bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Learning to swim in Finland: practices and experiences
Authors: Haapala Henna , Lehtimäki Piia-Liisa , Saari Susanna , Sääkslahti Arja 
Published: October 2023

AbstractAquatic skills have been defined as important life-saving skills in Finland, because of it’s thousands of lakes. Finnish national core curriculum includes objectives for pupils’ swimming skills and, therefore national survey is implemented regularly. The latest survey implemented in spring 2022 to measure 6th graders (n = 1798) and preschoolers (n = 222) perception of their swimming skills. The results revealed decline in 6th graders’ skills. There were approximately 55% of 6th graders reporting to be able to swim 200 m, including 50 m swimming on the back. Moreover, the survey revealed gender differences showing that 60% of boys, 51% of girls and 40% of non-binary genders achieved the 200 m criteria. These gender differences have not found earlier. In 2022 survey included preschoolers (6 yrs) first time. The results showed that preschoolers have positive attitude towards water, and they perceive their aquatic competence positively. This starting point should be utilized in swimming lessons by including swimming already as part of preschool curriculum. The Covid pandemic reduced the amount of swimming lessons. Therefore, it can be assumed that a new generation of pupils with poor swimming skills is now growing. There is need to ensure water safety by compensating the lack of swimming skills. Practically it could mean starting annual swimming lessons from preschool.
An Epistemic Version of Pascal's Wager
Authors: JACKSON ELIZABETH 
Published: October 2023

AbstractEpistemic consequentialism is the view that epistemic goodness is more fundamental than epistemic rightness. In this article, I examine the relationship between epistemic consequentialism and theistic belief. I argue that in an epistemic consequentialist framework, there is an epistemic reason to believe in God. Imagine having an unlimited amount of time to ask an omniscient being anything you wanted. The potential epistemic benefits would be enormous. Considerations like these point to an epistemic version of Pascal's wager. I compare and contrast the epistemic wager with the traditional wager, and argue that the epistemic wager has several notable advantages.
Derivation and external validation of a prediction model for pneumococcal urinary antigen test positivity in patients with community-acquired pneumonia
Authors: Kim Priscilla , Rothberg Michael B. , Nowacki Amy S. , Yu Pei-Chun , Gugliotti David , Deshpande Abhishek 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Objective:
Derive and externally validate a prediction model for pneumococcal urinary antigen test (pUAT) positivity.

Methods:
Retrospective cohort study of adults admitted with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) to 177 U.S. hospitals in the Premier Database (derivation and internal validation samples) or 12 Cleveland Clinic hospitals (external validation sample). We utilized multivariable logistic regression to predict pUAT positivity in the derivation dataset, followed by model performance evaluation in both validation datasets. Potential predictors included demographics, comorbidities, clinical findings, and markers of disease severity.

Results:
Of 198,130 Premier patients admitted with CAP, 27,970 (14.1%) underwent pUAT; 1962 (7.0%) tested positive. The strongest predictors of pUAT positivity were history of pneumococcal infection in the previous year (OR 6.99, 95% CI 4.27–11.46), severe CAP on admission (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.56–1.98), substance abuse (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.27–1.93), smoking (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.09–1.39), and hyponatremia (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.17–1.55). Negative predictors included IV antibiotic use in past year (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.52–0.82), congestive heart failure (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.63–0.83), obesity (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.60–0.85), and admission from skilled nursing facility (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.45–0.78). Model c-statistics were 0.60 and 0.67 in the internal and external validation cohorts, respectively. Compared to guideline-recommended testing of severe CAP patients, our model would have detected 23% more cases with 5% fewer tests.

