bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cyber range design framework for cyber security education and training
Authors: Katsantonis M. N. , Manikas A. , Mavridis I. , Gritzalis D.
Published: March 2023

The need for effective training of cyber security personnel working in critical infrastructures and in the corporate has brought attention to the evolution of Cyber Ranges (CRs) as learning and training tools. Although CRs have been organized for many years, there is a lack of standards and common methodologies that facilitate their development and optimize their effectiveness. Aiming at strengthening cyber security education and research that utilize well designed CRs, we first analyze the CRs domain to identify key characteristics, strengths and fundamental weaknesses, and based on these outcomes we propose the Cyber Range Design Framework (CRDF), which includes the CR Architecture and the CR Life-Cycle. The CR Architecture presents the main components of CRDF compliant CRs, whereas the CR Life-Cycle presents the development phases of such approaches and the activities these phases embrace. CRDF builds on the Conceptual Framework for eLearning and Training (COFELET) and on the Exercise Life-Cycle. COFELET is particularly elaborated for the development of cyber security educational approaches, by adopting its design considerations that were based on widely adopted educational theories and approaches (e.g., scenario-based, reuse of elements). CRDF envisages the elaboration of CRs which optimize their impact, mitigate their weaknesses, and minimize their preparation and running costs. Under this prism, a preliminary appreciation of the CRDF approaches effectiveness is presented along with the expected outcomes of such approaches.
Is oropharyngoesophageal scintigraphy the method of choice for assessing dysphagia in systemic sclerosis? A single center experience
Authors: Di Battista Marco , Grosso Mariano , Da Rio Mattia , De Mattia Giammarco , Marciano Andrea , Valevich Anastasiya , Grosso Antonio , Morganti Riccardo , Volterrani Duccio , Della Rossa Alessandra , Mosca Marta
Published: March 2023

Objectives

To evaluate the performance of oropharyngoesophageal scintigraphy (OPES) in the assessment of dysphagia in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and to compare OPES results with those of barium esophagogram.

Methods

Adult SSc patients who underwent OPES for the assessment of dysphagia were enrolled. OPES was performed with both liquid and semisolid boluses and provided information regarding oropharyngeal transit time, esophageal transit time (ETT), oropharyngeal retention index (OPRI), esophageal retention index (ERI), and site of bolus retention. Barium esophagogram results were also collected.

Results

Fifty-seven SSc patients (87.7% female, mean age 57.7 years) with dysphagia were enrolled. OPES identified at least one alteration in each patient and findings were generally worse for the semisolid bolus. Esophageal motility was widely impaired with 89.5% of patients with an increased semisolid ERI, and middle-lower esophagus was the most frequent site of bolus retention. However, oropharyngeal impairment was highlighted by widespread increased OPRI, especially in anti-topoisomerase I positivity. Older patients and with longer disease duration presented slower semisolid ETT (p = 0.029 and p = 0.002, respectively). Eleven patients with dysphagia had a negative barium esophagogram: all of them presented some alterations in OPES parameters.

Conclusion

OPES revealed a marked SSc esophageal impairment, in terms of both slowed transit time and increased bolus retention, but also shed light on oropharyngeal swallowing alterations. OPES showed high sensitivity, being able to detect swallowing alterations in dysphagic patients with negative barium esophagogram. Therefore, the use of OPES for the assessment of SSc-related dysphagia in clinical practice should be promoted.
A strain mode spectral digital image correlation method for displacement field analysis
Authors: Han Shihao , He Yuming , Lei Jian , Xie Yuyang , Yang Yongbo
Published: March 2023

A spectral image correlation method considering the effect of displacement gradients upon displacement analysis in the Fourier frequency domain is proposed. A spectral image correlation criterion is studied and established to match the target subset image with the reference subset image in the frequency domain. An iterative algorithm for calculating displacement and strain is then derived, and the Hessian matrix remains unchanged within an iterative process. During the formation of the Hessian matrix, the greyscale gradients of the reference subset image can be calculated using the fast Fourier transform with high computational efficiency and accuracy. An accurate Fourier transform resampling technique, instead of the traditional interpolation method, is used to reconstruct or up-date the target image at a subpixel position in the deformed subset image. To verify the validity and accuracy of the proposed method, a series of images (2D-Challenge 1.0, sample 6) provided by the International DIC Challenge Committee (IDCC) was used for displacement analysis. The analyzed error results show that the proposed method is better than the published literature in accuracy. The second simulation experimental result with a strain of 50% is performed and the corresponding displacement accuracy is about 0.0032 pixel under the condition of 41 × 41 subset. Finally, a 14.85% uniaxial tensile test of a silicone rubber specimen is performed, and the analyzed displacement and strain distribution are given.
A single server retrial queue with event-dependent arrival rates
Authors: Dimitriou Ioannis
Published: March 2023

