bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Eclipse ESCET™: The Eclipse Supervisory Control Engineering Toolkit
Authors: Fokkink W. J. , Goorden M. A. , Hendriks D. , van Beek D. A. , Hofkamp A. T. , Reijnen F. F. H. , Etman L. F. P. , Moormann L. , van de Mortel-Fronczak J. M. , Reniers M. A. , Rooda J. E. , van der Sanden L. J. , Schiffelers R. R. H. , Thuijsman S. B. , Verbakel J. J. , Vogel J. A.
Published: April 2023

The Eclipse Supervisory Control Engineering Toolkit (ESCET™) is an open-source project to provide a model-based approach and toolkit for developing supervisory controllers, targeting their entire engineering process. It supports synthesis-based engineering of supervisory controllers for discrete-event systems, combining model-based engineering with computer-aided design to automatically generate correct-by-construction controllers. At its heart is supervisory controller synthesis, a formal technique for the automatic derivation of supervisory controllers from the unrestricted system behavior and system requirements. Vital for the future development of these techniques and tools is the ESCET project’s open environment, allowing industry and academia to collaborate on creating an industrial-strength toolkit. We report on some crucial developments of the toolkit in the context of research projects with Rijkswaterstaat and ASML that have considerably improved its capability to deal with the complexity of real-life systems as well as its usability.
Runtime Enforcement Using Knowledge Bases
Authors: Kamburjan Eduard , Din Crystal Chang
Published: April 2023

Knowledge bases have been extensively used to represent and reason about static domain knowledge. In this work, we show how to enforce domain knowledge about dynamic processes to guide executions at runtime. To do so, we map the execution trace to a knowledge base and require that this mapped knowledge base is always consistent with the domain knowledge. This means that we treat the consistency with domain knowledge as an invariant of the execution trace. This way, the domain knowledge guides the execution by determining the next possible steps, i.e., by exploring which steps are possible and rejecting those resulting in an inconsistent knowledge base. Using this invariant directly at runtime can be computationally heavy, as it requires to check the consistency of a large logical theory. Thus, we provide a transformation that generates a system which is able to perform the check only on the past events up to now, by evaluating a smaller formula. This transformation is transparent to domain users, who can interact with the transformed system in terms of the domain knowledge, e.g., to query computation results. Furthermore, we discuss different mapping strategies.
A Modeling Concept for Formal Verification of OS-Based Compositional Software
Authors: Ribeiro Leandro Batista , Lorber Florian , Nyman Ulrik , Larsen Kim Guldstrand , Baunach Marcel
Published: April 2023

The use of formal methods to prove the correctness of compositional embedded systems is increasingly important. However, the required models and algorithms can induce an enormous complexity. Our approach divides the formal system model into layers and these in turn into modules with defined interfaces, so that reduced formal models can be created for the verification of concrete functional and non-functional requirements. In this work, we use Uppaal to (1) model an RTOS kernel in a modular way and formally specify its internal requirements, (2) model abstract tasks that trigger all kernel functionalities in all combinations or scenarios, and (3) verify the resulting system with regard to task synchronization, resource management, and timing. The result is a fully verified model of the operating system layer that can henceforth serve as a dependable foundation for verifying compositional applications w.r.t. various aspects, such as timing or liveness.
An Evaluation Framework for Schools as Community Hubs
Authors: Clinton Janet M. , Aston Ruth , Paproth Hayley
Published: April 2023

The Building Connections: Schools as Community Hubs project is concerned with increasing social value within communities through understanding the development, merit, worth and significance of schools that engage with the community. This process involves identifying the multiple components of such schools developed with diverse target groups across a range of community settings. In this context, assessing the program implementation process is essential to capturing and documenting the realities of a school's planning, development, and implementation as a community hub. This chapter outlines an evaluation framework generated to document the development and implementation of community hub schools, as well as their effectiveness and efficiency. It argues that the evaluation process is essential for initial development, ongoing sustainability, and future scaling. The proposed framework builds on an adapted form of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Framework for Program Evaluation (2011). This CDC Framework provides an overarching theoretical evaluation framework that facilitates collaboration with all stakeholders and encourages the development of a learning environment and feedback as a part of the evaluation. The model emphasises the process of engagement and outcomes, and seeks to describe the realities of implementation in complex contexts to explain outcomes.
The Role of Evaluative Thinking in the Success of Schools as Community Hubs
Authors: Paproth Hayley , Clinton Janet M. , Aston Ruth
Published: April 2023

Evaluative thinking (ET) is a construct of growing interest in education research due to its potential influence on the implementation of strategies, initiatives, and interventions. It is of particular importance in evidence-based practice. ET is often associated with the use of data, evidence-based decision making, and conducting evaluation activities. Research in this field indicates that an organisation and staff that think and act evaluatively are more likely to interrogate outcomes, question assumptions, and adapt program design and delivery. Given the nature and organisational structures of Schools as Community Hubs (SaCH) it is suggested that ET is an essential factor in the success of SaCH. This chapter will explore the research base regarding ET and the potential for ET to influence the success of SaCH.
Are Schools as Community Hubs Worth It?
Authors: Aston Ruth , Clinton Janet M. , Paproth Hayley
Published: April 2023

