bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measurement of violence against women and disability: protocol for a scoping review
Authors: Meyer Sarah R. , Lasater Molly E. , Lee Lindsay , Garcia-Moreno Claudia
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Violence against women is a serious threat to women’s health and human rights globally. Disability has been associated with increased risk of exposure to different forms of violence, however, there are questions concerning how best to measure this association. Research on understanding the association between violence and disability among women has included incorporating short disability measures into violence against women prevalence surveys. The potential to improve understanding of interconnections between violence and disability by measuring violence within disability-focused research is underexplored. The scoping review described here focuses on three areas of measurement of violence against women and disability: (1) measurement of violence within the context of disability-focused research, (2) measurement in research focused on the intersection of disability and violence and (3) measurement of disability in the context of research focused on violence against women. Specifically, we aim to map definitions, measures and methodologies in these areas, globally.

Methods and analysis

For our scoping review, we will conduct searches for quantitative studies of disability-focused research which use measures of violence against women, and measures of disability in research focused on violence against women, in 11 online databases. Two authors will independently review titles and abstracts retrieved through the search strategy. We will search for grey literature, search the websites of National Statistics Offices for all countries to identify any national or subnational disability research and consult with experts for input. Data extraction will be conducted independently by one author and reviewed by another author, and data will be analysed and synthesised using a thematic synthesis approach.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approval was not sought as no primary data is being collected. Findings will be disseminated through a publication in a peer-reviewed journal, through coordinated dissemination to researchers, practitioners, data users and generators and through various working groups and networks on violence against women and disability.
Oral function and cumulative long-term care costs among older Japanese adults: a prospective 6-year follow-up study of long care receipt data
Authors: Kojima Kaori , Saito Masashige , Miyaguni Yasuhiro , Okada Eisaku , Ojima Toshiyuki
Published: February 2023

Objectives

This study evaluated the relationship between status of oral function and related long-term care service costs.

Design

This was a prospective 6-year follow-up study of previous survey data.

Setting

The data were obtained from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study conducted between 2010 and 2011.

Participants

The participants were functionally independent older adults in 12 municipalities across Japan.

Interventions

Care service benefit costs were tracked over 6 years using publicly available claims records (n=46 616) to monitor respondents’ cumulative care costs.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The primary outcome variable was the cumulative cost of long-term care insurance services during the follow-up period. We adjusted for the presence or absence of oral function problems, age, sex, physical function and socioeconomic and lifestyle background at the time of the baseline survey.

Results

Tobit analysis revealed that, compared with those with no oral function problems, cumulative long-term care service benefit costs for those with one, two or three oral function problems were approximately US$4020, US$4775 and US$82 92, respectively, over 6 years. Compared with those with maintained oral function, there was a maximum difference of approximately US$8292 in long-term care service costs for those with oral function problems. With increase in number of oral function problems, there was a concomitant elevation in the cost of long-term care.

Conclusions

Oral function in older people was associated with cumulative long-term care insurance costs. The oral function of older people should be maintained to reduce future accumulated long-term care insurance costs. Compared with those with maintained oral function, there was a maximum difference of approximately US$8292 in long-term care service costs for those with oral function problems. The cost of long-term care was amplified as oral problems increased.
Systematic review of intervention functions, theoretical constructs and cultural adaptations of school-based smoking prevention interventions in low-income and middle-income countries
Authors: Ba-Break Maryam , Bewick Bridgette , Huss Reinhard , Ensor Tim , Abahussin Asma , Alhakimi Hamdi , Elsey Helen
Published: February 2023

Objective

To identify the approaches and strategies used for ensuring cultural appropriateness, intervention functions and theoretical constructs of the effective and ineffective school-based smoking prevention interventions that were implemented in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Data sources

Included MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, PsycINFO, Web of Science and grey literature which were searched through August 2022 with no date limitations.

Eligibility criteria

We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with ≥6 months follow-up assessing the effect of school-based interventions on keeping pupils never-smokers in LMICs; published in English or Arabic.

Data extraction and synthesis

Intervention data were coded according to the Theoretical Domains Framework, intervention functions of Behaviour Change Wheel and cultural appropriateness features. Using narrative synthesis we identified which cultural-adaptation features, theoretical constructs and intervention functions were associated with effectiveness. Findings were mapped against the capability-motivation and opportunity model to formulate the conclusion. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool.

Results

We identified 11 RCTs (n=7712 never-smokers aged 11–15); of which five arms were effective and eight (four of the effective) arms had a low risk of bias in all criteria. Methodological heterogeneity in defining, measuring, assessing and presenting outcomes prohibited quantitative data synthesis. We identified nine components that characterised interventions that were effective in preventing pupils from smoking uptake. These include deep cultural adaptation; raising awareness of various smoking consequences; improving refusal skills of smoking offers and using never-smokers as role models and peer educators.

