bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Capability of TiO2 and Fe3O4 nanoparticles loaded onto Algae (Scendesmus sp.) as a novel bio-magnetic photocatalyst to degration of Red195 dye in the sonophotocatalytic treatment process under ultrasonic/UVA irradiation
Authors: Zamani Wahid , Rastgar Saeedeh , Hedayati Aliakbar 
Published: October 2023

AbstractIn this study, the magnetic photocatalyst Scendesmus/Fe3O4/TiO2 was synthesized, and its sonophotocatalytic properties in relation to the degradation of the Red195 dye were evaluated. Particles were characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier's transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and a vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM). At a pH of 5, a photocatalyst dosage of 100 mg, an initial R195 concentration of 100 mg/l, an ultrasound power of 38W, and an exposure time of 20 min, the maximum Red195 removal efficiency (100%) was achieved. After five cycles of recycling, the composite's sonophotocatalytic degradation stability for R195 remains above 95%. Experiments on scavenging indicate that electrons (h+) and hydroxyls (OH-) are indispensable decomposition agents. The removal of R195 by Scendesmus/Fe3O4/TiO2 is consistent with the pseudo-first-order kinetic, Freundlich, and Henderson's isotherm models, as determined by kinetic and isotherm investigations. The negative activation enthalpy of the standard (ΔH°) illuminates the exothermic adsorption mechanism. The increase in standard Gibbs activation free energy (ΔG°) with increasing temperature reveals the process is not spontaneous. As indicated by the negative value of the standard entropy of activation (ΔS°), activation of the reactants resulted in a loss of freedom.
The prevalence and predictive factors of nocturnal polyuria in Japanese patients with nocturia: a multicentral retrospective cohort study
Authors: Iinuma Koji , Nishino Yoshinori , Matsuoka Kanako , Ihara Tatsuya , Makabe Shunta , Tanji Ryo , Harigane Yuki , Ishida Kenichiro , Tamaki Masayoshi , Yokoi Shigeaki , Hoshino Hiroki , Yuhara Kazuya , Yamada Toru , Kubota Yasuaki , Miwa Kousei , Kikuchi Mina , Kojima Yoshiyuki , Mitsui Takahiko , Koie Takuya 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe aims of this study were to determine the prevalence and predictors of nocturnal polyuria (NP) in Japanese patients. This multicentral, observational study enrolled patients with the chief complaint of nocturia at 17 Japanese institutions between January 2018 and December 2022. The frequency of daily voiding and volume of urination were evaluated using bladder diaries. NP was diagnosed in patients with an NP index of > 33%. The primary endpoint was NP prevalence in patients with nocturia. The secondary endpoints were the prevalence of NP according to sex and age and the identification of factors predicting NP. This study analyzed 875 eligible patients. NP was present in 590 (67.4%) patients, with prevalence rates of 66.6% and 70.0% in men and women, respectively. Age ≥ 78 years, body mass index (BMI) < 23.0 kg/m2, and patients with ischemic heart or cerebrovascular disease were significant predictors of NP (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.014, P = 0.016, respectively). This is the first large multicenter study to investigate the prevalence of NP in Japanese patients with nocturia. NP has a prevalence of 67.4%. Significant predictors of NP include age, BMI, and cardiovascular disease.
In vivo hepatic flow distribution by computational fluid dynamics can predict pulmonary flow distribution in patients with Fontan circulation
Authors: Frieberg Petter , Sjöberg Pia , Hedström Erik , Carlsson Marcus , Liuba Petru 
Published: October 2023

