bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deep-Time Images and the Challenges of Globalization
Authors: Moro Abadía Oscar , Conkey Margaret W. , McDonald Josephine
Published: May 2024

In this collection of papers on globalization and rock art, we begin to examine how rock art research was historically shaped by a deep Eurocentric bias. We use the concept of deep time, following the recent focus of historians and other disciplines, where an appropriate scale of space and time is being explored to understand the human past (following McGrath and Jebb, Long history, deep time. Deepening histories of place. ANU Press, Canberra. https://doi.org/10.26530/OAPEN_578874, 2015; Griffiths, Deep time dreaming: uncovering ancient Australia. Black Inc., Carlton, 2018). A focus on the “deep time story”, as Billy (Griffiths, Deep time dreaming: uncovering ancient Australia. Black Inc., Carlton, p. 5, 2018) asserts, reminds us that history is but one way of thinking about the relationships between past and present. Rock art research has multiple lenses, rather than being a universal science or all-knowing truth. Deeply engrained Eurocentric biases that drove the earliest research efforts into deep time art and its makers, has shifted to a more global perspective on rock art and the people who made it, by those who are involved in its research, and by those for whom it has multiple significances. The proliferation of rock art research in colonized parts of the world, particularly the USA, Australia and Africa, continues to call into question this Eurocentrism. This shift in focus has been fueled, in part, by globalization, which has resulted in many benefits for rock art researchers, including the expansion of inquiry into new territories and the rapid sharing of developments in new methods for surveying, recording and dating rock images. Globalization has also generated new challenges and tensions. There are still many countries and territories that are excluded from these discussions, and Western hegemony and patrimony as promoted by institutions such as UNESCO, often collide with the interests of nationalism and local communities. The chapters in this volume explore these tensions and many suggest strategies to promote more critical attitudes toward globalization.
Understanding Rock Art: What Neuroscience Can Add
Authors: Onians John
Published: May 2024

In this chapter, I will make a case that neuroscience can help with the understanding of any art, and that in the context of rock art, with its deep history, it offers particular advantages. Most importantly it can give us new access to the minds of its makers and users, something much needed in the absence of the verbal commentaries associated with most other categories of material. That access, I suggest, can be obtained by using the latest knowledge of the extent to which the formation of the individual brain is affected by the environment to which it is exposed. This knowledge can help not only to reconstruct salient aspects of the neural resources of any individual or group whose material and social environment is sufficiently familiar to us, but also to infer how those resources are likely to have influenced such art-related behaviours as their motor inclinations and visual preferences. When these insights are supported by an understanding of such other newly discovered properties of our brains as its neural plasticity and neural mirroring, we can build up a new understanding of the mental activities behind the similarities and the differences in the way people living at different places and times have marked rock walls. A neural approach also allows us to re-evaluate assumptions about the history of culture that have been taken for granted in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, and art history, such as the pre-eminence of the role of language in the formation of culture and the associated insistence that art is necessarily a symbolic activity. In this way neuroscience can add a new dimension to cultural history.
Graffiti, Vandalism and Destruction: Preserving Rock Art in a Globalized World
Authors: Taçon Paul S. C.
Published: May 2024

In our globalized world access to rock art sites is unprecedented. But despite awareness campaigns, education about the universal value of rock art, global media attention and the efforts of those who manage rock art sites, purposeful damage to rock art imagery and the landscapes it is a part of continues at an alarming rate. There are many reasons for this, including ignorance, indifference, iconoclasm, racism, political motivations, and economic priorities. It also has been observed that ‘marks attract marks’ so for some people there is a compulsion to leave one’s own mark at rock art sites because previous people have done so. Indeed, new graffiti at rock art sites, unless quickly removed, can soon lead to a growing number of incidents. To further complicate things, Indigenous interactions with rock art sites can sometimes lead to new mark making construed by others as a form of vandalism. After summarizing why rock art is important in today’s globalized digital world, the history of purposeful damage to rock art sites is briefly reviewed before recent case studies from Australia and elsewhere are discussed. New strategies for preventing graffiti and vandalism at rock art sites, are then outlined. It is concluded that our global rock art heritage needs to be valued as a part of living culture rather than archaeological artefact in order to best conserve it for future generations.
‘Out of Franco-Cantabria’: The Globalization of Pleistocene Rock Art
Authors: Ruiz-Redondo Aitor
Published: May 2024

