bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Propensity‐Matched Analysis of the Short‐Term Outcome of Robot‐Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy Versus Conventional Thoracoscopic Esophagectomy in Thoracic Esophageal Cancer
Authors: Fujita Takeo , Sato Kazuma , Ozaki Asako , Akutsu Tomohiro , Fujiwara Hisashi , Kojima Takashi , Daiko Hiroyuki
Published: May 2022

Background

In this matched‐cohort study, we investigated the short‐term outcome of robot‐assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) compared with conventional minimally invasive thoracoscopic esophagectomy (MIE) in esophageal cancer patients.

Methods

One hundred eighty‐nine patients with thoracic esophageal cancer scheduled to undergo thoracic esophagectomy between 2020 and 2021 were assigned to either RAMIE or MIE. Then, we retrospectively evaluated the postoperative surgical complications between two groups in a propensity‐matched analyzation.

Results

Based on the propensity‐matched score, 50 patients who underwent RAMIE or MIE were selected. Thoracic surgery time in RAMIE/MIE group were 233.1/173.3 min (p < 0.01), respectively. No significant intergroup differences were observed regarding incisional anastomotic leakage (RAMIE group 4.0% vs. MIE group 6.0%) and pneumonia (RAMIE group 8.0% vs. MIE group 12.0%; p = 0.68). The respective incidences of recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis were 34.0 and 8.0% in the MIE and RAMIE groups, respectively (p < 0.01). In the matched cohort, no differences were observed between the groups in the success accomplishment of the clinical management pathway (RAMIE group 94.0% vs. MIE group 88.0%).

Conclusions

Although patients who underwent RAMIE had longer operation times, the incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis was lower than with MIE. Further study in a prospective multi‐institutional setting are required to confirm the superiority of RAMIE compared with MIE.
Radiomics analysis based on lumbar spine CT to detect osteoporosis
Authors: Jiang Yan-Wei , Xu Xiong-Jie , Wang Rui , Chen Chun-Mei
Published: May 2022

Objectives

Undiagnosed osteoporosis may lead to severe complications after spinal surgery. This study aimed to construct and validate a radiomic signature based on CT scans to screen for lumbar spine osteoporosis.

Methods

Using a stratified random sample method, 386 vertebral bodies were randomly divided into a training set (n = 270) and a test set (n = 116). A total of 1040 radiomics features were automatically retracted from lumbar spine CT scans using the 3D slicer pyradiomics module, and a radiomic signature was created. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the Hounsfield and radiomics signature models were calculated. The AUCs of the two models were compared using the DeLong test. Their clinical usefulness was assessed using a decision curve analysis.

Results

Twelve features were chosen to establish the radiomic signature. The AUCs of the radiomics signature and Hounsfield models were 0.96 and 0.88 in the training set and 0.92 and 0.84 in the test set, respectively. According to the DeLong test, the AUCs of the two models were significantly different (p < 0.05). The radiomics signature model indicated a higher overall net benefit than the Hounsfield model, as determined by decision curve analysis.

Conclusions

The CT-based radiomic signature can differentiate patients with/without osteoporosis prior to lumbar spinal surgery. Without additional medical cost and radiation exposure, the radiomics method may provide valuable information facilitating surgical decision-making.

Key Points

• The goal of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a radiomics signature model based on routine preoperative lumbar spine CT scans in screening osteoporosis.

• The radiomics signature model demonstrated excellent prediction performance in both the training and test sets.

• This radiomics method may provide valuable information and facilitate surgical decision-making without additional medical costs and radiation exposure.
Global experience and progress in GreenLight-XPS 180-Watt photoselective vaporization of the prostate
Authors: Lichy Isabel , Law Kyle , Tholomier Côme , Nguyen David-Dan , Sadri Iman , Bouhadana David , Couture Félix , Zakaria Ahmed S. , Bhojani Naeem , Zorn Kevin C. , Bruyère Franck , Cindolo Luca , Ferrari Giovanni , Vasquez-Lastra Carlos , Borelli-Bovo Tiago J. , Becher Edgardo F. , Misrai Vincent , Elterman Dean , Reimann Maximilian , Cash Hannes
Published: May 2022

Purpose

To evaluate changes in global perioperative data of GreenLight-XPS 180-Watt photo-selective vaporization of the prostate (GL-XPS) of the Global Greenlight Group (GGG) database.

Methods

3441 men, who underwent GL-XPS for symptomatic BPH between 2011 and 2019 at seven high volume international centers, were included. Primary outcome measurements were operative time (OT; min), effective laser time (LT; min of OT), as well as intraoperative and postoperative adverse events (AEs), all analyzed by year of surgery (2011–2019) and prostate volume (PV) group (< 80 ml vs. 80-150 ml vs. > 150 ml).

Results

The median age was 70 years (interquartile range 64–77), the median PV was 64 ml (IQR 47–90). The OT and LT slightly increased but stayed highly efficient all in all. Median OT was 60 min (IQR 45–83) and LT was 33 min (IQR 23–46). Median energy use was 253 kJ (IQR 170–375) with an energy density of 3.94 kJ/ml (IQR 2.94–5.02). The relative probability of perioperative AEs decreased by 17% each year (p < 0.001). The relative probability of perioperative transfusion dropped significantly from 2% in 2011 to 0% in 2019 (p = 0.007). The early postoperative complications (within 30 days after surgery) decreased significantly from 48.8% (n = 106) in 2011 to 24.7% (n = 20) in 2019 (p > 0.001).

