bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining Teacher Questioning in English‐Medium Instruction Classrooms: A Four‐Tier Analytical Procedure
Authors: Uştuk Özgehan , Ye Xuejun , Hu Guangwei
Published: February 2025

Questions asked by teachers in English‐medium instruction (EMI) classrooms are widely recognized as crucial in mediating language and content learning. Nonetheless, studies on EMI classroom discourse have rarely attempted a comprehensive conceptualization of teacher questioning or an analytical model to operationalize such a conceptualization. Drawing on a conceptual framework that characterizes teacher questions in terms of cognitive demand and interactional orientation, this paper proposes a methodological and analytical procedure that allows the systematic examination and comparison of the productivity of teacher questions across different classroom contexts and promotes the rigor of research on teacher questioning. Baseline data collected for a larger multi‐phase research project investigating the effectiveness of a professional development program are used to illustrate how each of the four tiers in the analytical procedure operates and what analytical work is done at each tier. The paper concludes by inviting classroom discourse researchers to use this multi‐layered analytical framework to investigate the productivity of teacher questioning in the complex ecology of naturalistic classroom discourse rigorously and to further expand our conceptualization by integrating more aspects of teacher questions.
Of Culture and (Indian) Nation: The Mukti Revival in Colonial Discourse
Authors: Suarsana Yan
Published: February 2025

The so-called Mukti Revival, which took place between 1905 and 1907 in the Indian village of Kedgaon, is one of the few revivals of that time outside Europe, for which – in addition to missionary sources – extensive material on the perspectives of local participants has been handed down to us. Therefore, in the following, I will outline the context as well as the contemporary discourse about the Mukti Revival in order to illustrate two things: First, how controversial the status and theological classification of the revival has been among protagonists as well as observers; second, how the various participants positioned themselves along relevant ideological lines within the overarching colonial discourse. In this context, I will show how the colonial notion of civilization and ‘high culture’ undermined the conception of the revival as an authentic awakening of the Indian church, outlined by Mukti’s most prominent representative: the pioneer of feminism in India, Pandita Ramabai.
To Be or Not to Be an Entrepreneur: Disputes About the Relationship Between Church and Business in the Moravian Church
Authors: Kokel Susanne
Published: February 2025

Questions of how to reconcile religion and economics have always been of high interest within the Moravian Church, which used communal entrepreneurship for its financing from an early stage. While following an active process of enlarging and restructuring the church’s business unit towards larger industrial enterprises, their theologians found themselves confronted with a fundamental refusal of church entrepreneurship generally from the laity in the diaspora, a crucial area of religious work for the Moravians. An alternative concept of church finance by voluntary donations seemed to be theologically more thoroughly founded, an idea presumably being confirmed by the rapid growth of many new religious actors, coming mainly from America and England. The chapter explores how these theological challenges by the numerically clearly superior laity influenced the debates in the Moravian Church and whether consequences of the understanding or even organisation of its entrepreneurship could be noted which is interpreted as a conflict agenda of the popular.
Potential radiotherapy-related reactivation of immune checkpoint inhibitor hepatitis
Authors: Yesmembetov Kakharman , Sahin Cennet , Murad Mohamad , Berres Marie-Luise , Koch Alexander , von Websky Martin , Vondran Florian , Bruners Philipp , Eble Michael , Mohamed Ahmed Allam
Published: February 2025

This report details the reactivation of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-related autoimmune hepatitis triggered by stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in a 55-year-old male with hilar cholangiocellular carcinoma. Initially diagnosed in December 2021, the patient underwent successful resection and subsequent adjuvant therapy. Despite stable disease following chemotherapy augmented with durvalumab, he developed grade 3 acute hepatitis after seven cycles of durvalumab. Following a brief prednisolone regimen and normalization of liver tests, SBRT targeting para-aortic lymph nodes was initiated. Remarkably, severe hepatitis reoccurred 7 days after starting SBRT, 88 days following the last durvalumab infusion, necessitating resumed and escalated prednisolone treatment. Another course of SBRT for a newly diagnosed metastatic liver lesion was administered in September 2023, with ongoing prednisolone adjustment. By February 2024, liver tests normalized, but subsequent radiological assessments indicated tumor progression, leading to the reintroduction of chemotherapy. This case underscores the potential of SBRT for activating severe immune-mediated hepatotoxicity in patients treated with ICIs, highlighting the need for careful monitoring and management of such patients. Further, this report highlights the possible survival benefit of the strategic application of SBRT in addition to systematic treatment in recurrent and metastatic cholangiocellular carcinoma.
A tree-based varying coefficient model
Authors: Zakrisson Henning , Lindholm Mathias
Published: February 2025

The paper introduces a tree-based varying coefficient model (VCM) where the varying coefficients are modelled using the cyclic gradient boosting machine (CGBM) from Delong et al. (On cyclic gradient boosting machines, 2023). Modelling the coefficient functions using a CGBM allows for dimension-wise early stopping and feature importance scores. The dimension-wise early stopping not only reduces the risk of dimension-specific overfitting, but also reveals differences in model complexity across dimensions. The use of feature importance scores allows for simple feature selection and easy model interpretation. The model is evaluated on the same simulated and real data examples as those used in Richman and Wüthrich (Scand Actuar J 2023:71–95, 2023), and the results show that it produces results in terms of out of sample loss that are comparable to those of their neural network-based VCM called LocalGLMnet.
On the finiteness of twists of irreducible symplectic varieties
Authors: Takamatsu Teppei
Published: February 2025

