bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Public willingness to pay for farmland non‐point source pollution governance toward sustainable development: A choice experiment in Gansu, China
Authors: Shi Yuxing , Li Chaoqiong , Zhao Minjuan , Qin Guoqing
Published: October 2023

Clarifying public willingness to pay (WTP) for farmland non‐point source pollution (FNSP) governance helps to establish an ecological compensation mechanism with public participation. This will reduce China's agricultural pollution and its environmental and food safety consequences while promoting sustainable development. Nevertheless, research has yet to reveal the public WTP within China's FNSP governance policy framework. To this end, a “2030‐oriented FNSP governance program” choice experiment with specific FNSP governance measures (fertilizer reduction, pesticide reduction, straw resource utilization, and mulch film recycling) was conducted in Gansu Province to reveal the public WTP for FNSP governance and its key influencing factors. Results from mixed logit models show that urban residents' marginal WTP (MWTP) for improving the FNSP status quo and different measures for fertilizer reduction, pesticide reduction, straw resource utilization, and mulch film recycling is ¥151.62, ¥1.33, ¥7.3, ¥4.85, and ¥3.16 annually, respectively, indicating the highest preference for reducing pesticides because of food safety problems. Meanwhile, the average individual WTP for optimal FNSP governance schemes is ¥513.02 annually, accounting for only 3.86‰ of annual household income; the regional aggregate social welfare of optimal FNSP governance is as high as ¥2038.23 million, accounting for 2.81% of GDP in 2020. This means that FNSP governance can bring substantial social welfare with a low household economic burden. In addition, the perception that food safety has improved in the past 5 years or an awareness of food safety incidents can enhance the willingness of urban residents to change the status quo of FNSP: the more serious the respondents perceive food safety problems to be, the stronger the above effects, indicating the critical impact of food safety factors on the public's WTP for FNSP governance. The study's findings highlight the potential to find socially acceptable ways to promote FNSP governance as well as provide insight into the relevant policymaking process from the standpoint of public participation and food safety.
Capturing and quantifying the aggregate effects of multi‐source factors affecting miners' health and well‐being: Construction of Bayesian belief networks
Authors: Zhou Xiaofeng , Sun Pengyi , Wang Biao , Li Ming , Tong Ruipeng
Published: October 2023

Factors originating at the organizational, work, and individual levels are closely interrelated and intricately intertwined, affecting health rates. There was limited research on the interdependence and aggregate effects between multi‐source factors and occupational health and well‐being (OHW). It is challenging to achieve management goals. Therefore, considering cross‐level factors and across the “work environment‐stress‐exposure‐OHW” chain, individual vulnerability was considered. A Fuzzy Bayesian Belief Network (FBBN) driven by both domain knowledge and data was constructed to carve out the logic between multi‐source factors and OHW. Workers from four coal mines were surveyed twice in 6 months. 714 valid samples were included in the analysis. The interdependencies among multi‐source factors were identified by the Interpretive Structure Modeling method and the visual probability estimation was achieved based on FBBN. It revealed that the work and the organizational level were the root factors. Eight factors involved in work stress were mainly mediating, and actual exposure and individual vulnerability were direct factors. Pathway interventions and joint interventions were proposed. The prediction ability and scheme feasibility of FBBN were verified. The approach developed allows robust assessments of aggregate effects and obtains multi‐source factor importance. This study provides vital insights and evaluation tools for understanding workplace stress and OHW management.
Retroperitoneal Ewing's sarcoma in a woman with advanced breast cancer delineated by contrast‐enhanced ultrasound: A case report
Authors: Luo Haiyu , Mo Yongqian , Zhu Lizhang , Xie Haiqin , Sun Desheng , Zhong Jieyu , Hu Zhengming
Published: October 2023

Extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal tumor much rarer than skeletal Ewing's sarcoma. The synchronous or metachronous occurrence of advanced breast cancer with retroperitoneal Ewing's sarcoma is extremely rare. To date, only a few cases of extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma with contrast‐enhanced ultrasound findings have been reported. This study aims to report a case of a retroperitoneal Ewing's sarcoma in a 39‐year‐old woman with advanced breast cancer, where grayscale ultrasound, contrast‐enhanced ultrasound, and computed tomography findings were included. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of ultrasound and contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography manifestation of retroperitoneal Ewing's sarcoma as a second primary tumor.
Effects of Okara and Its Dietary Fiber on the Retrogradation and Rheological Characteristics of Potato Starch
Authors: Zhuang Yang , Xu Weina , Wang Yudong , Yang Hong
Published: October 2023