Since the second half of the twentieth century, globalization has transformed archaeology into a ‘geoculture’ (using Wallerstein’s words) defined by the increasing circulation of ideas within a worldwide scientific community. This change has not only affected the ways in which new paradigms and methods are transmitted, but it has also significantly broadened the geographical boundaries of archaeological research. The example of Palaeolithic rock art can be used to illustrate the various dimensions of this transformation. In Europe, Pleistocene cave art was considered a phenomenon with a ‘core’ firmly embedded in the Franco-Cantabrian region and a ‘periphery’ which included some neighbouring areas, such as Southern Spain and Italy. Despite some discoveries in Russia (1957) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (1973), this reductionist view remained unchallenged until the beginning of the twenty-first century. Non-European sites were often disregarded and reduced to the status of ‘outliers’ in relation to the central core area, resulting in the limitation, rather than invigoration, of research in these regions. However, the new millennium has witnessed a significant increase in the number of European countries with well-dated Paleolithic cave art sites, including the United Kingdom and Romania, among others. Nevertheless, the greatest shifts in the field of rock art studies globally have emerged during the last decade with: (1) the discovery of Paleolithic rock art in locations very distant from the traditional European ‘core’ (e.g., Australia and Indonesia), and (2) the development of systematic archaeological rock art surveys in areas outside of the ‘periphery’ (e.g., Southeast Europe). Today, it is evident that Paleolithic rock art is a widespread global phenomenon. Despite this, a vast majority of teams and specialists are still focused on the Franco-Cantabrian region, and they seldomly develop research in ‘new’ territories. Hence, globalization has led to an increasing awareness of the ‘Franco-Cantabrian bias,’ but has archaeological research changed accordingly?
Replicated Temporality. Time, Originality, and Rock Art Replicas
Authors: Mayer Laura , Porr Martin
Published: May 2024

The understanding of the notion of ‘the past’ has undergone a complex development in recent years within archaeology and related disciplines. It continues to be interpreted in different ways and in relation to different types of evidence. Indeed, understandings of the conceptualisation of time itself has received an increasing amount of attention, both in relation to methodological and theoretical considerations as well as in terms of public and historical imaginations. In this paper, we explore these aspects in relation to the transformation of archaeological evidence into heritage in the context of European Palaeolithic cave art sites. We focus on the processes of the perception, creation, and imagination of time in relation to 3D replicas of two famous painted cave sites: Lascaux and Chauvet. Through our analysis, we demonstrate that these replicas are reflections of a modern, essentialist, and linear understanding of history, which is linked to a fascination with the notion of originality and related ideas of purity, authority, and wholeness. Engaging with the temporality of the replica also allows an understanding of the unstable character of these notions as the replicas simultaneously exist in (at least) two temporalities and the viewer’s engagement might oscillate between the two. While being wholly located in the present, the replica equally reflects human masterful abilities in the present and the deep past. Our analysis consequently allows to appreciate how the replica participates in the unstable and socially constructed temporalities of authenticity and originality.
The Divide Between ‘European’ and ‘Indigenous’ Rock Arts: Exploring a Eurocentic Bias in the Age of Globalization
Authors: Moro Abadía Oscar , Chase Amy A.
Published: May 2024

Rock art studies are a field of research that includes many different (and diverse) national traditions. While most of these traditions have their own research histories and trajectories, during most of the twentieth century, rock art literature was marked by a certain prominence of European Palaeolithic art. The privileged position of the European record was the result of a combination of factors, including the traditional focus on European archaeology, the abundance of and research support for decorated caves in Southern France and Northern Spain, and, especially, a number of ethnocentric prejudices against Indigenous peoples. However, in a context marked by globalization, a number of developments in the past decades have called into question the divide that favours European cave art at the expense of other rock art corpuses. For instance, new dating techniques have showed that the traditional belief that the temporal ‘origins’ of rock art was in Europe cannot be sustained. Similarly, innovative theoretical approaches mainly based on Indigenous rock art have generated many new avenues of research for the meaning, the making, and the context of rock images. With reference to the history of research, we argue that we need to overcome the divide that privileges the European record in rock art research. However, the favoured position of the European caves is deeply rooted in many conscious and unconscious biases. For this reason, we explore in this paper a number of strategies that can help us to counteract Eurocentrism, including the abandonment of traditional narratives, the focus on the materiality, making, location, and contents of rock images, and the development of new styles of theorizing.
Why Do Old Dates Fascinate Prehistorians?
Authors: Sauvet Georges
Published: May 2024

Archaeologists have always been interested in placing things into chronological sequences. Prior to the discovery of numerical dating techniques, the sequence of prehistoric events was only known relatively within large approximations and with high degrees of uncertainty. From the 1950s onwards, radiocarbon dating appeared as the most important method to obtain the chronometric age of prehistoric materials. Later, accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) became the prevalent technique and began to be used to date rock art paintings. The precision of this method improved, and the age of much rock art was pushed back. New techniques based on luminescence (e.g., TL, OSL) and the disequilibrium in the U-series (e.g., U/Th) have been developed in the last years. Engaged in an international race toward the oldest dates, prehistorians from all over the world have seemed to move away from their primary objective, which is the understanding of past societies. In rock art studies, research is now shaped by the search for the ‘earliest art’ and the oldest manifestation of ‘symbolic behaviour.’ Through the examination of the different dating techniques developed in the second half of the twentieth century, several examples of this time-driven prehistory will be given. Behind an illusory mathematical rigor, the leaden weights of preconception and ulterior motive reappear in many cases, reminding us that prehistory is not only a ‘human science,’ but a science made by humans.
Transformation of the Built and Lived Environment
Authors: Kemper Frank , Lohrberg Frank
Published: May 2024

