bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Scalable multimodal assessment of the micro-neighborhood using orthogonal visual inputs
Authors: Despotovic Miroslav , Brunauer Wolfgang A. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe features of the micro-location and in particular the micro-neighborhood that residents perceive on a daily basis have a considerable influence on the quality of living and also on housing prices. For automated valuation models (AVMs), the use of micro-neighborhood information would be beneficial, as incorporating additional spatial effects into the price estimate could potentially reduce the empirical error. However, measuring related features is difficult, as they must first be defined and then collected, which is extremely challenging at such a small spatial level. In this study, we investigate the extent to which the quality of micro-neighborhoods can be assessed holistically using multiple data modalities. We design a scalable approach using alternative data (images and text), with the potential to expand coverage to other urban regions. To achieve this, we propose a multimodal deep learning architecture that integrates both textual and visual inputs and fuses this information. In addition, we introduce a training strategy that enables a targeted fusion of orthogonal visual representations of the residential area within the model architecture. In our experiments, we test and compare different unimodal models with our multimodal architectures. The results demonstrate that the multimodal model with targeted fusion of the orthogonal visual inputs achieves the best performance and also improves the prediction accuracy for underrepresented location quality classes.
Developing a Complete Sentence Severity Scale using Extended Goodman RC models
Authors: Wallace Stephanie , Francis Brian 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to construct a single sentence severity scale incorporating the full range of custodial and non-custodial sentences meted out by the courts. Such a scale would allow us to measure and rank the severity of sentences, relative to other sentences.

Methods
We use disaggregated individual level sentencing data to model the association between offenses and their associated sentences using the Goodman Row Column (RC) Association Model. We then extend this model to control for three legal factors; conviction history, offense plea, and number of offenses, to produce a series of standardised scores. We use linear interpolation and extrapolation to convert the scores to equivalent days in custody.

Results
The scores from the model enable the sentences to be ranked in order of severity; longer custodial sentences dominate at the severe end whilst non-custodial sentences congregate towards the lower end. In the middle of the scale, non-custodial and shorter custodial sentences interweave. We then demonstrate one use of the scale by applying it to Crown Court data, illustrating change in sentencing severity over time.

Conclusions
The Goodman RC Association Model provides a suitable methodology for scoring sentence severity on a single scale. The study found that by extending the model, we were also able to control for three legal factors. The sentence severity scale, as a research tool is specific to England and Wales but the method is universal and can be applied in any jurisdiction where the relevant data is available.
Weighting non-IID batches for out-of-distribution detection
Authors: Zhao Zhilin , Cao Longbing 
Published: August 2024

AbstractA standard network pretrained on in-distribution (ID) samples could make high-confidence predictions on out-of-distribution (OOD) samples, leaving the possibility of failing to distinguish ID and OOD samples in the test phase. To address this over-confidence issue, the existing methods improve the OOD sensitivity from modeling perspectives, i.e., retraining it by modifying training processes or objective functions. In contrast, this paper proposes a simple but effective method, namely Weighted Non-IID Batching (WNB), by adjusting batch weights. WNB builds on a key observation: increasing the batch size can improve the OOD detection performance. This is because a smaller batch size may make its batch samples more likely to be treated as non-IID from the assumed ID, i.e., associated with an OOD. This causes a network to provide high-confidence predictions for all samples from the OOD. Accordingly, WNB applies a weight function to weight each batch according to the discrepancy between batch samples and the entire training ID dataset. Specifically, the weight function is derived by minimizing the generalization error bound. It ensures that the weight function assigns larger weights to batches with smaller discrepancies and makes a trade-off between ID classification and OOD detection performance. Experimental results show that incorporating WNB into state-of-the-art OOD detection methods can further improve their performance.
Incentive Regulation: Expectations, Surprises, and the Road Forward
Authors: Cave Martin 
Published: August 2024

