bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Significant Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence Performance of 6‐Methoxychromone/S2O82− System By 2‐Naphthalene Sulfonic Acid as Co‐reaction Accelerator and its Application
Authors: Liu Mengyao , Huang Yuling , Xu Panpan , Xu Tingting , Zhu Yinggui
Published: August 2024

In this paper, the novel ECL sensor of the 6‐methoxychromone (6‐MC)/S2O82− system was designed by using 2‐naphthalene sulfonic acid (2‐NSA) as a co‐reaction accelerator. Fluorescence, ECL spectrum, and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were used to explore extensively the ECL mechanism of the system. It is worth pointing out that 2‐naphthalene sulfonic acid (2‐NSA) was first proposed as a co‐reaction accelerator, reacting with the coreactant K2S2O8 rather than the luminophore, promoting the generation of additional oxidant SO4− from S2O82−, thus amplifying the ECL signal. Furthermore, under the optimal experimental conditions, the high sensitivity of the 2‐naphthalene sulfonic acid (2‐NSA)+6‐methoxychromone (6‐MC)/S2O82− system was realized for the detection of methyl violet (MV) in the linear range of 10−8~10−2 M, with a detection limit of 5.14×10−10 M. In addition, this find offers some guidance for further developing co‐reaction accelerators with excellent performance in the future.
Membrane‐Nanoparticle Interactions: The Impact of Membrane Lipids
Authors: Issler Travis , Turner Raymond J. , Prenner Elmar J.
Published: August 2024

The growing field of nanotechnology presents opportunity for applications across many sectors. Nanostructures, such as nanoparticles, hold distinct properties based on their size, shape, and chemical modifications that allow them to be utilized in both highly specific as well as broad capacities. As the classification of nanoparticles becomes more well‐defined and the list of applications grows, it is imperative that their toxicity be investigated. One such cellular system that is of importance are cellular membranes (biomembranes). Membranes present one of the first points of contact for nanoparticles at the cellular level. This review will address current studies aimed at defining the biomolecular interactions of nanoparticles at the level of the cell membrane, with a specific focus of the interactions of nanoparticles with prominent lipid systems.
Coupling Liquid Electrochemical TEM and Mass‐Spectrometry to Investigate Electrochemical Reactions Occurring in a Na‐Ion Battery Anode
Authors: Gallegos‐Moncayo Kevyn , Folastre Nicolas , Toledo Milan , Tonnoir Hélène , Rabuel François , Gachot Grégory , Huo Da , Demortière Arnaud
Published: August 2024

A novel approach for investigating the formation of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) in Na‐ion batteries (NIB) through the coupling of in situ liquid electrochemical transmission electron microscopy (ec‐TEM) and gas‐chromatography mass‐spectrometry (GC/MS) is proposed. To optimize this coupling, experiments are conducted on the sodiation of hard carbon materials (HC) using two setups: in situ ec‐TEM holder and ex situ setup. Electrolyte (NP30) is intentionally degraded using cyclic voltammetry (CV), and the recovered liquid product is analyzed using GC/MS. Solid product (µ‐chip) is analyzed using TEM techniques in a post‐mortem analysis. The ex situ experiments served as a reference to for insertion of Na+ ions in the HC, SEI size (389 nm), SEI composition (P, Na, F, and O), and Na plating. The in situ TEM analysis reveals a cyclability limitation, this issue appears to be caused by the plating of Na in the form of a “foam” structure, resulting from the gas release during the reaction of Na with DMC/EC electrolyte. The foam structure, subsequently transformes into a second SEI, is electrochemically inactive and reduces the cyclability of the battery. Overall, the results demonstrate the powerful synergy achieved by coupling in situ ec‐TEM and GC/MS techniques.
Pivotal Role of Modifiable A‐Site Doping in Enhancing Valence Stability and Excited State Dynamics of MnO6
Authors: Zhang Yaowen , Sun Yuqi , Liu Chanqiang , Liu Junwei , Lu Jiajun , Wang Bo , Duan Longhui , Chen Gang , Zheng Beining , Han Mei , Feng Shouhua
Published: August 2024

The controlled regulation of A‐site in rare earth manganate perovskites can orderly arrange the electronic states, leading to the emergence of unique transport properties. However, it is challenging to balance crystal structure stability and property variations during the multi‐ion doping. In this study, a series of multivalent manganate perovskites are synthesized by hydrothermal method through the A‐site multielement doping, which enables the manganese atoms with varying valence states to orderly arrange at the B site. Powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) and X‐ray absorption spectra (XAS) confirm that the splitting of the K─O hybrid orbitals in the crystal effectively prevents any distortion of the MnO6 octahedron, thereby facilitating the ordered arrangement of Mn (III) ‐Mn (IV) ‐Mn (V) at the B‐site and promoting superstructure formation. The transient absorption spectra (TAS) reveals that the sequential arrangement of Mn (III) – Mn (IV) – Mn(V) better forms the charge transfer channels, and thereby makes the photodynamic properties of the sample composition‐dependent. These photodynamic properties will facilitate the study of exciton‐electron coupling behavior in LCKMO crystals during electrical transport.
Effect of Sulfur Content on Precipitation Behavior of Dendrite Sulfide Inclusion in Continuous Casted 20CrMnTi Gear Steel
Authors: Zheng Qiu‐wei , Gao Xiao‐yong , Zhang Li‐feng
Published: August 2024

