bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Memory Consolidation during Ultra-short Offline States
Authors: Wamsley Erin J. , Arora Madison , Gibson Hannah , Powell Piper , Collins Megan
Published: August 2023

Traditionally, neuroscience and psychology have studied the human brain during periods of “online” attention to the environment, while participants actively engage in processing sensory stimuli. However, emerging evidence shows that the waking brain also intermittently enters an “offline” state, during which sensory processing is inhibited and our attention shifts inward. In fact, humans may spend up to half of their waking hours offline [Wamsley, E. J., & Summer, T. Spontaneous entry into an “offline” state during wakefulness: A mechanism of memory consolidation? Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 32, 1714–1734, 2020; Killingsworth, M. A., & Gilbert, D. T. A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science, 330, 932, 2010]. The function of alternating between online and offline forms of wakefulness remains unknown. We hypothesized that rapidly switching between online and offline states enables the brain to alternate between the competing demands of encoding new information and consolidating already-encoded information. A total of 46 participants (34 female) trained on a memory task just before a 30-min retention interval, during which they completed a simple attention task while undergoing simultaneous high-density EEG and pupillometry recording. We used a data-driven method to parse this retention interval into a sequence of discrete online and offline states, with a 5-sec temporal resolution. We found evidence for three distinct states, one of which was an offline state with features well-suited to support memory consolidation, including increased EEG slow oscillation power, reduced attention to the external environment, and increased pupil diameter (a proxy for increased norepinephrine). Participants who spent more time in this offline state following encoding showed improved memory at delayed test. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that even brief, seconds-long entry into an offline state may support the early stages of memory consolidation.
Sleep Differentially and Profoundly Impairs Recall Memory in a Patient with Fornix Damage
Authors: Matorina Nelly , Tseng Julie , Ladyka-Wojcik Natalia , Olsen Rosanna , Mabbott Donald J. , Barense Morgan D.
Published: August 2023

In March 2020, C.T., a kind, bright, and friendly young woman underwent surgery for a midline tumor involving her septum pellucidum and extending down into her fornices bilaterally. Following tumor diagnosis and surgery, C.T. experienced significant memory deficits: C.T.'s family reported that she could remember things throughout the day, but when she woke up in the morning or following a nap, she would expect to be in the hospital, forgetting all the information that she had learned before sleep. The current study aimed to empirically validate C.T.'s pattern of memory loss and explore its neurological underpinnings. On two successive days, C.T. and age-matched controls watched an episode of a TV show and took a nap or stayed awake before completing a memory test. Although C.T. performed numerically worse than controls in both conditions, sleep profoundly exacerbated her memory impairment, such that she could not recall any details following a nap. This effect was replicated in a second testing session. High-resolution MRI scans showed evidence of the trans-callosal surgical approach's impact on the mid-anterior corpus callosum, indicated that C.T. had perturbed white matter particularly in the right fornix column, and demonstrated that C.T.'s hippocampal volumes did not differ from controls. These findings suggest that the fornix is important for processing episodic memories during sleep. As a key output pathway of the hippocampus, the fornix may ensure that specific memories are replayed during sleep, maintain the balance of sleep stages, or allow for the retrieval of memories following sleep.
Cognotyping by What–Where–When Retrieval Reveals the Potential Role of Temporal Memory and Its Neural Correlates in Understanding Individual Differences across Aging and Alzheimer Disease
Authors: Park Sang-Eon , Lee Jeonghyun , Park Jin-Hyuck , Hwang Maria Jieun , Lee Sang Ah
Published: August 2023

Despite distinct neural representation of what, where, and when information, studies of individual differences in episodic memory have neglected to test the three components separately. Here, we used a componential episodic memory task to measure cognitive profiles across a wide age range and in Alzheimer disease (AD) and to examine the role of theta oscillations in explaining performance. In Experiment 1, we tested a group of 47 young adults (age 21–30 years, 21 women) while recording their scalp EEG. A separate behavioral experiment (Experiment 2) was performed in 42 older adults (age 66–85 years, 29 women) and in a group of 16 AD patients (age 80–90 years, 12 women). In Experiment 1, K-means clustering based on behavioral data resulted in three “cognotypes” whose memory profiles showed corresponding differences in their EEG markers: What and where memory depended on frontal theta power and when memory depended on theta modulation by temporal distance between retrieved items. In Experiment 2, healthy older adults showed three cognotypes similar to those found in younger adults; moreover, AD patients had an overlapping profile with one specific cognotype, characterized by marked difficulties in when memory. These findings highlight the utility of componential episodic memory tests and cognotyping in understanding individual strengths and vulnerabilities in age-related neurocognitive decline.
Collective Human Opinions in Semantic Textual Similarity
Authors: Wang Yuxia , Tao Shimin , Xie Ning , Yang Hao , Baldwin Timothy , Verspoor Karin
Published: August 2023

