bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prenatal diagnosis of microcephaly with simplified gyral pattern: series of eight cases
Authors: Cabet S. , Putoux A. , Lesca G. , Lesage A. , Massoud M. , Guibaud L. ,   Collaborators
Published: August 2023

Microcephaly with simplified gyral pattern (MSG) is an intrinsic genetic central nervous system disorder, characterized by microcephaly (a reduction of brain volume) and a simplified gyral pattern (a reduced number of gyri and shallow sulci associated with normal cortical thickness and neuroanatomical architecture), related to a reduced number of neuronal progenitors in the germinal matrix. We report the first prenatal series of MSG and define the prenatal imaging pattern, which should inform diagnosis and guide prenatal counseling in cases of fetal microcephaly. In this single‐center retrospective study of fetuses with MSG, we assessed features on ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as genetic and neuropathological/postnatal data. We included eight patients who had been referred following observation of microcephaly. Ultrasound examination confirmed microcephaly, with a mean growth delay in head circumference of 3.4 weeks, associated with both a lack of gyration and a lack of opercularization of the Sylvian fissure and without any extracephalic anomaly. Fetal brain MRI confirmed lack of gyration with normal cortical thickness and normal intensity of the white matter in all cases. These MRI features led to exclusion of migration/corticogenesis disorders (lissencephaly/polymicrogyria), instead suggesting MSG. The posterior fossa was normal in seven of the eight cases. The corpus callosum was thin in four cases, hypoplastic in two and dysgenetic in two. In four cases, the pregnancy was terminated. The diagnosis of MSG was confirmed from neuropathological and postnatal MRI data. MSG was associated with a genetic diagnosis of RTTN (n = 1) and ASPM (n = 2) biallelic variants in three of the six cases in which genetic work‐up was performed. Mild or moderate intellectual deficit with speech delay was present in the three surviving children who were at least 5 years of age at their last examination, without seizures. In conclusion, in the presence of isolated fetal microcephaly with lack of gyration on ultrasound, fetal cerebral MRI is key to diagnosing MSG, which, in the majority of cases, affects the supratentorial space exclusively, and to ruling out other cortical malformations that show a similar sonographic pattern. In addition to imaging, genetic assessment may guide prenatal counseling, since the prenatal prognosis of MSG is different from that of both diffuse polymicrogyria and lissencephaly. © 2023 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Education Policy and Education Practice Nexuses
Authors: Prøitz Tine S. , Aasen Petter , Wermke Wieland
Published: August 2023

This introductory chapter addresses the complex interrelations between education policy and education practice developed under new ways of governance. It highlights education nexuses as a concept of its own right and discusses what constitutes the contemporary nexuses in education of today. Based on the cases of education nexuses presented in the volume the chapter summarizes four central characteristics of education nexuses and raise the issue of the need to re-consider how we study education policy and practice in the interface between structure and agency for the future developments in education.
Fragmentation Management from Policy to Practice. Special Educational Needs Teachers (SEN Teachers) in Mainstream Schools in Germany
Authors: Dietze Torsten , Wolf Lisa Marie , Moser Vera , Kuhl Jan
Published: August 2023

Inclusive education is one of the most far-reaching reform projects in school policy since decades in Germany. In the perspective of educational governance the chapter examines how and by which stakeholders the job profile and role clarification of special educational needs teachers (SEN teachers) in primary schools in Germany is steered. The analysis is based on data from the project FOLIS, which used a mixed-methods design to interview school administration experts, school principals, and SEN teachers from 4 out of 16 federal states. The results show a “fragmentary form” of steering, which is in essence limited to measures of input control and largely excludes elements of output control. Within the single schools, several ways of negotiation on tasks and task distributions of the SEN teachers were found. The responsibility for daily inclusive education is shifted to the responsibility of each individual school, and within the individual school largely to the SEN teachers themselves. Written agreements to clarify the SEN teachers’ areas of responsibility are rarely used and SEN-teachers are pushed into the role of a “fragmentation-manager”. The results of the study show that inclusive education is a very fruitful field of research in the policy-practice nexus.
Initial Teacher Education Partnership: Bureaucracy, Policy, and Professional Agency
Authors: Adams Paul
Published: August 2023

Initial teacher education partnership as an example of ‘educational nexus’, often signals particular responses to normative questioning. Set within the ‘theory-practice’ nexus, partnership is positioned as the interleaving of various pedagogic/didactic D/discourses (Gee JP. Social linguistics and literacies. Ideology in Discourses. Routledge, 2012) to realise systemic development. Since the publication ofTeaching Scotland’s Future(Donaldson G, Teaching Scotland’s future. Report of a review of teacher education in Scotland, In Education (Issue December), 2010) Scottish initial teacher education has spent considerable time developing supportive local authority/higher education institution/school partnership arrangements. Problematically, inter-group practice has been privileged over shared theoretical debate. This chapter proposes a ‘spatial heuristic’ centring on the epistemological matters of ‘identifying’, ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’ teaching. It proposes agency ‘…in which the agent is clearly decentred, an approach in which the achievement of agency is not an achievement of the agent alone but of the agent-in-interaction-with-others’ (Biesta G, Tedder M, How is agency possible? Towards an ecological understanding of agency-as-achievement. 44(0), 1–40, 2006) as a key part of professional development and that partnership, subsequently should be reconceptualised as ‘existing’ in the overlaps ‘between’ theory and practice.
Ryunosuke Okazaki: Fashion through the Prism of Posthuman and Affect Theories
Authors: McMillan Kiera
Published: August 2023

