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In this Methods Showcase Article, we illustrate mixed‐effects modeling with a multinomial dependent variable as a means of explaining complexities in language. We model data on future‐time reference in second language Spanish, which consists of a nominal dependent variable that has three levels, measured over 73 participants. We offer step‐by‐step procedures for multinomial logistic regression with fixed and random effects, and we discuss the interpretation of the model and its advantages and limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abundance of unstructured and loosely structured data on disasters exists and can be analysed using network methods. This paper overviews the use of qualitative data in quantitative social network analysis in disaster research. It discusses two types of networks, each with a relevant major topic in disaster research—that is, (i) whole network approaches to emergency management networks and (ii) personal network approaches to the social support of survivors—and four usable forms of qualitative data. This paper explains five opportunities afforded by these approaches, revolving around their flexibility and ability to account for complex network structures. Next, it presents an empirical illustration that extends the authors' previous work examining the sources and the types of support and barrier experienced by households during long‐term recovery from Hurricane (Superstorm) Sandy (2012), wherein quantitative social network analysis was applied to two qualitative datasets. The paper discusses three challenges associated with these approaches, related to the samples, coding, and bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Increasing proportions of geriatric patients pose tremendous challenges for our society. Developments in assistive technologies have the potential to support older and frail people in aging and care. To reach a sustainable adoption of these technologies, the perceptions and wishes of future users must be understood. In particular, the relationships between individual health-related factors, and the perceptions of aging and using assistive technologies in severe health situations must be empirically examined. Methods Addressing this research gap, our quantitative study (N = 570) investigates the impact of diverse future users’ age and health status on their a) perceptions of aging, b) perceptions and acceptance of using assistive technologies in aging and care, as well as c) end-of-life decisions regarding technology usage. For this, four groups were segmented for the comparison of younger (

Background: Increasing proportions of geriatric patients pose tremendous challenges for our society. Developments in assistive technologies have the potential to support older and frail people in aging and care. To reach a sustainable adoption of these technologies, the perceptions and wishes of future users must be understood. In particular, the relationships between individual health-related factors, and the perceptions of aging and using assistive technologies in severe health situations must be empirically examined. Methods: Addressing this research gap, our quantitative study (N = 570) investigates the impact of diverse future users' age and health status on their a) perceptions of aging, b) perceptions and acceptance of using assistive technologies in aging and care, as well as c) end-of-life decisions regarding technology usage. For this, four groups were segmented for the comparison of younger (< 50 years) healthy, younger chronically ill, older (50 + years) healthy, and older chronically ill participants. Results: The results revealed that health status is more decisive for age-related perceptions compared to age. The technology-related perceptions were slightly impacted by either chronological age or health status. The end-of-life decisions showed the most striking differences in the willingness to use assistive technologies, revealing older chronically ill participants to have more restrained attitudes towards technology usage than older healthy as well as all younger participants. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the benefits of assistive technologies in private or professional care contexts should be communicated and implemented tailored to the respective user group's needs. Moreover, the results allow us to derive practical implications within the geriatric care context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind environment is important in architectural sustainable design, as existing studies show that it can be considerably influenced by building morphologies. This study aimed to develop a data-mining framework to quantitatively evaluate and compare influences on Low-Wind-Velocity Area (LWVA) of common cuboid-form buildings with typical morphological parameters. The data-mining framework was originally developed by integrating multiple computational methods for rapid in-depth iterative analyses, including the generation of building models using parametric modelling, the big data generation based on hybrid model, and the statistical metric analysis method. The hybrid model was created by combining the CFD model and machine learning model. The accuracy and efficiency of the framework were fully demonstrated through the comprehensive validation and analyses of different models. The data of more than fifty thousand building cases with different morphological parameters and relevant wind conditions were generated and analyzed. Influences on LWVA of morphological parameters of cuboid-form building was comprehensively evaluated, including the visualization of multiple parameters, calculation and comparison of several correlation coefficients. It suggested that the reduction of height and width on the windward side would significantly decrease the LWVA and promote the outdoor ventilation. The change of depth would have relatively limited influence on the LWVA. Multivariate regression model-fit and variance analyses were further implemented, and it was found that there was a relatively significant linear correlation between the LWVA and morphological parameters. The equation of multivariate regression model was provided for extra rapid prediction. The study outcome could contribute to efficient evaluation of LWVA and provide useful information for sustainable design.

Buildings play a substantial role in carbon emissions and contribute to approximately 37% of global carbon emissions. In order to control and reduce the carbon emissions of buildings, a report of life cycle carbon assessment (LCCA) has been mandated for all the new buildings in China since 1 April 2022. As a technical support for carbon accounting efforts in China, it is important to adhere to the national standards for conducting an LCCA report. In this context, the GB/T51366-Standard for Building Carbon Emission Calculation is the designated national standard that should be followed. However, GB/T51366 has several deficiencies, including incomplete life cycle processes, impractical calculation methods, the unrepresentativeness of default emission factors, and so forth. Therefore, it is essential to critically analyze the pros and cons of employing an LCCA methodology adhering to GB/T51366. To fulfill the research aim, this study develops a computational toolkit based on GB/T51366. We propose two data collection methods and conduct a case study of a residential building in China. GB/T51366 was also used as the baseline scenario and compared with the European standard EN15978. The results show that GB/T51366 is less comprehensive than EN15978, leading to a 2.9% reduction in the total life cycle emissions. Notably, up to 26.7% difference was observed in the comparison of the emission factors of the main construction materials. Based on the research outcomes, it is suggested to improve the national standard in terms of the scope and data availability, as well as to promote the harmonization of existing national LCCA standard of buildings with international standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the prevalence of transfer activity, education stakeholders must understand how transfer may be associated with student outcomes. Such knowledge is critical, as the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn have impacted college enrollment and student transfer behavior. Relying on a sample of 6510 undergraduate students from BPS:12/17 data, we conducted analyses using multiple regression to examine the relationship between student transfer direction and two student outcomes: time to degree and cumulative loan debt. Further, we analyzed whether these relationships varied by income status, using adjusted gross income (AGI) as a proxy. We found that transferring from one postsecondary institution to another may extend time to degree by one academic semester and result in increased student loan debt, with these findings varying by income level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article was to examine how gender and gender context affect students' experiences of democracy in upper secondary school. The study was based on survey responses from about 1500 students. The students' experiences of school democracy were operationalized as a collective deliberative communication among fellow students and teachers. Three