Conclusion

Interventions that had used deep cultural adaptation which incorporated cultural, environmental, psychological and social factors, were more likely to be effective. Effective interventions considered improving pupils’ psychological capability to remain never-smokers and reducing their social and physical opportunities and reflective and automatic motivations to smoke. Future trials should use standardised measurements of smoking to allow meta-analysis in future reviews.
Prevalence and factors associated with optic disc grey crescent in the Primary Open-Angle African Ancestry Glaucoma Genetics (POAAGG) Study
Authors: Daniel Ebenezer , Gao Jinpeng , Maguire Maureen G , Ying Gui-shuang , Gudiseva Harini V , Salowe Rebecca , Addis Victoria , Sankar Prithvi S , Lee Roy , Smith Eli J , O'Brien Joan
Published: February 2023

Aim

To investigate the prevalence and factors associated with optic disc grey crescent (GC) in African Americans with glaucoma.

Methods

Stereo optic disc image features from subjects with glaucoma in the Primary Open-Angle African Ancestry Glaucoma Genetics Study were evaluated independently by non-physician graders and discrepancies adjudicated by an ophthalmologist. Risk factors for GC were evaluated by logistic regression models with intereye correlation accounted for by generalised estimating equations. Adjusted ORs (aORs) were generated.

Results

GC was present in 227 (15%) of 1491 glaucoma cases, with 57 (3.82%) bilateral and 170 (11.4%) unilateral. In multivariable analysis, factors associated with GC were younger age (aOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.43 for every decade younger in age, p=0.001), diabetes (aOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.96, p=0.01), optic disc tilt (aOR 1.84, 95% CI 1.36 to 2.48, p<0.0001), a sloping retinal region adjacent to the outer disc margin (aOR 2.37, 95% CI 1.74 to 3.32, p<0.0001) and beta peripapillary atrophy (aOR 2.32, 95% CI 1.60 to 3.37, p<0.0001). Subjects with GC had a lower mean (SD) value of the ancestral component q0 than those without GC (0.22 (0.15) vs 0.27 (0.20), p=0.001), consistent with higher degrees of African ancestry.

Conclusions

More than 1 in 10 glaucoma cases with African ancestry have GC, occurring more frequently in younger subjects, higher degrees of African ancestry and diabetes. GC was associated with several ocular features, including optic disc tilt and beta peripapillary atrophy. These associations should be considered when evaluating black patients with primary open-angle glaucoma.
Improving patient satisfaction for patients with acute neurological symptoms by increased flow from the front door of hospital and more specific documentation in medical record notes: a quality improvement project
Authors: Neziraj Natalie , Chakravarty Anders , Jensen Kai
Published: February 2023

Patient experience is considered essential in evaluating healthcare quality. One of the most important parameters that influence patient satisfaction is perception of throughput time, defined as the time from hospital entrance to time of discharge. Throughput issues often start in the emergency department. This often contributes to waiting time for patients and task accumulation for staff. Our overall aim was to optimise throughput in a patient-centred manner for acute neurological patients arriving in the emergency department. We found two primary drivers for change: faster admission to the neurological subunit of the emergency department and improved documentation of three specific topics in the medical records (specific tentative diagnosis, specific treatment plan after CT/MRI and specifically addressing time of expected discharge). Using the plan–do–study–act method, we facilitated successfully changes through education, one-to-one talks, feedback, checklists and by drawing attention to the project. Patients admitted to the hospital after telephonic contact between admitting physician and neurologist arrived in the subunit with a delay of 34 min after arriving at the hospital compared with 89 min before the interventions. Patients unknown to the neurologist before arrival to the hospital arrived at the subunit with a delay of 107 min compared with 130 min before the intervention. The compliance with addressing each of three topics in the medical records showed a significant increase from a median of, respectively, 62%–100%, 45%–82% and 28%–72%. The project goal was achieved, as an increase in patient satisfaction of 27% from the baseline survey was seen, as well as a reduction in the proportion of patients mentioning waiting time in a negative way from 45% to 10%. This demonstrates that a low-cost structured approach can change the way doctors work, for the benefit of patients and staff in the emergency department.
Ultrasound quantitative assessment of ventral finger microvasculopathy in systemic sclerosis with Raynaud’s phenomena: a comparative study
Authors: Nam Kibo , Mendoza Fabian A , Wessner Corinne E , Allawh Tanya C , Forsberg Flemming
Published: February 2023

Objective

To assess the finger vascularity of systemic sclerosis patients with Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP-SSc) using various ultrasound techniques.

Methods

All fingers (except thumbs) of 18 RP-SSc patients and 18 controls were imaged at room temperature using four ultrasound vascular imaging techniques. The percent vascular area was quantified by counting blood flow pixels in a 25 mm2square centred at the nail fold for the dorsal side and in 25 mm2and 100 mm2square from the fingertip for the ventral side. The mean vascular intensity was calculated from the corresponding areas for dorsal and ventral sides.

Results

The percent vascular areas and mean vascular intensities in RP-SSc were significantly lower than those in controls for both dorsal and ventral sides (p<0.01). The mean vascular intensities showed slightly higher area under the curve (AUC) than the percent vascular areas (0.53–0.91 vs 0.53–0.90) regardless of imaging technique and assessment side. For each imaging technique, the ventral side vascularity showed a higher AUC (0.74–0.91) compared with the dorsal side (0.53–0.81). Moreover, ventral side abnormalities were associated with a history of digital ulcers.

