bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The relationship between elastography-based muscle properties and vertical jump performance, countermovement utilization ratio, and rate of force development
Authors: Djurić Daniel , Pleša Jernej , Van Hooren Bas , Kozinc Žiga , Šarabon Nejc
Published: April 2023

This study explored the relationships between passive muscle stiffness (shear modulus) and vertical jumping performance, countermovement utilization ratio (CUR) and rate of force development (RFD) in an attempt to unravel the mechanism that may explain the association between shear modulus and performance. 32 recreationally active participants (16 males, 16 females; age: 22.4 ± 5.1 years) participated. Shear modulus was assessed for the lateral and medial gastrocnemius (GL and GM), and vastus medialis (VM) and lateralis (VL) muscles using shear wave elastography. Squat jump (SJ) and countermovement (CMJ) jump were determined, with CUR being expressed as the ratio between the two. RFD in ankle and knee extension tasks was measured using isometric dynamometers. Our results suggest that within a heterogeneous group of recreational athletes, passive muscle stiffness is not related to RFD and jump performance, but positively related to CUR. In males, shear modulus of the GL was positively related to SJ height (r = 0.55). We also found inverse moderate correlations between VL and VM shear modulus and RFD in females only (r = –0.50 to –0.51), but this relationship was possibly affected by age and body fat content. Different mechanisms may underpin the association between shear modulus and performance depending on the muscle, task and population investigated.
Motor skills at 7 years of age and spinal pain at 11 years of age: a cohort study of 26,000 preadolescents
Authors: Hestbæk L. , Kamper S. J. , Hartvigsen J. , Falch-Joergensen A. C.
Published: April 2023

This study aims to investigate the relationship between motor skills at age 7 and spinal pain at age 11. The study included participants from the Danish National Birth Cohort. Data on motor skills were obtained from the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire, completed by the mothers when the children were 7 years old, and spinal pain was self-reported at age 11 for frequency and intensity of neck, mid back, and low back pain. This was categorized into “no,” “moderate,” or “severe” pain, based on frequency and pain intensity. Associations were estimated using multinomial logistic regression models. Data on both motor skills and spinal pain was available for 25,000 children. There was a consistent pattern of reporting more neck or mid back pain at age 11 for those with lower levels of fine motor skills and coordination scores at age 11. The relationship was significant for severe pain (the highest relative risk ratio being 1.87 and the lowest 1.18), but not for moderate pain (the highest relative risk ratio being 1.22 and the lowest 1.07). Gross motor skills were not associated with spinal pain, and there was no relationship between low back pain and motor skills.

  Conclusion: Our results indicate a link between motor development at 7 years of age and neck and mid back pain, but not low back pain, at 11 years of age. Improvement of motor skills in young children might reduce the future burden of neck and mid back pain and should be a target of future research.

What is Known:

• Spinal pain in preadolescence and adolescence is common and
predisposes to spinal pain in adulthood.

• Motor skills influence the biomechanics of movement and therefore has a
potential impact on musculoskeletal health.

What is New:

• Poor fine motor- and coordination skills in childhood were associated with increased risk of severe neck- or mid back pain, but not low back pain, four 4 years later.

• Poor gross motor skills were not associated with higher risk of later spinal pain.
Synthesis and characterization of polyacrylamide-based biomimetic underwater adhesives
Authors: Pühringer Manuel , Paulik Christian , Bretterbauer Klaus
Published: April 2023

Adhesion in an aqueous environment is still a challenging topic. In recent years, the focus on biomimetic adhesives inspired by mussel proteins has greatly increased. The present paper focuses on a straightforward synthesis route for three biomimetic polymers with opportunity in a multi-gram scale and an overall yield of 83% over three steps. Two synthesized monomers combined with commercially available monomers are the basis for three different co-polymers with varying catechol content with nature inspired concentrations. Catechol-bearing monomers were protected prior to polymerization. Tensile tests in dry or wet conditions were performed with the deprotected polymers. The measured adhesion values determined via tensile tests increase with the amount of catechol introduced in the polymers and the highest adhesion values of 2.0 MPa for underwater adhesion were found for poly(phenethyl acrylamide co dopamine acrylamide) co-polymers.

Graphical abstract
Sacral neuromodulation for refractory ulcerative colitis: safety and efficacy in a prospective observational series of eight patients
Authors: Drissi Farouk , Bourreille Arnaud , Neunlist Michel , Meurette Guillaume
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment is mainly based on immunosuppressive therapy. As anti-inflammatory effects of sacral neuromodulation (SNM) have been previously reported in animal models, we conducted a pilot study aimed at assessing clinical, biological, and endoscopic response but also safety of SNM use in UC refractory to medical therapy.

Methods

Adult patients with histologically proven UC resistant to immunosuppressive therapy were invited to enroll in the study. Primary outcome was the rate of UC remission (UCDAI score ≤ 2, without any criteria > 1) at 8 weeks (W8). Secondary outcomes were biological and endoscopic response also evaluated at W8 and W16. Subsequently, every patient was followed every 6 months. Adverse events were prospectively collected for safety assessment during the follow-up.