In this work, we consider a novel single-server retrial queue with event-dependent arrival rates. Contrary to other related works, the primary customers’ arrival rates depend on the last realized event, which refers either to a departure, or to an arrival of either type, or to when a customer arrives during a busy period, compared with others. Our motivation stems from the modeling of service systems, in which the customers express their willingness to join the system based on the last realized event. We investigate the stability conditions, and derive the stationary distribution both at service completion epochs, and at an arbitrary epoch. We also study the asymptotic behaviour under high rate of retrials. Performance measures are explicitly derived, and extensive numerical examples are performed to investigate the impact of event-dependency. Moreover, constrained optimisation problems are formulated and solved with ultimate goal to derive optimal joining probabilities.
Transdisciplinary transformative change: an analysis of some best practices and barriers, and the potential of critical social science in getting us there
Authors: Deutsch Sierra , Keller Roger , Krug Cornelia Bettina , Michel Annina Helena
Published: March 2023

Biodiversity experts now widely acknowledge that transformative change is best supported through transdisciplinary collaborations. Yet, such collaborations rarely successfully occur in major biodiversity research institutions and those that do rarely achieve the paradigmatic effects they aim to deliver. To gain some insight into this global phenomenon, we surveyed Swiss-based researchers and non-academic stakeholders addressing global change and biodiversity. In this article, we connect our findings to global patterns in transdisciplinary transformative change initiatives (TTCIs) and heuristically divide collaboration barriers into two categories: lack of resources and lack of vital functional elements. Two of the major themes that emerged from this research were the continued difficulties with (1) establishing a common ‘language’, understanding, and goals, and (2) meaningful pluralization of knowledge in transdisciplinary collaborations aimed at addressing global change and biodiversity loss. The former is widely cited in the literature as contributing to the failure of TTCIs in the form of incoherent problem-framing, while the latter is often identified as contributing to the lack of structural transformative change (e.g., paradigmatic shifts) in completed initiatives. Another major theme reflected in TTCI literature was limited time. Moreover, based on our own extensive inter- and transdisciplinary experience, we agree with other experts that there is a persistent lack of understanding of the potential contributions of critical social science (CSS) to TTCIs. We thus argue that enhancing resource availability for TTCIs, especially tools for improving CSS literacy, could save time and support both problem-framing alignment and delivery of the structural/paradigmatic changes we aspire to.
Adapting nomadic pastoralism to climate change
Authors: Tugjamba Navchaa , Walkerden Greg , Miller Fiona
Published: March 2023

This paper presents the results of a detailed review of the research literature on how nomadic pastoralists are being affected by climate change, how they are adapting, and challenges with using traditional knowledge in adaptation. It focuses on research that investigates local, and particularly traditional, knowledge of water, pasture, their variability, and livestock. This knowledge underpins nomadic livelihoods, so is a foundation for effective adaptation. Changes in the total amount of precipitation, and particularly shifts in its timing, and increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme events, are having the greatest impacts on herding livelihoods. Herders in drylands worldwide face common adaptation challenges: declining traditional water sources and pasture degradation. Herders’ adaptation strategies fall into five major categories: movement to areas with better water and pasture, improving seasonal access to water, improving seasonal access to feed, shifts in herd composition, and livelihood diversification. Movement is central to nomads’ adaptation, yet, as climate change takes hold, restrictions on movement are increasing for both socio-economic reasons and climate reasons. Many papers emphasised the importance of combining traditional knowledge and current science to guide adaptation decision-making at household, locality, and national levels. There is widespread concern about the decline in traditional knowledge. All the papers reviewed emphasised the need to support passing on traditional know-how. Herder women’s know-how, in particular, is marginalised in the research literature, so their traditional knowledge should be a focus in further research. Herders’ adaptations are mostly localised, incremental, and have a relatively short-term focus. As nomadic pastoralism moves further outside the range of historical experience, the possibility of more profound transformations looms.
EquiP: A Method to Co-Design for Cooperation
Authors: Çarçani Klaudia , Bratteteig Tone , Holone Harald , Herstad Jo
Published: March 2023

In Participatory Design (PD), the design of a cooperative digital solution should involve all stakeholders in the co-design. When one stakeholder’s position is weaker due to socio-cultural structures or differences in knowledge or abilities, PD methods should help designers balance the power in the design process at both the macro and micro levels. We present a PD method that addresses the power relations arising during the design process and draws on theories about participation and power in the design and organisation of change processes. We contribute to Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) by using the PD method to design computer support for cooperation on cognitive rehabilitation between people with Mild Acquired Brain Injuries (MACI) and their healthcare professionals, where strengthening the cooperation is considered an element of patient empowerment. This method is presented as a contribution to the intersection between PD and CSCW. The discussion of power in PD contributes to the discussion of cooperation in CSCW. We found that EquiP supported the creation of choices, and hence the ‘power to’ influence the design. This method can contribute to a power ‘equilibrium’ and a positive-sum power relation in PD sessions involving all stakeholders.
ABENEARIO: A system for learning early maths with ABN
Authors: Martín Díaz Ana , Alario-Hoyos Carlos , Estévez-Ayres Iria , Delgado Kloos Carlos , Fernández-Panadero Carmen
Published: March 2023