Despite the subjective nature of semantic textual similarity (STS) and pervasive disagreements in STS annotation, existing benchmarks have used averaged human ratings as gold standard. Averaging masks the true distribution of human opinions on examples of low agreement, and prevents models from capturing the semantic vagueness that the individual ratings represent. In this work, we introduce USTS, the first Uncertainty-aware STS dataset with ∼15,000 Chinese sentence pairs and 150,000 labels, to study collective human opinions in STS. Analysis reveals that neither a scalar nor a single Gaussian fits a set of observed judgments adequately. We further show that current STS models cannot capture the variance caused by human disagreement on individual instances, but rather reflect the predictive confidence over the aggregate dataset.
Petalidium karasbergense (Acanthaceae), a new species from Namibia
Authors: SWANEPOEL WESSEL , WYK ABRAHAM E. VAN
Published: August 2023

Petalidium karasbergense, here described as a new species, is only known from the Groot Karasberge (Great Karas Mountains) in southeastern Namibia where it grows on arid hillsides in dwarf shrubland. Diagnostic morphological characters for P. karasbergense include the rigid, tapering and often spinescent distal stems and lateral branchlets, grey, grey-white or grey-black bark (white to cream when young), strigulose, glabrescent vegetative parts, oblanceolate to narrowly obovate leaves, and the free to almost free bracteole pairs (not connate at the base). A comparison of some of the more prominent features to differentiate Petalidium karasbergense from P. parvifolium, its morphologically most similar relative, and P. lucens with which its distribution range marginally overlaps, is provided. Based on IUCN Red List categories and criteria, a conservation assessment of Vulnerable VU D1 is recommended for the new species.
Erratum: Naive, M.A.K., Calimbo, L.G.L., Cudal, M.G., Alejandro, G.J.D. & Yu, W.B. (2022) Taxonomy of the genus Begonia (Begoniaceae) in Mindanao, Philippines IV: Begonia bangsamoro subsp. bagasa (Begoniaceae section Petermannia), a new subspecies from Zamboanga del Sur. Phytotaxa 559 (1): 88–94.
Authors: NAIVE MARK ARCEBAL K. , CALIMBO LIBERTY GRACE L. , CUDAL MARICRIS G. , ALEJANDRO GRECEBIO JONATHAN D. , YU WEN-BIN
Published: August 2023

N/A
An Intraseasonal Dipole Mode in Summertime Surface Air Temperature over Eurasia and Its Association with Heat Wave Occurrence
Authors: Wang Xudong , Zhang Renhe , Jin Dachao , Zhang Yu
Published: August 2023

A strong coherence of the summer (June–August) surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies exists over eastern Eurasia (EE) and central Eurasia (CE) in association with a remarkable intraseasonal (10–90-day) variability. The intraseasonal SAT over Eurasia shows a negative correlation between EE and CE, which is closely related to an intraseasonal wave train at the upper troposphere over the mid–high latitudes of Eurasia. The wave train propagates eastward and results in the intraseasonal variation of SAT in a seesaw pattern. The column-integrated temperature budget suggests that both the horizontal and vertical advection are important for the intraseasonal SAT dipole. More specifically, the climatological westerly, intraseasonal meridional wind anomaly, and the anomalous vertical motion play dominant roles in perturbing temperature over the CE and EE regions, while the diabatic heating is a negative feedback. The propagation of the Rossby wave train in the upper troposphere helps to maintain the circulation anomalies associated with the SAT seesaw. The leading modes of meridional wind anomalies at 200 hPa over the Eurasian high latitudes resemble the intraseasonal wave train, indicating that the wave train associated with the SAT seesaw is an atmospheric intrinsic mode over the mid–high latitudes. This study also investigates the impact of the intraseasonal SAT seesaw on regional heat wave events. It is suggested that the intraseasonal SAT seesaw has a major influence on the variability of heat wave events over both EE and CE, which may provide great implications for regional subseasonal forecasts of extreme weather events.
The Web of Group Affiliations Revisited: Social Life, Postmodernism, and Sociology
Authors: Pescosolido Bernice A. , Rubin Beth A.
Published: August 2023

We address current debates about the future of society and the future of sociology. From Simmel's distinction between social forms in premodern and modern society, we resurrect his original geometric analogy and recast it in current network terms. In this light, we consider various substantive and methodological claims of postmodernists and suggest that their contribution lies in capturing the spirit of rapid social change and the ambiguity that characterizes the present era. The basic problem with the postmodern critique, we argue, lies in its embrace of these characteristics as the new social form—mistaking transition for type. In response, we sketch out a third social form, a “spoke” structure, with accompanying “tensions” and “freedoms” that Simmel recognized as inevitable. Finally, we examine how approaches to two social problems—serious mental illnesses and homelessness—reflect and shape the contours of an era's network formation. In particular, we discuss how the emergent spoke structure presents challenges to current methodological approaches.
The Significance of Socioeconomic Status in Explaining the Racial Gap in Chronic Health Conditions
Authors: Hayward Mark D. , Crimmins Eileen M. , Miles Toni P. , Yang Yu
Published: August 2023

