bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding cardiac events in breast cancer (UCARE): pilot cardio-oncology assessment and surveillance pathway for breast cancer patients
Authors: Cronin Michael , Lowery Aoife , McInerney Veronica , Wijns William , Kerin Michael , Keane Maccon , Blazkova Silvie , Neiuroukh Dina , Martin Michael , Soliman Osama
Published: June 2024

Purpose

In Ireland, over 3000 patients are diagnosed with breast cancer annually, and 1 in 9 Irish women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. There is evidence that female breast cancer survivors are more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than their age-matched counterparts. Specific services for cancer patients suffering from cancer therapy related cardiovascular toxicity have led to a higher incidence of safe anti-cancer treatment completion. Such services are not widely available in our jurisdiction, and the purpose of this trial is to remedy this situation.

Methods

This protocol describes a prospective, single arm, pilot feasibility study implementing a dedicated Cardio-Oncology assessment and surveillance pathway for patients receiving multimodal breast cancer treatment. It incorporates novel biomarker and radiomic surveillance and monitoring approaches for cancer-therapy related cardiac dysfunction into routine care for breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant systemic chemotherapy.

Results

Declaration of results will via peer reviewed academic journals, and communicated directly to key knowledge users both nationally and internationally. This engagement will be critical to enable to healthcare services and policy sector make informed decisions or valuable changes to clinical practice, expenditure and/or systems development to support specialized Cardio-Oncology clinical pathways. All data is to be made available upon request.

Conclusion

Dedicated cardio-oncology services have been recommended in recent literature to improve patient outcomes. Our protocol describes a feasibility study into the provision of such services for breast cancer.
Global South States’ Views on Building Partnerships with Corporations: An Agonistic Struggle in the UN and Beyond
Authors: Nilsson Eva , Fougère Martin
Published: June 2024

In this article, we analyse the global consensus on the UN’s partnership approach to businesses through an agonistic lens. In doing so, we seek to understand the positioning of states, particularly those in the Global South, towards the partnership approach. We draw on Mouffe’s conceptualisation of ‘the political’, in which the appearance of consensus is always an expression of hegemony accompanied by exclusion and dissensus. First, we show that the partnership approach was initially promoted by the Global North, in particular European states together with UN leadership, against fears and criticism raised by Global South states. Second, we show that Global South states have not fundamentally challenged the idea of engaging in partnerships with businesses, but they have questioned how these partnerships should be designed to shape a more equally beneficial global economy. With this article, we contribute to the literature on the UN and business ethics by identifying how the evolution of the consensus on business partnerships has been a hegemonic arrangement since the 2000s. Furthermore, we illustrate the role that states have had in forming this consensus. We also contribute to business ethics studies engaging with dissensus by problematising the potential of ‘agonistic deliberation’ at the UN level in supporting the interests of the Global South.
Business Strategy, Short-Term Debt, and Cost Stickiness
Authors: Askarany Davood , Parsaei Mona , Ghanbari Nilofar
Published: June 2024

This research delves into the dynamics that underlie the relationship between changes in a company's sales and its cost structure. It also explores the influence of short-term debt, often associated with sales, on a phenomenon known as cost stickiness. Furthermore, we examine the roles of product market competition and various business strategies in shaping these interactions. We used financial data from 153 companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange from 2015 to 2021 to conduct a rigorous regression analysis to unearth significant insights. Our findings reveal that short-term debt serves as a mechanism for companies to effectively manage their financial obligations with lenders and creditors, and it is inversely correlated with cost stickiness. Moreover, our results shed light on how the impact of short-term debt on cost stickiness varies in response to the competitive nature of the product market and a company's chosen business strategy. Specifically, when companies adopt a "prospector strategy" to explore new markets and expand their product offerings, the negative association between short-term debt and cost stickiness weakens. In a broader context, our study contributes to comprehending cost stickiness and carries practical implications for industry professionals and future scholarly pursuits.
Examining ChatGPT’s validity as a source for scientific inquiry and its misconceptions regarding cell energy metabolism
Authors: Elmas Rıdvan , Adiguzel-Ulutas Merve , Yılmaz Mehmet
Published: June 2024

