bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Climate Decision of the German Constitutional Court and Its Implications on Soil Management
Authors: Douhaire Caroline
Published: March 2024

On 24 March 2021, Germany’s highest court found the German Climate Change Act to be partly unconstitutional because it did not sufficiently mitigate the burden put on the future exercise of freedom rights by the emissions allowed until 2030. The ruling represents a milestone for climate protection in Germany and also deserves attention beyond Germany’s borders. In this ruling, the Constitutional Court sets a strong signal for more climate change, making clear that the protection of the climate is a constitutional obligation. Because of the close interactions between soil and climate change, the decision also recalls the importance of a better soil protection. This chapter summarizes the essential statements of the Court and analyses the consequences for soil protection.
Talking Privately in Utopia: Ideals of Silence and Dissimulation in Smeeks’ Krinke Kesmes (1708)
Authors: Benison Liam
Published: March 2024

This chapter shows how reading a utopia from the perspective of social knowledge production can furnish new understanding of the practice of private conversation in early modern Europe in “Talking Privately in Utopia: Ideals of Silence and Dissimulation in Smeeks’ Krinke Kesmes (1708)”. Taking the example of Hendrik Smeeks’ Description of the Mighty Kingdom of Krinke Kesmes, the chapter explores how dissimulation and silence became tools of privacy within utopian writing. Benison’s findings on dissimulation as a virtue in the Kesmian society challenge the standard focus on the ethic of public transparency governing early modern utopias, as in Thomas More’s depiction of Utopia’s total lack of privacy.
“The Secret Sin That One Commits by Thought Alone”: Confession as Private and Public in Seventeenth-Century France
Authors: Nørgaard Lars Cyril
Published: March 2024

Investigating the theological implications of confessions as private conversations, this chapter delves into the debate between the Jesuit Denis Pétau (1583–1652) and Antoine Arnauld (1612–1694). In response to Arnauld’s work De la fréquente communion, Pétau voiced criticism of the understanding that modern-day Christians should practise public penitence like the ancient church fathers. The response to Arnauld, entitled De la Penitence publique et de la préparation à la communion, opts for a much more limited sense of penitence in public and insists that some forms of penitence require more private modes of confession and more personal acts of satisfaction. By focusing on this appeal to the private sphere of confession in Pétau and in Arnauld, Nørgaard shows how these two works offered different responses to the new attitudes towards private confession.
Early vs late string networks from a minimal QCD Axion
Authors: Gorghetto Marco , Hardy Edward , Nicolaescu Horia , Notari Alessio , Redi Michele
Published: March 2024

Abstract

We propose a new regime of minimal QCD axion dark matter that lies between the pre- and post-inflationary scenarios, such that the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry is restored only on sufficiently large spatial scales. This leads to a novel cosmological evolution, in which strings and domain walls re-enter the horizon and annihilate later than in the ordinary post-inflationary regime, possibly even after the QCD crossover. Such dynamics can occur if the PQ symmetry is restored by inflationary fluctuations, i.e. the Hubble parameter during inflation HI is larger than the PQ breaking scale fa, but it is not thermally restored afterwards. Solving the Fokker-Planck equation, we estimate the number of inflationary e-folds required for the PQ symmetry to be, on average, restored. Moreover, we show that, in the large parts of parameter space where the radial mode is displaced from the minimum by de Sitter fluctuations, a string network forms due to the radial mode oscillating over the top of its potential after inflation. In both cases we identify order one ranges in HI/fa and in the quartic coupling λ of the PQ potential that lead to the late-string dynamics. In this regime the cosmological dark matter abundance can be reproduced for axion decay constants as low as the astrophysical constraint 𝒪(108) GeV, corresponding to axion masses up to 10−2 eV, and with miniclusters with masses as large as 𝒪(10)M⊙.
Gravitational waves from supercooled phase transitions: dimensional transmutation meets dimensional reduction
Authors: Kierkla Maciej , Świeżewska Bogumiła , Tenkanen Tuomas V. I. , van de Vis Jorinde
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Models with radiative symmetry breaking typically feature strongly supercooled first-order phase transitions, which result in an observable stochastic gravitational wave background. In this work, we analyse the role of higher-order thermal corrections for these transitions, applying high-temperature dimensional reduction to a theory with dimensional transmutation. In particular, we study to what extent high-temperature effective field theories (3D EFT) can be used. We find that despite significant supercooling down from the critical temperature, the high-temperature expansion for the bubble nucleation rate can be applied using the 3D EFT framework, and we point out challenges in the EFT description. We compare our findings to previous studies and find that the next-to-leading order corrections obtained in this work have a significant effect on the predictions for GW observables, motivating a further exploration of higher-order thermal effects.
Potential of ion mobility mass spectrometry in cellulose ether analysis: substitution pattern of hydroxyethyl celluloses
Authors: Mischnick Petra , Schleicher Sarah
Published: March 2024

