bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
China’s environmental solutions
Authors: Schmid Rolf , Xiong Xin
Published: January 2023

China emits unproportionately high concentrations of CO2 and, due to rapid population growth and industrialization, suffers from air, water, and soil pollution. However, many of these challenges for sustainable growth are being vigorously addressed, and China aims at a CO2 emission peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 (“dual carbon policy”). In addition, nation-wide programs attempt to achieve reforestation and ecological restoration. By 2025, core elements of a “bioeconomy” and a circular economy are expected to be ready. Many of these programs extend into China’s international “belt-and-road” initiative (BRI). In this article, we briefly describe the present achievements of China’s environmental solutions and the country’s visions for a “digital, eco-friendly civilization.”

Key points

• China’s steps towards environmental cleaning, eco-protection, and decarbonization.

• Steps towards a future bioeconomy.
Determinants of activity and efficacy of anti-PD1/PD-L1 therapy in patients with advanced solid tumors recruited in a clinical trials unit: a longitudinal prospective biomarker-based study
Authors: García-Corbacho Javier , Indacochea Alberto , González Navarro Azucena E. , Victoria Iván , Moreno Débora , Pesántez David , Angelats Laura , Modrego-Sanchez Andrea , Sanfeliu Esther , Castillo Oleguer , Blasco Paula , Mezquita Laura , Viñolas Nuria , Nogué Miquel , Galván Patricia , Adamo Barbara , Basté Neus , Sauri Tamara , Juan Manel , Prat Aleix , Schettini Francesco
Published: January 2023

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized the therapeutic landscape of cancer. However, optimal patient selection is still an unmet need. One-hundred-forty-six patients with metastatic cancer candidates to ICI at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona Clinical Trials Unit were prospectively recruited in this observational study. Blood samples were collected at different timepoints, baseline LIPI score calculated and pre-ICI archived tissues retrieved to evaluate PD-L1, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and PD1 mRNA levels. Tumor assessments were centrally reviewed by RECIST 1.1 criteria. Associations with overall response rates (ORR), durable clinical benefit (DCB), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were performed with univariable/multivariable logistic and Cox regressions, where appropriate. At a median follow-up of 26.9 months, median PFS and OS were 2.7 and 12.9 months. Response rates were 17.8% with duration of response (DOR) of 4.4 months. LIPI score was independently associated with PFS (p = 0.025) and OS (p < 0.001). Immunotherapy-naïve status was independently associated with better PFS (p = 0.005). Time-to-best response (TTBR) and ORR (p < 0.001 both) were associated with better OS at univariate analysis. PFS and DOR were moderately correlated with OS (p < 0.001 both). A PD-L1 10% cut-off detected worse/best responders in terms of ORR (univariate p = 0.011, multivariate p = 0.028) and DCB (univariate p = 0.043). PD1 mRNA levels were strikingly associated to complete responses (p = 0.021). To resume, in our prospective observational pan-cancer study, baseline LIPI score, immunotherapy-naïve status, cancer type and RT before starting ICI were the most relevant clinical factors independently correlated with immunotherapy outcomes. Longer TTBR seemed to associate with better survival, while PD1 mRNA and PD-L1 protein levels might be tumor-agnostic predictive factors of response to ICI and should be furtherly explored.
Contact tracing & super-spreaders in the branching-process model
Authors: Müller Johannes , Hösel Volker
Published: January 2023

In recent years, it became clear that super-spreader events play an important role, particularly in the spread of airborne infections. We investigate a novel model for super-spreader events, not based on a heterogeneous contact graph but on a random contact rate: Many individuals become infected synchronously in single contact events. We use the branching-process approach for contact tracing to analyze the impact of super-spreader events on the effect of contact tracing. Here we neglect a tracing delay. Roughly speaking, we find that contact tracing is more efficient in the presence of super-spreaders if the fraction of symptomatics is small, the tracing probability is high, or the latency period is distinctively larger than the incubation period. In other cases, the effect of contact tracing can be decreased by super-spreaders. Numerical analysis with parameters suited for SARS-CoV-2 indicates that super-spreaders do not decrease the effect of contact tracing crucially in case of that infection.
Electromechanical and electrochemical properties of highly filled Titanium composites for PEM bipolar plates
Authors: Gaudig Maria , Münchgesang Wolfram , Martins de Souza e Silva Juliana , Pascher Fabian , Hickmann Thorsten , Wehrspohn Ralf B.
Published: January 2023

Titanium polymer composites are evaluated concerning their suitability as bipolar plates in acid water electrolysis as a replacement of milled Titanium bipolar plates. It turns out that our highly filled polymer composites with 80 wt.-% Titanium powder meet all criteria given by US Department of Energy concerning electric conductivity and mechanical stability. Concerning the electrochemical corrosion test, an improved behavior is obtained by coating the composites by a 0.5 $$\mu$$
μ
m thin Titanium layer. The coated Titanium composite bipolar plate has been successfully integrated in a PEM fuel cell. The polarization curves show good electrolysis performances for short time, but further improvements on the coating and the surface roughness need to be made for long-time stability.
Adventure Legal Medicine: a free online serious game for supplementary use in undergraduate medical education
Authors: Anders Sven , Steen Antonia , Müller Tjark , Krause Waldemar , Sanwald Annika , Raupach Tobias , Ondruschka Benjamin , Krebs Oliver
Published: January 2023

