bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Artificial intelligence‐based measurement outperforms current methods for colorectal polyp size measurement
Authors: Kwak Min Seob , Cha Jae Myung , Jeon Jung Won , Yoon Jin Young , Park Jong Wook
Published: April 2022

Objectives

An accurate polyp size estimation during colonoscopy is crucial to determine the surveillance interval and predict the risk of malignant progression. However, there is a high degree of subjectivity in estimating polyp size among endoscopists in clinical practice. We aimed to assess the efficacy of a novel method that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to measure the size of colon polyps and compare it with current approaches.

Methods

Using the W‐Net model for vessel segmentation and based on retinal image datasets (DRIVE, STARE, CHASE‐DB, and HRF) and colonoscopy images, we developed the bifurcation‐to‐bifurcation (BtoB) distance measuring method and applied it to endoscopic images. Measurements were compared with those obtained by eight endoscopists (four expert and four trainees). Diagnostic ability and reliability were evaluated using Lin's concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs) and Bland–Altman analyses.

Results

For both experts and trainees, visually estimated sizes of the same polyp were significantly inconsistent depending on the camera view used (P < 0.001). Bland–Altman analyses showed that there was a trend toward underestimation of the sizes of the polyps in both groups, especially for polyps larger than 10 mm. The new technique was highly accurate and reliable in measuring the size of colon polyp (CCC, 0.961; confidence interval 0.926–0.979), clearly outperforming the visual estimation and open biopsy forceps methods.

Conclusion

The new AI measurement method improved the accuracy and reliability of polyp size measurements in colonoscopy images. Incorporating AI might be particularly important to improve the efficiency of trainees at estimating polyp size during colonoscopy.
Distance higher education and regional equality in China
Authors: Li Fengliang , Wu Feiyu , Wang Zhilin
Published: April 2022

Distance higher education plays a critical role in the promotion of regional equality in China by contributing to the availability of higher education. However, unbalanced regional development of distance higher education can lead to a widening of educational inequity. The study on which this article reports sheds light on the issue of unbalanced regional development of distance higher education in China, using provincial data that spans from 2008 to 2018. A dual‐index method with Gini coefficient and Theil index was employed to measure regional inequality of distance higher education in China. The findings show that tertiary correspondence education and tertiary radio and television education represent a comparatively small percentage of the regional inequality in distance higher education. Online tertiary education contributes to a greater extent to regional inequality in distance higher education. Intra‐regional inequality constituted a large percentage of the total inequality. Also, intra‐regional inequality in tertiary correspondence education has increased in western, and central China from 2008 to 2018. Inequality in tertiary radio and television education has also increased in central China from 2008 to 2016. Intra‐regional inequality in online tertiary education was marked in all three regions, while inter‐regional inequality in online tertiary education decreased from 2008 to 2018.
A case of post‐Soviet dissidence: Georgia's free doctorate
Authors: Bregvadze Tamar , Medjad Karim
Published: April 2022

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the universities of the former Soviet states faced a lack of public funding that left them with tuition fees as their main—and sometimes only—source of revenue. In a context where universities were exclusively focused on their economic survival, the decision of Ilia State University (ISU) to introduce in 2008 a tuition‐free doctoral programme in Georgia was thus a striking exception. This free PhD programme still exists and more than a decade later, its rationale and hence, the question of whether its objectives have been achieved, remain controversial. The purpose of this article is to clarify these two aspects, using the perspective of stakeholders as primary data. Our findings challenge the dominant consensus on free higher education, in the sense that they show that the motives behind tuition‐free programmes may be more diverse and ambiguous than what the literature suggests. Therefore, they also question the relevance of a standard analytical framework to assess the performance of such programmes. Thus, although local and limited in scope, our study offers directions from various disciplinary perspectives for further analyses of the drivers and results of free education.
Unsaturated soil shear strength of agricultural soils influenced by reclamation sequences in coastal China
Authors: Hongde Wang , Dongli She , Yipeng Zheng , Donghao Ma
Published: April 2022

Agricultural activities have raised increasing concern regarding their effects on soil properties and shear strength, which are related to root growth, crop yield and engineering stability. We collected undisturbed soil samples (0‐15 cm) from a No‐Reclaimed (NR) system, a Short‐term Reclaimed (SR) system for less than 7 years, and a Long‐term Reclaimed (LR) system for more than 30 years, in coastal reclamation areas. Direct shear tests were performed and soil water characteristic curves (SWCC) were developed for undisturbed soil samples at 96 soil sampling sites across five transects. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to quantify tillage effects on soil properties and unsaturated shear strength including effective cohesion (c'), effective friction angle (φ'), and friction angle related with matric suction (φb). The LR system had significantly increased percentage clay and silt, organic matter (OM), microaggregates, gravity mean diameter (GMD) and effective cohesion (c'), but significantly decreased percentage sand, cation content and electricity conductivity (EC1:5). The SR system had increased OM and GMD compared to the NR system. c' and φb were significantly positively correlated with bulk density (ρb), clay, silt, OM and GMD. The correlations between the internal friction angle and these properties were opposite to those of cohesion. Two principal components (PC1 and PC2) explained the majority of the soil variables. PC1 had a strong relationship with clay, silt, OM, c' and sand, while PC2 had a strong relationship with EC1:5, SAR, GMD and ρb. Thus, PC1 can be regarded as an indicator of soil texture; similarly, PC2 was able to represent soil salinity properties and structure. Confidence ellipses significantly separated the differences in soil between different reclaimed systems. The use of principal components (PCs) in the linear regression reduced the variables and estimated c' and φ' accurately. This study increases the current understanding of the relationship between soil properties and shear strength under different tillage systems, and assesses the efficacy of soil property evaluation after reclamation in coastal areas.

