bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The irreconcilability of insight
Authors: Shupe Eli
Published: March 2024

We are said to experience insight when we suddenly and unexpectedly become aware of the solution to a problem that we previously took ourselves to be unable to solve. In the field of comparative cognition, there is rising interest in the question of whether non-human animals are capable of insightful problem-solving. Putative cases of animals demonstrating insight have generally attracted two types of criticism: first, that insight is being conflated with other cognitive capacities (e.g., causal cognition, or mental trial and error); and, second, that the relevant performances merely reflect associative learning—and on the received understanding of insight within comparative cognition, insight necessarily involves non-associative processes. I argue that even if we grant that some cases of animal insight do withstand these two criticisms, these cases of purported animal insight cannot shed light on the nature of insightful problem-solving in humans. For the phenomenon studied by cognitive psychologists under the heading of insight is fundamentally different from that studied in comparative cognition. In light of this impasse, I argue that the reinterpretation of the extant research on animal insight in terms of other high-level cognitive capacities (means-end reasoning in particular) can improve the prospect of a successful comparative research program.
The proximate regulation of prosocial behaviour: towards a conceptual framework for comparative research
Authors: Kopp Kathrin S. , Kanngiesser Patricia , Brügger Rahel K. , Daum Moritz M. , Gampe Anja , Köster Moritz , van Schaik Carel P. , Liebal Katja , Burkart Judith M.
Published: March 2024

Humans and many other animal species act in ways that benefit others. Such prosocial behaviour has been studied extensively across a range of disciplines over the last decades, but findings to date have led to conflicting conclusions about prosociality across and even within species. Here, we present a conceptual framework to study the proximate regulation of prosocial behaviour in humans, non-human primates and potentially other animals. We build on psychological definitions of prosociality and spell out three key features that need to be in place for behaviour to count as prosocial: benefitting others, intentionality, and voluntariness. We then apply this framework to review observational and experimental studies on sharing behaviour and targeted helping in human children and non-human primates. We show that behaviours that are usually subsumed under the same terminology (e.g. helping) can differ substantially across and within species and that some of them do not fulfil our criteria for prosociality. Our framework allows for precise mapping of prosocial behaviours when retrospectively evaluating studies and offers guidelines for future comparative work.
Recognizing structure in novel tunes: differences between human and rats
Authors: Crespo-Bojorque Paola , Cauvet Elodie , Pallier Christophe , Toro Juan M.
Published: March 2024

A central feature in music is the hierarchical organization of its components. Musical pieces are not a simple concatenation of chords, but are characterized by rhythmic and harmonic structures. Here, we explore if sensitivity to music structure might emerge in the absence of any experience with musical stimuli. For this, we tested if rats detect the difference between structured and unstructured musical excerpts and compared their performance with that of humans. Structured melodies were excerpts of Mozart's sonatas. Unstructured melodies were created by the recombination of fragments of different sonatas. We trained listeners (both human participants and Long-Evans rats) with a set of structured and unstructured excerpts, and tested them with completely novel excerpts they had not heard before. After hundreds of training trials, rats were able to tell apart novel structured from unstructured melodies. Human listeners required only a few trials to reach better performance than rats. Interestingly, such performance was increased in humans when tonality changes were included, while it decreased to chance in rats. Our results suggest that, with enough training, rats might learn to discriminate acoustic differences differentiating hierarchical music structures from unstructured excerpts. More importantly, the results point toward species-specific adaptations on how tonality is processed.
On the value of advanced information about delayed rewards
Authors: Macías Alejandro , Machado Armando , Vasconcelos Marco
Published: March 2024

In a variety of laboratory preparations, several animal species prefer signaled over unsignaled outcomes. Here we examine whether pigeons prefer options that signal the delay to reward over options that do not and how this preference changes with the ratio of the delays. We offered pigeons repeated choices between two alternatives leading to a short or a long delay to reward. For one alternative (informative), the short and long delays were reliably signaled by different stimuli (e.g., S
S for short delays, S
L for long delays). For the other (non-informative), the delays were not reliably signaled by the stimuli presented (S
1 and S
2). Across conditions, we varied the durations of the short and long delays, hence their ratio, while keeping the average delay to reward constant. Pigeons preferred the informative over the non-informative option and this preference became stronger as the ratio of the long to the short delay increased. A modified version of the Δ–Σ hypothesis (González et al., J Exp Anal Behav 113(3):591–608. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.595, 2020a) incorporating a contrast-like process between the immediacies to reward signaled by each stimulus accounted well for our findings. Functionally, we argue that a preference for signaled delays hinges on the potential instrumental advantage typically conveyed by information.
Framework for scoring the scientific reputation of researchers
Authors: de Diego Isaac Martín , Prieto Juan Carlos , Fernández-Isabel Alberto , Gomez Javier , Alfaro César
Published: March 2024

