bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Leveraging Actionable Explanations to Improve People’s Reactions to AI-Based Decisions
Authors: Langer Markus , Valera Isabel
Published: October 2024

This paper explores the role of explanations in mitigating negative reactions among people affected by AI-based decisions. While existing research focuses primarily on user perspectives, this study addresses the unique needs of people affected by AI-based decisions. Drawing on justice theory and the algorithmic recourse literature, we propose that actionability is a primary need of people affected by AI-based decisions. Thus, we expected that more actionable explanations – that is, explanations that guide people on how to address negative outcomes – would elicit more favorable reactions than feature relevance explanations or no explanations. In a within-participants experiment, participants (N = 138) imagined being loan applicants and were informed that their loan application had been rejected by AI-based systems at five different banks. Participants received either no explanation, feature relevance explanations, or actionable explanations for this decision. Additionally, we varied the degree of actionability of the features mentioned in the explanations to explore whether features that are more actionable (i.e., reduce the amount of loan) lead to additional positive effects on people’s reactions compared to less actionable features (i.e., increase your income). We found that providing any explanation led to more favorable reactions, and that actionable explanations led to more favorable reactions than feature relevance explanations. However, focusing on the supposedly more actionable feature led to comparably more negative effects possibly due to our specific context of application. We discuss the crucial role that perceived actionability may play for people affected by AI-based decisions as well as the nuanced effects that focusing on different features in explanations may have.
AI and Democratic Equality: How Surveillance Capitalism and Computational Propaganda Threaten Democracy
Authors: Black Ashton
Published: October 2024

In this paper, I argue that surveillance capitalism and computational propaganda can undermine democratic equality. First, I argue that two types of resources are relevant for democratic equality: 1) free time, which entails time that is free from systemic surveillance, and 2) epistemic resources. In order for everyone in a democratic system to be equally capable of full political participation, it’s a minimum requirement that these two resources are distributed fairly. But AI that’s used for surveillance capitalism can undermine the fair distribution of these resources, thereby threatening democracy. I further argue that computational propaganda undermines the democratic aim of collective self-determination by normalizing relations of domination and thereby disrupting the equal standing of persons. I conclude by considering some potential solutions.
Towards ML-Integration and Training Patterns for AI-Enabled Systems
Authors: Peldszus Sven , Knopp Henriette , Sens Yorick , Berger Thorsten
Published: October 2024

Machine learning (ML) has improved dramatically over the last decade. ML models have become a fundamental part of intelligent software systems, many of which are safety-critical. Since ML models have complex lifecycles, they require dedicated methods and tools, such as pipeline automation or experiment management. Unfortunately, the current state of the art is model-centric, disregarding the challenges of engineering systems with multiple ML models that need to interact to realize complex functionality. Consider, for instance, robotics or autonomous driving systems, where perception architectures can easily incorporate more than 30 ML models. Developing such multi-ML model systems requires architectures that can integrate and chain ML components. Maintaining and evolving them requires tackling the combinatorial explosion when re-training ML components, often exploring different (hyper-)parameters, features, training algorithms, or other ML artifacts. Addressing these problems requires systems-centric methods and tools. In this work, we discuss characteristics of multi-ML-model systems and challenges of engineering them. Inspired by such systems in the autonomous driving domain, our focus is on experiment-management tooling, which supports tracking and reasoning about the training process for ML models. Our analysis reveals their concepts, but also their limitations when engineering multi-ML-model systems, especially due to their model-centric focus. We discuss possible integration patterns and ML training to facilitate the effective and efficient development, maintenance, and evolution of multi-ML-model systems. Furthermore, we describe real-world multi-ML-model systems, providing early results from identifying and analyzing open-source systems from GitHub.
Coding Historical Causes of Death Data with Large Language Models
Authors: Pedersen Bjørn-Richard , Islam Maisha , Kristoffersen Doris Tove , Bongo Lars Ailo , Garrett Eilidh , Reid Alice , Sommerseth Hilde
Published: October 2024

This paper investigates the feasibility of using pre-trained generative Large Language Models (LLMs) to automate the assignment of ICD-10 codes to historical causes of death. Due to the complex narratives often found in historical causes of death, this task has traditionally been manually performed by coding experts. We evaluate the ability of GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and Llama 2 LLMs to accurately assign ICD-10 codes on the HiCaD dataset that contains causes of death recorded in the civil death register entries of 19,361 individuals from Ipswich, Kilmarnock, and the Isle of Skye in the UK between 1861–1901. Our findings show that GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and Llama 2 assign the correct code for 69%, 83%, and 40% of causes, respectively. However, we achieve a maximum accuracy of 89% by standard machine learning techniques. All LLMs performed better for causes of death that contained terms still in use today, compared to archaic terms. Also, they performed better for short causes (1–2 words) compared to longer causes. LLMs therefore do not currently perform well enough for historical ICD-10 code assignment tasks. We suggest further fine-tuning or alternative frameworks to achieve adequate performance.
Using Passive Sensing to Identify Depression
Authors: Zafeiridi Evi , Qirtas Malik Muhammad , Bantry White Eleanor , Pesch Dirk
Published: October 2024

