bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patient satisfaction and patient-reported outcomes do not vary by BMI class in total hip arthroplasty
Authors: Huffman Nickelas , Pasqualini Ignacio , Redfern Roberta E. , Murray Trevor G. , Deren Matthew E. , Israelite Craig L. , Nelson Charles L. , Van Andel Dave , Cholewa Jason M. , Anderson Mike B. , Klika Alison K. , McLaughlin John P. , Piuzzi Nicolas S.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Obesity has been identified as a risk factor for postoperative complications in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). This study aimed to investigate patient-reported outcomes, pain, and satisfaction as a function of body mass index (BMI) class in patients undergoing THA.

Methods

1736 patients within a prospective observational study were categorized into BMI classes. Pre- and postoperative Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement (HOOS JR), satisfaction, and pain scores were compared by BMI class using one-way ANOVA.

Results

Healthy weight patients reported the highest preoperative HOOS JR (56.66 ± 13.35) compared to 45.51 ± 14.45 in Class III subjects. Healthy weight and Class III patients reported the lowest (5.65 ± 2.01) and highest (7.06 ± 1.98, p < 0.0001) preoperative pain, respectively. Changes in HOOS JR scores from baseline suggest larger improvements with increasing BMI class, where Class III patients reported an increase of 33.7 ± 15.6 points at 90 days compared to 26.1 ± 17.1 in healthy weight individuals (p = 0.002). Fewer healthy weight patients achieved the minimal clinically important difference (87.4%) for HOOS JR compared to Class II (96.5%) and III (94.7%) obesity groups at 90 days postoperatively. Changes in satisfaction and pain scores were largest in the Class III patients. Overall, no functional outcomes varied by BMI class postoperatively.

Conclusion

Patients of higher BMI class reported greater improvements following THA. While risk/benefit shared decision-making remains a personalized requirement of THA, this study highlights that utilization of BMI cutoff may not be warranted based on pain and functional improvement.
Multiple surgical resections for progressive IDH wildtype glioblastoma—is it beneficial?
Authors: Honeyman Susan Isabel , Owen William J. , Mier Juan , Marks Katya , Dassanyake Sohani N. , Wood Matthew J. , Fairhead Rory , Martinez-Soler Pablo , Jasem Hussain , Yarlagadda Ananya , Roach Joy R. , Boukas Alexandros , Stacey Richard , Apostolopoulos Vasileios , Plaha Puneet
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The role of repeat resection for recurrent glioblastoma (rGB) remains equivocal. This study aims to assess the overall survival and complications rates of single or repeat resection for rGB.

Methods

A single-centre retrospective review of all patients with IDH-wildtype glioblastoma managed surgically, between January 2014 and January 2022, was carried out. Patient survival and factors influencing prognosis were analysed, using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression methods.

Results

Four hundred thirty-two patients were included, of whom 329 underwent single resection, 83 had two resections and 20 patients underwent three resections. Median OS (mOS) in the cohort who underwent a single operation was 13.7 months (95% CI: 12.7–14.7 months). The mOS was observed to be extended in patients who underwent second or third-time resection, at 22.9 months and 44.7 months respectively (p < 0.001). On second operation achieving > 95% resection or residual tumour volume of < 2.25 cc was significantly associated with prolonged survival. There was no significant difference in overall complication rates between primary versus second (p = 0.973) or third-time resections (p = 0.312). The use of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) guided resection was associated with reduced post-operative neurological deficit (RR 0.37, p = 0.002), as was use of intraoperative ultrasound (iUSS) (RR 0.45, p = 0.04).

Conclusions

This study demonstrates potential prolongation of survival for rGB patients undergoing repeat resection, without significant increase in complication rates with repeat resections. Achieving a more complete repeat resection improved survival. Moreover, the use of intraoperative imaging adjuncts can maximise tumour resection, whilst minimising the risk of neurological deficit.
Analysis of the treatment of RT2 recessions with a xenogeneic collagen matrix vs. connective tissue graft combined with a coronally advanced flap. A double-blinded randomized clinical trial
Authors: Elena Ruiz-de-Gopegui-Palacios , Miren Vilor-Fernández , Ana-María García-De-La-Fuente , Xabier Marichalar-Mendía , Luis-Antonio Aguirre-Zorzano
Published: March 2024

Objectives

To compare the clinical efficacy in terms of mean root coverage in RT2 recession treated with a coronally advanced flap combined with a xenogeneic collagen matrix versus a connective tissue graft.

Materials and methods

A total of 20 patients were randomized to receive one of two treatments: coronally advanced flap + xenogeneic collagen matrix (test group) and coronally advanced flap + connective tissue graft (control group). Patient-related outcomes measures and professional aesthetic assessment by root esthetic score were performed. A descriptive and analytical statistical analysis of the variables was performed.

Results

At 12 months, the mean root coverage was 56.48% in the test group and 69.72% in the control group (p = 0.048), with a 35% and 40% complete root coverage in the xenogeneic collagen matrix and connective tissue graft, respectively. Test group presented less pain (3.65 vs. 5.2 VAS units) (p = 0.015) and less surgical time (45 vs. 49.15 min) (p = 0.004) than control group.

