bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mutually reinforcing non-local neural networks for semantic segmentation
Authors: Li Tianping , Wei Yanjun , Cui Zhaotong , Li Guanxing , Li Meng , Zhang Hua 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe ability to capture pixels' long-distance interdependence is beneficial to semantic segmentation. In addition, semantic segmentation requires the effective use of pixel-to-pixel similarity in the channel direction to enhance pixel regions. Asymmetric Non-local Neural Networks (ANNet) combine multi-scale spatial pyramidal pooling modules and Non-local blocks to reduce model parameters without sacrificing performance. However, ANNet does not consider pixel similarity in the channel direction in the feature map, so its segmentation effect is not ideal. This article proposes a Mutually Reinforcing Non-local Neural Networks (MRNNet) to improve ANNet. MRNNet consists specifically of the channel enhancement regions module (CERM), and the position-enhanced pixels module (PEPM). In contrast to Asymmetric Fusion Non-local Block (AFNB) in ANNet, CERM does not combine the feature maps of the high and low stages, but rather utilizes the auxiliary loss function of ANNet. Calculating the similarity between feature maps in channel direction improves the category representation of feature maps in the channel aspect and reduces matrix multiplication computation. PEPM enhances pixels in the spatial direction of the feature map by calculating the similarity between pixels in the spatial direction of the feature map. Experiments reveal that our segmentation accuracy for cityscapes test data reaches 81.9%. Compared to ANNet, the model's parameters are reduced by 11.35 (M). Given ten different pictures with a size of 2048 × 1024, the average reasoning time of MRNNet is 0.103(s) faster than that of the ANNet model.
Coordination and cooperation in asymmetric commons dilemmas: a replication study
Authors: Jarke-Neuert Johannes 
Published: April 2023

AbstractJanssen et al. (Exp Econ 14:547–566, 2014) studied an asymmetric, finitely repeated common-pool resource dilemma with free-form communication in which subjects made decisions about investments in an infrastructure, and about extraction from a resource made available by this infrastructure. They found that infrastructure provision and joint payoffs converged to high levels because structurally advantaged head-enders tend to behave fairly by restricting themselves voluntarily at the extraction stage, and structurally disadvantaged “tail-enders” reciprocate by investing. This paper reports a fully independent, pre-registered, double-blind replication attempt conducted in a different lab, that also supplies elevated statistical power and adheres to the highest principles of scientific transparency and openness. We find that the key results of Janssen et al. not only re-appear qualitatively but are quantitatively and statistically strengthened. The conclusions drawn from the results are therefore robust, and the basic design can be confidently used for follow-up research.
EU-Erweiterungspolitik in der Zeitenwende: Zäsur oder business as usual?
Authors: Lippert Barbara 
Published: April 2023

