bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Murine Alox8 versus the human ALOX15B ortholog: differences and similarities
Authors: Palmer Megan A. , Benatzy Yvonne , Brüne Bernhard
Published: April 2024

Human arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase type B is a lipoxygenase that catalyzes the peroxidation of arachidonic acid at carbon-15. The corresponding murine ortholog however has 8-lipoxygenase activity. Both enzymes oxygenate polyunsaturated fatty acids in S-chirality with singular reaction specificity, although they generate a different product pattern. Furthermore, while both enzymes utilize both esterified fatty acids and fatty acid hydro(pero)xides as substrates, they differ with respect to the orientation of the fatty acid in their substrate-binding pocket. While ALOX15B accepts the fatty acid “tail-first,” Alox8 oxygenates the free fatty acid with its “head-first.” These differences in substrate orientation and thus in regio- and stereospecificity are thought to be determined by distinct amino acid residues. Towards their biological function, both enzymes share a commonality in regulating cholesterol homeostasis in macrophages, and Alox8 knockdown is associated with reduced atherosclerosis in mice. Additional roles have been linked to lung inflammation along with tumor suppressor activity. This review focuses on the current knowledge of the enzymatic activity of human ALOX15B and murine Alox8, along with their association with diseases.
Influence of atmospheric moisture on the gas evolution tolerance of halide solid electrolytes
Authors: Usami Takeshi , Tanibata Naoto , Takeda Hayami , Nakayama Masanobu
Published: April 2024

Much attention has been paid on research and development on solid electrolytes for all-solid-state Li batteries. Although halide solid electrolytes such as Li3YCl6 and Li3InCl6 are promising due to fast Li ion conductivity and oxidation-resistant against positive electrode, a better understanding of their reactivity with atmospheric H2O is required for commercialization. In this study, the gas evolution tolerances of Li3YCl6 and Li3InCl6 were investigated. Temperature-programmed desorption mass spectrometry (TPD-MS) experiments at dew points below − 60 °C and gas detector tube experiments at dew points of − 30 °C both revealed significant differences in the H2O and HCl evolution behavior of Li3YCl6 and Li3InCl6. In TPD-MS, the onset temperature of HCl evolution for Li3YCl6 (~ 100 °C) was significantly lower than that for Li3InCl6 (~ 220 °C), indicating that Li3InCl6 solid electrolytes have superior gas evolution tolerance. This difference may be attributable to differences in the retention of H2O derived from the material synthesis stage and from contact with the atmosphere during the measurements. In particular, based on first-principles calculations, the low-temperature HCl evolution observed in Li3YCl6 was ascribed to the partial replacement of Cl− ions by OH− ions upon contamination with trace H2O. Because the heating and drying of solid electrolytes (including slurries) are inevitable processes during battery manufacturing, these findings can aid in the rational design of halide solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries.
Longitudinal change of energy expenditure, body composition and dietary habits in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy patients
Authors: Tepedino Maria Francesca , Avallone Anna Rosa , Abate Filomena , Serio Marina , Caterino Miriam , Erro Roberto , Pellecchia Maria Teresa , Barone Paolo , Picillo Marina
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Alterations in metabolic status, body composition, and food intake are present in all neurodegenerative diseases. Aim of this study was to detect the progression of these changes in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).

Methods

We conducted a longitudinal study of 15 patients with PSP. The assessments were performed at baseline (T0) and after 7(IQR = 5) months of follow-up (T1). We collected anthropometric measures including body weight, height, body mass index and waist circumference, metabolic parameters through indirect calorimeters, body composition using bioimpedance analysis, and dietary habits with a validated questionnaire. PSP-rating scale (PSP-rs) was used to evaluate disease severity and dysphagia.

Results

The majority of patients (66.66%) presented PSP-Richardson Syndrome and 33.33% the other variant syndromes of the disease. At T1 there was a decrease in intake of total daily calories (p < 0.001), proteins (p < 0.001), fibers (p = 0.001), calcium (p = 0.008), iron (p < 0.001), zinc (0.034), vitamin E (p = 0.006) and folates (p = 0.038) compared to T0. No other changes were found. As for T1 data, no significant differences were shown according to disease phenotypes or the presence of clinically significant dysphagia for solids.

