bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Within a mesh of expectations: Dealing with dilemmas in business families using systemic tools from family coaching
Authors: Arnold Theresa , Kleve Heiko , Roth Steffen
Published: May 2023

Business family members face challenges related to exposure to diverse role expectations and systems logics, the management of which often results in situations of high complexity, dilemmas, and paradoxes. To address these issues, in this paper we combine key insights from social systems theory with systemic family coaching tools such as “internal maps,” the “expectation carrousel,” and the “tetralemma.” In drawing on an illustrative example from a family business succession planning context, we demonstrate how systemic approaches may help business family members to (a) creatively reflect on both the personal and interpersonal expectations they are confronted with and (b) manage issues of decision‐making in dilemmatic or paradoxical situations.
Alzheimer's disease drug development pipeline: 2023
Authors: Cummings Jeffrey , Zhou Yadi , Lee Garam , Zhong Kate , Fonseca Jorge , Cheng Feixiong
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Drugs that prevent the onset, slow progression, or improve cognitive and behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are needed.

Methods

We searched ClinicalTrials.gov for all current Phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials for AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) attributed to AD. We created an automated computational database platform to search, archive, organize, and analyze the derived data. The Common Alzheimer's Disease Research Ontology (CADRO) was used to identify treatment targets and drug mechanisms.

Results

On the index date of January 1, 2023, there were 187 trials assessing 141 unique treatments for AD. Phase 3 included 36 agents in 55 trials; 87 agents were in 99 Phase 2 trials; and Phase 1 had 31 agents in 33 trials. Disease‐modifying therapies were the most common drugs comprising 79% of drugs in trials. Twenty‐eight percent of candidate therapies are repurposed agents. Populating all current Phase 1, 2, and 3 trials will require 57,465 participants.

Discussion

The AD drug development pipeline is advancing agents directed at a variety of target processes.

HIGHLIGHTS

There are currently 187 trials assessing 141 drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Drugs in the AD pipeline address a variety of pathological processes.

More than 57,000 participants will be required to populate all currently registered trials.
Antibody prevalence to avian influenza virus subtypes H5, H7 and H9 in falcons, captive and wild birds, United Arab Emirates, 2003–2006
Authors: Jöstl Nicola , Weidinger Pia , Lussy Helga , Bailey Tom A. , Joseph Sunitha , McKeown Sean , O`Donovan Declan , Li Xiangdong , Nowotny Norbert
Published: May 2023

Background

Avian influenza viruses (AIV) may cause enormous economic losses in the poultry industry and sporadically severe disease in humans. Falconry is a tradition of great importance in the Arabian Peninsula. Falcons may catch AIV through contact with infected quarry species.

Objectives

Falcons together with other bird species are the focus of this seroprevalence study, carried out on sera collected in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). AIV with the haemagglutinin subtypes H5, H7 and possibly H9 may infect humans.

Methods

We investigated the antibody prevalence to these subtypes in falcons and other birds by haemagglutination inhibition test. 617 sera of falcons and 429 sera of 46 wild/captive bird species were tested.

Results

From the falcons, only one was positive for H5 antibodies (0.2%), none contained antibodies to H7, but 78 had antibodies to H9 (13.2%). Regarding other birds, eight were positive for antibodies to H5 (2.1%), none had antibodies to H7, but 55 sera from 17 species contained antibodies to H9 (14.4%).

Conclusions

In contrast to H5 and H7 infections, H9N2 is widespread worldwide. Its ability to reassort, thereby creating possibly pathogenic strains for humans, should remind us of the potential risk that close contact with birds entails.
A shorter path to celestial currents
Authors: Pasterski Sabrina
Published: May 2023

Abstract

Here we consider what happens when we lift a codimension-1 slice of the celestial sphere to a codimension-1 slice of the bulk spacetime in a manner that respects our ability to quotient by the null generators of I± to get to our codimension-2 hologram. The contour integrals of the 2D currents for the celestial symmetries lift to boundary integrals of the standard 2-form generators for the gauge theory on this novel choice of surface and celestial Ward identities follow directly from Noether’s theorem.
Highly conservative Allen–Cahn-type multi-phase-field model and evaluation of its accuracy
Authors: Aihara Shintaro , Takada Naoki , Takaki Tomohiro
Published: May 2023

In the engineering field, it is necessary to construct a numerical model that can reproduce multiphase flows containing three or more phases with high accuracy. In our previous study, by extending the conservative Allen–Cahn (CAC) model, which is computationally considerably more efficient than the conventional Cahn–Hilliard (CH) model, to the multiphase flow problem with three or more phases, we developed the conservative Allen–Cahn type multi-phase-field (CAC–MPF) model. In this study, we newly construct the improved CAC–MPF model by modifying the Lagrange multiplier term of the previous CAC–MPF model to a conservative form. The accuracy of the improved CAC–MPF model is evaluated through a comparison of five models: three CAC–MPF models and two CH–MPF models. The results indicate that the improved CAC–MPF model can accurately and efficiently perform simulations of multiphase flows with three or more phases while maintaining the same level of volume conservation as the CH model. We expect that the improved CAC–MPF model will be applied to various engineering problems with multiphase flows with high accuracy.

