bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhancing quality of life for the hearing-impaired: a holistic approach through the MoSIoT framework
Authors: Nasabeh Seyed Shahabadin , Meliá Santiago
Published: August 2024

This article unveils MoSIoT (Modeling Scenarios of the Internet of Things), an innovative framework meticulously designed to simulate IoT systems, addressing the nuanced needs of individuals with hearing impairments. Grounded in the quality-of-life framework proposed by Verdugo et al., MoSIoT has been enriched and evolved to integrate and manage a spectrum of deafness technologies, thereby marking a significant enhancement in the overall quality of life for the affected individuals. The focal point of this work is the advocacy for accessibility and well-being through technology-driven and inclusive solutions. The presented case study provides a comprehensive insight into the transformative impact of MoSIoT, highlighting improvements in key quality of life dimensions such as “Interpersonal Relationships”, “Emotional Well-Being”, and “Personal Development”. These enhancements underscore the pivotal role of continuous innovation and inclusive design in the evolution of assistive technologies. The article delves into the intricacies of the system’s implementation, exploring its service-based architecture, which ensures modularity, scalability, and adaptability to diverse user needs and technological advancements. Furthermore, the potential for future research and development in this field is discussed, emphasizing the endless possibilities and avenues for enhancing assistive technology and promoting an inclusive and accessible future for individuals with disabilities.
Displacement residuals reveal landslide regime shifts
Authors: Nava Lorenzo , Tordesillas Antoinette , Qian Guoqi , Catani Filippo
Published: August 2024

Despite significant progress in the development of advanced technologies for detecting and monitoring unstable slopes, accurately predicting catastrophic landslides remains a challenge. To tackle this challenge, our research integrates advanced prediction models and granular systems theory to provide insights into regime shifts within slow-moving deep-seated landslide dynamics. Our approach is designed to discern exceptional departures from historical landslide dynamics. The approach leverages the “group dynamics,” crucial for identifying precursory failure indicators, according to the generic dynamics of the precursory failure regime in granular systems. We select three different monitored slow-moving landslides as test cases. We employ an error correction cointegration vector autoregression model together with an exogenous regressor to encode historical spatiotemporal landslide dynamics and predict displacement at multiple locations by considering the historical landslide motion and relationship with external triggers. Displacement residuals are obtained by computing the difference between predicted and measured displacement for a given historical calibration time window. Threshold values for the displacement residuals are determined by analyzing the historical distribution of these residuals. Lastly, persistence in time of the threshold exceedance and the number of monitoring points that exceed the threshold at the same time are considered to encode the group dynamics. This approach offers several advantages, including the effective identification of critical regime shifts, adaptability, and transferability, and it introduces regime shift information into local landslide early warning systems. This approach can enhance confidence in the resultant alert, particularly when integrated with conventional alert systems, thereby improving the reliability of landslide warning systems.
A Girsanov transformed Clark-Ocone-Haussmann type formula for $$L^1$$-pure jump additive processes and its application to portfolio optimization
Authors: Handa Masahiro , Sakuma Noriyoshi , Suzuki Ryoichi
Published: August 2024

We derive a Clark-Ocone-Haussmann (COH) type formula under a change of measure for $$ L^1 $$

L
1

-canonical additive processes, providing a tool for representing financial derivatives under a risk-neutral probability measure. COH formulas are fundamental in stochastic analysis, providing explicit martingale representations of random variables in terms of their Malliavin derivatives. In mathematical finance, the COH formula under a change of measure is crucial for representing financial derivatives under a risk-neutral probability measure. To prove our main results, we use the Malliavin-Skorohod calculus in $$ L^0 $$

L
0

and $$ L^1 $$

L
1

for additive processes, as developed by Di Nunno and Vives (2017). An application of our results is solving the local risk minimization (LRM) problem in financial markets driven by pure jump additive processes. LRM, a prominent hedging approach in incomplete markets, seeks strategies that minimize the conditional variance of the hedging error. By applying our COH formula, we obtain explicit expressions for locally risk-minimizing hedging strategies in terms of Malliavin derivatives under the market model underlying the additive process. These formulas provide practical tools for managing risks in financial market price fluctuations with $$L^1$$

L
1

-additive processes.
To revise or not to revise? This is the question
Authors: Levy Haim
Published: August 2024

Buy and hold and periodical revisions are two competing investment strategies. Revising to the optimal one-period investment weights seemingly dominates the buy-and-hold strategy with random and uncontrolled investment weights determined by asset price changes. This intuition is misleading as both investment strategies are theoretically included in the risk aversion efficient set. Considering only economically relevant preferences, with stocks-bonds portfolios, both strategies are empirically included in the risk aversion efficient set as long as the investment horizon is shorter than 20 years. However, for an investment horizon longer than twenty years, the buy and hold strategy empirically dominates the revision strategy by Almost First-degree Stochastic Dominance ($$AFSD$$

