bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Life’s Essential 8 in relation to self-rated health and health-related quality of life in a large population-based sample: the SCAPIS project
Authors: Herraiz-Adillo Ángel , Ahlqvist Viktor H. , Daka Bledar , Wångdahl Josefin , Wennberg Patrik , Carlsson Jakob , Higueras-Fresnillo Sara , Lenander Cecilia , Östgren Carl Johan , Berglind Daniel , Rådholm Karin , Henriksson Pontus
Published: January 2024

Purpose

To monitor cardiovascular health, in 2022, the American Heart Association (AHA) updated the construct “Life’s Simple 7” (LS7) to “Life’s Essential 8” (LE8). This study aims to analyze the associations and capacity of discrimination of LE8 and LS7 in relation to self-rated health (SRH) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods

This study from the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS) included 28 731 Swedish participants, aged 50–64 years. Three different scores were derived from the SF-12 questionnaire: 1-item question SRH (“In general, would you say your health is …?”), mental-HRQoL and physical-HRQoL. Logistic regression, restricted cubic splines, and ROC analysis were used to study the associations between the AHA scores in relation to SRH and HRQoL.

Results

Compared to those with a LE8 score of 80, participants with a LE8 score of 40 were 14.8 times more likely to report poor SRH (OR: 14.8, 95% CI: 13.0–17.0), after adjustments. Moreover, they were more likely to report a poor mental-HRQoL (OR: 4.9, 95% CI: 4.2–5.6) and a poor physical-HRQoL (OR: 8.0, 95% CI: 7.0–9.3). Area under curves for discriminating poor SRH were 0.696 (95% CI: 0.687–0.704), 0.666 (95% CI: 0.657–0.674), and 0.643 (95% CI: 0.634–0.651) for LE8, LS7 (0–14), and LS7 (0–7), respectively, all p values < 0.001 in the DeLong’s tests.

Conclusion

LE8 and LS7 had strong and inverse associations with SRH, mental-HRQoL, and physical-HRQoL, though LE8 had a somewhat higher capacity of discrimination than LS7. The novel LE8, a construct initially conceived to monitor cardiovascular health, also conveys SRH and HRQoL.
One more piece of the family firm debt puzzle: the influence of socioemotional wealth dimensions
Authors: Blanco-Mazagatos Virginia , Romero-Merino M. Elena , Santamaría-Mariscal Marcos , Delgado-García Juan Bautista
Published: January 2024

The literature on debt financing in family firms is still inconclusive. Initial studies have usually focused on the influence of family involvement on firm’s debt levels by using the explanations of traditional economic theories. More recent studies have begun to focus on the role of family goals in family firm debt levels, particularly drawing on socioemotional wealth (SEW), which has helped in the development of financial theories of family business. Nevertheless, existing arguments have usually not considered SEW as a multidimensional construct that covers diverse family goals. In addition, literature has usually drawn on arguments considering SEW as a stock, but have not considered the importance given to SEW (SEWi), which specifically acknowledges SEW as a goal. Our paper responds to recent calls to extend theoretical arguments on the effect of diverse dimensions of SEWi on family firm behavior and to focus on the role of SEWi on the family firms’ debt. Specifically, we test how the CEOs’ assessment of the importance that their family attaches to the continuity, prominence, and enrichment dimensions of SEWi influences the level of debt. To do so, we use a sample of 126 Spanish unlisted family businesses. Our results show that the continuity dimension of SEWi leads family businesses to increase their debt level being a key determinant of this financing decision.
How many authors are (too) many? A retrospective, descriptive analysis of authorship in biomedical publications
Authors: Jakab Martin , Kittl Eva , Kiesslich Tobias
Published: January 2024

Publishing in academic journals is primary to disseminate research findings, with authorship reflecting a scientist’s contribution, yielding academic recognition, and carrying significant financial implications. Author numbers per article have consistently risen in recent decades, as demonstrated in various journals and fields. This study is a comprehensive analysis of authorship trends in biomedical papers from the NCBI PubMed database between 2000 and 2020, utilizing the Entrez Direct (EDirect) E-utilities to retrieve bibliometric data from a dataset of 17,015,001 articles. For all publication types, the mean author number per publication significantly increased over the last two decades from 3.99 to 6.25 (+ 57%, p < 0.0001) following a linear trend (r2 = 0.99) with an average relative increase of 2.28% per year. This increase was highest for clinical trials (+ 5.67 authors per publication, + 97%), the smallest for case reports (+ 1.01 authors, + 24%). The proportion of single/solo authorships dropped by a factor of about 3 from 17.03% in 2000 to 5.69% in 2020. The percentage of eleven or more authors per publication increased ~ sevenfold, ~ 11-fold and ~ 12-fold for reviews, editorials, and systematic reviews, respectively. Confirming prior findings, this study highlights the escalating authorship in biomedical publications. Given potential unethical practices, preserving authorship as a trustable indicator of scientific performance is critical. Understanding and curbing questionable authorship practices and inflation are imperative, as discussed through relevant literature to tackle this issue.
The silver lining of COVID-19 restrictions: research output of academics under lockdown
Authors: García-Costa Daniel , Grimaldo Francisco , Bravo Giangiacomo , Mehmani Bahar , Squazzoni Flaminio
Published: January 2024