Many people use technological tools that are widely accessible, respond quickly, and have extensive information networks today. Due to recent technological advances in education and the increasing acceptance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, the issues regarding their implementation in education require identification and analysis. ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer), an artificial intelligence program that emerged in 2022, contains notable characteristics. OpenAI created ChatGPT and released it to users in 2022. ChatGPT is a machine learning-powered chatbot that can deliver detailed responses to inquiries. This research aims to evaluate the validity of ChatGPT-generated responses when scientific questions related to the biochemistry discipline are posed. A document analysis was conducted to determine the scientific validity of responses produced by ChatGPT for five questions. Five questions originating from bio-chemistry content were asked to ChatGPT in a written format. The AI’s generated answers were saved and analyzed depending on their scientific validity. As a result of the study, it was detected that ChatGPT responded with scientifically incorrect or incomplete answers to the five questions asked. Besides, when asked the reason for ChatGPT’s response, it is seen that AI insisted on its invalid answers. Following prompts for certainty, the AI’s performance was evaluated. It provided scientifically correct answers to the first two questions, partially correct answers to the third, and consistently offered invalid solutions for the remaining questions. Ultimately, ChatGPT’s capabilities are limited in providing scientifically rigorous responses. To obtain accurate and appropriate answers, it is imperative to pose comprehensive and detailed inquiries that facilitate a more precise and informed response. Scholars and researchers must acknowledge that ChatGPT harbors certain misconceptions and consequently only constitutes a somewhat dependable and scientifically validated resource.
Meaning, Communal Use and Deference to Experts
Authors: Kaluziński Bartosz
Published: June 2024

It is hardly controversial that laypeople have little-to-no knowledge concerning the actual meaning of such specialist terms as “boson” or “sarcoidosis” (at best, they can say that sarcoidosis is a disease and boson is some particle.) It has been convincingly shown (Burge, 1979, 1986, 1988, 1989, 2003; Putnam, 1973, 1975, 1978) that not the community as a whole, but rather relevant experts play an essential role in determining the meaning of such specialist terms. Normative inferentialism, an important alternative to more traditional representational semantics, is an essentially social theory that emphasizes the role a linguistic community as a whole plays in determining linguistic meaning: Communal inferential rules are constitutive of expressions’ meanings. To date, inferentialists have largely ignored highly specialised discourses. This article fills that gap. I argue that the normative inferentialist can account for highly specialised discourses in a manner that respects Burgean insights concerning the critical role of the relevant experts in determining linguistic meaning. The result stems naturally from the central point of inferentialism: The game of giving and asking for reasons.
Moral Facts Do Not Supervene on Non-moral Qualitative Facts
Authors: Hong Frank
Published: June 2024

It is very natural to think that if two people, x and y, are qualitatively identical and have committed qualitatively identical actions, then it cannot be the case that one has committed something wrong whereas the other did not. That is to say, if x and y differ in their moral status, then it must be because x and y are qualitatively different, and not simply because x is identical to x and not identical to y. In this fictional dialogue between Socrates and Cantor involving infinitely many qualitatively identical agents, this assumption is challenged.
Educational Gradient of Multi-partner Fertility: First Estimates for the UK
Authors: Stannard Sebastian , Berrington Ann , Alwan Nisreen A.
Published: June 2024

Recent demographic changes in Western countries have resulted in higher rates of partnership dissolution and serial partnering, and an increase in childbearing across multiple partnerships. This has given rise to more complex family dynamics including multi-partner fertility (MPF), defined as having biological children with two or more partners. Yet estimates of MPF in the UK have not previously been available. This paper describes an ‘indirect approach’ to estimate the prevalence of MPF in the UK, for men and women, given different assumptions. The paper additionally explores differences in MPF according to own and parental educational attainment. Amongst those born in Britain in 1970, 12–14% of men and 15–18% of women experienced MPF by age 42, depending on the assumptions made. For most of the cohort, MPF occurred with two different coresidential partners. We have established that MPF is a common family formation in the UK, but there are large educational disparities in MPF prevalence.
Multi-model genome-wide association study on key organic naked barley agronomic, phenological, diseases, and grain quality traits
Authors: Paire Laura , McCabe Cathal , McCabe Tomás
Published: June 2024

The study objective was to assess the potential benefits of using genomic tools in organic plant breeding programs to enhance selection efficiency. A diversity panel of 247 spring naked barley accessions was characterized under Irish organic conditions over 3 years. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed on 19 traits related to agronomy, phenology, diseases, and grain quality, using the information on 50 K Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP). Four models (EMMA, G model, BLINK, 3VMrMLM) were applied to 5 types of Best Linear Unbiased Predictors (BLUP): within-year, mean, aggregated within-year). 1653 Marker-Trait-Associations (MTA) were identified, with 259 discovered in at least two analyses. 3VMrMLM was the best-performing model with significant MTA together explaining the largest proportion of the additive variance for most traits and BLUP types (from 1.4 to 50%). This study proposed a methodology to prioritize main effect MTA from different models’ outputs, using multi-marker regression analyses with markers fitted as fixed or random factors. 36 QTL, considered major, explained more than 5% of the trait variance on each BLUP type. A candidate gene or known QTL was found for 18 of them, with 13 discovered with 3VMrMLM. Multi-model GWAS was useful for validating additional QTL, including 8 only discovered with BLINK or G model, thus allowing a broader understanding of the traits’ genetic architecture. In addition, results highlighted a correlation between the trait value and the number of favorable major QTL exhibited by accessions. We suggest inputting this number in a multi-trait index for a more efficient Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) of accessions best balancing multiple quantitative traits.
The Role of Transparency in Digital Contact Tracing During COVID-19: Insights from an Expert Survey
Authors: Krämer Dennis , Brachem Elisabeth , Schneider-Reuter Lydia , D’Angelo Isabella , Vollmann Jochen , Haltaufderheide Joschka
Published: June 2024

