bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disseminated Cysticercosis-Should we treat?
Authors: George Jerry , Goel Vinay , Agarwal Ayush , Vishnu Venugopalan Y , Garg Ajay , Srivastava MV Padma
Published: March 2022

Disseminated cysticercosis is defined by the presence of multiple vesicular cystic lesions in the brain with cysts demonstrable in at least two other body parts. The exact course of disseminated cysticercosis is not known and the individual cysts either become inflamed or calcify. A patient’s quality of life is often poor and disseminated cysticercosis treatment is far from satisfactory. Anecdotal reports have suggested dual antiparasitic therapy to be beneficial for treating diffuse parenchymal neurocysticerci and might be worth trying in patients with massively infiltrating disseminated cysticercosis with concomitant corticosteroids.
Partner Accuracy in Humor Perception and Associations With Relationship Satisfaction
Authors: Purol Mariah F. , Chopik William J.
Published: March 2022

Do people accurately perceive their partner’s humor style? The current study extends work on partner perception by examining accuracy and bias in people’s perception of their partners’ humor styles—a subjective, evaluative, and important factor in relationship satisfaction. We recruited 337 heterosexual couples ( N = 674 individuals, Mage = 65.71 years, SD = 12.107) who completed self-reports and partner-reports of humor styles. Truth and Bias modeling revealed that, although bias varied across humor styles, participants consistently demonstrated accuracy in their judgments of their partner’s humor styles. Bias forces were moderated by relationship satisfaction such that assumed similarity biases were stronger among those in particularly satisfying relationships.
Extensive corpus callosum ischemia after coronary artery bypass grafting on extracorporeal circulation
Authors: Colò Francesca , Cammertoni Federico , Nesta Marialisa , Caliandro Pietro , Bruno Piergiorgio , Massetti Massimo , Broccolini Aldobrando
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Heart surgery can be associated with adverse ischemic brain events.

Case report

Here, we describe two patients who presented extensive infarction of the corpus callosum and of other brain watershed areas following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) on extracorporeal circulation (ECC).

Discussion

Infarction of the corpus callosum is an extremely rare condition due to its abundant blood supply. Our findings are noteworthy since they diverge from classical brain watershed infarcts and from other cases of corpus callosum involvement. This suggests that in some cases, CABG surgery on ECC may be associated to a profound impairment of intracerebral circulation. However, it is also possible that the corpus callosum is particularly vulnerable to yet unknown metabolic modifications connected to ECC.

Conclusions

Further studies are needed in order to investigate the complex response of brain circulation and metabolism during heart surgery with ECC.
Complex airway reconstruction in children with tracheobronchial injuries: a case series
Authors: Salami Mudasiru A , Beeman Arun , Ramaswamy Madhavan , Muthialu Nagarajan
Published: March 2022

Paediatric airway surgery in the setting of complex tracheobronchial defects is challenging. This report describes the surgical management and outcomes of pericardial flap repair in three children. The first patient was a 4-month-old boy with a history of tracheoesophageal fistula repair who presented after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. He was treated by re-do tracheobronchial reconstruction of the carina using a pedicled pericardial flap. The second patient was an 11-month-old boy who presented following aspiration of a button battery. Bronchoscopy showed erosion of the battery through both main bronchi and the oesophagus. The patient underwent emergency reconstruction of the extensive tracheobronchial defect with pedicled right and left pericardial patches. The third patient was a 5-year-old girl who fell from a swing, resulting in avulsion of the right main bronchus. Pedicled pericardium was used to reconstruct the damaged posterior tracheal wall and the right and left main bronchi. All three patients underwent successful repair of complex tracheobronchial defects with good outcomes in terms of survival and quality of life during 6 to 21 months of follow-up. Pedicled pericardial flap repair may be a viable option for achieving improved results in children with severe tracheobronchial defects.
Quality of life and financial toxicity after (chemo)radiation therapy in head and neck cancer: are there any sex- or gender-related differences?
Authors: De Felice Francesca , Locati Laura D. , Ronchi Sara , Thariat Juliette , Orlandi Ester
Published: March 2022

The purpose of this article is to discuss the published evidence related to quality of life (QoL) and financial toxicity (FT) differences between female and male head and neck cancer patients treated with (chemo)radiotherapy. There is a need of promoting methods for assessing QoL difference between female and male patients in order to set up early rehabilitation, psychosocial care, and lifestyle interventions, as well as setting up specific interventions for minimizing financial stress.
Effect of fillers on compression loading performance of modified re-entrant honeycomb auxetic sandwich structures
Authors: Haque Faisal Nadimul , Scott Lindsay , Booth Findlay , Duncan Scott , McLeod Abbi , Ghazi Droubi Mohamad , Njuguna James
Published: March 2022

