bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Carbon quantum dots: synthesis, properties and multifaceted applications in biomedical imaging, environmental remediation and sensing technologies
Authors: Jebanisha B , Devi V N Meena 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
With a dimension of roughly 10 nm, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are an intriguing family of carbon nanoparticles. Various fabrication techniques, such as ultrasonication, electrochemical oxidation, hydrothermal reaction, laser ablation, microwave irradiation and reflux lead to CQD synthesis through processes including pyrolysis, carbonization, oxidation and polymerization. Sustainable raw materials are often utilized, aligning with environmental concerns and waste reduction efforts. CQDs exhibit low toxicity, chemical inertness, remarkable biocompatibility and highly adjustable photoluminescence behaviour owing to their semiconductor-like properties and oxygen based functional groups. Their tiny particle sizes contribute to highly photoluminescent emissions and controllable fluorescence. In biomedical applications, CQDs show promise for imaging, drug delivery and sensing due to their biocompatibility and tunable optical properties. In environmental contexts, they hold potential for wastewater treatment, heavy metal detection and ion sensing leveraging their adsorption capabilities and photoluminescence. This review explores the synthesis methods, physical and chemical characteristics and diverse applications of CQDs particularly focusing on their potential in biomedical imaging, environmental remediation and sensing technologies.
Adiabatic propagation in nematic liquid crystals with competing nonlinearities
Authors: Du Mingxin , Pu Shaozhi , Zhang Meng , Sun Ying , Wang Xiaomeng 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
We theoretically investigate the influence of the variation of the nonlocal degree of the molecular orientation effect σ
1 and the nonlocal degree of the thermal effect σ
2 on beam propagation in nonlocal media with competing nonlinearities. According to the model proposed by JUNG P S, we find that variations in σ
1 and σ
2 have completely different effects on beam propagation in the medium. When σ
1 increases, the beam tends to broaden, whereas when σ
2 increases, the beam tends to compress. Numerical calculations, conducted using the split-step Fourier method, show that changes in σ
2 have a smaller effect on propagation compared to σ
1. Adiabatic propagation of the beam in nematic liquid crystals can be achieved if σ
1 changes gradually, but not if σ
1 changes abruptly. In contrast, adiabatic propagation can be realized with σ
2 whether it changes abruptly or gradually. The variational results are well confirmed by numerical simulations.
Mechanical performance of friction stir welded acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polystyrene plates with and without multiwall carbon nanotubes: a comparative study
Authors: Kumar Balmiki , Kumar Sanjeev , Barma John Deb 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Polystyrene (PS) are utilized in high-performance automotive parts, robust consumer electronics, and advanced packaging solutions for improved durability and strength. Joining ABS and PS using Friction Stir Welding (FSW) significantly enhances the joint strength, material integrity, and performance, making it ideal for advanced engineering applications. Present paper investigates the effects of incorporating and deprived of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) during joining of the ABS and PS material. A cylindrical threaded tool is used to join the material at varying tool rotation speed (TRS) from 700 rpm to 1100 rpm with interval of 100 rpm and traverse speed (TS) from 0.1 mm s−1 to 0.5 mm s−1 with interval of 0.1 mm s−1. The Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of welded samples is also performed. The results showed that optimal joints were formed at a TS of 0.1 mm s−1 and a TRS of 900 rpm with MWCNTs. Without MWCNTs, the maximum tensile strength and efficiency were achieved at a TS of 0.5 mm s−1 and TRS of 800 rpm. Tensile tests demonstrated a 39.16% increase in joint strength with the incorporation of MWCNTs in welded dissimilar thermoplastic materials, highlighting their potential to significantly enhance tensile strength.
Constraints on ultra-slow-roll inflation with the NANOGrav 15-Year dataset
Authors: Mu Bo , Liu Jing , Cheng Gong , Guo Zong-Kuan 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Ultra-slow-roll (USR) inflation predicts an exponential amplification of scalar perturbations at small scales, which leads to a stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) through the coupling of the scalar and tensor modes at the second-order expansion of the Einstein equation. In this work, we search for such a scalar-induced SGWB from the NANOGrav 15-year (NG15) dataset, and find that the SGWB from USR inflation could explain the observed data.