Conclusion

These findings from the GGG demonstrate significant improvement secondary to growing experience with GL-XPS between 2011 and 2019 in intraoperative AEs, including transfusions, and postoperative AEs. While staying highly efficient in OT and LT of GL-XPS within a 9-year period of experience.
Utility and limitations of metabolic parameters in head and neck cancer: finding a practical segmentation method
Authors: Rijo-Cedeño Jefferson , Mucientes Jorge , Villarreal Ithzel María , Royuela Ana , García Vicente Patricia , García-Berrocal José Ramón
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Although metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) have shown good prognostic value in head and neck cancer (HNC), there are still many issues to resolve before their potential application in standard clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to compare the discrimination ability of two relevant segmentation methods in HNC and to evaluate the potential benefit of adding lymph nodes’ metabolism (LNM) to the measurements.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed a recently published database of 62 patients with HNC treated with chemoradiotherapy. MTV and TLG were measured using an absolute threshold of SUV2.5. Comparison analysis with previously published background-level threshold (BLT) results was done through Concordance index (C-index) in eight prognostic models.

Results

BLT obtained better C-index values in five out of the eight models. The addition of LNM improved C-index values in six of the prognostic models.

Conclusion

We found a potential benefit in adding LNM to the main tumor measurements, as well as in using a BLT for MTV segmentation compared to the most commonly used SUV2.5 threshold. Despite its limitations, this study suggests a practical and simple manner to use these parameters in standard clinical practice, aiming to help elaborate a general consensus.
Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair—does age, sex, and lens status make a difference?
Authors: Radeck Viola , Helbig Horst , Maerker David , Gamulescu Maria-Andreea , Prahs Philipp , Barth Teresa
Published: May 2022

Purpose

To analyze the correlation between lens status, age, and sex in the epidemiology and success rates of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) surgery.

Methods

The files of all consecutive patients undergoing vitreoretinal surgery for uncomplicated RRD between Jan 2005 und Dec 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Successful outcome was defined as no retinal redetachment occurring within 3 months after surgery.

Results

5502 eyes with uncomplicated primary RRD were included. Mean age of the patients was 61.1 years (± 13.6 SD). In the age group over 40 years, a male predominance was found. The percentage of pseudophakic RRD increased from 25 to 40% during the 15 years observation period. In the age group 50 to 69 years, patients with pseudophakic detachments were male in 786 out of 1079 cases (72.9%). In the same age group, 1285 of 2110 (60.9%) patients with phakic RRD were male. Overall, primary success rate after one procedure was 91.2% (5018 of 5502). In the phakic eyes, the primary success rate was higher in those eyes that underwent combined phacovitrectomy (93.0%), compared to those without simultaneous cataract surgery (88.7%; p = 0.002).

Conclusion

The ratio of male and female patients with RRD varies between age groups. The proportion of pseudophakic RRD has increased within 15 years. The male predominance in RRD is stronger in pseudophakic than in phakic eyes. In phakic eyes with RRD, a combined phacovitrectomy yielded better anatomical results.
Periodic event-triggered modified repetitive control with equivalent-input-disturbance estimator based on T-S fuzzy model for nonlinear systems
Authors: Abd-Elhaleem Sameh , Soliman Mohamed , Hamdy Mohamed
Published: May 2022

In this paper, the periodic signal tracking and the disturbance rejection problems are considered for a class of time-varying delay nonlinear systems with unknown exogenous disturbances under limited communication resources. The Takagi–Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model is used to approximate the nonlinear system. The developed scheme achieves periodic reference tracking and improves the performance of periodic and aperiodic unknown disturbances rejection effectiveley. This can be operated by incorporating the equivalent-input-disturbance (EID) estimator with the modified repetitive controller (MRC) scheme. Moreover, a fuzzy periodic event-triggered feedback observer (FPETFO) is proposed for the purpose of reducing the computational burden, energy consumption and saving communication resources. The periodic event-triggered technique is designed to observe the occurrence of an event which is described by an error signal. When this error signal exceeds a prescribed threshold, the event occurs and the current data are transmitted; otherwise, there is a zero-order hold to keep data unchanged. The overall system consists of MRC, EID and FPETFO based on a T-S fuzzy model. Then, some sufficient conditions are derived to gurantee the asymptotic stability of the overall system subjected to unknown disturbances using the Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional (LKF) stability theory and linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The fuzzy state feedback controller and observer gains are designed using the LMI and matrix decomposition approaches. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed scheme with comparative study.
Prevalence and predictors for 72-h mortality after transfer to acute palliative care unit
Authors: Christ Sebastian M. , Huynh Minhtruong , Schettle Markus , Ahmadsei Maiwand , Blum David , Hertler Caroline , Seiler Annina
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Accurate prediction of survival is important to facilitate clinical decision-making and improve quality of care at the end of life. While it is well documented that survival prediction poses a challenge for treating physicians, the need for clinically valuable predictive factors has not been met. This study aims to quantify the prevalence of patient transfer 72 h before death onto the acute palliative care unit in a tertiary care center in Switzerland, and to identify factors predictive of 72-h mortality.