Ion mobility mass spectrometry (ESI-tims-ToF–MS, syringe pump infusion) has been applied to glucose and oligosaccharide ethers derived from hydroxyethyl-methyl celluloses (HEMC) and hydroxyethyl celluloses (HEC) after permethylation and partial depolymerization: by hydrolysis without or with subsequent reductive amination with m-amino benzoic acid (mABA) or by reductive cleavage. As model compounds without tandem substitution methoxyethylated methylcellulose was used. Regioisomeric glucose ethers were separated according to their ion mobility, and positions of substitution could be assigned. Glucose ethers including isomers with tandem substitution showed additional signals with a smaller collision cross-section (CCS) than core-substituted isomers. Positional isomers of cellobiose ethers were only partly resolved due to too high complexity but showed a characteristic fingerprint that might allow classifying samples. Relative intensities of signals of glucose ether isomers could only be quantified in case of ABA derivatives with its fixed charge, while sodium adducts of methoxyethyl ethers showed an influence of the MeOEt position on ion yield. Results were in very good agreement with reference analysis. [M + Na]+ adducts of α- and β-anomers of glucose derivatives were separated in IM, complicating position assignment. This could be overcome by reductive cleavage of the permethylated HE(M)C yielding 1,5-anhydroglucitol-terminated oligosaccharides, showing the best resolved fingerprints of the cellobiose ethers of a particular cellulose ether. With this first application of ion mobility MS to the analysis of complex cellulose ethers, the promising potential of this additional separation dimension in mass spectrometry is demonstrated and discussed.

Graphical abstract
The GHP Scaling Limit of Uniform Spanning Trees in High Dimensions
Authors: Archer Eleanor , Nachmias Asaf , Shalev Matan
Published: March 2024

We show that the Brownian continuum random tree is the Gromov–Hausdorff–Prohorov scaling limit of the uniform spanning tree on high-dimensional graphs including the d-dimensional torus $${\mathbb {Z}}_n^d$$

Z
n
d

with $$d>4$$

d
>
4

, the hypercube $$\{0,1\}^n$$

{
0
,
1
}

n

, and transitive expander graphs. Several corollaries for associated quantities are then deduced: convergence in distribution of the rescaled diameter, height and simple random walk on these uniform spanning trees to their continuum analogues on the continuum random tree.
ROP-ET: a prospective phase III trial investigating the efficacy and safety of ropeginterferon alfa-2b in essential thrombocythemia patients with limited treatment options
Authors: Kiladjian Jean-Jacques , Marin Francisca Ferrer , Al-Ali Haifa Kathrin , Alvarez-Larrán Alberto , Beggiato Eloise , Bieniaszewska Maria , Breccia Massimo , Buxhofer-Ausch Veronika , Cerna Olga , Crisan Ana-Manuela , Danaila Catalin Doru , De Stefano Valerio , Döhner Konstanze , Empson Victoria , Gora-Tybor Joanna , Griesshammer Martin , Grosicki Sebastian , Guglielmelli Paola , García-Gutierrez Valentin , Heidel Florian H. , Illés Arpád , Tomuleasa Ciprian , James Chloe , Koschmieder Steffen , Krauth Maria-Theresa , Krejcy Kurt , Lazaroiu Mihaela-Cornelia , Mayer Jiri , Nagy Zsolt György , Nicolini Franck-Emmanuel , Palandri Francesca , Pappa Vassiliki , Reiter Andreas Johannes , Sacha Tomasz , Schlager Stefanie , Schmidt Stefan , Terpos Evangelos , Unger Martin , Wölfler Albert , Cirici Blanca Xicoy , Klade Christoph
Published: March 2024

Interferon-based therapies, such as ropeginterferon alfa-2b have emerged as promising disease-modifying agents for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), including essential thrombocythemia (ET). Current ET treatments aim to normalize hematological parameters and reduce the thrombotic risk, but they do not modify the natural history of the disease and hence, have no impact on disease progression. Ropeginterferon alfa-2b (trade name BESREMi®), a novel, monopegylated interferon alfa-2b with an extended administration interval, has demonstrated a robust and sustained efficacy in polycythemia vera (PV) patients. Given the similarities in disease pathophysiology and treatment goals, ropeginterferon alfa-2b holds promise as a treatment option for ET. The ROP-ET trial is a prospective, multicenter, single-arm phase III study that includes patients with ET who are intolerant or resistant to, and/or are ineligible for current therapies, such as hydroxyurea (HU), anagrelide (ANA), busulfan (BUS) and pipobroman, leaving these patients with limited treatment options. The primary endpoint is a composite response of hematologic parameters and disease-related symptoms, according to modified European LeukemiaNet (ELN) criteria. Secondary endpoints include improvements in symptoms and quality of life, molecular response and the safety profile of ropeginterferon alfa-2b. Over a 3-year period the trial assesses longer term outcomes, particularly the effects on allele burden and clinical outcomes, such as disease-related symptoms, vascular events and disease progression. No prospective clinical trial data exist for ropeginterferon alfa-2b in the planned ET study population and this study will provide new findings that may contribute to advancing the treatment landscape for ET patients with limited alternatives.

