bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FROM ŁÓDŹ TO LEIDEN – ON INTERNATIONAL
CONNECTIONS OF THE POLISH INTERWAR
AVANT-GARDE
Authors: Wenderski Michał
Published: September 2018

This article is dedicated to international
connections between selected representatives of Polish and
Western avant-gardes in art and literature of the interwar
period. Both the nature and the scale of such relations have
been exemplified by a number of artists from the “a.r.” group
– Katarzyna Kobro, Władysław Strzemiński, Henryk Stażewski
and Jan Brzękowski, as well as their relationships with the
representatives of Dutch and Belgian formations, inter alia “De
Stijl” group. The origin of those connections has been briefly
presented, along with their nature, dynamics and an impact
they made on artworks and theories of chosen artists. Their
description is based on archival documents and publications,
from which a picture of direct relationships between the
leading artists of the European avant-garde emerges – some
of them personal, some correspondence-based; they have also
been presented in form of a diagram that illustrates the text.
Dancing in Blackness
Authors: Osumare Halifu
Published: September 2018

Dancing in Blackness: A Memoir explores a black female dancer’s personal journey over four decades across three continents and numerous countries. The author situates herself in the 1960s Black Arts Movement in the S.F. Bay Area, the dynamics of being a black woman dancing in Europe in the late 1960s, and dancing professionally in New York City in the early 1970s, while participating in racial inroads into important arts venues like Lincoln Center. She recounts friendships and collaborations with major artistic figures like Katherine Dunham, Ntozake Shange, Rod Rodgers, Diane McIntyre, Donald McKayle, Dr. Kwabena Nketia, and many others. She explores dancing in Ghana for almost a year, the inspiration for her return to the Oakland Bay Area in the late 1970s to help create the city’s black dance scene while being an adjunct dance lecturer at Stanford University. She also considers how her arts activism helped to engender more cultural equity in the arts nationally. She remembers the 1980s national multicultural arts movement and regional community dance activism, including her own national dance initiative, Black Choreographers Moving Toward the 21st Century. Finally, she ponders her self-reinvention in her 50s into a noted black studies and hip-hop scholar in academia.
Metacinema in Contemporary Chinese Film
Authors: Stuckey G. Andrew
Published: September 2018

Depictions within a movie of either filmmaking or film watching are hardly novel, but the dramatic expansion of the reach of the metacinematic into contemporary Chinese cinemas is nothing short of remarkable. The prevalence of metacinematic features forms the basis of a discourse on film arising from the films themselves. Such a discourse, in turn, outlines the boundaries of the possible for film in China as aesthetic or sociopolitical practice. Metacinema also draws our attention to the presence of the audience, people actively responding to a film. In elucidating the affective responses elicited by the metacinematic mode in the viewers, Stuckey argues that metacinema reflects ways of being in the world that audiences may take up for themselves. The films studied in this book are drawn across the full spectrum of Chinese films made in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan during the 1990s and 2000s, from award-winning conceptual art films to popular crowd pleasers, blockbusters to low budget productions, and documentary-style social realist exposé projects to studio assembly line investments. The recurrence of the metacinematic across this broad range of works is indicative of its relevance to Chinese films today, and the analysis of these diverse examples allows us to gauge the cultural, social, and aesthetic implications of Chinese cinemas as a whole.
The Code of Silence across the Hong Kong Eurasian Community(ies)
Authors: Lee Vicky
Published: September 2018

This chapter examines the dynamics of Hong Kong’s Eurasian community (from the 1860s to the 1960s) in terms of the community’s perception of its own members, the attitudes of its members towards their own European and Chinese heritage, and the mutual perceptions and interactions with other ethnic groups in the city during the period in question. Despite the fact that many Eurasians have served in various roles in Hong Kong, in both the public and private sectors, from doctors and lawyers to nurses, teachers, clerks and stenographers, particularly since the late 1800s, not much is known about this community. Unlike other ethnic groups such as the Parsee and the Portuguese communities, who shared a common religion common cultural practices identity, the sense of community among Eurasians was nebulous and sporadic. Ironically, one common practice shared by members of this community was a conscious attempt to de-emphasize their membership of this ethnic group and a reluctance to acknowledge their Eurasian heritage both on an individual and collective level.
The Making of Accomplished Women
Authors: Chiu Patricia P. K.
Published: September 2018

In various ways, the wide range of schools in Hong Kong – some secular, others run by a variety of religious organizations - represented a new frontier to girl students, and the cultural exchanges that took place there were multidimensional. Apart from contact with new knowledge through book learning, Chinese girls gained access to other unfamiliar activities such as choral singing, playing musical instruments, sports, and girl guiding. Equally importantly, in some schools girls encountered and mingled with others from very different ethnic, social and economic backgrounds, forming an important socializing experience. The first generation of ‘accomplished women’ from such schools contributed to the redefining of women’s space in prewar Hong Kong. The turbulent years of the 1920s and 1930s also provided unprecedented opportunities for them to exercise their language skills in networking and organization of charity and relief work. This chapter argues that for those women who excelled in public service it was not only the academic training but the all-round education in a multicultural setting that equipped them with discipline and determination, and a vision to build international connections in their service for the common good.
Providing Reassurance and Affirmation
Authors: DiMoia John P.
Published: September 2018

