bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhancing cultural inclusivity in primary schools: insights from Springer multicultural education data
Authors: Farid Mujahidin , Murtadho Nurul , Muslihati Muslihati , Alfan Muhammad , Minghat Asnul Dahar , Othman Nooraini
Published: June 2024

Multicultural education is an essential approach for fostering inclusivity and promoting diversity within primary school settings. This systematic literature review aims to explore the issues employed in multicultural education within primary schools, utilizing a data source from Springer, a renowned academic publisher. This research applies the systematic review literature method with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) protocol. The review examines scholarly articles published between 2018 and 2023 to identify trends, challenges, and best practices in the field. The findings of this review have implications for educators, policymakers, and practitioners in the field of education. The identified best practices, such as problem-based learning, social-emotional learning, and virtual field trips, can guide the development of curriculum frameworks, instructional approaches, and professional development programs that prioritize multicultural education in primary schools.
Higher order thinking skills in science learning: a systematic review from 2014-2023
Authors: Yanti Fitri April , Thohir M Anas
Published: June 2024

This study presents a comprehensive overview related to higher-order thinking skills (HOTs) as well as recommendations for future study opportunities for educators and researchers. This study uses the systematic literature review (SLR) method to present critically the knowledge, ideas, and findings contained in academic-oriented literature. A total of 276 synthesized papers have been selected from the Scopus database. Annual publication frequency, number of documents, research methods, scope of themes, productive journals and proceedings in research, and learning approaches used in improving HOTs are reviewed. The results show that HOTs in science education have been receiving attention from researchers in the last eight years. Based on the 63 documents reviewed, include HOTs in the title and abstract. Proceedings in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series are the most contributors to publishing HOTs in science education. Quantitative methods are more widely adopted in HOTs research than research and development (R&D), qualitative, mixed, and non-empirical methods. In addition, models of teaching are also the most chosen theme in science education, and the most widely used mobile learning approach to increase HOTs. In the future, this study can become a reference for researchers to consider various solutions to maximize HOTs.
Scientific communication: students’ proficiency for workplace readiness
Authors: Bunchasansiri Orapan , Tanprasert Krittika , Jirachai Peangpen
Published: June 2024

Under the theme of “scientific communication proficiency for workplace readiness,” researchers conducted this mixed-method study to specify key elements that improve student’s proficiency for scientific communication and enhance the communicative competence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for the students. Data were collected using questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussion. The respondents and informants consisted of 351 STEM students, six STEM business executives, and three communication experts. The conceptual framework was designed based on a communicative competence model to identify relationship between skills, knowledge, and training history. The science communication model of existing core elements (CE) based on sender, message, channel, and receiver (SMCR) communication model was developed. The implication of the finding significantly escalates the practice of scientific communication. The study highlights the importance of considering different elements under SMCR in enhancing communication skills among STEM students. The expectations of business executives and communication experts’ views and feedback provided empirical inferences that significantly support the outcomes in terms of the practical implication phase. Based on the findings, the science communication model with key elements for work readiness is redesigned as the final outcome. The results could imply to enhance communication skills in various industries.
Validation of the factor structure of the motivated strategies for learning questionnaire
Authors: Tran Van Dat , Dong Le Thi A
Published: June 2024

In recent years, the motivated strategies for learning questionnaire (MSLQ) has been used to assess students’ motivational orientations and utilization of various learning strategies. Due to its significant effects on student outcomes such as academic performance and careers, research on the factor structure of motivated strategies for learning has received increasing attention. However, the existing literature indicates a dearth of studies focusing on the MSLQ dimensions in Vietnam. Therefore, this study aimed to ascertain the factor structure of the 31-item Student Motivation Scale (SMS), which is a subset of the larger 81-item MSLQ, in the context of Vietnam. The study utilized the Vietnamese version of the SMS to collect data from 317 high school students in Vietnam. The factorial analysis showed that the SMS has its original six-factor structure, which is made up of task value (TV), control beliefs, self-efficacy for learning and performance (SLP), test anxiety (TA), and intrinsic goal orientation (IGO). The present study recommended that school leaders and teachers should use the SMS to assess students’ motivation in the context of Vietnamese education.
The role of self-organization theory in the development of students’ interdisciplinary research ability
Authors: Mukushev Bazarbek , Bazarbekova Aizhan , Ibatayev Zharkyn , Sydykova Zhainagul , Mukushev Serik
Published: June 2024