Understanding return on investment is a common priority for evaluating schools that operate as hubs for their community. Seeking answers to questions like, ‘are we getting adequate returns on our investment?’ and ‘when and where do we need to invest resources to maximise returns?’ is paramount to ensuring the sustainability of school as community hubs (SaCH) because they require ongoing funding to achieve their purported benefits for students, families and residents in local school communities. Economic evaluation designs that enable investment in SaCH to be compared with tangible benefits as well as future cumulative benefits will be explained and compared in this chapter. The discussion will be supported with examples that include practical strategies from economic evaluations of SaCH conducted in Australia and internationally where Social Return on Investment, Cost Benefit Analysis and Value for Money designs have been adopted.
School-Community Collaboration: Insights from Two Decades of Partnership Development
Authors: Hands Catherine M.
Published: April 2023

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in school-community partnerships as a promising way of supporting students academically, socially and emotionally in both Canada and the United States. This chapter outlines a partnership process that developers have found useful over past decades in creating their school-community relationships. While understanding the partnership process is helpful, relationships are fostered in complex social contexts that can either facilitate or frustrate efforts to collaborate. A willingness to accommodate collaborators’ needs and goals, and opportunities to modify collaborative activities over time to better meet needs encourages partnership development and sustainability. Two-way communication and a shared purpose assist students, educators, families and community members to create mutually beneficial relationships founded upon a philosophy that all constituents have valuable resources to share. Hindrances to collaboration include territorialism, and agendas determined by the educators, school and district leaders without community input. Educators’ perceptions of student, family and community needs can be problematic in culturally and economically diverse communities where residents’ life experiences do not match theirs. The chapter includes recommendations for creating more seamless interactions among schools, districts and communities.
Brokering School-Community Partnerships: Cross-Sector Advocacy and Hard Work
Authors: Lauer Lynden , Watters Shirley , Morris Kari , Griffin Sandra
Published: April 2023

Collaboration within government and across sectors can be challenging due to differing priorities, disciplinary perspectives and funding cycles. This complexity can be a barrier when it comes to enabling schools to respond to local contexts and developing strong community partnerships. This chapter shares insights from one Australian state government pilot program that aimed to broker cross-sector relationships to benefit the health, wellbeing and educational outcomes of school children and the broader community. Established in 2014, the Community Hubs and Partnerships (CHaPs) pilot program was initiated by the Queensland Government to work with all levels of government, non-government organisations and the private sector to plan accessible and cost-effective social infrastructure to connect communities and support coordinated delivery of community services. Based on the practical experience obtained over seven years, this chapter discusses strategies for brokering partnerships, along with the types of impact and outcomes that can be achieved through collaborative approaches to planning social infrastructure. To illustrate the approaches and strategies that support the establishment of schools as community hubs, it profiles two related projects: Yarrabilba Family and Community Place, and the Buzz at Yarrabilba.
Valuing Urban Schools as Social Infrastructure
Authors: Boys Jos , Jeffery Anna
Published: April 2023

Re-thinking urban schools as part of an integral network of social infrastructure in cities presents new opportunities for mixed-use educational spaces at the heart of urban development. Yet these opportunities to leverage school assets to better integrate with, and enhance, their localities are often being missed. This chapter explores the value that schools can offer, not just for children, but for wider neighbourhood residents. While understanding that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, we report on a research project to produce a social infrastructure framework which can be included in schools’ policy, implementation and evaluation measures. Developed through an engagement process with key stakeholders, and focused on England, we propose principles for enabling schools to provide better local social infrastructure; based on broadening how we value schools; taking a long-term view; using joined-up thinking; enabling schools to deliver community support; and designing in community potential from the start. This chapter discusses the implications of each principle, supported by examples.
Finite N indices and the giant graviton expansion
Authors: Liu James T. , Rajappa Neville Joshua
Published: April 2023

Abstract

The superconformal index of $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 super-Yang Mills theory with U(N) gauge group can be written as a matrix integral over the gauge group. Recently, Murthy demonstrated that this integral can be reexpressed as a sum of terms corresponding to a giant graviton expansion of the index, and provided an explicit formula for the case of a single giant graviton. Here we give similar explicit formulae for an arbitrary number, m ≥ 1, of giant gravitons. We provide 1/2 and 1/16 BPS index examples up to the order where three giant gravitons contribute and demonstrate that the expansion of the matrix integral differs from the giant graviton expansion computed in the supergravity dual. This shows that the giant graviton expansion is not necessarily unique once two or more giant gravitons start appearing.
Completing the fifth PN precision frontier via the EFT of spinning gravitating objects
Authors: Levi Michèle , Yin Zhewei
Published: April 2023

