bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variable selection in Propensity Score Adjustment to mitigate selection bias in online surveys
Authors: Ferri-García Ramón , Rueda María del Mar
Published: March 2022

The development of new survey data collection methods such as online surveys has been particularly advantageous for social studies in terms of reduced costs, immediacy and enhanced questionnaire possibilities. However, many such methods are strongly affected by selection bias, leading to unreliable estimates. Calibration and Propensity Score Adjustment (PSA) have been proposed as methods to remove selection bias in online nonprobability surveys. Calibration requires population totals to be known for the auxiliary variables used in the procedure, while PSA estimates the volunteering propensity of an individual using predictive modelling. The variables included in these models must be carefully selected in order to maximise the accuracy of the final estimates. This study presents an application, using synthetic and real data, of variable selection techniques developed for knowledge discovery in data to choose the best subset of variables for propensity estimation. We also compare the performance of PSA using different classification algorithms, after which calibration is applied. We also present an application of this methodology in a real-world situation, using it to obtain estimates of population parameters. The results obtained show that variable selection using appropriate methods can provide less biased and more efficient estimates than using all available covariates.
Circulating miR-200 family as predictive markers during systemic therapy of metastatic breast cancer
Authors: Fischer Chiara , Deutsch Thomas M. , Feisst Manuel , Rippinger Nathalie , Riedel Fabian , Hartkopf Andreas D. , Brucker Sara Y. , Domschke Christoph , Fremd Carlo , Michel Laura , Burwinkel Barbara , Schneeweiss Andreas , Turchinovich Andrey , Wallwiener Markus
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Circulating miRNAs can provide valid prognostic and predictive information for breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent management. They may comprise quintessential biomarkers that can be obtained minimally invasively from liquid biopsy in metastatic breast cancer patients. Therefore, they would be clinically crucial for monitoring therapy response, with the goal of detecting early relapse. This study investigated miRNA expression in patients with early and/or late relapse, and the predictive value for assessing overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

Methods

Forty-seven patients with metastatic breast cancer from the University Women’s Hospital Heidelberg were enrolled in this study. Expression of miR-200a, miR-200b, miR-200c, miR-141, and miR-429 was analyzed by RT-qPCR before a new line of systemic therapy and after the first cycle of a respective therapy. Tumor response was assessed every 3 months using the RECIST criteria. Statistical analysis focused on the relation of miR-200s expression and early vs. late cancer relapse in relation to systemic treatment. The association of miRNAs with PFS and OS was investigated.

Results

Before starting a new line of systemic therapy, miR-429 (p = 0.024) expression was significantly higher in patients with early relapse (PFS ≤ 4 months) than in patients with late relapse (PFS > 4 months). After one cycle of systemic therapy, miR-200a (p = 0.039), miR-200b (p = 0.003), miR-141 (p = 0.017), and miR-429 (p = 0.010) expression was higher in early than in late progressive cancer. In addition, 4 out of 5 miR-200 family members (miR-200a, miR-200b, miR-141, and miR-429) predicted PFS (p = 0.048, p = 0.008, p = 0.026, and p = 0.016, respectively). Patients with heightened miRNA levels showed a significant reduction in OS and PFS.

Conclusion

Circulating miR-200s were differentially expressed among patients with late and/or early relapse. 4 of 5 members of the miR-200 family predicted significantly early relapse after systemic treatment. Our results encourage the use of circulating miR-200s as valuable prognostic biomarkers during metastatic breast cancer therapy.
Coffee, smoking and aspirin are associated with age at onset in idiopathic Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Gabbert Carolin , König Inke R. , Lüth Theresa , Kolms Beke , Kasten Meike , Vollstedt Eva-Juliane , Balck Alexander , Grünewald Anne , Klein Christine , Trinh Joanne
Published: March 2022

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Genetic modifiers, environmental factors and gene–environment interactions have been found to modify PD risk and disease progression. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of smoking, caffeine and anti-inflammatory drugs with age at onset (AAO) in a large PD cohort. A total of 35,963 American patients with idiopathic PD (iPD) from the Fox Insight Study responded to health and lifestyle questionnaires. We compared the median AAO between different groups using the non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test. Non-parametric Spearman’s correlation was used for correlation assessments and regression analysis was used to assess interaction between variables. We found that smoking (p < 0.0001), coffee drinking (p < 0.0001) and aspirin intake (p < 0.0001) show an exploratory association with AAO in PD, that was further supported by multivariate regression models. The association of aspirin with PD AAO was replicated in another cohort (EPIPARK) (n = 237 patients with PD).
The APAF1_C/WD40 repeat domain-encoding gene from the sea lettuce Ulva mutabilis sheds light on the evolution of NB-ARC domain-containing proteins in green plants
Authors: Kwantes Michiel , Wichard Thomas
Published: March 2022

Main conclusion

We advanceUlva’s genetic tractability and highlight its value as a model organism by characterizing its APAF1_C/WD40 domain-encoding gene, which belongs to a family that bears homology to R genes.

