bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Potential carbon leakage risk: a cross-sector cross-country assessment in the OECD area
Authors: Fournier Gabela J. G. , Freund F.
Published: May 2023

Achieving climate targets requires more stringent mitigation policies, including the participation of all economic sectors. However, in a fragmented global climate regime, unilateral mitigation policies affecting sectors’ production costs increase carbon leakage risk. Carbon leakage implies reducing the competitiveness of domestic sectors without achieving the full mitigation objectives. Under such circumstances, generating information about sectors’ vulnerability is essential to increase their acceptance of more stringent climate policies and design anti-leakage mechanisms. Our paper calculates and compares potential carbon leakage risk across sectors and OECD countries under varying climate policy scenarios covering GHG emissions along global supply chains. To measure this risk, we use the emission-intensity and trade-exposure metric and emission data including CO2and non-CO2gasses. Our results show that agri-food and transport sectors, usually lagging behind in countries’ national climate mitigation policies, could have an even higher carbon leakage risk than energy-intensive industries. Furthermore, we find that this risk can be higher in many downstream sectors compared to directly regulated sectors and is highly heterogenous across OECD countries.
An artificial vocabulary learning assistant
Authors: Polyzi Panagiota , Moussiades Lefteris
Published: May 2023

This article presents an online application developed to improve vocabulary learning through games, quizzes and interaction with a chatbot. The application was tested experimentally on a sample of twenty proficiency-level students divided into two groups and tested on English vocabulary learning in two stages. In the first stage, the first group of students was the control group, who studied a vocabulary section from the book. The second group was the experimental group, which studied using the proposed application. In the second stage, the two groups were reversed and asked to learn the vocabulary of the second unit. According to experiment results, using the particular application improved students' performance, as, in both tests, students of the experimental group outperformed those of the control group. In addition, the analysis of a questionnaire answered by all students confirmed that most prefer this application over traditional learning methods as they consider it quite enjoyable and easy while agreeing that it helped them learn vocabulary. The application is available on the website: http://users.sch.gr/polizipan.
Virtual reality for biochemistry education: the cellular factory
Authors: Barrow John , Hurst William , Edman Joakim , Ariesen Natasja , Krampe Caspar
Published: May 2023

Virtual Reality (VR) involves the coupling of visual communication hardware and software. The technology is capable of offering transformative educational practice and is increasingly being adopted within the biochemistry domain to better understand complex biochemical processes. This article documents a pilot study for the efficacy of VR in biochemistry education at undergraduate university level, focusing on the citric acid cycle: a central process for extracting energy in most cellular life forms. 10 participants were equipped with a VR headset and electrodermal activity (EDA) sensors, then immersed within a digital environment where they were able to learn the 8 main steps of the citric acid cycle within a virtual lab by completing 8 levels of activity. Post and pre surveys were taken, along with EDA readings throughout the students’ interaction with VR. Research findings support the hypothesis that VR increase students’ understanding, particularly if students feel engaged, stimulated and intend to use the technology. Moreover, EDA analysis indicated that the majority of participants demonstrate enhanced engagement in the education-based VR-experience as measured by elevated levels of skin conductance, a marker for autonomic arousal and a measure of engagement in an activity.
Implementing educational technology in Higher Education Institutions: A review of technologies, stakeholder perceptions, frameworks and metrics
Authors: Chugh Ritesh , Turnbull Darren , Cowling Michael A. , Vanderburg Robert , Vanderburg Michelle A.
Published: May 2023

In a world driven by constant change and innovation, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are undergoing a rapid transformation, often driven by external factors such as emerging technologies. One of the key drivers affecting the design and development of educational delivery mechanisms in HEIs is the fast pace of educational technology development which not only impacts an institution’s technical capacity to infuse hardware and software solutions into existing learning infrastructure but also has implications for pedagogical practice, stakeholder acceptance of new technology, and HEI administrative structures. However, little is known about the implementation of contemporary educational technology in HEI environments, particularly as they relate to competing stakeholder perceptions of technology effectiveness in course delivery and knowledge acquisition. This review fills that gap by exploring the evidence and analyses of 46 empirical research studies focussing on technology implementation issues in a diverse range of institutional contexts, subject areas, technologies, and stakeholder profiles. This study found that the dynamic interplay of educational technology characteristics, stakeholder perceptions on the effectiveness of technology integration decisions, theoretical frameworks and models relevant to technology integration in pedagogical practices, and metrics to gauge post-implementation success are critical dimensions to creating viable pathways to effective educational technology implementation. To that end, this study proposes a framework to guide the development of sound implementation strategies that incorporates five dimensions: technology, stakeholder perceptions, academic discipline, success metrics, and theoretical frameworks. This study will benefit HEI decision-makers responsible for re-engineering complex course delivery systems to accommodate the infusion of new technologies and pedagogies in ways that will maximise their utility to students and faculty.
Genotypic and phenotypic uniformity among the population of Pectobacterium atrosepticum strains isolated during three growing seasons from potato fields in Poland
Authors: Sledz Wojciech , Motyka-Pomagruk Agata , Zukowska Dominika , Babinska-Wensierska Weronika , Zoledowska Sabina , Lojkowska Ewa
Published: May 2023