The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of okara and its dietary fiber (DF) on the retrogradation and rheological characteristics of potato starch. DF or okara increases the syneresis, but decrease the gel strength of potato starch with the increase of concentration. Storage modulus and loss modulus of potato starch are markedly increased with a high concentration of okara or DF during temperature sweep, especially DF. Shear‐thinning behavior and apparent viscosity of potato starch are increased with more addition of DF or okara. The X‐ray diffraction pattern demonstrates that okara or DF does not change the type of crystal structure but significantly increases the crystallinity of the starch matrix, especially DF. Fourier‐transformed infrared spectra indicate the addition of okara or DF increases hydrogen bonds in potato starch and brings in ester carbonyl from the fiber. The addition of okara and DF can alter the retrogradation and rheology characteristics of potato starch.
Case report of congenital goitre in a goat kid: Clinical and pathological findings
Authors: Nourani Hossein , Sadr Soheil
Published: October 2023

Congenital goitre is a deadly thyroid metabolic disorder characterised by low thyroid hormone levels, subsequent secretion of excess Thyroid‐Stimulating Hormone (TSH) from the pituitary gland, and compensatory thyroid gland hyperplasia. This study aimed to summarise the clinical and pathological features of congenital goitre in a goat kid. In April 2019, a dead female goat kid with a history of dystocia was referred to Ferdowsi University of Mashhad Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, to examine the carcass and find the reason for death. The necropsy were performed, along with histopathology examination, and clinical signs were recorded. Examination of the foetus revealed the presence of an enlarged thyroid gland, and the skin was thick with myxedema, pale, and without hair. After cutting the skin, the swelling showed a significantly enlarged thyroid gland with two asymmetrical lobes, with the right lobe 3.9×7.1 cm and the left 3.7×7.5 cm in size. In the histopathological examination, a severe proliferation of follicular cells was observed, which caused the thyroid gland to be microscopically dense. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of recognising and addressing congenital goitre in goat kids. To prevent such tragic outcomes, it is crucial to focus on early detection and intervention. Furthermore, the agents of goitre need to find out and be clear.
Lessons from the Pandemic: A Window of Opportunity?
Authors: Eriksen Thomas Hylland , Visentin Martina
Published: October 2023

In this conversation, which took place in December 2021, we attempted to take stock of what the pandemic represented. The reader will recall that across the world, including both Italy and in Norway, we were still in the midst of the pandemic: it was unclear and impossible to predict how we might continue with our daily lives. This conversation tries to find the leitmotif of an experience that united the whole world. From both authors’ point of view, we wanted to try and make people see an opportunity within a crisis (following one of the principles of the overheating approach).
The Double Bind of Climate Change in Contemporary World Society
Authors: Eriksen Thomas Hylland , Visentin Martina
Published: October 2023

At the time of the classical sociologists, in the second half of the nineteenth century, the most visible contradiction of society was that between labour and capital. To early anthropologists, a few decades later, the main contradiction was the clash of cultures resulting from colonialism and unequal power, where non-state, non-modern cultures seemed doomed to vanish. To us, the most poignant and urgent contradiction of global modernity is climate change in all its ramifications, from calls for climate justice to critiques of the growth economy. The loss of cultural diversity and oppression under capitalism have not gone away, but a new and fresh layer has been added, and this is what this conversation is about.
Vertex algebra of extended operators in 4d N=2 superconformal field theories. Part I
Authors: Argyres Philip C. , Lotito Matteo , Weaver Mitch
Published: October 2023

Abstract

We construct a class of extended operators in the cohomology of a pair of twisted Schur supercharges of 4d $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
=2 SCFTs. The extended operators are constructed from the local operators in this cohomology — the Schur operators — by a version of topological descent. They are line, surface, and domain wall world volume integrals of certain super descendants of Schur operators. Their world volumes extend in directions transverse to a spatial plane in Minkowski space-time. As operators in the cohomology of these twisted Schur supercharges, their correlators are (locally) meromorphic functions only of the positions where they intersect this plane. This implies the extended operators enlarge the vertex operator algebra of the Schur operators. We illustrate this enlarged vertex algebra by computing some extended-operator product expansions within a subalgebra of it for the free hypermultiplet SCFT.
Deubiquitinase OTUD5 promotes hepatitis B virus replication by removing K48-linked ubiquitination of HBV core/precore and upregulates HNF4ɑ expressions by inhibiting the ERK1/2/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway
Authors: Lou Bin , Ma Guanghua , Yu Xiaopeng , Lv Feifei , Xu Fanjie , Sun Chengdi , Chen Yu
Published: October 2023

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem worldwide, causing nearly one million deaths annually. OTUD5 is a deubiquitinase associated with cancer development and innate immunity response. However, the regulatory mechanisms of OTUD5 underlying HBV replication need to be deeply elucidated. In the present investigation, we found that HBV induced significant up-regulation of OTUD5 protein in HBV-infected cells. Further study showed that OTUD5 interacted with HBV core/precore, removing their K48-linked ubiquitination chains and protecting their stability. Meanwhile, overexpression of OTUD5 could inhibit the MAPK pathway and then increase the expression of HNF4ɑ, and ERK1/2 signaling was required for OTUD5-mediated activation of HNF4α, promoting HBV replication. Together, these data indicate that OTUD5 could deubiquitinate HBV core protein degradation by its deubiquitinase function and promote HBV activity by up-regulating HNF4α expression via inhibition of the ERK1/2 pathway. These results might present a novel therapeutic strategy against HBV infection.
The Tikhonov-L-curve regularization method for determining the best geoid gradients from SWOT altimetry
Authors: Yu Daocheng , Hwang Cheinway , Zhu Huizhong , Ge Sihao
Published: October 2023

