bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On Disused Connected Devices: Understanding Disuse, “Holding On,” and Barriers to Circularity
Authors: Lechelt Susan , Gorkovenko Katerina , Speed Chris
Published: March 2024

In this article, we explore the complex phenomena behind why people “hold on” to disused connected devices, focusing especially on differences between “traditional” smartphones and computers, and newer categories of smart home devices, wearables, and single-function Internet of Things (IoT) devices. We investigate why and in what contexts different categories of connected devices become disused by their owners; what owners value about their disused devices; and what they perceive to be the barriers to adopting circular practices, for example, by fixing, recycling, or reusing them. Our contribution is to provide a descriptive account of how functional, sentimental, and other values associated with devices shape owners’ perceptions and attitudes toward their “end of life,” for an expanded range of connected products. By highlighting how perceptions of concepts including convenience, ownership, and wastefulness mediate how owners approach the “end of life” of a device, we map the barriers for device owners to engage in more circular practices and highlight opportunities to address them through design. Our study replicates previous findings in the domain, as well as extending them, contributing to how the design of modern IoT devices leads to new barriers, opportunities, and considerations for more circular design.
Matching Tasks and Workers under Known Arrival Distributions: Online Task Assignment with Two-sided Arrivals
Authors: Dickerson John P. , Sankararaman Karthik , Srinivasan Aravind , Xu Pan , Xu Yifan
Published: March 2024

Efficient allocation of tasks to workers is a central problem in crowdsourcing. In this article, we consider a setting inspired by spatial crowdsourcing platforms, where both workers and tasks arrive at different times, and each worker-task assignment yields a given reward. The key challenge is to address the uncertainty in the stochastic arrivals from both workers and the tasks. In this work, we consider a ubiquitous scenario where the arrival patterns of worker “types” and task “types” are not erratic but can be predicted from historical data. Specifically, we consider a finite time horizon
T
and assume that in each time-step the arrival of a worker and a task can be seen as an independent sample from two (different) distributions.

Our model, called
Online Task Assignment with Two-sided Arrival
(OTA-TSA), is a significant generalization of the classical online task assignment problem when all the tasks are statically available. For the general case of OTA-TSA, we present an optimal non-adaptive algorithm (NADAP), which achieves a competitive ratio (CR) of at least 0.295. For a special case of OTA-TSA when the reward depends only on the worker type, we present two adaptive algorithms, which achieve CRs of at least 0.343 and 0.355, respectively. On the hardness side, we show that (1) no non-adaptive can achieve a CR larger than that of NADAP, establishing the optimality of NADAP among all non-adaptive algorithms; and (2) no (adaptive) algorithm can achieve a CR better than 0.581 (unconditionally) or 0.423 (conditionally on the benchmark linear program), respectively. All aforementioned negative results apply to even unweighted OTA-TSA when every assignment yields a uniform reward. At the heart of our analysis is a new technical tool, called
two-stage birth-death process
, which is a refined notion of the classical birth-death process. We believe it may be of independent interest. Finally, we perform extensive numerical experiments on a real-world rideshare dataset collected in Chicago and a synthetic dataset, and results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithms in practice.
Bioimpedance Measurement under Feature Combination of Time-Frequency Domain and Application for E. coli Detection
Authors: Lu Ning , Guo Boyu , Rao Zhikang , Chen Juntao , Xu Ying
Published: March 2024

Electrochemical impedance sensors are widely used for bacterial detection and interpreted by the equivalent circuit model (ECM) to evaluate the concentration changes on the electrode interface. However, this method is mainly based on prior models and focuses on frequency domain analysis which cannot precisely describe unknown dynamic processes and a fractional surface coverage of electrode. Distribution of Relaxation Times (DRT) method, as an alternative to interpret impedance spectra can be applied to solve the problem. In this research, two electrode schemes with different modification steps were designed to collect impedance data. An Ensemble Tree-SHAP model was then adopted to quantitatively analyze the impedance data processed by ECM-DRT method in time-frequency domain and applied for the detection of Escherichia coli (E.
coli). The results showed that using a dataset integrated with time-frequency domain features significantly improved the accuracy of bacterial concentration prediction. As a result, the RMSE of untrained concentration with LightGBM model was

6.4
×
1

0

−
4

log CFU ml−1, with the sensor detection limit about 2.69 log CFU ml−1. The research provided a tool combining time-frequency analysis for accurate prediction of bacterial concentration, which is crucial for evaluation of the antibacterial effect of long-term antibiotics on E.
coli in future.
A Mathematical Model for Transmission of Taeniasis and Neurocysticercosis
Authors: Rwabona Gideon Eustace , Masanja Verdiana Grace , Mfinanga Sayoki , Degoot Abdoelnaser , Mirau Silas
Published: March 2024

