bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How well do UK assistantships equip medical students for graduate practice? Think EPAs
Authors: Kinston Ruth , Gay Simon , McKinley R. K. , Sam Sreya , Yardley Sarah , Lefroy Janet
Published: June 2023

The goal of better medical student preparation for clinical practice drives curricular initiatives worldwide. Learning theory underpins Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) as a means of safe transition to independent practice. Regulators mandate senior assistantships to improve practice readiness. It is important to know whether meaningful EPAs occur in assistantships, and with what impact. Final year students at one UK medical school kept learning logs and audio-diaries for six one-week periods during a year-long assistantship. Further data were also obtained through interviewing participants when students and after three months as junior doctors. This was combined with data from new doctors from 17 other UK schools. Realist methods explored what worked for whom and why. 32 medical students and 70 junior doctors participated. All assistantship students reported engaging with EPAs but gaps in the types of EPAs undertaken exist, with level of entrustment and frequency of access depending on the context. Engagement is enhanced by integration into the team and shared understanding of what constitutes legitimate activities. Improving the shared understanding between student and supervisor of what constitutes important assistantship activity may result in an increase in the amount and/or quality of EPAs achieved.
Safety-critical computer vision: an empirical survey of adversarial evasion attacks and defenses on computer vision systems
Authors: Meyers Charles , Löfstedt Tommy , Elmroth Erik
Published: June 2023

Considering the growing prominence of production-level AI and the threat of adversarial attacks that can poison a machine learning model against a certain label, evade classification, or reveal sensitive data about the model and training data to an attacker, adversaries pose fundamental problems to machine learning systems. Furthermore, much research has focused on the inverse relationship between robustness and accuracy, raising problems for real-time and safety-critical systems particularly since they are governed by legal constraints in which software changes must be explainable and every change must be thoroughly tested. While many defenses have been proposed, they are often computationally expensive and tend to reduce model accuracy. We have therefore conducted a large survey of attacks and defenses and present a simple and practical framework for analyzing any machine-learning system from a safety-critical perspective using adversarial noise to find the upper bound of the failure rate. Using this method, we conclude that all tested configurations of the ResNet architecture fail to meet any reasonable definition of ‘safety-critical’ when tested on even small-scale benchmark data. We examine state of the art defenses and attacks against computer vision systems with a focus on safety-critical applications in autonomous driving, industrial control, and healthcare. By testing a combination of attacks and defenses, their efficacy, and their run-time requirements, we provide substantial empirical evidence that modern neural networks consistently fail to meet established safety-critical standards by a wide margin.
Time-to-build and capacity expansion
Authors: Jeon Haejun
Published: June 2023

In this study, we investigate a firm’s optimal investment timing and capacity decisions in the presence of uncertain time-to-build. The firm raises revenue from the investment after an uncertain amount of time elapses, while the time-to-build of the follow-up investment is expectedly shorter than that of the initial investment due to learning by doing. We derive the optimal investment strategies and examine the impact of time-to-build on the investment dynamics. We show that both the initial and follow-up investment can be made earlier in the presence of time-to-build than they would in the absence of the lags, especially in a volatile market. This is in contrast to the case of a single investment, whose timing is always delayed by the time-to-build. Furthermore, the capacity of the follow-up project dominates that of the initial project in the presence of time-to-build, whereas the latter dominates the former in the absence of lags. The capacity choice of each project, however, is nonmonotone with respect to the size of the lags. We also show that uncertainty delays investment even when the investment involves lags but the negative impact softens in the presence of time-to-build and learning effects.
“If You Prayed More, You Would Feel Better”: The Dual Nature of Religion and Spirituality on Black Youths’ Mental Health and Access to Care in Canada
Authors: Fante-Coleman Tiyondah , Allen Kristen , Booker Melissa , Craigg Ameerah , Jackson-Best Fatimah
Published: June 2023

This study explores Black Canadian youth’s relationship with religion and the impact religion has on their mental health and wellbeing. In addition, we probed promising practices for religious leaders and service providers who want to improve Black youth’s access to care. The results of this article draw from a larger study that aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators to mental healthcare for Black youth in Ontario, Canada. 128 (n = 66 youth, n = 35 service providers, n = 27 family and community members; 91% Black, 24% people of colour, 67% white) participants from six regions across Ontario were engaged in 23 qualitative focus groups held virtually between March 2020 and August 2021. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Three themes emerged from the data: The stigma and taboo nature of mental illness, the influence of religion and mental health and suggestions to improve care for Black youth. Mental illness is stigmatized in specific ways in Black communities and intergenerational differences exist in how mental illness is conceptualized. In addition, Black Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and other diverse or marginalized sexual orientations and gender identities (2SLGBTQ+) youth face additional difficulties in relation to stigma. Religion and religious affiliation stigmatized mental illness yet, both were considered important for inclusion in traditional mental health supports. To improve access to care for Black youth, there is a need for community-practitioner partnerships, incorporating religion into traditional mental healthcare, and increasing mental health awareness in religious and community spaces. This study is among the first to explore the impact of religion on Black youth’s mental health, findings can contribute to increased access to affirming and responsive care for this population.
Association Between Intellectual Functioning and Autistic Traits in the General Population of Children
Authors: Marinopoulou Maria , Billstedt Eva , Wessman Catrin , Bornehag Carl-Gustaf , Hallerbäck Maria Unenge
Published: June 2023

