bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and psychometric validation of a patient-reported outcome measure of recurrent urinary tract infection impact: the Recurrent UTI Impact Questionnaire
Authors: Newlands Abigail F. , Roberts Lindsey , Maxwell Kayleigh , Kramer Melissa , Price Jessica L. , Finlay Katherine A.
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Recurrent urinary tract infection (rUTI) is a highly prevalent condition associated with significant poor quality of life outcomes. A patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) of rUTI-associated psychosocial impact is urgently required to supplement clinical evaluation and validate the challenges experienced by patients. This study therefore developed and validated the Recurrent UTI Impact Questionnaire (RUTIIQ).

Methods

A rigorous four-stage methodology was followed: (I) concept elicitation through a qualitative survey of the experiences of people with rUTI (N = 1983); (II) Delphi expert screening of the RUTIIQ with expert rUTI clinicians (N = 15); (III) one-to-one cognitive interviews with people experiencing rUTI (N = 28) to evaluate the comprehensiveness and comprehensibility of the RUTIIQ, and (IV) full pilot testing of the RUTIIQ with people experiencing rUTI (N = 240) to perform final item reduction and psychometric analysis.

Results

Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated a five-factor structure comprising: ‘patient satisfaction’, ‘work and activity interference’, ‘social wellbeing’, ‘personal wellbeing’, and ‘sexual wellbeing’, collectively accounting for 73.8% of the total variance in pilot scores. Results from expert clinicians and patients indicated strong item content validity (I-CVI > .75). The internal consistency and test–retest reliability of the RUTIIQ subscales were excellent (Cronbach’s α = .81–.96, ICC = .66–.91), and construct validity was strong (Spearman’s ρ > .69).

Conclusion

The RUTIIQ is a 30-item questionnaire with excellent psychometric properties, assessing the patient-reported psychosocial impact of living with rUTI symptoms and pain. This new instrument delivers the unique opportunity to enhance patient-centred care through standardised observation and monitoring of rUTI patient outcomes.

Trial registration

This study was pre-registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT05086900).
The Debauched Commons: A Dark Parable
Authors: Keeney Gavin , Jones David S.
Published: February 2023

‘The Debauched Commons: A Dark Parable’ summarizes issues regarding intellectual property rights and immaterial culture through a nuanced reading of how First Nations Peoples worldwide have been forced by forms of neoliberal-capitalist exploitation of the knowledge commons to ring-fence and/or commodify their lived traditions, in many cases dating back 100,000 years and clearly predating any and all Western (First World) concepts of ownership. The intention of the structuralist-inspired reading of this enforced defensive position is to emphasize and clarify issues concerning prior art and moral rights, two of the most ambiguous and gamed elements of copyright and patent law. Drawing upon the international context of theDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples(2007) and theConvention for Safeguarding Intangible Heritage(2003), this essay will focus, in part, on the travails of Aboriginals in Australia as representative of First Peoples worldwide and their long-exploited and long-expropriated traditions, inclusive of land, but foremostlived knowledge, but also their often compromised positionvis-à-visvarious Australian state and Commonwealth legislation concerning recognition of their copyright, moral rights, and intellectual property rights. In this complex dance between tradition, heritage, and law, the so-called public domain often also becomes a de facto warehouse for the eventual conversion of intangible rights to collectively held and stored cultural property, which is then leveraged and/or converted to cultural capital by both public institutions and private companies. The primary premise of the analytic to be applied is that commodification of knowledge is more or less co-equal to the digitization of culture and the regimes of expropriation and/or outright theft associated with platform cultures. Platform culture, in turn, implicates otherwise benign, or apparently benign institutions (for example, academia and the art world) claiming to advance understanding and resolution of the twin nemeses of post-contemporary cultural politics—diversity and justice. The subtle machinations of what has come to be called the art-academic industrial complex will thus be analyzed for implicit and explicit practices that are reducible to the appropriation of native rites and rights, and laws and lores, for self-serving reasons inclusive of radical-chic posturing and politically correct tokenism.
Regional Public Opinions on LGBTI People Equal Opportunities in Employment: Evidence from the Eurobarometer Programme using Small Area Estimation
Authors: Moretti Angelo
Published: February 2023

In recent years, the attention to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people’ rights from institutions, society and scientific bodies has clearly progressed. Although equal opportunities in employment are promoted within European countries and by the EU legislation, there are still evident discriminations in Europe. Many LGBTI people still face bullying and anti-LGBTI discrimination in the workplace and job market. Considerably more progress must be made before every LGBTI person feels accepted and comfortable for who they are in the workplace. Importantly, views on equal opportunities in employment are characterised by spatial heterogeneity at a sub-national level. Therefore, it is necessary to disaggregate estimates of relevant indicators, at least, at a regional level. This is crucial to identify the regions requiring more attention by policy makers. However, large-scale sample surveys are not designed to produce precise and accurate sub-national estimates. Small area estimation methods offer powerful tools in this context. Here, we produce regional estimates of three indicators measuring views of discrimination in employment of people from LGBTI communities in Europe. The analyses are based on the Eurobarometer 91.4 2019. Our empirical evidence shows that the estimates produced by small area estimation are reliable, giving important information to policy makers.
Venus, the Planet: Introduction to the Evolution of Earth’s Sister Planet
Authors: O’Rourke Joseph G. , Wilson Colin F. , Borrelli Madison E. , Byrne Paul K. , Dumoulin Caroline , Ghail Richard , Gülcher Anna J. P. , Jacobson Seth A. , Korablev Oleg , Spohn Tilman , Way M. J. , Weller Matt , Westall Frances
Published: February 2023