Results

Eight patients, with mean age 47 years old, suffering from UC for 2–13 years were included. There were no complications in relation to SNM procedure. The acceptance of the device was excellent in all patients. Clinical and endoscopic remission was obtained at W8 in one patient (12.5%) and three other patients (37.5%) were responders at W16. At review (mean follow-up of 4 years), two patients (25%) were in remission and two (25%) were responders.

Conclusion

SNM application is safe in patients suffering from refractory UC. Effects on disease activity were mainly observed after 16 weeks. Larger prospective studies are mandatory, but SNM could be a way to reinforce medical therapy and reduce the use of immunosuppressive drugs.
Knowledge, perception, and practices regarding climate change among students of Al-Azhar University for Girls in Cairo, Egypt
Authors: Elsharkawy Safaa Abdelfattah , Elsheikh Asmaa Abdelghany , Refaat Laila Abdel Raheem
Published: April 2023

Aim

To assess knowledge, perception, and practices regarding climate change (CC) among university students and to investigate the relationships between knowledge levels and reported practices in response to CC.

Subject and methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 768 undergraduate students from the practical and theoretical faculties of Al-Azhar University for Girls in Cairo.

Results

Most (82.6%) students had heard the term CC and believed it affected their communities. Approximately 57.8% of the students possessed good knowledge about the causes and impacts of CC. The utilization of renewable energy sources, reduction of industrial pollution, and proper waste disposal were mentioned by over 90% of the students as measures to cope with CC. The most popular practices among participants were using energy-efficient lightbulbs (89.2%), short distance walking rather than riding (65.4%), and using public transportation rather than private cars (65%). There were significant positive relationships between the students’ knowledge and practice of environmentally friendly actions. In addition, participants’ residence, faculty, and information sources were significantly related to their knowledge.

Conclusions

Most of the university students were aware of CC and strongly agreed with the general mitigation measures, but they had insufficient knowledge and inadequate practices. CC education focusing on its causes and explaining its relationship with daily activities is highly recommended for youth so that they can adopt climate-friendly practices.
A scoping review of therapeutic reasoning process research
Authors: Duong Quang Hung , Pham To Nhu , Reynolds Lorenna , Yeap Yan , Walker Steven , Lyons Kayley
Published: April 2023

Therapeutic reasoning is when the purpose, task, or goal for engaging in reasoning is to determine the patient’s management plan. As the field’s understanding of the process of therapeutic reasoning is less well understood, we focused on studies that collected data on the process of therapeutic reasoning. To synthesize previous studies of therapeutic reasoning characteristics, methodological approaches, theoretical underpinnings, and results. We conducted a scoping review with systematic searching for English language articles with no date limits. Databases included MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, Scopus, Embase, Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global, and ERIC. Search terms captured therapeutic reasoning in health professions education research. Initial search yielded 5450 articles. The title and abstract screening yielded 180 articles. After full-text review, 87 studies were included in this review. Articles were excluded if they were outside health professions education, did not collect data on the process of therapeutic reasoning, were not empirical studies, or not focused on therapeutic reasoning. We analyzed the included articles according to scoping questions using qualitative content analysis. 87 articles dated from 1987 to 2019 were included. Several study designs were employed including think-aloud protocol, interview and written documentation. More than half of the articles analyzed the data using qualitative coding. Authors often utilized several middle-range theories to explain therapeutic reasoning processes. The hypothetico-deductive model was most frequently mentioned. The included articles rarely built off the results from previous studies. Six key result categories were found: identifying themes, characterizing and testing previous local theory, exploring factors, developing new local theory, testing tools, and testing hypothesis. Despite the cast body of therapeutic reasoning research, individual study results remain isolated from previous studies. Our future recommendations include synthesizing pre-existing models, developing novel methodologies, and investigating other aspects of therapeutic reasoning.
Measuring the end of hunger: Knowledge politics in the selection of SDG food security indicators
Authors: Iversen Thor Olav , Westengen Ola , Jerven Morten
Published: April 2023

Ending world hunger remains one of the central global challenges, but the question of how to measure and define the problem is politically charged. This article chronicles and analyses the indicator selection process for SDG 2.1, focusing in particular on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) indicator. Despite alleged efforts to separate political and technical aspects in the indicator selection process we find that they were entangled from the start. While there was significant contestation around which indicators should be selected, the process was characterized by pathway lock-in: The complexity of food security quantification and the resource constraints in the process favored already established data infrastructures and milieus of expertise, locking in the position of FAO and its established food security indicators. The SDG 2.1 indicators frame food insecurity in terms of caloric supply and demand and individual experience, arguably excluding dimensions of democratic agency, sustainability and other dimensions and drivers of food insecurity. The lock-in has thus embedded a narrow concept of food security in the major global indicator framework for food security monitoring. This is likely to have significant effects on how food insecurity is addressed nationally and internationally. Addressing the knowledge politics of food security indicators is important to broaden and open the agenda for sustainable transformation of food systems. Statistics and indicators are important tools in this agenda, but a diversity of approaches and data infrastructures from the local to the international level are needed to understand the multiple dimensions and drivers of food insecurity.
An essential role for the Ino80 chromatin remodeling complex in regulation of gene expression during cellular quiescence
Authors: Zahedi Yasaman , Zeng Shengyuan , Ekwall Karl
Published: April 2023

