bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Monitoring the Risk of Corruption in the MENA Region: What Are the Most Reliable Data to Address the Sustainable Development Goals?
Authors: Berkachy Rédina , Villeneuve Jean‐Patrick , Mugellini Giulia 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTCountering corruption is recognized by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) as crucial for effective and sustainable governance. Sample surveys are often used as the primary tool for monitoring corruption, making the evaluation of their quality essential for building a reliable evidence base strategy and achieving the UN SDGs 16.5. However, there is a lack of studies assessing the quality of corruption surveys in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region. This gap can be attributed to various factors, including low prioritization, insufficient resources for anti‐corruption initiatives, the sensitivity of the topic, and language and cultural barriers. This article aims to assess the quality of corruption surveys in the MENA region by developing an ad‐hoc quality evaluation framework, MENA_QUEST_16.5. This framework includes criteria for assessing survey relevance, validity, accuracy, credibility, periodicity, and comparability to evaluate MENA surveys' effectiveness in capturing corruption events, in line with SDGs' requirement for measuring corruption. The framework is then applied to evaluate the quality of 19 national and cross‐national corruption surveys targeting countries in the MENA region. The study finds that the overall quality of MENA corruption surveys is good, but the number of national initiatives is low. Surveys often lack accuracy in depicting corruption issues, typically operationalizing corruption through only one or two questions. Details about corruption events (e.g., types of officials involved; types of benefits exchanged) are rarely investigated. Also, MENA surveys are not periodically conducted and suffer from a lack of transparency, with raw data generally unavailable or inaccessible. These results point to methodological shortcomings that should be addressed to obtain a reliable overview of corruption in the MENA region. Tackling these issues can improve the monitoring of corruption trends and inform anti‐corruption policy design and evaluation, to ultimately achieve the UN SDGs.
Polycalmagite Coating Enables Long‐Term Alkaline Seawater Oxidation Over NiFe Layered Double Hydroxide
Authors: Li Zixiao , Zuo Wei , Liu Chaozhen , Yang Chaoxin , Cai Zhengwei , Sun Shengjun , Yue Meng , Zhang Min , Wang Xiaoyan , Wang Hefeng , Zheng Dongdong , Farouk Asmaa , Ibrahim Fatma A. , Gong Feng , Lv Yanqin , Sun Xuping , Tang Bo 
Published: January 2025

AbstractRenewable energy‐powered seawater electrolysis is a green and attractive technique for producing high‐purity hydrogen. However, severe chlorideions (Cl−) and their derivatives tend to corrode anodic catalysts at ampere‐level current densities and hinder the application of seawater‐to‐H2 systems. Herein, a polycalmagite (PCM)‐coated NiFe layered double hydroxide is presented on Ni foam (NiFe LDH@PCM/NF) that exhibits exceptional stability in alkaline seawater. PCM not only acts as a conductive layer to reduce charge transfer resistance of the anodes but also as a polymer‐based protective layer to inhibit Cl− adsorption and stabilize metal ions oxidation due to its own anions and strong adhesion, thereby increasing activity and stability during alkaline seawater. Thus, NiFe LDH@PCM/NF only needs a low overpotential of 364 mV to reach up to 1000 mA cm−2 and maintains operation for 500 h without activity degradation. Moreover, a minimal amount of hypochlorite can be detected in electrolyte after a 500‐h stability test. This development affords a significant exploration in creating durable and efficient anodes, highlighting the importance of polymer coating toward anti‐corrosion in alkaline seawater oxidation.
CRISPR/Cas13a‐Enhanced Porous Hydrogel Encapsulated Photonic Barcodes for Multiplexed Detection of Virus
Authors: Zhang Dagan , Zhou Yuanyang , Li Xueqin , Luan Qichen 
Published: January 2025