Pectobacterium atrosepticum (Pba)
are phytopathogenic, pectinolytic, non-sporulating, gram-negative rods causing blackleg and soft rot diseases in potato. They are ubiquitously present under temperate climate conditions and contribute to significant economic losses. Currently, there are no efficient control methods against soft rot Pectobacteriaceae (SRP). As limitation of the spread of SRP is solely prevention-based, we undertook broad characterization on both genotypic and phenotypic levels of the P. atrosepticum isolates acquired during monitoring of potato fields in Poland in 2013, 2014 and 2016. Of REP, ERIC and BOX-based genomic fingerprinting, the BOX-based approach turned out to be the most informative and allowed for classification of 118 Pba strains into six groups. The present study indicated that IV and I BOX profiles dominated among the investigated population. Finally, 23 Pba strains representing all BOX groups and originating from various growing seasons were selected for genotypic, phylogenetic and phenotypic studies. rpoS-based phylogeny revealed intraspecies variation (16 SNP sites) among the studied Pba strains, in contrast to the analyses relying on gyrA (1 SNP) and recA (0 SNP) sequences. Pba strains showed higher potency to macerate potato tissue at 20 °C than 28 °C. These isolates exhibited rather uniform production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes (pectinases, cellulases and proteases), lipases, siderophores and biofilm, however in the majority of cases inferior in comparison to Dickeya solani and Pectobacterium carotovorum strains. In conclusion, this study revealed genotypic and phenotypic uniformity in addition to high virulence potential of Pba strains isolated from potato fields during several growing seasons in Poland.
Automated test generation for Scratch programs
Authors: Deiner Adina , Feldmeier Patric , Fraser Gordon , Schweikl Sebastian , Wang Wengran
Published: May 2023

The importance of programming education has led to dedicated educational programming environments, where users visually arrange block-based programming constructs that typically control graphical, interactive game-like programs. TheScratchprogramming environment is particularly popular, with more than 90 million registered users at the time of this writing. While the block-based nature ofScratchhelps learners by preventing syntactical mistakes, there nevertheless remains a need to provide feedback and support in order to implement desired functionality. To support individual learning and classroom settings, this feedback and support should ideally be provided in an automated fashion, which requires tests to enable dynamic program analysis. In prior work we introducedWhisker, a framework that enables automated testing ofScratchprograms. However, creating these automated tests forScratchprograms is challenging. In this paper, we therefore investigate how to automatically generateWhiskertests. Generating tests forScratchraises important challenges: First, game-like programs are typically randomised, leading to flaky tests. Second,Scratchprograms usually consist of animations and interactions with long delays, inhibiting the application of classical test generation approaches. Thus, the new application domain raises the question of which test generation technique is best suited to produce high coverage tests capable of detecting faulty behaviour. We investigate these questions using an extension of theWhiskertest framework for automated test generation. Evaluation on common programming exercises, a random sample of 1000Scratchuser programs, and the 1000 most popularScratchprograms demonstrates that our approach enablesWhiskerto reliably accelerate test executions, and even though manyScratchprograms are small and easy to cover, there are many unique challenges for which advanced search-based test generation using many-objective algorithms is needed in order to achieve high coverage.
Towards Millimeter-Level Accuracy in GNSS-Based Space Geodesy: A Review of Error Budget for GNSS Precise Point Positioning
Authors: Li Xianjie , Barriot Jean-Pierre , Lou Yidong , Zhang Weixing , Li Pengbo , Shi Chuang
Published: May 2023

The aim of the new generation of Global Geodetic Observing System is a millimeter-level accuracy in positioning, with a crucial role to be played by Global Navigation Satellites Systems (GNSS) in the Precise Point Positioning (PPP) mode. This is of course because GNSS constellations and receivers provide an efficient stand-alone technique with a homogeneous performance over large areas (positions, navigation and meteorology) when used in conjunction with the PPP mode, with also an ever-increasing data flow and different satellite line-of-sights. The requirement of accuracies reaching the millimeter or sub-millimeter implies a knowledge at this level of each line in the GNSS-PPP error budget, including, but not restricted to: clock biases, troposphere and ionosphere delays, multipath and ground deformations. In this review study, we consider this millimeter-/submillimeter level GNSS-PPP error budget, and possible mitigations and improvements in the frame of the existing global constellations: GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and BDS, in view of augmented constellations and/or Low Earth Orbit constellations, which will be available in the near future. We also pay a special attention to systematic biases that can/could exist between constellations.
Estimating the Competence of Preservice Primary Teachers to Use Inquiry and Their Willingness to Apply It in the Classroom
Authors: Delgado-Iglesias Jaime , Reinoso-Tapia Roberto , Bobo-Pinilla Javier
Published: May 2023