In this study, we present a mathematical model for the codynamics of taeniasis and neurocysticercosis and rigorously analyze it. To understand the underlying dynamics of the proposed model, basic system properties such as the positivity and boundedness of solutions are investigated through the completing differential process. The basic reproduction number was calculated using the next-generation matrix method, and the analysis showed that when R0<1, the disease in the community eventually dies out, and when R0>1, the diseases persist. Local stability of the equilibria was analyzed using the Jacobian matrix, and Lyapunov function techniques were used to determine the global analysis, which showed that the endemic equilibrium point was globally stable when R0>1. On the other hand, the disease-free equilibrium was determined to be globally stable when R0<1. To identify the most influential parameters of the proposed model, partial correlation coefficient techniques were used. The numerical results depict that the model aligns well with the transmission dynamics, which goes through two populations: humans and pigs, whereby the model system stabilizes after some time, showing the validity of the proposed model. Furthermore, the simulations of the proposed model revealed that the shedding habit of infected humans with taeniasis and the bad cooking habit or eating of raw or undercooked pork products have a higher impact on the spread of neurocysticercosis and taeniasis in the community. Hence, this study proposes that in order to control taeniasis and neurocysticercosis, effective disease control measures should primarily prioritize hygienic behaviour and proper cooking of pork meat to the required temperature.
Parametric and Nonparametric Approaches of Reid Vapor Pressure Prediction for Gasoline Containing Oxygenates: A Comparative Analysis Using Partial Least Squares, Nonlinear, and LOWESS Regression Modelling Strategies with Physical Properties
Authors: Issa Hayder M.
Published: March 2024

This study provides insights into the challenges involved in predicting the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) of gasoline-oxygenate blends (GOB), which is an important indicator of fuel quality and compliance with environmental and performance standards. Given the enormous variety of gasoline compositions and ratios available, there is a significant demand for a fast, straightforward, and cost-effective technique to predict RVP without relying on costly instruments or complicated spectral measurements that involve numerous input variables. A comparative performance analysis has been performed for different regression modelling strategies for predicting RVP in GOB, which is valuable for researchers and practitioners in the petroleum industry for saving time and money. Parametric and nonparametric approaches were compared using partial least squares regression (PLSR), nonlinear regression (NLR), and nonparametric regression (NPR) models. Locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) approach was applied to the NPR model. The gasoline’s physical characteristics (distillation curves and density) formed the basis for the analysis of these models’ performances. Acceptable error metrics have been reached for root mean square error of calibration and prediction (RMSEC and RMSEP) values, for the PLSR, NLR, and NPR models, which are 4.790, 6.235, 4.739, 6.149, 3.968, and 6.029, respectively, which are close for those reported in literature. The NPR model eliminates parametric constraints and allows for a different kind of data structure to emerge. The established models here demonstrate a sound ability to overcome barriers by omitting the use of inconvenient spectral measurements to save expense and simplify data calibration, making them a promising approach for RVP detection of GOB. This finding aids in the development of more accurate RVP prediction models and contributes to the optimization of fuel formulations.
Figure S6 from Comprehensive Metabolic Tracing Reveals the Origin and Catabolism of Cysteine in Mammalian Tissues and Tumors
Authors: Yoon Sang Jun , Combs Joseph A. , Falzone Aimee , Prieto-Farigua Nicolas , Caldwell Samantha , Ackerman Hayley D. , Flores Elsa R. , DeNicola Gina M.
Published: March 2024

Figure S6 contains total metabolite levels in lung cancer models related to Figure 5
Figure S5 from Comprehensive Metabolic Tracing Reveals the Origin and Catabolism of Cysteine in Mammalian Tissues and Tumors
Authors: Yoon Sang Jun , Combs Joseph A. , Falzone Aimee , Prieto-Farigua Nicolas , Caldwell Samantha , Ackerman Hayley D. , Flores Elsa R. , DeNicola Gina M.
Published: March 2024

Figure S5 contains the total metabolite levels in liver and pancreas cancer models related to Figure 4
Figure S4 from Comprehensive Metabolic Tracing Reveals the Origin and Catabolism of Cysteine in Mammalian Tissues and Tumors
Authors: Yoon Sang Jun , Combs Joseph A. , Falzone Aimee , Prieto-Farigua Nicolas , Caldwell Samantha , Ackerman Hayley D. , Flores Elsa R. , DeNicola Gina M.
Published: March 2024

Figure S4 contains the total metabolite levels in healthy mouse tissues related to Figure 3
Supplementary Table 2 from Antibody–Drug Conjugate αEGFR-E-P125A Reduces Triple-negative Breast Cancer Vasculogenic Mimicry, Motility, and Metastasis through Inhibition of EGFR, Integrin, and FAK/STAT3 Signaling
Authors: Sankar Ankita P. , Cho Hyun-Mi , Shin Seung-Uon , Sneh Tal , Ramakrishnan Sundaram , Elledge Christian , Zhang Yu , Das Rathin , Gil-Henn Hava , Rosenblatt Joseph D.
Published: March 2024