Serious games (computer-based learning games) are increasingly used in medical education at various levels, as user access is independent of location and time and promotes non-linear learning. In legal medicine, interactive digital media are still scarce. The freely accessible online serious game “Adventure Legal Medicine” was developed as part of the “Hamburg Open Online University”. The goal was to teach the basics of forensic casework in a point-and-click adventure setting consisting of five cases. During development, 40 medical students were asked to evaluate the game anonymously. The System Usability Scale (SUS) resulted in a mean score of 86.7 (SD 8.3), which corresponds to above-average usability. Further specific evaluations revealed a good to very good rating of the game with no differences in terms of gender (p = 0.214), first-year versus advanced students (p = 0.393) and students who never/rarely or sometimes/often played computer games (p = 0.780). Since there are only a few digital media so far that allow curricular integration into undergraduate teaching in legal medicine, this serious game represents a possibility to integrate digital media into both face-to-face teaching and distance learning and to use it as a supplement to the medical school’s own teaching offer, encouraging users to actively engage with the subject.
Two cases of SMA syndrome after neurosurgical injury to the frontal aslant tract
Authors: Agyemang Kevin , Rose Anna , Sheikh Mustafa El , Asha Mutiu , Molinari Emanuela , Fullerton Natasha E. , Brennan David , Grivas Athanasios
Published: January 2023

Supplementary
motor area (SMA) syndrome is characterised by transient disturbance in volitional movement and speech production which classically occurs after injury to the medial premotor area. We present two cases of SMA syndrome following isolated surgical injury to the frontal aslant tract (FAT) with the SMA intact. The first case occurred after resection of a left frontal operculum tumour. The second case occurred after a transcortical approach to a ventricular neurocytoma. The clinical picture and fMRI activation patterns during recovery were typical for SMA syndrome and support the theory that the FAT is a critical bundle in the SMA complex function.
Neurocognitive monitoring in patients undergoing opioid pain medication after spinal surgery: a feasibility study of a new monitoring method
Authors: Butenschoen Vicki Marie , Wriedt Ferdinand , Meyer Bernhard , Krieg Sandro M.
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Patients undergoing spinal surgery require postoperative pain management to alleviate wound pain. Pain medication includes WHO grade 1 analgesic as well as potent opioids, potentially leading to cognitive decline. Up until now, the cognitive impairment is only poorly studied and difficult to monitor. We hereby investigate the feasibility of a digital monitoring method for neurocognitive function under opioid medication after spinal instrumentation.

Methods

Prospective monocenter feasibility study enrolling patients before undergoing spinal surgery. We performed cognitive testing using a tablet-based application before (baseline), as well as on day 2 after surgery (intravenous opioids), before discharge (oral opioids), and at follow-up. We recorded the exact pain medication and its other side effects. Potential risk factors for the postoperative decline in cognition included age, high-dose opioid application, and length of surgery.

Results

We included 20 patients in our study. The baseline assessment revealed no cognitive impairment before surgery. All patients underwent dorsal instrumentation for degenerative (60%), osteoporotic fracture (15%), or spinal tumor (25%) indications. Cognitive testing after surgery showed a significant decline under intravenous opioid therapy including short time and delayed verbal recall (p < 0.001) as well as arithmetic fluency. Cognitive performance significantly improved with partial recovery until follow-up and opioid discontinuation.

Conclusion

Cognition testing and monitoring of neurocognitive decline under high-dose opioid medication were feasible using the digital tablet-based application. The cognition app helps to identify difficulties in cognitive function as a side effect of overdosage in opioid medication, and care givers should evaluate the risk of non-comprehension and impaired informed consent appropriately.
Biomechanical properties of periodontal tissues in non-periodontitis and periodontitis patients assessed with an intraoral computerized electronic measurement device
Authors: Jepsen Karin , Jervøe-Storm Pia-Merete , Henrichs Isabel , Lensing Ina , Müller Alja Larissa , Cosgarea Raluca , Keilig Ludger , Bourauel Christoph , Jepsen Søren
Published: January 2023

Objective

To identify tooth mobility (TM) by time-dependent tooth displacement using an electronic intra-oral loading device (ILD) in periodontally healthy and periodontally compromised patients.

Materials and methods

Twenty-eight untreated periodontitis and 20 periodontally healthy patients [25 female and 26 male; ages: 20–81 years], contributing with 68 teeth (periodontitis: nteeth = 28; non-periodontitis: nteeth = 40), participated in the study. TM was measured in vivo by displacing central or lateral incisors to a maximum of 0.2 mm orally over durations of 0.5 s, 1 s, and 10 s with the ILD. The maximum force (Fmax) was extracted from the measured force/deflection curves for every single measurement.

