bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Creating Space: Capitalism, Mining, and the Evolution of Central European Economic Thought
Authors: Lingg Andreas Friedolin 
Published: April 2023

Abstract
There were a number of economists in early modern Germany who, as their works indicate, faced regular criticism and personal attacks. Again and again, they had to defend and legitimize their work. Such apologetic formulas appear for the first time in the work of the Saxon councilor and writer Melchior von Osse (1506–57). This was no coincidence. Starting from the large and dynamic mining districts of the region, a new variant of economic thinking emerged at the end of the fifteenth century, characterized in particular by the fact that it extended the princely household over the entire territory. Ideas of this kind violated centuries-old scholarly traditions. This concerned both the question of occupations suitable for people of high status as well as the scope of what could legitimately be called a household or economy. The reason for this break with convention was the increasingly capitalist organization of mining, which fostered new forms of spatial imagination and governmental practice. However, irrespective of how important the idea of a territorial economy would become, it also placed a burden on economic scholars who were involved in its early dissemination. The legacy of disrupting the medieval politico-economic order will accompany them for centuries to come.
Patient characteristics and prediction of CoViD-19 in-hospital mortality: a retrospective cohort study in Crete, Greece before and after the onset of a targeted vaccination strategy in 2021
Authors: Makris George , Tzanaki Eirini , Bachlitzanaki Maria , Pasparaki Eirini , Amargianitakis Vasilis , Naska Androniki , Sypsa Vassiliki-Anastasia , Paraskevis Dimitrios 
Published: April 2023

Background: CoviD-19 in-hospital mortality rates show variations across time, setting, patient populations and health-systems.
Aim: The aim of the present study was to explore the association of patient characteristics with in-hospital mortality taking into consideration temporal changes of CoViD-19 prevention and treatment, focusing on the negative predictive value of specific biomarker thresholds for death and oxygen requirements.
Methods: This retrospective study included a sample of 425 vaccine-naive patients hospitalized for CoViD-19 in Crete, Greece. Time-specific mortality rates and negative predictive values of biomarkers on admission were calculated. The association of patient characteristics with mortality was assessed using multivariate logistic regression models.
Results: The overall in hospital case fatality rate (CFR) was 19.53%. The in-hospital CFR [95% CI] dropped from 22.74% [17.96-27.52] to 11.9% [6.17-17.63] before and after 31/03/2021, as did the mean age of hospitalized patients. LDH & D-dimers ≥240 or ≥0.5), CRP & D-dimers (≥3 or ≥0.5), CRP & Ferritin (≥3 or ≥205) had negative predictive values [95% CI] for mortality of 100% [86.7-100], 96.1% [80.3-99.9] and 95.4% [84.5-99.4] %, but the respective negative predictive values for oxygen requirements were 19.2% [6.5-39.3], 19.2% [6.5-39.3] and 27.2% [14.9-42.7] .
Conclusion: A decreasing trend of in-hospital case fatality rates over the course of our study was associated with a decreasing age of hospitalized patients, which could be associated with community vaccination uptake in people over 60 in Greece through reduction of persons “susceptible” to severe disease. Mortality prediction formulas incorporating biomarkers should be used cautiously for the risk stratification of patients with CoViD-19 in the setting of the emergency department assessment.
Waning anti-SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain total antibody in CoronaVac-vaccinated individuals in Indonesia
Authors: Harapan Harapan , Ar Royan Hibban , Tyas Islam Ing , Nadira Auda , Abdi Irham Faraby , Anwar Samsul , Husnah Milda , Ichsan Ichsan , Pranata Agung , Mudatsir Mudatsir , Syukri Maimun , Rizal Samsul , . Razali , . Hamdani , Kurniawan Rudi , Irwansyah Irwansyah , Sofyan Sarwo Edhy 
Published: April 2023

