bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
You Shall (Not) Pass: Strategies for Third-Party Gatekeepers to Enhance Volunteer Inclusion
Authors: van Overbeeke Philine S. M. , Koolen-Maas Stephanie A. , Meijs Lucas C. P. M. , Brudney Jeffrey L.
Published: August 2021

Volunteering appears to be a mechanism that can contribute to societal inclusion. As nonprofit organizations continuously seek more volunteers, opportunities for volunteer inclusion seem limitless. We argue that, in reality, it is not that simple. Volunteer exclusion derives from the failure to seek, recruit, and place potential volunteers with antecedents predicting non-volunteering. This article focuses on the “sending-organization” in dual volunteer management. We look at sending-organizations, such as a corporation or school, that organizes volunteer opportunities for its participants in a “receiving-organization,” i.e., the organization where the volunteer service is performed. Based on qualitative data generated from semi-structured and vignette interviews, we explore the crucial role that gatekeepers at the sending-organization play in the inclusion and exclusion of volunteers in receiving-organizations. We identify three strategies for these sending-gatekeepers to enhance volunteer inclusion: encouraging, enabling, and enforcing.
A class of weighted Hardy type inequalities in $$\mathbb {R}^N$$
Authors: Canale Anna
Published: August 2021

In the paper we prove the weighted Hardy type inequality $$\begin{aligned} \int _{{{\mathbb {R}}}^N}V\varphi ^2 \mu (x)dx\le \int _{\mathbb {R}^N}|\nabla \varphi |^2\mu (x)dx +K\int _{\mathbb {R}^N}\varphi ^2\mu (x)dx, \end{aligned}$$

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for functions $$\varphi $$
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in a weighted Sobolev space $$H^1_\mu $$

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, for a wider class of potentials V than inverse square potentials and for weight functions $$\mu $$
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of a quite general type. The case $$\mu =1$$

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is included. To get the result we introduce a generalized vector field method. The estimates apply to evolution problems with Kolmogorov operators $$\begin{aligned} Lu=\varDelta u+\frac{\nabla \mu }{\mu }\cdot \nabla u \end{aligned}$$

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perturbed by singular potentials.
Importance of Social Determinants in Screening for Depression
Authors: Califf Robert M. , Wong Celeste , Doraiswamy P. Murali , Hong David S. , Miller David P. , Mega Jessica L. ,   for the Baseline Study Group
Published: August 2021

Importance

The most common screening tool for depression is the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Despite extensive research on the clinical and behavioral implications of the PHQ-9, data are limited on the relationship between PHQ-9 scores and social determinants of health and disease.

Objective

To assess the relationship between the PHQ-9 at intake and other measurements intended to assess social determinants of health.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Cross-sectional analyses of 2502 participants from the Baseline Health Study (BHS), a prospective cohort of adults selected to represent major demographic groups in the US; participants underwent deep phenotyping on demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, laboratory, functional, and imaging findings.

Interventions

None.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Cross-sectional measures of clinical and socioeconomic status (SES).

Results

In addition to a host of clinical and biological factors, higher PHQ-9 scores were associated with female sex, younger participants, people of color, and Hispanic ethnicity. Multiple measures of low SES, including less education, being unmarried, not currently working, and lack of insurance, were also associated with higher PHQ-9 scores across the entire spectrum of PHQ-9 scores. A summative score of SES, which was the 6th most predictive factor, was associated with higher PHQ-9 score after adjusting for 150 clinical, lab testing, and symptomatic characteristics.

Conclusions and Relevance

Our findings underscore that depression should be considered a comorbidity when social determinants of health are addressed, and both elements should be considered when designing appropriate interventions.
Values, science, and competing paradigms in sustainability research: furthering the conversation
Authors: Boda Chad S.
Published: August 2021

Sustainability science is fundamentally a problem-driven and solutions-oriented science which necessitates engagement with questions of interdisciplinarity and normativity. Nagatsu et al. (2020) recently investigated the significance of these peculiar characteristics and produce a useful and timely overview of the problems facing sustainability science, as a science. Perhaps the most crucial and crosscutting challenge they identify regards the need for researchers to justify the particular values guiding sustainability research. In the spirit of advancing Nagatsu et al.’s agenda for further developing the role of values in sustainability science, I argue two things. First, that there are in practice several active and competing approaches to dealing with the problem of normativity in sustainablity science that provide options to researchers. Second, that this unresolved tension at the core of sustainability science points to a more overarching problem, namely the need to more explicitly identify coherent, competing research paradigms within the field.
Exploring the experience of Gamblers Anonymous meetings during COVID-19: a qualitative study
Authors: Penfold Katy L. , Ogden Jane
Published: August 2021