Conclusions

Within a mid-term follow up, PSP patients presented reduced caloric and proteins intake regardless the presence of dysphagia. The PSP-rs is likely not adequate to assess dysphagia, which should be investigated by specific clinical scales or instrumental examinations. With the goal of maintaining adequate nutritional status, the administration of protein and vitamin supplements should be considered even in the absence of dysphagia evidenced by the rating scales.
Bake off redux: a review and experimental evaluation of recent time series classification algorithms
Authors: Middlehurst Matthew , Schäfer Patrick , Bagnall Anthony
Published: April 2024

In 2017, a research paper (Bagnall et al. Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery 31(3):606-660. 2017) compared 18 Time Series Classification (TSC) algorithms on 85 datasets from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) archive. This study, commonly referred to as a ‘bake off’, identified that only nine algorithms performed significantly better than the Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) and Rotation Forest benchmarks that were used. The study categorised each algorithm by the type of feature they extract from time series data, forming a taxonomy of five main algorithm types. This categorisation of algorithms alongside the provision of code and accessible results for reproducibility has helped fuel an increase in popularity of the TSC field. Over six years have passed since this bake off, the UCR archive has expanded to 112 datasets and there have been a large number of new algorithms proposed. We revisit the bake off, seeing how each of the proposed categories have advanced since the original publication, and evaluate the performance of newer algorithms against the previous best-of-category using an expanded UCR archive. We extend the taxonomy to include three new categories to reflect recent developments. Alongside the originally proposed distance, interval, shapelet, dictionary and hybrid based algorithms, we compare newer convolution and feature based algorithms as well as deep learning approaches. We introduce 30 classification datasets either recently donated to the archive or reformatted to the TSC format, and use these to further evaluate the best performing algorithm from each category. Overall, we find that two recently proposed algorithms, MultiROCKET+Hydra (Dempster et al. 2022) and HIVE-COTEv2 (Middlehurst et al. Mach Learn 110:3211-3243. 2021), perform significantly better than other approaches on both the current and new TSC problems.
Reality-Based Tasks with Complex-Situations: Identifying Sociodemographic and Cognitive Factors for Solution
Authors: Knabbe Alina , Leiss Dominik , Ehmke Timo
Published: April 2024

Acquiring mathematical literacy requires students to apply mathematics in various real-world contexts. However, mathematics classes often provide brief, content-focused descriptions of reality-based tasks and tasks that describe the situation as more complex, closer to reality, are still lacking. Students with different sociodemographic characteristics and cognitive factors have difficulties in solving reality-based tasks in mathematics lessons. The relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and cognitive factors (language and mathematical competence) concerning complex situation descriptions has not yet been investigated. To identify disadvantaged students in integrating such complex-situation tasks in mathematics lessons, this study aims to investigate which sociodemographic characteristics predict the solving of complex-situation tasks and whether cognitive factors mediate the relationship. Experts created 30 complex situations with different mathematical questions. A total of 519 9th- and 10th-grade students participated in a paper–pencil test. Path analysis revealed that the competence to solve complex-situation tasks is directly linked to gender and social background, with mathematical content-related skills and language competence mediating this relationship.
Personalized prognosis stratification of newly diagnosed glioblastoma applying a statistical decision tree model
Authors: Conrad Katharina , Löber-Handwerker Ronja , Hazaymeh Mohammad , Rohde Veit , Malinova Vesna
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent glioma in adults with a high treatment resistance resulting into limited survival. The individual prognosis varies depending on individual prognostic factors, that must be considered while counseling patients with newly diagnosed GBM. The aim of this study was to elaborate a risk stratification algorithm based on reliable prognostic factors to facilitate a personalized prognosis estimation early on after diagnosis.

Methods

A consecutive patient cohort with confirmed GBM treated between 2010 and 2021 was retrospectively analyzed. Clinical, radiological, and molecular parameters were assessed and included in the analysis. Overall survival (OS) was the primary outcome parameter. After identifying the strongest prognostic factors, a risk stratification algorithm was elaborated with estimated odds of survival.

Results

A total of 462 GBM patients were analyzed. The strongest prognostic factors were Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), extent of tumor resection, and adjuvant treatment. Patients with CCI ≤ 1 receiving tumor resection had the highest survival odds (88% for 10 months). On the contrary, patients with CCI > 3 receiving no adjuvant treatment had the lowest survival odds (0% for 10 months). The 10-months survival rate in patients with CCI > 3 receiving adjuvant treatment was 56% for patients younger than 70 years and 22% for patients older than 70 years.

Conclusion

A risk stratification algorithm based on significant prognostic factors allowed a personalized early prognosis estimation at the time of GBM diagnosis, that can contribute to a more personalized patient counseling.
4-phenylbutyric acid improves sepsis-induced cardiac dysfunction by modulating amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism via Comt/Ptgs2/Ppara
Authors: Zhou Yuanqun , Zhu Yu , Wu Yue , Xiang Xinming , Ouyang Xingnan , Liu Liangming , Li Tao
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Cardiac dysfunction after sepsis the most common and severe sepsis-related organ failure. The severity of cardiac damage in sepsis patients was positively associated to mortality. It is important to look for drugs targeting sepsis-induced cardiac damage. Our previous studies found that 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA) was beneficial to septic shock by improving cardiovascular function and survival, while the specific mechanism is unclear.

Objectives

We aimed to explore the specific mechanism and PBA for protecting cardiac function in sepsis.

