bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Labour shortages amidst unmet demand for decent work
Authors: Feist Lisa
Published: February 2024

Chapter 3 provides an assessment of the growing imbalances between the demand for and supply of labour. It documents large discrepancies between labour demand and available supply across advanced economies and key sectors that are slow to resolve and discusses both short‐term and secular factors that affect these imbalances. The chapter suggests a certain number of policy options, including comprehensive skills partnerships between countries to alleviate the global imbalances that exist between countries.
‘Of Gaming and Other Demons’: Defining Children and Young People’s Meaningful Leisure Activities in the Digital Era
Authors: Rustad Mikkel B. , Parsanoglou Dimitris , Symeonaki Maria , Mifsud Louise , Hyggen Christer , Ghetau Cosmin
Published: February 2024

Digital technologies play an increasingly significant role in the everyday lives and culture of children and young people, but research and societal discussions often focus solely on the perceived risks and concerns associated with their use. This narrow focus does not recognise children’s agency in digital spaces. In this chapter, we address this gap by exploring the meaning children and young people attribute to their leisure-time use of digital technology, from their own perspective. Our study draws on interviews and digital diary data collected in Austria, Greece, Norway, Romania, and the United Kingdom. The findings highlight that children not only perceive digital technologies as a source of entertainment but also as a meaningful part of their leisure activities, enabling communication, socialisation, play, and learning. However, there appears to be a generational gap in the meaning attributed to leisure-time activities, as there is a discrepancy between children’s and parents’ perspectives. Consequently, parents impose restrictions on content and screen time, thereby limiting children’s agency to some extent. Nevertheless, children’s negotiations regarding screen time, content choices, and decisions about whom and what to engage with can be seen as their attempts to expand and assert their agency.
Social Media as a Shaper, Enabler, and Hurdle in Youth Political Participation
Authors: Tiidenberg Katrin , Karatzogianni Athina , Parsanoglou Dimitris , Matthews Jacob , Lepik Kamilla Selina , Raig Madli , Suitslepp Marta Liisab
Published: February 2024

This chapter explores young people’s political participation on and with social media from an ecosystemic perspective. Drawing from an analysis of interviews, ethnographic social media observations, and digital storytelling workshops conducted in Estonia, Greece, and the United Kingdom, we highlight the entanglement of young people’s participatory repertoires with social media, but also with their leisure and school lives and family relationships. We explore how young people invested in issues of racial justice, gender and LGBTQ justice, and climate justice, incorporate or push back against digital technologies, and how that is mediated by their perceptions of social media affordances, imaginary audiences, their sense of self-efficacy, political agency, and digital literacies. The findings shed light on the complex interplay between personal, structural, and environmental factors that shape young people’s political participation, and highlight the situational nature of how activism and politics are defined and the role that social media is attributed within both.
Investigating Patterns of Digital Socialisation During Leisure Through Multimodal Social Research
Authors: Symeonaki Maria , Hyggen Christer , Parsanoglou Dimitris , Mifsud Louise , Stamou Giorgos
Published: February 2024

This chapter offers an exploration of the methodological potentials, challenges, and pitfalls associated with conducting multimodal research on patterns of digital socialisation during leisure, while focusing on the involvement of children as co-researchers. A comprehensive research design is suggested for investigating children and young people’s digital leisure activities using a multimodal approach. This design aims to explore communication and representations by leveraging an innovative process of integrating and interpreting information from diverse modalities. This process, known as semantic data integration, allows for a cohesive analysis of multimodal data, enabling a deeper understanding of the subject matter. The design emphasises the active involvement of research contributors, who not only participate as subjects but also play a role as co-researchers. The chapter provides a detailed description and critical assessment of the methodologies adopted across all parts of the fieldwork conducted to investigate children’s online leisure habits and digital technologies use and identifies the significant qualities of a multimodal and multi-method approach. The methods are evaluated to deliver suggestions for practises that can be adopted in having children play an active part through research implementation. Semantic integration is suggested to bridge the gap between different modalities and extract comprehensive understanding of collected data.
Symmetry-Protected Chiral Sensitivity in Photoionization with Bichromatic Fields
Authors: Ordóñez Andrés , Decleva Piero , Ayuso David
Published: February 2024

We consider photo-ionization of randomly oriented chiral molecules with bichromatic fields of frequencies $$\omega $$
ω
and $$2\omega $$
2
ω
linearly polarized perpendicular to each other. Our symmetry analysis reveals a new type of enantio-sensitive signal in the photoelectron angular distribution which does not change its sign upon reversal of the two-color relative phase, i.e. upon reversal of the instantaneous ellipticity of the field. We provide a numerical estimate of the effect in methyloxirane, and propose an experimental setup for its measurement.
Dynamics via Attosecond Four-Wave Mixing
Authors: Gaynor James D. , Fidler Ashley P. , Lin Yen-Cheng , Puskar Nicolette G. , Neumark Daniel M. , Leone Stephen R.
Published: February 2024