Serious concerns have been raised on the potentially negative impact of public measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic on academic research, including the closure of research facilities, and the challenges of lockdown. However, it is unclear whether COVID-related mobility restrictions have penalized academic productivity, and if this is the case, whether it has had an equal impact on all research areas and countries. Here, we examined about 9.2 million submissions to 2689 Elsevier journals in all research areas in 2018–2021 and estimated the impact of anti-COVID mobility restriction policies on submissions to journals. Results showed that anti-contagion public measures had a positive impact on academic productivity. However, submission patterns changed more in non-Western academic countries, with the exception of Italy, which had stringent lock-down measures. During the early stages of the pandemic, the abnormal peak of submission was dominated by health & medical researchers, whereas later, there was an increase in submissions to social science & economics journals. Although anti-contagion public measures have contributed to change academic work, it is difficult to estimate whether they will have any potentially long-term effect on the academic community- either positive or negative.
Impact of neural cyberattacks on a realistic neuronal topology from the primary visual cortex of mice
Authors: López Madejska Victoria Magdalena , López Bernal Sergio , Martínez Pérez Gregorio , Huertas Celdrán Alberto
Published: January 2024

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are widely used in medical scenarios to treat neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease or epilepsy, when a pharmacological approach is ineffective. Despite their advantages, these BCIs target relatively large areas of the brain, causing side effects. In this context, projects such as Neuralink aim to stimulate and inhibit neural activity with single-neuron resolution, expand their usage to other sectors, and thus democratize access to neurotechnology. However, these initiatives present vulnerabilities in their designs that cyberattackers can exploit to cause brain damage. Specifically, the literature has documented the applicability of neural cyberattacks, threats capable of stimulating or inhibiting individual neurons to alter spontaneous neural activity. However, these works were limited by a lack of realistic neuronal topologies to test the cyberattacks. Surpassed this limitation, this work considers a realistic neuronal representation of the primary visual cortex of mice to evaluate the impact of neural cyberattacks more realistically. For that, this publication evaluates two existing cyberattacks, Neuronal Flooding and Neuronal Jamming, assessing the impact that different voltages on a particular set of neurons and the number of neurons simultaneously under attack have on the amount of neural activity produced. As a result, both cyberattacks increased the number of neural activations, propagating their impact for approximately 600 ms, where the activity converged into spontaneous behavior. These results align with current evidence about the brain, highlighting that neurons will tend to their baseline behavior after the attack.
Adaptive retrofitting for industrial machines: utilizing webassembly and peer-to-peer connectivity on the edge
Authors: Nakakaze Otoya , Koren István , Brillowski Florian , Klamma Ralf
Published: January 2024

Leveraging previously untapped data sources offers significant potential for value creation in the manufacturing sector. However, asset-heavy shop floors, extended machine replacement cycles, and equipment diversity necessitate considerable investments for achieving smart manufacturing, which can be particularly challenging for small businesses. Retrofitting presents a viable solution, enabling the integration of low-cost sensors and microcontrollers with older machines to collect and transmit data. In this paper, we introduce a concept and a prototype for retrofitting industrial environments using lightweight web technologies at the edge. Our approach employs WebAssembly as a novel bytecode standard, facilitating a consistent development environment from the cloud to the edge by operating on both browsers and bare-metal hardware. By attaining near-native performance and modularity reminiscent of container-based service architectures, we demonstrate the feasibility of our approach. Our prototype was evaluated with an actual industrial robot within a showcase factory, including measurements of data exchange with a cutting-edge data lake system. We further extended the prototype to incorporate a peer-to-peer network that facilitates message routing and WebAssembly software updates. Our technology establishes a foundational framework for the transition towards Industry 4.0. By integrating considerations of sustainability and human factors, it further extends this groundwork to facilitate progression into Industry 5.0.
Mitochondrial complex I inhibition triggers NAD+-independent glucose oxidation via successive NADPH formation, “futile” fatty acid cycling, and FADH2 oxidation
Authors: Abrosimov Roman , Baeken Marius W. , Hauf Samuel , Wittig Ilka , Hajieva Parvana , Perrone Carmen E. , Moosmann Bernd
Published: January 2024