Conclusion

The use of xenogeneic collagen matrix in RT2 recessions was effective for recession reduction to those obtained using autologous grafts; with the advantage that the duration of surgery and patient morbidity decreased. Therefore, xenogeneic collagen matrix in RT2 recessions could be an alternative to autologous grafts.

Clinical relevance

The use of xenogeneic collagen matrix decreases the surgery time and patient morbidity but connective tissue graft results in significantly better mean root coverage and complete root coverage. Xenogeneic collagen matrix can be used in the treatment of RT2 gingival recessions.

Study registration

NCT 03344315.
Generative AI for pentesting: the good, the bad, the ugly
Authors: Hilario Eric , Azam Sami , Sundaram Jawahar , Imran Mohammed Khwaja , Shanmugam Bharanidharan
Published: March 2024

This paper examines the role of Generative AI (GenAI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) in penetration testing exploring the benefits, challenges, and risks associated with cyber security applications. Through the use of generative artificial intelligence, penetration testing becomes more creative, test environments are customised, and continuous learning and adaptation is achieved. We examined how GenAI (ChatGPT 3.5) helps penetration testers with options and suggestions during the five stages of penetration testing. The effectiveness of the GenAI tool was tested using a publicly available vulnerable machine from VulnHub. It was amazing how quickly they responded at each stage and provided better pentesting report. In this article, we discuss potential risks, unintended consequences, and uncontrolled AI development associated with pentesting.
$$\chi$$-linguistic sets and its application for the linguistic multi-attribute group decision making
Authors: Xian Sidong , Liu Mengnan , Xian Zhiyu , Chai Jiahui , Lu Sicong , Qing Ke
Published: March 2024

The information in the real world often contains many properties such as fuzziness, randomness, and approximation. Although existing linguistic collections attempt to solve these problems, with the emergence of more and more constraints and challenges, this information cannot fully express the problem, leading to an increasing demand for methods that can contain multiple uncertain information. In this paper, we comprehensively consider the various characteristics of information including membership degree, credibility and approximation based on rough sets, and propose the concept of $$\chi$$
χ
-linguistic sets ($$\chi$$
χ
LSs), which depend on original data rather than prior knowledge and effectively solve the problem of incomplete information representation. At the same time, the corresponding theories such as the comparison method and operational rules have also been proposed. Subsequently, we construct a new $$\chi$$
χ
-linguistic VIKOR ($$\chi$$
χ
LVIKOR) method for multi-attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problem with $$\chi$$
χ
LSs, and apply it to the risk assessment of COVID-19. Through comparative analysis, we discuss the effectiveness and superiority of $$\chi$$
χ
LSs.
Time to get your hands dirty: Bricolage or pro-organizational unethical response to entrepreneurial adversity
Authors: Jeong Inseong , Gong Yaping
Published: March 2024

As the business landscape escalates the level of uncertainty and thus profoundly disrupts entrepreneurship, it is crucial to understand risk-taking as a coping strategy for entrepreneurs with limited resources. Past studies have been fragmented: Some researchers have focused on creative risk-taking, whereas others have looked at unethical risk-taking. Little is known about how and when entrepreneurs respond to adversity in either a creative or an expedient manner. We posit that entrepreneurs respond to adversity by using either entrepreneurial bricolage behavior (EBB) or unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). Drawing from the emotivational account, we develop each theoretical model of bricolage and UPB to better understand how entrepreneurs’ emotional states play a critical role in their reactions to adversity. We theorize that, and test whether, entrepreneurial adversity is positively related to EBB and increase in EBB over time through increased interest when trait resilience is high. Also, we conceptualize and examine whether entrepreneurial adversity is positively related to UPB and increase in UPB over time through increased anger when trait resilience is low. We conducted a five-month longitudinal study of 100 entrepreneurs (482 observations). Our findings largely corroborated the hypotheses. Our study advances our understanding of entrepreneurs’ risk-taking by showing when and how they respond creatively or unethically.
Graphene Oxide Treated by Temperature with Enhancement of Adsorption for Organic Pollutants and Catalytic Degradation with Hydrogen Peroxide
Authors: Lu Kui , Zhu Mengxiang , Ding Tao , Chen Junjie , Yue Dongting , Liu Xing , Fang Xiaoqin , Xia Junfang , Qin Zhiyuan , Wu Minghong , Shi Guosheng
Published: March 2024

Graphene oxide (GO) has been used in the range of organic pollutants adsorption and degradation. It’s important to improve the performance of GO in the treatment of organic pollutants. Here, we found that the organic pollutants were more efficiently removed in the catalytic degradation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) after being pre-adsorbed with GO. The performance of GO in degrading organic pollutants firstly enhanced and then weakened as the treated temperature increases in the air. The adsorption ability of GO for organic pollutants and catalytic activity of H2O2 were highest at 500 ℃, which can be ascribed to the highest oxygen-containing functional groups and the lowest defects on GO after 500 ℃ treatment in the air. This finding will improve the understanding and application of GO in organic pollutants treatment.