Highlights

Effect of reclamation on soil properties and unsaturated shear strength was investigated.

Long‐term reclamation increased unsaturated shear strength significantly.

Soil properties are well explained by principal components (PC1 and PC2).

Principal component regression is recommended for predicting unsaturated soil shear strength.
Polygenic risk of Alzheimer's disease in the Faroe Islands
Authors: Johansen Malan , Joensen Sofus , Restorff Marjun , Stórá Tórmóður , Christy Darren , Gustavsson Emil K. , Bian Jiang , Guo Yi , Farrer Matthew J. , Petersen Maria Skaalum
Published: April 2022

Background and purpose

The Faroe Islands are a geographically isolated population in the North Atlantic with a similar prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and all‐cause dementia as other European populations. However, the genetic risk underlying AD and other dementia susceptibility has yet to be elucidated.

Methods

Forty‐nine single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in 174 patients with AD and other dementias and 159 healthy controls. Single variant and polygenic risk score (PRS) associations, with/without APOE variability, were assessed by logistic regression. Performance was examined using receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (ROC AUC) analysis.

Results

APOErs429358 was associated with AD in the Faroese cohort after correction for multiple testing (odds ratio [OR] 6.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.98–10.05, p = 6.31e−15), with suggestive evidence for three other variants: NECTIN2 rs41289512 (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.20–3.51, p = 0.01), HLA‐DRB1 rs6931277 (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.48–0.94, p = 0.02) and APOE rs7412 [ε2] (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.11–0.73, p = 0.01). PRSs were associated with AD with or without the inclusion of APOE (PRS+APOE OR = 4.5, 95% CI 2.90–5.85, p = 4.56e−15, and PRS−APOE OR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.21–1.98, p = 6.82e−4). AD ROC AUC analyses demonstrated a PRS+APOE AUC = 80.3% and PRS−APOE AUC = 63.4%. However, PRS+APOE was also significantly associated with all‐cause dementia (OR = 3.39, 95% CI 2.51–4.71, p = 2.50e−14) with an AUC = 76.9%, that is, all‐cause dementia showed similar results albeit less significant.

Discussion

In the Faroe Islands, SNP analyses highlighted APOE and immunogenomic variability in AD and dementia risk. PRS+APOE, based on 25 SNPs/loci, had excellent sensitivity and specificity for AD with an AUC of 80.3%. High PRSs were also associated with an earlier onset of late‐onset AD.
Computed tomography assisted diagnosis and treatment of a comminuted fracture of the plantar aspect of the medial trochlear ridge and the proximal tubercle of the talus in a foal
Authors: B. Carvalho Inês , Vermedal Hanna , McQuillan Siobhan , O’Leary John Mark , Lassaigne Caroline , O’ Sullivan Jeremiah , Schofield Warren
Published: April 2022

Isolated fractures of the proximal tubercle of the talus and the medial trochlear ridge of the talus have been reported in the equine literature. A comminuted, intra‐articular fracture of the plantar medial trochlear ridge and proximal tubercle of the talus has not been previously reported. The current case report describes this unique comminuted fracture in a 6‐week‐old Thoroughbred foal with acute onset lameness. The diagnosis was achieved by a combination of radiography, ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) followed by CT arthrography. Surgical removal of the fracture fragments was recommended; the intra‐articular fracture fragments were removed under arthroscopic visualisation of the plantar pouch of the tarsocrural joint; due to ligamentous attachments and partial extra‐articular nature, the fracture fragment of the proximal tubercle of the talus was removed via an arthrotomy extension of the medial arthroscopy portal. On follow‐up examination 12 months post‐operatively, the yearling showed no clinical evidence of lameness or radiographic evidence of secondary degenerative joint disease.
Pressure effect on cathodoluminescence emission intensity recorded in metamorphosed detrital zircons of the Sanbagawa schists
Authors: Tsuchiya Yuta , Aoki Kazumasa , Kogiso Tetsu , Seo Yoshiki , Aoki Shogo , Nishido Hirotsugu
Published: April 2022

The cathodoluminescence (CL) emission and spectra analyses were conducted on detrital zircons in the Cretaceous Sanbagawa schists to describe changes in CL properties of zircons associated with metamorphism. In addition, high‐pressure (HP) and high‐temperature (HT) experiments were conducted on the non‐metamorphosed Miocene Ashizuri igneous zircons, and the CL emission intensities obtained from them were compared with those of the Sanbagawa zircons. As a result, as compared to low‐grade Sanbagawa zircons, the emission intensities of the high‐grade Sanbagawa zircons reduced. The emission intensities produced from the HP‐treated Ashizuri zircons, on the other hand, were twice as high as those generated from untreated zircons, but less than half of those generated from HT‐treated zircons. Combining our results with previous studies on the temperature influence on zircon CL properties, it indicates that increasing metamorphic pressure decreases the increase in the CL emission intensity of metamorphosed detrital zircons resulting from the increasing temperature. The pressure effect on the emission intensity of zircon during metamorphism might be larger than the temperature effect.
In vitro physicochemical characterization of five root canal sealers and their influence on an ex vivo oral multi‐species biofilm community
Authors: Saavedra Flavia M. , Pelepenko Lauter E. , Boyle William S. , Zhang Anqi , Staley Christopher , Herzberg Mark C. , Marciano Marina A. , Lima Bruno P.
Published: April 2022

