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Women in cardiology experience considerable gender disparities in publications, which hinders their career advancements to higher faculty and senior leadership positions. However, the extent of these disparities across different types of cardiovascular literature is not well understood. We investigated gender differences in authorship across various cardiovascular publications over a decade and examined geographic variations in the representation of women authors. All papers published from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2019, in 4 major cardiovascular journals (Journal of the American College of Cardiology , European Heart Journal , Journal of the American Medical Association Cardiology , and Nature Reviews Cardiology) were reviewed. Of the 18,535 papers with 111,562 authors, 20.6% of the authors were women, and 47.7% of the papers had no women authors. Over 10 years, the proportion of women authors remained low (20.7% in 2010 to 21.4% in 2019), with the lowest proportion in editorial papers (14.8%) and the highest in research papers (21.8%). More women as first (34.6%) and last (47.6%) authors were affiliated with institutions in the United States compared with other countries. The proportion of women middle-order authors was higher on papers with women as first authors (29.4% vs 20.5%) or last authors (30.6% vs 21.3%), compared with papers with men as first or last authors, respectively. Over the past decade, the proportion of women authors across all article types in major cardiovascular journals remained low. A call to action is needed to promote women in cardiology and provide them with equitable opportunities. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study examines the link between competition and innovation globally, using data from the top corporate R&D spenders in manufacturing and service sectors from 2007 to 2016. • It measures competition with the inverse Lerner Index and uses R&D spending as an indicator of innovation, expanding the scope of prior research. • The analysis differentiates between manufacturing and service industries and considers both incumbents and new market entrants. • Findings indicate a complex, inverted-U shaped relationship between competition and innovation, varying by industry type and market position. • The paper enriches the literature by offering new empirical insights into the global innovation-competition dynamic, overcoming previous research limitations. This paper investigates the relationship between competition and innovation using a worldwide dataset of manufacturing and service industries. The sample comprises the world's top corporate R&D spenders listed in the EU 2017 industrial R&D Scoreboard, and the analysis covers the years spanning 2007 to 2016. We use an industry-year indicator, the inverse of the Lerner Index, to measure the competition level prevailing between these large R&D companies. R&D expen d itures are used as a proxy for innovation. The model is estimated using two-stage least squares to control for the potential endogeneity of the competition indicator. Our contributions are three-fold. Firstly, we examine the innovation-competition nexus at the worldwide level, thus extending the geographical coverage of previous studies. Secondly, we analyze the relationship separately for manufacturing and service industries, characterized by different technological and knowledge-based regimes. Finally, we distinguish between incumbents and new entrants in the worldwide market. Our findings confirm the existence of an inverted-U shaped relationship between competition and innovation and show that this relationship differs between manufacturing and service industries. The results also reveal that the effect of competition on innovation varies between incumbents and new entrants. Our paper contributes to the existing literature by providing novel empirical evidence on the innovation-competition nexus based on a global sample and addressing previous studies' limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Iatrogenic injury to the internal carotid artery (ICA) is one of the most catastrophic complications of endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery. Previous research has shown that packing with a crushed muscle graft at the injury site can be an effective management technique to control bleeding and prevent the need for ICA sacrifice. Here, we describe a novel and readily available repair donor site—an autologous lateral tongue muscle patch. Design Three representative cases of a successful repair of ICA injuries using a lateral tongue muscle patch are included in this study. The graft measured approximately 2 × 3 cm and was taken from the lateral intrinsic tongue musculature. We describe the harvest of the graft, its advantages, and the details of operative repair. Results The lateral tongue provides a large and readily accessible source of muscle within the surgical field that can be quickly harvested during an endoscopic procedure. For the first case, an expanding parasellar ICA pseudoaneurysm was managed with a tongue muscle patch and nasal packing. In the second case, a cavernous ICA injury was sustained during craniopharyngioma resection. Case three involved an ICA injury during endonasal debridement of invasive fungal rhinosinusitis. None of the patients required embolization or neurovascular stenting. Postoperative angiograms and serial computed tomography angiograms showed complete resolution of the pseudoaneurysm, and the patients continued to do well at least 1 year after repair. Conclusion Lateral tongue muscle graft is an effective and efficient method to manage ICA injuries during endoscopic endonasal surgery. Advantages include the speed of harvest, donor site being readily accessible in the surgical field, and low donor site morbidity. It should be added to the repertoire of possible donor sites for addressing catastrophic sinonasal bleeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with Aarskog–Scott syndrome (AAS) have short stature, facial anomalies, skeletal deformities, and genitourinary malformations. FYVE, RhoGEF, and PH domain-containing 1 (FGD1) is the only known causative gene of AAS. However, the diagnosis of AAS remains difficult, and specific treatments are still absent. Patients suspected with AAS were recruited, and clinical information was collected. Genetic testing and functional analysis were carried out for the diagnosis. By literature review, we summarized the clinical and genetic characteristics of FGD1-related AAS and analyzed the genotype–phenotype correlation. Five patients were recruited, and four novel FGD1 variants were identified. The diagnosis of AAS was confirmed by genetic analysis and functional study. Three patients treated with growth hormone showed improved heights during the follow-up period. By literature review, clinical features of AAS patients with FGD1 variants were summarized. Regarding FGD1 variations, substitutions were the most common form, and among them, missense variants were the most frequent. Moreover, we found patients with drastic variants showed higher incidences of foot and genitourinary malformations. Missense variants in DH domain were related to a lower incidence of cryptorchidism. Conclusion: We reported four novel pathogenic FGD1 variations in AAS patients and confirmed the efficacy and safety of growth hormone treatment in FGD1-related AAS patients with growth hormone deficiency. Additionally, our literature review suggested the crucial role of DH domain in FGD1 function. What is Known: • Aarskog–Scott syndrome is a rare genetic disease, and the only known cause is the variant in FGD1 gene. The typical clinical manifestations of AAS include facial, skeletal, and urogenital deformities and short stature. What is New: • We reported four novel FGD1 variants and reported the treatment of growth hormone in FGD1-related AAS patients. Our genotype–phenotype correlation analysis suggested the crucial role of DH domain in FGD1 function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deaf-sighted, deaf-blind, and hearing-sighted people have been interacting within a small community in the Bay Islands of Honduras for over a century (Ali 2023; Ali and Braithwaite 2020). In this article, we sketch the history of the community and the ways in which signers make use of their own and their interlocutor's bodies to co-construct meaning. Based on a short conversation between two deaf-blind signers, we identify mechanisms used to regulate turn-taking, including some which are familiar from other visual and tactile sign languages, and some which are rather novel in the literature. We show that signers make use of visual and tactile-proprioceptive channels, bearing in mind, but not entirely determined by, the sensorial orientations of their interlocutors. We conclude that this way of languaging is not a visual sign language and not yet fully adapted to the tactile modality, nor is it undeveloped or disordered in any other sense. Rather, we believe that this case demonstrates the ways in which human languaging makes use of multiple modalities and adapts to the needs of each interactional context. While linguists have sometimes been inclined to classify languages into neat modality boxes (auditory-vocal, visual-gestural, tactile-gestural), this analysis supports Henner and Robinson's (2023) calls for what they term a crip linguistics , which embraces disabled ways