bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Regional Factors as Determinants of Employees’ Training Participation
Authors: Görlitz Katja , Rzepka Sylvi , Tamm Marcus 
Published: April 2023

AbstractAlthough the literature on the determinants of training has considered individual and firm-related characteristics, it has generally neglected regional factors. This is surprising, given the fact that labour markets differ by regions. Regional factors are often ignored because (both in Germany and abroad) many data sets covering training information do not include detailed geographical identifiers that would allow a merging of information on the regional level. The regional identifiers of the National Educational Panel Study (Starting Cohort 6) offer opportunities to advance research on several regional factors. This article summarizes the results from two studies that exploit these unique opportunities to investigate the relationship between training participation and (a) the local level of firm competition for workers within specific sectors of the economy and (b) the regional supply of training measured as the number of firms offering courses or seminars for potential training participants.
Gendered Occupational Aspirations: A Comparison of Young Native-Born and Turkish Minority Women
Authors: Siegert Manuel , Roth Tobias , Kogan Irena 
Published: April 2023

AbstractDeclining birth rates, an ageing population and the goal to remain globally competitive and prosperous puts pressure on the German labour market and increases the demands for greater labour force participation of women. Women with a migration background constitute a growing share of the German population, but a disproportionally lower share of the total labour force. We focused on the gender-specific occupational preferences of female adolescents with a Turkish migration background compared to those without any migration background and related these preferences to the young women’s interests, family orientations, normative gender role perceptions, and the socioeconomic status of the aspired profession in our analyses. Contrary to our expectations, our results indicate that Turkish girls less often aspire to female-dominated occupations than majority native-born girls. Instead, they prefer integrated occupations, which tend to be more prestigious and better paid. This might be mostly due to their ambitious occupational aspirations, because the gap between native-born and Turkish girls is reduced substantively after controlling for aspirations.
Patterns and Predictors of Literacy and Numeracy Development During Adulthood: Insights from Two Longitudinal Assessment Surveys
Authors: Lechner Clemens M. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractLiteracy (reading competence) and numeracy (mathematical competence) are indispensable prerequisites for lifelong learning and participation in today’s knowledge-based societies. However, evidence on the development of these competencies during adulthood is limited. This chapter summarizes the main findings of a research project that leveraged the unique potential of two German longitudinal assessment surveys, NEPS and PIAAC-L, to garner insights into how these competencies develop during adulthood. Both surveys offer repeated measures of adults’ competencies spaced 3–6 years apart, allowing light to be cast on two guiding questions: (1)Patterns of change: Can literacy and numeracy still change in adulthood? If so, does change involve gains or losses, and how is change distributed across sociodemographic subgroups? (2)Predictors of change: Which individual and contextual factors (e.g., participation in job-related training, engagement in literacy or numeracy practice, or basic cognitive skills) predict change in competence development? Findings suggest that competencies continue to develop across the lifespan and can change even over relatively short time periods. Gains and losses occur in equal measure. Moreover, findings pinpoint practice engagement as a crucial driver of change in competencies, while highlighting that practice engagement is itself dependent on a range of individual and contextual characteristics. Methodological insights and avenues for future research that emerged from our project are also discussed.
The Interplay Between Instructional Pace, Skill Externalities, and Student Achievement: An Empirical Assessment
Authors: Kiss David 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThis article empirically validates a theoretical model from Kiss (B.E. J Econ Anal Policy 17:1–10, 2017) that addresses the transmission channels through which increases in peer achievement levels may affect other students’ achievement. In his model, a higher share of better students has two effects: first, weaker students benefit from skill externalities generated by their better classmates. At the same time, however, better students further induce teachers to instruct at a more demanding pace. Based on these two effects, I derive three hypotheses and test them on data on German secondary school students. Empirical findings are consistent with the model’s predictions: increases in the share of better classmates (a) are always beneficial for good students, (b) may hurt weak students, and (c) boost weak students’ achievement if the extent of interaction between better and weaker students is high. Taken together, these findings suggest that encouraging better and weaker students to interact more could be Pareto-improving.
An Illustration of Local Structural Equation Modeling for Longitudinal Data: Examining Differences in Competence Development in Secondary Schools
Authors: Olaru Gabriel , Robitzsch Alexander , Hildebrandt Andrea , Schroeders Ulrich 
Published: April 2023

