bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sequential adaptive strategies for sampling rare clustered populations
Authors: Mecatti Fulvia , Sismanidis Charalambos , Furfaro Emanuela , Conti Pier Luigi
Published: June 2023

A new class of sampling strategies is proposed that can be applied to population-based surveys targeting a rare trait that is unevenly spread over an area of interest. Our proposal is characterised by the ability to tailor the data collection to specific features and challenges of the survey at hand. It is based on integrating an adaptive component into a sequential selection, which aims both to intensify the detection of positive cases, upon exploiting the spatial clustering, and to provide a flexible framework to manage logistics and budget constraints. A class of estimators is also proposed to account for the selection bias, that are proved unbiased for the population mean (prevalence) as well as consistent and asymptotically Normal distributed. Unbiased variance estimation is also provided. A ready-to-implement weighting system is developed for estimation purposes. Two special strategies included in the proposed class are presented, that are based on the Poisson sampling and proved more efficient. The selection of primary sampling units is also illustrated for tuberculosis prevalence surveys, which are recommended in many countries and supported by the World Health Organisation as an emblematic example of the need for an improved sampling design. Simulation results are given in the tuberculosis application to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed sequential adaptive sampling strategies with respect to traditional cross-sectional non-informative sampling as currently suggested by World Health Organisation guidelines.
The newcomer takes it all: the invader Texas citrus mite, Eutetranychus banksi (Acari: Tetranychidae), displaces the resident relatives in citrus agrosystems
Authors: López-Olmos Sergio , Ferragut Francisco
Published: June 2023

Many studies have emphasized the importance of interspecific competition in shaping natural ecosystem communities. In contrast, few investigations have explored the role of competition in agricultural environments after the arrival of an invasive pest species. We evaluated the ecological impact produced by the invasive Texas citrus mite, Eutetranychus banksi (McGregor), on the resident spider mites Panonychus citri (McGregor) and Eutetranychus orientalis (Klein) on the main citrus crop area in Eastern Spain. Since its arrival in 2013, E. banksi has become the most common and abundant spider mite on citrus, apparently leading to a reduction in the presence and geographic range of the other related species. Competitive relationships were detected between E. banksi–E. orientalis and E. banksi–P. citri pairs using co-occurrence analysis. Furthermore, generalized linear model analysis showed that the probability of finding E. orientalis or P. citri decreases with increasing E. banksi density and vice versa. Principal component analysis and permutational multivariate analysis of variance found competition between these two pairs, and also between the E. orientalis–P. citri pair. Redundancy and variation partitioning analysis revealed how the geographic distribution of the three spider mites is not caused by the environmental conditions, but it is strongly influenced by their colonization history and competitive relationships, since the areas with the highest density of the three species are related to their place of first detection, and do not coincide geographically. Finally, the mechanisms that may be involved in the competitive displacement and the possible future scenarios are discussed.
Gender prediction based on University students’ complex thinking competency: An analysis from machine learning approaches
Authors: Ibarra-Vazquez Gerardo , Ramí­rez-Montoya María Soledad , Terashima Hugo
Published: June 2023

This article aims to study machine learning models to determine their performance in classifying students by gender based on their perception of complex thinking competency. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 605 students from a private university in Mexico with the eComplexity instrument. In this study, we consider the following data analyses: 1) predict students’ gender based on their perception of complex thinking competency and sub-competencies from a 25 items questionnaire, 2) analyze models’ performance during training and testing stages, and 3) study the models’ prediction bias through a confusion matrix analysis. Our results confirm the hypothesis that the four machine learning models (Random Forest, Support Vector Machines, Multi-layer Perception, and One-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network) can find sufficient differences in the eComplexity data to classify correctly up to 96.94% and 82.14% of the students’ gender in the training and testing stage, respectively. The confusion matrix analysis revealed partiality in gender prediction among all machine learning models, even though we have applied an oversampling method to reduce the imbalance dataset. It showed that the most frequent error was to predict Male students as Female class. This paper provides empirical support for analyzing perception data through machine learning models in survey research. This work proposed a novel educational practice based on developing complex thinking competency and machine learning models to facilitate educational itineraries adapted to the training needs of each group to reduce social gaps existing due to gender.
Sharp bounds on the least eigenvalue of a graph determined from edge clique partitions
Authors: Cardoso Domingos M. , Costa Inês Serôdio , Duarte Rui
Published: June 2023

Sharp bounds on the least eigenvalue of an arbitrary graph are presented. Necessary and sufficient (just sufficient) conditions for the lower (upper) bound to be attained are deduced using edge clique partitions. As an application, we prove that the least eigenvalue of the n-Queens graph $${\mathcal {Q}}(n)$$

Q
(
n
)

is equal to $$-4$$

-
4

for every $$n \ge 4$$

n
≥
4

and it is also proven that the multiplicity of this eigenvalue is $$(n-3)^2$$

(
n
-
3
)

