bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison of manual sutures and laparoscopic stapler for pancreatic stump closure techniques in robotic distal pancreatectomy: a single-center experience
Authors: Jiang Qitao , Lu Chao , Zhou Yucheng , Zhu Qicong , Ren Yufeng , Mou Yiping , Jin Weiwei 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Background
Postoperative pancreatic fistulas (POPFs) are prevalent and major postoperative complications of distal pancreatectomy (DP). There are numerous ways to manage the pancreatic stump. However, no single approach has been shown to be consistently superior. Moreover, the potential role of robotic systems in reducing POPFs has received little attention.

Methods
The clinical data of 119 patients who had consecutively received robotic distal pancreatectomy between January 2019 and December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups according to the method of handling the pancreatic stump. The attributes of the patients and the variables during the perioperative period were compared.

Results
The analysis included 72 manual sutures and 47 stapler procedures. The manual suture group had a shorter operative time (removing installation time) than the stapler group (125.25 ± 63.04 min vs 153.30 ± 62.03 min, p = 0.019). Additionally, the manual suture group had lower estimated blood loss (50 mL vs 100 mL, p = 0.009) and a shorter postoperative hospital stay. There were no significant differences in the incidence of clinically relevant POPFs between the two groups (18.1% vs 23.4%, P > 0.05). No perioperative death occurred in either group.

Conclusion
The manual suturing technique was shown to have an incidence of POPFs similar to the stapler technique in robotic distal pancreatectomy and to be safe and feasible.

Graphical Abstract
A case–control study of filicide/infanticide in 90 mothers
Authors: Bramante Alessandra , Di Florio Arianna 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis study aims to explore the clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of 30 women who committed filicide and compare them to those of 60 postpartum women who did not commit filicide, including 30 with severe postpartum mental illness and 30 without a known history of psychiatric disorders. Clinical assessment included a face-to-face interview with the Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM-IV Axis I and Axis II Disorders. Information on socio-economic, medical, and personal factors was collected using the Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and organized in a clinical vignette and OPCRIT ratings. Consensus best-estimate diagnoses were made according to DSM-V criteria. Inference was conducted using Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables and Mann–Whitney U rank test for continuous variables. Family history of violent death, psychotic symptoms (OR 8.3; CI 95% 2.26–36.13), severe insomnia (9.8; 2.28–61.75), and a schizophrenia spectrum or bipolar diathesis (4.8; 1.22–23.86) were associated with history of filicide. Rates of history of sexual abuse in childhood were higher in both the filicide and the severe postpartum mental illness groups compared to healthy controls (6.7; 1.25–70.46 and 7.8; 1.47; 80.47 respectively). Conversely, we did not observe any difference in the rates of history of sexual abuse in adulthood across groups. The lack of adequate postpartum psychiatric care was an important precipitating factor in many cases of infanticide and even late filicide. This study underscores the need for increasing awareness by health care professionals and the wider society of the complex dynamics and psychiatric risks associated with motherhood.
Decision-making based on sustainability analysis using GREENSCOPE
Authors: Dias Ricardo N. , Filipe Rui M. , Matos Henrique A. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractCurrent economic and environmental pressure encourages companies to invest and reform processes in a sustainable way. However, the decision on the best sustainable investment in a given industry may not be as straightforward as given by the independent economic and environmental indicators. Analyzing such indicators for investment in process alternatives is a complex multi-objective decision-making process. Many methods can help solve multi-objective problems, GREENSCOPE suggests using the Addictive Utility Method, which may have some shortcomings. In this work, the Analytic Hierarchy Process and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) are applied to the indicator scores obtained with the GREENSCOPE methodology. The Analytical Hierarchy Process is applied with Marginal Rate of Substitution, to obtain the priority matrices. MATLAB was used to apply the methods and through an algorithm, to determine the adequate number of indicators to be used. Three cases were studied, namely a biorefinery plant, and two academic case studies on the production of acetaldehyde from ethanol and propylene glycol from glycerol. The two academic cases were modeled in Aspen Plus, to obtain process data, and linked to GREENSCOPE using MATLAB. The methodology was applied to some proposed alternatives where the sustainability improvement of energy integration and material recycling was tested. The new methodology was able to identify the more sustainable case among the alternatives. This methodology based on TOPSIS proved to be the best choice, avoiding the weighting of indicators, and providing an expected analytical decision among alternatives.
Graphical abstract
To Be or Not to Be Empathic: the Role of Empathy in Child Sexual Offending
Authors: Sousa Marta , Cunha Olga , Gonçalves Rui Abrunhosa , de Castro-Rodrigues Andreia 
Published: December 2023

