bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The perceived impact of PISA on student learning in schools in a local Chinese context
Authors: Ding Huiming , Tasara Innocent 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThe increasing concerns of the impact of the Programmes for International Student Assessment (PISA) on education policymaking along with its global reach call for the need of evaluating PISA’s impact on student learning. However, most extant studies focus on arguing its impact at the policy level, without taking a further look into it at the local and school levels. This paper empirically investigates the impact of PISA on student learning in schools in a local Chinese context, that is, the Fangshan District of Beijing, through engaging local stakeholders’ perspectives. Based on the interviews with local educational policymakers and practitioners, the findings reveal that PISA has motivated substantive local policy initiatives aimed at improving student learning, which have been enacted in schools to varying degrees. In many of these initiatives, some PISA concepts were incorporated in different ways. We discuss PISA’s impact on the local educational policy and propose a provisional mechanism of its impact on student learning in schools.
The Effect of a Hydrophilic Polymer on the Morphology of Polymeric Membranes and the Retention of Metals
Authors: Yildiz Yasemin , Manzak Aynur 
Published: July 2024

AbstractPolyethylene glycol (PEG) is a preferred hydrophilic polymer as an additive for casting solutions. In this study, polymeric membranes containing 1,10-phenanthroline and different molecular weights of polyethylene glycol (PEG) are tested for the morphological change and metal retention on the membrane surface. Additives in the form of PEGs with molecular weights of 400 Da, 600 Da, and 6000 Da were used. The morphology of each membrane was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It appears that copper has more retention than cadmium in all membrane components in SEM–EDS analysis. FTIR spectra findings provided evidence that PEG binds to the PVC backbone through hydrogen bonds involving chlorine atoms in the PVC and hydrogen atoms in the hydroxyl groups of PEG. The porosity of the membrane was determined by gravimetric method. The molecular weight of PEG in the membrane seems to be increasing, the porosity of the membrane improved. The porosity of the membrane obtained with PVC/ PEG/ 1,10-phenanthroline is 62.85 for PEG 400, 80.00 for PEG 600 and 83.50 for PEG 6000. The order of metal retention on the surface of the membranes consisting of PVC-1,10 phenanthroline and PEGs are Cu > Cd, indicating that with its large diameter (140 pm), cadmium cannot settle into the pores as much as copper. Except for PEG 600, the retention of both metals decreased with the addition of phenanthroline to the membrane containing PEG. The amorphous structure was detected from the XRD of the membranes. Thermal analysis of the membrane was determined by TG-DSC.
Graphical Abstract
Dramatic loss of microbial viability in bentonite exposed to heat and gamma radiation: implications for deep geological repository
Authors: Bartak Deepa , Šachlová Šárka , Kašpar Vlastislav , Říha Jakub , Dobrev David , Večerník Petr , Hlaváčková Veronika , Matulová Michaela , Černá Kateřina 
Published: July 2024

