bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Culture, Religion, and Corruption/Prosperity (A), (B), (C), (1), (2)
Authors: García Portilla Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis chapter characterises the relations between culture, religion, and corruption/prosperity. It advances the explanations of the prosperity–religion nexus from the perspective of cultural attributes (e.g. trust, individualism,familialism) by comparing Roman Catholic and Protestant theologies.Protestant denominations have mostly relinquished their founding principles, while “Rome never changes” as per the Italian saying. Despite the progress after Vatican II, Roman Catholicism has not markedly altered its beliefs and practices or its institutional founding principles (i.e. Canon Law) since medieval times. The political repercussions of an ecumenism in “Rome terms” are beyond its theological or religious implications.Liberation theology urged the Latin American Roman Church to break away from its imperialist origins and favouritism for landlords, industrialists, and power elites. However, liberation theology never became the mainstream or hegemonic Catholic theology in Latin America.Distinct Protestant theologies and organisational forms have led to distinct outcomes. New forms of Protestantism (i.e. Pentecostalism) placing less emphasis on education are less likely to have a positive social impact than previous (historical) Protestant versions. Some Protestant denominations still adhere to intertextual historicist biblical interpretation and hold the belief that the papacy continues to be “Satan’s synagogue” today.The heavily criticised Prosperity Gospel (PG) movement has syncretic roots in Pentecostalism, New Thought, and African American religion, and is composed mainly of the middle classes and blacks.While syncretism has been a natural process in all religions, Jews and historical Protestants have tended to be more anti-syncretic given their Scriptural base of beliefs. In turn, the importance of traditions, in Roman Catholicism for instance, has led to include more non-orthodox rituals in its practice.
Environment/Geography and Prosperity/Transparency (E), (4), (7)
Authors: García Portilla Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis chapter discusses the influence of the environment and geography on prosperity and corruption and reviews some leading empirical works.A direct and robust empirical relationship exists between the environment/geography and the prosperity of nations. For instance, countries located in the inter-tropical or equatorial zone tend to be poorer than those located in temperate zones. Seasonal dynamics lead ecosystems and societies to accumulate and manage more resources, while equatorial species and people tend to consume the available resources immediately rather than storing, accumulating, and reinvesting the excess capital.An abundance of natural resources (i.e. fuels and minerals) tends to generate conditions for rent-seeking and corruption. Venezuela, Nigeria, or Arab countries are examples of countries located on the equator characterised by an abundance of natural resources and by high levels of corruption.
Methodology
Authors: García Portilla Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis study applied a comprehensive methodological framework consisting of different epistemological approaches (Mixed Methods). The correlational (quantitative) part established the interrelations between the investigated variables, while the Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) further inferred causal relations for 65 countries in Europe and the Americas. The qualitative part used Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine four case studies (Switzerland, Uruguay, Cuba, and Colombia).The regression analysis of this study quantitatively explores the relations among factors/variables (macro). QCA adds causality considerations and bridges quantitative relations and qualitative analysis (meso). The four case studies are purely qualitative (micro).
Component 2 (Meso): Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)
Authors: García Portilla Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis chapter contains the meso component (Qualitative Comparative Analysis, QCA). It discusses the QCA research model, the QCA methodology, and the analysis of the QCA results.QCA is used to analyse both quantitative and qualitative data, thus enabling causal inferences. However, QCA is not a statistical technique that focuses on the likelihood of the relations among variables. Instead, it is a method based on Boolean logic, rooted in set theory, and founded on the notions of sufficiency, the necessity of conditions, and conjunctural causation.QCA results indicate, among others, that for high competitiveness, high EPI suffices if Concordats with the Vatican are low and if the Roman Catholic and Orthodox population is low. No State Religion positively affects competitiveness. Having Concordats with the Vatican negatively influences competitiveness. Additionally, factors like German, English, and Scandinavian legal origin help to increase competitiveness.Oppositely, QCA results for high corruption indicate that Concordats in combination with Roman Catholic religion adherence increase corruption. Orthodox religion has a similar negative effect. Most countries with high corruption are of French legal origin and have high Concordats. This trend is robust.Colombia and Switzerland (the two extreme cases) exhibited several consistent QCA results. The other two cases (Cuba and Uruguay) only revealed one or two consistent outcomes.
b) Uruguay: Extreme Positive Case Study (Latin America)