Extended table of differentially expressed genes from 3D to αEGFR-E-P125A
Supplementary Table 1-3 from Antibody–Drug Conjugate αEGFR-E-P125A Reduces Triple-negative Breast Cancer Vasculogenic Mimicry, Motility, and Metastasis through Inhibition of EGFR, Integrin, and FAK/STAT3 Signaling
Authors: Sankar Ankita P. , Cho Hyun-Mi , Shin Seung-Uon , Sneh Tal , Ramakrishnan Sundaram , Elledge Christian , Zhang Yu , Das Rathin , Gil-Henn Hava , Rosenblatt Joseph D.
Published: March 2024

Extended table of differentially expressed genes from 2D to 3D
Supplementary Figure 2 from Rejuvenated iPSC-derived GD2-directed CART Cells Harbor Robust Cytotoxicity Against Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Kinoshita Shintaro , Ishii Midori , Ando Jun , Kimura Takaharu , Yamaguchi Tomoyuki , Harada Sakiko , Takahashi Fumiyuki , Nakashima Kazutaka , Nakazawa Yozo , Yamazaki Satoshi , Ohshima Koichi , Takahashi Kazuhisa , Nakauchi Hiromitsu , Ando Miki
Published: March 2024

Supplementary Figure S2 showcases the functional and phenotypic analysis of GD2-CARTs and GD2-CARrejTs, including cytokine production (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17A) through cytometric bead assays, flow cytometry gating strategies, memory phenotype subsets, CAR transgene expression, and CD4/8 ratios.
Supplementary Figure 8 from Antibody–Drug Conjugate αEGFR-E-P125A Reduces Triple-negative Breast Cancer Vasculogenic Mimicry, Motility, and Metastasis through Inhibition of EGFR, Integrin, and FAK/STAT3 Signaling
Authors: Sankar Ankita P. , Cho Hyun-Mi , Shin Seung-Uon , Sneh Tal , Ramakrishnan Sundaram , Elledge Christian , Zhang Yu , Das Rathin , Gil-Henn Hava , Rosenblatt Joseph D.
Published: March 2024

Expression levels of genes of interest across human breast cancer cell lines
Supplementary Figure 5 from Antibody–Drug Conjugate αEGFR-E-P125A Reduces Triple-negative Breast Cancer Vasculogenic Mimicry, Motility, and Metastasis through Inhibition of EGFR, Integrin, and FAK/STAT3 Signaling
Authors: Sankar Ankita P. , Cho Hyun-Mi , Shin Seung-Uon , Sneh Tal , Ramakrishnan Sundaram , Elledge Christian , Zhang Yu , Das Rathin , Gil-Henn Hava , Rosenblatt Joseph D.
Published: March 2024

Dimeric form of E-P125A (FcE) demonstrates enhanced inhibition of VM tube formation
Trust in News and Trust through News
Authors: Verbalyte Monika , Trenz Hans-Jörg , Eigmüller Monika
Published: March 2024

On the one hand, media is an instrument of social and political trust building: Through it, trustful citizens are formed and socialized as members of a political community. On the other hand, the media is also an object of trust. And the degree people trust the media and its products has important consequences for the legitimacy of government. The authors use data from their own survey to help answer the question of how trust correlates with patterns of media consumption. They find that consumption of legacy media increases social, political and media trust, whereas social media use demonstrates differing platform-specific patterns. The authors could also state some country differences in terms of how media consumption is related to trust.
Terrestrial predatory leeches of the genus Orobdella (Hirudinea: Erpobdelliformes: Orobdellidae) endemic to the Southern Russian Far East: a new species of the genus from Primorsky Krai, Russia
Authors: NAKANO TAKAFUMI , PROZOROVA LARISA A.
Published: March 2024

A quadrannulate species, Orobdella ganini sp. nov., is described from the Lazovsky Nature Reserve in Primorsky Krai, the Southern Russian Far East, Russia. Morphological features of O. ghilarovi Nakano & Prozorova, 2019 from the reserve are also provided leading to an amendment of the species diagnosis. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference phylogenetic analyses, which were performed using nuclear 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, and histone H3, and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, tRNACys, tRNAMet, 12S rRNA, tRNAVal, 16S rRNA, tRNALeu and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 markers, show that O. ganini sp. nov., O. ghilarovi and two species endemic to Hokkaido, Japan form a clade, with the new species sister to a lineage composed of the two Japanese species. A partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequence obtained from a cocoon found in the Lazovsky Nature Reserve reveals that Orobdella leeches deposit cocoons somewhat similar to those deposited by terrestrial blood-sucking leeches of Haemadipsidae.
A Study of High-Frequency Noise for Microplastics Classification Using Raman Spectroscopy and Machine Learning
Authors: Plazas David , Ferranti Francesco , Liu Qing , Lotfi Choobbari Mehrdad , Ottevaere Heidi
Published: March 2024

