bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is There Horizontal Transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease?
Authors: Balash Yacov , Kahana Esther , Korczyn Amos D. , Wolker Meir , Nabal Hadeel , Anis Emilia , Rosenmann Hanna , Milo Ron
Published: April 2023

Background: Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (s-CJD) is a rare, fatal neurodegenerative disorder. Familial cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (f-CJD) due to mutations in the PRNP gene are even rarer around the world; however, in Israel there is a focus of f-CJD patients carrying the E200K mutation. As the number of CJD E200K carriers in Israel is high and increasing, transmission of CJD to normal people was suspected. If such transmission occurs, the incidence of s-CJD would be expected to increase as well, resulting in changes of the ratio of familial/sporadic cases. Methods: Using data from the National CJD Registry and official statistics on the Israeli population, we studied incidence rates of f-CJD and s-CJD for the period from 1985 to 2018 applying the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) statistical packet developed in the US National Cancer Institute. Results: In total, 621 CJD patients (405 f-CJD and 216 s-CJD) cases are included in the registry. In the cohort of f-CJD patients, the mean age-adjusted annual incidence rate over the abovementioned period was 1.88 ± 0.09 (95% CI: 1.7–2.08) per 1,000,000. In the cohort of s-CJD patients, the mean age-adjusted incidence rate over the same period was 0.93 ± 0.06 (95% CI: 0.81–1.06) per 1,000,000 people. No significant time trends were found over the observation period in either s-CJD or f-CJD. The ratio f-CJD/s-CJD decreases over the observation period from 2.2 to 1.80. Conclusion: Israel has a high predominance of f-CJD compared to s-CJD. The mean incidence rate of s-CJD in Israel is similar to most countries. Between 1985 and 2018, the annual age-adjusted incidence rates for both forms of CJD remained stable. Thus, there is no evidence that CJD is transmitted from affected individuals to others.
Arteriosclerosis and Atherosclerosis Assessment in Clinical Practice: Methods and Significance
Authors: Park Jeong Bae , Avolio Alberto
Published: April 2023

Alongside cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD) exhibits the highest rates of morbidity and mortality globally, in western society as well as in Asian countries. Aging is a serious problem for the Asian population as progression toward a super-aged society is moving at a remarkably high rate. This increased rate of aging leads to increased CVD risk and, consequently, high CVD incidence. However, aging is not the only deleterious factor of vascular problems; hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, and kidney disease may induce atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis (i.e., arterial stiffening), and the progression of these diseases ultimately leads to cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, chronic kidney, or peripheral artery disease. Despite the existence of several guidelines on the treatment of risk factors such as hypertension and CVD, there is still an ongoing debate regarding the clinical need for assessment of arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis, which act as a bridge between cardiovascular risk factors and CVD. In other words, although arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis are essential to our understanding of vascular diseases, the need for additional tests beyond the conventional diagnosis method remains disputed. This is presumably due to insufficient discussion on how to apply such tests in clinical practice. This study aimed to fill this gap.
Explainable Artificial Intelligence and Cardiac Imaging: Toward More Interpretable Models
Authors: Salih Ahmed , Boscolo Galazzo Ilaria , Gkontra Polyxeni , Lee Aaron Mark , Lekadir Karim , Raisi-Estabragh Zahra , Petersen Steffen E.
Published: April 2023

Artificial intelligence applications have shown success in different medical and health care domains, and cardiac imaging is no exception. However, some machine learning models, especially deep learning, are considered black box as they do not provide an explanation or rationale for model outcomes. Complexity and vagueness in these models necessitate a transition to explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) methods to ensure that model results are both transparent and understandable to end users. In cardiac imaging studies, there are a limited number of papers that use XAI methodologies. This article provides a comprehensive literature review of state-of-the-art works using XAI methods for cardiac imaging. Moreover, it provides simple and comprehensive guidelines on XAI. Finally, open issues and directions for XAI in cardiac imaging are discussed.
Self-reinforcing Mechanisms Driving the Evolution of the Chemical Space
Authors: Jost Jürgen , Restrepo Guillermo
Published: April 2023

Chemistry is engaged with a subject that is not static but evolving in time, in chemical space, namely, the collection of all substances and reactions reported over time. If we accept that premise, we can identify the path dependencies and self-reinforcing mechanisms that determined its current space and selected it across historical alternatives. In particular, data analysis allows us to identify two crucial turning points. One was the introduction of structural theory in 1860, the other a technological shift around 1980.
Combat Leagues and Veterans’ Associations in the Weimar Republic: A Literature Review
Authors: Werberg Dennis
Published: April 2023

The article summarizes the current state of the historical research on the Combat Leagues and Veterans’ Associations in the Weimar Republic. It gives an overview about the ongoing trends and recapitulates key insights of the recent publications concerning the independence of the leagues and associations as political players, their role as protagonists of political violence, their relations to the German military (Reichswehr) as well as their international relations and the role of women within the organizations. Thereby the report illustrates new possible ways for further research for an international audience.
Wind-Driven Motions of the Ocean Surface Mixed Layer in the Western Arctic
Authors: Brenner Samuel , Thomson Jim , Rainville Luc , Crews Laura , Lee Craig M.
Published: April 2023

