bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dietary intake of vitamin C and gastric cancer: a pooled analysis within the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project
Authors: Sassano Michele , Seyyedsalehi Monireh Sadat , Collatuzzo Giulia , Pelucchi Claudio , Bonzi Rossella , Ferraroni Monica , Palli Domenico , Yu Guo-Pei , Zhang Zuo-Feng , López-Carrillo Lizbeth , Lunet Nuno , Morais Samantha , Zaridze David , Maximovich Dmitry , Martín Vicente , Castano-Vinyals Gemma , Vioque Jesús , González-Palacios Sandra , Ward Mary H. , Malekzadeh Reza , Pakseresht Mohammadreza , Hernández-Ramirez Raul Ulises , López-Cervantes Malaquias , Negri Eva , Turati Federica , Rabkin Charles S. , Tsugane Shoichiro , Hidaka Akihisa , Lagiou Areti , Lagiou Pagona , Camargo M. Constanza , Curado Maria Paula , Boccia Stefania , La Vecchia Carlo , Boffetta Paolo
Published: March 2024

Background

Previous studies suggest that dietary vitamin C is inversely associated with gastric cancer (GC), but most of them did not consider intake of fruit and vegetables. Thus, we aimed to evaluate this association within the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project, a consortium of epidemiological studies on GC.

Methods

Fourteen case–control studies were included in the analysis (5362 cases, 11,497 controls). We estimated odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between dietary intake of vitamin C and GC, adjusted for relevant confounders and for intake of fruit and vegetables. The dose–response relationship was evaluated using mixed-effects logistic models with second-order fractional polynomials.

Results

Individuals in the highest quartile of dietary vitamin C intake had reduced odds of GC compared with those in the lowest quartile (OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.72). Additional adjustment for fruit and vegetables intake led to an OR of 0.85 (95% CI: 0.73, 0.98). A significant inverse association was observed for noncardia GC, as well as for both intestinal and diffuse types of the disease. The results of the dose–response analysis showed decreasing ORs of GC up to 150–200 mg/day of vitamin C (OR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.71), whereas ORs for higher intakes were close to 1.0.

Conclusions

The findings of our pooled study suggest that vitamin C is inversely associated with GC, with a potentially beneficial effect also for intakes above the currently recommended daily intake (90 mg for men and 75 mg for women).
Detecting and exploring kidney-derived extracellular vesicles in plasma
Authors: Komatsu Shintaro , Kato Noritoshi , Kitai Hiroki , Funahashi Yoshio , Noda Yuhei , Tsubota Shoma , Tanaka Akihito , Sato Yuka , Maeda Kayaho , Saito Shoji , Furuhashi Kazuhiro , Ishimoto Takuji , Kosugi Tomoki , Maruyama Shoichi , Kadomatsu Kenji
Published: March 2024

Background

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have received considerable attention as ideal biomarkers for kidney diseases. Most reports have focused on urinary EVs, that are mainly derived from the cells in the urinary tract. However, the detection and the application of kidney-derived EVs in plasma remains uncertain.

Methods

We examined the kidney-derived small EVs (sEVs) in plasma that were supposedly released from renal mesangial and glomerular endothelial cells, using clinical samples from healthy controls and patients with kidney transplants. Plasma from healthy controls underwent ultracentrifugation, followed by on-bead flow cytometry, targeting α8 integrin, an antigen-specific to mesangial cells. To confirm the presence of kidney-derived sEVs in peripheral blood, plasma from ABO-incompatible kidney transplant recipients was ultracentrifuged, followed by western blotting for donor blood type antigens.

Results

Immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy confirmed α8 integrin expression in kidney mesangial cells and their sEVs. The CD9-α8 integrin double-positive sEVs were successfully detected using on-bead flow cytometry. Western blot analysis further revealed transplanted kidney-derived sEVs containing blood type B antigens in non-blood type B recipients, who had received kidneys from blood type B donors. Notably, a patient experiencing graft kidney loss exhibited diminished signals of sEVs containing donor blood type antigens.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrate the potential usefulness of kidney-derived sEVs in plasma in future research for kidney diseases.
Association between glycated albumin and sudden death in patients undergoing hemodialysis
Authors: Kaizu Yoshiki , Nagata Masaharu , Kaizu Shinako , Qie Yueling , Kaizu Kazo , Tanaka Shigeru , Nakano Toshiaki , Kitazono Takanari
Published: March 2024

Background

The frequency of sudden death and its risk factors in patients undergoing hemodialysis are unknown. This study was performed to examine the association between glycated albumin (GA) and sudden death in Japanese patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Methods

In total, 260 patients undergoing hemodialysis aged ≥18 years were retrospectively followed for a mean of 4.6 years. The patients’ serum GA levels were divided into tertiles, and the patients’ sex, age, albumin level, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) were selected as adjustment factors. A logistic regression model was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for the occurrence of sudden death by GA level.

