bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficient “Core–Shell” Carbon‐Based Solar Evaporator with Honeycomb Structure for Large‐Scale Solar‐Driven Water Purification and Energy Harvesting
Authors: Qi Shuo , Jia Tao , Zhang Yingyuan , Zhao Yijun , Xing Yiteng , Zhang Man , Wang Fei , Chen Chunxia , Wong Wai‐Yeung 
Published: February 2025

AbstractSolar‐driven interfacial water evaporation holds a broad application prospect in the domain of seawater desalination. However, traditional interfacial desalination technology is facing the challenge of large‐scale preparation and desalting performance. Herein, based on the easy processing and low cost advantages of carbon‐based solar‐thermal materials, the study proposes a novel strategy to use the surfactant Pluronic F127 to encapsulate the carbon black to form a size‐stable “core–shell” nanomicelle. Then, the solar‐thermal evaporator cross‐linked by nanomicelle and polyvinyl alcohol is constructed with a surface patterned design inspired by the honeycomb structures, which proved that the evaporator has excellent salt resistance by the Marangoni effect. Furthermore, it can be used to generate electricity and realize the integration of outdoor evaporating water and electricity generation. The solar evaporator can reach an evaporation rate of 2.19 kg m−2 h−1 under one sunlight irradiation. The area of large‐scale surface patterning can reach 132 cm2 (22 cm × 6 cm) and the output voltage under natural light is up to 561 mV. Significantly, the evaporator can maintain persistent water evaporation without surface salt accumulation during the outdoor evaporation of seawater for 10 days. This work provides a valuable perspective for the industrialization of high‐performance solar evaporators.
Enzymatically Crafted Bacterial Cellulose Nanoparticles Functionalized With Antimicrobial Peptides: Toward Sustainable Antimicrobial Formulations
Authors: Schibeci Martina , Gaglione Rosa , Russo Noemi , Velotta Raffaele , Della Ventura Bartolomeo , Arciello Angela 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTAlthough natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are endowed with excellent antimicrobial properties, only a few of them have been successfully translated to the market so far. This is mainly due to their short half‐life, to their high susceptibility to protease degradation, and to the lack of appropriate strategies for their efficient targeted delivery. Hence, the development of an effective system to deliver AMPs to the site of infection is urgent. The system here selected is represented by bacterial cellulose nanoparticles (BCNPs). Nanocellulose has recently emerged as one of the most promising “green” materials, attracting great attention due to its unique features, including biodegradability, sustainability, biocompatibility, and special physicochemical properties. To produce BCNPs, Komagataeibacter xylinus has been selected as host producing strain. Once obtained BC macrofibers, the production of BCNPs was set up by enzymatic hydrolysis using a commercial mixture of cellulases from Trichoderma reesei to develop a sustainable green biotechnological process. The storage stability of produced BCNPs has been also evaluated. Obtained BCNPs have been functionalized through non‐covalent bindings with an antimicrobial peptide previously identified in human apolipoprotein B and found to be endowed with strong antimicrobial properties in in vitro analyses and with good biocompatibility profiles when analyzed on human skin cells. This opens interesting perspectives to the applicability of the developed system in several biotechnological fields.
