bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abstract IA01: Dumpster-diving into the cancer degradome
Authors: Merbl Yifat
Published: October 2024

Recently, we uncovered a pivotal role for altered proteasome complex composition in shaping tumor immunogenicity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Our research demonstrated that the upregulation of a regulatory cap of the proteasome, PSME4, leads to a reduction in antigenic diversity through alterations in proteasomal cleavage patterns, consequently impeding T-cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity. These findings underscore the importance of probing the tumor degradome and its implications for tumor-immune interactions. Yet, numerous questions remain unanswered: Do specific substrates exhibit preferential degradation in PSME4-capped proteasomes? What constitutes their recognition signal? And fundamentally, how do alterations in the degradation landscape influence tumor inflammation? In my talk, I will delve into our latest advancements in addressing these questions, offering insights into the intricate interplay between proteasome-mediated degradation, tumor inflammation, and STAT signaling.

Citation Format: Yifat Merbl. Dumpster-diving into the cancer degradome [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2024 Oct 18-21; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2024;12(10 Suppl):Abstract nr IA01.
Update Motility Disorders: Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease – Diagnostic and Conservative Approach
Authors: Fox Mark
Published: October 2024

Background: Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is extremely common, with at least 1 in 10 people in the general population reporting heartburn and acid regurgitation on a weekly basis. GORD can also be associated with a variety of atypical symptoms, including chest pain, chronic cough, and laryngopharyngeal symptoms. The causes of GORD are multifactorial, and the severity of symptoms is influenced by peripheral and central factors, including psychosocial stress and anxiety. Therefore, for a variety of reasons, no single investigation provides a definitive diagnosis, and standard treatment with acid suppressants is not always effective. Summary: This review introduces the Lyon Consensus, now in its second iteration, a classification system that provides a “conclusive” positive or negative diagnosis of GORD by integrating the results of endoscopy, ambulatory reflux monitoring, and high-resolution manometry. Different algorithms are applied to patients with high and low pre-test probability of a causal relationship between reflux episodes and patient symptoms. The results of these studies identify patients with “actionable” results that require escalation, revision, or discontinuation of GORD treatment. Guidance is provided on the range of conservative treatments available for GORD, including dietary and lifestyle advice, antacids and alginates, and drugs that suppress acid secretion. Key Messages: GORD is a common disorder; however, the causes of reflux and symptoms can be complex. As a result, the diagnosis can be missed, and management is sometimes challenging, especially for patients with atypical symptoms. The Lyon classification establishes a conclusive diagnosis of GORD, based on results of endoscopic and physiological investigation. Typical symptoms usually respond to empiric use of alginate-antacid preparations and acid suppression; however, the management of treatment refractory symptoms is tailored to the individual.
Durvalumab-Induced Immune Thrombocytopenia in Patients with Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma Undergoing Yttrium-90 Radioembolization
Authors: Afghan Maaz Khan , Lutfi Areeb , Qadri Fatima , Khan Sahrish , Javaid Sana , Currie Brian Michael , Rocca Juan Pablo , Samstein Benjamin , Hissong Erika , Kasi Pashtoon Murtaza
Published: October 2024

Introduction: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) secondary to durvalumab, a programmed cell death ligand 1 inhibitor, is a rare but clinically significant immune-related adverse event. Herein, we present 2 patients with cholangiocarcinoma who developed ITP immediately post-yttrium-90 radioembolization (Y90-RE) while on durvalumab-based systemic therapy. We hypothesize that given the timing, the immunotherapy and the radioembolization combination led to this event. It is not uncommon given the approval of immunotherapy and its role in locoregional therapies, that patients are treated with a combination of systemic immunotherapy and radioembolization or other forms of radiation, thus signifying the importance of potential complications. Case Presentation: Two patients, a 67-year-old female and a 60-year-old man, with biopsy-proven advanced unresectable cholangiocarcinoma, received a combination of systemic therapy with durvalumab, gemcitabine, and cisplatin and subsequently Y90-RE. Both patients developed ITP following in the immediate post-Y90-RE period. All other causes of ITP were comprehensively ruled out and treatment for ITP was initiated in the form of high-dose steroid and intravenous immunoglobulins. Durvalumab was discontinued, and only gemcitabine/cisplatin-based chemotherapy was continued thereafter. Due to recurrence, one of the patients required longer courses of steroids as well as thrombopoietin receptor agonists. Conclusion: Immunotherapy in the form of durvalumab and now pembrolizumab alongside chemotherapy is an approved first-line standard of care. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for patients to receive Y90-RE to improve patient outcomes. This report highlights the development of ITP in 2 patients who received durvalumab alongside Y90-RE. Awareness of this as a potential immune-mediated event is important to allow for close monitoring of platelet counts and for early intervention/management when this occurs.
Latrophilin-2 Deletion in Cardiomyocyte Disrupts Cell Junction, Leading to D-CMP
Authors: Kang Minjun , Lee Choon-Soo , Son HyunJu , Lee Jeongha , Lee Jaewon , Seo Hyun Ju , Kim Moo-Kang , Choi Murim , Cho Hyun-Jai , Kim Hyo-Soo
Published: October 2024

BACKGROUND:

Latrophilin-2 (Lphn2), an adhesive GPCR (G protein-coupled receptor), was found to be a specific marker of cardiac progenitors during the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into cardiomyocytes or during embryonic heart development in our previous studies. Its role in adult heart physiology, however, remains unclear.