Trial registration

EU Clinical Trials Register; EudraCT, 2023-505160-12-00; Registered on October 30, 2023.
Grazing by nano- and microzooplankton on heterotrophic picoplankton dominates the biological carbon cycling around the Western Antarctic Peninsula
Authors: Böckmann Sebastian , Trimborn Scarlett , Schubert Hendrik , Koch Florian
Published: March 2024

Over the past 40 years, the significance of microzooplankton grazing in oceanic carbon cycling has been highlighted with the help of dilution experiments. The ecologically relevant Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) ecosystem in the Southern Ocean (SO), however, has not been well studied. Here we present data from dilution experiments, performed at three stations around the northern tip of the WAP to determine grazing rates of small zooplankton (hetero- and mixotrophic members of the 0.2–200 µm size fraction, SZP) on auto- and heterotrophic members of the < 200 µm plankton community as well as their gross growth. While variable impacts of SZP grazing on carbon cycling were measured, particulate organic carbon, not the traditionally used parameter chlorophyll a, provided the best interpretable results. Our results suggested that heterotrophic picoplankton played a significant role in the carbon turnover at all stations. Finally, a comparison of two stations with diverging characteristics highlights that SZP grazing eliminated 56–119% of gross particulate organic carbon production from the particulate fraction. Thus, SZP grazing eliminated 20–50 times more carbon from the particulate fraction compared to what was exported to depth, therefore significantly affecting the efficiency of the biological carbon pump at these SO sites.
Pulse pressure variation guided goal-direct
fluid therapy decreases postoperative complications in elderly patients undergoing
laparoscopic radical resection of colorectal cancer: a randomized controlled
trial
Authors: Wu Qiu-Rong , Zhao Zi-Zuo , Fan Ke-Ming , Cheng Hui-Ting , Wang Bin
Published: March 2024

Objective

The use of goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) has been shown to
reduce complications and improve prognosis in high-risk abdominal surgery
patients. However, the utilization of pulse pressure variation (PPV) guided GDFT
in laparoscopic surgery remains a subject of debate. We hypothesized that
utilizing PPV guidance for GDFT would optimize short-term prognosis in elderly
patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection for colorectal cancer
compared to conventional fluid therapy.

Methods

Elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of
colorectal cancer were randomized to receive either PPV guided GDFT or
conventional fluid therapy and explore whether PPV guided GDFT can optimize the
short-term prognosis of elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical
resection of colorectal cancer compared with conventional fluid therapy.

Results

The incidence of complications was significantly lower in the PPV
group compared to the control group (32.8% vs. 57.1%, P = .009). Additionally, the PPV group had a lower occurrence of
gastrointestinal dysfunction (19.0% vs. 39.3%, P = .017) and postoperative pneumonia (8.6% vs. 23.2%, P = .033) than the control group.

Conclusion

Utilizing PPV as a monitoring index for GDFT can improve short-term
prognosis in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of
colorectal cancer.

Registration number

ChiCTR2300067361; date of registration: January 5, 2023.
Analgesic effect of local anaesthetic in haemorrhoid banding: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Watson Eleanor G. R. , Ong Hwa Ian , Shearer Nicholas J. W. , Smart Philip J. , Burgess Adele N. , Proud David M. , Mohan Helen M.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Rubber band ligation of haemorrhoids can be,painful and there is no consensus regarding the optimal analgesic strategy. This study aims to determine whether there is a difference in post-procedural pain in adults undergoing haemorrhoid banding who have received local anaesthetic, a pudendal nerve block or no regional or local analgesia.

Methods

MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar and clinical trial registries were searched for randomised trials of local anaesthetic or pudendal nerve block use in banding. Primary outcomes were patient-reported pain scores. The quality of the evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach.

Results

Seven studies were included in the final review. No articles were identified that studied pudendal nerve blocks. The difference in numerical pain scores between treatment groups favoured the local anaesthetic group at all timepoints. The mean difference in scores on a 10-point scale was at 1 h,—1.43 (95% CI—2.30 to—0.56, p < 0.01, n = 342 (175 in treatment group)); 6 h,—0.52 (95% CI—1.04 to 0.01, p = 0.05, n = 250 (130 in treatment group)); and 24 h,—0.31 (95% CI—0.82 to 0.19, p = 0.86, n = 247 (127 in treatment group)). Of reported safety outcomes, vasovagal symptoms proceeded to meta-analysis, with a risk ratio of 1.01 (95% CI 0.64–1.60). The quality of the evidence was rated down to ‘low’ due to inconsistency and imprecision.

Conclusion

This review supports the use of LA for reducing early post-procedural pain following haemorrhoid banding. The evidence was limited by small sample sizes and substantial heterogeneity across studies.

