bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Digital Health for an Ageing Society
Authors: Yao Luc
Published: November 2024

Population ageing is a global phenomenon that has profound implications for policy makers, industries and society at large. Germany and China are both experiencing such social changes and attempting to provide technological, economic and policy solutions. Despite the contextual differences between the two countries, Germany and China have complementary expertise and infrastructures, and collaboration between the two has the potential to foster substantial win–win scenarios for both. Throughout the course of human evolution, innovations have repeatedly enhanced the quality of life by providing solutions to emerging challenges. In a digital and network-centric world, speculative design has the capability to stimulate dialogue across disciplines and facilitate valuable innovations. This chapter showcases a digital health project carried out in partnership by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and ma ma Interactive Design and demonstrates the use and impact of design tools. Three aspects of the ageing population ecosystems were further elaborated. Care education with focus on the elderly and caregiving are exploring new modalities for interaction with future users. Long-term health insurance mechanisms will have to adapt to future scenarios. The enriching use of data has the potential to significantly influence policymakers and industry, as well as individual behaviour. Urban environments should be adapted to keep up with demographic changes. While digital health can offer new solutions for extended high quality of life, speculative design and ecosystem thinking can contribute to intensified Sino-Germany partnerships.
Curriculum Development in Nursing Education in Germany
Authors: Darmann-Finck Ingrid
Published: November 2024

The care for the elderly in the last decades has changed in Germany and it has become evident that a more medical focus is necessary than before. Therefore, in the reformed law for nursing professions in Germany the three former nursing professions are joined together to one new profession, the general nurse. In the contribution at first the reasons are explained which lead to this reform. Due to the new law the nursing schools have to develop new nursing curriculums. An educational based approach of curriculum development often used in Germany is described. This approach aims to enable students to actively shape professional changes in health care. Finally, two principles of curriculum construction are introduced and visualised, the situation-based principle and the principle of increasingly higher competence acquisition.
Professional Competence of Teachers in the Training of Nursing Specialists Against the Background of Practice-Related Competence Models
Authors: Seltrecht Astrid
Published: November 2024

Against the background of a project on education transfer in the field of curriculum development from Germany to China, this article will theoretically discuss the professional competence of teachers who are employed in the training of nursing specialists. As a reference framework for this discussion, various concepts are used as differentiation categories: double case and system reference, regulated and non-regulated professions, competence development and competence models. As a result, it can be seen that with regard to the curriculum development in Germany, the development of professional competence among teachers begins with a five-year academic teacher training programme and this development is continued with a subsequent pedagogical-practical training period lasting several months. In China, on the other hand, a Chinese-German project was aimed to develop professional competence with regard to curriculum development in a training programme lasting several days over a period of several months. The present article also shows that a good teacher training programme—in China as well as in Germany—also requires highly didactically trained lecturers in order to meet the special conditions of the “triple case and system reference”.
Evaluation of the antifungal efficiency of coatings on wood
Authors: Myronycheva Olena , Kim Injeong , Karlsson Olov , Kiurcheva Liudmyla , Jacobsson Peter , Sandberg Dick
Published: November 2024

Wood is an important construction material, but a significant problem hindering its widespread use is susceptibility to biodeterioration and biodegradation. To protect wood against degradation, a surface coating can be used, and it is important to be able to predict the ability of the coating to prevent fungal growth. The currently available standard method to determine the antifungal efficiency of a coating has two weaknesses, viz. no evaluation of the moisture content in the wood material, and no possibility to study antifungal effect of the coating towards an individual fungus. A new quantitative method of determining the antifungal efficiency of coatings is therefore proposed, where a coating is applied to wood and exposed to an individual fungus in a Petri dish. Six commercial water-based coatings containing synthetic biocides were studied on filter paper (EN 15457) and with the new test method on wood blocks. The results show the importance of studying the antifungal efficiency of a coating using individual fungi instead of a mixture of fungi, since individual fungi interact differently with a given biocide in the coating. The moisture content of the wood substrate during the test was affected by how the fungus was established on the coating. This new test approach shows promise in screening the antifungal efficiency of wood coatings containing preservative substances applied to wood material surfaces.
Female ornamentation in European serins is related to age but not to male mate choice and social competition
Authors: Trigo Sandra , Leitão Ana V. , Ferreira André C. , Mota Paulo Gama
Published: November 2024