Black Americans live fewer years than whites and live more years with chronic health problems. The origins of this racial gap are ambiguous. This study examines the pervasiveness of this gap across chronic medical and disabling conditions among middle-aged persons. Alternative hypotheses about how fundamental social conditions of disease differentiate the health of blacks and whites are also examined. Results show that the racial gap in health is spread across all domains of health, and that socioeconomic conditions, not health risk behaviors, are the primary origins of the racial stratification of health. No evidence was found in support of the idea that blacks and whites differ in their ability to transform socioeconomic resources into good health. The results point to the importance of continued research on how health and achievement processes are linked across childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Such studies are needed to enrich work on the inequality of health and life cycle achievement.
(How) Does the Sexual Orientation of Parents Matter?
Authors: Stacey Judith , Biblarz Timothy J.
Published: August 2023

Opponents of lesbian and gay parental rights claim that children with lesbigay parents are at higher risk for a variety of negative outcomes. Yet most research in psychology concludes that there are no differences in developmental outcomes between children raised by lesbigay parents and those raised by heterosexual parents. The analysis here challenges this defensive conceptual framework and analyzes how heterosexism has hampered intellectual progress in the field. The authors discuss limitations in the definitions, samples, and analyses of the studies to date. Next they explore findings from 21 studies and demonstrate that researchers frequently downplay findings indicating difference regarding children's gender and sexual preferences and behavior that could stimulate important theoretical questions. A less defensive, more sociologically informed analytic framework is proposed for investigating these issues. The framework focuses on (1) whether selection effects produced by homophobia account for associations between parental sexual orientations and child outcomes; (2) the role of parental gender vis-a-vis sexual orientation in influencing children's gender development; and (3) the relationship between parental sexual orientations and children's sexual preferences and behaviors.
Marriage Delayed or Marriage Forgone? New Cohort Forecasts of First Marriage for U.S. Women
Authors: Goldstein Joshua R. , Kenney Catherine T.
Published: August 2023

Do recent declines in first marriage rates signal that an increasing proportion of women will remain single their entire lives, or merely that they are postponing marriage to older ages? Our forecasts for cohorts born in the 1950s and 1960s suggest that marriage will remain nearly universal for American women—close to 90 percent of women are predicted to marry. However, separate forecasts by educational attainment reveal a new socioeconomic pattern of first marriage: Whereas in the past, women with more education were less likely to marry, recent college graduates are now forecast to marry at higher levels despite their later entry into first marriage. This educational crossover, which occurs for both black women and white women in recent cohorts, suggests that marriage is increasingly becoming a province of the most educated, a trend that may become a new source of inequality for future generations. Forecasts presented here use data from the 1995 Current Population Survey and compare estimates from the Hemes model with those from the Coale-McNeil model.
The Structure of Founding Teams: Homophily, Strong Ties, and Isolation among U.S. Entrepreneurs
Authors: Ruef Martin , Aldrich Howard E. , Carter Nancy M.
Published: August 2023

The mechanisms governing the composition of formal social groups (e.g., task groups, organizational founding teams) remain poorly understood, owing to (1) a lack of representative sampling from groups found in the general population, (2) a “success” bias among researchers that leads them to consider only those groups that actually emerge and survive, and (3) a restrictive focus on some theorized mechanisms of group composition (e.g., homophily) to the exclusion of others. These shortcomings are addressed by analyzing a unique, representative data set of organizational founding teams sampled from the U.S. population. Rather than simply considering the properties of those founding teams that are empirically observed, a novel quantitative methodology generates the distribution of all possible teams, based on combinations of individual and relational characteristics. This methodology permits the exploration of five mechanisms of group composition—those based on homophily, functionality, status expectations, network constraint, and ecological constraint. Findings suggest that homophily and network constraints based on strong ties have the most pronounced effect on group composition. Social isolation (i.e., exclusion from a group) is more likely to occur as a result of ecological constraints on the availability of similar alters in a locality than as a result of status-varying membership choices.
Protest under Fire? Explaining the Policing of Protest
Authors: Earl Jennifer , Soule Sarah A. , McCarthy John D.
Published: August 2023

Hypotheses about police presence and police action at social movement protest events in New York State between 1968 and 1973 are tested with the aim of understanding the broad mechanisms of social control used by authorities during this cycle of mass protest. Contrary to the popular perception of overzealous police repression of protest in this period, results show that police did not attend the majority of protest events. Tests of dominant explanations of police presence using logistic regression analysis indicate that the best predictor of police presence at a protest event was how threatening the event was—police attended larger protest events and those that used confrontational tactics. Tests (using multinomial logistic regression) of explanations of police action, given police presence at an event, indicate that extreme forms of police action were also triggered by threatening characteristics of events. Events in which subordinate groups and social movement organizations participated were also more likely to draw police action. Novel contributions include the comparison of dominant explanations of protest policing and methods that move beyond the tradition of examining repression through police presence or absence.
Certifying Knowledge: The Sociology of a Logical Theorem in Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Rosental Claude
Published: August 2023

