bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Language Report Greek
Authors: Gavriilidou Maria , Giagkou Maria , Loizidou Dora , Piperidis Stelios
Published: June 2023

Technological support for Greek, one of Europe’s lesser spoken languages, has progressed in the past decade, while LRTs have both increased in volume and improved in quality and coverage. Despite this progress, when compared to the ‘big languages’, Greek is obviously disadvantaged. Prominent among the challenges is the fact that LT is not included in the language policies or AI strategies of Greece and Cyprus, i. e., the significance of language-centric AI is still not officially recognised. Lack of continuity in research and development funding is an additional factor hampering progress. A Europe-wide coordinated initiative focused on overcoming the differences in language technology readiness for European languages coupled with national targeted actions is considered necessary.
State-of-the-Art in Language Technology and Language-centric Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Agerri Rodrigo , Agirre Eneko , Aldabe Itziar , Aranberri Nora , Arriola Jose Maria , Atutxa Aitziber , Azkune Gorka , Campos Jon Ander , Casillas Arantza , Estarrona Ainara , Farwell Aritz , Goenaga Iakes , Goikoetxea Josu , Gojenola Koldo , Hernáez Inma , Iruskieta Mikel , Labaka Gorka , Lacalle Oier Lopez de , Navas Eva , Oronoz Maite , Otegi Arantxa , Pérez Alicia , Viñaspre Olatz Perez de , Rigau German , Salaberria Ander , Sanchez Jon , Saratxaga Ibon , Soroa Aitor
Published: June 2023

This chapter landscapes the field of Language Technology (LT) and language- centric AI by assembling a comprehensive state-of-the-art of basic and applied research in the area. It sketches all recent advances in AI, including the most recent deep learning neural technologies. The chapter brings to light not only where language-centric AI as a whole stands, but also where the required resources should be allocated to place European LT at the forefront of the AI revolution. We identify key research areas and gaps that need to be addressed to ensure LT can overcome the current inequalities.
Language Report Icelandic
Authors: Rögnvaldsson Eiríkur
Published: June 2023

In 2019, the Icelandic Government launched a three-year Language Technology Programme for Icelandic (LTPI). Within this programme, a number of language resources and tools have been built from scratch and several pre-existing resources and tools have been enhanced and improved. This programme is now finished and the situation for Icelandic with respect to language technology has improved considerably. In spite of this, Icelandic still remains a low-resourced language compared to most official European languages.
Language Report Luxembourgish
Authors: Anastasiou Dimitra
Published: June 2023

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small and multilingual country. The national language is Luxembourgish, and the legislative language is French. French, German and Luxembourgish are the three administrative and judicial languages. There are about 650,000 inhabitants and the majority of Luxembourgers speak four languages. As of March 2021, there were 59,000 Wikipedia articles written in Luxembourgish. Luxembourgish is very under-resourced when it comes to data resources and tools. This chapter provides a brief overview of the current level of support that Luxembourgish receives through technology (Anastasiou 2022).
Language Report Norwegian
Authors: Eide Kristine , Kåsen Andre , Løyning Dale Ingerid
Published: June 2023

The use of Language Technology (LT) has greatly increased in Norway in recent years, as have the linguistic resources needed to make them work. In the past 10 years, Norwegian has adopted new or improved versions of machine translation, speech technology, chatbots and digital assistants, and machine learning has improved. Nevertheless, LT for both written standards of the Norwegian language – the majority Bokmål and minority Nynorsk – is nowhere near the same level as that of major European languages such as English, German, French and Spanish.
Language Report Portuguese
Authors: Branco António , Grilo Sara , Silva João
Published: June 2023

This chapter provides an analysis of the level of technological preparation of the Portuguese language for the digital age, as well as the actions necessary for the consolidation of Portuguese as a language of international communication with global projection.
Language Report Slovak
Authors: Garabík Radovan
Published: June 2023

For Slovak, all the fundamental NLP building blocks for basic applications exist, but they are often of lesser quality and lower accuracy than those of other languages. The availability of free and open tools and data is rather low, with most of the resources proprietary. Compared to neighbouring languages of similar levels of NLP development (Czech, Polish, Hungarian), Slovak is positioned toward the lower end of this group. Slovak language support by “big players” in the LT industry is comparable to other European languages with similar size; speech recognition and synthesis work acceptably while machine translation between Slovak and English is almost good enough to be used by professionals as a source for post-editing. Spell checkers, LT-assisted mobile phone input, OCR and lemmatised fulltext search are taken for granted, although their quality is significantly lacking compared to bigger European languages.
Language Report Slovenian
Authors: Krek Simon
Published: June 2023

Around 2.5 million people around the world speak or understand Slovene, with the vast majority of them living in the Republic of Slovenia where it is the official language. The constitution grants the right to use their mother tongue to Italian and Hungarian minorities in certain municipalities. In terms of Language Technology, the Slovene CLARIN.SI consortium plays the key role in the community; all major Slovene institutions involved in the development of LT resources, tools and services are members of the consortium. In contrast, the number of private companies in Slovenia specialising in LT for Slovene remains low, and most of the LT products come either from the (Slovene) academic sphere via national or EU funding, or from the big international IT companies that cover a large number of languages.
Language Report Welsh
Authors: Prys Delyth , Watkins Gareth
Published: June 2023