ABN (Abierto Basado en Números—Open Calculation Based on Numbers) is a method for teaching basic arithmetic operations in primary education that has become popular in recent years and that is based on the decomposition of numbers through manipulative materials that encourage mental calculation. Currently there is limited number of tools that can be used to support the ABN method and so this article presents the design and development of two tools that facilitate learning with this method, a physical device, ABENEARIO-P, and a virtual device (web application), ABENEARIO-V, that complements the physical device. In addition, a study of the use of these tools was carried out with 80 learners (ages 7 and 9) and 9 teachers with a focus on ABENEARIO-V. The results of this study showed a positive evaluation of the tool by both learners and teachers, an adequate time to complete the mathematical operations assigned to learners and an improvement in performance as the tool was used. As a conclusion, it is important to provide adequate tools that can support teachers and learners in the practice with the ABN method as in the case of ABENEARIO-P and ABENEARIO-V. Limitations refer mainly to the context of the study, which was conducted at a time of severe social distance restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic on touching physical devices or being able to gather a larger number of learners in the classroom.
Children’s Olfactory Picturebooks: Charting New Trends in Early Childhood Education
Authors: Kucirkova Natalia Ingebretsen , Tosun Selim
Published: March 2023

Converging global trends (digitization, globalization, datafication) have influenced all aspects of children’s literacies, including children’s picturebooks. The recent turn towards embodied, affective and sensory literacies, stimulated our interest in multisensory picturebooks that engage all children’s senses, including the sense of smell (olfaction). Olfactory children’s picturebooks demand new forms of literary conversations, which capitalise on unique properties of odours and integrate these with stories. Drawing on a systematic search of children’s picturebooks about, and with, smell, in paper-based and digital formats, we identified three principal ways in which olfaction is currently embedded in children’s picturebooks: 1, as an add-on to depiction of objects (including foods, plants) and places, 2, as a device to introduce humour into a story, and 3, as an engagement tool for children’s active participation in the story. We mobilise Sipe’s (2008) concept of seven constituting elements in children’s picturebooks to describe how current olfactory picturebooks apply the elements in their design and make recommendations for future development of children’s olfactory picturebooks. Reflecting on the generative potential of literary theories and olfactory power to stimulate children’s non-linguistic embodied interactions with picturebooks, we propose some extensions to the current olfactory picturebook landscape.
Evaluation of MODIS combined DT and DB AOD retrievals and their association with meteorological variables over Qena, Egypt
Authors: Elshora Mohamed
Published: March 2023

The purpose of this study is to validate the daily Terra-MODIS level 2 combined dark target (DT) and deep blue (DB) aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals with a spatial resolution of 10 km against the ground-based AERONET AOD data to be used in evaluating the air pollution and impact of meteorological variables over Qena, Egypt, in 2019. The regression analysis demonstrated an accepted agreement between the MODIS and AERONET AOD data with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.7118 and 74.22% of the collocated points fall within the expected error (EE) limits. Quality flag filtering and spatial and temporal collocation were found to have a significant impact on the regression results. Quality flag filtering increased R by 0.2091 and % within EE by 17.97, spatial collocation increased R by 0.0143 and % within EE by 1.13, and temporal collocation increased R by 0.0089 and % within EE by 4.43. By validating the MODIS AOD data seasonally and analyzing the temporal distribution of the seasonal AOD data to show the retrieval accuracy variations between seasons, it was found that the MODIS AOD observations overestimated the AERONET AOD values in all seasons, and this may be because of underestimating the surface reflectance. Perhaps the main reason for the highest overestimation in summer and autumn is the transportation of aerosols from other regions, which changes the aerosol model in Qena, making accurate aerosol-type assumptions more difficult. Therefore, this study recommends necessary improvements regarding the aerosol model selection and the surface reflectance calculations. Temperature and relative humidity were found to have a strong negative relationship with a correlation of − 0.735, and both have a moderate association with AOD with a correlation of 0.451 and − 0.356, respectively. Because Qena is not a rainy city, precipitation was found to have no correlation with the other variables.
Why school context matters in refugee education
Authors: Baak Melanie , McDonald Sarah , Johnson Bruce , Sullivan Anna
Published: March 2023

Education plays an important role in the successful settlement and life outcomes of young people from refugee backgrounds. Because of this, research into young people from refugee backgrounds in education systems tends to focus on examples of “good practice” in terms of how these young people experience education. Yet, examples of good practice commonly fail to take into account that schools are engaging in particular practices from very different contexts. This article contributes to the study of refugee education by drawing attention to the role that school contexts play in how different schools enact “good practice”. It presents data from a large multi-stage study which explored how the schooling experiences of students from refugee backgrounds are shaped by educational policies and school practices. By outlining case studies of seven schools, it highlights the impact of differing school contexts on how schools respond to the needs of students from refugee backgrounds. In this way, this article highlights that the notion of “good practice” within refugee-background education is always nuanced and contextual.
Einstein Completeness as Categoricity
Authors: Toader Iulian D.
Published: March 2023

