bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spectrum of perforated peptic ulcer disease in a tertiary care hospital in South India: predictors of morbidity and mortality
Authors: Shreya Agarwal , Sahla Sathar , Gurushankari Balakrishnan , Shivakumar Madan , Rifai  , Kate Vikram , Sureshkumar Sathasivam , Mahalakshmy Thulasingam
Published: December 2023

Background

Perforated peptic ulcer remains one of the most common surgical emergencies in India with significant morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to identify the perioperative risk factors influencing the post‐operative morbidity and mortality in patients with perforated peptic ulcer disease.

Methods

Five‐hundred patients who underwent surgery for perforated peptic ulcer in our institution in the preceding 8 years were included in this observational retrospective study. Their clinical presentations, peri‐operative managements were studied and analysed.

Results

Five hundred cases were analysed of which 96% were males. Mean age was 46.5 years. A total of 160 patients had duodenal perforation and 328 had gastric perforation with a mean size of 8.6 mm. Most patients (96.2%) underwent omental patch closure of the perforation with mean length of hospitalization being 14 days. The most common major and minor postoperative complications were prolonged intubation and pulmonary complaints respectively. Re‐exploration was needed in 6.2% of cases with a post‐operative leak rate of 5.8%. Age >60 years, presence of comorbid illnesses, shock at presentation and perforation size >1 cm were identified as independent predictors of postoperative morbidity. Overall mortality was 11.6% while specific mortality among males and females were 11.8% and 5% respectively. Age >60 years, shock at presentation, presence of abdominal rigidity and size of perforation >1 cm were independent predictors of mortality.

Conclusion

Old age, comorbidities, shock at presentation, perforation size >1 cm, higher ASA grade, prolonged surgery and biliopurulent contamination >500 mL were independent predictors of both increased post‐operative morbidity and mortality.
Acute pancreatitis in childhood – a comparative international study and tale of two cities
Authors: Salim Adeline , Boonthai Ampaipan , Tanpowpong Pornthep , Losty Paul D.
Published: December 2023

Backgrounds

To compare factor(s) contributing to aetiology, management and clinical outcome(s) of paediatric patients acquiring acute pancreatitis (AP) at two major university paediatric surgical centres in Liverpool and Bangkok.

Methods

All patients (<18 years) with an index diagnosis of AP (ICD 10 coding) during 2006–2016 were studied.

Results

121 patients included n = 79 (65.3%) in Thailand versus n = 42 (34.7%) in the UK centre with no difference(s) in age at diagnosis at 10.4 ± 4.5 and 11.7 ± 6 years. (P = 0.12). Major AP aetiology(s) in Thailand were medications (39.2%) and choledochal cysts (8.9%). In the UK—gallstone disease (21.4%), and medications (16.7%) were leading factors (P < 0.01). Ultrasonography was deployed more frequently in the UK versus Thai centre (74.3% vs. 49.1%; P < 0.01). Pancreatitis was confirmed by imaging in 67.9% (Thai) and 62.9% (UK) patients (P = 0.47). Most patients at both centres had a mild‐grade pancreatitis illness (95% Thai vs. 90.5% UK; P = 0.28) while 12.7% of Thai and 19% of UK children developed pancreatitis‐related complication (P = 0.37). Overall mortality rate (%) was significantly higher in the Thai versus UK centre (27.8% vs. 9.5%; P = 0.02).

Conclusions

Aetiology of acute pancreatitis appears to vary between UK and Thailand children. Timely early diagnosis and healthcare pathways may be driven by local patient‐related factor(s). The higher mortality (%) observed in Thailand versus UK in this comparative study was linked to underlying co‐existent chronic medical condition(s) in vulnerable patient cohorts.
Internal Colonialism as Socio‐Ecological Fix: The Case of New Clark City in the Philippines
Authors: Crabb Lauren , Agar Celal Cahit , Böhm Steffen
Published: December 2023

We study the emergence of New Clark City, Philippines, which is part of the country's development programme “Build‐Build‐Build”. Triangulating data from field observations, interviews, and documents, we analyse the social, economic, and ecological consequences of this “city of the future”. The city enables capital to be fixed into space, which (i) creates new accumulation opportunities for investors, (ii) lubricates capital circulation, shortening turnover times and lowering costs, and (iii) staves off a multitude of longstanding barriers faced by capital and state actors by reordering space along the lines of the Philippines’ geographical expansion and spatial restructuring strategy. Aiming to address a geographical‐switching crisis, this socio‐ecological fix goes hand‐in‐hand with the stark reality of an internal colonialist agenda, resulting in negative consequences for local and Indigenous communities. We contribute to the socio‐ecological fix literature by arguing that internal colonialism offers a vital lens to understand capital expansion from the centre to the periphery.
Burden of perianal disease in Crohn's disease: Accelerating medical therapy and high rates of perianal surgery over the last four decades – Results from a population‐based study over four decades
Authors: Gonczi Lorant , Lakatos Laszlo , Golovics Petra A. , Angyal Dorottya , Balogh Fruzsina , Ilias Akos , Pandur Tunde , David Gyula , Erdelyi Zsuzsanna , Szita Istvan , Lakatos Peter L.
Published: December 2023

Background

Few population‐based studies have investigated the prevalence and disease course of perianal manifestation in Crohn's disease.

