bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Two-stage machine learning models for bowel lesions characterisation using self-propelled capsule dynamics
Authors: Afebu Kenneth Omokhagbo , Tian Jiyuan , Papatheou Evangelos , Liu Yang , Prasad Shyam
Published: September 2023

To foster early bowel cancer diagnosis, a non-invasive biomechanical characterisation of bowel lesions is proposed. This method uses the dynamics of a self-propelled capsule and a two-stage machine learning procedure. As the capsule travels and encounters lesions in the bowel, its exhibited dynamics are envisaged to be of biomechanical significance being a highly sensitive nonlinear dynamical system. For this study, measurable capsule dynamics including acceleration and displacement have been analysed for features that may be indicative of biomechanical differences, Young’s modulus in this case. The first stage of the machine learning involves the development of supervised regression networks including multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and support vector regression (SVR), that are capable of predicting Young’s moduli from dynamic signals features. The second stage involves an unsupervised categorisation of the predicted Young’s moduli into clusters of high intra-cluster similarity but low inter-cluster similarity using K-means clustering. Based on the performance metrics including coefficient of determination and normalised mean absolute error, the MLP models showed better performances on the test data compared to the SVR. For situations where both displacement and acceleration were measurable, the displacement-based models outperformed the acceleration-based models. These results thus make capsule displacement and MLP network the first-line choices for the proposed bowel lesion characterisation and early bowel cancer diagnosis.
Time perspective profile and self-reported health on the EQ-5D
Authors: Rencz Fanni , Janssen Mathieu F.
Published: September 2023

Objectives

Time perspective (TP) is a psychological construct that is associated with several health-related behaviours, including healthy eating, smoking and adherence to medications. In this study, we aimed to examine the associations of TP profile with self-reported health on the EQ-5D-5L and to detect which domains display response heterogeneity (cut-point shift) for TP.

Methods

We conducted a secondary analysis of EQ-5D-5L data from a representative general population sample in Hungary (n = 996). The 17-item Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory was used to measure individuals' TP on five subscales: past-negative, past-positive, present-fatalist, present-hedonist and future. The associations between TP subscales and EQ-5D-5L domain scores, EQ VAS and EQ-5D-5L index values were analysed by using partial proportional odds models and multivariate linear regressions.

Results

Respondents that scored higher on the past-negative and present-fatalist and lower on the present-hedonist and future subscales were more likely to report more health problems in at least one EQ-5D-5L domain (p < 0.05). Adjusting for socio-economic and health status, three EQ-5D-5L domains exhibited significant associations with various TP subscales (usual activities: present-fatalist and future, pain/discomfort: past-negative and future, anxiety/depression: past-negative, present-fatalist, present-hedonist and future). The anxiety/depression domain showed evidence of cut-point shift.

Conclusions

This study identified response heterogeneity stemming from psychological characteristics in self-reported health on the EQ-5D-5L. TP seems to play a double role in self-reported health, firstly as affecting underlying health and secondly as a factor influencing one’s response behavior. These findings increase our understanding of the non-health-related factors that affect self-reported health on standardized health status measures.
Distributed out-of-memory NMF on CPU/GPU architectures
Authors: Boureima Ismael , Bhattarai Manish , Eren Maksim , Skau Erik , Romero Philip , Eidenbenz Stephan , Alexandrov Boian
Published: September 2023

We propose an efficient distributed out-of-memory implementation of the non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm for heterogeneous high-performance-computing systems. The proposed implementation is based on prior work on NMFk, which can perform automatic model selection and extract latent variables and patterns from data. In this work, we extend NMFk by adding support for dense and sparse matrix operation on multi-node, multi-GPU systems. The resulting algorithm is optimized for out-of-memory problems where the memory required to factorize a given matrix is greater than the available GPU memory. Memory complexity is reduced by batching/tiling strategies, and sparse and dense matrix operations are significantly accelerated with GPU cores (or tensor cores when available). Input/output latency associated with batch copies between host and device is hidden using CUDA streams to overlap data transfers and compute asynchronously, and latency associated with collective communications (both intra-node and inter-node) is reduced using optimized NVIDIA Collective Communication Library (NCCL) based communicators. Benchmark results show significant improvement, from 32X to 76x speedup, with the new implementation using GPUs over the CPU-based NMFk. Good weak scaling was demonstrated on up to 4096 multi-GPU cluster nodes with approximately 25,000 GPUs when decomposing a dense 340 Terabyte-size matrix and an 11 Exabyte-size sparse matrix of density $$10^{-6}$$

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The advantage of living in the city: effects of urbanization on body size and mass of native and alien squirrels
Authors: Tranquillo Claudia , Wauters Lucas A. , Santicchia Francesca , Panzeri Mattia , Preatoni Damiano , Martinoli Adriano , Bisi Francesco
Published: September 2023

