bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
When do prevocational programs ease the transition to vocational education and training?
Authors: Busse Robin , Maué Elisabeth 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Preparing youth for the transition from school to work is a key labor market challenge in many countries. Across Europe, there are many educational pograms to improve youth’s school-to-work transitions. In Germany, youth with difficulties in their school-to-work transitions are channeled into prevocational programs to help them to enter vocational education and training (VET), which serve as an entry into the labor market. Using data drawn from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS; N = 1,282 participants of prevocational programs), we (1) examined youth’s transition trajectories after their attendance of a first prevocational program and (2) how using institutional resources such as internships during the first prevocational program supports youth’s transitions to VET. Our findings of sequence and cluster analysis showed that approximately two-thirds of the participants had largely stable transitions to VET (i.e., transitions with a low risk of dropout), although many of these transitions were delayed by one year after leaving their first prevocational program. In contrast, one-third of the participants had at-risk transition trajectories and were at risk of being permanently excluded from the education and employment system. By conducting a multinomial logistic regression, we also found that attending long internships and attaining a higher school certificate during the first prevocational program was associated with a smooth transition to VET programs, and both factors “protected” youth from encountering difficult pathways with very low prospects of reaching VET programs after leaving prevocational programs. Moreover, mentoring during prevocational programs and the perceived degree to which the programs helped youth to form occupational aspirations were also associated with a lower probability of facing at-risk transition trajectories.
Supporting Early Childhood Development through Multi-dimensional Service Delivery in South Africa
Authors: Leach Grace , von Fintel Dieter 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
There is a growing call to reduce environmental risk factors for children in LMICs and to provide children and parents in these places with the services they need to promote healthy development. In aid of this, we create an index of multidimensional service delivery for children in a developing country context. This approach is motivated by the consensus in the literature that early childhood development (ECD) is multidimensional in nature, and that children need multiple inputs at the same time for healthy development. The index is created using South African data, and shows that the full complement of the services is not adequately provided in any municipality in South Africa. Following on from this, a first validation is provided by assessing whether the constructed ECD services index is associated with individual child outcomes. The analysis reveals that the index is statistically significantly associated with child cognitive outcomes, and specifically, that public infrastructure service delivery is positively related to cognitive outcomes in children who attend an ELP in South Africa. This is consistent with the hypothesis that interventions which supplement child nutrition and the home environment have a larger positive impact than those which focus only on one element of development such as cognitive stimulation. This initial validation suggests that this index is useful to measure the compliment of services that children need to develop healthily.
Adipose-derived stem cells enhance the tumorigenic potential of pre-malignant breast epithelial cells through paracrine activation of PI3K–AKT pathway
Authors: Wu Qifeng , He Jinguang , Herrler Tanja , Yu Baofu , Zhou Qimin , Zheng Danning , Chen Xiaoxue , Yan Yangxuanyu , Dai Chuanchang , Liu Kai , Zou Gangming , Ge Shengfang , Qiao Yunbo , Li Qingfeng , Wei Jiao 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Background
Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs)-assisted fat grafting has emerged as a widely used procedure for breast reconstruction post mastectomy and for aesthetic augmentation. Given the limited cases of breast cancer following grafting, the oncological safety of this procedure remains controversial.

Methods
The effects of ADSCs on the oncogenic features of premalignant MCF-10AT cells were investigated using co-culture and xenograft models. We further evaluated the malignancy-promoting effect of ADSCs in a 7,12-Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced breast cancer model. RNA-sequencing was performed on ADSCs, MCF-10AT cells, and ADSC-co-cultured MCF-10AT cells. Protein changes in ADSC/MCF-10AT co-culture medium and MCF-10AT cells were determined by proteomic analysis. Pathway inhibitors were used to investigate signaling pathways involved in the ADSC-induced oncogenic changes of MCF-10AT cells.

