bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Loneliness among very old people with and without dementia: prevalence and associated factors in a representative sample
Authors: Lampinen Josefine , Conradsson Mia , Nyqvist Fredrica , Olofsson Birgitta , Gustafson Yngve , Nilsson Ingeborg , Littbrand Håkan
Published: September 2022

Loneliness and dementia are common among very old (aged ≥ 80 years) people, but whether the prevalence of loneliness differs between very old people with and without dementia is unknown and few studies have investigated associated factors. The aims of the present study were to compare the prevalence of loneliness between people with and without dementia in a representative sample of very old people, and to investigate factors associated with loneliness in the two groups separately. This population-based study was conducted with data on 1176 people aged 85, 90, and ≥ 95 years (mean age 89.0 ± 4.47 years) from the Umeå 85 + /Gerontological Regional Database study conducted in northern Sweden, during year 2000–2017. Structured interviews and assessments were conducted during home visits. Loneliness was assessed using the question “Do you ever feel lonely?.” Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with loneliness in participants with and without dementia. The prevalence of loneliness did not differ between people with and without dementia (50.9% and 46.0%, respectively; p =  0.13). Seven and 24 of 35 variables were univariately associated with the experience of loneliness in participants with and without dementia, respectively. In the final models, living alone and having depressive symptoms were associated with the experience of loneliness in both study groups. In participants without dementia, living in a nursing home was associated with the experience of less loneliness. These findings contribute with important knowledge when developing strategies to reduce loneliness in this growing age group.
Dense pulses formed from fissioning internal waves
Authors: Hartharn-Evans Samuel G. , Stastna Marek , Carr Magda
Published: September 2022

Cold pulses generated by the fission of internal solitary waves over gentle slopes are an important source of nutrients and relief from excess heat to benthic ecosystems. This numerical study investigates the effect of stratification form on pulses produced by fission of internal solitary waves propagating over a smooth, gentle, linear topographic slope in 2D simulations. Three stratification types are investigated, namely (i) thin tanh (homogeneous upper and lower layers separated by a thin pycnocline), (ii) surface stratification (linearly stratified layer overlaying a homogeneous lower layer) and (iii) broad tanh (continuous density gradient throughout the water column). Incident wave amplitude was varied. In the thin tanh stratification, good agreement is seen with past studies, whilst the dynamics observed in the surface stratification are very similar to those in the thin tanh stratification. However, in the broad tanh stratification, due to the different form of incident waves, the fission dynamics differ, but produce pulses similar in form to those produced by fission in the other stratifications. Pulse amplitude, wavelength and propagation velocity are found to strongly depend on incident wave amplitude, and each degenerate linearly as the pulse propagates upslope.
Implementation of European Drone Regulations - Status Quo and Assessment
Authors: Janke Christian , de Haag Maarten Uijt
Published: September 2022

The fast evolution of drone technology as well as the ubiquitous adoption from private and commercial users lead to the necessity to introduce new regulations covering the operations of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in European Member states. The regulations implemented rules for multiple scenarios of normal and complex UAS operations as well as the collection of registration data from remote pilots and Operators. This research project tried for the first time to determine the status quo of the adoption of the novel EASA regulations of drones within the European members states. Data from National Aviation Authorities has been collected, accumulated, and analyzed towards qualitative and quantitative features.
Synthesis, Ligating Properties, Thermal Behavior, Computational and Biological Studies of Some Azo-transition Metal Complexes
Authors: Masoud Mamdouh S. , Hemdan Sokaina S. , Elsamra Rehab M. I.
Published: September 2022

Synthesis of new Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) complexes of two azo ligands; 1-(phenyldiazenyl) naphthalene-2-ol (sudan orange R, HL1), and sodium 2-hydroxy-5-[(E)-(4-nitrophenyl) diazenyl]benzoate (alizarin yellow GG, HL2) have been reported. Stoichiometries of 1:2 and 1:3 (M:L) of the synthesized complexes were approved by total-reflection X-ray fluorescence technique (TXRF) and by elemental analyses. The geometry of complexes (octahedral and square planar) was typified by various spectroscopic, thermal, and magnetic techniques. The ESR spectroscopy showed that Cu(II) complexes are of different isotropic and rhombic symmetries with the existence of Cu–Cu ions interaction. TGA, DTA, and DSC analyses supported the multi-stage thermal decomposition mechanisms, where the thermal breakdown is ended by the formation of metal oxide in most cases. Moreover, chemical reactivity modeling using the density functional theory (DFT) method with the B3LYP/6–31 basis set, showed that metal complexes are more biologically active than their precursor ligands. The calculated lipophilicity character for metal complexes is in the range of 33.8–37.5 eV. Docking results revealed high scoring energy for [Fe(HL2)3].H2O complex and moderate inhibition strength of [Cu(L1)2].H2O complex versus 1bqb, 3t88, and 4esw proteins. Ultimately, the extent of biological effectiveness was endorsed experimentally against four microbial strains. The results are guidelines for toxicological investigations.

