bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A novel approach for spam detection using horse herd optimization algorithm
Authors: Hosseinalipour Ali , Ghanbarzadeh Reza
Published: March 2022

Communication via email has expanded dramatically in recent decades due to its cost-effectiveness, convenience, speed, and utility for a variety of contexts, including social, scientific, cultural, political, authentication, and advertising applications. Spam is an email sent to a large number of individuals or organizations without the recipient's desire or request. It is increasingly becoming a harmful part of email traffic and can negatively affect the usability of email systems. Such emails consume network bandwidth as well as storage space, causing email systems to slow down, wasting time and effort scanning and eliminating enormous amounts of useless information. Spam is also used for distributing offensive and harmful content on the Internet. The objective of the current study was to develop a new method for email spam detection with high accuracy and a low error rate. There are several methods to recognize, detect, filter, categorize, and delete spam emails, and almost the majority of the proposed methods have some extent of error rate. None of the spam detection techniques, despite the optimizations performed, have been effective alone. A step in text mining and message classification is feature selection, and one of the best approaches for feature selection is the use of metaheuristic algorithms. This article introduces a new method for detecting spam using the Horse herd metaheuristic Optimization Algorithm (HOA). First, the continuous HOA was transformed into a discrete algorithm. The inputs of the resulting algorithm then became opposition-based and then converted to multiobjective. Finally, it was used for spam detection, which is a discrete and multiobjective problem. The evaluation results indicate that the proposed method performs better compared to other methods such as K-nearest neighbours-grey wolf optimisation, K-nearest neighbours, multilayer perceptron, support vector machine, and Naive Bayesian. The results show that the new multiobjective opposition-based binary horse herd optimizer, running on the UCI data set, has been more successful in the average selection size and classification accuracy compared with other standard metaheuristic methods. According to the findings, the proposed algorithm is substantially more accurate in detecting spam emails in the data set in comparison with other similar algorithms, and it shows lower computational complexity.
Step-drawdown tests: linear and nonlinear head loss components
Authors: Houben Georg J. , Kenrick Michael A. P.
Published: March 2022

Coefficients B and C of the Jacob (1947) equation, usually derived from step-drawdown tests, are commonly attributed to “aquifer losses” and “well losses”, respectively. This paper analyzes and separates the linear laminar, nonlinear laminar and turbulent losses occurring during flow from an aquifer to a screened well. From this, one can derive a detailed physical meaning for both coefficients. The coefficient B does not contain only aquifer losses but also linear losses from the gravel pack and wellbore skin, if present. Coefficient C contains nonlinear laminar losses from the gravel pack and turbulent losses caused by screen inflow and vertical flow through the screen and casing. In some cases, the turbulent losses are small enough to be omitted. For transient flow at larger times, the changes in linear laminar losses within the aquifer become important. A new, explicit formulation of the Jacob equation was compared to long-duration field step-drawdown tests, three in confined unconsolidated formations and one in a fractured rock aquifer. Jacob C.E. (1947) Drawdown test to determine effective radius of artesian wells. Trans. Am. Soc. Civil Eng. 112:1047–1070.
Integrierte Notfallzentren: eine Lösung zur Patientensteuerung?
Authors: Walk Ricarda , Schuster Susanne
Published: March 2022

Hintergrund

Die deutschen Notaufnahmen sind überfüllt. Immer mehr Patienten suchen im Bedarfsfall eine Notaufnahme auf, obwohl diese teilweise von einem niedergelassenen Arzt behandelt werden könnten. Durch die geplante Einführung von integrierten Notfallzentren (INZ) soll dieser Überfüllung und Überlastung der Notaufnahmen entgegengewirkt werden. Doch können INZ zur Patientensteuerung genutzt werden und welche personellen und strukturellen Voraussetzungen müssen dafür erfüllt sein?

Methode

Zur Beantwortung dieser Fragestellungen wurde eine literaturgestützte empirische Primärdatenerhebung durchgeführt. Eine systematische Literaturrecherche bildete dabei die Grundlage für eine weiterführende Querschnittserhebung. Ziel war es, publizierte Meinungen und Positionen verschiedener Fachverbände, Gesellschaften und Experten unter Klinikern zu hinterfragen. Die Datenerhebung fand durch eine quantitative Befragung in Form einer Online-Umfrage statt. Adressaten der Online-Umfrage waren alle ärztlichen und pflegerischen Notaufnahmeleitungen (N = 331) in Bayern. Zur Datenauswertung wurde das Statistikprogramm SPSS verwendet.

Ergebnisse

Ein Drittel der Notaufnahmeleitungen (N = 107) hat sich an der Online-Umfrage beteiligt. Die Teilnehmer setzen sich aus 57 ärztlichen und 50 pflegerischen Leitungen zusammen. Mehr als 80 % der befragten Teilnehmer erachten INZ als sinnvoll. Als wichtige Voraussetzungen für die Etablierung von INZ gelten dabei die Zusammenarbeit aller Beteiligten, eine validierte Ersteinschätzung, angemessene Personalbemessungsmodelle sowie eine transparente Ausgestaltung von INZ.

