bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shared representations in cognate comprehension and production: An online picture naming and lexical decision study with bilingual children
Authors: Koutamanis Elly , Kootstra Gerrit Jan , Dijkstra Ton , Unsworth Sharon
Published: May 2024

The cognate facilitation effect, a classic example of cross-language interaction in the bilingual lexicon, has mostly been studied in adults. We examined the extent to which such effects occurred in simultaneous bilingual children’s word processing, to what extent these were modulated by language dominance, and to what extent this differed between comprehension and production tasks. Simultaneous bilingual Dutch-Greek children, ranging from Dutch-dominant to Greek-dominant, performed auditory lexical decision and picture-naming tasks in an online experiment. Cognate facilitation effects emerged in both tasks but manifested themselves differently. In lexical decision, there was an interaction effect with language dominance in accuracy, while in picture naming there was a main effect in reaction times. These findings suggest that, similar to what has been found for adults, simultaneous bilingual children have an integrated lexicon, in which both languages are interactively connected. Effects may differ as a combined result of factors such as comprehension versus production and individual differences in language dominance. Importantly, despite such differences, our results show that cognate effects emerge across tasks and across a range of individual children’s language dominance, indicating that shared representations within the bilingual lexicon are accessed during both word comprehension and production.
TESTING LIMITED OVERLAP
Authors: Ma Xinwei , Sasaki Yuya , Wang Yulong
Published: May 2024

Extreme propensity scores arise in observational studies when treated and control units have very different characteristics. This is commonly referred to as limited overlap. In this paper, we propose a formal statistical test that helps assess the degree of limited overlap. Rejecting the null hypothesis in our test indicates either no or very mild degree of limited overlap and hence reassures that standard treatment effect estimators will be well behaved. One distinguishing feature of our test is that it only requires the use of a few extreme propensity scores, which is in stark contrast to other methods that require consistent estimates of some tail index. Without the need to extrapolate using observations far away from the tail, our procedure is expected to exhibit excellent size properties, a result that is also borne out in our simulation study.
That kid is a grasshopper! Metaphor development from 3 to 9 years of age
Authors: Martín-González Isabel , R. Ronderos Camilo , Castroviejo Elena , Schroeder Kristen , Lossius-Falkum Ingrid , Vicente Agustín
Published: May 2024

Two major trends on children’s skills to comprehend metaphors have governed the literature on the subject: the literal stage hypothesis vs. the early birds hypothesis (Falkum, 2022). We aim to contribute to this debate by testing children’s capability to comprehend novel metaphors (‘X is a Y’) in Spanish with a child-friendly, picture selection task, while also tracking their gaze. Further, given recent findings on the development of metonymy comprehension suggesting a U-shaped developmental curve for this phenomenon (Köder & Falkum, 2020), we aimed to determine the shape of the developmental trajectory of novel metaphor comprehension, and to explore how both types of data (picture selection and gaze behavior) relate to each other. Our results suggest a linear developmental trajectory with 6-year-olds significantly succeeding in picture selection and consistently looking at the metaphorical target even after question onset.
Signal design and performance analysis for LEO high dynamic navigation application
Authors: Wang Lei , Che Jibin , Chen Haoyan
Published: May 2024

With the development of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), LEO (Low Earth Orbit) systems are adopted to enhance the system performance of GNSS. The signal Doppler of the LEO satellite is seven to nine times that of GNSS signals, which benefits positioning performance but leads to high acquisition complexity. This paper proposes the combination of a CSS (Chirp Spread Spectrum) marker and the main body of traditional modulation methods for high dynamic application. The acquisition calculation complexity and mean acquisition time of the proposed signal are analysed and compared with the traditional signal. The result shows that the acquisition calculation complexity is just 26 % of the traditional signal under the parameters considered and the mean acquisition time of the proposed signal is also lower than the traditional signal. Hence, the proposed signal is able to decrease the mean acquisition time of the receiver under the constraint of calculation complexity and should be adopted for LEO high dynamic application.
An improved wide-lane ambiguity resolution method for kinematic smartphone positioning
Authors: Zhang Yan , Jiang Yang , Gao Yuting , Guo Shuai , Gao Yang
Published: May 2024

The release of GNSS raw data on Android smartphones provides the potential for high-precision smartphone positioning using multi-constellation and multi-frequency signals. However, severe multipath and low observation quality in kinematic environments make double-differenced uncombined ambiguities difficult to resolve reliably. To address this, the paper proposes an improved wide-lane (WL) integer ambiguity resolution (IAR) method that combines integer rounding and the Least-Square AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment (LAMBDA) methods. The proposed method achieved fix rates of 57% to 70% in challenging environments, with an average improvement of 7 · 7% in horizontal positioning accuracy compared to the float solution. The traditional partial integer rounding method only improved accuracy by 1 · 1%.
How to Be a ‘Good’ Collector: Some Ethical Reflections on the Private Collecting of Cultural Heritage
Authors: Scarre Geoffrey
Published: May 2024