This paper analyses Ryunosuke Okazaki’s designs in relation to understandings of the Human within both 18th Century ‘Western’ philosophy as well as contemporary theories of the feminine sublime [1]. Positioning the human in this way, Okazaki’s work comments on mankind’s relationship to nature as well as technology, referencing his own spirituality to conjure notions of the sublime. Fashion here becomes an ideal medium through which to challenge contemporary understandings of humanity and the human form in relation to gender and sexuality, as well as question the human desire for mass production and consumption. Beginning with an exploration of Okazaki’s material work and their construction processes, I go on to examine visual representations of their work within magazines (Metal, attitude) as well as on the runway. This application foregrounds Okazaki’s emotional connection to their work, which promotes a revaluation of fashion as disposable and suggests instead that we, as viewers and consumers, adopt an appreciation for the natural world, elements of which are almost always referenced within Okazaki’s designs. This paper, through consideration of Okazaki’s spiritual approach, investigates tradition alongside developments in technology and the role that fashion plays in this symbiosis.
Fashion Film and OBC (Online Brand Community): The Co-authoring Dynamics
Authors: Buffo Simonetta
Published: August 2023

The aim of this research project is to investigate how fashion brands and their online communities begin a co-authoring process in fashion films. Since the early days, fashion market has always enriched its dreamlike imageries with garments and images [1], with the advent of internet, those dressed bodies could move, tell stories and spur deeper engagement. In fact, fashion films are the direct digital evolution of the static fashion magazine images. Transposed on the web, such images can now reach online brand communities who often start a debate on both the fashion film and the brand, thus nurturing the brand contents. This results in a typical communicative flow that we can commonly observe on social media, which has also been object of study by some academics [2–4]. However, the dynamics and inferences produced are not fully clear: the OBCs are often similar to black holes. In order to gain more clarity on the topic, this study compares different types of fashion film with OBCs profiles. The final goal is to outline several classes of engagement and verify the contribution this process has in generating (cultural) contents.
Corporate Fashion Museums Communication Strategies: The Case of the Louis Vuitton Maison de Famille in Asnières-sur-Seine
Authors: Biondo Sandra
Published: August 2023

The case of the Louis Vuitton ‘maison de famille’ in Asnières-sur-Seine allows investigation of communications strategies implemented by Corporate Fashion Museums. It is argued these museum types are used by luxury fashion brands as marketing tools to retain their customers. The data relied upon are primarily qualitative: interviews and exploratory observations were specifically conducted between January 2020 and November 2022. It is suggested that the process of commodification of the family patrimonium as well as the enhancement of for-sale products within the museum is made possible through the wise use of various techniques mainly related to the artification and the heritagization processes. The combination of those techniques – linking fashion brands with the art and museum world(s) – enables fashion firms to produce a coherent corporate narrative while pursuing seemingly oppositional goals.
AdS3 vacua realising $$ \mathfrak{osp} $$(n|2) superconformal symmetry
Authors: Macpherson Niall T. , Ramirez Anayeli
Published: August 2023

Abstract

We consider $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= (n, 0) supersymmetric AdS3 vacua of type II supergravity realising the superconformal algebra $$ \mathfrak{osp} $$
osp
(n|2) for n > 4. For the cases n = 6 and n = 5, one can realise these algebras on backgrounds that decompose as foliations of AdS3 × ℂℙ3 ( squashed ℂℙ3 for n = 5) over an interval. We classify such solutions with bi-spinor techniques and find the local form of each of them: they only exist in (massive) IIA and are defined locally in terms of an order 3 polynomial h similar to the AdS7 vacua of (massive) IIA. Many distinct local solutions exist for different tunings of h that give rise to bounded (or semi infinite) intervals bounded by physical behaviour. We show that it is possible to glue these local solutions together by placing D8 branes in the interior of the interval without breaking supersymmetry, which expands the possibilities for global solutions immensely. We illustrate this point with some simple examples. Finally we also show that AdS3 vacua for n = 7, 8 only exist in d = 11 supergravity and are all locally AdS4×S7.
Dynamic behaviours of black hole phase transitions near quadruple points
Authors: Yang Jiayue , Mann Robert B.
Published: August 2023