Aims

To analyse the prevalence and outcomes of perianal Crohn's disease including medical therapies and need for perianal surgery, over different therapeutic eras based on the time of diagnosis; cohort A (1977–1995), cohort B (1996–2008), and cohort C (2009–2018)

Methods

Patient inclusion lasted between 1977 and 2018. We followed patients prospectively, and regularly reviewed both in‐hospital and outpatient records. We defined a perianal surgical procedure as any perianal incision and excision, fistulotomy, or abscess drainage.

Results

We included 946 incident patients. Perianal disease at diagnosis was present in 17.4% (n = 165) of the total cohort, with a declining prevalence in cohorts A/B/C, respectively (24.7%/18.5%/13.2%; p = 0.001). By the end of follow‐up, an additional 9.3% (n = 88) of the total cohort developed perianal disease. Cumulative immunosuppressive and biologic exposure increased over time; biologic use was higher in patients with perianal disease [pLog Rank < 0.001]. The overall rate of perianal surgery was 44.7% (113/253), with a probability of 28.3% (95% CI: 25.4–31.2) after 10 years, 41.0% (95% CI: 37.5–44.5) after 20 years, and 64.1% (95% CI: 59–69.2) after 30 years. There was no statistically significant difference in the probability of first perianal surgery among cohorts A/B/C [Log Rank = 0.594].

Conclusions

The burden of perianal disease and perianal surgery rates were high in this cohort. Therapeutic strategy was accelerated in patients with perianal Crohn's over time with higher exposure to immunosuppressives and biologics. Surgical management of perianal disease remained unchanged amongst the cohorts.
Effect of farm Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (farm HACCP) certification efforts on emissions of volatile organic compounds from livestock sheds in Japan
Authors: Tanaka Nobuyuki , Aizawa Arika , Miyazaki Akane , Ando Yoshitake
Published: December 2023

“Farm HACCP” incorporates the concept of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) into farm animal husbandry and sanitation management to ensure the safety of livestock products and improve productivity. Implementing farm HACCP may reduce the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are derived from livestock manure and are responsible for odors, PM2.5, and photochemical oxidants. In this study, the effects of implementing farm HACCP on the emissions, composition, and environmental impact of VOCs from sheds were evaluated. VOCs in swine, dairy cattle, and hen sheds were measured before and after implementing farm HACCP. After implementing farm HACCP, the concentrations in the sheds were 55%–80% lower than the concentration in the sheds before. Odor activity values decreased in the cattle and hen sheds, whereas they increased in the swine shed. In addition, OH radical reactivity, an indicator of reactivity with OH radicals, decreased in all sheds. Finally, the emission rates of VOCs from each shed were estimated to be 42%–97% lower. These results suggest that implementing farm HACCP can reduce emissions of VOCs from livestock industries.
Developmental links between well‐being, self‐concept and prosocial behaviour in early primary school
Authors: Dempsey Caoimhe , Devine Rory , Fink Elian , Hughes Claire
Published: December 2023

Background

Well‐being is a key aspect of children's education, yet measurement issues have limited studies in early primary school.

Aims

The current 12‐month longitudinal study assesses the temporal stability of child‐ and parent‐reported school well‐being and examines developmental links with academic self‐concept and parent‐rated prosocial behaviour.

Sample(s)

We tracked a sample of 206 children across the transition from the first (T1) to the second (T2) year of primary school (T1 child Mage = 5.3, SD = .46, 54.3% girls) and gathered ratings of well‐being, prosocial behaviour and academic self‐concept at both timepoints.

Methods

We used cross‐lagged analyses to investigate developmental links between these three constructs.

Results

Parent and child reports of children's well‐being showed similar temporal stability and converged over time, such that informants' reports showed a modest but significant correlation at T2. Girls reported greater well‐being than boys at both timepoints and received higher parental ratings of well‐being than boys at T2. For both girls and boys, associations between the constructs were asymmetric: early well‐being predicted later self‐concept and prosocial behaviour, but the reciprocal associations were not significant.

Conclusions

These findings support the validity of young children's self‐reported well‐being, highlight the early onset of gender differences in school well‐being and demonstrate that early well‐being heralds later prosocial behaviour and positive academic self‐concepts.
Research on the patterns of the organic growth knowledge production based on a dual perspective of content and behaviour
Authors: Xu Yaqian , Yang Yang
Published: December 2023

A new mode of knowledge production, known as the ‘organic growth pattern’, has emerged within the online learning environment. It exhibits several unique features, such as iterative growth, fuelled by collective intelligence, fuzzy complexity, etc. It is more valuable and adaptable to support knowledge innovation within rapidly changing fields. To reveal its new evolutional production pattern and the interaction mechanism of different generative topics, We take a dual perspective of content and behaviour into consideration. A total of 1855 interactive data points were collected from a connectivist massive open online course. The study employed methods, such as latent Dirichlet allocation, content analysis and lag sequential analysis. Results showed that (1) the paths of knowledge innovation were complex and diverse. The process typically began with an ill‐structured question and was driven by collective contribution and cognitive conflict. (2) Knowledge production involved interactive evolution and collaborative growth of multiple generative topics. (3) The four stages of knowledge production were cyclic, with sense‐making acting as a bridge between way‐finding and innovation. Several implications of the findings are recommended to enhance the quality of knowledge growth, such as designing ill‐structured questions, providing discussion activities from easy to difficult, introducing relevant topics, taking advantage of various platforms and mobilizing learners' or participants' quality attention‐related behaviours.
The Poetics of Psychoanalysis
Authors: Enckell Henrik
Published: December 2023