Graphical Abstract
Limited efficacy of temozolomide alone for astrocytoma, IDH-mutant, CNS WHO grades 2 or 3
Authors: Weller Jonathan , Katzendobler Sophie , Blobner Jens , Thiele Frederic , Becker Hannes , Quach Stefanie , Egensperger Rupert , Niyazi Maximilian , Suchorska Bogdana , Thon Niklas , Weller Michael , Tonn Joerg-Christian
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The role of temozolomide chemotherapy alone in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant astrocytomas has not been conclusively determined. Radiotherapy might be superior to temozolomide. Recent studies have linked temozolomide with induction of hypermutation and poor clinical course in some IDH-mutant gliomas.

Methods

In this retrospective study, 183 patients with astrocytoma, IDH-mutant, CNS WHO grade 2 or 3 and diagnosed between 2001 and 2019 were included. Patients initially monitored by wait-and-scan strategies or treated with radiotherapy or temozolomide alone were studied. Patient data were correlated with outcome. Matched pair and subgroup analyses were conducted.

Results

Radiotherapy was associated with longer progression-free survival than temozolomide (6.2 vs 3.4 years, p = 0.02) and wait-and-scan strategies (6.2 vs 4 years, p = 0.03). Patients treated with radiotherapy lived longer than patients treated with temozolomide (14.4 vs 10.7 years, p = 0.02). Survival was longer in the wait-and-scan cohort than in the temozolomide cohort (not reached vs 10.7 years, p < 0.01). Patients from the wait-and-scan cohort receiving temozolomide at first progression had significantly shorter survival times than patients treated with any other therapy at first progression (p < 0.01). Post-surgical T2 tumor volume, contrast enhancement on MRI and WHO grade were associated with overall survival in univariate analyses (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

The results suggest superiority of radiotherapy over temozolomide and wait-and-scan strategies regarding progression-free survival and superiority of radiotherapy over temozolomide regarding overall survival. Our results are consistent with the notion that early temozolomide might compromise outcome in some patients.
Estimation of small area proportions under a bivariate logistic mixed model
Authors: Moretti Angelo
Published: September 2022

A variety of data is of geographic interest but is not available at a small area level from large-scale national sample surveys. Small area estimation can be used to estimate parameters of target variables to detailed geographical scales based on relationships between the target variables and relevant auxiliary information. Small area estimation of proportions is a topic of great interest in many fields of study, where binary variables are diffused, such as in labour force, business, and social exclusion surveys. The univariate generalised mixed model with logit link function is widely adopted in this context. The small area estimation literature has shown that multivariate small area estimators, where correlations among response variables are taken into account, provide more efficient estimates than the traditional univariate approaches. However, the estimation problem of multivariate proportions has not been studied yet. In this article, we propose a bivariate small area estimator of proportions based on a bivariate generalised mixed model with logit link function. A simulation study and an application are presented to evaluate the good properties of the bivariate estimator compared to its univariate setting. We found that the extent of the improved efficiency of the bivariate over the univariate approach is associated with the degree of correlation of the area-specific random effects and the intraclass correlation, whereas it is not strongly related to the area sample size.
Climate change: north and south EU economies—an application of dynamic asymmetric panel data models
Authors: Adam Christos , Drakos Periklis
Published: September 2022

The need for a cleaner environment and wealthier economies has been highly recognized by European Union (EU) policymakers of the last years, as evidenced by the creation of a plethora of laws and regulations for reducing carbon dioxide emissions while promoting the economic prosperity of EU countries. Indeed, many works have been done in this field, remarking on climate change’s impacts on economies and the need for determinant environmental policies inside the EU. This paper investigates the effect of climate change on economic growth using nonlinear dynamic panel methods for 15 countries of the EU in the period 1981–2019. Specifically, it is examined the impact of temperature, precipitation, and CO2 emissions on economic growth. So, autoregressive distributed lags (ARDL) methods were employed, overcoming cross-dependency and also considering linearity and nonlinearity. The results showed that economic growth has positive nonlinear relationship with long-run temperature, but in short-run they have a symmetric negative association. Moreover, precipitation has long-run negative and a short-run positive relationship with economic growth. However, when CO2 emissions are added, then model’s performance is decreased, and precipitation has a positive effect on economic growth, but all others, except from temperature increase, become insignificant. Finally, actions should be taken for more stable climate conditions and consistent environmental policies by EU countries.