Cellular quiescence is an important physiological state both in unicellular and multicellular eukaryotes. Quiescent cells are halted for proliferation and stop the cell cycle at the G0 stage. Using fission yeast as a model organism, we have previously found that several subunits of a conserved chromatin remodeling complex, Ino80C (INOsitol requiring nucleosome remodeling factor), are required for survival in quiescence. Here, we demonstrate that Ino80C has a key function in the regulation of gene expression in G0 cells. We show that null mutants for two Ino80C subunits, Iec1 and Ies2, a putative subunit Arp42, a null mutant for the histone variant H2A.Z, and a null mutant for the Inositol kinase Asp1 have very similar phenotypes in quiescence. These mutants show reduced transcription genome-wide and specifically fail to activate 149 quiescence genes, of which many are localized to the subtelomeric regions. Using spike in normalized ChIP-seq experiments, we show that there is a global reduction of H2A.Z levels in quiescent wild-type cells but not in iec1∆ cells and that a subtelomeric chromosome boundary element is strongly affected by Ino80C. Based on these observations, we propose a model in which Ino80C is evicting H2A.Z from chromatin in quiescent cells, thereby inactivating the subtelomeric boundary element, leading to a reorganization of the chromosome structure and activation of genes required to survive in quiescence.
Excess death estimates from multiverse analysis in 2009–2021
Authors: Levitt Michael , Zonta Francesco , Ioannidis John P. A.
Published: April 2023

Excess death estimates have great value in public health, but they can be sensitive to analytical choices. Here we propose a multiverse analysis approach that considers all possible different time periods for defining the reference baseline and a range of 1 to 4 years for the projected time period for which excess deaths are calculated. We used data from the Human Mortality Database on 33 countries with detailed age-stratified death information on an annual basis during the period 2009–2021. The use of different time periods for reference baseline led to large variability in the absolute magnitude of the exact excess death estimates. However, the relative ranking of different countries compared to others for specific years remained largely unaltered. The relative ranking of different years for the specific country was also largely independent of baseline. Averaging across all possible analyses, distinct time patterns were discerned across different countries. Countries had declines between 2009 and 2019, but the steepness of the decline varied markedly. There were also large differences across countries on whether the COVID-19 pandemic years 2020–2021 resulted in an increase of excess deaths and by how much. Consideration of longer projected time windows resulted in substantial shrinking of the excess deaths in many, but not all countries. Multiverse analysis of excess deaths over long periods of interest can offer an approach that better accounts for the uncertainty in estimating expected mortality patterns, comparative mortality trends across different countries, and the nature of observed mortality peaks.
Evolution of Didacticians’ meta-didactical Praxeologies and Documentation Work
Authors: Pocalana Gabriella , Robutti Ornella
Published: April 2023

This study is aimed to understand the connections between didacticians’ meta-didactical praxeologies for the design and implementation of a teacher professional development program and their documentation work for the program itself. Didacticians are mathematics education researchers with the role of teacher educators. Data presents a case study, in which two didacticians (the authors) generate documents for the work with seventeen in-service mathematics teachers working at the lower secondary level, on inquiry mathematics tasks. The results reveal relationships, not yet fully addressed in research, between the intertwining evolution processes of the didacticians’ meta-didactical praxeologies and their documentation work, nurtured by the collaboration with the teachers. The whole process is led by the evolving goal of the professional development program, from the promotion of the classroom implementation of inquiry mathematics tasks to the broader goal of building an inquiry community with the teachers. This study could contribute to the introduction of an interpretative model for the didacticians’ work for the design and implementation of a teacher professional development program, based on the combination of Meta-Didactical Transposition and Documentational Approach to Didactics frameworks.
Social Anxiety and Its Maintaining Factors: Accounting for the Role of Neuroticism
Authors: Clague Caitlin A. , Wong Quincy J. J.
Published: April 2023