Diskussion

INZ werden momentan als ein vielversprechender Lösungsansatz betrachtet. Damit eine Patientensteuerung gelingen kann, müssen die genannten Voraussetzungen erfüllt sein.
Context mining and graph queries on giant biomedical knowledge graphs
Authors: Dörpinghaus Jens , Stefan Andreas , Schultz Bruce , Jacobs Marc
Published: March 2022

Contextual information is widely considered for NLP and knowledge discovery in life sciences since it highly influences the exact meaning of natural language. The scientific challenge is not only to extract such context data, but also to store this data for further query and discovery approaches. Classical approaches use RDF triple stores, which have serious limitations. Here, we propose a multiple step knowledge graph approach using labeled property graphs based on polyglot persistence systems to utilize context data for context mining, graph queries, knowledge discovery and extraction. We introduce the graph-theoretic foundation for a general context concept within semantic networks and show a proof of concept based on biomedical literature and text mining. Our test system contains a knowledge graph derived from the entirety of PubMed and SCAIView data and is enriched with text mining data and domain-specific language data using Biological Expression Language. Here, context is a more general concept than annotations. This dense graph has more than 71M nodes and 850M relationships. We discuss the impact of this novel approach with 27 real-world use cases represented by graph queries. Storing and querying a giant knowledge graph as a labeled property graph is still a technological challenge. Here, we demonstrate how our data model is able to support the understanding and interpretation of biomedical data. We present several real-world use cases that utilize our massive, generated knowledge graph derived from PubMed data and enriched with additional contextual data. Finally, we show a working example in context of biologically relevant information using SCAIView.
A framework for implementing robotic process automation projects
Authors: Herm Lukas-Valentin , Janiesch Christian , Helm Alexander , Imgrund Florian , Hofmann Adrian , Winkelmann Axel
Published: March 2022

Robotic process automation is a disruptive technology to automate already digital yet manual tasks and subprocesses as well as whole business processes rapidly. In contrast to other process automation technologies, robotic process automation is lightweight and only accesses the presentation layer of IT systems to mimic human behavior. Due to the novelty of robotic process automation and the varying approaches when implementing the technology, there are reports that up to 50% of robotic process automation projects fail. To tackle this issue, we use a design science research approach to develop a framework for the implementation of robotic process automation projects. We analyzed 35 reports on real-life projects to derive a preliminary sequential model. Then, we performed multiple expert interviews and workshops to validate and refine our model. The result is a framework with variable stages that offers guidelines with enough flexibility to be applicable in complex and heterogeneous corporate environments as well as for small and medium-sized companies. It is structured by the three phases of initialization, implementation, and scaling. They comprise eleven stages relevant during a project and as a continuous cycle spanning individual projects. Together they structure how to manage knowledge and support processes for the execution of robotic process automation implementation projects.
Has the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown worsened eating disorders symptoms among patients with eating disorders? A systematic review
Authors: Gao Yunqi , Bagheri Nasser , Furuya-Kanamori Luis
Published: March 2022

Objective

During the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, general medical complications have received the most attention, and few studies have examined the association between the COVID-19 lockdown and eating disorders (ED). This study aimed to investigate the impact of the coronavirus lockdowns on ED symptoms severity and summarize factors associated with lockdowns that led to changes in eating disorders.

Method

PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies measuring the impact of coronavirus lockdowns on ED symptoms.

Results

A total of 132 studies were retrieved, after abstract screening and removal of duplicates, 21 papers were full-text screened, and 11 eligible papers were identified. Factors associated with symptomatic deterioration in ED patients during COVID-19 lockdowns included disruption of lifestyle routine, social isolation, reduced access to usual support networks, limited or no access to healthcare and mental care services, and social anxiety.

Discussion

Overall, the pandemic lockdowns were associated with worsening of eating disorders.

This triggering environment can lead to increased anxiety and depression symptoms, change in dietary habits, and eventually result in worsening eating disorder symptoms.
Just you wait… and fill out this survey. Discussion of the methodological aspects of waiting room surveys
Authors: Ongena Yfke P. , Haan Marieke
Published: March 2022

A method commonly used in health care research is the waiting room (WR) survey. While patients are waiting for their appointment, they are asked to complete a questionnaire measuring their attitudes, behaviors and other characteristics. In this paper we synthesize practical guidelines for WR surveys by comparing the method with two similar approaches: public intercept (PI) surveys and drop-off-pick-up (DOPU) surveys. In this comparison we use the Total Survey Error approach Groves (Survey Methodology, Wiley, New York, 2004); (Groves in Public Opinion Quarterly 74(5): 849-879, 2010) and apply it to three case examples in which one of the three surveys is used. We take into account measurement (validity, measurement- and processing error) and representation (coverage-, sampling- and nonresponse error). From our review, we conclude that waiting room surveys, though limited to patients and their caregivers, can provide useful information on patients’ perspective on health care. Response rates in waiting rooms are usually high, but often not even reported. We recommend adjustment for sampling bias by taking into account the number of visits to the hospital per respondent and sample times proportionate to the number of sample members expected on a particular time. These surveys also allow for collection of para-data; i.e., relevant information in the circumstances of a request to participate in survey research, and behavior of surveyors can easily be controlled, or investigated in an experimental design.
Farnesoid X receptor functions in cervical cancer via the p14ARF-mouse double minute 2-p53 pathway
Authors: Huang Xiaohua , Wang Bin , Shen Huimin , Huang Danmei , Shi Ganggang
Published: March 2022