Irreducible symplectic varieties are higher-dimensional analogues of K3 surfaces. In this paper, we prove the finiteness of twists of irreducible symplectic varieties for a fixed finite field extension of characteristic 0. The main ingredient of the proof is the cone conjecture for irreducible symplectic varieties, which was proved by Markman and Amerik–Verbitsky. As byproducts, we also discuss the cone conjecture over non-closed fields by Bright–Logan–van Luijk’s method. We also give an application to the finiteness of derived equivalent twists. Moreover, we discuss the case of K3 surfaces or Enriques surfaces over fields of positive characteristic.
Ruxolitinib for pediatric acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease: a single-center retrospective study of efficacy and safety
Authors: Cheng Chiao-Yu , Lu Meng-Yao , Chang Hsiu-Hao , Yang Yung-Li , Wu Chang-Hsueh , Lin Dong-Tsamn , Lin Kai-Hsin , Chou Shu-Wei , Jou Shiann-Tarng
Published: February 2025

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a major concern for patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Ruxolitinib has been proven effective in treating adult steroid-refractory GVHD; however, studies on pediatric patients are relatively scarce. Thus, this single-center study evaluated the efficacy and safety of ruxolitinib in pediatric patients with steroid-refractory GVHD. We retrospectively reviewed the data of patients aged < 18 years who underwent allogeneic HSCT and received ruxolitinib treatment for either acute GVHD (aGVHD) or chronic GVHD (cGVHD) between 2018 and 2023. Data on the clinical response, concomitant and subsequent medications, adverse events, and outcomes were obtained through medical chart review. Sixteen patients were analyzed in this study: seven with aGVHD and nine with cGVHD. The overall response rate for the 16 patients was 81% (aGVHD, 86%; cGVHD, 77%). The overall survival rate was 56%: (aGVHD, 57%; cGVHD, 55%). For 11 patients with at least stable disease, steroid dosage could be reduced by at least 75%; however, corticosteroids were successfully tapered off in only six patients at the last follow-up. Among four patients with documented lung cGVHD, none experienced lung cGVHD progression at 1-year follow-up. Further, 50% of the patients experienced grade 3 or 4 neutropenia and/or thrombocytopenia, and 56% had viral reactivation. Two patients discontinued ruxolitinib owing to adverse events. Ruxolitinib treatment for pediatric patients with aGVHD and cGVHD is associated with a high overall response rate, significant steroid-sparing effect, acceptable toxicity, and manageable adverse events. However, blood count and viral reactivation should be closely monitored during ruxolitinib use.
Novel approach of combined endoluminal and external vacuum therapy for wound healing disorders after salvage pharyngeal reconstruction
Authors: Gaenzle Maximilian , Feisthammel Juergen , Pirlich Markus , Dietz Andreas , Stoehr Matthaeus
Published: February 2025

Objective

Patients with recurrent head and neck carcinoma are considered for salvage surgery if resectability with clear margins is achievable. However, postoperative complications such as wound healing disorders and pharyngocutaneous fistulas remain significant challenges. While various reconstructive surgical techniques exist, supportive vacuum therapy—both external and endoluminal—has been explored as an alternative treatment modality.

Type of Study

We present a case report of a 60-year-old male patient with recurrent laryngeal cancer who underwent salvage laryngopharyngectomy following multiple previous surgical procedures and definitive radiochemotherapy. Due to persistent pharyngocutaneous fistula formation despite multiple reconstructions using pectoralis major flaps, an anterolateral thigh flap, and a fasciocutaneous deltopectoral flap, a novel approach combining endopharyngeal and external vacuum therapy was implemented.

Results

Over six weeks, with vacuum system changes performed twice weekly, the pharyngocutaneous fistula successfully closed, leading to complete wound healing.

Conclusion

This case demonstrates the potential effectiveness of a combined endopharyngeal and external vacuum therapy approach for treating persistent pharyngocutaneous fistulas when conventional surgical options are exhausted. Notably, the patient was able to resume oral food consumption following therapy, highlighting the functional benefits of this novel treatment strategy.
Multi-omics profiling in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA): investigating lipid and metabolic alterations through longitudinal CSF analysis of Nusinersen-treated patients
Authors: Zandl-Lang Martina , Züllig Thomas , Holzer Michael , Eichmann Thomas O. , Darnhofer Barbara , Schwerin-Nagel Annette , Zobel Joachim , Haidl Harald , Biebl Ariane , Köfeler Harald , Plecko Barbara
Published: February 2025