Conclusion:
Readily available data can identify patients most likely to have a positive pUAT. Our model could be incorporated into automated clinical decision support to improve test efficiency and antimicrobial stewardship.
Corporate Social Irresponsibility, an Elastic Wall, and a Fragile State: Sign of Hope’s Unfinished Quest to Mitigate Human Rights Violations in South Sudan
Authors: Kinderman Daniel , Stieglitz Klaus , Almairac Laure 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
This piece recounts the efforts by NGO Sign of Hope (SoH) to rectify human rights violations in South Sudan, which manifested themselves as drinking water pollution by the oil industry. Committed to exposing and remediating this water contamination, SoH was able to prompt the automobile company Daimler’s CSR to engage in extended dialogue with the oil industry stakeholders in Unity State. Despite a tactful use of various methods ranging from cooperation to confrontation, SoH’s campaign did not lead the oil producers to reverse the harm inflicted on the people of Unity State. When SoH tried to hold these companies accountable, SoH had the impression that it was hitting an elastic wall. This piece identifies lessons which may help to counter corporate human rights violations and compensate for the weakness of CSR in fragile states and in the face of corporate irresponsibility.
Gut metabolomic profiles in paediatric ulcerative colitis patients prior to and after receiving faecal microbiota transplants
Authors: Khalessi Hosseini Parastou S. , Wang Beibei , Luan Yihui , Sun Fengzhu , Michail Sonia 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an immune-mediated inflammation of the colonic mucosa. Gut microbiota dysbiosis may play a significant role in disease pathogenesis by causing shifts in metabolomic profiles within the gut. To identify differences and trends in the metabolomic profile of paediatric UC patients pre- and post-faecal microbiota transplants (FMT). Forty-six paediatric patients with mild-to-moderate UC and 30 healthy paediatric patients were enrolled in this study. Baseline stool samples were collected prior to FMT initiation and at months 1, 3, 6, and 12 post-FMT. Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (PUCAI) scores were calculated at baseline and months 1, 3, 6, and 12 after FMT. The average Bray–Curtis dissimilarities to healthy subjects decreased after FMT. In principal coordinate analysis plots, UC patients’ centroids drew nearer to healthy individuals. The variance explained by phenotype (Healthy versus UC) reduced and remained significant. From 1 to 3 months after FMT, PUCAI trends were statistically significant and decreasing. PUCAI scores remain flat starting 6 months after FMT. This study concludes that paediatric UC patients have a significantly different baseline metabolite profile than healthy controls. Although being time limited, FMT significantly altered these metabolite profiles and shifted them towards that of healthy controls.
Stochastic ordering results on the duration of the gambler’s ruin game
Authors: Hsiau Shoou-Ren , Yao Yi-Ching 
Published: October 2023

AbstractIn the classical gambler’s ruin problem, the gambler plays an adversary with initial capitals z and
$a-z$
, respectively, where
$a>0$
and
$0< z < a$
are integers. At each round, the gambler wins or loses a dollar with probabilities p and
$1-p$
. The game continues until one of the two players is ruined. For even a and
$0<z\leq {a}/{2}$
, the family of distributions of the duration (total number of rounds) of the game indexed by
$p \in [0,{\frac{1}{2}}]$
is shown to have monotone (increasing) likelihood ratio, while for
${a}/{2} \leq z<a$
, the family of distributions of the duration indexed by
$p \in [{\frac{1}{2}}, 1]$
has monotone (decreasing) likelihood ratio. In particular, for
$z={a}/{2}$
, in terms of the likelihood ratio order, the distribution of the duration is maximized over
$p \in [0,1]$
by
$p={\frac{1}{2}}$
. The case of odd a is also considered in terms of the usual stochastic order. Furthermore, as a limit, the first exit time of Brownian motion is briefly discussed.
‘EQUITY’ IN THE PANDEMIC TREATY: THE FALSE HOPE OF ‘ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING’
Authors: Hampton Abbie-Rose , Eccleston-Turner Mark , Rourke Michelle , Switzer Stephanie 
Published: October 2023

