bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Muscle dysfunction in the long coronavirus disease 2019 syndrome: Pathogenesis and clinical approach
Authors: Silva Camilla Costa , Bichara Clea Nazaré Carneiro , Carneiro Francisca Regina Oliveira , Palacios Vera Regina da Cunha Menezes , Berg Ana Virgínia Soares Van den , Quaresma Juarez Antônio Simões , Magno Falcão Luiz Fábio
Published: April 2022

In long coronavirus disease 2019 (long COVID‐19), involvement of the musculoskeletal system is characterised by the persistence or appearance of symptoms such as fatigue, muscle weakness, myalgia, and decline in physical and functional performance, even at 4 weeks after the onset of acute symptoms of COVID‐19. Muscle injury biomarkers are altered during the acute phase of the disease. The cellular damage and hyperinflammatory state induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection may contribute to the persistence of symptoms, hypoxaemia, mitochondrial damage, and dysregulation of the renin‐angiotensin system. In addition, the occurrence of cerebrovascular diseases, involvement of the peripheral nervous system, and harmful effects of hospitalisation, such as the use of drugs, immobility, and weakness acquired in the intensive care unit, all aggravate muscle damage. Here, we review the multifactorial mechanisms of muscle tissue injury, aggravating conditions, and associated sequelae in long COVID‐19.
Enhanced Gas Sensing Performance of Nano‐Structured Ta2O5‐SnO2 Composite for Low Concentration CO Detection
Authors: Aranthady Chethana , D'Souza Ozma , Mascarenhas Ronald , Shanbhag Ganapati V. , Sundaram Nalini G.
Published: April 2022

In the present work, the superior performance of nanostructured Ta2O5‐SnO2 nanocomposite homo‐junction was demonstrated for the detection of CO gas at low concentration (5‐10 ppm) and low operating temperature (50 °C). The gas sensing performance of this material is comparable to the state of the art materials reported to date in the literature. In addition, the material exhibits high selectivity to CO gas over other interfering gases such as CO2, H2, CH4, NO2, and SO2 etc. The sensing performance of the composite was significantly higher than its individual oxides. The composite is robust and shows good reproducibility and chemical stability with low response and recovery time. The strategy employed herein to create homo‐junction nanocomposites of semiconducting metal oxides significantly improved the sensitivity and selectivity to CO gas closer to room temperature and thus could pave the way for the development of efficient homo‐junction nanocomposites for gas sensing applications.
Practical and secure multifactor authentication protocol for autonomous vehicles in 5G
Authors: Miao Junfeng , Wang Zhaoshun , Ning Xin , Xiao Nan , Cai Weiwei , Liu Ruimin
Published: April 2022

Autonomous vehicles (AV) can not only improve traffic safety and congestion, but also have strategic significance for the development of the transportation industry. With the continuous updating of core technologies such as artificial intelligence, sensor detection, synchronous positioning, and high‐precision mapping, the development of AV has been promoted. When 5G network is combined with Internet of Vehicles, the problems of AV can be solved by taking advantage of 5G ultra‐large bandwidth, low latency and high reliability. However, when the user controls the vehicle remotely, a real‐time and reliable authentication process is needed, while minimizing the overhead of security protocols. Therefore, this article proposes a practical and secure multifactor user authentication protocol for AV in 5G network. By introducing non‐interactive zero‐knowledge proof technology and physical uncloning function, the protocol completes mutual authentication and key agreement without revealing any sensitive information. The article proves the security of the protocol through BAN logic and the simulation of Scyther. And it can resist malicious attacks and provide more security features. The informal security analysis shows that the protocol can meet the proposed security requirements. Finally, we evaluate the efficiency of the protocol, and the results show that the protocol can provide better performance.
Enhancing the seismic performance of building structures equipped with composite braces in mega bracing configuration
Authors: AtashFaraz Babak , Jangara Jafar , Katebi Javad
Published: April 2022

In this research, a new passive vibration control system for building structures is presented. The proposed system improves the seismic performance of non‐moment steel structures using the ultra‐high‐performance concrete‐filled steel tube (UHPCFT) braces. In this system, pre‐tensioned tendons are considered to equalize the tensile and compressive capacity of the brace members which are installed as large scale concentrically braced frames (CBFs) (i.e., mega bracing frames [MBFs]) in order to minimize the induced forces in the other structural elements (i.e., beams, columns and slabs). To investigate the feasibility of the proposed system, three 8‐, 12‐, and 15‐story structures are considered. Also, buckling restrained braced frames (BRBFs) and normal concrete filled steel tube (NCFT) braces are considered for the comparison purposes. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the proposed technique is evaluated considering the performance point values and fragility assessment results calculated using a near‐field pulse‐like earthquake record set. Comparison of the simulation results demonstrates that, for all the considered earthquake records, the proposed system remarkably attenuates the structural demand value and collapse probability for all the considered structures. Also, it has demonstrated that type of the nonlinear analysis affects the damage mode.
Reduced dementia incidence after varicella zoster vaccination in Wales 2013–2020
Authors: Schnier Christian , Janbek Janet , Lathe Richard , Haas Jürgen
Published: April 2022

Introduction

Chronic infection with herpes viruses is a potential contributing factor to the development of dementia. The introduction of nationwide shingles (varicella zoster) vaccination in Wales might therefore be associated with reduced incident dementia.