This paper discusses some of the major ethical issues that arise in connection with the widespread holding of cultural heritage by private collectors. If, as many people believe, and UNESCO has affirmed, cultural heritage is, in some morally significant sense, everyone’s heritage, then the private acquisition of cultural heritage, although widely permitted in law, raises some significant ethical questions. I discuss the nature of the tension between public heritage and private ownership of heritage items and the possibility that more might be done by law to regulate the activities of private collectors before arguing the merits of a shift in the mindset of collectors from thinking of themselves as the unfettered owners of the heritage they acquire towards conceiving themselves primarily as stewards who protect and preserve that heritage on behalf of the wider community. There follows a detailed examination of practical ways in which collectors can discharge their stewardship role to the best effect, emphasizing, in particular, the fresh opportunities for doing so afforded to collectors by the new digital environment.
Salmonella Hadar linked to two distinct transmission vehicles highlights challenges to enteric disease outbreak investigations
Authors: Brandenburg Joshua M. , Stapleton Gregory Sean , Kline Kelly E. , Khoury Jennifer , Mallory Krystle , Machesky Kimberly D. , Ladd-Wilson Stephen G. , Scholz Ryan , Freiman Jennifer , Schwensohn Colin , Palacios Alexandra , Gieraltowski Laura , Ellison Zachary , Tolar Beth , Webb Hattie E. , Tagg Kaitlin A. , Salah Zainab , Nichols Megin
Published: May 2024

In 2020, an outbreak of Salmonella Hadar illnesses was linked to contact with non-commercial, privately owned (backyard) poultry including live chickens, turkeys, and ducks, resulting in 848 illnesses. From late 2020 to 2021, this Salmonella Hadar strain caused an outbreak that was linked to ground turkey consumption. Core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) analysis determined that the Salmonella Hadar isolates detected during the outbreak linked to backyard poultry and the outbreak linked to ground turkey were closely related genetically (within 0–16 alleles). Epidemiological and traceback investigations were unable to determine how Salmonella Hadar detected in backyard poultry and ground turkey were linked, despite this genetic relatedness. Enhanced molecular characterization methods, such as analysis of the pangenome of Salmonella isolates, might be necessary to understand the relationship between these two outbreaks. Similarly, enhanced data collection during outbreak investigations and further research could potentially aid in determining whether these transmission vehicles are truly linked by a common source and what reservoirs exist across the poultry industries that allow Salmonella Hadar to persist. Further work combining epidemiological data collection, more detailed traceback information, and genomic analysis tools will be important for monitoring and investigating future enteric disease outbreaks.
Varicella zoster virus outbreak in a long-term care unit of a tertiary care hospital in northern India
Authors: Saksena Rushika , Thomas Bonnie J. , Das Ruma , Nagpal Sunita , Suri Prem R. , Wadhwa Ranjan K. , Choudhary Aashish , Gaind Rajni , Gupta Ekta
Published: May 2024

Nosocomial outbreak of varicella zoster virus (VZV) has been reported when susceptible individuals encounter a case of chicken pox or shingles. A suspected VZV outbreak was investigated in a 50-bedded in-patient facility of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in a tertiary care multispecialty hospital. A 30-year-old female patient admitted with Pott’s spine was clinically diagnosed with chicken pox on 31 December 2022. The following week, four more cases were identified in the same ward. All cases were diagnosed as laboratory-confirmed varicella zoster infection by PCR. Primary case was a housekeeping staff who was clinically diagnosed with chicken pox 3 weeks prior (9 December 2022). He returned to work on eighth day of infection (17 December 2022) after apparent clinical recovery but before the lesions had crusted over. Thirty-one HCWs were identified as contacts a and three had no evidence of immunity. Two of these susceptible HCWs had onset of chickenpox shortly after first dose of VZV vaccination was inoculated. All cases recovered after treatment with no reported complications. VZV infection is highly contagious in healthcare settings with susceptible populations. Prompt identification of cases and implementation of infection prevention and control measures like patient isolation and vaccination are essential for the containment of outbreaks.
Epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus in hospitalized children before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdown restriction measures in Greece
Authors: Berikopoulou Maria M. , Dessypris Nick , Kalogera Elena , Petridou Evangelia , Benetou Vasiliki , Zahariadou Levantia D. , Siahanidou Tania , Michos Athanasios
Published: May 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic modified the epidemiology and the transmission of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). We collected data on RSV positivity and incidence from children hospitalized in the largest tertiary paediatric hospital in Greece before (2018–2020, period A), during (2020–2021, period B), and after (2021–2023, period C) the COVID-19 lockdown. A total of 9,508 children were tested for RSV. RSV positivity (%) was 17.6% (552/3,134) for period A, 2.1% (13/629) for period B, and 13.4% (772/5,745) for period C (p < 0.001). The mean age (±SD) of RSV-positive children among the three periods was A: 5.9(±9.3), B: 13.6 (±25.3), and C: 16.7 (±28.6) months (p < 0.001). The peak of RSV epidemiology was shifted from January–March (period A) to October–December (period C). RSV in-hospital incidence per 1,000 hospitalizations in paediatric departments was A:16.7, B:1.0, and C:28.1 (p < 0.001), and the incidence in the intensive care unit was A: 17.3, B: 0.6, and C: 26.6 (p < 0.001). A decrease in RSV incidence was observed during the COVID-19 lockdown period, whereas a significant increase was observed after the lockdown. A change in epidemiological patterns was identified after the end of the lockdown, with an earlier seasonal peak and an age shift of increased RSV incidence in older children.
Rainbow Hamiltonicity in uniformly coloured perturbed digraphs
Authors: Katsamaktsis Kyriakos , Letzter Shoham , Sgueglia Amedeo
Published: May 2024