Background

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women living in developing countries. Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a member of the nuclear receptor family, which regulates the development and proliferation of cancer. However, the role of and molecular mechanism by which FXR acts in cervical cancer are still unknown.

Methods and results

The relationship between FXR and the proliferation of cervical cancer cell lines was detected by MTT and colony formation assays. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of FXR in cervical cancer tissue slides. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of p14ARF, mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) and p53 when FXR was overexpressed or siRNA was applied. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of MDM2 and p53 when pifithrin-α (PFT-α) was applied. FXR activation inhibited the proliferation of cervical cancer cell lines. FXR was significantly decreased in cervical squamous cell carcinoma, which was correlated with TNM stage, but not with metastasis. Overexpression of FXR activated the p14ARF-MDM2-p53 pathway. As a p53 inhibitor, PFT-α increased MDM2 in Lenti-vector cells, but had no effect on MDM2 in Lenti-FXR cells.

Conclusions

FXR inhibits cervical cancer by upregulating the p14ARF-MDM2-p53 pathway. Activation of FXR may be a potential strategy for the treatment of cervical cancer.
Benchmarking deep networks for facial emotion recognition in the wild
Authors: Greco Antonio , Strisciuglio Nicola , Vento Mario , Vigilante Vincenzo
Published: March 2022

Emotion recognition from face images is a challenging task that gained interest in recent years for its applications to business intelligence and social robotics. Researchers in computer vision and affective computing focused on optimizing the classification error on benchmark data sets, which do not extensively cover possible variations that face images may undergo in real environments. Following on investigations carried out in the field of object recognition, we evaluated the robustness of existing methods for emotion recognition when their input is subjected to corruptions caused by factors present in real-world scenarios. We constructed two data sets on top of the RAF-DB test set, named RAF-DB-C and RAF-DB-P, that contain images modified with 18 types of corruption and 10 of perturbation. We benchmarked existing networks (VGG, DenseNet, SENet and Xception) trained on the original images of RAF-DB and compared them with ARM, the current state-of-the-art method on the RAF-DB test set. We carried out an extensive study on the effects that modifications to the training data or network architecture have on the classification of corrupted and perturbed data. We observed a drop of recognition performance of ARM, with the classification error raising up to 200% of that achieved on the original RAF-DB test set. We demonstrate that the use of the AutoAugment data augmentation and an anti-aliasing filter within down-sampling layers provide existing networks with increased robustness to out-of-distribution variations, substantially reducing the error on corrupted inputs and outperforming ARM. We provide insights about the resilience of existing emotion recognition methods and an estimation of their performance in real scenarios. The processing time required by the modifications we investigated (35 ms in the worst case) supports their suitability for application in real-world scenarios. The RAF-DB-C and RAF-DB-P test sets, trained models and evaluation framework are available at https://github.com/MiviaLab/emotion-robustness.
A tool to assess livelihood preparedness for disasters: a study of Kaikōura earthquake in New Zealand
Authors: Kwazu Gerald Chidozie , Chang-Richards Alice
Published: March 2022

Over the past decade, the cost of disasters on lives and livelihoods has increased many folds. However, there are few tools available that can be used to measure the level of livelihood preparedness for disruptions caused by natural hazards. By studying the experience and perceptions of communities affected by the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake in New Zealand, this paper aims to develop an assessment tool for measuring livelihood preparedness. Results from a survey of 140 residents in Kaikōura who lived through the earthquake and its aftermath identified four indicators of livelihood preparedness, namely (1) resource accessibility, (2) individual adaptive capacity, (3) livelihood diversity, and (4) the effectiveness of disaster risk reduction (DRR) measure. Structural equation modelling approach was used to establish the quantification of these four indicators, and as a result, a numerical model was developed that can be used as a tool to assess livelihood preparedness at an individual level. It is hoped that this tool will be used by policymakers and individuals living in hazard prone locations to evaluate livelihood preparedness prior to a disaster to facilitate improvement or as a forensic tool post disaster.
Plants with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi efficiently acquire Nitrogen from substrate additions by shaping the decomposer community composition and their net plant carbon demand
Authors: Chowdhury Somak , Lange Markus , Malik Ashish A. , Goodall Timothy , Huang Jianbei , Griffiths Robert I. , Gleixner Gerd
Published: March 2022

Aims

We investigated the role of plants and their plant-derived carbon in shaping the microbial community that decomposes substrates and traced the return of nutrients from decomposition back to plant shoots in order to understand the importance of plants for ecosystem element cycling.