2

. Finally, edge clique partitions of additional infinite families of connected graphs and their relations with the least eigenvalues are presented.
Learning system parameters from turing patterns
Authors: Schnörr David , Schnörr Christoph
Published: June 2023

The Turing mechanism describes the emergence of spatial patterns due to spontaneous symmetry breaking in reaction–diffusion processes and underlies many developmental processes. Identifying Turing mechanisms in biological systems defines a challenging problem. This paper introduces an approach to the prediction of Turing parameter values from observed Turing patterns. The parameter values correspond to a parametrized system of reaction–diffusion equations that generate Turing patterns as steady state. The Gierer–Meinhardt model with four parameters is chosen as a case study. A novel invariant pattern representation based on resistance distance histograms is employed, along with Wasserstein kernels, in order to cope with the highly variable arrangement of local pattern structure that depends on the initial conditions which are assumed to be unknown. This enables us to compute physically plausible distances between patterns, to compute clusters of patterns and, above all, model parameter prediction based on training data that can be generated by numerical model evaluation with random initial data: for small training sets, classical state-of-the-art methods including operator-valued kernels outperform neural networks that are applied to raw pattern data, whereas for large training sets the latter are more accurate. A prominent property of our approach is that only a single pattern is required as input data for model parameter predicion. Excellent predictions are obtained for single parameter values and reasonably accurate results for jointly predicting all four parameter values.
Explaining image enhancement black-box methods through a path planning based algorithm
Authors: Cotogni Marco , Cusano Claudio
Published: June 2023

Nowadays, image-to-image translation methods, are the state of the art for the enhancement of natural images. Even if they usually show high performance in terms of accuracy, they often suffer from several limitations such as the generation of artifacts and the scalability to high resolutions. Moreover, their main drawback is the completely black-box approach that does not allow to provide the final user with any insight about the enhancement processes applied. In this paper we present a path planning algorithm which provides a step-by-step explanation of the output produced by state of the art enhancement methods. This algorithm, called eXIE, uses a variant of A$$^*$$

∗

to emulate the enhancement process of another method through the application of an equivalent sequence of enhancing operators. We applied eXIE to explain the output of several state-of-the-art models trained on the Five-K dataset, obtaining sequences of enhancing operators able to produce very similar results in terms of performance and overcoming the huge limitation of poor interpretability of the best performing algorithms.
Machine learning in detection and classification of leukemia using C-NMC_Leukemia
Authors: Talaat Fatma M. , Gamel Samah A.
Published: June 2023

A significant issue in the field of illness diagnostics is the early detection and diagnosis of leukemia, that is, the accurate distinction of malignant leukocytes with minimal costs in the early stages of the disease. Flow cytometer equipment is few, and the methods used at laboratory diagnostic centers are laborious despite the high prevalence of leukemia. The present systematic review was carried out to review the works intending to identify and categories leukemia by utilizing machine learning. It was motivated by the potential of machine learning (machine learning (ML)) in disease diagnosis. Leukemia is a blood-forming tissues cancer that affects the bone marrow and lymphatic system. It can be treated more effectively if it is detected early. This work developed a new classification model for blood microscopic pictures that distinguishes between leukemia-free and leukemia-affected images. The general proposed method in this paper consists of three main steps which are: (i) Image_Preprocessing, (ii) Feature Extraction, and (iii) Classification. An optimized CNN (OCNN) is used for classification. OCNN is utilized to detect and classify the photo as "normal" or "abnormal". Fuzzy optimization is used to optimize the hyperparameters of CNN. It is a quite beneficial to use fuzzy logic in the optimization of CNN. As illustrated from results it is shown that, with the using of OCNN classifier and after the optimization of the hyperparameters of the CNN, it achieved the best results due to the enhancement of the performance of the CNN. The OCNN has achieved 99.99% accuracy with C-NMC_Leukemia dataset.
Influence of Varying Operational Parameters on the Defect Detection Performance of a High-Speed Ultrasonic Rail Inspection System During Field Tests
Authors: Datta D. , Lanza di Scalea F.
Published: June 2023

Background

Continuous monitoring is essential for detecting internal defects in rails and prevent derailment related accidents. Existing techniques do not facilitate continuous monitoring because they require specialized test cars and can only operate at speeds of up to 30 mph.

Objective

The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of a high-speed rail inspection system using a non-contact ultrasonic technique with the potential of operating at train revenue speeds.

Methods

The technique utilizes air-coupled transducers that record the ultrasonic guided waves generated by the rail-wheel contact and does not require a controlled acoustic source of excitation. A modified version of the traditional Welch’s periodogram technique is utilized to extract the Green’s function between two points on the rail. The passively extracted Green’s function is then analysed statistically to detect structural discontinuities (e.g., defects) in the rail.