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare neuromuscular disease caused by biallelic mutations in the SMN1 gene, leading to progressive muscle weakness due to degeneration of the anterior horn cells. Since 2017, SMA patients can be treated with the anti-sense oligonucleotide Nusinersen, which promotes alternative splicing of the SMN2 gene, by regular intrathecal injections. In this prospective study, we applied metabolomic, lipidomic, and proteomic analysis to examine sequential CSF samples from 13 SMA patients and controls. This multi-omic approach identified over 800 proteins and 400 small molecules including lipids. Multivariate analysis of multi-omic data successfully discriminated between the CSF derived from SMA patients and control subjects. Lipidomic analysis revealed increased levels of cholesteryl esters and lyso-phospholipids, along with reduced levels of cholesterol and phospholipids in the CSF of SMA patients as compared to healthy controls. These data, combined with results from functional assays, led us to conclude that SMA patients exhibit altered levels and function of high-density-lipoprotein (HDL)-like particles in the CSF. Notably, Nusinersen therapy was observed to reverse disease-specific profile changes toward a physiological state, potentially explicable by restoring HDL function.
NADPH-mediated seedless in situ formation of gold or gold-platinum nanoparticles for the enzymatic determination of atropine
Authors: Domínguez Mario , de Marcos Susana , Galbán Javier
Published: February 2025

The without-seeds in situ formation of gold nanoparticles from NADPH and its application to the colorimetric determination of atropine (a tropane alkaloid) in cereals is reported. The method is based on a chemical hydrolysis, followed by an enzymatic oxidation by NADP catalyzed by tropinone reductase in the presence of Au(III) or Au(III)/Pt(II). During this reaction, the formed NADPH reduces the metal ion precursor to AuNPs (or AuPtNPs) and the absorption due to the plasmon band (550 nm or 575 nm) is measured. The method (AuPtNPs) allows the determination of the analyte in the concentration range 0.025 to 0.09 mM with an RSD of 3% (n = 5) and is applied to its determination in spiked buckwheat samples using the standard addition method, with 96.9 ± 2.0% recovery. It is also demonstrated that NAD(P)H and NADH have different kinetics for AuNP generation, which could be used to discriminate between these two cofactors.

Graphical Abstract
SustainScrum: integrating sustainability assessment in a tailored Scrum process for computing quantitative sustainability indicators
Authors: Mazak-Huemer Alexandra , Vierhauser Michael , Groher Iris
Published: February 2025

In the wake of a rapidly growing global focus on sustainable practices, the year 2023 marked a significant regulatory milestone, with the enactment of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. This directive significantly expands the scope of sustainability reporting, encompassing a broader array of enterprises, including large-scale, and small- and medium-sized enterprises within the EU. This regulatory development has profound implications for the software industry, as these companies need to provide comprehensive sustainability reporting for their software products. However, the industry still lacks models, tools, and methodologies for quantitatively assessing sustainability indicators during an agile software development process. In this paper, we introduce SustainScrum, a customized Scrum process model that incorporates sustainability evaluations into the development lifecycle of software products. More precisely, SustainScrum integrates the assessment of sustainability aspects into the backlog, user story management, and development stages of the Scrum process. Its primary objective is to ensure that sustainability considerations are systematically captured, evaluated, and addressed throughout the development process. It integrates the computation of quantitative sustainability indicators thereby advancing the ability to address sustainability challenges within software engineering practices. We performed an initial validation, investigating the applicability of SustainScrum on an open-source, publicly available requirements data set for agile development.
Efficacy of a novel small-caliber therapeutic endoscope in peroral endoscopic myotomy for esophageal motility disorders: a propensity score matching analysis
Authors: Abe Hirofumi , Tanaka Shinwa , Sakaguchi Hiroya , Ueda Chise , Kinoshita Masato , Hori Hitomi , Nakai Tatsuya , Yoshizaki Tetsuya , Hoki Shinya , Tanabe Hiroshi , Urakami Satoshi , Toyonaga Takashi , Kodama Yuzo
Published: February 2025

Background

EG-840TP is a novel small-caliber therapeutic endoscope with a large working channel. We aimed to evaluate the treatment outcomes of peroral endoscopic myotomy using EG-840TP compared to those using a conventional therapeutic endoscope (GIF-H290T).

Methods

Patients who underwent peroral endoscopic myotomy for achalasia and non-achalasia esophageal motility disorders were enrolled between March 2021 and March 2023. Procedure times and other treatment outcomes were compared between patients treated with EG-840TP and GIF-H290T using propensity score matching analysis. In the subgroup analysis, patients were divided into subsets based on myotomy length, morphology, esophageal dilation, and operator skill, and the procedure time was compared between the matched groups.

Results

A total of 154 patients were enrolled in this study, and 39 patients treated using each type of scope were matched. The EG-840TP group tended to have a shorter procedure time than the GIF-H290T group. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of short-term clinical success or perioperative adverse events. In the subgroup analysis, the procedure time of the EG-840TP group was significantly shorter than that of the GIF-H290T group when patients had a straight esophagus (44 min vs. 54 min, p = 0.0015) and the operator was a non-expert (49 min vs. 64 min, p = 0.031).

