bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An emerging market multinational Company's internationalization: From original equipment manufacturer to global brand leader
Authors: Liu Su , Chakravarty Dwarka , Beamish Paul W.
Published: June 2023

We examine an emerging market multinational company's (EMNC's) transformation from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to an original brand manufacturer (OBM) and global leader. Our longitudinal study of Hisense—China's largest TV company (and the world's third largest) spans three decades and involves detailed interviews with over 50 executives. We study how the company's global value chain network evolved, how it reconfigured its organization, upgraded its capabilities, and enhanced its brand reputation. We develop propositions that may contribute to improved explanations for an EMNC's internationalization sequence, development of competitive advantages, overseas management practices, and brand building.
Cost-effectiveness of WEB Embolization, Coiling and Stent-assisted Coiling for the Treatment of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms
Authors: Goertz Lukas , Simões Corrêa Galendi Julia , Kabbasch Christoph , Schlamann Marc , Pennig Lenhard , Froelich Matthias F. , Timmer Marco , Liebig Thomas , Stock Stephanie , Mueller Dirk , Große Hokamp Nils
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Information about the cost-effectiveness of a certain treatment is relevant for decision-making and healthcare providers. This study compares the cost-effectiveness of the novel Woven Endobridge (WEB) for intracranial aneurysm treatment with conventional coiling and stent-assisted coiling (SAC) from the perspective of the German Statutory Health Insurance.

Methods

A patient-level simulation was constructed to simulate 55-year-old patients with an unruptured middle cerebral artery aneurysm (size: 3–11 mm) considering WEB treatment, coiling or SAC in terms of morbidity, angiographic outcome, retreatment, procedural and rehabilitation costs and rupture rates. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated as costs per quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and costs per year with neurologic morbidity avoided. Uncertainty was explored with deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. The majority of data were obtained from prospective multi-center studies and meta-analyses of non-randomized studies.

Results

In the base case, lifetime QALYs were 13.24 for the WEB, 12.92 for SAC and 12.68 for coiling. Lifetime costs were 20,440 € for the WEB, 23,167 € for SAC, and 8200 € for coiling. Compared to coiling, the ICER for the WEB was 21,826 €/QALY, while SAC was absolutely dominated by WEB. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis revealed that at a willingness-to-pay of ≥ 30,000 €/QALY, WEB was the preferred treatment. Deterministic sampling showed that the discount rate, material costs and retreatment rates had the largest impact on the ICERs.

Conclusion

The novel WEB showed at least comparable cost-effectiveness to SAC for treatment of broad-based unruptured aneurysms. Considering all three modalities, coiling had the least costs; however this modality is often not appropriate for the treatment of wide-necked aneurysms.
Influence of stimuli emotional features and typicality on memory performance: insights from a virtual reality context
Authors: Ceccato Irene , Ricci Eleonora , Mazza Cristina , Bartolini Emanuela , Di Crosta Adolfo , La Malva Pasquale , Biondi Silvia , Colasanti Marco , Mammarella Nicola , Palumbo Rocco , Roma Paolo , Di Domenico Alberto
Published: June 2023

The present study tested the influence of stimuli emotional valence, emotional arousal, and typicality on memory recollection in three groups of participants exposed to the same environment through different modalities: in vivo exposure (i.e., real-life), 3D virtual reality (i.e., VR), and 2D pictures. Context-related free-recall, recognition accuracy, and recognition confidence were analyzed. The results showed that memory performance was best in the real-life modality, and participants in the VR and 2D pictures modalities performed comparably. Interesting effects of stimuli emotional valence and typicality emerged: in the VR and 2D pictures modalities, positive items were better recalled than negative items; typicality was relevant only in the real-life modality, with less common objects within the explored setting (i.e., an office) recalled more often. Furthermore, recognition accuracy and confidence were significantly higher in the real-life modality than in the VR and 2D pictures modalities. Further research is needed to support the creation of VR environments that are sufficiently comparable to real-life contexts in order to obtain higher ecological validity in studies of cognitive performance. In particular, the impact of stimuli typicality and emotional valence in VR contexts should be investigated to gain insight into how these features might improve memory recall in virtual scenarios.
Resin yield response to different tapping methods and stimulant pastes in Pinus pinaster Ait
Authors: López-Álvarez Óscar , Zas Rafael , Martínez Enrique , Marey-Perez Manuel
Published: June 2023