METHODS:

The embryonic lethality resulting from
Lphn2
deletion necessitates the establishment of cardiomyocyte-specific, tamoxifen-inducible
Lphn2
knockout mice, which was achieved by crossing
Lphn2 
flox/flox
mice with mice having MerCreMer (tamoxifen-inducible Cre [Cyclization recombinase] recombinase) under the α-myosin heavy chain promoter.

RESULTS:

Tamoxifen treatment for several days completely suppressed Lphn2 expression, specifically in the myocardium, and induced the dilated cardiomyopathy (D-CMP) phenotype with serious arrhythmia and sudden death in a short period of time. Transmission electron microscopy showed mitochondrial abnormalities, blurred Z-discs, and dehiscent myofibrils. The D-CMP phenotype, or heart failure, worsened during myocardial infarction. In a mechanistic study of D-CMP,
Lphn2
knockout suppressed PGC-1α (Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha) and mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and the global suppression of junctional molecules, such as N-cadherin (adherens junction), DSC-2 (desmocollin-2; desmosome), and connexin-43 (gap junction), leading to the dehiscence of cardiac myofibers and serious arrhythmia. In an experimental therapeutic trial, activators of p38-MAPK (p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases), which is a downstream signaling molecule of Lphn2, remarkably rescued the D-CMP phenotype of
Lphn2
knockout in the heart by restoring PGC-1α and mitochondrial function and recovering global junctional proteins.

CONCLUSIONS:

Lphn2 is a critical regulator of heart integrity by controlling mitochondrial functions and cell-to-cell junctions in cardiomyocytes. Its deficiency leads to D-CMP, which can be rescued by activators of the p38-MAPK pathway.
Introduction to Abraham Serfaty’s ‘Letter to the Damned of Israel’
Authors: Nadi Selim
Published: October 2024

This article introduces Abraham Serfaty’s ‘Letter to the Damned of Israel’, written in 1982 while he was imprisoned. Serfaty, a Jewish-Moroccan Marxist, reflects on antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and the oppression of both Palestinians and Jews by Zionism. This introduction explores Serfaty’s political thoughts on the relationship between Palestinian liberation, Zionism, and the Jewish Question. It highlights his belief in the importance of Arab-Jewish identity and the role of Arab Jews in the anti-Zionist struggle. ​It also discusses Serfaty’s engagement with various international issues and his influence on the Moroccan leftist movement, particularly through his involvement with the Marxist-Leninist organisation Ila Al Amam and the journal Souffles. ​
Johanna Helena Herolt, Alida Withoos, and artistic exchanges
Authors: Powell-Warren Catherine
Published: October 2024

For a Dutch woman in the second half of the seventeenth century, developing a career illustrating natural history – a field that was becoming increasingly institutionalized – posed a number of challenges related to gendered social, economic, and cultural expectations and limitations. Yet, Johanna Helena Herolt and Alida Withoos established themselves as leading figures in this specialized genre. This essay examines the similarities in the works of the two artists, with a view to gaining insight into the circumstances of their production. In light of the inapplicability and inflexibility of traditional art historical concepts such as collaboration and influence, it proposes conceiving of Herolt and Withoos as engaged in a trading zone consisting of a few, highly engaged experts, amateurs, and artists, in which knowledge, ideas, and artistic practices could be exchanged freely and deployed towards the completion of collective projects, such as Agnes Block’s florilegia and the Moninckx Atlas.
Unmarried, married, widowed or dead
Authors: Vlaardingerbroek Pieter
Published: October 2024

This article focusses on Dutch women as commissioners of architecture between 1680 and 1800 and especially on women from the merchant’s classes. Its aim is to demonstrate that women – despite their status of being legally incapacitated – were able to erect some of the most stupendous canal houses in Amsterdam. This seems to be a contrast with English noble women during the Georgian period. Female propriety was translated into piety, or humility, charity and virtue, resulting in a more modest kind of architecture. Dutch merchant’s women were not subdued by these notions at all: their houses rank among the most ornamented and richest houses in Holland.
The “Notch” in Unstable Layers and the Stability Minimum in the Tropics
Authors: Geller Marvin A. , Wang Ling
Published: October 2024