Sexual selection theory has provided explanation for the evolution and function of elaborate male traits, yet less effective in explaining female trait expression. Consequently, there remains a significant gap in our understanding of how female ornamentation is maintained and what factors drive its evolution. The European serin (Serinus serinus) displays a dichromatic carotenoid-based plumage, with a yellow patch on the breast in both males and females, although with females displaying less conspicuous colouration. While yellow colouration in male serins serves a dual function in social contexts, both sexual and nonsexual, the potential signal role of this colouration in females remains unknown. This study investigates the relationship between female traits, measures of fitness and the potential sexual and social function of female plumage colouration. To achieve this, we conducted a male mate choice experiment and a social competition experiment for access to limited food, similar to those previously employed with male serins. We found a relation between yellow plumage colouration and age classes, with older females displaying more colourful plumage. The mate choice experiment did not reveal a male sexual preference based on carotenoid-based plumage colouration in females. Furthermore, while females established steep hierarchies within groups, dominance over food was not associated with plumage colour. These findings suggest that in the European serin, female plumage may be subject to direct natural selection for less conspicuous colours or may result from genetic correlation of a male-selected trait.
Potentially traumatic events, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and skin-related quality of life among adults with self-reported skin disease symptoms
Authors: Strange Taylor A. , Clark Heather L. , Dixon Laura J.
Published: November 2024

The connection between stress and skin disease has been extensively documented; however, there are no empirical studies investigating the incidence of traumatic event exposure and posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms among dermatology patients. To address this gap in the literature and begin to understand the associations between PTS symptoms and skin disease symptoms, this study used a sample of adults with self-reported skin disease symptoms to examine: (1) rates of potentially traumatic event (PTE) exposure and PTS symptoms; and (2) the association between PTS symptoms and skin-related quality of life, controlling for relevant covariates. Data were collected online through Cloud Research, and participants completed a battery of self-report measures. The sample included 310 participants (68.4% female) who endorsed current skin disease symptoms. Results indicated that 47.1% of participants endorsed clinical levels of PTS symptoms. Consistent with hypotheses, greater levels of PTS symptoms were associated with worse skin-related quality of life, and this association was particularly robust for arousal-related symptoms. Results shed light on the occurrence of trauma-related experiences among individuals with self-reported skin disease and indicate a link between PTS symptoms and the perceived burden of skin disease symptoms on daily living. However, this study was cross-sectional and relied on self-report measures; therefore, findings should be interpreted with caution, particularly since diagnoses could not be verified. Replication of this work in dermatology patients is needed to further understand these connections.
Mental health, risk behaviors, and social life factors in relation to adolescents’ suicide ideation, plans and attempt
Authors: Danielsen Stine , Strandberg-Larsen Katrine , Orri Massimiliano , Nordentoft Merete , Erlangsen Annette , Madsen Trine
Published: November 2024

Objective

This study investigated differences in mental health and well-being, risk behaviors, and social life factors among adolescents who experienced different forms of suicidality.

Methods

We examined 18-years-olds in the Danish National Birth Cohort (N = 47,852). Suicidality was defined with mutually exclusive categories ranging from no suicidality, self-reported suicide ideation, plans, and attempt as well as hospital-recorded suicide attempt. The proportion of adolescents with self-reported poor mental health and well-being, risk behaviors, and social life factors were compared across forms of suicidality. Sample weights were applied.

Results

Depressive symptoms were reported by 14% (95% CI 13%;14%) of girls with no suicidality, 44% (95% CI 43%;45%) of girls with suicide ideation, and 68% (95% CI 65%;72%) 66% (95% CI 60%;72%) of girls with self-reported suicide attempt or hospital-recorded suicide attempt respectively. Among boys, depressive symptoms were reported by 5% (95% CI 4%;5%) of those with no suicidality, 27% (95% CI 26%;28%) of those with suicide ideation, and 51% (95% CI 45%;57%) and 40% (95% CI 22%;58%) of those with self-reported suicide attempt or hospital-recorded suicide attempt respectively. Likewise, other aspects of poor mental health and well-being gradually increased relative with more severe forms of suicidality, while no notable differences were identified between adolescents with self-reported and hospital-recorded suicide attempt. Similar tendencies were observed for risk behaviors and social life factors.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that adolescents with suicidality, including the large proportion with suicide ideation only, faces challenges across several parameters of mental health and well-being, risk behavior, and social life factors. This emphasizes the need for community-based interventions to identify and support the large group of adolescents experiencing both more and less severe forms of suicidality. Clinicians should prioritize comprehensive psychiatric intervention to address the complex needs of suicidal adolescents effectively.
Evaluation of groundwater travel time through a multilayered aquifer using multiple tracers and a novel transport approximation
Authors: Martinez Meredith B. , Widdowson Mark A.
Published: November 2024