Venus is the planet in the Solar System most similar to Earth in terms of size and (probably) bulk composition. Until the mid-20th century, scientists thought that Venus was a verdant world—inspiring science-fictional stories of heroes battling megafauna in sprawling jungles. At the start of the Space Age, people learned that Venus actually has a hellish surface, baked by the greenhouse effect under a thick, CO2-rich atmosphere. In popular culture, Venus was demoted from a jungly playground to (at best) a metaphor for the redemptive potential of extreme adversity. However, whether Venus was much different in the past than it is today remains unknown. In this review, we show how now-popular models for the evolution of Venus mirror how the scientific understanding of modern Venus has changed over time. Billions of years ago, Venus could have had a clement surface with water oceans. Venus perhaps then underwent at least one dramatic transition in atmospheric, surface, and interior conditions before present day. This review kicks off a topical collection about all aspects of Venus’s evolution and how understanding Venus can teach us about other planets, including exoplanets. Here we provide the general background and motivation required to delve into the other manuscripts in this collection. Finally, we discuss how our ignorance about the evolution of Venus motivated the prioritization of new spacecraft missions that will rediscover Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor—beginning a new age of Venus exploration.
How to approximate fuzzy sets: mind-changes and the Ershov Hierarchy
Authors: Bazhenov Nikolay , Mustafa Manat , Ospichev Sergei , San Mauro Luca
Published: February 2023

Computability theorists have introduced multiple hierarchies to measure the complexity of sets of natural numbers. The Kleene Hierarchy classifies sets according to the first-order complexity of their defining formulas. The Ershov Hierarchy classifies limit computable sets with respect to the number of mistakes that are needed to approximate them. Biacino and Gerla extended the Kleene Hierarchy to the realm of fuzzy sets, whose membership functions range in a complete lattice. In this paper, we combine the Ershov Hierarchy and fuzzy set theory, by introducing and investigating the Fuzzy Ershov Hierarchy.
The effect of rivaroxaban on biomarkers in blood and plasma: a review of preclinical and clinical evidence
Authors: Schiffer Sonja , Schwers Stephan , Heitmeier Stefan
Published: February 2023

Rivaroxaban is a direct, oral factor Xa inhibitor that is used for the prevention and treatment of various thromboembolic disorders. Several preclinical and clinical studies have utilized specific molecules as biomarkers to investigate the potential role of rivaroxaban beyond its anticoagulant activity and across a range of biological processes. The aim of this review is to summarize the existing evidence regarding the use of blood-based biomarkers to characterize the effects of rivaroxaban on coagulation and other pathways, including platelet activation, inflammation and endothelial effects. After a literature search using PubMed, almost 100 preclinical and clinical studies were identified that investigated the effects of rivaroxaban using molecular biomarkers. In agreement with the preclinical data, clinical studies reported a trend for reduction in the blood concentrations of D-dimers, thrombin–antithrombin complex and prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 following treatment with rivaroxaban in both healthy individuals and those with various chronic conditions. Preclinical and also some clinical studies have also reported a potential impact of rivaroxaban on the concentrations of platelet activation biomarkers (von Willebrand factor, P-selectin and thrombomodulin), endothelial activation biomarkers (matrix metalloproteinase-9, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1) and inflammation biomarkers (interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1). Based on the results of biomarker studies, molecular biomarkers can be used in addition to traditional coagulation assays to increase the understanding of the anticoagulation effects of rivaroxaban. Moreover, there is preliminary evidence to suggest that rivaroxaban may have an impact on the biological pathways of platelet activation, endothelial activation and inflammation; however, owing to paucity of clinical data to investigate the trends reported in preclinical studies, further investigation is required to clarify these observations.
Development of a simulative approach in order to estimate the impact of smart services on a production system
Authors: Stamer Florian , Fausel Kathrin , Peukert Sina , Lanza Gisela
Published: February 2023

The increasing digitalisation and development of the fourth industrial revolution have created new opportunities in the B2B manufacturing industry. These opportunities come in the form of smart services, which are made possible by the interconnectedness of machines and products and the collection and analysis of data. However, there is uncertainty among potential users about the benefits of these smart services for their production systems. This paper aims to address this uncertainty by developing a simulation model that quantifies the impact of a smart service on a production system, using monetary benefit as a key performance indicator. To do so, the influence of a smart service on a production system is analysed and a generic production system model is developed. The generic model can then be used to analyse different smart service configurations and production systems to examine the effect of the smart service. This is demonstrated through the application of the simulation method to a use case studying the benefit of intelligent quality control and predictive maintenance.
The relationship between Invasive Alien Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav. characters and impacts in different habitats
Authors: Balah Mohamed Abdelaziz , Hassany Whaby Mohamed
Published: February 2023