In the scientific community, there is no single, objective, and precise metric for ranking the work of researchers based on their scientific merit. Most existing metrics are based on the number of publications associated with an author along with the number of citations received by those publications. However, there is no standard metric officially used to evaluate the researchers’ careers. In this paper, the Framework for Reputation Estimation of Scientific Authors (FRESA) to address this issue is depicted. It is a system able to estimate the reputation of a researcher focusing on the achieved publications. It calculates two indexes making use of the relevance and the novelty concepts in the scientific domain. The system can depict the scientific trajectories of the researchers through the proposed indexes to illustrate their evolution over time. FRESA uses web information sources and applies similarity measures, text mining techniques, and clustering algorithms to also rank and group the researchers. The presented work is experimental, rendering promising results.
Genome-wide identification and comparative analysis of the Amino Acid Transporter (AAT) gene family and their roles during Phaseolus vulgaris symbioses
Authors: Nanjareddy Kalpana , Guerrero-Carrillo María Fernanda , Lara Miguel , Arthikala Manoj-Kumar
Published: March 2024

Amino acid transporters (AATs) are essential integral membrane proteins that serve multiple roles, such as facilitating the transport of amino acids across cell membranes. They play a crucial role in the growth and development of plants. Phaseolus vulgaris, a significant legume crop, serves as a valuable model for studying root symbiosis. In this study, we have conducted an exploration of the AAT gene family in P. vulgaris. In this research, we identified 84 AAT genes within the P. vulgaris genome sequence and categorized them into 12 subfamilies based on their similarity and phylogenetic relationships with AATs found in Arabidopsis and rice. Interestingly, these AAT genes were not evenly distributed across the chromosomes of P. vulgaris . Instead, there was an unusual concentration of these genes located toward the outer edges of chromosomal arms. Upon conducting motif analysis and gene structural analysis, we observed a consistent presence of similar motifs and an intron-exon distribution pattern among the subfamilies. When we analyzed the expression profiles of PvAAT genes, we noted tissue-specific expression patterns. Furthermore, our investigation into AAT gene expression under rhizobial and mycorrhizal symbiotic conditions revealed that certain genes exhibited high levels of expression. Specifically, ATLa5 and LHT2 was notably upregulated under both symbiotic conditions. These findings point towards a potential role of AATs in the context of rhizobial and mycorrhizal symbiosis in P. vulgaris, in addition to their well-established regulatory functions.
Association of D-dimer level with thrombotic events, bleeding, and mortality in Japanese patients with solid tumors: a Cancer-VTE Registry subanalysis
Authors: Nakamura Mashio , Sakon Masato , Sasako Mitsuru , Okusaka Takuji , Mukai Hirofumi , Fujiwara Keiichi , Kunitoh Hideo , Oba Mari S. , Wada Hideo , Hosokawa Jun , Takita Atsushi , Ikeda Masataka
Published: March 2024

Background

The D-dimer test is a simple test frequently used in routine clinical screening for venous thromboembolism (VTE). The Cancer-VTE Registry was a large-scale, multicenter, prospective, observational study in Japanese patients with cancer. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between D-dimer level at cancer diagnosis (baseline) and the incidence of events during cancer treatment (1-year follow-up period).

Methods

This was a post hoc sub-analysis of patients from the Cancer-VTE Registry whose D-dimer levels were measured at baseline. The incidence of events during the 1-year follow-up period was evaluated stratified by baseline D-dimer level. Adjusted hazard ratios for D-dimer level and events during the follow-up period were evaluated.

Results

Among the total enrolled patients, baseline D-dimer level was measured in 9020 patients. The mean ± standard deviation baseline D-dimer level was 1.57 ± 3.94 µg/mL. During the follow-up period, the incidence of VTE, cerebral infarction/transient ischemic attack (TIA)/systemic embolic events (SEE), bleeding, and all-cause death increased with increasing baseline D-dimer level. The incidence of all-cause death increased with increasing D-dimer level regardless of cancer stage. The adjusted hazard ratio of all-cause death was 1.03 (95% confidence interval: 1.02–1.03) per 1.0-µg/mL increase in baseline D-dimer level.