Inhibition of mitochondrial complex I (NADH dehydrogenase) is the primary mechanism of the antidiabetic drug metformin and various unrelated natural toxins. Complex I inhibition can also be induced by antidiabetic PPAR agonists, and it is elicited by methionine restriction, a nutritional intervention causing resistance to diabetes and obesity. Still, a comprehensible explanation to why complex I inhibition exerts antidiabetic properties and engenders metabolic inefficiency is missing. To evaluate this issue, we have systematically reanalyzed published transcriptomic datasets from MPP-treated neurons, metformin-treated hepatocytes, and methionine-restricted rats. We found that pathways leading to NADPH formation were widely induced, together with anabolic fatty acid biosynthesis, the latter appearing highly paradoxical in a state of mitochondrial impairment. However, concomitant induction of catabolic fatty acid oxidation indicated that complex I inhibition created a “futile” cycle of fatty acid synthesis and degradation, which was anatomically distributed between adipose tissue and liver in vivo. Cofactor balance analysis unveiled that such cycling would indeed be energetically futile (-3 ATP per acetyl-CoA), though it would not be redox-futile, as it would convert NADPH into respirable FADH2 without any net production of NADH. We conclude that inhibition of NADH dehydrogenase leads to a metabolic shift from glycolysis and the citric acid cycle (both generating NADH) towards the pentose phosphate pathway, whose product NADPH is translated 1:1 into FADH2 by fatty acid cycling. The diabetes-resistant phenotype following hepatic and intestinal complex I inhibition is attributed to FGF21- and GDF15-dependent fat hunger signaling, which remodels adipose tissue into a glucose-metabolizing organ.
Duality in the problems of optimal control described by Darboux-type differential inclusions
Authors: Demir Sağlam Sevilay
Published: January 2024

This paper is devoted to the optimization of the Mayer problem with hyperbolic differential inclusions of the Darboux type and duality. We use the discrete approximation method to get sufficient conditions of optimality for the convex problem given by Darboux differential inclusions and the polyhedral problem for a hyperbolic differential inclusion with state constraint. We formulate the adjoint inclusions in the Euler-Lagrange inclusion and Hamiltonian forms. Then, we construct the dual problem to optimal control problem given by Darboux differential inclusions with state constraint and prove so-called duality results. Moreover, we show that each pair of primal and dual problem solutions satisfy duality relations and that the optimal values in the primal convex and dual concave problems are equal. Finally, we establish the dual problem to the polyhedral Darboux problem and provide an example to demonstrate the main constructions of our approach.
Associations of Primary Care Provider Burnout with Quality Improvement, Patient Experience Measurement, Clinic Culture, and Job Satisfaction
Authors: Quigley Denise D. , Slaughter Mary Ellen , Qureshi Nabeel , Hays Ron D.
Published: January 2024

Background

Burnout among providers negatively impacts patient care experiences and safety. Providers at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) are at high risk for burnout due to high patient volumes; inadequate staffing; and balancing the demands of patients, families, and team members.

Objective

Examine associations of provider burnout with their perspectives on quality improvement (QI), patient experience measurement, clinic culture, and job satisfaction.

Design

We conducted a cross-sectional provider survey about their perspectives including the single-item burnout measure. We fit separate regression models, controlling for provider type, gender, being multilingual, and fixed effects for clinic predicting outcome measures from burnout.

Participants

Seventy-four providers from 44 clinics in large, urban FQHC (52% response rate; n = 174).

Main Measures

Survey included a single-item, self-defined burnout measure adapted from the Physician Worklife Survey, and measures from the RAND AMA Study survey, Heath Tracking Physician survey, TransforMed Clinician and Staff Questionnaire, Physician Worklife Survey, Minimizing Errors Maximizing Outcomes survey, and surveys by Friedberg et al. 31 and Walling et al. 32

Results

Thirty percent of providers reported burnout. Providers in clinics with more facilitative leadership reported not being burned out (compared to those reporting burnout; p-values < 0.05). More pressures related to patient care and lower job satisfaction were associated with burnout (p-values < 0.05).

Conclusions

Creating provider-team relationships and environments where providers have the time and space necessary to discuss changes to improve care, ideas are shared, leadership supports QI, and QI is monitored and discussed were related to not being burned out. Reducing time pressures and improving support needed for providers to address the high-need levels of FQHC patients can also decrease burnout. Such leadership and support to improving care may be a separate protective factor against burnout. Research is needed to further examine which aspects of leadership drive down burnout and increase provider involvement in change efforts and improving care.
A Conservative (R)Evolution? Constitutional–Political Crises, Trumpism, and Long-standing Trends of Conservative Transformations in the United States and Beyond
Authors: Simon Julia , Sonnicksen Jared
Published: January 2024

Starting from the most current developments in the legal and political processing of Donald J. Trump’s (post)presidency, this contribution highlights the persisting challenges to the constitutional, social, and political stability of democracy in the United States (U.S.). In particular, it outlines several dimensions of an enabling environment in which Trump(ism) could thrive. A key feature of this is the thorough and ever-growing asymmetry that has come to characterize the partisan political context in the United States and that directs our attention to the conservative side of the political spectrum: the Republican Party as its major organizational embodiment, as well as broader trends of conservative (trans)formation, including those related to the electorate, policies, institutions, civil society, and the media. Thus, this contribution underlines the importance of the multiple and often longer-term influences, conflicts, institutions, and conditions conducive to current developments, including, in particular, the range of actors that have been relevant in shaping them. Asymmetric polarization, economic inequality, and nationalist and anti-government (authoritarian–populist) tendencies and movements are among the factors that together pose the most serious threat to liberal democracy in the United States—and in “the West” more broadly. The introduction illustrates the importance of studying and reflecting upon the implications of the above trends, actors, and conditions for Germany and other European states, for transatlantic cooperation, and even for the global multilateral system as a whole. It concludes with an overview of the research articles in the special issue, outlining their individual as well as overlapping analytical interests and contributions.
Ripple Knowledge Graph Convolutional Networks for Recommendation Systems
Authors: Li Chen , Cao Yang , Zhu Ye , Cheng Debo , Li Chengyuan , Morimoto Yasuhiko
Published: January 2024