Graphical abstract
Computational prediction of dust deposition on solar panels
Authors: Dagher M. Mekawy , Kandil Hamdy A.
Published: September 2022

This research is concerned with performing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to investigate the air flow and dust deposition behavior around a ground-mounted solar PV panel. The discrete phase model (DPM) is adopted to model the gas-solid flow. The influence of the wind speed, the dust particle size, and the dust material on the dust deposition rate was investigated based on the environment of Cairo, Egypt. The wind speeds range between 1 and 11.5 m/s with an average of 3.7 m/s. It is found that increasing the wind speed decreases the dust deposition rate. For wind speeds higher than 2 m/s, it is found that increasing the dust particle diameter or the dust density increases the dust deposition rate. For wind speeds lower than 2 m/s, it is found that there is a critical particle size before which increasing the dust density causes dust deposition rate to increase and after which increasing the dust density decreases the dust deposition. The maximum percentage of deposition rate equals 10.8% and occurs for the dolomite dust material at a wind speed of 2 m/s and particles diameter of 150 μm.
Folk Psychological Models and the Metaphysics of Belief. A Reply to Curry
Authors: Poslajko Krzysztof
Published: September 2022

The aim of this paper is to show that Curry’s recent defence of the interpretivist approach to beliefs is unsuccessful. Curry tries to argue that his version of interpretivism, which is based on the model-theoretic approach to folk-psychological attributions, is well-suited to resisting the epistemological argument that is directed at interpretivism. In this paper, I argue that even if Curry’s defence is successful in this case, his theory does not have enough resources to solve the metaphysical problems of interpretivism. In particular, I argue that the model-theoretic version of interpretivism that Curry espouses does not explain the claim that beliefs are constituted by the process of attribution, which is central to the interpretivist project. In the final parts of the paper, I discuss the issue of the relation between interpretivism and other forms of the broadly superficial/deflationary approach to beliefs, especially dispositionalism. I contend that if one wants to adopt a superficial/deflationary approach, it is best not to adopt interpretivism as it is an unnecessarily complex and problematic version of this broad view.
Neocosmospora caricae sp. nov. and N. metavorans, two new stem and trunk canker pathogens on Ficus carica in Iran
Authors: Bolboli Zeinab , Mostowfizadeh-Ghalamfarsa Reza , Sandoval-Denis Marcelo , Jafari Moslem , Crous Pedro W.
Published: September 2022

During 2018–2021, a survey was conducted in rainfed fig (Ficus carica L.) orchards throughout the Fars Province of Iran to investigate the occurrence of canker diseases, and to identify the causal organisms. Morphological and cultural characteristics, as well as multilocus phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA, RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2), and the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1), revealed that the recovered isolates from the infected fig trees clustered in clade 3 of Neocosmospora (Nectriaceae), including N. metavorans, and a new taxon described here as N. caricae sp. nov. Neocosmospora caricae is characterised by falcate, multiseptate, gently dorsoventrally curved macroconidia with poorly developed foot-shaped basal cells, ovoid, aseptate microconidia that cluster in false heads, and abundant terminal or intercalary chlamydospores. Pathogenicity tests indicated that isolates of both Neocosmospora species were pathogenic, causing stem canker and wood discolouration on fig saplings of “Sabz” and “Shah Anjeer” cultivars. The present study adds to existing knowledge on the aetiology of fig stem and trunk canker, and may provide essential information for developing effective integrated management strategies against canker diseases affecting fig orchards in Iran.
Long-Acting Injectable Cabotegravir for HIV Prevention: What Do We Know and Need to Know about the Risks and Consequences of Cabotegravir Resistance?
Authors: Parikh Urvi M. , Koss Catherine A. , Mellors John W.
Published: September 2022

Purpose of Review

Cabotegravir is a potent integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) recently approved as a long-acting injectable formulation for HIV prevention (CAB-LA). We summarize what is known about cabotegravir pharmacokinetics, activity, and emergence of resistance from in vitro, macaque and clinical studies, and we evaluate the risk of resistance from CAB-LA with on-time injections and after CAB-LA discontinuation.

Recent Findings

The accumulation of multiple INSTI mutations is required for high-level cabotegravir resistance, and the same mutation combinations may cause cross-resistance to dolutegravir, which is widely used for first-line antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries. Though CAB-LA was highly effective in preventing HIV, breakthrough infections did occur in trials of CAB-LA despite on-time injections, resulting in selection of single and combinations of INSTI resistance mutations.

As CAB-LA is scaled-up, prompt HIV diagnosis to prevent resistance, and resistance monitoring could help preserve the effectiveness of INSTIs for both HIV treatment and prevention.
Final benefit of primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction in older patients: long-term results of a randomised trial
Authors: de Boer M.-J. , Ottervanger J. P. , van’t Hof A. W. J. , Hoorntje J. C. A. , Suryapranata H. , Zijlstra F. ,   Zwolle Myocardial Infarction Study Group
Published: September 2022

Background

Although the short-term benefit of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in elderly patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been demonstrated, the final long-term survival benefit is as yet unknown.

Aim

To assess the final survival benefit of primary PCI as compared to thrombolytic therapy in patients over 75 years of age.

Methods

Patients > 75 years with STEMI were randomised to either primary PCI or thrombolysis. Long-term data on survival were available for all patients.

