bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rivaroxaban in Valvular Atrial Fibrillation — a Critical Appraisal of the INVICTUS Trial
Authors: Hammer Andreas , Niessner Alexander , Sulzgruber Patrick
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The efficacy of factor Xa
inhibitors in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and rheumatic heart
disease (RHD) is unknown.

Methods/Results

The objective of this article was to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the INVICTUS trial, an open-label randomized controlled study that compared vitamin K antagonists (VKA) to rivaroxaban in patients with AF and RHD while also considering the existing evidence from literature in this particular area of research.

Conclusion

The findings of the INVICTUS trial indicated that rivaroxaban was found to be inferior in efficacy to VKA. However, it is important to note that the primary outcome of the trial was driven by sudden death and death caused by mechanical pump failure. As a result, it is necessary to approach the data from this study with caution, and it would be inappropriate to draw parallel conclusions for other causes of valvular AF. Particularly, the perplexing issue of how rivaroxaban could have contributed to both pump failure and sudden cardiac death requires further explanation. Additional data regarding changes in heart failure medication and ventricular function would be essential for proper interpretation.
GANBISS: a new GPU accelerated N-body code for binary star systems
Authors: Zimmermann Maximilian , Pilat-Lohinger Elke
Published: May 2023

We present a GPU accelerated N-body integrator using the Bulirsch–Stoer method, called GANBISS (GPU accelerated n-body code for binary star systems). It is designed to simulate the dynamical evolution of planetesimal disks in binary star systems which contain some thousand disk objects. However, it can also be used for studies of non-interacting massless bodies where up to 50 million objects can be studied in a simulation. GANBISS shows the energy and angular momentum conservation behavior of non-symplectic integration methods. The code is written in CUDA C and can be run on NVIDIA GPUs of compute capability of at least 3.5. A comparison of GPU and CPU computations indicates a speed-up of the GPU performance of up to 100 times—depending on the number of disk objects.
Overgeneralization as a Predictor of the Course of Depression Over Time: The Role of Negative Overgeneralization to the Self, Negative Overgeneralization Across Situations, and Overgeneral Autobiographical Memory
Authors: Raes Filip , Griffith James W. , Craeynest Miet , Williams J. Mark G. , Hermans Dirk , Barry Tom J. , Takano Keisuke , Hallford David J.
Published: May 2023

Background

Depression is characterized by different forms of overgeneralization that are all assumed to play a causal role in the development and course of depression.

Methods

We examined, in a community sample of over 625 individuals, whether these different forms of overgeneralization are correlated and whether they are prospective predictors of depression at 6-month follow-up.

Results

Negative overgeneralization to the self and across situations—two types of overgeneralized thinking processes—were significantly but weakly related, but neither of them was related to overgeneral memory—a memory-based form of overgeneralization. Overgeneralization to the self and overgeneral memory both predicted depression symptoms at follow-up. Further, two and three-way interactions indicated that higher levels of overgeneralization processes interact to predict depressive symptoms. Overgeneralization to the self and overgeneral memory both independently predicted probable recurrence of a major depressive episode during the follow-up period in individuals that formerly experienced depression.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that overgeneralization in depression is not a unitary construct and that different overgeneralization processes play independent and interacting roles in the course of depression.
The social perception of environmental victimization. A visual and sensory methodological proposal
Authors: Natali Lorenzo
Published: May 2023

This article proposes a visual and sensory methodology useful to the study of environmental victimization from the perspective of people exposed to environmental harm and crime. Given the scarcity of tools with which to approach these dynamic and elusive phenomena, I focus first on the methodological and theoretical positioning that sees the encounter between green, cultural, visual, narrative and critical criminologies. Second, I discuss photo elicitation, a technique for a green criminology “with” images, where visual images are used as a heuristic tool in order to explore more thoroughly the social perception of environmental victimization. Third, I discuss the importance of sensory techniques for a green criminology open to the complex and situational dimension of environmental harm, with some examples involving a special form of mobile methodology called itinerant soliloquy. The conclusion notes the potential of a visual and sensory mode of research to social and environmental harms in sensitizing scholars, practitioners and policy-makers to the need to change some taken-for-granted views that inform our relationship with the environment.
(Compact) Adaptively secure FE for attribute-weighted sums from k-Lin
Authors: Datta Pratish , Pal Tapas
Published: May 2023

This paper presents the first adaptively simulation secure functional encryption () schemes for attribute-weighted sums. In the proposed schemes, attributes are viewed as vectors and weight functions are arithmetic branching programs (). We present two schemes with varying parameters and levels of adaptive simulation security.

(a)

We first present a one-slot scheme supporting a bounded number of ciphertext queries and an arbitrary polynomial number of secret key queries both before and after the ciphertext queries. This is the best possible level of security one can achieve in the adaptive simulation-based framework. The scheme also achieves indistinguishability-based adaptive security against an unbounded number of ciphertext and secret key queries.

(b)

Next, bootstrapping from the one-slot scheme, we present an unbounded-slot scheme that can support a bounded number of ciphertext and pre-ciphertext secret key queries while supporting an a-priori unbounded number of post-ciphertext secret key queries.