The auxetic sandwich panels for structures have been designed to provide impact protection. The aim of this work is to modify an auxetic (re-entrant) honeycomb cell to reduce the stress concentrations within the cell structure, and further enhancement of this design. The auxetic structure was filled to achieve a greater energy absorbance and enhance safety applications. Analytical and elastic three-dimensional finite element approaches were used to investigate the structural strength performance. The basic model (i.e. modified re-entrant strut cell design) consisted of the honeycomb auxetic polypropylene (PP) structure sandwiched between two steel plates (known as safety panels) which were placed under static compression loading. The cell geometry and size were then modified to reduce the stress concentration zones. The structure cells were filled with silly putty and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam. The effect of the filling the cells on the stress concentration and energy absorbance were analysed using elastic stress and deformation analysis methods. During the stress path analysis, it was found that an increase in Young’s modulus of the filling was directly proportional to a decrease in internal stresses. It was concluded that while filling the basic model with soft materials reduced the stress concentration, but it led to a reduction in the energy absorbance capability. Further on, the lower stress produced by the enhanced could be useful to prevent significant penetration of the protective panel. Compared to similar structures of steel, auxetic foam panels have the advantage of having only a fraction of the weight and being corrosion resistant at the same time as keeping impact strength.

Graphical abstract

[Formula: see text]
New techniques of regional anaesthesia for renal laparoscopic surgeries
Authors: Róziewska Anna , Klukowski Mateusz , Jureczko Lidia
Published: March 2022

Renal procedures are performed within the realm of urology, general and transplant surgery. The implementation of new operating techniques imposes on anaesthetists the need to adapt their methods, aiming to improve the patient’s perioperative comfort and safety. Laparoscopy is gaining increasing interest as a less invasive procedure; however clinical research shows that pain after the procedure is underestimated and therefore poorly controlled. Multimodal analgesia is very promising, though, as it allows better pain control, expedites discharge and enhances recovery. This is achieved through a combination of general and regional anaesthesia with administration of adjuvant drugs intraoperatively, resulting in reduced opioid requirements in the recovery room with diminished side effects of pain treatment. Good communication between the surgeon and the anaesthetist is the key to effective anaesthesia and analgesia.
Conceptualising ‘Meta-Work’ in the Context of Continuous, Global Mobility: The Case of Digital Nomadism
Authors: Aroles Jeremy , Bonneau Claudine , Bhankaraully Shabneez
Published: March 2022

Meta-work – the work that makes work possible – is an important aspect of professional lives. Yet, it is also one that remains understudied, in particular in the context of work activities characterised by continuous and global mobility. Building on a qualitative approach to online content analysis, this article sets out to explore the meta-work underlying digital nomadism, a leisure-driven lifestyle premised on a ‘work from anywhere’ logic. This article explores the four main dimensions of meta-work (resource mobilisation, articulation, transition and migration work) of digital nomads. In doing so, it shows the distinctiveness of the meta-work activities of digital nomads, thus conceptualising meta-work in the context of continuous, global mobility. Importantly, this article also challenges mainstream depictions of digital nomadism as a glamorous lifestyle accessible to anyone with the ‘right mind’ and the willingness to work less, be happier and live in some far-away paradisiac setting.
Research on non-circular helical gear NC hobbing linkage control scheme based on variable transmission ratio
Authors: Liu Yawen , Zhu LinLong
Published: March 2022

Non-circular helical gears, having the advantages of cams and cylindrical gears, are widely used on various occasions, whose precision machining has always been a research focus. With the accuracy requirements increasing of non-circular gears, upgrading non-circular gear hobbing models is more and more important. This paper takes the non-circular helical gears hobbing with moving axis as the research object, and establishes the ellipse standard system for high-order non-circular gears, and derives the linkage mathematical model for machining helical non-circular gears with hobbing cutters. In this paper, a preliminary design for the processing of non-circular gear hobbing is carried out.
Investigation of force-assisted suction reed valves in hermetic reciprocating compressors
Authors: Hopfgartner Johann , Almbauer Raimund , Egger Andreas , Zuber Bernhard , Lang Michael
Published: March 2022

Reed valves are widely used in hermetic reciprocating compressors and are responsible for a major share of thermodynamic losses. The suction valve in particular, which is opened for almost the entire suction phase, has a very significant improvement potential. Suction valves in hermetic reciprocating compressors are usually opened only by the pressure difference created by the moving piston and should be closed before the compression phase starts, in order to avoid a reversed mass-flow through the valve. The valves are thus preloaded, which, on the other hand, results in a higher flow resistance. In this work, a force-assisted suction valve is investigated. An electromagnetically actuated spring generates an additional force acting on the conventional suction reed valve. This force leads to a completely different valve movement and a significant reduction of the losses caused by the suction valve. A conventional suction valve flutters during the suction phase. Thus, it hits the valve seat several times which has, beside an increased flow resistance, negative influences on the reliability of the reed valve and noise emissions. With the help of the additional force, it is able to overcome the opening delay due to the preload and the oil ‘stiction’ effect. Furthermore, the suction valve can be held open during the whole suction phase, and it closes smoothly in time near the bottom dead centre of the piston. The investigation of the force-assisted suction valve is done by numerical simulations as well as by experiments. Results show an improvement of the coefficient of performance by approximately 0.7%–1.6% depending on the operating conditions.
Should asymptomatic bacteriuria be treated in lupus nephritis?
Authors: López-Vargas Juan R , Barbosa-Cobos Rosa E , Maya-Piña Lucia V , Rocha-Rocha Valeria M
Published: March 2022

