bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Living Donor Liver Transplantation for Budd‐Chiari Syndrome: A Propensity Score‐Matched Analysis
Authors: Gunasekaran V. , Reddy M. S. , Rammohan A. , Shanmugam N. , Thiruchunapalli D. , Kanagavelu R. G. , Kaliamoorthy I. , Rela M.
Published: September 2022

Introduction

There are unique technical and management challenges associated with living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for Budd‐Chiari Syndrome (BCS). The outcomes of LDLT for BCS in comparison to other indications remain unclear and warrant elucidation.

Methods

Data of 24 BCS patients who underwent LDLT between January 2012 and June 2019 were analyzed. There were 20 adults and 4 children. The early and long‐term outcomes of adult LDLT BCS patients were compared to a control group of LDLT patients for other indications and matched using propensity scoring methodology.

Results

Primary BCS was observed in 18 (90%) patients. Caval replacement was performed in 7 (35%) patients. Early and late hepatic venous outflow tract (HVOT) complications were seen in 1 (5%) and 3 (15%) patients. Preoperative acute kidney injury was identified as a risk factor for mortality in the BCS cohort (p = 0.013). On comparison, BCS recipients were younger with fewer comorbidities, more large volume ascites and higher rates of PVT. They also had longer cold ischemia time, increased blood loss and transfusion requirements, increased hospital stay, and higher late outflow complications. The 1‐year and 3‐year survivals were similar to non‐BCS cohort (84.2% vs. 94% and 71.3% vs. 91.9%, respectively, log rank test p = 0.09).

Conclusion

LDLT is a good option for symptomatic BCS who have failed non‐transplant interventions. The clinical and risk factor profile of BCS recipients is distinct from non‐BCS recipients. By following an algorithmic management protocol, we show on propensity‐score matched analysis that outcomes of LDLT for BCS are similar to non‐BCS indications.
Design und feldtheoretische Analyse einer Hochfeldspule
Authors: Beigelbeck Roman , Keplinger Franz
Published: September 2022

Die Entwicklung einer Hochfeldspule für magnetische Flussdichten bis an die 40 Tesla gestaltet sich als sehr anspruchsvolle Aufgabe. Um die angestrebten hohen Magnetfelder erreichen zu können, muss die Spule nämlich im Grenzbereich ihrer maximalen mechanischen, thermischen und elektrischen Belastbarkeit betrieben werden. Im ersten Teil dieses Artikels werden der grundlegende Spulenaufbau beschrieben und konstruktions- und betriebstechnische Maßnahmen umrissen, die einen sicheren Betrieb bezüglich mechanischer und thermischer Belastungen gewährleisten. Der zweite Teil (Hauptteil) widmet sich einem feldtheoretischen, analytischen Modell, über das sämtliche elektromagnetische Feldgrößen im Spulenbereich sowie entscheidende elektrische Spulenparameter und Spuleneigenschaften im Vorfeld effizient abgeschätzt werden können. Mithilfe dieses erstmalig präsentierten Modells kann gezeigt werden, dass innerhalb der Spule elektrische Resonanzen auftreten können. Dieser Effekt ist besonders gefährlich, da er nicht unmittelbar ersichtlich bzw. erwartbar ist und bei Anregung durch die Spulenspeisung zum elektrischen Durchbruch und damit zur Zerstörung der Spule führen kann.
The impact of COVID-19 vaccination on glycaemic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus on continuous glucose monitoring
Authors: Gouda Niki , Dimitriadou Meropi , Sotiriou Georgia , Christoforidis Athanasios
Published: September 2022

Aims

To investigate the impact of SARS-COV-2 vaccination on the glycaemic control in children and adolescents with T1DM wearing continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

Methods

Caregivers of children and adolescents with T1DM were questioned regarding SARS-CoV-2 vaccination during their regular visits at the Pediatric Diabetes Outpatient Clinic. Data regarding Time in Range (TIR) (glucose levels: 70–180 mg/dl) 7 days prior and 7 days after a vaccination dose were collected in patients wearing CGM and data regarding insulin daily doses were also obtained for the insulin pump users.

Results

From a total of 135 patients eligible for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, 70 (51.9%) children (37 boys, 52.9%) were vaccinated with at least one dose. Seven patients received only one dose, whereas two children received a third booster shot. No statistically significant difference was observed in either TIR (64.19% post vs. 65.53% pre, p = 0.158) or total daily insulin dose (40.08 U/day post vs. 39.32 U/day pre, p = 0,282). Additionally, in ten patients on Hybrid Closed-Loop System the percentage of the automated insulin boluses given post-vaccination was not statistically significant different compared to the boluses given pre-vaccination (15.80% vs. 16.90%, p = 0,491).