Methods

We analyzed the association of shingles vaccination with incident dementia in Wales between 2013 and 2020 using retrospectively collected national health data.

Results

Vaccinated individuals were at reduced risk of dementia (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.72; 95% confidence interval: 0.69 to 0.75). The association was not modified by a reduction in shingles diagnosis and was stronger for vascular dementia than for Alzheimer's disease. Vaccination was also associated with a reduction in several other diseases and all‐cause mortality.

Discussion

Our study shows a clear association of shingles vaccination with reduced dementia, consistent with other observational cohort studies. The association may reflect selection bias with people choosing to be vaccinated having a higher healthy life expectancy.
The Influence of Technology on the Assessment and Conceptualization of Social Support
Authors: Hunter John F. , Jones Nickolas M. , Delgadillo Desiree , Kaveladze Benjamin
Published: April 2022

This chapter will detail how the advent of the internet and smartphones has fundamentally transformed the nature of social support and its effects on quality of life and health. Technological change has altered: (1) The ways in which we assess social support, (2) The perception and effects of social support. First, we will examine how recent technological innovations have allowed for more detailed, objective, and accurate assessments of social support. Digital technology has enabled us to go beyond simple self-report measures to assess social support and quality of life in unprecedented ways. By leveraging big data across several accessible technological platforms, researchers can begin to understand how social support processes unfold in real time and the myriad ways technology can be used to measure meaningful aspects of social support. In the second section, we will discuss how the concept of social support has changed in the age of digital communication. We will focus on how the presence and use of technological devices influences face-to-face interactions, online groups, and family dynamics. Taken together, this chapter will recognize the changes in social assessment afforded by technology and consider several important areas in which technological tools have transformed social support.
A Matter of Distance? A Qualitative Study of Data-Driven Early Lifestyle Assessment in Preventive Healthcare
Authors: Mønsted Troels
Published: April 2022

An essential objective of preventive healthcare is to assess the lifestyle of citizens and identify those with health risk behaviors long time before they develop a lifestyle-related disease. In spite of lasting attempts to support preventive healthcare services in reaching individuals at risk through information campaigns, systematic health check programs, and more recently, data-driven approaches, citizens remain at a distance to the preventive healthcare services. The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the reasons for this distance between citizens and preventive care offers and the potential of quantified-self technologies for decreasing this. The analysis shows that while data-driven approaches to lifestyle assessment do assist preventive care services in screening a large population, they do not solve the fundamental challenge; that citizens are often challenged in relating to the risk assessment and in the consequences of their current behaviors on a long timescale. Based on these findings, two design implications are elicited to guide design of systems based on quantified-self to support early assessment and improvement of potentially unhealthy lifestyle, potentially improving health and quality of life in the long term.
Assessment of Activities of Daily Living Via a Smart Home Environment
Authors: Zhang Qing , Karunanithi Mohan
Published: April 2022

Activities of Daily Living (ADL) has become a clinical de facto instrument to assess older people’s daily functional status living independently at home. This chapter focuses on a ‘smart home environment’ that contributes to the individual’s QoL and leverages a novel objective ADL assessment technology embedded in the home. This objective ADL (OADL) assessment is achieved through fusing data from simple, non-intrusive, always-on, wireless sensors placed in a home environment. To evaluate the OADL in older people, we conducted a 10-month pilot study with five eligible participants between 79 and 88 years old. In each participant’s home, we installed a smart home system. We presented OADL assessment to participants daily through a tablet app for self-management and caregivers through a web portal for decision-making. We then compare the similarity between OADL assessment and traditional self-reported Barthel ADL from participants. Initial study results demonstrated the great potential of the OADL as an effective daily functional status index and management instrument for caregivers to support beloved ones remotely and enable timely and early interventions when necessary. This chapter presents state of art in that domain and reflects on other design implications for a home environment, facilitating better health and life quality in the long term.
Granting Access to Information Is Not Enough: Towards an Integrated Concept of Health Information Acquisition
Authors: Fiordelli Maddalena , Diviani Nicola
Published: April 2022

