bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of lymph node dissection in salvage radical prostatectomy for patients with radiation recurrent prostate cancer
Authors: Quhal Fahad , Rajwa Pawel , Mori Keiichiro , Laukhtina Ekaterina , Grossmann Nico C. , Schuettfort Victor M. , König Frederik , Aydh Abdulmajeed , Motlagh Reza S. , Katayama Satoshi , Mostafai Hadi , Pradere Benjamin , Marra Giancarlo , Gontero Paolo , Mathieu Romain , Karakiewicz Pierre I. , Briganti Alberto , Shariat Shahrokh F. , Heidenreich Axel
Published: May 2021

Purpose

To examine the effect of lymph node dissection on the outcomes of patients who underwent salvage radical prostatectomy (SRP).

Material and Methods

We retrospectively reviewed data from radiation‐recurrent patients with prostate cancer (PCa) who underwent SRP from 2000–2016. None of the patients had clinical lymph node involvement before SRP. The effect of the number of removed lymph nodes (RLNs) and the number of positive lymph nodes (PLNs) on biochemical recurrence (BCR)‐free survival, metastases free survival, and overall survival (OS) was tested in multivariable Cox regression analyses.

Results

About 334 patients underwent SRP and pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND). Lymph node involvement was associated with increased risk of BCR (p < .001), metastasis (p < .001), and overall mortality (p = .006). In a multivariable Cox regression analysis, an increased number of RLNs significantly lowered the risk of BCR (hazard ratio [HR] 0.96, p = .01). In patients with positive lymph nodes, a higher number of RLNs and a lower number of PLNs were associated with improved freedom from BCR (HR 0.89, p = .001 and HR 1.34, p = .008, respectively). At a median follow‐up of 23.9 months (interquartile range, 4.7–37.7), neither the number of RLNs nor the number of PLNs were associated with OS (p = .69 and p = .34, respectively).

Conclusion

Pathologic lymph node involvement increased the risk of BCR, metastasis and overall mortality in radiation‐recurrent PCa patients undergoing SRP. The risk of BCR decreased steadily with a higher number of RLNs during SRP. Further research is needed to support this conclusion and develop a precise therapeutic adjuvant strategy based on the number of RLNs and PLNs.
Clinical characteristics and oncological outcomes in negative multiparametric MRI patients undergoing robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy
Authors: Wagaskar Vinayak G. , Ratnani Parita , Levy Micah , Moody Kate , Garcia Mariely , Pedraza Adriana M. , Parekh Sneha , Pandav Krunal , Shukla Bhavya , Sobotka Stanislaw , Haines Kenneth , Wiklund Peter , Tewari Ash
Published: May 2021

Background

Efforts are ongoing to try and find ways to reduce the number of unnecessary prostate biopsies without missing clinically significant prostate cancers (csPCa). The utility of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) in detecting prostate cancer (PCa) shows promise to be used as triage test for systematic prostate biopsy. Our aim is to Study clinical parameters and oncological outcomes in men with negative mpMRI (nMRI; PI‐RADS v2 scores of ≤ 2) who underwent robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) to evaluate nMRI's practicality as a biopsy triage test.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of 331 men with nMRI who underwent RARP between 2014 and 2020 compared with men with positive mpMRI (pMRI; PI‐RADS v2 scores ≥ 3, N = 1770). csPCa was defined as Gleason score ≥ 3 + 4 and biochemical recurrence (BCR) was defined as PSA > 0.2 ng/ml on two occasions. Biopsies were graded with the International Society of Urologic Pathology [ISUP] grade. Descriptive statistics for nMRI and pMRI were performed. Mann–Whitney U test was used for continuous variables and χ
2 for categorical variables. Univariable and multivariable regression analyses were performed.

Results

Univariable analysis shows statistically significant difference (p < .05) between median age (nMRI‐61 years vs. pMRI 63 years), race (higher incidence of nMRI in African American men), use of 5‐alpha reductase inhibitors (higher rate in nMRI). While incidence rates of family history of PCa, suspicious digital rectal examination (DRE) findings, median PSA levels and 4Kscore, were lower in nMRI versus pMRI. Rates of positive surgical margins and BCR were comparable in nMRI versus pMRI. Biopsy ISUP Grades I and II upgraded by 51% and 12%, respectively in final pathology. African American race and no history of the prior negative biopsy were significant predictors for upgrading.

Conclusion

Men with nMRI pose diagnostic challenges as they tend to be younger patients with lower rates of suspicious DRE findings and lower 4K scores, yet comparable oncological outcomes in csPCa rates, positive surgical margins, and BCR rates.
Salidroside protects cardiac function in mice with diabetic cardiomyopathy via activation of mitochondrial biogenesis and SIRT3
Authors: Li Ye , Wei Xin , Liu Shu‐Li , Zhao Ying , Jin Si , Yang Xiao‐Yan
Published: May 2021

