bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Alienation commodification: a critique of the role of EU consumer law
Authors: Hesselink Martijn W. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThis paper offers a critique of European Union (EU) consumer law’s role in commodification. Arguing that commodification is best understood as a normatively dependent concept, it contrasts two very different strands of commodification critique. While teleological critique refers to conceptions of the good life, authenticity, or the corruption of human essence, deontological critique relies on conceptions of right and wrong, justice, and human dignity. The paper argues for a specific, Kantian–Marxian version of the latter, proposing to understand commodification as a moral wrong when it leads to legal–political alienation. Such legal–political alienation occurs when someone becomes disconnected or feels dissociated from the political community and its political institutions because its laws treat that person as a mere means, not also an end. The only way to overcome such alienating commodification, the paper argues, is through a dialectic of individual and collective self-determination. On this normative basis, the paper, then, critiques core instances where EU consumer law wrongs its addressees through alienating commodification, including its acceptance of personal data as consideration, its encouragement of consumer resilience, and its privatisation of social justice through ethical consumerism.
Flexibility as commodification and contracts as local resistance
Authors: Leone Candida 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe paper looks at contracts and contract law as a place of both commodification and resistance to commodification. Commodification and contract are connected through the lens of flexibilisation, seen in particular as one party’s unilateral prerogative to adapt the content of the contract’s performance. Flexibilisation in this sense works to entrench the market mechanism (qua responsiveness to price and demand dynamics) in situations where marketisation makes the realisation of long-term human needs rely on the short-term horizon of market operations. Two such contexts of marketisation in the context of European Private Law are considered as examples, namely transfer of enterprise and acquisition of a (household) customer portfolio in energy markets. The paper argues that ‘taking contractual equality seriously’ can contribute to decommodification – or at least throw some sand in the wheels of commodification.
Commodification and EU law: a genealogy
Authors: Fia Tommaso , Murray Ian J. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThis symposium analyses European Union (EU) law as a means for both perpetuating commodification processes and potentially mitigating their consequences. This issue framing essay traces the evolutionary trajectory of commodification as a conceptual framework in contemporary intellectual debates, zeroing in on the most prominent theoretical frameworks underpinning its usage. It then relates the evolution of these debates more concretely to the context of the EU as a major institutional forum for the concept’s actualisation. Lastly, it connects these narratives to current conversations on the law’s role in constituting capitalism and consolidating its attendant structural inequalities. In so doing, it also canvasses the contributions that make up this symposium, showing how each enhances the discussion of commodification in the EU context.
A large-deviation principle for birth–death processes with a linear rate of downward jumps
Authors: Logachov Artem , Suhov Yuri , Vvedenskaya Nikita , Yambartsev Anatoly 
Published: October 2023