Results
We found that ADSCs promoted the proliferation and migration of MCF-10AT cells, and co-injection of ADSCs increased the tumor incidence of MCF-10AT cells from 29% to 58% in nude mice. Additionally, grafted ADSCs significantly enhanced tumor incidence, growth, and distant metastasis in the DMBA-induced rats, while it could not induce tumorigenesis in normal breast tissues. Combined RNA-sequencing and proteomic analysis demonstrated that the paracrine factors secreted by ADSCs robustly activated the oncogenic PI3K–AKT signaling in MCF-10AT cells. We also revealed the auto-activated TGF-beta and Wnt pathways in co-cultured MCF-10AT cells, which may be synergistic in tumor formation and progression. As expected, blocking these pathways, especially the PI3K–AKT pathway, strongly diminished the promoting effects of ADSCs, suggesting their potential as therapeutic targets for ADSC grafting-associated breast tumors.

Conclusions
Our data illustrated the synergistic effect between ADSC paracrine factors and MCF-10AT auto-activated pathways in the carcinogenesis of MCF-10AT cells through activation of the oncogenic PI3K–AKT pathway. Based on these findings, we strongly recommend pre-operative examinations for breast cancer risk factors before ADSC-associated transplantation.
How Could Social Robots Support Societal Participation? Findings from Five Design Workshops with Young People
Authors: Jarske Salla , Kaipainen Kirsikka , Ahtinen Aino , Varsaluoma Jari , Väänänen Kaisa 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Societal participation encompasses individual and collaborative activities aimed at influencing decisions that affect a person’s life. Engaging young people in societal participation is important for democratic and sustainable societies, but various structural and psychological barriers hinder participation. Digital technologies show promise in lowering the barriers by providing young people with new channels and means to participate. However, such technologies must be co-designed with youth to ensure they address real needs. To explore the potential of social robots in this context, we conducted five design workshops with high school and university students (N = 47). In the workshops, participants ideated social robots intended to support youth participation in society, starting with the robot’s purpose and continuing with defining its interaction methods and appearance. Through a qualitative analysis of participants’ design conversations and the resulting 24 robot ideas, we identified four themes related to different contexts of societal participation: democracy, environmental actions, social inclusion, and well-being. Participants imagined robots for various purposes, such as conveying feedback, educating, assisting in decision-making, facilitating discussions, and therapeutic interactions. Based on the findings, we outline four potential interaction roles that appear feasible for robots supporting societal participation: informing, stimulating, simulating, and mediating. Although the findings are exploratory, the identified contexts and roles can serve as inspiration and a framework for further research to study the possible benefits and challenges of social robots in the context of societal participation.
Thermite-for-demise (T4D): experiments and numerical modelling on solar array drive mechanism mock-ups containing thermite in an arc-heated wind tunnel
Authors: Finazzi Alessandro , Daub Dennis , Maggi Filippo , Paravan Christian , Dossi Stefano , Lips Tobias , Smet Geert , Bodjona Kobyé 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