Abstract

Treating the horizon radius as an order parameter in a thermal fluctuation, the free energy landscape model sheds light on the dynamic behaviour of black hole phase transitions. Here we carry out the first investigation of the dynamics of the recently discovered multicriticality in black holes. We specifically consider black hole quadruple points inD= 4 Einstein gravity coupled to non-linear electrodynamics. We observe thermodynamic phase transitions between the four stable phases at a quadruple point as well as weak and strong oscillatory phenomena by numerically solving the Smoluchowski equation describing the evolution of the probability distribution function. We analyze the dynamic evolution of the different phases at various ensemble temperatures and find that the probability distribution of a final stationary state is closely tied to the structure of its off-shell Gibbs free energy.
Morphology and structural evolution of fine beach gold in comparison to detrital platinum, southern New Zealand
Authors: Palmer Marshall , Craw Dave
Published: August 2023

Beach placer gold has been mined around the world historically, but extraction of fine (~ 100 µm) gold particles is notoriously difficult. This study illustrates morphological and mineralogical changes that transform fine gold during aeolian processes on windy beaches and contribute to mine concentration inefficiencies. Sandblasting on exposed beaches in southern New Zealand has caused extreme attenuation of edges of gold flakes that were previously transported in rivers for > 200 km. Flakes have been transformed into complex but compact toroids and spheroids with thin (~ 20 µm) internal and external strands of attenuated gold. Most of the gold within the attenuated strands has recrystallised to fine (micron-scale) undeformed grains with little or no Ag (< 1 wt%). Some coarse (> 40 µm) gold grains remain from the precursor fluvial particles, and these retain original Ag contents (1–10 wt%). These coarse grains show substantial internal crystallographic deformation and sub-grain formation, although some of these strain effects may have been inherited from fluvial transport. Co-existing detrital platinum minerals are much less malleable than gold during sandblasting and have only minor (10-µm scale) toroidal deformation on edges of fluvial flakes. The complex frameworks of the fine toroidal and spheroidal gold particles can include air, water, and clay, which lowers their average density and so they commonly float on water and are readily entrained with other heavy minerals. The fine particle size, compact shapes, and clay coatings also resist mercury amalgamation.
Kinesiophobia contributes to worse functional and patient‐reported outcome measures in Achilles tendinopathy: a systematic review
Authors: Vivekanantha Prushoth , de SA Darren , Halai Mansur , Daniels Timothy , del Balso Christopher , Pinsker Ellie , Shah Ajay
Published: August 2023

Purpose

To assess the effect of kinesiophobia or fear of reinjury on patient‐reported outcome measures and physical performance measures in patients with chronic Achilles tendinopathy (AT).

Methods

Three databases were systematically screened for studies from inception to May 22nd, 2023 for literature investigating the impact of kinesiophobia on PROMs or physical performance metrics in AT. The authors adhered to the PRISMA and R‐AMSTAR guidelines as well as the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Data on demographics, pain, level of activity, self‐reported injury severity, quality of life, single‐leg hop performance, and heel‐raise performance were recorded. Data was presented primarily in a narrative summary fashion. The MINORS score was used for all studies to perform a quality assessment of included studies.

Results

Six studies comprising 705 patients were included in this review. Variations of the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK‐11 or TSK‐17) were used in all studies. TSK scores were strongly correlated with the Pain Catastrophizing Score (PCS) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores and were correlated with decreased Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment Achilles (VISA‐A) and Foot and Ankle Outcome Scores Quality of Life (FAOS‐QoL) subscale scores. Kinesiophobia was associated with heel raise completion with conflicting evidence on correlations with hop test performance.

Conclusion

Increased kinesiophobia scores (> 35 points), measured by TSK are associated with worse PROMs, including increased pain, decreased quality of life, increased self‐reported severity, and is also associated with poorer physical performance measures in patients with AT.

Level of evidence

IV.
The Diversity and Metabolism of Culturable Nitrate-Reducing Bacteria from the Photic Zone of the Western North Pacific Ocean
Authors: Jiang Zhichen , Liu Sizhen , Zhang Dechao , Sha Zhongli
Published: August 2023

To better understand bacterial communities and metabolism under nitrogen deficiency, 154 seawater samples were obtained from 5 to 200 m at 22 stations in the photic zone of the Western North Pacific Ocean. Total 634 nitrate-utilizing bacteria were isolated using selective media and culture-dependent methods, and 295 of them were positive for nitrate reduction. These nitrate-reducing bacteria belonged to 19 genera and 29 species and among them, Qipengyuania flava, Roseibium aggregatum, Erythrobacter aureus, Vibrio campbellii, and Stappia indica were identified from all tested seawater layers of the photic zone and at almost all stations. Twenty-nine nitrate-reducing strains representing different species were selected for further the study of nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon metabolism. All 29 nitrate-reducing isolates contained genes encoding dissimilatory nitrate reduction or assimilatory nitrate reduction. Six nitrate-reducing isolates can oxidize thiosulfate based on genomic analysis and activity testing, indicating that nitrate-reducing thiosulfate-oxidizing bacteria exist in the photic zone. Five nitrate-reducing isolates obtained near the chlorophyll a-maximum layer contained a dimethylsulfoniopropionate synthesis gene and three of them contained both dimethylsulfoniopropionate synthesis and cleavage genes. This suggests that nitrate-reducing isolates may participate in dimethylsulfoniopropionate synthesis and catabolism in photic seawater. The presence of multiple genes for chitin degradation and extracellular peptidases may indicate that almost all nitrate-reducing isolates (28/29) can use chitin and proteinaceous compounds as important sources of carbon and nitrogen. Collectively, these results reveal culturable nitrate-reducing bacterial diversity and have implications for understanding the role of such strains in the ecology and biogeochemical cycles of nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon in the oligotrophic marine photic zone.
Diverse marine benthic communities and reduced anthropogenic contaminants near Scott Base (Hut Point Peninsula, Ross Island, Antarctica)
Authors: Lohrer Andrew M. , Mangan Stephanie , Marriott Peter , Budd Rod , Bremner David , Grant Brett , Tait Leigh W.
Published: August 2023