Given the growing urge for plastic management and regulation in the world, recent studies have investigated the problem of plastic material identification for correct classification and disposal. Recent works have shown the potential of machine learning techniques for successful microplastics classification using Raman signals. Classification techniques from the machine learning area allow the identification of the type of microplastic from optical signals based on Raman spectroscopy. In this paper, we investigate the impact of high-frequency noise on the performance of related classification tasks. It is well-known that classification based on Raman is highly dependent on peak visibility, but it is also known that signal smoothing is a common step in the pre-processing of the measured signals. This raises a potential trade-off between high-frequency noise and peak preservation that depends on user-defined parameters. The results obtained in this work suggest that a linear discriminant analysis model cannot generalize properly in the presence of noisy signals, whereas an error-correcting output codes model is better suited to account for inherent noise. Moreover, principal components analysis (PCA) can become a must-do step for robust classification models, given its simplicity and natural smoothing capabilities. Our study on the high-frequency noise, the possible trade-off between pre-processing the high-frequency noise and the peak visibility, and the use of PCA as a noise reduction technique in addition to its dimensionality reduction functionality are the fundamental aspects of this work.
Extensively Hydrolyzed Formula and Infant Colic Symptoms: Secondary Analysis of a Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Brown Jerry Mack , Baran Jessica Victoria , Lamos Luke , Beacker Jesse , Florio Jared , Oliveros Lea Victoria , Fabbrini Abigail Lea , Farrar Andrew Arthur , Vanderhoof Jon Arvid , Wilsey Michael John
Published: March 2024

Cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA) affects 2% to 3% of infants and is managed with hypoallergenic formulas. The 2022 recalls of infant formulas due to factors including contamination led to specialty formula shortages, highlighting CMPA management challenges. Understanding health care providers’ (HCPs) decision-making in transitioning to alternative formulas during shortages is crucial. Limited attention has been given to how pediatric physicians make these choices. This study utilized US HCPs’ de-identified survey data to assess driving factors when switching extensively hydrolyzed formulas during shortages. A total of 104 eligible HCPs participated, including general pediatrics, pediatric allergy/immunology, and pediatric gastroenterology specialists. Safety, tolerability, and efficacy were identified as top factors for switching formulas. Formula 1 was considered well-tolerated, patient-accepted, and safe by all HCPs. Most expressed strong belief in Formula 1’s safety and effectiveness. Findings inform CMPA management during shortages, offering guidance to HCPs for suitable formula selection and enhanced infant care.
Global optimization of mixed integer signomial fractional programing problems
Authors: Shirin Nejad Jaleh , Saraj Mansour , Shokrolahi Yancheshmeh Sara , Kiany Harchegani Fatemeh
Published: March 2024

The main issue in the present article is to investigate how to solve a mixed integer fractional signomial geometric programing problem (MIFSGP). In the first step to achieving this idea, we must convert a fractional signomial programing problem into a non-fractional problem via a simple conversion technique. Then, a convex relaxation with a new modified piecewise linear approximation with integer break points as a pre-solve method is used to reach an integer global optimum solution. A few numerical examples are included to illustrate the advantages of the proposed method
Frequent Use of Contingency Management and Opioid Treatment Programs that Provide Treatment for More than Only Opioid Use Disorder
Authors: Ware Orrin D. , Novak Matthew D. , Toegel Forrest
Published: March 2024

Contingency management is an effective behavioral intervention for treating substance use disorders that provides patients with incentives for objective verification of completed targeted recovery behaviors including abstinence from substances, attending treatment, and medication adherence. Accredited/licensed opioid treatment programs provide effective, medications for opioid use disorder. This study evaluated the prevalence of frequent contingency management use among a national sample of opioid treatment programs in the U.S. ( N = 672). A binary logistic regression model examined factors associated with providing contingency management, including state-level fatal overdoses, number of pharmacotherapies, outpatient treatment, facility ownership, and residential treatment. Most evaluated facilities provided contingency management ( n = 440; 65.5%). Facilities that prescribed more pharmacotherapies, were located in states with high drug overdose death rates, and for-profit (compared to nonprofit) providers were more likely to offer contingency management. Because contingency management effectively treats substance use disorders, contingency management should be offered more broadly across opioid treatment programs.
“Divisive Issues” and Collateral Damage: The Evolving Needs of Teachers Entrenched in the Culture War
Authors: Kaka Sarah J. , Kessner Taylor , Francis Anthony Tuf , Littenberg-Tobias Joshua , Kennett Katrina
Published: March 2024

Forty-four states have recently taken formal policy steps to limit how teachers can teach about so-called “divisive issues.” This paper examines teachers’ perceptions of what they need to be prepared to teach in states where “divisive issues” legislation exists. Teacher interview data where restrictive legislation exists were used to explore what inservice teachers need to teach within the constraints of states’ divisive issues legislation, and what teacher preparation programs should focus on when preparing new teachers to do the same. Analysis revealed, among other things, that all feel they need clear guidance from their district, and better training.
Production of the English /ɹ/ by Mandarin–English Bilingual Speakers
Authors: Chen Shuwen , Whalen D. H. , Mok Peggy Pik Ki
Published: March 2024