Methods

We performed a greenhouse experiment having plant communities with and without arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and ingrowth cores that held different 15N labeled substrates. We determined the microbial community structure using molecular sequencing and the net assimilation of plant carbon into soil microorganisms using a 13CO2 pulse and 13C measurements of microbial biomarkers. We determined the return of nitrogen back to the shoots using the 15N signal, which was provided from the decomposition of the substrate added to the ingrowth cores.

Results

We observed that the microbial community composition in the ingrowth cores and their net 13C assimilation depended on the presence of AMF and the added substrate. Both plant communities had similar 15N uptake into their shoots, but the net N uptake cost was significantly lower in presence of AMF. In the presence of AMF also lower net N uptake cost was observed for the decomposition of plant-derived and microorganism-derived substrates compared to inorganic nitrogen suggesting that AMF actively controls the decomposer comunity and their carbon demand.

Conclusion

Our results identify for the first time a functional overlap of soil microorganisms as identical substrate is decomposed by different microorganisms suggesting functional redundancy of microbial communities. In consequence a better understanding of ecosystem element cycling can only be achieved when the whole plant-microorganism-organic matter-soil continuum is investigated.
The “qualitative” in qualitative comparative analysis (QCA): research moves, case-intimacy and face-to-face interviews
Authors: Pagliarin Sofia , La Mendola Salvatore , Vis Barbara
Published: March 2022

Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) includes two main components: QCA “as a research approach” and QCA “as a method”. In this study, we focus on the former and, by means of the “interpretive spiral”, we critically look at the research process of QCA. We show how QCA as a research approach is composed of (1) an “analytical move”, where cases, conditions and outcome(s) are conceptualised in terms of sets, and (2) a “membership move”, where set membership values are qualitatively assigned by the researcher (i.e. calibration). Moreover, we show that QCA scholars have not sufficiently acknowledged the data generation process as a constituent research phase (or “move”) for the performance of QCA. This is particularly relevant when qualitative data–e.g. interviews, focus groups, documents–are used for subsequent analysis and calibration (i.e. analytical and membership moves). We call the qualitative data collection process “relational move” because, for data gathering, researchers establish the social relation “interview” with the study participants. By using examples from our own research, we show how a dialogical interviewing style can help researchers gain the in-depth knowledge necessary to meaningfully represent qualitative data into set membership values for QCA, hence improving our ability to account for the “qualitative” in QCA.
A Late Antique Rabbinic Discourse on the Linguistic (In-)determinacy of the Law
Authors: Kiesele Eva
Published: March 2022

The late antique rabbis of Roman Palestine were seasoned jurists, experts on exegesis and legal interpretation. Yet rabbinic literature does not theorize. A positive account of rabbinic conceptions of language therefore remains a desideratum. I choose an alternative approach. Legal reasoning relies on language to ground the determinacy of the law. Jurists must thus confront language when it threatens to undermine the latter. Conversely, they may hold language to safeguard legal determinacy. Drawing on insights from legal theory, I turn to an unusual rabbinic rule of inference. Its earliest attested version suggests a universal possibility of inference “from the category of yes that of no, from the category of no that of yes.” I show that the ever-evolving uses of this rule allow us to observe a shift in linguistic attitude, increasingly acknowledging linguistic uncertainty. My findings tie in with recent advances in the study of rabbinic exegesis.
Effect of substrate properties and phosphorus supply on facilitating the uptake of rare earth elements (REE) in mixed culture cropping systems of Hordeum vulgare, Lupinus albus and Lupinus angustifolius
Authors: Monei Nthati , Hitch Michael , Heim Juliane , Pourret Olivier , Heilmeier Hermann , Wiche Oliver
Published: March 2022

This study presents how phosphate (P) availability and intercropping may influence the migration of rare earth elements (REEs) in legume–grass associations. In a replacement model, Hordeum vulgare was intercropped with 11% Lupinus albus and 11% Lupinus angustifolius. They were cultivated on two substrates, A (pH = 7.8) and B (pH = 6.6), and treated with 1.5 g P m−2 or 3 g P m−2. Simultaneously, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to quantify carboxylate release. There, one group of L. albus and L. angustifolius was supplied with either 200 µmol L-1 P or 20 µmol L-1 P. L. albus released higher amounts of carboxylates at low P supply than L. angustifolius, while L. angustifolius showed the opposite response. Plants cultivated on substrate B accumulated substantially higher amounts of nutrients and REE, compared to substrate A. Higher P supply did not influence the leaf and stem P concentrations of H. vulgare. Addition of P decreased REE accumulation in barley monocultures on alkaline soil A. However, when H. vulgare was cultivated in mixed culture with L. angustifolius on alkaline substrate A with high P supply, the accumulation of REE in H. vulgare significantly increased. Conversely, on acidic substrate B, intercropping with L. albus decreased REE accumulation in H. vulgare. Our findings suggest a predominant effect of soil properties on the soil–plant transfer of REEs. However, in plant communities and within a certain soil environment, interspecific root interactions determined by species-specific strategies related to P acquisition in concert with the plant’s nutrient supply impact REE fluxes between neighbouring plants.
Efficacy of a Bariatric Surgery Clinic-Based Pharmacist
Authors: Han Althea , Nguyen Nicole Yvonne , Hung Nancy , Kamalay Salem
Published: March 2022

Purpose

To evaluate the impact of a bariatric clinic-based pharmacist on inpatient length of stay, medication errors, and patient experience.