Observations of sea ice and the upper ocean from three moorings in the Beaufort Sea quantify atmosphere–ice–ocean momentum transfer, with a particular focus on the inertial-frequency response. Seasonal variations in the strength of mixed layer (ML) inertial oscillations suggest that sea ice damps momentum transfer from the wind to the ocean, such that the oscillation strength is minimal under sea ice cover. In contrast, the net Ekman transport is unimpacted by the presence of sea ice. The mooring measurements are interpreted with a simplified one-dimensional ice–ocean coupled “slab” model. The model results provide insight into the drivers of the inertial seasonality: namely, that a combination of both sea ice internal stress and ocean ML depth contribute to the seasonal variability of inertial surface currents and inertial sea ice drift, while under-ice roughness does not. Furthermore, the importance of internal stress in damping inertial oscillations is different at each mooring, with a minimal influence at the southernmost mooring (within the seasonal ice zone) and more influence at the northernmost mooring. As the Arctic shifts to a more seasonal sea ice regime, changes in sea ice cover and sea ice internal strength may impact inertial-band ice–ocean coupling and allow for an increase in wind forcing to the ocean.
A Responsibility to Whom? Populism and Its Effects on Corporate Social Responsibility
Authors: Hartwell Christopher A. , Devinney Timothy M.
Published: April 2023

Although populism is an ideologically fluid political vehicle, it is not one that is intrinsically anti-business. Indeed, different varieties of populist parties may encourage business activity for utilitarian ends, but with their own ideas on what businesses should be doing. This reality implies that initiatives not related to national greatness or priorities as defined by the populist leadership may be viewed as redundant. Key among such initiatives would be corporate social responsibility (CSR). In a populist environment, it is possible that firms may divert resources away from broad-based CSR under pressure from populist governments. This article explores the relationship between populist governance and CSR with an econometric examination of over a thousand firms in 13 countries under both pro- and anti-business populist governments at varying times from 2012 to 2020. Using dynamic panel data methods, we find strong evidence that firms substitute away significantly from CSR under populism. This effect grows significantly larger under anti-business populists.
Bourdieu the ethnographer: Grounding the habitus of the ‘far-right’ voter
Authors: Mc Cluskey Emma
Published: April 2023

This article pushes the work of Bourdieu to more ethnographic directions within international social sciences, particularly studies of everyday (in)security. Thematically, it looks at how transformations in global politics towards increased xenophobia and the normalisation of ‘far-right’ politics can be examined through mobilising ‘Bourdieu the ethnographer’ (Blommaert, 2005). Using the example of Sweden, and an ethnography of everyday life around a refugee resettlement facility in 2013 and 2014, the article argues that Bourdieu the ethnographer provides important conceptual tools for understanding the way in which logics of (in)security shifted ever further into everyday life. This thus offers an interesting way to think about the normalisation of far-right and xenophobic politics more broadly. Through conducting this specific type of Bourdieu-inspired ethnography, the article empirically grounds the ‘habitus’ of the so-called ‘far-right’ voter. Taking seriously the temporal dimension of habitus, Bourdieu the ethnographer orients analysis towards transformation, evolution and flux, allowing ‘far-right’ to be conceived relationally. In the Swedish case, we are thus able to trace the shift from a ‘welcoming’ to an ‘exclusionary’ type of politics.
Storm over the Schoolhouse: Exploring Popular Influences upon the American Curriculum, 1890–1941
Authors: Zimmerman Jonathan
Published: April 2023

Recent histories of the American curriculum have shown how citizen groups influenced local course offerings and state requirements during the early twentieth century. Using case studies of three subject areas—history, military training, and foreign languages— this article demonstrates that lay activists also affected the content and even the enrollment of these courses. The article illustrates the enormous range of citizens who entered curricular disputes, the diversity of strategies they employed, and the disparate results of their efforts. It also suggests a new explanation for the decline of the traditional “3 R's” and the rise of a more “practical,” differentiated curriculum between the turn of the century and World War Two. Hardly the pawns of school officials, laypeople had their own “practical” reasons for embracing this trend: it opened the door to whatever new agendas they hoped to inject. Across the ideological spectrum, then, citizen groups joined hands to condemn old-fashioned, academic curricula. Not until the late 1940s would conservative activists rally around the 3 R's, sparking a new school war that still rages today.
Navigating the Carceral State: The Experience of Citizens With Criminal Backgrounds After Finding Stable Housing
Authors: Kenemore Thomas K. , In Bent Seungho
Published: April 2023