The built environment is like a reason and solution for different ongoing societal and environmental change processes. On the one hand, it may enable societal progress, ensure people's health, and is a precondition for our modern society's working and productivity environment. On the other hand, the built environment is a crucial driver of carbon emissions, and a significant driver of climate change improvements in manufacturing processes, (re)use of structures, and reduction of energy consumption are requirements. Obviously, researching possible solution paths for changing boundaries requires a variety of interdisciplinary resources and expertise. Everything mentioned interferes and significantly depends on the economic opportunities the different societies can spend for the transition and how willing they regard the expected changes. The growth area “Built and Lived Environment” (BLE) of RWTH Aachen University aims to provide such kind of interdisciplinary research playground. Different ongoing methods and examples emerging from the growth area BLE and specific solutions of transformative research in the described field are presented.
Humboldtn and the Sustainable Transformation of Universities
Authors: Höhl Johanna , Tomazin Annalena , Greiff Kathrin
Published: May 2024

The sustainable transformation of society is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Universities are central actors for knowledge generation and transfer in the sustainability field and, at the same time, are facing the question of how they can become sustainable social actors and make their activities and infrastructure sustainable. Against this background, the 16 member universities of the State Rectors’ Conference of North Rhine-Westphalia have joined forces in the Humboldtn initiative to pool their efforts in the field of sustainability and to anchor generational responsibility for sustainable action in research, teaching, administration, infrastructure, and transfer. How the joint responsibility for the questions for the future in the aforementioned complex of topics is addressed via Humboldtn and which focal points are set in the process will be presented and discussed using examples from the institutional sustainability transformation and examples from the research area from RWTH Aachen University. In this way, the implementation of transformation processes at universities and their possible blueprint effect can be illuminated.
An Actor in the Transformation Triad: The Platform Approach “REVIERa”
Authors: Förster Agnes , Paegert Maren , Böschen Stefan , Letmathe Peter
Published: May 2024

The Rhenish mining area—Europe’s largest lignite mining region—is currently undergoing a complex structural change process due to the coal phase-out that is being enacted in Germany. Researchers from RWTH Aachen University—an institution of education and research that is an integral part of the surrounding region—have founded the transformation platform “REVIERa”. Their objective is to create a forum around the lignite phase-out and to link up knowledge and activities, both inside the University and with regional partners and residents. With regard to the Aachen Transformation Model, this article reflects on the platform’s contribution to researching, shaping, and enabling the transformation process in the Rhenish mining area. We discuss the value added by the platform as well as the related challenges, limitations, interdependencies, and appropriate methods. In this respect, REVIERa can have an integrative function; however, some open questions regarding further research potential and the nature of transformation processes, institutional roles, and structures remain.
The Duty to Protect Our Ocean Heritage from Bottom Trawling
Authors: Ermida Maria Pena
Published: May 2024

This chapter seeks to provide an overview of the legal framework surrounding the protection of UCH as a part of the Marine Environment within the context of law of the Sea, focusing particularly on the rules regarding bottom trawling.
Beneath a Façade: The Unscientific Justification of Treasure Salvage
Authors: Brennan Michael L.
Published: May 2024

Professor Thijs Maarleveld of the University of Southern Denmark and co-founder of the ICOMOS International Committee on the Underwater Cultural Heritage (ICUCH), was a fierce guardian of underwater cultural heritage and proponent of the UNESCO recommendation of in situ preservation as a first option. Despite his unfortunate and untimely passing in 2020, Prof. Maarleveld’s efforts to combat the misrepresentation of commercial salvage as archaeological investigation remains a beacon in the field and a reminder of best practices for protecting UCH. He championed the guiding principle that ‘the preservation in situ of underwater cultural heritage shall be considered as the first option’. Maarleveld noted that ‘the principle to consider in situ preservation first is not to be confused with the foregone conclusion that in situ preservation is what is to be decided to’ (2016, p. 478), only that it is considered as a first option. In addition, strides have been made by UNESCO and other organisations to develop tools for preservation in situ of shipwreck sites that contribute to long term management options but do not ‘reduce a central principle to a management tool’ and it is even understood that there are situations and conditions in which in situ preservation is not a preferred or feasible option (Maarleveld, 2016). However, there are those that have used this as a way to argue instead for commercial salvage of any shipwrecks, not just those that are threatened.
Conclusion: Looking Forward
Authors: Jarvis Charlotte
Published: May 2024

The case studies presented in this volume offer a compelling look at the damage caused to many forms of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) by bottom trawling and other mobile fishing gear, as well as provide some suggestions to protect this vital Ocean Heritage resource for future generations. The authors from Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (Chap. 6, this volume) highlight their new Sanctuary Mapping Initiative which works with fishers to ‘to conduct side-scan sonar surveys to locate and document shipwrecks and characterise seafloor habitats’. It is a promising step forward and can help to show fishers in other waters the shared natural and cultural importance to shipwrecks and highlight the need for protection of seabed heritage.
Relativity of Reductive Chain Complexes of Non-abelian Simplexes
Authors: Zuevsky A.
Published: May 2024