Aquifer long-term replenishment (ALTR) is a managed aquifer recharge (MAR) strategy by which reclaimed water is continuously delivered by injection wells to depleted, confined aquifer systems to increase groundwater storage and increase the potentiometric surface over space and time. One implication of large-scale continuous recharge is a large radial impact and the need to quantify transport in radially extensive strata. The use of an artificial tracer can be cost-prohibitive as the radial front moves further from the injection well. This investigation employs a novel approximation for radial transport to track the radial front of recharge, injectate constituents and simulation of tracer breakthrough concentrations under transient recharge rates, variable depth-dependent flow distributions over time, and variable influent concentrations. Six constituents—sulfate, chloride, total organic carbon (TOC), fluoride, 1,4-dioxane and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)—were chosen to evaluate conservative transport and semiqualitatively assess attenuation of nonconservative constituents relative to conservative tracers. Results indicate that sulfate acted as the most effective conservative tracer for characterization of transport and travel times at the study site. The analytical model was modified to account for variable operations at the MAR demonstration facility and was effective in simulating breakthrough curves over the period of performance, particularly sulfate concentrations at a monitoring well located 104 m from the injection well. The behavior of the remaining constituents is discussed, and the qualities of an effective intrinsic tracer for future ALTR projects are identified.
Tracking adolescent students’ educational pathways to university through school engagement, parental expectations, and student aspirations
Authors: Katsantonis Ioannis
Published: November 2024

Although improvements have been made in terms of enhancing the number of students that enrol in higher education, the long-term educational pathways of adolescents to university studies are understudied. This calls for further research into the mechanisms that underpin the long-term educational pathways of adolescents who study at university versus those who do not. The present study examines an innovative model that tracks adolescents’ educational pathways to university in England through the developmental dynamics of emotional school engagement, parental educational expectations, and adolescent aspirations. The data came from 9173 adolescents (51.63% female) from six waves of the Next Steps cohort study in England. The data were analysed using longitudinal structural equation modelling and cross-lagged panel modelling. The results of random-intercept cross-lagged panel modelling revealed positive within-person reciprocal relations between emotional engagement, parental educational expectations, and adolescent university aspirations only between specific ages. Latent regression analysis showed that greater levels of sustained parental expectations, emotional school engagement, and adolescent university aspirations were linked to greater likelihood of pursuing university-entrance exams (A-Levels, age 17). Sustained engagement had only an indirect effect on university attendance via university-entrance exams and educational persistence (age 18). Sustained high parental educational expectations were the most direct and robust predictor of adolescents’ university attendance. The findings underscore a synergistic effect between sustained parental expectations, emotional school engagement, and adolescent university aspirations as the mechanisms that lead adolescents to university studies.
Toxicity assessment of Cd and Cu on physicochemical parameters of green microalga Scenedesmus quadricauda
Authors: Nawaz Ammara , Molnárová Marianna , Šotek Pavlína Eliška , Fargašová Agáta
Published: November 2024

Due to immobilization of heavy metals in the environment, it is necessary to evaluate their toxic effects on living cells. In this study, ecotoxicity of Cd and Cu was studied on inhibition of growth, chlorophyll a (Chl a) and chlorophyll b (Chl b), protein thiol groups and changes in bioconcentration factor (BCF). Cadmium toxicity was confirmed to be higher than Cu on Scenedesmus quadricauda. While in the lower concentrations of Cu the specific growth rate (SGR) was increased, in the presence of Cd only inhibition was confirmed. Level of Chl a was decreased more than level of Chl b. Only at low of Cu concentrations up to 0.07 mg L-1 the specific growth rate and both photosynthetic pigments increased compared to control. We observed a high bioaccumulation of Cd and Cu in the cells through bioconcentration values. We determined a negative correlation between protein thiol groups and the Chl a (r=-0.461, p<0.01) and Chl b (r=-0.416, p<0.01), respectively, in Cu presence that indicates higher consumption of protein thiol groups probably due higher level of oxidative stress in the cells. Although, we did not confirm this significant correlation for cells cultivated in the presence of Cd, we found significant negative correlation between Cd accumulation and Chl a (r=-0.643) or Chl b (r=-0.699), respectively. S. quadricauda could be suitable candidate for bioremediation of contaminated waters (e.g. in algae-bacteria consortium) because has high capacity of Cd and Cu bioaccumulation and still have enough protein thiols to protect against damage of possible higher oxidative stress.
Racist Monuments: The Beauty is the Beast
Authors: Lai Ten-Herng
Published: November 2024

While much has been said about what ought to be done about the statues and monuments of racist, colonial, and oppressive figures, a significantly undertheorised aspect of the debate is the aesthetics of commemorations. I believe that this philosophical oversight is rather unfortunate. I contend that taking the aesthetic value of commemorations seriously can help us (a) better understand how and the extent to which objectionable commemorations are objectionable, (b) properly formulate responses to aesthetic defences of objectionable commemorations, and c) help us explore aesthetic solutions—for example, artistic interventions as counterspeech—to objectionable commemorations. Here, I propose that the aesthetic value of objectionable commemorations can amplify the force of the objectionable messages conveyed, and the moral disvalue of objectionable commemorations can hinder our appreciation of their aesthetic value. These two considerations shall help us answer the practical question of what to do about objectionable commemorations of apparently good aesthetic value. Both, I shall argue, give us further reason to remove, replace, recontextualise, or even vandalise objectionable commemorations. Sometimes we need to save the art from its own immorality to best respect its aesthetic value.
The Past, Present and Future of Voter ID in Great Britain—Voter Turnout, Rejection and Confidence
Authors: Stanford Ben
Published: November 2024