AbstractBirth–death processes form a natural class where ideas and results on large deviations can be tested. We derive a large-deviation principle under an assumption that the rate of jump down (death) grows asymptotically linearly with the population size, while the rate of jump up (birth) grows sublinearly. We establish a large-deviation principle under various forms of scaling of the underlying process and the corresponding normalization of the logarithm of the large-deviation probabilities. The results show interesting features of dependence of the rate functional upon the parameters of the process and the forms of scaling and normalization.
AUSTRALIAN MARINE RADIOCARBON RESERVOIR EFFECTS: ΔR ATLAS AND ΔR CALCULATOR FOR AUSTRALIAN MAINLAND COASTS AND NEAR-SHORE ISLANDS
Authors: Ulm Sean , O’Grady Damien , Petchey Fiona , Hua Quan , Jacobsen Geraldine , Linnenlucke Lauren , David Bruno , Rosendahl Daniel , Bunbury Magdalena M E , Bird Michael I , Reimer Paula J 
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACTStudies of pre-bomb mollusks live-collected around the Australian coastline have concluded that near-shore marine radiocarbon reservoir effects are small and relatively uniform. These studies are based on limited samples of sometimes dubious quality representing only selective parts of Australia’s lengthy coastline. We systematically examine spatial variability in the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect (ΔR) through analysis of 292 live-collected mollusk samples across the Australian mainland coasts and near-shore islands subject to strict selection criteria. This study presents 233 new ΔR values combined with an evaluation of 59 previously published values. Results demonstrate significant spatial variability in marine radiocarbon reservoir effects across the study region. ΔR values range from 68 ± 24 14C years off the Pilbara region of Western Australia to –337 ± 46 14C years in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland. Most sets of local values exhibit internal consistency, reflecting the dominant influence of regional oceanography, including depletion in ΔR values southwards along the eastern Australian coastline coincident with the East Australian Current. Anomalous values are attributed to inaccurate documentation, species-specific relationships with the carbon cycle and/or short-term fluctuations in marine radiocarbon activities. To account for the heterogeneous distribution of marine 14C, we recommend using a location specific ΔR value calculated using the Australian ΔR Calculator, available at: https://delta-r-calc.jcu.io/.
Novel insights into the genetics, morphology, distribution and hosts of the global fish parasitic digenean Proctoeces maculatus (Looss, 1901) (Digenea: Fellodistomidae)
Authors: Vermaak Anja , Kudlai Olena , Yong Russell Q-Y. , Smit Nico J. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractLarval stages of the widely distributed digenean species Proctoeces maculatus (Looss, 1901) were reported 40 years ago from South Africa in the common octopus, Octopus vulgaris Cuvier (Octopodidae). However, the absence of adult specimens and molecular data from this region has hindered a comprehensive understanding of its distribution. In this study, we collected three species of intertidal and near-shore marine fishes [Clinus superciliosus (L.) (Clinidae), Diplodus capensis (Smith) (Sparidae) and Sparodon durbanensis (Castelnau) (Sparidae)] along the South African coast and discovered adult specimens of P. maculatus at five localities. By employing a combination of morphological and molecular techniques, including 28S rDNA, 18S rDNA and COI mtDNA analyses, the first report of adult P. maculatus from South Africa is presented. The findings encompass a comprehensive morphological description and molecular data, illuminating the true distribution of this species in the region.
Association between expectations and clinical outcomes in online v. face-to-face therapy – an individual participant data meta-analysis
Authors: Pontén Moa , Jonsjö Martin , Vadenmark Viktor , Moberg Erica , Grannas David , Andersson Gerhard , Boersma Katja , Hedman-Lagerlöf Erik , Kleinstaeuber Maria , Weise Cornelia , Kaldo Viktor , Ljótsson Brjánn , Andersson Erik , Axelsson Erland , Jensen Karin 
Published: October 2023

AbstractBackgroundOnline treatments are increasing in number and are currently available for a wide range of clinical problems. To date little is known about the role of treatment expectations and other placebo-like mechanisms in online settings compared to traditional face-to-face treatment. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed individual participant data from randomized clinical trials that compared online and face-to-face psychological interventions.MethodsMEDLINE (Ovid) and PsycINFO (Ovid) were last searched on 2 February 2021. Randomized clinical trials of therapist guided online v. face-to-face psychological interventions for psychiatric or somatic conditions using a randomized controlled design were included. Titles, abstracts, and full texts of studies were independently screened by multiple observers. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guideline was followed. Authors of the matching trials were contacted for individual participant data. Ratings from the Credibility and Expectancy Questionnaire and the primary outcome measure from each trial were used to estimate the association between expectation ratings and treatment outcomes in online v. face-to-face interventions, using a mixed-effects model.ResultsOf 7045 screened studies, 62 full-text articles were retrieved whereof six studies fulfilled the criteria and provided individual participant data (n = 491). Overall, CEQ ratings predicted clinical outcomes (β = 0.27) at end of treatment with no moderating effect of treatment modality (online v. face-to-face).ConclusionsOnline treatment appears to be equally susceptible to expectancy effects as face-to-face therapy. This furthers our understanding of the importance of placebo-like factors in online treatment and may aid the improvement of healthcare in online settings.
Effects of klotho protein or klotho knockdown in porcine oocytes at different stages
Authors: Kim Eun Pyo , Kim Do Yon , Park Changhoon , Yoo Seung-Min , Lee Myung-Shin , Kim Geon A 
Published: October 2023