Graphic abstract
Submixing and shift-invariant stochastic games
Authors: Gimbert Hugo , Kelmendi Edon
Published: May 2023

We study optimal strategies in two-player stochastic games that are played on a finite graph, equipped with a general payoff function. The existence of optimal strategies that do not make use of memory and randomisation is a desirable property that vastly simplifies the algorithmic analysis of such games. Our main theorem gives a sufficient condition for the maximizer to possess such a simple optimal strategy. The condition is imposed on the payoff function, saying the payoff does not depend on any finite prefix (shift-invariant) and combining two trajectories does not give higher payoff than the payoff of the parts (submixing). The core technical property that enables the proof of the main theorem is that of the existence of$$\epsilon$$ϵ-subgame-perfect strategies when the payoff function is shift-invariant. Furthermore, the same techniques can be used to prove a finite-memory transfer-type theorem: namely that for shift-invariant and submixing payoff functions, the existence of optimal finite-memory strategies in one-player games for the minimizer implies the existence of the same in two-player games. We show that numerous classical payoff functions are submixing and shift-invariant.
Tiagabine and zonisamide differentially regulate the glial properties in an astrocyte-microglia co-culture model of inflammation
Authors: Ismail Fatme Seval , Faustmann Pedro M. , Förster Eckart , Corvace Franco , Faustmann Timo Jendrik
Published: May 2023

Due to the role of astrocytes and microglia in the pathophysiology of epilepsy and limited studies of antiseizure medication (ASM) effects on glial cells, we studied tiagabine (TGB) and zonisamide (ZNS) in an astrocyte-microglia co-culture model of inflammation. Different concentrations of ZNS (10, 20, 40, 100 µg/ml) or TGB (1, 10, 20, 50 µg/ml) were added to primary rat astrocytes co-cultures with 5–10% (M5, physiological conditions) or 30–40% (M30, pathological inflammatory conditions) microglia for 24 h, aiming to study glial viability, microglial activation, connexin 43 (Cx43) expression and gap-junctional coupling. ZNS led to the reduction of glial viability by only 100 µg/ml under physiological conditions. By contrast, TGB revealed toxic effects with a significant, concentration-dependent reduction of glial viability under physiological and pathological conditions. After the incubation of M30 co-cultures with 20 µg/ml TGB, the microglial activation was significantly decreased and resting microglia slightly increased, suggesting possible anti-inflammatory features of TGB under inflammatory conditions. Otherwise, ZNS caused no significant changes of microglial phenotypes. The gap-junctional coupling was significantly decreased after the incubation of M5 co-cultures with 20 and 50 µg/ml TGB, which can be related to its anti-epileptic activity under noninflammatory conditions. A significant decrease of Cx43 expression and cell–cell coupling was found after the incubation of M30 co-cultures with 10 µg/ml ZNS, suggesting additional anti-seizure effects of ZNS with the disruption of glial gap-junctional communication under inflammatory conditions. TGB and ZNS differentially regulated the glial properties. Developing novel ASMs targeting glial cells may have future potential as an “add-on” therapy to classical ASMs targeting neurons.
Estimation of measurement uncertainty for the quantification of protein by ID-LC–MS/MS
Authors: Beasley-Green Ashley , Heckert N. Alan
Published: May 2023

The emergence of mass spectrometry (MS)-based methods to quantify proteins for clinical applications has led to the need for accurate and consistent measurements. To meet the clinical needs of MS-based protein results, it is important that the results are traceable to higher-order standards and methods and have defined uncertainty values. Therefore, we outline a comprehensive approach for the estimation of measurement uncertainty of a MS-based procedure for the quantification of a protein biomarker. Using a bottom-up approach, which is the model outlined in the “Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty of Measurement” (GUM), we evaluated the uncertainty components of a MS-based measurement procedure for a protein biomarker in a complex matrix. The cause-and-effect diagram of the procedure is used to identify each uncertainty component, and statistical equations are derived to determine the overall combined uncertainty. Evaluation of the uncertainty components not only enables the calculation of the measurement uncertainty but can also be used to determine if the procedure needs improvement. To demonstrate the use of the bottom-up approach, the overall combined uncertainty is estimated for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) candidate reference measurement procedure for albumin in human urine. The results of the uncertainty approach are applied to the determination of uncertainty for the certified value for albumin in candidate NIST Standard Reference Material® (SRM) 3666. This study provides a framework for measurement uncertainty estimation of a MS-based protein procedure by identifying the uncertainty components of the procedure to derive the overall combined uncertainty.