Attosecond four-wave mixing spectroscopy is a relatively new technique for studying ultrafast dynamics of highly excited states with exquisite temporal precision and spectral resolution. The attosecond four-wave mixing technique, as described in this paper, uses non-collinear beam geometries of one attosecond pulse together with two optical pulses to obtain background-free, spatially isolated emission signals in the extreme ultraviolet range that directly resolve coherent dynamics in the time domain. This method is advantageous by avoiding the strong spectral modulations that often complicate the interpretation of collinear attosecond transient absorption studies while also enabling greater control over the spatial and temporal characteristics of each light-matter interaction used to probe the ultrafast processes. This paper describes a broad range of attosecond four-wave mixing experiments performed in gas phase atoms and molecules, and a recent extension into solids.
Optical Control of Autoionizing States in Argon
Authors: Yanez-Pagans S. , Cariker C. , Harkema N. , Shaikh M. , Argenti L. , Sandhu A.
Published: February 2024

We use tunable attosecond transient absorption to study the autoionizing polaritonic states in argon. Our approach provides new avenues for optical control of autoionization dynamics in polyelectronic systems. We highlight the stabilization of autoionizing states as a function of the detuning and time-delay of the dressing laser pulse. Furthermore, we use the relative polarization between the pump and probe pulses to control the branching of the polaritons, where the selection rules allow us to include or exclude specific states from the radiative coupling.
Multicollinear singularities in celestial CFT
Authors: Ball Adam , Hu Yangrui , Pasterski Sabrina
Published: February 2024

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to study the holomorphic multicollinear limit of (celestial) amplitudes and use it to further investigate the double residue condition for (hard celestial) amplitudes and the celestial operator product expansion. We first set up the notion of holomorphic multicollinear limits of amplitudes and derive the 3-collinear splitting functions for Yang-Mills theory, Einstein gravity, and massless ϕ3 theory. In particular, we find that in ϕ3 theory the celestial 3-OPE contains a term with a branch cut. This explicit example confirms that branch cuts can obstruct the double residue condition for hard celestial amplitudes, which is the underlying cause of the celestial Jacobi identities not holding for certain theories. This addresses an ongoing debate in the literature about associativity of the celestial OPEs and concretely demonstrates a new (multi-particle) term in the celestial OPE coming from the multi-particle channel in the amplitudes.
Constrained spin systems and KNdS black holes
Authors: Chakrabhavi Vivek , Etheredge Muldrow , Qiu Yue , Traschen Jennie
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Kerr-Newman de Sitter (KNdS) spacetimes have a rich thermodynamic structure that involves multiple horizons, and so differs in key respects from asymptotically flat or AdS black holes. In this paper, we show that certain features of KNdS spacetimes can be reproduced by a constrained system of N non-interacting spins in a magnetic field. Both the KNdS and spin systems have bounded energy and entropy, a maximum of the entropy in the interior of the energy range, and a symmetry that maps lower energy states to higher energy states with the same entropy. Consequently, both systems have a temperature that can be positive or negative, where the gravitational temperature is defined analogously to that of the spins. We find that the number of spins N corresponds to 1/Λ for black holes with very small charge q and rotation parameter a, and scales like $$ \sqrt{\left({a}^2+{q}^2\right)/\Lambda} $$

a
2

+

q
2

/
Λ

for larger values of a and q. These comparisons show that certain key features of the complex thermodynamics of KNdS spacetimes are reproduced by a simple system of noninteracting spins, suggesting that there may be a relatively simple effective description of quantum de Sitter black holes in terms of a finite dimensional Hilbert space.
Imaging risk factors for predicting postoperative complications of intramedullary nailing for tibial fracture
Authors: He Miao , Zhang Xiaoxing , Cheng Tianjun , Hu Jianhua , Li Jie
Published: February 2024

Objective

The objective of this study was to analyze the ratio of fracture site diameter to tibial isthmus diameter (TFI ratio) as a predictor of postoperative complications, including malunion and delayed union, after tibial intramedullary nailing for middle and lower tibial fractures.

Methods

Data were collected from all adult patients older than 20 years of age who underwent tibial intramedullary nailing for middle and lower tibial fractures between January 2015 and January 2023 and were followed up for at least 1 year. Diabetes history, smoking history, fracture type, injury mechanism, surgical method, surgical approach, diameter of the medullary cavity at the fracture site, and diameter of the tibial isthmus were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the variables affecting the occurrence of complications. The TFI ratio was used to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of the parameters, and ROC curves were generated to establish TFI ratio thresholds for predicting complications.

Results

A total of 123 patients with middle and lower tibial fractures were treated with intramedullary nails. The mean age of the patients was 43.72 years (range, 21–81 years); 89 were males, and 34 were females. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that fracture type, open reduction surgery, superior patellar approach, and TFI ratio were significantly correlated with postoperative complications after intramedullary nailing of a tibial fracture. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the TFI ratio was an independent risk factor for complications (P = 0.001*). By using the TFI ratio as a predictor of complications, an ROC curve was generated to establish a threshold. The ROC curve showed that a TFI ratio ≥ 1.31 had a sensitivity of 0.89, a specificity of 0.71, and an area under the ROC curve of 0.82 for predicting complications.