Conclusions

Increases in D-dimer levels were associated with a higher risk of thrombotic events, such as VTE and cerebral infarction/TIA/SEE, during cancer treatment. Furthermore, higher D-dimer levels at cancer diagnosis were associated with a higher mortality rate, regardless of cancer stage.
Discarded e-waste/printed circuit boards: a review of their recent methods of disassembly, sorting and environmental implications
Authors: Oke Emmanuel A. , Potgieter Herman
Published: March 2024

The improper disposal of discarded electronic and electrical equipment raises environmental and health concerns, spanning air pollution to water and soil contamination, underscoring the imperative for responsible management practises. This review explores the complex composition of discarded printed circuit boards (DPCBs), crucial components in electronic devices. Comprising substrates, electronic elements and solder, DPCBs showcase a heterogeneous structure with metal (30.0–50.0%) and non-metal (50.0–70.0%) fractions. Notably abundant in precious metals such as Au, Ag, and Pd, DPCBs offer a compelling avenue for recycling initiatives. The inclusion of heavy metals and flame retardants adds complexity, necessitating environmentally sound disposal methods. Ongoing research on smart disassembly, utilising 3D image recognition technology, underscores the importance of accurate identification and positioning of electronic components (ECs). The targeted approach of smart disassembly, centred on valuable components, highlights its significance, albeit with challenges in equipment costs and capacity limitations. In mechanical disassembly, techniques such as grinding and heat application are employed to extract ECs, with innovations addressing gas emissions and damage induced by overheating. Chemical disassembly methods, encompassing epoxy resin delamination and tin removal, present promising recovery options, whilst the integration of chemical and electrochemical processes shows potential. Efficient sorting, encompassing both manual and automated methods, is imperative post-disassembly, with smart sorting technologies augmenting accuracy in the identification and categorisation of ECs. In addition, explorations into NH3/NH4+ solutions for selective metal recovery underscore challenges and stress the necessity for meticulous process optimisation in environmentally sustainable PCB recycling. Challenges and future perspectives have also been expounded.
Exploring technology acceptance patterns of users of the mixed-reality sport technology Zwift: antecedents and consequences of technology acceptance
Authors: Methlagl Michael , Mairhofer Samuel , Michlmayr Friederike
Published: March 2024

The use of digital technologies in sports is increasing. The current paper deals with the technology acceptance of users of a mixed-reality sport technology called Zwift. The purpose of this study is to identify distinct profiles of Zwift users based on indicators of technology acceptance. Latent profile analysis (n = 877) identified three distinct latent profiles representing subgroups characterized by moderate, high and very high acceptance indicators. Results of the multinomial regression show that individuals with higher perceptions of the basic psychological need for autonomy and relatedness as well as individuals with high data privacy perceptions are more likely to be classified in the very high and high acceptance profiles than in the moderate acceptance profile. The results also show that older individuals are more likely to be classified in the moderate acceptance profile than in the very high acceptance profile even though odds ratio is rather low. The high and very high acceptance profiles also show higher behavioural intention to use Zwift in the future than the moderate acceptance profile.
RUNX transcription factors: biological functions and implications in cancer
Authors: Chen Xinyi , Wang Lu , Yang Mu , Zhao Weiheng , Tu Jingyao , Liu Bo , Yuan Xianglin
Published: March 2024

Runt-related transcription factors (RUNX) are a family of transcription factors that are essential for normal and malignant hematopoietic processes. Their most widely recognized role in malignancy is to promote the occurrence and development of acute myeloid leukemia. However, it is worth noting that during the last decade, studies of RUNX proteins in solid tumors have made considerable progress, suggesting that these proteins are directly involved in different stages of tumor development, including tumor initiation, progression, and invasion. RUNX proteins also play a role in tumor angiogenesis, the maintenance of tumor cell stemness, and resistance to antitumor drugs. These findings have led to the consideration of RUNX as a tumor biomarker. All RUNX proteins are involved in the occurrence and development of solid tumors, but the role of each RUNX protein in different tumors and the major signaling pathways involved are complicated by tumor heterogeneity and the interacting tumor microenvironment. Understanding how the dysregulation of RUNX in tumors affects normal biological processes is important to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which RUNX affects malignant tumors.
Presence of gastrointestinal and bronchopulmonary parasites in Cantabrian brown bears
Authors: Remesar Susana , Busto Claudia , Díaz Pablo , Rivas Óscar , López-Bao José Vicente , Ballesteros Fernando , García-Dios David
Published: March 2024

The Cantabrian brown bear (Ursus arctos) population is threatened although in a constant process of recovery during the last 20 years. Since data on the parasitological status of this bear is still limited, the objective of the present study was to assess the diversity and prevalence of parasites in this population. Thus, 111 bear faecal samples were collected in north-western Spain and analysed for estimating the occurrence of gastrointestinal and bronchopulmonary parasites. Samples were processed by flotation in saline and sucrose solution, sedimentation and Baermann-Wetzel techniques. In addition, a commercial immunofluorescent assay was performed for detecting Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. Dicrocoelium dendriticum was the most prevalent parasite (58.6%), followed by Baylisascaris transfuga (43.2%) and nematodes of the Suborder Strongylida (18.9%) and Spirurida (2.7%). Mixed infections were detected in the 41.4% of the samples. The presence of D. dendriticum was significantly highest in bears from the autonomous region of Castile and León as well as in those in which grass or nuts/acorns were the predominant food item. Moreover, the risk of being positive to B. transfuga was significantly higher during autumn–winter, and in those, faecal samples were mainly composed of fleshy fruit. Some of the parasites detected could infect other wildlife and even humans, and therefore, the risk of pathogen transmission deserves further investigation. Since the impact of endoparasites in the health status of bears is poorly understood, the establishment of a disease surveillance protocol is strongly recommended in order to assess the potential risk of these infections for bears.
The relationship between nursing and midwifery undergraduate students’ health beliefs and breast cancer knowledge levels and their breast self-examination behavior
Authors: Meram Halime Esra , Bekmezci Ebru , Karakoç Hediye , Yavuz Büşra
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between nursing and midwifery undergraduate students’ health beliefs and breast cancer knowledge levels and breast self-examination (BSE) behavior.