Self-organization theory is an interdisciplinary scientific direction to improve the quality of acquired knowledge and skills. The article aims to study the development of interdisciplinary research activities among students based on self-organization theory. The study was conducted using an integrated approach, methods of analysis and synthesis, modeling, pedagogical experiments, and mathematical statistics. An elective course, “synergetic-interdisciplinary scientific theory”, and a model for preparing students for interdisciplinary research activities were developed and implemented. The knowledge and skills of 272 physics students in the Republic of Kazakhstan universities in control and experimental groups improved after the training. The knowledge highest level is observed among the experimental group students while studying the natural experiments’ theoretical aspects necessary for researching the natural objects’ sustainability. Experimental group students demonstrated better results in completing the task based on the acquired knowledge and skills. They rated the education quality significantly better on a short educational assessment scale. The results-developed course and the students’ preparing models for interdisciplinary research can be used in advanced courses for different specialties educators. Research perspectives could potentially contribute to the development of integrated subjects and interdisciplinary programs in natural sciences and humanities.
Career Management and Job Satisfaction among Female Uniformed Personnel of Philippine National Police
Authors: Acorda Emmalyn , Agmata Jeffrey , Napadao Mary Jane , Perilla Sesinando , Buena-Villa Elizabeth , Villarta Jose Andres , Tayobong Almerian
Published: June 2024

The aimed of this study was to ascertain how female uniformed Philippine National Police members manage their careers and how satisfied they are with their jobs. This study used survey methods in conjunction with descriptive correlation analysis. The San Juan City Police Station was the only location used for research with twenty-five (25) female uniformed personnel in the research area served as the respondents. Martinez (2019) provided a survey questionnaire that was used as the research instrument in this study. They used the mean and Pearson-r Correlation to examine the data. According to the survey, female officers support the program's implementation and are usually satisfied with its goals. Although they are contented with their compensation and benefits, they nevertheless require additional fundings in order to carry out their duties as professionals. Work satisfaction among female officers is effectively increased by the career management and development program, as evidenced by promoting gender equality and creating inclusive work environment. Investing in professional development boosts female officers' morale, motivation, and commitment to their jobs. Higher retention rates follow from this, particularly for law enforcement agencies. Additionally, the program improves performance and productivity, which helps the Philippine National Police succeed overall.
Evaluation of the use of Court Video Conference Hearings in Angeles City, Philippines
Authors: Pangan Mark John M. , Dausan Alrien F.
Published: June 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted courts worldwide to swiftly transition to online operations, including virtual hearings, to maintain continuity amid health concerns. This shift signifies a lasting impact on the justice system. Despite this, research on the effectiveness and challenges of court videoconferencing, particularly in the Philippines, remains limited. This study aimed to address this gap by employing a descriptive-evaluative approach and surveying 213 respondents, including court officers, prosecutors, lawyers, jail officers, and police officers, in Angeles City. The study assessed challenges such as procedural integrity and technical glitches, as well as perspectives on judicial efficiency and cost effectiveness. Findings revealed significant hurdles in videoconference hearings, yet respondents recognized their benefits in expediting case resolutions and enhancing security. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in evaluations across respondent groups. Interviews corroborated survey results, highlighting concerns and benefits of videoconference hearings. Addressing challenges while leveraging benefits is crucial, requiring investment in technological literacy, internet connectivity, and procedural integrity safeguards. Policymakers should also explore solutions to infrastructure limitations, fostering widespread adoption of videoconference hearings for a more effective and fair legal system.
Health literacy and language teaching: data-based host language lexicons
Authors: Amaro Raquel
Published: June 2024

Using a corpus-based approach, this paper presents methods and results for assessing, extracting, and describing the core vocabulary relevant to healthcare access among migrant populations. The aim is to bridge the gap between the basic information conveyed to people arriving in Portugal and the materials as well as other lexicographic resources used in language teaching. The work includes identifying available resources and/or sources for compiling the relevant dataset for healthcare access; selecting available tools for corpus inquiry; testing and comparing results from different functionalities and different lexical statistics measures available in the tools; manual filtering of the data; and analyzing the results and the extracted lexicon. The obtained results reflect the organization of the extracted lexicon in subdomains, the organization of the items within each subdomain, the relationship with common vocabulary, and the extraction of authentic examples from the corpus.
“É importante que não tome mais comprimidos do que lhe foi indicado”: estratégias linguísticas de desresponsabilização da indústria farmacêutica em folhetos informativos
Authors: Meneses-Silva Ana Sofia
Published: June 2024

Legally, pharmaceutical companies are responsible for any damage, injury or harm caused to the user by their products. However, the language present in product warnings (Dumas, 1990; Shuy, 1990; Tiersma, 2002) and in patient information leaflets (PIL) (van der Waarde, 2008; Hagemeyer & Coulthard, 2017) seem to protect manufacturers from possible litigation, transferring responsibility to the consumer or user. Therefore, using both a pragmatic and discoursive analysis approach, we aim to investigate which linguistic strategies in European Portuguese (EP) acquit pharmaceutical companies from holding liability for the users’ actions. The qualitative analysis of a corpus of 20 PIL in EP reveals that the use of passive voice, impersonal constructions, attenuation of directive acts, declarative sentences with imperative value and vague language represent intentional strategies for pharmaceutical companies to protect themselves from possible litigation. Additionally, the comprehensibility of the text is further compromised by grammatical inconsistencies, the constant calculation of inferences and the presence of technical terms, “medicalese”.
Outcomes Following Surgical Repair of Sinus Venosus Atrial Septal Defects: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: El‐Andari Ryaan , Moolla Muhammad , John Kevin , Slingerland Ashley , Campbell Sandra , Nagendran Jeevan , Hong Yongzhe , Mathew Anoop
Published: June 2024