This article examines the implementation of voter identification at polling stations for elections in Great Britain, in particular following the passage of the Elections Act 2022. For this purpose it groups the affected and most significant elections into four chronological studies. These are, first, the initial pilot schemes conducted in 2018 and 2019, second, the May 2023 local elections in England, third, the 10 parliamentary by-elections held in Great Britain between July 2023 and May 2024, and fourth, the July 2024 UK General Election which marked by far the biggest test of the new requirements. The article examines the historical context and key statutory provisions which introduced voter ID, before analysing the respective studies relying on official Electoral Commission and UK Parliament data, as well as data gathered by volunteer organisations and the author’s own observations at polling stations. For this purpose, the case studies focus on the issues of voter turnout, rejection and confidence, as these are easily quantifiable measures which can assist with the legal analysis. As such, the article assesses the legality of voter identification laws in the UK, in particular from a human rights perspective, arguing that the implementation of voter ID has been problematic from the outset. Data produced after the elections raises further questions over the necessity and proportionality of the measures, suggesting that further reforms are needed if the policy is to remain in place.
Multilevel importance sampling for rare events associated with the McKean–Vlasov equation
Authors: Ben Rached Nadhir , Haji-Ali Abdul-Lateef , Subbiah Pillai Shyam Mohan , Tempone Raúl
Published: November 2024

This work combines multilevel Monte Carlo with importance sampling to estimate rare-event quantities that can be expressed as the expectation of a Lipschitz observable of the solution to a broad class of McKean–Vlasov stochastic differential equations. We extend the double loop Monte Carlo (DLMC) estimator introduced in this context in Ben Rached et al. (Stat Comput, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11222-024-10497-3) to the multilevel setting. We formulate a novel multilevel DLMC estimator and perform a comprehensive cost-error analysis yielding new and improved complexity results. Crucially, we devise an antithetic sampler to estimate level differences guaranteeing reduced computational complexity for the multilevel DLMC estimator compared with the single-level DLMC estimator. To address rare events, we apply the importance sampling scheme, obtained via stochastic optimal control in Ben Rached et al. (2024), over all levels of the multilevel DLMC estimator. Combining importance sampling and multilevel DLMC reduces computational complexity by one order and drastically reduces the associated constant compared to the single-level DLMC estimator without importance sampling. We illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed multilevel DLMC estimator on the Kuramoto model from statistical physics with Lipschitz observables, confirming the reduced complexity from

$${\mathcal {O}(\textrm{TOL}_{\textrm{r}}^{-4})}$$

O
(

TOL

r

-
4

)

for the single-level DLMC estimator to

$${\mathcal {O}(\textrm{TOL}_{\textrm{r}}^{-3})}$$

O
(

TOL

r

-
3

)

while providing a feasible estimate of rare-event quantities up to prescribed relative error tolerance

$$\textrm{TOL}_{\textrm{r}}$$

TOL
r

.
Statistical and source characterization of the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Türkiye earthquake sequence
Authors: Rodríguez-Pérez Quetzalcoatl , Zúñiga F. Ramón
Published: November 2024

We studied seismic features of the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Türkiye earthquake sequence by analyzing the spatiotemporal behavior of the b- and -p values and source characteristics of the mainshocks. We complemented our study by determining the regional stress field. The b-values in the region varied from 0.45 to 1.15. We observed a slight b-value decrease (Δb≈0.2) months before the two mainshocks. Our results exhibited complex b-value patterns on the fault planes and regular aftershock productivity rates (1.14 < p < 1.25). We compare static stress drop estimates derived from effective fault dimensions to those of finite-fault dimensions. Total effective stress drops (the sum of the stress drops of all fault segments) for the earthquake doublet were almost identical (~ 2.05 MPa), while those from finite-fault dimensions are somewhat lower (0.35 and 0.96 MPa). Based on a complete stress drop case, effective seismic efficiency was 0.65 and 0.43 for both mainshocks. The amount of partial stress drop was used to discriminate between different stress drop models. No clear model is discerned for the first mainshock, but a partial or even complete stress drop, assuming finite-fault dimensions, is supported by our measurements. Stress drop estimations derived from spectral analysis (25.46 and 34.39 MPa) agreed with global studies but larger than finite and effective fault estimates. Stress inversion results indicated that in the fault segments where the mainshocks occurred, the orientation of principal axes was consistent with a strike-slip regime. Conversely, the normal-faulting regime dominates adjacent areas of the main fault system.
Automated Manufacturing Processes and Platforms for Large-scale Production of Clinical-grade Mesenchymal Stem/ Stromal Cells
Authors: Strecanska Magdalena , Sekelova Tatiana , Smolinska Veronika , Kuniakova Marcela , Nicodemou Andreas
Published: November 2024

