bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acquired resistance to irradiation or docetaxel is not associated with cross-resistance to cisplatin in prostate cancer cell lines
Authors: Donix Lukas , Erb Holger H. H. , Peitzsch Claudia , Dubrovska Anna , Pfeifer Manuel , Thomas Christian , Fuessel Susanne , Erdmann Kati
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Platinum chemotherapy can be considered to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with features of neuroendocrine differentiation. However, platinum compounds are generally only applied after the failure of multiple prior-line treatment options. This study investigated whether acquired resistance against ionizing radiation or docetaxel chemotherapy—two commonly applied treatment modalities in prostate cancer—influences the cisplatin (CDDP) tolerance in mCRPC cell line models.

Methods

Age-matched parental as well as radio- or docetaxel-resistant DU145 and PC-3 cell lines were treated with CDDP and their sensitivity was assessed by measurements of growth rates, viability, apoptosis, metabolic activity and colony formation ability.

Results

The data suggest that docetaxel resistance does not influence CDDP tolerance in all tested docetaxel-resistant cell lines. Radio-resistance was associated with sensitization to CDDP in PC-3, but not in DU145 cells. In general, DU145 cells tolerated higher CDDP concentrations than PC-3 cells regardless of acquired resistances. Furthermore, non-age-matched treatment-naïve PC-3 cells exhibited significantly different CDDP tolerances.

Conclusion

Like patients, different mCRPC cell lines exhibit significant variability regarding CDDP tolerance. The presented in vitro data suggest that previous radiation treatment may be associated with a moderate sensitization to CDDP in an isogenic and age-matched setting. Therefore, previous radiotherapy or docetaxel chemotherapy might be no contraindication against initiation of platinum chemotherapy in selected mCRPC patients.
Climate variability supersedes grazing to determine the anatomy and physiology of a dominant grassland species
Authors: Bachle Seton , Nippert Jesse B.
Published: January 2022

Grassland ecosystems are historically shaped by climate, fire, and grazing which are essential ecological drivers. These grassland drivers influence morphology and productivity of grasses via physiological processes, resulting in unique water and carbon-use strategies among species and populations. Leaf-level physiological responses in plants are constrained by the underlying anatomy, previously shown to reflect patterns of carbon assimilation and water-use in leaf tissues. However, the magnitude to which anatomy and physiology are impacted by grassland drivers remains unstudied. To address this knowledge gap, we sampled from three locations along a latitudinal gradient in the mesic grassland region of the central Great Plains, USA during the 2018 (drier) and 2019 (wetter) growing seasons. We measured annual biomass and forage quality at the plot level, while collecting physiological and anatomical traits at the leaf-level in cattle grazed and ungrazed locations at each site. Effects of ambient drought conditions superseded local grazing treatments and reduced carbon assimilation and total productivity inA. gerardii. Leaf-level anatomical traits, particularly those associated with water-use, varied within and across locations and between years. Specifically, xylem area increased when water was more available (2019), while xylem resistance to cavitation was observed to increase in the drier growing season (2018). Our results highlight the importance of multi-year studies in natural systems and how trait plasticity can serve as vital tool and offer insight to understanding future grassland responses from climate change as climate played a stronger role than grazing in shaping leaf physiology and anatomy.
Disentangling help-seeking and giving up: differential human-directed gazing by dogs in a modified unsolvable task paradigm
Authors: Hirschi Annina , Mazzini Alja , Riemer Stefanie
Published: January 2022

Dogs are renowned for ‘looking back’ at humans when confronted with a problem, but it has been questioned whether this implies help-seeking or giving up. We tested 56 pet dogs from two breed groups (herding dogs and terriers) in a modified unsolvable task paradigm. One reward type (food or toy) was enclosed in a box, while the respective other reward was accessible. With both reward types, human-directed gazing in relation to the box was significantly positively correlated with interaction with the box, as long as an alternative was available. This suggests that both behaviours served to attain the unavailable reward and reflected individual motivation for the inaccessible vs the accessible reward. Furthermore, we varied whether the owner or the experimenter was responsible for handling the rewards. In the owner-responsible group, dogs rarely gazed at the experimenter. In the experimenter-responsible group, dogs preferentially directed box-related gazing (prior to or after looking at or interacting with the box) at the owner. Still, they gazed at the experimenter significantly longer than the owner-responsible group. Conversely, toy-related gazing was directed significantly more at the experimenter. Thus, dogs adjust their gazing behaviour according to the people’s responsibility and their current goal (help-seeking vs play). Gaze duration did not differ between herding dogs and terriers. We conclude that dogs use gazing at humans’ faces as a social problem-solving strategy, but not all gazing can be classified as such. Dogs’ human-directed gazing is influenced by the social relationships with the persons, situational associations, and context (unsolvable problem vs play).
Exploring cultural differences in wildlife value orientations using student samples in seven nations
Authors: Jacobs Maarten H , Dubois Sara , Hosaka Tetsuro , Ladanović Vukan , Muslim Huda Farhana Mohamad , Miller Kelly K. , Numata Shinya , Ranaweerage E. , Straka Tanja M. , Weston Michael A. , Abidin Zulkhairi Azizi Zainal
Published: January 2022

