bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perceived a community with shared future for doctor-patient and benefit finding: a moderated mediation model
Authors: Lu Renjie , Zhao Shenyu , Zhou Jing , Ou Weiyan , Wen Juan , Hu Lingmin
Published: May 2023

Background

Under the background that the concept of a community with shared future for mankind has been advocated, the doctor-patient relationship has rapidly sublimated into a community with shared future for doctor-patient. The purpose of this study was to analyze the changes and relationships of anxiety, perceived a community with shared future for doctor-patient (PCSF), health self-consciousness (HSC) and benefit finding (BF) in the outbreak stage of COVID-19 and in the stable stage of COVID-19.

Methods

The questionnaire consisted of a self-designed health self-consciousness scale, perceived a community with shared future for doctor-patient scale, revised 7-item generalized anxiety disorder scale and benefit finding scale. Questionnaires were administered in the outbreak stage of COVID-19 and in the stable stage of COVID-19 to address public anxiety, BF, and trust between medical staff and patients.

Results

Risk perception will increase anxiety in public, and the public who trust medical staff and the ability of the government to prevent and control the epidemic will have a higher PCSF. Compared with those in the outbreak stage of COVID-19, PCSF, HSC and BF all decreased in the stable stage of COVID-19. HSC partly plays a mediating role in the process of the influence of PCSF and BF (95% CI = [0.3785, 0.5007], [0.2357, 0.3695],P < .001). The R-value of the model in the outbreak stage of COVID-19 and in the stable stage of COVID-19 were 0.555 and 0.429, and the value of R2was 0.308 and 0.184 respectively (P < .001). In the stable stage of COVID-19, the coefficient of anxiety ✕ PCSF is negative. The B values of anxiety and PCSF are positive, and the moderating effect is negative (P = .038). Anxiety has a negative moderating effect between PCSF and HSC, indicating that anxiety will weaken the positive impact of PCSF on HSC. It means that there exists a substitution relationship between anxiety and PCSF.

Conclusions

The common goal of medical staff and patients is health, and health is the premise of the meaning of life. Vigorously advocating for PCSF can not only promote a harmonious doctor-patient relationship, but also establish a good HSC and improve the understanding of the meaning of life in the public. Furthermore, if the common concept of a community with a shared future for doctor-patient is integrated into the values of life, it may be more stable and long-term to maintain a good doctor-patient relationship. In addition, we should guard against the influence of high-level anxiety on the path of meaning perception.
Comparing the effectiveness and safety of Sorafenib plus TACE with Apatinib plus TACE for treating patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicentre propensity score matching study
Authors: Yin Liang , Liu Kai-Cai , Lv Wei-Fu , Lu Dong , Tan Yu-Lin , Wang Guo-Xiang , Dai Jia-Ying , Zhu Xian-Hai , Jiang Bo
Published: May 2023

Objective

Local combined systemic therapy has been an important method for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus Sorafenib versus TACE plus Apatinib for treating patients with unresectable HCC.

Methods

The clinical data of patients with unresectable HCC who were treated with TACE plus Sorafenib or TACE plus Apatinib at 5 Chinese medical centers between January 2016 and December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to reduce the bias from confounding factors.

Results

A total of 380 patients were enrolled, of whom 129 cases were treated with TACE plus Sorafenib and 251 cases with TACE plus Apatinib. After the 1:1 PSM, 116 pairs of patients were involved in this study. The results showed that the PFS and OS in the TACE-Sorafenib group were significantly longer than those in the TACE-Apatinib group (PFS: 16.79 ± 6.45 vs. 14.76 ± 6.98 months, P = 0.049; OS: 20.66 ± 6.98 vs. 17.69 ± 6.72 months, P = 0.013). However, the ORR in the TACE-Apatinib group was markedly higher than that in the TACE-Sorafenib group (70.69% vs. 56.03%, P = 0.021). There were more patients with adverse events (AEs) in the TACE-Apatinib group than those in the TACE-Sorafenib group before dose adjustment (87 vs. 63, P = 0.001); however, the number of patients who suffered from AEs was not significantly different between the two groups after the dose adjustment (62 vs. 55, P = 0.148). No treatment-related death was found in the two groups. Subgroup analysis revealed that patients with unresectable HCC could better benefit from regular doses than reduced doses (Sorafenib, 22.59 vs. 18.02, P < 0.001; Apatinib, 19.75 vs. 16.86, P = 0.005).