Methods

The cecal ligation and puncture-induced septic shock models were used to observe the therapeutic effects of PBA on myocardial contractility and the serum levels of cardiac troponin-T. The mechanisms of PBA against sepsis were explored by metabolomics and network pharmacology.

Results

The results showed that PBA alleviated the sepsis-induced cardiac damage. The metabolomics results showed that there were 28 metabolites involving in the therapeutic effects of PBA against sepsis. According to network pharmacology, 11 hub genes were found that were involved in lipid metabolism and amino acid transport following PBA treatment. The further integrated analysis focused on 7 key targets, including Comt, Slc6a4, Maoa, Ppara, Pparg, Ptgs2 and Trpv1, as well as their core metabolites and pathways. In an in vitro assay, PBA effectively inhibited sepsis-induced reductions in Comt, Ptgs2 and Ppara after sepsis.

Conclusions

PBA protects sepsis-induced cardiac injury by targeting Comt/Ptgs2/Ppara, which regulates amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism. The study reveals the complicated mechanisms of PBA against sepsis.
Maximization of brackish water productivity for the sustainable production of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) and grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) cultivated under an integrated aquaculture–agriculture system
Authors: Kimera Fahad , Mugwanya Muziri , Madkour Khaled , Dawood Mahmoud A. O. , Sewilam Hani
Published: April 2024

Freshwater scarcity, salinity, and poor soil fertility are the major challenges affecting both food and feed productions in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Utilization of brackish water in the production of saline-tolerant fish and valuable field crops under an integrated system is promising in the maximization of yield per crop. The aim of this study, therefore, was to (1) assess the effect of saline aquaculture wastewater on the growth, yield, forage quality, and nutritive composition of sorghum seeds and (2) assess the effect of different water qualities on the survival, growth performance, and health status of Pangasianodon hypophthalmus. The experiment was conducted in a randomized completely block design of four salinity treatments with three replicates, i.e., control (freshwater mixed with inorganic fertilizers), 5000 ppm, 10,000 ppm, and 15,000 ppm. Our results indicated that although the control exhibited the highest growth (plant height, leaf number, internode number, leaf area, and soil–plant analysis development), grain, and forage yield, no significant differences were noted among the treatments. Likewise, no significant difference in the grain nutrient composition was noted among all the treatments. Assessment of the forage quality revealed improved crude protein content in the control compared to the saline treatments. However, no significant differences in the leaves and stalks fiber fractions were noted among all the treatments. Furthermore, rumen fermentation in terms of in vitro digestibility indicated no significant differences in the in vitro digestible dry matter, digestible organic matter, metabolic energy, net energy, microbial protein, short-chain fatty acids, and total dissolved nutrients among the treatments. However, rearing P. hypophthalmus in water salinities exceeding 10,000 ppm reduced the growth performance and health status of fish. Therefore, the integration of sorghum and P. hypophthalmus production in water salinities not exceeding 5000 ppm is a viable alternative to maximize brackish water productivity in freshwater-scarce regions.
An investigation of internal scatter during computed tomography using an anthropomorphic phantom
Authors: Van Wyk Bronwin , Ngobese Zanele Eunice , Lewis Shantel
Published: April 2024

Background

The general practice for all radiographic procedures is to use Lead Shielding to optimise radiation dose to the patient. The American Association of Physicists (AAPM) in Medicine in 2019 however, made a recommendation on the use of gonad and foetal shielding. The authors have noticed that very few papers on this topic come from developing countries, hence this study embarked on. The aim of our study was to evaluate internal scatter with Lead and without Lead Shielding in an anthropomorphic phantom during Computed Tomography of the brain, chest, abdomen, and pelvis.

Methods

The methodology was based on examinations of a RANDO phantom brain, chest, abdomen and pelvis on a General Electric Optima 660 scanner; which had a 128-channel multidetector row. Examinations were performed with Lead and without Lead Shielding equivalence of 0.35 mm, and the internal scatter measured using Thermoluminescent Dosimeters. The collected data was analysed descriptively to determine the mean and standard deviation. The T-tests and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare the means.

Results

The findings of this study revealed that internal scatter was highest closest to the exposed area with higher internal scatter observed for thicker areas of the phantom. Although slightly higher readings were recorded without Pb shielding, a non-statistical significance was observed for all internal scatter measurements regardless of whether Lead Shielding was used or not.