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission generates dense altimetry data that, when used in geoid gradient component estimations through least-squares collocation (LSC), lead to an ill-conditioned problem. Such problems also arise in geodetic network designs. This study introduces the Tikhonov-L-curve regularization to effectively address this challenge. By pinpointing the maximum curvatures of the L-curve, we discern optimal regularization parameters, countering issues stemming from the dense data of SWOT and the resulting ill-conditioned covariance matrices. Our approach not only stabilizes LSC solutions but also achieves gradient accuracies at 1-microrad levels compared to theoretical values. Additionally, we experimented with a strategic removal process that selectively eliminates adjacent geoid gradients. This technique considerably improves geoid gradient component determinations, especially evident at a threshold distance of 0.755 km within an 8′× 8′ data selection window. While our findings are rooted in simulated SWOT data, they are pivotal for future research intending to employ real SWOT data, anticipated by late 2023. This work serves as a precursor for marine gravity field determinations, emphasizing the importance of stabilized LSC solutions to avoid misleading seafloor signatures due to data compactness.
Reliability of a TMS-derived threshold matrix of corticomotor function
Authors: Shanks Maxine J. , Cirillo John , Stinear Cathy M. , Byblow Winston D.
Published: October 2023

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies typically focus on suprathreshold motor evoked potentials (MEPs), overlooking small MEPs representing subthreshold corticomotor pathway activation. Assessing subthreshold excitability could provide insights into corticomotor pathway integrity and function, particularly in neurological conditions like stroke. The aim of the study was to examine the test–retest reliability of metrics derived from a novel compositional analysis of MEP data from older adults. The study also compared the composition between the dominant (D) and non-dominant (ND) sides and explored the association between subthreshold responses and resting motor threshold. In this proof-of-concept study, 23 healthy older adults participated in two identical experimental sessions. Stimulus–response (S–R) curves and threshold matrices were constructed using single-pulse TMS across intensities to obtain MEPs in four upper limb muscles. S–R curves had reliable slopes for every muscle (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient range = 0.58–0.88). Subliminal and suprathreshold elements of the threshold matrix showed good–excellent reliability (D subliminal ICC = 0.83; ND subliminal ICC = 0.79; D suprathreshold ICC = 0.92; ND suprathreshold ICC = 0.94). By contrast, subthreshold elements of the matrix showed poor reliability, presumably due to a floor effect (D subthreshold ICC = 0.39; ND subthreshold ICC = 0.05). No composition differences were found between D and ND sides (suprathreshold BF01 = 3.85; subthreshold BF01 = 1.68; subliminal BF01 = 3.49). The threshold matrix reliably assesses subliminal and suprathreshold MEPs in older adults. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the utility of compositional analyses for assessing recovery of corticomotor pathway function after neurological injury.
Lead Extraction in Children and Young Adults: When is the Best Time for Lead/System Replacement?
Authors: Kutarski Andrzej , Miszczak-Knecht Maria , Brzezinska Monika , Birbach Mariusz , Lipiński Wojciech , Jacheć Wojciech , Ziaja Bettina , Polewczyk Anna , Tułecki Łukasz , Czajkowski Marek , Nowosielecka Dorota , Bieganowska Katarzyna
Published: October 2023

The best strategy for lead management in children is a matter of debate, and our experiences are limited. This is a retrospective single-center study comparing difficulties and outcomes of transvenous lead extraction (TLE) implanted ich childhood and at age < 19 years (childhood-implanted-childhood-extracted, CICE) and at age < 19 (childhood-implanted-adulthood-extracted, CIAE). CICE patients—71 children (mean age 15.1 years) as compared to CIAE patients (114 adults (mean age 28.61 years) were more likely to have VVI than DDD pacemakers. Differences in implant duration (7.96 vs 14.08 years) appeared to be most important, but procedure complexity and outcomes also differed between the groups. Young adults with cardiac implantable electronic device implanted in childhood had more risk factors for major complications and underwent more complex procedures compared to children. Implant duration was significantly longer in CIAE patients than in children, being the most important factor that had an impact on patient safety and procedure complexity. CIAE patients were more likely to have prolonged operative duration and more complex procedures due to technical problems, and they were 2–3 times more likely to require second-line or advanced tools compared to children, but the rates of clinical and procedural success were comparable in both groups. The difference between the incidence of major complications between CICE and CIAE patients is very clear (MC 2.9 vs 7.0%, hemopericardium 1.4 vs 5.3% etc.), although statistically insignificant. Delay of lead extraction to adulthood seems to be a riskier option than planned TLE in children before growing up.
Fertilisation kinetics among common Indo-Pacific broadcast spawning corals with distinct and shared functional traits
Authors: Buccheri Elizabeth , Ricardo Gerard F. , Babcock Russell C. , Mumby Peter J. , Doropoulos Christopher
Published: October 2023