Invasive alien plants are one of the most serious threats to agriculture. The growth traits of Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav. in crops and their demographics in invaded vs non-invaded communities were examined. The majority of S. elaeagnifolium germination was observed in the spring compared to the summer. Five stages were distinguished, which started with a short time of seedling and juvenile stages, extended flowering, and fruiting stages, and seed dispersion in the winter season. An increase in shoots/roots ratio, leaf area ratio and leaf mass fraction during growth with the varied rate was proved. The accumulation coefficient of dry mass exceeded 0.93 and was significant (P > 0.001) with great variability within plant parts, and stage intervals. While the high growth rate is influenced by the stages and habitats. The recipient communities are affected negatively by S. elaeagnifolium invasion which is associated with lower diversity, richness, and evenness vs non-invaded communities. High similarities were found in the invaded area and communities. Finally, high and varied growth and plasticity of S. elaeagnifolium characterized their invasion behavior via different habitats. There were suitable determinants indices of diversity that can be used in the comparison between invaded and non-invaded communities. This knowledge may be useful for use in agro-environment protection and to improve the management methods of invasive alien species.
Conspiracy Theories
Authors: Cassam Quassim
Published: February 2023

Current thinking about conspiracy theories is dominated by epistemological and psychological approaches. The former see the study of conspiracy theories as a branch of epistemology and insist that each theory should be judged on its evidential merits. On this account, a conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event which cites a conspiracy as a salient cause. Psychological approaches explain belief in conspiracy theories by reference to individual personality traits and generic cognitive biases. Despite their popularity, both epistemological and psychological approaches are flawed. After identifying their flaws, a case is made for a different perspective which focuses on the political function of conspiracy theories. A conspiracy theory is not just an explanation of an event which cites a conspiracy as a salient cause. Conspiracy theories have a range of additional features which distinguish them from ordinary theories about conspiracies and make them unlikely to be true. The political approach sees many conspiracy theories as forms of political propaganda and is especially mindful of the role of conspiracy theories in promoting extremist ideologies.
Navigating the dual dilemma between lives, rights and livelihoods: COVID-19 responses in China, Singapore, and South Korea
Authors: Holbig Heike
Published: February 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a dual dilemma for governments worldwide: between the protection of lives and of individual rights, and more long-term between safeguarding lives and preserving livelihoods. Taking a dynamic approach, this paper asks how different regime types have navigated this dual dilemma by adjusting their pandemic-response strategies over the course of time. Three case studies from East Asia are selected to represent different regime types—autocratic China, hybrid Singapore, and democratic South Korea—that share experience with previous coronavirus episodes. Comparing the three cases between late 2019 to mid-2022, remarkable differences are found in the adaptability of response strategies. China’s authoritarian regime appeared to be at a clear strategic advantage due to its indifference toward individual rights during the first COVID-19 wave. In the longer run, however, the picture has changed substantially. While China has exclusively prioritized the protection of lives, fixating on its “Zero-COVID” strategy, Singapore has attached at least equal weight to sustaining livelihoods, experiencing a drawn-out zigzagging before pivoting to a “Living with COVID” strategy. Among the three cases, only South Korea has made consistent efforts to protecting individual rights while gradually recalibrating lives and livelihoods. Over time, the high degree of responsiveness of South Korea’s democratic regime has allowed for a relatively smooth transition to coexisting with the virus. The paper concludes with some lessons that European democracies might learn from pandemic responses in East Asia in a longitudinal perspective.
My remembrances of H.G. Khorana: exploring the mechanism of bacteriorhodopsin with site-directed mutagenesis and FTIR difference spectroscopy
Authors: Rothschild Kenneth J.
Published: February 2023

H.G. Khorana’s seminal contributions to molecular biology are well-known. He also had a lesser known but still major influence on current application of advanced vibrational spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR difference spectroscopy to explore the mechanism of bacteriorhodopsin and other integral membrane proteins. In this review, I provide a personal perspective of my collaborative research and interactions with Gobind, from 1982 to 1995 when our groups published over 25 papers together which resulted in an early picture of key features of the bacteriorhodopsin proton pump mechanism. Much of this early work served as a blueprint for subsequent advances based on combining protein bioengineering and vibrational spectroscopic techniques to study integral membrane proteins.
CT Radiomic Features and Clinical Biomarkers for Predicting Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Militello Carmelo , Prinzi Francesco , Sollami Giulia , Rundo Leonardo , La Grutta Ludovico , Vitabile Salvatore
Published: February 2023

This study was aimed to investigate the predictive value of the radiomics features extracted from pericoronaric adipose tissue — around the anterior interventricular artery (IVA) — to assess the condition of coronary arteries compared with the use of clinical characteristics alone (i.e., risk factors). Clinical and radiomic data of 118 patients were retrospectively analyzed. In total, 93 radiomics features were extracted for each ROI around the IVA, and 13 clinical features were used to build different machine learning models finalized to predict the impairment (or otherwise) of coronary arteries. Pericoronaric radiomic features improved prediction above the use of risk factors alone. In fact, with the best model (Random Forest + Mutual Information) the AUROC reached $$0.820 \pm 0.076$$