Chain total double complexes with reductive differentials for non-abelian simplexes with associated spaces are considered. It is conjectured that corresponding relative cohomology is equivalent to the coset space of vanishing functionals over non-vanishing functionals related to differentials of complexes. The conjecture is supported by the theorem for the case of spaces of correlation functions and generalized connections on vertex operator algebra bundles.
The Role of Convection in the Limit Shape of the Critical Front Profile for Born-Infeld Diffusion Models
Authors: Garrione Maurizio , Jleli Mohamed , Samet Bessem
Published: May 2024

In this paper, we deal with models with Born-Infeld (or relativistic) type diffusion and monostable reaction, investigating the effect of the introduction of a convection term on the limit shape of the critical front profile for vanishing diffusion. We first provide an estimate of the critical speed and then, through a careful analysis of an equivalent first-order problem, we show that different convection terms may lead either to a complete sharpening of the limit profile or to its complete regularization, presenting some related numerical simulations.
Equilibrium States of Endomorphisms of $\mathbb{P}^{k}$: Spectral Stability and Limit Theorems
Authors: Bianchi Fabrizio , Dinh Tien-Cuong
Published: May 2024

We establish the existence of a spectral gap for the transfer operator induced on $\mathbb{P}^{k} = \mathbb{P}^{k} (\mathbb{C})$ by a generic holomorphic endomorphism and a suitable continuous weight and its perturbations on various functional spaces, which is new even in dimension one. Thanks to the spectral gap, we establish an exponential speed of convergence for the equidistribution of the backward orbits of points towards the conformal measure and the exponential mixing. Moreover, as an immediate consequence, we obtain a full list of statistical properties for the equilibrium states: CLT, Berry-Esseen Theorem, local CLT, ASIP, LIL, LDP, almost sure CLT. Many of these properties are new even in dimension one, some even in the case of zero weight function (i.e., for the measure of maximal entropy).
Häufigkeit und Barrieren bei Patientenverfügung und Vorsorgevollmacht: Erkenntnisse aus einer prospektiven Observationsstudie im palliativmedizinischen Dienst
Authors: Breen Benedict Mathias , Flohr Claudia , Wendt Heike , Chalk Katharina , Haase Ulrike , Hartog Christiane , Tafelski Sascha
Published: May 2024

Hintergrund und Fragestellung

Vorsorgevollmacht und Patientenverfügung sind Instrumente zur Stärkung der Patientenautonomie. Palliativmedizinische Dienste bieten entsprechende Beratung für Patient:innen und Angehörige an. Gegenstand der vorliegenden Studie ist es, den Beratungsbedarf von lebensbedrohlich erkrankten Patient:innen zu erfassen.

Studiendesign und Untersuchungsmethode

Diese prospektive Beobachtungsstudie erfasste stationäre Patient:innen mit einer palliativmedizinischen Mitbehandlung. Es wurden patientenbezogene Faktoren ermittelt, die mit dem Vorliegen von Vorsorgevollmacht oder Patientenverfügung assoziiert waren. Zusätzlich erfolgten Fokusgruppeninterviews mit Mitgliedern des Konsildiensts zur Ermittlung von Barrieren zur Erstellung von Vorsorgeverfügungen.

Ergebnisse

Insgesamt wurden 294 Patient:innen eines palliativmedizinischen Diensts mit einem medianen Alter von 67 Jahren eingeschlossen, davon 69 (23 %) intensivmedizinisch behandelte Patient:innen. Insgesamt 98 (33 %) Patient:innen hatten eine Patientenverfügung, 133 (45 %) eine Vorsorgevollmacht. Es verstarben 52 Patient:innen (17,7 %) im Krankenhaus. Lediglich das Alter sowie der Familienstand waren mit dem Vorhandensein von Verfügungen assoziiert. Fokusgruppeninterviews erarbeiteten folgende Barrieren: Informationsdefizite, Sorgen vor einem Therapieabbruch, Autonomieverlust sowie den Wunsch, Belastung der Familie bzw. Patientenvertreter zu vermeiden.

Diskussion

Es zeigt sich, dass auch in dieser schwer erkrankten Population die Mehrheit keine Vorausverfügung trifft. Um Hürden abzubauen, ist eine verbesserte Aufklärung und Beratung über Vorausverfügungen notwendig, insbesondere in spezifischen Situationen der eigenen Urteilsunfähigkeit.
Muskelverletzungen: Stellenwert der hochauflösenden dynamischen Sonographie in der Diagnostik, Therapie und im Monitoring
Authors: Dünkel Jörg , Scheider Thomas-Oliver , Tamborrini Giorgio
Published: May 2024

Hintergrund

Im Fußballsport sind Muskelverletzungen ein häufiges Verletzungsmuster. Die Bildgebung ist ein zentrales Element zur Diagnosestellung. Hierfür werden hauptsächlich die MRT und der Ultraschall eingesetzt. Beide Verfahren haben Vor- und Nachteile, welche abgewogen werden sollten.

