bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Argan Oil Trade and Access to Benefit Sharing: A Matter of Economic Survival for Rural Women of the Souss Massa, Morocco
Authors: Montanari Bernadette , Handaine Mohamed , Id Bourrous Jamila 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPoverty eradication, environmental conservation, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved without the input and participation of disadvantaged communities in developing mitigation strategies. Over the last few decades, the markets for natural resources as niche products have grown exponentially. Morocco’s production and international sales of argan oil are set to exceed current figures within the decade. We interviewed presidents of cooperatives in several villages in the Souss Massa region of Morocco to assess the current status of the argan oil trade, in particular women’s roles in production, their economic status, and whether they have access to benefit sharing (ABS). Our results reveal that control over the argan oil trade has shifted into intermediaries that supply larger corporations, and that the survival of cooperatives and women’s access to vital income are increasingly threatened. We argue thatthe implementation of ABS is essential to preserve women’s access to income and their traditional knowledge associated with oil extraction processes and to ensure the conservation of argan ecosystems as prescribed by the Nagoya Protocol.
Optimum Optical Designs for Diffraction-Limited Terahertz Spectroscopy and Imaging Systems Using Off-Axis Parabolic Mirrors
Authors: Chopra Nishtha , Lloyd-Hughes James 
Published: November 2023

AbstractOff-axis parabolic mirrors (OAPMs) are widely used in the THz and mm-wave communities for spectroscopy and imaging applications, as a result of their broadband, low-loss operation and high numerical apertures. However, the aspherical shape of an OAPM creates significant geometric aberrations: these make achieving diffraction-limited performance a challenge, and lower the peak electric field strength in the focal plane. Here, we quantify the impact of geometric aberrations on the performance of the most widely used spectrometer designs, by using ray tracing and physical optics calculations to investigate whether diffraction-limited performance can be achieved in both the sample and the detector plane. We identify simple rules, based on marginal ray propagation, that allow spectrometers to be designed that are more robust to misalignment errors, and which have minimal aberrations for THz beams. For a given source, this allows the design of optical paths that give the smallest THz beam focal spot, with the highest THz electric field strength possible. This is desirable for improved THz imaging, for better signal-to-noise ratios in linear THz spectroscopy and optical-pump THz-probe spectroscopy, and to achieve higher electric field strengths in non-linear THz spectroscopy.
A Review of Task Allocation Methods for UAVs
Authors: Skaltsis George Marios , Shin Hyo-Sang , Tsourdos Antonios 
Published: November 2023

AbstractUnmanned aerial vehicles, can offer solutions to a lot of problems, making it crucial to research more and improve the task allocation methods used. In this survey, the main approaches used for task allocation in applications involving UAVs are presented as well as the most common applications of UAVs that require the application of task allocation methods. They are followed by the categories of the task allocation algorithms used, with the main focus being on more recent works. Our analysis of these methods focuses primarily on their complexity, optimality, and scalability. Additionally, the communication schemes commonly utilized are presented, as well as the impact of uncertainty on task allocation of UAVs. Finally, these methods are compared based on the aforementioned criteria, suggesting the most promising approaches.
Tighter Bounds on Transient Moments of Stochastic Chemical Systems
Authors: Holtorf Flemming , Barton Paul I. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe use of approximate solution techniques for the Chemical Master Equation is a common practice for the analysis of stochastic chemical systems. Despite their widespread use, however, many such techniques rely on unverifiable assumptions and only a few provide mechanisms to control the approximation error quantitatively. Addressing this gap, Dowdy and Barton (J Chem Phys 149(7):074103, 2018) proposed an optimization-based technique for the computation of guaranteed bounds on the moment trajectories associated with stochastic chemical systems, thereby providing a general framework for rigorous uncertainty quantification. Here, we present an extension of this method. The key contribution is a new hierarchy of convex necessary moment conditions that build upon partitioning of the time domain. These conditions reflect the temporal causality that is inherent to the moment trajectories associated with stochastic processes described by the Chemical Master Equation and can be strengthened by simple refinement of the time domain partition. Analogous to the original method, these conditions generate a hierarchy of semidefinite programs that furnishes monotonically improving bounds on the trajectories of the moments and related statistics of stochastic chemical systems. Compared to its predecessor, the presented hierarchy produces bounds that are at least as tight and features new bound tightening mechanisms such as refinement of the time domain partition which often enable the computation of dramatically tighter bounds with lower computational cost. We analyze the properties of the presented hierarchy, discuss some aspects of its practical implementation and demonstrate its merits with several examples.
Inter-industry and intra-industry switching as sources of productivity growth: structural change of Finland’s ICT industries
Authors: Kuosmanen Natalia , Kuosmanen Timo 
Published: November 2023