different explanatory factors were considered: the significance of gender, gender context and the gendered content of the educational programmes. The results showed that a higher share of male students in a class is associated with poorer experiences of democracy. However, educational programmes with a traditional male content were proven favourable regarding school democracy. Since the gender context has one effect and the contents of the education programme affects in the opposite direction, the analytical separation of the variables was necessary to reveal the hidden equality problem of school democracy. Gender context does matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM) is critical to subsequent correct movements and plays a vital role in predicting specific future movements. Different descending pathways of the ALM are preferentially involved in different roles in movements. However, the circuit function mechanisms of these different pathways may be concealed in the anatomy circuit. Clarifying the anatomy inputs of these pathways should provide some helpful information for elucidating these function mechanisms. Here, we used a retrograde trans-synaptic rabies virus to systematically generate, analyze, and compare whole brain maps of inputs to the thalamus (TH)-, medulla oblongata (Med)-, superior colliculus (SC)-, and pontine nucleus (Pons)-projecting ALM neurons in C57BL/6J mice. Fifty-nine separate regions from nine major brain areas projecting to the descending pathways of the ALM were identified. Brain-wide quantitative analyses revealed identical whole brain input patterns between these descending pathways. Most inputs to the pathways originated from the ipsilateral side of the brain, with most innervations provided by the cortex and TH. The contralateral side of the brain also sent sparse projections, but these were rare, emanating only from the cortex and cerebellum. Nevertheless, the inputs received by TH-, Med-, SC-, and Pons-projecting ALM neurons had different weights, potentially laying an anatomical foundation for understanding the diverse functions of well-defined descending pathways of the ALM. Our findings provide anatomical information to help elucidate the precise connections and diverse functions of the ALM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Zircon is an important refractory mineral that is ubiquitous in most magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. It can provide robust U-Pb age(s) for most geologic processes. The trace elements in zircon are of great importance in the interpretation of zircon U-Pb age and relevant geological significance. Commonly, the trace elements abundance in zircon is analyzed by mass spectrometry methods, such as laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) and others, which usually require a large spot diameter (10-50μm). Electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) is capable of conducting elemental quantitative analyses at micro scales (< 5μm) with relatively high spatial resolution and analytical accuracy/precision. Under appropriate analytical condition settings, the detection limit (D.L.) and analytical uncertainty (standard deviation) of EPMA can be comparable to other high-sensitive methods (e.g. LA-ICP-MS) with only a small difference of one order of magnitude. Besides, EPMA is an accessible instrument in most facilities and is much cheaper and efficient than other techniques. Hafnium is an important trace element in zircon that often substitutes the zirconium ion, since they possess almost the same effective ionic radius in the eightfold coordination, and the zircon has a complete solid solution with the hafnon (HfSiO4). The Hf abundance in zircon is of importance in the zircon U-Pb age interpretation, and so is the Zr/Hf ratio—it commonly relates with magmatic differentiation: the higher Hf or lower Zr/Hf ratio domain is indicative of zircon growth from a more fractionated melt. Besides, the Hf-related geochemistry is also informative of certain tectonic settings, in which zircon formed. Titanium is an important temperature sensor in zircon that can be utilized in the crystallization temperature estimate. The Ti cation prefers to substitute Si in the four-fold coordination instead of replacing the eightfold Zr in the zircon lattice. Currently, the Ti-in-zircon thermometer has been widely used in studies of magmatic and metamorphic rocks, although certain discrepancy may occur compared to other approaches in temperature estimate. Moreover, some researchers reported a negative correlation between Ti and Hf contents in the igneous zircons and thus argued for a potential Hf-related temperature sensor similar to the Ti thermometry. OBJECTIVES This work investigates the standard zircons conventionally utilized in U-Pb dating: TEMORA (TEM) and Qinghu (QH) zircons of plutonic origin and Plešovice (PLE) zircon of ultrahigh-temperature metamorphic origin. They were provided by the Beijing SHRIMP center (TEM) and Ion Probe Facility Institute of Geology and Geophysics CAS (QH and PLE) as polished epoxy resins targets. Suitable analytical conditions are designed on those standard zircons based on conditional analyses in order to acquire accurate and reliable Hf and Ti contents in zircon. METHODS EPMA model of JEOL JAX-8100 equipped with four wavelength dispersive spectrometers (WDS) was utilized at Peking University. The standard materials for Zr, Si, Ti and Hf quantification were zircon (Zr, Si), rutile (Ti) and pure metal Hf from the national standard samples collection. Based on the results in the conditional analyses, two separate experiments (Exp-Ⅰ and Exp-Ⅱ) with nuanced analytical conditions were designed at 20kV accelerating voltage. In Exp-Ⅰ measurement, the current beam was set at 50nA and the counting time was adjusted to 100s for Ti and 10s for the rest; Hf (Lα) was measured by a LIF crystal in the high-resolution H type spectrometer (LIFH), Zr (Lα) and Si (Kα) were measured by TAP crystals in two separate spectrometers, and Ti (Kα) was measured by a PET crystal. In Exp-Ⅱ measurement, the current beam was set at 300nA, the counting time for Ti was adjusted to 300s and a PET crystal in the high-resolution H type spectrometer (PETH) was utilized; to avoid possible dead time effects in measuring Zr and Hf, EPMA CAL function was performed with fixed Zr and Hf contents using their average values obtained in Exp-Ⅰ. The background values were selected empirically in the conditional analyses. In both experiments, the spectrometer's pulse height analyzer (PHA) was set in differentiation mode (Dif) with empirical HV values in order to filter the high order X-ray signals of Hf and Zr that might potentially interfere with the measured characteristic X-ray spectra of Ti (Kα). As monitors, standard materials of Zr-free rutile and Ti-free zircon were also analyzed at the end of each measurement. In all, the detection limit for Ti was 60μg/g with relatively higher uncertainties and 20μg/g with moderate-low standard deviation errors in Exp-Ⅰ and Exp-Ⅱ, respectively. RESULTS In Exp-Ⅰ measurement, a negative correlation is observed between Zr and Hf that corresponds with the isomorphic substitution of Zr and Hf in zircon. The Hf abundance in TEM standard zircon is relatively lower than that in PLE and QH standard zircons. However, there is no obvious correlation, neither negative nor positive, between Hf and Ti and is observed in all analyzed standard zircons. Generally, the Hf content in PLE, QH and TEM standard zircons decreases successively, as does the Zr/Hf ratio; while the Ti content is mostly either close to or below the detection limit (60μg/g) that requires Exp-Ⅱ to re-examine further.Note, compared to other high precision techniques such as LA-ICP-MS, the content of Hf obtained by EPMA is about 10% higher in general and on average, despite a relatively wider variation range. The content of Ti acquired in Exp-Ⅱ by EPMA is quite comparable in the average with the LA-ICP-MS analyses, but in general, the EPMA analyses for Ti fluctuate greatly, similarly to the case of Hf analyses (by EPMA): this perhaps relates to the different order of magnitude of presence for each element (Hf vs. Ti) in zircon. Nevertheless, in general, both Hf and Ti analyses obtained by EPMA show relatively higher abundances in smaller spot analytical conditions, compared to the LA-ICP-MS measurement with larger spot: the latter method de facto measures an approximate average elemental concentration in the spot domain (e.g.32μm), while EPMA measures elements in a much smaller spot (2μm); it also explains the broad variation of EPMA analyses for both elements, since they perhaps distribute unevenly in zircon. To be noted, the Ti content obtained by EPMA indicates a much higher and expectable (Ti-) temperature that seems to best match the actual peak temperature attainment of parent rocks, derived by alternative thermometric approaches, while the conventional LA-ICP-MS analyses often yielded somewhat underestimated Ti-in-zircon temperatures. This is probably a potential key factor that explains the mismatch of Ti-temperature, derived from LA-ICP-MS analyses, with other methodological outcomes, particularly in the studies of ultrahigh-temperature metamorphic rocks: the peak metamorphic temperature inferred from pseudosection calculation or else is often higher than the