In this paper, the author looks at some central psychoanalytic themes through the lens of literature. In literary criticism, it is clear that we construct a meaning with the help of certain formal principles. In literature, we also know that fiction differs from documentary or scientific prose. The literary critic thinks that, specifically in fiction, one may find new formal principles and, through that, new perspectives on reality. With the help of these literary constructs, the author looks at character, transference, therapeutic change and truth/reality in psychoanalysis. The argument is elaborated in relation to a clinical example.
Non‐canonical nitric oxide signalling and DNA methylation: Inflammation induced epigenetic alterations and potential drug targets
Authors: Switzer Christopher H.
Published: December 2023

DNA methylation controls DNA accessibility to transcription factors and other regulatory proteins, thereby affecting gene expression and hence cellular identity and function. As epigenetic modifications control the transcriptome, epigenetic dysfunction is strongly associated with pathological conditions and ageing. The development of pharmacological agents that modulate the activity of major epigenetic proteins are in pre‐clinical development and clinical use. However, recent publications have identified novel redox‐based signalling pathways, and therefore novel drug targets, that may exert epigenetic effects. This review will discuss the recent developments in nitric oxide (NO) signalling on DNA methylation as well as potential epigenetic drug targets that have emerged from the intersection of inflammation/redox biology and epigenetic regulation.
Factors predictive of second‐line chemotherapy in soft tissue sarcoma: An analysis of the National Genomic Profiling Database
Authors: Mochizuki Takao , Ikegami Masachika , Akiyama Toru
Published: December 2023

Of the drugs used in second‐line chemotherapy for soft tissue sarcoma (STS), trabectedin is effective for liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma (L‐sarcoma), eribulin for liposarcoma, and pazopanib for non‐liposarcoma. The indications for these drugs in STS other than L‐sarcoma have not been established. Here we explored the prognosis, mutation profiles, and drug‐response factors in STS using real‐world big data. Clinicogenomic data on 1761 patients with sarcoma who underwent FoundationOne CDx were obtained from a national database in Japan. Patients with TP53 and KDM2D mutations had a significantly shorter survival period of 253 (95% CI, 99–404) and 330 (95% CI, 20–552) days, respectively, than those without mutations. Non‐supervised clustering based on mutation profiles generated 13 tumor clusters. The response rate (RR) to trabectedin was highest in an MDM2‐amplification cluster (odds ratio [OR]: 2.2; p = 0.2). The RR was lowest for eribulin in an MDM2‐amplification cluster (OR: 0.4; p = 0.03) and highest in a TERT‐mutation cluster (OR: 3.0; p = 0.03). The RR was highest for pazopanib in a PIK3CA/PTEN‐wild type cluster (OR: 2.1; p = 0.03). In particular, patients harboring mutations in genes regulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway had a lower RR than patients without mutations (OR: 0.3; p = 0.04). In STS, mutation profiles were more useful in predicting the drug response than histology. The present study demonstrated the potential of tailored therapy guided by mutation profiles established by comprehensive genomic profiling testing in optimizing second‐line chemotherapy for STS. The findings of this study will hopefully contribute some valuable insights into enhancing STS treatment strategies and outcomes.
Clinical neuromodulatory effects of deep brain stimulation in disorder of consciousness: A literature review
Authors: Cao Tianqing , He Shenghong , Wang Luchen , Chai Xiaoke , He Qiheng , Liu Dongsheng , Wang Dong , Wang Nan , He Jianghong , Wang Shouyang , Yang Yi , Zhao Jizong , Tan Huiling
Published: December 2023

Background

The management of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) presents substantial challenges in clinical practice. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach, but the lack of standardized regulatory parameters for DBS in DOC hinders definitive conclusions.

Objective

This comprehensive review aims to provide a detailed summary of the current issues concerning patient selection, target setting, and modulation parameters in clinical studies investigating the application of DBS for DOC patients.

Methods

A meticulous systematic analysis of the literatures was conducted, encompassing articles published from 1968 to April 2023, retrieved from reputable databases (PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Web of Science).

Results

The systematic analysis of 21 eligible articles, involving 146 patients with DOC resulting from acquired brain injury or other disorders, revealed significant insights. The most frequently targeted regions were the Centromedian‐parafascicular complex (CM‐pf) nuclei and central thalamus (CT), both recognized for their role in regulating consciousness. However, other targets have also been explored in different studies. The stimulation frequency was predominantly set at 25 or 100 Hz, with pulse width of 120 μs, and voltages ranged from 0 to 4 V. These parameters were customized based on individual patient responses and evaluations. The overall clinical efficacy rate in all included studies was 39.7%, indicating a positive effect of DBS in a subset of DOC patients. Nonetheless, the assessment methods, follow‐up durations, and outcome measures varied across studies, potentially contributing to the variability in reported efficacy rates.