Authors: García Portilla Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSecularisation and religiosity in Uruguay are closer to Western European levels than to Latin American averages. The idea of medieval “Christendom” inherited from Hispanic times became obsolete and residual in Uruguay already during the nineteenth century (which is early compared to the rest of Latin America).Uruguay closely followed thelaïcitémodel of the French Revolution without ever completely replicating it. This process resulted in the widespread secularisation of institutional fields, displaced religion to the domestic sphere, and guaranteed the freedom of consciousness and religion.In Uruguay, as well as in Switzerland, Protestantism has played a crucial role along with liberalism in introducing anti-clericalism (and religious freedom) in its constitution and therefore also in its institutions. Protestantism, then, has played a decisive role in shaping the trajectory of democracy, human capital, ethics, transparency, secularisation, and social progress.
Research Setting
Authors: García Portilla Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractHow does Protestantism influence competitiveness and transparency compared to Roman Catholicism in Europe and the Americas? This book answers the research question by applying a “Mixed Methods approach to Grounded Theory” (MM-GT). This chapter expands on the research aims, research question, hypotheses, and research model in this study. The research model synthesises understanding and serves as a rationale for the entire book. The model exhibits the main exogenous theoretical determinants of corruption and prosperity, which are tested empirically.
d) Colombia: Extreme Negative Case Study
Authors: García Portilla Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe vital role of Roman Catholicism in establishing the social, political, institutional, and religious status quo in Colombia is plainly evident and well-documented. Since the Middle Ages, no other country has enforced such a complete integration of church and state (ideal medieval Christendom), as reflected in Colombia’s Concordat. In Colombia, liberal attempts failed repeatedly and resulted in violent conflicts in which the Roman Catholic Church-State closed ranks with conservatives and imposed a corporatist medieval-like state. The largely successful project pursued by the Roman Church-State in Colombia (so-called Christilandia) consists of three pillars: (1) political (a confessional state); (2) economic (a corporatist state); and (3) cultural (a Catholic and conservative “Hispanicism”).In the 1991 Constitution, Protestantism allied itself with liberal forces. This alliance made it possible to finally introduce religious freedom, among others, by removing most of the contentious articles from the Concordat (nevertheless, the Concordat remains valid, as does institutional corporatism). In spite of these reforms, the Colombian government is still required to pay a fee to the Roman See. Religious instruction in public schools according to the Roman Church Magisterium for Catholics also remains firmly in place. Colombia remains one of the most inequitable and dangerous countries in the world.
Other Considerations
Authors: García Portilla Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis chapter examines further considerations derived from the research.Institutional factors related to religion exert a stronger structural and long-term influence on prosperity (competitiveness and corruption) than the cultural influence of religion (adherents).Prosperity and educational differences between Protestants (higher) and Roman Catholics (lower) are still evident in Germany and Switzerland. Such differences are even more prominent comparing national levels (cross-country) throughout Europe and the Americas.Thousands of years of hegemony characterise the Roman Catholic Church as a global political-religious institution. The associated corruption in all the countries under its influence may well be related to the corrupt fruits for which “we shall know them” in the parable of Jesus (King James Bible, 1769, Matthew 7:15–23). Among others, these fruits have also been the abuse scandals, maintenance of ignorance, and persecution of God’s Word, in the name of Jesus Christ.The results of this study open up various avenues for future research. The QCA evidence generated here allows further analysis of every country in Europe and the Americas. Future research might also continue to apply the vast amount of information collected and already codified in this study.
Diagnosing Corruption and Prosperity in Europe and the Americas (A)
Authors: García Portilla Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis chapter surveys prosperity and transparency in Europe and the Americas and shows, roughly, that historically Protestant countries perform higher than Roman Catholic ones. Sections 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 diagnose prosperity in Europe and the Americas based on three indicators, respectively: Corruption (CPI), Social Progress (SPI), and Competitiveness (GCI).
Conditions (Predictor Variables): Theories Explaining Prosperity Differences (B), (C), (D), (E)
Authors: García Portilla Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis chapter defines the conditions elements of the research model in this study (Fig. 2.1). Therefore, Sects. 5.1–5.7 refer to some influential theories that have sought to explain differences in prosperity between countries from diverse disciplinary perspectives. Potential prosperity factors/theories can be clustered into three groups: (1) cultural and religious values; (2) institutions and economic growth; (3) environment and geography. Each of these distinct theories may contain “a grain of truth” about understanding prosperity imbalances between countries. Ideally, prosperity theories should be complementary instead of competing explanations. For example, geography and environmental theories explain how seasonal lands can provide a society and its economy better conditions to prosper. Institutional theory helps explain how institutions model social prosperity by perpetuating equality loops or by concentrating wealth. Cultural theory contributes to the understanding of the influence of cultural variables, such as religious beliefs and values, on prosperity. Yet, the relations among environment/geography, culture, institutions, and prosperity are highly complex and involve massive historical dynamics which would normally far exceed the scope of empirical research.
