bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Annual yields of multispecies grassland mesocosms outperformed monocultures across a drought gradient due to complementarity effects and rapid recovery
Authors: Haughey Eamon , McElwain Jennifer C. , Finn John A.
Published: December 2023

Background

More frequent and severe drought events due to climate change pose a major challenge for sustainable forage production in managed grasslands. This study investigated whether multispecies grassland communities can provide greater resistance to and/or recovery from drought compared to monoculture communities.

Methods

Mesocosms of Lolium perenne L., Cichorium intybus L., Trifolium repens L. and Trifolium pratense L. were established as monocultures, and a four‐species mixture. A drought gradient with five levels of water supply ranging from a mild to a severe treatment was applied for 10 weeks, in each of 2 years. Shoot biomass was harvested to assess drought resistance, drought recovery and annual yields. Root mass density and specific root length were measured in Year 2.

Results

Across the drought gradient, four‐species communities had significantly larger annual yields than each of the four monocultures, indicating transgressive overyielding. This was despite relatively low drought resistance for four‐species communities compared with L. perenne and C. intybus monocultures. Recovery of yields following drought was high for all communities.

Conclusions

Multispecies swards with complementary traits can provide a viable adaptation option across a wide range of drought severities. Application of a stress gradient methodology allowed a more detailed understanding of stress responses.
Applying a human factors approach to proning pillows in the ICU: Opportunities for redesign
Authors: Desselle Mathilde R. , McLeod Kirsty , Byram Isabel , Wainwright Luke , Coyer Fiona , Kirrane Marianne
Published: December 2023

Proning, or turning a patient face down, is a technique used to manage patients with acute respiratory distress in intensive care units (ICUs). Research suggests that the type of pillow used in proning may have a significant impact on patient outcomes and increase the risk of disfiguring pressure injuries to the face. However, there is little evidence surrounding the usability of these pillows in the ICU. The aim of this study was to identify redesign opportunities by understanding how the tools, tasks, people, environment, and organization all interact during proning in the ICU. Thirty‐six ICU clinicians from two Australian public metropolitan hospitals completed an online questionnaire regarding their opinions and experiences with proned patients and the prevention of pressure injuries. Seven ICU clinicians then completed journey mapping activities to document the key workflows, critical incidents, considerations, and personnel involved in managing proned patients in the ICU. Several barriers and facilitators to pressure injury prevention were identified, including interactions between the various tools (e.g., proning pillows with one opening limits the management of several medical devices), the tasks (e.g., high frequency of repositioning), the people (e.g., clinical inexperience, patient features), the environment (e.g., limited availability of tools), and the organization (e.g., limited number of staff to support tasks). This holistic approach revealed several opportunities for the redesign of proning pillows and associated systems. Key takeaways include the limitations of a one‐size‐fits‐all approach to proning in the ICU context, and the need for flexibility and customization to improve proning pillows, associated medical devices, prophylactic dressings, aids, and processes.
BCUIS‐Net: A breast cancer ultrasound image segmentation network via boundary‐aware and shape feature fusion
Authors: Li Haiyan , Wang Xu , Tang Yiyin , Ye Shuhua
Published: December 2023

Breast cancer is a highly lethal disease with the highest mortality rate among women worldwide. Breast tumor segmentation from ultrasound images plays a critical role in enabling early detection, leading to a reduction in mortality rates. However, the challenge of ultrasound breast cancer segmentation arises from factors such as indistinct lesion boundaries, noise artifacts, and inhomogeneous intensity distribution within the lesion region. To address the bottlenecks, a novel boundary‐aware shape feature fusion network (BCUIS‐Net) is proposed to segment breast lesion in ultrasound images. Firstly, a boundary‐aware module (BAM) is put forward to accurately localize the ambiguous tumor regions and boundaries by embedding the horizontal and vertical position information into the channel attention. Subsequently, a shape feature fusion (SFF) module is presented to fuse shape features and segmentation features, in order to adaptively extract their complementary features by aggregating contextual information in an attention module. Specifically, the different levels of features from the encoder are up‐sampled to the original image size and fed into the BAM to predict the boundary map. The boundary and decoder‐generated feature maps are thereafter fused by the SFF module to exploit the complementarity between them to correct errors in segmentation and shape features, effectively eliminating false detections and noise in the features to achieve accurate segmentation of pathological regions. Finally, the shape fusion loss is derived from a combination of the binary cross‐entropy loss and the distance map loss to intelligently penalize incorrect predictions and thus improve the attention to boundary locations. The performance of the network is evaluated in two public breast ultrasound datasets. Experimental results verify that the proposed method obtains superior segmentation results and outperforms the most recent state‐of‐the‐art, in which IOU is increased by 2.15% and 2.59% on UDIAT and BUSI, respectively.
Enhanced thermoelectric performance and mechanical strength in GeTe enable power generation and cooling
Authors: Zhu Jianglong , Zhang Fujie , Tai Yilin , Tan Xiaobo , Deng Qian , Nan Pengfei , Cheng Ruihuan , Xia Chengliang , Chen Yue , Ge Binghui , Ang Ran
Published: December 2023