Rhotic sounds are some of the most challenging sounds for L2 learners to acquire. This study investigates the production of English rhotic sounds by Mandarin–English bilinguals with two English proficiency levels. The production of the English /ɹ/ by 17 Mandarin–English bilinguals was examined with ultrasound imaging and compared with the production of native English speakers. The ultrasound data show that bilinguals can produce native-like bunched and retroflex gestures, but the distributional pattern of tongue shapes in various contexts differs from that of native speakers. Acoustically, the English /ɹ/ produced by bilinguals had a higher F3 and F3–F2, as well as some frication noise in prevocalic /ɹ/, features similar to the Mandarin /ɹ/. Mandarin–English bilinguals did produce language-specific phonetic realizations for the English and Mandarin /ɹ/s. There was a positive correlation between language proficiency and English-specific characteristics of /ɹ/ by Mandarin–English bilinguals in both articulation and acoustics. Phonetic similarities facilitated rather than hindered L2 speech learning in production: Mandarin–English bilinguals showed better performance in producing the English /ɹ/ allophones that were more similar to the Mandarin /ɹ/ (syllabic and postvocalic /ɹ/s) than producing the English /ɹ/ allophone that was less similar to the Mandarin /ɹ/ (prevocalic /ɹ/). This study contributes to our understanding of the mechanism of speech production in late bilinguals.
Reimagining the Discipleship of Marriage Through the Lens of Mark: A Theological Reflection for Bioethical Decision-Making on Contraception in Catholic Healthcare and Marital Life
Authors: Abbate Skya
Published: March 2024

Mark 10:13–16, interpreted within the broader context of the Gospel of Mark, using a moral exegetical framework, provides a lens for what welcoming the children refers to in sacramental marital discipleship. Building upon the narrative ethics of Mark, the words and deeds of Jesus, magisterial teachings and writings allow these verses to be reimagined to unveil an interpretation and a praxis for marital and moral life. Accepting the gift of a child in the natural order paves the way for discipleship and ushers in the kingdom of God. Just as Jesus welcomed the children, parents are called to welcome them through unhindered conjugal love. These reflections form a Catholic theology of married life and sexuality and a theology of children that the couple shares with Christ's thoughts and actions.
A neural network approach for population synthesis
Authors: Albiston Gregory , Osman Taha , Brown David
Published: March 2024

This work explores techniques and metrics applied to the process of population synthesis used in activity-based modeling for traffic and transport simulation. The paper presents a novel population synthesis approach based on applying artificial neural networks (ANNs) and evaluates the approach against techniques derived from iterative proportional fitting (IPF), Bayesian networks, and data sampling methods. The documented research also investigates the appropriateness of goodness-of-fit measures and the need to consider similarity measures in assessing technique effectiveness with a focus on measures derived from Jaccard similarity coefficient. We established that IPF techniques should be preferred when datasets with the required composition are available, targeting few output variables and in relatively large zones of 5% region size. However, in smaller zones with sparser datasets, or inadequate dataset composition, the proposed ANN technique and identified sampling method are favorable. The proposed ANN method shows suitability for the population synthesis problem compared with the examined methods, but further work is required to improve model fitting speed, explore mixture models of multiple ANNs, and apply data reduction techniques to reduce the observation–decision space. The research findings also established that comparing scenarios of varying sizes and variable numbers is challenging when employing specific goodness-of-fit measures. Furthermore, the mentioned similarity measures can reveal concerns regarding inconsistent archetypes and low-quality populations that can remain concealed when using error metrics.
Difficult texts: Matthew 6.12b – ‘as we forgive’
Authors: Morgan Robert
Published: March 2024

This article compares the Matthean and Lukan versions of the Lord’s Prayer in view of what Jesus may have intended. It considers the difficulties some have found in Matthew’s ‘as we forgive’ and suggests that Luke altered his source to avoid them, but – against the weight of scholarly opinion – in a way that some today may find shocking.
Group Psychological Treatment Preferences of Individuals Living With Chronic Disease: Brief Report of a Saskatchewan-Based Cross-Sectional Survey
Authors: Haczkewicz Kelsey M. , Hill Taylor , Cameron Courtney D. , Iftikhar Zona , Gallant Natasha L.
Published: March 2024

Given that individuals with chronic diseases comorbid with psychological distress experience worse clinical outcomes than those without psychological distress, treatment of the psychological sequalae that accompanies chronic diseases is of utmost importance. Thus, the present study aimed to examine group treatment preferences among adults living with chronic disease in Saskatchewan, Canada. An online survey regarding group treatment preferences was administered to 207 participants living with chronic disease comorbid with psychological distress. The most often reported treatment scenario was virtual sessions (45%) lasting 1 h (51%) and occurring every other week (45%) in the evening (63%) for 3 to4 months (40%). Preferences included a medium group (48%), a relatively closed group nature (ie, only occasional new members; 44%), and group leadership including at least 1 professional living with chronic disease (54%). Future-oriented (81%), supportive (83%), skill-based (95%), and group discussions (78%) were desired treatment characteristics among participants. Survey results showed clear preferences on treatment content and session logistics. Slight variations exist by gender and age, but a consensus can be identified and act as a preliminary treatment plan. This study contributes to the body of literature on psychological treatment preferences for individuals living with chronic disease by outlining the preferred format and composition of groups according to those with lived experience. Group-based psychological treatment for chronic disease patients should account for these preferences to improve its acceptability and usefulness among patients.
A Competition Perspective on Physician Non-compete Agreements
Authors: Gilman Daniel J.
Published: March 2024