Conclusions

A non-statistical significance for Computed Tomography examinations with and without Lead Shielding in confirmation with the AAPM positional statement.
Who ought to look towards the horizon? A qualitative study on the collective social responsibility of scientific research
Authors: Politi Vincenzo
Published: April 2024

There is a growing concern for the proper role of science within democratic societies, which has led to the development of new science policies for the implementation of social responsibility in research. Although the very expression ‘social responsibility of science’ may be interpreted in different ways, many of these emerging policy frameworks define it, at least in part, as a form of anticipative reflection about the potential impacts of research in society. What remains a rather under-discussed issue is the definition of the bearer of the social responsibility of science. In other words, it is not clear who is supposed to engage in such an anticipative reflection, whether individual researchers or research groups. In the past few years, philosophers of science have begun to use qualitative research methods to fill the gaps between normative models of the organisation of ideal scientific communities and the reality of actual scientific practices. In this article, I follow this approach to discuss the issue of the collective dimension of the social responsibility of science. I rely on a qualitative study conducted on an interdisciplinary research group and I describe how group dynamics position individuals and distribute duties and roles, including social responsibility. Qualitative descriptions of the distribution of duties within actual research groups should inform the formulation of general prescriptive theories on the collective responsibility of science.
Mathematics education researchers’ practices in interdisciplinary collaborations: Embracing different ways of knowing
Authors: Suazo-Flores Elizabeth , Walker William S. , Kastberg Signe E. , Aqazade Mahtob , Alyami Hanan
Published: April 2024

Mathematics education researchers (MERs) use practices unique to the mathematics education discipline to conduct their work. MERs’ practices, i.e., ways of being, interacting, and operating, define the field of mathematics education, are initially learned in doctoral preparation programs, and are encouraged and sanctioned by conferences and publications. Disciplinary practices facilitate MERs’ interactions within mathematics education. When working in interdisciplinary groups, differences in disciplinary ways of being, interacting, and operating can create challenges with completing research and other work. Since MERs’ engagement in interdisciplinary collaborations is encouraged and can result in products contributing to the evolution of the mathematics education discipline, it is important to explore what practices MERs use in interdisciplinary collaborations. We interviewed four MERs who led international interdisciplinary collaborations and used qualitative content analysis to create descriptions of practices described by MERs in their collaborations. Five practices were common between the MERs in interdisciplinary collaborations. MERs conducted interdisciplinary work by using practices that allowed them to situate themselves and others in the group (i.e., being practices), develop ideas (i.e., interacting practices), work towards common goals, and use structures to get the work done (i.e., operating practices). We argue that MERs developed new practices to position themselves and others, interact with practitioners from other disciplines, and get interdisciplinary work done. This study contributes to the evolution of the mathematics education discipline by offering five practices that can orient MERs to conducting interdisciplinary work and discussing how MERs experience interdisciplinary collaborations beyond providing mathematics education expertise.
Accelerating Oxygen Electrocatalysis Kinetics on Metal–Organic Frameworks via Bond Length Optimization
Authors: He Fan , Liu Yingnan , Yang Xiaoxuan , Chen Yaqi , Yang Cheng-Chieh , Dong Chung-Li , He Qinggang , Yang Bin , Li Zhongjian , Kuang Yongbo , Lei Lecheng , Dai Liming , Hou Yang
Published: April 2024

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been developed as an ideal platform for exploration of the relationship between intrinsic structure and catalytic activity, but the limited catalytic activity and stability has hampered their practical use in water splitting. Herein, we develop a bond length adjustment strategy for optimizing naphthalene-based MOFs that synthesized by acid etching Co-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid-based MOFs (donated as AE-CoNDA) to serve as efficient catalyst for water splitting. AE-CoNDA exhibits a low overpotential of 260 mV to reach 10 mA cm−2 and a small Tafel slope of 62 mV dec−1 with excellent stability over 100 h. After integrated AE-CoNDA onto BiVO4, photocurrent density of 4.3 mA cm−2 is achieved at 1.23 V. Experimental investigations demonstrate that the stretched Co–O bond length was found to optimize the orbitals hybridization of Co 3d and O 2p, which accounts for the fast kinetics and high activity. Theoretical calculations reveal that the stretched Co–O bond length strengthens the adsorption of oxygen-contained intermediates at the Co active sites for highly efficient water splitting.
Alone or Combined Effect of Seaweed and Humic Acid Applications on Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) under Salinity Stress
Authors: Gürsoy Mehtap
Published: April 2024

