bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Toward an improved causal test of network effects: Does alliance network position enhance firm innovation?
Authors: Hernandez Exequiel , Lee Jason K. , Shaver J. Myles 
Published: November 2024

AbstractResearch SummaryAssessing whether network position causes firm outcomes is difficult because networks result from firms' strategic choices. To address this issue, we develop a research design that separates self‐driven network change from other‐driven change. Because other‐driven change suppresses the focal firm's agency, outcomes resulting from it can be interpreted as causal—under verifiable assumptions. We apply this method to reassess whether alliance network position affects firm innovation. Using data from the biotechnology industry, we find that structural holes (but not closure) increase firm innovation when self‐driven network change is involved but not when other‐driven change is involved. This raises two possibilities: network effects spuriously capture unobservable firm characteristics or network theories must be updated to account for agency.Managerial SummaryWe examine a crucial question for managers making decisions about alliance networks: Does a firm's position in its alliance network drive innovation, or is it a reflection of the firm's inherent qualities? Our research explores this question by examining network changes outside a firm's control. We find that bridging disconnected partners (structural holes) enhances innovation, but only when firms actively create these positions and not when these positions result from others' actions. Our findings suggest that network position alone does not drive innovation. Acknowledging that network position, per se, is not advantageous provides nuanced insight to better guide managerial decisions.
Interface‐Engineered CuxO@Bi2MoO6 Heterojunctions to Inhibit Piezoelectric Screening Effect and Promote Double‐Nanozyme Catalysis for Antibacterial Treatment
Authors: Zhang Guiyuan , He Sumei , Wei Junwu , Ran Pan , Zheng Huan , He Long , Li Xiaohong 
Published: November 2024

AbstractSonodynamic therapy is confronted with the low acoustic efficiency of sonosensitizers, and nanozymes are accompanied by intrinsic low catalytic activity. Herein, to increase the piezopotential of N‐type piezoelectric semiconductors, the P‐N heterojunction is designed to inhibit the piezoelectric screening effect (PSE) and increase electron utilization efficiency to enhance nanozyme activity. P‐type CuxO nanoparticles are in situ grown on N‐type piezoelectric Bi2MoO6 (BMO) nanoflakes (NFs) to construct heterostructured CuxO@BMO by interface engineering. CuxO deposition leads to lattice distortion of BMO NFs to improve piezoelectric response, and the strong interface electric field (IEF) suppresses PSE and increases piezopotential. The nonlocal piezopotential, local IEF, and glutathione (GSH) inoculation enhances electron−hole separation and increases peroxidase (POD)‐like activity of BMO and GSH oxidase (GSHOx)‐like activity of CuxO with high selectivity. The heterojunction formation causes the transfer and rearrangement of interface electrons, and the increased piezopotential accelerates electron transfer at interfaces with bacteria, thus increasing the production of reactive oxidative species and interfering with adenosine triphosphate synthesis. The heterostructured nanozymes produce abundant intracellular ·OH and achieve 4log magnitude reductions in viable bacteria and effective biofilm dispersion. This study elucidates integral mechanisms of nanozyme and acoustic catalysis and opens up a new way to synergize high piezopotential and nanozyme‐catalyzed therapy.
Enhancing the Thermoelectric Performance of n‐Type Mg3Sb2‐Based Materials via Ag Doping
Authors: Li Jiankang , Chetty Raju , Liu Zihang , Gao Weihong , Mori Takao 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe n‐type Mg3(Sb, Bi)2 compounds show great potential for wasted heat energy harvesting due to their promising thermoelectric properties. This work discovers that doping transition element Ag into the n‐type Mg3(Sb, Bi)2 can effectively optimize the power factor and suppress the lattice thermal conductivity simultaneously. Interestingly, the Ag doping has different effects compared to the isoelectronic and same group element Cu addition studied previously. A high power factor of 19.6 µW cm−1 K−2 is obtained at 673 K owing to the increased electrical conductivity. At the same time, the lattice thermal conductivity is reduced to ≈0.5 W m−1 K−1 because of enhanced phonon scattering induced by Ag atoms. These improvements lead to a peak figure of merit (ZT) of 1.64 at 673 K as well as a high average ZT of 1.27 is obtained from 323 K to 673 K. Furthermore, a thermoelectric single leg with a competitive conversion efficiency of ≈11% under a hot‐side temperature of 673 K is fabricated successfully. In addition, a 2‐pair module composed of n‐type Mg3(Sb, Bi)2 alloy and p‐type MgAgSb‐based compound demonstrates the high conversion efficiency of ≈7.9% at a temperature difference of 277 K, which will significantly upgrade the sustainable energy recycling technology.