Using knowledge graphs to assist deep learning models in making recommendation decisions has recently been proven to effectively improve the model’s interpretability and accuracy. This paper introduces an end-to-end deep learning model, named representation-enhanced knowledge graph convolutional networks (RKGCN), which dynamically analyses each user’s preferences and makes a recommendation of suitable items. It combines knowledge graphs on both the item side and user side to enrich their representations to maximize the utilization of the abundant information in knowledge graphs. RKGCN is able to offer more personalized and relevant recommendations in three different scenarios. The experimental results show the superior effectiveness of our model over 5 baseline models on three real-world datasets including movies, books, and music.
Aging Mongolian pine plantations face high risks of drought-induced growth decline: evidence from both individual tree and forest stand measurements
Authors: Li Mingyong , Yang Leilei , Cao Yu , Wu Dedong , Hao Guangyou
Published: January 2024

Discerning vulnerability differences among different aged trees to drought-driven growth decline or to mortality is critical to implement age-specific countermeasures for forest management in water-limited areas. An important species for afforestation in dry environments of northern China, Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv.) has recently exhibited growth decline and dieback on many sites, particularly pronounced in old-growth plantations. However, changes in response to drought stress by this species with age as well as the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, tree-ring data and remotely sensed vegetation data were combined to investigate variations in growth at individual tree and stand scales for young (9 − 13 years) and aging (35 − 52 years) plantations of Mongolian pine in a water-limited area of northern China. A recent decline in tree-ring width in the older plantation also had lower values in satellited-derived normalized difference vegetation indices and normalized difference water indices relative to the younger plantations. In addition, all measured growth-related metrics were strongly correlated with the self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index during the growing season in the older plantation. Sensitivity of growth to drought of the older plantation might be attributed to more severe hydraulic limitations, as reflected by their lower sapwood- and leaf-specific hydraulic conductivities. Our study presents a comprehensive view on changes of growth with age by integrating multiple methods and provides an explanation from the perspective of plant hydraulics for growth decline with age. The results indicate that old-growth Mongolian pine plantations in water-limited environments may face increased growth declines under the context of climate warming and drying.
Deciphering cytopenias in internal medicine: a single-center observational study
Authors: Leoni Simona , Ferraresi Marta , Motta Irene , Hu Cinzia , Fracanzani Anna Ludovica , Barcellini Wilma , Fattizzo Bruno
Published: January 2024

Cytopenia is a common finding in patients admitted to internal medicine wards and the clinical workup may be long and time-consuming. In this single-center observational study, we analyzed a series of 151 inpatients who received hematologist referral due to cytopenia observed during hospital admission. Patients were mainly elderly (median 71 years, 15–96) and 87% had at least one comorbidity. Anemia was the most common cytopenia (91%), followed by thrombocytopenia (51%), and neutropenia (22%); 73 (48%) patients had a bicytopenia and 5 (3%) pancytopenia. Cytopenias were mainly severe, 66% of cases required RBC transfusions, and 21% platelet pools. During a median hospital stay of 15 days (1–166), 53 subjects (35%) received a hematologic discharge diagnosis, whilst the two-thirds had secondary cytopenia mainly due to associated comorbidities. Only about 34% of 2,728 diagnostic tests performed (including laboratory, imaging, and histology) clearly informed the discharge diagnosis in this heterogenous setting. Specifically, bone-marrow evaluation indicated in 46 (30%) patients, was diagnostic in 32 (69.6%). Eleven percent of patients died due to progression of the oncohematologic disease (29%), sepsis (24%), and solid tumor progression (24%). In conclusion, cytopenias in the internal medicine setting are mainly severe, more frequently secondary to associated comorbidities (2/3 of patients) and deserve proper workup before second/third-level tests (immune-hematological assays and CT scan or PET and bone-marrow evaluation, respectively).
Light therapy glasses during night shift work: a field study
Authors: Ottersbach Julia , Eich Anna-Lena , Ringeisen Katharina , Wetter Thomas C. , Popp Roland F. J.
Published: January 2024

Background

Night shift work leads to severe short- and long-term side effects, posing a risk to personal and occupational safety.

Objective

This study aimed to test the effects of blue-enriched light-emitting glasses on sleepiness, alertness, and sustained attention during the early morning hours of night shift work.

Methods

To remedy the risks of reduced alertness, sustained attention, and increased sleepiness in a single-blind study design, Luminette® 3 (Lucimed SA, Wavre, Belgium) glasses emitting blue-enriched light (BL) were tested from 05:00 to 05:30 during night shift work in 21 participants at a sleep laboratory, and the effects were compared with those of glasses emitting sham dim red light (DRL). Sleepiness was rated hourly from 21:00 to 07:30 using the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, while alertness was assessed using the PC Psychomotor Vigilance Task before and after the intervention. At the end of the night shift, sustained attention (using the computerized Mackworth Clock Test), comfort ratings, and fatigue were measured. Statistical analyses were conducted using the Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.

