bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Galectin-3 Mediates Vascular Dysfunction in Obesity by Regulating NADPH Oxidase 1
Authors: Padgett Caleb A. , Bátori Róbert K. , Speese Andrew C. , Rosewater Cody L. , Bush Weston B. , Derella Cassandra C. , Haigh Stephen B. , Sellers Hunter G. , Corley Zachary L. , West Madison A. , Mintz James D. , Ange Brittany B. , Harris Ryan A. , Brands Michael W. , Fulton David J.R. , Stepp David W.
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:

Obesity is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Metabolic dysfunction, especially hyperglycemia, is thought to be a major contributor, but how glucose impacts vascular function is unclear. GAL3 (galectin-3) is a sugar-binding lectin upregulated by hyperglycemia, but its role as a causative mechanism of cardiovascular disease remains poorly understood. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the role of GAL3 in regulating microvascular endothelial vasodilation in obesity.

METHODS:

GAL3 was measured and found to be markedly increased in the plasma of overweight and obese patients, as well as in the microvascular endothelium of diabetic patients. To investigate causative mechanisms in cardiovascular disease, mice deficient in GAL3 were bred with obese
db/db
mice to generate lean, lean GAL3 knockout, obese, and obese GAL3 knockout genotypes. Endothelial cell–specific GAL3 knockout mice with novel AAV-induced obesity recapitulated whole-body knockout studies to confirm cell specificity.

RESULTS:

Deletion of GAL3 did not alter body mass, adiposity, or plasma indices of glycemia and lipidemia, but levels of plasma reactive oxygen species as assessed by plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were normalized in obese GAL3 knockout mice. Obese mice exhibited profound endothelial dysfunction and hypertension, both of which were rescued by GAL3 deletion. Isolated microvascular endothelial cells from obese mice had increased expression of NOX1 (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 1), which we have previously shown to contribute to increased oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction, which was normalized in microvascular endothelium from mice lacking GAL3. Cell-specific deletion confirmed that endothelial GAL3 regulates obesity-induced NOX1 overexpression and subsequent microvascular function. Furthermore, improvement of metabolic syndrome by increasing muscle mass, improving insulin signaling, or treating with metformin decreased microvascular GAL3, and thereby NOX1, expression levels.

CONCLUSIONS:

Deletion of GAL3 normalizes microvascular endothelial function in obese
db/db
mice, likely through a NOX1-mediated mechanism. Pathological levels of GAL3, and in turn NOX1, are amenable to improvements in metabolic status, presenting a potential therapeutic target to ameliorate pathological cardiovascular consequences of obesity.
Interplay Between Zero CAC, Quantitative Plaque Analysis, and Adverse Events in a Diverse Patient Cohort
Authors: Fattouh Michael , Kuno Toshiki , Pina Pamela , Skendelas John P. , Lorenzatti Daniel , Arce Javier , Daich Jonathan , Duarte Gustavo , Fernandez-Hazim Carol , Rodriguez-Guerra Miguel , Neshiwat Patrick , Schenone Aldo L. , Zhang Lili , Rodriguez Carlos J. , Arbab-Zadeh Armin , Slomka Piotr J. , Virani Salim S. , Blaha Michael J. , Berman Daniel S. , Dey Damini , Garcia Mario J. , Slipczuk Leandro
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:

Coronary artery calcium scoring (CAC) has garnered attention in the diagnostic approach to chest pain patients. However, little is known about the interplay between zero CAC, sex, race, ethnicity, and quantitative coronary plaque analysis.

METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective analysis from our computed tomography registry of patients with stable angina without prior myocardial infarction or revascularization undergoing coronary computed tomography angiography at Montefiore Healthcare System. Follow-up end points collected included invasive angiography, type-1 myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, cardiovascular and all-cause death.

RESULTS:

A total of 2249 patients were included (66% female). The median follow-up was 5.5 years. The median age of those without CAC was 52 years (interquartile range, 44–59) and 60 years (interquartile range, 53–68) in those with CAC. Most patients were Hispanic (58%), and the rest were non-Hispanic Black (28%), non-Hispanic White (10%), and non-Hispanic Asian (5%). The majority had CAC=0 (55%). The negative predictive value of CAC=0 was 92.8%, 99.9%, and 99.9% for any plaque, obstructive coronary artery stenosis, and the composite outcome of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization, respectively. Among patients without CAC (n=1237), 89 patients (7%) had evidence of plaque on their coronary computed tomography angiography with a median low-attenuation noncalcified plaque burden of 4% (2–7). There were no significant differences in the negative predictive value for CAC=0 by sex, race, or ethnicity. Patients with ≥2 risk factors had higher odds of having plaque with zero CAC.