Abstract

We put forward a broader picture of the effective theory of a spinning particle within the EFT of spinning gravitating objects, through which we derive and establish the new precision frontier at the fifth PN (5PN) order. This frontier includes higher-spin sectors, quadratic and quartic in the spin, which both display novel physical features, due to the extension of the effective theory beyond linear order in the curvature. The quadratic-in-spin sectors give rise to a new tidal effect, and the quartic-in-spin sectors exhibit a new multipolar deformation. We then generalize the concept of tidal operators and of spin-induced multipolar operators, and make conjectures on the numerical values of their Wilson coefficients, and on the effective point-particle action of Kerr black holes. We confirm the generalized actions for generic compact binaries of the NLO quartic-in-spin sectors which were derived via the extension of the EFT of gravitating spinning objects. We first present the corresponding interaction potentials and general Hamiltonians, which consist of 12 distinct sectors, with a new one due to the new multipolar deformation. These Hamiltonians give the full physical information on the binary system, which mostly gets lost in higher-spin sectors, when going to the aligned-spins configuration. Moreover these general Hamiltonians uniquely allow us to find the complete Poincaré algebra at the 5PN order with spins, including the third subleading quadratic-in-spin sectors. We derive consequent observables for GW applications. Finally, to make contact with the scattering problem, we also derive the extrapolated scattering angles for aligned spins. Our completion of the Poincaré algebra provides the strongest validation of our most comprehensive new results, and thus that the 5PN order has now been established as the new precision frontier.
Complete NNLO operator bases in Higgs effective field theory
Authors: Sun Hao , Xiao Ming-Lei , Yu Jiang-Hao
Published: April 2023

Abstract

For the first time, we list the complete and independent set of operators at the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) in the Higgs effective field theory (HEFT). The Young tensor technique utilized in this work guarantees the completeness and independence of the on-shell amplitude basis while the Adler zero condition imposes non-linear symmetry on the Nambu-Goldstone bosons that play the central role in the chiral Lagrangian. The spurion fields are incorporated into the gauge structure of operators following the Littlewood-Richardson rule to accommodate custodial symmetry breaking. We construct 11506 (1927574) NNLO operators for one (three) flavor of fermions for the electroweak chiral Lagrangian with the light Higgs, and enumerate 8065(1179181) operators for one (three) flavor of fermions when the right-handed neutrino is absent by Hilbert series technique. Below the electroweak symmetry breaking scale, the dimension-8 standard model effective field theory (SMEFT) operators could be matched to these HEFT operators at both the NLO and NNLO orders.
Asymptotic profiles for a nonlinear Schrödinger equation with critical combined powers nonlinearity
Authors: Ma Shiwang , Moroz Vitaly
Published: April 2023

We study asymptotic behaviour of positive ground state solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation $$\begin{aligned} -\Delta u+u=u^{2^*-1}+\lambda u^{q-1} \quad \textrm{in}\, {\mathbb {R}}^N,\qquad \qquad \qquad \qquad \qquad {(P_\lambda )} \end{aligned}$$

-
Δ
u
+
u
=

u

2
∗

-
1

+
λ

u

q
-
1

in

R

N

,

(

P
λ

)

where $$N\ge 3$$

N
≥
3

is an integer, $$2^{*}=\frac{2N}{N-2}$$

2

∗

=

2
N

N
-
2

is the Sobolev critical exponent, $$2<q<2^*$$

2
<
q
<

2
∗

and $$\lambda >0$$

λ
>
0

is a parameter. It is known that as $$\lambda \rightarrow 0$$

λ
→
0

, after a rescaling the ground state solutions of $$(P_\lambda )$$

(

P
λ

)

converge to a particular solution of the critical Emden-Fowler equation $$-\Delta u=u^{2^*-1}$$

-
Δ
u
=

u

2
∗

-
1

. We establish a novel sharp asymptotic characterisation of such a rescaling, which depends in a non-trivial way on the space dimension $$N=3$$

N
=
3

, $$N=4$$

N
=
4

or $$N \ge 5$$

N
≥
5

. We also discuss a connection of these results with a mass constrained problem associated to $$(P_{\lambda })$$

(

P
λ

)

. Unlike previous work of this type, our method is based on the Nehari-Pohožaev manifold minimization, which allows to control the $$L^{2}$$

L
2

norm of the groundstates.
Psychologische und neurologische Gründe für Cybercrime
Authors: Ellmann Mathias
Published: April 2023