We investigate the existence of a rainbow Hamilton cycle in a uniformly edge-coloured randomly perturbed digraph. We show that for every
$\delta \in (0,1)$
there exists
$C = C(\delta ) \gt 0$
such that the following holds. Let
$D_0$
be an
$n$
-vertex digraph with minimum semidegree at least
$\delta n$
and suppose that each edge of the union of
$D_0$
with a copy of the random digraph
$\mathbf{D}(n,C/n)$
on the same vertex set gets a colour in
$[n]$
independently and uniformly at random. Then, with high probability,
$D_0 \cup \mathbf{D}(n,C/n)$
has a rainbow directed Hamilton cycle.

This improves a result of Aigner-Horev and Hefetz ((2021) SIAM J. Discrete Math.35(3) 1569–1577), who proved the same in the undirected setting when the edges are coloured uniformly in a set of
$(1 + \varepsilon )n$
colours.
Morphological evaluation of adult domestic cat testicular biopsy after vitrification
Authors: Carvalho Julyne Vivian Guimarães de , Soares Airton Renan Bastos , Evangelista Inara Tayná Alves , Leão Danuza Leite , Santos Regiane Rodrigues dos , Domingues Sheyla Farhayldes Souza
Published: May 2024

Testicular biopsies (9 mm3) from domestic cats (n = 10) submitted to orchiectomy were submitted to equilibrium vitrification in the presence of ethylene glycol (EG) alone or combined with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as intracellular cryoprotectants, and sucrose or trehalose as extracellular cryoprotectants. The samples were vitrified with 40% EG or 20% EG + 20% DMSO, plus 0.1 M or 0.5 M of sucrose or trehalose. The study was divided into Step 1 and Step 2. In Step 1, intratubular cells (spermatogonia, spermatids, spermatocytes, and Sertoli cells) were quantified and classified as intact or degenerated (pyknotic and/or vacuolated cells). Cryodamage of seminiferous cords was determined by spermatogonia and Sertoli cell scoring of nuclei alterations, tubular basement membrane detachment, epithelium shrinkage, and tubular measures (total area, epithelium area, larger and smaller diameter, and height of the epithelium). In Step 2, Hoechst 33342 stain and propidium iodide (PI) fluorescent stain were used to assess the cell viability of the four best experimental groups in Step 1. The effect of treatments on all analyses was accessed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Fisher’s post hoc test at P < 0.05 significance was considered. In Step 1, the mean percentage of spermatogonia and Sertoli cells morphological integrity did not show a difference when using both sugars at different concentrations, but their morphology was more affected when DMSO was used. EG use associated with 0.1 M of sucrose or trehalose positively affected spermatocyte and spermatid morphology, respectively. The larger diameter and epithelium height of seminiferous tubules were increased using DMSO plus 0.5 M sucrose and DMSO plus 0.1 M trehalose. The changes in spermatogonial/Sertoli nucleoli visualization were best scored in the EG groups, while the nuclei condensation was lower with sucrose. The basement membrane was satisfactorily preserved with 0.1 M sucrose. In Step 2, the percentage of cell viability was higher when EG plus 0.1 M sucrose was used. Therefore, DMSO’s negative effect on the vitrification of testicular biopsies of adult domestic cats was evident. The EG plus 0.1 M of sucrose or trehalose associations are the most suitable CPAs to preserve the testicular histology structure of adult domestic cats in vitrification.
Treatment of mice with maternal intermittent fasting to improve the fertilization rate and reproduction
Authors: Wang Yanan , Li Xin , Gong Ruiting , Zhao Yu
Published: May 2024

Maternal intermittent fasting (MIF) can have significant effects on several tissue and organ systems of the body, but there is a lack of research on the effects on the reproductive system. So, the aim of our study was to analyze the effects of MIF on fertility. B6C3F1Crl (C57BL/6N × C3H/HeN) male and female mice were selected for the first part of the experiments and were analyzed for body weight and fat weight after administration of the MIF intervention, followed by analysis of sperm counts and activation and embryo numbers. Subsequently, two strains of mice, C57BL/6NCrl and BALB/cJRj, were selected and administered MIF to observe the presence or absence of vaginal plugs for the purposes of mating success, sperm and oocyte quality, pregnancy outcome, fertility status and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Our results showed a significant reduction in body weight and fat content in mice receiving MIF intervention in B6C3F1Crl mice. Comparing the reproduction of the two strains of mice. However, the number of litters was increased in all MIF interventions in C57BL/6NCrl, but not statistically significant. In BALB/cJRj, there was a significant increase in the number of pregnant females as well as litter size in the MIF treatment group, as well as vaginal plugs, and IVF. There was also an increase in sperm activation and embryo number and the MIF intervention significantly increased sperm count and activation. Our results suggest that MIF interventions may be beneficial for reproduction in mice.
Against all odds: successful pregnancy in an adult patient with unrepaired coarctation of the aorta
Authors: Sorice Davide , Barracano Rosaria , Sarubbi Berardo
Published: May 2024