Results

Ninety-one patients died during follow-up. Of the 91 deaths, 23 (25.2%) were defined as sudden deaths. Compared with non-sudden death cases, sudden death cases were significantly younger (p = 0.002) and had a higher proportion of men (p = 0.03), a higher proportion of diabetes (p = 0.008), and higher GA levels (p = 0.023). Compared with patients with the lowest GA levels (<15.2%), those with the highest GA levels (≥18.5%) had a sex- and age-adjusted OR for sudden death of 5.40 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.35–21.85]. After adjusting for the albumin level, CRP level, and CTR in addition to sex and age, the OR for sudden death of patients with the highest GA levels increased to 6.80 (95%CI: 1.64–28.08); the relationship did not change.

Conclusion

Serum GA levels were significantly associated with sudden death in patients undergoing hemodialysis.
Perceived Impacts of Partners’ Other Relationships on Oneself in Consensual Nonmonogamy
Authors: Arter Jennifer , Bunge Sacha S.
Published: March 2024

Existing research suggests a number of both costs and benefits to oneself that can occur as a result of partners’ other relationships in consensual nonmonogamy (CNM), but such costs and benefits have not previously been systematically cataloged. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we present themes derived from semi-structured interviews with 51 individuals (63% white, 55% nonbinary/genderqueer/non-cisgendered, and 77% LGBQ) who have practiced CNM, describing the costs and benefits to themselves that they perceive as a result of their partners’ other relationships. Themes describing costs include experiencing difficult feelings (e.g., jealousy), having less with a partner (e.g., less of a partner’s time) than one would like, difficulties or conflict within one’s own relationship, and difficulties or conflict as a result of interactions between metamours (individuals who share a partner). Themes describing benefits include experiencing positive feelings (e.g., compersion), benefiting from a partner getting needs met in other relationships, strengthening of or pleasurable interactions within one’s own relationship, enjoyable or beneficial relationships or interactions between metamours, and personal growth as a result of sharing partners with others. We note that these costs and benefits roughly mirror each other, suggesting that they may reflect the positive and negative sides of some fundamental aspects of CNM. Each of our themes also contains a rich range of elements that suggest avenues for future research. Our results suggest that CNM relationships are complex and multi-faceted, and that further research could fruitfully examine the circumstances that influence whether individuals experience their partners’ other relationships positively or negatively.
Academic Stress Interventions in High Schools: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Jagiello Tess , Belcher Jessica , Neelakandan Aswathi , Boyd Kaylee , Wuthrich Viviana M.
Published: March 2024

The experience of academic stress is common during high school and can have significant negative consequences for students’ educational achievement and wellbeing. High school students frequently report heightened levels of school-related distress, particularly as they approach high-stakes assessments. Programs designed to reduce or prevent academic stress are needed, and their delivery in school settings is ideal to improve treatment access. The current review aimed to examine the effectiveness of high school-based programs in reducing or preventing academic stress. A systematic search returned 31 eligible studies across 13 countries. Programs were categorised according to intervention type, format, and facilitator. Results showed that the methodological quality of most studies was poor, and many used an inactive control group. As predicted by theories of academic stress, the strongest evidence was for programs grounded in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). There was evidence that both universal and targeted approaches can be beneficial. The unique implementation issues for these two formats are discussed. Most programs were delivered by psychologists and were generally effective, but almost all of these were CBT programs. A smaller proportion of programs delivered by teachers were effective. Therefore, future studies should evaluate the implementation success of programs to improve the rate of effective delivery by school staff. Overall, the field will benefit from more randomised controlled trials with comparisons to active control groups, larger sample sizes and longer-term follow-ups.
AI and the need for justification (to the patient)
Authors: Muralidharan Anantharaman , Savulescu Julian , Schaefer G. Owen
Published: March 2024

This paper argues that one problem that besets black-box AI is that it lacks algorithmic justifiability. We argue that the norm of shared decision making in medical care presupposes that treatment decisions ought to be justifiable to the patient. Medical decisions are justifiable to the patient only if they are compatible with the patient’s values and preferences and the patient is able to see that this is so. Patient-directed justifiability is threatened by black-box AIs because the lack of rationale provided for the decision makes it difficult for patients to ascertain whether there is adequate fit between the decision and the patient’s values. This paper argues that achieving algorithmic transparency does not help patients bridge the gap between their medical decisions and values. We introduce a hypothetical model we call Justifiable AI to illustrate this argument. Justifiable AI aims at modelling normative and evaluative considerations in an explicit way so as to provide a stepping stone for patient and physician to jointly decide on a course of treatment. If our argument succeeds, we should prefer these justifiable models over alternatives if the former are available and aim to develop said models if not.
Experiences of silent reading
Authors: Barbero Carola , Calzavarini Fabrizio
Published: March 2024