Depression is a common mental health issue that affects people’s thoughts, behaviours, and feelings. However, depression can often be under-diagnosed or under-treated. Early identification of depression can help to reduce the severity of the condition. Passive sensing, which captures data through mobile applications and wearable devices, has been shown effective in monitoring and identifying mental health problems, including depression. In line with the scope of AISoLA for Digital Humanities to explore the challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinary action to develop better practices in research, this paper explores the efficacy of passive sensing through mobile applications and fitness trackers to identify signs of depression among 52 adults in a three-week study. Sensing data captures calls, text messages, locations, nearby devices, usage of social applications, physical activity, sleep duration and quality through the AWARE and FitBit applications. The paper also investigates differences in the behaviour between people without depression and people with symptoms of depression, and it explores which sensor data can help to accurately identify depression. The results show high accuracy of certain sensing data to identify symptoms of depression. Depression is associated with reduced physical activity, higher sleep efficiency, increased number of incoming calls, increased number of visited places and reduced application use. Differences between behaviours show that people with symptoms of depression are less active, have a higher sleep score and receive more calls compared to people without symptoms. These findings should be interpreted within the methodological issues that are discussed in this paper in relation to wider research in sensing technology that aims to identify and monitor depression, including small sample sizes and lack of information about participants.
Empirische Studie: Interviews über Nahtoderfahrungen
Authors: Nadile Stefan
Published: October 2024

Im Folgenden wird die Fragestellung erläutert und es werden methodische Überlegungen zur Durchführung der Datenerhebung angestellt. Zudem wird geschildert, wie die erhobenen Daten auswertbar gemacht und ausgewertet wurden.
Typologie der NTE-Deutungen im biografischen Kontext
Authors: Nadile Stefan
Published: October 2024

Dass die Erfahrungen tatsächlich gemacht wurden, daran scheint für die Betroffenen kein Zweifel zu bestehen. Wie dieser Eindruck jedoch bewertet wird und welche Relevanz seine Bewertung im biografischen Kontext hat, wird in den folgenden Kapiteln behandelt.
Measurement of Healthy Adult Brain Temperature Using 1H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Thermometry
Authors: Tan Yahong , Liu Wenjia , Li Yanhua , Zhang Nan , Wang Mingxiao , Sun Shuo , Ma Lin
Published: October 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to measure the brain temperature (T
br) by using 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) thermometry and investigate its age and gender differences in healthy adults. The brain temperature was further compared with the body temperature (T
bo) to investigate the possible existence of brain-body temperature gradient (∆T).

Methods

A total of 80 subjects were included in this study. 1H MRS data were collected on a 3.0T MR scanner using Point Resolved Selective Spectroscopy (PRESS) sequence. Voxels were positioned in the right frontal (RF) lobe and left frontal (LF) lobe, respectively. The temperature of each voxel was calculated by chemical shift difference (∆δ) between H2O and NAA which was obtained by LCModel software. The average temperature of bilateral frontal lobe voxels was defined as T
br for each subject. The average forehead temperature was acquired before MR scanning, defined as T
bo, in this study. The difference between T
br and T
bo, denoted as the brain-body temperature gradient (∆T), was calculated. Age and gender characteristics of T
br, ∆T and T
bo were analyzed.

Results

Tbr (38.51 ± 0.59℃) was higher than T
bo (36.47 ± 0.26℃) (P < 0.05). Negative correlations were observed between T
br and age (r = −0.49, P < 0.05) and between ∆T and age (r = −0.44, P < 0.05), whereas no correlation existed between T
bo and age (r = −0.03, P = 0.79).

Conclusion

Our observation demonstrated that the brain temperature, derived from 1H MRS thermometry, is significantly higher than the body temperature, indicating the existence of a brain-body temperature gradient, and the brain temperature gradually decreases with age.
Effect of fenofibrate on residual beta cell function in adults and adolescents with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes: a randomised clinical trial
Authors: Hostrup Pernille E. , Schmidt Tobias , Hellsten Simon B. , Gerwig Rebekka H. , Størling Joachim , Johannesen Jesper , Sulek Karolina , Hostrup Morten , Andersen Henrik U. , Buschard Karsten , Hamid Yasmin , Pociot Flemming
Published: October 2024

Aims/hypothesis

Fenofibrate, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha agonist, shows some promise in alleviating beta cell stress and preserving beta cell function in preclinical studies of type 1 diabetes. The aim of this phase 2, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomised clinical trial was to investigate the efficacy and safety of fenofibrate in adults and adolescents with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes.

Methods

We enrolled 58 individuals (aged 16 to 40 years old) with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes and randomised them to daily oral treatment with fenofibrate 160 mg or placebo for 52 weeks (in a block design with a block size of 4, assigned in a 1:1 ratio). Our primary outcome was change in beta cell function after 52 weeks of treatment, assessed by AUC for C-peptide levels following a 2 h mixed-meal tolerance test. Secondary outcomes included glycaemic control (assessed by HbA1c and continuous glucose monitoring), daily insulin use, and proinsulin/C-peptide (PI/C) ratio as a marker of beta cell stress. We assessed outcome measures before and after 4, 12, 26 and 52 weeks of treatment. Blinding was maintained for participants, their healthcare providers and all staff involved in handling outcome samples and assessment.