Both schemes enjoy ciphertexts that do not grow with the number of appearances of the attributes within the weight functions. The schemes are built upon prime-order asymmetric bilinear groups and the security is derived under the standard (bilateral) k-Linear (k-) assumption. Our work resolves an open problem posed by Abdalla et al (In: CRYPTO, Springer, New York, 2020), where they presented an unbounded-slot scheme for attribute-weighted sum achieving only semi-adaptive simulation security. Technically, we extend the recent adaptive security framework of Lin and Luo (In: EUROCRYPT, Springer, New York, 2020), devised to achieve compact ciphertexts in the context of indistinguishability-based payload-hiding security, to the setting of simulation-based adaptive attribute-hiding security.
Comparing Mental Effort, Difficulty, and Confidence Appraisals in Problem-Solving: A Metacognitive Perspective
Authors: Hoch Emely , Sidi Yael , Ackerman Rakefet , Hoogerheide Vincent , Scheiter Katharina
Published: May 2023

It is well established in educational research that metacognitive monitoring of performance assessed by self-reports, for instance, asking students to report their confidence in provided answers, is based on heuristic cues rather than on actual success in the task. Subjective self-reports are also used in educational research on cognitive load, where they refer to the perceived amount of mental effort invested in or difficulty of each task item. In the present study, we examined the potential underlying bases and the predictive value of mental effort and difficulty appraisals compared to confidence appraisals by applying metacognitive concepts and paradigms. In three experiments, participants faced verbal logic problems or one of two non-verbal reasoning tasks. In a between-participants design, each task item was followed by either mental effort, difficulty, or confidence appraisals. We examined the associations between the various appraisals, response time, and success rates. Consistently across all experiments, we found that mental effort and difficulty appraisals were associated more strongly than confidence with response time. Further, while all appraisals were highly predictive of solving success, the strength of this association was stronger for difficulty and confidence appraisals (which were similar) than for mental effort appraisals. We conclude that mental effort and difficulty appraisals are prone to misleading cues like other metacognitive judgments and are based on unique underlying processes. These findings challenge the accepted notion that mental effort appraisals can serve as reliable reflections of cognitive load.
Tris(2,3-dibromopropyl)Isocyanurate has an Effect on Inflammation Markers in Mouse Primary Astrocytes In vitro
Authors: Szychowski Konrad A. , Skóra Bartosz
Published: May 2023

Abstract—

Tris(2,3-dibromopropyl)isocyanurate (TBC or TDBP-TAZTO) is a new brominated flame retardant (BFR) used as a replacement of classic BFR, such as tetrabromobisphenol A. TBC is supposed to be safer than classic BFRs, but reports show that it may induce a similar toxic effect. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the impact of TBC on the inflammation and activation of the apoptosis process in mouse cortical astrocytes in vitro. Our results have shown that TBC increases caspase-1 and caspase-3 activity in mouse astrocytes in vitro, which suggests inflammation-induced apoptosis. Further analyses have revealed that TBC indeed increases the level of inflammation markers, e.g. Cat, IL-1β and IL-1βR1 proteins, but decreases the level of proliferation marker protein Ki67. However, our study has demonstrated that TBC does not change the morphology of astrocytes and does not increase the number of apoptotic bodies - a well-established marker of late apoptosis. Moreover, the concentration of 50 µM TBC also increases caspase-3 activity with no formation of apoptotic bodies. However, since 10 and 50 µM TBC have never been detected in living organisms, we can assume that the compound is safe at the low concentrations that are detected.
Binocular metamorphopsia in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion: a multi-center study
Authors: Osaka Rie , Muraoka Yuki , Nagasato Daisuke , Mitamura Yoshinori , Nishigori Naomi , Murakami Tomoaki , Suzuma Kiyoshi , Tabuchi Hitoshi , Tsujikawa Akitaka
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The pathology of branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO), a retinal circulatory disease, is related to monocular metamorphopsia-related vision impairment of the affected eyes, but the association of binocular metamorphopsia in such patients is unclear. This study aimed to examine the frequency of binocular metamorphopsia and its association with the clinical characteristics of patients with BRVO.

Methods

A total of 87 patients who were treated for BRVO-associated macular edema (ME) were included in this study. At baseline and 1 and 3 months after the initiation of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment, we quantified metamorphopsia in the affected eyes and binocular metamorphopsia using the M-CHARTS® diagnostic tool.

Results

At baseline, 53 and 7 patients had metamorphopsia in the affected eyes and binocular metamorphopsia, respectively. Although the visual acuity improved significantly after the initiation of anti-VEGF treatment, the mean M-CHARTS score in the affected eyes did not change from the baseline score. At 3 months, 9 patients showed binocular metamorphopsia; it was significantly associated with metamorphopsia in the affected eyes with a 95% confidence interval of 0.021–0.122 (β = 0.306, p = 0.006).