CONCLUSIONS:

In summary, no sex, race, or ethnicity differences were demonstrated in the negative predictive value of a zero CAC; however, patients with ≥2 risk factors had a higher prevalence of plaque. A small percentage (7%) of symptomatic patients undergoing coronary computed tomography angiography with zero CAC had noncalcified coronary plaque, with the implication that caution is needed for downscaling of preventive treatment in patients with zero CAC, chest pain, and multiple risk factors.
Doctrinal Experimenting with the Constitution in Lithuania: On the Structure of the Constitution, the Non-Amendability of Constitutional Provisions, and the Legal Force of ‘Pre-Constitutional’ Acts
Authors: Kūris Egidijus
Published: August 2023

Lithuania’s 1992 Constitution has undergone a series of amendments, including certain structural changes. Besides formal amendments, constitutional regulation is subject to reinterpretation in the Constitutional Court’s case law. As a result, not only the content of specific provisions of the Constitution, but also the very perception of constitutional law has been reshaped by, inter alia, reducing the system of sources of constitutional law to only the Constitution and official constitutional doctrine. Recently the Constitutional Court, in an activist move, undertook modification of the settled new paradigm by introducing the notion of ‘supra-constitutionality’ and by postulating which constitutional provisions, until then deemed amendable, were non-amendable. The article deals with the doctrine in both the historical and the theoretical context and with its effect on the perception of constitutional law, in particular its structure.
The Trans in Transformative Constitutionalism
Authors: Scott Lwando
Published: August 2023

This paper operationalises the prefix trans in transformative constitutionalism to think expansively about post-apartheid freedoms. It uses the prefix to challenge limited conceptions of how freedom and transformation are read into the post-apartheid moment. In South Africa, often, debates about transformation are debates about race, and its linkages to class. This has created what looks like “first” and “secondary” struggles, with race being first and struggles like gender and gender equality regarded as secondary. This paper argues for a more complicated articulation of post-apartheid freedoms that does not neglect other forms of struggle like gender. Using trans – both as in transgender, the lived realities, and as in trans as metaphor – this paper challenges simplistic ways of reading freedom in post-apartheid South Africa. Furthermore, understanding the concept of the human has had a troubled history in that the foundations of the human have meant white, male and Western. Therefore, this paper uses the prefix trans to grapple with the meaning of the human in the human rights that are part of the South African Constitution.
First report of the genus Semioscopis Hübner and four species of Gelechioidea (Lepidoptera) from Korea with redescriptions
Authors: KOO JUN-MO , NA JIN-HO , PAEK MUNKI , CHO SOOWON
Published: August 2023

We report for the first time the presence of the genus Semioscopis Hübner, 1825 and four species of the superfamily Gelechioidea in Korea, namely Coleophora serinipennella Christoph, 1872 (Coleophoridae), Semioscopis japonicella Saito, 1989 (Depressariidae), Anarsia isogona Meyrick, 1913 (Gelechiidae) and Dichomeris syndyas Meyrick, 1926 (Gelechiidae). In addition, we provide redescription and diagnostic characteristics for each species, based on previous descriptions and additional morphological data acquired.
Alaskacladius gen. nov., (Diptera: Chironomidae), a unique new orthoclad from Alaska
Authors: NAMAYANDEH ARMIN , HUDSON PATRICK L. , GHADERI EDRIS , VASQUEZ ADRIAN A. , RAM JEFFREY L.
Published: August 2023

We describe a new genus Alaskacladius gen. nov., based on the adult stages collected from Alaska, USA, and British Columbia, Canada. Molecular and morphological assessment of adult specimens supports the presence of a new genus. Alaskacladius gen. nov., is related to the genera Doithrix Sæther & Sublette, 1983; Georthocladius Strenzke, 1941; Parachaetocladius Wülker, 1959; and Pseudorthocladius Goetghebuer, 1932. Based on the molecular analysis result and intergeneric K2P distance obtained from Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) genes, Alaskacladius is closest and forms a sister group with Doithrix.
Research Status and Progress of the Role of Macrophages in Rheumatoid Arthritis Inflammatory Response
Authors: Zhang Kaibo , Liang Feng , Jia Xiuzhi , Qian Qin , Wang Haihe
Published: August 2023

Macrophages are essential immune cells that play a critical role in immune defense, immune homeostasis, and immune surveillance within the body. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease, increased infiltration of synovial macrophages leads to heightened secretion of pro-inflammatory
cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-α, resulting in joint erosion. Macrophages have the ability to switch their functions through a process called macrophage polarization, giving rise to two main phenotypes: inflammatory macrophages (M1) and anti-inflammatory macrophages (M2). In RA,
the balance between M1 and M2 phenotypes influences the disease’s pathogenesis and prognosis. M1 macrophages secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines, contributing to joint erosion, while M2 macrophages support tissue repair. Consequently, targeting the local inflammatory response initiated
by M1 macrophages is crucial in RA treatment. Biological agents that block inflammatory factors and chemokines induced by macrophages are being developed to combat RA. Additionally, extracellular vesicles can guide macrophage reprogramming, promoting the transition from M1 to anti-inflammatory
M2 macrophages and restoring tissue homeostasis.
Tadalafil Attenuates Angiotensin II-Induced Extracellular Matrix Remodeling in Cardiac Fibroblasts Through TGF-β1/Smad3 Signaling Pathway
Authors: Ye Wenyi , Huang Junling , Yang Jun , Wang Ling , Dai Jin , Wang Xiao
Published: August 2023

