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Nonparametric efficiency and artificial intelligence techniques in higher education:a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis
No full textIn a sector that needs to work as efficient as possible, artificial intelligence (AI) can guide the efficiency improvements of higher education institutions (HEIs). This paper explores both the AI literature and the efficiency literature as applied to HEIs following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review guidelines. The goal is to identify the relevant research that uses nonparametric efficiency and AI techniques within the HEI sector by examining articles published up to March 2025. Our findings provide a powerful mix of bibliometric and systematic literature review results that identify the main trends common to these two strands of research. The analysis highlights a long-standing tradition of applying nonparametric efficiency analysis to the sector, as it is attracting the increasing attention of AI scholars. We outline the substantial evidence that reveals much room for improvement in efficiency in the HEI sector, and how the application of AI may be well-suited. This is particularly evident as AI can support efficiency evaluations, particularly in handling tasks that traditional efficiency techniques alone cannot perform. A key contribution of this work is the identification of the opportunities for further research focus within this critical intersection between the two fields, which can inform both HEI administrators and policymakers
Perinatal Exposure to the Neonicotinoid Thiacloprid Impacts Transcription of Neuroplasticity and Neuroendocrine Markers in Mice but Not in the Zebrafish Model
No full textNeonicotinoids are widely used insecticides in agriculture, aquaculture, pet care, and urban pest control. Initially developed to selectively target the insect cholinergic system, their extensive use has raised concerns about adverse effects on nontarget vertebrates. This study investigated the developmental neurotoxicity of the neonicotinoid thiacloprid using two vertebrate models: zebrafish and mice. Transgenic cyp19a1b-GFP zebrafish eleutheroembryos, which report estrogenic activity, were exposed to thiacloprid (10-6-10-8 M) for 4-5 days. No significant changes were observed in GFP expression or neuroplasticity and neuroendocrine markers, suggesting a limited impact in this aquatic model. In contrast, prenatal exposure of mice to thiacloprid (0.06, 0.6, or 6 mg/kg/day from embryonic day 6.5 to 15.5) produced dose-, sex-, and region-specific alterations in brain gene expression during adolescence (postnatal day 35). At low to mid doses, markers of neurogenesis and plasticity, such as doublecortin in the amygdala, neurogenin, nestin, and PCNA in the hippocampus and cerebellum, were upregulated. However, high-dose exposure (6 mg/kg/day) led to reduced expression of these markers, including BDNF in the hypothalamus and PCNA in the hippocampus, particularly in females. These results indicate that thiacloprid, even at low doses, can subtly but significantly affect mammalian brain development. Further research is needed to assess the neurodevelopmental risks of neonicotinoids in vertebrates, including humans
Fractionation and biological evaluation of passion fruit Pectins:HG and RG-I backbone ratios are associated with TLR2–1 interaction and signaling
No full textPassion fruit mesocarp is rich in pectin, and high-temperature/pressure modification of this pectin has been shown to yield bioactive fragments with anticancer potential. To clarify the structure-function relationship of passion fruit pectins, we purified native and modified pectins using two fractionation methods. Comprehensive chemical characterization revealed molecular weight as the primary difference between fractions, along with varying proportions of homogalacturonan (HG) and rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I). All samples activated TLR2, such as specific agonists (Pam3CSK4, HKLM, FSL-1). Notably, only native and lower-molecular-weight fractions inhibited TLR2/1 activation by the specific agonist Pam3CSK4. Higher methyl esterification correlated with TLR2/1 inhibition at lower doses, whereas RG-I content showed a negative correlation; however, the galacturonic acid-to-rhamnose ratio positively influenced heterodimer inhibition. A highly methyl esterified galacturonic acid heptamer demonstrated a strong affinity for the TLR2/1 binding pocket, as evidenced by molecular dynamics simulations. This study elucidates how modified passion fruit pectin structures interact with TLR2, reinforcing the link between plant polysaccharides and human immune responses
Adaptive Retraining Techniques for Foreign Object Detection in Industrial Environments