Health technologies such as apps for digital contract tracing [DCT] played a crucial role in containing and combating infections during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their primary function was to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by consistently generating and disseminating information related to various events such as encounters, vaccinations or infections. While the functionality of DCT has been well researched, the necessity of transparency in the use of DCT and the consent to share sensitive information such as users’ health, vaccination and location status remains unclear. On one hand, DCT enabled the continuous monitoring of various risk factors, including data-based calculations of infection probabilities. On the other hand, digital monitoring of health risks was closely associated with various uncertainties, such as the ambiguous storage of personal data and its potential future misuse, e.g., by tech companies or health authorities. Our contribution aims to retrospectively analyze the COVID-19 pandemic from a post-pandemic perspective and utilize it as a case study for the implementation of new technological measures. We argue that under the condition of voluntary use of DCT, transparency plays a key role in convincing individuals to install health technologies on their mobile devices, keep them activated and consent to the sharing of sensitive data. We support our argument with qualitative data from an expert survey conducted between 2020 and 2021 and analyzed according to the principles of Grounded Theory.
Curiosity Opens Relationships of the World and with Others: Narratives from Doing Teaching and Learning Through Curiosity
Authors: Cavicchi Elizabeth
Published: June 2024

What potentials does curiosity bear for education? Some characterizations portray curiosity as self-motivated search for answers, a drive conformable with conventional education’s imperative for correct answers. For participants in this study, curiosity engages them with their relationships to the world. This article examines curiosity from along my developing in learning and teaching. While school settings limited or excluded curiosity, both for me as a student and as a teacher, it relates how I encountered the value of curiosity in examples of my father, mentors, and other experiences. Beginning with a gradual and uncertain process, I transitioned from being an educator bound by conventional expectations, to a teacher-researcher creating environments where learners’ expressions and acts of curiosity constitute the educational work that I actively support and seek to extend. Curiosity in the classroom generates trajectories and engagements that differ from conventional instruction. This article demonstrates and researches the educational work of curiosity, through contextual narratives from my teaching as a beginner at accommodating students’ curiosity, and from my recent teaching, where students and I more fully commit to the relational and educational possibilities of encouraging curiosity. In facilitating these experiences, I apply the research pedagogy of Eleanor Duckworth, ‘critical exploration in the classroom’. In narratives from my teaching, curiosity propels exploring relationships among: floating and sinking; trees, leaves and acorns; dye in water; maple sap sweetness; bubbles in water; and permutations of objects. Provocations from historical works include: Leonardo’s drawings; Hooke’s and Ramón y Cajal’s microscopy; Keats’ “negative capability”; Dewey’s reflections on interdependency among children and adults; and children’s creations in Reggio Emilia preschools. As experience builds through curiosity, relations deepen in ways simultaneously unadulterated—exploring unconstrained—and unchildlike—sustaining commitment. Participants characterize our process as having “No End Goal” imposed from outside themselves, unlike formal instruction that suppresses personal curiosity in favor of pre-ordained goals. The natural world, opened by curiosity, embodies ever-emerging relationships that accommodate concurrent widening and deepening of learners’ involvement and realizations. Learning experiences happening through relationships are infused with emotion, aesthetic qualities, and social connections and concerns.
Combating Fake News Using Implementation Intentions
Authors: Armeen Inaiya , Niswanger Ross , Tian Chuan
Published: June 2024

The rise of misinformation on social media platforms is an extremely worrisome issue and calls for the development of interventions and strategies to combat fake news. This research investigates one potential mechanism that can help mitigate fake news: prompting users to form implementation intentions along with education. Previous research suggests that forming “if – then” plans, otherwise known as implementation intentions, is one of the best ways to facilitate behavior change. To evaluate the effectiveness of such plans, we used MTurk to conduct an experiment where we educated participants on fake news and then asked them to form implementation intentions about performing fact checking before sharing posts on social media. Participants who had received both the implementation intention intervention and the educational intervention significantly engaged more in fact checking behavior than those who did not receive any intervention as well as participants who had received only the educational intervention. This study contributes to the emerging literature on fake news by demonstrating that implementation intentions can be used in interventions to combat fake news.
Comparing and Improving Active Learning Uncertainty Measures for Transformer Models by Discarding Outliers
Authors: Gonsior Julius , Falkenberg Christian , Magino Silvio , Reusch Anja , Hartmann Claudio , Thiele Maik , Lehner Wolfgang
Published: June 2024

