Search

Reading is a key skill for university students. The Author Recognition Test (ART) and the Title Recognition Test (TRT) have both been used for decades to measure print exposure which correlates with reading and other linguistic skills. Given the available evidence for interindividual differences in reading skills, this study addresses three open issues. First, to what extent do ART and TRT scores correlate with individual differences regarding students' study programs? Second, how do these results correlate with the self-reported time spent reading different types of text genres (e.g., fiction, nonfiction) per week? And third, this study compares ART and TRT to one another. We tested students from six study programs in the humanities and (medical) sciences which vary in the amount and kind of reading material required for study success. We found that students perform significantly differently in the ART and the TRT depending on their field of study. Students in a study program focusing on fiction and literature perform best overall. We also replicated the well-known effect of age on ART and TRT scores: older students have better scores. We did not find reliable effects of reading time on test performance, whereas individual creative writing habits did positively predict ART/TRT test results. These results raise a number of important questions regarding the ART/TRT in general and regarding interindividual differences in personal reading and writing habits and the change in reading habits in times of media convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates explicitly how Information technology capability (ITC) can be tailored to achieve business sustainability via ambidextrous innovation in a turbulent environment. Moreover, the moderating factor of a data‐driven culture (DDC) is also being investigated. The research model was built on the theoretical foundations of the resource‐based view (RBV), dynamic capabilities view and existing IT capabilities literature. Through a close‐ended survey questionnaire from approximately 254 IT personnel in managerial positions working in the manufacturing industry, partial least squares‐structural equation modelling‐artificial neural network (PLS‐SEM‐ANN) is applied. Notably, the result indicated that ITC positively influences IT‐enabled dynamic capabilities (ITDC), which positively impacts ambidextrous innovations and helps manufacturing firms achieve business sustainability. Meanwhile, the moderating role of DDC between ITDC and exploitative innovation was also found. The results showed that ANN models A, B, C and D are consistent for both analysis. This study provides several novel additions to the literature on operations management and information systems (IS) researchers. IS researchers should focus on leveraging ITC to enable and support organisational capabilities rather than the direct effects of IT expenditures. Additionally, the importance of a DDC has seldom been explored together previously. Thus, this study fills gaps in existing knowledge, along with significant insights, specifically for future IT implementation. As for practical implications, this study provides corporate leaders and executives with insights about how to leverage their resources and customise their ITC in an unpredictable and volatile business environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infective endocarditis is an infection of microbial origin affecting the endocardial layer of the heart, mostly impacting the heart valves. Right-sided infective endocarditis mainly affects the tricuspid valve. In some cases where surgical management is indicated the patients might not be good candidates for surgery. The AngioVac drainage cannula (AngioDynamics, Latham, NY, USA) is a novel device used in debulking and suction of intravascular material. It has been reported in the literature as a novel treatment for patients with right-sided tricuspid valve endocarditis vegetations, where their size is reduced and the efficacy of antibiotics in clearing the bloodstream infection is enhanced. Methods and results: We conducted a thorough literature review to assess the uses of the AngioVac drainage cannula in the management of right-sided infective endocarditis vegetations and lesions. We collected all reported cases where the system was used for the management of right-sided infective endocarditis and performed an encompassing review of the literature. In the review, we found 65 cases reported using the AngioVac drainage cannula for the removal of right-sided infective endocarditis vegetations. Majority of the cases were successful with no complications (87.6%); 7 (10.7%) cases were successful but there were complications: 2 reported mortalities, 1 patient had worsening TR during follow-up, 3 had recurrence of the vegetation, and 1 patient remained bacteremic. There was only 1 reported failure. Four (6.1%) patients required postprocedural valvular surgery with 3 repairs and a single valve replacement. Conclusions: The AngioVac system is a possible bailout option for surgeons managing patients with right-sided infective endocarditis vegetations who are not ideal candidates for surgery. With increased reports on its use, it could be effective at reducing the microbiological burden with minimal complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recommender systems (RSs) aim at helping