AbstractAlthough treatment providers very often use empathy training in treatment for those who sexually offend, it is essential to further investigate the predictive capacity of this construct for committing a child sexual offending. This study aimed to examine the relationship between empathy and different types of offending behavior (i.e., child sexual offending and nonsexual offending). The sample was composed of 113 male individuals who sexually offended minors (ISOMs) and 146 individuals convicted of nonsexual crimes. Four separate binary logistic regression analyses were conducted controlling for sociodemographic variables. Only cognitive empathy emerged as a predictor for committing a sexual crime against a minor, with ISOMs being more likely to score less in cognitive empathy than the nonsexual group. Therefore, extrafamilial ISOMs are more likely to score higher in cognitive empathy than intrafamilial. This study highlighted the importance of addressing cognitive empathy in psychological intervention for ISOMs.
Sentencing Elsewhere: Structuring Sentencing Discretion in Post-communist Europe
Authors: Drápal Jakub , Plesničar Mojca 
Published: December 2023

AbstractFormer socialist European countries (FSECs) have largely been overlooked in the scholarly debate on sentencing disparities and structuring sentencing discretion. The article addresses this gap by analysing the specific sentencing characteristics in FSECs, which differ from those in their Western counterparts. Specifically, FSECs place greater emphasis on the principle of individualisation and exhibit distrust towards the executive branch. Whilst recent studies have documented important unwarranted disparities in FSECs, scholarly and professional debates on sentencing issues in these countries have been rare and often superficial to date. In this paper, we describe the specifics of sentencing in FSEC, emphasising the broad discretion provided to sentencers, the lack of interest from sentencing stakeholders, and the frequent neglect of procedural factors influencing sentencing. Drawing on existing scholarship and empirical evidence, we put forward general principles for structuring sentencing discretion in a manner specific to FSEC. We identify key actors who might provide guidance and discuss how our suggestions might be implemented in practice.
No more tears without tiers? The impact of indirect settlement on liquidity use in TARGET2
Authors: Paulick Jan , Berndsen Ron , Diehl Martin , Heijmans Ronald 
Published: December 2023

AbstractWe study the impact of tiered payments originating from client banks on the liquidity consumption (relative intraday liquidity use) of settlement banks. Estimates of a panel data model, employing wholesale payments in euro, show that a higher share of tiered payments reduces liquidity consumption by settlement banks. Metrics on timing, delay, and payment priorities suggest that settlement banks use more leeway in settling tiered payments from client banks compared to in-house payments. Payment timing as a proxy for external delay suggests that tiered payments help smooth liquidity positions. Payment delay within the system does not follow a clear dynamic over time, whereas banks consistently de-prioritize tiered payments. Thereby, settlement banks employ tiered arrangements to manage intraday liquidity more efficiently. To a certain extent, this hints at “free riding” or higher recycling of liquidity from client banks’ payments. However, the results are also consistent with settlement banks’ monitoring role or tiered payments potentially exhibiting different characteristics which may be attributable to contractual arrangements.
A theory of factors affecting continuous experimentation (FACE)
Authors: Ros Rasmus , Bjarnason Elizabeth , Runeson Per 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Context
Continuous experimentation (CE) is used by many companies with internet-facing products to improve their business models and software solutions based on user data. Some companies deliberately adopt a systematic experiment-driven approach to software development while some companies use CE in a more ad-hoc fashion.

Objective
The goal of this study is to identify factors for success in CE that explain the variations in the utility and efficacy of CE between different companies.

Method
We conducted a multi-case study of 12 companies involved with CE and performed 27 interviews with practitioners at these companies. Based on that empirical data, we then built a theory of factors at play in CE.

Results
We introduce a theory of Factors Affecting Continuous Experimentation (FACE). The theory includes three factors, namely 1) processes and infrastructure for CE, 2) the user problem complexity of the product offering, and 3) incentive structures for CE. The theory explains how these factors affect the effectiveness of CE and its ability to achieve problem-solution and product-market fit.

Conclusions
Our theory may inspire practitioners to assess an organisation’s potential for adopting CE and to identify factors that pose challenges in gaining value from CE practices. Our results also provide a basis for defining practitioner guidelines and a starting point for further research on how contextual factors affect CE and how these may be mitigated.
Can machine learning make naturalism about health truly naturalistic? A reflection on a data-driven concept of health
Authors: Guersenzvaig Ariel 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThrough hypothetical scenarios, this paper analyses whether machine learning (ML) could resolve one of the main shortcomings present in Christopher Boorse’s Biostatistical Theory of health (BST). In doing so, it foregrounds the boundaries and challenges of employing ML in formulating a naturalist (i.e., prima facie value-free) definition of health. The paper argues that a sweeping dataist approach cannot fully make the BST truly naturalistic, as prior theories and values persist. It also points out that supervised learning introduces circularity, rendering it incompatible with a naturalistic perspective. Additionally, it underscores the need for pre-existing auxiliary theories to assess results from unsupervised learning. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the epistemological entanglements between data and data processing methods to manage expectations about what data patterns can predict. In conclusion, the paper argues against delegating the final authority for defining complex concepts like health to AI systems, as it necessitates ethical judgment and capacities for deliberation that AI currently lacks. It also warns against granting creators and deployers of AI systems the discretionary authority to determine these definitions outside the wider social discussion, advocating for ongoing public engagement on normative notions. Failure to do so risks limiting individuals and collectives’ ability to shape a just digital future and diminishes their fundamental epistemic agency.
Life may be unfair, but do democracies make it any less burdensome?
Authors: Oyèkọ́lá Ọláyínká 
Published: December 2023

