bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A generic scope actuation system for flexible endoscopes
Authors: Basha Sofia , Khorasani Mohammad , Abdurahiman Nihal , Padhan Jhasketan , Baez Victor , Al-Ansari Abdulla , Tsiamyrtzis Panagiotis , Becker Aaron T. , Navkar Nikhil V.
Published: December 2023

Background

A scope actuation system assists a surgeon in steering a scope for navigating an operative field during an interventional or diagnostic procedure. Each system is tailored for a specific surgical procedure. The development of a generic scope actuation system could assist various laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures. This has the potential to reduce the deployment and maintenance costs for a hospital, making it more accessible for clinical usage.

Methods

A modular actuation system (for maneuvering rigid laparoscopes) was adapted to enable incorporation of flexible endoscopes. The design simplifies the installation and disassembly processes. User studies were conducted to assess the ability of the system to focus onto a diagnostic area, and to navigate during a simulated esophagogastroduodenoscopy procedure. During the studies, the endoscope was maneuvered with (robotic mode) and without (manual mode) the actuation system to navigate the endoscope’s focus on a predefined track.

Results

Results show that the robotic mode performed better than the manual mode on all the measured performance parameters including (a) the total duration to traverse a track, (b) the percentage of time spent outside a track while traversing, and (c) the number of times the scope focus shifts outside the track. Additionally, robotic mode also reduced the perceived workload based on the NASA-TLX scale.

Conclusions

The proposed scope actuation system enhances the maneuverability of flexible endoscopes. It also lays the groundwork for future development of modular and generic scope assistant systems that can be used in both laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures.
Unravelling the effect of renal denervation on glucose homeostasis: more questions than answers?
Authors: Koutra Evaggelia , Dimitriadis Kyriakos , Pyrpyris Nikolaos , Iliakis Panagiotis , Fragkoulis Christos , Beneki Eirini , Kasiakogias Alexandros , Tsioufis Panagiotis , Tatakis Fotis , Kordalis Athanasios , Tsiachris Dimitrios , Aggeli Konstantina , Tsioufis Konstantinos
Published: December 2023

Renal Denervation (RDN) is an interventional, endovascular procedure used for the management of hypertension. The procedure itself aims to ablate the renal sympathetic nerves and to interrupt the renal sympathetic nervous system overactivation, thus decreasing blood pressure (BP) levels and total sympathetic drive in the body. Recent favorable evidence for RDN resulted in the procedure being included in the recent European Guidelines for the management of Hypertension, while RDN is considered the third pillar, along with pharmacotherapy, for managing hypertension. Sympathetic overactivation, however, is associated with numerous other pathologies, including diabetes, metabolic syndrome and glycemic control, which are linked to adverse cardiovascular health and outcomes. Therefore, RDN, via ameliorating sympathetic response, could be also proven beneficial for maintaining an euglycemic status in patients with cardiovascular disease, alongside its BP-lowering effects. Several studies have aimed, over the years, to provide evidence regarding the pathophysiological effects of RDN in glucose homeostasis as well as investigate the potential clinical benefits of the procedure in glucose and insulin homeostasis. The purpose of this review is, thus, to analyze the pathophysiological links between the autonomous nervous system and glycemic control, as well as provide an overview of the available preclinical and clinical data regarding the effect of RDN in glycemic control.
Decomposition of lignin and carbohydrates in a rewetted peatland: a comparative analysis of surface water and anaerobic soil layers
Authors: Reuter Julia , Reuter Hendrik , Zak Dominik
Published: December 2023

The rewetting of long-term drained peatlands leads to the development of eutrophic shallow lakes, gradually inhabited by reed communities. These shallow lakes are characterized by significant nutrient and methane emissions. To comprehend the fate of organic compounds from decaying Phragmites australis litter in water and anaerobic soil layers, we conducted a 1.6-year decomposition experiment. The experiment employed bulk and lignin-derived phenol analysis, as well as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. As anticipated, the highest level of decomposition was observed in the surface water body of the shallow lake, while the non-rooted degraded peat exhibited the lowest decay. The bulk mass loss of plant litter decreased with depth from 55 to 27% across the four decomposition environments. Analysis using infrared spectroscopy indicated that the decrease in mass loss was primarily driven by the breakdown of carbohydrates, which constitute a significant portion of plant litter. Interestingly, litter in the rooted degraded peat layer exhibited the highest degree of lignin decay. Furthermore, the study revealed a preferential loss of vanillin phenols and an accumulation of p-hydroxyl phenols. These findings suggest that the increased methane emissions in rewetted fens may be partially attributed to the demethoxylation of vanillin phenols and the subsequent formation of p-hydroxyl phenols. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into anaerobic lignin decomposition of plant litter and sheds light on potential mechanisms underlying elevated methane emissions in rewetted peatlands. Furthermore, the study’s findings hold significant implications for both carbon cycling and sequestration within these ecosystems, thereby stimulating further research into the microbial community and its extended effects.
Clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcome of patients with large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung and brain metastases – data from a tertiary care center
Authors: Popov Petar , Steindl Ariane , Wolff Ladislaia , Bergen Elisabeth S. , Eckert Franziska , Frischer Josa M , Widhalm Georg , Fuereder Thorsten , Raderer Markus , Berghoff Anna S. , Preusser Matthias , Kiesewetter Barbara
Published: December 2023