Graphical Abstract
An aligned corpus of Spanish bibles
Authors: Sierra Gerardo , Bel-Enguix Gemma , Díaz-Velasco Ameyali , Guerrero-Cerón Natalia , Bel Núria
Published: March 2024

We present a comprehensive and valuable resource in the form of an aligned parallel corpus comprising translations of the Bible in Spanish. Our collection encompasses a total of eleven Bibles, originating from diverse centuries (XVI, XIX, XX), various religious denominations (Protestant, Catholic), and geographical regions (Spain, Latin America). The process of aligning the verses across these translations has been meticulously carried out, ensuring that the content is organized in a coherent manner. As a result, this corpus serves as a useful convenient resource for various linguistic analyses, including paraphrase detection, semantic clustering, and the exploration of biases present within the texts. To illustrate the utility of this resource, we provide several examples that demonstrate how it can be effectively employed in these applications.
Climate change impacts on rainfall intensity–duration–frequency curves in local scale catchments
Authors: Xu Muyuan , Bravo de Guenni Lelys , Córdova José Rafael
Published: March 2024

The increasing intensity and frequency of rainfall events, a critical aspect of climate change, pose significant challenges in the construction of intensity–duration–frequency (IDF) curves for climate projection. These curves are crucial for infrastructure development, but the non-stationarity of extreme rainfall raises concerns about their adequacy under future climate conditions. This research addresses these challenges by investigating the reasons behind the IPCC climate report’s evidence about the validity that rainfall follows the Clausius-Clapeyron (CC) relationship, which suggests a 7% increase in precipitation per 1 °C increase in temperature. Our study provides guidelines for adjusting IDF curves in the future, considering both current and future climates. We calculate extreme precipitation changes and scaling factors for small urban catchments in Barranquilla, Colombia, a tropical region, using the bootstrapping method. This reveals the occurrence of a sub-CC relationship, suggesting that the generalized 7% figure may not be universally applicable. In contrast, our comparative analysis with Illinois, USA, an inland city in the north temperate zone, shows adherence to the CC relationship. This emphasizes the need for local parameter calculations rather than relying solely on the generalized 7% figure.
Strategic behaviour and decision making in competitive hospital markets: an experimental investigation
Authors: Han Johann , Kairies-Schwarz Nadja , Vomhof Markus
Published: March 2024

We investigate quality provision and the occurrence of strategic behaviour in competitive hospital markets where providers are assumed to be semi-altruistic towards patients. For this, we employ a laboratory experiment with a hospital market framing. Subjects decide on the quality levels for one of three competing hospitals respectively. We vary the organizational aspect of whether quality decisions within hospitals are made by individuals or teams. Realized monetary patient benefits go to real patients outside the lab. In both settings, we find that degrees of cooperation quickly converge towards negative values, implying absence of collusion and patient centred or competitive quality choices. Moreover, hospitals treat quality as a strategic complement and adjust their quality choice in the same direction as their competitors. The response magnitude for team markets is weaker; this is driven by non-cooperative or altruistic teams, which tend to set levels of quality that are strategically independent.
Strong Convergent Inertial Two-subgradient Extragradient Method for Finding Minimum-norm Solutions of Variational Inequality Problems
Authors: Opeyemi Alakoya Timilehin , Temitope Mewomo Oluwatosin
Published: March 2024

In 2012, Censor et al. (Extensions of Korpelevich’s extragradient method for the variational inequality problem in Euclidean space. Optimization 61(9):1119–1132, 2012b) proposed the two-subgradient extragradient method (TSEGM). This method does not require computing projection onto the feasible (closed and convex) set, but rather the two projections are made onto some half-space. However, the convergence of the TSEGM was puzzling and hence posted as open question. Very recently, some authors were able to provide a partial answer to the open question by establishing weak convergence result for the TSEGM though under some stringent conditions. In this paper, we propose and study an inertial two-subgradient extragradient method (ITSEGM) for solving monotone variational inequality problems (VIPs). Under more relaxed conditions than the existing results in the literature, we prove that proposed method converges strongly to a minimum-norm solution of monotone VIPs in Hilbert spaces. Unlike several of the existing methods in the literature for solving VIPs, our method does not require any linesearch technique, which could be time-consuming to implement. Rather, we employ a simple but very efficient self-adaptive step size method that generates a non-monotonic sequence of step sizes. Moreover, we present several numerical experiments to demonstrate the efficiency of our proposed method in comparison with related results in the literature. Finally, we apply our result to image restoration problem. Our result in this paper improves and generalizes several of the existing results in the literature in this direction.
The Personal is Political: Political Attitudes, Affective Polarization and Fertility Preferences in Hong Kong
Authors: Cheung Adam Ka-Lok , Lui Lake
Published: March 2024

This study examines the relationship between political attitudes, affective polarization, and fertility preferences among married couples in Hong Kong. Using dyadic data from a representative household survey (N = 1586 heterosexually married adults), we investigate how individuals’ attitudes toward democracy and levels of affective polarization are associated with their fertility preferences. We also explore the influence of spouses’ political attitudes and affective polarization on one's fertility preferences. We found that individuals with stronger support for democracy have lower fertility preferences. This negative association between political attitudes and fertility preferences is further amplified by one’s level of affective polarization. The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of how political factors shape fertility patterns in the context of dramatic political transitions. This study provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics between political attitudes, affective polarization, and family formation decisions in Hong Kong, which have both theoretical, policy and political implications.
An applied framework to unlocking multi-angular UAV reflectance data: a case study for classification of plant parameters in maize (Zea mays)
Authors: Heim Rene H. J. , Okole Nathan , Steppe Kathy , Van Labeke Marie-Christine , Geedicke Ina , Maes Wouter H.
Published: March 2024