Whilst much research has explored the possible causes and consequences of gambling, Gamblers Anonymous (GA) − one of the most accessed forms of support for gamblers - has been largely overlooked and, to date, only a few studies have explored how members experience this programme. Core to GA is the social interaction between members. From March 2020, however, the COVID-19 pandemic forced GA to move their meetings online. The present qualitative study therefore explored how GA members experienced these online meetings in the absence of actual face to face interactions with others. Individual telephone or video call interviews (n = 21) were carried out with members of GA in the UK and analysed using Thematic Analysis. The results described three main themes: (1) ‘practicalities of GA in lockdown’, which highlighted the practical benefits of online meetings such as more opportunity to attend different meetings, which in turn expanded participants’ perspectives and social networks; (2) ‘the importance of relationships in GA’, reflecting strong and enduring social networks that were created, maintained, and strengthened by feelings of solidarity; and (3) ‘therapeutic elements of the meetings’, such as psychological contract making which helped participants to stay abstinent. Transcending these themes was a tension between individual versus group identity with interviewees reporting a shift to focusing more on their own needs rather than those of the group. Overall, whilst still providing a lifeline during COVID-19 and offering some practical benefits, the online GA meetings were not able to completely replicate the value individuals gained from face to face meetings. This transition also resulted in disruptions both to group dynamics and to individual interactions within each group, ultimately resulting in participants behaving more individualistically and less collectively than in face-to-face meetings.
Unresectable pleural mesothelioma—hope or still an unmet medical need?
Authors: Absenger Gudrun , Terbuch Angelika
Published: August 2021

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare tumour that originates from the inner linings of the pleural cavity. The majority of cases are associated with exposure to asbestos for what was banned in the European Union in 1991. Due to the long latency between exposure and onset (20–40 years) the peak of MPM in Western Europe will be reached within the next years. Often diagnosed at an unresectable stage, treatment options remain palliative in the majority of cases. The highly aggressive nature of MPM leads to a dismal prognosis with a median overall survival of approximately one year.

Platinum-based chemotherapy in combination with pemetrexed has been the mainstay of first line treatment in unresectable MPM for many years. Only recently, check point inhibitors have found their way into MPM treatment. The results of the phase III CheckMate 743 trial last year have finally led to a paradigm shift in the treatment of unresectable MPM. This trial showed a significant overall survival benefit for the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab over standard chemotherapy, especially in nonepithelioid histology. Apart from histology, predictive biomarkers have not been identified for the treatment of MPM so far. Several trials investigating combination therapies with checkpoint inhibitors are currently ongoing and give hope to further improve prognosis for our patients.
High chromosome instability identified by low-pass whole-genome sequencing assay is associated with TP53 copy loss and worse prognosis in BRCA1 germline mutation breast cancer
Authors: Zhu Liang , Pan Jia-Ni , Qian Ziliang , Ye Wei-Wu , Wang Xiao-Jia , Cao Wen-Ming
Published: August 2021

Background

Though BRCA1 mutation is the most susceptible factor of breast cancer, its prognostic value is disputable. Here in this study, we use a novel method which based on whole-genome analysis to evaluate the chromosome instability (CIN) value and identified the potential relationship between CIN and prognosis of breast cancer patients with germline-BRCA1 mutation.

Materials and methods

Sanger sequencing or a 98-gene panel sequencing assay was used to screen for BRCA1 germline small mutations in 1151 breast cancer patients with high-risk factors. MLPA assay was employed to screen BRCA1 large genomic rearrangements in familial breast cancer patients with BRCA1 negative for small mutations. Thirty-two samples with unique BRCA1 germline mutation patterns were further subjected to CIN evaluation by LPWGS (low-pass whole-genome sequencing) technology.

Results

Firstly, 113 patients with germline BRCA1 mutations were screened from the cohort. Further CIN analysis by the LPWGS assay indicated that CIN was independent from the mutation location or type of BRCA1. Patients with high CIN status had shorter disease-free survival rates (DFS) (HR = 6.54, 95% CI 1.30–32.98, P = 0.034). The TP53 copy loss was also characterized by LPWGS assay. The rates of TP53 copy loss in CIN high and CIN low groups were 85.71% (12/14) and 16.67% (3/18), respectively.

Conclusion

CIN-high is a prognostic factor correlated with shorter DFS and was independent with the germline BRCA1 mutation pattern. Higher CIN values were significantly correlated with TP53 copy loss in breast cancer patients with germline BRCA1 mutation. Our results revealed a reliable molecular parameter for distinguishing patients with poor prognosis from the BRCA1-mutated breast cancer patients.
Construction and use of rock-cut cisterns: a chronological OSL approach in the arid Negev Highlands, Israel
Authors: Junge Andrea , Dunseth Zachary C. , Shahack-Gross Ruth , Finkelstein Israel , Fuchs Markus
Published: August 2021

