bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A pilot study evaluating stress factors during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Viennese families who have the suspicion of child maltreatment or abuse
Authors: Pantazidou Anastasia , Grylli Chryssa , Klomfar Sophie , Mora-Theuer Eva , Schöggl Johanna , Macura Sarah , Schaller Laura , Pokorny Iulia , Greber-Platzer Susanne 
Published: May 2024

SummaryThe global population was affected by the unprecedented coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of the pandemic on children who suffer child maltreatment has not been explored sufficiently. Child abuse is known to increase in stressful circumstances, and therefore potentially during this pandemic.We aimed to identify and measure the impact of pandemic-related stress in families with a suspicion or confirmed child maltreatment. In addition, other parameters were determined, including resilience factors and family dynamics.We conducted a pilot study at the Medical University of Vienna, Forensic Examination Centre for Children and Adolescents (FOKUS Safeguarding team). Parents, carers and legal guardians of children who were referred for potential child abuse (study group) participated by completing two questionnaires, one year apart, covering the following periods: pre-COVID, during-COVID and post-COVID. Simultaneously, a control group was devised with patients who presented to the Paediatric Emergency Department with unrelated conditions (other than child maltreatment concerns). The questionnaires addressed psychological stress factors and were completed face-to-face and/or via telephone. A total of 35 carers participated, with almost equal numbers in both intervention and control groups.Results show that there was statistically significantly higher stress level perception before and during the pandemic period in the study group. Several families in this group commented on the positive effect of support received from health professionals, especially after the pandemic.
Performance evaluation of national and international kidney exchange programmes with the ENCKEP simulator
Authors: Druzsin Kristóf , Biró Péter , Klimentova Xenia , Fleiner Rita 
Published: May 2024

AbstractIn this paper we present simulations for international kidney exchange programmes (KEPs). KEPs are organised in more than ten countries in Europe to facilitate the exchanges of immunologically incompatible donors. The matching runs are typically conducted in every three months for finding optimal exchanges using hierarchical optimisation with integer programming techniques. In recent years several European countries started to organise international exchanges using different collaboration policies. In this paper we conduct simulations for estimating the benefits of such collaborations with a simulator developed by the team of the ENCKEP COST Action. We conduct our simulations on generated datasets mimicking the practice of the three largest KEPs in Europe, the UK, Spanish and the Dutch programmes. Our main performance measure is the number of transplants compared to the number of registrations to the KEP pools over a 5-year period, however, as a novelty we also analyse how the optimisation criteria play a role in the lexicographic and weighted optimisation policies for these countries. Besides analysing the performances on a single instance, we also conduct large number of simulations to obtain robust findings on the performance of specific national programmes and on the possible benefits of international collaborations.
Understanding Fire and Rescue Service Practices Through Problems and Problem-Solving Networks: An Analysis of a Critical Incident
Authors: Vylund Lotta , Frykmer Tove , McNamee Margaret , Eriksson Kerstin 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThis study explores how the Fire and Rescue Service can better prepare for solving complex problems in emergencies by using the concept of problems and problem-solving networks. Primary and secondary data from an extensive fire incident were analysed, including semi-structured interviews and incident assessment reports. Complex problems that arise during emergencies can be challenging to define, and solutions can be difficult to identify. However, this study demonstrates that breaking down complex problems into sub-problems can facilitate the identification of what kind of problem-solving network is needed to be able to solve problems in emergencies. Overall, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the rationale behind problem-solving network in emergency situations and highlights the importance of relationships in problem-solving network to address complex problems during emergencies.
A Soft Supernumerary Robotic Limb with Fiber-Reinforced Actuators
Authors: Xu Jiajun , Zhang Tianyi , Huang Kaizhen , Zhao Mengcheng , Hou Xuyan , Li Youfu 
Published: May 2024

AbstractSupernumerary robotic limbs (SRLs) have great potentials to assist human in daily activities and industrial manufacturing by providing extra limbs. However, current SRLs have heavy and rigid structures that may threaten the operator safety; moreover, their limited degrees of freedom and movement modes are not suitable for complicated tasks. Although soft SRLs have exhibited advantages in structure compliance and flexible manipulation to address these problems, it remains challenging to accurately design the geometrical parameters to adapt to specific tasks, and accurate control is also required to realize the expected movement. Inspired by the biological characteristics of the octopus arm muscle fibers, fiber-reinforced actuators (FRAs) are employed to realize various motions, including extension, expansion, bending, and twisting; multiple FRAs are assembled to implement the SRL to achieve complex movement trajectories. The analytic model of the FRA is established to reveal the relationship between its deformation and geometrical parameters as well as input air pressures, which is validated with finite element simulation. Trajectory and payload optimization algorithms are proposed to optimally design the SRL and its control strategy with meeting the prescribed requirement of movement trajectory and payload capacity. Finally, experiments are conducted to validate the proposed robotic system.