Antarctic marine ecosystems are largely thought to be among the planet’s least impacted, yet habitats adjacent to research stations can be heavily polluted. Despite long-term monitoring and remediation being high priorities for international environmental protection, the ecological responses to contaminants and stressors remains poorly characterised, limiting our ability to manage and reduce human impacts. This study compares epifaunal community composition at two sites close to Scott Base with a reference site further away. We couple these data with environmental characteristics, including current data, sediment properties, and contaminant concentrations within the sediment and in the tissues of two epifaunal species, both from this survey and those previously reported. Previously high concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls and polyaromatic hydrocarbons are now undetectable and concentrations of heavy metals were mostly similar or reduced compared to previous data from 2002. High within-site variance suggests localised contamination footprints from being situated within a deposition zone and/or from the erosion of anthropogenic debris. Despite the persistence of some metals (arsenic, copper and lead) at one site, our study revealed high biodiversity at all three sites (22–28 taxa per 0.25 m2). Benthic community structure was influenced by a combination of factors, including sea ice characteristics, sediment type and habitat complexity. Overall, our study clearly highlights the influence of human activities on the benthos in adjacent marine habitats. The established monitoring protocols coupling diver and remote sampling will enable regular monitoring, filling a critical need for time-series data in order to detect long-term trends and interactions with climate drivers.
Machine learning slice-wise whole-lung CT emphysema score correlates with airway obstruction
Authors: Lidén Mats , Spahr Antoine , Hjelmgren Ola , Bendazzoli Simone , Sundh Josefin , Sköld Magnus , Bergström Göran , Wang Chunliang , Thunberg Per
Published: August 2023

Objectives

Quantitative CT imaging is an important emphysema biomarker, especially in smoking cohorts, but does not always correlate to radiologists’ visual CT assessments. The objectives were to develop and validate a neural network-based slice-wise whole-lung emphysema score (SWES) for chest CT, to validate SWES on unseen CT data, and to compare SWES with a conventional quantitative CT method.

Materials and methods

Separate cohorts were used for algorithm development and validation. For validation, thin-slice CT stacks from 474 participants in the prospective cross-sectional Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS) were included, 395 randomly selected and 79 from an emphysema cohort. Spirometry (FEV1/FVC) and radiologists’ visual emphysema scores (sum-visual) obtained at inclusion in SCAPIS were used as reference tests. SWES was compared with a commercially available quantitative emphysema scoring method (LAV950) using Pearson’s correlation coefficients and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis.

Results

SWES correlated more strongly with the visual scores than LAV950 (r = 0.78 vs. r = 0.41, p < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve for the prediction of airway obstruction was larger for SWES than for LAV950 (0.76 vs. 0.61, p = 0.007). SWES correlated more strongly with FEV1/FVC than either LAV950 or sum-visual in the full cohort (r =  − 0.69 vs. r =  − 0.49/r =  − 0.64, p < 0.001/p = 0.007), in the emphysema cohort (r =  − 0.77 vs. r =  − 0.69/r =  − 0.65, p = 0.03/p = 0.002), and in the random sample (r =  − 0.39 vs. r =  − 0.26/r =  − 0.25, p = 0.001/p = 0.007).

Conclusion

The slice-wise whole-lung emphysema score (SWES) correlates better than LAV950 with radiologists’ visual emphysema scores and correlates better with airway obstruction than do LAV950 and radiologists’ visual scores.

Clinical relevance statement

The slice-wise whole-lung emphysema score provides quantitative emphysema information for CT imaging that avoids the disadvantages of threshold-based scores and is correlated more strongly with reference tests than LAV950 and reader visual scores.

Key Points

• A slice-wise whole-lung emphysema score (SWES) was developed to quantify emphysema in chest CT images.

• SWES identified visual emphysema and spirometric airflow limitation significantly better than threshold-based score (LAV950).

• SWES improved emphysema quantification in CT images, which is especially useful in large-scale research.
Gaps in transitional care to adulthood for patients with cerebral palsy: a systematic review
Authors: Mitchell Devon L. , Shlobin Nathan A. , Winterhalter Emily , Lam Sandi K , Raskin Jeffrey S
Published: August 2023

Purpose

The transition from pediatric to adult care can be complex and difficult to navigate for adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). We aimed to assess the current state of transitional care for young persons with CP and delineate guidelines for best practice with opportunities for intervention.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines to search PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases. Articles were screened for relevance via title and abstract prior to full-text review.