Methods

All patients hospitalized between January and December 2020 on the acute palliative care unit of the Competence Center Palliative Care of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University Hospital Zurich were assessed. Variables were retrieved from the electronic medical records. Univariable and multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify predictors of mortality.

Results

A total of 398 patients were screened, of which 188 were assessed. Every fifth patient spent less than 72 h on the acute palliative care unit before death. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, predictors for 72-h mortality after transfer were no prior palliative care consult (p = 0.011), no advance care directive (p = 0.044), lower performance status (p = 0.035), lower self-care index (p = 0.003), and lower blood albumin level (p = 0.026).

Conclusion

Late transfer to the acute palliative care unit is not uncommon, which can cause additional distress to patients and caretakers. Though clinically practical short-term survival predictors remain largely unidentified, early integration of palliative care should be practiced more regularly in patients with life-limiting illness.
A real-world study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of three injectable neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist formulations for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in cancer patients
Authors: Dranitsaris George , Moezi Mehdi , Dobson Kate , Phelan Robert , Blau Sibel
Published: May 2022

Background

Three different injectable neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor antagonist formulations (CINVANTI® [C] vs. intravenous Emend® [E] vs. generic formulations of fosaprepitant [GFF]) were compared with respect to nausea and vomiting control, use of rescue therapy, and the development of infusion reactions over multiple cycles of chemotherapy.

Methods

A retrospective analysis from 17 community oncology practices across the USA was conducted on patients who received moderately or highly emetogenic chemotherapy. The co-primary endpoints were the control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) from days 1 to 5 over all cycles and the frequency of infusion-related reactions. Propensity score weighted multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to compare complete CINV control, the use of rescue therapy, and the risk of infusion reactions between groups.

Results

The study enrolled 294 patients (C = 101, E = 101, GFF = 92) who received 1432 cycles of chemotherapy. Using CINVANTI® as the reference group, comparative effectiveness was suggested in CINV control over all chemotherapy cycles (odds ratio (OR): E vs. C = 1.00 [0.54 to 1.86] and GFF vs. C = 1.12 [0.54 to 2.32]). However, use of rescue therapy was significantly higher in the EMEND® group relative to CINVANTI® (OR = 2.69; 95%CI: 1.06 to 6.84). Infusion reactions were also numerically higher in the EMEND® group, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (OR = 4.35; 95%CI: 0.83 to 22.8).

Conclusions

In this real-world analysis, patients receiving CINVANTI® had a reduced need for CINV rescue therapy and a numerically lower incidence of infusion reactions.
Comparable effectiveness of 45- and 20-min post-infusion scalp cooling time in preventing paclitaxel-induced alopecia — a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Lugtenberg Rieneke T. , van den Hurk Corina J. G. , Smorenburg Carolien H. , Mosch Linda , Houtsma Danny , Deursen Margaret A. G. den Hollander-van , Kaptein Ad A. , Gelderblom Hans , Kroep Judith R.
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Scalp cooling can prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). Previously, the post-infusion cooling time (PICT) could be successfully reduced in docetaxel-treated patients from 90 to 45 and 20 min. Therefore, it seems plausible that the PICT can be shortened for paclitaxel-treated patients as well.

Methods

Patients treated with weekly paclitaxel were included in this multi-centre trial and randomly assigned to a PICT of 45 or 20 min. The results were compared to a standard PICT of 90 min, derived from prospective collected data from the Dutch Scalp Cooling Registry. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients who decide to not wear a wig or head covering. Secondary endpoints were the degree of CIA assessed with the Dean scale for assessment of hair loss; alopecia graded according to NCI CTC toxicity version 4.03 (CTCAE4.03); tolerance of scalp cooling and perceived distress of CIA.

Results

Ninety-one patients were enrolled in this study; 74 patients were evaluable for hair loss. Hair preservation was successful in 27 patients (75%) with a PICT of 45 min and in 31 patients (82%) with a PICT of 20 min. There was no difference in success rate with the standard PICT of 90 min (85%, p = 0.29). Similar success rates were seen when using the Dean scale and CTCAE assessment, with no differences between groups (p = 0.12 and p = 0.38).

Conclusions

A 20 min PICT is as effective as 45 and 90 min to prevent weekly paclitaxel-induced alopecia and should be the new standard of care.

Trial register

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03266185.
Vulnerabilität und affektives Leiden
Authors: Schmidsberger Florian
Published: May 2022

Die folgende Auseinandersetzung mit der Erfahrung schmerzhafter Gefühle und einer differenzierten menschlichen Verletzbarkeit nimmt Bezug auf mehrere philosophische Gegenwartdiskurse (Emotionstheorie, Vulnerabilitätstheorie, Phänomenologische Psychopathologie). Im Vordergrund stehen folgende Leitfragen: Wie ist Verletzbarkeit zu verstehen? In welchem Verhältnis stehen Gefühle und Verletzbarkeit? Anliegen des Beitrages ist es, vermittels einer philosophischen Begriffsarbeit eine differenzierte Beschreibungssprache und eine konzeptuelle Ordnung für die Psychotherapieforschung und die praktische psychotherapeutische Arbeit anzubieten. Die wichtigsten Bezugsautor_innen sind Bernhard Waldenfels, Thomas Fuchs sowie Judith Butler.