Inquiry as a strategy for science teaching has become widespread in the classroom and has various applications. But whether teachers are sufficiently trained to carry it out in pre-university classrooms would need to be determined. The objective of this study is to determine the inquiry knowledge of preservice primary teachers and their ability to use it before and after experiencing it for themselves on their degree programmes. The study was carried out over three academic years (2018–2021) with students from the Experimental Sciences course on a Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education at a teacher training centre in Spain. A total of 579 students participated and the study was divided into two phases. In the first phase, students answered a questionnaire about a hypothetical situation in which they had to apply inquiry, and in the second phase, they worked in groups on problematic situations in which they had to solve them or propose solutions through inquiry. The results indicate that students have a general ability to follow inquiry procedures, which improves after instruction, although they still need training in didactic content on inquiry methodology. Students were also asked about their willingness to apply inquiry in their future work, as well as the difficulties they consider they will encounter. A number of recommendations are made to address the shortcomings and to overcome the difficulties expressed by students in applying inquiry in their future teaching work.
Patient report outcomes in cryoballoon ablation of atrial fibrillation during the COVID Era: Insights from the 1STOP project
Authors: Molon Giulio , Arena Giuseppe , Tondo Claudio , Ricciardi Danilo , Rossi Pietro , Pieragnoli Paolo , Verlato Roberto , Manfrin Massimiliano , Girardengo Giulia , Campisi Giuseppe , Pecora Domenico , Luzi Mario , Iacopino Saverio
Published: May 2023

Background

Pulmonary vein isolation by cryoablation (PVI-C) is a standard therapy for the treatment of patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF). AF symptoms are highly subjective; however, they are important outcomes for the patient. The aim is to describe the use and impact of a web-based App to collect AF-related symptoms in a population of patients who underwent PVI-C in seven Italian centers.

Methods

A patient App to collect AF-related symptoms and general health status was proposed to all patients who underwent an index PVI-C. Patients were divided into two groups according to the utilization of the App or the non-usage.

Results

Out of 865 patients, 353 (41%) subjects composed the App group, and 512 (59%) composed the No-App group. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two cohorts except for age, sex, type of AF, and body mass index. During a mean follow-up of 7.9±13.8 months, AF recurrence was found in 57/865 (7%) subjects with an annual rate of 7.36% (95% CI:5.67-9.55%) in the No-App versus 10.99% (95% CI:9.67-12.48%) in the App group, p=0.007. In total, 14,458 diaries were sent by the 353 subjects in the App group and 77.1% reported a good health status and no symptoms. In only 518 diaries (3.6%), the patients reported a bad health status, and bad health status was an independent parameter of AF recurrence during follow-up.

Conclusions

The use of a web App to record AF-related symptoms was feasible and effective. Additionally, a bad health status reporting in the App was associated with AF recurrence during follow-up.
Hidden Hoards, Past Pains: Treasures, Ancestors, and Ghosts in Beowulf and in the Nibelungenlied
Authors: Correia Eduardo
Published: May 2023

The respective heroes ofBeowulfand theNibelungenlied, Beowulf and Siegfried, display contrasting attitudes towards the treasures ubiquitous in the two poems. A comparative analysis of these behaviours has not been attempted yet. Using a Maussian model of gift exchange, this article argues that their distinctive behaviours are closely linked with the dissimilar outcomes of each narrative. Furthermore, there is a successful resolution of the story inBeowulf, whose hero is transformed into an ancestor through the exchange of gifts, whereas Siegfried becomes a ghost, something unfinished that haunts the second part of the narrative in theNibelungenlied. Contributing to current debates in material culture studies, the article shows that, just like there is fluidity between hoards, gifts, and loot, so are the boundaries between human and nonhuman and between the living and the dead fluid in both poems.
Measuring non-linearity of multi-session writing processes
Authors: Buschenhenke Floor , Conijn Rianne , Van Waes Luuk
Published: May 2023

When (professional) authors work on their texts, they frequently 'jump' around their document to make textual changes and create new content at a wide range of locations. Currently, a range of linearity measures are available to capture this, some of which requiring time-intensive manual coding. Linearity metrics are commonly calculated based on the leading edge and are mostly used for short texts and single writing sessions. However, especially for longer, multi-session writing processes, text can often be created at various spaces, not necessarily including the leading edge. Accordingly, the leading edge is not enough to distinguish between linear production and non-linear text alterations. Therefore, in the current study, we propose a novel, more flexible, automatized non-linearity analysis, which does not solely rely on the leading edge. In this approach, all backwards and forwards cursor and mouse operations from the point of utterance are extracted from keystroke data, and characterized both based on duration and distance. This results in a detailed list of characteristics per writing episode, allowing us to compare and group episodes of writing at various scales. We illustrate this approach by analysing the writing process of a complete novel based on close to 400 writing sessions totalling 276 h of writing. The results show that the current non-linearity analysis allows us to successfully cluster writing sessions using the non-linearity characteristics. This analysis can be used to find patterns in non-linearity over time, allowing us to chart interactions with the text-produced-so-far and session management strategies in multi-session writing.
A Clash of Cultures: Wie beeinflussen kulturelle Unterschiede agile Transformationen?
Authors: Zinn Moritz Michael , Müller Carolin , Herter Christine
Published: May 2023