of languaging, rejects ideas of disordered language, and recognizes languaging as multimodal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Journey to the West (西游记; Xi You Ji) is one of the best-known classic novels in Chinese literature, and it has been translated into English by various notable translators. This study compares the retranslation of the novel by Julia Lovell published in "Penguin Classics" in 2021 with Arthur Waley's translation in "Penguin Classics" in 1973. Employing a stylometric approach to compare the styles of the two translations, it uses the corpus tools of word lists, keyword analysis, and function word analysis. The results reveal distinct stylistic differences in the translators' styles, including lexical density, sentence length, and function words, which point to different translation strategies employed by the two translations of this classic Chinese novel. The book reviews published so far indicate that Lovell's version has been well received by contemporary Anglophone readers and that the changes in this retranslation may have helped to explain the recanonization of the original classic. This study provides new insights into the understanding of the differences between translation and retranslation, and thus has implications for the fields of translator style studies and stylometry research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The irreplaceable key to the triumph of Question & Answer (Q & A) platforms is their users providing high-quality answers to the challenging questions posted across various topics of interest. From more than a decade, the expert finding problem attracted much attention in information retrieval research. Based on the encountered gaps in the expert identification across several Q & A portals, we inspect the feasibility of identifying data science experts in Reddit. Our method is based on the manual coding results where two data science experts labelled not only expert and non-expert comments, but also out-of-scope comments, which is a novel contribution to the literature, enabling the identification of more groups of comments across web portals. We present a semi-supervised approach which combines 1113 labelled comments with 100,226 unlabelled comments during training. We proved that it is possible to develop models that can identify expert, non-expert and out-of-scope comments peaking the AUC score at 0.93, accuracy at 0.83, MAE at 0.15 degrees and R2 score at 0.69. The proposed model uses the activity behaviour of every user, including Natural Language Processing (NLP), crowdsourced and user feature sets. We conclude that the NLP and user feature sets contribute the most to the better identification of these three classes. It means that this method can generalise well within the domain. Finally, we make a novel contribution by presenting different types of users in Reddit, which opens many future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : Both motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) have a substantial detrimental influence on the patient's quality of life. The most effective treatment remains oral levodopa. All currently known treatments just address the symptoms; they do not completely reverse the condition. Methodology: In order to find literature on the creation of novel treatment agents and their efficacy for PD patients, we searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and other online libraries. Results : According to the most recent study on Parkinson's disease (PD), a great deal of work has been done in both the clinical and laboratory domains, and some current scientists have even been successful in developing novel therapies for PD patients. Conclusion : The quality of life for PD patients has increased as a result of recent research, and numerous innovative medications are being developed for PD therapy. In the near future, we will see positive outcomes regarding PD treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to comprehensively review the topics and themes studied in destination competitiveness research and to enrich tourism researchers' literature review toolbox with the computational literature review technique. A novel computational literature review framework that can be applied to review tourism research domains characterised by an abundance of literature is developed. Enabled by the developed computational literature review framework with topic modelling, this study offers a comprehensive review of 1,130 destination competitiveness studies. The results identified several promising research topics, themes and theoretical perspectives that can be perused in future destination competitiveness studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of government ideology on e-waste recycling in 30 European countries from 2008 to 2018. This study seeks to enhance the e-waste recycling literature by introducing a novel determinant, examining the unexplored relationship between government ideology and e-waste recycling rates in European countries, thus addressing a substantial research gap. Utilizing panel quantile regression on an unbalanced dataset, the findings revealed that the increased influence of right-wing parties in government was associated with lower e-waste recycling rates. Conversely, greater influence of left-wing or center-wing parties was correlated with higher recycling rates across all quantiles analyzed. The estimation results remain robust when different indicators of government ideology were employed. Overall, the study underscores the importance of political ideology in shaping e-waste recycling policies and environmental sustainability efforts. It emphasizes that effective policies should align with the political commitment of the governing body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article scrutinizes how digitalization influences fiction and non-fiction literature publishers in the era of ubiquitous digital connection. The analysis states how a lack of attention is triggering a sense of urgency for the future of literary reading. Further, the digital transition entails an overarching ambivalence. Key stakeholders in literary publishing are experiencing how media on platform-based streaming services is competing with traditional reading. They perceive a battle for time and question the future of reading. From the perspectives of Bourdieu's theory, the article reveals how penetrating connectivity is leading to a change in the professional habitus. Continuous busyness and increased professional presence are triggering ambivalence between work-related duties and personal well-being. Moreover, the publishing stakeholders reveal an ambivalence in voicing future expectations. While worried about the future of reading, the professional habitus leans on a promising future for the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyse oil, the world's most traded commodity, we combine Global Production Network (GPN) and Global Financial Network (GFN) approaches into the Global Production and Financial Network (GPFN). The combination offers a dynamic framework, as key actors and geographies in the GPFN change over time. It brings together the production and financial strands of research on oil and overcomes the physical reality v. financial fiction dichotomy in literature. Using a wide range of data on oil networks, prices, historical accounts, as well as industry, media and policy reports, we apply the GPFN to explain the evolution of oil networks, since their inception, as well as the mid- and short-term price anomalies since 2010. Our history of oil GPFN demonstrates the stability of its analytical categories and the stickiness of power wielded by some actors and geographies, while others come and go. Our account of price anomalies shows the inseparability of physical and financial factors in explaining them. As whole the GFPN is an opportunity to understand the evolving broad structures, distribution of power and price formation in markets, and as such represents a way forward for studying other products and sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a reversible investment problem with finite horizon, in which a social planner aims to determine the project's capacity level to minimize the expected total costs. These costs depend on the demand for the good, the supply in terms of production capacity, and the proportional costs. The issue of irreversible investment has been examined by Han and Yi [Commun. Nonlinear Sci. Numer. Simul., 109 (2022), 106302]. Mathematically, the reversible investment problem can be formulated as a singular stochastic control problem. The value function satisfies a two-dimensional parabolic variational inequality subject to gradient constraint, which leads to two time-dependent free boundaries representing optimal investment and disinvestment strategies. We employ a partial differential equation approach to characterize the continuity, monotonicity, and horizontal asymptotes of free boundaries, as well as establish the C2,1 regularity of the value function. To the best of our knowledge, the approach to analyze the behavior of free boundaries is novel in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 10, this study probes whether quality institutions matter in the drive towards reducing income inequality through human capital. An unbalanced panel data on the Gini index (measure of income inequality), human capital index and institutional quality index drawn across 83 Latin