SummaryKlotho is a protein that plays different functions in female fertility. We have previously reported that klotho protein supplementation during in vitro maturation improves porcine embryo development, while klotho knockout for somatic cell cloning completely blocks full-term pregnancy in vivo. However, the effects of the microinjection of klotho protein or klotho knockdown dual vector in porcine embryos at different time points and the specific molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we injected the preassembled cas9 + sgRNA dual vector, for klotho knockdown, into the cytoplasm of the germinal vesicle stage of oocytes and into porcine embryos after 6-h parthenogenetic activation. Similarly, the klotho protein was inserted into the cytoplasm of germinal vesicle stage oocytes and porcine embryos after 6-h parthenogenetic activation. Compared with the controls, the microinjection of klotho dual vector markedly decreased the blastocyst formation rates in germinal vesicle stage oocytes and activated embryos. However, the efficiency of blastocyst formation when klotho protein was inserted before in vitro maturation was significantly higher than that after klotho protein insertion into parthenogenetically activated embryos. These results indicated that klotho knockdown may impair embryo development into blastocyst irrespective of injection timing. In addition, klotho protein injection timing in pig embryos may be an important factor for regulating embryo development.
Abstractive summarization with deep reinforcement learning using semantic similarity rewards
Authors: Beken Fikri Figen , Oflazer Kemal , Yanıkoğlu Berrin 
Published: October 2023

AbstractAbstractive summarization is an approach to document summarization that is not limited to selecting sentences from the document but can generate new sentences as well. We address the two main challenges in abstractive summarization: how to evaluate the performance of a summarization model and what is a good training objective. We first introduce new evaluation measures based on the semantic similarity of the input and corresponding summary. The similarity scores are obtained by the fine-tuned BERTurk model using either the cross-encoder or a bi-encoder architecture. The fine-tuning is done on the Turkish Natural Language Inference and Semantic Textual Similarity benchmark datasets. We show that these measures have better correlations with human evaluations compared to Recall-Oriented Understudy for Gisting Evaluation (ROUGE) scores and BERTScore. We then introduce a deep reinforcement learning algorithm that uses the proposed semantic similarity measures as rewards, together with a mixed training objective, in order to generate more natural summaries in terms of human readability. We show that training with a mixed training objective function compared to only the maximum-likelihood objective improves similarity scores.
Social and ecological disparities in anaemia among adolescent girls 15–19 years old in Nepal
Authors: Rai Anjana , Chan Mei Ting , Nambiar Smita 
Published: October 2023

AbstractObjective:Adolescent girls are at risk of anaemia due to increased nutrient demands because of growth, menstrual blood loss and possible pregnancies. Sociocultural and household conditions influence their anaemia risk. We aimed to identify the sociocultural and economic factors associated with anaemia among adolescent girls in Nepal.Design:The Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS) conducted in 2006, 2011 and 2016 were pooled for secondary analysis. We used data on haemoglobin measurements for anaemia and conducted bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses to identify factors associated with anaemia.Setting:Nationally representative NDHS households with adolescent girls 15–19 years of age.Participants:Non-pregnant adolescent girls 15–19 years, with a haemoglobin measurement (n = 3731).Results:The overall prevalence of anaemia among adolescent girls was 39·6 %. Adolescents from socially disadvantaged caste/ethnicity groups were 1·42 times (95 % CI: 1·13, 1·78) more likely to have anaemia compared with those from Brahmin/Chhetri households. We found a counter-intuitive association between socio-economic status and anaemia where adolescents from the middle (adjusted OR (aOR) 1·37, 95 % CI: 1·01, 1·85) and highest (aOR 1·74, 95 % CI: 1·18, 2·56) quintiles were at increased odds of anaemia. Relative geographical inequality was observed where adolescents from the Terai region had 3·5 times (95 % CI: 2·32, 5·33) higher odds of anaemia.Conclusions:The disparities in the distribution of anaemia among adolescents by caste/ethnicity groups, wealth quintiles and geographical regions are evident. Reducing the anaemia burden will require addressing the social determinants of anaemia by allocating resources and expanding anaemia prevention programmes to target adolescents at higher risk.
Interventions to improve the nutritional status of children under 5 years in Ethiopia: a systematic review
Authors: Ahmed Kedir Y , Ogbo Felix Akpojene , Tegegne Teketo Kassaw , Dalton Hazel , Arora Amit , Ross Allen G 
Published: October 2023