ZusammenfassungNach der „Zeitenwende von 1989“ wurde die Erweiterungspolitik von Politik und Europawissenschaft vor allem als Normentransfer behandelt und bis zur „Zeitenwende 2022“ wurden ihre geopolitischen Implikationen ausgeblendet. Grund dafür waren die günstigen internationalen Bedingungen, die eine Erweiterung der Union in befriedete Räume Mitteleuropas ermöglichten. Die Behauptung, die Erweiterung sei die erfolgreichste Außenpolitik, die die EU je betrieben hat, entpuppt sich als Selbstbetrug. Bislang ist es der EU nicht gelungen, die Erweiterung in Konfliktgebieten wie dem westlichen Balkan durchzusetzen. Sie setzte die Nachbarschaftspolitik in der postsowjetischen Nachbarschaft als eine Art „Erweiterung light“ fort, obwohl die revisionistische und aggressive Politik Russlands außen- und sicherheitspolitische Absicherungen und Ergänzungen erfordert hätte. Während die Erweiterung als außenpolitisches Instrument nach dem Angriff auf die Ukraine plausibler geworden sein mag und in das Narrativ der Kommission von der Europäischen Union als geopolitischem Akteur passt, ist dies aus integrationspolitischer Sicht riskant. Denn die Überdehnung des politischen Systems und des transnationalen Gemeinwesens in einer EU mit mehr als 30 Mitgliedstaaten gefährdet die Funktionsfähigkeit und Legitimität der Union, die alte und neue Mitglieder anstreben.
Supporting User Protection Requirements in Cloud-Based Data Outsourcing
Authors: De Capitani di Vimercati Sabrina , Foresti Sara , Livraga Giovanni , Samarati Pierangela 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe cloud is nowadays widely used for storing and managing data, and leveraging scalable and flexible IT infrastructures while guaranteeing continuous data and application availability from anywhere at any time. The cloud market is characterized by a rich and diversified offering that usually comes as predefined configurations (plans), which can be adopted to outsource data collections. Such plans exhibit different features and characteristics, which make different plans suitable to different scenarios. Seemingly a trivial problem, selecting a plan that responds well to the needs of a data owner is actually far from easy. In fact, the problem entails a number of challenges that need to be carefully addressed, ranging from representing and reasoning on plans’ characteristics, to permitting data owners to formulate (and have enforced) expressive requirements to identify an optimal (combination of) plan(s) without requiring deep technical knowledge of the cloud technology and jargon. In this paper, we address this problem, discussing some of its main challenges, and illustrating some research directions and state-of-the-art solutions.
Development of hybrid performance-based optimization algorithm for structures equipped with vibration damper devices
Authors: Ayyash Al-jbury Najad Amer , Hejazi Farzad 
Published: April 2023

Abstract
Nowadays, various types of vibration damping systems are being implemented in different buildings to diminish seismic effects on structures. However, engineers are faced with the challenging task of developing an optimum design for structures utilizing a proper type of damping device based on new techniques such as the performance-based design method. Therefore, this research was aimed at developing a multi-objective optimization algorithm by hybridizing the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and gravitational search algorithm (GSA) to obtain an optimum design for structures equipped with vibration damper devices based on the performance-based design method. Then, the developed hybrid algorithm (PSOGSA) would be capable of optimizing the damping system simultaneously with the optimized details of the structural sections, including the steel rebars, by satisfying all the design criteria. For this purpose, a special process for the design of structures equipped with vibration damper devices according to the performance-based design method was developed by considering of a wide range of vibration damping systems. The proposed PSOGSA optimization framework was then implemented to design a 12-storey reinforced concrete structure equipped with different types of dampers to minimize the structural weight while satisfying all the prescribed performance-based design acceptance criteria. The results indicated that the proposed optimization method was able to successfully optimize the details of the structural members as well as the type and properties of the damper, which significantly improved the structural response in terms of the formation of plastic hinges and the structural movements.
An integrative framework and recommendations for the study of DNA methylation in the context of race and ethnicity
Authors: Chan Meingold Hiu-ming , Merrill Sarah M. , Konwar Chaini , Kobor Michael S. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractHuman social epigenomics research is critical to elucidate the intersection of social and genetic influences underlying racial and ethnic differences in health and development. However, this field faces major challenges in both methodology and interpretation with regard to disentangling confounded social and biological aspects of race and ethnicity. To address these challenges, we discuss how these constructs have been approached in the past and how to move forward in studying DNA methylation (DNAm), one of the best-characterized epigenetic marks in humans, in a responsible and appropriately nuanced manner. We highlight self-reported racial and ethnic identity as the primary measure in this field, and discuss its implications in DNAm research. Racial and ethnic identity reflects the biological embedding of an individual’s sociocultural experience and environmental exposures in combination with the underlying genetic architecture of the human population (i.e., genetic ancestry). Our integrative framework demonstrates how to examine DNAm in the context of race and ethnicity, while considering both intrinsic factors—including genetic ancestry—and extrinsic factors—including structural and sociocultural environment and developmental niches—when focusing on early-life experience. We reviewed DNAm research in relation to health disparities given its relevance to race and ethnicity as social constructs. Here, we provide recommendations for the study of DNAm addressing racial and ethnic differences, such as explicitly acknowledging the self-reported nature of racial and ethnic identity, empirically examining the effects of genetic variants and accounting for genetic ancestry, and investigating race-related and culturally regulated environmental exposures and experiences.
A hypothesis of the obliquely subducted Gagua Ridge below Nanao Basin based on uplifted structures in Ryukyu forearc
Authors: Deng Jia-Ming , Wang Tan Kin , Wege Sebastian , Hu Wan Ting , Deng Yi Jie 
Published: April 2023