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the lung is an aggressive malignancy, with brain metastases (BM) occurring in approximately 20% of cases. There are currently no therapy guidelines for this population as only few data on the management of LCNEC and BM have been published. For this retrospective single center study, patients with LCNEC and BM were identified from the Vienna Brain Metastasis Registry. Data on clinicopathological features, BM-specific characteristics, treatment, and outcome were extracted. In total, 52/6083 (0.09%) patients in the dataset had a diagnosis of LCNEC and radiologically verified BM. Median age at diagnosis of LCNEC and BM was 59.1 and 60.1 years, respectively. Twenty-seven (51.9%) presented with single BM, while 12 (23%) exhibited > 3 BM initially. Neurologic symptoms due to BM were present in n = 40 (76.9%), encompassing neurologic deficits (n = 24), increased intracranial pressure (n = 18), and seizures (n = 6). Initial treatment of BM was resection (n = 13), whole brain radiation therapy (n = 19), and/or stereotactic radiosurgery (n = 25). Median overall survival (mOS) from LCNEC diagnosis was 16 months, and mOS after BM diagnosis was 7 months. Patients with synchronous BM had reduced mOS from LCNEC diagnosis versus patients with metachronous BM (11 versus 27 months, p = 0.003). Median OS after BM diagnosis did not differ between LCNEC patients and a control group of small cell lung cancer patients with BM (7 versus 6 months, p = 0.17). Patients with LCNEC and BM have a poor prognosis, particularly when synchronous BM are present. Prospective trials are required to define optimal therapeutic algorithms.
The effectiveness of a virtual learning companion for supporting the critical judgment of social media content
Authors: Aprin Farbod , Peters Pascal , Hoppe H. Ulrich
Published: December 2023

Social media usage has become a daily habit for the younger generation. It can have positive effects on educational processes, but it also raises concerns about harmful content, such as fake news or hate speech. Fake news is often distributed with the intention to manipulate the public opinion by propagating disinformation. This includes the manipulation of images taken from reputable news resources. In response to these concerns and manipulations, we developed a web-based learning environment with a virtual learning companion (VLC). The VLC is designed to assist students in developing their critical thinking skills while interacting with social media content. The VLC is incorporated into a controlled learning environment that resembles Instagram and contains real and manipulated content. The “Courage” companion communicates with the students through chat dialogue and knowledge-activating questions. It also links additional images from web sources discovered through reverse image search based on image similarity. Learners are provided with various textual descriptions and keywords and are prompted to reflect on this information. The system’s effectiveness and assistance in identifying real or manipulated images have been evaluated in an empirical classroom study in August 2022 with 22 high school students in Germany that generated 95 conversations around five images and their texts assisted by the companion. Users’ interactions with the companion in a controlled Instagram-like social media environment have been recorded in xAPI format and then analyzed using a research dashboard. The results of this evaluation demonstrate that guidance through the VLC, along with the provision of additional content sources containing similar images and their explanation through the companion, improves the learners’ judgment. This corroborates the claim that the tool can help enhance learners’ critical thinking, resilience, and sensitivity facing social media issues.
Empowering first graders with computer-based training to master pre-reading skills and bridge the learning gap
Authors: Kiss Renáta , Szili Katalin , Csapó Benő , Molnár Gyöngyvér
Published: December 2023

The ability to read is fundamental in determining an individual’s academic success and social integration, and it is also known to have an impact on other cognitive abilities. A lack of foundational pre-reading skills can accumulate later, causing reading and learning problems. Early diagnosis and development of these skills are therefore essential. Although the importance of early reading development has always been stressed, recent years have drawn increasing attention to the need for targeted improvement. We have addressed this need by developing a computer-based training program in pre-reading skills for first graders; the present paper presents the results of an intervention using this program. Participants in the quasi-experimental study were 336 first graders. To increase the validity of the results, propensity score matching was utilized to analyze the impact of the pre-reading skills program. As a result of the program, students’ development in the intervention group significantly accelerated (Cohen’s d = .59). An immense effect of the intervention was indicated among students in the lower third skill group (Cohen’s d = 2.83).Latent-change analyses supported the relevance and importance of the development of phonological awareness at the ages of 6–8 and the generalizability of the results (χ2 = 14.9; df = 10; p < .05; CFI = .991; TLI = .989; RMSEA = .58 (CI: .000, .114). This research demonstrates that an effective computer-based program can effectively bridge the learning gap in pre-reading skills during early stages of education, even in challenging times without the direct involvement of a teacher.
Voting Sustains Intergenerational Cooperation, Even When the Tipping Point Threshold is Ambiguous
Authors: Balmford Ben , Marino Madeleine , Hauser Oliver P.
Published: December 2023