Results

Results from fields tests performed at the Transportation Technology Centre (TTC) in Pueblo, CO, USA, demonstrate possible test speeds as high as 80 mph. From these field tests, the performance of the system is evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves for a range of different operational parameters including test speed, location of the sensors relative to the locomotive (source), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the raw signals, SNR of the reconstructed transfer function, baseline distribution length in the statistical analysis, wheel-rail interactions, and redundancies introduced from multiple runs over the same track.

Conclusions

This study presents the current stage of development and performance of the passive rail inspection system with full-scale experiments under field conditions. The results indicate the potential of the system to operate at high speeds as well as possible avenues of future improvement to the system.
Prediction of cognitive performance differences in older age from multimodal neuroimaging data
Authors: Krämer Camilla , Stumme Johanna , da Costa Campos Lucas , Dellani Paulo , Rubbert Christian , Caspers Julian , Caspers Svenja , Jockwitz Christiane
Published: June 2023

Differences in brain structure and functional and structural network architecture have been found to partly explain cognitive performance differences in older ages. Thus, they may serve as potential markers for these differences. Initial unimodal studies, however, have reported mixed prediction results of selective cognitive variables based on these brain features using machine learning (ML). Thus, the aim of the current study was to investigate the general validity of cognitive performance prediction from imaging data in healthy older adults. In particular, the focus was with examining whether (1) multimodal information, i.e., region-wise grey matter volume (GMV), resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC), and structural connectivity (SC) estimates, may improve predictability of cognitive targets, (2) predictability differences arise for global cognition and distinct cognitive profiles, and (3) results generalize across different ML approaches in 594 healthy older adults (age range: 55–85 years) from the 1000BRAINS study. Prediction potential was examined for each modality and all multimodal combinations, with and without confound (i.e., age, education, and sex) regression across different analytic options, i.e., variations in algorithms, feature sets, and multimodal approaches (i.e., concatenation vs. stacking). Results showed that prediction performance differed considerably between deconfounding strategies. In the absence of demographic confounder control, successful prediction of cognitive performance could be observed across analytic choices. Combination of different modalities tended to marginally improve predictability of cognitive performance compared to single modalities. Importantly, all previously described effects vanished in the strict confounder control condition. Despite a small trend for a multimodal benefit, developing a biomarker for cognitive aging remains challenging.
The role of polygenic risk scores in breast cancer risk perception and decision-making
Authors: Riddle Leslie , Joseph Galen , Caruncho Mikaella , Koenig Barbara Ann , James Jennifer Elyse
Published: June 2023

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) have the potential to improve the accuracy of clinical risk assessments, yet questions about their clinical validity and readiness for clinical implementation persist. Understanding how individuals integrate and act on the information provided by PRS is critical for their effective integration into routine clinical care, yet few studies have examined how individuals respond to the receipt of polygenic risk information. We conducted an embedded Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) study to examine if and how unaffected participants in a US population breast cancer screening trial understood and utilized PRS, as part of a multifactorial risk score combining traditional risk factors with a genetic risk assessment, to make screening and risk-reduction decisions. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 24 trial participants who were designated at elevated risk for breast cancer due to their combined risk score. Interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Participants understood PRS conceptually and accepted it as one of many risk factors to consider, yet the value and meaning they ascribed to this risk estimate varied. Most participants reported financial and insurance barriers to enhanced screening with MRI and were not interested in taking risk-reducing medications. These findings contribute to our understanding of how PRS may be best translated from research to clinical care. Furthermore, they illuminate ethical concerns about identifying risk and making recommendations based on polygenic risk in a population screening context where many may have trouble accessing appropriate care.
How current perspectives on algorithmic thinking can be applied to students’ engagement in algorithmatizing tasks
Authors: Lehmann Timothy H.
Published: June 2023

The aim of this study is to examine how algorithmatizing tasks engage mathematics students in algorithmic thinking. Structured, task-based interviews were conducted with eight Year 12 students as they completed a sequence of algorithmatizing tasks involving maximum flow problems. A deductive-inductive analytical process was used to first classify students’ mathematical behavior according to four cognitive skills of algorithmic thinking (decomposition, abstraction, algorithmization, and debugging) and then develop sets of subskills to describe how the students engaged these cognitive skills. The findings show how students used algorithmic thinking to solve maximum flow problems and then made progress towards creating a general algorithm before being introduced to the maximum-flow minimum-cut approach, which guarantees a solution.
Building research capacity at FQHCs: A model of support from the All of Us Research Program
Authors: Inokuchi Derek , Mehta Heta K. , Burke Jessica M.
Published: June 2023