America and sub‐Saharan African (SSA) countries from 2010 to 2019 is used. For the most part, the consensus is that the interaction of human capital and quality institutions significantly reduces income inequality. For context, inequality reduces by −7.810 and −21.30 points for the full and SSA samples. Other findings reveal that the interaction effect is consistently negative at upper quantiles. Evidence from the margin plots reveals that the effect of human capital on inequality improves as institutional quality is strengthened. The downward trend of the plot within the 95% confidence interval shows that institutional quality enhances the impact of human capital on income inequality for the full sample and in SSA. This is a novel contribution to the literature as it suggests that quality institutions matter in the drive towards reducing the menace of income inequality. Policy recommendations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NOTCH1-related leukoencephalopathy is a new diagnostic entity linked to heterozygous gain-of-function variants in NOTCH1 that neuroradiologically show some overlap with the inflammatory microangiopathy Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS). To report a 16-year-old boy harbouring a novel NOTCH1 mutation who presented neuroradiological features suggestive of enhanced type I interferon signalling. We describe five years of follow-up and review the current literature on NOTCH1-related leukoencephalopathy. Clinical evaluation, standardised scales (SPRS, SARA, CBCL, CDI-2:P, WISCH-IV and VABS-2) and neuroradiological studies were performed, as well as blood DNA analysis. For the literature review, a search was performed on Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science up to December 2023 using the following text word search strategy: (NOTCH1) AND (leukoencephalopathy). Our patient presents clinical features consistent with other reported cases with NOTCH1 mutations but is among the minority of patients with an onset after infancy. During the five-year follow-up, we observed an increase in the severity of spasticity and ataxia. However, at the age of 16 years, our proband is still ambulatory. As for other reported patients, he manifests psychiatric features ranging from hyperactivity during childhood to anxiety and depression during adolescence. The neuroradiological picture remained essentially stable over five years. In addition to the typical findings of leukoencephalopathy with cysts and calcifications already described, we report the presence of T2-hyperintensity and T1-hypotensity of the transverse pontine fibres, enhancement in the periventricular white matter after gadolinium administration and decreased NAA and Cho peaks in the periventricular white matter on MRS. We identified a novel heterozygous variant in NOTCH1 (c.4788_4799dup), a frame insertion located in extracellular negative regulatory region (NRR)-domain as in previously published cases. Blood interferon signalling was not elevated compared to controls. This case provides further data on a new diagnostic entity, i.e., NOTCH1-related leukoencephalopathy. By describing a standardised five-year follow-up in one case and reviewing the other patients described to date, we outline recommendations relating to monitoring in this illness, emphasising the importance of psychiatric and gastroenterological surveillance alongside neurological and neuropsychological management. Studies are needed to better understand the factors influencing disease onset and severity, which are heterogeneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifiers frequently figure in works of fiction. But occurrences of quantificational expressions within fictions seem no more inevitably to be associated with real domains than uses of names within fictions seem inevitably to be associated with existing referents. The paper outlines some philosophical puzzles resulting from this apparent lack of associated domains, puzzles that are broadly analogous to more familiar ones raised by the apparently nonreferential nature of many fictional names. The paper argues, in the light of an important disanalogy between quantifiers and names, that the quantificational puzzles are substantive, in that they cannot be resolved merely by appealing to the possibility of empty domains. It then argues that, despite the cited parallels between occurrences of quantifiers and names within fictions, promising treatments of fictional names do not always straightforwardly generalise to provide accounts of the quantificational phenomena: the quantificational puzzles are therefore not only substantive but also distinctive. The paper provides further testament to the depth and interest of the problems involving content that are generated by fiction, by identifying a very wide range of previously neglected cases, while also helping to situate within a broader context the notoriously hard philosophical challenges posed by fictional names. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distraction osteogenesis is utilized to increase intracranial volume in the treatment of restrictive pathologies, most commonly syndromic synostosis. Children too young for open calvarial vault expansion or other systemic or local contraindications to a direct reconstructive approach benefit greatly from distraction osteogenesis, typically addressing posterior vault expansion. Wound infection, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, device failure, need for a second surgery for removal, and cost, are issues that can limit the use of this approach. These challenges are more pronounced in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to lack of access to the device, the financial burden of the need for a second surgery, and the severity of the implications of infection and CSF leak. Over the last five decades, there has been an increased acceptance of bioresorbable instrumentation in craniofacial surgery. Poly L-lactic acid, polyglycolic acid, and polydioxanone are the most commonly used polymers. New resorbable fixation tools such as ultrasound-activated pins and heat-activated pins are superior to conventional bioresorbable screws in allowing attachment to thinner bone plates. In this paper, we present a review of the literature on cranial vault distraction and the use of bioresorbable materials and propose a novel design of a fully absorbable cranial distractor system using external magnetic distraction control, eliminating the need for external activation ports and a second surgery to remove the hardware. The application of this technology in LMIC settings could advance access to care and treatment options for patients with syndromic synostosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel systemic therapies for breast cancer are being rapidly implemented into clinical practice. These drugs often have different mechanisms of action and side-effect profiles compared with traditional chemotherapy. Underpinning practice-changing clinical trials focused on the systemic therapies under investigation, thus there are sparse data available on radiotherapy. Integration of these new systemic therapies with radiotherapy is therefore challenging. Given this rapid, transformative change in breast cancer multimodal management, the multidisciplinary community must unite to ensure optimal, safe, and equitable treatment for all patients. The aim of this collaborative group of radiation, clinical, and medical oncologists, basic and translational scientists, and patient advocates was to: scope, synthesise, and summarise the literature on integrating novel drugs with radiotherapy for breast cancer; produce consensus statements on drug–radiotherapy integration, where specific evidence is lacking; and make best-practice recommendations for recording of radiotherapy data and quality assurance for subsequent studies testing novel drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The f(R, T) gravity models, for which R is the Ricci scalar and T is the trace of the energy–momentum tensor, elevate the degrees of freedom of the renowned f(R) theories, by making the Einstein field equations of the theory to also depend on T. While such a dependence can be motivated by quantum effects, the existence of imperfect or extra fluids, or even a cosmological "constant" which effectively depends on T, the formalism can truly surpass some deficiencies of f(R) gravity. As the f(R, T) function is arbitrary, several parametric models have been proposed ad hoc in the literature and posteriorly confronted with observational data. In the present article, we use gaussian process to construct an f (R , T) = R + f (T) model. To apply the gaussian process we use a series of measurements of the Hubble parameter. We then analytically obtain the functional form of the function. By construction, this form, which is novel in the literature, is well-adjusted to cosmological data. In addition, by extrapolating our reconstruction to redshift z = 0 , we were able to constrain the Hubble constant value to H 0 = 69.97 ± 4.13 km s - 1 Mpc - 1 with 5 % precision. Lastly, we encourage the application of the functional form herewith obtained to other current problems of observational cosmology and astrophysics, such as the rotation curves of galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to document the milking efficiency of a sample of Irish dairy farms and to understand the effects of (1) seasonality, (2) management practices, (3) parlor