AbstractStructural change is an important driver of productivity growth at the aggregate level. While previous productivity decompositions account for the contributions of market entry and exit, they overlook continuing firms that switch from one industry to another. We develop an improved productivity decomposition that accounts for both intra-industry and inter-industry switching, is applicable to both static and inter-temporal settings, and ensures consistent aggregation of firm-level productivity to the industry level. The proposed decomposition is applied to Finland’s information and communication technology (ICT) industry in the first two decades of the 21st century. This industry experienced major structural changes due to the rapid downfall of Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer at the beginning of our study period. Our results reveal that the sharp decline of labor productivity was associated with structural changes, whereas the surviving firms that continued in the same industry managed to improve their productivity. Our results indicate that industry switching can dampen or enhance the productivity impacts of structural change, especially during times of crisis and recession.
“But Everything Else, I Learned Online”: School-Based and Internet-Based Sexual Learning Experiences of Heterosexual and LGBQ + Youth
Authors: Gamson Joshua , Hertz Rosanna 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBuilding upon scholarship on sex education, our research aims to understand how youth with a range of sexual identities have experienced school-based sex education, how they have explored sexual content online, and how they see the two in relation to each other. We thus ask: (1) How do youth with varied sexual identities recall experiencing formal school-based sex education from elementary through high school offerings? (2) How do heterosexual and LGBQ + youth utilize the Internet and social media sites for sexual learning? Through in-depth interviews with college students, we find that heterosexual and LGBQ + youth report that formal sex education was both limited and heteronormative; LGBQ + youth felt particularly unprepared for sexual experiences and health hygiene, and sometimes found ways to translate the information provided for their own needs. Despite some overall similarities in online sexual explorations, experiences of online sexual learning proved quite divergent for youth of different sexual identities. Heterosexual youth were likely to search for information on sexual pleasure and entertainment; in contrast, LGBQ + youth sought information to fill in knowledge gaps about non-conforming sexualities, and often used the digital space for identity discovery, confirmation, and affirmation. For both groups, online explorations interacted with offline ones through a back-and-forth in which youth tested out in one arena what they had learned in the other. These findings highlight the dynamic interaction between formal school curriculum, informal online sexual learning, and sexual scripts, identities and practices.
Bootstrapping multiple systems estimates to account for model selection
Authors: Silverman Bernard W. , Chan Lax , Vincent Kyle 
Published: November 2023

AbstractMultiple systems estimation using a Poisson loglinear model is a standard approach to quantifying hidden populations where data sources are based on lists of known cases. Information criteria are often used for selecting between the large number of possible models. Confidence intervals are often reported conditional on the model selected, providing an over-optimistic impression of estimation accuracy. A bootstrap approach is a natural way to account for the model selection. However, because the model selection step has to be carried out for every bootstrap replication, there may be a high or even prohibitive computational burden. We explore the merit of modifying the model selection procedure in the bootstrap to look only among a subset of models, chosen on the basis of their information criterion score on the original data. This provides large computational gains with little apparent effect on inference. We also incorporate rigorous and economical ways of approaching issues of the existence of estimators when applying the method to sparse data tables.
Tubeless PCNL versus standard PCNL for the treatment of upper urinary tract stones: a propensity score matching analysis
Authors: Hao Yunwu , Shen Xudong , Han Dongbing , Hao Zongyao , Chen Degang 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Purpose
In this study, the feasibility of tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for the treatment of upper urinary tract stones was investigated.

Methods
From January 2021 to December 2022, the clinical data of 273 patients who received tubeless PCNL (Group A) were studied. The control group includes clinical data from 302 patients (from January 2019 to October 2022) who received standard PCNL (Group B). The baseline characteristics were consistent between the two groups after using the propensity score matching (PSM) method. Compare the preoperative clinical characteristics, postoperative complications, residual stones, catheterization time, and hospital stay between the two groups.

Results
146 pairs of patients were successfully paired through PSM. There was no statistically significant difference in operative time, blood leukocyte counts, haemoglobin decrease, fever, urinary extravasation, sepsis, bleeding, blood transfusion rates, embolism, and residual stones after surgery between the two groups; Postoperative day 1 and discharge day, the VAS pain score in Group A was significantly lower than that in Group B. The catheterization time and hospitalization time of patients in Group A were significantly lower than those in Group B.

