bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Macroeconomic performance of European Union's small open economies during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Szomolanyi Karol , Lukacik Martin , Lukacikova Adriana
Published: November 2024

This paper explains the business cycle characteristics in the small open European Union Countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The panel cyclical components of GDP and its components, labour, and average product of labour were computed. The study adopts a real business cycle model with importable, exportable, and tradeable products to explain the cyclical characteristics of small and big EU countries. According to the results, the business cycle characteristics of the big EU countries during the pandemic correspond to the findings from the papers worldwide. The primary shock was a decrease in the labour supply. An increase in the adjustment capital costs explains the unusual consumption volatility. Results related to the small EU countries differ from those of the big countries and those obtained in other studies. The primary source of macroeconomic changes during the pandemic was changes in the terms of trade. Changes in the labour supply were also significant. The higher capital adjustment costs explain the consumption volatility, and the higher debt service costs explain the investment volatility.
Regional variation in the utilization of nursing home care in Germany
Authors: Herr Annika , Lückemann Maximilian , Saric-Babin Amela
Published: November 2024

Approximately 32 percent of individuals aged over 64 years old, with care needs, are residing in nursing homes in Germany. However, this percentage exhibits significant regional disparities, ranging from under 15 percent in certain counties to over 50 percent in others. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the underlying factors explaining this regional variation in nursing home utilization. We employed comprehensive administrative data encompassing the entire elderly care-dependent population and all nursing homes. Our analytical approach involves the use of linear regression models at the county level, accounting for an extensive array of control variables and fixed effects. Additionally, we analyzed regional dependencies by applying spatial lag models. In summary, our model successfully predicts up to 73 percent of the observed regional variation in nursing home utilization. Key factors include care needs, the presence of informal care support and the supply of professional care. Spatial dependencies can be detected but exhibit a minor influence on these variations controlling for care needs. Noteworthy, enabling factors, such as a region’s wealth or rurality, have a very limited impact in a country with a generous social insurance system that covers care for those with limited financial resources.
Convolutional neural network classification of ultrasound parametric images based on echo-envelope statistics for the quantitative diagnosis of liver steatosis
Authors: Isshiki Akiho , Fujiwara Kisako , Kondo Takayuki , Yoshida Kenji , Yamaguchi Tadashi , Hirata Shinnosuke
Published: November 2024

Purpose

Early detection and quantitative evaluation of liver steatosis are crucial. Therefore, this study investigated a method for classifying ultrasound images to fatty liver grades based on echo-envelope statistics (ES) and convolutional neural network (CNN) analyses.

Methods

Three fatty liver grades, i.e., normal, mild, and moderate-to-severe, were defined using the thresholds of the magnetic resonance imaging-derived proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF). There were 10 cases of each grade, totaling 30 cases. To visualize the texture information affected by the deposition of fat droplets within the liver, the maps of first- and fourth-order moments and the heat maps formed from both moments were employed as parametric images derived from the ES. Several dozen to hundreds of regions of interest (ROIs) were extracted from the liver region in each parametric image. A total of 7680 ROIs were utilized for the transfer learning of a pretrained VGG-16 and classified using the transfer-learned VGG-16.

Results

The classification accuracies of the ROIs in all types of the parametric images were approximately 46%. The fatty liver grade for each case was determined by hard voting on the classified ROIs within the case. In the case of the fourth-order moment maps, the classification accuracy of the cases through hard voting mostly increased to approximately 63%.

Conclusions

The formation of parametric images derived from the ES and the CNN classification of the parametric images were proposed for the quantitative diagnosis of liver steatosis. In more than 60% of the cases, the fatty liver grade could be estimated solely using ultrasound images.
Discontinuous Galerkin schemes for Stokes flow with Tresca boundary condition: iterative a posteriori error analysis
Authors: Djoko J.K. , Sayah T.
Published: November 2024

In two dimensions, we propose and analyse an iterative a posteriori error indicator for the discontinuous Galerkin finite element approximations of the Stokes equations under boundary conditions of friction type. Two sources of error are identified here, namely; the discretisation error and the linearization error. Under a smallness assumption on data, we prove that the devised error estimator is reliable. Balancing these two errors is crucial to design an adaptive strategy for mesh refinement. We illustrate the theory with some representative numerical examples.
Aggregating bipolar opinions through bipolar assumption-based argumentation
Authors: Dickie Charles , Lauren Stefan , Belardinelli Francesco , Rago Antonio , Toni Francesca
Published: November 2024

We introduce a novel method to aggregate bipolar argumentation frameworks expressing opinions of different parties in debates. We use Bipolar Assumption-based Argumentation (ABA) as an all-encompassing formalism for bipolar argumentation under different semantics. By leveraging on recent results on judgement aggregation in social choice theory, we prove several preservation results for relevant properties of bipolar ABA using quota and oligarchic rules. Specifically, we prove (positive and negative) results about the preservation of conflict-free, closed, admissible, preferred, complete, set-stable, well-founded and ideal extensions in bipolar ABA, as well as the preservation of acceptability, acyclicity and coherence for individual assumptions. Finally, we illustrate our methodology and results in the context of a case study on opinion aggregation for the treatment of long COVID patients.
Hopf Algebra (Co)actions on Rational Functions
Authors: Krähmer Ulrich , Oni Blessing Bisola
Published: November 2024

