bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How credible are Okun coefficients? The gap version of Okun’s law for G7 economies
Authors: Boďa Martin , Považanová Mariana 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe paper draws attention to the fact that findings that follow from estimation of Okun’s law are extremely sensitive to methodological choices. The argument rests in a case study oriented upon G7 countries for a period 1991/Q1–2021/Q4 and accounts for a possible asymmetry in the output–unemployment relationship. First, business and unemployment fluctuations are estimated by six purely statistical approaches that arise by casting the Hodrick–Prescott filter, the Hamilton filter and the unobserved component model into a univariate or bivariate framework. Second, the gap version of Okun’s law is modelled by means of an auto-regressive distributed lag model or its nonlinear threshold counterpart according as asymmetry is allowed or not. The results indicate huge heterogeneity in Okun coefficients for every country caused by differences even in the basal methodological aspects accounted for in the case study. The diversity of results demonstrates that initial modelling choices may provide economic policy-makers with conflicting insights and advice. This issue follows merely from the absence of general standards that might decide which particular result is more credible.
Notational Variants and Cognition: The Case of Dependency Grammar
Authors: Nefdt Ryan M. , Baggio Giosué 
Published: January 2023

AbstractIn recent years, dependency grammars have established themselves as valuable tools in theoretical and computational linguistics. To many linguists, dependency grammars and the more standard constituency-based formalisms are notational variants. We argue that, beyond considerations of formal equivalence, cognition may also serve as a background for a genuine comparison between these different views of syntax. In this paper, we review and evaluate some of the most common arguments and evidence employed to advocate for the cognitive or neural reality of dependency grammars in linguistics, psycholinguistics, or neurolinguistics. We then raise the possibility that the abilities to represent and track, alternatively or in parallel, constituency and dependency structures co-exist in human cognition and are constitutive of syntactic competence.
Changes in Students’ Mathematical Competencies at the Beginning of Higher Education Within the Last Decade at a German University
Authors: Büchele Stefan , Feudel Frank 
Published: January 2023

AbstractMathematics plays a significant role in many study programs. However, several studies show deficiencies and a decline in beginning undergraduates’ skills in mathematics in many content domains. However, it remains unclear whether they have improved in so-called process competencies like modeling, mathematical reasoning, or using different representations instead, because there has been a shift towards the acquisition of such in many recent curricula. We investigated this issue at a university in Germany based on data from a (non-standardized) mathematics entry test taken by 3076 economics students divided into different cohorts from 2012 to 2019. Using regression analyses, we found that, on the one hand, students’ ability to carry out symbolic calculations decreased. On the other hand, their performance increased in some test questions focusing on other process competencies like reasoning, mathematizing, or using different representations, which have become common tasks at school due to a stronger emphasis on these process competencies after a curriculum reform. Our data indicate that this reform might have had the desired effect.
Synthesized polymeric nanocomposites with enhanced optical and electrical properties based on gold nanoparticles for optoelectronic applications
Authors: Yassin A. Y. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractIn the present work, gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) were synthesized in two ways: plant extract and laser ablation techniques. Then, Au-NPs were added to (PVP/PVA/CMC) blend (TB) to produce novel nanocomposites using the solution casting technique. X-ray diffraction analysis, Ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy provided conclusive evidence for preparing Au-NPs through the above methods. The optical, structural, and dielectric properties of the prepared samples were prudently investigated and confirmed their semicrystalline nature. TEM study concluded that Au-NPs are more uniformly distributed in the TB/AuNPs-biosynthesized (TBAu-B) matrix than in the TB/Au-NPs prepared by laser ablation (TBAu-L) matrix. The decrease in interatomic distances increases the refractive index with an enhancement in optical properties. The change in loss tangent provided a deeper discernment into the relaxation dynamics that arose inside the current films. The electric modulus formalism verified the non-Debye behavior of charge carriers inside the TB-based nanocomposite samples. It also demonstrated a remarkable capacitive feature of the nanocomposite films. The dielectric characteristics of the TBAu-B nanocomposite sample have improved, where AC electrical conductivity reached 1.58 × 10−3 S/cm. Because of this favorable enhancement, the TBAu-B nanocomposite has the potential to be utilized in optoelectronic applications such as sensors.
Symmetries and Zero Modes in Sample Path Large Deviations
Authors: Schorlepp Timo , Grafke Tobias , Grauer Rainer 
Published: January 2023