This chapter looks at the voluntary vasectomy campaigns headed by Dr. Lee Hui-Yong at Seoul National University hospital, concurrent with ongoing family planning campaigns for much of the 1960s and 1970s. In particular, the surgery was first tested on a range of civilian subjects before becoming specifically attached to the Home Reserve Army (Yebigun), a body created in the late 1960s in the aftermath of a North Korean incursion and direct assault on the Blue House, or presidential residence. In a wonderful bit of irony, the hyper-masculinist rhetoric of the period asked South Korean males to stand for the nation, to father children and nurture them, and at the same time, to curb their reproductive urges after a proscribed number of children. Carrying into the 1970s, reservists received additional incentives (access to apartments, education for children, reduced reserve periods) for compliance with the “voluntary program. The logic and zeal of the program was such that numbers continued to peak into the 1980s and early 1990s, even as South Korea underwent democratization and the transition to pro-natal initiatives.
Contesting the Myths of Samurai Baseball
Authors: Keaveney Christopher T.
Published: September 2018

The Japanese passion for the game of baseball stretches back over one hundred years, and has its origins in the Meiji period. Baseball has long been Japan’s national pastime, and the game constitutes an important part of the social fabric of Japan. Moreover, baseball occupies a prominent position in modern Japanese culture. Starting with Masaoka Shiki’s poetry and fiction about baseball in the Meiji era and continuing all the way up to the recent baseball manga of Adachi Mitsuru, this work chronicles cultural representations of baseball in Japan with chapters devoted to poetry, fiction, manga and films that incorporate or represent baseball. The book makes the case that in Japan baseball has been used by writers, filmmakers and artists both to validate the time-honored model of Bushidō-inspired “Samurai baseball” and to challenge rigid cultural values and assumptions. Baseball has served in the modern era as a cultural touchstone to which artists have returned again and again.
Carbon Black and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Supported Cobalt for Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell
Authors: Truong Van Men , Yang Chih-Wei , Yang Hsiharng
Published: September 2018

Carbon black (CB) and multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) supported cobalt, namely, CoPc/CB and CoPc/MWCNTs, respectively, with different metal loads was synthesized and used as the cathode catalyst for anion exchange membrane fuel cells. The prepared catalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The surface morphology analysis revealed heterogeneous cobalt distribution on the carbon support. Cyclic Voltammetry was also studied to investigate the best combination ratio. The results indicated that the electrochemically largest active surface area was observed when 30 and 40 wt% cobalt was combined with 70 wt% CB and 60 wt% MWCNTs, respectively. The anion exchange membrane fuel cell performance showed that both cathode catalysts exhibited the highest peak power density at 40 wt%t. Co load. The peak power density of 55 mW/cm2 at 0.4 volts was obtained using CoPc/CB. Meanwhile, the promising catalyst CoPc/MWCNTs only produced 35mW/cm2, which did not meet the expectation. According to some references, the alkaline fuel cell performance might be bothered by the acid residues, sulfates and nitrates produced by the MWCNT purification process.
Endophytic Fungi from Aegle marmelos Plant: A Potent and Innovative Platform for Enhanced Cellulolytic Enzyme Production
Authors: Badiya Pradeep Kumar , Thota Sai Praneeth , Yerram Sandeep , Vadlani Praveen V. , Vedantam Pallavi , Ramamurthy Sai Sathish , Golakoti Nageswara Rao , Sharma Robin , Kumar B.S. Vijaya
Published: September 2018

Fungi have a prominent status in fermentation for the production of different bio-products. Endophytic fungi isolated from medicinal plants are particularly formidable in their adaptability to solid state fermentation as an extension of its natural habitat and are also a potent source of broad-spectrum cellulolytic enzymes. We report for the first time the use of endophytic fungus isolated from Aegle marmelos for enhanced cellulolytic enzymes production from groundnut shell (GNS) as substrate. ImageJ software identified Trichoderma harzianum as an endophytic fungus having maximum radial growth rate. A systematic comparison of the endophytic fungus with Aspergillus oryzae, under solid state fermentation (SSF) and submerged fermentation (SmF) conditions was performed and enhanced cellulase production was observed by the endophytic fungus (4.27 FPU/ml) under SSF environment compared to SmF (2.35 FPU/ml). A comprehensive understanding of the systemic breakdown in the structural integrity of the biomass has been achieved using a synergy of enzyme assay protocols, spectral and thermal based techniques. The use of endophytic fungi in SSF systems in our study lays the basis for the production of other industrially important enzymes. The present study opens the door for the synergistic use of endophytic and epiphytic fungi for the production of cellulolytic enzyme.
Investigation of Household Debt through Multilevel Multivariate Analysis: Case of a Developing Country
Authors: Haq Wajiha , Ismail Noor Azina , Satar NurulHuda Mohd
Published: September 2018