In the WHO definition of Quality of Life, the environmental domain includes a subdomain called Opportunities for acquiring new information and skills. The information landscape has drastically changed over the past three decades, and now offers opportunities for acquiring information to almost everybody at any time, as the more recent technologies penetrated worldwide. It is thus worth evaluating if and how this change is reflected into the specific subdomain at stake and into the way it is measured. Before and while the information revolution was happening, the subdomain has been classically measured by giving as much attention to the accessibility of information as to the capability of acquiring it. We argue that these two components do not have the same weight nowadays, and that measurements should reflect this conceptual consideration. The more accessible information is indeed also often becoming overwhelming, and it is calling for an improved ability to appraise it. Technologies can help not just measuring the capability to appraise this information, but first and foremost they could build on individually acquired data to make the information more tailored to the user. This is done in other domains than health, and specifically in the marketing field, which has been already an inspiration for the health communication field and could contribute to advancements in the health behavioral domain. Therefore, after discussing how the concept of health literacy could inform the conceptual refinement of the subdomain at stake, this chapter will focus on how personal Internet-enabled technologies could contribute to its measurement in real-time, helping healthcare institutions and policy-makers to make health information more tailored and more accessible to the users.
The Future of Quantifying Behaviors, Health, and Quality of Life
Authors: Wac Katarzyna
Published: April 2022

Daily behaviors influence an individual’s health and, in turn, all the domains of their quality of life (QoL). Accurately quantifying these behaviors may allow individuals to improve their overall awareness of these behaviors, make necessary habit changes, and receive more individualized treatment approaches. Currently, self-reported patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are the most common means of assessing daily behaviors. However, this method has multiple limitations, including the infrequency of collection, its subjective nature, its reliance on memory recall, and the influence of social norms. In comparison with PROs, using personalized and miniaturized technological innovations, including smartphones, mobile applications, and wearables, can enable the continuous assessment of daily life behaviors that contribute to or result from an individual’s QoL in a more accurate and timely manner. These technologies have the potential to transform the current state of quantifying QoL, allowing for improved research and the implementation of more individualized approaches to prevention and treatment. This chapter thus presents potential areas of future research and development opened by the use of these technologies in the field of QoL.
Monitoring Technologies for Quantifying Medication Adherence
Authors: Aldeer Murtadha , Javanmard Mehdi , Ortiz Jorge , Martin Richard
Published: April 2022

Medication non-adherence is a prevalent, complex problem. Failure to follow medication schedules may lead to major health complications, which could reduce quality of life. Proper medication adherence is thus required in order to gain the greatest possible drug benefit during a patient’s treatment. Interventions have been proven to improve medication adherence if deviations are detected. This review focuses on recent advances in the field of technology-based medication adherence approaches and pays particular attention to their technical monitoring aspects. The taxonomy space of this review spans multiple techniques including sensor systems, proximity sensing, vision systems, and combinations of these. As each technique has unique advantages and limitations, this work describes their trade-offs in accuracy, energy consumption, acceptability and user’s comfort, and user authentication.
iSenseYourPain: Ubiquitous Chronic Pain Evaluation through Behavior-Change Analysis
Authors: Ciman Matteo
Published: April 2022

Pain is experienced either due to a physical condition, where it represents associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or due to a psychological situation, implying mental suffering, mental torment. Acute pain lasts for a limited amount of time and is provoked by a specific cause, while chronic pain is a long-term condition that drastically decreases quality of life and may affect patients absent from any biological cause. Chronic pain can affect cognitive functions (e.g., reasoning ability, attention, working memory), mood, sleep quality, sexual functions, and overall mental health. Generally, chronic pain therapy requires a multidisciplinary and complex approach. This chapter proposes a system called iSenseYourPain that continuously assesses chronic pain by leveraging ubiquitous sensor-based behavior assessment techniques. Based on findings from previous research and focusing on qualitative and quantitative assessment of patients’ behavior over time, the iSenseYourPain system is designed to automatically collect data from ubiquitous and everyday smart devices and identify pain-based behavior changes (e.g., changes in sleep duration and social interactions). It facilitates the providing of immediate assistance for pain and discomfort reduction by informing relatives and medical staff of the likelihood of potentially critical health situations. The overall goal of the iSenseYourPain system is to identify pain-related behavior changes in an accurate and timely manner in order to support patients and physicians, allowing the latter to have constant and accurate data on the patient’s condition.
Improving Work Capacity and HRQoL: The Role of QoL Technologies
Authors: Branin Joan Julia
Published: April 2022

Fitness technology, including trackers and smartphone applications (apps), has become increasingly popular for measuring and encouraging physical activity in recent years. Physical activity is closely linked with health and well-being; however, many Americans do not engage in regular exercise. This trend of inactivity increases with age and can interfere with an individual’s capacity to work. The benefits of physical activity and fitness extend beyond job performance and physical aspects of work capacity and include longer life and enhanced quality of life. This literature review addresses the question: How does the use of self-management QoL technologies affect work capacity and reported quality of life? It examines (1) the factors associated with variations in work capacity and quality of life; (2) the state-of-art of personalized, miniaturized computing QoL technologies for measuring and improving physical activity and fitness levels; (3) the use of activity trackers to quantify work capacity; and (4) strategies to enhance use of Web-based tools and fitness technology for behavioral change, health management, and rehabilitation interventions for the self-management of work capacity and enhancement of health-related quality of life across the lifespan. This chapter concludes with recommendations for future development of tools for the assessment and improvement of working capacity.
Demokratievorstellungen unter Verteidigern und Entdeckern: Wer möchte welche Form der Demokratie?
Authors: Back Mitja , Echterhoff Gerald , Müller Olaf , Pollack Detlef , Schlipphak Bernd
Published: April 2022