The effect of sulfur content on sulfide inclusion and dendrite MnS in continuous casted 20CrMnTi gear steel is investigated. There are two main types of sulfides in 20CrMnTi steel: pure MnS and TiN–MnS composite inclusions. The number of TiN–MnS is higher than MnS, especially in the edge of the billet. TiN–MnS is smaller both in area and size than pure MnS. The statistical results of dendrite MnS show that the increase of S content decreases the average size of sulfides, whereas raises the number and the maximum size of sulfides. With the S content increasing, the proportion of large‐sized dendrite MnS in steel decreases, but the amount of large‐sized dendrite MnS increases, which results in the increase of number of large‐sized dendrite MnS. The average area of dendrite MnS inclusions first increased and then decreased from the edge to the center of billet, and the maximum area appeared at about 1/2 radius of the billet. Comparison with the microstructure of the two billets, the proportion of ferrite increased with the increase of S content.
Design and Analysis of Tapered Slot Vivaldi Antenna for 5G mm‐Wave Applications
Authors: Kokez Husam Al‐Deen F. , Aloulou Rahma , Mnif Hassene
Published: August 2024

In this paper, a planar of small size Tapered slot Vivaldi antenna for mm‐Wave 5G application is proposed. The main goal can be presented by designing of a small size antenna with good performance antenna for mmWave and massive MIMO applications. The suggested antenna structure is portrayed by a size of 6.4 × 6 × 0.254 mm3 printed on a dielectric substrate (Roger/RT Duroid −5880) with εr = 2.2, and tanδ = 0.0009. The antenna displayed a small size and good performance with an impedance bandwidth equals 17.9 GHz ranging from 22.1 GHz to 40 GHz with the value of S11<−10 dB, which covers all mm‐Wave frequency bands. The antenna gain is found fluctuating from 6.2 dB up to 7.1 dB in the whole band, which the maximum gain value is found at 22.1 GHz. The radiation of the antenna is found the end‐fire type. The HFSS software package was used to design and simulate the proposed antenna structure. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Epigenetic Regulation of RNF135 by LSD1 Promotes Stemness Maintenance and Brain Metastasis in Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Qu Xiaohan , Ding Tianjian , Zhao Haoqi , Wang Liming
Published: August 2024

RING finger protein 135 (RNF135) is identified as a regulator in certain cancer types. However, its role and molecular mechanisms in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) are still unclear. Herein, we investigated the level of RNF135 in tumor tissues of LUAD patients using the UALCAN database and confirmed the data by real‐time PCR and western blot analysis. The effects of RNF135 on stemness maintenance and migration/invasion capability of LUAD cells were investigated by sphere formation, flow cytometry, wound healing, and transwell assay. Limiting dilution xenograft assay and intracardiac injection of LUAD cells were applied to assess the implications of RNF135 in tumorigenesis and brain metastasis. Our results revealed that RNF135 was upregulated in tumor tissues of LUAD patients and was positively correlated with poor prognosis. Knockdown of RNF135 suppressed cancer stem cells (CSCs)‐like properties, and migration/invasion capability of A549 and NCI‐H1975 cells. Conversely, overexpression of RNF135 augmented CSCs‐like traits and migration/invasion ability of LUAD cells. Limiting dilution xenograft assay demonstrated that RNF135 was required for the self‐renewal of CSCs to initiate LUAD development. Overexpression of RNF135 in A549 cells increased their ability to metastasize to the brain in vivo. Mechanistically, the transcriptional activation of RNF135 by LSD1 involved H3K9me2 demethylation at the promoter region of RNF135. Reexpression of RNF135 in LSD1‐silenced A549 cells was able to reverse LSD1‐mediated stemness maintenance and migration/invasion capability. Overall, our results implied that targeting of LSD1/RNF135 axis might be a feasible method to suppress tumorigenesis and brain metastasis of LUAD patients.
The Impact of LIDAR‐Assisted Pitch Control on Floating Offshore Wind Operational Expenditure
Authors: Russell Andrew J. , McMorland Jade , Collu Maurizio , McDonald Alasdair S. , Thies Philipp R. , Keane Aidan , Quayle Alexander R. , McMillan David , Carroll James , Coraddu Andrea
Published: August 2024

