bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Treatment burden and health-related quality of life of patients with multimorbidity: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Gebreyohannes Eyob Alemayehu , Gebresillassie Begashaw Melaku , Mulugeta Frehiwot , Dessu Etsegenet , Abebe Tamrat Befekadu 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study was to investigate treatment burden and its relationship with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients with multimorbidity (two or more chronic diseases) who were taking prescription medications and attending the outpatient department of the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Teaching Hospital.

Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2019 and July 2019. Treatment burden was measured using the Multimorbidity Treatment Burden Questionnaire (MTBQ), while HRQoL was captured using the Euroqol-5-dimensions-5-Levels (EQ-5D-5L).

Results
A total of 423 patients participated in the study. The mean global MTBQ, EQ-5D index, and EQ-VAS scores were 39.35 (± 22.16), 0.83 (± 0.20), and 67.32 (± 18.51), respectively. Significant differences were observed in the mean EQ-5D-Index (F [2, 81.88] 33.1) and EQ-VAS (visual analogue scale) scores (F [2, 75.48] = 72.87) among the treatment burden groups. Follow up post-hoc analyses demonstrated significant mean differences in EQ-VAS scores across the treatment burden groups and in EQ-5D index between the no/low treatment burden and high treatment burden, as well as between the medium treatment burden and high treatment burden. In the multivariate linear regression model, every one SD increase in the global MTBQ score (i.e., 22.16) was associated with a decline of 0.08 in the EQ-5D index (β − 0.38, 95%CI − 0.48,  − 0.28), as well as a reduction of 9.4 in the EQ-VAS score (β − 0.51, 95%CI -0.60, − 0.42).

Conclusion
Treatment burden was inversely associated with HRQoL. Health care providers should be conscious in balancing treatment exposure with patients’ HRQoL.
The impact of interlingual correspondences on cognate recognition in Slavic intercomprehension
Authors: Saturno Jacopo 
Published: July 2023

AbstractThe present paper is devoted to the problem of cognate recognition in an intercomprehension setting, in which the target language is not directly known to the readers, but is closely related to their native language. Previous research has shown that once context is accounted for, intelligibility is partially predicted by measures of interlingual proximity such as Levenshtein distance. Taken alone, however, such measures are insufficient to fully explain empirical data. It has thus been suggested that specific interlingual correspondences may have a more conspicuous impact than others. To verify this hypothesis, 163 East Slavic-speaking learners of L2 Polish were asked to translate a set of non-words, obtained by manipulating a set of Russian words with respect to a single segment (e.g. initial consonant). All non-words were consistent with Polish phonotactics; however, some modifications matched existing phonological correspondences between Polish and Russian, while others did not. Target items were presented in writing through an online survey, initially in isolation, subsequently within a meaningful sentence.The results show that the presence of a meaningful context significantly improves the chances of cognate recognition. Further, non-words containing systematic sound correspondences resulted in a higher recognition rate than non-words comprising arbitrary modifications. Within the latter group, finally, modifications to consonants in word-initial and word-medial position as well as diverging positions of the stress resulted in significantly lower recognition scores.
Digitalization and trade participation of SMEs
Authors: Añón Higón Dolores , Bonvin Daniel 
Published: July 2023

AbstractThis study examines the impact of digitalization on the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in export and import activities. Using data on Spanish manufacturing SMEs from 2001 to 2014, we construct a multidimensional firm-level index of digitalization. We then estimate a set of dynamic models analyzing the direct and indirect (via total factor productivity) effects of digitalization on firms’ export and import strategies. We find evidence that firms’ digitalization positively influences the probability of exporting and importing, both directly and through productivity. We find that productivity has a stronger impact on SMEs’ trade behavior than the direct channel of digitalization. A one standard deviation increase in the digitalization index increases the probability of exporting and importing by 1.5 and 0.8 percentage points, respectively, while the same increase in the logarithm of productivity has a three times greater effect for exporting and nine times greater for importing.
“I wish I could say, ‘Yeah, both the same’”: Cultural stereotypes and individual differentiations of preservice teachers about different low socioeconomic origins
Authors: Yendell Oscar , Claus Carolina , Bonefeld Meike , Karst Karina 
Published: July 2023