In Kap. 3 gehen wir näher darauf ein, wie sich die beiden Gruppen der Entdecker und Verteidiger im Hinblick auf die von ihnen gewünschte Form der (demokratischen) Steuerung eines Landes unterscheiden. Dazu zeigen wir zunächst, dass die Verteidiger eine deutlich stärkere Präferenz für eine autoritäre Führung des eigenen Landes aufweisen als die Entdecker. Wir demonstrieren weiter, dass Verteidiger stärker für direkte Demokratie eintreten als Entdecker, während dies für das Konzept der liberalen Demokratie umgekehrt ist. Schließlich verweisen unsere Daten darauf, dass Verteidiger populistischen Ideen und Akteuren sowie Verschwörungstheorien deutlich eher zustimmen als dies für die Entdecker der Fall ist. Allerdings werden auch diese Zusammenhänge durch den politischen Kontext eines Landes moderiert.
Der Identitätskonflikt zwischen Verteidigern und Entdeckern: Implikationen und Einbettung in die Forschung
Authors: Back Mitja , Echterhoff Gerald , Müller Olaf , Pollack Detlef , Schlipphak Bernd
Published: April 2022

In Kap. 4 betten wir die Ergebnisse unserer Studie in aktuelle psychologische, soziologische und politikwissenschaftliche Literatur ein. Dabei zeigen wir zunächst, dass sich die Gegensätze zwischen Verteidigern und Entdeckern durch fundamentale Bedürfnisunterschiede erklären lassen. Wir argumentieren weiter, dass der Identitätskonflikt zwischen den beiden Gruppen durch die Auswirkungen der Globalisierung verstärkt werden wird. Und wir verdeutlichen drittens, dass die Polarisierung der Gesellschaft durch den Identitätskonflikt aufgrund der Tatsache, dass Identitätskonzepte nicht hinterfragbar oder Gegenstand von Kompromissen sind, zunächst unausweichlich scheint. Vor diesem Hintergrund entwickeln wir jedoch drei Implikationen zur politischen Kommunikation, die eine solche gesellschaftliche Polarisierung wahrscheinlicher oder unwahrscheinlicher machen.
Augmentation bei der Versorgung proximaler Humerus- und Femurfrakturen
Authors: van Veelen Nicole M. , Beeres Frank JP , Link Björn-Christian , Babst Reto
Published: April 2022

Hintergrund

Proximale Humerus- und pertrochantäre Femurfrakturen sind beim älteren Patienten meist durch Niedrigenergietraumata verursacht und häufig mit einer Osteoporose assoziiert. Die Versorgung solcher Fragilitätsfrakturen kann erschwert sein, da Implantate im osteoporotischen Knochen schlechteren Halt finden. Durch die Augmentation mit Zement wird die Kontaktfläche zwischen Knochen und Implantat vergrößert, um die Stabilität der Osteosynthese zu erhöhen.

Ziel der Arbeit

Diese Arbeit beschreibt das operative Vorgehen bei Augmentationen von pertrochantären Femurfrakturen, die mithilfe des Trochanteric Fixation Nail-Advanced (TFNA; Fa. DePuy Synthes, Schweiz) versorgt werden, und von proximalen Humerusfrakturen unter Verwendung einer PHILOS-Platte (Fa. DePuy Synthes, Schweiz). Des Weiteren wird die Evidenzlage der Augmentation bei diesen beiden Frakturentitäten erläutert.

Ergebnisse

Biomechanische Studien konnten bei beiden Frakturtypen nach erfolgter Augmentation eine verbesserte Stabilität der Osteosynthese aufzeigen. Auch klinisch weist die aktuelle Evidenz auf eine Reduktion von Fixationsversagen hin. Ob die Augmentation auf die funktionellen Resultate einen Einfluss hat, konnte bisher noch nicht eindeutig nachgewiesen werden.

Schlussfolgerung

Die Augmentation der Osteosynthese mit Knochenzement scheint eine sichere und wertvolle Erweiterung der Therapieoptionen zu bieten, insbesondere für Patienten mit Fragilitätsfrakturen.
Genomic selection for spot blotch in bread wheat breeding panels, full-sibs and half-sibs and index-based selection for spot blotch, heading and plant height
Authors: Juliana Philomin , He Xinyao , Poland Jesse , Roy Krishna K. , Malaker Paritosh K. , Mishra Vinod K. , Chand Ramesh , Shrestha Sandesh , Kumar Uttam , Roy Chandan , Gahtyari Navin C. , Joshi Arun K. , Singh Ravi P. , Singh Pawan K.
Published: April 2022

Key message

Genomic selection is a promising tool to select for spot blotch resistance and index-based selection can simultaneously select for spot blotch resistance, heading and plant height.