users to effectively retrieve items of their interests from a large catalogue. For a quite long time, researchers and practitioners have been focusing on developing accurate RSs. Recent years have witnessed an increasing number of threats to RSs, coming from attacks, system and user generated noise, and various types of biases. As a result, it has become clear that the focus on RS accuracy is too narrow, and the research must consider other important factors, particularly trustworthiness. A trustworthy recommender system (TRS) should not only be accurate but also transparent, unbiased, fair, and robust to noise and attacks. These observations actually led to a paradigm shift of the research on RSs: from accuracy-oriented RSs to TRSs. However, there is a lack of a systematic overview and discussion of the literature in this novel and fast-developing field of TRSs. To this end, in this article, we provide an overview of TRSs, including a discussion of the motivation and basic concepts of TRSs, a presentation of the challenges in building TRSs, and a perspective on the future directions in this area. We also provide a novel conceptual framework to support the construction of TRSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is devoted to the problem of detection of forest and nonforest areas on Earth images. We propose two statistical methods to tackle this problem: one based on multiple hypothesis testing with parametric distribution families, another one—on nonparametric tests. The parametric approach is novel in the literature and relevant to a larger class of problems—detection of natural objects, as well as anomaly detection. We develop mathematical background for each of the two methods, build self‐sufficient detection algorithms using them and discuss practical aspects of their implementation. We also compare our algorithms with each other and with those from standard machine learning using satellite data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing a simple time‐varying hazard model, we incorporate nationwide and state‐level economic variables with banking‐industry and bank‐level data to examine U.S. bank failures during 1977–2019. We find that bank‐level financial conditions are more essential in predicting bank failure, although macro factors affect the failure likelihood of vulnerable banks. We also find that banking‐industry market variables are significant predictors. Unlike bank systemic funding cost whose predictive power is subsumed in the presence of macroeconomic variables, banking‐industry market performance has a significantly independent predictive power on bank failure. This finding is novel to existing literature of bank‐failure forecast and has important policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the factors influencing the relocation of EUR-denominated clearing services back to EU central counterparties (CCPs) by the European Commission. It adopts a novel security-centred approach to analyse this decision within the context of a fragmented geopolitical arena marked by uneven development in financial centres. Using the theory of Geopolitical Economy (GPE), this paper examines the implications and risks associated with financial dependencies and the pursuit of autonomy in the global financial landscape. It specifically addresses the risks posed by the dominance of UK CCPs, such as London Clearing House (LCH), in EUR-denominated clearing services and emphasises the EU’s need to bolster its financial autonomy and stability, mitigating these intricate risks in this process. Through this analysis, the paper contributes to the existing literature by offering a novel understanding of the geopolitical-economic factors influencing regulatory actions within financial services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social prescribing is gaining traction internationally. It is an approach which seeks to address non-medical and health-related social needs through taking a holistic person-centred and community-based approach. This involves connecting people with and supporting them to access groups and organisations within their local communities. It is hoped that social prescribing might improve health inequities and reduce reliance on healthcare services. In the UK, social prescribing link workers have become core parts of primary care teams. Despite growing literature on the implementation of social prescribing, to date there has been no synthesis that develops a theoretical understanding of the factors that shape link workers' experiences of their role. Methods: We undertook a meta-ethnographic evidence synthesis of qualitative literature to develop a novel conceptual framework that explains how link workers experience their roles. We identified studies using a systematic search of key databases, Google alerts, and through scanning reference lists of included studies. We followed the eMERGe guidance when conducting and reporting this meta-ethnography. Results: Our synthesis included 21 studies and developed a "line of argument" or overarching conceptual framework which highlighted inherent and interacting tensions present at each of the levels that social prescribing operates. These tensions may arise from a mismatch between the policy logic of social prescribing and the material and structural reality, shaped by social, political, and economic forces, into which it is