Introduction

The risk of infection in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with factors related to disease activity and immunosuppressive treatment. Recently, the persistence of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) has been proposed as an environmental trigger for SLE and its flares, raising the question whether it should be treated systematically to reduce the risk of infection. To our knowledge, there is limited evidence on the screening and treatment of ASB in SLE.

Objective

The objective is to analyze the occurrence of infection and flare in patients with lupus nephritis with and without ASB.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of a cohort of patients with lupus nephritis during induction therapy with high-dose cyclophosphamide regimen was carried out between January 2018 and 2020, with a total of 37 patients investigated. Urine and blood samples from the two groups (with ASB and without ASB) where taken before the administration of cyclophosphamide.

Results

From the sampled 37 patients, 19 (51.4%) had ASB and 18 (48.6%) without ASB; both groups were well balanced in their demographics and clinical characteristics. No statistically significant association was found between the presence of ASB and the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index score ( p = 0.604), and neither with the 24-h urine protein and leukocyte count ( p > 0.177). Urinary tract infection occurred in 5.3% (1) of the patients with ASB, while 5.6% (1) of the patients in the group without ASB presented the infection, and the RR was 0.944 (0.06, 16.33) 95% CI; in addition, no statistically significant association was found between the presence of ASB and the occurrence of infection ( p = 1,000).

Conclusion

Our study did not find a statistically significant association of ASB with the occurrence of infection or disease activity. Further studies need it to clarify this, since treatment of ASB has been recognized as an important contributor to inappropriate antimicrobial use, which promotes emergence of antimicrobial resistance.
Charles Bell's (1774–1842) contribution to our understanding of facial expression
Authors: Hughes Sean , Gardner-Thorpe Christopher
Published: March 2022

The human face reflects a person's character and emotions, both in health and disease. Charles Bell, published in 1806 Essays on the Anatomy of Expression in Painting in which he stressed the importance of understanding anatomy when studying art. He concluded that emotions were revealed in facial expression and that these expressions were only to be found in humans, not in lower animals. Charles Darwin in 1872 published The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, where he acknowledged Bell’s contribution to facial expression especially the role of the nervous system, but questioned Bell’s conclusion, that animals were incapable of showing emotions through facial expression. Darwin reasoned that human facial expressions reflected emotions, some from our primeval state, some from habit but most were universal and controlled by an involuntary nervous system, described by Bell, and now known as the parasympathetic system. This paper explores Bell’s contribution to the understanding of facial expression. We conclude that his understanding of neuroanatomy along with his artistic ability enhanced our comprehension of human facial expressions, although his theological interpretation of the reason for facial expressions and emotions needs to be seen more in the context of nineteenth century Natural Theology.
‘If you haven't got the contacts … you have no choice’: A figurational examination of unpaid work in football scouting in men's professional football in England
Authors: Griffiths Jacob , Bloyce Daniel
Published: March 2022

Association football has been viewed as an industry with considerable lucrative career prospects; however, this has not prevented the use of unpaid staff throughout football in the UK. There has been increasing academic research regarding the professionalisation and commercialisation of football, yet there has been little acknowledgement of the role of those working in football in an unpaid capacity. Therefore, this paper examines the culture of unpaid work in football scouting, by exploring the motivations of 12 unpaid scouts at professional clubs, from a figurational perspective. Our findings suggest that scouts want to work in the industry because of their ‘love of the game’, in a ‘quest for excitement’ in their career. Unpaid work was in the pursuit of experience and contacts, the latter of which was highly valued in the industry. Football clubs are enclosed figurations and the scouts placed importance on developing interdependent social relations to gain entry to the industry, demonstrating how football may be perceived nepotistic. The likelihood of gaining a paid role directly from an unpaid position was low and therefore the decisions to continually accept unpaid work represented the notion of fantasy-laden thinking.
Teaching Evaluations and Student Grades: That’s Not Fair!
Authors: Lilly Juliana D. , Wipawayangkool Kamphol , Pass Michael
Published: March 2022

