bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predictive value of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging structural and diffusion indices for the results of trigeminal neuralgia microvascular decompression surgery
Authors: Zhang Yang , Sun Dengbin , Xie Yunjie , Li Rui , Zhao Hang , Wang Zhaoping , Feng Lei
Published: May 2023

Purpose

To explore the predictive value of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging structural and diffusion indices of the spinal trigeminal tract (SpTV) on the results of microvascular decompression (MVD) in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN).

Methods

This retrospective study included patients diagnosed with TN and treated with MVD in the Jining First People’s Hospital between January 2020 and January 2021. The patients were divided into good and poor results groups according to postoperative pain relief. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore independent risk factors for poor results of MVD, and their predictive value was examined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results

A total of 97 TN cases were included, 24 cases with a poor result and 73 with a good result. They were comparable in demographic characteristics. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was lower (P < 0.001), and radial diffusivity (RD) was higher (P < 0.001) in the poor result group compared to the good result group. Patients in the good result group showed a higher proportion of grade 3 neurovascular contact (NVC) (39.7% vs. 16.7%, P = 0.001) and a lower RD (P < 0.001). The multivariate analysis showed that the RD of SpTV (OR = 0.000016, 95% CI: 0.000–0.004, P < 0.001) and NVC (OR = 8.07, 95% CI: 1.67–38.93, P = 0.009) were independently associated with poor results. The area under the curve (AUC) of RD and NVC were 0.848 and 0.710, and their combination achieved an AUC of 0.880.

Conclusion

NVC and RD of SpTV are independent risk factors for poor results after MVD surgery, and combining the NVC and RD might achieve relatively high predictive value for poor results.
Safety and Feasibility of ≤24‐h Short‐Stay Right Colectomies for Primary Colon Cancer
Authors: Chen Sophia Y. , Radomski Shannon N. , Stem Miloslawa , Lo Brian D. , Safar Bashar , Efron Jonathan E. , Atallah Chady
Published: May 2023

Background

Hospital length of stay (LOS) has been used as a surgical quality metric. This study seeks to determine the safety and feasibility of right colectomy as a ≤24‐h short‐stay procedure for colon cancer patients.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study using the ACS‐NSQIP database and its Procedure Targeted Colectomy database (2012–2020). Adult patients with colon cancer who underwent right colectomies were identified. Patients were categorized into LOS  ≤1 day (≤24‐h short‐stay), LOS 2–4 days, LOS 5–6 days, and LOS ≥7 days groups. Primary outcomes were 30‐day overall and serious morbidity. Secondary outcomes were 30‐day mortality, readmission, and anastomotic leak. The association between LOS and overall and serious morbidity was assessed using multivariable logistic regression.

Results

19,401 adult patients were identified, with 371 patients (1.9%) undergoing short‐stay right colectomies. Patients undergoing short‐stay surgery were generally younger with fewer comorbidities. Overall morbidity for the short‐stay group was 6.5%, compared to 11.3%, 23.4%, and 42.0% for LOS 2–4 days, LOS 5–6 days, and LOS ≥7 days groups, respectively (p < 0.001). There were no differences in anastomotic leak, mortality, and readmission rates in the short‐stay group compared to patients with LOS 2–4 days. Patients with LOS 2–4 days had increased odds of overall morbidity (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.10–2.65, p = 0.016) compared to patients with short‐stay but no differences in odds of serious morbidity (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.61–2.36, p = 0.590).

Conclusions

 ≤24‐h short‐stay right colectomy is safe and feasible for a highly‐select group of colon cancer patients. Optimizing patients preoperatively and implementing targeted readmission prevention strategies may aid patient selection.
Differences in the urinary metabolome and proteome between wet and dry nights in children with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis and nocturnal polyuria
Authors: Jørgensen Cecilie Siggaard , Kamperis Konstantinos , Knudsen Jane Hagelskjær , Kjeldsen Margrethe , Christensen Jane Hvarregaard , Borch Luise , Rittig Søren , Palmfeldt Johan
Published: May 2023

Background

Nocturnal enuresis (NE) is a common disease with multiple pathogenic mechanisms. This study aimed to compare levels of metabolites and proteins between wet and dry nights in urine samples from children with monosymptomatic NE (MNE).

Methods

Ten boys with MNE and nocturnal polyuria (age: 7.6 ± 1.3 years) collected their total nighttime urine production during a wet and a dry night. Untargeted metabolomics and proteomics were performed on the urine samples by liquid chromatography coupled with high-mass accuracy tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Results

On wet nights, we found reduced urine osmolality (P= 0.025) and increased excretion of urinary potassium and sodium by a factor of, respectively, 2.1 (P =0.038) and 1.9 (P= 0.19) compared with dry nights. LC-MS identified 59 metabolites and 84 proteins with significantly different levels between wet and dry nights (fold change (FC) < 0.67 or > 1.5,P< 0.05). Some compounds were validated by different methodologies. During wet nights, levels of compounds related to oxidative stress and blood pressure, including adrenalin, were increased. We found reduced levels of aquaporin-2 on wet nights. The FCs in the 59 metabolites were positively correlated to the FCs in the same metabolites identified in urine samples obtained during the evening preceding wet and dry nights.