The multicellular chlorophyte alga Ulva mutabilis (Ulvophyceae, Ulvales) is native to coastal ecosystems worldwide and attracts both high socio-economic and scientific interest. To further understand the genetic mechanisms that guide its biology, we present a protocol, based on adapter ligation-mediated PCR, for retrieving flanking sequences in U. mutabilis vector-insertion mutants. In the created insertional library, we identified a null mutant with an insertion in an apoptotic protease activating factor 1 helical domain (APAF1_C)/WD40 repeat domain-encoding gene. Protein domain architecture analysis combined with phylogenetic analysis revealed that this gene is a member of a subfamily that arose early in the evolution of green plants (Viridiplantae) through the acquisition of a gene that also encoded N-terminal nucleotide-binding adaptor shared by APAF-1, certain R-gene products and CED-4 (NB-ARC) and winged helix-like (WH-like) DNA-binding domains. Although phenotypic analysis revealed no mutant phenotype, gene expression levels in control plants correlated to the presence of bacterial symbionts, which U. mutabilis requires for proper morphogenesis. In addition, our analysis led to the discovery of a putative Ulva nucleotide-binding site and leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) Resistance protein (R-protein), and we discuss how the emergence of these R proteins in green plants may be linked to the evolution of the APAF1_C/WD40 protein subfamily.
Advancing discovery in hearing research via biologist-friendly access to multi-omic data
Authors: Hertzano Ronna , Mahurkar Anup
Published: March 2022

High-throughput cell type-specific multi-omic analyses have advanced our understanding of inner ear biology in an unprecedented way. The full benefit of these data, however, is reached from their re-use. Successful re-use of data requires identifying the natural users and ensuring proper data democratization and federation for their seamless and meaningful access. Here we discuss universal challenges in access and re-use of multi-omic data, possible solutions, and introduce the gEAR (the gene Expression Analysis Resource, umgear.org)—a tool for multi-omic data visualization, sharing and access for the ear field.
Multi-scale local-global architecture for person re-identification
Authors: Liu Jing , Tiwari Prayag , Nguyen Tri Gia , Gupta Deepak , Band Shahab S.
Published: March 2022

With the emergence of deep learning method, which has been driven a great success for the field of person re-identification (re-ID). However, the existing works mainly focus on first-order attention (i.e., spatial and channels attention) statistics to model the valuable information for person re-ID. On the other hand, most existing methods operate data points respectively, which ignores discriminative patterns to some extent. In this paper, we present an automated framework named multi-scale local-global for person re-ID. The framework consists of two components. The first component is that a high-order attention module is adopted to learn high-order attention patterns to model the subtle differences among pedestrians and to generate the informative attention features. On the other hand, a novel architecture named spectral feature transformation is designed to make for the optimization of group wise similarities. Furthermore, we fuse the components together to form an ensemble model for person re-ID. Extensive experiments were conducted on the three benchmark datasets, i.e., Market-1501, DukeMTMC-reID, CUHK03, showing the superiority of the proposed method.
The economic impact of cancer diagnosis to individuals and their families: a systematic review
Authors: Alzehr Aymen , Hulme Claire , Spencer Anne , Morgan-Trimmer Sarah
Published: March 2022

Background

The effect of a cancer diagnosis is wide-ranging with the potential to affect income, employment and risk of poverty. The aim of this systematic review is to identify the economic impact of a cancer diagnosis for patients and their families/caregivers.

Methods

The search covered peer-reviewed journals using MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Epistemonikos and PsycINFO databases. Quality appraisal was undertaken using CASP tools. Monetary values were converted to US Dollars/2019 using a purchasing power parities (PPP) conversion factor. The review included articles up to and including January 2020, written in English language, for patients with cancer aged ≥ 18 years and focused on the costs up to 5 years following a cancer diagnosis.

Results

The search was run in January 2020 and updated in November 2021. Of the 7973 articles identified, 18 met the inclusion criteria. Studies were undertaken in the USA, Ireland, Canada, Australia, France, UK, Malaysia, Pakistan, China and Sri Lanka. The majority were cohort studies. Twelve reported out-of-pocket costs (range US$16–US$2523/month per patient/caregiver) consisting of medical expenses (e.g. surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy) and non-medical expenses (e.g. travel, food and childcare). Fourteen studies reported patient/caregiver loss of income and lost productivity (range 14–57.8%).

Conclusions

A high percentage of cancer patients and their families/caregivers experience out-of-pocket expenditure, loss of income and lost productivity. Future research is needed to observe the effects of continuing changes to healthcare policies and social protections on the economic burden among cancer patients and their families/caregivers.
Symptoms reported by gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) patients on imatinib treatment: combining questionnaire and forum data
Authors: den Hollander Dide , Dirkson Anne R. , Verberne Suzan , Kraaij Wessel , van Oortmerssen Gerard , Gelderblom Hans , Oosten Astrid , Reyners Anna K. L. , Steeghs Neeltje , van der Graaf Winette T. A. , Desar Ingrid M. E. , Husson Olga
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Treatment with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) imatinib in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) causes symptoms that could negatively impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Treatment-related symptoms are usually clinician-reported and little is known about patient reports. We used survey and online patient forum data to investigate (1) prevalence of patient-reported symptoms; (2) coverage of symptoms mentioned on the forum by existing HRQoL questionnaires; and (3) priorities of prevalent symptoms in HRQoL assessment.