This study examines the concrete modalities of the production and recognition of a specific logical theorem in the field of artificial intelligence in the 1990s. Ethnographic observations, interviews, and textual analysis, reveal the impact of a heterogeneity of practices of evaluation and other forms of interaction between the author of the theorem and a varied community of interlocutors, especially during the draft stage of the theorem. Individual and collective representations of the theorem were structured by the proliferation and polysemy of its reformulations, by the imperfect access to proofs and counterproofs, and by the coordination of action within opposed groups. The stabilization of debates over, and the certification of, the theorem were not based on the simple victory of one side over another but on relatively unified responses by critics and by the author's responses to critiques—responses that tended to allow for multiple interpretations. This ethnography of logic in development illustrates why sociologists should not consider logic to be just a methodological tool; it is also a privileged object that enables exploration of the material and social forms of intellectual work, including the building of credibility.
Creating a Capital Investment Welfare State: The New American Exceptionalism
Authors: Quadagno Jill
Published: August 2023

In the past few decades forces such as globalization and international competition, rising public budgets, and aging populations have caused many nations to reexamine the social programs they established at least a half century ago. Some nations have cut spending; others have reorganized priorities to provide support for dual-earner families, single mothers, or elderly people who need long-term care. The United States appears instead to be in transition from a social insurance welfare state to a “capital investment welfare state” in which the objective is to increase savings and investment. This shift in U.S. public policy is most explicit in the ascendance of a neoconservative ideology, which depicts the welfare state as an impediment to a free market. This ideology has lent credence to proposals for privatizing Social Security and is implicit in seemingly minor technocratic changes in Medicare, which nonetheless have inserted market principles into a social insurance program. Whether current trends represent the most recent manifestation of American exceptionalism or a concurrent restructuring across nations can be determined only by comparative research examining (]) how different nations are responding to contemporary fiscal pressures, and (2) if nations are redistributing the social welfare burden from the public to the private sector.
Immigrant Groups in the Suburbs: A Reexamination of Suburbanization and Spatial Assimilation
Authors: Alba Richard D. , Logan John R. , Stults Brian J. , Marzan Gilbert , Zhang Wenquan
Published: August 2023

For a number of contemporary immigrant groups, suburbanization is occurring at high levels, and either increased or remained stable during the 1980s, a decade of high immigration. We investigate whether these settlement patterns are consistent with spatial-assimilation theory. Using Public Use Microdata from the 1980 and 1990 U.S. censuses, we examine the link between suburban residence and life-cycle, socioeconomic, and assimilation characteristics for 11 racial/ethnic groups, including those growing most from contemporary immigration as well as non-Hispanic whites. We find support for some aspects of the theory. The determinants of suburban residence are consistent between the 1980 and 1990 models, with some important exceptions: Among several groups, especially Asian groups, the effects of very recent immigration and linguistic assimilation have weakened. Our findings indicate that barriers to the entry of new immigrants to suburbia are now lower than before. The growing numbers of recent immigrants there suggest the emergence of new ethnic concentrations and infrastructure.
An Empirical Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Village Exploitation on the Local Economy: Evidence from a National Cultural Policy
Authors: Li Zhimin , Lang Youze , Lou Guoqiang , Zheng Jizhou
Published: August 2023

To overcome the difficulty of assessing cultural effects, we designed a quasi-natural experiment using a traditional Chinese village selection as cultural policy. Using county panel data from 2009 to 2017, we estimated the impact of traditional village exploitation on county economies using a staggered difference in differences (DID) model. The results showed that counties with national traditional villages have a significantly higher gross domestic product (GDP) and GDP per capita than the control group, with a yearly increasing trend. The heterogeneity analysis revealed that the effect of this cultural policy in the eastern, central, and western regions was very different. The impact was most significant in the less-developed regions of western China. This result indicates that cultural policies are advantageous for reducing regional developmental imbalances. The mechanism test also showed that the greater the distinctiveness and agglomeration of cultural resources, the greater the impact of traditional village exploitation on the county economy. In addition, we found that national 5A Scenery Sites do not have a driving effect, but rather a polarizing effect, on counties where traditional villages are located. Through a series of robustness tests, our conclusions hold true.
Characterizing the information needs and behaviour of Egyptian street vendors
Authors: Mansour Essam
Published: August 2023

This study intends to investigate the information needs and behaviour of Egyptian street vendors in terms of their perspectives, motives, attitudes, habits, and impediments. In five focus groups, the participants (n  =  54) were interviewed. The researcher employed grounded theory in this qualitative investigation. The majority of respondents were male, uneducated to possessing informal education, in their twenties and thirties, and married. A significant proportion of respondents favoured direct engagement, face-to-face meetings, or mobile and social media to share oral sources with others. Respondents sought the knowledge mostly to aid them with executing work-related duties. Numerous respondents favoured spoken or informal sources over written ones. Personal experience was one of the most important sources upon which respondents relied. Illiteracy, psychological pressure, a negative social image, a lack of awareness, a lack of skills, and a lack of time are among the major obstacles respondents face.
Development and Validation of a Short-Form Version of the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Scale (Short-WOSI)
Authors: Jacobs Cale A. , Ortiz Shannon F. ,   MOON Shoulder Group, Baumgarten Keith M. , Bishop Julie Y. , Bollier Matthew J. , Bravman Jonathan T. , Brophy Robert H. , Cvetanovich Gregory L. , Feeley Brian T. , Frank Rachel M. , Jones Grant L. , Kuhn John E. , Lansdown Drew A. , Ma C. Benjamin , Mair Scott D. , Marx Robert G. , McCarty Eric C. , Seidl Adam J. , Wright Rick W. , Zhang Alan L. , Wolf Brian R. , Hettrich Carolyn M.
Published: August 2023