Background: The decrease of immunity acquired from COVID-19 vaccines is a potential cause of breakthrough infection. Understanding the dynamics of immune responses of vaccine-induced antibodies post-vaccination is important. This study aimed to measure the level of anti-SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) total antibody in individuals at different time points upon the receipt of the second dose of CoronaVac vaccine, as well as evaluate the plausible associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among CoronaVac-vaccinated residents in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The level of anti-SARS-CoV-2 RBD total antibody was measured using Elecsys immunoassay. A set of standardized and validated questionnaires were used to assess the demographics and other associated factors. Results: Our results showed waning anti-SARS-CoV-2 RBD total antibody titres over time post-vaccination. Compared to samples of the first month post-vaccination, the antibody titres were significantly lower than those of five-months (mean 184.6 vs. 101.8 U/mL, p = 0.009) and six-months post-vaccination (mean 184.6 vs. 95.59 U/mL, p = 0.001). This suggests that the length of time post-vaccination was negatively correlated with titre of antibody. A protective level of antibody titres (threshold of 15 U/mL) was observed from all the samples vaccinated within one to three months; however, only 73.7% and 78.9% of the sera from five- and six-months possessed the protective titres, respectively. The titre of antibody was found significantly higher in sera of individuals having a regular healthy meal intake compared to those who did not (mean 136.7 vs. 110.4 U/mL, p = 0.044), including in subgroup analysis that included those five to six months post-vaccination only (mean 79.0 vs. 134.5 U/mL, p = 0.009). Conclusions: This study provides insights on the efficacy of CoronaVac vaccine in protecting individuals against SARS-CoV-2 infection over time, which may contribute to future vaccination policy management to improve and prolong protective strategy.
Evaluation of antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli isolated from contaminated areas of Majengo slum in Meru County, Kenya
Authors: Ombuya Jared , Gachoka Kennedy , Dorothy Kagendo , Mutea Naomi 
Published: April 2023

Background: Antimicrobial drug resistance is of great concern today. Infections by the antimicrobial resistant strains of Escherichia coli, including enteropathogenic as well as enterotoxigenic strains have been reported as a major cause of deaths, especially among young children in low- and middle-income countries. This has been augmented by antimicrobial misuse, over the counter availability and poor sanitation especially in low income areas. This study aimed at characterizing antimicrobial resistant strains of Escherichia coli isolated from sanitation environments of the Majengo slum in Meru County, Kenya Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 61 samples from soil, water and drains swabs. These were tested against five antimicrobial drugs by the Kirby disk diffusion method. Results: A total of 42 (69%) of the samples had Escherichia coli. These recorded antimicrobial drug susceptibility as follows: Out of the five antimicrobial agents used, ceftazidime 28 (66.67%) showed the highest sensitivity followed by ciprofloxacin 26 (61.90%) and imepenem 25 (59.52%) respectively. cefotaxime and cefoxitin showed least sensitivity at 14 (33.33%) and 13 (30.95%) respectively. In intermediate imepenem and ciprofloxacin were the highest with 12 (28.57%) followed by cefotaxime 10 (23.81%). The least intermediate was observed in ceftazidime and cefoxitin both at 7 (16.67%). The highest resistance was observed in cefoxitin 22 (52.38%), followed by cefotaxime at 18 (42.86%). Ciprofloxacin, imepenem and ceftazidime had the lowest resistance 4 (9.52%), 5 (11.91%) and 7 (16.67%) respectively. The p-value <0.05 was considered significant to the study. Conclusions: This study showed that Escherichia coli isolated from Majengo is pathogenic and resistant to antibiotics. Detection of Escherichia coli poses a great risk in the spread of resistant strains in human. Proper sanitation and hygiene awareness practices should be provided through education to the residents of this area.
Effects of Consumer Dispositional Attitude on Purchase Intention in an Emerging Market
Authors: Shanbhogue A. Venugopal , Ranjith V. K. 
Published: April 2023

