bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of botulinum toxin in two indicators of loss of domain and hernia size among patients with large ventral hernias
Authors: Espinosa‐de‐los‐Monteros Antonio , Meza‐Medina Carlos Azaf , Lopez‐Zamora Zurizaday , Solis‐Reyna Rodrigo Alejandro , Carrillo‐Vidales Javier
Published: February 2024

Background

In patients with large ventral hernias, botulinum toxin to external and internal oblique muscles decreases thickness and increases length. We examined the impact of botulinum toxin in the amount of loss of domain according to two ratios and in hernia size.

Methods

Between October 2021 and November 2023, 20 patients with ventral hernias measuring 10 cm or more on the horizontal size underwent the administration of 50 units of botulinum toxin to each external and each internal oblique muscle 4 weeks before their surgery. Incisional hernia volume to peritoneal volume ratio, volume ratio, and hernia size were compared before and 4 weeks after the injection of botulinum toxin. Comparisons between all variables obtained before and after the administration of botulinum toxin were performed using either the paired t‐test or the Wilcoxon signed‐rank test. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze associations between initial conditions and further changes observed after botulinum toxin injection.

Results

We observed a 42% reduction in muscle amplitude, 16% increase in intra‐abdominal volume, 28% decrease in herniated volume, decreases of 6% in IHV/PV ratio and of 11% in V ratio, 11% reduction of hernia width, and decrease of 10% in rectangular and elliptical hernia areas.

Conclusions

In patients with large ventral hernias, botulinum toxin is associated with reduction of hernia size and decrease in loss of domain, the latter not being significant when less than 10% of the visceral block is herniated.
Race and sex diversity in Canadian academic surgical societies
Authors: Valji Rahim H. , Valji Yasmin , Turner Simon R.
Published: February 2024

Background

It is vital for national professional surgical societies to embrace diversity, inclusion, and equity. This study examines race and sex diversity in two Canadian surgical societies.

Methods

Websites of the Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons (CSCS) and the Canadian Association of General Surgeons (CAGS) and previous programs of their annual meetings were reviewed. Leadership positions, conference speakers, and award winners were categorized by race and sex.

Results

White males made up the largest category of Cardiac Surgery meeting speakers (73/142 [51%]), CAGS committee members (89/198 [45%]), CAGS past presidents (38/43 [88%]), and General Surgery meeting speakers (841/1472 [57%]). Of the 17 members that made up the CSCS board of directors and officers, 8 were White males (47%), 5 were BIPOC males (29%), 3 were White females (18%), and 1 was a BIPOC female (6%). Of the 42 members of the CAGS board of directors and advisory committee, 16 were White males (38%), 5 were BIPOC males (12%), 17 were White females (40%), and 4 were BIPOC females (10%).

Conclusions

BIPOC individuals and females are underrepresented in both societies compared to White males. However, in CAGS, improvements in representation can be seen in recent years. It is important that both of these organizations continue to embrace diversity.
Engaging Stakeholders with Platform Labour: The Social Lab Approach
Authors: Tabarés Raúl , Bartolomé Tatiana , García Jorge
Published: February 2024

In recent years, co-creation, experimentation and prototyping has been embraced by public administrations as a means of making policymaking more porous to societal needs. In this regard, social labs have emerged as a way of enabling “safe spaces” where policymakers can obtain new perspectives and approaches from a plethora of stakeholders combining academia, industry, public administration and society as a whole. These labs try to address the complexities, particularities and demands of modern society whilst trying to represent different interests and voices. In this chapter, we offer some insights extracted from a particular experience called the Social Policy Lab (SOPO Lab), which focused on the economic, labour and socio-ethical implications of platform labour in seven European cities (Barcelona, Bologna, Berlin, London, Lisbon, Paris and Tallinn) that are affected by the economic externalities of four digital platforms (Airbnb, Deliveroo, Helpling and Uber). We argue that social labs can provide room to facilitate close collaboration between policymakers and other underrepresented stakeholders, as well as establish synergies between them to counteract the diverse side-effects that digital platforms have in urban settings.
Latent Conflict, Invisible Organisation: Everyday Struggles in Platform Labour
Authors: Altenried Moritz , Niebler Valentin
Published: February 2024

The article looks at everyday practices of platform workers and their micro-conflicts with management or customers, which are often disregarded in platform labour literature. Based on empirical research in Berlin, we describe small-scale forms of opposition, conflict and resistance, which often constitute crucial pre-conditions for larger forms of collective action. The article analyses such practices on the platforms Uber, Deliveroo and Helpling. For each platform, we first analyze individual practices (tricking algorithmic management, circumventing regulation) and in a second step describe the more collective approaches (collective blacklisting, algorithm tinkering) arising from it. The article closes with some conclusions and perspectives that can be drawn from these phenomena.
Quantum symmetries in 2+1 dimensions: Carroll, (a)dS-Carroll, Galilei and (a)dS-Galilei
Authors: Trześniewski Tomasz
Published: February 2024

