bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multiobjective optimization of process parameters of AZ91D/AgNPs/TiO2 composite fabricated by friction stir processing using response surface methodology and desirability
Authors: Niwas Ram , Kumar Vikas
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to determine the optimum parametric settings for yielding superior mechanical properties, namely, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS) and percentage elongation (EL) of AZ91D/AgNPs/TiO2 hybrid composite fabricated by friction stir processing.

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical model has been developed to govern crucial influencing parameters, namely, rotation speed (RS), tool transverse speed (TS), number of passes (NPS) and reinforcement fraction (RF) or weight percentage. Box Behnken design (BBD) with four input parameters and three levels of each parameter was used to design the experimental work, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to check the acceptability of the developed model. Desirability function analysis (DFA) for a multiresponse optimization approach is integrated with response surface methodology (RSM). The individual desirability index (IDI) was calculated for each response, and a composite desirability index (CDI) was obtained. The optimal parametric settings were determined based on maximum CDI values. A confirmation test is also performed to compare the actual and predicted values of responses.

Findings

The relationship between input parameters and output responses (UTS, YS, and EL) was investigated using the Box-Behnken design (BBD). Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and nano-sized titanium dioxide (TiO2) enhanced the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength. It was observed that the inclusion of AgNPs led to an increase in ductility, while the increase in the weight fraction of TiO2 resulted in a decrease in ductility.

Practical implications

AZ91D/AgNPs/TiO2 hybrid composite finds enormous applications in biomedical implants, aerospace, sports and aerospace industries, especially where lightweight materials with high strength are critical.

Originality/value

In terms of optimum value through desirability, the experimental trials yield the following results: maximum value of UTS (318.369 MPa), maximum value of YS (200.120 MPa) and EL (7.610) at 1,021 rpm of RS, 70 mm/min of TS, 4 NPS and level 3 of RF.
Measuring the impact of information and communication technology investment on the profitability of Indian manufacturing MSME
Authors: Joshi Aman Kumar , Matai Rajesh , Murthy Nagesh N.
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) investment on the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) profitability in the Indian context.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a framework based on the ICT investment and firm size, measuring the impact on profit before depreciation, interest, tax and amortisation of MSME by taking a random sampling of 300 Indian MSME manufacturing firm’s secondary data from the Prowess database. This framework was analysed using the design of experiment (DoE) technique.

Findings

The study showed that ICT investment has a significant positive relationship with profitability. This study examines the different ICT investment levels to predict investment strategies and fine-tune profit targets. The critical finding is that ICT investment maximises profit at one million rupees. This discovery aids MSME leaders’ sustainable business decision-making.

Research limitations/implications

This study has an explicit limit to the Indian context, where the firm requirements of countries are different, and these findings need to be validated with many operating variables and applied to more firms with more data. Even so, as a theoretical implication, this study took a novel approach to ICT adoption (through ICT investment) in the Indian MSME sector with guiding levels of ICT investment for each type of firm (i.e. micro, small and medium). This study opens new avenues for investigating researchers and stakeholders by exploring other factors responsible for ICT adoption.

Practical implications

This study uniquely provides practitioners with the functional level of ICT investment for MSMEs in the Indian context. These finding guides top management to make strategic ICT adoption decisions with information symmetry. At the same time, these findings suggest financial institutions astern their credit programme to provide credit for ICT investment in MSMEs.

Social implications

This study highlights the value of ICT as a practical resource for business owners that significantly makes MSMEs more informed and profitable, thus creating more jobs and incrementing the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Originality/value

This study offers unique empirical findings on how decision makers in MSMEs maximise profits through optimal ICT investment levels depending upon the firm size in an emerging economy like India. There is evidence in the study to conclude that ICT is a need of MSME and has implications for firm performance.
Multinational corporations and the blocking of trade unions in Germany
Authors: Langbein Helene
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the effect the liberalization of industrial relations in Germany has had on trade unions’ influence on companies’ decisions. Particular attention is given to European measures of flexibilizing company law and how they affect industrial relations in Germany.

Design/methodology/approach

After presenting a theoretical basis regarding industrial relations and corporate governance, the paper then demonstrates, via a case study, the effects of the flexible European company law. It examines the strategic avoidance of trade union activity at SAP, a case that ended up before the European Court of Justice.

Findings

The flexibility of European company law allows companies to limit the influence of trade unions on company decisions. Limiting trade unions' internal participation weakens their position overall. Precautionary measures to protect employees’ rights help to reduce the dangers of this process.