In The Performance of Reading, Peter Kivy introduces, on a purely phenomenological basis, an interesting and potentially fruitful analogy between the experience of silently reading literary texts and the experience of silently reading musical scores. In Kivy’s view, both mental experiences involve a critical element of auditory mental imagery, consisting in having a performance “in the head” or the mind’s ear. This analogy might have significant implications for the ontological status of literary works, as well as for the theoretical relations between music and language. Nevertheless, Kivy’s hypothesis has never been investigated and discussed in its empirical merits. In the present paper, we shall claim that neuroscience data support, at least in part, Kivy’s phenomenological observations about the relation between reading musical scores and reading texts. Despite being functionally and anatomically dissociated at the cognitive level, the two reading experiences both involve an auditory simulation of the content, which seems to be functionally critical for a deep and rich experience of literary texts and musical scores.
In vitro true root cultures of Lotus hebranicus Hochst. ex brand: profiling of secondary metabolites and plausible in vivo gastroprotective effect
Authors: Abdelazeez Walla M. A. , Maaty Doaa A. M. , El-Swaify Zeinab A. , Negm Walaa A. , Selim Hend M. , Aboueldis Gamil R.
Published: March 2024

In vitro, the Lotus hebranicus produces true root cultures under entirely growth regulator-free culture conditions. These roots are completely independent of the shoots and gives abundant amounts of biomass of true root culture as raw materials in a short time. Lately, gastric ulcer have gained an increasing interest as it affects millions around the world. So, this study aimed to screen and evaluate the chemical constituents of the L. hebranicus extract (plant and true root culture), in addition to studying the biological effect of these extracts on mice with ethanol-induced gastric ulcer and the possible role of mediating oxidative stress, inflammation and TGFβ/Smad3 as underlying mechanisms. Fifty-four Albino mice were assigned into nine groups (n = 6). Lotus was orally administered for seven successive days, followed by a single dose of oral ethanol for ulcer induction. Using histological assessment and immunohistochemical studies as well as colorimetric analysis, ELISA and qRT-PCR, the results revealed that ethanol-induced ulcers exhibited a substantial increase (p < 0.05) in malondialdehyde and interleukin 18 with a remarkable lessening in the gastro-protective mediators; superoxide dismutase, prostaglandin E2 and glutathione, parallel with an increase in TGFβ/Smad3 expressions relative to control. Pre-treatment with L. hebranicus showed a comparable result to those with omeprazole and showed a significant inhibitory effect on inflammatory mediators and significant elevation of the gastro-protective mediators relative to the positive control. In conclusion, L. hebranicus extract (plant/true root culture) has the potential to protect the gastric tissues against ethanol by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammation and enhancing TGFβ/Smad3 mediators along with gastric protective mediators.
Evaluation of efficacy and safety profile of tadalafil 5 mg daily dose in the tablet form versus oral dispersible film in men with mild-to-moderate erectile dysfunction: a comparative placebo-controlled study
Authors: Motawi Ahmad T. , GamalEl Din Sameh Fayek , Meatmed Eslam M. , Fahmy Ibrahim
Published: March 2024

Purpose

We aimed to compare the efficacy, safety, and compliance of tadalafil 5 mg daily dose in the tablet form versus oral dispersible film (ODF) in men with mild-to-moderate erectile dysfunction (ED).

Methods

One hundred thirty-five randomized patients were equally divided into three groups according to age where each group included forty-five patients. Within each group, 15 patients received oral tadalafil 5 mg, 15 patients received ODF tadalafil 5 mg and 15 patients received a placebo once daily for 1 month. All participants were assessed by the validated Arabic version of the international index of erectile function (ArIIEF-5) at baseline and after 1 month. Also, the efficacy of different forms of tadalafil 5 mg was assessed by responding affirmatively to a questionnaire.

Results

Patients aged > 25 to < 40 years and 40–55 years and > 55 years showed a statistically significant improvement of ArIIEF-5 scores after tadalafil 5 mg tablet and ODF tadalafil 5 mg compared to placebo ODF (23 ± 1.4; 22.7 ± 0.9; 20 ± 0.9; 20.4 ± 1.3; 20.2 ± 1.2; 16.6 ± 1.2; 18.5 ± 1.7; 19.6 ± 1.4; 16.3 ± 1.4; p < 0.001, respectively). Three patients (> 25 to < 40 years) who received tadalafil 5 mg tablet showed muscle and back pain. Gastrointestinal (GIT) upset (eight patients) followed by headache (seven patients) were the main side effects reported in patients (40–55 years) who received tadalafil 5 mg tablet. While GIT upset was the main side effect reported in patients (> 55 years) who received tadalafil 5 mg tablet.

Conclusion

ODF tadalafil 5 mg is an effective, tolerable, and safe formulation that can be used in patients with mild-to-moderate ED.
Experiences of Aging with Opioid Use Disorder and Comorbidity in Opioid Treatment Programs: A Qualitative Analysis
Authors: Han Benjamin H. , Orozco Mirella A. , Miyoshi Mari , Doland Heidi , Moore Alison A. , Jones Katie Fitzgerald
Published: March 2024

Background

The number of older adults entering opioid treatment programs (OTPs) to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) is increasing. However, the lived experiences of aging in OTPs have not been examined.

Objective

To explore the aging experience with OUD and barriers to medical care for older adults who receive care in OTPs.

Design

From November 2021 to July 2022, we conducted 1-to-1, semi-structured qualitative interviews in English and Spanish, audio-recorded, transcribed, systematically coded, and analyzed to identify key themes regarding the challenges of aging with OUD and managing chronic diseases.

Participants

Thirty-six adults aged ≥ 55 enrolled in OTPs in San Diego, California.