Results

The statistical analyses for the primary outcome included 56 participants (n=27 in the fenofibrate group, after two withdrawals, and n=29 in the placebo group). We found no significant differences between the groups in either 2 h C-peptide levels (mean difference of 0.08 nmol/l [95% CI −0.05, 0.23]), insulin use or glycaemic control after 52 weeks of treatment. On the contrary, the fenofibrate group showed a higher PI/C ratio at week 52 compared with placebo (mean difference of 0.024 [95% CI 0.000, 0.048], p<0.05). Blood lipidome analysis revealed that fenofibrate repressed pathways involved in sphingolipid metabolism and signalling at week 52 compared with placebo. The 52 week intervention evoked few adverse events and no serious adverse events. Follow-up in vitro experiments in human pancreatic islets demonstrated a stress-inducing effect of fenofibrate.

Conclusions/interpretation

Contrary to the beneficial effects of fenofibrate found in preclinical studies, this longitudinal, randomised, placebo-controlled trial does not support the use of fenofibrate for preserving beta cell function in individuals with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes.

Trial registration

EudraCT number: 2019-004434-41

Funding

This study was funded by the Sehested Hansens Foundation.

Graphical Abstract
Optimal procurement auctions with audit
Authors: Chillemi Ottorino , Galavotti Stefano
Published: October 2024

One solution to limit the contractor’s default risk in first-price procurement auctions is to audit the winning firm in order to assess the reliability of its bid, and, in case of an unsatisfactory response, move to the firm that ranked second, and so on. Focussing on a situation in which firms with cheaper technologies have a higher risk of default ex-post, we provide conditions that ensure that a first-price auction with audit is indeed optimal. These conditions are likely to be satisfied when the relation between firms’ cost and default risk is not too steep and when the cost of performing the audit is not too large. We also characterize the optimal threshold that determines which firms are to be audited and which are not. We finally discuss cases in which, instead, a first-price auction with audit is dominated by a mechanism in which the allocation (and the audit) is done randomly, at least at some point of the awarding process.
Sustainable production of the drug precursor tyramine by engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum
Authors: Poethe Sara-Sophie , Junker Nora , Meyer Florian , Wendisch Volker F.
Published: October 2024

Tyramine has attracted considerable interest due to recent findings that it is an excellent starting material for the production of high-performance thermoplastics and hydrogels. Furthermore, tyramine is a precursor of a diversity of pharmaceutically relevant compounds, contributing to its growing importance. Given the limitations of chemical synthesis, including lack of selectivity and laborious processes with harsh conditions, the biosynthesis of tyramine by decarboxylation of l-tyrosine represents a promising sustainable alternative. In this study, the de novo production of tyramine from simple nitrogen and sustainable carbon sources was successfully established by metabolic engineering of the l-tyrosine overproducing Corynebacterium glutamicum strain AROM3. A phylogenetic analysis of aromatic-l-amino acid decarboxylases (AADCs) revealed potential candidate enzymes for the decarboxylation of tyramine. The heterologous overexpression of the respective AADC genes resulted in successful tyramine production, with the highest tyramine titer of 1.9 g L−1 obtained for AROM3 overexpressing the tyrosine decarboxylase gene of Levilactobacillus brevis. Further metabolic engineering of this tyramine-producing strain enabled tyramine production from the alternative carbon sources ribose and xylose. Additionally, up-scaling of tyramine production from xylose to a 1.5 L bioreactor batch fermentation was demonstrated to be stable, highlighting the potential for sustainable tyramine production.

Key points

• Phylogenetic analysis revealed candidate l-tyrosine decarboxylases

• C. glutamicum was engineered for de novo production of tyramine

• Tyramine production from alternative carbon substrates was enabled
The impact of coral reef habitat and microbial abundance status on sponge-associated prokaryotic communities
Authors: Cleary D. F. R. , Gomes N. C. M. , Ambo-Rappe R. , de Voogd N. J.
Published: October 2024