In an ever more urbanized world, animals have to cope with different challenging conditions that may shape the individual’s phenotype in the urban environment. Since body mass and body size are found to be related to fitness in many species, investigating the variation in these two morphological traits along the rural-urban gradient, is a first step to understand how animals adapt to urbanization. Here we studied two tree squirrels, the native Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and the invasive Eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), using a pseudo-experimental design with replicated study sites (2 rural, 2 suburban and 2 urban sites for each species). We investigated whether squirrels differed in body size and body mass along the urbanization gradient and whether the invasive alien squirrels had more marked differences along the gradient, showing a higher adaptation capacity. We did not find variation in body size in red squirrels along the gradient, but invasive grey squirrels were slightly larger in urban than in other area-types. In both species, animals of either sex were heavier in the urban than in the rural sites, while the difference between urban and suburban areas depends on species and sex. Hence, morphologically both native and invasive species showed similar changes, with higher body mass in urban habitat, which could result in higher fitness, since body mass in squirrels species is positively related to reproductive success.
Mineral analysis of Corymbia maculata plantlets: a shortcut to optimize the mineral concentrations in tissue culture media
Authors: Lidbetter Jonathan , Martin Antoine , Parks Sophie , Holford Paul , Milham Paul
Published: September 2023

Many plants of commercial interest are propagated in tissue culture, with some presenting difficulties in their mineral balance. Historically, this issue has been addressed by varying the mineral composition of the media hoping to find a satisfactory combination. However, a potentially more efficient approach has been successful for several species, i.e., amendment of the media composition based on the mineral content of the plantlet leaves relative to that of the young leaves of thriving, field-grown plants. We used the latter approach to address a mineral imbalance encountered in propagating the Australian native plant, spotted iron gum (Corymbia maculata (syn. Eucalyptus maculata)). The chemical analysis showed that the concentration of iron in the plantlets was far in excess of requirement, and the plantlets thrived when its concentration in the medium was decreased 10-fold. This success supports the proposition that the mineral analysis of plantlets, together with the published data on foliar sufficiency ranges, may provide an efficient, general approach to optimizing the mineral composition of media for the in vitro production of plants.
Analysis of real-world data demonstrating the efficacy of current management of polycythaemia vera in attaining and maintaining therapeutic haematocrit
Authors: Buckley Frances D. , Arnold Claire , Brass Dawn , Catherwood Mark , McMullin Mary Frances
Published: September 2023

Background

Polycythaemia vera (PV) is a Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasm, typically driven by acquired JAK2 mutation and characterised by elevated red cell mass and increased risk of thrombotic events. Patients are managed with phlebotomy to maintain haematocrit (Hct) < 0.45, and patients stratified as ‘high risk’ for thrombosis are additionally treated with cytoreductive agents to attain this target.

Study

This analysis of newly diagnosed JAK2 mutant PV patients (n = 50) over 2 years aimed to determine how effectively patients attained and maintained target Hct according to recommended practice.

Conclusions

We found that patients spent the majority of time in target Hct range. Findings are supportive of current management guidelines.
Osteocytes and Primary Cilia
Authors: Verbruggen Stefaan W. , Sittichokechaiwut Anuphan , Reilly Gwendolen C.
Published: September 2023

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review is to provide a background on osteocytes and the primary cilium, discussing the role it plays in osteocyte mechanosensing.

Recent Findings

Osteocytes are thought to be the primary mechanosensing cells in bone tissue, regulating bone adaptation in response to exercise, with the primary cilium suggested to be a key mechanosensing mechanism in bone. More recent work has suggested that, rather than being direct mechanosensors themselves, primary cilia in bone may instead form a key chemo-signalling nexus for processing mechanoregulated signalling pathways. Recent evidence suggests that pharmacologically induced lengthening of the primary cilium in osteocytes may potentiate greater mechanotransduction, rather than greater mechanosensing.

While more research is required to delineate the specific osteocyte mechanobiological molecular mechanisms governed by the primary cilium, it is clear from the literature that the primary cilium has significant potential as a therapeutic target to treat mechanoregulated bone diseases, such as osteoporosis.
Exploration of Key Immune-Related Transcriptomes Associated with Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Patients with Breast Cancer
Authors: Xiong Daiqin , Yang Jianhua , Li Dongfeng , Wang Jie
Published: September 2023

