bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Student well-being in times of COVID-19 in the Netherlands: basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration within the academic learning environment
Authors: Kiltz L. , Trippenzee M. , Fleer J. , Fokkens-Bruinsma M. , Jansen E. P. W. A.
Published: March 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic affected student well-being through measures such as closing educational institutions and social distancing, which forced universities to adapt the student learning environment. Previous research has demonstrated that the learning environment influences student well-being by satisfying their basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The present study therefore aimed to investigate, against the background of the pandemic, (1) how the basic psychological needs related to student well-being, (2) how students perceived interaction within the academic system, and (3) how they would like the “new educational normal” to look. To address these aims, we implemented a cross-sectional survey which included both quantitative measures and qualitative open-ended questions and distributed it at a Dutch university (n = 653). To identify the predictive strength of need satisfaction and frustration, we ran multiple regressions. We found that need satisfaction and frustration were significantly related to the well-being measures, of which relatedness was only weakly related to student well-being. Moreover, students reported restricted interactions with their teachers and fellow students, leading to feelings of disconnectedness, as well as struggles to establish or maintain relationships. In contrast with the quantitative findings, students highlighted relatedness as an essential, currently lacking part of their experience. They suggested a potential hybrid learning environment with a focus on social cohesion. This study emphasizes the relevance of interpersonal connections within higher education and provides practical ideas for post-pandemic academic structures. These insights can support systemic investments of universities in student well-being and creating a healthier learning environment for the future.
Transkranielle Gleichstromstimulation – aktuelle Evidenzlage und Anwendungsszenarien
Authors: Kaufmann Elisabeth
Published: March 2023

Hintergrund

In Europa sind derzeit nur die Thalamusstimulation, die Vagusnervstimulation und die fokale Kortexstimulation als Neurostimulationsverfahren für die Behandlung von Patienten mit pharmakoresistenter Epilepsie zugelassen. Diese sind jedoch invasiv, begrenzt verfügbar und in ihrer Wirksamkeit limitiert. Erste Daten zur Anwendung der transkraniellen Gleichstromstimulation (tDCS) bei Epilepsie sind vielversprechend und geben Hoffnung auf eine nicht-invasive Stimulationsalternative.

Fragestellung

Wie sieht die aktuelle Evidenzlage zur tDCS bei Epilepsie aus und was wären potenzielle Anwendungsszenarien?

Material und Methoden

Auf Basis einer PubMed-basierten Literaturrecherche werden Daten zur Sicherheit und Effektivität der tDCS bei Epilepsie zusammengetragen.

Ergebnisse

Die kathodale tDCS ist nur mit milden und passageren Nebenwirkungen wie sensiblen Missempfindungen, Müdigkeit oder Konzentrationsschwierigkeiten verbunden. Hinweise für eine Anfallstriggerung unter kathodaler tDCS gibt es nicht. Eine einmalige Stimulation für 20 min kann bereits zu einer Anfallsfrequenzreduktion von > 40 % in den ersten vier Wochen führen, mit Effektverstärkung durch serielle Stimulation und Verwendung eines Interstimulationsintervalls von 9–20 min. Die tDCS würde nicht nur das Behandlungsspektrum erweitern, sie könnte auch zu einer Reduktion der Medikations- bzw. Nebenwirkungslast beitragen und ggf. das Ansprechen auf implantierbare Systeme vorhersagen.

Schlussfolgerung

Die Literaturdaten belegen die sichere und effektive Anwendung der kathodalen tDCS bei Patienten mit pharmakoresistenter Epilepsie. Weitere Studien sind notwendig, um die Stimulationsparameter zu optimieren, die Effektivität weiter zu steigern und die Sicherheit und Effektivität in Langzeitanwendungen zu überprüfen.
Online detection of orientation of cellulose nanocrystals in a capillary flow with polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography
Authors: Jäsberg Ari , Puisto Antti , Leppänen Ilona , Koponen Antti I. , Alava Mikko J.
Published: March 2023

Significant importance in the stiffness of materials, such as filaments and films, made of elongated components, has been attributed to orientation. Thus, the control of orientation during the manufacturing of materials has been the target of process optimization for long time. Measuring orientation during the process allows to better grasp the means to control it. In fact, such online tools would enable on-fly process control and optimization improving the flexibility with regards to the raw materials used, and the application requirements. In this article, we will discuss a method based on polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography utilized as a light-weight online measurement tool of particle (here cellulose nanocrystals) orientation for the purposes of manufacturing next generation products by providing the appropriate interpretation of the retardation images with the help of modelling.
12-month outcomes of ab interno excisional goniotomy combined with cataract surgery in primary open-angle glaucoma and normal tension glaucoma
Authors: Kuerten David , Walter Peter , Baumgarten Sabine , Fuest Matthias , Plange Niklas
Published: March 2023

Purpose

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of excisional goniotomy performed with the Kahook Dual Blade (KDB) combined with cataract surgery in patients with pimary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and Normal Tension Glaucoma (NTG) under topical therapy. Further sub-analysis was performed to compare between 90 and 120 degrees goniotomy.