Originality/value

The influence of European law brings a new perspective to the transformation of the German industrial relations model. The analysis of the strategy of using the legal type of the European company (Societas Europaea) to limit the internal activity of trade unions demonstrates the connection between institutional settings and corporate governance.
Addressing endogeneity in marginal revenue product estimates of shirking in Major League Baseball
Authors: Paulsen Richard J.
Published: February 2024

Purpose

While much of the literature testing for shirking by professional athletes have used performance metrics, some works have quantified shirking in dollar terms by comparing salary to estimated marginal revenue product (MRP). However, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) approaches to measuring shirking by comparing salary to MRP have an endogeneity problem, as salary and contract length are determined simultaneously. We test for shirking in Major League Baseball (MLB) using an MRP approach, addressing this potential endogeneity.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses instrumental variables regression to address potential endogeneity using MLB season-level player and team data from 2010 to 2017.

Findings

Using OLS regression, the impact of an additional year of guaranteed contract on shirking is estimated at approximately $1m in 2010 US dollars, and the impact of having a long-term contract is estimated at $5m, estimates comparable to those in the literature. Using instrumental variables regression, these impacts increase to $1.6m and over $9m in 2010 dollars.

Practical implications

Given large, causal shirking estimates, profit maximizing sports organizations should take caution when negotiating long-term contracts. These findings also have important implications for other labor market settings where workers feel job security.

Originality/value

To our knowledge, this is the first work testing for shirking in sports using an MRP approach which uses instrumental variables regression to address potential endogeneity.
‘No distinction exists as to religion, profession, or sex’: Imperial Reform and the Electoral Culture of the East India Company's Court of Proprietors, 1760–84
Authors: Gilding Ben
Published: February 2024

As contemporaries frequently pointed out, and often in disparaging terms, the governing institutions of the British East India Company contained an almost unprecedented ‘democratical’ element. By this, they were referring to the Company's General Court of Proprietors, its sovereign deliberative body, composed of all East India stockholders. Ownership of certain proportions of stock conferred the rights to participate in debate, to vote on policy, and to elect on an annual basis the directors who governed the day‐to‐day affairs of the Company. These electoral rights were granted solely by virtue of stock‐ownership and made no distinctions based on sex, social status, nationality or religion. This article examines the ways in which women, non‐Britons and religious minorities, in particular, took advantage of the opportunities for political participation opened up by the politicisation of the East India Company's general court in the 1760s, as well as the ways in which this was discussed and debated by contemporaries both in parliament and the press. Tracing the political activities of Mary Barwell, William Bolts and Joseph Salvador provides a unique window into a variety of ways in which the Company offered an alternative venue for political activity for groups often otherwise excluded from the formal politics at Westminster. In doing so, it also shows how the democratic elements of the Company's general court played a significant role in shaping the reform of the East India Company between 1767 and 1784, a process which ultimately led to their curtailment.
Blood biomarkers for the differentiation between central and peripheral vertigo in the emergency department: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Klokman Vincent W. , Koningstein Fiona N. , Dors Job W. W. , Sanders Marieke S. , Koning Sam W. , de Kleijn Dominique P. V. , Jie Kim E.
Published: February 2024

Background/introduction

In patients with acute vestibular syndrome (AVS), differentiating between stroke and nonstroke causes is challenging in the emergency department (ED). Correct diagnosis of vertigo etiology is essential for early optimum treatment and disposition.

Objectives

The aim of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to summarize the published evidence on the potential of blood biomarkers in the diagnosis and differentiation of peripheral from central causes of AVS.

Methods

A literature search was conducted for studies published until January 1, 2023, in PubMed, Ovid Medline, and EMBASE databases analyzing biomarkers for the differentiation between central and peripheral AVS. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies questionnaire 2 was used for quality assessment. Pooled standardized mean difference and 95% confidence intervals were calculated if a biomarker was reported in two or more studies. Heterogeneity among included studies was investigated using the I2 metric.

Results

A total of 17 studies with 859 central and 4844 peripheral causes of acute dizziness or vertigo, and analysis of 61 biomarkers were included. The general laboratory markers creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, albumin, C‐reactive protein, glucose, HbA1c, leukocyte counts, and neutrophil counts and the brain‐derived biomarkers copeptin, S100 calcium‐binding protein β (S100β), and neuron‐specific enolase (NSE) significantly differentiated central from peripheral causes of AVS.

Conclusions

This systematic review and meta‐analysis highlights the potential of generalized inflammatory markers and brain‐specific blood protein markers of NSE and S100β as diagnostic biomarkers for central from peripheral differentiation in AVS. These results, as a complement to clinical characteristics, provide guidance for future large‐scale diagnostic research, in this challenging ED patient population.
Pathological image profiling identifies onco‐microbial, tumor immune microenvironment, and prognostic subtypes of colorectal cancer
Authors: Chu Yuwen , Zhang Shuo , Wan Wei , Yang Jialiang , Zhang Yumeng , Nie Chuanqi , Xing Weipeng , Tong Shanhe , Liu Jinyang , Tian Geng , Wang Bing , Ji Lei
Published: February 2024