Sponges are one of the oldest lineages of animals on Earth and play key roles in shaping marine ecosystems. They are diverse, with more than 9600 species known to science, and come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colours. Sponges are, furthermore, known to host diverse communities of microbial symbionts, which play important roles in their physiology and ecology. In the present study, we sampled prokaryotic communities from 24 sponge species inhabiting coral reef flat and slope habitats off the coast of SW Celebes (Indonesia) in addition to sediment and seawater. The prokaryotic profiles of several sponge species were characterised for the first time. In line with previous studies, we revealed pronounced variation in diversity and composition among species with high microbial abundance (HMA) or low microbial abundance (LMA) status playing an important role in structuring prokaryotic communities across host sponge species. In addition to this, reef habitat (flat versus slope) also played a significant role in structuring prokaryotic communities. Most species in the reef slope habitat housed prokaryotic communities with a consistent profile of several cyanobacterial and prokaryotic OTUs, whereas these OTUs were largely absent from sponges inhabiting the reef flat habitat. Instead, they tended to house highly abundant bacterial populations related to the Synechococcus spongiarum group. We propose that specific strains of S. spongiarum may play a key role in enabling their host sponges to survive in an, otherwise, inhospitable environment (e.g., high irradiance and temperature) and, thus, help to explain differences in sponge composition between coral reef flat and slope habitats.
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) loss associated with self-perceived anxiety/depression in seropositive rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Rojas-Gualdrón Diego Fernando , Franco-Salazar Carolina , Gómez-Henck Clara Ángela , Manrique-Castrillón Maria Camila , Hoyos-Méndez Yennifer Carime , Vélez-Romero Susana , Díaz-Coronado Juan Camilo
Published: October 2024

Objective

To analyze the HRQoL loss associated with self-perceived anxiety/depression in patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Method

This secondary data analysis is based on a registry-based retrospective follow-up study of patients with seropositive RA treated between August 2014 and January 2023 in ARTMEDICA, Colombia. HRQoL loss and self-perceived anxiety/depression were defined as outcomes. Disease activity (DAS-28) and other patient data were also gathered. Statistical analyses were performed using the ordinal logistic and generalized linear regression models.

Results

A total of 3579 patients with a mean follow-up of 2.9 (SD 2.4) years, 85.6% women with a median age at diagnosis of 48.1 (IQR 37.8–57.5) years, and a median of 6.5 (IQR 1.9–14.7) years living with RA were included. At program admission, the median DAS-28 score was 2.8 (IQR 2.1–4.2), and 6.6% of patients reported extreme anxiety/depression. The average HRQoL loss was 3.4 months per year lived with seropositive AR. Among patients with no pain or discomfort, moderate and extreme anxiety/depression were associated with mean HRQoL losses of 2.2 (95% CI − 2.3 to − 2.2) and 4.1 (95% CI − 4.3 to − 3.8) months. In patients with extreme pain/discomfort, these estimations were 0.8 (95% CI − 0.9 to − 0.7) and 1.9 (95% CI − 2.1 to − 1.7) months, respectively.

Conclusion

Our study adds to the available body of evidence by clarifying the differential impact of anxiety/depression on HRQoL, depending on the severity of pain. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening mental health care and psychological well-being interventions for patients with RA, regardless of pain or disease activity.

Key Points• The average HRQoL loss was 3.4 months per year lived with seropositive AR.• Pain/discomfort rather than disease activity explained the severity of anxiety/depression as well as its associated HRQoL loss.• For patients with extreme pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression, the average HRQoL loss was 8.1 months per year lived with the disease compared to 0.4 months for patients without those impacts.
Advances on strictly $$\Delta $$-modular IPs
Authors: Nägele Martin , Nöbel Christian , Santiago Richard , Zenklusen Rico
Published: October 2024

There has been significant work recently on integer programs (IPs)

$$\min \{c^\top x :Ax\le b,\,x\in \mathbb {Z}^n\}$$

min
{

c
⊤

x
:
A
x
≤
b
,

x
∈

Z

n

}

with a constraint marix A with bounded subdeterminants. This is motivated by a well-known conjecture claiming that, for any constant

$$\Delta \in \mathbb {Z}_{>0}$$

Δ
∈

Z

>
0

,

$$\Delta $$

Δ

-modular IPs are efficiently solvable, which are IPs where the constraint matrix

$$A\in \mathbb {Z}^{m\times n}$$

A
∈

Z

m
×
n

has full column rank and all

$$n\times n$$

n
×
n

minors of A are within

$$\{-\Delta , \dots , \Delta \}$$

{
-
Δ
,
⋯
,
Δ
}

. Previous progress on this question, in particular for

$$\Delta =2$$

Δ
=
2

, relies on algorithms that solve an important special case, namely strictly

$$\Delta $$

Δ

-modular IPs, which further restrict the

$$n\times n$$

n
×
n

minors of A to be within

$$\{-\Delta , 0, \Delta \}$$

{
-
Δ
,
0
,
Δ
}

. Even for

$$\Delta =2$$

Δ
=
2

, such problems include well-known combinatorial optimization problems like the minimum odd/even cut problem. The conjecture remains open even for strictly

$$\Delta $$

Δ

-modular IPs. Prior advances were restricted to prime

$$\Delta $$

Δ

, which allows for employing strong number-theoretic results. In this work, we make first progress beyond the prime case by presenting techniques not relying on such strong number-theoretic prime results. In particular, our approach implies that there is a randomized algorithm to check feasibility of strictly

$$\Delta $$

Δ

-modular IPs in strongly polynomial time if

$$\Delta \le 4$$

Δ
≤
4

.
Complication avoidance, rehabilitation, pain therapy and palliative care for patients with metastatic spine tumors: WFNS spine committee recommendations
Authors: Pojskic Mirza , Naderi Sait , Vaishya Sandeep , Zileli Mehmet , Costa Francesco , Sharif Salman , Gokaslan Ziya L.
Published: October 2024