AbstractUsing a large panel of countries, this paper studies whether, or not, democracies can disproportionately produce better economic outcomes for the poor than non-democracies. To deal with the endogeneity of democracy and inequality, a regional democratisation wave is used to isolate the exogenous variation in country-level democracy. Our main finding is that the exogenous component of democracy significantly and robustly decreased inequality in the long run, after controlling for key inequality determinants. We identify that the two potential mechanisms through which democracy affects inequality are structural transformation and middle-class bias channels. However, we find that this negative democracy-inequality link is reversed in the short run.
A Proof of Finite Crystallization via Stratification
Authors: Friedrich Manuel , Kreutz Leonard 
Published: December 2023

AbstractWe devise a new technique to prove two-dimensional crystallization results in the square lattice for finite particle systems. We apply this strategy to energy minimizers of configurational energies featuring two-body short-ranged particle interactions and three-body angular potentials favoring bond-angles of the square lattice. To each configuration, we associate its bond graph which is then suitably modified by identifying chains of successive atoms. This method, called stratification, reduces the crystallization problem to a simple minimization that corresponds to a proof via slicing of the isoperimetric inequality in $$\ell ^1$$

ℓ
1

. As a byproduct, we also prove a fluctuation estimate for minimizers of the configurational energy, known as the $$n^{3/4}$$

n

3
/
4

-law.
Mandatory role of endoplasmic reticulum and its pentose phosphate shunt in the myocardial defense mechanisms against the redox stress induced by anthracyclines
Authors: Sambuceti Gianmario , Cossu Vanessa , Vitale Francesca , Bianconi Eva , Carta Sonia , Venturi Consuelo , Chiesa Sabrina , Lanfranchi Francesco , Emionite Laura , Carlone Sebastiano , Sofia Luca , D’Amico Francesca , Di Raimondo Tania , Chiola Silvia , Orengo Anna Maria , Morbelli Silvia , Ameri Pietro , Bauckneht Matteo , Marini Cecilia 
Published: December 2023

AbstractAnthracyclines’ cardiotoxicity involves an accelerated generation of reactive oxygen species. This oxidative damage has been found to accelerate the expression of hexose-6P-dehydrogenase (H6PD), that channels glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) through the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) confined within the endoplasmic/sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). To verify the role of SR-PPP in the defense mechanisms activated by doxorubicin (DXR) in cardiomyocytes, we tested the effect of this drug in H6PD knockout mice (H6PD−/−). Twenty-eight wildtype (WT) and 32 H6PD−/− mice were divided into four groups to be treated with intraperitoneal administration of saline (untreated) or DXR (8 mg/Kg once a week for 3 weeks). One week thereafter, survivors underwent imaging of 18F-deoxyglucose (FDG) uptake and were sacrificed to evaluate the levels of H6PD, glucose-6P-dehydrogenase (G6PD), G6P transporter (G6PT), and malondialdehyde. The mRNA levels of SR Ca2+-ATPase 2 (Serca2) and ryanodine receptors 2 (RyR2) were evaluated and complemented with Hematoxylin/Eosin staining and transmission electron microscopy. During the treatment period, 1/14 DXR-WT and 12/18 DXR-H6PD−/− died. At microPET, DXR-H6PD−/− survivors displayed an increase in left ventricular size (p < 0.001) coupled with a decreased urinary output, suggesting a severe hemodynamic impairment. At ex vivo analysis, H6PD−/− condition was associated with an oxidative damage independent of treatment type. DXR increased H6PD expression only in WT mice, while G6PT abundance increased in both groups, mismatching a generalized decrease of G6PD levels. Switching-off SR-PPP impaired reticular accumulation of Ca2+ decelerating Serca2 expression and upregulating RyR2 mRNA level. It thus altered mitochondrial ultrastructure eventually resulting in a cardiomyocyte loss. The recognized vulnerability of SR to the anthracycline oxidative damage is counterbalanced by an acceleration of G6P flux through a PPP confined within the reticular lumen. The interplay of SR-PPP with the intracellular Ca2+ exchanges regulators in cardiomyocytes configure the reticular PPP as a potential new target for strategies aimed to decrease anthracycline toxicity.
A Meta-analysis of Cognitive Functioning in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators
Authors: Romero-Martínez Ángel , Sarrate-Costa Carolina , Moya-Albiol Luis 
Published: December 2023