Histology slide, tissue microbes, and the host gene expression can be independent prognostic factors of colorectal cancer (CRC), but the underlying associations and biological significance of these multimodal omics remain unknown. Here, we comprehensively profiled the matched pathological images, intratumoral microbes, and host gene expression characteristics in 527 patients with CRC. By clustering these patients based on histology slide features, we classified the patients into two histology slide subtypes (HSS). Onco‐microbial community and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) were also significantly different between the two subtypes (HSS1 and HSS2) of patients. Furthermore, variation in intratumoral microbes–host interaction was associated with the prognostic heterogeneity between HSS1 and HSS2. This study proposes a new CRC classification based on pathological image features and elucidates the process by which tumor microbes–host interactions are reflected in pathological images through the TIME.
Human‐Centred Learning Analytics: 2019–24
Authors: Buckingham Shum Simon , Martínez‐Maldonado Roberto , Dimitriadis Yannis , Santos Patricia
Published: February 2024

Human‐Centred Learning Analytics (HCLA) has emerged in the last 5 years as an active sub‐topic within Learning Analytics, drawing primarily on the theories and methods of Human‐Computer Interaction (HCI). HCLA researchers and practitioners are adopting and adapting HCI theories/methods to meet the challenge of meaningfully engaging educational stakeholders in the LA design process, evaluating systems in use and researching the sociotechnical factors influencing LA successes and failures. This editorial introduces the contributions of the papers in this special section, reflects more broadly on the field's emergence over the last five years, considers known gaps and indicates new opportunities that may open in the next five years.
Between the Wizard and the Fire‐Eaters: The Last Records of the Illegal Slave Trade to Brazil, 1866–1870
Authors: Silva Celio Antonio Alcantara
Published: February 2024

Following the enactment of the Eusébio de Queirós law under British pressure in 1850, the Brazilian Empire brought an end to the international slave trade. Illicit arrivals continued to occur, but around 1856 the trade was deemed extinct by the Brazilian authorities. This study discusses rumours and potential evidence of illicit trafficking on the brink of the repeal of the Aberdeen Act, which stirred up officials from the Brazilian Empire, as well as diplomats from the United States and the United Kingdom, and suggest a connection with the conclusion of the American Civil War, particularly Confederate emigration, and a racist organisation in the United States.
Integrating Social Cognition Into Domain‐General Control: Interactive Activation and Competition for the Control of Action (ICON)
Authors: Ward Robert , Ramsey Richard
Published: February 2024

Social cognition differs from general cognition in its focus on understanding, perceiving, and interpreting social information. However, we argue that the significance of domain‐general processes for controlling cognition has been historically undervalued in social cognition and social neuroscience research. We suggest much of social cognition can be characterized as specialized feature representations supported by domain‐general cognitive control systems. To test this proposal, we develop a comprehensive working model, based on an interactive activation and competition architecture and applied to the control of action. As such, we label the model “ICON” (interactive activation and competition model for the control of action). We used the ICON model to simulate human performance across various laboratory tasks. Our simulations emphasize that many laboratory‐based social tasks do not require socially specific control systems, such as those that are argued to rely on neural networks associated with theory‐of‐mind. Moreover, our model clarifies that perceived disruptions in social cognition, even in what appears to be disruption to the control of social cognition, can stem from deficits in social representation instead. We advocate for a “default stance” in social cognition, where control is usually general, but representation is specific. This study underscores the importance of integrating social cognition within the broader realm of domain‐general control processing, offering a unified perspective on task processing.
Financial conflicts of interest among presenters, panellists and moderators at haematology and oncology FDA workshops
Authors: Miller Sarah L. , Haslam Alyson , Prasad Vinay
Published: February 2024

Objective

To assess the characteristics and financial conflicts of interest of presenters, panellists and moderators at haematology and oncology workshops held jointly with or hosted by the US FDA.

Setting

We included information on all publicly available haematology or oncology FDA workshop agendas held between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2022.

Exposure

General and research payments reported on Open Payments, industry funding to patient advocacy organizations reported on their webpages or 990 tax forms and employment in both pharmaceutical and regulatory settings.

Results

Among physicians eligible for payments, 78% received at least one payment from the industry between 2017 and 2021. The mean general payment amount was $82,170 for all years ($16,434 per year) and the median was $14,906 for all years ($2981 per year). Sixty‐nine per cent of patient advocacy speakers were representing organizations that received financial support from the pharmaceutical industry. Among those representing regulatory agencies or pharmaceutical companies, 16% had worked in both settings during their careers.