Results

A total of 46 patients were randomised to primary PCI, 41 to thrombolysis. There were no significant differences in baseline variables. After a maximum of 20 years’ follow-up, all patients had passed away. The patients randomised to thrombolysis died after a mean follow-up duration of 5.2 years (SD 4.9) compared to 6.7 years (SD 4.8) in patients randomised to primary PCI (p = 0.15). Thus, the mean final survival benefit of primary PCI was 1.5 years.

Conclusion

The final survival benefit of primary PCI as compared to thrombolysis in elderly patients with STEMI is 1.5 years and their life expectancy increases by 28.8%.
Patterns of Invertebrate Community Composition and Functional Structure Across a Dune Succession Gradient
Authors: Frazier Christopher F. , Schriever Tiffany A.
Published: September 2022

The world’s most extensive freshwater sand dunes lie along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, USA. These dunes follow a succession gradient from open canopy, grass-covered dunes to forested dunes further inland with wetlands interspersed in the dune landscape. We asked if macroinvertebrate assemblages in interdunal wetlands showed predictable change along the dune succession gradient. In April through October 2017, we collected physical–chemical data, characterized wetland habitat, and macroinvertebrate assemblages at 11 interdunal wetlands distributed along an open-forested dune gradient. We evaluated patterns of taxonomic diversity and abundance and functional richness, community composition, and community dissimilarity along the gradient. The dune gradient represented changes in water chemistry variables associated with terrestrial and aquatic vegetation. Overall, interdunal wetlands in open dune habitat showed lower taxonomic diversity and were dominated by communities with functional traits tailored to variable habitats (active dispersal, bi/multi-voltine). Variation in assemblage composition along the gradient is correlated with differences in water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and amount of surrounding terrestrial vegetation. Community dissimilarity is driven primarily by terrestrial vegetation surrounding wetlands and secondarily by spatial location. This is the first study to document aquatic diversity across a dune succession gradient illustrating that terrestrial dune vegetation has a large impact on patterns of aquatic community and functional structure. To maintain high species diversity in Great Lakes sand dunes ecosystems we promote protection for both forest and dune habitat to safeguard unique species and biological traits that use interdunal wetlands.
Analytical Scheme of Stability Analysis for 4-DoF Mechanical System Subjected to Friction-Induced Vibrations
Authors: Puzyrov Volodymyr , Vazquez Gisela Pujol , Zuppa Leonardo Acho
Published: September 2022

Purpose:

The stability problem for non-conservative multi-parameter dynamical system is usually associated with labor-intensive calculations, and numerical methods do not always allow one to obtain the desired information. The presence of circulatory forces often leads to the so-called ”destabilization effect” of the system under the influence of small dissipative forces. In this regard, it seems important to develop analytical approaches that make it possible to use a simplified scheme for checking the stability conditions.

Methods:

When obtaining and analyzing stability conditions, the algebra of polynomials and elements of mathematical analysis are applied. To obtain a simplified scheme for checking the stability conditions, an asymptotic method is used.

Results and Conclusion:

A mechanical system with four degrees of freedom which is under the action of dissipative, potential and non-conservative potential (circulatory) forces is considered. The stability problem of friction-induced vibrations is studying. In the case of weak damping an analytical approach is proposed that makes it possible to simplify the analysis of stability conditions, which, due to the presence of many uncertain parameters, are very cumbersome. With the help of numerical testing, the adequacy of the results obtained for the reduced conditions and full stability conditions was established. The results of the analysis make it possible to single out the ”advantageous” regions in the space of dimensionless parameters, which makes it possible to improve the design of the system to increase its reliability.
The Limits of Vietnam's Incrementalism towards the Abolition of Capital Punishment for Drug Offenses
Authors: Nguyen Tien Duc , Tran Thu Thuy Thi
Published: September 2022

International law has ruled out the application of the death penalty on drug offenses. Despite failure to meet the threshold to be categorised as one of the ‘most serious crimes’, the practice of capital punishment for drug offences in many parts of the world continues to dismay human rights activists and practitioners. This article aims to exhibit a dynamic view on drug offences under Vietnamese law. It contends that the nation's understanding of the severity of drug offences has witnessed incremental changes corresponding with international standards, although not completely compatible. Drawing on comparative scholarship, the article then moves on to ask whether there is any room left for the total abolition of capital punishment for drug offences. It suggests that Vietnam's incrementalism towards abolition has reached its bounds. Renovation in the understanding on the severity of drug crimes is very much needed to re-fuel the abolitionist movement in the country.
Information in Consumer Contracts: Reforming Consumer Protection Law in Malaysia
Authors: Zeno Junaidah
Published: September 2022