AFSD

) rule, namely by all economically relevant utility functions. When the horizon is indefinitely long, holding only stocks dominates the stock–bond portfolios of both the B&H(S) and the RV(S). However, this theoretical result may be practically irrelevant for most investors with a horizon shorter than 20 years.
History and future of business ecosystem: a bibliometric analysis and visualization
Authors: Zhang Xia , Yang Yue , Chen Yun
Published: August 2024

The business ecosystem theory has developed rapidly in recent years and has become a hot topic in the field of business and management. However, the use of this concept is controversial. This study systematically reviewed literature published spanning nearly three decades from 1993 to 2022. In this paper, researchers designed an improved traceability method to retrieve literature based on data sources form Web of Science. VOSviewer and CiteSpace are adopted as two scientific atlas tools for information processing and visualization to evaluate the relationship between sub fields of business ecosystem. The findings show that the four branches of business ecosystem, i.e., innovation, platform, entrepreneurship and service, absorb theoretical ideas to varying degrees. Among them, the theoretical inheritance relationship of innovation branch is most clear, and gradually grows into the backbone of ecosystem research. Major contribution of this study is reflected in three aspects: Firstly, the improved traceability method provides a repeatable quantitative description process on the basis of significantly reducing researchers’ subjective participation. Secondly, from perspective of bibliometrics, the branch direction and key nodes of theory development are identified. Thirdly, the study helps identify the future development directions of business ecosystem, including innovation, digitalization, entrepreneurship, self-organization and the strategic transformation guided by emerging technologies.
Labour Law’s (Mis)Management of Menopausal Workers
Authors: James Grace
Published: August 2024

At the core of this paper is a critique of labour law’s engagement with menopausal workers in the UK. The critique is framed by an overarching discussion of the coping strategies adopted when lived realities of menopausal workers disrupt traditional organisational cultures, especially its manifestation in the ‘ideal worker’ norm. At the core of the paper is an argument that the legal treatment of menopausal workers is failing to encourage effective management of menopause / workplace tensions and, as a result, validates the promotion of this problematic ‘ideal worker’ norm within organisational cultures. Effective labour laws could however better support menopausal workers: labour laws could encourage long term individual and organisational resilience by adopting more effective anti-discrimination and dismissal protections and more strongly centring negotiation as a realistic strategy for menopausal workers and employers when navigating any tensions that arise.
The spatiality of a military base as urban geographical entity: the case of ‘The Pikkud’ in Beersheba, Israel
Authors: Knaan Yuval , Meir Avinoam , Yiftachel Oren
Published: August 2024

Urban studies have increasingly engaged in understanding the role of the military in co-producing the city. Yet, the spatial role of an individual military base within a particular city has largely been overlooked. This deficiency is particularly acute as, due to contradictory governance regimes, a military base constitutes a contradictory non-democratic interface with a liberal urban civil space. This deficiency is due primarily to failure to view a military base as a concrete ‘geographical entity’ with a geographical agency. The Lefebvrian spatial trialectic (perceived conceived and lived spaces) is employed here as a framework for analyzing the relationships between the base and the city. We bind it theoretically and analytically with the concept of a geographical entity carrying a geographical agency. Based primarily on a qualitative methodology, we studied the spatiality of an urban military base in Beersheba, Israel, analyzing the three facets of spaces. The analysis reveals that neoliberal concepts held by urban planning professionals regarding urban space as conditioned by the presence of the military base (conceived space) are not necessarily congruent with those of the public which routinely lives and experiences (lived space) the concrete materiality of the base (perceived space). Thus, as a geographical entity within the city, a military base exists apart yet concurrently there are overlapping relations and entanglements with community life, suggesting a spatiality that extends beyond its physical territory. With these conceptual and methodological approaches and insights this study adds to the recently growing field of urban military geographies which hitherto overlooked these spatial perspectives of the military.
Research on K-12 maker education in the early 2020s – a systematic literature review
Authors: Davies Sini , Seitamaa-Hakkarainen Pirita
Published: August 2024

This systematic literature review focuses on the research published on K-12 maker education in the early 2020s, providing a current picture of the field. Maker education is a hands-on approach to learning that encourages students to engage in collaborative and innovative activities, using a combination of traditional design and fabrication tools and digital technologies to explore real-life phenomena and create tangible artifacts. The review examines the included studies from three perspectives: characteristics, research interests and findings, previous research gaps filled, and further research gaps identified. The review concludes by discussing the overall picture of the research on maker education in the early 2020s and suggesting directions for further studies. Overall, this review provides a valuable resource for researchers, educators, and policymakers to understand the current state of K-12 maker education research.
Urban pavements as a novel habitat for wild bees and other ground-nesting insects
Authors: Weber Claudia , Noël Grégoire , Sickel Wiebke , Monaghan Michael T. , Bonn Aletta , Lokatis Sophie
Published: August 2024

Municipal authorities around the world have come to recognize the importance of making conservation and restoration a priority. Multiple urban restoration programs now foster insects and other pollinators through planting and sowing flowering plants, many of them within residential areas. But residents are not only walking next to pollinators visiting flowering sidewalk grass verges, they are also walking on top of them, nesting in the cracks and interstices of urban pavements.