Materials and method

This study was based on a cross-sectional research design and conducted in a Web environment. Four hundred and forty-eight female students were included who study in the 3rd or 4th years of the nursing and midwifery departments. Research data were collected between December 2020 and January 2021 by utilizing the Introductory Information Form, the Champion’s Health Belief Model Scale, and the Comprehensive Breast Cancer Knowledge Test.

Results

It was revealed that 52.7% of the students performed BSE on a regular basis. Based on the practice of BSE, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of benefits, obstacle perception, confidence/self-efficacy, and motivation subscales of CHBMS (p  < 0.05). In terms of the risk of not performing BSE among students, having an extended family increased the risk by 3.29 times, not applying a clinical breast examination by 6.53 times, and a 1-unit increase in weighted GPA by 2.18 times; a 1-unit increase in the obstacle perception score related to BSE practice increased risk by 1.11 times.

Conclusion and recommendations

Nurses’ and midwives’ health beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors should be improved with regard to the importance of breast cancer and BSE throughout their education, so that they can be role models for preventive healthcare practices in society.
Optimal production management when there is regime switching and production constraints
Authors: Cadenillas Abel , Ferrari Giorgio , Schuhmann Patrick
Published: March 2024

We study a production problem in which the cumulative consumer demand for an item follows a Brownian motion with drift, with both the drift and the variance parameters modulated by a continuous-time Markov chain that represents the regime. The company wants to maintain the inventory level as close as possible to a target inventory level, but there is a linear cost of production. We assume that the production rate is nonnegative. The company is penalized for deviations from the inventory target level and the cost of production, and the objective is to minimize the total discounted penalty costs. We consider two models. In the first model, there is no upper bound for the production rate, and in the second model there is an upper bound for the production rate. We solve both problems analytically and obtain the optimal production policy and the minimal total expected discounted cost. Our solutions allow us to obtain interesting managerial insights.
The decline of the Arabian Leopard Panthera pardus nimr in Saudi Arabia: a values-based plan for future management
Authors: Islam Mohammad Zafarul , Smith Michael , Boug Ahmed al
Published: March 2024

The Critically Endangered Arabian Leopard (Panthera pardus nimr) has declined to near extinction in Saudi Arabia over the last fifteen or so years. In this paper we provide a time-series assessment of changes in the rate of leopard records since the 1930’s and provide a values-based plan for the management of the species in Saudi Arabia. The number of leopard records rose sharply in the 1960’s, peaking in the early 2000s, a time where human population growth and expansion across Saudi Arabia was also increasing. However, by 2014, the number of leopard records decreased to zero where it has remained. Based upon a clear need for effective conservation of the species, we developed a values-based management plan. In applying the planning framework, we defined the management system and its elements in their current state and the required state by the year 2050. From this work, a value-based goal was established, and four key management activities were recognised (and are expanded upon in the main text). We recommend that work is done to: (1) Ensure sufficient and suitable (in terms of required habitat and prey availability) areas are protected. (2) Reduce the level of human-based predation upon leopards to ensure sustainable mortality rates. (3) Manage the species metapopulation structure in terms of genetic makeup through natural and/or facilitated movement. (4) Continue to build community capacity and willingness to manage and protect the species. If these activities can be successfully completed, a population of Arabian Leopards can exist in Saudi Arabia if it is adaptively managed to deal with any additional and/or emerging threatening processes.
Microstate Analysis of Continuous Infant EEG: Tutorial and Reliability
Authors: Bagdasarov Armen , Brunet Denis , Michel Christoph M. , Gaffrey Michael S.
Published: March 2024