Conclusions

POEM using EG-840TP showed procedure time, clinical success, and adverse events equivalent to those of a conventional therapeutic endoscope. However, EG-840TP potentially contributed to a shorter procedure time in patients with a straight esophagus or in non-expert operators than GIF-H290T.
Cross-Species Surveillance of Respiratory Viruses in Domestic and Wild Mammals of an Urban Atlantic Forest from Brazil
Authors: da Silva Junior Leonardo Corrêa , Wailante Deborah Fernandes , Bueno Marina Galvao , Moura Patricia Emilia Bento , Pauvolid-Corrêa Alex , Novaes Roberto Leonan Morim , da Costa-Neto Sócrates Fraga , Veríssimo Iuri , Bertocchi Natasha Avila , Moratelli Ricardo , Gentile Rosana , Motta Fernando Couto , de Araújo Mia Ferreira , Brown David , Resende Paola Cristina , de Siqueira Marilda Agudo Mendonça Teixeira , Ogrzewalska Maria
Published: February 2025

Our aim was to investigate respiratory viruses circulating in animals from the urban Atlantic Forest, which is located in the most densely populated area near Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. This study focused on the detection of Influenza A viruses and diverse coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, in domestic and wild animals, including bats, nonhuman primates, rodents, and marsupials. From August 2020 to September 2022, biological samples were collected from a total of 72 pets, 66 primates, 20 rodents, 36 marsupials, and 390 bats. Samples were tested using RT-PCR for Influenza A and coronaviruses, and positive samples were sequenced. When blood samples were available, they were tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. All terrestrial animals were negative for evidence of infection with SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A viruses. However, samples from 17 phyllostomid bats, including Great fruit-eating bat (Artibeus lituratus), Silky short-tailed bat (Carollia brevicauda), Seba's short-tailed bat (Carollia perspicillata), Common big-eared bat (Micronycteris microtis), Greater spear-nosed bat (Phyllostomus hastatus), White-lined broad-nosed bat (Platyrrhinus lineatus), Little yellow-shouldered bat (Sturnira lilium), Greater round-eared bat (Tonatia bidens), and Common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), were positive for bat coronaviruses classified as Alphacoronavirus. Our study adds new information on the occurrence of coronaviruses in bats and contributes to a long-term program of Influenza surveillance. Developing active surveillance for viruses in wildlife species, as implemented in this study, is crucial for understanding zoonotic risks and preventing future global pandemics.
Migrant labour flows and interconnected agrarian transformations in Southern China
Authors: Xu Yunan , Wang Chunyu , Ye Jingzhong , Kham Sai Sam , Ra Doi , Franco Jennifer C. , Borras Saturnino M.
Published: February 2025

While contemporary debates about agrarian transformations that include topics like the persistence of family farms, agrarian capital accumulation, and simple reproduction squeeze remain vibrant, discussions about the increasingly significant role of migrant wage labour, which further complicates these processes, remain limited. In this paper, we argue that the process of capitalist accumulation in some sections of the agrarian and food system sectors in southern China is able to proceed despite recurring pressures — especially labour shortages in the rural economy caused by domestic rural–urban migration — because of the availability of migrant workers from neighbouring countries such as Myanmar. This development dynamic can be better understood through the lens of interrelated connections between land and labour and production and social reproduction across China and Myanmar. We highlighted the role of two land-related labour flows in the agrarian transformation in southern China–Myanmar regions. We argue that various social classes and groups across China and Myanmar are tied to land, wage work and capital accumulation and, in turn, their productive and social reproductive tasks are directly and indirectly linked to one another. If we are to understand agrarian transformation in settings like this, then methodologically, we will have to adopt an interconnected approach in order to bring the pieces of the puzzle together.
How does Independent Component Analysis Preprocessing Affect EEG Microstates?
Authors: Artoni Fiorenzo , Michel Christoph M.
Published: February 2025

Over recent years, electroencephalographic (EEG) microstates have been increasingly used to investigate, at a millisecond scale, the temporal dynamics of large-scale brain networks. By studying their topography and chronological sequence, microstates research has contributed to the understanding of the brain’s functional organization at rest and its alteration in neurological or mental disorders. Artifact removal strategies, which differ from study to study, may alter microstates topographies and features, possibly reducing the generalizability and comparability of results across research groups. The aim of this work was therefore to test the reliability of the microstate extraction process and the stability of microstate features against different strategies of EEG data preprocessing with Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to remove artifacts embedded in the data. A normative resting state EEG dataset was used where subjects alternate eyes-open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC) periods. Four strategies were tested: (i) avoiding ICA preprocessing altogether, (ii) removing ocular artifacts only, (iii) removing all reliably identified physiological/non physiological artifacts, (iv) retaining only reliably identified brain ICs. Results show that skipping the removal of ocular artifacts affects the stability of microstate evaluation criteria, microstate topographies and greatly reduces the statistical power of EO/EC microstate features comparisons, however differences are not as prominent with more aggressive preprocessing. Provided a good-quality dataset is recorded, and ocular artifacts are removed, microstates topographies and features can capture brain-related physiological data and are robust to artifacts, independently of the level of preprocessing, paving the way to automatized microstate extraction pipelines.
Effect of Structural Defects Induced in LaFeO3 and LaMnO3 Catalysts towards Total Oxidation of 2-Propanol
Authors: Jessica Múnera-Jaramillo , Juan Tapia-P. , Jaime Gallego , Alexander Santamaría
Published: February 2025