In this chapter, based on Prys et al. (2022), an update to the META-NET White Paper (Evas 2014), we present Language Technology (LT) for the Welsh language, providing an overview of the status of Welsh in Wales and a summary of the Welsh writing system and typology. We describe key tools and our recommendations for Welsh LT and associated resource development.
Consulting the Community: How to Reach Digital Language Equality in Europe by 2030?
Authors: Hajič Jan , Giagkou Maria , Piperidis Stelios , Rehm Georg , Resende Natalia
Published: June 2023

This chapter describes the community consultation process carried out in the European Language Equality (ELE) project concerning the future situation in 2030. Due to its central status for the future-looking activities within the project, this chapter introduces the second part of the present book. We gathered, analysed and structured the views, visions, demands, needs and gaps of European Language Technology (LT) developers, both industry and academia, and European LT users and consumers. Additionally, based on these collected findings and other evidence, we attempted to derive a thorough description of the steps to take to reach Digital Language Equality (DLE) in Europe by the year 2030 and, moreover, what the field of LT will look like in Europe in about ten years from now.
European Language Technology in 2022/2023
Authors: Giagkou Maria , Lynn Teresa , Dunne Jane , Piperidis Stelios , Rehm Georg
Published: June 2023

This chapter presents the results of an extensive empirical investigation of the digital readiness of European languages, and provides a snapshot of the support they are offered through technology as of 2022. The degree of digital readiness was assessed on the basis of the availability of language resources and technologies for each language under investigation and a cross-language comparison was performed. As a complementary approach, the perspectives and opinions of LT users, developers and the regular citizen were acquired in order to fully understand the EU’s LT landscape. Both the objective empirical findings and the voice of the community clearly indicate that there is an extreme imbalance across languages when it comes to the individual levels of technological support. Although the LT field as a whole has demonstrated remarkable progress during the last decade, this progress is not equally evidenced across all languages, posing, more acutely than ever before, a threat of digital extinction for many of Europe’s lesser supported languages.
Deep Dive Speech Technology
Authors: Skowron Marcin , Backfried Gerhard , Navas Eva , Bērziņš Aivars , Bogaert Joachim Van den , Jong Franciska de , DeMarco Andrea , Hernáez Inma , Kováč Marek , Polák Peter , Rohdin Johan , Rosner Michael , Sanchez Jon , Saratxaga Ibon , Schwarz Petr
Published: June 2023

This chapter provides an in-depth account of current research activities and applications in the field of Speech Technology (ST). It discusses technical, scientific, commercial and societal aspects in various ST sub-fields and relates ST to the wider areas of Natural Language Processing and Artificial Intelligence. Furthermore, it outlines breakthroughs needed, main technology visions and provides an outlook towards 2030 as well as a broad view of how ST may fit into and contribute to a wider vision of Deep Natural Language Understanding and Digital Language Equality in Europe. The chapter integrates the views of several companies and institutions involved in research and commercial application of ST.
Strategic Plans and Projects in Language Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Aldabe Itziar , Farwell Aritz , Rigau German , Rehm Georg , Way Andy
Published: June 2023

This chapter on existing strategic plans and projects in Language Technology and Artificial Intelligence is based on an analysis of around 200 documents and is divided into three sections. The first provides a synopsis of international and European reports on Language Technology. The second constitutes a review of existing European Strategic Research Agendas, initiatives, and national plans related to Language Technology. The third contains a SWOT analysis designed to identify the factors that will need to be addressed to help solve the challenge of digital language inequality in Europe. Among the principal conclusions presented is the contention that our continent requires sophisticated multilingual, cross-lingual and monolingual LT for all European languages: LT for Europe that is made in Europe.
Language Report Basque
Authors: Sarasola Kepa , Aldabe Itziar , Ilarraza Arantza Diaz de , Estarrona Ainara , Farwell Aritz , Hernáez Inma , Navas Eva
Published: June 2023

Since 1968 Basque has been immersed in a process of revitalisation that has faced formidable obstacles. Nonetheless, significant progress has been made in numerous areas. The Language Technology community widely accepts the standardised language and constructs efficacious LT tools. After thirty years of collaborative work, research has resulted in state-of-the-art technology and robust, broad-coverage NLP for Basque. However, a dramatic difference remains between Basque and other European languages in terms of both the maturity of research and the state of readiness with respect to language technology solutions.
Language Report Bosnian
Authors: Ćušić Tarik
Published: June 2023

It is objective to state that there are no language technologies for the Bosnian language or initiatives for the digitalisation of the Bosnian language. Therefore, it is necessary to take initial steps towards technological support for the Bosnian language, in order to prevent its digital extinction. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, no programmes aimed at the research and development of language technology products have been initiated. The Bosnian language is present in the digital sphere more or less as much as it is included in foreign, multilingual tools and resources, which are mostly related to Machine Translation (Google Translate and others).
Language Report Croatian
Authors: Tadić Marko
Published: June 2023