Selecting the best resin tapping method and stimulant paste in the resin tapping process is crucial. In timber-oriented rainy Atlantic pine forests of north-west Spain, the interest in resin tapping is raising but information on the best tapping methods and pastes is still lacking. In this study, an appropriate experimental design used on five representative plots of Pinus pinaster, allowed us to explore the resin productive differences between two tapping methods (traditional Spanish method and circular groove) and three stimulant treatments (control, Ethephon and ASACIF). The use of a standardized measure of resin yield allowed to adequately compare methods differing in groove length. Results indicated that the standard resin yield was 1.43 times greater with the traditional method than with the circular groove method. The two stimulant pastes drastically increased resin yield (up to sixfold) in all sites and for all tapping methods. The effectiveness of the paste was also influenced by the tapping method, obtaining greater increases in resin yield after the application of stimulant paste in trees with the circular groove method. Resin yield was only slightly related to the dasometric variables and varied among test sites when no pastes were used, but differences among sites disappeared when stimulant pastes were used. Our results contribute to the understanding of the factors involved in resin performance and the technological development of the sector.
Impact of shared decision making on healthcare in recent literature: a scoping review using a novel taxonomy
Authors: Wehking Felix , Debrouwere Marie , Danner Marion , Geiger Friedemann , Buenzen Claudia , Lewejohann Jan-Christoph , Scheibler Fueloep
Published: June 2023

Background

Numerous articles and reviews discussed the effects of shared decision making (SDM) on concept-specific and direct outcomes, showing great variety in methodology and results.

Objectives

This scoping review accentuates effects of shared decision making interventions on more distal and distant outcomes related to the healthcare experience of patients and physicians, the economy and treatment parameters.

Eligibility criteria

The search considered randomized controlled trials (RCTs), their secondary analyses and follow-up reports comparing shared decision making interventions against control conditions.

Sources of evidence

MEDLINE (through PubMed) and reference lists of included articles were systematically appraised.

Charting methods

First, relevant outcome effects were extracted following the authors’ conclusions. Second, all outcomes were sorted into one of five different effect levels: individual, interactional, organizational, systemic and clinical.

Results

The search process identified 120 eligible reports, representing 116 randomized controlled trials and four follow-up reports with a variety in research topics, intervention types, outcome measurements and effects.

Most of the 296 extracted outcomes were reported as not affected by shared decision making (205). While some outcomes improved at least slightly (81), few tended to decline (7) or revealed mixed results (3).

Considering the five outcome effect levels, individual and clinical outcomes were reported more frequently than interactional, organizational and systemic ones. However, many individual outcomes could be counted as systemic and vice versa.

Conclusions

Shared decision making can improve distal and distant outcomes depending on the healthcare context. Individual, systemic and clinical outcomes have been more frequently appraised than interactional and organizational ones.

Single database search and limited assessment of articles’ risk of bias and effect size narrow reliability of our results.
Crosstalk of ferroptosis regulators and tumor immunity in pancreatic adenocarcinoma: novel perspective to mRNA vaccines and personalized immunotherapy
Authors: Shi Yanlong , Wang Yizhu , Dong Hui , Niu Kaiyi , Zhang Wenning , Feng Kun , Yang Rui , Zhang Yewei
Published: June 2023

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is the eighth leading cause of cancer-related mortality that causes serious physical and mental burden to human. Reactive oxygen species accumulation and iron overload might enable ferroptosis-mediated cancer therapies. This study was to elusive novel ferroptosis regulator and its association with immune microenvironment and PD-L1 in PAAD. RNA-seq data and relevant information were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression. The R packages “ggplot2” and “pheatmap” were used to the expression of 20 ferroptosis regulators between PAAD and normal tissues. The R package “ConsensusClusterPlus”, “survival”, “survminer”, “immunedeconv”, and TIDE algorithm performed consensus clustering, overall survival, progression-free survival, disease free survival, immune infiltration level, and immunotherapy responses between cluster 1 and cluster 2. The prognostic value was confirmed by the Kaplan–Meier curves, receiver operating characteristic curve, univariate and multivariate cox regression, and nomogram. Moreover, the relationship of FANCD2 and immunity, drug sensitivity was investigated by R package “ggstatsplot”, “immunedeconv”, “ggalluvial” and “pRRophetic”. Besides, the qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and western blotting detected the expression of FANCD2 in PAAD cell lines. Most ferroptosis regulators were up-regulated in PAAD, while the expression of LPCAT3, MT1G, and GLS2 was down-regulated in PAAD (P < 0.05), indicting there was a positively correlation among ferroptosis regulators. Based on clustering parameter, we identified cluster 1 and cluster 2, and cluster 2 had a better prognosis for patients with PAAD. The immune infiltration level of cluster 1 was higher in macrophage M1, myeloid dendritic cell, T cell CD4 + Th2, B cell, T cell CD8 + central memory, immune score, and microenvironment score than cluster 2 in PAAD. Moreover, FANCD2 was up-regulated in PAAD by public databases, immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR and Western blotting, which had closely related to overall survival, immune microenvironment, and drug sensitivity. A novel crosstalk of ferroptosis exhibits a favourable prognostic performance and builds a robust theoretical foundation for mRNA vaccine and personalized immunotherapy. FANCD2 could be an effective for prognostic recognition, immune efficacy evaluation, and mRNA vaccine for patients with PAAD, providing a vital guidance for further study of regulating tumor immunity and vaccine development.
I beg to differ: how disagreement is handled in the annotation of legal machine learning data sets
Authors: Braun Daniel
Published: June 2023