To investigate the effects and the underlying mechanisms of salidroside on diabetic cardiomyopathy, diabetes was induced in mice by a long‐term high‐fat diet and a low‐dose injection of streptozocin. Measurements of cardiac function, biochemical analysis, and histopathological examinations were conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effects of salidroside. In this study, we found that diabetic mice exhibited decreased cardiac systolic function and impaired mitochondrial ultrastructure. Pre‐treatment with salidroside protected mice against myocardial dysfunction, reduced blood glucose, improved insulin resistance, and induced mitochondrial biogenesis. Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were cultured to explore the mechanisms of salidroside in vitro. Salidroside alleviated decreased expression of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ coactivator 1‐alpha (PGC‐1α), mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) via phosphorylation of 5′ AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK), which may be associated with mitochondrial biogenesis. Salidroside also increased sirtuin‐3 (SIRT3) expression in cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, salidroside promoted the translocation of SIRT3 from cytoplasm to mitochondria and increased the deacetylation of mitochondrial proteins such as manganese‐dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). In Conclusion, salidroside not only improved diabetes, but also ameliorated diabetic cardiomyopathy, which was at least partly associated with the activation of mitochondrial SIRT3, AMPK/Akt, and PGC‐1α/TFAM and subsequent improving mitochondrial function.
Autonomous robotic rock breaking using a real‐time 3D visual perception system
Authors: Lampinen Santeri , Niu Longchuan , Hulttinen Lionel , Niemi Jouni , Mattila Jouni
Published: May 2021

Crushing of blasted ore is an essential phase in extraction of valuable minerals in mining industry. It is typically performed in multiple stages with each stage producing finer fragmentation. Performance and throughput of the first stage of crushing is highly dependent on the size distribution of the blasted ore. In the crushing plant, a metal grate prevents oversized boulders from getting into the crusher jaws, and a human‐controlled hydraulic manipulator equipped with a rock hammer is required to break oversized boulders and ensure continuous material flow. This secondary breaking task is event‐based in the sense that ore trucks deliver boulders at irregular intervals, thus requiring constant human supervision to ensure continuous material flow and prevent blockages. To automatize such breaking tasks, an intelligent robotic control system along with a visual perception system (VPS) is essential. In this manuscript, we propose an autonomous breaker system that includes a VPS capable of detecting multiple irregularly shaped rocks, a robotic control system featuring a decision‐making mechanism for determining the breaking order when dealing with multiple rocks, and a comprehensive manipulator control system. We present a proof of concept for an autonomous robotic boulder breaking system, which consists of a stereo‐camera‐based VPS and an industrial rock‐breaking manipulator robotized with our retrofitted system design. The experiments in this study were conducted in a real‐world setup, and the results were evaluated based on the success rates of breaking. The experiments yielded an average success rate of 34% and a break pace of 3.3 attempts per minute.
Strategic Text Processing Across Mediums: A Verbal Protocol Study
Authors: Latini Natalia , Bråten Ivar
Published: May 2021

Using a sample of 116 Norwegian undergraduate readers in this experimental study, we investigated whether reading informational text on a tablet versus on paper would lead to differences with respect to strategic text processing and text comprehension. Strategic text processing was measured by means of verbal protocol analysis, and text comprehension was measured by means of postreading written products. Results were inconsistent with the shallowing hypothesis proposing that there are comprehension advantages for printed texts because digital texts are typically processed in a more shallow, superficial way. That is, we found no differences across the reading mediums with respect to strategic text processing or text comprehension. These results may suggest that there are boundaries to the shallowing hypothesis that are related to tasks, individual differences, and reading contexts. Such potential boundaries are discussed in light of the current findings, and suggestions for future research to clarify those boundaries are offered.
Joint modeling of longitudinal data with informative cluster size adjusted for zero‐inflation and a dependent terminal event
Authors: Shen Biyi , Chen Chixiang , Liu Danping , Datta Somnath , Ghahramani Nasrollah , Chinchilli Vernon M. , Wang Ming
Published: May 2021

Repeated measures are often collected in longitudinal follow‐up from clinical trials and observational studies. In many situations, these measures are adherent to some specific event and are only available when it occurs; an example is serum creatinine from laboratory tests for hospitalized acute kidney injuries. The frequency of event recurrences is potentially correlated with overall health condition and hence may influence the distribution of the outcome measure of interest, leading to informative cluster size. In particular, there may be a large portion of subjects without any events, thus no longitudinal measures are available, which may be due to insusceptibility to such events or censoring before any events, and this zero‐inflation nature of the data needs to be taken into account. On the other hand, there often exists a terminal event that may be correlated with the recurrent events. Previous work in this area suffered from the limitation that not all these issues were handled simultaneously. To address this deficiency, we propose a novel joint modeling approach for longitudinal data adjusting for zero‐inflated and informative cluster size as well as a terminal event. A three‐stage semiparametric likelihood‐based approach is applied for parameter estimation and inference. Extensive simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of our proposal. Finally, we utilize the Assessment, Serial Evaluation, and Subsequent Sequelae of Acute Kidney Injury (ASSESS‐AKI) study for illustration.
Finite element analysis of rectangular and flanged steel‐concrete shear walls under cyclic loading
Authors: Asgarpoor Masoumeh , Gharavi Ali , Epackachi Siamak , Mirghaderi Seyed Rasoul
Published: May 2021