Optical sensors, mounted on uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), are typically pointed straight downward to simplify structure-from-motion and image processing. High horizontal and vertical image overlap during UAV missions effectively leads to each object being measured from a range of different view angles, resulting in a rich multi-angular reflectance dataset. We propose a method to extract reflectance data, and their associated distinct view zenith angles (VZA) and view azimuth angles (VAA), from UAV-mounted optical cameras; enhancing plant parameter classification compared to standard orthomosaic reflectance retrieval. A standard (nadir) and a multi-angular, 10-band multispectral dataset was collected for maize using a UAV on two different days. Reflectance data was grouped by VZA and VAA (on average 2594 spectra/plot/day for the multi-angular data and 890 spectra/plot/day for nadir flights only, 13 spectra/plot/day for a standard orthomosaic), serving as predictor variables for leaf chlorophyll content (LCC), leaf area index (LAI), green leaf area index (GLAI), and nitrogen balanced index (NBI) classification. Results consistently showed higher accuracy using grouped VZA/VAA reflectance compared to the standard orthomosaic data. Pooling all reflectance values across viewing directions did not yield satisfactory results. Performing multiple flights to obtain a multi-angular dataset did not improve performance over a multi-angular dataset obtained from a single nadir flight, highlighting its sufficiency. Our openly shared code (https://github.com/ReneHeim/proj_on_uav) facilitates access to reflectance data from pre-defined VZA/VAA groups, benefiting cross-disciplinary and agriculture scientists in harnessing the potential of multi-angular datasets.

Graphical abstract
The iSPAC
Authors: Nawaz Tasawar
Published: March 2024

Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) are one of the most celebrated investment vehicles in recent years. Relative to traditional IPOs, SPACs are much more cash-strapped and speculative. Resultantly, the scope for SPACs remains sparse for certain segments of the financial system notwithstanding the SPAC euphoria surrounding the financial markets: one notable exception is Islamic banking and finance. The Islamic banking business model is based upon the ethical ontologies and epistemologies – informed by the divine sources of Quran and Sunnah: the Shariah – operating with the mandate to promote socio-economic justice through a fair redistribution of wealth while embargoing speculative trading or investments and adopting a risk-sharing model between economic agents. Unsurprisingly, – owing to the speculative nature of SPACs – the Islamic finance industry remains reluctant to participate in the SPAC-mania despite the frenzy engulfing global securities markets. This work addresses the misaligned incentives inherent in a conventional SPAC structure and proposes alternative SPAC structure terms i.e., the iSPAC, which potentially mitigates the noted misaligned incentives and offers less dilutive SPAC terms to shareholders. Specifically, iSPAC structure terms address the issues of speculation (gharar), information asymmetry, and transparency in the pre-IPO phase, which may lead to adverse selection and moral hazard. Equally, the proposed structure reconciles post-IPO operational and investment-related risks such as the treatment of proceeds, interest rate (riba), opportunity costs, and management costs in consort with unethical behavior i.e. cashing-out opportunities that may lead to uneven redistribution of wealth thereby, widening the socio-economic voids in the society.
The impact of exercise on blood-based biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease in cognitively unimpaired older adults
Authors: Sewell Kelsey R. , Rainey-Smith Stephanie R. , Pedrini Steve , Peiffer Jeremiah J. , Sohrabi Hamid R. , Taddei Kevin , Markovic Shaun J. , Martins Ralph N. , Brown Belinda M.
Published: March 2024

Physical activity is a promising preventative strategy for Alzheimer’s disease: it is associated with lower dementia risk, better cognition, greater brain volume and lower brain beta-amyloid. Blood-based biomarkers have emerged as a low-cost, non-invasive strategy for detecting preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, however, there is limited literature examining the effect of exercise (a structured form of physical activity) on blood-based biomarkers. The current study investigated the influence of a 6-month exercise intervention on levels of plasma beta-amyloid (Aβ42, Aβ40, Aβ42/40), phosphorylated tau (p-tau181), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light (NfL) chain in cognitively unimpaired older adults, and as a secondary aim, whether blood-based biomarkers related to cognition. Ninety-nine community-dwelling older adults (69.1 ± 5.2) were allocated to an inactive control, or to moderate or high intensity exercise groups where they cycled twice weekly for six months. At baseline and six months (post-intervention), fasted blood was collected and analysed using single molecule array (SIMOA) assays, and cognition was assessed. Results demonstrated no change in levels of any plasma biomarker from pre- to post-intervention. At baseline, higher NfL was associated with poorer cognition (β = -0.33, SE = 0.13, adjusted p = .042). Exploratory analyses indicated higher cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with higher NfL and GFAP levels in apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 non-carriers compared to ε4 carriers (NfL, β = -0.43, SE = 0.19, p = .029; GFAP, β = -0.41, SE = 0.20, p = .044), though this association was mediated by body mass index (BMI). These results highlight the importance of considering BMI in analysis of blood-based biomarkers, especially when investigating differences between APOE ε4 carriers and non-carriers. Our results also indicate that longer follow-up periods may be required to observe exercise-induced change in blood-based biomarkers.
Higher order elliptic equations in weighted Banach spaces
Authors: Bilalov Bilal T. , Sadigova Sabina R. , Softova Lyoubomira G.
Published: March 2024