Results

Sleepiness increased significantly throughout the night and was not significantly reduced after the intervention, with a more prolonged reduction using BL. Compared with using DRL, using BL revealed no clear benefit in terms of alertness or sustained attention, yet comfort ratings were slightly better, without any negative side effects.

Conclusion

In the current study, BL glasses were not clearly superior to DRL glasses in ameliorating the negative side effects of night shift work. Despite some limitations, however, this field study showed high ecological validity and demonstrated the convenient use of an intervention that is easy to implement in a realistic workplace setting.
Treatment of node-positive endometrial cancer: chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy
Authors: Tubridy Elizabeth A. , Taunk Neil K. , Ko Emily M.
Published: January 2024

Opinion Statement

The standard of treatment for node-positive endometrial cancer (FIGO Stage IIIC) in North America has been systemic therapy with or without additional external beam radiation therapy (RT) given as pelvic or extended field RT. However, this treatment paradigm is rapidly evolving with improvements in systemic chemotherapy, the emergence of targeted therapies, and improved molecular characterization of these tumors. The biggest question facing providers regarding management of stage IIIC endometrial cancer at this time is: what is the best management strategy to use with regard to combinations of cytotoxic chemotherapy, immunotherapy, other targeted therapeutics, and radiation that will maximize clinical benefit and minimize toxicities for the best patient outcomes? While clinicians await the results of ongoing clinical trials regarding combined immunotherapy/RT as well as management based on molecular classification, we must make decisions regarding the best treatment combinations for our patients. Based on the available literature, we are offering stage IIIC patients without measurable disease postoperatively both adjuvant chemotherapy and IMRT with carboplatin, paclitaxel, and with or without pembrolizumab/dostarlimab as primary adjuvant therapy. Patients with measurable disease post operatively, high risk histologies, or stage IV disease receive chemoimmunotherapy, and vaginal brachytherapy is added for those with uterine risk factors for vaginal recurrence. In the setting of endometrioid EC recurrence more than 6 months after treatment, patients with pelvic nodal and vaginal recurrence are offered IMRT and brachytherapy without chemotherapy. For measurable recurrence not suitable for pelvic radiation alone, chemoimmunotherapy is preferred as standard of care.
Desmoid Tumors: Current Perspective and Treatment
Authors: Mangla Ankit , Agarwal Nikki , Schwartz Gary
Published: January 2024

Opinion statement

Desmoid tumors are rare tumors with a tendency to infiltrate locally. The lack of a standard treatment approach makes choosing the most appropriate treatment for patients challenging. Most experts recommend watchful observation for asymptomatic patients as spontaneous regression of tumor is observed in up to 20% of patients. Upfront resection of the desmoid tumor has fallen out of favor due to high morbidity and high relapse rates associated with the tumor. Systemic therapy has evolved over several decades. Where chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were used over the last several decades, tyrosine kinase inhibitors came to the forefront within the last decade. Most recently, gamma-secretase inhibitors have shown significant clinical benefit in patients with desmoid tumors, bringing forth an entirely new mechanistic approach. Several Wnt pathway inhibitors are also under development. Invasive approaches like cryoablation have also shown clinical benefit in patients with extra-abdominal desmoid tumors in recent years. The recent approval of nirogacestat has ushered in a new era of treatment for patients diagnosed with desmoid tumors. Several new molecules are expected to be approved over the coming years.
Multiple Origins and Multiple Destinations: The Fertility of Immigrant Women in Europe
Authors: Mussino Eleonora , Cantalini Stefano
Published: January 2024

Studies on immigrant fertility typically compare immigrants and natives or different migrant groups at the same destination but rarely immigrants of the same origins in different destination countries. In this paper, we look at immigrants from multiple origins in multiple destination countries simultaneously, using the European Union Labour Force Survey to compare female immigrants from ten areas of origin in eight destination countries in Europe. Our results indicate a strong origin effect. However, they also suggest that when women migrate to a context where the fertility norm is different from that in their origin, they adjust their behaviors accordingly, which indicates that policy and normative context play an important role in shaping migrants’ fertility. From a policy perspective, this is important because it suggests that the fertility of immigrant women, who are exposed to different norms and normative contexts, can resemble that of native women at the destination. Our findings contribute to strengthening the role of destination in shaping fertility behavior and highlighting the importance of looking at all the possible combinations of immigrants coming from and going to different fertility regimes.
Cerebellar Neurostimulation for Boosting Social and Affective Functions: Implications for the Rehabilitation of Hereditary Ataxia Patients
Authors: Ciricugno Andrea , Oldrati Viola , Cattaneo Zaira , Leggio Maria , Urgesi Cosimo , Olivito Giusy
Published: January 2024