Methods

In the cross-sectional population-based survey study, Dutch GIST patients completed items from the EORTC QLQ-C30 and Symptom-Based Questionnaire (SBQ). In the forum study, machine learning algorithms were used to extract TKI side-effects from English messages on an international online forum for GIST patients. Prevalence of symptoms related to imatinib treatment in both sources was calculated and exploratively compared.

Results

Fatigue and muscle pain or cramps were reported most frequently. Seven out of 10 most reported symptoms (i.e. fatigue, muscle pain or cramps, facial swelling, joint pain, skin problems, diarrhoea, and oedema) overlapped between the two sources. Alopecia was frequently mentioned on the forum, but not in the survey. Four out of 10 most reported symptoms on the online forum are covered by the EORTC QLQ-C30. The EORTC-SBQ and EORTC Item Library cover 9 and 10 symptoms, respectively.

Conclusion

This first overview of patient-reported imatinib-related symptoms from two data sources helps to determine coverage of items in existing questionnaires, and prioritize HRQoL issues. Combining cancer-generic instruments with treatment-specific item lists will improve future HRQoL assessment in care and research in GIST patients using TKI.
On extremal domains and codomains for convolution of distributions and fractional calculus
Authors: Kleiner T. , Hilfer R.
Published: March 2022

It is proved that the class of c-closed distribution spaces contains extremal domains and codomains to make convolution of distributions a well-defined bilinear mapping. The distribution spaces are systematically endowed with topologies and bornologies that make convolution hypocontinuous whenever defined. Largest modules and smallest algebras for convolution semigroups are constructed along the same lines. The fact that extremal domains and codomains for convolution exist within this class of spaces is fundamentally related to quantale theory. The quantale theoretic residual formed from two c-closed spaces is characterized as the largest c-closed subspace of the corresponding space of convolutors. The theory is applied to obtain maximal distributional domains for fractional integrals and derivatives, for fractional Laplacians, Riesz potentials and for the Hilbert transform. Further, maximal joint domains for families of these operators are obtained such that their composition laws are preserved.
Efficient itinerary recommendation via personalized POI selection and pruning
Authors: Halder Sajal , Lim Kwan Hui , Chan Jeffrey , Zhang Xiuzhen
Published: March 2022

Personalized itinerary recommendation has garnered wide research interests for their ubiquitous applications. Recommending personalized itineraries is complex because of the large number of points of interest (POI) to consider in order to construct an itinerary based on visitors’ interest and preference, time budget and uncertain queuing time. Previous studies typically aim to plan itineraries that maximize POI popularity, visitors’ interest and minimize queuing time. However, existing solutions may not reflect visitor preferences because when creating itineraries, they prefer to recommend POIs with short prior visiting periods. These recommendations can conflict with real-life scenarios as visitors typically spend less time at POIs that they do not enjoy, thus leading to the inclusion of unsuitable POIs. Moreover, constructing itineraries based on selected POIs is a challenging and time-consuming process. Existing approaches involve searching through a large number of non-optimal, duplicate itineraries that are time-consuming to review and generate. To address these issues, we propose an adaptive Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS)-based reinforcement learning algorithmEffiTourRecusing an effective POI selection strategy by giving preference to POIs with long visiting times and short queuing times along with high POI popularity and visitor interest. In addition, to reduce non-optimal and duplicated itineraries generation, we propose an efficient MCTS search pruning technique to explore a smaller, more promising portion of solution space. Experiment results in real theme park datasets show clear advantages of our proposed method over baselines, where our method outperforms the current state-of-the-art by 20.89 to 52.32% in precision, 8.36 to 21.35% in F1-score and 40.00 to 67.64% in execution time.
Action rate models for predicting actions in soccer
Authors: Dick Uwe , Brefeld Ulf
Published: March 2022

We present a data-driven approach to predict the next action in soccer. We focus on passing actions of the ball possessing player and aim to forecast the pass itself and when, in time, the pass will be played. At the same time, our model estimates the probability that the player loses possession of the ball before she can perform the action. Our approach consists of parameterized exponential rate models for all possible actions that are adapted to historic data with graph recurrent neural networks to account for inter-dependencies of the output space (i.e., the possible actions). We report on empirical results.
An old game, new experience: exploring the effect of players’ personal gameplay history on game experience
Authors: Inal Yavuz , Wake Jo
Published: March 2022