zircon Ti temperature in practice.In the line analysis (Exp-Ⅰ), a pronounced zonation of Hf content (increase) and Zr/Hf ratio (decline) is noticed from core to rim in the standard zircons, along their oscillatory annulus under cathodoluminescence, although it remains ambiguous for Ti because of its lower detection limit and poor reliability. The Hf and Zr/Hf zonation in zircon corresponds well with the zircon crystallization from magmatic melt and may provide an implication for melt presence in a relatively high temperature condition. Thus, such a pattern of Hf and Zr/Hf in zircon is possibly also applicable in the high temperature metamorphism that could help to identify the zircon (over)growth environment.In the grid analysis (Exp-Ⅰ), several small domains of 40μm×40μm and 60μm×60μm sizes were selected, and the move step at 10-15μm and probe diameter of 5μm were adjusted appropriately. The measurement outcomes were then processed by the software OriginPro (ver. 2020b) in linear calculation mode and were plotted in colored contours to simulate conventional map scan results. The built elemental maps of those small domains show that there is no apparent correlation between Ti and Hf or Zr/Hf: it is in accordance with the above conclusions derived from statistic evaluation and line analyses. Nevertheless, PLE standard zircon seems to possess higher Ti content than the others in general, as being revealed above. Also, there is no obvious correlation between the Hf-Ti distribution in zircon and its oscillatory texture under electron or cathodoluminescence imaging, which commonly relate to other trace elements such as U, Th and REE. CONCLUSIONS In this work a reliable EPMA method for the quantitative analyses of Hf and Ti in zircon is established. Exp-Ⅰ provides a reliable Hf measurement in zircon, while Exp-Ⅱ provides a lower detection limit (20μg/g) and standard deviation for Ti in EPMA analyses that can be utilized further in practice. EPMA analyses with a small probe diameter show a generally higher outcome compared to other large-spot techniques, such as LA-ICP-MS, despite the relatively wide variation range. This could explain why the Ti-in-zircon temperature, acquired by LA-ICP-MS analyses, was often lower than the actual peak temperature attainment inferred by other methods. Thus, EPMA analyses are recommended as an optimal method for elemental quantification in the first place. The Hf content in zircon is indicative of melt presence, from which zircon crystalized; thus, profile (line) analyses for Hf are informative for zircon origin deciphering. In both igneous and high-temperature metamorphic (standard) zircons, there is no obvious correlation between Ti and Hf or Zr/Hf, thus, it remains unclear whether Hf is temperature related as proposed by other researchers.

Nowadays, it is vital to have new, complete, and rapid methods to screen and follow pharmacotoxicological and forensic cases. In this context, an important role is undoubtedly played by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) thanks to its advanced features. This instrument configuration can offer comprehensive and complete analysis and is a very potent analytical tool in the hands of analysts for the correct identification and quantification of analytes. The present review paper discusses the applications of LC-MS/MS in pharmacotoxicological cases because it is impossible to ignore the importance of this powerful instrument for the rapid development of pharmacological and forensic advanced research in recent years. On one hand, pharmacology is fundamental for drug monitoring and helping people to find the so-called "personal therapy" or "personalized therapy". On the other hand, toxicological and forensic LC-MS/MS represents the most critical instrument configuration applied to the screening and research of drugs and illicit drugs, giving critical support to law enforcement. Often the two areas are stackable, and for this reason, many methods include analytes attributable to both fields of application. In this manuscript, drugs and illicit drugs were divided in separate sections, with particular attention paid in the first section to therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and clinical approaches with a focus on central nervous system (CNS). The second section is focused on the methods developed in recent years for the determination of illicit drugs, often in combination with CNS drugs. All references considered herein cover the last 3 years, except for some specific and peculiar applications for which some more dated but still recent articles have been considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birds are considered as good bio-monitors and they can provide highly valuable data about the level of contamination in their habitat. During the design of biomonitoring studies one of the first issues after choosing species is the choice of biological material. Non-lethally collected samples have recently been gaining greater attention as they offer several ethical and practical advantages. However, not all sample matrices are suitable for biomonitoring of certain compounds. The main aim of this review is to bring to closer attention the utility of non-lethally collected samples from avian species, based on recent literature. The selected samples are feathers, blood, preen oil and eggs, as these are the types of biological materials most often chosen and may reveal birds' exposure from their diet. It is not my intention to single out one of them as the ultimate tool for organic compound analysis, but rather to present their utility in order to support or advise on future choices, as a single matrix might not be sufficient to fully evaluate birds' exposure. Therefore, this paper presents the current status of the non-lethal approach in avian species for determination of PCBs, OCPs, PBDEs and PFASs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hematopoiesis is arguably one of the best understood stem cell systems; however, significant challenges remain to reach a consensus understanding of the lineage potential, heterogeneity, and relationships of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell populations. To gain new insights, we performed quantitative analyses of mature cell production from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and multiple hematopoietic progenitor populations. Assessment of the absolute numbers of mature cell types produced by each progenitor cell revealed a striking erythroid dominance of all myeloid-competent progenitors assessed, accompanied by strong platelet reconstitution. All populations with myeloid potential also produced robust numbers of red blood cells and platelets in vivo. Clonal analysis by single-cell transplantation and by spleen colony assays revealed that a significant fraction of HSCs and multipotent progenitors have multilineage potential at the single-cell level. These new insights prompt an erythroid-focused model of hematopoietic differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Zircon is an important refractory mineral that is ubiquitous in most magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. It can provide robust U-Pb age( s) for most geologic processes. The trace elements in zircon are of great importance in the interpretation of zircon U-Pb age and relevant geological significance. Commonly, the trace elements abundance in zircon is analyzed by mass spectrometry methods, such as laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry ( LA-ICP -MS), sensitive high -resolution ion microprobe ( SHRIMP) and others, which usually require a large spot diameter ( 10 - 50μm). Electron probe micro - analyzer ( EPMA) is capable of conducting elemental quantitative analyses at micro scales (<5μm) with relatively high spatial resolution and analytical accuracy / precision. Under appropriate analytical condition settings, the detection limit (D. L. ) and analytical uncertainty (standard deviation) of EPMA can be comparable to other high -sensitive methods ( e. g. LA-ICP-MS) with only a small difference of one order of magnitude. Besides, EPMA is an accessible instrument in most facilities and is much cheaper and efficient than other techniques. Hafnium is an important trace element in zircon that often substitutes the zirconium ion, since they possess almost the same effective ionic radius in the eightfold coordination, and the zircon has a complete solid solution with the hafnon (HfSiO4 ). The Hf abundance in zircon is of importance in the zircon U-Pb age interpretation, and so is the Zr/ Hf ratio—it commonly relates with magmatic differentiation: the higher Hf or lower Zr/ Hf ratio domain is indicative of zircon growth from a more fractionated melt. Besides, the Hf-related geochemistry is also informative of certain tectonic settings, in which zircon formed. Titanium is an important temperature sensor in zircon that can be utilized in the crystallization temperature estimate. The Ti cation prefers to substitute Si in the four-fold coordination instead of replacing the eightfold Zr in the zircon lattice. Currently, the Ti -in - zircon thermometer has been widely used in studies of magmatic and metamorphic rocks, although certain discrepancy may occur compared to other approaches in temperature estimate. Moreover, some researchers reported a negative correlation