Conclusion

Metamorphopsia in the affected eyes can cause binocular metamorphopsia in patients with BRVO-ME.
Effect of peroxiredoxin 1 on the regulation of trophoblast function by affecting autophagy and oxidative stress in preeclampsia
Authors: Zhou Meijuan , Guo Junjun , Li Shuxian , Li Anna , Fang Zhenya , Zhao Man , Zhang Meihua , Wang Xietong
Published: May 2023

Purpose

PE is a pregnancy-specific syndrome and one of the main causes of maternal, fetal, and neonatal mortality. PRDX1 is an antioxidant that regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of PRDX1 on the regulation of trophoblast function by affecting autophagy and oxidative stress in preeclampsia.

Methods

Western blotting, RT-qPCR, and immunofluorescence were used to examine the expression of PRDX1 in placentas. PRDX1-siRNA was transfected to knockdown PRDX1 in HTR-8/SVneo cells. The biological function of HTR-8/SVneo cells was detected by wound healing, invasion, tube formation, CCK-8, EdU, flow cytometry, and TUNEL assays. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression of cleaved-Caspase3, Bax, LC3II, Beclin1, PTEN, and p-AKT. DCFH-DA staining was used to detect ROS levels by flow cytometry.

Results

PRDX1 was significantly decreased in placental trophoblasts in PE patients. Following the exposure of HTR-8/SVneo cells to H2O2, PRDX1 expression was significantly decreased, LC3II and Beclin1 expression was notably increased, and ROS level was also markedly increased. PRDX1 knockdown impaired migration, invasion, and tube-formation abilities and promoted apoptosis, which was accompanied by an increased expression of cleaved-Caspase3 and Bax. PRDX1 knockdown induced a significant decrease in LC3II and Beclin1 expression, along with an elevated p-AKT expression and a decreased PTEN expression. PRDX1 knockdown increased intracellular ROS levels, and NAC attenuated PRDX1 knockdown-induced apoptosis.

Conclusion

PRDX1 regulated trophoblast function through the PTEN/AKT signaling pathway to affect cell autophagy and ROS level, which provided a potential target for the treatment of PE.
Estimating the Ontogenetic Age and Sex Composition of Faunal Assemblages with Bayesian Multilevel Mixture Models
Authors: Wolfhagen Jesse Langdon
Published: May 2023

Understanding the ontogenetic age and sex composition of zooarchaeological assemblages can reveal details about past human hunting and herding strategies as well as past animal morphology and behavior. As such, the accuracy of our estimates underlies our ability to ascertain details about site formation and gain insights into how people interacted with different animals in the past. Unfortunately, our estimates typically rely on only a small number of bones, limiting our ability to fruitfully use these estimates to make meaningful comparisons to theoretical expectations or even between multiple assemblages. This paper describes a method to use zooarchaeological remains with standard biometric measurements to estimate the ontogenetic age and sex composition of the assemblage, focused on immature, adult-sized female, and adult-sized male specimens. The model uses a Bayesian framework to ensure that the parameter estimates are biologically meaningful. Simulated assemblages show that the model can accurately estimate the biometry and composition of zooarchaeological assemblages. Two archaeological case studies also show how the model can be applied to produce tangible insights. The first, focused on sheep from Neolithic Pinarbaşı B, highlights the model’s ability to elucidate site formation and function. The second, focused on cattle remains from four assemblages from 7th-6th millennium BCE northwestern Anatolia, showcases how to use the mixture modeling results to compare assemblages to one another and to specific hypotheses. This modeling framework provides a new avenue for investigating long-term trajectories in animal biometry alongside contextual analyses of past human choices in butchery and consumption.
Influence of alkyl groups on the formation of softenable polysilsesquioxanes
Authors: Pohl Svenja , Kickelbick Guido
Published: May 2023

Polysilsesquioxanes (PSQ) containing phenyl groups as substituents on the silicon atom can form transparent, hard and glassy materials at room temperature, which reversibly soften when heated above the glass transition temperature. Further increase in temperature leads to irreversible curing. With this property, polyphenylsilsesquioxanes can be assigned to the so-called melting gels. In contrast to the aromatic systems, polysilsesquioxanes with alkyl groups belonging to this class of materials are not known. To identify structural differences between aryl and alkyl systems, polyalkylsilsesquioxanes (RPSQs with R = methyl, ethyl, propyl, hexyl, octyl, decyl, dodecyl, hexadecyl, and octadecyl) were synthesised by a solvent-free, acid-catalysed hydrolysis and condensation reaction of alkyltrimethoxysilanes followed by thermal treatment at 300 °C under N2 atmosphere. The influence of the alkyl chain length on the structure built and the thermally initiated further condensation reactions were investigated via NMR, FTIR, TGA, DSC, SEC, and XRD. Depending on the alkyl chain length, the formation of highly crosslinked, insoluble systems (Me-PrPSQ), low molecular weight oligosilsesquioxanes in the form of cages (Hex-DecPSQ) to semicrystalline, lamellar layers (Dodec-OctadecPSQ) were detected. A low degree of condensation, inhibition of self-assembly and preferentially intermolecular condensation reactions were found to be crucial factors in the melting gel formation.

