Community challenge towards consensus on characterization of biological tissue: C4Bio’s first findings

This study investigates methodological variability across various expert laboratories worldwide, with regards to characterizing the mechanical properties of biological tissues. Two testing rounds were conducted on the specific use case of uniaxial tensile testing of porcine aorta. In the first round, 24 labs were invited to apply their established methods to assess inter-laboratory variability. This revealed significant methodological diversity and associated variability in the stress–stretch results, underscoring the necessity for a standardized approach. In the second round, a consensus protocol was collaboratively developed and adopted by 19 labs in an attempt to minimize variability. This involved standardized sample preparation and uniformity in testing protocol, including the use of a common cutting and thickness measurement tool. Despite protocol harmonization, significant variability persisted across labs, which could not be solely attributed to inherent biological differences in tissue samples. These results illustrate the challenges in unifying testing methods across different research settings, underlining the necessity for further refinement of testing practices. Enhancing consistency in biomechanical experiments is pivotal when comparing results across studies, as well as when using the resulting material properties for in silico simulations in medical research

Collective Intrahousehold Labor Supply in Europe: Distribution Factors and Policy Implications

This paper analyzes how variables that shape intrahousehold bargaining relate to spouses’ labor supply. We estimate a collective model using data from the EU-SILC over 2004–2019 for 17 countries. Results provide evidence of the relevance of the following distribution factors: sex ratio, non-labor income, age difference, education difference, and fertility rates. The sex ratio seems to be a distribution factor in Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland. In addition, the wife’s share of non-labor income is a distribution factor in Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the UK. In Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the UK the spouses’ age gap displays opposite signs on spouses’ labor supply, whereas in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, and the UK the spouses’ education level differences display intrahousehold bargaining signs. Finally, the fertility rate is a distribution factor in Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Ireland, Latvia, Portugal, Switzerland, and the UK. These results indicate that spousal- and country-specific characteristics are assessed differently across Europe and may help planners to implement household policies on cash transfers, schooling, and fertility

Regular fractional weighted Wiener algebras and invariant subspaces

Since the fifties, the interplay between spectral theory, harmonic analysis and a wide variety of techniques based on the functional calculus of operators, has provided useful criteria to find non-trivial closed invariant subspaces for operators acting on complex Banach spaces. In this article, some standard summability methods (mainly the Cesàro summation) are applied to generalize classical results due to Wermer [51] and Atzmon [8] regarding the existence of invariant subspaces under growth conditions on the resolvent of an operator. To do so, an extension of Beurling's regularity criterion [13] is proved for fractional weighted Wiener algebras related with the Cesàro summation of order . At the end of the article, other summability methods are considered for the purpose of finding new sufficient criteria which ensure the existence of invariant subspaces, resulting in several open questions on the regularity of fractional weighted Wiener algebras associated to matrix summation methods defined from non-vanishing complex sequences

Implementación de la vía RICA en cirugía urgente: adherencia, barreras y facilitadores

Antecedentes y objetivo La vía clínica de recuperación intensificada en cirugía del adulto (RICA) ha demostrado mejorar los resultados posoperatorios en cirugía electiva pero su implementación en entornos urgentes sigue siendo limitada y poco estudiada. El objetivo del estudio es evaluar el grado de adherencia a determinadas medidas RICA perioperatorias en cirugías urgentes frecuentes (apendicectomía, colecistectomía y úlcera péptica perforada no neoplásica), así como identificar barreras y facilitadores para su aplicación. Materiales y métodos Estudio observacional descriptivo, prospectivo y exploratorio que incluye 206 pacientes consecutivos sometidos a alguna de las cirugías urgentes seleccionadas entre noviembre de 2021 y julio de 2022. Se evaluó la adherencia a medidas RICA en las fases preoperatoria, intraoperatoria y posoperatoria inmediata. También se analizaron barreras y facilitadores mediante revisión bibliográfica, elaboración de una matriz estandarizada, entrevistas no estructuradas y observación directa. Resultados La adherencia global fue superior al 70% en la mayoría de los ítems, identificando mayor variabilidad, como era previsible, en aquellas medidas dependientes de la complejidad del caso, como el uso de drenajes o sondas. La principal barrera fue organizativa y la experiencia previa de RICA en cirugía electiva actuó como facilitador. Conclusiones La aplicación de determinadas medidas RICA perioperatorias en cirugía urgente es factible, presentando una alta adherencia en entornos con experiencia previa en cirugía electiva. La principal barrera detectada fue organizativa, mientras que la cultura institucional consolidada fue un facilitador clave. Son necesarios estudios con diseños metodológicamente robustos, que incluyan evaluación de resultados clínicos y puedan respaldar su implementación como estándar asistencial. Background and objective The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) clinical pathway has been shown to improve postoperative outcomes in elective surgery but its implementation in emergency settings remains limited and understudied. The aim of the study is to assess the degree of adherence to selected perioperative ERAS items in frequent emergency surgeries (appendectomy, cholecystectomy and non-neoplastic perforated peptic ulcer), as well as to identify barriers and facilitators for its implementation. Materials and methods Descriptive, prospective and exploratory observational study including 206 consecutive patients undergoing one of the selected emergency surgeries between November 2021 and July 2022. Adherence to ERAS items was assessed in the preoperative, intraoperative and immediate postoperative phases. Barriers and facilitators were also analysed through literature review, standardised matrix development, unstructured interviews and direct observation. Results Overall adherence was over 70% for most items, with greater variability, as expected, in those measures dependent on the complexity of the case, such as the use of drains or tubes. The main barrier was organisational and the previous experience of ERAS in elective surgery acted as a facilitator. Conclusions The implementation of certain perioperative ERAS items in emergency surgery is feasible, presenting high adherence in settings with previous experience in elective surgery. The main barrier detected was organisational, while the consolidated institutional culture was a key facilitator. Studies with methodologically robust designs, including evaluation of clinical outcomes, are needed to support its implementation as a standard of care