Materials and Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study comparing patients who received a pre-operative pharmacist consultation to historical cases without pre-operative pharmacist consultation prior to admission for bariatric surgery. A patient experience survey was administered post-operatively to the intervention group. The primary outcome was hospital length of stay (LOS). Secondary outcomes included corrected medication errors on reconciliation, pharmacist interventions, adverse drug event (ADE) prevention, and patient satisfaction.

Results

With 68 patients in the intervention group and 67 patients in the control group, the majority were female (76%) and received either laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (53%) or sleeve gastrectomy (47%). The median LOS in the intervention group was 55.5 h, which did not significantly differ from the median 57.9 h in the control group (p = 0.56). The clinic-based pharmacist made an average of 13 interventions per patient. Surveys were distributed to 73 patients with a 60% response rate. High overall satisfaction with the pre-operative pharmacist consultation was reported by 97% of patients.

Conclusion

Although hospital LOS did not significantly differ between groups, pre-operative pharmacist consultation prevented potential ADEs, and provided strong patient satisfaction. Having pharmacists as part of a multidisciplinary approach to bariatric surgery patient care can prevent medication-related adverse events and improve patient satisfaction.

Graphic Abstract
Writing and choosing problems for a popular high school mathematics competition
Authors: Geretschläger Robert , Donner Lukas
Published: March 2022

In this paper, we consider the issues involved in creating appropriate problems for a popular mathematics competition, and how such problems differ from problems typically encountered in a classroom. We discuss the differences and similarities in school curricula versus the generally agreed upon topics encountered in international competitions. The question of inspiration for the development of competition problems is dealt with from the standpoint of the problem author, while aspects related to the motivation of the contest participant, objective and subjective problem difficulty and mathematical precision in mathematics competitions are also discussed.
Determination of the indoor radon concentration in schools of Tenerife (Canary Islands): a comparative study
Authors: López-Pérez María , Hernández Francisco , Díaz Juan Pedro , Salazar-Carballo Pedro A.
Published: March 2022

A radon survey was carried out in 18 high schools located in Tenerife Island when anti-pandemic strategies were used to reduce COVID-19 dissemination during 2021. High schools were located in radon-prone areas previously identified by the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council. Our results showed that 12 high schools presented radon activities lower than 100 Bq/m3, 5 high schools presented values in the range 100–200 Bq/m3, and only 1 high school presented radon activity concentration higher than 200 Bq/m3. Such values are below the reference level (300 Bq/m3) recommended by the Spanish legislation in the Basics Document of Health Standards (section HS6) of the Technical Building Code and the European Union directive (2013/59/EURATOM). Assuming an indoor occupancy time of about 1620 h per year, the annual dose contribution due to indoor radon exposure ranged from 0.07 to 1.18 mSv/year. Comparing such result against previous values reported in the literature on the island of Tenerife, we conclude that during the pandemic situation the indoor radon concentration (median valued) was reduced from 130.9 (2007) to 73.5 (2021) Bq/m3. Finally, continuous indoor radon concentration measurements were obtained to study short-time fluctuations (intra-day changes) under different ventilation conditions.
The Ubuntu Robot: Towards a Relational Conceptual Framework for Intercultural Robotics
Authors: Coeckelbergh Mark
Published: March 2022

Recently there has been more attention to the cultural aspects of social robots. This paper contributes to this effort by offering a philosophical, in particular Wittgensteinian framework for conceptualizing in what sense and how robots are related to culture and by exploring what it would mean to create an “Ubuntu Robot”. In addition, the paper gestures towards a more culturally diverse and more relational approach to social robotics and emphasizes the role technology can play in addressing the challenges of modernity and in assisting cultural change: it argues that robots can help us to engage in cultural dialogue, reflect on our own culture, and change how we do things. In this way, the paper contributes to the growing literature on cross-cultural approaches to social robotics.
Down-regulation of miR-7-5p and miR-548ar-5p predicts malignancy in indeterminate thyroid nodules negative for BRAF and RAS mutations
Authors: Macerola Elisabetta , Poma Anello Marcello , Proietti Agnese , Rago Teresa , Romani Rossana , Vignali Paola , Ugolini Clara , Torregrossa Liborio , Basolo Alessio , Santini Ferruccio , Basolo Fulvio
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The value of molecular markers in refining preoperative risk assessment of indeterminate thyroid nodules is being widely investigated. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are emerging as promising biomarkers for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. The aim of this study is to identify miRNAs specifically deregulated in mutation-negative indeterminate thyroid nodules.