Cardiac fibrosis is a common consequence of various cardiac diseases and is linked to the activation of cardiac fibroblasts (FBs). This study aimed to investigate the effect of tadalafil (Tad) on cardiac fibrosis by regulating FB transformation and its molecular mechanism. Angiotensin
II (Ang II) treated FBs were used to construct in vitro cardiac fibrosis models. FBs were divided into three groups: control, Ang II, and Ang II+Tad. Immunofluorescence, real-time quantitative PCR, Western blot, and flow cytometry were utilized to detect the expression of α-SMA,
collagen types I and III, fibronectin, Bcl-2, Bax, Bad, TGF-β1, SMAD3, p-SMAD3, and apoptosis. The expression of α-SMA, collagen types I and III, fibronectin, and Bcl-2 in the Ang II+Tad group was significantly decreased, while the expressions of Bax and Bad were increased
compared to the Ang II group. The Ang II+Tad group also had the highest proportion of apoptosis. The TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway was found to be inhibited in the Ang II+Tad group. Therefore, Tad can inhibit Ang II-induced FB activation through the TGF-β1/Smad3 pathway
and promote apoptosis of activated FBs.
Cisplatin Polylactic Acid Nanoparticles Combined with miR-181a Alleviates the Growth, Migration and Apoptosis of PG Cells in Lung Cancer Rats
Authors: Zhang Kangmei , Zhong Rui , Huang Qin , Xiao Dan , Liu Zhentian , Zhou Jianying
Published: August 2023

In this experiment, cisplatin-polylactic acid nanoparticles (CPAN) were used to intervene in a rat model of lung cancer, to assess the effects and mechanism of combined miR-181a on lung cancer using Human giant cell lung cancer cell line (PG) cells. CPAN were prepared and lung cancer
rat model was constructed. Rats were then grouped into healthy group, lung cancer group, cisplatin group, CPAN group, and CPAN+miR-181a agonist group, with 4 rats in each group. Expressions of PTEN induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) and Parkin were analyzed, followed by cell proliferation,
apoptosis, and migration, and also relationship between miR-181a and Parkin. The CPAN were successfully prepared and the rat model of lung cancer was established. CPAN improved the lung function of rats with lung cancer and this was related to overexpression of miR-181a. The number of inflammatory
cells in lung tissue decreased in the cisplatin-poly lactic acid (PLA) nanoparticle group, and epithelial edema of bronchial mucosa was alleviated when compared to the lung cancer group. PINK1/Parkin protein expression was lower than that in the lung cancer group, and proliferation of PG cells
decreased with increased apoptosis, and decreased migration inhibition. Intervention of CPAN combined with miR-181a can down-regulate PINK1/Parkin, improving lung function of lung cancer rats, inhibiting proliferation and migration, and promoting apoptosis.
Variability of Eddy Formation off the West Greenland Coast from a 1/60° Model
Authors: Gou Ruijian , Li Pusheng , Wiegand Kevin N. , Pennelly Clark , Kieke Dagmar , Myers Paul G.
Published: August 2023

Eddies generated off the west Greenland coast modulate the deep convection in the Labrador Sea, while there are still open questions related to their formation mechanisms. Using 11 years (2008–18) of output from a NEMO model configured with a 1/60° nest in the Labrador Sea, we present the patterns of baroclinic and barotropic instability off the west Greenland coast. We highlight the generation of Irminger Rings at Cape Desolation and boundary current eddies at the location of the Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (OSNAP) West section. In between these formation sites, eddy energy attenuation occurs along the West Greenland Current (WGC). Overall, baroclinic instability dominates in the upper 1000 m and is twice as strong as the barotropic instability. Seasonally, the instabilities are generally twice as strong in winter compared to summer. Interannually from 2008 to 2018, the instabilities generally show a strengthening trend, with values in 2018 two to three times as strong as those in 2008. We found that on an interannual time scale, the strengthening of WGC and the steepening of its velocity contours enhance the barotropic instability, and the intrusion of the upper Irminger Sea Intermediate Water (uISIW) on the Irminger Water enhances the baroclinic instability by increasing the horizontal density gradient. On a seasonal time scale, variability of the eddy momentum and density fluxes modulate the barotropic and baroclinic instability, respectively. From observation-based datasets, we also found that the downstream eddy kinetic energy is highly correlated with the uISIW transports, suggesting that the amount of uISIW affects the eddy formation. Using a very high-resolution numerical model, our study provides new insight into the variability and mechanisms of eddy formation along the west Greenland coast.