Floating offshore wind (FOW) is a renewable energy source that is set to play an essential role in addressing climate change and the need for sustainable development. However, due to the increasing threat of climate emergency, more wind turbines are required to be deployed in deep water locations, further offshore. This presents heightened challenges for accessing the turbines and performing maintenance, leading to increased costs. Naturally, methods to reduce operational expenditure (OpEx) are highly desirable. One method that shows potential for reducing OpEx of FOW is LIDAR‐assisted pitch control. This approach uses wind velocity measurements from a nacelle‐mounted LIDAR to enable feedforward control of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) and can result in reductions to the variations of structural loads. Results obtained from a previous study of combined feedforward collective and individual pitch control (FFCPC + FFIPC) are translated to OpEx reductions via reduced component failure rates for future FOW developments, namely, in locations awarded in the recent ScotWind leasing round. The results indicate that LIDAR‐assisted pitch control may allow for an up to 5% reduction in OpEx, increasing to up to 11% with workability constraints included. The results varied across the three ScotWind sites considered, with sites furthest from shore reaping the greatest benefit from LIDAR‐assisted control. This work highlights the potential savings and reduction in the overall levelised cost of energy for future offshore wind turbine projects deliverable through the implementation of LIDAR‐assisted pitch control.
On the Potential of Accelerometers for GNSS on Satellite Positioning and Ensuing Reference Frame Determination
Authors: Schreiner Patrick , Glaser Susanne , König Rolf , Neumayer Karl Hans , Raut Shrishail , Schuh Harald
Published: August 2024

Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP) is the largest non-conservative force acting on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) satellites. Modeling this force is still one of the challenging tasks in precise orbit determination (POD) of GNSS satellites and therefore also for subsequent applications as geodetic reference frame determination. Commonly used methods for SRP modeling are empirical or analytical ones, as well as combinations of the two. These points give rise to the motivation whether and how alternative observation techniques can improve future GNSS and support them in aspects of POD, reference frame determination and other subsequent applications. For this purpose, we analyze the potential of accelerometers onboard of each Galileo satellite by using simulations for different accelerometer specifications and evaluate the effect on position and clock estimates of the satellite vehicle, as well as the effect on derived Terrestrial Reference Frames (TRF). We thereby see, by assuming accelerometer sensitivities which are already available, the possibility to decorrelate the clock estimates from radial orbit position determinations. The advantages for GNSS based positioning are limited, since radial orbit errors and clock errors almost perfectly compensate. Promising potential for improvements for derived TRF and geocenter determination can be seen, which would bring us one step closer to achieving the accuracy requirements of a global TRF, defined by the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS).
1 Introduction
Authors: Fauci Anthony S. , Ghebreyesus Tedros Adhanom
Published: August 2024

Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases will always be with us. It seems that just as we control one disease, a new threat takes its place. For example, soon after the global community eradicated smallpox in the mid-1970s, Ebola was first detected in Central Africa in 1976. The human immunodeficiency virus was recognized a few years later, having spread undetected for decades. Since then, many other emerging and re-emerging pathogens have threatened the world, including the first severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus in 2002, major outbreaks of Ebola, Zika virus, and now of course the second severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (◘ Fig. 1).
8 Building Biomedical Research Capacity in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Why It Matters and Some of the Barriers to Success
Authors: Bhadelia Nahid , Moorthy Vasee , Sorenson Robert A. , Swaminathan Soumya
Published: August 2024

This chapter elaborates on the importance of preexisting research capacity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for strengthening resilience against emerging and re-emerging infectious disease (EID) threats. In a broad sense, resilience is the ability of societies to maintain their core functions while responding to infectious disease outbreaks and other threats to the well-being of the population in order to minimize their health impact and other socioeconomic consequences. As the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, broadly available research capacity can contribute to resilience by helping the global research community refine the research questions that should be asked, elucidate essential scientific information about emerging pathogens more quickly and effectively, and develop and assess medical countermeasures (MCMs) such as vaccines and treatments for the disease. Strong research capacity in LMICs would help identify, characterize, and then slow or contain the spread of a new or unfamiliar pathogen, especially when it first appears in a geographically confined outbreak in one or a few contiguous LMICs. This may give research scientists more time to understand and counteract it. LMIC research capacity also contributes to more equitable governance of research during outbreaks, with at least the potential for broader distribution of MCMs than was seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Building biomedical research capacity is not a simple matter as it requires educational and healthcare systems that can support it by producing the necessary personnel, and, through health system functions like biosurveillance, access to patient data and the capacity to conduct clinical trials to assess MCMs. Such capacity building will require sustained investment by countries and international partners, but that investment would be more than justified even on solely economic terms by one averted pandemic. Additionally, the value of progress toward universal healthcare that comes with comprehensive capacity building is incalculable.
17 Integrating Clinical Research into Ebola Response: Liberia Case Study
Authors: Fallah Mosoka P.
Published: August 2024

Once considered unrealistic, conducting clinical research during response to infectious disease emergencies has become the norm among scientists, industry, and government officials, thanks in part to ground-breaking research during the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak. The swift development of safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) made clear that research response is imperative. In confronting the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak, U.S. and Liberian officials and other stakeholders worked out a partnership to manage and coordinate research efforts, including choosing research targets and supporting capacity-building investments that might bear fruit most quickly. The results in Liberia, and later in other low- to middle-income countries facing outbreaks of new or re-emerging infectious diseases, demonstrate that research response, in the right circumstances, can accelerate the end of an outbreak. Alongside improvements in preparedness for such research, the requirements for success include close professional cooperation and joint research management, along with winning the trust of stakeholder communities.
21.1 In Focus: The Impact and Mechanisms of Superspreading
Authors: Nielsen Bjarke Frost , Sneppen Kim , Simonsen Lone
Published: August 2024