Living Away From Specialized Pollinators: The Pollination System of Cieba Pentandra in the Yucatan Peninsula
Authors: Dzul‐Cauich Henry , Stoner Kathryn E. , Ibarra‐Cerdeña Carlos N. , Munguía‐Rosas Miguel A. 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTPlant‐pollinator systems can exist along the gradient from extreme specialization to extreme generalization. Theoretical work predicts that high pollinator reliability may lead to specialized pollination systems, while pollinator unpredictability may promote generalized pollination systems. However, empirical tests of these predictions are constrained by the availability of accurate field observations, particularly in some groups of plants, such as trees pollinated by nocturnal animals. Plant species that face variable pollinator availability within their distributional range represent an ideal study system to address the effect of pollination predictability on the specialization level of pollination systems. This is the case of Ceiba pentandra, a tropical tree with chiropterophilic flowers. Most previous studies have described the pollination system of this tree species as mainly or exclusively bat‐pollinated. Here we studied the pollination system of C. pentandra in the Yucatan Peninsula, a region where no species of specialized nectarivorous bats occur. We assessed quantity (visitation rate) and quality pollination components (pollen deposition, fruit/seed set) for diurnal and nocturnal visitors in two different locations and years. We expected to find a generalized pollination system due to the absence of specialized pollinators. As predicted, we found five functional groups of nocturnal and diurnal pollinators. Diurnal and nocturnal pollinators contributed to a similar extent to quantity (visitation rate) and quality pollination components (fruit & seed set). However, the contribution of diurnal and nocturnal pollinators also varied either spatially or temporally. We conclude that the pollination system of C. pentandra in the Yucatan Peninsula is highly generalized and that temporal and/or spatial unpredictability in the effectiveness of its pollinators may explain this finding.
A facile automated multiple‐well platform of immunized tumor organoid cultures in ECM‐mimicked hydrogels for chem‐immunotherapy evaluation
Authors: Tang Ruizhi , Liu Xi‐Qiu 
Published: February 2025

AbstractBreast cancer often develops drug resistance during chemotherapy, and immunotherapeutic agents always exhibit ineffectiveness when used as a single treatment; thus, it is necessary to develop a chemo‐immunotherapy strategy in clinics. However, there is still a challenge to evaluate the chemo‐immunotherapy efficacy by conventional 2D cell culture and animal models. In this study, we developed a facile automated multiple‐well platform for fabricating tumor associated macrophages (TAMs)‐immunized breast cancer organoids in alginate hydrogels. An automated robotic microinjection system was used for building alginate hydrogels in situ and seeding mixed cell suspensions of breast cancer cells and TAMs into hydrogels to form organoids. The induced drug resistance to epirubicin was observed in breast cancer organoids with TAMs, but it could be inhibited by targeted immunotherapy PLX3397. The synergistic effects were also evaluated in several co‐administration strategies of PLX3397 in combination with epirubicin. The RNA‐seq and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were further used to examine gene transcription levels in the co‐administration and find out three genes (IL6, CD37, and GLS2) with significant differences, which were involved in the tumor necrosis factor signaling, PI3K‐Akt signaling and epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance pathway. The results demonstrated that the automated multiple‐well platform showed the potential to replace the conventional bulk culture method in evaluating the therapeutic effects of chem‐immunotherapy.
Effects of Polyphenols and Ascorbic Acid in Honey From Diverse Floral Origins on Liver Alcohol Metabolism
Authors: Sun Zhiwei , Liu Lanhua , Li Xingjiang , Zhang Jinjing , Zhou Hao , Mu Dongdong , Wang Yousheng , Wu Xuefeng 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTHoney is known to promote alcohol metabolism effectively. However, the effects of its individual chemical components system on alcohol metabolism and their mechanisms of action have not yet been fully elucidated. We constructed polyphenols and ascorbic acid systems (PAAS) of six different floral kinds of honey by exogenous substances, to investigate their effects on alcohol metabolism in the liver. PAAS consists of 22 kinds of polyphenols (including arbutin and caffeic acid) and ascorbic acid. The results demonstrated that PAAS improved the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and the expression of adh1, but had no significant effect on acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and expression of adh2, which caused a decrease in blood ethanol concentration but no difference in acetaldehyde concentration. Correlation analysis illustrated that arbutin and trans‐4‐hydroxycinnamic acid in PAAS were important potential substances for promoting alcohol metabolism. In addition, PAAS could also reduce the deleterious effects of alcohol by modulating unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis, purine metabolism, and other metabolic pathways in the liver. These findings revealed the mechanisms by which PAAS promoted hepatic alcohol metabolism as well as protected the liver and provided a theoretical basis for exploring the mechanisms in honey synergistically promote alcohol metabolism.