AbstractIn this study, we present an ultrasensitive and specific multiplexed detection method for SARS‐CoV‐2 and influenza (Flu) utilizing CRISPR/Cas13a technology combined with a hydrogel‐encapsulated photonic crystal (PhC) barcode integrated with hybridization chain reaction (HCR). The barcodes, characterized by core‐shell structures, are fabricated through partial replication of periodically ordered hexagonally close‐packed silicon dioxide beads. Consequently, the opal hydrogel shell of these barcodes features abundant interconnected pores that provide a substantial surface area for probe immobilization. Furthermore, the inherent structural colors remain stable during detection events due to the robust mechanical strength of the barcode cores. This integration of CRISPR/Cas13a and HCR leverages both the highly specific RNA recognition capabilities and trans‐cleavage activity of Cas13a while employing HCR to enhance sensitivity. Upon encountering target RNA, Cas13a cleaves a hairpin probe, thereby initiating subsequent HCR amplification for enhanced detection sensitivity. Our method demonstrates high accuracy and sensitivity in multiplexed detection of SARS‐CoV‐2, Flu A and Flu B RNA with a limit‐of‐detection as low as 200 aM. Importantly, this assay also exhibits acceptable accuracy in repeated clinical sample testing. Thus, our platform represents a promising strategy for highly sensitive multiplexed virus detection in clinical.
Capturing Conformational Transitions of Fluorescently‐Coupled Polyelectrolyte Brushes with High Spatiotemporal Resolution
Authors: Yadav Jyoti , Hermes Ilka , Fery Andreas , Besford Quinn A. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractPolyelectrolyte brushes (PEBs) undergo conformational transitions due to changes in pH and/or ionic strength, which is leveraged as smart surfaces and on‐demand drug‐release systems. However, probing conformational transitions of functional PEBs has remained challenging due to low spatiotemporal resolution of characterization methods. Herein, fluorescently‐coupled PEBs are devised that give rise to Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) intrinsically coupled to conformational transitions of chains. Polyelectrolyte poly(2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) brushes are grown on silica surfaces via a grafting‐from approach, producing nanoscale brushes ≈60 nm in solvated height. The study chose to investigate pH as astimulus, at constant ionic strength, using pH‐insensitive fluorophores coupled within the brush (donors) and on‐chain ends (acceptors), leading to conformational FRET. The influence of pH on the FRET brushes is proved by ellipsometry and fluorescence spectroscopy. Importantly, using FRET meant chain conformation is spatially resolved with sub‐micrometer resolution by confocal laser scanning microscopy, where subtle changes in brush conformation are resolved in seconds. Unique mixing dynamics of different pH microdroplets on the brushes are identified as coalescence occurred, with reversible output, and a clear delay in brush responses to mixing liquids. The surfaces offer a new basis for probing conformational transitions of PEBs with high spatiotemporal resolution.
Bacteria Flagella‐Mimicking Polymer Multilayer Magnetic Microrobots
Authors: Lu Liang , Bai Shuang , Shi Jiaqi , Zhang Hutao , Hou Gang , Wang Wei , Sun Shoubin , Huang Tianyun , Jia Yuxin , Granovsky Alexander , Nikolai Perov , Wu Zhiguang , Xie Hui , Wu He 
Published: January 2025

AbstractMass production of biomedical microrobots demands expensive and complex preparation techniques and versatile biocompatible materials. Learning from natural bacteria flagella, the study demonstrates a magnetic polymer multilayer cylindrical microrobot that bestows the controllable propulsion upon an external rotating magnetic field with uniform intensity. The magnetic microrobots are constructed by template‐assisted layer‐by‐layer technique and subsequent functionalization of magnetic particles onto the large opening of the microrobots. Geometric variables of the polymer microrobots, such as the diameter and wall thickness, can be controlled by selection of porous template and layers of assembly. The microrobots perform controllable propulsion through the manipulation of magnetic field. The comparative analysis of the movement behavior reveals that the deformation of microrobots may be attributed to the propulsion upon rotating magnetic field, which is similar to that of natural bacteria. The influence of actuation and frequency on the velocity of the microrobots is studied. Such polymer multilayer magnetic microrobots may provide a novel concept to develop rapidly delivering drug therapeutic agents for diverse practical biomedical uses.
Dual‐Mode ZnO/SnSe Heterojunction Devices with Integrated Bipolar Response Photodetectors and Artificial Optoelectronic Synapses for in‐Sensor Computing
Authors: Guo Fuhai , Yu Weizhuo , Zhang Mingcong , Zhang Bo , Hu Bing , Li Shuangshuang , Jiang Jianyu , Sun Ankai , Liu Yunjie , Hao Lanzhong 
Published: January 2025