Approach

A descriptive qualitative approach was used. Major themes and subthemes were identified through thematic analysis until thematic saturation was reached.

Key Results

All participants were on methadone and had a mean age of 63.4 (SD 5.1) years; 11 (30.6%) identified as female, 14 (39%) as Hispanic/Latino, and 11 (36%) as Black, with a mean duration of methadone treatment of 5.6 years. Chronic diseases were common, with 21 (58.3%) reporting hypertension, 9 (25%) reporting untreated hepatitis C, and 32 (88.9%) having ≥ 2 chronic diseases. Three major themes emerged: (1) avoidance of medical care due to multiple intersectional stigmas, including those related to drug use, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, ageism, and housing insecurity; (2) increasing isolation with aging and loss of family and peer groups; (3) the urgent need for integrating medical and aging-focused care with OUD treatment in the setting of increasing health and functional challenges.

Conclusions

Older adults with OUD reported increasing social isolation and declining health while experiencing multilevel stigma and discrimination. The US healthcare system must transform to deliver age-friendly care that integrates evidence-based geriatric models of care incorporated with substance use disorder treatment and addresses the intersectional stigma this population has experienced in healthcare settings.
Complementary and Inducible creERT2 Mouse Models for Functional Evaluation of Endothelial Cell Subtypes in the Bone Marrow
Authors: Poulos Michael G. , Ramalingam Pradeep , Winiarski Agatha , Gutkin Michael C. , Katsnelson Lizabeth , Carter Cody , Pibouin-Fragner Laurence , Eichmann Anne , Thomas Jean-Leon , Miquerol Lucile , Butler Jason M.
Published: March 2024

In the adult bone marrow (BM), endothelial cells (ECs) are an integral component of the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-supportive niche, which modulates HSC activity by producing secreted and membrane-bound paracrine signals. Within the BM, distinct vascular arteriole, transitional, and sinusoidal EC subtypes display unique paracrine expression profiles and create anatomically-discrete microenvironments. However, the relative contributions of vascular endothelial subtypes in supporting hematopoiesis is unclear. Moreover, constitutive expression and off-target activity of currently available endothelial-specific and endothelial-subtype-specific murine cre lines potentially confound data analysis and interpretation. To address this, we describe two tamoxifen-inducible cre-expressing lines, Vegfr3-creERT2 and Cx40-creERT2, that efficiently label sinusoidal/transitional and arteriole endothelium respectively in adult marrow, without off-target activity in hematopoietic or perivascular cells. Utilizing an established mouse model in which cre-dependent recombination constitutively-activates MAPK signaling within adult endothelium, we identify arteriole ECs as the driver of MAPK-mediated hematopoietic dysfunction. These results define complementary tamoxifen-inducible creERT2-expressing mouse lines that label functionally-discrete and non-overlapping sinusoidal/transitional and arteriole EC populations in the adult BM, providing a robust toolset to investigate the differential contributions of vascular subtypes in maintaining hematopoietic homeostasis.

Graphical Abstract
Further study on oil/water relative permeability ratio model and waterflooding performance prediction model for high water cut oilfields sustainable development
Authors: Yang Renfeng
Published: March 2024

The accuracy of predicting waterflooding performance is crucial in determining the scale of investment for oilfield development. However, existing common waterflooding prediction models often relies on assumptions that may not apply universally or lack theoretical derivation through statistical analysis. This has led to unsatisfactory prediction accuracy and multiple potential solutions. To address these limitations, it is proposed to incorporate the oil/water relative permeability ratio model into the derivation process of waterflooding prediction models. Initially, an evaluation of prevalent oil/water relative permeability ratio models is conducted, along with an analysis of their primary constraints. Additionally, the applicability of the analytical relative permeability model is thoroughly examined. Building upon the analytical relative permeability model and a modified Welge equation, a new waterflooding model is formulated, encompassing all pertinent physical coefficients. Notably, this model aligns seamlessly with the commonly used Arps’ decline curve, while extending its applicability to a broader range of conditions. Moreover, it can be simplified to generate typical water drive curves under suitable circumstances. The semi-log relationship between oil/water relative permeability ratio and water saturation is further simplified into a linear relationship or a multi-term formula. Compared with the traditional waterflooding model, the new model proposed in this research has a wider application range and can be applied to oilfield at high water cut. At the same time, the new model clarifies the coefficient of waterflooding curve A and the physical meaning of parameter 7.5 in Tong’s chart method for the first time. The new model proposed in this research further enriches the connotation of waterflooding theory and has certain application significance.
Dietary habits, traveling and the living situation potentially influence the susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection: results from healthcare workers participating in the RisCoin Study
Authors: Wratil Paul R. , Le Thi Thu Giang , Osterman Andreas , Badell Irina , Huber Melanie , Zhelyazkova Ana , Wichert Sven P. , Litwin Anna , Hörmansdorfer Stefan , Strobl Frances , Grote Veit , Jebrini Tarek , Török Helga P. , Hornung Veit , Choukér Alexander , Koletzko Berthold , Adorjan Kristina , Koletzko Sibylle , Keppler Oliver T. ,   the RisCoin study group
Published: March 2024

Purpose

To explore occupational and non-occupational risk and protective factors for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in healthcare workers (HCWs).