Graphical Abstract
Applying and Assessing Participatory Approaches in an Environmental Flows Case Study
Authors: Mussehl Meghan , Webb J. Angus , Horne Avril , Rumpff Libby , Poff LeRoy
Published: May 2023

Environmental flows (e-flows) management takes place within a complex social-ecological system, necessitating the involvement of diverse stakeholders and an appreciation of a range of perspectives and knowledge types. It is widely accepted that incorporating participatory methods into environmental flows decision-making will allow stakeholders to become meaningfully involved, improving potential solutions, and fostering social legitimacy. However, due to substantial structural barriers, implementing participatory approaches can be difficult for water managers. This paper assesses the effectiveness of an e-flows methodology that combines elements of structured decision-making and participatory modeling, whilst constrained by project resources. Three process-based objectives were identified by the group at the start of the process: improving transparency, knowledge exchange, and community ownership. We evaluated the success of the approach according to those objectives using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. In evaluating how well the participatory approach achieved the process objectives, we found that at least 80% of respondents expressed positive sentiment in every category (n = 15). We demonstrate that the values-based process objectives defined by the participant group are an effective tool for evaluating participatory success. This paper highlights that participatory approaches can be effective even in resource-constrained environments when the process is adapted to fit the decision-making context.
Management and Outcome of Blunt Pancreatic Trauma: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Lu Xiaozhi , Gao Hao , Jiang Kuirong , Miao Yi , Wei Jishu
Published: May 2023

Background

Pancreatic injury is rare, but it has a high mortality rate and its optimal treatment remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics, management strategies, and outcomes of patients with blunt pancreatic injury.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study was performed on patients with a confirmed blunt pancreatic injury who were admitted to our hospital from March 2008 to December 2020. The clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients receiving different management strategies were compared. The risk factors for in‐hospital mortality were evaluated by performing a multivariate regression analysis.

Results

A total of 98 patients diagnosed with blunt pancreatic injury were identified, with 40 patients having undergone nonoperative treatment (NOT) and 58 patients having undergone surgical treatment (ST). The overall in‐hospital deaths were 6 (6.1%), including 2 (5.0%) and 4 (6.9%) in the NOT and ST groups, respectively. Pancreatic pseudocysts occurred in 15 (37.5%) and 3 (5.2%) of the NOT and ST groups, respectively, showing a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.001). In the multivariate regression analysis, concomitant duodenal injury (OR = 14.42, 95% CI 1.27–163.52; P = 0.031) and sepsis (OR = 43.47, 95% CI, 4.15–455.75; P = 0.002) were independently associated with in‐hospital mortality.

Conclusions

Except for the higher incidence of pancreatic pseudocysts in the NOT group than in the ST group, there were no significant differences in the other clinical outcomes between the two groups. Concomitant duodenal injury and sepsis were the risk factors for in‐hospital mortality.
Gelatinous versus non-gelatinous zooplankton: their value as food for planktivorous coral reef fishes
Authors: Gahan James , Bellwood David R. , Bellwood Orpha , Schlaefer Jodie
Published: May 2023

Coral reefs are highly productive ecosystems, in part due to the productivity of planktivorous fishes. The planktivorous fish community contains two distinct groups which target either the gelatinous or the non-gelatinous fractions of the incoming zooplankton. However, the nutritional value of these prey fractions and, consequently, their potential contribution to planktivorous fish productivity are poorly understood. We explored the zooplankton fractions potential contribution to planktivorous fish productivity (our function of interest), by quantifying the nutritional content a key trait of the gelatinous and non-gelatinous prey fractions which are accessible to reef-associated diurnal planktivores. By combining vertical plankton tows with stoichiometric analyses, we found that the three zooplankton community fractions—gelatinous, > 2 mm non-gelatinous and < 2 mm non-gelatinous—were all relatively good sources of nitrogen, with median C:N values of 4.81:1, 4.22:1 and 4.62:1, respectively. The delivery of gN m−2 to our study reef over a flood tide was then estimated. The abundant < 2 mm non-gelatinous community delivered the largest gN m−2 (median: 0.88 gN m−2 6 h−1), which was estimated to be one to two orders of magnitude greater than the delivery from the > 2 mm non-gelatinous (0.06 gN) and gelatinous (0.03 gN) communities, respectively. Overall, our results highlight the quality of both gelatinous and non-gelatinous zooplankton as prey for planktivorous fishes, emphasizing the potential importance of the often-overlooked gelatinous fraction.
Preparation of para-aramid aerogel fiber structurally colored by light scattering through wet spinning and supercritical drying
Authors: Ajikawa Katsumi , Tabata Isao , Hirogaki Kazumasa
Published: May 2023