Conclusions

Ultrasound demonstrated potential to quantify finger vascularity of RP-SSc. The ventral side of the fingers showed a higher accuracy in detecting RP-SSc than the dorsal side.
All Sliders to the Right
Authors: Neville-Neil George V.
Published: February 2023

There are many reasons why this year's model isn't any better than last year's, and many reasons why performance fails to scale, some of which KV has covered in these pages. It is true that the days of upgrading every year and getting a free performance boost are long gone, as we're not really getting single cores that are faster than about 4GHz. One thing that many software developers fail to understand is the hardware on which their software runs at a sufficiently deep level.
Equity-Aware Decarbonization of Residential Heating Systems
Authors: Wamburu John , Bashir Noman , Grazier Emma , Irwin David , Crago Christine , Shenoy Prashant
Published: February 2023

Most buildings still rely on fossil energy --- such as oil, coal and natural gas --- for heating. This is because they are readily available and have higher heat value than their cleaner counterparts. However, these primary sources of energy are also high pollutants. As the grid moves towards eliminating CO
2
emission, replacing these sources of energy with cleaner alternatives is imperative. Electric heat pumps --- an alternative and cleaner heating technology --- have been proposed as a viable replacement. In this paper, we conduct a data-driven optimization study to analyze the potential of reducing carbon emission by replacing gas-based heating with electric heat pumps
1
. We do so while enforcing
equity
in such transition. We begin by conducting an in-depth analysis into the energy patterns and demographic profiles of buildings. Our analysis reveals a huge disparity between lower and higher income households. We show that the energy usage intensity for lower income homes is 24% higher than higher income homes. Next, we analyze the potential for carbon emission reduction by transitioning gas-based heating systems to electric heat pumps for an entire city. We then propose equity-aware transition strategies for selecting a subset of customers for heat pump-based retrofits which embed various equity metrics and balances the need to maximize carbon reduction with ensuring equitable outcomes for households. We evaluate their effect on CO
2
emission reduction, showing that such equity-aware carbon emission reduction strategies achieve significant emission reduction while also reducing the disparity in the value of selected homes by 5X compared to a carbon-first approach.
Many-Objective Genetic Programming for Job-Shop Scheduling
Authors: Masood Atiya
Published: February 2023

This article overviews a recent PhD dissertation representing the first effort at many-objective optimization in job shop scheduling (JSS). The thesis develops genetic programming hyperheuristic (GP-HH) approaches to evolve effective dispatching rules for many conflicting objectives in JSS problems. The aim is to develop GP-HH methods that alleviate issues related to many-objective optimization in JSS problems and evolve new effective dispatching rules capable of enhancing job shops' productivity.
ITiCSE 2023 Call for Papers
Authors: Simon  , Sheard Judy , Laakso Mikko-Jussi , Monga Mattia
Published: February 2023

We are delighted to call for submissions to ITiCSE 2023, which will be held in Turku, Finland, from 7 July to 12 July 2023. ITiCSE is a computing education conference held annually in Europe, sponsored by ACM SIGCSE and supported by the ACM Europe Council and Informatics Europe. ITiCSE 2023 will be an in-person conference. All details are at the conference website, https://iticse.acm.org/2023/.
Recipes for Resistance Podcast Announcement
Authors: Bettin Briana
Published: February 2023

Are you ready to have something special dished up? We're talking about brain food for your senses - with our new podcast! Recipes for Resistance is a multi-modal podcast, plating up new perspectives on the intersections of computer science, justice, and academia. Our podcast episodes are crafted around a kitchen table talk, where we informally discuss the topic of choice and share stories - all while centering justice, joy, and healing. We're a multi-modal podcast, with episodes consisting of three parts: framing the conversation, the episode itself, and follow up and reflection.
The Trans & Non-Binary Computing Education Research Project
Authors: Smith Julie M. , Wallace Charles , Sexton Stacey , Menier Amanda
Published: February 2023

Stacey Sexton and Amanda Menier, both of SageFox Consulting Group, recently received an NSF grant to explore intersectional identities across a variety of dimensions, including gender, ability, and race/ethnicity.
Successful Repair of TEF and DORV in a Child in a Resource-Limited Setting
Authors: Sujakhu Eru , Shilpakar Rajendra , Shrestha Dhruba
Published: February 2023

VACTERL association is typically defined by the presence of at least three of the congenital malformations that make up the term including: vertebral defects, anal atresia, cardiac defects, tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), renal anomalies, and limb deformities. Patients with VACTERL are typically managed through immediate-postnatal-surgical correction of the specific congenital anomalies (typically anal atresia, specific types of cardiac malformations, and/or TEF), followed by long-term medical management of the congenital malformations. Although congenital anomalies might have long-lasting effects, the prognosis can be positive when the best surgical remedy is possible. Here, we present a case of 5 years female that is a known case of VACTERL Status Post (S/P)TEF repair, S/P double outlet right ventricle repair at sixth day and fifth month of life. This child managed to survive despite being operated in a resource-limited setting.
Fabrication of Screen-Printed Electrodes Modified by Hydrothermal MnO2 Microflowers and Carbon for Electrochemical Sensors in Copper Ions Detection
Authors: Nguyen Huyen T. T. , Chu Nam T. H. , Le Hang T. T.
Published: February 2023

