bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The potential benefits of regionally differentiated Covid-19 policies
Authors: Thissen Mark , van Oort Frank , Weterings Anet 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
While many countries introduced regionally differentiated policy measures for Covid-19, such as social distancing, lockdowns and working from home, the Netherlands opted for national binding policies already in the early stages of the pandemic. Using detailed data on the impacts of the first lockdown on consumers’ and producers’ behaviour, as well as scenarios varying on intensities of measures, we show that regional differentiated policies could have mitigated a significant part of the losses in production resulting from the Covid-19 measures. The self-organizing capacities of the regional economic system fuel this mitigation, with regional variation in policies being a sufficient precondition. Coordinated and explicitly planned policies aimed at supporting specific region-industry clusters may further mitigate impacts but are difficult to achieve due to the number (wickedness) of possible policy options. It would also assume full information and coordination capacities in governance that are not present. The results of our analysis hold important implications for future mitigation strategies for pandemics or other regional shocks.
Queer, Migrant Non-Parenthood in Désorientale by Négar Djavadi and Gabrielle by Agnès Vannouvong
Authors: Cooper Jasmine 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Désorientale (2016) by Franco-Iranian author Négar Djavadi and Gabrielle (2015) by Franco-Lao-Thai author Agnès Vannouvong both emerge at a moment when queer people have some rights (marriage and adoption) but no access to assisted reproductive technology (ART). They take up the issue of what I term “political infertility,” rebuking the notion of queerness as an unproductive sexuality. These novels’ queer (migrant) characters experience compounded forms of exclusion, along the lines of race, gender, sexuality, and cultural difference. I explore how the queer (migrant) nonparent speaks to a particular precarity within a system of power, revealing the complex way in which the nonparent is entrapped by competing modes of legitimatization, visibility, and access to full and fulfilled subjecthood.
(Dis)empowering native speakers? Teachers’ perceptions in Malta
Authors: Block Josianne , Xerri Daniel 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
The article explores the perceptions of English language teachers in Malta with respect to native English-speaking teachers. It discusses the results of a small-scale study involving interviews with teachers working in a boutique English language school. Although the participants acknowledge English’s global significance, the idea of NS supremacy persists. Malta’s colonial heritage reinforces the authority belonging to the NS and influences teachers’ perceptions, with those participants hailing from former colonies struggling with how the NS/NNS dichotomy affected their self-perception. The study discusses the enduring power of the standard varieties possessing prestige, and how British colonialism still impacts teachers’ perceptions. It emphasizes the duty to oppose native-speakerism and promote teachers’ cultural diversity. Finally, the article underscores the necessity for further teacher professional development tailored to the changing Maltese multilingual context amid English’s transformation from the language of power to a lingua franca.
Social listening applied to tailor communication on immunization in the Republic of Moldova
Authors: Timotin Alina , Paladi Adriana , Mita Valentin , Chihai Valeria , Lozan Oleg 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Although the Republic of Moldova had good vaccination rates, anti-vax messages have recently begun to spread, eroding the population’s confidence. Vaccination coverage against measles, mumps, and rubella at the target age of 12 months decreased from 95% in 2008 to 83% in 2021. The recent measles outbreak in Romania and three confirmed cases in Moldova, combined with the refugee crisis, have highlighted the importance of vaccination and sparked online conversations on this subject. A mixed-methods study was conducted, involving social listening activities on immunization using the Talkwalker software and qualitative analysis of the identified narratives. Out of 450 identified comments, 30 were selected for further analysis. Over 5 months, a total of 865 results were obtained, with an engagement rate of 6300. The peak in results occurred between 11 and 18 December, driven by the recent measles outbreak in Romania, which saw several confirmed cases and one death, as well as the first cases of measles in Moldova after 3 years. However, no significant increase in the engagement rate was recorded. Comments on immunization tended to reflect distrust in authorities and doctors, political and ideological views, and a lack of knowledge about the risks of vaccine-preventable diseases. The analysed conversations are assessed as having a low risk of spreading, though some employ techniques to influence or manipulate behaviours. The topic of vaccination is used to promote political ideologies through messages issued by the mass media. The information vacuum must be filled with messages designed to produce attitude change regarding vaccination.
Economic Disadvantage During Childhood, Obesity, and Diabetes Across Three Birth Cohorts of Older Mexicans
Authors: Zazueta-Borboa Jesús-Daniel , Samper-Ternent Rafael , Wong Rebeca , Mehta Neil 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Objectives
Diabetes prevalence has increased markedly in Mexico. We examined the individual and joint contributions of economic disadvantage during childhood (EDDC) and elevated body weight on diabetes prevalence in 3 cohorts of Mexican adults.