One of the characteristic features of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is its tendency toward superspreading, where most onward transmission is linked to relatively few of those infected. Indeed, it has been shown that just around 10% of positive individuals account for 80% of new infections. The data necessary to quantify this superspreading tendency were available quite early, even before the outbreak was declared a pandemic. At the time, the epidemiological consequences of superspreading were not well understood, and mathematical models used for forecasting the pandemic trajectory were not equipped to incorporate this factor. More recently developed models have shown that such heterogeneity in transmission profoundly impacts the effects of mitigation measures, enhancing some strategies while rendering others less effective. This suggests that the overdispersion parameter k, roughly speaking “the estimated proportion of infected individuals responsible for 80% of the total secondary transmissions” (Endo et al. 2020), is a key statistical property of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and that k should be rapidly quantified for any emerging pathogen, along with the basic reproductive number R
0. While this research is still nascent, the overall picture is that the superspreading potential could be quantified in the early phase of a future pandemic and that this knowledge is a critical factor to inform the outbreak response.
32 Launching a Clinical Research Operation
Authors: Larson Gregg , McNay Laura A.
Published: August 2024

Launching a research operation to support a clinical trial in the midst of an infectious disease emergency is a daunting task. We know that disease outbreaks and epidemics will occur, but not the time, place, or nature of the disease. There may be many unknowns when the disease first appears. Urgently implemented clinical research can make it possible to mitigate morbidity and mortality, help control or end disease transmission, and improve response to subsequent outbreaks. If, as is likely, an outbreak with pandemic potential occurs in a country with little research capacity and meager healthcare infrastructure, the research response will be more difficult but no less urgent. Such countries, especially outside major cities, often lack dependable communications, electrical power, clean water, and transportation. This chapter and other chapters in the section of the book describe some of the obstacles involved and how to overcome them, based on the personal experience as well as the professional expertise of the authors. This chapter lays out a number of organizational requirements for setting up a research program, including the various specialized teams needed. Authors who have worked in such specialized teams provide their perspectives on the requirements in each of these specialized areas in the following chapters.
32.1 Case Study: Clinical Research Communications during an Outbreak: Media Outreach Supporting Liberia–U.S. Research Partnership
Authors: Kiawu Hassan , Doepel Laurie K.
Published: August 2024

The 2014 bilateral agreement signed by the Liberia Minister of Health and Social Welfare and his counterpart at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services established the Partnership for Research on Ebola Virus in Liberia (PREVAIL). The urgent purpose was to begin a research partnership to assess the safety and efficacy of candidate vaccines and therapies to prevent and treat Ebola virus disease (EVD) during the outbreak that had been affecting Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone since early 2014. As of 2024, PREVAIL continues to conduct research related to a variety of infectious diseases of concern in West Africa. During the Ebola outbreak, PREVAIL’s Communications Pillar within the Social Mobilization and Communications Working Group sought to optimize media messaging, support robust social mobilization and patient recruitment into clinical trials, foster relationships with partner organizations, develop standard operating procedures for communications, conduct media training sessions, and facilitate media interviews and press conferences. It emphasized transparent, honest, and clear communication to support the PREVAIL clinical research infrastructure, the conduct of clinical trials, and community acceptance of research with the potential to mitigate the Ebola virus outbreak in a country with scarce resources and limited clinical research experience.
35 Data Management in Emergency Response Research
Authors: van Loen Harry , Badio Moses , Van Herrewege Yven
Published: August 2024

Proper data management is essential for ensuring the validity and quality of clinical research, a key aspect of good clinical practice (GCP) guidelines and a requirement of research ethics committees and regulatory authorities. Thoughtful planning, validated data management tools, and standardized operating procedures are fundamental to ensure quality research data and essential to rigorous analysis, sound results, and reporting and sharing study conclusions. This chapter focuses on clinical research as the most data-intensive type of research, but the principles and practices outlined also apply to other types of research. We introduce key concepts using examples from emergency research studies, rather than attempting to provide an exhaustive technical overview.

Data management is more than the development of a study database or the mere collection and maintenance of study data; nor should it simply be considered as information technology (IT) or data analysis. It refers to a series of processes and activities during the study but also before and after the collection of data. Essential elements include precautions to protect the rights, privacy, and safety of research participants and their communities. Data management is thus a key task in emergency clinical research, and there must be sufficient resources to ensure adherence to GCP guidelines, governmental regulations, and data management standards and to support timely reporting of high-quality research results. Unfortunately, good data management is often not given the priority needed to ensure regulatory-level, interpretable results.
36 Safety and Pharmacovigilance in Emergency Research Response
Authors: Teitelbaum Marc , Atri Negin , Cahill Kelly
Published: August 2024