Neue Ultraschalltechniken

Die Rolle der MRT als Goldstandard wird zunehmend durch neue Techniken des hochauflösenden Ultraschalls abgelöst und nicht immer ist eine MRT-Bildgebung sinnvoll. Auch während der Reha-Phase empfehlen sich regelmäßige Ultraschallbildgebungen, um Komplikationen frühzeitig zu erkennen. Hierbei kann der Heilungsverlauf monitorisiert werden, und es besteht die Möglichkeiten für ultraschallnavigierte Interventionen, wie Hämatompunktionen und gezielte Infiltrationsbehandlungen.

Vorteile und Nachteile

Ein Nachteil der Ultraschalldiagnostik ist jedoch die Nutzerabhängigkeit. Bei erfahrenen Anwendern wird diese durch die zahlreichen Vorteile des modernen Ultraschalls ausgeglichen, womit er der MRT in vielen Bereichen – speziell auch mit der Möglichkeit eines dynamischen Ultraschalls – überlegen ist. Dennoch bleibt die MRT bei bestimmten Fragestellungen eine sinnvolle und notwendige Untersuchungsmethode.
The hydrates of chlorogenic acid in its aqueous solution and in stored food products
Authors: Dawidowicz Andrzej L. , Typek Rafał , Hołowiński Piotr , Olszowy-Tomczyk Małgorzata
Published: May 2024

Chlorogenic acids (CQAs), a large family of naturally occurring esters of quinic acid with one, two or even three cinnamic acids moieties and/or moieties of cinnamic acids derivatives, supplied to human organisms mainly with coffee, tea, fruit and vegetables, have been among the most frequently studied polyphenols. Of these, caffeic acid esters predominate, and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA) is their main and most widespread representative. Recently performed studies have shown that after removing water from the aqueous solution of 5-CQA, its dry residue contains two hydrates of this compound, each consisting of two 5-CQA molecules and two molecules of H2O (2 × 5-CQA*2xH2O). The results presented in the paper not only define the characteristic features of 5-CQA but, more importantly, offer solid evidence that 5-CQA hydrates begin to form already in the aqueous solution of 5-CQA immediately after the dissolution of this compound and that the analogous process can occur in food products containing 5-CQA during their storage. Moreover, the performed experiments indicate the validity of the hypothesis that 5-CQA hydrates are formed by active collisions of 5-CQA molecules with monomeric/dimeric water molecules existing in trace amount in strongly associated aqueous systems. The presence of 5-CQA hydrates in liquid food products may have a significant impact on the assessment of some of their physicochemical properties as well as their biochemical activity.
Dual engineered bacteria improve inflammatory bowel disease in mice
Authors: Wu Yong-Qi , Zou Zhen-Ping , Zhou Ying , Ye Bang-Ce
Published: May 2024

Currently, there are many different therapies available for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including engineered live bacterial therapeutics. However, most of these studies focus on producing a single therapeutic drug using individual bacteria, which may cause inefficacy. The use of dual drugs can enhance therapeutic effects. However, expressing multiple therapeutic drugs in one bacterial chassis increases the burden on the bacterium and hinders good secretion and expression. Therefore, a dual-bacterial, dual-drug expression system allows for the introduction of two probiotic chassis and enhances both therapeutic and probiotic effects. In this study, we constructed a dual bacterial system to simultaneously neutralize pro-inflammatory factors and enhance the anti-inflammatory pathway. These bacteria for therapy consist of Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 that expressed and secreted anti-TNF-α nanobody and IL-10, respectively. The oral administration of genetically engineered bacteria led to a decrease in inflammatory cell infiltration in colon and a reduction in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, the administration of engineered bacteria did not markedly aggravate gut fibrosis and had a moderating effect on intestinal microbes. This system proposes a dual-engineered bacterial drug combination treatment therapy for inflammatory bowel disease, which provides a new approach to intervene and treat IBD.

Key points

• The paper discusses the effects of using dual engineered bacteria on IBD

• Prospects of engineered bacteria in the clinical treatment of IBD

Graphical Abstract
Retrospective analysis of radiological investigation of surgically excised head and neck lipomas
Authors: Schranz Amy L. , Riordan Fiona , Dolan Roisin , Lawlor Catriona , Morrison Colin , O’Toole Gary , Killeen Ronan , McNeill Graeme , O’Donohoe Rory , Moran Tom , O’Duffy Fergal
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Differentiating benign lipomas from malignant causes is challenging and preoperative investigative guidelines are not well-defined. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively identify cases of head and neck lipomas that were surgically resected over a 5-year period and to identify the radiological modality chosen and features discussed in the final report. Multidisciplinary outcomes and pathology reports were examined with a view to identifying high risk features of a lipoma to aid in future risk stratification.

Methods

Retrospective chart review of pathology characteristics, radiological features (modality, size, calcifications, septations, globular/nodular foci), multidisciplinary discussion and history of presenting complaint was performed.