Graphical Abstract
Pantropical distribution of short-rotation woody plantations: spatial probabilities under current and future climate
Authors: Schulze Katharina , Malek Žiga , Schepaschenko Dmitry , Lesiv Myroslava , Fritz Steffen , Verburg Peter H.
Published: May 2023

Short-rotation woody plantations (SRWPs) play a major role in climate change mitigation and adaptation plans, because of their high yields of woody biomass and fast carbon storage. However, their benefits, trade-offs and growing-success are heavily location-dependent. Therefore, spatial data on the distribution of SRWPs are indispensable for assessing current distribution, trade-offs with other uses and potential contributions to climate mitigation. As current global datasets lack reliable information on SRWPs and full global mapping is difficult, we provide a consistent and systematic approach to estimate the spatial distribution of SRWPs in (sub-)tropical biomes under current and future climate. We combined three advanced methods (maximum entropy, random forest and multinomial regression) to evaluate spatially explicit probabilities of SRWPs. As inputs served a large empirical dataset on SRWP observations and 17 predictor variables, covering biophysical and socio-economic conditions. SRWP probabilities varied strongly between regions, and might not be feasible in major parts of (sub-)tropical biomes, challenging the feasibility of global mitigation plans that over-rely on tree plantations. Due to future climatic changes, SRWP probabilities decreased in many areas, particularly pronounced in higher emission scenarios. This indicates a negative feedback with higher emissions resulting in less mitigation potential. Less suitable land for SRWPs in the future could also result in fewer wood resources from these plantations, enhancing pressure on natural forests and hampering sustainability initiatives that use wood-based alternatives. Our results can help adding a more nuanced treatment of mitigation options and forest management in research on biodiversity and land use change.
Male sterility and hybrid breeding in soybean
Authors: Fang Xiaolong , Sun Yanyan , Li Jinhong , Li Meina , Zhang Chunbao
Published: May 2023

Hybrid breeding can help us to meet the challenge of feeding a growing world population with limited agricultural land. The demand for soybean is expected to grow; however, the hybrid soybean is still in the process of commercialization even though considerable progress has been made in soybean genome and genetic studies in recent years. Here, we summarize recent advances in male sterility-based breeding programs and the current status of hybrid soybean breeding. A number of male-sterile lines with cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), genic-controlled photoperiod/thermo-sensitive male sterility, and stable nuclear male sterility (GMS) have been identified in soybean. More than 40 hybrid soybean varieties have been bred using the CMS three-line hybrid system and the cultivation of hybrid soybean is still under way. The key to accelerating hybrid soybean breeding is to increase the out-crossing rate in an economical way. This review outlines current problems with the hybrid soybean breeding systems and explores the current efforts to make the hybrid soybean a commercial success.
Assessing the Effectiveness of the Respecting the Circle of Life Project on Condom and Contraception Self-efficacy Among American Indian Youth
Authors: Begay Jaime L. , Chambers Rachel A. , Rosenstock Summer , Kemp Christopher G. , Lee Angelita , Lazelere Francene , Pinal Laura , Tingey Lauren
Published: May 2023

Respecting the Circle of Life (RCL) is a teen pregnancy prevention program that was evaluated for effectiveness on sexual health risk behaviors through a two-arm randomized control trial (RCT) with American Indian (AI) youth ages 11–19. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of RCL compared to a control group on items of condom and contraception self-efficacy. Linear regression analysis was used to compare differences in each item that included condom and contraception self-efficacy scales among the intervention and control participants at baseline, 3 and 9 months post intervention. Youth enrolled in the intervention reported higher levels of condom and contraception self-efficacy across almost all individual items. Exceptions include items related to partner negotiation of condom self-efficacy at 3 months (p = 0.227) and 9 months (p = 0.074) post intervention. Findings indicate RCL is effective at improving overall condom and contraception self-efficacy but did not impact the specific component of partner negotiation for either condom or contraception self-efficacy. This inquiry provides rationale to further explore components of RCL related to partner negotiation.
Production analysis with asymmetric noise
Authors: Badunenko Oleg , Henderson Daniel J.
Published: May 2023

Symmetric noise is the prevailing assumption in production analysis, but it is often violated in practice. Not only does asymmetric noise cause least-squares models to be inefficient, it can hide important features of the data which may be useful to the firm/policymaker. Here, we outline how to introduce asymmetric noise into a production or cost framework as well as develop a model to introduce inefficiency into said models. We derive closed-form solutions for the convolution of the noise and inefficiency distributions, the log-likelihood function, and inefficiency, as well as show how to introduce determinants of heteroskedasticity, efficiency and skewness to allow for heterogenous results. We perform a Monte Carlo study and profile analysis to examine the finite sample performance of the proposed estimators. We outline R and Stata packages that we have developed and apply to three empirical applications to show how our methods lead to improved fit, explain features of the data hidden by assuming symmetry, and how our approach is still able to estimate efficiency scores when the least-squares model exhibits the well-known “wrong skewness” problem in production analysis. The proposed models are useful for modeling risk linked to the outcome variable by allowing error asymmetry with or without inefficiency.
An Integrated Approach to the Conceptualisation and Measurement of Social Cohesion
Authors: Aruqaj Bujar
Published: May 2023