Models of social anxiety disorder (SAD) and research indicate several cognitive and behavioural maintaining factors that perpetuate social anxiety (i.e., maladaptive social-evaluative beliefs, self-focus, attention towards threat in environment, anticipatory processing, post-event processing, safety behaviours). It is unknown whether these maintaining factors are exclusive to social anxiety or if they are also related to neuroticism – a tendency to experience negative emotions. A community sample of adults (N = 263) completed measures of relevant constructs (social anxiety, neuroticism, depression, aforementioned maintaining factors). Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the cross-sectional data. In a good fitting model which included depression, social anxiety had unique positive associations with all maintaining factors. Neuroticism had unique positive associations with social-evaluative beliefs, self-focus, and post-event processing, but not with any of the other maintaining factors. This model also had superior fit compared to a plausible competing model which did not include neuroticism. Certain maintaining factors may not be exclusive to social anxiety, in contrast to how they are conceptualised in models of SAD. Furthermore, neuroticism may play a role in social anxiety, highlighting the potential of interventions for social anxiety to be advanced through greater incorporation of emotion regulation strategies for negative affect.
Quantitative Indices of Student Social Media Engagement in Tertiary Education: A Systematic Review and a Taxonomy
Authors: Tarifa-Rodriguez Aida , Virues-Ortega Javier , Perez-Bustamante Pereira Agustin , Calero-Elvira Ana , Cowie Sarah
Published: April 2023

Recent studies have evaluated the use of social media as learning aids in tertiary education. Emerging research in this area has focused primarily on non-quantitative approaches to student social media engagement. However, quantitative engagement outcomes may be extracted from student posts, comments, likes, and views. The goal of the present review was to provide a research-informed taxonomy of quantitative and behavior-based metrics of student social media engagement. We selected 75 empirical studies comprising a pooled sample of 11,605 tertiary education students. Included studies used social media for educational purposes and reported student social media engagement outcomes (source databases: PsycInfo and ERIC). We used independent raters and stringent interrater agreement and data extraction processes to mitigate bias during the screening of references. Over half of the studies (52%, n = 39) utilized ad hoc interviews and surveys to estimate student social media engagement, whereas thirty-three studies (44%) used some form of quantitative analysis of engagement. Based on this literature, we present a selection of count-based, time-based, and text-analysis metrics. The proposed taxonomy of engagement metrics resulting provides the methodological basis for the analysis of social media behavior in educational settings, particularly, for human operant and behavioral education studies. Implications for future research are discussed.
The Employment Quality of Persons with Disabilities: Findings from a National Survey
Authors: Shahidi Faraz Vahid , Jetha Arif , Kristman Vicki , Smith Peter M , Gignac Monique AM
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Labour market integration is a widely accepted strategy for promoting the social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities. But what kinds of jobs do persons with disabilities obtain following their integration into the labour market? In this study, we use a novel survey of workers to describe and compare the employment quality of persons with and without disabilities in Canada.

Methods

We administered an online, cross-sectional survey to a heterogeneous sample of workers in Canada (n = 2,794). We collected data on sixteen different employment conditions (e.g., temporary contract, job security, flexible work schedule, job lock, skill match, training opportunities, and union membership). We used latent class cluster analysis to construct a novel typology of employment quality describing four distinct ‘types’ of employment: standard, portfolio, instrumental, and precarious. We examined associations between disability status, disability type, and employment quality.

Results

Persons with disabilities reported consistently lower employment quality than their counterparts without disabilities. Persons with disabilities were nearly twice as likely to report low-quality employment in the form of either instrumental (i.e., secure but trapped) or precarious (i.e., insecure and unrewarding) employment. This gap in employment quality was particularly pronounced for those who reported living with both a physical and mental/cognitive condition.

Conclusion

There are widespread inequalities in the employment quality of persons with and without disabilities in Canada. Policies and programs aiming to improve the labour market situation of persons with disabilities should emphasize the importance of high-quality employment as a key facet of social and economic inclusion.
Structural Properties of Minimum Multi-source Multi-Sink Steiner Networks in the Euclidean Plane
Authors: Westcott Alexander , Brazil Marcus , Ras Charl
Published: April 2023

Given two finite sets A and B of points in the Euclidean plane, a minimum multi-source multi-sink Steiner network in the plane, or a minimum (A, B)-network, is a directed graph embedded in the plane with a dipath from every node in A to every node in B such that the total length of all arcs in the network is minimised. Such a network may contain Steiner points—nodes appearing in the solution that are neither in A nor B. We show that for any finite point sets A, B in the plane, there exists a minimum (A, B)-network that is constructible by straightedge and compass (this was claimed in a paper by Maxwell and Swanepoel, but their argument is incorrect). We use this property to formulate an algorithmic framework for exactly finding minimum (A, B)-networks in the Euclidean plane. We also present several new structural and geometric properties of minimum (A, B)-networks. In particular, we resolve a conjecture of Alfaro by proving that, for any terminal set A, adding an appropriate orientation to the edges of a minimum 2-edge-connected Steiner network on A yields a minimum (A, A)-network.
Nitrogen, nickel and graphene oxide doped carbon xerogel as an active electrode of an electrochemical capacitor
Authors: Osińska Małgorzata , Krawczyk Piotr , Łuczak Teresa , Rozmanowski Tomasz
Published: April 2023