AbstractOptoelectronic synapse devices (OESDs) inspired by human visual systems enable to integration of light sensing, memory, and computing functions, greatly promoting the development of in‐sensor computing techniques. Herein, dual‐mode integration of bipolar response photodetectors (PDs) and artificial optoelectronic synapses based on ZnO/SnSe heterojunctions are presented. The function of the fabricated device can be converted between the PDs and OESDs by modulating the light intensity. As a PD, the polarity of the output current can be switched by tuning the laser wavelength and intensity, which is attributed to the competition between the photovoltaic and photothermoelectric effects in the ZnO/SnSe heterojunction. As an OESD, the device exhibits versatile photonic synaptic characteristics at low light intensity based on the defect‐dominant carrier trapping/de‐trapping processes, including short/long‐term plasticity and learning experience behaviors. More importantly, benefitting from the outstanding synaptic responses, logic functions including “AND” and “OR” are implemented through the in‐sensor computing architecture. This work supplies a novel route to realize complex functionality in one device and offers effective strategies for developing in‐sensor computing.
Advanced Sonographic Imaging of the Foot and Ankle for Diagnosis of Inferior Calcaneal Nerve Entrapment
Authors: Macklin Dannielle , Fenech Michelle , Burke Tracey 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTNon‐traumatic heel pain is common. Entrapment of the inferior calcaneal nerve (ICN) is an underappreciated cause of plantar heel pain and can occur independently or concurrently with plantar fasciitis. Ultrasound imaging can directly assess the ICN, its path and the structures it innervates; however, is generally not well understood. The anatomy of the ICN, the sonographic technique to assess this nerve, its surroundings, the muscles it innervates, and the normal and abnormal sonographic appearances must be appreciated. Additionally, knowledge of the plantar hindfoot muscles is crucial as they are landmarks that assist sonographic identification of the ICN. A timely diagnosis of ICN entrapment is required to inform appropriate patient management and facilitate pain relief.
Left ventricular outpouching with an intracavitary thrombus in a cat with end‐stage hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Saponaro Vittorio , Alvarado Maria‐Paz , Ghazal Sarra 
Published: January 2025