The All of Us Research Program is an historic effort to gather data over 10+ years from one million or more people living in the United States to accelerate research and advance precision medicine. There is a particular focus on populations historically underrepresented in biomedical research who are often served by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). However, FQHCs face significant challenges in participating in research. This paper addresses three common barriers faced by FQHCs and describes a management model that was used to support a group of FQHCs participating in the All of Us Research Program. Specifically, the paper addresses the challenges of building FQHC research capacity to operationalize and manage research activities, transforming and sharing Electronic Health Records and other data, and recruiting and retaining research participants. The central coordination management model, which was used to support the FQHCs, is a generalizable framework and can serve as an exemplar of how to engage FQHCs in other longitudinal research efforts. To date, the FQHCs have enrolled more than 10,000 participants in the All of Us Research Program. Their success is an indicator that with the proper support, FQHCs can successfully implement a complex biomedical research program in the context of their health centers.
Engaging with “Fringe” Beliefs: Why, When, and How
Authors: Schleifer McCormick Miriam
Published: June 2023

I argue that in many cases, there are good reasons to engage with people who hold fringe beliefs such as debunked conspiracy theories. I (1) discuss reasons for engaging with fringe beliefs; (2) discuss the conditions that need to be met for engagement to be worthwhile; (3) consider the question of how to engage with such beliefs, and defend what Jeremy Fantl has called “closed-minded engagement” and (4) address worries that such closed-minded engagement involves problematic deception or manipulation. Thinking about how we engage with irrational emotions offers a way of responding to these concerns. Reflection on engagement with fringe beliefs has wider implications for two distinct philosophical discussions. First, it can help illuminate the nature of beliefs, lending support to the view that not all states which are deeply resistant to evidence thereby fail to be beliefs. Second, an implication of the view I put forth is that it need not constitute a lack of respect to adopt what Peter Strawson called “the objective stance” in relationships.
Wasserstein convergence rates in the invariance principle for deterministic dynamical systems
Authors: LIU ZHENXIN , WANG ZHE
Published: June 2023

In this paper, we consider the convergence rate with respect to Wasserstein distance in the invariance principle for deterministic non-uniformly hyperbolic systems. Our results apply to uniformly hyperbolic systems and large classes of non-uniformly hyperbolic systems including intermittent maps, Viana maps, unimodal maps and others. Furthermore, as a non-trivial application to the homogenization problem, we investigate the Wasserstein convergence rate of a fast–slow discrete deterministic system to a stochastic differential equation.
Wave effects on the hydroelastic response of a surface-piercing hydrofoil. Part 2. Cavitating and ventilating flows
Authors: Young Yin Lu , Valles Zachary , Di Napoli Isaac , Montero Francisco M. , Minerva Luigi F. , Harwood Casey
Published: June 2023

The objective of this paper is to understand the effects of waves and vaporous cavitation upon the hydrodynamic and hydroelastic responses of a flexible surface-piercing hydrofoil, adding to the subcavitating results presented in Part 1. In general, the presence of a sufficiently large vaporous cavitation bubble facilitated the formation of a ventilated cavity, substantially reducing the angle of attack or speed required to induce fully ventilated flow, relative to subcavitating conditions. A new co-analysis procedure was used to isolate synchronous hydrodynamic modes and structural operating deflection shapes. Significant dynamic load amplification occurred when the resonant frequencies of the first twisting and second bending modes coalesced in both fully wetted and partially cavitating flows. The presence of waves did not diminish the effect of frequency coalescence, but did encourage intermittent lock-in with both leading edge cavity shedding and trailing edge vortex shedding at certain speeds. Partial cavity shedding typically had a negligible impact on the power spectral densities of structural motions because of incoherent cavity shedding. However, lock-in between the cavity shedding frequency and modal coalescence frequency led to shifting of the primary frequency peak, as well as amplified harmonics and interactions between the cavity shedding frequency and vortex shedding frequency. The transition from partially cavitating to fully ventilated flow caused sudden and large drops in the mean hydrodynamic loads and deformations, as well as substantial reductions in the intensity of the fluctuations.
Forging National Belonging: Transformation, Visibility, and Dress in the German-Jewish Youth Movement Blau-Weiss, 1912–1927
Authors: Bethke Svenja
Published: June 2023

Looking at Blau-Weiss as the first Zionist youth movement in Germany between 1912 and 1927, the article examines the role of dress in expressing new feelings of national belonging as “Jewish” in modern Germany. Drawing on publications of the movement, memoirs, and photographs, the article shows how Blau-Weiss members tried to become visible as Jews while at the same time trying to copy the dress codes of the nationalist German youth movement Wandervogel. It further shows how, after the First World War, Blau-Weiss tried to forge their own way of Zionist dressing. The article argues that it was not the actual clothes worn or the perception of others that was most crucial to the creation of a national Jewish identity, but rather the inner function that reflections and debates on dress had for Blau-Weiss members in forging and redefining their feelings of belonging and identification as Zionist Jews in Germany.
Determinants of unmet need for family planning: Evidence from the 2018 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey
Authors: Ökem Zeynep Güldem , Pekkurnaz Didem
Published: June 2023