Based on a few studies, heart failure patients with breast cancer were assessed to find potential biomarkers for doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. However, key immune-related transcriptional markers linked to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients have not been thoroughly investigated. We used GSE40447, GSE76314, and TCGA BRCA cohorts to perform this study. Then, we performed various bioinformatics approaches to identify the key immune-related transcriptional markers and their association with doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer. We found 255 upregulated genes and 286 downregulated genes in patients with doxorubicin-induced heart failure in breast cancer. We discovered that in patients with breast cancer comorbidity doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity, the 58 immunological genes are elevated (such as CPA3, VSIG4, GATA2, RFX2, IL3RA, and LRP1), and the 60 genes are significantly suppressed (such as MS4A1, FCRL1, CD200, FCRLA, FCRL2, and CD79A). Furthermore, we revealed that the immune-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are substantially associated with the enrichment of KEGG pathways, including B-cell receptor signaling pathway, primary immunodeficiency, chemokine signaling pathway, hematopoietic cell lineage, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, focal adhesion, dilated cardiomyopathy, cell adhesion molecule, etc. Moreover, we discovered that the doxorubicin-induced immune-related genes are crucially involved in the protein–protein interaction and gene clusters. The immune-related genes, including IFIT5, XCL1, SPIB, BTLA, MS4A1, CD19, TCL1A, CD83, CD200, FCRLA, CD79A, BIRC3, and IGF2R are significantly associated with a poor survival prognosis of breast cancer patients and showed diagnostic efficacy in patients with breast cancer and heart failure. Molecular docking revealed that the survival-associated genes interact with the doxorubicin with appreciable binding affinity. Finally, we validated the expression level of immune-related genes in breast cancer patients-derived cardiomyocytes with doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and found that the level of RAD9A, HSPA1B, GATA2, IGF2R, CD200, ERCC8, and BCL11A genes are consistently dysregulated. Our findings offered a basis for understanding the mechanism and pathogenesis of the cardiotoxicity caused by doxorubicin in breast cancer patients and predicted the interaction of immune-related potential biomarkers with doxorubicin.
Bursting of the upper jaw prosthesis and fractures of the lower jaw as indirect injury pattern caused by a headshot: a case report
Authors: Weber Anja , Wöss Claudia , Kneubuehl Beat P. , Rabl Walter
Published: September 2023

Gunshots to the human body can cause direct and indirect injuries. Direct injuries are a consequence of the projectile guiding its way through the body, creating a permanent wound channel and thereby damaging the penetrated as well as the adjacent tissue. In addition, the temporary wound cavity is responsible for indirect injuries occurring distant to the actual wound tract. This can potentially affect different types of tissue, like blood vessels, organs, or bones, that are not directly passed through by the projectile. For this case report, we describe a suicidal headshot to the temporal area where the extension of the temporary wound cavity and its subsequent collapse led to massive energy transfer to the surrounding tissue leading to breakage of the upper dental prosthesis and fractures of the lower jaw. Thereby outlining the ballistic mechanisms causing indirect injury pattern that have to be considered when examining gunshot wounds.
Does age impact outcomes of retrograde intrarenal surgery in the elderly? Results from 366 patients from the FLEXible ureteroscopy outcomes registry (FLEXOR)
Authors: Giulioni Carlo , Brocca Carlo , Gauhar Vineet , Somani Bhaskar Kumar , Chew Ben Hall , Traxer Olivier , Emiliani Esteban , Innoue Takaki , Sarica Kemal , Gadzhiev Nariman , Tanidir Yiloren , Teoh Jeremy Yuen‑Chun , Galosi Andrea Benedetto , Castellani Daniele
Published: September 2023

Background

There has been a consistent increase in the last decades in prevalence of renal stones in elderly.

Aims

To evaluate outcomes of retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for renal stones in elderly and factors associated with postoperative complications and residual fragments (RFs).

Methods

Data from 12 centers were retrospectively reviewed. Inclusion criteria: ≥ 75 years, renal stones only, normal renal anatomy. Patients were divided into three groups; Group 1: patients aged 75–79 years; Group 2: age 80–84 years; Group 3: age ≥ 85 years. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess factors associated with perioperative complications, sepsis, and RFs.

Results

366 patients were included. There were 189 patients in Group 1, 113 in Group 2, and 64 in Group 3. There was no difference between groups regarding stone features and total surgical time. Median length of stay was significantly longer in Group 3 (6.0 days, vs 2.0 days in Group 2 vs 2.5 days in Group 1, p = 0.043). There was no significant difference in postoperative complications and RFs between the groups. At multivariable logistic regression analysis, female gender (OR 2.82) and maximum stone diameter (OR 1.14) were associated with higher odds of sepsis, while surgical time (OR 1.12) and the use of a reusable ureteroscope (OR 6.51) with overall complications. Stone size (OR 1.23) was associated with higher odds of RFs.

Conclusion

RIRS showed safety and efficacy for kidney stones in elderly patients. Surgical time should be kept as short as possible to avoid higher odds of postoperative complications, particularly in females.
Text-based Question Difficulty Prediction: A Systematic Review of Automatic Approaches
Authors: AlKhuzaey Samah , Grasso Floriana , Payne Terry R. , Tamma Valentina
Published: September 2023