AbstractIn this chapter, we discuss how a combination of longitudinal modeling and local structural equation modeling (LSEM) can be used to study how students’ context influence their growth in educational achievement. LSEM is a nonparametric approach that allows for the moderation of a structural equation model over a continuous variable (e.g., socio-economic status; cultural identity; age). Thus, it does not require the categorization of continuous moderators as applied in multi-group approaches. In contrast to regression-based approaches, it does not impose a particular functional form (e.g., linear) on the mean-level differences and can spot differences in the variance-covariance structure. LSEM can be used to detect nonlinear moderation effects, to examine sources of measurement invariance violations, and to study moderation effects on all parameters in the model. We showcase how LSEM can be implemented with longitudinal of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) using the R-package sirt. In more detail, we examine the effect of parental education on math and reading competence in secondary school across three measurement occasions, comparing LSEM to regression based approaches and multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. Results provide further evidence of the strong influence of the educational background of the family. This chapter offers a new approach to study inter-individual differences in educational development.
Introduction to Climate Change in Central Asia
Authors: Sabyrbekov Rahat , Overland Indra , Vakulchuk Roman 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThis chapter provides a broad introduction to the impact of climate change in Central Asia, a region that has been experiencing a greater rise in temperatures than other parts of the world. The chapter shows how climate change represents a significant threat to Central Asia, exacerbating existing economic and environmental challenges and fueling regional tensions over resource management. Inefficient water resource management at the national level and limited regional collaboration on the management of water resources, coupled with state capacities that remain insufficient to tackle climate change impacts, compound water-related tensions between the countries in the region. The chapter also shows how decarbonisation efforts in Central Asia are still in their early stages, with coal remaining a primary source of energy. Although the Central Asian countries have announced decarbonisation targets and adopted green economy strategies and programmes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a large-scale clean energy transition remains unlikely in the short term. The chapter concludes by identifying a lack of scholarship on climate change in Central Asia, which limits the development of a coherent approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation and evidence-based decision-making in the region. The chapter argues that a more coordinated approach to tackling climate change across the region is needed, requiring closer collaboration and more effective joint management of natural resources by the five Central Asian states. Finally, the chapter presents the chapters in the rest of the book.
The Importance of Boosting Societal Resilience in the Fight Against Climate Change in Central Asia
Authors: Bossuyt Fabienne 
Published: April 2023