The seismic performance of steel‐plate concrete (SC) shear walls is numerically investigated for various SC wall geometrical shapes. Steel faceplates and infill concrete are two main components of SC walls; a full connection between steel and concrete is required for composite action. A comprehensive set of SC wall specimens with different cross‐sectional shapes and geometrical properties were tested in the literature for evaluating their seismic behavior. The numerical responses of 17 tested SC walls, including rectangular, T‐shaped, and flanged walls, isolated and coupled walls, with and without boundary elements and endplates, subjected to cyclic lateral loading and a wide range of axial load ratio from 0.065 to 0.4, are evaluated using a finite element‐based software, LS‐DYNA. The predicted force‐displacement diagrams, failure modes, and damping ratios of the finite element models reasonably match the test observations. Also, three main analysis and design issues are evaluated, including the effect of coefficient of friction between concrete and steel faceplates, the effect of modeling pullout of shear studs from the concrete on the global response of SC walls, and the importance of the presence of shear studs and tie rods and the possible changes that may happen by changing the connector spacing to faceplate thickness ratio.
Incidence and demographic risk factors for leptospirosis in dogs in the UK
Authors: Taylor Collette , O'Neill Dan G. , Catchpole Brian , Brodbelt Dave C.
Published: May 2021

Objectives

To estimate the annual incidence risk of leptospirosis diagnosis in practice‐attending dogs in the UK during 2016 and identify risk factors for diagnosis.

Methods

Incidence of leptospirosis diagnosis in dogs during 2016 was estimated from dogs in primary‐care practices from the VetCompass Programme (n = 905,543). A case‐control study of laboratory cases (n = 362) versus VetCompass controls explored factors (age, sex, neutering, breed, Kennel Club group, urban‐rural location, indices of deprivation) associated with leptospirosis diagnosis through multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Annual incidence risk of leptospirosis in the VetCompass population was 0.8 cases per 100,000 dogs (0.0008%, 95% CI 9.1 × 10–8–5.2 × 10–5). Adult dogs, especially 1‐ < 5 years olds (odds ratio [OR] = 0.38, 95% CI 0.27–0.54), and dogs attending urban clinics (OR = 0.26, 95% CI 0.19–0.35) had reduced odds of leptospirosis versus dogs < 1 year old and rural dogs, respectively. Dogs attending clinics in less deprived areas had increased odds of diagnosis (OR = 3.63, 95% CI 2.28–5.78) compared to crossbreds, Cocker Spaniels (OR = 4.25, 95% CI 2.65–6.84), Collies (OR = 3.53, 95% CI 2.22–5.62) and Lurchers (OR = 3.49, 95% CI 1.50–8.11) had increased odds of diagnosis.

Discussion

Leptospirosis is rarely diagnosed in clinical practice, suggesting that many true cases may be missed. Demographic risk factors identified here may inform the index of suspicion and encourage increased use of confirmatory diagnostic testing.
Methodische Grundlagen
Authors: Dix Carolin
Published: May 2021

Das Kapitel stellt die zentralen methodischen Forschungslinien dar, denen die Analyse folgt. Im Fokus steht die Entwicklung von der Ethnomethodologie bis hin zur Multimodalen Interaktionsanalyse sowie Entwicklungen innerhalb der Vidoanalyse als wichtigem Instrument einer mikrostrukturellen, multimodalen, empirischen Untersuchung.
Datenerhebung & Corpus
Authors: Dix Carolin
Published: May 2021

Die vorliegende Arbeit folgt dem videografischen Zugang, wie ihn Knoblauch, Heath, Mondada und andere für die qualitative Sozialforschung und die Multimodale Interaktionsanalyse beschrieben haben. Im Zuge dieser Ausrichtung ist auch für die vorliegende Arbeit die Erhebung natürlicher Daten authentischer Predigtereignisse im jeweiligen Vollzug zentral. Das Kapitel skizziert das Vorgehen bei der Datenerhebung und stellt das erhobene Datenkorpus vor.
Institutionelle Einbettung & Gottesdienst
Authors: Dix Carolin
Published: May 2021

Anhand der Gottesdienstordnungen unterschiedlicher Konfessionen setzt sich das Kapitel mit der institutionellen Einbettung christlicher Predigten auseinander, zeigt die Wechselwirkungen zwischen Gottesdienstgestaltung und Predigt und fragt nach den, auf der Ebene der Außenstruktur zu verortenden, charakteristischen Merkmalen von Predigten.
Multimodale Konstitution des Predigtereignisses
Authors: Dix Carolin
Published: May 2021

Das Kapitel arbeitet anhand von Beispielen die typische Struktur der untersuchten Predigten heraus und nimmt dazu die zwei obligatorischen Aktivitätstypen Eröffnung der Predigt und Beendigung der Predigt genauer in den Blick. Essenziell ist hier wieder die in dieser Arbeit vorgenommene Unterscheidung zwischen der Predigt als Gesamtereignis und dem Wortbeitrag als einem wesentlichen Aktivitätstyp der Gattung. Die Darstellungen machen deutlich, dass die Predigt ein von allen Beteiligten wechselseitig und interaktiv hergestelltes Ereignis ist, zu dessen Realisierung verbale, vokale und visuelle Elemente genutzt werden.
Wissen in der Predigt
Authors: Dix Carolin
Published: May 2021

Ein zentraler Baustein der Gattungstheorie Luckmannscher Tradition ist die Auseinandersetzung mit ‚Wissen‘ als Voraussetzung sozialer Interaktion, das sich in einem spezifischen Gattungs- und Handlungswissen manifestiert und zur erfolgreichen Realisierung der jeweiligen Gattung dient, und als Produkt und Gegenstand der Interaktion.Wie explizit dies geschieht und welches Wissen relevant gesetzt wird, ist jedoch gattungsspezifisch und abhängig von der kommunikativen Funktion des Umgangs mit Wissen. Das Kapitel zeigt auf, welche Rolle die Zuschreibung und Vermittlung von Wissen im Wortbeitrag christlicher Predigten spielt und welche Wissensarten verhandelt werden. Darüber hinaus beschreibt es die Predigt als rekonstruktiv-prospektive Gattung.
Dialogizität in der Predigt
Authors: Dix Carolin
Published: May 2021