Sustaining future generations requires cooperation today. While individuals’ selfish interests threaten to undermine cooperation, social institutions can foster cooperation in intergenerational situations without ambiguity. However, in numerous settings, from climate change to the biodiversity crisis, there exists considerable ambiguity in the degree of cooperation required. Such ambiguity limits the extent to which people typically cooperate. We present the results of an intergenerational public goods game, which show that a democratic institution can promote cooperation, even in the face of ambiguity. While ambiguity in previous work has proved a challenge to cooperation (although we find sometimes only small and non-significant effects of ambiguity), voting is consistently able to maintain sustainable group-level outcomes in our study. Additional analyses demonstrate that this form of democracy has an effect over and above the impact on beliefs alone and over and above the structural effects of the voting institution. Our results provide evidence that social institutions, such as democracy, can buffer against selfishness and sustain cooperation to provide time-delayed benefits to the future.
Grasping Virtual Objects Benefits Lower Aptitude Learners’ Acquisition of Foreign Language Vocabulary
Authors: Macedonia Manuela , Mathias Brian , Lehner Astrid E. , Reiterer Susanne M. , Repetto Claudia
Published: December 2023

Theories of embodied cognition describe language acquisition and representation as dependent on sensorimotor experiences that are collected during learning. Whereas native language words are typically acquired through sensorimotor experiences, foreign language (L2) words are often learned by reading, listening or repeating bilingual word lists. Recently, grasping referent objects has been demonstrated to serve as a useful sensorimotor strategy for L2 vocabulary learning. The effects of grasping virtual objects, however, remain unknown. In a virtual reality cave, we trained adult participants (N = 46) having low language aptitude and high language aptitude on novel L2 words under three conditions. In an audiovisual (baseline) condition, participants were presented with written and spoken L2 words. In an audiovisual observation condition, participants additionally saw virtual visual objects that corresponded to the meanings of L2 words. In an audiovisual, an observation, and a grasping condition, participants were asked to grasp the virtual objects. Participants’ word learning was assessed in free and cued recall tests administered immediately after training. Relative to baseline learning, simply viewing virtual objects during learning benefitted both groups. As expected, grasping virtual objects was found to benefit vocabulary retention in low language aptitude learners. Interestingly, this benefit was not observed in high language aptitude learners. Language learning aptitude scores correlated with vocabulary learning outcomes in both audiovisual learning conditions, but not in the sensorimotor condition, suggesting that grasping altered the typical relationship between aptitude and language learning performance. The findings are interpreted in terms of differences in the extent to which procedural and declarative memory systems are accessed in low language aptitude and high language aptitude learners during sensorimotor-based vocabulary learning. Additionally, the results suggest that simulated interactions without tangible feedback can benefit learning. This outcome expands our understanding of how physical experience extends cognition and paves the way for the application of sensorimotor enrichment strategies to virtual environments.
Wild strawberry Fragaria vesca as potential source for phytonematode resistance
Authors: Ruthes Andrea Caroline , Dahlin Paul
Published: December 2023

Phytonematode infections are a major constraint to agriculture and can cause pre-harvest losses of up to one-third of the crop in affected fields. With increasing restrictions on the use of chemical pesticides due to environmental and human hazards, and increasing nematode pressure due to climate change, soil degradation and agricultural intensification, more sustainable ways to manage such plant pests are needed to meet the growing demand for food. Therefore, the reproduction of thermophilic Meloidogyne spp. was evaluated in comparison with that of the northern root-knot nematode Meloidogyne hapla on the wild strawberry Fragaria vesca vs. semperflorens cv. Alexandria, a potential source of resistance to nematode infection. M. hapla showed a high reproductive rate in F. vesca, while the thermophilic Meloidogyne species tested showed significant lower reproductive rates. This suggests that F. vesca vs. semperflorens cv. Alexandria, although not resistant to the nematode species tested, could be used in a management system to down-regulate nematode pressure. In addition, this study helps to reinforce the importance of crop wild relatives in the search for resistance traits to support a more sustainable agriculture.
Speed traps: algorithmic trader performance under alternative market balances and structures
Authors: Peng Yan , Shachat Jason , Wei Lijia , Zhang S. Sarah
Published: December 2023