Die philosophische Erkundung wird vordergründig ein Verständnis von Vulnerabilität entfalten sowie die Struktur schmerzhafter Gefühle umreißen. Was die Verletzbarkeit anbelangt, so sei diese im phänomenologischen Erfahrungsbegriff von Waldenfels verortet. Mit Bezügen zu Butler seien die vielfältigen Register umrissen, in denen wir als Menschen verletzbar sind. Eine Einteilung von Verletzungen in responsive und irresponsive Verletzungen wird Auskunft über den Schweregrad von Verletzungen geben. Geht es um Gefühle, so sollen die folgenden Aspekte erörtert werden: Die leibliche Dimension, in der unser Leib als Medium unserer affektiven Erfahrung fungiert sowie die kognitive Seite unter dem Vorzeichen der „Sinnbildung“.
Development and validation across trimester of the Prenatal Eating Behaviors Screening tool
Authors: Claydon Elizabeth A. , Lilly Christa L. , Ceglar Jordan X. , Dueñas-Garcia Omar F.
Published: May 2022

Rapid screening tools are useful for identifying at-risk patients and referring them for further assessment and treatment, but none exist that consider the unique medical needs of pregnant women with eating disorders (EDs). There is a need for a rapid, sensitive, and specific screening tool that can be used to identify a potential ED in pregnancy. We started with a set of 25 questions, developed from our qualitative work along with other ED screening tools, and tested on a development (n = 190) and validation sample (n = 167). Statistical analysis included factor analysis and logistic regressions with ROC curves. Development and validation samples were combined for trimester analysis (n = 357). Refining the tool to 12 items demonstrated strong internal reliability (development alpha = 0.95, validation alpha = 0.91). With correlated errors, questions demonstrated acceptable CFA fit (development: GFI: 0.91, RMSEA: 0.10, NNFI: 0.95; validation: GFI: 0.85, RMSEA: 0.14, NNFI: 0.86). Similar fits were seen by trimester: first trimester n = 127, GFI: 0.89, RMSEA: 0.12, NNFI: 0.94; second trimester n = 150, GFI: 0.83, RMSEA: 0.14, NNFI: 0.88; third trimester n = 80, GFI: 0.99, NNFI: 0.99. Validation against current ED diagnosis demonstrated acceptable sensitivity and specificity using a cutoff of 39 (development sensitivity = 80.7%, specificity = 79.7%, OR = 16.42, 95% CI: 7.51, 35.88; validation sensitivity = 69.2%, specificity = 86.5%, OR: 17.43, 95% CI: 6.46, 47.01). Findings suggest the PEBS tool can reliably and sensitively detect EDs across pregnancy trimesters with 12 questions. A further implication of this work is to reduce health and mental health treatment disparities through this standard and rapid screening measure to ensure early identification and treatment.
Clinical performance of a new fissure sealant—results from a 2-year randomized clinical trial
Authors: Schill Helen , Graeser Peter , Bücher Katharina , Pfisterer Jan , Khazaei Yeganeh , Enggist Lukas , Hickel Reinhard , Kühnisch Jan
Published: May 2022

Objectives

The aim of this randomized clinical trial (RCT) was to explore the clinical survival of a new, Bis-GMA-free pit and fissure sealant (Helioseal F Plus) in comparison to an established control material (Helioseal F).

Material and methods

This in vivo study was designed as a prospective, 2-year, two-centre RCT with a split-mouth design. The initial study population consisted of 92 adolescents who were followed up 1 month (N = 89), 6 months (N = 88), 1 year (N = 85) and 2 years (N = 82) after sealant application. The attrition rate was 10.9% after 2 years. At each examination, the sealant retention and presence of caries were recorded. The statistical analysis included the calculation of Kaplan–Meier survival curves, log-rank tests and a Cox proportional hazard regression model.

Results

No adverse events during the application or any of the follow-up visits were documented. The proportion of completely intact sealants and those with minimal loss was almost identical in both groups at 85.9% (Helioseal F Plus) and 86.5% Helioseal F) after 2 years of observation. The regression analysis revealed operator dependency; no significant differences were found between the materials, the study centres, the chosen isolation technique and patient age or sex.

Conclusion

The newly developed sealant can be evaluated as at least equivalent in terms of survival and retention behaviour compared to the established control material.