Conclusions and Relevance

Our findings in this cross‐sectional study show a majority of US‐based physician presenters at haematology and oncology workshops held jointly with members of the US FDA have some financial conflict of interest with the pharmaceutical industry. These findings support the need for clear disclosures and suggest that a more balanced selection of presenters with fewer conflicts may help to limit bias in discussions between multiple stakeholders.
Spatio‐temporal integrated Bayesian species distribution models reveal lack of broad relationships between traits and range shifts
Authors: Wiethase Joris H. , Mostert Philip S. , Cooney Christopher R. , O'Hara Robert B. , Beale Colin M.
Published: February 2024

Aim

Climate change and habitat loss or degradation are some of the greatest threats that species face today, often resulting in range shifts. Species traits have been discussed as important predictors of range shifts, with the identification of general trends being of great interest to conservation efforts. However, studies reviewing relationships between traits and range shifts have questioned the existence of such generalized trends, due to mixed results and weak correlations, as well as analytical shortcomings. The aim of this study was to test this relationship empirically, using analytical approaches that account for common sources of bias when assessing range trends.

Location

Tanzania, East Africa.

Time period

1980–1999 and 2000–2020.

Major taxa studied

57 savannah specialist birds found in Tanzania, belonging to 26 families and 11 orders.

Methods

We applied recently developed integrated spatio‐temporal species distribution models in R‐INLA, combining citizen science and bird Atlas data to estimate ranges of species, quantify range shifts, and test the predictive power of traditional trait groups, as well as exposure‐related and sensitivity traits. We based our study on 40 years of bird observations in East African savannahs, a biome that has experienced increasing climatic and non‐climatic pressures over recent decades. We correlated patterns of change with species traits using linear regression models.

Results

We find indications of relationships identified by previous research, but low average explanatory power of traits from an ecological perspective, confirming the lack of meaningful general associations. However, our analysis finds compelling species‐specific results.

Main conclusions

We highlight the importance of individual assessments while demonstrating the usefulness of our analytical approach for analyses of range shifts.
Contractualism, Democracy and Ethics
Authors: Zifcak Spencer
Published: February 2024

Contractualism, as concept and practice, may be defined in different ways (Yeatman 1995, 1998). In this article I am concerned with contracting out or outsourcing as it is otherwise known. That is, I focus upon the process whereby functions undertaken formerly by government are now performed by private or voluntary organisations in a contractual relationship with public service departments and agencies. Whereas departments and agencies once provided a full panoply of services directly, government purchasers now select providers by tendering competitively for an expanding range of employment, education, health, social welfare and local government services. Contractualism, then, involves the recon‐figuation of public service provision to favour quasi‐commercial rather than bureaucratic forms.*
Making physical activity fun and accessible to adults with intellectual disabilities: A pilot study of a gamification intervention
Authors: Turgeon Stéphanie , MacKenzie Alexandra , Batcho Charles Sebiyo , D'Amour Jason
Published: February 2024

Background

Only about 9% of individuals with intellectual disabilities reach the government's physical activity (PA) recommendations. Combining gamification and technology seems particularly promising in overcoming personal and environmental barriers to PA participation.

Method

Eighteen adults with varying levels of intellectual disabilities completed a pilot study to assess the initial effects of a cycling gamification intervention on levels of PA, fitness, psychosocial outcomes, and challenging behaviours. The study comprised three designs: pre‐post single group, AB single‐case, and qualitative. Social validity, implementation barriers and facilitators were also explored.

Results

Nearly all 18 participants cycled daily. Time and distance cycled daily increase during the intervention while a decrease in stereotyped behaviours was observed. Participants and staff found the intervention enjoyable and socially valid.

Conclusions

Results of the multiple‐design study suggest that gamification interventions may be a suitable, enjoyable, and promising way to contribute to PA participation of adults with intellectual disabilities.
From Liberalisation to Industrial Policy: Towards a Geoeconomic Turn in the European Defence Market?
Authors: Fiott Daniel
Published: February 2024

The European defence market can be described as a geoeconomically relevant sector that forms part of Europe's overall economy, not least in the way that it is a producer of military capabilities and technologies and a repository of scientific skills. Traditionally, European Union (EU)‐level steps to support and liberalise the sector have reflected a regulatory approach marked by soft law, but in recent years, the EU has also developed financial tools to incentivise defence co‐operation. Looking specifically at the European Defence Fund (EDF), this article views this transition as evidence of a ‘geoeconomic turn’ in European defence market policy that is a response to structural challenges related to technology control, security of supply and geopolitical competition. Employing relative gains theory and liberal intergovernmentalism, this article charts the transition from market liberalisation to industrial policy in EU defence market initiatives based on specific intra‐ and extra‐political dynamics.
Law not loopholes: Medical aid in dying for those with dementia
Authors: Briscoe Joshua , Widera Eric
Published: February 2024

This editorial comments on the article by Pope and Brodoff in this issue.
The lucky and unlucky daughter: Gender, land inheritance and agrarian change in Ratanakiri, Cambodia
Authors: Beban Alice , Bourke Martignoni Joanna
Published: February 2024