A pilot project demonstrating the importance of access to stable housing for people with criminal backgrounds and experiencing homelessness produced exploratory qualitative findings that illuminate the experience of folks who must navigate the carceral state of supervision. Principles of a participatory action paradigm guided development and implementation of the pilot project. Grounded Theory and narrative research principles guided data collection and analysis in the 3-year study. A convenience sample of 27 participants was obtained by the organization’s staff recruiting each of the individuals on behalf of the researchers as they entered the pilot program during the 3 years of pilot activity. Qualitative data collection was carried out during the 3 years of program implementation. A semi-structured open-ended interview script was utilized by the research team as a guide to ensure focus on the experience of participants. Current extreme challenges included living with a criminal background and carrying the weight of a troubled past. Great strength was evidenced in their navigation of their worlds. Essential resources for successful navigation were identified including the use of prayer, religion and spirituality, persistent hopefulness, recognition of personal change, and the use of supportive relationships. Getting stable housing and employment, while important, was not seen as enough in itself to ensure successful reentry. Therefore, relationships that recognize strengths and help navigating inevitable disappointments and challenges must also be incorporated into the available housing, educational, mental health, employment programs, and other services. The findings of this study suggest that practice approaches, services, and policies that are intended to help people with criminal backgrounds must incorporate and emphasize the lived experiences of returning citizens as they navigate the challenging tasks of living in a carceral state.
Effects of Periodic Location Update Polling Interval on the Reconstructed Origin–Destination Matrix: A Dutch Case Study Using a Data-Driven Method
Authors: Eftekhar Zahra , Pel Adam , van Lint Hans
Published: April 2023

Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) data provides valuable insights into travel demand patterns by capturing people's consecutive locations. A major challenge, however, is how the polling interval (PI; the time between consecutive location updates) affects the accuracy in reconstructing the spatio-temporal travel patterns. Longer PIs will lead to lower accuracy and may even miss shorter activities or trips when not properly accounted for. In this paper, we analyze the effects of the PI on the ability to reconstruct an origin–destination (OD) matrix. We also propose and validate a new data-driven method that improves accuracy in case of longer PIs. The new method first learns temporal patterns in activities and trips, based on travel diaries, that are then used to infer activity-travel patterns from the (sparse) GSM traces. Both steps are data-driven thus avoiding any a priori (behavioral, temporal) assumptions. To validate the method we use synthetic data generated from a calibrated agent-based transport model. This gives us ground-truth OD patterns and full experimental control. The analysis results show that with our method it is possible to reliably reconstruct OD matrices even from very small data samples (i.e., travel diaries from a small segment of the population) that contain as little as 1% of the population’s movements. This is promising for real-life applications where the amount of empirical data is also limited.
Horror movies and the social unconscious
Authors: Førre Øystein
Published: April 2023

In this paper I will attempt to show how horror movies function as societies’ nightmares. They can be interpreted as depictions of our collective struggle to integrate and inevitably repress national trauma. In most psychotherapeutic traditions dreams are regarded as valuable communications from the unconscious and vital for psychological maturation. Among dreams, nightmares often point to indigestible experiences on an individual level. Similarly I will argue that horror movies grapple with our collective traumas and can be interpreted just like dreams. They are our collective nightmares. The logic of this approach is based on psychodynamic and analytic theory and the shared characteristics (isomorphism) of watching a movie and having a dream. Relevant psychodynamic theory and movie analysis will be used to further this point.
Model based integrated control strategy for effective brake energy recovery to extend battery longevity in electric two wheelers
Authors: Ashok Bragadeshwaran , Kannan Chidambaram , Deepak Chirag , Ramesh Rathan , Narendhra Tharun MV , Farrag Mohamed Emad , Ashok Sathiaseelan Denis , Vignesh Rajasekar , Saiteja Pemmareddy , Kavitha Chellapan
Published: April 2023

This study aims to achieve optimal regenerative braking performance in the form of a reduced decline in battery SOC for a BLDC electric machine with peak torque of 10 Nm for use in electric two-wheelers. This is conducted via a comparison of control algorithms based on Direct Look-up table, Fuzzy Logic and their combination with PID control. The whole vehicle model and the energy recovery control strategies are designed using MATLAB Simulink by benchmarking the design with the parameters of the Ola Electric S1. A physical motor-dynamometer test bench is utilised to obtain a complete motor operating range to derive a realistic efficiency map that is used in the model. WLTP Class 2 and NYCC standard drive cycles are implemented for vehicle simulation. Two live-recorded driving patterns are also used to validate the model to analyse the adaptability of the control strategies. After obtaining the required motor speed, torque values and the range by matching the theoretical drive cycle profile, the control strategy is further optimised using the PID auto-tuning toolbox in Simulink. Using physical testbench data, the effect of various regenerative braking control strategies on overall vehicle performance is more accurately realised. The Fuzzy PID control strategy exhibits the most optimal gains in terms of energy recovery for electric two-wheelers, allowing for the highest battery SOC levels of 41.88% and average motor regenerative torque of 7.25 Nm for the standard drive cycles. An analogous trend is observed for the on-road driving pattern as Fuzzy PID provides highest battery SOC and average motor regenerative torque of 48.34% and 7.5 Nm respectively. For the driving scenarios aforementioned, this provides a 17% and 44% increase in SOC respectively when compared to a non-regenerative braking-based system.
Effect of zirconium diboride addition in zirconium dioxide reinforced aluminum-based composite fabricated by microwave sintering technique
Authors: Dwivedi Shashi Prakash , Saxena Ambuj , Haider Irfan , Sharma Shubham
Published: April 2023