The Negev Highlands (Israel) are characterized by a rich settlement history over the last millennia. To sustain life in this arid environment, measures to collect and store water were introduced. Two types of installations to collect and store runoff water were built in the region: open reservoirs, and more elaborate subterranean rock-cut cisterns. This article focuses on the latter. Based on a few inscriptions found in rock-cut cisterns, it is assumed that the majority were constructed in the Hellenistic (Nabatean) to Byzantine period. To evaluate this age assessment, this study was carried out at the Borot Hazaz cisterns system, using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating together with micromorphological analyses. Both were applied to sediments that were relocated during the cistern’s construction and usage and after the maintenance activities ended. Despite unfavourable conditions for resetting the OSL signal, including fluvial transport over short distances and sediment deposition by humans in large quantities, it was possible to reconstruct the life cycle of the cistern system. The present study places the construction of the system during the late Roman to Byzantine period, with utilization and long-term maintenance during the following centuries. Maintenance ceased at the Borot Hazaz cistern system gradually over the course of the last 500 years.
Towards higher aerodynamic efficiency of propeller-driven aircraft with distributed propulsion
Authors: Keller Dennis
Published: August 2021

The scope of the present paper is to assess the potential of distributed propulsion for a regional aircraft regarding aero-propulsive efficiency. Several sensitivities such as the effect of wingtip propellers, thrust distribution, and shape modifications are investigated based on a configuration with 12 propulsors. Furthermore, an initial assessment of the high-lift performance is undertaken in order to estimate potential wing sizing effects. The performance of the main wing and the propellers are thereby equally considered with the required power being the overall performance indicator. The results indicate that distributed propulsion is not necessarily beneficial regarding the aero-propulsive efficiency in cruise flight. However, the use of wing tip propellers, optimization of the thrust distribution, and wing resizing effects lead to a reduction in required propulsive power by $$-2.9$$

-
2.9

to $$-3.3\,\%$$

-
3.3

%

compared to a configuration with two propulsors. Adapting the leading edge to the local flow conditions did not show any substantial improvement in cruise configuration to date.
A Systematic Review of Play-Based Interventions Targeting the Social Communication Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Educational Contexts
Authors: O’Keeffe Christina , McNally Sinéad
Published: August 2021

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience social communication difficulties which can be compounded by increased social demands and expectations of the school environment. Play offers a unique context for social communication development in educational settings. This systematic review aimed to synthesize play-based interventions for the social communication skills of children with ASD in educational contexts and identified nine studies. Overall, studies in this review provided a promising evidence base for supporting social communication skills through play in education for children with ASD. The review also highlighted gaps in research on play-based interventions for the social communication skills of children with ASD within naturalistic educational settings.
Image Preprocessing in Classification and Identification of Diabetic Eye Diseases
Authors: Sarki Rubina , Ahmed Khandakar , Wang Hua , Zhang Yanchun , Ma Jiangang , Wang Kate
Published: August 2021

Diabetic eye disease (DED) is a cluster of eye problem that affects diabetic patients. Identifying DED is a crucial activity in retinal fundus images because early diagnosis and treatment can eventually minimize the risk of visual impairment. The retinal fundus image plays a significant role in early DED classification and identification. An accurate diagnostic model’s development using a retinal fundus image depends highly on image quality and quantity. This paper presents a methodical study on the significance of image processing for DED classification. The proposed automated classification framework for DED was achieved in several steps: image quality enhancement, image segmentation (region of interest), image augmentation (geometric transformation), and classification. The optimal results were obtained using traditional image processing methods with a new build convolution neural network (CNN) architecture. The new built CNN combined with the traditional image processing approach presented the best performance with accuracy for DED classification problems. The results of the experiments conducted showed adequate accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity.
Fine-Grained Multi-label Sexism Classification Using a Semi-Supervised Multi-level Neural Approach
Authors: Abburi Harika , Parikh Pulkit , Chhaya Niyati , Varma Vasudeva
Published: August 2021

Sexism, a permeate form of oppression, causes profound suffering through various manifestations. Given the increasing number of experiences of sexism shared online, categorizing these recollections automatically can support the battle against sexism, since it can promote successful evaluations by gender studies researchers and government representatives engaged in policy making. In this paper, we examine the fine-grained, multi-label classification of accounts (reports) of sexism. To the best of our knowledge, we consider substantially more categories of sexism than any related prior work through our 23-class problem formulation. Moreover, we present the first semi-supervised work for the multi-label classification of accounts describing any type(s) of sexism. We devise self-training-based techniques tailor-made for the multi-label nature of the problem to utilize unlabeled samples for augmenting the labeled set. We identify high textual diversity with respect to the existing labeled set as a desirable quality for candidate unlabeled instances and develop methods for incorporating it into our approach. We also explore ways of infusing class imbalance alleviation for multi-label classification into our semi-supervised learning, independently and in conjunction with the method involving diversity. In addition to data augmentation methods, we develop a neural model which combines biLSTM and attention with a domain-adapted BERT model in an end-to-end trainable manner. Further, we formulate a multi-level training approach in which models are sequentially trained using categories of sexism of different levels of granularity. Moreover, we devise a loss function that exploits any label confidence scores associated with the data. Several proposed methods outperform various baselines on a recently released dataset for multi-label sexism categorization across several standard metrics.
Was bedeutet Religion für Rechtsextremismus? Empirische Befunde zu Verbindungen zwischen Religiosität, Vorurteilen und rechtsextremen Einstellungen
Authors: Schneider Verena , Pickel Gert , Öztürk Cemal
Published: August 2021