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that a wider intramedullary diameter and a shorter fixed length at the fracture site are associated with a higher incidence of complications after tibial intramedullary nailing. The TFI ratio may be used as a reliable parameter for predicting complications after such surgery. In patients with a high TFI ratio (≥ 1.31), additional reduction and fixation techniques may be needed to obtain and maintain fracture reduction.
Entwicklung und Bedeutung der programmierten Ventrikelstimulation bei der koronaren Herzerkrankung und dilatativen Kardiomyopathie
Authors: Gonska Bernd-Dieter
Published: February 2024

Die programmierte Ventrikelstimulation (PVS) wurde in den 80er-Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts in die Klinik eingeführt. Ziel ist es, die elektrische Vulnerabilität des Ventrikelmyokards zu prüfen und unabhängig von der Spontanvariabilität ventrikulärer Arrhythmien diese unter kontrollierten Bedingungen auszulösen. Als spezifisch gilt die Induzierbarkeit einer monomorphen anhaltenden ventrikulären Tachykardie (VT). Das Stimulationsergebnis wird jedoch durch die Art der kardialen Erkrankung eingeschränkt – nichtischämische Erkrankungen haben eine geringe Induzierbarkeit und Reproduzierbarkeit − und die Therapiekontrolle einer pharmakologischen antiarrhythmischen Therapie ist unzuverlässig. Eine prognostische Aussage hinsichtlich des Risikos eines plötzlichen Herztodes ist unsicher. Der heutige Einsatz besteht in der Kontrolle nach einer VT-Katheterablation und vorher nachgewiesener VT-Induzierbarkeit.
ChatGPT in surgery: a revolutionary innovation?
Authors: Bektaş Mustafa , Pereira Jaime Ken , Daams Freek , van der Peet Donald L.
Published: February 2024

ChatGPT has brought about a new era of digital health, as this model has become prominent and been rapidly developing since its release. ChatGPT may be able to facilitate improvements in surgery as well; however, the influence of ChatGPT on surgery is largely unknown at present. Therefore, the present study reports on the current applications of ChatGPT in the field of surgery, evaluating its workflow, practical implementations, limitations, and future perspectives. A literature search was performed using the PubMed and Embase databases. The initial search was performed from its inception until July 2023. This study revealed that ChatGPT has promising capabilities in areas of surgical research, education, training, and practice. In daily practice, surgeons and surgical residents can be aided in performing logistics and administrative tasks, and patients can be more efficiently informed about the details of their condition. However, priority should be given to establishing proper policies and protocols to ensure the safe and reliable use of this model.
Evaluation of highly adsorptive Guefoams (multifunctional guest-containing foams) as a potential sorbent for determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by means of thermal desorption
Authors: Sánchez Raquel , Sanahuja Ana Beltrán , Lauría Lucila Paola Maiorano , Todolí José Luis , Jordá José Miguel Molina
Published: February 2024

The present work delves into the feasibility of employing a novel structured sorbent referred to as GFAD (Guefoam Adsorption Device) for the determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in liquid samples. The chosen method has been static headspace sorptive extraction-thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HSSE-TD-GC–MS). The GFAD comprises an aluminum cellular material with a distinct replication structure and a solid guest phase consisting of activated carbon particles dispersed within the cavities of the cellular aluminum. The extensive specific surface area, robustness, and exceptional thermal conductivity of this pioneering material offer distinct advantages over commercially available polydimethylsiloxane-based Twister® devices. Therefore, the trapping efficiency for volatile organic compounds is enhanced, and it is possible to perform the analysis of concentrated samples. According to computational simulations, it has been demonstrated that GFAD has a high heat conductivity. As a result, the desorption efficiency is improved, and minimal temperature gradients are generated throughout the GFAD during the heating process. Besides, the energy consumption is significantly lowered, thus aligning with environmentally conscientious and sustainable analytical practices.

The experimental results give a proof of the suitability of the GFAD for determining gaseous compounds in liquid samples through HSSE-TD-GC–MS. For volatile species, the new material provides higher peak areas and lower limits of detection than a commercially available Twister® device. Furthermore, the GFAD is reusable, its adsorbing properties remaining unchanged during, at least, 100 consecutive analyses. In addition, unlike to the Twister®, no intense siloxane peaks are observed in the chromatograms obtained with the GFAD. The feasibility of qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis with the new accessory has been demonstrated with both standards and a cereal bioethanol real sample.