Aim

To evaluate the physicochemical properties of five root canal sealers and assess their effect on an ex vivo dental plaque‐derived polymicrobial community.

Methodology

Dental plaque‐derived microbial communities were exposed to the sealers (AH Plus [AHP], GuttaFlow Bioseal [GFB], Endoseal MTA [ESM], Bio‐C sealer [BCS] and BioRoot RCS [BRR]) for 3, 6 and 18 h. The sealers' effect on the biofilm biomass and metabolic activity was quantified using crystal violet (CV) staining and MTT assay, respectively. Biofilm community composition and morphology were assessed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), 16S rRNA sequencing and scanning electron microscopy. The ISO6876:2012 specifications were followed to determine the setting time, radiopacity, flowability and solubility. Obturated acrylic teeth were used to assess the sealers' effect on pH. Surface chemical characterization was performed using SEM with coupled energy‐dispersive spectroscopy. Data normality was assessed using the Shapiro–Wilk test. One‐way anova and Tukey's tests were used to analyze data from setting time, radiopacity, flowability and solubility. Two‐way anova and Dunnett's tests were used for the data analysis from CV, MTT and pH. 16S rRNA sequencing data were analyzed for alpha (Shannon index and Chao analysis) and beta diversity (Bray–Curtis dissimilarities). Differences in community composition were evaluated by analysis of similarity (p < .05).

Results

The sealers significantly influenced microbial community composition and morphology. All sealers complied with ISO6876:2012 requirements for setting time, radiopacity and flowability. Although only AHP effectively reduced the biofilm biomass, all sealers, except BRR, reduced biofilm metabolic activity.

Conclusion

Despite adequate physical properties, none of the sealers tested prevented biofilm growth. Significant changes in community composition were observed. If observed in vivo, these changes could affect intracanal microbial survival, pathogenicity and treatment outcomes.
Association between NAD+ levels and anaemia among women in community‐based study
Authors: Yang Fan , Zhang Xuguang , Hu Feifei , Yu Ye , Luo Lei , Deng Xuan , Zhao Yuzheng , Pan Bo , Zheng Jinping , Qiu Yugang , Guo Jun , Xiao Feng , Xie Xiaomei , Ju Zhenyu , Zhou Yong
Published: April 2022

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) level is the protective factor of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). In addition, anaemia is a risk factor of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in women. However, there are limited data about the association between NAD+ and anaemia. The aim of this study was to evaluate association of NAD+ with anaemia among women. A total of 727 females from Jidong community were included in the current analysis. NAD+ levels were tested by the cycling assay and HPLC assay using whole blood samples. Anaemia was determined by haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, and the subtypes of anaemia were further defined according to mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in blood. Multivariable logistic analysis was used to analyse the association between NAD+ levels and anaemia or its subtypes. The mean age of recruited subjects was 42.7 years. The proportion of anaemia by NAD+ levels quartiles were 19.7% (35/178), 4.8% (9/189), 3.4% (6/178) and 2.7% (5/182). Haematological parameters including haemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and red blood count (RBC) increased over NAD+ quartiles. Red cell volume distribution width (RDW) decreased over NAD+ quartiles. Compared with the lowest quartile of NAD+ levels (<27.6μM), the adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals of the top quartile were 0.15 (0.06–0.41) for anaemia, 0.05 (0.01–0.36) for microcytic anaemia and 0.37 (0.10–1.36) for normocytic anaemia respectively. Higher NAD+ levels were significantly associated with lower prevalence of anaemia among women, especially microcytic anaemia and normocytic anaemia. Haematological parameters might serve as a predictor of the blood NAD+ levels.
Effects of the energy transition on environmental impacts of cobalt supply: A prospective life cycle assessment study on future supply of cobalt
Authors: van der Meide Marc , Harpprecht Carina , Northey Stephen , Yang Yongxiang , Steubing Bernhard
Published: April 2022