Results

Of 3151 resultant articles, 27 observational studies were included. Fourteen (52%) studies assessed clinical outcomes of patients with CP during and post-transition. Transition-associated poor outcomes included housing instability, unemployment, difficulty forming relationships, increased hospital admission rates, and decreased use of rehabilitation services. Factors associated with improved outcomes included family participation, promotion of self-efficacy, and meeting the adult team before transition. Nine (33%) studies conducted interviews with transition-age persons with CP. Key themes were a lack of transition preparedness, difficulty navigating the adult system, gaps in seamless care, and limited accessibility to specialists and environments suitable for patients with complex care needs. Four (15%) studies examined features of current transition services. Perceived barriers included poor communication within health service teams, limited adult providers accepting CP patients, and the lack of financial resources for specialized care. There was no standardized transition tool or approach.

Conclusion

These findings underscore the importance of a planned transition process in optimizing long-term medical and psychosocial outcomes for persons with CP. Further research, including translational, team-based, and community-engaged research, are needed.
The effect of erenumab on brain network function in episodic migraine patients: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial (RESET BRAIN)
Authors: Filippi Massimo , Messina Roberta , Bartezaghi Marta , Cetta Ilaria , Colombo Bruno , Grazzi Licia , Martinelli Daniele , Ornello Raffaele , Pichiecchio Anna , Raimondi Debora , Russo Antonio , Sacco Simona , Splendiani Alessandra , Tassorelli Cristina , Turrini Renato , Valsasina Paola , Rocca Maria Assunta ,   RESET BRAIN Study Group, Bruno Federico , Campanella Angela , Caponnetto Valeria , Dall’Occhio Luca , Silvestro Marcello , Vuotto Roberto
Published: August 2023

Background

We aimed to explore whether erenumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor, could exert a central effect on brain network function in migraine, and investigate the persistence of such an effect following treatment discontinuation.

Methods

This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial with a crossover design performed in adult episodic migraine patients with previous treatment failure. Patients were randomized (1:1) to 12 weeks of erenumab 140 mg or placebo, followed by a 12-week crossover. Resting state (RS) functional connectivity (FC) changes of brain networks involved in migraine were investigated using a seed-based correlation approach.

Results

Sixty-one patients were randomized to treatment. In each treatment sequence, 27 patients completed the visit at week 12. Forty-four enrolled patients, 22 in each treatment sequence, completed the study procedures with no major protocol violations. We observed a carry-over effect of erenumab during the placebo treatment and therefore data analysis was performed as a parallel comparison of erenumab vs placebo of the first 12 weeks of treatment. From baseline to week 12, compared to placebo, patients receiving erenumab showed RS FC changes within the cerebellar, thalamic and periaqueductal gray matter networks, significantly associated with clinical improvement. Compared to non-responders, patients achieving a 50% reduction in migraine days had distinct patterns of thalamic and visual network RS FC. Brain RS FC changes reversed when erenumab was stopped. A lower baseline RS FC of the pontine network identified patients responding to erenumab.

Conclusion

Erenumab modulates RS FC of networks involved in migraine pathophysiology. In line with clinical response, erenumab-induced brain RS FC changes tend to reverse when treatment is stopped.
Eight years of AutoML: categorisation, review and trends
Authors: Barbudo Rafael , Ventura Sebastián , Romero José Raúl
Published: August 2023

Knowledge extraction through machine learning techniques has been successfully applied in a large number of application domains. However, apart from the required technical knowledge and background in the application domain, it usually involves a number of time-consuming and repetitive steps. Automated machine learning (AutoML) emerged in 2014 as an attempt to mitigate these issues, making machine learning methods more practicable to both data scientists and domain experts. AutoML is a broad area encompassing a wide range of approaches aimed at addressing a diversity of tasks over the different phases of the knowledge discovery process being automated with specific techniques. To provide a big picture of the whole area, we have conducted a systematic literature review based on a proposed taxonomy that permits categorising 447 primary studies selected from a search of 31,048 papers. This review performs an extensive and rigorous analysis of the AutoML field, scrutinising how the primary studies have addressed the dimensions of the taxonomy, and identifying any gaps that remain unexplored as well as potential future trends. The analysis of these studies has yielded some intriguing findings. For instance, we have observed a significant growth in the number of publications since 2018. Additionally, it is noteworthy that the algorithm selection problem has gradually been superseded by the challenge of workflow composition, which automates more than one phase of the knowledge discovery process simultaneously. Of all the tasks in AutoML, the growth of neural architecture search is particularly noticeable.
The agrarian question in dairy farms: An analysis of dairy farms in the European Union countries
Authors: Requena-i-Mora Marina , Barbeta-Viñas Marc
Published: August 2023