This experimental study explores how game experience differs between players with different gameplay histories within the same game universe. We are interested in how prolonged engagement with a game series affects the gameplay experience in relation to the most recent game version in the series. A total of 54 participants were divided into four groups depending on their gaming experience, namely non-gamers, new-gamers, old-gamers and core-gamers. They played the mobile version of Super Mario Run, and questionnaire data was collected after the gameplay session. The results of the study showed that not only the players’ personal gameplay history but also the length of experience or degree of familiarity with the game universe affected the experience of playing a new game in the same game universe. Additionally, familiarity with the game universe had a positive impact on the feeling of competence, immersion, emotions and flow.
HIV Self-testing Among Previously Diagnosed HIV-Positive People in Khayelitsha, South Africa: No Evidence of Harm but may Facilitate Re-engagement in ART Care
Authors: Hacking Damian , Cassidy Tali , Ellman Tom , Steele Sarah Jane , Moore Hazel Ann , Bermudez-Aza Elkin , Nxiba Xoliswa , Sopili Eleanor , Duran Laura Trivino
Published: March 2022

In South Africa, where an estimated 34% of nearly 7-million HIV-positive people were not on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 2019, innovative strategies to diagnose and link people to care are needed. HIV self-testing (HIVST) is one such strategy. However, there is concern that access to HIVST might result in re-testing among people on ART, with a risk of false negative results and disengagement from care. Between November 2017 and December 2018, HIVST kits were distributed at a private pharmacy and at HIV testing outreach events. Each participant was instructed to report their result via SMS and those who did not were followed-up telephonically 10 days later. Electronic medical records of participants were searched for evidence of HIV services 6 months before and after enrollment. Of 1482 participants, 163 (11%) were previously diagnosed HIV-positive prior to taking the test. Of these, 123 reported a result, however 87% reported a negative result. Of the 163 previously diagnosed, 84 were not in ART care prior to the test, with 15 (18%) linking to care post-test. Of 79 who were in ART care prior to the test, 76 (96%) remained in care, even though 51 (67%) had reported a negative result. Overall, 29% of participants reported their result via SMS, and 48% when telephoned. Despite efforts to dissuade them, some previously diagnosed HIV-positive utilised HIVST. For those disengaged from care this may facilitate re-engagement. Self-testing among those already in care, regardless of the reported result, did not disrupt their treatment, and their reasons for doing the test remain unclear.
The impact of lifestyle intervention on left atrial function in type 2 diabetes: results from the DIASTOLIC study
Authors: Alfuhied Aseel , Gulsin Gaurav S. , Athithan Lavanya , Brady Emer M. , Parke Kelly , Henson Joseph , Redman Emma , Marsh Anna-Marie , Yates Thomas , Davies Melanie J. , McCann Gerry P. , Singh Anvesha
Published: March 2022

Aerobic exercise training and low energy diets have been shown to improve left ventricular remodelling and diastolic function in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D), albeit with differential effects. The impact of these lifestyle interventions on left atrial (LA) function, however, has not previously been reported. The DIASTOLIC study was a prospective, randomised, open-label, blind endpoint trial, in which 90 people with obesity and T2D and no prevalent cardiovascular disease were randomised to a 12-week intervention of: (i) routine care, (ii) aerobic exercise training, or (iii) low energy (≈ 810 kcal/day) meal replacement plan (MRP). Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging was performed pre- and post-intervention. Image analysis included LA volumes (LAV), emptying fraction (LAEF), and LA strain (LAS) corresponding to LA reservoir (LAS-r), conduit (LAS-cd), and booster pump (LAS-bp) function. 73 participants with T2D (mean age 50 ± 6 years, 62% male, body mass index (BMI) 36.1 ± 5.3 kg/m2) completed the trial and had analysable LA images. There was no significant change in CMR measured LA volumetric function (LAV/LAEF) in any group. The routine care group showed no significant change in BMI or LAS. In the MRP group, there were significant reductions in BMI (4.5 kg/m2) and a significant increase in LAS-r and LAS-bp (29.9 ± 7.0 to 32.3 ± 7.0%, p = 0.036 and 14.6 ± 5.3 to 17.2 ± 3.7%, p = 0.034). The exercise group showed a small reduction in BMI (0.49 kg/m2), with no significant change in LAS. Compared to routine care, weight loss via a 12-week MRP, led to improvements in LA filling and contractile function in adults with T2D and obesity. However, these within-group changes were not statistically significant on between-group comparison.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02590822.
Impact of Sars-CoV-2 pandemic on the Veneto Region multitissue bank activity
Authors: Montagner Giulia , De Vettor Rudy , Favaretto Francesca , Vici Daniela , Del Vecchio Claudia , Franchin Elisa , Trojan Diletta , Feltrin Giuseppe
Published: March 2022

Covid pandemic affected donation activities worldwide, especially for living donation due to the lack of elective surgery. Moreover, the number of heart-beating and non-heart beating donors has recorded a decrease. Fondazione Banca dei Tessuti di Treviso (FBTV) is a non-profit healthcare organisation, located in Veneto Region, tasked with procurement, processing, preserving, validating and distributing human tissue for clinical use. During Covid-19 outbreak, operations in FBTV have never stopped and a great effort was required to maintain a standard trend of activity. The aim of this study was to describe the impact of Sars-CoV-2 on the activity of a multitissue bank in Italy. Moreover, we investigated the presence of the virus in tissues retrieved from two Sars-CoV-2 positive cadaver donors. Our survey demonstrated that the transplantation network of Veneto Region has positively reacted to the pandemic scenario, thanks to the effort of all personnel involved. Statistical analyses underlined that most of the activities of the tissue bank were unaffected during the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic.
The Relationship Between CBT-Mindedness and iCBT Outcomes Amongst a Large Adult Sample
Authors: McLellan Lauren F. , Hobbs Megan J. , Peters Lorna , Millard Michael , Mahoney Alison E. J.
Published: March 2022