AbstractSharp large deviation estimates for stochastic differential equations with small noise, based on minimizing the Freidlin–Wentzell action functional under appropriate boundary conditions, can be obtained by integrating certain matrix Riccati differential equations along the large deviation minimizers or instantons, either forward or backward in time. Previous works in this direction often rely on the existence of isolated minimizers with positive definite second variation. By adopting techniques from field theory and explicitly evaluating the large deviation prefactors as functional determinant ratios using Forman’s theorem, we extend the approach to general systems where degenerate submanifolds of minimizers exist. The key technique for this is a boundary-type regularization of the second variation operator. This extension is particularly relevant if the system possesses continuous symmetries that are broken by the instantons. We find that removing the vanishing eigenvalues associated with the zero modes is possible within the Riccati formulation and amounts to modifying the initial or final conditions and evaluation of the Riccati matrices. We apply our results in multiple examples including a dynamical phase transition for the average surface height in short-time large deviations of the one-dimensional Kardar–Parisi–Zhang equation with flat initial profile.
A survey of mean-square destabilization of multidimensional linear stochastic differential systems with non-normal drift
Authors: Senosiain M.J. , Tocino A. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractMean-square stability analysis of linear stochastic differential systems obtained perturbing ordinary systems by linear terms driven by independent Wiener processes is investigated. The so obtained stochastic regions are contractions of the asymptotic stability domain of the linear ordinary system. In this work, the mean-square stability regions exact shape is provided by means of necessary and sufficient conditions in terms of the eigenvalues of the drift and the intensities of the noises. Special attention is paid to how different structures of the perturbation affect the mean-square stability of systems with non-normal drifts. In each case, the obtained explicit stability condition reveals the role played by the parameter that controls the non-normality.
The role of actors' issue and sector specialization for policy integration in the parliamentary arena: an analysis of Swiss biodiversity policy using text as data
Authors: Reber Ueli , Ingold Karin , Fischer Manuel 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe role of the parliamentary arena and members of parliament (MPs) therein for both mainstreaming and cross-sectoral policy integration is largely unknown. Studying the case of Switzerland, this paper analyzes the integration of the biodiversity issue into policies of 20 different policy sectors over a period of 19 years to assess how two specific actor attributes—issue and sector specialization—increase the chances of MPs of engaging in both biodiversity mainstreaming and its cross-sectoral integration. The results based on a comprehensive collection of political documents from the parliamentary arena, and multilevel regression models show that an increase in MPs' sector specialization is associated with both a decrease in mainstreaming and a decrease in cross-sectoral integration activities. By contrast, an increase in issue specialization typically translates into biodiversity-related activity in a larger number of sectors. In the parliamentary arena, therefore, it is primarily a small group of “issue specialists” who take responsibility for the integration of crosscutting issues, such as biodiversity, into critical sectoral policies.
PROMIS-29 and EORTC QLQ-C30: an empirical investigation towards a common conception of health
Authors: Hartmann Claudia , Fischer Felix , Klapproth Christoph P. , Röhle Robert , Rose Matthias , Karsten Maria M. 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Purpose
The assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measured via patient-reported outcomes (PROs) is a key component in clinical trials and increasingly used in clinical routine worldwide. Two PRO measures (PROMs) that share the same definition of health and report outcomes on a comparable T-metric anchored to general population samples are the PROMIS-29 and the EORTC QLQ-C30. In this study, we investigate the empirical agreement of these underlying concepts.

Methods
We collected PROMIS-29 and EORTC QLQ-C30 data from 1,478 female patients at a breast cancer outpatient centre. We calculated descriptive statistics and correlations between the subscales of both instruments. We performed exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in randomly split subsamples in order to assess the underlying psychometric structure of both instruments.

Results
The cohort (mean age = 47.4, ± 14.49) reported comparable mean HRQOL scores between the corresponding subscales of both instruments similar to general population reference values. Correlation between the corresponding subscales of both instruments ranged between 0.59 (Social Role) and 0.78 (Physical Functioning). Both an exploratory and a theoretically driven confirmatory factor analysis provided further support for conceptual agreement of the scales.

Conclusion
EORTC QLQ-C30 and PROMIS-29 showed similar scores and satisfactory agreement in conceptional and statistical analysis. This suggests that the underlying conceptualization of health is reasonably close. Hence, the development of score transformation algorithms or calibration of both instruments on common scales could prospectively increase the comparability of clinical and research PRO data collected with either instrument.
Clinicopathological features and prognosis of primary membranous nephropathy in combination with crescent
Authors: Pan Yan , Liu Lei , Chen Weidong , Yang Huijuan , Zhang Jiqiang , Wang Ying 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Objective
The incidence of primary membranous nephropathy with crescentic bodies is low, but the specificity of its clinical presentation, pathology and prognosis is of great interest. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological and prognostic characteristics of patients with crescentic MN in our hospital over the past 4 years.