Conclusion

TACE plus either Sorafenib or Apatinib could effectively treat patients with unresectable HCC, the safety of TACE plus Sorafenib was better. and the ORR of TACE plus Apatinib was higher.
Validation of the ALBI-TAE model and comparison of seven scoring systems for predicting survival outcome in patients with intermediate‐stage hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing chemoembolization
Authors: Bannangkoon Kittipitch , Hongsakul Keerati , Tubtawee Teeravut
Published: May 2023

Background

The ALBI-TAE model was recently proposed as a scoring system to select suitable patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). However, this scoring system has not been externally validated. Therefore, we validated this score and compared it with six scoring systems in terms of prognostication.

Methods

We retrospectively enrolled 480 patients with intermediate-stage HCC who underwent TACE at a tertiary care center between January 2008 and December 2019. Seven scores, which included the ALBI-TAE model, Bolondi’s subclassification, HAP score, mHAP-II score, tumor burden score, six-and-twelve score, and seven-eleven criteria, were calculated and a head-to-head comparison was made in terms of prognostic power using Harrell’s C-index. Prognostic factors associated with survival were analyzed.

Results

ALBI-TAE group A had the longest median overall survival (OS) of 40.80 months, followed by ALBI-TAE groups B, C, and D of 20.14 months, 10.58 months, and 7.54 months, respectively, with significant differences (P < 0.001). Among the seven scores, the ALBI-TAE model had the best predictive performance (Harrell’s C-index 0.633) in differentiating OS in intermediate-stage HCC patients. Moreover, the ALBI-TAE model was identified as an independent prognostic factor for survival outcome in multivariate analysis.

Conclusion

Our study confirmed the value of the ALBI-TAE model with excellent prognostic discriminatory power in intermediate-stage HCC patients. The ALBI-TAE model is a simple and valuable predictive tool to identify patients with good prognosis who can get the most benefit from TACE.
Role in aromatic metabolites biodegradation and adverse implication of denitrifying microbiota in kitchen waste composting
Authors: Shi Mingzi , Song Caihong , Xie Lina , Zhang Guogang , Wei Zimin
Published: May 2023

Background

Understanding the functional diversity, composition, and dynamics of microbiome is critical for quality in composting. Denitrifying microbiota, possessing multiple metabolic pathways simultaneously. Denitrification-based biodegradation of aromatic metabolites has been widely applied in the bioremediation of sediments. However, role in biodegradation of denitrifying microbiota in kitchen waste composting remain unclear. In this study, microbiome and metabolome were used to comprehensively decipher the relationship of denitrifying microbiota and aromatic metabolites, and its implication in kitchen waste (KW) composting.

Results

This study was investigated by adjusting moisture content 60% as control test (CK), 70% as denitrification test (DE). In addition, one tests referred as DE + C, which received 10% of biochar to amend denitrification. Results indicated the quantities of denitrification genes narG were 1.22 × 108 copies/g in DE at the 55th day, which were significantly higher than that in CK and DE + C (P < 0.05). Similarly, the abundance of nirK gene also significantly increased in DE (P < 0.05). The relative abundance of denitrification-related microbes in DE was higher than that in CK, DE + C could weaken their abundance. Metabolomics results demonstrated that metabolites were downgraded in aromatic amino acid and catechin metabolic pathways in DE, which were identified as precursors to synthesis key product fulvic acid. The concentrations of fulvic acid dramatically decreased 21.05 mg/g in DE comparison with CK. Biochar addition alleviated the biodegradation of aromatic metabolites and reduced the utilization of fulvic acid. Integrative analyses of metabolomics and microbiome suggested that the microbiota involved in nitrite reduction pathway was vital for the biodegradation aromatic metabolites. Mantel test verified that NO3--N, moisture content, eta, environmental factors were important drivers behind the changes in the denitrifying microbiota biodegradation function.