AbstractIn Fontan patients, a lung deprived of hepatic blood may develop pulmonary arterio-venous malformations (PAVMs) resulting in shunting, reduced pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and decreased oxygenation. To provide guidance for corrective invasive interventions, we aimed to non-invasively determine how the hepatic to pulmonary blood flow balance correlates with pulmonary flow, PVR, and with oxygen saturation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from eighteen Fontan patients (eight females, age 3–14 years) was used to construct patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to calculate the hepatic to pulmonary blood flow. This was correlated with pulmonary vein flow, simulated PVR and oxygen saturation. Clinical applicability of the findings was demonstrated with an interventional patient case. The hepatic to pulmonary blood flow balance correlated with right/left pulmonary vein flow (R2 = 0.50), left/right simulated PVR (R2 = 0.47), and oxygen saturation at rest (R2 = 0.56). In the interventional patient, CFD predictions agreed with post-interventional MRI measurements and with regressions in the cohort. The balance of hepatic blood to the lungs has a continuous effect on PVR and oxygen saturation, even without PAVM diagnosis. MRI combined with CFD may help in planning of surgical and interventional designs affecting the hepatic to pulmonary blood flow balance in Fontan patients.
Adaptive multivariate dispersion control chart with application to bimetal thermostat data
Authors: Noor-ul-Amin Muhammad , Sarwar Muhammad Atif , Emam Walid , Tashkandy Yusra , Yasmeen Uzma , Nabi Muhammad 
Published: October 2023

AbstractAdaptive EWMA (AEWMA) control charts have gained remarkable recognition by monitoring productions over a wide range of shifts. The adaptation of computational statistic as per system shift is the main aspect behind the proficiency of these charts. In this paper, a function-based AEWMA multivariate control chart is suggested to monitor the stability of the variance–covariance matrix for normally distributed process control. Our approach involves utilizing an unbiased estimator applying the EWMA statistic to estimate the process shift in real-time and adapt the smoothing or weighting constant using a suggested continuous function. Preferably, the Monte Carlo simulation method is utilized to determine the characteristics of the suggested AEWMA chart in terms of proficient detection of process shifts. The underlying computed results are compared with existing EWMA and existing AEWMA charts and proved to outperform in providing quick detection for different sizes of shifts. To illustrate its real-life application, the authors employed the concept in the bimetal thermostat industry dataset. The proposed research contributes to statistical process control and provides a practical tool for the solution while monitoring covariance matrix changes.
Plant strategies for greatest height: tapering or hollowing
Authors: Kanahama Tohya , Sato Motohiro 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe tapered form and hollow cross-section of the stem and trunk of wild plants are rational mechanical approaches because they facilitate the plant simultaneously growing taller for photosynthesis and supporting its own weight. The purpose of this study is to clarify the advantages and disadvantages of tapering and hollowing from the perspective of the greatest probable height before self-buckling. We modelled woody plants using tapering or hollow cantilevers, formulated the greatest height before self-buckling, and derived a theoretical formula for the greatest probable height considering tapering and hollowing. This formula theoretically explains why almost all plants exhibit a tapered form: it allows for a greater height at an earlier growth stage than a hollow cross-section.
Complex network analysis techniques for the early detection of the outbreak of pandemics transmitted through air traffic
Authors: Fragua Ángel , Jiménez-Martín Antonio , Mateos Alfonso 
Published: October 2023

AbstractAir transport has been identified as one of the primary means whereby COVID-19 spread throughout Europe during the early stages of the pandemic. In this paper we analyse two categories of methods – dynamic network markers (DNMs) and network analysis-based methods – as potential early warning signals for detecting and anticipating COVID-19 outbreaks in Europe on the basis of accuracy regarding the daily confirmed cases. The analysis was carried out from 15 February 2020, around two weeks before the first COVID-19 cases appeared in Europe, and 1 May 2020, approximately two weeks after all the air traffic in Europe had been shut down. Daily European COVID-19 information sourced from the World Health Organization was used, whereas air traffic data from Flightradar24 has been incorporated into the analyses by means of four alternative adjacency matrices. Some DNMs have been discarded since they output multiple time series, which makes it very difficult to interpret their results. The only DNM outputting a single time series does not emulate the COVID-19 trend: it does not detect all the main peaks, which means that peak heights do not match up with the increase in the number of infected people. However, many combinations of network analysis based methods and adjacency matrices output good results (with high accuracy and 20-day advance forecasts), with only minor differences from one to another. The number of edges and the network density methods are slightly better when dynamic flight frequency information is used.
Proteomic characterization of aging-driven changes in the mouse brain by co-expression network analysis
Authors: Tsumagari Kazuya , Sato Yoshiaki , Aoyagi Hirofumi , Okano Hideyuki , Kuromitsu Junro 
Published: October 2023