In a previous paper, we identified a “notch” in unstable layers at Koror (7.3°N, 134.5°E), where there was a relative deficiency in thin unstable layers and a corresponding relative excess in thicker layers, at altitudes centered at 12 km. We hypothesized that this feature was associated with the previously identified stability minimum in the tropics at that same altitude. In this paper, we extend our studies of this notch and its association with the tropical stability minimum by examining other stations in the deep tropics and also some stations at higher latitudes within the tropics. We find that this notch feature is found at all the other radiosonde stations in the deep tropics that we examined. We also find that the annual variations in unstable layer occurrences at stations at higher latitudes within the tropics show variations consistent with our hypothesis that this notch is associated with the region of minimum stability in the tropics at altitudes centered around 12 km, in that the annual variation in this notch feature is consistent with the annual variation of minimum stability in this region. Two factors contribute to the notch feature. One is that the data quality control procedure of the analysis rejects many thin layers due to the small trend-to-noise ratio in the region of minimum stability. The other is that the cloud-top outflow, which was previously identified with the stability minimum, advects thicker unstable layers throughout the deep tropics at the altitudes of the notch.

Significance Statement

Previous papers have separately identified a stability minimum in the tropics and a “notch” feature in the thicknesses of unstable atmospheric layers where there are less thin unstable layers and a corresponding excess of thicker unstable layers, both at altitudes around 12 km. We previously hypothesized that these two features were associated with one another. In this paper, we examine this notch feature and the minimum in atmospheric stability at both deep tropical radiosonde stations and stations located at higher latitudes in the tropics, and we find that the annual variation of this notch feature is consistent with the latitudinal migration of the latitudes of the stability minimum. Turbulence associated with this notch feature might be significant for aircraft operations.
A Rare Case of Disseminated Strongyloidiasis Leading to Multisystem Organ Failure Following Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation
Authors: Atkin Natalie J. , Kasotakis George , Teicher Erik J.
Published: October 2024

Strongyloidiasis is a rare systemic parasitic infection caused by the nematode, Strongyloides stercoralis, that is often insidious and may remain dormant for many years before progressing to fulminant hyperinfection in an immunocompromised host. In this report, we present a case of disseminated strongyloidiasis in a patient who underwent a deceased donor kidney transplantation 2 months prior to presentation. Our patient developed multisystem organ failure as well as secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and ultimately died despite extensive resuscitative efforts and antiparasitic treatments. This report highlights the importance of routine screening for parasitic diseases prior to organ transplantation, especially with donors from endemic regions of the world.
Changes Take Place in Stages! A Gradational Perspective on the Influence of Homeowners Associations on the Adoption of Wildlife-Friendly Landscape Maintenance
Authors: Warner Laura A. , Kalauni Dharmendra , Diaz John M. , Marois Emily , Daniels Jaret C. , Dale Adam G.
Published: October 2024

Lack of demand for professional wildlife-friendly landscape maintenance (WFLM) is not well understood, and further complicated by institutional and non-institutional influences. Framed by the Transtheoretical Model of Change, this study evaluated behaviors and perceptions pertaining to WFLM. A cross-sectional research design with quota sampling gathered stage of change, perceived motivators and barriers, processes of change, and self-efficacy from 1,219 Florida residents who hired a professional for landscape maintenance services. Comparisons were conducted to disentangle the relationship between living in a homeowners association and requesting WFLM. More residents were in earlier pre-action stages than later behavioral stages. There were stronger perceptions of some external barriers and motivators among homeowners association residents with perceptions of neighbors’ expectations being the greater motivator and barrier among this audience segment. Findings reveal a need to support residents in earlier stages of behavior change and integrate social norms into behavior change programs, especially within homeowners associations.
Evaluating Age-Related Differences in Wayfinding in a Real-World Indoor Setting
Authors: Xu Tong Bill , Mirza Hira , Yang Qi , Kalantari Saleh
Published: October 2024

Wayfinding is an important skill that is used in many essential daily activities. While some studies have found older adults to have reduced visuospatial functioning and wayfinding performance, the majority of this research has been conducted in laboratory settings and may suffer from threats to external validity. In the current article, we report an empirical study in which 33 participants, grouped into younger adults versus older adults, were asked to find multiple destinations within a complex real-world building. Multiple outcome measures were collected, including wayfinding performance, spatial learning, self-reported uncertainty, and information-seeking behavior. The results indicated that the older adult participants spent longer amounts of time and traveled longer distances to reach the destinations compared to younger adults, with medium-large effect sizes. Older adults also tended to check signs more frequently and to spend more time examining them, with large to very large effect sizes. Spatial learning outcomes and self-reported uncertainty levels in older and younger groups were not significantly different. We discuss recommendations for future studies in this area regarding experimental design, measurement, and interpretation.
Adaptive predefined-time precise anti-unwinding attitude control for a spacecraft with inertia uncertainty
Authors: Liu Bojun , Fu Xiangkun , Zhang Zhanpeng , Yi Yingmin
Published: October 2024