Conclusions

Oxidative stress, which in the literature has been associated with nocturia and disturbances in sleep, might be increased during wet nights in children with MNE. We further found evidence of increased sympathetic activity. The mechanisms related to having wet nights in children with MNE seem complex, and both free water and solute handling appear to be important.

Graphical abstract
BIO-CXRNET: a robust multimodal stacking machine learning technique for mortality risk prediction of COVID-19 patients using chest X-ray images and clinical data
Authors: Rahman Tawsifur , Chowdhury Muhammad E. H. , Khandakar Amith , Mahbub Zaid Bin , Hossain Md Sakib Abrar , Alhatou Abraham , Abdalla Eynas , Muthiyal Sreekumar , Islam Khandaker Farzana , Kashem Saad Bin Abul , Khan Muhammad Salman , Zughaier Susu M. , Hossain Maqsud
Published: May 2023

Nowadays, quick, and accurate diagnosis of COVID-19 is a pressing need. This study presents a multimodal system to meet this need. The presented system employs a machine learning module that learns the required knowledge from the datasets collected from 930 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Italy during the first wave of COVID-19 (March–June 2020). The dataset consists of twenty-five biomarkers from electronic health record and Chest X-ray (CXR) images. It is found that the system can diagnose low- or high-risk patients with an accuracy, sensitivity, and F1-score of 89.03%, 90.44%, and 89.03%, respectively. The system exhibits 6% higher accuracy than the systems that employ either CXR images or biomarker data. In addition, the system can calculate the mortality risk of high-risk patients using multivariate logistic regression-based nomogram scoring technique. Interested physicians can use the presented system to predict the early mortality risks of COVID-19 patients using the web-link: Covid-severity-grading-AI. In this case, a physician needs to input the following information: CXR image file, Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), Oxygen Saturation (O2%), White Blood Cells Count, C-reactive protein, and Age. This way, this study contributes to the management of COVID-19 patients by predicting early mortality risk.
Deep author name disambiguation using DBLP data
Authors: Boukhers Zeyd , Asundi Nagaraj Bahubali
Published: May 2023

In the academic world, the number of scientists grows every year and so does the number of authors sharing the same names. Consequently, it is challenging to assign newly published papers to their respective authors. Therefore, author name ambiguity is considered a critical open problem in digital libraries. This paper proposes an author name disambiguation approach that links author names to their real-world entities by leveraging their co-authors and domain of research. To this end, we use data collected from the DBLP repository that contains more than 5 million bibliographic records authored by around 2.6 million co-authors. Our approach first groups authors who share the same last names and same first name initials. The author within each group is identified by capturing the relation with his/her co-authors and area of research, represented by the titles of the validated publications of the corresponding author. To this end, we train a neural network model that learns from the representations of the co-authors and titles. We validated the effectiveness of our approach by conducting extensive experiments on a large dataset.
Validation of the REM behaviour disorder phenoconversion-related pattern in an independent cohort
Authors: Orso Beatrice , Mattioli Pietro , Yoon Eun-Jin , Kim Yu Kyeong , Kim Heejung , Shin Jung Hwan , Kim Ryul , Liguori Claudio , Famà Francesco , Donniaquio Andrea , Massa Federico , García David Vállez , Meles Sanne K. , Leenders Klaus L. , Chiaravalloti Agostino , Pardini Matteo , Bauckneht Matteo , Morbelli Silvia , Nobili Flavio , Lee Jee-Young , Arnaldi Dario
Published: May 2023

Background

A brain glucose metabolism pattern related to phenoconversion in patients with idiopathic/isolated REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBDconvRP) was recently identified. However, the validation of the iRBDconvRP in an external, independent group of iRBD patients is needed to verify the reproducibility of such pattern, so to increase its importance in clinical and research settings. The aim of this work was to validate the iRBDconvRP in an independent group of iRBD patients.

Methods

Forty iRBD patients (70 ± 5.59 years, 19 females) underwent brain [18F]FDG-PET in Seoul National University. Thirteen patients phenoconverted at follow-up (7 Parkinson disease, 5 Dementia with Lewy bodies, 1 Multiple system atrophy; follow-up time 35 ± 20.56 months) and 27 patients were still free from parkinsonism/dementia after 62 ± 29.49 months from baseline. We applied the previously identified iRBDconvRP to validate its phenoconversion prediction power.

Results

The iRBDconvRP significantly discriminated converters from non-converters iRBD patients (p = 0.016; Area under the Curve 0.74, Sensitivity 0.69, Specificity 0.78), and it significantly predicted phenoconversion (Hazard ratio 4.26, C.I.95%: 1.18–15.39).

Conclusions

The iRBDconvRP confirmed its robustness in predicting phenoconversion in an independent group of iRBD patients, suggesting its potential role as a stratification biomarker for disease-modifying trials.
Renal protective effects of astragalus root in rat models of chronic kidney disease
Authors: Goto Shunsuke , Fujii Hideki , Watanabe Kentaro , Shimizu Mao , Okamoto Hidehisa , Sakamoto Kazuo , Kono Keiji , Nishi Shinichi
Published: May 2023

Background

Astragalus root is a commonly used herb in traditional Chinese medicine. Although renoprotective effects have been reported in some clinical and experimental studies, the details remain unknown.