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) hold immense potential for regenerative medicine due to their remarkable regenerative and immunomodulatory properties. However, their therapeutic application requires large-scale production under stringent regulatory standards and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines, presenting significant challenges. This review comprehensively evaluates automated manufacturing processes and platforms for the scalable production of clinical-grade MSCs. Various large-scale culture vessels, including multilayer flasks and bioreactors, are analyzed for their efficacy in MSCs expansion. Furthermore, automated MSCs production platforms, such as Quantum® Cell Expansion System, CliniMACS Prodigy®, NANT001/ XL, CellQualia™, Cocoon® Platform, and Xuri™ Cell Expansion System W25 are reviewed and compared as well. We also underscore the importance of optimizing culture media specifically emphasizing the shift from fetal bovine serum to humanized or serum-free alternatives to meet GMP standards. Moreover, advances in alternative cryopreservation methods and controlled-rate freezing systems, that offer promising improvements in MSCs preservation, are discussed as well. In conclusion, advancing automated manufacturing processes and platforms is essential for realizing the full potential of MSCs-based regenerative medicine and accomplishing the increasing demand for cell-based therapies. Collaborative initiatives involving industry, academia, and regulatory bodies are emphasized to accelerate the translation of MSCs-based therapies into clinical practice.

Graphical Abstract
Enhancing misogyny detection in bilingual texts using explainable AI and multilingual fine-tuned transformers
Authors: Hashmi Ehtesham , Yayilgan Sule Yildirim , Yamin Muhammad Mudassar , Ullah Mohib
Published: November 2024

Gendered disinformation undermines women’s rights, democratic principles, and national security by worsening societal divisions through authoritarian regimes’ intentional weaponization of social media. Online misogyny represents a harmful societal issue, threatening to transform digital platforms into environments that are hostile and inhospitable to women. Despite the severity of this issue, efforts to persuade digital platforms to strengthen their protections against gendered disinformation are frequently ignored, highlighting the difficult task of countering online misogyny in the face of commercial interests. This growing concern underscores the need for effective measures to create safer online spaces, where respect and equality prevail, ensuring that women can participate fully and freely without the fear of harassment or discrimination. This study addresses the challenge of detecting misogynous content in bilingual (English and Italian) online communications. Utilizing FastText word embeddings and explainable artificial intelligence techniques, we introduce a model that enhances both the interpretability and accuracy in detecting misogynistic language. To conduct an in-depth analysis, we implemented a range of experiments encompassing classic machine learning methodologies and conventional deep learning approaches to the recent transformer-based models incorporating both language-specific and multilingual capabilities. This paper enhances the methodologies for detecting misogyny by incorporating incremental learning for cutting-edge datasets containing tweets and posts from different sources like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, with our proposed approach outperforming these datasets in metrics such as accuracy, F1-score, precision, and recall. This process involved refining hyperparameters, employing optimization techniques, and utilizing generative configurations. By implementing Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIME), we further elucidate the rationale behind the model’s predictions, enhancing understanding of its decision-making process.
A novel approach to enhancing smart stiffness of soft robotic gripper fingers for wider grasping capability
Authors: El-Sayed Amr M.
Published: November 2024

This paper presents a proposed design of soft gripper fingers with adjustable stiffness that could be employed in the applications requiring adaptable and stable grasping. The main idea is to combine the under-actuated cable driven mechanism of a soft gripper finger with particle and layer jamming mechanisms to create a new grasping function with variable stiffness for different manipulation requirements. The movement of the soft gripper finger is produced by a cable-driven mechanism. However, particle and layer jamming chambers were embodied as a variable stiffness mechanism for the variable stiffness function. A single soft gripper finger module was developed and tested with particle and layer jamming chamber attached to it. The stiffness and response time of the soft gripper finger were measured in three distinct configurations: single finger module, particle jamming chamber attached to the finger, and layer jamming chamber attached to the finger. The comparison reveals that combining a soft finger with particle jamming increased performance by 20% compared to using the soft finger alone, while combining it with layer jamming led to an 80% increase. Additionally, layer jamming combined with a soft finger showed a 28% increase compared to particle jamming combined with a soft finger. Furthermore, simulation of the soft finger was conducted to estimate the deflection of the soft gripper finger under various applied forces. Moreover, proposed closed loop smart stiffness mechanism for the soft gripper was modeled and simulated by evaluating both soft and hard objects and simulation results were obtained for different cases. The findings indicated that the stiffness of the soft gripper finger can be adjusted for different grasping requirements.
Early Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Public Benefits Recipients
Authors: Lou Christine Wei-Mien , Chow Julian Chun-Chung , Ren Cheng , Zhou Leyi , Yang Helen
Published: November 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted employment, housing, and food security for low-income public benefits recipients. The present study seeks to understand public recipients’ self-reported critical and ongoing needs at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses logistic regression to analyze survey data gathered on 10,089 public benefits recipients in the early stage of the pandemic to better understand their self-reported critical and ongoing needs. We also explored variations in need among different racial/ethnic groups and public benefits receipt status. Our research found that respondents from most racial/ethnic minority groups indicated a significant need for food, housing, and back-rent, with variation among different racial/ethnic groups in expressing specific needs for finding employment and help with applying for public benefits. Our findings also identify SNAP/CalFresh recipients as a particularly vulnerable group, and they were more likely to need help with food insecurity, finding employment, applying for public benefits, and paying backrent. While numerous federal, state, and local programs and initiatives were created to address widespread need, this study identifies potential gaps in these efforts and increases understanding of how to target aid for low-income populations in times of crisis.
Are the robots taking over? On AI and perceived existential risk
Authors: Hilliard Airlie , Kazim Emre , Ledain Stephan
Published: November 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly infiltrating our lives, and a large proportion of the population use the technology whether they know it or not. While AI can offer significant transformative benefits, this is only true if it is used in a safe and responsible way with the right guardrails. Indeed, there have been several instances of harm resulting from the use of AI without the appropriate safeguards in place. As such, it is unsurprising that there are mixed views of AI in society, where the negative view can in fact manifest as a dystopian view of “robots taking over”. In this paper, we explore these positive and negative views of AI and the factors driving such perceptions. We propose that negative perceptions of AI often concern job displacement, bias and fairness, and misalignment with human values, while positive perceptions typically focus on specific applications and benefits of AI, such as in scientific research, healthcare, and education. Moreover, we posit that the types of perceptions one has about AI are driven by their proximity to AI, whether general or specific applications of AI are being considered, knowledge of AI, and how it is framed in the media. We end with a framework for reducing threat perceptions of AI, such that the technology can be embraced more confidently in tandem with risk management practices.
Agrarian Elites and Democracy in Latin America
Authors: Fernández Milmanda Belén
Published: November 2024

