bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using Relative Distribution Methods to Study Economic Polarization across Categories and Contexts
Authors: Cheng Siwei , Levine Andrew , Martin-Caughey Ananda
Published: July 2024

In addition to overall dispersion, the distributional shape of economic status has attracted growing attention in the inequality literature. Economic polarization is a specific form of distributional change, characterized by a shrinking middle of the distribution and a growing top and bottom, with potentially important and unique social consequences. Building on relative distribution methods and drawing from the literature on job polarization, the authors develop an approach for analyzing economic polarization at the individual level. The method has three useful features. First, it offers intuitive and flexible measurement of economic polarization both between and within categories. Second, it helps disentangle two potential sources of economic polarization: compositional change, which involves changes to the allocation of workers across categories, and relative economic status change, which involves changes to the allocation of economic rewards between individuals. Third, it enables researchers to uncover and examine potential heterogeneity in economic polarization, for example, across occupations, geographic units, demographic and educational groups, and firms. The authors demonstrate the utility of this approach through two empirical applications: (1) an analysis of trends in wage polarization between and within occupations and (2) an examination of geographic variation in income polarization.
The struggle for water as a source for territorial re-existence in Chile: Rethinking the agrarian question in Latin America
Authors: Panez Alexander , Mansilla-Quiñones Pablo , Olea Peńaloza Jorge
Published: July 2024

Water is a key challenge when it comes to the Latin American agrarian issue, and its lack threatens rural living. The Chilean case is emblematic of this issue, given the implications of neoliberalism and its consequences on environmental injustice. Social movements are now adding the issue of water to their historical demands for land and territory. This paper addresses what features the water struggle has acquired among social movements in Chile by undertaking a critical, geohistorical reading of ongoing social processes. Our conclusions indicate that the agrarian territories are at a crossroads that demands mobilization or risks initiating a process of rural depopulation.
Tower crane systems modeling and adaptive robust sliding mode control design under unknown frictions and wind disturbances
Authors: Hou Chuanjing , Liu Can , Li Zhi , Xin Zheng , Zhang Hanyuan
Published: July 2024

Tower cranes are typical underactuated systems, characterized by high-state coupling and lack of available control inputs, resulting in major challenges for the dynamics analysis. A dynamic model of tower cranes without simplifications is established, where the nonlinearities, unknown frictions, and wind disturbances are emphatically considered. Based on the developed model, an adaptive robust sliding mode control (ARSMC) scheme is proposed, which can achieve accurate payload positioning and sufficient swings suppression, even in the presence of unknown frictions and wind disturbances. Specifically, a sliding mode surface and a suppression function are designed to eliminate payload swings; a sliding mode convergence law is constructed to alleviate the chattering problem; the robustness of the controller is enhanced by designing an estimation strategy of wind disturbances; an effective parameter estimation is presented to improve the adaptive ability of unknown parameters. The stability of the closed-loop system is proved by utilizing the Lyapunov technique and LaSalle’s invariance principle. Finally, the effectiveness of the tower crane model and the superiority of the ARSMC are verified by multiple comparative simulations.
Clustering-based regularized orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm for rolling element bearing fault diagnosis
Authors: Hui Yicong , Zhang Yanchao , Tang Jie , Li Zhe , Chen Runlin , Cui Yahui
Published: July 2024

The sparse representation, which is based on the orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm, is a useful technique for identifying defect characteristics in rolling element bearings. However, OMP is easily influenced by noise interference and is prone to choosing irrelevant atoms during the sparse decomposition process, resulting in a reduction in reconstruction accuracy. A clustering-based regularized orthogonal matching pursuit (CROMP) algorithm is proposed for bearing fault diagnosis. The clustering technique can successfully eliminate redundant atoms from the dictionary, improving the system’s stability and performance, while regularization can enhance the program’s capacity to recover sparse signals. The suggested technique may successfully recover transient signals from loud noise, according to simulation simulations. The approach performs well in extracting notable fault impacts, according to actual testing. The suggested approach takes less time to run and extracts early defect information more effectively than the OMP algorithm.
Design and application of fuzzy neural network systems optimized with hybrid algorithms
Authors: Chen Yang , Liu Jiahuan , Zhou Junge
Published: July 2024

Fuzzy neural network systems (FNNSs) can incorporate the merits of fuzzy logic systems (FLSs) and neural networks (NN). This paper designs a type of non-singleton FNNSs for forecasting issues. The proposed hybrid backpropagation (BP) algorithms and recursive least square (RLS) algorithms are used for optimizing the parameters of antecedents, input measurements, and consequents simultaneously. Two computer simulation examples based on the data of European Network on Intelligent Technology (EUNITE) and data of west Texas intermediate (WTI) crude oil price are used for testing. Convergence analysis shows that the hybrid optimized FNNSs have very high generalization ability.
Don’t Waste My Time! The Development and Validation of the Wasted Time Perceptions Scale
Authors: Holtz Brian C. , Harold Crystal M. , Puranik Harshad , Gardner Kristian
Published: July 2024