AbstractObjective:To conduct a systematic review of experimental or quasi-experimental studies that aimed to improve the nutritional status of children under 5 years of age in Ethiopia.Design:Embase, MEDLINE/PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsychINFO, and Academic Search Database were used to locate peer-reviewed studies, and Google Scholar and Open Dissertation were used to locate grey literatures. All searches were conducted between 2000 and November 2022.Setting:Ethiopia.Participants:Pregnant women and mothers with children aged 0–59 months.Results:Ten cluster randomised controlled trials (RCT), six quasi-experimental studies and two individual RCT were included. Out of the identified eighteen studies, three studies targeted pregnant mothers. Our findings showed that almost two-thirds of published interventions had no impact on childhood stunting and wasting, and more than half had no impact on underweight. Some behaviour change communication (BCC) interventions, food vouchers, micronutrient supplementation and quality protein maize improved stunting. Similarly, BCC and fish oil supplementation showed promise in reducing wasting, while BCC and the provision of quality protein maize reduced underweight. Additionally, water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) interventions provided to pregnant mothers and children under 2 years of age were shown to significantly reduce childhood stunting.Conclusion:Future childhood nutritional interventions in Ethiopia should consider adopting an integrated approach that combines the positive effects of interdependent systems such as BCC, food supplemental programmes (e.g. boosting protein and micronutrients), health interventions (e.g. strengthening maternal and childcare), WaSH and financial initiatives (e.g. monetary support and income schemes).
A merger of equals: The political economy of the World Bank’s early contacts with China
Authors: Pachetti Federico 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThis article assesses the initial contacts between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the World Bank during the early 1980s, following China’s admission to the institution in 1980. In the late 1970s, the PRC launched a new phase of economic reforms aimed at re-modelling its economic outlook. Collaboration with multilateral economic institutions such as the World Bank was a key part of its “opening up” strategy. By drawing on newly available records from World Bank archives, the article reveals how the Bank’s approach to China's economic development was tailored to meet Beijing’s specific economic conditions and needs, and welcomed gradualism as the best path for China's reform strategy. At times of free market triumphalism and heavy structural adjustment towards developing countries, the China case, the article stresses, shows a World Bank behaving not quite in line with what many would expect. Therefore, the article provides not only an account of a bilateral relationship but offers a new perspective and reflection of the history of the international political economy of the early 1980s.
Detecting Signatures of Convective Storm Events in GNSS‐SNR: Two Case Studies From Summer 2021 in Switzerland
Authors: Aichinger‐Rosenberger Matthias , Aregger Martin , Kopp Jerome , Soja Benedikt 
Published: October 2023

AbstractGlobal Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are not only a state‐of‐the‐art sensor for positioning and navigation applications but also a valuable tool for remote sensing. Through the usage of L‐band carrier frequencies, GNSS acts as an all‐weather‐operation system, offering substantial benefits compared to optical systems. Nevertheless, severe weather can still have an impact on the strength of signals received at a ground station, as we show in this study. We investigate GNSS Signal‐to‐Noise Ratio (SNR) observations during two severe convective storm events over the city of Zurich, Switzerland. We make use of a GNSS‐SNR‐based algorithm originally developed for the detection of hail particles from volcanic eruptions. Results indicate that, although GNSS observations are considered to be fairly insensitive to the presence of hydrometeors, convective storm events are visible in SNR observations. SNR levels of affected satellites show a significant drop during event periods, which are determined by weather radar observations.
Monitoring Preferential Flow of Water in Sand Using Thermoacoustics Wave Imaging
Authors: Liu Chang , Mao Xu , Wang Chang , Liyanage Rebecca , Heredia Juesas Juan , Juanes Ruben , Martinez‐Lorenzo Jose Angle 
Published: October 2023

