bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigation of Nb2AlC Max Phase Integrated With 2D GCN (Nb‐MX/GCN) as a Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Water Splitting Reaction
Authors: Murthy Sridevi Vetrinelaven , Natarajan Abirami , Rajaram Arulmozhi , Suresh Pavithra , Rajagopal Kayalvizhi 
Published: December 2024

AbstractNoble metal‐based electrocatalysts are impractical for large‐scale manufacture due to their high cost, limited availability, and poor long‐term stability in performing several functions. Hence, an alternative is the need of the hour that emphasizes blending metals and ceramic property materials with compelling electroconductivity. In this research, we synthesized two bare materials, Nb2AlC MAX (Nb‐MX) phase and graphitic carbon‐nitride (GCN) sheets using the calcination method which is then converted into a composite (Nb‐MX/GCN) material through wet impregnation technique. The electrochemical investigations were conducted to assess the catalytic efficacy of the composite material. The synthesized Nb‐MX/GCN electrocatalyst exhibited outstanding electrocatalytic efficiency for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline environment. The catalyst exhibits a significantly low overpotential of just 66 mV and 450 mV for the HER and OER performance, respectively, at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in a 1.0 M KOH solution. In addition, the catalytic activity exhibited no change over 24 h which indicated the excellent stability of the material. This performance surpassed the previously reported electrocatalysts.
Trace Encoding Techniques for Multi‐Perspective Process Mining: A Comparative Study
Authors: Rullo Antonino , Alam Farhana , Serra Edoardo 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTProcess mining (PM) comprises a variety of methods for discovering information about processes from their execution logs. Some of them, such as trace clustering, trace classification, and anomalous trace detection require a preliminary preprocessing step in which the raw data is encoded into a numerical feature space. To this end, encoding techniques are used to generate vectorial representations of process traces. Most of the PM literature provides trace encoding techniques that look at the control flow, that is, only encode the sequence of activities that characterize a process trace disregarding other process data that is fundamental for effectively describing the process behavior. To fill this gap, in this article we show 19 trace encoding methods that work in a multi‐perspective manner, that is, by embedding events and trace attributes in addition to activity names into the vectorial representations of process traces. We also provide an extensive experimental study where these techniques are applied to real‐life datasets and compared to each other.
Advanced Antibacterial Strategies for Combatting Biomaterial‐Associated Infections: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Kasapgil Esra , Garay‐Sarmiento Manuela , Rodriguez‐Emmenegger César 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTBiomaterial‐associated infections (BAIs) pose significant challenges in modern medical technologies, being a major postoperative complication and leading cause of implant failure. These infections significantly risk patient health, resulting in prolonged hospitalization, increased morbidity and mortality rates, and elevated treatment expenses. This comprehensive review examines the mechanisms driving bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on biomaterial surfaces, offering an in‐depth analysis of current antimicrobial strategies for preventing BAIs. We explore antimicrobial‐eluting biomaterials, contact‐killing surfaces, and antifouling coatings, emphasizing the application of antifouling polymer brushes on medical devices. Recent advancements in multifunctional antimicrobial biomaterials, which integrate multiple mechanisms for superior protection against BAIs, are also discussed. By evaluating the advantages and limitations of these strategies, this review aims to guide the design and development of highly efficient and biocompatible antimicrobial biomaterials. We highlight potential design routes that facilitate the transition from laboratory research to clinical applications. Additionally, we provide insights into the potential of synthetic biology as a novel approach to combat antimicrobial resistance. This review aspires to inspire future research and innovation, ultimately improving patient outcomes and advancing medical device technology.
Regulation of Informal Credit Markets in South Africa
Authors: Yimer Gebreyesus 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
South Africa has tried different approaches to find the right balance between access to finance and consumer protection. The laws that deal with small-scale loans by private moneylenders evolved from punishable crime under the usury laws to a responsible lending approach that cautions lenders to take responsibility for reckless lending while allowing them to consider their costs and risks in the interest rates to be charged for small loans. This chapter discusses South Africa’s legal response to problems that the informal credit markets may cause in society and the economy. Since 1926, South Africa has enacted laws to deal with informal credit and has been replacing and amending laws to deal with the emerging challenges of financial exclusion. The current National Credit Act (NCA) has reformed most of the gaps in the earlier statutes.
Courts and the Informal Credit Markets: The Case of Ethiopia
Authors: Yimer Gebreyesus 
Published: December 2024