Clinical relevance

The new sealant can be recommended for clinical use. With respect to the material properties (Bis-GMA-free, less light polymerisation time and better thixotropic behaviour), it offers additional advantages with clinical relevance.
IoT-based hydrological monitoring of water-induced landslides: a case study in central Norway
Authors: Oguz Emir Ahmet , Depina Ivan , Myhre Bård , Devoli Graziella , Rustad Helge , Thakur Vikas
Published: May 2022

Water-induced landslides pose a great risk to the society in Norway due to their high frequency and capacity to evolve in destructive debris flows. Hydrological monitoring is a widely employed method to understand the initiation mechanism of water-induced landslides under various climate conditions. Hydrological monitoring systems can provide relevant information that can be utilized in landslide early warning systems to mitigate the risk by issuing early warnings. These monitoring systems can be significantly enhanced, and wider deployments can be achieved through the recent developments within the domain of the Internet of Things (IoT). Therefore, this study aims to demonstrate a case study on an automated hydrological monitoring system supported by the IoT-based state-of-the-art technologies employing public mobile networks. Volumetric water content (VWC) sensors, suction sensors, and piezometers were used in the hydrological monitoring system to monitor the hydrological activities. The monitoring system was deployed in a case study area in central Norway at two locations of high susceptible geological units. During monitored period, the IoT-based hydrological monitoring system provided novel and valuable insights into the hydrological response of slopes to seasonally cold climates in terms of VWC and matric suction. The effects of rainfall, snow melting, ground freezing, and thawing were captured. The current study also made an attempt to integrate the collected data into a physical-based landslide susceptibility model to obtain a more consistent and reliable hazard assessment.
Limit laws for empirical optimal solutions in random linear programs
Authors: Klatt Marcel , Munk Axel , Zemel Yoav
Published: May 2022

We consider a general linear program in standard form whose right-hand side constraint vector is subject to random perturbations. For the corresponding random linear program, we characterize under general assumptions the random fluctuations of the empirical optimal solutions around their population quantities after standardization by a distributional limit theorem. Our approach is geometric in nature and further relies on duality and the collection of dual feasible basic solutions. The limiting random variables are driven by the amount of degeneracy inherent in linear programming. In particular, if the corresponding dual linear program is degenerate the asymptotic limit law might not be unique and is determined from the way the empirical optimal solution is chosen. Furthermore, we include consistency and convergence rates of the Hausdorff distance between the empirical and the true optimality sets as well as a limit law for the empirical optimal value involving the set of all dual optimal basic solutions. Our analysis is motivated from statistical optimal transport that is of particular interest here and distributional limit laws for empirical optimal transport plans follow by a simple application of our general theory. The corresponding limit distribution is usually non-Gaussian which stands in strong contrast to recent finding for empirical entropy regularized optimal transport solutions.
Semi-supervised pedestrian re-identification via a teacher–student model with similarity-preserving generative adversarial networks
Authors: Zhao Botong , Wang Yanjie , Su Keke , Ren Hong , Han Xiyu
Published: May 2022

This paper describes a pedestrian re-identification algorithm, which was developed by integrating semi-supervised learning and similarity-preserving generative adversarial networks (SPGAN). The pedestrian re-identification task aimed to rapidly capture the same target using different cameras. Importantly, this process can be applied in the field of security. Because real-life environments are complex, the number of detected identities is uncertain, and the cost of manual labeling is high; therefore, it is difficult to apply the re-identification model based on supervised learning in real-life scenarios. To use the existing labeled dataset and a large amount of unlabeled data in the application environment, this report proposes a semi-supervised pedestrian re-identification model, which combines a teacher–student model with SPGAN. SPGAN was used to reduce the difference between the target domain and the source domain by transferring the style of the labeled dataset from the source domain. Additionally, the dataset from the source domain was used after the style transfer to pre-train the model; this enabled the model to adapt more rapidly to the target domain. The teacher–student model and the transformer model were then employed to generate soft pseudo-labels and hard pseudo-labels (via iterative training) and to update the parameters through distillation learning. Thus, it retained the learned features while adapting to the target domain. Experimental results indicated that the maps of the applied method on the Market-to-Duke, Duke-to-Market, Market-to-MSMT, and Duke-to-MSMT domains were 70.2, 79.3, 30.2, and 33.4, respectively.
Horwich’s Epistemological Fundamentality and Folk Commitment
Authors: Ulatowski Joseph
Published: May 2022

There are many variants of deflationism about truth, but one of them, Paul Horwich’s minimalism, stands out because it accepts as axiomatic practical variants of the equivalence schema: 〈p〉 is true if and only if p. The equivalence schema is epistemologically fundamental. In this paper, I call upon empirical studies to show that practical variants of the equivalence schema are widely accepted by non-philosophers. While in the empirical data there is variation in how non-philosophers and philosophers talk about truth and how they judge that a proposition is true, a significant amount of data collected over the years reveal that the ordinary or folk view of truth is compatible with the epistemological fundamentality of alethic minimalism. This, I take it, suggests that people share in the same intuitions that form the bedrock of Horwich’s minimalism.
Degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) by fungi originating from Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Thi Lan Anh , Dao Anh Thi Ngoc , Dang Ha Thi Cam , Koekkoek Jacco , Brouwer Abraham , de Boer Tjalf E. , van Spanning Rob J. M.
Published: May 2022

Three different fungi were tested for their ability to degrade 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid and for the role of laccases and cytochromes P450-type in this process. We studied a white-rot fungus Rigidoporus sp. FMD21, which has a high laccase activity, for its efficiency to degrade these herbicides. A positive correlation was found between its laccase activity and the corresponding herbicide degradation rate. Even more, the doubling of the enzyme activity in this phase corresponded with a doubling of the herbicide degradation rate. It is, therefore, tempting to speculate that laccase is the most dominant enzyme in the degradation of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T under these conditions. In addition, it was shown that Rigidoporus sp. FMD21 partly relies on cytochromes P450-type for the breakdown of the herbicides as well. Two filamentous fungi were isolated from soil contaminated with herbicides and dioxins located at Bien Hoa airbase. They belong to genera Fusarium and Verticillium of the phylum Ascomycota as judged by their 18S rRNA gene sequences. Both isolated fungi were able to degrade the herbicides but with different rates. Their laccase activity, however, was very low and did not correlate with the rate of breakdown of the herbicides. These data indicate that the white-rot fungus most likely synthesizes laccase and cytochromes P450-type for the breakdown of the herbicides, while the types of enzyme used for the breakdown of the herbicides by the two Ascomycota remain unclear.