AbstractBentonite is an integral part of the engineered barrier system (EBS) in deep geological repositories (DGR) for nuclear waste, but its indigenous microorganisms may jeopardize long-term EBS integrity. To predict microbial activity in DGRs, it is essential to understand microbial reactions to the early hot phase of DGR evolution. Two bentonites (BCV and MX-80) with varied bentonite/water ratios and saturation levels (compacted to 1600 kg.m− 3 dry density/powder/suspension), were subjected to heat (90–150 °C) and irradiation (0.4 Gy.h− 1) in the long-term experiments (up to 18 months). Molecular-genetic, microscopic, and cultivation-based techniques assessed microbial survivability. Exposure to 90 °C and 150 °C notably diminished microbial viability, irrespective of bentonite form, with negligible impacts from irradiation or sample type compared to temperature. Bentonite powder samples exhibited microbial recovery after 90 °C heating for up to 6 months but not 12 months in most cases; exposure to 150 °C had an even stronger effect. Further long-term experiments at additional temperatures combined with the mathematical prediction of temperature evolution in DGR are recommended to validate the possible evolution and spatial distribution of microbially depleted zones in bentonite buffer around the waste canisters and refine predictions of microbial effects over time in the DGR.
Stock Markets Cycles and Macroeconomic Dynamics
Authors: Vatsa Puneet , Basnet Hem C. , Mixon Franklin G. , Upadhyaya Kamal P. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThere is a consensus that stock markets are procyclical. However, answers to some important questions remain unclear. Do stock markets lead or lag business cycles? More interestingly, what is the duration with which they lead or lag them? This study uses different time-series filters and time-difference analysis to answer these questions by examining the dynamic interactions between three major stock indices and key macroeconomic indicators in the United States. The findings show that stock markets have been strongly procyclical, lagging industrial production by one to three months in recent decades. There have been noteworthy changes in the relationship between inflation and stock market cycles. The correlations changed from negative in the 1980s and 1990s to positive in the 2000s and 2010s. The results also reveal close associations between the stock indices, offering new insights into the interplay between financial markets and economic cycles.
Influencing on police-community relations: an empirical study based on the OIC three-dimensional model
Authors: Songze Zhu , Mingshen Xu , Yuhao Wang 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThe establishment of harmonious police-community relations is a important factor in advancing the modernization of public security endeavors, linked to the exercise of authority, value orientations, and the core mission of law enforcement agencies. The OIC model considers police professional prestige, image, and credibility. Utilizing the OIC three-dimensional model as a foundation, this study examines the intricate mechanisms and explanatory frameworks underlying the relationship between police professional prestige, police image, police law enforcement credibility, and police-community relations. This study surveyed police officers and citizens in X city. Through a comprehensive questionnaire survey and rigorous data analysis, the study reveals several noteworthy findings: (1) police professional prestige has a significant positive predictive effect on police-community relations; (2) police image plays a partially mediating role between police professional prestige and police-community relations; (3) police law enforcement credibility plays a partially mediating role between police professional prestige and police-community relations; (4) police image and police law enforcement credibility can play a chain mediating role between police professional prestige and police-community relations; (5)police image and police law enforcement credibility jointly play a sequential mediating role, bridging the gap between police professional prestige and police-community relations. Based on the OIC three-dimensional model, the study proposes feasible countermeasures and theoretical references for closer police-community relations from the aspects of comprehensive cognition, objective reality and mediated communication.
Navigating the complexity of p53-DNA binding: implications for cancer therapy
Authors: Thayer Kelly M. , Stetson Sean , Caballero Fernando , Chiu Christopher , Han In Sub Mark 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
The tumor suppressor protein p53, a transcription factor playing a key role in cancer prevention, interacts with DNA as its primary means of determining cell fate in the event of DNA damage. When it becomes mutated, it opens damaged cells to the possibility of reproducing unchecked, which can lead to formation of cancerous tumors. Despite its critical role, therapies at the molecular level to restore p53 native function remain elusive, due to its complex nature. Nevertheless, considerable information has been amassed, and new means of investigating the problem have become available.

Objectives
We consider structural, biophysical, and bioinformatic insights and their implications for the role of direct and indirect readout and how they contribute to binding site recognition, particularly those of low consensus. We then pivot to consider advances in computational approaches to drug discovery.

Materials and methods
We have conducted a review of recent literature pertinent to the p53 protein.

Results
Considerable literature corroborates the idea that p53 is a complex allosteric protein that discriminates its binding sites not only via consensus sequence through direct H-bond contacts, but also a complex combination of factors involving the flexibility of the binding site. New computational methods have emerged capable of capturing such information, which can then be utilized as input to machine learning algorithms towards the goal of more intelligent and efficient de novo allosteric drug design.

Conclusions
Recent improvements in machine learning coupled with graph theory and sector analysis hold promise for advances to more intelligently design allosteric effectors that may be able to restore native p53-DNA binding activity to mutant proteins.