Conclusion

Despite the challenges arising from the lack of standardized parameters, DBS shows promising potential as a therapeutic option for patients with DOC. However, there still remains the need for standardized protocols and assessment methods, which are crucial to deepen the understanding and optimizing the therapeutic potential of DBS in this specific patient population.
Acquired tracheomalacia due to SARS‐CoV‐2 pneumonia
Authors: Espejo David , Zapata Marta , Omari Saliha , Muñoz Xavier , Cruz Maria‐Jesús ,   Se‐COVID‐19 team
Published: December 2023

Introduction

Several studies mentioned parenchymal findings after SARS‐CoV‐2 pneumonia, but few studies have mentioned alterations in the airways. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of tracheomalacia and to analyse the clinical characteristics in a cohort of patients with SARS‐CoV‐2.

Methods

The study population consisted of all patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 admitted a hospital serving a population of 500 000 inhabitants. Patients were visited between 2 and 6 months after hospital discharge. In this visit, all patients were subjected to an exhaustive clinical questionnaire and underwent clinical examination, pulmonary function tests and chest CT.

Results

From February 2020 to August 2021, 1920 patients were included in the cohort and tracheomalacia was observed in 15 (0.8%) on expiratory HRCT imaging. All patients with tracheomalacia also presented ground glass opacities in the CT scan and 12 patients had airway sequelae.

Conclusions

Tracheomalacia is an exceptional sequela of SARS‐CoV‐2 survivors.
Expanding the phylogeography and connectivity of Perkinsus species across North and Central America
Authors: Yisrael Leone , DiMaria Ruth A. , Santos‐Ciminera Patricia , Aguirre‐Macedo M. Leopoldina , Vidal‐Martínez Victor M. , Ruiz Gregory M. , Torchin Mark E. , Hill‐Spanik Kristina M. , Gnanadesikan Anand , Pagenkopp Lohan Katrina M.
Published: December 2023

Aim

Parasites in the genus Perkinsus infect marine molluscs globally, with novel detections expanding and reshaping our knowledge of their biogeographic patterns and the factors influencing those patterns. Here, we aimed to characterize the phylogeography and genetic connectivity of Perkinsus spp. in bivalves across North and Central America, which included infection hot spots (e.g., the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay) and areas where these parasites had not been previously reported (e.g., along the California coast).

Location

All coasts of North America and both coasts of Panama.

Methods

Utilizing standard PCR and DNA sequencing, we genetically screened 933 bivalves from across North America for parasites in the genus Perkinsus, then combined this with 752 bivalves previously screened from Panama, which included 16 species from three different countries. Phylogenetic methods were used to confirm the identifications of all the bivalves collected and the Perkinsus spp. detected. We combined our data with publicly available sequence data for these parasites to create global haplotype networks to assess regional and continental genetic diversity and phylogeographic patterns.

Results

We detected three species across North and Central America, including Perkinsus beihaiensis, P. chesapeaki, P. marinus, while P. olseni was only detected in Panama. We report for the first time P. chesapeaki was detected in Isognomon sp. from Mexico and P. beihaiensis detections in Ostrea lurida from California, USA. Additionally, our results indicate extremely low‐genetic diversity of P. beihaiensis, P. chesapeaki and P. marinus across continental and global spatial scales.

Main conclusions

Our results add further evidence of recent or continuous long‐range dispersal and global connectivity for many haplotypes, suggesting that parasite dispersal through anthropogenic activities, such as maritime trade, likely contributes to these phylogeographic patterns.
We and us: The power of the third for the first‐person plural
Authors: Hedges Tris
Published: December 2023

Phenomenological discussions of sociality have long been concerned with the relations between the I, the You, and the We. Recently, dialogue between phenomenology and analytic philosophical work on collective intentionality has given rise to a corpus of literature oriented around the first‐person plural “we.” In this paper, I demonstrate how these dominant accounts of the “we” are not exhaustive of first‐person plural experiences as such. I achieve these aims by arguing for a phenomenological distinction between an experience of being part of a “we” compared to an experience of being part of an “us.” To have a “we‐experience” there must be a plurality of (unified) subjects sharing in an experience together such that the experience has the phenomenal character of being ours. An “us‐experience,” on the other hand, requires the experiential salience of an external “Third” in a way that is constitutively significant. Drawing on Sartrean social ontology, I argue that the “us” is distinct from the “we” on three levels, all of which pertain to the constitutive and unifying role of the Third. I then outline two forms of us‐experiences: (1) the experience of being grouped and (2) the experience of apprehending one's seriality.
Into the danger zone: How the within‐host distribution of parasites controls virulence
Authors: Johnson Pieter T. J. , Stewart Merrill Tara , Calhoun Dana M. , McDevitt‐Galles Travis , Hobart Brendan
Published: December 2023