Combining morphological and molecular monitoring schemes, we conducted a survey of urban pavements at twelve locations across Berlin and found that pavements can foster a surprising number and quantity of soil dwelling insects—in particular wild bees and wasps. Pavements located within 200 m to an insect-friendly flower garden were covered with significantly more nests of wild bees and solitary wasps, and showed higher species richness of these groups, while the degree of sealed surfaces in the surrounding had no effect per se. This underlines the positive impact that insect-friendly gardens can have for pollinators and other insects, even in highly sealed areas. Also, it shows the potential of cobbled pavements as valuable nesting sites in highly sealed urban areas. We provide a list of 55 species of ground-nesting Hymenoptera found in Berlin pavements, including 28 species of wild bees and 22 apoid wasps. In our study, the molecular approach only detected three Hymenoptera species and did not yield comparable results to classical monitoring. Nonetheless, using eDNA methods might be a promising tool for further studying soil nesting insects in the future, and to gain insights into the web of life in urban pavements.
Investigations of airborne tire and brake wear particles using a novel vehicle design
Authors: Löber Manuel , Bondorf Linda , Grein Tobias , Reiland Sven , Wieser Steffen , Epple Fabius , Philipps Franz , Schripp Tobias
Published: August 2024

Non-exhaust emissions have become an increasingly important issue as their levels continue to rise and the health effects of particulate matter (PM) are more widely discussed. To address this issue, a vehicle demonstrator with integrated emission reduction of tires and brakes was developed as part of the Zero Emission Drive Unit Generation-1 (ZEDU-1) project. This novel concept includes the removal of tire road wear particles (TRWP) with a strong ventilation/filtering system and an enclosed multi-disk brake, making it a suitable tool for the investigation of non-exhaust emissions. Particle number (PN) and particle size distribution (PSD) measurements down to 2.5 nm were performed on a chassis dynamometer and on a test track. Due to the low background concentrations on the chassis dynamometer, it is possible to distinguish between tire and brake wear and to characterize even a small number of particle emissions. It could be shown that about 30 % less particles are emitted by the vehicle, when using the novel multi-disk brake instead of the conventional brake. The highest TRWP emissions were collected during acceleration and harsh braking. Characterization of the collected particles using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) revealed diverse particle shapes and differences between particles generated on the dynamometer and on a test track.

Graphical Abstract
Development of a simple estimation method of serum caffeine concentration using a point-of-care test kit for urinary caffeine
Authors: Tsujikawa Kenji , Okada Yuki , Segawa Hiroki , Yamamuro Tadashi , Kuwayama Kenji , Kanamori Tatsuyuki , Iwata Yuko. T.
Published: August 2024

Purpose

Serum caffeine concentration is an indicator of caffeine intoxication; however, it is difficult to measure it in most emergency departments. We developed a simple estimation method using a point-of-care test kit for urinary caffeine.

Methods

Caffeine-spiked human serum (100, 50, 25, and 10 µg/mL) was diluted 10-, 20-, 50-, and 100-fold with phosphate-buffered saline and applied to the kit. After 5 min incubation, the kit was scanned by a flatbed scanner and the membrane image was processed with ImageJ.

Results

When the 20-fold diluted serum was applied, serum samples with initial caffeine concentration ≤ 25 and ≥ 50 µg/mL were caffeine-negative and -positive, respectively. When the 100-fold diluted serum was applied, none of the caffeine-spiked serum samples gave positive results. Therefore, we proposed the following test procedure: (i) 20-fold diluted serum was initially tested and (ii) 100-fold diluted serum was additionally tested when the initial result was caffeine positive. Using this procedure, caffeine concentration is expected to be classified into three levels: ≤ 25, > 25– ≤ 100, and > 100 µg/mL, which almost correspond to no or mild, severe, and potentially fatal intoxication, respectively. The test procedure was validated using postmortem heart blood from two cases of fatal caffeine intoxication (caffeine concentration: 276 and 175 µg/mL) and two cases of other intoxication.