Methods

We used 5/6 nephrectomized rats as chronic kidney disease (CKD) models. At 10 weeks, they were divided into four groups, namely, CKD, low-dose astragalus (AR400), high-dose astragalus (AR800), and sham groups. At 14 weeks, they were sacrificed for the evaluation of blood, urine, mRNA expression in the kidney, and renal histopathology.

Results

Kidney dysfunction was significantly improved following astragalus administration (creatinine clearance: sham group; 3.8 ± 0.3 mL/min, CKD group; 1.5 ± 0.1 mL/min, AR400 group; 2.5 ± 0.3 mL/min, AR800 group; 2.7 ± 0.1 mL/min). Blood pressure, urinary albumin, and urinary NGAL levels were significantly lower in the astragalus-treated groups than those in the CKD group. Excretion of urinary 8-OHdG, an oxidative stress marker, and intrarenal oxidative stress were lower in the astragalus-treated groups than those in the CKD group. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of NADPH p22 phox, NADPH p47 phox, Nox4, renin, angiotensin II type 1 receptor, and angiotensinogen in the kidney was lower in the astragalus-treated groups compared with the CKD group.

Conclusion

This study suggests that astragalus root slowed CKD progression, possibly through the suppression of oxidative stress and the renin–angiotensin system.
Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on municipal solid waste generation: a case study in Granada city (Spain)
Authors: Peula Francisco J. , Martín-Lara María Ángeles , Calero Mónica
Published: May 2023

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic has involved a series of political and social measures that have been adapted to the spread of the disease. Apart from the severe effects on health sector, the most effects of the pandemic have been felt in households and day-to-day life. Consequently, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the generation of not only medical and health care waste but also of municipal solid waste production and composition. In this context, this work studied the implications of COVID-19 for municipal solid waste generation in Granada, Spain. Granada is a city where the economy is based mainly on the services sector, tourism and the University. Therefore, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the city and it can be analyzed through the municipal solid waste generation. For the study of the incidence of COVID-19 in the generation of waste a period that goes from March 2019 to February 2021 has been chosen. The results show that, in the global calculation, a decrease in the generation of waste in the city is observed in this last year, reaching − 13.8%. Regarding the organic-rest fraction, the decrease in the COVID year represents − 11.7%. However, bulky waste has shown an increase in the COVID year which may be related to higher home furnishings renovation rates than in other years. Finally, glass is the waste flow that best indicates the effect of COVID in the service sector. In leisure areas, a significant reduction in the collection of glass is observed (− 45%).
SAR-BSO meta-heuristic hybridization for feature selection and classification using DBNover stream data
Authors: Talapula Dharani Kumar , Ravulakollu Kiran Kumar , Kumar Manoj , Kumar Adarsh
Published: May 2023

Advancements in cloud technologies have increased the infrastructural needs of data centers due to storage needs and processing of extensive dimensional data. Many service providers envisage anomaly detection criteria to guarantee availability to avoid breakdowns and complexities caused due to large-scale operations. The streaming log data generated is associated with multi-dimensional complexity and thus poses a considerable challenge to detect the anomalies or unusual occurrences in the data. In this research, a hybrid model is proposed that is motivated by deep belief criteria and meta-heuristics. Using Search-and-Rescue—BrainStorm Optimization (SAR-BSO), a hybrid feature selection (FS) and deep belief network classifier is used to localize and detect anomalies for streaming data logs. The significant contribution of the research lies in FS, which is carried out using SAR-BSO which increases the detection power of the model as it selects the most significant variables by minimizing redundant features. The evaluation of accuracy is efficiently improved when compared with the predictable methods, such as Extract Local Outlier Factor (ELOF), Track-plus, Hybrid Distributed Batch Stream (HDBS), IForestASD, DBN, BSO-based Feature Selection with DBN, Genetic Algorithm-Deep Belief Network (GA-DBN), Mutual Information-Deep Belief Network (MI-DBN), information entropy-Deep Belief Network(I + DBN), Flat Field-Deep Belief Network (FF + DBN), African Vulture Optimization Algorithm-Deep Belief Network(AVOA + DBN), Gorilla Troop Optimizer-Deep Belief Network(GTO-DBN), and SARO-based Feature Selection with DBN. Further, the accurate detection of the anomalies in the data stream is established by the Deep Belief Neural Network (DBN) classifier. The model’s efficacy is determined using Apache, Hadoop, HDFS, Spark, and Linux datasets and evaluated against existing similar models. The model efficiency is provided using multiple evaluation metrics and is found effective. From the experimentation, the accuracy of the proposed model is found to be 93.3, 95.4, 93.6, 94.2, and 93.5% respectively for the dataset such as Apache, Hadoop, HDFS, spark, and Linux. This enhancement in accuracy is due to the selection of optimal features by the proposed SAR-BSO algorithm.
On the Co-existence of Transonic Buffet and Separation-Bubble Modes for the OALT25 Laminar-Flow Wing Section
Authors: Zauner Markus , Moise Pradeep , Sandham Neil D.
Published: May 2023

