The chemical and biological conversion of biomass-derived lignin is a promising pathway for producing valuable low molecular weight aromatic chemicals, such as vanillin or guaiacol, known as lignin monomers (LMs). Various methods employing chromatography and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI–MS) have been developed for LM analysis, but the impact of LM chemical properties on analytica

Objectives: The objective of this study is to develop classification criteria for overall hand osteoarthritis (OA), interphalangeal OA and thumb base OA based on self-reported data and radiographic features. Methods: The classification criteria sets were developed in three phases. In phase 1, we identified criteria that discriminated hand OA from controls. In phase 2, we used a consensus-based dec

The problem of decoding random codes is a fundamental problem for code-based cryptography, including recent code-based candidates in the NIST post-quantum standardization process. In this paper, we present a novel Sieving-style Information-set Decoding algorithm, addressing the task of solving the syndrome decoding problem. Our approach involves maintaining a list of weight-2p solution vectors to

The risk of above-ankle reamputation following a transmetatarsal amputation is around 30%. Patient selection may be crucial to achieve good outcomes, and to avoid futile operations and suffering. We are aware of no previous comparison between the two largest patient groups that undergo lower extremity amputations: patients with diabetes, and patients with non-diabetic peripheral artery disease. Pa

We present a simple key-recovery attack on the LCMQ Authentication Protocol, an RFID authentication protocol proposed by Li, Gong, and Qin in 2013. We show that a successful attack is performed by solving a Learning Parity with Noise instance in a not-too-large dimension. For the proposed LCMQ parameters, the attack requires only a few invocations with the tag under attack. When there is no restri

Bioenergy plays a major role in the renewable energy supply and is projected to be an important part of the path towards a decarbonised society. Over the past decade, increasing attention has been given to agricultural bioenergy to act as a multifunctional climate mitigation strategy. Energy crops may mitigate climate change while simultaneously contributing to reducing the negative environmental

Dynamical structure functions (DSFs) provide means for modelling networked dynamical systems and exploring interactive structures thereof. There have been several studies on methods/algorithms for reconstructing (Boolean) networks from time-series data. However, there are no methods currently available for random generation of DSF models with complex network structures for benchmarking. In particu

Purpose: This study quantifies the impact on budget and cost per health benefit of implementing digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) in place of digital mammography (DM) for breast cancer screening among asymptomatic women in Italy. Methods: A budget impact analysis and a cost consequence analysis were conducted using parameters from the MAITA project and literature. The study considered four scenar

Aim: The analyses here reported aim to compare the screening performance of digital tomosynthesis (DBT) versus mammography (DM). Methods: MAITA is a consortium of four Italian trials, REtomo, Proteus, Impeto, and MAITA trial. The trials adopted a two-arm randomised design comparing DBT plus DM (REtomo and Proteus) or synthetic-2D (Impeto and MAITA trial) versus DM; multiple vendors were included.

Advancements in light engineering have led to the creation of pulsed laser sources capable of delivering high-repetition-rate, high-power few-cycle laser pulses across a wide spectral range, enabling exploration of many fascinating nonlinear processes occurring in all states of matter. High-harmonic generation, one such process, which converts the low-frequency photons of the driver laser field in

Digital services, platforms and arrangements are often promoted as smooth and convenient, smart or intelligent. When introduced, devices can appear utterly fascinating or awkward, even disquieting. Eventually, however, they soon disappear in the muddle of everyday life. This is how Mundania takes form.Based on original research, this book uses the concept of mundania to better understand technolog

The chapter will use examples from practices of electronic music to probe potential roles of automation. A central question is how automation can be understood in different contexts. The chapter brings up and analyses a selection of concrete engagements with technology in relation to the practices and genealogies of music making. What could be called provisional lessons from electronic music are s

Actors at various scales approach their relation to water differently in the context of environmental and climate crises. Multilateral agencies conceptualize water as a quantifiable element that can be managed efficiently. For them, climate change and water scarcity hinder economic growth and widen drinking water access gaps. Consequently, financial and technical resources focus on promoting water

The introductory chapter presents the aim, content, and structure of the edited volume Creative Work: Conditions, Contexts and Practices. This multidisciplinary volume includes 18 chapters providing a wide range of studies in the creative and cultural industries, ranging from arts and literature to fashion, the digital games industry, ecological entrepreneurship, and wellbeing. The volume offers i

Can civil society simultaneously be duty-bearers and rights-holders? In global human rights discourse, the term 'civil society' is commonly used in two seemingly opposing ways. The first is the use of 'civil society' as denoting an extended duty-bearer in the form of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which by many states across the world are being tasked with directly implementing human rights

While climate models broadly agree on the changes expected to occur over the Arctic with global warming on a pan-Arctic scale (i.e. polar amplification, sea ice loss, and increased precipitation), the magnitude and patterns of these changes at regional and local scales remain uncertain. This limits the usability of climate model projections for risk assessments and their impact on human activities

The important role of fire in regulating vegetation community composition and contributions to emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols make it a critical component of dynamic global vegetation models and Earth system models. Over two decades of development, a wide variety of model structures and mechanisms have been designed and incorporated into global fire models, which have been linked to di

BACKGROUND: The role of ribonucleases in tuberculosis among people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; PWH) is unknown. We explored ribonuclease activity in plasma from PWH with and without tuberculosis.METHODS: Participants were identified from a cohort of treatment-naive PWH in Ethiopia who had been classified for tuberculosis disease (HIV positive [HIV+]/tuberculosis positive [tuberculosis+