Abstract

There is a surge of research devoted to the formalism and physical manifestations of non-Lorentzian kinematical symmetries, which focuses especially on the ones associated with the Galilei and Carroll relativistic limits (the speed of light taken to infinity or to zero, respectively). The investigations have also been extended to quantum deformations of the Carrollian and Galilean symmetries, in the sense of (quantum) Hopf algebras. The case of 2+1 dimensions is particularly worth to study due to both the mathematical nature of the corresponding (classical) theory of gravity, and the recently finalized classification of all quantum-deformed algebras of spacetime isometries. Consequently, the list of all quantum deformations of (anti-)de Sitter-Carroll algebra is immediately provided by its well-known isomorphism with either Poincaré or Euclidean algebra. Quantum contractions from the (anti-)de Sitter to (anti-)de Sitter-Carroll classification allow to almost completely recover the latter. One may therefore conjecture that the analogous contractions from the (anti-)de Sitter to (anti-)de Sitter-Galilei r-matrices provide (almost) all coboundary deformations of (anti-)de Sitter-Galilei algebra. This scheme is complemented by deriving (Carrollian and Galilean) quantum contractions of deformations of Poincaré algebra, leading to coboundary deformations of Carroll and Galilei algebras.
Effect of Siphon Morphology on the Risk of C7 Segment Aneurysm Formation
Authors: Wang Ying , Chen Bo , Song Laixin , Li Yuzhe , Xu Ming , Huang Tianxiang , Zeng Feiyue
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Tortuosity of the internal carotid artery (ICA) is associated with intracranial aneurysms (IAs). The siphon is the most curved segment of the ICA, but its morphology has controversial effects on IAs. This study aimed to explore the morphometric features of the siphon and the potential hemodynamic mechanisms that may affect C7 aneurysm formation.

Methods

In this study 32 patients with C7 aneurysms diagnosed at Xiangya Hospital between 2019 and 2021 and 32 control subjects were enrolled after propensity score matching. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) images were acquired to measure morphologic features, and then, by combining clinical data, simplified carotid siphon models were constructed, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed.

Results

The presence of C7 aneurysms was associated with the height of the C4–C6 curved arteries (odds ratio [OR] 0.028, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.003–0.201; P < 0.001). The heights of the C4–C6 curved arteries in the aneurysm group were significantly shorter than those in the control group. The CFD analysis revealed that shorter C4–C6 bends led to greater blood velocity and pressure in the C7 segment arteries.

Conclusion

A shorter C4–C6 bend was associated with distal C7 aneurysm formation, and an elaborate hemodynamic mechanism may underlie this association.
From ethics to epistemology and back again: informativeness and epistemic injustice in explanatory medical machine learning
Authors: Pozzi Giorgia , Durán Juan M.
Published: February 2024

In this paper, we discuss epistemic and ethical concerns brought about by machine learning (ML) systems implemented in medicine. We begin by fleshing out the logic underlying a common approach in the specialized literature (which we call the informativeness account). We maintain that the informativeness account limits its analysis to the impact of epistemological issues on ethical concerns without assessing the bearings that ethical features have on the epistemological evaluation of ML systems. We argue that according to this methodological approach, epistemological issues are instrumental to and autonomous of ethical considerations. This means that the informativeness account considers epistemological evaluation uninfluenced and unregulated by an ethical counterpart. Using an example that does not square well into the informativeness account, we argue for ethical assessments that have a substantial influence on the epistemological assessment of ML and that such influence should not be understood as merely informative but rather regulatory. Drawing on the case analyzed, we claim that within the theoretical framework of the informativeness approach, forms of epistemic injustice—especially epistemic objectification—remain unaddressed. Our analysis should motivate further research investigating the regulatory role that ethical elements play in the epistemology of ML.
Investigating the influence of lean manufacturing approach on environmental performance: A systematic literature review
Authors: Ferrazzi Matteo , Frecassetti Stefano , Bilancia Alessia , Portioli-Staudacher Alberto
Published: February 2024

The growing emphasis on environmental sustainability has drawn considerable attention from both academia and industry practitioners. Factors such as escalating energy costs, heightened environmental degradation, and a burgeoning market demand for eco-friendly practices have compelled businesses to reassess their strategies through a green lens. Given that Lean principles are rooted in optimising operations to minimise waste across design and production processes, their synergy with the green paradigm is evident. However, despite the intuitive connection between Lean methodologies and environmental sustainability, the scholarly exploration of their impact remains largely underdeveloped. This research seeks to bridge this gap by conducting a comprehensive systematic literature review to dissect the current understanding of Lean manufacturing practices and their influence on environmental sustainability performance. The selected papers were meticulously screened and grouped into three clusters using the PRISMA diagram methodology. The primary objective was to discern the tangible effects of Lean practices on eco-efficiency performance and explore integrating Lean manufacturing principles with broader sustainable manufacturing approaches. A structured matrix was created to categorise and visualise the identified impacts gleaned from the initial articles. Nevertheless, the review revealed significant gaps in understanding, particularly regarding the factors that shape the efficacy of Lean manufacturing tools in enhancing eco-efficiency performance. The findings underscore the need for further research to unravel these complexities and delineate the mechanisms through which Lean practices contribute to environmental sustainability. Several avenues for future research have been delineated, focusing on how Lean manufacturing practices can be leveraged to support eco-efficiency performance effectively. While the preliminary findings shed light on the promising intersection between Lean principles and environmental sustainability, they also underscore the imperative for continued scholarly inquiry to unlock the full potential of Lean methodologies in fostering a greener industrial landscape.
Ramsey Problems for Monotone Paths in Graphs and Hypergraphs
Authors: Gishboliner Lior , Jin Zhihan , Sudakov Benny
Published: February 2024