In many agrarian societies, women come to own land, and people secure care in old age through land inheritance. The social norms guiding inheritance shape gendered, generational and class‐based relations of power in rural areas, and intra‐family land rights can be lost when inheritance norms shift. In Cambodia's northeastern Ratanakiri province, rapid agrarian change over the past decade—including the expansion of land grabs, cash cropping and Khmer in‐migration—is transforming decision‐making around inheritance. Based on a large sample of qualitative interviews and focus groups carried out in 2016 and 2020 with Indigenous and Khmer communities, we focus on the ways in which intergenerational and gendered obligations of care are being reconfigured as land scarcity and inequalities within rural areas become more pronounced. We argue that social norms around land inheritance are in flux, with a proliferation of diverse practices emerging including a shift from matrilineal to bilateral inheritance amongst some Indigenous families, the deferment of marriage and inheritance decisions due to a lack of land and parents taking on debt to buy land and secure care in older age. These changes are reconfiguring gendered and generational identities in relation to land and have potentially negative consequences for land‐poor families, in particular, for poor Indigenous women. These changes are symptoms of a larger ‘crisis of care’ in rural communities.
Evaluation of an advanced antioxidant and double‐conjugated retinoid/AHA cream in participants with FST IV–V
Authors: Grimes Pearl E. , Nelson Diane B.
Published: February 2024

Background

Topical antioxidants and retinoids are foundational components of an effective skincare regimen. Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a potent free radical scavenger that supports efficient mitochondrial energy creation. An advanced antioxidant combines topical allyl PQQ with existing WEL antioxidant technology (TAP) to comprehensively address extrinsic and intrinsic skin aging. In conjunction with TAP, a double‐conjugated retinoid/alpha hydroxy acid (AHA‐Ret) designed to minimize irritation and optimize delivery was used over 12 weeks to improve the appearance of photodamaged skin.

Patients/Methods

Twice‐daily application of TAP and nightly application of AHA‐Ret was evaluated in female participants aged 40–65 years with FST IV–V and mild (3) to moderate (6) facial photodamage using a 10‐point grading scale. Visible improvements from baseline in lines/wrinkles, skin texture, skin tone, skin dullness and erythema were assessed using a six‐point grading scale (0 = None to 5 = Severe). Adverse Events (AEs) were captured throughout the study period.

Results

Participants (N = 21; mean age, 56 years) equally represented mild and moderate photodamage, and FST IV and V (41%, Hispanic; 36%, African American; and 32%, Caucasian). Significant mean improvements from baseline occurred in skin dullness, skin texture, and skin tone (all, p < 0.0001), and significant mean reductions from baseline were demonstrated in erythema and melanin at Week 12. Mild, transient AEs were reported. No participant discontinued study participation due to an AE.

Conclusions

A skincare regimen comprised of an advanced antioxidant and AHA‐Ret cream, in conjunction with daily use of a broad‐spectrum sunscreen (SPF 56), led to significant improvements at 12 weeks in the appearance of photodamaged skin in females with FST IV and V.
What security and for whom? The social construction of exclusion of migrants from citizen security and health security in Mexico
Authors: Stoesslé Philippe
Published: February 2024

This article explores the social construction of international migrants as a threat to public health and public safety in Mexico, specifically in the case of the Metropolitan Area of Monterrey, since relations within this new sense of “otherness” in this city cause issues for public health and citizen security as traditionally conceived. An in‐depth review of the secondary literature on citizen security and health security related to migration and of the Mexican legal framework was conducted, and public information requests were made to Mexican public agencies. If citizen and health security are complementary paradigms, migrants seem excluded from their application. Far from being considered holders of rights, they are primarily restricted in their exercise of rights because they are not “citizens.” These “newcomers” are perceived as “pathogenic agents” and “criminal illegal immigrants” rather than as deserving of these rights by the authorities, the media, and the majority population of Monterrey. These dynamics are likely to keep them not only on the fringes of “the city” but also in a very vulnerable position to fall victim to of all kinds of exploitation, resulting in a form of “management” of human mobility based on exclusion.
A global protection gap: Migrant insecurity in Mexico
Authors: Gómez‐Mera Laura
Published: February 2024

Over the last decade, Mexico has gone from being a major source of immigrants to an important transit and destination country for asylum seekers and migrants from Central and South America. When President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in December 2018, he pledged to implement a migration policy that prioritized humanitarian protection and honored Mexico's international and national human rights commitments. To what extent have these goals been achieved? In this article, I rely on a variety of sources to document the widening gap between Mexico's legal and stated commitments to the protection of migrants' rights and their implementation. I argue that there are both external and domestic constraints that hinder the implementation of human rights commitments and contribute to the migrant protection gap in Mexico. First, Mexican migration and humanitarian goals are inevitably shaped by the pervasive asymmetry characterizing relations with the United States. Second, capacity problems and domestic political tensions have undermined the Mexican government's ability to protect the safety of migrants. Meanwhile, the Mexican case is useful to highlight the sometimes neglected but important role of transnational nongovernmental and international organizations in filling the protection gap by providing support to host country governments and offering complementary protection to migrants.
Museum families: Canadian kinship and material culture
Authors: Leinaweaver Jessaca B.
Published: February 2024