Anecdotal evidence in popular literature abounds about how perceiving that others have wasted one’s time is a common workplace experience with potentially negative consequences. Yet, there is a dearth of rigorous empirical research into the subjective nature of this psychological experience and its effect on employees. A lack of construct clarity and the absence of a validated measure to assess perceptions of having one’s time wasted have held scholarship back. To stimulate research on this topic, building on the recent focus on subjective time in the literature on time and adopting an entity-based approach, we offer a definition of wasted time perceptions and develop and validate a measure of this construct. Our five-item measure of wasted time perceptions demonstrated strong psychometric properties across seven independent samples. Further, building on frustration–aggression theory, we demonstrate that wasted time perceptions predict core affective and behavioral outcomes in the management literature, above and beyond previously established predictors. We also show that our new measure is easily adaptable to, and differentiates across, different focal entities (e.g., boss, coworker, subordinate, customer) relevant to organizational scholars. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
Towards an agenda for information education and research for sustainable development
Authors: Chowdhury Gobinda , Chowdhury Sudatta
Published: July 2024

Education for sustainable development (ESD) has been identified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a core requirement for achieving success in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Research around data, information and people for achieving success in different SDGs shows how important ESD is. Research also shows that the library and information sector can contribute in many ways to achieve the UN SDGs. Therefore, it is crucial that a strategic approach is taken to embed the concepts of SDGs and their targets and indicators, and the corresponding data and information required to achieve those, within the information science curricula, so that the SDGs form the foundation of information science education, research and professional activities. This article aims to develop a research agenda for education and research in information sciences for promoting and achieving success in different SDGs. First, taking the approach of a metareview, this article shows the trends, as well as challenges, of research and development activities around information for sustainable development. This article demonstrates how the different activities of the LIS (Library and Information Science) sector can be mapped onto some specific targets and indicators of different SDGs, and based on this, it develops an agenda for education and research in information for sustainable development. The research agenda will lead to the development of new information sciences curricula to accommodate the SDGs for training and research in specific LIS activities. This article discusses how the research agenda will also lead to the development of trained professionals in information science for promoting the concepts, and achieving the targets, of the SDGs for a sustainable future.
All roads lead to Rome: Understanding the diffusion trajectories of innovation twins
Authors: Zhai Yujia , Liang Yixiao , Xu Jia , Yan Jiaqi
Published: July 2024

This study conducts a comparison of the references and citations of two discoveries that were made simultaneously yet independently. The two discoveries, specifically ‘Inference of Population Structure Using Multilocus Genotype Data (IPSUMGD)’ and ‘Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA)’, are both significant academic publications in their respective fields. Although they share similar underlying concepts, they originate from different disciplines. Our objective is to analyse similarities and differences in the knowledge foundation and diffusion trajectories of these simultaneous discoveries, IPSUMGD and LDA, to further determine if a general pattern of successful innovation diffusion exists. The results indicate that the considerable similarity in the core ideas of IPSUMGD and LDA may be attributed to a strong disciplinary connection in their knowledge foundation, leading to overlapping diffusion processes. However, the divergence in thematic volatility and discipline distribution implies that IPSUMGD and LDA occupy distinct and independent diffusion spaces, which is crucial for their success. The citation cascade networks highlight the unique diffusion patterns of IPSUMGD and LDA, with IPSUMGD originating from the emergence of multiple high-impact nodes and LDA evolving through iterative innovation. The main path analysis reveals that both articles feature several key nodes in their diffusion processes, and the original authors have made substantial contributions to their long-term citation trajectories.
The impact of being selected as a cover paper: Evidence from high-impact materials science journals
Authors: Zhang Ruilin , Sun Zhuanlan
Published: July 2024

In the era of print reading, being selected as a cover paper holds a crucial role in attracting greater attention and bolstering academic influence. It is important to assess its effect on scholarly attention and academic influence, particularly in light of the evolving reading habits among researchers. In this study, we empirically estimate the impact of ‘being selected as a cover paper’ on scholarly online attention (proxied by altmetric score) and academic influence (measured by citation counts). This analysis is based on a data set comprising 25,238 papers selected from 10 high-impact materials science journals (with journal impact factors exceeding 10) published between 2016 and 2020. Our findings indicate a positive correlation between ‘being selected as a cover paper’ and scholarly online attention, while its impact on academic influence is insignificant. Our results remain robust even when excluding the top 1% mostly cited papers, employing the negative binomial model and considering various time windows for estimation. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the impact of ‘being selected as a cover paper’ on scholarly online attention holds across nearly all topics, consistent with the baseline result. In addition, online platforms, such as Twitter and News outlets, exhibit a higher frequency of sharing research featured as cover papers. We offer suggestive evidence that ‘being selected as a cover paper’ is not solely contingent on its quality. These findings contribute to the development of a precise, dynamic and multi-dimensional evaluation framework, crucial for navigating the revolution of science communication.
Research on interdisciplinarity of five-metrics in China based on Chinese Citation Data under the background of open science
Authors: Zhao Hongyu , Wang Xu
Published: July 2024