Using double auction market experiments with both human and agent traders, we demonstrate that agent traders prioritising low latency often generate, sometimes perversely so, diminished earnings in a variety of market structures and configurations. With respect to the benefit of low latency, we only find superior performance of fast-Zero Intelligence Plus (ZIP) buyers to human buyers in balanced markets with the same number of human and fast-ZIP buyers and sellers. However, in markets with a preponderance of agents on one side of the market and a noncompetitive market structure, such as monopolies and duopolies, fast-ZIP agents fall into a speed trap. In such speed traps, fast-ZIP agents capture minimal surplus and, in some cases, experience near first-degree price discrimination. In contrast, the trader performance of slow-ZIP agents is comparable to that of human counterparts, or even better in certain market conditions.
Indigenous American Fishing Traditions at the First Spanish Capital of La Florida: Santa Elena (1566–1587 CE), South Carolina, USA
Authors: Reitz Elizabeth J. , DePratter Chester
Published: December 2023

Few studies of post-Columbian animal economies in the Americas elaborate on the influence of traditional Indigenous knowledge on colonial economies. A vertebrate collection from Santa Elena (1566–87 CE, South Carolina, USA), the original Spanish capital of La Florida, offers the opportunity to examine that influence at the first European-sponsored capital north of Mexico. Santa Elena’s animal economy was the product of dynamic interactions among multiple actors, merging preexisting traditional Indigenous practices, particularly traditional fishing practices, with Eurasian animal husbandry to produce a new cultural form. A suite of wild vertebrates long used by Indigenous Americans living on the southeastern North Atlantic coast contributes 87% of Santa Elena’s noncommensal individuals and 63% of the noncommensal biomass. Examples of this strategy are found in vertebrate collections from subsequent Spanish and British settlements. This suggests the extent to which colonists at the Spanish-sponsored colony adopted some Indigenous animal-use practices, especially those related to fishing, and the speed with which this occurred. The new cultural form persisted into the nineteenth century and continues to characterize local cuisines.
Open-ComBind: harnessing unlabeled data for improved binding pose prediction
Authors: McNutt Andrew T. , Koes David Ryan
Published: December 2023

Determination of the bound pose of a ligand is a critical first step in many in silico drug discovery tasks. Molecular docking is the main tool for the prediction of non-covalent binding of a protein and ligand system. Molecular docking pipelines often only utilize the information of one ligand binding to the protein despite the commonly held hypothesis that different ligands share binding interactions when bound to the same receptor. Here we describe Open-ComBind, an easy-to-use, open-source version of the ComBind molecular docking pipeline that leverages information from multiple ligands without known bound structures to enhance pose selection. We first create distributions of feature similarities between ligand pose pairs, comparing near-native poses with all sampled docked poses. These distributions capture the likelihood of observing similar features, such as hydrogen bonds or hydrophobic contacts, in different pose configurations. These similarity distributions are then combined with a per-ligand docking score to enhance overall pose selection by 5% and 4.5% for high-affinity and congeneric series helper ligands, respectively. Open-ComBind reduces the average RMSD of ligands in our benchmark dataset by 9.0%. We provide Open-ComBind as an easy-to-use command line and Python API to increase pose prediction performance at www.github.com/drewnutt/open_combind.
Estimating appropriate mowing timing for the population of an endangered butterfly inhabiting grassland patches in an agricultural landscape
Authors: Deto HIdenori , Miyashita Tadashi
Published: December 2023

It has been recognized that the timing of disturbance, in addition to its intensity and frequency, is important for the population dynamics of organisms because the impact of the disturbance depends on the life history stage at which it occurs (i.e., egg, larva, or adult). However, the effects of disturbance timing on consumer population dynamics have not been explored. This study simultaneously estimated the effects of mowing frequency and timing on the subpopulation dynamics of the endangered grassland butterfly, Plebejus argyrognomon. A two-year investigation of a metapopulation of P. argyrognomon consisting of approximately 150 habitat patches revealed that subpopulation size decreased with increasing mowing frequency, in addition to the positive effect of patch area and habitat connectivity. With the mowing frequency fixed at once per year, subpopulation size maximized when mowing occurred during the adult period in the previous generation, presumably due to reduced impact in the high-mobility adult stage. By mowing during this period, subpopulation size was maintained at several times higher than mowing during the larval period. It is suggested that disturbance timing should be incorporated into the conservation of metapopulations in human-managed landscapes.