Unmet need for family planning is a valuable concept to indicate the discrepancy between women’s fertility preferences and contraceptive use. Unmet need may lead to unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions. These may result in health deterioration and reduced employment opportunities for women. The 2018 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey report indicated that the estimated unmet need for family planning doubled from 2013 to 2018, returning to the high levels of the late 1990s. Considering this unfavourable change, this study aims to investigate the determinants of unmet need for family planning among married women of reproductive age in Turkey by using the 2018 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey data. Logit model estimations revealed that women who were at older ages, more educated, wealthier, and had more than one child were less likely to have unmet need for family planning. Employment statuses of women and their spouses and place of residence were significantly associated with unmet need. Results emphasised that training and counselling to enhance the use of family planning methods should effectively target young, less educated, and poor women.
How to Finance a Counter-Reformation Saint: the Alms for the Canonisation of Isidore Agricola and Ferdinand III, 1592–1688
Authors: ÁNGEL CRUZ EDUARDO
Published: June 2023

The paths to sainthood of the cults of Isidore Agricola and Ferdinand III exhibit a unique phenomenon of collaboration across the Spanish empire for the canonisation of multiple Counter-Reformation saints. An analysis of their financial records may reveal a network of alliances that could account for the overwhelming number of Iberian saints canonised in the seventeenth century. The role of Spanish America in the construction of a renewed imperial identity is also examined, demonstrating that it capitalised on the urgency of these devotions to advance its own cults while arguing for the centrality of their territories to the expansion of Catholicism.
Fast Filtering with Large Option Panels: Implications for Asset Pricing
Authors: Dufays Arnaud , Jacobs Kris , Liu Yuguo , Rombouts Jeroen
Published: June 2023

The cross section of options holds great promise for identifying return distributions and risk premia, but estimating dynamic option valuation models with latent state variables is challenging when using large option panels. We propose a particle Markov Chain Monte Carlo framework with a novel filtering approach and illustrate our method by estimating index option pricing models. Estimates of variance risk premiums, variance mean reversion, and higher moments differ from the literature. We show that these differences are due to the composition of the option sample. Restricting the option sample’s maturity dimension has the strongest impact on parameter inference and option fit in these models.
Measuring “State-Level” Economic Policy Uncertainty
Authors: Elkamhi Redouane , Jo Chanik , Salerno Marco
Published: June 2023

We develop 50 indices of state-level economic policy uncertainty (SEPU) based on newspaper coverage frequency using 204 million newspaper articles from Mar. 1984 to Dec. 2019. We assess the validity of our measures. Our SEPU indices vary counter-cyclically with respect to state-specific economic conditions, rise before close gubernatorial elections, and exhibit a large cross-sectional variation. We demonstrate that SEPU indices are associated with the cross-sectional variation in state-level GDP, employment, income as well as industry investment decisions. Our findings highlight the importance of economic policy uncertainty at the state level in addition to the nationwide level.
A forgotten famine of ’43? Travancore’s muffled ‘cry of distress’
Authors: Balasubramanian Aditya
Published: June 2023

Mass disease and starvation in the princely state of Travancore during the Second World War claimed some 90,000 lives. However, this episode has never received much prominence, especially when compared to the simultaneous crisis in Bengal. It is, in many ways, forgotten. Instead, Travancore’s wartime food management apparatus appears in some accounts as a success story. How did this happen? Integration into the world economy, the reordering of a rigid social structure, and popular political pressures on an autocratic princely regime created a unique set of conditions that left Travancore vulnerable to food scarcity and conflict during the Second World War. A particularly draconian princely regime that suppressed civil liberties prevented the gravity of the situation from being understood. This culminated in vastly unequal suffering and disease-related deaths. But the story is not merely one of despair. The Indian communists took advantage of war conditions to bring together agricultural and factory labourers and contribute to improving the food situation in this ‘People’s War’, while mainstream nationalists sought to obstruct the war effort and have the British ‘quit’ India. Wartime activities would shape the unique post-colonial politics of what became the state of Kerala in 1956. Intervening at the intersection of the historiographies of food and the princely states, this article adds a regional perspective to the nation-centric social history of the Second World War in South Asia. Hunger was a constitutive experience of this period across various parts of India, but the post-colonial political legacies of war could be regionally distinct.
On time or with a delay? Transposition of EU directives in the Czech Republic in relation to subsidiarity check
Authors: Hosnedlová Pavla , Pitrová Markéta
Published: June 2023

The government plays first fiddle in European Union (EU) decision-making processes, but a role in EU governance is also performed by the national parliament, which has gained additional competence to submit reasoned opinions based on the subsidiarity principle and participate in the political dialogue with the European Commission. The authors trace the policy-shaping and policy-taking processes and explore the impact of parliamentary and government involvement in EU policy-making on belated and timely transposition of EU directives in the Czech Republic. This comparative analysis of six directives, of which three were transposed on time and the other three from the same policy areas not, shows that the connection between ex-ante and ex-post stages still seems weak, and thus, greater involvement by parliament in EU affairs does not alone affect the time of transposition. Instead, the capacity of the government, determined partly by the salience of the legislation and its characteristics, is the main explanation for the transposition delays.
Exploring the impact of set-based concurrent engineering through multi-agent system simulation
Authors: Rismiller Sean , Cagan Jonathan , McComb Christopher
Published: June 2023