Finding a real thermoelectric (TE) material that excels in various aspects of TE performance, mechanical properties, TE power generation, and cooling is challenging for its commercialization. Herein, we report a novel multifunctional Ge0.78Cd0.06Pb0.1Sb0.06Te material with excellent TE performance and mechanical strength, which is utilized to construct candidate TE power generation and cooling devices near room temperature. Specifically, the effectiveness of band convergence, combined with optimized carrier concentration and electronic quality factor, distinctly boosts the Seebeck coefficient, thus greatly improving the power factor. Advanced electron microscopy observation indicates that complex multi‐scale hierarchical structures and strain field distributions lead to ultra‐low lattice thermal conductivity, and also effectively enhance mechanical properties. High ZT ~ 0.6 at 303 K, average ZTave ~ 1.18 from 303 to 553 K, and Vickers hardness of ~200 Hv in Ge0.78Cd0.06Pb0.1Sb0.06Te are obtained synchronously. Particularly, a 7‐pair TE cooling device with a maximum ΔT of ~45.9 K at Th = 328 K, and a conversion efficiency of ~5.2% at Th = 553 K is achieved in a single‐leg device. The present findings demonstrate a unique approach to developing superior multifunctional GeTe‐based alloys, opening up a promising avenue for commercial applications.

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Consumer guilt proneness scale—Assessing individual differences in responses to transgressive consumption situations
Authors: Martins Carla C. , Silva Susana C. , Radomska Joanna , Hajdas Monika
Published: December 2023

Feeling or anticipating guilt associated with consumption situations may lead consumers to adjust their behaviors to avoid those unpleasant feelings and better conform to their personal, moral, and social standards. The experience of guilt regarding a consumption situation is influenced by both contextual factors, including marketing communications, and personal traits, namely the individual's proneness to feel guilt related to consumption. While research has examined the influence of contextual variables on guilt, the individual predisposition to feel guilt associated with consumption has received little attention. Understanding individual consumer guilt proneness can assist managers in customizing strategies to diverse guilt responses: recognizing varying susceptibility to guilt enables personalized approaches across the consumer journey, fostering empathetic managerial actions. This understanding can significantly impact consumer satisfaction, loyalty, and the success of marketing strategies. This study conceptualizes and proposes a measure of consumer guilt proneness, the individual tendency to feel guilt regarding transgressive consumption situations. To define the conceptual domain, a literature review is complemented with a qualitative study. Five dimensions corresponding to sources of guilt (health, extravagance, social influence, misevaluation, and ethics and sustainability) create the initial pool of items. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses corroborate the five‐factor measurement model. The final scale demonstrates adequate convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity. Finally, the instrument is cross‐culturally validated in three countries—Portugal, Poland, and Brazil—which not only strengthens the evidence of its validity and reliability but also lends credibility to its broader application in diverse cultural environments, particularly within Western cultures.
Construction of a percolation zone for electrostatic discharge in EPDM/CB composites: A comprehensive mechanism to attain the optimum physico‐mechanical properties
Authors: Buhari Sudheer , Manikkedath V. Vinayak , G. T. Prakash , Rhee KyongYop , A. Asif
Published: December 2023

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a critical issue in the automobile industry. ESD can occur due to the rubbing of dissimilar materials, potentially damaging sensitive components. Automakers must use ESD protection to safeguard the reliability of the components. In this scenario, the automotive industries demand for suitable materials to address this problem. The present study focuses on the development of EPDM rubber composites with low‐volume resistivity and optimized physico‐mechanical properties, which are the vital parameters to be addressed in electrostatic discharge for automotive applications. EPDM rubber composites were cured by sulfur and peroxide with a special‐grade conductive carbon black (CB). These composites were analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The dispersion of conductive CB in the polymer matrix was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The BET adsorption technique was employed to investigate the specific surface area and porosity of CB. The ESD behavior of the composites was evaluated by measuring the volume resistivity(ASTM D257). The Studies reveal that the developed material has moderate physico‐mechanical properties and consistent thermal stability. Above all, the conductivity offered by the composite is adequate for ESD applications.

Highlights

Developed sulfur‐cured EPDM rubber composite with low‐volume resistivity.

Peroxide cured EPDM rubber has higher thermal stability than sulfur‐cured one.

Carbon black (CB) with a high surface area can easily form a conductive network.

A good conductive network is formed at the percolation zone.

The hardness of the EPDM composite increases with the loading of CB.
Learning curve for fetal postmortem ultrasound
Authors: Ibarra Vilar Patricia , De Luca Laura , Badr Dominique A. , Cos Sanchez Teresa , Carlin Andrew , Lecomte Sophie , Jani Jacques C. , Kang Xin
Published: December 2023

Objective

To determine the learning curve of fetal postmortem ultrasound (PMUS) and evaluate the evolution of its diagnostic performance over the past 8 years.