AbstractPrevious studies have shown that (preservice) teachers have more negative stereotypes toward students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds than toward students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. School-specific studies on different low socioeconomic origins have been non-existent so far. Evidence collected in non-school settings shows that welfare recipients are stereotyped more negatively than the working poor. This mixed methods study therefore surveyed cultural stereotypes and individual constructions of difference concerning the working poor and welfare recipients by German preservice teachers. In the quantitative study (N = 196), more stereotypes were mentioned in relation to welfare recipients than to the working poor, and more negative and fewer positive stereotypes were mentioned in relation to welfare recipients. In addition to social status, the individual characteristics (e.g., commitment) of welfare recipients were more frequently stereotyped negatively than those of the working poor. In the qualitative interview study (N = 10), preservice teachers reported that the general public perceives welfare recipients more negatively than the working poor. Preservice teachers who obtain their information about welfare recipients from public perception attributed individual failure (e.g., low commitment) as the cause for welfare recipients and structural failure (e.g., incorrect decisions by policy-makers) as the cause for the working poor. Other preservice teachers disagreed with the negative public perception based on personal experience and described welfare recipients as only being in a worse social position than the working poor. The results of the mixed methods study reveal the need to distinguish between different low socioeconomic origins in future stereotype studies.
Deep Corner
Authors: Zhao Shanshan , Gong Mingming , Zhao Haimei , Zhang Jing , Tao Dacheng 
Published: July 2023

AbstractRecent studies have shown promising results on joint learning of local feature detectors and descriptors. To address the lack of ground-truth keypoint supervision, previous methods mainly inject appropriate knowledge about keypoint attributes into the network to facilitate model learning. In this paper, inspired by traditional corner detectors, we develop an end-to-end deep network, named Deep Corner, which adds a local similarity-based keypoint measure into a plain convolutional network. Deep Corner enables finding reliable keypoints and thus benefits the learning of the distinctive descriptors. Moreover, to improve keypoint localization, we first study previous multi-level keypoint detection strategies and then develop a multi-level U-Net architecture, where the similarity of features at multiple levels can be exploited effectively. Finally, to improve the invariance of descriptors, we propose a feature self-transformation operation, which transforms the learned features adaptively according to the specific local information. The experimental results on several tasks and comprehensive ablation studies demonstrate the effectiveness of our method and the involved components.
Personal Networks and Grassroots Election Participation in China: Findings from the Chinese General Social Survey
Authors: Hao Mingsong , Ke Xiwang 
Published: July 2023

AbstractGrassroots elections of rural village heads and urban community directors are an important public arena for social-political participation of Chinese citizens. Analyzing the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS2017) data through the models of GSEM (general equation structure modeling) and fulfilling the robustness check via IV (instrumental variable) method (including IV-Probit and 2SLS-IV models), this article examines the direct and indirect effects of personal networks on voting participation after 2012 under the leadership of Xi. We find that people with greater amounts of network resources and higher frequencies of social eating with network members have a higher likelihood to participate in elections. As to mediating effects, the two measures of personal networks pave the way for people to participate in formal networks of associational engagement, which in turn increase their participation in elections; however, people with higher values in the two personal network measures tend to have lower levels of institutional trust, which in turn hinders voting participation. In comparison, the positive effects are more powerful than the negative ones, so on the whole, personal networks are acting as an important conducive force for grassroots election participation.
Monitoring of banana’s optical properties by laser light backscattering imaging technique during drying
Authors: Siyum Zinabu Hailu , Pham Tung Thanh , Vozáry Eszter , Kaszab Tímea , Nguyen Lien Le Phuong , Baranyai László 
Published: July 2023