The core sociological subject of ‘social cohesion’ (hereafter SC) has re-emerged as a key concept in the social sciences. On the one hand, SC is thought to be influenced by a society’s degree of inequalities and the quality of its welfare state. On the other hand, SC is thought to be instrumental in its own right to other factors such as economic growth, institutional quality, and individual well-being. In recent years, a few attempts have been made to measure SC empirically. Many current indices have not been sufficiently theoretically substantiated, and do not consider the importance of different ‘social levels’ when explaining and measuring SC as both cause and effect of other correlates. Very often, SC is simply defined as a ‘social quality’ or a quality of a collective. As a result, measures are often aggregate macro-indices leading to a loss of the information base of any social ‘units’ below the macro-societal-level. Contributing to this important methodological debate, this paper provides a conceptual reformulation of SC. Hence, when assessing SC based on a multi-dimensional index, it is insightful and feasible to evaluate both its internal variation as well as its holistic validity. In fact, it is proposed that these two aspects of measurement stand in direct relationship to one-another. The paper starts out with a discussion of SC as a ‘social fact’ in the Durkheimian sense. In addition, three bridging propositions on the measurement of SC are advanced: (a) SC as outcome or consequence at the level of individual attitudes and orientations (‘micro’); (b) SC as degree of dissimilarity and presence of latent conflict within a society at the level of salient social categories (‘meso’), and (c) SC as predictor, social determinant and hence antecedent at the societal-level (‘macro’). Using all rounds of the European Social Survey with a very large sample size, the advantages of this approach are illustrated by singling-out the important link between socio-economic inequalities, social cohesion and individual subjective well-being in a path of action.
Systematic analysis of automated threat modelling techniques: Comparison of open-source tools
Authors: Granata Daniele , Rak Massimiliano
Published: May 2023

Companies face increasing pressure to protect themselves and their customers from security threats. Security by design is a proactive approach that builds security into all aspects of a system from the ground up, rather than adding it on as an afterthought. By taking security into account at every stage of development, organizations can create systems that are more resistant to attacks and better able to recover from them if they do occur. One of the most relevant practices is threat modelling, i.e. the process of identifying and analysing the security threat to an information system, application, or network. These processes require security experts with high skills to anticipate possible issues: therefore, it is a costly task and requires a lot of time. To face these problems, many different automated threat modelling methodologies are emerging. This paper first carries out a systematic literature review (SLR) aimed at both having an overview of the automated threat modelling techniques used in literature and enumerating all the tools that implement these techniques. Then, an analysis was carried out considering four open-source tools and a comparison with our threat modelling approach using a simple, but significant case study: an e-commerce site developed on top of WordPress.
$$\varvec{Brings~It~About~That}$$ Operators Decomposed with Relating Semantics
Authors: Jarmużek Tomasz , Klonowski Mateusz , Kulicki Piotr
Published: May 2023

In the paper we examine the problem of logical systems that are extensions of Classical Propositional Logic with new, intensional connectives of agency: monadic and dyadic bringing it about that. These systems are usually studied within the neighbourhood semantics. Here we propose a different strategy. We study all of the accepted laws and rules of logic of agency and define a translation of the agency operators into connectives interpreted in relating semantics. After this translation we can make a reduction to more basic semantic properties that are required by the particular groups of laws and axioms. Finally, we define proper semantic structures and prove that they are complete with respect to all possible logical systems determined by the combinations of the axioms and rules.
The pragmatic structure of refusal
Authors: Caponetto Laura
Published: May 2023

This paper sets out to unpack the pragmatic structure of refusal—its illocutionary nature, success conditions, and normative effects. I argue that our ordinary concept of refusal captures a whole family of illocutions, comprising acts such as rejecting, declining, and the like, which share the property of being ‘negative second-turn illocutions’. Only proper refusals (i.e. negative replies to permission requests), I submit, require speaker authority. I construe the ‘refusal family’ as a subclass of the directives-commissives intersection. After defending my view against a number of potential objections, I highlight how a theoretically grounded analysis of refusal is not only of intrinsic value, but may also have significant moral and legal implications.
What must be lost: on retrospection, authenticity, and some neglected costs of transformation
Authors: Bailey Olivia
Published: May 2023

A sensibility is, on a rough first pass, an emotional orientation to the world. It shapes how things appear to us, evaluatively speaking. By transfiguring things’ evaluative appearances, a change in sensibility can profoundly alter one’s overall experience of the world. I argue that some forms of sensibility change entail (1) risking one’s knowledge of what experiences imbued with one’s prior sensibility were like, and (2) surrendering one’s grasp on the intelligibility of one’s prior emotional apprehensions. These costs have consequences for Laurie Paul’s ‘problem of transformative experience.’ Paul has argued that when we are poised to become someone new, our inexperience generates problems for authentic choice about our own futures. By reckoning with the epistemic losses involved in sensibility change, I show that this problem must not be confined to novel transformations. Prior experience does not guarantee the knowledge or understanding necessary for choosing authentically (in Paul’s sense). If the problem Paul highlights is indeed a problem at all, then, it is a still more pervasive and intractable one than it has been taken to be.
Perception needs modular stimulus-control
Authors: Nes Anders
Published: May 2023