Understanding differences in the way people think about wildlife across countries is important as many conservation challenges transcend jurisdictions. We explored differences in wildlife value orientations in seven countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Serbia. Standard scales assessed domination (prioritizing human well-being) and mutualism (striving for egalitarian relationships with wildlife). We used student samples (total n = 2176) for cross-cultural comparisons. Reliabilities of the wildlife value orientations scales were adequate in all countries. Relationships between demographics and wildlife value orientations were different across countries. Men were generally more oriented towards domination and less towards mutualism than women, except in Serbia, where it was the other way around. Estimated at the level of the individual (using ANOVA), wildlife value orientations varied across countries, with nationality explaining a larger portion of the variation in mutualism (21%) than domination (6%). Estimated at the level of countries (using multilevel modelling), effect sizes were comparable. Thought about wildlife has previously only been examined within single countries. This paper makes a new contribution to the conservation literature suggesting that wildlife value orientations vary by country, and are associated with demographic factors. For conservation practices, understanding national differences in the way people think about wildlife is crucial to understanding sources of conflict among practitioners. Such knowledge is also important to gain public support for conservation.
Communicating Reproductive Coercion in the Context of Domestic and Family Violence: Perspectives of Service Providers Supporting Migrant and Refugee Women
Authors: Sheeran Nicola , Tarzia Laura , Douglas Heather
Published: January 2022

The current study explored the language barriers to help-seeking in the context of reproductive coercion and abuse (RCA), domestic and family violence (DFV), and sexual violence (SV), drawing on observations by key informants supporting women from migrant and refugee communities. A lack of shared language has been identified as a key barrier to help seeking for migrant and refugee women experiencing DFV more broadly, though how language intersects with help seeking in the context of RCA is yet to be investigated. We conducted 6 focus groups with 38 lawyers, counsellors, and social workers supporting women experiencing DFV in Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia. Our findings address two main areas. First, consistent with past research in DFV, our participants identified language as a barrier for women when communicating about sexual and reproductive issues in the context of health and police encounters. More specifically, our findings suggest that the inability of health professionals and police to communicate with women who have low or no English proficiency not only negatively impacted victims/survivors’ ability to access support, but also facilitated the perpetration of RCA. We conclude that language can be a mechanism through which coercive control is enacted by perpetrators of RCA and health and policing systems may not be equipped to recognise and address this issue. We also suggest that greater conceptual clarity of RCA is needed within the DFV sector in order to tailor responses.
Is Police Misconduct Contagious? Non-trivial Null Findings from Dallas, Texas
Authors: Simpson Cohen R. , Kirk David S.
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Understanding if police malfeasance might be “contagious” is vital to identifying efficacious paths to police reform. Accordingly, we investigate whether an officer’s propensity to engage in misconduct is associated with her direct, routine interaction with colleagues who have themselves engaged in misbehavior in the past.

Methods

Recognizing the importance of analyzing the actual social networks spanning a police force, we use data on collaborative responses to 1,165,136 “911” calls for service by 3475 Dallas Police Department (DPD) officers across 2013 and 2014 to construct daily networks of front-line interaction. And we relate these cooperative networks to reported and formally sanctioned misconduct on the part of the DPD officers during the same time period using repeated-events survival models.

Results

Estimates indicate that the risk of a DPD officer engaging in misconduct is not associated with the disciplined misbehavior of her ad hoc, on-the-scene partners. Rather, a greater risk of misconduct is associated with past misbehavior, officer-specific proneness, the neighborhood context of patrol, and, in some cases, officer race, while departmental tenure is a mitigating factor.

Conclusions

Our observational findings—based on data from one large police department in the United States—ultimately suggest that actor-based and ecological explanations of police deviance should not be summarily dismissed in favor of accounts emphasizing negative socialization, where our study design also raises the possibility that results are partly driven by unobserved trait-based variation in the situations that officers find themselves in. All in all, interventions focused on individual officers, including the termination of deviant police, may be fruitful for curtailing police misconduct—where early interventions focused on new offenders may be key to avoiding the escalation of deviance.
Elite Cues and Economic Policy Attitudes: The Mediating Role of Economic Hardship
Authors: Cavaillé Charlotte , Neundorf Anja
Published: January 2022

Do voters update their attitudes toward economic issues in line with their material self-interest? The consensus among students of public opinion is that material self-interest plays a very limited role and that competing non-material factors, such as partisanship or ideological predispositions, do most of the heavy lifting. This paper moves beyond comparing the role of material and non-material factors. Instead, we examine how these factors combine to shape policy preferences. Specifically, we propose a friendly amendment to Zaller’s influential model according to which attitudinal change results from the interaction between changes in elite messaging on the one hand and individual political predispositions on the other. In Zaller’s model, partisanship and ideological predispositions help explain why some resist and others embrace new elite messaging. We hypothesize that material self-interest also conditions the effect of elite messaging. Using British individual-level panel data collected over more than a decade, we show that material hardship predicts who, among left-wing voters, resist new right-wing partisan cues. Our results highlights the incremental impact of material self-interest on economic attitudes.
Earnings forecasts of female CEOs: quality and consequences
Authors: Francoeur Claude , Li Yuntian , Singer Zvi , Zhang Jing
Published: January 2022