Transonic buffet is an unsteady flow phenomenon that limits the safe flight envelope of modern aircraft. Scale-resolving simulations with span-periodic boundary conditions are capable of providing new insights into its flow physics. The present contribution shows the co-existence of multiple modes of flow unsteadiness over an unswept laminar-flow wing section, appearing in the following order of increasing frequency: (a) a low-frequency transonic buffet mode, (b) an intermediate-frequency separation bubble mode, and (c) high-frequency wake modes associated with vortex shedding. Simulations are run over a range of Reynolds and Mach numbers to connect the lower frequency modes from moderate to high Reynolds numbers and from pre-buffet to established buffet conditions. The intermediate frequency mode is found to be more sensitive to Reynolds-number effects compared to those of Mach number, which is the opposite trend to that observed for transonic buffet. Spectral proper orthogonal decomposition is used to extract the spatial structure of the modes. The buffet mode involves coherent oscillations of the suction-side shock structure, consistent with previous studies including global mode analysis. The laminar separation-bubble mode at intermediate frequency is fundamentally different, with a phase relationship between separation and reattachment that does not correspond to a simple ‘breathing’ mode and is not at the same Strouhal number observed for shock-induced separation bubbles. Instead, a Strouhal number based on separation bubble length and reverse flow magnitude is found to be independent of Reynolds number within the range of cases studied.
Cosmopolitan conservation: the multi-scalar contributions of urban green infrastructure to biodiversity protection
Authors: Grabowski Zbigniew , Fairbairn Andrew J. , Teixeira Leonardo H. , Micklewright Julia , Fakirova Elizaveta , Adeleke Emannuel , Meyer Sebastian T. , Traidl-Hoffmann Claudia , Schloter Michael , Helmreich Brigitte
Published: May 2023

Urbanization is a leading cause of biodiversity loss globally. Expanding cities alter regional ecological processes by consuming habitat and modifying biogeochemical and energetic flows. Densifying cities often lose valuable intra-urban green spaces. Despite these negative impacts, novel urban ecosystems can harbor high biodiversity and provide vital ecosystem services for urban residents. Recognizing the benefits of urban ecosystems, cities across the globe are increasingly planning for urban green infrastructure (UGI). UGI as a planning concept can transform how cities integrate biodiversity into urbanized landscapes at multiple scales and contribute to conservation goals. Full operationalization of UGI concepts can also reduce urban energy and resource demands via substituting polluting technologies by UGI, further contributing to the global conservation agenda. Realizing the potential contributions of UGI to local, regional, and global conservation goals requires addressing four inter-dependent challenges: (1) expanding social-ecological-systems thinking to include connections between complex social, ecological, and technological systems (SETS), (2) explicitly addressing multi-level governance challenges, (3) adapting SETS approaches to understand the contextual and biocultural factors shaping relationships between UGI and other causal processes in cities that shape biodiversity, and (4) operationalizing UGI systems through robust modeling and design approaches. By transforming UGI policy and research through SETS approaches to explicitly integrate biodiversity we can support global conservation challenges while improving human wellbeing in cities and beyond.
Tension and Paradox in Women-Oriented Sustainable Hybrid Organizations: A Duality of Ethics
Authors: Palakshappa Nitha , Dodds Sarah , Grant Suzanne
Published: May 2023

The pursuit of social goals and ethics in business creates challenges. Sustained efforts to address poverty, environmental degradation or health/wellbeing require meaningful and transformative responses that impact across multiple levels—individual, community and the global collective. Shifting predominant paradigms to facilitate change entails a renegotiation of business strategy—between organizations, their purpose(s), individual and collective stakeholders and ultimately with society at large. Hybrid organizations such as social enterprises are positioned to affect such change. However, in balancing divergent goals such organizations encounter tensions and paradox, creating a duality of ethics. Utilizing in-depth interviews to develop a case within the sustainable fashion industry, we identify tensions and paradox within women-oriented hybrid organizations. Significantly, managing these tensions and paradox results in multiple dualities of ethics, often with a wider impact on organizational founders/managers. We find three interrelated ethical dualities: business strategy and personal values; financial sustainability and holistic sustainability; and business, employee, societal wellbeing, and personal wellbeing. This insight is noteworthy when looked at within the broader context of sustainability and highlights the importance of sustainability in women-oriented hybrid organizations.
Key chromophores in celluloses: analysis by 31P NMR spectroscopy
Authors: Zieher Johanna , Bacher Markus , Sulaeva Irina , Sumerskii Ivan , Hettegger Hubert , Potthast Antje , Rosenau Thomas
Published: May 2023

The three cellulosic key chromophores, 2,5-dihydroxy-[1,4]-benzoquinone, 5,8-dihydroxy-[1,4]-naphthoquinone and 2,5-dihydroxy-acetophenone, are nearly ubiquitous in cellulosic materials because of their special structures and resonance stabilization with highly delocalized double bonds that renders them thermodynamically very stable and resistant towards bleaching. All of these compounds possess acidic hydroxyl groups. The current work explores the derivatization of these OH groups by a phosphitylation agent followed by 31P NMR analysis, an approach that is very frequently used for quantitative OH group analysis and differentiation in lignins and lignin derivatives. The chemical shifts are reported and structural peculiarities of the chromophore derivatives are discussed. The 31P NMR approach adds to the toolbox of methods applicable in cellulose chromophore analysis, bleaching and aging studies.