Autistic traits are continuously distributed in the general population. The associations between autistic traits and intellectual functioning and/or behavioural difficulties, and the impact of intellectual functioning on behavioural difficulties are unclear. The study aims to describe the distribution of autistic traits in a population-based cross-sectional sample of children. Further aims are to examine the association between intellectual functioning and autistic traits, and between autistic traits and behavioural difficulties. Wechsler scales and ratings of autistic traits and behavioural problems in 874 children aged 7–9 years in the Swedish Environmental Longitudinal Mother and Child, Asthma and Allergy (SELMA) study were assessed. We found a continuous distribution of autistic traits. Intellectual functioning was negatively associated with autistic traits but not with behavioural difficulties. Behavioural difficulties were associated with autistic traits.
Climate change implications for the Arafura and Timor Seas region: assessing vulnerability of marine systems to inform management and conservation
Authors: Johnson Johanna E. , Welch David J. , van Hooidonk Ruben , Tracey Dieter , Chandrasa Ganesha , Molinari Bianca , Triani Deti , Tania Casandra , Susanto Handoko
Published: June 2023

The Arafura and Timor Seas region is shared by Indonesia, Timor Leste, Australia, and Papua New Guinea (PNG), and is at the intersection of the Pacific and Indian oceans. High coastal population densities, degraded habitats, overexploited fisheries, low profile coasts, shallow continental shelves and macro-tidal conditions mean that coastal and marine environments in the region are currently facing multiple pressures. Climate change is expected to exacerbate these pressures and have profound effects on the status and distribution of coastal and marine habitats, the fish and invertebrates they support and, therefore, dependent communities and industries. Downscaled climate change projections for 2041–2070 for air and sea temperature, ocean chemistry and rainfall were modelled to provide spatially relevant regional data for a structured semi-quantitative vulnerability assessment. Results of the assessment were spatially variable and identified shallow coral reefs as highly vulnerable, particularly in the Timor-Leste and Indonesia-Arafura sub-regions. Seagrass meadows were most vulnerable in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Indonesia-Arafura, and Timor-Leste sub-regions. Mangrove habitats were most vulnerable in Timor-Leste and Western PNG sub-regions. Drivers of vulnerability include poor habitat condition, non-climate pressures, low connectivity, and limited formal management. Marine species vulnerability was also spatially variable, with highly vulnerable and priority species identified for each sub-region, including finfish and marine invertebrates. A key driver of species vulnerability was their stock status, with many species in Timor-Leste, Western PNG and Indonesia, and several in northern Australia, overfished or potentially overfished. Limited management in some sub-regions, as well as non-climate pressures such as habitat decline, poor water quality and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing were also key drivers. Species of conservation interest (dugong and marine turtles) were also highly vulnerable to climate change, driven by their threatened status and the fact that they are low productivity species that take years to recover from impacts. Priority species and habitats for local action were identified and current pressures that undermine condition and/or resilience, with strategic recommendations aimed at minimising climate change vulnerability.
The persistence of organized crime in post-caliphate Iraq: a case of crime-terror convergence?
Authors: Kulić Sara , Bolhuis Maarten P.
Published: June 2023

In the advancing understanding of the crime-terror nexus, organized crime and terrorist entities are increasingly seen as capable of pursuing multiple agendas simultaneously, with the potential to ultimately reach convergence. Applying Makarenko’s theoretical work on crime-terror convergence, this article sets out to explain the persistence of organized crime in Iraq after the fall of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) Caliphate, based on a literature study and three expert interviews. The vacuum caused by the Caliphate’s fall led to fierce competition between remnants of ISIS and Iran-backed Shia factions of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), and a rearrangement of control over ISIS’ criminal enterprise. The Iraq-Syria border is used as a hub for the smuggling of weapons, drugs, oil, and people by both the ISIS remnants and the Shia PMF factions, while the border areas and roads leading to Baghdad are focal points for imposing illicit taxation. We argue that in post-Caliphate Iraq, ISIS remnants can be seen as hybrid criminal-political entities, while the Shia PMF factions cannot be defined as such in a definite manner. In their competition for power, both actors exploit local idiosyncrasies to garner support among the local population. By strengthening both their criminal and ideological-political components, these actors continue to destabilize the already fragile Iraqi state. Moreover, because Iran-backed Shia PMF factions obtained legitimacy and state backing as liberators from ISIS and became embedded in the Iraqi state apparatus, the state itself became a crucial contributor to the crime-terror nexus in post-Caliphate Iraq.
Killing billions to save millions? Analyzing the double jeopardy of fossil-fuel-led economic development in Bangladesh
Authors: Hossain Mohammad Razib
Published: June 2023