Microstate analysis of resting-state EEG is a unique data-driven method for identifying patterns of scalp potential topographies, or microstates, that reflect stable but transient periods of synchronized neural activity evolving dynamically over time. During infancy – a critical period of rapid brain development and plasticity – microstate analysis offers a unique opportunity for characterizing the spatial and temporal dynamics of brain activity. However, whether measurements derived from this approach (e.g., temporal properties, transition probabilities, neural sources) show strong psychometric properties (i.e., reliability) during infancy is unknown and key information for advancing our understanding of how microstates are shaped by early life experiences and whether they relate to individual differences in infant abilities. A lack of methodological resources for performing microstate analysis of infant EEG has further hindered adoption of this cutting-edge approach by infant researchers. As a result, in the current study, we systematically addressed these knowledge gaps and report that most microstate-based measurements of brain organization and functioning except for transition probabilities were stable with four minutes of video-watching resting-state data and highly internally consistent with just one minute. In addition to these results, we provide a step-by-step tutorial, accompanying website, and open-access data for performing microstate analysis using a free, user-friendly software called Cartool. Taken together, the current study supports the reliability and feasibility of using EEG microstate analysis to study infant brain development and increases the accessibility of this approach for the field of developmental neuroscience.
Parental risk factors and moderators of prolonged digital use in preschoolers: A meta-analysis
Authors: Qian Haoyue , Wang Chenggong , Li Hui
Published: March 2024

Prolonged digital use is prevalent among young children. Still, it is unclear which parental risk factors contribute to this and whether cultural background (western vs. non-western) and parental role (mother vs. father/parents) could moderate this impact. A systematic literature search identified 52 empirical studies with 54,334 children in a random-effects meta-analysis. The analysis revealed that preschoolers’ prolonged digital use was significantly associated with parental digital use (r = .24, 95%CI [0.17, 0.30]), low socioeconomic status (r = .10, 95%CI [0.08, 0.13]), and passive parenting behavior (r = .17, 95%CI [0.10, 0.25]), and significantly but weakly correlated with psychological distress (r = .15, 95%CI [0.07, 0.23]). There were effect size differences between the sub-items in both passive parenting behavior and psychological distress factors. In addition, cultural background moderated the associations between preschoolers’ digital use and parents' digital use (Q = 8.38, p < .01) and passive parenting behaviors (Q = 3.32, p = .06). In contrast, the moderating effects of the parental role were not significant (Qs < 4.16, ps > .13). These findings suggest that specific items of parental factor, particularly those related to parenting practices, should be considered as the risks of preschoolers’ prolonged digital use. Future studies should pay more attention to cultural differences and the roles of fathers.
Sharing the Work: Using Diversity Advocates to Develop Inclusive Excellence
Authors: King Barbara , Simpson Caroline E. , Rose Suzanna M. , Farhangi Sanaz , Wood Kirsten E.
Published: March 2024

Administrators and faculty at many colleges and universities are dedicated to making the faculty hiring process fair and equitable. One program that has shown promise is to train and appoint a Diversity Advocate (DA) to serve on each faculty search and screen committee. In this study, we created and examined the early stages of a DA program at a single institution. After undergoing special training, the DA works on the search committee to encourage best practices and to discourage schemas and stereotypes from interfering with the process. Our DA program differs from some in that efforts are made to train DAs who are demographically in the majority, work in the area where the search is taking place, and have earned tenure or promotion. Training those who are demographically in the majority helps meet our goal of broadening the responsibility for evidence-based and equitable hiring practices across faculty members. While reliable data on hiring outcomes is not yet available, we developed a survey to evaluate the DA training and conducted focus groups to understand the DA experience better. Our results highlight how DAs intervened in the search process to make it more equitable. The interventions included encouraging the use of best practices, such as leading the committee in creating a rubric for evaluating candidates and intervening when bias was present. Our study provides evidence that a DA program is one way to expand the pool of faculty committed to inclusive excellence.
Ocular surface and meibomian gland evaluation in euthyroid Graves’ ophthalmopathy
Authors: Lai Kenneth Ka Hei , Liao Xulin , Aljufairi Fatema Mohamed Ali Abdulla , Sebastian Jake Uy , Ma Andre , Man Wong Yiu , Lam Lee Cheuk , Chen Wanxue , Hu Zhichao , Cheng George P. M. , Tham Clement C. , Pang Chi Pui , Chong Kelvin K. L.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Euthyroid Graves’ ophthalmology (EGO) refers to the subgroup of thyroid eye disease patients with distinct clinical presentations. This study evaluated the ocular surface and meibomian gland changes in EGO patients.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted at The Chinese University of Hong Kong including 34 EGO patients and 34 age-and sex- matched healthy controls. Outcome measures include anterior segment examination, keratographic and meibographic imaging.