The study of ordered Ramsey numbers of monotone paths for graphs and hypergraphs has a long history, going back to the celebrated work by Erdős and Szekeres in the early days of Ramsey theory. In this paper we obtain several results in this area, establishing two conjectures of Mubayi and Suk and improving bounds due to Balko, Cibulka, Král and Kynčl. For example, in the graph case, we show that the ordered Ramsey number for a fixed clique versus a fixed power of a monotone path of length n is always linear in n. Also, in the 3-graph case, we show that the ordered Ramsey number for a fixed clique versus a tight monotone path of length n is always polynomial in n. As a by-product, we also obtain a color-monotone version of the well-known Canonical Ramsey Theorem of Erdős and Rado, which could be of independent interest.
Long-term outcome of operated Chiari I patients between 2005 and 2020 in Eastern Finland
Authors: Moniruzzaman Samir , Kaipainen Aku , Tervonen Joona , Huttunen Jukka , Jyrkkänen Henna-Kaisa , Huuskonen Terhi J. , Rantala Susanna
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The purpose of our study was to examine the long-term outcomes of operated Chiari malformation type 1 (CM1) patients and evaluate whether different duraplasty techniques affected outcome after surgery in Kuopio University Hospital catchment area.

Methods

In this retrospective study, a total of 93 patients were diagnosed with CM1 and underwent posterior fossa decompression surgery with or without duraplasty between 2005 and 2020. All patients’ medical records were examined for baseline characteristics, surgical details, and long-term follow-up data after operation.

Results

The mean age of CM1 patients was 25.9 years (SD 19.2 years), with female preponderance 69/93 (73.4%). The mean clinical follow-up time was 26.5 months (SD 33.5 months). The most common presenting symptoms were headache, symptoms of extremities, and paresthesia. Posterior fossa decompression with duraplasty was performed in 87 (93.5%) patients and bony decompression in 6 (6.5%) patients. After surgery, preoperative symptoms alleviated in 84.9% (79/93) and the postoperative syringomyelia regression rate was 89.2% (33/37) of all patients. The postoperative complication rate was 34.4% (32/93), with aseptic meningitis being the most common, 25.8% (24/93). Revision surgery was required in 14% (13/93) of patients. No significant correlation between postoperative outcome and extent of dural decompression, or type of duraplasty performed was found.

Conclusion

This is the largest reported series of surgically treated CM1 patients in Finland. Posterior fossa decompression is an effective procedure for CM1 symptomology. Duraplasty technique had no significant difference in complication rate or long-term outcomes.
Preference-based utility weights for the Individualized Neuromuscular Quality of Life Questionnaire (INQoL), with a focus on non-dystrophic myotonia (NDM)
Authors: Lloyd Andrew , Rand Kim , Pike Cleo , Ellis Crispin
Published: February 2024

Introduction

The Individualized Neuromuscular Quality of Life Questionnaire (INQoL) is used to measure quality of life in neuromuscular disorders such as non-dystrophic myotonia (NDM). Here we report methods to estimate utilities, with a focus on NDM, from this questionnaire based on two preference elicitation exercises.

Methods

Eight items from the INQoL were selected with input from three neuromuscular disorder clinical experts with expertise in treating NDM. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) survey of UK general public respondents (n = 508) described outcomes defined by the INQoL items. The same 8 items were also valued using time trade-off (TTO) face-to-face interviews (n = 200). A hybrid regression modelling approach combined both datasets to inform the utility weights.

Results

Hybrid modelling of DCE and TTO data in conjunction improved out-of-sample predictive accuracy. The selected INQoL utility model indicates substantial disutility associated with all eight dimensions of health, with the greatest losses associated with subjective items such as pain and depression.