Methods

Ninety-eight nodules preoperatively diagnosed as TIR 3A or TIR 3B with available histological diagnosis of follicular adenoma (FA), noninvasive follicular neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP), and follicular variant papillary thyroid carcinoma (FV-PTC) have been retrospectively selected. Mutations in BRAF and RAS genes have been tested in all samples by real-time PCR; miRNAs were purified from cytology slides of 60 samples; expression analysis of 798 miRNAs was measured by the nCounter system.

Results

Point mutations in BRAF and RAS genes were detected in 32 out of 98 nodules (32.7%), the majority of which in FV-PTCs. Differential expression of miRNA in wild-type nodules highlighted that two miRNAs, namely miR-7-5p and miR-548ar-5p, were downregulated in FV-PTCs compared to FAs. The combined expression of these miRNAs, tested by ROC analysis, showed an area under the curve of 0.79. Sensitivity and negative predictive value were high both in wild-type (93% and 92%, respectively) and in mutated nodules (94% and 85%, respectively).

Conclusion

The analysis of miR-7-5p and miR-548ar-5p expression in indeterminate thyroid nodules demonstrated a promising value in ruling out malignancy.
Endovascular Thrombectomy for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion: Latest Findings and Critical Thinking on Future Study Design
Authors: Yu Wengui , Higashida Randall T.
Published: March 2022

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated powerful efficacy of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for large vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation. The effect of EVT for acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) in the posterior circulation remains unproven. Here, we highlight the latest findings of observational studies and RCTs of EVT for BAO, with a focus on the predictors of functional outcomes, the limitations of recent RCTs, and critical thinking on future study design. Pooled data from large retrospective studies showed 36.4% favorable outcome at 3 months and 4.6% symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that higher baseline NIHSS score, pc-ASPECTS < 8, extensive baseline infarction, large pontine infarct, and sICH were independent predictors of poor outcome. Two recent randomized trial BEST (Endovascular treatment vs. standard medical treatment for vertebrobasilar artery occlusion) and BASICS (Basilar Artery International Cooperation Study) failed to demonstrate significant benefit of EVT within 6 or 8 h after stroke symptom onset. The limitations of these studies include slow enrollment, selection bias, high crossover rate, and inclusion of patients with mild deficit. To improve enrollment and minimize risk of diluting the overall treatment effect, futile recanalization and re-occlusion, optimal inclusion/exclusion criteria, including enrollment within 24 h of last known well, NIHSS score ≥ 10, pc-ASPECTS ≥ 8, no large pontine infarct, and the use of rescue therapy for underlying atherosclerotic stenosis, should be considered for future clinical trials.
QTL mapping for adult plant resistance to wheat stripe rust in M96-5 × Guixie 3 wheat population
Authors: Cheng Bin , Gao Xu , Cao Ning , Ding Yanqing , Chen Tianqing , Zhou Qiang , Gao Yu , Xin Zhihai , Zhang Liyi
Published: March 2022

Development of cultivars with multiple resistances has proven to be an effective way to prevent diseases in wheat breeding. The Guixie 3 variety (GX3) has shown excellent performance in resistance to stripe rust in field for many years. The purpose of this study was to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with resistance to stripe rust in the adult plant stage and determine closely linked molecular markers. A population of recombinant inbred lines (n = 228) was derived from a cross between the susceptible landrace Mian 96–5 (M96-5) and GX3 variety and evaluated in multiple field studies, and QTL analysis enabled to elucidate genetic architecture of wheat resistance to stripe rust. A total of 19 QTL for stripe rust resistance were mapped on 12 chromosomes using phenotypic data from multiple field tests over the course of 6 years. These chromosomes included 1B (2), 1D (2), 2A (2), 2B (2), 2D (1), 4B (2), 4D (1), 5A (3), 5B (1), 6A (1), 6B (1), and 7B (1). Two stable QTL on chromosomes 2AS (Qyr.gaas.2A) and 6AL (Qyr.gaas.6A) were detected in six and five different environments, respectively; in both QTL, positive allele was contributed by GX3 variety. Qyr.gaas.2A was found to be crucial for increasing adult plant resistance, which may explain the large phenotypic variation of 45.52%. Our results provide theoretical and molecular insight for wheat breeding and suggest the cloning of genes associated with the GX3 variety may be beneficial in future studies.
An averaging process on hypergraphs
Authors: Spiro Sam
Published: March 2022

Consider the following iterated process on a hypergraph H. Each vertex v starts with some initial weight
$x_v$
. At each step, uniformly at random select an edge e in H, and for each vertex v in e replace the weight of v by the average value of the vertex weights over all vertices in e. This is a generalization of an interactive process on graphs which was first introduced by Aldous and Lanoue. In this paper we use the eigenvalues of a Laplacian for hypergraphs to bound the rate of convergence for this iterated averaging process.
Do typological differences in the expression of causality influence preschool children’s causal event construal?
Authors: Ger Ebru , Küntay Aylin C. , Göksun Tilbe , Stoll Sabine , Daum Moritz M.
Published: March 2022