Despite achieving state-of-the-art results in nearly all Natural Language Processing applications, fine-tuning Transformer-encoder based language models still requires a significant amount of labeled data to achieve satisfying work. A well known technique to reduce the amount of human effort in acquiring a labeled dataset is Active Learning (AL): an iterative process in which only the minimal amount of samples is labeled. AL strategies require access to a quantified confidence measure of the model predictions. A common choice is the softmax activation function for the final Neural Network layer. In this paper, we compare eight alternatives on seven datasets and show that the softmax function provides misleading probabilities. Our finding is that most of the methods primarily identify hard-to-learn-from samples (commonly called outliers), resulting in worse than random performance, instead of samples, which actually reduce the uncertainty of the learned language model. As a solution, this paper proposes Uncertainty-Clipping, a heuristic to systematically exclude samples, which results in improvements for most methods compared to the softmax function.
Research Ethics in Swedish Dissertations in Educational Science – A Matter of Confusion
Authors: Cronqvist Marita
Published: June 2024

In all research, ethical considerations are crucial to reliability and quality and researchers are guided by various national and international documents and ethical committees. Despite different strategies to guide researchers and to ensure quality, there still seems to be uncertainty in educational science about how research ethics should be positioned and handled in practice. The aim of this study is to phenomenologically explore what meanings the phenomenon research ethics are given in Swedish doctoral dissertations in educational research based on how doctoral researchers position, frame and present research ethics in their ethical elaborations. The empirical data consists of 60 doctoral dissertations in educational science at Swedish universities from the past year. The result indicates very different meanings of ethical considerations despite a quite common point of departure in the Swedish Research Council’s guidelines and knowledge of the Ethics Review Act. Some variations can be related to the differences in the studies’ designs, but regardless of such explanations, the conclusion is that consensus regarding ethical considerations in research is largely lacking.
Assessing the impact of medically assisted reproduction on autism spectrum disorder risk
Authors: Zamstein Omri , Wainstock Tamar , Gutvirtz Gil , Sheiner Eyal
Published: June 2024

Purpose

Techniques of medically assisted reproduction interact with the embryo at crucial developmental stages, yet their impact on the fetus and subsequent child’s health remains unclear. Given rising infertility rates and more frequent use of fertility treatments, we aimed to investigate if these methods heighten the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children.

Methods

A population-based cohort study was conducted at Soroka University Medical Center, a tertiary referral hospital, encompassing singleton births. The incidence of ASD in offspring, incorporating either hospital or community-based diagnoses, was compared in relation to the conception method. To examine the cumulative incidence of ASD, a Kaplan–Meier survival curve was utilized. Cox proportional hazards model was employed to adjust for confounders.

Results

Among 115,081 pregnancies, 0.5% involved ovulation induction (OI) and 1.7% in vitro fertilization (IVF), with the rest conceived naturally. Fertility treatments were more common in older patients and linked to more diabetes, hypertensive disorders, preterm, and cesarean deliveries. Out of 767 ASD diagnoses, offspring from OI and IVF had higher initial ASD rates (2.1% and 1.3%) than natural conceptions (0.6%). In a Cox model accounting for maternal age, ethnicity, and gender, neither OI nor IVF was significantly associated with ASD. The adjusted hazard ratios were 0.83 (95% CI 0.48–1.43) for OI and 1.34 (95% CI 0.91–1.99) for IVF. When considering fertility treatments combined, the association with ASD remained non-significant (aHR 1.11, 95% CI 0.80–1.54, p = 0.52).

Conclusion

Fertility treatments, including OI and IVF, do not exhibit a significant association with heightened ASD risk in offspring.
Enhanced photocatalytic activity in AgCu-decorated ZnO nanoparticles under UV and sunlight
Authors: Noua Abd Elouahab , Kaya Dogan , Sigircik Gokmen , Tuken Tunc , Karadag Faruk , Ekicibil Ahmet
Published: June 2024

This study investigates the structural, morphological, and photocatalytic properties of monometallic (Ag and Cu) and bimetallic (AgCu) nanoparticles (NPs) incorporated into ZnO NPs and their photocatalytic performance. X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement were employed to analyze the structural characteristics, revealing the formation of a hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO and cubic phases of Ag and Cu within the metal-decorated NPs. Scanning electron microscopy provided visual evidence of the spherical morphology, with an average particle size of 50 nm. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirmed the successful deposition of Ag, Cu, and AgCu NPs onto the ZnO surface. The photocatalytic efficiency of the NPs was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue dye under UV light at a wavelength of 254 nm under sunlight irradiation. Under UV light, the bimetallic AgCu/ZnO system exhibited exceptional performance, achieving a degradation rate of about 95% with 10% AgCu/ZnO. Conversely, under sunlight illumination, the monometallic Cu/ZnO and Ag/ZnO NPs exhibited outstanding photocatalytic properties, with degradation rates of about 99 and 98%, respectively. These findings underscore the influence of the light source on photocatalytic performance as well as the significance of the plasmonic effects and charge-transfer mechanisms.
Study of La1−xSrxMnO3 nanoparticles: synthesis, magnetic properties and their hyperthermia applications
Authors: Sert Enis , Kaynar Mehmet Burak , Özcan Şadan
Published: June 2024