Conclusions

Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in children and adolescents with T1DM is safe and is not associated with immediate glucose imbalance.
Non-motor symptoms burden in motor-fluctuating patients with Parkinson’s disease may be alleviated by safinamide: the VALE-SAFI study
Authors: De Masi Claudia , Liguori Claudio , Spanetta Matteo , Fernandes Mariana , Cerroni Rocco , Garasto Elena , Pierantozzi Mariangela , Mercuri Nicola Biagio , Stefani Alessandro
Published: September 2022

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by motor symptoms often experienced in concomitance with non-motor symptoms (NMS), such as depression, apathy, pain, sleep disorders, and urinary dysfunction. The present study aimed to explore the effect of safinamide treatment on NMS and quality of life in motor-fluctuating PD patients. VALE-SAFI is an observational single-centre study performed in fluctuating PD patients starting safinamide treatment and followed for 6 months. The effects of safinamide on NMS, sleep, fatigue, depression and pain were assessed through validated sales. Changes in the scales from baseline to the 6-month follow-up visit were analysed. 60 PD patients (66.67% males) were enrolled at baseline, and 45 patients completed the 6-month follow-up. PD patients improved motor symptoms at follow-up, with the significant reduction of motor fluctuations. The global score of the NMS Scale significantly decreased between baseline and the follow-up. Regarding pain domains, patients reported a significant improvement in discolouration and oedema/swelling. Further, a significant improvement was observed from baseline to follow-up in sleep quality measured through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, while no changes were documented in daytime sleepiness. No differences were found in depression and fatigue between baseline and follow-up. Finally, the patient’s perception of the impact of PD on functioning and well-being decreased from baseline to follow-up. The present findings confirmed the beneficial effect of safinamide on both motor and non-motor symptoms, also improving the quality of life of PD patients. Furthermore, these data support the positive effects of safinamide on pain and mood, as well as on sleep quality and continuity.
Deep learning for compressive sensing: a ubiquitous systems perspective
Authors: Machidon Alina L. , Pejović Veljko
Published: September 2022

Compressive sensing (CS) is a mathematically elegant tool for reducing the sensor sampling rate, potentially bringing context-awareness to a wider range of devices. Nevertheless, practical issues with the sampling and reconstruction algorithms prevent further proliferation of CS in real world domains, especially among heterogeneous ubiquitous devices. Deep learning (DL) naturally complements CS for adapting the sampling matrix, reconstructing the signal, and learning from the compressed samples. While the CS–DL integration has received substantial research interest recently, it has not yet been thoroughly surveyed, nor has any light been shed on practical issues towards bringing the CS–DL to real world implementations in the ubiquitous computing domain. In this paper we identify main possible ways in which CS and DL can interplay, extract key ideas for making CS–DL efficient, outline major trends in the CS–DL research space, and derive guidelines for the future evolution of CS–DL within the ubiquitous computing domain.
The Persistent Interlocutor
Authors: Grefte Job de
Published: September 2022

A Persistent Interlocutor (PI) is someone who, in argumentative contexts, does not cease to question her opponent’s premises. The epistemic relevance of the PI has been debated throughout the history of philosophy. Pyrrhonians famously claim that our inability to dialectically vindicate our claims against a PI implies scepticism. Adam Leite disagrees (2005). Michael Resorla argues that the debate is based on a false premise (2009). In this paper, I argue that these views all fail to accurately account for the epistemic relevance of the PI. I then briefly present an account that aims to do better in this regard, based on the modal notion of safety. On the account proposed, the PI does not violate epistemic or dialectical norms. Rather, her behaviour tends to be epistemically perverse in the sense that it wastes cognitive resources. Perhaps surprisingly, this defect turns out not to be unique to the PI.
The Emotional Machiavellian: Interactions Between Leaders and Employees
Authors: Liyanagamage Nilupulee , Fernando Mario , Gibbons Belinda
Published: September 2022

This paper examines the emotional processes in Machiavellian leadership. The leadership literature portrays Machiavellians as ‘dark’ individuals that engage in unethical actions, causing employee dissatisfaction, distress, emotional exhaustion and high turnover. However, research has seldom questioned the processes behind these unethical and negative outcomes. This study explores Machiavellian emotional processes at multiple levels—within-persons and relational levels (between-persons and interpersonal interactions in organisations). In this study, emotions and leadership are not explored in isolation but as social processes that occur in relationships between leaders and employees in evolving organisational settings. This study draws on 20 participants from four large multi-national construction firms in Sri Lanka. Open-ended semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the emotions of Machiavellians in organisations. The findings suggest that Machiavellianism influences leader and employee emotional processes. Furthermore, the emotional processes, influenced by Machiavellianism, appear to facilitate the development of leader and employee relationships and emotional experiences at within-persons and relational levels in organisations.
Problematic Internet Use Among Adolescent Male and Female Psychiatric Inpatients: A Gender Perspective
Authors: Winds Kornelius , Aebi Marcel , Plattner Belinda
Published: September 2022