This paper proposes an adaptive predefined-time accurate anti-unwinding attitude controller for a spacecraft with uncertain inertia. The novelty of the proposed algorithm lies in that the spacecraft attitude error is regulated to exact zero after a predefined settling time, which is an explicit parameter in the control algorithm. A time mapping function containing the predefined settling time is introduced, thus transforming the time scale of the original attitude control system. Then a composite barrier Lyapunov function is constructed to avoid the unwinding phenomenon in the attitude control process, and an adaptive backstepping attitude controller is designed based on the attitude system in the new time scale. The stability analysis of the attitude system is carried out based on LaSalle-Yoshizawa theorem, and it is proved that the attitude quaternion and angular rate can converge to zero accurately within the desired predefined time without using the spacecraft inertia information. Numerical simulation results show the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed controller.
Tipping Point: Pathogenic Stress and the Biopolitics of Euthanasia
Authors: Love Charles S.
Published: October 2024

Hopelessness and demoralization following a terminal diagnosis can affect the capacity for self-governance. Such dispositions can increase the allostatic load—the cumulative burden of stress and anxiety—resulting in a neurophysiologic decline that can impair autonomy and influence the desire to end one's life deliberately. An allostatic overload is characterized by the inability to autoregulate stress and is associated with pathological changes to the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and hippocampus. These changes raise concerns about the reliability of concepts of autonomy in extremis, potentially undermining arguments that are used to justify voluntary euthanasia and medically assisted death. Studies have associated depression and hopelessness with suicidal ideation in the general population. However, fewer studies have examined how patients without a history of depression or suicidal ideation may suddenly contemplate the act when facing a terminal prognosis. This paper will argue that an allostatic overload can help explain how the spectrum of physical and psychological comorbidities associated with the onset of a terminal illness can influence a decision to hasten death. Data show that patients with a terminal disease wishing to hasten death typically exhibit lower rates of clinical depression, higher rates of demoralization, and a greater likelihood of rational suicide. These differences indicate that suicidal ideation in the terminal disease patient population is different. Changes in autonomous decision-making secondary to pathological alterations in the brain may offer an explanation. Such changes have been shown to dysregulate executive control functions, specifically intentionality and voluntariness. Clinical evidence also indicates that spirituality and hopefulness can help manage the allostatic load during the palliative stages of a disease so that patients can better process end-of-life decisions. Based on these data, this paper will further argue that jurisdictions offering euthanasia are morally compelled to make mental and spiritual counseling available to patients seeking this course of action.
Addiction is a Dignity Disorder
Authors: Dernbach Matthew Robert
Published: October 2024

Human dignity refers to the value of the human person. By clarifying distinctions within human dignity, we can conclude that, whereas a person's ontological dignity cannot be lost or diminished regardless of circumstance, a person's existential, moral, or social dignity can be impaired. We describe the state of impaired existential, moral, or social dignity as a dignity disorder, which is defined by the criteria of: impaired rationality; impaired will; impaired capacity to love; and impaired body. We further demonstrate how addiction can be characterized as a dignity disorder with the associated benefit of emphasizing a personalist approach to addiction treatment with the principal intent of promoting existential, moral, and social dignity, which entails: restoring agency, self-efficacy, and freedom of choice; reconciling the internal conflict of akrasia; restoring loving, disinterested relationships; and healing the dysfunctional neuroadaptations and medical sequelae of substance use. This nosology reveals that the distinction between addiction as a choice and addiction as a disease is a false dichotomy; rather, addiction represents an impairment in both body and spirit. By incorporating the criteria of love, this nosology also reveals that addiction is an issue of both personal and societal responsibility.
The brick kiln child workers of Pakistan
Authors: Mayberry John F , Farrukh Affifa
Published: October 2024

Pakistani law recognises that no young person under the age of 18 years can enter into a valid and binding contract. In hazardous industries, such as brick kilns, none of the children working in them have any formal contract, so limiting any rights they may have. Any contract that does exist is with the child’s father and will be linked to everlasting debts and constitutes a form of bondage. This paper reviews the adverse medical effects on children of such employment.
Modeling the Contribution of Grit, Enjoyment, and Boredom to Predict English as a Foreign Language Students’ Willingness to Communicate in a Blended Learning Environment
Authors: Bensalem Elias , Derakhshan Ali , Alenazi Fahad Hamed , Thompson Amy S. , Harizi Radhia
Published: October 2024

The complex relationships between emotions experienced by learners and learners’ personality traits, such as grit, that influence students’ willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC) have come under increasing attention. To date, investigators have focused primarily on WTC and the role of emotions in traditional face-to-face settings rather than in blended learning environments. To expand this research, we examined whether grit, foreign language enjoyment (FLE), and foreign language boredom (FLB) among university-level EFL students would be predictive of L2 WTC in a hybrid online and face-to-face learning setting. We studied 345 participants (252 females and 93 males) enrolled in English courses in a blended learning environment from three public universities in Saudi Arabia. We utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) to test a model that combined grit with two emotions (enjoyment and boredom) and L2 WTC. Our results revealed that FLB had the largest relationship to students’ L2 WTC followed by FLE and grit, respectively. In this paper, we discuss these results and present some pedagogical implications of these data for teachers and learners of English as a foreign language (EFL).
“I’ll Change My Beliefs When I See It”: Video Fact Checks Outperform Text Fact Checks in Correcting Misperceptions Among Those Holding False or Uncertain Pre-Existing Beliefs
Authors: Dan Viorela , Coleman Renita
Published: October 2024