Beyond motor deficits, spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) patients also suffer cognitive decline and show socio-affective difficulties, negatively impacting on their social functioning. The possibility to modulate cerebello-cerebral networks involved in social cognition through cerebellar neurostimulation has opened up potential therapeutic applications for ameliorating social and affective difficulties. The present review offers an overview of the research on cerebellar neurostimulation for the modulation of socio-affective functions in both healthy individuals and different clinical populations, published in the time period 2000–2022. A total of 25 records reporting either transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) studies were found. The investigated clinical populations comprised different pathological conditions, including but not limited to SCA syndromes. The reviewed evidence supports that cerebellar neurostimulation is effective in improving social abilities in healthy individuals and reducing social and affective symptoms in different neurological and psychiatric populations associated with cerebellar damage or with impairments in functions that involve the cerebellum. These findings encourage to further explore the rehabilitative effects of cerebellar neurostimulation on socio-affective deficits experienced by patients with cerebellar abnormalities, as SCA patients. Nevertheless, conclusions remain tentative at this stage due to the heterogeneity characterizing stimulation protocols, study methodologies and patients’ samples.
Enhancing trust in global supply chains: Conceptualizing Digital Product Passports for a low-carbon hydrogen market
Authors: Heeß Paula , Rockstuhl Jakob , Körner Marc-Fabian , Strüker Jens
Published: January 2024

Industries and energy markets around the world are facing mounting pressure to decarbonize, prompting them to transform processes and supply chains towards sustainability. However, a lack of credible sustainability data proves to be a considerable barrier for emerging markets for sustainable products: Against the background of complex and globalized supply chains, it is necessary to verify the sustainability claim of products in order to demand price premiums for sustainable products in the long run. To enable this, it is necessary that stakeholders in globalized supply chains are willing to share relevant data along the entire supply chain for increasing traceability and reducing information asymmetries. Using the example of international hydrogen supply chains, we study how data can be shared between different stakeholders using Digital Product Passports while addressing stakeholders’ concerns about data privacy and disclosure. In our work, we develop design principles that provide insight into how a Digital Product Passport should be designed to verify the hydrogen’s carbon footprint in a reliable way and to ensure the willingness of stakeholders to share their data. We follow a multi-step approach with a structured literature review followed by expert interviews and qualitative content analysis for a synthesis of design principles. Our research illustrates that a Digital Product Passport must collect data comprehensively and automatically, process it in a decentralized and tamper-proof manner, protect privacy and sovereignty of stakeholders, and ensure interoperability.
Working Poor – empirische Einblicke und sozialstaatstheoretische Überlegungen
Authors: Ritter Bettina
Published: January 2024

Working Poor bezeichnet ein (nicht nur) in Deutschland weit verbreitetes Phänomen: Menschen erzielen zwar durch eigene Erwerbstätigkeit ein Einkommen, welches aber so gering ist, dass sie ihren Lebensunterhalt damit nicht bestreiten können. Eine solche sogenannte Erwerbsarmut ist angesichts ihrer dauerhaften und steigenden Existenz längst zur bundesdeutschen Normalität zu zählen. Der plakative Slogan „Arm trotz Arbeit“, mit dem diese Lebenslage in politischen Debatten problematisiert (Meiser 2022) oder offiziell betitelt wird (Statistisches Bundesamt 2022), drückt demgegenüber aus, dass es sich um eine abzulehnende Abweichung von – zumindest für Westeuropa geltenden – normalen Arbeits- und Lebensverhältnissen handelt, da Arbeit eigentlich vor Armut schützen solle (Pradella 2015). Der vorliegende Beitrag geht dieser Annahme mit Blick auf empirische Realitäten und unter Rückgriff auf sozialstaatstheoretische Perspektiven sowie einige marxistisch-feministische Grundannahmen nach und kommt zu einem kritischen Urteil: Zwar stellt sich die Lage bezüglich der einzelnen arbeitenden und von Armut betroffenen Person als „arm trotz Arbeit“ dar, ihre Armut begründet sich gesamtgesellschaftlich allerdings eher „wegen Arbeit“. Zunächst werden das Phänomen und seine Verbreitung in Deutschland beschrieben und zwei Varianten von Betroffenheit genauer in den Blick genommen: Elternschaft und Behinderung. Anschließend wird dem sozialpolitischen Charakter des Phänomens nachgegangen, bevor daraus ableitend Überlegungen zur gesellschaftskonstituierenden Rolle des Sozialstaats sowie eine gesellschaftstheoretische Begründung von Working Poor umrissen werden. Anschließend werden Implikationen bezüglich sozialer Dienste formuliert, bevor ein Fazit den Beitrag abschließt.
Arbeit – eine zentrale und zugleich vernachlässigte Dimension von Sozialer Arbeit und Sozialpädagogik
Authors: Kessl Fabian , Bock Karin
Published: January 2024

Obwohl der Begriff der „Arbeit“ dem Begriff der „Sozialarbeit“, aber auch der „Sozialen Arbeit“ oder dem englischen „social work“ inhärent ist, ist Arbeit nur selten explizit Gegenstand wissenschaftlicher und fachlicher Auseinandersetzungen. Im vorliegenden Text wird den Anschlüssen an den Begriff der Arbeit in den vorliegenden Debatten in Bezug auf Sozialpädagogik und Soziale Arbeit nachgegangen.
Leaving elite sport, abandoning athletic identity? Development and predictors of athletic identity post-retirement
Authors: Schmid Michael J. , Hlasová Helena , Ronkainen Noora J. , Conzelmann Achim , Schmid Juerg
Published: January 2024

