bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surgeon stress, anxiety, and workload: a descriptive study of participant reported responses to fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery exercises
Authors: Budden Aaron K. , Henry Amanda , Wakefield Claire E. , Abbott Jason A.
Published: September 2024

Background

Stress while operating is an important contributor to surgeon health and burnout. Measuring stress is key to improving surgeon and patient outcomes, however biological responses to stress during surgery are variable and difficult to interpret. Participant reported measures of stress have been suggested as an alternative, but the most appropriate measure has not been defined. This study’s primary aim was to assess measures of anxiety, stress, and workload before and after surgical simulation and characterize the relationship between these measures.

Methods

Surgeons completed three laparoscopic exercises from the fundamentals of laparoscopy program (peg transfer, pattern cutting, intracorporeal suturing) in a neutral environment and “stressed” environment (ergonomic, noise, or time pressure). State trait anxiety and self-reported stress on a visual analogue scale were collected prior to simulation and again immediately afterwards. The NASA task load index (TLX) was also administered post-simulation.

Results

Of the 26 participants from gynecological and general surgery specialties, state anxiety increased in 98/148 simulations (62%) with a significant mean increase during simulation (32.9 ± 7.9 vs 39.4 ± 10.2, p < .001). Self-reported stress increased in 107/148 simulations (72%), with a significant increase in mean scores during simulation (38.7 ± 22.5 vs 48.9 ± 23.7, p < .001). NASA-TLX scores immediately after simulation ranged from 40 to 118 (mean 60.5 ± 28.7). Greater anxiety and stress scores were reported in “stressed” simulations (43.6 ± 23.1 vs 54.2 ± 23.3; 68.7 ± 27.0 vs 52.4 ± 28.2 respectively) with a significant interaction effect of the “stressed” environment and type of exercise. Anxiety and stress were moderately positively correlated prior to simulation (r = .40) and strongly positively correlated post-simulation (r = .70), however only stress was strongly correlated to workload (r = .79).

Conclusion

Stress and anxiety varied by type of laparoscopic exercise and simulation environment. Correlations between anxiety and stress are stronger post-simulation than prior to simulation. Stress, but not anxiety, is highly correlated with workload.

Graphical Abstract
The impact of hypertension on clinical outcomes in moyamoya disease: a multicenter, propensity score-matched analysis
Authors: Musmar Basel , Roy Joanna M. , Abdalrazeq Hammam , Atallah Elias , Naamani Kareem El , Chen Ching-Jen , Jabre Roland , Saad Hassan , Grossberg Jonathan A. , Dmytriw Adam A. , Patel Aman B. , Khorasanizadeh Mirhojjat , Ogilvy Christopher S , Thomas Ajith J. , Monteiro Andre , Siddiqui Adnan , Cortez Gustavo M. , Hanel Ricardo A. , Porto Guilherme , Spiotta Alejandro M. , Piscopo Anthony J. , Hasan David M. , Ghorbani Mohammad , Weinberg Joshua , Nimjee Shahid M. , Bekelis Kimon , Salem Mohamed M. , Burkhardt Jan-Karl , Zetchi Akli , Matouk Charles , Howard Brian M. , Lai Rosalind , Du Rose , Abbas Rawad , Sioutas Georgios S , Amllay Abdelaziz , Munoz Alfredo , Herial Nabeel A. , Tjoumakaris Stavropoula I. , Gooch Michael Reid , Rosenwasser Robert H. , Jabbour Pascal
Published: September 2024

Background

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a rare cerebrovascular disorder characterized by progressive steno-occlusive changes in the internal carotid arteries, leading to an abnormal vascular network. Hypertension is prevalent among MMD patients, raising concerns about its impact on disease outcomes. This study aims to compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes of MMD patients with and without hypertension.

Methods

We conducted a multicenter, retrospective study involving 598 MMD patients who underwent surgical revascularization across 13 academic institutions in North America. Patients were categorized into hypertensive (n=292) and non-hypertensive (n=306) cohorts. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to adjust for baseline differences.

Results

The mean age was higher in the hypertension group (46 years vs. 36.8 years, p < 0.001). Hypertensive patients had higher rates of diabetes mellitus (45.2% vs. 10.7%, p < 0.001) and smoking (48.8% vs. 27.1%, p < 0.001). Symptomatic stroke rates were higher in the hypertension group (16% vs. 7.1%; OR: 2.48; 95% CI: 1.39-4.40, p = 0.002) before matching. After PSM, there were no significant differences in symptomatic stroke rates (11.1% vs. 7.7%; OR: 1.5; CI: 0.64-3.47, p = 0.34), perioperative strokes (6.2% vs. 2.1%; OR 3.13; 95% CI: 0.83-11.82, p = 0.09), or good functional outcomes at discharge (93% vs. 92.3%; OR 1.1; 95% CI: 0.45-2.69, p = 0.82).