Methods
Data on those 60–69 years old from the 1930–1939, 1940–1949, and 1950–1959 birth cohorts in Waves 1 (2001), 3 (2012), and 5 (2018) of the Mexican Health and Aging Study were used. EDDC was defined as the absence of a toilet in the household before age 10. Body mass status was defined using self-reported perceived body image at age 50. Diabetes was based on respondent reports. Supplementary analyses using HbA1c as a criterion for diabetes were conducted. A regression-decomposition approach was implemented. Logistic regression models included adjustments for sociodemographic characteristics and access to medical care.

Results
Diabetes prevalence was 23% overall and 11%, 25%, and 26% in the 1930–1939, 1940–1949, and 1950–1959 cohorts, respectively. EDDC declined across successive cohorts, whereas the prevalence of overweight/obesity at age 50 increased. EDDC and overweight/obesity were associated with higher odds of reporting diabetes. A scenario that eliminates disadvantaged EDDC reduced diabetes prevalence by 11% in a pooled sample, while eliminating overweight/obesity reduced it by 30%. Overweight/obesity explained 42% of the rise in diabetes prevalence between the 1930–1939 and 1950–1959 cohorts. Improvement in EDDC explained 18% of the rise in diabetes prevalence between 1930–1939 and 1950–1959 cohorts.

Discussion
High body weight across Mexican birth cohorts seemed to offset the potential benefits from improvements in childhood conditions on adult diabetes risk.
Kinlessness at older ages: Prevalence and heterogeneity in 27 countries
Authors: Pittavino Marta , Arpino Bruno , Pirani Elena 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Objectives
We provide recent and detailed estimates of the prevalence of kinlessness (i.e., people lacking [close] kin) among older individuals in 27 countries. We add to the literature by considering a broad range of kinship ties and examining within-country variabilities by age, sex, education, and rurality of the residential area.

Methods
Using data from Wave 8 (2019-2020) of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we estimated the prevalence of kinlessness among individuals aged 65 and over in 26 European countries and Israel. We considered different definitions of kinlessness, from a less restrictive (based on the absence of both a partner and children) to a more restrictive one (absence of partner, children, grandchildren, parents, and siblings).

Results
Kinlessness varied considerably across countries. The percentage of people aged 65 and over who lacked a partner and children ranged between 2-3.5% in the Czech Republic, Romania, Israel, and Bulgaria to more than 8% in Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, and Malta. The percentage of older people lacking all close kin considered (partner, children, grandchildren, parents, and siblings) ranged from 0.1 to 4.1%. In addition, there was substantial heterogeneity in kinlessness in some countries by age, sex, and rurality of the residential area, whereas, except for a few cases, we did not find significant differences by education.

Discussion
Understanding the prevalence of kinless older adults is critical for policymakers and healthcare providers to design appropriate support systems for this potentially vulnerable group of people.
The official career of Sir Christopher Hales, attorney general and master of the rolls under Henry VIII
Authors: McGovern Jonathan 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
This article is the first study of the official career of Sir Christopher Hales. It casts new light on the workload and responsibilities of an early Tudor lawyer-administrator at the highest levels of government. It is structured around the principal stages in Hales’s career: undersheriff of Kent (1507–8), solicitor general (1525–9), attorney general (1529–36) and master of the rolls (1536–41). Its chief contribution to scholarship is that it provides a detailed discussion of the office of attorney general in the early Tudor period.
Los terceros interesados ante la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos: una inclusión necesariaInterested third-parties before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights: a necessary inclusion
Authors: Candia Falcón Gonzalo 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Unlike the European and African systems, the Inter-American human rights system entirely excludes the participation of interested third parties in proceedings before its judicial body, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. This article argues that the reasons typically given to justify this exclusion are insufficient —at least on their own— to fully justify the exclusion of third-party interventions. Furthermore, the article contends that this exclusion poses challenges to both due process and the institutional capacities of the Court, particularly in a context where the Court is tasked with addressing highly polycentric problems. The article suggests re-evaluating the exclusion of interested third parties, which should lead to a reform of the Court’s Rules of Procedure. Finally, it explains that this proposal is consistent with certain trends developed by the Court in recent years.