Dieser Beitrag in der Zeitschrift „Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO)“ untersucht basierend auf einer qualitativen Studie, wie kulturelle Unterschiede zwischen agilen Projekten und ihrem traditionellen, nicht-agilen Organisationsumfeld zu Konflikten führen und wie diese Konflikte gelöst werden können, um agile Transformationsvorhaben voranzutreiben. Bisherige Forschungsarbeiten identifizieren und kategorisieren Konflikte im Rahmen agiler Transformationen, erforschen jedoch bisher nicht, durch welche konkreten Praktiken sie gelöst werden können. Um dies zu beantworten, wurde ein agiles Pilotprojekt in einer deutschen Bank untersucht. Einem explorativen Ansatz folgend wurden 14 semistrukturierte Interviews mit Mitarbeitenden des agilen Projektes und nicht-agilen Partnerbereichen geführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich die Kultur des agilen Projektes vorwiegend durch ein hohes Bedürfnis nach Flexibilität auszeichnet, während das organisationale Umfeld eine stabilitätsorientierte Organisationskultur aufweist. Aus den kulturellen Unterschieden entstehen drei Konfliktarten: (1) Konflikte, die aus den gegensätzlichen Bedürfnissen nach Einhaltung und Abweichung von Prozessvorgaben entstehen, (2) Konflikte, die auf Widerstand gegenüber anderen Arbeitsweisen beruhen und (3) Konflikte, die aus der hierarchischen Projektstruktur resultieren. Diese Konflikte können durch Anpassungen der agilen Arbeitsweise an die stabilitätsorientierte Organisationskultur und Isolation des Projektteams von nicht-agilen Bereichen gelöst werden. Auch wenn diese Praktiken im Hinblick auf eine agile Transformation konterintuitiv erscheinen, sind sie besonders in der Anfangsphase einer agilen Transformation förderlich, indem sie Voraussetzungen für Projekterfolge schaffen, die die organisationsweite Akzeptanz agiler Werte erleichtern.
Safety and Effect of Bariatric Metabolic Surgeries for Psychiatric Patients with Obesity: A Retrospective Matched Case–control Trial
Authors: Hany Mohamed , Aboudeeb Mohamed Fahmy , Shapiro-Koss Clara , Agayby Ann Samy Shafiq , Torensma Bart
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Patients living with psychiatric illnesses (PIs) have a high prevalence of obesity. In a 2006 survey, 91.2% of professionals in the bariatric field identified “psychiatric issues” as clear contraindications to weight-loss surgery.

Methods

This retrospective matched case–control study investigated the impact, safety, and possible relapse after bariatric metabolic surgery (BMS) in patients with PIs. Also, we tested the incidence of patients who developed PI after BMS and compared the post-procedural weight loss with that in a matched control group without PIs. The cases were matched in a ratio of 1:4 to the control patients standardized for age, sex, preoperative BMI, and type of BMS.

Results

Of 5987 patients, 2.82% had a preoperative PI; postoperative de novo PI was present in 0.45%. Postoperative BMI was significantly different between the groups when compared to preoperative BMI (p < 0.001). Percentage of total weight loss (%TWL) after six months was not significantly different between the case (24.6% ± 8.9) and control groups (24.0% ± 8.4, p = 1.000). Early and late complications were not significantly different between the groups. The psychiatric drug use and dosage changes did not differ significantly pre- and postoperatively. Of the psychiatric patients, 5.1% were postoperatively admitted to a psychiatric hospital (p = 0.06) unrelated to BMS, and 3.4% had a prolonged absence from work after surgery.

Conclusion

BMS is an effective weight loss treatment and a safe procedure for patients with psychiatric disorders. We found no change in the patients’ psychiatric status outside the usual disease course. Postoperative de novo PI was rare in the present study. Furthermore, patients with severe psychiatric illness were excluded from undergoing surgery and, therefore, from the study. Careful follow-up is necessary to guide and protect patients with PI.

Graphical Abstract
Long Biliopancreatic Limb Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Versus One-Anastomosis Gastric Bypass: a Randomized Controlled Study
Authors: Salman Mohamed AbdAlla , Abelsalam Ahmed , Nashed George Abdelfady , Yacoub Mohamed , Abdalla Ahmed
Published: May 2023

Background

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is the gold standard in bariatric surgery. The one-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) procedure, first introduced by Dr. Rutledge, has demonstrated a 25% greater weight loss efficiency than the traditional Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) procedure due to the substantially longer biliopancreatic limb (BPL).

Aim of the study

The current work aimed to compare the outcomes of OAGB and long BPL RYGB regarding weight loss and comorbidity resolution.

Patients and methods

This randomized controlled trial was done at our institution between September 2019 and January 2021. Patients who were candidates for bariatric surgery were randomly and equally allocated to two groups. Group A underwent OAGB, while group B underwent long BPL RYGB. Patients were followed up for 6 months postoperatively.

Results

This study included 62 patients equally allocated to OAGB or long BPL RYGB, with no dropouts during follow-up. At 6 months, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding postoperative BMI (P = 0.313) and the EBWL (P = 0.238). There was comparable remission of diabetes mellitus (P = 0.708), hypertension (P = 0.999), OSA (P = 0.999), joint pain (P = 0.999), and low back pain (P = 0.999). Seven patients in the OAGB group experienced reflux symptoms (P = 0.011), which were managed by proton pump inhibitors.