Organic fertilisers and biostimulants play a very important role in the germination, seedling stage, yield and quality of plants. Seaweed and humic acid are organic substances known for their positive effects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of humic acid, seaweed extract and their combined applications against salt stress in oilseed rape at the seedling development stage. The effects of foliar application of seaweed extract (SW1, SW2, SW3) (0, 10, 20 mL), humic acid (HA1, HA2, HA3) (0, 10, 20 mL) and SW + HA (SW1 + HA1, SW2 + HA2, SW3 + HA3) (0, 10(5 + 5 mL L− 1 SW + HA), 20 mL L− 1 (10 + 10 mL L− 1 SW + HA)) on resistance to salt concentrations (S1, S2, S3) (0, 50, 100 mM) in oilseed rape cultivar (Elvis) under greenhouse conditions. In this study, seedling length (SL), root length (RL), total chlorophyll (Total Chl), carotenoids (Crt), electrolyte leakage (EL), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), total phenolic compounds (TPC), relative water content (RWC) and proline (Pro) parameters were examined. Both applications played a significant role in reducing the negative effects of salt stress on all parameters studied. The combined application of SW + HA resulted in a remarkable increase in SL, RL TPC, SOD and RWC. In particular, the SW3 + HA3 dose played a more effective role in the antioxidant protective mechanism against stress. According to the PCA analysis, the studied parameters could be divided into 3 different groups. It was concluded that SW and HA can be evaluated as an effective natural, eco-friendly material that can be used to increase the resistance of plants to salt stress. In conclusion, in this study all applications are compared with each other, it has been determined that SW + HA is more effective application in reducing the effects of salt stress than others.
Radical Tenderness
Authors: Brady Andrea
Published: April 2024

Radical Tenderness argues for the importance of poetry in negotiating political and social catastrophes, through a focus on the unusual intimacies of committed writing. How do poets negotiate between the personal and the public, the bedroom and the street, the family and class or communal ties? How does contemporary lyric, with its emphasis on the feelings and perceptions of the individual subject, speak to moments of shared crisis? What can poetry tell us about how care shapes our experiences of history? How do the intimacies found in protest, on strike, in riots, and in spaces of oppression, transform individual lives and political movements? Through a series of focussed readings of four twenty-first century poets - Caleb Femi, Bhanu Kapil, Juliana Spahr and Anne Boyer - Radical Tenderness reflects the perspectives provided by intimate poetries on the shared political emergencies of poverty, war, ecological catastrophe, racism, and illness.
Energy Transitions in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Maltby Tomas , Mišík Matúš
Published: April 2024

This book examines the mutual interplay of climate and energy policies in eleven Central and Eastern European countries in the context of the EU's energy transition. Energy security has long been prioritised in the region and has shaped not only national climate and energy policy, but also EU-level policy-making and implementation. Whilst the region shares economic, institutional and historical energy supplier commonalities it is not homogenous, and the book considers the significant differences between the preferences and policies of these member states. Chapters also explore the effect of the EU on member states that have joined since 2004 and their influence on the EU's energy and climate policies and their role in highlighting the importance of the concepts of security and solidarity. The book highlights the challenges to, and drivers of, energy transitions in the region and compares these with those in global energy transitions.
The Legality and Ethics of Web Scraping in Archaeology
Authors: Paige Jonathan
Published: April 2024

Web scraping, the practice of automating the collection of data from websites, is a key part of how the internet functions, and it is an increasingly important part of the research tool kit for scientists, cultural resources professionals, and journalists. There are few resources intended to train archaeologists in how to develop web scrapers. Perhaps more importantly, there are also few resources that outline the normative, ethical, and legal frameworks within which scraping of archaeological data is situated. This article is intended to introduce archaeologists to web scraping as a research method, as well as to outline the norms concerning scraping that have evolved since the 1990s, and the current state of US legal frameworks that touch on the practice. These norms and legal frameworks continue to evolve, representing an opportunity for archaeologists to become more involved in how scraping is practiced and how it should be regulated in the future.
Experimental Archaeogaming
Authors: Aycock John , Biittner Katie
Published: April 2024

Archaeogaming is an area of increasing interest within archaeology. As archaeogaming's theory and practice are being fleshed out, it is worth considering if there are parallels to traditional archaeological methods within the study of video games. Here, we examine one such possibility: is there an archaeogaming equivalent to experimental archaeology? As a case study, we explore the system used for the mid-1980s development of an unreleased video game prototype for the game company Activision. Through examining this development system, whose use would be otherwise invisible in the finished software artifact, we demonstrate how we have both reconstructed a seemingly lost piece of the system virtually and used this reconstruction for experiments. The methodology we describe can be applied to digital artifacts within contemporary archaeology beyond the scope of video games, and it illustrates some key differences between studying physical and digital artifacts.
Best Practices for Publishing pXRF Analyses
Authors: Johnson Kimberly , Quinn Colin P. , Goodale Nathan , Conrey Richard
Published: April 2024

With its promise of nondestructive processing, rapid low-cost sampling, and portability to any field site or museum in the world, portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometry is rapidly becoming a standard piece of equipment for archaeologists. Even though the use of pXRF is becoming standard, the publication of pXRF analytical methods and the resulting data remains widely variable. Despite validation studies that demonstrate the importance of sample preparation, data collection settings, and data processing, there remains no standard for how to report pXRF results. In this article, we address the need for best practices in publishing pXRF analyses. We outline information that should be published alongside interpretive results in any archaeological application of pXRF. By publishing this basic information, archaeologists will increase the transparency and replicability of their analyses on an inter-analyst/inter-analyzer basis and provide clarity for journal editors and peer reviewers on publications and grant proposals for studies that use pXRF. The use of these best practices will result in better science in the burgeoning use of pXRF in archaeology.
The effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines in the prevention of post-COVID conditions in children and adolescents: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis
Authors: Gutfreund Maria Celidonio , Kobayashi Takaaki , Callado Gustavo Yano , Pardo Isabele , Hsieh Mariana Kim , Lin Vivian , Perencevich Eli N. , Salinas Jorge L. , Edmond Michael B. , Mendonça Eneida , Rizzo Luiz Vicente , Marra Alexandre R.
Published: April 2024

Objective:

We performed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination against post-COVID conditions (long COVID) in the pediatric population.