Registration

PROSPERO (ID CRD42022322234)
The role of advanced endoscopy in appendiceal polyp management and outcomes
Authors: Justiniano Carla F. , Ozgur Ilker , Liska David , Valente Michael A. , Steele Scott R. , Gorgun Emre
Published: March 2024

Background

Appendiceal orifice lesions are often managed operatively with limited or oncologic resections. The aim is to report the management of appendiceal orifice mucosal neoplasms using advanced endoscopic interventions.

Methods

Patients with appendiceal orifice mucosal neoplasms who underwent advanced endoscopic resections between 2011 and 2021 with either endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), endoscopic mucosal dissection (ESD), hybrid ESD, or combined endoscopic laparoscopic surgery (CELS) were included from a prospectively collected dataset. Patient and lesion details and procedure outcomes are reported.

Results

Out of 1005 lesions resected with advanced endoscopic techniques, 41 patients (4%) underwent appendiceal orifice mucosal neoplasm resection, including 39% by hybrid ESD, 34% by ESD, 15% by EMR, and 12% by CELS. The median age was 65, and 54% were male. The median lesion size was 20 mm. The dissection was completed piecemeal in 49% of patients. Post-procedure, one patient had a complication within 30 days and was admitted with post-polypectomy abdominal pain treated with observation for 2 days with no intervention. Pathology revealed 49% sessile-serrated lesions, 24% tubular adenomas, and 15% tubulovillous adenomas. Patients were followed up for a median of 8 (0–48) months. One patient with a sessile-serrated lesion experienced a recurrence after EMR which was re-resected with EMR.

Conclusion

Advanced endoscopic interventions for appendiceal orifice mucosal neoplasms can be performed with a low rate of complications and early recurrence. While conventionally lesions at the appendiceal orifice are often treated with surgical resection, advanced endoscopic interventions are an alternative approach with promising results which allow for cecal preservation.
Association of body mass index and blood pressure variability with 10-year mortality and renal disease progression in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Fava Stephen , Reiff Sascha
Published: March 2024

Background

Variability in biological parameters may be associated with adverse outcomes. The aim of the study was to determine whether variability in body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure is associated with all-cause, cardiovascular mortality and cancer mortality or with renal disease progression in subjects with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

The diabetes database was accessed, and all the information on patient visits (consultations) carried out in the study period (1 January 2008–31 December 2019) was extracted and linked to the laboratory database and the mortality register.

Results

The total number of patients included in the study population was 26,261, of whom 54.4% were male. Median (interquartile range, IQR) age was 60.2 (51.8–68.3) years. The coefficient of variability of BMI was independently associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular, but not cancer, mortality. Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) was associated with increased all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality as well as with renal progression. Variability in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and pulse pressure was associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in bivariate, but not in multivariate, analyses.

Conclusions

Variability in BMI was associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular, but not cancer, mortality in a large real-world contemporary population. Our results also confirm the association of HbA1c with increased all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality as well as with renal progression.
Using major ions and stable isotopes to improve conceptualisation of a spring-aquifer system in the Galilee Basin, Australia
Authors: Keegan-Treloar Robin , Banks Eddie W. , Cartwright Ian , Irvine Dylan J. , Webb John A. , Werner Adrian D. , Currell Matthew J.
Published: March 2024

Developing conceptual models is a critical step in hydrogeological studies that should utilise multiple lines of evidence and data types to minimise conceptual uncertainty, particularly in data-sparse systems. This study used new and existing major ion and isotope (O, H, Sr, C) data sets to refine a previous hydraulic-head-based conceptual model of the Galilee Basin (Australia). The analyses provide evidence for the locations of recharge and discharge areas and determine hydrochemical processes along flow paths to improve understanding of potential source waters to the Doongmabulla Springs Complex (DSC) and to infer mixing within, or exchange between aquifer units. There was good agreement between previously inferred recharge and discharge areas defined using hydraulic head data and interpretations from hydrochemical evolution along groundwater flow pathways, at least where data were available. Major ion and isotope data suggest that the DSC likely receives water from both a relatively shallow, local flow path and a deeper regional flow path. This observation is relevant to previous concerns about threats to the DSC, as mine-induced drawdown may impact the relative contributions to spring discharge from different recharge sources and aquifers. Silicate weathering in the deeper Clematis Formation and Dunda Beds, and evapotranspiration in the overlying Moolayember Formation have strong control on the total dissolved solids content. These findings suggest that the Clematis Formation and Dunda Beds are hydrochemically distinct from the Moolayember Formation, with limited exchange between these aquifers, which has important implications for model conceptualisation and ongoing monitoring of mining activities in the Galilee Basin.
Hydrogel membrane composite reduces fouling and retains ammonium efficiently
Authors: Gonzales Ralph Rolly , Li Jing , Zhang Pengfei , Xu Ping , Li Zhan , Hu Mengyang , Mai Zhaohuan , Guan Kecheng , Matsuyama Hideto
Published: March 2024