Legal documents, like contracts or laws, are subject to interpretation. Different people can have different interpretations of the very same document. Large parts of judicial branches all over the world are concerned with settling disagreements that arise, in part, from these different interpretations. In this context, it only seems natural that during the annotation of legal machine learning data sets, disagreement, how to report it, and how to handle it should play an important role. This article presents an analysis of the current state-of-the-art in the annotation of legal machine learning data sets. The results of the analysis show that all of the analysed data sets remove all traces of disagreement, instead of trying to utilise the information that might be contained in conflicting annotations. Additionally, the publications introducing the data sets often do provide little information about the process that derives the “gold standard” from the initial annotations, often making it difficult to judge the reliability of the annotation process. Based on the state-of-the-art, the article provides easily implementable suggestions on how to improve the handling and reporting of disagreement in the annotation of legal machine learning data sets.
Learner interaction with, and response to, AI-programmed automated writing evaluation feedback in EFL writing: An exploratory study
Authors: Yang Hongzhi , Gao Chuan , Shen Hui-zhong
Published: June 2023

Recently, artificial intelligence (AI)-programmed automated writing evaluation (AWE) has attracted increasing attention in language research. Using a small data set arising from an analysis of five Chinese university-level English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ submissions, this paper examined in detail how EFL students interacted with the feedback of Pigai, the largest AI-programmed AWE in China. The analysis started with the intention of capturing the machine feedback on the five students’ submissions and the exchanges between the participants and Pigai over repeated submissions, ranging from 3 to 12 submissions. The analysis showed that the learners’ interactions with Pigai focused on error corrective feedback in the initial two submissions. In the case of one student who had 12 submissions, the non-error corrective feedback increased gradually over time, providing rich linguistic resources but without examples and contextual information. The students’ take-up rates of feedback with linguistic resources were much lower than that of error corrective and general feedback. A terrain model to map the stages and nature of student responses showed a more complete dynamic process, in which students’ responses changed from the initial mechanical responses at the discrete language level to more considered approaches in response to machine feedback. The findings of this study have implications for both language pedagogy and the future design and development of AWE for second or foreign language learning.
Play is the Base! ECEC Leaders’ Views on the Development of Digital Pedagogy
Authors: Lähdesmäki Sirkku , Maunumäki Minna , Nurmi Tommi
Published: June 2023

The development of digital pedagogy in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is a relevant issue. The role of the ECEC leader in initiating and leading the development of digital pedagogy is important. The aim of this study was to explore the views of ECEC leaders on digital pedagogy and its development, as little research has been done on the subject. The data was collected in the context of continuing professional development for ECEC leaders in Finland. The data consists of 39 development plans that were drawn up by the participants and it was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The research indicates that ECEC leaders hold diverse perspectives on digital pedagogy but acknowledge the significance of leadership in fostering staff digital skills, formulating a shared strategy, and involving children and the community. The findings suggest that digital pedagogy should be an inherent component of the fundamental mission of ECEC, which centers around play-based learning. The concept of play-based digital pedagogy (PBDP) is proposed as a framework for digital learning in ECEC.
Analytical Solution for Rock Discontinuity Prediction Without Stereonet
Authors: To Peter , Sivakugan Nagaratnam
Published: June 2023

Stereographic projection has been used in Rock Engineering for decades to represent rock mass discontinuities in graphical form and to carry out further stability analysis. Currently, there are computer programs available for this purpose. The objective of this technical note is to present some closed form expressions related to stereographic projections such as the prediction of a possible joint set. These solutions can be implemented in spreadsheets or in computer programs and would benefit stability analysis of rock masses with discontinuities. This helps to reduce the work load with hand solutions and enhance the analysis in modern computational tools with stereonet, where the rotation and snap features are not available yet.
Efficiency, quality, and management practices in multidisciplinary and traditional diabetes healthcare services in Mexico
Authors: Chivardi Carlos , Sosa Alejandro Zamudio , Galárraga Omar , Sosa-Rubí Sandra G.
Published: June 2023

Diabetes is a major health issue in middle-income countries like Mexico. Multidisciplinary healthcare (MHC) models aim to improve diabetes care and reduce costs. However, the relationship between management practices, efficiency, and quality of care in MHC and traditional healthcare (THC) models is unclear. This study evaluates the efficiency and quality of diabetes healthcare models in Mexico, identifying associated management practices. Methodology. Data from a retrospective longitudinal analysis were used to compare 20 THC and 20 MHC. Technical efficiency (TE) scores were estimated using data envelopment analysis (DEA), quality scores were calculated based on provider competence and patient performance. The relationship between efficiency, quality, and management practices was analyzed using positive deviance regression. Results. DEA analysis indicate higher TE in MHC units (mean score: 65, SD = 19) compared to THC units (mean score: 24, SD = 23). MHC units scored 78.55 (SD = 18.71) in performance score, while THC units scored 37.7 (SD = 18.97). MHC units also outperformed THC units in competence scores (mean: 68.71, SD = 18.31 vs. 49.97, SD = 23.31). Several management practices were associated with best performance in terms of both efficiency and quality strategic thinking, human resource management, financial management, operations management, performance management, and governance. Conclusion. This study highlights the higher efficiency of MHC models in diabetes care compared to THC models in Mexico. However, both models require improvement in quality. Understanding the relationship between management practices, efficiency, and quality can guide policymakers in enhancing diabetes care in low- and middle-income countries.
Nuclear genome annotation of wheel animals and thorny-headed worms: inferences about the last common ancestor of Syndermata (Rotifera s.l.)
Authors: Hagemann Laura , Mauer Katharina M. , Hankeln Thomas , Schmidt Hanno , Herlyn Holger
Published: June 2023