In the present investigation, zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) and zirconium diboride (ZrB2) have been used in the development of an aluminum-based composite. A microwave sintering technique was employed for the processing of the composite. The aluminum-based composite was developed with the constant 5 wt.% of ZrO2. The weight percent of ZrB2 increased from 2.5% to 7.5%. Uniform distribution of the reinforcement particles was observed for the composition Al–5 wt.% ZrO2–2.5 wt.% ZrB2 composite and Al–5 wt.% ZrO2–5 wt.% ZrB2 composite. The relative density of Al–5 wt.% ZrO2–5 wt.% ZrB2 composite was found to be 0.9874. The percent porosity of the Al–5 wt.% ZrO2–5 wt.% ZrB2 was 1.259%. Results showed that hardness, compressive strength, % tensile strength, and fatigue strength (at 1 × 107 cycles) were improved by about 74.28%, 18.18%, 58.77%, and 60.77%, respectively. XRD of the Al/ZrO2/ZrB2 composite showed the presence of Al, ZrO2, ZrB2, MgAl2O4, and Al2Cu phases. The number of grains per square inch for composition Al–5 wt.% ZrO2–5 wt.% ZrB2 composite was found to be 989.11. This result showed that a finer grain structure has been obtained after the solidification of Al–5 wt.% ZrO2–5 wt.% ZrB2 composite. The fracture surface of the Al–5 wt.% ZrO2–5 wt.% ZrB2 composite was composed of a dendrite structure with micro-porosities. Dimples were also not observed from the tensile fracture surface morphology of the composite.
Hyperoside exerts protective effects against anticardiolipin antibody-induced recurrent pregnancy loss in vivo and in vitro
Authors: Song Yanli , He Dongjie , Shi Shaoqi , Cui Tianwei , Zhang Hui , Zhao Xianmin , Ni Tingting , Xiao Huidongzi , Wei Aiwu
Published: April 2023

Background

Women with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) or antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) are at high risk for obstetric complications, including recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). However, effective treatments for RPL are lacking.

Objective

This study aimed to reveal the function and underlying mechanism of hyperoside (Hyp) in RPL associated with antiphospholipid antibodies (aCLs).

Methods

The pregnant rats ( N = 24) were divided randomly into four groups: normal human-IgG (NH-IgG); aCL-pregnancy loss (aCL-PL); aCL-PL + Hyp (40 mg/kg/day); aCL-PL + low molecular weight heparin (LMWH, 525 μg/kg/day). HTR‐8 cells were treated with 80 μg/mL aCL to establish the cell models of miscarriage.

Results

In pregnant rats, aCL-IgG injection raised the abortion rate of embryos, while Hyp treatment inhibited the effects. Additionally, Hyp inhibited the platelet activation and uteroplacental insufficiency caused by aCL. In vivo and in vitro experiments further suggested that Hyp suppressed aCL-induced inflammation and apoptosis by downregulating NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-related factors and decreasing apoptotic rates. After aCL administration, Hyp therapy downregulated the expression of purinergic ligand-gated ion channel 7 (P2X7), which is reported to induce cytokine release and apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that the treatment of 3′-O-(4-Benzoyl) benzoyl-ATP (BzATP, an agonist of the P2X7 receptor) reversed the inhibitory effects of Hyp on cell function.

Conclusions

Hyp exerts protective effects on aCL-induced pregnancy loss by preventing platelet activation-mediated P2X7/NLRP3 pathway. Therefore, Hyp may provide a feasible pharmaceutical strategy for the treatment of RPL.
Semantic Space Theory: Data-Driven Insights Into Basic Emotions
Authors: Keltner Dacher , Brooks Jeffrey A. , Cowen Alan
Published: April 2023

Here we present semantic space theory and the data-driven methods it entails. Across the largest studies to date of emotion-related experience, expression, and physiology, we find that emotion is high dimensional, defined by blends of upward of 20 distinct kinds of emotions, and not reducible to low-dimensional structures and conceptual processes as assumed by constructivist accounts. Specific emotions are not separated by sharp boundaries, contrary to basic emotion theory, and include states that often blend. Emotion concepts such as “anger” are primary in the unfolding of emotional experience and emotion recognition, more so than core affect processes of valence and arousal. We conclude by outlining studies showing how these data-driven discoveries are a basis of machine-learning models that are serving larger-scale, more diverse studies of naturalistic emotional behavior.
Modal parameter identification in civil structures via Hilbert transform ensemble with improved empirical wavelet transform
Authors: Qin Shiqiang , Tang Jian , Feng Jiacheng , Zhou Yunlai , Yang Fei , Wahab Magd Abdel
Published: April 2023