AbstractAt the southernmost part of the Ryukyu subduction zone, six long-offset multi-channel seismic profiles were collected across three forearc basins and the southern Ryukyu accretionary prism during the TAIGER experiment in 2009 and the TAICRUST project in 1995. These profiles were reprocessed to generate pre-stack depth migration (PSDM) sections. In addition, two velocity-interface models were obtained by reanalyzing active source data recorded from 28 ocean-bottom seismometers during the same TAIGER experiment, in consideration of the PSDM sections and previous tomography models. Due to the northwest convergence of the Philippine Sea Plate (PSP), it is suggested that the Gagua Ridge may have been obliquely subducting northwestward beneath the Ryukyu prism and below the Nanao Basin. The PSDM sections and the velocity-interface models indicate the subducted Gagua Ridge causing the uplift of the sedimentary basement and the lower crustal structure below the Nanao Basin. The sedimentary and crustal structures near ~ 122.5° E beneath the Nanao Basin were also uplifted where shallow earthquakes had occurred by the oblique subduction of the Gagua Ridge depicted in the isopach map of the crust. Furthermore, a recent earthquake (Mw ~ 6.0) occurred near the northeast coast of Taiwan in 2018 at a depth of approximately 12 km below the Hsincheng Ridge. Our study suggests that this earthquake was caused by a thrust fault near the décollement, which might have been formed by the subduction of the PSP.
Factors determining implicit attitudes toward sports and exercise: desirability and enjoyment
Authors: Ohashi Megumi M. , Sawaumi Takafumi , Iume Yumiko , Togo Etsuko 
Published: April 2023

AbstractPrevious studies have found that implicit attitudes, in addition to explicit attitudes, toward sports and exercise can help predict health-related behaviors. This study aimed to explore the factors that determine implicit attitudes toward sports and exercise. Using an online experiment, we investigated two types of implicit attitudes toward sports and exercise: desirability and enjoyment. Implicit attitudes toward sports and exercise were measured using two different Implicit Association Test (IAT) for desirability and for joy. We examined the degree to which “sports and exercise” were perceived to be more strongly associated with positive words than “sedentary behaviors.” We hypothesized that past experiences with sports and exercise affect implicit attitudes, and that desirability and enjoyment (positive implicit attitudes) might differ qualitatively. Participants included 318 students (230 male and 88 female, M = 19.62, SD = 1.78) who completed online questionnaires consisting of one of the two types of IAT. The results indicated that male participants have more positive implicit attitudes for both joy and desirability, and people with sports competence tend to have higher positive implicit attitudes concerning joy, but not desirability. Interest in professional sports was related to both IATs, while only the joy IAT was related to self-reported physical competence and the frequency of playing sports. The contributions of this study show that the two types of implicit attitudes toward sports and exercise—desirability and joy—are associated with different behaviors, and perceiving sports and exercise as joyful leads people to lifelong sports participation.
Quantifying reef-derived sediment generation: Introducing the SedBudget methodology to support tropical coastline and island vulnerability studies
Authors: Perry Chris T. , Lange Ines D. , Stuhr Marleen 
Published: April 2023