Conclusions

Our developed method using point-of-care urinary caffeine test kits enabled simple estimation of serum caffeine concentration.
The Reach and Impact of a Positive Youth Development Program (Project P.A.T.H.S.) in China and Beyond: Review and Reflection
Authors: Shek Daniel T. L. , Dou Diya
Published: August 2024

There are few validated positive youth development (PYD) programs in different regions of China. Utilizing 15 PYD constructs extracted from effective programs in the United States and with the support of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, colleagues from five universities in Hong Kong developed the P.A.T.H.S. Program in Hong Kong. In the past two decades, the research team trained 9,415 potential program implementers, supported the implementation in 300 + high schools in Hong Kong (357,839 participants) and evaluated the impact of the project. Because of its overall success, the P.A.T.H.S. Program was transplanted to mainland China with the support of the Tin Ka Ping Foundation, with adaptation of the curriculum materials. Before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the research team also trained 1,589 teachers and related professionals, provided guidance on the implementation in 30 + schools (84,000 + participants), and evaluated the impact of the program. This paper reviews the achievements, effects, and impact of the P.A.T.H.S. Program in China and beyond. It also highlights several observations and reflections regarding the future development of positive youth development programs in China as well as around the globe.
Decarburization and Gas Formation During Sintering of Alloyed PM Steel Components
Authors: Quadbeck Peter , Strauß Alexander , Weißgärber Thomas
Published: August 2024

This study investigates the delubrication, reduction, and decarburization processes of powder metallurgical steel alloys (CrM, CrL, AHC, Mo85, SintD 35) and an unalloyed steel during sintering in a pure hydrogen atmosphere. Utilizing in-situ FTIR gas phase analysis, components with ethylenebisstearamide (EBS) as a lubricant are analyzed. EBS decomposition in steel components yields CO, CO2, H2O, and CH4, with dominant CH groups observed in the 230 °C to 480 °C range. In the temperature range between 750 °C and 850 °C, where CO formation is expected due to the reduction of surface iron oxides, CH4 is present instead, indicating that an “internal getter effect” also occurs in pre-alloyed powders. In addition, with high carbon activity, the reduction of internal iron oxides and the reduction of chromium oxides also trigger an internal getter effect. Depending on the carbon potential, these processes cause a considerable reduction in the carbon content of the powder metallurgical components. The study therefore shows that the decarburization of powder metallurgical components during the heat treatment phases prior to sintering in a 100 pct hydrogen atmosphere is less due to the mechanism of delubrication, but rather to mechanisms of carbothermal reduction.
Metacognitive control during problem solving at early ages in programming tasks using a floor robot
Authors: Del Olmo-Muñoz Javier , Diago Pascual D. , Arnau David , Arnau-Blasco David , González-Calero José Antonio
Published: August 2024

This research, following a sequential mixed-methods design, delves into metacognitive control in problem solving among 5- to 6-year-olds, using two floor-robot environments. In an initial qualitative phase, 82 pupils participated in tasks in which they directed a floor robot to one of two targets, with the closer target requiring more cognitive effort due to the turns involved. The results of this phase revealed that younger students often rationalised their decisions based on reasons unrelated to the difficulty of the task, highlighting limitations in children’s language and abstract thinking skills and leading to the need for a second quantitative study. In this subsequent stage, involving 117 students, a computerised floor-robot simulator was used. The simulator executed the students’ planned movements and provided feedback on their validity. Each participant had three attempts per problem, with the option to change their target each time. The simulator stored the information pertaining to the chosen resolution path, design of the plan, and re-evaluation of decision making based on the results and feedback received. This study aims to describe the criteria upon which students base their metacognitive control processes in decision making within problem-solving programming tasks. Additionally, through a comparative analysis focusing on age and gender, this research aims to assess the relationship between metacognitive processes and success in problem-solving programming tasks.
Is Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) a Useful Tool for the Valorization of Solid and Liquid Sea Bass Side Streams?: Evaluation of Nutrients and Contaminants
Authors: Liu Yixuan , Berrada Houda , Wang Min , Zhou Jianjun , Kousoulaki Katerina , Barba Francisco J. , Castagnini Juan Manuel
Published: August 2024