Touched by beauty: a qualitative inquiry into phenomenology of beauty
Authors: Kudahl Benedikte , Roald Tone 
Published: May 2024

AbstractPhilosophy of aesthetics and beauty has traditionally prioritized the sense of vision while deprioritizing the more basic-bodily and thus less “noble” sense of touch. This paper examines bodily aspects of how beauty appears in the experience of visual art and motivates the view that touch is fundamental to such experiences. We appeal to Merleau-Ponty to show the relevance given to touch in his phenomenology of aesthetics, to unfold the meaning of touch as “reversible,” and to understand how vision can be conceptualized as a form of touch. Further, we present four cases of feeling touched by beauty in experiences of visual art collected through interviews with art museum visitors. The descriptions of these experiences show that when people open themselves to an artwork they also open themselves to themselves. Based on the qualitative descriptions, we discuss how Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of touch is revelatory of the meaning of feeling “touched” in experiences of beauty.
Stability analysis of interval type-2 sampled-data polynomial fuzzy-model-based control system with a switching control scheme
Authors: Chen Ming , Lam Hak-Keung , Xiao Bo , Zhou Hongying , Xuan Chengbin 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe stability of an interval type-2 (IT2) sampled-data (SD) polynomial fuzzy-model-based control system with a switching control scheme is studied in this paper. The uncertain nonlinear plant is depicted via an IT2 polynomial fuzzy model. To realize control, a switching IT2SD polynomial fuzzy controller is generated. This paper adopts a switching control scheme with a variable sampling period. The modeling domain consists of several sub-domains, and each sub-domain corresponds to a local IT2SD polynomial fuzzy controller. These local IT2SD polynomial fuzzy controllers form the switching IT2SD polynomial fuzzy controller. To aid in the stability analysis, this paper adopts a looped-functional-based technique. The imperfect premise matching concept is brought in to solve the mismatch dilemma caused by the SD control strategy and uncertainties. For decreasing the conservativeness, this paper takes into account the state information as well as the information of IT2 membership functions. The stability analysis is performed for each sub-domain, providing the potential for further relaxation. As polynomials exist in the stability conditions, this paper employs the sum-of-squares method for the stability investigation. The simulation outcomes confirm the efficacy of the proposed method.
Harnessing the power of ML for robust SISO and MIMO FSO communication systems in fog weather
Authors: El-Mottaleb Somia A. Abd , Elhefny Alia , Métwalli Ahmed , Fayed Heba A. , Aly Moustafa H. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThis study examines Free Space Optical (FSO) communication’s performance in different fog conditions, focusing on Single-Input Single-Output (SISO) and Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) setups. In low fog, SISO handles signal degradation well. MIMO improves link robustness in moderate fog. High fog challenges traditional FSO, leading to ML integration to optimize communication parameters. For weather channel classification, a preprocessing scheme reduces features from 12 to 2 given that the 12 features are Bit Error Rate (BER), Quality Factor (Q-factor) and Received Optical Power (ROP) for different 4 users. A Gaussian Process Classifier (GPC) achieves an accuracy greater than 99%, surpassing SVM, Decision Tree, and Random Forest. GPC’s fit and predict functions execute in 0.15 s, outperforming NuSVM (0.2 s). This study highlights FSO, SISO, MIMO, and Machine Learning (ML) practicality in enhancing communication resilience in adverse weather, especially in fog-prone areas.
Competitiveness and tourism GDP in Magic Towns: an analysis based on the theory of forgotten effects
Authors: Pérez-Romero Miriam Edith , Flores-Romero Martha Beatriz , Álvarez-García José , Alfaro-García Víctor G. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe magic towns of Mexico require strategies that help them to face competition and influence the economic development of the country and the tourism sector itself. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between tourism competitiveness and tourism GDP in the magic towns, in order to identify direct and indirect effects of the phenomenon from the perspective of experts. To respond to this approach made, the theory of forgotten effects proposed by Kaufmann & Aluja in 1988 was used. In order to apply the forgotten effects, 25 experts from different countries and knowledgeable about the “Pueblos Mágicos” programme evaluated the cause-effect relationships. A close relationship was observed between natural and cultural resources and stock market, exchange and investment activities. A strong relationship was also found between accessibility to the destination, tourism infrastructure and complementary tourism services with photography and videography services. Finally, a relationship was found between natural resources and retail trade. These relationships suggest that investment in natural and cultural resources, improved accessibility, tourism infrastructure and the promotion of complementary tourism services can have a positive impact on the local economy. Prior to the present work, an evaluation between the two aforementioned variables (tourism competitiveness and tourism GDP) in Magic Towns had not been performed. With the results obtained, the cause-effect relationships of the phenomenon under study were made visible, both direct and indirect relationships, thus being able to obtain a complete picture and in fact, facilitate both decision-making and the generation of strategies that seek to improve these tourist destinations.