Porous MnO2 microflowers with a hexagonal crystalline structure were facilely prepared at a low hydrothermal temperature of 90°C, without using any template or capping agent. The as-prepared MnO2 only presented an excellent detection ability for copper (II) by a square wave anodic stripping voltammetry in the presence of super P carbon black as conducting agent, and Nafion as binder. In the present work, to evaluate the detection ability of copper (II) in the MnO2 microflowers, chips of screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) having a polyurethane substrate, a silver working electrode, a carbon counter electrode, and a silver pseudoelectrode, were designed. Then, the SPEs chips were modified with MnO2 microflowers and/or super P carbon and used as electrochemical sensors for the detection of copper (II) present in water sources. From the measured results, the fabricated sensors with excellent copper detection in a linear range from 0.625 nM to 15 nM (R2 = 0.9737), and a low detection limit (0.5 nM), high sensitivity (214.05 μA/cm2 nM), and rapid response (180 s) demonstrated high application potential for electrochemical sensors in the detection of copper in water resources.
Impacts of Livestock Grazing on Wild Ungulate Habitat in the Khata Corridor, Bardiya, Nepal
Authors: Dahal Usha , Raut Nirjala , Dhital Anubhav , Mainali Suruchi , Gautam Deepak , Tripathi Shankar
Published: February 2023

The wildlife population is an important part of the forest ecosystem and plays a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem health and integrity. In many grassland ecosystems, wild herbivores face substantial competition for space and resource use from livestock over grazing resources. Livestock and ungulates have shared a large portion of the Terai forest resources for decades, but little information has been explored about the influence of livestock on the grassland ecosystems of the protected areas of the Terai region of Nepal. We assessed the impact of livestock grazing on wild ungulate habitat in the Khata Corridor, Bardiya, Nepal. We used direct field observation, key informant interview (n = 10), focus group discussion (n = 5), and a questionnaire survey with local households to study the seasonal occurrence of wild ungulates in multiple habitats, livestock rearing practices, stocking density, and resource use by domestic livestock in and around the forest land of villages located in the Khata Corridor, Bardiya, Nepal. We followed livestock herds from the early morning to their return for consecutive days in each sample village to estimate the grazing circuits. We individually recorded a total number of grazing cattle in five different habitats while following the cattle grazing path by direct and indirect observation. Morisita’s index was used to evaluate the habitat overlap between domestic livestock and wild ungulates. The domestic cattle had a higher habitat overlap and effective stocking density in winter than wild ungulates in summer in the corridor forest. Lower availability of forage around the village led to the concerted effort of grazing in the forest, increasing the higher effective stocking density in winter, leading to the competition with wild ungulates. However, the carrying capacity is highly unevenly observed across the region, and overgrazing is found in many areas of the forest corridor. We recommend the development of comprehensive wildlife livestock grazing strategies for planning sustainable livestock farming and for important wildlife areas to maintain long-term landscape connectivity to protect migrating endangered wild species.
Operation of European Football Supply Chain in China Based on Meta-Analysis
Authors: Dai Zhiqing
Published: February 2023

Football is a sport in which two teams play offense and defense against each other on the same rectangular court according to certain rules. As a key project in China’s professional and commercial development, football supply chain has its own mode of operation. In order to compare and study the operation of European football supply chain in China, in this paper, we conduct a study on the operation of European football supply chain in China through principal component analysis to establish a model suitable for the operation of Chinese football supply chain. It is concluded that through research under the existing model, we should establish and improve the system, change the supply chain management mechanism, establish and improve the operation mechanism, clearly establish the ownership of the supply chain, and clear the rights and responsibilities. In addition, we also adopt an independent operation mechanism in line with the market and a self-financing business operation model.
AT7867 Inhibits the Growth of Colorectal Cancer Stem-Like Cells and Stemness by Regulating the Stem Cell Maintenance Factor Ascl2 and Akt Signaling
Authors: Li Yuchen , Yuan Yun , Yang Luyao , Chen Hongqing , Zhang Xufan , Wen Tian , Liao Wenhao , Zhao Maoyuan , Zhao Ziyi , Hu Qiongying
Published: February 2023