This study examines the voluntary disclosure of earnings forecasts by female CEOs. We find that in the backdrop of increased pressure to perform from investors and other stakeholders, female CEOs tend to issue more earnings forecasts than male CEOs, and those forecasts are more accurate. We also find that while financial analysts generally prefer to follow companies headed by male CEOs, female CEOs’ efforts to issue accurate earnings forecasts pay off, as these efforts help them close the analyst coverage gap. We provide complementary evidence on the disclosure efforts of female CEOs with regard to updates to the forecast and the 10-K report. Lastly, we show that financial analysts rely more on the earnings forecasts of female CEOs, possibly because they recognize female CEOs’ superior forecasting quality. Our results are robust to the use of alternative research designs, including difference-in-difference, propensity score matching, and entropy balancing. Overall, our study documents gender differences in voluntary disclosure by senior management.
Social Workers’ Causal Attributions for Poverty: Does the Level of Spatial Concentration of Disadvantages Matter?
Authors: Husz Ildikó , Kopasz Marianna , Medgyesi Márton
Published: January 2022

Social workers may play an important role in the implementation of welfare policies targeted at the poor. Their norms, beliefs, and attitudes form local anti-poverty programmes and affect discretionary practices with their clients. Despite this, we know little about how social workers’ exposure to poverty shapes their attitudes towards poverty and their causal attributions for poverty. This study investigates social workers’ poverty explanations and the extent to which they depend on the level of local poverty. Data from a survey conducted among Hungarian social workers were analysed using multilevel linear regression models. To measure local poverty, we used a composite index of poverty, as well as a subjective measure of exposure to poverty. Our analysis revealed that most social workers explained poverty with structural causes, but individual blame was also frequent. Contrary to our hypothesis, the level of local poverty did not significantly increase the adoption of structural explanations but did raise the occurrence of individualistic ones. However, the effect of local poverty was non-linear: social workers tended to blame the poor for their poverty in the poorest municipalities, where multiple disadvantages are concentrated, while moderate poverty did not lead to such opinions. Our results suggest that efforts should be made to improve the poverty indicator framework to better understand the phenomenon of spatial concentration of multiple disadvantages and its consequences for the poor.
Boride Coatings on Steel Protecting it Against Corrosion by a Liquid Lead-Free Solder Alloy
Authors: Salyi Zsolt , Kaptay George , Koncz-Horvath Daniel , Somlyai-Sipos Laszlo , Kovacs Peter Zoltan , Lukacs Attila , Benke Marton
Published: January 2022

The goal of this research is to study the applicability of the diffusion boriding process as a high-temperature thermochemical heat treatment to enhance the lifetime of steel selective soldering tools. The main purpose of the work is to discuss the behavior of double-phase (FeB/Fe2B) iron-boride coating on the surface of different steels (DC04, C45, CK60, and C105U) against the stationary SAC309 lead-free solder liquid alloy. The boride coating was formed on the surface of the steel samples through the powder pack boriding technique. The microstructure of the formed layer was examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The borided samples were first cut in half and then immersed into a stationary SAC309 lead-free solder liquid alloy (Sn–3Ag–0.9Cu) for 40 days. Microstructure examinations were performed by SEM with energy-dispersive spectroscopy and an elemental distribution map after the dissolution test. Excessive dissolution/corrosion of the original steel surface was observed at the steel/SAC interfaces, leading also to the formation of Fe–Sn intermetallic phases. This was found to be the major reason for the failure of selective soldering tools made of steel. On the contrary, no dissolution and no intermetallic compounds were observed at the FeB/SAC and at the Fe2B/SAC interfaces; as a result, the thicknesses of the FeB and Fe2B phases remained the same during the 40-day dissolution tests. Thus, it was concluded that both FeB and Fe2B phases show excellent resistance against the aggressive liquid solder alloy. The results of the dissolution tests show a good agreement with the thermodynamic calculations.
Autochthonous Human Dirofilaria repens Infection in Austria
Authors: Geissler Nora , Ruff Johanna , Walochnik Julia , Ludwig Wilhelm , Auer Herbert , Wiedermann Ursula , Geissler Werner
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This report describes a rare autochthonous case of human D. repens infection in Austria. Dirofilariosis is a mosquito-borne parasitic infection that predominantly affects dogs. Human D. repens infections have primarily been reported in Mediterranean countries, but are emerging throughout Central and Northern Europe.

Methods

The worm was removed surgically and identified using PCR and DNA sequencing. The consensus sequences were compared against reference sequences of Dirofilaria repens from GenBank.

Results

The 56-year-old woman acquired the infection, which presented as a subcutaneous nodule, in Vienna, Austria. This is the second autochthonous case of human D. repens infection in Austria.