According to the modified World Health Organization classification, pregnant women with unrepaired aortic coarctation are at very high risk for both maternal and fetal complications and should, therefore, be counselled against pregnancy. The most frequent maternal complications include systemic hypertension, renal failure, preeclampsia, and aortic dissection. Herein, we describe a successful pregnancy in an adult patient with unrepaired aortic coarctation.
What Is It to Be Responsible for What You Say?
Authors: Borg Emma
Published: May 2024

In asserting something I incur certain kinds of liabilities, including a responsibility for the truth of the content I express. If I say ‘After leaving the EU, the UK will take back control of c. £350 million per week’, or I tell you that ‘The number 14 bus stops at the British Museum’, I become liable for the truth of these claims. As my audience, you could hold me unreliable or devious if it turns out that what I said is false. Yet this socio-linguistic practice – of acquiring and ascribing ‘linguistic liability’ – is complicated, especially given philosophical distinctions between the various different kinds of contents people can express (am I liable, for instance, for the claim that the number 14 bus stops at the British Museum today or only usually?). This paper explores the different kinds of contents speakers might be taken to express, arguing that our practices around linguistic liability (including in legal disputes) reveal a crucial role for a notion of context-independent, literal meaning attaching to words and sentences. These practices thus vindicate what philosophers tend to term ‘minimal semantic content’.
On Discussing What We Should Do
Authors: Heal Jane
Published: May 2024

Many of the good things which make human life worthwhile are essentially social, cannot be enjoyed by one person unless they are enjoyed together with others. And it is obvious that thinking in terms of the first-person plural, we/us, plays a large part in everyday life as people consider puzzlements (‘What should we do?’) and remark on the success of what they decided on (‘That worked out really well for us!’). Analytic philosophers should accept this at face value, recognising that human beings are often co-subjects with each other, that there is irreducible plural intentionality. The paper explores how the existence of plural intentionality manifests itself in our concepts and ways of proceeding and how attempted ‘analysis’ of what goes on as the assemblage of many interlocking instances of singular intentionality distorts and misleads.
Games, Norms, and Utterances
Authors: Popa-Wyatt Mihaela , Wyatt Jeremy L.
Published: May 2024

A body of work proposes that social-norm change can be explained in terms of game theory. These game theoretic models, however, don't fully account for how and why utterances are used to change social norms. This paper describes the problem and some of the solution elements. There are three existing, relevant, game-based models. The first is a game theoretic model of social norm change (Bicchieri, 2005, 2016). This accounts for how individuals make decisions to adhere to or violate norms, based on empirical expectations of how others will behave. The second is the idea of a conversational game (Lewis, 1979) and its extensions. This posits that speech acts are accommodated in a conversation to make what is said correct play. This feature can explain how some speech acts, such as slurring utterances, change the dynamics of a conversation. The third is a theory of pragmatic inference, known as Rational Speech Act theory (Goodman and Frank, 2016). This is a computational theory of pragmatics, of how listeners interpret utterances and how speakers construct utterances that can be understood. This paper proposes, without setting out the full formal model, that elements of these three theories need to be incorporated together into a game theoretic model of how utterances change long-term social norms.
Prejudicial Speech: What's a Liberal to Do?
Authors: Mikkola Mari
Published: May 2024

This paper discusses potential responses to harmful prejudicial speech. More specifically, it considers how different types of prejudicial speech merit different responses. The paper distinguishes hate speech, discriminatory speech, and toxic speech as different types of speech that are prejudicial or oppressive – they are not of the same kind diverging only in their severity and explicitness. As these sorts of problematic speech are categorially distinct, the paper holds, they also demand differential remedies. The task of this paper is to consider such remedies, their potential effectiveness, and compatibility with the liberal value of free speech.
Stories and Selves: A Twisted Love Story about the Meaning of Life
Authors: Camp Elisabeth
Published: May 2024

I argue that stories are ‘equipment for living’ in two senses: retrospectively, they provide ‘configurational comprehension’ of a temporal sequence of events; prospectively, they offer templates for action. Narrative conceptions of the self appear well poised to leverage these functional roles for stories into an intuitively compelling view of self-construction as self-construal. However, the narrative conception defines selves in terms of the lives they live: a self is the protagonist in a lifelong story. And narrative structure is itself defined by ‘retrospective necessity’: the meaning of events within a story is given by their contribution to that story's ending. Together, this entails that life stories hold selves metaphysically, epistemically, and practically hostage to their ends. Fortunately, narratives are just one species of interpretive frame. I suggest some alternative types of frames, including identity labels and metaphors, that support configurational comprehension, action guidance, and self construction without shackling selves to their lives’ ends.
Dignity-related distress and recall among alert, non-delirious critically ill patients
Authors: Hadler Rachel A. , Weeks Seth , He Yifan , Fraer Mony , Dexter Franklin
Published: May 2024