Einer der meistdiskutierten Aspekte in Bezug auf die Predigt ist die Frage nach ihrem kommunikativ-dialogischen Charakter. Aufgrund der strukturell-formalen Eigenschaften erscheint die Predigt zunächst aber als vordergründig monologisches Geschehen. Das Kapitel zeigt jedoch auf, dass die Predigt vor allem bei ihrer Eröffnung und ihrer Beendigung ein interaktives Geschehen ist, bei dem alle Beteiligten rezipok involviert sind. Darüber hinaus verdeutlicht das Kapitel, das auch im Wortbeitrag interaktive Sequenzen möglich sind und beschreibt die Bedingungen, unter denen ein unmittelbarer Sprecherwechsel möglich ist.
Ausblick
Authors: Dix Carolin
Published: May 2021

Auf der Grundlage der in der vorliegenden Arbeit beschriebenen Befunde zeigt das Kapitel Anschlussmöglichkeiten für weiterführende Forschungen.
Forschungsfrage & Forschungsziele
Authors: Dix Carolin
Published: May 2021

Das Kapitel stellt die zentralen Fragestellungen und Zielsetzungen der Untersuchung vor. So ist es das Anliegen, eine konzise Darstellung und Beschreibung der christlichen Predigt als kommunikative Gattung zu leisten und damit eine nach wie vor vorhandene Forschungslücke zu schließen. In diesem Zusammenhang ist es das Ziel, die multimodale Herstellung und Durchführung des Predigtereignisses zu beschreiben und das Zusammenspiel verbaler, vokaler, visuell-leiblicher und darüber hinaus materieller Ressourcen herauszuarbeiten.
Sprachliche Gattungen (Michail Bachtin)
Authors: Dix Carolin
Published: May 2021

Für Michail Bachtin vollziehen sich alle sprachlichen Äußerungen und jeglicher Gebrauch von Sprache, egal ob mündlich oder schriftlich, in sprachlichen Gattungen. Für die Analyse von Predigten ist das Modell der sprachlichen Gattungen vor allem durch die Einteilung in primäre und sekundäre Gattung, die Perspektive auf die Rezipierenden und die weite Auffassung von Dialogizität attraktiv. Das Kapitel stellt den Zugang Bachtins vor und grenzt ihn vom Gattungskonzept nach Luckmann ab.
GUT-constrained supersymmetry and dark matter in light of the new (g − 2)μ determination
Authors: Chakraborti Manimala , Roszkowski Leszek , Trojanowski Sebastian
Published: May 2021

Abstract

The recent confirmation by the Fermilab-based Muon g-2 experiment of the (g −2)μanomaly has important implications for allowed particle spectra in softly broken supersymmetry (SUSY) models with neutralino dark matter (DM). Generally, the DM has to be quite light, with the mass up to a few hundred GeV, and bino-dominated if it is to provide most of DM in the Universe. Otherwise, a higgsino or wino dominated DM is also allowed but only as a strongly subdominant component of at most a few percent of the total density. These general patterns can easily be found in the phenomenological models of SUSY but in GUT-constrained scenarios this proves much more challenging. In this paper we revisit the issue in the framework of some unified SUSY models with different GUT boundary conditions on the soft masses. We study the so-called non-universal gaugino model (NUGM) in which the mass of the gluino is disunified from those of the bino and the wino and an SO(10) and an SU(5) GUT-inspired models as examples. We find that in these unified frameworks the above two general patterns of DM can also be found, and thus the muon anomaly can also be accommodated, unlike in the simplest frameworks of the CMSSM or the NUHM. We show the resulting values of direct detection cross-section for points that do and do not satisfy the muon anomaly. On the other hand, it will be challenging to access those solutions at the LHC because the resulting spectra are generally very compressed.
Maximal Regularity for Non-autonomous Evolutionary Equations
Authors: Trostorff Sascha , Waurick Marcus
Published: May 2021

We discuss the issue of maximal regularity for evolutionary equations with non-autonomous coefficients. Here evolutionary equations are abstract partial-differential algebraic equations considered in Hilbert spaces. The catch is to consider time-dependent partial differential equations in an exponentially weighted Hilbert space. In passing, one establishes the time derivative as a continuously invertible, normal operator admitting a functional calculus with the Fourier–Laplace transformation providing the spectral representation. Here, the main result is then a regularity result for well-posed evolutionary equations solely based on an assumed parabolic-type structure of the equation and estimates of the commutator of the coefficients with the square root of the time derivative. We thus simultaneously generalise available results in the literature for non-smooth domains. Examples for equations in divergence form, integro-differential equations, perturbations with non-autonomous and rough coefficients as well as non-autonomous equations of eddy current type are considered.
Correction to: The clinical features, management options and complications of paediatric femoral fractures
Authors: Duffy Sean , Gelfer Yael , Trompeter Alex , Clarke Anna , Monsell Fergal
Published: May 2021

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-021-02998-y
Surgically induced astigmatism and coupling effect-mediated keratometric changes after conventional phacoemulsification cataract surgery
Authors: Angermann Reinhard , Palme Christoph , Segnitz Philipp , Dimmer Andreas , Schmid Eduard , Hofer Markus , Steger Bernhard
Published: May 2021

Background

The aim of the present study was to describe surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) and the coupling effect after conventional phacoemulsification cataract surgery (CPS) in relation to the incisional axis.