AbstractThis report describes the transthoracic echocardiographic findings and clinical evolution of an 8‐year‐old cat with a left ventricular apical outpouching lesion with chronic intracavitary thrombosis following a suspected myocardial ischaemia secondary to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Apical left ventricular outpouchings, true or false aneurysm, are currently considered an infrequent complication of myocardial ischaemia in humans, and very few reports of cardiac outpouching exist in veterinary medicine. This report describes an unusual pathological cascade in a cat with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that resulted in left ventricular apical outpouching and thrombosis.
Québec's Participation in the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers and the Council of Great Lakes Governors, 2012–2022
Authors: Cloutier-Roy Christophe 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
This chapter focuses on Québec's participation in the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (CNEG-ECP) and the Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers (CGLG) over a period of 10 years, from 2012 to 2022, during which three governments of three different parties have been at the helm of “La Belle Province”: The Parti Québécois’ Pauline Marois government (2012–2014); the Parti Libéral’s Philippe Couillard government (2014–2018), and that of the Coalition Avenir Québec’s François Legault government (2018–2022). The Marois government emphasized environmental issues, while the Couillard government subordinated them to concerns focusing on economic development. This emphasis on economic objectives became more pronounced under the Legault government. At the same time, Québec's interest in the Great Lakes region grew, shifting its historical focus from the New England region and leading to a greater involvement in the CGLG.
Québec's Cultural Policy in the United States: From Diplomacy to Industries
Authors: Couture Gagnon Alexandre 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The Québec state apparatus, which developed most fully starting in the 1960s, initially focused the objectives of Québec's cultural policy in the United States on the promotion of nationalism and the building of a national identity. Following the 1990s recessions, the Québec government adjusted its policies to partly focus its cultural policy on the marketing of cultural industries. Cultural industries have increasingly been promoted as helping build the national identity while providing jobs and contributing to Québec's GDP. Today, the Québec government's main objective in the United States is promoting and securing business opportunities. It explicitly pursues its cultural policy in the United States with this objective at the forefront. This paper seeks to answer the following question: How has the Québec government's cultural policy in the United States evolved since the 1960s? Overall, there has been a notable shift in Québec's cultural policy in the United States. It has become mainly pragmatic or utilitarian, serving as tool to advance economic benefits for the province. Using original archival research, government documentation, and academic literature, this chapter chronicles this shift that has taken place in the 1990s, while further discussing the implications of a utilitarian cultural policy in the long run.
The Intellectual Foundations of Québec’s Americanness: A Historiographical Examination
Authors: Lamonde Yvan 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The idea of Québec’s Americanness is 50 years old. In the world of scholarly knowledge, this concept has been addressed in the disciplines of literature, history, geography, sociology, and political science. It has further made its way into media outlets and the general public, so much so that the word has almost lost its meaning. The idea has also “shook” the representations that Québecers had of their heritage. The recognition of the place of the Americas and the United States in the historical and contemporary identity of Québec has made it necessary to review the place that France has inordinately occupied. The idea of the Americanness of Québec is undoubtedly the main marker of the cultural and political debate of the last thirty years.
The Fantasy of the Québec-U.S. Border
Authors: Vallet Élisabeth , Bourgeon Mathilde 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Over two centuries of shared border history, the Canada-United States border crossing experience has constantly evolved and been transformed through domestic political practices and international events. The border, as it has in the post-9/11 era, will (and is) necessarily be redefined in a post-COVID-19 world. Indeed, in 2020, the combination of a pandemic and the lack of health coordination at the continental level placed the border back at the heart of the debate, becoming the national health bulwark at the expense of states’ international obligations towards asylum seekers and refugees. The rapid closure of borders, has trapped many people on the move (tourists, seasonal migrants, snowbirds, refugees, displaced persons) outside their national territory or area of residence, thus underlining the fragility of all mobility. This evolution of global borders is decisive for the Québec-American relationship, articulated in recent times around a certain idea of a fluid border demarcation line. In recent times the Québec-U.S. border has changed substantially: This chapter will show that not only did the pandemic episode confirm an evolution that was initiated on September 11, but it also paved the way for an inevitable hardening of this part of the border.
Pathologisch erhöhte tibiofemorale Rotation als Hauptursache einer chronisch lateral fixierten Patellaluxation
Authors: Youssef Salim , Kijewskie Leonie , Youssef Yasmin , Engel Thomas 
Published: January 2025

Zusammenfassung

Hintergrund
Die patellofemorale Instabilität hat multifaktorielle Ursachen, bei denen die statischen, dynamischen und anatomischen Konfigurationen von Tibia und Femur eine entscheidende Rolle spielen. Zu den bisher bekannten Pathologien zählen vor allem die Trochleadysplasie, eine lateralisierte Tuberositas tibiae (TT), eine Valgusdeformität, pathologische Femur- oder Tibiatorsionen, ein erhöhter Patellatilt sowie eine Patella alta. In der aktuellen Literatur wird eine pathologische tibiofemorale Rotation zunehmend mit Patellainstabilität und rezidivierenden Patellaluxationen in Verbindung gebracht.

Fallbericht
Es wird eine 16-jährige Patientin mit wiederkehrenden bilateralen Patellaluxationen seit dem 11. Lebensjahr vorgestellt. Klinische und radiologische Untersuchungen zeigten eine pathologische TFR von 20°, eine erhöhte TT-TG-Distanz (23 mm), eine Trochleadysplasie (Typ B) sowie erhöhte femorale und tibiale Torsion. Die chirurgische Behandlung umfasste eine femorale Rotationsosteotomie, die Medialisierung der TT sowie eine Trochleoplastik. Postoperativ zeigte die Patientin exzellente Ergebnisse mit stabiler Patellaführung, vollem Bewegungsumfang (Extension/Flexion 5/0/150) und radiologischer Konsolidierung der Osteotomien.

