bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Electroacupuncture with extensor exercise improves the contraction elastic density of quadriceps in short and long term for knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Xing Bingfeng , Liu Yuanyuan , Zhou Xin , He Guanheng , Pei Wenya , Liang Zhanmou , Ruan Jingwen , Duan Yinghua 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Background
Extensor training improves the quadriceps contraction intensity of knee osteoarthritis. But the duration of effects is limited. This study aimed to assess whether electroacupuncture (EA) with extensor training (EA + E) has better short-and long-term effects than simple extensor training (E).

Methods
Fifty-four patients were categorized into EA + E and E groups. Elastic shear wave imaging was employed to ascertain the quadriceps elastic modulus values (EMV) at different time points and extension angles. WOMAC scale was used to measure knee function.

Results
Compared to before EA, the vastus lateralis (VL) EMV with 180° knee extension immediately after EA increased significantly. After 1 month, the vastus medialis (VM) EMV with 180° extension increased and WOMAC scores decreased significantly than immediately after EA. The EMV of the VM and VL of group EA + E increased, and WOMAC scores decreased significantly compared to group E after 1 month. After 6 months, EMV of the VM and VL in EA + E group significantly increased, and WOMAC scores significantly decreased compared to E group.

Conclusions
In short- and long-term, EA with extensor training enhances the contraction strength of the quadriceps and knee function for OA.

Trial registration
This prospective single-center randomized controlled trial was approved by the Review Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (Registration date: 28/02/2023, Ethical Number: [2023] 005; The Clinical trial registration number: ChiCTR2300076651.

Key Points
• The contraction strength of the quadriceps femoris muscle in OA was detected with shear wave elastic ultrasound, and electroacupuncture immediately enhanced the contraction strength.

• After the completion of electroacupuncture treatment, the quadriceps strength and the function of knee joint in OA can be continuously improved, which will last for 6 months.

• In short and long term, electroacupuncture with extensor training has better enhancement of quadriceps contraction strength of and knee function for OA than extention only.
Manure processing as energy efficient fertilizer production technology
Authors: Jabłoński Sławomir , Łukaszewicz Marcin , Kułażyński Marek 
Published: November 2024

AbstractModern agriculture relies on nitrogen fertilizers produced through the energy-intensive Haber–Bosch process. This industrial ammonia synthesis process demands a significant amount of energy (41 GJ/1000 kg of nitrogen) and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions (1920 kg of carbon dioxide when natural gas is used). While, efforts have been made to shift towards renewable energy sources for nitrogen fixation, fossil fuels remain the primary energy source.In contrast, meat production generates substantial amounts of manure containing nitrogen compounds. The utilization of manure-derived fertilization offers potential for a circular economy. However, in regions with intensive animal production, alternative forms of manure utilization may be necessary. Manure fertilization is challenging due to transport and application energy demand, environmental pollution and health risks, making it less convenient compared to mineral fertilizers. Manure application consumes up to 63% of energy required for synthesis and application of equivalent urea fertilizer.This article aims to address the critical issues related to manure fertilization and explores potential technological solutions for nitrogen recovery, with a focus on energy consumption. Our results suggest that implementation of nitrogen recovery technology significantly (more than 50% in comparison to manure) reduces energy demand for fertilizer application and transport. The lowest general fertilizer handling cost was achieved for struvite precipitation, followed by stripping and reversed osmosis concentration.By recovering nitrogen from manure and converting it into usable fertilizers, we can significantly reduce energy consumption and mitigate the environmental impact of traditional nitrogen fertilizers.
Graphical abstract
Life cycle assessment of enhanced geothermal systems with CO2 as a working fluid—polish case study
Authors: Starczewska M. , Strojny M. , Sowiżdżał A. , Gładysz P. , Pająk L. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractLife-cycle assessment (LCA) is a methodology used to quantify the sustainability of a product, system, or process over its lifetime. The approach allows us to determine energy and material consumption at all life cycle stages, from raw material extraction to the end of a product's life, including the design, production, operation, and end-of-life stages. The LCA aims to assess the overall environmental impact of a facility, consider its strengths and weaknesses, and identify possible solutions to reduce the environmental burden sustainably. This research focuses on a novel approach to using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a working medium. The following research combines two key aspects of electricity production and carbon dioxide sequestration, a solution that can contribute to producing clean energy and reducing CO2 in the atmosphere. This paper aimed to assess the impact of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) through a life-cycle analysis carried out under Polish conditions for the Gorzow block. It includes differentiating the main impact categories and key system components that indicate the most vulnerable areas. A framework available in the literature and the modelling results performed within the EnerGizerS project were adapted to carry out the study. Calculations were performed using SimaPro software. The work was performed for EGS with supercritical CO2 (sCO2-EGS) as the working fluid in a configuration involving direct expansion in a turbine for electricity production. An environmental impact assessment was conducted, including estimating the carbon footprint for such an installation and different working fluid mass flows. The main objective of the environmental analysis is to examine how the project will affect the various environmental elements (air, water, soil) or forms of nature conservation and to identify ways to prevent, reduce or minimise the effects of the planned investment. The study results show that the construction phase, which includes well drilling and hydraulic fracturing, has the most significant impact on the environment with climate change values for different working fluid mass flows. This phase dominates the indicators obtained, which are considered typical for renewable energy sources.
Graphical Abstract
Interspecific relationships in a suboptimal habitat, an unexpected ally for the survival of the threatened Tenerife speckled lizard (Gallotia intermedia)
Authors: Albaladejo Robles Gonzalo , Escánez Alejandro , Perera-Castro Alicia V 
Published: November 2024

