bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human Gait Recognition Based on Frontal-View Walking Sequences Using Multi-modal Feature Representations and Learning
Authors: Deng Muqing , Zhong Zebang , Zou Yi , Wang Yanjiao , Wang Kaiwei , Liao Junrong
Published: April 2024

Despite that much progress has been reported in gait recognition, most of these existing works adopt lateral-view parameters as gait features, which requires large area of data collection environment and limits the applications of gait recognition in real-world practice. In this paper, we adopt frontal-view walking sequences rather than lateral-view sequences and propose a new gait recognition method based on multi-modal feature representations and learning. Specifically, we characterize walking sequences with two different kinds of frontal-view gait features representations, including holistic silhouette and dense optical flow. Pedestrian regions extraction is achieved by an improved YOLOv7 algorithm called Gait-YOLO algorithm to eliminate the effects of background interference. Multi-modal fusion module (MFM) is proposed to explore the intrinsic connections between silhouette and dense optical flow features by using squeeze and excitation operations at the channel and spatial levels. Gait feature encoder is further used to extract global walking characteristics, enabling efficient multi-modal information fusion. To validate the efficacy of the proposed method, we conduct experiments on CASIA-B and OUMVLP gait databases and compare performance of our proposed method with other existing state-of-the-art gait recognition methods.
Detection and Classification of Brain Tumor Using Convolution Extreme Gradient Boosting Model and an Enhanced Salp Swarm Optimization
Authors: Jebastine J.
Published: April 2024

Some types of tumors in people with brain cancer grow so rapidly that their average size doubles in twenty-five days. Precisely determining the type of tumor enables physicians to conduct clinical planning and estimate dosage. However, accurate classification remains a challenging task due to the variable shape, size, and location of the tumors.The major objective of this paper is to detect and classify brain tumors. This paper introduces an effective Convolution Extreme Gradient Boosting model based on enhanced Salp Swarm Optimization (CEXGB-ESSO) for detecting brain tumors, and their types. Initially, the MRI image is fed to bilateral filtering for the purpose of noise removal. Then, the de-noised image is fed to the CEXGB model, where Extreme Gradient Boosting (EXGB) is used, replacing a fully connected layer of CNN to detect and classify brain tumors. It consists of numerous stacked convolutional neural networks (CNN) for efficient automatic learning of features, which avoids overfitting and time-consuming processes. Then, the tumor type is predicted using the EXGB in the last layer, where there is no need to bring the weight values from the fully connected layer. Enhanced Salp Swarm Optimization (ESSO) is utilized to find the optimal hyperparameters of EXGB, which enhance convergence speed and accuracy. Our proposed CEXGB-ESSO model gives high performance in terms of accuracy (99), sensitivity (97.52), precision (98.2), and specificity (97.7).Also, the convergence analysis reveals the efficient optimization process of ESSO, obtaining optimal hyperparameter values around iteration 25. Furthermore, the classification results showcase the CEXGB-ESSO model’s capability to accurately detect and classify brain tumors.
Maintaining Family Engagement During Home Visitor Turnover: a Mixed Methods Study of Best Practices
Authors: Kaye Sarah , Hood Stephanie , Cragun Deborah , Perry Deborah F. , Campos Paula Cortés , Ajisope Oluwatosin , Schoch Annie Davis
Published: April 2024

Evidence-based home visiting services (EBHV) are available in states and localities nationwide through the federally-funded Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. Nevertheless, the anticipated benefits of EBHV, such as improved child developmental outcomes and increased positive parenting practices, may be undermined by the fact that most families withdraw from services earlier than the model developers planned. Prior studies have linked family attrition with staff turnover. The current study used a mixed methods design to investigate the conditions under which families remained active in the home visiting program after their assigned home visitor resigned. Coincidence Analysis revealed that giving families advance notice (at least 1 month) prior to the home visitors’ upcoming resignation or developing a strong positive working alliance with the inheriting home visitor appears to independently make a difference for ongoing family engagement at 3 and 6 months following a staff transition. These findings suggest that emphasizing how staff turnover is managed may mitigate the risk of family withdrawal during these transitions.
The Effects of Vertical Separation and Competition: Evidence from US Electric Utility Restructuring
Authors: Pollitt Michael G. , Sadeghi Jafar , Triebs Thomas P.
Published: April 2024

Competition usually increases firm productivity; but in network industries, effective competition requires vertical separation, which might reduce productivity and lead to a potential trade-off. We analyze the combined effect of competition and vertical separation on inefficient costs for US electricity industry restructuring. We estimate firm-level inefficiencies with the use of different nonparametric models of the technology and calculate net benefits with the use of difference-in-differences. The results depend on how we model the production technology and the length of the post-treatment horizon. The more flexible is the production frontier, the greater is the net benefit from divestiture and competition. Across our models the combined effect of divestiture and competition is positive.
A Dutch Survey on Medication Adjustments after Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: Experiences of Bariatric Surgeons, Internists, Pharmacists, and General Practitioners
Authors: Lau Cedric , van Kesteren Charlotte , Smeenk Robert M.
Published: April 2024

Background

As metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) can alter the pharmacokinetics of drugs, post-bariatric surgery patients may require medication adjustments and monitoring. To improve pharmacotherapy in these patients, we aimed to understand the beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and concerns of healthcare professionals who treat these patients.