This study focuses on investigating the relationships between different socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and households’ debt decision and demand. We used six survey rounds of data from Pakistan household integrated expenditure survey (HIES) 2001 to 2014. HIES is a nationally representative data collected by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Multilevel models were used to investigate the relationship in which the data on households was nested in primary sampling units (PSUs) and PSUs were nested in provinces. The decision of taking household debt varies 22% at PSU level and 18% at provincial level due to unobserved variables. We found that households having higher financial assets, higher income and larger household sizes tend to have a higher percentage of debt. The amount of debt also increases with education and age. In the case of demand for debt, the variation is 12% at the provincial level. Literature studying household debt decision in Pakistan often ignore the geographical differences (region/province specific studies). Considering socioeconomic characteristics habituating the usage of credit is of countless importance in guiding policy design and interventions that aim to improve financial inclusion.
Homère historien de la guerre de Troie ? Regards critiques des historiens grecs sur les poèmes homériques
Authors: Jouanno Corinne
Published: September 2018

Le présent article étudie le traitement réservé au « témoignage » homérique sur la guerre de Troie chez les historiens grecs de l’époque classique (Hérodote, Thucydide) et, plus succinctement, dans l’historiographie de l’époque hellénistique et romaine. Tandis qu’Hérodote, adoptant une attitude polémique, conteste l’autorité d’Homère et définit sa pratique de l’histoire par opposition avec le modèle homérique, Thucydide, affichant moins de scepticisme, s’emploie à mettre en place une méthode qui lui permette d’exploiter les poèmes homériques comme source d’informations sur l’histoire économique et politique des temps archaïques. On retrouve cette théorie du « sens caché » chez divers historiens et géographes de l’époque hellénistique et romaine qui, éduqués dans le respect de la tradition homérique, continuent à s’interroger sur l’historicité de l’Iliade et de l’Odyssée, en un débat dont le rhéteur Dion de Pruse suggère ironiquement la transformation en lieu commun de l’historiographie antique.
Enargeia, Akribeia : écrire Les disparus dans le sillage d’Hérodote et de Thucydide
Authors: Boblet Marie-Hélène
Published: September 2018

Dans Les disparus, Daniel Mendelsohn raconte la quête qu’il a menée pendant sept ans à travers le monde pour retrouver des traces de six membres de sa famille, « disparus » en 1942 en Galicie orientale. Pour reconstituer comment ils sont morts et surtout comment ils ont vécu, il se met à l’écoute des survivants de Bolechow. Pour raconter cela, il s’inspire de l’Enquête d’Hérodote, dont il admire la puissance narrative et l’enargeia, qu’il complète de la vérification optique (akribeia) qu’il retient de Thucydide. Un « narrateur de la troisième génération » doit à la fois faire parler les témoins, vérifier leurs propos et s’inquiéter de la transmissibilité de son histoire aux lecteurs de son récit.
Extreme degeneracy of inputs in firing a neuron leads to loss of information when neuronal firing is examined
Authors: Vadakkan Kunjumon I
Published: September 2018

Possible combinations of inputs in the order of 10100 can fire (axonal spike or action potential) a neuron that has nearly 104 inputs (dendritic spines). This extreme degeneracy of inputs that can fire a neuron is associated with significant loss of information when examination is limited to neuronal firing. Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) propagating from remote locations on the dendritic tree attenuate as they arrive at the axon hillock depending on the distance they propagate. Moreover, some EPSPs from remote locations will not even reach the axonal hillock. In this context, an operational mechanism at the location of origin of these EPSPs is necessary to preserve information for efficient storage. A similar mechanism is also expected at the location of origin of EPSPs generating dendritic spikes.
The Targeting System of Language
Authors: Talmy Leonard
Published: September 2018

A linguistic/cognitive system of “targeting” is proposed that unifies the traditionally distinct domains of anaphora and deixis. As a speaker communicates with a hearer, her attention can come to be on something in the environment — her “target” — that she wants the hearer's attention to be on as well at a certain point in her discourse. This target can be located near or far in either the speech-internal (anaphoric) or the speech-external (deictic) environment. At her selected discourse point, she places a “trigger” — one of a special set of mainly closed-class forms (e.g., English this, that, here, there, now, then). This trigger directs the hearer to perform a certain three-stage procedure. In the first stage, he seeks all available “cues” to the target. Such cues belong to ten different categories representing ten distinct sources of information. In the second stage, he combines the cues he has determined so as to narrow down to the speaker's intended target. In the third stage, he maps the concept of the target he has determined back onto the trigger and integrates it into the overall conception expressed by the sentence. A trigger is lexicalized to occur in a particular interaction between the speaker and hearer. This interaction incrementally leads to their joint attention on the target. In a special process of constructive discrepancy, the speaker can introduce conflicting cues that lead the hearer to resolve the conflict and find the intended target.
A Brief History of the Verb To Be
Authors: Moro Andrea
Published: September 2018

A journey through linguistic time and space, from Aristotle through the twentieth century's “era of syntax,” in search of a dangerous verb and its significance.

Beginning with the early works of Aristotle, the interpretation of the verb to be runs through Western linguistic thought like Ariadne's thread. As it unravels, it becomes intertwined with philosophy, metaphysics, logic, and even with mathematics—so much so that Bertrand Russell showed no hesitation in proclaiming that the verb to be was a disgrace to the human race.