Objective: This review aims to formulate the most current, evidence-based recommendations regarding complication avoidance, rehabilitation, pain therapy and palliative care for patients with metastatic spine tumors. Methods: A systematic literature search in PubMed and MEDLINE, and was performed from 2013 to 2023 using the search terms “complications” + “spine metastases”, “spine metastases” + + “rehabilitation”, “spine metastases” + “pain therapy” + “palliative care”. Screening criteria resulted in 35, 15 and 56 studies respectively that were analyzed. Using the Delphi method and two rounds of voting at two separate international meetings, nine members of the WFNS (World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies) Spine Committee generated nine final consensus statements. Results: Preoperative assessment for complications following surgery in patients with metastatic spine tumors should include estimation of Karnofsky score, site of primary tumor, number of spinal and visceral metastasis, ASA score and preoperative Hb (Hemoglobin) value. Complication risk factors are age > 65 years, preoperative ASA score of 3 and 4 and greater operative blood loss. Pain management using WHO analgesic concept and early mobilization are needed, starting with non-opioids, weak opioids followed by strong opioids. Morphine is the first choice for moderate to severe pain whereas IV-PCA may be used for severe breakthrough pain with monitoring. Use of bisphosphonates is considered in cases of non-localized pain and not accessible radiation therapy. Conclusions: These nine final consensus statements provide current, evidence-based guidelines on complication avoidance, rehabilitation, pain therapy and palliative care for patients with spinal metastases.
Digital accessibility tools and training and the DA4You course: views and experiences of users with disabilities
Authors: Black Sharon , de Pablos-Ortega Carlos
Published: October 2024

Digital technologies are now ubiquitous in our lives and it is of critical importance that people with disabilities benefit from full and equitable access to the digital world. However, digital accessibility training for users with disabilities is lacking, and there is little research on developing such training focusing on ways to use the broad and growing range of digital accessibility tools available today. The current study investigates the practices, views and experiences of users with disabilities regarding digital devices, accessibility tools and training. Data were collected from 91 participants with a range of disabilities using a questionnaire and 14 participants took part in a semi-structured interview. The findings confirm that while users with disabilities are making use of a wide variety of technologies and accessibility tools, digital accessibility training for such users is inadequate, with participants experiencing gaps and shortcomings in the training and support provided from their early years onwards, including at school, university and in their adult lives. Such gaps and deficiencies reinforce the digital divide between users with disabilities and non-disabled users. Participants gave several recommendations to improve digital accessibility training. The research informed the design of the training created as part of the DA4You project, presented in this article, which was positively evaluated by participants overall. However, greater efforts are needed to improve digital accessibility training for all users with disabilities, who are keen to have access to more and better training opportunities. The onus is on educators, trainers, administrators and policymakers, etc. to make this a priority.
Sleep-related epilepsies in the course of development in childhood
Authors: Datta Alexandre N. , Bürki Sarah E.
Published: October 2024

Epilepsy, as one of the most prevalent neurological diseases in childhood, has a strong reciprocal relationship with sleep. Sleep-associated epilepsy syndromes in childhood are mostly genetic and can be divided into (a) the group of self-limited focal epilepsies of childhood including self-limited epilepsy with autonomic seizures (SeLEAS) and self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (SeLECTS) and (b) (non-self-limited) sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy (SHE). Sleep-accentuated (developmental and) epileptic encephalopathies (DEE/EE-SWAS, Landau–Kleffner syndrome [LKS]) are either genetic (possible transition from SeLEAS or SeLECTS) or structural, and they are characterized by continuous bilateral focal or generalized epileptic activity throughout the night with a clinical manifestation of stagnation or regression, in particular of cognition (verbal agnosia in LKS). Epilepsy syndromes with increased seizure frequency after sleep deprivation or with seizures in the transition to awakening include juvenile generalized epilepsy syndromes such as epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures alone (GTCA) or juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), but also SeLECTS. Sleep is a very active process: Regeneration, reorganization, and consolidation of memory facilitate development and cognitive functioning. Epilepsy can alter sleep architecture and vice versa, which can appear as a vicious circle in epilepsies that are sleep related. Macrostructural elements of sleep such as sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, wakefulness after sleep onset, REM and non-REM sleep fraction, as well as microstructural sleep elements such as slow-wave activity, slope of slow waves, cyclic alternating pattern (CAP), and physiological sleep figures, are important biomarkers with which to understand clinical symptoms such as cognitive stagnation and regression, to monitor treatment, but also to determine prognostic factors and will be an important tool for future studies.
Mortality and the business cycle: evidence from an estimated DSGE model for Germany
Authors: Shamsfakhr Farzaneh
Published: October 2024