Discussion

The hybrid modelling approach allows us to combine data from the two methodologies and maximize the information from each to inform the utility weights for the INQoL. The TTO is the more conventional valuation method, but combined with the larger DCE study produced better descriptive coverage. This is a relatively novel method for estimating weights which we think is particularly well suited to economic evaluations of orphan drugs.
Kindergarten children’s academic engagement: A dual-pathway model including social information processing, social behavior in class, and teacher–child relationship quality
Authors: Elizarov Einat , Czik Amanda , Ziv Yair
Published: February 2024

Education researchers and practitioners have been exploring for years the key factors impacting children’s academic engagement. Still, relatively little is known about the role of children’s social cognition in their academic engagement. Accordingly, the current study focuses on the potential indirect associations between young children’s social information processing patterns (SIP) and their academic engagement through their social behaviors in class, specifically their prosocial and problem behaviors, and following by the quality of their relationship with their main kindergarten teacher. The study examines these indirect effects in one dual-pathway model which includes both a pathway from children’s competent SIP patterns to higher levels of academic engagement and from children’s aggressive SIP patterns to lower levels of academic engagement. The sample included 300 kindergarten children (151 girls; Mage = 68.76 months). Results showed that competent SIP patterns were positively linked to children’s academic engagement, which encompasses both their academic self-perceptions and their attitudes toward learning, via children’s prosocial behaviors in class and subsequently teacher–child relational closeness. In addition, aggressive SIP patterns were negatively linked to the kindergarteners’ attitudes toward learning via the children’s problem behaviors in class and subsequently teacher–child relational conflict. Results have implications for both research and practice in the understanding of the influence of social cognition, behavior, and social relationships on academic engagement for young learners.
Finite element model of ocular adduction with unconstrained globe translation
Authors: Jafari Somaye , Park Joseph , Lu Yongtao , Demer Joseph L.
Published: February 2024

Details of the anatomy and behavior of the structures responsible for human eye movements have been extensively elaborated since the first modern biomechanical models were introduced. Based on these findings, a finite element model of human ocular adduction is developed based on connective anatomy and measured optic nerve (ON) properties, as well as active contractility of bilaminar extraocular muscles (EOMs), but incorporating the novel feature that globe translation is not otherwise constrained so that realistic kinematics can be simulated. Anatomy of the hemisymmetric model is defined by magnetic resonance imaging. The globe is modeled as suspended by anatomically realistic connective tissues, orbital fat, and contiguous ON. The model incorporates a material subroutine that implements active EOM contraction based on fiber twitch characteristics. Starting from the initial condition of 26° adduction, the medial rectus (MR) muscle was commanded to contract as the lateral rectus (LR) relaxed. We alternatively modeled absence or presence of orbital fat. During pursuit-like adduction from 26 to 32°, the globe translated 0.52 mm posteriorly and 0.1 mm medially with orbital fat present, but 1.2 mm posteriorly and 0.1 mm medially without fat. Maximum principal strains in the optic disk and peripapillary reached 0.05–0.06, and von-Mises stress 96 kPa. Tension in the MR orbital layer was ~ 24 g-force after 6° adduction, but only ~ 3 gm-f in the whole LR. This physiologically plausible simulation of EOM activation in an anatomically realistic globe suspensory system demonstrates that orbital connective tissues and fat are integral to the biomechanics of adduction, including loading by the ON.
Iterative QML estimation for asymmetric stochastic volatility models
Authors: Chirico Paolo
Published: February 2024

The paper illustrates a new procedure for estimating asymmetric stochastic volatility models. These models shape the asymmetric effect of negative and positive financial returns on the expected volatility, behaviour often observed in the stock prices, and known as “leverage effect”. The procedure is based on the iterative application of the quasi-maximum likelihood (QML) method and is proposed as an alternative to the procedure presented by Harvey and Shephard in 1996 and based on the application of the QML method on a modified auxiliary model. The estimation results generally converge to constant values after a few iterations. The volatility predictor provided by the new method is conceptually similar to the EGARCH predictor and different from the predictor of the other procedure. A simulation study shows that the iterative QML method provides parameter estimators with RMSEs decreasing as series length increases. The distribution of the estimates is approximately normal, and the approximation improves as the series size increases. Empirical applications of the method provide results similar to ones of the method known in literature. However, the two methods provide two different predictors and smoothers of volatility, which should be compared on a case-by-case basis.
FloBP: a model-driven approach for developing and executing IoT-enhanced business processes
Authors: Fedeli Arianna , Fornari Fabrizio , Polini Andrea , Re Barbara , Torres Victoria , Valderas Pedro
Published: February 2024