Results

Between 34 EGO patients and 34 age and sex-matched healthy controls, EGO was associated with a higher ocular surface disease index (P < 0.01), higher severity of meibomian gland dropout (upper: P < 0.001, lower: P < 0.00001) and higher percentage of partial blinking (P = 0.0036). The worse affected eyes of the EGO patients were associated with corneal staining (P = 0.0019), eyelid telangiectasia (P = 0.0009), eyelid thickening (P = 0.0013), eyelid irregularity (P = 0.0054), meibomian gland plugging (P < 0.00001), expressibility (P < 0.00001), and meibum quality (P < 0.00001). When the two eyes of the same EGO patient were compared, the degree of meibomian gland dropout was higher among the worse affected eyes (upper: P < 0.00001, and lower: P < 0.00001). Tear meniscus height, lipid layer thickness, and noninvasive break-up time were comparable between the two eyes of EGO patients and also between EGO patients and healthy controls. TMH was positively correlated with the degree of exophthalmos (r = 0.383, P < 0.05).

Conclusion

EGO patients have more ocular surface complications and meibomian gland dropouts than healthy controls. Almost 60% of them had dry eye symptoms, but aqueous deficiency was not apparent. Further studies are warranted to clarify the mechanism of dry eye in EGO.

(249 words).
Congenital ptosis with aponeurotic maldevelopment: clinical and surgical perspectives
Authors: Alahmadawy Yomna A , Ahmed Rania A
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Levator muscle dystrophy has been commonly accused being the main pathology of congenital ptosis, nevertheless, few reports drew attention to the existence of congenital aponeurotic defects. This study aims at highlighting the detailed clinical and surgical features of aponeurotic maldevelopment together with the efficacy of simple aponeurosis repair.

Methods

This is a retrospective nonrandomised study including patients with congenital ptosis who underwent levator muscle surgery throughout 4 years. Patients’ records were reviewed for the preoperative clinical assessment and photographs, intraoperative recorded data, and videos as well as postoperative data and photographs.

Results

Twenty-seven eyes of 22 patients (9.4%) out of 287 eyes were recorded to have absent levator muscle at its typical anatomical insertion site intraoperatively. The mean preoperative MRD1 was (0.44 ± 1.17 mm). The mean levator function was 8.56 ± 3.89 mm, with higher-than-normal crease position (mean value 10.07 ± 1.62 mm). 25 eyes of included cases (92.6%) showed total absence of the levator aponeurosis edge which only was revealed after cutting through the orbital septal covering of the preaponeurotic fat.

Conclusion

Congenital aponeurotic defect is an established yet under reported entity of congenital ptosis with reproducible characteristic intraoperative findings. Simple aponeurosis repair could achieve ptosis correction in such cases.
Improved oxidative stability of functional oils with Spirulina enhanced by probiotic fermentation and encapsulation
Authors: Özyurt Gülsün , Durmuş Mustafa , Sakarya Yetkin , Uslu Leyla , Kuley Esmeray
Published: March 2024

The bioavailability of Arthrospira platensis as an antioxidant in fish oil after fermentation and microencapsulation process was investigated in this study. Unfermented and fermented A. platensis (Spirulina) were dried in a spray dryer with different ratios of maltodextrin and the powdered Spirulina samples were added to fish oil at a rate of 2% to monitor oxidative stability. Following the BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) added group, unfermented and fermented Spirulina samples and those coated with equal amounts of maltodextrin showed the lowest peroxide values and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance values. On the other hand, according to p-anisidine and Totox (total oxidation) assessments, all Spirulina-added groups were at least as effective as BHT in preventing lipid oxidation. At the end of storage, total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content was determined as 21.09% in the control group without antioxidants and 28.75% in the group with BHT added. However, in all other Spirulina added groups (unfermented, fermented and microencapsulated groups), total PUFA content was in the range of 27.671-29.72%. As a result, it was found that both the dried forms of Spirulina alone and dried with coating material were effective in delaying lipid oxidation. However, the fermented forms showed no additional effect on lipid stability compared to the unfermented ones.
Relational network of innovation ecosystems generated by digital innovation hubs: a conceptual framework for the interaction processes of DIHs from the perspective of collaboration within and between their relationship levels
Authors: Serrano-Ruiz Julio C. , Ferreira José , Jardim-Goncalves Ricardo , Ortiz Ángel
Published: March 2024

Collaboration plays a key role in the success attained to date by networks of innovation ecosystems generated around entities known as Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs), recently created following European Commission initiatives to boost the digitisation of the European economic fabric. This article proposes a conceptual framework that brings together, defines, structures and relates the concepts involved in the collaborative interaction processes within and between these innovation ecosystems to allow comprehensive conceptualisation. The developed framework also provides an approach that helps to tangibilise collaboration as a management process. Here the goal is to ultimately move towards not only qualitative, but also quantitative modelling to bridge the research gap in the state of the art in this respect. The data-driven business-ecosystem-skills-technology (D-BEST) model, devised to configure DIHs service portfolios in a collaborative context, provides the reference basis for the interorganisational asset transfer methodology (IOATM). This is the keystone that structures the framework and constitutes its main contribution. Through the IOATM, this conceptual framework points out collaboration quantification, and serves as a lever for its modelling to deal with collaboration accounting by: turning it into a more controllable management element; guiding practitioners' efforts to improve collaborative processes efficiency with an approach that pursues objectivity and maximises synergies.
Heterogeneous university research and firm R&D location decisions: research orientation, academic quality, and investment type
Authors: Belderbos René , Braito Nazareno , Wang Jian
Published: March 2024