Problematic internet use (PIU) is of treatment interest in adolescent clinical samples. Gender specific differences in terms of personality traits and psychopathological symptoms remain unclear. In an adolescent clinical sample (n = 104; 69 girls) PIU, psychopathology, temperament and character traits as well as emotional and behavioral problems were assessed. 62% of the sample showed subthreshold PIU and 34% full PIU (fPIU). Boys reported more gaming whereas girls social networking. Sex specific analyses revealed gender differences: Girls with fPIU scored significantly higher on internalizing/externalizing problems/behavior, novelty seeking and transcendence, and lower on persistence, self-directedness, and cooperativeness than girls without fPIU. Boys with fPIU scored significantly higher on internalizing problems and self-transcendence and lower on harm avoidance than boys without fPIU. Gender plays an important role in PIU. Gender specific differences in both application use as well as symptomatic, temperament and character traits call for a gender specific approach in prevention and treatment integration.
Gravitomagnetic induction in the field of a gravitational wave
Authors: Ruggiero Matteo Luca
Published: September 2022

The interaction of a plane gravitational wave with test masses can be described in the proper detector frame, using Fermi coordinates, in terms of a gravitoelectric and a gravitomagnetic field. We use this approach to calculate the displacements produced by gravitational waves up to second order in the distance parameter and, in doing so, we emphasize the relevance of the gravitomagnetic contribution related to gravitational induction. In addition, we show how this approach can be generalized to calculate displacements up to arbitrary order.
Water Flows and Water Accumulations on Bedrock as a Structuring Element of Rock Art
Authors: Horn Christian , Potter Rich , Peternell Mark
Published: September 2022

The paper proposes a new method to quantify the flow of water and water accumulation zones on bedrock panels. This can be used to investigate how water influences the placement of rock art. The analysis is based on photogrammetric models on which water flows and accumulations were modelled using a NetLogo simulation and the SAGA hydrology package. To test the hypothesis that water was a structuring element in the creation of rock art, case studies of Bohus-granite panels from south-western Sweden were used. The described approach should be possible to use on most rock art placed on bedrock panels regardless of rock type, its state of cleaning, or present microfauna. The modelling of water flows and accumulations is a powerful tool to compare the image placement and image density in relation to water even on widely separated panels on which such observations cannot be made directly.
Response to climate change in a rain-fed crop production system: insights from maize farmers of western Kenya
Authors: Kogo Benjamin Kipkemboi , Kumar Lalit , Koech Richard , Hasan Md Kamrul
Published: September 2022

Climate change poses a threat to crop production and livelihoods of rural farming communities in Kenya, a majority of whom are mainly dependent on rain-fed agriculture. The purpose of this study was to examine farm-level adaptation responses towards climate change and their influencing factors, using a case study of western Kenya. Structured questionnaire was administered to 210 farmers in selected locations in the region where households farm maize as the main crop. Logistic and multiple linear regression models were used to ascertain the factors that influence farmers’ adaptation practices. The results indicate that farmers perceived climate change as being responsible for the reduction in crop yield and production, crop failure and increase of fallow farms. The major adaptation strategies undertaken by the farmers included change in planting dates by either planting early or late during a season, diversification of crops, growing early maturing cultivars, use of drought-tolerant varieties and timely planting. The key determinants of adaptation strategies by the farmers included farm size, income and extension training. Understanding farmers’ responses to climate change in rain-fed crop production systems could assist in planning adaptation strategies towards sustainable crop production.
Influence of altitude on the physicochemical composition and antioxidant capacity of strawberry: a preliminary systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Guevara-Terán Mabel , Gonzalez-Paramás Ana M. , Beltrán-Noboa Andrea , Giampieri Francesca , Battino Maurizio , Tejera Eduardo , Alvarez-Suarez José M.
Published: September 2022

Several climatic trends are generally associated with altitude, that may influence the nutritional and phytochemical composition of plants. Strawberry is considered a functional food due to biological activities and health benefits. This systematic review and meta-analysis intend to expose possible variations on physicochemical composition and antioxidant capacity of strawberries in regard to altitude. Thirty eligible studies were included for the final meta-analysis. Two altitude ranges were established: 0 – 1000 and 1000—2000 m above sea level. A random-effects model was used to obtain the results. It was discovered that total soluble solids significantly decreased with altitude. Total titratable acidity increased with altitude. Vitamin C and total anthocyanins showed a significant difference between the groups before we discarded some studies. The analysis of altitude for phenolics and antioxidant capacity evaluated for the DPPH radical scavenging method did not identify any significant differences between the studies. The findings suggest that altitude does not affect the physicochemical composition and antioxidant capacity of strawberries; nonetheless, a more exhaustive study is recommended.