Conclusion

The reasons for the emergence of D. repens and other parasitic infections in Central and Northern Europe are manifold, including climate change and globalization. This case demonstrates that with the growing number of D. repens infections, health care professionals must place further emphasis on emerging infectious diseases to ensure appropriate diagnostics and treatment in the future.
Application of an edge detection algorithm for surface determination in industrial X-ray computed tomography
Authors: Busch Matthias , Hausotte Tino
Published: January 2022

Surface determination is an essential step of the measurement process in industrial X-ray computed tomography (XCT). The starting point of the surface determination process step is a single grey value threshold within a voxel volume in conventional surface determination methods. However, this value is not always found in the reconstructed volume in the local environment of the surface of the measurement object due to various artefacts, so that none or incorrect surfaces are determined. In order to find surfaces independently of a single grey value, a three-dimensional approach of the initial contour determination based on a Prewitt edge detection algorithm is presented in this work. This method is applied to different test specimens and specimen compositions which, due to their material or material constellation, their geometric properties with regard to surfaces and interfaces as well as their calibrated size and length dimensions, embody relevant properties in the examination of joining connections. It is shown that by using the surface determination method in the measurement process, both a higher metrological structure resolution and interface structure resolution can be achieved. Surface artefacts can be reduced by the application and it is also an approach to improved surface finding for the multi-material components that are challenging for XCT.
Growth Envelopes of Some Variable and Mixed Function Spaces
Authors: Haroske Dorothee D. , Schneider Cornelia , Szarvas Kristóf
Published: January 2022

We study unboundedness properties of functions belonging to Lebesgue and Lorentz spaces with variable and mixed norms using growth envelopes. Our results extend the ones for the corresponding classical spaces in a natural way. In the case of spaces with mixed norms, it turns out that the unboundedness in the worst direction, i.e., in the direction where$$p_{i}$$piis the smallest, is crucial. More precisely, the growth envelope is given by$${\mathfrak {E}}_{{\mathsf {G}}}(L_{\overrightarrow{p}}(\varOmega )) = (t^{-1/\min \{p_{1}, \ldots , p_{d} \}},\min \{p_{1}, \ldots , p_{d} \})$$EG(Lp→(Ω))=(t-1/min{p1,…,pd},min{p1,…,pd})for mixed Lebesgue and$${\mathfrak {E}}_{{\mathsf {G}}}(L_{\overrightarrow{p},q}(\varOmega )) = (t^{-1/\min \{p_{1}, \ldots , p_{d} \}},q)$$EG(Lp→,q(Ω))=(t-1/min{p1,…,pd},q)for mixed Lorentz spaces, respectively. For the variable Lebesgue spaces, we obtain$${\mathfrak {E}}_{{\mathsf {G}}}(L_{p(\cdot )}(\varOmega )) = (t^{-1/p_{-}},p_{-})$$EG(Lp(·)(Ω))=(t-1/p-,p-), where$$p_{-}$$p-is the essential infimum of$$p(\cdot )$$p(·), subject to some further assumptions. Similarly, for the variable Lorentz space, it holds$${\mathfrak {E}}_{{\mathsf {G}}}(L_{p(\cdot ),q}(\varOmega )) = (t^{-1/p_{-}},q)$$EG(Lp(·),q(Ω))=(t-1/p-,q). The growth envelope is used for Hardy-type inequalities and limiting embeddings. In particular, as a by-product, we determine the smallest classical Lebesgue (Lorentz) space which contains a fixed mixed or variable Lebesgue (Lorentz) space, respectively.
Effects of Movement Behaviors on Overall Health and Appetite Control: Current Evidence and Perspectives in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Julian Valérie , Haschke Ferdinand , Fearnbach Nicole , Gomahr Julian , Pixner Thomas , Furthner Dieter , Weghuber Daniel , Thivel David
Published: January 2022

Purpose of Review

To present the definitions and recommendations for movement behaviors in children and adolescents, including physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviors (SB), and sleep, and to provide an overview regarding their impact on health and obesity outcomes from childhood to adulthood, as well as interactions with appetite control.

Recent Findings

PA represents a variable proportion of daily energy expenditure and one can be active with high SB or vice versa. Studies have described movements across the whole day on a continuum from sleep to SB to varying intensities of PA. More PA, less SB (e.g., less screen time) and longer sleep are positively associated with indicators of physical health (e.g., lower BMI, adiposity, cardiometabolic risk) and cognitive development (e.g., motor skills, academic achievement). However, less than 10% of children currently meet recommendations for all three movement behaviors. Movement behaviors, adiposity, and related cardiometabolic diseases in childhood track into adolescence and adulthood. Furthermore, low PA/high SB profiles are associated with increased energy intake. Recent studies investigating energy balance regulation showed that desirable movement behavior profiles are associated with better appetite control and improved eating habits.