No full textForeign-object detection systems based on machine learning perform well when trained on a substantial amount of high-quality data that reflect well the environment in which they will be deployed. In industrial applications, data are often not readily available, and the collection and annotation of data is accompanied by large costs, labour, and time. Moreover, over time, the industrial setting may change, and the previously fine-tuned machine-learning model may not be suitable to the changed setting anymore. We propose a novel active-learning based method for foreign object detection that addresses these problems. Our method strategically selects the samples for automatic labelling or manual annotation on the basis of class-specific accuracy. Moreover, a class-based sampling technique is employed to maintain the class balance to avoid catastrophic forgetting. Experimental results demonstrate that our method achieves comparable accuracy to the model trained with all data with fewer samples, thus reducing cost for labelling, saving time, and lowering computational complexity to retrain
Extension of Industrial and Collaborative Robots for Increased Work Space and Operation in Confined Spaces
No full textCollaborative robots, such as the KUKA LBR iiwa, UR series from Universal Robotics, and many more, have opened new fields of applications in industries through human-robot collaboration. However, despite up to seven rotational degrees of freedom typically offered by commercial collaborative (and industrial) robots, the operational reach is often not sufficient. This prevents these robots from reaching into and operating within confined spaces autonomously or in collaboration with human co-workers. To overcome these limitations, this paper presents a custom-made, open-source, affordable robot arm extension to be mounted on commercial or custom-made robots. The developed solution adds three additional degrees of freedom, including a 0.5 m linear rail. These additional degrees of freedom of the robot extension significantly increase the reach and ability of industrial and collaborative robots to operate in narrow environments. The developed extension is demonstrated by extending a KUKA LBR iiwa 14 collaborative robot operating various insect farming use cases, including tasks such as reaching into crates for insect rearing, operating within caged enclosures, and material handling over a wider workspace. Furthermore, simulations are used to provide insights into the extended reach of the robot. Simulation results show an increase in total operational space by up to 110%, and a 200% increase in positions reachable from =50% of tested orientations, compared to a baseline KUKA iiwa
Unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer:state of the art and challenges
No full textDespite advances in immunotherapy, unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a highly challenging disease, with only around one-third of patients remaining disease-free at 5 years. The PACIFIC trial established consolidation with the anti-PD-L1 antibody durvalumab after concurrent chemoradiotherapy as the standard-of-care approach. Furthermore, the LAURA trial has redefined the treatment of patients with stage III unresectable EGFR-mutant NSCLC, demonstrating unprecedented progression-free survival durations with osimertinib consolidation. Despite these advances, novel approaches are urgently needed. Circulating tumour DNA-based monitoring of minimal residual disease is emerging as a personalized method of tailoring treatment duration and escalation strategies. Novel radiotherapy techniques have the potential to provide synergy with immunotherapy while minimizing toxicities. Additionally, ongoing trials evaluating chemoimmunotherapy combinations adapted from the neoadjuvant setting with the potential for conversion to resectable disease might, in the near future, redefine the boundary of surgical resectability. In this Review, we describe the rapidly evolving field of unresectable stage III NSCLC, providing a state-of-the-art overview that includes challenging topics such as biomarkers, personalization of therapy and the role of immunotherapy rechallenge
N1 and N2 neutrophil phenotypes may play differential roles in stimulating the endochondral ossification behaviors of ATDC5 cells
No full textOBJECTIVE: Endochondral ossification is vital for bone healing, with neutrophils playing a crucial role in the osteoimmune system. While N1 (pro-inflammatory) and N2 (regenerative) neutrophils are documented in other contexts, their role in endochondral ossification remains unclear. This study investigates their effects on ATDC5 cells.METHODS: Neutrophils from five healthy volunteers were isolated and polarized into N0 (unstimulated), N1, or N2 phenotypes. After culturing for 4 h, neutrophil-conditioned media was mixed (20 % v/v) with chondrogenic differentiation media (DM). ATDC5 cells were cultured with mixture or DM alone for 24 h, followed by continued DM culturing. On days 7 and 14, several gene expressions, ALP activity, and TGF-β3 levels were assessed.RESULTS: SOX9 peaked in the ATDC5 (A)/N2 group on day 7, while the A/N1 group showed the highest levels on day 14. COL2A1 was elevated in the A/N0 group on day 7. RUNX2 was higher in A/N1 and A/N2 on day 7, with A/N1 remaining elevated on day 14. MMP-13 was significantly higher in A/N1 on day 7. COL10A1 expression showed no significant changes. COL1A1 and COX2 were continually elevated in the A/N1 group. ALP activity was consistently enhanced in the A/N1 group, and TGF-β3 was lower in both A/N1 and A/N2 on day 14.CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that N1 neutrophils may promote chondrocyte maturation and osteogenic differentiation, while N2 neutrophils may support proliferation, hypertrophy, and maturation, providing a cell reservoir for ossification. These findings highlight their distinct roles in directing chondrogenic progenitors toward bone rather than cartilage formation.</p