This research is an investigation of the preparation conditions for para-aramid aerogel fibers that are structurally colored by Rayleigh scattering, an angle-independent structural color. It is well known that structural color has the angle dependence of colors. However, there is currently a desire for materials with angle-independent structural color. During the fibers’ spinning process, the microstructures of the fibers are generated. The effect of spinning conditions is investigated by measuring the optical properties of the wet gel fibers. The neutralization speed of negatively charged PPTA fibrils has a significant impact on the formation of the dense microstructure. Spinning under the fast neutralization speed condition makes it possible to achieve the blue-colored fiber derived from Rayleigh scattering. The influence of neutralization speed on the microstructure of the fibers is confirmed by FE-SEM characterization. Furthermore, spinning using a narrow inner diameter needle decreases the whiteness component derived from Mie scattering of the fibers, resulting in a more vivid blue color. The angle-independent structurally colored fibers hold great promise for application in clothing, interiors, and industrial materials.
Improving children’s ability to remember intentions: a literature review on strategies to improve prospective memory during childhood
Authors: Cottini Milvia
Published: May 2023

Children often fail to remember executing intentions because prospective memory (PM) does not completely develop until late adolescence or young adulthood. PM failures are often observed in children and can have negative consequences on their everyday lives. Thus, in the last 50 years, various strategies to support children’s PM have been designed and evaluated, such as prompting children to use different encoding modalities, such as verbal, visual, and enacted modalities, or encoding strategies, such as implementation intentions, episodic future thinking (EFT), and performance predictions, as well as providing children with verbal and visual reminders. However, not all these interventions have shown to efficiently enhance PM performance during childhood. The present literature review is aimed at summarizing these interventions and critically examining their effectiveness from a developmental perspective and by considering underlying mechanisms. The type of PM task (event-, time-, and activity-based), cognitive resource demands, and processing overlaps are also considered. Finally, directions for future research and possible applications in everyday life will be discussed.
Reliability and agreement of the timed up and go test in children and teenagers with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Martín-Díaz Paloma , Carratalá-Tejada María , Molina-Rueda Francisco , Cuesta-Gómez Alicia
Published: May 2023

ASD patients include a variety of motor deficits; however, these issues have received less scientific attention than other ASD symptoms. Due to understanding and behavioral difficulties, it might be difficult to administer motor assessment measures to children and adolescents with ASD. To evaluate motor challenges in this population, including gait and dynamic balance issues, the timed up and go test (TUG) may be a simple, easy to apply, quick, and inexpensive tool. This test measures in seconds the time it takes for an individual to get up from a standard chair walk 3 m, turn around, walk back to the chair, and sit down again. The study purpose was to evaluate the inter- and intra-rater reliability of TUG test in children and teenagers with ASD. A total of 50 children and teenagers with ASD (43 boys and 7 girls) between 6 and 18 years were included. Reliability was verified by the intraclass correlation coefficient, standard error of measurement, and minimum detectable change. The agreement was analyzed by the Bland–Altman method. A good intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.79–0.93) and an excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0,99; 95% CI = 0.98 to 0.99) were observed. Additionally, Bland–Altman plots demonstrated that there was no evidence of bias in either the replicates or between examiners. Furthermore, the limits of agreement (LOAs) between the testers and test replicates were close, indicating that there was little variation between measurements.

       Conclusions: The test TUG showed strong intra- and inter-rater reliability values, low proportion of measurement errors, and lack of significant bias based on by test repetition in children and teenagers with ASD. These results could be clinically useful for assessing balance and the risk of falls in children and teenagers with ASD. However, the present study is not free of limitations, such as the use of a non-probabilistic sampling.

What is Known:• People with ASD have a variety of motor deficits that have a prevalence rate almost as common as intellectual disability. In our knowledge, there are no studies that provide data on the reliability of the use of scales or assessment tests in children and adolescents with ASD to measure motor difficulties, such as gait and dynamic balance, in children and teenagers with ASD.• Timed up and go test (TUG) could be a possible tool to measure this motor skills.

What is New:• The reliability and agreement of the Timed up and go test in 50 children and teenagers with autism spectrum disorder showed strong intra- and inter-rater reliability values, low proportion of measurement errors, and lack of significant bias based on by test repetition.
Chemical emasculation in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) and dicotyledonous model species using trifluoromethanesulfonamide (TFMSA)
Authors: Sekiguchi Yuka , Ubi Benjamin Ewa , Ishii Takayoshi
Published: May 2023

Hybridization plays an indispensable role in creating the diversity associated with plant evolution and genetic improvement of crops. Production of hybrids requires control of pollination and avoidance of self-pollination for species that are predominantly autogamous. Hand emasculation, male sterility genes or male gametocides have been used in several plant species to induce pollen sterility. However, in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp), a self-pollinated cleistogamous dryland crop, only hand emasculation is used, but it is tedious and time-consuming. In this study, male sterility was effectively induced in cowpea and two dicotyledonous model species (Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. and Nicotiana benthamiana Domin) using trifluoromethanesulfonamide (TFMSA). Pollen viability assays using Alexander staining showed that 30 ml of 1000 mg/l TFMSA with two-time treatments of one-week interval at the early stage of the reproductive phase under field or greenhouse conditions induced 99% pollen sterility in cowpea. TFMSA treatment induced non-functional pollen in diploid A. thaliana at two-time treatment of 10 ml of 125–250 mg/l per plant and N. benthamiana at two-time treatment of 10 ml of 250–1000 mg/l per plant. TFMSA-treated cowpea plants produced hybrid seeds when used as the female parent in crosses with non-treated plants used as male parents, suggesting that TFMSA had no effect on female functionality in cowpea. The ease of TFMSA treatment and its effectiveness to induce pollen sterility in a wide range of cowpea genotypes, and in the two model plant species tested in this study, may expand the scope of techniques for rapid pollination control in self-pollinated species, with potential applications in plant breeding and plant reproduction science.
A graph-based approach for minimising the knowledge requirement of explainable recommender systems
Authors: Caro-Martínez Marta , Jiménez-Díaz Guillermo , Recio-Garcia Juan A.
Published: May 2023