Results

Differences in TM-ILD values were found for periodontitis as compared to non-periodontitis patients derived from the same loading durations (differences of 3.9 (0.5 s), 3.1 (1 s), 2.8 (10 s), (95% CI for 0.5 s (1.2–6.7), p = 0.024; 1 s (1.4–6.0), p = 0.067; 10 s (0.2–5.3), p = 0.001), rejecting the null hypothesis of no difference (T-test) for durations of 0.5 and 10 s. There was a significant correlation of TM-ILD (Fmax) with BOP at 0.5 s (– 0.52) and with attachment loss at all time durations (– 0.47 at 0.5 s; – 0.57 at 1 s; – 0.47 at 10 s).

Conclusions

This clinical investigation could demonstrate that time-dependent tooth displacements using a new computerized electronic device were associated with attachment loss and bleeding on probing.

Clinical relevance

ILD can improve the monitoring of tooth mobility, as TM-ILD values reflect qualitative (inflammatory status interpreted by BOP) and quantitative parameters (interpreted as the amount of CAL loss) of periodontal disease.
Optimal design and assessment of tuned mass damper inerter with nonlinear viscous damper in seismically excited multi-storey buildings
Authors: Rajana Komal , Wang Zixiao , Giaralis Agathoklis
Published: January 2023

In recent years, the tuned mass damper inerter (TMDI) has been demonstrated in several theoretical studies to be an effective vibration absorber for the seismic protection of non-isolated buildings. Its effectiveness relies on careful tuning of the TMDI stiffness and damping properties, while its performance improves with the increase of the inertance property which is readily scalable. Nevertheless, in all previous studies, the energy dissipative TMDI element has been modelled by a linear viscous damper. Still, commercial viscous dampers display a nonlinear velocity-dependent power law behavior. In this regard, this paper investigates, for the first time in literature, the potential of the TMDI fitted with nonlinear viscous damper (NVD) for seismic response protection of multi-storey buildings. This is supported by an efficient optimal nonlinear TMDI (NTMDI) tuning approach which accounts for any absorber connectivity to the building structure and employs statistical linearization to treat the nonlinear damping term. For the special case of white-noise excited undamped buildings, optimal NTMDI tuning is derived analytically in closed-form which is shown to be sufficiently accurate for lightly damped structures. Comprehensive numerical data are presented to delineate trends of optimal NVD damping coefficient with the NVD power-law exponent and the inertance. Further, nonlinear response history analysis results pertaining to optimally tuned NTMDI application for a benchmark 9-storey steel structure demonstrate that reduced NTMDI stroke and inerter force can be achieved with negligible change in storey drifts and floor acceleration performance by adopting lower NVD exponent values, leading to practically beneficial NTMDI deployments.
Increasing the reflection efficiency of the Sedaconda ACD-S by heating and cooling the anaesthetic reflector: a bench study using a test lung
Authors: Meiser Andreas , Meis Pierre Louis Fernando , O’Gara Brian , Volk Thomas , Kermad Azzeddine
Published: January 2023

Background

As volatile anaesthetic gases contribute to global warming, improving the efficiency of their delivery can reduce their environmental impact. This can be achieved by rebreathing from a circle system, but also by anaesthetic reflection with an open intensive care ventilator. We investigated whether the efficiency of such a reflection system could be increased by warming the reflector during inspiration and cooling it during expiration (thermocycling).

Methods

The Sedaconda-ACD-S (Sedana Medical, Danderyd, Sweden) was connected between an intensive care ventilator and a test lung. Liquid isoflurane was infused into the device at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 5.0 mL/h; ventilator settings were 500 mL tidal volume, 12 bpm, 21% oxygen. Isoflurane concentrations were measured inside the test lung after equilibration. Thermocycling was achieved by heating the breathing gas in the inspiratory hose to 37 °C via a heated humidifier without water. Breathing gas expired from the test lung was cooled to 14 °C before reaching the ACD-S. In the test lung, body temperature pressure saturated conditions prevailed. Isoflurane concentrations and reflective efficiency were compared between thermocycling and control conditions.

Results

With thermocycling higher isoflurane concentrations in the test lung were measured for all infusion rates studied. Interpolation of data showed that for achieving 0.4 (0.6) Vol% isoflurane, the infusion rate can be reduced from 1.2 to 0.7 (2.0 to 1.2) mL/h or else to 56% (58%) of control.