Clinical relevance
The ideas brought to light by this review constitute a significant advance that can be applied to ongoing biophysical studies of drugs for p53, paving the way for the continued development of new methodologies for allosteric drugs. Our discoveries hold promise to provide molecular therapeutics which restore p53 native activity, thereby offering new insights for cancer therapies.

Graphical Abstract
A Coaching-Based Leadership Program for Women Postdoctoral Fellows at the National Cancer Institute that Cultivates Self-confidence and Persistence in STEMM
Authors: Sutton Samantha , Palmisano Alida , Ginsburg Erika 
Published: July 2024

AbstractDespite making strides in gender equality, women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) continue to face a persistent underrepresentation in leadership roles. In an effort to reverse this trend, the National Cancer Institute created the Sallie Rosen Kaplan (SRK) Postdoctoral Fellowship, a year-long coaching-based leadership training program. The SRK program aims to empower women to explore careers across a broad range of fields, including academia, industry, and government, and to excel in leadership positions in those fields. Analyzing a decade of data from 111 participants, we describe the positive impact of the SRK program on participant's self-reported capabilities. Increased self-confidence, improved time management and work/life balance, enhanced goal-setting and attainment skills, and strengthened communication and relationship-building abilities are highlighted as statistically significant outcomes. Moreover, the program’s emphasis on coaching, mentorship, peer cohort support, and building lasting professional relationships also contributed to high ratings for satisfaction and value of the program. Successful programs like SRK can serve as a model for institutions striving to close gender gaps in leadership.
Archetypal typology of European forest ecosystems integrating management intensity and naturalness
Authors: Barredo José I. , Vizzarri Matteo , Kuželová Klára 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThe crises of climate change and biodiversity loss have pushed the aim for increasing the resilience of forest ecosystems high on the agenda of foresters and policymakers. At the same time, synergistic opportunities for restoring forests and biodiversity are emerging to safeguard these ecosystems. Naturalness is a key characteristic of forest ecosystems, which should be considered when estimating benchmarks for resilience and biodiversity conservation. The naturalness of forest ecosystems is highly dependent on the intensity of human activity, as different levels of management intensity can change the original traits of forest ecosystems. This paper presents an archetypal typology of forest ecosystems, describing the association between management and naturalness. Both features are represented as gradients covering the full spectrum observed in European forests. The array of forest ecosystem archetypes was verified using case studies across Europe. The typology provides useful information for setting targets for resilience and restoration of forest ecosystems.
Anticancer therapeutic potential of multimodal targeting agent- “phosphorylated galactosylated chitosan coated magnetic nanoparticles” against N-nitrosodiethylamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Udupi Anushree , Shetty Sachin , Aranjani Jesil Mathew , Kumar Rajesh , Bharati Sanjay 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are extensively used as carriers in targeted drug delivery and has several advantages in the field of magnetic hyperthermia, chemodynamic therapy and magnet assisted radionuclide therapy. The characteristics of SPIONs can be tailored to deliver drugs into tumor via “passive targeting” and they can also be coated with tissue-specific agents to enhance tumor uptake via “active targeting”. In our earlier studies, we developed HCC specific targeting agent- “phosphorylated galactosylated chitosan”(PGC) for targeting asialoglycoprotein receptors. Considering their encouraging results, in this study we developed a multifunctional targeting system- “phosphorylated galactosylated chitosan-coated magnetic nanoparticles”(PGCMNPs) for targeting HCC. PGCMNPs were synthesized by co-precipitation method and characterized by DLS, XRD, TEM, VSM, elemental analysis and FT-IR spectroscopy. PGCMNPs were evaluated for in vitro antioxidant properties, uptake in HepG2 cells, biodistribution, in vivo toxicity and were also evaluated for anticancer therapeutic potential against NDEA-induced HCC in mice model in terms of tumor status, electrical properties, antioxidant defense status and apoptosis. The characterization studies confirmed successful formation of PGCMNPs with superparamagnetic properties. The internalization studies demonstrated (99–100)% uptake of PGCMNPs in HepG2 cells. These results were also supported by biodistribution studies in which increased iron content (296%) was noted inside the hepatocytes. Further, PGCMNPs exhibited no in vivo toxicity. The anticancer therapeutic potential was evident from observation that PGCMNPs treatment decreased tumor bearing animals (41.6%) and significantly (p ≤ 0.05) lowered tumor multiplicity. Overall, this study indicated that PGCMNPs with improved properties are efficiently taken-up by hepatoma cells and has therapeutic potential against HCC. Further, this agent can be tagged with 32P and hence can offer multimodal cancer treatment options via radiation ablation as well as magnetic hyperthermia.