This chapter presents a summary of the Language Report on Croatian (Tadić 2022) on general features of the language and the level of technological support it receives since the previous report (Tadić et al. 2012). The chapter includes information about the typological and structural features of Croatian, its status and usage in the digital sphere and its support through Language Technologies.
Naturerfahrung und seelische Gesundheit bei Kindern – theoretische Ansätze und ausgewählte empirische Befunde
Authors: Gebhard Ulrich
Published: June 2023

Die vielfach belegten günstigen Effekte von Naturerfahrungen bei Kindern machen die Annahme plausibel, dass sich eine naturnahe Umgebung auch positiv auf die Gesundheit im Kindesalter auswirkt, also auch ein Beitrag zur Gesundheitserhaltung und -prävention sein kann. Die Befunde zu gesundheitsfördernden Wirkungen von Natur sind bemerkenswert und werden hier mit dem Fokus auf seelische Gesundheit akzentuiert und theoretisch fundiert.

Grundlage ist ein sogenanntes dreidimensionales Persönlichkeitsmodell, demzufolge die seelische Entwicklung nicht nur eine Funktion der Beziehung des Subjekts zu anderen Menschen, sondern auch zur Welt der Dinge, also auch der Natur ist. Es werden zudem 3 Erklärungsansätze für die gesundheitlichen Wirkungen von Naturerfahrungen skizziert: 1. die anthropologisch fundierte „Stress Recovery Theory“, 2. die „Attention Restoration Theory“ und 3. die Annahme, dass Natur als ein Symbolvorrat für Selbst- und Weltdeutungen die Sinnkonstituierung der Subjekte begleiten kann („therapeutische Landschaften“).

Es wird v. a. auf die gesundheitlichen Wirkungen von erreichbaren naturnahen Freiräumen eingegangen, wobei der Forschungsstand für Erwachsene weitaus reichhaltiger ist als für Kinder. Im Hinblick auf die seelische Gesundheit bzw. auf deren Einflussgrößen werden die folgenden Dimensionen mit empirischen Ergebnissen ausgeführt: Stressreduktion, antidepressive und stimmungsaufhellende Wirkung, prosoziales Verhalten, Aufmerksamkeit und ADHS (Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit-Hyperaktivitätsstörung), kognitive Entwicklung, Selbstwert und Selbstregulation, Naturerfahrung und Bewegung. Aus salutogenetischer Sicht wirkt Natur nicht deterministisch auf die Gesundheit, sondern gewissermaßen beiläufig, wenn naturnahe Freiräume erreichbar sind und genutzt werden. Diese Beiläufigkeit der Wirkung von Naturerfahrungen ist bei möglichen therapeutischen oder pädagogischen Interventionen zu bedenken.
Distal femoral osteotomy for the valgus knee: indications, complications, clinical and radiological outcome
Authors: Ismailidis Petros , Schmid Corinna , Werner Julika , Nüesch Corina , Mündermann Annegret , Pagenstert Geert , Egloff Christian
Published: June 2023

Introduction

The aim of this study was to describe the indications and technical aspects of medial closing and lateral opening distal femoral osteotomy (MCDFO and LODFO) for patients with a valgus knee and to report clinical and radiological outcomes and complications.

Methods

Over 6 years, 28 DFOs (22 MCDFO, 6 LODFO) were performed in 22 Patients. In this cohort study, we retrospectively analyzed clinical and radiological outcome measures as well as complications.

Results

The median (range) age was 47 (17–63) years, height 1.68 (1.56–1.98) m, body mass 80 (49–105) kg, and body mass index (BMI) 27.4 (18.6–37.0) kg/m2. The clinical follow-up was 21 (7–81) months, the need for total or unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (TKA/UKA) and hardware removal was followed up for 59 (7–108) months postoperatively. Preoperatively, hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA, negative values denote varus) was 7.0 (2.0–13.0)°, mechanical lateral distal femoral angle (mLDFA) was 83.7 (79.9–88.2)°, and mechanical proximal tibial angle (MPTA) was 89.0 (86.6–94.5)°. Postoperatively, HKA was −1.3 (−9.0–1.2)° and mLDFA was 90.8 (87.3–97.3)°. The incidence of minor and major complications was 25% and 14%, the incidence of delayed and nonunion was 18% and 4%, respectively. At the last follow-up, 18% of the patients had pain at rest, 25% during activities of daily living, and 39% during physical activity, and 71% were satisfied with the outcome. 7% of the cases received a TKA/UKA, 71% received a hardware removal.

Conclusion

DFO is a reasonable treatment for lateral osteoarthritis in younger patients to avoid disease progression and the need for an UKA/TKA. However, there is a long rehabilitation time, a considerable risk for complications, and a high need for hardware removal. While many patients experienced symptoms at the long-term follow-up, most were satisfied with the outcome. Appropriate patient information is essential.

Level of evidence Level IV, Case Series.