The basal splits within Syndermata probably date back hundreds of millions of years, and extant syndermatans greatly differ in reproduction modes (parthenogenesis, metagenesis, heterosexuality) and lifestyles (free-living, epizoic, endoparasitic). Against this background, the present investigation aims to reconstruct genome and transcriptome metrics in the last common ancestor (LCA) of Syndermata. We especially annotated nuclear genome assemblies of one representative, each, of monogononts (Brachionus plicatilis), bdelloids (Adineta vaga), seisonids (Seison nebaliae), and acanthocephalans (Pomphorhynchus laevis), S1 and additionally considered previously published data. Present results suggest that the syndermatan LCA possessed a compact nuclear genome of 50–100 Mb with a coding portion of ≥ 40%. Its ~ 17,000 protein-coding genes probably had about 4–6 exons and 3–5 introns on average. Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs) should have occupied 4–5% of the ancestral genome. Based on this, independent evolutionary trajectories involving gene loss, genome duplication, and repeat proliferation resulted in greatly varying genomes within the clade. Nevertheless, we identified 2114 clusters containing proteins of all four syndermatan taxa. About 200 of these clusters lacked sufficiently similar counterparts in the platyhelminths Macrostomum lignano and Schmidtea mediterranea. Gene ontologies assigned to these clusters might reference the muscular pharynx, light perception, and transposition, amongst others.
Microwave-assisted enzymatic synthesis of geraniol esters in solvent-free systems: optimization of the reaction parameters, purification and characterization of the products, and biocatalyst reuse
Authors: Venturi Valentina , Presini Francesco , Trapella Claudio , Bortolini Olga , Giovannini Pier Paolo , Lerin Lindomar Alberto
Published: June 2023

Various geraniol esters act as insect pheromones and display pharmacological activities, especially as neuroprotective agents. Therefore, the search for synthetic strategies alternative to traditional chemical synthesis could help designing ecofriendly routes for the preparation of such bioactive compounds. Hence, this work aims at the microwave-assisted enzymatic synthesis of geranyl esters in solvent-free systems. The process variables were optimized for the synthesis of geranyl acetoacetate, achieving 85% conversion after 60 min using a 1:5 substrates molar ratio (ester to geraniol), 80 °C and 8.4% of Lipozyme 435 lipase without removal of the co-produced methanol. On the other hand, a 95% conversion was reached after 30 min using 1:6 substrates molar ratio, 70 °C and 7% lipase in the presence of 5Å molecular sieves for the methanol capture. In addition, the lipase showed good reusability, maintaining the same activity for five reaction cycles. Finally, under the above optimized conditions, other geraniol esters were successfully synthetized such as the geranyl butyrate (98%), geranyl hexanoate (99%), geranyl octanoate (98%), and geranyl (R)-3-hydroxybutyrate (56%). These results demonstrate the microwave-assisted lipase-catalyzed transesterification in a solvent-free system as an excellent and sustainable catalytic methodology to produce geraniol esters.

Graphical Abstract
Parameter estimation for time-fractional Black-Scholes equation with S &P 500 index option
Authors: An Xingyu , Wang Qingxia , Liu Fawang , Anh Vo V. , Turner Ian W.
Published: June 2023

This paper aims to estimate the parameters of the time-fractional Black-Scholes (TFBS) partial differential equation with the Caputo fractional derivative by using the real option prices of the S &P 500 index options. First, the numerical solution is obtained by developing a high-order scheme with order ($$3-\alpha $$

3
-
α

) for the time discretisation. Some theoretical analyses such as stability and convergence are presented in order to verify the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed scheme. Secondly, we employ a modified hybrid Nelder-Mead simplex search and particle swarm optimization (MH-NMSS-PSO) to identify the fractional order $$\alpha $$
α
and implied volatility $$\sigma $$
σ
of the TFBS equation, and explore the financial meanings of $$\alpha $$
α
under extreme stock market conditions such as the Covid-19 and the 2008 global financial crisis. We analyse the values of $$\alpha $$
α
and compare the mean squared errors of both the TFBS model and the BS model. Our empirical results show that $$\alpha $$
α
may be regarded as a market fluctuation indicator for classifying financial environments, and the TFBS model is more capable of fitting real option data compared with the BS model, especially for put options during the economic downturn. In addition, we find and discuss an interesting relation between $$\alpha $$
α
and $$\sigma $$
σ
from both the TFBS model and the BS model in three expressions, which could be an open problem for further research.
Incidence of urological tumors in Down’s syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Korkes Fernando , Gomez-Bueno Maria Paula , García-Perdomo Herney Andrés
Published: June 2023

Background

Some authors have estimated that the incidence of testicular germ cell tumors in individuals with trisomy 21 is more than fivefold higher than that in the general population.