Conclusion

No significant differences in symptomatic stroke rates, perioperative strokes, or functional outcomes were observed between hypertensive and non-hypertensive Moyamoya patients. Appropriate management can lead to similar outcomes in both groups. Further prospective studies are required to validate these findings.
Methods for calculating gliding-box lacunarity efficiently on large datasets
Authors: Kovács Bálint Barna H. , Erdélyi Miklós
Published: September 2024

Lacunarity has proven to be a useful, multifaceted tool for image analysis in several different scientific fields, from geography to virology, which has lent increasing importance to the lacunarity analysis of large datasets. It can be most reliably calculated with the so-called gliding-box method, but the evaluation process can be exceedingly time-consuming and unviable as this algorithm is not designed to operate on large datasets. Here we introduce two novel methods that can calculate gliding-box lacunarity orders of magnitude faster than the original method without any loss of accuracy. We compare these methods with the original as well as with two already existing optimized methods based on runtime memory usage and complexity. The application of all five methods for both 2D and 3D datasets analysis confirms that each of the four optimized methods are orders of magnitude faster than the original one, but each has its advantages and limitations.
Meningitis and intracranial abscess due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae in a B cell-depleted patient with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Madžar Dominik , Nickel Florian T. , Rothhammer Veit , Goelitz Philipp , Geißdörfer Walter , Dumke Roger , Lang Roland
Published: September 2024

Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a frequent respiratory pathogen, can cause neurological disease manifestations. We here present a case of M. pneumoniae as cause of meningitis and occurrence of an intracranial abscess as a complication of mastoiditis with septic cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in a patient with multiple sclerosis on anti-CD20 therapy.
Otoacoustic Estimate of Astronauts’ Intracranial Pressure Changes During Spaceflight
Authors: Moleti Arturo , Minniti Triestino , Sharma Yoshita , Russo Altea , Civiero Andrea , Orlando Maria Patrizia , MacGregor Robert , Lucertini Marco , D’Amico Arnaldo , Pennazza Giorgio , Santonico Marco , Zompanti Alessandro , Crisafi Alessandro , Deffacis Maurizio , Sapone Rosa , Mascetti Gabriele , Vadrucci Monia , Valentini Giovanni , Castagnolo Dario , Botti Teresa , Cerini Luigi , Sanjust Filippo , Sisto Renata
Published: September 2024

Purpose

To investigate the potential correlation between prolonged exposure to microgravity on the International Space Station and increased intracranial fluid pressure, which is considered a risk factor for the astronauts’ vision, and to explore the feasibility of using distortion product otoacoustic emissions as a non-invasive in-flight monitor for intracranial pressure changes.

Methods

Distortion product otoacoustic emission phase measurements were taken from both ears of five astronauts pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight. These measurements served as indirect indicators of intracranial pressure changes, given their high sensitivity to middle ear transmission alterations. The baseline pre-flight ground measurements were taken in the seated upright position.

Results

In-flight measurements revealed a significant systematic increase in otoacoustic phase, indicating elevated intracranial pressure during spaceflight compared to seated upright pre-flight ground baseline. Noteworthy, in two astronauts, strong agreement was also observed between the time course of the phase changes measured in the two ears during and after the mission. Reproducibility and stability of the probe placement in the ear canal were recognized as a critical issue.

Conclusions

The study suggests that distortion product otoacoustic emissions hold promise as a non-invasive tool for monitoring intracranial pressure changes in astronauts during space missions. Pre-flight measurements in different body postures and probe fitting strategies based on the individual ear morphology are needed to validate and refine this approach.
Computational analysis of heart valve growth and remodeling after the Ross procedure
Authors: Middendorp Elmer , Braeu Fabian , Baaijens Frank P. T. , Humphrey Jay D. , Cyron Christian J. , Loerakker Sandra
Published: September 2024

During the Ross procedure, an aortic heart valve is replaced by a patient’s own pulmonary valve. The pulmonary autograft subsequently undergoes substantial growth and remodeling (G&R) due to its exposure to increased hemodynamic loads. In this study, we developed a homogenized constrained mixture model to understand the observed adaptation of the autograft leaflets in response to the changed hemodynamic environment. This model was based on the hypothesis that tissue G&R aims to preserve mechanical homeostasis for each tissue constituent. To model the Ross procedure, we simulated the exposure of a pulmonary valve to aortic pressure conditions and the subsequent G&R of the valve. Specifically, we investigated the effects of assuming either stress- or stretch-based mechanical homeostasis, the use of blood pressure control, and the effect of root dilation. With this model, we could explain different observations from published clinical studies, such as the increase in thickness, change in collagen organization, and change in tissue composition. In addition, we found that G&R based on stress-based homeostasis could better capture the observed changes in tissue composition than G&R based on stretch-based homeostasis, and that root dilation or blood pressure control can result in more leaflet elongation. Finally, our model demonstrated that successful adaptation can only occur when the mechanically induced tissue deposition is sufficiently larger than tissue degradation, such that leaflet thickening overrules leaflet dilation. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that G&R based on mechanical homeostasis can capture the observed heart valve adaptation after the Ross procedure. Finally, this study presents a novel homogenized mixture model that can be used to investigate other cases of heart valve G&R as well.
Sexual Affectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Bibliometric Profile of Scientific Production
Authors: Torralbas-Ortega Jordi , Valls-Ibáñez Victòria , Roca Judith , Campoy-Guerrero Carme , Sastre-Rus Meritxell , García-Expósito Judith
Published: September 2024