Methods
Ten patients with combined crescentic primary membranous nephropathy diagnosed by renal biopsy at our hospital from 2018 to 2021 were retrospectively analysed and compared with 39 patients with PMN (simple random sample) during the same period for clinicopathological and prognostic comparisons.

Results
The 10 patients had higher 24 h urine protein quantification, creatinine levels on renal biopsy, interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy, and interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration than the control group (P < 0.05); there were no significant differences in anti-PLA2R antibodies and PLA2R staining of renal tissue (P > 0.05); At follow-up, the poor outcome of crescentic MN treatment and the low clinical remission rate were found, with the percentage of crescentic bodies being a factor in patient prognosis (P < 0.05).

Conclusion
Crescentic MN has a low prevalence and maybe a specific type of PMN; it has more severe clinical symptoms and pathology than PMN, and the crescentic proportion is strongly associated with renal prognosis. Intensive treatment is recommended for these patients.
Philanthropy and Socio-economic Development: The Role of Large Indigenous Voluntary Organizations in Bridging Social Divides in Pakistan
Authors: Khan Muhammad Saad Masud , Harvey Charles , Price Michael , Maclean Mairi 
Published: January 2023

AbstractExtant research has focused on the role of philanthropy in the socio-economic development of western countries, but little is known about the role of indigenous voluntary organisations in bridging social divides in the developing world. To help redress this imbalance, we present findings on the motivations, strategies, methods, and impact of five large philanthropically funded voluntary organizations in Pakistan. We ask how and why such organizations are formed and gain traction to provide valuable services for large numbers of poor people in a society riddled with inequalities. Although differing considerably in their relations to markets and philanthropy, we find that success in all cases followed from commitment to Islamic philanthropy and the ideal of social inclusion, social innovation, exploitation of social capital, and scaling-up. Our contribution is to demonstrate how in developing countries philanthropy and social entrepreneurship together can play a decisive role in realizing a more just society.
Prediction of rock mass class ahead of TBM excavation face by ML and DL algorithms with Bayesian TPE optimization and SHAP feature analysis
Authors: Chen Cheng , Seo Hyungjoon 
Published: January 2023