University teachers and students are evaluated regularly on their performance, and when evaluations are lower than expected, the feedback may be threatening to the individual, potentially causing deviant behaviors including un-collegiality and poor performance. In this paper, we use the self-threat model of procedural justice to examine faculty responses to teaching evaluations (Study 1) and student responses to course grades (Study 2). The model proposes that group identification influences self-serving bias and self-threat, which then influences procedural justice, and helps explain why teachers and students sometimes criticize decision procedures considered fair by socially accepted standards. Results show full support of the model for faculty responses to evaluations and partial support for student responses to grades. Group identification mitigated self-threat and self-serving bias for the faculty sample but had no influence on the student sample. These findings overall suggest that it is important to reduce the level of self-threat to make negative feedback less threatening to both teachers and students. This may be done either directly via fostering group identification or indirectly by making sure that sensitive performance-based information is not shared to the public.
Risk Factors of Cardiac Death for Elderly Patients with Severe Chronic Kidney Disease after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: Zhang Ying , Zhai Guangyao , Wang Jianlong , Zhou Yujie
Published: March 2022

Aims: To identify risk factors for cardiac death of elderly and severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CAHD) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: 1010 CAHD-CKD patients over 60 years old who had CKD stage 3 or above and underwent PCI were followed up for at least 3 years. Cases of cardiac death were divided into groups. After univariate analysis of all variables, the variables with P < .2 were selected for further logistic regression. Results: For logistic regression single-vessel disease (SVD) PCI OR = 0.612, 95%CI: 0.416–0.899, P = .012, it is the protective factor. There are four risk factors, stable angina pectoris (SAP) OR = 4.723, 95%CI: 1.098∼20.322, P = .037, combined with lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans (LEASO) OR = 2.631, 95%CI: 1.272∼5.440, P = .009, K > 4.285 mmol/L OR = 1.44, 95%CI: 1.002∼2.069, P = .049, without statins OR = 2.015, 95%CI: 1.072∼3.789, P = .030. Conclusion: In elderly and serious CAHD-CKD patients after PCI, SVD PCI was a protective factor against cardiac death. However, SAP, CAHD-CKD combined with LEASO, K > 4.285 mmol/L, and no statins were independent risk factors of cardiac death for elderly patients with severe CKD after PCI.
Accidentally diagnosed ocular abnormalities identified during close screening for retinopathy of prematurity
Authors: Ozturk Taylan , Durmaz Engin Ceren , Karatas Yigitaslan Ezgi , Yaman Aylin , Berk Tulin
Published: March 2022

Purpose

To report the variety of ocular findings which have been identified serendipitously during the screening for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in a tertiary referral center during seven-year period.

Methods

The charts of 1568 preterm infants who screened for ROP were reviewed retrospectively. Any ocular lesion except for ROP were noted. All infants had undergone routine ocular examination of the external eye, pupillary light reflex, anterior and posterior segment. Wide-angle digital retinal image acquisition system for any vitreoretinal pathology requiring a close follow-up had been utilized.

Results

Abnormal ocular findings other than ROP were diagnosed in 296 infants (19.2%). Tunica vasculosa lentis was the most common finding (25%) followed by vitreous or retinal hemorrhages (17.2%) and retinal white lesions (16.6%). Retina was the most frequently involved anatomic site. Other frequent ocular findings included optic disc cupping, congenital cataract, optic nerve hypoplasia, choroidal nevus, persistent fetal vasculature, lid hemangioma, and tilted disc. However, life-threatening pathologies such as lipemia retinalis and even retinoblastoma were also diagnosed.

Conclusion

A duly ophthalmologic examination is mandatory in premature infants for ROP screening. During such examinations, ophthalmologists must be aware of coexisting ocular findings; which could be sight-threatening or even life-threatening.
An analysis method for the transmission efficiency of the preloaded ball screw based on wear volume calculation
Authors: Zhang Yishen , Zhou Changguang , Ren Shihao , Qian Chaoqun , Feng Hutian
Published: March 2022

The transmission efficiency is an aggregative indicator that directly reflects the overall performance of the ball screw. While most researches focus on calculating transmission efficiency under different working conditions, few of them investigate the influencing factors that lead to the transmission efficiency change. To this end, this paper proposed a new analysis method to acquire the changing transmission efficiency with running revolution based on wear volume calculation considering lubrication. The fractal theory is introduced to describe the surface roughness, through which the modified expression of the wear volume between the balls and raceway is proposed. By submitting the wear volume into the transmission efficiency analysis model, the change of the transmission efficiency is obtained. From the experimental results, two obvious stages are shown: the rising stage with the increase of the wear volume and a steady stage as the initial preload vanishes. For higher transmission efficiency for the preloaded ball screw of the same type, the ratio of 0.75, which compares the initial preload to the external load, has some certain reference for the practical application.
Brief report: Validity and reliability of the Nigerian Autism Screening Questionnaire
Authors: Bakare Muideen O , Frazier Thomas W , Karpur Arun , Abubakar Amina , Nyongesa Moses Kachama , Mwangi Paul Murimu , Dixon Pamela , Khaliq Izma , Gase Natalie K , Sandstrom Jonathan , Okidegbe Nwanze , Rosanoff Michael , Munir Kerim M , Shih Andy
Published: March 2022