Results

Two liposarcomas and 138 lipomas were identified. Twenty-two percent of all lipomas received radiological investigation. Twenty-two percent of imaging referrals were possibly inappropriate. Furthermore, radiological features suggestive of malignancy were not present in the final radiology report, X2 = 28.8, p < 0.0001.

Conclusion

As expected, the incidence of liposarcoma is low. There is limited awareness of radiology referral guidelines superimposed with a tendency to over-investigate lipomas. Furthermore, radiological features suggestive of malignancy were inconsistently reported on and not documented in multidisciplinary discussions. Therefore, we propose a multidisciplinary checklist for referring physicians and radiologists to aid in diagnostic work-up.
Keep Calm: Does parental preoperative anxiety affect post-tonsillectomy pain scores in children?
Authors: Alves Clara Serdoura , Dias Joana , Azevedo Sara , Sousa Francisco , Santos Mariline , Lino Joao , Meireles Luis
Published: May 2024

Purpose

To understand if high parental anxiety leads to increased post-tonsillectomy pain in children.

Methods

Prospective study including parents of children aged 3–10 years old submitted to tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy. To evaluate anxiety, parents were asked to fill the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory form-Y, with postoperative pain being evaluated with the Wong-Baker FACES pain scale at postoperative days 1, 3 and 7. Parents were also asked to register the number of days during which children took analgesic and the number of analgesic intakes needed.

Results

41 parents were enrolled, of which 95.1% (n = 39) were female with a mean age of 35.64 years (SD 5.751), with 41 children also being enrolled, of which 85.4% of children (n = 35) underwent tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. 43.9% (n = 18) of parents presented State anxiety scores above the cut-off level and 53.7% (n = 22) above the Trait anxiety scores above the cut-off. Children of parents with high State anxiety presented statistically higher pain scores in both the third (p = 0.035) and the seventh postoperative days (p = 0.006), with significantly longer use of analgesic medication (p = 0.043) being found, as well as a statistically higher number of analgesic intakes (p = 0.045) (Table 4).

Conclusion

The present study establishes an association between preoperative parental anxiety, postoperative pain scores and the need for longer analgesic use in children undergoing tonsillectomy. This reinforces the importance of reducing parental anxiety and opens the door for further strategies to better post-tonsillectomy outcomes.
The interplay between excess weight and hyper-glycemia on NCDs in Italy: results from a cross-sectional study
Authors: Atella Vincenzo , Belotti Federico , Giaccherini Matilde , Medea Gerardo , Piano Mortari Andrea , Sbraccia Paolo , Nicolucci Antonio
Published: May 2024

Purpose

To evaluate the prevalence of chronic comorbidities according to BMI classes and assess the interplay between excess body weight and blood glucose abnormalities in increasing the risk of major chronic diseases.

Methods

The study is based on data from the Health Search/IQVIA Health LPD Longitudinal Patient Database, an Italian general practice registry, with data obtained from electronic clinical records of 800 general practitioners throughout Italy. Data relative to the year 2018 were analyzed. The study population was classified according to BMI (normal weight, overweight, and obesity classes 1, 2 and 3) and glucose metabolism status (normoglycemia—NGT; impaired fasting glucose—IFG; diabetes mellitus—DM). Comorbidities were identified through ICD-9 CM codes.

Results

Data relative to 991,917 adults were analyzed. The prevalence of overweight was 39.4%, while the prevalence of obesity was 11.1% (class 1: 7.9%, class 2: 2.3%, class 3: 0.9%). In the whole population, the prevalence of DM and IFG was 8.9% and 4.2%, respectively. Both overweight and obesity were associated with an increasing prevalence of glucose metabolism alterations and a large array of different chronic conditions, including cardio-cerebrovascular diseases, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, osteoarticular diseases, depression, sleep apnea, and neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. Within each BMI class, the presence of IFG, and to a greater extent DM, identified subgroups of individuals with a marked increase in the risk of concomitant chronic conditions.

Conclusion

Addressing the double burden of excess weight and hyperglycemia represents an important challenge and a healthcare priority.
Klinische Prüfungen von Arzneimitteln
Authors: Köglberger Paul , Perschinka Fabian , Joannidis Michael , Stingl Nina , Pirklbauer Christina
Published: May 2024