In the theory of quantum automorphism groups, one constructs Hopf algebras acting on an algebra K from certain algebra morphisms

$$ \sigma :K \rightarrow \textrm{M}_n(K)$$

σ
:
K
→

M
n

(
K
)

. This approach is applied to the field

$$K=k(t)$$

K
=
k
(
t
)

of rational functions, and it is investigated when these actions restrict to actions on the coordinate ring

$$B=k[t^2,t^3]$$

B
=
k
[

t
2

,

t
3

]

of the cusp. An explicit example is described in detail and shown to define a new quantum homogeneous space structure on the cusp.
Direct loss-based seismic retrofit of reinforced concrete frames
Authors: Rubini Giorgio , Calvi Gian Michele , Gentile Roberto
Published: November 2024

In earthquake-prone areas, structures not compliant with modern design codes significantly contribute to seismic risk. Therefore, risk mitigation strategies (e.g., seismic retrofit) should be employed to reduce the expected economic and human losses. This paper introduces a procedure for the design of retrofit solutions for reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings to achieve - rather than be bounded by - a desired target level of earthquake-induced loss for a given site-specific seismic hazard profile. The presented methodology is “direct” because the designer and/or client can set a loss target in the first step of the procedure and no design iterations are virtually required. Direct loss-based seismic retrofit (DLBR) relies on a simplified loss assessment methodology enabled by a surrogate probabilistic seismic demand model. This defines the probability distribution of seismic deformation demand of single degree of freedom (SDoF) systems conditioned on different shaking intensity levels. The proposed design methodology enables designers to account for risk/loss-based considerations from the conceptual/preliminary design phase, thus facilitating the choice among different retrofit solutions. Starting from two under-designed case-study buildings, four illustrative applications of the procedure are provided. They involve considering different economic expected annual loss targets and different retrofit solutions involving the addition of RC walls and RC column jacketing. Benchmark loss estimates are calculated using non-linear time-history analyses of refined, multi-degree-of-freedom models showing satisfactory results: the simplified loss estimate introduces an overestimation maximum equal to 15.4% among the four illustrative applications.
Refashioning Second-Hand Clothes Consumption Through Pleasure, Pain, Seduction and Conversion: A Virtue Ethics Perspective
Authors: Auxtova Kristina , Schreven Stephanie , Wishart Lucy J.
Published: November 2024

The fashion industry needs to become more circular, given the unsustainable levels of waste it produces. Our research empirically explores and theoretically develops how adopting a virtue ethics approach can encourage and support second-hand clothing consumption as a form of reuse and a way of practicing sustainability. Based on ethnographic interviews with consumers who shop in UK charity shops, our grounded theory study focuses on how consumers experience second-hand clothing consumption as constitutive of sources of (in)action that encourage or inhibit virtuous, sustainable behaviour. We find that pleasure and/or shame or guilt (pain) are key to enabling virtuous moral decision-making towards reuse and sustainability. We furthermore argue that seduction and conversion, hand in hand with pleasure, act as levers supporting such moral decision-making, mitigating aversions and wayward desires that obstruct good moral intentions to consume second-hand clothing. By engaging empirically with moral decision-making, our research theoretically advances scholarship on virtue ethics and second-hand clothing consumption, whilst contributing to an ethically informed vision of the circular economy. We conclude with implications for charity retail practices in support of circularity and sustainability informed by a virtue ethics perspective, as well as suggestions for future research.
Learning and fine-tuning a generic value-selection heuristic inside a constraint programming solver
Authors: Marty Tom , Boisvert Léo , François Tristan , Tessier Pierre , Gautier Louis , Rousseau Louis-Martin , Cappart Quentin
Published: November 2024

Constraint programming is known for being an efficient approach to solving combinatorial problems. Important design choices in a solver are the branching heuristics, designed to lead the search to the best solutions in a minimum amount of time. However, developing these heuristics is a time-consuming process that requires problem-specific expertise. This observation has motivated many efforts to use machine learning to automatically learn efficient heuristics without expert intervention. Although several generic variable-selection heuristics are available in the literature, the options for value-selection heuristics are more scarce. We propose to tackle this issue by introducing a generic learning procedure that can be used to obtain a value-selection heuristic inside a constraint programming solver. This has been achieved thanks to the combination of a deep Q-learning algorithm, a tailored reward signal, and a heterogeneous graph neural network. Experiments on graph coloring, maximum independent set, maximum cut, and minimum vertex cover problems show that this framework competes with the well-known impact-based and activity-based search heuristics and can find solutions close to optimality without requiring a large number of backtracks. Additionally, we observe that fine-tuning a model with a different problem class can accelerate the learning process.
Intertwined precarities: how can vulnerability create a labor relationship?
Authors: Vigvári András , Németh Krisztina
Published: November 2024