Implications for insect conservation

Reducing mowing frequency is important for the conservation of P. argyrognomon. In addition, mowing during the adult stage is best suited for maintaining subpopulations.
Deformation by design: data-driven approach to predict and modify deformation in thin Ti-6Al-4V sheets using laser peen forming
Authors: Sala Siva Teja , Bock Frederic E. , Pöltl Dominik , Klusemann Benjamin , Huber Norbert , Kashaev Nikolai
Published: December 2023

The precise bending of sheet metal structures is crucial in various industrial and scientific applications, whether to modify deformation in an existing component or to achieve specific shapes. Laser peen forming (LPF) is proven as an innovative forming process for sheet metal applications. LPF involves inducing mechanical shock waves into a specimen that deforms the affected region to a certain desired curvature. The degree of deformation induced after LPF depends on numerous experimental factors such as laser energy, the number of peening sequences, and the thickness of the specimen. Consequently, comprehending the complex dependencies and selecting the appropriate set of LPF process parameters for application as a forming or correction process is crucial. The main objective of the present work is the development of a data-driven approach to predict the deformation obtained from LPF for various process parameters. Artificial neural network (ANN) was trained, validated, and tested based on experimental data. The deformation obtained from LPF is successfully predicted by the trained ANN. A novel process planning approach is developed to demonstrate the usability of ANN predictions to obtain the desired deformation in a treated region. The successful application of this approach is demonstrated on three benchmark cases for thin Ti-6Al-4V sheets, such as deformation in one direction, bi-directional deformation, and modification of an existing deformation in pre-bent specimens via LPF.

Graphical abstract
Pressure-adjusted venting eliminates start-up delays and compensates for vertical position of syringe infusion pumps used for microinfusion
Authors: Weiss Markus , Wendel-Garcia Pedro David , Cannizzaro Vincenzo , Grass Beate , Buehler Philipp Karl , Kleine-Brueggeney Maren
Published: December 2023

Microinfusions are commonly used for the administration of catecholamines, but start-up delays pose a problem for reliable and timely drug delivery. Recent findings show that venting of the syringe infusion pump with draining of fluid to ambient pressure before directing the flow towards the central venous catheter does not counteract start-up delays. With the aim to reduce start-up delays, this study compared fluid delivery during start-up of syringe infusion pumps without venting, with ambient pressure venting, and with central venous pressure (CVP)-adjusted venting. Start-up fluid delivery from syringe pumps using a microinfusion of 1 mL/h was assessed by means of liquid flow measurement at 10, 60, 180 and 360 s after opening the stopcock and starting the pump. Assessments were performed using no venting, ambient pressure venting or CVP-adjusted venting, with the pump placed either at zero, − 43 cm or + 43 cm level and exposed to a simulated CVP of 10 mmHg. Measured fluid delivery was closest to the calculated fluid delivery for CVP-adjusted venting (87% to 100% at the different timepoints). The largest deviations were found for ambient pressure venting (− 1151% to + 82%). At 360 s after start-up 72% to 92% of expected fluid volumes were delivered without venting, 46% to 82% with ambient pressure venting and 96% to 99% with CVP-adjusted venting. CVP-adjusted venting demonstrated consistent results across vertical pump placements (p = 0.485), whereas the other methods had significant variances (p < 0.001 for both). In conclusion, CVP-adjusted venting effectively eliminates imprecise drug delivery and start-up delays when using microinfusions.
Investigating Cannabis-Use Among Students Attending High Schools Within the Cherokee Nation Reservation 2017 and 2019
Authors: Campbell Janis E. , Chen Sixia , Bailey Anna , Blair Andrea , Comiford Ashley L.
Published: December 2023

Oklahoma’s medical cannabis is some of the least restrictive in the US. Previous research suggests that American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) have higher rates of cannabis use than other racial or ethnic groups. The goals of this paper are, first, to look at cannabis use among high school students living on the Cherokee Nation Reservation before (2017) and after (2019) medical cannabis because legal in Oklahoma (2018) utilizing the Cherokee Nation Youth Risk Behavior Survey (CNYRBS). Second, to describe the socio-demographic characteristics of youth using cannabis in the Cherokee Nation Reservation. Data were retrieved from the 2017 and 2019 CNYRBS. The data for this study included 1,216 high school students who completed the 2017 and 1,476 who completed the 2019 CNYRBS. After removal of incomplete records, there were 2,602 students whose data was analyzed in this study. Data were weighted to be representative of public-school students attending grades 9–12 within Cherokee Nation Reservation. Despite the legalization of medical cannabis in Oklahoma in 2018, there was no change in cannabis use among youth between 2017 and 2019. There were variations in cannabis use based on demographic factors and other substance uses. AIAN individuals had higher odds of current cannabis use compared to non-Hispanic White students, but there were no differences based on ethnicity. Additionally, the use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, alcohol, and illegal drugs were associated with increased odds of cannabis use among both current and former users compared to those who had never used it. There was no spike in use among youth at least immediately after the legalization of cannabis in the Cherokee Nation Reservation. There were socio-demographic as well as substance use disparities in the use of cannabis.
An Application of Mechanics to Chemistry: the Dynamic Behaviour of Coupled Chemical Reactions Compared to that of the Two-Body Oscillator
Authors: Secco Fernando , Biver Tarita
Published: December 2023