AbstractIn this paper, field construction data from the Singapore Metro Line project were used to study the mapping relationship and establish the prediction model between TBM operation data and the ground condition ahead of the excavation face. The study presents a multi-classifier competition mechanism to construct ten separate classifiers, including logistic regression, support vector machine, random forest, extremely randomized trees, adaptive boosting machine, extreme gradient boosting (Xgboost), light gradient boosting (LightGBM), categorical boosting, long short-term memory and convolutional neural network. The acquired data were used to select 28 key TBM operating parameters by a correlation-based feature selection method, and the selected parameters in the stabilization phase after removing the outliers were calculated as the input to the classifier, and a relatively balanced training set was obtained by the synthetic minority oversampling technique. The hyperparameters of each classifier were optimized using tree Parzen estimator Bayesian optimization. The prediction results show that LightGBM presents the best results among ten different machine and deep learning algorithms with an accuracy of 96.22%, precision of 96.94%, recall of 97.33% and F1-score of 97.33%. In addition, the effect of the input parameters of the LightGBM model on the prediction accuracy of the model was analyzed using Shapley additive explanations, and the effect of sample imbalance on the prediction performance was discussed.
Is there a need for a technical certification system for gynecological robotic surgery? Questionnaire survey of members of the Japan Society of Gynecologic and Obstetric Endoscopy and Minimally Invasive Therapy
Authors: Komatsu Hiroaki , Hiraike Osamu , Fukuhara Rie , Yokoyama Yoshihito , Takahashi Nobutaka , Nishi Hirotaka , Baba Tsukasa , Fujii Takuma , Kitawaki Jo , Kobayashi Hiroaki , Mandai Masaki ,   Technical Certification System for Gynecological Robotic Surgery Task Force of the Japan Society of Gynecologic, Obstetric Endoscopy, Minimally Invasive Therapy
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe Japan Society of Gynecologic and Obstetric Endoscopy and Minimally Invasive Therapy (JSGOE) introduced a system for the certification of laparoscopic surgeons in 2002 and a system for the certification of facilities in 2014. We examined the opinions of the members of the Japan Society of Gynecologic and Obstetric Endoscopy and Minimally Invasive Therapy (JSGOE) regarding the necessity of a certification training system and a technical certification system for robotic surgery skills in Japan. Members of the JSGOE were surveyed with two questionnaires. Overall, 870 and 519 participants responded to the first and second questionnaires, respectively. Half of the respondents indicated that both systems were necessary. The breakdown by age and qualifications showed that this was especially true for the younger generation and respondents with more experience with robotic surgery. Overall, 40% of the respondents judged that a certification system for robotic surgery alone (with or without certification in laparoscopic surgery but with a requirement of experience in laparoscopic surgery) would be necessary. The opinions of the JSGOE members on making a certification system for robotic surgery were split into two clear-cut camps. Thus, we must further seek the extent of public demand for using a public survey so that a final decision can be made on whether to establish this system.
Investigating measurement invariance of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-8 (ERQ-8) across 29 countries
Authors: Burghart Matthias , Sahm Alexander H. J. , Mier Daniela 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe widely used Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) measures the habitual use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Recently, a more economical 8-item version of the ERQ was proposed that showed good model fit. We assessed whether the latent constructs of the ERQ-8 are generalizable across different countries and cultures. To this end, we used data from the COVIDiSTRESS survey and investigated measurement invariance of the ERQ-8 in a large sample that included 11,288 individuals from 29 countries with diverse cultural backgrounds. Our analyses revealed configural and metric invariance of the ERQ-8 in 14 countries. The results suggest that emotion regulation strategies may not readily converge across all cultures. This underscores the importance of testing measurement invariance before interpreting observed differences and similarities between countries.
Symmetric Spaces Rolling on Flat Spaces
Authors: Jurdjevic V. , Markina I. , Silva Leite F. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe objective of the current paper is essentially twofold. Firstly, to make clear the difference between two notions of rolling a Riemannian manifold over another, using a language accessible to a wider audience, in particular to readers with interest in applications. Secondly, we concentrate on rolling an important class of Riemannian manifolds. In the first part of the paper, the relation between intrinsic and extrinsic rollings is explained in detail, while in the second part we address rollings of symmetric spaces on flat spaces and complement the theoretical results with illustrative examples.
Unique mutation spectrum of progressive pseudorheumatoid dysplasia in the Chinese population: a retrospective genotype–phenotype analysis of 105 patients
Authors: Wang Wei , Gao Si-Hao , Wei Min , Zhong Lin-Qing , Liu Wei , Jian Shan , Xiao Juan , Zhang Cai-Hui , Zhang Jian-Guo , Zeng Xiao-Feng , Xia Wei-Bo , Qiu Zheng-Qing , Song Hong-Mei 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Background
Progressive pseudorheumatoid dysplasia (PPRD) is a rare genetic disease with autosomal recessive inheritance. There was a lack of genotype–phenotype correlation data from the Chinese population. This study aimed to identify the genotype and phenotype characteristics of Chinese PPRD patients and to conduct a genotype–phenotype analysis of Chinese PPRD patients.

Methods
Genetic analysis was performed for suspected PPRD patients from Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Medical records were collected from the electronic medical record system and patient-held portable health records. Published Chinese PPRD cases were gathered from both international and Chinese local databases. We collected demographic information, genetic variants, clinical manifestations, and imaging characteristics for further analysis.

Results
We included 105 Chinese PPRD patients in the current study. Thirty-three variants, including nine novels and five hotspot variants, were identified, with 26/33 (79%) variants exclusively seen in the Chinese population. Chinese PPRD patients share a phenotype similar to that in international reports. Joint involvement may progress with age (R2 = 0.2541). Long bone shortening and severe deformities occur in three patients with biallelic null variants, of which at least one variant is located in exon 2. Among hotspot variants, c.624dupA (p.C209Mfs*21) were associated with later onset and more involved joints. Elbow joints were more likely to be affected in patients carrying c.624dupA (p.C209Mfs*21) and c.866dupA (p.S209Efs*13). Shoulder joints are more likely to be involved in patients with biallelic null variants (P = 0.027).

Conclusions
Chinese PPRD patients share a unique mutation spectrum. Among the five hotspot variants, c.624dupA is associated with later onset of disease, more extensive joint involvement, and a tendency to affect elbow joints. Biallelic null variants with at least one variant in exon 2 could be a likely cause of long bone shortening and severe deformities.
Multiple solutions for nonlinear boundary value problems of Kirchhoff type on a double phase setting
Authors: Fiscella Alessio , Marino Greta , Pinamonti Andrea , Verzellesi Simone 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThis paper deals with some classes of Kirchhoff type problems on a double phase setting and with nonlinear boundary conditions. Under general assumptions, we provide multiplicity results for such problems in the case when the perturbations exhibit a suitable behavior in the origin and at infinity, or when they do not necessarily satisfy the Ambrosetti–Rabinowitz condition. To this aim, we combine variational methods, truncation arguments and topological tools.