Background

Sinus venosus atrial septal defect (SVASD) is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly comprising 5% to 10% of all atrial septal defects. Although surgical closure is the standard treatment for SVASD, data on outcomes have been confined to small cohorts. Thus, we conducted a systematic review of the outcomes of SVASD repair.

Methods and Results

The primary outcome was death. Secondary outcomes encompassed atrial fibrillation, sinus node dysfunction, pacemaker insertion, cerebrovascular accident, reoperation, residual septal defect, superior vena cava obstruction, and reimplanted pulmonary vein obstruction. Pooled incidences of outcomes were calculated using a random‐effects model. Forty studies involving 1320 patients who underwent SVASD repair were included. The majority were male patients (55.4%), with 88.0% presenting with associated anomalous pulmonary venous connection. The weighted mean age was 18.6±12.5 years, and the overall weighted mean follow‐up period was 8.6±10.4 years. The in‐hospital mortality rate was 0.24%, with a 30‐day mortality rate of 0.5% reported in 780 patients. Incidences of atrial fibrillation, sinus node dysfunction, pacemaker insertion, and cerebrovascular accident over the long‐term follow‐up were 3.3% (2.18%–4.93%), 6.5% (5.09%–8.2%), 2.23% (1.34%–3.57%), and 2.03% (0.89%–2.46%) respectively. Reoperation occurred in 1.36% (0.68%–2.42%) of surgeries, residual septal defect in 1.34% (0.69%–2.42%), superior vena cava obstruction in 1.76% (1.02%–2.9%), and reimplanted pulmonary vein obstruction in 1.4% (0.7%–2.49%).

Conclusions

This is the first comprehensive analysis of outcomes following surgical repair of SVASD. The findings affirm the safety and effectiveness of surgery, establishing a reference point for evaluating emerging transcatheter therapies. Safety and efficacy profiles comparable to surgical repair are essential for widespread adoption of transcatheter treatments.
Improvements in Maternal Cardiovascular Health Over the Perinatal Period Longitudinally Predict Lower Postpartum Psychological Distress Among Individuals Who Began Their Pregnancies With Overweight or Obesity
Authors: Donofry Shannon D. , Jouppi Riley J. , Call Christine C. , Kolko Conlon Rachel P. , Levine Michele D.
Published: June 2024

Background

Adverse cardiovascular events during pregnancy (eg, preeclampsia) occur at higher rates among individuals with overweight or obesity (body mass index ≥25 kg/m
2
) and have been associated with postpartum depression. The present study examined whether changes in cardiovascular health (CVH) during the perinatal period, as defined by the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 framework, predicted postpartum psychological functioning among individuals with prepregnancy body mass index ≥25 kg/m
2
.

Methods and Results

Pregnant individuals (N = 226; mean ± SD age = 28.43 ± 5.4 years; mean body mass index = 34.17 ± 7.15 kg/m
2
) were recruited at 12 to 20 weeks of gestation (mean, 15.64 ± 2.45 weeks) for a longitudinal study of health and well‐being. Participants completed ratings of depression and perceived stress and reported on CVH behaviors (dietary intake, physical activity, nicotine exposure, and sleep) at baseline and at 6 months postpartum. Body mass index and CVH behaviors were used to calculate a composite CVH score at both time points. Linear regression analyses were performed to examine whether change in CVH related to postpartum symptom scores. Because sleep was measured in only a subset of participants (n = 114), analyses were conducted with and without sleep. Improved CVH was associated with lower postpartum depression (β = −0.18,
P
<0.01) and perceived stress (β = −0.13,
P
=0.02) scores. However, when including sleep, these relationships were no longer significant (all
P
>0.4).

Conclusions

Improvements in CVH from early pregnancy to 6 months postpartum were associated with lower postpartum depressive symptoms and perceived stress but not when including sleep in the CVH metric, potentially due to the large reduction in sample size. These data suggest that intervening during pregnancy to promote CVH may improve postpartum psychological functioning among high‐risk individuals.
Joint Association of Sleep Onset Time and Sleep Duration With Cardiometabolic Health Outcome
Authors: Hu Peipei , Vinturache Angela , Chen Yan , Ding Guodong , Zhang Yongjun
Published: June 2024

Background

The association of sleep onset time and duration with cardiometabolic health is not well characterized.