Objectives

Critical illness is associated with multiple undesired impacts, including residual psychological distress, frequently associated with recollections of critical illness. Dignity-related distress is highly prevalent among the one-fifth of critically ill patients who are alert. The distress may be associated with unpleasant recollections of care. We examined whether patients at risk for dignity-related distress had recall of their reported distress approximately 1 week after assessment and whether this recall differed from another high-risk group, specifically patients undergoing dialysis for end-stage renal disease.

Methods

The prospective cohort study included patients with critical illness and patients with end-stage renal disease enrolled from intensive care units (ICUs) and dialysis units at 1 academic center. Distress was assessed using the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI). Participants received in-patient or telephonic follow-up 7–10 days after the initial interaction. Follow-up encounters focused on recollection of key aspects of the interpersonal interaction as well as the content of the PDI.

Results

A total of 32 critically ill patients participated in initial assessment and follow-up. In total, 26 dialysis patients participated in both phases. The groups’ demographics differed. Fifty percent (n = 16) of critically ill patients and 58% (n = 15) of dialysis patients reported a mean score per item of >1.6, corresponding with severe distress on the PDI. Among the ICU patients, the 95% upper 2-sided confidence interval for the median level of recall was commensurate with the participant having had no recall of the initial interview beyond remembering that there was an interview. The end-stage renal disease group did not demonstrate significantly better recall.

Significance of results

Dignity-related distress is high in both critically ill patients and those with end-stage renal disease; however, recollection of assessment is poor in both groups. Any intervention designed to mitigate dignity-related distress will need either to be immediately deployable or not to be reliant upon recollection for impact.
PackageCovRegpy: Regularized covariance regression and forecasting inPython
Authors: van Jaarsveldt Cole , Peters Gareth W. , Ames Matthew , Chantler Mike
Published: May 2024

This paper will outline the functionality available in theCovRegpypackage which was written for actuarial practitioners, wealth managers, fund managers, and portfolio analysts in the language ofPython 3.11. The objective is to develop a new class of covariance regression factor models for covariance forecasting, along with a library of portfolio allocation tools that integrate with this new covariance forecasting framework. The novelty is in two stages: the type of covariance regression model and factor extractions used to construct the covariates used in the covariance regression, along with a powerful portfolio allocation framework for dynamic multi-period asset investment management.

The major contributions of packageCovRegpycan be found on the GitHub repository for this library in the scripts:CovRegpy.py,CovRegpy_DCC.py,CovRegpy_RPP.py,CovRegpy_SSA.py,CovRegpy_SSD.py, andCovRegpy_X11.py. These six scripts contain implementations of software features including multivariate covariance time series models based on the regularized covariance regression (RCR) framework, dynamic conditional correlation (DCC) framework, risk premia parity (RPP) weighting functions, singular spectrum analysis (SSA), singular spectrum decomposition (SSD), and X11 decomposition framework, respectively.

These techniques can be used sequentially or independently with other techniques to extract implicit factors to use them as covariates in the RCR framework to forecast covariance and correlation structures and finally apply portfolio weighting strategies based on the portfolio risk measures based on forecasted covariance assumptions. Explicit financial factors can be used in the covariance regression framework, implicit factors can be used in the traditional explicit market factor setting, and RPP techniques with long/short equity weighting strategies can be used in traditional covariance assumption frameworks.

We examine, herein, two real-world case studies for actuarial practitioners. The first of these is a modification (demonstrating the regularization of covariance regression) of the original example from Hoff & Niu ((2012).Statistica Sinica, 22(2), 729–753) which modeled the covariance and correlative relationship that exists between forced expiratory volume (FEV) and age and FEV and height. We examine this within the context of making probabilistic predictions about mortality rates in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The second case study is a more complete example using this package wherein we present a funded and unfunded UK pension example. The decomposition algorithm isolates high-, mid-, and low-frequency structures from FTSE 100 constituents over 20 years. These are used to forecast the forthcoming quarter’s covariance structure to weight the portfolio based on the RPP strategy. These fully funded pensions are compared against the performance of a fully unfunded pension using the FTSE 100 index performance as a proxy.
What drives trust in regulatory agencies? Probing the relevance of governmental level and performance through a cross-national elite experiment on EU regulation
Authors: Kappler Moritz , Verhoest Koen , Bach Tobias , Maman Libby , Schomaker Rahel
Published: May 2024