Traditionally, recommender systems use collaborative filtering or content-based approaches based on ratings and item descriptions. However, this information is unavailable in many domains and applications, and recommender systems can only tackle the problem using information about interactions or implicit knowledge. Within this scenario, this work proposes a novel approach based on link prediction techniques over graph structures that exclusively considers interactions between users and items to provide recommendations. We present and evaluate two alternative recommendation methods: one item-based and one user-based that apply the edge weight, common neighbours, Jaccard neighbours, Adar/Adamic, and Preferential Attachment link prediction techniques. This approach has two significant advantages, which are the novelty of our proposal. First, it is suitable for minimal knowledge scenarios where explicit data such as ratings or preferences are not available. However, as our evaluation demonstrates, this approach outperforms state-of-the-art techniques using a similar level of interaction knowledge. Second, our approach has another relevant feature regarding one of the most significant concerns in current artificial intelligence research: the recommendation methods presented in this paper are easily interpretable for the users, improving their trust in the recommendations.
Recommendation of secure group communication schemes using multi-objective optimization
Authors: Prantl Thomas , Bauer André , Iffländer Lukas , Krupitzer Christian , Kounev Samuel
Published: May 2023

The proliferation of IoT devices has made them an attractive target for hackers to launch attacks on systems, as was the case with Netflix or Spotify in 2016. As the number of installed IoT devices is expected to increase worldwide, so does the potential threat and the importance of securing these devices and their communications. One approach to mitigate potential threats is the usage of the so-called Secure Group Communications (SGC) schemes to secure the communication of the devices. However, it is difficult to determine the most appropriate SGC scheme for a given use case because many different approaches are proposed in the literature. To facilitate the selection of an SGC scheme, this work examines 34 schemes in terms of their computational and communication costs and their security characteristics, leading to 24 performance and security features. Based on this information, we modeled the selection process for centralized, distributed, and decentralized schemes as a multi-objective problem and used decision trees to prioritize objectives.
Identity profiles, motivations for attending university and study-related burnout: differences between Finnish students in professional and non-professional fields
Authors: Mannerström Rasmus , Haarala-Muhonen Anne , Parpala Anna , Hailikari Telle , Salmela-Aro Katariina
Published: May 2023

Research suggests that the reported increase in student mental health issues such as study burnout might be related to students’ identity problems and their motivations for undertaking higher education. The present study added to this line of research by investigating the associations between identity profiles, motives for attending university and study burnout in a sample of Finnish first-year university students (N = 430). Field of study (professional vs non-professional) as a factor was also evaluated because differing occupational prospects might influence one’s sense of identity. The results showed that (1) three identity profiles emerged (i.e. achievement, moderate moratorium and diffusion), (2) students in the achievement profile scored lowest on burnout, (3) the achievement profile was the most common among students studying for entry to a profession and (4) students in the achievement profile scored highest on internal motives for attending university. It is concluded that most students lack a clear sense of identity and that identity measures may be more appropriate in predicting study progression and well-being than motives for attending university or engaging in a field of study.
A fast randomized algorithm for computing an approximate null space
Authors: Park Taejun , Nakatsukasa Yuji
Published: May 2023

Randomized algorithms in numerical linear algebra can be fast, scalable and robust. This paper examines the effect of sketching on the right singular vectors corresponding to the smallest singular values of a tall–skinny matrix. We analyze a fast algorithm by Gilbert, Park and Wakin for finding the trailing right singular vectors using randomization by examining the quality of the solution using multiplicative perturbation theory. For an $$m\times n$$

m
×
n

($$m\ge n$$

m
≥
n

) matrix, the algorithm runs with complexity $$O(mn\log n +n^3)$$

O
(
m
n
log
n
+

n
3

)

which is faster than the standard $$O(mn^2)$$

O
(
m

n
2

)

methods. In applications, numerical experiments show great speedups including a $$30\times $$

30
×

speedup for the AAA algorithm and $$10\times $$

10
×

speedup for the total least squares problem.
Prediction of School Dropout Outside School Setting: Potential for Early risk Stratification by Youth Health Care Services in the Netherlands. Results from a Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Putrik P , Kant IJ , Hoofs H , Reijs R , Jansen MJ
Published: May 2023

Background

Early school dropout is an economic, social, and individual problem. School dropout is a result of cumulative processes that occur over many childhood years. Despite the influence of level of education on health outcomes, primary prevention of dropout outside of the school setting is rare. In the Netherlands, the Youth Health Care (YHC) service may play a role in primary prevention of school dropout.