Graphical abstract
Design of resilient and viable sourcing strategies in intertwined circular supply networks
Authors: Echefaj Khadija , Charkaoui Abdelkabir , Cherrafi Anass , Ivanov Dmitry
Published: February 2024

This study examines the effects of intertwining and circularity on the design of resilient and viable sourcing and recovery strategies in supply chains. We first construct a case study where the supply chains of three industries (i.e., automotive, healthcare, and electronics) frame an intertwined supply network (ISN). Through a discrete-event simulation model developed in anyLogistix, we examine the impact of disruptions in supply and demand on the performance of individual supply chains and the ISN as a whole. We test the performance of several sourcing strategies and their combinations. A special focus is directed toward shared reverse flows. The results show that disruption impact and recovery processes in the Circular ISN do not always follow conventional patterns known from the resilience of individual supply chains due to intertwining and circularity effects. We offer some managerial recommendations for the design of resilient sourcing strategies in the ISN context that are triangulated around collaborative sourcing practices, coordinated production planning, shared reverse flows, and visibility in inventory management.
Differentiation of benign and metastatic lymph nodes in soft tissue sarcoma
Authors: Burkhard-Meier Anton , Jurinovic Vindi , Berclaz Luc M. , Albertsmeier Markus , Dürr Hans Roland , Klein Alexander , Knösel Thomas , Di Gioia Dorit , Unterrainer Lena M. , Schmidt-Hegemann Nina-Sophie , Ricke Jens , von Bergwelt-Baildon Michael , Kunz Wolfgang G. , Lindner Lars H.
Published: February 2024

Lymph node metastasis (LNM) occurs in less than 5% of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patients and indicates an aggressive course of disease. Suspicious lymph nodes (LN) in staging imaging are a frequent topic of discussion in multidisciplinary tumor boards. Predictive markers are needed to facilitate stratification and improve treatment of STS patients. In this study, 56 STS patients with radiologically suspicious and subsequently histologically examined LN were reviewed. Patients with benign (n = 26) and metastatic (n = 30) LN were analyzed with regard to clinical, laboratory and imaging parameters. Patients with LNM exhibited significantly larger short axis diameter (SAD) and long axis diameter (LAD) vs. patients with benign LN (median 22.5 vs. 14 mm, p < 0.001 and median 29.5 vs. 21 mm, p = 0.003, respectively). Furthermore, the presence of central necrosis and high maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in FDG-PET-CT scans were significantly associated with LNM (60 vs. 11.5% of patients, p < 0.001 and median 8.59 vs. 3.96, p = 0.013, respectively). With systemic therapy, a slight median size regression over time was observed in both metastatic and benign LN. Serum LDH and CRP levels were significantly higher in patients with LNM (median 247 vs. 187.5U/L, p = 0.005 and 1.5 vs. 0.55 mg/dL, p = 0.039, respectively). This study shows significant associations between LNM and imaging features as well as laboratory parameters of STS patients. The largest SAD, SUVmax in FDG-PET-CT scan, the presence of central necrosis, and high serum LDH level are the most important parameters to distinguish benign from metastatic LNs.
Using the global randomization test as a Mendelian randomization falsification test for the exclusion restriction assumption
Authors: Millard Louise A. C. , Davey Smith George , Tilling Kate
Published: February 2024

Mendelian randomization may give biased causal estimates if the instrument affects the outcome not solely via the exposure of interest (violating the exclusion restriction assumption). We demonstrate use of a global randomization test as a falsification test for the exclusion restriction assumption. Using simulations, we explored the statistical power of the randomization test to detect an association between a genetic instrument and a covariate set due to (a) selection bias or (b) horizontal pleiotropy, compared to three approaches examining associations with individual covariates: (i) Bonferroni correction for the number of covariates, (ii) correction for the effective number of independent covariates, and (iii) an r2 permutation-based approach. We conducted proof-of-principle analyses in UK Biobank, using CRP as the exposure and coronary heart disease (CHD) as the outcome. In simulations, power of the randomization test was higher than the other approaches for detecting selection bias when the correlation between the covariates was low (r2 < 0.1), and at least as powerful as the other approaches across all simulated horizontal pleiotropy scenarios. In our applied example, we found strong evidence of selection bias using all approaches (e.g., global randomization test p < 0.002). We identified 51 of the 58 CRP genetic variants as horizontally pleiotropic, and estimated effects of CRP on CHD attenuated somewhat to the null when excluding these from the genetic risk score (OR = 0.96 [95% CI: 0.92, 1.00] versus 0.97 [95% CI: 0.90, 1.05] per 1-unit higher log CRP levels). The global randomization test can be a useful addition to the MR researcher’s toolkit.
Firebrands Generated During WUI Fires: A Novel Framework for 3D Morphology Characterization
Authors: Bouvet Nicolas , Kim Minhyeng
Published: February 2024