Methods and Results

This study included 6696 adults aged 20 to 80 years from the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Study) 2015 to 2018. Participants were categorized into 9 groups according to the cross‐tabulation of sleep onset time (<22:00 [early], 22:00–23:59 [optimal], and ≥24:00 [late]) and duration (<7 hours [insufficient], 7–8 hours [sufficient], and ≥9 hours [excessive]), with optimal sleep onset time and sufficient duration as the reference. The primary outcomes included hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, low high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, hyperglycemia, central obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Inappropriate sleep onset time and sleep duration were associated with increased odds of hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and metabolic syndrome, especially among participants aged 40 to 59 years. Compared with men reporting optimal onset and sufficient duration, men reporting optimal onset with excessive duration (odds ratio [OR]: 2.01 [95% CI, 1.12–3.58]) and late onset with insufficient duration (OR, 1.74 [95% CI, 1.13–2.68]) had higher odds of metabolic syndrome. Compared with women reporting optimal onset and sufficient duration, women reporting optimal onset and insufficient duration (OR, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.11–2.32]) and early onset and excessive duration (OR, 2.16 [95% CI, 1.30–3.57]) had higher odds of hypertension, and women reporting late onset and excessive duration (OR, 5.64 [95% CI, 1.28–6.77]) were at the highest odds of hypertriglyceridemia.

Conclusions

Late sleep onset as well as insufficient or excessive sleep duration are associated with adverse cardiometabolic outcomes, particularly in participants aged 40 to 59 years.
Volume electron microscopy in injured rat brain validates white matter microstructure metrics from diffusion MRI
Authors: Coronado-Leija Ricardo , Abdollahzadeh Ali , Lee Hong-Hsi , Coelho Santiago , Ades-Aron Benjamin , Liao Ying , Salo Raimo A. , Tohka Jussi , Sierra Alejandra , Novikov Dmitry S. , Fieremans Els
Published: June 2024

Biophysical modeling of diffusion MRI (dMRI) offers the exciting potential of bridging the gap between the macroscopic MRI resolution and microscopic cellular features, effectively turning the MRI scanner into a noninvasive in vivo microscope. In brain white matter, the Standard Model (SM) interprets the dMRI signal in terms of axon dispersion, intra- and extra-axonal water fractions, and diffusivities. However, for SM to be fully applicable and correctly interpreted, it needs to be carefully evaluated using histology. Here, we perform a comprehensive histological validation of the SM parameters, by characterizing white matter (WM) microstructure in sham and injured rat brains using volume electron microscopy and ex vivo dMRI. Sensitivity is evaluated by how well each SM metric correlates with its histological counterpart, and specificity by the lack of correlation with other, non-corresponding histological features. Compared to previously developed SM estimators with constraints, our results show that SMI is the most sensitive and specific. Furthermore, we derive the functional form of the fiber orientation distribution based on its exponentially decreasing rotational invariants. This comprehensive comparison with histology may facilitate the clinical adoption of in vivo dMRI-derived SM parameters as biomarkers for neurological disorders.
Tensions and Trade-Offs – Staff’s Understanding of Children as Rights Holders in Secure Care
Authors: Sallnäs Marie , Enell Sofia , Mattsson Titti
Published: June 2024

This article explores how staff in Swedish secure care value and understand the rights of the children and young people in their care. To be a staff member in secure care means having a professional role that includes viewing and relating to young people as individual rights holders in a setting where care and treatment shall be provided to a group of young people. However, this occurs in an environment characterised by strong coercive and controlling elements. The study shows that the viewing and handling of children’s rights is dependent on various trade-offs that staff make. Negotiations about what should be seen as rights frequently take place, leading to tensions regarding children’s status as individual rights holders. The study adds knowledge about how staff describe the nature of these tensions in the daily life of secure care units. Implications for practice are discussed.
The Mission of Social Sciences and Missions
Authors: Sharkey Heather J.
Published: June 2024

This article assesses the “mission” of the journal Social Sciences and Missions as it approaches its twentieth anniversary, starting from its origins as a forum for interdisciplinary study of colonial-era Christian missions, especially in Africa. It surveys major debates that the journal has followed regarding gender, migration, and more. It reflects on its revised manifesto of 2021, committing to the study of missions as neither a “theological category” nor exclusively Christian phenomenon “but rather [as] a type of social action” and mode of “religious intervention in social space.” Building on this history, this article argues, the journal should critically question the nature of religion and the “religious;” cover non-Christian topics more fully; and encompass organizations that may not be recognizably “faith based.” Broader comparative focus will sharpen the journal’s focus on missions as movements that have aimed to channel and promote social change, often with far-reaching and ambiguous consequences.
Whom to Cater to?
Authors: Goddeeris Idesbald , Athreya Aditi
Published: June 2024