Methods

This was a prospective case series of 69 eyes from 69 adults (age 78 ± 5.9 years; male = 27, female = 42). Indications for surgery included insufficient IOP control with topical medication, glaucomatous damage progression under topical therapy and reduction of medication burden. Complete success was defined as IOP lowering below 21 mmHg without the need for topical medication. For NTG patients, complete success was defined as IOP lowering below 17 mmHg without the need for topical medication.

Results

IOP was significantly lowered from 19.7 ± 4.7 to 15.1 ± 2.7 at 2 months, 15.8 ± 2.3

at 6 months and 16.1 ± 3.2 at 12 months (p < 0.05) for POAG and 15.1 ± 2.5 to 14.1 ± 2.4 at 2 months, 14.1 ± 3.1 at 6 months and 13.6 ± 1.8 at 12 months (p > 0.08) for NTG, respectively. Complete success was achieved in 64% of the patients. IOP lowering under 17 mmHg without the need for topical medication was achieved in 60% of the patients at 12 months. In NTG patients (14 eyes) IOP lowering under 17 mmHg without the need for topical medication was achieved in 71%. No significant difference was recorded in terms of IOP lowering at 12 months in-between 90° and 120° of treated trabecular meshwork (p > 0.7). No severe adverse reactions were recorded in this study.

Conclusion

One-year results show that KDB combined with cataract surgery is an effective treatment option for glaucoma patients. IOP lowering was successfully achieved in NTG patients with complete success in 70% of the patients. In our study, no significant differences were recorded in-between 90° and 120° of treated trabecular meshwork.
Displacement and complementarity in the recorded music industry: evidence from France
Authors: Ivaldi Marc , Nicolle Ambre , Verboven Frank , Zhang Jiekai
Published: March 2023

Do new digital consumption channels of music depress sales in old physical ones, or are they complementary? To answer this question, we exploit product-level variation in sales and prices of over 4 million products, observed weekly between 2014 and 2017 for the entire French market. A unique feature of our data is that we observe sales for both physical and digital products, as well as streaming consumption. At the track-level, we find that streaming displaces digital sales. At the more aggregate artist-level, digital sales displace physical sales, but streaming implies a promotional effect on physical sales. This complementarity is driven by popular genres, i.e., Pop and Variety. Most of our findings are robust to whether we consider the hits or include the products that belong to the long tail. Our findings bridge two streams of literature as we show that displacement between consumption channels at the product level can coexist with complementarity at a more aggregate level.
The effect of amorphous silica support on the catalytic activity of liquid-exfoliated monolayered MCM-56 zeolite
Authors: Ogorzały Karolina , Jajko Gabriela , Korzeniowska Aleksandra , Mazur Michal , Li Ang , Roth Wieslaw J. , Gil Barbara , Makowski Wacław
Published: March 2023

Recently reported groundbreaking discovery of efficient delamination of zeolite MCM-56, producing colloidal suspensions of MWW monolayers dispersed in the liquid phase, created unprecedented possibilities for the synthesis of a zeolite catalyst. Based on this innovation, the concept of using MWW monolayers to prepare silica-supported zeolite nanosheet catalysts suitable for transformations of large organic molecules was explored in this work. A series of silica-MWW preparations was synthesized from colloidal suspensions of the monolayers, using both solid and colloidal silica sources. The synthesized solids were thoroughly characterized with various physicochemical methods and their catalytic performance was tested in alkylation of mesitylene with benzyl alcohol. The obtained results indicate that solids containing MWW layers dispersed on silica show promising catalytic properties. The mixed MWW:silica catalysts synthesized from dispersions of MWW monolayers and liquid silica were found to exhibit high specific catalytic activity (with TOF values of 3.4 × 10−3 to 4.8 × 10−3 s−1), despite the high content of inactive amorphous silica support (40–60%). Materials synthesized from solid fumed and precipitated silicas showed low or negligible overall activity, which could be attributed to the small incorporation of the zeolitic active phase. For one of such materials, a notable high TOF (4.8 × 10−3 s−1) was found. It was found earlier that ethanol is an effective flocculent for zeolite layers by themselves, but in the presence of solid silica its efficiency was reduced.
Build Back Worse: The Media Coverage of Well-being Metrics Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Crucial Cases of Scotland and Italy
Authors: Battaglia Fabio
Published: March 2023