Significance Statement

Vigorous eddy activity exists off the west Greenland coast. The eddies flux buoyancy to the interior Labrador Sea and thus weaken the convection, which feeds the lower limb of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Given uncertainties in the eddy formation mechanisms, by using an ocean model with very high resolution that resolves those eddies, we show the factors that control the production and variability of the eddy formation off the western coast of Greenland. The eddy formation generally strengthens over the years 2008–18, which is a result of the intrusion of intermediate water on the continental slope and a stronger boundary current. The eddy formation shows a seasonal cycle—it is generally the strongest in winter and weakest in summer, which is modulated by the seasonal variability of eddy momentum and density fluxes.
Foreign Direct Investment and Political Preferences in Non-Democratic Regimes
Authors: Rommel Tobias
Published: August 2023

How does economic globalization affect regime support in non-democratic regimes? While we know a lot about how globalization affects politics in democracies, we know only little about its impact on political preferences in autocracies. I focus on FDI, which has increased considerably over the last decades and affects low- and high-skilled individuals differently. Material risks associated with FDI decrease regime support only among the poorly educated; economic gains from FDI bolster support for the incumbent regime for well-educated individuals. I present two analyses that corroborate these hypotheses. Study 1 uses Afrobarometer data and matches respondents with geo-located data on FDI. To mitigate selection problems, I only compare individuals that are exposed to FDI with individuals that are not yet exposed at the time the survey was administered. Study 2 utilizes cross-national survey data from 14 autocracies. My findings explain why some citizens favor the political status quo, even in autocracies.
From ascetic individualism to the dissolution of the self: A sociological approach to the religious symbolism of Chicago and New York skyscrapers
Authors: Roche Cárcel Juan Antonio , Carretero Pasin Angel Enrique
Published: August 2023

This article seeks to determine the link between the symbolic profile of North American skyscrapers and the features of North American culture, emphasizing the parallelism followed in the evolution of both. For this purpose, it resorts to a comprehensive or interpretative sociology combined with an incipient sociology of skyscrapers as a theoretical–methodological basis, complemented in turn with the notions of creativity and symbolism, resources through which the nuclear myths on which North American culture is sustained would become visible. The work reveals how the transformations in the style followed by American skyscrapers maintain a close relationship with the process of collapse of the original values proclaimed by American capitalism. So that the aesthetics characterized by a rationalist abstraction, perfectly fitted in the inaugural ascetic values of this first capitalism, would give way to an aesthetics of evanescent sign where an individuated consideration of the self would be given preeminence. In this sense, the work discovers how the symbology carried on the skyscrapers constitutes a first-level observatory in order to evidence the mutations that took place in the North American religiosity.
Globalization, foreign direct investment, and child mortality: A cross-national analysis of less-developed countries, 1990–2019
Authors: Mejia Steven A.
Published: August 2023

Social scientists have long debated the impacts of foreign investment for developing countries. However, the relationship between foreign investment and child mortality is still heavily contested among comparative international social scientists despite decades of research. I bring new cross-national evidence to bear on this contested debate, where the competing arguments of neoclassical economic theory and foreign investment dependency theory are evaluated using fixed effects, dynamic, and two-stage least squares panel regression models. I find that inward foreign direct investment stock exerts a beneficial effect on child mortality in less-developed countries, net of relevant statistical controls. These results are also robust to a variety of regression diagnostics and alternative choices of econometric specification. These findings contribute to a growing body of literature finding that traditional sociological measures of foreign direct investment—in some cases—generate beneficial effects in less-developed countries.
Experimental investigation on the axial compression behaviour of perforated glass fibre reinforced plastic medium-length tubes
Authors: Li Da , Li Feng
Published: August 2023

This paper aims to investigate the axial compression behaviour of perforated glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) circular tubes. A total of 12 GFRP medium-length tubes with and without circular holes were tested under axial compression. The influence of hole size and hole quantity on the failure mode and mechanical behaviour of perforated GFRP tubes were carefully evaluated. The overall buckling failure and material strength failure, mainly determined by the hole size, were observed in the axial compression tests. The critical load and axial stiffness of the perforated tubes decreased further with the increase of hole sizes and quantities, compared to those of the intact GFRP tubes. To reveal the damage mechanism of perforated GFRP tubes, three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC) technique was used to analyse the evolution of full-field strain around the hole. It was demonstrated that the damage mechanisms of the overall buckling failure and material strength failure were respectively compression-shear destruction and tension-shear destruction in the high strain concentration regions around the hole. Finally, design-oriented equations were proposed to predict the critical load and axial stiffness of perforated GFRP tubes under axial compression, and 95% confidence interval was used for interval estimation. The proposed equations were in good agreement with the test results. In addition, the prediction results of axial stiffness are generally more accurate than that of critical load.
Evidence-Informed Oral Health Policy Making: Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: Listl S. , Baltussen R. , Carrasco-Labra A. , Carrer F.C. , Lavis J.N.
Published: August 2023

Despite a clear need for improvement in oral health systems, progress in oral health systems transformation has been slow. Substantial gaps persist in leveraging evidence and stakeholder values for collective problem solving. To truly enable evidence-informed oral health policy making, substantial “know-how” and “know-do” gaps still need to be overcome. However, there is a unique opportunity for the oral health community to learn and evolve from previous successes and failures in evidence-informed health policy making. As stated by the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges, COVID-19 has created a once-in-a-generation focus on evidence, which has fast-tracked collaboration among decision makers, researchers, and evidence intermediaries. In addition, this has led to a growing recognition of the need to formalize and strengthen evidence-support systems. This article provides an overview of recent advancements in evidence-informed health policy making, including normative goals and a health systems taxonomy, the role of evidence-support and evidence-implementation systems to improve context-specific decision-making processes, the evolution of learning health systems, and the important role of citizen deliberations. The article also highlights opportunities for evidence-informed policy making to drive change in oral health systems. All in all, strengthening capacities for evidence-informed health policy making is critical to enable and enact improvements in oral health systems.
Sunk Cost Effect, Self-Control, and Contract Design
Authors: Zhang Xing , Iyer Ganesh , Xu Xiaoyan , Chong Juin Kuan
Published: August 2023