Through a micro-case study of labor relation within a small Hungarian horticulture enterprise, our study reveals what precarity means and what experiences it entails for a small-farmer employer and his workers. Drawing on theoretical works that emphasize relationality and the multifaceted character of precarity, we can delineate the different constellations of vulnerabilities, dependency, and autonomy in different social positions. Precarity covers a wide range of social situations and experiences. In contrast to previous research, which emphasize the challenges that the heterogeneity of precarious situations pose for class formation, we highlight the ways the experience of precarity may become the basis of solidarity. Instead of scrutinizing only the employee’s precarity, which is common in research, we focus on its relationality. Our micro-case study examines the ways precarity interlinks the employer and the employee despite their different social positions and the potential conflict of interest between them. Our analysis shows that the intertwined (shared but differently experienced) precarity can create a labor relation, which is based on the recognition of each party’s vulnerabilities and mutual dependence between employer and employee. Both parties provide each other with some stability and describe this labor relation with the notion of “family,” which demonstrates the possibilities and the limits of this form of solidarity. Yet, the vulnerabilities of both parties also expose the fragility of this labor relation.
When Moral Pleasure Conflicts with Moral Sorrow
Authors: Rawat Drishtti
Published: November 2024

In this paper, I discuss two of Aristotle’s major requirements for the virtuous person. First, the virtuous person takes pleasure in virtuous activity. Second, the virtuous person experiences the appropriate affective states in the appropriate situations. However, in some situations, the appropriate affective state is sorrow. In such situations, it appears that the virtuous person is expected to experience two conflicting emotions, namely, moral pleasure and moral sorrow. This conflict raises the deeper concern that the virtuous person has conflicting values and leads critics to reject Aristotle’s requirement of moral pleasure. I argue that critics need not take such measures because the conflict in the virtuous person’s values is merely apparent. I do this by first considering potential solutions, including an appeal to a de dicto interpretation of moral pleasure, and discussing how they prove unsatisfactory. Then, I recommend a desire-based understanding of moral pleasure and analyse the values underlying it. Through this analysis, I reveal that the virtuous person’s moral pleasure and moral sorrow indicate the same kind of value to the same objects of concern. And, because the virtuous person’s moral sorrow indicates the same value for virtuous activity, I conclude that it is necessary for a person to be able to experience moral pleasure and to be considered a virtuous person in the first place.
Analysis of Human Anatomy Education: The Effects of a Gamified Creativity-Based Teaching Method on Students’ from Basic Psychological Needs Frustration
Authors: Latre-Navarro Lorena , Quintas-Hijós Alejandro , Sáez-Bondía María José
Published: November 2024

According to self-determination theory, frustration of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) leads to ill-being and negatively affects the learning process. The present study aimed to analyze the effects of a gamified creativity-based teaching method of human anatomy on basic psychological needs frustration compared with a conventional teaching method. A quasi-experimental design was employed, comparing two anatomy educational treatments (experimental and control) over a 7-week period. A total of 116 first-year students from two Spanish public universities was participated. The Basic Psychological Needs Frustration Scale was utilized, and pre- and post-treatment measurements were collected. Statistical analyses included independent samples t-tests, one-way ANCOVAs, and a factorial repeated measures ANCOVA 2 × 2 (time × treatment), comparing two groups based on time (baseline vs. follow-up) and treatment (control vs. experimental). The analysis revealed that the gamified creativity-based program achieved lower frustration of basic psychological needs compared to the control treatment (t (108) = 3.74, p < .001, d = 0.68) and a treatment effect was observed (F (1) = 9.06, p = .003, η2p = .083). Autonomy and competence frustration significantly increased in the control group, while apparently remained consistent over time in the treatment group. Baseline and follow-up significant differences were found for relatedness (t (114) = 1.12, p = .03, d = 0.4; t (110) = 2.88, p = .005, d = 0.53, respectively), as well as a treatment effect (F (1) = 7.28, p = .008, η2p = .069). These findings provide support for the idea that students’ basic psychological needs are lower frustrated with the implementation of a gamified creativity-based teaching method in anatomy education.
The role of social justice in triage revisited: a threshold conception
Authors: Holzer Felicitas , Biller-Andorno Nikola , Baumann Holger
Published: November 2024

Saving as many lives as possible while ensuring equity for vulnerable groups through access to triage resources has been the dominant position since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. However, the exact relationship between the principles of social justice and efficiency remains a controversial and unresolved issue. In this paper, we aim to systematically distinguish between different models of this relationship and show that conceptualizing social justice as a ‘moral side-constraint’ or adopting a ‘balancing approach’ that attempt to reconcile social justice with efficiency inevitably lead to significant moral costs that require further justification. Based on this discussion, we propose a novel “threshold model” for trading-off moral costs. According to this model, the structural impact of triage must be considered in order to determine whether one opts for triage with the primary aim of efficiency or social justice. This contextualization further explains why, in some societies and circumstances, social justice can rightly be seen as the primary concern, while in other societies and circumstances, efficiency can be defended as the primary concern.
On the Torsion Function for Simply Connected, Open Sets in $$\mathbb {R}^2$$
Authors: van den Berg M. , Bucur D.
Published: November 2024

