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Experimental classification of acoustic emissions from oral behaviors including bruxism using deep learning
No full textBruxism is a parafunctional oral behavior that affects a large percentage of the population. Images of sounds produced by jaw clenching, tooth grinding, reading, eating and drinking by 18 participants were recorded from inside the ear and classified using ResNet-50. Data were segmented into 1 s windows with 50 % overlap. RGB images were used: time series assigned to red, Short Time Fourier Transformation (STFT) assigned to green, and the spectrogram assigned to blue. Three classifiers were examined: 2-Class (Grinding and Pause), 4-Class (Eating, Grinding, Pause, Reading), and 6-Class (Clenching, Grinding, Reading, Eating, Drinking, and Pause). Overall accuracy was 84.31 %, 72.79 %, and 50.97 % for 2-Class, 4-Class, and 6-Class respectively.Bruxismus ist ein parafunktionales orales Verhalten, das einen großen Teil der Bevölkerung betrifft. Bilder von Geräuschen, die durch Zähneknirschen, Kieferpressen, Lesen, EssenundTrinkenbei18Teilnehmen denerzeugtwurden,wurdenausdemInnerendesOhrsauf gezeichnet und mithilfe von ResNet-50 klassifiziert. Die Da ten wurden mit einer Fensterbreite von einer Sekunde und 50 % Überlappung segmentiert. Es wurden RGB-Bilder ver wendet: Zeitreihen wurden dem Rotkanal zugewiesen, die Short Time Fourier Transformation (STFT) dem Grünkanal unddasSpektrogrammdemBlaukanal.DreiKlassifikatoren wurdenuntersucht:2-Klassen (Zähneknirschen undPause), 4-Klassen (Essen, Knirschen, Pause, Lesen) und 6-Klassen (Kieferpressen, Zähneknirschen, Lesen, Essen, Trinken und Pause). Die Gesamtgenauigkeit betrug84,31 %für2-Klassen, 72,79 % für 4-Klassen und 50,97 % für 6-Klassen.</p
Inequality and inclusion in online public services:digital government policies and digital divides in Brazil and the Netherlands
No full textDigital technologies have changed how governments deliver public services, from applying for benefits to accessing official information. Yet not everyone can use these services equally. This PhD research examines how digital government can both help and hinder access to public services for people in vulnerable situations, focusing on Brazil and the Netherlands. Using a comparative case-study approach, the research analyses laws and policies, evaluates the usability of national government platforms, and draws on interviews with policymakers and experts. The findings show that Brazil and the Netherlands have taken very different paths. Brazil has developed a highly centralised digital government system through the gov.br platform, which brings many services together in one place and supports multiple access channels. This model improves efficiency and access for many people, but it can still exclude those with limited digital skills, poor internet access, or complex administrative needs. The Netherlands follows a decentralised approach, where many organisations design and manage their own digital services. This allows flexibility and innovation, and strong legal safeguards protect citizens’ rights. However, it also leads to fragmentation, inconsistent user experiences, and greater difficulties for people who struggle with digital or administrative tasks. The comparison shows that neither centralisation nor decentralisation automatically leads to inclusion. What matters most is how digital policies are framed, how institutions coordinate, and whether governments actively take into account the diverse realities of citizens. Inclusive digital government requires not only good technology, but also sustained political and institutional commitment to fairness and equality
Reducing Transaction Costs Through Digitalization:Challenges in the Order to Cash Process of Logistics Service Providers
No full textLogistics Service Providers (LSPs) face specific challenges in their Order-to-Cash (O2C) processes due to complex pricing structures and relatively low profit margins. In this chapter, using a multiple case study approach, we apply Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) to examine the factors leading to inefficiencies in LSPs’ O2C processes. Our research is based on four in-depth case studies of LSPs in the Netherlands, combining 19 semi-structured interviews with employees from different departments and secondary data on orders, invoices, and payments. The findings reveal that the main O2C inefficiencies stem from a lack of an integrated vision of the process as a whole, insufficient internal coordination and collaboration between departments, and challenges related to digitalization and automation, including limitations in employees’ IT skills. These insights highlight the need for LSPs to optimize their O2C processes to improve financial performance and operational efficiency.</p
Sociological Perspectives on the Governance of Religion in Contemporary Europe