A major biotic stress challenging bread wheat production in regions characterized by humid and warm weather is spot blotch caused by the fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana. Since genomic selection (GS) is a promising selection tool, we evaluated its potential for spot blotch in seven breeding panels comprising 6736 advanced lines from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. Our results indicated moderately high mean genomic prediction accuracies of 0.53 and 0.40 within and across breeding panels, respectively which were on average 177.6% and 60.4% higher than the mean accuracies from fixed effects models using selected spot blotch loci. Genomic prediction was also evaluated in full-sibs and half-sibs panels and sibs were predicted with the highest mean accuracy (0.63) from a composite training population with random full-sibs and half-sibs. The mean accuracies when full-sibs were predicted from other full-sibs within families and when full-sibs panels were predicted from other half-sibs panels were 0.47 and 0.44, respectively. Comparison of GS with phenotypic selection (PS) of the top 10% of resistant lines suggested that GS could be an ideal tool to discard susceptible lines, as greater than 90% of the susceptible lines discarded by PS were also discarded by GS. We have also reported the evaluation of selection indices to simultaneously select non-late and non-tall genotypes with low spot blotch phenotypic values and genomic-estimated breeding values. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of integrating GS and index-based selection for improving spot blotch resistance in bread wheat.
Xylem-specific Overexpression of the GIBBERELLIN ACID 20 OXIDASE Gene (GA20-OXIDASE) from Pine in Hybrid Poplar (Populus tremula L. × P. alba L.) Revealed Reliable Increase in Growth and Biomass Production Just in a Single-copy-line
Authors: Fladung Matthias
Published: April 2022

Overexpression of the GA20-OXIDASE gene under control of the constitutive cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter in poplar leads to increased shoot growth and biomass production, however, the trees suffer from unstable shoots and poor root growth. Transgenic hybrid poplar (Populus tremula L. × P. alba L.) plants overexpressing the GA20-OXIDASE gene from pine under control of a poplar-xylem-specific DX15-promoter also revealed a superior effect on growth and biomass production but without changing the overall phenotype. We tested seven DX15::GA20-OXIDASE-transgenic lines for growth and biomass production in the glasshouse in 2017, and repeated the experiment in 2018 with the “best-four” lines. Plants from one DX15::GA20-OXIDASE-transgenic line, N457‑4, turned out to be the tallest, with highest biomass, in both years under investigation. In contrast to the other lines tested in 2017 and 2018 carrying two or more copies of the transgene, N457‑4 carries only one copy. We suggest that transcriptional or post-transcriptional transgene silencing in the two- or more copies carrying lines might be responsible for lower GA20-OXIDASE transgene expression and that the single-copy-line N457‑4 has stable GA20-OXIDASE-gene expression.
Spatial Organization and Socio-Economic Differentiation at the Dhar Tichitt Center of Dakhlet el Atrouss I (Southeastern Mauritania)
Authors: Linares-Matás Gonzalo J.
Published: April 2022

The emergence of socio-political differentiation is a core theme in world prehistory, and the West African archaeological record offers unique insights into the range of pathways towards increasing complexity and the origins of socio-economic inequalities. During the second half of the second millennium BC, the Tichitt-Oualata escarpments of southeastern Mauritania witnessed the development of societies with monumental funerary architecture and substantial drystone settlements that relied on an agropastoral economy based primarily on pearl millet (Pennisetumsp.) cultivation and livestock-raising. Previous spatial analyses of site size have shown that the Dhar Tichitt landscape exhibited a multi-tiered settlement hierarchy, with Dakhlet el Atrouss I (80 ha) as the main regional center, with almost 600 compounds forming an intricate layout and hundreds of funerary tumuli in the vicinity of the site. The limited presence of imported prestige goods, however, has sparked considerable controversy regarding the socio-political complexity of the community inhabiting the site. The aim of this article is to understand whether remote sensing and spatial analyses can inform us about the extent of socio-economic differentiation at Dakhlet el Atrouss I, the largest site ascribed to the Tichitt Tradition. On the basis of relevant ethnographies exploring the dynamics of household wealth in agropastoral economies, I explore the degree of compound size variation at the site and neighborhood levels using well-established econometric methods that increasingly feature in archaeological studies of inequality and socio-political complexity. This paper represents the first application of Lorenz Curves and Gini Coefficients in African prehistory and illustrates a considerable degree of spatial and socio-economic differentiation at Dakhlet el Atrouss I.
A practical guide to multi-objective reinforcement learning and planning
Authors: Hayes Conor F. , Rădulescu Roxana , Bargiacchi Eugenio , Källström Johan , Macfarlane Matthew , Reymond Mathieu , Verstraeten Timothy , Zintgraf Luisa M. , Dazeley Richard , Heintz Fredrik , Howley Enda , Irissappane Athirai A. , Mannion Patrick , Nowé Ann , Ramos Gabriel , Restelli Marcello , Vamplew Peter , Roijers Diederik M.
Published: April 2022