Widespread concerns about the pervasiveness of misinformation have propelled one antidote to the center of scholarly attention: the journalistic fact check. Yet, fact checks often do not work as intended. While most fact checks are text only, a compelling theoretical argument can be made for using a video format instead. In this pre-registered experiment conducted in Germany ( N = 1,093), we investigated whether using video versus text can improve fact checks’ ability to correct misperceptions about transgender women, cannabis consumption, migration, and climate change. Video fact checks outperformed text fact checks, with those holding false or uncertain pre-existing beliefs benefiting the most. We contribute to motivated reasoning theory the idea that visual information can override directional reasoning better than textual information, and that processing fluency is the mechanism by which this occurs. Our findings paint an optimistic picture for the ability of fact checks to debunk misinformation, especially for those holding misperceptions.
Collective Impact—Strengthening the Science and Practice of Implementation Support: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Training and Technical Assistance Centers
Authors: Scheier Lawrence M. , Wandersman Abraham
Published: October 2024

We introduce the second of two special issues that examine the science and practice of implementation support with takeaways for training and technical centers (TTACs). Major goals of both issues were to provide: rationale, concepts, and tools for evaluating training and technical assistance (TTA); an evidence-base for TTACs; and greater understanding of what is required to close the research-practice gap. To achieve these ambitious goals, we encouraged submissions from a broad array of individuals and groups involved in TTA. The seven articles in this second issue were written by a diverse mix of individuals affiliated with TTACs, federal agencies, research-oriented think tanks, and implementation scientists whose focus is on advancing the TTA literature. We felt that the collective wisdom garnered from their experiences would complement the first issue (June 2024) and collectively forge ahead and provide a vision of what is to come. We also thought it would be useful to provide perspectives on what it looks like when readers could examine both issues as a whole. Therefore, we included five commentaries—from the two editors and esteemed colleagues—who help provide a holistic perspective on the present and future of the science and practice of implementation support.
‘A link in an intergenerational chain’: Sovereignty and justice in Ferrara’s sovereignty across generations
Authors: Schupmann Benjamin A.
Published: October 2024

What recourse do democrats have if a present generation uses democratic legal procedures to abrogate constitutional essentials, dissolving past commitments and denying future generations the fundamental freedoms and equalities it currently enjoys? In Sovereignty across Generations, Alessandro Ferrara responds to this issue by re-examining key concepts related to democracy, including sovereignty, constituent power, liberalism and constitutionalism. This review analyses Ferrara’s theory of ‘sequential sovereignty’, which reconceives ‘the people’ as a body spanning generations and grounds it in the ideal of vertical reciprocity. Ferrara provides a sound normative framework for understanding transgenerational obligations and the unamendability of constitutional essentials. However, this review also identifies some limits to Ferrara’s approach: his focus on implied unamendability risks creating a dissonance between legality and legitimacy, and his reluctance to fully engage with ‘containment’ creates a blind spot in democracy’s self-defence. The review concludes that explicit unamendability and containment are consistent with Ferrara’s theory of sequential sovereignty and provide a better safeguard for democracy across generations.
Oil Price Uncertainty and Consumer Sentiment in Advanced Economies
Authors: Azad Nahiyan Faisal , Serletis Apostolos
Published: October 2024

How does oil price uncertainty affect consumer sentiment in advanced economies? Is the response of consumer sentiment to exogenous positive and negative oil price shocks symmetric or asymmetric? Motivated to answer these questions, this paper provides a comprehensive examination of the effects of real oil price shocks on consumer sentiment in the G7 economies in the context of two classes of empirical models. With the application of a bivariate structural GARCH-in-Mean VAR model we find that (in general) oil price uncertainty has a negative and statistically significant effect on consumer sentiment in the G7 countries. Moreover, using a test of symmetry, we find that the relationship between oil prices and consumer sentiment is in general asymmetric.