Perceptual processes differ from cognitive, this paper argues, in functioning to be causally controlled by proximal stimuli, and being modular, at least in a modest sense that excludes their being isotropic in Jerry Fodor's sense. This claim agrees with such theorists as Jacob Beck and Ben Phillips that a function of stimulus-control is needed for perceptual status. In support of this necessity claim, I argue, inter alia, that E.J. Green's recent architectural account misclassifies processes deploying knowledge of grammar as perceptual.PaceBeck and Phillips, however, I argue a function of stimulus-control is insufficient for perceptual as opposed to cognitive status. One consideration in favour of such insufficiency, noted but (I argue) not convincingly rebutted by these theorists, concerns perpetually grounded demonstrative thought. Two other considerations trade on the fact that a function of stimulus-control can arise not from blind nature but intentional design or social institutions, where so-functioning processes may but need not be perceptual. I offer two cases where such processes are cognitive, viz. skilful play-by-play announcing of ongoing events, and voluntary visualizing of ongoing events under the guidance of apt play-by-play announcements, dubbed announcement-driven visualizing (ADV). The cognitive status of these three diverse phenomena cannot be explained by an absence of a perception-like representational format or content (for ADV has such) or by a presence of personal-level mental states causally mediating between stimuli and outputs (for perception has such). A bettter explanation invokes, I argue, the non-modular character of the generating process.
The development of an in vitro propagation and conservation system for the endangered serpentine fern Asplenium cuneifolium Viv.
Authors: Tomiczak Karolina , Makowski Damian , Sliwinska Elwira , Mikuła Anna
Published: May 2023

Asplenium cuneifolium Viv. is an endangered fern species restricted to European serpentine rocks, which face a risk of being easily damaged by both natural and anthropogenic agents. Establishing a comprehensive system of effective micropropagation and long-term storage of this species is therefore desirable. Freshly collected spores of A. cuneifolium were subjected to direct storage at 5 °C and in liquid nitrogen (LN). The viability of spores stored at 5 °C decreased by 10% after 1 year, whereas storage in LN did not change the initial spore viability even after 3 years. For the initiation of the gametophyte culture, disinfected spores were sown onto half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium (½MS) supplemented with 0.06 M sucrose. Following 6 months, abundant proliferation of secondary gametophytes was achieved. For the cryopreservation of gametophytes, encapsulation-vitrification and encapsulation-dehydration, were compared. Of these two methods, encapsulation-vitrification ensured survival of gametophytes of 64.5–93%, while encapsulation-dehydration guaranteed their 100% viability. The acceleration of syngamy on secondary gametophytes was achieved using a medium with macro- and micronutrients reduced to the 1/8 of the MS free of NH4NO3 and vitamins. The syngamic sporophytes could be multiplied by somatic embryogenesis (SE) induced on etiolated stipe explants in an ½MS medium devoid of any plant growth regulators. Adding 0.3 M of sucrose to the medium almost quadrupled the efficiency of the SE. The genetic stability of gametophytes after cryopreservation, as well as sporophytes obtained from them, was confirmed by flow cytometry, amplified fragment length polymorphism, and inter-simple sequence repeat markers.
Coverage visualization and analysis of net inscriptions in coloured Petri net models
Authors: Ahishakiye Faustin , Jarabo José Ignacio Requeno , Kristensen Lars Michael , Stolz Volker
Published: May 2023

High-level Petri nets such as coloured Petri nets (CPNs) are characterized by the combination of Petri nets and a high-level programming language. In CPNs and CPN Tools, the inscriptions (e.g. arc expressions and guards) are specified using Standard ML. The application of simulation and state space exploration for validating CPN models traditionally focuses on behavioural properties related to net structure, i.e. places and transitions. This means that the net inscriptions are only implicitly validated, and the extent to which their sub-expressions have been covered is not made explicit. This paper extends our previous work on coverage analysis of net inscriptions of CPN models. In particular, we improve the CPN Tools library responsible for annotating, instrumenting and collecting the evaluation of Boolean conditions for determining the coverage criteria based on model executions. The library now automates most of the instrumentation parts that were done manually before and integrates the reports of the coverage analysis into the CPN Tools GUI. We evaluate our approach on new publicly available CPN models.
Are statins making older persons weaker? A discontinuation study of muscular side effects
Authors: Korsholm Morten Bruun , Pødenphanth Thea Winther , Strømgaard Sofie Kirstine , Petersen Linda Wiuff , Alexandersen Christina , Hoffmann Sarah Samama , Rasmusen Hanne K. , Suetta Charlotte , Damgaard Kirsten , Pressel Eckart , Dela Flemming
Published: May 2023