The recovery of pure water and valuable substances from wastewater is a major challenge in the context of the circular economy, requiring advanced separation methods. However, actual membrane separation techniques such as forward osmosis are limited by membrane fouling and selectivity. Here, we synthesized composite membranes by crosslinking polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel, using both glutaraldehyde and borax as crosslinking agents, on top of cellulose ester membranes. We tested these composite membranes on model and real wastewater. Results show that the composite membranes retain ammonium effectively, maintain surface electroneutrality, and exhibit remarkable resistance to fouling by organic and biological contaminants. This is explained by the high hydrophilicity of the membrane surface after application of a hydrogel layer.
Forest history from a single tree species perspective: natural occurrence, near extinction and reintroduction of European yew (Taxus baccata L.) on the Darss-Zingst peninsula, southern Baltic Sea coast
Authors: Kaiser Knut , Theuerkauf Martin , van der Maaten Ernst , van der Maaten-Theunissen Marieke , Beil Annette
Published: March 2024

The forests along the southern Baltic Sea coast harbour some stands of the rare and endangered European yew (Taxus baccata L.), which are hypothesised to be autochthonous. Using the example of an occurrence on the Darss-Zingst peninsula, the population dynamics of the yew since the late Holocene are interdisciplinarily investigated and linked to the forest history of this area. Pollen analysis shows that yew has been present in the study area for at least 2600 years and thus indeed represents an autochthonous tree species in the area. The yew was probably originally part of a second tree storey and of forest margins within a mixed forest mainly consisting of several deciduous tree species and Scots pine. Historical evidence reveals that yew was still occurring in the forest in the middle of the eighteenth century, but then had nearly disappeared by the end of the nineteenth century. This was caused by several factors including forest grazing by livestock, high game populations and clear-cutting. First replanting of yew took place in the 1930s/1940s and 1950s/1960s, followed by planting campaigns in the 1990s and 2000s. Planting material from local and regional autochthonous relict populations was used, at least in part. The current yew population mainly comprises young individuals with a total number of ca. 1300 trees. It has thus been possible here to re-establish an autochthonous yew occurrence that was nearly extinct in historical times. This local example of targeted re-enrichment of native tree diversity may also encourage further measures to give this species a new chance again elsewhere in the wider region.
Conditioning and spectral properties of isogeometric collocation matrices for acoustic wave problems
Authors: Zampieri Elena , Pavarino Luca F.
Published: March 2024

The conditioning and spectral properties of the mass and stiffness matrices for acoustic wave problems are here investigated when isogeometric analysis (IGA) collocation methods in space and Newmark methods in time are employed. Theoretical estimates and extensive numerical results are reported for the eigenvalues and condition numbers of the acoustic mass and stiffness matrices in the reference square domain with Dirichlet, Neumann, and absorbing boundary conditions. This study focuses in particular on the spectral dependence on the polynomial degree p, mesh size h, regularity k, of the IGA discretization and on the time step size $$\Delta t$$

Δ
t

and parameter $$\beta $$
β
of the Newmark method. Results on the sparsity of the matrices and the eigenvalue distribution with respect to the number of degrees of freedom and the number of nonzero entries are also reported. The results show that the spectral properties of the IGA collocation matrices are comparable with the available spectral estimates for IGA Galerkin matrices associated with the Poisson problem with Dirichlet boundary conditions, and in some cases, the IGA collocation results are better than the corresponding IGA Galerkin estimates, in particular for increasing p and maximal regularity $$k=p-1$$

k
=
p
-
1

.
Characteristics of torsional ground motions obtained for Turkey and their appraisal against Eurocode 8
Authors: Sisman Rafet , Taciroglu Ertugrul
Published: March 2024

In current engineering practice, the torsional effects of ground motions are only considered implicitly through “accidental eccentricity coefficients". In seismic design codes, these coefficients account for not only the unintended (or uncertain) asymmetric distributions of structural mass and stiffness in the plan but also the torsional components of ground motions. The torsional effects may develop due to wave passage effects or the incoherency of translational ground motions along the foundation systems. While it is possible to obtain torsional components of ground motions directly from seismic records with modern instruments, such sensors are uncommon. Therefore, several numerical procedures have been proposed in the literature for estimating torsional components of ground motions from translational measurements. In this study, the Single Station Procedure (SSP)—based on the deconstruction of translational ground motions into body waves and the subsequent reconstruction of rotational ground motions—is employed to obtain torsional ground motions for seven different seismic events in Turkey. Additionally, the corresponding accidental eccentricity coefficients that can cause the same response modification with torsional ground motions are determined. First, a conventional procedure is utilized to obtain the corresponding accidental eccentricity coefficients. Various drawbacks of the conventional procedure, such as negative eccentricity coefficients, are addressed. Then, a relatively obscure definition of accidental eccentricity is revived to propose a novel procedure for determining accidental eccentricity coefficients. It is observed that the proposed procedure yields higher values for the accidental eccentricity coefficients than the conventional procedure. It also observed that the torsional spectrum provided in Eurocode 8 provisions requires higher eccentricity values than those implied by the recorded ground motions from Turkey.
What is known, unknown, and needed to be known about damage caused by wild pigs
Authors: VerCauteren Kurt C. , Pepin Kim M. , Cook Seth M. , McKee Sophie , Pagels Abigail , Kohen Keely J. , Messer Ingrid A. , Glow Michael P. , Snow Nathan P.
Published: March 2024