The Bayes factors are 54 ± 5 for the USR inflation model alone and 68 ± 6 for the combined USR inflation plus supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHB) models.
We place constraints on the amplitude of the scalar power spectrum to P
Rp > 10-1.95 at 95% confidence level (C.L.) at the scale of k ∼ 20 pc-1. We find that log10
P
Rp degenerates with the peak scale log10
k
p.
We also obtain the parameter space allowed by the data in the USR inflationary scenario, where the e-folding numbers of the duration of the USR phase has a lower limit ΔN > 2.80 (95% C.L.) when the USR phase ends at N ≈ 20.
With astrophysically motivated priors, the NG15 dataset fits both the USR inflation model and SMBHB model equally well.
Simulation research of a borehole muon detector for deep vein exploration
Authors: Yin L. , Luo S. , Zeng G. , Wang K. , Feng S. , Feng S.Y. , Zhang H. , Feng C. , Wang X. 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Natural muons are secondary particles generated through the
interaction of the universe's energetic proton stream with the
atmosphere. Their remarkable penetration capabilities and broad
energy spectrum allow them to traverse thousands of meters
underground. This inherent property renders them conducive to
imaging via the flux attenuation produced as muons penetrate large
objects. In the realm of earth science research, limitations of
underground space necessitate the development of novel detection
methodologies and instruments for imaging extensive subterranean
structures. Presently, researchers worldwide have developed and
evaluated numerous muon detectors, predominantly employing drilling
techniques. However, existing borehole detectors feature a high
number of readout channels and large diameters, resulting in
elevated manufacturing expenses and intricate electronic systems. In
this study, we propose a small-diameter detector with a reduced
number of readout channels, constructed using wedge-section plastic
scintillator strips and plastic scintillator arcs, and simulate the
detector performance in Geant4. Comparative analysis with
traditional rectangular-section plastic scintillator strip designs
reveals an enhancement in count rate, employing 176 read electronic
channels. The effect of the arc thickness of plastic scintillator on
the resolution of the zenith angle of the detector is simulated. The
results can provide guidance for the selection of the arc thickness
of plastic scintillator. Furthermore, simulated detection of
underground gold deposits demonstrates the detector's capability to
successfully invert images of subterranean gold deposits within a
specified timeframe.
Powering a molecular delivery system by harvesting energy from the leaf motion in wind
Authors: Armiento Serena , Bernacka-Wojcik Iwona , Dar Abdul Manan , Meder Fabian , Stavrinidou Eleni , Mazzolai Barbara 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Smart agriculture tools as well as advanced studies on agrochemicals and plant biostimulants aim to improve crop productivity and more efficient use of resources without sacrificing sustainability. Recently, multiple advanced sensors for agricultural applications have been developed, however much less advancement is reported in the field of precise delivery of agriculture chemicals. The organic electronic ion pump (OEIP) enables electrophoretically-controlled delivery of ionic molecules in the plant tissue, however it needs external power-supplies complicating its application in the field. Here, we demonstrate that an OEIP can be powered by wind-driven leaf motion through contact electrification between a natural leaf and an artificial leaf. This plant-hybrid triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) directly charges the OEIP, enabling proton delivery into a pH indicator solution, which triggers visible color changes as a proof-of-concept. The successful delivery of up to 44 nmol of protons was revealed by pH measurements after 17 h autonomous operation in air flow moving the plant and artificial leaves. Several control tests indicated that the proton delivery was powered uniquely by the charges generated during leaf fluttering. The OEIP-TENG combination opens the potential for targeted and self-powered long-term delivery of relevant chemicals in plants, with the possibility of enhancing growth and resistance to abiotic stressors.