Conclusion

Extending the BPL in RYGB provides weight loss and comorbidity remission comparable to that of OAGB. Some OAGB-related reflux cases remain a concern. However, they were sufficiently controlled with PPIs. Due to OAGB superior technical simplicity, long BPL RYGB should be preserved for cases whom are more risky for bile reflux.

Graphical Abstract
Numerical study on local short-term heat treatments for joining by forming of high-strength 7xxx aluminum
Authors: Wiesenmayer Sebastian , März Raphaela , Merklein Marion
Published: May 2023

7xxx aluminum alloys have very high specific strengths, making them interesting for manufacturing car bodies. However, the limited formability of the precipitation hardenable alloys in the artificially aged T6 temper is challenging for forming and joining processes. The pre-conditioning of aluminum sheets by a short-term retrogression is a promising approach to enhance the process limits of joining by forming technologies. In addition, localizing the heat treatment enables the control of the material flow. However, for a targeted material flow, a deeper understanding of the relation between the heat treatment layout and its influence on joining processes is needed, which can be achieved with the aid of numerical analyses. Therefore, within the scope of this work, an approach for the numerical simulation of locally limited heat treatment layouts for the control of the material flow of high-strength aluminum sheets in joining by forming process is shown. The investigations are conducted for the simulation software LS-DYNA and the innovative shear-clinching process. Process models for the local retrogression heat treatment of punch-sided AA7075 T6 and the subsequent shear-clinching as well as an approach to couple the individual models are presented. By performing a localized retrogression from the T6 temper, the radial material displacement of the upper sheet in the shear-clinching process can be reduced in comparison to joining AA7075 in the W temper. The control of the material flow in the joining process thereby causes the improvement of geometric features, which are critical for the joint strength.
The Role of Defensins as Pollen and Food Allergens
Authors: Cosi Valentina , Gadermaier Gabriele
Published: May 2023

Purpose of Review

Defensin-polyproline–linked proteins are relevant allergens in Asteraceae pollen. Depending on their prevalence and amount in the pollen source, they are potent allergens, as shown for the major mugwort pollen allergen Art v 1. Only a few allergenic defensins have been identified in plant foods, such as peanut and celery. This review provides an overview of structural and immunological features, IgE cross-reactivity, and diagnostic and therapeutic options regarding allergenic defensins.

Recent Findings

We present and critically review the allergenic relevance of pollen and food defensins. The recently identified Api g 7 from celeriac and other allergens potentially involved in Artemisia pollen-related food allergies are discussed and related to clinical severity and allergen stability. To specify Artemisia pollen-related food allergies, we propose the term “defensin-related food allergies” to account for defensin-polyproline–linked protein-associated food syndromes.

There is increasing evidence that defensins are the causative molecules in several mugwort pollen-associated food allergies. A small number of studies have shown IgE cross-reactivity of Art v 1 with celeriac, horse chestnut, mango, and sunflower seed defensins, while the underlying allergenic molecule remains unknown in other mugwort pollen-associated food allergies. As these food allergies can cause severe allergic reactions, identification of allergenic food defensins and further clinical studies with larger patient cohorts are required. This will allow molecule-based allergy diagnosis and a better understanding of defensin-related food allergies to raise awareness of potentially severe food allergies due to primary sensitization to Artemisia pollen.
Role of miR-424 in the carcinogenesis
Authors: Ghafouri-Fard Soudeh , Askari Arian , Hussen Bashdar Mahmud , Taheri Mohammad , Akbari Dilmaghani Nader
Published: May 2023

Recent studies have revealed the impact of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the carcinogenic process. miR-424 is a miRNA whose role in this process is being to be identified. Experiments in the ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, neuroblastoma, breast cancer, osteosarcoma, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, prostate cancer, endometrial cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, hemangioma and gastric cancer have reported down-regulation of miR-424. On the other hand, this miRNA has been found to be up-regulated in melanoma, laryngeal and esophageal squamous cell carcinomas, glioma, multiple myeloma and thyroid cancer. Expression of this miRNA is regulated by methylation status of its promoter. Besides, LINC00641, CCAT2, PVT1, LIN00657, LINC00511 and NNT-AS1 are among lncRNAs that act as molecular sponges for miR-424, thus regulating its expression. Moreover, several members of SNHG family of lncRNAs have been found to regulate expression of miR-424. This miRNA is also involved in the regulation of E2F transcription factors. The current review aims at summarization of the role of miR-424 in the process of cancer evolution and its impact on clinical outcome of patients in order to find appropriate markers for malignancies.
A motivational model based on artificial biological functions for the intelligent decision-making of social robots
Authors: Maroto-Gómez Marcos , Malfaz María , Castro-González Álvaro , Salichs Miguel Ángel
Published: May 2023