Objective

This systematic review aimed to estimate the incidence of urological tumors in patients with Down’s syndrome.

Study design

We conducted a search strategy in MEDLINE (OVID), EMBASE, LILACS, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) from inception to nowadays. We assessed the risk of bias and performed a meta-analysis. Also, the heterogeneity between trials was evaluated by the I2 test. We completed the subgroup analysis based on the type of urological tumor (testis, bladder, kidney, upper urological tract, penile, retroperitoneum).

Results

We found 350 studies by the search strategy. After carefully reviewing, full-text studies were included. 16,248 individuals with Down’s syndrome were included, and 42 patients presented with urological tumors. There was a total incidence of 0.1%, 95%CI (0.06–0.19), I2 61%. The most common urological tumor reported was testicular. We found six studies describing 31 events and an overall incidence of 0.19%, 95%CI (0.11–0.33), I2: 51%. Other studies reported kidney, penile, upper urinary tract, bladder, and retroperitoneum tumors with a very low incidence, 0.02%, 0.06%, 0.03%, 0.11%and 0.07%, respectively.

Discussion

Regarding non-testicular urological tumors, we found incidences as low as 0.02% in kidney cancer or 0.03% in the upper-urothelial tract tumors. It is also lower than the general population. Compared to the age of onset of patients, it is also lower than the general population, perhaps related to a shorter life expectancy. As a limitation, we found a high heterogeneity and a lack of information regarding non-testicular tumors.

Conclusion

There was a very low incidence of urological tumors in people with Down’s syndrome. Testis tumor was the most frequently described in all cohorts and within a normal distribution range.
A simple proof of second-order sufficient optimality conditions in nonlinear semidefinite optimization
Authors: Mehlitz Patrick
Published: June 2023

In this note, we present an elementary proof for a well-known second-order sufficient optimality condition in nonlinear semidefinite optimization which does not rely on the enhanced theory of second-order tangents. Our approach builds on an explicit elementary computation of the so-called second subderivative of the indicator function associated with the semidefinite cone which recovers the best curvature term known in the literature.
Protecting Whom, Why, and from What? The Dutch Government’s Politics of Abjection of Sex Workers in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Oude Breuil Brenda
Published: June 2023

Sex workers in the Netherlands experienced severe financial and social distress during the COVID-19 health crisis. Notwithstanding them paying taxes over the earnings, they were excluded from government financial support, faced discriminatory treatment concerning safe reopening, and experienced increased repression and stigmatization. In this contribution, I explore whether the concept of “vulnerability” contributes to understanding (and addressing) that situation. Data acquired through participatory action research, partly taking place online during lock-down measures, and literature and content analysis show that labeling sex workers “vulnerable” deflects attention away from the (in)actions of Dutch authorities responsible for sex workers’ precarious conditions during the pandemic. Government denial and strategies of abjection explain these conditions better than “vulnerability” does, as they return the gaze to actors and processes accountable for sex workers’ exclusion and criminalization during the COVID-19 health crisis and thereby put responsibility where it belongs.
Combined effect of thymectomy on myasthenia gravis in patients with concomitant auto-immune diseases: a 22-year single-center experience
Authors: Liu Lei , Zhang Jiaqi , Guo Chao , Chen Yeye , Liu Hongsheng , Li Shanqing , Huang Cheng
Published: June 2023

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease (AD), and patients with MG often have other types of ADs. We analyzed the prognosis of patients with MG complicated by AD after thymectomy. A retrospective analysis was performed for patients with MG complicated by ADs treated surgically in our center over the past 22 years, and their general condition and follow-up data were collected and analyzed. 33 patients were included totally. 28 patients displayed improvement or even complete recovery of MG, and 23 of 36 ADs revealed improvement or even complete recovery. The prognosis of MG is significantly correlated with the duration of postoperative follow-up time (p = 0.028), and in patients with thymoma, the larger the tumor diameter, the better the prognosis of MG (p = 0.026). Thymic hyperplasia patients were predominantly female (p = 0.049) and young (p < 0.001). The most common concomitant AD in this study was a thyroid-associated AD, which was associated with thymic hyperplasia (p < 0.001), Osserman type I MG (p < 0.001), and young age (p < 0.001). Thymectomy had a good therapeutic effect on MG complicated by AD, and there was a close correlation between surgery, thymus, MG, and ADs.
The EU’s Proposed Reform of Directors’ Duties and the Missing Link to Soft Law
Authors: Ferrarini Guido , Siri Michele , Zhu Shanshan
Published: June 2023