Cobalt is considered a key metal in the energy transition, and demand is expected to increase substantially by 2050. This demand is for an important part because of cobalt use in (electric vehicle) batteries. This study investigated the environmental impacts of the production of cobalt and how these could change in the future. We modeled possible future developments in the cobalt supply chain using four variables: (v1) ore grade, (v2) primary market shares, (v3) secondary market shares, and (v4) energy transition. These variables are driven by two metal‐demand scenarios, which we derived from scenarios from the shared socioeconomic pathways, a “business as usual” (BAU) and a “sustainable development” (SD) scenario. We estimated future environmental impacts of cobalt supply by 2050 under these two scenarios using prospective life cycle assessment. We found that the environmental impacts of cobalt production could likely increase and are strongly dependent on the recycling market share and the overall energy transition. The results showed that under the BAU scenario, climate change impacts per unit of cobalt production could increase by 9% by 2050 compared to 2010, while they decreased by 28% under the SD scenario. This comes at a trade‐off to other impacts like human toxicity, which could strongly increase in the SD scenario (112% increase) compared to the BAU scenario (71% increase). Furthermore, we found that the energy transition could offset most of the increase of climate change impacts induced by a near doubling in cobalt demand in 2050 between the two scenarios.
Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in stage III endometrial cancer: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhang Guo , Li He , Tian Zhao , Li Xiaoping , Wang Zhiqi , Liang Xudong , Wang Yue , Shen Xiaoyan , Wang Jianliu
Published: April 2022

Objective

To discuss the impact of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) on the survival of patients with stage III endometrial cancer (EC) compared with chemotherapy (CT) alone.

Methods

Articles involving adjuvant CRT versus CT on survival in stage III EC were retrieved from PubMed and EMBASE. Hazard ratios (HRs) of overall survival (OS) and relapse‐free survival (RFS) were collected and pooled, and publication bias was measured by Begg's and Egger's test. Quality of researches was measured by the Newcastle–Ottawa scale and the modified Jadad scale.

Results

Eleven were included in the statistical analysis. A significant advantage of CRT over CT on OS was shown (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.49–0.70). Further subgroup analysis suggested the advantage was mostly associated with stage IIIC (HR 0.63, 95% CI 0.52, 0.76]). A similar result favoring CRT was also reached on RFS (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.47–0.93). No significant publication bias was observed.

Conclusion

CRT was associated with a better OS and RFS than CT alone in stage III EC patients.
Uterine papillary serous and clear cell carcinomas: Comparison of characteristics and clinical outcomes
Authors: Yuce Sari Sezin , Guler Ozan Cem , Oymak Ezgi , Gultekin Melis , Yigit Ecem , Kahvecioglu Alper , Yuce Kunter , Celik Husnu , Usubutun Alp , Bolat Filiz , Onal Cem , Yildiz Ferah
Published: April 2022

Introduction

To assess the rate of disease control and survival after adjuvant treatment in patients with uterine papillary serous (PSC) and clear cell carcinoma (CCC) and compare the results between these two subtypes.

Methods

The medical charts of 199 patients with de novo uterine PSC or CCC who underwent radiotherapy (RT) following surgery between 2001 and 2019 in three radiation oncology departments were retrospectively evaluated. Adjuvant treatment was decided by a multidisciplinary tumor board. All patients were planned to undergo adjuvant 4–6 cycles of chemotherapy with external beam RT (EBRT) and/or vaginal brachytherapy (VBT).

Results

Median age was 63 years for all, 64 years for PSC, and 59 years for CCC, respectively. Complete surgical staging was applied in 98% of patients. Histopathologic subtype was PSC in 142 (71%) and pure CCC in 57 (29%) patients, respectively. FIGO stage was I in 107 (54%), II in 35 (18%), and III in 57 (28%) patients, respectively. Lympho‐vascular space invasion and positive peritoneal cytology (PPC) were present in 42% and 10% of patients, respectively. All patients but 23 (12%) underwent adjuvant chemotherapy. Median follow‐up was 49.5 months for all patients, 43.9 months for patients with PSC, and 90.4 months for patients with CCC, respectively. During follow‐up, 20 (10%) patients developed pelvic recurrence (PR) and 37 (19%) developed distant metastasis (DM). PSC subtype increased the PR and DM rates, although the latter not statistically significant. The 5‐year overall survival and disease‐free survival rate was 73% and 69% for all patients, 71% and 66% for patients with PSC, and 77% and 75% for patients with CCC, respectively. The difference was more prominent in patients with stage ≥ IB disease. In multivariate analysis, advanced age and PPC significantly decreased all survival rates.

Conclusion

PSC has a worse prognosis than CCC with regard to pelvic and distant recurrence with a trend for decreased survival rates. Therefore, a more aggressive therapy is needed for patients with uterine PSC, particularly in patients with stage ≥ IB disease.
Maternal serum adiponectin and leptin levels and their gene expression, postpartum body mass index, and breastfeeding duration based on mode of delivery: A prospective study
Authors: Parvanehvar Simin , Tehranian Najmeh , Kazemnejad Anoshirvan , Mozdarani Hossein , Hedayati Mehdi
Published: April 2022

Background

Adipokines are involved in inflammatory responses, associated with body mass index whose concentrations may change in response to inflammatory conditions, including surgery and delivery. We examined adiponectin and leptin levels and their gene expression at birth, body mass index, and breastfeeding duration at 24 months postpartum according to mode of delivery.

Methods

In this study, 90 normal pregnant women were investigated. Blood samples were collected after delivery. Serum levels and gene expression of adiponectin and leptin were evaluated. Body mass index and breastfeeding duration were calculated at 24 months postpartum. Data were analyzed using SPSS‐16 and p < 0.05 was considered as significant.