After 1947, the Jesuit province of Ranchi faced several challenges: the context of a newly independent country, increasing modernization and industrialization, and growing societal diversity resulting from immigration and urbanization. The Jesuits not only needed to upgrade their primary education, but also had to meet a rising demand for more middle and high schools. They had to make choices: Should they keep uplifting marginalized communities? Or should they cater to the middle class and elite? This article, predominantly based on internal documents of the Society of Jesus in Ranchi, demonstrates that the Jesuits did not make clear decisions and invested their energy in various types of schools and students. As a result, problems and internal discussions persisted.
Safe Soundscapes
Authors: Giorgi Alberta
Published: June 2024

This article explores religious-feminist podcasting. Religious feminists have found a place in digital spaces, including podcasts, to connect and thrive, making themselves visible and heard to their religious communities and the broader public. Drawing on interviews with Christian feminist podcasters located in Europe and North America, this paper advances two contributions. First, unlike other forms of digital media, podcasts do not favor the emergence and circulation of specific forms of feminism. Second, focusing on materiality and the role of intimacy and emotions embedded in podcasting, I argue that Christian feminist podcasting can be seen as a form of audibility activism and that through the creation of ‘safe soundscapes’ in which to experience alternative feeling rules, Christian feminist podcasters contribute to broadening conversations concerning feminism and religion.
Christian Activism in the Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Movement: A History from 1984 to 2019
Authors: Lai Tsz-him
Published: June 2024

Churches in Hong Kong have served as contractors to the state since its British colonization. To secure their political and social privileges, these churches have often been fashioned into apologists for the state. This mentality was not widely challenged until the 1980s. Since the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, some Hong Kong church leaders, theologians, and laypeople have started to articulate a democratic vision for civil society. This paper employs the notion of “religious activism” as an analytical framework to examine the role of Hong Kong Christianity in the pro-democracy movement. The influential voices and actions of Christians in 1984, 1989, 2003, 2014, and 2019 are chronologically summarized. Each political event triggered divergent reflections on the political participation of Christians. This paper offers an analysis of genealogical narratives of Christian activism and offers a prediction on the future of this political participation, particularly under the imposition of the National Security Law.
3. A Biologist’s Perspective on Human Evolutionary Demography
Authors: Low Bobbi S.
Published: June 2024

Human evolutionary demography has produced striking advances by applying the lens of fitness maximization to demographic data. This approach has strong parallels and links to life history theory, which concerns life patterns (e.g., age at first reproduction, age-specific fertility, and mortality) and behavioral ecology, which examines ecological and social influences on behavior. Both those fields focus primarily on non-human species. In addition to bringing clarifying fitness thinking into demography, human evolutionary demography is helping those of us in related fields to deeper understanding, partly because we know so much in detail about human lifetimes and their diversity. Evolutionary demographers often can bring multiple scales of analysis and multiple kinds of data to bear, enriching our broader understanding. In the past, those of us who studied non-humans have not typically been able to do this—but seeing the value, in at least some cases, for some species, today we may be able to do better. Finally, there is some potential for such a cross-disciplinary approach to have real, and real-world, value in terms of making sensible and realistic policy.
4. Anthropological and Evolutionary Demography
Authors: Hill Kim
Published: June 2024

Demography was once a subfield of the social sciences dedicated to the statistical study of birth and death rates and the mathematical description of these vital rates (function fitting). This also included an empirical examination of proximate factors that affect vital rates. Anthropological demography focused mainly on small scale (non-Western) societies, and employed interpretations drawn from so-called “anthropological theory” (eg. Howell 1986; Campbell and Wood 1998; Kertzer and Fricke 1997; Bernardi 2007). Cross cultural comparisons were a mainstay of the field. In the past 30 years, however, anthropological demography changed significantly, to become a theoretically informed study of mortality and fertility, and other age-related biological features. The theory is based on an evolutionary perspective that can unite human demographic studies with those of other primates, mammals, and vertebrate species (eg. Hill 1993; Kaplan 1996; Vaupel 2010, Blurton Jones 2016). This transition expanded the field from the study of vital rates, to one including research on growth, development, aging patterns, etc., (physiological, cognitive, emotional mechanisms) that are strongly theoretically tied to mortality and fertility schedules (eg. Ketterson and Nolan 1992; Rickleffs and Wikelski 2002; Kaplan and Gangestad 2005; Kirkwood and Austad 2000). These important changes in the field emerged primarily from the injection of Life History Theory from biology into the social sciences. A fundamental proposition of evolutionary biology is the recognition that fertility and mortality are the two components of individual fitness. Hence all phenotypic adaptations that act on one or both of these components will evolve via natural selection. From this view it is clear that the mechanisms of fertility and survival are key biological adaptations and can only be fully understood in the context of evolution.
17. Human Mortality from Beginning to End
Authors: Hecht Orzack Steven , Levitis Daniel
Published: June 2024