Enhancing secrecy rates in visible-light communications with signal-dependent noise: exploring optical jamming technique
Authors: Al-Moliki Yahya M , Alqahtani Ali H , Alresheedi Mohammed T , Al-Harthi Yahya 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
This research investigates the security of a visible light communication (VLC) system in an indoor setting. The system consists of multiple transmitters (referred to as Alice), a legitimate receiver (referred to as Bob), and a passive adversary (referred to as Eve). A scheme is proposed to enhance secrecy by using optical jamming signals alongside the confidential signal, under constraints of nonnegativity and average optical intensity. The optical jamming signals follow a truncated Gaussian distribution to adhere to predefined constraints. The analysis takes into account both noise independent of the signal and noise dependent on the signal. The study obtains lower and upper bounds on secrecy rate through the application of the variational method, the dual expression of secrecy rate, and the notion of ‘the optimal input distribution that tends towards infinity’. An asymptotic analysis reveals a minimal performance difference between the upper and lower bounds under large optical intensity. Introducing a peak optical intensity constraint enables further scrutiny of both the exact and asymptotic secrecy-rate bounds. Numerical results are provided to validate the obtained secrecy-rate bounds.
What Do They Know of Cricket …?
Authors: Wagg Stephen 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
This chapter considers the politics of English cricket at the beginning of the 2020s, when the campaign to leave the European Union was the context for much atavistic political rhetoric. This in turn coincided, at state level and in the mainstream British media, with a growing hostility both to migrants and to ‘multiculturalism’—usually, in practice, the same thing. This can be understood as indicative of a long-drawn-out transition from one form of racism to another on the part of the British state. The chapter argues that both the public ruminations about ‘reclaiming’ the country and the restrictions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic (much of the 2020 cricket season was cancelled and what professional cricket took place did so in the absence of spectators) highlighted processes that had been in train for some decades. The chapter considers these processes and their present and likely repercussions on English cricket.
‘One Team, One Nation’
Authors: Hildred Ben 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
In 2009, Sri Lanka emerged from a brutal, twenty-six-year-long civil war which created rifts that continue to be felt across the cultural landscape. In the ten years since the end of the conflict, various public figures have touted cricket as one method of fostering unity and reconciliation in the country. This chapter outlines the current context of cricket within Sri Lanka and places it within the wider global context of using sport for development and peace (SDP). Drawing from ethnographic research carried out in Colombo and Jaffna, the chapter examines these efforts to use cricket for reconciliatory purposes in an attempt to assess whether such an association is viable. In doing so, it focusses particularly on the use of cricket to forge a new national identity, one supposedly without ethnic, religious, or class boundaries, an idea encapsulated in the current Sri Lanka cricket slogan ‘One Team, One Nation’. While deemed unequivocally ‘good’ by stakeholders, the chapter shows how cricket is often rife with the same inequalities and problems that affect wider Sri Lankan society. Delving deeper into such inequalities reveals how sport inevitably occupies a paradoxical position in these contexts—in order to reconcile, it must divide. In examining the potential for cricket to forge a new national identity, the chapter contextualizes both concepts of reconciliation and concepts of cricket itself, conveying how on a deeper social level sport can come to create new meanings for the individual, presenting a potential re-configuration of ‘the national question’ for the future.
‘On Top of the World’ (?)
Authors: Westall Claire 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
This chapter reads the aesthetics of the 2019 Cricket World Cup against its 1999 predecessor, including the styles of play seen, the marketing efforts deployed, and the sales and ticketing approaches used to popularize these tournaments; tournaments that were mostly played in England. All this is set this within a longer story of cricketing Englishness, imperialism, and the growing need to ‘world’ the game in new ways. More specifically, though, the discussion compares the musical anthems and music videos used for the 1999 World Cup and those released for the return of the event in 2019. The chapter explores the way in which different ideas of Englishness, Britishness, success, and connection are attempted across the shift from 1999 to 2019 and also across the two 2019 pieces and their accompanying visuals. Where the Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff’s singing and accompanying video offer a notably ‘down-to-earth’ and domestic vision of cricketing Englishness, moving through a number of seemingly ‘street’ locations and regional or specifically English scenes before arriving in London, the official tournament track by Loryn and Rudimental is a more explicitly urban, London-linked appeal to youthful celebration, attempting to call up the success of 2012 and mobilize the links between sport and public festival of that Olympic summer but with very little connection to contemporary cricketing culture. In this manner, the 2019 tournament, like the 1999 event before it, was marketed so as to make the world sit within an idea of Britishness, but only succeeded in retaining a sense of historically imperial Englishness which worked against more progressive ideas of a civic cricketing Englishness in and for England.