Summary

Early identification of behavioral phenotypes and a comprehensive approach addressing all key behaviors that directly affect energy balance will allow for individual strategies to prevent or treat obesity and its comorbidities. Investigating exercise as a potential “corrector” of impaired appetite control offers a promising weight management approach.
Machine learning models for prediction of co-occurrence of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Abdalrada Ahmad Shaker , Abawajy Jemal , Al-Quraishi Tahsien , Islam Sheikh Mohammed Shariful
Published: January 2022

Background

Diabetic mellitus (DM) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) cause significant healthcare burden globally and often co-exists. Current approaches often fail to identify many people with co-occurrence of DM and CVD, leading to delay in healthcare seeking, increased complications and morbidity. In this paper, we aimed to develop and evaluate a two-stage machine learning (ML) model to predict the co-occurrence of DM and CVD.

Methods

We used the diabetes complications screening research initiative (DiScRi) dataset containing >200 variables from >2000 participants. In the first stage, we used two ML models (logistic regression and Evimp functions) implemented in multivariate adaptive regression splines model to infer the significant common risk factors for DM and CVD and applied the correlation matrix to reduce redundancy. In the second stage, we used classification and regression algorithm to develop our model. We evaluated the prediction models using prediction accuracy, sensitivity and specificity as performance metrics.

Results

Common risk factors for DM and CVD co-occurrence was family history of the diseases, gender, deep breathing heart rate change, lying to standing blood pressure change, HbA1c, HDL and TC\HDL ratio. The predictive model showed that the participants with HbA1c >6.45 and TC\HDL ratio > 5.5 were at risk of developing both diseases (97.9% probability). In contrast, participants with HbA1c >6.45 and TC\HDL ratio ≤ 5.5 were more likely to have only DM (84.5% probability) and those with HbA1c ≤5.45 and HDL >1.45 were likely to be healthy (82.4%. probability). Further, participants with HbA1c ≤5.45 and HDL <1.45 were at risk of only CVD (100% probability). The predictive accuracy of the ML model to detect co-occurrence of DM and CVD is 94.09%, sensitivity 93.5%, and specificity 95.8%.

Conclusions

Our ML model can significantly predict with high accuracy the co-occurrence of DM and CVD in people attending a screening program. This might help in early detection of patients with DM and CVD who could benefit from preventive treatment and reduce future healthcare burden.
Rights in the Balance
Authors: Eleftheriadis Pavlos
Published: January 2022

Professor Walen’s book rejects the familiar argument of “double effect,” namely the doctrine that an action that knowingly causes the death of another person cannot be justified merely by its good consequences but only by its good intentions. Professor Walen offers a rival argument. He proposes that we rethink the killing of non-combatants in war on the basis of a theory of “the mechanics of claims” so that the intentional killing of civilians may be occasionally permissible. Such targeting of civilians may be justified, according to the book’s argument, by the aim of eliminating the threat that these civilians may pose—innocently or not—to other persons. In these circumstances, it will not only be permissible, but it would also be a matter of right to kill civilians, which would be derived from a balancing of “claims.” The argument is impressively made but is ultimately unconvincing. All the decisive questions appear to be matters of a balance of “goodness.” The “mechanics of claims” organizes a structure of welfare values that ultimately work as a proxy for act-utilitarianism. As a result, the argument is open to well-known objections regarding justice and the separateness of persons.
A review of late-stage tungsten fuzz growth
Authors: Wright Jacob A. R.
Published: January 2022

Tungsten will be used as the plasma-facing divertor material in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) fusion reactor. Under high temperatures and high ion fluxes, a ‘fuzz’ nanostructure forms on the tungsten surface with dramatically different properties and could contaminate the plasma. Although simulations and experimental observations have provided understanding of the initial fuzz formation process, there is debate over whether tungsten or helium migration is rate-limiting during late-stage growth, and the mechanisms by which tungsten and helium migrations occur. Here, the proposed mechanisms are considered in turn. It is concluded that tungsten migration occurs by adatom diffusion along the fuzz surface. Continual helium migration through the porous fuzz to the tungsten bulk is also required for fuzz growth, for continued bubble growth and rupture. Helium likely migrates due to ballistic penetration, although diffusion may contribute. It is difficult to determine the limiting process, which may switch from helium penetration to tungsten adatom diffusion above a threshold flux. Areas for further research to clarify the mechanisms are then considered. A greater understanding of the fuzz formation mechanism is key to the successful design of plasma-facing tungsten components, and may have applications in forming porous tungsten catalysts.
Intraocular Robotic Surgical Systems
Authors: Gerber Matthew J. , Hubschman J. P.
Published: January 2022

Purpose of Review

In this review, we provide a brief history of intraocular robotic surgical systems and review the latest technological advancements. The goals are to (a) provide readers with a clear understanding of the important work that has been done in this field; (b) illuminate existing challenges towards full clinical adoption; and (c) speculate on future directions.

Recent Findings

The majority of work on intraocular robotic surgical systems has been done in university research settings, although two systems have been evaluated in human clinical trials and one system is commercially available for use in human patients.