Entscheidungsfähige Erwachsene können in klinische Prüfungen von Arzneimitteln nur selbst einwilligen. Bei Erwachsenen ohne vorliegende Entscheidungsfähigkeit kann der Erwachsenenvertreter stellvertretend im Interesse des Patienten entscheiden. Bei Minderjährigen ist unabhängig vom Vorliegen der Entscheidungsfähigkeit bei klinischen Prüfungen von Arzneimitteln die Einwilligung des Obsorgeberechtigten (zusätzlich) einzuholen. Bei der Erforschung von Krankheitsbildern in der Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin ist es nicht unüblich, dass Patienten auf Grund ihres Krankheitszustandes nicht entscheidungsfähig sind, daher muss bereits bei der Studienplanung das Vorgehen zum Einschluss nicht entscheidungsfähiger Patienten im Protokoll genau festgelegt werden sowie eine geeignete Patienteninformation und Einwilligungserklärung (Informed Consent Form, ICF) für den jeweiligen in Frage kommenden Adressaten der Aufklärung vorbereitet werden. Dieser Artikel soll praxisorientiert die wichtigsten Aspekte der ärztlichen Aufklärung und Einwilligung bei klinischen Prüfungen von Arzneimitteln vermitteln. Neben den einheitlich geltenden Normen in der Europäischen Union berücksichtigt dieser Artikel weiters ausschließlich die nationale Rechtslage Österreichs.
The gills and skin microbiota of five pelagic fish species from the Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Varela José Luis , Nikouli Eleni , Medina Antonio , Papaspyrou Sokratis , Kormas Konstantinos
Published: May 2024

The gills and skin microbiota and microbiome of wild fish remain far more under-investigated compared to that of farmed fish species, despite that these animal-microbe interactions hold the same ecophysiological roles in both cases. In this study, the gills and skin bacterial microbiota profiles and their presumptive bacterial metabolisms were investigated in five open-sea fishes: bullet tuna (Auxis sp.), common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus), Atlantic little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus), Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda) and Atlantic white marlin (Kajikia albida). Gills and skin tissues were collected from two to three individuals per species, from specimens caught by recreational trolling during summer of 2019, and their bacterial 16S rRNA gene diversity was analysed by high-throughput sequencing. The gills bacterial communities among the five species were clearly different but not the skin bacterial microbiota. The dominant operational taxonomic units belonged to the Moraxellaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Staphylococcaceae and Vibrionaceae families. Despite the differences in taxonomic composition, the presumptive bacterial metabolisms between the gills and skin of the five fishes investigated here were ≥ 94% similar and were dominated by basic metabolism, most likely reflecting the continuous exposure of these tissues in the surrounding seawater.
An “integration” of professional identity formation among rural physicians experiencing an interplay between their professional and personal identities
Authors: Miyachi Junichiro , Iwakuma Miho , Nishigori Hiroshi
Published: May 2024

The present understanding of professional identity formation is problematic since it underrepresents minority physicians and potentially excludes their professional identity formation experiences. Rural physicians are expected to have similar underrepresented aspects as minority physicians because of their specific sociocultural contexts and consequent private–professional intersection, which lead to ethical complexities. Therefore, to bridge this research gap, we interviewed 12 early- to mid-career Japanese physicians working in rural areas and explored their experiences. Through a narrative analysis guided by Figured Worlds theory, we analysed the data by focusing on the vocabulary, expressions, and metaphors participants used to describe their experiences. A central theme emerged concerning how the rural physicians configurated their personal versus professional participation in their local communities. Further, their identity narratives varied regarding how they constructed their identities, rural communities, and relationships as well as their identity formation ideals and strategies to achieve them. Informed by ‘Big Questions’ concerning worldview framework, we delineated four identity narratives as prototypes to describe how they participated in their communities. These identity narratives provide a preliminary understanding of how diverse identity formation is for rural physicians. In addition, our findings exposed the current professional identity formation framework as potentially biased towards single forms of participation in monolithic communities, overlooking complicated forms of participation in multiple communities. We argue that applying frameworks and concepts to capture these multiple forms of participation as well as revisiting the ‘discourse of integration’ are necessary steps to overcome the limitation of the current understanding of professional identity formation.
Generating probabilistic forecasts from arbitrary point forecasts using a conditional invertible neural network
Authors: Phipps Kaleb , Heidrich Benedikt , Turowski Marian , Wittig Moritz , Mikut Ralf , Hagenmeyer Veit
Published: May 2024

In various applications, probabilistic forecasts are required to quantify the inherent uncertainty associated with the forecast. However, many existing forecasting methods still only generate point forecasts. Although methods exist to generate probabilistic forecasts from these point forecasts, these are often limited to prediction intervals or must be trained together with a specific point forecast. Therefore, the present article proposes a novel approach for generating probabilistic forecasts from arbitrary point forecasts. In order to implement this approach, we apply a conditional Invertible Neural Network (cINN) to learn the underlying distribution of the data and then combine the uncertainty from this distribution with an arbitrary point forecast to generate probabilistic forecasts. We evaluate our approach by generating probabilistic forecasts from multiple point forecasts and comparing these forecasts to six probabilistic benchmarks on four data sets. We show that our approach generally outperforms all benchmarks with regard to CRPS and Winkler scores and generates probabilistic forecasts with the narrowest prediction intervals whilst remaining reasonably calibrated. Furthermore, our approach enables simple point forecasting methods to rank highly in the Global Energy Forecasting Competition 2014.
A rehearsal framework for computational efficiency in online continual learning
Authors: Davalas Charalampos , Michail Dimitrios , Diou Christos , Varlamis Iraklis , Tserpes Konstantinos
Published: May 2024