According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Bangladesh is the world’s seventh most climate-vulnerable nation. Being on the verge of facing extreme climatic backlash emerging from unwitting economic development, Bangladesh must comprehend that the current economic growth is not a panacea for its environmental integrity. However, considering Bangladesh’s recent economic sustainability, curbing economic development will be uninviting. As such, we propose a conceptual framework to obtain environmental integrity without decommissioning economic development. Deploying data from 1972 to 2020 and novel econometric methodologies, we unearth that FDI ameliorates Bangladesh’s environmental quality, whereas export with no comparative advantage jeopardizes it due to its redundancy issue. Considering export and FDI as substitutionary in Bangladesh, we support for FDI-led development for an interim period until the redundant export issue is resolved. Furthermore, exchange rate depreciation increases CO2 emissions. We advocate an exchange rate appreciation policy that will curb redundant exports and improve environmental quality. Findings also validate the EKC hypothesis in both the short run and long run. Turning point estimation indicates that Bangladesh is still below the required income level to phase out growth-induced CO2 emissions. Moreover, natural resource rent improves environmental quality, whereas consumption of non-renewables degrades it. Besides, gross domestic savings (GDS), agricultural value-addition (AVA), and primary schooling increase emissions. We propose GDS and FDI be channeled into the AVA sectors to equip them with green technologies. This paper further suggests including fundamental concepts of climate change education in pre- and secondary-level textbooks to indoctrinate the younger section of society on environmental pollution.
The Philosophy and History of the Moral ‘Ought’: Some of Anscombe’s Objections
Authors: Irwin Terence
Published: June 2023

According to G.E.M Anscombe’s paper ‘Modern Moral Philosophy’, modern moral philosophy has introduced a spurious concept of moral obligation, and has therefore made a mistake that the Greeks, and Aristotle in particular, avoided. Anscombe argues that the modern concepts of obligation, duty, and the moral ‘ought’ are the remnants of an earlier, but post-Aristotelian conception of ethics, and that they ought to be abandoned. An examination of Anscombe’s historical and philosophical claims shows that we have no reason to take them seriously. In particular, they rest on a misinterpretation of Scholastic views on ‘ought’ and obligation.
Predicting Soil Swelling Potential Using Soil Classification Properties
Authors: Barbosa Victor H. R. , Marques Maria E. S. , Guimarães Antônio C. R.
Published: June 2023

Despite extensive research on unsaturated soil behavior in recent decades, the field of transportation engineering still lacks technically and economically feasible methods for identifying expansive soils along roads, particularly in regions with limited laboratory infrastructure that are distant from developed areas in Brazil. This situation is particularly evident in the state of Acre, located in the southwest of the Brazilian Amazon, where the subgrade predominantly consists of fine, plastic soils and faces challenges of limited availability of crushed stone and high precipitation levels. The volumetric variation of expansive soils in Acre has resulted in significant financial losses and has affected the lives of the local population. This paper proposes a simplified method for the preliminary identification of expansive clays, which is based on geotechnical characterization tests that can be performed at local laboratories. The proposed method utilizes the correlation between the plasticity index (PI) and silt/clay content to determine ranges that express the highest probability of occurrence of soils susceptible to shrink-swell behavior. This method was developed by correlating geotechnical parameters of 321 samples from EMBRAPA's SiSolos database with a geotechnical database of 100 local samples.
1 H-cyclopropa[b]naphthalene: a novel ethylene antagonist for extending storage life and maintaining quality of climacteric and suppressed climacteric plums
Authors: Kyaw Poe Nandar , Singh Zora , Tokala Vijay Yadav
Published: June 2023

Ethylene is a key trigger that governs the rate of fruit ripening, storability, and postharvest quality of fresh fruit. Efficient inhibition of ethylene action is essential to slow down the postharvest ripening processes, extend storage life and maintain optimum fruit quality during storage. Ethylene antagonist compounds with the likelihood of application as liquid formulation would facilitate managing ethylene broadly as both preharvest and/or postharvest treatments. This study examined the effects of different aqueous formulations of 1 H-cyclopropa[b]naphthalene (NC) as an ethylene antagonist in the cold stored (1 °C) Japanese plums ‘Angeleno’ (suppressed-climacteric) and ‘Tegan Blue’, which exhibit climacteric peaks, respectively. NC was applied as a 2 µM spray solution prepared using only distilled water (NCA), 5% ethanol (NCE), 0.02% Tween® 20 (NCT), 5% β-cyclodextrin (NCD) or a 1 µM fumigant for 18 h at ambient conditions (20 ± 1 °C). Regardless of formulation, NC retarded ethylene production in both the suppressed-climacteric and climactic cultivars. The capacity of NC to suppress ethylene production was relatively higher in ‘Angeleno’ than in ‘Tegan Blue’. Levels of bioactive compounds such as total phenols, total anthocyanins and total antioxidant capacity in fruit treated with NC were at par with the control. NC fumigation was the most effective treatment in suppressing ethylene production and maintaining fruit quality followed by NCE, NCT, NCD and NCA in both plum cultivars. Amongst the NC spray solutions, the ones with ethanol or Tween® 20 as adjuvants outperformed other solutions. Ethylene production positively correlated with weight loss, SSC, SSC: TA and concentrations of individual sugars, but was negatively correlated with firmness, titratable acidity (TA) and individual organic acids in both cultivars. The results also support the notion that ethylene has a role in the synthesis of phenolic compounds and anthocyanin depending on the sugar substrates present in the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid pathways.
Employers’ conceptions of quality and value in higher education
Authors: Bettinson Emma , Young Kelly , Haven-Tang Claire , Cavanagh Jillian , Fisher Ron , Francis Mark
Published: June 2023