Methods

A survey by means of an online questionnaire was divided into six sections. It was sent to bariatric surgeons, internists, pharmacists, and general practitioners in the Netherlands.

Results

Out of 229 returned surveys, 222 were included. Virtually all respondents (98%) expected MBS to influence the effect of medication. Both reduced efficacy (23%) and more adverse events or medication-related complications (21%) were recognized. Two-thirds of the respondents felt competent to prescribe or to provide advice regarding medication in post-bariatric surgery patients.

Most of the respondents (95%) believed that other healthcare professionals should be aware of the contraindication “bariatric surgery”. Of the respondents, 37% indicated that they were not aware of the medication advice incorporated in the electronic health record systems. Almost half of the respondents (48%) indicated that they documented changes in drug effects. Most respondents answered that these ought to be registered in the pharmacovigilance database or national registry.

Conclusions

The majority of prescribers and pharmacists believe that patients will receive better pharmacotherapy if healthcare professionals take MBS into account. However, not all prescribers think they are competent to act adequately. To improve this, information on changed drug effects after MBS should be more widely shared among healthcare professionals via resources that are easily accessible.

Graphical Abstract
A Potapov-Type Approach to a Particular Truncated Stieltjes Moment Problem in the Case of an Odd Number of Prescribed Matricial Moments
Authors: Schröder-Zeiske Torsten , Fritzsche Bernd , Kirstein Bernd , Mädler Conrad
Published: April 2024

The paper gives a parametrization of the solution set of a matricial Stieltjes-type truncated power moment problem in the non-degenerate and degenerate cases. The problem will be reformulated as an interpolation problem for a distinguished class of holomorphic matrix-valued functions. An essential role plays a solution of the corresponding system of Potapov’s fundamental matrix inequalities.
A comprehensive characterization of indoor ambient microplastics in households during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Bhat Mansoor Ahmad
Published: April 2024

Airborne microplastics (MPs) can be easily inhaled by humans, impacting their health as they spend more than 80% of their time indoors, especially during the pandemic. Only a few research studies have examined indoor MPs in the micrometer size range using active sampling, and studies have mainly concentrated on MPs that are millimeters in size. This study investigated the composition of indoor airborne MPs by active sampling in seven houses in the city center of northwestern Turkey (Eskişehir) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The visual identification showed the presence of different colored MPs, white, red, orange, green, and yellow, with different shapes (fibers, fragments, films, lines, foam, and pellets). The size of the identified MPs was between 2.5 and 327.36 μm. The polymeric composition analysis showed the presence of 123 MPs in all the samples with 22 different polymeric compositions. Residents in these houses are exposed to airborne MPs, with inhalation estimates ranging from 12.03 to 18.51 MPs/m3. However, it was also estimated that humans inhale 156–240 MPs daily in these houses. The dominant MPs were polyamide 6, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, ethylene propylene, polystyrene, and high-density polyethylene. Scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive x-ray elemental analysis revealed the presence of common structural elements, additives, or vectors that are added or adsorbed to MPs like carbon, oxygen, fluorine, magnesium, silicon, chlorine, nitrogen, and aluminum. These indoor environments are prone to MP pollution. Still, the MP level varies due to different characteristics of indoor environments, like activities and the number of occupants/people in the space, etc. The smaller MPs in all the samples highlight the necessity for standardized techniques of MP collection.
Policy persistence vis-à-vis a crisis: the curious case of Slovak energy policy after the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Authors: Mišík Matúš , Oravcová Veronika
Published: April 2024

The Russian invasion of Ukraine that started on 24 February 2022 has had a dramatic impact on the energy policy of the European Union and its member states. Nonetheless, not all EU members have radically overhauled their energy sectors and policies. Looking at the period between February 2022 and December 2023, this paper argues that Slovakia’s energy sector has remained unchanged in comparison to developments within the EU and beyond. Slovakia has continued to purchase natural gas from Russia, having negotiated an exemption from the EU sanctions on Russian oil, and gas consumption decreased only minimally in the winter of 2022/2023. Furthermore, it maintained at best a lukewarm position on renewable energy sources and even struggled to implement those energy efficiency measures that were included in the post-pandemic recovery plans. Slovakia also did not reconsider its coal phase-out deadline of 2023 and its (already very supportive) nuclear policy. We explain this policy persistence with the help of a revised lock-in concept which, in the case of Slovakia, is mostly connected to nuclear energy (ʻnuclear lock-in’), which locks out alternative energy sources, especially renewables.
A Rare Case of Lemierre’s Syndrome due to Veillonella Parvula: A Dangerous and Forgotten Complication of a Septic Condition
Authors: Montatore Manuela , Zagaria Antonio , Masino Federica , Fascia Giacomo , Debitonto Michele , Guglielmi Giuseppe
Published: April 2024