Methods

Serum specimens and questionnaire data were obtained between October 7 and December 16, 2021 from COVID-19-vaccinated HCWs at a quaternary care hospital in Munich, Germany, and were analyzed in the RisCoin Study.

Results

Of 3,696 participants evaluated, 6.6% have had COVID-19 at least once. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified working in patient care occupations (7.3% had COVID-19, 95% CI 6.4–8.3, Pr = 0.0002), especially as nurses, to be a potential occupation-related COVID-19 risk factor. Non-occupational factors significantly associated with high rates of the disease were contacts to COVID-19 cases in the community (12.8% had COVID-19, 95% CI 10.3–15.8, Pr < 0.0001), being obese (9.9% had COVID-19, 95% CI 7.1–13.5, Pr = 0.0014), and frequent traveling abroad (9.4% had COVID-19, 95% CI 7.1–12.3, Pr = 0.0088). On the contrary, receiving the basic COVID-19 immunization early during the pandemic (5.9% had COVID-19, 95% CI 5.1–6.8, Pr < 0.0001), regular smoking (3.6% had COVID-19, 95% CI 2.1–6.0, Pr = 0.0088), living with the elderly (3.0% had COVID-19, 95% CI 1.0–8.0, Pr = 0.0475), and frequent consumption of ready-to-eat meals (2.6% had COVID-19, 95% CI 1.1–5.4, Pr = 0.0045) were non-occupational factors potentially protecting study participants against COVID-19.

Conclusion

The newly discovered associations between the living situation, traveling as well as dietary habits and altered COVID-19 risk can potentially help refine containment measures and, furthermore, contribute to new mechanistic insights that may aid the protection of risk groups and vulnerable individuals.
Can We Measure the Structural Dimension of Social Capital with Digital Footprint Data?—An Assessment of the Convergent Validity of an Indicator Extracted from Digital Footprint Data
Authors: Weiler Michael , Jansen Nora , Hinz Oliver
Published: March 2024

Network analytical metrics often seek to capture the structural dimension of social capital, but such data collections using traditional social research tools often suffer from biases like interviewer effects and are usually only suitable to study small groups of participants. Digital sources of social relations might offer great potential for facilitating such measures though, because they digitally store unprecedented amounts of relational data, free from the limitations associated with self-reported data. This study therefore compares individual node degrees collected through a contact diary (i.e., overall-social capital), and a counterpart extracted from digital footprint data from the social media network, Facebook (i.e., social media network-social capital). The findings suggest that researchers conducting empirical studies involving the concept thus should not ignore social media network-social capital as a practical alternative measure of overall-social capital; it provides a sound approximation but only after controlling for other influential factors. In particular, our results highlight that the usability of the digital social capital metric is conditional on the three-way interaction between the variables gender, age, and social media network-social capital. Thus, the evidence from our study, in turn, also intimates that individuals act heterogeneously in the digital sphere with respect to their networking behaviour.
Quantum transfer learning for acceptability judgements
Authors: Buonaiuto Giuseppe , Guarasci Raffaele , Minutolo Aniello , De Pietro Giuseppe , Esposito Massimo
Published: March 2024

Hybrid quantum-classical classifiers promise to positively impact critical aspects of natural language processing tasks, particularly classification-related ones. Among the possibilities currently investigated, quantum transfer learning, i.e., using a quantum circuit for fine-tuning pre-trained classical models for a specific task, is attracting significant attention as a potential platform for proving quantum advantage. This work shows potential advantages, in terms of both performance and expressiveness, of quantum transfer learning algorithms trained on embedding vectors extracted from a large language model to perform classification on a classical linguistics task—acceptability judgements. Acceptability judgement is the ability to determine whether a sentence is considered natural and well-formed by a native speaker. The approach has been tested on sentences extracted from ItaCoLa, a corpus that collects Italian sentences labeled with their acceptability judgement. The evaluation phase shows results for the quantum transfer learning pipeline comparable to state-of-the-art classical transfer learning algorithms, proving current quantum computers’ capabilities to tackle NLP tasks for ready-to-use applications. Furthermore, a qualitative linguistic analysis, aided by explainable AI methods, reveals the capabilities of quantum transfer learning algorithms to correctly classify complex and more structured sentences, compared to their classical counterpart. This finding sets the ground for a quantifiable quantum advantage in NLP in the near future.
Distributed quantum neural networks via partitioned features encoding
Authors: Kawase Yoshiaki
Published: March 2024