Methods

PMUS was performed by two fetal medicine specialists and two experts on 100 unselected fetuses of 12–38 weeks of gestation in a prospective, double‐blind manner. 21 pre‐defined internal structures were analyzed consecutively by the trainee alone and the expert, with a comparison of diagnosis and immediate feedback. The learning curves for examination duration, non‐recognition of structures and final diagnoses were computed using cumulative summation analysis. Secondly, the expert PMUS diagnostic accuracy using autopsy as the gold standard was compared to the previously published data.

Results

The trainees reached expert level of PMUS at 28–36 cases for examination duration (12.1 ± 5.2 min), non‐diagnostic rate (6.5%, 137/2100), and abnormality diagnosis. In a group of 33 fetuses ≥20 weeks who had an autopsy, the experts PMUS performance was improved after 8 years with a reduction of all organs non‐diagnostic rate (6.5 %VS 11.4%, p < 0.01) and higher sensitivity for the heart (100% VS 40.9%, p < 0.01) and the abdomen (100%VS 56.5%, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

PMUS offers a short learning curve for fetal medicine specialists and on‐going improvement of diagnostic accuracy over time.
The vortex structure and near‐surface winds of Typhoon Faxai (2019) during landfall. Part I: Observational analysis
Authors: Takahashi Takuya , Nolan David S.
Published: December 2023

This two‐part study presents a detailed analysis of (a) the vortex structure, (b) the inner core planetary boundary layer (PBL) wind profile, and (c) the overland surface winds of Typhoon Faxai (2019) during landfall observationally (Part I) and in high‐resolution Weather Research and Forecasting model simulations (Part II). Part I presents a comprehensive observational analysis of (a), (b), and (c) of Typhoon Faxai (2019) based on radar dual‐Doppler analysis and spatially dense surface wind observations over the Kanto region of Japan. An empirical model for the wind reduction factor is proposed and validated with surface observations and radar velocity–azimuth display analyses at Narita and Haneda airports, both of which were affected by the passage of Faxai's inner core. Two distinct PBL jets associated with the inner rain band and the eyewall were observed over Narita Airport, which was located to the right of Faxai's track. Based on the empirical model of , it is found that the maximum surface wind speed observed at Narita Airport was caused by the peak of due to a strong PBL jet associated with the eyewall located as close as 0.3 km from the ground. In addition, the wind swath analysis shows that a large area far inland on the right side of Faxai's track experienced strong surface 10‐min winds due to the combination of the passage of the eyewall PBL jet and the small surface roughness length around agricultural land such as paddy fields and farm fields.
Redefining the Huayquerian Stage (Upper Miocene to Lower Pliocene) of the South American chronostratigraphic scale based on biostratigraphical analyses and geochronological dating
Authors: Romano Cristo O. , Garrido Alberto C. , Barbeau David L. , Vera Rocío B. , Bonini Ricardo , Boscaini Alberto , Cerdeño Esperanza , Cruz Laura E. , Esteban Graciela I. , de la Fuente Marcelo S. , Fernández‐Monescillo Marcos , Fernicola Juan C. , Krapovickas Verónica , Madozzo‐Jaén M. Carolina , Pérez M. Encarnación , Pujos François , Rasia Luciano , Turazzini Guillermo F. , Vera Bárbara , MacPhee Ross D. E. , Forasiepi Analía M. , Prevosti Francisco J.
Published: December 2023

The Huayquerian Stage of the South American chronostratigraphic scheme (named for the Huayquerías del Este, Argentina) was originally based on a poorly known mammal association of six taxa from the Huayquerías Formation. We studied the geology, age and fauna of the Neogene sequence in this area, including the Huayquerías, Tunuyán and Bajada Grande formations. The sequence comprises a monotonous succession of synorogenic epiclastic sediments deposited under arid to semi‐arid conditions. Zircon U–Pb dates from 10 tuffaceous levels (7.2–1.6 Ma) place deposition of the Huayquerías Formation during the late Tortonian or Messinian to early Zanclean, the Tunuyán Formation during the Zanclean–Piacenzian, and the Bajada Grande Formation during the Piacenzian–Calabrian. We present 43 and 31 new mammal taxon records for the Huayquerías and Tunuyán formations, respectively. Progressive faunal change was observed along the sequence. The first records of the Chaco tortoiseChelonoidis chilensisand the notoungulateXotodon major, and the latest records of Interatheriidae andTypotheriopsis(notoungulates),Metacaremys calfucalel,Phtoramys hidalguenseandLagostomus pretrichodactyla(rodents),Chasicotatus ameghinoiandMacroeuphractus morenoi(xenarthrans) are reported. The faunal associations of the Huayquerías and lower Tunuyán formations are highly similar to each other, and to other coeval localities in Argentina. TheMacroeuphractus morenoiAssemblage Biozone is proposed as the basis for redefining the Huayquerian Stage, due to the co‐occurrence of three taxa with wide geographical distribution in southern South America:Macroeuphractus morenoi,Pseudotypotherium subinsigneandLagostomus pretrichodactyla. The age of this biozone is constrained atc.8–5 Ma in its type area.
Sex determination in budgerigars using radiographic pelvimetry
Authors: Yilmaz Osman , Koca Davut , Sahin Mustafa Eren , Avcilar Talha
Published: December 2023