Results

Serum leptin level was significantly higher in vaginal delivery than in cesarean section (p = 0.033). No significant difference was found between two groups regarding adiponectin level and gene expression, while leptin gene expression was significantly higher in cesarean (p = 0.005). Postpartum body mass index did not differ between the two groups (p = 0.14). On the other hand, postpartum body mass index was significantly higher than the equivalent prepregnancy index in both groups (p < 0.001) and was associated with serum leptin and adiponectin in vaginal delivery (r = 0.46, p = 0.001, and r = −0.3, p = 0.04, respectively). The duration of breastfeeding was longer in vaginal delivery (p = 0.008).

Conclusion

Cesarean section was associated with lower maternal leptin levels and shorter breast‐feeding duration compared to vaginal delivery. Leptin gene expression was significantly higher in cesarean section than in vaginal delivery. Postpartum body mass index, adiponectin level, and gene expression did not differ between the two groups.
Incidence and detection of wilting pathogen and Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) in Pakistan
Authors: Nisa Syeda Gul , Farooq Muhammad Asad , Iqbal Umer , Fatima Amama , Ahmad Zimen , Tabassam Sania , Waseem Sundus , Tassadaq Shumyle , Haroon Urooj , Chaudhary Hassan Javed , Munis Muhammad Farooq Hussain
Published: April 2022

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is a perennial grass, and it is cultivated worldwide for sugar and bioethanol production. During 2020–2021, countrywide field surveys were conducted and indicated the incidence of numerous phytopathogens in sugarcane crop. Infected sugarcane plants showed stunted growth, wilting, leaf yellowing and mosaic pattern in major sugarcane growing provinces of Pakistan (Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). Diseased plants were collected for the isolation of diseases‐causing pathogen. Wilted canes were cut and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) media, and after few days, pathogen was successfully grown on media. Based on fungal morphology and DNA sequence analysis, it was characterized and identified as Fusarium sacchari. Diseased sugarcane samples, showing mosaic symptoms, were collected from 57 locations and were subjected to ELISA test. Out of 570 symptomatic samples, 40 samples were tested positive for Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). These results revealed a higher disease incidence rate (7.01%) of SCMV. This is the first report of countrywide incidence of SCMV in Pakistan.
Exploring children's embodied story experiences: a toolkit for research and practice
Authors: Kuzmičová Anežka , Supa Markéta , Segi Lukavská Jana , Novák Filip
Published: April 2022

Literacy research and practice are invigorated by evidence that stories enhance empathy and concentration. Both benefits are associated with attending to inner sensory states afforded by stories. Yet children are rarely asked about how stories, steeped as they are in characters' bodily actions, affect them in bodily terms. We have conducted a qualitative study inviting 9‐ to 12‐year‐olds (N = 19) to share their embodied story experiences. To this end, we developed a toolkit of story excerpts and activities supported with bespoke props that can be adopted in research but also in classrooms and other practice. The toolkit was tested in school‐based focus groups (accompanied by in‐class observations) and home‐based individual interviews. We introduce the toolkit and discuss some of the key prerequisites of its use. Further, we present three main types of embodiment statements provided by our participants: what‐statements about the trigger of one's embodied experience, how‐statements about the sensory or motor quality of the experience and what‐and‐how statements combining both aspects. We consider the distinct potentials of these statement types for fostering children's embodied self‐awareness and story awareness in educational settings and beyond.
Increasing social welfare with delays: Strategic customers in the M/G/1 orbit queue
Authors: Baron Opher , Economou Antonis , Manou Athanasia
Published: April 2022

Strategic customers typically patronize service systems at a higher rate than the socially optimal one. Much literature has focused on inducing customers to join such systems at this latter rate. This entire literature considers nonidling policies that are the focus of queueing theory. We demonstrate that strategically imposing delays into service systems can improve the social welfare using the M/G/1 queue with orbit. This versatile queueing model has been extensively studied from a performance evaluation perspective. In this system, customers who arrive and find the server idle begin immediately their service. However, strategic customers who find the server busy decide whether to balk or join a virtual queue, that is, an orbit. Then, each time the server finishes a service, he begins to retrieve a customer from the orbit and the corresponding retrieving time is not negligible. These retrieving times function as extra delays that are imposed on customers that find a busy server. We show that when customers are strategic, there are certain ranges of the parameters where delaying the orbit customers can increase the welfare of a system or even maximize it. To this end, we characterize and compute the equilibrium strategies for the customers' joining/balking dilemma. We consider both the unobservable and observable versions of the system, and provide some insight on the optimal delay and level of information in such systems. We further show that the welfare for this system is higher than the corresponding standard M/G/1 queue with the same delay.
Personality and the Policy Positions of Politicians
Authors: Amsalem Eran , Sheffer Lior
Published: April 2022