N-, Ni-, and graphene oxide (GO)-doped carbon xerogel were synthesized from melamine-resorcinol-formaldehyde gels by drying followed by pyrolysis at 950 °C. The mass of nickel and GO in carbon xerogel, formed after carbonization was 5 and 1%, respectively. The obtained product was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The characteristics were completed by measurements of BET specific surface area as well as pore distribution. For graphene oxide and nickel doped carbon xerogel, a decrease in the BET surface area of about 2% compared to unmodified carbon xerogel was observed with a simultaneous increase of cumulative pore volume and average pore diameter of about 50 and 32%, respectively. Electrochemical properties of doped carbon xerogel were evaluated in 6 M KOH by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic modes. It was revealed, that the highest specific capacitance of 222 Fg−1 was reached for N-Ni-GO-doped carbon xerogel during the process of galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD). Moreover, this sample also exhibited 100% stability during GCD and about 98% stability during 3000 cycling tests.

Graphical abstract
Stefano Marcaccini: a pioneer in isocyanide chemistry
Authors: Neo Ana G. , Ramiro José Luis , García-Valverde María , Díaz Jesús , Marcos Carlos F.
Published: April 2023

Stefano Marcaccini was one of the pioneers in the use of isocyanide-based multicomponent reactions in organic synthesis. Throughout his career at the University of Florence he explored many different faces of isocyanide chemistry, especially those geared towards the synthesis of biologically relevant heterocycles. His work inspired many researchers who contributed to other important developments in the field of multicomponent reactions and created a school of synthetic chemists that continues today. In this manuscript we intend to review the articles on isocyanide multicomponent reactions published by Dr. Marcaccini and analyse their influence on the following works by other researchers. With this, we hope to highlight the immense contribution of Stefano Marcaccini to the development of isocyanide chemistry and modern organic synthesis as well as the influence of his research on future generations. We believe that this review will not only be a well-deserved tribute to the figure of Stefano Marcaccini, but will also serve as a useful inspiration for chemists working in this field.

Graphical abstract
Video analytic system for activity profiling, fall detection, and unstable motion detection
Authors: Zereen Aniqua Nusrat , Gurung Anubinda , Rajak Amir , Moonrinta Jednipat , Dailey Matthew N. , Ekpanyapong Mongkol , Vachalathiti Roongtiwa , Bovonsunthonchai Sunee
Published: April 2023

Real time detection of falls and unstable movement by elderly people is vital to their quality of life and safety. We present an edge processing device integrated with a cloud computation framework that can be used for activity profiling as well as trigger alerts for falls and unstable motion by elderly people at home. The proposed system uses fixed cameras to track and analyze each visible person in the scene, classifying their actions into nine ordinary activities, a fall, or unstable movement. An alert notification is sent to caregivers whenever a fall or unstable movement is detected. The major components of the system include an embedded device (NVIDIA JETSON TX2) and cloud-based storage and analysis infrastructure. The system is composed of modules for detecting, tracking and recognizing humans, a cascaded hierarchical classifier for nine ordinary activities and falls, and a long short-term memory (LSTM) module to predict unstable movement in video. The system is designed for accuracy, usability, and cost. A prototype system has been subjected to individual module tests along with a field test within a volunteer’s household. It achieved an accuracy of 91.6% for ordinary actions and falls with a recall of 97.02% for unstable motion. Future phases will expand deployment to multiple homes.
Back to the technologies themselves: phenomenological turn within postphenomenology
Authors: Mykhailov Dmytro , Liberati Nicola
Published: April 2023

This paper revives phenomenological elements to have a better framework for addressing the implications of technologies on society. For this reason, we introduce the motto “back to the technologies themselves” to show how some phenomenological elements, which have not been highlighted in the philosophy of technology so far, can be fruitfully integrated within the postphenomenological analysis. In particular, we introduce the notion of technological intentionality in relation to the passive synthesis in Husserl’s phenomenology. Although the notion of technological intentionality has already been coined in postphenomenology, it is “in tension” with the notion of technological mediation since there are still no clear differences between these two concepts and studies on how they relate one to another. The tension between mediation and intentionality arises because it seems intuitively reasonable to suggest that intentionality differs from mediation in a number of ways; however, these elements have not been clearly clarified in postphenomenology so far. To highlight what technological intentionality is and how it differs from mediation, we turn the motto “back to the things themselves” into “back to the technologies themselves,” showing how the technologies have to be taken into consideration by themselves. More specifically, we use the concept of passive synthesis developed by Husserl, and we apply it to technologies to show their inner passive activity. The notion of the passive synthesis enables to demonstrate how technologies are able to connect to a wider (technological) environment without the subjects’ activity. Consequently, we claim that technologies have their pole of action, and they passively act by themselves.
Innovation signals: leveraging machine learning to separate noise from news
Authors: Mühlroth Christian , Kölbl Laura , Grottke Michael
Published: April 2023