AbstractDuring the COVID-19 pandemic the international community repeatedly called for the equitable distribution of vaccines and other medical countermeasures. However, there was a substantial gap between this rhetoric and State action. High-income countries secured significantly more doses than they required, leaving many low-income countries unable to vaccinate their populations. Current negotiations for the new Pandemic Treaty under the World Health Organization (WHO) attempt to narrow the gap between rhetoric and behaviour by building the concept of equity into the Treaty's substantive content. However, equity is difficult to define, much less to operationalize. Presently, WHO Member States appear to have chosen ‘access and benefit-sharing’ (ABS) as the predominant mechanism for operationalizing equity in the Treaty. This article examines ABS as a mechanism, its use in public health, and argues that ABS is fundamentally flawed, unable to achieve equity. It proposes other options for an equitable international response to future pandemic threats.
Coping with the unforeseen: bounded rationality and bureaucratic responses to the COVID-19 crisis
Authors: Christensen Jørgen Grønnegaard , Mortensen Peter B. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe outbreak of COVID-19 unleashed a severe crisis in society. The suddenness and speed with which the disease spread into a global pandemic makes it an outstanding case for showing how bureaucracy acts in response to a crisis marked by uncertainty and urgency. This article focuses on the role played by the central government bureaucracy in preparing and enacting the Danish government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. It is based on full access to internal government files related to crisis management during the winter and spring of 2020. These files include memos, e-mails, decision notes, and draft decisions from key civil servants. The article demonstrates the strength of the theory of bounded rationality when it comes to analyzing the interaction between top civil servants and political executives. Moreover, it shows how administrative and political executives can mold a governmental organization to overcome the inertia inherent in bureaucratic organization and procedures.
On the topology of the transversal slice of a quasi-homogeneous map germ
Authors: SILVA O. N. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractWe consider a corank 1, finitely determined, quasi-homogeneous map germ f from
$(\mathbb{C}^2,0)$
to
$(\mathbb{C}^3,0)$
. We describe the embedded topological type of a generic hyperplane section of
$f(\mathbb{C}^2)$
, denoted by
$\gamma_f$
, in terms of the weights and degrees of f. As a consequence, a necessary condition for a corank 1 finitely determined map germ
$g\,{:}\,(\mathbb{C}^2,0)\rightarrow (\mathbb{C}^3,0)$
to be quasi-homogeneous is that the plane curve
$\gamma_g$
has either two or three characteristic exponents. As an application of our main result, we also show that any one-parameter unfolding
$F=(f_t,t)$
of f which adds only terms of the same degrees as the degrees of f is Whitney equisingular.
Nonvarying, affine and extremal geometry of strata of differentials
Authors: CHEN DAWEI 
Published: October 2023