The capability to integrate Internet of Things (IoT) technologies into business processes (BPs) has emerged as a transformative paradigm, offering unprecedented opportunities for organisations to enhance their operational efficiency and productivity. Interacting with the physical world and leveraging real-world data to make more informed business decisions is of greatest interest, and the idea of IoT-enhanced BPs promises to automate and improve business activities and permit them to adapt to the physical environment of execution. Nonetheless, combining these two domains is challenging, and it requires new modelling methods that do not increase notation complexity and provide independent execution between the process and the underlying device technology. In this work, we propose FloBP, a model-driven engineering approach separating concerns between the IoT and BPs, providing a structured and systematic approach to modelling and executing IoT-enhanced BPs. Applying the separation of concerns through an interdisciplinary team is needed to ensure that the approach covers all necessary process aspects, including technological and modelling ones. The FloBP approach is based on modelling tools and a microservices architecture to deploy BPMN models, and it facilitates integration with the physical world, providing flexibility to support multiple IoT device technologies and their evolution. A smart canteen scenario describes and evaluates the approach’s feasibility and its possible adoption by various stakeholders. The performed evaluation concludes that the application of FloBP facilitates the modelling and development of IoT-enhanced BPs by sharing and reusing knowledge among IoT and BP experts.
Efficiency analysis and CO2 emission reduction strategies in the US forest sector: a data envelopment analysis approach
Authors: Amirteimoori Alireza , Zadmirzaei Majid , Susaeta Andres , Amirteimoori Arash
Published: February 2024

Industrial economic activities produce pollutants and environmentally sustainable production systems in forestry aim to minimize these undesirable outputs while maintaining high production and economic growth. In this contribution, we assume that in addition to plot-specific inputs and outputs, there are some contextual variables that may be exogenously fixed or may be under the control of the decision-makers. In this sense, we first propose a novel and practical approach to calculate environmental efficiency by reducing undesirable products. Then, we utilize an inverse data envelopment analysis (IDEA) model to effectively manage and reduce CO2 emissions. In doing so, the applied models have been utilized to evaluate the efficiencies of 89 forest plots in the USA. Given our estimations in a real application to the forest plots, the study revealed that the average environmental efficiency score is nearly 0.75 (out of 1). However, there is potential for improvement by adjusting the impacts of contextual factors, which could raise the score to approximately 0.8. Furthermore, the analysis indicates a positive correlation between ownership and environmental efficiency, suggesting that increased ownership leads to higher environmental efficiency. Conversely, temperature exhibits a negative correlation with environmental efficiency. Finally, the results obtained from the IDEA indicate that in order to reduce undesirable outputs by a specific level of 5–10%, it is necessary to decrease other inputs and outputs. This is because, under the assumption of weak disposability, reducing the level of undesirable outputs requires a reduction in certain factors that influence production capacity. In other words, achieving the desired reduction in undesirable outputs inevitably involves diminishing certain aspects of the production process. As the major conclusion, the emergence of IDEA as a powerful tool for sensitivity analysis, along with its flexible nature, offers exciting opportunities for research and practical applications in various fields, including forestry activities. It has the potential to enhance overall environmental efficiency and enable better control over GHG emissions levels.
The influence of torsion on acceleration demands in low-rise RC buildings
Authors: Ruggieri Sergio , Vukobratović Vladimir
Published: February 2024

This paper presents a study of acceleration demands in low-rise reinforced concrete (RC) buildings with torsion, evaluated by quantifying peak floor accelerations (PFAs) and floor response (acceleration) spectra (FRS). The study was performed with the aim to provide simple empirical formulas to quantify the amplification effects due to torsion, which can occur in most of the existing and new RC buildings. With this goal in mind, a set of eight archetype buildings was selected, characterized by an increasing floor eccentricity obtained by moving the centre of rigidity (CR) away from the centre of mass (CM). Numerical models of the proposed set of archetype RC buildings were considered in both linear elastic and nonlinear configurations. For the latter, the properties of models were widely varied, by systematically modifying parameters of plastic hinges, in order to obtain a sample of 1000 models. Non-structural components (NSCs) were considered linear elastic in all cases. To investigate acceleration demands, a set of forty Eurocode 8 spectrum-compatible ground motion records were used as input. For linear elastic building models, it was observed that the change of demands depends on the position of the NSC (in-plan and in-height), and on the distance between CR and CM. On the other hand, for nonlinear models, additional parameters must be considered, such as the building ductility (μ) and yielding force (Vy). New regression models were proposed for quantifying the observed differences in PFAs and FRS when torsion occurs. The efficiency of the proposed models was assessed by testing the new formulas on an existing case study building, as well as on the well-known SPEAR building.
ANCUT1, a novel thermoalkaline cutinase from Aspergillus nidulans and its application on hydroxycinnamic acids lipophilization
Authors: Peña-Montes Carolina , Bermúdez-García Eva , Castro-Ochoa Denise , Vega-Pérez Fernanda , Esqueda-Domínguez Katia , Castro-Rodríguez José Augusto , González-Canto Augusto , Segoviano-Reyes Laura , Navarro-Ocaña Arturo , Farrés Amelia
Published: February 2024