0.820
±
0.076

. As a matter of fact, the combined use of both types of features (i.e., radiomic and clinical) allows for improved performance regardless of the feature selection method used. Experimental findings demonstrated that the use of radiomic features alone achieves better performance than the use of clinical features alone, while the combined use of both clinical and radiomic biomarkers further improves the predictive ability of the models. The main contribution of this work concerns: (i) the implementation of multimodal predictive models, based on both clinical and radiomic features, and (ii) a trusted system to support clinical decision-making processes by means of explainable classifiers and interpretable features.
Upcycling of black currant pomace for the production of a fermented beverage with Wolfiporia cocos
Authors: Sommer Svenja , Hoffmann Janine Laura , Fraatz Marco Alexander , Zorn Holger
Published: February 2023

Pomace as a side stream from black currant juice production is mostly discarded, even though it is rich in nutrients like protein, fiber, sugars, anthocyanins, polyphenols, and other secondary metabolites. Fungi from the division of Basidiomycota have a great enzymatic toolbox to recycle these complex mixtures of nutrients. In particular, the edible medicinal fungus Wolfiporia cocos has been described as a suitable biocatalyst to form pleasant aroma compounds in fermentation processes. Therefore, medium optimization, upscaling, and filtration were performed to produce a beverage based on black currant pomace fermented with W. cocos. A trained panel described the beverage as highly pleasant, reminiscent of honey, flowers and berries with a well-balanced sour and sweet taste. The flavor compounds linalool (citrus), geraniol (flowery), phenylacetic acid (honey), methyl phenylacetate (honey), eugenol (clove), and 2-phenylethanol (rose) were produced during fermentation and the concentrations exceeded their respective odor thresholds. The produced beverage was evaluated with 8.0 ± 1.4 from 10 for the question of whether panelists would buy the product. Fungal fermentation with the edible fungus W. cocos enabled the production of a highly pleasant beverage and additionally may reduce waste by using pomace and table sugar as sole ingredients.
Filling holes under non-linear constraints
Authors: Custódio A. L. , Fortes M. A. , Sajo-Castelli A. M.
Published: February 2023

In this paper we handle the problem of filling the hole in the graphic of a surface by means of a patch that joins the original surface with $$\mathcal {C}^{1}$$

C

1

-smoothness and fulfills an additional non-linear geometrical constraint regarding its area or its mean curvature at some points. Furthermore, we develop a technique to estimate the optimum area that the filling patch is expected to have that will allow us to determine optimum filling patches by means of a system of linear and quadratic equations. We present several numerical and graphical examples showing the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Do we all coordinate in the long run?
Authors: Gärtner Manja , Östling Robert , Tebbe Sebastian
Published: February 2023

Players often fail to coordinate on the efficient equilibrium in laboratory weak-link coordination games. In this paper, we investigate whether such coordination failures can be mitigated by increasing the number of rounds or altering per-period stakes. We find that neither time horizon nor stakes affect equilibrium selection. In contrast to previous findings, players are not more likely to play above the previous period’s minimum choice when the horizon is longer or per-period stakes lower. We also investigate which socio-demographic factors and behavioral traits correlate most strongly with play both in the first round and in subsequent rounds. Cognitive ability as measured by a cognitive reflection test stands out as the characteristic that is most strongly associated with efficient coordination.
Analytical approach for modeling and simulation of photonic crystal fiber based on low effective material loss
Authors: Rahman Md. Habibur , Rana Md. Masud , Hossain Md. Selim , Sen Shuvo , Al-Amin Md.
Published: February 2023

COMSOL Multiphysics simulation software has been used to create a hexagonal photonic crystal fiber (H-PCF) with hexagonal cladding and a rotating hexa elliptical shape core. The hexagonal photonic crystal fiber (H-PCF) fiber is built on five layers of circular air holes, and it is suitable for telecommunication applications especially optical fiber communication in the terahertz (THz) frequency range. The hexagonal photonic crystal fiber (H-PCF) is designed to have an ultra-low effective material loss (EML), a higher core power fraction, a bigger effective area, and reduced confinement loss. The smallest effective material loss from the proposed hexagonal photonic crystal fiber (H-PCF) is 0.00689 cm−1, with a better core power fraction of 82%, less confinement loss of 3.45 × 10–14 cm−1 and a better effective area of 3.65 × 10–4 m2 is achieved at one terahertz (THz) waveguide region. Furthermore, using the features of the V-Parameter, our developed hexagonal photonic crystal fiber (H-PCF) fiber reveals an optical waveguide with one mode throughout a frequency range of terahertz (THz) wave area. So, it has been said that our hexagonal photonic crystal fiber (H-PCF) structure will be highly beneficial for optical fiber communications applications in the THz frequency range.
Identification of marine natural product Pretrichodermamide B as a STAT3 inhibitor for efficient anticancer therapy
Authors: Li Rui , Zhou Yue , Zhang Xinxin , Yang Lujia , Liu Jieyu , Wightman Samantha M. , Lv Ling , Liu Zhiqing , Wang Chang-Yun , Zhao Chenyang
Published: February 2023

The Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) regulates the expression of various critical mediators of cancer and is considered as one of the central communication nodes in cell growth and survival. Marine natural products (MNP) represent great resources for discovery of bioactive lead compounds, especially anti-cancer agents. Through the medium-throughput screening of our in-house MNP library, Pretrichodermamide B, an epidithiodiketopiperazine, was identified as a JAK/STAT3 signaling inhibitor. Further studies identified that Pretrichodermamide B directly binds to STAT3, preventing phosphorylation and thus inhibiting JAK/STAT3 signaling. Moreover, it suppressed cancer cell growth, in vitro, at low micromolar concentrations and demonstrated efficacy in vivo by decreasing tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model. In addition, it was shown that Pretrichodermamide B was able to induce cell cycle arrest and promote cell apoptosis. This study demonstrated that Pretrichodermamide B is a novel STAT3 inhibitor, which should be considered for further exploration as a promising anti-cancer therapy.
Photocatalytic degradation of gaseous pollutants on nanostructured TiO2 films of various thickness and surface area
Authors: Baudys Michal , Berthet Eleonore , Macak Jan M. , Lhotka Miloslav , Krýsa Josef
Published: February 2023

This work deals with the preparation of TiO2 nanoparticulate layers of various mass (0.05 mg/cm2 to 2 mg/cm2) from three commercial nanopowder materials, P90, P25 and CG 300, their characterisation (profilometry, BET and SEM) and evaluation of their photocatalytic activity in the gaseous phase in a flow-through photoreactor according to the ISO standard (ISO 22197-2). Hexane was chosen as a single model pollutant and a mixture of four compounds, namely acetaldehyde, acetone, heptane and toluene was used for the evaluation of the efficiency of simultaneous removal of several pollutants. A linear dependence between the layer mass and the layer thickness for all materials was found. Up to a layer mass 0.5 mg/cm2, the immobilisation P90 and P25 powder did not result in a decrease in BET surface area, whereas with an increase in layer mass to 1 mg/cm2, a decrease of the BET surface was observed, being more significant in the case of P90. The photocatalytic conversion of hexane was comparable for all immobilised powders up to a layer mass of 0.5 mg/cm2. For higher layer mass, the photocatalytic conversion of hexane on P25 and P90 differ; the latter achieved about 30% higher conversion. In the case of the simultaneous degradation of four compounds, acetaldehyde was degraded best, followed by acetone and toluene; the least degraded compound was heptane. The measurement of released CO2 revealed that 90% of degraded hexane was mineralised to CO2 and water while for a mixture of 4 VOCs, the level of mineralisation was 83%.

Graphical abstract
Bionic Design Model for Co-creative Product Innovation Based on Deep Generative and BID
Authors: Deng ZhengGen , Lv Jian , Liu Xiang , Hou YuKang
Published: February 2023

Bio-inspired design (BID) is an abstract process, if we can visualize the process of fusing abstract biological inspiration with figurative product shapes, and combine it with artificial intelligence technology to express the designer’s creativity, it will greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of product shape bionic design. To address this problem, we combine BID with deep generative (DG) model to build a co-creative deep generative bio-inspired design (DGBID) model. Firstly, the designers used perceptual engineering and eye-movement experiments to select the bionic creature that best fits the bionic product and the suitable bionic product and bionic image, respectively. Then, the images are embedded into the potential space of StyleGAN, and the potential relationship between the two is visualized using StyleGAN’s image morphing technique, which generates a new bionic fusion scheme. Finally, the contour lines of the solution are extracted as a reference, the designer is involved in the optimization of the scheme as a sketch, and the hand-drawn sketch is transformed into a real product solution using style migration techniques. The entire bionic design experiment process is a co-creative approach with artificial intelligence technology as the lead and designer participation. The feasibility of the method is verified using the side view of a car as a bionic product. The results show that the integration of bionic technology with deep generative model technology can accelerate the innovation and development of bionic products and provide designers with design references and rapid-generation tools.
Carbothermal reduction synthesis of sulfide-modified biochar for heavy metal removal
Authors: Lu Yilin , Wang Qi , Yu Fengbo , Zhang Shicheng , Zhu Xiangdong
Published: February 2023

Although sulfide is effective for heavy metal immobilization, it rarely exists in pristine pyrogenic biochar and easily undergoes intensive hydrolysis. In this work, carbothermal reduction of sulfate for on-site sulfide formation and simultaneous carbon layer encapsulation was developed to synthesize sulfide (CaS) modified biochar for enhancing heavy metal immobilization capacity. The initial reaction temperature for this carbothermal reduction was 700 °C. Increasing the pyrolysis temperature, modifier electron accepting ability and loading content could facilitate carbothermal reduction as further partly confirmed by on-site MS of pyrolysis gas and S 2p XPS of biochar analysis. The formed CaS on biochar could be greatly inhibited from hydrolysis due to the encapsulation effect of carbon layer and reached nearly 100% utilization efficiency in Cd2+ fast immobilization. TEM line scan and XRD of post-adsorbed biochar indicated that high heavy metal immobilization capacity was mainly attributed to the coprecipitation reaction governed by the formation of metal-sulfur bond. Compared with reported absorbents, CaS-modified biochar via carbothermal reduction with on-site encapsulation exhibited an excellent stability and outstanding immobilization capacity for various heavy metal ions (such as Cd2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Ag+).

