bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Time trends and persistence in PM2.5 in 20 megacities: evidence for the time period 2018–2020
Authors: Bermejo Lorenzo , Gil-Alana Luis A. , del Río Marta 
Published: August 2022

AbstractThe degree of persistence in daily data for PM2.5 in 20 relevant megacities such as Bangkok, Beijing, Mumbai, Calcutta, Canton, Dhaka, Delhi, Jakarta, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Moscow, New York, Osaka. Paris, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Tientsin, and Tokyo is examined in this work. The analysis developed is based on fractional integration techniques. Specifically, the differentiation parameter is used to measure the degree of persistence in the series under study, which collects data on daily measurements carried out from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2020. The results obtained show that the estimated values for the differentiation parameter are restricted to the interval (0, 1) in all cases, which allows us to conclude that there is a mean reverting pattern and, therefore, transitory effects of shocks.
Not Too Much, Not Too Often, and Not Too Many: the Results of the First Large-Scale, International Project to Develop Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines
Authors: Young Matthew M. , Hodgins David C. , Currie Shawn R. , Brunelle Natacha , Dufour Magali , Flores-Pajot Marie-Claire , Nadeau Louise 
Published: August 2022

AbstractUntil now, there has been no evidence-based, specific advice for people who gamble who want to reduce their risk of experiencing gambling harms. This paper presents the results from the first large-scale, comprehensive, international project to develop lower-risk gambling guidelines. Specifically, we calculated relative risk estimates to determine risk of harm across the range of possible limits for gambling frequency, expenditure, and number of types of gambling engaged in; conducted an online survey (n = 4583) of people who gamble to assess whether they understood and found credible the proposed quantitative limits; conducted a series of interviews and focus groups with people who gamble to assess self-control strategies and reactions to proposed quantitative limits; conducted a meta-analysis of problem gambling risk factors in the general population; and consulted with a pan-Canadian, multi-sectoral committee of stakeholders. Project outcomes were examined and deliberated by a working group of scientists who decided upon a set of recommendations for lower-risk gambling. This paper presents these recommendations.
Automated quantification of cartilage quality for hip treatment decision support
Authors: Ruckli Adrian C. , Schmaranzer Florian , Meier Malin K. , Lerch Till D. , Steppacher Simon D. , Tannast Moritz , Zeng Guodong , Burger Jürgen , Siebenrock Klaus A. , Gerber Nicolas , Gerber Kate 
Published: August 2022

Abstract

Purpose

Preservation surgery can halt the progress of joint degradation, preserving the life of the hip; however, outcome depends on the existing cartilage quality. Biochemical analysis of the hip cartilage utilizing MRI sequences such as delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC), in addition to morphological analysis, can be used to detect early signs of cartilage degradation. However, a complete, accurate 3D analysis of the cartilage regions and layers is currently not possible due to a lack of diagnostic tools.

Methods

A system for the efficient automatic parametrization of the 3D hip cartilage was developed. 2D U-nets were trained on manually annotated dual-flip angle (DFA) dGEMRIC for femoral head localization and cartilage segmentation. A fully automated cartilage sectioning pipeline for analysis of central and peripheral regions, femoral-acetabular layers, and a variable number of section slices, was developed along with functionality for the automatic calculation of dGEMRIC index, thickness, surface area, and volume.

Results

The trained networks locate the femoral head and segment the cartilage with a Dice similarity coefficient of 88 ± 3 and 83 ± 4% on DFA and magnetization-prepared 2 rapid gradient-echo (MP2RAGE) dGEMRIC, respectively. A completely automatic cartilage analysis was performed in 18s, and no significant difference for average dGEMRIC index, volume, surface area, and thickness calculated on manual and automatic segmentation was observed.

Conclusion

An application for the 3D analysis of hip cartilage was developed for the automated detection of subtle morphological and biochemical signs of cartilage degradation in prognostic studies and clinical diagnosis. The segmentation network achieved a 4-time increase in processing speed without loss of segmentation accuracy on both normal and deformed anatomy, enabling accurate parametrization. Retraining of the networks with the promising MP2RAGE protocol would enable analysis without the need for B1 inhomogeneity correction in the future.
Linesearch Newton-CG methods for convex optimization with noise
Authors: Bellavia S. , Fabrizi E. , Morini B. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractThis paper studies the numerical solution of strictly convex unconstrained optimization problems by linesearch Newton-CG methods. We focus on methods employing inexact evaluations of the objective function and inexact and possibly random gradient and Hessian estimates. The derivative estimates are not required to satisfy suitable accuracy requirements at each iteration but with sufficiently high probability. Concerning the evaluation of the objective function we first assume that the noise in the objective function evaluations is bounded in absolute value. Then, we analyze the case where the error satisfies prescribed dynamic accuracy requirements. We provide for both cases a complexity analysis and derive expected iteration complexity bounds. We finally focus on the specific case of finite-sum minimization which is typical of machine learning applications.
Imitating the Human. New Human–Machine Interactions in Social Robots
Authors: Seifert Johanna , Friedrich Orsolya , Schleidgen Sebastian 
Published: August 2022