A Composite Indicator of Polyvictimisation Through the Lens of the Ecological Model in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Arcaio Micaela , Parroco Anna Maria 
Published: May 2024

AbstractIntimate partner violence (IPV) is a worldwide issue. One of the latest developments in its theoretical framework deals with the concept of polyvictimisation – the simultaneous occurrence of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. However, the literature lacks an overall measure of violence for surveys. The aim of this research is to study IPV within the framework of the ecological model. A model-based composite indicator that takes into account the relationship between domestic abuse and individual characteristics of respondents, family dynamics, and community and societal traits is built using survey data. The data are from the Demographic and Health Survey collected in eleven African countries on women aged 15–49. The employed structural equation model shows the importance of individual characteristics while community and societal factors are less relevant. The composite indicator is also used for classification and ranking purposes, allowing areas where socio-educational interventions are more urgent to be identified.
Ant Mill: an adversarial traffic pattern for low-diameter direct networks
Authors: Camarero Cristóbal , Martínez Carmen , Beivide Ramón 
Published: May 2024

AbstractSince today’s HPC and data center systems can comprise hundreds of thousands of servers and beyond, it is crucial to equip them with a network that provides high performance. New topologies proposed to achieve such performance need to be evaluated under different traffic conditions, aiming to closely replicate real-world scenarios. While most optimizations should be guided by common traffic patterns, it is essential to ensure that no pathological traffic pattern can compromise the entire system. Determining synthetic adversarial traffic patterns for a network typically relies on a thorough understanding of its topology and routing. In this paper, we address the problem of identifying a generic adversarial traffic pattern for low-diameter direct interconnection networks. We first focus on Random Regular Graphs (RRGs), which represent a typical case for these networks. Moreover, RRGs have been proposed as topologies for interconnection networks due to their superior scalability and expandability, among other advantages. We introduce Ant Mill, an adversarial traffic pattern for RRGs when using routes of minimal length. Secondly, we demonstrate that the Ant Mill traffic pattern is also adversarial in other low-diameter direct interconnection networks such as Slimfly, Dragonfly, and Projective networks. Ant Mill is thoroughly motivated and evaluated, enabling future studies of low-diameter direct interconnection networks to leverage its findings.
Values, bias and replicability
Authors: Sikorski Michał 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe Value-free ideal of science (VFI) is a view that claims that scientists should not use non-epistemic values when they are justifying their hypotheses, and is widely considered to be obsolete in the philosophy of science. I will defend the ideal by demonstrating that acceptance of non-epistemic values, prohibited by VFI, necessitates legitimizing certain problematic scientific practices. Such practices, including biased methodological decisions or Questionable Research Practices (QRP), significantly contribute to the Replication Crisis. I will argue that the realizability of VFI is not a necessary condition for its validity. Then, I will show how some of the prominent proposals of value-laden science legitimize problematic scientific practices, provide real-world examples, and generalize the argument. Finally, I will show how value-laden methodological decisions contribute to the Replicability Crisis and discuss two strategies for realizing VFI.
Factivity, hallucination, and justification
Authors: Lyons Jack C. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractVeridically perceiving puts us in a better epistemic position than, say, hallucinating does, at least in that veridical perception affords knowledge of our environment in a way that hallucination does not. But is there any further epistemic advantage? Some authors have recently argued that veridical perception provides a superior epistemic benefit over hallucination not just concerning knowledge, but concerning justification as well. This contrasts with a traditional view according to which experience provides justification irrespective of whether it’s veridical or hallucinatory. I think both views are mistaken. Although this traditional view should be rejected in favor of one on which some hallucinations are epistemically worse than veridical perceptions (and some are not), I don’t believe there is good reason to think that the mere fact of hallucination—or factivity more generally—has any consequences for justification. Susanna Schellenberg has endorsed both the traditional and the factive views (for different elements or kinds of perceptual justification), and I critique her views in detail, though I also draw out more general epistemological lessons about factivity and evidence.