Background

The purpose of this study was to assess the pelvimetric values obtained from radiographic pelvis images of budgerigars in terms of sexual dimorphism. The objectives included determining linear osteometric and angle measurements of the pelvis, as well as calculating the length‐to‐width ratios among different pelvimetric measurements. Additionally, the study aimed to reveal the correlations between age and body weight with both the pelvimetric measurements and ratio measurements in these animals.

Methods

In this study, measurements of linear distance, angle and length‐to‐width ratios were obtained from ventrodorsal images of the pelvis in a sample of 60 budgerigars, consisting of 30 males and 30 females. Subsequently, the statistical analysis of the obtained measurement values was performed.

Results

When analysing the morphometric measurement values based on sex, it was observed that all linear measurements (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6, L7, L8, L9, L10 and L11) were higher in males, whereas the angle measurements (A1, LA2 and RA2) were found to be significantly greater in females (p < 0.05). Additionally, both male and female budgerigars exhibited a greater pre‐acetabular length of the ilium compared to the post‐acetabular length. Moreover, there were mostly positive significant correlations between age and body weight with the pelvic measurement values in both sexes (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

The obtained biometric measurement values from pelvimetric X‐ray images in budgerigars were analysed to assess sexual dimorphism. Furthermore, this study presents fundamental morphometric data that can be valuable for clinical, taxonomic, phylogenetic, ornithological, allometric and characterization studies of budgerigars.
Optimal operating points for wind turbine control and co‐design
Authors: Pusch Manuel , Stockhouse David , Abbas Nikhar , Phadnis Mandar , Pao Lucy
Published: December 2023

A versatile framework is introduced for determining optimal steady‐state operating points for wind turbine control. The framework is based on solving constrained optimization problems at fixed wind speeds and allows for systematically studying required trade‐offs and parameter sensitivities. It can be used as a basis for many control approaches, for example, to automatically compute optimal schedules for control inputs, steady‐state operating points for model linearization, or reference values for tracking. Steady‐state simulation results are obtained using full nonlinear models to consider complex effects caused by couplings from aerodynamics, structural dynamics, and possibly also hydrodynamics in the case of floating wind turbines. Focusing only on the steady‐state response allows a fast and numerically robust optimization, which makes it especially attractive for co‐design studies. The effectiveness of the framework is demonstrated on two offshore extreme‐scale wind turbines, one floating and one fixed bottom.
Trustworthiness in the Swedish Strategies for Covid-19 in Recorded Press Conferences from the Public Health Agency of Sweden
Authors: Byrman Gunilla , Westum Asbjørg
Published: December 2023

This article investigates structural patterns of eight recorded press conferences on Covid-19, and how the Public Health Agency of Sweden (PHA) builds trust in its information. The analysis draws on Wodak’s model, using the theoretical and methodological concepts discourse, texts, genres, situatedness, and discourse strand. The press conferences are regularly scheduled, always with the same structure. PHA uses a range of multimodal features with which they interact orally. Tension often arises in the dialogue between PHA and journalists wanting to know about death numbers, the spread of infection, and how citizens should act to stay healthy. Two discourse strands are identified: death numbers and face masks. PHA handles these discourse strands in slightly different ways. Journalists ask about the relatively high Swedish death numbers, which PHA does not deny, but is reluctant to talk about. PHA does not want to acknowledge the usefulness of face masks, saying that other measures are more effective. Both discourse strands pose potential threats to PHA’s trustworthiness. Journalists question why PHA’s death statistics show lower figures than those of other authorities, and they ask about the scientific basis for its face mask strategy, pointing to countries with different approaches.
Fictionality as a Rhetorical Tool in Political Mockumentary Films: The Interplay of Fictionality and Factuality in C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America
Authors: Csönge Tamás
Published: December 2023

How can a mockumentary film like Kevin Willmott’s C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America argue effectively and authenticate its important message about the presence of racism and discrimination in contemporary American society with a narrative that is obviously fictional? Doesn’t this method of presenting an alternative history of the nation create mistrust and suspicion in the audience, instead of giving them profound insight into the actual states of things? The ambiguity of such mockumentaries stems from the simultaneous application of two major types of rhetorical frames: They always utilize some style or variant of the documentary genre (Juhasz et al., F Is for Phony: Fake Documentary and Truth’s Undoing. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2006, 7) (evoking a factual discourse), but—to a differing degree—also undermining, suspending, or putting it between quotation marks (evoking a fictional discourse). In this paper, I want to argue that with the innovative utilization of fictionality and factuality as communicational tools and rhetorical resources, a politically charged fake documentary such as Willmott’s film can explore problematic dimensions of social reality and shed light on its subject matter from a novel perspective.
Bridging the Digital Divide
Authors: Bon Anna , Saa-Dittoh Francis , Akkermans Hans
Published: December 2023