With the conviction that this verb penetrates modern linguistic thinking, creating scandal in its wake and, like a Trojan horse of linguistics, introducing disruptive elements that lead us to rethink radically the most basic structure of human language—the sentence—Andrea Moro reconstructs this history. From classical Greece to the dueling masters of medieval logic through the revolutionary geniuses from the seventeenth century to the Enlightenment, and finally to the twentieth century—when linguistics became a driving force and model for neuroscience—the plot unfolds like a detective story, culminating in the discovery of a formula that solves the problem even as it raises new questions—about language, evolution, and the nature and structure of the human mind. While Moro never resorts to easy shortcuts, A Brief History of the Verb To Be isn't burdened with inaccessible formulas and always refers to the broader picture of mind and language. In this way it serves as an engaging introduction to a new field of cutting-edge research.
Pseudoscience and the Pursuit of Truth
Authors: Hecht David K.
Published: September 2018

This article takes a historical and cultural approach to pseudoscience, arguing that it can never be definitively demarcated from real science. It suggests that the persistence of pseudoscience throughout history, and particular in its recent American incarnations, can teach us a lot about why people place trust in the information sources that they do. Ultimately, the history of pseudoscience suggests that we place too much faith in science itself.
Introduction: The Long Revolution
Authors: Freedman Des
Published: September 2018

This introduction begins with a brief discussion on the staying power of television, given the fact that it is no longer supposed to exist with the rise of the Internet and digital platforms. In fact, the Internet has not killed television but actually extended its appeal — liberating it from the confines of the living room where it sat unchallenged for half a century and propelling it, via new screens, into our bedrooms, kitchens, offices, buses, trains and streets. The chapter then describes the Puttnam Inquiry into the Future of Public Service Television and sets out the book's purpose, which is to contribute to the discussion about what kind of public service media people want and to provide some blueprints for future policy action. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.
TV Advertising for All Seasons
Authors: Alps Tess
Published: September 2018

This chapter presents the author's personal interpretation of public service broadcasting (PSB), dissects the relationship between advertising and public service broadcasters, and uses some of Thinkbox's qualitative insight to imagine the future of advertising within PSB. Thinkbox specializes in presenting hard and impartial facts amidst a decade of ‘post-truth’ and ‘alternative’ facts about what is happening to TV. It is argued PSB can be paid for in only one of three ways: a universal licence fee, direct treasury funding, or advertising. Were the BBC to stop receiving a license fee and look towards advertising income instead, overall TV ad revenues would be unlikely to increase sufficiently to replace it and all other broadcasters would suffer, not to mention many other media.
Does Public Service Television Really Give Consumers Less Good Value for Money than the Rest of the Market?
Authors: Barwise Patrick
Published: September 2018

This chapter explores the assumption that public service television (PST), i.e. BBC TV, commercial public service broadcasters (PSBs), and non-PSBs, offers less consumer value for money than the rest of the market in the UK; that the only continuing rationale for PST rests on citizen concerns. It shows that PST does give citizens public service benefits over and above those provided by the non-PSBs and online-only TV players, and these ‘citizenship’ benefits are highly valued by the public. PST also offers consumers better value for money because the non-PSBs' significantly higher cost per viewer-hour seems unlikely to be compensated for by commensurately higher audience appreciation. The main policy implication is simple: there is no necessary trade-off between citizen and consumer benefits: pound for pound, PST appears to deliver both sets of benefits better than the rest of the market.
Diversity: Reflection and Review
Authors: Malik Sarita
Published: September 2018

This chapter focuses on what the report A Future For Public Service Television says about ‘diversity’ and considers more broadly the utility of public service television (PST) diversity policy in direct relation to its role in mediating lived multiculture. The report states that issues of diversity ‘based on the recognition that the population consists of multiple and overlapping sets of minorities’ are central to the relevance and legitimacy of any public service media system. Problematically, PST is implicated in the social processes of exclusion that are enacted more widely across the creative sector, revealing a deep correlation between social and cultural inequality. The chapter also briefly examines how ‘diversity’ is operationalized within these contexts and look at its potential efficacy in producing a less unequal, more diverse public service media culture as part of a functioning public sphere.
Short-tailed mice with a long fossil record: the genusLeggadina(Rodentia: Muridae) from the Quaternary of Queensland, Australia
Authors: Cramb Jonathan , Price Gilbert J. , Hocknull Scott A.
Published: September 2018

