bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Decoding Single and Paired Phonemes Using 7T Functional MRI
Authors: Vitória Maria Araújo , Fernandes Francisco Guerreiro , van den Boom Max , Ramsey Nick , Raemaekers Mathijs 
Published: January 2024

AbstractSeveral studies have shown that mouth movements related to the pronunciation of individual phonemes are represented in the sensorimotor cortex. This would theoretically allow for brain computer interfaces that are capable of decoding continuous speech by training classifiers based on the activity in the sensorimotor cortex related to the production of individual phonemes. To address this, we investigated the decodability of trials with individual and paired phonemes (pronounced consecutively with one second interval) using activity in the sensorimotor cortex. Fifteen participants pronounced 3 different phonemes and 3 combinations of two of the same phonemes in a 7T functional MRI experiment. We confirmed that support vector machine (SVM) classification of single and paired phonemes was possible. Importantly, by combining classifiers trained on single phonemes, we were able to classify paired phonemes with an accuracy of 53% (33% chance level), demonstrating that activity of isolated phonemes is present and distinguishable in combined phonemes. A SVM searchlight analysis showed that the phoneme representations are widely distributed in the ventral sensorimotor cortex. These findings provide insights about the neural representations of single and paired phonemes. Furthermore, it supports the notion that speech BCI may be feasible based on machine learning algorithms trained on individual phonemes using intracranial electrode grids.
Family Intensive Treatment for Child Welfare Involved Caregivers with Substance Misuse Issues: Safety, Permanency and Well-Being Outcomes
Authors: Yampolskaya Svetlana , Sowell Cathy , Walker-Egea Connie , Hanak-Coulter Jessica , Pecora Peter J. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe Family Intensive Treatment (FIT) team model provides intensive team-based, family-focused, comprehensive services to families in the child welfare system with parental substance misuse issues. The current evaluation study examined the effect of FIT on child safety, permanency, and parental wellbeing. A longitudinal quasi-experimental design with a two-group comparison using propensity score matching was used. Compared to a group of similar parents/caregivers receiving child welfare services (N = 2976), parents/caregivers who received FIT (N = 3025) were less likely to have new allegations of child maltreatment within 6 and 12 months after participating in the FIT program. There was no significant association between FIT receipt and recurrence of verified (i.e., substantiated) maltreatment: the rates of verified maltreatment were very similar for the parents/caregivers in the FIT group and the parents/caregivers in the comparison group. Similarly, no significant differences were found when the rates for foster care reentry were examined. In contrast, children of parents/caregivers who received FIT achieved permanency faster and at a greater rate compared to their counterparts. In addition, participation in the FIT program predicted improvement in parental/caregiver emotional protective capacity and overall protective capacity and showed a positive tendency in improvement of parental/caregiver behaviors related to their protective role. Finally, parents/caregivers who received FIT demonstrated significant improvements over time in several wellbeing domains including Daily Living Activities, Mental Health and Addiction, and Adult and Adolescent Parenting.
Unraveling the attributions of digital literacy skills and knowledge gap in Ghana’s higher education: Undergraduate students voices in a phenomenological study
Authors: Nkansah Jacob Oppong , Oldac Yusuf Ikbal 
Published: January 2024

AbstractAny undergraduate student lacking the knowledge and skills for digital technology will find it challenging to succeed academically and thrive in the 21st -century higher education setting. This study employed a novel conceptual framework built from ecological theory to investigate the attributions of the knowledge and skill gap in digital literacy among Ghanaian undergraduate students. A phenomenological qualitative design with a purposive sampling technique was implemented to collect data from 16 undergraduates in a large public university in Ghana in a four-months period. The findings show several factors responsible for students’ digital literacy knowledge and skills gap. Undergraduates have ascribed these reasons to various macro and micro factors. The students attributed their skills gap to personal, parental, institutional, and government factors, pointing to the need for concerted action from national and international policymakers and educators alike. This paper argues that university lecturers, administrators, the Ministry of Education, and policymakers in Ghana should collaboratively redesign comprehensive, persuasive, and integrated digital literacy approaches to benefit undergraduate students at all levels.
An empirical study on the usage of mocking frameworks in Apache software foundation
Authors: Xiao Lu , Zhao Gengwu , Wang Xiao , Li Keye , Lim Erick , Wei Chenhao , Yu Tingting , Wang Xiaoyin 
Published: January 2024