Objective

We hypothesized that data collected by YHC on family background and Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores at ages 10 and 14 is predictive of school dropout.

Methods

We analyzed Dutch YHC data from 24,988 children born in 1996 − 200. Early school dropout was defined as having left school without diploma by the age of 17. Two multilevel logistic regression models were built with predictors measured at the ages of 10 and 14. The model performance was assessed using ROC curve.

Results

A child’s SDQ was a strong predictor of early school dropout, in addition to gender and parents’ socio-economic status at age 10 and age 14. Models showed moderate prediction performance (ROC value 0.70/0.69, respectively).

Conclusions

The proposed prediction models are based on only few routinely collected socio-demographic factors and SDQ scores. We found these models can contribute to risk stratification by YHC as early as age of ten. This provides a window of opportunity for interventions that aim to strengthen school engagement. Further research and practical efforts to expand the set of predictors available to YHC (e.g., school performance) are expected to improve the quality of this prediction.
Integration of groundwater vulnerability with contaminants transport modeling in unsaturated zone, case study El-Sharqia, Egypt
Authors: El-Aassar Abdel-Hameed , Hagagg Kamilia , Hussien Rasha , Oterkus Selda , Oterkus Erkan
Published: May 2023

Nowadays, irrigation uses large amount of marginal wastewater due to continuous decline in fresh water supply. As a consequence, using this wastewater for different purposes can cause some adverse environmental impacts. Anthropogenic activities such as septic tanks, sewage ponds, and polluted drains have large influence on deterioration of shallow groundwater aquifers. So, construction of many wastewater treatment plants in these areas is mandatory to control and mitigate this deterioration. Groundwater vulnerability assessment maps and contamination simulation in unsaturated zone can be beneficial in understanding contaminants pathways and groundwater quality evolution. This work is mainly focused on aquifer vulnerability assessment to pollution and the role of vadose zone in attenuation of contaminants transport through it prior to groundwater seepage. Therefore, about 56 drainage and groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for potentially toxic elements. The most vulnerable sector was determined using GOD method revealing that central parts of the study area are the most threatened zones with some scattered sporadic zone of sensitivity to pollution and this was verified through the zonation of Pb, Fe, and Mn spatial concentrations. The leakage of these elements through the unsaturated zone was further simulated using HYDRUS-1D model for the next 10-year period to determine the extent of the pollution plumes and maximum concentration of these elements that percolate to the groundwater directly. The concentration of Fe, Pb, and Mn at the end of the simulation reached low concentrations at the bottom layer of the unsaturated zone.
Curcumol β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex enhances radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer under hypoxic and normoxic condition
Authors: Su Meng , Ren Xiaolin , Du Dexi , He Huijuan , Zhang Dahai , Xie Raoying , Deng Xia , Zou Changlin , Zou Haizhou
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Radiotherapy is an indispensable treatment for esophageal cancer (EC), but radioresistance is not uncommon. Curcumol, as an active extract from traditional Chinese medicines, has been reported to have antitumor activity in various types of human tumor cells. However, its reversal of radioresistance has been rarely reported.

Materials and methods

In the present study, curcumol was prepared as an inclusion complex with β-cyclodextrin. EC cell lines were treated with radiation and curcumol β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex (CβC), and the effect of radiosensitization of CβC was investigated in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro experiments included cell proliferation assay, clonogenic survival assay, apoptosis assay, cell cycle assay, and western blot assay.

Results

The in vitro data revealed that CβC and irradiation synergistically inhibited the proliferation, reduced the colony formation, promoted the apoptosis, increased the G2/M phase, inhibited DNA damage repair, and reversed the hypoxia-mediated radioresistance of EC cells to a greater extent than did CβC alone or irradiation alone. The sensitization enhancement ratios (SERs) were 1.39 for TE-1 and 1.48 for ECA109 under hypoxia. The SERs were 1.25 for TE-1 and 1.32 for ECA109 under normoxia. The in vivo data demonstrated that the combination of CβC and irradiation could inhibit tumor growth to the greatest extent compared with either monotherapy alone. The enhancement factor was 2.45.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that CβC could enhance radiosensitivity of EC cells under hypoxic and normoxic condition. Thus, CβC can be used as an effective radiosensitizer for EC.
Arrived, Yet In-between: Experiences of Iranian Asylum-Seeker Women Living with Insecure Residency in Australia
Authors: Shishehgar Sara , Gholizadeh Leila , DiGiacomo Michelle , Davidson Patricia Mary
Published: May 2023