Solution‐Processed Fabrication of Ni3S2‐Based Nanoheterostructure on Silicon Heterojunction Photocathode for Boosting Solar Hydrogen Generation
Authors: Chen Xiaoming , Li Yuexiang 
Published: November 2024

AbstractSilicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cell is an advanced and mature photovoltaic cell. Development of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting devices for hydrogen fuel production using SHJ solar cells is considered as a promising approach to address energy crisis. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to deposit passivation layer and cocatalyst layer on the photoelectrode. However, the development of low‐cost and scalable preparation methods for high‐quality passivation and cocatalyst layer continues to be a significant challenge. Herein, an efficient passivation layer and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst are successfully fabricated via solution processed methods. To improve the HER activity of Ni3S2, a Ni3S2‐based nanoheterostructure of crystalline Ni3S2, Ni, and amorphous Y(OH)3 is constructed. The optimized photocathode exhibits excellent PEC‐HER performance, which achieves a saturated photocurrent of −35.5 mA cm−2 and an applied bias photon‐to‐current efficiency (ABPE) of 8.4 ± 0.1% under simulated AM1.5G one‐sun illumination and more than 120 h of continuous water splitting. This study paves a way for the design and large‐scale manufacturing of cost‐efficient SHJ photocathode devices.
Recent Progress in Microenvironment‐Responsive Nanodrug Delivery Systems for the Targeted Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Liu Shuhang , Yang Ming , Liu Han , Hao Yingxue , Zhang Dinglin 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that often causes joint pain, swelling, and functional impairments. Drug therapy is the main strategy used to alleviate the symptoms of RA; however, drug therapy may have several adverse effects, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, gastric ulcers, intestinal bleeding, hypertension, hyperglycemia, infection, fatigue, and indigestion. Moreover, long‐term excessive use of drugs may cause liver and kidney dysfunction, as well as thrombocytopenia. Nanodrug delivery systems (NDDSs) can deliver therapeutics to diseased sites with the controlled release of the payload in an abnormal microenvironment, which helps to reduce the side effects of the therapeutics. Abnormalities in the microenvironment, such as a decreased pH, increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and increased concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS), are associated with the progression of RA but also provide an opportunity to achieve microenvironment‐responsive therapeutic release at the RA site. Microenvironment‐responsive NDDSs may overcome the abovementioned disadvantages of RA therapy. Herein, we comprehensively review recent progress in the development of microenvironment‐responsive NDDSs for RA treatment, including pH‐, ROS‐, MMP‐, and multiresponsive NDDSs. Furthermore, the pathological microenvironment is highlighted in detail.
EU Foreign Policy and the Fragmentation of the International Order: A Framework for Analysis
Authors: Costa Oriol , Soler i Lecha Eduard , Vlaskamp Martijn C. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe liberal international order (LIO) is fragmenting—there is pushback against liberal universalism, spheres of influence are back, and the shortening of value chains is explicitly planned for. By itself an integration-through-law project born within the logic of the LIO, the EU has recorded such changes in its foreign policy. This chapter sketches a research agenda over the ways in which the fragmentation of the LIO has impacted (the politics of) EU foreign policy. How have intra-EU debates registered this process? What are the strategies deployed by the EU in the face of the changing and fragmenting landscape of global governance? We propose interrogating this plurality of responses by identifying three broad approaches to EU foreign policy (nationalism, Atlanticism and Europeanism), and then differentiate between two different reactions to a fragmenting liberal international order, depending on whether one prefers to embrace fragmentation, or rather rejects to act according to its logic.