Background:

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have transitioned from primarily being used as research instruments to becoming increasingly used in the clinical setting to assess recovery and inform shared decision-making. However, there is a need to develop validated short-form PROM instruments to decrease patient burden and ease incorporation into clinical practice.

Purpose:

To assess the validity and responsiveness of a shortened version of the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (Short-WOSI) when compared with the full WOSI and other shoulder-related PROM instruments.

Study Design:

Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

This study was a secondary analysis of data collected as part of an institutional review board–approved, multicenter cohort of 1160 patients undergoing surgical stabilization for shoulder instability. The following PROMs were captured preoperatively and 2 years after surgery: WOSI, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), and 36-Item Health Survey (RAND-36). The cohort was split into 2 data sets: a training set to be used in the development of the Short-WOSI (n = 580) and a test set to be used to assess the validity and responsiveness of the Short-WOSI relative to the full WOSI, ASES, SANE, and RAND-36.

Results:

The Short-WOSI demonstrated excellent internal consistency before surgery (Cronbach α = .83) and excellent internal consistency at the 2-year follow-up (Cronbach α = .93). The baseline, 2-year, and pre- to postoperative changes in Short-WOSI and WOSI were closely correlated ( r > 0.90), with both demonstrating large effect sizes (Short-WOSI = 1.92, WOSI = 1.81). Neither the Short-WOSI nor the WOSI correlated well with the other PROM instruments before ( r = 0.21-0.33) or after ( r = 0.25-0.38) surgery. The Short-WOSI, WOSI, and SANE scores were more responsive than ASES and RAND-36 scores.

Conclusion:

The 7-item Short-WOSI demonstrated excellent internal consistency and a lack of floor or ceiling effects. The Short-WOSI demonstrated excellent cross-sectional and longitudinal construct validity and was similarly responsive over time as the full WOSI. Neither the Short-WOSI nor WOSI correlated with more general shoulder PROMs, underscoring the advantage of using instability-specific instruments for this population.
Evaluating Phonemic Awareness and Orthographic Mapping With the Woodcock–Johnson IV
Authors: Parkin Jason R. , Hajovsky Daniel B. , Alfonso Vincent C.
Published: August 2023

Although phonemic awareness is an essential skill in learning to decode written words, practitioners may question which phonemic awareness tasks best operationalize their relationship with orthographic mapping, the process that converts a decoded word into one instantly recognized on sight. Tests from the Woodcock– Johnson IV were used to evaluate the effects of phonemic awareness tasks and vocabulary on measures of pseudoword decoding, word reading, and spelling in three age groups (ages 6 to 8, 9 to 13, and 14 to 19 years) within the WJ IV normative sample ( N = 4082). Results from path analysis indicated the effects of phonemic awareness tasks and vocabulary varied depending on age and reading task type with mixed results based on theoretical expectations. Results from the 9 to 13 age group appeared closest to conforming to hypotheses. We discuss implications of measuring phonemic awareness, reading, and spelling in the context of comprehensive psychoeducational assessment.
Surgical High Dependency Admissions after Elective Laparoscopic Colorectal Resections: Is It Truly Necessary?
Authors: Tan Jarrod K.H. , Koh Wei-Ling , Peh Cherie Hui , Lee Ailica W.X. , Lau Jerrald , Chee Corissa , Tan Ker-Kan
Published: August 2023

Background

Surgical high dependency (SHD) allows for intermediate care provision between general ward (GW) and intensive care unit (ICU) for surgical patients but no universally accepted admission criteria exists. Unnecessary SHD admissions should be minimized to limit resource wastage and maintain spare critical care capacity. This study evaluates the utility of SHD admissions following elective laparoscopic colectomy by comparing post-operative outcomes and interventions performed between SHD and GW patients.

Methodology

A retrospective review of all colorectal cancer patients who underwent elective laparoscopic colectomy in our institution between January 2019 and December 2021 was conducted. Patients converted to open surgery or admitted to IC post-operatively were excluded. Peri-operative parameters and outcomes between patients admitted to GW and SHD post-operatively were evaluated.

Results

The cohort comprised 393 patients. There were 153 patients (38.93%) who required SHD admission. SHD patients had higher American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) scores, body mass index, age and intra-operative blood loss. Majority of post-operative morbidity were minor (Clavien–Dindo II or lower) in both groups and the interventions required were safely instituted in both SHD and GW. None of the patients in the cohort required inotropic or ventilatory support in the SHD.