The plight of asylum seekers is a politically contested issue in Australia. Iranian women have been the largest number of asylum-seekers/Many have bridging visas without secure residency status. Prolonged insecure residency may contribute to less integration and psychological dysfunction. This study aimed to better understand the psychosocial ramifications of living with insecure residency among Iranian asylum-seeker women in the Australian community. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was undertaken between February and December 2015, with Iranian asylum-seeker women who had been living in Australia for 2–3 years. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Seventeen participants described their experiences and perspectives describing socio-economic ramifications and fear of deportation and feelings of hopelessness associated with their insecure residency status. Poor integration into Australian communities and high levels of psychosocial burdens were commonly described. Protracted protection visa processing time has negative effects on asylum seekers’ health. Policymakers should consider the psychosocial impact of restrictions attached to bridging visas. In addition to lifting barriers that slow the protection visa process, identifying the pre-resettlement skills of asylum seekers may facilitate better settlement and mental well-being.
Implementation of a decentralised maintenance model with a measurable impact on the functionality and availability of medical equipment in healthcare facilities in Burundi
Authors: Beniacoub Farah , Myszkowski Marc , Worm Anna , Fabrice Ntwari , Arakaza Emery Christian , Van Bastelaere Stefaan
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This study measures the impact of implementation of the Improved Decentralized Maintenance Model on the functionality and availability of medical equipment in Burundi’s resource constrained health care system with hypothesis that the model has a measurable impact.

Methods

The initial model was tested in 2 provinces before being improved and extended to the provinces of Bujumbura and Rumonge. It is composed by 4 interrelated main axes (Maintenance management, Human, Financial and Material resources,). This study analyses the effects of this implementation between October 2020 and February 2022.

Results

The rate of medical equipment functional in service has increased substantially, respectively +8% in the province of Bujumbura and 2% in the province of Rumonge, and the rate of medical equipment requiring maintenance has fallen by 9.7% (Bujumbura) and 2% (Rumonge). The provinces implementing the model have convincing results in terms of functionality with scores of at least 80%, while the national average is 64%.

Conclusions

There is a notable positive change between 2020 and 2022 in the functionality of medical equipment and a decrease in equipment awaiting maintenance, and therefore in its availability. This study proves that a sustainable implementation of a decentralized maintenance model is feasible and highly useful in low-resource settings due to its affordability. The context of a low-resource country is a challenge in itself, but the model developed shows that by tackling the low-resource levels of preventive maintenance, we can have some impact on the functionality of the equipment and therefore on the quality of care.
Studies of the Impact of the Bifidobacterium Species on Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression and Nitric Oxide Production in Murine Macrophages of the BMDM Cell Line
Authors: Zabłocka Agnieszka , Jakubczyk Dominika , Leszczyńska Katarzyna , Pacyga-Prus Katarzyna , Macała Józefa , Górska Sabina
Published: May 2023

Bifidobacterium species are one of the most important probiotic microorganisms which are present in both, infants and adults. Nowadays, growing data describing their healthy properties arise, indicating they could act at the cellular and molecular level. However, still little is known about the specific mechanisms promoting their beneficial effects. Nitric oxide (NO), produced by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), is involved in the protective mechanisms in the gastrointestinal tract, where it can be provided by epithelial cells, macrophages, or bacteria. The present study explored whether induction of iNOS-dependent NO synthesis in macrophages stems from the cellular action of Bifidobacterium species. The ability of ten Bifidobacterium strains belonging to 3 different species (Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, and Bifidobacterium animalis) to activate MAP kinases, NF-κB factor, and iNOS expression in a murine bone-marrow-derived macrophages cell line was determined by Western blotting. Changes in NO production were determined by the Griess reaction. It was performed that the Bifidobacterium strains were able to induce NF-қB-dependent iNOS expression and NO production; however, the efficacy depends on the strain. The highest stimulatory activity was observed for Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. animals CCDM 366, whereas the lowest was noted for strains Bifidobacterium adolescentis CCDM 371 and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum CCDM 372. Both TLR2 and TLR4 receptors are involved in Bifidobacterium-induced macrophage activation and NO production. We showed that the impact of Bifidobacterium on the regulation of iNOS expression is determined by MAPK kinase activity. Using pharmaceutical inhibitors of ERK 1/2 and JNK, we confirmed that Bifidobacterium strains can activate these kinases to control iNOS mRNA expression. Concluding, the induction of iNOS and NO production may be involved in the protective mechanism of action observed for Bifidobacterium in the intestine, and the efficacy is strain-dependent.
The interplay between N6-methyladenosine and precancerous liver disease: molecular functions and mechanisms
Authors: Lv Zhihua , Ran Ruoxi , Yang Yuting , Xiang Meixian , Su Hanwen , Huang Jingtao
Published: May 2023