This paper provides an algebraic reconstruction of Einstein’s own argument for the incompleteness of quantum mechanics—the one that he thought did not make it into the EPR paper—in order to clarify the assumptions that underlie an understanding of Einstein completeness as categoricity, the sense in which it is a type of descriptive completeness, and some of the various ways in which it has been more often misconstrued.
Analytical Solutions for Gravitational Potential up to Its Third-order Derivatives of a Tesseroid, Spherical Zonal Band, and Spherical Shell
Authors: Deng Xiao-Le , Sneeuw Nico
Published: March 2023

The spherical shell and spherical zonal band are two elemental geometries that are often used as benchmarks for gravity field modeling. When applying the spherical shell and spherical zonal band discretized into tesseroids, the errors may be reduced or cancelled for the superposition of the tesseroids due to the spherical symmetry of the spherical shell and spherical zonal band. In previous studies, this superposition error elimination effect (SEEE) of the spherical shell and spherical zonal band has not been taken seriously, and it needs to be investigated carefully. In this contribution, the analytical formulas of the signal of derivatives of the gravitational potential up to third order (e.g., V, $$V_{z}$$

V
z

, $$V_{zz}$$

V

zz

, $$V_{xx}$$

V

xx

, $$V_{yy}$$

V

yy

, $$V_{zzz}$$

V

zzz

, $$V_{xxz}$$

V

xxz

, and $$V_{yyz}$$

V

yyz

) of a tesseroid are derived when the computation point is situated on the polar axis. In comparison with prior research, simpler analytical expressions of the gravitational effects of a spherical zonal band are derived from these novel expressions of a tesseroid. In the numerical experiments, the relative errors of the gravitational effects of the individual tesseroid are compared to those of the spherical zonal band and spherical shell not only with different 3D Gauss–Legendre quadrature orders ranging from (1,1,1) to (7,7,7) but also with different grid sizes (i.e., $$5^{\circ }\times 5^{\circ }$$

5
∘

×

5
∘

, $$2^{\circ }\times 2^{\circ }$$

2
∘

×

2
∘

, $$1^{\circ }\times 1^{\circ }$$

1
∘

×

1
∘

, $$30^{\prime }\times 30^{\prime }$$

30
′

×

30
′

, and $$15^{\prime }\times 15^{\prime }$$

15
′

×

15
′

) at a satellite altitude of 260 km. Numerical results reveal that the SEEE does not occur for the gravitational components V, $$V_{z}$$

V
z

, $$V_{zz}$$

V

zz

, and $$V_{zzz}$$

V

zzz

of a spherical zonal band discretized into tesseroids. The SEEE can be found for the $$V_{xx}$$

V

xx

and $$V_{yy}$$

V

yy

, whereas the superposition error effect exists for the $$V_{xxz}$$

V

xxz

and $$V_{yyz}$$

V

yyz

of a spherical zonal band discretized into tesseroids on the overall average. In most instances, the SEEE occurs for a spherical shell discretized into tesseroids. In summary, numerical experiments demonstrate the existence of the SEEE of a spherical zonal band and a spherical shell, and the analytical solutions for a tesseroid can benefit the investigation of the SEEE. The single tesseroid benchmark can be proposed in comparison to the spherical shell and spherical zonal band benchmarks in gravity field modeling based on these new analytical formulas of a tesseroid.
The chaperone system in cancer therapies: Hsp90
Authors: Basset Charbel A. , Conway de Macario Everly , Leone Lavinia Giovanna , Macario Alberto J.L. , Leone Angelo
Published: March 2023

The chaperone system (CS) of an organism is composed of molecular chaperones, chaperone co-factors, co-chaperones, and chaperone receptors and interactors. It is present throughout the body but with distinctive features for each cell and tissue type. Previous studies pertaining to the CS of the salivary glands have determined the quantitative and distribution patterns for several members, the chaperones, in normal and diseased glands, focusing on tumors. Chaperones are cytoprotective, but can also be etiopathogenic agents causing diseases, the chaperonopathies. Some chaperones such as Hsp90 potentiate tumor growth, proliferation, and metastasization. Quantitative data available on this chaperone in salivary gland tissue with inflammation, and benign and malignant tumors suggest that assessing tissue Hsp90 levels and distribution patterns is useful for differential diagnosis-prognostication, and patient follow up. This, in turn, will reveal clues for developing specific treatment centered on the chaperone, for instance by inhibiting its pro-carcinogenic functions (negative chaperonotherapy). Here, we review data on the carcinogenic mechanisms of Hsp90 and their inhibitors. Hsp90 is the master regulator of the PI3K-Akt-NF-kB axis that promotes tumor cell proliferation and metastasization. We discuss pathways and interactions involving these molecular complexes in tumorigenesis and review Hsp90 inhibitors that have been tested in search of an efficacious anti-cancer agent. This targeted therapy deserves extensive investigation in view of its theoretical potential and some positive practical results and considering the need of novel treatments for tumors of the salivary glands as well as other tissues.
A diatom-inferred water-depth transfer function from a single lake in the northern California Coast Range
Authors: Han Jiwoo , Kirby Matthew , Carlin Joe , Nauman Benjamin , MacDonald Glen
Published: March 2023