Damage assessments provide evidence for initiating and evaluating management programs that protect natural resources and human livelihoods against invasive species. Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) cause extensive damage in their native and non-native ranges, but the extent of current damage and efficacy of management of the damage (i.e., population control of wild pigs, exclusion fencing, etc.) remains poorly described. We conducted a systematic review of physical damage caused by wild pigs to summarize what is known and identify knowledge gaps for damage assessment. Wild pig damage assessments have been overwhelmingly qualitative (84% of studies) and measured differently across studies, which prevents the determination of typical damage amounts to a particular resource and comparison across studies. Key priorities going forward are to standardize damage assessments quantitatively and measure population density (or index of such) of wild pigs concurrently with damage assessments to determine the relationship between damage and population levels. We provide a framework for inferring damage in new areas and assessing the benefits of management—to evaluate and optimize landscape-scale management programs. Overall, we recommend future studies strive for: (1) report the amount of damages in a standardized fashion (e.g., area damaged/area surveyed), (2) evaluate and report the amount of damage relative to the density of wild pigs, and (3) when reporting economic costs of damages incurred and management actions, describe the economic valuation method used along with the year of reference for the valuation. Capturing these elements are necessary steps to predict the benefits of management for an area with particular profile of resources and wild pig density, even in areas where damage assessments are not available. Meeting these criteria with allow for more generalizable results that can inform managers across the nearly global distribution of wild pigs.
Forecasting House Prices through Credit Conditions: A Bayesian Approach
Authors: van der Drift Rosa , de Haan Jan , Boelhouwer Peter
Published: March 2024

As housing development and housing market policies involve many long-term decisions, improving house price predictions could benefit the functioning of the housing market. Therefore, in this paper, we investigate how house price predictions can be improved. In particular, the merits of Bayesian estimation techniques in enhancing house price predictions are examined in this study. We compare the pseudo out-of-sample forecasting power of three Bayesian models—a Bayesian vector autoregression in levels (BVAR-l), a Bayesian vector autoregression in differences (BVAR-d), and a Bayesian vector error correction model (BVECM)—and their non-Bayesian counterparts. These techniques are compared using a theoretical model that predicts the borrowing capacity of credit-constrained and unconstrained households to affect house prices. The findings indicate that the Bayesian models outperform their non-Bayesian counterparts, and within the class of Bayesian models, the BVAR-d is found to be more accurate than the BVAR-l. For the two winning Bayesian models, i.e., the BVECM and the BVAR-d, the difference in forecasting power is more ambiguous; which model prevails depends on the desired forecasting horizon and the state of the economy. Hence, both Bayesian models may be considered when conducting research on house prices.
Effects of using audience response systems (Kahoot and Google Forms and Sheets) on learning of medical students in a large class: A questionnaire-based retrospective study
Authors: Keadkraichaiwat Issarawan , Sitticharoon Chantacha , Lertsiripatarajit Vasu , Maprapho Punyapat
Published: March 2024

The effectiveness of implementing various audience response system (ARS) formats in large classes to engage students, positively influence academic outcomes, and align with their preferences for different types of activities lacked sufficient information. This study aimed to (1) evaluate students’ perspectives on different ARS formats, including Kahoot for individual (Kahoot-I) and team (Kahoot-T) play, and Google Forms and Google Sheets for multiple-choice questions (Google-MCQ) and for open-ended questions (Google-OEQ) on different aspects with/without subgroup analysis of students into quartiles (Q1-lowest-Q4-highest) of summative scores, and (2) determine correlations between students’ perspectives and academic outcomes. At the course’s final class, a QR code for a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was displayed for all enrolled medical students. 269/312 students (86.22%) provided written consent and completed the questionnaire constructed based on dimensions of student engagement. Across all ARS formats, students rated scores ≥ 4 for almost all aspects, with participation in class receiving the highest scores. For each aspect, Kahoot-T was rated highest in various aspects and Google-MCQ for “understanding” and Google-OEQ for “asking/answering question”. Higher academic achievers expressed more “enthusiasm” for Kahoot-I than lower achievers (P < 0.05). Formative and summative scores were positively correlated with many aspects. Students reported high engagement with all ARS formats, with higher academic achievers rating them with higher scores. Kahoot-T was the most favored for multiple aspects, Google-MCQ for “understanding” and Google-OEQ for interactive “asking/answering question”. Thus, selecting ARS in alignment with learning objective could enhance students’ engagement and learning outcomes.
Using the Synthetic Control Method to Evaluate the Impact of a Land-Based Gambling Ban on Crime
Authors: Žofčák Jakub , Šíma Josef
Published: March 2024