Graphical abstract
The Feasibility of Providing Remote Functional Family Therapy with Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study
Authors: Lange Aurelie M. C. , Humayun Sajid , Jefford Tom
Published: May 2022

Background

Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, mental health care has largely transferred its services to online platforms, using videoconferencing (VC) or teletherapy. Within the field of family therapy, however, there is little evidence on the feasibility of using VC, especially when working with whole families at the edge of care.

Objective

This study investigated the feasibility of remote Functional Family Therapy (FFT), using a mixed-method approach.

Method

Study 1 consisted of semi-structured interviews with 23 FFT professionals (18 female) about their experience of providing remote FFT during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study 2 included monitoring data of 209 FFT clients (46% female, Mage = 14.00) who participated in FFT during the pandemic. We compared families who received mainly in-person, mainly remote or a mix of remote and in-person on client-reported alliance, drop-out, therapist-rated outcomes, and treatment intensity using MANCOVA’s and chi-square tests.

Results

In Study 1 two themes emerged around experienced challenges, namely ‘Feeling in control’ and ‘Engagement and alliance’. Two other themes emerged around adaptations, namely ‘Being more on top’ and ‘Connecting in different ways’. In Study 2, we found that the therapeutic alliance was not related to using VC. Also, families had less between-session contact during the Engagement and Motivation Phase when receiving mainly VC, but had more sessions and longer therapy when receiving a mix of in-person and remote therapy.

Conclusions

The current study suggests that providing systemic family teletherapy to families on the edge of care is feasible. Further development of systemic family teletherapy is warranted.
Hyposalinity induces significant polar lipid remodeling in the marine microalga Dunaliella tertiolecta (Chlorophyceae)
Authors: Vrana Ivna , Bakija Alempijević Saranda , Novosel Nives , Ivošević DeNardis Nadica , Žigon Dušan , Ogrinc Nives , Gašparović Blaženka
Published: May 2022

Marine microalgae often live in a fluctuating environment including a decrease in salinity caused by global warming induced sea ice melting and freshwater inflows. Under conditions of fluctuating salinity, microalgae have evolved a variety of survival mechanisms such as lipid accumulation and remodeling. The purpose of this study was to investigated the membrane lipid remodeling of the marine green microalgaDunaliella tertiolectaas a short-term acclimation mechanism in response to hyposalinity (20 and 3 PSU) with respect to growth at optimal salinity (38 PSU). We identified 34 lipid species belonging to seven polar lipid classes.Dunaliella tertiolectaaccumulates cell lipids and remodels polar lipid classes and their fatty acids composition as response to hypoosmotic stress at 3 PSU. We found that the unsaturation of most polar lipids decreases overall, indicating decreased membrane fluidity and altered permeability, whereas shortening the length of fatty acids of polar lipids is not one of the strategies ofD. tertiolectato cope with the decrease in salinity. Increase in relative content (%) and unsaturation of monogalactosyldiacylglycerols (MGDG) and decrease in relative content (%) and unsaturation of phosphatidylglycerols (PG), suggesting changes in photosynthetic membranes of thylakoids at 20 and 3 PSU. At a very low salinity of 3 PSU, the relative content (%) of phosphatidylinositols (PI) increases, suggesting increased lipid trafficking and signaling in the cells. These changes are statistically significant and we hypothesize thatD. tertiolectais genetically adapted to withstand large salinity fluctuations through polar lipid composition.
A Composite Indicator to Assess Sustainability of Agriculture in European Union Countries
Authors: Magrini Alessandro , Giambona Francesca
Published: May 2022

Few studies have been conducted to assess agricultural sustainability in the European Union (EU), and all of them fail to provide a holistic view of sustainability in a relevant temporal horizon that could effectively support the design of policies. In this paper, a composite indicator is constructed based on the geometric aggregation of 12 basic indicators measured yearly in the period 2004–2020 (17 years) on all EU countries plus United Kingdom, with weights determined endogenously according to the Benefit of Doubt (BoD) approach. Our composite indicator has a two-level hierarchical structure accounting for the contributions of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. In our results, Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania and Poland are the countries with the strongest growth rate of sustainability, while countries reaching the 90th percentile of the score in sustainability include Austria, Czechia, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Sweden. In overall, the social and the environmental dimensions have similar levels, while the level of the economic dimension is definitely higher. Interestingly, several countries with a high level of sustainability are characterized by a decline of the economic dimension, including Austria, Finland, Italy, Latvia and Slovakia. The reliability of our composite indicator is supported by the substantial agreement of sustainability scores with subsidies attributed by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Therefore, our proposal represents a valuable resource not only to monitor the progress of EU member countries towards sustainability objectives, but also to refine the scheme for the attribution of CAP subsidies in order to stimulate specific sustainable dimensions.
Meta-analysis: associated factors for the adoption and disclosure of CSR practices in the banking sector
Authors: Rojas Molina Leidy Katerine , Pérez López José Ángel , Campos Lucena María Soledad
Published: May 2022