AbstractBrain aging causes a progressive decline in functional capacity and is a strong risk factor for dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease. To characterize age-related proteomic changes in the brain, we used quantitative proteomics to examine brain tissues, cortex and hippocampus, of mice at three age points (3, 15, and 24 months old), and quantified more than 7000 proteins in total with high reproducibility. We found that many of the proteins upregulated with age were extracellular proteins, such as extracellular matrix proteins and secreted proteins, associated with glial cells. On the other hand, many of the significantly downregulated proteins were associated with synapses, particularly postsynaptic density, specifically in the cortex but not in the hippocampus. Our datasets will be helpful as resources for understanding the molecular basis of brain aging.
Stellenwert der Zementaugmentation in der Tumorchirurgie der Wirbelsäule
Authors: Osterhoff Georg , Heyde Christoph-Eckhard 
Published: October 2023

ZusammenfassungDie Wirbelsäule ist nach Leber und Lunge einer der wichtigsten Manifestationsorte für metastasierende Tumor-Erkrankungen. Metastasen der Wirbelsäule können zu Schmerzen, neurologischen Ausfällen und eingeschränkter Lebensqualität führen. Die Augmentation der befallenen Wirbelkörper mit Knochenzement hat sich als wirksame Behandlungsoption zur Schmerzbehandlung, Stabilisierung und Verbesserung der funktionellen Ergebnisse bei Patienten erwiesen. Weitere Anwendungen von Knochenzement in der Tumorchirurgie der Wirbelsäule sind die Augmentation von Pedikelschrauben und der Wirbelkörperersatz, selten auch bei der operativen Behandlung von Primärtumoren.Ziel dieser Übersichtsarbeit ist es, einen umfassenden Überblick über die aktuelle Evidenz zur Verwendung von Knochenzement in der Tumorchirurgie der Wirbelsäule zu geben, einschließlich Indikationen, Techniken, Ergebnissen und potenziellen Komplikationen.
In forma pauperis: Indentured Servitude, the Right to Counsel, and White Citizenship in the Seventeenth-Century Chesapeake
Authors: Suranyi Anna 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Indentured servitude was an exploitative form of coerced labor in England’s American colonies, but indentured servants were expected to join settler society after completing their terms of indenture, and they possessed clearly defined legal rights and protections in both English and colonial laws, even during their period of servitude. The masters and mistresses of indentured servants sometimes engaged in physical abuse and contractual fraud, but servants could sue their masters or mistresses in court without owing fees, a status termed in forma pauperis. Courts facilitated servant lawsuits and heeded procedural fairness, bringing in compensated witnesses, searching archival records, and even providing pro bono lawyers. It appears that most servants won their cases against their masters and mistresses, obtaining their freedom, their withheld freedom dues, or reimbursement for overlong terms of servitude. Indentured servants’ lawyers affirmed that their clients were rights-bearing members of society, persuasively utilizing terms such as ‘justice’ and ‘equity’ to represent their cases. The access of servants to legal recourse, the courts’ commitment to ensure due process and legal representation, and the frequent victories of servants over their masters demonstrated that indentured servants were regarded as valued members of colonial society in the Chesapeake, and in other colonial regions. Unlike enslaved people, who possessed neither legal rights nor access to the courts, white indentured servants possessed inherent, though limited, rights of freeborn subjects, even if from disenfranchised groups, such as women, children, or those of Irish origin. The legal and social distinctions between servitude and slavery began arising half a century before Bacon’s Rebellion in the 1670s, which is conventionally assumed to be a watershed event in the division between indentured servitude and slavery. The affirmation of the rights of indentured servants developed in parallel with the growth of slavery, and contributed to developing ideals of white citizenship.
Homeologue differential expression in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway underlies flower colour variation in natural and synthetic polyploids of Nicotiana tabacum (Solanaceae)