Informant-report measures for screening symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are needed for low-resource settings if early identification is to be prioritized because early developmental concerns are likely to be expressed by parents and other caregivers. This paper describes the initial psychometric evaluation of the Nigeria Autism Screening Questionnaire (NASQ). Parents and other caregivers completed the NASQ on 12,311 children ages 1 to 18 in a Nigerian population sample as part of the World Bank National General Household Survey conducted in the country in 2016. Factor analyses indicated a parsimonious three-factor structure with social communication/interaction, repetitive sensory motor, and insistence on sameness dimensions. Measurement invariance was excellent across age and sex. Reliability of the subscales and total scale was good, and item response theory analyses indicated good measurement precision in the range from below average to high scores, crucial for screening, and tracking ASD symptoms. Studies with gold standard ASD diagnostic instruments and clinical confirmation are needed to evaluate screening and diagnostic accuracy. The NASQ appears to be a reliable instrument with a clear factor structure and potential for use in screening and tracking ASD symptoms in future Nigerian samples.

Lay abstract

Early intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is dependent on reliable methods for early detection. Screening for ASD symptoms is an important strategy in low- and middle-income countries that often lack adequate service infrastructure. This study aims to conduct preliminary evaluation of the psychometric properties of a tool developed and deployed in Nigeria called the Nigerian Autism Screening Questionnaire (NASQ). Results demonstrated that NASQ, when used as a community-based survey, has a clear factor structure with consistent measurement across age and sex, and that scores from below average to well above average are measured reliably. Future research is needed to examine the performance of this tool against confirmatory ASD diagnosis in screening and diagnostic contexts to further understand the utility and applicability of this tool in the resource-limited Nigerian setting.
Interdisciplinary approaches to journalistic translation
Authors: Valdeón Roberto A
Published: March 2022

This article aims to survey some of the most salient publications on journalistic translation, with a particular focus on the research conducted within translation studies as an academic discipline. This review will also serve to establish a link with the work carried out by journalism scholars, notably the special issue of Journalism published in 2011. I will consider key terms such as “translation” and “transediting”, which have been used in journalism and translation studies, albeit often with different implications. The next section will discuss “gatekeeping”, a concept that has been very productive in the two disciplines, before discussing cultural translation as a defining feature of contemporary news translation, and the importance of conducting studies into ideology and translation. The final sections will briefly present some of the publications that have used ethnographic and historical approaches respectively.
Egyptian rural women entrepreneurs: Challenges, ambitions and opportunities
Authors: Elkafrawi Nermin , Refai Deema
Published: March 2022

The aim of this study is to examine the main challenges and opportunities facing Egyptian rural women entrepreneurs (RWEs) in starting and growing their enterprises. The study narrates the story of one woman in rural Egypt and the challenges she has encountered in becoming an entrepreneur. A qualitative approach is applied to explore various social and economic aspects in Egyptian RWEs’ life. The results suggest four main interrelated challenges and two main opportunities facing RWEs in rural Egypt. This is one of few studies responding to calls for more research addressing RWEs, particularly in developing countries, and for showing the role of context in shaping their entrepreneurial decisions. The case offers better understanding of RWEs, and sets the foundation for more research in areas of rural women empowerment, rural development and contextualisation of entrepreneurship.
Ecological System Levels of Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Homicide Perpetration and Victimization: A Three-Level Meta-analysis
Authors: Kim Bitna
Published: March 2022

This study aims to identify, through an advanced three-level meta-analytic approach, the predictive validity of the different ecological systems for IPH perpetration and victimization relative to IPV, other homicides, IPH followed by suicide, and non-abused control groups. Twenty-nine studies were included, with 473 effect sizes in a unique population of 16,237. Each factor was classified into one of three ecological systems: ontogenetic, microsystem, and exosystem. The results revealed that the impact of each ecological system on the likelihood of IPH varies depending on the offender/victim gender and the comparison groups. Specifically, the largest odds ratios for intimate partner femicide (IPF) perpetration/victimization versus IPV were found at the microsystem level as well as IPF victimization versus non-abused group at the ontogenetic level of risk factors. Moderator analyses showed that the difference between male IPH and IPV perpetrators in the effect of the microsystem level of risk factors is explained in part by a set of cultural values and beliefs toward equality. We then discuss the present results’ implications for risk assessment and the prevention/treatment of IPH perpetration and victimization, as well as future research.
A Four-Gene Signature Model Improves the Prediction of Distant Metastasis in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Retrospective, Three-Center Observational Study
Authors: Si Jinyuan , Ding Xiuyong , Deng Zhuoxia , Li Pu , Zhang Benjian , Lan Guiping , Huang Bo , Liang Jinhui , Wang Zhenlin , Si Yongfeng
Published: March 2022