In this study, fresh sea bass’s (Dicentrarchus labrax) heads, skin, viscera, and muscle were evaluated for their potential valorization as a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds. For this purpose, a pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment (1.0 kV/cm field strength and 220.5 kJ/kg specific energy for head, 3.0 kV/cm and 299.4 kJ/kg for skin, 3.0 kV/cm and 123.7 kJ/kg for viscera and muscle) was used. Subsequently, extraction processes were carried out using either 100% water or 50% ethanol. Protein assessment (protein content and bioactive peptides’ identification), as well as ICP-MS analysis of minerals and heavy metals, was conducted on both the solid matrices and liquid extracts. The findings indicate that the choice of solvent (100% water or 50% ethanol) and PEF treatment significantly (p < 0.05) affected protein recovery in the sea bass side streams liquid extracts, while a considerable protein amount was retained in the solid matrices. Furthermore, the ICP-MS analysis of minerals revealed that PEF treatment significantly (p < 0.05) improved mineral recovery in the head and muscle liquid extracts. However, a considerable amount of minerals remained in the solid matrices. Lower contents of heavy metals were found in the liquid extracts compared to the solid matrices, being anyway the quantities of the five heavy metals analyzed within edible and safe limits. Additionally, the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of sea bass side stream extracts was assessed to measure the potential antioxidant bioactive compounds in the liquid extracts. PEF treatments significantly (p < 0.05) increased the TAC of the liquid extracts from sea bass viscera, as opposed to other side streams. Both 100% water and 50% ethanol were effective as extraction solvents, promoting the recovery of high-added-value compounds not only from the liquid extracts but also from solid matrices. Thus, PEF pre-treatment can be considered a valuable technique to enhance fish side stream valorization.
Feasibility Study of Endoscopic Surgery for Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage with Large Hematoma: a Comparison with Craniotomy Using Propensity Score Matching Analysis
Authors: Cui Min , Tang XiaoYong , Xiong WeiMing , Deng YongBing , Yang Qiang
Published: August 2024

Background

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) with large hematomas is commonly treated with craniotomy combined with decompressive craniectomy, procedures that involve huge trauma and require subsequent cranioplasty. Recently, endoscopic surgery has shown significant promise in treating ICH, but its feasibility for large hematomas remains uncertain. Therefore, this study aims to compare endoscopic surgery with craniotomy and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic surgery in treating large hematomas ICH.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data from patients with spontaneous supratentorial ICH and hematoma volumes exceeding 50 mL who underwent either endoscopic surgery or craniotomy. Propensity score matching analysis was employed to reduce selection bias. The efficacy and safety of endoscopic surgery were evaluated by analyzing blood loss, postoperative edema, mortality rate, complications, and the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at 6-month follow-up.

Results

A total of 113 cases that met the criteria were collected, with 65 in the endoscopic surgery group and 48 in the craniotomy group. After propensity score matching, each group contained 34 cases. The mean hematoma volume was 64.84 ± 11.02 mL in the endoscopy group and 66.57 ± 12.77 mL in the craniotomy group (p = 0.554). Hematoma evacuation rates were 93.27% in the endoscopy group and 89.34% in the craniotomy group (p = 0.141). The endoscopy group exhibited lower blood loss, shorter surgical time, and reduced postoperative edema volume at 24 h compared to the craniotomy group. The rate of pulmonary infection was slightly lower in the endoscopy group compared to the craniotomy group (70.59% vs. 91.18%, p = 0.031), but there were no statistically significant differences in overall complications and mortality rate between the two groups. GOS scores were similar in both groups at the 6-month follow-up.

Conclusions

Endoscopic surgery is safe and feasible for treating spontaneous supratentorial ICH with large hematomas, demonstrating efficacy similar to that of craniotomy with decompressive craniectomy.
Shared Decision-Making for Patients with Stroke in Neurocritical Care: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis
Authors: Zhang Hui , Davies Carmel , Stokes Diarmuid , O’Donnell Deirdre
Published: August 2024

Decision-making for patients with stroke in neurocritical care is uniquely challenging because of the gravity and high preference sensitivity of these decisions. Shared decision-making (SDM) is recommended to align decisions with patient values. However, limited evidence exists on the experiences and perceptions of key stakeholders involved in SDM for neurocritical patients with stroke. This review aims to address this gap by providing a comprehensive analysis of the experiences and perspectives of those involved in SDM for neurocritical stroke care to inform best practices in this context. A qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted following the methodological guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), using the thematic synthesis approach outlined by Thomas and Harden. Database searches covered PubMed, CIHAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science from inception to July 2023, supplemented by manual searches. After screening, quality appraisal was performed using the JBI Appraisal Checklist. Data analysis comprised line-by-line coding, development of descriptive themes, and creation of analytical themes using NVivo 12 software. The initial search yielded 7,492 articles, with 94 undergoing full-text screening. Eighteen articles from five countries, published between 2010 and 2023, were included in the meta-synthesis. These studies focused on the SDM process, covering life-sustaining treatments (LSTs), palliative care, and end-of-life care, with LST decisions being most common. Four analytical themes, encompassing ten descriptive themes, emerged: prognostic uncertainty, multifaceted balancing act, tripartite role dynamics and information exchange, and influences of sociocultural context. These themes form the basis for a conceptual model offering deeper insights into the essential elements, relationships, and behaviors that characterize SDM in neurocritical care. This meta-synthesis of 18 primary studies offers a higher-order interpretation and an emerging conceptual understanding of SDM in neurocritical care, with implications for practice and further research. The complex role dynamics among SDM stakeholders require careful consideration, highlighting the need for stroke-specific communication strategies. Expanding the evidence base across diverse sociocultural settings is critical to enhance the understanding of SDM in neurocritical patients with stroke.