Conclusion

Thermocycling of the anaesthetic gas considerably increases the efficiency of the anaesthetic reflector and reduces anaesthetic consumption by almost half in a test lung model. Given that cooling can be miniaturized, this method carries a potential for further saving anaesthetics in clinical practice in the operating theatre as well as for inhaled sedation in the ICU.
Mixed-integer programming techniques for the minimum sum-of-squares clustering problem
Authors: Burgard Jan Pablo , Moreira Costa Carina , Hojny Christopher , Kleinert Thomas , Schmidt Martin
Published: January 2023

The minimum sum-of-squares clustering problem is a very important problem in data mining and machine learning with very many applications in, e.g., medicine or social sciences. However, it is known to be NP-hard in all relevant cases and to be notoriously hard to be solved to global optimality in practice. In this paper, we develop and test different tailored mixed-integer programming techniques to improve the performance of state-of-the-art MINLP solvers when applied to the problem—among them are cutting planes, propagation techniques, branching rules, or primal heuristics. Our extensive numerical study shows that our techniques significantly improve the performance of the open-source MINLP solver . Consequently, using our novel techniques, we can solve many instances that are not solvable with without our techniques and we obtain much smaller gaps for those instances that can still not be solved to global optimality.
Kidney transplant access for children and young adults with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract
Authors: Wei Jenny , Showen Amy , Bicki Alexandra , Lin Feng , McCulloch Charles E. , Ku Elaine , Hampson Lindsay A.
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Although congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are among the leading causes of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in children and young adults, kidney transplantation access for this population has not been well studied in the US. We compared transplantation access in the US based on whether the etiology of kidney disease was secondary to CAKUT, and additionally by CAKUT subgroups (anatomic vs. inherited causes of CAKUT).

Methods

Using the United States Renal Data System, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of 80,531 children and young adults who started dialysis between 1995 and 2015. We used adjusted Cox models to examine the association between etiology of kidney disease (CAKUT vs. non-CAKUT, anatomic vs. inherited) and receipt of kidney transplantation, and secondarily, receipt of a living vs. deceased donor kidney transplant.

Results

Overall, we found an increased likelihood of kidney transplantation access for participants with CAKUT compared to those without CAKUT (HR 1.23; 95% CI 1.20–1.27). Among the subset of individuals with CAKUT as the attributed cause of ESKD, we found a lower likelihood of kidney transplantation in those with anatomic causes of CAKUT compared to those with inherited causes of CAKUT (adjusted HR 0.85; 0.81–0.90).

Conclusion

There are notable disparities in kidney transplantation rates among CAKUT subgroups. Those with anatomic causes of CAKUT started on dialysis have significantly reduced access to kidney transplantations compared to individuals with inherited causes of CAKUT who were initiated on dialysis. Further studies are needed to understand barriers to transplantation access in this population.
Reflections on the popularity of the circular bioeconomy concept: the ontological crisis of sustainability science
Authors: Giampietro Mario
Published: January 2023

I argue that the popularity of the circular bioeconomy concept in policy-making is symptomatic of a profound crisis in sustainability science, which is generated by the adoption of an obsolete scientific paradigm, i.e., obsolete ontologies used to describe our interaction with the external world. The result is a systemic lack of quality control on the science–policy interface. The growing awareness of a pending collapse of our life support systems and the rapidly changing world order would require society to rediscuss its identity. However, current mechanisms of control of the quality of the scientific input used for governance do not allow us to do so. The problem is how to detect and change obsolete scientific paradigms referring to sustainability science. I conclude that a swift move to a new scientific paradigm would require a more reflexive science and a more reflexive society.
Unpacking dynamics of diverse nested resource systems through a diagnostic approach
Authors: Unnikrishnan Hita , Katharina Gerullis Maria , Cox Michael , Nagendra Harini
Published: January 2023

The social–ecological systems (SES) framework (Ostrom 2009, Science. 325(5939):419–22) typologically decomposes SES characteristics into nested, tiered constituent variables. Yet, aligning the framework’s concepts of resource system (RS) and resource unit (RU) with realities of individual case studies poses challenges if the underlying SES is not a single RS, but a mid to large-scale nested RS (NRS). Using a diagnostic approach, we describe NRSs—and the activities and networks of adjacent action situations (NAAS) containing them. An NRS includes the larger RS and multiple interlinked semi-autonomous subsidiary RSs, each of which support simultaneous, differently managed appropriation of individual RUs. We further identify NAASs operating within NRSs in two diverse empirical cases—networks of lake systems in Bengaluru, India and German wheat breeding systems—representing a lever towards understanding transformation of SESs into sustainable futures. This paper contributes towards unpacking and diagnosing complexities within mid to large-scale RSs and their governance. It provides a generalizable, rigorous approach to SES case study analyses, thereby advancing methods for synthesis in sustainability science.
Key research challenges to supporting farm transitions to agroecology in advanced economies. A review
Authors: Prost Lorène , Martin Guillaume , Ballot Rémy , Benoit Marc , Bergez Jacques-Eric , Bockstaller Christian , Cerf Marianne , Deytieux Violaine , Hossard Laure , Jeuffroy Marie-Hélène , Leclère Margot , Le Bail Marianne , Le Gal Pierre-Yves , Loyce Chantal , Merot Anne , Meynard Jean-Marc , Mignolet Catherine , Munier-Jolain Nicolas , Novak Sandra , Parnaudeau Virginie , Poux Xavier , Sabatier Rodolphe , Salembier Chloé , Scopel Eric , Simon Sylvaine , Tchamitchian Marc , Toffolini Quentin , van der Werf Hayo
Published: January 2023