Physician non-compete agreements may have significant competitive implications, and effects on both providers and patients, but they are treated variously under the law on a state-by-state basis. Reviewing the relevant law and the economic literature cannot identify with confidence the net effects of such agreements on either physicians or health care delivery with any generality. In addition to identifying future research projects to inform policy, it is argued that the antitrust “rule of reason” provides a useful and established framework with which to evaluate such agreements in specific health care markets and, potentially, to address those agreements most likely to do significant damage to health care competition and consumers.
COVID-19 Mitigation Activities in Inpatient Psychiatry Were Associated With Patient-Reported Institutional Betrayal, Changes in Trust, and Fear of Getting Sick
Authors: Ochman Francis J. , Shields Morgan C.
Published: March 2024

Institutional betrayal occurs when the institutions that people depend on fail to protect them from harm, which was exemplified by a failure to manage COVID-19 risks. Inpatient psychiatry provides a rich context for which to understand the effects of institutional betrayal, and this is amplified in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a retrospective cohort design, we administered an online survey to former patients (n = 172) of inpatient psychiatry hospitalized at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to February 2021) to understand the relationship between facilities’ use of COVID-19 mitigation activities (ie, offering or requiring face masks, keeping patients and staff 6 feet apart, access to hand sanitizer, use of telemedicine for clinical consults, and routine cleanliness of the unit) and former patients’ reports of institutional betrayal, changes in their trust in mental healthcare providers, fear of getting sick, and having contracted or witnessed someone else contract COVID-19. The quantity of COVID-19 mitigation activities was monotonically negatively associated with the probability of reporting any betrayal, the probability of reduced trust in mental healthcare providers, and the probability of being afraid of getting sick always or most of the time while hospitalized. COVID-19 mitigation activities either directly affected these psychological outcomes, or facilities that engaged in robust mitigation had greater cultures of safety and care quality. Additional qualitative work is needed to understand these mechanisms.
The Transformative Trajectory of Artificial Intelligence in Education: The Two Decades of Bibliometric Retrospect
Authors: Kavitha K. , Joshith V. P.
Published: March 2024

Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) stands out as the most dynamic and innovative breakthrough in introducing disruptive paths in the varied domains of education. This bibliometric analysis delved into the trajectory of AI’s evolving landscape within educational settings over two decades, encompassing 324 articles published from 2003 to 2023, sourced from the Scopus database. The study uncovers a substantial surge in publications with a steep increase from 2020, peaking in 2023. Notably, while established nations like China and the US lead in publications, notable contributions from other developing countries, including Saudi Arabia, India, and Malaysia, underscored a global shift. Key terms, including students, machine learning, AI and higher education, underpin the central focus research areas while emerging themes like “generative AI” and chatbots like “chatgpt” mark the evolving trends. Further, the study prompts sustained global partnerships, interdisciplinary collaborations, and continued exploration of emerging AI technologies to catalyze educational advancements.
Crowding-Out or Crowding-In? The Impact of Performance Rating on Public Service Motivation: Evidence From a Chinese Local Government
Authors: Wang XueJun , Niu XueJiao
Published: March 2024

Despite extensive research on Public Service Motivation (PSM), reconciling the debate over whether PSM is a state or a trait remains a challenge among public administration scholars. Studies exploring the antecedents of PSM that engage in this debate often overlook the importance of organizational factors in influencing PSM. Framed within the literature on the behavioral aspects of performance information processing and adopting a propensity-score-matching model with data from a Chinese local government, we examine whether and how performance ratings influence public service motivation of public servants. The results show that performance ratings have a crowding-out effect, underscoring how the ways in which signals of performance feedback are conveyed to public servants can shape PSM. Our findings contribute to understanding the antecedents that preserve and promote public service motivation. We call for future research that focuses on public-value-based performance appraisal systems in centralized regimes.
Distributed finite-time optimization algorithms of higher-order multiagent systems with uncertain nonlinearities
Authors: Li Guipu , Wu Zixing , Chen Gui
Published: March 2024