The early detection of and an adequate response to meaningful signals of change have a defining impact on the competitive vitality and the competitive advantage of companies. For this strategically important task, companies apply corporate foresight, aiming to enable superior company performance. With the growing dynamics of global markets, the amount of data to be analyzed for this purpose is constantly increasing. As a result, these analyses are often performed with an unreasonably high investment of financial and human resources, or are even not performed at all. To address this challenge, this paper presents a machine-learning-based approach to help companies identify early signals of change with a higher level of automation than before. For this, we combine a newly-proposed quantitative approach with the existing qualitative approaches by Cooper (stage-gate model) and by Rohrbeck (corporate foresight process). After a search field of interest has been defined, the related data is collected from web news sites, early signals are identified and selected automatically, and domain experts then assess these signals with respect to their relevance and novelty. Once it has been set up, the approach can be executed iteratively at regular time intervals in order to continuously scan for new signals of change. By means of three case studies supported by domain experts we demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach. After presenting our findings and discussing possible limitations of the approach, we suggest future research opportunities to further advance this field.
Ethics of AI and Health Care: Towards a Substantive Human Rights Framework
Authors: Liao S. Matthew
Published: April 2023

There is enormous interest in using artificial intelligence (AI) in health care contexts. But before AI can be used in such settings, we need to make sure that AI researchers and organizations follow appropriate ethical frameworks and guidelines when developing these technologies. In recent years, a great number of ethical frameworks for AI have been proposed. However, these frameworks have tended to be abstract and not explain what grounds and justifies their recommendations and how one should use these recommendations in practice. In this paper, I propose an AI ethics framework that is grounded in substantive, human rights theory and one that can help us address these questions.
Parasympathetic activity and total fibrotic kidney in autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease patients: a pilot study
Authors: Lai Silvia , Perrotta Adolfo Marco , Panebianco Valeria , Mazzaferro Sandro , Menè Paolo , Pellicano Chiara , Tinti Francesca , Muscaritoli Maurizio , Cianci Rosario , Gigante Antonietta
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Renin–angiotensin system hyperactivation in autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) patients leads to early hypertension. Cystic enlargement probably causes parenchymal hypoxia, renin secretion, and endothelial dysfunction. Sympathetic and parasympathetic balance is altered in this condition, especially during the night, also affecting blood pressure circadian rhythm. Aim of this study was to evaluate sympathetic/parasympathetic balance using heart rate variability (HRV) parameters and find a correlation between HRV and renal damage progression, as total kidney volume enlargement, in ADPKD patients.

Methods

Sixteen adult ADPKD patients were enrolled in the study. Eleven patients (68.8%) were male, and the median age was 42 years (IQR 36–47.5). HRV parameters were calculated using 24 h-ECG Holter. A kidney magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan 3 Tesla was performed to evaluate total kidney volume (TKV) and total fibrotic volume (TFV).

Results

A statistically significant positive linear correlation was observed between length of kidneys and frequency domain parameters as low frequency (LF) (r = 0.595, p < 0.05) and LFday (r = 0.587, p < 0.05). Moreover, a statistically significant positive linear correlation exists between high frequency (HF) and TFV (r = 0.804, p < 0.01) or height-adjusted (ha) TFV (r = 0.801, p < 0.01). Finally, we found a statistically significant positive linear correlation between HFnight and TKV (r = 0.608, p < 0.05), ha-TKV (r = 0.685, p < 0.01), TFV (r = 0.594, p < 0.05), and ha-TFV (r = 0.615, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

We suppose that the increase in TKV and TFV could lead to a parasympathetic tone hyperactivation, probably in response to hypoxic stress and vasoconstriction due to cystic enlargement.
Nephron index rather than serum FGF 23 predicts endothelial dysfunction in early but not advanced chronic kidney disease patients
Authors: Khreba Nora , Khedr Doaa , Abdel-Baky Azza , Kannishy Ghada El , Samaan Emad
Published: April 2023

Background

Endothelial dysfunction is the primary step for the development of CKD-related cardiovascular disease. Early prediction and management can influence patient survival. Serum testing of FGF 23 hormone and urinary phosphate excretion were studied as predictors of all-cause cardiovascular morbidity in CKD patients; however, their relation to endothelial dysfunction is controversial. A combination of both in one index is hypothesized to increase their sensitivity in detecting endothelial dysfunction, especially in the early stages of CKD before the dominance of hyperphosphatemia, the original risk.

Methods

A cross-sectional comparative analysis between thirty CKD stage 3 patients and sixty stage 4–5 CKD patients was conducted. All patients were tested for markers of mineral bone disorders including serum FGF 23 and 24-h urinary phosphate excretion. A combination of both in one index (nephron index) is calculated and hypothesized to correlate with nephron number. Endothelial dysfunction was assessed by measuring the post-occlusion brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD).

Results

In univariate and multivariate regression analyses, the nephron index was the only predictor of endothelial dysfunction in individuals with stage 3 CKD (r = 0.74, P 0.01). This was not applied to stage 4–5 CKD patients where serum phosphorus (r = − 0.53, P 0.001), intact PTH (r = − 0.53, P 0.001), uric acid (r = − 0.5, P 0.001), and measured GFR (r = 0.59, P 0.001) were the highest correlates to FMD; the Nephron index had the weakest correlation (r = 0.28, P = 0.02) and is not predictive of endothelial dysfunction.