Graphical abstract
Who is asking? The effect of survey sponsor misperception on political trust: evidence from the Afrobarometer
Authors: Isani Mujtaba , Schlipphak Bernd
Published: September 2022

Based on previous research on political trust on the one hand and the effects of perceived survey sponsors on political attitudes on the other, this paper sets out to explore the effects of misperceiving the survey sponsor on political trust among citizens. The article explores the significance of the effect of survey sponsor misperception among factors that are traditionally used to explains political trust. Using Afrobarometer data, which includes thirty-six democratic and autocratic countries and more than fifty-thousand respondents, the paper demonstrates that such an effect is significant and substantive. Hence, researchers should definitely take survey sponsor misperception into account when designing and analyzing surveys. In conclusion, the article provides an outlook on what this means for future survey research.
“Ukraine commits genocide on Russians”: the term “genocide” in Russian propaganda
Authors: Fortuin Egbert
Published: September 2022

According to Russia, the main reason for starting the war with Ukraine on February 24, 2022 was the genocide of the Russian-speaking population by the Nazi government of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In this paper I investigate the Russian claims about genocide. These claims are shown to be part of the rhetorical frame Russophobic Nazi Ukraine government commits genocide on Russians, an aspect of Russian propaganda which builds on the Second World War. I demonstrated that this frame is itself an aspect of a more abstract frame, where any perceived enemy of Russia, is portrayed as a fascist or Nazi force that aims to destroy Russia and Russian culture. I investigate how this frame emerged and developed over time in five stages, starting in post-Soviet Russia and Ukraine, and in Russia after the Orange and Maidan revolutions in Ukraine. Russia tries to provide argumentation for the validity of the frame by referring to a number of objectively established facts relating to the situation in the Donbas, Ukraine’s language laws, and the presence of right-extremists in Ukraine. In doing so, some ideas are made more salient than others (the language laws that diminish the official status of Russian in Ukraine and the hostilities in the Donbas region), while other ideas are suppressed altogether (e.g. the juridical meaning of genocide, the actual status of right-wing extremism in Ukraine, the role of Russia in the hostilities in the Donbas, and the actual status of the language laws in Ukraine). In all of these cases, the arguments used by Russia are not valid, being based on exaggerations, hyperbolic use of terminology, and lies. The main goal of this frame is to acquire and retain support for Russia’s policy toward Ukraine, as well as to deflect any potential criticism on Russia itself. Ultimately, the Russian propaganda is part of the concept Russkij Mir ‘Russian World’, where Russian language and culture are a means to restore President Vladimir Putin’s Russian sphere of influence from Soviet times or earlier.
A New Measure of Wage Risk: Occupation-Specific Evidence for Germany
Authors: Herwartz Helmut , Rodriguez-Justicia David , Theilen Bernd
Published: September 2022

This study proposes a new measure of wage risk based on estimated probabilities to earn an hourly wage that is below some specific lower quantile of the wage distribution. Using the German SOEP as an information rich data base, we determine wage risks overall and for nine job categories during the period from 1992 until 2015. We find that the low-wage workers in Germany are worse off after the Hartz reforms. In Western Germany this evidence stems from both a reduction of low wages and an increase of wage risk. In Eastern Germany, it is largely due to increased wage risk. Moreover, overall evidence hides important developments at the occupational level.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me that I have succeeded at it all: Self-esteem and the defensive mechanisms against failure
Authors: Zogmaister Cristina , Maricutoiu Laurentiu P.
Published: September 2022

Students face frequent formal and informal tests, both in the academic context and social life. On each of these occasions, they risk falling short of their own or others’ expectations. Facing failure is a psychological challenge, and people can react with defensive strategies, which may have negative consequences. Here we investigated the role of self-esteem as a possible buffer against these defensive strategies. Previous research has demonstrated that, in the face of failure, individuals with discrepant (fragile: high explicit and low implicit, or damaged: high implicit and low explicit) self-esteem are more likely to engage in defensive mechanisms than individuals with consistent implicit and explicit self-esteem. Two studies investigate the relationship between implicit and explicit self-esteem and two defensive strategies against the threat of failure: subjective overachievement and retroactive excuses. In Study 1 (N = 176 high school students), we find an association between fragile self-esteem and subjective overachievement. In Study 2 (N = 101 university students), damaged self-esteem is related to the increased use of retroactive excuses as a form of self-serving bias. These results add to the growing body of evidence documenting the maladaptive nature of fragile and damaged self-esteem.
Efficacy and safety of tolvaptan versus placebo in the treatment of patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: a meta-analysis
Authors: Lu Jingkui , Xu Wei , Gong Lifeng , Xu Min , Tang Weigang , Jiang Wei , Xie Fengyan , Ding Liping , Qian Xiaoli
Published: September 2022

Objective

The objective of this meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy and drug safety of tolvaptan with placebo for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).

Methods

The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception to September 10, 2021. Eligible studies comparing tolvaptan and placebo in the treatment of patients with ADPKD were included. Data were analysed using Review Manager Version 5.3.