There are few distributed finite-time optimization results of nonlinear multiagent systems in the published literatures, especially in the case that system nonlinearities are unknown. In this paper, distributed finite-time optimization problem is investigated for higher-order multiagent systems with uncertain nonlinearities. The agent dynamics are permitted to be heterogeneous with different nonlinearities and different orders. This problem is solved by embedded control approach-based distributed finite-time optimization algorithms, which consist of two parts. In the first part, a first-order finite-time optimal signal generator is designed, of which outputs reach the minimizer of the global cost function in finite time. In the second part, embedding the generator into the feedback loop and taking the outputs of the generator as the reference outputs of the agents, and combining finite-time control and feedback domination technique together, tracking controllers are designed for the higher-order nonlinear multiagent systems to track their local optimal reference outputs in finite time. It is rigorously proven that under the proposed distributed optimization algorithms, all the agent outputs reach a bounded neighbor region of the global minimizer in finite time. The effectiveness of the proposed control algorithms is illustrated by simulations.
Predictive fault-tolerant control for nonlinear batch processes with small time delays via iterative learning control: A Lyapunov–Razumikhin approach
Authors: Li Hui , Wang Shiqi , Shi Huiyuan , Li Ping , Su Chengli
Published: March 2024

For batch processes with small time delays and actuator partial fault, the existing methods based on iterative learning control still have some limitations, including the conservative and computationally burdensome of stability conditions and the limited fault-tolerant control capabilities. For this background, an iterative learning robust predictive fault-tolerant control method is developed, which integrates the Lyapunov–Razumikhin function method and derives stability conditions based on robust positive definite invariant set and terminal constraint set. With small time delays, the stability conditions of the system deduced using the Lyapunov–Razumikhin function are solved at a lower computational cost, which is due to the fact that the dimensionality of the stabilization condition is directly related to the size of the time delay, and thus the small time delay implies a lower dimensionality. Especially, the computational effort for solving the stability conditions online is reduced, allowing real-time control law gains to be obtained and combined with historical batches of control inputs, reducing the learning cycles of the system, and realizing stable tracking of the setpoints within shorter operating batches. Moreover, the robust positive invariant set and the set of terminal constraints are able to constrain the state of the system within a safe range for all possible uncertainties, bounded disturbances, and faults. This makes the proposed methods based on them more robust and fault tolerant. Finally, a nonlinear batch reactor is used as an example to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the developed method.
Development of the forgiveness schema among young children and adolescents: A multinational comparison
Authors: Vera Cruz Germano , Kpanake Lonzozou , Elizabeth Morales-Martínez Guadalupe , Mullet Etienne
Published: March 2024

Few studies on the development of forgiveness involved young children and adolescents, and very few involved samples from non-western countries. This study focused on the development of willingness to forgive a particular transgression in participants aged 4 to 12 years and from two different cultures: a South African culture (Mozambique) and a Western European culture (France). Overall, 153 pupils from Mozambique and 107 pupils from France were presented with eight vignettes depicting a situation where a young child, intentionally or accidentally, dropped a small radio that they borrowed from another young child. These vignettes were composed by applying an orthogonal Intent × Consequences × Apologies, 2 × 2 × 2, design. Participants expressed what their willingness to forgive would be in each case on a continuous response scale. Through cluster analysis, four main positions were identified. They were labeled: Almost never forgive (11% of participants), Depends mainly on consequences (22%), Depends mainly on intent and apologies (57%), and Almost always forgive (2%). The first two positions were typical of 4–7-year olds, and the third one was typical of 8–12-year olds. No significant differences in cluster composition were found between the Mozambican and French participants. Up to the age of four, most children probably do not have access to the notion of forgiveness. From the age of four to seven, this notion begins to appear, in particular through a gradual taking into account of circumstantial factors other than the severity of consequences of a transgression. This development is quite rapid—probably during the 7-year period, from 0 to 7 years. From the age of eight onwards, a forgiveness schema similar to that observed in adults is operational. This developmental trajectory is probably very general. It seems to depend little on the type of culture in which it develops.
Deep Learning–Based Spermatogenic Staging in Tissue Sections of Cynomolgus Macaque Testes
Authors: Mecklenburg Lars , Luetjens C. Marc , Romeike Annette , Garg Rohit , Samanta Pranab , Mohanty Amogh , Thomas Tijo , Weinbauer Gerhard
Published: March 2024

The indirect assessment of adverse effects on fertility in cynomolgus monkeys requires that tissue sections of the testis be microscopically evaluated with awareness of the stage of spermatogenesis that a particular cross-section of a seminiferous tubule is in. This difficult and subjective task could very much benefit from automation. Using digital whole slide images (WSIs) from tissue sections of testis, we have developed a deep learning model that can annotate the stage of each tubule with high sensitivity, precision, and accuracy. The model was validated on six WSI using a six-stage spermatogenic classification system. Whole slide images contained an average number of 4938 seminiferous tubule cross-sections. On average, 78% of these tubules were staged with 29% in stage I-IV, 12% in stage V-VI, 4% in stage VII, 19% in stage VIII-IX, 18% in stage X-XI, and 17% in stage XII. The deep learning model supports pathologists in conducting a stage-aware evaluation of the testis. It also allows derivation of a stage-frequency map. The diagnostic value of this stage-frequency map is still unclear, as further data on its variability and relevance need to be generated for testes with spermatogenic disturbances.
Floating on uncertain waters: navigating ‘sensitivity’ while teaching politics and international relations in Mainland China
Authors: Brown Ruairidh J
Published: March 2024