Conclusion

Nephron index calculation showed better correlation with endothelial dysfunction than using any of its determinants alone in early stages of CKD when FGF 23 levels are just beginning to rise. In advanced CKD patients, hyperphosphatemia, hyperparathyroidism, hyperuricemia, and measured GFR are more reliable than nephron index.
Household Savings and Negative Interest Rates
Authors: Staal Klaas
Published: April 2023

This paper analyses determinants of household savings in a model based on an extension of the disequilibrium savings theory. These extensions follow from the life-cycle, permanent-income and Ricardian-equivalence theories. Based on panel data of 20 countries from the period 2000–2020, fixed-effect least squares estimation procedures are used. The analysis provides evidence that negative interest rates lead to a statistically and economic significant increase in savings. This implies that stimulating household consumption with a monetary policy of negative interest rates is counter-productive. The positive effect of income uncertainty and lagged saving rates gets smaller for negative interest rates, weakening the support for the disequilibrium-savings theory. Larger government deficits increase savings even more when rates are negative, strengthening the Ricardian equivalence effect. The effect of negative interest on the predictions of the life-cycle and permanent-income theories is mixed.
Capturing postural blood pressure dynamics with near-infrared spectroscopy-measured cerebral oxygenation
Authors: Klop Marjolein , de Heus Rianne A. A. , Maier Andrea B. , van Alphen Anne , Floor-Westerdijk Marianne J. , Bronkhorst Mathijs , Melis René J. F. , Meskers Carel G. M. , Claassen Jurgen A. H. R. , van Wezel Richard J. A.
Published: April 2023

Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is highly prevalent in older adults and associated with dizziness, falls, lower physical and cognitive function, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. OH is currently diagnosed in a clinical setting with single-time point cuff measurements. Continuous blood pressure (BP) devices can measure OH dynamics but cannot be used for daily life monitoring. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has potential diagnostic value in measuring cerebral oxygenation continuously over a longer time period, but this needs further validation. This study aimed to compare NIRS-measured (cerebral) oxygenation with continuous BP and transcranial Doppler-measured cerebral blood velocity (CBv) during postural changes. This cross-sectional study included 41 participants between 20 and 88 years old. BP, CBv, and cerebral (long channels) and superficial (short channels) oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb) were measured continuously during various postural changes. Pearson correlations between BP, CBv, and O2Hb were calculated over curves and specific characteristics (maximum drop amplitude and recovery). BP and O2Hb only showed good curve-based correlations (0.58–0.75) in the initial 30 s after standing up. Early (30–40 s) and 1-min BP recovery associated significantly with O2Hb, but no consistent associations were found for maximum drop amplitude and late (60–175 s) recovery values. Associations between CBv and O2Hb were poor, but stronger for long-channel than short-channel measurements. BP associated well with NIRS-measured O2Hb in the first 30 s after postural change. Stronger associations for CBv with long-channel O2Hb suggest that long-channel NIRS specifically reflects cerebral blood flow during postural transitions, necessary to better understand the consequences of OH such as intolerance symptoms.
Pre-Liberalization Foundations and the FDI-Based Internationalization of SMEs from Emerging Markets
Authors: Kumari Sushma , Shirodkar Vikrant , McGuire Steven
Published: April 2023

Research on the internationalization of small and medium enterprises based in emerging markets (EM-SMEs) is gaining momentum, yet, less is known about the specific factors that deter EM-SMEs’ from internationalizing via foreign direct investment (FDI). In this paper, using institutional and organizational imprinting perspectives, we argue that EM-SMEs founded in the era prior to market liberalization are less likely to internationalize via FDI than those founded during or after market liberalization. We also argue that this effect is moderated by EM-SMEs’ size and ownership dispersion. Our data used to test our hypotheses is based on 2277 SMEs from 14 emerging markets. Overall, we contribute to an improved understanding of the factors that determine the FDI-based internationalization of SMEs from emerging markets.
How do past global experiences of coal phase-out inform China’s domestic approach to a just transition?
Authors: Sharma Vigya , Loginova Julia , Zhang Ruilian , Kemp Deanna , Shi Guoqing
Published: April 2023