The theories, methods and techniques of bibliometrics, scientometrics, informetrics, webometrics and knowledgometrics together constitute Five-Metrics. Five-Metrics is one of the most active research fields in China’s library and information science (LIS), and the research on Five-Metrics in China is characterised by the diversity of disciplines. Quantitative analysis of interdisciplinary research in Five-Metrics of China reveals the disciplinary origin and knowledge structure of Chinese Five-Metrics, grasps the interdisciplinary patterns and laws of Five-Metrics, and helps promote international exchange and cooperation, innovation and development of Five-Metrics research in the context of open science. Based on the theory of knowledge flow, this study uses a combination of citation analysis, mathematical modelling analysis, social network analysis and statistical analysis. We study the interdisciplinary degree of Five-Metrics based on 20,528 publications and corresponding 207,530 reference records and 111,823 citing article records, using a combination of python, gephi, origin and other tools. The results show that the interdisciplinarity of Five-Metrics publications and knowledge flow at the macroscopic level is high, and interdisciplinarity of the cited references and citing articles of Five-Metrics is higher. At the microscopic level, there is a wide gap in the interdisciplinarity of Five-Metrics in different disciplines. In addition, this study identifies three interdisciplinary knowledge flow patterns of Five-Metrics of China. This study conducts a comprehensive analysis of the interdisciplinary Five-Metrics study in China based on the cited references, publications and citing articles.
In Bed With Bob Guccione: Me, #MeToo, and the Ethical Challenges of Writing Porn History
Authors: Bronstein Carolyn
Published: July 2024

Can we separate art from the artist who created it? This essay discusses the debate over art created by morally problematic men, especially those revealed through the lens of #MeToo activism as sexual abusers. From a historical perspective, how should we regard the pornography produced by men like Bob Guccione, whose Penthouse magazine reached millions of readers from 1965 on and became one of the most important texts shaping 20th-century post-war American sexual discourse? What are the ethics of engaging with media texts built on the objectification of women's bodies, and do we cause new injury by bringing those long-hidden historical publications into current discourse? I share my experiences studying Guccione's life and the magazines he published, emphasizing the case of Viva, a lushly photographed, high-end title that blended radical feminism with full-frontal male nudity in an adventurous 1970s magazine for women. Viva complicates the idea, drawn from contemporary cancel culture, that art produced by abusive creators should be ignored.
Risk factors for postoperative acute pancreatitis after thoracic aortic surgery
Authors: Ueda Ryoma , Esaki Jiro , Tsubota Hideki , Honda Masanori , Kudo Masafumi , Matsuo Takehiko , Okabayashi Hitoshi
Published: July 2024

Background

We aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors of postoperative acute pancreatitis (PAP) following thoracic aortic surgery with circulatory arrest.

Methods

One hundred fifty-two patients who underwent thoracic aortic surgery with circulatory arrest between February 2015 and March 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Postoperative acute pancreatitis was defined as the presence of two or more of the following criteria: (1) abdominal pain, (2) postoperative amylase or lipase levels greater than three times the upper limit of normal, and (3) evidence of pancreatitis on postoperative computed tomography (CT) scan. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to find risk factors for PAP.

Results

Nine patients (5.9%) developed PAP without mortality. All of the nine patients had elevated pancreatic enzymes and evidence of pancreatitis on CT. They improved with conservative therapy. In multivariate analysis, only cross-clamp time was found to be a significant risk factor for PAP (adjusted odds ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1–1.08; p = 0.042).

Conclusion

The incidence of PAP after thoracic aortic surgery with circulatory arrest was 5.9%, and cross-clamp time is an independent risk factor for PAP.
Association between participation in the supplemental nutrition assistance program and perception of limited availability and choice of healthy foods
Authors: Cheng Jessica , Thorndike Anne N.
Published: July 2024

Background

Nutrition security encompasses stable and equitable access, availability, affordability, and utilization of healthy foods.

Aim

To evaluate the relationship of two newly created dichotomous measures that represent aspects of nutrition security (i.e., perceived limited availability and healthfulness choice) with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation.

Methods

Logistic regression models were run for each outcome separately with adjustment for age, income-to-poverty ratio, gender, education, race, and food security.