Women as Landscapes
Authors: Leonard-Fleckman Mahri 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Chapter 5 explores scribal representations of Timnah and the Sorek Valley in the Samson cycle (Judges 13–16) and argues that female characters are scribal tools to depict and embody the region as elusive and liminal places. The chapter focuses on the unnamed woman around Timnah (Judges 14–15) and Delilah in the Sorek Valley (Judges 16). It also incorporates Tamar of Genesis 38 into the discussion, whose story takes place around a “Timnah” that may or may not be the Shephelah location. The chapter proposes that female characters in the Samson cycle are not subjects but rather geographical markers of a socially perplexing area. This chapter seeks to highlight the unknowability of these women and the Shephelah through feminist, spatial, and composition-historical analyses of their stories.
Elevated blood pressure variability is associated with an increased risk of negative health outcomes in adults aged 65 and above—a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Saren Jordy , Debain Aziz , Loosveldt Fien , Petrovic Mirko , Bautmans Ivan 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Background
The clinical relevance of blood pressure variability (BPV) is still unknown, despite increasing evidence associating BPV to negative health outcomes (NHOs). There is currently no gold standard to define high BPV and normal reference values for BPV are lacking.

Aim
The primary aim was to examine whether high BPV can predict NHO in adults aged ≥65. The predictive value of BPV was compared to mean BP (mBP) when both parameters were available.

Methods
PubMed and Web of Science were systematically screened; 49 articles (12 retrospective, 18 prospective and 19 cross-sectional studies) were included and evaluated for methodological quality. Meta-analyses were conducted to examine the association of BPV (and mBP when available) with NHO.

Results
Systolic BPV and systolic mBP seem to indicate at least comparable odds for cardiovascular disease (BPV: odds ratio (OR) = 1.33 (95% CI: 1.19–1.48, P &lt; .00001) vs mBP: OR = 1.06 (95% CI: 1.03–1.09, P = .0002)) and cerebral deterioration (BPV: OR = 1.28 (95% CI: 1.17–1.41, P &lt; .00001) vs mBP: OR = 1.06 (95% CI: 1.04–1.09, P &lt; .00001)). Increased diastolic BPV was associated with higher odds of cerebral deterioration (OR = 1.18 (95% CI: 1.04–1.35), P = .01).

Conclusion
High systolic BPV and high systolic mBP are associated with 33% and 6% higher odds of cardiovascular disease in adults aged ≥65, respectively. High BPV is also related to an 18%–28% and 11% increased odds of cerebral deterioration and poor stroke recovery. An overview of cut-off values is provided for the most often reported BPV parameters in literature, which can be used as a guideline to identify elevated BPV in clinical practice.
Outcomes of a multidisciplinary approach to management of mavacamten in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Jensen Hanna , Yousif Zaid , Huynh Trina , Kraushaar Megan , Reed Marcy , Boarman Trista , Enciso Jorge Silva , Willeford Andrew 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Purpose
Traditional treatments for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM) include β-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and disopyramide. Mavacamten, a novel cardiac myosin inhibitor, is a promising oHCM therapy but has practical challenges limiting its use. This descriptive study aimed to describe a clinic workflow for mavacamten management in a real-world setting, addressing challenges such as cost, drug interactions, and monitoring requirements. The focus was on reducing patient-level costs while ensuring feasibility and efficiency.