Despite the importance of virulence in epidemiological theory, the relative contributions of host and parasite to virulence outcomes remain poorly understood. Here, we use reciprocal cross experiments to disentangle the influence of host and parasite on core virulence components—infection and pathology—and understand dramatic differences in parasite‐induced malformations in California amphibians. Surveys across 319 populations revealed that amphibians' malformation risk was 2.7× greater in low‐elevation ponds, even while controlling for trematode infection load. Factorial experiments revealed that parasites from low‐elevation sites induced higher per‐parasite pathology (reduced host survival and growth), whereas there were no effects of host source on resistance or tolerance. Parasite populations also exhibited marked differences in within‐host distribution: ~90% of low‐elevation cysts aggregated around the hind limbs, relative to <60% from high‐elevation. This offers a novel, mechanistic basis for regional variation in parasite‐induced malformations while promoting a framework for partitioning host and parasite contributions to virulence.
Refocusing generalized myasthenia gravis: Patient burden, disease profiles, and the role of evolving therapy
Authors: Saccà Francesco , Salort‐Campana Emmanuelle , Jacob Saiju , Cortés‐Vicente Elena , Schneider‐Gold Christiane
Published: December 2023

Background and purpose

Generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) continues to present significant challenges for clinical management due to an unpredictable disease course, frequent disease fluctuations, and varying response to therapy. The recent availability of new pharmacologic therapies presents a valuable opportunity to reevaluate how this disease is classified, assessed, and managed and identify new ways to improve the clinical care of patients with gMG.

Methods

Narrative review was made of publications identified via searches of PubMed and selected congresses (January 2000–September 2022).

Results

New consensus definitions are required to ensure consistency, to better characterize patients, and to identify patients who will benefit from specific drugs and earlier use of these agents. There is a need for more frequent, standardized patient assessment to identify the cause of motor function deficits, provide a clearer picture of the disease burden and its impact on daily living and quality of life (QoL), and better support treatment decision‐making. Novel approaches that target different components of the immune system will play a role in more precise treatment of patients with gMG, alongside the development of new algorithms to guide individualized patient management.

Conclusions

gMG has a physical, mental, and social impact, resulting in a considerable burden of disease and substantially decreased QoL, despite standard treatments. The availability of novel, targeted treatments that influence key pathological mediators of gMG, together with new biomarkers, offers the potential to optimize patient management and ultimately enables a greater number of patients to achieve minimal manifestation status and a reduced burden of disease.
Statistical learning in epilepsy: Behavioral and anatomical mechanisms in the human brain
Authors: Aljishi Ayman , Sherman Brynn E. , Huberdeau David M. , Obaid Sami , Khan Kamren , Lamsam Layton , Zibly Zion , Sivaraju Adithya , Turk‐Browne Nicholas B. , Damisah Eyiyemisi C.
Published: December 2023

Objective

Statistical learning, the fundamental cognitive ability of humans to extract regularities across experiences over time, engages the medial temporal lobe (MTL) in the healthy brain. This leads to the hypothesis that statistical learning (SL) may be impaired in patients with epilepsy (PWE) involving the temporal lobe, and that this impairment could contribute to their varied memory deficits. In turn, studies done in collaboration with PWE, that evaluate the necessity of MTL circuitry through disease and causal perturbations, provide an opportunity to advance basic understanding of SL.

Methods

We implemented behavioral testing, volumetric analysis of the MTL substructures, and direct electrical brain stimulation to examine SL across a cohort of 61 PWE and 28 healthy controls.

Results

We found that behavioral performance in an SL task was negatively associated with seizure frequency irrespective of seizure origin. The volume of hippocampal subfields CA1 and CA2/3 correlated with SL performance, suggesting a more specific role of the hippocampus. Transient direct electrical stimulation of the hippocampus disrupted SL. Furthermore, the relationship between SL and seizure frequency was selective, as behavioral performance in an episodic memory task was not impacted by seizure frequency.

Significance

Overall, these results suggest that SL may be hippocampally dependent and that the SL task could serve as a clinically useful behavioral assay of seizure frequency that may complement existing approaches such as seizure diaries. Simple and short SL tasks may thus provide patient‐centered endpoints for evaluating the efficacy of novel treatments in epilepsy.
On closer inspection: Reviewing the debate on whether fish cooperate to inspect predators
Authors: Veiros A. Li , Schweinfurth Manon K. , Webster Michael M.
Published: December 2023

Cooperative behaviours, which benefit a recipient, are widespread in the animal kingdom; yet their evolution is not straightforward. Reciprocity, i.e., cooperating with previously experienced cooperative partners, has been suggested to underly cooperation, but has been contested throughout the years. Once a textbook example of reciprocity was cooperative predator inspection, where one or several individuals leave their group to approach a potential threat. Each can at any point stop or retreat, increasing the risk for its partner. It was suggested that inspecting individuals follow a specific reciprocal strategy called tit‐for‐tat, i.e., cooperating on the first move and then copying the partner's last move. Numerous studies provide evidence to support the claim that fish cooperate to inspect predators, including three‐spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), guppies (Poecilia reticulata) and minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus). However, over the past few decades some scholars have expressed scepticism whether predator inspection is indeed a cooperative behaviour or rather a case of by‐product mutualism, which describes behaviours that benefit a partner as a corollary of an otherwise selfish behaviour. For instance, it has been shown that pairs of fish moving in unfamiliar environments appear to coordinate movements even in the absence of predators. Many studies have also used coarse measures of overall approach rates towards predators rather than the fine‐grained analyses necessary to infer tit‐for‐tat in cooperative inspections. Now is the time to return to the question of cooperative predator inspection with new tools and approaches to resolve a decades‐old debate.
Efficient ensembles of distance‐based label ranking trees
Authors: Rodrigo Enrique G. , Alfaro Juan C. , Aledo Juan A. , Gámez Jose A.
Published: December 2023