AbstractNumerous psychologists have shown interest in applying neuropsychological tests to study intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators and gain a further understanding of the underlying nature of this type of violence. However, up until now, no meta-analysis has drawn on all the available scientific literature to calculate whether consistent differences exist between the neuropsychological performance of IPV perpetrators and other samples of men (non-violent men, IPV perpetrators with drug misuse, and other men with criminal history). The aim of this study was to carry out this calculation and also measure whether neuropsychological performance explained IPV perpetration. We conducted a meta-analysis following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. After initially identifying 7243 sources, we eventually included a total of 25 publications. The number of studies included for effect size calculation in each cognitive domain ranged from two to nine. Taking solely into account studies comparing IPV perpetrators with non-violent men, our findings indicate that both IPV perpetrators who misuse drugs and those who do not exhibit worse neuropsychological functioning compared to non-violent men. These differences range from moderate to large for working memory, switching attention, cognitive flexibility, planning abilities, and phonemic fluency. However, while low functioning in response IQ was only observed in IPV perpetrators without drug misuse, continuous attention performance only differed in IPV perpetrators with drug misuse. It should be noted that most conclusions were consistent. In addition, the comparison between IPV perpetrator subsamples and other types of criminal convictions only revealed differences in switching attention, with IPV perpetrators presenting worse abilities than the rest of the subsamples. Finally, we also found some support for significant associations between neuropsychological performance and both physical and psychological IPV perpetration. This meta-analysis is a significant contribution that will help inform future clinical strategies for the early detection of cognitive needs. It will also guide the implementation of new or complementary intervention programs.
English reading performance by Spanish speaking children: A phonologically or semantically mediated pathway?
Authors: Suárez-Coalla Paz , Castejón Luis , Vega-Harwood Marina , Martínez-García Cristina 
Published: December 2023

AbstractReading acquisition involves connections between the spoken language and the writing system. The English-language writing system holds an inconsistent alphabetic system, thus encouraging readers to develop representations between the grapheme and the word. Reading in English as a Foreign language supposes a challenge, especially when the reader’s native language is consistent and learners live in a monolingual context, as is the case in Spain. This may cause difficulties in learning the grapheme-phoneme-conversion-rules and using different grain size units. The aim of this study was to address the reading strategies that Spanish children use when reading in English. We considered the influence of word length, lexical frequency, orthographic consistency (in onset, nucleus, coda, and rime), and semantic knowledge on word reading. We analyzed speed and accuracy in a reading aloud task of English words from 94 Spanish-speaking children (fourth, fifth and sixth grade). Participants also completed a translation task into Spanish taken from the previous English ones. Results showed the influence of word length in accuracy, as well as that of children's grade, onset consistency, and semantic knowledge on both accuracy and reading speed. Regarding sublexical units, onset reading accuracy was determined by onset consistency in all grades; nucleus accuracy was determined by rime consistency only in the sixth grade and coda accuracy by rime consistency in the fifth and sixth grades. The present study demonstrates the relevance of Spanish children's semantic knowledge when reading in English. Despite this, and in line with the statistical learning perspective, some regularities are used in correlation with greater reading experience in English.
How do investor characteristics of business angels and venture capitalists predict the occurrence of co-investments?
Authors: Maus Christoph , Greven Andrea , Kurth Niklas , Brettel Malte 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBusiness angels (BAs) and venture capitalists (VCs) play major roles in the early funding stages of a venture. Although a significant proportion of venture funding rounds results from multiple investor types, most existing research takes an isolated view of either BAs or VCs. Research on the conditions and reasons for the formation of co-investments by BAs and VCs remains scarce. This study closes this gap by considering the impact of investor characteristics of BAs and VCs on the likelihood of co-investment. We focus on investor reputation, prior investment ties, and geographic proximity between the new venture and the investor. We address the questions of how these investor characteristics predict the probability of a co-investment between BAs and VCs in the first funding round of a new venture. Relying on the resource-based view and agency theory, we examine conditions that are in place when the two types of investors co-invest. Using a large-scale dataset with more than 7300 funding rounds of US-based ventures between the years 2005 and 2017, we find support for our hypotheses that investor reputation, prior investment ties, and geographical proximity impact the likelihood of co-investment and that these associations differ depending on the investor type.