Background: Similar to that in other malignant tumors, distant metastasis is one of the most important causes of poor prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the genetic hallmarks and networks that regulate the distant metastasis of NPC are not fully understood. Methods: In this study, we performed high-throughput screening of mRNA expression profiles in 92 NPC samples collected from 3hospitals and detected the mRNA expression levels of 31,503 genes in these samples. Gene functional enrichment analyses were performed using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was applied to select prognostic genes and a Cox proportional hazards regression model including these genes was constructed to predict prognosis. The Kaplan–Meier curve and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were plotted to assess the performance of this model. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportion hazard model to test the independence of prognostic effect of gene model and other clinical features. Results: A total of 1837 differentially expressed genes between patients with and without distant metastasis were identified in the training cohort, including 869 upregulated genes and 968 downregulated genes. Six gene sets, including the Wnt/β catenin signaling pathway, hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway, Notch signaling pathway, mitotic spindle, apical surface, and estrogen response late, were enriched in patients with distant metastasis. A four-gene signature model was constructed in the training cohort, and according to the time-dependent ROC curve, this model had certain accuracy in predicting distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) in both the training and validation cohorts. Conclusion: We developed a four-gene signature model that can evaluate the distant metastasis risk of NPC patients and may also provide novel therapeutic targets for NPC treatment in the near future.
On games and simulators as a platform for development of artificial intelligence for command and control
Authors: Goecks Vinicius G , Waytowich Nicholas , Asher Derrik E , Jun Park Song , Mittrick Mark , Richardson John , Vindiola Manuel , Logie Anne , Dennison Mark , Trout Theron , Narayanan Priya , Kott Alexander
Published: March 2022

Games and simulators can be a valuable platform to execute complex multi-agent, multiplayer, imperfect information scenarios with significant parallels to military applications: multiple participants manage resources and make decisions that command assets to secure specific areas of a map or neutralize opposing forces. These characteristics have attracted the artificial intelligence (AI) community by supporting development of algorithms with complex benchmarks and the capability to rapidly iterate over new ideas. The success of AI algorithms in real-time strategy games such as StarCraft II has also attracted the attention of the military research community aiming to explore similar techniques in military counterpart scenarios. Aiming to bridge the connection between games and military applications, this work discusses past and current efforts on how games and simulators, together with the AI algorithms, have been adapted to simulate certain aspects of military missions and how they might impact the future battlefield. This paper also investigates how advances in virtual reality and visual augmentation systems open new possibilities in human interfaces with gaming platforms and their military parallels.
Sensing the border(s): Sound and carceral intimacies in and beyond indefinite detention
Authors: de Souza Poppy , Russell Emma K.
Published: March 2022

This article examines a sound-based digital project co-created with refugees and asylum seekers held in indefinite detention in Australia and Papua New Guinea to advance understandings of the sensory violence of borders – and resistance to borders – and their reordering of intimate realms. In where are you today (2020), refugees/asylum seekers catalogued their carceral environments in 10-minute sonic vignettes which were distributed to listeners daily via text message, for 30 consecutive days. Drawing on sensory methodologies and feminist orientations towards the intimate, the article considers how this sound project alerts us to an alternative sensory politics attuned to the quiet, quotidian and exhausting labour of resisting Australia’s racialised border regime. Through a close listening to selected recordings, we argue the intimacies shared through where are you today produce knowledge about embodied practices of care, breath, touch and waiting in indefinite detention. Networked, transborder sound projects can unsettle both incarcerated and non-incarcerated subjects’ relationships to their environments, opening affiliative possibilities for coming into relation with the border(s) in new ways. We conclude that the project’s creators forge and sustain carceral intimacies within and despite the border’s affective violence, and that sound is a particularly affective and evocative means of conveying and creating these intimacies, in and beyond indefinite detention.
Looking for Utopia: Experts and Global Governance
Authors: Eijking Jan
Published: March 2022

The coronavirus pandemic has given an old question new traction: what exactly is the meaning of appeals to expert authority in politics? Though basing political decisions on the best available scientific and technical knowledge may be a plain task on the surface, and calls for ‘listening to science’ regularly maintain this perception, the relationship between expertise and politics is complicated. Given the particular centrality of expertise to global governance practices and institutions, what would an international political theory of expertise look like? Two recent volumes on the subject offer highly original answers to this question. Read alongside each other, Lucile Maertens and Marieke Louis’ Why International Organizations Hate Politics and Jens Steffek’s International Organization as Technocratic Utopia bring to the fore the technocratic legacies and depoliticising tendencies of global governance. In this review essay, I first discuss the historical emergence of technocratically-inspired international organisations as portrayed by Jens Steffek, and then turn to Lucile Maertens’ and Marieke Louis’ practitioner-centred account of how depoliticisation works and is best understood analytically. I then offer a comparative discussion and propose that, with the help of both books, we can picture global governance as driven by a search for utopia.
Spontaneous ureteric rupture due to high pressure chronic retention
Authors: Deen Shameer , Ogbu Emmanuel , Walker Nicholas Faure , Nkwam Nkwam Michael
Published: March 2022