In this qualitative study, we research what constitutes the relationships between conceptions of quality and value associated with higher education as experienced by prospective employers of business graduates. Quality and value in higher education are often linked though the relationship is unclear. Employers are an important and under-researched stakeholder group on the demand side of higher education. Data are generated by interviewing prospective employers of business graduates from a UK university. Interviews are analysed using a phenomenographic method to determine the qualitatively different ways in which actors make sense of the relationships between quality and value. Understanding prospective employers’ conceptions of the relationships is important given the competitive pressures on universities and businesses. The research reinforces the experiential and idiosyncratic relationships between quality and value in higher education. Three conceptions of what constitutes quality and value in higher education are discussed: (a) quality is an antecedent of value; (b) quality is simple while value is complex; and (c) quality is internal to HE while value is created in the customer domain. The research outcomes provide important insights for researchers and practitioners through clearer understanding of how quality and value are related for this important stakeholder group.
Inclusive development, leaving no one behind, justice and the sustainable development goals
Authors: Gupta Joyeeta , Vegelin Courtney
Published: June 2023

The focus on inclusive development within the 2030 Agenda highlights the contradiction between an inherent ‘business-as-usual’ approach subject to a few restrictions and a radical reformation of the global system. Inclusive development is elaborated through the idea of leaving no one behind, a human rights and a justice approach. Against this background, this perspective argues that there is need for clarity about the words used and about the implications of the words used. It defines inclusiveness to imply social, ecological and relational elements; that inclusiveness is not incorporation of the ‘other’ but based on recognition and epistemic justice; and that inclusiveness redefines the content of development. It argues that justice needs to be unpacked into issues of access to minimum resources and allocation of the remaining resources, risks and responsibilities. Achieving access in an unequal world will lead to crossing Earth system boundaries and is affected by increasing pollution. Both imply that access cannot be met without changing rules of allocation, with market-based allocation reproducing injustices. Finally, while inclusiveness requires greater partnership and responsibility, this is undermined by the way the 2030 Agenda ignores liability for harm caused to others. Sharpening the understanding of inclusion and justice among key stakeholders and a better articulation of the Earth system justice approach is a way forward.
Unemployment and endogenous choice on tax instruments in a tax competition model: unit tax versus ad valorem tax
Authors: Kikuchi Yuya , Tamai Toshiki
Published: June 2023

This paper examines the endogenous choice of unit and ad valorem taxes in a model of tax competition with unemployment. Governments maximize objective functions that are a weighted sum of regional welfare and revenue. In the tax competition model, a high fixed wage rate generates unemployment and employment externalities. This effect can be either positive or negative because of freely mobile capital among regions. Without unemployment, revenue-maximizing governments choose unit taxes as their tax instrument to avoid revenue losses from intense tax competition under ad valorem taxes. However, with unemployment, positive employment externalities generate additional benefits for using ad valorem taxes to stimulate employment. Therefore, the present study shows that one region chooses an ad valorem tax, whereas the other chooses a unit tax, or that both governments use ad valorem taxes depending on employment externalities.
Assessing student teachers’ procedural fluency and strategic competence in operating and mathematizing with natural and rational numbers
Authors: Schulz Andreas
Published: June 2023

Procedural fluency and strategic competence in operating and mathematizing with natural and rational numbers are based on a flexible and meaningful use of mental models, strategies, and procedures. The study to be presented in this paper pursued the question as to which subdomains or tasks relating to procedural fluency and strategic competence at upper primary school level are particularly challenging for elementary school student teachers. The newly devised assessment instrument included mathematical problems from a wide variety of content domains such as numbers and operations with natural and rational numbers, place value, computational strategies, estimation, (inverse) proportion, combinatorics, mathematization, and word problems. A preceding theoretical task analysis ensured that the solution of the problems required adaptation of strategies and flexible reasoning about a procedure or a formula. In the assessment, each of the 15 tasks were presented to 280 first-semester student teachers. As the results of the analyses indicate, combinatorial problems and division problems with rational numbers proved to be particularly challenging for a large proportion of the participants. Supplemental qualitative analyses of solution pathways confirmed that the assessment tasks allowed for multiple solution pathways. The item difficulties could be explained by a lack of ability to link mental models, strategies, and procedures. The study makes a connection between theoretical and empirical research on educational standards and teacher education. It contributes to the international state of research about student teachers’ content knowledge by providing specific insights concerning procedural fluency and strategic competence.
“It’s All in Your Head”: Personality Traits and Gaslighting Tactics in Intimate Relationships
Authors: March Evita , Kay Cameron S. , Dinić Bojana M. , Wagstaff Danielle , Grabovac Beáta , Jonason Peter K.
Published: June 2023