Results

Thirteen studies involving 3575 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with placebo, tolvaptan had a better effect on delaying eGFR decline (MD 1.27, 95% CI 1.24–1.29, P < 0.01) and TKV increase (MD − 3.01, 95% CI − 3.55 to − 2.47, P < 0.01) in ADPKD treatment. Additionally, tolvaptan reduced the incidence of complications such as renal pain (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.58–0.87, P < 0.01), urinary tract infection (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.54–0.89, P < 0.01), haematuria (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.51–0.89, P < 0.01), and hypertension (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.52–0.82, P < 0.01). However, tolvaptan was associated with a higher incidence rate of adverse events such as thirst (OR 8.48 95% CI 4.53–15.87, P < 0.01), polyuria (OR 4.71, 95% CI 2.17–10.24, P < 0.01), and hepatic injury (OR 4.56, 95% CI 2.51–8.29, P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Tolvaptan can delay eGFR decline and TKV increase and reduce complications such as renal pain, urinary tract infection, haematuria, and hypertension in the treatment of ADPKD. However, tolvaptan increases the adverse effects of thirst, polyuria and hepatic injury.
Shaping Civil Society Leaders: Horizontal and Vertical Boundary Work in Swedish Leadership Training Programmes
Authors: Altermark Niklas , Johansson Håkan , Stattin Simon
Published: September 2022

Civil society leadership training programmes are a new phenomenon, and they are often overlooked by civil society scholarship despite being linked to the professionalisation of the sector. In this article, we examine 14 Swedish leadership programmes in order to identify leadership ideals in the sector. Drawing on the notion of ‘symbolic boundaries’, we argue that leadership programmes produce horizontal boundaries in relation to other societal sectors and vertical boundaries between leaders of the sector and other members. Together, these symbolic boundaries form a leadership ideal that detaches leaders from their organisation and internal democratic processes, instead depicting leadership as a question of personal characteristics and values. Leaders in the sector need to be authentic and to anchor their leadership in the personal values they hold. Theoretically, our analytical model may prove useful in the study of other empirical phenomena in civil society.
Is “cellular senescence” a misnomer?
Authors: Gems David , Kern Carina C.
Published: September 2022

One of the most striking findings in biogerontology in the 2010s was the demonstration that elimination of senescent cells delays many late-life diseases and extends lifespan in mice. This implied that accumulation of senescent cells promotes late-life diseases, particularly through action of senescent cell secretions (the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, or SASP). But what exactly is a senescent cell? Subsequent to the initial characterization of cellular senescence, it became clear that, prior to aging, this phenomenon is in fact adaptive. It supports tissue remodeling functions in a variety of contexts, including embryogenesis, parturition, and acute inflammatory processes that restore normal tissue architecture and function, such as wound healing, tissue repair after infection, and amphibian limb regeneration. In these contexts, such cells are normal and healthy and not in any way senescent in the true sense of the word, as originally meant by Hayflick. Thus, it is misleading to refer to them as “senescent.” Similarly, the common assertion that senescent cells accumulate with age due to stress and DNA damage is no longer safe, particularly given their role in inflammation—a process that becomes persistent in later life. We therefore suggest that it would be useful to update some terminology, to bring it into line with contemporary understanding, and to avoid future confusion. To open a discussion of this issue, we propose replacing the termcellular senescencewithremodeling activation, and SASP withRASP(remodeling-associated secretory phenotype).
Reaction-driven solvent transport in UV-curable phase-separating coatings
Authors: Yamamura M.
Published: September 2022

We experimentally examined the time-evolutions of local compositions in photocurable, monomer-solvent-initiator ternary liquid film coatings using attenuated total-reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The coatings exhibited phase separation upon UV exposure owing to the inherent partial miscibility between the solvent and the polymer. The solvent concentration at the bottom of the coating increased when exposed to UV light for 1 s from the top, showing a solvent transport along the irradiation direction. The differences in solvent concentration before and after UV exposure showed good agreement with model predictions based on stress-induced non-Fickian solvent mass transport. The solvent concentrations at the bottom remained constant in the case of discrete phase structures, whereas it exponentially decayed over time in bicontinuous phase structures. These results suggest that light-tunable microstructures enable the relaxation of the reaction-driven nonuniformity in solvent concentration distributions.
Patient activation, self-efficacy and usage of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer patients
Authors: Hübner Jutta , Welter Saskia , Ciarlo Gianluca , Käsmann Lukas , Ahmadi Emadaldin , Keinki Christian
Published: September 2022