The purpose of this study was to examine how athletic identity develops beyond a career in elite sport and which factors contribute to this development. A two-wave 12-year longitudinal survey of 290 Swiss elite athletes (Mage = 36.8 years at t2; 32.8% women, 67.2% men; 63% individual sports, 37% team sports athletes) was conducted during (t1) and after their career (t2). Multilevel models revealed that athletic identity was high at t1 and decreased over time. However, there was considerable heterogeneity across athletes. Particularly, the status as an athlete (i.e., professional vs. semi-professional), career age, and self-complexity predicted athletic identity at t1. A slower decline in athletic identity was found for athletes who earned their living in sports, participated in (recreational) competitive sport, were satisfied with their sport career, and did not increase their self-complexity at t2. Therefore, when seeking to reduce athletic identity, it is recommended to promote self-complexity through exploratory behavior.
Affirming Neurodiversity within Applied Behavior Analysis
Authors: Mathur Sneha Kohli , Renz Ellie , Tarbox Jonathan
Published: January 2024

Criticisms of applied behavior analysis (ABA) from the autistic community continue to intensify and have an appreciable impact on research, practice, and conversation in stakeholder groups. ABA providers aspire to increase quality of life for autistic people; thus, it is imperative for providers to listen with humility and openness to the population we serve. Autistic individuals have unparalleled expertise in their own lives and their own communities. The concerns raised by the autistic community cannot, morally or ethically, be swept aside. There may be a misguided and harmful tendency to devalue concerns due to the speaker’s identification as autistic or due to their difference in professional credentials. The concept of neurodiversity can help the ABA field respond to these concerns and collaborate with the largest stakeholders of our services, the autistic clients we serve. This article summarizes some of the key criticisms that autistic advocates raise concerning ABA, discusses the social model of disability and the neurodiversity paradigm, and proposes practical guidance to help the field of ABA integrate neurodiversity and thereby evolve our research and practice. By openly acknowledging the criticisms against ABA and recognizing how we can do better as a field, we believe we can take practical steps towards a profession and a society that more fully embraces inclusion.
Dynamic Opportunities for Medical Students to Assume the Roles of “Medical Teacher”
Authors: Kumar Chitra , Miller Avery , Marshall Aaron M. , Thompson Andrew R. , Lowrie D. J. , Weber Danielle E. , Kelleher Matt , Malosh Laura , Martin Carrie , Christensen Heather R.
Published: January 2024

The traditional undergraduate medical education curriculum focuses on bolstering knowledge for practice and building clinical skills. However, as future clinicians, medical students will be tasked with teaching throughout their careers, first as residents and then as attendings. Here, we describe teaching opportunities for students that foster their development as future teachers and potential clinician educators. These offerings are diverse in their focus and duration and are offered across various levels of the curriculum — including course-based learning, longitudinal electives, and extra-curricular opportunities for medical students who have a passion for teaching.
An Application of Fuzzy Symbolic Time-Series for Energy Demand Forecasting
Authors: Criado-Ramón D. , Ruiz L.G.B. , Pegalajar M. C.
Published: January 2024

In this paper, we present a new fuzzy symbolization technique for energy load forecasting with neural networks, FPLS-Sym. Symbolization techniques transform a numerical time series into a smaller string of symbols, providing a high-level representation of time series by combining segmentation, aggregation and discretization. The dimensional reduction obtained with symbolization can speed up substantially the time required to train neural networks, however, it can also lead to considerable information losses that could lead to a less accurate forecast. FPLS-Sym introduces the use of fuzzy logic in the discretization process, maintaining more information about each segment of the neural network at the expense of requiring more space in memory. Extensive experimentation was made to evaluate FPLS-Sym with various neural-network-based models, including different neural network architectures and activation functions. The evaluation was done with energy demand data from Spain taken from 2009 to 2019. Results show that FPLS-Sym provides better quality metrics than other symbolization techniques and outperforms the use of the standard numerical time series representation in both quality metrics and training time.
Multispectral remote sensing approach of predicting the potential distribution and evaluating the current spread of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)
Authors: Churko Esayas Elias , Nhamo Luxon , Chitakira Munyaradzi
Published: January 2024

