Yaping , Huang Mingchao , Li Yiyi , Ma Xiaodong , Hou Shicong
Published: October 2024

A near infrared emitting probe JH for detecting hydrogen peroxide has an emission wavelength of 775 nm.
Palette‐based colour normalization for histopathology images
Authors: Shi Shengzhe , Wang Yanyan , Zhang Kaikai , Wang Qingqing , Liu Sheng , Wang Chun
Published: October 2024

With the emergence of computer‐aided diagnostic (CAD) systems, the speed of histopathological image analysis and the accuracy of cancer detection have considerably improved. However, the appearance of histopathological slides can vary depending on the consistency of tissue thickness, stain concentrations, and equipment, thus affecting the judgment of CAD systems. This study proposes a palette‐based colour normalization method for histopathology images is proposed to solve the problem of colour differences between histopathology images. The method builds a graphical user interface based on an improved palette generation algorithm and colour transfer definitions, through which the user can complete the corresponding colour modification to achieve colour normalization. The evaluation of the metrics on histopathological images shows that our method is able to achieve higher image quality and better preservation of structural information of the source image compared with four other colour normalization algorithms. The peak signal‐to‐noise ratio values obtained by the proposed method on two publicly available datasets were 24.1914 and 21.3666, and the structural similarity index matrix values were 0.9871 and 0.9760. The proposed method provides new ideas for the development and design of CAD systems.
Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Labdane and Norlabdane Diterpenoids from Leonurus sibiricus Related to Modulation of MAPKs Signaling Pathway
Authors: Trang Nguyen Minh , Vinh Le Ba , Phong Nguyen Viet , Yang Seo Young
Published: October 2024

Leonurus sibiricus, a widely cultivated herbaceous plant in Asian countries, exhibits diverse medicinal applications. Recent studies emphasize its pharmacological properties and efficacy in promoting bone health. In addition to the known compounds and their pharmacological activities, in this study, we isolated and elucidated two new labdane-type diterpenoids, (3R,5R,6S,10S)-3,6-dihydroxy-15-ethoxy-7-oxolabden-8(9),13(14)-dien-15,16-olide (1) and (4R,5R,10S)-18-hydroxy-14,15-bisnorlabda-8-en-7,13-dione (2), a new natural phenolic compound, and a known compound from L. sibiricus using advanced spectroscopic techniques, including circular dichroism spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and 1- and 2-dimensional NMR. Among these, compound 1 demonstrated potent inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression levels, followed by
compound 2. Whereas compounds 3 and 4 did not exhibit effectiveness in RAW264.7 macrophages. Moreover, compound 1 suppressed pro-inflammatory markers induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Compound 1 also suppressed iNOS and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein levels and downregulated pro-inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, compound 1 showed inhibition of the phosphorylation of p38, JNK, and ERK, key mediators of the MAPK signaling pathway. These findings indicate that a natural-derived product, compound 1, might be a potential candidate as an anti-inflammation mediator.