Synergistic effect of above- and belowground short-term recovery in alpine meadows driven by grass debris mulching

Alpine grassland ecosystems are facing severe degradation due to climate change and anthropogenic activities, necessitating effective recovery strategies. Conventional approaches often improved productivity, but fail to achieve soil functions and ecosystem multifunctionality. This study examined the efficacy of grass debris mulching (cultivated grassland recovery with mulching, CGRM) compared to traditional cultivated grassland recovery (cultivated grassland recovery, CGR) in rehabilitating the severely degraded alpine meadows located in the Tibetan Plateau, China. A three-year field experiment was conducted with 21 closed plots, including the extremely degraded alpine meadow as control (EDAM), the normal alpine meadow (NAM), and the two recovery treatments CGRM and CGR. Grassland ecosystem short-term recovery effectiveness was assessed through microhabitat, above- and belowground ecosystem components. Results demonstrated that CGRM significantly enhanced microhabitat by increasing soil moisture (+16.17 %) and stabilizing temperature (+34.04 %) at 0–10 cm soil layer. It enhanced aboveground recovery with greater plant coverage (+34.82 %), density (+71.12 %), aboveground biomass (+54.87 %), and belowground biomass (+31.94 %) of 0–30 cm soil layer surpassing CGR. Despite a short-term decrease in soil organic carbon (–16.2 %),CGRM improved soil pore structure (+8.45 %), water-holding capacity (+20.66 %), water transport capacity (+258.47 %) and erosion resistance capacity (+109.15 %). Overall, CGRM achieved 26.30 % higher overall ecosystem recovery than CGR by balancing trade-offs among microhabitat, above- and belowground ecosystem components. Our study challenges the conventional paradigm that prioritizes rapid greening over functional recovery. These results demonstrate that grass debris mulching enhances both structural and functional recovery, providing a scalable approach for restoring degraded alpine ecosystems under climate warming

Educational gamification in the adult population with intellectual disabilities: An exploratory qualitative analysis of an intervention program from the teacher's perspective

The adoption of programs based on gamification mediated by digital technology presents an intriguing option for enhancing education in the context of special education. The objective of this study was to comprehend the perspectives of teachers who designed, implemented and assessed a gamified intervention program for adults with disabilities and to examine how their teaching practices evolved following training in educational gamification. This research employed a qualitative approach to gather insights from 13 teachers. They received specialised training and implemented the educational program over an 8‐month period. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted. Results indicate that gamification can have a positive impact on the learning of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The primary change in teaching pedagogy was the increased and more diversified attention provided by teachers, along with heightened teacher feedback. Despite these advances, 4 of the 13 informants explicitly pointed out an aesthetic mismatch due to a certain infantilization as a major impediment to the students' self‐concept and autonomy. However, these outcomes arise from a convenience sample recruited from a single vocational centre; consequently, their generalisability remains tentative. The training program succeeded in increasing student participation and motivation, potentially leading to greater initiative and autonomy. Nevertheless, the present findings should be interpreted in light of the study's exclusive reliance on teacher‐reported data, a constraint that future mixed‐methods work will redress by integrating objective ClassDojo metrics and learner feedback