Universities play an important role in regional development and innovation and engage with the industry through various channels. In this paper, we examine the role of heterogeneous characteristics of university research, in particular universities’ orientation towards basic or applied research and the quality of this research, in attracting firms’ R&D investment. We analyze the location decisions in the United States by foreign multinational firms at the level of metropolitan areas. We contrast research and development projects and explore whether they are driven by different factors. We find that the drivers of location choice differ importantly as a consequence of the type of the focal R&D investment of the firm. Universities with an orientation towards applied scientific research and exhibiting higher academic quality of applied research attract more R&D investment focusing on development activities. In contrast, firms’ investments in research activities are attracted by the academic quality of basic scientific research of local universities. Hence, increased university emphasis on academic engagement and applied research may have negative consequences for industrial research in the region.
Parameter-Free Reduction of the Estimation Bias in Deep Reinforcement Learning for Deterministic Policy Gradients
Authors: Saglam Baturay , Mutlu Furkan Burak , Cicek Dogan Can , Kozat Suleyman Serdar
Published: March 2024

Approximation of the value functions in value-based deep reinforcement learning induces overestimation bias, resulting in suboptimal policies. We show that when the reinforcement signals received by the agents have a high variance, deep actor-critic approaches that overcome the overestimation bias lead to a substantial underestimation bias. We first address the detrimental issues in the existing approaches that aim to overcome such underestimation error. Then, through extensive statistical analysis, we introduce a novel, parameter-free Deep Q-learning variant to reduce this underestimation bias in deterministic policy gradients. By sampling the weights of a linear combination of two approximate critics from a highly shrunk estimation bias interval, our Q-value update rule is not affected by the variance of the rewards received by the agents throughout learning. We test the performance of the introduced improvement on a set of MuJoCo and Box2D continuous control tasks and demonstrate that it outperforms the existing approaches and improves the baseline actor-critic algorithm in most of the environments tested.
Exponential Synchronization of Complex Dynamic Networks with Time Delay and Uncertainty via Adaptive Event-Triggered Control
Authors: Zhao Yinguang , Ma Yuechao
Published: March 2024

In this paper, exponential synchronization problem of uncertain complex dynamic networks with time delay is studied via adaptive event-triggered control. Considering the influence of external environment, a new dynamic event-triggered mechanism is proposed, in order to reduce the transmission signal among nodes and reduce the consumption of communication resources. Moreover, in the proposed control mechanism, the controller is adaptive, that is, it only works when the triggering conditions are satisfied. Then, according to the designed adaptive event-triggered control strategy, the sufficient conditions for exponential synchronization are obtained by using Lyapunov functions and inequality technique. In addition, it is proved that the system can avoid Zeno behavior. At last, using two examples to verify the feasibility of the results.
Competing to Sell the Reference Product
Authors: Martínez-Sánchez Francisco
Published: March 2024

In a sequential model of vertical product differentiation in which consumers are loss-averse, I analyse how firms compete to sell the reference product when they set prices. I find that there are two subgame perfect equilibria: one where the reference point for all consumers is the higher-quality product; and the other where the reference point is the lower-quality product. However, applying the risk-dominance criterion, I obtain that the sole risk-dominant equilibrium is for the higher-quality firm to sell the reference product. Since the hedonic price of the higher-quality product is the highest, consumers do not suffer any psychological disutility in the risk-dominant equilibrium.
Simulation and feasibility assessment of a green hydrogen supply chain: a case study in Oman
Authors: Tian Mi , Zhong Shuya , Al Ghassani Muayad Ahmed Mohsin , Johanning Lars , Sucala Voicu Ion
Published: March 2024