Pharmacovigilance is an essential element of clinical trials. Even though a trial is based on the hypothesis that the intervention being tested will provide benefits that outweigh the risks, that hypothesis often turns out to be wrong. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and coverage in traditional and social media have raised public awareness of the clinical research enterprise, and in particular the pharmacovigilance (PV) and safety aspects of emerging and re-emerging infectious disease (EID) research response. Fundamental concepts of PV and clinical research, safety goals, and methods are introduced and explained, and the key players, factors, constraints, and stakeholders comprising the system are covered, with examples drawn from the response to both the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2018 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ebola outbreak. Finally, key operational concepts, preparedness activities, and global response considerations are presented to help practitioners assess their personal, programmatic, and jurisdictional readiness to successfully develop and adapt research pharmacovigilance and safety programs in the context of EID response.
40.1 In Practice: Improving Patient Care in the Field: The CUBE Isolation Unit
Authors: Kojan Richard
Published: August 2024

The CUBE (
C

hambre d’

U

rgence

B

iosécurisée pour

E

pidémies, or emergency biosecurity chamber for epidemics) is an innovative, field-deployable shelter and isolation system for treating patients with dangerous infectious diseases. After the experience of working in cumbersome personal protective equipment (PPE) in tropical heat in the old Ebola treatment unit design, allowing caregivers to interact with patients for only 20 minutes at a stretch, the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) convened a working group to devise a better way to care for patients with Ebola and other highly transmissible, dangerous diseases. The result was the CUBE, a smaller containment structure for each patient, with transparent plastic walls, built-in ports resembling full-body gloves and airlock door and window portals. The CUBE allows for face-to-face contact between patients and their relatives as well as caregivers, without the need for PPE except when the caregiver needs direct contact with the patient.
42 Locally Hired Staff for Clinical Research Sites in Low-Resource Settings
Authors: Baseler Beth , Smolskis Mary , Doe-Anderson Jestina , Johnson Melvin , Njoh Wissedi , Albert Sara , Worthington Chris
Published: August 2024

This chapter provides insight on identifying, hiring, and training staff to conduct clinical research during an emergency response to infectious disease outbreaks in resource-limited settings. The authors illustrate human resourcing strategies employed and describe their experiences establishing local human resource capacity to support and conduct clinical trials during the Ebola outbreaks in West Africa (2014–2016) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2018–2020).

It is very likely that future emergency research responders will face similar challenges, even in quite distinct situations. The lessons presented here should help to establish an adaptable framework for future emergency responses that emphasizes team communication, collaboration, partnership, and mutual respect. In particular, this chapter offers insights into the following:

Contracting and legal requirements

Timing of activities

Key positions that should be filled to ensure study success

Strategies for legally and ethically hiring local staff while also incorporating international staff and volunteers

Training methods to ensure staff are adequately prepared for study implementation and participant safety

Requirements for respectful and mutually beneficial collaboration with local stakeholders while contributing to the outbreak response through clinical research
Video Reconstruction and Content Analysis of the Maidan Massacre on February 20, 2014
Authors: Katchanovski Ivan
Published: August 2024

This chapter presents video reconstruction and the content analysis of the Maidan massacre in Ukraine using over 2,000 videos and recordings of live Internet and TV broadcasts of the massacre in nearly 50 countries, news reports and social media posts by some 120 journalists covering the massacre from Kyiv, over 6,000 photos, and nearly 30 gigabytes of publicly available radio intercepts of snipers and commanders of the Security Service of Ukraine and Internal Troops. Synchronized videos show that specific times and directions of shooting by the Berkut policemen did not coincide with specific times and directions of killings of specific protesters.
The Maidan Massacre Trial Verdict, and Cover-up, Stonewalling, and Evidence Tampering
Authors: Katchanovski Ivan
Published: August 2024

The Maidan massacre trial verdict in Ukraine in October 2023 confirmed that many Maidan activists were killed and woundedand BBCand ARDTV journalists were shot at on February 20, 2014, not by Berkut or other law enforcement but by snipers in Hotel Ukraina and other Maidan-controlled locations, that this hotel was controlled by Maidan activists, including a far-right-linked Maidan company of snipers, that Russian agents were not involved in the massacre, that there were no massacre orders by President Yanukovych and his police and security chiefs, and that EuroMaidan then was an armed rebellion, which involved the massacre of the Berkut and Internal Troops.
The Social Paradigm of Automation
Authors: Betancourt Michael
Published: August 2024

The lineage of industrialisation that began in the eighteenth century continues with the development of artificial intelligence (AI). It reveals a heuristic apparent in/as the social paradigm that defines labour as interchangeable with the machinery it operates. Placing AI into a socio-cultural context with the industrial revolution reveals the on-going impacts of the social disparities created by capitalist production in the nineteenth century that were justified by reifying Immanuel Kant’s Enlightenment philosophy concerning judgement (human agency) continue to shape contemporary developments. Examining this philosophical justification and its influence illuminates a social paradigm focused on the replacement of labour with automation. This interdisciplinary approach links moral and aesthetic claims to the questions of labour to reveal a heuristic in which workers were cast as the “intellectual organs” of the machine, anticipating “machine learning” and other forms of digital automation that replace intelligent labour. This cultural foundation developes from the continuity of technological changes that defined each stage of industrialisation through disparate social, cultural and aesthetic claims about machinery and the social significance of the industrial factory. The regimentation of labour by industrialization concerned nineteenth century artists and critics whose ideas established an archetype whose structural effects shape and constrain the contemporary implementation of automation and AI.
Mixed-Method Approaches to Capture Digitalisation. The Case of Networked Digital Technology Permeation in German Hospitals
Authors: Melchior Alice , Schongen Sebastian , Pollak Reinhard
Published: August 2024