In diesem Artikel übertragen wir psychologische und neurologische Erkenntnisse und Strömungen zur Gesellschaft und Kriminalität auf Cybercrime. Wie ziehen Theorien aus der forensischen Psychologie, Kindheit und Erziehung und Autismus heran und bringen sie in Beziehung mit den Erkenntnissen aktueller kriminologischer Forschung am Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) oder des Kriminologischen Forschungsinstitut Niedersachsen e. V.. Der prozentuale Anteil von Taten zu Cybercrime im Innenbereich ist 40–70 %. Die Kenntnis von psychologischen und neurologischen Erkenntnissen und Strömungen, Kommunikation und Kommunikationsarten, das Erkennen von Lügen und Manipulation können Taten im Cybercrime wie Social Engineering oder Phishing, welche Innentäter:innen im Innenbereich von Unternehmen oder Behörden ausüben, verringern.
Macrozoobenthos of the Pechora Bay in 2020–2021 indicates a likely change of common bivalve molluscs in the Arctic estuary
Authors: Gebruk Anna , Dgebuadze Polina , Rogozhin Vladimir , Ermilova Yulia , Shabalin Nikolay , Mokievsky Vadim
Published: April 2023

The Pechora Bay is a hydrologically and ecologically important area of the Barents Sea but there are still gaps in our knowledge of biodiversity of the area, including macrozoobenthos. In the first half of the twentieth century, the Pechora Bay was noted as a type locality for the bivalve mollusc Portlandia aestuariorum. Only a few surveys of macrozoobenthos have been conducted since and the last work from this area indicated the absence of P. aestuariorum. In this paper, we described macrozoobenthos and hydrological conditions of the bay based on the data collected in field campaigns in 2020–2021. All estuarine stations corresponded to a monodominant community of Macoma balthica poor in biomass (27.29 ± 20.82 g m−2) and species richness (33 species of macrozoobenthos recorded from 10 stations). The seaward most station was occupied by a marine assemblage of macrozoobenthos dominated by polychaetes Nephtys longosetosa and Cistenides hyperborea. Macrozoobenthos of the bay forms an ecocline from estuarine to marine species along the gradient of salinity. No significant differences in macrobenthic abundance, biomass and species richness were found between the 2 years of sampling and described fauna corresponds well to communities sampled in 1990s. Portlandia aestuariorum was absent in all our samples, which supports the hypothesis of disappearance of this previously common bivalve mollusc from the area, but the question of the driver of the change in macrozoobenthos remains open and requires further investigation.
Assessment methods in laparoscopic colorectal surgery: a systematic review of available instruments
Authors: van Zwieten Tom , Okkema Sietske , van Det Marc , Pereboom Ilona , Veeger Nic , Pierie Jean-Pierre
Published: April 2023

Background

Laparoscopic surgery has become the golden standard for many procedures, requiring new skills and training methods. The aim of this review is to appraise literature on assessment methods for laparoscopic colorectal procedures and quantify these methods for implementation in surgical training.

Materials and methods

PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched in October 2022 for studies reporting learning and assessment methods for laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Quality was scored using the Downs and Black checklist. Included articles were categorized in procedure-based assessment methods and non-procedure-based assessment methods. A second distinction was made between capability for formative and/or summative assessment.

Results

In this systematic review, nineteen studies were included. These studies showed large heterogeneity despite categorization. Median quality score was 15 (range 0–26). Fourteen studies were categorized as procedure-based assessment methods (PBA), and five as non-procedure-based assessment methods. Three studies were applicable for summative assessment.

Conclusions

The results show a considerable diversity in assessment methods with varying quality and suitability. To prevent a sprawl of assessment methods, we argue for selection and development of available high-quality assessment methods. A procedure-based structure combined with an objective assessment scale and possibility for summative assessment should be cornerstones.
Comprehensive circulating microRNA profile as a supersensitive biomarker for early-stage lung cancer screening
Authors: Inagaki Masayasu , Uchiyama Makoto , Yoshikawa-Kawabe Kanae , Ito Masafumi , Murakami Hideki , Gunji Masaharu , Minoshima Makoto , Kohnoh Takashi , Ito Ryota , Kodama Yuta , Tanaka-Sakai Mari , Nakase Atsushi , Goto Nozomi , Tsushima Yusuke , Mori Shoich , Kozuka Masahiro , Otomo Ryo , Hirai Mitsuharu , Fujino Masahiko , Yokoyama Toshihiko
Published: April 2023

Purpose

 Less-invasive early diagnosis of lung cancer is essential for improving patient survival rates. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that serum comprehensive miRNA profile is high sensitive biomarker to early-stage lung cancer in direct comparison to the conventional blood biomarker using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology combined with automated machine learning (AutoML).

Methods

We first evaluated the reproducibility of our measurement system using Pearson’s correlation coefficients between samples derived from a single pooled RNA sample. To generate comprehensive miRNA profile, we performed NGS analysis of miRNAs in 262 serum samples. Among the discovery set (57 patients with lung cancer and 57 healthy controls), 1123 miRNA-based diagnostic models for lung cancer detection were constructed and screened using AutoML technology. The diagnostic faculty of the best performance model was evaluated by inspecting the validation samples (74 patients with lung cancer and 74 healthy controls).

Results

The Pearson’s correlation coefficients between samples derived from the pooled RNA sample ≥ 0.98. In the validation analysis, the best model showed a high AUC score (0.98) and a high sensitivity for early stage lung cancer (85.7%, n = 28). Furthermore, in comparison to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a conventional blood biomarker for adenocarcinoma, the miRNA-based model showed higher sensitivity for early-stage lung adenocarcinoma (CEA, 27.8%, n = 18; miRNA-based model, 77.8%, n = 18).