The genusLeggadina(colloquially known as ‘short-tailed mice’) is a common component of Quaternary faunas of northeastern Australia. They represent a member of the Australian old endemic murid radiation that arrived on the continent sometime during the late Cenozoic. Here we describe two new species of extinctLeggadinafrom Quaternary cave deposits as well as additional material of the extinctLeggadina macrodonta.Leggadina irvinisp. nov. recovered from Middle-Upper (late) Pleistocene cave deposits near Chillagoe, northeastern Queensland, is the biggest member of the genus, being substantially larger than any other species so far described.Leggadina webbisp. nov. from Middle Pleistocene cave deposits at Mount Etna, central eastern Queensland, shares features with the oldest species of the genus, the Early PleistoceneL. gregoriensis. Based on the current palaeoecological interpretation of the type locality,L. webbi, represents the only member of the genus that inhabited rainforest. The succession ofLeggadinaspecies through the late Quaternary suggests an ecological replacement of the extinct large-bodiedL. irviniwith the extant, small-bodiedL. lakedownesisat Chillagoe. At Mt. Etna, the extinct rainforest speciesL. webbiis replaced with the extant xeric-adaptedL. forrestiduring the latest Middle Pleistocene. This replacement is associated with a mid-Pleistocene shift towards progressive intensifying seasonal and arid climates. Our study adds to the growing list of small-bodied faunal extinctions during the late Quaternary of northern Australia.
Representativeness of Studies Required Under Medicare’s Coverage With Evidence Development Program
Authors: Mooghali Maryam , Dhruva Sanket S. , Ross Joseph S. , Ramachandran Reshma
Published: November 2024

This study evaluates representation of older adults, women, and people of Black race and Hispanic ethnicity in Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services national coverage determination (NCD) and coverage with evidence development (CED)–approved studies.
Discontinuation of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists
Authors: Khan Sadiya S. , Ndumele Chiadi E. , Kazi Dhruv S.
Published: November 2024

This Viewpoint discusses the health benefits of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs); summarizes the clinical, policy, and equity implications of GLP-1 RA discontinuation; and calls for the identification and implementation of strategies to improve long-term adherence to GLP-1 RA therapy.
Spesolimab Response in a Patient With Steroid-Resistant Sweet Syndrome
Authors: Pang Zhiyu , Wu Chao , Liu Jie , Liu Yuehua , Jin Hongzhong
Published: November 2024

This case report describes a patient with Sweet syndrome whose condition improved with spesolimab after failure of high-dose corticosteroids.
Grief-Specific Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs Present-Centered Therapy
Authors: Rosner Rita , Rau Jörn , Kersting Anette , Rief Winfried , Steil Regina , Rummel Anna-Maria , Vogel Anna , Comtesse Hannah
Published: November 2024

Importance

Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is included as a new diagnosis in international classification systems. Treatments following a cognitive behavioral model are most effective, but comparisons with active control treatments are scarce.

Objective

To examine whether integrative cognitive behavioral therapy for prolonged grief (PG-CBT) is superior to present-centered therapy (PCT).

Design, Setting, and Participants

This was a rater-blinded, multicenter, randomized clinical trial (stratified by center and relationship to the deceased) with enrollment from April 2017 to May 2022. The setting included 4 university outpatient clinics in Germany. Eligible participants were aged 18 to 75 years and had PGD based on the Prolonged Grief Disorder 13 (PG-13) interview. Participants were randomized 1:1 to PG-CBT and PCT.

Interventions

PG-CBT focused on the exposure to the worst moment of the loss and cognitive restructuring of grief-related cognitions in combination with solution-focused and experiential methods (eg, walk to the grave exercise). PCT was adapted in session length and number to PG-CBT and focused on a supportive relationship and coping with daily problems that may have arisen from the loss or grief symptoms.

Main Outcomes and Measures

All outcomes were assessed at baseline, after treatment, and 12 months after randomization at follow-up. The primary outcome was a blinded assessment of the PG-13 severity score at follow-up. Secondary outcomes were self-reported depressive, somatic, and overall psychopathological symptoms.

Results

Of 544 treatment-seeking individuals experiencing bereavement, 212 eligible participants (mean [SD] age, 51.8 [13.3] years; 173 female [82%]) with PGD based on the PG-13 interview were randomized to PG-CBT and PCT (n = 106 in each condition). In the intention-to-treat analysis, both treatments yielded high reductions in PGD severity at follow-up (PG-CBT: Cohen d = 1.64; 95% CI, 1.31-1.97; PCT: Cohen d = 1.38; 95% CI, 1.09-1.66). After treatment, participants receiving PG-CBT demonstrated significantly greater reductions in PGD severity than those receiving PCT (Cohen d = 0.31; 95% CI, 0.03-0.57). At follow-up, this effect was only visible on a trend level (Cohen d = 0.28; 95% CI, −0.02 to 0.57), whereas participants in the PG-CBT group had significantly less depressive and general psychopathological symptoms. Twenty-three participants (20%) discontinued PG-CBT treatment, and 17 participants (16%) discontinued PCT.

Conclusion and Relevance

This randomized clinical trial demonstrates that PG-CBT was superior to PCT after treatment and at follow-up with regard to comorbid symptoms. Both treatments were shown to be effective and acceptable, showing the potential for dissemination and increasing patient choice.

Trial registration

German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) identifier: DRKS00012317
Emergency Department Visits Involving Hallucinogen Use and Risk of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Myran Daniel T. , Pugliese Michael , Xiao Jennifer , Kaster Tyler S. , Husain M. Ishrat , Anderson Kelly K. , Fabiano Nicholas , Wong Stanley , Fiedorowicz Jess G. , Webber Colleen , Tanuseputro Peter , Solmi Marco
Published: November 2024

Importance

Interest in and use of hallucinogens has been increasing rapidly. While a frequently raised concern is that hallucinogens may be associated with an increased risk of psychosis, there are limited data on this association.