AbstractAnthropogenic-driven environmental changes are pushing species to the limits of their habitats. More often species are restricted to relic or suboptimal habitats that present the minimum requirements to sustain species populations. In this scenario of accelerated environmental change and biodiversity loss, is fundamental to understand why species can survive in such suboptimal conditions. In this study, we show how the Tenerife speckled lizard (Gallotia intermedia), a critically endangered endemic reptile from the Canary Islands, can maintain stable populations in relic habitats thanks to its interactions with the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) colony. A stable isotope analysis revealed that G. intermedia relies on marine subsidies for its diet and that the foraging area of this reptile is likely to be restricted to the limits of L. michahellis breeding colony. Furthermore, an antipredator behaviour analysis showed that L. michahellis displayed a strong anti-predator or mobbing response against cats, one of the main threats for G. intermedia, thus potentially providing some protection to the reptiles inhabiting the seabird colony. Our results show how unusual and poorly studied biotic interactions can provide valuable resources and conditions for the conservation of a critically endangered species inhabiting a suboptimal or relict habitat.
Exploring the development trajectory of single-machine production scheduling
Authors: Ying Kuo-Ching , Pourhejazy Pourya , Huang Tz-chi 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe Single-Machine Scheduling Problem (SMSP) serves as the cornerstone of scheduling theory. Almost all developments in production planning and control were initially introduced and tested within single-machine production settings. Exploring the literature on SMSPs illuminates the entire development trajectory of scheduling theory. This study employs the Main Path Analysis (MPA) for a systematic review that is the first of its kind in the literature on SMSPs. By analyzing 2904 articles, the main path and key branches that highlight the most significant documents in the development trajectory as well as the specifics in different development stages of the field are identified. The literature is analyzed in four stages of development, following a chronological order. Within this framework, the focus of the studies, key technologies, and characteristics of each period are discussed. Cluster and keyword analysis are employed alongside MPA to identify and explore the predominant themes in the field, including SMSPs with deterioration and/or learning effects, solution methods for SMSPs with various constraints, solving SMSPs integrated with maintenance-related variables and constraints, advanced solution methods and constructive heuristics for minimizing delays, as well as agent-based methods for single-machine scheduling. The review outcomes consist of directions for future research based on the development trajectories of SMSPs.
In-situ X-ray analysis of cold alkali dissolution of cellulose pulps of various origin
Authors: Wojtasz Joanna , Bengtsson Jenny , Ulmefors Hanna , Bernin Diana , Östlund Åsa , Yu Shun 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
This article elucidates the dissolution of cellulose from different raw materials in NaOH aqueous solution via the combination of synchrotron-radiation-based SAXS/WAXS characterization. The X-ray measurements probed the mesostructure of the cellulose samples during the freeze-thawing cycle allowing tracking the initial swelling of the structure, the kinetics of disintegration of the cellulose crystallites as well as controlling the final state of the cellulose solution, i.e. presence or absence of cellulose aggregates. The individual SAXS and WAXS measurements were fitted and modelled to enable visualisation and tracking of the changes in the structure in relation to temperature during cooling and warming phases. To further increase the understanding of the parameters affecting dissolution different cellulose samples and solution compositions were considered. For this purpose the effect of increasing the concentration of NaOH and adding Zn2+ has been carefully investigated as well as the importance of the cellulose origin. We found consistent development that the dissolution occurs faster at higher concentrations of NaOH and with Zn2+ regardless the origin. Nevertheless, SAXS data show that materials with a larger amount of cellulose I show more apparent swelling in mesoscopic structure than bleached agricultural containing cellulose II. Despite few crystalline residues after the complete cooling-heating cycle shown by WAXS, some cellulose was not completely dissolved as some network structure remained in the samples under the test condition as suggested by SAXS.
Elusive privilege: class, race and gender in Ukrainian war migrants’ (un)employment in France
Authors: Gorbach Denys , Polshchykova Yevheniia , Ryabchuk Anastasiya 
Published: November 2024