This groundbreaking book delves into the underexplored realm of agrarian elites and their relationship to democracy in Latin America. With a fresh perspective and new theory, it examines the strategies these elites use to gain an advantage in the democratic system. The book provides a detailed examination of when and how agrarian elites participate in the electoral arena to protect their interests, including a novel non-partisan electoral strategy. By providing a deeper understanding of how democratic institutions can be used to protect economic interests, this book adds to the ongoing debate on the relationship between economic elites, democracy, and redistribution. Agrarian Elites and Democracy in Latin America is a must-read for anyone interested in politics, democracy, inequality, and economic power in the Global South.
The Anglo-Saxon Elite
Authors: Rodrigues da Silva Renato
Published: November 2024

In all of the literature on Anglo-Saxon England, rarely has the question of social class been confronted head-on. This study draws upon recent research into topics such as religious practice, emotions, daily life, and intellectual culture to investigate how the aristocracy of Northumbria maintained social dominance over wider society. Moreover, this monograph suggests that the crisis that brought an end to Northumbria as an independent kingdom was the product of the social contradictions produced by the ruling class as social domination developed over time. The analysis is divided into three broad parts - production, circulation, and consumption - both as a nod to Marxist historiography and also to signal a commitment to a methodology that situates the subject within a global context.
Agenda for psychological and behavioural science of transformative behavioural change
Authors: Krpan Dario
Published: November 2024

Since the emergence of psychological and behavioural science, one of its foundational goals has been to explain human behaviour. Although the discipline has been highly successful in this endeavour, there is an elephant in the room. Psychological and behavioural science has neglected studying the most challenging aspect of human behaviour−transformative behavioural change. This change can be described as a fundamental and difficult-to-achieve shift in someone’s actions that involves a transformation of one’s way of living. Understanding transformative behavioural change is essential not only for psychological and behavioural science to accomplish its foundational goal but also to maintain its contemporary relevance. Indeed, it is imminent that both solving the world’s biggest issues (e.g., climate change) and living through major disruptions (e.g., technological revolution) will require people to transform their behaviour. In this perspective, I first review and discuss previous relevant research, and then propose a seven-step agenda for how psychological and behavioural science can become the science of transformative behavioural change.
Learning-by-doing: an insight worthy of the pantheon and how to do it in teams
Authors: Hargreaves Heap Shaun P.
Published: November 2024

In this paper, I pick up on an important theme in Mario Rizzo’s work: that rationality should be understood more broadly than the rational choice model as learning to adjust behaviour in the light of experience and the mistakes that it yields. In particular, I focus on learning-by-doing (LBD). I argue in the first part of the paper that it should be regarded as one of the central insights in economics, alongside those that are more usually recognised like the gains from trade and the importance of unintended consequences. I use Smith and Hirschman’s discussion of LBD to ground this claim. In the second part of the paper, I turn to the determinants of LBD in teams. I argue that the key rule or constitutional/policy design question is how best to embrace the diversity that is central to LBD within teams without this undermining the social origins of co-operation in teams.
Protocols for postcapitalist finance: A reply
Authors: Bryan Dick
Published: November 2024