This article examines the effectiveness of theConsumer Protection Act 1999in ensuring that Malaysian consumers can make informed decisions and that their interests are adequately protected in modern electronic commerce (e-commerce) transactions. It first identifies the key elements required of a modern consumer protection framework and subsequently uses this model as a yardstick to assess the legal frameworks in two jurisdictions. The first jurisdiction is Malaysia, a common law country that, although considered a potentially important regional player in the development of e-commerce, has a relatively underdeveloped consumer protection framework. The second jurisdiction is England and Wales, which is likewise a common law jurisdiction but one whose consumer protection framework has been influenced by European Union consumer protection policy and legislation that has further provided the impetus for significant legal reform in both offline and online environments. This article examines the extent to which the laws in both jurisdictions provide appropriate protection, considering countervailing issues (eg, protection of commercial innovation and competition) and identifying potential gaps in provision (eg, inadequate regulation of new platforms or business methods). Based on these analyses, the article proposes an ‘evergreen’ consumer protection framework to improve the legal landscape of e-commerce in Malaysia.
A Neglected Aspect of Hume’s Nominalism
Authors: Weintraub Ruth
Published: September 2022

In this paper, I point to two problems engendered by two assumptions that Hume makes. The first is his nominalism: the view that all ideas are fully determinate with respect to all the aspects that are represented in them. The second, perhaps hitherto unnoticed, is that names denote ideas. I propose some solutions, aiming to find one that is Humean.
A LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FAIRNESS REPORTING
Authors: Yap Jia Qing , Lim Ernest
Published: September 2022

Clear understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) usage risks and how they are being addressed is needed, which requires proper and adequate corporate disclosure. We advance a legal framework for AI Fairness Reporting to which companies can and should adhere on a comply-or-explain basis. We analyse the sources of unfairness arising from different aspects of AI models and the disparities in the performance of machine learning systems. We evaluate how the machine learning literature has sought to address the problem of unfairness through the use of different fairness metrics. We then put forward a nuanced and viable framework for AI Fairness Reporting comprising: (1) disclosure of all machine learning models usage; (2) disclosure of fairness metrics used and the ensuing trade-offs; (3) disclosure of de-biasing methods used; and (d) release of datasets for public inspection or for third-party audit. We then apply this reporting framework to two case studies.
The Crisis of Democracy in Interwar Britain
Authors: Middleton Stuart
Published: September 2022

This article reconstructs and examines the idea that democracy (in various senses) was fragile or, as some had it, in ‘crisis’ in interwar Britain. Recent scholarship on interwar political culture has generally emphasized its democratic or ‘democratizing’ character, in line with a conventional historical view of Britain as an exception to the instability and contestation of democracy in Europe. It is argued here that Britain's embroilment in a European ‘crisis’ of democracy was a commonplace of contemporary political thought, commentary, and argument; and that anxieties surrounding this prompted some of the initiatives that are conventionally seen as evidence of ‘democratization’. A properly historical understanding of those initiatives, and of interwar political culture in general, therefore appears to require that contemporary ideas of the weakness or ‘crisis’ of democracy in Britain are taken seriously (but not necessarily endorsed). In conclusion, the article suggests that interwar discussions of democracy gave rise to a tendency to equate democracy with a form of negative liberty, which registered and facilitated influential developments in politics and political thought beyond the interwar period; and that historical understanding of democracy in modern Britain might be enriched through an engagement with the political theorist Sheldon Wolin's concept of ‘fugitive democracy’.
Why Parents’ Fertility Plans Changed in China: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Zhang Cong , Yang Aaron Z. , Kim Sungwon , Fong Vanessa L.
Published: September 2022

This article examines the fertility desires, intentions and outcomes of 406 alumni of a middle school in Dalian city, Liaoning province, when they were surveyed in 2014–2015 (during their late 20s and early 30s). It also looks at how and why the fertility desires, plans and outcomes of a 47-member representative subsample and their spouses changed from year to year as they moved through their 20s and 30s between 2008 and 2021. Although most respondents started out wanting two children, longitudinal interviews with the representative subsample and their spouses showed that most gradually resigned themselves to having no more than one child. This was because they felt unable to provide two children with the high standard of living and childcare that their own experiences as singletons had led them to consider essential for proper childrearing.
Who Commands the Gun? Mobilization and Use of China's Armed Police
Authors: Wuthnow Joel
Published: September 2022

Recent reforms to China's People's Armed Police have changed the balance of authority between central and local officials, continuing a pattern of reduced local control and granting more authority to Xi Jinping in his role as Central Military Commission chairman. The new system, however, attempts to balance central control with provisions that allow local officials down to the prefecture level to take command in some circumstances. This system intends to allow for rapid mobilization in cases of social unrest or natural disasters, although a review of emergency response plans and other Chinese sources indicates uneven implementation. The risk is that centralization could slow emergency response, although the effects will depend on the nature of civil–military coordination at different levels. The paper describes new legal authorities, assesses implementation and challenges, and reaches conclusions about the implications for Chinese political control and emergency response.
Informational rents in interbank competition
Authors: Garella Paolo G.
Published: September 2022