Evolutionary demographers who study human traits usually focus solely on natural selection as a cause of the trait’s evolution. However, demographic stochasticity, genetic drift, and phylogenetic inertia can also significantly influence trait evolution. We describe why accounting for these influences is necessary in order to correctly test hypotheses about the adaptive nature of human demographic traits. For example, “U”-shaped mortality from the beginning to the end of life is found in many vertebrates, which implies that phylogeny must be considered in understanding its evolution of this trait in humans. Even when these other evolutionary influences have negligible effects on a human demographic trait, it is incorrect to assume that the observed trait must be optimal. Current data and analyses are not sufficient to properly confirm the claim that “U”-shaped mortality rate in humans is the result of natural selection in humans or that it is optimal. We describe the additional data and analyses that are needed in order to properly test these claims.
21. The Challenges of Evolutionary Biodemography and the Example of Menopause
Authors: Tuljapurkar Shripad
Published: June 2024

Menopause in humans and post reproductive life in humans and other species challenge our understanding in demographic and evolutionary terms. This chapter outlines the questions that are key to an evolutionary understanding of menopause, and the failure of some well-known theories of aging to deal with these questions. The chapter then introduces and explains the concept of “borrowed fitness” in which post-reproductive ages can indirectly acquire fitness from reproductive ages. Several mechanisms for this kind of “borrowing” are then discussed, including the grandmother effect, the contributions of older males, and most generally, an approach based on the transfers from and to different ages, both reproductive and post-reproductive. We also discuss other theoretical advances in the understanding of the evolution of old age mortality. We suggest that further development of the transfer approach is the most likely to lead to advances in our understanding of the evolution of menopause.
23. Bateman’s Principles and the Study of Evolutionary Demography
Authors: Borgerhoff Mulder Monique
Published: June 2024

Over the last 40 years, investigators have been applying ideas from the body of theory known as sexual selection to the behaviour of humans, breaking exciting new interdisciplinary ground. The Darwin-Bateman Paradigm has been central to this endeavor, essentially the idea that males are more competitive over mates than are females, and that mating success affects reproductive success more strongly in males than in females. Less known among social scientists is the fact that biologists continue a vigorous debate over the validity of this paradigm. In this chapter I take social scientists into some of these issues, to see how and why the study of the operation of sexual selection on males and females has changed as a result of clearer theory and better methods. The simple takeaway message is that in many species gender roles are much less distinct than original investigations of the Darwin-Bateman paradigm might suggest. Applying some of the emerging insights to humans, we find a surprisingly limited general understanding about the extent and patterning of variability in reproductive success in either sex. Furthermore, success in the marriage or mating pool is associated with a range of reproductive outcomes, both positive and negative, for men and women. A new methodological approach is proposed for studying the effects of mating success on reproductive success which may help to sort through some of the extensive variation in our species. More generally, the chapter argues that an updated understanding of Bateman’s work might serve to guide evolutionary demographers today, just as Bateman’s original work steered research in the early days of sociobiology.
24. What Are Couples Made of?
Authors: Rotkirch Anna
Published: June 2024

Compared to the evolutionary psychology of mating, the evolutionary demography of unions is little developed. We know quite a bit about why and how people have sex, much less about why and how they have spouses. Yet couples continue to be a central building block of families, the biosocial tie within which most adults live, most sex takes place, and through which most children are made and raised. Arguably, sexual selection in humans happens through long-term pair bonds rather than short-term relationships.

Evolutionary theory approaches unions as reproductive contracts: a precarious balance of conflict and compromise between individual reproductive and sexual strategies. Sexual strategies are predicted to vary especially with age, gender and resources, but also with ecological and social conditions such as increasing gender equality and lower fertility.

This chapter discusses the formation of unions in high-income, increasingly gender equal societies from the intersection of family demography and evolutionary studies. How is selection of spouses affected by having more highly educated women in the population? Why does contemporary family formation often involve a stage of cohabitation before marriage? I argue that sexual strategies theory could move beyond the division into short-term versus long-term pair bonds, and suggest that cohabitation represents one mid-term form of temporal and psychological commitment to a romantic partner.
25. Cooperation and Competition Begin at Home
Authors: Jennings Julia A.
Published: June 2024

Households are the next social unit above the individual and are home to shared activities that can include resource production, distribution and transmission in addition to reproduction and co-residence. They overlap with biological and social kin groups but are defined by activities rather than by relationships alone. This chapter reviews literature from historical and anthropological studies of households with relevance for human evolutionary demography. Selected research on household effects on mortality, fertility, and intra-household conflict across different agricultural societies is presented to familiarize evolutionary demographers with concepts, issues, and findings in the interdisciplinary and comparative literature on the household. Household researchers have drawn upon evolutionary concepts as part of explanatory models but are less likely to test evolutionary hypotheses directly. Evolutionary researchers have focused on familial relationships, but seldom consider power structures within households and the effects of household composition and dynamics on behaviour. Areas with potential for mutually beneficial collaboration between evolutionary and household analysts are highlighted and advocated for. Such collaborations have the potential to advance our understanding of the determinants of demographic behaviour by joining rich data sources with theoretical frameworks drawn from evolutionary and household perspectives.
29. Evolutionary Approaches to Population Health
Authors: Lawson David W. , Gibson Mhairi A.
Published: June 2024