In this investigation, we synthesized nano-sized perovskite LSMO and Cu-doped LSMCx materials using the sol–gel method, exhibiting appropriate Curie temperatures and magnetic attributes conducive to the application of self-controlled hyperthermia. Centrifugal separation has been used to reduce particle size distribution and thus analyze magnetic properties dependent on mean particle size. Structural analysis was conducted using X-ray Powder Diffraction. The composition was determined through X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, while topographical features were scrutinized employing Scanning Electron Microscopy. Magnetic properties were evaluated employing a Vibrating Sample Magnetometer, and the magneto-thermal characteristics were delineated using an Alternating Magnetic Field hyperthermia system. Notably, this study marks the pioneering identification of La1−xSrxMnO3 as a viable material candidate for auto-regulated hyperthermia, based on its magnetization range (5–20 emu/g) and Curie temperature span (287–357 K) that are changing with the mean particle size. Through comprehensive analysis, we thoroughly investigated its hyperthermia attributes, thereby contributing significant insights to the existing literature.
Reevaluating soil amplification using multi-spectral HVSR technique in La Chana Neighborhood, Granada, Spain
Authors: Araque-Perez Carlos Jose
Published: June 2024

This work presents a thorough reevaluation of soil amplification in the La Chana neighborhood of Granada through a pioneering application of the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio technique on seismic noise data using various spectral approaches. The research recycles old seismic noise data recorded at 34 stations with 2 Hz instruments in the year 2010, supplemented with additional measurements recorded with broadband seismometers at nearby locations in the years 2013 and 2017. Initial traditional processing identifies a narrowband dominant frequency around 1.5 Hz, attributed to artificial or anthropogenic sources. To address this, the Maximum Entropy Algorithm was implemented to smooth the spectral response below 1 Hz, and filter out frequency peaks with very narrow spectral bands, while preserving the narrowband frequency around 1.5 Hz in some records. The Thomson Multitaper method further refined the spectral ratio, emphasizing the detection and suppression of narrow frequency bands that may be related to industrial activity. The results demonstrated the reappearance of the 1.5 Hz frequency, but this time without narrow bandwidths, indicating its possible correlation with the natural ground movement. Fundamental periods, ranging from 0.45 s to 0.88 s, suggest a diverse lithological composition, indicating the presence of layers of sands, clays, conglomerates, and carbonates over a basement that represents the main impedance contrast in the area. The multispectral approach surpasses conventional methods in precision and reliability, providing valuable insights for earthquake risk assessment, urban planning, and engineering decisions in seismically active regions.
The Role of Audio in Immersive Storytelling: a Systematic Review in Cultural Heritage
Authors: Privitera Alessandro Giuseppe , Fontana Federico , Geronazzo Michele
Published: June 2024

Nowadays, Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies play a supportive role in many research fields. In cultural heritage, various examples are available, including storytelling and narratives, where they can provide immersive and enhanced experiences to visitors and tourists, especially for entertainment and educational purposes. This review aims to investigate the opportunities that soundscape design and advanced sonic interactions in virtual and augmented environments can bring to cultural heritage sites and museums in terms of presence, emotional content, and cultural dissemination. Nineteen-two papers have been identified through the PRISMA methodology, and a promising positive effect of sonic interaction on user experience in a virtual environment can be observed in various studies, notwithstanding a general lack of specific contributions on the use of sound rendering and audio spatialisation for improving such experiences. Moreover, this work identifies the main involved research areas and discusses the state-of-the-art best practices and case studies where sonic interactions may assume a central role. The final part suggests possible future directions and applications for more engaging and immersive storytelling in the cultural heritage domain.
Location and Price Competition on a Uniform Path with Different Pricing Policies
Authors: Bhadury Joyendu , Eiselt H. A.
Published: June 2024

This paper models duopolistic competition between an online retailer and a physical store retailer with the online retailer modelled as a firm with uniform delivered pricing policy and the physical store as a firm with a mill pricing policy. Both firms seek to maximize their respective profits through an appropriate choice of location and price. The market is assumed to be given by a “uniform path” - a tree whose node weights and arc lengths are equal. Modelling reality, we consider two alternate types of transportation costs faced by the online retailer: either dependent on the relative location of the firm and a customer or independent of it. Beginning with the framework of a Stackelberg, i.e., sequential game, optimal location and price strategies are analytically derived for both sequences of market entry by the two competitors. Cases in which the leader faces the first entry paradox or can become a monopolist by strategically deterring entry by the follower are delineated. Thereafter, Nash Equilibrium solutions to the simultaneous game are identified. Salient insights from the results include: (a) the competitive pressure faced by the physical store in the presence of online competition (b) the inability of an online retailer to compete in “large” markets under the first type of transportation cost and (c) the advantage to the physical retailer of being a market leader.
Optical electrical antiferromagnetic microfluidical mKDV magnetomotive phase
Authors: Körpinar Talat , Körpinar Zeliha
Published: June 2024