Authors: McCarthy Elizabeth W , Landis Jacob B , McCoy Abigail G , Lawhorn Amber J , Kurti Amelda , Xu Yimin , Giovannoni James J , Litt Amy 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Homeologue expression bias occurs when one progenitor copy of a gene is expressed at a higher level than the other in allopolyploids. Morphological variation, including differences in flower colour, exists between natural and synthetic allopolyploids of Nicotiana tabacum and their progenitors. In this study, we use a comparative transcriptomic approach to investigate gene expression differences as well as homeologue bias in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway (FBP) in these accessions. We do not observe reciprocal homeologue bias between dark and light pink allopolyploids, but the production of light pink flowers is correlated with high FLAVONOL SYNTHASE:DIHYDROFLAVONOL-4-REDUCTASE (FLS:DFR) ratio at 60% of anthesis length due to delayed activation of DFR in these accessions. We do find that natural allopolyploids have stronger homeologue bias than synthetic allopolyploids in both FBP genes and across the transcriptome. While there is no overall subgenome dominance, there is a bias towards expression of N. tomentosiformis homeologues in FBP genes; however, the magnitude of this bias is reduced in allopolyploids compared to the progenitors, suggesting that N. sylvestris homeologues play an active role in the development of flower colour in N. tabacum allopolyploids. In addition, synthetic allopolyploids tend to exhibit trans regulation of homeologues whereas natural allopolyploids often have evolved cis-regulatory differences between homeologues since their origin.
Declining Search Frictions, Unemployment and Self-Employment
Authors: Denderski Piotr , Sniekers Florian 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
In most OECD countries, unemployment rates show no trend, which is puzzling if advancements in information and communication technologies decrease labour-market frictions. We show, both analytically and quantitatively, that accounting for the secular decline in self-employment rates solves the puzzle. While declining labour-market frictions can theoretically explain these trends, we provide contradictory causal evidence that the roll-out of broadband internet has increased self-employment and decreased unemployment rates. We reconcile these observations with a new model featuring frictions in both labour and goods markets. We explain falling self-employment and non-trending unemployment quantitatively by labour-market frictions declining relatively more than goods-market frictions.
On the path to an equitable and sustainable digital future for European health systems
Authors:   Organised by: WHO Regional Office for Europe Moderators: Natasha Azzopardi Muscat (WHO/Europe)
Published: October 2023

Equitable, patient-centred approaches are at the centre of WHO/Europe's regional digital health action plan 2023-2030 which was approved by Member States of the European Region at the 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee. The Action Plan specifically identifies the need for WHO to “identify and examine the main impacts that gender and equity present in the adoption and scaling of digital health solutions in the Region.”
The session will be organised as a round table discussion to examine to inequalities surrounding access to, and the use of data and digital technologies in health care and public health. Panellists will firstly discuss the factors which give rise to inequalities in access and use of data and digital technologies in health and then examine strategies for how the digital transformation of health systems going forward can address these barriers. They will be asked to reflect on the future of digital health systems in Europe and the ethical, policy, legal and technical actions required to ensure trust, safety and equitable access to health services and data digitally.
Finally, in line with the theme of the conference, panellists will be asked to extend the discussion to reflect upon the use of digital technologies in the context of sustainability and how the public health community can drive thinking around the agenda for the green digitalization of health.