An evolutionary perspective offers remarkable insight into the roots and current drivers of human behavioral diversity, not least with regard to the study of demographic and population health phenomena. It also holds considerable, yet largely untapped, potential to inform the actions and priorities of international development sector. In this chapter, we contrast the ways in which questions of human diversity and wellbeing are approached by evolutionary behavioral scientists and population health scholars, and highlight exemplary evolutionary research addressing applied topics of contemporary policy relevance. We concentrate on three case studies: polygynous marriage, early or ‘child marriage’, and female genital mutilation/cutting. Each of these behaviors is now targeted by global efforts to achieve gender equality and promote female wellbeing. However, policy aiming to change behavior remains poorly informed by an understanding of why such ostensibly harmful behaviors occur. Here, we outline rival theoretical models, their supporting evidence, and potential implications. In an effort to encourage dialogue between evolutionary scientists working on population health issues and the international development sector we also consider the challenges of doing applied research, including how best to navigate disciplinary boundaries and engaging with, and influencing, policy-makers, stakeholders and the general public.
Ground-Based Remote Sensing of Aerosol, Clouds, Dynamics, and Precipitation in Antarctica: First Results from the 1-Year COALA Campaign at Neumayer Station III in 2023
Authors: Radenz Martin , Engelmann Ronny , Henning Silvia , Schmithüsen Holger , Baars Holger , Frey Markus M. , Weller Rolf , Bühl Johannes , Jimenez Cristofer , Roschke Johanna , Muser Lukas Ole , Wullenweber Nellie , Zeppenfeld Sebastian , Griesche Hannes , Wandinger Ulla , Seifert Patric
Published: June 2024

Novel observations of aerosol and clouds by means of ground-based remote sensing have been performed in Antarctica over the Ekström Ice Shelf on the coast of Dronning Maud Land at Neumayer Station III (70.67°S, 8.27°W) from January to December 2023. The deployment of the OCEANET-Atmosphere remote sensing observatory in the framework of the Continuous Observations of Aerosol-Cloud Interaction (COALA) campaign has brought Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS) aerosol and cloud profiling capabilities next to meteorological and air chemistry in situ observations at the Antarctic station. We present an overview of the site, the instrumental setup, and data analysis strategy and introduce 3 scientific highlights from austral fall and winter, namely, 1) observations of a persistent mixed-phase cloud embedded in a plume of marine aerosol. Remote sensing–based retrievals of cloud-relevant aerosol properties and cloud microphysical parameters confirm that the free-tropospheric mixed-phase cloud layer formed in an aerosol-limited environment. 2) Two extraordinary warm air intrusions: one with intense snowfall produced the equivalent of 10% of the yearly snow accumulation and a second one with record-breaking maximum temperatures and heavy icing due to supercooled drizzle. 3) Omnipresent aerosol layers in the stratosphere. Our profiling capabilities could show that 50% of the 500-nm aerosol optical depth of 0.06 was caused by stratospheric aerosol, while the troposphere was usually pristine. As demonstrated by these highlights, the 1-yr COALA observations will serve as a reference dataset for the vertical structure of aerosol and clouds above the region, enabling future observational and modeling studies to advance understanding of atmospheric processes in Antarctica.
Impact of the Summer Atmospheric Heat Source over the Tibetan Plateau on Interannual Variability of Meridional Circulation on the North Side of the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Luo Hongyu , Yu Haipeng , Hu Zeyong , Zhou Jie , Zhang Bofei , Yang Yaoxian , Cheng Shanling , Gong Yongqi , Ren Yu
Published: June 2024

The summer atmospheric heat source (AHS) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) induces meridional circulations in TP and its surrounding areas. Previous studies mainly focused on the monsoon circulation on the south side of TP, while the formation and maintenance mechanisms of meridional circulation on its north side remain unclear. This study compared three calculation methods of the AHS, analyzed the spatial–temporal variability of the summer AHS over the TP, and discussed its influence on the interannual variability of meridional circulation on the north side of the TP based on the two-dimensional decomposition method of atmospheric circulation and sensitivity experiments. The results indicate that in the positive AHS anomalies years, the diabatic heating of condensation latent release in southeastern TP could motivate anomalous ascending motion. Simultaneously, the increased meridional temperature gradient between the mid- and high latitudes of East Asia leads to an enhanced southward westerly jet. In this context, the region on the north side of TP, located on the north side of the westerly jet entrance, is affected by negative anomalous relative vorticity advection, prevailing anomalous descending motion, which makes the descending branch of meridional circulation significantly presented. Unlike previous studies that considered the descending branch of meridional circulation as the compensation for upward flow, the results of the linear baroclinic model (LBM) verify that the descending branch is mainly influenced by the vorticity advection related to regional scale variability of the westerly jet. This study reveals the physical mechanism of meridional circulation on the north side of TP, which offers valuable implications for seasonal forecasting in TP and Northwest China.
SocialTICTEA, a Technology-Based Social Skills Programme: Impact and Generalisation of Learning in Students With Autism
Authors: Cored-Bandrés Sergio , Liesa-Orús Marta , Vázquez-Toledo Sandra
Published: June 2024