AbstractSocial robots are designed to perform intelligent, emotional, and autonomous behavior in order to establish intimate relationships with humans, for instance, in the context of elderly care. However, the imitation of qualities usually assumed to be necessary for human reciprocal interaction may impact our understanding of social interaction. Against this background, we compare the technical operations based on which social robots imitate human-like behavior with the concepts of emotionality, intelligence, and autonomy as usually attached to humans. In doing so, we aim at making a conceptual contribution to the intuition that the technical imitation of emotional, intelligent, and autonomous behavior differs qualitatively from human forms of emotionality, intelligence, and autonomy. We conclude that the increasing tendency of social robots to imitate human characteristics and the thus increased human tendency of anthropomorphizing technical systems put forth new forms of human–machine interactions (HMI) that call for a critical examination. Thus, the emerging forms of interaction may lead, for instance, to false, reinforced, and perplexing assumptions regarding reciprocity. Therefore, studies are needed that critically examine the potential consequences and psychological effects that may be associated with the use of social robots, especially with regard to vulnerable groups such as children or the elderly.
A longitudinal analysis of factors associated with age-related cataract among older Australian women: a cohort study of 7851 older Australian women 79–90 years
Authors: Hambisa Mitiku Teshome , Dolja-Gore Xenia , Byles Julie E. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractBackgroundAge-related cataracts are a significant global health issue due to population ageing. More than 70% of older Australians aged 80 or above have clinically significant age-related cataracts.AimThe study aimed to identify factors associated with age-related cataracts among older Australian women 79–90 years.MethodA 6-year longitudinal analysis of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) was conducted on 7117 women from surveys four to six. The women were asked whether they had been diagnosed or treated for cataracts 3 years before each survey. We used generalised estimating equation (GEE) modelling to identify factors independently associated with age-related cataracts.ResultsAt baseline (79–84 years), 44.8% lived in metropolitan Australia, 67.9% had good general health, 26.5% had private health insurance, 30.6% had cataracts, 28.8% had undergone cataract surgery, 12.0% had diabetes, 24.9% had skin cancer, 56.2% had hypertension, 24.0% had a history of falls, 63.0% had visited general practitioner (GP) frequently, and 48.8% were driving themselves as their main means of transport. In the final model, poor general health [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.14, 1.33)], not driving (AOR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.18), having private health insurance (AOR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.23), frequent GP visits (AOR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.07, 1.25), skin cancer (AOR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.16, 1.37), hypertension (AOR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.05, 1.21), and fall (AOR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.22) were significantly associated with the age-related cataracts.ConclusionsSystemic diseases, poor quality of life,driving cessation, and health service use were significantly associated with age-related cataracts in older women.
4.0 technologies in city logistics: an empirical investigation of contextual factors
Authors: Ferrari Andrea , Mangano Giulio , Cagliano Anna Corinna , De Marco Alberto 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Industry 4.0 technologies, originally developed in the manufacturing sector, can be purposefully implemented to improve City Logistics (CL) processes by automatizing some of their operational tasks and enabling real-time exchange of information, with the ultimate goal of providing better interconnection among the actors involved. This work aims to identify the main social and economic contextual drivers for investing in the application of Industry 4.0 technologies to urban logistics. To this end, a dataset based on the primary collection of 105 CL projects exploiting the main 4.0 technologies has been built. After that, a regression model has been completed including potential economic, strategic, and demographic determinants of investments in CL 4.0. According to the obtained outcomes, Gross Domestic Product, Foreign Direct Investments, Research and Development Expenditure, Employment Rate, and Number of Inhabitants are significant contextual factors for the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in last mile logistics. The study might support academicians to investigate novel application fields of Industry 4.0 technologies. Also, it can serve as a roadmap for orienting the investments of private organizations and public entities to promote CL innovation and digitalization. Moreover, Industry 4.0 technology providers might find this study interesting to uncover prospective business sectors and markets. Future research efforts will analyse the impacts of internal business factors on CL 4.0 and the satisfaction levels of urban logistics stakeholders.
Cryptic subterranean diversity: regional phylogeography of the sand termite Psammotermes allocerus Silvestri, 1908 in the wider Namib region
Authors: Gunter Felicitas , Oldeland Jens , Picker Mike D. , Henschel Joh R. , Jürgens Norbert 
Published: August 2022