Modelling the biology behind animal behaviour has attracted great interest in recent years. Nevertheless, neuroscience and artificial intelligence face the challenge of representing and emulating animal behaviour in robots. Consequently, this paper presents a biologically inspired motivational model to control the biological functions of autonomous robots that interact with and emulate human behaviour. The model is intended to produce fully autonomous, natural, and behaviour that can adapt to both familiar and unexpected situations in human–robot interactions. The primary contribution of this paper is to present novel methods for modelling the robot’s internal state to generate deliberative and reactive behaviour, how it perceives and evaluates the stimuli from the environment, and the role of emotional responses. Our architecture emulates essential animal biological functions such as neuroendocrine responses, circadian and ultradian rhythms, motivation, and affection, to generate biologically inspired behaviour in social robots. Neuroendocrinal substances control biological functions such as sleep, wakefulness, and emotion. Deficits in these processes regulate the robot’s motivational and affective states, significantly influencing the robot’s decision-making and, therefore, its behaviour. We evaluated the model by observing the long-term behaviour of the social robot Mini while interacting with people. The experiment assessed how the robot’s behaviour varied and evolved depending on its internal variables and external situations, adapting to different conditions. The outcomes show that an autonomous robot with appropriate decision-making can cope with its internal deficits and unexpected situations, controlling its sleep–wake cycle, social behaviour, affective states, and stress, when acting in human–robot interactions.
A Systems Biology Approach Reveals the Endocrine Disrupting Potential of Aflatoxin B1
Authors: Verga Jacopo U. , Padovano Costanzo , da Silveira Willian A. , Hazard E. Starr , Nugent Anne P. , Elliott Christopher T. , Carnevali Oliana , Galeazzi Roberta , Hardiman Gary
Published: May 2023

Background

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) a mycotoxin produced byAspergillus flavusandA. parasiticusis a potent carcinogen and causative agent of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is a food contaminant which presents a major risk to human health. AFB1 contamination poses a significant economic burden, as 25% of the world's food crops need to be destroyed annually. The mechanism of action (MOA) of aflatoxins remains to be fully elucidated. Recent findings suggest that AFB1 mediated endocrine disruption may occur in the population of regions with high contamination, even without evidence of direct dietary intake.

Objective

An integrative systems biology approach was undertaken to decipher the estrogenic component of the mechanism of action (MOA) of AFB1.

Methods

Molecular Docking and Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to examine the binding affinity of AFB1 and its metabolite aflatoxin Q1 (AFQ1) with the Estrogen Receptors (ERs). Differential gene expression (DGE), gene ontology (GO) and pathway analyses were carried out on hepatic transcriptomic data generated from in vivo AFB1 exposures. In parallel exposures to the synthetic estrogen ethinylestradiol (EE2) were examined for overlapping effects. Finally, protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis assessed the involvement of estrogen responsive targets (ERTs) associated with aflatoxin exposure.

Results

The free energies of binding affinity and estimated equilibrium dissociation constants (KD) demonstrated that AFB1 and AFQ1 can interact with the ERα and ERβ. DGE and GO analyses highlighted overlap in the responses between AFB1 and EE2 treatments with the activation of key processes involved in estrogenic signaling. PPI network analyses after AFBI exposure revealed a dynamic response to AFB1 treatments with the solid involvement of ERTs in regulatory networks.

Conclusions

This study revealed molecular interactions between aflatoxins (AFB1, AFQ1) and ERs in addition to overlap in differentially expressed genes and biological processes following AFB1 and EE2 exposures. The estrogenic components at the core of the PPI networks suggest that ER-mediated signaling pathways are a major component in the MOA of aflatoxins.
Long-Term Development of Training Characteristics and Performance-Determining Factors in Elite/International and World-Class Endurance Athletes: A Scoping Review
Authors: Staff Hanne C. , Solli Guro Strøm , Osborne John O. , Sandbakk Øyvind
Published: May 2023

Objective

In this scoping review, we aimed to 1) identify and evaluate existing research that describes the long-term development of training characteristics and performance-determining factors in male and female endurance athletes reaching an elite/international (Tier 4) or world-class level (Tier 5), 2) summarize the available evidence and 3) point out existing knowledge gaps and provide methodological guidelines for future research in this field.

Methods

This review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews.

Results

Out of 16772 screened items across a 22-year period (1990-2022), a total of 17 peer-reviewed journal articles met the inclusion criteria and were considered for further analysis. These 17 studies described athletes from seven different sports and seven different countries, with 11 (69%) of the studies being published during the last decade. Of the 109 athletes included in this scoping review, one quarter were women (27%), and three quarters were men (73%). Ten studies included information about the long-term development of training volume and training intensity distribution. A non-linear, year-to-year increase in training volume was found for most athletes, resulting in a subsequent plateau. Furthermore, 11 studies described the development of performance determining factors. Here, most of the studies showed improvements in submaximal variables (e.g., lactate/anaerobic threshold and work economy/efficiency) and maximal performance-indices (e.g., peak speed/watt during performance testing). Conversely, the development of VO2max was inconsistent across studies. No evidence was found regarding possible sex differences in development of training or performance-determining factors among endurance athletes.