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used by many cancer patients by themselves. Therefore, we conducted a survey regarding the association between CAM, self-efficacy, and patient activation in adult cancer patients. A standardized questionnaire, consisted of the ASKU, the PAM 13-D, and a structured questionnaire on CAM usage from our own working group, was distributed to 880 potential participants. Six hundred and thirty-nine (639) patients (male 32.9%, female 63.2%; gynecological cancer 41%, gastrointestinal 19.2%, urogenital 15.6%) took part. 60% of all patients used CAM in the last 3 months (biological 73%, holistic 63%, mind–body methods 62%). Higher self-efficacy was associated with higher interest in CAM (p = 0.03), but not usage of CAM, compared to patients with lower self-efficacy (p = 0.099). Higher patient activation was associated with higher interest in CAM (p = 0.004) and usage of CAM (p = 0.012). Patients with higher activation significantly more often used homeopathy (p = 0.007), prayer (p = 0.002), yoga, etc. (p = 0.032), meditation (p = 0.002), low carb or ketogenic diets (p < 0.001) (but not vegan or other cancer diets). Higher patient activation is associated with higher usage of CAM. Focusing on patient activation as a goal in patient–physician relationship will help patients to adhere to a healthy lifestyle and to actively participate in the whole treatment process.
Cultural Effects on Sorghum Varieties Grown, Traits Preferred, and Seed Management Practices in Northern Ethiopia
Authors: Wendmu Tsedal Asres , Cuni-Sanchez Aida , Abebe Haftom Temesgen , de Boer Hugo J. , Abera Fetien Abay , Westengen Ola Tveitereid
Published: September 2022

Cultural Effects on Sorghum Varieties Grown, Traits Preferred, and Seed Management Practices in Northern Ethiopia. Agrobiodiversity is fundamentally shaped by farmers’ preferences and management practices, and these are again shaped by the farmers’ social and cultural background. This study investigates variety preferences and seed management practices in the crop sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) among the Kunama and the Tigrayan ethnolinguistic groups living side by side in Northern Ethiopia. Surveys were conducted in 10 villages located in two districts inhabited by the two ethnolinguistic groups and analyzed using descriptive and multinominal analysis. We find important differences in varieties grown across the ethnolinguistic groups, but we also find that ethnicity and geographic proximity interact and affect trait preference and seed management practices. Altogether, 22 varieties are cultivated, and few farmers cultivated improved varieties, especially among the Kunama. Respondents considered use traits as important as agronomic traits when selecting sorghum varieties. Notably, preferred use traits were not limited to food (e.g., construction materials were important for the Kunama), and preferred agronomic traits were not focused on drought resistance. Timing of seed selection, seed selection criteria (e.g., panicle size and color), and seed storage practices differed among the ethnic groups. Understanding cultural and social preferences towards sorghum varieties, their traits, and the criteria used for seed management is crucial for the success of crop breeding programs, climate change adaptation policies, and development interventions.
“I Think I Am Getting There” Understanding the Computational Identity of Engineering Students Participating in a Computationally Intensive Thermodynamics Course
Authors: Shoaib Huma , Madamanchi Aasakiran , Pienaar Elsje , Umulis David M. , Cardella Monica E.
Published: September 2022

In response to the growing computational intensity of the healthcare industry, biomedical engineering (BME) undergraduate education is placing increased emphasis on computation. The presence of substantial gender disparities in many computationally intensive disciplines suggests that the adoption of computational instruction approaches that lack intentionality may exacerbate gender disparities. Educational research suggests that the development of an engineering and computational identity is one factor that can support students’ decisions to enter and persist in an engineering major. Discipline-based identity research is used as a lens to understand retention and persistence of students in engineering. Our specific purpose is to apply discipline-based identity research to define and explore the computational identities of undergraduate engineering students who engage in computational environments. This work will inform future studies regarding retention and persistence of students who engage in computational courses. Twenty-eight undergraduate engineering students (20 women, 8 men) from three engineering majors (biomedical engineering, agricultural engineering, and biological engineering) participated in semi-structured interviews. The students discussed their experiences in a computationally-intensive thermodynamics course offered jointly by the Biomedical Engineering and Agricultural & Biological Engineering departments. The transcribed interviews were analyzed through thematic coding. The gender stereotypes associated with computer programming also come part and parcel with computer programming, possibly threatening a student's sense of belonging in engineering. The majority of the participants reported that their computational identity was “in the making.” Students’ responses also suggested that their engineering identity and their computational identity were in congruence, while some incongruence is found between their engineering identity and a creative identity as well as between computational identity and perceived feminine norms. Responses also indicate that students associate specific skills with having a computational identity. This study's findings present an emergent thematic definition of a computational person constructed from student perceptions and experiences. Instructors can support students’ nascent computational identities through intentional mitigation of the gender stereotypes and biases, and by framing assignments to focus on developing specific skills associated with the computational modeling processes.
Religion and the Global History of Europe
Authors: Green Abigail
Published: September 2022

European history has been defined as a field by a notion of Europe—its borders, values, civilization, and nationalities—that is structured by Christianity and its secular legacies. Rather than seeking to globalize the history of Europe by considering the impact of European Christianity on other parts of the world, and how it was impacted by them, this article challenges that narrative. It asks how the historiography of Europe can be integrated with the historiographies of Europe’s historic non-Christian populations, namely Jews and Muslims. These are historiographies with their own rhythms, conceptual frameworks, and geographies in which Europe carries quite different connotations. They shift our attention from the north and west to the south and east, enjoining us to think differently about Europe and the diversity that has always existed within it. Separately, these historiographies speak to very different experiences. Taken together, they help us to think differently about the interface between Europe and the world, and to write the history of Europe itself against the grain.
Costs and Benefits of Branded Drugs: Insights from Cost-Effectiveness Research
Authors: Frech H. E. , Pauly Mark V. , Comanor William S. , Martinez Joseph R.
Published: September 2022