Trust between constituent actors within the European Union (EU)’s multilevel regulatory regimes is decisive for regulatory success. Trust drives information flows, increases compliance, and improves cooperation within these regimes. Despite its importance, systematic knowledge regarding the drivers of trust within regulatory regimes is limited. This paper inquires whether trust in regulatory agencies is influenced by their affiliation with the national or EU governmental level, as well as by their performance. While existing literature predominantly focuses on why citizens place their trust in governments or regulatory agencies, this paper presents original insights regarding the formation of trust among elites within the regulatory regime, including politicians, ministerial officials, agency officials, interest groups, and regulated entities. We employ data obtained from a large-scale vignette experiment conducted in six countries involving 752 decision-makers from relevant organizations. The experimental results suggest that both public and private elite actors’ trust assessment of regulatory agencies does not hinge on cues associated with the governmental level, but rather depends on agency performance. Accordingly, belonging to the national or EU governmental level does not create a difference in trust assessment of regulatory agencies in itself. It, however, shows that particularly elite actors are rather sensitive in terms of the performance of a regulatory agency.
Twins Standing in for Co-Twins: Explanation and Speculation/Twin Research Reviews: Single v. Multiple Embryo Transfer; Neurimaging of Twins with Periventricular Nodular Heterotopia; Twin Dietary Study; New Hungarian Text on Twins/Human Interest: Valedictorian and Salutatorian Twins; Twin Mother at Age Seventy; Twins Reunited by Tiktok; New Film on Twins with Selective Mutism; Becoming Twin Doctors
Authors: Segal Nancy L.
Published: May 2024

An overview of circumstances in which twins take the place of their co-twin is presented. Various explanations and speculations are proposed for understanding twins’ willingness to do so in certain situations. This section is followed by reviews of timely twin research, namely single versus multiple embryo transfer; neurimaging of twins with periventricular nodular heterotopia; a twin dietary comparison; and a new book of twin-related readings from Hungary. The final portion of this article concerns human interest stories that both inform and entertain. They involve valedictorian and salutatorian twins; a mother delivering twins at age seventy; twins reunited by TikTok; a new film about twins with selective mutism; and twins becoming doctors.
Analysis of interventional treatment options of the common femoral	artery – a retrospective single center experience
Authors: Scheidhauer Hendrik , Moebius-Winkler Sven , Aftanski Pawel , Schulze P. Christian , Kretzschmar Daniel
Published: May 2024

Summary: Background: Due to the rapid development of treatment techniques of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) treatment is nowadays predominantly interventional. An exception are lesions of the common femoral artery (CFA), which should be treated surgically according to vascular guidelines. However, recent evidence has shown that endovascular techniques, e.g. stenting, have comparable clinical outcomes while causing fewer complications. The aim of the present analysis was to evaluate the therapeutic success of endovascular therapy of CFA lesions in a single center, all – comers registry. Patients and methods: All patients who were treated for a CFA lesion at the Department of Internal Medicine I of the University Hospital Jena in the period from 01/2017 to 12/2020 were included. Treatment success was determined by evaluating the ankle-brachial-index (ABI) pre- and post-interventional as well as after follow-up (FU), measuring walking distance (WD) and by target revascularization rate (TLR) and primary patency rate (PPR). Results: The analysis included 109 patients with a mean age of 73.4 years, with 67% (73) of those being men. 72 patients received interventional treatment, whereas 33 were treated surgically and 4 conservatively. Resting ABI in the overall cohort showed an increase from 0.5 to 0.7 post intervention (p=<0.05; mean FU-time: 6.5 months). In the interventional cohort ABI increases from 0.6 to 0.8 (p=<0.05; mean FU-time: 5,8 months) at FU and from 0.3 to 0.6 (p=<0.05; mean FU-time: 8,8 month) in the surgically treated group. The WD improved in the whole collective from 116.5 meter (m) to 152.5 m (p=<0.05). The TLR showed no significant difference with 8.1% after interventional treatment and 6.1% after vascular surgery in the present analysis (p=0.72) as well as PPR with 89.8% after EVT and 90.9% after surgical approach (p=0.87). The intra-/postinterventional complication rate was 5.5% in the intervention group, compared to postoperative complication rate of 15.2% in the surgically treated group. Conclusions: The present analysis demonstrates that even in a real-world, all-comers collective, interventional therapy for CFA lesions was safe and equally effective as the surgically treated patient cohort. Continuing to generate registry data is important to eventually initiate a paradigm shift.
The MULAN Trial – RCT on the use of MUsic in Cath-Lab to	reduce ANxiety during peripheral vascular interventions
Authors: Pampel Johannes , McCarthy Conni , Krankenberg Hans , Dannberg Gudrun , Schulze P. Christian , Thieme Marcus
Published: May 2024

Summary: Background: The purpose was to analyze the use of classical music to reduce procedure-related anxiety while conducting percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in patients with peripheral artery disease. Patients and methods: A total of 155 patients were analyzed in this single center randomized controlled trial. Procedure-related anxiety was assessed by a numerical rating scale (NRS, 0–10) and by recording of physiological parameters at three different points in time. A survey was conducted after the intervention. Results: This study showed that the patients listened to music overcame their procedure-related anxiety more quickly than the patients in the control group. The NRS at second timepoint was significantly reduced in intervention group compared to control group (p<0.01; r=0.2). Most participants stated that they would like to listen to music during possible future interventions. Conclusions: Classical music during endovascular interventions reduced procedure-related anxiety measured as greater reduction in NRS values in intervention group as well as in results of questionnaire performed post procedurally in PAD patients.
Triggering Cockpit Alerts Using an Eye-Tracking-Based Measure of Monitoring Performance
Authors: Schwerd Simon , Schulte Axel
Published: May 2024