One of the four cutinases encoded in the Aspergillus nidulans genome, ANCUT1, is described here. Culture conditions were evaluated, and it was found that this enzyme is produced only when cutin is present in the culture medium, unlike the previously described ANCUT2, with which it shares 62% amino acid identity. The differences between them include the fact that ANCUT1 is a smaller enzyme, with experimental molecular weight and pI values of 22 kDa and 6, respectively. It shows maximum activity at pH 9 and 60 °C under assayed conditions and retains more than 60% of activity after incubation for 1 h at 60 °C in a wide range of pH values (6–10) after incubations of 1 or 3 h. It has a higher activity towards medium-chain esters and can modify long-chain length hydroxylated fatty acids constituting cutin. Its substrate specificity properties allow the lipophilization of alkyl coumarates, valuable antioxidants and its thermoalkaline behavior, which competes favorably with other fungal cutinases, suggests it may be useful in many more applications.
Cultivating Data Practices Across Boundaries: How Organizations Become Data-driven
Authors: Pedersen Asbjørn Malte , Bossen Claus
Published: February 2024

In this paper, we analyze the efforts of a public healthcare business intelligence unit to implement and disseminate their data products and thus make the healthcare organization more data-driven. The paper is based on ethnographic fieldwork in a healthcare business intelligence unit (the BIU) whose mission is to improve healthcare efficiency and quality by making data and data analyses available to healthcare managers and staff. Their primary products consist of a data warehouse and Data Reports, both providing curated and daily updated data for healthcare staff to analyze and visualize. We conceptualize these Data Reports and the data warehouse as boundary objects through which cooperation around data between various users is achieved. Our focus is on the BIU’s efforts to introduce and promote the use of boundary objects to healthcare staff while providing them with the competencies to use them in practice. Efforts that we conceptualize as collaborative boundary work through which a new joint field of working with data is created between the BIU and healthcare staff. Based on the analysis of the ethnographic fieldwork, we point to three important aspects in creating this new joint field: Mobilizing interest, building local capabilities, and propagating data locally. The paper makes three contributions: It adds to our understanding of how new joint fields can be cultivated through collaborative boundary work to make healthcare data-driven; it contributes to the emergent field of data work studies; and finally, it adds to the largely normative literature on business intelligence and self-service business intelligence through an ethnographic analysis of its efforts to make healthcare data-driven.
The Evolution of Race-Focused and Race-Reimaged Approaches in Educational Psychology: Future Directions for the Field
Authors: DeCuir-Gunby Jessica T. , Schutz Paul A.
Published: February 2024

In this article, we discuss using race-focusing and reimaging as a metatheoretical approach to be used during the process of theory building, expansion, and adaptation. To do so, we demonstrate how, over the last decade, the use of race-focusing and reimaging approaches has advanced our understanding of the racialized nature of research in education psychology (DeCuir-Gunby & Schutz, 2024). In addition, we provide a discussion of areas where educational psychologists have yet to theoretically explicate or should further explore in current educational psychology theories.
Porous invariants for linear systems
Authors: Lefaucheux Engel , Ouaknine Joël , Purser David , Worrell James
Published: February 2024

We introduce the notion of porous invariants for multipath affine loops over the integers. These are invariants definable in (fragments of) Presburger arithmetic and, as such, lack certain tame geometrical properties, such a convexity and connectedness. Nevertheless, we show that in many cases such invariants can be automatically synthesised, and moreover can be used to settle reachability questions for various non-trivial classes of affine loops and target sets. For the class of $$\mathbb {Z}$$
Z
-linear invariants (those defined as conjunctions of linear equations with integer coefficients), we show that a strongest such invariant can be computed in polynomial time. For the more general class of $$\mathbb {N}$$
N
-semi-linear invariants (those defined as Boolean combinations of linear inequalities with integer coefficients), such a strongest invariant need not exist. Here we show that for point targets the existence of a separating invariant is undecidable in general. However we show that such separating invariants can be computed either by restricting the number of program variables or by restricting from multipath to single-path loops. Additionally, we consider porous targets, represented as $$\mathbb {Z}$$
Z
-semi-linear sets (those defined as Boolean combinations of equations with integer coefficients). We show that an invariant can be computed providing the target spans the whole space. We present our tool porous, which computes porous invariants.
Connectivity of stormwater ponds impacts Odonata abundance and species richness
Authors: Richmond I. C. , Perron M. C. , Boyle S. P. , Pick F. R.
Published: February 2024

Context

The successful dispersal of an animal depends, partly, on landscape connectivity. Urbanization poses risks to dispersal activities by increasing hostile land cover types.

Objectives

We investigated how connectivity of urban ponds impacted Odonata communities (dragonflies and damselflies), an order of semi-aquatic insects that actively disperse.

Methods

We sampled 41 constructed stormwater ponds and 8 natural ponds in a metropolitan area. The effect of connectivity and the quantity of available adjacent habitats was tested at different scales for dragonflies (900 m) and damselflies (300 m), determined by a literature analysis, to account for differences in suborder dispersal capabilities.