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the core factors leading to recurrence, insensitivity to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and immunotherapy resistance in patients with colorectal cancer. AT7867, a potent oral AKT inhibitor, was found to have antitumor activity in colorectal cancer; however, the effect on colorectal cancer stem cells is still unclear. This study was conducted to clarify the molecular mechanism underlying the CSC growth inhibitory effects of AT7867. We cultured colorectal cancer cells (CRCs) in a serum-free medium and enriched colorectal cancer stem cells. Subsequently, the effects of AT7867 on CSCs were analyzed by CCK-8, colony formation, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence assays. The results indicated that AT7867 induces G2/M phase arrest and cell apoptosis in cancer stem cells. Subsequently, we identified Ascl2 as the main gene affecting the stemness of colorectal cancer in AT7867 by RNA sequencing. The current study showed that Ascl2 is involved in the metastasis, invasion, and proliferation of CRCs. The next experiments demonstrated that overexpression of Ascl2 did affect the therapeutic effect of AT7867 on CRC stemness. Furthermore, compared with other Akt inhibitors, AT7867 could promote the differentiation of colorectal cancer stem cells. Thus, AT7867 might be a potential antitumor drug candidate to treat CRC by targeting CSCs.
Pharmacological Studies on the Antidiabetic, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Efficacies of Commiphora myrrha Resin in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes in Rats: A Preclinical Study
Authors: Mansouri Rasha A. , Ahmad Aftab , Roushdy M. M.  , Alshaibi Huda F. , Ragab Mahmoud
Published: February 2023

Background and Objectives. Commiphora myrrha resin is the traditionally used herbal remedy in the Middle East against a variety of diseases, including diabetes, due to its multiple pharmacological activities. The present study investigates the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic efficacies of aqueous extract of Commiphora myrrha resin (MAE) in streptozotocin-induced (STZ) diabetes in the female Sprague Dawley rats. Material and Methods. The thirty (30) female adult Sprague Dawley rats were randomly and equally segregated into three sets of experimental groups: group I (normal control): the rats were given an intraperitoneal injection of sodium citrate buffer solution and marked as a normal control group (NCG); group II (diabetic control): the rats were injected with STZ (60 mg/kg body weight (b.w.)) and marked as the diabetic control group (DCG); and group III (MAE treated): the rats were injected with STZ (60 mg/kg b.w.) for induction of diabetes and treated with MAE powder (0.5 mL of 0.5 g/kg b.w.) dissolved in distilled water. The treatment was given for 30 days. All rats were sacrificed after 30 days of treatment. The blood samples from each rat were collected for biochemical analysis, and the pancreas was taken for histopathological examination. Results. The aqueous extracts of MAE were phytochemically analyzed, and the results revealed the presence of high concentrations of tannins, sterols, and isoprenoids (terpenoids), while steroids and flavonoids were found in moderate concentrations. The plant extract showed promising inhibition of the growth of gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens. It also showed that MAE has potential antihyperglycemic and antioxidant activities. Microscopic examination of the pancreas showed degenerative changes and atrophy associated with dilatation of the exocrine ducts in the STZ-induced diabetic rats, while the treatment revealed that the Langerhans islets were close to normal without any histopathological alteration. Conclusion. The present results suggested that an aqueous extract of MAE could be considered an efficient antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial treatment in the future.
miR-4757-3p Inhibited the Migration and Invasion of Lung Cancer Cell via Targeting Wnt Signaling Pathway
Authors: Zhao Pei , Zhao Qian , Chen Chen , Lu Song , Jin Li
Published: February 2023

Lung cancer accounts for the vast majority of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and aberrant miRNA expression is commonly observed as the disease progresses. The current study aimed to determine the role of miR-4757-3p in the development of lung cancer. The real-time PCR test was performed to determine the expression of miR-4757-3p in lung cancer cell lines. miR-4757-3p was downregulated in A549 cells. CCK8 and transwell assays demonstrated that overexpression of miR-4757-3p significantly reduced A549 cell invasion and migration. Bioinformatic analysis by the TargetScan database predicted the possible targets of miR-4757-3p. A luciferase activity test was used to determine the direct relationship between miR-4757-3p, Wnt5a, and Wnt8b. The overexpression of miR-4757-3p drastically inhibited the expression of Wnt5a and Wnt8b. Furthermore, we discovered that silencing Wnt5a and Wnt8b significantly lowered β-catenin expression and hampered invasion and migration. Finally, miR-4757-3p inhibited lung cancer cell migration and invasion by inhibiting the activation of the Wnt signaling pathway. Our study provided evidence that miR-4757-3p could be developed as an indicator or an anticancer target in the clinical application.
Forcing an Effortless Stance: The Lived Body in Social Anxiety Disorder
Authors: Kristiansen Martin Vestergaard
Published: February 2023