AbstractMocking frameworks provide convenient APIs, which create mock objects, manipulate their behavior, and verify their execution, for the purpose of isolating test dependencies in unit testing. This study contributes an in-depth empirical study of whether and how mocking frameworks are used in Apache projects. The key findings and insights of this study include: First, mocking frameworks are widely used in 66% of Apache Java projects, with Mockito, EasyMock, and PowerMock being the top three most popular frameworks. Larger-scale and more recent projects tend to observe a stronger need to use mocking frameworks. This underscores the importance of mocking in practice and related future research. Second, mocking is overall practiced quite selectively in software projects—not all test files use mocking, nor all dependencies of a test target are mocked. It calls for more future research to gain a more systematic understanding of when and what to mock to provide formal guidance to practitioners. On top of this, the intensity of mocking in different projects shows different trends in the projects’ evolution history—implying the compound effects of various factors, such as the pace of a project’s growth, the available resources, time pressure, and priority, etc. This points to an important future research direction in facilitating best mocking practices in software evolution. Furthermore, we revealed the most frequently used APIs in the three most popular frameworks, organized based on the function types. The top five APIs in each functional type of the three mocking frameworks usually take the majority (78% to 100%) of usage in Apache projects. This indicates that developers can focus on these APIs to quickly learn the common usage of these mocking frameworks. We further investigated informal methods of mocking, which do not rely on any mocking framework. These informal mocking methods point to potential sub-optimal mocking practices that could be improved, as well as limitations of existing mocking frameworks. Finally, we conducted a developer survey to collect additional insights regarding the above analysis based on their experience, which complements our analysis based on repository mining. Overall, this study offers practitioners profound empirical knowledge of how mocking frameworks are used in practice and sheds light on future research directions to enhancing mocking in practice.
Beyond ‘All or Some’: Reframing the Debate Between Local and Global Expressivists
Authors: Zhu Bojin 
Published: January 2024

AbstractLocal expressivism is the idea that some kinds of sentences express mental states other than beliefs. Global expressivism is the idea that all sentences are similarly expressive (of attitudes) instead of representational. They appear to disagree, but due to the vagueness of these big-picture ideas, the disagreement between them has not yet been clearly pinned down and has been suspected to be empty. This paper fixes this problem and shows not only how and where they disagree, but also that their disagreement is more profound than it has usually been conceived as. I first show that local and global expressivism have very different conceptual origins and thus that we should not think of them as carrying the same project to different extents. I then show their disagreement: global expressivists think that the meaning of all kinds of sentences is primarily inferential, and the meaningfulness of language is to be primarily explained by our trying to agree with our peers, while local expressivists think that the meaning of some kinds of sentences is primarily representational, and the meaningfulness of language is to be primarily explained by our trying to agree with the environment. An important upshot of this reframing of the debate is that global expressivists’ arguments to convince local expressivists are not successful.
Critical geopolitics in the era of identitarian populism
Authors: Kurfürst Jaroslav , Solik Martin , Baar Vladimir , Baarová Barbara , Graf Jan 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe transformation of the current world paradigm is generating new, strong stimuli for geopolitical knowledge. The sharpened geopolitical competition grows from colorful mix of postmodern instruments, modern motivation, premodern and hybrid methods, clearly territorialized and deterritorialized threats, state-centric and diffusion processes. Identitarian populism, which restores the boundaries that have been pushed out of the political space by integration and globalization, is getting in the forefront of geopolitical discourse. In international relations, the clash of identities, their instrumentalization and revival of imperial dreams extend the area of critical geopolitics, which has instruments for exploring geographic permanence of power as well as identity discourse, and whose cognitive apparatus is therefore an attractive analysis tool. The article contributes to a debate about options for greater usability of sub-discipline in the new context, proposes arguments for depoliticization of critical geopolitics in the right-left plane, discusses possibilities for complementary, synthetic deployment of neoclassical and critical geopolitics in exploring new context and argues in favour of even closer cooperation with the international relations theory.
Feeling Important, Feeling Well. The Association Between Mattering and Well-being: A Meta-analysis Study
Authors: Paradisi Monica , Matera Camilla , Nerini Amanda 
Published: January 2024