The goal of the present work is to establish a framework for firebrand morphology characterization. Central to this framework is the development of a simple firebrand shape classification model using multi-dimensional particle shape descriptors. This classification model is built upon a series of synthetically generated 3D particles whose shapes and sizes are chosen to be representative of actual firebrands typically encountered during vegetative and structural fuel burns. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is applied to the synthetic dataset and used to structure the classification model. The model is then verified using 3D digital representations of real-world particles (firebrands collected during tree burns and unburned bark pieces from oak trees). The classification model, which will allow meaningful comparisons of firebrand morphological features by shape class, is expected to be gradually refined as more datasets are made available throughout the Wildland–Urban Interface (WUI) fire research community.
Novel PANI:Borophene/Si Schottky device for the sensitive detection of illumination and NaCl salt solutions
Authors: Yıldız D. E. , Karadeniz S. , Yıldırım M. , Tasaltın N. , Gulsaran A. , Bastug Azer B. , Yavuz M.
Published: February 2024

Metal/semiconductor structures, particularly Schottky diodes, play a crucial role in semiconductor identification and the production of electronic devices, like solar cells, photodetectors, photodiodes, and field-effect transistors (FETs). These structures are of great interest due to their ability to modify electrical and optical properties, responding to external factors such as illumination and temperature. However, despite extensive research in this field, there has been limited exploration of silicon-based metal/semiconductor structures incorporating PANI:Borophene interfacial materials. In this study, we prepared PANI:Borophene/p-Si and PANI:Borophene/n-Si structures and examined their photodiode properties using various measurements. The unoccupied trap levels (m) obtained 0.44 and 0.33 for Al/PANI:Borophene/p-Si and Au/PANI:Borophene/n-Si device, respectively. Our investigation revealed that both structures exhibited rectification behavior, with linear characteristics in the forward bias region, and deviations attributed to series resistance effects at higher voltages. Moreover, the presence of borophene in the interfacial layer led to improvements in the devices’ electrical properties. Finally, the PANI:Borophene/Si Schottky diodes was tested for salt detection and the Al/PANI:Borophene/p-Si diode has the characteristics of salt (NaCl) concentration detection sensor and it successfully detected salt concentration changes with respect to current flow.
Why Do Voters Prefer Local Candidates? Evidence from a Danish Conjoint Survey Experiment
Authors: Nyholt Niels
Published: February 2024

Political candidates enjoy a well-documented electoral advantage near their place of residence. But knowing that voters prefer candidates who live nearby does not explain why this is the case. What inferences do voters make about local candidates that make them so universally attractive? In this study, I distinguish two well-established theoretical explanations in a conjoint experiment conducted in Denmark. Do people prefer local candidates because of in-group favoritism, or do voters prefer local candidates because they expect them to favor their local area once in office? By independently varying signals of candidates’ (1) behavioral localism and (2) symbolic localism, I estimate the importance of each for voters’ preferences for local candidates. I find that voters’ preference for candidates who live nearby is driven in part by a preference for candidates who spend most of their time looking out for voters’ local interests. While I also find that voters prefer candidates who signal their commitment to the local in-group, these preferences appear to be unrelated to voters’ preference for candidates who live locally. Thus, I find that voters seem to prefer local candidates because of their behavioral localism, while I find no evidence that voters prefer local candidates because of their symbolic localism.
Patterns of dissertation dissemination: publication-based outcomes of doctoral theses in the social sciences
Authors: Asanov Anastasiya-Mariya , Asanov Igor , Buenstorf Guido , Kadriu Valon , Schoch Pia
Published: February 2024

Dissemination of knowledge through the publication of findings is a cornerstone of the academic research system. Doctoral dissertations document the findings made by early-stage researchers during their doctoral studies. However, prior research suggests that dissertations may not be effective in disseminating these findings to the broader community of researchers. We study how knowledge documented in doctoral dissertations is disseminated. Specifically, we investigate which dissertation characteristics and institutional factors are related to the number of journal publications based on these dissertations and the number of citations that these publications receive. Our analysis uses a random sample of doctoral dissertations from German universities in economics, political science, and sociology. We find that “cumulative” dissertations—dissertations consisting of a number of separate articles—are turned into three times more publications which receive three times more citations than monographic dissertations. We also find explorative evidence that dissertations written in English and empirical dissertations have higher publication-based outcomes. We conclude that a policy allowing doctoral candidates to write their dissertations in a cumulative format provides them with an opportunity to share the results of their research through publications in peer-reviewed journals.
On the nature and organisation of morphological categories: verbal aspect through the lens of associative learning
Authors: Divjak Dagmar , Testini Irene , Milin Petar
Published: February 2024

The process by which awareness and/or knowledge of linguistic categories arises from exposure to patterns in data alone, known as emergence, is the corner stone of usage-based approaches to language. The present paper zooms in on the types of patterns that language users may detect in the input to determine the content, and hence the nature, of the hypothesised morphological category of aspect.