A crucial characteristic of perovskite-like oxides is oxygen mobility, which can be enhanced by inducing structural defects through stoichiometry variations during synthesis, thereby boosting the catalytic activity. This study evaluated the effect of structural modifications of LaFeO3 (LF) and LaMnO3 (LM) perovskites series on the total oxidation of 2-propanol as a VOC model, a well-known organic solvent. These modifications were performed during synthesis by partially removing the B-site cation or by structural doping in the B-site with another cation (Mn for the LF series and Pd for the LM series). Structural characterization was carried out by XRD and Raman spectroscopy, while the bulk and surface chemical composition were assessed by ICP and XPS, respectively. On the other hand, catalytic activity was performed using a reactivity test with the 2-propanol molecule. The CO-TPR and O2-TPD measurements were used to characterize the reducibility of the active phase, and the type of oxygen species present in the sample. The catalytic activity results indicated that the modified perovskites showed a difference of 118 °C and 109 °C in the T95 parameter (Temperature at which the conversion of 2-propanol was 95%) relative to pure LF and LM perovskites, respectively. It was also observed that the inclusion of cationic species with high oxidation states enhances the catalytic properties of the materials not only for the doped perovskites but also for the impregnated ones used for comparison purposes. This research demonstrated that stoichiometric variations in modified perovskite-like catalysts significantly improve the catalytic capacity by forming structural defects and modifying redox properties.Kindly check and confirm whether the corresponding author is correctly identified.I confirm that the corresponding author is well identified

Graphical Abstract
Dietary organic acid blend modulates hemato-immunological parameters, digestive and reproductive performances in red tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus × O. mossambicus) broodstock
Authors: El-Sayed Abdel-Fattah M. , Eissa El-Sayed Hemdan , Hendam Basma M. , Dighiesh Hagar Sedeek , Abd Elnabi Heba E. , Abd El-Aziz Yasmin M. , Eissa Moaheda E. H. , Ghanem Sara F.
Published: February 2025

This study evaluated the effects of dietary organic acid (OA) blend on hemato-immunological responses, reproduction capacity, gene expression, and histological features of red tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus × O. mossambicus) broodstock. Four diets were formulated, containing 0 (control), 2, 3, and 4 g OAs kg−1. The diets were fed to triplicate groups (n = 3) of red tilapia broodstock (75 ± 5.56 g( (mean ± standard deviation (SD)) stocked in 10-m3 concrete tanks at a male to female ratio of 1:3, to satiation, twice a day, for 8 weeks. At the end of the feeding trial, fish in each tank were collected, counted, and weighed. Blood samples were collected from five fish from each tank and used for the determination of hematological and biochemical parameters. The fish were then dissected to study the reproductive performance and reproduction-related genes. The red blood cells (RBCs), hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV%), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and lysozyme activity were significantly increased (P < 0.05) with increasing dietary OAs to 4 g kg−1. Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), white blood cells (WBCs), total protein, albumin, and globulin), and digestive enzyme activity values leveled off or slightly decreased (P > 0.05) at OA levels above 3 g kg−1. Optimum liver enzyme activity was obtained at 2 g kg−1 OA. The reproductive hormones: testosterone (T), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), and progesterone (Prog), organo-somatic index (GSI), reproductive performance, and the expression of reproductive genes (vasa, nanos1a, nanos2, dnd1, pum1, amh, and VTG) exhibited dose-dependent responses (P < 0.05), suggesting that 4 g OA kg−1 boosted the optimum reproductive performance. In conclusion, about 2–3 g OA kg−1 diet can improve the hemato-biochemical parameters, immune response, antioxidant status, and digestive enzyme activity in red tilapia broodstock, whereas 4 g kg−1 could accelerate their reproductive performance through upregulation of reproductive genes.
Assessment of genetic diversity using phenological and morpho-physicochemical traits of almond genotypes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Türkiye
Authors: Bayazıt Safder , Çalışkan Oğuzhan , Yaman Mehmet
Published: February 2025

This study aimed to compare the genetic differences of local almond genotypes selected from Hatay province in the subtropical ecology of the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Türkiye using phenological, nut quality, and chemical compositions. Principal component analysis, cluster analysis and correlation analysis from multiple comparison analyses were used to evaluate the examined traits of the genotypes. In the study, local almond genotypes showed considerable diversity in terms of morphological, fruit quality, and biochemical properties. Full flowering dates for the genotypes were between 2 and 10 March and harvest times were between 31 July and 6 August. According to two-year data, the nut weight of the genotypes varied between 4.39 g and 6.73 g, whereas the kernel weight varied between 0.94 g and 1.22 g. ‘Bezge1’ and ‘Turfanda1’ genotypes did not have double fruits. ‘Turfanda2’ genotype was remarkable for its kernel weight being > 1 g, not having a double kernel, and containing > 50% total oil. Total fat content ranged between 47.95% and 54.47%. Interestingly, a negative correlation was found between kernel weight and kernel color L, b*, C, and hue values. PC results showed that nut and kernel size and oil profile were important variables in distinguishing almond genotypes from each other. These results demonstrate a substantial genetic diversity among almond genotypes, highlighting their potential for almond cultivation and breeding programs in the subtropical ecology of Türkiye. Moreover, the new goal will be to examine reveal the genetic differences with molecular marker methods and the performances of these genotypes under the same ecological conditions.
Developing a Neural Network Based Microwave Sensing System for Accurate Salinity Prediction in Water
Authors: Pence Muhammed Ismail , Aydinalp Cemanur , Doğu Semih , Akıncı Mehmet Nuri
Published: February 2025