Modeling a Location and Routing Problem for Mobile Lockers in Last‐Mile Delivery With Horizontal Collaboration
Authors: Korkmaz Simay Göksu , Soysal Mehmet , Sel Çağrı , Dündar Hasan 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTDue to the growth of e‐commerce, promising last‐mile delivery options have emerged to manage the rise in delivery frequency and small‐volume deliveries. These delivery methods include mobile parcel lockers that are placed by electric vehicles, which enables customers to receive their packages at any time. This study presents a decision support model for enterprises that utilize mobile parcel lockers in last‐mile delivery with pick‐up and delivery under horizontal collaboration. The model aims to allocate parcel lockers and route the vehicles with the minimum cost, which encompasses the expenses associated with transportation and placement of the lockers, transportation of customer cargo, vehicle utilization, and payment of drivers. We propose an integer linear programming model for the location routing problem. We present an ILP‐based decomposition heuristic and an iterative approach to larger‐sized practical instances. A numerical analysis is conducted to see the cost and benefit of bilateral and trilateral collaborations in an illustrative case. According to the results, the total cost is reduced by up to 4.52% for companies in the trilateral collaboration scenario with single warehouses, and by up to 7.32% in the trilateral collaboration scenario with multiple warehouses. We examine the large problem sizes of up to 100 nodes to see the performance of the heuristic approaches compared to the model solutions. The two‐stage heuristic achieves the optimal solutions for all instances with a node size 50 in a shorter solution time. The iterative approach allows us to deal with the problem complexity of instances with 75 and 100 nodes and yields 0.88% close solutions to the model on average.
A Bright Organic Fluorophore for Accurate Measurement of the Relative Quantum Yield in the NIR‐II Window
Authors: Shen Hanchen , Zhu Xinyan , Zhang Jianyu , Xu Changhuo , Lam Jacky W. Y. , Tang Ben Zhong 
Published: February 2025

AbstractOrganic dyes with photoluminescence in the second near‐infrared window (NIR‐II, 1000–1700 nm) are promising for bioimaging and optoelectronic devices. Photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) is a direct measure of their performance. Integrating sphere technology is effective in determining the absolute PLQY. However, the low PLQY values of most NIR‐II organic fluorophores lead to significant measurement errors. Therefore, the most common method for PLQY determination is a relative approach using a photoluminescence spectrometer and a standard reference like IR‐26. Although the relative method enables precise calculation of the PLQY ratio between the sample and the reference, the specific PLQY value of IR‐26 is not clearly defined and is reported to range from 0.05% to 0.50%. Such a deviation can cause significant errors in relative PLQY measurements. In this study, it is reported that a bright organic fluorophore called TPE‐BBT exhibits a high PLQY of 3.94% in THF, which can be accurately measured using a commercially available integrating sphere. Using TPE‐BBT as a standard, the PLQY values of IR‐26 in 1,2‐dichloroethane and IR‐1061 in dichloromethane are accurately determined to be 0.0284% and 0.182%, respectively. It is hoped that using this reliable standard will unify the evaluation criteria for NIR‐II organic fluorophores.
Empowering Citizen Science Through Stakeholder Engagement
Authors: Correia Vitor , Romão José , Tyrologou Pavlos 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
The chapter examines how citizen science projects, particularly in geohazard monitoring, can be strengthened through systematic stakeholder engagement. Using the AGEO project as a case study, with five established Citizen Observatories across Europe, it details how stakeholders were identified, classified, and engaged across political, economic, knowledge and socio-cultural systems. The paper identifies five crucial factors for successful engagement: relevance, accessibility, trust, recognition/incentives, and sustainability. It concludes that citizen science, supported by technological advances and proper stakeholder engagement, can make significant contributions to disaster preparedness and risk reduction, particularly in the context of climate change, by fostering collaboration between experts and communities.