Conclusion

Overall, a low number of studies describing the long-term development of training and performance-determining factors is available. This suggests that existing talent development practices in endurance sports are built upon limited scientific evidence. Overall, there is an urgent need for additional long-term studies based on systematic monitoring of athletes from a young age utilizing high-precision, reproducible measurements of training and performance-determining factors.
Stabilising market expectations through a market tool: a proposal for an enhanced TPI
Authors: Amato Massimo , Belloni Everardo , Favero Carlo A. , Gobbi Lucio , Saraceno Francesco
Published: May 2023

This paper puts forward a proposal to complete the ECB Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI) with the aim of making it more effective in anchoring the yields of European sovereign debts to Member States’ fundamentals. We use a model in which yields fluctuate within bands, which we specify following two alternative approaches: stochastic and deterministic. The resulting fluctuation's interval represents the range of yields that can be seen as justified by Member States’ fundamentals; yields outside the band would instead trigger the ECB intervention as foreseen by the TPI. The proposal minimizes the risk of moral hazard, as the fluctuation bands vary as each country's creditworthiness changes. Moreover, the proposal is directly implementable with existing Treaties.
Students from humanities and human sciences are basically the same aren’t they? Cultural factors affecting entrepreneurship in Iran
Authors: Lee Kerry M. , Khoshnevisan Fatemeh , Sharifi Saeid
Published: May 2023

In a third-generation university, concepts of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, help link the university with industry and society. These concepts, however, have not been uniformly distributed across all university disciplines. This paper, reviews the characteristics of a third-generation university, focusing on the capabilities of the humanities faculties to address the challenges and barriers of entrepreneurship. Identification of these notions is important for the development of the humanities in academic entrepreneurship. This research was conducted among 80 Iranian humanities entrepreneurs, using the Hofstede Model of National Culture and Entrepreneurial Tendency and Action questionnaires as data collection tools. Entrepreneurial tendency among those in the human sciences disciplines was greater than those in the humanities. Short-term orientation was only influential in the humanities group. However, individualism–collectivism and short-term orientation were influential to entrepreneurial tendency in both disciplines. While the power distance (high) was influential to entrepreneurial tendency in the humanities. The findings of this study showed significant entrepreneurial tendency differences between students from the humanities and human sciences. The findings also show that entrepreneurial tendency in the humanities is mostly influenced by cultural factors. This research has provided invaluable knowledge of the entrepreneurial differences from a cultural perspective in the third-generation university.
Real interpolation of variable martingale Hardy spaces and BMO spaces
Authors: Lu Jianzhong , Weisz Ferenc , Zhou Dejian
Published: May 2023

In this paper, we mainly consider the real interpolation spaces for variable Lebesgue spaces defined by the decreasing rearrangement function and for the corresponding martingale Hardy spaces. Let $$0<q\le \infty $$

0
<
q
≤
∞

and $$0<\theta <1$$

0
<
θ
<
1

. Our three main results are the following: $$\begin{aligned}{} & {} ({\mathcal {L}}_{p(\cdot )}({\mathbb {R}}^n),L_{\infty }({\mathbb {R}}^n))_{\theta ,q}={\mathcal {L}}_{{p(\cdot )}/(1-\theta ),q}({\mathbb {R}}^n),\\{} & {} ({\mathcal {H}}_{p(\cdot )}^s(\Omega ),H_{\infty }^s(\Omega ))_{\theta ,q}={\mathcal {H}}_{{p(\cdot )}/(1-\theta ),q}^s(\Omega ) \end{aligned}$$

(

L

p
(
·
)

(

R

n

)

,

L
∞

(

R

n

)

)

θ
,
q

=

L

p
(
·
)

/
(
1
-
θ
)
,
q

(

R

n

)

,

(

H

p
(
·
)

s

(
Ω
)

,

H

∞

s

(
Ω
)

)

θ
,
q

=

H

p
(
·
)

/
(
1
-
θ
)
,
q

s

(
Ω
)

and $$\begin{aligned} ({\mathcal {H}}_{p(\cdot )}^s(\Omega ),BMO_2(\Omega ))_{\theta ,q}={\mathcal {H}}_{{p(\cdot )}/(1- \theta ),q}^s(\Omega ), \end{aligned}$$

(

H

p
(
·
)

s

(
Ω
)

,
B
M

O
2

(
Ω
)

)

θ
,
q

=

H

p
(
·
)

/
(
1
-
θ
)
,
q

s

(
Ω
)

,

where the variable exponent $$p(\cdot )$$

p
(
·
)

is a measurable function.
“Comply, strategise, or resist?”: Exploring early-career women’s academic identities in Australian higher education using Foucauldian discourse analysis
Authors: Phillips Matthew J. , Dzidic Peta L. , Roberts Lynne D. , Castell Emily L.
Published: May 2023