Welfare and performance benefits of shade provision during summer for feedlot cattle in a temperate climatic zone
Authors: Miller David W , Barnes Anne L , Collins Teresa , Pannier Liselotte , Aleri Joshua , Maloney Shane K , Anderson Fiona 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
There is increasing interest from cattle lot-feeders in the use of shade to mitigate the effects of a potential heat-stress event, though it is unclear whether the reported benefits of shade in previous studies conducted in more high-risk heat-stress zones are pertinent in cooler temperate zones. The objectives of this study were to measure the welfare and performance benefits of shade provision for lot-fed cattle at a commercial feedlot located in a mild heat-stress risk zone in Western Australia. Six blocks of black Angus (Bos taurus) steers were inducted into the feedlot over 6 time windows across a southern hemisphere summer, with 80 cattle per block housed in a partially shaded pen (providing 3.125 m2 of shade per animal) and 80 in an unshaded pen. Parameters assessed in 960 cattle over the first 70 d in the feedlot included weight gain, feed intake, and physiological and behavioral indices of overall health and welfare. Over the months of October to May in which the experiment was conducted, shaded cattle demonstrated a modest 0.13 kg overall increase in average daily gain across the 70-d feedlot period (P = 0.13). There was no difference in dry matter intake between any block or treatment. The physiological and behavioral markers of health and welfare revealed that, even during to the hottest times of the experiment, the cattle were quite able to thermoregulate, via increased panting and seeking shade (if available), to maintain physiological homeostasis. In addition, we measured the effect of heat stress and shade provision on the affective state of the cattle. Qualitative behavioral assessment was used to indicate that the cattle in the “no stress” temperature humidity index (THI) category and the shaded cattle in the “moderate stress” THI category displayed the most positive demeanor (P &lt; 0.05), being described as more “settled and sociable”, while the unshaded cattle in the “moderate stress” THI category and all cattle in the “severe stress” THI category were described as more “agitated/anxious” (P &lt; 0.05). Overall, the findings from the present study suggest that there are definite welfare and modest performance benefits associated with providing cattle with shade in summer in a feedlot situated in a temperate climatic zone.
Romosozumab versus bisphosphonates for preventing subsequent vertebral fractures after balloon kyphoplasty: comparison using data from two prospective multicenter studies
Authors: Inose Hiroyuki , Takahashi Shinji , Teraguchi Masatoshi , Kato Tsuyoshi , Yamada Kentaro , Yasuda Hiroyuki , Terakawa Masaki , Minetama Masakazu , Tomori Masaki , Nakagawa Yukihiro , Yoshii Toshitaka 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Preventing subsequent fractures after vertebral augmentation is a critical clinical concern. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of romosozumab and bisphosphonate administration on the occurrence of subsequent vertebral fractures after balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) and to identify factors associated with the occurrence of subsequent vertebral fractures. The study compared 24 patients who underwent BKP and received romosozumab with 58 control patients who underwent BKP and received bisphosphonates, all within 2 months of acute osteoporotic vertebral fracture and showing unfavorable magnetic resonance imaging prognostic factors. The primary outcome was the occurrence of subsequent fracture, and the secondary outcomes were improvement in back pain visual analog scale (VAS) score. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis was conducted to adjust for confounding factors and assess the effect of osteoporosis treatment type on subsequent vertebral fractures following BKP. Subsequent vertebral fractures occurred in 16 patients in the bisphosphonate group and in 1 patient in the romosozumab group (p = .02). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in VAS scores and their change from preoperatively to 6 months after surgery. The multivariable logistic regression analysis identified the type of osteoporosis treatment as an independent factor associated with the occurrence of subsequent vertebral fractures (Odds ratio, 18.30, p = .02). This prospective, multicenter study demonstrates that romosozumab is more effective than bisphosphonates in preventing subsequent vertebral fractures within 6 months after BKP. Romosozumab’s superior efficacy in reducing subsequent vertebral fractures may lead to improved long-term outcomes and quality of life, potentially making it a preferred treatment option over bisphosphonates for patients undergoing BKP.
Economic Growth in a Cooperative Economy
Authors: Brzustowski Thomas , Caselli Francesco 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
We develop and formalise an equilibrium concept for a dynamic economy in which production takes place in worker cooperatives. The concept rules out allocations of workers to cooperatives in which a worker in one cooperative could move to a different cooperative and make both herself and the existing workers in the receiving cooperative better off. It also rules out allocations in which workers in a cooperative would be made better off by some of the other workers leaving. We also provide a minimum-information equilibrium-selection criterion, which refines our equilibrium concept. We illustrate the application of our concept and refinement in the context of an overlapping-generation economy with specific preferences and technology. The cooperative economy follows a dynamic path qualitatively similar to the path followed by a capitalist economy, featuring gradual convergence to a steady state with constant output. However, the cooperative economy features a static inefficiency, in that, for a given aggregate capital stock, firm size is smaller than what a social planner would choose. On the other hand, the cooperative economy cannot be dynamically inefficient and could accumulate capital at a rate that is higher or lower than the capitalist economy. As a result, steady-state income per worker could be higher or lower in the cooperative economy. We also present an illustrative calibration, which quantitatively compares steady-state incomes and welfare in a cooperative and in a capitalist economy.