AbstractAccurate predictions of fluid flow, mass transport, and reaction rates critically impact the efficiency and reliability of subsurface exploration and sustainable use of subsurface resources. Quantitative dynamical sensing and imaging can play a pivotal role in the ability to make such predictions. Geophysical thermoacoustic technology has the potential to provide the aforementioned capabilities, since it builds upon the principle that electromagnetic and mechanical wave fields can be coupled through a thermodynamic process. In this letter, we present laboratory experiments featuring the efficacy of thermoacoustic imaging in the monitoring of preferential flow of water in porous media. Our laboratory experimental equipment can be readily packaged in a form factor that fits in a borehole, and the use of multiple acoustic transducers—which can be combined with volumetric coding techniques—has the potential to provide quasi‐real‐time imaging (0.5 Hz video rate) of regions in close proximity (a few meters) of an open field well.
Impact of Mars GDS 2018 on the Chemistry of Water, Nitrogenated and Deuterated Cluster Ions: NOMAD Observations
Authors: Shah Siddhi Y. , Haider S. A. , Korablev O. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter instruments, Nadir and Occultation for Mars Discovery and Atmospheric Chemistry Suite have provided vertical profiles of H2O and HDO mixing ratios in the presence and absence of Global Dust Storm 2018. These observations are carried out in the lower atmosphere at SZA ∼ 71° of northern mid latitude (∼55°N, 130°E). Using NOMAD observations, we developed chemical models 1 and 2 for dust and non‐dust storm conditions, respectively. The production/loss rates of H2O, HDO and D2O and the densities of water, nitrogenated and deuterated cluster ions (H2O+, D2O+, HDO+, H+(H2O)n, D+(D2O)n, H+(HDO)n, CO4−, CO3−, CO3−(H2O)n, CO3−(D2O)n, CO3−(HDO)n, NO2−(H2O), NO2−(HDO), and NO2−(D2O) (for n = 1 to 5)) are estimated from these models between 10 and 70 km. We have used two ionization sources: (a) Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) and (b) hard X‐ray in both models. The D peak density produced by GCR is lower by a factor of ∼5 than that produced by the hard X‐rays. In model 1, the electron densities were increased by a factor of ∼2–3 than that produced by model 2. The estimated production/loss rates of H2O, HDO, and D2O are also larger by an order of magnitude in model 1 than that estimated by model 2.
Decreased B4GALT1 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma cell invasiveness by regulating the laminin-integrin pathway
Authors: Chen Po-Da , Liao Ying-Yu , Cheng Yu-Chia , Wu Hsin-Yi , Wu Yao-Ming , Huang Min-Chuan 
Published: October 2023

AbstractBeta1,4-galactosyltransferases (B4GALTs) play a crucial role in several diseases, including cancer. B4GALT1 is highly expressed in the liver, and patients with mutations in B4GALT1 exhibit hepatopathy. However, the role of B4GALT1 in liver cancer remains unclear. Here, we found that B4GALT1 was significantly downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue compared with the adjacent liver tissue, and low B4GALT1 expression was associated with vascular invasion and poor overall survival in patients with HCC. Additionally, silencing or loss of B4GALT1 enhanced HCC cell migration and invasion in vitro and promoted lung metastasis of HCC in NOD/SCID mice. Moreover, B4GALT1 knockdown or knockout increased cell adhesion to laminin, whereas B4GALT1 overexpression decreased the adhesion. Through a mass spectrometry-based approach and Griffonia simplicifolia lectin II (GSL-II) pull-down assays, we identified integrins α6 and β1 as the main protein substrates of B4GALT1 and their N-glycans were modified by B4GALT1. Further, the increased cell migration and invasion induced by B4GALT1 knockdown or knockout were significantly reversed using a blocking antibody against integrin α6 or integrin β1. These results suggest that B4GALT1 downregulation alters N-glycosylation and enhances the laminin-binding activity of integrin α6 and integrin β1 to promote invasiveness of HCC cells. Our findings provide novel insights into the role of B4GALT1 in HCC metastasis and highlight targeting the laminin-integrin axis as a potential therapeutic strategy for HCC with low B4GALT1 expression.