This study addresses the relationship between transitory macroeconomic conditions and health by analyzing the dynamics of death over business cycle fluctuations in Germany during 1998:Q4–2014:Q4. A dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model with population growth is developed to incorporate demographic shocks including mortality. The estimation results indicate that mortality in Germany is counter-cyclical, suggesting that health in Germany deteriorates during recessions whereas it improves over economic expansions. Moreover, the structure of mortality is found to vary with respect to the business cycles. While for most of the sample period non-working population seems to be more exposed to death during recessionary times, there are evidences of higher fatality of working people in Germany during the recent financial and economic crisis. In the light of the demographic change that Germany is currently experiencing, findings of this study have important implications for health policies concerning aging as well as working-age population.
Labour Market Disadvantages of Citizens with a Migration Background in Belgium: A Systematic Review
Authors: Devos Louise , Lippens Louis , Lens Dries , Rycx François , Volral Mélanie , Baert Stijn
Published: October 2024

Labour markets struggle to be inclusive, while diversity is increasing. This literature review examines labour market challenges faced by first- and second-generation migrants in Belgium. We systematically review articles published between 2010 and 2023 in the Web of Science Core Collection to delineate underlying mechanisms, associated solutions, policy recommendations and literature gaps. The literature reveals that individuals with a migration background generally experience poorer labour market outcomes than natives. These outcomes vary based on specific origin and gender and persist from the first into the second generation. The mechanisms underlying these poorer outcomes are discrimination, individual preferences, and human and social capital differences. Recommendations for employers include implementing standardised hiring procedures and fostering awareness of discrimination among recruiters. On the employee side, investing in human capital, increasing labour market knowledge, and having competencies formally recognised can help to narrow employment gaps. Our review also advocates for policy refinement to combat biases and suggests that alternative pathways to attaining employment, such as self-employment and volunteering, are promising areas for future research.
Trace element contamination in three shorebird species migrating through Delaware Bay, New Jersey: arsenic, mercury and selenium are increasing
Authors: Burger Joanna , Feigin Stephanie
Published: October 2024

Many shorebird populations are declining, and contaminants may be partly contributing to the decline by interfering with feeding, migration, and breeding success. The goal of our study was to determine whether there was a temporal change in concentrations of trace elements of red knot (Calidris canutus rufa), sanderling (Calidris alba), and ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres) during spring migration in Delaware Bay, New Jersey, USA. We sampled blood to 1) determine levels of trace elements in 2019, 2) compare 2019 trace element levels with those from shorebirds in 2011–2012, and 3) examine variability in blood levels of trace elements among species. In 2019: 1) trace element levels were significantly different among species (except cadmium[Cd]), 2) Cd was lowest in all species, and arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) were highest, and 3) sanderlings had the highest levels of As and Se, and knots had the highest levels of chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb). Se was higher in these shorebirds than reported for other shorebirds from elsewhere. As, mercury (Hg), and Se increased significantly between 2011–2012 and 2019 in all three species. There were no significant temporal changes in Cd. Chromium (Cr) decreased in knots and sanderling. The temporal increases in As, Se, and Hg bear watching as they are toxic in vertebrates, and each can decrease the toxicity of the others. The data indicate that shorebirds can be bioindicators of changing trace element levels in estuaries, potentially providing early warning of increasing levels of As, Hg, and Se in the environment.
Assessment of nitrogen and phosphorus losses due to erosion in compost-treated and non-treated vineyard soils: effect of rainfall intensity
Authors: Ramos María Concepción
Published: October 2024

Vineyards in Mediterranean areas suffer from significant soil degradation through erosion, due to rainfall and soil characteristics, as well as soil management practices. Previous studies pointed out the nutrient losses produced by erosion and the benefits that some management practices could have on reducing erosion. This research tried to evaluate the effect of events of different intensities and to assess whether the beneficial effect of compost amendment may pose a potential risk of nutrient loss and environmental pollution in particular under high-intensity events. The study compared soil and nutrient losses in compost-treated and non-treated vineyard soils after rainfall events of different intensities analyzed over 2 years in two vineyards. Runoff samples were collected by triplicate in treated and non-treated soils. Sediment and nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations in the runoff samples were analyzed. The results reveal a reduction in runoff rates and an increase in soil water content in compost-treated soils, which represents a benefit for rainfed vineyards. Both nitrogen and phosphorus losses depended on rainfall characteristics. Although for low intensities there were no significant differences in the amount of nutrient lost by runoff in both treated and non-treated soils, nitrogen and phosphorus losses were higher after high-intensity rainfall events in compost-treated soils. With the expected increase in high-intensity rainfall events associated with climate change in the Mediterranean region, organic amendments should be applied in several splits or incorporated into the soil to avoid increased nutrient loss to water bodies.
Real-time measurement of metals in submicron aerosols with particle-into-liquid sampler combined with micro-discharge optical emission spectroscopy
Authors: Das Sudatta , Teinilä Kimmo , Timonen Hilkka , Ikonen Erkki , Laurila Toni
Published: October 2024