Introduction: The fear of scrutiny central in social anxiety disorder (SAD) points to a problem of the interpersonally perceivable body. Whereas the predominant cognitive-behavioral (CBT) account of the disorder understands this as a problem of excessive self-focused attention, the phenomenological literature reveals it as a sign of a fundamental transformation of body experience. The lived body absent from experience becomes the object body at the forefront of it. The present paper contributes to this literature by refining and grounding these notions in first-person descriptions of concrete experiences of social anxiety. Method: Repeated interviews were conducted with eight informants struggling with social anxiety and collected personal diaries. The interviews were informed by phenomenological concepts and a specific line of inquiry on body experiences. The analysis tested iteratively a set of phenomenologically grounded hypotheses of altered body experience against the first-person descriptions. Results: A concept of bodily instrumentalization is developed which accounts for the tendency of self-directed attention and behavior central to the disorder. That is, the socially anxious patient experiences their body as entrapped by the Other and thus unable to act freely among them. This felt bodily self-enslavement for the Other shows itself in efforts to conceal the body from the others and to puppeteer it for them. Discussion: The notion of bodily enslavement captures a central aspect of the suffering experienced by patients with SAD that exceeds the capability of the CBT language. Additionally, the social nature of the bodily instrumentalization that is constitutive of this suffering means that psychotherapy should not treat SAD as a cognitive disorder, but rather as an interpersonal disorder. Specifically, psychotherapy should offer patients shared interpersonal experiences in which they forget their bodily presence.
Tackling Congestion in Acute Heart Failure: Is It the Primetime for “Combo Diuretic Therapy?”
Authors: Kazory Amir , Ronco Claudio
Published: February 2023

Symptoms and signs of congestion are the primary reason for hospitalization of patients with acute heart failure. Efficient fluid and sodium removal remain the main goals of therapy, and loop diuretics are the recommended agents in this setting. However, the therapeutic response to these medications is known to be variable, and a significant subset of patients is discharged from the hospital with residual fluid overload. Therefore, sequential blockade of the nephron has been proposed as a more effective decongestive strategy. Pilot studies have suggested significant increase in diuresis and natriuresis with combination diuretic therapy. Recently, two groups of investigators examined this hypothesis on a larger scale in randomized placebo-controlled trials; one targeted the proximal tubules upstream of the loop of Henle (Acetazolamide in Decompensated Heart Failure with Volume Overload – ADVOR), while the other one blocked sodium-chloride cotransporters in the distal convoluted tubules (Combination of Loop with Thiazide Diuretics for Decompensated Heart Failure – CLOROTIC). Herein, we discuss the results of these two trials with special focus on their impact on extraction of sodium, i.e., the main determinant of extracellular volume, and put them in the context of previous studies of combination diuretic therapy as well as extracorporeal ultrafiltration.
DigiHive: Artificial Chemistry Environment for Modeling of
Self-Organization Phenomena
Authors: Sienkiewicz Rafał , Jędruch Wojciech
Published: February 2023

The article presents the DigiHive system, an artificial chemistry simulation environment, and the results of preliminary simulation experiments leading toward building a self-replicating system resembling a living cell. The two-dimensional environment is populated by particles that can bond together and form complexes of particles. Some complexes can recognize and change the structures of surrounding complexes, where the functions they perform are encoded in their structure in the form of Prolog-like language expressions. After introducing the DigiHive environment, we present the results of simulations of two fundamental parts of a self-replicating system, the work of a universal constructor and a copying machine, and the growth and division of a cell-like wall. At the end of the article, the limitations and arising difficulties of modeling in the DigiHive environment are presented, along with a discussion of possible future experiments and applications of this type of modeling.
The Studio PANaroma and Electroacoustic Music in Brazil
Authors: Menezes Flo
Published: February 2023

This article discusses the foundation of Studio PANaroma de Música Eletroacústica in São Paulo in 1994, an institution of the São Paulo State University and one of the most active research and production centers in the area in the world, contextualizing its conception with the internationalist tendencies present since the beginning of modernism in Brazil. To this end, the text discusses the notion of cultural anthropophagy, as formulated by Oswald de Andrade; discusses a brief history of the first initiatives in the field of electroacoustic music in Brazil; and focuses on the historical importance and the particularity of the Studio PANaroma, which substantially changed the development of electroacoustic music in the country. The studio's activities are described, including the founding of the studio's loudspeaker orchestra, as well as the studio's main research activities.
Effects of chronic social defeat on social interaction and partner preference in mandarin voles
Authors: Li Yin , Yang Yang , He Zhi Xiong , Hou Wen Juan , Guo Xing , Li Lu , Huang Cai Hong , Tai Fadao
Published: February 2023

Different types of stress produce different effects on social relationships between partners. Chronic social defeat has been found to alter the emotional and social behaviours, whether it affects partner preference remains unclear. Using monogamous mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), the present study found that 14 days of social defeat to male vole could increase social avoidance in sociality test, and reduced attacking, intimate, sniffing and exploratory behaviours, but increased avoidance defensive, immobile behaviours in social interaction test. In addition, this treatment significantly reduced side-by-side contact with partner throughout cohabitation period, and reduced the attacking behaviour to strangers after 11 days’ cohabitation. Furthermore, in mandarin vole with chronic social defeat, partner preference was abolished on 5 and 7 days’ cohabitation indicating that pair bonding stability was impaired by chronic social defeat. Moreover, although mandarin voles spent longer time rescuing partner than stranger in both groups, chronic social defeat did not affect rescuing significantly. Impairment of pair bonding may be due to abnormalities in social interaction induced by chronic social defeat. This finding provides some insights into mechanisms underlying effects of prolong social stress on social relationships between partners.
Impact of the Tibetan Topography on Downwind Spatial Distribution of Fine Particulate Matter in Winter
Authors: Cheng Xugeng , Liu Jane , Zhao Tianliang , Xie Xiaoning , Chen Zhixiong , Shi Zhengguo , Li Xinzhou , Wang Hong , Yang Mengmiao , Tang Nanjun
Published: February 2023