Trial registration This study is registered with PROSPERO under the registration number CRD42023461608.
Tetrameric Transthyretin as a Protective Factor Against Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Corino Camilla , Aimo Alberto , Luigetti Marco , Ciccone Lidia , Ferrari Chen Yu Fu , Panichella Giorgia , Musetti Veronica , Castiglione Vincenzo , Vergaro Giuseppe , Emdin Michele , Franzini Maria
Published: August 2024

Transthyretin (TTR) is a tetrameric protein traditionally recognized for its role in transporting thyroxine and retinol. Recent research has highlighted the potential neuroprotective functions of TTR in the setting of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is the most common form of dementia and is caused by the deposition of amyloid beta (Aβ) and the resulting cytotoxic effects. This paper explores the mechanisms of TTR protective action, including its interaction with Aβ to prevent fibril formation and promote Aβ clearance from the brain. It also synthesizes experimental evidence suggesting that enhanced TTR stability may mitigate neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in AD. Potential therapeutic strategies such as small molecule stabilizers of TTR are discussed, highlighting their role in enhancing TTR binding to Aβ and facilitating its clearance. By consolidating current knowledge and proposing directions for future research, this review aims to underscore the significance of TTR as a neuroprotective factor in AD and the potential implications for future research.
Self-transcendence through the lens of ontological addiction: correlates of prosociality, competitiveness and pro-nature behavior
Authors: Barrows Paul , Van Gordon William , Richardson Miles
Published: August 2024

Self-transcendence and the associated decrease in ego-centeredness are understood to foster altruistic and positive behaviors that promote prosociality and pro-environmental actions. However, the lack of an agreed valid and reliable measure of self-transcendence has posed difficulties in examining this subject. The main aim of this study was to use the recently developed Ontological Addiction Scale (OAS), which assesses dysfunctional ego-centeredness as an inhibiter of self-transcendent change, as a proxy measure to examine whether self-transcendence is indeed related to such “selfless” prosocial and pro-nature behaviors. Secondary aims were to examine ontological addiction (OA) and these behaviors in relation to competitiveness and ego-driven manifestations of prosociality. These relationships were examined via self-report measures in a cross-sectional cohort study of 287 UK adult participants. Findings revealed associations with competitiveness that broadly reflect its association with ego-centeredness through significant correlations with OA, and significant negative correlations with both prosociality and pro-nature behavior. They also supported earlier findings of a significant relationship between OA and measures of anxiety and depression. However, the expected negative correlations between OA and both prosociality and pro-nature behavior were not evidenced, which raises questions regarding the notion of OA as a conceptual antithesis of self-transcendence and/or whether measures of pro-sociality and pro-nature behavior adequately account for “selfish” or “impure” motivations that may underly these behaviors. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
The narcissist’s sense of humor: a correlational and an experimental ego threat study on the links between narcissism and adaptive and maladaptive humor styles
Authors: Altmann Tobias
Published: August 2024

Previous research has shown that narcissism is linked to both adaptive and maladaptive forms of interpersonally relevant behaviors, such as charm and aggression, respectively. One line of research that uses styles of humor as the outcome variable found that especially grandiose narcissism is positively related to both adaptive affiliative humor (strengthening interpersonal relationships) and maladaptive aggressive humor (making derogatory fun of others) alike. This seemingly contradictory finding may be explained in two ways. First, particular facets of grandiose narcissism may be related solely to adaptive or solely to maladaptive humor. Second, adaptive and maladaptive characteristics may be expressed by a person to varying degrees depending on their current narcissistic state (i.e., whether the self is faced with ego threats or in a relaxed state). To test these assumptions, the present study applied both a correlational approach with multiple measures of narcissism and an experimental approach that used an intelligence-based ego threat task. The correlational results showed that each facet of narcissism showed distinct correlational patterns with adaptive and maladaptive humor styles. The experimental results showed that ego threat moderated the relationships between narcissism and humor styles. For instance, grandiose narcissism was more strongly positively related to affiliative humor in the nonthreatening condition and was more strongly positively related to aggressive humor in the ego threat condition. These results clarify and explain the previous seemingly contradictory findings and support the importance of differentiating between the facets and states of narcissism, highlighting the complexity of the construct.
Enriching building function classification using Large Language Model embeddings of OpenStreetMap Tags
Authors: Memduhoğlu Abdulkadir , Fulman Nir , Zipf Alexander
Published: August 2024