Conclusion

The miRNA-based diagnostic model showed a high sensitivity for lung cancer, including early-stage disease. Our study provides the experimental evidence that serum comprehensive miRNA profile can be a highly sensitive blood biomarker for early-stage lung cancer.
Gaussian process hydrodynamics
Authors: Owhadi H.
Published: April 2023

We present a Gaussian process (GP) approach, called Gaussian process hydrodynamics (GPH) for approximating the solution to the Euler and Navier-Stokes (NS) equations. Similar to smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), GPH is a Lagrangian particle-based approach that involves the tracking of a finite number of particles transported by a flow. However, these particles do not represent mollified particles of matter but carry discrete/partial information about the continuous flow. Closure is achieved by placing a divergence-free GP prior ξ on the velocity field and conditioning it on the vorticity at the particle locations. Known physics (e.g., the Richardson cascade and velocity increment power laws) is incorporated into the GP prior by using physics-informed additive kernels. This is equivalent to expressing ξ as a sum of independent GPs ξl, which we call modes, acting at different scales (each mode ξl self-activates to represent the formation of eddies at the corresponding scales). This approach enables a quantitative analysis of the Richardson cascade through the analysis of the activation of these modes, and enables us to analyze coarse-grain turbulence statistically rather than deterministically. Because GPH is formulated by using the vorticity equations, it does not require solving a pressure equation. By enforcing incompressibility and fluid-structure boundary conditions through the selection of a kernel, GPH requires significantly fewer particles than SPH. Because GPH has a natural probabilistic interpretation, the numerical results come with uncertainty estimates, enabling their incorporation into an uncertainty quantification (UQ) pipeline and adding/removing particles (quanta of information) in an adapted manner. The proposed approach is suitable for analysis because it inherits the complexity of state-of-the-art solvers for dense kernel matrices and results in a natural definition of turbulence as information loss. Numerical experiments support the importance of selecting physics-informed kernels and illustrate the major impact of such kernels on the accuracy and stability. Because the proposed approach uses a Bayesian interpretation, it naturally enables data assimilation and predictions and estimations by mixing simulation data and experimental data.
The faunal Ponto-Caspianization of central and western European waterways
Authors: Soto Ismael , Cuthbert Ross N. , Ricciardi Anthony , Ahmed Danish A. , Altermatt Florian , Schäfer Ralf B. , Archambaud-Suard Gaït , Bonada Núria , Cañedo-Argüelles Miguel , Csabai Zoltán , Datry Thibault , Dick Jaimie T. A. , Floury Mathieu , Forio Marie Anne Eurie , Forcellini Maxence , Fruget Jean-François , Goethals Peter , Haase Peter , Hudgins Emma J. , Jones J. Iwan , Kouba Antonín , Leitner Patrick , Lizée Marie-Helène , Maire Anthony , Murphy John F. , Ozolins Davis , Rasmussen Jes Jessen , Schmidt-Kloiber Astrid , Skuja Agnija , Stubbington Rachel , Van der Lee Gea H. , Vannevel Rudy , Várbíró Gábor , Verdonschot Ralf C. M. , Wiberg-Larsen Peter , Haubrock Phillip J. , Briski Elizabeta
Published: April 2023

As alien invasive species are a key driver of biodiversity loss, understanding patterns of rapidly changing global species compositions depends upon knowledge of invasive species population dynamics and trends at large scales. Within this context, the Ponto-Caspian region is among the most notable donor regions for aquatic invasive species in Europe. Using macroinvertebrate time series collected over 52 years (1968–2020) at 265 sites across 11 central and western European countries, we examined the occurrences, invasion rates, and abundances of freshwater Ponto-Caspian fauna. We examined whether: (i) successive Ponto-Caspian invasions follow a consistent pattern of composition pioneered by the same species, and (ii) Ponto-Caspian invasion accelerates subsequent invasion rates. In our dataset, Ponto-Caspian macroinvertebrates increased from two species in 1972 to 29 species in 2012. This trend was parallelled by a non-significant increasing trend in the abundances of Ponto-Caspian taxa. Trends in Ponto-Caspian invader richness increased significantly over time. We found a relatively uniform distribution of Ponto-Caspian macroinvertebrates across Europe without any relation to the distance to their native region. The Ponto-Caspian species that arrived first were often bivalves (46.5% of cases), particularly Dreissena polymorpha, followed secondarily by amphipods (83.8%; primarily Chelicorophium curvispinum and Dikerogammarus villosus). The time between consecutive invasions decreased significantly at our coarse regional scale, suggesting that previous alien establishments may facilitate invasions of subsequent taxa. Should alien species continue to translocate from the Ponto-Caspian region, our results suggest a high potential for their future invasion success highly connected central and western European waters. However, each species’ population may decline after an initial ‘boom’ phase or after the arrival of new invasive species, resulting in different alien species dominating over time.
Assessment of multiple model algorithms to predict earthworm geographic distribution range and biodiversity in Germany: implications for soil-monitoring and species-conservation needs
Authors: Salako Gabriel , Russell David J. , Stucke Andres , Eberhardt Einar
Published: April 2023