Trial registration number NCT04382118, clinicaltrials.gov, May 11, 2020.
On the interplay of curiosity, confidence, and importance in knowing information
Authors: Spitzer Markus Wolfgang Hermann , Janz Janina , Nie Maohua , Kiesel Andrea
Published: June 2023

Curiosity appears to be the driving force for humans to find new information, but despite its general relevance, only a few studies investigated the underlying mechanisms of curiosity. Kang et al. (Psychol Sci 20(8):963–973, 2009) and Dubey and Griffiths (Psychol Rev 127(3):455–476, 2020) reported a relation between curiosity and confidence such that curiosity follows an inverted U-shaped function of confidence, with the highest curiosity on moderate confidence levels of knowing information. Given that replications of findings on curiosity are rare, this study sought to replicate these previous findings in two experiments, with the same stimulus material (Experiment 1) and new stimulus material using COVID-19-related information (Experiment 2). Based on theoretical predictions by Dubey and Griffiths (2020), we extended previous findings assessing the effect of the importance of information for the participant on the relationship between curiosity and confidence. Our findings replicated previous results in both experiments with the highest curiosity regarding information about which participants were moderately confident in knowing. Our extended analyses suggest that if information can be considered as important, then people are most curious about information when having very low-to-moderate confidence in knowing this information. However, if information is rated as rather not important, then curiosity is highest for information with moderate confidence in knowing the information. Together, these results emphasize the modulatory effect of perceived importance on the interplay between curiosity and confidence in knowing information.
Desmin mutations impact the autophagy flux in C2C12 cell in mutation-specific manner
Authors: Sukhareva K. S. , Smolina N. A. , Churkina A. I. , Kalugina K. K. , Zhuk S. V. , Khudiakov A. A. , Khodot A. A. , Faggian G. , Luciani G. B. , Sejersen T. , Kostareva A. A.
Published: June 2023

Desmin is the main intermediate filament of striated and smooth muscle cells and plays a crucial role in maintaining the stability of muscle fiber during contraction and relaxation cycles. Being a component of Z-disk area, desmin integrates autophagic pathways, and the disturbance of Z-disk proteins’ structure negatively affects chaperone-assisted selective autophagy (CASA). In the present study, we focused on alteration of autophagy flux in myoblasts expressing various Des mutations. We applied Western blotting, immunocytochemistry, RNA sequencing, and shRNA approach to demonstrate that DesS12F, DesA357P, DesL345P, DesL370P, and DesD399Y mutations. Mutation-specific effect on autophagy flux being most severe in aggregate-prone Des mutations such as DesL345P, DesL370P, and DesD399Y. RNA sequencing data confirmed the most prominent effect of these mutations on expression profile and, in particular, on autophagy-related genes. To verify CASA contribution to desmin aggregate formation, we suppressed CASA by knocking down Bag3 and demonstrated that it promoted aggregate formation and lead to downregulation of Vdac2 and Vps4a and upregulation of Lamp, Pink1, and Prkn. In conclusion, Des mutations showed a mutation-specific effect on autophagy flux in C2C12 cells with either a predominant impact on autophagosome maturation or on degradation and recycling processes. Aggregate-prone desmin mutations lead to the activation of basal autophagy level while suppressing the CASA pathway by knocking down Bag3 can promote desmin aggregate formation.
Emotionale Kompetenzen bei Menschen mit chronifizierten Schmerzen
Authors: Körner Anne Juliane , Sabatowski Rainer , Burdic Lisa , Beyer Linn , Gärtner Anne , Schönbach Benjamin , Kaiser Ulrike
Published: June 2023

Fragestellung

Ziel der Studie ist es, den Status quo der emotionalen Kompetenz (EK) von Menschen mit chronifizierten Schmerzen zu erfassen. Wie erleben sich Patient*innen selbst hinsichtlich ihrer Fähigkeiten, Emotionen wahrzunehmen, auszudrücken und zu regulieren? Und deckt sich diese Einschätzung mit der Beurteilung der EK durch psychologisches Fachpersonal?

Methoden

Die Studie fand im Rahmen einer tagesklinischen interdisziplinären multimodalen Schmerztherapie an N = 184 erwachsenen deutschsprachigen Personen mit nichttumorbedingten, chronifizierten Schmerzen statt. EK wurde zum Therapieende mittels der Selbst- und Fremdbeurteilungsskalen (SB/FB) des Emotionale-Kompetenz-Fragebogens ermittelt. Die Fremdbeurteilung erfolgte durch das psychologische Team. Mithilfe der für den Fragebogen zur Verfügung gestellten Normstichprobe wurden Standardwerte erstellt. Diese wurden deskriptiv und inferenzstatistisch ausgewertet.

Ergebnisse

Die EK wurde von den Patient*innen selbst als durchschnittlich wahrgenommen (MSB_Gesamt = 99,31; SD = 7,78). Die Psycholog*innen schätzten die EK der Patient*innen überwiegend statistisch signifikant niedriger ein (MFB_Gesamt = 94,70; SD = 7,81; F(1,179) = 35,73; p < 0,001; η2 = 0,17). Die emotionale Expressivität, als eine Komponente der EK, wurde als unterdurchschnittlich fremdbeurteilt (MFB_Expressivität = 89,14; SD = 10,33).