Material and methods

A total of 42 patients were included in the retrospective case series study. Corneal topography was obtained for patients with significant cataract before and 6 weeks after CPS with a main clear corneal incision size of 2.4 mm. Patients were grouped according to the relationship of the incisional axis to the position of the steep axis into a steep incisional group and a flat incisional group.

Results

In total, 46 eyes were included in the study. While the steep incisional group showed an SIA of −0.15 D (± 0.35), the flat incisional group had a significantly higher SIA of 0.20 D (± 0.51) (p = 0.03). The coupling ratio (CR) in the steep incisional group was −0.38 (± 1.41) and in the flat incisional group it was 0.16 (± 0.97). Correspondingly, a coupling constant (CC) of −0.25 was found for group 1 and a CC of 0.0 for group 2.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that the location of the main incision should be decided with consideration of the corneal astigmatism in order to minimize the SIA. The CR helps to understand the effect of induced astigmatism and the change in spherical equivalent.
Metabolomics and lipid profile analysis of Coccomyxa melkonianii SCCA 048
Authors: Fais Giacomo , Malavasi Veronica , Scano Paola , Soru Santina , Caboni Pierluigi , Cao Giacomo
Published: May 2021

With an unsupervised GC–MS metabolomics approach, polar metabolite changes of the microalgae Coccomyxa melkonianii SCCA 048 grown under standard conditions for seven weeks were studied. C. melkonianii was sampled at the Rio Irvi River, in the mining site of Montevecchio-Ingurtosu (Sardinia, Italy), which is severely contaminated by heavy metals and shows high concentrations of sulfates. The partial-least-square (PLS) analysis of the GC–MS data indicated that growth of C. melkonianii was characterized by an increase of the levels of threonic acid, myo-inositol, malic acid, and fumaric acid. Furthermore, at the sixth week of exponential phase the lipid fingerprint of C. melkonianii was studied by LC-QTOF-MS. C. melkonianii lipid extract characterized through an iterative MS/MS analysis showed the following percent levels: 61.34 ± 0.60% for triacylglycerols (TAG); 11.55 ± 0.09% for diacylglyceryltrimethyl homoserines (DGTS), 11.34 ± 0.10% for sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerols (SQDG) and, 5.29 ± 0.04% for lysodiacylglyceryltrimethyl homoserines (LDGTS). Noteworthy, we were able to annotate different fatty acid ester of hydroxyl fatty acid, such as FAHFA (18:1_20:3), FAHFA (18:2_20:4), FAHFA (18:0_20:2), and FAHFA (18:1_18:0), with relevant biological activity. These approaches can be useful to study the biochemistry of this extremophile algae in the view of its potential exploitation in the phycoremediation of polluted mining areas.
Arbeitszufriedenheit und Burnout in der präklinischen Notfallversorgung
Authors: Roth Karsten , Baier Natalie , Busse Reinhard , Henschke Cornelia
Published: May 2021

Hintergrund

Einsätze unter unterschiedlichen und erschwerten Bedingungen können Burnout-Werte für Mitarbeiter im Rettungsdienst erhöhen. Zufriedenheit am Arbeitsplatz wird als Faktor gesehen, der im Zusammenhang mit erhöhten Burnout-Werten steht.

Ziel der Arbeit

Ziele waren die Untersuchung der Arbeitszufriedenheit und des Burnout-Syndroms bei nichtärztlichen Mitarbeitern im Rettungsdienst sowie die Analyse des Zusammenhangs zwischen hohen Burnout-Werten und Faktoren der Zufriedenheit.

Material und Methoden

Mittels eines Onlinefragebogens wurden Mitarbeiter zu Arbeitszufriedenheit und Aspekten, die das Erleben des Burnouts messen, befragt. Einer deskriptiven Auswertung folgte eine Zusammenhangsanalyse zwischen Arbeitszufriedenheit und einzelnen Burnout-Dimensionen (emotionale Erschöpfung [EE] und Depersonalisierung [DP]) mittels binärer logistischer Regressionen.

Ergebnisse

In die Analyse wurden 1082 Fragebögen einbezogen. Die Majorität der Studienteilnehmer war männlich, jünger als 40 Jahre und in Vollzeit tätig. In den Dimensionen EE und DP wiesen 26,2 % bzw. 40,0 % der Befragten hohe Burnout-Werte auf. Zwischen 17,7 % und 75,9 % der Befragten waren mit einzelnen Aspekten des Arbeitsplatzes unzufrieden (z. B. Flexibilität des Dienstplans, Fortbildungsurlaub, Gehalt, beruflicher Status). Die Zufriedenheit mit dem beruflichen Status und der Berufswahl ist signifikant mit niedrigeren Burnout-Werten in den Dimensionen EE und DP assoziiert.