Summary

Spontaneous ureteric rupture is a rare phenomenon which can be traumatic or non-traumatic that may arise from ureteric obstruction, trauma, mucosal inflammation from urolithiasis, connective tissue disease or retroperitoneal fibrosis. High pressure chronic retention is characterised by noctural enuresis, a tense palpable bladder, hypertension, progressive renal impairment, bilateral hydronephrosis and hydroureter on imaging. Obstructive urological symptoms are typically absent in uncomplicated cases. We report the case of a 69-year-old male who presented with high pressure chronic retention and spontaneous ureteric rupture demonstrated on a noncontrast CT. This patient was managed with a urethral catheter on free drainage and a retrograde ureteric stent. The patient’s condition improved, and the stent was removed after a uretero-pyeloscopy which revealed no extravasation. He later underwent a successful transurethral resection of the prostate.
Share, Comment, and Like on Facebook and Message Strategies of Non-Governmental organizations
Authors: Wut Tai Ming , Lau Chammy Yan Lam , Chan Wai Tung
Published: March 2022

The scope of this study is to examine the relationship between message strategies and stakeholders’ responses on Facebook. Data on 20 non-governmental organizations’ Facebook pages was collected by simple random sampling to examine their communication practices on social media. It was found that those organizations were more likely to adopt Public Information (PI) model to transmit information to their stakeholders. Organizational messages based on Two-way symmetry model (TWS) can generate the greatest number of Likes which is significantly larger than Press Agentry (PA), Public Information (PI), and Two-way asymmetry (TWA) models. The multi-way (MW) model was proposed in order to extend Grung & Hunt’s framework in the digital era.
Introducing Virtual Prehabilitation to a UK Elective Total Hip Replacement service to improve patient outcomes: An overview of the literature and proposed implementation plan
Authors: Gorton JH
Published: March 2022

Elective Total Hip Replacement (THR) surgery is one of the most common elective surgeries in the UK, costing the National Health Service (NHS) over £300,000,000 annually. A review of the literature identified preoperative rehabilitation, known as ‘prehabilitation’, improves patient outcomes and decreases Length Of hospital Stay (LOS). This approach follows NICE guidelines which recommend prehabilitation for all patients undergoing joint replacement surgery.

Challenges accessing prehabilitation classes at UK hospitals due to inadequate transport and COVID-19 restrictions present an opportunity to provide prehabilitation virtually. Physiotherapy services are increasingly utilising technology, in line with The NHS Long Term Plan to increase service accessibility.

A review of the literature has established virtual prehabilitation is effective, feasible, and preferable for patients. Quality Improvement methodology has been used to propose an implementation plan for a virtual prehabilitation service. Further research is required to create a standardised prehabilitation protocol, and to assess the long-term effects and sustainability of virtual prehabilitation.
Critical Approaches to Sustainability in the Business Communication Classroom: A Developmental Perspective
Authors: Hentz Brian S. , Lucia Brent , Vint Maria
Published: March 2022

Business communication faculty who invite students to critically engage with issues of sustainability must consider students’ developmental readiness to do so, as these invitations can often seem uninvited. To promote students’ readiness for critical inquiry, faculty should adopt a developmental approach that attends to both cognitive and emotional aspects of learning. This article outlines three ways to frame critical discussions of sustainability: as a new conception of wealth, as a cultural way of knowing, and as an intergenerational social contract. To help faculty develop students’ capacity to engage critically, this article includes guided questions to support critical inquiry and a supplemental reading list.
Cerebral venous thrombosis due to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia after a second ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 dose
Authors: Krzywicka Katarzyna , van de Munckhof Anita , Zimmermann Julian , Bode Felix J. , Frisullo Giovanni , Karapanayiotides Theodoros , Pötzsch Bernd , Sánchez van Kammen Mayte , Heldner Mirjam R. , Arnold Marcel , Kremer Hovinga Johanna A. , Ferro José M. , Aguiar de Sousa Diana , Coutinho Jonathan M.
Published: March 2022

Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), a rare but life-threatening complication of adenoviral vaccination against COVID-19, has been reported almost entirely following the first dose. Krzywicka and colleagues report on 124 patients with VITT in a multinational registry diagnosed after dose 2; no specific events were observed after dose 1. These patients had early presentation, and two of the patients died.
Interstitial lung disease in infancy and early childhood: a clinicopathological primer
Authors: Laenger Florian Peter , Schwerk Nicolaus , Dingemann Jens , Welte Tobias , Auber Bernd , Verleden Stijn , Ackermann Maximilian , Mentzer Steven J. , Griese Matthias , Jonigk Danny
Published: March 2022