Graphical abstract
YES, WE COPE: Dyadic Coping as a Mediator Between Perceived Relationship Quality and Emotional Representation of COVID-19
Authors: Relvas Ana Paula , Lacomba-Trejo Laura , Portugal Alda , Chiarolanza Claudia , Major Sofia , Rosa Catarina , Sotero Luciana , Randall Ashley K.
Published: May 2023

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about social changes that have impacted the functioning and dynamics of couples in a romantic relationship, arising from the overwhelming amount of added stress they have endured. Specifically, the divorce rate in Portugal has increased after lockdown, which underscores the adverse consequences of COVID-19 on couples. A lower quality of the couple’s relationship may worsen the emotional representation of COVID-19; however, the literature suggests that perceived partner dyadic coping responses have a great influence on adverse events. The aim of the present study was to assess the mediating role of partner coping in the association between relationship quality and emotional representation of COVID-19. We also sought to observe whether the length of the relationship moderates this association.

Methods

Participants (N = 528) were adults living in Portugal (84.7% female) currently in a romantic relationship with their current partner for at least 1 year. Online data collection.

Results

We found that relationship quality predicted COVID-19 emotional representation, but this association was fully mediated by total dyadic coping. This association was especially significant in couples with a shorter length of time in the relationship.

Conclusions

We point out the importance of dyadic coping as a protective factor against emotional distress to cope with the ongoing stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. These data suggest the need for relationship education programs that promote positive coping between partners.
Prognosis prediction of icotinib as targeted therapy for advanced EGFR-positive non–small cell lung cancer patients
Authors: Tan Xueyun , Wang Sufei , Xia Hui , Chen Hebing , Xu Juanjuan , Meng Daquan , Wang Zhihui , Li Yan , Yang Lian , Jin Yang
Published: May 2023

Clinical trials on icotinib, a first-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI), have shown promising results as targeted therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to establish an effective scoring system to predict the one-year progression-free survival (PFS) of advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations treated with icotinib as targeted therapy. A total of 208 consecutive patients with advanced EGFR-positive NSCLC treated with icotinib were enrolled in this study. Baseline characteristics were collected within 30 days before icotinib treatment. PFS was taken as the primary endpoint and the response rate as the secondary endpoint. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis were used to select the optimal predictors. We evaluated the scoring system using a five-fold cross-validation. PFS events occurred in 175 patients, with a median PFS of 9.9 months (interquartile range, 6.8-14.5). The objective response rate (ORR) was 36.1%, and the disease control rate (DCR) was 67.3%. The final ABC-Score consisted of three predictors: age, bone metastases and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9). Upon comparison of all three factors, the combined ABC-score (area under the curve (AUC)= 0.660) showed a better predictive accuracy than age (AUC = 0.573), bone metastases (AUC = 0.615), and CA19-9 (AUC = 0.608) individually. A five-fold cross-validation showed good discrimination with AUC = 0.623. The ABC-score developed in this study was significantly effective as a prognostic tool for icotinib in advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations.
Active Student Participation in Whole-School Interventions in Secondary School. A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Berti Sara , Grazia Valentina , Molinari Luisa
Published: May 2023

This review presents a reasoned synthesis of whole-school interventions seeking to improve the overall school environment by fostering active student participation (ASP) in school activities and decision-making processes. The aims are to describe the selected programs, assess their methodological quality, and analyze the activities soliciting ASP. Among the 205 publications initially provided by the literature search in the academic databases PsycINFO and Education Research Complete, 22 reports met the inclusion criteria of presenting whole-school interventions that solicit ASP in secondary schools, and were thus included in the review. Such publications referred to 13 different whole-school programs, whose implemented activities were distinguished on a 5-point scale of ASP levels, ranging from Very high ASP, when students were involved in a decision-making role, to Very low ASP, when students were the passive recipients of content provided by adults. This review contributes to the literature by proposing an organizing structure based on different levels of ASP, which provides clarity and a common ground for future studies on student participation. Overall, the in-depth description of activities offers a framework to researchers and practitioners for planning interventions aimed at improving the learning environment and contributing meaningfully to the far-reaching goal of encouraging student participation in school life.
Foreign direct investment and carbon emissions from land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF): empirical evidence from tropical forest countries
Authors: Piabuo Serge Mandiefe , Puatwoe Janice Tieguhong , Eckebil Paule Pamela Tabi , Nghogekeh Tieminie Robinson , Foundjem-Tita Divine
Published: May 2023