To overcome the inaccurate frequency band division in empirical wavelet transform (EWT) induced by high noise and modulation edge band, this study proposes an improved EWT (IEWT) and applies it to operational modal analysis (OMA) in civil structures. The IEWT segments the frequency band using spectral trend determined with removing the high-frequency components of the Fourier spectrum. The synchroextracting transform is employed to denoise the frequency components obtained from IEWT combined with the random decrement technique and Hilbert transform to identify modal parameters. The effectiveness of IEWT and the proposed modal analysis method is comprehensively verified by a full-scale cable-stayed footbridge. The results demonstrate that the proposed IEWT, random decrement technique, and Hilbert transform can accurately identify the modal parameters from multi-setup ambient vibration measurements.
Morel-Lavallée lesion: An uncommon internal degloving injury in trauma patients
Authors: Pothiawala Sohil , Miranda Rhian , Tsai Yun-Jung Jack , Civil Ian
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Morel-Lavallée (ML) lesion is an uncommon closed internal degloving soft tissue injury seen in patients with blunt trauma. As it often takes days to weeks after trauma to develop, it may go undiagnosed and can be missed in up to 44% of the cases.

Methodology

A comprehensive literature search was performed using various databases till August 2022. Twenty-eight articles related to the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment or complications of ML lesions were included and summarized in this review.

Discussion

Shearing forces lead to separation of the skin and subcutaneous tissues from the fascia superficial to underlying muscles, and collection of fluid in this space leads to development of a palpable fluctuant swelling. The most common etiologies were motor vehicle crashes, falls and contact sports. It usually forms adjacent to a bony protuberance. Common symptoms include pain and swelling over the injured area, either presenting acutely after the trauma, or developing few days to weeks after the injury. It is often misdiagnosed as muscle contusion or hematoma, abscess or neoplasm. Use of bedside ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) can aid in its identification, but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the imaging modality of choice. Depending on the size and severity of the lesion, as well as presence or absence of a capsule, definitive management can be conservative or surgical.

Conclusion

ML lesion is often undiagnosed during initial presentation of a trauma patient, and emergency physicians and trauma surgeons should be aware of the possibility of occurrence of this injury. MRI is the imaging modality of choice, and the presence or absence of a capsule is an important imaging finding that guides appropriate therapy. Early diagnosis and management will help prevent long-term morbidity and complications in these patients.
Visual methods in family and sexuality research: Picturing the everyday, the imaginary, and the void
Authors: Lo Iris Po Yee
Published: April 2023

Engaging with visual methodology literature and the concept of ‘family display’, this article examines how visual methods can generate new ways of understanding the (in)visibility of queer family life. Engaging Chinese lesbians in image-making and photo-elicitation interviews, I illustrate how visual methods give access to different ways of making sense of ‘family’, including the ‘everyday’, the ‘imaginary’, and the ‘void’. By exploring the image-maker’s intentions, the presence or absence of the image-maker, and diverse ways of displaying family, I show how visual methods can facilitate the display of family ties, tensions, and ideals. Adopted in an open format that allows flexibility and creativity, visual methods generate space for participants to communicate the unrealisable and unseeable and for researchers to examine how dominant heteronormative representations and discourses around the ‘family’ restrict possibilities of displaying family. I highlight the importance of maintaining openness and sensitivity to cultural peculiarities when adopting visual methods.
How to talk back: hate speech, misinformation, and the limits of salience
Authors: Fraser Rachel
Published: April 2023

Hate speech and misinformation are rife. How to respond? Counterspeech proposals say: with more and better speech. This paper considers the treatment of counterspeech in Maxime Lepoutre’s Democratic Speech In Divided Times. Lepoutre provides a nuanced defence of counterspeech. Some counterspeech, he grants, is flawed. But, he says: counterspeech can be debugged. Once we understand why counterspeech fails – when fail it does – we can engineer more effective counterspeech strategies. Lepoutre argues that the failures of counterspeech can be theorised using the ideology of salience. Negative counterspeech fails because it reinforces the salience of the very ideas or associations that it contests. His solution? Positive counterspeech – a form of counterspeech which avoids the salience trap. I argue that the salience paradigm is ill-suited to theorise the failures of counterspeech. I suggest some alternatives. Further, I show that these alternative paradigms make importantly different practical recommendations – recommendations concerning how we ought to engineer our counterspeech – from those issued by the salience paradigm.
The ethics of tradable refugee quotas
Authors: Sangiovanni Andrea
Published: April 2023