Results

Adults using social services (e.g., food pantries) were enrolled (N = 402) in this cross-sectional analysis. SNAP participants (61.7%) were not different from non-SNAP participants in perceiving limited availability (aOR [95% CI]: 1.21 [0.75, 1.95]) or limited ability to choose (aOR [95% CI]: 0.69 [0.43, 1.12]) healthy foods.

Conclusions

Both SNAP and non-SNAP participants with low socioeconomic status report limited availability of healthy foods in their environment and a limited ability to choose healthy foods.
Pulverised Flexible Polyurethane Foam Particles as a Filler in Natural Rubber Vulcanisates
Authors: Sims G.L.A. , Sombatsompop N.
Published: July 2024

Polyester polyurethane foam was densified and comminuted using an intermeshing disc impact mill. Resultant particles were investigated as a potential filler in natural rubber at concentrations from 0-75 parts per hundred rubber by monitoring tensile properties, elongation set. cure times and fracture surface characteristics.

It was found that a filler concentration of 25 parts per hundred rubber produced essentially similar tensile properties, elongation set and cure time to the natural rubber vulcanisate suggesting that the filler was a satisfactory extender for natural rubber.

Increasing filler content to 30 parts per hundred rubber significantly increased modulus at 100% and 200% strain and the ultimate tensile stress but worsened breaking strain and elongation set. Therefore in a critical concentration range between 25 and 30 parts per hundred rubber the particles could be regarded as a reinforcing filler extender whereas higher concentrations produced progressively poorer properties but cheapened the product cost.

Scanning electron micrographs of fracture surfaces, obtained at 21°C and after immersion in liquid nitrogen, tended to indicate that reinforcement was likely to be a function of relatively weak intermolecular forces at the interface of the elastomer and the particle, molecular entanglements and a possible further contribution due to the aspect ratio of the particles which may act as short fibre reinforcement.
Experiments and Modelling of the Expansion of Crosslinked Polyethylene Foams
Authors: Mahapatro A. , Mills N.J. , Sims G.L.A.
Published: July 2024

The density of chemically-blown low density polyethylene foam was altered by varying the amount of blowing agent, the degree of cross linking of the polymer, and the foam expansion temperature. A theory is proposed for the equilibrium density, based on the gas pressures in a Kelvin foam structure, and a rubber-elastic analysis of the biaxial stretching of the cell faces. The predicted densities are within 3 kg m -3of the experimental values. For commercial types of LDPE foams, the biaxial stresses in the cell faces are significant, but they only cause a minor increase in the foam density above the free-expansion limit. The molecular orientation in the cell faces must affect the foam properties. The diffusion of the nitrogen gas from the foam is insignificant.
Synthesis of anthracene-based polyaminal polymer for CO2 capture and lead (II) removal from water waste
Authors: Alharthi Abeer M. , Alkayal Nazeeha S. , Alotaibi Maha M. , Alrayyani Maymounah A. , Bahaidarah Effat A. , Alshareef F. M.
Published: July 2024

In response to the rising interest in reducing atmospheric CO2 levels and heavy metals in water, new polyaminal-linked polymer networks were effectively synthesized using a one-pot polycondensation reaction of melamine and 9-anthracenecarboxaldehyde (PAN-AN). The polyaminal porosity parameter was investigated and applied for CO2 adsorption and heavy metal removal. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, solid-state ¹³C NMR, and X-ray diffraction were used to confirm the formation of the polymer structure. The porous material structure was determined using a scanning electron microscope and N2 adsorption–desorption methods at 77 K. The polyaminal has a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of ∼ 230.42 m2/g and a high CO2 uptake of 30.08 cm3/g. PAN-AN was used to investigate the adsorption behavior of several metal cations and showed high sensitivity for Pb(II). The pH, adsorbent dose, initial concentration, and contact time were used to evaluate the synthesized polymer as an adsorbent against the Pb(II) ion. At pH 5.5 and 20 mg of dosage, PAN-AN had a high capability in removing 90.05% of Pb(II). Furthermore, the Freundlich model fits the adsorption isotherm data well, whereas the adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The results revealed that the porosity (PAN-AN) influences CO2 adsorption and heavy metal adsorption.
Coopetition in the small business sector: Taking stock and looking forward
Authors: Gast Johanna , Lasch Frank , Le Roy Frédéric , Zanardi Chloé
Published: July 2024