Indo-Pacific corals predominantly reproduce using synchronous mass spawning events to maximise fertilisation. However, as disturbances continue to thin population densities, the quantities of gametes released declines and colonies become more isolated, reducing the likelihood of cross-fertilisation. Local hydrodynamic conditions can promote or inhibit gamete contact; thus, the interaction between the abiotic environment and sperm density will determine the amount of time gametes interact. In this study, we investigated the sensitivity of reproduction to manipulations of two key limiting factors of fertilisation: sperm concentration and contact time between gametes. We explored fertilisation kinetics of phylogenetically and functionally similar and diverse coral taxa on the Great Barrier Reef and Western Australia (Acropora digitifera, A. tenuis; Coelastrea aspera, Platygyra daedalea). Results indicate that fertilisation is optimised at sperm concentrations > 103 sperm mL−1 and contact times > 30 s, but the extent of these relationships is species-specific. All species showed clear differences in fertilisation success across contact times, although these differences were less distinct for A. tenuis and P. daedalea at very high sperm concentrations. Acropora digitifera and P. daedalea exhibited nonlinear trends with steep slopes of increased fertilisation success once sperm concentration surpassed values of 104 sperm mL−1 and 102 sperm mL−1, respectively, followed by slight declines. Acropora tenuis and A. digitifera had the highest maximum fertilisation success, likely owing to beneficial evolved functional traits like large egg sizes. The present analysis underpins studies of fertilisation kinetics in natural reef populations to help inform management and restoration practices that assist population resilience and recovery.
Microglia activation in periplaque white matter in multiple sclerosis depends on age and lesion type, but does not correlate with oligodendroglial loss
Authors: Kessler Wiebke , Thomas Christian , Kuhlmann Tanja
Published: October 2023

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most frequent inflammatory and demyelinating disease of the CNS. The disease course in MS is highly variable and driven by a combination of relapse-driven disease activity and relapse-independent disease progression. The formation of new focal demyelinating lesions is associated with clinical relapses; however, the pathological mechanisms driving disease progression are less well understood. Current concepts suggest that ongoing focal and diffuse inflammation within the CNS in combination with an age-associated failure of compensatory and repair mechanisms contribute to disease progression. The aim of our study was to characterize the diffuse microglia activation in periplaque white matter (PPWM) of MS patients, to identify factors modulating its extent and to determine its potential correlation with loss or preservation of oligodendrocytes. We analyzed microglial and oligodendroglial numbers in PPWM in a cohort of 96 tissue blocks from 32 MS patients containing 100 lesions as well as a control cohort (n = 37). Microglia activation in PPWM was dependent on patient age, proximity to lesion, lesion type, and to a lesser degree on sex. Oligodendrocyte numbers were decreased in PPWM; however, increased microglia densities did not correlate with lower oligodendroglial cell counts, indicating that diffuse microglia activation is not sufficient to drive oligodendroglial loss in PPWM. In summary, our findings support the notion of the close relationship between focal and diffuse inflammation in MS and that age is an important modulator of MS pathology.
Towards a comprehensive analytical framework and future research agenda for research on sharing economy business models: thematic analyses approach
Authors: Duan Carson
Published: October 2023

The sharing economy is considered to be an important pathway for economic growth, increasing employment and household income, and the transition toward sustainability in the twenty-first century. In spite of the widespread use of the sharing economy concept, the understanding varies, and there is disagreement about what constitutes an analytical framework of the sharing economy business model (SEBM). This research quantitatively analyzes and categorizes the fundamental elements of the current SEBM literature. A comprehensive analytical framework is presented, identifying three distinct segments of SEBM: (1) the knowledge of sharing economy (incl. innovation, new technologies, determinants, and ecosystems); (2) supplier-oriented studies (incl. hospitality-oriented, transportation-oriented, and other platforms and models); and (3) consumer-socioeconomic-sustainability-focused research (incl. consumption and customer satisfaction, collaborative consumption, sustainability, social effects, and economic growth). In addition to contributing to a better understanding of SEBM research, the framework has implications for SEBM development policy and practice. It can also be used as an instrument for evaluating business models. Furthermore, the paper identifies six key research directions for the post-COVID-19 era, covering the studies of determinants and ecosystems, emerging economies, new SEBMs, location- and culture-specific models, sustainability, and combined impacts on socioeconomics.
Trajectories of hospitalizations after age-based statutory retirement
Authors: Pietiläinen Olli , Harkko Jaakko , Jousilahti Pekka , Kouvonen Anne , Rahkonen Ossi , Lahelma Eero , Lallukka Tea
Published: October 2023