This study examines the relationship between water depth and diatom assemblages from lake-sediment-surface samples at Kelly Lake, California. A total of 40 surface-sediment samples (integrated upper 5 cm) were taken at various depths within the small (~ 3.74 ha) 5.7 m-deep lake. Secchi depths, water temperature, pH, salinity, conductivity, and total dissolved solids were also measured. Some diatom species showed distinct association with depth (e.g., Fragilaria crotonensis, Nitzschia semirobusta). The relationship between the complete diatom assemblages and water depth was analyzed and assessed by depth-cluster analysis, a one-way analysis of similarity, principal components analysis and canonical correspondence analysis. Statistically significant differences were found between the assemblages associated with shallow depth (0–1.25 m), mid-depth (1.25–3.75 m), and deep-water (3.75–5.2 m) locations. The relationship between diatom assemblages and lake depth allowed two transfer models to be developed using the Modern Analogue Technique and Weighted Averaging Partial Least Squares. These models were compared and assessed by residual scatter plots. The results indicate that diatom-inferred transfer models based on surface-sediment samples from a single, relatively small and shallow lake can be a useful tool for studying past hydroclimatic variability (e.g., lake depth) from similar lakes in California and other regions where the large number of lakes required for traditional transfer-function development may not exist.
Government R&D and green technology spillovers: the Chernobyl disaster as a natural experiment
Authors: Orsatti Gianluca
Published: March 2023

Using data on green patents filed at the European Patent Office from 1980 to 1984, this paper investigates the effect of increasing government R&D budget on green technology spillovers. Spillovers are measured with patent forward citations over the period 1981–1988. The level of government R&D budget is instrumented leveraging the unexpected occurrence of the Chernobyl nuclear accident—that exogenously pushed governments to reduce their energy-related R&D budgets—in a difference in differences setting. 2SLS results show that a 10% increase in government R&D increases by some 0.7% the number of citations received by green patents. Although positive and significant, the small magnitude of the estimated elasticity suggests that government R&D takes time to let innovation spillovers from green technologies to materialize with some relevance. Interestingly, increasing government R&D expenditures fosters green technology spillovers across traditional (non-green) fields and enlarges the technological breadth of inventions citing green patents. Overall, I conclude that government R&D fosters green knowledge spillovers, accelerates hybridization processes and favors technological diversification around green technologies. However, these positive effects seem to materialize at a slow pace.
Deep learning’s shallow gains: a comparative evaluation of algorithms for automatic music generation
Authors: Yin Zongyu , Reuben Federico , Stepney Susan , Collins Tom
Published: March 2023

Deep learning methods are recognised as state-of-the-art for many applications of machine learning. Recently, deep learning methods have emerged as a solution to the task of automatic music generation (AMG) using symbolic tokens in a target style, but their superiority over non-deep learning methods has not been demonstrated. Here, we conduct a listening study to comparatively evaluate several music generation systems along six musical dimensions: stylistic success, aesthetic pleasure, repetition or self-reference, melody, harmony, and rhythm. A range of models, both deep learning algorithms and other methods, are used to generate 30-s excerpts in the style of Classical string quartets and classical piano improvisations. Fifty participants with relatively high musical knowledge rate unlabelled samples of computer-generated and human-composed excerpts for the six musical dimensions. We use non-parametric Bayesian hypothesis testing to interpret the results, allowing the possibility of finding meaningfulnon-differences between systems’ performance. We find that the strongest deep learning method, a reimplemented version of Music Transformer, has equivalent performance to a non-deep learning method, MAIA Markov, demonstrating that to date, deep learning does not outperform other methods for AMG. We also find there still remains a significant gap between any algorithmic method and human-composed excerpts.
Segre products and Segre morphisms in a class of Yang–Baxter algebras
Authors: Gateva-Ivanova Tatiana
Published: March 2023

Let $$(X,r_X)$$

(
X
,

r
X

)

and $$(Y,r_Y)$$

(
Y
,

r
Y

)

be finite nondegenerate involutive set-theoretic solutions of the Yang–Baxter equation, and let $$A_X = \mathcal {A}({{\textbf {k}}}, X, r_X)$$

A
X

=
A

(
k
,
X
,

r
X

)

and $$A_Y= \mathcal {A}({{\textbf {k}}}, Y, r_Y)$$

A
Y

=
A

(
k
,
Y
,

r
Y

)

be their quadratic Yang–Baxter algebras over a field $${{\textbf {k}}}$$
k
. We find an explicit presentation of the Segre product $$A_X\circ A_Y$$