In response to the sustainability issues that agriculture faces in advanced economies, agroecology has gained increasing relevance in scientific, political, and social debates. This has promoted discussion about transitions to agroecology, which represents a significant advancement. Accordingly, it has become a growing field of research. We reviewed the literature on and in support of farm transitions to agroecology in advanced economies in order to identify key research challenges and suggest innovative research paths. Our findings can be summarized as follows: (1) Research that supports exploration and definition of desired futures, whether based on future-oriented modeling or expert-based foresight approaches, should more explicitly include the farm level. It should stimulate the creativity and design ability of farmers and other stakeholders, and also address issues of representation and power among them. (2) Research that creates awareness and assesses farms before, during or after transition requires more holistic and dynamic assessment frameworks. These frameworks need to be more flexible to adapt to the diversity of global and local challenges. Their assessment should explicitly include uncertainty due to the feedback loops and emergent properties of transitions. (3) Research that analyzes and supports farms during transition should focus more on the dynamics of change processes by valuing what happens on the farms. Research should especially give more credence to on-farm experiments conducted by farmers and develop new tools and methods (e.g., for strategic monitoring) to support these transitions. This is the first review of scientific studies of farm transitions to agroecology. Overall, the review indicates that these transitions challenge the system boundaries, temporal horizons, and sustainability dimensions that agricultural researchers usually consider. In this context, farm transitions to agroecology require changes in the current organization and funding of research in order to encourage longer term and more adaptive configurations.
Stability of a General Functional Equation in m-Banach Spaces
Authors: Ciepliński Krzysztof
Published: January 2023

In this note, the Ulam stability of a general functional equation in several variables is investigated. It is shown that this equation is Ulam stable in m-Banach spaces. Since a particular case of the considered equation is, among others, a functional equation introduced by Ji et al. and Zhao et al. for a characterization of the so-called multi-quadratic mapping, a result on its stability is also presented. Moreover, some other applications are provided.
Eine Frage des Settings?
Authors: Waldvogel Thomas
Published: January 2023

Inwiefern unterscheiden sich Wirkungen und Erfolgsfaktoren zwischen Interventionen der politischen Bildung im Politik‑, Fremdsprachen- und Online-Unterricht? Der Beitrag diskutiert diese Frage, indem er die Antworten von 381 Schülerinnen analysiert, die an einem simulativen Rollenspiel über eine Fernsehdebatte zur französischen Präsidentschaftswahl 2022 im Politik‑, Französisch- und Online-Unterricht teilnahmen. Die Evaluationsstudie zeigt, erstens, dass sich in der Gesamtstichprobe durch die Teilnahme an der Intervention das spezifische Interesse an der französischen Präsidentschaftswahl, die internen Selbstwirksamkeitsüberzeugungen und das subjektive Wissen ebenso wie der tatsächliche Kenntnisstand deutlich erhöhten. Keine substanziellen Effekte zeigen sich für das externe Effektivitätsgefühl und die Konstrukte der basalen und weiterführenden politischen Partizipationsbereitschaft in der Gesamtstichprobe. Zweitens wird deutlich, dass diese Lerneffekte zwischen den Formaten in unterschiedlichen Settings variieren. Während die Online-Gruppe durchweg geringere Effekte erfährt, weisen die Lerngruppen im „analogen“ Französischunterricht besondere Zugewinne im objektiven und subjektiven Wissen sowie in den internen Effektivitätsüberzeugungen auf. Die Untergruppe derjenigen Schülerinnen, die im Politikunterricht an dem simulativen Rollenspiel in der Schule teilnahmen, zeichnen sich hingegen durch Lerneffekte bezüglich der externen Effektivität, der basalen und weiterführenden Partizipationsbereitschaft aus. Als konsistenten Erfolgsfaktor für die Evaluation der Intervention identifizieren wir, drittens, die substanziellen Zugewinne im objektiven Wissensstand der Schülerinnen über die französische Präsidentschaftswahl über alle drei Untergruppen hinweg. Der Beitrag schließt mit einer Diskussion über die Limitationen der Studie und ihre Implikationen für die empirische Forschung und Praxis der politischen Bildung im Politik‑, Fremdsprachen- und Online-Unterricht.
The Reserve Bank of India
Authors: Roy Tirthankar
Published: January 2023

The fifth volume on the history of the Reserve Bank of India covers the years from 1997–98 to 2007–08. During this period, it introduced key institutional and financial market reforms in a rapidly changing economic environment and facilitated faster integration of the Indian economy. The Bank rationalised and introduced innovative instruments of monetary control; strengthened regulatory and supervisory processes for both banking and non-banking sectors; adjusted its approach to achieve and sustain financial stability; focussed on building financial market institutions and infrastructure; and spurred legal and other amendments in the larger public interest as also for achieving flexibility with stability in the economy. It also worked to improve the rural credit system, financial inclusion and customer protection. This volume is a narrative history of the Bank and also a rich resource for understanding how an emerging market central bank manages change and shapes the economy to face future challenges.
Addressing the Grand Challenges of Planetary Governance
Authors: Young Oran R.
Published: January 2023

