bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Are firms (getting) ready for the corporate sustainability reporting directive?
Authors: Kosi Urska , Relard Paula 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
The study examines whether the announcement and passing of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) impacts the sustainability reporting of German firms. It sheds light on the interdependence of various actors, sectors and policy levels by examining how regulatory changes at the policy level affect the reporting practices of firms across multiple sectors. On the one hand, the scope of the CSRD is being extended, so that new firms falling within its scope may increase their voluntary sustainability reporting as part of the preparation process. On the other hand, the reporting requirements will be more stringent, so that firms currently under the mandate of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) may enhance their sustainability reporting disclosure practices in preparation for the CSRD. First, we find no increase in voluntary sustainability reporting by firms that are not under the scope of the NFRD but will be under the scope of the CSRD. Second, we find enhanced sustainability reporting practices by firms that are subject to the NFRD after the CSRD’s announcement and passing. This finding suggests that these firms begin to implement the new reporting requirements before the first reports are published in 2025. We illuminate the preparation for extensive reporting changes through sustainability reporting disclosure practices as an outcome of the preparation process. These changes may represent a high burden, particularly for firms with no previous experience of sustainability reporting.
Ultrasound-assisted water oxidation: unveiling the role of piezoelectric metal-oxide sonocatalysts for cancer treatment
Authors: Carofiglio Marco , Percivalle Nicolò Maria , Hernandez Simelys , Laurenti Marco , Canavese Giancarlo , Matos Joana C. , Gonçalves M. Clara , Cauda Valentina 
Published: August 2024

AbstractUltrasound radiation has been widely used in biomedical application for both diagnosis and therapy. Metal oxides nanoparticles (NPs), like ZnO or TiO2 NPs, have been widely demonstrated to act as excellent sonocatalysts and significantly enhance cavitation at their surface, making them optimal for sonodynamic cancer therapy. These NPs often possess semiconductive and piezoelectric properties that contribute to the complex phenomena occurring at the water-oxide interface during sonostimulation. Despite the great potential in applied sonocatalysis and water splitting, the complex mechanism that governs the phenomenon is still a research subject. This work investigates the role of piezoelectric ZnO micro- and nano-particles in ultrasound-assisted water oxidation. Three metal oxides presenting fundamental electronic and mechanical differences are evaluated in terms of ultrasound-triggered reactive oxygen species generation in aqueous media: electromechanically inert SiO2 NPs, semiconducting TiO2 NPs, piezoelectric and semiconducting ZnO micro- and nanoparticles with different surface areas and sizes. The presence of silver ions in the aqueous solution was further considered to impart a potential electron scavenging effects and better evaluate the oxygen generation performances of the different structures. Following sonoirradiation, the particles are optically and chemically analyzed to study the effect of sonostimulation at their surface. The production of gaseous molecular oxygen is measured, revealing the potential of piezoelectric particles to generate oxygen under hypoxic conditions typical of some cancer environments. Finally, the best candidates, i.e. ZnO nano and micro particles, were tested on osteosarcoma and glioblastoma cell lines to demonstrate their potential for cancer treatment.
Is day-case surgical procedure safe for MICRA leadless pacemaker implantation?
Authors: Toon Lin-Thiri , ElRefai Mohammed , Abouelasaad Mohamed , Patil Roopa , Paisey John , Yue Arthur , Roberts Paul 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background
MICRA implantation is not commonly done as a day-case procedure. Elective leadless pacemakers are implanted routinely in our centre.

Objective
To assess whether the day-case MICRA procedure is safe.

Methods
We retrospectively collected data from all patients undergoing elective MICRA implantation at our centre between May 2014 and Nov 2022 (n = 81). Two patient groups were stratified: those planned to be discharged on the same day (SD, n = 52) and those planned to be observed overnight after the procedure (ON, n = 29). Patient demographics, size of the sheath used, type of MICRA device, and rate of complications were recorded. In patients with successful implants (n = 80), device function at discharge and first routine follow-up were evaluated.

Results
There were 58% males in the SD group and 45% in the ON group. Median age was 49 years in the SD and 67 years in the ON. Among patients who were planned as a day case, 8 patients had to stay in the hospital but for < 48 h: 2 due to minor groin bleeding, 1 due to patient’s request despite fit to discharge, 4 due to the procedure carried out later in the day, and 1 for observation due to procedural complexity. MICRA implantation was successful in 80 patients. The rate of the major complications was 2% in the SD group and 7% in the ON group (p = 0.223), and none of the co-morbidities assessed showed an association with any complications. Device parameters at the follow-up were available in 76 patients. The rate of patients with low and stable PCT at follow-up was also 98% in the SD group and 96% in the ON group.

Conclusions
Day case MICRA procedure can be performed safely in an appropriately selected patient population.