AbstractStandardised methodologies for assessing reef-derived sediment generation rates do not presently exist. This represents a major knowledge gap relevant to better predicting reef-derived shoreline sediment supply. The census-based SedBudget method introduced here generates estimates of sediment composition and grain-size production as a function of the abundance and productivity of the major sediment-generating taxa at a reef site. Initial application of the method to several reefs in the northern Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean, generated total sediment generation estimates ranging from (mean ± SE) 0.7 ± 0.1 to 4.3 ± 1.3 kg CaCO3m−2 yr−1. Sediment production was dominated by parrotfishes (>90% at most sites), with site-variable secondary contributions from sea urchins (up to 20%), endolithic sponges (~1–7%) and benthic foraminifera (~0.5–3.5%). These taxa-level contributions are predicted to generate sediments that at all sites are coral- (83–94%) and crustose coralline algae-dominated (range ~ 5–12%). Comparisons between these estimates and sedimentary data from proximal reef and island beach samples generally show a high degree of consistency, suggesting promise in the SedBudget approach. We conclude by outlining areas where additional datasets and revised methodologies are most needed to improve rate estimates and hope that the methodology will stimulate research on questions around sediment production, transport and shoreline maintenance.
Probabilistic selection and design of concrete using machine learning
Authors: Forsdyke Jessica C. , Zviazhynski Bahdan , Lees Janet M. , Conduit Gareth J. 
Published: April 2023

Abstract
Development of robust concrete mixes with a lower environmental impact is challenging due to natural variability in constituent materials and a multitude of possible combinations of mix proportions. Making reliable property predictions with machine learning can facilitate performance-based specification of concrete, reducing material inefficiencies and improving the sustainability of concrete construction. In this work, we develop a machine learning algorithm that can utilize intermediate target variables and their associated noise to predict the final target variable. We apply the methodology to specify a concrete mix that has high resistance to carbonation, and another concrete mix that has low environmental impact. Both mixes also fulfill targets on the strength, density, and cost. The specified mixes are experimentally validated against their predictions. Our generic methodology enables the exploitation of noise in machine learning, which has a broad range of applications in structural engineering and beyond.
Luigi Ludovico Pasinetti 12 September 1930–31 January 2023
Authors: Velupillai K. Vela 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe life and work of Pasinetti is overviewed by the founding scholar of computable economics, who observed this Italian economist’s formative years at Cambridge University. Folding in tributes from three further scholars, the obituary identifies Pasinetti’s contribution to capital theory, his view of the macro foundations of microeconomics, his focus on production rather than exchange, and his separation of theoretical and institutional economic analysis.
Exploring the determinants of ambidexterity in the context of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): A meta-analytical review
Authors: Chakma Rubina , Dhir Sanjay 
Published: April 2023

AbstractDecades of ambidexterity research have gained huge scholarly attention from diverse research areas like marketing, organizational learning, innovation management, supply chain management, strategy, and entrepreneurship. However, it has been observed that past studies do not provide a quantitative assessment of ambidexterity determinants applicable to small and medium firms. In response, this study attempts to address this gap by providing an extensive list of eight determinants that are significantly related to Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) ambidexterity. We employed Random effects meta-analytical procedure to examine the combined effect sizes of each determinant. The analysis was based on 37 empirical publications from 2004 to 2021, involving 8422 SME observations and 48 correlations. The findings of the meta-analysis revealed that all the considered determinants such as Knowledge management, Entrepreneurial orientation, Formalization, Market orientation, Networking, Technological capability, Organization context, and Environmental dynamism are heterogeneous, and they all exert a significant positive impact on ambidexterity.
Pioneers in pathology and female role models: the Jewish scientists Rahel Rodler, Ruth Silberberg, Lotte Strauss and Zelma Wessely
Authors: Uhlendahl Hendrik , Kaiser Stephanie , Biermanns Nico , Groß Dominik 
Published: April 2023