Diskussion

Die Ergebnisse zeigen die Notwendigkeit einer Verbesserung der Arbeitsbedingungen. Die negative Assoziation zwischen der Zufriedenheit mit dem beruflichen Status sowie der Berufswahl und Burnout-Werten sollte die Diskussion über Strategien zur Anerkennung der Berufe aus gesellschaftlicher Sicht noch stärker anstoßen.
Weighted statistical binary patterns for facial feature representation
Authors: Truong Hung Phuoc , Nguyen Thanh Phuong , Kim Yong-Guk
Published: May 2021

We present a novel framework for efficient and robust facial feature representation based upon Local Binary Pattern (LBP), called Weighted Statistical Binary Pattern, wherein the descriptors utilize the straight-line topology along with different directions. The input image is initially divided into mean and variance moments. A new variance moment, which contains distinctive facial features, is prepared by extracting rootk-th. Then, when Sign and Magnitude components along four different directions using the mean moment are constructed, a weighting approach according to the new variance is applied to each component. Finally, the weighted histograms of Sign and Magnitude components are concatenated to build a novel histogram of Complementary LBP along with different directions. A comprehensive evaluation using six public face datasets suggests that the present framework outperforms the state-of-the-art methods and achieves 98.51% for ORL, 98.72% for YALE, 98.83% for Caltech, 99.52% for AR, 94.78% for FERET, and 99.07% for KDEF in terms of accuracy, respectively. The influence of color spaces and the issue of degraded images are also analyzed with our descriptors. Such a result with theoretical underpinning confirms that our descriptors are robust against noise, illumination variation, diverse facial expressions, and head poses.
Effects of Body Forces on the Statistics of Flame Surface Density and Its Evolution in Statistically Planar Turbulent Premixed Flames
Authors: Varma Arun Ravi , Ahmed Umair , Chakraborty Nilanjan
Published: May 2021

Body forces such as buoyancy and externally imposed pressure gradients are expected to have a strong influence on turbulent premixed combustion due to the considerable changes in density between the unburned and fully burned gases. The present work utilises Direct Numerical Simulation data of three-dimensional statistically planar turbulent premixed flames to study the influence of body forces on the statistical behaviour of the flame surface density (FSD) and its evolution within the flame brush. The analysis has been carried out for different turbulence intensities and normalised body force values (i.e., Froude numbers). A positive value of the body force signifies an unstable density stratification (i.e., body force is directed from the heavier unburned gas to the lighter burned gas) and vice versa. It is found that for a given set of turbulence parameters, flame wrinkling increases with an increase in body force magnitude in the unstable configuration. Furthermore, higher magnitudes of body force in the unstable density stratification configuration promote a gradient type transport of turbulent scalar and FSD fluxes, and this tendency weakens in the stable density stratification configuration where a counter-gradient type transport is promoted. The statistical behaviours of the different terms in the FSD transport equation and their closures in the context of Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes simulations have been analysed in detail. It has been demonstrated that the effects of body force on the FSD and the terms of its transport equation weakens with increasing turbulence intensity as a result of the diminishing relative strength of body force in comparison to the inertial force. The predictions of the existing models have been assessed with respect to the corresponding terms extracted from the explicitly averaged DNS data, and based on this evaluation, suitable modifications have been made to the existing models to incorporate the effects of body force (or Froude number).
Designing Effective and Acceptable Road Pricing Schemes: Evidence from the Geneva Congestion Charge
Authors: Baranzini Andrea , Carattini Stefano , Tesauro Linda
Published: May 2021

While instruments to price congestion exist since the 1970s, less than a dozen cities around the world have a cordon or zone pricing scheme. Geneva, Switzerland, may be soon joining them. This paper builds on a detailed review of the existing schemes to identify a set of plausible design options for the Geneva congestion charge. In turn, it analyzes their acceptability, leveraging a large survey of residents of both Geneva and the surrounding areas of Switzerland and France. Our original approach combines a discrete choice experiment with randomized informational treatments. We consider an extensive set of attributes, such as perimeter, price and price modulation, use of revenues, and exemption levels and beneficiaries. The informational treatments address potential biased beliefs concerning the charge’s expected effects on congestion and pollution. We find that public support depends crucially on the policy design. We identify an important demand for exemptions, which, albeit frequently used in the design of environmental taxation, is underexplored in the analysis of public support. This demand for exemptions is not motivated by efficiency reasons. It comes mostly by local residents, for local residents. Further, people show a marked preference for constant prices, even if efficiency would point to dynamic pricing based on external costs. Hence, we highlight a clear trade-off between efficiency and acceptability. However, we also show, causally, that this gap can in part be closed, with information provision. Analyzing heterogeneity, we show that preferences vary substantially with where people live and how they commute. Even so, we identify several designs that reach majority support.
Review of guidelines for the identification and clinical care of patients with genetic predisposition for hematological malignancies
Authors: Schlegelberger Brigitte , Mecucci Cristina , Wlodarski Marcin
Published: May 2021