We use the synthetic control method to examine whether land-based gambling ban has an effect on crime in a given city. In a sample of four Czech cities where the ban was introduced, we show that these cities had roughly the same crime rate development in the years after the ban as the control cities without the ban, showing that there is no significant impact. As this is, to our knowledge, the first use of the synthetic control method in the context of gambling, the main contribution of this study lies in demonstrating the possibilities in its use. Employing this versatile method may improve the current situation where many gambling impact studies suffer from the absence of a control group or an identification strategy to confirm causal relationship. Last but not least, the results of this study make an important contribution to the debate on blanket measures in gambling regulation; although pathological gambling is linked to crime, banning this activity may not lead to the expected consequences.
A Tutorial for Deception Detection Analysis or: How I Learned to Stop Aggregating Veracity Judgments and Embraced Signal Detection Theory Mixed Models
Authors: Zloteanu Mircea , Vuorre Matti
Published: March 2024

Historically, deception detection research has relied on factorial analyses of response accuracy to make inferences. However, this practice overlooks important sources of variability resulting in potentially misleading estimates and may conflate response bias with participants’ underlying sensitivity to detect lies from truths. We showcase an alternative approach using a signal detection theory (SDT) with generalized linear mixed models framework to address these limitations. This SDT approach incorporates individual differences from both judges and senders, which are a principal source of spurious findings in deception research. By avoiding data transformations and aggregations, this methodology outperforms traditional methods and provides more informative and reliable effect estimates. This well-established framework offers researchers a powerful tool for analyzing deception data and advances our understanding of veracity judgments. All code and data are openly available.
A Polishing Model for Machine-Generated Ancient Chinese Poetry
Authors: Chen Zhe , Cao Yang
Published: March 2024

Machine poetry generation has been studied for decades, among which ancient Chinese poetry is still challenging in the field of poetry generation due to its unique regularity and rhythm. The quality improvement of ancient Chinese poetries is one of the most promising research areas of ancient Chinese Natural Language Processing. This paper proposes an ancient Chinese poetry polishing model, which is used for polishing to obtain high-quality ancient Chinese poetry. The model consists of a detection network and a correction network. The detection network based on BiLSTM and CRF is used to detect different types of low-quality words in poems. The correction network based on the BERT model is used to modify the detected low-quality words in the global context. The polishing process is iteratively performed until the model judges that there are no low-quality words in the poem. The results show that the polished poems are improved in multiple evaluations. Compared with existing polishing models, the model proposed in this paper performs better in both automatic evaluation and human evaluation when the number of parameters is reduced.
Two Metaverse Dystopias
Authors: Franke Ulrik
Published: March 2024

In recent years, the metaverse—some form of immersive digital extension of the physical world—has received much attention. As tech companies present their bold visions, scientists and scholars have also turned to metaverse issues, from technological challenges via societal implications to profound philosophical questions. This article contributes to this growing literature by identifying the possibilities of two dystopian metaverse scenarios, namely one based on the experience machine and one based on demoktesis—two concepts from Nozick (Anarchy, State, and Utopia, Basic Books, 1974). These dystopian scenarios are introduced, and the potential for a metaverse to evolve into either of them is explained. The article is concluded with an argument for why the two dystopian scenarios are not strongly wedded to any particular theory of ethics or political philosophy, but constitute a more general contribution.
Evaluating and Improving the Metropolitan Economic Freedom Index
Authors: Sharma Arvind , Tomic Aleksandar , Fulton Lawrence
Published: March 2024

The Metropolitan Economic Freedom Index (MEFI) ranks cities based on their support of free market enterprise. In its current state, MEFI purports to measure three constructs (government spending, taxation, and labor market freedom) with three equally weighted variables for each one, assuming perfect substitutability of variables. This study investigates the statistical consistency of MEFI through Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Multiple models investigate current variable selection by providing a potentially better indicator of labor market freedom, aggregation assumptions by removing the requirements for fixed and equal weights, and statistical consistency by evaluating the fit between the data and models. Results indicate that the current MEFI model is not statistically consistent with the data, that weighting of variables should not be equal, that variable selection should be investigated, and that constructs should be re-imagined. The models investigated provide an initial starting point for redefining MEFI.
A family of experiments about how developers perceive delayed system response time
Authors: Cornejo Oscar , Briola Daniela , Micucci Daniela , Ginelli Davide , Mariani Leonardo , Santos Parrilla Adrián , Juristo Natalia
Published: March 2024

Collecting and analyzing data about developers working on their development tasks can help improve development practices, finally increasing the productivity of teams. Indeed, monitoring and analysis tools have already been used to collect data from productivity tools. Monitoring inevitably consumes resources and, depending on their extensiveness, may significantly slow down software systems, interfering with developers’ activity. There is thus a challenging trade-off between monitoring and validating applications in their operational environment and preventing the degradation of the user experience. The lack of studies about when developers perceive an overhead introduced in an application makes it extremely difficult to fine-tune techniques working in the field. In this paper, we address this challenge by presenting an empirical study that quantifies how developers perceive overhead. The study consists of three replications of an experiment that involved 99 computer science students in total, followed by a small-scale experimental assessment of the key findings with 12 professional developers. Results show that non-negligible overhead can be introduced for a short period into applications without developers perceiving it and that the sequence in which complex operations are executed influences the perception of the system response time. This information can be exploited to design better monitoring techniques.
Citizen-science data identifies the daily movement patterns and habitat associations of a nocturnal urban-invading bird species (Corvus frugilegus)
Authors: Yun Jiweon , Shin Wonhyeop , Kim Jihwan , Thorne James H. , Song Youngkeun
Published: March 2024