The large-scale corpus and computational studies we present focus on the morphological encoding of temporal information as exemplified by aspect (imperfective/perfective) in Polish. Aspect is so heavily grammaticalized that it is marked on every verb form, yielding the practice of positing infinitival verb pairs (‘do’ = ‘robićimpf/zrobićpf’) to represent a complete aspectual paradigm. As has been shown for nominal declension, however, aspectual usage appears uneven, with 90% of verbs strongly preferring one aspect over the other. This makes the theoretical aspectual paradigm in practice very gappy, triggering an acute sense of partialness in usage. Operationalising emergence as learnability, we simulate learning to use aspect from exposure with a computational implementation of the Rescorla-Wager rule of associative learning. We find that paradigmatic gappiness in usage does not diminish learnability; to the contrary, a very high prediction accuracy is achieved using as cues only the verb and its tense; contextual information does not further improve performance. Aspect emerges as a strongly lexical phenomenon. Hence, the question of cognitive reality of aspectual categories, as an example of morphological categories in general, should be reformulated to ask which continuous cues must be learned to enable categorisation of aspectual outcomes. We discuss how the gappiness of the paradigm plays a crucial role in this process, and how an iteratively learned, continuously developing association presents a possible mechanism by which language users process their experience of cue-outcome co-occurrences and learn to use morphological forms, without the need for abstractions.
Impact of Evidence-Based Quality Improvement on Tailoring VA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home Model to Women Veterans’ Needs
Authors: Yano Elizabeth M. , Than Claire , Brunner Julian , Canelo Ismelda A. , Meredith Lisa S. , Rubenstein Lisa V. , Hamilton Alison B.
Published: February 2024

Background

Women Veterans’ numerical minority, high rates of military sexual trauma, and gender-specific healthcare needs have complicated implementation of comprehensive primary care (PC) under VA’s patient-centered medical home model, Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT).

Objective

We deployed an evidence-based quality improvement (EBQI) approach to tailor PACT to meet women Veterans’ needs and studied its effects on women’s health (WH) care readiness, team-based care, and burnout.

Design

We evaluated EBQI effectiveness in a cluster randomized trial with unbalanced random allocation of 12 VAMCs (8 EBQI vs. 4 control). Clinicians/staff completed web-based surveys at baseline (2014) and 24 months (2016). We adjusted for individual-level covariates (e.g., years at VA) and weighted for non-response in difference-in-difference analyses for readiness and team-based care overall and by teamlet type (mixed-gender PC-PACTs vs. women-only WH-PACTs), as well as post-only burnout comparisons.

Participants

We surveyed all clinicians/staff in general PC and WH clinics.

Intervention

EBQI involved structured engagement of multilevel, multidisciplinary stakeholders at network, VAMC, and clinic levels toward network-specific QI roadmaps. The research team provided QI training, formative feedback, and external practice facilitation, and support for cross-site collaboration calls to VAMC-level QI teams, which developed roadmap-linked projects adapted to local contexts.

Main Measures

WH care readiness (confidence providing WH care, self-efficacy implementing PACT for women, barriers to providing care for women, gender sensitivity); team-based care (change-readiness, communication, decision-making, PACT-related QI, functioning); burnout.

Key Results

Overall, EBQI had mixed effects which varied substantively by type of PACT. In PC-PACTs, EBQI increased self-efficacy implementing PACT for women and gender sensitivity, even as it lowered confidence. In contrast, in WH-PACTs, EBQI improved change-readiness, team-based communication, and functioning, and was associated with lower burnout.

Conclusions

EBQI effectiveness varied, with WH-PACTs experiencing broader benefits and PC-PACTs improving basic WH care readiness. Lower confidence delivering WH care by PC-PACT members warrants further study.

Trial Registration

The data in this paper represent results from a cluster randomized controlled trial registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02039856).
Microfracture-coagulation for the real robotic liver parenchymal transection
Authors: Navinés-López Jordi , Pardo Aranda Fernando , Cremades Pérez Manel , Espin Álvarez Francisco , Zárate Pinedo Alba , Cugat Andorrà Esteban
Published: February 2024

The use of the robotic approach in liver surgery is exponentially increasing. Although technically the robot introduces several innovative features, the instruments linked with the traditional laparoscopic approach for the liver parenchymal transection are not available, which may result in multiple technical variants that may bias the comparative analysis between the different series worldwide. A real robotic approach, minimally efficient for the liver parenchymal transection, with no requirement of external tool, available for the already existing platforms, and applicable to any type of liver resection, counting on the selective use of the plugged bipolar forceps and the monopolar scissors, or “microfracture-coagulation” (MFC) transection method, is described in detail. The relevant aspects of the technique, its indications and methodological basis are discussed.
An Optimized and Validated QuEChERS-Based Method for the Determination of PCBs in Edible Aquatic Species
Authors: Trantopoulos Epameinondas P. , Boti Vasiliki I. , Albanis Triantafyllos A.
Published: February 2024