Real-world sequential decision-making tasks are generally complex, requiring trade-offs between multiple, often conflicting, objectives. Despite this, the majority of research in reinforcement learning and decision-theoretic planning either assumes only a single objective, or that multiple objectives can be adequately handled via a simple linear combination. Such approaches may oversimplify the underlying problem and hence produce suboptimal results. This paper serves as a guide to the application of multi-objective methods to difficult problems, and is aimed at researchers who are already familiar with single-objective reinforcement learning and planning methods who wish to adopt a multi-objective perspective on their research, as well as practitioners who encounter multi-objective decision problems in practice. It identifies the factors that may influence the nature of the desired solution, and illustrates by example how these influence the design of multi-objective decision-making systems for complex problems.
Mendelian nightmares: the germline-restricted chromosome of songbirds
Authors: Borodin Pavel , Chen Augustin , Forstmeier Wolfgang , Fouché Simone , Malinovskaya Lyubov , Pei Yifan , Reifová Radka , Ruiz-Ruano Francisco J. , Schlebusch Stephen A. , Sotelo-Muñoz Manuelita , Torgasheva Anna , Vontzou Niki , Suh Alexander
Published: April 2022

Germline-restricted chromosomes (GRCs) are accessory chromosomes that occur only in germ cells. They are eliminated from somatic cells through programmed DNA elimination during embryo development. GRCs have been observed in several unrelated animal taxa and show peculiar modes of non-Mendelian inheritance and within-individual elimination. Recent cytogenetic and phylogenomic evidence suggests that a GRC is present across the species-rich songbirds, but absent in non-passerine birds, implying that over half of all 10,500 bird species have extensive germline/soma genome differences. Here, we review recent insights gained from genomic, transcriptomic, and cytogenetic approaches with regard to the genetic content, phylogenetic distribution, and inheritance of the songbird GRC. While many questions remain unsolved in terms of GRC inheritance, elimination, and function, we discuss plausible scenarios and future directions for understanding this widespread form of programmed DNA elimination.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on tic symptoms in children and young people: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Hall Charlotte L , Marston Louise , Khan Kareem , Brown Beverley J , Sanderson Charlotte , Andrén Per , Bennett Sophie , Heyman Isobel , Mataix-Cols David , Serlachius Eva , Hollis Chris , Murphy Tara
Published: April 2022

To understand how children and young people with tic disorders were affected by COVID-19, we compared pre and during pandemic scores on the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS). Participants were young people (N = 112; male:78%; 9–17 years) randomised to the control arm of the “ORBIT-Trial” (ISRCTN70758207, ClinicalTrials.gov-NCT03483493). For this analysis, the control arm was split into two groups: one group was followed up to 12-months’ post-randomisation before the pandemic started (pre-COVID group, n = 44); the other group was impacted by the pandemic at the 12-month follow-up (during-COVID group, n = 47). Mixed effects linear regression modelling was conducted to explore differences in YGTSS at 6- and 12-months post-randomisation. There were no significant differences in tic symptom or severity between participants who were assessed before and during COVID-19. This finding was not influenced by age, gender, symptoms of anxiety or autism spectrum disorder. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly impact existing tic symptoms.
Top-down or bottom-up? Norwegian climate mitigation policy as a contested hybrid of policy approaches
Authors: Hermansen Erlend A. T. , Sundqvist Göran
Published: April 2022

It is widely accepted that the Paris Agreement implies a shift in global climate mitigation policy from a top-down approach focused on global distribution of emission cuts and international cost-effectiveness to a bottom-up approach based on national efforts. Less is known about how this shift at the global level trickles down and manifests in national climate mitigation policy. Norway is in this respect an interesting example, since it has long been portrayed as an important driver of an international top-down approach. In this paper, we demonstrate that Norwegian policy cannot be characterised as a ‘pure’ top-down regime; policy instruments and measures directed at specific technology investments and deployment to complement cost-effective (international) policy instruments have been an explicit government ambition for a long time. Second, by using the case of biofuels, we analyse how the two approaches have been combined in practice over the past decade. Using the notion of ‘hybrid management’, we demonstrate that the top-down approach has left a lasting imprint on Norwegian mitigation policy, but also that this approach has increasingly been challenged by bottom-up thinking, leaving Norwegian climate mitigation policy as a contested hybrid of policy approaches. We conclude that inadequate institutional arrangements for productively managing the tensions between the two approaches have hampered progress in Norwegian policy in curbing domestic emissions. We expect that Norwegian climate mitigation will become increasingly hybridised in the coming decades, and suggest that cultivating hybridisation can be a productive approach for policy progress.
Dietary fat intake and risk of Parkinson disease: results from the Swedish National March Cohort
Authors: Hantikainen Essi , Roos Elin , Bellocco Rino , D’Antonio Alessia , Grotta Alessandra , Adami Hans-Olov , Ye Weimin , Trolle Lagerros Ylva , Bonn Stephanie
Published: April 2022

Background

Following progressive aging of the population worldwide, the prevalence of Parkinson disease is expected to increase in the next decades. Primary prevention of the disease is hampered by limited knowledge of preventable causes. Recent evidence regarding diet and Parkinson disease is inconsistent and suggests that dietary habits such as fat intake may have a role in the etiology.