High and low salinity levels play a crucial role in the vitality of organisms and affect natural ecosystems, agricultural yields and human health. To mitigate the risks associated with high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO) advocates reducing salt consumption among adults, suggesting an intake of no more than 5 g daily. In this study, a non-invasive microwave (MW) sensing approach, that is augmented by deep neural network (DNN)  models is proposed to predict salinity levels. The MW detection measurement system, including a Horn antenna, has been developed to evaluate the salt content in bottled spring waters (BSWs). The system with DNN  model provides a novel solution for real-time water quality monitoring. The input and output dataset for DNN  model were generated using four different BSWs, each with a salt content ranging from 0 to 32 g and increased by 1 g. The developed DNN  model, designed with six fully connected layers, uses reflection coefficients (RCs) as input dataset to predict salt content in grams accurately. The accuracy performance of the DNN  model in various bandwidths was evaluated by dividing the 1–13 GHz range into 78 different bands and the lowest error rate was found to be in the 1–8 GHz bandwidth (2.18%). Furthermore, each BSW was measured five times, and the performance of the model was evaluated according to the number of measurements. In three or more measurements, the model demonstrated notable improvement(15.3%) in predicting salt content.
Thermodynamics of (NH4)2SO4(aq) and Solubilities of (NH4)2MII(SO4)2·6H2O (M = Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu) Tutton Salts with Implications to Thermochemical Storage
Authors: Talreja-Muthreja Tanya , Steiger Michael
Published: February 2025

Available thermodynamic data for (NH4)2SO4(aq) have been critically evaluated and used to parameterize an extended ion interaction (Pitzer) model. The model satisfactorily represents the available activity and thermal data from below the eutectic temperature to 110 °C. At near ambient temperatures (5–40 °C) the model accurately predicts the water activities in supersaturated solutions to about 30 mol·kg–1. The model has been used to determine the solubility products of (NH4)2SO4(s) from the eutectic temperature to 110 °C. Solubilities in the ternary Tutton salt forming systems (NH4)2SO4–MgSO4–H2O, (NH4)2SO4–FeSO4–H2O, (NH4)2SO4–ZnSO4–H2O, and (NH4)2SO4–CuSO4–H2O have been used to determine the ternary interaction parameters in the Pitzer model and to calculate the solubilities and deliquescence humidities of the Tutton salts (NH4)2MIISO4·6H2O (with M = Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu). Using additional literature data of decomposition vapor pressures, the phase diagrams of the Tutton salts have been established and the suitability of the salts as thermochemical heat storage materials has been critically evaluated.
Exploring the dual role of BiVO4 nanoparticles: unveiling enhanced antimicrobial efficacy and photocatalytic performance
Authors: Bulut Duygu Takanoglu
Published: February 2025

This study was focused on enhancing the structural, optical, antimicrobial, and photocatalytic activities of bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) nanoparticles. The current study utilized a simple hydrothermal technique to fabricate BiVO4 nanoparticles. Several techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman, Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), were used to examine BiVO4. The monoclinic structure of BiVO4 was confirmed through XRD, XPS, and Raman analysis, validating its high purity and the absence of secondary phases with a size of 31 nm. The decahedral structure and purity of BiVO4 were revealed through FESEM-EDS microstructure and surface morphology examination. A band gap of 2.36 eV was exhibited by the synthesized BiVO4 nanoparticles. The conduction band minimum and valence band maximum edge potentials were found to be 2.715 eV and 0.355 eV, respectively. The antimicrobial properties of BiVO4 NPs were evaluated using the disc diffusion method on a broad spectrum of pathogens. Various bacterial and fungal pathogens showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against BiVO4, indicating that BiVO4 nanoparticles (NPs) could be effective antimicrobial agents. In addition, the photocatalytic performance of BiVO4 and its degradation efficiency were investigated with Oxytetracycline (OTC), tetracycline (TC), and doxycycline (DC) antibiotics under visible light. The photocatalytic degradation results demonstrated that BiVO4 successfully degraded the antibiotic residuals. The results showed that the hydrothermally synthesized BiVO4 nanoparticles have great potential for use in biological and environmental applications.

Graphical Abstract
Stability analysis of chaotic systems in latent spaces
Authors: Özalp Elise , Magri Luca
Published: February 2025

Partial differential equations, and their chaotic solutions, are pervasive in the modelling of complex systems in engineering, science, and beyond. Data-driven methods can find solutions to partial differential equations with a divide-and-conquer strategy: The solution is sought in a latent space, on which the temporal dynamics are inferred (“latent-space” approach). This is achieved by, first, compressing the data with an autoencoder, and, second, inferring the temporal dynamics with recurrent neural networks. The overarching goal of this paper is to show that a latent-space approach can not only infer the solution of a chaotic partial differential equation, but it can also predict the stability properties of the physical system. First, we employ the convolutional autoencoder echo state network (CAE-ESN) on the chaotic Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation for various chaotic regimes. We show that the CAE-ESN (i) finds a low-dimensional latent-space representation of the observations and (ii) accurately infers the Lyapunov exponents and covariant Lyapunov vectors (CLVs) in this low-dimensional manifold for different attractors. Second, we extend the CAE-ESN to a turbulent flow, comparing the Lyapunov spectrum to estimates obtained from Jacobian-free methods. A latent-space approach based on the CAE-ESN effectively produces a latent space that preserves the key properties of the chaotic system, such as Lyapunov exponents and CLVs, thus retaining the geometric structure of the attractor. The latent-space approach based on the CAE-ESN is a reduced-order model that accurately predicts the dynamics of the chaotic system, or, alternatively, it can be used to infer stability properties of chaotic systems from data.
Silver Gelled Chitosan Films: Preparation, Inclusion of Sunflower Seed Oil, and Application in Bread Packaging
Authors: Wahba Marwa I. , Awad Ghada E. A. , Elnashar Magdy M.
Published: February 2025