In this manuscript, we illustrate antiferromagnetic geometric electric Heisenberg-microfluidical axially mKdV $$ \textbf{r}$$
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flux $$\textbf{r}$$
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Artificial consciousness: a perspective from the free energy principle
Authors: Wiese Wanja
Published: June 2024

Does the assumption of a weak form of computational functionalism, according to which the right form of neural computation is sufficient for consciousness, entail that a digital computational simulation of such neural computations is conscious? Or must this computational simulation be implemented in the right way, in order to replicate consciousness?

From the perspective of Karl Friston’s free energy principle, self-organising systems (such as living organisms) share a set of properties that could be realised in artificial systems, but are not instantiated by computers with a classical (von Neumann) architecture. I argue that at least one of these properties, viz. a certain kind of causal flow, can be used to draw a distinction between systems that merely simulate, and those that actually replicate consciousness.
Effects of (Short) Clues on Performance, Stress, and Self-Efficacy in the Accomplishment of Tasks with Complex Molecular Representations
Authors: Minkley Nina , Lucas Marco , Bernholt Sascha
Published: June 2024

The understanding of complex molecular representations is crucial for comprehending molecular scientific phenomena, but many students struggle with them. Therefore, we investigated the effectiveness of short written clues in dealing with molecular representations, specifically their impact on performance, self-efficacy, and stress reactions. A total of 136 secondary school students participated and engaged in tasks involving complex molecular representations in a prior knowledge test and a main test. Half of the students received clues, while the other half did not. The results showed that students who received clues performed significantly better on the test, highlighting their effectiveness for improving performance. However, the clues had no influence on self-efficacy, which remained moderate for both groups. Physiological stress responses (heart rate variability) indicated that students without clues experienced increased stress during the main test, whereas those with clues maintained lower stress levels like those in the prior knowledge test. Subjective stress levels decreased for both groups from the prior knowledge test to the main test, with students who received clues tending to report lower stress levels. In conclusion, short written clues were found to be effective in improving performance and reducing stress levels when dealing with complex molecular representations, although long-term interventions may be required to enhance self-efficacy.
The benefits of common inclusive identities for adolescent bystanders’ intentions to help homophobic bullying victims
Authors: António Raquel , Guerra Rita , Moleiro Carla
Published: June 2024

Bystanders’ helping behaviors are essential to mitigate bullying and its consequences, although bystanders do not always intervene on behalf of those who are victimized. One study (N = 170) tested, experimentally, the impact of different forms of common identities (one-group and dual-identity vs. control) on youth (aged between 12 and 19 years) bystanders’ helping behavioral intentions in the context of a common form of bias-based bullying (i.e., homophobic bullying). Results showed that dual-identity triggered more behavioral intentions to help victims of homophobic bullying. Overall, these findings extended previous studies illustrating the potential of common identities to foster bystanders’ helping responses to homophobic bullying episodes in the school context.
Measurements of Water-Soluble Ions in Particulate Matter 2.5 in Polish Rural Areas: Identifying Possible Sources
Authors: Chyzhykov Dmytro , Mathews Barbara
Published: June 2024

Limited data on rural Poland's atmospheric ion concentrations exists, with no publicly available monitoring data in urban areas. These knowledge gaps hinder the comparison of concentrations across environments and the identification of their sources. This study examines water-soluble ions across five rural locations in Poland over four years to investigate their concentrations and sources in the atmosphere. This study explores aerosol origins, performing a four-year correlation analysis across five locations to reveal ion relationships. Notably, sulfate (SO₄2⁻), nitrate (NO₃⁻), and ammonium (NH₄⁺) exhibit significant correlations ranging from 0.3 to 0.8, suggesting a common pollution source in all analyzed rural locations. Interestingly, magnesium (Mg2⁺) and sodium (Na⁺) in two locations demonstrated a strong correlation, ranging between 0.4 and 0.9, suggesting the influence of sea spray on these sites. Principal component analysis is used to investigate the factors influencing ion concentrations, revealing distinctive patterns for each location and explaining the total variances ranging from 74.9% to 84.8%. This underscores the significance of geographical and environmental factors. The study's novelty lies in its thorough and long-term analysis of water-soluble ion concentrations across rural Poland, providing an extensive dataset for the region. The study fills a data gap on rural pollution sources and reveals consistent ion patterns across different sites and seasons. The findings emphasize geographical and environmental impacts on aerosol composition and suggest common pollution sources for all areas. This research encourages further investigations into the stability and origins of ions in rural environments, providing valuable insights for local and broader atmospheric studies.
Harmonizing corporate venturing dimensions and its characteristics: a systematic analysis
Authors: Dall Nils , Terzidis Orestis , Krooß Leon
Published: June 2024