Improved algorithm for fracture-dissolution pore detection in resistivity imaging logging based on dung beetle optimization
Authors: Zhu Zuomin , Guo Jianhong , Gu Baoxiang , Liu Yuhan , Gao Lun , Lv Hengyang , Zhang Zhansong 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Resistivity imaging logging has become a direct and precise method for visualizing the structural complexities of reservoir fractures and dissolution pores. The current use of Otsu's thresholding for segmentation results in poor segmentation quality and significant noise. Accurate segmentation of sub-images containing fracture and dissolution pore targets is essential for automated structure identification and subsequent parameter calculation. This study leverages the rapid convergence and robust global optimization capabilities of the dung beetle optimizer to develop enhanced image segmentation approaches. Specifically, it introduces a refined K-means algorithm for multi-category image segmentation and an Otsu algorithm for multi-threshold image segmentation, both optimized by the dung beetle optimizer. Compared to conventional binary segmentation algorithms, this new algorithm effectively isolates noise and extracts multi-category information. Using the segmented sub-images, this paper integrates mathematical morphology techniques to compute parameters such as area, perimeter, tortuosity length, and pore shape factor for identified targets. Additionally, principal component analysis is used to derive recognition factors for fractures and dissolution pores. Applications show that this factor can identify matrix, fracture, and dissolution pore targets in complex background images. By combining parameter information of the target area, the method effectively removes false information in resistivity imaging and segments sub-images of fractures and dissolution pores, calculating fracture area ratio, dissolution pore area ratio, and total area ratio.
Antipredator responses of bats during short boreal nights with variable climatic conditions
Authors: Suutari Miina S , Lehikoinen Aleksi , Lehto Harry J , Lilley Thomas M 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
The threat of predation can influence the behavior of animals. To minimize the impact of predation, animals rely on antipredatory responses and effectively balance these responses with other activities to maximize survival. Boreal bats are nocturnal animals that must forage within a narrow time frame during short, light summer nights with unpredictable weather. Despite having no specialized predators, boreal bats are still subject to predation. However, whether they express antipredatory responses has not been established. We studied antipredatory responses and responses to climatic conditions in boreal bats in 2 settings: 1) during roost emergence; and 2) during foraging within Tawny Owl territories and at locations with no Tawny Owl sightings. Acoustic data were collected at 23 roosts and 10 foraging grounds. Two controlled predation threats were used—playbacks of Tawny Owl calls and fledgling calls. Fledgling calls were only played during roost emergence. In both experiments, music and no treatment were used as controls. We also incorporated weather variables in the model. According to our results, bats tend to delay their emergence by 16 min when Tawny Owl calls were played outside the roost, but this effect was not noticeable when weather variables were included. There was no difference in exit time when music or fledgling sounds were played. While foraging, bats reduced their activity in Tawny Owl territories when calls of owls or music were played compared to no treatment. These results suggest that bats might display variable antipredatory responses, but weather influences behavior of bats more than predation risk, highlighting the importance of energy-saving strategies at northerly latitudes.
Relationship between anemia and occupational fall injuries in female part-time employees: an observational study of large supermarket stores in Japan
Authors: Shima Azusa , Kawatsu Yuichiro , Morino Ayumi , Okawara Makoto , Hirashima Keiki , Miyamatsu Naomi , Fujino Yoshihisa 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Objectives: Occupational fall injuries have recently increased markedly in Japan, together with an increase in later-middle-aged females in the labor market. However, the association between anemia, which is prevalent among Japanese females, and falls is unclear. Here, we investigated the association between anemia and occupational fall injuries.
Methods: Participants were 6780 part-time female employees aged 35-64 working in Japanese supermarket stores of a retail company and who had at least 1 health checkup each year between 2017 and 2022. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin (Hb) &lt;12.0 g/dL (mild: Hb = 11.0-11.9 g/dL, moderate-severe: Hb &lt; 11.0 g/dL). Fall injuries were defined as slips, trips, and falls on the same level, requiring medical attention based on the occupational injury data by the company. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for falls were estimated using multilevel Poisson regression, adjusting for age and body mass index.
Results: The annual rate of occupational fall injuries was 0.7%. The adjusted IRR for occupational fall injuries among participants with anemia was 1.71 (95% CI, 1.12-2.60). When dividing anemia into 2 groups, IRR was 1.46 (95% CI, 0.84-2.53) for mild anemia and 2.13 (95% CI, 1.18-3.84) for moderate-severe anemia (P for trend = .007).
Conclusions: In this observational study of employees of large Japanese supermarket stores, anemia was significantly associated with a higher incidence of occupational falls. Our findings suggest the importance of anemia in the prevention of occupational falls.