Silver gelled chitosan (CS-Ag) films with improved mechanical traits were prepared via a simple technique, which comprised freezing the CS solution, and then pouring the AgNO3 solution onto it. This resulted in the creation of uniform and mechanically stable CS-Ag films due to the slow diffusion of AgNO3 into the frozen solid CS. The films were characterized via scan electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX). Their antimicrobial and mechanical traits were inspected. The tensile strength (TS) of the 1.5% (w/w) AgNO3 processed CS-Ag films reached 22.42 ± 0.89 MPa and its elongation at break was 33.01 ± 2.67%. The water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of this film was also inspected and it was 167.77 g/m2day. This value was reduced to 146.95 and 120.68 g/m2day, after the inclusion of sunflower seed oil (SFO) within the CS-Ag films at 5% and 8% (w/w), respectively, and this reflected the increased water resistance of the SFO-CS-Ag films. The inclusion of SFO at concentration ≥ 5% (w/w) also increased the films antimicrobial traits when Aspergillus and Rhizopus species were inspected. On the other hand, the TS of the SFO-CS-Ag films was reduced to 15.13 ± 1.61 MPa and 10.17 ± 0.77 MPa for the 5% and 8% SFO, respectively. Nonetheless, these values were still within 8.3–31.4 MPa TS range of the frequently utilized packaging material; low-density polyethylene. Thus, the 5% and 8% (w/w) SFO-CS-Ag films were utilized to package white bread. The 8% (w/w) SFO-CS-Ag film efficiently preserved bread as no fungal growth observed for 10 storage days.
Power by Proxy: Participation as a Resource in Global Governance
Authors: Arias Sabrina B. , Clark Richard , Kaya Ayse
Published: February 2025

Member state participation is essential in global governance, affording international organizations (IOs) legitimacy and translating member state preferences into institutional attention. We contend that institutional leadership positions bolster states’ authority via “proxy representation,” in which states are grouped together and indirectly represented by one leader. We argue that by serving as proxy group leaders, even relatively weak states can obtain greater influence in IOs. We examine these expectations in the context of the IMF’s Executive Board, where wealthy states represent themselves directly while other states belong to multi-member constituencies in which leadership often rotates among members. Focusing on issues related to climate change discussions at the IMF—a key concern for Global South countries and an increasingly important issue in international finance—we examine the extent to which countries’ preferences over climate issues are expressed at IMF Board meetings. Using textual data based on 52,551 internal IMF documents from 1987-2017, we find evidence to support our theoretical expectations; states more effectively advance their preferences when they are proxy leaders — this finding holds robustly even for otherwise weak states. These results suggest that even in IOs with highly asymmetric decision-making, weaker states can gain voice through proxy representation. This has important and positive implications for IO legitimacy, as member state participation is integral to the livelihood of these institutions.
Assessing the FAIRness of Metabolic Bariatric Surgery Registries: a Comparative Analysis of Data Dictionaries from the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden
Authors: Torensma Bart , Hany Mohamed , Fink Jodok M. , Ahmed Ahmed R. , Liem Ronald S. L. , Lazzati Andrea , Pattou François , Ottosson Johan , Kersloot Martijn G.
Published: February 2025

Background

This study is part of an initiative to improve the FAIRness (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reusability) of metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) registries globally. It explores the extent to which European registry data can be manually integrated without first making them FAIR and assesses these registries’ current level of FAIRness. The findings establish a baseline for evaluation and provide recommendations to enhance MBS data management practices.

Methods

Data dictionaries from five national MBS registries in Germany, France, the Netherlands, the UK, and a combined registry for Scandinavia (Norway and Sweden) were evaluated regarding their ability to manually integrate registry datasets with one another. The FAIR Data Maturity Model from the Research Data Alliance (RDA) FAIR Data Maturity Model Working Group was used to assess the FAIRness of both metadata and data of the registries.

Results

The registries showed significant variability in variables and coding structures, with inconsistent numerical formats and without linkage to international standards such as SNOMED CT, LOINC, or NCIt, making data integration labor-intensive and assumption-heavy. Despite the presence of data dictionaries, all registries failed the FAIR assessment because machine-readable data was unavailable, and only human-readable metadata was available in the form of data dictionaries in a spreadsheet.