AbstractPsammotermes allocerus Silvestri, 1908 is the only described species representing the genus Psammotermes Desneux, 1902 in Southern Africa. The large geographical range of this subterranean termite covers both summer and winter rainfall regimes. Deadwood is the preferred food when available, but in more arid habitats, both live and dead grasses form the major dietary component. Along the Namib Desert margins, the species’ localised herbivory creates circular bare patches known as fairy circles. For a regional phylogeographic study of this species, we sampled 65 sand termite populations within drier parts of Namibia, South Africa, and Angola. Based on combined molecular and ecological data, we found considerable genetic diversification within P. allocerus. Analyses of two mitochondrial markers (COI, COII), including a Bayesian inference tree, haplotype analysis and genetic distances suggest a delineation into seven highly differentiated genetic groups. The ‘Succulent Karoo’ group is additionally characterised by unique features of the royal chamber, nest and tunnel system. In conclusion, our data suggest that P. allocerus should be not regarded as one species but as a species complex. Termites of each analysed group ‘Northern Namib’, ‘Western Kalahari Basin’, ‘Nama’, ‘Southwestern Kalahari’, ‘East Gariep’, ‘Southern Namib’ and ‘Succulent Karoo’ should be considered as distinct species. The species name P. allocerus should be used for termites of the ‘Succulent Karoo’.
Evidence-based Risk Assessment of Ecological Damage due to Groundwater Abstraction; the Case of Doñana Natural Space, Spain
Authors: Acreman Michael , Casier Robbert , Salathe Tobias 
Published: August 2022

AbstractMany regions of the world are facing mounting water stress as competition increases for this vital resource that may become scarcer under future climates. More water is being allocated to our needs for food, public supply, hydro-electric power and industrial goods to support growing populations and mounting life-style expectations. To achieve this, less water is often being retained for water-dependent ecosystems. Environmental protection agencies and conservation organisations have highlighted the resulting threat to freshwater biodiversity and associated ecosystem services that support human livelihoods and well-being. Careful assessments are therefore required to advise on the optimum allocation of water and to determine the risk of developments that require redistribution of water resources.Along the northern fringes of the Guadalquivir River delta and estuary in southern Spain about 40% of all jobs derive from agriculture. The production of olives, fruit trees, rice and berries is a major component of the local economy producing large exports, but it requires significant water from local rivers and the underlying aquifers. The economy is also reliant on tourism that brings many thousands of people to the area in the summer for which groundwater abstraction is augmented. The delta is the location of the Doñana wetland complex of lagoons, marshlands, fixed and mobile dunes that was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1980, as wetland of international importance (Ramsar Site) under the Convention on Wetlands in 1982 and as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994. Fears have been expressed that increasing human water use is putting the wetlands at risk of drying out, despite efforts by the river basin authority to limit abstraction to sustainable levels.This paper reports on a methodology that analyses best available eco-hydrological scientific knowledge together with information on the likely success of abstraction control measures to determine the risk to the wetland ecosystem of current and future planned water allocation. The method was applied to Doñana by the joint UNESCO/IUCN/Ramsar Reactive Monitoring mission to in 2020. The results are also provided in the paper, which raised many important scientific and related political, legal and social issues concerning the impacts of water withdrawals on the ecology of the wetlands. The methodology has wide application to environmental water allocation assessments.
Fatigue strength of partial penetration butt welds of mild steel
Authors: Schiller R. , Oswald M. , Neuhäusler J. , Rother K. , Engelhardt I. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractThis paper presents the influences of the irregularity “insufficient penetration welding” on the fatigue strength based on experimental and numerical investigations. For this purpose, the fatigue strength of partial penetration butt welds of mild steel (S355) with different non-welded gaps were subjected to fatigue loading. Three different planned gap dimensions (h = 4, 6, 8 mm) at one-sided (Y-seam) and two-sided (DY-seam) partial penetration butt welds were analysed. The results were obtained on a small-scale test specimen with a steel plate thickness of t = 20 mm, without axial and angular misalignment. For the numerical effective notch stress approach, regression formula for efficient analysis of stress concentration factors was determined. The results show that butt joints which are not fully penetrated on one or both sides, and which were previously not permissible for welded joints subject to fatigue loading, can be evaluated in the future on the basis of these investigations.
Advanced age portends poorer prognosis after radical prostatectomy: a single center experience
Authors: Porcaro Antonio Benito , Bianchi Alberto , Gallina Sebastian , Serafin Emanuele , Mazzucato Giovanni , Vidiri Stefano , D’Aietti Damiano , Rizzetto Riccardo , Tafuri Alessandro , Cerrato Clara , Panunzio Andrea , Orlando Rossella , Brusa Davide , Brunelli Matteo , Siracusano Salvatore , Cerruto Maria Angela , Antonelli Alessandro 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Introduction and objective
Although advanced age doesn’t seem to impair oncological outcomes after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), elderly patients have increased rates of prostate cancer (PCa) related deaths due to a higher incidence of high-risk disease. The potential unfavorable impact of advanced age on oncological outcomes following RARP remains an unsettled issue. We aimed to evaluate the oncological outcome of PCa patients > 69 years old in a single tertiary center.