This clinical case presents an unusual case of Lemierre’s syndrome (LS) in a young woman of 38-year-old. She arrived in the Emergency Department with a high fever and pharyngology resistant to antibiotic therapy with clarithromycin, ceftriaxone, and cortisone for two weeks. At the blood sampling, there is a marked leucocytosis, and the advice of the otolaryngologist is required given the strong pain in the throat. Due to the tonsillar abscess, a neck CT with a contrast medium is necessary for the otolaryngologist’s opinion. The CT shows thrombosis of the jugular vein and left subclavian, with thickening of soft perivascular tissues; these findings suggest Lemierre’s syndrome: a septic thrombophlebitis of the jugular vein that occurs as a complication of a peritonsillar abscess. The diagnostic process is then completed with a chest HR-CT, which reveals lung density and excavation areas suggesting tuberculosis. Blood culture reveals the presence of Veillonella Parvula (an anaerobic gram-negative coccus), sputum culture reveals the presence of some colonies of Enterobacter cloacae complex, real-time PCR examination on sputum reveals the presence of Streptococcus Pneumoniae and the borderline presence of rhinovirus. Microbiologists, after these results and neck and chest CT with a contrast agent, agree with the diagnosis of suspected LS at an early stage: a septic dissemination fortunately limited only to the neck and lungs region.
How we survived: older adults’ adjustment to the lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Jarego Margarida , Tasker Fiona , Costa Pedro Alexandre , Pais-Ribeiro José , Ferreira-Valente Alexandra
Published: April 2024

Older adults were found to be the most susceptible group to suffer the physical health consequences of a COVID-19 infection and were considered vulnerable to the negative effects of the lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, yet unlike many young adults did not generally experience an increased rate of mental health problems. Our study explored the strategies older adults in Portugal deployed during the mandatory lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. Qualitative interview data were collected with 22 older adults in relatively good health (aged between 66 and 92 years old; 36% women). Three main themes were identified via thematic analysis: (1) Finding things to do and activities that can protect me; (2) Identifying how my thoughts can protect me; and (3) Counting myself lucky – me and my home advantages. Some of the thematic strategies identified by older adults to manage pandemic and lockdown-related stresses related to meaning-centered coping could be further developed via cognitive behavioral therapies of the third wave.
Optimizing random skin biopsies: a review of techniques and indications for intravascular large B-cell lymphoma
Authors: Enzan Naoko , Kitadate Akihiro , Kono Michihiro
Published: April 2024

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL), a rare subtype of malignant lymphoma, is diagnosed by observation of intravascular proliferation of tumor cells in samples taken from affected organs. However, diagnosis of IVLBCL is usually difficult due to the lack of mass formation. IVLBCL may be fatal when the diagnosis is delayed, so an accurate early diagnosis is the key to successful treatment. Random skin biopsy (RSB), in which specimens are sampled from normal-appearing skin, has been reported as useful. However, the specific method of RSB remains controversial, with individual institutions using either the punch method or the incisional method. Research has shown that the incisional method has higher sensitivity than the punch method. We discuss whether this difference might owe to the collection of punch specimens from an insufficient depth and whether the punch method might result in false negatives. For RSB, we recommend taking specimens not only from normal-appearing skin, but also from any lesional skin, because lesions may reflect micro IVLBCL lesions. To ensure accurate diagnosis, both dermatologists and hematologists should know the proper method of RSB. This review summarizes the appropriate biopsy method and sites for RSB.
Molekulare Architektur: Nanosensoren mit DNA-Ankern
Authors: Metternich Justus T. , Ackermann Julia , Kruss Sebastian
Published: April 2024

Biosensors are crucial tools for research and diagnostics. Optical biosensors are easy to use, and light is non-invasive. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are non-bleaching, near-infrared (NIR, 780–2400 nm) fluorescent materials that are extremely sensitive to their chemical environment. Modification of their surface makes them versatile fluorescent biosensors. Now, so-called guanine quantum defects serve as anchor structures and allow assembly of sensors with any recognition unit that is attached to DNA. This general design enables powerful novel biosensors.
Automatische Probenpräparation mit Druckluft-gesteuerter Mikrofluidik
Authors: Schumann Vanessa , Lein F. Nicolas , Börner Richard
Published: April 2024

Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy is an established method for investigating biomolecular structures and their dynamics. Sample preparation is crucial for the success of these experiments and consists of several steps that need to be handled with care by the experimenter. These manual steps are not only time consuming and error prone, but complicate high-throughput applications. To address this challenge, we have introduced a pressure-controlled microfluidic system for automated sample preparation in single-molecule spectroscopy.
Hochdurchsatz-Strategien für modellbasierte Bioprozessentwicklung
Authors: Cai Linda , Kemmer Annina , Krausch Niels , Neubauer Peter , Bournazou M. Nicolas Cruz
Published: April 2024