The generalisation of learning is one of the main elements to take into account when carrying out an educational intervention. This process involves certain difficulties for the population with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this sense, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the process of generalisation of skills related to the social domain (affected area in the population with ASD), in the special classroom for ASD, the regular classroom and the family environment, after the implementation of a social skills programme based on technologies. We propose a longitudinal quantitative research study based on case studies which employs a pretest-posttest methodology. The sample is made up of four students diagnosed with ASD. Data collection was carried out using two questionnaires. The results obtained reflect a generalisation of learning associated with basic social relationship skills, joint reference and inter-subjective capacity in all the contexts analysed.
Optimal potential shaping on SE(3) via neural ordinary differential equations on Lie groups
Authors: Wotte Yannik P. , Califano Federico , Stramigioli Stefano
Published: June 2024

This work presents a novel approach for the optimization of dynamic systems on finite-dimensional Lie groups. We rephrase dynamic systems as so-called neural ordinary differential equations (neural ODEs), and formulate the optimization problem on Lie groups. A gradient descent optimization algorithm is presented to tackle the optimization numerically. Our algorithm is scalable, and applicable to any finite-dimensional Lie group, including matrix Lie groups. By representing the system at the Lie algebra level, we reduce the computational cost of the gradient computation. In an extensive example, optimal potential energy shaping for control of a rigid body is treated. The optimal control problem is phrased as an optimization of a neural ODE on the Lie group SE(3), and the controller is iteratively optimized. The final controller is validated on a state-regulation task.
Commercial Truck Risk Assessment and Factor Analysis Based on Vehicle Trajectory and In-Vehicle Monitoring Data
Authors: Wang Xuesong , Tang Xiaowei , Fan Tianxiang , Zhou Yanru , Yang Xiaohan
Published: June 2024

Truck crashes are generally more serious than passenger vehicle crashes, and they cause more deaths per crash worldwide per the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Risk assessment and factor analysis are the keys to preventing truck crashes, but research on commercial trucks has been limited. Currently, freight and insurance companies have collected extensive operating data, now making it possible to obtain deep insights into truck crashes. Vehicle trajectory data and in-vehicle monitoring data were collected for 596 large commercial trucks traveling in Shanghai, China, during 2019. A total of 22 variables were extracted, falling into three aspects: driving behavior, travel characteristics, and warning characteristics. The random forest algorithm was used to select the most important variables for further analysis. Four machine learning models and a mixed effects logistic regression model were developed to link the high-importance variables with crash risk. Results showed that the machine learning models had good predictive performance; the bagging tree model performed best overall, having achieved good performance in the majority of the metrics, with an accuracy of 96.1% and area under the characteristic curve of 0.866. The specific variables significantly associated with crash risk were: average freeway speed, average percentage of time spent speeding, driving hours, percentage of nighttime trips, percentage of freeway trips, and frequency of smoking warnings per 100 km. This study’s findings can be used to support proactive safety management for freight companies and policy formulation for insurance companies.
California Hospice Ownership Changes From 2018-2020: A Spatial Analysis and Case Illustration
Authors: Davis Heather A. , Torkildson Christy , Lindley Lisa C.
Published: June 2024

Hospices in California have undergone significant and complicated ownership changes in recent years. Little is known about the impact of these ownership changes on hospices. The purpose of our longitudinal, retrospective descriptive study was to describe the ownership changes impacting hospices 2018 to 2021 in California. Using descriptive statistics, we measured characteristics of hospices with and without ownership changes employing public data from the California Home Health Agencies and Hospice Annual Utilization Report. Ownership change characteristics were measured via publicly available hospice provider and facility data. Spatial characteristics were additionally measured via latitude and longitude publicly available data. Our findings showed that ownership changes were significant and complicated. An influx of for-profit organizations into the California market was primarily responsible for these changes. Additionally, lack of corporate financial public disclosure and voluntary hospice accreditation, certification, and reporting result in a lack of free, publicly available, definitive comprehensive data on for-profit hospice ownership. This hinders information gathering on and provider/familial choice-making regarding hospices. Our study provides critical insight into the impact of ownership changes and lack of definitive, free, publicly available information on adult hospices in California caring for children and has important clinical, research, and policy implications.