The ESA-TRP SPADEXO project investigated the use of thermites to provide additional enthalpy to a spacecraft re-entering towards the Earth, with the objective of limiting its casualty risk on ground. Steel mock-ups inspired by the geometry of solar array drive mechanisms were filled with thermite and placed in DLR’s L2K arc-heated hypersonic wind tunnel. In each of these samples, a set of thermocouples was installed to monitor ignition and propagation of the heat generated by the reaction. One of the thermocouples was placed in a hole machined inside the mock-up wall to monitor temperature evolution in proximity of the pyrotechnic charge, without the risk of losing the sensor due to the ignition of the thermite. The main objective of these tests was to study the dependence of the heat transferred from the internal charge to the surrounding structure from the filling level. Results showed that higher thermite filling resulted in higher transferred enthalpy. In the presence of a large thermite amount, the reaction led to the formation of a dense liquid drop close to the side wall, causing significant heat transfer towards the wall of the mock-up. Tests were rebuilt using the SCARAB re-entry software, extended with a dedicated model to represent the ignition of an internal charge. Ignition and heat transfer were adequately described by the model in most of the test configurations. Specific parameter tuning was needed for the highest filling factor tested in this work, highlighting the influence of reaction products internal dynamics on the heat transfer processes.
The effect of Mg immissions on the accumulation of nutrients and risk elements in soils and macromycetes
Authors: Kuklová Margita , Kukla Ján , Luptáková Jana , Mihál Ivan 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
The research was carried out between 2021 and 2023 in zones A‒D, 400, 600, 1000, and 1500 m away from the magnesite plant in Lubeník (central Slovakia), which are polluted by magnesite immissions. Due to the fall of magnesite dust, the Organic horizons became neutral to weakly acidic, the mineral layers of soils in zones A and B strongly to weakly alkaline, and neutral in zones C and D. Ca, Mg, and Na in the Organic horizon and 0–5 cm soil layers decreased from zone A toward zone D. Mn and K increased from zone A to zone D. Cd generally increased from zone A to zone C. A total of 107 species of macromycetes from the phyla Ascomycota (15) and Basidiomycota (92) were detected. The absolute best accumulator of Ca and Mg was Hymenochaete rubiginosa and Ca, Mg, and Mn Geastrum rufescens. The best K accumulator was Inosperma erubescens together with Russula cyanoxantha, and the absolute best Na accumulator was Clitocybe phyllophila. Cd was best accumulated by Hymenochaete rubiginosa and Inosperma erubescens. PCA showed that soil properties depended on pH values and C, N, K, and Na content. The mentioned variables were significantly correlated with PC1 (share 46%), while the contents of Ca, Mg, Mn, and Cd were correlated with PC2 (share 35%). Ca and Cd were the most important environmental variables accumulated in macromycete fruiting bodies. PC1 represents a significant axis for the prediction of Ca content (40.2%) and PC2 for the prediction of Cd content in macromycetes (19%). Environmental pollution by Mg emissions significantly contributed to soil degradation and the composition of macromycete communities. The knowledge gained can help in the implementation of corrective measures in areas affected by alkaline immissions.
Frailty, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and cardiovascular disease: a nationwide prospective cohort study
Authors: Zheng Lei , Ye Jianjun , Liao Xinyang , Li Jing , Wang Qihao , Wang Feng 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Background
This study aimed to investigate the complex associations of frailty and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) with cardiovascular disease (CVD) through a nationwide prospective cohort, while also assessing the mediating associations.