In the present research, a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method was optimized and validated for the determination of 14 selected PCB congeners in mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and fish samples (Sparus aurata). The optimization included the selection of different QuEChERS procedures, extraction solvent, sample weight, and suitable sorbents for the clean-up step to achieve high sensitivity and minimal matrix interferences simultaneously. The identification and quantification of the selected PCBs were carried out using GC–MS. The method was validated providing in all cases excellent linearity (r2 above 0.99). Recoveries were estimated at three different fortification levels (10, 50, and 100 ng g−1) and ranged from 72.5 to 109.5% and 72.1 to 88.4% for mussel and fish samples, respectively. In addition, for both matrices, the LOQs ranged from 1 to 2.5 ng g−1. The matrix effect was in all cases < 29%, while the expanded uncertainty U%, which was estimated at all the fortification levels, was found below 53% in all cases. Eventually, the optimized and validated method was applied to mussel and fish samples acquired from aquacultures in NW Greece, revealing the absence of the selected congeners in all cases.
Assessing Child Health Disparities: Evidence from a Household-Based Health Index in Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Naveed Tanveer Ahmed , Shah Imran Hussain
Published: February 2024

Around the world, undernutrition causes more than half of all deaths in children under 5 years of age. It also increases children's vulnerability to common diseases, impairs recovery, and stunts their physical and mental development. This paper investigates the state of child health and the assessment of health inequalities in children under 5 years, utilising Multiple Indicators Cluster Surveys across 36 districts in Punjab, Pakistan. We suggest a new household-based health index to identify health disparities and to help policymakers implement more successful domestic policies to offset inequalities. Additionally, this study estimates the health disparities for robustness checks applying the Palma ratio and Gini coefficient. The study's findings revealed that every second child in Punjab is malnourished and that 51% of children in Punjab had not received all of their recommended vaccinations. The results also show that health disparities in low-income districts are worse than in high-income districts. The findings further demonstrate that important contributors to health disparities include parental illiteracy, poverty, and political backwardness. This study recommends a multifaceted policy intervention to address child immunization, undernutrition, and infectious disease legislation, as well as income inequality, to reduce health disparities.
Efficacy of powdered alfalfa leaves to ameliorate the toxic effects of aflatoxin B1 in turkey poults
Authors: Nava-Ramírez M. J. , Maguey-González J. A. , Gómez-Rosales S. , Hernández-Ramírez J. O. , Latorre J. D. , Du Xiangwei , López-Coello C. , Hargis B. M. , Téllez-Isaías G. , Vázquez-Durán A. , Méndez-Albores A.
Published: February 2024

This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of an adsorbent material based on powdered alfalfa leaves added in the aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-contaminated diet of turkey poults on production parameters, blood cell count, serum biochemistry, liver enzymes, and liver histology. For this purpose, three hundred and fifty female Nicholas-700 poults were randomly assigned into five treatments: (1) Control, AFB1-free diet; (2) AF, diet contaminated with 250 ng AFB1/g; (3) Alfalfa, AFB1-free diet + 0.5% (w/w) adsorbent; (4) AF+alfalfa, diet contaminated with 250 ng AFB1/g + 0.5% (w/w) adsorbent, and (5) AF+ yeast cell wall (YCW), diet contaminated with 250 ng AFB1/g + 0.5% (w/w) of yeast cell wall (a commercial mycotoxin binder used as reference material). The in vivo efficacy of powdered alfalfa leaves was assessed during a 28-day period. In general, the addition of powdered alfalfa leaves in the AFB1-free diet gave the best performance results (body weight, body weight gain, and feed intake) and improved the values of total protein, glucose, calcium, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen. Moreover, the addition of powdered alfalfa leaves in the AFB1-contaminated diet enhanced body weight and body weight gain and significantly reduced the feed intake, compared to the AF and AF+YCW groups. Additionally, significant alterations in serum parameters were observed in poults intoxicated with the AFB1, compared to the Control group. Furthermore, typical histopathological lesions were observed in the liver of the AF group, which were significantly ameliorated with the addition of powdered alfalfa leaves. Conclusively, these results pointed out that low inclusion of powdered alfalfa leaves in the contaminated feed counteracted the adverse effects of AFB1 in turkey poults.
Exploring the adoption of food safety measures in smallholder dairy systems in Ethiopia: implications for food safety and public health
Authors: Nyokabi Ndungu S. , Korir Lilian , Lindahl Johanna F. , Phelan Lisette , Gemechu Gizachew , Berg Stefan , Mihret Adane , Wood James L. N. , Moore Henrietta L.
Published: February 2024