The present paper develops a two-period, simple model of interbank competition based on the idea that banks can partially control the behaviour of borrowers. The control effort by one bank over its customers is not observable by competitor banks. It is shown that the equilibrium behaviour of banks is characterised by a distorted incentive to exert the control effort. A second implication of the model is that unexpected tightening of the interest rate policy by the Central Bank increases the banks’ liabilities and thereby influences their loan policy. It is also shown that the returns from control are lower if banks expect that the economy be hit by a negative shock.
Optimal Growth and Transfers between Generations
Authors: Fleurbaey Marc , Michel Philippe
Published: September 2022

Given the difficulties of utilitarian and egalitarian social welfare functions in the context of intergenerational equity, an analysis directly based on the potential transfers that can be made between generations is proposed. A consumption path may be rejected if some transfers with infinite returns can be made. It is shown that such potential transfers are unlikely in the short run in ordinary growth models, but that the returns to sacrifice are often unbounded when distant dates are considered, except in some particular cases. These concepts help select acceptable growth paths, and give some insight into the dilemmas of intergenerational justice.
Introducing the Market in a Shortage Economy: The Vertical Integration Issue
Authors: Roland Gérard
Published: September 2022

It is well known that in the traditional Soviet-type economies, there is a spontaneous tendency of enterprise and ministries to integrate vertically, as a response to the supply uncertainty typical of a chronic shortage economy.

The main purpose of the paper is to analyze the link between the vertical integration issue and economic reform. It is argued that, in an institutional context with fixed prices, when there is shortage of inputs, enterprises consuming these inputs will generally not be able to agree on a rationing scheme, in the absence of vertical integration. This decisional vacuum entails the functional necessity of a central planner who will decide on the rationing scheme. It is shown that this result may help to highlight some of the key theoretical and empirical issues of economic reform. One of its main implications is that, in an economy where vertical integration is weak, the abolition of imperative planning can hardly be successful if shortages are not suppressed at the same time. On the other hand, it is much easier to abolish imperative planning if the economy is highly vertically integrated but, because vertical integration destroys the competitive nature of markets, the main goals of economic reform cannot be fulfilled unless additional structural changes are introduced in order to create a competitive environment.
Contribution à une théorie de la croissance en économie ouverte
Authors: Lamfalussy Alexandre
Published: September 2022

1. L’observation des faits économiques a conduit certains économistes, y compris l’auteur du présent article, à conférer aux exportations un rôle important dans l’explication de la croissance économique de l’Europe depuis la fin de la guerre. Ce «rôle important» doit être entendu dans un sens large, dépassant celui d’une simple incitation à l’expansion. La demande extérieure peut, en effet, au même titre que n’importe quelle composante de la demande intérieure, déclencher un processus de croissance. On sait, par exemple, que le développement de l’économie britannique au XIXe siècle doit beaucoup aux exportations de coton, de fer et de charbon. La pression de la demande étrangère sur les ressources nationales crée non seulement des revenus; elle peut aussi engendrer des innovations et aboutir à la création d’activités connexes.

Les études auxquelles nous faisons allusion attribuent un rôle plus persistant à l’essor des exportations. Celui-ci est censé entretenir le processus de croissance; son affaiblissement devrait donc, toutes choses égales d’ailleurs, ralentir l’expansion. L’objet de cet article est de rendre explicite le raisonnement théorique qui soustend la thèse défendue dans ces écrits.
Estimation de la demande postale : l’exemple des bureaux de Namur (Belgique)
Authors: Thomas Isabelle
Published: September 2022

Depuis une décennie, la localisation optimale des services publics a fait l’objet de publications diverses [9, 10, 20]; ces études se sont particulièrement concentrées sur la formulation mathématique des problèmes de localisation. Les quelques applications concernent principalement les services d’urgence[l, 16, 22], de santé[4] ou récréatifs[17]. Mais, dans la plupart des cas, le schéma d’utilisation des services publics par le consommateur est négligé. Or, dans la mesure où le lieu de consommation ainsi que la quantité consommée sont choisis par l’utilisateur, il convient de percevoir au mieux non seulement les exigences des services décideurs mais également les besoins et le comportement de la clientèle.

C’est pourquoi, lebutde cette étude est de mieux comprendre le comportement des usagers d’un service public – celui des bureaux de poste – par l’estimation de leur fonction de demande, c’est-à-dire la quantité de service consommée par unité de temps; en d’autres termes, il s’agit de mettre en évidence les principaux facteurs qui déterminent le niveau d’utilisation du service postal en milieu urbain. Si l’organisation du service postal belge est bien connue, aucune donnée relative aux usagers n’est actuellement disponible.
Equality of What? On Welfare, Goods and Capabilities
Authors: Cohen G. A.
Published: September 2022

In his Tanner Lecture of 1979 calledEquality of What?Amartya Sen asked what metric egalitarians should use to establish the extent to which their ideal is realised in a given society. In this study I comment on answers to Sen’s question in recent philosophical literature. I describe and criticize what a number of authors (and notably Rawls and Sen) of egalitarian persuasion have said about the dimension(s) or respect(s) in which people should be made more equal, when the price in other values of moving towards greater equality is not intolerable.
On Ranking Opportunity Sets in Terms of Freedom of Choice
Authors: Pattanaik Prasanta K. , Xu Yongsheng
Published: September 2022