The aim of the present study was to describe the scientific production on sexuality and affectivity of autistic people. The inclusion criteria were articles published in all languages from the year 2000 to 2023, excluding reviews, proceedings, and other works not considered original. The search was performed in the Web of Science Core Collection and RStudio was utilized to analyze the records, with the “Bibliometrix 4.1.0” package and the VOSviewer software. A total of 314 articles were included, from the USA, Australia, and parts of Europe. The production peak was found in the year 2020, the most cited articles referred to the children’s population, and the most important journals were specialized on the subject. As for the thematic content, 29 keywords emerged that were grouped into three clusters. In the first group, children associated with vulnerability and victimization were underlined, in which multifocal interventions were needed to prevent risk; in the second, we found adolescents and the need for sex education that is adapted and comprehensive; and lastly, adults who must be able to perform an adequate transition that eases the adaptation of neurodivergent individuals.
Design and Development of a Robust Control Platform for a 3-Finger Robotic Gripper Using EMG-Derived Hand Muscle Signals in NI LabVIEW
Authors: Loskutova Aleksandra , Roozbahani Daniel , Alizadeh Marjan , Handroos Heikki
Published: September 2024

Robots are increasingly present in everyday life, replacing human involvement in various domains. In situations involving danger or life-threatening conditions, it is safer to deploy robots instead of humans. However, there are still numerous applications where human intervention remains indispensable. The strategy to control a robot can be developed based on intelligent adaptive programmed algorithms or by harnessing the physiological signals of the robot operator, such as body movements, brain EEG, and muscle EMG which is a more intuitive approach. This study focuses on creating a control platform for a 3-finger gripper, utilizing Electromyography (EMG) signals derived from the operator’s forearm muscles. The developed platform consisted of a Robotiq three-finger gripper, a Delsys Trigno wireless EMG, as well as an NI CompactRIO data acquisition platform. The control process was developed using NI LabVIEW software, which extracts, processes, and analyzes the EMG signals, which are subsequently transformed into control signals to operate the robotic gripper in real-time. The system operates by transmitting the EMG signals from the operator's forearm muscles to the robotic gripper once they surpass a user-defined threshold. To evaluate the system's performance, a comprehensive set of regressive tests was conducted on the forearm muscles of three different operators based on four distinct case scenarios. Despite of the gripper’s structural design weakness to perform pinching, however, the results demonstrated an impressive average success rate of 95% for tasks involving the opening and closing of the gripper to perform grasping. This success rate was consistent across scenarios that included alterations to the scissor configuration of the gripper.
Preventing Child Sexual Abuse and the Use of Child Sexual Abuse Materials: Following up on the German Prevention Project Dunkelfeld
Authors: Beier Klaus M. , Nentzl Julia , von Heyden Maximilian , Fishere Mariam , Amelung Till
Published: September 2024

Sexual interest in minors (i.e., pedophilia and hebephilia) is considered a risk factor for Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) and the use of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). This study examined the long-term development of CSA, CSAM use, associated cognitions, and quality of life among self-referred, help-seeking individuals diagnosed with pedophilic or hebephilic disorder (PHD) outside the judicial system. Of the 110 eligible men who had undergone therapy for PHD due to psychological distress or risk of offending, 56 were available for follow-up assessment 1–11 years after treatment. Behavioral manifestations, offense-supportive cognitions, and quality of life were evaluated using interviews and psychometric measures. At follow-up, 7.7% of participants with a history of CSA had re-offended, whereas 89.1% of previous CSAM users reported recidivism, although with less severe material. No new CSA offenses occurred among those without prior CSA. Treatment led to increased cognitive victim empathy and reductions in CSA-supportive and CSAM-supportive attitudes, but only the latter improvement persisted through follow-up. Participants exhibited elevated CSA-supportive attitudes relative to community norms at all time points and diminished quality of life at follow-up. Pedophilic and hebephilic disorder carry a persistent risk of sexual offending, particularly regarding CSAM use. Therapeutic gains in offense-supportive cognitions may erode over time without ongoing care. A comprehensive public health approach encompassing early detection, prevention, and expanded treatment access that addresses both the risk of reoffending and overall well-being is crucial for reducing sexual victimization and improving mental health outcomes for individuals from this target group.
Comprehensive analysis of molecular, physiological, and functional biomarkers of aging with neurological diseases using Mendelian randomization
Authors: Imahori Yume , Qin Chenxi , Tang Bowen , Hägg Sara
Published: September 2024