This chapter discusses the disparity in access to digital services, which exists between countries, regions, communities, and people in the world. This disparity is referred to as the digital divide. Digital information and communication are obviously of key importance for the development of countries and regions. However, different approaches exist to address this problem. In this chapter, from a digital humanist perspective, we explore practice-oriented digital design approaches to serve people and communities in currently unconnected regions of the world. We discuss how this might best be done, upholding ethical standards, inclusivity, and human-centered principles. To illustrate this in action, we present a case study from rural Ghana.
Philosophical Foundations of Digital Humanism
Authors: Nida-Rümelin Julian , Staudacher Klaus
Published: December 2023

Digital humanism is an ethics for the digital age that interprets and shapes the process of digital transformation in accordance with the core concepts of humanist philosophy and practice. The core idea of humanist philosophy is human authorship, which is closely linked to the practice of attributing responsibility and, therefore, also with the concepts of reason and freedom. Digital humanism has several different implications: From a theoretical point of view, it means rejecting both the mechanistic paradigm (“humans are machines”) and the animistic paradigm (“machines are (like) humans”); from a practical point of view, it especially requires us not to attribute responsibility to AI and not to let AI make ethical decisions.
Human Rights Alignment: The Challenge Ahead for AI Lawmakers
Authors: Rotenberg Marc
Published: December 2023

The frameworks for the governance of AI have evolved rapidly. From the 2018 Universal Guidelines for AI on through the 2019 OECD/G20 AI Principles 2019, and the 2021 UNESCO Recommendation on AI Ethics, governments have agreed to the basic norms to regulate AI services. Two important legal frameworks are also now underway—the EU AI Act and the Council of Europe AI Convention. As these frameworks have evolved, we see the scope of AI governance models expand. From an initial focus on “human-centric and trustworthy AI” through the recognition of “fairness, accuracy, and transparency” as building blocks for AI governance, we see now consideration of sustainability, gender equality, and employment as key categories for AI policy. AI laws also overlap with familiar legal topics such as consumer protection, copyright, national security, and privacy. Throughout this evolution, we should consider whether the evolving models for the governance of AI are aligned with the legal norms that undergird democratic societies—fundamental rights, democratic institutions, and the rule of law. For democracies to flourish in the age of artificial intelligence, this is the ultimate alignment challenge for AI.
Digital Transformation Through the Lens of Intersectional Gender Research Challenges and Needs for Action
Authors: Draude Claude
Published: December 2023

In recent years, digital technology has been discussed both in its potential to promote or to demote gender equity. This field of tension, between empowerment and threat of amplifying inequalities, is explored in this contribution. Moreover, this chapter views digital humanism through the lens of intersectional gender research. After discussing the historic relation between gender and humanism, concepts and terminology of gender research and feminist theory are explained in more detail. Following this, the interaction of gender and technology is illustrated through examples. Finally, the lessons learned part contains suggestions and calls for action important for a more inclusive and equitable digital transformation.
No Digital Citizens Without Digital Humanism
Authors: Nardelli Enrico
Published: December 2023

Using a Digital Humanism viewpoint when teaching informatics is the key to face the challenges posed to our society by digital technologies. This is particularly relevant for education in school, where children are going to learn about the basic principles and concepts of the discipline. Considering the potential of digital machines and the advancement of the generative artificial intelligence systems, it is essential that school curricula are aimed at developing the proper attitude toward digital technologies since the early years. This means paying attention to both technical and social elements of the digital systems and preparing teachers for this challenge adequately.
Metabolic bone disorders and the promise of marine osteoactive compounds
Authors: Carletti Alessio , Gavaia Paulo Jorge , Cancela Maria Leonor , Laizé Vincent
Published: December 2023

Metabolic bone disorders and associated fragility fractures are major causes of disability and mortality worldwide and place an important financial burden on the global health systems. These disorders result from an unbalance between bone anabolic and resorptive processes and are characterized by different pathophysiological mechanisms. Drugs are available to treat bone metabolic pathologies, but they are either poorly effective or associated with undesired side effects that limit their use. The molecular mechanism underlying the most common metabolic bone disorders, and the availability, efficacy, and limitations of therapeutic options currently available are discussed here. A source for the unmet need of novel drugs to treat metabolic bone disorders is marine organisms, which produce natural osteoactive compounds of high pharmaceutical potential. In this review, we have inventoried the marine osteoactive compounds (MOCs) currently identified and spotted the groups of marine organisms with potential for MOC production. Finally, we briefly examine the availability of in vivo screening and validation tools for the study of MOCs.
The poverty of ethical AI: impact sourcing and AI supply chains
Authors: Muldoon James , Cant Callum , Graham Mark , Ustek Spilda Funda
Published: December 2023