Ensemble of label ranking trees (LRTs) are currently the state‐of‐the‐art approaches to the label ranking problem. Recently, bagging, boosting, and random forest methods have been proposed, all based on the LRT algorithm, which adapts regression/classification trees to the label classification problem. The LRT algorithm uses theoretically grounded Mallows probability distribution to select the best split when growing the tree, and an EM‐type process to complete the rankings on the training data when they are incomplete. These two steps have proven to be accurate, but require a large computational effort. This article proposes two alternative methods that replace the use of the Mallows distribution with distance‐based criteria to select the best split at each inner node of the tree. Moreover, these distance‐based criteria allow dealing with incomplete rankings natively, so avoiding the completion process. We have carried out an extensive experimental evaluation, which shows that (1) the integration of the two proposed modifications to the LRT algorithm into ensemble methods (bagging and random forest) are an order of magnitude faster than using the original Mallows‐based LRT algorithm; (2) ensembles using the proposed LRT methods are significantly more accurate in the presence of incomplete rankings, while they are at least as accurate in the complete case; and (3) the two modified LRT algorithms are also an order of magnitude faster than the Mallows‐based LRT, while they are at least as accurate as the Mallows‐based LRT on both complete and incomplete rankings.
OTHERTONGUES: MULTILINGUALISM, NATALITY AND EMPOWERMENT IN SHARON DODUA OTOO'S ADAS RAUM
Authors: McMurtry Áine
Published: December 2023

Written in German by the Black British author and activist Sharon Dodua Otoo, the novel Adas Raum (2021) intervenes in contemporary debates on colonial legacies to forge ‘a critical multilingualism’ (Yildiz 2012), challenging master‐narratives and tropes of founding fathers which privilege linear constructions of time and bounded concepts of nation and peoples. This article examines how Otoo foregrounds diasporic female figures as material agents by focusing on ambivalent experiences of childbearing, then argues that the multilingual feminist text rejects dualistic heteropatriarchal models to reconceive community in terms of intersubjective encounters and shared spaces. To illuminate the politics of Otoo's structural concern with rebirth, I take up the concept of ‘natality’ developed in the writings of Hannah Arendt and Adriana Cavarero, which offers a model for imagining possibilities of political action that defy forms of domination. Black feminist thought further informs the ambivalent figuration of motherhood in Otoo's narrative and its central preoccupation with intertwined issues of gender, racial and class discrimination. Challenging the ethnocentricity that has been identified throughout Arendt's oeuvre, Otoo reveals instead how fifteenth‐century West African concepts of space and time can be understood as in dialogue with the post‐war philosopher's understanding of natality as the central category of political thought.
Methodological and ethical challenges in designing and conducting research at the end of life: A systematic review of qualitative and textual evidence
Authors: Vlckova Karolina , Gonella Silvia , Bavelaar Laura , Mitchell Gary , Sussman Tamara
Published: December 2023

Aim

This systematic review aims to identify methodological and ethical challenges in designing and conducting research at the end of life from the perspective of researchers and provide a set of recommendations.

Background

Conducting research with patients and family carers facing end‐of‐life issues is ethically and methodologically complex.

Design

A systematic review was conducted.

Data sources

Four databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycInfo) were searched from inception until the end of 2021 in February 2022.

Review methods

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews was followed, and the JBI Approach to qualitative synthesis was used for analysis.

Results

Seventeen of 1983 studies met inclusion criteria. Data were distilled to six main themes. These included (1) the need for flexibility at all stages of the research process; (2) careful attention to timing; (3) sensitivity in approach; (4) the importance of stakeholder collaboration; (5) the need for unique researcher skills; and (6) the need to deal with the issue of missing data.

Conclusion

The findings illuminate several considerations that can inform training programmes, ethical review processes and research designs when embarking on research in this field.
Debating Legitimacy and Solidarity in the European Parliament: Patterns of Opposition and Conflict During the Pandemic
Authors: Salvati Eugenio
Published: December 2023

To cope with the socio‐economic consequences of the Covid‐19 pandemic, the EU has adopted a new approach by launching an instrument aimed at promoting cross‐national solidarity, called Next Generation EU. This could trigger major changes in terms of EU power and authority, calling into question the polity's legitimacy, and the kind of solidarity to be embodied in the European system. As part of the scholarly debate on transnational solidarity, the article focuses on the politicisation of the Covid‐19 crisis within the European Parliament, with a focus on opposition parties. By applying discourse analysis, the article explains how the crisis has acted as a catalyst for framing opposition parties' stances about the relationship between legitimacy and solidarity in the EU polity. Furthermore, the article examines how opposition parties have assessed their competing views on the role of the EU's political system and on future developments in the integration process.
Role of interleukin‐6 and endothelin‐1 receptors in enhanced melanocyte dendricity of facial spots and suppression of their ligands by niacinamide and tranexamic acid
Authors: Hakozaki T. , Wang J. , Laughlin T. , Jarrold B. , Zhao W. , Furue M.
Published: December 2023

Background

Hyperpigmented spots are common issues in all ethnicities with a hallmark characteristic of increased melanocyte dendricity.