Set-based concurrent engineering (SBCE), a process that develops sets of many design candidates for each subproblem throughout a design project, proposes several benefits compared to point-based processes, where only one design candidate for each subproblem is chosen for further development. These benefits include reduced rework, improved design quality, and retention of knowledge to use in future projects. Previous studies that introduce SBCE in practice achieved success and had very positive future outlooks, but SBCE encounters opposition because its core procedures appear wasteful as designers must divide their time among many designs throughout the process, most of which are ultimately not used. The impacts of these procedures can be explored in detail through open-source computational tools, but currently few exist to do this. This work introduces the Point/Set-Organized Research Teams (PSORT) modeling platform to simulate and analyze a set-based design process. The approach is used to verify statements made about SBCE and investigate its effects on project quality. Such an SBCE platform enables process exploration without needing to commit many projects and resources to any given design.
Evaluating variation in pre-operative evaluation and planning for children undergoing atrial or ventricular septal defect repair
Authors: Dawson-Gore Catherine C. , Well Andrew , Wallace Scott , Teisberg Elizabeth , Born Christopher , Carberry Kathleen , Gottlieb Erin , Holt Dudley Byron , Fraser Charles D. , Mery Carlos M.
Published: June 2023

Background:

CHD care is resource-intensive. Unwarranted variation in care may increase cost and result in poorer health outcomes. We hypothesise that process variation exists within the pre-operative evaluation and planning process for children undergoing repair of atrial septal defect or ventricular septal defect and that substantial variation occurs in a small number of care points.

Methods:

From interviews with staff of an integrated congenital heart centre, an initial process map was constructed. A retrospective chart review of patients with isolated surgical atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect repair from 7/1/2018 through 11/1/2020 informed revisions of the process map. The map was assessed for points of consistency and variability.

Results:

Thirty-two surgical atrial septal defect/ventricular septal defect repair patients were identified. Ten (31%) were reviewed by interventional cardiology before surgical review. Of these, 6(60%) had a failed catheter-based closure and 4 (40%) were deemed inappropriate for catheter-based closure. Thirty (94%) were reviewed in case conference, all attended surgical clinic, and none were admitted prior to surgery. The process map from interviews alone identified surgery rescheduling as a point of major variability; however, chart review revealed this was not as prominent a source of variability as pre-operative interventional cardiology review.

Conclusions:

Significant variation in the pre-operative evaluation and planning process for surgical atrial septal defect/ventricular septal defect patients was identified. If such process variation is widespread through CHD care, it may contribute to variations in outcome and cost previously documented within CHD surgery. Future research will focus on determining whether the variation is warranted or unwarranted, associated health outcomes and cost variation attributed to these variations in care processes.
Association of dietary oxidative balance score and sleep duration with the risk of mortality: prospective study in a representative US population
Authors: Liu Jingchu , Wang Wenjie , Wen Ying
Published: June 2023

Objective:

We investigated the association between dietary oxidative balance score (DOBS) and mortality and whether this association can be modified by sleep duration.

Design:

We calculated DOBS to estimate the overall oxidative effects of the diet, with higher DOBS reflecting more antioxidant intake and less pro-oxidant intake. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to examine the associations between DOBS and all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality in the general population and people with different sleep durations.

Setting:

Prospective analysis was conducted using data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2005–2015).

Participants:

A total of 15 991 US adults with complete information on dietary intake, sleep duration and mortality were included.

Results:

During a median follow-up of 7·4 years, 1675 deaths were observed. Participants in the highest quartile of DOBS were significantly associated with the lower risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 0·75; 95 % CI 0·61, 0·93) compared with those in the lowest. Furthermore, we found statistically significant interactions between DOBS and sleep duration on all-cause mortality (P interaction = 0·021). The inverse association between DOBS and all-cause mortality was significant in short sleepers (HR = 0·66, 95 % CI 0·48, 0·92), but not in normal and long sleepers.

Conclusions:

Our study observed that higher DOBS was associated with lower all-cause mortality, and this association appeared to be stronger among short sleepers. This study provides nutritional guidelines for improving health outcomes in adults, especially for short sleepers.
Organic information: influential authors and organizations in the Midwestern and Northeastern United States organic and sustainable agriculture community
Authors: Abbott Anneliese
Published: June 2023