AbstractDrawing on post-development thinking, this chapter argues that resilience strategies involving the sharing of responsibilities among individuals and communities will increase the ability of the Central Asian countries to stand up to the impact of climate change. Given that Central Asian societies have a strong tradition of home-grown solidarity movements and locally embedded practices of self-reliance, governments, as well as major international donors such as the European Union, the World Bank and the UNDP should help boost societal resilience to climate change in Central Asia by supporting the ability of local societal actors to self-organise and draw on their own local strengths and knowledge of available resources and infrastructure.
The Culture of Recycling, Re-use and Reduction: Eco-Activism and Entrepreneurship in Central Asia
Authors: Tskhay Aliya 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWhile national governments are setting net-zero targets and drawing up strategies to reduce CO2 emissions and meet their Paris Agreement commitments, local entrepreneurs are putting words into action. This paper reviews the waste management situations and national strategies across Central Asian countries in addition to the various enterprises which have sought to improve their local environment and change people’s behaviour and attitudes towards the environment through waste-management initiatives. The case studies include a zero-waste grocery store; the collection, recycling and re-purposing of waste; and the organisation of events to encourage the reduction of consumption and associated waste. These enterprises combine their business models with social awareness programmes to promote more sustainable lifestyles and environmentally friendly habits. The micro-level focus provides an opportunity to see how entrepreneurs and activists in Central Asian cities are filling the gap left by national governments in promoting sustainability.
Central Asian Climate Policy Pledges Under the Paris Agreement: Can They Be Fulfilled?
Authors: Sabyrbekov Rahat , Overland Indra , Vakulchuk Roman 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe Central Asian region has been and will continue to be significantly impacted by climate change and all the region’s countries have pledged nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris agreement. This chapter aims to assess how likely Central Asian countries are to fulfil these pledges. To answer this question, we compare the NDCs to their respective national development programmes and historical trends. The results show that the countries of Central Asia vary in their ability to fulfil their pledges and that doing so will require structural changes to their energy systems, substantial investments in infrastructure and, most importantly, the alignment of their development plans with their declared climate goals. None of the countries have thus far engaged in structural reforms aimed at large-scale climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Energy Transition in Central Asia: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Sulaimanova Burulcha , Overland Indra , Sabyrbekov Rahat , Vakulchuk Roman 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWhile there is abundant research on the expansion of renewable energy in developed countries, little attention has been paid to the decarbonisation of energy systems in Central Asia, despite the region’s vulnerability to climate change, its rapidly growing domestic energy demand and the abundance of natural resources essential for the energy transition. Based on a systematic review of the literature, this chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the profile and trajectory of research on energy in Central Asia between 1991 and 2022. It finds that there was a shift from focusing on fossil fuels to clean energy around 2019–2020. However, despite recent growth, research on renewables and their significance in Central Asia is still sparse. This review indicates that while American and European researchers took the lead in this field in 2012, China, Japan, Kazakhstan and Russia have emerged as the leading contributors since 2016.
Towards a Geoeconomics of Energy Transition in Central Asia’s Hydrocarbon-Producing Countries
Authors: Zabanova Yana 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe global energy transition and the growing ambition of decarbonisation policies in the world’s leading economies are bound to affect Central Asia’s three hydrocarbon producers, yet there has been little research on the issue. This chapter uses the theoretical toolbox of geoeconomics to analyse the implications of energy transition for Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan across four dimensions: resources, energy infrastructure, strategic industries and clean energy technologies and the rules of international economic interaction. Kazakhstan remains the region’s renewable energy frontrunner, while Turkmenistan is yet to make its first steps. Despite a late start, Uzbekistan is benefiting from the falling cost of renewable energy technologies and has attracted major industry players. Rather than pursuing fossil-fuel phaseout, these countries seek to capture more value from their hydrocarbon resources—especially natural gas—while adding renewables to the mix to bolster energy security and help decarbonise the economy. However, infrastructure constraints remain an obstacle to low-carbon energy production. Lacking the influence to shape the international rules of engagement on energy transition, the three countries are employing a variety of strategies to manage their asymmetrical dependence on key partners—be they China, the EU or Russia—and to diversify their international engagement.
Optimisation of surface residual stresses using ultrasonic-assisted milling for wire-arc additive manufactured Ni alloy components
Authors: Engelking Lorenz , Eissel Antonia , Schroepfer Dirk , Treutler Kai , Kannengiesser Thomas , Wesling Volker 
Published: April 2023