Quantum neural networks are expected to be a promising application in near-term quantum computing, but face challenges such as vanishing gradients during optimization and limited expressibility by a limited number of qubits and shallow circuits. To mitigate these challenges, an approach using distributed quantum neural networks has been proposed to make a prediction by approximating outputs of a large circuit using multiple small circuits. However, the approximation of a large circuit requires an exponential number of small circuit evaluations. Here, we instead propose to distribute partitioned features over multiple small quantum neural networks and use the ensemble of their expectation values to generate predictions. To verify our distributed approach, we demonstrate ten class classification of the Semeion and MNIST handwritten digit datasets. The results of the Semeion dataset imply that while our distributed approach may outperform a single quantum neural network in classification performance, excessive partitioning reduces performance. Nevertheless, for the MNIST dataset, we succeeded in ten class classification with exceeding 96% accuracy. Our proposed method not only achieved highly accurate predictions for a large dataset but also reduced the hardware requirements for each quantum neural network compared to a large single quantum neural network. Our results highlight distributed quantum neural networks as a promising direction for practical quantum machine learning algorithms compatible with near-term quantum devices. We hope that our approach is useful for exploring quantum machine learning applications.
Production preference barriers and lowland-appropriate strategies of sustaining local food systems in drought-affected southern Ethiopia
Authors: Tora Thomas Toma
Published: March 2024

A key element of food systems that look for significant inputs to ensure food security is food production. The production process is adversely affected by impermanent climates, particularly in places where droughts occur recurrently. In southern Ethiopia’s drought-prone Gamo lowlands, this study explores lowland-friendly strategies and challenges to food production choices. A cross-sectional survey design centered on households was utilized. Primary and secondary sources of data were used in the data collection process. The study’s primary data sources were the survey participants. The main methods used for gathering data were field observations, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and surveys. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed in the data analysis. Numerous obstacles stand in the way of food production preference, according to the results of the household-level study. The most often mentioned ones were low professional support, rising production input costs, inadequate professional support, and traditional agriculture methods. The methods that were found included improving access to basic production resources like farmland and oxen as well as managing production costs to a reasonable level in order to alleviate these constraints. Furthermore, it was discovered that reevaluating the trends in production that are transitioning from food crops to cash crops is a major problem in the Gamo lowland environment. With growers paying less attention to valuable food sources—root crops in particular—the move toward cash crops is one that should be closely monitored. As a result, it is advised that local food systems need to be sustainable in view of changing climate and a growing populace.
Political contributions by American inventors: evidence from 30,000 cases
Authors: Short Nicholas
Published: March 2024

Political scientists know surprisingly little about the political behavior of inventors, or those who produce new technologies. I therefore merged US patent and campaign contribution (DIME) data to reveal the donation behavior of 30,603 American inventors from 1980 through 2014. Analysis of the data produces three major findings. First, the Democratic Party has made significant inroads among American inventors, but these gains increasingly come from only a few regions and flow to a relatively small number of candidates. Second, deeper geographic trends explain most of the change in aggregate donation patterns. Third, inventors do not strategically donate to candidates outside their own district and, since 2006, inventors increasingly contribute to relatively centrist employer PACs with weak ties to the Democratic Party. These findings suggest that the interaction between market-oriented policy and American electoral institutions may inhibit the formation of broad cross-regional coalitions to support the knowledge economy.
Reconciling Hegel with the Dialectic: On Islam and the Fate of Muslims in Hegel's Philosophy of History
Authors: Yigit Emir , El Nabolsy Zeyad
Published: March 2024

The absence of Islam from recent scholarship on Hegel's account of world religions is puzzling. In the first part of the article, we argue that Hegel's neglect of Islam in his systematic account of religious phenomena is not accidental and that he did not think of Islam as a determinate religion. Its size and believers aside, we suggest that it is not possible to assign any determinacy to Islam as a world-historical phenomenon under Hegel's rubric, because such determinacy that applies to other religions would be in conflict with what Hegel takes to be Islam's emphasis on the negative moment of truth, its revolutionary tendencies, and its lack of any novel conceptual content as a response to Christianity. In the second part of the article, we point out how one could respond to Hegel's characterization of Islam when it is mentioned in relation to other religious traditions. First, we argue that Hegel overemphasizes the significance of Islam qua religion in explaining the history of Muslim peoples. More than that, Hegel does not see that the history of Islamic philosophy and science can be characterized by sublation and that it can be integrated into conceptual developments in the West on these terms. However, our critique of Hegel's Eurocentrism does not remain at this level, for in the third part of the article we argue for the significance of considering the response of Muslim philosophers to Hegel. In particular, we look at the responses by Mohammed al-Khosht and Mahmoud Haider, respectively. We conclude that Hegel's exclusion of Islam from any involvement in the history of the Concept indicates an undialectical commitment on his part and that to this extent being Hegelian today requires that we rectify this oversight.
Being Your Best Self: Authenticity, Morality, and Gender Norms
Authors: Bell Rowan
Published: March 2024

Trans and gender-nonconforming people sometimes say that certain gender norms are authentic for them. For example, a trans man might say that abiding by norms of masculinity tracks who he really is. Authenticity is sometimes taken to appeal to an essential, pre-social “inner self.” It is also sometimes understood as a moral notion. Authenticity claims about gender norms therefore appear inimical to two key commitments in feminist philosophy: that all gender norms are socially constructed, and that many domains of gender norms are both morally and prudentially bad. I argue that that this apparent tension is illusory. Concordant with existing trans narratives of authenticity, I articulate an existentialist view that understands authenticity as a socially embedded, constructive project undertaken in a non-ideal social world, rather than a reflective uncovering of a pre-given, essential self. I then show that authenticity and morality can come apart; what is authentic for someone need not be either morally good or good for them. I conclude that the authenticity of gender norms does not cut against the feminist commitments that I identify. This conclusion enables a theoretical space that is both respectful of trans experience and critical of dominant gender norms, an important liberatory goal.
Doubling Down: Will Large Increases in the NIH Budget Promote More Meaningful Medical Innovation?
Authors: Sampat Bhaven N.
Published: March 2024