For an open set $$\Omega \subset \mathbb {R}^2$$

Ω
⊂

R

2

let $$\lambda (\Omega )$$

λ
(
Ω
)

denote the bottom of the spectrum of the Dirichlet Laplacian acting in $$L^2(\Omega )$$

L
2

(
Ω
)

. Let $$w_\Omega $$

w
Ω

be the torsion function for $$\Omega $$
Ω
, and let $$\Vert .\Vert _p$$

‖
.
‖

p

denote the $$L^p$$

L
p

norm. It is shown that there exist $$\eta _1>0,\eta _2>0$$

η
1

>
0
,

η
2

>
0

such that (i) $$\Vert w_{\Omega }\Vert _{\infty } \lambda (\Omega )\ge 1+\eta _1$$

‖

w
Ω

‖

∞

λ

(
Ω
)

≥
1
+

η
1

for any non-empty, open, simply connected set $$\Omega \subset \mathbb {R}^2$$

Ω
⊂

R

2

with $$\lambda (\Omega ) >0$$

λ
(
Ω
)
>
0

, (ii) $$\Vert w_{\Omega }\Vert _1\lambda (\Omega )\le {(1-\eta _2)}|\Omega |$$

‖

w
Ω

‖

1

λ

(
Ω
)

≤

(
1
-

η
2

)

|
Ω
|

for any non-empty, open, simply connected set $$\Omega \subset \mathbb {R}^2$$

Ω
⊂

R

2

with finite measure $$|\Omega |$$

|
Ω
|

.
A rating system to evaluate non-GAAP exclusion quality
Authors: Dechow Patricia M. , Loh Wei Ting , Wang Annika Yu
Published: November 2024

We develop a rating system to evaluate the quality of individual non-GAAP exclusions. Our perspective is that high-quality exclusions reflect nonrecurring economic transactions, are transitory accounting adjustments, or have little usefulness in forecasting cash flows. We use four approaches to rate exclusions. We evaluate the serial correlation of the exclusion, survey accounting academics’ views, obtain practitioner ratings from the CFA Institute, and identify the exclusions approved by the Chinese securities regulator. A firm’s exclusion quality score is the weighted average rating of its individual exclusions. For our sample of S&P 500 firms, we document that exclusion quality varies by industry, captures trends in non-GAAP reporting, and is reasonably stable at the firm level. To validate the rating, we show that firms with lower exclusion quality scores receive more SEC comment letters, incur more Regulation G violations, exhibit greater analyst forecast dispersion, and have slower price discovery following earnings announcements.
Dynamic assessment of word learning as a predictor of vocabulary, reading comprehension and risk status for the poor comprehender reading profile
Authors: Nash Hannah , Dixon Chris , Clarke Paula , Oxley Emily , Gellert Anna Steenberg , Weighall Anna
Published: November 2024

The Poor Comprehender (PC) reading profile is characterised by difficulty comprehending text despite age-appropriate decoding skills. Risk for this profile is typically identified through static screening instruments measuring pre-existing knowledge, which may produce biased estimates for culturally and linguistically diverse children. In contrast, Dynamic Assessment (DA) measures potential to learn new knowledge and has been shown to reduce bias in screening. To date, however, DA has not been used to identify PC reading profile risk status. Adopting a longitudinal design, we used an adapted DA of word learning to measure growth in vocabulary and reading comprehension among a diverse sample of 322 primary school children (aged 9 years at the first time point) in England over a period of 16-19 months, and to classify later PC reading profile risk status. Two separate factor scores representing phonological and semantic aspects of word learning predicted unique variance in the growth of vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension after accounting for traditional static predictors. The DA of word learning achieved excellent classification accuracy for identifying poor comprehenders, identifying all of the poor comprehenders with EAL when added to the static assessments. Results suggest that DA of word learning may be a promising tool in screening for the PC reading profile, particularly for EAL pupils, ensuring that the risk of reading comprehension difficulties does not go unidentified in such learners.
Language Proficiency, Second Language Educational Experience, and Psychological Well-being Among International Students at U.S. Universities
Authors: Yu Qiaona , Brunsting Nelson C. , Smart Jonathan , Bingham W. Patrick
Published: November 2024

Study abroad comes with challenges, yet it is not clear how language proficiency may longitudinally predict students’ social engagement and well-being. Recent changes in international student demographics, including age decreases and increased international school backgrounds, may also affect students’ well-being. This study views language as a culturally specific symbolic tool that serves cognitive, social, and emotional interactions, both interpersonal and intrapersonal. By surveying 387 international students from 14 U.S. universities over 1.5 years, this study explored the role of English proficiency in facilitating students’ adaptability to psychosocial challenges and well-being. The findings suggested that both English proficiency and prior-to-admission second language educational experience predict well-being, while the latter may have afforded more nonacademic adjustment to international students’ continuous social engagement. In addition, the onset of social engagement and sense of belonging showed a likely importance which highlights the value of pre-study-abroad programming for facilitating international students’ continuous social engagement.
Science communicators, flat-earthers, or fitness coaches: who is citing scientific publications in youtube video descriptions?
Authors: Zagovora Olga , Weller Katrin
Published: November 2024