Zunehmend machen rechtspopulistische und rechtsextreme Akteur:innen in Deutschland und Europa „den Islam“ oder „die Muslime“ für das Entstehen gesellschaftlicher Konflikte verantwortlich. Diese Entwicklung begann spätestens mit dem 11. September 2001 und wurde durch die Fluchtbewegungen nach Europa 2015 zusätzlich verstärkt. Als Feindbild dienen rechten Akteur:innen neben Muslim:innen auch Jüd:innen. Sowohl bei Muslimfeindlichkeit als auch bei Antisemitismus fungiert die Religionszugehörigkeit als Ablehnungsmarker, den Rechtsextreme und Rechtspopulist:innen zur Mobilisierung nutzen. Auf der anderen Seite könnte sich auch Religiosität auf Seiten der Mehrheitsgesellschaft auf die Ausbildung rechtsextremer Einstellungen auswirken. Hierbei könnten zudem Vorurteile gegenüber Frauen sowie Menschen mit einer nicht-binären Geschlechtsidentität eine Rolle spielen. Doch wie genau hängen Religion, Vorurteile und Rechtsextremismus miteinander zusammen? Anhand von Umfragedaten zeigen die Autor:innen zunächst Korrelationen zwischen Rechtsextremismus, Muslimfeindlichkeit und Antisemitismus auf. Weiter stellen sie die ambivalente Wirkung von Religiosität heraus Während eine dogmatisch-fundamentalistische Religionsauslegung sowie Esoterikglauben rechtsextreme Einstellungen befördern, wirkt eine soziale Religiosität – also die Kombination von religiösem mit sozialem Engagement – extrem rechten Haltungen entgegen. Abschließend erklären die Autor:innen die Brückenfunktion von Vorurteilen gegenüber Muslim:innen und Jüd:innen sowie gegenüber Ausländer:innen, Geflüchteten, Sinti:zze und Rom:nja, Frauen und Menschen mit nicht-binärer Geschlechtsidentität: Abwertende Haltungen gegenüber all diesen Gruppen können als „Scharnier“ hin zu rechtsextremen Vorstellungswelten dienen.
Overview and Seasonality of PM10 and PM2.5 in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Authors: Moran-Zuloaga Daniel , Merchan-Merchan Wilson , Rodríguez-Caballero Emilio , Hernick Philip , Cáceres Julio , Cornejo Mauricio H.
Published: August 2021

The focus of this study is the assessment of total suspended particles (TSP) and particulate matter (PM) with various aerodynamic diameters in ambient air in Guayaquil, a city in Ecuador that features a tropical climate. The urban annual mean concentrations of TSP (Total Suspended Particles), and particle matter (PM) with various aerodynamic diameters such as: PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 are 31 ± 14 µg m−3, 21 ± 9 µg m−3, 7 ± 2 µg m−3 and 1 ± 1 µg m−3, respectively. Air mass studies reveal that the city receives a clean Southern Ocean breeze. Backward trajectory analysis show differences between wet and dry seasons. During the dry season, most winds come from the south and southwest, while air masses from the peri urban may contribute as pollutant sources during the wet season. Although mean values of PM10 and PM2.5 were below dangerous levels, our year-round continuous monitoring study reveals that maximum values often surpassed those permissible limits allowed by the Ecuadorian norms. A cluster analysis shows four main paths in which west and southwest clusters account for more than 93% of the pollution. Total vertical column of NO2 shows the pollution footprint is strongest during the dry season, as opposed to the wet season. A microscopic morphological characterization of ambient particles within the city during the wet and the dry season reveals coarse mode particles with irregular and rounded shapes. Particle analysis reveals that samples are composed of urban dust, anthropogenic and organic debris during the dry season while mainly urban dust during the wet season.
Stacking Disorder and Reactivity of Kaolinites
Authors: Fashina Bidemi , Deng Youjun
Published: August 2021