Thousands of refugees die each year fleeing prosecution in their home state. But receiving states are often reluctant to admit, process and house refugees. This is in part because refugee protection is a public good, and so subject to free-riding. A promising, but controversial, solution is to set up markets in tradable refugee quotas (e.g., in the European Union). One of the main objections to such proposals is that they lead to the commodification and objectification of refugees. Another objection, less often discussed, is that such markets seem to legitimate negative and prejudicial attitudes towards refugees. In this article, I defend markets in refugee quotas against such criticisms. Given how many die each year, we are more than ever in need of creative solutions. Tradable quotas provide a promising mechanism to increase the number of refugees processed and protected, especially in regional schemes like the EU. Ethical objections such as the ones canvassed here should not stand in our way.
User-centered development process of an operating interface to couple a robotic glove with a virtual environment to optimize hand rehabilitation following a stroke
Authors: Proulx CE , Higgins J , Vincent C , Vaughan T , Hewko M , Gagnon DH
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Task-specific neurorehabilitation is crucial to optimize hand recovery shortly after a stroke, but intensive neurorehabilitation remains limited in resource-constrained healthcare systems. This has led to a growing interest in the use of robotic gloves as an adjunct intervention to intensify hand-specific neurorehabilitation. This study aims to develop and assess the usability of an operating interface supporting such a technology coupled with a virtual environment through a user-centered design approach.

Methods

Fourteen participants with hand hemiparesis following a stroke were invited to don the robotic glove before browsing through the operating interface and its functionalities, and perform two mobility exercises in a virtual environment. Feedback was collected for improving technology usability. Participants completed the System Usability Scale and ABILHAND questionnaires and their recommendations were gathered and prioritized in a Pugh Matrix.

Results

The System Usability Scale (SUS) score for the operating interface was excellent (M = 87.0 SD = 11.6). A total of 74 recommendations to improve the user interface, calibration process, and exercise usability were identified.

Conclusion

The application of a full cycle of user-centred design approach confirms the high level of usability of the system which is perceived by end users as acceptable and useful for intensifying neurorehabilitation.
Functionalization of series components by joining laser-sintered with injection-molded parts: Weld seam characteristics in vibration welding
Authors: Wolf Michael , Kleffel Tobias , Drummer Dietmar
Published: April 2023

Laser sintering (LS) enables cost-effective production of small batches as well as complex functional integration due to the direct build-up process without the need for specific tools. Further, geometrical restrictions are non-existent or only very limited. The combination of LS components with series components, for example, from injection molding (IM), allows to follow the growing trend of customizing and time tightening in the development process as well as the implementation of application-specific functions in small quantities. In order to exploit these potentials, reproducible and mechanically highly loadable joining processes are required for joining LS and IM components. Vibration welding represents a highly robust and stable process, which in this study is investigated for the production of LS-IM joints. Thereby, the focus is on the existing interactions between the two joining partners in the bonding zone. The investigations show that high bond strengths (in the area of the base materials) can be achieved by vibration welding. In contrast to other joining processes such as infrared welding, the bond quality is only marginally affected by the welding parameters. The characteristics of the weld seam are striking. While on the IM side a typical seam structure as known in the literature results, it deviates significantly for the LS side. Independent of the weld parameters, a highly oriented microstructure is recognizable that exhibits transcrystalline structures. In addition, less melt is generated and displaced into the weld bead for the LS component. Both aspects have been attributed to the different material properties of the joining partners.
Automatic extraction of ranked SNP-phenotype associations from text using a BERT-LSTM-based method
Authors: Bokharaeian Behrouz , Dehghani Mohammad , Diaz Alberto
Published: April 2023

Extraction of associations of singular nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and phenotypes from biomedical literature is a vital task in BioNLP. Recently, some methods have been developed to extract mutation-diseases affiliations. However, no accessible method of extracting associations of SNP-phenotype from content considers their degree of certainty. In this paper, several machine learning methods were developed to extract ranked SNP-phenotype associations from biomedical abstracts and then were compared to each other. In addition, shallow machine learning methods, including random forest, logistic regression, and decision tree and two kernel-based methods like subtree and local context, a rule-based and a deep CNN-LSTM-based and two BERT-based methods were developed in this study to extract associations. Furthermore, the experiments indicated that although the used linguist features could be employed to implement a superior association extraction method outperforming the kernel-based counterparts, the used deep learning and BERT-based methods exhibited the best performance. However, the used PubMedBERT-LSTM outperformed the other developed methods among the used methods. Moreover, similar experiments were conducted to estimate the degree of certainty of the extracted association, which can be used to assess the strength of the reported association. The experiments revealed that our proposed PubMedBERT–CNN-LSTM method outperformed the sophisticated methods on the task.
The lasting influence of Ebola: a qualitative study of community-level behaviors, trust, and perceptions three years after the 2014-16 Ebola epidemic in Liberia
Authors: Arthur Ronan F. , Horng Lily M. , Tandanpolie Amos F. , Gilstad John R. , Tantum Lucy K. , Luby Stephen P.
Published: April 2023