The research literature on Corporate Venturing (CV) has increased over the last few years. While research mainly focuses on analyzing one single CV dimension (e.g. Ambidexterity, etc.) or the interplay between selected dimensions, rarely does research cover and explain all CV dimensions and their characteristics holistically. This paper analyzes the status quo of different CV dimensions and their characteristics. To do so, we identified 100 studies we first used to perform a bibliometric analysis. After that, we executed a conceptual systematic literature review (SLR), updating and extending an existing research paper written by Gutmann (Manag Rev Q 69(2):121–157, 2018). The bibliometric analysis results help objectively evaluate and describe the research landscape and point out leading countries, main keywords, main cited papers, and main research clusters of our CV research. We discovered three new dimensions within our SLR: Relatedness, Time Horizon, and Development Stage. In addition, we show new findings within the 7 CV dimensions described by the existing research paper. Even though the characteristics within each dimension have, to some extent, developed significantly over time, each of the dimensions described in this paper contains substantial new knowledge. e.g. previously the dimension “Link to the corporate firm” mainly covered operational and structural linkages. However, we distinguish these linkages between operational and strategic autonomy.
Simultaneous biofiltration of H2S, NH3, and toluene using compost made of chicken manure and sugarcane bagasse as packing material
Authors: Guzmán-Beltrán Ana María , Vela-Aparicio Diana , Montero Sergio , Cabeza Iván O. , Brandão Pedro F. B.
Published: June 2024

Offensive odors from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are caused by volatile inorganic compounds such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as toluene. To treat these pollutants, biofiltration is an effective and economical technology used worldwide due to its low investment and environmental impact. In this work, a laboratory-scale prototype biofilter unit for the simultaneous biofiltration of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and toluene was evaluated by simulating the emission concentrations of the El Salitre WWTP Bogotá, Colombia, using a compost of chicken manure and sugarcane bagasse as packing material for the biofilter. The prototype biofilter unit was set to an operation flow rate of 0.089 m3/h, an empty bed residence time (EBRT) of 60 s, and a volume of 0.007 m3 (6.6 L). The maximum removal efficiency were 96.9 ± 1.2% for H2S, at a loading rate of 4.7 g/m3 h and a concentration of 79.1 mg/m3, 68 ± 2% for NH3, at a loading rate of 1.2 g/m3 h and a concentration of 2.0 mg/m3, and 71.5 ± 4.0% for toluene, at a loading rate of 1.32 g/m3 h and a concentration of 2.3 mg/m3. The removal efficiency of the three compounds decreased when the toluene concentration was increased above 40 mg/m3. However, a recovery of the system was observed after reducing the toluene concentration and after 7 days of inactivity, indicating an inhibitory effect of toluene. These results demonstrate the potential use of the prototype biofilter unit for odor treatment in a WWTP.
Measurement of volatile organic compounds using tethered balloons in a polluted industrial site in Catalonia (Spain)
Authors: Díez-Palet Isabel , Jaén Clara , Marco Esther , Van Drooge Barend L. , Fernández Pilar , Grimalt Joan O.
Published: June 2024

Understanding the chemical composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) near emission sources and in the background atmosphere above the mixing layer height (MLH) provides insight into the fate of VOCs and is essential for developing effective air pollution control strategies. Unfortunately, knowledge of the qualitative and quantitative changes of VOCs and their vertical transport in the atmosphere is limited due to challenging experimental setups. In this study, an innovative method using tethered balloons was tested and implemented to sample 40 VOCs and O3 below and above the MLH at an industrial site in Spain. VOC and O3 samples were collected with different types of sorbent cartridges and analyzed using chromatographic techniques. Overall, a decrease in VOC concentration with altitude was observed along with a homogeneous chemical composition up to 300 m AGL. This decrease with altitude denoted the primary origin of these VOCs, which were strongly influenced by industrial processes and the traffic emissions in the area. Conversely, O3 concentrations were notably higher at balloon level and increased during nighttime temperature inversion episodes in those samples collected above the mixing layer. Ground samples contained freshly emitted pollutants of industrial origin, while balloon samples consisted of aged pollutants from traffic, other combustion sources, or from a secondary origin. This study is the first to assess the vertical composition of VOCs at a site of these characteristics and demonstrates that tethered balloons are a cost-effective method for studying air pollution dynamics from the ground to higher altitudes in the low troposphere.
Relationships between pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, blood parameters and oxidative stress of white stork Ciconia ciconia chicks in Poland
Authors: Siekiera Joachim , Jankowiak Łukasz , Siekiera Artur , Ostaszewska Monika , Jerzak Leszek , Kasprzak Mariusz , Ciepliński Mateusz , Kamiński Piotr , Frątczak Martyna , Tryjanowski Piotr
Published: June 2024