The future of robotic systems in intraocular surgical procedures will depend on the results of ongoing clinical trials and the success of recent start-up companies. Many challenges remain before such systems can become safe and effective treatment options. However, the future of intraocular robotic surgical systems is bright and full of promise.
De la Santé vers Drancy: Trajectoires de persécution des contrevenants au statut des juifs en France (1941-1944)
Authors: Lehr Johanna
Published: January 2022

Trajectoires de persécution des contrevenants au statut des juifs en France (1941-1944)

L’étude systématique des registres d’écrou des hommes détenus à la maison d’arrêt de la Santé à Paris entre juillet 1941 et la Libération, inculpés par les juges du Tribunal correctionnel de la Seine d’infraction à la « loi » du 2 juin 1941 portant statut des juifs, met en évidence le rôle pivot de la prison française dans l’internement et la déportation des juifs. Cet article propose d’une part d’éclairer la répression pénale française de ces infractions sur la base d’archives judiciaires inédites donnant accès aux discours des acteurs et, de l’autre, de révéler le fonctionnement de la « consignation provisoire » postcarcérale des juifs en lien avec le pouvoir allemand. En effet, la reconstitution de leurs trajectoires de persécution, par le croisement des registres d’écrou et des archives policières de la persécution antijuive, a montré que, contrairement à ce que la lecture des archives judiciaires laissait penser, ces détenus n’ont pas été libérés à l’issue de leur peine, mais ont fait l’objet, de la part des autorités françaises, d’une mesure de sûreté, prélude à leur internement au camp de Drancy. Celle-ci s’est d’abord appliquée aux juifs étrangers, pour s’étendre ensuite aux juifs français à partir d’octobre 1941. Jusqu’alors passé inaperçu, ce rouage français de la persécution antijuive, bien connu des acteurs des mondes judiciaire et policier de l’époque, a ainsi contribué au génocide des juifs en les menant de la Santé à Drancy jusqu’à leur déportation vers Auschwitz dès mars 1942.
Antibiotic exposure and acquisition of antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria among outpatients at a US Veterans Affairs medical center
Authors: Akpoji Ukwen C. , Wilson Brigid M. , Briggs Janet M. , Song Sunah , Bej Taissa A. , Perez Federico , Jump Robin L. P.
Published: January 2022

Objectives:

To assess the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria (R-GNB) among patients without recent hospitalization and to examine the influence of outpatient antibiotic exposure on the risk of acquiring R-GNB in this population.

Design:

2-year retrospective cohort study.

Setting:

Regional Veterans Affairs healthcare system.

Patients:

Outpatients at 13 community-based clinics.

Methods:

We examined the rate of acquisition of R-GNB within 90 days following an outpatient visit from 2018 to 2019. We used clinical and administrative databases to determine and summarize prescriptions for systemic antibiotics, associated infectious diagnoses, and subsequent R-GNB acquisition among patients without recent hospitalizations. We also calculated the odds ratio of R-GNB acquisition following antibiotic exposure.

Results:

During the 2-year study period, 7,215 patients had outpatient visits with microbiological cultures obtained within 90 days. Of these patients, 206 (2.9%) acquired an R-GNB. Among patients receiving antibiotics at the visit, 4.6% acquired a R-GNB compared to 2.7% among patients who did not receive antibiotics, yielding an unadjusted odds ratio of 1.75 (95% confidence interval, 1.18–2.52) for a R-GNB following an outpatient visit with versus without an antibiotic exposure. Regardless of R-GNB occurrence, >50% of antibiotic prescriptions were issued at visits without an infectious disease diagnosis or issued without documentation of an in-person or telehealth clinical encounter.

Conclusions:

Although the rate of R-GNBs was low (2.9%), the 1.75-fold increased odds of acquiring a R-GNB following an outpatient antibiotic highlights the importance of antimicrobial stewardship efforts in outpatient settings. Specific opportunities include reducing antibiotics prescribed without an infectious diagnosis or a clinical visit.
A framework and road map for rapid start-up and completion of a COVID-19 vaccine trial: A single clinical trial site experience
Authors: Rojas Carlos , Spector Stephen A. , Cale Bernadette , Loughran Megan , Lazaro Leander , Mah Eric , Firestein Gary S. , Gold Kathryn A. , Wallace Mark
Published: January 2022

The COVID-19 global pandemic required the rapid development of vaccines with a quick start up of phase 1–3 studies with large enrollment targets. The University of California San Diego was identified as a site for the phase 3 trial of the mRNA-1273-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. There were many challenges with scaling up a large-scale clinical trial in such a short time. This report describes the processes and procedures that were implemented to successfully complete the enrollment target in under 10 weeks. This required the team to identify existing tools that could rapidly be accessed to develop a database, scheduling system, effective communication, document management, staff time tracking/efficiency, subject scheduling/tracking, project management, and accrual/study performance. The outcome of these efforts resulted in rapid enrollment and study completion in a short time. The lessons learned from this experience can be used by other clinical trial sites faced with similar challenges.
From the Margins to the Core of Haute Couture: The Entrepreneurial Journey of Coco Chanel
Authors: Cattani Gino , Colucci Mariachiara , Ferriani Simone
Published: January 2022