Despite the media are often described as critical for the success of the well-being agenda, there is wide dissatisfaction with their current level of interest. However, the media coverage of well-being metrics has been unresearched and, even when studies have been conducted, these employed unrobust methodologies, were limited to newspapers and to restricted samples of metrics. This paper fills such gap, providing also for the first time an analysis of radio and TV coverage of well-being metrics. The research was undertaken using Factiva (for newspapers) and TVEyes (for radio and TV) for the years of 2017–2021 and 2018–2021, respectively. The countries analysed are Scotland and Italy, both pioneers in the measurement of well-being. Findings reveal that media coverage of well-being metrics has been extremely low overall and that this was impacted negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic, which instead impacted positively on the reporting of GDP and related queries, showing that the main concern during the pandemic was the impact that this was going to have in terms of output, rather than in terms of well-being. Most composite indices, whose creation is often thought to help obtain greater media coverage, were almost if not even fully ignored by journalists, whereas metrics that lack an overall composite index but that are overseen by independent institutions and have been institutionalised were among the ones that were reported the most.
Deep learning reconstruction with single-energy metal artifact reduction in pelvic computed tomography for patients with metal hip prostheses
Authors: Hosoi Reina , Yasaka Koichiro , Mizuki Masumi , Yamaguchi Haruomi , Miyo Rintaro , Hamada Akiyoshi , Abe Osamu
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the deep learning reconstruction (DLR) with single-energy metal artifact reduction (SEMAR) (DLR-S) technique in pelvic helical computed tomography (CT) images for patients with metal hip prostheses and compare it with DLR and hybrid iterative reconstruction (IR) with SEMAR (IR-S).

Materials and methods

This retrospective study included 26 patients (mean age 68.6 ± 16.6 years, with 9 males and 17 females) with metal hip prostheses who underwent a CT examination including the pelvis. Axial pelvic CT images were reconstructed using DLR-S, DLR, and IR-S. In one-by-one qualitative analyses, two radiologists evaluated the degree of metal artifacts, noise, and pelvic structure depiction. In side-by-side qualitative analyses (DLR-S vs. IR-S), the two radiologists evaluated metal artifacts and overall quality. By placing regions of interest on the bladder and psoas muscle, the standard deviations of their CT attenuation were recorded, and the artifact index was calculated based on them. Results were compared between DLR-S vs. DLR and DLR vs. IR-S using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

Results

In one-by-one qualitative analyses, metal artifacts and structure depiction in DLR-S were significantly better than those in DLR; however, between DLR-S and IR-S, significant differences were noted only for reader 1. Image noise in DLR-S was rated as significantly reduced compared with that in IR-S by both readers. In side-by-side analyses, both readers rated that the DLR-S images are significantly better than IR-S images regarding overall image quality and metal artifacts. The median (interquartile range) of the artifact index for DLR-S was 10.1 (4.4–16.0) and was significantly better than those for DLR (23.1, 6.5–36.1) and IR-S (11.4, 7.8–17.9).

Conclusion

DLR-S provided better pelvic CT images in patients with metal hip prostheses than IR-S and DLR.
Isometric Resistance Training to Manage Hypertension: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Baffour-Awuah B. , Pearson M. J. , Dieberg G. , Smart N. A.
Published: March 2023

Purpose of Review

Hypertension is the primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease and adequate blood pressure control is often elusive. The objective of this work was to conduct a meta-analysis of trial data of isometric resistance training (IRT) studies in people with hypertension, to establish if IRT produced an anti-hypertensive effect. A database search (PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and MEDLINE) identified randomised controlled and crossover trials of IRT versus a sedentary or sham control group in adults with hypertension.

Recent Findings

We included 12 studies (14 intervention groups) in the meta-analyses, with an aggregate of 415 participants. IRT reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean difference (MD) − 7.47 mmHg (95%CI − 10.10, − 4.84), P < 0.01; diastolic blood pressure (DBP) MD − 3.17 mmHg (95%CI − 5.29, − 1.04), P < 0.01; and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) MD − 7.19 mmHg (95%CI − 9.06, − 5.32), P < 0.0001. Office pulse pressure and resting heart rate was not significantly reduced, neither were 24-h or day-time ambulatory blood pressures (SBP, DBP). Night-time blood pressures, however, were significantly reduced with SBP MD − 4.28 mmHg (95%CI − 7.88, − 0.67), P = 0.02, and DBP MD − 2.22 mmHg (95%CI − 3.55, − 0.88), P < 0.01.

IRT does lower SBP, DBP and MAP office and night-time ambulatory SBP and DBP, but not 24-h mean ambulatory blood pressures in people with hypertension.
Pattern Recognition of GC-FID Profiles of Volatile Compounds in Brandy de Jerez Using a Chemometric Approach Based on Their Instrumental Fingerprints
Authors: Guerrero-Chanivet María , Ortega-Gavilán Fidel , Bagur-González María Gracia , Valcárcel-Muñoz Manuel J. , García-Moreno María de Valme , Guillén-Sánchez Dominico A.
Published: March 2023

Brandy de Jerez is a unique spirit produced in Southern Spain under Protected Geographical Indication “Brandy de Jerez” (PGI). Two key factors for the production of quality brandies are the original wine spirit and its aging process. They are significantly conditioned by specific variables related to the base wine and the distillation method employed to produce the wine spirit used to obtain a finally aged brandy. This final beverage is therefore strongly influenced by its production process. The chromatographic instrumental fingerprints (obtained by GC FID) of the major volatile fraction of a series of brandies have been examined by applying a chemometric approach based on unsupervised (hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis) and supervised pattern recognition tools (partial least squares–discriminant analysis and support vector machine). This approach was able to identify the fermentation conditions of the original wine, the distillation method used to produce the wine spirit, and the aging process as the most influential factors on the volatile profile.
Vending machine backgrounds: nudging healthier beverage choices
Authors: Calabro Ryan , Kemps Eva , Prichard Ivanka , Tiggemann Marika
Published: March 2023