An increasing burden of neurological diseases (NDs) has been a public health challenge in an aging society. Age, especially biological age, is the most important risk factor for NDs. Identification of biomarkers of aging to capture NDs might lead to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of pathological brain aging and the implementation of effective intervention. We conducted a comprehensive two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) study to investigate the association between various biomarkers of aging and three leading causes of NDs: Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), and ischemic stroke. Publicly available GWAS summary statistics on people from European ancestry were obtained for six molecular biomarkers, two physiological biomarkers, and eight functional biomarkers, and three NDs. Genetic variants serving as instrumental variables (IVs) were identified for each biomarker. The MR analysis included inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, MR-Egger, and MR-PRESSO. We found that short telomere length and decrease in appendicular lean mass were associated with an increased risk for AD (OR IVW = 1.12 per 1SD decrease, 95% confidence interval 1.02–1.22, and OR IVW = 1.11, 1.06–1.16, respectively), whereas high frailty index showed a protective effect for AD. Accelerated BioAge appeared to be associated with increased risk for ischemic stroke (OR IVW = 1.3 per year in BioAge acceleration, 95% CI 1.19–1.41). Our findings implied a causal association of short telomere length and a decrease in appendicular lean mass with an increased risk for AD, while BioAge appeared to be a good biomarker for ischemic stroke. Further studies are needed to validate these associations and explore underlying mechanisms.
Minimizing the number of tardy jobs with generalized due-dates and position-dependent processing times
Authors: Gerstl Enrique , Mosheiov Gur
Published: September 2024

We study a single machine scheduling problem with generalized due-dates and general position-dependent job processing times. The objective function is minimum number of tardy jobs. The problem is proved to be NP-hard in the strong sense. We introduce an efficient algorithm that solves medium size problems in reasonable running time. A simple and efficient heuristic is also introduced, which obtained the optimal solution in the vast majority of our tests.
Sustainability justice: a systematic review of emergent trends and themes
Authors: McCauley Darren , Quintavalla Alberto , Prifti Kostina , Binder Constanze , Broddén Felicia , van den Brink Hannah
Published: September 2024

There is a growing importance of understanding the connection between sustainability and justice. We have conducted the first robust mixed-methods review of the burgeoning academic literature on sustainability justice. Our analysis spans literature from 2013 to 2023, drawn from the databases of Web of Science and Scopus. We use a scientometric approach to identify key literature for a more detailed qualitative analysis. This dual approach uncovers key trends and themes in sustainability justice. The review identifies works that delve into the themes of environmental, social, and economic justice, pinpointing a need to amplify Global South voices, narratives, and insights for a comprehensive understanding of sustainability justice. The findings indicate a pressing need for integrating economic aspects with social and environmental factors, advocating for more focus on transformative justice.
Eutectic Solidification Morphologies in Rapidly Solidified Hypereutectic Sn–Ag Solder Alloy
Authors: Rao Huamao , Mullis Andrew , Cochrane Robert
Published: September 2024

The effect of rapid solidification upon hypereutectic Sn–Ag solder alloy has been investigated using a 6.5 m drop tube. Powder sizes ranging from > 850 to < 38 μm were produced, with equivalent cooling rates of 250 to 14,800 K s−1 for 850 and 38 μm droplets, respectively. At all cooling rates investigated, dendritic β-Sn was observed as the primary solidification phase, not proeutectic Ag3Sn as predicted by the phase diagram. The volume fraction of interdendritic eutectic was observed to decrease with increasing cooling rate, with the Ag concentration in the residual interdendritic liquid estimated at 12.5–15 wt pct Ag, far in excess of the eutectic concentration of 3.8 wt pct. Much of the Ag3Sn observed within the eutectic had a blocky, divorced eutectic appearance. A model is proposed which can explain these observations in terms of sluggish nucleation of the Ag3Sn intermetallic, coupled with a metastable phase diagram that permits significant supersaturation of Ag at modest undercooling.
Distinguishing injury patterns in fatal falls from heights versus pedestrian impacts: an autopsy study for differential diagnosis in ambiguous cases
Authors: Tavone Alessandro Mauro , Marinelli Roberta , Cazzato Francesca , Piizzi Giorgia , Piselli Federico , Ceccobelli Giulia , Giuga Gabriele , Vella Raimondo , Romaniello Naomi , Oliva Antonio , Marella Gian Luca
Published: September 2024

This study investigated the injury patterns associated with fatal falls from heights compared to individuals struck by cars, aiming to enhance the differential diagnosis in ambiguous cases, where it is unclear whether the body fell from nearby building or was left on the street following a road traffic incident. A retrospective review of comprehensive forensic reports from the Institute of Legal Medicine of the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” between 2012 and 2023 was conducted. The analysis included 232 cases, gathering data on internal organ injuries, skeletal fractures, external skin injuries, as well as pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial effusions. Bilateral lung injuries were significantly more common in falls from height (33.3%) compared to pedestrians (13.6%,p < 0.001). Liver injuries also occurred more frequently in fall victims (49.6%) than in pedestrians (28.2%,p < 0.001). Skull fractures were more frequent in falls from height (68.2%) versus individuals struck by cars (55.3%,p = 0.044), while unilateral leg fractures were more common in pedestrians (28.2%) compared to fall victims (16.3%,p = 0.029). External injuries, notably to the head and legs, were more frequent in pedestrians. The “Total Injured Skin Area” analysis revealed a significant discriminative power with an optimal cut-off of 84.2 cm², suggesting that injuries exceeding this threshold may be indicative of a pedestrian road fatality.
Do concepts of individuality account for individuation practices in studies of host–parasite systems? A modeling account of biological individuality
Authors: Kranke Nina
Published: September 2024