Graphical abstract
Speed of the internationalisation process. The role of objective vs. subjective perceptions of time
Authors: Casillas Jose C. , Moreno-Menéndez Ana M. , Acedo Francisco J. , Ramos-Hidalgo Encarnación 
Published: August 2024

AbstractTime is often neglected as a factor in international business research. In this paper, objective and subjective perspectives of time are incorporated into the study of speed of a firm's internationalisation process. The concept of speed is defined as the relationship between distance and time, and therefore we propose a theoretical framework that applies these two perspectives of time both to distance and to time, and differentiate between three levels of analysis: individual, organisational, and environmental. Our framework also incorporates two mediating constructs: learning speed and risk perception. Ten hypotheses are proposed that contribute towards a better understanding of the temporal dimension of the internationalisation process.
Stability, Uniqueness and Existence of Solutions to McKean–Vlasov Stochastic Differential Equations in Arbitrary Moments
Authors: Kalinin Alexander , Meyer-Brandis Thilo , Proske Frank 
Published: August 2024

AbstractWe deduce stability and pathwise uniqueness for a McKean–Vlasov equation with random coefficients and a multidimensional Brownian motion as driver. Our analysis focuses on a non-Lipschitz continuous drift and includes moment estimates for random Itô processes that are of independent interest. For deterministic coefficients, we provide unique strong solutions even if the drift fails to be of affine growth. The theory that we develop rests on Itô’s formula and leads to pth moment and pathwise exponential stability for $$p\ge 2$$

p
≥
2

with explicit Lyapunov exponents.
The area of rhumb polygons
Authors: Karney Charles F. F. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe formula for the area of a rhumb polygon, a polygon whose edges are rhumb lines on an ellipsoid of revolution, is derived and a method is given for computing the area accurately. This paper also points out that standard methods for computing rhumb lines give inaccurate results for nearly east- or west-going lines; this problem is remedied by the systematic use of divided differences.
Sexual and Urinary Health among Women following Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Lopez Alejandro D. , Carter Jonathan , Rubin Rachel , Allen I. Elaine , Shaw Nathan M. , Hampson Lindsay A. 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Women with obesity are more likely to experience bothersome urinary and sexual symptoms, but the long-term effect of metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) on these outcomes is poorly understood. We aimed to describe how MBS longitudinally impacted women’s urinary and sexual health.

Methods
Patients who underwent MBS at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center (UCSF) between 2009 and 2021 participated in a survey examining sexual health, pelvic organ prolapse (POP), and urinary health using three validated questionnaires: a modified version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Distress Inventory 6 (POPDI-6), and the Urinary Distress Inventory 6 (UDI-6). All questions asked referenced two time points: before surgery and at the time of survey. Logistic regression identified predictors of symptom improvement.

Results
Of 162 participants contacted, 118 (73%) had complete survey data. Mean body mass index (BMI) decreased from 52.4 ± 12.6 to 36.3 ± 9.7 kg/m2 (p < 0.01) with an average follow-up of 6 years. The mean UDI-6 score amongst women was 24 ± 24 prior to MBS and 24 ± 26 at the time of survey administration (p = 0.458). Mean modified FSFI scores amongst women were 15 ± 5 prior to surgery and 14 ± 7 at the time of survey administration (p = 0.005). The overall mean POPDI-6 score amongst women was 13 ± 15 prior to surgery and 9 ± 14 at the time of survey administration (p = 0.056).

Conclusion
Women who underwent MBS reported a high rate of sexual and urological dysfunction that did not improve longitudinally, despite significant weight loss.

Graphical Abstract
Negotiating Knowledge Through Mathematical Activities in Classroom Interactions
Authors: Ingram Jenni 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
What students are learning in mathematics classrooms can be analysed from a wide range of perspectives, focusing on the mathematical content, the mathematical processes or the mathematical activities. There is also a social dimension intertwined with this cognitive dimension that focuses on what mathematical activities in particular are established as socio-mathematical norms within a classroom. It is through these norms that students learn what it is to both learn mathematics and what it means to do mathematics. In this article I add a further epistemic dimension to illustrate how these socio-mathematical norms are co-constructed through interactions in a dynamic way. The analysis reported in this paper draws on video data of 65 lesson segments where students made their thinking explicit, taken from an original sample of 133 naturally occurring mathematics lessons with 81 teachers identified as including cognitively demanding mathematics. Using ethnomethodological conversation analysis and the epistemic dimensions of interaction initially outlined by Heritage and colleagues, a fine-grained sequential analysis of the interactions including students’ detailed contributions around cognitively demanding activities within these lessons illustrates how epistemic access, primacy and responsibilities are continually negotiated in interaction. Students’ rights to make knowledge claims or obligations to demonstrate their knowledge are negotiated in ways that influence students’ and teachers’ epistemic authority and stance. The analysis shows how the cognitive and social dimensions are intertwined both at an individual level but also at the classroom level that establish and reinforce the norms around the access and primacy of ideas and knowledge in interaction. These epistemic negotiations have consequences on the nature of mathematical activities that students experience and participate in, and subsequently their opportunities to learn mathematics.
Road to Resettlement: Understanding Post-disaster Relocation and Resettlement Challenges and Complexities Through a Serious Game
Authors: Asgary Ali , Naeemi Peyman , Ganguli Nilanjana , Tofighi Mohammadali , Attarian Koorosh , Fioretto Tabata 
Published: August 2024