Soft drink overconsumption is a growing public health concern. The present research investigated whether priming nudges could decrease soft drink choices from a vending machine. We compared the effect of six vending machine wraps (Mount Franklin ™ logo, Coca-Cola™ logo, picture of water, picture of soft drink, blue, red) on beverage choice against a black (control) computerised vending machine display. In two studies, young adult participants (17 – 25 years) were recruited from [removed for blind review] (Study 1, n = 142, Study 2, n = 232). Participants were randomly allocated to choose a beverage from one of the wrap conditions. They also rated how much the beverage was liked and how often it was consumed (Study 1), or rated the refreshing value, healthiness, taste, and energy of each beverage in the vending machine (Study 2). We predicted that wraps referencing water would produce healthier choices and those referencing soft drink would result in unhealthier choices. Contrary to these predictions, the type of vending machine wrap did not significantly influence beverage choice in Study 1. However, viewing the black vending machine wrap resulted in significantly more caffeine-based selections in Study 2. Other significant predictors of the choice of beverage were how often the beverages were consumed and how much they were liked (Study 1), as well as their perceptions of the taste, healthiness and refreshing value (Study 2). The finding that the black vending machine produced more caffeine-based beverage choices demonstrates, in principle, that color-based priming nudges could influence beverage choices.
Examining non-Indigenous teacher perceptions of Indigenous students in Taiwan through a Strategic Relational Approach
Authors: Couch Daniel , Nesterova Yulia , Nguyen Hang
Published: March 2023

This article examines non-Indigenous teachers’ expectations of, perceptions of, knowledge about, and attitudes towards Indigenous students in Taiwan using a Strategic Relational Approach. Drawing on survey data that combined Likert-scale responses with reflexive, open-ended questions, we found that whilst teacher survey responses indicated a normatively positive view of Indigenous students, this was troubled by their open-ended answer responses which included many negative perceptions of Indigenous students’ behaviours, family backgrounds, and capacity for educational achievement. We argue that this indicates an underlying tension held by non-Indigenous teachers of Indigenous students, constructed through contradictory perceptions of self (open to and encouraging of Indigenous learners) and of Indigenous students (as less capable than non-Indigenous students, and uninterested in educational success). Using the Strategic Relational Approach’s notion of a context conduct dialectic, we offer an explanation of this tension by positioning teachers centrally within Taiwan’s cultural political economy, before considering implications for teacher education.
Towards Creativity and Innovation in Universities: Study on Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Marczewska Magdalena , Weresa Marzenna Anna , Lachowicz Marek
Published: March 2023

Universities have a pivotal role to play in the challenging restructuring process that economies are undergoing due to higher education’s critical role in the information age. Universities can contribute to this process of change by creating new knowledge as well as by shaping new skills, which are necessary for exploiting modern technologies and understanding how technology interacts with society. The aim of this paper is to compare universities from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in terms of creativity related to research and educational activity. The knowledge triangle concept is employed to compare involvement of universities in education, research, and innovation. The divisive hierarchical clustering was used to group countries by knowledge triangle performance. Five clusters have been identified regarding research-education-innovation interactions. The study contributes by shedding light on education as the missing link between research and innovation in the CEE countries and extends knowledge about heterogeneity of this region in terms of creativity. It also contributes to the discourse how innovation policies can support universities’ structural transformations towards integration of their education, research, and innovation activities that will enable to confront an array of societal challenges.
Fairing of planar curves to log-aesthetic curves
Authors: Graiff Zurita Sebastián Elías , Kajiwara Kenji , Miura Kenjiro T.
Published: March 2023

We present an algorithm to fair a given planar curve by a log-aesthetic curve (LAC). We show how a general LAC segment can be uniquely characterized by seven parameters and present a method of parametric approximation based on this fact. This work aims to provide tools to be used in reverse engineering for computer-aided geometric design. Finally, we show an example of usage by applying this algorithm to the data points obtained from 3D scanning a model-car roof.
Groundwater quality assessment for domestic and agricultural purposes using GIS, hydrochemical facies and water quality indices: case study of Rafsanjan plain, Kerman province, Iran
Authors: Hosseininia Mohadeseh , Hassanzadeh Reza
Published: March 2023