AbstractForty years have passed since an inflation-adjusted price cap, widely called RPI-X, was proposed as a way of controlling prices in the UK’s newly privatised monopoly telecommunications company by a form of incentive regulation. The paper traces developments since then in several jurisdictions, within the context of a wider field of changing regulatory governance involving legislatures and governments as well as regulatory agencies. The focus is on, first, the experience of increasing complexity of the incentive schemes adopted, and second on the growing political salience of regulatory decisions which adds goals such as net zero, with more direct quantitative targets, to maximising consumer welfare. The implications of these changes for regulatory interventions are considered.
Teaching as Epistemic Mistrust
Authors: Davids Nuraan 
Published: August 2024

AbstractLong portrayed as a virtuous profession, teaching has always been embedded in notions of trust and trustworthiness. Alongside expectations of epistemic cultivation and development, is an implicit handing over of discretionary powers to ‘the trusted teacher’. At the height of #blacklivesmatter protests in 2020, however, high school learners all over South Africa took to social media—@yousilenceweamplify—to express their hurt and anger at their dehumanising experiences at some of the country’s leading schools. Their accounts not only exposed some schools as intense sites of racial, religious, cultural, ethnic, and linguistic tension and conflict, but shattered presumptions about ‘the trusted teacher’. Following a consideration of what trust infers, and the potential harms that arise from epistemic mistrust, the paper considers what might be gained from philosophical engagements in the espousal of teaching as a relationship of epistemic trust, and which ensures the flourishing of both learner and teacher? How might philosophy of education assist teacher education programmes in attuning students to an understanding that being trustworthy as teachers resides in self-knowledge as well as knowledge of the differences of, and among others?
Agitated and temporary immersion bioreactor cultures of Reynoutria japonica Houtt. as a rich source of phenolic compounds
Authors: Makowski Wojciech , Królicka Aleksandra , Sroka Julia , Matyjewicz Alicja , Potrykus Marta , Kubica Paweł , Szopa Agnieszka , Tokarz Barbara , Tokarz Krzysztof M. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractReynoutria japonica Houtt. (Japanese knotweed) is an invasive plant belonging to the Polygonaceae family. However, being native to East Asia, it has been used in natural medicine for ages because of its broad range of biological activity. Although R. japonica is known as a rich source of phenolic compounds, plant biomass collected from the field may be contaminated with toxic elements like heavy metals, and the level of metabolite accumulation depends on environmental conditions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to derive Japanese knotweed tissue cultures and investigate biomass production and phenolic compound synthesis in in vitro conditions. Plants were cultivated in a traditional agar-solidified medium, in a liquid medium with rotary shaking (agitated culture), and in a temporary immersion bioreactors Plantform™, as well as in soil (ex vitro conditions). Analyses of the growth index and dry weight accumulation were performed on the collected material. In the extracts obtained from examined plants, qualitative and quantitative analysis of phenolic derivatives using DAD-HPLC was conducted to determine the sum of phenolic compounds, as well as the quantity of selected phenolic acids, catechins, and other flavonoids. Results have shown that agitated cultures and temporary immersion bioreactors increased biomass accumulation compared to solid medium cultures. Tissue cultures of R. japonica had increased synthesis of phenolic compounds compared to plants from ex vitro conditions. Shoots and roots from agitated cultures were 2.8- and 3.3-fold richer in catechins, respectively, compared to plants cultivated in soil. Based on the obtained results it can be concluded that agitated and bioreactor cultures are the best source of Japanese knotweed biomass rich in valuable secondary metabolites.
The Effects of Humidity on the Velocity-Dependence and Frictional Ageing of Nanoscale Silica Contacts
Authors: McClimon J. Brandon , Li Zhuohan , Baral Khagendra , Goldsby David , Szlufarska Izabela , Carpick Robert W. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThis work examines the effect of environmental humidity on rate-and-state friction behavior of nanoscale silica-silica nanoscale contacts in an atomic force microscope, particularly, its effect on frictional ageing and velocity-weakening vs. strengthening friction from 10 nm/s to 100 μm/s sliding velocities. At extremely low humidities ($$\ll 1\% RH$$