The relationship between costs and health benefits of branded pharmaceuticals remains controversial. This paper examines the incremental costs incurred for incremental health benefits gained from the largest available sample of cost-effectiveness studies of branded drugs in the USA, the 1994–2015 Tufts Registry of Cost-Effectiveness Analyses. Earlier studies used small, specialized samples of drugs. We use linear regression analysis to estimate the association in those studies between additional quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental pharmaceutical costs. The preferred sample uses 476 studies involving branded pharmaceuticals with both higher costs and increased effectiveness compared to the previous standard of care. Regressions of costs on QALYs imply that an additional QALY is associated, on average, with a $28,561 increase in cost (95 % CI, $18,853–$38,270). This regression explains 20 % of the variation in sample costs. In this analytical sample, a share of the variation in the cost of pharmaceuticals is, therefore, not random but rather associated with variation in QALYs; prices are to some extent “value-based.” Our results are robust to varying sample inclusion criteria and to the funding source. In subgroup analyses, the highest cost per QALY was $44,367 (95 % CI, $35,373–$53,361). Costs of pharmaceuticals in this data set are, on average, lower than common estimates of the monetary value of a QALY to American consumers. As in other studies, we find that sellers of patent-protected beneficial new technology appear to capture only a fraction of the benefits provided.
Conservative Treatment of Evidence
Authors: Fatollahi Alireza
Published: September 2022

This paper discusses two conservative ways of treating evidence. (I) Closing inquiry involves discounting evidence bearing on one's belief unless it is particularly strong evidence; (II) biased assimilation involves dedicating more investigative resources to scrutinizing disconfirming evidence (than confirming evidence), thereby increasing the chances of finding reasons to dismiss it. It is natural to worry that these practices lead to irrational biases in favor of one's existing beliefs, and that they make one's epistemic condition significantly path-sensitive by giving a bigger role to batches of evidence obtained earlier in the course of inquiry compared with those subsequently acquired. However, I argue that both practices are demanded by considerations of practical rationality. I also argue that, contrary to initial appearances, there is little reason to worry about the effects of these practices on the dynamics of one's beliefs.
THE TURING DEGREES AND KEISLER’S ORDER
Authors: MALLIARIS MARYANTHE , SHELAH SAHARON
Published: September 2022

There is a Turing functional
$\Phi $
taking
$A^\prime $
to a theory
$T_A$
whose complexity is exactly that of the jump of A, and which has the property that
$A \leq _T B$
if and only if
$T_A \trianglelefteq T_B$
in Keisler’s order. In fact, by more elaborate means and related theories, we may keep the complexity at the level of A without using the jump.
Mango phenology and fruit fly population dynamics in the transition zone of Ghana
Authors: Narveh Awarikabey Ernestina , Afun Jakpasu Victor Kofi , Osekre Enoch Adjei , Billah Maxwell Kelvin
Published: September 2022

Crop phenological studies are vital in the formulation of effective integrated pest management packages. A 2-year phenological study spanning 2017–2019 was conducted in eight mango orchards in the transition zone of Ghana, to determine the relationship between the aggregation of culprit fruit fly species and the phenology of the mango crop. A total of 160 shoots were tagged and observed weekly for the plant's developmental processes using the Biologische Bundesantalt, Bundessortenamt and Chemische Industrie mango phenological scale as a guide. Fruit fly monitoring was conducted with two para pheromone attractants (methyl eugenol and terpinyl acetate) in 32 improvised traps. Host fruits sampled at colour break and ripe stages were incubated to identify culprit species. Significant infestation levels were assessed with one way analysis of variance. Three culprit species (Bactrocera dorsalis, Ceratitis cosyra and Ceratitis ditissima) emerged from incubated fruits. Co-infestation between B. dorsalis and C. cosyra was observed mostly at colour break. A residual population of B. dorsalis was observed throughout the crop cycle but peaked at the colour break phenological stage in May and early June, and dropped in August (at post-harvest). The interaction among fruit fly species, season, fruit source and phenological stage of the fruit was significant (P = 0.016). C. cosyra appeared at the beginning of anthesis, increased during flowering to fruit set and peaked in April when fruits were nearing maturity and green. It is therefore important that management practices are implemented throughout the phenological cycle of the crop but intensified from anthesis to post-harvest to reduce pest populations and damage.
Audit of middle-ear surgery outcomes in a tertiary referral Australian teaching hospital
Authors: Shah S , Ahmadzada S , Hitos K , da Cruz M
Published: September 2022

Objective

This study aimed to audit middle-ear surgical procedures, provide a record of Australian experiences and allow comparisons with other published audits.