In this paper, we investigate whether reform of EU company law is needed to make corporate governance more sustainable. We also consider some issues to which the EU proposals on company law and sustainability paid scant attention, such as the role of corporate governance codes and other types of soft law, mainly of international origin, in promoting sustainable governance. In addition, we underline that in recent years the EU has adopted several measures which offer better prospects for sustainable governance than the reform of directors’ duties the EU is currently debating. We conclude that the failure to take corporate governance codes and the existing regulatory framework into account could seriously impair pending reforms of directors’ duties and their link to sustainability.
Learning attribute and homophily measures through random walks
Authors: Antunes Nelson , Banerjee Sayan , Bhamidi Shankar , Pipiras Vladas
Published: June 2023

We investigate the statistical learning of nodal attribute functionals in homophily networks using random walks. Attributes can be discrete or continuous. A generalization of various existing canonical models, based on preferential attachment is studied (model class$$\mathscr {P}$$P), where new nodes form connections dependent on both their attribute values and popularity as measured by degree. An associated model class$$\mathscr {U}$$Uis described, which is amenable to theoretical analysis and gives access to asymptotics of a host of functionals of interest. Settings where asymptotics for model class$$\mathscr {U}$$Utransfer over to model class$$\mathscr {P}$$Pthrough the phenomenon of resolvability are analyzed. For the statistical learning, we consider several canonical attribute agnostic sampling schemes such as Metropolis-Hasting random walk, versions of node2vec (Grover and Leskovec, 2016) that incorporate both classical random walk and non-backtracking propensities and propose new variants which use attribute information in addition to topological information to explore the network. Estimators for learning the attribute distribution, degree distribution for an attribute type and homophily measures are proposed. The performance of such statistical learning framework is studied on both synthetic networks (model class$$\mathscr {P}$$P) and real world systems, and its dependence on the network topology, degree of homophily or absence thereof, (un)balanced attributes, is assessed.
A systematic review of the status of neuropsychological research and dementia in South Asia
Authors: Ahmed Tahera , Kumar Kuldeep , Zhang Ping
Published: June 2023

It is recognised that there is a notable presence of psychology and dementia-related issues in South Asian (SA) countries, and this problem is on the rise. Nevertheless, the problems found in the field of neuropsychology are yet to be fully resolved in the region. Unlike the case in developed countries, neuropsychology, despite the scopes and genuine potential, is not broadly practised in South Asia (which constitutes 25% of the world population), and the opportunity for extensive research is limited. Although India has made substantial progress in neuropsychology through the establishment of neuropsychological units and by developing assessment modules based on cultural requirements and the living standards of the population, the rest of the South Asia region is lagging far behind in the sphere of health science. Neuropsychology covers a vast area of brain-behaviour relationships, of which cognitive impairment is an important part. Except for India, other South Asian countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal have not had specific noteworthy studies on neuropsychology, but there have been a few research works done on neuropsychology, cognitive impairment, and other neurological assessments. This article focuses on reviewing the status of the development of neuropsychological research in South Asia, and it also assesses quantitative studies on dementia in the region where cognitive and neuropsychological assessments have been used.
Contraception
Authors: Briggs Paula , Kersey Nicola
Published: June 2023

Choosing the right method of contraception can be confusing: you need to consider your lifestyle, personal preference, any health conditions you might have, and how effective each method is at preventing pregnancy. Discussing options with your doctor may seem daunting, and information on social media can be misinformed and overwhelming. This handy guide, written by two experts in Sexual and Reproductive Health, will answer all your questions about contraception, helping you decide what works best for you. The authors walk you through every method of contraception, with information on how it works, how to use it correctly and how effective it is. The authors also explain how and when conception can occur during the menstrual cycle, how life stage can affect your choice, and how hormonal contraception can be used to help other health conditions. From the pill to the condom and everything in between, pick what's right for you.
The View from the Future: Aurobindo Ghose’s Anticolonial Darwinism
Authors: MARWAH INDER S.
Published: June 2023

Darwinism and evolutionary theory have a bad track record in political theory, given their entanglements withfin-de-sièclemilitarist imperialisms, racialized hierarchies, and eugenic reformism. In colonial contexts, however, Darwinism had an entirely different afterlife as anticolonialists marshaled evolutionist frameworks to contest the parameters of colonial rule. This article exhumes just such an evolutionary anticolonialism in the political thought of Aurobindo Ghose, radical firebrand of the early Indian independence movement. I argue that Ghose drew on a nuanced reform Darwinism to criticize British imperialism and advance an alternative grounded in the Indian polity’s mutualism. Evolutionism formed a conceptual ecosystem framing his understanding of progress—national, civilizational, and spiritual—and reformulating the temporal and conceptual coordinates of the liberal empire he resisted. The article thus exposes the constructiveness of anticolonial politics, the hybridity of South Asian intellectual history, and the surprising critical potential of Darwinism in colonial settings.
Fausse route ! Avons-nous pris la mauvaise direction dans l’évaluation de nos conducteurs vieillissants au Québec ?
Authors: Lavallière Martin , Savoie Camille
Published: June 2023