In recent discussions, the widespread conviction that scientific individuation practices are governed by theories and concepts of biological individuality has been challenged, particularly by advocates of practice-based approaches. This discussion raises questions about the relationship between individuation practices and concepts of individuality. In this paper, I discuss four studies of host–parasite systems and analyze the respective individuation practices to see whether they correspond to established concepts of biological individuality. My analysis suggests that scientists individuate biological systems on different levels of organization and that the researchers’ respective emphasis on one of the levels depends on the explanandum and research context as well as epistemic aims and purposes. It thus makes sense to use different concepts of individuality to account for different individuation practices. However, not all individuation practices are represented equally well by concepts of biological individuality. To account for this observation, I propose that concepts of individuality should be understood as abstracted, idealized, or simplified models that represent only certain aspects of scientific practice. A modeling account suggests a pluralistic view of concepts of biological individuality that not only allows the coexistence of different kinds of individuality (e.g., evolutionary individuality, immunological individuality, ecological individuality) but also of normative and descriptive concepts.
Federal Drug Sentencing and the Overdose Epidemic
Authors: Feldmeyer Ben , Holmes Bryan , Sun Diana
Published: September 2024

Research examining how federal courts have responded to the 21st century overdose crisis is limited, and even less is known about how district exposure to overdoses has shaped federal drug sentences. The current study examines how drug sentence lengths are contextualized by district-level overdose death rates across both substance type and race/ethnicity using federal sentencing data, Centers for Disease Control overdose mortality data, and other data on district social and legal characteristics for the 2015-2020 period. Findings reveal that district overdose death rates (especially involving minorities) are associated with slightly shorter drug sentences, net of other factors. In addition, Black-White and Hispanic-White sentence length gaps in drug cases declined in districts with more overdose deaths in part due to higher White sentence lengths, but mostly because minority sentences became shorter as district overdose mortality rates increased. These results suggest that exposure to the overdose crisis has not resulted in greater punitiveness in drug sentence lengths, and if anything, has been tied to leniency especially for minorities. Implications of these results for research on the 21st century overdose crisis, federal court responses to this crisis (especially across race/ethnicity), and for contextual effects in sentencing are discussed.
Impfempfehlungen bei Immunsupprimierten
Authors: Tobudic Selma
Published: September 2024

Die Impfung immunsupprimierter Patienten stellt eine besondere Herausforderung in der medizinischen Praxis dar, da diese Patientengruppe aufgrund ihrer eingeschränkten Immunabwehr ein erhöhtes Risiko für schwere Infektionen aufweist. Verschiedene Ursachen wie Autoimmunerkrankungen, Organtransplantationen, hämatologische Malignome und bestimmte Therapien, darunter Biologika und zielgerichtete Krebstherapien, können eine Immunsuppression auslösen. Während Totimpfstoffe in der Regel sicher angewendet werden können, ist ihre Immunogenität bei immunsupprimierten Patienten häufig vermindert, was eine sorgfältige Überwachung des Impferfolgs notwendig macht. Lebendimpfstoffe sind hingegen bei schwerer Immunsuppression aufgrund des Risikos einer impfstoffinduzierten Infektion kontraindiziert.

Der österreichische Impfplan 2023/2024 sowie die Empfehlungen der Ständigen Impfkommission (STIKO) und weiterer fachspezifischer Gesellschaften bieten klare Leitlinien für die Impfungen dieser Hochrisikopatienten. Dazu gehört auch die Anpassung der Impfstrategien in Abhängigkeit von der Schwere der Immunsuppression, der Art der zugrunde liegenden Erkrankung und den spezifischen Bedürfnissen des Patienten. Zudem wird die Bedeutung von Titerkontrollen zur Sicherstellung einer adäquaten Immunantwort hervorgehoben, insbesondere bei Patienten, die sich bereits unter einer immunsuppressiven Therapie befinden. Durch eine frühzeitige und individuell angepasste Impfplanung sowie eine interdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit können das Risiko schwerer Infektionen reduziert und die gesundheitlichen Ergebnisse dieser Patientengruppe verbessert werden.
The Fishing and Aquaculture Production of Latin America with Respect to the Trade Balance and Foreign Investment
Authors: de las Mercedes Jaime Muñiz Rebeca , del Río Juan Antonio Jimber
Published: September 2024

In the past few years, despite Latin America having allocated more resources to the innovation and study of the fishing and aquaculture sector, this economic sector still maintains the same level in the short or long term in relation to imports and exports as the axis of the economies in foreign investment with a lasting participation in the Latin American market. For this reason, our study aims to study the impact that fishery production has on the economy of Latin America. Using time series from 1990 to 2020 on fisheries data, the individual and group variables will be studied by using the fixed and random-effects model for estimation. A panel autoregressive econometric technique (Panel-ARDL) will be used to observe the relationship in the long and short term. Our results suggest that in the long term, aquaculture and fishing production have a positive relationship with FDI, that is, a 1% increase in production results in an FDI increase of 1.49%, being significant at 1%, while, in the short term, it was established that the coefficient was 0.32%, being statistically significant. Finally, to validate the short-term model, an ECM was calculated, whose coefficient has a negative sign and is statistically significant.
Assessing organizational framework conditions for the successful, human-centered introduction of AI applications
Authors: Altepost Andrea , Elaroussi Farah , Hansen-Ampah Adjan , Harlacher Markus , Merx Wolfgang
Published: September 2024