Abstract: This study explored the potential for enhancing pilot performance via an alerting system that adapts according to an eye-tracking-based measure of monitoring. The novel measure combines gaze analysis with system state assessment to estimate the pilot’s understanding of the current system state. On this basis, an alerting system was developed to direct pilot attention to unnoticed system state changes, thereby improving system state monitoring. In a flight simulator study involving 10 participants in a generic jet cockpit, we compared the adaptive alerting system with a no-assistance condition. Although alerting improved the participants’ performance in two tracking tasks, it adversely impacted performance in a third task. Nonetheless, alerting resulted in a decrease in both variance and mean detection time of critical changes. Participants’ subjective ratings were generally positive, yet they criticized the lack of transparency of the alerting mechanism. Alerts triggered based on eye-tracking and system state show potential for improving operator task performance. Nonetheless, for the system to reach its full performance potential, it is critical that the operator understand the principles underlying the alert triggers. False positives and alert design were identified as key areas for improvement to maintain user trust and task flow.
Interactions Between Anthropogenic Greenhouse‐Gas and Aerosol Emissions Will Shape Extreme Precipitations Over the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
Authors: Tang Wenchang , Huang Guohe , Li Yongping , Tian Chuyin , Song Tangnyu , Wu Mengjie , Zhou Xiong , Zhao Xiaohu , Zheng Yali
Published: May 2024

Attributing intensification extreme precipitation to anthropogenic factors on the regional scale is challenging, given the large fluctuations and the complexity of quantifying interactions among these anthropogenic factors. Here, we propose a new variance‐based method to investigate the roles of human‐induced greenhouse gas (GHG), aerosol (AER), and their interactions (GA) in shaping extreme precipitation on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP) at stational scale. In terms of contribution, GHG has the greatest impact on total wet‐day precipitation and simple daily intensity. In terms of significance, GA, and AER exert significant effects on all 10 extreme indices (P; < 0.05) over 48.3% and 44.8% of all stations, while GHG affects less (25.9%). Overall, GHG is not the only dominant factor, and GA and AER are expected to play vital roles in intensifying extreme precipitation over the QTP under SSP2‐4.5. These findings challenge the conventional insights that GHG is the primary anthropogenic driver of extreme precipitation.
Impacts and State‐Dependence of AMOC Weakening in a Warming Climate
Authors: Bellomo Katinka , Mehling Oliver
Published: May 2024

All climate models project a weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) strength in response to greenhouse gas forcing. However, the climate impacts of the AMOC decline alone cannot be isolated from other drivers of climate change using existing Coupled Model Intercomparison Project simulations. To address this issue, we conduct idealized experiments using the EC‐Earth3 climate model. We compare an abrupt 4×CO2 simulation with the same experiment, except we artificially fix the AMOC strength at preindustrial levels. With this design, we can formally attribute differences in climate change impacts between these two experiments to the AMOC decline. In addition, we quantify the state‐dependence of AMOC impacts by comparing the aforementioned experiments with a preindustrial simulation in which we artificially reduce the AMOC strength. Our findings demonstrate that AMOC decline impacts are state‐dependent, thus understanding AMOC impacts on future climate change requires targeted model experiments.
A One‐Dimensional Model of Atmospheric Sputtering at Io Driven by S++ and O+
Authors: Huang Xu , Gu Hao , Ni Yangxin , Zhao JinJin , Cui Jun
Published: May 2024

Io, the closest of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, suffers from intense ion bombardment from Jupiter's magnetosphere. The constant atmospheric erosion by energetic ion precipitation, referred to atmospheric sputtering, serves as an important mechanism of Io's atmospheric escape. This study is devoted to a state‐of‐the‐art study of atmospheric sputtering at Io, with the aid of constantly accumulated understandings of Io's space environment and atmospheric photochemistry, as well as the updated laboratory measurements. A Monte Carlo model is constructed to track the energy degradation of incident S++ and O+ and atmospheric recoils from which the sputtering yields of different atmospheric species are determined. Our calculations suggest a total escape rate of 3 × 1029 atom s−1 on Io, and SO2 is the dominant sputtered species. Further investigations reveal that S++ is the most efficient species for atmospheric sputtering on Io, and sputtering yields increase substantially with increasing incident ion mass, energy, and incidence angle. The model sensitivity to different influence factors is also discussed, including scattering angle distribution, atmospheric column density, proton precipitation, inelastic process, and surface sputtering, of which the former two dominate.
Significant Sea‐Level Fluctuations in the Western Tropical Pacific During the Mid‐Holocene
Authors: Yan Tingli , Yu Kefu , Jiang Leilei , Li Yueer , Zhao Ning
Published: May 2024