Identifying the potential distribution of soil-biodiversity with its density and richness relationships, including constituent species, is a pre-requisite for the assessment, conservation and protection of soil biodiversity and the soil functions it drives. Although the role of earthworms in improving soil quality has long been established, to quantitatively and spatially assess how this soil-animal group’s distribution changes along environmental gradients and geographic space and the identification of the drivers of such change has not been fully investigated. This comprehensive study aimed at modelling and mapping earthworm spatial distribution and diversity patterns to determine their conservation needs and provide baseline reference data for Germany. The study compared multiple modelling algorithms to map earthworm community parameters and 12 species-specific distribution probabilities, calculate their geographic range sizes and determine responses to environmental predictor variables. Three general patterns of spatial distribution ranges were identified by the model predictions (large-range, mid-range, and restricted-range species) with the corresponding environmental contributions to the predictions. Modelled species responses to environmental predictors confirm observed environmental drivers of earthworm distribution in Germany. The range classes based both on distributional level and geographic space provide the necessary information for identifying conservation and decision-making priorities, especially for restricted-distribution species as well as those with clearly defined habitat preferences.
Should low-risk DCIS lose the cancer label? An evidence review
Authors: Ma Tara , Semsarian Caitlin R. , Barratt Alexandra , Parker Lisa , Pathmanathan Nirmala , Nickel Brooke , Bell Katy J. L.
Published: April 2023

Background

Population mammographic screening for breast cancer has led to large increases in the diagnosis and treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Active surveillance has been proposed as a management strategy for low-risk DCIS to mitigate against potential overdiagnosis and overtreatment. However, clinicians and patients remain reluctant to choose active surveillance, even within a trial setting. Re-calibration of the diagnostic threshold for low-risk DCIS and/or use of a label that does not include the word ‘cancer’ might encourage the uptake of active surveillance and other conservative treatment options. We aimed to identify and collate relevant epidemiological evidence to inform further discussion on these ideas.

Methods

We searched PubMed and EMBASE databases for low-risk DCIS studies in four categories: (1) natural history; (2) subclinical cancer found at autopsy; (3) diagnostic reproducibility (two or more pathologist interpretations at a single time point); and (4) diagnostic drift (two or more pathologist interpretations at different time points). Where we identified a pre-existing systematic review, the search was restricted to studies published after the inclusion period of the review. Two authors screened records, extracted data, and performed risk of bias assessment. We undertook a narrative synthesis of the included evidence within each category.

Results

Natural History (n = 11): one systematic review and nine primary studies were included, but only five provided evidence on the prognosis of women with low-risk DCIS. These studies reported that women with low-risk DCIS had comparable outcomes whether or not they had surgery. The risk of invasive breast cancer in patients with low-risk DCIS ranged from 6.5% (7.5 years) to 10.8% (10 years). The risk of dying from breast cancer in patients with low-risk DCIS ranged from 1.2 to 2.2% (10 years). Subclinical cancer at autopsy (n = 1): one systematic review of 13 studies estimated the mean prevalence of subclinical in situ breast cancer to be 8.9%. Diagnostic reproducibility (n = 13): two systematic reviews and 11 primary studies found at most moderate agreement in differentiating low-grade DCIS from other diagnoses. Diagnostic drift: no studies found.

Conclusion

Epidemiological evidence supports consideration of relabelling and/or recalibrating diagnostic thresholds for low-risk DCIS. Such diagnostic changes would need agreement on the definition of low-risk DCIS and improved diagnostic reproducibility.
Patient preferences for the design of a pharmacy-based colorectal cancer screening program
Authors: Brenner Alison T. , Waters Austin R. , Wangen Mary , Rohweder Catherine , Odebunmi Olufeyisayo , Marciniak Macary Weck , Ferrari Renée M. , Wheeler Stephanie B. , Shah Parth D.
Published: April 2023

Purpose

To assess preferences for design of a pharmacy-based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening program (PharmFIT™) among screening-eligible adults in the United States (US) and explore the impact of rurality on pharmacy use patterns (e.g., pharmacy type, prescription pick-up preference, service quality rating).

Methods

We conducted a national online survey of non-institutionalized US adults through panels managed by Qualtrics, a survey research company. A total of 1,045 adults (response rate 62%) completed the survey between March and April 2021. Sampling quotas matched respondents to the 2010 US Census and oversampled rural residents. We assessed pharmacy use patterns by rurality and design preferences for learning about PharmFIT™; receiving a FIT kit from a pharmacy; and completing and returning the FIT kit.