The majority of disease transmission during the 2014-16 West Africa Ebola epidemic was driven by community-based behaviors that proved difficult to change in a social paradigm of misinformation, denial, and deep-seated distrust of government representatives and institutions. In Liberia, perceptions and beliefs about Ebola during and since the epidemic can provide insights useful to public health strategies aimed at improving community preparedness. In this 2018 study, we conducted nine focus groups with Liberians from three communities who experienced Ebola differently, to evaluate behaviors, attitudes, and trust during and after the epidemic. Focus group participants reported that some behaviors adopted during Ebola have persisted (e.g. handwashing and caretaking practices), while others have reverted (e.g. physical proximity and funeral customs); and reported ongoing distrust of the government and denial of the Ebola epidemic. These findings suggest that a lack of trust in the biomedical paradigm and government health institutions persists in Liberia. Future public health information campaigns may benefit from community engagement addressed at understanding beliefs and sources of trust and mistrust in the community to effect behavior change and improve community-level epidemic preparedness.
Characteristics and outcomes of patients with primary abdominopelvic aggressive angiomyxoma: a retrospective review of 12 consecutive cases from a sarcoma referral center
Authors: Li Wenjie , Chen Jun , Zhang Enlong , Chen Weida , Hu Yuru , Miao Chengli , Luo Chenghua
Published: April 2023

Background

Aggressive angiomyxoma (AAM) is a rare mesenchymal tumor that mostly arises from the pelvic and perineal soft tissues. Few studies reported its characteristics and outcomes previously due to its rarity and challenges of treatments. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics as well as surgical and short-term survival outcomes of primary abdominopelvic AAM.

Methods

Medical records of patients who were admitted to surgery with pathological confirmation of primary abdominopelvic AAM at Peking University International Hospital from January 2016 through December 2021 were retrospectively retrieved from our retroperitoneal tumor database. Demographics, operative outcomes and pathological findings were collected. Patients received followed-up routinely after the surgery. Survival probabilities were calculated and determined through Kaplan–Meier analysis.

Results

A total of 12 consecutive patients (male/female 4:8) were included in this study. The median age was 45 years old. The clinical presentation varied among individuals, consisting of 2 abdominal discomforts, 4 constipations, 1 lumbago, 1 prolonged menstruation, and 1 buttock swelling. R0/R1 resection was achieved in 100% of patients. Postoperatively, 50% of patients developed various complications including 3 fistulas and 3 wound infections. No operative mortality was observed. Histopathology of all patients was suggestive of AAM. Immunohistochemistry was done with a 91.7% positive rate for estrogen and progesterone receptors. The median recurrence-free survival time was 38 months. There were no cases of deceased or presented with distal metastasis during a median of 42 months’ follow-up.

Conclusions

The clinical manifestations of abdominopelvic AAM are mostly atypical. Surgical resection with curative intents remains the mainstay treatment of this disease, which was strongly suggested in experienced sarcoma centers due to the high probability of severe postoperative complications. In addition, long-term follow-up is necessary due to the high rate of local recurrences.
Perceptions of the primary health care team about the implementation of integrated care of patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension in Slovenia: qualitative study
Authors: Stojnić Nataša , Klemenc-Ketiš Zalika , Mori Lukančič Majda , Zavrnik Črt , Poplas Susič Antonija
Published: April 2023

Background

Integrated care involves good coordination, networking, and communication within health care services and externally between providers and patients or informal caregivers. It affects the quality of services, is more cost-effective, and contributes to greater satisfaction among individuals and providers of integrated care. In our study, we examined the implementation and understanding of integrated care from the perspective of providers - the health care team - and gained insights into the current situation.

Methods

Eight focus groups were conducted with health care teams, involving a total of 48 health care professionals, including family physicians, registered nurses, practice nurses, community nurses, and registered nurses working in a health education center. Prior to conducting the focus groups, a thematic guide was developed based on the literature and contextual knowledge with the main themes of the integrated care package. The analysis was conducted using the NVivo program.

Results

We identified 12 main themes with 49 subthemes. Health care professionals highlighted good accessibility and the method of diagnostic screening integrated with preventive examinations as positive aspects of the current system of integrated care in Slovenia. They mentioned the good cooperation within the team, with the involvement of registered nurses and community nurses being a particular advantage. Complaints were made about the high workload and the lack of workforce. They feel that patients do not take the disease seriously enough and that patients as teachers could be useful.

Conclusion

Primary care teams described the importance of implementing integrated care for diabetes and hypertension patients at four levels: Patient, community, care providers, and state. Primary care teams also recognized the importance of including more professionals from different health care settings on their team.
Exploring the causal role of the immune response to varicella-zoster virus on multiple traits: a phenome-wide Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Yu Xinzhu , Lophatananon Artitaya , Mekli Krisztina , Muir Kenneth R. , Guo Hui
Published: April 2023

Background

The immune response to infections could be largely driven by the individual’s genes, especially in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region. Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a highly communicable pathogen. In addition to infection, the reactivations of VZV can be a potential causal factor for multiple traits. Identification of VZV immune response-related health conditions can therefore help elucidate the aetiology of certain diseases.

Methods

A phenome-wide Mendelian randomization (MR) study of anti-VZV immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels with 1370 traits was conducted to explore the potential causal role of VZV-specific immune response on multiple traits using the UK Biobank cohort. For the robustness of the results, we performed MR analyses using five different methods. To investigate the impact of the MHC region on MR results, the analyses were conducted using instrumental variables (IVs) inside (IVmhc) and outside (IVno.mhc) the MHC region or all together (IVfull).