Background

Gaslighting is a form of psychological/emotional abuse inflicted upon an intimate partner that includes manipulative tactics such as misdirection, denial, lying, and contradiction – all to destabilize the victim/survivor. Compared to other forms of intimate partner abuse, gaslighting remains underexplored in the literature.

Aims/Purpose

In this preregistered study, we aimed to explore correlates between the Dark Tetrad traits (i.e., grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism, Machiavellian tactics, Machiavellian views, primary psychopathy, secondary psychopathy, and sadism) and acceptance of gaslighting tactics in intimate relationships.

Method

Participants (N = 315; M
age = 42.39; 62.2% women) were recruited online and completed an online questionnaire. We developed and internally validated the Gaslighting Questionnaire, a 10-item self-report measure of acceptance of gaslighting tactics in intimate relationships.

Results

All the Dark Tetrad traits were associated with more acceptance of gaslighting tactics in intimate relationships, with primary psychopathy, Machiavellian tactics, and sadism emerging as significant predictors in the regression. We also examined sex differences. Compared to women, men found deploying gaslighting tactics more acceptable, and this was largely driven by sex differences in primary psychopathy. Further, men high in vulnerable narcissism demonstrated the greatest acceptance of gaslighting tactics.

Conclusions

These findings provide foundational information for understanding gaslighting tactics in intimate partner abuse and may have practical implications for relationship counsellors and clinicians practicing in this space. For example, the present findings indicate that personality assessment can be a valuable tool for estimating a client’s propensity to gaslight.
An introduction to the significance of sample size in particle analyses for nuclear forensics and radiological investigations
Authors: Inglis Jeremy D. , Samperton Kyle M. , Reinhard Andrew A. , Tenner Travis , Steiner Robert E. , Lamont Stephen P.
Published: June 2023

Particulate isotopic analysis in nuclear forensics has developed rapidly during the past two decades due to technical advances in determining the isotopic composition of individual particles. This paper introduces basic statistical concepts that can be applied by analysts to understand the importance of statistical adequacy when interpretating particle data. While these basic statistical methods provide a useful point-of-entry to particle data analysis, more sophisticated statistical and modeling approaches are needed to extract maximal information from such datasets in the future.
Building music with Lego bricks and Raspberry Pi
Authors: Barbancho Ana M. , Tardón Lorenzo J. , Barbancho Isabel
Published: June 2023

In this paper, a system to build music in an intuitive and accessible way, with Lego bricks, is presented. The system makes use of the new powerful and cheap possibilities that technology offers for making old things in a new way. The Raspberry Pi is used to control the system and run the necessary algorithms, customized Lego bricks are used for building melodies, custom electronic designs, software pieces and 3D printed parts complete the items employed. The system designed is modular, it allows creating melodies with chords and percussion or just melodies or perform as a beatbox or a melody box. The main interaction with the system is made using Lego-type building blocks. Tests have demonstrated its versatility and ease of use, as well as its usefulness in music learning for both children and adults.
Quantum process tomography of unitary maps from time-delayed measurements
Authors: López Gutiérrez Irene , Dietrich Felix , Mendl Christian B.
Published: June 2023

Quantum process tomography conventionally uses a multitude of initial quantum states and then performs state tomography on the process output. Here we propose and study an alternative approach which requires only a single (or few) known initial states together with time-delayed measurements for reconstructing the unitary map and corresponding Hamiltonian of the time dynamics. The overarching mathematical framework and feasibility guarantee of our method is provided by the Takens embedding theorem. We explain in detail how the reconstruction of a single-qubit Hamiltonian works in this setting and provide numerical methods and experiments for general few-qubit and lattice systems with local interactions. In particular, the method allows to find the Hamiltonian of a two qubit system by observing only one of the qubits.
Health-related quality of life among people who inject drugs in Australia
Authors: Cheng Qinglu , Bajis Sahar , Cunningham Evan , Shih Sophy T. F. , Schulz Marcel , Marshall Alison D. , Martin Natasha K. , Miners Alec , Hajarizadeh Behzad , Wiseman Virginia , Dore Gregory J. , Grebely Jason
Published: June 2023

Purpose

There is limited research on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among people who inject drugs (PWID). We aimed to evaluate factors associated with HRQoL among a cohort of PWID in Australia.