This document seeks to identify the associated factors that lead banking institutions to adopt and disclose CSR practices, considering that previous studies show contradictory results. Therefore, is important to integrate the findings from previous research, given the importance of CSR practices for the financial performance and the level of risk of organizations. The study employed the random effect meta-analysis technique, the data analysis was carried out with papers published between 2005 and 2021 and integrates the results of research that has analyzed a total of 6208 observations in 40 countries. The results of the research show a significant positive association between, legitimacy of existence and reputation as associated factors for developing CSR practices, whereas the regulation, the inclusion of foreign board members, and stakeholder relationships have an insignificant positive association as an associated factor with the development of CSR practices. Corporate governance factors have a significant positive relationship with the presence of women on the board and the size of the board. In addition, the board’s independence and the duality of the CEO have an insignificant negative association. This paper provides evidence of the need for research in CSR practices in the banking sector, especially in Latin America where the literature is almost non-existent. In addition, it also shows the need for research on corporate governance factors, especially on how the presence of women on the board influences the development of CSR practices, considering the scarce existing literature that analyses these factors.
Comparison of [18F]fluciclovine and [18F]FDG PET/CT in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Patients
Authors: Stokke Caroline , Nørgaard Jakob Nordberg , Feiring Phillips Hilde , Sherwani Alexander , Nuruddin Syed , Connelly James , Schjesvold Fredrik , Revheim Mona-Elisabeth
Published: May 2022

Purpose

[18F]FDG PET/CT in multiple myeloma (MM) is currently the best technology to demonstrate patchy and extramedullary disease. However, [18F]FDG PET has some limitations, and imaging with alternative tracers should be explored. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the performance of [18F]fluciclovine PET compared to [18F]FDG PET in newly diagnosed MM patients.

Procedures

Thirteen newly diagnosed transplant eligible MM patients were imaged both with [18F]FDG PET/CT and [18F]fluciclovine PET/CT within 1 week in a prospective study. The subjects were visually assessed positive or negative for disease. The number of lesions and the SUVmax of selected lesions were measured for both tracers. Furthermore, tracer uptake ratios were obtained by dividing lesion SUVmax by blood or bone marrow SUVmax. Between-group differences and correlations were assessed with paired t-tests and Pearson tests. Bone marrow SUVs were compared to bone marrow plasma cell percentage in biopsy samples.

Results

Nine subjects were assessed positively by [18F]FDG PET (69%) and 12 positives by [18F]fluciclovine PET (92%). All positive subjects had [18F]fluciclovine scans that were qualitatively scored as easier to interpret visually than the [18F]FDG scans. The number of lesions was also higher; seven of nine subjects with distinct hot spots on [18F]fluciclovine PET had fewer or no visible lesions on [18F]FDG PET. The mean lesion SUVmax values were 8.2 and 3.8 for [18F]fluciclovine and [18F]FDG, respectively. The mean tumour to blood values were 6.4 and 2.0 for [18F]fluciclovine and [18F]FDG, and the mean ratios between tumour and bone marrow were 2.1 and 1.5 for [18F]fluciclovine and [18F]FDG. The lesion SUVmax and ratios were significantly higher for [18F]fluciclovine (all p < 0.01).

Local [18F]fluciclovine SUVmax or SUVmean values in os ilium and the percentage of plasma cells in bone marrow biopsies were linearly correlated (p = 0.048). There were no significant correlations between [18F]FDG SUVs and plasma cells (p = 0.82).

Conclusions

Based on this pilot study, [18F]fluciclovine is a promising tracer for MM. The visual and semi-quantitative evaluations indicate that [18F]fluciclovine PET/CT can out-perform [18F]FDG PET/CT at diagnosis.
Digitalisierung der politischen Kommunikation
Authors: Donges Patrick
Published: May 2022