In the realm of online continual learning, models are expected to adapt to an ever-changing environment. One of the most persistent hurdles in this adaptation is the mitigation of a phenomenon called "Catastrophic Forgetting" (CF). This critical condition occurs when models trained on non-identically distributed data lose performance in previously learned tasks. Rehearsal methods, leveraging the ability to replay older samples, aim to address this challenge by incorporating a buffer of past training samples. However, the absence of known task boundaries complicates the adaptation of current CF mitigation methods. This paper proposes a method attuned to data stream characteristics and online model performance in a resource-constrained environment. The number of training iterations and learning rate emerges as crucial hyperparameters, impacting the efficacy and efficiency of online continual learning. Up to this point, we propose a combination of Experience Replay methodologies, a Drift Detector, and various training convergence policies, specially tailored for scenarios with unknown task boundaries. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, maintaining or enhancing performance compared to baseline methods, while significantly improving computational efficiency.
Heavy metals and potential health risk assessment of Lactuca sativa and Daucus carrota from soil treated with organic manures and chemical fertilizer
Authors: Aina O. E. , Mugivhisa L. L. , Olowoyo J. O. , Obi C. L.
Published: May 2024

The large-scale production of food crops with heavy application of chemical fertilizers in the effort to meet the astronomical increase in food demands may be counterproductive to the goal of food security. This study investigated the effect of different soil treatments on the levels of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in two types of vegetables Lactuca sativa (lettuce) and Daucus carrota (carrot). The potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks from their consumption were also evaluated. Planting experiment was set up in a randomized block design, with different soil treatments of soil + cow dung (CD), soil + sewage sludge (SS), soil + chemical fertilizer (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK)), and untreated soil (UNTRD). The vegetables were harvested at maturity, washed with distilled water, and subjected to an acid digestion process before the levels of heavy metals were measured by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS). The mean concentrations of the metals in the vegetables across all treatments were below the maximum permissible limits. The pattern of heavy metal accumulation by the vegetables suggested that the lettuce from SS treatment accumulated higher concentrations of heavy metals like Cr (0.20 mg/kg), Cu (3.91 mg/kg), Ni (0.33 mg/kg), and Zn (20.44 mg/kg) than carrot, with highest concentrations of Fe (90.89 mg/kg) and Pb (0.16 mg/kg) recorded in lettuce from NPK treatment. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) showed that lettuce, a leafy vegetable, has bioaccumulated more heavy metals than carrot, a root vegetable. The BAF was generally below the threshold value of 1 in both vegetables, except in lettuce from NPK and CD treatments and carrot from NPK treatments, with BAF values of 1.6, 1.69, and 1.39, respectively. The cancer risk assessment factors were well below the unacceptable maximum range of 10−4 suggesting that consuming these vegetables might not expose an individual to potential risk of cancer development. The hazard quotient estimations were below the threshold values of 1 for all heavy metals; however, the hazard index (HI) values of 1.27 and 1.58 for lettuce from NPK and SS treatments indicate a potential non-carcinogenic health risk to consumers from intake of all the heavy metals.
Revisiting the role of climate change on crop production: evidence from Mediterranean countries
Authors: Baris-Tuzemen Ozge , Lyhagen Johan
Published: May 2024

The Mediterranean region is an important agricultural center and is expected to be most affected by climate change due to its location. In this study, the role of climate change on agriculture is examined for eight South European countries on the Mediterranean coast for the period of 1996–2016. Carbon dioxide emissions, temperature and precipitation values are used as the indicators of climate change while cereal production is taken as a proxy for agricultural production. Results of the panel vector autoregression approach reveal that an increase in the carbon dioxide emissions and temperature have a negative impact on the cereal production. However, this effect is statistically significant only in the initial periods. On the other hand, an increase in rainfall has a statistically significant positive effect on crop production only in one period. However, eventually this effect turns to negative as expected, since excessive rainfall has a negative effect on agriculture as much as drought. In conclusion, the importance of bringing the policies and strategies to the forefront in ensuring the sustainability of agriculture and minimizing the negative effects of climate change in the region are discussed.
The impact of greenwashing on sustainability through green supply chain integration: the moderating role of information sharing
Authors: Santos Célia , Coelho Arnaldo , Cancela Beatriz Lopes
Published: May 2024

This study investigates the impact of greenwashing on sustainability through the effects of green supply chain integration, considering the moderating role of information sharing. The research proposes a theoretical model tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) and a multigroup analysis to understand the moderating role of information sharing. Hypotheses were tested in a sample of 312 key respondents from Portuguese buying firms that perceived greenwashing practices in their suppliers. Results indicate that greenwashing negatively affects green supply chain integration, while green supply chain integration enhances sustainability performance. This effect is stronger when information-sharing pressure is higher. The study underscores the importance of actively addressing greenwashing to improve green supply chain integration, especially when sustainability is the desired outcome. The research’s novelty lies in its contributions to building sustainable companies through green supply chain integration, trust, and partner communication.