Kaolinite is a clay mineral with diverse environmental, industrial, and agricultural applications. The influence of the crystallographic properties of kaolinite, e.g. structural disorder, on these applications is of great interest. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of kaolinite structural disordering over the last 70 years have revealed three main sources of layer-stacking disordering: (1) enantiomorphic stacking; (2) dickite-like stacking; and (3) random shift of layers. What influence do these stacking disorders have on the reactivity of kaolinite? The objective of the present study was to investigate the influence of stacking disorder on the intercalation and dissolution of kaolinite layers. To minimize the effect of particle size on reactivity, the 1–2 μm fractions of five geologic kaolinites were used. The 1–2 μm fractions varied in the degree of structural disorder. The kaolinites were: (1) intercalated with saturated CH3COOK solution at room temperature to examine the effect of stacking disorder on intercalation; and (2) dissolved in 4 M NaOH at 80°C to examine the effect of stacking disorder on kaolinite stability in alkaline solution. Samples with a low degree of stacking disorder intercalated twice as much and dissolved >1.5 times as much as the most disordered sample. The infrared spectrum of the undissolved kaolinite residue in 4 M NaOH showed relative intensities of OH-stretching bands characteristic of a kaolinite-dickite mixture. The binding strength (i.e. resistance to intercalation) of the undissolved residue by NaOH was high; the residue could not be intercalated by CH3COOK. Differences in the average interlayer binding strength were attributed to the greater proportions of dickite-like sequences in highly disordered kaolinite compared to ordered kaolinite specimens. These results suggested that the binding strength of kaolinite layers is proportional to the degree of stacking disorder. Dickite-like sequences, a type of stacking defect, contributed to the lower reactivity of highly disordered kaolinite.
A multiscale experimental analysis of mechanical properties and deformation behavior of sintered copper–silicon carbide composites enhanced by high-pressure torsion
Authors: Nosewicz Szymon , Bazarnik Piotr , Clozel Melanie , Kurpaska Łukasz , Jenczyk Piotr , Jarząbek Dariusz , Chmielewski Marcin , Romelczyk-Baishya Barbara , Lewandowska Malgorzata , Pakieła Zbigniew , Huang Yi , Langdon Terence G.
Published: August 2021

Experiments were conducted to investigate, within the framework of a multiscale approach, the mechanical enhancement, deformation and damage behavior of copper–silicon carbide composites (Cu–SiC) fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and the combination of SPS with high-pressure torsion (HPT). The mechanical properties of the metal–matrix composites were determined at three different length scales corresponding to the macroscopic, micro- and nanoscale. Small punch testing was employed to evaluate the strength of composites at the macroscopic scale. Detailed analysis of microstructure evolution related to SPS and HPT, sample deformation and failure of fractured specimens was conducted using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. A microstructural study revealed changes in the damage behavior for samples processed by HPT and an explanation for this behavior was provided by mechanical testing performed at the micro- and nanoscale. The strength of copper samples and the metal–ceramic interface was determined by microtensile testing and the hardness of each composite component, corresponding to the metal matrix, metal–ceramic interface, and ceramic reinforcement, was measured using nano-indentation. The results confirm the advantageous effect of large plastic deformation on the mechanical properties of Cu–SiC composites and demonstrate the impact on these separate components on the deformation and damage type.
Lessons from human vision for robotic design
Authors: Goodale Melvyn A.
Published: August 2021

The visual guidance of goal-directed movements requires transformations of incoming visual information that are different from those required for visual perception. For us to grasp an object successfully, our brain must use just-in-time computations of the object’s real-world size and shape, and its orientation and disposition with respect to our hand. These requirements have led to the emergence of dedicated visuomotor modules in the posterior parietal cortex of the human brain (the dorsal visual stream) that are functionally distinct from networks in the occipito-temporal cortex (the ventral visual stream) that mediate our conscious perception of the world. Although the identification and selection of goal objects and an appropriate course of action depends on the perceptual machinery of the ventral stream and associated cognitive modules, the execution of the subsequent goal-directed action is mediated by dedicated online control systems in the dorsal stream and associated motor areas. The dorsal stream allows an observer to reach out and grasp objects with exquisite ease, but by itself, deals only with objects that are visible at the moment the action is being programmed. The ventral stream, however, allows an observer to escape the present and bring to bear information from the past – including information about the function of objects, their intrinsic properties, and their location with reference to other objects in the world. Ultimately then, both streams contribute to the production of goal-directed actions. The principles underlying this division of labour between the dorsal and ventral streams are relevant to the design and implementation of autonomous robotic systems.
Distributed dynamic stochastic approximation algorithm over time-varying networks
Authors: Fu Kewei , Chen Han-Fu , Zhao Wenxiao
Published: August 2021

In this paper, a distributed stochastic approximation algorithm is proposed to track the dynamic root of a sum of time-varying regression functions over a network. Each agent updates its estimate by using the local observation, the dynamic information of the global root, and information received from its neighbors. Compared with similar works in optimization area, we allow the observation to be noise-corrupted, and the noise condition is much weaker. Furthermore, instead of the upper bound of the estimate error, we present the asymptotic convergence result of the algorithm. The consensus and convergence of the estimates are established. Finally, the algorithm is applied to a distributed target tracking problem and the numerical example is presented to demonstrate the performance of the algorithm.
An iterative local search based hybrid algorithm for the service area problem
Authors: Kong Yunfeng
Published: August 2021