Methods

Participants were enrolled in an observational cohort study (the LiveRLife Study) between 2014 and 2018 at 15 sites in Australia. They provided fingerstick whole-blood samples for point-of-care HCV RNA testing and underwent transient elastography to assess liver disease. Participants completed the EQ-5D-3L survey at enrolment. Regression models were used to assess the impact of clinical and socioeconomic characteristics on the EQ-5D-3L scores.

Results

Among 751 participants (median age, 43 years; 67% male), 63% reported injection drug use in the past month, 43% had current HCV infection, and 68% had no/mild liver fibrosis (F0/F1). The mean EQ-5D-3L and EQ-VAS scores were 0.67 and 62, respectively, for the overall study population. There was no significant difference in the EQ-5D-3L scores among people with and without recent injecting drug use (mean: 0.66 vs. 0.68, median: 0.73 vs. 0.78, P = 0.405), and among people receiving and not receiving opioid agonist therapy (mean: 0.66 vs. 0.68, median: 0.73 vs. 0.76, P = 0.215). Participants who were employed were found to have the highest mean EQ-5D-3L (0.83) and EQ-VAS scores (77). The presence of current HCV infection, liver fibrosis stage, and high-risk alcohol consumption had little impact on HRQoL.

Conclusions

The study findings provide important HRQoL data for economic evaluations, useful for guiding the allocation of resources for HCV elimination strategies and interventions among PWID.
The continuous-time hidden Markov model based on discretization. Properties of estimators and applications
Authors: Gámiz María Luz , Limnios Nikolaos , Segovia-García Mari Carmen
Published: June 2023

In this paper we consider continuous-time hidden Markov processes (CTHMM). The model considered is a two-dimensional stochastic process $$(X_t,Y_t)$$

(

X
t

,

Y
t

)

, with $$X_t$$

X
t

an unobserved (hidden) Markov chain defined by its generating matrix and $$Y_t$$

Y
t

an observed process whose distribution law depends on $$X_t$$

X
t

and is called the emission function. In general, we allow the process $$Y_t$$

Y
t

to take values in a subset of the q-dimensional real space, for some q. The coupled process $$(X_t,Y_t)$$

(

X
t

,

Y
t

)

is a continuous-time Markov chain whose generator is constructed from the generating matrix of X and the emission distribution. We study the theoretical properties of this two-dimensional process using a formulation based on semi-Markov processes. Observations of the CTHMM are obtained by discretization considering two different scenarii. In the first case we consider that observations of the process Y are registered regularly in time, while in the second one, observations arrive at random. Maximum-likelihood estimators of the characteristics of the coupled process are obtained in both scenarii and the asymptotic properties of these estimators are shown, such as consistency and normality. To illustrate the model a real-data example and a simulation study are considered.
Intellectual arrogance: individual, group-based, and corporate
Authors: Tanesini Alessandra
Published: June 2023

In the article I argue that intellectual arrogance can be an individual, collective and even corporate vice. I show that arrogance is in all these cases underpinned by defensive positive evaluations of epistemic features of the evaluator in the service of buttressing its illegitimate social dominance. Individual arrogance as superbia or as hubris stems from attitudes biased by the motive of self-enhancement. Collective arrogance is underpinned by positive defensive attitudes to a one’s social identity that seeks to maintain its unwarranted social dominance. Finally, corporations are arrogant when their attitudes are the aggregation of the arrogant dispositions of its managers or when these corporations have inherited structures and policies that are defensive of its illegitimately dominant social status.
Hippocampal ferroptosis is involved in learning and memory impairment in rats induced by microwave and electromagnetic pulse combined exposure
Authors: Lai Yunfei , Wang Haoyu , Xu Xinping , Dong Ji , Song Yiwei , Zhao Haixia , Wu You , Zhao Li , Wang Hui , Zhang Jing , Yao Binwei , Zou Yong , Zhou Hongmei , Peng Ruiyun
Published: June 2023

Microwave (MW) and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) are considered environmental pollutants, both of which can induce learning and memory impairments. However, the bioeffects of combined exposure to MW and EMP have never been explored. This paper aimed to investigate the effects of combined exposure to MW and EMP on the learning and memory of rats as well as its association with ferroptosis in the hippocampus. In this study, rats were exposed to EMP, MW, or EMP and MW combined radiation. After exposure, impairment of learning and memory, alterations in brain electrophysiological activity, and damage to hippocampal neurons were observed in rats. Moreover, we also found alterations in ferroptosis hallmarks, including increased levels of iron, lipid peroxidation, and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) mRNA, as well as downregulation of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) protein in the rat hippocampus after exposure. Our results suggested that either single or combined exposure to MW and EMP radiation could impair learning and memory and damage hippocampal neurons in rats. Moreover, the adverse effects caused by the combined exposure were more severe than the single exposures, which might be due to cumulative effects rather than synergistic effects. Furthermore, ferroptosis in the hippocampus might be a common underlying mechanism of learning and memory impairment induced by both single and combined MW and EMP exposure.
Social Integration – Levels and Dimensions
Authors: Schwinn Thomas
Published: June 2023