Given the interest and salience of the topic of digitalisation, it is not surprising that there is a large variety of multifaceted research and a multitude of different findings in sociology alone. However, the current debate is often criticised for its fuzziness and fragmentation. The lack of a unified conceptualisation of this fuzzy term and an overwhelming range of existing research tools makes it difficult to adequately capture digitalisation empirically, let alone study its direct consequences. In this article we introduce a template for a mixed-methods approach that allows us to circumvent these issues and enables researchers to study digitalisation and its effects comprehensively. We also apply our template and discuss the benefits for our empirical findings. Following the ideas of this volume, we focus on permeation as the concept we study with our approach and present the healthcare sector in Germany as an empirical example. For our mixed-methods approach we utilise a wide range of research tools using, for example, interviews with experts in various institutions, secondary data analysis and an online survey conducted in multiple hospitals. Our sometimes contradictory findings highlight that only by combining all these methods we do achieve a correct understanding of what permeation means for this sector.
Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelten – die systemische Transformation verstehen. Ein Ausblick
Authors: Pfeiffer Sabine , Nicklich Manuel , Schreyer Jasmin
Published: August 2024

Der Artikel analysiert die Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelten als systemische Transformation aus der Perspektive der drei Bewegungsdynamiken Durchdringung, Verfügbarmachung und Verselbstständigung. Mit Hilfe eines interdisziplinären Ansatzes werden die Wechselwirkungen zwischen Mikro-, Meso- und Makroebene beleuchtet. Betont wird die Bedeutung der sozialen, technischen und diskursiven Dimensionen dieses Wandels. Der Beitrag versteht sich als eine erste systematische Einordnung und fasst die digitale Transformation zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt nicht schon als eine von systemischer Qualität, sondern geht von einer proto-transformativen Situation aus.
Flexibility in Digitalised Working Worlds: A Comparative Perspective on the Use and Implications of Written Digital Work Communication
Authors: Abendroth Anja-Kristin , Lükemann Laura
Published: August 2024

Written digital communication increases the availability of employees and supervisors for work-related communication irrespective of time and place. This may serve the flexibility interests of employees and/or supervisors. Applying a cross-national comparative perspective, this research shows that the use of written digital communication in the work relationship between employee and supervisor and the implications for work-to-life conflict differ across European countries, depending on existing family and labour market policies.
Employers’ Muted Interest in Electronic Performance Monitoring (EPM)
Authors: Wieser Luisa , Abraham Martin , Schnabel Claus , Niessen Cornelia , Wolff Mauren
Published: August 2024

Against the backdrop of the increasing availability and accessibility of data in firms and organisations (Christl 2021; Eurofound 2020), we investigate supervisors’ interest in using electronic performance monitoring (EPM) systems to monitor their employees at work. While previous research has predominately focused on employees’ reactions to EPM (e.g., Allen et al. 2007; Chen and Ross 2005; Gangwar et al. 2014; Mitrou and Karyda 2006; Ravid et al. 2020; Stanton 2000a, 2000b), this study looks at the employer’s calculations of costs and benefits before implementing surveillance technologies. Emanating from principal-agent theory, employers (principals) seek information about employees’ work efforts.
Spread and spectral complexity in quantum spin chains: from integrability to chaos
Authors: Camargo Hugo A. , Huh Kyoung-Bum , Jahnke Viktor , Jeong Hyun-Sik , Kim Keun-Young , Nishida Mitsuhiro
Published: August 2024

Abstract

We explore spread and spectral complexity in quantum systems that exhibit a transition from integrability to chaos, namely the mixed-field Ising model and the next-to-nearest-neighbor deformation of the Heisenberg XXZ spin chain. We corroborate the observation that the presence of a peak in spread complexity before its saturation, is a characteristic feature in chaotic systems. We find that, in general, the saturation value of spread complexity post-peak depends not only on the spectral statistics of the Hamiltonian, but also on the specific state. However, there appears to be a maximal universal bound determined by the symmetries and dimension of the Hamiltonian, which is realized by the thermofield double state (TFD) at infinite temperature. We also find that the time scales at which the spread complexity and spectral form factor change their behaviour agree with each other and are independent of the chaotic properties of the systems. In the case of spectral complexity, we identify that the key factor determining its saturation value and timescale in chaotic systems is given by minimum energy difference in the theory’s spectrum. This explains observations made in the literature regarding its earlier saturation in chaotic systems compared to their integrable counterparts. We conclude by discussing the properties of the TFD which, we conjecture, make it suitable for probing signatures of chaos in quantum many-body systems.
Longitudinal association of exposure to work-related stress with major depressive disorder and the role of occupational burnout in this association in the general population
Authors: Shoman Yara , Ranjbar Setareh , Strippoli Marie-Pierre F. , von Känel Roland , Preisig Martin , Guseva Canu Irina
Published: August 2024