JEL Classification: C32, D12, Q43, O57
Governing poverty and migration in European nation-states – keywords revisited
Authors: BORRELLI LISA MARIE , ACHERMANN CHRISTIN , NIRAGIRE NIRERE DORIS , PFIRTER LUCA
Published: October 2024

This article introduces a collaborative publication exploring the intricate interplay between poverty governance, migration control, and welfare provision. Adopting a ‘keywords’ approach, we investigate the terminology and concepts around which academic discussions revolve when addressing poverty and migration. Central to this examination is the figure of the ‘poor migrant’, whose experiences of inclusion and exclusion intersect along lines of race, gender, and legal status. Using an intersectional lens, the publication dissects key terms and concepts : Welfare State, Welfare Governance, Citizenship, Solidarity and Deservingness, Suspicion and Surveillance, Discipline, and Banishment. We thus aim to conceptualise and critically discuss the constant renegotiation of state power and the nation-state induced in ex/inclusionary aspects of welfare and migration policies and law. The contribution reveals how notions of belonging shape access to rights and services, particularly along racialized and classist lines. Moreover, it explores how migration policies exacerbate scrutiny and exclusion faced by non-citizen populations within contemporary welfare systems.
Suspicion and surveillance
Authors: BORRELLI LISA MARIE , HEINDLMAIER ANITA , MANTU SANDRA , PFIRTER LUCA
Published: October 2024

In this article we focus on contemporary processes of social differentiation and exclusion at the intersection of migration policy and welfare governance. The keyword pair looks at bureaucratic practices, their justifications, and their consequences for non-citizen subjects’ paths and moves on to theorise about the permeation of these practices into society. We discuss the effects of the suspicion-surveillance nexus on the observed body and mind and how they operate in support of increasingly intrusive practices. Rather than debating the legality of such practices and the inequalities and power relations they imply, we focus on the possibilities of control as discourses become technologised.
Welfare governance
Authors: ACHERMANN CHRISTIN , HEINDLMAIER ANITA , MANTU SANDRA , PFIRTER LUCA
Published: October 2024

This article connects to broader discussions on governance and neoliberal individualisation and advances how activation policies push a focus on labour market participation no matter what the cost – leaving non-citizens vulnerable to exploitative working conditions and termination of their stay permits if they do not participate. This goes along with a responsibilisation of the ‘poor migrant’, individualising their failure to secure their living that provides crucial momentum to drive them out of the national territory. Pointing to the broader context of intersectional (especially gendered and racialised) inequalities, this contribution concludes that precarity (both material and status-wise) is one of the key results characterising the current welfare governance of non-citizens.
Discipline
Authors: BORRELLI LISA MARIE , PFIRTER LUCA , NIRAGIRE NIRERE DORIS
Published: October 2024

With Discipline, we focus on techniques and mechanisms that advance corporeal, attitudinal, and behavioural docility and thereby contribute to contemporary processes of social differentiation and exclusion. Exploring the intersection of migration policy and welfare governance, we discuss disciplinary measures deployed at the intersection of welfare and migration regimes with the aim of understanding how internal border and welfare controls discipline poor non-citizens by criminalising certain kinds of behaviour. Drawing on concepts including micro-violence and micro-aggression, this keyword looks at bureaucratic practices, their justifications and their consequences for non-citizens, before moving on to theorise how such practices have come to permeate the wider society. Disciplinary systems of welfare governance depend on the threat of punishment: individuals are prompted to discipline themselves because they could become the object of disciplinary power at any moment. Such disciplinary techniques are efficient, productive, and subtle, and can result in the increasingly ‘automatic’ internalisation by non-citizens of certain kinds of behaviour.
Banishment
Authors: BORRELLI LISA MARIE , HEINDLMAIER ANITA , LUNDBERG ANNA , MANTU SANDRA , PERSDOTTER MARIA , WERNESJÖ ULRIKA
Published: October 2024

Banishment concludes the keyword discussion by arguing that we can understand the exclusionary practices of welfare states as a politics of destitution, which ultimately leads to the banishment of unwanted individuals. It argues that banishment can be helpful as a conceptual lens through which to understand the purposeful strategies that render individuals deportable, whether citizens or non-citizens.
What Social Research Can Learn from Archaeology: Comparison as Juxtaposition and Conduction
Authors: Krarup Troels
Published: October 2024

Methodological inspiration from the discipline of archaeology can spur new developments of logic of inquiry in social research beyond contemporary debates among empiricist, rationalist, and pragmatist positions with their corresponding modes of inference: induction, deduction, and abduction. Archaeological methodology pursues comparison not in terms of similarities and differences among cases but through the juxtaposition of heterogeneous yet coexisting finds. On this basis, it pursues inferences by what I call ‘conduction’ about the relationship among finds, understood as their conditions of coexistence. Archaeological methodology will prove especially useful to studies that face uncertainty about the constituting relationships of a phenomenon, surprising coexistences, or a need to transgress established disciplinary or social demarcations. On this background, I particularly discuss the usefulness of archaeological methodology for the broad literature on problems, problematization, issues, and concerns building on the works of Dewey, Callon, and Foucault.
A stented elephant trunk procedure with retrograde cerebral perfusion for a rare type of pseudoaneurysm with an aberrant right subclavian artery
Authors: Yang Tao , Zheng Zhifa , Yang Lingbo , Wu Nan , Liu Zhenhao , Wang Xuening
Published: October 2024

Background

Aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA) is a rare congenital vascular anomaly that increases the risk of aortic dissection (AD). Although several treatment options for cases of AD with ARSA have been proposed, such as traditional surgery, thoracic endovascular aortic repair, and a hybrid procedure, a consensus regarding the optimal treatment strategy has not yet been established. And there are no reported cases of pseudoaneurysm combined with ARSA.