As part of WIRKsam Competence Center, the authors aim to identify and improve organizational conditions in companies that are conducive to the successful introduction of AI technologies in the workplace. This paper examines various factors that are considered crucial for effective AI integration, including technology acceptance, access to IT infrastructure, workforce structure, organizational culture and participatory practices. Using a mixed-methods approach, WIRKsam relates the initial organizational conditions to the researchers’ assessments and experiences of the first 24 months of the study. The analysis uses both qualitative and quantitative data and provides a robust framework for identifying the respective organizational prerequisites.

It aims to map these factors and provide insights. Our results show the application partners involved in WIRKsam as companies with individual characteristics of technology and AI affinity as well as different organizational cultures. The workforce is predominantly male. Slightly more than half of the employees are 45 years and older. Overall, the research activities in WIRKsam are met with openness to electronic devices and AI. However, the fears of the employees are somewhat underestimated by the researchers. Employees rate their knowledge and experience with regard to AI as low and need support here in order to be able to participate in the participatory design of work systems in a more informed way. Management support is a key aspect of technology adoption that employees find important. Their absence is accompanied by worries about the job and lower expectations of positive changes in work, among other things. The knowledge gained will be incorporated into the development of tailor-made action plans to optimize conditions in similar environments.

Practical relevance: Using the example of the application companies in WIRKsam Competence Center, the results show that there are very different combinations of framework conditions for the successful introduction of AI into operational practice in companies. Action plans can be derived to individually adapt the integrated approach according to the WIRKsam procedure model. The applied mix of methods allows a very comprehensive analysis and contributes to the validity of the results. In particular, the survey of researchers contributes to new findings, the importance of which lies on the one hand in complementing the perspective of employees and the company as a whole, and on the other hand in providing the researchers themselves with a basis for reflecting on their basic assumptions as an entire research team.
Criteria for enhancing student wellbeing in STEM classrooms: ICT and indigenous knowledge in South African higher education
Authors: Nkopodi Nkopodi , Jakovljevic Maria , Photo Patricia
Published: September 2024

This study explores the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) to enhance student well-being in STEM classrooms within South African higher education. South Africa has long struggled with low enrolment and poor performance in STEM subjects, impaired by inadequate teacher training, teaching methodologies, and psychological factors such as anxiety. The COVID-19 pandemic has further emphasized the need for resourcefulness in education, highlighting the potential benefits of technology and indigenous knowledge in mitigating these challenges. The researchers investigate the synergy between ICT and IKS in reducing stress and anxiety among STEM students and educators. The study employs a critical reflective approach to analyze existing literature and derive a preliminary framework. This framework includes criteria for integrating IKS into STEM curricula, strategies for using ICT and IKS synergistically, and professional development for STEM teachers in the era of decolonization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The study concludes by proposing twelve preliminary criteria for the effective use of ICT and IKS to address psychological challenges in STEM education. These criteria aim to promote a holistic, inclusive, and culturally relevant learning environment that leverages both traditional knowledge and modern technological advancements. However, the study’s reliance on theoretical perspectives without empirical testing may affect the validation of the proposed criteria.
Multiple stable postures of a falling object in fluids
Authors: Sun Shuyue , Tian Xinliang , Zhao Yakun , Chen Xing , Wen Binrong , Zhang Xiantao , Li Xin
Published: September 2024

We present evidence revealing that an object with specific properties can exhibit multiple stable falling postures at low Reynolds numbers. By scrutinizing the force equilibrium relationship of a fixed object at various attack angles and Reynolds numbers, we introduce a methodology that can obtain the stable falling postures of the object. This method saves computational resources and more intuitively presents the results in the full parameter domain. Our findings are substantiated by free-fall tests conducted through both physical experiments and numerical simulations, which validate the existence of multiple stable solutions in accordance with the interpolation results obtained with fixed objects. Additionally, we quantify the abundance and distribution patterns of stable falling postures for a diverse range of representative shapes. This discovery highlights the existence of multiple stable solutions that are universally present across objects of different shapes. The implications of this research extend to the design, stability control and trajectory prediction of all free and controlled flights in both air and water.
Experimental investigation on magneto-convective flows around two differentially heated horizontal cylinders
Authors: Courtessole Cyril , Brinkmann H.-J. , Bühler L.
Published: September 2024

Liquid metal buoyant flow around two differentially heated horizontal cylinders in the presence of a uniform vertical magnetic field is investigated experimentally. While magneto-convection in pipes or ducts has been studied theoretically and experimentally in recent years, data for heat transfer at immersed obstacles are rare and, to our knowledge, detailed experimental investigations on this fundamental magnetohydrodynamic problem do not exist. In the present work, two horizontal cylinders inserted into an adiabatic rectangular cavity filled with gallium–indium–tin are kept at constant temperatures to establish a driving temperature gradient in the surrounding liquid metal. The buoyancy-driven flow, quantified by the Grashof number