Protocols for Postcapitalist Expression is a book published by members of the Economic Space Agency. Its objective is to frame protocols (social agreements) on which to build the conditions for an economic system that is distributed (no centralised control) and can express network views about what constitutes, and how to measure, ‘value’ (value beyond profit). An insightful review by William Morgan (2024) probes some key dimensions of our project. This reply both reframes some of William’s insights and takes issue with others, especially those which emphasise a Hayekian interpretation.
Insurrection through the balance sheet
Authors: Chambers Samuel A.
Published: November 2024

What has actually happened to the political economy of the United States over the last half-century? For too long now, ‘neoliberalism’ has been the standard answer given, yet today, the term seems to have lost both its analytic and critical capacities. Melinda Cooper’s Counterrevolution offers readers a fresh and productive response to this fundamental question of contemporary political economy. Cooper comes neither to praise nor bury neoliberalism but to shift from the level of generalizing accounts or polemics to the level of concrete ideas and the policies they have engendered. She directs attention away from the Chicago school and toward both the Virginia School of public choice theory and a long line of supply-side thinkers. On strictly economic grounds, these two strands ought to be in tension, but Cooper illuminates their political convergence: agreeing to constrain ‘certain kinds of public spending’, they implemented a politics committed to inflating asset values for the wealthy while holding workers’ wage growth in check. This balance-sheet insurrection, which directs the flow of capitalist value upward, stopped and reversed the potential Keynesian revolution that had been underway in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Atiyah class on algebraic stacks
Authors: Kuhn Nikolas
Published: November 2024

We generalize Illusie’s definition of the Atiyah class to complexes with quasi-coherent cohomology on arbitrary algebraic stacks. We show that this gives a global obstruction theory for moduli stacks of complexes in algebraic geometry without derived methods. We give a similar generalization of the reduced Atiyah class, and we show various useful properties for working with Atiyah classes, such as compatibilities between the reduced and ordinary Atiyah class, and compatibility with tensor products and determinants.
A NOTE ON THE STRONG ERDŐS–HAJNAL PROPERTY FOR GRAPHS WITH BOUNDED VC-MINIMAL COMPLEXITY
Authors: FU YAYI
Published: November 2024

Inspired by Adler’s idea on VC minimal theories [1], we introduce VC-minimal complexity. We show that for any

$N\in \mathbb {N}^{>0}$

, there is

$k_N>0$

such that for any finite bipartite graph

$(X,Y;E)$

with VC-minimal complexity

$< N$

, there exist

$X'\subseteq X$

,

$Y'\subseteq Y$

with

$|X'|\geq k_N |X|$

,

$|Y'|\geq k_N |Y|$

such that

$X'\times Y' \subseteq E$

or

$X'\times Y'\cap E=\emptyset $

.
Pellets enriched with healthy hay and quebracho are not sufficient to control gastrointestinal nematodes in meat sheep commercial flocks
Authors: Bordes Léa , Souchon Corentin , Claessens Alice , Lavigne Sophie , Bouix Geneviève , Goyenetche Margaux , Sagot Laurence , Grisez Christelle , Merlande Guy-Gérard , Jacquiet Philippe
Published: November 2024

The emergence of AH multiresistant GIN compromises sustainability of grassland sheep farming worldwide. Plants rich in condensed tannins are an alternative method of parasitism management that is currently being explored. Feed supplementation trials with pellets rich in sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) and quebracho (Schinopsis spp.) were carried out. Three meat sheep farms in western France took part in the study and a total of 4 trials were carried out.

During these 21-day trials, the ewes were returned to the sheepfold and half of them received a balanced ration supplemented with 70 g day−1 of healthy hay and quebracho pellets, while the other half received the same ration supplemented with 70 g day−1 of lucerne pellets. Fecal egg counts (FEC) were carried out at the start and end of each trial, and nematode species were identified by real-time PCR after larval culture. At D0, FEC were similar in both groups for all 4 trials. Proportions of species infecting the ewes varied from 1 trial to another: Haemonchus contortus was predominant in summer and Trichostrongylus colubriformis in winter. At D21, there were no significant differences in FEC between groups. Helminthofauna were not significantly different between groups, except for 1 trial where the proportion of H. contortus was reduced in the group supplemented with condensed-tannin pellets. The use of condensed tannins still requires additional studies to be advised as an effective method to manage gastrointestinal nematodes in farm.
Stakeholders’ perspectives on disinvestment of low-value healthcare interventions and practices in Malaysia: an online survey
Authors: Kamaruzaman Hanin Farhana , Grieve Eleanor , Ku Abd Rahim Ku Nurhasni , Izzuna MMG , Sit Wai Lee , Romli Erni Zurina , Abdullah Mohamed Hirman , Wu Olivia
Published: November 2024

Objectives

Healthcare disinvestment requires multi-level decision-making, and early stakeholder engagement is essential to facilitate implementation and acceptance. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of Malaysian healthcare stakeholders to disinvestment initiatives as well as identify disinvestment activities in the country.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from February to March 2023 among Malaysian healthcare stakeholders involved in resource allocation and decision-making at various levels of governance. Response frequencies were analyzed descriptively and cross-tabulation was performed for specific questions to compare the responses of different groups of stakeholders. For free-text replies, content analysis was used with each verbatim response examined and assigned a theme.