We consider m-th order linear, uniformly elliptic equations $$\mathcal {L}u=f$$

L
u
=
f

with non-smooth coefficients in Banach–Sobolev spaces $$W_{X_w}^m (\Omega )$$

W

X
w

m

(
Ω
)

generated by weighted Banach Function Spaces (BFS) $$X_w (\Omega )$$

X
w

(
Ω
)

on a bounded domain $$\Omega \subset {\mathbb R}^{n}$$

Ω
⊂

R

n

. Supposing boundedness of the Hardy–Littlewood Maximal operator and the Calderón–Zygmund singular integrals in $$X_w (\Omega )$$

X
w

(
Ω
)

we obtain solvability in the small in $$W_{X_w}^m (\Omega )$$

W

X
w

m

(
Ω
)

and establish interior Schauder type a priori estimates. These results will be used in order to obtain Fredholmness of the operator $$\mathcal {L}$$
L
in $$X_w (\Omega )$$

X
w

(
Ω
)

.
Towards true prices in food retailing: the value added tax as an instrument transforming agri-food systems
Authors: Oebel B. , Stein L. , Michalke A. , Stoll-Kleemann S. , Gaugler T.
Published: March 2024

Current crises (i.e., climate crisis, COVID-19 pandemic, Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the resulting energy and food shortages) indicate the need for robust, and sustainable supply chains with regional food production and farmland to secure food supply in the European Union (EU). Recent research shows that organic food is more resilient to supply chain disruptions and price fluctuations. In this context, we examine an approach for the sustainable and resilient transformation of agri-food networks: can an adaptation of value added tax (VAT) levels work as a financial incentive to amplify resilient agricultural practices and sustainable dietary patterns? Within the setting of the amendment of the European framework directive on the use of VAT in 2022, we model the effects of adapting the current German VAT system by (1) reducing VAT on organic vegetarian food to 0% and (2) raising VAT on conventional meat and fish to 19%. Based on historical data on organic sales shares and price elasticities, we project sales shares differentiated by product group for each scenario. Then, we calculate expected tax revenues, changes in consumption patterns, and arising total external climate costs in Germany for both scenarios. Our results show that the overall consumption share of organic food would increase by 21.83% due to the modeled VAT reform compared to the status quo. Despite the VAT reduction to 0% on organic vegetarian products, the measure would yield €2.04 billion in extra tax revenues in Germany per year due to the increased taxation on conventional meat products. We find that annual environmental costs of €5.31 billion can be avoided as a result of lower external climate costs of organic and vegetarian food. Therefore, adjusting VAT rates in the food market can be a political instrument to drive organic food consumption and reduce animal livestock. This supports re-territorialization of agriculture and a more sustainable and resilient European food supply.
Running up that hill: a literature review and research agenda proposal on “gazelles” firms
Authors: Fulco Irene , Loia Francesca , Aquilani Barbara , Gravili Ginevra
Published: March 2024

In recent years, “gazelles”—a small set of high-growth firms—have attracted considerable interest from researchers for their capacity to contribute significantly to the competitiveness of nations. However, in management literature, the research on this topic is still incomplete, and a broad but focused review is needed to understand the phenomenon fully. Therefore, the paper aims to analyse in depth the literature on “gazelles” published in the Business, Management, and Accounting and Decision Sciences fields, shedding light on opportunities arising from emerging research topics related to the phenomenon. In meeting this aim, the work is built on a systematic literature review, and Elsevier’s Scopus database was selected and scanned to access publications. The analysis identifies in the sample under investigation the quantitative characteristics (temporal distribution of publications, journals included in the sample, and methodological approach adopted by authors), as well as seven main topics resulting from the qualitative coding process (performance, policy and employment, innovation, entrepreneurship, corporate governance and decision-making, human resources, and strategy). Finally, a comprehensive outlook and a critical analysis of the state-of-the-art research on these specific high-growth firms have been provided through the proposal of a conceptual framework. This study also proposes a research agenda for scholars while providing insightful suggestions from a practical point of view.
Validity of multiple-choice digital formative assessment for assessing students’ (mis)conceptions: evidence from a mixed-methods study in algebra
Authors: Klingbeil Katrin , Rösken Fabian , Barzel Bärbel , Schacht Florian , Stacey Kaye , Steinle Vicki , Thurm Daniel
Published: March 2024