Schlussfolgerung

Die Patient*innen mit chronifizierten Schmerzen bewerten sich selbst als nicht eingeschränkt hinsichtlich ihrer alltäglichen Fähigkeiten zur emotionalen Wahrnehmung, Expression und Regulation. Gleichzeitig schätzt das psychologische Fachpersonal dieselben Menschen als deutlich weniger emotional kompetent ein. Offen bleibt die Frage, inwiefern die divergierenden Einschätzungen mit Beurteilungsverzerrungen erklärt werden können.
3D reconstruction system and multiobject local tracking algorithm designed for billiards
Authors: Rodriguez-Lozano Francisco J. , Gámez-Granados Juan C. , Martínez Héctor , Palomares Jose M. , Olivares Joaquín
Published: June 2023

The use of virtual reality or augmented reality systems in billiards sports are useful tools for pure entertainment or improving the player’s skills. Depending on the purpose of these systems, tracking algorithms based on computer vision must be used. These algorithms are especially useful in systems aiming to reconstruct the trajectories followed by the balls after a strike. However, depending on the billiard modality, the problem of tracking multiple small identical objects, such as balls, is a complex task. In addition, when an amateur or nontop professional player uses low-frame-rate and low-resolution devices, problems such as blurred balls, blurred contours, or fuzzy edges, among others, arise. These effects have a negative impact on ball-tracking accuracy and reconstruction quality. Thus, this work proposes two contributions. The first contribution is a new tracking algorithm called“multiobject local tracking (MOLT)”. This algorithm can track balls with high precision and accuracy even with motion blur caused by low-resolution and low-frame-rate devices. Moreover, the proposed MOLT algorithm is compared with nine tracking methods and four different metrics, outperforming the rest of the methods in the majority of the cases and providing a robust solution. The second contribution is a whole system to track (using the MOLT algorithm) and reconstruct the movements of the balls on a billiard table in a 3D virtual world using computer vision. The proposed system covers all steps from image capture to 3D reconstruction. The 3D reconstruction results have been qualitatively evaluated by different users through a series of questionnaires, obtaining an overall score of 7.6 (out of 10), which indicates that the system is a promising and useful tool for training. Finally, both the MOLT algorithm and the reconstruction system are tested in three billiard modalities: blackball, carom billiards, and snooker.
Electrospun manuka honey@PVP nanofibers enclosing chitosan-titanate for highly effective wound healing
Authors: Kassem Lamyaa M. , El-Deen Ahmed G. , Zaki A. H. , El-Dek S. I.
Published: June 2023

The major challenge in skin tissue engineering is the creation of physically and functionally suitable extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds. A manuka honey-treated polyvinyl pyrrolidine (Mh@PVP) composite was successfully electrospun to produce nanofibrous scaffold that aids in the rapid growth of ECM and serves as a vehicle for drug delivery. Different characterizations namely SEM, XRD, and FTIR were utilized to elucidate the fabricated electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds (ENS). By increasing the concentration of manuka honey (Mh) in the formula, the mechanical, tensile, and conductivity properties of the polyvinyl pyrrolidine (PVP) solutions were significantly improved. As the concentration of honey rose, the width and direction of the ENS produced altered. For wound healing, honey’s ability to heal wounds faster may be boosted by a higher PVP concentration, which makes honey more easily incorporated. Because of its burst-and-continuous methylglyoxal release patterns, which may last for up to seven days, Mh is an excellent choice for helping the body’s healing process. The in vivo assessment of the Mh@PVP nanocomposite nanofiber mat demonstrated a rapid and substantial increase in keratinocyte expression, reflecting great ability for high regenerative wound healing. Most significantly, there is no scarring associated with hair regrowth. This scaffold can mimic skin characteristics and stimulate keratinocyte development.

Graphical abstract
An efficient multi-objective scheduling algorithm based on spider monkey and ant colony optimization in cloud computing
Authors: Amer Dina A. , Attiya Gamal , Ziedan Ibrahim
Published: June 2023

Due to easier access, improved performance, and lower costs, the use of cloud services has increased dramatically. However, cloud service providers are still looking for ways to complete users’ jobs at a high speed to increase profits and reduce energy consumption costs. To achieve such a goal, many algorithms for scheduling problem have been introduced. However, most techniques consider an objective in the scheduling process. This paper presents a new hybrid multi-objective algorithm, called SMO_ACO, for addressing the scheduling problem. The proposed SMO_ACO algorithm combines Spider Monkey Optimization (SMO) and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm. Additionally, a fitness function is formulated to tackle 4 objectives of the scheduling problem. The proposed fitness function considers parameters like schedule length, execution cost, consumed energy, and resource utilization. The proposed algorithm is implemented using the Cloud Sim toolkit and evaluated for different workloads. The performance of the proposed technique is verified using several performance metrics and the results are compared with the most recent existing algorithms. The results prove that the proposed SMO_ACO approach allocates resources efficiently while maintaining cloud performance that increases profits.
A review of seagrass ecosystem services: providing nature-based solutions for a changing world
Authors: do Amaral Camara Lima Mariana , Bergamo Thaisa F. , Ward Raymond D. , Joyce Chris B.
Published: June 2023