This article presents a hybrid algorithm for the service area problem. The design of service areas is one of the essential issues in providing efficient services in both the public and private sectors. For a geographical region with a number of small spatial units, the service area problem is to assign the service-demand units to the service-supply units such that each facility has a service area. The basic criteria for the service areas are the highest service accessibility, the contiguous service areas, and that the service demand does not exceed the service supply in each service area. A hybrid algorithm for the service area problem is proposed by extending iterative local search (ILS) algorithm with three schemes: population-based ILS, variable neighborhood descent (VND) search, and set partitioning. The performance of the algorithm was tested using 60 well-designed instances. Experimentation showed that the instances could be solved effectively and efficiently. The solutions found by the hybrid algorithm approximate optimal solutions or the lower bounds with an average gap of 0.15%.
The Arabian Nights in Contemporary World Cultures
Authors: al-Musawi Muhsin J.
Published: August 2021

The stories in the Thousand and One Nights, or the Arabian Nights, are familiar to many of us: from the tales of Aladdin, Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba and his forty thieves, to the framing story of Scheherazade telling these stories to her homicidal husband, Shahrayar. This book offers a rich and wide-ranging analysis of the power of this collection of tales that penetrates so many cultures and appeals to such a variety of predilections and tastes. It also explores areas that were left untouched, like the decolonization of the Arabian Nights, and its archaeologies. Unique in its excavation into inroads of perception and reception, Muhsin J. al-Musawi's book unearths means of connection with common publics and learned societies. Al-Musawi shows, as never before, how the Arabian Nights has been translated, appropriated, and authenticated or abused over time, and how its reach is so expansive as to draw the attention of poets, painters, illustrators, translators, editors, musicians, political scientists like Leo Strauss, and novelists like Michel Butor, James Joyce and Marcel Proust amongst others. Making use of documentaries, films, paintings, novels and novellas, poetry, digital forums and political jargon, this book offers nuanced understanding of the perennial charm and power of this collection.
Community, Urban Health and Environment in the Late Medieval Low Countries
Authors: Coomans Janna
Published: August 2021

By exploring the uniquely dense urban network of the Low Countries, Janna Coomans debunks the myth of medieval cities as apathetic towards filth and disease. Based on new archival research and adopting a bio-political and spatial-material approach, Coomans traces how cities developed a broad range of practices to protect themselves and fight disease. Urban societies negotiated challenges to their collective health in the face of social, political and environmental change, transforming ideas on civic duties and the common good. Tasks were divided among different groups, including town governments, neighbours and guilds, and affected a wide range of areas, from water, fire and food, to pigs, prostitutes and plague. By studying these efforts in the round, Coomans offers new comparative insights and bolsters our understanding of the importance of population health and the physical world - infrastructures, flora and fauna - in governing medieval cities.
Does violent conflict affect the labor supply of farm households? The Nigerian experience
Authors: Odozi John Chiwuzulum , Uwaifo Oyelere Ruth
Published: August 2021

Nigeria has experienced bouts of violent conflict in different regions since its independence leading to significant loss of life. In this article, we explore the average effect of exposure to violent conflict generally on labor supply in agriculture. Using a nationally representative panel dataset for Nigeria from 2010 to 2015, in combination with armed conflict data, we estimate the average effect of exposure to violent conflict on a household's farm labor supply. Our findings suggest that on average, exposure to violent conflict significantly reduces total family labor supply hours in agriculture. We also find that the decline in family labor supply is driven by a significant decline in the household head's total number of hours on the farm.
Perception and Attitude of Medical Staff in the Saudi Red Crescent Authority Toward their Preparedness for Disaster Management and Response
Authors: Mobrad Abdulmajeed , Almorairi Hussien M. , Khan Anas A. , Al-Wathinani Ahmad , Alotaibi Raied
Published: August 2021

Objective:

The Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) plays a major role in the event of disasters and crisis, as it is the main pre-hospital health-care provider. This study reports on the attitude and perceptions of SRCA medical staff concerning their knowledge of disaster management and response.

Method:

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study performed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An Arabic version of the Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool (DPET), a self-administered Likert-scale survey, was used to obtain data from SRCA medical staff to evaluate the current status of disaster preparedness.

Results:

The population surveyed consisted of 302 participants; 20.9% had participated in a drill exercise or practical application of a regular disaster or emergency plan in their workplaces. Most of participants (85.3%) had incentives to extend their education regarding their role, scope of practice, and skills as medical staff in disaster situations.

Conclusion:

Results indicate a lack of regular disaster drills available to prehospital care providers, although most of them are willing to participate in more training and education programs regarding preparedness for disaster management, especially concerning their role in a disaster situation.
Development, Psychometric Testing, and Use of a Disaster Nursing Competency Scale in Iran: A Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Aliakbari Fatemeh , Aein Fereshteh , Bahrami Masoud , Arbon Paul
Published: August 2021