Understanding and documenting the ways that objects become entangled in, produce, sustain, and rupture family relations are crucial contributions of museum studies to anthropological kinship theory. This article analyzes a Canadian exhibit entitled “Family: Bonds and Belonging,” developed in response to Canada's 150th anniversary, in 2017, by a British Columbia provincial museum, then brought to Canada's national immigration museum in Nova Scotia in 2019. The article demonstrates how curators invite objects to narrate kinship, and entangle visitors as theoretical accomplices, all while building national projects. Layered concepts of “family” plays a central role in this exhibit, simultaneously introducing “family” as complex, diverse, and varied while also reproducing middle‐class conventions of family. I argue that this contradiction partly undercuts the representational content of the exhibit, and that the simultaneous multivalence and ideological uniformity of family in this setting points to how museum practices and procedures can unintentionally reproduce conventional ideas that implicitly counter curatorial work.
Predicting perimetric defects from en face maps of retinal nerve fibre layer reflectance
Authors: Swanson William H. , King Brett J. , Alluwimi Muhammed S. , Malik Rizwan
Published: February 2024

Purpose

To develop criteria to predict visual hemifields with deep perimetric defects based on retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) reflectance, in a transparent process whose components can be assessed by independent laboratories analysing data from their own small groups.

Methods

The analysis was carried out in four stages, using three independent groups of patients—30, 33 and 62 participants—with glaucoma and age‐similar controls. The first stage used Group 1 to develop a criterion for RNFL reflectance images at 24, 36 or 48 μm below the inner limiting membrane (ILM). The second stage evaluated the criterion using Group 2. The third stage developed a second criterion to improve performance for Groups 1 and 2 combined. The fourth stage evaluated the second criterion with Group 3. Confidence intervals for sensitivity and specificity were then computed by combining results from all three groups.

Results

The first criterion identified all hemifields with deep defects and no hemifields from controls, using a within‐eye reference for healthy RNFL. For Group 2, specificity remained high but sensitivity was reduced. The second criterion improved sensitivity by using location‐specific reference values. For Group 3, sensitivity remained high but reduced specificity was found. Confidence intervals showed substantial overlap for the two criteria.

Conclusions

We developed two criteria to identify patients with deep perimetric defects with high specificity and sensitivity. Several improvements are warranted: automated identification of the fovea‐disc angle and optic disc locations, evaluation of normal variation in patterns of RNFL thickness, improved segmentation of ILM and major vasculature, reduction of within‐eye variability in RNFL reflectance of healthy eyes, assessment of effects of image quality, assessment of effects of comorbidity and effectiveness of other devices.
Cost‐utility of VISITAG SURPOINT in catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation
Authors: De Potter Tom , Tong Cindy , Maccioni Sonia , Velleca Maria , Galvain Thibaut
Published: February 2024

Background

Clinical studies have demonstrated the safety, efficacy, and efficiency of VISITAG SURPOINT® (VS), which provides important lesion markers during catheter ablation (CA) of atrial fibrillation (AF). The present study evaluated the cost‐effectiveness of CA with VS compared to CA without VS in AF from the publicly‐funded German and Belgium healthcare perspectives.

Methods

We constructed a two‐stage cost utility model that included a decision tree to simulate clinical events, costs, and utilities during the first year after the index procedure and a Markov model to simulate transitions between health states throughout a patient's lifetime. Model inputs included published literature, a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials AF outcomes, and publicly available administrative data on costs. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to determine the robustness of the model.

Results

CA with VS was associated with lower per patient costs vs CA without VS (Germany: €3295 vs. €3936, Belgium: €3194 vs. €3814) and similar quality‐adjusted life‐years (QALYs) per patient (Germany: 5.35 vs. 5.34, Belgium: 5.68 vs. 5.67). CA with VS was the dominant ablation strategy (incremental cost‐effectiveness ratios: Germany: €‐52,455/QALY, Belgium: €‐50,676/QALY). The model results were robust and not highly sensitive to variation to individual parameters with regard to QALYs or costs. Freedom from AF and procedure time had the greatest impact on model results, highlighting the importance of these outcomes in ablation.