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) with a large landmass serves as an obstacle that hinders westerly flows and alters climate downwind. Here, we investigate the TP influence on the magnitude and spatial distribution of wintertime fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations downwind and associated underlying mechanisms. Based on simulations using an Earth system model, we show that the removal of the TP would reduce surface PM2.5 concentrations by −30.4% in the Sichuan basin (SC) and by −12.4% in the North China Plain (NCP), but increase the concentrations by 18.1% in eastern China (EC), suggesting that the TP could naturally intensify PM2.5 pollution in SC and NCP. If the TP were absent, more meridional circulations would turn into zonal ones and the East Asian winter monsoon would become weaker. There would be less precipitation and lower humidity over SC and EC in the south, while the opposite occurs over NCP in the north. Consequently, the changes in circulations would result in a net outflow of PM2.5 from SC and NCP, but a net inflow of PM2.5 to EC. In response to the spatial changes in precipitation, wet deposition would decrease in SC and EC but increase in NCP. PM2.5 production would reduce in SC and EC but amplify in NCP, following the changes in humidity. In magnitude, the changes in transport and wet deposition would be dominant in SC and NCP, while in EC, transport, wet deposition, and chemical production would be equally important. This study illustrates significant and heterogeneous impacts of the TP on air quality downwind.
Understanding the Variation and Mechanisms of Tropical Cyclone Genesis Potential over the Western North Pacific during the Past 20 000 Years
Authors: Huan Dubin , Yan Qing , Wei Ting , Jiang Nanxuan
Published: February 2023

To deepen our understanding of the behavior of tropical cyclones (TCs) over the western North Pacific (WNP) and its response to various external forcings, we investigate the variation of TC genesis potential over the WNP during the past 20 ka that experienced several large forcings. Using a set of transient simulations and a genesis potential index, our results indicate that TC genesis potential in the storm season shows an overall increase averaged over the WNP during the Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1; ∼17–16 ka) relative to the Last Glacial Maximum. Subsequently, there is a sharp decrease in genesis potential during the Bølling–Allerød (BA; ∼13.5 ka) relative to the HS1, which is followed by an increase during the Younger Dryas (YD; ∼12.9–11.7 ka). During the Holocene, TC genesis potential shows a slight decrease during the early–middle Holocene (∼11.7–6 ka) and a significant increasing trend afterward. Further analysis shows that the contribution of each genesis factor to the genesis potential change varies greatly with time, which is in turn tied to changes in external forcings. The increased meltwater fluxes dominate the increased genesis potential during the HS1 and YD, whereas all external forcings (i.e., changes in meltwater, ice sheets, CO2, and insolation) contribute to genesis potential change during the BA. The long-term increasing trend from the mid-Holocene to the present is controlled by orbital insolation. These results may help improve our understanding on past TC activity and shed lights on TC response to various external forcings in a long-term future.
RETRACTED: Role of mineral trioxide aggregate in dentistry: A bibliometric analysis using Scopus database
Authors: Najmi Muhammad Arqam , Nayab Talha , Alam Beenish Fatima , Abbas Tanveer , Ashgar Shama , Hussain Talib , Qasim Syed Saad Bin , Heboyan Artak
Published: February 2023

Objectives:

Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) has a long history of providing predictable clinical outcomes in dental applications especially in endodontic procedures. This bibliometric analysis aimed at evaluating the advancements of research in mineral trioxide aggregate and its use in the field of dentistry, together with the detection of most significant authors, organizations, countries, journals, papers, and the exploration of commonly used keywords using a structured approach.

Materials and method:

The search was conducted using the Elsevier’s Scopus database, gathering publication information related to MTA published from 1993 and 2021 July. Metadata comprising of titles, abstracts, keywords, authors, organizations, and countries were obtained. Bibliometric evaluators with respect to authors, articles published, journals, keywords, and top countries were scrutinized. Data was analyzed using VOS viewer.

Results:

Between 1993 and 2021, an uptrend in the research performed on MTA was identified. Researchers from United States, Brazil, and Iran actively contributed on MTA, while papers from USA were highly cited. The Journal of Endodontics along with International Endodontic Journal were the top contributing academic journals. Hacettepe University, Turkey and Cardiff University from United Kingdom were the top most contributing organizations. Mahmoud Torabinejad was the most cited author. Most commonly used keywords included Mineral trioxide aggregate, silicate, oxide, root canal filling material.