Conclusions

GW patients were “healthier” but post-operative morbidity and interventions required were similar to the SHD group. Nonetheless, treatment delays, absence of continuous monitoring, and decreased nurse-to-patient ratio may be significant for patients with limited physiological reserves. Further studies should evaluate safety and cost-effectiveness of managing high risk surgical patients in GW using continuous remote vital signs monitoring.
Medical Responsibility in the Libyan Law
Authors: Benomran Fawzi A.
Published: August 2023

In Libya medical responsibility has always been a very delicate issue particularly in relation to medical negligence dealt with under common law. Lawyers are aware that certain matters are unique to the medical profession and do not apply to legal situations involving other professions.

A law on medical responsibility was enacted in 1986 in Libya. This Act was named “Act on Medical Responsibility” or Act 17 for the year 1986”. It consists of 38 Articles and deals with the subject of medical responsibility according to the Libyan Law. Certain provisions concerning ethical issues are made according to Islamic rules and tradition.

In this paper, an attempt has been made to translate the Act into English. The author has tried to convey meanings in a way that English speaking persons would find easy to understand.
lncRNA PCA3 Suppressed Carotid Artery Stenosis and Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Function via Negatively Modulating the miR-124-3p/ITGB1 Axis
Authors: Li Guosheng , Chen Qiang
Published: August 2023

Background & objectives

Due to the hidden pathogen, carotid artery stenosis (CAS) always occurred at an advanced stage leading to serious sequelae and even deaths. The significance of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) prostate cancer antigen 3 (PCA3) in CAS incidence and progression were evaluated aiming to explore a potential target for its therapy.

Materials and methods

Serum samples were collected from 83 asymptomatic CAS patients and 52 healthy individuals and PCA3 was compared using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCA3 levels were compared between stable and unstable plaque in CAS patients. The effect of PCA3 on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) proliferation and motility was assessed by CCK8 and transwell assay.

Results

PCA3 was downregulated in CAS patients and their unstable plaque tissues compared with healthy individuals and stable plaque, respectively. Reduced PCA3 could discriminate CAS patients with relatively high sensitivity and specificity and were associated with higher total cholesterol level and stenosis degree, unstable plaque, and complications. PCA3 downregulation predicted the adverse outcomes of CAS patients. In VSMCs, overexpressing PCA3 significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, which was alleviated by miR-124-3p/ITGB1 axis.

Conclusion

PCA3 served as a biomarker of CAS and regulates the function of VSMCs through sponging miR-124-3p/ITGB1 and indirectly influence the stability of plaque.
The Mastoid Skin Graft: A Fast, Efficient Donor Site for Auricle Reconstruction After Mohs Surgery
Authors: Berl Ariel , Shir-az Ofir , Mann Din , Weiss Eitam , Bilal Biader Samih , Shalom Avshalom
Published: August 2023

Background

Mohs micrographic surgery has been considered the gold standard for treating nonmelanoma skin cancers. Approximately 8% to 10% of skin cancers requiring Mohs surgery occur on the auricle. Skin grafts can be used to achieve optimal functional and cosmetic results.

Objectives

To describe a skin graft technique using the mastoid area as a donor site for auricular reconstruction following Mohs micrographic surgery, to achieve optimal esthetic results in functionally important areas.

Methods

This retrospective study assessed the outcomes of patients who underwent MMS in an out-patient Mohs surgery clinic from 2010 to 2021. All patients had MMS of the auricle with reconstruction using a split thickness skin graft harvested from the mastoid area.

Results

A total of 154 patients were included. The average lesion diameter was 13.7 mm (range 5–30 mm), excised in an average of 1.9 rounds of MMS. Skin graft success rate was 96%. Complications included one patient with a hypertrophic scar. The cosmetic appearance of the recipient site was rated as excellent by 87.5% of patients. All patients rated the cosmetic appearance of the donor area as excellent and well-concealed.

Conclusions

Split thickness skin grafts harvested from the mastoid area are a quick and efficient reconstruction method for post-Mohs auricular defects.
Utilization of deep learning to classify resistance training exercises by the fabricated resistive stretch sensor
Authors: Nguyen Tram Ngoc , Chun Sehwan , Kim Jooyong
Published: August 2023

In this study, the authors proposed a method to fabricate a resistive stretch textile sensor from polyester spandex (PET/SP) fabric and commercial single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT). In addition, we designed and trained a one-dimension convolutional neural network to classify four resistance workouts, which employed data acquired from the proposed sensor as the input. To figure out the most appropriate PET/SP sample for the deep learning application, we investigated morphologies and characterization of three samples in distinct conditions of the coating process. Data acquired from the proposed sensor illustrated the significant difference between activated and non-activated muscle groups in each specific exercise. With the PET/SP sample which met the requirements of the application, after 100 epochs, the deep learning model achieved 97.2% training accuracy and 90% test accuracy. This study demonstrates that the SWCNT-coated PET/SP stretch textile sensor can be utilized effectively to track the activity of forearm muscles during resistance training. Other than that, the proposed 1D-CNN, with the advantage of training time and computational cost, is able to classify time series data with high performance and thus can be applied widely in various deep learning applications, especially in the healthcare and sports industries.
Robot service failure and recovery: Literature review and future directions
Authors: Liu Dewen , Li Changfei , Zhang Jieqiong , Huang Weidong
Published: August 2023