Milk is highly perishable and can be a conduit for the transmission of zoonotic foodborne pathogens. This cross-sectional survey involving 159 farming households and 18 participant observations in participating farms was undertaken in Addis Ababa and surrounding areas in Oromia, Ethiopia to assess the adoption of food safety measures in smallholder farms. Adoption of food safety measures at the farm level influences milk quality and safety across the entire milk value chain, from “grass to glass”. This study considered the adoption of 36 different food safety measures (FSM) including animal health, milking hygiene, hygienic milk storage, and hygienic milking premises. A weighted food safety index (FSI, ranging from 0 to 100) was calculated for each household based on FSM adopted. Ordinary Least Squares linear regression was used to quantify the factors of FSM adoption by smallholder farmers. The overall food safety index ranged between 59.97—60.75. A majority of farmers may be classified as moderate adopters of FSM (index ranging between 30–70%). Farm and farmers’ characteristics such as herd size, farmer’s education level, farmer’s expertise in dairying, and participation of the farm in the formal milk value- chain, were shown to positively influence the level of adoption of FSM. Low farm-level adoption of FSM has food safety and public health implications as it can lead to milk contamination and, therefore, expose consumers to foodborne diseases. There is an imperative for policymakers to design and implement policies and intervention strategies that lead to increased farmer training related to livestock production and awareness of the important role that FSM adoption can play in improving food safety and public health.
Flash flood prediction in Southwest Saudi Arabia using GIS technique and surface water models
Authors: Masoud Milad H. Z. , Basahi Jalal M. , Alqarawy Abdulaziz , Schneider Michael , Rajmohan Natarajan , Niyazi Burhan A. M. , Karthikeyan Brindha
Published: February 2024

A flash flood is one of the hazardous phenomena, especially in dry regions. In Saudi Arabia, Jazan Province experiences data scarcity especially historical hydrological data and a lack of studies related to flash flood analysis and the rainfall and runoff interrelationship. Thus, this research aims to study the rainfall-runoff inter-relation, predict flash floods, and to map the risk areas in Jazan Province by the geological, geomorphological, and hydrogeological characteristics along with digital elevation model (DEM), watershed modeling system (WMS) and HEC-HMS models. Jazan Province encompasses 25 drainage basins, receiving a considerable amount of rainfall (ranging from 100 to 500 mm) (August, October-November, March) which intermittently cause strong and destructive flash floods. The DEM was used for delineating the catchment (drainage basins) parameters. Physiographic parameters of the catchments have been analyzed for mapping the hazard degree of the flash flood strength. Further, basins with high hazard degrees of flash floods were selected to assess rainfall-runoff inter-relation using the HEC-HMS models, GIS, and morphometric parameters. Forty %, 8%, 52% of the study area are high, medium, and low hazard degrees of flash floods, respectively. The groundwater recharge in the study area was calculated through the integration of satellite image analysis, SWAT and GIS techniques and it ranges from 0.002 mm/km2/year to 8 mm/km2/year with an average of 2.5 mm/km2/year. Rainfall-runoff inter-relation of study basins, assessed based on the integration of WMS and HEC-HMS models, indicates that the resulting runoff volume ranges from 18.5 × 106 m3 to 473.1 × 106 m3 at a recurrence period of 5 and 100 years at rainfall events of 65 mm and 116.8 mm, respectively.
Investigating the overlap of machine learning algorithms in the final results of RNA-seq analysis on gene expression estimation
Authors: Stathopoulou Kalliopi-Maria , Georgakopoulos Spiros , Tasoulis Sotiris , Plagianakos Vassilis P.
Published: February 2024

Advances in computer science in combination with the next-generation sequencing have introduced a new era in biology, enabling advanced state-of-the-art analysis of complex biological data. Bioinformatics is evolving as a union field between computer Science and biology, enabling the representation, storage, management, analysis and exploration of many types of data with a plethora of machine learning algorithms and computing tools. In this study, we used machine learning algorithms to detect differentially expressed genes between different types of cancer and showing the existence overlap to final results from RNA-sequencing analysis. The datasets were obtained from the National Center for Biotechnology Information resource. Specifically, dataset GSE68086 which corresponds to PMID:200,068,086. This dataset consists of 171 blood platelet samples collected from patients with six different tumors and healthy individuals. All steps for RNA-sequencing analysis (preprocessing, read alignment, transcriptome reconstruction, expression quantification and differential expression analysis) were followed. Machine Learning- based Random Forest and Gradient Boosting algorithms were applied to predict significant genes. The Rstudio statistical tool was used for the analysis.
Quality monitoring for a resistance spot weld process of galvanized dual-phase steel based on the electrode displacement
Authors: Ullrich M. , Wohner M. , Jüttner S.
Published: February 2024

In previous works, it has been found out that the electrode displacement in resistance spot welding has a high potential to be used as a measurement factor to monitor joint quality and to subsequently optimize the welding parameters. By extracting characteristic points in the displacement curve, it is possible to create and evaluate different parameter sets and to predict the formation of expulsion. These characteristic points include for example the maximum displacement of the electrodes, the time of the maximum displacement, the indentation displacement in the weld and hold time, or the velocity of the electrodes. In previous work, it was already shown that the indentation displacement showed satisfying results in predicting the nugget diameter for a press hardened 22MnB5 + AS150 under laboratory conditions. Based on that, a newly derived methodology for using the electrode displacement in monitoring a resistance spot weld process is shown for a galvanized dual-phase steel CR440Y780T-DP GI50/50-U. This methodology combines the knowledge of previous research and is split into three steps: the detection of manufacturing discontinuities, the evaluation of expulsion, and the monitoring of the nugget diameter. For this, the electrode velocity at the beginning of the process and the indentation displacements in the weld and hold time are being used to evaluate the resistance spot welding process.