As organic food increases in popularity, there has been increased interest in the history of organic farming. Previous scholarship has done excellent work documenting the social and political aspects of organic and sustainable agriculture, but less research has been done on the history of organic farming methods. The purpose of this study was to address this deficiency by surveying the organic and sustainable farming community in the midwestern and northeastern United States to identify influential authors, publications and organizations. Information about influences on farming practices was created using an anonymous online survey, distributed through organic and sustainable agriculture organizations in the target region. Out of the 224 respondents who completed the survey, 171 (76%) listed books, 169 (75%) listed organizations and 123 (55%) listed influential individuals. A total of 218 authors were identified, with Eliot Coleman receiving the most mentions, followed by Rodale publications, Wendell Berry,Acres U.S.A.magazine, Masanobu Fukuoka, Joel Salatin and Michael Pollan. 242 organizations were listed, with Marbleseed (MOSES), MOFGA, NOFA, PASA, OEFFA, LSP, SFA-MN and MOFFA most frequently mentioned. These results provide a useful starting point for future research on the development and dissemination of farming methods in this region. Research priorities include conducting oral histories with still-living authors of influential books and archiving organizational records before critical historical information is lost.
Women’s Rights Close to Home? The Miami-Dade County CEDAW Ordinance as Local Practice
Authors: Zwingel Susanne
Published: June 2023

Because of the United States’ minimal domestic engagement with human rights, several subnational initiatives, including the Cities for CEDAW campaign, have formed to infuse human rights into local policy making. Analyzing Miami-Dade County as one locale within the Cities for CEDAW network, this article asks what happens to human rights when they are turned into urban policies. Drawing on literature theorizing the complexities of urban human rights activism and using an interpretivist framework of analysis, the article reconstructs local context features and practices promoting gender equality through the countywide CEDAW ordinance. It develops a narrative based on expert interviews and finds an unusual actor constellation in which a local officeholder led the way rather than community activists. The practices identified work within institutional constraints and highlight data collection to support informed gender policy making. The findings lead to the conclusion that both activists and scholars should think beyond the dynamics of policy formulation and more explicitly about the complexities of implementation.
Is the European Union a militant democracy? Democratic backsliding and EU disintegration
Authors: Theuns Tom
Published: June 2023

There has been much recent debate over whether the European Union is or should be a ‘militant democratic’ actor in order to respond to democratic backsliding in EU member states. This article argues that the EU is a militant democracy in a specific and limited sense, but that this may be normatively undesirable from a democratic perspective. I first develop a definition of militant democracy that focuses on the militant democratic paradox. I argue that the strongest justifications for militant democracy require that two conditions are met: an ‘existential threat condition’ and a ‘necessity condition’. Next, I analyse four ways in which the European Union has been said to be empowered to act in a militant democratic fashion to combat democratic backsliding in EU member states. I show how some, though not all, of these warrant the label ‘militant democracy’. Moving from the descriptive to the normative analysis, I then consider whether the necessity condition can ever be met since there is always the possibility of non-militant responses through forms of EU disintegration. If we accept this argument, EU actors should prioritize robust non-militant measures where possible while pro-democratic member states should disassociate from frankly autocratic member states where non-militant measures fail.
Gewaltprävention durch Partizipationsangebote und inklusive Raumgestaltung
Authors: Wagner Ulrich
Published: June 2023

Zusammenfassung: Deutschland ist ein sicheres Land. Im Kontrast dazu kam es in jüngster Zeit zu vermehrten Berichten über Gewalt gegen Rettungskräfte, Feuerwehr, Polizei und andere. Die Gewalt geht vermutlich von einem spezifischen Segment der Bevölkerung aus, das unter bestimmten gewaltfördernden Bedingungen lebt. Die Gleichartigkeit der Ereignisse über die Zeit hinweg und an unterschiedlichen Orten deuten darauf hin, dass diese Form kollektiver Gewalt zur „gewohnten“ Ausdrucksform von Unzufriedenheit werden könnte. Prävention ist daher dringend erforderlich. Effektive Gewaltpräventionsprogramme gibt es, in der Regel angebunden an das schulische Bildungssystem. Diese Maßnahmen müssen jedoch enger aufeinander abgestimmt werden. Gewalttäter sind überwiegend männliche Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene. Gerade für diese Zielgruppe fehlen aber Gewaltpräventionsangebote. Skizziert wird ein Konzept der Gewaltprävention durch Präventionsangebote, das die Bedürfnisse wenig integrierter Jugendlicher und junger Erwachsener ins Auge fasst. Besondere Bedeutung könnten dabei Maßnahmen inklusive Raumgestaltung der Städte bekommen, mit denen alle Gruppen in die Gestaltung und Nutzung des öffentlichen Raums einbezogen werden. Dringend notwendig für die weitere Präventionsplanung ist eine zeitnahe zuverlässige Beschreibung der Phänomenologie der aktuellen Gewaltereignisse und eine wissenschaftlich fundierte Analyse der zugrundeliegenden Prozesse.
Common genetic variants contribute to heritability of age at onset of schizophrenia
Authors: Sada-Fuente Ester , Aranda Selena , Papiol Sergi , Heilbronner Urs , Moltó María Dolores , Aguilar Eduardo J. , González-Peñas Javier , Andreu-Bernabeu Álvaro , Arango Celso , Crespo-Facorro Benedicto , González-Pinto Ana , Fañanás Lourdes , Arias Barbara , Bobes Julio , Costas Javier , Martorell Lourdes , Schulze Thomas G. , Kalman Janos L. , Vilella Elisabet , Muntané Gerard
Published: June 2023