The paper explores the notion of freedom of choice which is of considerable importance in welfare economics and the theory of social choice. Three plausible axioms are introduced for ranking alternative opportunity sets in terms of the degrees of freedom that they offer to the agent making choices. It is shown that, under these axioms, judgements about degrees of freedom of choice have to be based on the naive principle of simply counting the number of available options.
Persistence and Seasonality in Output and Employment of the Federal Republic of Germany
Authors: Wolters Jürgen
Published: September 2022

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether shocks to output and employment had permanent or transitory effects during the period from 1961 to 1990 in the Federal Republic of Germany. There are a lot of parametric and non-parametric approaches which can be used for data generating processes which are difference-stationary or trend-stationary. But especially output and employment time series show very strong seasonal movements. Before employing usual persistence measures one has to test for seasonal integration. The application of seasonal adjustment procedures which are typically used in practice lead to different degrees of persistence, so one has to be very careful in interpreting the results.
Analyse spectrale des chroniques: application à l’étude des procédés d’ajustement saisonnier
Authors: Blomme Roland
Published: September 2022

Il est généralement admis qu’une chronique peut être décomposée en un certain nombre de composantes qui, additionnées ou multipliées entre elles, nous donnent les valeurs observées. Il est, de plus, admis que ces composantes peuvent être considérées comme indépendantes les unes des autres. Remarquons cependant que si l’orthogonalité entre les composantes peut être démontrée mathématiquement, elle doit être tempérée dans le monde réel. Nous savons, par exemple, qu’une récession peut fort bien être influencée par la période de l’année où elle commence. On ne devrait pas être surpris d’apprendre qu’à côté des composantes distinguées traditionnellement par la théorie – tendance, composante conjoncturelle, mouvement saisonnier et fluctuations accidentelles – une chronique peut en comporter un certain nombre d’autres que la théorie ignore ou ne qualifie pas explicitement. Ce n’est pas le moindre mérite de l’analyse spectrale de montrer, qu’en théorie, le nombre des composantes possibles d’une chronique est quasiment illimité.
The Life Cycle Hypothesis and Rational Expectations: Some Further Empirical Results
Authors: MacDonald R. , Peel D.A.
Published: September 2022

In an innovative and important paper Hall (1978) demonstrated that the assumption of rational expectations when applied to the life cycle or permanent income hypothesis would, given a number of further assumptions such as constancy of the real rate of interest, imply that real consumption follows a martingale. Thus in logarithms

log C - log C- 1 = α + ∊

where C is real consumer expenditure, α is a constant which allows for real growth in the economy and ∊ is a white noise error term.

Hall presented empirical evidence for the U.S. economy which was broadly consistent with the hypothesis. However, subsequent work by a number of authors (eg Muellbauer (1983) and Hendry and von Ungern-Sternberg (1980)) appears to be inconsistent with the hypothesis. Past values of economic variables, such as consumption or income, are significant determinants of the first difference of the logarithm of consumption which violates the hypothesis.
Adam Smith and Three Theories of Altruism
Authors: Khalil Elias L.
Published: September 2022

Smith advanced a particular view of altruism that should prove to be relevant to the modern literature on the subject. It provided the backbone of his critique of three different theories. These three theories have been reincarnated in three modern approaches : Robert Axelrod’s “egoistic”, Gary Becker’s “egocentric”, and George Herbert Mead and Robert Frank’s ”altercentric” views. Axelrod’s approach repeats the failing, which Smith found in Mandeville’s. Becker’s theory echoes the shortcoming, which Smith identified in Hobbes’. Mead/Frank’s view duplicates the fault, which Smith uncovered in the approach of Francis Hutcheson and other figures of the Scottish Enlightenment.
ANF preserves dependent types up to extensional equality
Authors: KORONKEVICH PAULETTE , RAKOW RAMON , AHMED AMAL , BOWMAN WILLIAM J.
Published: September 2022

Many programmers use dependently typed languages such as Coq to machine-verify high-assurance software. However, existing compilers for these languages provide no guarantees after compiling, nor when linking after compilation.Type-preserving compilerspreserve guarantees encoded in types and then use type checking to verify compiled code and ensure safe linking with external code. Unfortunately, standard compiler passes do not preserve the dependent typing of commonly used (intensional) type theories. This is because assumptions valid in simpler type systems no longer hold, and intensional dependent type systems are highly sensitive to syntactic changes, including compilation. We develop an A-normal form (ANF) translation with join-point optimization—a standard translation for making control flow explicit in functional languages—from the Extended Calculus of Constructions (ECC) with dependent elimination of booleans and natural numbers (a representative subset of Coq). Our dependently typed target language has equality reflection, allowing the type system to encode semantic equality of terms. This is key to proving type preservation and correctness of separate compilation for this translation. This is the first ANF translation for dependent types. Unlike related translations, it supports the universe hierarchy, and does not rely on parametricity or impredicativity.
Cardiac magnitude resonance findings of a patient with Kawasaki–giant coronary aneurysm and active myocarditis
Authors: Mahdavi Mohammad , Houshmand Golnaz , Mortaz Hejri Golnar , Asl Fallah Sahar
Published: September 2022