This article examines the role of the sunk cost effect as a commitment device in mitigating the self-control problem and analyzes its implications for optimal contract design. Consumers may anticipate the effect ex ante and strategically use it to mitigate their self-control problems. Although the sunk cost effect may lead to a loss of consumption flexibility in the event of high consumption costs, it can serve as a commitment device to enforce self-control. A firm's optimal policy should balance the consumer's demand for flexibility in consumption with the demand for commitment. Under a simple fixed-fee contract, sunk costs have a nonmonotonic effect on profits for investment goods; that is, profits first decrease and then increase with the sunk cost effect. The firm can use a two-part tariff or a refundable fixed-fee contract to mitigate the sunk cost effect. This article also compares the implications of alternative psychological mechanisms underlying the sunk cost effect (regret-based vs. memory-cue-based) for contract design.
Spiritual Well-Being and Death Anxiety: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Iranian Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome
Authors: Mirhosseini Seyedmohammad , Montazeri Ali , Khanmohammadi Mobina , Qasemi Haddad Aida , Nadali Javad , Basirinezhad Mohammad Hasan , Mohebbi Sara , Ebrahimi Hossein
Published: August 2023

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients experience a tremendous psychological burden, typically in the form of death worry due to acute medical conditions and the possibility of mortality. The unfavourable conditions of ACS patients cause them to reconsider the meaning of life and their spiritual well-being. This study evaluated the association between death anxiety and spiritual well-being in a total of 241 ACS patients in Shahroud, northeast of Iran. The data were collected using the Templer Death Anxiety Scale, and the Spiritual Well-being Scale by convenience sampling method. All patients indicated a high degree of death anxiety, and roughly half reported a moderate level of spiritual well-being. There was a significant and direct correlation between death anxiety and spiritual well-being levels. Older age, single status, and non-smoking were other predictors of good spiritual well-being. A multidisciplinary health team should identify and implement approaches to promote spiritual well-being and reduce mental suffering.
Longitudinal Relations Between Heterosexual Adolescents’ Perceived Exposure to Sex-Positive Television Messages and Their Supportive Attitudes and Behaviors Toward the LGBTQ+ Community
Authors: Maes Chelly , Vandenbosch Laura
Published: August 2023

The literature on heterosexual adolescents’ television viewing and its over-time impact on attitudes and behaviors regarding LGBTQ+ is limited. The current study aims to fill this gap in the literature by using three-wave data from 338 heterosexual adolescents ( Mage = 15.29, SD = 1.48, 68.6% girls). We explored relations between adolescents’ perceived exposure to sex-positive television messages, their respectful approach to different sexual expressions, and their endorsement of supportive behavior regarding LGBTQ+. A Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM) showed that, at a between-person level, perceived exposure to sex-positive television messages was related to the endorsement of supportive behavior regarding LGBTQ+. Yet, results revealed that an increased perceived exposure to sex-positive television messages was not associated with respectful approach to different sexual expressions and endorsement of supportive behavior regarding LGBTQ+ at the individual level. No sex or traditional gender role orientation differences were found. Our findings hopefully encourage sexual media research to further distinguish between-and within-person relations and to consider potential testing effects that mask true within-person change.
Predefined-time stabilization of brushed direct current motor system affected by matched and unmatched disturbances and stochastic noises
Authors: de la Cruz Nain , Basin Michael
Published: August 2023

This paper presents the predefined-time convergent robust controller design for a brushed direct current (DC) motor system affected by matched and unmatched deterministic disturbances and stochastic noises, considering both fully measurable and incompletely measurable states. The control algorithm allows the control designer to set the convergence time a priori. The convergence time is independent of initial conditions and disturbances and noises affecting the system. Numerical simulations are conducted to demonstrate efficiency of the designed control algorithm. The obtained results show that the control algorithm counteracts the matched and unmatched disturbances, and noises in case of fully measurable states and mitigates their influence in case of incompletely measurable ones.
Intergroup Context Moderates the Impact of White Americans’ Identification on Racial Categorization of Ambiguous Faces
Authors: Chen Jacqueline M. , Meyers Chanel , Pauker Kristin , Gaither Sarah E. , Hamilton David L. , Sherman Jeffrey W.
Published: August 2023