Robot service failure and subsequent user behavioral responses have emerged as a prominent scientific issue, warranting attention from multiple disciplines. A review of existing literature is crucial to synthesizing and comprehensively evaluating these studies. To this end, the present study undertook a structured systematic literature review to assess the relevant research on the concepts, dimensions, user response (including cognitional and behavioral), and recovery strategies related to service robot failure. Prior studies have largely followed interpersonal service interaction concepts and have identified several major consequences of service robot failure, including emotional and cognitive responses, negative attitudes, attributions of failure, and related behavioral and action-based responses. Notably, recovery strategies for robot service failure can be categorized into two main types: robot-initiated strategy and human intervention strategy. Further research on robot service failure is recommended in five key areas, including exploring the uniqueness of robot service failure, psychologically investigating user responses to robot failure, identifying novel remedy strategies for robot service failures, evolving the concepts of robot service failure and its remedies, and employing mixed-method and complementary research approaches.
Genome-wide Epigenetic Study of Chronic Rhinosinusitis Tissues Reveals Dysregulated Inflammatory, Immunologic and Remodeling Pathways
Authors: Brar Tripti , Baheti Saurabh , Marino Michael J. , Kita Hirohito , Lal Devyani
Published: August 2023

Background

Epigenetics studies mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, non-coding RNAs, and alternative polyadenylation that can modify gene activity without changing the underlying DNA nucleotide base-pair structure. Because these changes are reversible, they have potential in developing novel therapeutics. Currently, seven pharmaceutical agents targeting epigenetic changes are FDA approved and commercially available for treatment of certain cancers. However, studies investigating epigenetics in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) have not been undertaken previously in the United States.

Objectives

The goal of this study was to investigate sinonasal DNA methylation patterns in CRS versus controls, to discern environmentally-induced epigenetic changes impacting CRS subjects.

Methods and Results

Ethmoidal samples from CRS and inferior turbinate mucosal tissue samples from controls without CRS were studied. DNA methylation was studied by Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing. RADMeth® biostatistical package was used to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between CRS and controls. Ingenuity Pathway analysis of DMRs was performed to identify top upstream regulators and canonical pathways. Ninety-three samples from 64 CRS subjects (36 CRSwNP; 28 CRSsNP) and 29 controls were studied. CRS and control samples differed in 13 662 CpGs sites and 1381 DMRs. Top upstream regulators identified included: 1. CRS versus controls: TGFB1, TNF, TP53, DGCR8, and beta-estradiol. 2. CRSwNP versus controls: TGFB1, CTNNB1, lipopolysaccharide, ID2, and TCF7L2. 3. CRSsNP versus controls: MYOD1, acetone, ID2, ST8SIA4, and LEPR.

Conclusions

Differential patterns of methylation were identified between controls and CRS, CRSwNP, and CRSsNP. Epigenetic, environmentally-induced changes related to novel, inflammatory, immunologic, and remodeling pathways appear to affect epithelial integrity, cell proliferation, homeostasis, vascular permeability, and other yet uncharacterized pathways and genes.
Immigration and the “Welfare Magnet” hypothesis: An examination of municipality-level crime in Norway, 2007–2016
Authors: de Soysa Indra , Kaasa Jorunn , Rød Jan Ketil
Published: August 2023

Large segments of populations in the industrialized West believe that immigrants cause crime. Some scholars suggest that it is generous welfare that attracts so-called “welfare magnets,” increasing the possibility that the worst kind of immigrant locates in strong welfare states. Empirical studies on crime, however, do not support the view that immigrants are more to blame for crime than natives, although some immigrant groups might be overrepresented in crime statistics. We address this question by examining if immigration increases crime within Norwegian municipalities, thereby, indirectly testing whether Norway, one of the most generous welfare states, acts as a magnet for “bad” immigrants. Our results do not support the view that a strong welfare state with a lenient penal system generates moral hazard, nor that welfare states systematically attract the “bad” immigrants. These results support a host of studies from other industrialized countries, particularly the US, showing higher immigrant populations associated with lower crime. The results from Norway, thus, while showing some support for the view that welfare potentially cushions the many pathologies associated with crime and victimization, mitigating the development of criminogenic environments, are also in line with an emerging academic consensus. This consensus suggests that immigration reduces crime, which is good news for progressive policy and for generating a more nuanced discourse on the subject.
National Patterns in Utilization of Knee and Hip Arthroscopy: An Analysis of Racial, Ethnic, and Geographic Disparities in the United States
Authors: Amen Troy B. , Chatterjee Abhinaba , Rudisill Samuel S. , Joseph Gabriel P. , Nwachukwu Benedict U. , Ode Gabriella E. , Williams Riley J.
Published: August 2023

Background:

Racial and ethnic disparities in the field of orthopaedic surgery have been reported extensively across many subspecialties. However, these data remain relatively sparse in orthopaedic sports medicine, especially with respect to commonly performed procedures including knee and hip arthroscopy.