Addressing Teacher Shortages in Poland: Analysis, Educational Planning, and Policy Recommendations
Authors: Madalińska-Michalak Joanna 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
This chapter addresses the pressing issue of teacher shortages in Poland, highlighting its significance in the context of global education systems. Despite teachers being widely acknowledged as crucial to student success, Poland has not officially recognized the impending teacher shortage, setting it apart from other European nations. Utilizing data from Regional Educational Authorities, responsible for education within specific provinces (voivodeships) in Poland, this study examines national and provincial teacher shortage statistics and explores the reasons behind teacher attrition. The analysis exposes regional disparities in teacher shortages, calling for a localized approach to remedy the situation. Policymakers are encouraged to consider regional workforce policies, teacher salaries, educational management strategies, and the effectiveness of pedagogical resources in voivodeships. Proposed solutions include increasing minimum teacher salaries, implementing a nationwide teacher scholarship program, and establishing regional scholarships to attract and retain teaching talent. These strategies aim to incentivize prospective teachers and ensure a steady supply of qualified educators across regions. By tailoring interventions to the unique needs of each area and empowering regional educational authorities, this chapter provides a comprehensive roadmap to address teacher shortages, ultimately safeguarding educational quality and the future of Polish students.
Professionalization and Teaching-Out-Of-Field: How Lateral Entrants’ Resources Occur in Moments of Crisis—Mixed Data Results
Authors: Beck Teresa 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Since several years there has been a major shortage of teachers in Germany which proved state-specific special measures for the recruitment of teachers. One of these was the deploy of lateral entrants (Seiteneinsteiger:innen). The research project ‘SeLe an Grundschulen’ (= lateral entry into the teaching profession in primary schools) focuses on the professionalization process of teachers who entered the profession through the lateral entrant. Based on data from a standardized questionnaire (n = 114) and narrative-biographical interviews (n = 15), the chapter gives an insight of who the lateral entrants are, how they experience their biographical transition into the teaching profession and how they speak about their teaching experiences as a lateral entrant in the beginning of becoming a teacher. The focus is on the different elements of the professionalization process of out-of-field-teaching teachers, while reconstructing different facets and highlight of their alternative biographical transition into the teaching profession. The article presents two different data results, quantitative as well as qualitative results. The quantitative data corpus initially serves as a descriptive basis for specifying the target group. The main part is based on the data from the interviews, which are reconstructed using the documentary method and provide an insight into the collective orientations of lateral entrants. This article highlights an excerpt of three reconstructed types. Excerpts on the dimension of career entry and first comparative orientations are presented.
The Teacher Shortage in England: Policy Initiatives, Initial Teacher Training and the Early Career Teacher
Authors: Bryan Hazel , Price Jayne 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
In this chapter we interrogate the multi-faceted and inter-related nature of the teacher supply shortage in England. The chapter firstly sets out the issues that have long hindered teacher recruitment and retention, including Government initiatives designed to counter these phenomena. In this we analyse the problem of shortage in some regions across England, in some subjects and in some age phases (Ovenden-Hope & Passy, 2019), as well as considering issues in relation to Black and minority ethnic teacher shortage, male teacher shortage, working conditions and pay. Secondly, we present and critique the most current Government initiatives designed to address these issues, namely the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy (2019a) including the Early Career Framework (ECF) (DfE, 2019b).