The water hyacinth is categorized among the world’s top ten worst invasive plant species of aquatic ecosystems. This study assessed changes in the spatiotemporal distributions of the water hyacinth in Lake Koka and Ziway of the Upper Awash River basin during the peak growth season of the plant. Household questionnaires and key informant interviews along with Landsat images for 2013, 2017, and 2021 were collected to identify the past, present, and future potential distributions of the invasive plant in the two lakes. Household surveys and key informant interviews were prepared using the Kobo Toolbox which monitors data collection online. A total number of 413 households were sampled and the data were analyzed through descriptive statistics. For Landsat images, a supervised classification technique was applied to classify the land use classes using the maximum likelihood algorithm. The survey results showed increased water hyacinth expansion in the area since the year 2011. The water hyacinth expansion affected 285 households’ livelihoods by invading 69.0% of their farmlands which caused 97.6% food scarcity in the study districts. The results of the Landsat image indicated that the water hyacinth invasion in Lake Koka occupied 1.48% in 2013, and this increased to 7.13% in 2021, while the water body decreased from 75.94 to 69.90%, respectively. However, the area of the other vegetation is nearly identical between the years 2013–2021. Likewise, water hyacinth covered 4.66% of Lake Ziway in 2013, and this was raised to 8.42% in 2021. At Lake Ziway water hyacinth invasion affected the area of other vegetation coverage as it decreased from 16.19 to 10.67% but the area of the water body remained almost the same during the years. Between 2013 and 2025, the amount of water hyacinths increased in both Lake Koka and Lake Ziway. According to LULC data, the water hyacinth's rate of spread was 0.56% in Lake Koka and 0.95% in Lake Ziway. The results of this study revealed the signals of LULC change due to water hyacinth invasion in the Upper Awash Basin which is considered an important aspect for future water resources planning and management.
Zu viel Eisen – State of the Art: EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines zur Hämochromatose
Authors: Pammer Lorenz , Schäfer Benedikt
Published: January 2024

Die European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) hat neue Clinical Practice Guidelines für Hämochromatose veröffentlicht. Hämochromatose ist eine genetische Erkrankung, bei der ein Mangel des eisenregulierenden Hormons Hepcidin zu vermehrtem Eisenexport aus den Zellen und erhöhter intestinaler Eisenaufnahme führt. Dies führt zu erhöhter Transferrinsättigung und der Bildung von toxischem nicht an Transferrin gebundenem Eisen, das Gewebe schädigen kann. Ein wesentliches Update in den Leitlinien ist die überarbeitete Definition, die betont, dass Hämochromatose zwar eine genetische Erkrankung ist, die aber über das Vorhandensein eines klinischen Phänotyps mit erhöhter Transferrinsättigung und einer Lebereisenüberladung definiert wird. Die Prävalenz der Hämochromatose variiert in Mitteleuropa aufgrund der Verteilung von HFE-Genmutationen (p.C282Y, p.H63D). Die Penetranz steigt mit dem Alter, wobei Männer stärker betroffen sind. Bei biochemischen Anzeichen von Eisenüberladung erfordert die Diagnose genetische Tests. Die Therapie beinhaltet regelmäßige Aderlässe, um das Ferritin unter 100 µg/l zu halten. Eine Bewertung von hepatischen und extrahepatischen Manifestationen wird bei allen Hämochromatosepatienten empfohlen, einschließlich Lebersteifigkeitsmessung, Screening auf HCC (hepatozelluläres Karzinom) und Bewertung von Gelenk-, endokrinen, kardialen und sexuellen Dysfunktionen.
Identifying early help referrals for local authorities with machine learning and bias analysis
Authors: Neto Eufrásio de A. Lima , Bailiss Jonathan , Finke Axel , Miller Jo , Cosma Georgina
Published: January 2024

Local authorities in England, such as Leicestershire County Council (LCC), provide Early Help services that can be offered at any point in a young person’s life when they experience difficulties that cannot be supported by universal services alone, such as schools. This paper investigates the utilisation of machine learning (ML) to assist experts in identifying families that may need to be referred for Early Help assessment and support. LCC provided an anonymised dataset comprising 14 360 records of young people under the age of 18. The dataset was pre-processed, ML models were developed, and experiments were conducted to validate and test the performance of the models. Bias-mitigation techniques were applied to improve the fairness of these models. During testing, while the models demonstrated the capability to identify young people requiring intervention or early help, they also produced a significant number of false positives, especially when constructed with imbalanced data, incorrectly identifying individuals who most likely did not need an Early Help referral. This paper empirically explores the suitability of data-driven ML models for identifying young people who may require Early Help services and discusses their appropriateness and limitations for this task.
Machine learning insights in predicting heavy metals interaction with biochar
Authors: Wei Xin , Liu Yang , Shen Lin , Lu Zhanhui , Ai Yuejie , Wang Xiangke
Published: January 2024

The use of  machine learning (ML) in the field of predicting heavy metals interaction with biochar is a promising field of research, mainly because of the growing understanding of how removal efficiency is affected by characteristic variables, reaction conditions and biochar properties. The practical application in biochar still faces large challenges, such as difficulties in data collection, inadequate algorithm development, and insufficient information. However, the quantity, quality, and representation of data have a large impact on the accuracy, efficiency, and generalizability of machine learning tasks. From this perspective, the present data descriptors, the efficiency of machine learning-aided property and performance prediction, the interpretation of underlying mechanisms and complicated relationships, and some potential ways to augment the data are discussed regarding the interactions of heavy metals with biochar. Finally, future perspectives and challenges are discussed, and an enhanced model performance is proposed to reinforce the feasibility of a particular perspective.

Graphical Abstract