between Ti and Hf contents in the igneous zircons and thus argued for a potential Hf-related temperature sensor similar to the Ti thermometry. OBJECTIVES: This work investigates the standard zircons conventionally utilized in U - Pb dating: TEMORA (TEM) and Qinghu ( QH) zircons of plutonic origin and Plešovice ( PLE) zircon of ultrahigh - temperature metamorphic origin. They were provided by the Beijing SHRIMP center (TEM) and Ion Probe Facility Institute of Geology and Geophysics CAS (QH and PLE) as polished epoxy resins targets. Suitable analytical conditions are designed on those standard zircons based on conditional analyses in order to acquire accurate and reliable Hf and Ti contents in zircon. METHODS: EPMA model of JEOL JAX-8100 equipped with four wavelength dispersive spectrometers (WDS) was utilized at Peking University. The standard materials for Zr, Si, Ti and Hf quantification were zircon ( Zr, Si), rutile ( Ti) and pure metal Hf from the national standard samples collection. Based on the results in the conditional analyses, two separate experiments ( Exp - I and Exp -Ⅱ) with nuanced analytical conditions were designed at 20kV accelerating voltage. In Exp-I measurement, the current beam was set at 50nA and the counting time was adjusted to 100s for Ti and 10s for the rest; Hf ( Lα) was measured by a LIF crystal in the high - resolution H type spectrometer (LIFH), Zr (Lα) and Si (Kα) were measured by TAP crystals in two separate spectrometers, and Ti (Kα) was measured by a PET crystal. In Exp-Ⅱ measurement, the current beam was set at 300nA, the counting time for Ti was adjusted to 300s and a PET crystal in the high-resolution H type spectrometer (PETH) was utilized; to avoid possible dead time effects in measuring Zr and Hf, EPMA CAL function was performed with fixed Zr and Hf contents using their average values obtained in Exp-I. The background values were selected empirically in the conditional analyses. In both experiments, the spectrometer’ s pulse height analyzer (PHA) was set in differentiation mode (Dif) with empirical HV values in order to filter the high order X-ray signals of Hf and Zr that might potentially interfere with the measured characteristic X-ray spectra of Ti (Kα). As monitors, standard materials of Zr - free rutile and Ti - free zircon were also analyzed at the end of each measurement. In all, the detection limit for Ti was 60μg / g with relatively higher uncertainties and 20μg / g with moderate-low standard deviation errors in Exp-I and Exp-Ⅱ, respectively. RESULTS: In Exp-I measurement, a negative correlation is observed between Zr and Hf that corresponds with the isomorphic substitution of Zr and Hf in zircon. The Hf abundance in TEM standard zircon is relatively lower than that in PLE and QH standard zircons. However, there is no obvious correlation, neither negative nor positive, between Hf and Ti and is observed in all analyzed standard zircons. Generally, the Hf content in PLE, QH and TEM standard zircons decreases successively, as does the Zr/ Hf ratio; while the Ti content is mostly either close to or below the detection limit (60μg / g) that requires Exp-Ⅱ to re-examine further. Note, compared to other high precision techniques such as LA-ICP-MS, the content of Hf obtained by EPMA is about 10% higher in general and on average, despite a relatively wider variation range. The content of Ti acquired in Exp-Ⅱ by EPMA is quite comparable in the average with the LA-ICP-MS analyses, but in general, the EPMA analyses for Ti fluctuate greatly, similarly to the case of Hf analyses (by EPMA): this perhaps relates to the different order of magnitude of presence for each element (Hf vs. Ti) in zircon. Nevertheless, in general, both Hf and Ti analyses obtained by EPMA show relatively higher abundances in smaller spot analytical conditions, compared to the LA-ICP -MS measurement with larger spot: the latter method de facto measures an approximate average elemental concentration in the spot domain ( e. g. 32μm), while EPMA measures elements in a much smaller spot (2μm); it also explains the broad variation of EPMA analyses for both elements, since they perhaps distribute unevenly in zircon. To be noted, the Ti content obtained by EPMA indicates a much higher and expectable (Ti-) temperature that seems to best match the actual peak temperature attainment of parent rocks, derived by alternative thermometric approaches, while the conventional LA - ICP - MS analyses often yielded somewhat underestimated Ti - in - zircon temperatures. This is probably a potential key factor that explains the mismatch of Ti-temperature, derived from LA - ICP - MS analyses, with other methodological outcomes, particularly in the studies of ultrahigh-temperature metamorphic rocks: the peak metamorphic temperature inferred from pseudosection calculation or else is often higher than the zircon Ti temperature in practice. In the line analysis (Exp-Ⅰ), a pronounced zonation of Hf content (increase) and Zr/ Hf ratio (decline) is noticed from core to rim in the standard zircons, along their oscillatory annulus under cathodoluminescence, although it remains ambiguous for Ti because of its lower detection limit and poor reliability. The Hf and Zr/ Hf zonation in zircon corresponds well with the zircon crystallization from magmatic melt and may provide an implication for melt presence in a relatively high temperature condition. Thus, such a pattern of Hf and Zr/ Hf in zircon is possibly also applicable in the high temperature metamorphism that could help to identify the zircon (over) growth environment. In the grid analysis (Exp-Ⅰ), several small domains of 40μm×40μm and 60μm×60μm sizes were selected, and the move step at 10 - 15μm and probe diameter of 5μm were adjusted appropriately. The measurement outcomes were then processed by the software OriginPro (ver. 2020b) in linear calculation mode and were plotted in colored contours to simulate conventional map scan results. The built elemental maps of those small domains show that there is no apparent correlation between Ti and Hf or Zr/ Hf: it is in accordance with the above conclusions derived from statistic evaluation and line analyses. Nevertheless, PLE standard zircon seems to possess higher Ti content than the others in general, as being revealed above. Also, there is no obvious correlation between the Hf-Ti distribution in zircon and its oscillatory texture under electron or cathodoluminescence imaging, which commonly relate to other trace elements such as U, Th and REE. CONCLUSIONS: In this work a reliable EPMA method for the quantitative analyses of Hf and Ti in zircon is established. Exp-I provides a reliable Hf measurement in zircon, while Exp-Ⅱ provides a lower detection limit (20μg / g) and standard deviation for Ti in EPMA analyses that can be utilized further in practice. EPMA analyses with a small probe diameter show a generally higher outcome compared to other large -spot techniques, such as LA-ICP-MS, despite the relatively wide variation range. This could explain why the Ti-in-zircon temperature, acquired by LA-ICP-MS analyses, was often lower than the actual peak temperature attainment inferred by other methods. Thus, EPMA analyses are recommended as an optimal method for elemental quantification in the first place. The Hf content in zircon is indicative of melt presence, from which zircon crystalized; thus, profile (line) analyses for Hf are informative for zircon origin deciphering. In both igneous and high-temperature metamorphic (standard) zircons, there is no obvious correlation between Ti and Hf or Zr/ Hf, thus, it remains unclear whether Hf is temperature related as proposed by other researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the feasibility of a new deep-learning (DL)-based lung analysis method for the evaluation of interstitial lung disease (ILD) by comparing it with evaluation using the traditional computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system and patients' clinical outcomes. We prospectively included 104 patients (84 with and 20 without ILD). An expert radiologist defined regions of interest in the typical areas of normal, ground-glass opacity, consolidation, consolidation with fibrosis (traction bronchiectasis), honeycombing, reticulation, traction bronchiectasis, and emphysema, and compared them with the CAD and DL-based analysis results. Next, we measured the extent of ILD lesions with the CAD and DL-based analysis and compared them. Finally, we compared the lesion extent on computed tomography (CT) images, as measured with the DL-based analysis, with pulmonary function tests results and patients' overall survival. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between DL-based analysis and CAD results. Forced vital capacity was significantly correlated with DL-based analysis (r = 0.789, p < 0.001 for normal lung volume and r = −0.316, p = 0.001 for consolidation with fibrosis volume). Consolidation with fibrosis measured using DL-based analysis was independently associated with poor survival. The lesion extent measured using DL-based analysis showed a negative correlation with the pulmonary function test results and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kelin He,1,2,&ast; Mingjie Zhan,1,&ast; Xinyun Li,1,2 Lei Wu,1,2 Kang Liang,1 Ruijie Ma1,2 1Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhongshan Hospital of Zhejiang Province), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Neurology of Zhejiang Province, the Third School of Clinical Medicine (School of Rehabilitation Medicine), Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ruijie Ma, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhongshan Hospital of Zhejiang Province), No. 219 Moganshan Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China, Email maria7878@sina.comIntroduction: Migraine is a common neurovascular disorder disease often characterized by episodic headaches that can develop chronic disorders. Acupuncture as a non-pharmacological therapy has been extensively used to manage migraine prevention and treatment in clinical practice. Many studies focused on acupuncture therapy for migraine, but none analyzed the publications quantitatively and qualitatively. The aim of this study is to show the recent researches and trend of advances in this field based on quantitative and qualitative analyses.Methods: Publications related to acupuncture research about migraine were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection and Scopus database. The quantitative data analysis was performed to show the recent researches and trend of advances from six perspectives: annual scientific production, countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords. For the qualitative analysis, acupuncture research about migraine was analyzed from the top twenty most highly cited articles.Results: The number of annual scientific production steadily increased with some fluctuations over the years. The country and institutions contributing most to this field are China and Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Zhao Ling was the most relevant author in this field, Linde Klaus was the highly co-cited author. The leading journal regarding the number of selected articles was “Zhongguo Zhen Jiu”. The top twenty most highly cited articles were divided into two categories: original articles and reviews. Among these two categories, original articles occupied the vast majority. Moreover, the real effectiveness of acupuncture for migraine prevention and treatment was the research frontier and hot spot.Conclusion: Results of our analysis indicate that the number of publications showed an overall increasing trend, demonstrating that this research field still has a promising future. In addition, more researchers will probably focus their work on the difference between verum acupuncture and usual care for preventing and treating migraine.Keywords: acupuncture, migraine, bibliometrics, quantitative analyses, qualitative analyses

Buildings play a substantial role in carbon emissions and contribute to approximately 37% of global carbon emissions. In order to control and reduce the carbon emissions of buildings, a report of life cycle carbon assessment (LCCA) has been mandated for all the new buildings in China since 1 April 2022. As a technical support for carbon accounting efforts in China, it is important to adhere to the national standards for conducting an LCCA report. In this context, the GB/T51366-Standard for Building Carbon Emission Calculation is the designated national standard that should be followed. However, GB/T51366 has several deficiencies, including incomplete life cycle processes, impractical calculation methods, the unrepresentativeness of default emission factors, and so forth. Therefore, it is essential to critically analyze the pros and cons of employing an LCCA methodology adhering to GB/T51366. To fulfill the research aim, this study develops a computational toolkit based on GB/T51366. We propose two data collection methods and conduct a case study of a residential building in China. GB/T51366 was also used as the baseline scenario and compared with the European standard EN15978. The results show that GB/T51366 is less comprehensive than EN15978, leading to a 2.9% reduction in the total life cycle emissions. Notably, up to 26.7% difference was observed in the comparison of the emission factors of the main construction materials. Based on the research outcomes, it is suggested to improve the national standard in terms of the scope and data availability, as well as to promote the harmonization of existing national LCCA standard of buildings with international standards.

Sarcopenia is age-related, pathophysiological muscle atrophy. Research regarding nutrition treatment of sarcopenia has developed rapidly, particularly as populations age. We evaluated the development of trends in this field using a bibliometric analysis. Articles up to July 2022 were searched in the Scopus database. Bibliographic information from the selected publications, such as countries, citations, world maps, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords, were converted and analyzed automatically using the "bibliometrix" package in R environment (version 4.2.0). We identified 368 Scopus articles from 1998–2021. According to citation analyses, 27 documents received more than 100 citations. Bibliometric analysis based on the literature included in this study revealed that South Korea (61 publications), United States (50), Japan (35), China (30), and Italy (20) contributed the most publications. Tehran University of Medical Science (19 records, 2.55% of articles) contributed the most publications. The most productive author was Landi, with eight articles (2.17% of articles). The publications were located in 196 journals, with Nutrients having the most publications (30, 8.15% of articles). The curves representing keywords "sarcopenia" and "aged" were the most apparent. Our analysis suggested that global nutrition and sarcopenia-related research increased rapidly from 2001 to 2021, demonstrating that this was a promising area of future research that could benefit from continued advances. Future research may focus on the effects of age and sex as well as intervention effectiveness, particularly exercise and nutrition supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article first delineates core sport economics and compares the content of the Journal of Sports Economics (JSE) in different periods of time, then with other core publications in sport economics. Finally, a comparison is undertaken with articles in sport economics which have been published in generalist economics journals over the past two decades. A major conclusion is that the JSE appears to be the mainstream journal in quantitative sport microeconomics. Other strengths and weaknesses are exhibited and tentatively explained, including a marginal attention paid to non-microeconomic issues in sport and some other unheeded topics. A final conclusion is geared toward options for the editorial policy in the decades to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does the overtness of external support to rebels affect civilian targeting in civil wars? Conflict studies increasingly scrutinize how insurgent sponsorships shape rebels' behavior. However, the influence of external sponsors' decisions to publicly acknowledge or deny their support on rebel conduct is largely neglected. This article introduces a new dataset on the overtness of external support to rebels in civil wars between 1989 and 2018. It then assesses whether the overtness of support is correlated with insurgents' propensity to target civilians. I hypothesize that overtly supported rebels are less likely to target civilians than covertly supported rebels. This hypothesis stems from how supply-side factors—the way state sponsors expectedly act after having allocated their support—impact insurgents' structure of incentives around relations with non-combatants. Statistical analyses yield strong support for my hypothesis. Moreover, further analyses show that support overtness influences civilian targeting independently from sponsors' characteristics, such as political regimes or foreign aid reliance. Thus, in addition to the type of material aid insurgents receive, variation in whether support is covert or overt shapes how rebels treat civilians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early school years, the emphasis is more and more on cognitive output factors. Non-cognitive development is receiving less attention than before, though such factors are important determinants of academic success. This study aims at answering two questions: (1) How do young children perform on a number of non-cognitive characteristics, more specifically, attitudes, behavior, and relationships? (2) Are there any differences with regard to those characteristics according to the pupils' social and ethnic/immigrant background? To answer the questions, data from the Dutch large-scale cohort study COOL5-18 were analyzed. The main sample included nearly 6500 grade 2 pupils (6-year-olds). Teachers answered questions about their pupils' attitudes, behavior, and relationships. One- and two-way analyses of variance were employed, and effect sizes were computed. The results showed that the teachers rated their pupil's work attitude as lower than their behavior and popularity. They were more positive regarding their relationship with the pupils. More important was that there were differences according to the pupils' social and ethnic/immigrant backgrounds: ethnic minority/immigrant pupils scored less positive on all non-cognitive characteristics than native Dutch pupils, and the higher the