Seagrasses are marine flowering plants, which form extensive meadows in intertidal and shallow water marine environments. They provide a wide range of ecosystem services, which directly or indirectly benefit humans and can be grouped into four broad categories: provisioning (e.g. food production); regulating (e.g. carbon sequestration); supporting (e.g. primary production); and cultural (e.g. recreational, and eco-tourism). This study provides a review of publications focusing on seagrass ecosystem services provision to identify knowledge gaps and improve our understanding of the use of these habitats as nature-based solutions to societal challenges, such as climate change. Results showed that some ecosystem services, namely food provision, carbon sequestration, and maintenance of biodiversity/nursery habitats receive a higher level of focus and attention than others, such as regulation of diseases and social relations, which are rarely, if ever, included in studies. It is clear that in order to fully comprehend the nature-based solution potential held by seagrass ecosystems, studies need to consider ecosystem services as a whole, and also combine and share results across global regions, to better understand the potential impacts of degradation and loss of these ecosystems worldwide. Suggestions include applying novel technologies such as remote sensing and ecological niche modelling to address some of the main gaps in seagrass research, like meadow extent and connectivity within landscapes, to better incorporate preservation of seagrass ecosystems in marine management plans.
Lived Experience Performance to Reduce Stigma, Enhance Understanding of Gambling Harm and Change Attitudes and Behaviours of Professionals and Community Members
Authors: Thomas Anna C. , Portogallo Hannah , Read Fiona , Avisar Judy , Merkouris Stephanie S. , Dowling Nicki A.
Published: June 2023

Gamblers and their family members or friends (affected others) can experience stigma and shame due to gambling which can result in a reluctance to seek timely support. However, gamblers and affected others access intersecting health services and talk to friends or family, thereby providing opportunities for early intervention. Three sides of the coin is a group of storytellers with lived experience of gambling harm who use dramatic performance to share personal stories to enhance the understanding of gambling-related harm in allied professions and the broader community. They do this to encourage attitude and behaviour change so that gamblers and affected others receive empathy and support during encounters with these groups. A mixed-methods study was used to explore whether these performances were successful in increasing understanding and changing attitudes and behaviour of allied professionals and the community in the short and longer-term. Data collected immediately post-performance revealed that performances increased understanding of gambling, and improved attitudes and behavioural intent of audience members in relation to gamblers and affected others. Professionals also reported an increased willingness and confidence to discuss gambling harm with clients. Follow-up data demonstrated potential longer-term impact, with respondents continuing to report more positive attitudes towards those affected by gambling harm and professionals being confident to explore gambling issues in their clients and provide appropriate referrals. These finding demonstrate that performance based on lived experience can be a powerful education tool, encouraging deep connection to the issue, resulting in a nuanced understanding and sustained attitudinal and behavioural change.
The fertility of moral ambiguity in precision medicine
Authors: Knox Jeanette Bresson Ladegaard , Svendsen Mette Nordahl
Published: June 2023

Although precision medicine cuts across a large spectrum of professions, interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial moral deliberation has yet to be widely enacted, let alone formalized in this field. In a recent research project on precision medicine, we designed a dialogical forum (i.e. ‘the Ethics Laboratory’) giving interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial stakeholders an opportunity to discuss their moral conundrums in concert. We organized and carried out four Ethics Laboratories. In this article, we use Simone de Beauvoir’s concept of moral ambiguity as a lens to frame the participants’ experience with fluid moral boundaries. By framing our approach through this concept we are able to elucidate irremediable moral issues that are collectively underexplored in the practice of precision medicine. Moral ambiguity accentuates an open and free space where different types of perspectives converge and can inform each other. Based on our study, we identified two dilemmas, or thematic interfaces, in the interdisciplinary moral deliberations which unfolded in the Ethics Laboratories: (1) the dilemma between the individual and the collective good; and (2) the dilemma between care and choice. Through our investigation of these dilemmas, we show how Beauvoir’s concept of moral ambiquity not only serves as a fertile catalyst for greater moral awareness but, furthermore, how the concept can become an indispensable part of the practices of and the discourse about precision medicine.
High-speed impact performance of a high-performance concrete with functionally gradient structure designs
Authors: Lv Junlin , Ren Zhiliang , Huang Junhong
Published: June 2023

Ultra-high performance concrete is characterized by its high strength and high toughness, and ceramsite concrete can absorb energy and function as a buffer. Based on the mechanical properties of both, the two kinds of concrete materials are combined in the spatial structure, and three structural models, namely, gradient structure group target, double stacked structure group target, and single material structure group target, are designed and prepared. Then, the dynamic characteristics and protection performance of the three targets are compared and analyzed via experiments and numerical simulations under different projectile penetration velocities. The results show that because the two transition layers and the fiber layer between the interfaces are set in the gradient structure group target, which largely improves the resistance in the process of projectile penetration, the cratering area, cratering depth, and penetration depth of the gradient structure group target are the smallest under the same projectile penetration velocity. The larger the projectile penetration velocity is, the more outstanding the penetration resistance of the gradient structure group target is.
Naïve realism, imagination and hallucination
Authors: Niikawa Takuya
Published: June 2023