Objective

To investigate the association between intake of total and specific types of fat with the incidence of Parkinson disease.

Methods

Participants from the Swedish National March Cohort were prospectively followed-up from 1997 to 2016. Dietary intake was assessed at baseline using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Food items intake was used to estimate fat intake, i.e. the exposure variable, using the Swedish Food Composition Database. Total, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat intake were categorized into quartiles. Parkinson disease incidence was ascertained through linkages to Swedish population-based registers. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the association between fat intake from total or specific types of fats and the incidence of Parkinson disease. The lowest intake category was used as reference. Isocaloric substitution models were also fitted to investigate substitution effects by replacing energy from fat intake with other macronutrients or specific types of fat.

Results

41,597 participants were followed up for an average of 17.6 years. Among them, 465 developed Parkinson disease. After adjusting for potential confounders, the highest quartile of saturated fat intake was associated with a 41% increased risk of Parkinson disease compared to the lowest quartile (HR Q4 vs. Q1: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.04–1.90; p for trend: 0.03). Total, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat intake were not significantly associated with Parkinson disease. The isocaloric substitution models did not show any effect.

Conclusions

We found that a higher consumption of large amounts of saturated fat might be associated with an increased risk of Parkinson disease. A diet low in saturated fat might be beneficial for disease prevention.
Nigeria's energy review: Focusing on solar energy potential and penetration
Authors: Chanchangi Yusuf. N. , Adu Flossie , Ghosh Aritra , Sundaram Senthilarasu , Mallick Tapas. K.
Published: April 2022

In Nigeria, the rapid population increase and the overreliance on fossil fuel have created significant environmental, health, political, and economic consequences leading to severe socio-economic drawbacks. These factors have developed a wide gap between energy demand and supply due to insufficient local production, necessitating a clean energy supply for all. The photovoltaic device's economic and environmental merits have made it the most suitable clean energy alternative to help developing countries such as Nigeria achieve the SDG-7. However, apart from the device's low efficiency, which is undergoing intensive study globally, other factors affect the penetration of the technology in developing countries, particularly Nigeria. This report systematically reviews the literature on the country's energy crisis and renewable energy potential, leading to an overview of solar energy potential and penetration. The potential of the technology and its penetration in the country were provided. A list highlighting challenges hindering technology penetration was also provided, and a solution for each was recommended.
Procedural time reduction associated with active esophageal cooling during pulmonary vein isolation
Authors: Joseph Christopher , Sherman Jacob , Ro Alex , Fisher Westby G. , Nazari Jose , Metzl Mark
Published: April 2022

Background

Active esophageal cooling is increasingly utilized as an alternative to luminal esophageal temperature (LET) monitoring for protection against thermal injury during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) when treating atrial fibrillation (AF). Published data demonstrate the efficacy of active cooling in reducing thermal injury, but impacts on procedural efficiency are not as well characterized. LET monitoring compels pauses in ablation due to heat stacking and temperature overheating alarms that in turn delay progress of the PVI procedure, whereas active esophageal cooling allows avoidance of this phenomenon. Our objective was to measure the change in PVI procedure duration after implementation of active esophageal cooling as a protective measure against esophageal injury.

Methods

We performed a retrospective review under IRB approval of patients with AF undergoing PVI between January 2018 and February 2020. For each patient, we recorded age, gender, and total procedure time. We then compared procedure times before and after the implementation of active esophageal cooling as a replacement for LET monitoring.

Results

A total of 373 patients received PVI over the study period. LET monitoring using a multi-sensor probe was performed in 198 patients, and active esophageal cooling using a dedicated device was performed in 175 patients. Patient characteristics did not significantly differ between groups (mean age of 67 years, and gender 37.4% female). Mean procedure time was 146 ± 51 min in the LET-monitored patients, and 110 ± 39 min in the actively cooled patients, representing a reduction of 36 min, or 24.7% of total procedure time (p < .001). Median procedure time was 141 [IQR 104 to 174] min in the LET-monitored patients and 100 [IQR 84 to 122] min in the actively cooled patients, for a reduction of 41 min, or 29.1% of total procedure time (p < .001).