Assessing students’ (mis)conceptions is a challenging task for teachers as well as for researchers. While individual assessment, for example through interviews, can provide deep insights into students’ thinking, this is very time-consuming and therefore not feasible for whole classes or even larger settings. For those settings, automatically evaluated multiple-choice (MC) items could be a solution. However, it is a challenge to design those items and to adapt them for other countries in a way that they adequately reveal students’ (mis)conceptions. In this article, we investigate the question whether it is valid to use a German adaption of a multiple-choice test developed in Australia for formative assessment of the letter-as-object misconception in Germany. For this, first semi-structured interviews with five German Year 8 students were conducted, and second, 616 students were asked for short written explanations. These data were analysed with regards to the students’ (mis)conceptions and compared with their automatic online diagnosis. In general, a high concordance between online SMART test results and students’ explanations was observed, confirming that useful diagnoses of student misconceptions can be obtained from such a short well-designed MC test.
Numerical simulation of COSMOS 2499 fragmentation
Authors: Olivieri Lorenzo , Giacomuzzo Cinzia , Francesconi Alessandro
Published: March 2024

In-space satellites fragmentation events contribute to the continuous growth of man-made debris. Observations of these events can provide limited information on the number and characteristics of the generated fragments, as only the largest ones can be detected with ground instrumentation. Numerical simulations replicating in-orbit fragmentation can integrate the missing information regarding fragments number, shape, and orbital distribution. In this context, this paper presents the numerical reconstruction of COSMOS 2499 break-up of January 4th, 2023. First, a digital twin of the satellite is modeled with the Collision Simulation Tool Solver, a custom semi-empirical simulation code, to replicate the explosion of an internal tank; different expansion velocities for the exploding elements are examined and the resulting fragments size and shape distributions are presented. In a second part, the effect of the attitude at the moment of the break-up on the generated debris orbital distribution is discussed. Finally, the numerical results are compared with the available data from ground observations, showing a good accordance with them.
Playing both fig sides: the presence and host-switch of Pleistodontes imperialis (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae) is confirmed in Greece and Cyprus
Authors: Koutsoukos Evangelos , Demetriou Jakovos , Martinou Angeliki F. , Compton Stephen G. , Avtzis Dimitrios N , Rasplus Jean-Yves
Published: March 2024

Several Oriental and Australian species of Ficus have been introduced outside their native range and planted as ornamentals in urban habitats throughout the Mediterranean. This translocation of plant species has led to the introduction of host-specific insects such as their pollinating fig wasps (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae). Here, the Australian fig wasp Pleistodontes imperialis Saunders, 1882 is reported for the first time from Greece. Partial COI genes were sequenced for specimens sampled in Greece and Cyprus, and they appear to share identical haplotypes. Interestingly, this species-specific wasp not only develops in figs of its usual host, Ficus rubiginosa, but also in figs of Ficus watkinsiana, another Australian species introduced in Greece, which is pollinated by a second agaonid species (Pleistodontes nigriventris Girault, 1915) in its native range. Although no negative economic or environmental impacts have been observed yet, monitoring of alien Ficus spp. in the region is encouraged to prevent their possible establishment in natural habitats.
I belong; hence, I engage? A cohort study of transitions between school engagement classes and academic achievement: The role of relational school climate
Authors: Katsantonis Ioannis
Published: March 2024

The role of the school climate in buffering disengagement remains relatively underresearched. The present study examined transitions between classes of early adolescents’ school engagement and relational school climate factors influencing classes of students’ (dis-)engagement, and how these were linked with academic achievement in mid-adolescence. A representative sample of 3,643 early adolescents (48.72% females) from the Growing Up in Australia cohort study was utilised. Latent transition analyses indicated three classes of school engagement, namely mostly disengaged, moderately engaged and highly engaged. Significant transitions were found between classes with fewer students becoming moderately engaged and mostly disengaged. Having a positive teacher–student relationship and higher feelings of school belonging predicted membership to the highly engaged classes. Highly engaged students were fewer by age 12 but had the best achievement only in numeracy, writing and spelling tests at age 14/15. The study underscores the importance of positive relational school climate for fostering school engagement and achievement.
Clinical effectiveness of pit and fissure sealants in primary and permanent teeth of children and adolescents: an umbrella review
Authors: Amend S. , Boutsiouki C. , Winter J. , Kloukos D. , Frankenberger R. , Krämer N.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This umbrella review aimed to critically appraise the evidence published in systematic reviews (SRs) on the clinical effectiveness of sealants compared with each other/the non-use in primary/permanent teeth of children and adolescents with at least 12-month follow-up.

Methods

A systematic literature search on 4 electronic databases was conducted up to January 18th, 2023. Following handsearching, two review authors independently screened retrieved articles, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias (RoB) using the risk of bias in systematic reviews (ROBIS) tool. Based on a citation matrix, the overlap was interpreted by the corrected covered area (CCA).

Results

Of 239 retrieved records, 7 SRs met the eligibility criteria with a moderate overlap among them (CCA = 7.4%). For primary molars, in 1120 1.5- to 8-year-old children, data on the clinical effectiveness of sealants were inconclusive. For permanent molars, 3 SRs found a significant caries risk reduction for sealants versus non-use (≤ 36-month follow-up). There was insufficient evidence to proof superiority of sealants over fluoride varnish for caries prevention (3 SRs), and to rank sealant materials according to the best clinical effectiveness in permanent molars. One study was rated at low and 6 at high RoB, which did not allow for a valid quantitative synthesis.