Prosperity and Religion (A), (B), (1)
Authors: García Portilla Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis chapter discusses the prosperity–religion link and reviews some prominent empirical studies refuting and confirming Weber’s thesis and balancing the evidence gathered. It also emphasises the importance of seriously considering the institutional (and hegemonic) influence of religion in addition to the cultural influence (of religious adherents). The historical institutional influence of religion has been the crucial factor with regard to prosperity/transparency (more than the current proportion of adherents).The relationships of prosperity vis-à-vis religion as a predictor (independent) variable (e.g. Weber) or as a criterion (dependent) variable (e.g. Marx) reinforce each other and produced a vast body of theories and empirical studies. In the first causal arrow, Weber’s explanations and findings in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism has attracted much criticism over the last century. The debate remains polarised.The second causal arrow (religion as a dependent variable vis-à-vis prosperity) resulted in, among others, secularisation theories focusing on either the supply or demand-side of religion. The theory of existential security is an influential model that empirically focuses on the variations of the demand-side and revises the secularisation theory.
Institutions, Corruption/Prosperity, and Religion (A), (B), (D), (1), (3), (6)
Authors: García Portilla Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis chapter characterises the relations between religion, institutions, and the transparency–prosperity nexus. It explains how economic prosperity, democracy, and transparency are part of a feedback loop that constitutes a single phenomenon. More importantly, this chapter deepens the institutional analysis by concentrating on the particular historical influence of religion on the different legal traditions in Europe and the Americas. It is the cornerstone of Part 3 and, as such, of the entire book.The Reformation brought forth a wide range of modern institutions. Among these, education and democracy are the most crucial ones for ensuring prosperity/transparency outcomes. Likewise, Protestantism has impacted the secularisation of the state in Protestant countries (and also in Roman Catholics, albeit to a lesser, more indirect extent). Protestantism fosters horizontal power relations and secular-rational attitudes towards authority. Thus, such egalitarian and secular attitudes are linked to greater transparency and prosperity.The Lutheran German Revolution formed the basis of the various later Protestant, dissenting revolutions and legal traditions (i.e. British and American). Some of its concepts (e.g. separation of state functions from the church; state-sponsored education) permeate all modern legal systems to this day and ended the monopoly of Roman canon law.Regardless of the advances made by Roman Catholicism in the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II: 1962–1965), corporatist ideologies remain prevalent, mostly in Latin America. But while Roman Catholic discourse has shifted, the institutional inertia persists and maintains the hierarchical status quo and longstanding feudal structures.
Education, Religion, and Corruption/Prosperity (A), (B), (C), (1), (2)
Authors: García Portilla Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis chapter demonstrates the influential association of Protestantism and prosperity by explaining its historical focus on education and human capital building.Historically (and statistically), one key mechanism driving prosperity/transparency has been the Protestant emphasis on literacy so as to promote reading and understanding the Bible among wider circles (Becker & Woessmann, 2009). This contrasted starkly with the Roman Catholic practice of reciting parts of the Gospel in Latin scholarly language to mostly illiterate peasants (Androne, 2014). The teaching of God’s Word in vernacular languages created linguistic and methodical skills (i.e. exegetical understanding) that proved valuable beyond the religious realm. This practice also led to the accumulation of human capital, and thereby opened and perpetuated an important educational (and hence prosperity) gap between Protestants and Roman Catholics over time.As part of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, the Jesuits have competed with Protestant education but attaching less importance to the Scriptures in their schooling. Some South American areas influenced by Jesuit missions exhibit 10–15% higher human capital and income than the surrounding Catholic populations. Yet, Jesuit instruction has been largely elitist and far less encompassing than Protestant educational coverage and accomplishment.
Bilateral vestibulopathy patients’ perspectives on vestibular implant treatment: a qualitative study
Authors: van Stiphout Lisa , Lucieer Florence , Guinand Nils , Pérez Fornos Angélica , van de Berg Maurice , Van Rompaey Vincent , Widdershoven Josine , Kingma Herman , Joore Manuela , van de Berg Raymond 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Objectives
The aim of this study was to explore expectations of patients with bilateral vestibulopathy regarding vestibular implant treatment. This could advance the definition of recommendations for future core outcome sets of vestibular implantation and help to determine on which characteristics of bilateral vestibulopathy future vestibular implant research should focus.