parental educational level, the more favorable their children performed on the non-cognitive characteristics. These findings are discussed and possible solutions are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sheds new light on the sentiment analysis of Twitter for Hurricane Irma with respect to the US states and different periods based on comprehensive analyses. This study finds that tweets are highly related to Florida since the state is the most damaged state with respect to Hurricane Irma. This study also finds that people in other regions posted numerous tweets regarding praying for the people who are damaged by the hurricane and trying to assist in some disaster relief. Next, this study shows that the proportion of tweets is differentiated by periods and regions. In the pre-hurricane period, tweets are heavily concentrated in the South region. In the hurricane period, tweets are highly located in the Southeast and the Northeast regions. In the post-hurricane period, tweets are more posted in the Northeast region. Lastly, this study highlights that people upload numerous tweets including keywords related to regions, such as "Florida", "Miami", and keywords related to the hurricane, such as "safe", "prepare", and "evacuate". People are also highly interested in the US president's action to cope with the Hurricane Irma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the digitally inflected changes occurring in Shakespeare source study - a long-standing research field that burst back into prominence over the last few years. The recent publication of volumes such as Shakespeare, Origins, and Originality (Holland 2015), Rethinking Shakespeare Source Study (Britton, Walter 2018) or Shakespeare's Resources (Drakakis 2021) vouches indeed for a steady resurgence of interest in "the circulation, transformation and function of Shakespeare's sources" (Bigliazzi 2018, p. 13) - a rising tide heightened, no doubt, by the proliferation of electronic archives, digital critical editions, wiki databases, and corpus-based searching tools designed to bring early modern (inter)textuality into sharper focus. This "flood of digital possibilities" (Lavagnino 2014, p. 21) has greatly impacted on Shakespeare source criticism, modelling new ways to explore and identify the intertextual, subtextual, and contextual forms of influence that shaped the playwright's production. In this essay, such an ongoing shift of perspectives is examined by sorting through a series of digital methodologies and resources that show promise in improving how we visualise, analyse, and identify Shakespeare's diverse sources. Laying emphasis on the dovetailing of "'old source study' and more contemporary approaches to textual and cultural analysis" (Britton, Walter 2018, p. 1) fostered by the digital medium, the paper illustrates the benefits, limits, and prospects of digital editing and archiving, quantitative analyses, wiki databases, and digital thick mapping for the study of Shakespeare's creative process and early modern European theatricality tout court. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, it is vital to have new, complete, and rapid methods to screen and follow pharmacotoxicological and forensic cases. In this context, an important role is undoubtedly played by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) thanks to its advanced features. This instrument configuration can offer comprehensive and complete analysis and is a very potent analytical tool in the hands of analysts for the correct identification and quantification of analytes. The present review paper discusses the applications of LC-MS/MS in pharmacotoxicological cases because it is impossible to ignore the importance of this powerful instrument for the rapid development of pharmacological and forensic advanced research in recent years. On one hand, pharmacology is fundamental for drug monitoring and helping people to find the so-called “personal therapy” or “personalized therapy”. On the other hand, toxicological and forensic LC-MS/MS represents the most critical instrument configuration applied to the screening and research of drugs and illicit drugs, giving critical support to law enforcement. Often the two areas are stackable, and for this reason, many methods include analytes attributable to both fields of application. In this manuscript, drugs and illicit drugs were divided in separate sections, with particular attention paid in the first section to therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and clinical approaches with a focus on central nervous system (CNS). The second section is focused on the methods developed in recent years for the determination of illicit drugs, often in combination with CNS drugs. All references considered herein cover the last 3 years, except for some specific and peculiar applications for which some more dated but still recent articles have been considered.

We investigated the feasibility of a new deep-learning (DL)-based lung analysis method for the evaluation of interstitial lung disease (ILD) by comparing it with evaluation using the traditional computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system and patients’ clinical outcomes. We prospectively included 104 patients (84 with and 20 without ILD). An expert radiologist defined regions of interest in the typical areas of normal, ground-glass opacity, consolidation, consolidation with fibrosis (traction bronchiectasis), honeycombing, reticulation, traction bronchiectasis, and emphysema, and compared them with the CAD and DL-based analysis results. Next, we measured the extent of ILD lesions with the CAD and DL-based analysis and compared them. Finally, we compared the lesion extent on computed tomography (CT) images, as measured with the DL-based analysis, with pulmonary function tests results and patients’ overall survival. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between DL-based analysis and CAD results. Forced vital capacity was significantly correlated with DL-based analysis (r = 0.789, p < 0.001 for normal lung volume and r = −0.316, p = 0.001 for consolidation with fibrosis volume). Consolidation with fibrosis measured using DL-based analysis was independently associated with poor survival. The lesion extent measured using DL-based analysis showed a negative correlation with the pulmonary function test results and prognosis.

The process of formation by an artist of an art concept for theproduction of a new series of artwork has not yet beenempirically elucidated. The goal of this study is to describethe process of art concept formation by a contemporary artistthrough quantitative analyses of a text corpus based oninterviews with the artist. From an analysis of the frequencyof occurrence of items of vocabulary in the interview data andthe TF-IDF (term frequency–inverse document frequency),we find that the second of three phases in the artist's creativeprocess was the most critical for the formation of the artconcept, as also shown in our previous qualitative study.Further, based on an analysis of co-occurrence frequencies ofwords, the structure of the art concept is deduced from theimportance of co-occurring vocabulary. By means ofvisualizing the network of co-occurrence analysis, it isclarified that the feature words "The Large Glass" functionedin the first phase as the medium for dividing the structure ofthe concept into two parts. In the second phase, these twoparts of the structure became integrated into one. In the lastphase, the structure of the concept was elaborated on with therevived feature words, "White Noise" and "Duchamp".

Lithium‐ion battery cells are usually connected in series or parallel to form modules to meet power and energy requirements for specific applications. Inconsistency of the cells' performance, i.e., capacity and internal resistance, is initially formed during production. Then the inconsistency evolves in the lifespan. Herein, the performance and inconsistency evolution of the series and parallel modules for the design and management guide are investigated. A quantitative analysis of the performance and inconsistency is made. The performance and inconsistency evolution are investigated experimentally. Based on it, the trend judgment of the inconsistency evolution is derived. It is found that the cell performance in series modules is self‐divergent, especially in the later stage of the aging process. And the divergence becomes more severe with an unreasonable equalization, such as the traditional cell voltage equalization. Equalization of the cell performance is needed to cut off the vicious circle. For the parallel module, self‐convergence of the performance exists. The better‐performing cells in the module withstand a larger current, making their performance decay faster and finally becoming consistent with the cells with worse initial performance. Meanwhile, the parallel module performance also decays significantly. Therefore, maintaining the cells' consistency is still necessary for the parallel modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soil loss susceptibility model, made for the Baraolt Depression, offers useful information for the farmers regarding the areas that should be used in a certain way and for a certain purpose, with farming methods which aim at the protection of their most important means of production – soil.