AbstractWe prove that the nonvarying strata of abelian and quadratic differentials in low genus have trivial tautological rings and are affine varieties. We also prove that strata ofk-differentials of infinite area are affine varieties for allk. Vanishing of homology in degree higher than the complex dimension follows as a consequence for these affine strata. Moreover we prove that the stratification of the Hodge bundle for abelian and quadratic differentials of finite area is extremal in the sense that merging two zeros in each stratum leads to an extremal effective divisor in the boundary. A common feature throughout these results is a relation of divisor classes in strata of differentials as well as its incarnation in Teichmüller dynamics.
Assessing a New Measure of State Policy Mood: Response to Lagodny, Jones, Koch, and Enns
Authors: Berry William D. , Fording Richard C. , Crofoot Justin K. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThis article presents a short summary of the conclusions we report in a longer manuscript (available in our Supplementary Material) subjecting Lagodny et al.’s new measure of state policy mood to the same set of face validity and construct validity tests we applied earlier to Enns and Koch’s measure. We encourage readers to read this longer manuscript, which contains not only the conclusions herein, but also the evidence justifying these conclusions, before accepting or rejecting any claims we make. Our results show that the characteristics of Enns and Koch’s measure that led us to be doubtful that it is valid are also present in Lagodny et al.’s new measure – leaving us just as doubtful that Lagodny et al.’s measure is valid. Moreover, the low correlation between Lagodny et al.’s measure and Enns and Koch’s measure, combined with evidence from replications of seven published studies that the two measures frequently yield quite different inferences about the impact of policy mood on public policy, indicate that Lagodny et al.’s claim that both their measure and Enns and Koch’s measure are valid is wrong; either neither measure is valid, or one is valid and the other is not. Moreover, extending the replications to include not only Lagodny et al.’s and Enns and Koch’s measures, but also Berry et al.’s measure and Caughey and Warshaw’s measure of mass economic liberalism, shows that each of the four measures yields a substantive conclusion about the effect of policy mood that is dramatically different than each of the other three measures. This suggests that the goal of developing a measure of state policy mood that would be widely accepted as valid remains elusive.
Effects of Genetic Relatedness of Kin Pairs on Univariate ACE Model Performance
Authors: Lyu Xuanyu , Garrison S. Mason 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe current study explored the impact of genetic relatedness differences (ΔH) and sample size on the performance of nonclassical ACE models, with a focus on same-sex and opposite-sex twin groups. The ACE model is a statistical model that posits that additive genetic factors (A), common environmental factors (C), and specific (or nonshared) environmental factors plus measurement error (E) account for individual differences in a phenotype. By extending Visscher’s (2004) least squares paradigm and conducting simulations, we illustrated how genetic relatedness of same-sex twins (HSS) influences the statistical power of additive genetic estimates (A), AIC-based model performance, and the frequency of negative estimates. We found that larger HSSand increased sample sizes were positively associated with increased power to detect additive genetic components and improved model performance, and reduction of negative estimates. We also found that the common solution of fixing the common environment correlation for sex-limited effects to .95 caused slightly worse model performance under most circumstances. Further, negative estimates were shown to be possible and were not always indicative of a failed model, but rather, they sometimes pointed to low power or model misspecification. Researchers using kin pairs with ΔH less than .5 should carefully consider performance implications and conduct comprehensive power analyses. Our findings provide valuable insights and practical guidelines for those working with nontwin kin pairs or situations where zygosity is unavailable, as well as areas for future research.
Groundwater's Fingerprint in Stream Network Branching Angles
Authors: Freund Elham R. , Seybold Hansjörg , Jasechko Scott , Kirchner James W. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractBranching river networks are prominent features of the Earth's surface, but the mechanisms that create branching river networks patterns remain elusive. Recent studies have suggested that climate, tectonics, and lithology may control both longitudinal profiles of channel incision and the planform geometry of stream networks. Here we show, by analyzing almost 1 million river junctions and over 4.2 million groundwater wells across the contiguous United States, that stream network branching angles vary systematically with the degree to which streams lose water to, or gain water from, nearby groundwater aquifers. Streams whose surfaces lie above nearby groundwater levels, and thus are likely to be losing flow to underlying aquifers, tend to have narrower branching angles than streams that lie below nearby groundwater levels, and thus are likely to gain flow from groundwater. This systematic relationship persists across several stream orders, and across a wide range in channel gradients.
Multi‐Stage Development Within Anisotropy Insight of an Anticyclone Eddy in Northwestern South China Sea in 2021
Authors: Qiao J. , Qiu C. , Wang D. , Huang Y. , Zhang X. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractMesoscale eddies help regulate ocean energy cascades. Eddies deformation influences barotropic instability, which represents kinetic energy transfer between scales; however, the barotropic instability structure has not been well studied. We investigated an intra‐thermocline eddy (ITE) and developed a novel anisotropic method to examine the horizontal barotropic instability. The development of the ITE was monitored using a state‐of‐the‐art autonomous underwater vehicle from May to July. The ITE became trapped in June and moved eastward in July. Based on anisotropic theory, the barotropic instability was separated into isotropic and anisotropic productions. The anisotropy contained information regarding shape and mean flow feedback of the eddy. Barotropic instability was the main source for ITE eastward propagation and was dominated by anisotropic production. Following a shape and anisotropy change, the ITE gained the mean‐flow kinetic energy by the anisotropy shear production in June and by the anisotropy stretch production when moving eastward in July.
Transient Creep of Quartz and Granulite at High Temperature Under Wet Conditions
Authors: Masuti Sagar , Muto Jun , Rybacki Erik 
Published: October 2023