In this article, we review the Agrarian Question focusing on dairy farms. We have the dual aim of adding to the debate surrounding the economic profitability of small and large dairy farms and increasing what is known about the decline of dairy farms. The agrarian question at the heart of our research centres on the paradoxical endurance of family farms, despite predictions from both liberal and Marxist perspectives that they would diminish in number over time. By addressing these complex issues, we hope to shed light on the challenges and opportunities facing the dairy industry today. We focus on analysing dairy farms in the European Union countries, using panel regressions from 2008 to 2018 to define the relationship between the average number of cows per farm, profit margins and Farm Net Income. The most important results show that (i) paradoxically, profits were higher on smaller farms; (ii) however, empirical data show that small dairy farms are disappearing; (iii) this is because when including subsidies, farms with a higher number of cows are more profitable than smaller farms.
Optimizing learning return on investment: Identifying learning strategies based on user behavior characteristic in language learning applications
Authors: Li Mengsiying , Wang Tai
Published: August 2023

Began with Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in the 1960s and extended to the widespread use of various Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) tools in education, language learning has embraced technology early on, achieved noticeable results, and found extensive practical use. However, due to the challenges in accessing user data from various language learning platforms, the measurement and assessment of language-related variables continue to rely on self-reporting and peer evaluations. This reliance hampers researchers to observe language learning from alternative perspectives, especially when it comes to analyzing raw behavioral data. To explore potential correlations between different learning modes, this study analyzed 2 million samples from Chinese students using an English language learning application. The study quantified the effectiveness of English vocabulary learning using the economic concept of return on investment (ROI) as an evaluation metric and identified four distinct learning strategies. It observed significant differences in learning ROI among learners who adopted different strategies. Based on this analysis, we recommend the following suggestions for improving language learning ROI: when memorizing new vocabulary, investing excessive amounts of time may be counterproductive; a more effective approach is to "eat less but more often," which means arranging review sessions at a reasonable pace and shortening the interval between each review.
Assessing the Impacts of Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone on Air Quality: Estimates from a Machine Learning and Synthetic Control Approach
Authors: Liu Bowen , Bryson John R. , Sevinc Deniz , Cole Matthew A. , Elliott Robert J. R. , Bartington Suzanne E. , Bloss William J. , Shi Zongbo
Published: August 2023

We apply a two-step data driven approach to determine the causal impact of the clean air zone (CAZ) policy on air quality in Birmingham, UK. Levels of NO2, NOx and PM2.5 before and after CAZ implementation were collected from automatic air quality monitoring sites both within and outside the CAZ. We apply a unique combination of two recent methods: (1) a random forest machine learning method to strip out the effects of meteorological conditions on air pollution levels, and then (2) the Augmented Synthetic Control Method (ASCM) on the de-weathered air pollution data to isolate the causal effect of the CAZ. We find that, during the first year following the formal policy implementation, the CAZ led to significant but modest reductions of NO2 and NOX levels measured at the roadside within (up to 3.4% and 5.4% of NO2 and NOX, respectively) and outside (up to 6.6% and 11.9%) the zone, with no detectable changes at the urban background site outside the CAZ. No significant impacts of the CAZ were found on concentrations of fine particulates (PM2.5). Our analysis demonstrates the short-term effectiveness of CAZ in reducing concentrations of NO2 and NOX.
Bibliometric analysis of the Vogt‒Koyanagi‒Harada disease literature
Authors: Li Liangpin , Yuan Liyun , Zhou Xueyan , Hua Xia , Yuan Xiaoyong
Published: August 2023

Purpose

As an autoimmune disease, Vogt‒Koyanagi‒Harada disease (VKHD) is a main type of uveitis in many countries and regions, significantly impacting patient vision. At present, information regarding VKHD is still limited, and further research is needed. We conducted a bibliometric analysis to characterize the overall status, current trends, and current focus of VKHD research.

Method

Literature published from 1975 to 2022 was obtained from the Web of Science core collection and analysed with the R-language packages Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace software.

Results

A total of 1050 papers on VKHD were retrieved from 261 journals, and 16,084 references were obtained from the papers in the original search. The average annual number of published articles was approximately 21.9, and the number of publications rapidly increased after 2004. The journal Ocular Immunology and Inflammation published the most papers on VKHD, while the American Journal of Ophthalmology has the highest citation frequency. The leading countries were Japan, China (PRC), and the United States of America (USA). Yang PZ from Chongqing Medical University was the most prolific and cited author. The most frequently cited study discussed revision of VKHD diagnostic criteria. An analysis of the highest frequency keywords showed that most research focused on the treatment, diagnosis, and pathogenesis of VKHD and its relationship with other related diseases. At present, the most urgent research direction is in the relationship between COVID-19 or COVID-19 vaccines and VKHD and the corresponding mechanisms underlying it.