Conclusions

CA with VS resulted in cost savings and QALY gains compared to CA without VS, supporting the increased adoption of VS in CA in Germany and Belgium.
Beyond pathways: Accelerated flavonoids candidate identification and novel exploration of enzymatic properties using combined mapping populations of wheat
Authors: Chen Jie , Zhang Yueqi , Wei Jiaqi , Hu Xin , Yin Huanran , Liu Wei , Li Dongqin , Tian Wenfei , Hao Yuanfeng , He Zhonghu , Fernie Alisdair R. , Chen Wei
Published: February 2024

Although forward‐genetics‐metabolomics methods such as mGWAS and mQTL have proven effective in providing myriad loci affecting metabolite contents, they are somehow constrained by their respective constitutional flaws such as the hidden population structure for GWAS and insufficient recombinant rate for QTL. Here, the combination of mGWAS and mQTL was performed, conveying an improved statistical power to investigate the flavonoid pathways in common wheat. A total of 941 and 289 loci were, respectively, generated from mGWAS and mQTL, within which 13 of them were co‐mapped using both approaches. Subsequently, the mGWAS or mQTL outputs alone and their combination were, respectively, utilized to delineate the metabolic routes. Using this approach, we identified two MYB transcription factor encoding genes and five structural genes, and the flavonoid pathway in wheat was accordingly updated. Moreover, we have discovered some rare‐activity‐exhibiting flavonoid glycosyl‐ and methyl‐transferases, which may possess unique biological significance, and harnessing these novel catalytic capabilities provides potentially new breeding directions. Collectively, we propose our survey illustrates that the forward‐genetics‐metabolomics approaches including multiple populations with high density markers could be more frequently applied for delineating metabolic pathways in common wheat, which will ultimately contribute to metabolomics‐assisted wheat crop improvement.
How effort‐based self‐interest motivation shapes altruistic donation behavior and brain responses
Authors: Mao Wenhao , Xiao Qin , Shen Xuejie , Zhou Xinyi , Wang Ailian , Jin Jia
Published: February 2024

Prosocial behaviors are central to individual and societal well‐being. Although the relationship between effort and prosocial behavior is increasingly studied, the impact of effort‐based self‐interested motivation on prosocial behavior has received less attention. In the current study, we carried out two experiments to examine the effect of motivation to obtain a reward for oneself on donation behavior and brain response. We observed that individuals who accumulated more money in the effort‐expenditure rewards task (EEfRT) donated a lower proportion of their earnings. The sigmoid model fitted participants' choices in the EEfRT task, and the effort‐reward bias and sigma parameters negatively correlated with the amount of money donated in the donation task. Additionally, the effort‐reward bias and sigma parameters negatively predicted N2 amplitude during processing of charitable donation‐related information. We propose that individuals who exhibit a lower level of effort‐based self‐interest motivation may allocate more cognitive control or attentional resources when processing information related to charitable donations. Our work adds weight to understanding the relationship between effort‐based self‐interest motivation and prosocial behavior and provides electrophysiological evidence.
Changing trends in mesothelioma: Important lessons for an occupational disease registry
Authors: Barnes Hayley , Hoy Ryan F.
Published: February 2024

See related article
The use of a kaolin‐based hemostatic dressing to attenuate bleeding in dogs: A series of 4 cases
Authors: Huther Andrea , Edwards Thomas H. , Jaramillo Ericka L. , Giles James T. , Israel Sarah K. , Mison Michael , Ambrosius Lisbeth , Kaiser Teresa , Hoareau Guillaume L.
Published: February 2024

Objective

To describe the use of a synthetic hemostatic dressing, QuikClot Combat Gauze (QCG), in dogs with bleeding wounds.

Case Series Summary

Two dogs presented with bleeding traumatic wounds, and QCG was used to achieve hemostasis during stabilization of these dogs. In the other 2 dogs, QCG was used to help attenuate bleeding associated with a surgical procedure.

New or Unique Information Provided

While hemostatic dressings have been widely studied and used in human medicine, there is minimal information on the use and efficacy of these hemostatic dressings in veterinary medicine. This case series describes the use of QCG in dogs with hemorrhaging wounds. QCG could be a valuable resource in veterinary emergency and critical care settings.
The Young Investigator Committee of the International Xenotransplantation Association—Perspective of advancements in the field in 2023
Authors: Goerlich Corbin E. , Kamberi Shani S. , Ladowski Joseph , Citro Antonio , Connolly Margaret , Fischer Konrad , Salvaris Evelyn J. , Singh Avneesh K. , Wang Yi , Stern Jeffrey , Meier Raphael P. H.
Published: February 2024

The 2023 IXA conference, hosted in San Diego, CA, brimmed with excitement against the backdrop of recent innovations in both the pre‐clinical and clinical realms with several first‐in‐human applications of xenotransplantation. The theme, “Pigs are flying,” alluded to the adage that xenotransplantation would only become a clinical reality “when pigs fly,” suggesting a day that might never come. The event witnessed significant attendance, with 600 participants—the highest in the history of an IXA‐IPITA joint congress. Among the attendees were members of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and corporate sponsors deeply engaged in the field. We summarize the latest topics from the congress, ranging from the pros/cons of decedent models of xenotransplantation and genetic engineering of porcine heart valves, solid organs, and cells for clinical translation and their regulatory and ethical landscape.
Exact Lagrangians in four‐dimensional symplectisations
Authors: Dimitroglou Rizell Georgios
Published: February 2024