In this study, we undertake an extensive analysis of YouTube channels that reference research publications in their video descriptions, offering a unique insight into the intersection of digital media and academia. Our investigation focuses on identifying the actors behind YouTube channels that reference scholarly publications, and analyzing the types of content these actors share. Specifically we are interested in three principal aspects: the background of YouTube channel actors, their thematic focus, and the nature of their operational dynamics, specifically addressing whether they work individually or in groups. Our results highlight a strong emphasis on content related to science and engineering, as well as health, particularly in channels managed by individual researchers and academic institutions. However, there is a notable variation in the popularity of these channels, with professional YouTubers and commercial media entities often outperforming in terms of viewer engagement metrics like likes, comments, and views. This underscores the challenge academic channels face in attracting a wider audience. Further, we explore the role of academic actors on YouTube, scrutinizing their impact in disseminating research and the types of publications they reference. Despite a general inclination towards professional academic topics, these channels displayed a varied effectiveness in spotlighting highly cited research. Often, they referenced a wide array of publications, indicating a diverse but not necessarily impact-focused approach to content selection.
Limosilactobacillus reuteri B1/1 modulated the intestinal immune response in preventing Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 infection in a chicken ileal explant model
Authors: Karaffová Viera , Kiššová Zuzana , Tóthová Csilla , Tráj Patrik , Mackei Máté , Mátis Gábor
Published: November 2024

In this study, we observed the effect of the newly isolated probiotic strain Limosilactobacillus reuteri B1/1 on the relative gene expression of selected cytokines (interleukin-15, transforming growth factor-β4), tight junction proteins (E-cadherin, occludin), biomarker active intestinal stem cells - LGR5 (leucine-rich repeat containing G protein-coupled receptor), markers of mucosal intestinal immunity (mucin-2, immunoglobulin A), as well as the creation of a new biomarker of inflammation in the intestine - calprotectin on an ex vivo model of chicken ileal explant in the prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 infection. The ability of L. reuteri B1/1 to effectively modulate the mucosal immune response under pretreatment conditions in S. Enteritidis PT4 infection in a chicken ileal explant model was confirmed. In addition, our obtained results point to the fact that the new chicken ileum explant model could be a suitable model to investigate or test the influence of natural substances such as probiotic bacteria in the interaction with the intestine as well as pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, the results of our study may contribute to a deeper understanding of the action of newly isolated probiotic bacteria at the intestinal level using ex vivo models such as chicken ileum explant, which are able to mimic in vivo conditions sufficiently.
Reliable Evaluation of Attribution Maps in CNNs: A Perturbation-Based Approach
Authors: Nieradzik Lars , Stephani Henrike , Keuper Janis
Published: November 2024

In this paper, we present an approach for evaluating attribution maps, which play a central role in interpreting the predictions of convolutional neural networks (CNNs). We show that the widely used insertion/deletion metrics are susceptible to distribution shifts that affect the reliability of the ranking. Our method proposes to replace pixel modifications with adversarial perturbations, which provides a more robust evaluation framework. By using smoothness and monotonicity measures, we illustrate the effectiveness of our approach in correcting distribution shifts. In addition, we conduct the most comprehensive quantitative and qualitative assessment of attribution maps to date. Introducing baseline attribution maps as sanity checks, we find that our metric is the only contender to pass all checks. Using Kendall’s $$\tau $$
τ
rank correlation coefficient, we show the increased consistency of our metric across 15 dataset-architecture combinations. Of the 16 attribution maps tested, our results clearly show SmoothGrad to be the best map currently available. This research makes an important contribution to the development of attribution maps by providing a reliable and consistent evaluation framework. To ensure reproducibility, we will provide the code along with our results.
Urban Environments, Health, and Environmental Sustainability: Findings From the SALURBAL Study
Authors: Diez Roux Ana V. , Alazraqui Marcio , Alfaro Tania , Barrientos-Gutierrez Tonatiuh , Caiaffa Waleska T. , Kroker-Lobos M. Fernanda , Miranda J. Jaime , Rodriguez Daniel , Sarmiento Olga Lucia , Vives Alejandra ,   SALURBAL Study
Published: November 2024