Teacher Shortages in the United States: 1990–2021
Authors: Ingersoll Richard M. 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
The objective of this study is to provide an overall national portrait of trends in elementary and secondary teacher shortages in the U.S. from 1990 to 2021. The primary source of data for this study is the nationally representative National Teacher Principal Survey and its predecessor the Schools and Staffing Survey, conducted by the US Department of Education. The analyses document that there has been an increase in students and teachers over the past three decades and that a significant number of schools have faced serious difficulties filling their teaching positions. The data also show that the factors behind these staffing problems are complex. There are multiple sources of new teachers. Contrary to conventional theory, only a small part of the new teacher supply is from the pipeline of new graduates from teacher education and preparation programs; far more newly hired teachers come from the reserve pool of former teachers. Combining these multiple sources of new teachers, the data shows that the new supply has more than kept pace with student enrollment and teacher retirement increases, even in the highest shortage fields of math and science. However, when preretirement teacher attrition is factored in, there is a much tighter balance between supply and demand, especially for math and science. Moreover, the data document that teacher turnover varies greatly between different kinds of schools, is especially high in high-poverty schools, and is closely tied to the organizational characteristics and working conditions of schools.
Breeding behaviour, visual communication and male combat of Philothamnus occidentalis and Philothamnus natalensis
Authors: Kyle Kirsty J. , Downs Colleen T. 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Western Natal green snakes (Philothamnus occidentalis) are a relatively common and widely distributed snake across the eastern half of South Africa. Little is known about their reproduction other than information that has been gleaned from others in the genus. We document several separate cases of communal breeding, as well as both aggressive and reproductive visual communication, all of which are new information for this species. This study also documents a breeding event for the eastern Natal green snake (Philothamnus natalensis), which shows different behaviours supporting the recent species split.
Special needs of refugees with substance use disorders from conflict-affected countries: a comparison with German-born individuals
Authors: López-Atanes Mayte , Rosenkranz Moritz , Erkoreka Leire , Recio-Barbero Maria , Bari Melav , Hiller Philipp , Penka Simone , Lindert Jutta , Martens Marcus , Schäfer Ingo 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Background
Refugees seem to be at enhanced risk for substance use disorders. At the same time, they have less access to services and their health needs remain poorly understood. This study aims to evaluate the specific needs of refugees as compared to German-born individuals seeking help for substance use disorders.

Methods
We conducted an observational case–control study using all treatment episodes in outpatient addiction facilities in three German federal states during the year 2020. A total of 719 refugee clients were matched to 713 German-born individuals using propensity score matching. We compared potential needs related to features of substance use as well as different psychosocial areas.

Results
The final sample of refugees was composed of n = 384 (26.8%) cases from Afghanistan, n = 214 (14.9%) from Syria and n = 121 (8.4%) from Iraq. Clients consulted mostly due to cannabis use (44.8%) or opioid use (20.1%). Intravenous use of drugs and needle sharing was significantly lower in refugees (p < 0.05). A higher proportion of refugees than Germans lived in provisional housing, were unemployed or in charge of minor children (p < 0.05). Mental and physical comorbidities were significantly higher in refugees (p < 0.05). They were also more likely to have been victims of violence and less likely to present violent behaviors.

Conclusion
Refugees with substance use disorders differ regarding a spectrum of psychosocial issues from German-born individuals. This highlights the need to link addiction treatment with other parts of the health care and psychosocial support systems to provide adequate care for this group.
Simultaneous node-based shape and thickness optimization of thin-walled structures using the explicit Vertex Morphing method
Authors: Schmölz David , Devresse Bastian , Geiser Armin , Bletzinger Kai-Uwe 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Node-based shape optimization has been successfully and consistently formulated via shape and sensitivity filtering methods. This work studies the union of the Vertex Morphing method, a shape parameterization technique that uses an explicit shape filtering approach, and shell thickness optimization. On this occasion, thickness variables are explicitly filtered similarly to the shape, but their filter is computed on the initial geometry configuration throughout the optimization. The problem is formulated such that both design variable types are optimized concurrently. Gradient-based algorithms are employed to solve the optimization problem, which have proven well suited for the Vertex Morphing method. Due to the different dimensionalities of the shape and thickness variables, a design variable scaling method between the two types is proposed, improving the convergence behavior without the necessity of second-order information. Academic examples and the application of a structure with industrial significance illustrate the method’s success.