Retirement years are ideally spent in good health. We aimed to produce new information using person-oriented methods by identifying groups of statutory retirees who did or did not achieve this objective and the factors that distinguish these groups from each other. Our particular focus was on the years directly after the transition into retirement, and the pre-retirement factors that explained the development of health, using a more severe health-related outcome—hospitalization. We studied the retirement, hospitalizations, education, and work characteristics of former employees of the City of Helsinki, Finland (N = 6569), from complete registers. We used group-based trajectory models and identified groups of constant low, constant high, decreasing, and temporarily occurring hospitalizations, and one group of increasing hospitalizations among women and two groups of earlier and later increasing hospitalizations among men. Multinomial regression models showed that among women, belonging to groups with less favourable health was associated with secondary education, older age at retirement, and reduced working hours. Education and work characteristics before retirement both contribute to the development of health, as indicated by hospitalizations directly after retirement. Our findings show that socioeconomic inequalities in health are persistent and should also be addressed after transition into retirement.
On the hybridization of geometric semantic GP with gradient-based optimizers
Authors: Pietropolli Gloria , Manzoni Luca , Paoletti Alessia , Castelli Mauro
Published: October 2023

Geometric semantic genetic programming (GSGP) is a popular form of GP where the effect of crossover and mutation can be expressed as geometric operations on a semantic space. A recent study showed that GSGP can be hybridized with a standard gradient-based optimized, Adam, commonly used in training artificial neural networks.We expand upon that work by considering more gradient-based optimizers, a deeper investigation of their parameters, how the hybridization is performed, and a more comprehensive set of benchmark problems. With the correct choice of hyperparameters, this hybridization improves the performances of GSGP and allows it to reach the same fitness values with fewer fitness evaluations.
Polygon Class Learning Opportunities: Interplay Between Teacher’s Moves, Children’s Geometrical Thinking, and Geometrical Task
Authors: Bernabeu Melania , Moreno Mar , Llinares Salvador
Published: October 2023

This study identifies characteristics of polygon class learning opportunities for 8–9-year-old children during the whole-class instruction. We consider the interplay between the geometrical tasks demanding different ways of reasoning, features of children’s geometrical thinking, and the teacher’s moves to identify characteristics of learning opportunities. We identified 3 types of learning opportunities during whole-class instruction: (a) recognizing (initiating the deconstruction dimensional), (b) supporting children’s analytical reasoning, and (c) encouraging children to establish relations between attributes of the figures. Our findings highlight the holistic facet of the learning opportunities of geometry in primary education that connect the students’ geometrical arguments generated by solving enriching geometrical tasks and the teacher’s moves drawing on children’s geometrical thinking during the whole-class instruction. We conjectured that weaving these 3 aspects together supported the emergence of relevant geometric learning opportunities for children.
Development and characterization of a new predominantly β Ti–15Mo–5In alloy for biomedical applications
Authors: Romero-Resendiz L. , Rossi M. C. , Seguí-Esquembre C. , Amigó-Borrás V.
Published: October 2023

A new Ti–Mo–In alloy was designed for biomedical implant applications and produced by powder metallurgy. Mechanical properties, ion release, and electrochemical assessments were conducted to uncover its biomaterial feasibility. The Ti–15Mo–5In alloy consisted of a nearly equiaxed and micrometric β matrix with acicular α and fine dispersed α′′ phases. Mo and In chosen contents encouraged flexural strength (0.59 GPa) and hardness (3.9 GPa) beyond the values for human bone in the literature. As expected from the predominantly β microstructure, a medium value of elastic modulus (80 GPa) was obtained. The ion Ti (0.019 μgL−1 cm−2 h−1), Mo (0.622 μgL−1 cm−2 h−1), and In (0.001 μgL−1 cm−2 h−1) released concentrations were below harmful concentrations to human health. Corrosion rates during immersion and electrochemical tests (0.524 and 0.1 μm year−1, respectively) were lower than those reported for various implant materials. The Ti–15Mo–5In alloy is a feasible option for orthopedic and dental implants.

Graphical Abstract
The application of the bilinear foil model to three-pad foil air bearings in rotordynamic analysis including reduced order modelling
Authors: Pourashraf Talieh , Bonello Philip
Published: October 2023

Foil air bearings (FABs) are the mainstay of oil-free turbomachinery technology which is undergoing rapid expansion. A rotor system using such bearings is a nonlinear multi-domain dynamical system comprising the rotor, the air films and the foil structures. Multi-pad (segmented) FABs offer opportunity for enhanced stability performance but are naturally more computationally challenging than single (360°) pad FABs. Their analysis has been limited to a simple model that ignores the detachment of the top foil from the underlying foil. Although a correction can be applied for the rotor vibration, the actual top foil deflection cannot be predicted. Additionally, reduced order modelling techniques have so far not been applied to such bearings. This paper presents the nonlinear and linearised dynamic analyses of three-pad FAB rotor systems considering foil detachment and using both Galerkin Reduction (GR) and Finite Difference (FD) to model the air film. Various models for the force distribution on the top foil are considered for use within a bilinear foil model, focusing on the ability to achieve numerical convergence. GR halved the computation time for a waterfall graph, without compromising the accuracy of the prediction of the nonlinear response. The results are validated against results from the literature.
Considerations for Subgroup Analyses in Cluster-Randomized Trials Based on Aggregated Individual-Level Predictors
Authors: Williamson Brian D. , Coley R. Yates , Hsu Clarissa , McCracken Courtney E. , Cook Andrea J.
Published: October 2023