Despite the relevance of cities and city policies for health, there has been limited examination of large numbers of cities aimed at characterizing urban health determinants and identifying effective policies. The relatively few comparative studies that exist include few cities in lower and middle income countries. The Salud Urbana en America Latina study (SALURBAL) was launched in 2017 to address this gap. The study has four aims: (1) to investigate social and physical environment factors associated with health differences across and within cities; (2) to document the health impact of urban policies and interventions; (3) to use systems approaches to better understand dynamics and identify opportunities for intervention and (4) to create a new dialogue about the drivers of health in cities and their policy implications and support action. Beyond these aims SALURBAL, has an overarching goal of supporting collaborative policy relevant research and capacity -building that engages individuals and institutions from across Latin America. In this review we provide an update on the SALURBAL data resource and collaborative approach and summarize key findings from the first aim of the study. We also describe key elements of our approach, challenges we have faced and how we have overcome them, and identify key opportunities to support policy relevant evidence generation in urban health for the future.
Identifying Demographic Trends in the Use of Audio-Video and Audio-Only Telehealth by Arizona Medicaid Beneficiaries Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Hallur Shreyas , Salek Sara , Daulat Sohail , Garcia-Filion Pamela
Published: November 2024

Introduction

For the first time, our study tracked disparities in the utilization of audio-video and audio-only telehealth for outpatient visits before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Using a dataset of de-identified claims corresponding to telehealth and in-person visits, a retrospective cohort study was conducted for all beneficiaries continuously enrolled in Arizona Medicaid between October 2019 and November 2020. Our definition of telehealth only covered outpatient services delivered remotely via the audio-video or audio-only modality. Outcomes of interest were indicators of telehealth (vs. in-person) service delivery and audio-video (vs. audio-only) delivery of a telehealth service. Multivariate models evaluated the association between each outcome and demographic factors, including age, urban/rural location, sex, and race/ethnicity.

Results

In this cohort study of 1,799,537 beneficiaries, age over 75, male sex, Asian race, Black race, Hispanic ethnicity, and Native American race were associated with reduced odds of telehealth use for outpatient visits pre-pandemic. These deficits persisted for all groups except the Black race after the pandemic’s onset. Throughout the study period, older age and Native American race were correlated with greater audio-video use while Black race indicated reduced odds of audio-video use. Hispanic ethnicity indicated lower odds of audio-video use only during the pandemic. Rural members exhibited greater odds of both overall telehealth and audio-video use for outpatient visits prior to the pandemic but both trends reversed as a rural-urban divide emerged during the pandemic. Spearman correlations between broadband access and audio-video uptake yielded no significant results pre-pandemic but a strong correlation emerged during the pandemic.

Discussion

Pandemic-era telehealth expansions reduced but did not eliminate pre-existing disparities in telehealth and audio-video utilization for outpatient visits, indicating a need for health systems to better engage minority, elderly, and rural populations and continue to support audio-only telehealth.
Assessing Volumetric Energy Density as a Predictor of Defects in Laser Powder Bed Fusion 316L Stainless Steel
Authors: Smith C. , Hommer G. , Keeler M. , Gockel J. , Findley K. , Brice C. , Clarke A. , Klemm-Toole J.
Published: November 2024

Minimizing porosity is a common challenge in powder bed fusion-laser bed (PBF-LB), so predictive modeling to enable parameter selection free of porosity is of great value. Porosity formation may occur through several mechanisms, include keyholing and lack of fusion. Volumetric energy density is often used in the literature to predict defect formation. However, volumetric energy density does not account for the various mechanisms by which porosity forms. In this work, nine LPBF parameter sets spanning variation in laser power, scanning velocity, and hatch spacing, all with the same volumetric energy density, are evaluated with 316L stainless steel. It was found that there are systematic variations in the type and amount of pores between these parameter sets that have the same volumetric density. We show that defect maps comprised of analytical models for defect formation can predict parameter sets with minimal porosity. A modified interpass lack-of-fusion (LOF) porosity criteria and a new spatter-induced intrapass LOF criteria are proposed to improve predictions at low laser powers and scanning velocities, and at high laser powers and scanning velocities, respectively. The results of this work are expected to help accelerate parameter selection for laser powder bed fusion 316L with minimal porosity defects.
A framework to minimize environments risks and to identify repurposing operations in the commercial aviation sector
Authors: Ortiz-Rangel Diana , Rocha-Lona Luis , Bada-Carbajal Lila Margarita , Garza-Reyes Jose Arturo
Published: November 2024

This article proposes a risk management framework based on the Project Management Institute (PMI) risk management knowledge area to minimize threats in risk environments and identify repurposing operations in commercial aviation. The research method comprises three main steps: (i) the identification of repurposing and risk management methodologies applicable to commercial aviation through a literature review; (ii) the adaptation of the risk management framework for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); and (iii) a proposed framework for risk management. The developed framework identifies repurposing areas and highlights relative weaknesses that are overlooked in commercial aviation. Thus, it reduces the impact of risk environments such as pandemics, and it emphasizes the importance of considering previous historical events or lessons when generating strategies for new risk situations. Commercial aviation applies repurposing operations and promotes cooperation between supply chain actors in only a few areas. This article provides a methodology for subgroups of airlines and passengers, showing different effects between risk categories to benefit commercial aviation industry subgroups. Moreover, it contributes to risk management and decision-making in commercial aviation. The article’s proposed risk management framework identifies whether a risk environment is local, national, or global. It also allows us to reflect on the sectors involved in commercial aviation, and it recommends forming risk committees to jointly coordinate and monitor risks in order to generate global strategies and identify both areas for repurposing operations and the financial capacity needed to meet demand.
Peer assessment and individual contribution analysis for measuring collaborative problem solving capability
Authors: Song Min Hae , Park Jung Ae , Park Jooyong
Published: November 2024