Conclusion
According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, selecting suitable patients for tubeless PCNL is safe and effective, while significantly alleviating pain and reducing catheterization time and hospital stay.
Temporomandibular trauma and reflections on personal evaluation
Authors: Corte-Real Ana , Abreu João , Figueiredo José Pedro , Nunes Tiago 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
The International Consortium Network/Orofacial Pain Special Interest Group focuses on temporomandibular disease diagnosis procedure guidelines as a reference iQAn this scope. Concerning this reference, the aim of this study was to comprehensively analyze injury and sequela frames within European and American approaches to personal damage. A quasiexperimental pilot study of Portuguese orofacial trauma cases in a medico-legal evaluation database was performed with an interrupted time series design. The clinical data were recorded following five criteria of TMJ diagnosis (jaw opening, pain, anatomical deficit, functional deficit, clinical sounds, and occlusal deficit) under three degrees of severity. The injury frame evaluation was recorded in the first-degree stage in all criteria. Pain, as a sequela, was the criterion present in 45% of the sample as spontaneous (20%) or stimulated (25%). Temporomandibular trauma damage evaluation emphasizes the accurate injury diagnosis and sequela framework. Orofacial trauma analysis should focus on the inclusion or exclusion of a TMD diagnosis. This study suggests revising the reference tables on personal damage, considering the inclusion of TMD and its categorization and impact.
A method for estimating physical and economic food access at high spatial resolution
Authors: Campomanes Florencio , Marshall Michael , Nelson Andrew 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPhysical and economic access to food vary spatially. Methods to map that variability at high levels of spatial detail over large areas are scarce, even though suitable datasets and methods exist. Using open-access data for Ethiopia, we developed a method to map the disparities in physical and economic food access at 1-km resolution. We selected 25 access-related variables for 486 geo-located communities from the 2018 Ethiopian Living Standards Measurement Study to create a food access index (FAI). The index was based on a weighted summation of the 25 variables from a principal component analysis (PCA). We then extrapolated the FAI to the rest of Ethiopia using a generalized additive model (GAM) to produce a 1-km resolution FAI map and used that to describe the spatial variability of food access. Economic access had a heavier weight than physical access in the FAI reflecting the fact that proximity to food markets alone is insufficient if one cannot afford food. The GAM had an R2 of 0.57 and a normalized root mean square error of 22.2% which are comparable to measures of model performance in studies that provided micro-level estimates of relative wealth. Peri-urban areas, representing 67% of the population, had relatively low food access, suggesting that these areas should be a priority for infrastructure or economic intervention. The scarcity of detailed spatial information on food access may limit the effectiveness of targeted policymaking to improve food security. The methodology developed in this study uses widely available and carefully selected datasets and can contribute to more spatially detailed estimates of food access in other countries.
The impact of obesity on thyroidectomy outcomes: a case-matched study
Authors: Rossi Leonardo , Becucci Chiara , Iachini Mattia , Ambrosini Carlo Enrico , Renieri Federica , Morganti Riccardo , Pignatelli Francesco , Materazzi Gabriele 
Published: November 2023

AbstractObesity is a well-known public health concern in Western World. Accordingly, an elevated number of obese patients undergo thyroidectomy every year. We aim to assess the impact of obesity on intraoperative and postoperative outcomes of patients who undergo thyroidectomy. 1228 patients underwent thyroidectomy at our department between January 2021 and September 2021. We divided patients into two groups according to body mass index (BMI): non-obese (BMI < 30 kg/m2) and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). A propensity score approach was performed to create 1:1 matched pairs (matching according to age, gender, diagnosis, nodule size and type of operation). After matching, the final population included 522 patients, equally divided between each group: non-obese group (Group A; n = 261) and obese group (Group B; n = 261). The primary endpoint of the study was the overall rate of postoperative complications; secondary endpoints of the study were operative time, use of energy device and length of hospital stay. The duration of hospital stay resulted longer in Group B (p = 0.002). No statistically significant differences were documented in terms of operative time (p = 0.206), use of energy devices (p = 0.855) and surgical complications (p = 0.429). Moreover, no statistically significant differences were documented considering each specific complication: transient and permanent hypocalcemia (p = 0.336; p = 0.813, respectively), transient and permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy (p = 0.483; p = 0.523, respectively), hematoma (p = 0.779), bleeding (p = 0.178), wound infection (p = 0.313) and cheloid formation (p = 0.412). Thyroidectomy can safely be performed in obese patients. Outcomes resulted comparable; nonetheless, obesity correlates to longer hospital stay.
Capturing student interest in software engineering through gamification: a systematic literature review
Authors: Ngandu Matipa Ricky , Risinamhodzi David , Dzvapatsva Godwin Pedzisai , Matobobo Courage 
Published: November 2023