≪
1
%
R
H

), ageing is nearly absent for up to 100 s of nominally stationary contact, and friction is strongly velocity-strengthening. This is consistent with dry interfacial friction, where thermal excitations help overcome static friction at low sliding velocities. At higher humidity levels (10–40% RH), ageing becomes pronounced and is accompanied by much higher kinetic friction and velocity-weakening behavior. This is attributed to water-catalyzed interfacial Si–O-Si bond formation. At the highest humidities examined (> 40% RH), ageing subsides, kinetic friction drops to low levels, and friction is velocity-strengthening again. These responses are attributed to intercalated water separating the interfaces, which precludes interfacial bonding. The trends in velocity-dependent friction are reproduced and explained using a computational multi-bond model. Our model explicitly simulates bond formation and bond-breaking, and the passivation and reactivation of reaction sites across the interface during sliding, where the activation energies for interfacial chemical reactions are dependent on humidity. These results provide potential insights into nanoscale mechanisms that may contribute to the humidity dependence observed in prior macroscale rock friction studies. They also provide a possible microphysical foundation to understand the role of water in interfacial systems with water-catalyzed bonding reactions, and demonstrate a profound change in the interfacial physics near and above saturated humidity conditions.
Bayesian method for fitting the low-energy constants in chiral perturbation theory
Authors: Pan Hao-Xiang , Kong De-Kai , Wen Qiao-Yi , Jiang Shao-Zhou 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe values of the low-energy constants (LECs) are very important in the chiral perturbation theory. This paper adopts a Bayesian method with the truncation errors to globally fit eight next-to-leading order (NLO) LECs L
i
r
and next-to-next-leading order (NNLO) LECs C
i
r
. With the estimation of the truncation errors, the fitting results of L
i
r
in the NLO and NNLO are very close. The posterior distributions of C
i
r
indicate the boundary-dependent relations of these C
i
r
. Ten C
i
r
are weakly dependent on the boundaries and their values are reliable. The other C
i
r
are required more experimental data to constrain their boundaries. Some linear combinations of C
i
r
are also fitted with more reliable posterior distributions. If one knows some more precise values of C
i
r
, some other C
i
r
can be obtained by these values. With these fitting LECs, most observables provide a good convergence, except for the πK scattering lengths a
0
3/2
and a
0
1/2
. An example is also introduced to test the improvement of the method. All the computations indicate that considering the truncation errors can improve the global fit greatly, and more prior information can obtain better fitting results. This fitting method can be extended to the other effective field theories and the perturbation theory.
Occult Metastasis: Incidence, Pattern, and Impact on Survival in Patients with Oral Cancer, pN0 vs pN1 in a Cohort of cN0. A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Das Kishore , Gontu Gopi Satya Sai Reddy , Aasumi Kanato , Das Raj jyoti , Das Anupam , Rahman Tashnin , Das Ashok Kumar , Kakati Kaberi 
Published: August 2024

AbstractSquamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity is the most common malignancy of head and neck cancer in India. With nodal dissemination, there is a significant decrease in survival. This study is aimed at studying the impact of occult metastasis on an estimated overall survival in clinically N0 patients post neck dissection. In a prospective study with 110 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, clinically N0 with all T stages were included in the study. operated on for both primary and neck followed up for a median of 5 years after completion of definitive treatment. The impact of surgery on patients with occult metastasis was questionable in our study with a difference in estimated overall survival of around 11 months, which was not significant statistically. Subset analysis had shown the correlation of overall survival with a grade of tumor, T stage and depth of invasion which was statistically insignificant. Correlation of occult metastasis with the depth of invasion, T stage was statistically significant. we conclude that even after addressing the neck in clinically N0 patients with oral cancer, there is a difference in the overall survival of the patients with occult metastasis which might not be statistically significant with a p-value of 0.68. We conclude that with neck dissection in patients with occult metastasis, improved survival might not be comparable to pathological N0.Level of Evidence: LEVEL -2.
Clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of Ewing sarcoma (Spanish Sarcoma Research Group-GEIS)
Authors: Mata Fernández Cristina , Sebio Ana , Orcajo Rincón Javier , Martín Broto Javier , Martín Benlloch Antonio , Marcilla Plaza David , López Pousa Antonio , Gracia Alegría Isidro , Giuppi Martina , Collado Ballesteros Erica , Bernabeu Daniel , de Alava Enrique , Valverde Morales Claudia 
Published: August 2024