Schlussfolgerung
Die TFR ist ein Parameter, welcher im klinischen Alltag bislang kaum berücksichtigt wurde, obwohl sie entscheidend zur Entstehung und Schwere patellofemoraler Instabilitäten beiträgt und in diesem Zusammenhang sowohl Diagnostik als auch Therapie beeinflussen kann. Die TT-TG-Distanz ist ein zusammengesetztes Maß, das sowohl die tatsächliche Lateralisierung der TT als auch die TFR widerspiegelt und entsprechend interpretiert werden sollte, um eine optimale Therapie sicherzustellen. In komplexen Fällen sind bildgebende Verfahren wie Torsions-MRT und/oder CT essenziell für eine präzise Diagnosestellung. Derzeit gibt es keinen kausalen Therapieansatz für eine pathologische TFR bei patellofemoraler Instabilität, weshalb die Behandlung oft um die eigentliche Pathologie herum erfolgen muss. Verfahren wie die Trochleoplastik und Rotationsosteotomie spielen dabei eine zentrale Rolle. Weitere Forschung ist erforderlich, um gezieltere Behandlungsansätze zur besseren Adressierung einer erhöhten TFR zu entwickeln, die potenziell die Langzeitergebnisse für Patienten mit patellofemoraler Instabilität verbessern könnten.
The effect of two different surgical positions on pulmonary functions ın laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomies: reverse Trendelenburg vs beach chair
Authors: Seyit Hakan , Dolğun İlke , Bayram Erkan , Şener Fevkiye Nur , Çiçek Müslüm 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
The aim of our study is to compare the effect of the 30° reverse Trendelenburg position combined with the beach chair position on respiratory parameters in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) with the 30° reverse Trendelenburg position alone.

Material and method
Fifty patients with body mass index > 30 were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups; in the control group, the standard 30° reverse Trendelenburg. In the beach chair group, the feet were positioned at 30° flexion from the hips after a 30° RTP. For both positions, blood pressures, pulses, saturations, EtCO2, respiratory rate, inspiratory pressure (Pins), positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), minute volume, tidal volume, peak airway pressure (Ppeak), and dynamic compliance were recorded. In addition, the general surgeon was asked about his satisfaction with the intra-abdominal operation site view and whether he was uncomfortable with the position.

Results
Regardless of the group, the average age of the cases was 36.7 ± 12.1 years. There was no difference between the groups in terms of age, gender, BMI, operation time, blood pressures, heart rates, EtCO2, respiratory rate, PEEP, minute volume, tidal volume, and postoperative oxygen saturation (p > 0.05). Inspiratory and peak pressure were lower and dynamic compliance was higher in the beach chair position (p < 0.05). It was observed that the beach chair position decreased inspiratory and peak pressures and increased dynamic compliances in patients with a BMI between 35.1 and 40 (p < 0.05). Surgical satisfaction was high for both positions and there was no discomfort with the position.

Conclusion
It was determined that the beach chair position in LSGs reduced inspiratory and peak pressures and increased dynamic compliance. These parameters were related to BMI, and the beach chair position was more positive in terms of intraoperative lung pressures and dynamic compliance, especially in patients with a BMI between 35.1 and 40.

ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT06402474.
Trim turnpikes for optimal control problems with symmetries
Authors: Flaßkamp Kathrin , Maslovskaya Sofya , Ober-Blöbaum Sina , Wembe Boris 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Motivated by mechanical systems with symmetries, we focus on optimal control problems possessing certain symmetries. Following recent works (Faulwasser in Math Control Signals Syst 34:759–788 2022; Trélat in Math Control Signals Syst 35:685–739 2023), which generalized the classical concept of static turnpike to manifold turnpike we extend the exponential turnpike property to the exponential trim turnpike for control systems with symmetries induced by abelian or non-abelian groups. Our analysis is mainly based on the geometric reduction of control systems with symmetries. More concretely, we first reduce the control system on the quotient space and state the turnpike theorem for the reduced problem. Then we use the group properties to obtain the trim turnpike theorem for the full problem. Finally, we illustrate our results on the Kepler problem and the rigid body problem.