A growing literature explores the phenomenon of simultaneous cooperating and competing firms. Mostly in strategic management, this literature primarily focused upon large firms. The dynamics of coopetition in small firms, including new and micro-firms, however, remains under-explored raising questions about how they both engage with and manage this complex paradoxical relationship. Shifting the focus in coopetition research to small firms is vital as despite many noted benefits, evidence suggests that liabilities of newness and smallness affect engagement in cooperative relationships. Due to the specificities of small firms, it remains unlikely that the knowledge derived from their larger counterparts will adequately reflect the drivers and mechanisms of small firm coopetition. How does coopetition unfold in the small firm sector? How do challenges and specificities of small firms influence principles and mechanisms identified by the literature on large firm coopetition? To analyse such issues, in this annual review article, we evaluate the emerging body of research on small firm coopetition. Connecting coopetition strategy with small firms and entrepreneurship, we provide a comprehensive review of this emerging literature drawing from which, we then formulate future research needs and directions.
Tungsten heavy alloys for kinetic energy penetrators: a review
Authors: Singh Indeevar , Dabhade Vikram V
Published: July 2024

Tungsten heavy alloys are preferred materials for kinetic energy penetrators owing to the combination of high density, tensile strength, good impact strength and inert nature. The factors affecting shear band formation in the material and strategies to aid their early emergence by various alloy and process modifications to sustain a self-sharpened head during penetration are the main focus of this review article. Changes in the microstructural features such as tungsten grain size, dihedral angle and contiguity and mechanical properties by the addition of various alloying constituents and post-processing are critically discussed, along with high strain rate deformation behaviour analysis. This article also captures recent developments in the last decade and future prospects in the field of tungsten heavy alloys.
Temporal changes in markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis in adults during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
Authors: Doyle Andrew J , Retter Andrew , Parmar Kiran , Mayger Katarzyna , Barrett Nicholas , Camporota Luigi , Breen Karen A , Hunt Beverley J
Published: July 2024

Introduction

Bleeding and thrombotic events (BTE) are frequent during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). They occur at varying timepoints and may be affected by temporal changes in coagulation and fibrinolysis. We aimed to assess various coagulation and fibrinolytic markers over time and their relationship with BTE.

Methods

A single-centre prospective study was performed in 17 patients with severe respiratory failure receiving veno-venous ECMO. Blood samples were collected before and during ECMO, and around circuit decannulation.

Results

Prior to ECMO, D-Dimer, Plasmin-Antiplasmin complexes (PAP), Plasminogen-Activator Inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and fibrinogen were elevated. There was an increase in D-Dimer and Prothrombin Fragments 1+2 (PF1+2) (729 to 1305pmol/L, p = .034) by day 1 and PAP increased by day 2 from baseline levels (median 1022 to 1797 µg/L, p = .023). There was a strong positive correlation in PAP, PF1+2 and thrombin-antithrombin complexes (TAT) to D-Dimer. BTE were frequent – 18% had major extracranial haemorrhage and 24% had intracranial haemorrhage. Over time, there was a progressive elevation PAP in patients developing subsequent extracranial haemorrhage, whereas D-Dimer, PAP and PF1+2 increased after intracranial haemorrhage.

Conclusions

There were early changes in coagulation activity during ECMO by PF1+2 followed by subsequent fibrinolysis by PAP. Changes in PAP, PF1+2 and TAT were associated with major haemorrhage.
Levetiracetam pharmacokinetics in venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: A case report
Authors: Solomon Diana , Gaines Devon , Peterson Lars-Kristofer
Published: July 2024

This case report describes the pharmacokinetics of levetiracetam in a critically ill patient supported on venovenous membrane oxygenation. While levetiracetam has emerged as a first line option to treat seizures in critically ill patients, there is limited information available regarding the impact of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation on the pharmacokinetics of this medication. This report contributes to the limited body of literature describing the pharmacokinetics of medications in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
What factors at discharge predict physical activity and walking outcomes 6 months after stroke? A systematic review
Authors: Nayak Neelam , Mahendran Niruthikha , Kuys Suzanne , Brauer Sandra G
Published: July 2024

Objective

This study aimed to identify factors at hospital discharge that predict physical activity and walking outcomes in the first 6 months after stroke.

Data sources

Searches were conducted in CINAHL (EBSCO), Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus from inception to 30 April 2024. Reference lists of included articles were manually screened to identify additional studies.

Review methods

Studies of adults with stroke reporting predictors at hospital discharge and outcomes of physical activity or walking across the first 6 months after hospital discharge were included. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts and reviewed full texts. Quality of included studies was assessed with Quality in Prognostic Studies screening tool. A narrative synthesis was undertaken.

Results

The search strategy retrieved 7834 studies, from which 6 eligible studies were identified, including a total of 1433 participants. Overall, studies had a low risk of bias. Age, balance, walking speed and walking distance at hospital discharge predicted physical activity outcomes after stroke ( n = 2 studies). Cognition, lower limb cycling rhythm and self-efficacy for walking at hospital discharge predicted walking outcomes after stroke ( n = 4 studies).