Purpose:

To assess (1) differences in utilization of knee and hip arthroscopy between White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian or Pacific Islander patients in the United States (US) and (2) how these differences vary by geographical region.

Study Design:

Descriptive epidemiology study.

Methods:

The study sample was acquired from the 2019 National Ambulatory Surgery Sample database. Racial and ethnic differences in age-standardized utilization rates of hip and knee arthroscopy were calculated using survey weights and population estimates from US census data. Poisson regression was used to model age-standardized utilization rates for hip and knee arthroscopy while controlling for several demographic and clinical variables.

Results:

During the study period, rates of knee arthroscopy utilization among White patients were significantly higher than those of Black, Hispanic, and Asian or Pacific Islander patients (ie, per 100,000, White: 180.5, Black: 113.2, Hispanic: 122.2, and Asian: 58.6). Disparities were even more pronounced among patients undergoing hip arthroscopy, with White patients receiving the procedure at almost 4 to 5 times higher rates (ie, per 100,000, White: 12.6, Black: 3.2, Hispanic: 2.3, Asian or Pacific Islander: 1.8). Disparities in knee and hip arthroscopy utilization between White and non-White patients varied significantly by region, with gaps in knee arthroscopy being most pronounced in the Midwest (adjusted rate ratio, 2.0 [95% CI, 1.9-2.1]) and those in hip arthroscopy being greatest in the West (adjusted rate ratio, 5.3 [95% CI, 4.9-5.6]).

Conclusion:

Racial and ethnic disparities in the use of knee and hip arthroscopy were found across the US, with decreased rates among Black, Hispanic, and Asian or Pacific Islander patients compared with White patients. Disparities were most pronounced in the Midwest and South and greater for hip than knee arthroscopy, possibly demonstrating emerging inequality in a rapidly growing and evolving procedure across the country.
Comparing Witness Behavior Between Violent, Property and White-Collar Crimes: Some Covariates of Reporting Decision
Authors: Shahbazov Ingilab , Balayeva Ayshem , Afandiyev Zaur , Karimov Namig
Published: August 2023

Based on the analysis of a survey among university students, the current study investigates the correlates of witness decision-making for three types of crime: white-collar crime, violent crime, and property crime. Using hypothetical scenarios, we contribute to the literature on law enforcement-citizen cooperation and white-collar criminality by (a) exploring whether witness willingness to report differs depending on the crime, and (b) separately assessing the effects of independent variables on witness decision-making. The overall level of willingness to report across hypothetical scenarios was high. Both property crime and violent crime are more likely to be reported than white-collar offenses. Irrespective of crime type those with previous contact with the criminal justice system in the last 3 years and lower level confidence in the police effectiveness expressed a lower likelihood of reporting crimes they would witness. The level of trust in the police correlated with the likelihood of reporting violent crimes and property crimes only, while sex was associated with violent crime and white-collar crime.
Industrial oily wastewater treatment by microfiltration using silver nanoparticle-incorporated poly (acrylonitrile-styrene) membrane
Authors: El Jery Atef , Ahsan Amimul , Sammen Saad Sh. , Shanableh Abdallah , Sain Dinesh , Ramírez-Coronel Andrés Alexis , Uddin Md. Alhaz , Maktoof Mohammed Abdul Jaleel , Shafiquzzaman Md. , Al-Ansari Nadhir
Published: August 2023

Membrane filtration exhibit operational limitations such as biofouling, which leads to concentration polarization and reduces permeability and selectivity, despite advantages such as low operating cost, high selectivity, and permeability. In recent years, the antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been investigated for improving membrane processes; however, the fouling phenomena in presence of AgNPs in the membrane matrix have not been fully discussed. Herein, the antifouling properties of a poly (acrylonitrile-styrene) copolymer incorporated with AgNPs were studied in a microfiltration membrane process. The Creighton method was used to synthesize AgNPs, and the effects of AgNPs on the porosity, morphology, pore size, mechanical strength, permeability, and selectivity of the membranes were investigated. Moreover, to investigate the biofouling of the obtained membranes, microfiltration of industrial oily wastewater was performed at constant pressure over three cycles. Using AgNPs in the membrane matrix resulted in enhanced antifouling properties of the copolymer membrane, which is related to the structure of the AgNPs in the casting solution, as proven by SAXS analysis. The results show that the CFU% for Staphylococcus aureus and E.coli reach 2% and 6%, respectively. Finally, the Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) thermodynamic model was applied to study the antifouling mechanism, correctly predict the separation behavior in the membrane, and design, simulate, and optimize the separation processes in the membrane separation plantsa. The DLVO model could predict the separation behavior in the synthesized membranes, and the poly(acrylonitrile-styrene) copolymer membranes containing AgNPs were proven have promising industrial wastewater treatment applications.