Designing and constructing pedagogical tests that contain items (i.e. questions) which measure various types of skills for different levels of students equitably is a challenging task. Teachers and item writers alike need to ensure that the quality of assessment materials is consistent, if student evaluations are to be objective and effective. Assessment quality and validity are therefore heavily reliant on the quality of the items included in the test. Moreover, the notion of difficulty is an essential factor that can determine the overall quality of the items and the resulting tests.Thus, item difficulty prediction is extremely important in any pedagogical learning environment. Although difficulty is traditionally estimated either by experts or through pre-testing, such methods are criticised for being costly, time-consuming, subjective and difficult to scale, and consequently, the use of automatic approaches as proxies for these traditional methods is gaining more and more traction. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive and systematic review of methods for the priori prediction of question difficulty. The aims of this review are to: 1) provide an overview of the research community regarding the publication landscape; 2) explore the use of automatic, text-based prediction models; 3) summarise influential difficulty features; and 4) examine the performance of the prediction models. Supervised machine learning prediction models were found to be mostly used to overcome the limitations of traditional item calibration methods. Moreover, linguistic features were found to play a major role in the determination of item difficulty levels, and several syntactic and semantic features were explored by researchers in this area to explain the difficulty of pedagogical assessments. Based on these findings, a number of challenges to the item difficulty prediction community are posed, including the need for a publicly available repository of standardised data-sets and further investigation into alternative feature elicitation and prediction models.
Italian small arms exports: between incentives and international sanctions
Authors: Baronchelli Adelaide , Caruso Raul
Published: September 2023

This paper empirically investigates the determinants of Italian Small Arms and Light Weapons (hereafter SALW) exports to 143 polities from 1990 to 2017. We focus in particular on three aspects: (1) the economic drivers of SALW exports by means of a standard gravity equation of trade; (2) the internal characteristics of the importer country, namely the degree of militarization and the attitude to violence exerted by government against citizens; (3) the impact of international constraints on SALW trade by highlighting in particular EU and UN embargoes. We estimate the empirical models for total exports but also distinguishing between the two sub-categories of military and sporting SALW. Findings highlight that (1) there is a complementarity between Italian exports and the importer’s military expenditure; (2) there is a correlation between Italian exports of SALW and both a disregard for physical integrity and a potential for military influence over the government in the importing country; (3) international embargoes reduce substantially Italian SALW exports; (4) UN and EU embargoes seem to have a different impact; (5) There is no evidence of sanctions-busting. In broader terms, this study highlights that unlike the standard patterns observed for civilian goods, political and military factors matter substantially for the international trade of SALW.
Spotting the stock and crypto markets’ rings of fire: measuring change proximities among spillover dependencies within inter and intra-market asset classes
Authors: Setiawan Hendra , Bhaduri Moinak
Published: September 2023

Crypto assets have lately become the chief interest of investors around the world. The excitement around, along with the promise of the nascent technology led to enormous speculation by impulsive investors. Despite a shaky understanding of the backbone technology, the price mechanism, and the business model, investors’ risk appetites pushed crypto market values to record highs. In addition, pricings are largely based on the perception of the market, making crypto assets naturally embedded with extreme volatility. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the new asset class has become an integral part of the investor’s portfolio, which traditionally consists of stock, commodities, forex, or any type of derivative. Therefore, it is critical to unearth possible connections between crypto currencies and traditional asset classes, scrutinizing correlational upheavals. Numerous research studies have focused on connectedness issues among the stock market, commodities, or other traditional asset classes. Scant attention has been paid, however, to similar issues when cryptos join the mix. We fill this void by studying the connectedness of the two biggest crypto assets to the stock market, both in terms of returns and volatility, through the Diebold Francis spillover model. In addition, through a novel bidirectional algorithm that is gaining currency in statistical inference, we locate times around which the nature of such connectedness alters. Subsequently, using Hausdorff-type metrics on such estimated changes, we cluster spillover patterns to describe changes in the dependencies between which two assets are evidenced to correlate with those between which other two. Creating an induced network from the cluster, we highlight which specific dependencies function as crucial hubs, how the impacts of drastic changes such as COVID-19 ripple through the networks—the Rings of Fire—of spillover dependencies.
Soft Sensors for Property-Controlled Multi-Stage Press Hardening of 22MnB5
Authors: Martschin Juri , Wrobel Malte , Grodotzki Joshua , Meurer Thomas , Tekkaya A. Erman
Published: September 2023

In multi-stage press hardening, the product properties are determined by the thermo-mechanical history during the sequence of heat treatment and forming steps. To measure these properties and finally to control them by feedback, two soft sensors are developed in this work. The press hardening of 22MnB5 sheet material in a progressive die, where the material is first rapidly austenitized, then pre-cooled, stretch-formed, and finally die bent, serves as the framework for the development of these sensors. To provide feedback on the temporal and spatial temperature distribution, a soft sensor based on a model derived from the Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is presented. The model is extended to a parametric DMD and combined with a Kalman filter to estimate the temperature (-distribution) as a function of all process-relevant control variables. The soft sensor can estimate the temperature distribution based on local thermocouple measurements with an error of less than 10 °C during the process-relevant time steps. For the online prediction of the final microstructure, an artificial neural network (ANN)-based microstructure soft sensor is developed. As part of this, a transferable framework for deriving input parameters for the ANN based on the process route in multi-stage press hardening is presented, along with a method for developing a training database using a 1-element model implemented with LS-Dyna and utilizing the material model Mat248 (PHS_BMW). The developed ANN-based microstructure soft sensor can predict the final microstructure for specific regions of the formed and hardened sheet in a time span of far less than 1 s with a maximum deviation of a phase fraction of 1.8 % to a reference simulation.
After Hedging
Authors: He Kai , Feng Huiyun
Published: September 2023