The conceptual proposals on social integration are diffuse and vague. Alarmist diagnoses are contrasted by empirical research results that give an all-clear signal. For an adequate understanding of social integration processes, basic theoretical questions must first be clarified. The specific unit “society” as the point of reference for what is to be integrated is replaced by a constitutional perspective that takes a look at different levels of societization (Vergesellschaftung[Max Weber’s term “Vergesellschaftung” is not easy to translate. I follow Bruun and Whimster’s (in Weber 2012, p. 496) proposal: “societization”.]) and their relationship with one another (social categories, milieus, intermediary organizations, state order, and the global level). Social integration is not identical to a stable and well-organized order. It has value references that set standards for successful integration. However, the extent of cultural integration is no less fraught with conflict than that of social integration. Actors in a certain structural situation resort to such legitimizing values and are thereby confronted with value dilemmas. Sociology is not able to offer ideal states as expressed in conceptual promises of “solidarity” or “cohesion.” Rather, it has a rich knowledge of constellations with different levels of societization in the context of different value relations. This is of central importance for an understanding of the complex processes of integration and disintegration and the role of the social sciences in public discourses on problems of integration.
Neutronographic Residual Stress Analysis for Materials With Depth Gradients of the Strain Free Lattice Parameter $${{\varvec{d}}}_{0}$$ for the Example of a Case-Hardened Steel 20MnCr5
Authors: Pulvermacher S. , Šaroun J. , Cabeza S. , Pirling T. , Kornmeier J. Rebelo , Epp J. , Hofmann M. , Gibmeier J.
Published: June 2023

In the present work, ring-shaped samples made from steel 20MnCr5 were low-pressure carburized (LPC) and subsequently hardened by gas quenching (case-hardened). This results in a near-surface gradient in chemical composition, microstructure- and hardness distribution, as well as a three-dimensional residual stress (RS) distribution, which was investigated by neutron diffraction. Near-surface RSs in the ferrite-/martensite- and austenite phase are additionally determined by X-ray diffraction. It is shown that the chemical gradient has an influence on the chosen $${d}_{0}$$

d
0

strategy and how such a reference sample should be extracted. If near-surface RS values are to be determined by neutron diffraction, the pseudo-strain effect must be taken into account. For this purpose, a suitable approach using the “open source” software SIMRES and STRESSFIT is also presented. By combining neutron and X-ray diffraction data, a complete RS distribution over the whole sample can be obtained.
On Boolean elements and derivations in 2-dimension linguistic lattice implication algebras
Authors: Zhu Hua , Zhao Jian-bin
Published: June 2023

A 2-dimension linguistic lattice implication algebra (2DL-LIA) can build a bridge between logical algebra and 2-dimension fuzzy linguistic information. In this paper, the notion of a Boolean element is proposed in a 2DL-LIA and some properties of Boolean elements are discussed. Then derivations on 2DL-LIAs are introduced and the related properties of derivations are investigated. Moreover, it proves that the derivations on 2DL-LIAs can be constructed by Boolean elements.
Implication of cognitive-behavioral stress management on anxiety, depression, and quality of life in acute myocardial infarction patients after percutaneous coronary intervention: a multicenter, randomized, controlled study
Authors: Chen Biqun , Wen Juanling , You Deyi , Zhang Yu
Published: June 2023

Objective

Cognitive-behavioral stress management (CBSM) intervention enhances the psychological status and quality of life in patients with various diseases, such as cancer, human immunodeficiency virus infection, chronic fatigue syndrome, and multiple sclerosis. This multicenter, randomized, controlled study intended to explore the potential benefit of CBSM in ameliorating the anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QoL) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods

A total of 250 AMI patients who received PCI were randomly allocated to the CBSM (N = 125) and control care (CC) (N = 125) groups, and underwent weekly corresponding interventions for 12 weeks. The hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), EuroQol 5D (EQ-5D), and EuroQol visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) scores were evaluated at baseline (M0), month (M)1, M3, and M6. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were recorded during follow-up.

Results

HADS-anxiety score at M1 (P = 0.036), M3 (P = 0.002), and M6 (P = 0.001), as well as anxiety rate at M6 (P = 0.026), was reduced in the CBSM group versus the CC group. HADS-depression score at M3 (P = 0.027) and M6 (P = 0.002), as well as depression rate at M6 (P = 0.013), was decreased in the CBSM group versus the CC group. EQ-5D score at M3 (P = 0.046) and M6 (P = 0.001) was reduced, while EQ-VAS score at M1 (P = 0.037), M3 (P = 0.010), and M6 (P = 0.003) was raised, in the CBSM group versus the CC group. However, accumulating MACE rate did not differ between the two groups (P = 0.360).