Conclusion

Considering the limitations of this umbrella review, sealants are more effective for caries prevention in children’s permanent molars compared to no treatment. Future well-implemented RCTs are needed to draw reliable conclusions on the clinical effectiveness of sealants in primary and permanent teeth of children and adolescents.
Stress distributions around the interference fit between a round pin and a perforated finite plate
Authors: Castagnetti D. , Dragoni E.
Published: March 2024

Interference fit couplings between a perforated finite plate and a round pin are widely used mechanical systems in several industrial applications. Only a few works in the literature investigate the coupling contact pressure due to interference in the absence of an external load, and these works are limited to a few specific configurations. To overcome this limitation, this work performs a numerical systematic investigation of the pin-plate coupling for a wide range of configurations that can be encountered in practice. Three are the variables investigated: the pin diameter, the plate length, and the pin offset in the longitudinal direction, all of them normalized over plate width, for a total of 18 configurations. The work provides a detailed prediction of the contact pressure and equivalent von Mises stress along the contact surface and compares the results with photoelastic investigations retrieved from the literature. For design purposes, the results are synthesized through two stress concentration factors, one referring to the peak contact pressure, and the second one to the peak von Mises stress.
No association between history of psychiatric treatment and postoperative weight reduction after bariatric surgery
Authors: Kozela Magdalena , Stepaniak Urszula , Koziara Karolina , Karpińska Izabela , Major Piotr , Matyja Maciej
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The objective of the study was to assess whether the history of psychiatric treatment was associated with (1) body weight and BMI on admission for bariatric surgery, (2) weight loss > 5 kg prior to bariatric surgery, and (3) postoperative body weight reduction.

Methods

Data from medical records of all consecutive patients admitted for surgical treatment of obesity in the 2nd Department of General Surgery Jagiellonian University Medical College were obtained. There were 1452 records of patients who underwent bariatric surgery between 2009 and 2021 included in the study.

Results

History of psychiatric treatment was found in 177 (12%) of the sample and was inversely associated with body weight and BMI on admission for surgery in women. Men with history of psychiatric treatment were 54% less likely to lose > 5 kg before the surgery (OR = 0.46 95% CI = 0.24–0.88). Both in men and women %TWL did not differ significantly by history of psychiatric treatment (Me: 40.7 vs. 45.9;p = 0.130 and Me: 27.0 vs. 23.9;p = 0.383, respectively). After adjustment for covariates no association was found between history of psychiatric treatment and body weight reduction one year after surgery.

Conclusion

Although men with preoperative history of psychiatric treatment had lower odds of losing weight before the surgery, psychiatric treatment did not differentiate the effectiveness of bariatric treatment in 1 year of observation. Bariatric surgery appears to be an effective obesity care for people treated for mental disorders.

Level of evidence:IIIEvidence obtained from cohort or case-control analytic studies.
Investigation of Childhood Traumas of Individuals Who Experienced Parental Death in Childhood or Adolescence in Turkey
Authors: Daşbaş Serap , Babahanoğlu Rasim , Kesen Nur Feyzal , Saruç Semra , Afyonoğlu Meliha Funda
Published: March 2024

This study investigates the childhood traumas of individuals who experienced parental death in childhood or adolescence in Turkey. Participants (n = 382; 63.1% female and 36.9% male; MAGE=29.41, SD = 9.6) are composed of individuals who lost either or both of their parents before the age of 18. The findings indicated that there is a significant difference between the subdimensions of Childhood Trauma Questionaire and the study variables including gender, marital status, educational status, number of siblings, gender of the deceased parent, the caregiver after the parental death, relationship with the surviving parent and the age at the time of parental death (p < .05). The results further show that individuals who lost their parents before the age of 10, who lost their mothers, and who received care from other relatives instead of parents are exposed to more neglect and abuse. By identifying childhood traumas in individuals and examining related variables, the findings contribute trauma-informed social work practices. Based on the results, it is recommended that school social work programs focus on monitoring the relationship between caregivers and children, as well as enhancing the psychosocial well-being of students. These programs can also serve as a means to raise awareness among professionals and students.
Setting an Environmental Baseline for the Deep-Sea Slope Offshore Northwestern Cuba (Southeastern Gulf of Mexico) Using Sediments and Nematode Diversity
Authors: Armenteros Maickel , Marzo-Pérez Diana , Pérez-García José Andrés , Schwing Patrick T. , Ruiz-Abierno Alexei , Díaz-Asencio Misael , Larson Rebekka A. , Brooks Gregg R. , Hastings David W. , Gracia Adolfo , Murawski Steven A.
Published: March 2024