AbstractNickel alloys are cost intensive materials and generally classified as difficult-to-cut material. However, machining of these materials is needed especially in case of alloy 36 (1.3912), which is commonly used in mould construction for the production of fibre-reinforced composites. With regard to repair, modification and manufacturing of such components, additive manufacturing offers significant economic advantages. Nevertheless, subsequent machining steps are needed to achieve the final component contour and defined surface conditions. Dependent on the material and machining process conditions, detrimental tensile residual stresses may be the result on the machined surface, having negative impact on the component performance and safety. In this investigation, machining experiments were carried out on wire arc additive manufactured components made of alloy 36, varying the cutting speed and the feed rate. In addition, the conventional milling process (CM) was compared with a modern, hybrid machining process, the ultrasonic-assisted milling (US). The cutting forces and the surface-near residual stresses were analysed using X-ray diffraction. A significant improvement of the machinability as well as the surface integrity by using the ultrasonic assistance was observed, especially at low cutting speeds. The CM induced mainly tensile residual stresses, the US mainly compressive residual stresses.
3D-printed biomimetic bone implant polymeric composite scaffolds
Authors: Oladapo Bankole , Zahedi Abolfazl , Ismail Sikiru , Fernando Wattala , Ikumapayi Omolayo 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThis research introduced a new poly-ether-ether-ketone calcium hydroxyapatite (PEEK-cHAp) composite for a convenient, fast, and inexpensive femur bone-implant scaffold with different lattice structures to mimic natural bone structure. Fused deposition modelling (FDM) was used to print a hybrid PEEK-based filament-bearing bioactive material suited for developing cHAp. Using FDM, the same bone scaffold PEEK will be fabricated, depending on the shape of the bone fracture. The scaffolds were examined for in vitro bioactivity by immersing them in a simulated bodily fluid (SBF) solution. Furthermore, in vitro cytotoxicity tests validated the suitability of the composite materials employed to create minimal toxicity of the scaffolds. After spreading PEEK nanoparticles in the grains, the suggested spherical nanoparticle cell expanded over time. The motif affected the microstructure of PEEK-cHAp in terms of grain size and 3D shape. The results established the proposed optimum design and suitable material for prospective bone implants, as required for biomimetic artificial bone regeneration and healing.
A novel interdomain consortium from a Costa Rican oil well composed of Methanobacterium cahuitense sp. nov. and Desulfomicrobium aggregans sp. nov.
Authors: Dengler Linda , Meier Julia , Klingl Andreas , Nißl Laura , Bellack Annett , Grohmann Dina , Rachel Reinhard , Huber Harald 
Published: April 2023

AbstractA novel interdomain consortium composed of a methanogenic Archaeon and a sulfate-reducing bacterium was isolated from a microbial biofilm in an oil well in Cahuita National Park, Costa Rica. Both organisms can be grown in pure culture or as stable co-culture. The methanogenic cells were non-motile rods producing CH4 exclusively from H2/CO2. Cells of the sulfate-reducing partner were motile rods forming cell aggregates. They utilized hydrogen, lactate, formate, and pyruvate as electron donors. Electron acceptors were sulfate, thiosulfate, and sulfite. 16S rRNA sequencing revealed 99% gene sequence similarity of strain CaP3V-M-L2AT to Methanobacterium subterraneum and 98.5% of strain CaP3V-S-L1AT to Desulfomicrobium baculatum. Both strains grew from 20 to 42 °C, pH 5.0–7.5, and 0–4% NaCl. Based on our data, type strains CaP3V-M-L2AT (= DSM 113354 T = JCM 39174 T) and CaP3V-S-L1AT (= DSM 113299 T = JCM 39179 T) represent novel species which we name Methanobacterium cahuitense sp. nov. and Desulfomicrobium aggregans sp. nov.
Moments of the 2D Directed Polymer in the Subcritical Regime and a Generalisation of the Erdös–Taylor Theorem
Authors: Lygkonis Dimitris , Zygouras Nikos 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWe compute the limit of the moments of the partition function $$Z_{N}^{\beta _N} $$

Z

N

β
N

of the directed polymer in dimension $$d=2$$

d
=
2

in the subcritical regime, i.e. when the inverse temperature is scaled as $$\beta _N \sim \hat{\beta } \sqrt{\tfrac{\pi }{\log N}}$$

β
N

∼

β
^

π

log
N

for $$\hat{\beta } \in (0,1)$$

β
^

∈

(
0
,
1
)

. In particular, we establish that for every $$h \in {\mathbb {R}}$$

h
∈
R

, $$ \lim _{N \rightarrow \infty } {{\mathbb {E}}} \big [\big (Z_{N}^{\beta _N}\big )^h \big ]=\big (\frac{1}{1-\hat{\beta }^2}\big )^{\frac{h(h-1)}{2}}.$$

lim

N
→
∞

E

[

(

Z

N

β
N

)

h

]

=

(

1

1
-

β
^

2

)

h
(
h
-
1
)

2

.