The paper presents a novel technique for quantifying trace metals in aerosol samples in real time. Airborne metals were continuously collected for one week near the Baltic Sea in Finland using a particle-into-liquid sampler (PILS). The collected liquid samples were analyzed for metals using micro-discharge optical emission spectroscopy (µDOES). The micro-discharge analyzer is designed to perform real-time, on-site measurements of metal concentrations in aqueous solutions. Currently, µDOES can provide online measurements of 30 metals, with typical detection limits from 0.01 µg/m3 to 0.06 µg/m3 with a long-term repeatability less than 5%. The novelty of this analyzer lies in its compact design, rapid detection capabilities, and ease of operation and maintenance. Several metals, including potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), aluminum (Al), magnesium (Mg), and copper (Cu), were measured in the aerosol samples collected using PILS. The results indicate that this approach has significant potential for future automated online monitoring of airborne metal concentrations, facilitating investigations into their sources and daily variations. The development of real-time technologies for rapid, online, and accurate atmospheric aerosol measurements is essential for advancing climate change research. Such advancements allowing for continuous real-time data enhance our understanding of aerosol dynamics, improve source identification, and inform public health and environmental policies, ultimately contributing to more effective climate change monitoring and mitigation.
The Social and Sociological Province of Climate Change: Introduction
Authors: Domingues José Maurício , Teixeira Marco Antonio
Published: October 2024

Despite its importance and prominence in public debates, including in many social science-related disciplines such as political science, anthropology, geography, and history, climate change has been unevenly addressed within critical sociology. In the tradition of critical theories, a critical sociology approach could contribute to climate science by discussing, for instance, what it means for societies and individuals to live together in times of ecological crisis and how this interplays with other crises and challenges of our time. As we face various transformations caused by climate change, sociology can inquire about social relations in the Anthropocene, including the critique of this concept and its alternatives, such as Capitalocene. This introductory article explores the intersection of sociology and the climate crisis, examining the sociological significance of the latter. It also discusses the importance for sociology, at both theoretical and empirical levels, to climate-related debates. It highlights the need for pluralistic approaches that can contribute to framing and addressing climate change, encompassing diagnosis, alternatives, science, and politics. The papers in this special issue seek to engage with and contribute to the abovementioned debate by covering theoretical and empirical perspectives on climate crisis, drawing attention to themes such as the relationship between critical theory and climate change, theories of modernity, the notion of (post)sustainability, just transitions, the role of media systems in fostering sustainable transformations, and the contribution of social movements to socioecological transformation, with a particular focus on the 'Global South'.
Investigations into Proof Structures
Authors: Wernhard Christoph , Bibel Wolfgang
Published: October 2024

We introduce and elaborate a novel formalism for the manipulation and analysis of proofs as objects in a global manner. In this first approach the formalism is restricted to first-order problems characterized by condensed detachment. It is applied in an exemplary manner to a coherent and comprehensive formal reconstruction and analysis of historical proofs of a widely-studied problem due to Łukasiewicz. The underlying approach opens the door towards new systematic ways of generating lemmas in the course of proof search to the effects of reducing the search effort and finding shorter proofs. Among the numerous reported experiments along this line, a proof of Łukasiewicz ’s problem was automatically discovered that is much shorter than any proof found before by man or machine.
Twentieth century extreme precipitation detected in a high-resolution, coastal lake-sediment record from California
Authors: Knight Clarke A. , Wahl David B. , Addison Jason , Baskaran Mark , Anderson R. Scott , Champagne Marie R. , Anderson Lysanna , Presnetsova Liubov , Caissie Beth , Starratt Scott
Published: October 2024

California faces increasing economic and societal risks from extreme precipitation and flooding associated with atmospheric rivers (ARs) under projected twenty-first century climate warming. Lake sediments can retain signals of past extreme precipitation events, allowing reconstructions beyond the period of instrumental records. Here, we calibrate AR-related extreme precipitation from the last century to proxy data from lake sediments collected in the latitudinal zone of the highest frequency landfall for modern ARs in California. Excursions in erosional proxy data (Ti/Al) are positively and significantly correlated (r
median
 = 0.45, p
median
 = 0.04) with modern records of integrated vapor transport (IVT, kg m−1 s−1), a key metric of AR intensity, using correlations that incorporate age-model uncertainty. Despite the land-use change near the study site, the data suggest intense and long-lasting AR storms are identifiable in this sedimentary record. These results allow conservative inferences concerning past extreme hydrology at this site.
Non-uniform Bounds and Edgeworth Expansions in Self-normalized Limit Theorems
Authors: Beckedorf Pascal , Rohde Angelika
Published: October 2024

We study Edgeworth expansions in limit theorems for self-normalized sums. Non-uniform bounds for expansions in the central limit theorem are established while imposing only minimal moment conditions. Within this result, we address the case of non-integer moments leading to a reduced remainder. Furthermore, we provide non-uniform bounds for expansions in local limit theorems. The enhanced tail accuracy of our non-uniform bounds allows for deriving an Edgeworth-type expansion in the entropic central limit theorem as well as a central limit theorem in total variation distance for self-normalized sums.
The Dominance of Liking: Uncovering Dyadic and Reputational Effects of Peer and Perceived Teacher Likes and Dislikes on Friendship Dynamics Among Chinese Adolescents
Authors: Qin Xingna , Laninga-Wijnen Lydia , Steglich Christian , Zhang Yunyun , Ren Ping , Veenstra René
Published: October 2024