Graphical Abstract
Lehre im Querschnittsbereich Q7: Medizin des Alterns und des alten Menschen
Authors: Brenne Silke , Gaertner Bettina , Herrmann Markus
Published: February 2023

Hintergrund

Das Institut für Allgemeinmedizin der Medizinischen Fakultät Magdeburg bietet im Querschnittsbereich Q7 „Medizin des Alterns und des alten Menschen“ im 5. Studienjahr eine Lehrveranstaltung an, an der neben Disziplinen der Universitätsmedizin gemeindenahe Einrichtungen beteiligt sind. Hospitationen in stationären und kommunalen Einrichtungen werden in Seminaren vorgestellt; alterstypische Syndrome, Erkrankungen und der besondere Umgang mit Diagnostik, Behandlung und Betreuung anhand von Instant-Aging-Einheiten und Gruppenübungen vertieft. Begleitende Vorlesungen ergänzen das Konzept.

Methoden

Die institutsinterne Lehrevaluation erfolgte anhand standardisierter Paper-Pencil-Fragebögen mit 14 Items (Wintersemester [WiSe] 2017/18 und 2018/19). Der Rücklauf betrug im WiSe 2017/18 etwa 95 % und im WiSe 2018/19 etwa 85 %. Die Auswertung erfolgte deskriptiv; die Freitextangaben wurden inhaltsanalytisch ausgewertet.

Ergebnisse

Im WiSe 2017/18 (n = 170) lag das Gesamturteil auf einer 5‑stufigen Notenskala bei 2,73 (Standardabweichung [SD] 0,922) und im WiSe 2018/19 (n = 156) bei 2,58 (SD 0,831). Positiv wurden der Besuch der Hospitationsstätten, die aktive Mitgestaltung der Seminare sowie die Instant-Aging-Einheiten beurteilt. Aufgrund der Kombination unterschiedlicher Lehrformate zeigten sich zunächst inhaltliche Redundanzen, die zum WiSe 2018/19 überarbeitet wurden. Der Wunsch nach weiteren praktischen Übungen sowie der Einbeziehung von sozialrechtlichen Aspekten wurde umgesetzt.

Schlussfolgerungen

Die Kombination aus Vorlesung, Hospitation und Seminar ermöglicht einen interaktionellen Theorie-Praxis-Transfer sowie eine Selbst- und Peer-Reflexion. Praxisnahe Fallvignetten und das in verschiedenen Hospitationsstätten Erlebte bieten Raum für interaktionellen Austausch in den Seminaren, sodass relevante medizinische und psychosoziale Kenntnisse für eine adäquate medizinische Versorgung älterer Patient:innen vermittelt werden.
Innovationsausschuss des Gemeinsamen Bundesausschusses (G-BA) fördert neue und alte DEGAM-Leitlinien
Authors: Voigt Karen , Borchers Peggy , Brosse Franziska , Chenot Jean-François , Haasenritter Jörg , Kötter Thomas , Muche-Borowski Cathleen , Schübel Jeannine
Published: February 2023

Hintergrund

Leitlinien (LL) sind ein wichtiges Instrument der Qualitätsförderung – auch in der hausärztlichen Versorgung. Seit Jahren erstellen hochmotivierte Mitglieder der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Allgemeinmedizin und Familienmedizin (DEGAM) meist ehrenamtlich methodisch anspruchsvolle hausärztliche Leitlinien oder sind an der Entwicklung interdisziplinärer Leitlinien beteiligt. Der Innovationsausschuss des Gemeinsamen Bundesausschusses (G-BA) schreibt seit 2020 Förderprogramme zur (Weiter‑)Entwicklung von Leitlinien aus.

Ziel der Arbeit

Mit dieser Publikation sollen durch den Innovationsausschuss des G‑BA aktuell geförderte DEGAM-Leitlinienprojekte vorgestellt werden.

Material und Methoden

Die Vorstellung erfolgt durch eine Kurzbeschreibung der geförderten Leitlinien durch die zugehörigen Autoren(gruppen).

Ergebnisse

In der 2. Ausschreibungsrunde des G‑BA zur Förderung medizinischer Versorgungsleitlinien (2021) haben sich 5 Autorenteams der DEGAM um eine Finanzierung für die Förderung beworben und die Förderzusagen erhalten. Bei den geförderten DEGAM-Leitlinien handelt es sich um a) eine neue Leitlinienentwicklung, b) die Updates (Aktualisierung) von 2 bestehenden Leitlinien und c) das Update und gleichzeitige Upgrade einer DEGAM-Leitlinie von S1- auf S3-Niveau sowie die Aktualisierung einer S3-Leitlinie als „living guideline“.