Graphical Abstract

Schematic illustration of PGCMNPs synthesis, characterization and its anticancer potential: PGCMNPs were synthesized by co-precipitation method. The successful synthesis of PGCMNPs was confirmed by physical and chemical characterizations. PGCMNPs were biocompatible and exhibited no toxicity at tested parameters. PGCMNPs demonstrated higher uptake in HepG2 cells. The anticancer therapeutic potential of PGCMNPs in HCC mouse model, was evident from improved tumor statistics, increased low conductivity tumors and increased apoptosis mediated cell death.
Clinical and microbiological features of positive blood culture episodes caused by non-fermenting gram-negative bacilli other than Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter species (2020–2023)
Authors: Casale Roberto , Boattini Matteo , Comini Sara , Bastos Paulo , Corcione Silvia , De Rosa Francesco Giuseppe , Bianco Gabriele , Costa Cristina 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Introduction
Non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli (NFGNB) other than Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii complex are pathogens of interest due to their ability to cause health-care associated infections and display complex drug resistance phenotypes. However, their clinical and microbiological landscape is still poorly characterized.

Methods
Observational retrospective study including all hospitalized patients presenting with a positive positive blood culture (BC) episode caused by less common NFGNB over a four-year period (January 2020–December 2023). Clinical-microbiological features and factors associated with mortality were investigated.

Results
Sixty-six less common NFGNB isolates other than Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter species causing 63 positive BC episodes were recovered from 60 patients. Positive BC episodes were predominantly sustained by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (49.2%) followed by Achromobacter species (15.9%) that exhibited the most complex resistance phenotype. Positive BC episodes had bloodstream infection criteria in 95.2% of cases (60 out 63), being intravascular device (30.2%) and respiratory tract (19.1%) the main sources of infection. Fourteen-day, 30-day, and in-hospital mortality rates were 6.4%, 9.5%, and 15.9%, respectively. The longer time from admission to the positive BC episode, older age, diabetes, admission due to sepsis, and higher Charlson Comorbidity Index were identified as the main predictors of in-hospital mortality.

Conclusions
Positive BC episodes sustained by NFGNB other than Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter species were predominantly sustained by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Achromobacter species, having bloodstream infection criteria in the vast majority of cases. Factors that have emerged to be associated with mortality highlighted how these species may have more room in prolonged hospitalisation and at the end of life for patients with chronic organ diseases.
Towards direct superlubricity and superlow wear via amino modification of polyhydroxy alcohol solutions
Authors: Ma Qiang , Yan Chengpeng , Yan Rui , Xu Xin , Wang Haifeng 
Published: July 2024