We also identify the limit of the moments of the averaged field $$\tfrac{\sqrt{\log N}}{N} \sum _{x \in {\mathbb {Z}}^2} \varphi (\tfrac{x}{\sqrt{N}})\big (Z_{N}^{\beta _N} (x)-1 \big )$$

log
N

N

∑

x
∈

Z

2

φ

(

x

N

)

(

Z

N

β
N

(
x
)

-
1

)

, for $$\varphi \in C_c({\mathbb {R}}^2)$$

φ
∈

C
c

(

R

2

)

, as those of a gaussian free field. As a byproduct, we identify the limiting probability distribution of the total pairwise collisions between h independent, two dimensional random walks starting at the origin. In particular, we derive that $$\begin{aligned} \frac{\pi }{\log N}\sum _{1 \le i<j\le h} {\textsf{L}}_N^{(i,j)}\xrightarrow [N \rightarrow \infty ]{(d)} \Gamma \big ( \tfrac{h(h-1)}{2},1\big ) , \end{aligned}$$

π

log
N

∑

1
≤
i
<
j
≤
h

L
N

(
i
,
j
)

→

N
→
∞

(
d
)

Γ

(

h
(
h
-
1
)

2

,
1

)

,

where $${{\textsf{L}}}^{(i,j)}_N$$

L

N

(
i
,
j
)

denotes the collision local time by time N between copies i, j and $$\Gamma $$
Γ
denotes the Gamma distribution. This generalises a classical result of Erdös and Taylor (Acta Math Acad Sci Hung 11:137–162, 1960).
A novel tablet-based motor coordination test performs on par with the Beery VMI subtest and offers superior temporal metrics: findings from children with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome
Authors: Thorsson Max , Galazka Martyna A. , Hajjari Parisa , Fernell Elisabeth , Delafield-Butt Jonathan , Gillberg Christopher , Johnson Mats , Åsberg Johnels Jakob , Hadjikhani Nouchine 
Published: April 2023

AbstractNeuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders are often associated with coordination problems. Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) constitutes a specific example of acute and complex symptomatology that includes difficulties with motor control. The present proof-of-concept study aimed at testing a new, bespoke tablet-based motor coordination test named SpaceSwipe, providing fine-grained measures that could be used to follow-up on symptoms evolution in PANS. This test enables computationally precise and objective metrics of motor coordination, taking into account both directional and spatial features continuously. We used SpaceSwipe to assess motor coordination in a group of children with PANS (n = 12, assessed on in total of 40 occasions) and compared it against the motor coordination subtest from the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (Beery VMI) 6th edition, traditionally used to follow-up symptomatology. Using a bivariate linear regression, we found that 33 s of the directional offset from tracking a moving target in SpaceSwipe could predict the Beery VMI motor coordination (VMI MC) raw scores (mean absolute error: 1.75 points). Positive correlations between the predicted scores and the VMI MC scores were found for initial testing (radj = 0.87) and for repeated testing (radj = 0.79). With its short administration time and its close prediction to Beery VMI scores, this proof-of-concept study demonstrates the potential for SpaceSwipe as a patient-friendly tool for precise, objective assessment of motor coordination in children with neurodevelopmental or neuropsychiatric disorders.
Role of glia and extracellular matrix in controlling neuroplasticity in the central nervous system
Authors: Dzyubenko Egor , Hermann Dirk M. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractNeuronal plasticity is critical for the maintenance and modulation of brain activity. Emerging evidence indicates that glial cells actively shape neuroplasticity, allowing for highly flexible regulation of synaptic transmission, neuronal excitability, and network synchronization. Astrocytes regulate synaptogenesis, stabilize synaptic connectivity, and preserve the balance between excitation and inhibition in neuronal networks. Microglia, the brain-resident immune cells, continuously monitor and sculpt synapses, allowing for the remodeling of brain circuits. Glia-mediated neuroplasticity is driven by neuronal activity, controlled by a plethora of feedback signaling mechanisms and crucially involves extracellular matrix remodeling in the central nervous system. This review summarizes the key findings considering neurotransmission regulation and metabolic support by astrocyte-neuronal networks, and synaptic remodeling mediated by microglia. Novel data indicate that astrocytes and microglia are pivotal for controlling brain function, indicating the necessity to rethink neurocentric neuroplasticity views.