Objectives

To examine whether individuals with an emergency department (ED) visit involving hallucinogen use have an increased risk of developing a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD).

Design, Settings, and Participants

This population-based, retrospective cohort study (January 2008 to December 2021) included all individuals aged 14 to 65 years in Ontario, Canada, with no history of psychosis (SSD or substance induced). Data were analyzed from May to August 2024.

Exposure

An incident ED visit involving hallucinogen use.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Diagnosis of SSD using a medical record–validated algorithm. Associations between ED visits involving hallucinogens and SSD were estimated using cause-specific adjusted hazard models. Individuals with an incident ED visit involving hallucinogens were compared with members of the general population (primary analysis) or individuals with ED visits involving alcohol or cannabis (secondary analysis).

Results

The study included 9 244 292 individuals (mean [SD] age, 40.4 [14.7] years; 50.2% female) without a history of psychosis, with a median follow-up of 5.1 years (IQR, 2.3-8.6 years); 5217 (0.1%) had an incident ED visit involving hallucinogen use. Annual rates of incident ED visits involving hallucinogens were stable between 2008 and 2012 and then increased by 86.4% between 2013 and 2021 (3.4 vs 6.4 per 100 000 individuals). Individuals with ED visits involving hallucinogens had a greater risk of being diagnosed with an SSD within 3 years compared with the general population (age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 21.32 [95% CI, 18.58-24.47]; absolute proportion with SSD at 3 years, 208 of 5217 with hallucinogen use [3.99%] vs 13 639 of 9 239 075 in the general population [0.15%]). After adjustment for comorbid substance use and mental health conditions, individuals with hallucinogen ED visits had a greater risk of SSD compared with the general population (HR, 3.53; 95% CI, 3.05-4.09). Emergency department visits involving hallucinogens were associated with an increased risk of SSD within 3 years compared with ED visits involving alcohol (HR, 4.66; 95% CI, 3.82-5.68) and cannabis (HR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.21-1.80) in the fully adjusted model.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study, individuals with an ED visit involving hallucinogen use had a greater risk of developing an SSD compared with both the general population and with individuals with ED visits for other types of substances. These findings have important clinical and policy implications given the increasing use of hallucinogens and associated ED visits.
Repurposing Semaglutide and Liraglutide for Alcohol Use Disorder
Authors: Lähteenvuo Markku , Tiihonen Jari , Solismaa Anssi , Tanskanen Antti , Mittendorfer-Rutz Ellenor , Taipale Heidi
Published: November 2024

Importance

Preliminary studies suggest that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1) agonists, used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, may decrease alcohol consumption.

Objective

To test whether the risk of hospitalization due to alcohol use disorder (AUD) is decreased during the use of GLP-1 agonists compared with periods of nonuse for the same individual.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study was an observational study conducted nationwide in Sweden using data from January 2006 to December 2023. The population-based cohort was identified from registers of inpatient care, specialized outpatient care, sickness absence, and disability pension. Participants were all residents aged 16 to 64 years who had a diagnosis of AUD.

Exposures

The primary exposure was use of individual GLP-1 agonists (compared with nonuse of GLP-1 agonists), and the secondary exposure was medications with indication for AUD.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was AUD hospitalization analyzed in a Cox regression within-individual model. Secondary outcomes were any substance use disorder (SUD)–related hospitalization, somatic hospitalization, and suicide attempt.

Results

The cohort included 227 866 individuals with AUD; 144 714 (63.5%) were male and 83 154 (36.5%) were female, with a mean (SD) age of 40.0 (15.7) years. Median (IQR) follow-up time was 8.8 (4.0-13.3) years. A total of 133 210 individuals (58.5%) experienced AUD hospitalization. Semaglutide (4321 users) was associated with the lowest risk (AUD: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.64; 95% CI, 0.50-0.83; any SUD: aHR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54-0.85) and use of liraglutide (2509 users) with the second lowest risk (AUD: aHR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.57-0.92; any SUD: aHR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.64-0.97) of both AUD and SUD hospitalization. Use of any AUD medication was associated with a modestly decreased risk (aHR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-1.00). Semaglutide (aHR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68-0.90) and liraglutide (aHR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.69-0.91) use were also associated with decreased risk of somatic hospitalizations but not associated with suicide attempts (semaglutide: aHR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.23-1.30; liraglutide: aHR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.55-2.15).

Conclusions and Relevance

Among patients with AUD and comorbid obesity/type 2 diabetes, the use of semaglutide and liraglutide were associated with a substantially decreased risk of hospitalization due to AUD. This risk was lower than that of officially approved AUD medications. Semaglutide and liraglutide may be effective in the treatment of AUD, and clinical trials are urgently needed to confirm these findings.
Synaptic Density in Early Stages of Psychosis and Clinical High Risk
Authors: Blasco M. Belen , Nisha Aji Kankana , Ramos-Jiménez Christian , Leppert Ilana Ruth , Tardif Christine Lucas , Cohen Johan , Rusjan Pablo M. , Mizrahi Romina
Published: November 2024

Importance

Synaptic dysfunction is involved in schizophrenia pathophysiology. However, whether in vivo synaptic density is reduced in early stages of psychosis, including its high-risk states, remains unclear.