High-throughput screening accelerates bioprocess development, e.g., drug development. The KIWI-biolab at Technische Universität Berlin developed various platforms for automated experiments in small-scale cultivation systems. These are connected with automated analytics via a workflow management system and following the FAIR data principles. Mathematical models support process control and optimization during screenings of new microbial strains and experimental conditions.
Veränderte T-Zell-Reaktion gegen Hefepilze bei chronischer Darmentzündung
Authors: Martini Gabriela Rios , Bacher Petra
Published: April 2024

Inappropriate CD4+ T cell responses against species of the intestinal microbiome have been suggested to contribute to the chronic inflammation of Crohn’s disease (CD). However, the microbial species that drive such inappropriate CD4+ T cell responses and the pathogenic T cell functions in CD remain largely unknown. Our work provides evidence that aberrant cytotoxic Th 1 cells directed against both commensal and food-derived yeasts may contribute to the inflammatory immune response in patients with CD.
Metabolische Fitness von B-Zellen
Authors: Jellusova Julia
Published: April 2024

The B cell receptor (BCR) plays a crucial role in B cell activation and confers a survival-advantage for resting B cells. Here, I describe a novel mechanism of BCR-dependent metabolic regulation. The presence of the BCR is sensed in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), leading to its expansion. This expanded ER then supplies the mitochondria with calcium, which in turn leads to increased oxygen consumption.
Sugar Beet Seed Classification for Production Quality Improvement by Using YOLO and NVIDIA Artificial Intelligence Boards
Authors: Beyaz Abdullah , Saripinar Zülfi
Published: April 2024

All inputs are required for excellent and proper crop production, especially seed quality. In this way fewer disease and insect issues, increased seedling germination, uniform plant population and maturity, and better responsiveness to fertilizers and nutrients, leading to higher returns per unit area and profitability, and low labor costs could be possible. Because of this reason, NVIDIA Jetson Nano and TX2 artificial intelligence boards were used to test the efficiency of the YOLOv4 and YOLOv4-tiny models for sugar beet monogerm and multigerm seed classification for better production. YOLOv4-tiny outscored the other model based on FPS with 8.25–8.37 at NVIDIA Jetson Nano, 12.11–12.36 at NVIDIA TX2 artificial intelligence boards with accuracy 81–99% for monogerm seeds, and 89–99% for multigerm seeds at NVIDIA Jetson Nano, 88–99% for monogerm seeds, and 90–99% for multigerm at NVIDIA TX2 accuracy, respectively, implying that the YOLOv4 is more accurate but slow with based on FPS with 1.10–1.21 at NVIDIA Jetson Nano, 2.41–2.43 at NVIDIA TX2 artificial intelligence boards with 95–99% for monogerm seeds and 95–100% for multigerm seeds at NVIDIA Jetson Nano, 92–99% for monogerm seeds and 98–100% for multigerm seeds at NVIDIA TX2, respectively. As a result of the evaluations, NVIDIA Artificial Intelligence cards and YOLO deep learning model will be used effectively in classifying monogerm and multigerm sugar beet seeds, thus reducing seed loss with the help of NVIDIA Artificial Intelligence cards classification.
On the accuracy of sequence methods for baroreflex sensitivity estimation
Authors: Bagnall-Hare Hasana , McLoone Violeta I. , Ringwood John V.
Published: April 2024

In the absence of a true gold standard for non-invasive baroreflex sensitivity estimation, it is difficult to quantify the accuracy of the variety of techniques used. A popular family of methods, usually entitled ‘sequence methods’ involves the extraction of (apparently) correlated sequences from blood pressure and RR-interval data and the subsequent fitting of a regression line to the data. This paper discusses the accuracy of sequence methods from a system identification perspective, using both data generated from a known mathematical model and spontaneous baroreflex data. It is shown that sequence methods can introduce significant bias in the baroreflex sensitivity estimate, even when great care is taken in sequence selection.
Mechanistic progression of acrylamide neurotoxicity linked to neurodegeneration and mitigation strategies
Authors: Rajeh Nisreen Abdullah
Published: April 2024

Acrylamide (AA) is a potential neurotoxic chemical used widely in numerous large-scale industries and molecular research labs. It is a common toxic contaminant in potato and grain-based food products prepared at high temperatures. AA has received serious attention due to the cumulative toxic level exposure to the human population regularly through dietary, environmental, and cosmetics routes other than just occupational exposure. AA is a well-characterized neurotoxin in many rodents and human studies; however mechanistic pathway lacks detailed characterization. Putatively, AA exerts its neurotoxic effects primarily mediated by terminal nerve damage due to inhibition of neurotransmission upon formation of irreversible AA-neuronal protein adducts. Other potential contributors to the AA-induced neuropathological alterations involve an imbalance in redox potential in neuronal cells, inhibition of kinesin-based axonal transport, increased neuronal apoptosis, degenerative changes in cholinergic and dopaminergic neurons, and hyperphosphorylation of Tau. These neurological alterations substantiate the prognosis of the pathological development of severe neurodegenerative diseases. This review summarizes the possible advances in understanding the neuropathological mechanisms of AA-induced neurotoxicity and its clinical implications. Furthermore, we also discuss the potential therapeutic and mitigation strategies to counter the severe toxic health implications of AA.
Green supercapacitor patterned by synthesizing MnO/laser-induced-graphene hetero-nanostructures on wood via femtosecond laser pulses
Authors: Kim Young-Ryeul , Nam Han Ku , Lee Younggeun , Yang Dongwook , Le Truong-Son Dinh , Kim Seung-Woo , Park Sangbaek , Kim Young-Jin
Published: April 2024