Impact sourcing is the practice of employing socio-economically disadvantaged individuals at business process outsourcing centres to reduce poverty and create secure jobs. One of the pioneers of impact sourcing is Sama, a training-data company that focuses on annotating data for artificial intelligence (AI) systems and claims to support an ethical AI supply chain through its business operations. Drawing on fieldwork undertaken at three of Sama’s East African delivery centres in Kenya and Uganda and follow-up online interviews, this article interrogates Sama’s claims regarding the benefits of its impact sourcing model. Our analysis reveals alarming accounts of low wages, insecure work, a tightly disciplined labour management process, gender-based exploitation and harassment and a system designed to extract value from low-paid workers to produce profits for investors. We argue that competitive market-based dynamics generate a powerful force that pushes such companies towards limiting the actual social impact of their business model in favour of ensuring higher profit margins. This force can be resisted, but only through countervailing measures such as pressure from organised workers, civil society, or regulation. These findings have broad implications related to working conditions for low-wage data annotators across the sector and cast doubt on the ethical nature of AI products that rely on this form of AI data work.
Anthelmintic resistance in soil-transmitted helminths: One-Health considerations
Authors: Ng’etich Annette Imali , Amoah Isaac Dennis , Bux Faizal , Kumari Sheena
Published: December 2023

The One-Health approach recognizes the intricate connection between human, animal, and environmental health, and that cooperative effort from various professionals provides comprehensive awareness and potential solutions for issues relating to the health of people, animals, and the environment. This approach has increasingly gained appeal as the standard strategy for tackling emerging infectious diseases, most of which are zoonoses. Treatment with anthelmintics (AHs) without a doubt minimizes the severe consequences of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs); however, evidence of anthelmintic resistance (AR) development to different helminths of practically every animal species and the distinct groups of AHs is overwhelming globally. In this regard, the correlation between the application of anthelmintic drugs in both human and animal populations and the consequent development of anthelmintic resistance in STHs within the context of a One-Health framework is explored. This review provides an overview of the major human and animal STHs, treatment of the STHs, AR development and drug-related factors contributing towards AR, One-Health and STHs, and an outline of some One-Health strategies that may be used in combating AR.
Sleep dysfunction associated with worse chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity functional outcomes
Authors: Mahfouz Fawaz Mayez , Li Tiffany , Joda Masarra , Harrison Michelle , Horvath Lisa G. , Grimison Peter , King Tracy , Marx Gavin , Goldstein David , Park Susanna B.
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Sleep problems are commonly reported by cancer survivors; however, knowledge of the impact of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN) on sleep quality remains limited. In this study, we explored the impact of CIPN on sleep quality, as well as identified clinical characteristics associated with poor sleep quality.

Methods

Participants were assessed cross-sectionally post-neurotoxic chemotherapy. CIPN severity was graded using a range of questionnaires that assessed CIPN severity and quality of life, as well as neurological grading scales. Sleep quality was assessed using a self-rated questionnaire (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI). Participants with poor sleep quality were further grouped according to whether sleep impairment was due to CIPN or other factors.

Results

Among 77 participants who reported CIPN, 75% (n = 58) reported poor sleep quality. Of those, 41% (n = 24) reported CIPN as contributing to sleep impairment, while 59% (n = 34) reported other causes. Participants with CIPN-induced sleep impairments had higher CIPN severity across all outcome measures, as well as greater neuropathic pain (all p < 0.05). Furthermore, participants with CIPN-induced sleep impairments reported worse impact of neuropathy on physical and social functioning, as well as emotional well-being (all p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Participants with CIPN-induced poor sleep quality reported worse scores across all CIPN severity measures. This emphasises the negative impacts of CIPN symptoms on quality of life of chemotherapy-treated patients and highlights the importance of sleep quality assessment in cancer survivors.
Current use of fluid biomarkers as outcome measures in Multiple Sclerosis (MS): a review of ongoing pharmacological clinical trials
Authors: Schilke Edoardo Dalmato , Remoli Giulia , Funelli Eugenio , Galimberti Michela , Fusco Maria Letizia , Cereda Diletta , Balducci Claudia , Frigo Maura , Cavaletti Guido
Published: December 2023

The present study aims to describe the state of the art of fluid biomarkers use in ongoing multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical trials.

A review of 608 ongoing protocols in the clinicaltrials.gov and EudraCT databases was performed. The trials enrolled patients with a diagnosis of relapsing remitting MS, secondary progressive MS, and/or primary progressive MS according to Revised McDonald criteria or relapsing MS according to Lublin et al. (2014). The presence of fluid biomarkers among the primary and/or secondary study outcomes was assessed.