Politicians’ support of or opposition to concrete policies is uniquely consequential for policymaking, public opinion, and a host of other societal outcomes. Explaining their policy positions is therefore a major research agenda in political science. Here, we evaluate the role of politicians’ personality traits, measured with the Big Five typology, in shaping how liberal or conservative their economic and social policy positions are. While existing research establishes this link among nonelites, it is far from obvious that the same holds for politicians, who have systematically different personality profiles, and whose positions are constrained by party lines. Using an in‐person study of 893 legislators in five countries who completed personality questionnaires and provided detailed issue positions, we find that Openness to Experience is strongly and positively predictive of politicians’ liberal positions on both economic and social policies, but a null relationship for Conscientiousness. We also find that Extraversion predicts more conservative economic (but not social) policy positions. We discuss implications for the role of elites’ individual characteristics in policymaking.
Perioperative management for people with kidney failure receiving dialysis: A scoping review
Authors: Harrison Tyrone G. , Hemmelgarn Brenda R. , Farragher Janine F. , O'Rielly Connor , Donald Maoliosa , James Matthew T. , McCaughey Deirdre , Ruzycki Shannon M. , Zarnke Kelly B. , Ronksley Paul E.
Published: April 2022

Background

People with kidney failure receiving dialysis (CKD‐G5D) are more likely to undergo surgery and experience poorer postoperative outcomes than those without kidney failure. In this scoping review, we aimed to systematically identify and summarize perioperative strategies, protocols, pathways, and interventions that have been studied or implemented for people with CKD‐G5D.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Controlled Trials registry (inception to February 2020), in addition to an extensive grey literature search, for sources that reported on a perioperative strategy to guide management for people with CKD‐G5D. We summarized the overall study characteristics and perioperative management strategies and identified evidence gaps based on surgery type and perioperative domain. Publication trends over time were assessed, stratified by surgery type and study design.

Results

We included 183 studies; the most common study design was a randomized controlled trial (27%), with 67% of publications focused on either kidney transplantation or dialysis vascular access. Transplant‐related studies often focused on fluid and volume management strategies and risk stratification, whereas dialysis vascular access studies focused most often on imaging. The number of publications increased over time, across all surgery types, though driven by non‐randomized study designs.

Conclusions

Despite many current gaps in perioperative research for patients with CKD‐G5D, evidence generation supporting perioperative management is increasing, with recent growth driven primarily by non‐randomized studies. Our review may inform organization of evidence‐based strategies into perioperative care pathways where evidence is available while also highlighting gaps that future perioperative research can address.
The Cultural and the Racial: Stitching Together the Sociology of Race and Ethnicity and the Sociology of Culture
Authors: Brunsma David L. , Embrick David G.
Published: April 2022

Sociology subdisciplines are notorious for being siloed in their respective fields of study. This is sometimes more noticeable in those arenas that surprisingly (to some) do not make sense, as there are bound to be greater sociological insights gleamed from an intra‐subdisciplinary approach that allow for better synthesis of theory(ies) or even epistemology(ies). In this piece, we issue a challenge to the need for more sociological engagement that weaves together the cultural, those structured stories that render our lives and the order of those lives meaningful, and the racial, those storied structures of white supremacy that give rise to that order of our lives and undergird our identities and institutions.
Novel or not? Reference alleles, genes, and genomes to unmask the true nature of the ABO*AW.10 allele associated with weak A phenotype
Authors: Gassner Christoph , Olsson Martin L. , Lane William J. , Hyland Catherine A.
Published: April 2022

See letter on page 918–920, in this issue

See letter on page 920–921, in this issue
In response to letter from Nam et al.
Authors: Kim Hye Ran , Shin Jae Gyun , Song Sae Am , Lee Ja Young , Oh Seung Hwan
Published: April 2022

See editorial on page 721–724, in this issue
Foamy macrophages potentially inhibit tuberculous wound healing by inhibiting the TLRs/NF‐κB signalling pathway
Authors: Wang Peng , Yin Bin , Zhang Zexin , Mao Shuting , Bao Wu , Lian Wenqin , Fan Yueying , Hong Chao , Su Yingjun , Jia Chiyu
Published: April 2022

To characterise the distribution, classification, and quantity of foamy macrophages (FMs) in tuberculous wound tissue and the relationship between FM and delayed healing of tuberculous wounds. Morphological studies were performed to explore the distribution of FM and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in tuberculous wounds, with acute and chronic wounds included for comparison. Phorbol‐12‐myristate‐13‐acetate stimulation‐differentiated THP‐1 cells were treated with Mtb to induce their differentiation into FM with oxidised low‐density lipoprotein treatment serving as a control. Relative cytokine levels were determined by quantitative PCR and Western blotting. Varied co‐culture combinations of Mtb, THP‐1, FM, and fibroblasts were performed, and proliferation, migration, ability to contract collagen gel, and protein levels of the chemokines in the supernatants of the fibroblasts were assessed. The differentially expressed genes in human skin fibroblasts (HSFs) after co‐culture with or without FM were identified using microarray. Many FM were found in the tissues of tuberculous wounds. The FM that did not engulf Mtb (NM‐FM) were mainly distributed in tissues surrounding tuberculous wounds, whereas the FM that engulfed Mtb (M‐FM) were dominantly located within granulomatous tissues. Co‐culture experiments showed that, with the Mtb co‐culture, the portions of NM‐FM in the total FM grew over time. The migration, proliferation, chemokine secretion, and the ability of fibroblasts to contract collagen gel were inhibited when co‐cultured with Mtb, FM, or a combination of the two. Further investigation showed that the TLRs/NF‐κB signalling pathway is involved in fibroblast function under the stimulation of FM. TLRs and NF‐κB agonists could reverse the phenotypic changes in HSFs after co‐culture with FM. The tuberculous wound microenvironment composed of Mtb and FM may affect wound healing by inhibiting the functions of fibroblasts. FM potentially inhibit fibroblasts' function by inhibiting the TLRs/NF‐κB signalling pathway in tuberculous wounds.
The first record of the rare fern Pteris griffithii (Polypodiales: Pteridaceae: Pteridoideae) in the Bhutan Himalayas
Authors: DORJI Rinchen , DEMA Sangay , NIROLA Mani Prasad , GYELTSHEN Choki
Published: April 2022