The dynamic behaviour of a chemical system made of two coupled reactions is compared with that of a mechanical system consisting of two oscillating bodies connected by springs. First, the principle of energy departure from equilibrium is employed to derive the motion equations of both systems. Subsequently, the relevant characteristic frequencies and the amplitude parameters are obtained and analysed in terms of “Normal Modes”. The results show that systems belonging to different branches of science can be analysed using the same methodologies. To elucidate the application of Normal Modes to chemistry, the dynamic analysis of a system consisting of a proton transfer reaction coupled to a complex formation reaction is described in the Supporting Information: the procedure enables the evaluation of rate constants, equilibrium constants and reaction enthalpies of a reacting chemical system made of two coupled reactions. The method is then extended to a cycle of three reactions.
Mixing Rates of the Geometrical Neutral Lorenz Model
Authors: Bruin Henk , Canales Farías Hector Homero
Published: December 2023

The aim of this paper is to obtain polynomial decay of correlations of a Lorenz-like flow where the hyperbolic saddle at the origin is replaced by a neutral saddle. To do that, we take the construction of the geometrical Lorenz flow and proceed by changing the nature of the saddle fixed point at the origin by a neutral fixed point. This modification is accomplished by changing the linearised vector field in a neighbourhood of the origin for a neutral vector field. This change in the nature of the fixed point will produce polynomial tails for the Dulac times, and combined with methods of Araújo and Melbourne (used to prove exponential mixing for the classical Lorenz flow) this will ultimately lead to polynomial upper bounds of the decay of correlations for the modified flow.
Retained EU Law and Implications for Pregnant Workers: A Therapeutic Jurisprudence Perspective
Authors: Kawalek Anna , Rosello Mercedes
Published: December 2023

Using the lenses and language of therapeutic jurisprudence, this paper will argue that the rights of pregnant workers are vulnerable in a post-Brexit climate. Whilst the sunset clause from the Retained EU Law Bill, which would have caused all retained EU law to automatically expire at the end of 2023 unless expressly stated otherwise by Ministers, was lifted, the original drafts of the Bill made clear the government’s lack of respect for and interest in protecting workers’ rights (amongst others). Furthermore, despite the abandonment of the sunset, the now legislated Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023, aiming to deal with all laws that were once of European origin, still gives Ministers wide powers with limited input from Parliament to change EU derived legislation and replace with UK provision. Using an example from employment law, specifically, pregnant workers, this paper will show that the Act is a therapeutic jurisprudence unfriendly bottle as it has the potential to violate positive physical, social, and psychological outcomes. Recognising that these laws are currently vulnerable, we urge the government to keep intact (and potentially enhance) the laws protecting pregnant workers.
Noncoding RNAs regulating ferroptosis in cardiovascular diseases: novel roles and therapeutic strategies
Authors: Wu Changyong , Bao Suli , Sun Huang , Chen Xiaocui , Yang Lu , Li Ruijie , Peng Yunzhu
Published: December 2023

The morbidity and mortality rates of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are increasing; thus, they impose substantial health and economic burdens worldwide, and effective interventions are needed for immediate resolution of this issue. Recent studies have suggested that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) play critical roles in the occurrence and development of CVDs and are potential therapeutic targets and novel biomarkers for these diseases. Newly discovered modes of cell death, including necroptosis, pyroptosis, apoptosis, autophagy-dependent cell death and ferroptosis, also play key roles in CVD progression. However, ferroptosis, which differs from the other aforementioned forms of regulated cell death in terms of cell morphology, biochemistry and inhereditability, is a unique iron-dependent mode of nonapoptotic cell death induced by abnormal iron metabolism and excessive accumulation of iron-dependent lipid peroxides and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Increasing evidence has confirmed that ncRNA-mediated ferroptosis is involved in regulating tissue homeostasis and CVD-related pathophysiological conditions, such as cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, myocardial infarction (MI), atrial fibrillation (AF), cardiomyopathy and heart failure (HF). In this review, we summarize the underlying mechanism of ferroptosis, discuss the pathophysiological effects of ncRNA-mediated ferroptosis in CVDs and provide ideas for effective therapeutic strategies.
Factors mitigating the decline of motivation during the first academic year: a latent change score analysis
Authors: Wild Steffen , Rahn Sebastian , Meyer Thomas
Published: December 2023

Research shows that in university education programs, students’ motivation decreases over time, which is associated with indicators of reduced academic success, such as student dropout rate. Consequently, researchers have analyzed motivation change and explored the options available to universities to maintain a high level of motivation among students. Using Person-environment fit theory, our research suggests that perceived support offered by lecturers and instructional quality influence students’ subject interest. We conducted a longitudinal design of 823 participants from Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University and estimated a latent change score model using data collected between the participants’ first and second academic years. Our findings suggest that perceived support from lecturers mitigated the decrease in subject interest. Moreover, our results support the hypothesis that universities can attenuate the decreasing change of subject interest from students. Our findings are contextualized with reference to contemporary research in the field and we offer practical suggestions for maintaining high motivation among students.
The genesis of the minimal mind: elements of a phenomenological and functional account
Authors: Marosan Bence Peter
Published: December 2023