Accurately measuring collaborative problem-solving capability (CPSC) is not only important in itself, but also in order to develop education and training programs. However, most existing CPSC measurement tools have two weaknesses: not accounting for individual’s contribution to the final outcome and relying on predefined problems. Addressing these limitations, we extended criteria of the PISA 2015 framework to consider individual’s contribution to the final outcome, and introduced peer assessment. To test the validity of our proposition, we conducted a study with fifty-one participants, performing two tasks in different groups. We found a strong correlation between the existing CPSC score and our extended CPSC score. And extended CPSC scores from peers approximated extended CPSC scores from expert. Furthermore, extended CPSC scores from peers showed the consistency across different tasks and groups. These results suggest that our proposition can be used to measure CPSC while addressing two limitations.
One-Factor versus Two-Factor Theory of Delusion: Replies to Sullivan-Bissett and Noordhof
Authors: Nie Chenwei
Published: November 2024

I would like to thank Sullivan-Bissett and Noordhof for their stimulating comments on my 2023 paper in Neuroethics. In this reply, I will (1) articulate some deeper disagreements that may underpin our disagreement on the nature of delusion, (2) clarify their misrepresentation of my previous arguments as a defence of the two-factor theory in particular, and (3) finally conduct a comparison between the Maherian one-factor theory and the two-factor theory, showing that the two-factor theory is better supported by evidence.
Cola subgenus Distichae subg. nov. (Malvaceae-Sterculiaceae) of tropical Africa, a synoptic taxonomic revision with five new species
Authors: Cheek Martin
Published: November 2024

A new subgenus, Cola subg. Distichae, is erected for 14 simple-leaved species sharing unique characters within the genus which are presumed synapomorphies: distichous phyllotaxy; petioles lacking pulvini; petioles of uniformly short length, <10 mm long; male flowers with short androphores <1 (– 2) mm long; stamens 4 – 5; stem indumentum, where present, dominated by short simple translucent hairs (except in C. philipi-jonesii where stellate); and, in many species, dark purple to black stems with contrasting bright white lenticels. All species have fruit with small, globose, unsculptured, orange mericarps c. 1 cm diam. (where fruits are known). The species of this subgenus range from SE Nigeria in the west to coastal Kenya and Tanzania in the east and Malawi in the south, but are absent from the Congo Basin. Species diversity is highest in the Cross-Sanaga and Eastern Arc-Coastal Forest biogeographic areas, consistent with these taxa being Pleistocene refuge species. The species are mainly monoecious, but dioecy cannot yet be ruled out in some. In two species, where sufficient material was available for investigation (C. chlorantha, C. roy sp. nov.), the simple cymes were found to be bisexual, the terminal flower female and the two lateral flowers often male: a pattern previously unreported in the genus. All species are understorey shrubs or small trees of evergreen lowland or submontane forest, except C. uloloma of coastal semi-deciduous forest in E Africa, which is unique in showing xerophilic characteristics. The species can be divided into two groups. A: five species mainly in E Africa, with rapidly glabrescent or glabrous stems, conspicuously asymmetric leaves, and, where known, few-flowered, pedunculate cymes (C. uloloma, C. chlorantha, C. roy sp. nov., C. ‘udzungwa’, C. asymmetrica sp. nov.); group B: nine species in Lower Guinea (Atlantic coast of Africa), with hairy stems, symmetric or inconspicuously asymmetric leaves and, where known, sessile, fasciculate inflorescences (C. mayimbensis, C. philipi-jonesii, C. metallica, C. moussavoui, C. stigmatosa, C. takamanda sp. nov., C. toyota sp. nov., C. ‘Campo-Ma’an’, C. zanaga sp. nov.). Of the seven new species to science described here, two are named informally, since the material is so incomplete (sterile) and five are formally named here. Species diversity is highest in Cameroon and Tanzania, each with four species, followed by Gabon with three species. It is expected that additional new species will be found in poorly-surveyed, surviving, evergreen forest habitat in each of these three countries. Conservation assessments are given for each species using the IUCN 2012 standard. All species but one are considered threatened, with ten Critically Endangered (the highest category of threat), each of which is known from a single location with their forest habitat threatened, mainly by clearance for agriculture.
Scientific, Educational and Geotourism Value of the Ballota Beach that Recorded the Old and Most Recent Geological Histories of the North-Northwest Part of the Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Poblet Josep , Menéndez-Duarte Rosana , Uzkeda Hodei , Vázquez-Tarrío Daniel , Bulnes Mayte , Fernández Francisco José , Magán Marta , Cabo Carlos
Published: November 2024