Naïve realists hold that the phenomenology of veridical perceptual experience is in part constituted by environmental objects that the subject is perceiving. Although naïve realism is well-motivated by considering the cognitive and epistemic roles of the phenomenology of veridical perceptual experience, it is considered difficult to explain hallucinatory and imaginative experiences. This paper provides three arguments to address these explanatory problems systematically on behalf of naïve realism. First, I argue that the imagination view of hallucination (IH), which states that hallucinations are involuntary sensory imagination, can be applied to total and neutrally matching hallucinations. Second, I argue for the conjunction of IH and the representational view of imagination (RI), according to which sensory imagination (including hallucination) is representational (shortly RIH). Third, I argue that naïve realism can coherently be integrated with RIH. I finally present an integrative model of perception, imagination and hallucination from the perspective of the combination of naïve realism and RIH.
No Longer Indigenous
Authors: Shalley Fiona , Griffiths Kalinda , Wilson Tom
Published: June 2023

Investigating individual level-Indigenous identification change by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians has been enabled through the linkage of census data across time. This study focusses on the population who moved from an identification of Indigenous in the 2011 census to not Indigenous in the 2016 census. We calculated transition probabilities for a range of personal characteristics to investigate the influence of broad life-course transitions on the pattern of identification change. In addition to age, we found that sex, employment, mixed ancestry, interstate migration, and living arrangements had the strongest associations with the risk of a transition to not Indigenous. The highest transition probabilities were at each end of the adult life-course and the role of “not stated” was implicated, destabilising assumptions that decisions to identify as Indigenous, or not, always reflect personal agency. Finally, the paper challenges the adequacy of an origin-based identity question to define the increasingly complex ethnic histories of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Both improved definition and enumeration of Indigenous Australians are fundamental to current national conversations about constitutional recognition and continuing gaps in measured health and wellbeing.
The prediction of cancer-specific mortality in T1 non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: comparison of logistic regression and artificial neural network: a SEER population-based study
Authors: Ślusarczyk Aleksander , Zapała Piotr , Olszewska-Ślusarczyk Zofia , Radziszewski Piotr
Published: June 2023

Purpose

To identify the risk factors for 5-year cancer-specific (CSS) and overall survival (OS) and to compare the accuracy of logistic regression (LR) and artificial neural network (ANN) in the prediction of survival outcomes in T1 non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Methods

This is a population-based analysis using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Patients with T1 bladder cancer (BC) who underwent transurethral resection of the tumour (TURBT) between 2004 and 2015 were included in the analysis. The predictive abilities of LR and ANN were compared.

Results

Overall 32,060 patients with T1 BC were randomly assigned to training and validation cohorts in the proportion of 70:30. There were 5691 (17.75%) cancer-specific deaths and 18,485 (57.7%) all-cause deaths within a median of 116 months of follow-up (IQR 80–153). Multivariable analysis with LR revealed that age, race, tumour grade, histology variant, the primary character, location and size of the tumour, marital status, and annual income constitute independent risk factors for CSS. In the validation cohort, LR and ANN yielded 79.5% and 79.4% accuracy in 5-year CSS prediction respectively. The area under the ROC curve for CSS predictions reached 73.4% and 72.5% for LR and ANN respectively.

Conclusions

Available risk factors might be useful to estimate the risk of CSS and OS and thus facilitate optimal treatment choice. The accuracy of survival prediction is still moderate. T1 BC with adverse features requires more aggressive treatment after initial TURBT.
Successful editing and maintenance of lactogenic gene expression in primary bovine mammary epithelial cells
Authors: Moody Janelle , Mears Emily , Trevarton Alexander J. , Broadhurst Marita , Molenaar Adrian , Chometon Thaize , Lopdell Thomas , Littlejohn Matthew , Snell Russell
Published: June 2023

In vitro investigation of bovine lactation processes is limited by a lack of physiologically representative cell models. This deficiency is most evident through the minimal or absent expression of lactation-specific genes in cultured bovine mammary tissues. Primary bovine mammary epithelial cells (pbMECs) extracted from lactating mammary tissue and grown in culture initially express milk protein transcripts at relatively representative levels. However, expression drops dramatically after only three or four passages, which greatly reduces the utility of primary cells to model and further examine lactogenesis. To investigate the effects of alternate alleles in pbMECs including effects on transcription, we have developed methods to deliver CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing reagents to primary mammary cells, resulting in very high editing efficiencies. We have also found that culturing the cells on an imitation basement membrane composed of Matrigel, results in the restoration of a more representative lactogenic gene expression profile and the cells forming three-dimensional structures in vitro. Here, we present data from four pbMEC lines recovered from pregnant cows and detail the expression profile of five key milk synthesis genes in these MECs grown on Matrigel. Additionally, we describe an optimised method for preferentially selecting CRISPR-Cas9-edited cells conferring a knock-out of DGAT1, using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). The combination of these techniques facilitates the use of pbMECs as a model to investigate the effects of gene introgressions and genetic variation in lactating mammary tissue.
Onsite versus home-office: differences in sleep patterns according to workplace
Authors: Staller Naomi , Quante Mirja , Deutsch Helen , Randler Christoph
Published: June 2023

Background and objective

This study aimed to evaluate the sleep patterns of students and employees working onsite versus those working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic using actigraphy.