Results

Forty-nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (IVfull) were associated with anti-VZV IgG levels, of which five (IVmhc) were located in the MHC region and 44 (IVno.mhc) were not. Statistical evidence (false discovery rate < 0.05 in at least three of the five MR methods) for a causal effect of anti-VZV IgG levels was found on 22 traits using IVmhc, while no evidence was found when using IVno.mhcor IVfull. The reactivations of VZV increased the risk of Dupuytren disease, mononeuropathies of the upper limb, sarcoidosis, coeliac disease, teeth problems and earlier onset of allergic rhinitis, which evidence was concordant with the literature. Suggestive causal evidence (P < 0.05 in at least three of five MR methods) using IVfull, IVmhcand IVno.mhcwas detected in 92, 194 and 56 traits, respectively. MR results from IVfullcorrelated with those from IVmhcor IVno.mhc. However, the results between IVmhcand IVno.mhcwere noticeably different, as evidenced by causal associations in opposite directions between anti-VZV IgG and ten traits.

Conclusions

In this exploratory study, anti-VZV IgG was causally associated with multiple traits. IVs in the MHC region might have a substantial impact on MR, and therefore, could be potentially considered in future MR studies.
Lean adipose tissue macrophage derived exosome confers immunoregulation to improve wound healing in diabetes
Authors: Xia Wenzheng , Liu Yunhan , Jiang Xingyu , Li Minxiong , zheng Shengwu , Zhang Zewei , Huang Xin , Luo Shenying , Khoong Yimin , Hou Meng , Zan Tao
Published: April 2023

Chronic non-healing wounds, a prevalent complication of diabetes, are associated with increased mortality in diabetic patients. Excessive accumulation of M1 macrophages in diabetic wounds promotes inflammation and results in dysregulated tissue repair. Adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) derived from healthy lean donors have the ability to improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, as well as modulate inflammation. MicroRNAs (miRs), which can be packaged into exosomes (Exos) and secreted from cells, serve as essential regulators of macrophage polarization. Here, we revealed that ATMs isolated from lean mice secrete miRs-containing Exos, which modulate macrophage polarization and promote rapid diabetic wound healing when administered to diabetes-prone db/db mice. The miRs sequence of tissue samples from wounds treated with Exos secreted by lean ATMs (ExosLean) revealed that miR-222-3p was up-regulated. Further analyses showed that inhibiting miR-222-3p using a miR inhibitor impaired the macrophage-reprogramming effect of ExosLean. In the excisional skin wound mouse model, locally inhibiting miR-222-3p disrupted healing dynamics and failed to modulate macrophage polarization. Mechanistic studies revealed a connection between miR-222-3p, Bcl2l11/Bim, an inflammatory response effector, macrophage polarization, and diabetic wound healing. In summary, ExosLean act as positive regulators of macrophage polarization by regulating miR levels in wounds and accelerating wound healing, and thus have important implications for wound management in diabetes.

Graphic Abstract
HIGD2A silencing impairs hepatocellular carcinoma growth via inhibiting mitochondrial function and the MAPK/ERK pathway
Authors: Huang Kuiyuan , Liu Ziying , Xie Zhanglian , Li Xiaoran , Zhang Haixing , Chen Yu , Wang Yiran , Lin Zimo , Li Chuanjiang , Liu Hongyan , Zhang Xiaoyong
Published: April 2023

Background

The Hypoxia inducible gene domain family member 2A (HIGD2A) protein is indispensable for the assembly of the mitochondrial respiratory supercomplex, which has been implicated in cell proliferation and cell survival under hypoxic conditions. Because the liver has a naturally low oxygen microenvironment, the role of HIGD2A in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unknown.

Methods

Gene expression data and clinical information were obtained from multiple public databases. A lentivirus-mediated gene knockdown approach was conducted to explore the function and mechanism of HIGD2A activity in HCC cells. In vivo and in vitro assays were performed to investigate the biological roles of HIGD2A.

Results

HIGD2A was overexpressed in HCC tissues and cell lines and was associated with a worse prognosis. Silencing HIGD2A expression significantly attenuated cell proliferation and migration, caused S-phase cell cycle arrest, and decreased tumor formation in nude mice. Mechanistically, HIGD2A depletion greatly decreased cellular ATP levels by disrupting mitochondrial ATP production. Moreover, HIGD2A knockdown cells displayed impaired mitochondrial function, such as mitochondrial fusion, increased expression of the mitochondrial stress response protein, and decreased oxygen consumption. Furthermore, knockdown of HIGD2A markedly attenuated the activation of the MAPK/ERK pathway.

Conclusions

HIGD2A promoted liver cancer cell growth by fueling mitochondrial ATP synthesis and activating the MAPK/ERK pathway, suggested that targeting HIGD2A may represent a new strategy for HCC therapy.