Plea negotiations remain difficult to study, partly because their informality implicates workgroup‐related factors within decision‐making. In quantitative analyses, these factors are impossible to measure using the case‐level data alone. The current study proposes a combined method using survey data and administrative case data as a means of contextualizing the plea process from the standpoint of workgroup members and quantifying workgroup characteristics that can be used as variables in models predicting actual plea outcomes. A preliminary exploration of this kind is conducted with public defenders. The survey data revealed that public defenders thought pleas were necessary to manage caseloads and resources, but also felt the benefits to defendants outweighed the drawbacks. In a descriptive analysis linking survey‐ and case‐level data, the percent of charge reductions among plea cases varied substantively based on both workgroup relationship characteristics and ideologies of the public defenders. Directions for future research adopting this type of approach are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass spectrometry is the driving force behind current brain proteome analysis. In a typical proteomics approach, a protein isolate is digested into tryptic peptides and then analyzed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. The recent advancements in data independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry provide higher sensitivity and protein coverage than the classic data dependent acquisition. DIA cycles through a pre-defined set of peptide precursor isolation windows stepping through 400–1,200 m/z across the whole liquid chromatography gradient. All peptides within an isolation window are fragmented simultaneously and detected by tandem mass spectrometry. Peptides are identified by matching the ion peaks in a mass spectrum to a spectral library that contains information of the peptide fragment ions' pattern and its chromatography elution time. Currently, there are several reports on DIA in brain research, in particular the quantitative analysis of cellular and synaptic proteomes to reveal the spatial and/or temporal changes of proteins that underlie neuronal plasticity and disease mechanisms. Protocols in DIA are continuously improving in both acquisition and data analysis. The depth of analysis is currently approaching proteome-wide coverage, while maintaining high reproducibility in a stable and standardisable MS environment. DIA can be positioned as the method of choice for routine proteome analysis in basic brain research and clinical applications.

Background Frailty, within the context of heart failure (HF), is strongly linked to poor patient outcomes. Investigating the vulnerable condition of individuals with HF is crucial, not only for medical reasons but also as a significant public health challenge, especially among the elderly population where both HF and frailty are common. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize HF patients with frailty over those without such symptoms. To begin, promptly assessing the impact of academic research in this area is crucial, considering factors such as geographical regions, authors, journals, and institutions. Additionally, it is important to explore current topics and identify potential areas that could inspire future researchers to conduct further studies to advance public health. Methodology We conducted a search in the Web of Science Core Collection database to identify articles and reviews in the English language focusing on frailty and HF which were published from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2023. To perform bibliometric analysis, VOSviewer (v.1.6.18) and CiteSpace (v.6.1.R2) were utilized. Results A total of 1,381 original English-language articles were gathered, comprising 1,162 articles and 219 reviews. The quantity of research publications in this area has experienced significant growth since 2013. Among all countries, the United States has contributed the largest number of publications, accounting for 409 articles (29.62% of the total). Additionally, the United States has received the highest number of citations, being cited a total of 13,329 times, as well as boasting the greatest total link strength. Duke University stands out as the institution with the highest number of research papers, having published 40 articles (2.90% of the total). It has also received the most citations, with a total of 2,455 times, and possesses the highest total link strength, which amounts to 212. Within the realm of prolific authors, Kentaro Kamiya from Kitasato University emerges as the most productive, having authored 28 articles (2.03% of the total). When considering scholarly journals, "Esc Heart Failure" contains the highest number of articles pertaining to frailty and HF, publishing a noteworthy 36 articles (2.61% of the total). Noteworthy keywords within this field encompass frailty, heart failure, elderly, mortality, and cardiovascular disease. Over the past five years, the most popular keywords have centered around "frailty syndrome," "sarcopenia," and "therapeutic interventions." Conclusions Research on frailty and HF at a global scale has experienced substantial growth between 2000 and 2023, demonstrating a prospective field for further exploration with potential advantages from ongoing progress. Prospective studies could prioritize the enhancement of cardiac rehabilitation for patients coping with HF and frailty while ensuring the preservation of their overall quality of life., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Zhang et al.)

Wind environment is important in architectural sustainable design, as existing studies show that it can be considerably influenced by building morphologies. This study aimed to develop a data-mining framework to quantitatively evaluate and compare influences on Low-Wind-Velocity Area (LWVA) of common cuboid-form buildings with typical morphological parameters. The data-mining framework was originally developed by integrating multiple computational methods for rapid in-depth iterative analyses, including the generation of building models using parametric modelling, the big data generation based on hybrid model, and the statistical metric analysis method. The hybrid model was created by combining the CFD model and machine learning model. The accuracy and efficiency of the framework were fully demonstrated through the comprehensive validation and analyses of different models. The data of more than fifty thousand building cases with different morphological parameters and relevant wind conditions were generated and analyzed. Influences on LWVA of morphological parameters of cuboid-form building was comprehensively evaluated, including the visualization of multiple parameters, calculation and comparison of several correlation coefficients. It suggested that the reduction of height and width on the windward side would significantly decrease the LWVA and promote the outdoor ventilation. The change of depth would have relatively limited influence on the LWVA. Multivariate regression model-fit and variance analyses were further implemented, and it was found that there was a relatively significant linear correlation between the LWVA and morphological parameters. The equation of multivariate regression model was provided for extra rapid prediction. The study outcome could contribute to efficient evaluation of LWVA and provide useful information for sustainable design., Competing Interests: We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that inappropriately influence our work, there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in, or the review of, the manuscript entitled., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Mass spectrometry is the driving force behind current brain proteome analysis. In a typical proteomics approach, a protein isolate is digested into tryptic peptides and then analyzed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. The recent advancements in data independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry provide higher sensitivity and protein coverage than the classic data dependent acquisition. DIA cycles through a pre-defined set of peptide precursor isolation windows stepping through 400–1,200 m/z across the whole liquid chromatography gradient. All peptides within an isolation window are fragmented simultaneously and detected by tandem mass spectrometry. Peptides are identified by matching the ion peaks in a mass spectrum to a spectral library that contains information of the peptide fragment ions' pattern and its chromatography elution time. Currently, there are several reports on DIA in brain research, in particular the quantitative analysis of cellular and synaptic proteomes to reveal the spatial and/or temporal changes of proteins that underlie neuronal plasticity and disease mechanisms. Protocols in DIA are continuously improving in both acquisition and data analysis. The depth of analysis is currently approaching proteome-wide coverage, while maintaining high reproducibility in a stable and standardisable MS environment. DIA can be positioned as the method of choice for routine proteome analysis in basic brain research and clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the change in the career adaptability of participants exposed to an intervention programme characterized by career and self-construction principles compared to the change in participants who participated in standard, traditional career counselling lessons. Convenience and purposive sampling were used to select two groups (experimental and comparison of Grade 11 learners). Intervention occurred in both experimental groups. A mixed methods, quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test comparison group design was used to gather data. Pre- and post-test scores obtained on the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS) were analysed. The quantitative results suggested that the intervention programme did not improve participants’ career adaptability compared to standard, traditional career counselling lessons as measured by the CAAS. Future research should include the use of measures of self-reflection and meaning-making to test the direct effects of experimental interventions.