Objectives

To determine (1) potential receptors and/or cytokines that are involved in increased melanocyte dendricity in multiple facial spot types; (2) treatment effects of skin‐lightening compounds on identified cytokine release from keratinocytes and on dendricity in melanocytes.

Methods

Facial spots (melasma, solar lentigo, acne‐induced post‐inflammatory hyperpigmentation) and adjacent non‐spot skin biopsies were collected from Chinese women (age 20–70). The epidermal supra and basal layers were laser dissected to enrich keratinocyte or melanocyte biology respectively for transcriptome analysis. Melanocyte dendricity was assessed histologically by immunofluorescent staining. Effect of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) on melanocyte dendricity and melanosome transfer were assessed in human melanocytes or melanocyte‐keratinocyte co‐culture models. Treatment effects of skin‐lightening compounds (niacinamide, tranexamic acid [TxA], sucrose laurate/dilaurate mixture [SDL]) were assessed on IL‐6 or ET‐1 release from keratinocytes and on dendricity in melanocytes.

Results

Transcriptome analysis revealed IL‐6 receptor and ET‐1 receptor were significantly upregulated compared to the adjacent normal skin, visually confirmed at the protein level through immunostaining. Melanocytes in spot areas are more dendritic than melanocytes in adjacent non‐spot skin. The addition of IL‐6 and ET‐1 to cell culture models increased melanocyte dendricity and melanosome transfer. IL‐6 release was significantly suppressed by niacinamide and its combination, while ET‐1 release was significantly reduced by both niacinamide and TxA. In contrast, SDL acted directly upon melanocytes to reduce dendricity.

Conclusion

Interleukin‐6 and ET‐1 receptors are significantly upregulated in multiple facial spot types. The in vitro testing demonstrated their respective ligands increased melanocyte dendricity. Tested skin‐lightening compounds showed reduction in release of IL‐6/ET‐1 from epidermal keratinocytes and/or inhibition of melanocyte dendricity. This work sheds light on pathophysiological mechanism of facial spots and potential new mechanisms of these skin‐lightening compounds which warrant further human clinical validation.
Diet and physical activity as risk‐reducing factors for hidradenitis suppurativa
Authors: Bouwman Klasiena , Moazzen Sara , Kroah‐Hartman Madeline , Dijkstra Gerard , Horváth Barbara , Alizadeh Behrooz Ziad
Published: December 2023

Background

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a multifactorial inflammatory skin disease that is considered to be an immune‐mediated inflammatory disease (IMID). Up till now, the impact of lifestyle on (the development of) HS has not been thoroughly investigated.

Objectives

To investigate the effect of dietary intake and physical activity (PA) on (the development of) HS.

Materials and Methods

A nested case–control study was performed within the longitudinal Lifelines Cohort Study, that took place in the Northern Netherlands, and identified 1004 adult eligible HS patients and 5000 age‐matched controls. Dietary data were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire, subsequently translated to the Lifelines Diet Score (LLDS), alternate Mediterranean Diet Score (aMED) and Dutch Dietary Guidelines score (DDG), with higher scores reflecting healthier dietary habits. PA was measured by the Short Questionnaire to Assess Health‐enhancing PA score. Logistic regression analyses were performed between dietary/PA scores, and the prevalence/development and severity of HS.

Results

Compared to controls, HS patients scored lower on the LLDS [OR = 0.98; 95% CI 0.96–0.99], aMED [0.93; 0.89–0.97] and DDG [0.93; 0.88–0.97] with multivariable regression analysis. Overall, this indicates less adherence to dietary recommendations and consumption of a low‐quality diet in the HS population. Lower adherence to the LLDS and DDG was also significantly associated with a higher likelihood to HS development in univariable regression analysis [0.96; 0.94–0.99 and 0.91; 0.84–0.99, respectively], and a trend of decreased adherence to the aMED [0.93; 0.85–1.02] was noted. Besides, PA levels were found significantly lower in HS patients (p ≤ 0.001).

Conclusions and Relevance

Poor diet quality and lower quantities of PA were associated with HS in the general population. Identifying dietary and PA habits of HS patients can contribute to the development of prevention strategies for HS specifically, and for IMIDs in general.
Predicting corporate restructuring and financial distress in banks: The case of the Swiss banking industry
Authors: Boos Daniel , Karampatsas Nikolaos , Garn Wolfgang , Stergioulas Lampros K.
Published: December 2023