Conclusion

Utilizing dynamic and visualization tools, bibliometrics provides a clear depiction of the research history, development trends, and research hotspots in VKHD It serves as a valuable tool for identifying research gaps and areas that necessitate further exploration. Our study revealed potential directions for future VKHD research, including investigating specific molecular mechanisms underlying the disease, exploring the clinical utility of optical coherence tomography angiography and other diagnostic techniques, and conducting clinical research on novel therapeutic drugs.
Sputtered Ag-doped NiO thin films: structural, optical, and electrocatalytic activity toward methanol oxidation
Authors: Abdel-wahab Mohamed Sh. , El Emam Hadeer K. , El Rouby Waleed M. A.
Published: August 2023

Significant research is being performed to find suitable electrocatalysts in alkaline direct methanol fuel cells. Despite tremendous improvements, producing non-Pt catalysts with great activity and high stability is still difficult. Herein, Ag-doped NiO thin films were deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) by the co-sputtering deposition method, utilizing various deposition times (200, 400, 600, and 800) seconds. The film thickness for the deposited films varied from 17, 35, 70, and 100 nm by increasing the deposition time from 200, 400, 600, to 800) seconds. The NiO–Ag-800 recorded the lowest band gap of 3.36 eV, whereas the NiO–Ag-200 recorded the highest band gap of 3.81 eV. The deposited thin films were used as electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation. Its physical properties facilitate the adsorbed reactions, allow for easier penetration of electrolytes, and help in rapid reaction kinetics. Moreover, because Ag–NiO is deposited on an FTO substrate with outstanding adhesion and excellent electric contact, it can be utilized; without adding any binder or conducting agents. The films displayed reduced onset potential for oxidation of the methanol, high current density, and long-term stability. The thickness of the thin film proved that it plays a role in electroactivity. The efficiency of the films increased with increasing thickness, where the Ag–NiO-800 record the lowest onset potential is 0.37 V vs. Ag/AgCl.
Sorption behavior of Sr(II) in granitic rock: the effect of MX-80 bentonite colloids
Authors: Pakkanen Noora , Puhakka Eini , Siitari-Kauppi Marja , Hölttä Pirkko
Published: August 2023

MX-80 bentonite colloids’ effect on radionuclide sorption was studied by batch method and transport in flow using a granitic drill core column and Sr(II) as a radionuclide. Batch-type sorption and desorption experiments were conducted to determine Sr(II)’s distribution coefficients on bentonite colloids and metatexitic gneiss. Molecular modeling assessed the radionuclide’s sorption affinity and justified the differences in Sr(II)’s sorption behavior on biotite versus montmorillonite. The distribution coefficients were found to be a hundred times greater for colloids than for granitic rock. Strontium’s breakthrough from the column with bentonite colloids was successful without notable retardation on rock minerals.
Towards integrable perturbation of 2d CFT on de Sitter space
Authors: Jäkel Christian D. , Tanimoto Yoh
Published: August 2023

We describe a procedure to deform the dynamics of a two-dimensional conformal net to possibly obtain a Haag–Kastler net on the de Sitter spacetime. The new dynamics is given by adding a primary field smeared on the time-zero circle to the Lorentz generators of the conformal net. As an example, we take an extension of the chiral $$\hbox {U}(1)$$

U
(
1
)

-current net by a charged field with conformal dimension $$d < \frac{1}{4}$$

d
<

1
4

. We show that the perturbing operators are defined on a dense domain.
Ψnet: a parallel network with deeply coupled spatial and squeezed features for segmentation of medical images
Authors: Elmeslimany Eman M. , Kishk Sherif S. , Altantawy Doaa A.
Published: August 2023

The process of delineating a region of interest or an object in an image is called image segmentation. Efficient medical image segmentation can contribute to the early diagnosis of illnesses, and accordingly, patient survival possibilities can be enhanced. Recently, deep semantic segmentation methods demonstrate state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance. In this paper, we propose a generic novel deep medical segmentation framework, denoted as Ψnet. This model introduces a novel parallel encoder-decoder structure that draws up the power of triple U-Nets. In addition, a multi-stage squeezed-based encoder is employed to raise the network sensitivity to relevant features and suppress the unnecessary ones. Moreover, atrous spatial pyramid pooling (ASPP) is employed in the bottleneck of the network which helps in gathering more effective features during the training process, hence better performance can be achieved in segmentation tasks. We have evaluated the proposed Ψnet on a variety of challengeable segmentation tasks, including colonoscopy, microscopy, and dermoscopy images. The employed datasets include Data Science Bowl (DSB) 2018 challenge as a cell nuclei segmentation from microscopy images, International Skin Imaging Collaboration (ISIC) 2017 and 2018 as skin lesion segmentation from dermoscopy images, Kvasir-SEG, CVC-ClinicDB, ETIS-LaribDB, and CVC-ColonDB as polyp segmentation from colonoscopy images. Despite the variety in the employed datasets, the proposed model, with extensive experiments, demonstrates superior performance to advanced SOTA models, such as U-Net, ResUNet, Recurrent Residual U-Net, ResUNet++, UNet++, BCDU-Net, MultiResUNet, MCGU-Net, FRCU-Net, Attention Deeplabv3p, DDANet, ColonSegNet, and TMD-Unet.
Window-Adjusted Common Spatial Pattern for Detecting Error-Related Potentials in P300 BCI
Authors: Huang Zhihua , Li Minghong , Zheng Wenming , Wu Yingjie , Jiang Kun , Zheng Huiru
Published: August 2023