Background

Predicting response to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) assists efforts to enhance treatment outcome when predictive factors are modifiable prior to, or during, treatment. The extent to which clients hold beliefs and attitudes consistent with CBT (termed CBT-mindedness) is a relatively new concept with research suggesting it predicts response to CBT amongst small samples of adults with anxiety. This study aimed to investigate CBT-mindedness amongst a larger clinical population receiving internet-delivered CBT (iCBT).

Method

1132 adults with anxiety, depression or mixed anxiety and depression who accessed iCBT with or without therapist support via the THIS WAY UP clinic completed a brief self-report measure of CBT-mindedness along with measures of distress, anxiety, and depression. Measures were completed pre- and post-treatment.

Results

The 3-factor structure of the CBT Suitability Scale (CBT-SUITS) was confirmed and scores were unrelated or very weakly related to symptoms/distress. CBT-mindedness increased amongst treatment completers. CBT-mindedness predicted post-treatment distress (but not symptoms), and change in CBT-mindedness predicted lower post-treatment symptoms and distress.

Conclusions

The CBT-SUITS represents a psychometrically sound measure of CBT-mindedness. Results amongst this large sample of adults accessing iCBT in a community service indicate that CBT-mindedness (or CBT-mindedness change) is an important predictor of therapy response.
Epistemic Modals in Hypothetical Reasoning
Authors: Aloni Maria , Incurvati Luca , Schlöder Julian J.
Published: March 2022

Data involving epistemic modals suggest that some classically valid argument forms, such as reductio, are invalid in natural language reasoning as they lead to modal collapses. We adduce further data showing that the classical argument forms governing the existential quantifier are similarly defective, as they lead to a de re–de dicto collapse. We observe a similar problem for disjunction. But if the classical argument forms for negation, disjunction and existential quantification are invalid, what are the correct forms that govern the use of these items? Our diagnosis is that epistemic modals interfere with hypothetical reasoning. We present a modal first-order logic and model theory that characterizes hypothetical reasoning with epistemic modals in a principled manner. One upshot is a sound and complete natural deduction system for reasoning with epistemic modals in first-order logic.
Social Media Sustainability Communication: An Analysis of Firm Behaviour and Stakeholder Responses
Authors: Jha Ashish Kumar , Verma Nishant Kumar
Published: March 2022

Social media communication, and its impact on individuals and firms, is becoming increasingly important in today’s age. Firms are utilizing social media channels for communicating their sustainability-related initiatives. The role of social media as a mode for sustainability-related communication by firms has not been widely analyzed in the extant information systems literature. Given the increasingly important role of social media for information diffusion as well as increasing awareness for sustainability practices, this is a critical area of research. In this paper, we use an analytic model to theorize, coupled with empirical analysis to test the impact of firms’ sustainability practices. We have validated our proposed hypotheses using an empirical model based on panel data of firms’ sustainability performance and their Twitter communication over a 3-year period. Through our unique mixed-method study, we add additional methodological rigour to extant social media-based research in the information systems domain. Our research has significant theoretical and managerial significance as we identify how firms utilize social media for sustainability-related communication and its corresponding impact on customer response. Our research provides actionable insights for policymakers, firms as well as investors and consumers on understanding and managing sustainability-related communications on social media.
Copyright protection of deep neural network models using digital watermarking: a comparative study
Authors: Fkirin Alaa , Attiya Gamal , El-Sayed Ayman , Shouman Marwa A.
Published: March 2022

Nowadays, deep learning achieves higher levels of accuracy than ever before. This evolution makes deep learning crucial for applications that care for safety, like self-driving cars and helps consumers to meet most of their expectations. Further, Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) are powerful approaches that employed to solve several issues. These issues include healthcare, advertising, marketing, computer vision, speech processing, natural language processing. The DNNs have marvelous progress in these different fields, but training such DNN models requires a lot of time, a vast amount of data and in most cases a lot of computational steps. Selling such pre-trained models is a profitable business model. But, sharing them without the owner permission is a serious threat. Unfortunately, once the models are sold, they can be easily copied and redistributed. This paper first presents a review of how digital watermarking technologies are really very helpful in the copyright protection of the DNNs. Then, a comparative study between the latest techniques is presented. Also, several optimizers are proposed to improve the accuracy against the fine-tuning attack. Finally, several experiments are performed with black-box settings using several optimizers and the results are compared with the SGD optimizer.
Clients’ Perspectives Regarding Peer Support Providers’ Roles and Support for Client Access to and Use of Publicly Funded Mental Health Programs Serving Transition-Age Youth in Two Southern California Counties
Authors: Hiller-Venegas Sarah , Gilmer Todd P. , Jones Nev , Munson Michelle R. , Ojeda Victoria D.
Published: March 2022