China produces nearly half of the world’s coal and more than half of the global coal-fired electricity. Its CO2 emissions are higher than the combined volumes of the next three world regions—the US, Europe, and India. China has announced a net-zero commitment by 2060. This timeline creates enormous pressure to maintain energy security while phasing down coal use. Despite the localized nature of China’s coal production with nearly 80% of its thermal coal industry concentrated in four provinces, the dependencies are complex and extensive. Large-scale changes to energy systems will result in a range of social, cultural, and economic disruptions across China’s urban, rural, and remote regions. This paper examines experiences with coal transitions in other jurisdictions and considers implications for China. We examine the drivers, successes, and failures of coal phase-down in Germany, Poland, Australia, the UK, and the US. Despite significant differences in scale and complexity, these experiences offer important insights for China as it works to meet its climate commitments.
The growth hormone receptor interacts with transcriptional regulator HMGN1 upon GH-induced nuclear translocation
Authors: Jain Lekha , Vickers Mark H. , Jacob Bincy , Middleditch Martin J. , Chudakova Daria A. , Ganley Austen R. D. , O’Sullivan Justin M. , Perry Jo K.
Published: April 2023

Growth hormone (GH) actions are mediated through binding to its cell-surface receptor, the GH receptor (GHR), with consequent activation of downstream signalling. However, nuclear GHR localisation has also been observed and is associated with increased cancer cell proliferation. Here we investigated the functional implications of nuclear translocation of the GHR in the human endometrial cancer cell-line, RL95-2, and human mammary epithelial cell-line, MCF-10A. We found that following GH treatment, the GHR rapidly translocates to the nucleus, with maximal localisation at 5–10 min. Combined immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry analysis of RL95-2 whole cell lysates identified 40 novel GHR binding partners, including the transcriptional regulator, HMGN1. Moreover, microarray analysis demonstrated that the gene targets of HMGN1 were differentially expressed following GH treatment, and co-immunoprecipitation showed that HMGN1 associates with the GHR in the nucleus. Therefore, our results suggest that GHR nuclear translocation might mediate GH actions via interaction with chromatin factors that then drive changes in specific downstream transcriptional programs.

Graphical abstract
Narcissism and relational capacity: the contribution of identity integration and social concordance
Authors: Bogaerts Stefan , Janković Marija
Published: April 2023

Narcissism is often seen as a unidimensional construct, however, more recently, a plethora of studies have pointed to its multidimensional nature. Despite this, the role of narcissism as a multifaceted construct in the quality of interpersonal relationships has rarely been tested. In addition, less is known about what mechanisms may underly this association. In this study, we investigated how grandiose, vulnerable, and isolated narcissism, are associated with relational capacity and whether identity integration and social concordance may underly these associations. The sample included 222 male participants with a mean age of 37.71 (SD = 13.25). Of these, 157 were participants from the community, and 65 were in outpatient treatment at four Dutch forensic centers. The Dutch Narcissism Scale was used to measure three forms of narcissism, while The Severity Indices of Personality Problems – Short Form was used to measure identity integration, social concordance, and relational capacity. The mediation model was tested in R and adjusted for age and criminal behavior. Despite significant bivariate correlations between three narcissistic types and relational capacity only isolated narcissism was directly and negatively associated with relational capacity in the mediation model. Likewise, both identity integration and social concordance were positively associated with relational capacity. Grandiose narcissism was positively, while vulnerable narcissism was negatively associated with relational capacity, but only through identity integration. Identity integration was also a significant mediator in the association between isolated narcissism and relational capacity along with social concordance. Finally, criminal behavior appeared to be the only significant covariate indicating that forensic outpatients (versus community participants) were more likely to have impaired relational capacity. The findings of this study could be useful in clinical practice to improve the treatment of narcissistic individuals and make them less harmful to others in social and intimate relationships.
Ecofriendly Maghemite/Halloysite-like Nanotubes Nanocomposite for Highly Efficient Removal of Cd(II) from Industrial Wastewater
Authors: Mohamed Tahany K. , Mubarak Mahmoud F. , Keshawy Mohamed , Abdel Moghny Thanaa , Sayed Said A. , Ali Omnia I.
Published: April 2023

Kaolinite is a widely available and inexpensive substance that has been successfully employed to decontaminate different hazardous contaminants from wastewater by adsorption. In this study, halloysite-like nanotubes (HNTs) were prepared via intercalation followed by ultrasonic rolling of the kaolinite layers. Then, maghemite nanoparticles were co-precipitated within the HNTs matrix to produce a maghemite/HNTs nanocomposite (MG@HNTs). XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR, and a BET analyzer were used to characterize the MG@HNTs nanocomposite, which was then utilized to eliminate Cd(II) from aqueous solutions (water and wastewater). Using a batch methodology, the impact of various adsorption parameters on Cd(II) removal was explored. MG@HNTs nanocomposite exhibited a high adsorption capacity (qe) of 264.47 mg g−1 for Cd (II). The kinetic data well conformed to pseudo-2nd-order, while the adsorption isotherms conformed to the Langmuir model. The desorption study demonstrated that the MG@HNTs nanocomposite could be successfully regenerated and recycled five times, without losing its original removal efficiency. Furthermore, MG@HNTs exhibited effective implementation to remove cadmium from real water samples, including tap and industrial wastewater. This study confirmed the successful application of MG@HNTs as an efficient, eco-friendly, and sustainable adsorbent at a high level of feasibility for the uptake of hazardous contaminants from industrial wastewater.