In this article, we endeavour to lay the theoretical fundaments of a phenomenologically based project regarding the origins of conscious experience in the natural world. We assume that a phenomenological analysis (based upon Edmund Husserl’s philosophy) of first-person experience could substantially contribute to related empirical research. In this regard, two phenomenological conceptions provided by Husserl are of fundamental importance. The first relates to the essential and necessary embodiment of every subjective experience; the second concerns the intrinsically holistic and concrete character of consciousness. These considerations have two crucial implications. First, every mental content and capability ultimately refers to a bodily basis as its carrier and realizer (‘embodied manifestation thesis’). Second, there is a minimal set of bodily structures that carries and realizes the minimal mind (‘minimal context thesis’). Based upon these assumptions, we can use phenomenology to select from the empirical theories of consciousness. We argue that currently, Bjorn Merker’s subcortical theory of consciousness appears to be the best candidate for a phenomenological approach. In phenomenological regard, however, it is highly challenging to test a subcortical theory; therefore, we suggest that certain experiments based upon emergence from general anaesthesia might help test such a theory in a phenomenologically legitimate way.
Mobility knowledge graph: review and its application in public transport
Authors: Zhang Qi , Ma Zhenliang , Zhang Pengfei , Jenelius Erik
Published: December 2023

Understanding human mobility in urban areas is crucial for transportation planning, operations, and online control. The availability of large-scale and diverse mobility data (e.g., smart card data, GPS data), provides valuable insights into human mobility patterns. However, organizing and analyzing such data pose significant challenges. Knowledge graph (KG), a graph-based knowledge representation method, has been successfully applied in various domains but has limited applications in urban mobility. This paper aims to address this gap by reviewing existing KG studies, introducing the concept of a mobility knowledge graph (MKG), and proposing a general learning framework to construct MKG from smart card data. The MKG represents hidden travel activities between public transport stations, with stations as nodes and their relations as edges. Two decomposition approaches, rule-based and neural network-based models, are developed to extract MKG relations from smart card data, capturing latent spatiotemporal travel dependencies. The case study is conducted using smart card data from a heavily used urban railway system to validate the effectiveness of MKG in predicting individual trip destinations. The results demonstrate the significance of establishing an MKG database, as it assists in a typical problem of predicting individual trip destinations for public transport systems with only tap-in records. Additionally, the MKG framework offers potential for efficient data management and applications such as individual mobility prediction and personalized travel recommendations.
Frailty-based Lee–Carter family of stochastic mortality models
Authors: Carannante Maria , D’Amato Valeria , Haberman Steven , Menzietti Massimiliano
Published: December 2023

In the actuarial literature, frailty is defined to be the unobserved variable which encompasses all the factors affecting human mortality other than gender and age. Heterogeneity in individual frailty can play a significant role in population mortality dynamics. In the present paper, we identify the main latent factors that explain the frailty component, in order to clarify its role in mortality projections. We show, using longitudinal survey data, that frailty is mainly due to co-morbidities that impact on the process of deterioration in terms of the human body’s physiological capacity. Accordingly, we provide frailty-based stochastic models for projecting mortality based on the Lee–Carter family of models. We propose several versions that consider frailty both as an age-dependent and a time-dependent factor and also combining the interaction effects of age and time in comparison with the general level of mortality, and compare the resulting mortality projections using data from England.
Age-period-cohort analysis of U.S. fertility: a realistic approach
Authors: Billari Francesco , Graziani Rebecca
Published: December 2023

A key question for the explanation of fertility trends in advanced societies is whether, in addition to age, period- rather than cohort-related factors matter. In this paper, we analyze a standard set of age-specific fertility rates – from the Human Fertility Database – on the United States between 1933 and 2015. More specifically, we describe and apply an Age-Period-Cohort (APC) modeling approach that relies on second differences as identifiable parameters. Results of our APC analyses tend to be consistent with an interpretation that gives a greater weight to period effects over shorter time horizons, with a significant presence of smooth cohort effects over the longer term.
Role of CaMKII in diabetes induced vascular injury and its interaction with anti-diabetes therapy
Authors: Chacar Stephanie , Abdi Abdulhamid , Almansoori Khalifa , Alshamsi Jawaher , Al Hageh Cynthia , Zalloua Pierre , Khraibi Ali A. , Holt Stephen G. , Nader Moni
Published: December 2023

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder denoted by chronic hyperglycemia that drives maladaptive structural changes and functional damage to the vasculature. Attenuation of this pathological remodeling of blood vessels remains an unmet target owing to paucity of information on the metabolic signatures of this process. Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) is expressed in the vasculature and is implicated in the control of blood vessels homeostasis. Recently, CaMKII has attracted a special attention in view of its chronic upregulated activity in diabetic tissues, yet its role in the diabetic vasculature remains under investigation.