Background: Globalization trends have compelled multinational companies to change their marketing approach from multi-domestic marketing to global marketing. This strategy has had a major impact on the branding of companies. Due to these efforts by international companies, there has been a negative impact on local brands. Strong local brands always maintained the advantage of a high level of awareness among consumers, due to consumers’ close relationship with these brands, hence this resulted in strong and positive marketing investments in the home market. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the attitudinal dispositions towards global and local brands and purchase intention. The objective is to understand the underlying motives of consumers’ purchase decision. Methods: Consumer disposition and attitude towards brands are evaluated based on respondents’ purchase intention of a select brand. Data are collected from Bangalore and Chennai using the convenience sampling method. Evaluation of the measurement model was performed using the Smart PLS 4 software. Results: Findings suggest that consumer attitudinal disposition has a significant impact on consumers’ purchase intention. Attitude formation is the first step in consumers’ behavioural decision and making a purchase decision. Marketing managers/practitioners need to focus on forming this attitude in consumers’ minds, so that this attitude formation leads to a purchase decision. Conclusions: This research provides theoretical and managerial implications for marketers, especially those operating in an emerging market like India as this study has examined the role of consumer disposition on attitude formation and purchase intention. From a theoretical perspective, this study developed and tested a conceptual model describing the relationship between attitudinal disposition and purchase intention.
Satisfactory result of great saphenous vein endovenous laser ablation until below the knee on active venous leg ulcer: a case series
Authors: Taofan Taofan , Dakota Iwan , Kartamihardja Achmad Hafiedz Azis , Afandy Jonathan Edbert , Indriani Suci , Adiarto Suko 
Published: April 2023

Background: Active venous leg ulcer (VLU) is the most severe manifestation of chronic venous disease which not only affects patients’ health, but also decreases the quality of life, and delivers economic burdens. Treatment of superficial venous reflux with early endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) has been proven to reduce ulcer recurrence levels and promote faster VLU healing. We reported three cases of patients with active VLU undergoing EVLA with different approaches. Case illustration: Three patients came with complaint of leg ulcer, diagnosed with C6sEpAsdPr, with venous clinical severity scores (VCSS) of 15, 23, and 22 respectively. Severe great saphenous veins (GSV) reflux was found in all patients by duplex ultrasound examination. The second patient had undergone above-the-knee EVLA. All patients underwent EVLA using 1470-nano meter wavelength laser device and ELVeS radial fiber (Biolitec, Bonn, Germany). The laser energy protocol used was 6 W linear endovenous energy density (LEED) 50 J/cm for proximal until media ATK GSV ablation, 5 W LEED 40 J/cm for media ATK until proximal below-the-knee (BTK) GSV, and 2 W LEED 20 J/cm for proximal until distal BTK GSV. The third patient was also treated with EVLA for small saphenous vein severe reflux. Follow-up until 6 months post-EVLA showed significant healing of the ulcer with 14, 16, and 17 VCSS reduction consecutively without any complication. Conclusion: We’ve reported three cases of patients with active VLU undergoing EVLA until BTK with significant results. The EVLA of GSV until BTK is safe and provides satisfactory results in patients with VLU.
Open Data and transparency in artificial intelligence and machine learning: A new era of research
Authors: Rodgers Caellin M. , Ellingson Sally R. , Chatterjee Parag 
Published: April 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are the current forefront of computer science and technology. AI and related sub-disciplines, including machine learning, are essential technologies which have enabled the widespread use of smart technology, such as smart phones, smart home appliances and even electric toothbrushes. It is AI that allows the devices used day-to-day across people’s personal lives, working lives and in industry to better anticipate and respond to our needs. However, the use of AI technology comes with a range of ethical questions – including issues around privacy, security, reliability, copyright/plagiarism and whether AI is capable of independent, conscious thought. We have seen several issues related to racial and sexual bias in AI in the recent times, putting the reliability of AI in question. Many of these issues have been brought to the forefront of cultural awareness in late 2022, early 2023, with the rise of AI art programs (and the copyright issues arising from the deep-learning methods employed to train this AI), and the popularity of ChatGPT alongside its ability to be used to mimic human output, particularly in regard to academic work. In critical areas like healthcare, the errors of AI can be fatal. With the incorporation of AI in almost every sector of our everyday life, we need to keep asking ourselves— can we trust AI, and how much? This Editorial outlines the importance of openness and transparency in the development and applications of AI to allow all users to fully understand both the benefits and risks of this ubiquitous technology, and outlines how the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Gateway on F1000Research meets these needs.
Does receiving a cash grant improve individual earnings in a war-torn country? Evidence from a randomized experiment in Afghanistan
Authors: Kashefi Fatema , Naito Hisahiro 
Published: April 2023