Automated methods for building function classification are essential due to restricted access to official building use data. Existing approaches utilize traditional Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to analyze textual data representing human activities, but they struggle with the ambiguity of semantic contexts. In contrast, Large Language Models (LLMs) excel at capturing the broader context of language. This study presents a method that uses LLMs to interpret OpenStreetMap (OSM) tags, combining them with physical and spatial metrics to classify urban building functions. We employed an XGBoost model trained on 32 features from six city datasets to classify urban building functions, demonstrating varying F1 scores from 67.80% in Madrid to 91.59% in Liberec. Integrating LLM embeddings enhanced the model's performance by an average of 12.5% across all cities compared to models using only physical and spatial metrics. Moreover, integrating LLM embeddings improved the model's performance by 6.2% over models that incorporate OSM tags as one-hot encodings, and when predicting based solely on OSM tags, the LLM approach outperforms traditional NLP methods in 5 out of 6 cities. These results suggest that deep contextual understanding, as captured by LLM embeddings more effectively than traditional NLP approaches, is beneficial for classification. Finally, a Pearson correlation coefficient of approximately -0.858 between population density and F1-scores suggests that denser areas present greater classification challenges. Moving forward, we recommend investigation into discrepancies in model performance across and within cities, aiming to identify generalized models.
Clinical impact of airflow obstruction after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Nakao Sanshiro , Tsukamoto Shokichi , Takeda Yusuke , Ohwada Chikako , Ri Chihiro , Izumi Shintaro , Kamata Yuri , Matsui Shinichiro , Shibamiya Asuka , Ishii Arata , Takaishi Koji , Takahashi Kohei , Shiko Yuki , Oshima-Hasegawa Nagisa , Muto Tomoya , Mimura Naoya , Yokote Koutaro , Nakaseko Chiaki , Sakaida Emiko
Published: August 2024

Criteria for airflow obstruction (AFO) at one year after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are more stringent than the bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) criteria of the National Institutes of Health. This single-center, retrospective cohort study evaluated the clinical impact of the AFO criteria at any time after transplantation. In 132 patients who underwent allo-HSCT from 2006 to 2016, the 2-year cumulative incidence of AFO was 35.0%, and the median time to diagnosis of AFO was 101 days after transplantation (range 35–716 days). Overall chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) incidence was significantly higher in patients with AFO than in those without AFO (80.4% vs. 47.7%, P < 0.01); notably, 37.0% of patients with AFO developed cGVHD after AFO diagnosis. AFO patients developed BOS with a 5-year cumulative incidence of 49.1% after AFO onset. The 5-year cumulative incidence of non-relapse mortality in the AFO group was higher than that in the non-AFO group (24.7% vs. 7.1%, P < 0.01). These results suggest that closely monitoring PFTs within two years after allo-HSCT, regardless of cGVHD status, is important for early detection of AFO and prevention of progression to BOS. (192words).
Structure and dynamics of growing networks of Reddit threads
Authors: Goglia Diletta , Vega Davide
Published: August 2024

Millions of people use online social networks to reinforce their sense of belonging, for example by giving and asking for feedback as a form of social validation and self-recognition. It is common to observe disagreement among people beliefs and points of view when expressing this feedback. Modeling and analyzing such interactions is crucial to understand social phenomena that happen when people face different opinions while expressing and discussing their values. In this work, we study a Reddit community in which people participate to judge or be judged with respect to some behavior, as it represents a valuable source to study how users express judgments online. We model threads of this community as complex networks of user interactions growing in time, and we analyze the evolution of their structural properties. We show that the evolution of Reddit networks differ from other real social networks, despite falling in the same category. This happens because their global clustering coefficient is extremely small and the average shortest path length increases over time. Such properties reveal how users discuss in threads, i.e. with mostly one other user and often by a single message. We strengthen such result by analyzing the role that disagreement and reciprocity play in such conversations. We also show that Reddit thread’s evolution over time is governed by two subgraphs growing at different speeds. We discover that, in the studied community, the difference of such speed is higher than in other communities because of the user guidelines enforcing specific user interactions. Finally, we interpret the obtained results on user behavior drawing back to Social Judgment Theory.
A new spatiotemporal convolutional neural network model for short-term crash prediction
Authors: Cai Bowen , Camarcat Léah , Shang Wen-long , Quddus Mohammed
Published: August 2024