The world today confronts unprecedented needs for governance having profound implications for human well-being that are difficult - perhaps impossible - to address effectively within the prevailing global political order. This makes it pertinent to ask whether we must assume that the global order will continue during the foreseeable future to take the form of a state-based society as we think about options for addressing these challenges. Treating political orders as complex systems and drawing on our understanding of the dynamics of such systems, the author explores the prospects for a critical transition in the prevailing global political order. Individual sections analyze constitutive pressures, systemic forces, tipping elements, the effects of scale, the defining characteristics of potential successors to the current order, and pathways to a new order. In the process, seeking to make a more general contribution to our understanding of critical transitions in large political orders.
Adaptive Governance to Manage Human Mobility and Natural Resource Stress
Authors: Ali Saleem H. , Clifford Martin , Kniveton Dominic , Zickgraf Caroline , Ayeb-Karlsson Sonja
Published: January 2023

Connections between resources and migration operate as a complex adaptive system rather than being premised in linear, causal mechanisms. The systems thinking advocated within this Element increases the inclusion of socio-psychological, financial, demographic, environmental and political dimensions that mediate resource-(im)mobility pathways. The Earth Systems Governance paradigm provides a way to manage global migration flows more effectively, allowing for consideration of networks and interdependencies in addition to its inherent adaptiveness. Resource rushes, hydropower displacement, and climate-induced retreat from coastal areas are all examples of circumstances linking resources and human mobility. Movement can also ameliorate environmental conditions and hence close monitoring of impacts and policies which harness benefits of migration is advocated. Green remittance bonds, and land tenure policies favoring better arable resource usage are key ingredients of a more systems-oriented approach to managing mobility. The Global Compact on Migration offers an opportunity to operationalize such adaptive governance approaches in the Anthropocene.
Italian Courts and European Culture
Authors: Fantoni Marcello
Published: January 2023

Between the fifteenth and the eighteenth century, princely courts dominated the Italian political scene. These courts were effervescent centers of cultural production. As such, they became a model for European monarchies who imported Italian courtly forma del vivere ('style of life') to legitimize their power and to define social status. This phenomenon included architecture and painting, theater and music, manners and aesthetics, and all the objects, behaviors and beliefs that contributed to homogenize European culture in the age of the Old Regime. It involved a hemorrhage of art and a continuous circulation of people, texts and symbols. The foundational material for this process was classicism and its purpose was political. This delineates a new geography and chronology of a truly European cultural history. It also provides the key traits for the European cultural identity.
An examination of legality of global abortion services and the genesis of public policy
Authors: Steinfield Laurel , Ramani Girish , Hill Ronald Paul , Paul Rehana
Published: January 2023

Legality of abortion has been one of the most controversial political initiatives in modern times, which also impacts the healthcare delivery system especially for women. The debate often devolves into disagreement on either access to services on demand from healthcare providers or service refusal regardless of the circumstances. However, the reality is different from this bipolar conversation. Instead, it varies depending upon location of the potential abortion recipient and a host of factors associated with nation-states. Thus, our purpose is to reveal different legislative protocols that lead to or inhibit availability of this aspect of women's reproductive rights, and to empirically determine what are the underlying series of factors that drive these policy decisions. Together they reveal a complex mosaic of fundamental principles that are rarely considered when formulating public policy. We hope our research across nations will help healthcare providers and policy makers recognize the genealogy of options and opportunities as they continue to debate abortion's provision to women within healthcare systems.
Long-term stability and generalization of observationally-constrained stochastic data-driven models for geophysical turbulence
Authors: Chattopadhyay Ashesh , Pathak Jaideep , Nabizadeh Ebrahim , Bhimji Wahid , Hassanzadeh Pedram
Published: January 2023

Recent years have seen a surge in interest in building deep learning-based fully data-driven models for weather prediction. Such deep learning models, if trained on observations can mitigate certain biases in current state-of-the-art weather models, some of which stem from inaccurate representation of subgrid-scale processes. However, these data-driven models, being over-parameterized, require a lot of training data which may not be available from reanalysis (observational data) products. Moreover, an accurate, noise-free, initial condition to start forecasting with a data-driven weather model is not available in realistic scenarios. Finally, deterministic data-driven forecasting models suffer from issues with long-term stability and unphysical climate drift, which makes these data-driven models unsuitable for computing climate statistics. Given these challenges, previous studies have tried to pre-train deep learning-based weather forecasting models on a large amount of imperfect long-term climate model simulations and then re-train them on available observational data. In this article, we propose a convolutional variational autoencoder (VAE)-based stochastic data-driven model that is pre-trained on an imperfect climate model simulation from a two-layer quasi-geostrophic flow and re-trained, using transfer learning, on a small number of noisy observations from a perfect simulation. This re-trained model then performs stochastic forecasting with a noisy initial condition sampled from the perfect simulation. We show that our ensemble-based stochastic data-driven model outperforms a baseline deterministic encoder–decoder-based convolutional model in terms of short-term skills, while remaining stable for long-term climate simulations yielding accurate climatology.
Impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the adherence to hand hygiene practice in hospitals—Data from a Swiss national surveillance system
Authors: Rüfenacht Susanne , Kohler Philipp , Kuhn Rolf , Flury Domenica , Widmer Andreas F. , Schlegel Matthias ,   Swissnoso
Published: January 2023