Au Québec, la Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) est la seule instance responsable de la délivrance d’un permis ou de son retrait.* Récemment, la SAAQ annonçait qu’elle retirait l’obligation d’évaluation par un médecin ou un ophtalmologiste/optométriste pour les conducteurs âgés de 75 ans, repoussant cette première évaluation médicale obligatoire à 80 ans (SAAQ, 2021b). On invoque qu’une telle décision permettrait de délester le réseau de la santé d’une charge d’évaluation et de bureaucratie supplémentaire. De plus, il est invoqué que très peu de conducteurs se voyaient retirer leurs permis de conduire à la suite de ces évaluations à la SAAQ. Au cours des dernières années, moins de 2% des personnes âgées de 75 ans voyaient leur permis de conduire suspendu à la suite d’un examen médical ou visuel (SAAQ, 2021a). À cet effet, il est mentionné que la majorité des modifications apportées au droit de conduire portait sur le port de verres correcteurs ou la réduction des heures permises de conduite.
Older Mens’ Experiences with and Preferences for Physical Activity
Authors: Windt Sheralyn , Sims-Gould Joanie , Mackey Dawn C. , McKay Heather
Published: June 2023

We aim to describe older mens’ experiences with physical activity (PA) and their preferences for PA programs. We interviewed 14 men from a Canada-based PA intervention study called Men on the Move, and 5 men from a supplementary sample (who were not intervention participants). Content analysis was used to describe their experiences with PA and program preferences. The socio-ecological perspective and the hegemonic masculinity framework guided the research. PA barriers were low motivation, poor health, lack of time, interests other than PA and a lack of interest in PA, finances, lack of knowledge about PA, injury fear, social influences, inconvenience, weather, caregiving, built/natural environments, low-quality fitness instructors, and program structure. PA facilitators were chores, health, interest, time, motivation, social influences, active transportation, built/natural environments, good weather, program structure, and skilled/knowledgeable fitness instructors. PA program preferences were small group atmosphere, individualized attention/programming, equal number of men and women, sports programming, PA classes, and experienced instructors. Older men have distinct PA experiences. Promoting and designing programs that address their experiences may increase their PA.
The Case for Expanding Visual Assessments During Spaceflight
Authors: Waisberg Ethan , Ong Joshua , Masalkhi Mouayad , Zaman Nasif , Kamran Sharif Amit , Sarker Prithul , Tavakkoli Alireza , Lee Andrew G.
Published: June 2023

Spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS) is one of the potential barriers to human long-duration spaceflight (LDSF), including a manned mission to Mars. While a large barrier, the pathophysiology of SANS is not well understood, and functional and structural findings from SANS continue to be further characterized. Currently on the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled visual assessments are static visual acuity, Amsler grid, and a self-reported survey. Additional visual assessments may help the understanding of this neuro-ophthalmic phenomenon, as well as the effects of spaceflight of overall ocular health. In this paper, a case is made for expanding scheduled visual assessments to include dynamic visual, contrast sensitivity (CS), visual field testing, and virtual reality-based metamorphopsia assessment during spaceflight. These further assessments may play a key role in helping to determine the structural and functional changes associated with SANS, which are crucial to maintain astronaut vision during LDSF, as well as for developing countermeasures. Finally, a brief discussion is provided about current challenges to expanding visual testing during spaceflight and potential solutions to these barriers, specifically head-mounted visual assessment technology.
ANALYTICITY AND SYNTHETICITY IN TYPE THEORY REVISITED
Authors: BENTZEN BRUNO
Published: June 2023

I discuss problems with Martin-Löf’s distinction between analytic and synthetic judgments in constructive type theory and propose a revision of his views. I maintain that a judgment is analytic when its correctness follows exclusively from the evaluation of the expressions occurring in it. I argue that Martin-Löf’s claim that all judgments of the forms
$a : A$
and
$a = b : A$
are analytic is unfounded. As I shall show, when A evaluates to a dependent function type
$(x : B) \to C$
, all judgments of these forms fail to be analytic and therefore end up as synthetic. Going beyond the scope of Martin-Löf’s original distinction, I also argue that all hypothetical judgments are synthetic and show how the analytic–synthetic distinction reworked here is capable of accommodating judgments of the forms
$A \> \mathsf {type}$
and
$A = B \> \mathsf {type}$
as well. Finally, I consider and reject an alternative account of analyticity as decidability and assess Martin-Löf’s position on the analytic grounding of synthetic judgments.
Shear Wave Velocities in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Basins, California
Authors: Li Yida , Villa Valeria , Clayton Robert W. , Persaud Patricia
Published: June 2023