Overall, 5% of ongoing interventional studies on MS adopted fluid biomarkers. They were mostly used as secondary outcomes in phase 3–4 clinical trials to support the potential disease-modifying properties of the intervention. Most studies evaluated neurofilament light chains (NfLs). A small number considered other novel fluid biomarkers of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration such as glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP).

Considering the numerous ongoing clinical trials in MS, still a small number adopted fluid biomarkers as outcome measures, thus testifying the distance from clinical practice. In most protocols, fluid biomarkers were used to evaluate the effectiveness of approved second-line therapies, but also, new drugs (particularly Bruton kinase inhibitors). NfLs were also adopted to monitor disease progression after natalizumab suspension in stable patients, cladribine efficacy after anti-CD20 discontinuation, and the efficacy of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) compared to medical treatment. Nevertheless, further validation studies are needed for all considered fluid biomarkers to access clinical practice, and cost-effectiveness in the “real word” remains to be clarified.
The resource curse and the role of institutions revisited
Authors: Narh John
Published: December 2023

Many studies have shown that natural resource abundant countries with strong institutions tend to escape the resource curse. Institutional quality has been examined using broad indices of rule of law, the rate of murder, the share of the shadow economy and provision of public goods. Nonetheless, we need to locate the specific institutional conditions under which the curse manifests since some “rule of law” countries like Nigeria and Angola are generally classified as resource cursed. In this review, I argue that managing and distributing natural resource wealth through a centralised planning strategy and lack of a binding long-term national development plan are institutional conditions that encourage government unaccountability as they do not restrict policy makers against discretionary distribution of natural resource windfall, rent seeking, clientelism and corruption which contribute to poor economic development and growth. Also, inadequate regulations on how to address the potential or actual impacts of natural resource extraction on the livelihood of local people and the environment tend to precipitate grievance-induced resource conflict.
The relationship between firm size and efficiency: why does default on bank loans matter?
Authors: Rapposelli Agnese , Birindelli Giuliana , Modina Michele
Published: December 2023

This paper presents an investigation of the interconnection between firm size and efficiency under the financial constraints lens. Specifically, we used the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique to measure the efficiency of a sample of large, medium-sized and small private Italian firms, using the firms’ default risk as an undesirable output. Our findings indicate that larger companies perform better than medium-sized and smaller companies in terms of efficiency (across all business profiles), including default on bank loans. Based on indicators widely employed to characterize the bank-firm relationship, our study demonstrates the need to improve the efficiency of the Italian entrepreneurial system, consisting mainly of small companies, through their dimensional growth.
Fingerprints of decreased cognitive performance on fractal connectivity dynamics in healthy aging
Authors: Kaposzta Zalan , Czoch Akos , Mukli Peter , Stylianou Orestis , Liu Deland Hu , Eke Andras , Racz Frigyes Samuel
Published: December 2023

Analysis of brain functional connectivity (FC) could provide insight in how and why cognitive functions decline even in healthy aging (HA). Despite FC being established as fluctuating over time even in the resting state (RS), dynamic functional connectivity (DFC) studies involving healthy elderly individuals and assessing how these patterns relate to cognitive performance are yet scarce. In our recent study we showed that fractal temporal scaling of functional connections in RS is not only reduced in HA, but also predicts increased response latency and reduced task solving accuracy. However, in that work we did not address changes in the dynamics of fractal connectivity (FrC) strength itself and its plausible relationship with mental capabilities. Therefore, here we analyzed RS electroencephalography recordings of the same subject cohort as previously, consisting of 24 young and 19 healthy elderly individuals, who also completed 7 different cognitive tasks after data collection. Dynamic fractal connectivity (dFrC) analysis was carried out via sliding-window detrended cross-correlation analysis (DCCA). A machine learning method based on recursive feature elimination was employed to select the subset of connections most discriminative between the two age groups, identifying 56 connections that allowed for classifying participants with an accuracy surpassing 92%. Mean of DCCA was found generally increased, while temporal variability of FrC decreased in the elderly when compared to the young group. Finally, dFrC indices expressed an elaborate pattern of associations—assessed via Spearman correlation—with cognitive performance scores in both groups, linking fractal connectivity strength and variance to increased response latency and reduced accuracy in the elderly population. Our results provide further support for the relevance of FrC dynamics in understanding age-related cognitive decline and might help to identify potential targets for future intervention strategies.
Symmetry breaking for ground states of biharmonic NLS via Fourier extension estimates
Authors: Lenzmann Enno , Weth Tobias
Published: December 2023

We consider ground state solutions u ∈ H2(ℝN) of biharmonic (fourth-order) nonlinear Schrödinger equations of the form $${\Delta ^2}u + 2a\Delta u + bu - |u{|^{p - 2}}u = 0\,\,\,\,{\rm{in}}\,\,{\mathbb{R}^N}$$