Methods

A total of 75 students/employees (onsite: N = 40, home-office: N = 35; age range: 19–56 years; 32% male; 42.7% students, 49.3% employees) were studied between December 2020 and January 2022 using actigraphy, a sleep diary, and an online questionnaire assessing sociodemographics and morningness–eveningness. Independent-sample t-tests, paired-sample tests, and a multivariate general linear model adjusting for age (fixed factors: sex and work environment) were applied.

Results

Overall, onsite workers had significantly earlier rise times (7:05 [SD: 1:11] versus 7:44 [1:08] hours) and midpoints of sleep (2:57 [0:58] versus 3:33 [0:58] hours) on weekdays compared to home-office workers. Sleep efficiency, sleep duration, variability of sleep timing, and social jetlag did not differ between the groups.

Discussion

Home-office workers showed a delay in sleep timing that did not affect any other sleep parameters such as sleep efficiency or nighttime sleep duration. The work environment had only marginal impact on sleep patterns and thus sleep health in this sample. Sleep timing variability did not differ between groups.
Behavioral response of three subterranean pests (Agriotes lineatus, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, Phyllopertha horticola) to the fungal volatile organic compounds 1-octen-3-ol and 3-octanone
Authors: Bourdon Pierre-Antoine , Zottele Maria , Zafar Zeeshan , Baxter Ian , Midthassel Audun , Myrta Arben , Wechselberger Katharina F. , Strasser Hermann , Butt Tariq M.
Published: June 2023

The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) 1-octen-3-ol and 3-octanone produced by the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum are known to have pesticidal properties at high doses against a range of invertebrate pests. Very little is known about their behavior-modifying (semiochemical) properties. This study focused on investigating the behavioral responses of three subterranean crop pests, wireworm (Agriotes lineatus), western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera), and garden chafer (Phyllopertha horticola), to relatively low doses of 1-octen-3-ol and 3-octanone. The behavior of wireworms and corn rootworms were slightly influenced by the VOCs, yet not significantly. Western corn rootworms appeared to be slightly attracted by 100 µl and 200 µl 1-octen-3-ol and 100 µl dose of 3-octanone, respectively but slightly repelled by the higher dose of 3-octanone. Wireworms appeared to be slightly repelled by 1-octen-3-ol and high dose 3-octanone, but slightly attracted by the 100 µl dose of 3-octanone. The VOCs had no significant impact on garden chafer. In silico studies showed that corn rootworm odorant binding proteins (OBPs) had a strong binding affinity of 1-octen-3-ol and high dose 3-octanone, indicating that these VOCs can be detected and recognized by corn rootworm. OBPs are well conserved between species; thus, wireworm and garden chafer OBPs should also be able to bind with the VOCs. Further trials will be done to confirm that VOCs could be used as semiochemicals. Appropriate formulation of the VOCs should increase their efficacy and prevent rapid dissipation of the VOCs.
Beyond Crisis: Understandings of Vulnerability and Its Consequences in Relation to Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Zimmermann Nesa
Published: June 2023

This article takes a closer look at intimate partner violence (IPV) and its semantical, political, and legal interactions with crisis and crisis discourse. Starting from the fact that IPV has been called a “shadow pandemic” and a “hidden crisis”, the article conceptualizes two parallel phenomena: how the COVID-19 pandemic — and crises in general — impact on IPV by exacerbating vulnerabilities and how crisis discourse has been mobilized to argue for a responsive state and strong positive obligations to combat and reduce IPV. The article then draws a parallel between crisis discourse and vulnerability reasoning, analyzing how vulnerability has played a similar role within the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and led the latter to develop a consistent strand of case law concretizing states’ positive obligations. The article also takes a critical stance, examining the risks of crisis discourse and vulnerability when viewed through a crisis lens. To counter these risks, it argues for a nuanced, structural, and dynamic understanding of vulnerability and a focus on resilience-building institutions and mechanisms. Within the ECtHR case law, this signifies elaborating upon the already existing positive obligations, including by taking inspiration from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). Such an approach is necessary to leave behind the emergency time usually associated with crises and work toward lasting structural change.
Revisiting Maher’s One-Factor Theory of Delusion
Authors: Nie Chenwei
Published: June 2023

How many factors, i.e. departures from normality, are necessary to explain a delusion? Maher’s classic one-factor theory argues that the only factor is the patient’s anomalous experience, and a delusion arises as a normal explanation of this experience. The more recent two-factor theory, on the other hand, contends that a second factor is also needed, with reasoning abnormality being a potential candidate, and a delusion arises as an abnormal explanation of the anomalous experience. In the past few years, although there has been an increasing number of scholars offering a variety of arguments in defence of Maher’s one-factor theory, these arguments have not been adequately addressed by two-factor theorists. This paper aims to address this gap by critically examining the arguments on three crucial issues: the intelligibility of delusions, the dissociation between anomalous experiences and delusions, and the empirical evidence of a second factor. I will argue that the Maherian notion of anomalous experience is not sufficient for explaining delusions and the two-factor theory is on the right track in its search for the missing factor in the aetiology of delusions.