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a complex disorder that typically arises in late adolescence or early adulthood. Age at onset (AAO) of SCZ is associated with long-term outcomes of the disease. We explored the genetic architecture of AAO with a genome-wide association study (GWAS), heritability, polygenic risk score (PRS), and copy number variant (CNV) analyses in 4 740 subjects of European ancestry. Although no genome-wide significant locus was identified, SNP-based heritability of AAO was estimated to be between 17 and 21%, indicating a moderate contribution of common variants. We also performed cross-trait PRS analyses with a set of mental disorders and identified a negative association between AAO and common variants for SCZ, childhood maltreatment and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. We also investigated the role of copy number variants (CNVs) in AAO and found an association with the length and number of deletions (P-value = 0.03), whereas the presence of CNVs previously reported in SCZ was not associated with earlier onset. To our knowledge, this is the largest GWAS of AAO of SCZ to date in individuals from European ancestry, and the first study to determine the involvement of common variants in the heritability of AAO. Finally, we evidenced the role played by higher SCZ load in determining AAO but discarded the role of pathogenic CNVs. Altogether, these results shed light on the genetic architecture of AAO, which needs to be confirmed with larger studies.
Downregulation of N6-methyladenosine-modified LINC00641 promotes EMT, but provides a ferroptotic vulnerability in lung cancer
Authors: Xi Shu , Ming Dao-Jing , Zhang Jin-Hui , Guo Meng-Meng , Wang Shuang-Ying , Cai Yi , Liu Meng-Yang , Wang Dan-Qi , Zhang Yi-Jie , Li Yafei , Yuan Shuai
Published: June 2023

The prognosis of lung cancer is poor with few effective therapies. Targeting ferroptosis is a new promising strategy for cancer therapy. LINC00641 has been involved in several cancers, however, its specific roles in lung cancer treatment remain largely unknown. Here, we reported that LINC00641 was down-regulated in tumor tissues and its downregulation was associated with poor outcomes in lung adenocarcinoma. LINC00641 was localized primarily in the nucleus and was modified by m6A. The nuclear m6A reader YTHDC1 regulated LINC00641 expression by affecting its stability. We demonstrated that LINC00641 suppressed lung cancer by inhibiting migration and invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo. Knockdown of LINC00641 upregulated HuR protein level (especially in the cytoplasm), which subsequently increased N-cadherin levels by stabilizing its mRNA, then ultimately promoted EMT. Interestingly, LINC00641 knockdown in lung cancer cells increased the arachidonic acid metabolism and promoted ferroptosis sensitivity. Our findings identified LINC00641 as a tumor suppressor through inhibiting EMT. In another aspect, low expression of LINC00641 caused a ferroptotic vulnerability in lung cancer cells, which may serve as a potential ferroptosis-related therapeutic target for lung cancer.
Early presence of Homo sapiens in Southeast Asia by 86–68 kyr at Tam Pà Ling, Northern Laos
Authors: Freidline Sarah E. , Westaway Kira E. , Joannes-Boyau Renaud , Duringer Philippe , Ponche Jean-Luc , Morley Mike W. , Hernandez Vito C. , McAllister-Hayward Meghan S. , McColl Hugh , Zanolli Clément , Gunz Philipp , Bergmann Inga , Sichanthongtip Phonephanh , Sihanam Daovee , Boualaphane Souliphane , Luangkhoth Thonglith , Souksavatdy Viengkeo , Dosseto Anthony , Boesch Quentin , Patole-Edoumba Elise , Aubaile Françoise , Crozier Françoise , Suzzoni Eric , Frangeul Sébastien , Bourgon Nicolas , Zachwieja Alexandra , Dunn Tyler E. , Bacon Anne-Marie , Hublin Jean-Jacques , Shackelford Laura , Demeter Fabrice
Published: June 2023

The timing of the first arrival ofHomo sapiensin East Asia from Africa and the degree to which they interbred with or replaced local archaic populations is controversial. Previous discoveries from Tam Pà Ling cave (Laos) identifiedH. sapiensin Southeast Asia by at least 46 kyr. We report on a recently discovered frontal bone (TPL 6) and tibial fragment (TPL 7) found in the deepest layers of TPL. Bayesian modeling of luminescence dating of sediments and U-series and combined U-series-ESR dating of mammalian teeth reveals a depositional sequence spanning ~86 kyr. TPL 6 confirms the presence ofH. sapiensby 70 ± 3 kyr, and TPL 7 extends this range to 77 ± 9 kyr, supporting an early dispersal ofH. sapiensinto Southeast Asia. Geometric morphometric analyses of TPL 6 suggest descent from a gracile immigrant population rather than evolution from or admixture with local archaic populations.