In research assessing the effect of an intervention or exposure, a key secondary objective often involves assessing differential effects of this intervention or exposure in subgroups of interest; this is often referred to as assessing effect modification or heterogeneity of treatment effects (HTE). Observed HTE can have important implications for policy, including intervention strategies (e.g., will some patients benefit more from intervention than others?) and prioritizing resources (e.g., to reduce observed health disparities). Analysis of HTE is well understood in studies where the independent unit is an individual. In contrast, in studies where the independent unit is a cluster (e.g., a hospital or school) and a cluster-level outcome is used in the analysis, it is less well understood how to proceed if the HTE analysis of interest involves an individual-level characteristic (e.g., self-reported race) that must be aggregated at the cluster level. Through simulations, we show that only individual-level models have power to detect HTE by individual-level variables; if outcomes must be defined at the cluster level, then there is often low power to detect HTE by the corresponding aggregated variables. We illustrate the challenges inherent to this type of analysis in a study assessing the effect of an intervention on increasing COVID-19 booster vaccination rates at long-term care centers.
The effect of depressive symptoms on quality of life and its different facets in the oldest age population: evidence from the AgeQualiDe prospective cohort study
Authors: Liegert Paula , Pabst Alexander , Conrad Ines , van den Bussche Hendrik , Eisele Marion , Hajek André , Heser Kathrin , Kleineidam Luca , Weyerer Siegfried , Werle Jochen , Pentzek Michael , Weeg Dagmar , Mösch Edelgard , Wiese Birgitt , Oey Anke , Wagner Michael , Maier Wolfgang , König Hans-Helmut , Riedel-Heller Steffi G. , Scherer Martin , Luppa Melanie
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The present study aims to investigate the prospective effect of depressive symptoms on overall QoL in the oldest age group, taking into account its different facets.

Methods

Data were derived from the multicenter prospective AgeCoDe/AgeQualiDe cohort study, including data from follow-up 7–9 and n = 580 individuals 85 years of age and older. Overall QoL and its facets were assessed using the WHOQOL-OLD instrument. The short form of the geriatric depression scale (GDS-15) was applied to assess depressive symptoms. Cognitively impaired individuals were excluded. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the effect of depressive symptoms on QoL.

Results

Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with overall QoL and each of the different facets of WHOQOL-OLD, also after adjustment for time and sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, education, marital status, living situation, and cognitive status. Higher age and single as well as divorced marital status were also associated with a lower QoL.

Conclusion

This work provides comprehensive longitudinal results on the relationship between depressive symptoms and QoL in the oldest age population. The results underscore the relevance of tailored and targeted care planning and the development of customized interventions.
Genetic polymorphisms in innate immunity genes influence predisposition to tick-borne encephalitis
Authors: Fortova Andrea , Barkhash Andrey V. , Pychova Martina , Krbkova Lenka , Palus Martin , Salat Jiri , Ruzek Daniel
Published: October 2023

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a neuroviral disease that ranges in severity from a mild febrile illness to a severe and life-threatening meningoencephalitis or encephalomyelitis. There is increasing evidence that susceptibility to tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV)-induced disease and its severity are largely influenced by host genetic factors, in addition to other virus- and host-related factors. In this study, we investigated the contribution of selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in innate immunity genes to predisposition to TBE in humans. More specifically, we investigated a possible association between SNPs rs304478 and rs303212 in the gene Interferon Induced Protein With Tetratricopeptide Repeats 1 (IFIT1), rs7070001 and rs4934470 in the gene Interferon Induced Protein With Tetratricopeptide Repeats 2 (IFIT2), and RIG-I (Retinoic acid-inducible gene I) encoding gene DDX58 rs311795343, rs10813831, rs17217280 and rs3739674 SNPs with predisposition to TBE in population of the Czech Republic, where TBEV is highly endemic. Genotypic and allelic frequencies for these SNPs were analyzed in 247 nonimmunized TBE patients and compared with 204 control subjects. The analysis showed an association of IFIT1 rs304478 SNP and DDX58 rs3739674 and rs17217280 SNPs with predisposition to TBE in the Czech population indicating novel risk factors for clinical TBE but not for disease severity. These results also highlight the role of innate immunity genes in TBE pathogenesis.
A novel Hybrid XGBoost Methodology in Predicting Penetration Rate of Rotary Based on Rock-Mass and Material Properties
Authors: Kazemi Mohammad Mirzehi Kalate , Nabavi Zohre , Armaghani Danial Jahed
Published: October 2023