Materials and methods
1143 patients with clinically localized PCa underwent RARP from January 2013 to October 2020. Analysis was performed on 901 patients with available follow-up. Patients ≥ 70 years old were considered elderly. Unfavorable pathology included ISUP grade group > 2, seminal vesicle, and pelvic lymph node invasion. Disease progression was defined as biochemical and/or local recurrence and/or distant metastases.

Results
243 cases (27%) were classified as elderly patients (median age 72 years). Median (IQR) follow-up was 40.4 (38.7–42.2) months. Disease progression occurred in 159 cases (17.6%). Elderly patients were more likely to belong to EAU high-risk class, have unfavorable pathology, and experience disease progression after surgery (HR = 5.300; 95% CI 1.844–15.237; p = 0.002) compared to the younger patients.

Conclusions
Elderly patients eligible for RARP are more likely to belong to the EAU high-risk category and to have unfavorable pathology that are independent predictors of disease progression. Advanced age adversely impacts on oncological outcomes when evaluated inside these unfavorable categories. Accordingly, elderly patients belonging to the EAU high-risk should be counseled about the increased risk of disease progression after surgery.
Magdeburger Arbeitsmedizin feiert 50. Geburtstag
Authors: Thielmann Beatrice 
Published: August 2022

ZusammenfassungDie universitäre Arbeitsmedizin in Magdeburg feiert 50. Jubiläum. Dieser Artikel befasst sich mit den Forschungsaktivitäten des Instituts seit der Übernahme der Leitung durch Prof. Böckelmann und stellt die Tätigkeiten der Mitarbeiter und der Gastwissenschaftler dar.
Luminescent Metal Complexes as Emerging Tools for Lipid Imaging
Authors: Schwehr Bradley J. , Hartnell David , Massi Massimiliano , Hackett Mark J. 
Published: August 2022

AbstractFluorescence microscopy is a key tool in the biological sciences, which finds use as a routine laboratory technique (e.g., epifluorescence microscope) or more advanced confocal, two-photon, and super-resolution applications. Through continued developments in microscopy, and other analytical methods, the importance of lipids as constituents of subcellular organelles, signalling or regulating molecules continues to emerge. The increasing recognition of the importance of lipids to fundamental cell biology (in health and disease) has prompted the development of protocols and techniques to image the distribution of lipids in cells and tissues. A diverse suite of spectroscopic and microscopy tools are continuously being developed and explored to add to the “toolbox” to study lipid biology. A relatively recent breakthrough in this field has been the development and subsequent application of metal-based luminescent complexes for imaging lipids in biological systems. These metal-based compounds appear to offer advantages with respect to their tunability of the photophysical properties, in addition to capabilities centred around selectively targeting specific lipid structures or classes of lipids. The presence of the metal centre also opens the path to alternative imaging modalities that might not be applicable to traditional organic fluorophores. This review examines the current progress and developments in metal-based luminescent complexes to study lipids, in addition to exploring potential new avenues and challenges for the field to take.
Policing “Landscapes” for the Rule of Law and Public Protection: the State of Evidence on Organisational Policies, Structures, and Human Resources
Authors: Neyroud Peter 
Published: August 2022

AbstractResearch QuestionWhat evidence is, or is not, available on organisational policies, structures, and practices in national policing institutional landscapes that enable a police service to promote the rule of law and protect the population from crime, disorder, and violations of human rights?DataQualitative and quantitative research on police organisational policies, structures, and practices in areas such as human resources and recruiting, legal authorities, and reporting lines to governance.MethodsA review of the evidence in landscapes associated with higher or lower levels of indications of a rule of law and protection from harm across a range of high-, medium-, and low-income countries and across different regions. The paper seeks to assess the strengths, limitations, and gaps in the evidence and data for understanding this association.FindingsThe evidence for institutions promoting better policing at the level of nation-states is largely qualitative or historical. Useful frameworks for different models of police landscapes have been developed, with some tentative conclusions observed from within-country studies. These include the negative impact on the rule of law of “militarizing” civilian police forces, the positive impact of checks and balances of external auditing by independent agencies, and the promising effects of well-implemented policies for community policing and body-worn video cameras. Yet all institutional landscapes are embedded in unique cultural traditions, and no one framework for police institutions is likely to work in most countries.ConclusionResearch advances over the past half-century have substantially improved scientific understanding of police institutions. Nations investing in those institutions have a direct stake in advancing that knowledge as part and parcel of an effective strategy for promoting police protection of the public, as well as its rule of law.