Conclusions

A range of factors predicted physical activity and walking outcomes 6 months after stroke. Physical capabilities at discharge appear to be a predictor of these outcomes; however, this needs to be interpreted with caution. Diverse measures and time points were used across studies to characterise physical activity and walking outcomes, highlighting the need for consistency in measurement and longitudinal studies in stroke research.
Best practice exercise for emerging depression in multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Ahola Kristiina , Dorstyn Diana , Prideaux Nicole
Published: July 2024

Objective

To examine the effects of instructor-led exercise on depression symptoms in adults with multiple sclerosis, with a focus on moderating factors to treatment response.

Data sources

Cochrane Library, Embase, PEDro, PsycINFO and PubMed databases were searched until 21 April 2024.

Review methods

The reporting quality of included studies assessed (PEDro and TESTEX scales). Hedges’ g effect sizes were calculated and pooled using random and mixed-effects modelling.

Results

Twenty-two independent studies ( k), representing 785 participants with relapsing remitting or progressive MS, were included. Individual studies varied in their reporting quality (PEDro range: 3–8) and did not routinely detail exercise parameters (TESTEX range: 5–13). Nonetheless, exercise reduced core symptoms of depression ( gw = .52, CI: .30–.73, P < .01). Treatment effects were, however, not maintained once training had ceased ( gw = −.53, CI: −.80 to .24, P ≤ .01, k = 5). Both aerobic and non-aerobic exercise groups experienced a significant ( P < .01) reduction in depression scores. Larger gains were noted by those with better ambulation at baseline ( P = .03).

Conclusion

Regular exercise can help to stabilise mood for people living with multiple sclerosis, regardless of session frequency or duration. Treatment efficacy could be maximised by addressing potential barriers for those with limited mobility, including exercise type, delivery and intensity. Protocol registered on Open Science Framework [ https://osf.io/zfymq/ ].
Considerations for developing complex post-stroke upper limb behavioural interventions: An international qualitative study
Authors: Wingfield Matthew , Hughes Gemma , Fini Natalie A , Brodtmann Amy , Williams Gavin , Hayward Kathryn S
Published: July 2024

Objective

To simultaneously explore the perspectives and opinions of different invested participant groups on the important considerations for development of upper limb behavioural interventions that drive optimal post-stroke upper limb motor recovery.

Design

A qualitative descriptive study in a constructivist epistemology.

Participants

Purposively selected participant groups (preclinical research n = 9, clinical research n = 9, clinical experience n = 9 and lived experience n = 10).

Setting

Research participants were selected from top internationally published authors. Experiential participants were recruited internationally, through networks.

Results

Four themes were identified with embedded subthemes. Theme 1: ‘Clinical relevance should be the core of a “good” research question’ with two subthemes: ‘Breaking down silos: forging interdisciplinary research teams’, and ‘Beyond the pipeline: bench to bedside and back’; theme 2: ‘Balance restitution and compensation to maximise outcomes’ with three subthemes: ‘Good outcome: going beyond an outcome measure’, ‘Recovery is a puzzle: measure all the pieces’, and ‘Optimising capacity: knowing when and how’; theme 3: ‘Stroke demands personalised solutions’ with two subthemes: ‘Condition-specific considerations’, and ‘Person-specific considerations’; theme 4: ‘Upper limb recovery requires complex interventions’ with four subthemes: ‘Fuelling engagement’, ‘Content is crucial’, ‘Multidimensional dose’, and ‘Therapist sway’.

Conclusions

This study suggests that post-stroke upper limb motor interventions are the interactions of multiple intervention elements (e.g. dose and content) shaped by different contextual considerations (e.g. stroke and personal factors). Development of such interventions may need to consider both content and context of the intervention to drive optimal recovery.
Spreading depolarization causes reversible neuronal mitochondria fragmentation and swelling in healthy, normally perfused neocortex
Authors: Sword Jeremy , Fomitcheva Ioulia V , Kirov Sergei A
Published: July 2024

Mitochondrial function is tightly linked to morphology, and fragmentation of dendritic mitochondria during noxious conditions suggests loss of function. In the normoxic cortex, spreading depolarization (SD) is a phenomenon underlying migraine aura. It is unknown whether mitochondria structure is affected by normoxic SD. In vivo two-photon imaging followed by quantitative serial section electron microscopy (ssEM) was used to monitor dendritic mitochondria in the normoxic cortex of urethane-anesthetized mature male and female mice during and after SD initiated by focal KCl microinjection. Structural dynamics of dendrites and their mitochondria were visualized by transfecting excitatory, glutamatergic neurons of the somatosensory cortex with bicistronic AAV, which induced tdTomoto labeling in neuronal cytoplasm and mitochondria labeling with roGFP. Normoxic SD triggered rapidly reversible fragmentation of dendritic mitochondria alongside dendritic beading; however, mitochondria took significantly longer to recover. Several rounds of SD resulted in transient mitochondrial fragmentation and dendritic beading without accumulating injury, as both recovered. SsEM corroborated normoxic SD-elicited dendritic and mitochondrial swelling and transformation of the filamentous mitochondrial network into shorter, swollen tubular, and globular structures. Our results revealed normoxic SD-induced disruption of the dendritic mitochondrial structure that might impact mitochondrial bioenergetics during migraine with aura.
Pericyte response to ischemic stroke precedes endothelial cell death and blood-brain barrier breakdown
Authors: Roth Michaela , Carlsson Robert , Buizza Carolina , Enström Andreas , Paul Gesine
Published: July 2024