Pteris griffithii Hook., one of the rarest fern species on the Indian subcontinent, is reported from Bhutan for the first time. The identity of this species was confirmed through morphological determination at the National Herbarium (THIM) of the National Biodiversity Centre (NBC) of Bhutan. It was found only in one location, in Gyelpozhing in eastern Bhutan, at an elevation of 521 m a.s.l. on 10 January 2016. Given that a very limited study of this species was conducted, the knowledge baseline with regard to its distribution is poor. It is also reported that this species has not been found for several years. The species is also considered to be very rare or critically endangered in some countries; however, there are no assessments on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List for this particular species. This paper attempts to provide baseline information considering its rarity and data deficiency. This species is also reported from the adjacent neighboring Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as very rare, and also from Myanmar; however, confirmation of its presence in China is not clear at this time. Therefore, considering its data deficient status, we attempt to document it scientifically to create a knowledgebase pertaining to this particular species. Concurrently, this species merits further research to understand its distribution patterns in Bhutan and any related anthropogenic threats.
Ameroseiid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) from Egypt, with a complementary description of six species, and a key to the species recorded from the country
Authors: Abo-Shnaf Reham , Narita João Paulo Z. , Moraes Gilberto José de
Published: April 2022

A total of 12 mite species of the family Ameroseiidae have been reported from Egypt. The objectives of this paper are to report an additional species, Kleemannia pavida (Koch), from that country and to present complementary descriptions of seven of those species, namely Ameroseius aegypticus El-Badry, Nasr & Hafez, Kleemannia kosi El-Badry, Nasr & Hafez, K. nova Nasr & Abou-Awad, K. wahabi Ibrahim & Abdel-Samed, K. pavida, K. plumosa (Oudemans) and Sertitympanum zaheri (El-Badry, Nasr & Hafez), based on the examination of specimens from Egypt. Within this context, the males of K. nova, K. wahabi and S. zaheri are described for the first time. A key to all the ameroseiid species recorded from Egypt is provided.
Effects of Exercise on Sleep in Older Adults: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
Authors: Fank Felipe , Pereira Franciele da Silva , dos Santos Leandro , de Mello Marco Túlio , Mazo Giovana Zarpellon
Published: April 2022

We aimed to systematically analyze reviews of randomized clinical trials that investigate the overall effect of exercise and of different types of exercise on sleep in older adults. Meta-analysis was performed to obtain the standardized mean difference of the effect of the different types of exercise. Twenty systematic reviews published between 2012 and 2020 met the inclusion criteria of this overview. Moderate significant effects of exercise were observed on overall sleep quality and its subjective components (quality, duration, latency, habitual efficiency, medication use, and daytime dysfunction). Among the types of exercise, sensitivity analysis revealed significant effects of Pilates, Tai Chi, and Baduanjin Qigong on sleep quality. Exercise has a positive effect on sleep quality in older people. Our findings are extremely important, especially for decision makers in the health area, permitting the planning of actions and evidence-based decision making. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020222469.
Musings of a Transnational Intersectional U.K. Practitioner Psychologist
Authors: Yousuf Shameema
Published: April 2022

Intersectionality is a structure that analyzes how a person’s social and political identities intertwine creating different ways in which privilege and discrimination manifest. It examines the individual experiences and opportunities in everyday life. The following special issue musings describe the systems that have marginalized a woman of intersectional identity despite an extensive diverse professional career across national borders. Written through a lens of a diverse professional identity and a personal intertwined identity, these reflection musings highlight the author’s lack of visibility, fatigue, and struggle for belonging in a field and wider society that she perceives to have been exclusive and unwelcoming.
Tensional twist-folding of sheets into multilayered scrolled yarns
Authors: Chopin Julien , Kudrolli Arshad
Published: April 2022

Twisting sheets as a strategy to form functional yarns relies on millennia of human practice in making catguts and fabric wearables, but it still lacks overarching principles to guide their intricate architectures. We show that twisted hyperelastic sheets form multilayered self-scrolled yarns, through recursive folding and twist localization, that can be reconfigured and redeployed. We combine weakly nonlinear elasticity and origami to explain the observed ordered progression beyond the realm of perturbative models. Incorporating dominant stretching modes with folding kinematics, we explain the measured torque and energetics originating from geometric nonlinearities due to large displacements. Complementarily, we show that the resulting structures can be algorithmically generated using Schläfli symbols for star-shaped polygons. A geometric model is then introduced to explain the formation and structure of self-scrolled yarns. Our tensional twist-folding framework shows that origami can be harnessed to understand the transformation of stretchable sheets into self-assembled architectures with a simple twist.
Controls on the isotopic composition of microbial methane
Authors: Gropp Jonathan , Jin Qusheng , Halevy Itay
Published: April 2022