EU Trade Policy in Light of a Fragmented Liberal International Order
Authors: Eliasson L. Johan , Garcia-Duran Patricia 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThis chapter examines how the fragmentation of the international trading system (declining adherence to norms and rules, geopolitics, and the weaponization of trade) has affected different actors involved in EU trade policy. It finds that most Member States and the Commission straddle an Atlanticist and Europeanist approach. The former entails working closely with amenable American administrations; Europeanist means coordinating and cooperating with allies whenever possible, while also establishing autonomous capabilities to act alone when necessary, as part of strategic autonomy. Although some political parties prefer a nationalist approach (impermissible under current treaties), the Europeanist approach is gaining strength, and Europe’s alignment with and reliance on the US cannot be taken for granted.
Looking for Resource Sovereignty in a Fragmenting Global Order: The EU’s Response to Critical Raw Materials Challenges
Authors: Vlaskamp Martijn C. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThis chapter examines the European Union's (EU) evolving concerns and strategies regarding critical raw materials (CRMs), which are essential for the renewable energy and digital transitions. The COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions with Russia and China have made the EU aware of the fragility of some of their supply chains. Initially seen mainly as an economic issue, the secure supply of CRMs is now perceived as a geopolitical concern crucial for strategic autonomy. This shift led to the 2024 Critical Raw Materials Act, which includes domestic and external measures such as bilateral agreements with resource exporters and strategic partnerships with politically like-minded countries. These policies were supported by almost all Member States, EU institutions, and groups in the European Parliament. Overall, this case illustrates a move of the EU from unequivocally advocating global free trade to a more protective approach to secure the raw materials vital for Europe's political and economic ambitions.
The EU’s Response to the Fragmented Emergence of Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Briganti Dini Giovanni 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe accelerating development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its growing strategic relevance in the context of international fragmentation and emerging geopolitical rivalry has thrust digital politics to the forefront of the European Union’s (EU) sovereign turn. Lacking the computational resources to shape AI development directly, the EU is attempting to wield influence through its normative power by passing the AI Act. EU actors are prevalently hedging between Atlanticist, Europeanist and nationalist approaches, reflecting the fluidity of contemporary digital politics and the growing instability and multipolarity of the international system.
Functional Inequalities in the Framework of Banach Spaces
Authors: Niculescu Constantin P. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThis paper aims to illustrate the usefulness of majorization theory and higher-order convexity in generalizing several classical inequalities as functional inequalities. This includes results due to Ball et al. (Invent Math 115:463-482, 1994), Hanner (Ark Mat 3:239-244, 1956), Popoviciu (Analele ştiinţifice Univ “Al. I. Cuza” Iasi, Secţia I-a Mat 11:155-164, 1965) and Zhang (Matrix Theory: Basic Results and Techniques, Springer, New York, 2011). Also, based on a substitute for the parallelogram law due to Clarkson, a quadrilateral inequality established by Schötz (in Quadruple inequalities: Between Cauchy-Schwarz and triangle. ArXiv preprint, arXiv:2307.01361 v.3, 2024) in the context of Hilbert spaces is extended to the general framework of Banach spaces.
Interpolated pretesting can boost memory of related and distinct prose materials
Authors: Kliegl Oliver , Bäuml Karl-Heinz T. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe pretesting effect refers to the finding that tests performed before to-be learned material is encountered can enhance later retention of the material, even when no correct answers were provided on the initial pretest. The goal of the present study was to examine whether interspersing pretest questions between the study of multiple segments consisting of prose passages can induce a pretesting effect on a final cumulative recall test on all segments. To this end, participants studied four segments which were either thematically related (Experiment 1) or distinct (Experiment 2) and either received pretest questions about each segment immediately prior to study of the segment (pretest condition) or not (study-only condition). Results of the cumulative final test performed 24 h after study of the segments showed for both experiments that interpolated pretesting enhanced correct recall of the segments. The findings thus suggest that the positive effects of pretesting on memory generalize from the standard single-list design to a multiplelists design when pretests are performed prior to study of each list. Interpolated pretesting thus may play a critical role as a potential learning tool in educational practice.