The strategic rivalry between the United States and China has heightened since COVID-19. Secondary states face increasing difficulties maintaining a 'hedging' strategy between the United States and China. This Element introduces a preference-for-change model to explain the policy variations of states during the order transition. It suggests that policymakers will perceive a potential change in the international order through a cost–benefit prism. The interplays between the perceived costs and the perception of benefits from the order transition will shape states' policy choices among four strategic options: (1) hedging to bet on uncertainties; (2) bandwagoning with rising powers to support changes; (3) balancing against rising powers to resist changes; and (4) buck-passing to ignore changes. Four case studies (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Thailand) are conducted to explore the policy choices of regional powers during the international order transition. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
“Domestic in Every Place, Foreign in None”: Corporate Futurism, Multinational Corporations, and the Politics of International Trade in the Early 1970s
Authors: Benke Gavin
Published: September 2023

This article documents how business lobbying groups, corporate leaders, and even some members of the Nixon administration drew on futurist discourse and rhetoric to defeat the Burke-Hartke bill, proposed legislation that would have imposed new taxes on multinational corporations. For several years, self-described futurologists had reconceptualized multinational corporations as ideal institutions for securing world peace and, more broadly, meeting society’s needs, thereby taking over some of the government’s functions. These ideas allowed business interests to invoke a utopian vision of the multinational corporation while working toward the more concrete goal of building a global economy defined by free trade and fending off unwanted regulation.
A comparison of methods to balance geophysical flows
Authors: Chouksey Manita , Eden Carsten , Masur Gökce Tuba , Oliver Marcel
Published: September 2023

We compare a higher-order asymptotic construction for balance in geophysical flows with the method of ‘optimal balance’, a purely numerical approach to separating inertia–gravity waves from vortical modes. Both methods augment the linear geostrophic mode with dependent inertia–gravity wave mode contributions, the so-called slaved modes, such that the resulting approximately balanced states are characterized by very small residual wave emission during subsequent time evolution. In our benchmark setting – the single-layer rotating shallow water equations in the quasi-geostrophic regime – the performance of both methods is comparable across a range of Rossby numbers and for different initial conditions. Cross-balancing, i.e. balancing the model with one method and diagnosing the imbalance with the other, suggests that both methods find approximately the same balanced state. Our results also reinforce results from previous studies suggesting that spontaneous wave emission from balanced flow is very small. We further compare two numerical implementations of each of the methods: one pseudospectral, and the other a finite difference scheme on the standard C-grid. We find that a state that is balanced relative to one numerical scheme is poorly balanced for the other, independent of the method that was used for balancing. This shows that the notion of balance in the discrete case is fundamentally tied to a particular scheme.
Role of T and B lymphocyte cannabinoid type 1 and 2 receptors in major depression and suicidal behaviours
Authors: Maes Michael , Rachayon Muanpetch , Jirakran Ketsupar , Sughondhabirom Atapol , Almulla Abbas F. , Sodsai Pimpayao
Published: September 2023

Early flow cytometry studies revealed T cell activation in major depressive disorder (MDD). MDD is characterised by activation of the immune-inflammatory response system (IRS) and the compensatory immunoregulatory system (CIRS), including deficits in T regulatory (Treg) cells. This study examines the number of cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) and type 2 (CB2) receptor-bearing T/B lymphocytes in MDD, and the effects of in vitro cannabidiol (CBD) administration on CB1/CB2-bearing immunocytes. Using flow cytometry, we determined the percentage of CD20+CB2+, CD3+CB2+, CD4+CB2+, CD8+CB2+ and FoxP3+CB1+ cells in 19 healthy controls and 29 MDD patients in 5 conditions: baseline, stimulation with anti-CD3/CD28 with or without 0.1 µg/mL, 1.0 µg/mL, or 10.0 µg/mL CBD. CB2+ was significantly higher in CD20+ than CD3+ and CD4+ and CD 8+ cells. Stimulation with anti-CD3/CD8 increases the number of CB2-bearing CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ cells, as well as CB1-bearing FoxP3+ cells. There was an inverse association between the number of reduced CD4+ CB2+ and IRS profiles, including M1 macrophage, T helper-(Th)-1 and Th-17 phenotypes. MDD is characterised by lowered basal FoxP3+ CB1+% and higher CD20+ CB2+%. 33.2% of the variance in the depression phenome (including severity of depression, anxiety and current suicidal behaviours) is explained by CD20+ CB2+ % (positively) and CD3+ CB2+% (inversely). All five immune cell populations were significantly increased by 10 µg/mL of CBD administration. Reductions in FoxP3+ CB1+% and CD3+ /CD4+ CB2+% contribute to deficits in immune homoeostasis in MDD, while increased CD20+CB2+% may contribute to the pathophysiology of MDD by activating T-independent humoral immunity.
Peripheral Elites in West European Central States’ Apparatus: An Introduction
Authors: Harguindéguy Jean-Baptiste , Peinado-García Alejandro , Sandri Giulia
Published: September 2023