AbstractBanana drying is an important process that used to extend the shelf life and increase the marketability of the dried banana. However, this process can lead to changes in weight loss, firmness, and color, which may influence consumer acceptance. As a result, it is crucial to monitor these changes to maintain the desired quality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the quality of sliced bananas during the drying process by simultaneously monitoring their optical and physical properties using laser light backscatter imaging, near-infrared spectroscopy, and electrical impedance spectroscopy techniques. Banana sliced were prepared with 10 mm thickness and immersed into 4% ascorbic acid solution and water as treated and control samples dried at 50 °C for 6 h. The parameters measured were weight loss, color, firmness, NIR absorbance in the range from 740 to 1700 nm and electrical impedance in the frequency range from 30 kHz to 1 MHz. Absorption, reduced scattering and diffusion coefficients, penetration depth and full width at half maximum (FWHM) were computed on the LLBI signal at wavelengths of 532, 635, 780, 808, 850 and 1064 nm. The results showed that both the drying time and the ascorbic acid treatment and their interaction affected the measured values. The strong NIR absorption spectrum changes observed at wavelengths of 1064 and 1416 nm. The least squares partial regression model (PLSR) was performed with high accuracy for weight loss (%) and relaxation time (ms) at a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.940 and 0.945 with a mean square error (RMSE) of 3.748 and 0.001, respectively. The electrical impedance spectral changes were found in the frequency range from 60 Hz to 1 MHz. The most sensitive laser wave lengths to evaluate optical properties were 532, 635, 780 and 1064 nm. Therefore, laser backscatter imaging together with NIR spectroscopy and impedance spectroscopy is a promising technique to assess the quality of sliced bananas during the drying process.
Graphical abstract
Qualität und Qualitätssicherung in der strafrechtsrelevanten Begutachtungspraxis
Authors: Wertz Maximilian , Rettenberger Martin , Brettel Hauke 
Published: July 2023

ZusammenfassungGutachten zu Schuldfähigkeit und Kriminalprognose stehen nicht zuletzt deshalb im öffentlichen und gesellschaftspolitischen Fokus, weil sie in hochbrisante Entscheidungen einfließen und Fehler dramatische Folgen wie ungerechtfertigte Freiheitsbeschränkungen oder Opfergefährdungen haben können. Aufgrund zahlreicher Hinweise auf Qualitätsmängel wurden Maßnahmen im Dienst der Qualitätssicherung wie die Publikation von Mindestanforderungen bzw. Empfehlungen für Prognose- und Schuldfähigkeitsgutachten etabliert. Aktuelle empirische Studien im Rahmen eines iterativen Forschungsprojekts legen anhand einer retrospektiven Analyse von über 1000 Gutachten eine zunehmende Standardisierung sowie Orientierung der Begutachtung an qualitätssichernden Kriterien und Standards nahe, weisen jedoch auch auf eine nach wie vor bestehende qualitative Heterogenität in der Begutachtungspraxis hin. Auch wenn Mindestanforderungen und Empfehlungen nicht zwangsläufig institutionsübergreifende und zeitnahe Effekte erwarten lassen, liefern im Folgenden dargestellte Befunde Anhaltspunkte dafür, dass qualitätssichernde Maßnahmen die Begutachtungspraxis positiv beeinflussen, wobei auch seitens der Auftraggeber qualitätssichernde Potenziale festzustellen sind. Die Ergebnisse sprechen einerseits für einen (Teil‑)Erfolg, andererseits verdeutlichen sie weiteren Handlungsbedarf im Hinblick auf die Qualitätssicherung bei der Erstellung von Prognose- und Schuldfähigkeitsgutachten.
Verselbstständigung als eine zentrale Herausforderung des Jugendalters
Authors: Berngruber Anne , Herz Andreas 
Published: July 2023