Design:

Systematic literature review/meta-analysis.

Methods:

We searched PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, and Web of Science from December 1, 2019, to August 14, 2023, for studies evaluating the COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against post-COVID conditions among vaccinated individuals < 21 years old who received at least 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine. A post-COVID condition was defined as any symptom that was present 4 or more weeks after COVID-19 infection. We calculated the pooled diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) (95% CI) for post-COVID conditions between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

Results:

Eight studies with 23,995 individuals evaluated the effect of vaccination on post-COVID conditions, of which 5 observational studies were included in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of children who did not receive COVID-19 vaccines ranged from 65% to 97%. The pooled prevalence of post-COVID conditions was 21.3% among those unvaccinated and 20.3% among those vaccinated at least once. The pooled DOR for post-COVID conditions among individuals vaccinated with at least 1 dose and those vaccinated with 2 doses were 1.07 (95% CI, 0.77–1.49) and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.63–1.08), respectively.

Conclusions:

A significant proportion of children and adolescents were unvaccinated, and the prevalence of post-COVID conditions was higher than reported in adults. While vaccination did not appear protective, conclusions were limited by the lack of randomized trials and selection bias inherent in observational studies.
Returning to the Wild West: Jewish Violence, Social Reaction, Self-Help and Social Control
Authors: Wolfowicz Michael , Salama Esther
Published: April 2024

In recent years, the issue of Jewish settler violence in Israel and its territories has garnered increasing attention. The claimed motivations for such violence are that it is a response to Palestinian-Arab violence and perceived government inaction, as well as perceived selectivity in the formal response toward violence perpetrated by these two populations. These claims point to Jewish settler violence as being a crime as a form of social reaction, self-help and social control. We test this hypothesis by combining and analysing data from the Israel Security Agency, the Palestinian Authority, the United Nations and open sources for the period of 2009–2022 (n = 168 months) using a series of generalized negative-binomial models and Newey–West ordinary least squares models. We find that Jewish settler violence increases as serious Arab violence increases and decreases when formal responses toward Arab violence are higher. We also find iatrogenic effects for harsh measures targeting Jewish violence, namely administrative detention orders. The results imply that to reduce collective violence, it is necessary to take a more consistent and balanced approach in formal responses against opposing groups.
Attitudes Toward the Police in Prolonged Emergencies: Findings from the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Israel
Authors: Perry Gali , Jonathan-Zamir Tal , Factor Roni
Published: April 2024

Emergencies, such as natural disasters, wars and terrorist attacks, are known to have important effects on police–community relations and, specifically, on public attitudes toward the police. At the same time, little is known about what happens to public sentiments over time in prolonged emergencies. Similarly, it is unclear if different types of attitudes follow a similar trajectory or if they “behave” differently. The present study examines general and pandemic-specific attitudes toward the police over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, using data from a community panel survey (n = 535) carried out in its first three peaks. We found a statistically significant deterioration in all types of attitudes in the first six months of the study, followed by stabilization in general attitudes. Interestingly, some emergency-specific attitudes followed a different path and demonstrated consistent deterioration throughout the study period. These findings contribute to our theoretical understanding of police–community relations in emergencies and bear practical implications for policing emergencies.
“There is More to It than Recidivism” – Outcome Scores among Released Prisoners who participated in Prison-Based “Employment World” Programmes
Authors: Shoham Efrat , Haviv Noam
Published: April 2024

In the quest for effective prisoner rehabilitation, while there is existing literature that predominantly emphasizes recidivism rates, it is important to recognize that this singular focus may sometimes overshadow the broader dimensions crucial for successful societal reintegration. This study, therefore, investigates the multifaceted outcomes of an employment training programme offered by the Israel Prison Service. Employing propensity score matching, we compared outcomes between programme participants and non-participants. Our analysis encompassed recidivism rates, employment stability, income levels, tax-paying behaviour and welfare service engagement. While recidivism rates remained largely unaffected, our findings unveiled promising results in other domains. Programme participants exhibited enhanced employment stability, realized higher incomes, demonstrated increased engagement in tax-paying and accessed welfare services more frequently. This study underscores the need for a comprehensive approach to assessing rehabilitation effectiveness, extending beyond the singular metric of recidivism. While acknowledging certain limitations, our research highlights that employment training programmes may not have a direct impact on recidivism but can significantly contribute to labour market reintegration and promote more productive and socially responsible behaviours. It advocates further exploring diverse outcome measures to develop holistic rehabilitation strategies.
Echo Chambers and Moral Progress
Authors: Wark Tyler
Published: April 2024