Methods
According to critical criteria, a total of 5239 participants from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2011 were ultimately enrolled in this study. Frailty was evaluated by the frailty index with 40 items, and CVD was defined as the presence of physician-diagnosed heart disease and/or stroke. A restricted cubic spline model, receiver operating characteristic curves, adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression, interaction analyses and mediation analyses were performed for association exploration.

Results
During a maximum follow-up of 7.0 years, 1204 (23.67%) people developed CVD. Both elevated hsCRP and frailty were significantly associated with CVD incidence. Compared with participants with a healthy status and low hsCRP (< 1.015 mg/L), those with a frailty status and elevated hsCRP had the highest risk of CVD (adjusted HR, 2.97; 95% CI 2.29–3.84), heart disease (adjusted HR, 2.93; 95% CI 2.16–3.96), and stroke (adjusted HR, 4.26; 95% CI 2.81–6.44), which were still robust in the subgroup analysis. Moreover, frailty significantly mediated 19.60% of the associations between hsCRP and CVD.

Conclusions
Combined assessment of frailty and hsCRP levels helps to better stratify the individual risk of CVD. Frailty could partly mediate the associations between hsCRP and CVD incidence.
Crisis of Democracy or Crises in Democracies?
Authors: Dunn John 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
It is a disabling error in political interpretation to conceive regime forms as displaying causal characteristics which extend determinately beyond the preconditions for applying them to the world or identifying them within it. Western democracy can reasonably be thought of as a regime form at all only insofar as it is recognized now to be as clearly instantiated in East, South East and South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central and South America, as it is in Europe, North America, or Australasia. It has migrated from Europe certainly, but by now it has migrated far and wide. Across all these regions except perhaps Australasia, as very conspicuously within North America at present, the domestic regime is evidently in some degree of crisis, as are very many other regimes which make no pretence to be democracies and have at best tenuous claims to be representative. To put this in perspective, monarchy was the dominant regime form across the European continent for a millennium, from the ninth to the nineteenth centuries, not least because few if any of its inhabitants had any clear conception of what might still be put in its place. Within this horizon of legitimacy most individual monarchies were permanently in some degree of crisis, not in the strict medical sense of an interlude which must resolve itself speedily in death or cure, but in conditions of acute and fraught instability which were far likelier to end in the clarity of the former than in the specious calm of the latter. So too we should reasonably expect it to prove for democracy. In the meantime, crisis for any particular democracy will inevitably prove to be heavily contextual. Much of its relevant context is certain to be local and densely particular, even if the crises themselves occur in an external setting with prominent epochal characteristics and their diffusion is accentuated by transnational incitement or geopolitical adventure. Welcome to the New World Order.
A multi-faceted, integrated methodological approach to identify hotspots of combined urban environmental pressures in the climate change context
Authors: Votsi N. , Papangelis G. , Varotsos K. V. , Athanasopoulou E. , Koutsantoni P. , Karali A. , Karagianis D. , Sismanidis P. , Kiranoudis C. T. , Keramitsoglou I. , Giannakopoulos C. , Gerasopoulos E. 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Urban sprawl poses significant challenges, including pollution, urban heat stress, and biodiversity loss, necessitating proactive solutions for climate adaptation and urban resilience. This study presents an integrated methodological approach to identify urban hotspots of combined environmental pressures in the Athens Metropolitan Area (AMA), a densely populated region experiencing heightened climate vulnerabilities. Utilizing satellite data, numerical models, and geospatial analysis, the study focuses on three main urban pressures: urban heat, air pollution, and lack of green urban areas (GUAs). The approach offers a comprehensive spatial and temporal assessment of Land Surface Temperature (LST) to identify urban heat islands (UHI). Concurrently, air quality data are analyzed to map pollution hotspots, considering the exacerbating effects of heatwaves. The accessibility and distribution of GUAs are evaluated through the 15-min city concept, highlighting areas deficient in green spaces. The combined data-driven hotspot mapping facilitates the identification of the most vulnerable urban sites, providing essential insights for policy and decision-makers. The proposed methodology's adaptability allows for its application across various research disciplines and spatial scales, enhancing urban resilience through targeted interventions, such as Nature-based Solutions (NbS). This consolidated framework for assessing and integrating multiple environmental pressures is a vital tool for urban strategic planning. It addresses the complex interplay of urban factors, offering a proactive, transparent, and cost-effective approach to mitigate environmental pressures and promote sustainable urban development amidst the ongoing climate crisis. The methodology's replicability underscores its potential for broad application, contributing to the global effort in achieving urban sustainability and resilience.
Sprachbeobachtung in heterogenen Klassen im Anfangsunterricht
Authors: Jeuk Stefan 
Published: February 2025