A
X

∘

A
Y

in terms of one-generators and quadratic relations. We introduce analogues of Segre maps in the class of Yang–Baxter algebras and find their images and their kernels. The results agree with their classical analogues in the commutative case.
Tools and peripersonal space: an enactive account of bodily space
Authors: Sykes John J.
Published: March 2023

Peripersonal space (PPS) is frequently defined as a plastic, pragmatic and goal-directed multisensory buffer that connects the brain-body with its immediate environment. While such characterisations indicate that peripersonal spatiality is profoundly embodied and enactive, comparatively few attempts have aimed to systematically synthesise PPS literature with compatible phenomenological accounts of lived space provided by Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty. Moreover, in traditional cognitive neuroscience, neurophysiological activity is thought to map onto discrete ‘cognitive correlates’. In contemporary 4E approaches to cognition, however, phenomenology-derived notions such as ‘pre-reflective cognition’ and ‘motor-intentionality’ frequently appear, yet their neural correlates may be comparatively difficult to pin down. Pre-reflectively, agents seemingly do not thematise spatial properties as operationalised in key experimental paradigms (e.g., spatial rotation tasks) but are instead inherently spatially embedded within the world. To refine this distinction, I survey how tools co-determine this distinctly spatial ‘world-embeddedness’ using a neurophenomenological methodology (Varela, Journal of Consciousness Studies, 3(4), 330–349, 1996). Specifically, I conduct two neurophenomenological analyses of tool-perception and tool-use, examining both how distance modulates affordance-perception and how tool-use remaps bodily space via the withdrawal of tools from intentional-objects into co-constituting motor-intentionality itself. I conclude by briefly distinguishing this interpretation of spatial cognition from cognitivist frameworks. Thereafter, I briefly highlight the temporal scaffolding underlying PPS while conceptually grounding my account within Embodied Simulation Theory (Gallese, Reti, Saperi, Linguaggi, (1), 31–46, 2018). What is at stake is thus both an explicitly embodied-enactive account of bodily space that is qualitative and situational instead of quantitative and positional, as well as a viable, interdisciplinary strategy for unifying pre-reflective cognition with neurophysiological data.
Skin applications of cannabidiol: sources, effects, delivery systems, marketed formulations and safety
Authors: Ferreira Beatriz P. , Costa Gustavo , Mascarenhas-Melo Filipa , Pires Patrícia C. , Heidarizadeh Fariba , Giram Prabhanjan S. , Mazzola Priscila Gava , Cabral Célia , Veiga Francisco , Paiva-Santos Ana Cláudia
Published: March 2023

In recent decades, the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids and analogous compounds has been intensively investigated. The endocannabinoid system has already been identified in the skin and, although much remains to be discovered about its contribution and importance for the maintenance of skin homeostasis, it has been increasingly associated as promising for dermatological disorders’ management. Cannabidiol (CBD), the main non-intoxicating phytocannabinoid in cannabis, has been shown to have hydrating, sebostatic, antipruritic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, wound healing, photoprotective, anti-fibrotic and antitumoral, as well as modulating hair growth. Thus, CBD has gained attention concerning its application in cutaneous pathologies such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, epidermolysis bullosa, systemic sclerosis, seborrheic dermatitis, androgenetic alopecia and cutaneous melanoma, although its bioactivities still lack scientific evidence and some of its mechanisms of action remain to be elucidated. Given its physicochemical characteristics, its topical administration becomes challenging, and it is necessary to develop new technological strategies to overcome the skin intact barrier. This review describes the latest evidence that exists on the application of CBD to the skin, the problems inherent to its chemical structure and that compromise its cutaneous administration, and the different strategies and formulations that have been studied to improve it, also clarifying some CBD-containing cosmetics products that are already available on the market.

Graphical Abstract
How academic opinion leaders shape scientific ideas: an acknowledgment analysis
Authors: Doehne Malte , Herfeld Catherine
Published: March 2023

In this paper, we examine how a research institution’s social structure and the presence of academic opinion leaders shaped the early adoption of a scientific innovation. Our case considers the early engagement of mathematical economists at the Cowles Commission with John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern’sTheory of Games and Economic Behavior.We argue that scholars with administrative leadership functions who were not only scientifically but also organizationally central—in our case Jacob Marschak, the director of research at Cowles—played a crucial role in promoting the early adoption of theTheory of Games. We support our argument with a scientometric analysis of all acknowledgments made in 488 papers published from 1944 to 1955 in the two main research paper series at the Cowles Commission. We apply blockmodeling techniques to the acknowledgments network to reconstruct the formal and informal social structure at Cowles at the time. Our case study emphasizes the importance of formal and informal social structures and the research agendas of academic opinion leaders to explain the early engagement with and adoption of innovative scientific ideas. Studies of the early adoption of scientific theories can benefit from complementary perspectives on the role of academic opinion leaders and scientists in explaining theory adoption.
Fear, Angst, and the “Startling Unexpected”. Three Figures of Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: d’Agnese Vasco
Published: March 2023