Purpose

To prospectively assess (1) the associations of Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI), its individual components, and over-commitment with (a) the onset of a Major Depressive Episode (MDE) during a 3.6-year follow-up in a population-based cohort in participants with no current Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in the beginning of the follow-up (n = 959), (b) incidence of MDD in the subsample of participants exempt from lifetime MDD (n = 490), and (c) the onset of a new MDE (i.e. recurrence) in the subsample of participants with remitted but no current MDD (n = 485), and (2) potential effect modification of burnout on these associations.

Methods

DSM-IV Axis-I disorders were elicited using the semi-structured Diagnostic Instrument for Genetic Studies at each investigation. The ERI Questionnaire was used to measure ERI and overcommitment. Burnout was measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey. Serially adjusted logistic regression models were used. The effect of burnout dimensions on these associations was assessed by testing interactions between the ERI and burnout dimensions.

Results

(1) ERI was prospectively associated with the onset of MDE, even after adjustment for burnout [OR (95CI) = 1.22 (1.003–1.49)]. (2) The association between ERI and MDD incidence became non-significant after adjusting for burnout. (3) ERI was not associated with recurrence of pre-existing MDD. (4) burnout did not interact with ERI.

Conclusions

Our results support a longitudinal association between ERI and the risk of onset of MDE in the community. Burnout did not modify this effect, but it may partially account for the association between ERI and MDD incidence.
Ärztlicher Paternalismus – Patientenwohl und Patientenautonomie
Authors: Schmidt-Recla Adrian
Published: August 2024

Seit langem ist bekannt, dass die ärztliche Heilbehandlung rechtlich nicht toleriert werden kann, wenn sie ohne Einwilligung der behandelten Person vorgenommen wird. Dieser Satz kann durchaus als Prinzipalmaxime des gesamten Medizinrechts verstanden werden. Und doch herrschen unter Ärztinnen und Ärzten mitunter und noch immer aus dem beruflichen Alltag geschöpfte, paternalistische Vorstellungen über Einwilligung und Aufklärung, die die juristischen Hebel des grundrechtlich garantierten Selbstbestimmungsrechts von Patientinnen und Patienten in der ärztlichen Behandlung darstellen. Wo stehen wir heute, wenn es darum geht, zu beurteilen, inwieweit die Rechtsordnung der Bundesrepublik der Patientenautonomie den ihr nach Art. 2 Abs. 1 GG zukommenden Rang einräumt? Oder darum, zu beurteilen, wieviel Fremdbestimmung und Zwang erlaubt sein sollen, um Zustände zu erhalten oder herbeizuführen, in denen Freiheit besteht oder möglich wird? Selbst ausgeübte Patientenautonomie und (paternalistisch) fremdbestimmtes Patientenwohl sind teils ineinander verschlungen oder ineinander verschlingbar. Dieser Beitrag will eine kurze, auf das (das muss einschränkend vorausgeschickt werden) Zivilrecht bezogene Standortbestimmung vornehmen, die zudem (noch weiter einschränkend) auf das private Fürsorgerecht rekurriert, das anfällig ist für Heteronomie, Paternalismus und Benevolenz (im Idealfall). Die hier folgenden Überlegungen zu Freiheit und benevolenter Fremdbestimmung fußen im Wesentlichen auf zwei 2017 in der MedR und der R&P veröffentlichten Aufsätzen des Verfassers und setzen sie fort. Besonderes Augenmerk liegt dabei auf den in der Zwischenzeit vollzogenen Reformen im BGB.
Patientenentschädigungsfonds in Österreich – Entwicklung, Ausgestaltung, Erfahrungen
Authors: Stöger Karl
Published: August 2024

Während in Deutschland seit mehreren Jahren immer wieder über die Einrichtung eines Patientenentschädigungs- bzw. -härtefallfonds diskutiert wird, ist in Österreich ein Patientenentschädigungsfondsmodell für den Krankenanstaltenbereich seit über 20 Jahren etabliert. Dieses weist einerseits gewisse strukturelle, wenn auch verfassungsrechtlich weitgehend unbedenkliche, Schwächen auf, andererseits aber auch einige verfassungsrechtliche Problemfelder, die wiederum in der Praxis kaum negative Auswirkungen zeigen. Beide Punkte sorgen dafür, dass das österr. Patientenentschädigungsmodell – was auch schon erkannt wurde – kein wirkliches Vorbild für Deutschland sein sollte. Dennoch lässt sich an ihm und seiner Funktionsweise gut darstellen, auf welche Punkte beim “Betrieb” eines Patientenentschädigungsfondssystems zu achten ist.
Postsurgical motor function and processing speed as predictors of quality of life in patients with chronic-phase glioblastoma
Authors: Nakajima Riho , Kinoshita Masashi , Okita Hirokazu , Nakada Mitsutoshi
Published: August 2024

Purpose

Patients with glioblastomas (GBMs) have poor prognosis despite various treatments; therefore, attention should be paid to maintaining the quality of survival. Neurocognitive deficits can affect the quality of life (QOL) in patients with GBM. Most studies concerning QOL and neurocognitive functions have demonstrated a relationship between QOL and self-reported neurocognitive decline, although this method does not accurately reflect damaged functional domains. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the neurocognitive functions that influence the QOL in patients with GBMs using an objective assessment of neurocognitive functions.