This review highlights the physiological and pathological actions of CaMKII in the diabetic vasculature, with focus on the control of the dialogue between endothelial (EC) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Activation of CaMKII enhances EC and VSMC proliferation and migration, and increases the production of extracellular matrix which leads to maladaptive remodeling of vessels. This is manifested by activation of genes/proteins implicated in the control of the cell cycle, cytoskeleton organization, proliferation, migration, and inflammation. Endothelial dysfunction is paralleled by impaired nitric oxide signaling, which is also influenced by CaMKII signaling (activation/oxidation). The efficiency of CaMKII inhibitors is currently being tested in animal models, with a focus on the genetic pathways involved in the regulation of CaMKII expression (microRNAs and single nucleotide polymorphisms). Interestingly, studies highlight an interaction between the anti-diabetic drugs and CaMKII expression/activity which requires further investigation. Together, the studies reviewed herein may guide pharmacological approaches to improve health-related outcomes in patients with diabetes.
The interaction of a size-dependent tax policy and financial frictions: evidence from a tax reform in Japan
Authors: Hosono Kaoru , Hotei Masaki , Miyakawa Daisuke
Published: December 2023

This study examines the effects of the interaction of a size-dependent tax policy that exempts firms whose stated capital is at or below a certain threshold from taxation and financial frictions on firm growth and financing. Our empirical findings can be summarized as follows: First, firms with lower productivity, a positive potential tax benefit, and smaller stated capital are more likely to conduct the cash-out capital reduction to or below the threshold in response to the policy. Second, this capital reduction causes ex-post lower firm growth and fewer debt. Third, such causal effects are observed for firms with less cash flow ratios. These results indicate that the interaction between a size-dependent tax policy and financial constraints deters firm growth.

Plain English Summary

The interaction of a size-dependent tax policy that exempts firms whose stated capital is at or below a certain threshold from taxation and financial frictions deters firm growth. We use the introduction of the pro forma standard taxation system in Japan that exempts firms (SMEs), whose stated capital is at or below a threshold, from taxation to empirically examine how firms react to this institutional change and how such a reaction systematically affects their financing and real outcomes. We show that size-dependent tax policies can have a significant effect on firms’ growth and financing through financial constraints. It indicates that firms decide whether to obtain an SME status by considering the trade-off between a more severe borrowing constraint and a smaller tax payment. The results obtained in this study indicate that such indirect effects of a size-dependent tax policy on firm dynamics should be considered when designing the policy. Moreover, governments should understand that an institutional change in their tax systems generates a heterogeneous reaction from firms and thus has heterogeneous effects on their dynamics.
The Religious Sign from a Semiotic Perspective a Social-Semiotic Interpretation of the Challenges Presented by the Concept of Religious Sign in the Context of French Schools
Authors: Hauksson-Tresch Nathalie
Published: December 2023

This essay explores the intricate challenges surrounding the concept of religious signs in the context of secular French schools through a social-semiotic lens, drawing inspiration from Michael Halliday's Systemic-Functional Linguistics. It delves into the interplay of language and society, shedding light on three crucial metafunctions: ideational, interpersonal, and textual. The ideational function investigates how religious signs serve as semiotic tools for representing the world and interpreting human experiences. The interpersonal function helps to examine how these signs foster reaction among diverse groups within the school community. Furthermore, the essay scrutinizes the textual function's role in weaving these two functions into coherent discourse, enabling (or not) effective communication. Through an examination of these linguistic components, this essay unravels the complexities of navigating religious signs in French schools, providing insights into the broader socio-cultural dynamics and challenges faced in reconciling diverse religious perspectives with a secular educational system.
Improving Fairness and Equity by Minimizing Community Vulnerability to Food Accessibility: A Computational Urbanism Approach
Authors: Perez-Pereda Maria Jose , Krstikj Aleksandra , Ramirez-Marquez Jose Emmanuel
Published: December 2023

One important point of interest in urban areas is the food outlet, especially retailers that provide fresh and healthy food. Street markets, or tianguis are an affordable option throughout Mexico. Unfortunately, this type of outlet is sometimes inaccessible or significantly far to reach. This paper provides a vulnerability minimization framework to determine the optimal re-allocation of street markets by considering equity and reachability and the exact walking distance and demand by blocks in a city. The framework introduces new concepts of vulnerability along with a novel implementation of the Facility Location Problem. A case study has been used to exemplify the framework based on actual data from a region in Mexico City’s urban zone showing how significant improvements in equity and reachability can be achieved.