In this paper, I focus on teachers’ lived experiences during the COVID-19 outbreak. Specifically, I explore the emotional impact the abrupt shift to online teaching had on teachers’ work and life throughout the various phases of the lockdown. I develop my argument by analyzing teachers’ everyday work, using a qualitative approach, and constructing a small-scale empirical study. Philosophically, my attempt is phenomenologically developed and is framed by Heidegger’s and Arendt’s thoughts. Methodologically, my attempt falls within an emerging research horizon that combines educational philosophy with empirical research. Drawing from research data, I argue that teachers’ experience bears witness to a deep modification of the schooling space-time, namely, the horizon in which the very perception of students, themselves, and teaching arise. In the case of teachers experiencing discomfort, fear, and even angst, the totality of their gestures and emotions was, as it were, swallowed by this unknown and disquieting horizon; teachers in distress were experiencing the collapse of any projecting without being freed by projecting itself. In the case of teachers experiencing feelings of fulfillment and even joy, a different horizon was allowed to emerge. Such a different space-time, rather than producing a sense of distance and alienation, created a new intimacy and nearness, which allows for a different attitude toward the topics and the educational community. Students became more sensitive, susceptible to transformation, and open to what was being said. At the same time, relationships were caught in a new web of meanings that transcended them, thus giving birth to an educational experience in its own right. I conclude with some remarks about the building of the educational community.
Efficient design of a quantum absolute-value circuit using Clifford+T gates
Authors: Orts Francisco , Ortega Gloria , Combarro Elías F. , Rúa Ignacio F. , Puertas Antonio M. , Garzón Ester M.
Published: March 2023

Current quantum computers have a limited number of resources and are heavily affected by internal and external noise. Therefore, small, noise-tolerant circuits are of great interest. With regard to circuit size, it is especially important to reduce the number of required qubits. Concerning to fault-tolerance, circuits entirely built with Clifford+T gates allow the use of error correction codes. However, the T-gate has an excessive cost, so circuits with a high number of T-gates should be avoided. This work focuses on optimising in such terms an operation that is widely used in larger circuits and algorithms: the calculation of the absolute-value of two’s complement encoded integers. The proposed circuit halves the number of required T gates with respect to the best circuit currently available in the literature. Moreover, our circuit requires at least 2 qubits less than the other circuits for such an operation.
Comparative effects of curcumin versus nano-curcumin on histological, immunohistochemical expression, histomorphometric, and biochemical changes to pancreatic beta cells and lipid profile of streptozocin induced diabetes in male Sprague–Dawley rats
Authors: Metawea Mohamed R. , Abdelrazek Heba M. A. , El-Hak Heba Nageh Gad , Moghazee Mona M. , Marie Ohoud M.
Published: March 2023

Diabetes mellitus is a worldwide problem characterized by hyperglycemia as well as the damage of the microscopic structure of the beta cells of Langerhans pancreatic islets. In the present study, the histological, immunohistochemical, morphometric, and biochemical alterations to pancreatic beta cells in streptozocin (STZ)-induced diabetes were assessed in rats treated with curcumin (CU) (100 mg/kg/day) or nano-curcumin (nCU) (100 mg/kg/day) for 1 month. Twenty-four adult male Wistar albino rats were distributed into four groups: the nondiabetic control group, the diabetic untreated group, and two diabetic groups treated with CU or nCUR, respectively. Blood glucose, serum insulin levels, and lipid profile were measured. The pancreatic tissues were collected and processed into paraffin sections for histological and immunohistochemical examination, oxidative stress markers, and real-time PCR expression for pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 (PDX1). The insulin expression in beta cells was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Morphometrically, the percentage area of anti-insulin antibody reaction and the percentage area of islet cells were determined. STZ-induced deteriorating alteration in beta cells led to declines in the number of functioning beta cells and insulin immunoreactivity. In STZ-treated rats, CU and nCUR significantly reduced blood glucose concentration while increasing blood insulin level. It also caused a significant increase in the number of immunoreactive beta cells to the insulin expression and significant reduction of the immunoreactive beta cells to the caspase-3 expression. In conclusion, CU and nCUR could have a therapeutic role in the biochemical and microscopic changes in pancreatic beta cells in diabetes-induced rats through STZ administration with more bio-efficacy of nCUR.
Individual and combined effects of amoxicillin and carbamazepine to the marine copepod Tigriopus fulvus
Authors: Prato Ermelinda , Biandolino Francesca , Grattagliano Asia , Ruscito Andrea , Lofrano Giusy , Libralato Giovanni , Trifuoggi Marco , Albarano Luisa , Parlapiano Isabella
Published: March 2023