We construct a new shear velocity model for the San Gabriel, Chino and San Bernardino basins located in the northern Los Angeles area using ambient noise correlation between dense linear nodal arrays, broadband stations, and accelerometers. We observe Rayleigh and Love waves in the correlation of vertical (Z) and transverse (T) components, respectively. By combining Hilbert and Wavelet transforms, we obtain the separated fundamental and first higher mode of the Rayleigh wave dispersion curves based on their distinct particle motion polarization. Basin depths constrained by receiver functions, gravity, and borehole data are incorporated into the prior model. Our 3D shear wave velocity model covers the upper 3–5 km of the crust in the San Gabriel, Chino and San Bernardino basin area. The Vs model is in agreement with the geological and geophysical cross‐sections from other studies, but discrepancies exist between our model and a Southern California Earthquake Center community velocity model. Our shear wave velocity model shows good consistency with the CVMS 4.26 in the San Gabriel basin, but predicts a deeper and slower sedimentary basin in the San Bernardino and Chino basins than the community model.
Conjugative transfer of streptococcal prophages harboring antibiotic resistance and virulence genes
Authors: Huang Jinhu , Dai Xingyang , Wu Zuowei , Hu Xiao , Sun Junjie , Tang Yijun , Zhang Wanqiu , Han Peizhao , Zhao Jiaqi , Liu Guangjin , Wang Xiaoming , Mao Shengyong , Wang Yang , Call Douglas R , Liu Jinxin , Wang Liping
Published: June 2023

Prophages play important roles in the transduction of various functional traits, including virulence factors, but remain debatable in harboring and transmitting antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). Herein we characterize a prevalent family of prophages in Streptococcus, designated SMphages, which harbor twenty-five ARGs that collectively confer resistance to ten antimicrobial classes, including vanG-type vancomycin resistance locus and oxazolidinone resistance gene optrA. SMphages integrate into four chromosome attachment sites by utilizing three types of integration modules and undergo excision in response to phage induction. Moreover, we characterize four subtypes of Alp-related surface proteins within SMphages, the lethal effects of which are extensively validated in cell and animal models. SMphages transfer via high-frequency conjugation that is facilitated by integrative and conjugative elements from either donors or recipients. Our findings explain the widespread of SMphages and the rapid dissemination of ARGs observed in members of the Streptococcus genus.
Impact of bimetallic interface design on heat generation in plasmonic Au/Pd nanostructures studied by single-particle thermometry
Authors: Gargiulo Julian , Herran Matias , Violi Ianina L. , Sousa-Castillo Ana , Martinez Luciana P. , Ezendam Simone , Barella Mariano , Giesler Helene , Grzeschik Roland , Schlücker Sebastian , Maier Stefan A. , Stefani Fernando D. , Cortés Emiliano
Published: June 2023

Localized surface plasmons are lossy and generate heat. However, accurate measurement of the temperature of metallic nanoparticles under illumination remains an open challenge, creating difficulties in the interpretation of results across plasmonic applications. Particularly, there is a quest for understanding the role of temperature in plasmon-assisted catalysis. Bimetallic nanoparticles combining plasmonic with catalytic metals are raising increasing interest in artificial photosynthesis and the production of solar fuels. Here, we perform single-particle thermometry measurements to investigate the link between morphology and light-to-heat conversion of colloidal Au/Pd nanoparticles with two different configurations: core–shell and core-satellite. It is observed that the inclusion of Pd as a shell strongly reduces the photothermal response in comparison to the bare cores, while the inclusion of Pd as satellites keeps photothermal properties almost unaffected. These results contribute to a better understanding of energy conversion processes in plasmon-assisted catalysis.
Determinants of coping styles of people with Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Prins Eva M. , Geerlings Angelika D. , Ben-Shlomo Yoav , Meinders Marjan J. , Bloem Bastiaan R. , Darweesh Sirwan K. L.
Published: June 2023

Little is known about how people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) cope with stressful life events. We examined the determinants of specific coping strategies and whether specific choices have any impact on quality of life (QoL). We recruited patients with PD who had been seen at a neurology outpatient clinic at least once during the past year as part of the PRIME-NL cohort study. Coping was measured using the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ) and QoL was measured using the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). 977 out of 988 participants completed the questionnaires and 935 participants were diagnosed with PD. Factor analysis was undertaken to test if ways of coping were similar or different to previous findings in a PD population. We used linear regression analyses to examine predictors of coping styles. We then used multivariable linear regression to test how coping style was associated with the domains of QoL conditional on potential confounders. The five coping styles identified by the factor analysis were: “taking action and emphasizing the positive”, “distancing and fantasizing”, “goal oriented and planful problem solving”, “seeking social support” and “avoidance and acceptance”. Age, gender, education and anxiety were associated with the type of coping strategy. For example, higher education was associated with more active coping strategies (e.g. β = 4.39,p < 0.001 for goal oriented). Conditional on other confounders, most coping strategies had little effect on QoL domains. These findings demonstrate that coping behavior of people with PD is influenced by psychological status and personal traits. However, there was only a modest effect of coping behavior on QoL. Future research needs to test whether the enhancement or discouragement of certain coping strategies is feasible and can enhance QoL.