AbstractWhat happens when the state removes the usual obstacles preventing refugees to ‘integrate’? Our article analyses the case of Ukrainians who fled the war to settle in France. Their legal status is different from that of ‘classic’ refugees: the EU directive on temporary protection gives them the freedom to move and the right to work. Moreover, they benefit from a rather positive attitude of the general public. The absence of racist stereotypes and institutional barriers, however, does not translate into easy integration into the labour market: 2 years after the beginning of the Ukrainian exile, two thirds of the refugees in Western Europe remain unemployed. Based on our fieldwork made in three French regions from February to August 2023, we analyse the predicament of Ukrainian war migrants. We conclude that granting formal access to jobs and putting racist discrimination on pause is not enough to overcome other handicaps: lack of language and other ‘soft’ skills; lack of social capital that would allow insertion into formal and informal labour markets; the burden of social reproduction magnified by forced single motherhood; and the temporary nature of one’s supposedly generous legal status. The latter turns the perceived privilege into a handicap: Ukrainians are tolerated temporarily and being increasingly differentiated into ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’, ‘productive’ and ‘unproductive’ migrants. While those deemed ‘productive’ may be encouraged to remain in the EU, those who fail to integrate into the labour market are likely to gradually be cut off from social support and forced to return to Ukraine.
An investigation of personality in the Creek Chub, Semotilus atromaculatus
Authors: Barrett Jacob P. , Cashner Mollie F. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractIntraspecific variation in personality traits is increasingly recognized as an important driver of ecological processes, particularly within the context of species invasions. However, relatively few studies have investigated personality in native fauna with more localized dispersal patterns, and information regarding the existence of personality in stream fishes native to the southeastern US is particularly lacking. In this study, we investigated personality in a native and widespread minnow species, the Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus). Because of its piscivorous diet, use of its nests by nest-associating minnows, and its role as a colonizer of intermittent streams, the Creek Chub is an appropriate species for investigating the broad importance of personality-dependent processes to stream communities. We identified personality traits by estimating the repeatability of sociability, boldness, exploration, and activity in two separate behavioral assays and interpreted correlations between traits as evidence of behavioral syndromes. We did not detect repeatability for measures of sociability, possibly due to predatory interactions within this species. However, boldness, exploration, and activity were significantly repeatable and positively correlated, pointing to the existence of a bold-exploratory-active syndrome in this species. Larger individuals tended to be less active, and, despite a relatively small sample size, we detected significant differences between source populations for measures of boldness. This is the first study to identify the existence of a behavioral syndrome in Creek Chub and points to the importance of considering the role of personality in ecological processes involving native fauna.
Community pharmacists’ knowledge of, and role in, managing anticholinergic burden among patients with dementia in primary care: a cross-sectional survey study
Authors: Shawaqfeh Bara’a , Hughes Carmel M. , McGuinness Bernadette , Barry Heather E. 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Background
Anticholinergic medications and associated anticholinergic burden can impair cognitive function and increase mortality rates in patients with dementia.