The presence and influence of peripheral elites in national political institutions is frequently handled by the press. But, oddly enough, the lack of a comprehensive vision of this issue tends to feed flashy titles alerting about the influence of some territorial groups in central institutions such as the “Scottish Raj,” the “Tartan mafia,” or the “Cosa Scotia” in London. This article aims to provide a general theoretical framework able to orient those fragmented researches. This literature review was led from May 2018 to June 2020. It presents those results in six sections. The ways in which peripheral elites get access to central institutions are analyzed in the first section. In the second section, we introduce the literature about the presence of peripheral elites in the state apparatus, before stressing the different networks representing the interests of peripheries in the city capitals in section three. Fourth, this article points out the various career orientations of peripheral elected officials. This leads us to question their policy influence in different fields. Lastly, a short section tackles the phobias provoked by the rise of peripheral elites occupying central political positions, before proposing a general framework for orienting future research on this topic.
Concepts of Actionability in Precision Oncology
Authors: Chin-Yee Benjamin , Plutynski Anya
Published: September 2023

“Actionability” is a key concept in precision oncology. Its precise definition, however, remains contested. This article undertakes a philosophical analysis of “actionability” to aid in conceptual clarification. We map distinct concepts of actionability, arguing that each is best understood as a contextually objective category articulated to mitigate risk of “conceptual slippage.” We defend “interactive pluralism,” acknowledging the need for distinct concepts but also for conceptual interaction in practice. This article thus offers insights for both practitioners and philosophers, clarifying approaches to actionability for scientists and clinicians and serving as a case study to test competing views on scientific pluralism.
Steinernema shorin. sp., a new entomopathogenic nematode (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) from India
Authors: Soni S. , Patil J. , Linga V. , Mhatre P.H. , Gowda M.T. , Ganguli J. , Půža V.
Published: September 2023

In this study, morphological and molecular features were used to identify a newSteinernemasp. from Chhattisgarh, India. Morphological and molecular features provide evidence for placing the new species into the “bicornutum”clade. The new species is characterized by the following morphological features: infective juveniles with a body length of 587 (494–671) μm; a distance from the anterior end to excretory pore of 46 (43–50) μm; a distance from anterior end to nerve ring of 72 μm (61–85 μm); andE% of 88 (77–97). The first-generation males are characterised by 27 genital papillae and very short spicules, with a length of 61 μm (53–67) μm. TheSW% andGS% ratio ofS. shorin. sp. are 139 (107–190) and 75 (62–90), respectively. The new species is further characterized by sequences of the internal transcribed spacer and partial 28S regions of the ribosomal DNA. Phylogenetic analyses show thatS. shorin. sp. is most closely related toS. abbasi, S. kandii,andS. yirgalemense.
Novel techniques for prevention of post-operative pharyngocutaneous fistula in locally advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers
Authors: Lambor Dheeraj V , Shetgaunkar Radhika Ranganath , Lambor Swati , Sa Carnegie De , Vijaykumar Rashmi
Published: September 2023

Background

Pharyngocutaneous fistula is one of the most common complications following total laryngectomy. It increases hospital stay and the financial burden on patients, and prolongs nasogastric feeding. This paper presents novel techniques for prevention of pharyngocutaneous fistula.

Method

A retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary referral centre to assess the effectiveness of continuous extramucosal pharyngeal suturing and the hydrogen peroxide leak test in prevention of pharyngocutaneous fistula in 59 patients who had undergone total laryngectomy with or without partial pharyngectomy for locally advanced cancers of the larynx and hypopharynx.

Results

The incidence of pharyngocutaneous fistula in our study was 6.8 per cent, which is considerably lower than the incidence reported in various previous studies.

Conclusion

The continuous extramucosal suturing technique provides watertight closure of the neopharynx and can be recommended as a reliable method for neopharyngeal closure post total laryngectomy to reduce the occurrence of pharyngocutaneous fistula.
Investment and the inaudible mother tongue: Carving out a space for Kurdish in the soundscape of an Istanbul kebab restaurant
Authors: Schluter Anne Ambler
Published: September 2023

Firmly grounded in local sociopolitical constraints, language policies at Istanbul's Kurdish-run eating establishments often place Kurdish employees’ cultural identity construction at odds with their workplaces’ economic viability. In the face of rigid structures that cement the dominance of Turkish, the Kurdish managers highlighted in a previous study exercise limited agency to enact language policies that align with their pro-Kurdish ideologies, rendering Kurdish largely invisible. This article revisits these themes by examining a nearby Kurdish-run restaurant with a language policy that violates this norm. Applying Darvin & Norton's (2015) model of investment, analyses of observations and interviews consider identity, ideology, and economic capital vis-à-vis employees’ perceived valuation of Kurdish as a workplace language. Results suggest that capital ownership emboldens the audible articulation of Kurdish identities, which emerge from pluricentrically oriented ideologies, fostering resistance to local language policy norms. (Investment, language policy, capital, Kurdish, ideology, pluricentricity)
Degenerate feet in phrasal phonology: evidence from Latin and Ancient Greek
Authors: Ryan Kevin M.
Published: September 2023