Tracking dynamic deadlines in switched max-plus linear systems with uncontrollable workloads
Authors: Azarmi Roohallah , Alirezaei Mohsen , Goswami Dip , Basten Twan 
Published: November 2024

AbstractModern safety-critical cyber-physical systems such as medical imaging equipment or autonomous vehicles need to respect strict deadlines on received data-processing workloads. These deadlines and workloads are dynamic and uncontrollable and the systems typically have only a limited discrete number of system configurations to respond to dynamic changes. The number and types of processors allocated to a data-processing task, their operating voltage and frequency, and the resolution and frequency of sensing (e.g., images) are examples of controllable configuration parameters. Guaranteeing dynamically changing deadlines under uncontrollable workloads with a limited discrete number of response options can be phrased as a multi-objective tracking problem for a switched max-plus linear system. This results in a combined scheduling and control problem. We propose an integrated state-feedback and model-predictive control solution that minimizes the number of deadline misses and the cost of implementation (e.g., energy consumption). We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach through simulation.
Facile Synthesis and Decomposition Kinetics of Energetic Molecular Perovskite DAP-4 Catalyzed with Copper Nanoparticles for Advanced Energetic Systems
Authors: Ismael Shukri , Yehia M. , Attwa Mohamed , Said Ali , Elmasry Mohamed Abdelfatah , Elbasuney Sherif 
Published: November 2024

AbstractMolecular perovskite DAP-4 (NH4)(C6H12N2)(ClO4)3 can expose high oxidizing capability, with superior decomposition enthalpy compared with ammonium perchlorate (AP). DAP-4 was developed via molecular assembly method. The potential impact of copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) on DAP-4 thermal decomposition was evaluated. Reactive Cu NPs of 50 nm were integrated into DAP-4 structure via solvent evaporation. Uniform dispersion of Cu NPs into DAP-4 matrix was assessed using elemental mapping. Whereas AP demonstrated decomposition enthalpy of 733 J/g; virgin DAP-4 and Cu/DAP-4 nanocomposite experienced decomposition enthalpy of 3800, and 4150 J/g respectively. Cu NPs offered decrease in DAP-4 main decomposition temperature by 49 oC. Decomposition kinetics was investigated via Kissinger, and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS). Cu/DAP-4 demonstrated apparent activation energy of 134.97 ± 3.02 kJ/mol compared with 216.32 ± 4.42 kJ/mol for virgin DAP-4. Cu NPs offered decrease in DAP-4 combustion time from 70 ms to 31 ms, with high intense combustion flame. Copper NPs experienced dramatic change in DAP-4 decomposition mechanism from F1 to F3.Copper NPs could act as efficient reactive catalyst particles; that could be oxidized to CuO with the evolution of 3700 J/g. The evolved CuO nanocatalyst could boost decomposition enthalpy.
COVID-19 and Weekly Hours Worked in Single-Person Households in the United States
Authors: Korkou Efstathia D. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractIn early 2020, single-person households constituted 17% of the labor force in the United States. How did these single-person households fare in terms of their weekly hours worked following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic? To answer the question, this paper used panel data from the Basic Monthly Current Population Survey and worked with a balanced panel of 2,659 single-person households that were consecutively surveyed in February, March, and April of 2020; that is, a period including the outbreak, as well as the first peak of the pandemic. In terms of the change in total hours worked per week, the paper recorded decreases across most demographic groups. Particularly, the paper documented that single-person households in any of the groups of Black, Hispanic, high school graduates, those aged less than 25, those aged between 31 and 35, and those between 46 and 50 were among the most severely negatively affected groups. Moreover, whether fixed or random effects models were used, the study concluded with a positive effect for teleworkability (the capability to work remotely) as well as with a positive effect for essential jobs on total weekly hours worked. Finally, the author included the need for safeguarding teleworkability in a broader policy discussion, as well as the need for developing coping mechanisms against disruptions of weekly hours worked especially under extreme hardships and crises.