Nutrient utilization, growth performance, and antioxidative status of Barki lambs fed diets supplemented with black (Nigella sativa) and rocket (Eruca sativa) seeds
Authors: Rahmy Hassan Awny Fouad , El-Tanany Reham Roshdi Ali , Ghoneem Wafaa Mostafa Ali 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe current study aimed to determine the polyphenol compounds in Nigella sativa (NS) and Eruca sativa (ES) seeds, and evaluate the impact of their addition either as a sole additive or in combination on the growth performance, digestibility, some rumen and blood parameters and antioxidative status of Barki lambs. Forty-eight male lambs (27.18 ± 0.22 kg, 5–6 months), were divided into 4 balanced groups. The experimental diets were randomly distributed to the control group (CON); fed alfalfa hay plus concentrate feed mixture at a ratio of 30:70% without additives, while, NSD, ESD, and NESD groups: fed CON diet plus 2% NS, 2% ES or 1% NS + 1% ES, respectively as a ratio from total mixed ration (TMR). Results indicated that rutin and catechin were the most phenolic compounds observed either in NS or ES seeds. The NS and ES-supplemented groups recorded the highest (P < 0.05) values for dry matter digestibility, nutritive values, average daily gain, and the best feed conversion ratio. However, growth performance, nutritive value, and all nutrient digestibility except for dry matter were not significantly altered with the NESD group. Concentrations of ruminal NH3-N and TVFA were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced with the NESD group, with no significant differences in pH values among different groups. Values of blood parameters showed significant increases in WBCs, PCV, and T-AOC, and decreases in cholesterol, triglycerides, and MDA with the addition of NS and ES seeds or both. Therefore, the addition of NS and ES seeds is recommended to improve lambs’ health and antioxidant status.
Cement production and CO2 emission cycles in the USA: evidence from MS-ARDL and MS-VARDL causality methods with century-long data
Authors: Bildirici Melike E. , Ersin Özgür Ömer 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe cement industry is among the top three polluters among all industries and the examination of the nonlinear and cointegration dynamics between cement production and CO2 emissions has not been explored. Focusing on this research gap, the study employs a novel Markov-switching autoregressive distributed lag (MS-ARDL) model and its generalization to vector error correction, the MS-VARDL model, for regime-dependent causality testing. The new method allows the determination of nonlinear long-run and short-run relations, regime duration, and cement-induced-CO2 emission cycles in the USA for a historically long dataset covering 1900–2021. Empirical findings point to nonlinearity in all series and nonlinear cointegration between cement production and cement-induced CO2 emissions. The phases of regimes coincide closely with NBER’s official economic cycles for the USA. The second regime, characterized by expansions, lasts twice as long relative to the first, the contractionary regime, which contains severe economic recessions, as well as economic crises, the 1929 Great Depression, the 1973 Oil Crisis, the 2009 Great Recession, and the COVID-19 Shutdown and Wars, including WWI and II. In both regimes, the adverse effects of cement production on CO2 emissions cannot be rejected with varying degrees both in the long and the short run. Markov regime-switching vector autoregressive distributed lag (MS-VARDL) causality tests confirm unidirectional causality from cement production to CO2 emissions in both regimes. The traditional Granger causality test produces an over-acceptance of causality in a discussed set of cases. Industry-level policy recommendations include investments to help with the shift to green kiln technologies and energy efficiency. National-level policies on renewable energy and carbon capture are also vital considering the energy consumption of cement production.
Graphical Abstract
A Network Analysis of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form (IGDS9-SF): An Intercontinental Large-Scale Study
Authors: Lecuona Oscar , Lin Chung-Ying , Montag Christian , Pontes Halley M. , Pakpour Amir H. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe present study aimed to use a novel method (i.e., network analysis) to examine if the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) has its unidimensional structure supported across different subgroups, including gender groups, continent groups, and age groups. Participants from five continents (n = 545 in Africa; n = 27,910 in Americas; n = 4640 in Asia; n = 88,835 in Europe; and n = 1633 in Oceania) completed the IGDS9-SF. The IGDS9-SF items showed a positively correlated network with moderate-to-high predictability (mean of R2 = 0.338, SD = 0.068). Moreover, the network analysis results suggested that the IGDS9-SF is very likely to have a one-factor model. This one-factor model was further found to be invariant across gender groups (men vs. women), continent groups (Africa, Americas, Asian, Europe, and Oceania), and age groups (minor aged under 18 years, young adults aged between 18 and 30 years, and adults aged 30 years or above).