Results

A total of 153 complete responses were analyzed and approximately 37 percent of participants had prior involvement in disinvestment initiatives. Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness ranked as the most important criteria in assessment for disinvestment. Surprisingly, equity was rated the lowest priority despite its crucial role in healthcare decision-making. Almost 90 percent of the respondents concurred that a formal disinvestment framework is necessary and the importance of training for the program’s successful implementation. Key obstacles to the adoption of disinvestment include insufficient stakeholder support and political will as well as a lack of expertise in executing the process.

Conclusions

While disinvestment is perceived as a priority for efficient resource allocation in Malaysian healthcare, there is a lack of a systematic framework for its implementation. Future research should prioritize methodological analysis in healthcare disinvestment and strategies for integrating equity considerations in evaluating disinvestment candidates.
Relaxation States of Large Impact Basins on Mercury Based on MESSENGER Data
Authors: Szczech Claudia , Broquet Adrien , Plesa Ana‐Catalina , Fleury Aymeric , Walterová Michaela , Stark Alexander , Oberst Jürgen
Published: November 2024

The crustal structure of Mercury's large impact basins provides valuable insights into the planet's geological history. For a warm crust, a post‐impact basin structure will viscously relax with inward flow of crustal materials toward the basin center. This effect drastically diminishes the crustal thickness contrasts and associated Bouguer gravity contrasts between the basin center and its surroundings. Here, we analyze Bouguer contrasts of 36 basins (diameter 300 km) located in the northern hemisphere as a proxy for viscoelastic relaxation. Thermal evolution models, assuming the present 3:2 spin‐orbit configuration, are used to predict crustal temperatures. Our analysis reveals that the expected correlation between zones of warm crust and low Bouguer contrast from relaxation is not observed in the available data. This suggests that crustal temperatures have changed in the past, potentially due to a change in Mercury's orbit or to a major volcanic event associated with smooth plain formation.
Shallow Lake, Strong Shake: Record of Seismically Triggered Lacustrine Sedimentation From the 1959 M7.3 Hebgen Lake Earthquake Within Henrys Lake, Idaho
Authors: Nicovich Sylvia R. , DuRoss Christopher B. , Thompson Jobe Jessica A. , Rodysill Jessica R. , Briggs Richard W. , Hatem Alexandra E. , Tan Madeleine M. , Gavillot Yann , Lindberg Noah S. , Strickland Laura E. , Padgett Jason S.
Published: November 2024

We investigate a shallow lake basin for evidence of a large historic intraplate earthquake in western North America. Henrys Lake, Idaho is an atypical candidate for lacustrine paleoseismic study given its shallow depth (∼7 m) and low relief (≤2° slopes). Here, we test the earthquake‐recording capacity of this basin type by showing sedimentological evidence of the 1959 M7.3 Hebgen Lake earthquake within sediment cores, using anthropogenically produced 137Cs activity to constrain timing. In addition to expanding the morphologic range of basins targeted for lacustrine paleoseismic studies, this work has implications for sediment response in dam‐enhanced basins. Lack of sedimentological evidence for other earthquakes coupled with radiocarbon chronology reveals that the 1959 event is the only clearly recorded earthquake within Henrys Lake since the mid‐Holocene. Henrys Lake offers a proxy for paleo‐earthquake signatures within similar lacustrine environments and underscores the importance of further paleoseismic studies in the region.
Interdecadal Variations in the Spatial Pattern of the Arctic Oscillation Arctic Center in Wintertime
Authors: Fang Zhou , Sun Xuguang , Yang Xiu‐Qun , Zhu Zhiwei
Published: November 2024

Arctic Oscillation (AO) is the dominant mode of atmospheric circulation in the extratropical Northern Hemisphere regions. The spatial pattern of the AO Arctic center affects the extent of polar cold air outbreaks southward. However, the underlying nature and causes of its interdecadal variation remain unclear. Utilizing ERA5 reanalysis data, this study identifies two distinct spatial patterns of the wintertime AO Arctic center through the K‐means clustering method, which alternate over different decade periods. The Double‐trough pattern generates a tripolar temperature pattern of “cold Arctic‐warm Eurasia‐cold Tibetan Plateau” through a Rossby wave train during 1960–1997/2013–2024. While the Single‐trough pattern leads to a dipolar temperature pattern in 1998–2012. Furthermore, interdecadal variations in North Atlantic sea surface temperature meridional gradient act as an influencing factor in shaping the spatial pattern of the AO Arctic center. This research aids the understanding and prediction of climate anomalies using AO signals within various decadal contexts.