N6-methyladenosine(m6A) is one of the most abundant modifications of mammalian cellular RNAs. m6A regulates various biological functions in epitranscriptomic ways, including RNA stability, decay, splicing, translation and nuclear export. Recent studies have indicated the growing importance of m6A modification in precancerous disease, influencing viral replication, immune escape, and carcinogenesis. Here, we review the role of m6A modification in HBV/HCV infection, NAFLD and liver fibrosis, and its function in liver disease pathogenesis. Our review will provide a new sight for the innovative treatment strategy for precancerous liver disease.
Data Sources as a Driver for Market-Oriented Tourism Organizations: a Bibliometric Perspective
Authors: Vidal Juan , Carrasco Ramón A. , Cobo Manuel J. , Blasco María F.
Published: May 2023

This paper presents a conceptual framework that accurately represents the current and future perspectives of data-driven companies in tourism by means of an analysis of the data sources used in the data-driven tourism research literature, as well as the research topics to which they are applied. For this purpose, a bibliometric analysis of data-driven tourism research is carried out. The framework of the study is all tourism-related publications whose research was based on data sources during the period 1982–2020. The results show some of the basic bibliometric performance indicators and the maps of science. The main themes of research interest are identified, and the conceptual evolution is obtained based on these maps. Three major thematic areas are identified: tourism research topics, information sources, and data analysis techniques. Based on these three thematic areas, the conceptual model of data architecture and processes of a data-driven organization in the tourism sector are obtained. An additional qualitative analysis of the three thematic areas is performed.
Sustainability Information in European Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Authors: Ortiz-Martínez Esther , Marín-Hernández Salvador
Published: May 2023

Currently, there is an emphasis on the role of knowledge in corporate sustainability reporting. Europe has just published a new Directive on Corporate Sustainability Reporting Disclosure and elaborating new European Sustainability Reporting Standards. However, no studies on this subject cover the micro (firm-level) spectrum and focus on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the backbone of the European company. This paper aims to analyze sustainability reports voluntarily disclosed by European SMEs using lexical analysis because narrative information requires more than traditional methodology. The variable company’s size is used to check if it supposes differences in the lexical features of the reports. The sample comprises all the voluntarily issued sustainability reports available on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) database for 2016–2018, written in English and pdf format by European SMEs. It is obtained that there is a positive relationship between a company’s size and the length of sustainability reports. Bigger small- and medium-sized companies repeat more words, and the most frequently used words are similar, regardless of the company’s size. Lexical analysis shows that there is some template for drafting these sustainability reports used by all companies, so their narration about sustainable development is the same. This study provides an opportunity to improve knowledge about sustainability disclosure and standards on the SMEs’ scope, which is scarce. Disclosure of sustainability reports is also becoming essential for SMEs to ensure greater comparability and transparency and to cope with the global challenge of sustainability. However, for these companies, this should be proportionate.
Terracini loci of curves
Authors: Ballico Edoardo , Chiantini Luca
Published: May 2023

We study subsets S of curves X whose double structure does not impose independent conditions to a linear series L, but there are divisors $$D\in |L|$$

D
∈
|
L
|

singular at all points of S. These subsets form the Terracini loci of X. We investigate Terracini loci, with a special look towards their non-emptiness, mainly in the case of canonical curves, and in the case of space curves.
Decoherence, appearance, and reality in agential realism
Authors: Jaksland Rasmus
Published: May 2023

This paper reconsiders what implications quantum decoherence has for Karen Barad’s agential realism. In contrast with the recent claim of Thomas Everth and Laura Gurney (2022), this paper argues that decoherence supports rather than defeats the holist, relational ontology of agential realism. Indeed, decoherence offers an explanation for how a quantum system can remain entangled and superposed in principle while it nevertheless in practice appears classical to a local observer. Decoherence shows why the appearance of classicality is not an objection to the ontology being in reality that of agential realism, in accordance with Barad’s repeated insistence that we should not mistake principle for practice. Whether users of agential realism in social theory should be encouraged by this is another matter that this paper does not take a stance on. As an ontology, however, agential realism is vindicated.
Australian teachers’ views on how primary science education can be improved
Authors: Deehan James , MacDonald Amy
Published: May 2023

Teachers are crucial to bridging the theory-praxis divide in science education by utilising evidence-based teaching practices to improve outcomes for their learners. However, the perspectives of primary teachers have seldom been considered beyond the confines of specific professional development programs. This paper aims to explore Australian primary teachers’ beliefs about how primary science education could be improved. A sample of 165 primary educators responded to an open-ended digital survey prompt. The results showed that teachers viewed themselves and their colleagues as central to the improvement of primary science education as evidenced by the most prominent themes of Professional Development (47.27%), Funding-Resources (37.58%), Classroom Practice (21.82%) and Personal-Teacher Improvement (21.21%). Curiously, university did not feature strongly, suggesting the participants may hold neutral views regarding the impact of universities on primary science education. The findings should serve as a catalyst for future research and engagement with primary teachers. Universities could expand their roles in building relationships with and providing accessible professional development to a group of primary teachers who, quite rightly, view themselves as key to improving primary science education.