AbstractOfficial laws fail to provide a comprehensive legal framework reflecting Ethiopia’s unique nature of informal credit markets. These markets, characterised by their reliance on trust and personal relationships, operate outside the purview of formal financial institutions. The laws do not consider these realities, and therefore, it is difficult for the actors in the informal credit markets to operate without sidelining the official rules by using various techniques. This chapter examines how courts deal with the gaps between official laws and practices in the adjudication of disputes. Selected court cases have been used to uncover how courts balance the different interests involved in those cases.
Spurious gauge-invariance and γ5 in dimensional regularization
Authors: Ruiz Pablo Olgoso , Vecchi Luca 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Dimensional regularization is arguably the most popular and efficient scheme for multi-loop calculations. Yet, when applied to chiral (gauge) theories like the Standard Model and its extensions, one is forced to deal with the infamous “γ5 problem”. The only formulation that has been demonstrated to be consistent at all orders in perturbation theory, known as Breiteinlohner-Maison-’t Hooft-Veltman scheme, is rather cumbersome because of the lack of manifest chiral gauge-invariance. In this paper we point out that this drawback can be alleviated by the introduction of auxiliary fields that restore a spurious version of gauge-invariance. If combined with the background field method, all 1PI amplitudes and the associated counterterms are formally covariant and thus severely constrained by the symmetries. As an illustration we evaluate the symmetry-restoring counterterms at 1-loop in the most general renormalizable gauge theory with Dirac fermions and scalar fields, the Standard Model representing a particular example.
Minimally disruptive auditory cues: their impact on visual performance in virtual reality
Authors: Jiménez-Navarro Daniel , Serrano Ana , Malpica Sandra 
Published: December 2024

AbstractVirtual reality (VR) has the potential to become a revolutionary technology with a significant impact on our daily lives. The immersive experience provided by VR equipment, where the user’s body and senses are used to interact with the surrounding content, accompanied by the feeling of presence elicits a realistic behavioral response. In this work, we leverage the full control of audiovisual cues provided by VR to study an audiovisual suppression effect (ASE) where auditory stimuli degrade visual performance. In particular, we explore if barely audible sounds (in the range of the limits of hearing frequencies) generated following a specific spatiotemporal setup can still trigger the ASE while participants are experiencing high cognitive loads. A first study is carried out to find out how sound volume and frequency can impact this suppression effect, while the second study includes higher cognitive load scenarios closer to real applications. Our results show that the ASE is robust to variations in frequency, volume and cognitive load, achieving a reduction of visual perception with the proposed hardly audible sounds. Using such auditory cues means that this effect could be used in real applications, from entertaining to VR techniques like redirected walking.
Alk1/Endoglin signaling restricts vein cell size increases in response to hemodynamic cues
Authors: Diwan Zeenat , Kang Jia , Tsztoo Emma , Siekmann Arndt F. 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Hemodynamic cues are thought to control blood vessel hierarchy through a shear stress set point, where flow increases lead to blood vessel diameter expansion, while decreases in blood flow cause blood vessel narrowing. Aberrations in blood vessel diameter control can cause congenital arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). We show in zebrafish embryos that while arteries behave according to the shear stress set point model, veins do not. This behavior is dependent on distinct arterial and venous endothelial cell (EC) shapes and sizes. We show that arterial ECs enlarge more strongly when experiencing higher flow, as compared to vein cells. Through the generation of chimeric embryos, we discover that this behavior of vein cells depends on the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway components Endoglin and Alk1. Endoglin (eng) or alk1 (acvrl1) mutant vein cells enlarge when in normal hemodynamic environments, while we do not observe a phenotype in either acvrl1 or eng mutant ECs in arteries. We further show that an increase in vein diameters initiates AVMs in eng mutants, secondarily leading to higher flow to arteries. These enlarge in response to higher flow through increasing arterial EC sizes, fueling the AVM. This study thus reveals a mechanism through which BMP signaling limits vein EC size increases in response to flow and provides a framework for our understanding of how a small number of mutant vein cells via flow-mediated secondary effects on wildtype arterial ECs can precipitate larger AVMs in disease conditions, such as hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT).
In Pursuit of Recovery: A Comparative Study of Stakeholder Perspectives on Outcomes of People with Psychosis
Authors: van Dee Violet , Swildens Wilma , Schnack Hugo G. , Cahn Wiepke 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
There is no consensus on the definition of recovery of people with psychosis. This may be attributed to the broad concept including clinical, functional and personal recovery domains and the diverse interests of stakeholders involved. We hypothesized that service users, informal caregivers and healthcare professionals would exhibit differences in prioritization, reflecting varying roles and viewpoints. Through an open online anonymous questionnaire, stakeholders shared their perspectives on most important aspects of clinical, functional and personal recovery and on facilitators and barriers of recovery. Stakeholder collaboration in study design and interpretation enhanced the study’s robustness. The answers on open questions of respondents were categorized for statistical analyses to compare the answers between respondent groups on the different aspects of recovery. 226 stakeholders participated. While commonalities prevailed, distinctions emerged in recovery domain priorities. Service users and informal caregivers accorded equal importance to clinical, functional and personal recovery, whereas healthcare professionals emphasized clinical recovery. Regarding functional recovery, service users seemed to focus on practical issues while informal caregivers addressed the underlying causes. Disparities were notable in the role of healthcare that was considered as both a facilitator or a barrier to recovery, with informal caregivers prioritizing aspects of healthcare more frequently as most important than healthcare professionals. While commonalities prevailed, we identified several differences in prioritizing recovery domains among stakeholder groups. Awareness and understanding of these differences is crucial for effective communication and collaboration between stakeholders in recovery-oriented healthcare. The study underscores the need for ongoing dialogue between stakeholders.
The Contributions of Attentional Bias and Expectancy Bias to Fluctuations in State Anxiety
Authors: Tough James , Grafton Ben , MacLeod Colin , Van Bockstaele Bram 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Background
Individuals differ in the degree to which they experience elevations in state anxiety in response to anticipated potentially stressful events, which may be explained by variance in the way information relevant to those stressors is processed. The present study aimed to test the validity of the hypothesis that the attentional processing of negative event-related information will be positively associated with changes in event-related negative expectancy bias, which in turn will be positively associated with elevations in state anxiety.