Predicting the drill penetration rate is a fundamental requirement in mining operations, profoundly impacting both the cost-effectiveness of mining activities and strategic mine planning. Given the intricate web of factors influencing rotary drilling performance, the necessity for advanced modeling techniques becomes evident. To this end, the hybrid extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) was utilized to gauge the penetration rate of rotary drilling machines, utilizing random search, grid search, Harris Hawk optimization (HHO), and the dragonfly algorithm (DA) as metaheuristic algorithms. Our research draws from extensive data collected in copper mine case studies, encompassing both field and investigational data. This dataset incorporates critical material properties, such as tensile strength (TS), uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), as well as vital rock-mass characteristics including joint direction (JD), joint spacing (JS), and bit diameter (D). Our investigation evaluates the reliability of these prediction methods using various performance indicators, including mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), average absolute relative error (AARE), and coefficient of determination (R2). The multivariate analysis reveals that the HHO-XGB model stands out, demonstrating superior prediction accuracy (MAE: 0.457; RMSE: 2.19; AARE: 2.29; R2: 0.993) compared to alternative models. Furthermore, our sensitivity analysis emphasizes the substantial impact of uniaxial compressive strength and tensile strength on the drill penetration rate. This underlines the importance of considering these material properties in mining operations. In conclusion, our research offers robust models for forecasting the penetration rate of similar rock formations, providing invaluable insights that can significantly enhance mining operations and planning processes.
Adoption of ISO/TS 12913-2:2018 Protocols for Data Collection From Individuals in Soundscape Studies: an Overview of the Literature
Authors: Aletta Francesco , Torresin Simone
Published: October 2023

Purpose of Review

The article reviews the literature on soundscape studies to analyse (i) which of the methods included in the Technical Specification (TS) 12913-2:2018 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for collecting soundscape data from individuals are predominantly used in scientific research and (ii) what is the level of compliance with ISO recommendations of the methods employed in scientific research.

Recent Findings

The ISO/TS 12913-2:2018 provide three possible protocols for individuals’ soundscape data collection (Methods A, B, and C). Despite standardization efforts, a reference method has yet to be identified to improve comparability amongst studies and the formation of scientific evidence.

The analysis of 50 peer-reviewed papers published from 2018 (year of release of ISO/TS 12913-2) showed that Method A is the prevalent one, adopted by 94.4% of the identified studies. Full compliance with ISO technical specification recommendations is in any case quite limited, and almost no study is strictly adhering to them. Attributes are not always suitable to cover all the acoustic contexts (e.g. indoor environments). This is an indicator that the field is still developing, but it also signals that technical specification recommendations leave room for ambiguity or are not always implementable. This study is ultimately intended to offer recommendations on future development of the protocols in the standardization process.

Graphical Abstract
Science religion encounters, epistemic trespass, neighbourliness and overlapping domains: theorisation and quantitative evidence of extent
Authors: Bowie Robert A. , Aantjes Rosanne , Woolley Mary , Hulbert Sabina , Thomas Caroline , Revell Lynn , Riordan John-Paul
Published: October 2023

This study advances a concept of science religion encounter (SRE), with preliminary theorisation and shares findings on the extent and nature of such encounters reported by secondary religious education and science teachers. SREs are interdisciplinary engagements in classrooms involving subject knowledge from more than one subject. The researchers hypothesised they may arise unexpectedly, when a pupil asks a question, or be teacher-planned and intended. This article further elaborates the concept of SRE with reference to the concepts of ‘epistemic trespassing’ (ET), epistemic neighbourliness, and overlapping domains, introducing these to the field of education. The study is contextualised in the school classroom with quantitative data gathered among beginning and experienced teachers measuring whether this ET in SRE topics enter the classroom via ‘spontaneity’ or via a ‘deliberateness’. This clarifies the different roles a teacher may play and offers considerations for teacher development when navigating an SRE in ways that potentially reduce lost learning.
After religious education: lessons from continental pedagogy
Authors: Lewin David
Published: October 2023

This paper takes up the theme of divergent political and educational paths in Religious Education (RE) by drawing out some educational theories from the German tradition of what is sometimes called ‘continental pedagogy’. As a development of work undertaken within the After Religious Education project, my interest in this paper is what these theories have to say about one aspect of education, namely the educational logic governing curricular presentation and representation. Within the German tradition, there is an established focus on ‘didactics’ (the theory and practice of teaching) which informs the approach taken here. Rather than seeing RE as a particular corner of the curriculum with its own unique challenges, my main argument is that RE theory is part of wider educational landscape and therefore it could usefully engage more actively with the tradition of general didactics. The argument will present and contextualize the work of Wagenschein and Klafki, educational theorists who are not well known among Anglophone theorists of RE, but who offer insightful considerations of the holistic formation of the person to which RE can make a vital contribution.
A Deep Convolutional Neural Network for Time Series Classification with Intermediate Targets
Authors: Taherkhani Aboozar , Cosma Georgina , McGinnity T. M.
Published: October 2023

Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have been successfully used in different applications, including image recognition. Time series data, which are generated in many applications, such as tasks using sensor data, have different characteristics compared to image data, and accordingly, there is a need for specific CNN structures to address their processing. This paper proposes a new CNN for classifying time series data. It is proposed to have new intermediate outputs extracted from different hidden layers instead of having a single output to control weight adjustment in the hidden layers during training. Intermediate targets are used to act as labels for the intermediate outputs to improve the performance of the method. The intermediate targets are different from the main target. Additionally, the proposed method artificially increases the number of training instances using the original training samples and the intermediate targets. The proposed approach converts a classification task with original training samples to a new (but equivalent) classification task that contains two classes with a high number of training instances. The proposed CNN for Time Series classification, called CNN-TS, extracts features depending the distance of two time series. CNN-TS was evaluated on various benchmark time series datasets. The proposed CNN-TS achieved 5.1% higher overall accuracy compared to the CNN base method (without an intermediate layer). Additionally, CNN-TS achieved 21.1% higher average accuracy compared to classical machine-learning methods, i.e., linear SVM, RBF SVM, and RF. Moreover, CNN-TS was on average 8.43 times faster in training time compared to the ResNet method.
Advancing Personalized Federated Learning: Group Privacy, Fairness, and Beyond
Authors: Galli Filippo , Jung Kangsoo , Biswas Sayan , Palamidessi Catuscia , Cucinotta Tommaso
Published: October 2023

Federated learning (FL) is a framework for training machine learning models in a distributed and collaborative manner. During training, a set of participating clients process their data stored locally, sharing only updates of the statistical model’s parameters obtained by minimizing a cost function over their local inputs. FL was proposed as a stepping-stone towards privacy-preserving machine learning, but it has been shown to expose clients to issues such as leakage of private information, lack of personalization of the model, and the possibility of having a trained model that is fairer to some groups of clients than to others. In this paper, the focus is on addressing the triadic interaction among personalization, privacy guarantees, and fairness attained by trained models within the FL framework. Differential privacy and its variants have been studied and applied as cutting-edge standards for providing formal privacy guarantees. However, clients in FL often hold very diverse datasets representing heterogeneous communities, making it important to protect their sensitive and personal information while still ensuring that the trained model upholds the aspect of fairness for the users. To attain this objective, a method is put forth that introduces group privacy assurances through the utilization ofd-privacy (aka metric privacy).d-privacy represents a localized form of differential privacy that relies on a metric-oriented obfuscation approach to maintain the original data’s topological distribution. This method, besides enabling personalized model training in a federated approach and providing formal privacy guarantees, possesses significantly better group fairness measured under a variety of standard metrics than a global model trained within a classical FL template. Theoretical justifications for the applicability are provided, as well as experimental validation on real-world datasets to illustrate the working of the proposed method.
Item analysis of general surgery multi-institutional mock oral exam: opportunities for quality improvement
Authors: Andres Jerome , Huang Ivy A. , Tillou Areti , Wagner Justin P. , Lewis Catherine E. , Amersi Farin F. , Donahue Timothy R. , Chen Formosa C. , Wu James X.
Published: October 2023

Purpose

Mock oral examinations (MOE) prepare general surgery residents for the American Board of Surgery Certifying Exam by assessing their medical knowledge and clinical judgement. There is no standard accepted process for quality analysis among MOE content items. Effective questions should correlate with mastery of MOE content, as well as exam passage. Our aim was to identify opportunities for question improvement via item analysis of a standardized MOE.

Methods

Retrospective review of testing data from the 2022 Southern California Virtual MOE, which examined 64 general surgery residents from six training programs. Each resident was assessed with 73 exam questions distributed through 12 standardized cases. Study authors indexed questions by clinical topic (e.g. breast, trauma) and competency category (e.g. professionalism, operative approach). We defined MOE passage as mean percentage correct and mean room score within 1 standard deviation of the mean or higher. Questions were assessed for difficulty, discrimination between PGY level, and correlation with MOE passage.

Results

Passage rate was 77% overall (49/64 residents), with no differences between postgraduate year (PGY) levels. PGY3 residents answered fewer questions correctly vs PGY4 residents (72% vs 78%, p < 0.001) and PGY5 residents (72% vs 82%, p < 0.001). Out of 73 total questions, 17 questions (23.2%) significantly correlated with MOE passage or failure. By competency category, these were predominantly related to patient care (52.9%) and operative approach (23.5%), with fewer related to diagnosis (11.8%), professional behavior (5.9%), and decision to operate (5.9%). By clinical topic these were equally distributed between trauma (17.7%), large intestine (17.7%), endocrine (17.7%), and surgical critical care (17.7%), with fewer in breast (11.8%), stomach (11.8%), and pediatric surgery (5.9%). We identified two types of ineffective questions: 1) questions answered correctly by 100% of test-takers with no discriminatory ability (n = 3); and 2) questions that varied inversely with exam passage (n = 11). In total, 19% (14/73) of exam questions were deemed ineffective.

Conclusions

Item analysis of multi-institutional mock oral exam found that 23% of questions correlated with exam passage or failure, effectively discriminating which examinees had mastery of MOE content. We also recognized 19% of questions as ineffective that can be targeted for improvement.