Understanding the history of sea‐level changes in the past and the associated mechanisms is crucial for predicting sea level in the future. The South China Sea is the largest semi‐enclosed marginal sea in the western tropical Pacific. Previous studies showed that this region experienced several sea‐level fluctuations up to half a meter on centennial timescales ∼7,000 cal yr BP. These fluctuations were greater in magnitude than the rise in global mean sea level induced by greenhouse effect over the 20th century. However, whether such sea‐level fluctuations occurred in a wider temporal context and their potential causes remain unclear. To answer these questions, we reconstructed the mid‐Holocene sea‐level fluctuations in the northern South China Sea using nine coral microatoll fossils collected from Hainan Island. The results suggest that sea‐level fluctuations with amplitude of about half a meter on centennial timescales were common during 6,143–4,384 cal yr BP. Based on recent studies of sea‐level driving mechanisms in the South China Sea and paleoclimate reconstructions, we infer that these sea‐level fluctuations were likely driven by changes of Walker circulation intensity. Due to the internal variability of the climate system, the possibility of similar sea‐level fluctuations in the foreseeable future cannot be ruled out.
Turbulence Intermittency Effects on the Initiation Threshold of Sediment Motion in Natural Waters
Authors: Li Renzhi , Wang Ya Ping , Gao Shu
Published: May 2024

The initiation threshold of sediment motion, a key component in quantifying sediment transport, has potential link to intermittent turbulence bursts. Here, we elaborated in situ experiments on coastal sea bottom covered with cohesive sediments, to obtain intermittency parameters. The variable “waiting time” between turbulence bursts was utilized to capture the occurrence of sediment initiation events in natural waters. A relationship between waiting time and shear stress reveals the different intermittency features of sediment flux time series before and after reaching the threshold, which can be used to determine the initiation threshold of sediment motion. Multi‐site results demonstrate the limitations of traditional empirical formulae for fine‐grained sediments, where cohesiveness becomes more pronounced as grain size decreases and the deviation can reach 600%. The empirical formula was modified using grain size, and the modified calculations were in good agreement with observed values, which will greatly assist in sediment transport and geomorphology model predictions.
Magmatic Controls on Volcanic Sulfur Emissions at the Iceland Hotspot
Authors: Ranta E. , Halldórsson S. A. , Óladóttir B. A. , Pfeffer M. A. , Caracciolo A. , Bali E. , Guðfinnsson G. H. , Kahl M. , Barsotti S.
Published: May 2024

Outgassing of sulfur (as SO2) is one of the principal hazards posed by volcanic eruptions. However, S emission potentials of most volcanoes globally are poorly constrained due to a short observational record and an incomplete understanding of the magmatic processes that influence pre‐eruptive S concentrations. Here, we use a compilation of published and new data from melt inclusions (MIs)—which can preserve magmatic S concentrations prior to eruptive degassing—from the Iceland hotspot to evaluate the effects of mantle melting and crustal magmatic processes on the S budgets of Icelandic melts. We use MI data to estimate S emission potentials (ΔSmax, in ppm S) for 73 eruptions from 22 of Iceland's presently active ∼33 volcanic systems. We show that the S systematics of Icelandic melts are strongly regulated by the sulfide solubility limit. Sulfide‐saturated conditions during lower‐degree mantle melting, prevalent at off‐rift zones, likely explains observed decoupling between S and Cl. During magmatic differentiation, a local maximum in modeled sulfide solubility occurs in evolved basalts (4–6 wt.% MgO), coinciding with highest MI S concentrations. Highest ΔSmax values (2,100–2,600 ppm) are found in the Hekla 1913 CE, Eldgjá 939 CE, and Surtsey 1963–1967 CE eruptions in the South Iceland Volcanic Zone. Our results extend the record of volcanic sulfur emissions back in time and can be used to assess volcanic gas hazards at Icelandic volcanoes where no direct measurements are available. Broadly, the results underline the governing role of sulfide saturation during melting and magma differentiation in controlling the eruptible S contents of Icelandic magmas.
The Potential of Absorbing Aerosols to Enhance Extreme Precipitation
Authors: Dagan Guy , Eytan Eshkol
Published: May 2024

Understanding the impact of various climate forcing agents, such as aerosols, on extreme precipitation is socially and scientifically vital. While anthropogenic absorbing aerosols influence Earth's energy balance and atmospheric convection, their role in extreme events remains unclear. This paper uses convective‐resolving radiative‐convective‐equilibrium simulations, with fixed solar radiation, to investigate the influence of absorbing aerosols on extreme precipitation comprehensively. Our findings reveal an underappreciated mechanism through which absorbing aerosols can, under certain conditions, strongly intensify extreme precipitation. Notably, we demonstrate that a mechanism previously reported for much warmer (hothouse) climates, where intense rainfall alternates with multi‐day dry spells, can operate under current realistic conditions due to absorbing aerosol influence. This mechanism operates when an aerosol perturbation shifts the lower tropospheric radiative heating rate to positive values, generating a strong inhibition layer. Our work highlights an additional potential effect of absorbing aerosols, with implications for climate change mitigation and disaster risk management.