In >100,000 observations across Swiss acute-care hospitals, hand hygiene (HH) adherence significantly increased during the first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) wave. However, despite persisting COVID-19 activity, HH adherence returned to prepandemic levels over a 2-year observation period. These results indicate that training and support remains challenging.
Tracking antimicrobial stewardship activities beyond days of therapy (DOT): Comparison of days of antibiotic spectrum coverage (DASC) and DOT at a single center
Authors: Suzuki Hiroyuki , Heintz Brett H. , Livorsi Daniel J. , Perencevich Eli N. , Goto Michihiko
Published: January 2023

Even though antimicrobial days of therapy did not significantly decrease during a period of robust stewardship activities at our center, we detected a significant downward trend in antimicrobial spectrum, as measured by days of antibiotic spectrum coverage (DASC). The DASC metric may help more broadly monitor the effect of stewardship activities.
Fixing the misalignment of the concession of corporate legal personality
Authors: Hardman Jonathan
Published: January 2023

The nature of separate legal personality is a perennial debate in corporate law. This paper uses insights from a previous iteration of the debate to argue that separate legal personality is best seen as a two-step process: it is a concession from the state to something real. That real thing is the economic concept of the firm, which has been recently debated within institutional economics. Viewing separate legal personality as a two-step process lets us explore whether the concession of separate legal personality is operating as it should. Law imposes no prerequisite requirement that a firm exists before establishing a company, nor limits firms to only one company. Law thus facilitates misalignments between the firm and the company. Such misalignments will only occur if two constituencies within the company structure – the ultimate shareholders and directors – consider it in their interests to create such misalignment. As a result, these misalignments harm third parties by allowing risk to be exported to them through opportunistic misalignment. This paper then explores the methods of misalignment and reviews current legal tools which are available to be deployed to re-align the company to the firm, and argues that they should be deployed.
COVID-19 host genetics and ABO blood group susceptibility
Authors: Ellinghaus David
Published: January 2023

Twenty-five susceptibility loci for SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 disease severity have been identified in the human genome by genome-wide association studies, and the most frequently replicated genetic findings for susceptibility are genetic variants at the ABO gene locus on chromosome 9q34.2, which is supported by the association between ABO blood group distribution and COVID-19. The ABO blood group effect appears to influence a variety of disease conditions and pathophysiological mechanisms associated with COVID-19. Transmission models for SARS-CoV-2 combined with observational public health and genome-wide data from patients and controls, as well as receptor binding experiments in cell lines and human samples, indicate that there may be a reduction or slowing of infection events by up to 60% in certain ABO blood group constellations of index and contact person in the early phase of a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. The strength of the ABO blood group effect on reducing infection rates further depends on the distribution of the ABO blood groups in the respective population and the proportion of blood group O in that population. To understand in detail the effect of ABO blood groups on COVID-19, further studies are needed in relation to different demographic characteristics, but also in relation to recent data on reinfection with new viral variants and in the context of the human microbiome.
The structure of 3-D collisional magnetized bow shocks in pulsed-power-driven plasma flows
Authors: Datta R. , Russell D.R. , Tang I. , Clayson T. , Suttle L.G. , Chittenden J.P. , Lebedev S.V. , Hare J.D.
Published: January 2023

We investigate three-dimensional (3-D) bow shocks in a highly collisional magnetized aluminium plasma, generated during the ablation phase of an exploding wire array on the MAGPIE facility (1.4 MA, 240 ns). Ablation of plasma from the wire array generates radially diverging, supersonic (

$M_S \sim 7$

), super-Alfvénic (

$M_A > 1$

) magnetized flows with frozen-in magnetic flux (

$R_M \gg 1$

). These flows collide with an inductive probe placed in the flow, which serves both as the obstacle that generates the magnetized bow shock, and as a diagnostic of the advected magnetic field. Laser interferometry along two orthogonal lines of sight is used to measure the line-integrated electron density. A detached bow shock forms ahead of the probe, with a larger opening angle in the plane parallel to the magnetic field than in the plane normal to it. Since the resistive diffusion length of the plasma is comparable to the probe size, the magnetic field decouples from the ion fluid at the shock front and generates a hydrodynamic shock, whose structure is determined by the sonic Mach number, rather than the magnetosonic Mach number of the flow. The 3-D simulations performed using the resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code Gorgon confirm this picture, but under-predict the anisotropy observed in the shape of the experimental bow shock, suggesting that non-MHD mechanisms may be important for modifying the shock structure.
Option pricing under a double-exponential jump-diffusion model with varying severity of jumps
Authors: Lin Xenos Chang-Shuo , Miao Daniel Wei-Chung , Lee Ying-I , Zheng Yu
Published: January 2023