Methods
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 patients diagnosed with bilateral vestibulopathy at Maastricht UMC + . Interviews followed a semi-structured interview guide and were recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were analyzed thematically by two independent researchers. A consensus meeting took place to produce a joint interpretation for greater dimensionality and to confirm key themes.

Results
Overall, patient expectations centralized around three key themes: (physical) symptom reduction, functions and activities, and quality of life. These themes appeared to be interrelated. Patient expectations focused on the activity walking (in a straight line), reducing the symptom oscillopsia and being able to live the life they had before bilateral vestibulopathy developed. In general, patients indicated to be satisfied with small improvements.

Conclusion
This study demonstrated that patient expectations regarding a vestibular implant focus on three key themes: symptom reduction, functions and activities, and quality of life. These themes closely match the functional improvements shown in recent vestibular implantation research. The results of this study provide a clear guideline from the patient perspective on which characteristics of bilateral vestibulopathy, future vestibular implant research should focus.

Trial registration
NL52768.068.15/METC
Deep brain stimulation for movement disorder treatment: exploring frequency-dependent efficacy in a computational network model
Authors: Spiliotis Konstantinos , Starke Jens , Franz Denise , Richter Angelika , Köhling Rüdiger 
Published: December 2021

AbstractA large-scale computational model of the basal ganglia network and thalamus is proposed to describe movement disorders and treatment effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS). The model of this complex network considers three areas of the basal ganglia region: the subthalamic nucleus (STN) as target area of DBS, the globus pallidus, both pars externa and pars interna (GPe-GPi), and the thalamus. Parkinsonian conditions are simulated by assuming reduced dopaminergic input and corresponding pronounced inhibitory or disinhibited projections to GPe and GPi. Macroscopic quantities are derived which correlate closely to thalamic responses and hence motor programme fidelity. It can be demonstrated that depending on different levels of striatal projections to the GPe and GPi, the dynamics of these macroscopic quantities (synchronisation index, mean synaptic activity and response efficacy) switch from normal to Parkinsonian conditions. Simulating DBS of the STN affects the dynamics of the entire network, increasing the thalamic activity to levels close to normal, while differing from both normal and Parkinsonian dynamics. Using the mentioned macroscopic quantities, the model proposes optimal DBS frequency ranges above 130 Hz.
Analysis of the paraspinal muscle morphology of the lumbar spine using a convolutional neural network (CNN)
Authors: Baur David , Bieck Richard , Berger Johann , Neumann Juliane , Henkelmann Jeanette , Neumuth Thomas , Heyde Christoph-E. , Voelker Anna 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Purpose
This single-center study aimed to develop a convolutional neural network to segment multiple consecutive axial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) slices of the lumbar spinal muscles of patients with lower back pain and automatically classify fatty muscle degeneration.

Methods
We developed a fully connected deep convolutional neural network (CNN) with a pre-trained U-Net model trained on a dataset of 3,650 axial T2-weighted MRI images from 100 patients with lower back pain. We included all qualities of MRI; the exclusion criteria were fractures, tumors, infection, or spine implants. The training was performed using k-fold cross-validation (k = 10), and performance was evaluated using the dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and cross-sectional area error (CSA error). For clinical correlation, we used a simplified Goutallier classification (SGC) system with three classes.

Results
The mean DSC was high for overall muscle (0.91) and muscle tissue segmentation (0.83) but showed deficiencies in fatty tissue segmentation (0.51). The CSA error was small for the overall muscle area of 8.42%, and fatty tissue segmentation showed a high mean CSA error of 40.74%. The SGC classification was correctly predicted in 75% of the patients.

Conclusion
Our fully connected CNN segmented overall muscle and muscle tissue with high precision and recall, as well as good DSC values. The mean predicted SGC values of all available patient axial slices showed promising results. With an overall Error of 25%, further development is needed for clinical implementation. Larger datasets and training of other model architectures are required to segment fatty tissue more accurately.