Since WHO has recognized myeloid neoplasms with germline predisposition as a new entity in 2016, it has become increasingly clear that diagnosing familial leukemia has critical implications for both the patient and his/her family, and that interdisciplinary teams of hematologists and clinical geneticists should provide care for this specific patient group. Here, we summarize consensus criteria for the identification and screening of patients with genetic predisposition for hematologic malignancies, as provided by different working groups, e.g. by the Nordic MDS group and the AACR. In addition to typical clinical features, results from targeted deep sequencing may point to a genetic predisposition. We review strategies to distinguish somatic and germline variants and discuss recommendations for genetic analyses aiming to identify the underlying genetic variant that should follow established quality criteria to detect both SNVs and CNVs and to determine the pathogenicity of genetic variants. To enhance the knowledge about hematologic neoplasms with germline predisposition we recommend archiving clinical and genetic data and archiving them in international registries.
Nurture, Pleasure and Read and Resist!: Abolition Feminist Methodology for a Collective Recovery?
Authors: Adams Felicity , Emmerich Fabienne
Published: May 2021

COVID-19 has magnified intersecting inequalities that are central to the functioning of capitalism. At the height of the crisis, the value of an economy based on the exchange of goods and services faded away to expose the importance of care across the public and private spheres. Undervalued and underpaid labour suddenly became critical to the survival of many. Drawing on Abolition Feminism, we argue for the need to seize this revaluation of labour to centre nurture and pleasure within our post-pandemic recovery. We apply an Abolition Feminist framework that conceptualises the prison as part of a network of violence that deflects attention from the root causes of harm. We reflect on the development of our Abolition Feminist web platform, Read and Resist!, a space where theory meets reflection on praxis. We consider how activist strategies within Abolition Feminism may support us in reimagining our relationships with law and justice post-COVID-19.
THz Detection of Biomolecules in Aqueous Environments—Status and Perspectives for Analysis Under Physiological Conditions and Clinical use
Authors: Weisenstein Christian , Wigger Anna Katharina , Richter Merle , Sczech Robert , Bosserhoff Anja Katrin , Bolívar Peter Haring
Published: May 2021

Bioanalytical THz sensing techniques have proven to be an interesting and viable tool for the label-free detection and analysis of biomolecules. However, a major challenge for THz bioanalytics is to perform investigations in the native aqueous environments of the analytes. This review recapitulates the status and future requirements for establishing THz biosensing as a complementary toolbox in the repertoire of standard bioanalytic methods. The potential use in medical research and clinical diagnosis is discussed. Under these considerations, this article presents a comprehensive categorization of biochemically relevant analytes that have been investigated by THz sensing techniques in aqueous media. The detectable concentration levels of ions, carbohydrates, (poly-)nucleotides, active agents, proteins and different biomacromolecules from THz experiments are compared to characteristic physiological concentrations and lower detection limits of state-of-the-art bioanalytical methods. Finally, recent experimental developments and achievements are discussed, which potentially pave the way for THz analysis of biomolecules under clinically relevant conditions.
Exploratory Network Reconstruction with Sparse Archaeological Data and XTENT
Authors: Ducke Benjamin , Suchowska Paulina
Published: May 2021

This contribution discusses methods for reconstructing the links of past physical networks, based on archaeological site locations and mathematical models of few parameters. Networks are ubiquitous features of human culture. They structure the geographical patterning of the archaeological record strongly. But while material evidence of networked social interaction is abundant (e.g. similarities in artefact types and technologies), preserved physical remains of the networks (such as roads) are much rarer, making it difficult, if not impossible, to understand the spatial structure of cultural exchange and diffusion. This raises the intractably complex problem of optimal physical network reconstruction, based solely on the known locations of archaeological finds or sites. We address the tractable subproblem of plausible reconstruction of network links. Using a small sample set of Late Bronze Age settlement sites in and around the Mediterranean, we explore model-based network reconstruction from sparse and legacy archaeological data. A hierarchical model is provided by a network-adapted version of Renfrew and Level’s (1979) classic XTENT formula. We show that a GIS-based implementation, that utilises cost surfaces, offers significantly increased realism and analytical advantages. Our approach represents an alternative (with its specific strengths and weaknesses) to more data-intense and computationally complex approaches, such as agent-based models and simulations. The network reconstruction software used in this study (v.net.models) is available under an open source license.
Correction to: Quality 4.0: a review of big data challenges in manufacturing
Authors: Escobar Carlos A. , McGovern Megan E. , Morales-Menendez Ruben
Published: May 2021

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10845-021-01786-z
The restrictor view, without covert modals
Authors: Ciardelli Ivano
Published: May 2021

The view thatif-clauses function semantically as restrictors is widely regarded as the only candidate for a fully general account of conditionals. The standard implementation of this view assumes that, where no operator to be restricted is in sight,if-clauses restrict covert epistemic modals. Stipulating such modals, however, lacks independent motivation and leads to wrong empirical predictions. In this paper I provide a theory of conditionals on whichif-clauses are uniformly interpreted as restrictors, but no covert modals are postulated. Epistemicif-clauses, like those in bare conditionals, restrict an information state parameter which is used to interpret an expressive layer of the language. I show that this theory yields an attractive account of bare and overtly modalized conditionals and solves various empirical problems for the standard view, while dispensing with its less plausible assumption.
Epistemologies of evidence-based medicine: a plea for corpus-based conceptual research in the medical humanities
Authors: Buts Jan , Baker Mona , Luz Saturnino , Engebretsen Eivind
Published: May 2021