AbstractResettlement and relocation are among the most difficult policies to put into practice, but they may be the best ways to minimize future risks to settlements exposed to natural hazards both before and after disaster events. As climate-related disasters and forced migration become increasingly common worldwide, governments, humanitarian or development actors, and policymakers must now prioritize the implementation of a dignified and effective resettlement program as part of their planning and management responsibilities. Much of this effectiveness depends on the stakeholders and beneficiaries’ understanding and knowledge of the different resettlement phases, culture and customs of affected populations, activities, and the associated implementation challenges, costs, and benefits. Serious games are used in a variety of contexts to increase awareness, train and build capacity in stakeholders and beneficiaries. This article presents a serious game developed to educate practitioners, local agencies, students, and the public to understand the complexities and challenges involved in a successful resettlement. The game is based on a real proposed resettlement project initiated in the Chiradzulu District in southern Malawi after Cyclone Freddy in March 2023, which caused widespread flooding and landslides, forcing some villages to relocate permanently. The progression in the Road to Resettlement Game consists of six primary levels: land and site preparation, housing and livelihood, water, sanitation, and hygiene, health, education, and protection. These levels are meant to be completed in a sequence that adheres to the principles of resettlement. By engaging in the serious table-top board game, players gain an understanding of the resettlement activities, their sequence, and the associated practical (technical and social) and financial challenges.
The Shifting Landscape of Judicial Independence Criteria Under the Preliminary Reference Procedure: A Comment on the CJEU’s Recent Case Law and the Trajectory of Article 267 TFEU
Authors: Monciunskaite Beatrice 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
The preliminary reference procedure forms the foundation of judge-to-judge dialogue in the EU, which has been imperative to the inclusion of member state courts in the Union’s judicial system. In response to the Union’s ever-growing rule of law problem, the CJEU strengthened judicial independence criteria to fortify the Article 2 TEU value of the rule of law. Now, it seems the CJEU’s fight to save judicial independence is spilling over into the preliminary reference mechanism as it overhauls its judicial independence standards under Article 267 TFEU. In particular, the CJEU has chosen to treat traditional and non-traditional courts in a divergent way and introduced significant reliance on judicial decisions emanating from outside the immediate CJEU court structure; this multi-dimensional change to the operation of the preliminary reference mechanism has far-reaching consequences. As this article highlights, the most notable consequences are to the uniform application of EU law, the principle of subsidiarity and autonomy of EU law. Perhaps the most important point raised is the effect of the new limitation on Article 267 TFEU references on EU citizens and our right to access the ‘natural judge’ (the CJEU) in matters concerning EU law.
Wearable bracelet and machine learning for remote diagnosis and pandemic infection detection
Authors: Abdel-Ghani Ayah , Abdalla Amira , Abughazzah Zaineh , Akhund Mahnoor , Abualsaud Khalid , Yaacoub Elias 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that effective early infection detection methods are essential, as they play a critical role in controlling the epidemic spread. In this work, we investigate the use of wearable sensors in conjunction with machine learning (ML) techniques for pandemic infection detection. We work on designing a wristband that measures various vital parameters such as temperature, heart rate, and SPO2, and transmits them to a mobile application using Bluetooth Low Energy. The accuracy of the wristband measurements is shown to be within 10% of the readings of existing commercial products. The measured data can be used and analyzed for various purposes. To benefit from the existing online datasets related to COVID-19, we use this pandemic as an example in our work. Hence, we also develop ML-based models that use the measured vital parameters along with cough sounds in order to determine whether a case is COVID-19 positive or not. The proposed models are shown to achieve remarkable results, exceeding 90% accuracy. One of our proposed models exceeds 96% performance in terms of accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-Score. The system lends itself reasonably for amendment to deal with future pandemics by considering their specific features and designing the ML models accordingly. Furthermore, we design and develop a mobile application that shows the data collected from the wristband, records cough sounds, runs the ML model, and provides feedback to the user about their health status in a user-friendly, intuitive manner. A successful deployment of such an approach would decrease the load on hospitals and prevent infection from overcrowded spaces inside the hospital.
Treatment of Diaphyseal Tibial Non-unions After Open Fracture: A Retrospective Observational Study on Characteristics and Outcomes
Authors: Strain R. , Harwood P. J. , Kanakaris N. K. , Giannoudis P. V. 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Non-union is a significant complication following open diaphyseal tibia fractures. Management can be complex and unpredictable. Several principles must be addressed often in combination to achieve union. The aim of this study is to report on the characteristics, management and eventual outcome of non-united open tibial fractures over a 12-year period from a level I trauma centre.