Nurses play an important role during disaster response and recovery. Few tools are available to assess the relative competence of nurses in disaster. This study aimed to develop, test, and evaluate a disaster nursing competency scale. This was an exploratory mixed methods study. In the qualitative phase, 35 Iranian nurses and managers with experience in disaster relief were asked about the skills they need to respond effectively to a disaster event. From the qualitative data, a 50-item questionnaire was developed. In the quantitative phase, exploratory factor analysis was conducted with 400 samples followed by a test-retest reliability assessment with 30 nurses. The developed and validated instrument was applied to 200 nurses in Iran to assess their competency. From content analysis of the qualitative data, 5 main themes emerged. In the quantitative phase, exploratory factor analysis loaded 50 items into 4 domains named management, legal and ethical, specific personal, and technical competence. Use of the tool showed that nurses estimated their competence overall at 70.28%. Findings demonstrate the necessity for new domains in disaster nursing competencies; which may be applicable as a useful tool and guideline to improve nursing education and practice.
Preliminary report on salvage excavation at the southern limit of ancient Balagrae (modern al-Beida)
Authors: Boshah Mohammed al-Twati
Published: August 2021

This article presents a preliminary report on a rescue excavation conducted during the building of a new mosque close to the campus of Omar al-Mokhtar University at Balagrae (al-Beida) in 2017. The excavation, undertaken by the Department of Archaeology at the university, revealed the remains of part of a building with a mosaic floor built in the late second or early third century AD, and perhaps destroyed by an earthquake in AD 365. The discovery created considerable local interest and resulted in the developers relocating south the new mosque to prevent further disturbance to the archaeological remains. The building was carefully backfilled for long-term protection.
Multinational Enterprises and International Cartels: The Strategic Implications of De-globalization
Authors: Buckley Peter J. , Casson Mark
Published: August 2021

A cartel is an association of independent businesses for the purpose of regulating trade in an industry. There are three important reasons for studying international cartels: they will become important in the future; they are of immense historical significance; and they are poorly understood. This paper reviews the economic, political, and historical literatures on international cartels and considers the lessons for international business theory and policy. If IB researchers are to retain their reputation for policy-relevance, they must engage with the issue of institutional responses to globalization, and this must include the analysis of cartels.
THEPROCURATOR CAMPANIAEAND THE ‘LANDS OF CAPUA’ ON CRETE
Authors: España-Chamorro Sergio
Published: August 2021

This paper presents a new edition of a boundary stone between Capua (on Crete) and Knossos. I identify the post of Publius Messius Campanus asprocurator Campaniaerather thanprocurator Caesaris. The appearance of theprocurator Campaniaeon Crete is linked to a dispute between the colony of Capua and a private citizen called Plotius Plebeius. This new reading has several important historical consequences: first, it is the earliest attestation of aprocurator Campaniae(and the first outside Italy); second, it offers a new interpretation of the juridical category of Knossian lands as part of theager vectigalisof the Italian colony of Capua in the form of apraefectura CampanaorCapuensis; third, it proposes a reinterpretation of the process of arbitration between a public entity (Capua) and a private owner.
Respite, renewal, retirement and tensions: Australian Men's Sheds and the impact on significant others
Authors: Foley Annette , Golding Barry , Weadon Helen
Published: August 2021

The health and wellbeing benefits of Men's Sheds to the men who participate have had significant research attention for over a decade. However, there has been little research into the broader impacts of Men's Sheds, particularly in relation to the impacts on significant others in the lives of the men who participate. Our paper aims to redress this lack of research by focusing on the interrelated perceptions and experiences of men and those closest to them in four Men's Sheds in regional Victoria, Australia. The research shows that the partners and carers of ‘shedders’ reported that the men's participation not only benefited the men but also had benefits for their significant others. The study also showed that the partners of shedders in the study found that their individual and joint adjustment to retirement was in some cases assisted by the men enjoying the social and structured environment of the Men's Shed, while in other cases it was seen by partners as an over-commitment and impacting negatively on the marriage. The findings also shed some important light on some tensions experienced by the partners associated with carer burden and adjustments to retirement.
Mecanismos de identificación y priorización de las tecnologías sanitarias a ser evaluadas por las Agencias de ETESA para decisiones de cobertura en Latino America
Authors: Pichon-Riviere Andrés , Augustovski Federico , Garcia-Marti Sebastián , Alcaraz Andrea , Alfie Verónica , Sampietro-Colom Laura
Published: August 2021

Objetivo

Ningún sistema de salud cuenta con los recursos necesarios para evaluar todas las tecnologías. Contar con un proceso claro para priorizar qué tecnologías serán evaluadas por las agencias de evaluación de tecnologías sanitarias (ETESA) constituye un principio de buena práctica reconocido a nivel internacional. El objetivo del Foro de Políticas en Latino América (LatamPF) 2020 de Health Technology Assessment International fue explorar cómo puede mejorarse la forma en que las agencias de ETESA de Latino América identifican y priorizan las tecnologías a ser evaluadas.

Métodos

Este manuscrito está basado en un documento base, una encuesta, y en el trabajo deliberativo realizado por los miembros (cuarenta y seis participantes, once países) que participaron del LatamPF, a través de la metodología design-thinking.