ZusammenfassungAn junge Menschen werden gesellschaftliche Erwartungen (beispielsweise aus dem Elternhaus auszuziehen, ökonomisch selbstständig zu werden) gestellt, die sie im Prozess des Erwachsenwerdens erfüllen und mitgestalten (sollen). Unter Verselbstständigung wird in dem Beitrag auf Grundlage der AID:A 2019 und 2021 Befragungen beschrieben, wann zentrale Ereignisse im Jugendalter stattfinden und welchen Einfluss die Coronapandemie darauf genommen hat.
Genetic Architecture and Functional Implications of the CSF-Contacting Nucleus
Authors: Song Siyuan , Yuan Yumin , Xu Lingling , Jiang Jun , Li Ying , Yan Yao , Li Qing , Zhou Fang , Cao Junli , Zhang Licai 
Published: July 2023

AbstractWe previously identified a unique nucleus, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-contacting nucleus. This study aims to understand its gene architecture and preliminarily suggest its functions. The results showed that there were about 19,666 genes in this nucleus, of which 913 were distinct from the dorsal raphe nucleus (non-CSF contacting). The top 40 highly-expressed genes are mainly related to energy metabolism, protein synthesis, transport, secretion, and hydrolysis. The main neurotransmitter is 5-HT. The receptors of 5-HT and GABA are abundant. The channels for Cl–, Na+, K+, and Ca2+ are routinely expressed. The signaling molecules associated with the CaMK, JAK, and MAPK pathways were identified accurately. In particular, the channels of transient receptor potential associated with nociceptors and the solute carrier superfamily members associated with cell membrane transport were significantly expressed. The relationship between the main genes of the nucleus and life activities is preliminarily verified.
Convergent evolution of defensive appendages – a lithobiomorph-like centipede with a scolopendromorph-type ultimate leg from about 100 million-year-old amber
Authors: Haug Gideon T. , Haug Joachim T. , Haug Carolin 
Published: July 2023

AbstractCentipedes are predatory representatives of the group Myriapoda and important components of the soil and leaf-litter fauna. The first pair of trunk appendages is modified into venom-injecting maxillipeds in all centipedes. The number of trunk appendage pairs varies between the different groups of centipedes, from 15 pairs as apparently ancestral (plesiomorphic) condition, up to 191 pairs. The last pair of trunk legs can be used for different tasks in centipedes, e.g. mechano-sensation, defense, or stridulation. Many morphological details are also known from fossil centipedes, but especially the oldest fossils are often fragmentary and the fossil record in general is rather scarce. Especially the late appearance of lithobiomorphans in Cenozoic ambers is notable, though some not formally described lithobiomorph-like specimens from Cretaceous amber from Myanmar have been published. We present here a new specimen from Cretaceous Kachin amber, Myanmar with a lithobiomorph-type of morphology, Lithopendra anjafliessae gen. et sp. nov. The very large ultimate leg appears to have been used for defence and is, in relative proportions, larger than in any known lithobiomorphan, only comparable to that in scolopendromorphans. With this, the specimen presents a mixture of characters, which are in the modern fauna only known from two different centipede groups. We discuss the implications of this new fossil, also concerning events of convergence in this lineage.
Unsteady evolution of distributed roughness-induced vortices under re-entry conditions
Authors: Ulrich Friedrich , Stemmer Christian 
Published: July 2023

AbstractThis study investigates a re-entry scenario of an Apollo-like space capsule with Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS). The simulation includes the chemical equilibrium gas model. Cross-flow-like vortices are induced through random distributed roughness patches on the capsule surface. Two different machine learning methods are used to predict the maximum vorticity magnitude downstream of a pseudo-random roughness patch, the wall-normal location of the vortex core and spanwise and wall-normal gradient maxima of u. A large DNS database is formed for training and testing of the neural networks. In order to understand the influence of the vorticity magnitude on the transition process, local one-dimensional inviscid (LODI) relations are used to describe perturbations at the inflow. The disturbance evolution in the streamwise direction is analysed with a two-dimensional Fourier transformation in time and space. We show how the vorticity magnitudes of the cross-flow-like vortices, spanwise and wall-normal derivatives of the streamwise velocity influence the transition location.
Architecture and Evaluation of an Advanced Legal Information Platform—Enhancing Productivity of Modern Legal Work
Authors: Alexopoulos Charalampos , Loukis Euripidis , Virkar Shefali 
Published: July 2023