Conclusions

Implementation of active esophageal cooling for protection against esophageal injury during PVI was associated with a significantly large reduction in procedure duration.
Structural, optical, magnetic, and photoluminescence properties of Sn0.7−xMo0.3 NdxO2+δ (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3)
Authors: Gad S. A. , Hammad Ali B. Abou , ElNahrawy Amany M.
Published: April 2022

In this study, the properties of a series of (Sn0.7−xMo0.3 NdxO2+δ) (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3) Nd3+ thin films prepared by sol–gel/spin coating technique were examined. The XRD analysis revealed the formation of all thin films in the form of Cassiterite structure. According to the FTIR investigation, when Nd3+ was substituted for Sn4+ ions in the crystal lattice, the absorption peaks migrated to the lower wavenumber side. This could be related to variations in bond length that occurs when Sn4+ ions in the crystal lattice are replaced with lighter Nd3+ ions. The morphology of the films was examined by using scanning electron microscope (SEM). In terms of Nd content, optical properties such as optical band gap, refractive index (n), and extinction coefficient (k) were investigated. The magnetic characteristics indicated diamagnetic behavior of Sn0.7Mo0.3O2+δ, paramagnetic behavior of Sn0.6Nd0.1Mo0.3O2+δ, and ferromagnetic behavior of samples with a high concentration of Nd, (Sn0.5Nd0.2Mo0.3O2+δ, Sn0.4Nd0.3Mo0.3O2+δ). The presence of active Nd3+ successfully introduced into the Sn:Mo host matrix is confirmed by the excitation dependent (PL) observed in the 350–700 nm range. PL measurements reveal two large bands located at 425 and 466 nm.
The Relationship Between Prosociality, Meaning, and Happiness in Everyday Life
Authors: Dakin Brodie C. , Tan Nicholas P. , Conner Tamlin S. , Bastian Brock
Published: April 2022

Prosocial behaviors benefit others, but what benefits do they hold for those who enact them? Prosociality can enhance the actor’s well-being, yet whether it is one’s sense of happiness or meaning that is impacted, and how this plays out in everyday life, has received limited attention. We address this gap in knowledge by examining how prosociality is related to daily meaning and happiness across two large daily diary studies in two countries. Study 1 (N = 1140) revealed that changes in one’s subjective sense of prosociality was uniquely associated with both daily meaning and happiness. Study 2 (N = 217) found that self-reported prosocial behavior was also clearly linked to increases in daily meaning, and modestly associated with daily happiness. Altogether, our findings suggest that the subjective sense of prosociality is associated with meaning and happiness, and that performing prosocial acts may be particularly relevant to experiencing meaning.
A perceptual measure for evaluating the resynthesis of automatic music transcriptions
Authors: Simonetta Federico , Avanzini Federico , Ntalampiras Stavros
Published: April 2022

This study focuses on the perception of music performances when contextual factors, such as room acoustics and instrument, change. We propose to distinguish the concept of “performance” from the one of “interpretation”, which expresses the “artistic intention”. Towards assessing this distinction, we carried out an experimental evaluation where 91 subjects were invited to listen to various audio recordings created by resynthesizing MIDI data obtained through Automatic Music Transcription (AMT) systems and a sensorized acoustic piano. During the resynthesis, we simulated different contexts and asked listeners to evaluate how much the interpretation changes when the context changes. Results show that: (1) MIDI format alone is not able to completely grasp the artistic intention of a music performance; (2) usual objective evaluation measures based on MIDI data present low correlations with the average subjective evaluation. To bridge this gap, we propose a novel measure which is meaningfully correlated with the outcome of the tests. In addition, we investigate multimodal machine learning by providing a new score-informed AMT method and propose an approximation algorithm for thep-dispersion problem.
Immune-related aseptic meningitis and strategies to manage immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: a systematic review
Authors: Nannini Simon , Koshenkova Larysa , Baloglu Seyyid , Chaussemy Dominique , Noël Georges , Schott Roland
Published: April 2022

Introduction

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can induce adverse neurological effects. Due to its rarity as an adverse effect, meningitis has been poorly described. Therefore, meningitis diagnosis and management can be challenging for specialists. Moreover, meningitis can be an obstacle to resuming immunotherapy. Given the lack of alternatives, the possibility of reintroducing immunotherapy should be discussed on an individual basis. Here, we present a comprehensive systematic review of meningitis related to ICIs.

Review

We performed a search for articles regarding immune-related meningitis published in PubMed up to November 2021 with the MeSH terms “meningitis” and “immune checkpoint” using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method. We summarized the studies not only by category but also based on whether it was a primary article or case report to provide a systematic overview of the subject. We reviewed a total of 38 studies and herein report the clinical experiences, pharmacovigilance data and group knowledge from these studies.

Conclusion

This review summarizes the existing information on immune-related meningitis and the possibility of reintroducing immunotherapy after the development of central neurological side effects. To the best of our knowledge, there is little information in the literature to guide clinicians on decisions regarding whether immunotherapy should be continued after a neurological adverse event occurs, especially meningeal events. This review emphasizes the necessity of systematic examinations, steroid treatment (as a cornerstone of management) and the need for further exploratory studies to obtain a clearer understanding of how to better manage patients who experience these side effects. The findings summarized in this review can help provide guidance to practitioners who face this clinical situation.