being implemented. Conclusions: The tensions highlighted in our review shape link workers' experiences of their role. They may call into question the sustainability of social prescribing and the link worker role as currently implemented, as well as their ability to deliver desired outcomes such as reducing health inequities or healthcare service utilisation. Greater consideration should be given to how the link worker role is defined, deployed, and trained. Furthermore, thought should be given to ensuring that the infrastructure into which social prescribing is being implemented is sufficient to meet needs. Should social prescribing seek to improve outcomes for those experiencing social and economic disadvantage, it may be necessary for social prescribing models to allow for more intensive and longer-term modes of support. [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]

Objective/context: The objective pursued by this research is to analyse the possible existence of a social and political fracture around the figure of former President Rafael Correa and his political legacy, the Citizen Revolution, which would act as a kind of polarizing division of Ecuadorian society: correismo/anti-correismo axis. A division that, born of politics, would have been established within society, allowing the existence of two opposing sides that feel, perceive and act in politics in a very different way. Methodology: To this end, a study has been drawn up with a quantitative methodological approach based on an analysis of the data contained in the Study of Politics and Emotions in Ecuador, March 2021 (SPEE), carried out by the EIP-USC after the first round of the 2021 presidential elections. Conclusions: The results of this first approach (descriptive and multivariate) allow us to affirm the existence of important differences between supporters and detractors of correismo, especially as regards political and emotional issues, but not so regarding sociodemographic issues. Originality: The influence that the emotional factor expressed towards the different political leaders would have in the construction of this fracture is especially relevant; providing a novel vision to the literature on the influence of Rafael Correa and his project in the Ecuadorian political system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we focus on the stability analysis of the RLC model by employing differential equations with Hadamard fractional derivatives. We prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions using Banach's contraction principle and Schaefer's fixed point theorem. To facilitate our key conclusions, we convert the problem into an equivalent integro-differential equation. Additionally, we explore several versions of Ulam's stability findings. Two numerical examples are provided to illustrate the applications of our main results. We also observe that modifications to the Hadamard fractional derivative lead to asymmetric outcomes. The study concludes with an applied example demonstrating the existence results derived from Schaefer's fixed point theorem. These findings represent novel contributions to the literature on this topic, significantly advancing our understanding. [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]

While there is a large body of literature on different models of secularism and religion and politics, relatively scarce attention has been devoted to the experimentation of the moderate secularism model in authoritarian and Muslim-majority countries. This article brings a novel insight into the literature by unpacking the complex relationship between secularism, politics, and religion in Turkiye. The Turkish Republic was founded on the norm of authoritarian secularism that promulgates the exclusion of religion both from the political and public spheres. After the Justice and Development Party (JDP) came to power, Turkiye appeared to be moving toward moderate secularism through policies, such as the liberalization of the headscarf and the expansion of non-Muslim rights. By examining the transformed role of the Diyanet (the Presidency of Religious Affairs), Imam Hatip schools, and the conversion of church-turned-museums into mosques, this article illustrates that rather than moving in the direction of moderate secularism, the JDP has rather instrumentalized it and has eventually worked toward infusing Islamic norms into the Turkish state through bureaucratic and political initiatives. By examining and contextualizing the trajectory of secularism in Turkiye, this study contributes to the literature on religion, authoritarianism, and secularism in general, and ongoing debates on Turkish politics in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cohesion Policy is one of the core policy areas of the European Union and one of the largest expenditure items in its budget. Its impact is the subject of intense academic and policy debate, but its effectiveness is an empirical question still open. This article contributes to this debate by performing a region-specific investigation of the direct and indirect impact of Structural Funds expenditure. We employ a heterogeneous panel data model, which accommodates the spatial dependence in a heterogeneous setting and measures heterogeneous spatial spillover effects, both inward and outward. We also consider different channels of spatial spillovers with respect to