Method
Using a variant of the dual probe task, participants were asked to report their state anxiety and negative expectancy bias at multiple points and were presented with information relevant to a specific anticipated potentially stressful event from which a measure of attentional bias was obtained.

Results
The results indicated a case of complete mediation, whereby changes in event-related negative expectancy bias fully mediated the relationship between attentional bias to negative event-related information and elevations in state anxiety.

Conclusions
This finding adds to our understanding of how the biased processing of information can explain fluctuations in state anxiety and invites research into alternative presentations of biased information processing.
Relationship between the amplitudes of cerebral blood flow velocity and intracranial pressure using linear and non-linear approach
Authors: Pelah Adam I. , Najdek Monika , Czosnyka Marek , Uryga Agnieszka 
Published: December 2024

AbstractIntracranial pressure (ICP), cerebral blood flow and volume are affected by craniospinal elasticity and cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, interacting in complex, nonlinear ways. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) may significantly alter this relationship. This retrospective study investigated the relationship between the vascular and parenchymal intracranial compartments by analysing two amplitudes: cerebral blood flow velocity (AmpCBFV) and ICP (AMP) during hypocapnia manoeuvre in TBI patients. Twenty-nine TBI patients hospitalised at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, whose ICP and CBFV were monitored during mild hypocapnia, were included. A linear metric of the relationship was defined as a moving-window correlation (R) between AmpCBFV and AMP, named RAMP. Nonlinear metrics were based on the Joint Symbolical Analysis (JSA) algorithm, which transforms AmpCBFV and AMP into sequences of symbols (‘words’) using a binary scheme with word lengths of three. The mean AmpCBFV and AMP were not significantly correlated at baseline (r = − 0.10) or during hypocapnia (r = − 0.19). However, the RAMP index was significantly higher at baseline (0.64 ± 0.04) compared to hypocapnia (0.57 ± 0.04, p = 0.035). The relative frequency of symmetrical word types (JSAsym) describing the AmpCBFV–AMP interaction decreased during hypocapnia (0.35 ± 0.30) compared to baseline (0.44 ± 0.030; p = 0.004). Our results indicate that while the grouped-averaged AmpCBFV and AMP were not significantly correlated, either at baseline or during hypocapnia, significant changes were observed when using RAMP and JSA indices. Further validation of these new parameters, which reflect the association between the vascular and parenchymal intracranial compartments, is needed in a larger cohort.
Research trends in Peruvian universities: proposal for a research agenda with a bibliometric approach
Authors: Arcila-Diaz Juan , Delgado-Caramutti Jorge , Millones-Gómez Pablo A. , Figueroa-Quiñones Joel , Valencia-Arias Alejandro 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Purpose
The objective of this study is to determine the research areas with the largest numbers of publications, the most influential researchers, and research trends in Peruvian Universities. Methodology: A bibliometric analysis was conducted from the Scopus database by retrieving a total of 29,935 documents between 2008 and 2021. Findings: The study analyzed the scientific production of 93 accredited universities in Peru between 2008 and 2021, retrieved 29,935 documents, and observed an annual growth rate of 15% before Law 30,220, and 28% after. Medicine, social sciences, and engineering are the subject areas with the most publications. The study also found that Peruvian universities have contributed to 27 research areas. Peru, the United States, and Brazil were the top countries in collaboration. The study also illustrated the intellectual and conceptual structure of scientific production, with the greatest relevance in medicine and health.
Retrodictive and predictive attentional modulation in temporal binding
Authors: Pedersen Rasmus 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
This paper sets forward a novel theory of temporal binding, a mechanism that integrates the temporal properties of sensory features into coherent perceptual experiences. Specifying a theory of temporal binding remains a widespread problem. The popular ‘brain time theory’ suggests that the temporal content of perceptual experiences is determined by when sensory features complete processing. However, this theory struggles to explain how perceptual experiences can accurately reflect the relative timing of sensory features processed at discrepant times. In contrast, ‘event time theories’ suggest that the temporal content of perceptual experiences reflects the relative event time of external sensory features and that the brain accommodates differential processing times. We can formulate retrodictive and predictive versions of this theory. Retrodictive event time theories propose that we accommodate desynchronised processing retrodictively. Predictive event time theories propose that we accommodate desynchronised processing by predictively modelling the event time of sensory features. I argue that both views have strengths and weaknesses. This paper proposes a new hybrid theory that integrates these theories to accommodate these weaknesses. Firstly, I argue how retrodictions and predictions can interact in mutually beneficial ways to ensure speedy and accurate temporal binding. Secondly, I propose how attention plays a central role in flexibly selecting which contents get to be temporally bound. This theory can explain how prediction and retrodiction differentially affect temporal binding and, in turn, proposes a new way to understand temporal binding and has implications for how we should understand conscious experiences.
Genome editing in almond using hairy root transformation system
Authors: Jedličková Veronika , Štefková Marie , Sánchez López Juan Francisco , Grimplet Jérôme , Rubio Cabetas María José , Robert Hélène S. 
Published: December 2024