Under certain task conditions, error-related potential (ErrP) will be elicited, meaning that the subject is perceiving an error, responding to an external error, or engaging in a cognitive process of reinforcement learning. The detection of ErrP on a single trial basis has been studied and applied to improve all kinds of brain–computer interfaces (BCIs). However, the performance of this kind of detection is not currently good enough. In the paper, we proposed a novel method, called window-adjusted common spatial pattern (WACSP), for detecting ErrP in P300 BCI. In this method, the coefficient of determination was introduced to measure the difference of Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals on a channel at a moment and to guide the search of time windows in which EEG differences are significant, and common spatial pattern (CSP) was further used to capture the stable spatial patterns of EEG differences between correct and incorrect responses in each time window. WACSP and the commonly used methods were tested on the data sets that were built using the EEG signals acquired during the P300 BCI experiments with different feedback. The comparisons of accuracy, area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) and F-measure show that WACSP significantly outperforms the commonly used methods. The proposed method can improve ErrP detection based on a single trial.
An Australian convective wind gust climatology using Bayesian hierarchical modelling
Authors: Spassiani Alessio C. , Mason Matthew S. , Cheng Vincent Y. S.
Published: August 2023

To quantify the hazard or risks associated with severe convective wind gusts, it is necessary to have a reliable and spatially complete climatology of these events. The coupling of observational and global reanalysis (ERA-Interim) data over the period 2005–2015 is used here to facilitate the development of a spatially complete convective wind gust climatology for Australia. This is done through the development of Bayesian Hierarchical models that use both weather station-based wind gust observations and seasonally averaged severe weather indices (SWI), calculated using reanalysis data, to estimate seasonal gust frequencies across the country while correcting for observational biases specifically, the sparse observational network to record events. Different SWI combinations were found to explain event counts for different seasons. For example, combinations of Lifted Index and low level wind shear were found to generate the best results for autumn and winter. While for spring and summer, the composite Microburst Index and the combination of most unstable CAPE and 0–1 km wind shear were found to be most successful. Results from these models showed a minimum in event counts during the winter months, with events that do occur mainly doing so along the southwest coast of Western Australia or along the coasts of Tasmania and Victoria. Summer is shown to have the largest event counts across the country, with the largest number of gusts occurring in northern Western Australia extending east into the Northern Territory with another maximum over northeast New South Wales. Similar trends were found with an extended application of the models to the period 1979–2015 when utilizing only reanalysis data as input. This implementation of the models highlights the versatility of the Bayesian hierarchical modelling approach and its ability, when trained, to be used in the absence of observations.
Trivialization of the bottom line and losing relevance of losses
Authors: Srivastava Anup
Published: August 2023

The purpose of this article is to illustrate the growing limitations of the current methods of calculating earnings, particularly when earnings is a negative number. Earnings, presumably the most important output of a financial reporting system, is not a singular metric. It is obtained by subtracting numerous expense line items from revenues, both of which are calculated after applying a diverse, and often inconsistent, set of accounting conventions. Despite this apparent deficiency, earnings could be informative of recurring profits, if revenues are measured correctly and expenses are traced to revenues. However, both principles are increasingly violated for the cohorts of firms listed in the last 30 years, which now constitute over 80% of the set of listed firms. Revenues of recent cohorts do not capture many events that create recurring cash flows. Their operating expenses are dominated by intangible outlays that are unmatched to current revenues. As a result, newer cohorts’ profits and profit margins, especially when negative, offer little to inform future profits. Given that revenue and expense recognition rules are unlikely to change anytime soon, the current developments raise a question: Should the reporting of the summary measure of earnings be voluntary instead of mandatory?
Longitudinal reciprocal associations between student–teacher relationship quality and verbal and relational bullying victimization
Authors: Forsberg Camilla , Sjögren Björn , Thornberg Robert , Hong Jun Sung , Longobardi Claudio
Published: August 2023

Teachers have a major impact on students’ social cognition and behaviors, and previous research has found that students who have positive relationships with their teachers tend to be less bullied by their peers. However, this line of research is limited in that it has been (a) Dominated by cross-sectional studies and (b) Treated bullying victimization as a global construct without differentiating among its different forms (i.e., verbal, physical, and relational). The links might be reciprocal but further studies are needed to investigate the directionality. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the longitudinal associations between student–teacher relationship quality and two forms of bullying victimization, namely verbal and relational victimization. Three waves of data from 1885 Swedish fourth- through sixth-grade students were analyzed with cross-lagged panel models. The findings showed that the student–teacher relationship quality predicted and was predicted by verbal and relational victimization. Our findings thus underscore the importance of striving for caring, warm, supportive, and respectful student–teacher relationships as a component of schools’ prevention efforts.