standard geographical closeness. In particular, the introduction of new measures of proximity that explicitly consider economic linkages between regions is a novel contribution to the literature. The results clearly indicate that the impact of the Cohesion Policy, while positive overall, is highly heterogeneous and the Structural Funds expenditure generates substantial heterogeneous spatial spillovers: the positive effects do not remain confined to the target regions. Finally, strong spillover effects are channelled by value-added trade connections, particularly in regions belonging to the so-called 'Central European Manufacturing Core'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 800,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma) each year, with approximately 700,000 deaths alone occurring in that same year. Treatment of HCC presents complex therapeutic challenges, particularly in intermediate and advanced stages. LRTs such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and ablations have been the mainstay treatment for early to intermediate-stage HCC, and systemic therapies are used to treat intermediate-late-stage HCC. However, novel literature describing combining LRT with systemic therapies has shown promising results. This review explores recent advances in both liver-directed techniques for hepatocellular carcinoma, including bland transarterial embolization, chemoembolization, radioembolization, and ablative therapies in conjunction as well as with systemic therapies, with a focus on combination therapies, patient selection, procedural technique, periprocedural management, and outcomes. Our findings suggest that LRT combined with systemic therapies is a viable strategy for improving progression-free survival and time to progression for patients with intermediate-to-late-stage HCC. However, further investigation is required to refine treatment protocols and define patient cohorts that would benefit the most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, RDF streaming has been explored in research and practice from many angles, resulting in a wide range of RDF stream definitions. This variety presents a major challenge in discussing and integrating streaming systems due to a lack of a common language. This work attempts to address this critical research gap by systematizing RDF stream types present in the literature in a novel taxonomy. The proposed RDF Stream Taxonomy (RDF-STaX) is embodied in an OWL 2 DL ontology that follows the FAIR principles, making it readily applicable in practice. Extensive documentation and additional resources are provided to foster the adoption of the ontology. Three use cases for the ontology are presented with accompanying competency questions, demonstrating the usefulness of the resource. Additionally, this work introduces a novel nanopublications dataset, which serves as a collaborative, living state-of-the-art review of RDF streaming. The results of a multifaceted evaluation of the resource are presented, testing its logical validity, use case coverage, and adherence to the community's best practices, while also comparing it to other works. RDF-STaX is expected to help drive innovation in RDF streaming by fostering scientific discussion, cooperation, and tool interoperability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Universum is the property of Instituto de Estudios Humanisticos Juan Ignacio Molina, Universidad de Talca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Contaduría y Administración is the property of Facultad de Contaduria y Administracion-Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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]

Imili Nasrullah was born on July 6, 1931 in the village of Kevkeba in the Hasbaya region of Southern Lebanon. He spent his childhood in his village, where he was engaged in gardening. While living in the village, he had the opportunity to observe the traditions, customs and traditions of his village and conveyed them to the reader. Imili Nasrullah, one of the important writers of Arabic Literature, also conveyed the lives, joys and happiness of the villagers in his novels. Although Imili Nasrullah is considered a feminist, she has addressed many topics in various fields in her works. The topics he generally deals with in his novels and stories are: Lebanon's village life, family roots, freedom, migration, exile, equality between men and women, the struggle for freedom of expression, war and the suffering they suffered in war. The author has created an exemplary identity with his works for his period and the new generation of writers. In addition, the author, who attaches importance to the individual and the inner world of the individual, especially the lives of women, also discussed social issues. Imili Nasrullah also discussed the place of women in society and criticized the difficulties they suffered. However, she criticized the discrimination between men and women. This study will focus on the theme of women in Imili Nasrullah's novels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This teaching note considers the benefits of including very short stories or "flash fiction" in the (Canadian) literature classroom. Because the genre is relatively new and favors brevity, it can be attractive to students. Teachers can be sure the students will have read the story, or even find the time