This paper investigates the suitability of groundwater for domestic and agricultural use in the Rafsanjan plain, southwest part of the Daranjir–Saghand basin, Iran. Fifty-five groundwater samples were collected and analyzed by six methods including the water quality index (WQI), Schoeller diagram, irrigation water quality (IWQ) parameters, Piper diagram, US salinity diagram and Wilcox diagram. The spatial distribution maps of chemical parameters and groundwater quality indices were plotted using the IDW method in GIS. The results showed a low concentration of major ions in the southeastern part and a high concentration from the central part towards northwestern part of the plain. The concentration of major ions in groundwater was strongly affected by groundwater flow, geological setting and the existence of the evaporative layers in the studied area. Moreover, results revealed that most of samples exceeded the acceptable limits recommended by the WHO and ISIRI1053 standards for domestic and agricultural purposes. In most of the wells, groundwater was classified into saline and very hard categories. The analyses based on WQI values indicated that above 87% of water samples were unsuitable for drinking purposes. IWQ parameters expressed that 85%, 67%, 32%, 51%, 43% and 50% of samples had EC > 3000, Na% > 60%, MAR > 50%, KR > 1, SAR > 9 and Cl− > 350, respectively, which were unsuitable for irrigation use. The dominant hydrochemical facies of water was Na–Cl–SO4 type, and 63% and 22.8% of samples were categorized as C4S4 and C4S3 class, with very high-salinity–high-sodium hazards and very high-salinity–high-sodium hazards, respectively. It indicated that most irrigated lands in this study area were affected by different levels of salinity and sodicity hazards that caused decreases in plant growth and crop productivity. The results can assist decision-makers and planners in prioritizing groundwater resources management in the region.
Environmental performance of two marine algae Ulva fasciata and Pterocladia capillacea in the biological treatment of four reactive dyes from aqueous solutions based on fresh and dried biomass
Authors: El-Agawany Nagwa I. , Abdel-Razik Suzan A. R. , Abdel-Kareem Mohamed S. , Kaamoush Mona I. A.
Published: March 2023

The runoff of textile dye effluents into public water bodies is a major environmental and health problem. Color removal, in particular, has recently become of substantial scientific interest, as revealed by the multitude of related research reports. The present study focused on measuring the efficiency of two marine algae, Ulva fasciata and Pterocladia capillacea, in bio-removal of four synthetic dyes (RY2, RR195, RB19, and RB5) based on the fresh and dried biomass of the tested algal species. According to the highest removal efficiencies of the dyes, two algal species were chosen from among nine different algae. Bio-removal efficiency was examined under the effects of salinity and contact time. The results of this experiment revealed that algae achieved high bio-removal efficiency of the examined dyes in both fresh and saline water, but the removal percentages were higher in saline water compared to fresh conditions. The highest removal percentage recorded after 8 h by fresh U. fasciata in saline water reached 82.75 and 83.23% for RY2 and RR195 dyes, respectively. Contact time has the highest impact on dye removal in both algal species. The highest removal values were obtained in the case of dried U. fasciata, which achieved impressive removal percentages that reached 100% for RB195 and RB5 and fresh P. capillacea which had high removal percentages of 91.11, 94.85 and 97.13% for RR195, RB19, and RB5 dyes, respectively, after 8 h. Our results revealed that the used algal species were highly significant in the biosorption of most used dyes.
Theory analyses and applications of magnetic fluids in sealing
Authors: Li Decai , Li Yanwen , Li Zixian , Wang Yuming
Published: March 2023

Magnetic fluids are the suspensions composed of magnetic nanoparticles, surfactants, and non-magnetic carrier liquids. Magnetic fluids are widely used in various fields, especially in sealing, because of their excellent features, including rapid magnetic response, flexible flow ability, tunable magneto-viscous effect, and reliable self-repairing capability. Here, we provide an in-depth, comprehensive insight into the theoretical analyses and diverse applications of magnetic fluids in sealing from three categories: static sealing, rotary sealing, and reciprocating sealing. We summarize the magnetic fluid sealing mechanisms and the development of magnetic fluid seals from 1960s to the present, particularly focusing on the recent progress of magnetic fluid seals. Although magnetic fluid sealing technology has been commercialized and industrialized, many difficulties still exist in its applications. At the end of the review, the present challenges and future prospects in the progress of magnetic fluid seals are also outlined.
Skidding and spinning investigation for dry-lubricated angular contact ball bearing under combined loads
Authors: Zhao Yuhao , Ma Zikui , Zi Yanyang
Published: March 2023

Sliding and spinning behaviors significantly affect the performance of rolling bearings, especially for dry-lubricated bearings, micro and macro sliding may lead to increased wear of the solid lubricating film. A unified rolling contact tribology analytical model is proposed for dry-lubricated angular contact ball bearings (ACBBs) considering the extreme conditions including high combined loads and rolling contact effects. A comprehensive solution framework is proposed to ensure the robustness of the model under different loading conditions. Equilibrium equations are solved to study the effects of friction coefficients, rotating speeds, and combined loads on the skidding and spinning characteristics of the ACBB. The results show that the rolling contact effects and combined loads significantly affect the skidding and spinning performance of the ACBB. Further analysis reveals that the skidding mechanism is related to the interaction between ball kinematical motion and traction forces. The developed analytical model is proved to more accurately predict the bearing kinematical and tribological behavior as it discards the raceway control hypothesis and considers the macro/micro-slipping, creepage, and self-spinning motions of the ball, which is validated using both the existing pure axial loading dry-lubricated ACBB model and the classical Jones—Harris model. The study would provide some guidance for the structure and lubrication design of dry-lubricated ACBBs.
Egyptian hemodialysis patients' willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine booster dose: a multicenter survey
Authors: Abdulaziz Hoda Mahmoud Mohammad , Saleh Marwa Ahmed , Elrggal Mohamed Essam , Omar Mariam E. , Hawash Shymaa A. , Attiya Ahmed Mohamed Naguib , Salem Karem Mohamed , Sabry Alaa Abdel-Aziz
Published: March 2023