Kesselheim proposes doubling the NIH’s budget to promote clinically meaningful pharmaceutical innovation. Since the effects of a previous doubling (from 1998-2003) were mixed, I argue that policymakers should couple future budget growth with investments in experimentation and evaluation.
INTRODUCTION: Promoting Drug and Vaccine Innovation and Managing High Prices: Introducing a Special Symposium
Authors: Kesselheim Aaron , Sarpatwari Ameet , Rome Benjamin
Published: March 2024

This special JLME symposium addresses ways that federal policy can incentivize innovation in medical therapeutics and make pharmaceuticals more financially accessible.
Government Support of Meaningful Drug and Device Innovation: Pathways and Challenges
Authors: Kesselheim Aaron S.
Published: March 2024

The US government supports drug innovation. It is therefore crucial that it distinguish between high-value and low-value innovation in purchasing expensive prescription drugs and medical devices and ensure the continued discovery of transformative drugs and that patient and taxpayer funds are not wasted.
Addressing High Drug Prices by Reforming Pharmacy Benefit Managers
Authors: Rome Benjamin N.
Published: March 2024

Recently, Congress has focused on reforms to address pharmacy benefit managers’ (PBMs) role in high drug prices for patients. Congress must not excessively restrict PBMs’ ability to negotiate with manufacturers; alternatively, reforms could be paired with other policies that address the high prices of brand-name drugs.
The determinants of winery visitors for local wine and non-wine products in the Northern Appalachian states
Authors: Yang Shang-Ho , Ujiie Kiyokazu , Woods Timothy , Ho Shuay-Tsyr
Published: March 2024

The development and expansion of wineries in Appalachian states in the United States over the past 20 years has received attention, while the study of non-wine product consumption in wineries has been very limited. Wineries increasingly include these non-wine products as complementary products in their marketing portfolio. This study analyzes the determinants of wine and non-wine spending among winery visitors in selected Northern Appalachian states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. We develop a market segmentation model and a random utility theory with an interval regression model. Results from 1,609 participants show that wine knowledge has a positive effect on local wine spending, and spending on non-wine products should not be underestimated for its overall contribution to the winery business. Our results suggest that wineries have the potential to boost store sales associated with non-wine products. Diversifying the product lines in wineries to include more non-wine products would be a useful marketing strategy.
Prosody of focus in Turkish Sign Language
Authors: Karabüklü Serpil , Gürer Aslı
Published: March 2024

Prosodic realization of focus has been a widely investigated topic across languages and modalities. Simultaneous focus strategies are intriguing to see how they interact regarding their functional and temporal alignment. We explored the multichannel (manual and nonmanual) realization of focus in Turkish Sign Language. We elicited data with focus type, syntactic roles and movement type variables from 20 signers. The results revealed the focus is encoded via increased duration in manual signs, and nonmanuals do not necessarily accompany focused signs. With a multichanneled structure, sign languages use two available channels or opt for one to express focushood.
Farming then fighting: agricultural idle time and armed conflict
Authors: DiGiuseppe Matthew , Haer Roos , RezaeeDaryakenari Babak
Published: March 2024

Policymakers and scholars have long proposed that willingness to participate in armed conflict is influenced by citizens' income-earning opportunities. Testing this opportunity cost mechanism has led to mixed results. One reason for this might be the fact that current proxies can also serve as indicators to test grievance-based theories. In this study, we construct a more suitable measure. We use crop calendars and crop location data to build an index of agricultural idle time for first administration units on the African continent from 1990 to 2017. We test the explanatory power of this measure by examining its relationship with armed conflict. Our results show that agricultural idle time increases the probability of observing armed conflict by more than 20 percent.
THE BRONZE HARVESTER: RAVAGING AND PLUNDERING IN GREEK WARFARE
Authors: Lindberg Nicholas
Published: March 2024

This article argues that the purpose of ravaging in Greek warfare was not to goad the enemy into fighting or to cause systematic economic harm but to facilitate plundering. The cereal harvest was commonly chosen as a time for invasion, because it maximized the amount of plunder an invading force could expect to find in the enemy countryside. While ravagers were unlikely to cause permanent economic harm to a community as a whole, they could imperil the livelihoods of individual farmers, both directly through theft and destruction and indirectly by preventing farmers from processing the harvest in a timely fashion. This explains the consistent fear of plundering and ravaging present in our sources.
Canid attacks on sea turtles along the Northeastern Brazilian Coast
Authors: Almeida Isadora Campos de , Messenger Rafaelle Monteiro Nunes , Gomes Fabiola Fonseca Almeida , Sousa Davi Emanuel Ribeiro de , Alves Rodolfo de França , Almeida Isis Chagas de , Vergara Parente Jociery Einhardt , Assis Daniel Alvares Silveira de , Borges João Carlos Gomes
Published: March 2024