The becoming of, and being, an early-career academic is a dynamic journey, marked by movement through learning, adapting, and adopting new skills and capacities, being ‘thrown in the deep end’ of academic responsibilities, and beginning to develop an academic identity. We explored how early-career women academics within Australian universities conceptualise their academic identities, and the subject positions (i.e., identities/ways of being) made available through their discourse. Seventeen participants were interviewed, aged between 27 and 62 years, with transcripts of interviews analyzed using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis. Three subject positions were identified—The Compliant Woman (who follows the rules and meets the expectations of the institution); The Strategic Woman (who balances complying and safely challenging the traditional academic ways of being); and The Rebellious Woman (who outrightly challenges the conditions of academia). Discourse surrounding compliance, tolerance, obedience, the patriarchy, and survival, created subjectivities suggesting that the early-career women academics felt unsafe and insecure in academia, as well as having to work harder to prove themselves in a setting that works to exclude them. The key message was that no matter their approach, the early-career women academics felt damned in their navigation of academia.
Recurrent Continuous Adversarial Balancing for Estimating Individual Treatment Effect Over Time
Authors: Zhu Peifei , Li Zisheng , Ogino Masahiro
Published: May 2023

Estimating individual treatment effects (ITE) from observational data have become an important topic in various fields. In healthcare, determining the optimal time and amount of the treatment is crucial for improving each patient’s quality of life. However, existing methods mainly focused on estimating treatment effect under static setting with categorical treatments. In this work, we proposed Recurrent Continuous Adversarial Balancing (RCAB), a method that incorporates adversarial learning into a sequence-to-sequence recurrent network to reduce selection bias in dynamic data. Moreover, we reformulated imbalance loss to be appropriate for continuous scenario. RCAB is empirically validated in both synthetic and real-world datasets. The results demonstrate that RCAB outperforms various state-of-the-art methods, and it is applicable to time-series data with any types of treatments.
Global, Regional, and National Trends in Incidence and Mortality of Primary Liver Cancer and Its Underlying Etiologies from 1990 to 2019: Results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
Authors: Cao Guiying , Liu Jue , Liu Min
Published: May 2023

Objective

Primary liver cancer is not only one of the most common causes of cancer deaths but also the second most common cause of premature death worldwide. Understanding the trends in incidence and mortality of primary liver cancer and its etiologies is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. This study aimed to quantify the trends in incidence and mortality of primary liver cancer and its etiologies at the global, regional and national levels using data from Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study.

Method

Annual incident cases, deaths, age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs), and age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) of primary liver cancer and its etiologies, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, alcohol use, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and other causes, between 1990 and 2019 were collected from GBD study 2019. Percentage changes in incident cases and deaths and estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) in ASIRs and ASMRs of primary liver cancer and its etiologies were calculated to quantify their temporal trends. Correlations of EAPC in ASIRs and ASMRs with socio-demographic index (SDI) and universal health coverage index (UHCI) in 2019 were separately evaluated by Pearson correlation analyses.

Results

Globally, the incident cases and deaths of primary liver cancer increased by 43.11% from 373 393 in 1990 to 534 365 in 2019 and 32.68% from 365 213 in 1990 to 484 584 in 2019, respectively. ASIR and ASMR of primary liver cancer decreased by an average of 2.23% (95% CI 1.83%, 2.63%) and 1.93% (95% CI 1.55%, 2.31%) per year between 1990 and 2019 worldwide, respectively. ASIRs and ASMRs of primary liver cancer varied between regions, with an increasing trend in ASIR (EAPC = 0.91; 95% CI 0.47, 1.35) and a stable trend in ASMR (EAPC = 0.42, 95% CI − 0.01, 0.85) of primary liver cancer in high SDI region between 1990 and 2019. Nearly half (91/204) of the countries suffered an increasing trend in ASIR of primary liver cancer and more than one-third (71/204) of the countries suffered an increasing trend in ASIRs of primary liver cancer from all etiologies between 1990 and 2019 worldwide. Positive correlations of EAPC in ASIR and ASMR of primary liver cancer with SDI and UHCI were observed in nations with SDI ≥ 0.7 or UHCI ≥ 70.

Conclusion

Primary liver cancer remains a major public health concern globally, with an increasing trend in the numbers of incident cases and deaths in the past three decades. We observed an increasing trend in ASIR of primary liver cancer in nearly half of the countries and an increasing trend in ASIRs of primary liver cancer by etiology in more than one-third of the countries worldwide. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals, the identification and elimination of risk factors for primary liver cancer will be required to achieve a sustained reduction in liver cancer burden.
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation at 35°N From Deep Moorings, Floats, and Satellite Altimeter
Authors: Le Bras Isabela Alexander‐Astiz , Willis Josh , Fenty Ian
Published: May 2023

From 2004 to 2014, the Line W moorings measured a 0.7 Sv yr−1 slowing of the deep western boundary current (DWBC) offshore of Cape Cod. Here, we combine these deep mooring observations with float and satellite altimeter data and find that this DWBC change corresponded to a slowing of the cross‐basin Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) of about 0.3 Sv yr−1. Our AMOC transport time series corresponds well with the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean state estimate, particularly when the Line W mooring data influences our volume closure. We compare our 35°N time series with a similar time series at 41°N as well as the 26°N RAPID AMOC, and find AMOC declines across datasets from 2004 to 2014. However, when we extend our analysis to 2004–2019, there are no significant trends at any latitude. These observations suggest that AMOC decadal variability is meridionally coherent from 26°N to 41°N and that the DWBC may reflect this variability.