Methods
This is a retrospective observational study of all adults (age 18 years and older) presenting to a level 1 trauma centre with a diaphyseal tibia fracture. Non-union was diagnosed using the standard FDA definition of incomplete union by 9 months or no progress to union in the preceding 3 months. Injury and patient demographics in addition to all interventions and complications were recorded for each patient.

Results
Forty three cases of diaphyseal non-union were identified from 2008 to 2019. Only the presence of peripheral vascular disease demonstrated a statistically significant association with the development of non-union. In 44% of cases, more than one additional operation was required to achieve union. Successful union was achieved in 90% of cases with 74% of patients returning to full pre-injury function without complication.

Conclusion
Management of non-union is a complex problem which requires a multifaceted and bespoke approach. We have included an algorithm to help guide decision making based on our institutional experience. A satisfactory result is achievable in the majority of patients.
Return to Sport After Multiligament Knee Injury: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: D’Ambrosi Riccardo , Meena Amit , Ursino Nicola , Di Feo Fabrizio , Fusari Niccolò , Kambhampati Srinivas B. S. 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive assessment of MLKI outcome studies in order to ascertain the overall rates of return to sport following MLKI.

Methods
A systematic review was conducted based on the PRISMA guidelines. Quality assessment of the systematic review was performed using the MINORS Score. The following search terms were browsed in the title, abstract, and keyword fields: “multiligament knee” or “MLKI" AND “return to sport” or “sports activity” or "athletes" or "sports" or "sportsman". The resulting measures extracted from the studies were the rate of RTS, level of RTS, complications, revision surgery, Tegner, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Lysholm and anterior cruciate ligament-return to sport after injury (ACL-RSI).

Results
A total of 439 patients were included in the study, of whom 383 (87.2%) were male and 56 (22.8%) were female. The mean age at surgery was 28.06 ± 8.93 years. The mean time from injury to surgery was 97.68 ± 127.81 weeks, while the mean follow-up was 42.83 ± 39.22 months. Of 312 patients who completed the follow-up and reported to be sportsmen before surgery, 184 (58.97%) returned to the same or higher pre-injury level, 58 (18.58%) returned to a lower level, while 69 (22.11%) did not return to sports activity. The author analysed the Tegner score in three studies and noted a decrease compared to the pre-injury level (from 7.12 ± 0.8 pre-injury to 4.59 ± 0.57 at the final follow-up; p < 0.001). At the final follow-up, 4 studies analysed IKDC with a mean value of 75.14 ± 9.6, 3 reported a mean Lysholm of 51.81 ± 27.6, and two reported a mean ACL-RSI of 64.82 ± 0.149. Among the 439 patients, a total of 90 (20.5%) complications/re-operations were reported, while a total of 29 (6.6%) failures were recorded.

Conclusions
Return to sport after MLKI occurs in approximately 75% of surgically treated patients, though return to high-level sport is about 60% of the patients. Furthermore, one in five patients report complications, while the failure rate is relatively low (< 7%).

Level of Evidence
Systematic review of level 4.
Online assessment in the age of artificial intelligence
Authors: Stanoyevitch Alexander 
Published: August 2024

AbstractOnline education, while not a new phenomenon, underwent a monumental shift during the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing educators and students alike into the uncharted waters of full-time digital learning. With this shift came renewed concerns about the integrity of online assessments. Amidst a landscape rapidly being reshaped by online exam/homework assistance platforms, which witnessed soaring stocks as students availed its questionable exam assistance, and the emergence of sophisticated artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, the traditional methods of assessment faced unprecedented challenges. This paper presents the results of an observational study, using data from an introductory statistics course taught every semester by the author, and delves into the proliferation of cheating methods. Analyzing exam score results from the pre and post introduction of ChatGPT periods, the research unpacks the extent of cheating and provides strategies to counteract this trend. The findings starkly illustrate significant increases in exam scores from when exams of similar difficulty were administered in person (pre-Covid) versus online. The format, difficulty, and grading of the exams was the same throughout. Although randomized controlled experiments are generally more effective than observational studies, we will indicate when we present the data why experiments would not be feasible for this research. In addition to presenting experimental findings, the paper offers some insights, based on the author's extensive experience, to guide educators in crafting more secure online assessments in this new era, both for courses at the introductory level and more advances courses The results and findings are relevant to introductory courses that can use multiple choice exams in any subject but the recommendations for upper-level courses will be relevant primarily to STEM subjects. The research underscores the pressing need for reinventing assessment techniques to uphold the sanctity of online education.