AbstractEwing sarcoma is a small round-cell sarcoma characterized by gene fusion involving EWSR1 (or another TET family protein like FUS) and an ETS family transcription factor. The estimated incidence of this rare bone tumor, which occurs most frequently in adolescents and young adults, is 0.3 per 100,000/year. Although only 25% of patients with Ewing sarcoma are diagnosed with metastatic disease, historical series show that this is a systemic disease. Patient management requires multimodal therapies—including intensive chemotherapy—in addition to local treatments (surgery and/or radiotherapy). In the recurrent/refractory disease setting, different approaches involving systemic treatments and local therapies are also recommended as well as patient inclusion in clinical trials whenever possible. Because of the complexity of Ewing sarcoma diagnosis and treatment, it should be carried out in specialized centers and treatment plans should be designed upfront by a multidisciplinary tumor board. These guidelines provide recommendations for diagnosis, staging, and multimodal treatment of Ewing sarcoma.
Breaking the Silence: Participatory Forum Theatre and Gender-Based Violence Prevention in Mining Communities. A Case Study of Makusha, Midlands Province, Zimbabwe
Authors: Magwegwe Everjoy 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThis study investigates forum theater, an interactive, participatory type of theater, as a tool to better understand and combat gender-based violence (GBV) in Makusha, a densely populated mining community in Shurugwi, the Midlands region of Zimbabwe. Deeply impacted by rapid mining industry expansion, this community faces intensifying social tensions. At the core of the study lies an examination of the influence of forum theater on community attitudes and behaviors. Attention is paid to its role in empowering vulnerable segments of the community, especially women, and how it fosters resilience and resistance against GBV. The study discusses the transformative potential of forum theater in addressing deep-seated social issues and the urgency of creating inclusive and violence-free spaces in communities.
Science, Life, and Art in Nietzsche’s Notes for ‘We Philologists’
Authors: Palumbo Neriojamil 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe study retraces Nietzsche’s 1875 notes for the planned but never published Unfashionable Observation, We Philologists, through a specific focus on the topics of science, life and art in their close and seldom discussed interrelation. The questions that the investigation addresses are: what is the significance of Nietzsche’s problematisation of science in We Philologists for our interpretation of the topic in his later works? How should we interpret these notebooks in relation to his previous writings, on the one hand, and to his later treatment of themes like the deconstruction of Christianity, the critique of eudemonism or the historical genesis of the genius on the other? Framing the notebooks as unwittingly experimental precursors of Nietzsche’s aphoristic books, the article interprets the unique nuance of the notes as an opportunity to start shedding a different light on the discussion of these questions in Nietzsche’s later works. Science, life and art become thus the focal points of a more specific and circumscribed analysis of his early thought – reconnecting these topics to their tangible origins, and tracking their early development in the context of Nietzsche’s acclaimed switch from philology to philosophy and cultural criticism.
Exergy Analysis of Integrated Methanol and Dimethyl-Ether Co-production Towards Net Zero Waste Emission
Authors: Perera Joachim Anthony , Ng Zi Wei , Salema Arshad Adam , Chew Irene Mei Leng 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe energy sector, currently dominated by fossil fuels, significantly contributes to carbon emissions and climate impacts. This study addresses the urgent need for renewable energy resources and promotes the utilization of waste from Malaysia’s palm oil industry. It proposes upgrading conventional palm oil mills to integrated mills to produce valuable biofuels such as methanol (MET) or dimethyl ether (DME). Using Aspen Plus V11 for simulation, mass and energy balances were provided for feasibility analysis, including techno-economic, exergy, and carbon analysis. The integrated process demonstrated 10 to 15% higher exergetic efficiency than conventional mills, enhancing the renewability index by 40% and reducing carbon emissions to 0.50 tonne CO2 per tonne of palm oil. The integrated mills, operating at 61–64% exergetic efficiency, achieve a 28% reduction in exergy destruction when palm wastes are recovered and transformed into biofuels. Despite an 87% increase in non-renewable exergy consumption due to additional operating requirements, the overall renewability index remains high (around 0.9), demonstrating the commercial viability and environmental benefits of this approach. Overall, this study lays the foundation for integrated palm oil mill operation by utilizing palm waste to achieve net zero waste emissions, which is a positive outlook.
BV Functions and Nonlocal Functionals in Metric Measure Spaces
Authors: Lahti Panu , Pinamonti Andrea , Zhou Xiaodan 
Published: August 2024