Since 1990, global forest area has been reducing; tropical forests have suffered from different anthropogenic and natural factors that account for forest loss. Tropical deforestation is the second driver of anthropogenic emissions; increasing demand and investments in tropical forests drive these emissions. These forests attract significant foreign direct investments, but the effects of these investments on carbon emissions from land use, land-use change, and forestry are not well enshrined in the literature for the countries under study. This paper seeks to analyse the impact of foreign direct investments on carbon emissions from land use, land-use change, and forestry amongst 30 tropical forest countries from 1996 to 2019. The sampled countries were disaggregated by tropical blocs: Amazon, Congo basin, Australasia, and Southeast Asia, and by income levels; low-income, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income. The findings reveal a U-shape structure of the impact of FDI on carbon emissions from LULUCF within Congo basin and Amazon countries; at higher levels of FDI, emissions from LULUCF will increase while Australasia and Southeast Asian countries show an inverted U-shape impact, thus at higher levels of FDI, there will be a negative and significant impact on carbon emissions from LULUCF. The income levels reveal an inverted U-shape for low-income and high-income countries and a U-shape for upper-middle-income countries; the impact for lower-middle-income countries is not significant. Overall, for the whole sample, the impact depicts a U-shape. This paper proposes high-level development of environmental conditions for FDI for different sectors that align with country and regional green growth plans. Enhancing national and regional governance systems to enforce decisions and fight corruption effectively can significantly promote green FDI for green growth.
Employment Protection Legislation, Labour Market Dualism, and Fertility in Europe
Authors: Bastianelli Elena , Guetto Raffaele , Vignoli Daniele
Published: May 2023

Theoretically, whether a more loosely regulated labour market inhibits or fosters fertility in a society is ambiguous. Empirically, the few studies analysing the relationship between the strictness of employment protection legislation—the norms and procedures regulating labour markets’ hiring and firing processes—and fertility have found mixed evidence. This paper reconciles the ambivalent conclusions of previous studies by analysing the impact of employment protection legislation and labour market dualism on total fertility across 19 European countries between 1990 and 2019. Our results indicate that an increase in employment protection for regular workers positively affects total fertility. Nonetheless, an increasing gap between the regulation of regular and temporary employment—that is, labour market dualism—negatively impacts total fertility. These effects, of small-to-moderate intensity, are relatively homogeneous across age groups and geographical areas and are especially pronounced among the lower educated. We conclude that labour market dualism, rather than a “rigid” employment protection legislation, discourages fertility.
Developmental Skills Moderate the Association Between Core Autism Features and Adaptive Behaviour in Early Childhood
Authors: Berends Daniel , Bent Catherine A. , Vivanti Giacomo , Dissanayake Cheryl , Hudry Kristelle
Published: May 2023

Purpose

While research indicates that both the core features of autism and associated developmental skills influence adaptive behaviour outcomes, results to date suggest greater influence of the latter than the former, and little attention has been given to how the interaction of both together might impact functional disability. Seeking to expand understanding of associations between young children’s core social autism features, developmental skills, and functional ability/disability, we specifically tested whether early developmental skills might have a moderating effect on the association between early social features and subsequent functional disability.

Methods

Data from 162 preschool children were available for this study. These included time-1 measures of social autism features (ADOS-Social Affect score) and developmental skills (MSEL-Developmental Quotient; DQ), and a measure of functional ability/disability (VABS-Adaptive Behaviour Composite; ABC) available at follow-up 1-year later (time-2).

Results

Time-1 ADOS-SA and MSEL-DQ scores were concurrently associated with one another, and both prospectively associated with time-2 VABS-ABC scores. Examination of partial correlations (i.e., controlling for MSEL-DQ) demonstrated that the association of time-1 ADOS-SA and time-2 VABS-ABC was accounted for by shared variance with DQ. Formal moderation analysis returned a non-significant overall interaction term, but showed a lower-bound region of significance whereby the association of time-1 ADOS-SA with time-2 VABS-ABC was significant for children with baseline DQ ≤ 48.33.

Conclusion

Our results add to a body of empirical evidence consistent with an understanding of the needs of and resources available to autistic people through a ‘cognitive compensation’ lens.
Economic Evaluation of anti-epileptic Medicines for Autistic Children with Epilepsy
Authors: Tinelli M Michela , Roddy Aine , Knapp Martin , Arango Celso , Mendez Maria Andreina , Cusack James , Murphy Declan , Canitano Roberto , Oakley Bethany , Quoidbach Vinciane
Published: May 2023

We examine the cost-effectiveness of treating epilepsy with anti-epileptic medicines in autistic children, looking at impacts on healthcare providers (in England, Ireland, Italy and Spain) and children’s families (in Ireland). We find carbamazepine to be the most cost-effective drug to try first in children with newly diagnosed focal seizures. For England and Spain, oxcarbazepine is the most cost-effective treatment when taken as additional treatment for those children whose response to monotherapy is suboptimal. In Ireland and Italy, gabapentin is the most cost-effective option. Our additional scenario analysis presents the aggregate cost to families with autistic children who are being treated for epilepsy: this cost is considerably higher than healthcare provider expenditure.
I find this task interesting, so do you? Preservice teachers’ judgments of students’ enjoyment, boredom, and situational interest regarding tasks with and without a connection to reality
Authors: Kanefke Jonas , Schukajlow Stanislaw
Published: May 2023