Objective

To investigate whether synaptic density (synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A [SV2A] binding potential) is reduced in first-episode psychosis (FEP) and in clinical high risk (CHR) and investigate the effect of cannabis use on synaptic density and examine its relationship with psychotic symptoms and gray matter microstructure across groups.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study was performed in a tertiary care psychiatric hospital from July 2021 to October 2023. Participants were patients with antipsychotic-free or minimally exposed FEP or CHR and healthy controls with a clean urine drug screen (except cannabis).

Main Outcomes and Measures

Synaptic density was quantified with dynamic 90-minute [18F]SynVesT-1 positron emission tomography (PET) scans across prioritized brain regions of interest (ROIs) delineated in individual magnetic resonance images (MRIs). Cannabis use was confirmed with urine drug screens. Gray matter microstructure was assessed using diffusion-weighted MRI to estimate neurite density.

Results

A total of 49 participants were included, including 16 patients with FEP (mean [SD] age, 26.1 [4.6] years; 9 males and 7 females), 17 patients at CHR (mean [SD] age, 21.2 [3.5] years; 8 males and 9 females), and 16 healthy controls (mean [SD] age, 23.4 [3.6] years; 7 males and 9 females). Synaptic density was significantly different between groups (F2,273 = 4.02, P = .02, Cohen F = 0.17; ROI: F5,273 = 360.18, P < .01, Cohen F = 2.55) with a group × ROI interaction (F10,273 = 2.67, P < .01, Cohen F = 0.32). Synaptic density was lower in cannabis users (F1,272 = 5.31, P = .02, Cohen F = 0.14). Lower synaptic density across groups was associated with more negative symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale negative scores: F1,81 = 4.31, P = .04, Cohen F = 0.23; Scale of Psychosis-Risk Symptoms negative scores: F1,90 = 4.12, P = .04, Cohen F = 0.21). SV2A binding potential was significantly associated with neurite density index (F1,138 = 6.76, P = .01, Cohen F = 0.22).

Conclusions and Relevance

This study found that synaptic density reductions were present during the early stages of psychosis and its risk states and associated with negative symptoms. The implications of SV2A for negative symptoms in psychosis and CHR warrant further investigation. Future studies should investigate the impact of cannabis use on synaptic density in CHR longitudinally.
Travel to High-Volume Centers and Survival After Esophagectomy for Cancer
Authors: Sakowitz Sara , Bakhtiyar Syed Shahyan , Mallick Saad , Yanagawa Jane , Benharash Peyman
Published: November 2024

Importance

Ongoing efforts have encouraged the regionalization of esophageal adenocarcinoma treatment to high-volume centers (HVCs). Yet such centralization has been linked with increased patient travel burden and reduced postoperative continuity of care.

Objective

To determine whether traveling to undergo esophagectomy at HVCs is linked with superior overall survival compared with receiving care locally at low-volume centers (LVC).

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study considered data for all patients diagnosed with stage I through III esophageal adenocarcinoma in the 2010-2021 National Cancer Database. Patients were stratified based on distance traveled to receive care and the annual esophagectomy volume at the treating hospital: the travel-HVC cohort included patients in the top 25th percentile of travel burden who received care at centers in the top volume quartile, and the local-LVC cohort represented those in the bottom 25th percentile of travel burden who were treated at centers in the lowest volume quartile. Data were analyzed from July 2023 to January 2024.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end points were overall survival at 1 year and 5 years. Secondary end points included perioperative outcomes and factors linked with traveling to receive care.

Results

Of 17 970 patients, 2342 (13%) comprised the travel-HVC cohort, and 1969 (11%), the local-LVC cohort. The median (IQR) age was 65 (58-71) years; 3748 (87%) were male and 563 (13%) were female. After risk adjustment and with care at local LVCs as the reference, traveling to HVC was associated with superior survival at 1 year (hazard ratio for mortality [HR], 0.69; 95% CI, 0.58-0.83) and 5 years (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.70-0.90). Stratifying by stage, traveling to HVCs was associated with comparable outcomes for stage I disease but reduced mortality for stage III (1-year HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.60-0.87; 5-year HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.74-0.93). Further, traveling to HVC was associated with greater lymph node harvest (β, 5.08 nodes; 95% CI, 3.78-6.37) and likelihood of margin-negative resection (adjusted odds ratio, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.29-2.60).

Conclusions and Relevance

Traveling to HVCs for esophagectomy was associated with improved 1-year and 5-year survival compared with receiving care locally at LVCs, particularly among patients with locoregionally advanced disease. Future studies are needed to ascertain barriers to care and develop novel targeted pathways to ensure equitable access to high-volume facilities and high-quality oncologic care.
Vagus Nerve Preservation for Early Distal Gastric Cancer With Monitoring and Indocyanine Green Labeling
Authors: Yan Zhibo , Wei Meng , Zhang Tongchao , Guo Jinghao , Yu Ao , Liang Yize , Huang Yadi , Cui Xiaohan , Wang Honglei , Zhou Kuiquan , Dong Zikun , Yu Wenbin
Published: November 2024

Importance

Radical gastric cancer surgery can cause functional and physiological disorders due to the resection of perigastric vagus nerves. Few studies have used intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring and indocyanine green (ICG) labeling to preserve the perigastric vagus nerve and to evaluate the corresponding effects.