AbstractTransient creep of crustal rocks is important to explain time‐dependent geological processes such as postseismic deformation following a large continental earthquake. While the steady‐state creep flow law parameters of quartz and feldspar, major minerals in the upper and lower crust, are well known, the physical mechanism behind transient creep and the corresponding flow law parameters are poorly understood. We quantify the flow law parameters for both quartz and granulite (mixture of plagioclase and pyroxene) under wet conditions with a nonlinear Burgers model using a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. Modeling results yield an activation energy of 70 ± 20 kJ/mol and a stress exponent of 2.0 ± 0.1 for transient creep of quartz aggregates. For granulite/feldspar, we find activation energies of 280 ± 30 and 220 ± 20 kJ/mol and stress exponents of 1.0 ± 0.2 and 0.9 ± 0.1 under mid (1050–1100°C) and high (1125–1150°C), temperature conditions, respectively. The stress exponents and activation energies of transient creep are consistently smaller than those of steady‐state creep for both quartz and granulite/feldspar. Combined with results for transient creep of olivine that were previously obtained (Masuti & Barbot, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-021-01543-9), we suggest that the activation energies and stress exponents of transient creep are smaller than those of steady‐state creep for volumetrically important silicate minerals of the crust and upper mantle. Extrapolation of the estimated flow law parameters of granulite/feldspar to natural conditions suggests that transient creep may dominate during the postseismic period and lasts longer than previously thought.
Pressure-induced superconductivity in the nonsymmorphic topological insulator KHgAs
Authors: Dai Guangyang , Jia Yating , Gao Bo , Peng Yi , Zhao Jianfa , Ma Yanming , Chen Changfeng , Zhu Jinlong , Li Quan , Yu Runze , Jin Changqing 
Published: October 2023

AbstractRecently, topological insulators (TIs) KHgX (X = As, Sb, Bi) with hourglass-shaped dispersion have attracted great interest. Different from the TIs protected by either time-reversal or mirror crystal symmorphic symmetry tested in previous experiments, these materials were proposed as the first material class whose band topology relies on nonsymmorphic symmetries. As a result, KHgX shows many exotic properties, such as hourglass-shaped electronic channels and three-dimensional doubled quantum spin Hall effects. To date, high-pressure experimental studies on these nonsymmorphic TIs are minimal. Here, we carried out high-pressure electrical measurements up to 55 GPa, together with high-pressure X-ray diffraction measurements and high-pressure structure prediction on KHgAs. We found a pressure-induced semiconductor-metal transition between ~16 and 20 GPa, followed by the appearance of superconductivity with a Tc of ~3.5 K at approximately 21 GPa. The superconducting transition temperature was enhanced to a maximum of ~6.6 K at 31.8 GPa and then slowly decreased until 55 GPa. Furthermore, three high-pressure phases within 55 GPa were observed, and their crystal structures were established. Our results showed the high-pressure phase diagram of KHgAs and determined the pressure-induced superconductivity in nonsymmorphic TIs. Thus, our study can be used to facilitate further research on superconductivity and topologically nontrivial features protected by nonsymmorphic symmetries.
Macular neovascularization and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: phenotypic variations, pathogenic mechanisms and implications in management
Authors: Cheung Chui Ming Gemmy 
Published: October 2023

AbstractAdvances in imaging have led to improved ability to characterize variations in clinical sub-phenotypes of macular neovascularization (MNV) in Age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) was initially described based on characteristic features observed in indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) and was thought to be a distinct entity from AMD. However, subsequent careful observations based on confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy-based ICGA, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography have led researchers to appreciate similarities between PCV lesion and type 1 MNV in typical neovascular AMD. Concurrently, clinical trials have shown that anti-VEGF monotherapy can achieve favourable visual outcome in the majority of eyes with PCV. These learnings have led to a shift in the way PCV is managed over the past decade. Recent studies have supported the use of non-ICGA based imaging modality to screen for PCV and the adoption of anti-VEGF monotherapy as initial therapy for PCV. A focus of recent research has been in the understanding of the role of choroidal alterations in the pathogenesis of PCV. The concept of pachychoroid in leading to outer retinal ischemia has garnered increasing support. Future research in this area should evaluate the potential of choroidal morphology in guiding personalized therapy in PCV.