This study investigated whether cross-linguistic differences in causal expressions influence the mapping of causal language on causal events in three- to four-year-old Swiss-German learners and Turkish learners. In Swiss-German, causality is mainly expressed syntactically with lexical causatives (e.g.,ässe‘to eat’ vs.füettere‘to feed’). In Turkish, causality is expressed both syntactically and morphologically – with a verbal suffix (e.g.,yemek‘to eat’ vs.yeDIRmek‘to feed’). Moreover, unlike Swiss-German, Turkish allows argument ellipsis (e.g., ‘The mother feeds [∅]’). Here, we used pseudo-verbs to test whether and how well Swiss-German-learning children inferred a causal meaning from lexical causatives compared to Turkish-learning children tested in three conditions: lexical causatives, morphological causatives, and morphological causatives with object ellipsis. Swiss-German-learning children and Turkish-learning children in all three conditions reliably inferred causal meanings, and did so to a similar extent. The findings suggest that, as young as age 3, children learning two different languages similarly make use of language-specific causality cues (syntactic and morphological alike) to infer causal meanings.
Never enough: neoliberalizing Namibian middle-class marriages
Authors: Pauli Julia
Published: March 2022

Neoliberal ideologies have not only transformed the Namibian economy but also reconfigured some of the most intimate domains of everyday life. In the course of the last forty years, marriage in Namibia has changed from a widespread and affordable life transition to a costly celebration of middle-classness. To be married today is a sign of middle-class achievement, lifestyle and prosperity. The downside of these accomplishments is the middle classes’ fear of failing, especially through divorce. Although Namibian divorce rates are low, most middle-class couples interviewed in 2015–16 in Windhoek were anxious about such an end to marriage. In order to prevent divorce and the loss of a middle-class lifestyle, middle-class couples neoliberalized their marriages. With often cruel determination, many worked as hard as they could to optimize themselves, their marriages and their kin relations. They trimmed their bodies, enhanced their communications skills and supported their kin. As it remained unclear, however, how much optimizing would indeed be enough, their attempts at self-formation had a Sisyphus-like quality. This article builds on the growing literature on the lived experiences of the African middle classes, focusing on how the neoliberalization of Namibian marriages is shaping a new ethics of personhood.
Which has more influence on a family's assessment of the quality of dying of their long-term care resident with dementia: Frequency of symptoms or quality of communication with healthcare team?
Authors: Charest-Drapeau Olivia , Provencher Véronique , Trottier Lise , Léonard Guillaume , Wilchesky Machelle , Bravo Gina
Published: March 2022

Objective

Symptoms present at the end of life and the quality of communication with the healthcare team have both been shown to impact family assessments of the quality of dying of their loved one with dementia. However, the relative contributions of these two factors to family assessments have not yet been investigated. To address this knowledge gap, we explored which of these two factors has more influence on family assessments of the quality of dying of long-term care (LTC) residents with dementia.

Method

This is a secondary analysis of a mortality follow-back study. Ninety-four family members of LTC residents who had died with dementia assessed the quality of dying (very good or not very good), the frequency of symptoms, and the quality of communication with the healthcare team using a self-administered questionnaire mailed 1 month after the resident's death. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the relative contributions of the two independent variables of primary interest (frequency of symptoms and quality of communication) to the families’ assessments of the quality of dying.

Results

Multivariate analyses revealed that the quality of communication with the healthcare team was closely linked to the quality of dying (p = 0.009, OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.09–1.65), whereas the frequency of symptoms was not (p = 0.142, OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.98–1.11) after controlling for potential confounders.

Significance of results

Our findings show that healthcare providers’ ability to engage in the end-of-life conversations with families outweighs the frequency of symptoms in family assessments of the quality of dying of their relative with dementia. Enhancing healthcare providers’ ability to communicate with families about the end-of-life care could improve families’ perceptions of the quality of dying of their relative with dementia and, consequently, ease their grieving process.
Multiculturalism with Hong Kong Characteristics
Authors: Arat Gizem , Kerelian Narine N. , Dhar Manoj
Published: March 2022

Hong Kong (a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China) is promoted as “Asia’s World City” due to its interconnectivity, East-meets-West geopolitical orientation, and composition of migrants from both Asian and non-Asian countries. Hong Kong-based scholars have suggested that Hong Kong’s policy towards the social inclusion of non-Chinese communities is ambiguous. For example, the Race Discrimination Ordinance (RDO) lacks an informative description of racial discrimination, which may lead to shortcomings in ethnic minority protections under the current social policy for integration (e.g., ethnic minorities’ experiences related to religious discrimination). Most of the non-White ethnic minority population of Hong Kong consists of low-income South Asians and Southeast Asians, with some ethnic groups (e.g., Nepalese) reported to reside in socially segregated districts. Furthermore, scholars have highlighted that current social policy in Hong Kong appears to be partially or completely different from Western-based approaches to multiculturalism, necessitating further examination to promote social inclusion. To fill this gap, this study explores the perspectives of Chinese and non-Chinese individuals regarding multiculturalism in Hong Kong. The study adopts a qualitative research design and includes interviews with twenty ethnically Chinese and non-Chinese teachers serving minorities in Hong Kong. Three themes emerge in this study: 1) a general understanding of multiculturalism as diverse cultural/ethnic backgrounds, mutual understanding and acceptance, and inclusive social harmony and social justice; 2) perceptions of Hong Kong-based multiculturalism and the perceived hierarchy of ethnic groups; and 3) the main differences between Western and Hong Kong-based multiculturalism, including more acceptance of diversity in the West and geographic location. In sum, this study provides recommendations to ensure a respectful and ethical inclusion of non-White ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, such as developing a tailor-made policy.
Norm contestation and the weakening of migrant fisher protection in Thailand
Authors: Auethavornpipat Ruji
Published: March 2022