AbstractPerception of mattering, the feeling of being important to others (Rosenberg & McCullogh in Community Ment Health J 2:163–182, 1981), is receiving increasing attention as a factor that promotes well-being. Individual well-being has been defined in different ways, such as hedonic, as in a deep satisfaction with life (Diener & Lucas in Well-being: Foundations of Hedonic Psychology 213, 1999), eudaimonic, as in the realization of the true self (Ryff in Curr Dir Psychol Sci 4(4):99–104, 1995), and holistic, which is satisfaction across all domains of life (Prilleltensky et al., in J Community Psychol 43(2):199–226, 2015). The present study aims to systematize this body of literature on mattering and well-being to clarify whether the two constructs are linked independently from their conceptualization; to this end, a meta-analysis of 30 studies, following the PRISMA framework, was conducted. A significant medium effect size emerged between mattering and well-being (r = 0.41*** [95% CI 0.33, 0.49]), with eudaimonic well-being showing a higher effect size in association with mattering (r = 0.55*** [95% CI 0.46, 0.64]). The results indicate that mattering is a relevant construct when studying the positive functioning of individuals; in particular, mattering was found to be a key factor in the process of defining one’s sense of worth and purpose in life.
The Situational Meaning in Life Evaluation (SMILE): Development and Validation Studies
Authors: Zambelli Michela , Tagliabue Semira 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe present multi-study work presents a new self-report measure of meaning in life in the context of situational life experiences. Study 1 presents the development of the Situational Meaning in Life Evaluation (SMILE), a six-item measure that integrates the three content-dimensions (comprehension, significance and purpose) and the two process-dimensions (presence and search) of meaning in life. The scale is provided with a situational anchor that can be easily adapted to different event- and time-related situations. Two empirical studies examined the psychometric properties of the SMILE measure. Study 2 involved an Italian representative sample of 3035 individuals (51.6% female; Mage= 48.3, range= 18-91, SD= 14.03). Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported the theorized structure of the scale and provided evidence of good internal consistency collected with McDonald’s Omega, generalizability across gender and age was established by measurement invariance, and criterion validity evidence was obtained by correlations with measures of well-being. Study 3 was conducted on a sample of 283 Italian emerging and young adults (76% female; Mage= 26; range= 19-36; SD= 4.09). Results confirmed the SMILE’s structure and internal consistency and added evidence of convergent and incremental validity by conducting a series of hierarchical regressions to test the predictive power of the SMILE over the Meaning in Life Questionnaire on well-being measures. Findings provided evidence of the psychometric properties of the SMILE as a valid and reliable measure of situational meaning in life. Suggestions for future research are discussed.
A New Tripodal Zwitterionic Ligand-Based Cationic Manganese(II) Metal-Organic Framework: Synthesis, Characterization and Photochromic Property
Authors: Çiftçi Esengül , Arıcı Mürsel , Wriedt Mario , Yeşilel Okan Zafer 
Published: January 2024

AbstractA new flexible tripodal 1,1′,1′′-(((1,3,5-triazin-2,4,6-triyl)tris(benzene-4,1-diyl))tris(methylene))tris(3-carboxypyridin-1-ium) bromide (H3taznaBr3) ligand and its new Manganese(II) compound, namely {[Mn(µ6-tazna)]Cl2·4H2O}n(OGU − 1, OGU: Osmangazi University), were synthesized and structurally characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, X-ray single-crystal and powder diffraction techniques. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the OGU − 1 is 3D framework, possessing 1D channels along the b-axis with dimensions of 9.39 × 13.63 Å2, in which 1D channels are filled with chloride ions and lattice water molecules. The OGU − 1 displayed a 6,6-connected net with a point symbol of {48.66.8}{49.66}. Furthermore, thermal (TG, DTA and DTA) and photochromic properties of the OGU − 1 were investigated and it exhibited color change under 365 nm UV light.
Scaling up tree growth to assess forest resilience under increasing aridity: the case of Iberian dry-edge pine forests
Authors: Zavala Miguel A. , Angulo Óscar , de la Parra Rafael Bravo , Moreno-Fernández Daniel , Madrigal-González Jaime 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Context
Mediterranean managed dry-edge pine forests maintain biodiversity and supply key ecosystem services but are threatened by climate change and are highly vulnerable to desertification. Forest management through its effect on stand structure can play a key role on forest stability in response to increasing aridity, but the role of forest structure on drought resilience remains little explored.

Objectives
To investigate the role of tree growth and forest structure on forest resilience under increasing aridity and two contrasting policy-management regimes. We compared three management scenarios; (i) “business as usual”-based on the current harvesting regime and increasing aridity—and two scenarios that differ in the target forest function; (ii) a “conservation scenario”, oriented to preserve forest stock under increasing aridity; and (iii), a “productivity scenario” oriented to maintain forest yield under increasingly arid conditions.

Methods
The study site is part of a large-homogeneous pine-covered landscape covering sandy flatlands in Central Spain. The site is a dry-edge forest characterized by a lower productivity and tree density relative to most Iberian Pinus pinaster forests. We parameterized and tested an analytical size-structured forest dynamics model with last century tree growth and forest structure historical management records.