Peer providers are increasingly used by mental health programs to engage transition age youth (TAY, age 16-24) living with serious mental illness. This study elicited TAY clients’ perspectives on peer providers’ roles, responsibilities, and contribution to TAYs’ use of mental health services. In 2019, six focus groups were conducted with TAY clients (n=24) receiving publicly funded mental health services in Southern California. Results from this analysis included four themes that illustrated the role of peers as perceived by TAY clients, including: 1) building client–peer provider relationships, 2) engaging with mental health services, 3) role-modelling recovery and supporting skill acquisition to instill hope and empowerment, and 4) peer roles and experiences specific to racial/ethnic concordance. These findings provide needed perspectives on the evolving role of peer providers in mental health services programming for TAY clients.
Modeling the Dynamics of Heroin and Illicit Opioid Use Disorder, Treatment, and Recovery
Authors: Cole Sandra , Wirkus Stephen
Published: March 2022

Opioid use disorder (OUD) has become a serious leading health issue in the USA leading to addiction, disability, or death by overdose. Research has shown that OUD can lead to a chronic lifelong disorder with greater risk for relapse and accidental overdose deaths. While the prescription opioid epidemic is a relatively new phenomenon, illicit opioid use via heroin has been around for decades. Recently, additional illicit opioids such as fentanyl have become increasingly available and problematic. We propose a mathematical model that focuses on illicit OUD and includes a class for recovered users but allows for individuals to either remain in or relapse back to the illicit OUD class. Therefore, in our model, individuals may cycle in and out of three different classes: illicit OUD, treatment, and recovered. We additionally include a treatment function with saturation, as it has been shown there is limited accessibility to specialty treatment facilities. We used 2002–2019 SAMHSA and CDC data for the US population, scaled to a medium-sized city, to obtain parameter estimates for the specific case of heroin. We found that the overdose death rate has been increasing linearly since around 2011, likely due to the increased presence of fentanyl in the heroin supply. Extrapolation of this overdose death rate, together with the obtained parameter estimates, predict that by 2038 no endemic equilibrium will exist and the only stable equilibrium will correspond to the absence of heroin use disorder in the population. There is a range of parameter values that will give rise to a backward bifurcation above a critical saturation of treatment availability. We show this for a range of overdose death rate values, thus illustrating the critical role played by the availability of specialty treatment facilities. Sensitivity analysis consistently shows the significant role of people entering treatment on their own accord, which suggests the importance of removing two of the most prevalent SAMHSA-determined reasons that individuals do not enter treatment: financial constraints and the stigma of seeking treatment for heroin use disorder.
Advances in Thermally Sprayed WC-Based Wear-Resistant Coatings: Co-free Binders, Processing Routes and Tribological Behavior
Authors: Torkashvand Kaveh , Joshi Shrikant , Gupta Mohit
Published: March 2022

A growing understanding of wear behavior of various thermally sprayed ceramic–metallic matrix coatings has occurred over recent years. This has resulted from the continuous evolution in spraying methods as well as material feedstock, and the corresponding new aspects of the field that have been thoroughly explored. This paper aims to review recent developments in thermally sprayed tungsten carbide-based coatings, with specific emphasis on evaluating alternative binders, processing routes and tribological behavior of the coatings. A comprehensive evaluation of various compositions as binders for WC-based coatings, considering environmental concerns and market requirements has been carried out. The properties and performance of various potential alternatives for cobalt as a conventional binder for these coatings have been assessed. Moreover, different thermal spray methods have been reviewed, particularly highlighting the role of processing parameters, phase change and feedstock characteristics in the high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) and high-velocity air fuel (HVAF) techniques. A comparison is made between HVAF and HVOF coatings in terms of their performance under different wear environments. Finally, various scenarios of material removal in HVAF and HVOF coatings, under various wear conditions, have also been reviewed.
Will our cardiomyopathy patients accept gene therapy?
Authors: Doevendans P. A. , Kupatt C. , Giacca M. , Glijnis P.
Published: March 2022

Novel techniques such as gene therapy are becoming available in an attempt to cure inherited diseases. Before these new therapies can be offered to patients, we need to be aware of potential reservations or objections, not only from patients and their surroundings but also from the public. In addition, legal issues and costs need attention before curative gene therapy can be applied in the clinic. As this therapeutic approach is closer to becoming a reality, now is the right time to start the debate.
Utilisation of extrusion method in geotechnical tests: conception and theoretical analysis
Authors: Manafi Masoud S.G. , Deng An , Taheri Abbas
Published: March 2022