Resultados

Los participantes coincidieron en que la falta de mecanismos claros de priorización trae como consecuencia una falta de legitimidad de las decisiones y procesos de ETESA, que son percibidos como poco transparentes y demasiado expuestos a presiones políticas o de grupos de interés. También se identificaron barreras y acciones para mejorar los mecanismos de priorización de ETESA en América Latina. Los criterios identificados como más importantes para ser tenidos en cuenta por las agencias de ETESA de la región al momento de priorizar una tecnología para ser evaluada fueron la carga de enfermedad, el potencial beneficio clínico, la alineación con prioridades de salud nacionales, el potencial impacto en la equidad, ausencia de otras alternativas para los pacientes, y el potencial impacto económico.

Conclusiones

Los participantes del Foro coincidieron en que el establecimiento de procesos transparentes de priorización es un elemento clave para todos los sistemas de salud. Las mejoras en este proceso fortalecerán la ETESA en Latino América y darán mayor legitimidad a sus decisiones.
Thinking Inconsistently
Authors: Petrović Marija B. , Žeželj Iris
Published: August 2021

Abstract. People tend to simultaneously accept mutually exclusive beliefs. If they are generally prone to tolerate inconsistencies, irrespective of their content, we say they are prone to doublethink. We developed a measure to capture individual differences in this tendency and demonstrated its construct and predictive validity across two studies. In Study 1, participants ( N = 240) filled in the doublethink scale, the rational/intuitive inventory, and three measures of conspiratorial beliefs (conspiracy mentality, belief in specific and contradictory conspiracies). Doublethink was meaningfully related to all measured variables and was predictive of all conspiratorial beliefs over and above rational/intuitive thinking styles. In Study 2 ( N = 149), we included the need for cognition and preference for consistency in the predictor set alongside doublethink, while the criterion set remained the same. Once again, doublethink related in an expected way to other measured variables and was predictive of belief in conspiracy theories after accounting for the effects of need for cognition and preference for consistency. We discuss the properties of the scale and how it relates to other consistency measures, and offer two ways to conceptualize doublethink: as a lack of metacognitive ability to spot inconsistencies or as a thinking style that easily accommodates inconsistent beliefs.
Seasonality and Drivers of Low Flows Across Europe and the United States
Authors: Floriancic Marius G. , Berghuijs Wouter R. , Molnar Peter , Kirchner James W.
Published: August 2021

Low river flows can negatively impact society and the riverine environment. Thus, it is useful to predict their seasonal timing and reveal their main drivers. The typical timing of low flows varies between regions, yet systematic overviews across Europe and the United States are rare. Here, we identify regional patterns of the seasonal timing of annual minimum flows, and the consistency of that timing, across 1860 European and US catchments. Catchments where low flows typically occur during late summer or winter tend to have more consistent low‐flow timings. We compare the timing of annual low flows with that of potential climatic drivers. Low flows in 89% of the European and 86% of the US catchments exhibit a statistically significant (p < 0.05) overlap in timing with at least one potential climatic driver. In most catchments, low flows tend to occur during the warm season, reflecting a period of high potential evapotranspiration exceeding precipitation. In the higher elevation European Alps, Scandinavia, the Rocky Mountains, and the Upper Midwest and Plains states, low flows mostly occur during winter as a result of freezing temperatures which inhibit snowmelt. Binomial statistics also enabled us to statistically exclude individual climatic drivers for certain regions. The regional patterns of timings and drivers of low flows across Europe and the contiguous US can inform low‐flow management, provide context for the evolution of low flows under climate change, and point to processes that require attention in future low‐flow research.
Climate Change Increases Nitrogen Concentration in Rice With Low Nitrogen Use Efficiency
Authors: Yulong Yin , Qingfeng Meng , Hao Ying , Qingsong Zhang , Ye Liu , Cui Zhenling
Published: August 2021

Growing evidence indicates that climate change has significant impacts on crop production. However, the spatial variability and extent of the impacts on N concentrations in crops have yet to be explicitly described, although N concentration is a critical element of both the nutritional value of food and the planning of appropriate field management procedures. We present multi‐tiered evidence showing that warming increases N concentration in rice and reduces internal N use efficiency (iNUE), thereby increasing N uptake in crops and encouraging greater N fertilizer use. First, we mapped current N concentrations and iNUE for single‐season irrigation paddy rice production in 975 counties across China using data from 1,637 on‐farm experiments and Random Forest regression modeling. Current N concentrations in rice grain and straw have increased with increasing temperatures from northern to southern China. The global meta‐analysis provided further direct evidence that warming increases N concentration in rice. Future warming projections indicate that N concentrations in grain will increase by 5%–9.6% and that iNUE will decrease by 9%–14% under scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP 8.5 although higher CO2 and other factors may also affect N concentrations. Overall, these data demonstrate that N uptake by rice will need to increase by 7.8%–13.6% to maintain current grain yields across China based on warming alone. Our findings indicate that warming associated with increase in N concentration and reduction in iNUE would be expected to encourage N application, raise the urgency of measures to prevent excessive N application, and stronger counteracting measures need to be enacted.