Background

Health authorities have struggled to increase vaccination uptake since the COVID-19 vaccines became available. However, there have been increasing concerns about declining immunity after the initial COVID-19 vaccination with the emergence of new variants. Booster doses were implemented as a complementary policy to increase protection against COVID-19. Egyptian hemodialysis (HD) patients have shown a high rate of hesitancy to COVID-19 primary vaccination, yet their willingness to receive booster doses is unknown. This study aimed to assess COVID-19 vaccine booster hesitancy and its associated factors in Egyptian HD patients.

Methods

A face-to-face interview was conducted with closed-ended questionnaires distributed to healthcare workers in seven Egyptian HD centers, mainly located in three Egyptian governorates, between the 7th of  March and the 7th of April 2022.

Results

Among 691 chronic HD patients, 49.3% (n = 341) were willing to take the booster dose. The main reason for booster hesitancy was the opinion that a booster dose is unnecessary (n = 83, 44.9%). Booster vaccine hesitancy was associated with female gender, younger age, being single, Alexandria and urban residency, the use of a tunneled dialysis catheter, not being fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Odds of booster hesitancy were higher among participants who did not receive full COVID-19 vaccination and among those who were not planning to take the influenza vaccine (10.8 and 4.2, respectively).

Conclusion

COVID-19 booster-dose hesitancy among HD patients in Egypt represents a major concern, is associated with vaccine hesitancy with respect to other vaccines and emphasizes the need to develop effective strategies to increase vaccine uptake.

Graphical abstract
Total Ordering on Generalized ‘n’ Gonal Linear Fuzzy Numbers
Authors: Velu Lakshmana Gomathi Nayagam , Ramalingam Bharanidharan
Published: March 2023

Zadeh introduced fuzzy sets to study imprecision in real life after which many generalizations have been developed in literature. Fuzzy numbers is the major research area of study because of its needfulness for modeling qualitative and imprecise continuous transitions. Most of the time, data involved in multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) will be in the form of fuzzy numbers due to qualitative and continuous deforming criteria. Different methods of defining total ordering on the class of fuzzy numbers have important role in MCDM to find the preference order of alternatives. Many total ordering techniques for various types of piecewise linear fuzzy numbers such as triangular (3-sided), trapezoidal (4-sided), pentagonal (5-sided), hexagonal (6-sided) and so on are available in the literature. In this paper, a generalized ‘n’gonal linear fuzzy number (n-sided) as a generalization of triangular (3-sided), trapezoidal (4-sided), pentagonal (5-sided), hexagonal (6-sided) and so on is defined and a method of defining total ordering on the class of generalized ‘n’gonal linear fuzzy numbers (n-sided) which generalizes total ordering methods defined for triangular (3-sided), trapezoidal (4-sided), pentagonal (5-sided), hexagonal (6-sided) and so on in the literature has been proposed and analyzed. Further, a similarity measure on ‘n’ gonal linear fuzzy numbers using the proposed midpoint score function is also defined and the applicability of the proposed operations, total ordering method and similarity measure on ‘n’ gonal linear fuzzy numbers in MCDM is shown by comparing with some other methods in the literature.
Land and Liberalism
Authors: Phemister Andrew
Published: March 2023

Irish land in the 1880s was a site of ideological conflict, with resonances for liberal politics far beyond Ireland itself. The Irish Land War, internationalised partly through the influence of Henry George, the American social reformer and political economist, came at a decisive juncture in Anglo-American political thought, and provided many radicals across the North Atlantic with a vision of a more just and morally coherent political economy. Looking at the discourses and practices of these agrarian radicals, alongside developments in liberal political thought, Andrew Phemister shows how they utilised the land question to articulate a natural and universal right to life that highlighted the contradictions between liberty and property. In response to this popular agrarian movement, liberal thinkers discarded many older individualistic assumptions, and their radical democratic implications, in the name of protecting social order, property, and economic progress. Land and Liberalism thus vividly demonstrates the centrality of Henry George and the Irish Land War to the transformation of liberal thought.
Random Graphs and Networks: A First Course
Authors: Frieze Alan , Karoński Michał
Published: March 2023

Networks surround us, from social networks to protein–protein interaction networks within the cells of our bodies. The theory of random graphs provides a necessary framework for understanding their structure and development. This text provides an accessible introduction to this rapidly expanding subject. It covers all the basic features of random graphs – component structure, matchings and Hamilton cycles, connectivity and chromatic number – before discussing models of real-world networks, including intersection graphs, preferential attachment graphs and small-world models. Based on the authors' own teaching experience, it can be used as a textbook for a one-semester course on random graphs and networks at advanced undergraduate or graduate level. The text includes numerous exercises, with a particular focus on developing students' skills in asymptotic analysis. More challenging problems are accompanied by hints or suggestions for further reading.
Death in Old Mexico
Authors: von Germeten Nicole
Published: March 2023