Results

Pharmacy use patterns varied, with some notable differences across rurality. Rural respondents used local, independently owned pharmacies more than non-rural respondents (20.4%, 6.3%, p < 0.001) and rated pharmacy service quality higher than non-rural respondents. Non-rural respondents preferred digital communication to learn about PharmFIT™ (36% vs 47%; p < 0.001) as well as digital FIT counseling (41% vs 49%; p = 0.02) more frequently than rural participants. Preferences for receiving and returning FITs were associated with pharmacy use patterns: respondents who pick up prescriptions in-person preferred to get their FIT (OR 7.7; 5.3–11.2) and return it in-person at the pharmacy (OR 1.7; 1.1–2.4).

Conclusion

Pharmacies are highly accessible and could be useful for expanding access to CRC screening services. Local context and pharmacy use patterns should be considered in the design and implementation of PharmFIT™.
Parkinson’s Disease Risk and Hyperhomocysteinemia: The Possible Link
Authors: Al-kuraishy Hayder M. , Al-Gareeb Ali I. , Elewa Yaser Hosny Ali , Zahran Mahmoud Hosny , Alexiou Athanasios , Papadakis Marios , Batiha Gaber El-Saber
Published: April 2023

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common degenerative brain disorders caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Lewy bodies and -synuclein accumulation in the SN are hallmarks of the neuropathology of PD. Due to lifestyle changes and prolonged L-dopa administration, patients with PD frequently have vitamin deficiencies, especially folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. These disorders augment circulating levels of Homocysteine with the development of hyperhomocysteinemia, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of PD. Therefore, this review aimed to ascertain if hyperhomocysteinemia may play a part in oxidative and inflammatory signaling pathways that contribute to PD development. Hyperhomocysteinemia is implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, including PD. Hyperhomocysteinemia triggers the development and progression of PD by different mechanisms, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, and endothelial dysfunction. Particularly, the progression of PD is linked with high inflammatory changes and systemic inflammatory disorders. Hyperhomocysteinemia induces immune activation and oxidative stress. In turn, activated immune response promotes the development and progression of hyperhomocysteinemia. Therefore, hyperhomocysteinemia-induced immunoinflammatory disorders and abnormal immune response may aggravate abnormal immunoinflammatory in PD, leading to more progression of PD severity. Also, inflammatory signaling pathways like nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and nod-like receptor pyrin 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and other signaling pathways are intricate in the pathogenesis of PD. In conclusion, hyperhomocysteinemia is involved in the development and progression of PD neuropathology either directly via induction degeneration of dopaminergic neurons or indirectly via activation of inflammatory signaling pathways.
Does democracy protect the environment? The role of the Arctic Council
Authors: Mavisakalyan Astghik , Otrachshenko Vladimir , Popova Olga
Published: April 2023

This paper examines the influence of democratic institutions on environmental policy stringency and the degree to which it is affected by membership in the Arctic Council. We hypothesize that, relative to countries with no Arctic presence, countries present in the Arctic given their territorial, trade, and touristic interests are more pro-environmentally inclined as they experience the effects of global warming first-hand, and the quality of democratic institutions may reinforce this effect. Our empirical analysis based on global macroeconomic data suggests that countries with democratic institutional environments are associated with more response to Arctic status and more stringent environmental policies. Moreover, the presence of democratic governments in the Arctic increases the stringency of both market- and non-market-based environmental regulations. The suggestive estimated monetary value associated with the impact of democratic institutions in the Arctic is about 101,000 international dollars per capita. These findings underscore that the development of democratic institutions may lead to strong welfare improvements and can be used in the design of international environmental agreements for Arctic area protection.
Analytical and Numerical Solution for the Time Fractional Black-Scholes Model Under Jump-Diffusion
Authors: Mohapatra Jugal , Santra Sudarshan , Ramos Higinio
Published: April 2023

In this work, we study the numerical solution for time fractional Black-Scholes model under jump-diffusion involving a Caputo differential operator. For simplicity of the analysis, the model problem is converted into a time fractional partial integro-differential equation with a Fredholm integral operator. The L1 discretization is introduced on a graded mesh to approximate the temporal derivative. A second order central difference scheme is used to replace the spatial derivatives and the composite trapezoidal approximation is employed to discretize the integral part. The stability results for the proposed numerical scheme are derived with a sharp error estimation. A rigorous analysis proves that the optimal rate of convergence is obtained for a suitable choice of the grading parameter. Further, we introduce the Adomian decomposition method to find out an analytical approximate solution of the given model and the results are compared with the numerical solutions. The main advantage of the fully discretized numerical method is that it not only resolves the initial singularity occurred due to the presence of the fractional operator, but it also gives a higher rate of convergence compared to the uniform mesh. On the other hand, the Adomian decomposition method gives the analytical solution as well as a numerical approximation of the solution which does not involve any mesh discretization. Furthermore, the method does not require a large amount of computer memory and is free of rounding errors. Some experiments are performed for both methods and it is shown that the results agree well with the theoretical findings. In addition, the proposed schemes are investigated on numerous European option pricing jump-diffusion models such as Merton’s jump-diffusion and Kou’s jump-diffusion for both European call and put options.
A dose escalation/expansion study evaluating dose, safety, and efficacy of the novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor surufatinib, which inhibits VEGFR 1, 2, & 3, FGFR 1, and CSF1R, in US patients with neuroendocrine tumors
Authors: Dasari Arvind , Hamilton Erika P. , Falchook Gerald S. , Wang Judy S. , Li Daneng , Sung Max W. , Chien Caly , Nanda Shivani , Tucci Christopher , Hahka-Kemppinen Marjo , Paulson Andrew Scott
Published: April 2023