In this paper, I argue that echo chambers pose a problem for moral progress because of their threat to moral reasoning. I argue for two theses about the epistemology of moral progress: (1) the practical utility thesis: moral reasoning plays an important role in improving moral judgments, and (2) the conflictive social reasoning thesis: the kind of moral reasoning that is important for moral progress involves social reasoning with disputants. Without some conflict, human beings will naturally reason in a biased and otherwise poor manner. Thus, good reasoning must be social so that reasoners who disagree can keep each other in check. These two theses explain why echo chambers are a problem for moral progress. I argue that echo chambers isolate individuals from reasoning with those they disagree with. This is because echo chambers act as a mechanism for discrediting those outside the chamber. If this is true, then the members of an echo chamber will only reason with those who agree with them. The result is that echo chamber members won't reason according to the conflictive social reasoning thesis. Reasoning will only reinforce their existing echoed beliefs rather than improve them.
De Facto Rule-Making Below the Level of Implementing Acts: Double-Delegated Rule-Making in European Union Electricity Market Regulation
Authors: Jevnaker Torbjørg , Taranger Karianne Krohn , Eikeland Per Ove , Lindberg Marie Byskov
Published: April 2024

Within the area of electricity market regulation, a practice has emerged in which the chain of delegation has gone beyond the European Commission, resulting in double delegation. During 2015–2017, the European Commission adopted implementing regulations requiring detailed European terms, conditions and methodologies (TCMs) for electricity markets and system operation to be jointly adopted by national energy regulators. Should the latter fail to agree within a predefined time limit, rule-making would move to the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators. This rule-making procedure entails that, depending on the dynamic within the procedure, different actors would adopt the TCMs. This article examines how double-delegated rule-making unfolds in a novel and emerging practice, evolving beneath implementing acts. By analysing the factors behind whether TCMs are adopted jointly by national agencies or not, the study investigates whether this form of delegated rule-making in a network setting delivers decisions or whether rule-making by a European Union agency is needed.
Turbulence over young wind waves dominated by capillaries and micro-breakers
Authors: Do Jitae , Wang Binbin , Chang Kuang-An
Published: April 2024

We conducted experiments in a laboratory to study turbulent flow over wind generated water waves. The experiments were performed in a wind-wave-current flume with three free stream wind speeds of Uref = 6.0, 8.0 and 10.0 m s−1, corresponding to 10 m equivalent wind speed of U10 = 10.2, 12.2 and 14.1 m s−1 and the root-mean-square wave height of 0.7, 1.1 and 1.7 cm, respectively, at a fetch of 6.2 m. The instantaneous velocity fields above the waves were obtained by using a particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The velocity fields were decomposed into the mean, wave-induced and turbulent velocity components. The tested wind waves were primarily dissipated by capillaries and microscale breaking waves. The Bond number and the shear velocity-fetch based Reynolds number were found to correlate with the wind wave regimes well. The turbulent dissipation rates above the water surface were determined based on resolved spatial gradient of instantaneous velocities, where the time-averaged dissipation rate values were calibrated using those estimated from the one-dimensional velocity spectrum in the temporal space. Subsequently, the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget including its production, dissipation, advection and turbulent transport was presented. In addition, conditional averaging analysis of the TKE budgets over leeward, windward sides and all phases was performed. The results showed a strong dependency with the wave phase in the TKE budget terms except for the dissipation. The production-dissipation ratio increased significantly as the wind speed increased, likely attributed to the increased roughness over the substantial coverage of micro-breaking waves.
Steady water waves with arbitrary surface pressure: their recovery from bottom-pressure measurements
Authors: Clamond Didier , Labarbe Joris
Published: April 2024

Equations relating the pressure at a horizontal seabed, the free-surface profile and the surface pressure are derived for two-dimensional irrotational steady water waves with arbitrary pressure at the free surface. Special cases include gravity, capillary, flexural and wind waves. Without approximations, we show that the free-surface recovery from the bottom pressure requires the resolution of only one first-order ordinary differential equation independent of the surface pressure, thus providing a new general recovery method valid for a broad class of water waves. Another equation provides an explicit expression for the surface pressure as a function of the bottom pressure and of the free surface. Thus, if unknown, the surface pressure can also be recovered if one extra measurement is available. This new recovery procedure is illustrated analytically for the linear approximation of a flexural–capillary–gravity wave, and numerically for fully nonlinear capillary–gravity waves.
A Leibnizian Antirealist Account of Fictional Characters
Authors: Lee Byeong D.
Published: April 2024