Eco-friendly next-generation energy storage devices with high energy density are required to meet the increasing demand for sustainable and green electronics. However, their manufacturing requires a lot of chemical precursors and is usually accompanied by chemical waste; it also involves laborious and time-consuming processes such as mixing, heat treating, casting, and drying. Here, we proposed that mass production of microsupercapacitors (MSCs) for green electronics can be achieved by embedding manganese monoxide (MnO) on wood-derived laser-induced-graphene (LIG) via femtosecond laser direct writing (FsLDW) technique. The direct synthesis of MnO/LIG hetero-nanostructures on wood was realized by drop-casting a small amount of precursor between the first and second FsLDW. The preceding FsLDW thermochemically converted wood into LIG while the following FsLDW converted the precursor into MnO, resulting in MnO/LIG hetero-nanostructures. As-fabricated MnO/LIG MSC exhibited enhanced areal capacitance (35.54 mF cm−2 at 10 mV s−1) and capacitance retention (approximately 82.31% after 10,000 cycles) with only a small inclusion of Mn sources (0.66 mg cm−2) and short production time (10 min cm−2), which attributes to operate light-emitting diodes, digital clocks, and electronic paper as well. This approach enables the green, facile, fast, and cost-effective fabrication of future sustainable energy storage devices from biomass for next-generation green electronics.

Graphical Abstract
Using ChatGPT-3 as a writing tool: an educational assistant or a moral hazard? Current ChatGPT-3 media representations compared to Plato’s critical stance on writing in Phaedrus
Authors: Loos Eugène , Radicke Jan
Published: April 2024

ChatGPT-3, based on a large language model created by OpenAI, capable of generating human-like text, has been open to the public since November 2022. Since 2023, ChatGPT-3 has become a much-discussed educational writing tool. We elaborate on what we mean by referring to ChatGPT-3 as an educational assistant and define moral hazard. Then, we put this writing tool, as an extension of human capabilities, in a historical perspective with an analysis of Plato’s critical stance on writing in Phaedrus. After having analysed ChatGPT-3’s current representations in the media and academia, we ask ChatGPT-3 whether its writing tool should be considered an educational assistant or a moral hazard and if it could reflect on the similarity, if any, between Plato’s critical stance and ChatGPT-3 as a writing tool and comment on ChatGPT-3’s answers. Finally, we compare these to Plato’s main arguments with regard to writing and draw a number of conclusions.
A Novel Hybrid Model Combining BPNN Neural Network and Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition
Authors: Li Huiling , Wang Qi , Wei Daijun
Published: April 2024

Neural network models have been successfully used to predict stock prices, weather, and traffic patterns. Due to the sensitivity of the data, it is very effective in identifying and maintaining long-term dependencies in time series. The back propagation neural network (BPNN) model works well in regression and classification applications, such as predicting stock prices and sales volumes. BPNN needs to sort out the mapping between inputs and outputs before continuous values. BPNN neural network model is integrated with ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), and a new hybrid neural network prediction model is constructed. Integrating ensemble empirical mode decomposition, collecting and preprocessing sequence features, reducing noise, improving robustness, and then training neural networks with returned feature vectors instead. In the international gold price series forecasting, the $$R^2$$

R
2

of the new hybrid model is 1.85$$\%$$
%
better than the existing EEMD-LSTM model, 3.8$$\%$$
%
and 5.44$$\%$$
%
better than the independent BPNN and long short-term memory network (LSTM) neural network models, respectively. Compared with LSTM, the BPNN plays the performance of EEMD better, reduces the error to a certain extent, and improves the prediction accuracy.
A Sequential Recommendation Model for Balancing Long- and Short-Term Benefits
Authors: Wang Hongbo , Wang Yizhe , Liu Yu
Published: April 2024

Typically, user behaviour occurs continuously, and considering this dynamic sequence correlation can lead to more accurate recommendations. Sequential recommendation systems have, therefore, become an important means of solving the problem of network information overload. However, existing attention mechanisms are still insufficient for modelling users’ dynamic and diverse preferences. This paper presents a recommendation model based on a multiheaded self-attention mechanism and multitemporal embeddings of long- and short-term interests (MSMT-LSI). MSMT-LSI balances users’ long- and short-term benefits through two multihead self-attention networks and finally forms a hybrid representation for recommendation. After finding the most suitable parameter combinations for the MSMT-LSI model through parameter sensitivity analysis and verifying the advantages of the long- and short-term fusion strategy, related experiments on five well-known datasets and their analysis shows that the performance of MSMT-LSI is better than that of the classical model on the same benchmark dataset.
Climate change impacts on agricultural trade and food security in emerging economies: case of Southern Africa
Authors: Sabola Gift Andrew
Published: April 2024