AbstractWoody plant species are often challenging to transform, which complicates gene function studies using molecular biology techniques. To develop an effective gene editing tool for almond (Prunus dulcis, syn. Prunus amygdalus), we established a new method for inducing hairy roots in almond seedlings based on the injection of agrobacterial culture. We generated composite plants comprising wild-type shoots and transgenic hairy roots. This approach was also successful in almond x peach hybrids. The hairy root transformation system was used alongside Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 gene editing to target two transcription factor genes (ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 74 and GIBBERELLIC ACID INSENSITIVE). We successfully generated hairy roots with knockouts of the target genes and evaluated the efficiency of guide RNAs for gene editing in almond. Our transgenic root method could be a valuable tool for routine gene function studies in almond.
Water and Oil Volume Measurement Using UV–Visible Spectroscopy
Authors: Sarlak Mohammad , Reed Jules , Law Stuart , McCue Alan J. , Tanino Yukie 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Fluid saturation in relative permeability experiments is typically determined by volumetric or gravimetric measurements, as well as in-situ saturation monitoring (ISSM). Gravimetric measurements tend to have larger error due to grain loss. The conventional volumetric method used can be a challenge because produced volumes for oil and water must be separated and measured manually. ISSM method is also a costly technique. In this study, an UV–visible spectroscopy was used to continuously and cost effectively measure oil and water volumes. A water-oil unsteady state relative permeability was performed to investigate the feasibility of calculating oil and water volumes using UV–visible spectroscopy. UV–visible spectroscopy is a quantitative technique in analytical chemistry to determine concentrations of known solutes. A UV–visible spectroscope was located in the flow line immediately after the core holder and used to quantify fluid volumes (oil and water) produced from a core sample during unsteady state relative permeability study. A volumetric separator was also used to compare production volumes obtained from UV–visible spectroscope. The relative permeabilities were calculated using JBN method from both volumetric and UV-visible spectroscope measurements and then history matched with Sendra (PRORES AS). The final oil volume produced, oil and water relative permeability curves obtained from UV–visible spectroscope measurements were in good agreement with volumetric measurements. The Corey relative permeability curves simulated from Sendra also were closely matched with analytical relative permeability curves obtained using volume measurements from volumetric and UV–visible spectroscope data. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) on post relative permeability experiment was also in good agreement with UV–visible spectroscope measurement. UV–visible spectroscopy was also used to measure the breakthrough time of the injected fluid. Breakthrough time estimated using in-line UV–visible spectrophotometer was 0.634 PVI compared to 0.617 and 0.673 PVI from pressure data and volumetric observations.

Graphic Abstract
‘Local Communities’ and the Development Conundrum: Where International Investment Law Meets Human Rights and Businesses
Authors: Choukroune Leïla , Cotula Lorenzo 
Published: December 2024

AbstractLarge-scale investment projects often involve contestation over competing notions of ‘development’—from promises of economic growth and integration into global value chains to perspectives that emphasise strong connections between people, territory, culture and way of life. This contestation also echoes diverse theories that have variously conceptualised development as growth, freedom, right or sustainability. This article argues that, in the face of such diversity and complexity, the notion of development that underpins international investment law tends to prioritise economic considerations. In the context of investment disputes, this can marginalise the ideas of development advanced by local actors and indigenous peoples. By connecting human rights and development in immediate terms, ongoing discussions about the right to development can provide an arena to centre ‘peoples’ as the key actor in development processes. But this normative shift would also require ensuring that the wider frameworks of international economic law recognise and provide space for plural notions of development.