The white stork Ciconia ciconia is a bird species located at the top of the trophic pyramid in grassland and wetland ecosystems. This charismatic species is susceptible to pesticides and their environmental residues. In 2016, we collected blood samples from 114 white stork chicks across Western and Southern Poland. Chicks were sexed by molecular analysis and aged by development pattern. We studied the relationship between the concentration of pesticides (beta-HCH, heptachlor, aldrin, endrin, 4.4′-DDD, 4.4′-DDE and 4.4′-DDT) and of PCB in the chicks’ blood with blood morphology and biochemistry parameters in the blood. The mean (± SD) values of concentrations of above detection level pesticides were: for (1) beta-HCH 4.139 ± 19.205; (2) 4.4′-DDE 9.254 ± 91.491 and additionally (3) PCB 16.135 ± 44.777 ppb. We found negative relationships between beta-HCH and oxidative stress enzyme activity in the blood, between beta-HCH and leukocyte concentration and between 4.4′-DDE and catalase activity. We also found a positive relationship between the concentration of pesticides in blood and the age of chicks. Interestingly, we found a higher concentration of PCB in the blood of male stork chicks than in female stork chicks. We provide more evidence that the presence of pesticides in the environment can be a strong stress factor, shaping the health status of birds.
Multidimensional Measure of Well-Being, Translation, Factor Structure, Measurement Invariance, Reliability and Validity of the PERMA-Profiler in Spain
Authors: Martín-Díaz María Dolores , Fernández-Abascal Enrique G.
Published: June 2024

The main objective of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of the PERMA-Profiler in a Spanish context. The PERMA-Profiler, developed by Butler & Kern (Int J Wellbeing 6(3):1-48, 2016) to measure Seligman’s (Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being, 2011) PERMA model of flourishing, consists of five domains that assess well-being: Positive Emotion (P), Engagement (E), Relationships (R), Meaning (M), and Accomplishment (A). We translated and adapted the PERMA-Profiler, analyzed the instrument’s reliability, its validity based on an internal structure through three confirmatory factor analyses, gender and age invariance, and its convergent and discriminant validity. A total of 2525 participants completed all measures. The results of the analyses to confirm the internal consistency are very acceptable in all the domains and in Overall Well-being (PERMA), except for the Engagement domain. The results of three confirmatory factor analyses show that the model of five independent interrelated factors (domains) presents the best fit. The analysis shows the invariance across gender and age groups. The analyses of the convergent validity show that are positively and significantly related to satisfaction with life (SWLS), to the six evaluated dimensions of psychological well-being (PWB), to positive affect (PANAS) and dispositional optimism (LOT-R) and the general physical and mental health status (SF-36). The discriminant validity analyses show that are related negatively and significantly to negative affect (PANAS), the total score of depression (BDI-II) and the Cognitive-Affective and Somatic-Motivational factors. The findings of this study indicate that the PERMA-Profiler is transferable to the Spanish context, and the Spanish version is a reliable and valid measure of well-being.
TeleStroke: real-time stroke detection with federated learning and YOLOv8 on edge devices
Authors: Elhanashi Abdussalam , Dini Pierpaolo , Saponara Sergio , Zheng Qinghe
Published: June 2024

Stroke, a life-threatening medical condition, necessitates immediate intervention for optimal outcomes. Timely diagnosis and treatment play a crucial role in reducing mortality and minimizing long-term disabilities associated with strokes. This study presents a novel approach to meet these critical needs by proposing a real-time stroke detection system based on deep learning (DL) with utilization of federated learning (FL) to enhance accuracy and privacy preservation. The primary objective of this research is to develop an efficient and accurate model capable of discerning between stroke and non-stroke cases in real-time, facilitating healthcare professionals in making well-informed decisions. Traditional stroke detection methods relying on manual interpretation of medical images are time-consuming and prone to human error. DL techniques have shown promise in automating this process, yet challenges persist due to the need for extensive and diverse datasets and privacy concerns. To address these challenges, our methodology involves utilization and assessing YOLOv8 models on comprehensive datasets comprising both stroke and non-stroke based on the facial paralysis of the individuals from the images. This training process empowers the model to grasp intricate patterns and features associated with strokes, thereby enhancing its diagnostic accuracy. In addition, federated learning, a decentralized training approach, is employed to bolster privacy while preserving model performance. This approach enables the model to learn from data distributed across various clients without compromising sensitive patient information. The proposed methodology has been implemented on NVIDIA platforms, utilizing their advanced GPU capabilities to enable real-time processing and analysis. This optimized model has the potential to revolutionize stroke diagnosis and patient care, promising to save lives and elevate the quality of healthcare services in the neurology field.