$Gr$

, is varied in the range

${10^{6} \leq Gr \leq ~5\times 10^{7}}$

. With increasing magnetic field, expressed via the Hartmann number

$Ha$

, different flow regimes are identified from measurements for

$0 \leq Ha \leq ~3000$

. The effect of the electromagnetic force primarily consists in suppressing turbulence and damping the convective flow. The heat transfer is quantified in terms of the non-dimensional Nusselt number

$Nu$

, and its dependence on

$Gr/{Ha}^{2}$

, which is identified as the important group governing the flow, is discussed.
On the absence of a secondary vortex street in three-dimensional and turbulent cylinder wakes
Authors: Jiang Hongyi
Published: September 2024

Bluff-body wakes generally become three-dimensional (3-D) and then turbulent when the Reynolds number exceeds a few hundred. Other than an alternate shedding of the spanwise vortices behind the body and a gradual decay and annihilation of the vortices with distance downstream, whether a secondary vortex street would develop in the relatively far wake has been a long-standing argument in the literature. This argument is addressed in the present study. Specifically, direct numerical simulations and transient growth analysis are performed to examine the two-dimensional and 3-D wakes of different bluff bodies, including circular cylinder, square cylinder, diamond cylinder and rectangular cylinders with different cross-sectional aspect ratios. We found that a secondary vortex street is absent for most 3-D and turbulent wakes. The root cause is the weakening of spanwise vortices by 3-D wake instability modes and streamwise circulation/vorticity. The weakened spanwise vortices induce reduced mean shear in the intermediate wake, which then induces much smaller perturbation energy growth that is below the threshold for the emergence of a secondary vortex street. This finding suggests that the 3-D and turbulence characteristics, and the momentum, mass and heat transport in the relatively far wake of bluff bodies, would not be influenced by extra anisotropy or inhomogeneity caused by a secondary vortex street.
Decay rate of homogeneous isotropic turbulence laden with finite-size particles
Authors: Sun Qichao , Peng Cheng , Wang Lian-Ping , Chen Songying , Zhu Zuchao
Published: September 2024

This study conducts particle-resolved direct numerical simulations to analyse how finite-size spherical particles affect the decay rate of turbulent kinetic energy in non-sustained homogeneous isotropic turbulence. The decaying particle-laden homogeneous isotropic turbulence is generated with two set-ups, i.e. (1) releasing particles into a single-phase decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence and (2) switching off the driving force of a sustained particle-laden homogeneous isotropic turbulence. With both set-ups, the decay of turbulent kinetic energy follows a power-law when the flow is fully relaxed, similar to their single-phase counterparts. The dependence of the power-law decay exponent

$n$

on the particle-to-fluid density ratio, particle size and volume fraction is also investigated, and a predictive model is developed. We find that the presence of heavier particles slows down the long-time power-law decay exponent.
The Medical and Physical Journal and the construction of medical journalism in Britain, 1733–1803
Authors: Mackintosh Alan
Published: September 2024

Medical practitioners, inevitably scattered across the country, need frequent periodicals to communicate the latest medical information. Journals are an essential component of the infrastructure of modern medicine, yet they were slow to achieve firm roots in Britain during the eighteenth century, with few sustained quarterly periodicals and the only attempt at a monthly lasting a year. Then in 1799, Richard Phillips, owner of the Monthly Magazine, published the Medical and Physical Journal, the first sustained monthly medical journal, which lasted for thirty-four years. Ever since, Britain has never been without a monthly or weekly general medical journal. Responding to the need for a strong commercial focus, the Journal used a magazine format which blended reviews and abstracts of already published material with original contributions and medical news, and it quickly achieved a national circulation by close engagement with all types of practitioners across the country.

Contrary to the historiography, the Journal was distinctly different from the contemporaneous monthly science journals. The key to success was two-way communication with all practitioners, especially the numerous surgeons and surgeon-apothecaries who were increasingly better trained and confident of their status. Much of the content of the Journal was written by these readers, and with rapid, reliable distribution and quick publication of correspondence, controversial topics could be bounced back and forth between all practitioners, including the distinguished. Initially, the editors tried to maximise circulation by avoiding any controversy, but this started to change in the first few years of the next century.
CEO Cross-Sector Work Experience and Public–Private Partnership Formation of Private Firms in China
Authors: Chen Anni , Wang Yue , Zhang Jiayin
Published: September 2024