One of the enclaves that exhibits the best features to understand the old and most recent geological history of the north-northwest portion of the Iberian Peninsula is the Ballota Beach, located in Asturias, Spain. In the cliff above sea level that borders this beach to the south, a succession of Carboniferous “griotte” limestones crops out, deformed by spectacular ramp and detachment folds, as well as thrusts, backthrusts and duplexes. These structures are testimonies of the shortening produced in the cordillera originated during the Variscan orogeny of Devonian-Permian age, which extended throughout central Europe, northern Africa and eastern North America. Additionally, from a viewpoint located on the cliff, one can recognize a flat surface over the carbonate coastal cliffs and higher flat surfaces developed on quartzites. These flat surfaces, known as “rasas”, are marine abrasion surfaces elevated above current sea level resulting from Cenozoic-Quaternary land uplift and/or sea level fall. This region, already mentioned in the XIX century, has an extraordinary scientific and educational value, from the Structural Geology, Geomorphology, Historical Geology and Stratigraphy points of view, and is a great geotourism attraction due to its beauty. To make this region known, we propose to declare this area a geological interest site in the Global Geosites Spain project, make this article open access, upload a virtual outcrop model we have built in open-access online repositories, make information available to public entities that promote outreach and tourism, propose the realization of a “Geolodía” (Geology day), and make a video to celebrate the Geodiversity International Day.
Die antiken Wurzeln der Fairness im modernen Sport
Authors: Pawlenka Claudia
Published: November 2024

Der Beitrag untersucht die Frage, ob die Fairness im modernen Sport Wurzeln hat, die bis in die Antike zurückreichen. Die schon einige Jahre zurückliegende sportwissenschaftliche Diskussion um die antiken Wurzeln der Fairness spiegelt ein kontroverses Meinungsbild wider. Die Fairness als Inbegriff der Moral im Sport wird einerseits als ein Produkt des Englischen Sports im 19. Jahrhundert angesehen; etymologisch gesehen ist die Fairness in der Tat eine moderne Tugend und findet erstmals 1828 in der deutschen Sprache Erwähnung. Andererseits gilt die Fairness als ein Zentralbegriff des Olympismus und des olympischen Sports, dessen Wurzeln laut seinem Begründer, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, in den sportlichen Wettkämpfen der Antike liegen. Ausgehend vom derzeitigen Forschungsstand und der kontroversen Diskussion über die antiken Wurzeln der Fairness soll in diesem Aufsatz die These vertreten werden, dass die Fairness bzw. Moral im modernen Sport durchaus dem Begriff, wenngleich nicht dem Namen nach antike Wurzeln hat.
Adoption challenges of environmental monitoring practices: case study of temperature data loggers in selected Australian vegetable supply chains
Authors: Habib Moudassir , Lyons Ben , Renando Chad
Published: November 2024

Temperature monitoring across cold chain practices is an integral component of fresh produce supply chains. Numerous temperature data loggers (TDLs) are available to reduce the significant amount of food loss and waste (FLW) (equivalent to around 50%) in vegetable supply chains; however, its widespread adoption remains a challenge for the actors along the chain. This study seeks to understand the adoption of TDLs within selected Australian vegetable supply chains to address the challenge of FLW. Three representative cases of vegetable supply chains were purposively selected, including growers, packers, transporters, distribution centres along with technology providers, and industry experts. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed utilising thematic analysis. The findings indicate that members of vegetable supply chains recognise temperature management as one of the key factors for preserving quality and extending shelf life of their produce; however, they are not proactively seeking to utilise TDLs in their supply chain operations. Resistance to adoption of TDLs is deeply rooted in product-based challenges such as cost and compatibility, and process-based challenges including information sharing and product mixing. Additionally, presence of an individual’s undesirable behavioural aspects such as status-quo bias and responsibility shirking as well as prevailing social norms within the industry influence the adoption of TDLs.
A conceptual framework of indicators for the suitability of forests for outdoor recreation
Authors: Lehto Carl , Sirén Anders , Hedblom Marcus , Fredman Peter
Published: November 2024

Forests’ ability to provide opportunities for recreation is an important ecosystem service. This has prompted attempts to create indicators to assess forests' suitability for recreation, although hitherto with limited success. This study introduces a novel framework for indicators of potential and realised recreational values of forests, with a primary focus on Sweden and Fennoscandia. We divided forest attributes into intrinsic qualities (i.e. the structure and composition of the forest), extrinsic qualities (i.e. the location of the forest in relation to other components of the landscape), and facilitation qualities (i.e. the presence of recreational infrastructure). Using Fennoscandia as a case study, we performed a literature review to find specific indicators of recreational values, as well as evaluate the current availability of spatial data suitable to map the forest qualities on a national scale. The most important intrinsic quality we identified was tree size/age, whereas for extrinsic quality it was proximity to water. Systematic monitoring of recreational use is essential to estimate realised recreational values. The conceptual framework proved to be a valuable tool for identifying potential indicators, and applying it in other regions is likely to yield useful outcomes.