Rooks (Corvus frugilegus) are an invasive bird species in South Korea that are deemed harmful due to nocturnal urban invasions and agricultural damage. Employing citizen science data, we document the daily movement patterns and habitat associations of nocturnal urban-invading rooks in Suwon, South Korea. We collected 4,522 geolocated observations from December 2021 to March 2022, categorized by the timings of sunrise and sunset and segmented into 3-h intervals. Using the MaxENT (Maximum Entropy Model) and k-fold cross-validation (k = 10) with a 25% random test sample, we analyzed daily movement patterns and habitat preferences. Our results show that rooks forage in agricultural areas shortly after sunrise and roost in urban environments after sunset. Urban roosts tend to occur in areas near buildings of medium height (6–20 stories) that are illuminated by artificial light and contain utility poles. The variables with the highest percent contribution to rooks’ presence after sunset were buildings of medium height (20.7%), land use type (19.4%), elevation (29%), and utility pole (14.5%). Our findings emphasize the potential of citizen science initiatives to generate insights into the ecology of invasive bird species within large urban environments.
Modelling the Effects of Growth and Remodelling on the Density and Structure of Cancellous Bone
Authors: Martin Brianna L. , Reynolds Karen J. , Fazzalari Nicola L. , Bottema Murk J.
Published: March 2024

A two-stage model is proposed for investigating remodelling characteristics in bone over time and distance to the growth plate. The first stage comprises a partial differential equation (PDE) for bone density as a function of time and distance from the growth plate. This stage clarifies the contributions to changes in bone density due to remodelling and growth processes and tracks the rate at which new bone emanates from the growth plate. The second stage consists of simulating the remodelling process to determine remodelling characteristics. Implementing the second stage requires the rate at which bone moves away from the growth plate computed during the first stage. The second stage is also needed to confirm that remodelling characteristics predicted by the first stage may be explained by a realistic model for remodelling and to compute activation frequency. The model is demonstrated on microCT scans of tibia of juvenile female rats in three experimental groups: sham-operated control, oestrogen deprived, and oestrogen deprived followed by treatment. Model predictions for changes in bone density and remodelling characteristics agree with the literature. In addition, the model provides new insight into the role of treatment on the density of new bone emanating from the growth plate and provides quantitative descriptions of changes in remodelling characteristics beyond what has been possible to ascertain by experimentation alone.
Black Veterans Experiences with and Recommendations for Improving Weight-Related Health Care: A Photovoice Study
Authors: Breland Jessica Y. , Tanksley Lamont , Borowitz Michelle A. , Houseknecht Dakota , Muhammad Na’imah , Raffa Susan D. , Hoerster Katherine D.
Published: March 2024

Background

Non-Hispanic Black or African American (hereafter Black) veterans lose less weight than other users of the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) weight management program (MOVE!), despite higher enrollment.

Objective

To understand factors that affect weight loss disparities between Black veterans and other veterans.

Design

Qualitative study using Photovoice methods.

Participants

Self-identified Black veterans in MOVE! across the USA (two women, seven men).

Approach

We conducted six virtual Photovoice sessions with Black veterans. Session one provided orientation to the goal of understanding factors that might affect weight loss disparities. Participants chose missions related to weight management and VHA care, bringing photos or other media (e.g., poems) to discuss during remaining sessions. Facilitators/participants identified themes related to each session in real time. Between and after sessions, facilitators/investigators conducted rapid qualitative analysis of transcripts/audio to group similar themes, identify illustrative quotes/photos/other media, and prepare dissemination products (e.g., this manuscript). Participants provided feedback on the manuscript during an additional session.

Key Results

Themes were identified across three categories: (1) Food in Our Lives and Health Care; (2) Body Image; and (3) Healthcare Bias and Discrimination. The emotional impact of food and the negative effects of bias and discrimination on health care quality and trust were especially salient. Participants provided recommendations for weight-related and general care. Notable recommendations included the need for VHA to hire and retain providers—especially Black providers—who understand and respect Black patients and are committed to delivering evidence-based, culturally sensitive care. In addition, weight management care should be tailored to individual patients’ diets and health beliefs and deemphasize body mass index.

Conclusions

Photovoice resulted in concrete targets that could reduce health disparities. Institutions should consider Photovoice and similar approaches to build trust with and incorporate input from marginalized communities. This approach requires sustained commitment from leaders to engage stakeholders and implement solutions.