Conclusion

CBSM ameliorates anxiety, depression, and QoL but does not affect MACE in AMI patients after PCI.
Disparities in the Prevalence of Osteoporosis and Osteopenia in Men and Women Living in Sub-Saharan Africa, the UK, and the USA
Authors: Ward Kate A. , Pearse Camille M. , Madanhire Tafadzwa , Wade Alisha N. , Fabian June , Micklesfield Lisa K. , Gregson Celia L.
Published: June 2023

Purpose

To review the rising prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in sub-Saharan Africa and the challenges this poses to governments and healthcare services. Using existing studies, we compare the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in men and women from sub-Saharan Africa to US and UK cohorts. Context-specific disparities in healthcare are discussed particularly the challenges in diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.

Recent Findings

There are few epidemiological data describing the burden of osteoporosis in sub-Saharan Africa. In the studies and cohorts presented here, osteoporosis prevalence varies by sex, country and area of residence, but is generally higher in African populations, than has previously been appreciated. Risk factors contributing to poorer bone health include HIV, malnutrition and “inflammaging.”

Reprioritization towards care of ageing populations is urgently required. Equitable access to implementable preventative strategies, diagnostic services, treatments and pathways of care for bone health (for example embedded within HIV services) need now to be recognized and addressed by policy makers.
Fluoreszenzproteine messen intrazelluläre Sauerstoffkonzentrationen
Authors: Bauer Nadine , Kiefer Friedemann
Published: June 2023

Hypoxia is a hallmark of many pathologies including solid tumors. In basic research, analysis of hypoxia by light microscopy became feasible through development of genetically encoded reporters. However, the dependence of many fluorescent proteins on molecular oxygen for fluorescent maturation limits their use in hypoxic tissue. Overcoming this limitation, a family of hypoxia-sensors based on the oxygen-independent fluorescent protein UnaG was developed in the research group of Friedemann Kiefer.
Ein molekularer Schalter steuert die Salzstresstoleranz von Pflanzen
Authors: Rehms Felix , Eickelkamp Anna , Wallrad Lukas , Kudla Jörg
Published: June 2023

Salt stress is toxic to plants and diminishes crop yield. High Na+ triggers Ca2+ signals with specific localization, intensity, and duration in a dose dependent manner. These signals are translated into enhanced Na+ exporter activity via the Salt-Overly-Sensitive (SOS) pathway, vacuolar Na+ sequestration, and enhanced formation of paracellular ion barriers. All of these mechanisms are crucial for facilitating plant tolerance to soil salinity.
Die dynamische Funktion intrinsisch ungeordneter Proteine
Authors: Milles Sigrid
Published: June 2023

In contrast to folded proteins, intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) exert their functions in the absence of a stable three-dimensional structure. They are active in many important cellular mechanisms, for example cell signaling and transcriptional regulation and thus very important cellular players. Their dynamics make them extremely difficult to study, but recent advances in solution based structural biology techniques have increased the understanding of IDPs’ functions on a molecular level.
A Pilot Study of Adolescents with Psychotic Experiences: Potential Cerebellar Circuitry Disruption Early Along the Psychosis Spectrum
Authors: Gaughan Caoimhe , Nasa Anurag , Roman Elena , Cullinane Dearbhla , Kelly Linda , Riaz Sahar , Brady Conan , Browne Ciaran , Sooknarine Vitallia , Mosley Olivia , Almulla Ahmad , Alsehli Assael , Kelliher Allison , Murphy Cian , O’Hanlon Erik , Cannon Mary , Roddy Darren William
Published: June 2023

A
berrant connectivity in the cerebellum has been found in psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia corresponding with cognitive and motor deficits found in these conditions. Diffusion differences in the superior cerebellar peduncles, the white matter connecting the cerebellar circuitry to the rest of the brain, have also been found in schizophrenia and high-risk states. However, white matter diffusivity in the peduncles in individuals with sub-threshold psychotic experiences (PEs) but not reaching the threshold for a definitive diagnosis remains unstudied. This study investigates the cerebellar peduncles in adolescents with PEs but no formal psychiatric diagnosis.

Sixteen adolescents with PEs and 17 age-matched controls recruited from schools underwent High-Angular-Resolution-Diffusion neuroimaging. Following constrained spherical deconvolution whole-brain tractography, the superior, inferior and middle peduncles were isolated and virtually dissected out using ExploreDTI. Differences for macroscopic and microscopic tract metrics were calculated using one-way between-group analyses of covariance controlling for age, sex and estimated Total Intracranial Volume (eTIV). Multiple comparisons were corrected using Bonferroni correction.

A decrease in fractional anisotropy was identified in the right (p = 0.045) and left (p = 0.058) superior cerebellar peduncle; however, this did not survive strict Bonferroni multiple comparison correction. There were no differences in volumes or other diffusion metrics in either the middle or inferior peduncles.

Our trend level changes in the superior cerebellar peduncle in a non-clinical sample exhibiting psychotic experiences complement similar but more profound changes previously found in ultra-high-risk individuals and those with psychotic disorders. This suggests that superior cerebellar peduncle circuitry perturbations may occur early along in the psychosis spectrum.