In a Mexico City mansion on October 23, 1789, Don Joaquín Dongo and ten of his employees were brutally murdered by three killers armed with machetes. Investigators worked tirelessly to find the perpetrators, who were publicly executed two weeks later. Labelled the 'crime of the century,' these events and their aftermath have intrigued writers of fiction and nonfiction for over two centuries. Using a vast range of sources, Nicole von Germeten recreates a paper trail of Enlightenment-era greed and savagery, and highlights how the violence of the Mexican judiciary echoed the acts of the murderers. The Spanish government conducted dozens of executions in Mexico City's central square in this era, revealing how European imperialism in the Americas influenced perceptions of violence and how it was tolerated, encouraged, or suppressed. An evocative history, Death in Old Mexico provides a compelling new perspective on late colonial Mexico City.
African Activists in a Decolonising World
Authors: Milford Ismay
Published: March 2023

As wars of liberation in Africa and Asia shook the post-war world, a cohort of activists from East and Central Africa, specifically the region encompassing present-day Malawi, Zambia, Uganda and mainland Tanzania, asked what role they could play in the global anticolonial landscape. Through the perspective of these activists, Ismay Milford presents a social and intellectual history of decolonisation and anticolonialism in the 1950s and 1960s. Drawing on multi-archival research, she brings together their trajectories for the first time, reconstructing the anticolonial culture that underpinned their journeys to Delhi, Cairo, London, Accra and beyond. Forming committees and publishing pamphlets, these activists worked with pan-African and Afro-Asian solidarity projects, Cold War student internationals, spiritual internationalists and diverse pressure groups. Milford argues that a focus on their everyday labour and knowledge production highlights certain limits of transnational and international activism, opening up a critical – albeit less heroic – perspective on the global history of anticolonial work and thought.
Place Names
Authors: Perono Cacciafoco Francesco , Cavallaro Francesco
Published: March 2023

What are place names? From where do they originate? How are they structured? What do they signify? How important are they in our life? This groundbreaking book explores these compelling questions and more by providing a thorough introduction to the assumptions, theories, terminology, and methods in toponymy and toponomastics – the studies of place names, or toponyms. It is the first comprehensive resource on the topic in a single volume, and explores the history and development of toponyms, focusing on the conceptual and methodological issues pertinent to the study of place names around the world. It presents a wide range of examples and case studies illustrating the structure, function, and importance of toponyms from ancient times to the present day. Wide ranging yet accessible, it is an indispensable source of knowledge for students and scholars in linguistics, toponymy and toponomastics, onomastics, etymology, and historical linguistics.
Magic and the Supernatural in Medieval English Romance
Authors: Saunders Corinne
Published: March 2023

The themes of magic and the supernatural in medieval romance are here fully explored and put into the context of thinking at the time in this first full study of the subject.
Parliament and Political Pamphleteering in Fourteenth-Century England
Authors: Oliver Clementine
Published: March 2023

First full examination of the phenomenon of the medieval political pamphlet.
Competencies supporting high-performance translational teams: A review of the SciTS evidence base
Authors: Brasier Allan R. , Burnside Elizabeth S. , Rolland Betsy
Published: March 2023

A translational team (TT) is a specific type of interdisciplinary team that seeks to improve human health. Because high-performing TTs are critical to accomplishing CTSA goals, a greater understanding of how to promote TT performance is needed. Previous work by a CTSA Workgroup formulated a taxonomy of 5 interrelated team-emergent competency “domains” for successful translation: 1). affect, 2). communication, 3). management, 4). collaborative problem-solving, and 5). leadership. These Knowledge Skills and Attitudes (KSAs) develop within teams from the team’s interactions. However, understanding how practice in these domains enhance team performance was unaddressed. To fill this gap, we conducted a scoping literature review of empirical team studies from the broader Science of Team Science literature domains. We identified specific team-emergent KSAs that enhance TT performance, mapped these to the earlier “domain” taxonomy, and developed a rubric for their assessment. This work identifies important areas of intersection of practices in specific competencies across other competency domains. We find that inclusive environment, openness to transdisciplinary knowledge sharing, and situational leadership are a core triad of team-emergent competencies that reinforce each other and are highly linked to team performance. Finally, we identify strategies for enhancing these competencies. This work provides a grounded approach for training interventions in the CTSA context.
Is remote measurement a better assessment of internet censorship than expert analysis? Analyzing tradeoffs for international donors and advocacy organizations of current data and methodologies
Authors: Fletcher Terry , Hayes-Birchler Andria
Published: March 2023