Microbial methane production (methanogenesis) is responsible for more than half of the annual emissions of this major greenhouse gas to the atmosphere. Although the stable isotopic composition of methane is often used to characterize its sources and sinks, strictly empirical descriptions of the isotopic signature of methanogenesis currently limit these attempts. We developed a metabolic-isotopic model of methanogenesis by carbon dioxide reduction, which predicts carbon and hydrogen isotopic fractionations, and clumped isotopologue distributions, as functions of the cell’s environment. We mechanistically explain multiple isotopic patterns in laboratory and natural settings and show that these patterns constrain the in situ energetics of methanogenesis. Combining our model with data from environments in which methanogenic activity is energy-limited, we provide predictions for the biomass-specific methanogenesis rates and the associated isotopic effects.
Active Microbial Airborne Dispersal and Biomorphs as Confounding Factors for Life Detection in the Cell-Degrading Brines of the Polyextreme Dallol Geothermal Field
Authors: Belilla Jodie , Iniesto Miguel , Moreira David , Benzerara Karim , Gérard Emmanuelle , López-García José M. , Kotopoulou Electra , López-García Purificación
Published: April 2022

Determining the precise limits of life in polyextreme environments is challenging. Confounding factors such as exogenous contamination and the abiotic formation of structures resembling cells need to be considered before concluding on the unambiguous development of microbial life in low-biomass environments.
The Microbiome Structure of a Rice-Crayfish Integrated Breeding Model and Its Association with Crayfish Growth and Water Quality
Authors: Chen Ling , Xu Jin , Wan Weitao , Xu Zhiwei , Hu Ruixue , Zhang Yunzeng , Zheng Jinshui , Gu Zemao
Published: April 2022

The present study comprehensively compared two different breeding models in terms of their microbiome composition and the associations of the microbiomes with crayfish growth and water quality. RC model-specific microbiome composition was identified; these microbes were found to have a positive association with water quality and crayfish growth.
TIM-1 Augments Cellular Entry of Ebola Virus Species and Mutants, Which Is Blocked by Recombinant TIM-1 Protein
Authors: Zhang Min , Wang Xinwei , Hu Linhan , Zhang Yuting , Zheng Hang , Wu Haiyan , Wang Jing , Luo Longlong , Xiao He , Qiao Chunxia , Li Xinying , Huang Weijin , Wang Youchun , Feng Jiannan , Chen Guojiang
Published: April 2022

The viral genome has acquired numerous mutations with the potential to increase transmission during the 2013-to-2016 outbreak of Ebola virus. EBOV strains harboring GP mutations (A82V, T544I, and A82V T544I), which have been identified to increase viral infectivity in humans, have attracted our attention.
Trends in Employment and Wages of Female and Male Workers in India: A Task-Content-of-Occupations Approach
Authors: SHARMA SHRUTI
Published: April 2022

This paper uses the task-content-of-occupations framework to analyze trends in employment and wages of female and male workers in the Indian labor market from 1994 to 2017. Workers are classified into four main occupational categories: nonroutine cognitive, routine cognitive, nonroutine manual, and routine manual. Decomposing the changes in employment shares into between-industry changes and within-industry changes across occupational categories reveals that within-industry employment changes have increasingly played an important role, suggesting the growing importance of using the task-content framework to analyze labor market trends. The biggest increase in employment shares is for nonroutine cognitive occupations for both female and male workers. The wage analysis reveals that, on average, the gender wage gap has been lowest in routine cognitive occupations for most of the period of analysis. However, the analysis finds no consistent, significant changes in wages based on occupational specialization during the period of analysis.
A Cross-Country Comparison of Old-Age Financial Readiness in Asian Countries versus the United States: The Case of Japan and the Republic of Korea
Authors: EHRLICH ISAAC , YIN YONG
Published: April 2022

We pursue a cross-country comparison of relative financial readiness of older households in Japan and the Republic of Korea relative to the United States. Our comparative analysis, using macro-level and harmonized longitudinal household financial data, covers the principal financial channels of old-age support: public and private pension plans, family support, and self-management of private financial portfolios. We find that while all three countries have similar public pension systems, older Americans benefit from more developed and better-funded public and private pension systems, as well as individual management of risky financial portfolios. We find that educational and health attainments of household heads and household wealth lead to a greater tendency to hold and manage risky assets. Our decomposition analysis also shows that the gap in stock ownership in Asian countries relative to the United States can be attributed to lower levels of development in financial and pension markets. However, these gaps have been shrinking more recently.
Optical modes in the perovskite CsPbX3 semicircular and circular microcavity
Authors: Xu Jian , Dai Jun
Published: April 2022

In this paper, we used the finite element method to numerically study the possible optical resonance modes in the all-inorganic metal halide perovskite (CsPbX3, [Formula: see text], Br, I) semicircular and circular microcavities. For the semicircular microcavity, the quasi-three-period mode has the highest quality factor among quasi-whispering gallery mode (WGM), two-period mode and four-period mode. The quality factors of the four resonance modes all increase linearly for the larger cavity size. In addition, the circular perovskite microcavities present the WGM patterns with extremely high-quality factors, which indicates that the circular perovskite microcavity has the potential application in the optical microcavity or laser device.