Degenerate feet, even when forbidden in isolated words, can arise within phrases due to resyllabification. In particular, when a stressed monosyllable of the shape C0VC (where V is short) undergoes resyllabification in Latin and Ancient Greek, it yields a degenerate foot. While degenerate feet were tolerated in prose, they were avoided in hexameter verse. Even though a degenerate foot is a kind of light syllable, a light metrical position could not contain a foot. Verse evidence is used as a window onto the general prosodic structure of each language, revealing that speakers productively recognised degenerate feet and distinguished them from other prosodic categories.
The effects of branched-chain amino acids on muscle protein synthesis, muscle protein breakdown and associated molecular signalling responses in humans: an update
Authors: Kaspy Matthew S. , Hannaian Sarkis J. , Bell Zachary W. , Churchward-Venne Tyler A.
Published: September 2023

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA: leucine, isoleucine and valine) are three of the nine indispensable amino acids, and are frequently consumed as a dietary supplement by athletes and recreationally active individuals alike. The popularity of BCAA supplements is largely predicated on the notion that they can stimulate rates of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and suppress rates of muscle protein breakdown (MPB), the combination of which promotes a net anabolic response in skeletal muscle. To date, several studies have shown that BCAA (particularly leucine) increase the phosphorylation status of key proteins within the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway involved in the regulation of translation initiation in human muscle. Early research in humans demonstrated that BCAA provision reduced indices of whole-body protein breakdown and MPB; however, there was no stimulatory effect of BCAA on MPS. In contrast, recent work has demonstrated that BCAA intake can stimulate postprandial MPS rates at rest and can further increase MPS rates during recovery after a bout of resistance exercise. The purpose of this evidence-based narrative review is to critically appraise the available research pertaining to studies examining the effects of BCAA on MPS, MPB and associated molecular signalling responses in humans. Overall, BCAA can activate molecular pathways that regulate translation initiation, reduce indices of whole-body and MPB, and transiently stimulate MPS rates. However, the stimulatory effect of BCAA on MPS rates is less than the response observed following ingestion of a complete protein source providing the full complement of indispensable amino acids.
Development and validation of a new standardized measure for assessing experiences of discrimination within mental health services. A participatory research project
Authors: Lasalvia Antonio , Pillan Stefano , Marzocco Giulia , Ambrosini Anna , Veltro Franco , Pozzan Tecla , D’Astore Camilla , Cristofalo Doriana , Ruggeri Mirella , Bonetto Chiara ,   the Mental Health Service Users’ Association ‘Il Cerchio Aperto’
Published: September 2023

Aims

People with mental disorders frequently report experiences of discrimination within mental health services, which can have significant detrimental effects on individuals’ well-being and recovery. This study aimed to develop and validate a new standardized measure aiming to assess experiences of stigmatization among people with mental disorders within mental health services.

Methods

The scale was developed in Italian and tested for ease of use, comprehension, acceptability, relevance of items and response options within focus group session. A cross-sectional validation survey was conducted among mental health service users in Italy. Exploratory factor analysis with Promax oblique rotation, the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy and the Bartlett’s test of sphericity were used to assess the suitability of the sample for factor analysis. Reliability was assessed as internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha and as test–retest reliability using weighted kappa and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Precision was examined by Kendall’s tau-b coefficient.

Results

Overall, 240 people with mental disorders participated in the study; 56 also completed the retest evaluation after 2 weeks. The 18 items of the scale converged over a two-factor solution (‘Dignity violation and personhood devaluation’ and ‘Perceived life restrictions and social exclusion’), accounting for 56.4% of the variance (KMO 0.903; Bartlett’s test p < 0.001). Cronbach’s alpha for the total score was 0.934. The scale showed one item with kappa above 0.81, four items between 0.61 and 0.80, ten items between 0.41 and 0.60, two items between 0.21 and 0.40 and only one item below 0.20. ICC was 0.928 (95% CI 0.877–0.958). Kendall’s tau-b ranged from 0.450 to 0.617 (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The newly developed scale represents a valid and reliable measure for assessing experiences of stigma among patients receiving care within mental health services. The scale has provided initial evidence of being specifically tailored for individuals with psychotic and bipolar disorders. However, the factorial structure of the scale should be replicated through a confirmatory factor analysis on a larger sample of individuals with these conditions.
Are adolescents more socially integrated in all-day schools than in half-day schools?
Authors: Künstler-Sment Julia , Kocaj Aleksander , Lorenz Georg , Jansen Malte
Published: September 2023