We examined how the number of groups in a categorization task influences how White Americans categorize ambiguous faces. We investigated the strength of identity-driven ingroup overexclusion–wherein highly identified perceivers overexclude ambiguous members from the ingroup–proposing that, compared with dichotomous tasks (with only the ingroup and one outgroup), tasks with more outgroups attenuate identity-driven ingroup overexclusion (a dilution effect). Fourteen studies ( n = 4,001) measured White Americans’ racial identification and their categorizations of ambiguous faces and manipulated the categorization task to have two groups, three groups, or an unspecified number of groups (open-ended). In all three conditions, participants overexcluded faces from the White category on average. There was limited support for the dilution effect: identity-driven ingroup overexclusion was absent in the three-group task and only weakly supported in the open-ended task. The presence of multiple outgroups may dampen the impact of racial identity on race perceptions among White Americans.
Do the paper’s connections to existing work disclose its citation impact? A study based on graph representation learning
Authors: Luo Zhuoran , He Jiangen , Qian Jiajia , Wang Yuqi , Lu Wei
Published: August 2023

Influential scientific papers tend to be primarily based on combinations of prior works. However, assessing the potential impact of a new scientific paper remains a challenging task. In this article, we introduce an innovative framework to investigate the relationship between the embedding of citation networks and a paper’s future citation counts, based on the graph representation learning approach. First, we employ three Nobel Prize-winning topic papers from the Web of Science as our data source. Through data preprocessing and direct citation network modelling, we train the struc2vec model to obtain embeddings of papers’ citation network structure. Then, we perform visualisation and analysis on two types of networks. One is the direct-citation network, in which we identify four patterns of linkage between newly published papers and existing knowledge, and the other is the co-citation network, where we measure three structural variation indicators of new papers based on existing research findings. Finally, a statistical test is used to examine the predictive potentials of network embeddings. The results demonstrate that the structural features captured by the graph representation learning model can be used to predict a paper’s citation counts and impact. This article innovatively combines cluster analysis, visual analysis and statistical analysis to gain insights into the relationship between the hard-to-explain structural embeddings of newly published papers in a citation network and their future citations.
Roma Migration and the Cumulative Causation of Diverging Policy Responses in Scandinavia
Authors: Friberg Jon Horgen , Borevi Karin , Brochmann Grete , Tyldum Guri , Djuve Anne Britt
Published: August 2023

Since 2007, Scandinavia has emerged as a new destination for Romanian Roma engaging in circular migration for begging and street work. Using policy documents from parliamentary debates in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, survey data on Romanian migrants in Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen, and qualitative fieldwork in Scandinavia and Romania, this article explores the dynamic relationship between Scandinavian policy responses and migrant selection and adaptations. First, we demonstrate how the Scandinavian countries differ in their approach to migration for begging as a policy problem, resulting in different contexts of reception. Second, we show that these different contexts of reception have given rise to differences in the selection and adaptations of migrant beggars and street workers in each of the three capital cities. Third, we hypothesize that the relationship between policy responses and migrant adaptations should be conceptualized as a process of cumulative causation, where pre-existing policy differences are reinforced through positive feedback.
Quantitative Data Availability and Measurement of US Immigrant and Immigration Policies: IMR Methods Note
Authors: Weitzman Abigail , Behrman Julia , Ascherio Marta
Published: August 2023

In this IMR Methods Note, we spotlight the rise in quantitative data availability, measurements, and scholarly investigations of US immigrant and immigration policies (IIPs). To begin, we offer a detailed account of the quantitative data sources, measures, and analytical strategies that have been developed by scholars studying IIPs over the last two decades. We then highlight this scholarship's important advances toward identifying IIPs’ intended, unintended, and spillover effects on immigrant and nonimmigrant populations in the United States. To conclude, we discuss ongoing challenges and future opportunities for deepening research on US IIPs and their psychosocial, behavioral, and health implications. Our review illuminates how data on federal immigration enforcement activities, and on federal, state, and municipal immigrant laws have engendered increasingly sophisticated quantitative studies of the US IIP climate. At the same time, it highlights several dimensions in which existing work stands to be strengthened, including the need for comparisons of newly developed IIP measures and their estimated effects; greater exploration of IIPs’ potentially heterogeneous effects across distinct subpopulations; and more attention to endogeneity, or in other words, the political and demographic processes that give rise to nonrandom variation in how IIPs take shape across space and time.
The relationship between inspiratory muscle strength, venous refilling time, disease severity, and functional capacity in patients with chronic venous insufficiency
Authors: Aydin Gamze , Yeldan Ipek , Akgul Ahmet
Published: August 2023

Background

Our aim is to evaluate the relationship between inspiratory muscle strength and venous refilling time, disease severity, and functional capacity in patients with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).

Methods

Sixty-one patients (49 female, aged 20–65 ) were enrolled in the study. The demographic characteristics of the patients were questioned. All patients were assessed with maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressure (MIP/MEP) for inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength, photoplethysmography for venous refilling time (VRT), venous clinical severity score (VCSS) for disease severity, and 6-min walk test (6-MWT) for functional capacity.

Results

The mean age of the patients was 49.48 ± 13.19 years, and the mean duration of disease was 9.18 ± 6.57 years. There was statistically significant positive association between MIP and VRT(r: 0.331, p: 0.009), 6-MWT (r: 0.616, p < 0.001) values, and there was negative association between MIP and VCSS(r: -0.439 p < 0.001) scores.