Extrusion method has been utilised in a variety of product-processing units such as metal casting and food processing. The process of extruding is relatively fast and reproducible, and more importantly, can benchmark shear resistance of extruded materials. These advantages have propelled researchers to practice the extrusion method to determine soil properties, e.g. Atterberg limits and shear strength. Although the mechanics behind the extrusion process remains less understood, studies have verified the feasibility of the benchmarking. This study presents the theoretical basis underpinning the extruding process by extending the conventional slab analysis method to model the entire process of extruding. The developed analytical method is original in assessing the extrusion of the dead material zone and considering the dynamic move of extruded materials. The novel theoretical analysis enhances a more accurate estimation of extruding pressure and builds a solid foundation for developing extrusion tests in geotechnical engineering. In addition, the described extrusion mechanics explains reasons for observing some discrepant correlations to other geotechnical parameters due to the different soil deformation mechanisms among the test methods.
Plasma sICAM-1 as a Biomarker of Carotid Plaque Inflammation in Patients with a Recent Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Puig Núria , Camps-Renom Pol , Camacho Mercedes , Aguilera-Simón Ana , Jiménez-Altayó Francesc , Fernández-León Alejandro , Marín Rebeca , Martí-Fàbregas Joan , Sánchez-Quesada Jose Luis , Jiménez-Xarrié Elena , Benitez Sonia
Published: March 2022

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) identifies carotid plaque inflammation and predicts stroke recurrence in patients with atherothrombotic stroke. The aim of the study was to identify plasma inflammatory biomarkers associated with plaque inflammation according to 18F-FDG uptake. We conducted a prospective study of consecutive adult patients with a recent (< 7 days) anterior circulation ischemic stroke and at least one atherosclerotic plaque in the ipsilateral internal carotid artery. We included 64 patients, 57.8% of whom showed a carotid stenosis ≥ 50%. All patients underwent an early (< 15 days from inclusion) 18F-FDG PET, and a blood sample was obtained at days 7 ± 1 from the stroke. The plasma concentration of 16 inflammation-related molecules was analyzed in a Luminex using xMAP technology. Multivariable linear regression was used to assess the association between plasma biomarkers and the standardized uptake value (SUV) of 18F-FDG uptake. Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), soluble vascular adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), and fractalkine (FKN) were independently associated with plaque inflammation (β = 0.121, 95% CI 0.061–0.181, p < 0.001; β = 0.144, 95% CI 0.012–0.276, p = 0.033; β = 0.136, 95% CI 0.037–0.235, p = 0.008). In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, sICAM-1 was associated with SUVmax ≥ 2.85 (OR = 1.02, 95% CI 1.00–1.03, p = 0.020). Multivariable Cox regression was used to assess the association between biomarkers and stroke recurrence. sICAM-1 was associated with stroke recurrence (HR = 1.03, 95% CI 1.00–1.05, p = 0.002). In summary, elevated concentrations of sICAM-1 were associated with carotid plaque inflammation and an increased risk of stroke recurrence in patients with recent ischemic stroke and carotid atherosclerosis.
Design Thinking Innovation Within the Quadruple Helix Approach: a Proposed Framework to Enhance Student Engagement Through Active Learning in Digital Marketing Pedagogy
Authors: Bustard John R. T. , Hsu Daniel Hsiang , Fergie Rachael
Published: March 2022

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for enhancing student engagement through active learning and design thinking workshops online. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for digital engagement exponentially, yet the important experiences of collaborative and active learning (AL) have become more challenging to facilitate and support in circumstances of remote access during classes. As such, design thinking (DT) online presented a unique opportunity to explore this collaborative approach to engaging in user-centred design and design innovation. To explore a specific curriculum design dilemma and validate the methodology adopted, online DT workshops were conducted with two different cohorts of students toward co-creating more student-centred forms of learning in two digital marketing (DM) courses. The approach was guided by the POLARIS active learning framework to embed the framework’s seven perspectives (Purpose, Objectives, Learning landscape, Activities and assessment, Resources, Inter-relation with stakeholders, and Student engagement) which were considered to better enhance student engagement in an online learning environment. Using the framework proposed, which additionally integrates Quadruple Helix Model (QHM) actors, would facilitate further DT innovation towards co-creating new value in digital marketing pedagogy, curriculum design, and beyond.
Transforming Learning Environments in Early Childhood Contexts Through the Arts: Responding to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Chapman Susan Narelle , O’Gorman Lyndal
Published: March 2022

UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development Roadmap highlights the need to transform learning environments by integrating the 17 Sustainable Development Goals from United Nations Agenda 2030. This presents challenges for early childhood education in establishing a trajectory to transform the way young children see the world and themselves. These challenges include: reviewing adults’ views of children’s capabilities, developing strategies to support children’s resilience and ensuring that children have their say, and pushing back against narrow views of children’s learning. ECE supporting sustainability, global citizenship, human rights, and peace (see goals 4.2 and 4.7) can be underpinned by arts experiences that allow young children to engage with others’ lived experiences. This paper supports the notion that the arts can play a crucial role in supporting transformative education and addressing the challenges facing ECE for sustainability. Through an Arts Immersion approach to learning and teaching, the arts can be accessed as unique languages for inclusive learning and communicating. In support of this broader pedagogy, understandings of literacy and numeracy, physical development, social-emotional development, and learning that are presented in the SDGs 4.2 and 4.7 are critiqued. In considering challenges for ECE for sustainability and the role that the arts can play in transforming ECE, this paper argues that the languages of the arts can enable young children to understand issues relating to sustainability, to express this understanding more vividly, and to build their agency as global citizens in a more sustainable, just, and peaceful world.
Mind the Gap: Internet Pornography Exposure, Influence and Problematic Viewing Amongst Emerging Adults
Authors: Bernstein Shireen , Warburton Wayne , Bussey Kay , Sweller Naomi
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Characterised by both exploration and engagement in risky behaviours, late adolescence and emerging adulthood are periods of particular vulnerability to dysregulated behaviours. One such behaviour less well explored is that of problematic Internet pornography (IP) viewing, despite viewing explicit online material becoming increasingly pervasive and normative.