Predicting short-term traffic crashes is challenging due to an imbalanced data set characterized by excessive zeros in noncrash counts, random crash occurrences, spatiotemporal correlation in crash counts, and inherent heterogeneity. Existing models struggle to effectively address these distinct characteristics in crash data. This paper proposes a new joint model by combining the time-series generalized regression neural network (TGRNN) model and the binomially weighted convolutional neural network (BWCNN) model. The joint model aims to capture all these characteristics in short-term crash prediction. The model was trained and tested using real-world, highly disaggregated traffic data collected with inductive loop detectors on the M1 motorway in the UK in 2019, along with crash data extracted from the UK National Accident Database for the same year. The short-term is defined as a 30-min interval, providing sufficient time for a traffic control center to implement interventions and mitigate potential hazards. The year was segmented into 30-min intervals, resulting in a highly imbalanced data set with over 99.99% noncrash samples. The joint model was applied to predict the probability of a crash occurrence by updating both the crash and traffic data every 30 min. The findings revealed that 75.3% of crashes and 81.6% of noncrash events were correctly predicted in the southbound direction. In the northbound direction, 78.1% of crashes and 80.2% of noncrash events were accurately captured. Causal analysis and model-based interpretation were used to analyze the relative importance of explanatory variables regarding their contribution to crashes. The results reveal that speed variance and speed are the most influential factors contributing to crash occurrence.
Portfolio democracy
Authors: McCarthy Michael A.
Published: August 2024

In this essay, I argue that Christophers’ description of asset-manager society is best characterized by a logic of ‘acquire and extract’. I build on his insights to delve into the less-explored world of emancipatory alternatives. I argue for radical transformations – what I term ‘democratic ruptures’ – that shift the investment logic of asset managers toward one of ‘build and nourish’. With insights from the failure to establish economic democracy over large pools of finance by unions in the postwar period, I argue that the crucial missing ingredient in the social and ecological disaster of asset-manager society today is democracy. I conclude with a radical reimagining of financial democracy for the twenty-first century.
Limits to asset manager adaptation
Authors: Condon Madison
Published: August 2024

In Our Lives in Their Portfolios, Brett Christophers provides an account of the rise of ‘asset manager society’ – a world in which the infrastructures of public life are converted from public to private ownership. Here I use Christophers’ analysis to comment on growing calls for asset manager investment in climate adaptation. The asset manager business model requires ever-escalating returns, a poor fit with the now unavoidable losses that climate change promises to bring.
Seeing like an asset manager
Authors: Christophers Brett
Published: August 2024

Asset managers have assumed a position of unprecedented power and influence in the control of essential infrastructures of social life, with broadly negative ramifications. But as the commentaries assembled here all insist, it did not – and does not – have to be this way. In this reply, I discuss the potential, as I see it, for the world to be otherwise, offering a rather pessimistic prognosis.
Navigating “Confidentiality”: Ghana’s National Reconciliation Commission’s “Sensitive” Records in Perspective
Authors: Afari Frank
Published: August 2024

This article focuses on Ghana’s National Reconciliation Commission’s (NRC) archival holdings, which hold enormous value as a source for scholarly research but constitute a target of destructive forces, prompting the government to impose restrictive policies to regulate access to them. This article argues that in spite of the prevailing restrictions, opportunities exist for original enquiry into the NRC and Ghana’s human rights history through the piecemeal and selective access offered by the various repositories to researchers.
The Bellwether of Oppression: Anger, Critique, and Resistance
Authors: Friedrich Jasper
Published: August 2024

Feminists have long argued that emotions have a rightful place in politics. Anger, specifically, is often said to play a crucial role in alerting people to oppression and motivating resistance. The task of this paper is to elaborate these claims and to outline a conception of the political value of anger. In doing so, I argue against the view that anger is valuable only if and because it expresses a sound moral judgment. Instead, we should see rage, in the first place, as simply a response to having one's practical aims in the world thwarted—there need be nothing moral or righteous about this feeling for it to have political potential. Second, unlike those who highlight anger's connection with love or claims for equal dignity, I emphasize its tendency towards aggression. With this non-moralized conception of anger in hand, we can see how rage reveals practical problems in a way that can spur on a dialectical process of political articulation and organized action. The resulting standpoint from which one can articulate and resist one's oppression based on one's rage is not inherent in the experience of anger—rather, it needs to be seen as a political achievement in itself.
One-winged butterflies: mode selection for azimuthal magnetorotational instability by thermal convection
Authors: Mishra Ashish , Mamatsashvili George , Seilmayer Martin , Stefani Frank
Published: August 2024

The effects of thermal convection on turbulence in accretion discs, and particularly its interplay with the magnetorotational instability (MRI), are of significant astrophysical interest. Despite extensive theoretical and numerical studies, such an interplay has not been explored experimentally. We conduct linear analysis of the azimuthal version of MRI (AMRI) in the presence of thermal convection and compare the results with our experimental data published before. We show that the critical Hartmann number (

$Ha$

) for the onset of AMRI is reduced by convection. Importantly, convection breaks symmetry between

$m = \pm 1$

instability modes (

$m$

is the azimuthal wavenumber). This preference for one mode over the other makes the AMRI wave appear as a ‘one-winged butterfly’.