Conclusion

Evaluation of inspiratory muscle strength and elimination of its deficiency, providing interventions to approach normative values have the potential to contribute positively to the treatment of the patient.
Comparison of the effect of two commercialized vitrification carriers on pregnancy outcomes in freeze–thaw cycles
Authors: Zhu Haibo , Li Linlin , Zhang Hongguo , Jiang Yuting , Liu Ruizhi , Xi Qi
Published: August 2023

Objective

This study aimed to compare the effects of two brands of commercial vitrification carriers on pregnancy outcomes in freeze–thaw cycles.

Methods

We included 4871 patients who underwent a “freeze all” strategy using the commercial carriers J.Y. straw and OYASHIPS straw in the Reproductive Center of the First Hospital of Jilin University. The pregnancy outcomes of cleavage-stage embryos and blastocysts were studied separately. Detailed data and the safety of children born from mothers with the two types of carriers were also compared.

Results

Patients who used J.Y. straw had similar clinical pregnancy and live birth rates with one and two cleavage-stage embryo transplantation to those who used OYASHIPS straw. In patients who had blastocyst transplantation, the clinical pregnancy rate of one blastocyst transplanted in those who used OYASHIPS straw was significantly higher than that in those who used J.Y. straw (57.85% vs 47.09%). Among children born from mothers who used J.Y. straw, the congenital disability rate was significantly higher than that in those with OYASHIPS straw.

Conclusion

The OYASHIPS straw carrier is cheap and can achieve clinical pregnancy and live birth outcomes comparable to those of J.Y. straw. Therefore, OYASHIPS straw is a good alternative option.
Unilateral sublingual nerve paralysis after laryngeal mask airway in a patient with congenital heart disease: a case report
Authors: Xian Li , Yuan Jinlong , Li Hong , Gao Zhiyong , He Jing , Deng Haijun
Published: August 2023

Laryngeal masks are widely used by anesthesiologists in clinical practice because of their advantages of no tracheal injury, minimal airway stimulation, limited airway tissue invasion, and easy implantation and airway establishment. We herein describe a patient with congenital heart disease who developed unilateral sublingual nerve paralysis after application of a laryngeal mask airway. The patient reported perioral numbness and exhibited unclear speech and slight right deviation of the tip of the tongue after surgery. On physical examination, the patient had normal muscle strength, symmetrical frontal lines, normal occlusion, and a normal nasolabial groove. We performed head computed tomography and computed tomography angiography to rule out cerebrovascular disease, and no abnormalities were found. The patient’s imaging findings and clinical symptoms suggested unilateral right sublingual nerve palsy. After active treatment, the patient’s symptoms improved by 75% on the third postoperative day and by 90% on the fifth postoperative day. Despite the extremely low incidence of sublingual nerve palsy after application of a laryngeal mask airway, anesthesiologists should be aware of this complication. Although the nerve palsy can resolve spontaneously, the nerve damage may be permanent.
Evaluation of splenic infarction ratio and platelet increase ratio after partial splenic artery embolization
Authors: Ueda Junji , Mamada Yasuhiro , Taniai Nobuhiko , Yoshioka Masato , Matsushita Akira , Mizutani Satoshi , Kawano Youichi , Shimizu Tetsuya , Kanda Tomohiro , Takata Hideyuki , Furuki Hiroyasu , Aoki Yuto , Kawashima Manpei , Irie Toshiyuki , Ohno Takashi , Haruna Takahiro , Yoshida Hiroshi
Published: August 2023

Objective

The spleen is part of the lymphatic system and is one of the least understood organs of the human body. It is involved in the production of blood cells and helps filter the blood, remove old blood cells, and fight infection. Partial splenic artery embolization (PSE) is widely used to treat pancytopenia and portal hypertension. The efficacy of PSE for improving thrombocytopenia has been well demonstrated. In this study, we evaluated the splenic infarction ratio and platelet increase ratio after PSE.

Methods

Forty-five consecutive patients underwent PSE from January 2014 to August 2022. We retrospectively evaluated the splenic infarction volume and ratio after PSE and analyzed the relationship between the splenic infarction ratio and platelet increase ratio after PSE.

Results

The platelet increase ratio was correlated with the splenic infarction ratio after PSE. The cutoff value for the splenic infarction ratio with a two-fold platelet increase was 63.0%.