AbstractICT tools in education are widely used to support the aim of achieving learning outcomes by improving critical areas such as student engagement, participation, and motivation. In this study, we examine literature to explore how game elements are used in capturing students’ interest, which the study suggests is fundamental to the teaching and learning of Software Engineering in higher education. Given the potential of alternative ICT tools such as flipped classrooms to increase interest in learning activities, there is a gap in similar literature on capturing interest in gamified environments, which has the potential to improve the achievement of learning outcomes. We applied flow theory to provide a guiding frame for our study. Following a systematic literature review for our data, we analysed 15 papers from the initial 342 articles, which were extracted from IEEE Xplore and Science Direct databases. The main finding in the reviewed papers underscores the positive impact of gamified learning environments on capturing student interest when teaching and learning Software Engineering. While the reviewed papers were not conclusive in identifying the best game elements for capturing students’ interest, we found, that game elements such as points and leaderboards were the most common mechanisms used to advance students' interest when studying Software Engineering courses. The findings also suggest that different game elements are used in gamified environments to increase participation and engagement. The paper adds voice to the practical implications of gamification for teaching and learning. Although our study requires empirical evidence to validate our claims, we believe it sets the stage for further discussion. In the future, comparative studies of game elements in similar environments will be beneficial for identifying the ones that are more engaging and assessing their long-term impacts.
Platform work, exploitation, and migrant worker resistance: Evidence from Berlin and London
Authors: Alyanak Oğuz , Cant Callum , López Ayala Tatiana , Badger Adam , Graham Mark 
Published: November 2023

AbstractFor migrant workers who do not have access to other means of income, the platform economy offers a viable yet exploitative alternative to the conventional labour market. Migrant workers are used as a source of cheap labour by platforms – and yet, they are not disempowered. They are at the heart of a growing platform worker movement. Across different international contexts, migrants have played a key role in leading strikes and other forms of collective action. This article traces the struggles of migrant platform workers in Berlin and London to explore how working conditions, work experiences, and strategies for collective action are shaped at the intersection of multiple precarities along lines of employment and migration status. Combining data collected through research by the Fairwork project with participant observation and ethnography, the article argues that migrant workers are more than an exploitable resource: they are harbingers of change.
The Failed Idea of Judicial Restraint: A Brief Intellectual History
Authors: Carle Susan D. 
Published: November 2023

This essay examines the intellectual history of the idea of judicial restraint, starting with the early debates among the US Constitution’s founding generation. In the late nineteenth century, law professor James Bradley Thayer championed the concept and passed it on to his students and others, including Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., Learned Hand, Louis Brandeis, and Felix Frankfurter, who modified and applied it based on the jurisprudential preoccupations of a different era. In a masterful account, Brad Snyder examines Justice Frankfurter’s attempt to put the idea into practice. Although Frankfurter arguably made a mess of it, he passed the idea of judicial restraint on to Alexander Bickel and others. Today it remains a topic of much academic debate, while Supreme Court Justices occasionally give the idea lip service when it advances outcomes they desire.I propose that the intellectual history of judicial restraint reflects the all-too-human inability to refrain from exercising power. The founders, focused on the need to mitigate the flaws of human nature in designing the executive and legislative branches, failed to sufficiently foresee how the same flaws would affect members of the judiciary. The failed idea of judicial restraint stands as the legacy of the founders’ mistake.
First mesophotic Ecklonia radiata (Laminariales) records within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park marine-protected area, east coast, South Africa
Authors: Qwabe Welly , Samaai Toufiek , Harris Jean M. , Palmer Ryan M. , Kerwath Sven E. 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
A dense Ecklonia radiata (Laminariales) kelp forest extending at least 35 km has been found between 45 and 60 m depth range within the mesophotic zone inside the iSimangaliso marine-protected area (MPA) at the iSimangaliso Wetland park World Heritage Site on the east coast of South Africa. This is the first visual confirmation of the occurrence of E. radiata beds in subtropical South Africa, in an area situated between the tropical and subtropical bioregions, in an area that spans the Natal and Delagoa bioregions of the south-western Indian Ocean, more than 350 km north of its previously documented South African range. The kelp was found to be present across the length of the MPA, but dense beds were present only in the southern Natal bioregion, with sparse occurrences observed elsewhere on soft-coral and sponge-dominated reefs in the upper mesophotic zone. The footage was collected in November 2020, May 2021 and November 2022 during remotely operated vehicle and drop camera surveys of the mesophotic zone inside the MPA. This discovery adds to the body of knowledge on the global distribution of Laminariales populations in deep tropical and subtropical settings and the diversity of habitats within South Africa's largest coastal MPA.