Evidence-based medicine has been the subject of much controversy within and outside the field of medicine, with its detractors characterizing it as reductionist and authoritarian, and its proponents rejecting such characterization as a caricature of the actual practice. At the heart of this controversy is a complex linguistic and social process that cannot be illuminated by appealing to the semantics of the modifier evidence-based. The complexity lies in the nature of evidence as a basic concept that circulates in both expert and non-expert spheres of communication, supports different interpretations in different contexts, and is inherently open to contestation. We outline a new methodology that combines a social epistemological perspective with advanced methods of corpus linguistics and elements of conceptual history to investigate this and other basic concepts that underpin the practice and ethos of modern medicine. The potential of this methodology to offer new insights into controversies such as those surrounding EBM is demonstrated through a case study of the various meanings supported by evidence and based, as attested in a large electronic corpus of online material written by non-experts as well as a variety of experts in different fields, including medicine.
Value Sensitive Design to Achieve the UN SDGs with AI: A Case of Elderly Care Robots
Authors: Umbrello Steven , Capasso Marianna , Balistreri Maurizio , Pirni Alberto , Merenda Federica
Published: May 2021

Healthcare is becoming increasingly automated with the development and deployment of care robots. There are many benefits to care robots but they also pose many challenging ethical issues. This paper takes care robots for the elderly as the subject of analysis, building on previous literature in the domain of the ethics and design of care robots. Using the value sensitive design (VSD) approach to technology design, this paper extends its application to care robots by integrating the values of care, values that are specific to AI, and higher-scale values such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ethical issues specific to care robots for the elderly are discussed at length alongside examples of specific design requirements that work to ameliorate these ethical concerns.
A framework and immersive serious game for mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Lau Sum-Yuet Joyce , Agius Harry
Published: May 2021

Cognitive decline is common in the elderly. As a result, a range of cognitive rehabilitation games have been proposed to supplement or replace traditional rehabilitative training by offering benefits such as improved engagement. In this paper, we focus on mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an initial stage of cognitive decline that does not affect functioning in daily life, but which may progress towards more serious cognitive deteriorations, notably dementia. Unfortunately, while a variety of serious game frameworks and rehabilitative serious games have been proposed, there is a distinct lack of those which support the distinctive characteristics of MCI patients. Consequently, to optimise the advantages of serious games for MCI, we propose the MCI-GaTE (MCI-Game Therapy Experience) framework that may be used to develop serious games as effective cognitive and physical rehabilitation tools. The framework is derived from a combination of a survey of related research literature in the area, analysis of resident profiles from a nursing home, and in-depth interviews with occupational therapists (OTs) who work with MCI patients on a daily basis. The conceptual framework comprises four sectors that may be used to guide game design and development: an MCI player profile that represents the capabilities of a player with MCI, core gaming elements that support gameful and playful activities, therapeutic elements that support cognitive and physical rehabilitation through tasks and scenarios according to the player’s abilities, and motivational elements to enhance the player’s attitude towards the serious tasks. Together, they provide support for rehabilitation needs and may also serve as a set of comprehensive and established criteria by which an MCI serious game may be evaluated. To demonstrate the use of MCI-GaTE, we also present A-go!, an immersive gesture-based serious game that exploits the framework to enable MCI-diagnosed players to undertake therapeutic tasks supported by an assigned OT. Evaluation with OTs revealed that the immersive game potentially offers more effective support to MCI patients than traditional methods, contributing new possibilities for enhancing MCI rehabilitative training, while a comparative assessment of MCI-GaTE demonstrated that it provides a comprehensive approach not currently offered by state-of-the-art rehabilitative frameworks.
Voluntary disclosure when private information and disclosure costs are jointly determined
Authors: Kim Jung Min , Taylor Daniel J. , Verrecchia Robert E.
Published: May 2021

Classical models of voluntary disclosure feature two economic forces: the existence of an adverse selection problem (e.g., a manager possesses some private information) and the cost of ameliorating the problem (e.g., costs associated with disclosure). Traditionally these forces are modelled independently. In this paper, we use a simple model to motivate empirical predictions in a setting where these forces are jointly determined––where greater adverse selection entails greater costs of disclosure. We show that joint determination of these forces generates a pronounced non-linearity in the probability of voluntary disclosure. We find that this non-linearity is empirically descriptive of multiple measures of voluntary disclosure in two distinct empirical settings that are commonly thought to feature both private information and proprietary costs: capital investments and sales to major customers.
Gender bias in the allocation of student grants
Authors: Wijnen Marjolijn N. , Massen Jorg J. M. , Kret Mariska E.
Published: May 2021

Multiple studies have shown that women’s likelihood of receiving research funding is lower than that of their male colleagues. Thus far, all research on this gender gap in academia has focused on post-PhD academics, making it difficult to discern whether the female disadvantages in number of publications, previous grants, maternity leave, and h-indexes are at the root of the gender gap in received funding, or whether it is due to a more fundamental gender bias in academia. Therefore, we investigated whether female university students are already disadvantaged in receiving their first grant in their scientific career. We analysed data on applications (N = 2651) from 1995 to 2018 to the Leiden University International Study Fund (LISF), a fund dedicated to support students to study or conduct research abroad. We found that men and women applied equally often to the LISF. However, women had a lower success rate, which seemed to only get worse over recent years. Furthermore, male and female applications were assessed to be equal in quality when gender-related information was removed from them. The current study demonstrates that the factors that were assumed to contribute the most to the gender gap in more senior academics (e.g. previous grants, h-index) do not explain it fully: even when those factors do not yet play a role, such as in our student sample, women were found to have lower success rates than men. This underscores the importance of attacking gender biases at its roots.