Thirteen percent of the Danish population are treated with a statin—half of these are in primary prevention, and most are > 65 years old. Statins have known muscular side effects (i.e., myalgia) correlated to reduced muscle performance. This study examines if years of statin treatment in older people introduce subclinical muscle discomfort and loss of muscle mass and strength. In total, 98 participants (71.1 ± 3.6 years (mean ± SD)), who were in primary prevention treatment for elevated plasma cholesterol with a statin, were included in this study. Statin treatment was discontinued for 2 months and then re-introduced for 2 months. Primary outcomes included muscle performance and myalgia. Secondary outcomes included lean mass and plasma cholesterol. Functional muscle capacity measured as a 6-min walk test increased after discontinuation (from 542 ± 88 to 555 ± 91 m, P < 0.05) and remained increased after re-introduction (557 ± 94 m). Similar significant results were found with a chair stand test (15.7 ± 4.3 to 16.3 ± 4.9 repetitions/30 s) and a quadriceps muscle test. Muscle discomfort during rest did not change significantly with discontinuation (visual analog scale from 0.9 ± 1.7 to 0.6 ± 1.4) but increased (P < 0.05) with the re-introduction (to 1.2 ± 2.0) and muscle discomfort during activity decreased (P < 0.05) with discontinuation (from 2.5 ± 2.6 to 1.9 ± 2.3). After 2 weeks of discontinuation, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased from 2.2 ± 0.5 to 3.9 ± 0.8 mM and remained elevated until the re-introduction of statins (P < 0.05). Significant and lasting improvements in muscle performance and myalgia were found at the discontinuation and re-introduction of statins. The results indicate a possible statin-related loss of muscle performance in older persons that needs further examination.
Diverse approaches to nature recovery are needed to meet the varied needs of people and nature
Authors: Dunn-Capper Rowan , Quintero-Uribe Laura C. , Pereira Henrique M. , Sandom Christopher J.
Published: May 2023

Conservation and restoration projects often fail to engage local communities during the planning and implementation stage. In addition, when considering urban boundary ecosystems, there exists a wide range of stakeholders that must be involved in the planning process to ensure social equity in land management outcomes. Traditional methods for assessing future landscape change scenarios have been critiqued for their inability to adequately incorporate the diverse range of stakeholder values. This paper presents a multicriteria mapping study, incorporating a novel application of the Nature Futures Framework, to assess nature recovery scenarios on Brighton and Hove’s Downland Estate—an urban boundary landscape surrounding the city of Brighton and Hove in Sussex, South East England. We focus on two key research outcomes. First, we assess the perceived performance of alternative nature recovery options across Nature Future value perspectives and between contrasting stakeholder groups. Second, by mapping stakeholder values from our multicriteria mapping study, we demonstrate that the Nature Futures Framework provides a robust framework within which to assess the diverse values stakeholders hold for land use change. We propose that utilizing the Nature Futures Framework, in combination with the multicriteria mapping interview technique, can form a valuable tool to elicit stakeholder values that may have been hidden, or underrepresented in traditional assessment methods, and to compare the perceived performance of alternative nature recovery scenarios between stakeholder groups.
Integrated design and prototyping of a robotic eye system for ocular and craniofacial trauma simulators
Authors: Gallerani Marcello , Vazzoler Greta , De Novi Gianluca , Razzoli Roberto , Berselli Giovanni , Ottensmeyer Mark P.
Published: May 2023

This article presents the development of a prototype robotic eye-motion system for a novel simulator of ocular and craniofacial trauma that was developed for practical skills training of eye surgeons and first responders. The simulator fills a gap in the ophthalmological training domain, specifically between virtual reality-based systems for cataract and retinal repair and part-task trainers without quantitative measurement capabilities. Combining physical anatomical modules, instrument tracking and embedded sensors with a data acquisition/feedback system in a portable bench-top structure, it offers an alternative to animal- and cadaver-based training. The prototype robotic eye system described includes multiple human eye globe motion features: eye pitch and yaw motion, proptosis, and sensing of applied force to detect pressure/load applied to the globe.
De-Identification Technique with Facial Deformation in Head CT Images
Authors: Uchida Tatsuya , Kin Taichi , Saito Toki , Shono Naoyuki , Kiyofuji Satoshi , Koike Tsukasa , Sato Katsuya , Niwa Ryoko , Takashima Ikumi , Oyama Hiroshi , Saito Nobuhito
Published: May 2023