Students’ emotions (e.g., enjoyment, boredom) while doing math and their situational interest in mathematics are important for their learning of mathematics, but examinations of teachers’ judgments of students’ emotions and interest while solving tasks are rare. Moreover, we do not know much about the predictors of teachers’ judgments of students’ emotions and interest. In this study, we addressed preservice teachers’ judgments of students’ task-specific enjoyment, boredom, and situational interest and analyzed whether such judgments are related to preservice teachers’ own enjoyment, boredom, and interest. Furthermore, we aimed to analyze whether preservice teachers’ judgments differ between the two types of tasks under investigation (tasks with and without a connection to reality). To achieve these aims, 182 preservice teachers were randomly assigned to one of two study conditions. In one condition, preservice teachers' judgments of task-specific emotions and situational interest for fictitious 9th-grade students were measured, and in the second condition, preservice teachers' own task-specific emotions and situational interest were measured. The results show that preservice teachers' judgments of students’ task-specific emotions and situational interest differ for tasks with and without a connection to reality. Further, our findings indicate that preservice teachers’ judgments of students’ task-specific emotions and interest differ from preservice teachers' own task-specific emotions and interest. Implications for theoretical models of teachers’ judgments and consequences for teacher education are discussed.
JAKs and STATs from a Clinical Perspective: Loss-of-Function Mutations, Gain-of-Function Mutations, and Their Multidimensional Consequences
Authors: Ott Nils , Faletti Laura , Heeg Maximilian , Andreani Virginia , Grimbacher Bodo
Published: May 2023

The JAK/STAT signaling pathway plays a key role in cytokine signaling and is involved in development, immunity, and tumorigenesis for nearly any cell. At first glance, the JAK/STAT signaling pathway appears to be straightforward. However, on closer examination, the factors influencing the JAK/STAT signaling activity, such as cytokine diversity, receptor profile, overlapping JAK and STAT specificity among non-redundant functions of the JAK/STAT complexes, positive regulators (e.g., cooperating transcription factors), and negative regulators (e.g., SOCS, PIAS, PTP), demonstrate the complexity of the pathway’s architecture, which can be quickly disturbed by mutations. The JAK/STAT signaling pathway has been, and still is, subject of basic research and offers an enormous potential for the development of new methods of personalized medicine and thus the translation of basic molecular research into clinical practice beyond the use of JAK inhibitors. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function mutations in the three immunologically particularly relevant signal transducers STAT1, STAT3, and STAT6 as well as JAK1 and JAK3 present themselves through individual phenotypic clinical pictures. The established, traditional paradigm of loss-of-function mutations leading to immunodeficiency and gain-of-function mutation leading to autoimmunity breaks down and a more differentiated picture of disease patterns evolve. This review is intended to provide an overview of these specific syndromes from a clinical perspective and to summarize current findings on pathomechanism, symptoms, immunological features, and therapeutic options of STAT1, STAT3, STAT6, JAK1, and JAK3 loss-of-function and gain-of-function diseases.
‘It was Dangerous, Corrosive and Cruel but not Illegal’: Legal help-seeking Behaviours Amongst LGBTQA+ Domestic and Family Violence Victim-survivors Experiencing Coercive Control in Australia
Authors: Reeves Ellen , McGowan Jasmine , Scott Ben
Published: May 2023

Purpose

There is an expanding body of research interrogating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual and other gender and sexuality diverse (LGBTQA+) persons’ experiences of domestic and family violence (DFV). However, few studies have considered LGBTQA+ persons’ specific experiences of ‘coercive control’ and none have considered legal help-seeking behaviours and decisions within this context. This article addresses this gap, through an examination of LGBTQA+ Australians’ experiences of legal help-seeking behaviours when experiencing coercive control from an intimate partner and/or family member.

Method

The article draws on the qualitative responses of a sample of 137 LGBTQA+ victim-survivors who participated in a survey on Australians’ experiences of coercive control. The analysis considers the reasons why some participants did not report abuse to the police, and the impact of police reporting for those who did.

Results

The study found that many of the concerns about the impact of reporting held by those who did not report to the police, were actualized in the experiences of those who did. Further, the study found that LGBTQA+ persons experience similar barriers to help-seeking compared to heterosexual and cisgender women, in addition to barriers that speak specifically to LGBTQA+ communities.

Conclusion

The findings of this study highlight the shortcomings of the law’s response to domestic and family violence and the need for intersectional responses to coercive control in Australia and beyond. The emerging findings presented in this article reinforce the importance and further need for research that specifically examines LGBTQA+ experiences of coercive control.
Improving Quantum Computation by Optimized Qubit Routing
Authors: Wagner Friedrich , Bärmann Andreas , Liers Frauke , Weissenbäck Markus
Published: May 2023