infrastructure, and (4) parlor automations on milking efficiency metrics. A novel methodology based on empirical data from video cameras, infrastructure surveys, and milk yield data allowed for the accurate computation of milking efficiency metrics and quantification of the effects of seasonality, number of operators, and parlor automations on milking efficiency across 2 parlor types. The data for this study were collected over 2 periods: period 1 (July 28, 2020, to October 23, 2020, peak-late production) and period 2 (April 12, 2021, to May 19, 2021, early-peak production) from a sample of 16 herringbone and 10 rotary commercial Irish dairy farms. Milking efficiency was evaluated on each farm using 3 key performance indicators: (1) cows milked per hour (cows/h), (2) cows milked per operator per hour (cows/h per operator), and (3) liters of milk harvested per hour (L/h). Milking efficiency key performance indicators were calculated using "total process time," defined as the time between the first cow entering the holding yard and the end of the cleaning process. Average herd sizes for herringbone and rotary farms were 180 and 425 cows, respectively. Average system sizes for herringbone and rotary farms were 20 and 50 clusters, respectively. For herringbone farms, the average milking efficiency was 94 cows/h, 73 cows/h per operator, and 1,012 L/h, whereas rotary farms achieved an average milking efficiency of 170 cows/h, 132 cows/h per operator, and 1,534 L/h. Parlor size was strongly correlated with milking efficiency (cows/h) for herringbone parlors (0.91) but was only moderately correlated for rotary parlors (0.50). Hence, we documented the effect of parlor size on milking efficiency is relative to parlor type. Cluster utilization values on herringbone farms were 5 cows/cluster per h, 4 cows/cluster per operator per h, and 51 L/cluster per h, which were 67%, 33%, and 65% greater than rotary farms, respectively. We found for both herringbone and rotary farms hourly cow throughput (cows/h, cows/h per operator) were greatest during period 1 and that the volume of milk harvested per hour (L/h) was greatest for period 2. Thus, we documented an inverse seasonal relationship between hourly rates of cows milked and milk harvested. We observed that for herringbone farms, milking efficiency (cows/h, L/h) had a strong positive correlation (0.75, 0.74) with the levels of automation use. However, the minimal variation in automations used among rotary farms made it difficult to evaluate their effect on milking efficiency. Similarly, we found that the effect of automations on milking efficiency was dependent on parlor type. On average, a second operator at milking for both herringbone (H) and rotary (R) farms increased values for cows/h (+19%, H; +34%, R) and L/h (+21%, H; +12%, R) but lowered values for cows/h per operator (−35%, H; −12%, R). The holistic methodology applied in this study allowed us to add novel data to the literature by quantifying the effects of seasonality, the number of operators present at milking, and parlor automation use on milking efficiency across 2 parlor types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of Single Cantilever Beam sandwich specimens may be analyzed effectively through one-dimensional theories accounting for the actual deformation of the core and its effects on fracture parameters and compliance. The model of a beam on an elastic Winkler foundation describes the detaching facesheet as an Euler–Bernoulli beam resting, in the bonded region, on an elastic foundation which generates oscillating deflections with characteristic length 1 / λ. Modified beam theory (MBT) describes the debonded part of the face sheet as a cantilever beam, built-in at the debond tip, with an effective length which is longer than the actual detached length, by a quantity Δ. If Δ = 1 / λ the two models predict the same energy release rate and similar load-point displacements. Effective crack extension and characteristic length depend on the thicknesses and elastic constants of facesheets and core and may be derived through experimental measurements of the specimen compliance at various increments of crack growth, as prescribed by experimental protocols. In the theoretical analyses, Δ is typically assumed, either by directly using formulas proposed for other specimens or by calibrating their parameters to case specific finite element results. In this paper, we investigate the applicability of such formulas to a wide selection of sandwich composites for naval and aeronautical applications having thicknesses or materials other than those used for the original fitting; we then highlight their limitations and effects on the design of experimental protocols for material characterization. The applicability of a recent isotropic-elasticity based formula for Δ is then verified using extensive data from the literature and novel finite element (FE) results for typical sandwich composites. Finally, a novel elasticity solution for the load-point displacement of a layer on a half plane is derived which supports the test data reduction procedure for Δ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poor physicochemical properties of cannabidiol (CBD) hamper its clinical development. The aim of this review was to examine the literature to identify novel oral products and delivery strategies for CBD, while assessing their clinical implications and translatability. Evaluation of the published literature revealed that oral CBD strategies are primarily focused on lipid-based and emulsion solutions or encapsulations, which improve the overall pharmacokinetics (PK) of CBD. Some emulsion formulations demonstrate more rapid systemic delivery. Variability in the PK effects of different oral CBD products is apparent across species. Several novel administration routes exist for CBD delivery that may offer promise for specific indications. For example, intranasal administration and inhalation allow quick delivery of CBD to the plasma and the brain, whereas transdermal and transmucosal administration routes deliver CBD systemically more slowly. There are limited but promising data on novel delivery routes such as intramuscular and subcutaneous. Very limited data show that CBD is generally well distributed across tissues and that some CBD products enable increased delivery of CBD to different brain regions. However, evidence is limited regarding whether changes in CBD PK profiles and tissue distribution equate to superior therapeutic efficacy across indications and whether specific CBD products might be suited to particular indications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a simultaneous modeling of good and bad outputs. We use an input distance function (IDF) with endogenous inputs as well as endogenous bad outputs, which is novel in the literature. Moreover, we model input efficiency to depend on the production of bad outputs which allows us to investigate whether emissions of pollutants (bad outputs) are related to technological performance (technical efficiency). We also model production of each bad output with a spatial structure separately, each depending on production of good outputs, inputs and other exogenous variables. These bad output production functions allow us to estimate both direct and indirect effects of good output on the production of bad outputs, which may be of special interest because they show the cost (to the society) in terms of releasing pollutants to the environment in order to increase production of good outputs. We apply the new technique to a data set on U.S. electric utilities with four bad outputs, three inputs and two good outputs. We used a Bayesian technique to estimate the model which is a system consisting of the input distance function, reduced form equations for each input, dynamics of inefficiency and bad output production technology--separately for each. Empirically, bad outputs are found to affect inefficiency positively. Percentage increases in inefficiency due to a percentage increase in each bad output are found to vary from 0.225% to 0.42%. Energy prices are found to be positively related to inefficiency. From the spatial specifications of bad outputs, we find that the spillover effects of increasing production of good outputs account for the majority of the total effect, indicating that neighborhood effects are more important than own effects. This means, the neighboring utilities played a crucial role indicating "contagion" of practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recurring element in Ricardo Piglia's poetics is the inherent relationship between literary criticism and fiction, with regards to the various discursive registers in his work, which brings together discursive genres such as the prologue, the diary, the interview, television classes or the arguments about literature made by characters in his novels. This article analyzes this relationship by examining the thirteen prologues Piglia wrote for Serie del Recienvenido between 2012 and 2015, through an approach that focuses on its use of the combinative process. This allows us to return and revise discussions about literary tradition and renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 10 to investigate the role of quality institutions in the human capital-income inequality nexus. It uses an unbalanced panel data on the Gini index (measure of income inequality), human capital index and institutional quality index on 46 sub-Saharan African countries from 2010 to 2019. The Driscoll and Kraay (Rev Econ Stat 80:549–560, 1998) panel spatial correlation consistent (PSCC) and Firpo et al. (Unconditional quantile regressions. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper, No. 339, pp 1–54, 2007. https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA6822) bootstrap unconditional quantile regression (UQR) techniques are deployed. Among others, findings reveal that: (1) human capital and institutions aggravate inequality; (2) the interaction of human capital and institution reduce inequality; (3) UQR reveals that the interaction effect is negative at lower quantiles of 0.10, 0.25 and 0.50; and (4) results across the sub-regions are mixed. In addition, evidence from the margin plots reveals that the conditional effect of human capital on income inequality is negative as institutions are strengthened. The downward trend of the plot within the 95% confidence interval shows that institutional quality enhances the impact of human capital on income inequality. These are novel contributions to the literature as it suggests that quality institutions matter in the drive towards reducing the menace of income inequality. Policy recommendations include strengthening institutions and making basic education affordable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Through a case of deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2) to improve domestic clinicians' understanding of the disease, and to review the literature, promote dermatologists for clinical secondary primary lesion diagnosis. Method: Analysis of a case diagnosed with DADA2 deficiency of clinical manifestations, laboratory, imaging examination and treatment methods, and discussion through literature analysis. Results: The child with recurrent fever, limbs nodular erythema, gradually in the limbs. CT of lower limb skin showed mild edema of the spinous layer, intact basal layer, dilated vascular congestion in the superficial dermis, visible RBC extravasation, and changes of telangiectasia ring purpura were considered. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a left choroidal cleft cyst. Genetic test was the CECR1 mutation. The treatment with adalimumab was effective. Conclusion: In this case, DADA2 is the seventh case in China, and the CECR1 mutation site (c.254A> T p.N85I,c.851G>T p. G284V) was a compound heterozygous mutation. Mastering the clinical characteristics is helpful for clinicians to diagnose this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore the role of rebel group legitimacy and ideology in durable peace (DP) following peace agreements to end civil wars. It builds on earlier research showing that justice and civil society involvement are critical in achieving DP. This study adds the impacts of rebel group activities and support on DP. Activities include service delivery and mobilization. Support is gauged with outcomes of presidential and parliamentary elections held following peace agreements. Design/methodology/approach: Five data sets were used to measure the key variables: DP, inclusive commissions (IC), legitimacy symmetry (electoral outcomes), service delivery and ideological mobilization. A measure of rebel group integration in the political system was also constructed. Impacts of the integration, legitimacy and ideology variables were assessed with a hierarchical regression model (HRM). This study begins with a base model drawn from earlier research showing the key predictors were procedural justice (PJ) and IC. The authors ask about the extent to which the rebel group variables contribute additional variance to the prediction of DP. Findings: The main contributors to the prediction of DP were PJ, IC and integration in the political system. None of the legitimacy or mobilization variables added significant variance to the prediction. Only one of the mobilization variables, forced recruitment, was significant. The decision to integrate into the political system following the agreement did not mediate the relationship between PJ in the negotiation process and DP. Results of a factor analysis showed that DP, PJ, IC and integration formed a cluster with strong loadings on the first factor. Research limitations/implications: The negative results for the legitimacy and mobilization variables may not be the last word on rebel group influences. Lack of support for the key hypotheses spurs attempts to discover other sources that contribute to the survival of rebel group actors in the political system and, in turn, to DP. Practical implications: The issues raised by this study contribute to debates about ways to attain peaceful relations among competing groups following a civil war. It appears that attention to factors inside and around the negotiation process (PJ, ICs and conversion) may be more important than rebel group activities outside of these processes. The results call attention, in particular, to the important role played by political integration. From a policy perspective, it would be useful to develop levers for encouraging rebel groups to emerge as political actors in the post-agreement environment. Originality/value: Developing measures of the symmetry of rebel group legitimacy and integration in the context of a comparative case study are the primary original contributions of this study. Furthermore, the mode of analysis (HRM) is novel in this literature. This approach builds on and extends the earlier research on factors influencing DP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms with eosinophilia (M/LN‐eo) and tyrosine kinase (TK) gene fusions are a rare group of haematopoietic neoplasms with a broad range of clinical and morphological presentations. Paediatric cases have increasingly been recognised. Importantly, not all appear as a chronic myeloid neoplasm and eosinophilia is not always present. In addition, standard cytogenetic and molecular methods may not be sufficient to diagnose M/LN‐eo due to cytogenetically cryptic aberrations. Therefore, additional evaluation with fluorescence in‐situ hybridisation and other molecular genetic techniques (array‐based comparative genomic hybridisation, RNA sequencing) are recommended for the identification of specific TK gene fusions. M/LN‐eo with JAK2 and FLT3‐rearrangements and ETV6::ABL1 fusion were recently added as a formal member to this category in the International Consensus Classification (ICC) and the 5th edition of the WHO classification (WHO‐HAEM5). In addition, other less common defined genetic alterations involving TK genes have been described. This study is an update on M/LN‐eo with TK gene fusions with focus on novel entities, as illustrated by cases submitted to the Bone Marrow Workshop, organised by the European Bone Marrow Working Group (EBMWG) within the frame of the 21st European Association for Haematopathology congress (EAHP‐SH) in Florence 2022. A literature review was performed including paediatric cases of M/LN‐eo with TK gene fusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archimedes screws are an ancient pumping technology that has more recently found use as a technology for hydropower generation. Currently, the literature is lacking reliable data, performance predicting models, and design guidelines. Most performance models presented in the literature are theoretical or were developed and evaluated using laboratory-scale data. This paper presents novel experimental and numerical simulation data to the literature from screw generators with a wide range of sizes (laboratory to full-scale powerplant scale) and orientations. The data suggest that the components of power production (pressure-driven and viscous/friction) scale differently depending on system size, configuration, and operating conditions. So, for the robust validation of models and the development of reliable design guidance, data from a wide range of sizes and configurations are crucial. The paper presents data collected from laboratory experiments, field measurements from operating powerplants, and data from numerical simulations. The numerical simulations were evaluated for accuracy with experimental data, then used to collect performance data from a wide range of screw geometries and scales. The length-scale (diameter), number of blades, fill height of water, inclination angle, and surface roughness were all varied. The data gathered in these experiments were analyzed and used to develop back-of-the-envelope estimations for the effect of each parameter on overall system performance; the relationships are intended to serve as a useful reference for designers, though they should not be used in lieu of a design model. The length-scale and number of blades were related to power in a way that could be reasonably approximated with a constant value. The fill height, inclination angle, and surface roughness were related to power in a way that could be approximated reasonably with first-order polynomial fits. Altogether, this paper presents much-needed, novel data to the literature; the data are integral for future model development and evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crises have impacted how both businesses and consumers have allowed opportunities for new processes to emerge. However, there has been a void of literature on novel strategies in the event industry, mainly through service-dominant (S-D) logic. Therefore, this study explores event business professionals' perceptions of S-D logic innovative strategies due to the impacts of global crises. Based on the results of in-depth interviews of event business professionals, six overarching themes emerged: (1) core product innovation; (2) service environment innovation; (3) technology innovation; (4) process innovation; (5) marketing innovation; and (6) socialization innovation. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided to academia on event research and on incorporating these innovative strategies into event management in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to measure and investigate the determinants of corruption across Indian states. Design/methodology/approach: This research begins by developing a corruption index (CI) based on official data on corruption cases. Second, the authors also create an adjusted corruption index (ACI) using the stochastic frontier modelling approach to address corruption case under-reporting. Third, they use a panel feasible generalised least square (FGLS) technique to discover corruption determinants. Findings: The results show that approximately 77% of corruption cases in India go under-reported, which is a major concern. The results also show that per capita income, government spending, law and order and urbanisation are the important factors affecting corruption at the regional level. Practical implications: The findings of the study emphasise the need to address the huge under-reporting of corruption data. From a policy perspective, the governments need to emphasise factors like per capita income, government spending, law and order and urbanisation to tackle corruption in India. Originality/value: Corruption is a complex global phenomenon, and several studies have conducted detailed research on the causes of corruption at all levels (regional and cross national), but this study differs from previous studies in the following ways. First, the authors used a more objective measure of corruption by developing a CI at the state level. Second, the study uses stochastic frontier analysis, which is novel in the literature on corruption analysis, to address the most critical component of under-reporting in corruption data. Finally, the study attempts to examine the factors of corruption at the regional level, which is again innovative in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basal thumb arthritis is a painful and debilitating pathology that can severely reduce a patients' quality of life. Common therapies include oral pain control, local steroid injections and/or surgery. Yet, therapeutic data on long-term improvement and even cartilage repair are scarce. This review aims to present the currently available literature on novel therapies for basal thumb arthritis, including platelet-rich plasma (PRP), fat grafting and phototherapy, and investigate their potential efficacy. The entire OVID database and PubMed were searched for studies containing the topics PRP injection, lipofilling, laser treatment and regenerative treatment for carpometacarpal arthritis. Seven studies on the effect of fat tissue on basal thumb arthritis were found. Four authors reported on PRP injections, one RCT examined a combinational treatment of PRP and fat grafting, another phototherapy for the thumb joint and one prospective trial on chondrocyte transplantation was found. Pain improvement and decreased impairment were reported in the majority of PRP and/or fat grafting studies as well as after chondrocyte implantation. Phototherapy did not significantly improve the condition. This review revealed that only limited data on regenerative therapies for carpometacarpal arthritis are currently available, yet PRP and lipofilling show promising results and merit further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissolved solute uptake from aqueous solutions by adsorbents has been studied for decades at laboratory-scale. We revisit key points raised by others and then discuss the degree of phenomenological analogy between gas-phase and aqueous-phase adsorptions, and the probable origin and validity of using 8 kJ mol–1 for the characteristic free energy of adsorption (E) when assigning physical adsorption versus chemical adsorption to an aqueous-phase adsorption using the Dubinin-Radushkevich (D/R) model. We demonstrate that E = 8 kJ mol–1 is misfitted for use with these models for assigning 'chemisorption' versus 'physisorption' to an aqueous-phase adsorption. Solvent-related processes occurring in aqueous media are not explicitly considered in aqueous-phase D/R models. We introduced a new parameter (γ corr) in the expression for the Polanyi adsorption potential (ε) in the aqueous-phase D/R model. The introduction of γ corr in this model is novel to the adsorption literature. γ corr serves as a net activity coefficient for the entire range of intramolecular and intermolecular thermodynamic interactions occurring during a solid-aqueous interfacial adsorption. Thus, ε becomes RT ln(γ corr • c s / c e). For twelve experimental aqueous-phase adsorption data sets we examined, γ corr varied from 0.023 to 2.198. Using RT ln(γ corr • c s / c e) improved the prediction of these experimental aqueous-phase adsorption data. [Display omitted] • Aqueous-phase adsorption Dubinin-Radushkevich models (D/Rs) are dissected. • Sorbate-solvent-sorbent molecular interactions are not adequately captured in D/Rs. • Using a characteristic Δ G adsorption = 8 kJ mol− 1 to assign sorption type is improper. • The correlation of aqueous-phase adsorption data by these D/Rs is questionable. • Activity coefficients should be integrated in the formula for adsorption potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Excessive production of epidural fibrosis in the nerve root can be a pain source after laminectomy. Pharmacotherapy is a minimally invasive treatment option to attenuate epidural fibrosis by suppressing proliferation and activation of fibroblasts, inflammation, and angiogenesis, and inducing apoptosis. We reviewed and tabulated pharmaceuticals with their respective signaling axes implicated in reducing epidural fibrosis. Additionally, we summarized current literature for the feasibility of novel biologics and microRNA to lessen epidural fibrosis. Systematic Review. According to the PRISMA guidelines, we systematically reviewed the literature in October 2022. The exclusion criteria included duplicates, nonrelevant articles, and insufficient detail of drug mechanism. We obtained a total of 2,499 articles from PubMed and Embase databases. After screening the articles, 74 articles were finally selected for the systematic review and classified based on the functions of drugs and microRNAs which included inhibition of fibroblast proliferation and activation, pro-apoptosis, anti-inflammation, and antiangiogenesis. In addition, we summarized various pathways to prevent epidural fibrosis. This study allows a comprehensive review of pharmacotherapies to prevent epidural fibrosis during laminectomy. We expect that our review would enable researchers and clinicians to better understand the mechanism of anti-fibrosis drugs for the clinical application of epidural fibrosis therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ideological novel is a novel that is presented to the service of a political or ideological thought and is written to change the environment or the world in line with this ideology, and depending on this particular ideology, it is a novel that makes 'literature a tool for a purpose other than itself'. It is one of the leading representatives of the thesis novel/ideological novel genre, which became increasingly widespread after the Republic with the influence of the new regime and Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated motivations for Appalachian medical students to stay or leave the region weighing postgraduation options. Semi‐structured interviews were employed with final year medical students. Transcripts were open‐coded and analyzed using the theoretical concept of Gemeinschaft/Gesellschaft. Participants were in continuous negotiation between notions of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft in their decisions to stay or leave rural Appalachian communities. Students navigated multiple tensions in their decisions to stay or leave, including: (1) geographic isolation versus place identity and (2) community responsibility versus individual opportunity. Utilization of Gemeinschaft/Gesellschaft provides a novel contribution to the literature on decisions to stay or leave as the majority of participants hedged in their decision‐making regarding future practice location. These students tended to employ a Gesellschaft rationale to stay and a Gemeinschaft rationale to leave, expressing complicated ideas about community and individual opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines the dramatization of a new model of selfhood in U.S. naturalist fiction at the turn of the twentieth century and how it was taken up by advice literature during the interwar years. By tracing a lineage of the self through the characterological types of the caveman, genius, artist, and entrepreneur, the essay shows how the construction of the caveman as a more vital self than the bourgeois individual at the turn of the twentieth century morphed into a biologized notion of Romantic genius and further into configurations of artists and entrepreneurs as the century progressed. As the types shade into each other in naturalist fiction and advice literature, they represent a new model for successful working and living that fuses expressive and economic