Climate change has been a significant threat to sustainable agriculture impacting trade and food security. This research investigates the impacts of climate change on agricultural trade and food security in emerging economies focusing on Southern Africa. The research employed the dynamic panel Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) using panel data for the period 2012 to 2021 obtained from a sample of 12 Southern African countries selected based on data availability. The main independent variables to the research were climate change variables (temperature and precipitation). Other control variables included were population growth, food inflation and agricultural growth. The study found significant negative effects of climate change on agriculture trade. Whilst temperature changes were found to have insignificant effects, precipitation changes were found to have significant positive effects. The research recommends concerted efforts towards climate change adaptation and mitigation for sustainable agriculture. Based on the Findings, sustainable food security and agricultural trade Southern African emerging economies may be attained through effective climate change mitigation and adaptation approaches particularly promoting climate-smart agriculture (CSA).
Ancient Southeast Mesoamerica
Authors: Urban Patricia A. , Schortman Edward M.
Published: April 2024

Ancient Southeast Mesoamerica explores the distinctive development and political history of the region from its earliest inhabitants up to the Spanish conquest. It was composed of a matrix of social networks rather than divided by distinct cultures and domains. Making use of the area's rich archaeological data, Edward Schortman and Patricia Urban provide a social network analysis of southeast Mesoamerica. They demonstrate how inhabitants from different locales were organized within such networks, and how they mobilized the assets that they needed to define and achieve their own goals. The also provide evidence for the actions of other groups, who sought to promote their importance at local and regional scales, and often opposed those efforts. Schortman and Urban's study demonstrates the fresh insights gained from study of socio-political structures via a social network perspective. It also challenges models that privilege the influence of powerful leaders in shaping those structures.
How enforcement shapes compliance with legal rules: the case of long-term care homes in Ontario
Authors: Lai Poland
Published: April 2024

This paper contributes to the legal and socio-legal literature on long-term care (LTC) facilities (also known as nursing homes) by drawing from the responsive regulation literature and empirical research conducted in 2021 and 2022. Enforcement is an under-explored aspect in the legal and socio-legal literature on LTC. This research asks how the regulator’s enforcement activities shape compliance of LTC homes in Ontario. This paper reports the results from eleven semi-structured key informant interviews with associations that represent LTC facilities, advocacy organizations, unions, and professionals, such as lawyers. The current enforcement activities do not appear to evoke responsiveness in at least some of the LTC homes because the regulator’s approach is not dynamic: the regulator does not change its mix of “persuasion” and “coercion” in order to respond to the motivations and behaviours of homes. Inspection and enforcement activities have had little impact on how homes respond to rules.
THE XIA SHANG ZHOU DUANDAI GONGCHENG BAOGAO 夏商周斷代工程報告 AND ITS CHRONOLOGY OF THE WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY
Authors: Shaughnessy Edward L.
Published: April 2024

The Xia-Shang Zhou Chronology Project was a five-year state-sponsored project, carried out between 1995–2000, to determine an absolute chronology of the Western Zhou dynasty and approximate chronologies of the Xia and Shang dynasties. At the end of the five years, the Project issued a provisional report entitled Report on the 1996–2000 Provisional Results of the Xia-Shang Zhou Chronology Project: Brief Edition detailing its results. A promised full report was finally published in 2022: Report on the Xia-Shang Zhou Chronology Project. Although numerous discoveries in the more than twenty years between the publications of the Brief Edition and the Report have revealed that the Project's absolute chronology of the Western Zhou is fundamentally flawed, and some of the problems are acknowledged by the Report, still the Report maintains the Project's chronology without any correction. In the review, I present four of these discoveries, from four different periods of the Western Zhou, discussing their implications for the Project's chronology. I conclude with a call for some sort of authoritative statement acknowledging the errors in the report.
Is there a religious bias? Attitudes towards military humanitarian intervention in Germany
Authors: Daßler Benjamin , Zangl Bernhard , van Meegdenburg Hilde
Published: April 2024

Is individual support for internationally agreed military humanitarian interventions (MHIs) subject to a religious bias? Conducting a vignette-based survey experiment, the paper provides micro-level evidence for such a bias within a highly unlikely sample: German university students. Participants in our survey experiment were more compassionate and indeed more supportive of an MHI when the victims of war-related violence were Christians rather than Muslims. The paper thus contributes to the literature on support for MHIs in two important ways: first, whereas the existing literature has a strong focus on the United States, this paper studies individuals’ support in another Western country that regularly contributes to MHIs, namely Germany. Second, while the existing literature has mainly examined how other social factors, such as the race or gender of the victims, affect individuals’ support for MHIs, drawing on social identity theory, this paper claims that religious identification also has an impact. Moreover, by showing that the religion of the victims of war-related violence shapes individuals’ attitudes towards MHIs through compassion, the paper also speaks to more recent literature that demonstrates that individuals’ attitudes towards refugees depend on – among other things – their religion. Against the background of a general rise of identitarian politics in many Western societies, our findings seem to be of particular relevance.
How Female Intellectuals Stopped Being Philosophers: On Anna Maria van Schurman in the Catalogues of Learned Women
Authors: Wandall Anne-Sophie Sørup
Published: April 2024