AbstractSo far, female physicians have played a minor role in scientific studies of Nazi victims; this also applies to specialists in pathology. Against this background, the present study examines the biographies of the outstanding Jewish pathologists Rahel Rodler (1878–1944), Ruth Silberberg (1906–97), Lotte Strauss (1913–85) and Zelma Wessely (1914–2004). The focus is on their roles as women scientists and their fateful careers after the Nazi rise to power, embedded in the context of the position of women in medical studies and the medical profession of their time as well as in the subject of pathology. The study is primarily based on archival sources from various German, Austrian and Swiss state and university archives, from the British National Archives and from the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington DC. The paper provides three key findings: (1) The four female pathologists were rare exceptions in the contemporary pathological scientific community with a quantitative share of less than 5%. (2) They experienced discrimination on two levels (gender and ‘race’). (3) Thanks to professional excellence and continued dedication, three of the four female pathologists were able to escape from Nazi Germany and achieve remarkable careers in emigration. It can be concluded that Rodler, Silberberg, Strauss and Wessely rose to female role models and pioneer scientists in contemporary pathology.
Smallpox and immunisation policies in Argentina from the nineteenth to the twentieth century
Authors: Di Liscia María Silvia 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThis work examines the history of smallpox, a highly infectious and epidemic disease, in Argentina, throughout different governments and public health policies from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. The study focuses on the smallpox vaccine and the social and collective significance of universal immunization. It also analyses the relationship between governments of different political orientations and the international community regarding the production of vaccines and vaccination campaigns from their implementation to the eradication of the disease.
Reassessing Provincial Political Cultures: Evidence from Five Decades of Canadian Public Opinion Surveys (1974–2019)
Authors: Blanchard Maxime 
Published: April 2023

AbstractIn 1974, Richard Simeon and David Elkins published an influential analysis of provincial political cultures. Nearly half a century later, their results still operate as the baseline against which new studies compare their own results. In this article, I re-examine their conclusions, combining five decades of Canadian public opinion survey data (1974–2019). The article replicates their analysis by focusing on three dimensions of political culture examined by Simeon and Elkins: political cynicism, internal political efficacy and external political efficacy. It also expands on their work by accounting for contextual factors that can potentially drive or hinder provincial differences in political culture. The results suggest that Simeon and Elkins’ interpretation of Canadian provincial political cultures needs to be updated, as the patterns they found differ markedly from those identified in this article.
Tensions of Modernity: Privilege, Precarity, and Colonial Nostalgia among European Security Contractors in East Africa
Authors: Norman Jethro 
Published: April 2023

AbstractPrivate security work can be a brutal world of short-term contracts, exploitation, and under-regulation, where the imperative of profit is expected to trump collective notions of military brotherhood. Why then do so many demobilized soldiers turn to it as a vocation? While a rich body of work has revealed the vulnerabilities of demobilized military life, ethnographic investigations into how contractors experience and make sense of precarity are less common. Drawing on fieldwork with military veterans of European descent working and living in East Africa, this article argues that a central, yet underexplored, feature of contemporary security work is colonial nostalgia. Some contractors read the travelogues of colonial adventurers, while others trace their family genealogy to ancestral colonial frontier soldiers. A few even write their own memoirs in similar fashion. Writing, reading, and living the colonial past through this contractor canon serves several present-day functions. First, the parallels between risk-taking colonial adventurers and the kind of rugged individualism associated with homo economicus masks the tensions and fissures that emerge from soldiers’ discharge from the military and subsequent remobilization as privatized contractors. Secondly, colonial nostalgia forms part of a larger political critique of Western military interventions, of which many of these contractors experienced first-hand. Here, private security work is imagined as replicating an older, more effective tradition of frontier soldiering that is rooted in a logic of settler-colonialism. Finally, fantasies of a colonial past feed into contractors’ attempts to market themselves to clients and to organize their everyday work.