Moderator:
Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, Director Division of Country Health Policies and Systems, WHO Regional Office for Europe

Speakers/Panellists:
Alisha Davies, Head of Research and Development, Health and Care Research Wales, United Kingdom
Anna Odone, President EUPHA Digital health section
David Novillo Ortiz, Regional Adviser, Data and Digital Health, WHO Regional Office for Europe
Food security and trajectories of childhood overweight: Results from the Growing Up in Scotland Study
Authors: Miall N , Tulloch L , Pearce A 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
Inequalities in childhood obesity have widened since 2010 in Scotland, raising concerns for future adult and child health. Increasing food insecurity may contribute to the trend, however evidence for an association with childhood overweight is mixed. We estimate the association between food insecurity and trajectories of overweight among primary school aged children in Scotland.

Methods
Data were from 1824 children in the Growing Up in Scotland Study, a nationally representative cohort born 2004/5. Height and weight were measured at ages 4, 6, 8 and 10 years, and classified as overweight/obese using age and sex standardised cut-offs. Observed trajectories included: never, always, increasing, decreasing, and mixed patterns of overweight (including obesity). Associations between household food insecurity, measured at age 2, and overweight trajectory were estimated using multinomial regression (never overweight as baseline), adjusted for area deprivation, lone parenting, and mother education.

Results
Most children were never overweight (54.8%), while 12.6% were overweight throughout. Children with high household food insecurity (6.2%) had nearly twice the risk of experiencing persistent overweight (including obesity) than those with no food insecurity (RRR 1.84, 95% CI 1.02-3.30). Additional analysis showed an even larger association for persistent obesity (RRR 2.53, 95% CI 1.06-6.08). Risk of experiencing increasing, decreasing or mixed patterns of overweight were also elevated. Associations were similar for boys and girls.

Conclusions
Food insecurity is associated with persistent childhood overweight and obesity. The cost-of-living crisis has exacerbated barriers to accessing healthy, nutritious food. Interventions to tackle childhood food security are vital to avoid storing up future health inequalities.

Key messages
• The cost-of-living crisis is exacerbating food insecurity among UK families.
• Food insecurity is associated with persistent overweight and obesity during childhood in Scotland.
Healthiness and sustainability of food service in healthcare settings in Germany
Authors: Lambrecht N J , Pörtner L M , Schlenger L , Gabrysch S 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
Current dietary patterns threaten individual and planetary health. Healthcare settings can set a positive example for dietary change, but data on the quality of food they offer is scarce. The aim of our study was to assess the environmental footprint and nutritional quality of food service in hospitals and nursing homes in Germany.

Methods
We collected 6-12 months of food procurement data and all available meal plans from three nursing homes and two hospitals in Germany. Procured food items were categorized into 50 food groups (e.g., potatoes, beef, apples), and the environmental footprint was calculated (i.e., land use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, acidification, eutrophication, and water use) using life-cycle analysis factors based on a recent meta-analysis. Lunches from a representative week were broken down into their constituent ingredients and analyzed for adherence to the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) using an established dietary index (PHDI).

Results
Preliminary analysis of one nursing home and one hospital showed that animal-source foods (ASF) accounted for 70% of overall GHG emissions and land use and 76% of water use, primarily from beef, pork, milk, and cheese. Among plant-based foods, coffee disproportionately contributed to the environmental footprint. Red meat accounted for 30-45% of lunch calories consumed (13-25% of weight) and potatoes accounted for 20-24% of calories (31-35% of weight), whereas vegetables and legumes combined accounted for 11-15% of calories (33-35% of weight). Nursing home meals achieved 61 and hospital meals 71 out of 150 points on the PHDI.

Conclusions
Healthcare institutions in Germany have poor adherence to the PHD, with up to two-thirds of calories derived from red meat and potatoes. Unsurprisingly, ASF account for the majority of the institutions’ environmental food footprint. Policies to make healthcare foodservice more environmentally sustainable while ensuring nutritional adequacy are urgently needed.

Key messages
• Foodservice in German hospitals and nursing homes is neither healthy nor environmentally sustainable.
• Policies are needed to improve healthcare food service for individual and planetary health.