No full textThis chapter examines the evolving governance of religion in contemporary Europe, focusing on three key analytical dimensions: temporality, scale, and socio-political factors. While religious affiliation has generally declined, religion has re-emerged as a crucial element in public and political life. The chapter highlights how temporal shifts—such as steady secularisation trends and sudden events like the Danish cartoons affair or 9/11—have reshaped policies on religious diversity. It also explores how governance operates across multiple levels, from supranational European institutions to national governments and local municipalities, demonstrating the multi-scalar nature of religious regulation. Socio-political factors, including legal frameworks, actor constellations, cultural sensitivities, and ideological conceptions of secularism, further shape religious policies. The chapter argues that religion has transitioned from a marginal policy issue to a more central concern, often viewed simultaneously as a problem and a resource. It also contends that governance models are not uniform across Europe, but rather reflect historical trajectories, national political cultures, and emerging local dynamics. Ultimately, the chapter provides a sociological framework for understanding the complexity of religious governance in an era marked by increasing diversity, political contestation, and shifting secular–religious boundaries.</p
Carbon emissions and climate change impacts on food production in China and beyond
No full textClimate change is a defining challenge for humanity, and agriculture sits at its center as both a contributor to and a victim of this crisis. This dissertation investigates agricultural resilience through two key frameworks: the "Dual Dilemma" and the "Adaptation Paradox".The research highlights that agriculture must navigate internal trade-offs between economic, environmental, and health goals while resisting external climate pressures. Using data from China and the global scale, the study reveals that while high-income regions use intensive management to buffer short-term climate shocks, this often erodes long-term crop resilience—a phenomenon termed the "Adaptation Paradox". Key findings show that climate change has already reduced the productivity of essential crops like wheat and rice. Furthermore, temporary emission drops, such as those seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, are likely to rebound without structural green transformation.The study concludes that future food security depends on more than just immediate technological fixes. It requires a synergistic approach that balances multiple competing objectives within the agricultural system while aligning short-term responses with long-term climate adaptation strategies
Asymmetric Conjugate Hydrocyanation of α,β-Unsaturated Aldehydes Catalyzed by Engineered 2-Deoxy-D-ribose-5-phosphate Aldolase
No full textThe enantioselective conjugate hydrocyanation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes remains a long-standing challenge in synthetic chemistry. Here, we report the redesign of 2-deoxy-D-ribose-5-phosphate aldolase (DERA) into an efficient biocatalyst capable of promoting the asymmetric conjugate addition of hydrogen cyanide (generated in situ from trimethylsilyl cyanide) to aromatic enals via an iminium activation pathway. The evolved variant DERA-CN enables the efficient formation of various C4-nitriles with high conversions (up to 99%) and good enantioselectivity (up to 98% e.e.). Control experiments revealed a stepwise process involving enzyme-catalyzed conjugate hydrocyanation followed by spontaneous 1,2-addition of cyanide. Substrates with various electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups are tolerated, providing access to various enantioenriched nitriles. This work expands the scope of DERA-promoted iminium catalysis and provides a rare enzymatic platform for asymmetric conjugate hydrocyanation under mild aqueous conditions.</p
Too old to telework? Age but not gender shapes hiring biases across telework and office settings
No full textAs teleworking becomes increasingly common in the post-pandemic workplace, recruiters may rely more on readily visible applicant characteristics (e.g., age and gender) when evaluating candidates, potentially triggering stereotype-based biases. This research investigates how work setting (telework versus in-office) interacts with applicant demographics to shape hiring recommendations. Drawing on Stereotype Content Theory, the study also examines whether perceptions of applicant warmth and competence mediate these effects. Across three vignette-based experimental studies, participants assessed applicants for positions offered in telework versus in-office settings. Studies 1 and 2 manipulated applicant age (younger versus older) and gender (female versus male), revealing a consistent preference for older applicants in in-office over telework positions, with no significant gender effects. Building on these findings, Study 3 focused solely on applicant age, employing a more nuanced three-level age design (younger, middle-aged, older) and replicated the age-by-setting effect. This preference for older applicants in office-based positions was mediated by perceptions of warmth. These findings suggest that hiring decisions are shaped not just by applicant qualifications, but also by perceived fit between applicant (age-related) demographics and contextual demands of the job. Theoretical and practical implications for addressing age- and gender-related biases in modern work contexts are discussed
The first record of symbiosis between a new species of scaleworm (Polychaeta, Polynoidae) with fungiid corals (Scleractinia, Fungiidae)