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability, yet the cellular response to the ischemic insult is poorly understood limiting therapeutic options. Brain pericytes are crucial for maintaining blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity and are known to be one of the first responders to ischemic stroke. The exact timeline of cellular events after stroke, however, remains elusive. Using the permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion stroke model, we established a detailed timeline of microvascular events after experimental stroke. Our results show that pericytes respond already within 1 hour after the ischemic insult. We find that approximately 30% of the pericyte population dies as early as 1 hour after stroke, while ca 50% express markers that indicate activation. A decrease of endothelial tight junctions, signs of endothelial cell death and reduction in blood vessel length are only detected at time points after the initial pericyte response. Consistently, markers of BBB leakage are observed several hours after pericyte cell death and/or vascular detachment. Our results suggest that the pericyte response to stroke occurs early and precedes both the endothelial response and the BBB breakdown. This highlights pericytes as an important target cell type to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic tools.
The Importance of Brand Equity in the Business of Marketing Education
Authors: Bacon Donald R.
Published: July 2024

College graduates earn higher wages than noncollege graduates, but questions remain about the degree to which this wage difference is driven by learning in college or by the signal that the degree sends to employers. Based on a review of the literature, I propose that the value of a marketing degree is much less related to learning marketing than it is to the business school’s brand equity. A business school with strong brand equity can be more selective in admissions decision making, which in turn leads to increased graduate success and further builds the school’s brand equity. This brand-centric perspective resolves several persistent questions including why student evaluations of teaching are so important in business schools, why improvements in learning are underfunded, and why marketing education research is under-emphasized. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Enhancing Legitimacy: A Pathway to Strategy Renewal of Business Schools
Authors: Schlegelmilch Bodo B.
Published: July 2024

The rise of business schools around the globe has been a success story. However, paradigmatic changes in technology, fundamental shifts in values and major demographic developments have put business schools on the defensive. Students question whether business schools still adequately prepare them for their future careers, managers are concerned about the relevance of business schools’ research output, and some stakeholders even debate whether business schools prioritize profit and neoliberal values over societal needs. Consequently, there is an urgent need for business schools to enhance their legitimacy. This article offers a pathway to the strategic renewal of business schools. Using a Socratic questioning approach, we propose a guide to review a business school’s key strategic decisions. This offers insights on selecting a competitive positioning that aligns external stakeholder demands with the resources and capabilities of a business school.
A geometric characterization of observability in inertial parameter identification
Authors: Wensing Patrick M. , Niemeyer Günter , Slotine Jean-Jacques E.
Published: July 2024

This paper presents an algorithm to geometrically characterize inertial parameter identifiability for an articulated robot. The geometric approach tests identifiability across the infinite space of configurations using only a finite set of conditions and without approximation. It can be applied to general open-chain kinematic trees ranging from industrial manipulators to legged robots, and it is the first solution for this broad set of systems that is provably correct. The high-level operation of the algorithm is based on a key observation: Undetectable changes in inertial parameters can be represented as sequences of inertial transfers across the joints. Drawing on the exponential parameterization of rigid-body kinematics, undetectable inertial transfers are analyzed in terms of observability from linear systems theory. This analysis can be applied recursively, and lends an overall complexity of O( N) to characterize parameter identifiability for a system of N bodies. Matlab source code for the new algorithm is provided.
Predicting cachexia in hepatocellular carcinoma patients: a nomogram based on MRI features and body composition
Authors: Li Xin-xiang , Liu Bing , Zhao Yu-fei , Jiang Yang , Mao Hui , Peng Xin-gui
Published: July 2024

Background

Approximately half of all patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) develop cachexia during the course of the disease. It is important to be able to predict which patients will develop cachexia at an early stage.

Purpose

To develop and validate a nomogram based on the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of HCC and body composition for potentially predicting cachexia in patients with HCC.

Material and Methods

A retrospective two-center study recruited the pretreatment clinical and MRI data of 411 patients with HCC undergoing abdominal MRI. The data were divided into three cohorts for development, internal validation, and external validation. Patients were followed up for six months after the MRI scan to record each patient's weight to diagnose cachexia. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent variables associated with cachexia in the development cohort used to build the nomogram.