This paper extends the standard double-exponential jump-diffusion (DEJD) model to allow for successive jumps to bring about different effects on the asset price process. The double-exponentially distributed jump sizes are no longer assumed to have the same parameters; instead, we assume that these parameters may take a series of different values to reflect growing or diminishing effects from these jumps. The mathematical analysis of the stock price requires an introduction of a number of distributions that are extended from the hypoexponential (HE) distribution. Under such a generalized setting, the European option price is derived in closed-form which ensures its computational convenience. Through our numerical examples, we examine the effects on the return distributions from the growing and diminishing severity of the upcoming jumps expected in the near future, and investigate how the option prices and the shapes of the implied volatility smiles are influenced by the varying severity of jumps. These results demonstrate the benefits of the modeling flexibility provided by our extension.
Coping with COVID-19: the role of hospital care structures and capacity expansion in five countries
Authors: Cacace Mirella , Böcken Jan , Edquist Kristin , Klenk Tanja , Martinez-Jimenez Mario , Preusker Uwe , Vrangbaek Karsten , Waitzberg Ruth
Published: January 2023

This contribution examines the responses of five health systems in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: Denmark, Germany, Israel, Spain and Sweden. The aim is to understand to what extent this crisis response of these countries was resilient. The study focuses on hospital care structures, considering both existing capacity before the pandemic and the management and expansion of capacity during the crisis. Evaluation criteria include flexibility in the use of existing resources and response planning, as well as the ability to create surge capacity. Data were collected from country experts using a structured questionnaire. Main findings are that not only the total number but also the availability of hospital beds is critical to resilience, as is the ability to mobilise (highly) qualified personnel. Indispensable for rapid capacity adjustment is the availability of data. Countries with more centralised hospital care structures, more sophisticated concepts for providing specialised services and stronger integration of the inpatient and outpatient sectors have clear structural advantages. A solid digital infrastructure is also conducive. Finally, a centralised governance structure is crucial for flexibility and adaptability. In decentralised systems, robust mechanisms to coordinate across levels are important to strengthen health care system resilience in pandemic situations and beyond.
Volcano‐Magnetic Signal Reveals Rapid Evolution of the Inner Structure of Piton de la Fournaise
Authors: Gailler Lydie , Labazuy Philippe , Dumont Quentin , Froger Jean‐Luc , Peltier Aline , Finizola Anthony , Cayol Valérie , Chaput Marie , Régis Edouard ,   The SlideVolc ERT Team
Published: January 2023

Near‐real time analysis of magnetization can provide important information for the imaging of volcano systems and their spatiotemporal evolution. This study focuses on the contribution of volcano‐magnetic signals from reiterations of ground magnetic measurements to investigate the evolution of active structures at the Piton de la Fournaise volcano from 2017 to 2020. Changes are demonstrated by magnetic anomalies along a reference profile by means of the reiteration periods. These variations are first modeled qualitatively in 2D using electrical resistivity constraints in order to investigate the evolution of magnetization at depth through time, and the model is subsequently compared with the 3D intrusive activity from depth up to the surface from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) inverse modeling. The shallow areas of demagnetization modeled from one reiteration to another are consistent with the geometry and location of the underlying intrusions revealed by the 3D InSAR models, suggesting strong thermal, stress, and electrokinetic effects due to magmatic activity not only at the surface but also at depth, along the main magmatic paths. It also raises a question as to the extent of the associated thermal diffusion processes at the scale of individual magma injections. This study confirms that detecting resistivity and magnetization anomalies, and quantifying their spatiotemporal evolution, can provide powerful tools for imaging volcanic systems at various scales and for providing warning of associated hazards. It also highlights the necessity for 4D monitoring of volcanic edifices using this method to provide greater precision, an important issue that is now made possible by the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle measurements.
Investigation of the Geomagnetically Induced Current Index Levels in the Mediterranean Region During the Strongest Magnetic Storms of Solar Cycle 24
Authors: Boutsi A. Z. , Balasis G. , Dimitrakoudis S. , Daglis I. A. , Tsinganos K. , Papadimitriou C. , Giannakis O.
Published: January 2023

Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) constitute an integral part of space weather research and are a subject of ever‐growing attention for countries located in the low and middle latitudes. A series of recent studies highlights the importance of considering GIC risks for the Mediterranean region. Here, we exploit data from the HellENIc GeoMagnetic Array, which is deployed in Greece, complemented by magnetic observatories in the Mediterranean region (Italy, France, Spain, Algeria, and Turkey), to calculate values of the GIC index, that is, a proxy of the geoelectric field calculated entirely from geomagnetic field variations. We perform our analysis for the most intense magnetic storms (Dst < −150 nT) of solar cycle 24. Our results show that GIC index increases are well correlated with storm sudden commencements. However, the GIC indices do not exceed “low” activity levels despite the increases in their values, at all magnetic stations/observatories under study during the selected storm events.