We trace the history of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s entrepreneurial journey as a fashion designer from her early years as an outsider (early 1900s) to her rise to success and consecration as an icon within the French haute couture field (early 1930s)—a field controlled by powerful insiders. Our study sheds light on the social forces and historical circumstances underlying an outsider’s journey from the margins of an established field to its core. Drawing on unique historical material, we develop a novel process view that highlights the shifting influence of forces operating at different levels in the accumulation, deployment, and conversion of various forms of capital (i.e., human, social, economic, and symbolic) that outsiders need to promote their ideas. In particular, our multilevel perspective accounts simultaneously for the individual’s efforts to push forward these ideas (micro-level), as well as the audience dynamics (meso-level) and exogenous forces (macro-level) that shape their recognition. Chanel’s historical case analysis also affords a window into one of the first female entrepreneurs with global impact in business history, with the added challenge of establishing herself in what at the time was a male-dominated and mature field.
Diversity, Trust, and Conformity: A Simulation Study
Authors: Fazelpour Sina , Steel Daniel
Published: January 2022

Previous simulation models have found positive effects of cognitive diversity on group performance, but have not explored effects of diversity in demographics (e.g., gender, ethnicity). In this paper, we present an agent-based model that captures two empirically supported hypotheses about how demographic diversity can improve group performance. The results of our simulations suggest that, even when social identities are not associated with distinctive task-related cognitive resources, demographic diversity can, in certain circumstances, benefit collective performance by counteracting two types of conformity that can arise in homogeneous groups: those relating to group-based trust and those connected to normative expectations toward in-groups.
Resolving the Raven Paradox: Simple Random Sampling, Stratified Random Sampling, and Inference to Best Explanation
Authors: Ward Barry
Published: January 2022

Simple random-sampling resolutions of the raven paradox relevantly diverge from scientific practice. We develop a stratified random-sampling model, yielding a better fit and apparently rehabilitating simple random sampling as a legitimate idealization. However, neither accommodates a second concern, the objection from potential bias. We develop a third model that crucially invokes causal considerations, yielding a novel resolution that handles both concerns. This approach resembles Inference to the Best Explanation (IBE) and relates the generalization’s confirmation to confirmation of an associated law. We give it an objective Bayesian formalization and discuss the compatibility of Bayesianism and IBE.
Perspectival Instruments
Authors: Creţu Ana-Maria
Published: January 2022

Despite its potential implications for the objectivity of scientific knowledge, the claim that “scientific instruments are perspectival” has received little critical attention. I show that this claim is best understood as highlighting the dependence of instruments on different perspectives. When closely analyzed, instead of constituting a novel epistemic challenge, this dependence can be exploited to mount novel strategies for resolving two old epistemic problems: conceptual relativism and theory-ladeness. The novel content of this article consists in articulating and developing these strategies by introducing two fine-grained notions of perspectives as the key units of analysis: “broad perspectives” and “narrow perspectives.”
What Makes Behavioral Measures of Consciousness Subjective and Direct?
Authors: Jonkisz Jakub
Published: January 2022

This article addresses two issues: the distinction between objective and subjective measures and the directness of such measures. It is argued that the distinction is unambiguous only when based on a methodological criterion (i.e., the threshold utilized by the measures) rather than a semantic one (i.e., their referring either to the world or to the participant’s inner states). Different senses of directness are discussed: metaphysical (which seems to rest on a category error), methodological (the only unambiguously defined one, though relating “directly” to performance rather than awareness), semantic (which appears gradable), and causal.
Assessing fitness costs of the resistance of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to pyramided Cry1 and Cry2 insecticidal proteins on different host plants
Authors: Garlet Cínthia G. , Muraro Dionei S. , Godoy Daniela N. , Cossa Gisele E. , Hanich Manoela R. , Stacke Regis F. , Bernardi Oderlei
Published: January 2022

Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith), is one of the major pests targeted by transgenic crops expressing insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Berliner. However, FAW presents a high capacity to develop resistance to Bt protein-expressing crop lines, as reported in Brazil, Argentina, Puerto Rico and the southeastern U.S. Here, FAW genotypes resistant to pyramided maize events expressing Cry1F/Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab2 (P-R genotype) and Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab2 (Y-R genotype) from Brazil were used to investigate the interactions between non-Bt hosts (non-Bt maize, non-Bt cotton, millet and sorghum) and fitness costs. We also tested a FAW genotype susceptible to Bt maize and F1 hybrids of the resistant and susceptible genotypes (heterozygotes). Recessive fitness costs (i.e., costs affecting the resistant insects) were observed for pupal and neonate to adult survival of the P-R genotype on non-Bt cotton; larval developmental time of the P-R genotype on millet and sorghum; larval and neonate-to-adult developmental time of the Y-R genotype on non-Bt cotton and sorghum; the fecundity of the Y-R genotype on non-Bt cotton; and mean generation time of both resistant genotypes. However, on non-Bt cotton and non-Bt maize, the P-R genotype had a higher fitness (i.e., fitness benefits), displaying greater fecundity and rates of population increases than the Sus genotype. Non-recessive fitness costs (i.e., costs affecting heterozygotes) were found for fecundity and population increases on millet and sorghum. These findings suggest that, regardless of the disadvantages of the resistant genotypes in some hosts, the resistance of FAW to Cry1 and Cry2 Bt proteins is not linked with substantial fitness costs, and may persist in field conditions once present.
How to Boost the Payoff from Innovation While Shrinking its Destructive Side Effects
Authors: Gordon Robert J.
Published: January 2022