As the need for collaboration across multiple organizations to deal with complex social issues such as poverty, crime, and public health grows, Public–Private Partnership (PPP) is of increasing importance. However, little is known about when and why private firms engage in such partnerships. Drawing on upper-echelon theory and the information-processing perspective, we highlight the importance of institutional knowledge and information embedded in CEO cross-sector work experience. We argue that such tacit knowledge and information enables CEOs to better identify the potential risks associated with PPPs. Consequently, CEOs with cross-sector work experience tend to be more cautious in participating in such partnerships, especially in developing economies like China, where private actors face greater information incompleteness concerning post-collaboration hazards due to the government's selective disclosure. Moreover, we develop a multi-moderator framework in which regional marketization and political connection alter the main effect by serving as supplementary information channels for private actors. A panel dataset of Chinese private listed firms from 2013 to 2021 provides strong support for our hypotheses. This study contributes to our understanding of the micro-foundation of PPP formation and draws attention to CEOs’ prior career experiences in different organizational forms.
Identification and summarisation of events from Twitter using clustering algorithms and deep neural network
Authors: Chakma Kunal , Jamatia Anupam , Rudrapal Dwijen
Published: September 2024

The proliferation of social networks has caused an increase in the amount of textual content generated by users. The voluminous nature of such content poses a challenge to users, necessitating the development of technological solutions for automatic summarisation. This paper presents a two-stage framework for generating abstractive summaries from a collection of Twitter texts. In the first stage of the framework, event detection is carried out through clustering, followed by event summarisation in the second stage. Our approach involves generating contextualised vector representations of tweets and applying various clustering techniques to the vectors. The quality of the resulting clusters is evaluated, and the best clusters are selected for the summarisation task based on this evaluation. In contrast to previous studies, we experimented with various clustering techniques as a preprocessing step to obtain better event representations. For the summarisation task, we utilised pre-trained models of three state-of-the-art deep neural network architectures and evaluated their performance on abstractive summarisation of the event clusters. Summaries are generated from clusters that contain (a) unranked tweets, (b) all ranked tweets, and (c) the top 10 ranked tweets. Of these three sets of clusters, we obtained the best ROUGE scores from the top 10 ranked tweets. From the summaries generated from the clusters containing the top ten tweets, we obtained ROUGE-1 F score of 48%, ROUGE-2 F score of 37%, ROUGE-L F score of 44%, and ROUGE-SU F score of 33% which suggests that if relevant tweets are at the top of a cluster, and then better summaries are generated.
The roles of nonlinear diffusion, haptotaxis and ECM remodelling in determining the global solvability of a cancer invasion model
Authors: Jin Chunhua
Published: September 2024

In this paper, we consider the following PDE-ODE system modelling cancer invasion with slow diffusion and ECM remodelling,

\[ \begin{cases} u_t=\Delta u^m-\chi\nabla\cdot(u\nabla v)-\xi\nabla\cdot(u\nabla\omega)+\mu u(1-u-\omega), \\ v_t=\Delta v+u-v, \\ \omega_t={-}v\omega+\eta \omega(1-u-\omega). \end{cases} \]

For the special case

$\eta =0$

, fruitful results have been achieved since Tao and Winkler's work in 2011. However, there is no any progress for the general case

$\eta >0$

in the past ten years. In this paper, we analysed some commonly used research methods when

$\eta =0$

, and found that these methods are completely unsuitable for situations where

$\eta >0$

. By introducing some new forms of functionals, we reconstruct the relationship between the haptotactic term and the nonlinear diffusion term, and ultimately prove the global existence of weak solutions. This result improves and perfects a series of works previously presented in the literature.
Duality pairs, phantom maps, and definability in triangulated categories
Authors: Bird Isaac , Williamson Jordan
Published: September 2024

We define duality triples and duality pairs in compactly generated triangulated categories and investigate their properties. This enables us to give an elementary way to determine whether a class is closed under pure subobjects, pure quotients and pure extensions, as well as providing a way to show the existence of approximations. One key ingredient is a new characterization of phantom maps. We then introduce an axiomatic form of Auslander–Gruson–Jensen duality, from which we define dual definable categories, and show that these coincide with symmetric coproduct closed duality pairs. This framework is ubiquitous, encompassing both algebraic triangulated categories and stable homotopy theories. Accordingly, we provide many applications in both settings, with a particular emphasis on silting theory and stratified tensor-triangulated categories.
INEQUALITIES AND UNIFORM ASYMPTOTIC FORMULAE FOR SPT-CRANK OF PARTITIONS
Authors: CHEN YUAN , ZHOU NIAN HONG
Published: September 2024

We establish some inequalities that arise from truncating Lerch sums and derive uniform asymptotic formulae for the spt-crank of ordinary partitions. The uniform asymptotic formulae improve upon a result of Mao [‘Asymptotic formulas for spt-crank of partitions’, J. Math. Anal. Appl.460(1) (2018), 121–139].
GRAPHS WITH SEMITOTAL DOMINATION NUMBER HALF THEIR ORDER
Authors: CHEN JIE , XU SHOU-JUN
Published: September 2024

In an isolate-free graph G, a subset S of vertices is a semitotal dominating set of G if it is a dominating set of G and every vertex in S is within distance 2 of another vertex of S. The semitotal domination number of G, denoted by

$\gamma _{t2}(G)$

, is the minimum cardinality of a semitotal dominating set in G. Goddard, Henning and McPillan [‘Semitotal domination in graphs’, Utilitas Math.94 (2014), 67–81] characterised the trees and graphs of minimum degree 2 with semitotal domination number half their order. In this paper, we characterise all graphs whose semitotal domination number is half their order.