Lernstandserhebungen: Mehrwert oder nur Mehraufwand?
Authors: Hans Sandra , Voss Thamar 
Published: November 2024

ZusammenfassungSeit dem Schuljahr 2015/16 werden in Baden-Württemberg verpflichtend zu Beginn der fünften Klasse die Basiskompetenzen in den Fächern Deutsch und Mathematik der Schüler:innen mit der Lernstandserhebung Lernstand 5 erhoben. Ergebnisse aus Lernstand 5 können, wie die Ergebnisse anderer Lernstandserhebungen (z. B. VERA), im Sinne des Data Based Decision Making genutzt werden. Lernstand 5 unterscheidet sich aber in seiner vorrangig individualdiagnostisch ausgeprägten Konzeption von anderen nationalen Lernstandserhebungen. Deshalb ist es von Interesse, wie Lehrkräfte das Potenzial von Lernstand 5 einschätzen und wie sie die Ergebnisse nutzen. In der vorliegenden Studie wurden die Überzeugungen von Mathematik- und Deutschlehrkräften zu verschiedenen Aspekten von Lernstand 5 in einer Stichprobe von N = 744 Lehrkräften verschiedener Schularten untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Rückmeldungen der Ergebnisse für die Lehrkräfte verständlich waren, die Lehrkräfte im Mittel aber eher skeptische Überzeugungen zu Lernstand 5 aufwiesen. Positivere Überzeugungen zu Lernstand 5 gingen mit einer vermehrten Nutzung der Ergebnisse einher. Zudem zeigen sich schulartspezifische Unterschiede in den Überzeugungen und der Nutzung: Lehrkräfte an nicht-gymnasialen Schularten, insbesondere an Gemeinschaftsschulen, wiesen positivere Überzeugungen zu Lernstand 5 auf und gaben an, die Ergebnisse für ihren Unterricht stärker zu nutzen.
A Computational Approach to Characterize the Protein S-Mer Tyrosine Kinase (PROS1-MERTK) Protein-Protein Interaction Dynamics
Authors: Djulbegovic Mak B. , Gonzalez David J. Taylor , Laratelli Luciano , Antonietti Michael , Uversky Vladimir N. , Shields Carol L. , Karp Carol L. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractProtein S (PROS1) has recently been identified as a ligand for the TAM receptor MERTK, influencing immune response and cell survival. The PROS1–MERTK interaction plays a role in cancer progression, promoting immune evasion and metastasis in multiple cancers by fostering a tumor-supportive microenvironment. Despite its importance, limited structural insights into this interaction underscore the need for computational studies to explore their binding dynamics, potentially guiding targeted therapies. In this study, we investigated the PROS1–MERTK interaction using advanced computational analyses to support immunotherapy research. High-resolution structural models from ColabFold, an AlphaFold2 adaptation, provided a baseline structure, allowing us to examine the PROS1–MERTK interface with ChimeraX and map residue interactions through Van der Waals criteria. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted in GROMACS over 100 ns to assess stability and conformational changes using RMSD, RMSF, and radius of gyration (Rg). The PROS1–MERTK interface was predicted to contain a heterogeneous mix of amino acid contacts, with lysine and leucine as frequent participants. MD simulations demonstrated prominent early structural shifts, stabilizing after approximately 50 ns with small conformational shifts occurring as the simulation completed. In addition, there are various regions in each protein that are predicted to have greater conformational fluctuations as compared to others, which may represent attractive areas to target to halt the progression of the interaction. These insights deepen our understanding of the PROS1–MERTK interaction role in immune modulation and tumor progression, unveiling potential targets for cancer immunotherapy.