to have them read entire stories in class. As well, choosing very short works lets us introduce a variety of Canadian authors to our students. We begin by questioning the dominance of context-hunting and theme-searching among young readers, and point out that this mode of reading comes at the expense of an appreciation or serious consideration of form and language. While historical context and themes are of course important to understanding any story, students often privilege the extra-textual over the literary merits of fiction; they are not necessarily reading literature as literature. The latter part of the note zeroes in on classroom experiences we have had while teaching stories by John Gould, Carin Makuz and Douglas Glover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To review the latest surgical advances and evolving clinical use of scleral bio-tissue for reinforcement in the eye and review the published literature on novel surgical applications of scleral allograft bio-tissue. Conventional surgical procedures for scleral reinforcement using homologous scleral allograft have been traditionally ab-externo interventions comprising of anterior or posterior reinforcement of the sclera for clinical indications such as trauma, scleromalacia, glaucoma drainage device coverage, scleral perforation, buckle repair as well as posterior reinforcement for pathologic myopia and staphyloma. There have been a few novel ab-interno uses of scleral bio-tissue for reinforcement in both retina and glaucoma. Over the last decade, there has been an increase in peer-reviewed publications on scleral reinforcement, reflecting more interest in its clinical applications. With favorable biological and biomechanical properties, scleral allograft may be an ideal substrate for an array of new applications and surgical uses. [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]

• 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]

Copyright of Journal of Media & Culture / Medya ve Kültür is the property of Medya ve Kultur and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Pixo: Revista de Arquitetura Cidade e Contemporaneidade is the property of Pixo Revista de Arquitetura Cidade e Contemporaneidade and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Philologia is the property of Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: This research work has developed an integrated fuzzy Delphi and neutrosophic best–worst framework for selecting the sustailient (sustainable and resilient) supplier for an additive manufacturing (AM)-enabled industry. Design/methodology/approach: An integrated fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) and neutrosophic best–worst method (N-BWM) approach is developed. 34 supplier evaluation criteria falling under 4 groups, that is, traditional, sustainable, resilient, and AM specific, are identified and validated using the FDM. Afterward, the weights of each criterion are measured by N-BWM. Later on, the performance evaluation is carried out to determine the best-suited supplier. Finally, sensitivity analysis is performed to know the stability and robustness of the proposed framework. Findings: The outcome indicates the high performance of the suggested decision-making framework. The analysis reveals that supplier 4 (S4) is selected as the most appropriate for a given firm based on the FDM and N-BWM method. Research limitations/implications: The applicability of this framework is demonstrated through an industrial case of a 3D-printed trinket manufacturer. The proposed research helps AM decision-makers better understand resiliency, sustainability, and AM-related attributes. With this, the practitioners working in AM business can prioritize the supplier selection criteria. Originality/value: This is the primitive study to undertake the most critical aspect of supplier selection for AM-enabled firms. Apart from this, an integrated FDM-N-BWM framework is a novel contribution to the literature on supplier selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the one-dimensional nonlinear Sine–Gordon equation is solved using the "Exponential modified cubic B-spline differential quadrature method with the leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) approach". By employing the LOOCV approach to determine the optimal value of the parameter ϵ involved in the basis function, the accuracy and effectiveness of the results are improved. The combination of this approach with the exponential modified cubic B-spline differential quadrature method, which is novel in the literature, is likely to attract researchers' interest. Additionally, the procedure is implemented on six examples of the Sine–Gordon equation. The results are presented in the form of tables and figures. It is demonstrated that this approach is straightforward and yields superior outcomes compared to the existing literature. This paper also presents an insightful discussion on the significant application of the Sine–Gordon equation in Josephson junctions and its crucial role in new technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is dedicated to studying the evolution of the Gothic novel in English-language literature from the 18th century to the modern stage of development through the lens of genre transformations and stylistic modifications. The purpose of the article is to study the peculiarities of the Gothic