Abstract: In Germany, the number of all-day schools has been steadily increasing since 2001. This study examines the social relationships of students in all-day and half-day schools. We hypothesized that spending more time with different classmates in extracurricular activities and a greater emphasis on social skills in all-day schools contribute to higher levels of social integration. We also expected that classrooms with higher participation rates in extracurricular activities would exhibit higher levels of social integration. We analyzed data from the IQB Trends in Student Achievement 2018 study, including information from 10,010 ninth-grade students (15.49 years old; 49.0% girls) in 481 classrooms from 368 German secondary schools (202 half-day and 166 all-day schools). Linear regression analyses of different social integration measures at the classroom level, including self-reported and sociometric items, enabled us to explore differences in social relations based on extracurricular participation, controlling for school track and composition. Results showed that all-day schools exhibited higher levels of social integration than half-day schools. Additionally, classrooms with higher extracurricular participation rates displayed higher levels of social integration than classrooms with lower extracurricular participation rates. However, the effects of these findings were small.
Handreichung zum Umgang mit Transgender-Patientinnen und -Patienten im voll- und teilstationären Setting
Authors: Englert Ekkehart , Haas Claus-Rüdiger
Published: September 2023

Zusammenfassung: Die Handreichung der Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Leitenden Klinikärzte für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie e. V. (BAG) bietet einen Leitfaden für den Umgang mit Transgender-Patient_innen in Kliniken für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie. Hintergrund sind die klinischen Herausforderungen durch den starken Anstieg von Transgender-Patient_innen und der Paradigmenwechsel in der medizinischen Fachwelt. Die Handreichung enthält Empfehlungen für den Umgang mit Transgender-Patient_innen in unterschiedlichen Konstellationen. Empfohlene Behandlungsgrundsätze beinhalten eine entstigmatisierende Haltung, die Verwendung des Wunschnamens und entsprechender Pronomen, die individuelle Belegung von Mehrbettzimmern und die Berücksichtigung relevanter Komorbiditäten. Diagnose und Behandlung sollen von erfahrenen Fachärzt_innen und Psychotherapeut_innen durchgeführt werden. Ziele bei der Begleitung von Jugendlichen mit Geschlechtsdysphorie umfassen u. a. eine verbesserte Selbstakzeptanz, Bewältigung von negativen Gefühlen, soziale Integration und Identitätsentwicklung.
Problematic Internet Use in Emerging Adulthood
Authors: Benzi Ilaria Maria Antonietta , Carone Nicola , Fontana Andrea , Barone Lavinia
Published: September 2023

Abstract: Research has shown the importance of exploring variables associated with problematic Internet use (PIU) in emerging adulthood. In this scenario, grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic features might be differently associated with PIU. Similarly, environmental sensitivity encompasses heightened empathy, sensitivity to rejection, and problems in emotional regulation. However, the interplay of narcissism and environmental sensitivity associated with PIU has not yet been explored. In this scenario, in a sample of 319 emerging adults (female = 78%, Mage = 24.00, SD = 2.33), we explored the role of environmental sensitivity in the association between narcissistic features and PIU using general linear models that were compared via a total coefficient of determination (TCD) and Akaike information criterion (AIC). Data highlighted that one emerging adult out of four displayed at least a moderate level of PIU. Furthermore, results showed that only narcissistic vulnerability was associated with PIU. Also, findings suggest that higher sensitivity to environmental stimuli (positive or negative ones) strengthens the association between vulnerable narcissism and PIU. Our study sheds light on the complex and multidimensional nature of PIU, acknowledging the interaction between different personality traits linked to an increased sensitivity to the social world: environmental sensitivity, including the environmental and social cues, and narcissistic features, encompassing the fear of rejection and/or devaluation from others. By exploring these associations, this study highlights the need for more targeted interventions to address PIU, particularly for individuals with higher levels of self-sensitivity when navigating the interpersonal domain.
“Speak[ing] My Mind”
Authors: Volpe Vanessa V. , Buhrman Graham W. , Boaheng Priscilla , Holliday Daija , Nick Elizabeth A. , Criss Shaniece
Published: September 2023

Abstract: Black emerging adults in the United States make up a significant proportion of Twitter users and social media is an important developmental context. Media research has examined Black populations’ Twitter use and developmental research has considered social media writ large, but less research exists on Black emerging adults’ developmental uses of Twitter. This mixed methods study (1) traced reasons for Black emerging adults’ Twitter use to developmental aspects of emerging adulthood, and (2) explored whether these reasons differ by online and developmental characteristics. Data were collected from 203 Black emerging adults. Both qualitative (i.e., open-ended response) and quantitative (i.e., self-report questionnaire) data were collected via an online survey. Six qualitative categories described participants’ motivation for using Twitter: relationships, identity exploration, independence, financial possibilities, recreation, and coping and wellness. Participants who used Twitter for independence had higher critical media literacy. Participants who used Twitter for recreation and for identity explorations felt more positively about being Black and differed in other aspects of their racial identity. Findings suggest that Twitter is used by Black emerging adults to achieve developmental goals and that the Twitter empowers Black users to explore their racial identity in meaningful ways.