Donor organizations and multilaterals require ways to measure progress toward the goals of creating an open internet, and condition assistance on recipient governments maintaining access to information online. Because the internet is increasingly becoming a leading tool for exchanging information, authoritarian governments around the world often seek methods to restrict citizens’ access. Two of the most common methods for restricting the internet are shutting down internet access entirely and filtering specific content. We conduct a systematic literature review of articles on the measurement of internet censorship and find that little work has been done comparing the tradeoffs of using different methods to measure censorship on a global scale. We compare the tradeoffs between measuring these phenomena using expert analysis (as measured by Freedom House and V-Dem) and remote measurement with manual oversight (as measured by Access Now and the OpenNet Initiative [ONI]) for donor organizations that want to incentivize and measure good internet governance. We find that remote measurement with manual oversight is less likely to include false positives, and therefore may be more preferable for donor organizations that value verifiability. We also find that expert analysis is less likely to include false negatives, particularly for very repressive regimes in the Middle East and Central Asia and therefore these data may be preferable for advocacy organizations that want to ensure very repressive regimes are not able to avoid accountability, or organizations working primarily in these areas.
Capital investment, business behaviour, and the macroeconomy
Authors: Baddeley Michelle
Published: March 2023

GC Harcourt made many fundamental and essential contributions to the development of capital investment theory – most famously via his development of the Cambridge Capital Controversies, exposing conceptual and analytical flaws and contradictions in neoclassical approaches to defining and measuring capital. Relatedly, Harcourt also made essential contributions to our understanding of how accounting rules, used by real-world businesses to guide their investment decision-making, create anomalies and deficiencies in the accumulation of capital at a microeconomic level – with significant, deleterious consequences for the accumulation of capital at a macroeconomic level. In developing Harcourt’s contributions, this paper links Harcourt’s early insights about accounting rules with subsequent developments in behavioural economic models of business decision-making, thus aligning Harcourt’s contributions with insights from behavioural models of investment decision-making. These insights are then combined in showing how the misapplication of investment appraisal criteria at a microeconomic level contributes to under-investment and investment volatility in the macroeconomy, with negative implications for output, employment, labour productivity, wages and cyclical volatility.
Making an economic argument for investment in global mental health: The case of conflict-affected refugees and displaced people
Authors: McDaid David , Park A-La
Published: March 2023

Mental health expenditure accounts for just 2.1% of total domestic governmental health expenditure per capita. There is an economic, as well as moral, imperative to invest more in mental health given the long-term adverse impacts of mental disorders. This paper focuses on how economic evidence can be used to support the case for action on global mental health, focusing on refugees and people displaced due to conflict. Refugees present almost unique challenges as some policy makers may be reluctant to divert scarce resources away from the domestic population to these population groups. A rapid systematic scoping review was also undertaken to identify economic evaluations of mental health-related interventions for refugees and displaced people and to look at how this evidence base can be strengthened. Only 11 economic evaluations focused on the mental health of refugees, asylum seekers and other displaced people were identified. All but two of these intervention studies potentially could be cost-effective, but only five studies reported cost per quality-adjusted life year gained, a metric allowing the economic case for investment in refugee mental health to be compared with any other health-focused intervention. There is a need for more consistent collection of data on quality of life and the longer-term impacts of intervention. The perspective adopted in economic evaluations may also need broadening to include intersectoral benefits beyond health, as well as identifying complementary benefits to host communities. More use can be also made of modelling, drawing on existing evidence on the effectiveness and resource requirements of interventions delivered in comparable settings to expand the current evidence base. The budgetary impact of any proposed strategy should be considered; modelling could also be used to look at how implementation might be adapted to contain costs and take account of local contextual factors.
TIGHT EVENTUALLY DIFFERENT FAMILIES
Authors: FISCHER VERA , SWITZER COREY BACAL
Published: March 2023

Generalizing the notion of a tight almost disjoint family, we introduce the notions of a tight eventually different family of functions in Baire space and a tight eventually different set of permutations of
$\omega $
. Such sets strengthen maximality, exist under
$\mathsf {MA} (\sigma \mathrm {-centered})$
and come with a properness preservation theorem. The notion of tightness also generalizes earlier work on the forcing indestructibility of maximality of families of functions. As a result we compute the cardinals
$\mathfrak {a}_e$
and
$\mathfrak {a}_p$
in many known models by giving explicit witnesses and therefore obtain the consistency of several constellations of cardinal characteristics of the continuum including
$\mathfrak {a}_e = \mathfrak {a}_p = \mathfrak {d} < \mathfrak {a}_T$
,
$\mathfrak {a}_e = \mathfrak {a}_p < \mathfrak {d} = \mathfrak {a}_T$
,
$\mathfrak {a}_e = \mathfrak {a}_p =\mathfrak {i} < \mathfrak {u}$
, and
$\mathfrak {a}_e=\mathfrak {a}_p = \mathfrak {a} < non(\mathcal N) = cof(\mathcal N)$
. We also show that there are
$\Pi ^1_1$
tight eventually different families and tight eventually different sets of permutations in L thus obtaining the above inequalities alongside
$\Pi ^1_1$
witnesses for
$\mathfrak {a}_e = \mathfrak {a}_p = \aleph _1$
.

Moreover, we prove that tight eventually different families are Cohen indestructible and are never analytic.