Case presentation

A 44-year-old male was admitted with a 7-days history of chest pain. A physical examination was almost normal. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed an ARSA arose from the distal aortic arch and pseudoaneurysm located distal to the origin of the ARSA. The stented elephant trunk (SET) procedure with retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP) was performed under moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest. The postoperative CTA demonstrated a well-perfused ARSA, left subclavian artery (LSA), left common carotid artery (LCCA), and right common carotid artery (RCCA), and occluded pseudoaneurysm with no endoleaks. He was discharged on postoperative day 9 and was doing well during his 6-months follow-up.

Conclusions

With a smaller incision, a simple cannulation method, shorter surgical and circulatory arrest times, fewer blood transfusion requirements, and effective brain protection, the SET procedure with RCP can be a safe and feasible treatment option for complicated aortic arch anomalies with ARSA.
Selective monitoring of superior and inferior vena cava drainage flows in bicaval cannulation: Potential clinical benefits of proximal junction placement on the CPB side
Authors: Condello Ignazio , Montemurro Vincenzo , De Rosis Maria Grazia , Nasso Giuseppe
Published: October 2024

Background: In cardiac surgery, precision and efficiency are crucial, especially in managing venous drainage flows during complex procedures. This practical technique evaluates the benefits of placing the proximal junction on the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) side rather than on the surgical table in bicaval cannulation. Bicaval cannulation, involving both the superior vena cava (SVC) and inferior vena cava (IVC), ensures efficient venous return. Practical technique: Placing the junction on the CPB side allows for accurate, real-time control of venous drainage, allowing for swift responses to fluctuations and maintaining stable hemodynamics.

Perspectives: This approach could minimize the risk of congestion in the liver, splanchnic system, and cerebral venous return, thereby preventing related complications. Another important potential benefit of this approach could be the ability to closely monitor and manage metabolic demands and oxygen consumption for SVC and IVC. Additionally, EmTec flow technology can be integrated for more precise management.
More severe cerebral small vessel disease associated with poor leptomeningeal collaterals in symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis
Authors: Liu Yuying , Li Shuang , Tian Xuan , Abrigo Jill , Lam Bonnie YK , Wei Jize , Zheng Lina , Liu Yu , Li Ziqi , Liang Tingjun , Ip Bonaventure YM , Leung Thomas W , Leng Xinyi
Published: October 2024

We investigated the association between cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and ipsilateral leptomeningeal collateral (LMC) status in patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (sICAS). In 108 patients with 50–99% symptomatic intracranial internal carotid artery or M1 middle cerebral artery stenosis, 4 CSVD imaging markers (lacunes, cerebral microbleeds, enlarged perivascular spaces [EPVSs], and white matter hyperintensities [WMHs]) were assessed in MRI. Score of 0 or 1 was assigned to each marker and added up as a summary CSVD score (ranging 0–4) to reflect an overall CSVD burden. Ipsilateral LMC status was assessed by determining the laterality of distal vessels in anterior and posterior cerebral artery territories on CT angiography. Moderate-to-severe EPVSs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.15; p = 0.031) and WMHs (aOR = 5.90; p = 0.010), and higher summary CSVD score (aOR = 1.66; p = 0.030) were independently associated with poor LMCs. There was significant interaction between stenosis percentage in sICAS and summary CSVD score on poor LMCs (p = 0.022 for interaction), when higher CSVD score was significantly associated with poor LMCs in patients with severe sICAS (aOR = 2.84; p = 0.011) but not in those with moderate sICAS. The findings indicated possibly adverse effect of CSVD on the recruitment or development of LMCs in sICAS patients, especially in patients with severe sICAS.
Anticoagulation therapy for a rare case of pseudo-Meigs’ syndrome complicated by massive ascites in the postpartum period
Authors: Lin Xiaoxiao , Zhang Bailei
Published: October 2024

Most persistent symptoms of pseudo-Meigs’ syndrome (PMS) are alleviated by surgical tumor removal. The present case report suggests that PMS may present with ascites and hypercoagulation and that emergency anticoagulation can improve the patient’s condition. We herein describe a postpartum woman with an acute presentation including abdominal pain, ascites, postpartum hemorrhage, and degeneration of a large uterine fibroid. Initial evaluation revealed unexpected massive ascites, pleural effusion, a highly elevated D-dimer level, and a moderately elevated CA125 level. Following anticoagulation therapy, the ascites, abdominal pain, and pleural effusion resolved. There was no recurrence of these symptoms during follow-up, although the large degenerating uterine fibroid and mildly elevated serum CA125 level persisted. Postoperatively, pathological analysis confirmed leiomyoma, the patient’s CA125 level returned to normal, and the ascites resolved, meeting the diagnostic criteria for PMS. Further studies are needed to determine whether a hypercoagulable state is common in pregnant patients with PMS and to develop strategies to improve outcomes.
Systematic review of ultrasound-guided central venous catheter placement-related complications in neonates and infants aged <12 months
Authors: Cui Yu , Wang Yu , Gong Tianqing , Huang Qinghua , Zhang Qian-Qian
Published: October 2024

Objective

Although ultrasound can be considered an assistant method, successful placement of a central venous catheter (CVC) in infants is still challenging. The incidence of CVC placement-related complications is still high. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to synthesize evidence to assess the effects of ultrasound-guided CVC placement on adverse outcomes in infants and neonates aged <12 months.