Summary
A retrospective analysis was conducted on 34 patients with oHCM for whom mavacamten was considered between May 2022 and May 2023. The clinic workflow involved cardiologist assessment, pharmacist evaluation of drug interactions, enrollment in the mavacamten risk evaluation and mitigation strategy program, cost reduction measures, and initiation of monitoring through scheduled echocardiograms. Of the 34 patients, 21 (62%) were initiated on mavacamten and followed for up to 1 year on therapy. The median time from referral to prior authorization approval and first fill was 5 and 22 days, respectively. Patients demonstrated high adherence (99.1%) as measured by the proportion of days covered. Echocardiogram follow-up showed improvements in left ventricular outflow tract parameters with no patients having a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction to less than 50%.

Conclusion
The described workflow effectively addressed challenges associated with mavacamten management, emphasizing roles for clinic personnel, cost reduction strategies, and structured patient monitoring. While the workflow’s specifics may need adaptation in different settings, this report provides valuable insights for clinics implementing structured mavacamten management approaches.
Superstitious–magical imaginings
Authors: Ichino Anna 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
According to a once-standard view, imagination has little or no role in action guidance: its motivating power, if any, is limited to pretence play. In recent years this view has been challenged by accounts that take imagination to motivate action also beyond pretence, for instance in the domain of religion and conspiracy-related thinking. Following this trend, I propose a new argument in favour of imagination’s motivating power based on a class of actions that has not yet received much consideration in the imagination literature: what I call ‘superstitious–magical actions’. These actions are extremely pervasive in our lives and reveal imagination’s motivating power to be larger than many take it to be. By analysing them I show not only that imagination motivates very often, but also how it does so – that is, what the dynamics of motivation by imagination are.
Selective IR measurement of fluorescent protein chromophore based on TFD-IR technique
Authors: Takahashi Hirona , Miyake Tomoya , Sakai Makoto 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Recently, we developed a novel method based on the transient fluorescence detected IR (TFD-IR) technique to measure the IR spectra of fluorescent molecules in water. In this study, our method was applied for fluorescent proteins and succeeded in the selective IR measurement of chromophores of fluorescent proteins. It was found that the spectral feature of the TFD-IR spectra of TurboGFP and phiYFP, which have the same chromophore but different fluorescent wavelengths, is quite different. This might come from differences in the local structures of the chromophore that interact with the surrounding protein.
Sexual size dimorphism as a determinant of biting performance dimorphism in Anolis lizards
Authors: Toyama Ken S , Losos Jonathan B , Herrel Anthony , Mahler D Luke 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Rensch’s rule describes a pattern of interspecific allometry in which sexual size dimorphism (SSD) increases with size among closely related species (i.e., among a group of related species, the largest ones tend to show more male-biased SSD). Sexual selection is often invoked to explain Rensch’s rule, as larger male body size is assumed to be favoured by sexual selection for increased fighting performance in contests for mating opportunities. Often, however, the correlation between size and performance is not well described. We studied a sexually selected performance trait, bite force in Anolis lizards, to determine whether patterns of SSD are linked to size-associated patterns of performance dimorphism at the macroevolutionary level, as expected under the sexual selection hypothesis for Rensch’s rule. Additionally, we tested whether allometric patterns of performance dimorphism differ between mainland and island species, as the latter have likely evolved under a stronger sexual selection regime. We found that SSD overwhelmingly explains the relationship between performance dimorphism and size in anoles, as expected under a sexual selection model for Rensch’s rule. However, residual performance dimorphism was higher in island than in mainland species, suggesting that these groups differ in performance dimorphism for reasons unrelated to size. Head size dimorphism was associated with residual performance dimorphism, but did not fully explain the difference in performance dimorphism between island and mainland species. Together, these findings highlight the need to interpret Rensch’s rule patterns of body size evolution cautiously, as allometric patterns of performance dimorphism and size dimorphism might not be equivalent.