Aim
To explore community pharmacists’ knowledge of anticholinergic burden and perceptions of their role in anticholinergic burden management amongst patients with dementia.

Method
A self-administered, postal questionnaire was distributed to all registered community pharmacies in Northern Ireland (n = 526) on two occasions (October and November 2022). The questionnaire comprised four sections: (1) demographics associated with pharmacists and pharmacies, (2) contact between community pharmacists and patients with dementia/their carers, and types of medication-related queries received by pharmacists, (3) understanding and knowledge about anticholinergic burden, and (4) community pharmacist role in management of anticholinergic burden in patients with dementia. Data were analysed descriptively using Stata v17.

Results
A response rate of 15.2% (80/526) was achieved. Most contact was with patients with dementia/carers in their own homes. Community pharmacists lacked knowledge about anticholinergic burden in dementia, did not use any anticholinergic burden scales in their practice (n = 77, 96.3%), and rarely discussed anticholinergic burden with patients, carers (n = 60, 75.0%), or other healthcare professionals (n = 42, 52.5%). However, they were positive about their role in future interventions and saw value in managing anticholinergic burden in patients with dementia as part of a multidisciplinary primary healthcare team (n = 67; 83.3%).

Conclusion
Despite the low response rate, the study findings have highlighted community pharmacists’ willingness to contribute to the management of anticholinergic burden in patients with dementia. Further research is required to understand how this can be achieved.
The Interplay Between Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection and Turbulence
Authors: Stawarz J. E. , Muñoz P. A. , Bessho N. , Bandyopadhyay R. , Nakamura T. K. M. , Eriksson S. , Graham D. B. , Büchner J. , Chasapis A. , Drake J. F. , Shay M. A. , Ergun R. E. , Hasegawa H. , Khotyaintsev Yu. V. , Swisdak M. , Wilder F. D. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractAlongside magnetic reconnection, turbulence is another fundamental nonlinear plasma phenomenon that plays a key role in energy transport and conversion in space and astrophysical plasmas. From a numerical, theoretical, and observational point of view there is a long history of exploring the interplay between these two phenomena in space plasma environments; however, recent high-resolution, multi-spacecraft observations have ushered in a new era of understanding this complex topic. The interplay between reconnection and turbulence is both complex and multifaceted, and can be viewed through a number of different interrelated lenses - including turbulence acting to generate current sheets that undergo magnetic reconnection (turbulence-driven reconnection), magnetic reconnection driving turbulent dynamics in an environment (reconnection-driven turbulence) or acting as an intermediate step in the excitation of turbulence, and the random diffusive/dispersive nature of the magnetic field lines embedded in turbulent fluctuations enabling so-called stochastic reconnection. In this paper, we review the current state of knowledge on these different facets of the interplay between turbulence and reconnection in the context of collisionless plasmas, such as those found in many near-Earth astrophysical environments, from a theoretical, numerical, and observational perspective. Particular focus is given to several key regions in Earth’s magnetosphere – namely, Earth’s magnetosheath, magnetotail, and Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices on the magnetopause flanks – where NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale mission has been providing new insights into the topic.
The association of zero walking cadence minutes with sleep quality in adults 18–65
Authors: Hargens Trent A. , Scott Matthew C. , Peterson Meghan , Bennett Kimberly C. , Thome Timothy , Edwards Elizabeth S. 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Physical activity (PA) guidelines suggest a link between PA, sedentary time, and sleep quality (SQ). Step cadence is an emerging proxy for PA intensity, with zero cadence (ZC) indicating sedentary time. No research has explored the relationship between ZC and SQ. This study examines the relationship between ZC and SC, compared to traditional PA and sedentary metrics, all measured via accelerometry.