goals, and which anticipates contemporary constructions of work as a pursuit of creative self-expression and self-actualization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current literature relating to the novel HugoTM RAS System lacks consistent data concerning the bedside features of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN). To describe the trocar placement and docking settings for RAPN with a three-arm configuration to streamline the procedure with HugoTM RAS, between October 2022 and April 2023, twenty-five consecutive off-clamp RAPNs for renal tumors with the HugoTM RAS System were performed. We conceived a trouble-free three-arm setting to ease and standardize RAPN trocar placement and docking settings with HugoTM RAS. Perioperative data were collected. Post-operative complications were reported according to the Clavien–Dindo classification. The eGFR was calculated according to the CKD–EPI formula. Continuous variables were presented as the median and IQR, while frequencies were reported as categorical variables. Off-clamp RAPNs were successfully performed in all cases without the need for conversion or additional port placement. The median age and BMI were 69 years (IQR, 60–73) and 27.3 kg/m2 (IQR, 25.7–28.1), respectively. The median tumor size and R.E.N.A.L. score were 32.5 mm (IQR, 26–43.7) and 6 (IQR, 5–7), respectively. Two patients were affected by cT2 renal tumors. The median docking and console time were 5 (IQR, 5–6) and 90 min (IQR, 68–135.75 min), respectively, with slightly progressive improvements in the docking time achieved. No intraoperative complications occurred alongside clashes between instruments or with the bed assistant. In experienced hands, this simplified three-instrument configuration of the HugoTM RAS System for off-clamp RAPN resulted in feasible and safe practice, providing patient-tailored trocar placement and docking with non-inferior peri-perioperative outcomes to other robotic platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present era, post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) stands out as one of the most commonly occurring complications associated with endoscopic choledochal lithiasis extraction. The ability to predict the occurrence of such an event, particularly by utilizing absolute values and ratio dynamics of the emergency blood tests, constitutes the primary step in effectively managing a patient with a complex pathology. The study involved 134 patients who performed ERCP to extract choledochal lithiasis (n = 48 with PEP and n = 86 without PEP). The results revealed increased risks of post-ERCP pancreatitis in women and lower risks in those who benefited from manipulation of the main bile duct with the Dormia probe and dilatation balloon (OR: 2.893 CI 95%: 1.371–6.105, p = 0.005 and respectively OR: 0.346 CI 95%: 0.156–0.765, p = 0.009), without biliary stent placement. Moreover, the results brought novel elements to the literature, showing that higher values of CRPR (OR: 4.337 CI 95%: 1.945–9.668; p < 0.001), TBIR (4.004 CI 95%: 1.664–9.634; p = 0.002) and NLR post-ERCP (3.281 CI 95%: 1.490–7.221; p = 0.003) are predictive for PEP. Nevertheless, lower total bilirubin levels upon admission are predictive of PEP with an OR of 5.262 (95% confidence interval: 2.111–13.113, p < 0.001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bureaucratic violence linked to immigration systems and residency applications, such as confusing and cumbersome administrative processes, discriminatory practices and a lack of accountability, act as significant post-migration stressors in destination countries that can impact migrant wellbeing. The behavior of public officials within these systems, referred to as 'street-level bureaucrats', can amplify stress through the use of discretion in interpreting legal requirements. The experiences of migrant women in attempting to obtain resident status in Spain have not been well documented. This article makes a novel contribution to the literature by aiming to understand the barriers faced by migrant women when applying for residency in Spain, and how experiences differ by socio-demographic subgroups. The study analysed mixed-methods data collected via an online survey of migrant women living in Valencia, Spain. A lack of information, communication barriers and difficulty meeting the stringent requirements of visa applications emerged as some of the main barriers to residency, with women from Africa, Asia or the Middle East being most likely to encounter barriers. Policy makers should seek to enhance transparency, standardize processes and improve communication for migrants interacting with the immigration system in order to reduce barriers and create more accessible pathways to residency in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancient languages preserve the cultures and histories of the past. However, their study is fraught with difficulties, and experts must tackle a range of challenging text-based tasks, from deciphering lost languages to restoring damaged inscriptions, to determining the authorship of works of literature. Technological aids have long supported the study of ancient texts, but in recent years advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning have enabled analyses on a scale and in a detail that are reshaping the field of humanities, similarly to how microscopes and telescopes have contributed to the realm of science. This article aims to provide a comprehensive survey of published research using machine learning for the study of ancient texts written in any language, script, and medium, spanning over three and a half millennia of civilizations around the ancient world. To analyze the relevant literature, we introduce a taxonomy of tasks inspired by the steps involved in the study of ancient documents: digitization, restoration, attribution, linguistic analysis, textual criticism, translation, and decipherment. This work offers three major contributions: first, mapping the interdisciplinary field carved out by the synergy between the humanities and machine learning; second, highlighting how active collaboration between specialists from both fields is key to producing impactful and compelling scholarship; third, highlighting promising directions for future work in this field. Thus, this work promotes and supports the continued collaborative impetus between the humanities and machine learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In pollen‐limited plant communities, the foraging behavior of pollinators might mediate coexistence and competitive exclusion of plant species by determining which plants receive conspecific pollen. A key question is whether realistic pollinator foraging behavior promotes coexistence or exclusion of plant species. We use a simulation model to understand how pollinator foraging behavior impacts the coexistence dynamics of pollen‐limited plants. To determine whether pollinators are likely to provide a biologically important coexistence mechanism, we compare our results to bee foraging data from the literature and from a novel experimental analysis. Model results indicate that strong specialization at the level of individual foraging paths is required to promote coexistence. However, few empirical studies have robustly quantified within‐bout specialization. Species‐level data suggest that foraging behavior is sufficient to permit pollinator‐mediated coexistence in species‐poor plant communities and possibly in diverse communities where congeneric plants co‐occur. Our experiments using bumblebees show that individual‐level specialization does exist, but not at levels sufficient to substantially impact coexistence dynamics. The literature on specialization within natural foraging paths suffers from key limitations, but overall suggests that pollinator‐mediated coexistence should be rare in diverse plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article will examine Jean Paul Sartre's Nausea from the perspectives of philosophical fiction and world literature. Philosophical fiction is a specific kind of literature that insists on its absolute modernity. However, the literary aspects of philosophical fiction place it within its political and historical context, thus threatening this pretense to universality. Our examination of Nausea will show the internal tension between philosophy and fiction and how the interplay of both of those elements informed the structure of the novel. The formal, literary aspects help further the actual philosophical content that purports to be the central focus. The implications of that interplay will lead us to a new understanding of the inner logic of world literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations is to promote, sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth. However, it is observed that many countries struggle to move up from the middleincome to high-income level, which refers to the middle-income trap (MIT). In this paper, we test the MIT hypothesis using a novel unit root test of Gómez-Zaldívar et al. (2013) across the Southern Common Market (MECOSUR) countries. To do so, we follow a different path from the existing literature and use a novel unit root testing strategy. We first test the significance of the trend term and then examine the unit root properties of the series by allowing multiple structural breaks according to the existence/non-existence of the trend term. Our results provide evidence of stationarity for Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, indicating that these four MERCOSUR countries are in MIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction There has been little research objectively examining use-patterns among individuals who use electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). The primary aim of this study was to identify patterns of e-cigarette use and categorize distinct use-groups by analyzing patterns of puff topography variables over time. The secondary aim was to identify the extent to which self-report questions about use accurately assess e-cigarette use-behavior. Aims and Methods Fifty-seven adult e-cigarette-only users completed a 4-hour ad libitum puffing session. Self-reports of use were collected both before and after this session. Results Three distinct use-groups emerged from exploratory and confirmatory cluster analyses. The first was labeled the "Graze" use-group (29.8% of participants), in which the majority of puffs were unclustered (ie, puffs were greater than 60 seconds apart) with a small minority in short clusters (2–5 puffs). The second was labeled the "Clumped" use group (12.3%), in which the majority of puffs were within clusters (short, medium [6–10 puffs], and/or long [>10 puffs]) and a small minority of puffs were unclustered. The third was labeled the "Hybrid" use-group (57.9%), in which most puffs were either within short clusters or were unclustered. Significant differences emerged between observed and self-reported use-behaviors with a general tendency for participants to overreport use. Furthermore, commonly utilized assessments demonstrated limited accuracy in capturing use behaviors observed in this sample. Conclusions This research addressed several limitations previously identified in the e-cigarette literature and collected novel data that provided substantial information about e-cigarette puff topography and its relationship with self-report measures and use-type categorization. Implications This is the first study to identify and distinguish three empirically based e-cigarette use-groups. These use-groups, as well as the specific topography data discussed, can provide a foundation for future research assessing the impact of use across different use types. Furthermore, as participants tended to overreport use and assessments did not capture use accurately, this study can serve as a foundation for future work developing more appropriate assessments for use in research studies as well as clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing congestion and the push for (i) a greener modal shift, (ii) more reliability and visibility of goods, and (iii) more sustainable activities in and related to the port are turning policymakers to the concept of the smart port. Such emerging concept describes a future state of the port that is adapted to these challenges. A smart port is a port that optimizes in-, intra- and outbound flow of goods and information, leads sustainable development and guarantees safe, resilient and secure activities through the capabilities of its (extended) port community and enabling technologies. However, turning a traditional port into a smart port is a strategic challenge for the port community at large. To contribute to this practically relevant and academic challenge, the present paper applies a literature review and the novel maturity model development methodology to develop a strategic tool. This newly-developed strategic tool (i) enhances the common understanding of the current and aspired maturity state, (ii) support decision-making of port policy and management actors and (iii) represent a maturation path for improvement for port communities. The case study results demonstrate the benefits and relevance of the tool. Finally, recommendations are made to apply this policy tool for digitalization strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Authorship of surgical literature is important for the career advancement of surgeons, and gender disparities in authorship may hinder the representation and leadership of women within academic surgery. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the gender distribution of first, senior, and overall authorship in peer-reviewed surgical journal studies across all surgical specialties to determine if disparities exist. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies investigating the gender distribution of authorship of surgical literature published before December 10th, 2021. Meta-analysis was performed and Cohen's Q test for heterogenous effects was used to determine whether random or fixed-effects models were appropriate. Results: Fifteen studies investigating gender distribution of authorship met inclusion, which included a total of 136,627 pooled studies. The meta-analysis demonstrated the meta-proportion of first authorship for women to be 20.6% (95% CI: 13.9, 28.2), the meta-proportion of senior authorship for women to be 11.9% (95% CI: 6.6, 18.5), and the meta-proportion of overall authorship for women to be 23% (95% CI: 16.2, 30.7). In addition, the proportion of senior authorship for women was found to be significantly lower than the proportion of overall authorship for women (11.9% versus 23.0%, P =.0106). Conclusion: There is a significantly smaller proportion of women who are first, senior, and overall authors in surgical literature compared to their colleagues who are men. Sustainable and effective solutions aimed at improving the representation of women surgeons in surgical research and research leadership are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important elements that characterizes the modern age is leaving behind the traditional life forms with the ideal of progress. While the traditional way of life was woven with the perception of the metaphysical world, the determinant of modern life shifted towards a materialistic world perception. This situation is reflected in literary works. Herman Melville, one of the famous writers of American literature, approaches the existential and epistemological questions that individuals experience on the axis of the perception of the metaphysical and materialistic world, and by shaping the space of conflict stemming from the two perceptions around the theme of sea travel, he processes the mental transformation of modern American individual in his novel Moby Dick (1851). Similarly, İhsan Oktay Anar, who is known for his postmodern novels in Turkish literature, also dealt with Turkish modernization as a mental transformation around a sea voyage in his novel Tiamat (2022) and discusses the doubt arising from the tension between the perception of the metaphysical and materialistic world in his work. Within the scope of this study, Melville's Moby Dick and Anar's Tiamat are examined and compared with the qualitative research method. The purpose of choosing this method is to compare the perception of the metaphysical and materialistic world in Moby Dick and Tiamat through the sea voyage theme and characters, and to argue that the suspicion and tension caused by both perceptions sheds light on the modernization experience of American and Turkish individuals. Thus, the similar and different modernization experiences are revealed within the framework of their own social and cultural dynamics, along with the tension between the perception of the sacred and profane world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our investigation supports the existence of barriers to female authorship in the cataract and refractive surgery literature from 2015 to 2022. COVID-19 may also have affected female authorship past 2020. Purpose: To evaluate whether gender barriers persist specifically in the cataract and refractive surgery (CRS) literature. In addition, no literature exists investigating the long-term effect of COVID-19 on female authorship in ophthalmology past 2020. Setting: Scopus 2015 to 2022. Design: Retrospective data review. Methods: Articles published in the Journal of Refractive Surgery and the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery were recorded from January 2015 to February 2022 from Scopus. Articles with only 1 author or where gender could not be identified were excluded. The first author (FA) gender, senior author (SA) gender, affiliated country, type of literature, and number of citations were collected. Pearson chi-squared tests with phi coefficients and multivariate logistic regression were performed. Results: 3153 articles were included in analysis. There were 910 works with female FAs and 648 with female SAs. Gender did not predict publishing in one journal over the other (P >.050). Women made up less than 30% of authorship of all types of literature, except for prospective/observational studies as FA (31.3%). Compared with before 2020, female FAs from 2020 onward were associated with increased retrospective analysis (phi = 0.072, P =.030) and letters/editorials (phi = 0.134, P <.001) but decreased case reports (phi = 0.087, P =.009) and "others" (phi = −0.164, P <.001). Similar associations were observed for female SAs. Females were more likely to publish in Asian countries. Female SAs predicted an increased likelihood of female FAs (odds ratio, 1.401, 95% CI, 1.165-1.684, P <.001). Conclusions: Gender disparities exist in authorship of the CRS literature. COVID-19 has altered the types of literature published by women, but men still publish most of all types of CRS research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]