AbstractIt is widely recognized that legislation is of critical importance for the proper functioning of economies and societies. However, the increasing complexity of the problems and challenges faced by modern economies and societies have resulted in the development of extensive, highly complex, and continuously evolving legislations. This makes it difficult for firms and administrations, as well as individual lawyers and public servants, to know the current applicable legislation on a particular topic of interest, as well as its evolution over time. This difficulty increases further due to the internationalization–globalization of economic activity, as well as the development of supranational organizations (such as the European Union (EU)), which make it necessary to continuously monitor legislations of several countries on various topics of interest. Existing national legal information platforms cannot satisfy the above highly complex requirements. This paper contributes to filling this gap, initially by describing the architecture and the capabilities/functionalities of an advanced “international” legal information platform, which has been developed as part of the European research program “ManyLaws,” based on requirements collected through interviews with lawyers and public servants; it enables the advanced search and retrieval of relevant legal documents on a particular topic of interest from within the legislative corpuses of many different countries, as well as EU legislation, using existing sources of open legal information, and also the automated comparative analysis of them and identification of various types of relations among them. The evaluation of this advanced legal information platform, using an extension of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), provides evidence of the usefulness and the ease of use of its novel functionalities, as well as their positive contribution to the productivity of both national-level legal work and international-level legal work, especially within the EU. The proposed advanced legal information platform can be quite useful for firms and administrations, as well as individual lawyers and public servants, active in the modern globalized economic context.
Spatial Autocorrelation of Exports and R&D Expenditures in Portugal
Authors: de Campos Antonio Carlos , Lopes Luís , Carreira Carlos 
Published: July 2023

AbstractThis article analyzes spatial autocorrelations and the formation of clusters of exports, based on research and development (R&D) intensity in Portugal. The central idea is that exports show relative interdependence and spillover effects among nearby regions and a direct relationship with R&D expenditures. It adopts the new taxonomy of the OECD, separating exports by manufacturing and non-manufacturing activities by technological intensity. Methodologically, it applied exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), using global Moran’s index and LISA. The results showed the presence of positive spatial autocorrelation of exports and the formation of a cluster of the high–high type for the Área Metropolitana do Porto and Região de Aveiro. There is also a positive spatial autocorrelation for exports associated with R&D expenditures as well as the formation of a regional cluster with high–high pattern for the Região de Aveiro. This outcome can be explained, in part, by nationally and internationally recognized universities and research centers surrounding the region, favoring knowledge spillovers across the regions.
Recent Progress of Layered Perovskite Solar Cells Incorporating Aromatic Spacers
Authors: Gao Yuping , Dong Xiyue , Liu Yongsheng 
Published: July 2023

AbstractLayered two dimensional (2D) or quasi-2D perovskites are emerging photovoltaic materials due to their superior environment and structure stability in comparison with their 3D counterparts. The typical 2D perovskites can be obtained by cutting 3D perovskites along  < 100 >  orientation by incorporation of bulky organic spacers, which play a key role in the performance of 2D perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Compared with aliphatic spacers, aromatic spacers with high dielectric constant have the potential to decrease the dielectric and quantum confinement effect of 2D perovskites, promote efficient charge transport and reduce the exciton binding energy, all of which are beneficial for the photovoltaic performance of 2D PSCs. In this review, we aim to provide useful guidelines for the design of aromatic spacers for 2D perovskites. We systematically reviewed the recent progress of aromatic spacers used in 2D PSCs. Finally, we propose the possible design strategies for aromatic spacers that may lead to more efficient and stable 2D PSCs.