Methods
Sleep and PA was assessed in 138 adults (53 male, 85 female, age = 23.5 ± 8.0 year.) via accelerometry. Sedentary, light, moderate, vigorous intensity PA, and ZC minutes per day were measured. SQ variables included sleep efficiency (SE), total sleep time (TST), and minutes of awake time after sleep onset (WASO). Correlation analysis and analysis of covariance was used to assess relationships between study variables and to assess differences in PA and sedentary behavior between normal and poor sleepers.

Results
Sedentary time was negatively associated with SE (r = -0.24, P < 0.05) and TST (r = -0.51, P < 0.001). ZC was negatively associated with SE (r = -0.25, P < 0.05), TST (r = -0.39, P < 0.001) and positively associated with WASO (r = 0.17, P < 0.001). Poor sleepers accumulated greater ZC minutes than normal sleepers when categorized by SE (555.9 ± 69.1 vs. 521.6 ± 83.7, P = 0.02)) or TST (570.4 ± 77.7 vs. 524.5 ± 76.7, P < 0.01).

Conclusion
Results suggest that zero cadence minutes is a viable metric for assessing sedentary time and may be of greater utility to more traditional measure of sedentary time.
Herausforderungen intergenerativer Gesundheitsförderungsangebote
Authors: Kollmann Verena , Grandy Simone , Hübel Ursula 
Published: November 2024

Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund
Gesundheitsförderungsprogramme sind für alle Altersgruppen wichtig. Soziale Beziehungen gelten als wichtige Gesundheitsressource, daher gewinnen intergenerative Programme an Bedeutung. Das Projekt „Klein & Groß – Bewegt & Gesund“ der Wiener Gesundheitsförderung – WiG gestaltete von 2020 bis 2023 kostenfreie gesundheitsfördernde intergenerative Angebote in Kinder- und Senior*inneneinrichtungen und öffentlichen Räumen. 2021 bis 2022 wurden im Projekt nur Bewegungsangebote, ab 2023 auch intergeneratives Gärtnern angeboten. Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es, Empfehlungen für die praktische Umsetzung zukünftiger intergenerativer Gesundheitsförderungsangebote zu formulieren.

Methode
Datengrundlage dieses Beitrags sind multiperspektivische qualitative Erhebungen, bestehend aus leitfadengestützten Einzelinterviews mit Senior*innen (n = 12), sechs Gruppendiskussionen via Zoom mit Trainer*innen und Multiplikator*innen (n = 22) sowie teilnehmenden Beobachtungen bei intergenerativen Angeboten (n = 14).

Ergebnisse
Die COVID-19-Pandemie war ein wesentlicher Kontext des intergenerativen Projekts. Die Voraussetzung zur Durchführung intergenerativer Projekte ist das Interesse von Senior*innen, bei denen es im Falle der Umsetzung als Konsequenz zu einer Fokusänderung von der eigenen körperlichen Aktivität hin zur psychosozialen Aktivierung durch die Interaktion mit den Kindern kommt. In der Evaluation identifizierte strukturelle Herausforderungen betreffen die Uhrzeit und Dauer der Angebote, das Setting sowie die Routine und den Schwierigkeitsgrad in den Aktivitäten.

Schlussfolgerung
Bei der Umsetzung intergenerativer Bewegungsangebote in einer Pandemiesituation zeigen sich viele Herausforderungen, denen jedoch mit einer vorausschauenden Planung und gut ausgebildeten Trainer*innen begegnet werden kann.