Diskussionen

Leitlinienerstellung ist ressourcenintensiv und fordert ehrenamtliches Engagement. Die G‑BA-Förderung öffnet der DEGAM Möglichkeiten zu Leitlinien(weiter)entwicklungen, die sonst nicht oder nicht als Upgrades erfolgt wären. Um Leitlinienentwicklung voranzubringen, braucht es zusätzliche Förderungen, da die Ressourcen ehrenamtlich motivierter Leitlinienentwickler:innen endlich sind. Die G‑BA-Förderung unterstützt damit auch mittelfristig die Nachwuchsgewinnung von Leitlinienentwickler:innen. Inwiefern diese Nachwuchsförderung nachhaltig ist, wird sich in der Zukunft erweisen.
Bullshit in Politics Pays
Authors: Gibbons Adam F.
Published: February 2023

Politics is full of people who don't care about the facts. Still, while not caring about the facts, they are often concerned to present themselves as caring about them. Politics, in other words, is full of bullshitters. But why? In this paper I develop an incentives-based analysis of bullshit in politics, arguing that it is often a rational response to the incentives facing different groups of agents. In a slogan: bullshit in politics pays, sometimes literally. After first outlining an account of bullshit, I discuss the incentives driving three different groups of agents to bullshit: politicians, the media, and voters. I then examine several existing proposals to combat bullshit in politics, arguing that each will fail because they ignore the relevant underlying incentives. I conclude somewhat pessimistically that a certain amount of bullshit in politics is inevitable.
Identity matters: cancer stem cells and tumour plasticity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Salem Abdelhakim , Salo Tuula
Published: February 2023

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents frequent yet aggressive tumours that encompass complex ecosystems of stromal and neoplastic components including a dynamic population of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Recently, research in the field of CSCs has gained increased momentum owing in part to their role in tumourigenicity, metastasis, therapy resistance and relapse. We provide herein a comprehensive assessment of the latest progress in comprehending CSC plasticity, including newly discovered influencing factors and their possible application in HNSCC. We further discuss the dynamic interplay of CSCs within tumour microenvironment considering our evolving appreciation of the contribution of oral microbiota and the pressing need for relevant models depicting their features. In sum, CSCs and tumour plasticity represent an exciting and expanding battleground with great implications for cancer therapy that are only beginning to be appreciated in head and neck oncology.
Building a more robust framework on revisionism: a reply to Lawson and Legrenzi
Authors: Natalizia Gabriele , Termine Lorenzo
Published: February 2023

The comments by Lawson and Legrenzi to our RISP/IPSR article ‘Tracing the modes of China's revisionism in the Indo-Pacific: a comparison with pre-1941 Shōwa Japan’ contribute to moving the debate on revisionism in international politics a step forward. Their notes on the several issues affecting the International Relations understanding of the phenomenon are on the same page as ours and we appear to share similar doubts and a like-minded curiosity on the subject. While grasping some key topics and shedding light on crucial shortcomings in the literature on international change, power transitions and international order, however, their observations do not come unproblematic. In this reply to their timely remarks, we highlight the perks of their argument but also stress how this falls through in providing a complete framework to understand revisionism in international politics.
ELIMINATION OF IMAGINARIES IN ORDERED ABELIAN GROUPS WITH BOUNDED REGULAR RANK
Authors: VICARÍA MARIANA
Published: February 2023

In this paper we study elimination of imaginaries in some classes of pure ordered abelian groups. For the class of ordered abelian groups with bounded regular rank (equivalently with finite spines) we obtain weak elimination of imaginaries once we add sorts for the quotient groups
$\Gamma /\Delta $
for each definable convex subgroup
$\Delta $
, and sorts for the quotient groups
$\Gamma /(\Delta + \ell \Gamma )$
where
$\Delta $
is a definable convex subgroup and
$\ell \in \mathbb {N}_{\geq 2}$
. We refer to these sorts as the quotient sorts. For the dp-minimal case we obtain a complete elimination of imaginaries if we also add constants to distinguish the cosets of
$\ell \Gamma $
in
$\Gamma $
, where
$\ell \in \mathbb {N}_{\geq 2}$
.
Evaluation of alternative conservation strategies for the blue-billed curassow Crax alberti in the Middle Magdalena Valley, Colombia
Authors: Valencia Igor F. , Kattan Gustavo H. , Valenzuela Leonor , Caro Lina , Arbelaez Fernando , Forero-Medina German
Published: February 2023

The blue-billed curassow Crax alberti is an endemic Colombian species categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List because of the effects of hunting and habitat loss. Conservation and management actions are required to ensure its persistence in the forest remnants across its range. We conducted a population viability analysis for a population in the municipality of Yondó, Antioquia, based on data collected in the field and available information on the reproductive ecology of the species. We evaluate seven realistic conservation scenarios by comparing the effects that changes in mortality from hunting, carrying capacity and initial population size have on the survival probability of the population. Our results indicate that: (1) the studied population is not viable over a 100-year period under current conditions; (2) mortality as a result of hunting and the size of the initial population have the greatest impacts on the mean time to extinction; (3) a strategy based on eliminating hunting in the two sites with the largest forest remnants in the landscape could ensure the viability of the population over a 100-year period; and (4) other strategies (i.e. population supplementation with captive-bred individuals, reduction of deforestation in the landscape) do not guarantee the viability of the population if mortality from hunting remains constant, even at low levels. These results confirm the susceptibility of the blue-billed curassow to the threats it faces in this landscape, particularly hunting, and provide information on the conservation actions that could allow this remaining population to prevail in the long term.
To be or not to be like Iceland? (Ontological) Politics of comparison in Greenlandic tourism development
Authors: Ren Carina , Jóhannesson Gunnar Thór
Published: February 2023