Conclusion:

The global rise in the number of publications on mineral trioxide aggregate, tremendous networking and citations have been identified amongst various organizations, authors, and nations through this bibliometric analysis.
A fair experimental comparison of neural network architectures for latent representations of multi-omics for drug response prediction
Authors: Hauptmann Tony , Kramer Stefan
Published: February 2023

Background

Recent years have seen a surge of novel neural network architectures for the integration of multi-omics data for prediction. Most of the architectures include either encoders alone or encoders and decoders, i.e., autoencoders of various sorts, to transform multi-omics data into latent representations. One important parameter is the depth of integration: the point at which the latent representations are computed or merged, which can be either early, intermediate, or late. The literature on integration methods is growing steadily, however, close to nothing is known about the relative performance of these methods under fair experimental conditions and under consideration of different use cases.

Results

We developed a comparison framework that trains and optimizes multi-omics integration methods under equal conditions. We incorporated early integration, PCA and four recently published deep learning methods: MOLI, Super.FELT, OmiEmbed, and MOMA. Further, we devised a novel method, Omics Stacking, that combines the advantages of intermediate and late integration. Experiments were conducted on a public drug response data set with multiple omics data (somatic point mutations, somatic copy number profiles and gene expression profiles) that was obtained from cell lines, patient-derived xenografts, and patient samples. Our experiments confirmed that early integration has the lowest predictive performance. Overall, architectures that integrate triplet loss achieved the best results. Statistical differences can, overall, rarely be observed, however, in terms of the average ranks of methods, Super.FELT is consistently performing best in a cross-validation setting and Omics Stacking best in an external test set setting.

Conclusions

We recommend researchers to follow fair comparison protocols, as suggested in the paper. When faced with a new data set, Super.FELT is a good option in the cross-validation setting as well as Omics Stacking in the external test set setting. Statistical significances are hardly observable, despite trends in the algorithms’ rankings. Future work on refined methods for transfer learning tailored for this domain may improve the situation for external test sets. The source code of all experiments is available underhttps://github.com/kramerlab/Multi-Omics_analysis
Role of cytoskeleton-related proteins in the acrosome reaction of Eriocheir sinensis spermatozoa
Authors: Tang Yulian , Sun Lishuang , Li Shu , Liu Huiting , Luo Lvjing , Chen Zhengyu , Li Genliang
Published: February 2023

Cytoskeleton-related proteins are essential for cell shape maintenance and cytoskeleton remodeling. The spermatozoa ofEriocheir sinensis(Chinese mitten crab) have a unique cellular structure, and the mechanism of spermatozoal metamorphosis during the acrosome reaction is not well understood. In this study, theE. sinensisspermatozoa were induced using calcium ionophore A23187 to undergo the acrosome reaction in vitro, and the acrosome-reacting and fresh (non-reacting) spermatozoa were collected separately. The differential expression of cytoskeleton-related protein genes in acrosome-reacting and fresh spermatozoa ofE. sinensiswas analyzed by whole transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis, and PPI network and miRNA-mRNA regulation network were constructed to analyze their possible function and regulation mechanism. The results showed that numerous differentially expressed cytoskeleton-related protein genes, miRNAs and lncRNAs were found in acrosome-reacting and fresh spermatozoa ofE. sinensis; 27 cytoskeleton-related protein genes were down regulated and 687 miRNAs were up regulated in acrosome-reacting spermatozoa; 147 miRNAs target these 27 cytoskeleton-related protein genes. In the PPI networks, RAC1, BCAR1, RDX, NCKAP1, EPS8, CDC42BPA, LIMK1, ELMO2, GNAI1 and OCRL were identified as hub proteins. These proteins are mainly involved in the regulation of cytoskeleton organization, actin cytoskeleton organization, microtubule skeleton organization and small GTPase-mediated signal transduction and other biological processes, and play roles in pathways such as actin cytoskeletal regulation and axon guidance. miR-9, miR-31 and two novel miRNAs in the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network are the core miRNAs targeting cytoskeleton-related protein genes. miR-9 targets and regulatesOBSCN,CDC42BPA,ELMO2,BCAS3,TPRandOCRL; while miR-31 targets and regulatesCDC42BPAandTPR. This study provides a theoretical basis for revealing the mechanism of acrosome reaction under the special spermatozoa morphology ofE. sinensis.
Chromosomal-level genome assembly of the high-quality Xian/Indica rice (Oryza sativa L.) Xiangyaxiangzhan
Authors: Liang Jiayan , Kong Leilei , Hu Xiaodan , Fu Chongyun , Bai Song
Published: February 2023

Theindicarice variety XYXZ carries elite traits including appearance and eating quality. Here, we report the de novo assembly of XYXZ using Illumine paired-end whole-genome shotgun sequencing and Nanopore sequencing. We annotated 39,722 protein-coding genes in the 395.04 Mb assembly. In comparison to other cultivars, XYXZ showed a larger gene size including the transcripts and introns, and more exons per gene. And hundreds of ultra-long genes were also detected. A total of 4362 complete LTRs were annotated, and among them, many were located next to or in protein-coding genes including several genes related to rice quality. We observed the different distributions of LTRs in these genes among XYXZ, Nipponbare, and R498, implying these LTRs might potentially affect expressions of the proximal genes and rice quality. Overall, This chromosome-length genome assembly of XYXZ provides a valuable resource for gene discovery, genetic variation and evolution, and the breeding of high-quality rice.