The transition to sustainable energy is crucial for mitigating climate change impacts. This study addresses this imperative by simulating a green hydrogen supply chain tailored for residential cooking in Oman. The supply chain encompasses solar energy production, underground storage, pipeline transportation, and residential application, aiming to curtail greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH). The simulation results suggest leveraging a robust 7 GW solar plant. Oman achieves an impressive annual production of 9.78 TWh of green hydrogen, equivalent to 147,808 tonnes of H2, perfectly aligning with the ambitious goals of Oman Vision 2040. The overall LCOH for the green hydrogen supply chain is estimated at a highly competitive 6.826 USD/kg, demonstrating cost competitiveness when benchmarked against analogous studies. A sensitivity analysis highlights Oman’s potential for cost-effective investments in green hydrogen infrastructure, propelling the nation towards a sustainable energy future. This study not only addresses the pressing issue of reducing carbon emissions in the residential sector but also serves as a model for other regions pursuing sustainable energy transitions. The developed simulation models are publicly accessible at https://hychain.co.uk, providing a valuable resource for further research and development in the field of green hydrogen supply chains.
Psychometric properties and factor structure of a motivation scale for higher education students to graduate and stimulate their entrepreneurship
Authors: Villena-Martínez Elisa I. , Rienda-Gómez Juan José , Sutil-Martín Dolores Lucía , García-Muiña Fernando E.
Published: March 2024

The purpose of this research work is to provide a measurement instrument, through the validation of a proposed scale, to determine the relevant factors that affect the motivation of university students, and that can be used as anticipatory indicators of personal entrepreneurship to achieve educational and work success. To carry it out, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses have been carried out, based on the principal components’ method, which have been validated through the usual model fit measures in the literature, considering an analysis of reliability and reliability of the measurement instrument. To obtain this purpose, a sample of the university population was selected, through a simple random sampling, considering heterogeneity of courses, subjects, areas, and teaching modalities, of 596 individuals, with a higher percentage of women compared to men, as can be seen from the total number of enrolled in university degrees in the Spanish education system. The scale proved to have good psychometric properties, obtaining good internal consistency and validity. Among the main findings, we can highlight several dimensions for motivation, for instance, emotional self-management and adversity management; and learning strategies, such as: active self-management of study material, study management and self-management of effort, among others. In conclusion, a scale has been validated to determine which dimensions should be considered to promote student motivation as a method of personal entrepreneurship, and which can be used by educational authorities to propose extracurricular training that affects the improvement of students' competence, both in academic and emotional management. The dataset was analyzed using  exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.
Espionage, Ethics, and Law: From Philosophy to Practice
Authors: Fabre Cécile
Published: March 2024

In this paper, I respond to Lars Christie, David Omand and Stephen Ratner for their thoughtful comments on my book Spying through a Glass Darkly. In that book, I provide a philosophical defence of espionage and counter-intelligence activities. I have little to say about how best to implement the moral norms I defend so that they can help guide intelligence officers’ actions, in the world as we know it here and now. Relatedly, I have little if anything to say about whether domestic and international law should reflect and entrench those norms. These are the gaps which David Omand’s and Stephen Ratner’s contributions seek to fill. First, though, I consider Lars Christie’s probing objections to my views on the ethics of deception.
Is Population Genetics Really Relevant to Evolutionary Biology?
Authors: Olson Mark E.
Published: March 2024

The goal of evolutionary biology is to explain the diversity of the entire sweep of the natural world; population biology only examines tiny slices of time of a few individuals of single species. What gives the tiny scale of population biology its relevance to evolutionary biology is the following assumption: processes identical or similar to those observed in a given population biology study are operative in unexamined individuals in the same species, have been operative throughout the history of the species, and are operative in other species. Without this assumption, population biology studies are just very detailed descriptions of a handful of individuals of a species. Population biology lacks the means to test its jusifying assumption. It is tested by the comparative method, studies of convergent evolution across species. The comparative method has its own blind spots, mainly its inability to examine intraspecific variation, heritability, and fitness directly, exactly the purview of population biology. Population and comparative biology thus provide complementary sources of direct evidence regarding evolutionary process. Both, along with optimality models, evo-devo studies of the variants that can or can’t be produced in development, together with assumptions about unseeable ancestral populations, make up essential parts of a maximally well-supported evolutionary explanation. Recognizing this essential epistemic interdependence shows why it is necessary to select sources of evidence from across population, comparative, optimality, and developmental studies, leading to collaboration rather than criticism across these fields, and stronger explanations accounting for the evolution of diversity in organismal form and function.
Bariatric Surgery and New-Onset Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Martinelli Silvia , Petrucciani Niccolò , Regazzi Luca , Gualano Maria Rosaria
Published: March 2024

Increasing evidence suggests that bariatric surgery (BS) patients are at risk for substance abuse disorders (SUD). The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the relationship between BS and the development of new-onset substance abuse disorder (SUDNO) in bariatric patients. On October 31, 2023, we reviewed the scientific literature following PRISMA guidelines. A total of 3242 studies were analyzed, 7 met the inclusion criteria. The pooled incidence of SUDNO was 4.28%. Patients’ characteristics associated with SUDNO included preoperative mental disorders, high pre-BS BMI, and public health insurance. Surgical factors associated with new SUDNOs included severe complications in the peri- or postoperative period. The occurrence of SUDNOs is a non-negligeable complication after BS. Predisposing factors may be identified and preventive actions undertaken.