Δ
2

u
+
2
a
Δ
u
+
b
u
−
∣
u

∣

p
−
2

u
=
0
in

ℝ
N

with positive constants a, b > 0 and exponents 2 < p < 2*, where $${2^ * } = {{2N} \over {N - 4}}$$

2
∗

=

2
N

N
−
4

if N > 4 and 2* = ∞ if N ≤ 4. By exploiting a connection to the adjoint Stein–Tomas inequality on the unit sphere and by using trial functions due to Knapp, we prove a general symmetry breaking result by showing that all ground states u ∈ H2(ℝN) in dimension N ≥ 2 fail to be radially symmetric for all exponents $$2 < p < {{2N + 2} \over {N - 1}}$$
2
<
p
<

2
N
+
2

N
−
1

in a suitable regime of a, b > 0.

As applications of our main result, we also prove symmetry breaking for a minimization problem with constrained L2-mass and for a related problem on the unit ball in ℝN subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions.
Delineation of Saline/Fresh Water Interface and Mapping Ground-water Potential Zones using Spatial Resistivity Models in Bichpuri Block Agra, District UP, India
Authors: Singh Anirudh , Pratap Birendra , Singh S.K.
Published: December 2023

Pin-pointing freshwater within saline formations is of utmost importance as filtration and alternate means of public water supply are responsible for high expenditure. Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) (n=49) was conducted at various locations in the Bichpuri block, Agra district. In this study for VES, the Schlumberger configuration was used. VES data were reconciled with the borehole well log, and drill sample cuttings were utilized to understand sub-surface configuration. Reconciled VES data displayed variation in resistivity layer parameters, i.e., layer thickness & true resistivity of sub-surface. True resistivity spatial models were developed at 25m intervals from the ground surface down to the depth of 150m, based on geo-electric parameters. Resistivity models reveal that freshwater is limited to 55m depth, beyond which groundwater is saline to brackish. The basement was encountered at a depth of 120m and further extended up to 150m. A groundwater potential map was prepared using GIS and divided into 3 categories – good, moderate, and poor. Major habitations of the study area lie in poor groundwater potential zone, which is a cause of concern with the intent on future development. Similar studies can be extended to areas with saline groundwater for mapping freshwater zones.
Estimation of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K activity from the Soil Samples of Ganderbal and Budgam Districts of Jammu and Kashmir, India
Authors: Rahim Asiya , Khan Savidh , Rani Asha , Abida Km , Mehra Rohit , Chand Sansar
Published: December 2023

The study of radionuclides is very important in our daily life as these impose health implications to the general public. In present study the estimation of radionuclides in Ganderbal and Budgam districts of Kashmir Province using NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectro-meter has been carried out. Radium, thorium, and potassium activity concentrations have been observed to range from 25±3 to 33±5 Bqkg−1, 3±2 to 11±3 Bqkg−1 and 415±63 to 601±80 Bqkg−1with average values of 29 Bqkg−1, 5 Bqkg−1 and 514 Bqkg−1, respectively. The radium equivalent activity (Raeq) for the soil samples has been evaluated and was found in the range of 107 to128 Bqkg−1 with the mean value of 116 Bqkg−1. It has been inferred that the radium equivalent activity (Raeq) lies in the permissible limits of 370 Bqkg−1 set by United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. Absorbed dose and annual effective dose (indoor and outdoor) values were found to vary from 34 to 43 nGyh−1, 0.17 to 0.21 mSv and 0.04 to 0.05 mSv, respectively. Also, hazard indices (external and internal) are calculated from the specific concentration of radium, thorium and potassium which are found less than unity as recommended by organization for economic cooperation and development (OECD). Therefore, it can be concluded that the present study area does not pose any health implication to the general public.
The role of RNA modification in urological cancers: mechanisms and clinical potential
Authors: Zhou Xuming , Zhu Hezhen , Luo Cong , Yan Zhaojie , Zheng Guansong , Zou Xiaofeng , zou Junrong , Zhang Guoxi
Published: December 2023

RNA modification is a post-transcriptional level of regulation that is widely distributed in all types of RNAs, including mRNA, tRNA, rRNA, miRNA, and lncRNA, where N6-methyladenine (m6A) is the most abundant mRNA methylation modification. Significant evidence has depicted that m6A modifications are closely related to human diseases, especially cancer, and play pivotal roles in RNA transcription, splicing, stabilization, and translation processes. The most common urological cancers include prostate, bladder, kidney, and testicular cancers, accounting for a certain proportion of human cancers, with an ever-increasing incidence and mortality. The recurrence, systemic metastasis, poor prognosis, and drug resistance of urologic tumors have prompted the identification of new therapeutic targets and mechanisms. Research on m6A modifications may provide new solutions to the current puzzles. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the key roles played by RNA modifications, especially m6A modifications, in urologic cancers, as well as recent research advances in diagnostics and molecularly targeted therapies.