Alberto Voltolini advocates a syncretistic account of fictional entities, asserting that it satisfies all the desiderata for a suitable account of fictional entities. This article presents an alternative account of fictional characters that meets these criteria, while circumventing the problems with Voltolini's account. On my Leibnizian antirealist account, a fictional character can be identified by the collection of predicates attributed to its name. And this account offers the benefit of the bundle theory, avoiding the issue of bearers of fictional names, while also explaining why a fictional character is more than just a collection of predicates.
Women, Climate Change and the Law: Lessons for Tanzania from an Analysis of African Nationally Determined Contributions
Authors: Techera Erika , Mlay Anabahati Joseph
Published: April 2024

Women experience climate change in different ways to men and are often disproportionately affected, highlighting the need for gender-focused climate initiatives. Strengthening laws and policies to address women's and gender issues is one way forward. Yet, less research attention has been given to women and gender in climate change law than in other issues. This article seeks to advance the field by exploring the relevant law, policy and governance commitments made by all African nations under the Paris Agreement. The findings indicate that most African nations include some gender-related commitments, but only a few include detailed legal initiatives ready for implementation. These more detailed initiatives are synthesized to identify a toolbox of options, which are then applied to Tanzania as a case study. This article contributes to the literature by comprehensively analysing the African climate change commitments and by making tangible recommendations for Tanzania.
Drug harms amongst youth in Shan State, Myanmar: Community responses and increased vulnerabilities
Authors: Hla Sai Aung , Phu Sai Kham
Published: April 2024

This article analyses how families and communities in Shan State, Myanmar, have responded to rising youth drug use, and the impacts that these responses have on young people. It first examines the factors that have caused drug production and drug use amongst youth in Shan State to increase over the past three decades and places these phenomena in the context of wider political and economic transformations that have shaped Myanmar's borderlands since the late 1980s. Drug-related harms among Shan youth have overwhelmed family and community coping mechanisms in a context where state responses have been ineffective and inadequate. Consequently, families have resorted to increasingly desperate ways to try to protect young family members from drug use. This article focuses on two responses. First, the decision by rural families to send sons and daughters away to big cities or to neighbouring countries to avoid the local drug environment. Second, the decision to send children experiencing drug harms to treatment centres operated by ethnic armed organisations. Both responses, this article argues, expose young people to new forms of vulnerability. Finally, the article reflects on some of the challenges the drug problem poses for government and communities, and offers suggestions for alternative responses.
A visual SLAM-based lightweight multi-modal semantic framework for an intelligent substation robot
Authors: Li Shaohu , Gu Jason , Li Zhijun , Li Shaofeng , Guo Bixiang , Gao Shangbing , Zhao Feng , Yang Yuwei , Li Guoxin , Dong Lanfang
Published: April 2024

Visual simultaneous localisation and mapping (vSLAM) has shown considerable promise in positioning and navigating across a variety of indoor and outdoor settings, significantly enhancing the mobility of robots employed in industrial and everyday services. Nonetheless, the prevalent reliance of vSLAM technology on the assumption of static environments has led to suboptimal performance in practical implementations, particularly in unstructured and dynamically noisy environments such as substations. Despite advancements in mitigating the influence of dynamic objects through the integration of geometric and semantic information, existing approaches have struggled to strike an equilibrium between performance and real-time responsiveness. This study introduces a lightweight, multi-modal semantic framework predicated on vSLAM, designed to enable intelligent robots to adeptly navigate the dynamic environments characteristic of substations. The framework notably enhances vSLAM performance by mitigating the impact of dynamic objects through a synergistic combination of object detection and instance segmentation techniques. Initially, an enhanced lightweight instance segmentation network is deployed to ensure both the real-time responsiveness and accuracy of the algorithm. Subsequently, the algorithm’s performance is further refined by amalgamating the outcomes of detection and segmentation processes. With a commitment to maximising performance, the framework also ensures the algorithm’s real-time capability. Assessments conducted on public datasets and through empirical experiments have demonstrated that the proposed method markedly improves both the accuracy and real-time performance of vSLAM in dynamic environments.
Administering justice to foreigners: international merchants and mariners before the late medieval Aberdeen courts
Authors: Frankot Edda
Published: April 2024

This article investigates the dealings of the Aberdeen courts with foreign merchants and mariners to determine whether special policies, laws or procedures were introduced by magistrates administering justice to parties from different international backgrounds, and whether the merchants themselves developed specific strategies to negotiate crossing legal boundaries in the Scottish context. It concludes that there were few restrictions on the ability of foreigners to receive a fair process before the Aberdeen courts, a conclusion which must be considered in the context of the importance of trade for the men making the decisions at the urban courts, and for Scottish society more generally.