Conclusion

Our study reveals significant inconsistencies in data structuring and a failure to comply with the FAIR Principles, which limit effective data analysis and comparison. This emphasizes the critical need for standardized data management practices. We recommend four next steps to improve the FAIRness of MBS registries: (1) annotate data elements using standardized terminology systems, (2) deposit registry-level metadata in a repository, (3) request globally unique and persistent identifiers for datasets, and (4) define access restrictions.
New Insights into Ruling Out Internal Herniations After Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass on the Abdominal CT Scan: The OPERATE study
Authors: Vink Marjolein R. A. , Hutten Barbara A. , van Olst Nienke , de Vet Sterre C. P. , Nieuwdorp Max , van de Laar Arnold W. , Tielbeek Jeroen A. W. , Gerdes Victor E. A.
Published: February 2025

Background

Internal herniation (IH) is a potentially life-threatening complication after gastric bypass. Accurate diagnosis of IH remains challenging. This study aims to validate the Eindhoven2020 (EHV20) scoring system for ruling out IH and seeks to improve its diagnostic accuracy through additional radiologic parameters.

Methods

Patients participating in a prospective study on abdominal pain after gastric bypass surgery were selected if a CT scan was performed. CT scans were scored following the EHV20 scoring system containing ten signs of IH to confirm the individual and collective accuracy of these signs. Also, we evaluated the diagnostic value of additional radiologic parameters: delayed passage of contrast, dilated intestinal loops, and free fluid.

Results

A total of 375 patients with abdominal pain were included. IH was confirmed during laparoscopy in 27 patients. On CT, the highest sensitivity was achieved by the swirl sign (66.7%) and the highest specificity by a small bowel behind the superior mesenteric artery (99.7%). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) based on the EHV20 scoring system for ruling out IH was 0.845 (95% CI 0.730–0.959). The AUC could be improved to 0.905 (95% CI 0.825–0.985) (p = 0.088) through the incorporation of several additional signs. Overall, this new scoring system included swirl sign, small bowel obstruction, enlarged nodes, venous congestion, mesenteric edema, dilated alimentary or biliary loop, free fluid, and backward flow in the biliary loop with possible backflow in the residual stomach.

Conclusions

Incorporation of additional CT signs into an existing scoring system can help clinicians to safely rule out IH in patients with abdominal pain after bariatric surgery.
7 Jahre Ambulante Suchtbehandlungen im strafrechtlich angeordneten Maßnahmenvollzug in Zürich – eine Bilanz
Authors: Sieben Robert A. , Brackmann Nathalie , Habermeyer Elmar , Höfer Friederike X. E.
Published: February 2025

In der Debatte um die Unzulänglichkeiten des aktuellen deutschen Rechtsrahmens bezüglich des § 64 des deutschen Strafgesetzbuches zeigen die in der Schweiz neben der stationären forensischen Suchtbehandlung bereits etablierten ambulanten Suchtmaßnahmen einen möglichen Reformansatz auf. Obgleich suchtpsychiatrische ambulante Therapien empirisch als effektiv und kosteneffizient gelten, konnten die Schweizer Fortschritte in der ambulanten Behandlung abhängigkeitserkrankter RechtsbrecherInnen bisher aufgrund geringer Fallzahlen nicht bzw. nur unzureichend evaluiert werden.

Der vorliegende Artikel stellt die Behandlungsdaten von 7 Jahren (Vollerhebung mit n = 76 PatientInnen) suchtspezifischer, forensischer Behandlung des Spezialangebots Ambulante Suchtmaßnahmen der Forensischen Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie in Zürich im Hinblick auf Demografie, protektive Faktoren, psychiatrische Vorgeschichte, Belastung mit forensisch relevanten Risikofaktoren, juristische Rahmenbedingungen, Delinquenz, Behandlungsverlauf sowie Schwierigkeiten in der Behandlung und Redelinquenz vor.

Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass eine Behandlung abhängigkeitserkrankter RechtsbrecherInnen in einem ambulanten forensischen Setting mit einer suchtspezifischen und forensischen Expertise sinnvoll und möglich ist – selbst bei einer schwer belasteten Klientel. Ein solches Angebot bietet die Möglichkeit einer alltagsnäheren und damit auch tragfähigeren Einbeziehung protektiver Faktoren sowie die parallele Etablierung von struktur- und stabilitätfördernden Elementen vor dem Hintergrund individueller Lebenswelten.
Breaking barriers: assessing the influence of female directors on financial performance beyond the boardroom
Authors: Garcia-Blandon Josep , Argilés-Bosch Josep Maria , Ravenda Diego , Castillo-Merino David
Published: February 2025

The persistent under representation of women in executive committees continues to challenge gender equality in corporate leadership. Legislative interventions promoting gender quotas have led to improvements in boardroom gender diversity but have fallen short in addressing executive committee imbalances. This study investigates the impact of women’s inclusion in executive committees on financial performance. Spanning large European corporations from 2015 to 2022, a difference-in-differences approach coupled with fixed effects estimations evaluates whether firms that incorporated women into these committees exhibited greater performance improvements compared to those maintaining all-male executive compositions. Contrary to expectations, the findings reveal a lack of positive influence on financial performance metrics, showcasing negative effects on accounting-based indicators. Notably, higher female representation in the executive committee, beyond critical mass, fails to alter financial performance. Furthermore, the study dismisses the notion that the level of gender equality in a firm’s country of origin moderates this relationship. The implications of the findings are discussed.