Results

The multivariable analysis suggested that the MRI parameters of tumor size > 5 cm ( P = 0.001), intratumoral artery ( P = 0.004), skeletal muscle index ( P < 0.001), and subcutaneous fat area ( P = 0.004) were independent predictors of cachexia in patients with HCC. The nomogram derived from these parameters in predicting cachexia reached an area under receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.819, 0.783, and 0.814 in the development, and internal and external validation cohorts, respectively.

Conclusion

The proposed multivariable nomogram suggested good performance in predicting the risk of cachexia in HCC patients.
The influence of secondary aluminum dross on lime desulfurization for hot metal
Authors: Su Lijuan , Xu Jifang , Tian Jun , Xie Chunsheng , Wang Chengzhi
Published: July 2024

The desulfurization effect of CaO-secondary aluminum dross (SAD) composite desulfurizer in hot metal was studied in present work. The thermodynamic reaction mechanism of desulfurization with CaO as desulfurizer under the action of SAD was discussed. The experimental results indicated that the desulfurization ability of CaO significantly improved with the addition of SAD. Metallic aluminum can effectively reduce the oxygen potential in molten melt, which is conductive to the thermodynamics conditions of desulfurization reactions. When CaO-SAD composite desulfurizer is used, C3A calcium aluminate with low melting point can be generated, which improves the fluidity of desulfurizer at experimental temperatures. Meanwhile, it prevents the formation of high melting point 2CaO·SiO2 on the surface of lime particles and promotes a sustainable desulfurization reaction. When the ratio of CaO/SAD is 0.9 and 1.0, the utilization rate of CaO in desulfurizer is about 10%, which is higher than that of calcium-aluminate based desulfurizer. The application of SAD as a desulfurizer for hot metal in the steel industry can provide a new approach for the comprehensive utilization of SAD.
Speculating on collapse: Unrealized socioecological fixes of agri-food tech
Authors: Guthman Julie , Fairbairn Madeleine
Published: July 2024

Circa 2023, after receiving much hype and investment, two agri-food technologies touted for their world-changing potential, bioengineered animal protein substitutes and vertical (indoor) farms, began to falter economically. Tech sector observers attributed the fall to typical hype cycle dynamics; this paper provides a deeper read. Based on research involving over ninety interviews with agri-food tech sector actors and observation at nearly 100 industry events, we show an unrealized socioecological fix as first conceptualized by Ekers and Prudham. As attempts at preemption, these technologies were able to attract excess capital to an area believed to be in need of fixing, and their backers anticipated and in some cases tried to promote the devaluation of legacy production systems. But the technologies on offer failed to become cost competitive in a timely way since legacy production systems continued to be productive and profitable. It was these new companies that became uncompetitive and overvalued, which in turn turned investments in them into bad ones. Ironically, the agri-food tech sector has eschewed a path which might have made their products competitive, which is social regulation of legacy production systems. Instead they effectively speculated that such systems would implode under their own contradictions.
Research on Ablation Performance and Evaluation of Flame-Retardant Asphalt Mixtures for Tunnel Pavement
Authors: Wang Kaifeng , Kan Yuxun , Song Liming , Zhu Yunsheng , Li Yue
Published: July 2024

Tunnel fires often cause significant damage to asphalt pavements. Flame-retardant asphalt is used to mitigate this damage, but effective evaluation indicators for assessing the extent of damage are currently lacking. In this study, a series of methods such as ablation, rutting, semicircular bending, and immersion Marshall tests were used to investigate the influence of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and Ca-Al hydrotalcite (CAHC) composite flame retardants on asphalt mixture performance. Additionally, the study assesses changes in the properties of flame-retardant asphalt mixtures before and after simulated fire. Based on the indoor test results, ablation depth is proposed as a novel index for evaluating the performance degradation of flame-retardant asphalt mixtures post-combustion. The findings indicate that the addition of flame retardants enhances the fire-extinguishing speed of the asphalt mixture by 21.36% and improves high-temperature performance by 25.83%. While water damage resistance stability and fatigue performance show slight improvements, low-temperature cracking resistance is reduced. Compared with ordinary asphalt mixtures, flame-retardant asphalt mixtures demonstrate a 30.30% increase in minimum dynamic modulus at high temperatures and a 17.22% decrease in maximum value at low temperatures, indicating superior temperature adaptability. Despite a decline in post-combustion performance, the flame-retardant asphalt mixture maintains satisfactory pavement performance, with an ablation depth calculated at 34.7 mm. Field application of the flame-retardant asphalt pavement shows good pavement performance. Field sampling and simulated fire tests indicate that the ablation depth, as the thickness of the flame-retardant layer, effectively protects the asphalt pavement, validating the effectiveness of ablation depth as an evaluation metric.