Kawasaki disease is the most common vasculitis in children which can result in myocarditis in the acute phase and coronary artery aneurysms, as a major complication, in the sub-acute to chronic phase. We present a case of Kawasaki disease in the sub-acute phase with its features in cardiac MRI manifesting concomitant active myocarditis and giant coronary artery aneurysms.
“Duteous Bonds”:Daniel Derondaand the 1870 Naturalization Act
Authors: VanSant Camey
Published: September 2022

This essay reads George Eliot's Daniel Deronda (1876) in dialogue with mid-Victorian debates on British nationality law, illuminating the larger questions of nationality and community that Eliot considered throughout her career. The 1860s, the decade in which the novel is set, witnessed a transformation in the law of subjecthood that culminated in the Naturalization Act (1870). In the lead up to the act, officials reconsidered the doctrine of “indelible allegiance” and debated whether and how the legal status of a subject should reflect an individual's choice and commitments. In the novel, Eliot approaches these issues by examining nationality as an individual experience in addition to a philosophical issue. For example, although both Sir Hugo Mallinger and Mordecai Cohen are British subjects, Mordecai's identity as a Jew conflicts with his legal status—to his great distress. Eliot uses Mordecai's proposal for a Jewish state to engage with an alternative form of national identity: one in which legal identity aligns with cultural and ethnic indices. In tackling these issues, Eliot exposes the complications and contradictions of national identity, showing how nationality law functions as a battleground for larger conflicts over the fate of nationality, both in Britain and beyond.
The Transatlantic Inheritance of Alice Meynell
Authors: Faulkner Ash
Published: September 2022

It is to Alice Meynell that Coventry Patmore gives the only manuscript ofThe Angel in the House(1854–62) in 1893. But Meynell's actual house at the time, 47 Palace Court, was built with money from Jamaican sugar and rum plantations owned by her father, the legitimated descendant of plantation owners and enslaved persons. In this article, I seek to reconnect Meynell's work to its Jamaican context, building on the work of scholars—from Adela Pinch to Yopie Prins—who have tracked the influence of her prosody, her theology, and her sense of community.
Limping Lucy's Queer Criptopia: Narrative Sidestepping inThe Moonstone
Authors: Lewis Christian
Published: September 2022

Although there has been extensive scholarship on Wilkie Collins'sThe Moonstone—including recent commentary on disability and queerness—there has been no extended engagement with the character of Limping Lucy, a Marxist misandrist working-class disabled lesbian. This piece serves as a corrective to that gap and a justification of why we should study her. Lucy appears in only six pages of the novel, but this essay embraces the minimal amount of text and performs a microreading. In doing so, we can learn a great deal about Lucy, her abnormal body, her radical politics, her role in the narrative, and the queer criptopia she imagines for herself and her disabled beloved, Rosanna. This reading will also demonstrate a mode of reading and ethical reading praxis I call narrative sidestepping—which explores and embraces expansive plot potentials for disabled characters. Using these theoretical tools, I will argue that Lucy, uninterested in the closure of the normative narrative (the solving of the mystery and the resolution of the marriage plot), intentionally delays it, focusing instead on her sidestepped narrative, her plan for a queer criptopic future with Rosanna.
Cognitive behavioural group therapy for insomnia (CBGT-I) in patients undergoing haemodialysis: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Shareh Hossein , Hasheminik Morteza , Jamalinik Mehdi
Published: September 2022

Background:

Given the many complications of drug therapy, it seems reasonable to use non-pharmacological therapies that can improve mental and physical disorders in haemodialysis patients.

Aims:

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural group therapy for insomnia (CBGT-I) in sleep quality, depression, anxiety and general psychological health of haemodialysis patients.

Method:

This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 116 haemodialysis patients who were randomly assigned to experimental (n=58) and control (n=58) groups. In the experimental group, CBGT-I was provided during nine weekly sessions. Data collection tools included Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDIII), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Clinical Global Improvement Scale (CGI), Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) and Working Alliance Inventory-Short Form (WAI-S). Data were analysed by SPSS-25 and p<.05 was considered significant.

Results:

The findings demonstrated that CBGT-I compared with control group was effective in improving sleep quality (p<.001, η2=.790), depression (p<.001, η2=.616), anxiety (p<.001, η2=.682) and general psychological health (p<.001, η2=.871). Participants of CBGT-I showed notable improvements as a result of the treatment, were satisfied with treatment, and had a good therapeutic relationship.

Conclusions:

CBGT-I is effective in reducing depression and anxiety in addition to improving sleep quality and general psychological health in haemodialysis patients. Therefore, it is recommended to be used as a complementary treatment for these patients.