Results

Lower levels of connectivity and fewer nearest neighbours negatively impacted abundance, species richness, and composition of dragonflies (p values < 0.01, R2 = 0.18–0.70). Adult dragonfly abundance had a stronger positive relationship with connectivity than species richness. In particular, the abundance of adult dragonfly Leucorrhinia frigida, found almost exclusively at natural ponds, had a positive relationship with connectivity. Connectivity and the number of nearest neighbours had no significant impact on damselflies apart from a slight negative relationship between connectivity and species richness (p value = 0.02, R2 = 0.11). Natural ponds had significantly higher levels of connectivity when compared to stormwater ponds.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that dragonflies are positively affected by increased connectivity in an urban landscape, with no benefit of connectivity to damselflies at the scale measured. We recommend intentional planning of urban stormwater pond networks, where individual ponds can act as stepping stones, incorporated with strategic inclusion of beneficial land cover types.
The (un)making and (re)making of Guangzhou’s ‘Little Africa’: Xiaobei’s linguistic and semiotic landscape explored
Authors: Gu Chonglong
Published: February 2024

Partly as a result of China’s reform and opening-up and the broader trend of globalisation, Guangzhou in Southern China has risen to global prominence as a commercial and business hub. Strategically positioned as a centre of ‘low-end globalisation’, Guangzhou has attracted investors, traders and businessmen from Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. In particular, the city’s Xiaobei area established itself as ‘Little Africa’ featuring (once thriving) ethnic economies with many halal restaurants and businesses oriented towards Muslim traders from various ethnolinguistic and sociocultural backgrounds. This enclave represents a transnational space and a typical example of superdiversity rarely seen in the rest of China. The presence of (legal and often illegal) Africans in Guangzhou (where inter-marriage with local Chinese women was not uncommon) was viewed as a problem and threat to the ‘purity’ of Chinese-ness and Chinese civilisation. This led to strict enforcement of immigration law around 2014, where many foreigners left Guangzhou. Various social and top-down language policy changes and more directly the strict Covid pandemic restrictions dealt further blows to the area. Drawing on data in 2013/2014 and 2023, this sociolinguistic study traces the transformations in Xiaobei’s linguistic landscape from a contrastive/diachronic perspective over 10 years, thus shedding light on the (un)making, (re)making and the de-Arabization and Sinicization of Little Africa’s LL in a context of socio-political and language policy changes. Then synchronic LL analysis in 2023 shows how various linguistic and multimodal elements combine to still give the area a unique identity.
English medium instruction in Ethiopian university mission statements and language policies
Authors: Simie Tolera , McKinley Jim
Published: February 2024

Ethiopia, with no colonial language legacy, adopted English medium instruction (EMI) policy with the establishment of its first higher education institution, University College of Addis Ababa, over seven decades ago. Over the last two decades, the country has significantly expanded its higher education institutions (HEIs) to increase skilled human capital that contributes to economic growth and alleviating poverty. The expansion of HEIs has inevitably increased English taught programmes, which means universities must teach entirely through English presenting myriad issues as most students, especially in rural Ethiopia, have limited English proficiency. This study aims to explore higher education policy statements and how these policy statements were interpreted in public universities’ mission statements. The study further examines language support policy for effective implementation of EMI policy. Data gathered from publicly available Ministry of Education and universities’ official websites were analysed using qualitative content analysis. In our analysis we identified two language-relevant key concerns: English language support and internationalisation. The study uncovered a gap in the statements concerning provision of English language support, despite research evidence and government acknowledgement of students’ and teachers’ weaknesses in the language of instruction. The findings of this study call for Ethiopian universities to focus more on improving provision of targeted language support for students experiencing language-related challenges, and for policymakers to rethink monolingual EMI policy, to raise the quality of education in such contexts.
Co-optimizing the smart grid and electric public transit bus system
Authors: Yetkin Mertcan , Augustino Brandon , Lamadrid Alberto J. , Snyder Lawrence V.
Published: February 2024

As climate change provides impetus for investing in smart cities, with electrified public transit systems, we consider electric public transportation buses in an urban area, which play a role in the power system operations in addition to their typical function of serving public transit demand. Our model considers a social planner, such that the transit authority and the operator of the electricity system co-optimize the power system to minimize the total operational cost of the grid, while satisfying additional transportation constraints on buses. We provide deterministic and stochastic formulations to co-optimize the system. Each stochastic formulation provides a different set of recourse actions to manage the variable renewable energy uncertainty: ramping up/down of the conventional generators, or charging/discharging of the transit fleet. We demonstrate the capabilities of the model and the benefit obtained via a coordinated strategy. We compare the efficacies of these recourse actions to provide additional managerial insights. We analyze the effect of different pricing strategies on the co-optimization. Noting the stress growing electrified fleets with greater battery capacities will eventually impose on a power network, we provide theoretical insights on coupled investment strategies for expansion planning in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GH) emissions. Given the recent momentum towards building smarter cities and electrifying transit systems, our results provide policy directions towards a sustainable future. We test our models using modified MATPOWER case files and verify our results with different sized power networks. This study is motivated by a project with a large transit authority in California.
Metal uptake from iron ore mine tailings by perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is higher after wheat straw than wheat straw biochar amendment
Authors: Sarathchandra Sajeevee S. , Rengel Zed , Solaiman Zakaria M.
Published: February 2024

Background and aims

Mine tailings often contain high concentrations of metals that may lead to serious environmental concerns. Phytoremediation by suitable plant species, coupled with organic amendments, represents an intriguing way of improving the quality of mine tailings.