Methods

PubMed, Ovid, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched to identify potentially relevant studies. The main outcome was the incidence of adverse events, which included inadvertent arterial puncture, hematoma, pneumothorax and hemothorax, catheter kinking, threading, and malpositioning problems, venous thrombosis, catheter-related infection, phlebitis, and cardiac tamponade.

Results

Eleven studies involving 2097 patients were included in the final analysis. The odds of inadvertent arterial puncture, and catheter kinking, threading, and malpositioning problems were lower in the ultrasound group than in the control group. No significant difference was detected in the incidence of hematoma or venous thrombosis between the control and ultrasound groups. Other complications, such as pneumothorax, hemothorax, phlebitis, and cardiac tamponade, rarely occurred.

Conclusion

Ultrasound-guided CVC placement can improve the safety of punctures in neonates and infants. CVC punctures should be guided in real-time by ultrasound.
Validating scores from the short form of the Music Self-Perception Inventory (MUSPI-S) with seventh- to ninth-grade school students in Germany
Authors: Fiedler Daniel , Hasselhorn Johannes , Arens A. Katrin , Frenzel Anne C. , Vispoel Walter P.
Published: October 2024

The Music Self-Perception Inventory-Short (MUSPI-S) is a theoretically based instrument consisting of 28 items with subscales that assess music self-concept globally and in six specific areas. The present study sought to validate a German translation of the MUSPI-S using a sample of 444 secondary school students. In addition to participants’ scores from the German translation of the MUSPI-S, associated data included demographic background variables, self-reported school grades in various subjects, and interest in the school subject of music. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesized factor structure and measurement model for MUSPI-S scores. Latent factor correlations among MUSPI-S subscale scores and correlations of these scores with school grades and interest in the school subject of music aligned well with theoretical expectations and previous research. Findings also provided evidence for strict measurement invariance of scores in the German MUSPI-S across subgroups of gender, school year (i.e., grade level), and musical activity. MUSPI-S subscale factor-level means did not reliably differ among seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-grade students but favored females over males and musically active over non-active students on nearly all subscales. Overall, this evidence supports the use of the German translation of the MUSPI-S in assessing a wide range of important self-perceived musical abilities for research and practical assessment purposes.
Migraine and work – beyond absenteeism: Migraine severity and occupational burnout – A cohort study
Authors: Peles Ido , Sharvit Shaked , Zlotnik Yair , Gordon Michal , Novack Victor , Waismel-Manor Ronit , Ifergane Gal
Published: October 2024

Background

Migraine, a condition affecting 12% of the population, is a prevalent cause of disability, significantly impacts individuals during their most productive working years. Several studies have established that a migraine patient's job performance is often limited by absenteeism and presenteeism. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of migraines on occupational burnout, which affects up to 40% of workers.

Methods

A subset of participants from the Negev Migraine Cohort, including both migraine patients and non-migraine controls, were asked to complete the study questionnaire. The main exposures of interest were migraine diagnosis and severity. The primary outcome was occupational burnout. Migraine severity and associated disability were evaluated using the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) score, psychiatric comorbidities using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale – 21 Items (DASS-21) scale and occupational burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-GS version) scale. Statistical analyses included multivariable quantile regression models to identify associations and adjust for potential confounders.

Results

In total, 675 migraine patients and 232 non-migraine participants participated in the study. Migraine patients exhibited higher rates of depression (mean DASS-21: 0.864 vs. 0.664, standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.262), tended to work longer hours (median weekly hours: 40.0 vs. 36.0, SMD = 0.148) and expressed a preference for remote work (20.3% vs. 10.3%, SMD = 0.097). Migraine patients reported significantly higher levels of occupational burnout (mean burnout score: 3.46 vs. 2.82, SMD = 0.469). Controlling for depression, anxiety and stress, migraine diagnosis (25th percentile estimate = 0.67, p = 0.002, 75th percentile estimate = 0.92, p = 0.032) and migraine severity (estimates: 2.2–5.3, p < 0.001 for all) were associated with higher levels of occupational burnout.

Conclusions

Migraine diagnosis and severity is associated with an occupational burnout, after controlling for various psychological and work-related factors. The findings underscore the need for workplace adjustments to support migraine patients’ participation in the work market.