In this work we propose a high-quality decomposition approach for qubit routing by swap insertion. This optimization problem arises in the context of compiling quantum algorithms formulated in the circuit model of computation onto specific quantum hardware. Our approach decomposes the routing problem into an allocation subproblem and a set of token swapping problems. This allows us to tackle the allocation part and the token swapping part separately. Extracting the allocation part from the qubit routing model of Nannicini et al. (Optimal qubit assignment and routing via integer programming, 2021,http://arxiv.org/abs/2106.06446), we formulate the allocation subproblem as a binary linear program. Herein, we employ a cost function that is a lower bound on the overall routing problem objective. We strengthen the linear relaxation by novel valid inequalities. For the token swapping part we develop an exact branch-and-bound algorithm. In this context, we improve upon known lower bounds on the token swapping problem. Furthermore, we enhance an existing approximation algorithm which runs much faster than the exact approach and typically is able to determine solutions close to the optimum. We present numerical results for the fully integrated allocation and token swapping problem. Obtained solutions may not be globally optimal due to the decomposition and the usage of an approximation algorithm. However, the solutions are obtained fast and are typically close to optimal. In addition, there is a significant reduction in the number of artificial gates and output circuit depth when compared to various state-of-the-art heuristics. Reducing these figures is crucial for minimizing noise when running quantum algorithms on near-term hardware. As a consequence, using the novel decomposition approach leads to compiled algorithms with improved quality. Indeed, when compiled with the novel routing procedure and executed on real hardware, our experimental results for quantum approximate optimization algorithms show an significant increase in solution quality in comparison to standard routing methods.
Data based constitutive modelling of rate independent inelastic effects in composite cables using Preisach hysteresis operators
Authors: Manfredo Davide , Dörlich Vanessa , Linn Joachim , Arnold Martin
Published: May 2023

This contribution aims at introducing first steps to develop hysteresis operator type inelastic constitutive laws for Cosserat rods for the simulation of cables composed of complex interior components. Motivated by the basic elements of Cosserat rod theory, we develop a specific approach to constitutive modelling adapted for this application. Afterwards, we describe the hysteretical behaviour arising from cyclic bending experiments on cables by means of the Preisach operator. As shown in pure bending experiments, slender structures such as electric cables behave inelastically, and open hysteresis loops arise with noticeable difference between the first load cycle and the following ones. The Preisach operator plays an important role in describing the input-output relation in hysteresis behaviours, and it can be expressed as a superposition of relay operators. Hence, a mathematical formulation of the problem is introduced, and a first attempt is made to determine the hysteresis behaviour that describes the relation between curvature and bending moment. Therefore, a suitable kernel function is identified in a way that its integration over the Preisach plane results in the bending moment of the specimen, and a comparison between different kernel functions is performed.
Genome-wide profiling of patient-derived glioblastoma stem-like cells reveals recurrent genetic and transcriptomic signatures associated with brain tumors
Authors: Lazzarini Elisabetta , Silvestris Domenico Alessandro , Benvenuto Giuseppe , Osti Daniela , Fattore Luigi , Paterra Rosina , Finocchiaro Gaetano , Malatesta Paolo , Daga Antonio , Gallotti Alberto L. , Galli Rossella , Pelicci Giuliana , Tesei Anna , Bedeschi Martina , Pallini Roberto , Pasqualini Lorenza , Romualdi Chiara , Gallo Angela , Ricci-Vitiani Lucia , Indraccolo Stefano
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Patient-derived cancer cell lines can be very useful to investigate genetic as well as epigenetic mechanisms of transformation and to test new drugs. In this multi-centric study, we performed genomic and transcriptomic characterization of a large set of patient-derived glioblastoma (GBM) stem-like cells (GSCs).

Methods

94 (80 I surgery/14 II surgery) and 53 (42 I surgery/11 II surgery) GSCs lines underwent whole exome and trascriptome analysis, respectively.

Results

Exome sequencing revealed TP53 as the main mutated gene (41/94 samples, 44%), followed by PTEN (33/94, 35%), RB1 (16/94, 17%) and NF1 (15/94, 16%), among other genes associated to brain tumors. One GSC sample bearing a BRAF p.V600E mutation showed sensitivity in vitro to a BRAF inhibitor. Gene Ontology and Reactome analysis uncovered several biological processes mostly associated to gliogenesis and glial cell differentiation, S − adenosylmethionine metabolic process, mismatch repair and methylation. Comparison of I and II surgery samples disclosed a similar distribution of mutated genes, with an overrepresentation of mutations in mismatch repair, cell cycle, p53 and methylation pathways in I surgery samples, and of mutations in receptor tyrosine kinase and MAPK signaling pathways in II surgery samples. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of RNA-seq data produced 3 clusters characterized by distinctive sets of up-regulated genes and signaling pathways.

Conclusion

The availability of a large set of fully molecularly characterized GCSs represents a valuable public resource to support the advancement of precision oncology for the treatment of GBM.
Meta-uncertainty and the proof paradoxes
Authors: Steele Katie , Colyvan Mark
Published: May 2023

Various real and imagined criminal law cases rest on “naked statistical evidence”. That is, they rest more or less entirely on a probability for guilt/liability derived from a single statistical model. The intuition is that there is something missing in these cases, high as the probability for guilt/liability may be, such that the relevant standard for legal proof is not met. Here we contribute to the considerable debate about how this intuition is best explained and what it teaches us about evidential reasoning in the legal setting. We part ways with the recent scholarship, however. Unlike most others, our diagnosis is not that there is an important qualitative property that some evidence or bodies of evidence have, and that naked statistical evidence, most strikingly, lacks. Rather, we see cases resting on naked statistical evidence as lying at the extreme of a continuum of cases that are vulnerable to challenge due to “meta-uncertainty” about the underlying model.