Zusammenfassung
Grundschulen, insbesondere im innerstädtischen Einzugsgebiet, sind von einer heterogenen Schülerschaft gekennzeichnet. Eine der Heterogenitätsdimensionen ist die sprachliche, die bildungspolitisch und fachwissenschaftlich im Kontext des Handlungsfelds „Deutsch als Zweitsprache“ thematisiert wird. In nationalen und internationalen Bildungsstudien wird demgegenüber die Zuwanderungsgeschichte der Kinder und Jugendlichen problematisiert. In diesem Beitrag werden konzeptionelle Eckpfeiler zur Diagnostik sprachlicher Heterogenität in den ersten beiden Jahren der Primarstufe diskutiert und anhand von Projektdaten eines zweijährigen Unterrichtspraxisprojektes konkretisiert. Es zeigt sich, dass Kinder mit Migrationshintergrund auf Grund der großen Heterogenität der Gruppe keine sinnvolle pädagogische Kategorie ist. Hoch relevant sind demgegenüber die je individuellen sprachlichen Repertoires der Kinder, die Gegenstand der pädagogischen Diagnostik sein sollten. Eine fundierte Förderdiagnostik ist im Kontext des Unterrichts jedoch nur bedingt möglich. In dem Beitrag wird diskutiert, welche Optionen es für eine Lehrkraft dennoch gibt.
Uncovering the gap: challenging the agential nature of AI responsibility problems
Authors: Llorca Albareda Joan 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
In this paper, I will argue that the responsibility gap arising from new AI systems is reducible to the problem of many hands and collective agency. Systematic analysis of the agential dimension of AI will lead me to outline a disjunctive between the two problems. Either we reduce individual responsibility gaps to the many hands, or we abandon the individual dimension and accept the possibility of responsible collective agencies. Depending on which conception of AI agency we begin with, the responsibility gap will boil down to one of these two moral problems. Moreover, I will adduce that this conclusion reveals an underlying weakness in AI ethics: the lack of attention to the question of the disciplinary boundaries of AI ethics. This absence has made it difficult to identify the specifics of the responsibility gap arising from new AI systems as compared to the responsibility gaps of other applied ethics. Lastly, I will be concerned with outlining these specific aspects.
Analyzing climate scenarios using dynamic mode decomposition with control
Authors: Mankovich Nathan , Bouabid Shahine , Nowack Peer , Bassotto Deborah , Camps-Valls Gustau 
Published: February 2025

Abstract
Understanding the complex dynamics of climate patterns under different anthropogenic emissions scenarios is crucial for predicting future environmental conditions and formulating sustainable policies. Using Dynamic Mode Decomposition with control (DMDc), we analyze surface air temperature patterns from climate simulations to elucidate the effects of various climate-forcing agents. This improves upon previous DMD-based methods by including forcing information as a control variable. Our study identifies both common climate patterns, like the North Atlantic Oscillation and El Niño Southern Oscillation, and distinct impacts of aerosol and carbon emissions. We show that these emissions’ effects vary with climate scenarios, particularly under conditions of higher radiative forcing. Our findings confirm DMDc’s utility in climate analysis, highlighting its role in extracting modes of variability from surface air temperature while controlling for emissions contributions and exposing trends in these spatial patterns as forcing scenarios change.
Real-word utility of procalcitonin in patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia: A matched cohort study
Authors: Ilges Dan , Kosaski Dylan , Seville Maria Teresa , McGary Alyssa K. , O’Horo John C. , Snozek Christine L. , Stevens Ryan W. , Shah Aditya 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Objective:
To retrospectively observe procalcitonin (PCT) and antibiotic ordering practices in patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Design:
Retrospective, exact matched, multicenter cohort study from October 1, 2018 – March 31, 2023.

Setting:
All hospitals across the Mayo Clinic Enterprise.

Participants:
Adult patients with CAP, identified using pneumonia diagnosis codes and receipt of systemic antibiotics with an indication of “respiratory tract infection” within 48 hours of hospitalization.

Methods:
PCT testing within the first 7 days of hospitalization was compared to non-PCT care (nPCT). The primary outcomes were treatment duration, antibiotic days of therapy (DOT), and length of stay (LOS).

Results:
15364 patients met inclusion criteria. PCT testing occurred in 42.4% (6515/15364) of encounters, totaling 8214 PCT results. 12880 unique patient encounters were matched 1:1, 6440 in each group. Treatment duration was longer in the PCT group compared to the nPCT group (5.1 vs 4.6 days, respectively, P < 0.001). Patients in the PCT group also received more DOT (8.6 vs 7.6 DOT, P < 0.001) and had a longer LOS (6.8 vs 5.9 days, P < 0.001), respectively. There was no difference in 30-day all-cause mortality or C. difficile infection between groups. In a sensitivity analysis of nPCT patients compared to those with a peak value <0.25 ng/mL (i.e. normal result) there was no difference in treatment duration (4.6 days nPCT vs 4.7 days normal PCT, P = 0.104) or LOS (5.9 days nPCT vs 6.0 days normal PCT, P = 0.134).

Conclusion:
PCT testing in patients hospitalized with CAP was not associated with reduced antimicrobial utilization, LOS, or 30-day all-cause mortality.