In 2019, Thailand ratified the International Labour Organization Work in Fishing Convention to protect migrant fishers. The Thai government vigorously promoted the Convention among its constituents. Yet, despite the government’s proactivity, such norms have been weakened upon local translation. This phenomenon is not readily explained by existing norms research that pays scant attention to norms in the domestic space. To address this oversight, this article unpacks domestic processes of norm validation and makes a two-step argument. First, it argues that norm validation is crucial for instigating domestic implementation by allowing stakeholders to deliberate and contest the ‘appropriate’ application of norms. Second, it argues that the locally acquired normative understanding, as influenced by norm antipreneurs, or actors who defend the status quo, weakens norm implementation while the norms’ discursive strength is retained. In presenting the findings, this article contributes to the norms literature by illuminating a new life given to validated norms. The contribution also interrogates norms’ global–local dynamics by scrutinizing norm contestation and the extent to which it generates an internalized sense of legal obligation to implement international norms.
A Comparison Between Sea‐Bottom Gravity and Satellite Altimeter‐Derived Gravity in Coastal Environments: A Case Study of the Gulf of Manfredonia (SW Adriatic Sea)
Authors: Zampa L. S. , Lodolo E. , Creati N. , Busetti M. , Madrussani G. , Forlin E. , Camerlenghi A.
Published: March 2022

The marine gravity field derived from satellite altimetry is generally biased in coastal areas by signals back‐scattered from the adjacent land. As a result, the derived gravity anomalies are generally unreliable for geophysical and geological interpretations of near‐shore environments. We compared two different altimetry models with sea‐bottom gravity measurements acquired along the Italian coast to quantify the errors generated by reflections from onshore areas and verify the quality of the geologic models inferred from gravity data. We focused on the Gulf of Manfredonia, in the SE sector of the Adriatic Sea, where (a) two different sea‐bottom gravity surveys have been conducted over the years, (b) the bathymetry is mainly flat, and (c) seismic data has revealed a prominent carbonate ridge covered by hundreds of meters of Oligocene‐Quaternary sediments. Gravity field derivatives have been used to enhance both deep geological contacts and coastal noise. The analyses point to a ringing noise that degrades the altimeter signals up to 17 km from the coast. Differences between observations and gravity calculated from a geological model and constrained by seismic data show that all the data sets investigated register approximately the same interference patterns associated with the Gondola Fault Zone. This study shows the potential for integrating gravity anomalies from satellite altimetry with high‐resolution near‐shore data, such as that provided by sea‐bottom gravity network available around the Italian coasts. Future applications will use this technique to improve the analysis of the connections between marine and inland geology in transitional areas.
A First‐Order Statistical Exploration of the Mathematical Limits of Micromagnetic Tomography
Authors: Out Frenk , Cortés‐Ortuño David , Fabian Karl , van Leeuwen Tristan , de Groot Lennart V.
Published: March 2022

The recently developed Micromagnetic Tomography (MMT) technique combines advances in high resolution scanning magnetometry and micro X‐ray computed tomography. This allows precise recovery of magnetic moments of individual magnetic grains in a sample using a least squares inversion approach. Here we investigate five factors, which are governing the mathematical validity of MMT solutions: grain concentration, thickness of the sample, size of the sample's surface, noise level in the magnetic scan, and sampling interval of the magnetic scan. To compute the influence of these parameters, we set up series of numerical models in which we assign dipole magnetizations to randomly placed grains. Then we assess how well their magnetizations are resolved as function of these parameters. We expanded the MMT inversion to also produce the covariance and standard deviations of the solutions, and use these to define a statistical uncertainty ratio and signal strength ratio (SSR) for each solution. We show that the magnetic moments of a majority of grains under the inspected conditions are solved with very small uncertainties. However, increasing the grain density and sample thickness carry major challenges for the MMT inversions, demonstrated by uncertainties larger than 100% for some grains. Fortunately, we can use the SSR to extract grains with the most accurate solutions, even from these challenging models. Hereby we have developed a quick and objective routine to individually select the most reliable grains from MMT results. This will ultimately enable determining paleodirections and paleointensities from large subsets of grains in a sample using MMT.