This article examines the figure of the female intellectual exemplified in Anna Maria van Schurman, as she is portrayed in the catalogues of learned women. The aim is to demonstrate the dramatic and unexpected changes that this persona undergoes during the eighteenth century. The article challenges the common misconception that gender roles progress throughout history towards an ideal of freedom and equality. Instead, I argue that we see a regression in the eighteenth century where the ideal of female intellectuality transforms from focusing on gender-neutral virtues such as academic skill and learnedness to emphasizing traditionally feminine traits like modesty, piety, and domesticity. The first part of the article introduces the genre of catalogues of learned women, focusing on the German context. The main part presents an in-depth analysis of the biographical entries on van Schurman, juxtaposing the early eighteenth-century portrayals with entries from the turn of the nineteenth century. The purpose of this analysis is to illustrate the radical discursive changes concerning women intellectuals by using van Schurman as case study. Finally, the last part of the article will be dedicated to a discussion of historical conceptualizations of womanhood, exploring why the gender narrative changed in the early modern period.
You're Free to Choose, But do You have Time to Choose? Structural Injustice and the Epistemic Burdens of Market Societies
Authors: Herzog Lisa
Published: April 2024

Markets are often seen as beneficial epistemic institutions because they can transmit information via the price mechanism. But real-life markets often create various epistemic pitfalls for participants. In market societies, individuals, qua consumers, must make numerous difficult decisions for which they need to find relevant information. Depending on their positions in society—which tends to disadvantage women, non-white individuals, and working-class individuals—their opportunities for doing so can be very different. Mechanisms such as time poverty, lack of relevant skills, lack of networks, inability to pay for advice, a scarcity mindset, or lack of knowledge about how to fight back when one's rights have been violated, mean that structurally disadvantaged individuals often end up making “bad” decisions that threaten their welfare and their ability to lead an autonomous life. Moreover, some market actors target individuals in difficult situations and make profit by exploiting their vulnerabilities. I discuss these epistemic mechanisms, which are intertwined with various other forms of harm, and also mechanisms that can help address the problem by public policy: strategies for empowering individuals, and ways of regulating or replacing markets in order to prevent the exploitation of epistemically vulnerable groups.
An evaluation of outcomes and hospital readmissions among individuals with candidemia using statewide surveillance
Authors: Suschana Elizabeth , Correa Maria A. , Meek James , Banach David B.
Published: April 2024

Using statewide surveillance, we describe candidemia in Connecticut during 2019–2020. Mortality was high among individuals with candidemia, and the readmission rate was high among survivors. Mortality and readmission were associated with hospital-onset candidemia. Understanding risk factors for mortality and readmission can optimize prevention strategies to reduce mortality and readmissions.
Instability in strongly stratified plane Couette flow with application to supercritical fluids
Authors: Bugeat B. , Boldini P.C. , Hasan A.M. , Pecnik R.
Published: April 2024

This paper addresses the stability of plane Couette flow in the presence of strong density and viscosity stratifications. It demonstrates the existence of a generalised inflection point that satisfies the generalised Fjørtoft criterion of instability when a minimum of kinematic viscosity is present in the base flow. The characteristic scales associated with this minimum are identified as the primary controlling parameters of the associated instability, regardless of the type of stratification. To support this finding, analytical stability models are derived in the long-wave approximation using piecewise linear base flows. Numerical stability calculations are carried out to validate these models and to provide further information on the production of disturbance vorticity. All instabilities are interpreted as arising from the interaction between two vorticity waves. Depending on the type of stratification, these two waves are produced by different physical mechanisms. When both strong density and viscosity stratifications are present, we show that they result from the concurrent action of shear and inertial baroclinic effects. The stability models developed for simple fluid models ultimately shed light on a recently observed unstable mode in supercritical fluids (Ren et al., J. Fluid Mech., vol. 871, 2019, pp. 831–864), providing a quantitative prediction of the stability diagram and identifying the dominant mechanisms at play. Furthermore, our study suggests that the minimum of kinematic viscosity reached at the Widom line in these fluids is the leading cause of their instability. The existence of similar instabilities in different fluids and flows (e.g. miscible fluids) is finally discussed.
Arte rupestre del primer y segundo milenio dC en las sierras de Velasco y de La Punta (La Rioja, Argentina)
Authors: Iniesta M. Lourdes , Tissera Luis , Sabatini Gabriela , Pastor Sebastián , Cahiza Pablo
Published: April 2024