AbstractWe study the asymptotic behavior of three classes of nonlocal functionals in complete metric spaces equipped with a doubling measure and supporting a Poincaré inequality. We show that the limits of these nonlocal functionals are comparable to the total variation $$\Vert Df\Vert (\Omega )$$

‖
D
f
‖
(
Ω
)

or the Sobolev semi-norm $$\int _\Omega g_f^p\, d\mu $$

∫
Ω

g
f
p

d
μ

, which extends Euclidean results to metric measure spaces. In contrast to the classical setting, we also give an example to show that the limits are not always equal to the corresponding total variation even for Lipschitz functions.
Clinical Outcome of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Probands with the Founder Variant c.913_914del in MYBPC3: A Slovenian Cohort Study
Authors: Vodnjov Nina , Maver Aleš , Teran Nataša , Peterlin Borut , Toplišek Janez , Writzl Karin 
Published: August 2024

AbstractHypertrophic cardiomyopathy is often caused by pathogenic MYBPC3 variants. The study of Italian patients with HCM and MYBPC3(NM_000256.3):c.913_914del showed a higher disease penetrance in males and a higher frequency of arrhythmias compared to patients with other likely pathogenic and pathogenic (LP/P) MYBPC3 variants. We investigated the clinical outcomes of Slovenian probands with MYBPC3 LP/P variants, estimated the variant penetrance and compared the results with an Italian study. We identified 31 haplotype-matched individuals with MYBPC3:c.913_914del and 34 individuals with other LP/P MYBPC3 variants. We observed some significant differences in clinical and echocardiographic characteristics and frequency of adverse cardiac events between Slovenian and Italian probands with MYBPC3:c913_914del. We were unable to replicate previous findings for MYBPC3:c.913_914del, highlighting the complexity of genotype–phenotype associations.
Graphical Abstract
Surrounded by Darkness, Enfolded in Light: Factors Influencing the Mental Health of Australian Jews in the October 7 Aftermath
Authors: Bankier-Karp Adina L. , Graham David 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThis study examines the effects of social media use on anxiety levels of Australian Jews during the 5-week post-October 7 aftermath. It considers this relationship in the context of the mediating roles played by concerns about rising antisemitism in Australia and concerns about Israel. It further examines the moderating effects on these relationships of non-Jewish friends reaching out with messages of sympathy and concern, and the effects of Jewish communal ties. The analysis is based on data collected from 7611 Australian Jewish adults and employs a series of ordinary least squares regression analyses to assess the direct, indirect, and interaction effects of these variables on anxiety. The results indicate significant direct effects of social media use on anxiety levels. Additionally, concerns about antisemitism in Australia and concerns about Israel were found to mediate these relationships. Non-Jewish friends reaching out frequently with messages of sympathy and concern was found to attenuate the effects of concerns about antisemitism in Australia on anxiety. By contrast, Jewish communal ties were not found to significantly moderate the effects of concern about Israel on anxiety. These findings underscore the complex interplay between social media use, concern about local antisemitism, concern about Israel, and forms of social support in shaping anxiety levels of Australian Jews during this particular time period. The implications for mental health of ethnoreligious groups during crisis and avenues for future research are discussed.