AbstractFriction remains as the primary mode of energy dissipation and components wear, and achieving superlubricity shows high promise in energy conservation and lifetime wear protection. The results in this work demonstrate that direct superlubricity combined with superlow wear can be realized for steel/Si3N4 contacts on engineering scale when polyhydroxy alcohol solution was selectively modified by amino group. Macroscopic direct superlubricity occurs because 3-amino-1,2-propanediol molecules at the friction interface could be induced to rotate and adsorb vertically on the friction surface, forming in-situ thick and dense molecular films to passivate the asperity contacts. Furthermore, amino modification is also conducive to improving the lubrication state from boundary to mixed lubrication regime by strengthening the intermolecular hydrogen bonding interaction, presenting enhanced load-bearing capability and reduced direct solid asperity contacts. Thus, direct superlow average friction of 0.01 combined with superlow wear are achieved simultaneously. The design principle of direct superlubricity and superlow wear in this work indeed offers an effective strategy to fundamentally improve energy efficiency and provide lifetime wear protection for moving mechanical assemblies.
C@Ag core-shell structure as lubricating additives towards high efficient lubrication
Authors: Ao Dong , Fan Xiaoqiang , Zhu Minhao 
Published: July 2024

AbstractEfficient cooperative lubrication can be achieved via the introduction of core-shell structure lubricant additives with hard core and soft shell, for obtaining the expected anti-wear performance from the structural changes in the friction process. In this study, C@Ag microspheres with a core-shell structure were prepared by the redox method with carbon spheres as the core and Ag nanoparticles as the shell. Their tribological behaviors as base oil (G1830) additive with different concentrations were investigated in detail. Compared with base oil, the addition of C@Ag particles at 0.5 wt% can reduce the coefficient of friction (COF) and wear volume (Wv) up to 15.5% and 88%, respectively. More importantly, C@Ag particles provide superior lubrication performance to single additive (like carbon sphere (CS) and Ag nanoparticle). C@Ag core-shell particles contribute to the formation of tribo-film by melt bonding of flexible Ag and carbon sphere (CS) toward excellent self-repair performance and high-efficiency lubrication. Hence, core-shell structural nanoparticles with hard-core and soft-shell hold bright future for high-performance lubrication application.
Enhancement of mechanical and tribological performance of Ti–6Al–4V alloy by laser surface alloying with Inconel 625 and SiC precursor materials
Authors: Cheng Hao-Ran , Shin Ki-Hoon , Kim Hong Seok 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThis study focused on producing metal matrix composite (MMC) coatings on Ti–6Al–4V alloy through laser surface alloying using a novel combination of Inconel 625 and SiC precursor materials. Various ratios of alloying powders were examined to evaluate surface properties such as microhardness, wear resistance, and friction coefficient, along with analyzing the phase composition and microstructure of the coatings. The in situ synthesized MMC coatings exhibited the presence of α-Ti, NiTi, NiTi2, and TiC phases. Additionally, Ti5Si3 and α-Ti/Ti5Si3 eutectic structures were observed when the SiC content exceeded 20%. In comparison to the titanium substrate, the MMC coating significantly enhanced microhardness by over threefold and reduced wear by 95%. However, it was crucial to carefully select the appropriate combination of alloying powders to avoid a substantial decrease in friction performance and excessive formation of cracks. Through a comparative analysis of experimental results, the optimal precursor material composition was identified as 85% Inconel 625 and 15% SiC. This study demonstrated the effective utilization of Inconel 625 and SiC alloying materials to enhance the surface properties of titanium alloys, thereby expanding their application in challenging environments.
From super-wicked problems to more-than-human justice: new bioethical frameworks for antimicrobial resistance and climate emergency
Authors: Sudenkaarne Tiia , Butcher Andrea 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
In this article, building on our multidisciplinary expertise on philosophy, anthropology, and social study of microbes, we discuss and analyze new approaches to justice that have emerged in thinking with more-than-human contexts: microbes, animals, environments and ecosystems. We situate our analysis in theory of and practical engagements with antimicrobial resistance and climate emergency that both can be considered super-wicked problems. In offering solutions to such problems, we discuss a more-than-human justice orientation, seeking to displace human exceptionalism while still engaging with human social justice issues. We offer anthropological narratives to highlight how more-than-human actors already play an important role in environmental and climate politics. These narratives further justify the need for new ethical frameworks, out of which we, for further development outside the scope of this article, suggest a queer feminist posthumanist one.