Objective

To assess the feasibility and effects of vagus nerve preservation using neurophysiologic monitoring and ICG labeling during laparoscopic distal gastrectomy in patients with early distal gastric cancer.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This open-label, prospective randomized clinical trial initially enrolled 285 patients with clinical stage cT1N0M0 distal gastric cancer from May 2022 to May 2023. This trial was conducted at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University in Jinan, China, and enrolled patients aged 18 to 80 years with histologically proven gastric adenocarcinoma scheduled for distal gastrectomy. The final follow-up examination was performed May 1, 2024.

Interventions

Eligible participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to vagus nerve preservation distal gastrectomy (VPG) or vagus nerve resection distal gastrectomy (VRG).

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was the incidence of postsurgical gastroparesis. Secondary outcomes included postoperative gallstone formation, quality of life, morbidity, mortality, overall survival, and disease-free survival up to 12 months postoperatively. All analyses were based on both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses.

Results

Of 264 patients included in the intention-to-treat analysis, the median (IQR) patient age was 58.0 (52.0-67.0) years, and 67 patients (25.4%) were female. Both the VPG and VRG groups included 132 patients. Postoperative gastroparesis occurred in 1 patient (0.8%) in the VPG group and in 10 patients (7.6%) in the VRG group. Gallstones developed in 0 patients in the VPG group and in 9 patients (6.8%) in the VRG group. As assessed by mean (SD) score on the 30-item European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, the VRG group experienced more nausea and vomiting at 6 months postsurgery (19.38 [7.62]) than the VPG group (17.15 [9.21]) (P = .03) and had significantly higher rates of persistent appetite loss, reflux symptoms, and eating difficulties at both 6 months and 12 months than the VPG group. Differences in postoperative complications and metastasis were not significant.

Conclusions and Relevance

Neurophysiologic monitoring and ICG labeling during distal laparoscopic gastrectomy for vagus nerve preservation in patients with early distal gastric cancer are safe and feasible. Preserving the perigastric vagus nerve may retain the function of the remnant stomach and improve quality of life.

Trial Registration

Chictr.org.cn Identifier: ChiCTR2200059489
A Diathesis‐Stress Approach to Understanding Partner Maltreatment Perpetration: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Knox Laura , Karantzas Gery C. , Marshall Emma
Published: November 2024

Despite evidence suggesting that partner maltreatment—a concept which represents a wide array of negative, destructive, and abusive behaviors in romantic relationships—is likely to fluctuate over time, the longitudinal trajectory of partner maltreatment is unclear. This study aims to identify the average trajectory of partner maltreatment over a 5‐month period before applying an attachment‐informed diathesis‐stress framework to explain points of escalation or de‐escalation in partner maltreatment perpetration. Two hundred and eight individuals completed 5 monthly assessments of partner maltreatment as well as an assessment of adult attachment and perceived stress at baseline. A nonlinear (i.e., quadratic function) trajectory provided optimal fit for partner maltreatment perpetration over time. An interaction between attachment avoidance and perceived stress predicted the trajectory of partner maltreatment perpetration. Specifically, higher attachment avoidance and higher perceived stress predicted a small initial decline followed by a steep increase in partner maltreatment perpetration. No significant associations were found for the interaction between attachment anxiety and stress and partner maltreatment. The findings suggest that perpetration of partner maltreatment fluctuates over time, and that an attachment‐informed diathesis‐stress framework can be applied to explain levels of partner maltreatment perpetration and points of escalation and de‐escalation over time.
Melt Expansion and Thermal Transitions of Semiconducting Polymers in Thin Films
Authors: Henry Reece , Ade Harald
Published: November 2024

The molecular self‐organization and reorganization and thus volumetric and density changes during structural relaxation and melting of modern organic semi‐conducting materials remains largely unknown, particularly in the device relevant thin film geometry where the initial state may be structurally quenched away from equilibrium. Here, the apparent mass‐thickness of a range of semi‐conducting polymeric or molecular model materials systems is measured through in situ ellipsometry. Surprisingly, the volume changes upon melting correlate inversely, with a few exceptions, to the quality of crystallinity found via x‐ray methods (i.e., directly correlate with the paracrystalline g‐parameter) rather than the melting enthalpy that is possibly a proxy for the degree of crystallinity. This study also observes changes in orientation and/or density due to segmental relaxation during the first heat, thus complementing other characterization methods that measure relaxation or reorganization transitions. Semiconducting materials exhibit very large melt expansion and a richer phase‐behavior compared to commodity polymers, presumably due to their complex chemical structure. The results delineate an important and novel structure‐function relation that, together with simulations constrained by these results, will lead to better rational design of semi‐conducting materials.