Pharmaceuticals can be considered a global threat to aquatic ecosystems due to their pseudo-persistence and their potential toxicity towards non-target species. Amoxicillin (AMX) and carbamazepine (CBZ) and their mixture (1:1) were investigated on the marine copepod Tigriopus fulvus (Fischer, 1860) considering both acute and chronic endpoints. While acute and chronic exposure did not directly affect survival, reproductive endpoints were affected like the mean egg hatching time that was significantly longer than the negative control for treatments with AMX (0.789 ± 0.079 μg/L), CBZ (8.88 ± 0.89 μg/L), and AMX and CMZ as a mixture (1.03 ± 0.10 μg/L and 0.941 ± 0.094 μg/L), in that order.
Feeling the values: How pride and awe differentially enhance consumers’ sustainable behavioral intentions
Authors: Yan Li , Keh Hean Tat , Murray Kyle B.
Published: March 2023

Building on prior work examining discrete emotions and consumer behavior, the present research proposes that consumers are more likely to engage in the target sustainable behavior when marketers use an emotional appeal that matches the brand’s expressed values or one that is congruent with consumers’ value priority. In particular, we focus on two contrasting positive emotions—pride and awe. We show that the effectiveness of pride and awe appeals depends on the corresponding human values. Specifically, pride increases sustainable behavior and intentions when the self-enhancement value is prioritized; and awe increases sustainable behavior and intentions when the self-transcendence value is prioritized. Importantly, this interaction can be explained by enhanced self-efficacy. We demonstrate these effects across six studies, including a field study. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of sustainable consumption, reconcile prior research, and provide practical guidance for marketers and policy-makers.
Monitoring Chemical Changes of Coffee Beans During Roasting Using Real-time NIR Spectroscopy and Chemometrics
Authors: Grassi Silvia , Giraudo Alessandro , Novara Chiara , Cavallini Nicola , Geobaldo Francesco , Casiraghi Ernestina , Savorani Francesco
Published: March 2023

Variations occurring in coffee beans during roasting are ascribable to several chemical-physical phenomena: to quickly track the whole process and to ensure its reproducibility, a process analytical technology (PAT) approach is needed.

In this study, a method combining in-line Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy and chemometric modelling was investigated to get real-time and practical knowledge about the roasting effects on coffee’s chemical-physical composition. In-line spectra were acquired by inserting a NIR probe into a laboratory coffee roaster, running twenty-four roasting experiments, planned spanning different coffee species (Arabica and Robusta), four roasting temperature settings (TS1–TS4) and times (650–1580 s).

Multivariate curve resolution-alternate least squares (MCR-ALS) was used to model the chemical-physical changes occurring during the roasting process, and information about maximum rate, acceleration and deceleration of the process was obtained, also highlighting potential effects due to the different roasting temperatures and coffee varieties.

The proposed approach provides the groundwork for direct real-time implementation of rapid, non-invasive automated monitoring of the roasting process at industrial scale.
Invasive Aspergillosis and the Impact of Azole-resistance
Authors: Bosetti Davide , Neofytos Dionysios
Published: March 2023

Purpose of Review

IA (invasive aspergillosis) caused by azole-resistant strains has been associated with higher clinical burden and mortality rates. We review the current epidemiology, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies of this clinical entity, with a special focus on patients with hematologic malignancies.

Recent Findings

There is an increase of azole resistance in Aspergillus spp. worldwide, probably due to environmental pressure and the increase of long-term azole prophylaxis and treatment in immunocompromised patients (e.g., in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients). The therapeutic approaches are challenging, due to multidrug-resistant strains, drug interactions, side effects, and patient-related conditions.

Rapid recognition of resistant Aspergillus spp. strains is fundamental to initiate an appropriate antifungal regimen, above all for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients. Clearly, more studies are needed in order to better understand the resistance mechanisms and optimize the diagnostic methods to identify Aspergillus spp. resistance to the existing antifungal agents/classes. More data on the susceptibility profile of Aspergillus spp. against the new classes of antifungal agents may allow for better treatment options and improved clinical outcomes in the coming years. In the meantime, continuous surveillance studies to monitor the prevalence of environmental and patient prevalence of azole resistance among Aspergillus spp. is absolutely crucial.
New Insights on the Allocation of Innovation Subsidies: A Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Espinosa-Blasco Mónica , Penagos-Londoño Gabriel I. , Ruiz-Moreno Felipe , Vilaplana-Aparicio María J.
Published: March 2023

Gaining more insights on how R&D&i subsidies are allocated is highly relevant for companies and policymakers. This article provides new evidence of the identification of some key drivers for companies participating in R&D&i project selection processes. It extends the existing literature by providing insight based on sophisticated, accurate methodology. A metaheuristic optimization algorithm is employed to select the most useful variables. Their importance is then ranked using a machine learning process, namely a random forest. A sample of 1252 cases of R&D&i subsidies is used for more than 800 companies based in Spain between 2014 and 2018. The study contributes by providing useful knowledge into how the value of received subsidies are associated with some firm characteristics. The findings allow the implementation of transparent public innovation policies and the reduction of the gap between the aspects that are considered important and those that actually determine the destination of these subsidies.