Method

In 2020, 385 (270 females, 110 males) Australian undergraduate students (aged 17–25 years) completed an online survey assessing exposure to IP, affective and cognitive responses to IP, IP-related sexual beliefs, self-assessed problematic IP viewing and key psychological vulnerability factors. Correlational and regression analyses were utilised to assess the relationships between variables.

Results

Most male (57.3%) and female (33.7%) respondents recalled their first exposure to IP as occurring between 12 and 14 years; however, 28.2% of males and 23.7% females recalled their exposure as occurring between 9 and 11 years, and a small proportion were exposed even earlier. Higher IP viewing frequency, positive affective responses to IP at current exposure, elevated sexual impulsivity and the endorsement of IP-related sexual beliefs were all found to be associated with self-assessed problematic IP viewing.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that both person and situational factors may contribute to problematic IP viewing patterns. IP viewing may also be shaping the sexual beliefs and behaviours of some viewers.

Policy Implications

There is little consensus on the factors that may lead IP viewing to become problematic, which limits the ability of clinicians to identify more susceptible individuals. These findings suggest that in addition to dysregulation factors such as sexual impulsivity, dissociation and depression, affective responses to IP and IP-related beliefs may also be important to consider when assessing for whom IP viewing may become problematic.
Identification a novel de novo RUNX2 frameshift mutation associated with cleidocranial dysplasia
Authors: Gong Lei , Odilov Bekzod , Han Feng , Liu Fuqiang , Sun Yujing , Zhang Ningxin , Zuo Xiaolin , Yang Jiaojiao , Wang Shouyu , Hou Xinguo , Ren Jianmin
Published: March 2022

Background

Cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) is a rare genetic disorder affecting bone and cartilage development. Clinical features of CCD comprise short stature, delayed ossification of craniofacial structures with numerous Wormian bones, underdeveloped or aplastic clavicles and multiple dental anomalies. Several studies have revealed that CCD development is strongly linked with different mutations in runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) gene.

Objective

Identification and functional characterization of RUNX2 mutation associated with CCD.

Methods

We performed genetic testing of a patient with CCD using whole exome sequencing and found a novel RUNX2 frameshift mutation: c.1550delT in a sporadic case. We also compared the functional activity of the mutant and wild-type RUNX2 through immunofluorescence microscopy and osteocalcin promoter luciferase assay.

Results

We found a novel RUNX2 frameshift mutation, c.1550delT (p.Trp518Glyfs*60). Both mutant RUNX2 and wild-type RUNX2 protein were similarly confined in the nuclei. The novel mutation caused abrogative transactivation activity of RUNX2 on osteocalcin promoter.

Conclusions

We explored a novel RUNX2 deletion/frameshift mutation in a sporadic CCD patient. This finding suggests that the VWRPY domain may play a key role in RUNX2 transactivation ability.
Secret-free security: a survey and tutorial
Authors: Rührmair Ulrich
Published: March 2022

“Classical keys,” i.e., secret keys stored permanently in digital form in nonvolatile memory, appear indispensable in modern computer security—but also constitute an obvious attack target in any hardware containing them. This contradiction has led to perpetual battle between key extractors and key protectors over the decades. It is long known that physical unclonable functions (PUFs) can at least partially overcome this issue, since they enable secure hardware without the above classical keys. Unfortunately, recent research revealed that many standard PUFs still contain other types of “secrets” deeper in their physical structure, whose disclosure to adversaries breaks security as well: Examples include the manufacturing variations in SRAM PUFs, the power-up states of SRAM PUFs, or the signal delays in Arbiter PUFs. Most of these secrets have already been extracted in viable attacks in the past, breaking PUF-security in practice. A second generation of physical security primitives now shows potential to resolve this remaining problem, however. In certain applications, so-called Complex PUFs, SIMPLs/PPUFs, and UNOs are able to realize not just hardware that is free of classical keys in the above sense, but completely “secret-free” instead. In the resulting hardware systems, adversaries could hypothetically be allowed to inspect every bit and every atom, and learn any information present in any form in the system,withoutbeing able to break security. Secret-free hardware would hence promise to be innately and permanently immune against any physical or malware-based key-extraction: There simply is no security–critical information to extract anymore. Our survey and tutorial paper takes the described situation as starting point, and categorizes, formalizes, and overviews the recently evolving area ofsecret-free security. We propose the attempt of making hardware completely secret-free as promising endeavor in future hardware designs, at least in those application scenarios where this is logically possible. In others, we suggest that secret-free techniques could be combined with standard PUFs and classical methods to construct hybrid systems with notably reduced attack surfaces.