novel genre in English-language literature through the prism of genre transformations, the dialectic of tradition and innovation. The research was conducted on the basis of the complex application of the method of analysis and synthesis, comparative-typological, biographical, historical-genetic methods and the method of generalization. By conducting a typological comparison of the early Gothic novel, represented in the works of Horace Walpole, Mary Shelley, Ann Radcliffe, and the later Gothic novels of Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, and Stephen King, it was found that the peculiarity of mature Gothic novels compared to early ones is authorial subjectivity, vivid imagery, and picturesque quality, which eventually evolves into a fascination with supernatural phenomena and horrors. The figurative and symbolic system of the Gothic novel also evolves, as demons and the deceased are replaced by the innocent image of a child or woman, erasing the gender boundaries of the villain hero as the primary catalyst of the plot. [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]

The article tries to map the perspectives of the post-communist East on its own communist past, as envisioned by four writers and their relevant novels: the Michal Ajvaz (The Other City, 1993), Mircea Cărtărescu (Blinding, 1996), the David Albahari (Leeches, 2006), the Olga Tokarczuk (Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, 2009). I argue that these novels -- which take the form of mysteries and/or draw on conspiracy theories -- resort to specific genre tropes in their attempt to render in an allegorical code the deficits in the cognitive mapping of the post-communist period. This blank spot concerns the project of post-communism as an evasive totality which the East has been constantly trying to grasp, after being confined in the cognitive labyrinth of the neoliberal capitalism that has predominated since the demise of communism in central Europe in 1989. My study relies on Fredric Jameson's view that conspiracy theories are indicative of deficiencies of cognitive mappings. Subsequently, I analyse the four novels in a World Literature frame. These terms help in interpreting the ways in which the literatures of the former Eastern Bloc relate to their own past, but also to the new planetary conscience pushed forward by neoliberal capitalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Index.Comunicación is the property of Index.comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of KULT online is the property of Justus Liebig University Giessen and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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]

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]

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 article is dedicated to the first and most significant novel in Bulgarian literature with a plot from the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) – the novel Condemned Souls (1945) by Dimitar Dimov. In the context of criticism of the literary work of the author (the so-called „Tabacco“case 1951–1953) and its quasi-socialist poetics, the tendency towards historical incoherence is analyzed. Dimov’s novel has a large number of small historical and logical inaccuracies, but one error is indicated as essential: the narrative of the Condemned Souls takes place in 1936 and one of the main characters is a Jesuit, but the historical truth is that between 1932 and 1938 on the territory of Spain „The Society of Jesus“ is banned by the republican Constitution (1931) and edicts of the prime minister Manuel Azaña (1932); these statutory provisions are not repealed until 1938 when the rights of the Order are restored by Francisco Franco. In this way, Dimov’s novel is interpreted as a ‘torn creation’ between fiction and the historical truth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The gift-giving literature has documented several cases in which givers and recipients do not see eye-to-eye in gift-giving decisions. To help integrate this considerable segment of the gifting literature, this paper aims to develop a social norms-based framework for understanding and predicting giver-recipient asymmetries in gift selection. Design/methodology/approach: Five experimental studies test the hypotheses. Participants in these studies evaluate gifts used in previous research, choose between gifts as either gift-givers or gift-recipients, and/or indicate their level of discomfort with choosing different kinds of gifts. The gifts vary in ways that allow the authors to test the social norms-based framework. Findings: Gift-giving asymmetries tend to occur when one of the gifts under consideration is less descriptively, but not less injunctively, normative than the other. This theme holds for both asymmetries recorded in the gift-giving literature and novel ones. Indeed, the authors document new asymmetries in cases where the framework would expect asymmetries to occur and, providing critical support for the framework, the absence of asymmetries in cases where the framework would not expect asymmetries to emerge. Moreover, the authors explain these asymmetries, and lack thereof, using a mechanism that is novel to the literature on gift-giving mismatches: feelings of discomfort. Research limitations/implications: This research has multiple theoretical implications for