In this article, we introduce the concept ofpolitics of comparisonin tourism development, looking at how comparison contributes to shaping and making sense of tourism development in Greenland. Decision makers and operators in Greenland foresee tourism growth as new transatlantic airports are set to open by 2024. To navigate an uncertain tourism future, many look towards neighbouring Iceland, who experienced exponential growth in international tourism arrivals between 2010 and 2018. In this North Atlantic reflection, comparison also works as a tool to understand tourism, positioning Greenland as a potential destination and deliberating about the future of tourism in the region, while also bringing forth competing logics and trajectories of development. Thus, comparison serves to engage with the meaning and value of tourism, seeing it not only as a pillar of the economy but also as a force affecting landscapes and communities. We argue that the comparisons made by tourism actors work epistemologically – creating knowledge of ‘what is’ – as well as ontologically, forcefully interfering with and producing tourism realities.
Low-cost depth/IMU intelligent sensor fusion for indoor robot navigation
Authors: Alkhawaja Fares , Jaradat Mohammad A. , Romdhane Lotfi
Published: February 2023

This paper presents a mobile robot platform, which performs both indoor and outdoor localization based on an intelligent low-cost depth–inertial fusion approach. The proposed sensor fusion approach uses depth-based localization data to enhance the accuracy obtained by the inertial measurement unit (IMU) pose data through a depth–inertial fusion. The fusion approach is based on feedforward cascade correlation networks (CCNs). The aim of this fusion approach is to correct the drift accompanied by the use of the IMU sensor, using a depth camera. This approach also has the advantage of maintaining the high frequency of the IMU sensor and the accuracy of the depth camera. The estimated mobile robot dynamic states through the proposed approach are deployed and examined through real-time autonomous navigation. It is shown that using both the planned path and the continuous localization approach, the robot successfully controls its movement toward the destination. Several tests were conducted with different numbers of layers and percentages of the training set. It is shown that the best performance is obtained with 12 layers and 80% of the pose data used as a training set for CCN. The proposed framework is then compared to the solution based on fusing the information given by the XSens IMU–GPS sensor and the Kobuki robot built-in odometry solution. As demonstrated in the results, an enhanced performance was achieved with an average Euclidean error of 0.091 m by the CCN, which is lower than the error achieved by the artificial neural network by 56%.
CONSISTENT NON-GAUSSIAN PSEUDO MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATORS OF SPATIAL AUTOREGRESSIVE MODELS
Authors: Jin Fei , Wang Yuqin
Published: February 2023

This paper studies the non-Gaussian pseudo maximum likelihood (PML) estimation of a spatial autoregressive (SAR) model with SAR disturbances. If the spatial weights matrix

$M_{n}$
for the SAR disturbances is normalized to have row sums equal to 1 or the model reduces to a SAR model with no SAR process of disturbances, the non-Gaussian PML estimator (NGPMLE) for model parameters except the intercept term and the variance

$\sigma _{0}^{2}$
of independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) innovations in the model is consistent. Without row normalization of

$M_{n}$
, the symmetry of i.i.d. innovations leads to consistent NGPMLE for model parameters except

$\sigma _{0}^{2}$
. With neither row normalization of

$M_{n}$
nor the symmetry of innovations, a location parameter can be added to the non-Gaussian pseudo likelihood function to achieve consistent estimation of model parameters except

$\sigma _{0}^{2}$
. The NGPMLE with no added parameter can have a significant efficiency improvement upon the Gaussian PML estimator and the generalized method of moments estimator based on linear and quadratic moments. We also propose a non-Gaussian score test for spatial dependence, which can be locally more powerful than the Gaussian score test. Monte Carlo results show that our NGPMLE with no added parameter and the score test based on it perform well in finite samples.
Affiliated Associations in China's Education Sector: Between Passive Autonomy, Discretion and Control
Authors: Gao Hong , Tyson Adam
Published: February 2023

Under President Xi Jinping, the strengthening of the Chinese Communist Party's political control occurs in conjunction with an evolving administrative role for government-affiliated associations. Analysing associations that are subordinate within China's strict hierarchy but which have degrees of operational freedom yields insights into the changing nature of public service and administration in China. Evidence from 63 interviews conducted from 2018 to 2022 with government departments and affiliated associations in the education sector reveals the complexity of state control and degrees of constrained autonomy achieved by affiliated associations. The government exerts control over financing, personnel appointments and core business activities but, over time, associations gain varying degrees of operational autonomy to influence the education agenda and fill gaps in public services. The interdependency and relational variance we find in the case of Ministry of Education-affiliated associations contributes to broader understandings of the complex and fragmentary nature of the Chinese state and public administration.