Gather a group of economists together and ask what most concerns them, and a wide variety of topics would soon emerge: slowing economic growth in the rich nations, the inability of many poor nations to converge toward the rich, rising income and wealth inequality, the increasing dominance of superstar firms, growing profit margins and the decline in labor's income share, globalization and the human costs of outsourcing, deaths of despair, and the threat of climate change. Decade after decade, numerous books have been written about each of these issues. But here we have in one compact package a blockbuster book that deals with all of them.
THE CORPORATE GROUP: SYSTEM, DESIGN AND RESPONSIBILITY
Authors: Witting Christian
Published: January 2022

Lungowe v Vedanta Resources plc presages more liberal criteria for determining when a parent company owes a duty of care to third parties injured by subsidiary activities. It invokes systems language and points to potential parent company liability for omissions in managing the group. This article develops these ideas. It portrays the corporate group in systems-managerial terms. The parent creates group-wide structures and deploys management strategies and integrating mechanisms that facilitate achievement of its purposes. It has a substantial causal influence upon subsidiary acts and omissions. Prima facie the parent cannot avoid extended liability claims by hiding behind the “pure omissions” rule.
International Solidarity and the Global Compact on Refugees: What Role for the African Union and the European Union?
Authors: Nicolosi Salvatore F , Momoh Solomon
Published: January 2022

On the 70th anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention, this article examines the concept of solidarity and explains its relevance today, through the lens of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). While stressing the potential as well as the challenges for thorough implementation of the solidarity mechanisms established by the GCR, the article argues that regional organizations may contribute to meeting the GCR objectives. This is particularly urgent for regions that are most affected by migratory flows. In proposing new ways of approaching the concept of solidarity, the article suggests that the African Union strengthen mechanisms other than the physical sharing of refugees, including pooling resources to support states experiencing large influxes of refugees. In addition to a system of financial support for refugee protection, the article also recommends that the European Union ensures safe channels for arrivals and a more robust resettlement programme, to help realize the GCR objectives.
Comparative proteomic analysis of hybrid maize MR2008 and its parental lines
Authors: Osawa-Martínez E. E. , Minjarez B. , Rodríguez-Yáñez Y. , Reza-Zaldivar E. E. , Canales-Aguirre A. A. , Mena-Munguía S.
Published: January 2022

Maize is one of the three staple foods in the world. The white variety represents 60% of the maize importation with a world consumption of 1125 million tons in 2019/2020. Currently, new technologies could contribute to the analysis of this seed, supporting quality control and improvement. This study aims to carry out the morphological and proteomic comparison between the hybrid MR2008 and its parental lines LUG03 and CML491 through mass spectrometry and bioinformatics analysis. Herein, we identified that 34.8% of the hybrid proteome differs from the parental proteome. Also, ontological and morphological analyses determined that the hybrid exhibits more characteristics related to CML491 than LUG03, for example, metabolic pathways and enzymes, such as anthocyanidin 3-O-glucosyltransferase (UniProt P16166). This analysis allowed the identification of dominant characters, metabolic pathways and confirms the utility of this methodology in agricultural practices, mainly in processes of selection and quality control of a crop.
Improvement of Cercospora leaf spot and powdery mildew resistance of mungbean variety KING through marker-assisted selection
Authors: Papan P. , Chueakhunthod W. , Jinagool W. , Tharapreuksapong A. , Masari A. , Kaewkasi C. , Ngampongsai S. , Girdthai T. , Tantasawat P. A.
Published: January 2022

The development of resistant mungbean varieties is one of the most efficient strategies to control major diseases such as Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) and powdery mildew (PM). The objectives of this study were to pyramid a CLS resistance gene and two PM resistance genes from the donor parent D2 into a susceptible variety KING through marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) and to evaluate their agronomic traits and disease resistance under field conditions. Five markers linked to the resistance genes were used for foreground selection, while two marker sets [Set A containing 15 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) and expressed sequence tag-SSR (EST-SSR) markers and Set B containing 34 polymorphic inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) loci] were also used for background selection. Two pyramided backcross (BC) lines, namely H3 and H4, were homozygous at all five marker loci when confirmed in BC4F4 and BC4F5 generations. Their recurrent parent genome (RPG) recovery ranged from 96.4 to 100.0%, depending on the marker sets. During field evaluation, a moderate to high level of CLS and PM resistance was observed in both BC lines compared to the susceptible recurrent parent KING. One of these BC lines (H3) had all agronomic traits similar or superior to the recurrent parent KING at all environments, and had a higher yield than KING (18.0–32.0%) under CLS and PM outbreaks. This line can be developed into a new resistant mungbean variety in Thailand in the future. These results substantiate the usefulness of MABC for transferring multiple resistance genes into an elite variety.