En este trabajo se presenta el estudio de los sitios con arte rupestre del faldeo oriental de la Sierra de Velasco y occidental de la Sierra de La Punta (norte de la provincia de La Rioja, Argentina). Los objetivos son definir la diversidad de representaciones a nivel local, evaluar la circulación de información a escala regional y examinar su rol en la conformación de paisajes sociales, durante los últimos 2.000 años. Para ello se realiza un análisis de los repertorios iconográficos y de los vínculos entre imágenes y contextos de emplazamiento. Los resultados sugieren que los sitios rupestres distribuidos en altitudes contrastantes implicaron diferentes prácticas sociales. Los emplazamientos pedemontanos, integrados a los espacios residenciales y productivos, se habrían conformado en torno a prácticas domésticas y simbólicas recurrentes, mientras que aquellos situados en las serranías de La Punta estarían vinculados con el uso de vías naturales de circulación. Esta segregación espacial involucra, a su vez, distintas temporalidades para la producción y el consumo de arte rupestre.
Unit fractions with shifted prime denominators
Authors: Bloom Thomas F.
Published: April 2024

We prove that any positive rational number is the sum of distinct unit fractions with denominators in

$\{p-1 : p\textrm { prime}\}$

. The same conclusion holds for the set

$\{p-h : p\textrm { prime}\}$

for any

$h\in \mathbb {Z}\backslash \{0\}$

, provided a necessary congruence condition is satisfied. We also prove that this is true for any subset of the primes of relative positive density, provided a necessary congruence condition is satisfied.
THE ‘HIGHEST POSSIBLE AMBITION’ ON CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AS A LEGAL STANDARD
Authors: Mayer Benoit
Published: April 2024

The Parties to the Paris Agreement have committed to communicate successive ‘nationally determined contributions’ (NDCs) to the global response to climate change. Each NDC is expected to reflect the Party's ‘highest possible ambition’ (HPA) on the mitigation of climate change. This article envisages the possibility of taking HPA seriously: that is, of approaching it as an effective legal standard. It shows that, in some circumstances, the HPA standard can help to assess whether a State has complied with due diligence obligations on climate change mitigation.
A. Dynastic Realms and Secular States: Introduction
Authors: Engel David
Published: April 2024

The conference began with a discussion of law and religion and four days later ended with a discussion of concepts of rights in Southeast Asia. The merging of the two topics in this symposium issue reflects a recognition that both concern questions of social order, political legitimacy, sovereignty, personhood, and belief. It reflects as well a recognition that the topics have a single history. As Frank Reynolds observes (with some understatement) in the essay that begins this part, religion as a cultural system and law as a cultural system “overlap and interact in many very different and complicated ways.”
Length–weight relationships for seven fish species caught off Northwest Africa
Authors: Jurado-Ruzafa Alba , Hernández-González Carlos
Published: April 2024

Length–weight relationships (LWR) were determined for Deania calceus, Deania profundorum, Merluccius polli, Merluccius senegalensis, Mora moro, Trachyscorpia echinata, and Zenopsis conchifer. Specimens were collected during scientific trawl surveys conducted along the edge of the continental shelf of Morocco and Western Sahara in November–December 2005 and 2006. Fish were measured in relation to total length (TL, to 0.1 cm) and total weight (TW, to 1 g), and sexed when possible. All LWRs obtained for the pooled sexes gave close linear regressions (r2 ≥ 0.93), and LWR parameter b ranged from 2.638 (Z. conchifer) to 3.172 (D. calceus). Data presented herein expand the knowledge base for these species in Northwest Africa, as they have limited or no LWR data publicly available.
Clinical illness course and family-related outcomes among parents with a first episode of schizophrenia spectrum disorder: a 20-year follow-up of the OPUS trial
Authors: Hansen Helene Gjervig , Gjøde Ida Christine Tholstrup , Starzer Marie , Ranning Anne , Hjorthøj Carsten , Albert Nikolai , Nordentoft Merete , Thorup Anne Amalie Elgaard
Published: April 2024

Background

Studies investigating parenthood and how it affects long-term outcomes are lacking among individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. This study aimed to examine the life of participants 20 years after their first diagnosis with a special focus on parenthood, clinical illness course, and family-related outcomes.

Methods

Among 578 individuals diagnosed with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorder between 1998 and 2000, a sample of 174 participants was reassessed at the 20-year follow-up. We compared symptom severity, remission, clinical recovery, and global functioning between 75 parents and 99 non-parents. Also, family functioning scored on the family assessment device, and the children's mental health was reported. We collected longitudinal data on psychiatric admission, supported housing, and work status via the Danish registers.

Results

Participants with offspring had significantly lower psychotic (mean (s.d.) of 0.89 (1.46) v. 1.37 (1.44), p = 0.031) negative (mean [s.d.] of 1.13 [1.16] v. 1.91 [1.07], p < 0.001) and disorganized symptom scores (mean [s.d.] of 0.46 [0.80] v. 0.85 [0.95], p = 0.005) and more were in remission (59.5% v. 22.4%, p < 0.001) and in clinical recovery (29.7% v. 11.1%, p = 0.002) compared to non-parents. When investigating global functioning over 20 years, individuals becoming parents after their first diagnosis scored higher than individuals becoming parents before their first diagnosis and non-parents. Regarding family-related outcomes, 28.6% reported unhealthy family functioning, and 10% of the children experienced daily life difficulties.

Conclusions

Overall, parents have more favorable long-term outcomes than non-parents. Still, parents experience possible challenges regarding family functioning, and a minority of their children face difficulties in daily life.