Results
Under current management (Scenario-i), increasing aridity resulted in a reduction of stock, productivity, and maximum mean tree size. Resilience boundaries differed among Scenario-ii and -Scenario-iii, revealing a strong control of the management regime on resilience via forest structure. We identified a trade-off between tree harvest size and harvesting rate, along which there were various possible resilient forest structures and management regimes. Resilience boundaries for a yield-oriented management (Scenario-iii) were much more restrictive than for a stock-oriented management (Scenario-ii), requiring a drastic decrease in both tree harvest size and thinning rates. In contrast, stock preservation was feasible under moderate thinning rates and a moderate reduction in tree harvest size.

Conclusions
Forest structure is a key component of forest resilience to drought. Adequate forest management can play a key role in reducing forest vulnerability while ensuring a long-term sustainable resource supply. Analytical tractable models of forest dynamics can help to identify key mechanisms underlying drought resilience and to design management options that preclude these social-ecological systems from crossing a tipping point over a degraded alternate state.
The role of GammaTile in the treatment of brain tumors: a technical and clinical overview
Authors: Garcia Michael A. , Turner Adam , Brachman David G. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractMalignant and benign brain tumors with a propensity to recur continue to be a clinical challenge despite decades-long efforts to develop systemic and more advanced local therapies. GammaTile (GT Medical Technologies Inc., Tempe AZ) has emerged as a novel brain brachytherapy device placed during surgery, which starts adjuvant radiotherapy immediately after resection. GammaTile received FDA clearance in 2018 for any recurrent brain tumor and expanded clearance in 2020 to include upfront use in any malignant brain tumor. More than 1,000 patients have been treated with GammaTile to date, and several publications have described technical aspects of the device, workflow, and clinical outcome data. Herein, we review the technical aspects of this brachytherapy treatment, including practical physics principles, discuss the available literature with an emphasis on clinical outcome data in the setting of brain metastases, glioblastoma, and meningioma, and provide an overview of the open and pending clinical trials that are further defining the efficacy and safety of GammaTile.
Model order reduction and stochastic averaging for the analysis and design of micro-electro-mechanical systems
Authors: Bonnin Michele , Song Kailing , Traversa Fabio L. , Bonani Fabrizio 
Published: January 2024

AbstractElectro-mechanical systems are key elements in engineering. They are designed to convert electrical signals and power into mechanical motion and vice-versa. As the number of networked systems grows, the corresponding mathematical models become more and more complex, and novel sophisticated techniques for their analysis and design are required. We present a novel methodology for the analysis and design of electro-mechanical systems subject to random external inputs. The method is based on the joint application of a model order reduction technique, by which the original electro-mechanical variables are projected onto a lower dimensional space, and of a stochastic averaging technique, which allows the determination of the stationary probability distribution of the system mechanical energy. The probability distribution can be exploited to assess the system performance and for system optimization and design. As examples of application, we apply the method to power factor correction for the optimization of a vibration energy harvester, and to analyse a system composed by two coupled electro-mechanical resonators for sensing applications.
Keratinocyte Exosomes for Topical Delivery of Tofacitinib in Treatment of Psoriasis: an In Vitro/ In Vivo Study in Animal Model of Psoriasis
Authors: Dehghani Pouya , Varshosaz Jaleh , Mirian Mina , Minaiyan Mohsen , Kazemi Mohammad , Bodaghi Mahdi 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Introduction
Exosomes are extracellular vesicles in the range of 40-150 nm released from the cell membrane. Exosomes secreted by keratinocytes can communicate with other keratinocytes and immune cells with specific biomarkers at their surface, which may be effective on inflammation of psoriasis and its pathogenesis.

Objective
The present study aimed to formulate and study effectiveness of an exosomal delivery system of tofacitinib (TFC).

Methods
TFC was loaded by different methods in exosomes and then characterized for particle size, zeta potential, drug loading efficiency, and release efficiency. By comparing these parameters, the probe sonication method was chosen to load TFC into exosomes. The MTT assay was used to compare the cytotoxicity of the free drug with the TFC-loaded exosomes (TFC-Exo), and Real-time PCR was used to determine the expression levels of several genes involved in psoriasis expressed in the A-431 keratinocyte and their suppression after treatment. Animal model of psoriasis was induced in BALB/c mice by imiquimod and the efficacy of free TFC, and TFC-Exo were studies on macroscopic appearance and histopathological symptoms.

Results
Exosomes encapsulating TFC showed lower cytotoxicity in MTT assay, higher suppression the expression of TNF-a, IL-23, IL-6, and IL-15 genes in real-time PCR and better therapeutic effect on animal models compered to free TFC.

Conclusions
This method of drug delivery for TFC may be effective on enhancing its therapeutic effects and reduction its side effects favorably in chronic administration.

Graphical abstract