The global financial crisis of 2007–2009 is widely regarded as the worst since the Great Depression and threatened the global financial system with a total collapse. This article distinguishes itself from the vast literature of bankruptcy, bank failure, and bank exit prediction models by introducing novel categorical parameters inspired by Switzerland's banking landscape. We evaluate data from 274 banks in Switzerland from 2007 to 2017 using generalized linear model logit and multinomial logit regressions and examine the determinants of corporate restructuring and financial distress. We complement our results with a robustness test via a Bayesian inference framework. We find that total assets and net interest margin affect bank exit and mergers and acquisitions, and that banks operating in the Zurich area have a higher likelihood of exiting and becoming takeover targets relative to banks operating in the Geneva area.
Increase in creatinine levels associated with niraparib maintenance therapy in ovarian cancer
Authors: Takahashi Yoshifumi , Taguchi Masahiro , Tamura Kohei , Shinohara Miki , Koyanagi Takahiro , Takahashi Suzuyo , Taneichi Akiyo , Takei Yuji , Saga Yasushi , Fujiwara Hiroyuki
Published: December 2023

Aim

In Japan, Niraparib maintenance therapy for primary and recurrent ovarian cancer was approved in September 2020 and is expected to improve the prognosis of ovarian cancer. However, the safety of niraparib maintenance therapy in Japanese patients has not been fully evaluated.

Methods

Patients with ovarian cancer (including fallopian tube and peritoneal cancer) treated with niraparib at Jichi Medical University Hospital from September 2020 to August 2022 were enrolled in this study. Patient background, starting dose, rates of interruption, reduction, or discontinuation, adverse events (AEs) during treatment, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) trends were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Twenty‐nine patients received niraparib maintenance therapy during the study period, including 21 with primary cancer and 8 patients with recurrent cancer. Seventeen patients (58.6%) required dose interruptions and 16 patients (55.2%) required dose reductions. Only two patients (6.9%) discontinued treatment due to fatigue and nausea. The most frequent AE was creatinine increases in 18 patients (62.1%, all grades). Although eGFR levels decreased significantly after niraparib therapy compared to before niraparib therapy (59.3 vs. 50.3 mL/min/1.73 m2, p < 0.001), the levels returned to pre‐niraparib initiation levels after discontinuation of niraparib (64.6 vs. 64.6 mL/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.96). Multivariate regression analysis showed that diabetes was independently associated with decreased eGFR (p = 0.013).

Conclusions

Niraparib maintenance therapy frequently increased serum creatinine, but the change was reversible. Further studies are needed to determine the effects of niraparib on renal function in Japanese patients.
How does trait variance partitioning help us to understand plant community assembly? The example of pond communities in the Kerguelen Islands
Authors: Douce Pauline , Renault David , Simon Laurent , Mermillod‐Blondin Florian , Vallier Felix , Bittebiere Anne‐Kristel
Published: December 2023

Question

In the current context of biodiversity erosion, functional approaches to the examination of community assembly mechanisms and better prediction of plant species fates have emerged. The assessment of trait variation patterns should be a powerful means of identifying community assembly mechanisms. However, most studies of trait variations and their consequences for individual performance (i.e., vegetative biomass) are usually incomplete as they focused on single ecological scales or filters, with no consideration of relationships between traits. Such research has provided a fragmented view of plant community assembly.

Location

We examined macrophyte communities living in ponds of the sub‐Antarctic Iles Kerguelen.

Methods

We measured traits related to resource acquisition and conservation in all occurring species, and examined their variation across temporal (years), spatial (sites), and taxonomic (between and within species) scales and in response to multiple abiotic and biotic habitat variables. The consequences of these trait variations and the effects of their correlation for plant individual performance were also explored.

Results

Trait distributions were fairly conserved among sites, whereas we observed a large amount of intraspecific trait variation enabling individuals to resist filters. Responses to biotic and/or abiotic variables were trait‐dependent, and simultaneous trait responses should enable individual plants to face several simultaneous constraints. Almost all traits had direct or indirect effects on individual performance, indicating the need to consider trait relationships.

Conclusion

The partitioning of trait variance is a relevant approach to the identification of the scale at which the most decisive processes for plant community assembly operate without the interference of scale dependency issues, and should orient further research. In addition, several biotic and abiotic variables should be considered in future studies to better understand the effects of environmental changes on plant communities.
Analysis and Performance of Stockhausen's Klavierstück X
Authors: Jones Gabriel
Published: December 2023

Herbert Henck's (1980) analysis of Karlheinz Stockhausen's Klavierstück X (1961) offers a fascinating insight into the composer's compositional process at an important juncture in his career. In this article I draw on the now significant recording tradition, including Henck's own canonical version (on Stockhausen [1986] 1996), and Stockhausen's contemporaneous moment‐form theory to explore the influence of the performer – confronted with the many novel rhythmic and technical features of the score – on the salience of the serial processes that Henck describes and the concomitant emergence of the piece's form in performance. I begin with a summary and contextualisation of Henck's analysis in terms of performance practice and audience perception. This then informs my analysis of the eight commercially available recordings, proceeding from discussion of global and sectional tempo data and their bearing on the teleological drive of the piece to qualitative close readings of five case studies, whose serial aesthetics, structural properties and interrelationships are negotiated with recourse to Stockhausen's moment classifications. As well as illustrating the contingency of the performer's contribution on the piece's teleological, serial‐statistical and moment‐formal properties, my methods have epistemological implications for the reciprocal and peculiar relationship that, I argue, must continue to inform the relationship between analysis and performance in the field of New Music.