While previous research suggests that peer and teacher preferences are linked to adolescents’ peer relationships, the specific impact of peer and teacher (dis)liking on adolescents’ friendship networks is not fully understood. This study used longitudinal social network analysis to examine how peer (dis)liking and perceptions of teacher (dis)liking predicted friendship selection among Chinese adolescents. Questionnaires were administered to a sample of 2566 students (48.3% boys, Mage = 13.94, SDage = 0.60 at Time 1) in central China in 2015 and 2016. Results for peer (dis)liking revealed that Chinese students tended to befriend peers they liked (dyadic perception), to befriend peers widely liked (reputational perception), and to avoid peers widely disliked (reputational perception). Regarding teacher (dis)liking, Chinese students tended to befriend peers they believed their teachers liked (dyadic perception) and avoid those widely perceived as liked by teachers (reputational perception). Interestingly, students who were widely perceived as liked by teachers tended to befriend peers whom they believed teachers disliked. Perceived teacher disliking had a limited effect on friendship selection at both the dyadic and reputational levels. These findings suggest that peer liking and perceived teacher liking relate to friendship formation among Chinese adolescents, but that a reputation as a teachers’ pet may hinder their friendships.
Effect of Gd doping on the microstructure and electrical characteristics of Maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) ceramics
Authors: Dhahri Ramzi , Benamara Majdi , Bouzidi Souhir , Ben Moussa Sana , Alzahrani Abdullah Yahya Abdullah , Nassar Kais Iben , Zahmouli Nassim , Elkenany Elkenany Brens , Al-Syadi A. M.
Published: October 2024

This paper presents a novel study on the microstructure and electrical properties of gadolinium (Gd) doped maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles, emphasizing their significance for advanced applications in efficient materials. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that both pure and doped samples crystallized in a cubic structure (P4332 space group) with high purity. Gd doping significantly increased crystallite size and altered particle morphology, as shown by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which revealed larger nanoparticles with cubic shapes. Thermal analysis (TGA and DTG) indicated that higher Gd concentrations enhanced thermal instability, affecting structural integrity. FTIR spectra showed shifts in Fe-O bond vibrations, suggesting lattice distortions and increased disorder. BET measurements indicated that higher Gd doping led to greater mesoporosity and surface area, countering expectations of densification. Electrical conductivity and impedance studies revealed two distinct regions: a constant conductivity at low frequencies and an exponential increase at high frequencies, attributed to small polaron hopping. Activation energy values below 200 meV support this mechanism. Gd doping decreased overall conductivity due to disrupted atomic arrangements, increased electron scattering, and modifications in the electronic band structure. Complex impedance spectroscopy illustrated higher real impedance values for doped samples, with increased Gd concentration leading to enhanced impedance. These findings elucidate the impact of Gd on the electrical properties of maghemite nanoparticles and highlight their importance in meeting the growing demands for highly efficient technologies in energy storage and electronic devices.

Graphical Abstract
Combinatorial 2d higher topological quantum field theory from a local cyclic $$A_\infty $$ algebra
Authors: Beck Justin , Losev Andrey , Mnev Pavel
Published: October 2024

We construct combinatorial analogs of 2d higher topological quantum field theories. We consider triangulations as vertices of a certain CW complex $$\Xi $$
Ξ
. In the “flip theory,” cells of $$\Xi _\textrm{flip}$$

Ξ
flip

correspond to polygonal decompositions obtained by erasing the edges in a triangulation. These theories assign to a cobordism $$\Sigma $$
Σ
a cochain Z on $$\Xi _\textrm{flip}$$

Ξ
flip

constructed as a contraction of structure tensors of a cyclic $$A_\infty $$

A
∞

algebra V assigned to polygons. The cyclic $$A_\infty $$

A
∞

equations imply the closedness equation $$(\delta +Q)Z=0$$

(
δ
+
Q
)
Z
=
0

. In this context, we define combinatorial BV operators and give examples with coefficients in $$\mathbb {Z}_2$$

Z
2

. In the “secondary polytope theory,” $$\Xi _\textrm{sp}$$

Ξ
sp

is the secondary polytope (due to Gelfand–Kapranov–Zelevinsky) and the cyclic $$A_\infty $$

A
∞

algebra has to be replaced by an appropriate refinement that we call an $$\widehat{A}_\infty $$

A
^

∞

algebra. We conjecture the existence of a good Pachner CW complex $$\Xi $$
Ξ
for any cobordism, whose local combinatorics is described by secondary polytopes and the homotopy type is that of Zwiebach’s moduli space of complex structures. Depending on this conjecture, one has an “ideal model” of combinatorial 2d HTQFT determined by a local $$\widehat{A}_\infty $$

A
^

∞

algebra.