Children's interstitial lung disease (chILD) encompasses a wide and heterogeneous spectrum of diseases substantially different from that of adults. Established classification systems divide chILD into conditions more prevalent in infancy and other conditions occurring at any age. This categorisation is based on a multidisciplinary approach including clinical, radiological, genetic and histological findings. The diagnostic evaluation may include lung biopsies if other diagnostic approaches failed to identify a precise chILD entity, or if severe or refractory respiratory distress of unknown cause is present. As the majority of children will be evaluated and diagnosed outside of specialist centres, this review summarises relevant clinical, genetic and histological findings of chILD to provide assistance in clinical assessment and rational diagnostics.
Assessment of linkage disequilibrium patterns between structural variants and single nucleotide polymorphisms in three commercial chicken populations
Authors: Geibel Johannes , Praefke Nora Paulina , Weigend Steffen , Simianer Henner , Reimer Christian
Published: March 2022

Background

Structural variants (SV) are causative for some prominent phenotypic traits of livestock as different comb types in chickens or color patterns in pigs. Their effects on production traits are also increasingly studied. Nevertheless, accurately calling SV remains challenging. It is therefore of interest, whether close-by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) with SVs and can serve as markers. Literature comes to different conclusions on whether SVs are in LD to SNPs on the same level as SNPs to other SNPs. The present study aimed to generate a precise SV callset from whole-genome short-read sequencing (WGS) data for three commercial chicken populations and to evaluate LD patterns between the called SVs and surrounding SNPs. It is thereby the first study that assessed LD between SVs and SNPs in chickens.

Results

The final callset consisted of 12,294,329 bivariate SNPs, 4,301 deletions (DEL), 224 duplications (DUP), 218 inversions (INV) and 117 translocation breakpoints (BND). While average LD between DELs and SNPs was at the same level as between SNPs and SNPs, LD between other SVs and SNPs was strongly reduced (DUP: 40%, INV: 27%, BND: 19% of between-SNP LD). A main factor for the reduced LD was the presence of local minor allele frequency differences, which accounted for 50% of the difference between SNP – SNP and DUP – SNP LD. This was potentially accompanied by lower genotyping accuracies for DUP, INV and BND compared with SNPs and DELs. An evaluation of the presence of tag SNPs (SNP in highest LD to the variant of interest) further revealed DELs to be slightly less tagged by WGS SNPs than WGS SNPs by other SNPs. This difference, however, was no longer present when reducing the pool of potential tag SNPs to SNPs located on four different chicken genotyping arrays.

Conclusions

The results implied that genomic variance due to DELs in the chicken populations studied can be captured by different SNP marker sets as good as variance from WGS SNPs, whereas separate SV calling might be advisable for DUP, INV, and BND effects.
What is the role of cardiorespiratory fitness and sedentary behavior in relationship between the genetic predisposition to obesity and cardiometabolic risk score?
Authors: Sehn Ana Paula , Brand Caroline , de Castro Silveira João Francisco , Andersen Lars Bo , Gaya Anelise Reis , Todendi Pâmela Ferreira , de Moura Valim Andréia Rosane , Reuter Cézane Priscila
Published: March 2022

Background

Genetic factors along with inadequate lifestyle habits are associated with the development of cardiometabolic alterations. Thus, the present study aimed to examine the role of sedentary behavior on the relationship between rs9939609 polymorphism (fat mass and obesity-associated gene-FTO) and cardiometabolic risk score according to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels in children and adolescents.

Methods

A cross-sectional study with 1215 children and adolescents (692 girls), aged between 6 and 17 years. Screen time as a marker of sedentary behavior was evaluated through a self-reported questionnaire and CRF was estimated using the 6-min walking and running test. The genotyping of the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism was performed using a real-time polymerase chain reaction. Clustered cardiometabolic risk score (cMetS) was calculated by summing z-scores of total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, triglycerides, glucose, systolic blood pressure, and waist circumference, and dividing it by five. Moderation analyses were tested using multiple linear regression models.

Results

The coefficient of the interaction term of FTO (rs9939609) and screen time indicated that screen time was a significant moderator on the relationship between FTO rs9939609 polymorphism and cMetS (p = 0.047) in children and adolescents classified with low CRF (β = 0.001; 95% CI = 0.001; 0.002). It was observed a significant association between genotype risk (AA) of FTO polymorphism and cMetS, in participants that spent more than 378 min a day in front of screen-based devices (β = 0.203; 95% CI = 0.000; 0.405). No interaction term was found for those with high CRF.

Conclusions

High sedentary behavior seems to influence the relationship between genetic predisposition to obesity and cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents with low CRF.