Head CT, which includes the facial region, can visualize faces using 3D reconstruction, raising concern that individuals may be identified. We developed a new de-identification technique that distorts the faces of head CT images. Head CT images that were distorted were labeled as "original images" and the others as "reference images." Reconstructed face models of both were created, with 400 control points on the facial surfaces. All voxel positions in the original image were moved and deformed according to the deformation vectors required to move to corresponding control points on the reference image. Three face detection and identification programs were used to determine face detection rates and match confidence scores. Intracranial volume equivalence tests were performed before and after deformation, and correlation coefficients between intracranial pixel value histograms were calculated. Output accuracy of the deep learning model for intracranial segmentation was determined using Dice Similarity Coefficient before and after deformation. The face detection rate was 100%, and match confidence scores were < 90. Equivalence testing of the intracranial volume revealed statistical equivalence before and after deformation. The median correlation coefficient between intracranial pixel value histograms before and after deformation was 0.9965, indicating high similarity. Dice Similarity Coefficient values of original and deformed images were statistically equivalent. We developed a technique to de-identify head CT images while maintaining the accuracy of deep-learning models. The technique involves deforming images to prevent face identification, with minimal changes to the original information.
Piezo2 Channel Upregulation is Involved in Mechanical Allodynia in CYP-Induced Cystitis Rats
Authors: Liu Lei , Zhao Yan , An Wenhan , Zhao Mengmeng , Ding Ning , Liu Hanwen , Ge Nan , Wen Jiliang , Zhang Xiulin , Zu Shulu , Sun Wendong
Published: May 2023

Mechanical sensing Piezo2 channel in primary sensory neurons has been shown contribute to mechanical allodynia in somatic chronic pain conditions. Interstitial cystitis (IC)-associated pain is often triggered by bladder filling, a presentation that mimics the mechanical allodynia. In the present study, we aimed to examine the involvement of sensory Piezo2 channel in IC-associated mechanical allodynia using a commonly employed cyclophosphamide (CYP)-induced IC model rat. Piezo2 channels in dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) was knocked down by intrathecal injections of Piezo2 anti-sense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) in CYP-induced cystitis rats, and mechanical stimulation–evoked referred bladder pain was measured in the lower abdomen overlying the bladder using von Frey filaments. Piezo2 expression at the mRNA, protein, and functional levels in DRG neurons innervating the bladder was detected by RNA-fluorescence in situ hybridization, western blotting, immunofluorescence, and Ca2+ imaging, respectively. We found that Piezo2 channels were expressed on most (> 90%) of the bladder primary afferents, including afferents that express CGRP, TRPV1 and stained with isolectin B4. CYP-induced cystitis was associated with Piezo2 upregulation in bladder afferent neurons at the mRNA, protein, and functional levels. Knockdown of Piezo2 expression in DRG neurons significantly suppressed mechanical stimulation–evoked referred bladder pain as well as bladder hyperactivity in CYP rats compared to CYP rats treated with mismatched ODNs. Our results suggest upregulation of Piezo2 channels is involved in the development of bladder mechanical allodynia and bladder hyperactivity in CYP-induced cystitis. Targeting Piezo2 might be an attractive therapeutic approach for IC-related bladder pain.
The Fears and Hopes of Ukrainian Migrant Workers in Poland in the Pandemic Era
Authors: Shelest-Szumilas Olena , Wozniak Marcin
Published: May 2023

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many immigrants found themselves in extremely unstable situations. The recent contributions show that employment decline in the first several months of the lockdown was higher for migrant workers than for natives. At the same time, migrants were less likely to find new employment in the recovery months. Such circumstances may result in an increased level of anxiety about one’s economic situation. On the other hand, an unfavorable environment may induce resources that could help to overcome it. The paper aims to reveal migrants’ concerns together with ambitions connected with the economic activity during the pandemic. The study is based on 30 individual in-depth interviews with Ukrainian migrant workers from Poland. The research approach was based on Natural Language Processing techniques. We employed sentiment analysis algorithms, and on a basis of selected lexicons, we extracted fears and hopes that appear in migrants’ narrations. We also identified major topics and associated them with specific sentiments. Pandemic induced several matters connected with e.g., the stability of employment, discrimination, relationships, family, and financial situation. These affairs are usually connected on the basis of a cause-and-effect relationship. In addition, while several topics were common for both male and female participants, some of them were specific for each group.
Association between Migraine and Quality of Life, Mental Health, Sleeping Disorders, and Health Care Utilization Among Older African American Adults
Authors: Bazargan M. , Comini J. , Kibe L.W. , Assari S. , Cobb S.
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This study examines the associations between migraine headaches, well-being, and health care use among a sample of underserved older African American adults. Controlling for relevant variables, the association between migraine headaches and (1) health care utilization, (2) health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and (3) physical and mental health outcomes was examined.

Methods

Our sample included 760 older African American adults from South Los Angeles recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. In addition to demographic variables, our survey included validated instruments, such as the SF-12 QoL, Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Data analysis included 12 independent multivariate models using multiple linear regression, log transferred linear regression, binary and multinomial logistic regression, and generalized linear regression with Poisson distribution.

Results

Having migraine was associated with three categories of outcomes: (1) higher level of health care utilization measured by (i) emergency department admissions and (ii) number of medication use; (2) lower level of HRQoL and health status measured by (i) lower self-rated health (ii) physical QoL, and (iii) mental QoL; and (3) worse physical and mental health outcomes measured by (i) higher number of depressive symptoms, (ii) higher level of pain, (iii) sleep disorder, and (iv) being disabled.

Conclusions

Migraine headache significantly was associated with quality of life, health care utilization, and many health outcomes of underserved African American middle-aged and older adults. Diagnoses and treatments of migraine among underserved older African American adults require multi-faceted and culturally sensitive interventional studies.