The aim of the present study was to report canid attacks on sea turtles in northeastern Brazil. The study was conducted on the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin coastline between March 2010 and October 2019. Injured-stranded sea turtles or carcasses were recorded through systematic beach monitoring. The specimens were submitted for clinical or postmortem assessments, providing evidence for the identification of injuries caused by canids. In the study period, 9841 stranded sea turtles were recorded, with the diagnosis of canid attacks in 55 (0.55%) events. Lepidochelys olivacea was the species with the largest number of events (90.90%), followed by Chelonia mydas (7.27%), and Caretta caretta (1.81%). The attacked sea turtles were clinically healthy, with a good body score and no apparent diseases; most were in the reproductive stage. The injuries were mainly found on the front flippers, with considerable loss of musculature affecting the brachial plexus, with the rupture of large blood vessels, and in some cases, exposure of the humerus or oesophagus. Thus, these events hampered the reproductive cycle, limiting the egg-laying process and preventing the hatching of hundreds of new turtles. Therefore, mitigating measures should be implemented, addressing the consequences of abandoning pets and their unsupervised presence on beaches.
Examining the association between prenatal and perinatal adversity and the psychotic experiences in childhood
Authors: Staines Lorna , Dooley Niamh , Healy Colm , Kelleher Ian , Cotter David , Cannon Mary
Published: March 2024

Background

Prenatal and perinatal complications are established risk factors for psychotic disorder, but far less is known about these measures and psychotic experiences (PEs). We investigated the longitudinal effect of prenatal risk factors (maternal behavior, medication complications) and perinatal risk factors (birth weight, medical complications) on frequency of PEs. We also examined the cumulative risk of prenatal/perinatal risk factors, and differences between transient PE, persistent PE, and controls.

Methods

The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study is a large child cohort (age 9–10 at baseline; n = 11 872 with PE data). PEs were measured longitudinally using the Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief, Child version, and included only if reported as distressing. Mixed-effects models were used for analysis, controlling for random effects, and a substantial number of fixed-effects covariates.

Results

Urinary tract infection (β = 0.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.03–0.19) and severe anemia (β = 0.18, 95% CI 0.07–0.29) increased frequency of distressing PEs in childhood. Number of prenatal complications increased frequency of PEs (β = 0.03, 95% CI 0.01–0.06) and risk of persistent PEs (odds ratio [OR] = 1.08, 95% CI 1.01–1.15). Maternal smoking was associated with an increased frequency of PEs (β = 0.11, 95% CI 0.04–0.18) and persistent PEs (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.04–1.66). Maternal substance use was a risk factor for a 48% increased risk of persistent PEs (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.08–2.01). Perinatal complications showed no effect on PEs.

Conclusions

This study provides evidence that certain prenatal medical complications (severe nausea, severe anemia), cumulative number of prenatal medical complications, and maternal behaviors (smoking during pregnancy), increased frequency of distressing PEs in childhood. Maternal smoking and substance use, as well as cumulative number of prenatal complications increased risk of persistent PEs.
Models of mild cognitive deficits in risk assessment in early psychosis
Authors: Zhang TianHong , Cui HuiRu , Tang XiaoChen , Xu LiHua , Wei YanYan , Hu YeGang , Tang YingYing , Wang ZiXuan , Liu HaiChun , Chen Tao , Li ChunBo , Wang JiJun
Published: March 2024

Background

Mild cognitive deficits (MCD) emerge before the first episode of psychosis (FEP) and persist in the clinical high-risk (CHR) stage. This study aims to refine risk prediction by developing MCD models optimized for specific early psychosis stages and target populations.

Methods

A comprehensive neuropsychological battery assessed 1059 individuals with FEP, 794 CHR, and 774 matched healthy controls (HCs). CHR subjects, followed up for 2 years, were categorized into converters (CHR-C) and non-converters (CHR-NC). The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery standardized neurocognitive tests were employed.

Results

Both the CHR and FEP groups exhibited significantly poorer performance compared to the HC group across all neurocognitive tests (all p < 0.001). The CHR-C group demonstrated poorer performance compared to the CHR-NC group on three sub-tests: visuospatial memory (p < 0.001), mazes (p = 0.005), and symbol coding (p = 0.023) tests. Upon adjusting for sex and age, the performance of the MCD model was excellent in differentiating FEP from HC, as evidenced by an Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC) of 0.895 (p < 0.001). However, when applied in the CHR group for predicting CHR-C (AUC = 0.581, p = 0.008), the performance was not satisfactory. To optimize the efficiency of psychotic risk assessment, three distinct MCD models were developed to distinguish FEP from HC, predict CHR-C from CHR-NC, and identify CHR from HC, achieving accuracies of 89.3%, 65.6%, and 80.2%, respectively.

Conclusions

The MCD exhibits variations in domains, patterns, and weights across different stages of early psychosis and diverse target populations. Emphasizing precise risk assessment, our findings highlight the importance of tailored MCD models for different stages and risk levels.