Background: In this study, the effect of receiving a non-trivial cash grant and mentorship for business practice on individual earnings in Afghanistan was assessed. Methods: This randomized control trial (RCT) included 2177 individuals (n=2177), with the age range of 18-35 years. The amount of cash grant (500 USD) was approximately equal to the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the country. By a process of lottery, eligible applicants were equally divided into the group that received the grant (treatment group) and the group that did not (control group). Results: Almost two years after this study, the percentage of increased annual income to the size of this cash grant was approximately 173 % and 69 % for males and females, respectively. This result was much higher than the estimated percentage reported in previous literature assessing the effect of microfinance loans and cash grants in other countries. The treatment group had 7% higher probability of having an officially registered business than the control group. The treatment group also increased labor supply and employed additional workers, compared to the control group. The male treatment group bought more capital equipment (e.g., trike and commercial carts) than the male control group, while the female treatment group bought more domestic animals. Conclusion: A non-trivial cash grant has a strong positive effect on the earnings of the recipient of the cash grant in Afghanistan. If the state of increased income continues for the next few years, the sum of increased income will be more than the sum of the administration cost, the interest cost and the amount of cash grant given. This implies that the project passes the standard criteria to determine the appropriateness of government program. Additionally, we did not find any economically and statistically significant positive effect of mentorship on income.
A New Approach to Capacity Scaling Augmented with Unreliable Machine Learning Predictions
Authors: Rutten Daan , Mukherjee Debankur 
Published: April 2023

Modern data centers suffer from immense power consumption. As a result, data center operators have heavily invested in capacity-scaling solutions, which dynamically deactivate servers if the demand is low and activate them again when the workload increases. We analyze a continuous-time model for capacity scaling, where the goal is to minimize the weighted sum of flow time, switching cost, and power consumption in an online fashion. We propose a novel algorithm, called adaptive balanced capacity scaling (ABCS), that has access to black-box machine learning predictions. ABCS aims to adapt to the predictions and is also robust against unpredictable surges in the workload. In particular, we prove that ABCS is [Formula: see text] competitive if the predictions are accurate, and yet, it has a uniformly bounded competitive ratio even if the predictions are completely inaccurate. Finally, we investigate the performance of this algorithm on a real-world data set and carry out extensive numerical experiments, which positively support the theoretical results. Funding: This work was partially supported by the Division of Computing and Communication Foundations [Grant 2113027]. The authors also acknowledge financial support for this project from the Algorithm and Randomness Center–Transdisciplinary Research Institute for Advancing Data Science Fellowship at Georgia Tech.
Resorbed upper first permanent molars: a case study
Authors: Hardwick Constance , McNamara Catherine , Haworth Jennifer , Puryer James 
Published: April 2023

This article describes a case of bilateral impaction of upper second premolars into the upper first permanent molars in a 12-year-old female patient. The extraction of both resorbed upper first molars, and subsequent orthodontic management is described. CPD/Clinical Relevance: This case highlights the importance of thorough assessment and radiographic imaging of impacted premolars even after they have erupted intra-orally. This is especially important when planning dental extractions as part of an overall orthodontic treatment plan.
Selective hybrid EDFA/Raman amplifier placement to mitigate lightpath degradation in (C + L) networks
Authors: Sticca Giovanni , Ibrahimi Memedhe , Musumeci Francesco , Di Cicco Nicola , Castoldi Andrea , Pastorelli Rosanna , Tornatore Massimo 
Published: April 2023