The main objective was to verify the levels of physical activity, depressive symptoms and anxiety of Physical Education students, as well as to verify the relationship between the levels of physical activity and depression and anxiety among university students in this course. The data were collected in a private educational institution. We collected data to assess the level of physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) in its short version, depression symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory) and anxiety (Beck Inventory Anxiety). Sociodemographic data were also collected. Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed. 150 students participated in the research, 52 women and 98 men aged 18 to 45 years (mean = 22.85; standard deviation = 4.80). The results revealed that 18% of students have low, 20% moderate and 60% high level of physical activity. Among college students, 76% were categorized with minimal depressive symptoms and 65% had moderate levels of anxiety. No statistical differences were identified between levels of physical activity with depression (p = 0.163) and anxiety (p = 0.545). It was concluded that there was no relationship between anxious or depressed Physical Education students with their levels of physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adipogenic differentiation is the process by which preadipocytes become mature adipocytes, cells that store energy and regulate metabolic homeostasis. During differentiation, neutral lipids that accumulate in adipocytes can be detected using stains and used as an index of cell differentiation. However, imaging tools for evaluating intracellular lipid droplets remain at their infancy. Nutrition, stress, or chemical exposure can dysregulate adipogenic differentiation and lipid metabolism. Therefore, the aims of this study were to develop an accurate, standardized approach to quantify lipid droplet size of mature adipocytes and a clustering approach to analyze the total lipid content per adipocyte. For the lipid droplet analysis, we used two approaches, the free online computer software of reference, ImageJ, and another free online computer software, CellProfiler. For ImageJ, we used an already developed macro designed to identify particles and quantify their area, and for CellProfiler, we developed a new analysis pipeline. Our results show that CellProfiler is able to accurately identify a greater number of lipid droplets compared to ImageJ. A clustering analysis is also possible using CellProfiler which allows for the quantification of total lipid content per individual adipocyte to provide insight into single-cell responsiveness to adipogenic stimuli. CellProfiler streamlines the lipid droplet phenotypic analysis of adipocytes compared to more traditional analysis methods. In conclusion, this novel image analysis tool can provide a more precise evaluation of lipid droplet and adipogenesis dysregulation, a critical need in the understanding of metabolic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic resonance imaging is a powerful, ubiquitous imaging technique that provides detailed high‐contrast images differentiating soft tissues. The low radio‐frequency bias field creates intensity inhomogeneity generating low contrast that often creates difficulty for quantitative and qualitative analyses. Segmentation aids in analysis of changes occurring in brain, where bias effect severely affects performance. The graph‐cut (GC) segmentation provides supervised computer‐assisted diagnosis and treatment. GC's interactive nature requires manual selection of kernels for initialisation. The shrinkage behaviour of GC creates inaccurate and fallacious extraction. On the basis of these problems, this study proposes gradient‐based kernel selection GC method that simultaneously removes shrinkage problem and locates tumour in image, eliminating human interaction with accurate segmentation for even bias field images. The proposed method addresses these problems by emphasising on directive inclination of intensity scales of symmetrical halves of images. The proposed method is evaluated for high‐grade glioma and low‐grade glioma images with and without bias field. The average performance metrics evaluated for these images depict remarkable improvement in comparison with existing techniques. The proposed technique is validated by applying on real‐time dataset of tumour images obtained from State Government Hospital, Shimla, India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to contribute to the better knowledge and understanding on entrepreneurship education and its role in supporting the development of entrepreneurial intentions in Romania. Analyzing the role of entrepreneurship education on influencing decision to of starting up a business is on the rise worldwide, a lot of importance being put on the importance of entrepreneurship education in supporting diversification of careers and transitions from unemployment or inactivity to self-employment. The empirical evidences for Romania, even if they are already addressed by several papers mainly focused on entrepreneurship education in universities still provide a lot of food for quantitative and qualitative analyses. The paper uses the data provided by Flask Eurobarometer 354 to depict the profile of Romanians that were involved in entrepreneurship education, but also to define an index on perceived effects of education in order to link the participation to entrepreneurial programs to the decision of individuals to start-up their own business. The findings on the profile of those ever engaged in entrepreneurship education in Romania points out to the structural inequalities embedded in the Romanian educational system, but also emphasize the rapid extension of the curriculum in this direction. Education is perceived as very important in building up attitudes and knowledge that support entrepreneurial intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of social justice in various educational systems is continually at the heart of debates. In proposing a multidimensional and contextualized interpretation, analytical capability grids offer an innovative prospect for analysing the just or unjust character of school situations. In this article, we show that the capability approach may serve themes in constructing international comparative analysis. If the first attempts at ope­rationalizing Sen’s concepts used more quantitative methodologies, certain concepts, such as conversion factors or adaptive preferences necessitate recourse to more qualitative investigations. The article seeks to present two international comparative studies which have allowed us to shed light on the paths taken by pupils and students in questioning their capabilities in orienting themselves. The goal, finally, is showing the complementarity of quantitative and qualitative approaches in using a conceptual capability framework, while illustrating the challenges and issues involved in the international comparison method.

The bamboo shoot of Pleioblastus amarus (Keng) Keng f. is a medicinal and edible resource in China. In this study, three separation techniques were applied to identify the primary and secondary metabolites component of P. amarus bamboo shoots, including sheathless capillary electrophoresis electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (CESI-MS), reverse-phase liquid chromatography-MS (RPLC-MS), and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-MS (HILIC-MS). A total of 201 metabolites were identified by the three methods. Among those metabolites, 146 were identified by RPLC-MS, 85 were identified by HILIC-MS, and 46 were identified by sheathless CESI-MS. These methods were complementary and had a linear coefficient. CESI-MS presented advantages in the identification of isomers, high sensitivity, very low sample usage, and good detection of polar and nonpolar metabolites, showing its unique applications in food analysis and prospects in metabolic research., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

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Eopolydiexodina and Monodiexodina individuals from the Middle Permian lower Dalan Member of the Dalan Formation in the Zard‐Kuh Mountains, southwest Iran, are quantitatively studied using histograms, normal probability plots, test of normality, and parametric (PCA and PCoA) and non‐parametric (NMDS) ordination techniques, in order to determine the accuracy of previously identified Eopolydiexodina and Monodiexodina species based on traditionally defined fusulinid parameters. Specimens of the genus Eopolydiexodina recorded in the lower Dalan Member have been previously assigned to one species and those of Monodiexodina are subdivided into one species and one subspecies. In the present study, 35 specimens from an Eopolydiexodina‐bearing bed in unit 11 and 40 individuals from a Monodiexodina‐bearing bed in unit 17 of the lower Dalan Member are selected. Observations of the histograms, normal probability plots, and test of normality for all the measured variables reveal that Eopolydiexodina and Monodiexodina individuals follow generally a normal distribution. The results of the principal component analysis (PCA), principle coordinate analysis (PCoA), and non‐metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) suggest that the distribution of the studied individuals cannot be divided into different groups and only one species for Eopolydiexodina (E. aff. persica) and one species for Monodiexodina (M. aff. kattaensis) are identifiable. This study provides an example to show how the identification and definition of fusulinid species can be well constrained using both the traditional description approach and modern morphometric techniques together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]