Linking Transparency and Accountability: Analysing The Connection Between TikTok's Terms of Service and Moderation Decisions
No full textThe European Commission's Digital Services Act (DSA) mandates that Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), like TikTok, provide Statements of Reason (SoRs) to justify their content moderation decisions in an attempt to enhance transparency and accountability for these platforms. However, we can often notice a gap between these automated decisions and the platform's written policies. This leaves users unable to understand the specific rule they have violated. This paper addresses this gap by developing and evaluating a pipeline to link TikTok's SoRs from the DSA transparency database to the most relevant clause from TikTok's policy documents. We test multiple methods to perform the linking task and evaluate performance using a wide range of retrieval methods and metrics.We develop and deliver a gold-standard dataset where a team of legal research assistants annotated 100 SoRs based on four criteria: clarity, understanding, presence of unclear terms and level of detail, each rated on a 1--4 scale. In addition, a binary rating is assigned for redress clarity. Moreover, annotators determined the best link to the relevant TikTok policy clauses. Results show that both TikTok's SoRs and policy clauses are often extremely broad, granting TikTok more freedom to decide how to apply the clauses, making it even less transparent for users. We also provide a demo that, for each SoR, provides a ranking of the most relevant clauses from TikTok's written policies, a tool that can be useful for users, regulators and researchers to better understand content moderation decisions, assess compliance with transparency requirements, and support further analysis of platform accountability
Implications of inaccurate lymph node staging in early and intermediate-risk rectal cancer on survival-related outcomes in a large Dutch population-based cohort
No full textINTRODUCTION: While clinical lymph node status remains a key determinant in rectal cancer treatment, its accuracy is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of inaccurate MRI-based nodal staging on survival in early and intermediate-risk rectal cancer in a Dutch national cohort.METHODS: This retrospective study analysed data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Rectal cancer patients diagnosed between 2014 and 2017 with cT1-3N0M0 rectal cancer undergoing direct TME surgery, and cT1-3N1M0 rectal cancer receiving neoadjuvant short-course radiotherapy (SCRT) followed by direct TME surgery were included. Patients were categorized in four groups based on clinical (cN) and pathological (pN) nodal status: cN0pN0, cN0pN1, cN1pN0, and cN1pN1. Overall survival (OS) and factors associated with OS were analysed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses.RESULTS: Among 4080 patients, 19.5 % of 3075 cN0 patients were understaged (pN1) and 62.4 % of 1005 cN1 patients were overstaged (pN0). After a median follow up of 5.7 (IQR 4.6-6.6) years, OS did not differ between cN0pN1 patients undergoing direct surgery and cN1pN1 patients receiving neoadjuvant SCRT followed by surgery (p = 0.154). Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that inaccurate cN0 staging was not independently associated with worse OS in pN1 patients, while pT3 disease (HR 1.62, 95 %-CI 1.15-2.27 for pN1; and HR 1.52, 95 %-CI 1.22-1.88 for pN0) was associated with worse OS compared to pT1-2 in both pN1 and pN0 patients.CONCLUSION: Inaccurate clinical nodal staging by MRI is common in early and intermediate-risk rectal cancer, but it does not seem to have a negative impact on OS.</p
Why education matters: On the interplay of three different mechanisms
No full textIn this contribution we give an overview of the three main theories on the role of education: education as a source of productive skills, education as a positional good and education as a means of social closure. Since the latter is driven by artificial scarcity, we discern some newer forms of social closure, namely through information asymmetry and positional productivity. We identify the underlying assumptions and driving mechanisms for each of the three theories and provide an empirical evaluation. We will argue that elements of all three theories may co-exist and that it is important to identify the conditions under which one or the other mechanism becomes more dominant. To help understand how the three theories are connected, we develop a unifying analytical model that organizes the different mechanisms