No full textAmong scleractinian coral-associated symbionts, polychaetes contribute relatively less to overall species richness compared to crustaceans and mollusks, with only 40 documented symbiotic species. Notably, scaleworm (Polynoidae) diversity on scleractinian corals remains remarkably low, with just nine species recorded to date. During biodiversity surveys in the Tho Chu Archipelago (southern Vietnam), we discovered polynoid polychaetes inhabiting fungiid corals Pleuractis moluccensis and Fungia fungites. Specimens were collected, preserved in ethanol, and examined through morphological and molecular analyses, leading to the formal description of Hololepidella martini sp. nov. This new species is distinguished from congeners by: (1) its exclusive association with fungiid corals, (2) the presence of only bidentate neurochaetae, and (3) a uniformly white or yellowish body lacking distinctive pigmentation. Molecular analyses of COI gene fragments further support the distinction between H. martini and its closest relative, H. nigropunctata, revealing 14–15% genetic divergence. Field surveys showed significantly higher prevalence on P. moluccensis (33%, n = 78) than on F. fungites (6%, n = 65), suggesting the former serves as the primary host, while the latter is a secondary alternative. This discovery represents only the fourth known species of coral-associated polynoids, highlighting both the rarity of such symbioses and the need for further research on coral-polychaete relationships.</p
Endocrine and metabolic determinants of cardiometabolic risk in mild autonomous cortisol secretion
No full textBACKGROUND: Benign adrenal tumours, found in 1-7% of adults, can be non-functioning (NFAT) or show mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS), i.e., biochemical cortisol excess without manifestations of Cushing's syndrome (CS). MACS occurs in 20-50% of cases and is linked to increased cardiometabolic burden.METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, we analysed the 24-h urinary steroid metabolome of 1305 prospectively recruited patients (649 NFAT, 591 MACS, 65 adrenal CS) by tandem mass spectrometry. A sub-group (104 NFAT, 140 MACS, 47 adrenal CS) underwent untargeted serum metabolome analysis by mass spectrometry. Data were analysed using linear regression and supervised machine learning.FINDINGS: Alongside the expected increase in glucocorticoid excretion from NFAT over MACS to adrenal CS, steroid analysis revealed decreased classic androgen metabolite excretion. By contrast, adrenal-derived 11-oxygenated androgen metabolites remained unchanged. Both glucocorticoid metabolites and the major 11-oxygenated androgen metabolite 11β-hydroxyandrosterone correlated with a higher risk of hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Untargeted metabolome analysis revealed gradual changes towards a lipotoxic phenotype from NFAT over MACS to adrenal CS, with perturbations in glycerophospholipids, lysoglycerophospholipids, triacylglycerides, ceramides, sphingolipids, and acylcarnitines.INTERPRETATION: MACS represents a metabolic continuum between NFAT and adrenal CS. Increased activity of the adrenal enzyme 11β-hydroxylase (CYP11B1), which catalyses key steps in cortisol and 11-oxygenated androgen biosynthesis, may contribute to steroid excess and cardiometabolic morbidity in MACS. These findings suggest that CYP11B1 may be a potential therapeutic target to ameliorate metabolic dysfunction in MACS.FUNDING: NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre; Diabetes UK; Wellcome Trust; European Commission; Medical Research Council.</p
Stimuli-responsive self-assembly and structural transition of a glycosylated triblock terpolymer:Construction of “Sweet” nanoparticles
No full textGlycosylated nanoparticles, inspired by natural systems, hold great promise for biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery and biosensing. However, achieving precise control over their self-assembly and responsiveness remains a challenge. In this study, we report the design, synthesis, and self-assembly behavior of a novel glycosylated triblock terpolymer with tunable stimulus responsiveness. The terpolymer with stimulus responsiveness was synthesized through reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The self-assembly of these triblock terpolymers into glycosylated micelles with distinct pH responsiveness was induced by increasing the temperature. Postpolymerization modification of the glycosylated triblock terpolymer enabled the synthesis of glycosylated polyplex micelles via complex condensation. Dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) revealed stimuli-induced structural transitions, including pH-dependent transformations from hierarchical nanoparticles and ‘bead-on-a-string’ assemblies to uniform spherical micelles. Additionally, the glycosylated polyplex micelles exhibited unique ‘breathing’ behavior, characterized by reversible size variations driven by structural adjustments in the stabilizing chains. These stimuli-responsive glycosylated nanoparticles mimic natural systems and present significant potential for biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery and biosensing. This study lays a solid foundation for the development of advanced glycosylated nanostructures with tailored functionality and responsiveness.</p