Deep-sea offshore northwestern Cuba is the less studied zone of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Our study aimed to set an environmental baseline and investigate a potential west-east gradient of sediment properties and nematode diversity along the northwestern Cuba. Sediments were collected by multicorer at nine sites in the insular slope between 974 and 1682 m depth. Sediment texture and composition showed a west-east gradient caused likely by narrowing of shelf width and increasing of downslope transport of terrigenous material. We found clear signatures of heavy metal pollution likely derived from Havana City but also from open-sky mining (Castellanos mining complex) and port dredging operations (Mariel). Nematode assemblages were dominated by the deep-sea genera: Acantholaimus, Metadasynemella, Desmodorella, Cervonema, Daptonema, Halalaimus, and Pselionema. α-diversity was about 20–50 genera and γ-diversity of about 100 genera. The β-diversity was substantial likely because small-scale patchiness of resources and heavy metals stress that increased assemblage variability. Individual weight decreased with depth indicating food-supply limitation in the deep sea; also, heavy metals were negatively correlated with weight suggesting deleterious effects on the growing. Our findings indicate that heavy metal pollution has reached deep-sea sediments and corroborate the long-range effects of anthropogenic activities on deep sea. Taxonomic diversity and biological traits (life strategy and trophic composition) constituted a powerful bioindicator of benthic health and benchmark for future potential disturbances in the region. Northwestern Cuba slope is still an understudied portion of the GoM and more research is needed to fully understand its biodiversity and biogeochemical patterns.
Kontakt, Nähe, Vertrauen: Mobilisierungstechniken und -taktiken im Haustürwahlkampf der SPD zur Landtagswahl 2022 im Saarland
Authors: Jakobs Simon , Minas Marius
Published: March 2024

Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht den Haustürwahlkampf der SPD zur Landtagswahl 2022 im Saarland. Basierend auf Annahmen des mikrosoziologischen Ansatzes der Wahlforschung geht der Beitrag davon aus, dass Haustürwahlkampf insgesamt eine nicht zu unterschätzende Mobilisierungswirkung hat und stimmenmaximierend wirken kann. Auf Basis von zehn Interviews mit Wahlkämpfer*innen und Spitzenpolitiker*innen werden Strategien und Taktiken, wie beispielsweise die Nutzung datengestützter Tools, die innerhalb des Haustürwahlkampfes genutzt wurden, dargelegt und kritisch diskutiert. Nicht zuletzt folgt eine Potenzialeinschätzung des Haustürwahlkampfes vonseiten der interviewten Expert*innen, die jedoch nur anekdotische Evidenz besitzt. Bemerkenswerterweise schreiben die Interviewpartner*innen dem Haustürwahlkampf jedoch eine essenzielle Rolle für den Wahlausgang zu. Der vermutete Mehrwert des Haustürwahlkampfes als Kampagneninstrument liege im persönlichen Gespräch, mit dem interpersonales Vertrauen aufgebaut werden kann.
Roundabout-like defect as a guide of phase-slip lines in a superconducting thin film at low temperature
Authors: Gonzalez-Balaguera J. E. , Aguirre C. A. , Barba-Ortega J.
Published: March 2024

In this work, we examined the kinematic vortex state in a low-temperature, mesoscopic superconducting thin film in presence of an external applied current $$\varvec{J}$$

J

, at zero magnetic field. We analyzed the voltage-current ($$\varvec{V-I}$$

V
-
I

), resistivity-current ($$\varvec{R-I}$$

R
-
I

) curves, as well as the vortex-anti-vortex velocity $$\varvec{V_m}$$

V
m

and the superconducting-electron density (norm of the superconduting order parameter $$\varvec{\psi }$$

ψ

) as an applied current function. Additionally, we have calculated the voltage as a function of characteristic time ($$\varvec{V-t}$$

V
-
t

). The sample presents a roundabout shaped pinning center fabricated with a lower low-temperature superconducting material, which allows for control over the vortex dynamics within the sample. To study this system, we have solved the generalized time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations for a single-condensate system. Our results demonstrate that the kinematic vortices enter the sample through regions where the superconductivity is depleted, revealing an intriguing and novel behavior of the phase-slip lines in the defect. We found that when a higher $$\varvec{J}$$

J

is applied and the defect is not centered, the point where the vortex anti-vortex pairs enter the film moves away from the defect and are located in a point tangent to the outer circle of the defect. Besides, our results show a way to control the dynamics of the vortices, critical currents, and points of annihilation or creation of the cinematic vortices by including defects in the sample, important in the design and development of devices applied in industry and engineering.
Utilizing virtual reality before, versus during, the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Guevara Diane , Koco Jen
Published: March 2024

As the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly pushed interior design (ID) instruction online, instructors were challenged to adapt, and students adapted a new method of virtual reality (VR). The VR method before COVID-19 was a Homido V2 VR headset with iPhone viewing 360-degree panorama jpeg, and during COVID-19 a liquid crystal display (LCD) computer monitor viewing 360-degree panorama jpeg. The purpose of this study was, if a statistically significant difference (SSD) in spatial presence was found between the two types of VR, then an argument could be supported to evaluate spatial presence, before VR is implemented into ID curriculum. This study was at one Midwestern United States university with a sample (N = 52) of ID undergraduate students. The results revealed an SSD in the spatial presence in the aforementioned VR types. This SSD was found in two of the three dependent variables: Spatial Presence: Possible Action (SPPA; U = 772, p < 0.001), example survey question feeling you could jump into the action, and Spatial Presence: Self Location (SPSL; U = 789, p < 0.001), example feeling you are in the middle of the action. The third dependent variable, Spatial Situation Model (SSM; U = 1320, p = 0.834) did not reveal an SSD, example imagining the arrangement of the spaces. To support results, the Virtual Reality Spatial Presence Index (VRSPI) applied scored neutral (neither strong, nor weak) for spatial presence in both. This study filled research gaps on VR spatial presence measurement, with implications supporting a measurable advantage in ID students using VR headsets and ID curriculum developers evaluating VR before implementation.