The sheer traffic increase stimulated by new 5G-and-beyond services requires continuous innovation in designing optical networks that scale in terms of capacity while minimizing equipment cost and ensuring lightpath quality-of-transmission (QoT). Multiband transmission is among the most prominent solutions for addressing capacity needs and consists of extending the transmission spectrum, e.g., to the (C+L)-band. Multiband transmission poses new challenges, mainly due to physical layer impairments such as interchannel stimulated Raman scattering, which causes power transfer among transmission bands with a consequent degradation in lightpaths’ QoT. To mitigate such degradation, we investigate how to introduce hybrid erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA)/Raman amplification (HFA) by selectively upgrading an initial EDFA placement in the network. We propose a genetic algorithm approach to optimize the HFA upgrade process and compare its performance to baseline upgrade strategies. Based on when the HFA upgrade is performed, we consider two HFA upgrade strategies: (i) bulk HFA upgrade (bulk-HFA) and (ii) sequential HFA upgrade (seq-HFA). Bulk-HFA assumes a one-shot optimization that upgrades HFA only once, when all links are operating in the (C+L)-band, whereas seq-HFA assumes a sequential optimization considering an HFA upgrade in multiple steps, triggered by incremental traffic. Numerical experiments run through a national and continental network topology show that an optimized HFA upgrade allows us to avoid lightpath degradation while deploying up to 64% fewer amplifiers compared with baseline strategies that upgrade EDFAs to HFA amplifiers in all eligible spans, i.e., spans longer than 70 km. Moreover, we show that seq-HFA planning achieves higher spectral efficiency compared with bulk-HFA while upgrading a comparable number of EDFAs to HFA.
Scattering and absorption properties modification of optically cleared skeletal muscles: an ex vivo study
Authors: Sheet Ahmed H. , Hamdy Omnia , Abdel-Harith Mohamed 
Published: April 2023

Optical clearing is a relatively new approach to enhancing the optical transparency of biological tissues by reducing their scattering properties. The optical clearing effect is achievable via various chemical, physical, and photo-thermal techniques. The present work studied optical parameters of bovine skeletal muscles under different clearing protocols: immersion optical clearing in 99% glycerol and photo-thermal optical clearing via exposure to IR laser irradiation. Moreover, the two techniques were combined with different immersion time intervals after multiple exposure periods to get optimum results. The muscle samples’ diffuse reflectance and total transmittance were measured using a single integrating sphere and introduced to the Kubleka–Munk mathematical model to determine the absorption and reduced scattering coefficients. Results revealed a 6% scattering reduction after irradiating the sample for 10 min and immersing it in glycerol for 18 min and 8% after 20 min of laser irradiation and 18 min of immersion. Moreover, increases of 6.5% and 7.5% in penetration depth were prominent for the total treatment times of 28 min and 38 min, respectively. Furthermore, the measurements’ accuracy and sensitivity were analyzed and evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic method. The accuracy ranged from 0.93 to 0.98, with sensitivity from 0.93 to 0.99 for each clearing protocol. Although laser irradiation and application of 99% glycerol separately produced scattering light reduction, the maximal clearing effect was obtained while irradiating the sample with a laser for 20 min and then immersing it in 99% glycerol for a maximum of 18 min.
Broadband depolarized perfect Littrow diffraction with multilayer freeform metagratings
Authors: Dong Siyu , Zhang Zhanyi , Xie Lingyun , Zhu Jingyuan , Liang Haigang , Wei Zeyong , Shi Yuzhi , Tikhonravov Alexander V. , Wang Zhanshan , Zhou Lei , Cheng Xinbin 
Published: April 2023

Littrow diffraction, the
ability to reflect light back
along incident direction, is a key functionality of retroreflectors,
exhibiting wide applications in nanophotonics. However,
retroreflectors have hitherto low working efficiencies and narrow
bandwidths, and work only for a specific polarization, being
unfavorable for integration-optics applications. Here, we propose
a type of metagrating
consisting of an all-dielectric Bragg reflector and a periodic
metasurface with freeform-shaped dielectric resonators, which enables
broadband depolarized perfect Littrow diffraction at optical
frequencies. The physics is governed by exact cancellations of
specular reflections contributed by two Bragg modes in metagratings,
enabled by careful structural optimization to yield the desired
reflection-phase difference of Bragg modes within a wide frequency
band and for two polarizations. As a proof of concept, we
experimentally demonstrate retroreflections with unpolarized absolute
efficiency higher than 98% (99% in design) at 1030–1090 nm using
multilayer freeform metagratings. Our results pave the way for
numerous applications based on high-efficiency Littrow diffraction
(e.g., spectral laser beam combining), which is not bonded to a
specific polarization or frequency.