Method

A retrospective continuous series audit was conducted on 274 patients who underwent tympanoplasty, mastoidectomy and stapedotomy surgery at Westmead Hospital, Sydney. All consecutive surgical procedures, performed by multiple operators at various stages of training but under the care of a single surgeon, were included.

Results

Graft uptake was 86.9 per cent in tympanoplasty. Well healed cavities were seen in 72 per cent of mastoidectomies. Although 42 per cent of the patients had one or more co-morbidities, this did not influence the outcome. Hearing improvement was dramatic in stapedotomy and minimally changed in mastoidectomy. Post-operative complications were minimal.

Conclusion

All forms of middle-ear surgery were effective in achieving their surgical goals. Aural discharge and inflammatory diseases were well controlled with tympanoplasty and mastoid surgery.
The old gods as a live possibility: on the rational feasibility of non-doxastic paganism
Authors: Palmqvist Carl-Johan
Published: September 2022

Pagan revivalism is a growing trend in the contemporary religious landscape. Is it possible to be a neopagan without disregarding the demands of reason? While outright belief in the old gods seems out of the question, I argue that polytheism represents a live epistemic possibility, and that non-doxastic paganism is therefore a viable option. However, the rational, non-doxastic neopagan should only commit to general polytheism, rather than a detailed, specific pagan pantheon (such as the Greek or Old Norse). I also suggest that the ancient pagan conception of the divine as radically immanent must be rejected.
Politicised Bureaucrats: Conflicting Loyalties, Professionalism and the Law in the Making of Public Services
Authors: Andreetta Sophie , Kolloch Annalena
Published: September 2022

Over recent years, public servants from across the world, from French nurses and Belgian social workers to Beninese judges, have been protesting their governments. These protests, some even overt, have erupted in response to specific policies imposed on them or needing to be enforced by them. This Special Issue, however, delves into diverse processes, strategies, actions and practices adopted by civil servants in delivering or administering a public service, be that health care, education, welfare and the like, by extension, seeking to redefine the state or the experience of the state (as a body of institutions, services, public policies, etc.) at the micro-level. Often daily practices of public servants when administering public services directly or indirectly challenge and undermine such legal and policy directives of the government that defy their own idea(l)s of stateness. These findings are drawn from recent works on the making of stateness, which explore the day-to-day work of public servants, especially their interaction with users and their exercise of discretion in implementing public policies. The studies focus on how public servants critically engage with the state and interrogate its policies, mainly to instil (or prevent) political change. A critical engagement with the conflicting loyalties of individual bureaucrats will expand our current understanding of street-level bureaucracies. That also entails observing and analysing their ambivalent responses to new governmental injunctions on a day-to-day basis and their attempts to reinterpret and redefine professionalism as they navigate their conflicting loyalties.
Crime wars: Operational perspectives on criminal armed groups in Mexico and Brazil
Authors: Sullivan John P.
Published: September 2022

Violent conflicts involving non-State armed groups challenge conventional perceptions of war and armed conflict. Criminal enterprises (transnational organized criminal groups including gangs and cartels) are involved in violent competition for both profit and territorial control in many parts of the world. This paper examines the situation in Mexico and Brazil as case studies to assess the legal challenges to criminal armed violence when criminal groups battle among themselves and the State. The paper focuses on the operational challenges and considerations facing police, military, and security forces and justice institutions to illuminate the legal challenges.
Opening Pandora's box: The case of Mexico and the threshold of non-international armed conflicts
Authors: Padin Juan Francisco
Published: September 2022

This article addresses the situation of Mexican cartels in relation to the applicability of international humanitarian law (IHL). The analysis starts with a theoretical examination of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia criteria on intensity of violence and level of organization established for assessing the existence of an organized armed group in the context of a non-international armed conflict. The article further examines legal and non-legal literature with the purpose of providing elements to consider the rightness of applying IHL to criminal organizations, also considering similar scenarios in Latin America. The aim of this assessment is to provide additional elements for the consideration of whether IHL is suitable when addressing confrontations between certain criminal gangs and States. Additionally, the article assesses how the commercial purposes of these groups affect their organization and the nature of the violence in which they engage.
Harvesting vulnerability: The challenges of organ trafficking in armed conflict
Authors: Martial Thomas
Published: September 2022

Armed conflicts leave populations vulnerable to organ trafficking, a criminal enterprise with little international regulation when viewed separately from human trafficking. The Council of Europe's Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs is the only instrument to contemplate the responsibility of actors involved in organ trafficking, but traffickers may go unpunished due to its limited scope. Yet in armed conflict, international humanitarian law offers additional protection. The rules protecting the living and the dead against ill-treatment provide the basic level of protection necessary to consider the international responsibility of organ trafficking networks and the individual criminal responsibility of their members.