This article gives autoethnographic sketch of teaching International Relations in Mainland China. Attention is given to the issue of ‘sensitivity’, a phenomenon typically associated with Chinese State censorship. The article will however argue that sensitivity is much more complex than a top-down State prohibition on certain topics, arguing instead that it is an opaque and continually in flux phenomenon produced by multiple actors within society. The article will further argue that the surest means of navigating this phenomenon for an academic is to listen to students and use insights gained from them as a means of navigating sensitivity. These insights can provide both further knowledge of how sensitivities are constructed as well as how to safely discuss them – an awareness that can serve as inspiration for critical discussions on political issues. In completing this sketch, the article fills the notable gap in pedagogical literature on Higher Education in China concerning both politics as a challenge to teaching in mainland China, most studies almost exclusively concerning themselves with the challenges posed by cultural Confucianism, and as content, previous studies being almost completely contained within disciplines such as Business Management and Foreign Languages.
The past, present, and future of crowdsourcing and innovation: A bibliometric analysis and future research agenda
Authors: Mishra Divya , Maheshwari Nidhi
Published: March 2024

This research article addresses the current status and emerging trends in the literature at the intersection of crowdsourcing and innovation. While separate reviews exist for crowdsourcing and innovation individually, a comprehensive literature review specific to their intersection is lacking. Therefore, this study conducts a bibliometric meta-analysis of the extensive body of literature in the field of innovation and crowdsourcing, aiming to fill this research gap. The analysis encompasses all articles in Elsevier's Scopus database that incorporate relevant terms in their titles, abstracts, or keywords, resulting in a sample of 180 articles. VosViewer and Bibliometrix package in R are employed for the analysis. The analysis reveals three key research clusters, including the role of crowdsourcing in fostering organizational innovation, crowdsourcing-based social capital formation and its impact on organizational value creation, and the role of crowdsourcing platforms in facilitating engagement between the crowd and the organization. Adopting a holistic perspective, this research contributes new insights into the interconnections between crowdsourcing and innovation research fields. Additionally, the analysis provides clarity on research content, evolutionary context, and reveals emerging research trends in this domain.
Activation and local inhibition in the bilingual child’s processing of codeswitching
Authors: Fernández Fuertes Raquel , Gómez Carrero Tamara , Liceras Juana M.
Published: March 2024

Codeswitching has been used as a tool to investigate how the properties of the two language systems interact in the bilingual mind with relatively few studies investigating bilingual children. We target two groups of L1-Spanish–L2-English children in Spain to address language activation and language inhibition in the processing of codeswitching between a determiner (DET) and a noun (N). We investigate how the mental representation of the formal features involved is responsible for the sensitivity to grammatical gender, which in turn affects how bilinguals’ language activation and inhibition processes are at play and shape processing. We target both the directionality of the switch (English-DET–Spanish-N vs. Spanish-DET–English-N) and the type of implicit gender agreement mechanism (in the case of Spanish-DET–English-N switches) by using offline acceptability judgment data and eyetracking during reading data. Results suggest lower processing costs of English DET switches and higher ones of non-congruent Spanish DET switches. We interpret the preference for classifying the non-gendered Ns along the lines of the gendered Ns in the gendered language as evidence for the integrated representation hypothesis which states that both Ns depicting the same concept are connected in the mind of the bilingual.
Letter to the editor: Deriving transfer function analysis metrics from driven methods
Authors: Burma Joel S , Smirl Jonathan D
Published: March 2024

Driven and spontaneous methods have been used to quantify the cerebral pressure-flow relationship via transfer function analysis (TFA). Commonly, TFA derived estimates are assessed using band averages within the very-low (0.02–0.07 Hz) and low (0.07–0.20 Hz) frequency during spontaneous oscillations but are quantified at frequencies of interest where blood pressure oscillations are driven (e.g., 0.05 and/or 0.10 Hz). Driven estimates more closely resemble the autoregulatory challenges individuals experience on a daily basis, while also eliciting higher levels of reliability. While driven estimates with point-estimates are not feasible for all clinical populations, these approaches increase the ability to understand pathophysiological changes.
Increase in speed eliminates duration expansion of a novel motion stimulus
Authors: Sakai Shunsuke , Sarodo Akira , Watanabe Katsumi
Published: March 2024

A novel motion stimulus is perceived to last longer than the subsequent motion stimulus moving in the opposite direction. A previous study suggested that the discrepancy in the processing latency for different onset types, as measured by reaction time, may play a role in this duration expansion. The present study examined whether the speed of motion stimuli influences this duration expansion. Experiment 1 demonstrated that the duration expansion ceased to occur when the stimulus speed increased. Experiment 2 showed that the increase in the speed reduced the reaction time for various onset types. However, the size of the changes in the reaction time did not match the reduction in the magnitude of the duration expansion observed in Experiment 1. These results suggest that the increase in speed eliminates the duration expansion of the novel motion stimulus, but the difference in the processing latency alone may not be the sole mechanism.