In this note, we provide explicit constructions of exact Lagrangian embeddings of tori and Klein bottles inside the symplectisation of an overtwisted contact three‐manifold. Note that any closed exact Lagrangian in the symplectisation is displaceable by a Hamiltonian isotopy. We also use positive loops to exhibit elementary examples of topologically linked Legendrians that are dynamically non‐interlinked in the sense of Entov–Polterovich.
Supplemental Material: The effects of weathering and sediment source mixing on whole-rock geochemical provenance studies, Cook Inlet forearc basin, south-central Alaska, USA
Authors: Kapolas A. , Finzel Emily , et al.
Published: February 2024

Table S1: Major oxide compositions of the basin samples. Table S2: Trace element compositions of the basin samples.
Right to mental integrity and neurotechnologies: implications of the extended mind thesis
Authors: Tesink Vera , Douglas Thomas , Forsberg Lisa , Ligthart Sjors , Meynen Gerben
Published: February 2024

The possibility of neurotechnological interference with our brain and mind raises questions about the moral rights that would protect against the (mis)use of these technologies. One such moral right that has received recent attention is the right to mental integrity. Though the metaphysical boundaries of the mind are a matter of live debate, most defences of this moral right seem to assume an internalist (brain-based) view of the mind. In this article, we will examine what an extended account of the mind might imply for the right to mental integrity and the protection it provides against neurotechnologies. We argue that, on an extended account of the mind, the scope of the right to mental integrity would expand significantly, implying that neurotechnologies would no longer pose a uniquely serious threat to the right. In addition, some neurotechnologies may even be protected by the right to mental integrity, as the technologies would becomepart ofthe mind. We conclude that adopting an extended account of the mind has significant implications for the right to mental integrity in terms of its protective scope and capacity to protect against neurotechnologies, demonstrating that metaphysical assumptions about the mind play an important role in determining the moral protection provided by the right.
Skewed X-chromosome inactivation drives the proportion ofDNAAF6-defective airway motile cilia and variable expressivity in primary ciliary dyskinesia
Authors: Thomas Lucie , Cuisset Laurence , Papon Jean-Francois , Tamalet Aline , Pin Isabelle , Abou Taam Rola , Faucon Catherine , Montantin Guy , Tissier Sylvie , Duquesnoy Philippe , Dastot - Le Moal Florence , Copin Bruno , Carion Nathalie , Louis Bruno , Chantot-Bastaraud Sandra , Siffroi Jean-Pierre , Mitri Rana , Coste André , Escudier Estelle , Thouvenin Guillaume , Amselem Serge , Legendre Marie
Published: February 2024

Background

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare airway disorder caused by defective motile cilia. Only male patients have been reported with pathogenic mutations in X-linkedDNAAF6, which result in the absence of ciliary dynein arms, whereas their heterozygous mothers are supposedly healthy. Our objective was to assess the possible clinical and ciliary consequences of X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) in these mothers.

Methods

XCI patterns of six mothers of male patients withDNAAF6-related PCD were determined by DNA-methylation studies and compared with their clinical phenotype (6/6 mothers), as well as their ciliary phenotype (4/6 mothers), as assessed by immunofluorescence and high-speed videomicroscopy analyses. The mutated X chromosome was tracked to assess the percentage of cells with a normal inactivatedDNAAF6allele.

Results

The mothers’ phenotypes ranged from absence of symptoms to mild/moderate or severe airway phenotypes, closely reflecting their XCI pattern. Analyses of the symptomatic mothers’ airway ciliated cells revealed the coexistence of normal cells and cells with immotile cilia lacking dynein arms, whose ratio closely mirrored their XCI pattern.

Conclusion

This study highlights the importance of searching for heterozygous pathogenicDNAAF6mutations in all female relatives of male PCD patients with aDNAAF6defect, as well as in females consulting for mild chronic respiratory symptoms. Our results also demonstrate that about one-third—ranging from 20% to 50%—normal ciliated airway cells sufficed to avoid severe PCD, a result paving the way for gene therapy.
Observational constraints for cubic gravity theory based on third order contractions of the Riemann tensor
Authors: Marciu Mihai , Ioan Dana Maria , Dragomir Mihai
Published: February 2024

The paper studies different observational features in the case of a specific cubic gravity theory, based on third order contractions of the Riemann tensor. Considering viable cosmic chronometers data, baryon acoustic oscillations, and supernovae, we analyze the viability of such a theoretical model, obtaining specific constraints for different parameters in the current scenario. It is shown that the present extension of the $$\Lambda $$
Λ
CDM cosmological model is compatible with recent data sets. The results indicate that the dark energy equation of state is exhibiting a phantom regime in the near past in the case of the best fitted values, a behavior which is in agreement with various phenomenological studies.