Der Beitrag fragt nach strukturellen Veränderungen der politischen Kommunikation, die sich als Folge der Digitalisierung ergeben. Dabei wird eine regelorientierte und institutionalistische Perspektive eingenommen: Digitale Kommunikationsmedien wie Social-Media-Plattformen weisen eigene institutionelle Logiken auf und beeinflussen so die Regeln, nach denen politische Kommunikation stattfindet. Zur Begründung dieser These wird der Begriff Digitalisierung zunächst in technische Möglichkeit und soziale Realisierung unterschieden. Politische Kommunikation wird als Vermittlungsprozess betrachtet. Neben die Selbstvermittlung durch politische Akteure und die Fremdvermittlung durch journalistisch-redaktionelle Medien tritt mit digitalen Kommunikationsmedien ein neuer Typ in den Vordergrund, die automatisiert algorithmische Vermittlung. Aus diesen Unterscheidungen ergeben sich mehrere Paradoxien, die für eine Betrachtung der institutionellen Folgen relevant sind: Digitalisierung senkt die Kosten der Kommunikation und ermöglicht ein Mehr an publizierten Mitteilungen, erschwert jedoch zugleich die Chance gesellschaftlicher Wahrnehmung und gelingender Kommunikation. Durch die automatisiert algorithmische Vermittlung können Akteure ihre Botschaften in höherer Auflösung an spezifische Zielgruppen richten und sich mit ihnen verbinden, die digitalen Formen der Konnektivität erschweren jedoch die für demokratische Prozesse notwendige Repräsentanz und Zurechenbarkeit von Mitteilungen an politische Akteure. Technisch ermöglichte und sozial eingeforderte Transparenz geht mit der Bemühung von politischen Organisationen einher, das eigene Handeln zu verdecken oder zu verschleiern. Digitalisierung und die automatisiert algorithmische Vermittlung führen damit sowohl zu neuen Sichtbarkeiten als auch zu neuen Unsichtbarkeiten des Politischen.
Desktop Virtual Reality Versus Face-to-Face Simulation for Team-Training on Stress Levels and Performance in Clinical Deterioration: a Randomised Controlled Trial
Authors: Liaw Sok Ying , Sutini  , Chua Wei Ling , Tan Jian Zhi , Levett-Jones Tracy , Ashokka Balakrishnan , Te Pan Terry Ling , Lau Siew Tiang , Ignacio Jeanette
Published: May 2022

Background

Simulation-based education can equip healthcare providers with the ability to respond to and manage stressors associated with rapidly deteriorating patient situations. However, little is known about the benefits of using virtual reality (VR) for this purpose.

Objective

To compare between desktop VR and face-to-face simulation in stress responses and performance outcomes of a team-based simulation training in managing clinical deterioration.

Design

A randomised controlled study

Method

The study was conducted on 120 medical and nursing students working in interprofessional teams. The teams were randomly assigned to participate in a 2-h simulation using either the desktop VR or face-to-face simulation with simulated patient (SP). Biophysiological stress response, psychological stress, and confidence levels were measured before and after the simulation. Performance outcomes were evaluated after the simulation using a deteriorating patient scenario.

Results

The systolic blood pressure and psychological stress response were significantly increased among participants in VR and SP groups; however, no significant differences were found between the groups. There was also no significant difference in confidence and performance outcomes between participants in the VR and SP groups for both medical and  nursing students. Although the psychological stress response was negatively correlated (r = −0.43; p < 0.01) with confidence levels, there was no association between stress response and performance score.

Conclusion

Despite being less immersive, the desktop VR was capable of inducing psychological and physiological stress responses by placing emotional, social, and cognitive demands on learners. Additionally, by ensuring close alignment between the simulation tasks and the clinical tasks (i.e. functional fidelity), the desktop VR may provide similar performance outcomes as conventional simulation training. This evidence is timely given the rise in the use of virtual learning platforms to facilitate training during the COVID-19 pandemic where face-to-face training may not be feasible.

Trial Registration

The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04330924.
The Significance of Leadership in the Evolution of Policy Styles: Reconciling Policy-Making in the Short and Long Term
Authors: Tosun Jale , Galanti Maria Tullia , Howlett Michael
Published: May 2022

Can relatively short-term political leadership affect long-term national policy styles, and if so, how? We examine these questions in order to explain the temporal dynamics in national policy styles observed in several recent studies whose findings have challenged the traditional view that policy styles lend continuity and stability to policy-making. In its original formulation, the concept of policy styles refers to the extent to which governments are committed to anticipatory or reactive policy-making, as well as to whether they seek to reach consensus with societal groups over policies or simply impose decisions on them. Following these definitions, we contend that political leaders can alter a long-held policy style and often do so due to strategic considerations, either in an attempt to improve their policy performance or in response to an exogenous shock, such as an economic crisis. We illustrate this argument by using longitudinal records of changes in country-level governance indicators which include data on dimensions of policy styles. Specifically we examine how two of the Sustainable Governance Indicators compiled by the Bertelsmann Foundation changed for Ireland, Italy, Malta, and Poland between 2014 and 2020. As the cases show, government leaders sought to alter long-standing processes and the arrangements of governance and policy-making. Our empirical findings support the overarching argument that the study of national policy styles should be combined with that of political leadership.
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Support for the German AfD: Jumping the Populist Ship or Staying the Course?
Authors: Bayerlein Michael , Metten Anne
Published: May 2022

Populist parties enjoy stable support in various European countries. The literature on the rise of populism argues that this support especially increases in times of crises. Surprisingly, the German right-wing populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) did not increase its support in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the party even lost 2.3 percentage points in the 2021 federal election. We address this puzzle and ask why the AfD has not been able to use the crisis to its advantage. Our main argument in answering this question is that, although the AfD pursued the classic populist strategy of fundamental opposition, the support base of the AfD is strongly divided on the preference towards measures containing the spread of COVID-19. This division is reinforced by individual affectedness by the pandemic. Introducing a novel weekly dataset on voter preferences, we show that the AfD support base is strongly divided on the issue with approval of the government measures being a significant and substantial contributor to vote switching away from the AfD. Using regional-level data and a difference-in-differences approach, we further show that western German regions hit especially hard by the pandemic display a lower AfD vote share than other regions. Our findings have important implications for the impact of exogenous shocks on electoral competition and also on the future of populist parties.