Treasure hunt in emerging markets: Empirical evidence for European pension funds

This research analyzes the European pension funds' exposure to emerging markets, its evolution over time, and its impact on financial performance. For this aim, we study a sample formed by 822 European pension funds with an international equity investment vocation, covering the period from June 2008 to June 2024. To assess the impact of emerging markets exposure on financial performance, we employ panel regression models with time and fund fixed effects and robust standard errors. Our findings indicate that the average weight of the emerging markets in the portfolios analyzed is 25.44 %, with the highest weight reached in 2017 (28.5 %). When focusing on specific emerging markets/regions, the findings show that the weight of Asia Emerging has increased over time to the detriment of other markets such as Europe Emerging, Africa, or Latin America. The impact of the emerging market exposure on financial performance is mixed depending on the market analyzed and the period considered. Overall, greater exposure to the BRICS markets positively affects the performance achieved by pension funds' managers. Another finding reveals that pension fund managers seem to adjust their portfolio’s country/regional allocation over time, increasing the weight of emerging markets that positively impact financial performance, which provides added value to investors

Multivariate integration of time series with ML for corn price forecasting in Colombia

The volatility of corn prices poses a significant challenge for both producers and policymakers. This study proposes a hybrid model that combines Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), optimized through Particle Swarm Optimization with Cuckoo Search (PSO-CS), for accurate corn price forecasting. The approach integrates multivariate time series data, including local prices from the Atlántico market and international futures prices from the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) is applied to enhance signal clarity and improve model performance. Model performance is assessed through sensitivity analysis and statistical comparison using the Diebold-Mariano (DM) test. The results demonstrate that the proposed ensemble outperforms both individual models and neural network combinations, achieving a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 2.06

Doped In2O3/ZrO2 catalysts to drive selectivity toward DME in one-pot CO2 hydrogenation

This study investigates single-pass dimethyl ether synthesis at mild pressure conditions using novel bifunctional catalysts based on indium-modified formulations and incorporating Ni, Cu, Pt, and Pd as active metals. Additionally, the substitution of the conventional HZSM-5 zeolite with 4A zeolite as the dehydration component was evaluated. Although 4A zeolite exhibited lower dehydration activity, it contributed to an overall improvement in DME selectivity. The incorporation of secondary metals into the In2O3-ZrO2 formulation reduced catalytic activity but enhanced selectivity, ultimately increasing DME yield. The formation of by-products such as light olefins and methane was significantly dependent on the metal used: Ni, Pt, and Pd reduced olefin production, though Ni promoted excessive methane formation across the whole temperature range. Notably, the Pt-based catalyst completely suppressed by-product formation across the temperature range studied. While the In2O3-ZrO2-based catalysts generally displayed lower space–time yields than the commercial reference, they achieved comparable performance at 280 °C. Due to their superior selectivity, these formulations are promising for developing even better performing catalysts, to be excellent candidates in industrial processes, where the operation with recycle loops requires a high product purity

Optimal operation and marginal costs in a complex polygeneration system including thermal energy storage and DHCN pipelines

This paper proposes a thermoeconomic analysis to determine the hourly marginal costs of the optimal operation of a complex polygeneration system when the energy demand for a specific energy service increases at any time step, without modifying the operation mode of the system. The work analyses a case study which considers a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model of an energy community (EC), comprising nine tertiary sector buildings and a central unit supplied by natural gas, solar energy, and electricity. The buildings exchange electricity through a local electric grid as well as heating and cooling through a district heating and cooling network (DHCN). The paper focuses on the marginal cost (MC) analysis of the electricity and heating demands regarding two of the EC buildings by evaluating representative time steps of a typical winter day. Additionally, a detailed analysis of the cost formation process for polygeneration heat production is conducted, clarifying the influence of thermal energy storage (TES) and DHCN on the marginal cost of heat production. The proposed marginal cost analysis reveals strategies for managing increased heat or electricity demands with minimal impact on the objective function. While the applied methodology offers robustness and transparency, it should be noted that the model under analysis does not include dynamic inefficiencies such as start-up/shut-down of technologies, and renewable variability is represented through deterministic time series. Thus, the mentioned optimal operation refers to the most cost-effective response to marginal demand changes within fixed operational modes. Obtained results indicate that optimal marginal paths have the potential to reduce operation costs by 26% compared to non-optimal ones