Conclusion

We suggest performance of PSE in patients with a splenic infarction ratio of 63% to double the expected platelet count.
Pregnancy Decision Making for Women With Mental Health Conditions: The Roles of Distress, Lay Beliefs, and Self-Efficacy
Authors: Klann Elyssa M. , Wong Y. Joel
Published: August 2023

Millions of people face unintended pregnancy each year, including thousands who are living with a mental health disorder, and must decide to terminate the pregnancy, become a parent, or place a child for adoption. While people of various genders, such as nonbinary people and transgender men, also face pregnancy, the current study highlighted the perspectives of women in particular, seeking to understand what unique circumstances may predict their pregnancy decision making in the context of mental health concerns. A sample of 327 women of reproductive age who self-identified as having a mental health condition were asked to consider the hypothetical situation of an unintended pregnancy and completed measures of psychological distress, parenting self-efficacy, and likelihood of choosing abortion. Qualitative data was transformed into two composite lay belief variables (perceived harm from pregnancy and mental health resilience) for inclusion in the model. Indirect effects revealed that psychological distress was related to higher likelihood of choosing an abortion through greater perceived harm from pregnancy and to lower likelihood of choosing an abortion through greater mental health resilience and higher parenting self-efficacy. The findings provide a nuanced view of pregnancy decision making from the perspective of women with mental health concerns.
Design and comparative study of steering controller for tracked vehicle based on disturbance observation
Authors: Hou Xuzhao , Ma Yue , Xiang Changle
Published: August 2023

Tracked vehicles are suitable for rough, low-bearing ground or complex environments because of the large contact area and low pressure between tracks and the ground, and the great obstacle crossing and avoidance capabilities of tracked vehicles. For fast and safe turns, an advanced steering controller is required to achieve precise tracking and stability under system uncertainty. In this study, a steering controller is proposed for tracked vehicles by combining a parameter adaptive law and a second order disturbance observer (DO-2). The friction coefficient between track and ground is estimated online as an uncertain parameter. Random disturbance and function uncertainty are resisted by DO-2. Using Lyapunov’s theory, the input-state stabilities of DO-2 and the closed loop system are proved under random disturbance. A sufficient condition is proposed to check the stability of the system under function uncertainty. Field tests are carried out on rough and slippery grounds using a small-scale electric tracked vehicle. Compared with the controllers based on first order disturbance observer (DO-1) or linear extended state observer (LESO), the optimized DO-2-based steering controller has a smaller root-mean-square error of yaw rate tracking. Adaptive law improves tracking accuracy by 22% on slippery ground.
Missing values and inconclusive results in diagnostic studies – A scoping review of methods
Authors: Stahlmann Katharina , Reitsma Johannes B , Zapf Antonia
Published: August 2023

Most diagnostic studies exclude missing values and inconclusive results from the analysis or apply simple methods resulting in biased accuracy estimates. This may be due to the lack of availability or awareness of appropriate methods. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of strategies to handle missing values and inconclusive results in the reference standard or index test in diagnostic accuracy studies. Conducting a systematic literature search in MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, we could identify many articles proposing methods for addressing missing values in the reference standard. There are also several articles describing methods regarding missing values or inconclusive results in the index test. The latter encompass imputation, frequentist and Bayesian likelihood, model-based, and latent class methods. While methods for missing values in the reference standard are regularly applied in practice, this is not true for methods addressing missing values and inconclusive results in the index test. Our comprehensive overview and description of available methods may raise further awareness of these methods and will enhance their application. Future research is needed to compare the performance of these methods under different conditions to give valid and robust recommendations for their usage in various diagnostic accuracy research scenarios.
Perceived Role of the School Nurse in Providing Pertinent COVID-19 Information to the School Community: Experiences of Public Health Graduate Students With School-Aged Children
Authors: Rose India D. , Murray Colleen , Hodges Anne Marie , Dyer Hedda , Wallace Sharonda
Published: August 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major disruptor to school systems across the United States since March 2020. As a result, school nurses have had to adapt to these uncertain times. Previous research has demonstrated the impact of school nurses on student health; however, less is known about their role in educating the broader school community about COVID-19 prevention. In Spring 2022, four focus groups were conducted with public health graduate students with school-aged children, to assess perceptions of COVID-19 and public health emergency preparedness communication. MAXQDA was used for thematic analysis. School nurses were viewed as a credible source of COVID-19 information, especially for those who do not have access to healthcare services. While the primary role of school nurses is to provide health services to students, they also have the capacity to provide the community with vital public health emergency preparedness information.
Sound source identification using the boundary element method in a sparse framework
Authors: Xiao Youhong , Zhang Zixin , Fei Jingzhou , Lu Huabing , Zhang Chenyu
Published: August 2023

Traditional near-field acoustic holography (NAH) based on the boundary element method (BEM) exhibits good performance for sound source identification. However, good reconstruction results can only be guaranteed if a sufficient number of sampling points are used. In this paper, the unitary matrix is used as the sparse basis matrix of source surface velocity and is obtained from the transfer matrix between the source surface sound pressure and vibration velocity by singular value decomposition (SVD). Based on this sparse basis, a sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) algorithm is introduced into BEM-based NAH to address the case of few sampling points. The use of a standard SBL algorithm in BEM-based NAH leads to hyperparameters that are overly sparse due to the large number of iterations, which results in large reconstruction errors. To solve this problem, a modified SBL algorithm is proposed. Good reconstruction results are maintained by selecting appropriate hyperparameters and revising the results using the steepest descent method. A simulated cuboid shell is used to explore the influence of the (i) number of sampling points and (ii) signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on the reconstruction. Numerical results show that the proposed method can achieve effective reconstruction when the number of sampling points is approximately one-tenth of the number of discrete points on the source surface. The validity of the proposed method is verified by a comparison with experimental results.