Surufatinib, is a potent inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1–3; fibroblast growth factor receptor-1; colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor. This Phase 1/1b escalation/expansion study in US patients with solid tumors evaluated 5 once daily (QD) surufatinib doses (3 + 3 design) to identify maximum tolerated dose (MTD), recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D), and evaluate safety and efficacy at the RP2D in 4 disease-specific expansion cohorts including pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors [pNET] and extrapancreatic NETs [epNET]. MTD and RP2D were 300 mg QD (escalation [n = 35]); 5 patients (15.6%) (Dose Limiting Toxicity [DLT] Evaluable Set [n = 32]) had DLTs. Pharmacokinetics were dose proportional. Estimated progression-free survival (PFS) rates at 11 months were 57.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 28.7, 78.2) and 51.1% (95% CI: 12.8, 80.3) for pNET and epNET expansion cohorts, respectively. Median PFS was 15.2 (95% CI: 5.2, not evaluable) and 11.5 (95% CI: 6.5,11.5) months. Response rates were 18.8% and 6.3%. The most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events (both cohorts) were fatigue (46.9%), hypertension (43.8%), proteinuria (37.5%), diarrhea (34.4%). Pharmacokinetics, safety, and antitumor efficacy of 300 mg QD oral surufatinib in US patients with pNETs and epNETs are consistent with previously reported studies in China and may support applicability of earlier surufatinib studies in US patients. Clinical trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02549937.
The impact of the first millennial teachers on education: views held by different generations of teachers
Authors: Marrero Galván Juan José , Negrín Medina Miguel Ángel , Bernárdez-Gómez Abraham , Portela Pruaño Antonio
Published: April 2023

The first people considered digital natives, the millennials, have already entered the teaching profession. As a result, we are faced with a remarkable generational diversity. This survey aimed to explore the generational change in teachers and the beginning of the incorporation of the first millennials (digital natives) into teaching. It was carried out through a qualitative study using focus groups and interviews with a total of 147 teachers. The main results found establish a generational clash between migrants and digital natives. This difference is present in the use and understanding of ICTs in the teaching task across the different teaching generations and in a generational diversity within the educational centres that has not been seen so far. However, this difference between teachers is also a condition that facilitates exchange between teachers of different generations. Junior teachers help veteran teachers in the use of ICTs and veteran teachers provide the expertise that new recruits lack.
A Study of Differences in the Perceived Risk of Attaining a Residential Fire Injury
Authors: Mankell Anna , Nilson Finn
Published: April 2023

Certain groups (e.g., those of higher age, lower educational attainment, lower income, living alone, immigrants, etc.) have a greater risk of residential fire mortality. Previous research has also shown that individuals belonging to high-risk groups have generally lower levels of fire protection, and it has been suggested that this is due to a lower risk perception in this group. As such, this study investigates how the perceived risk of being injured in a residential fire varies in the Swedish population. The results show that risk perception varies in the Swedish population depending upon sociodemographic factors. When the different sociodemographic factors are controlled against each other, women, individuals with a low educational level, individuals living in rural communities and individuals born outside of the Nordic countries consistently experience their risk to be higher. With the exception of women, the results show that high-risk individuals have a high risk perception. These results are important as they indicate that it is not a lack of risk awareness that is the reason why high-risk groups are less inclined to implement fire safety practices.
“Leave us alone”: ‘right to the city’ of street vendors along Main North 1 Road, Maseru, Lesotho
Authors: Matamanda Abraham R. , Kalaoane Rets’epile C. , Chakwizira James
Published: April 2023

This article explores the lived daily experiences of street vendors operating along the Main North 1 Road in the CBD of Maseru, Lesotho. This exploration considers how street vendors access and negotiate a claim for the right to the street. The challenges confronting these vendors in their daily hustling, including COVID-19 restrictions, are also examined. A narrative inquiry research design informs this article with data collected from interviews with purposively selected street vendors from Maseru. This primary data was triangulated with document analysis to increase the validity of the findings. The findings highlight strategies employed by vendors in Maseru that include integrating with the formal enterprises, diversifying their trades, resisting and frustrating certain decisions by the local authorities, and contributing to urban blight. A framework for interrogating and understanding street vending and its nuances is postulated based on the findings from Maseru. The article strongly appeals to the authorities to find more benign ways of integrating street vending into the production of cities.