the literatures studying gift-giving and social norms. A limitation of this work is that it left some (secondary) predictions of its model untested. Future research could test some of these predictions. Practical implications: Billions of dollars are spent on gifts each year, making gift-giving a research topic of great practical importance. In addition, the research offers suggestions to consumers giving gifts, consumers receiving gifts, as well as marketers. Originality/value: The research is original in that it creates a novel framework that predicts both the presence and absence of gift-giving asymmetries, introduces a psychological mechanism to the literature on giver-recipient gift choice asymmetries, and unifies many of the mismatches previously documented in this literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to present a new approach to managing process changes in uncertain conditions. The proposed approach is applied in one of the largest production companies in Turkey to manage the changes in their warehouse processes which formed after the merger. Design/methodology/approach: In the model, interval-valued hesitant fuzzy the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (IVHF-DEMATEL) methodology is integrated into one of the most used BPR tools, change matrix. The main focus of the proposed model is to increase both flexibility and applicability in uncertain conditions. Thus, while the change matrix enables companies to be agile and responsive to changes, IVHF-DEMATEL provides a better way to continuously evaluate and determine critical processes, and strategies to align with evolving conditions. Findings: Initial analysis revealed two major problems, the slowness of shipments caused by the increase in costs and the confusion in the organizational structure. However, the conventional methods fall short of effectively determination of critical objectives in terms of dealing with uncertainty. Therefore, a comprehensive roadmap for managing the change is developed with the integration of IVHF-DEMATEL and change matrix so that a successful transition is achieved. Originality/value: It is believed that the study will contribute to the existing literature by providing a novel approach in which the IVHF-DEMATEL methodology is integrated into the change matrix. Also, the study provides a guideline for practical applications by presenting a step-by-step implementation of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explores the relationship between return on assets and firm value. Most importantly, the mediating effect of the dividend payout ratio and the moderating effect of institutional investors are examined. The data for this study was collected from secondary sources, which included financial information. The sample consisted of five pharmaceutical companies with 192 data points over a ten-year period and was analyzed using Hayes's PROCESS macros. The findings of the study indicate that (i) return on assets is positively associated with the firm value and dividend payout ratio, (ii) dividend payout ratio was negatively related to firm value, (iii) the firm's size moderates the relationship between return on assets and dividend payout ratio, and institutional holdings. The findings support moderating effect of firm size (second moderator) in the relationship between the return on assets and institutional investors (first moderator) and dividend payout ratio and firm value, mediated through dividend payout ratio. This type of moderated-mediation model is novel in the literature on finance. This innovative methodology would be of interest to researchers in finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We improve constituent‐channel estimates of home‐field and neutral‐site advantage for collegiate American football's top division by utilizing a richer, 12‐season data set and by exploiting the COVID‐19 pandemic as a random shock. Novel to the literature, we separately examine points scored by each team, allowing us to identify impacts on each team's offense and defense individually. The information set provided by our model is a strict superset of that provided by the previous standard in the literature, making ours a strictly dominant modeling choice. We demonstrate this improvement theoretically and empirically. Physiologically, away‐team travel distance does not impact their own score, but it increases home‐team scores, consistent with the notion that defenses tire faster than offenses. There is also similar but limited evidence of this effect for neutral‐site teams. Time zones may play a minor role, too. Psychologically, crowd size and density hurt away‐team scores but do not impact home or neutral‐site teams. The away‐team effect disappears in 2020, however, indicating that the pre‐2020 effect is caused by the crowd's noise, not their mere presence. We also find that increasing stadium capacity while holding crowd size constant hurts home‐team scores, highlighting the importance of considering ticket demand when considering stadium expansion. Tactically, stadium familiarity helps offenses, not defenses, while team‐opponent familiarity has the opposite effect. Weather also plays a role. At median values for key variables, we find an overall home‐field advantage of 4.1 points. [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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]