Methodology

We conducted a glasshouse pot study to assess the impact of biochar derived from wheat straw (BC) and wheat straw (WS) at different application rates (w/w: 0%, 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%) in enhancing physicochemical and biological attributes of iron ore mine tailings. Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) growth and uptake of metals (Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cr, Ni, Pb) and As were assessed.

Results

The pH(H2O) of iron mine tailings (6.62 with 0% amendment) significantly increased to 8.01 in BC 10% but decreased to 5.33 in WS 10%. However, electrical conductivity, total carbon, total nitrogen and cation exchange capacity increased significantly with application of either amendment. Improvement in physicochemical parameters of tailings by amending with WS was associated with significantly greater plant growth compared with BC amendment. Shoot As and Pb accumulation by perennial ryegrass was low (below detection limit), whereas that of Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cr and Ni increased with an increase in both BC and WS application. Microbial biomass carbon and respiration were enhanced more in the WS than in BC treatments.

Conclusion

This study suggests wheat straw is a better amendment than biochar for the iron ore mine tailings.
A new hierarchical composite indicator model for ranking the top 20 European football teams
Authors: Cavicchia Carlo , Sarnacchiaro Pasquale
Published: February 2024

The rankings of football teams are crucial to assess their sportive and non-sportive performances and allow fans and investors to have a measure of the health of the teams. The current literature lacks rankings that jointly consider the economic, sporting and popularity aspects, and our proposal aims to fill this gap. The paper proposes a new conceptual framework with the ultimate goal of building a global ranking for football teams by assessing their overall performance. Therefore, this article applies this new conceptual framework to the top 20 European teams by detecting both four specific composite indicators, corresponding to the main aspects of a football team performance, and the general composite indicator which combines the specific ones into a single index. A reflective model-based approach, based on a higher-order factor analysis, is used in order to build the composite indicators, whereas a multi-group analysis and an analysis of means are applied to test the presence of several models for the performance of football teams in the different leagues, and to test the existence of subgroups with different performances for both the scores of the general and the specific composite indicators.
Cultural diversity and innovative entrepreneurship
Authors: Prenzel Paula , Bosma Niels , Schutjens Veronique , Stam Erik
Published: February 2024

A growing empirical literature has established a positive relationship between cultural diversity and entrepreneurship, often attributing this effect to innovation benefits of diversity. However, not all entrepreneurship is inherently innovative, raising the question of whether cultural diversity may increase the likelihood of an entrepreneur pursuing an innovative instead of a more replicative business strategy. This study investigates the relationship between regional cultural diversity and the innovation orientation of early-stage entrepreneurs and considers moderating factors by decomposing shares of foreign-born population by origin (within and outside of the EU) and by education level. Combining survey data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor with population-based indicators of cultural diversity, we carry out a multilevel analysis for 140 European regions. The results suggest that entrepreneurs in culturally more diverse regions are significantly more likely to exhibit innovation orientation.
Exploring the value of ecosystem services at health clinic gardens in a South African context
Authors: Gwedla N. , Muller M. , Cilliers S. S. , Niesing C. , Bester P. , Du Toit M.J.
Published: February 2024

Ecosystem services (ESs) valuation is important for advancing biodiversity objectives and investing in green infrastructure (GI) establishment. Little is known about the potential of health clinic gardens (HCGs) to provide ESs and their potential values. This study sought to determine the plant and bird species composition and potential value of ESs provided by 32 HCGs in two South African district municipalities. HCG sizes range from 513.0m2 to 13531.0m2 and each had at least one micro-garden. Among the 312 plant species observed across all HCGs, 60% were exotic. The small HCGs had 31 ± 3.6 different plant species per garden, compared to the medium-sized (32 ± 3.7) and large ones (49 ± 5.2). Provisioning ESs from the observed species were prominent with 17.4 ± 1.16 species potentially used for general well-being, 13.66 ± 1.08 as potential food plants, and 11.91 ± 0.93 potentially raw materials. Trees in HCGs were estimated to sequester up to 163481.87 kg of carbon from trees covering an area of up to 9620.80m2. Approximately 1390.70 ± 427.50m2 of HCG space had the potential to provide a habitat for plants and birds, and 11 bird species were observed across all HCGs. Sixty-three bird nests encountered in 18 HCGs are believed to belong to the Passer domesticus. HCGs resemble other types of gardens like home and domestic gardens, and their rich plant biodiversity positions them as ideal ecosystems to benefit even the most vulnerable members of society. They provide an opportune platform for knowledge upscaling in the cultivation and use of plant species as a supplement of primary healthcare and food security issues in the summer months to the rural, urban, and peri-urban poor in the Global South.