Methods

Data from 40 patients newly diagnosed with GBMs were analyzed. All patients completed the assessment of QOL and various neurological and neurocognitive functions including general cognitive function, processing speed, attention, memory, emotion recognition, social cognition, visuospatial cognition, verbal fluency, language, motor function, sensation, and visual field at 6 months postoperatively. QOL was assessed using the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36). In the SF-36, the physical, mental, and role and social component summary (PCS, MCS, and RCS, respectively) scores were calculated. Multiple logistic regression analyses and chi-square tests were used to evaluate the association between SF-36 scores and neurocognitive functions.

Results

The MCS was maintained, while the PCS and RCS scores were significantly lower in patients with GBMs than in healthy controls (p = 0.0040 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Among several neurocognitive functions, motor function and processing speed were significantly correlated with PCS and RCS scores, respectively (p = 0.0048 and p = 0.030, respectively). Patients who maintained their RCS or PCS scores had a higher probability of preserving motor function or processing speed than those with low RCS or PCS scores (p = 0.0026).

Conclusions

Motor function and processing speed may be predictors of QOL in patients with GBMs.
Self-disclosure to conversational AI: a literature review, emergent framework, and directions for future research
Authors: Papneja Hashai , Yadav Nikhil
Published: August 2024

Conversational technologies have become increasingly prevalent, with interactions becoming more and more personalized. This paper reviews literature on the phenomenon of self-disclosure to conversational technologies. Five types of factors emerge as influencing self-disclosure: interface modality, conversational factors, user characteristics, mediating mechanisms, and contextual factors. We describe each type of factor, cover findings from the literature, present the framework of factors influencing self-disclosure that thus emerges, and put forth pertinent questions for future research on self-disclosure to conversational technologies.
Cross-population variation in usage of a call combination: evidence of signal usage flexibility in wild bonobos
Authors: Schamberg Isaac , Surbeck Martin , Townsend Simon W.
Published: August 2024

The arbitrary relationship between signifier and signified is one of the features responsible for language’s extreme lability, adaptability, and expressiveness. Understanding this arbitrariness and its emergence is essential in any account of the evolution of language. To shed light on the phylogeny of the phenomenon, comparative data examining the relationship between signal form and function in the communication systems of non-humans is central. Here we report the results of a study on the production and usage the whistle-high hoot call combination (W + HH) from two distant populations of wild bonobos (Pan paniscus): Lui Kotale, DRC, and Kokolopori, DRC. We find that the context in which bonobos produce the W + HHs varies systematically between populations. Our results suggest that variation in W + HH production may represent an example of signal-adjustment optionality, a key component of arbitrariness.
AdaGuiDE: An adaptive and guided differential evolution for continuous optimization problems
Authors: Li Zhenglong , Tam Vincent
Published: August 2024

Differential evolution (DE) has been proven as a simple yet powerful meta-heuristic algorithm on tackling continuous optimization problems. Nevertheless most existing DE methods still suffer from certain drawbacks including the use of ineffective mechanisms to adjust mutation strategies and their control parameters that may possibly mislead the search directions, and also the lack of intelligent guidance and reset mechanisms to escape from local optima. Therefore, to enhance the adaptability of DE-based search frameworks and the robustness on optimizing complex problems full of local optima, an adaptive and guided differential evolution (AdaGuiDE) algorithm is proposed. Essentially, the adaptability of the AdaGuiDE search framework is enhanced by three schemes to iteratively refine the search behaviour at two different levels. At the macroscopic level, the AdaGuiDE search framework revises the existing adaptive mechanism for selecting appropriate DE search strategies by counting the actual contributions in terms of solution quality. In addition, the adaption strategy is extended to the microscopic level where a penalty-based guided DE search is employed to guide the search escaping from local optima through temporarily penalizing the local optima and their neighborhood. Furthermore, a systematic boundary revision scheme is introduced to dynamically adjust the search boundary for locating any potential regions of interest during the search. For a rigorous evaluation of the proposed search framework, the AdaGuiDE algorithm is compared against other well-known meta-heuristic approaches on three sets of benchmark functions involving different dimensions in which the AdaGuiDE algorithm attained remarkable results especially on the high-dimensional and complex optimization problems. More importantly, the proposed AdaGuiDE framework shed lights on many possible directions to further enhance the adaptability of the underlying DE-based search strategies in tackling many challenging real-world applications.