Conclusion

The data confirm the biodegradation function of denitrifying microbiota led to the loss of core product fulvic acid in KW composting, which highlighted the adverse role and implication of denitrification for composting humification. Control of denitrification with biochar was recommended to improve composting quality.
What matters most? Assessment of within-canopy factors influencing the needle microbiome of the model conifer, Pinus radiata
Authors: Addison Sarah , Armstrong Charlotte , Wigley Kathryn , Hartley Robin , Wakelin Steven
Published: May 2023

The assembly and function of the phyllosphere microbiome is important to the overall fitness of plants and, thereby, the ecosystems they inhabit. Presently, model systems for tree phyllosphere microbiome studies are lacking, yet forests resilient to pests, diseases, and climate change are important to support a myriad of ecosystem services impacting from local to global levels. In this study, we extend the development of model microbiome systems for trees species, particularly coniferous gymnosperms, by undertaking a structured approach assessing the phyllosphere microbiome of Pinus radiata. Canopy sampling height was the single most important factor influencing both alpha- and beta-diversity of bacterial and fungal communities (p < 0.005). Bacterial and fungal phyllosphere microbiome richness was lowest in samples from the top of the canopy, subsequently increasing in the middle and then bottom canopy samples. These differences maybe driven by either by (1) exchange of microbiomes with the forest floor and soil with the lower foliage, (2) strong ecological filtering in the upper canopy via environmental exposure (e.g., UV), (3) canopy density, (4) or combinations of factors. Most taxa present in the top canopy were also present lower in tree; as such, sampling strategies focussing on lower canopy sampling should provide good overall phyllosphere microbiome coverage for the tree. The dominant phyllosphere bacteria were Alpha-proteobacteria (Rhizobiales and Sphingomonas) along with Acidobacteria Gp1. However, the P. radiata phyllosphere microbiome samples were fungal dominated. From the top canopy samples, Arthoniomycetes and Dothideomycetes were highly represented, with abundances of Arthoniomycetes then reducing in lower canopy samples whilst abundances of Ascomycota increased. The most abundant fungal taxa were Phaeococcomyces (14.4% of total reads) and Phaeotheca spp. (10.38%). A second-order effect of canopy sampling direction was evident in bacterial community composition (p = 0.01); these directional influences were not evident for fungal communities. However, sterilisation of needles did impact fungal community composition (p = 0.025), indicating potential for community differences in the endosphere versus leaf surface compartments. Needle age was only important in relation to bacterial communities, but was canopy height dependant (interaction p = 0.008). By building an understanding of the primary and secondary factors related to intra-canopy phyllosphere microbiome variation, we provide a sampling framework to either explicitly minimise or capture variation in needle collection to enable ongoing ecological studies targeted at inter-canopy or other experimental levels.
Progesterone initiates tendril formation in the oviducal gland during egg encapsulation in cloudy catshark (Scyliorhinus torazame)
Authors: Shimoyama Koya , Kawano Mai , Ogawa Nobuhiro , Tokunaga Kotaro , Takagi Wataru , Kobayashi Makito , Hyodo Susumu
Published: May 2023

The diverse reproductive strategies of elasmobranchs (sharks, rays, and skates) have attracted research attention, but the endocrine control of reproduction is still incompletely known in elasmobranchs. By long-term monitoring of the egg-laying cycle in cloudy catsharks (Scyliorhinus torazame), we recently demonstrated a transient increase in plasma progesterone (P4) levels just prior to the appearance of the capsulated eggs in the oviducts. In the present study, we examined the in vivo effects of P4 administration in mature female cloudy catsharks. Although no capsulated eggs were observed following the implantation of P4-containing silicone tubing, we did find dark swollen oviducts in the abdominal cavity, in which clumps of long and coiled tendrils were observed. The tendril is an extension of the egg capsule, and the formation of the egg capsule begins with the tendril before main capsule formation. During the period of P4 implantation, the tendrils elongated, and their diameters were significantly increased on day 2 of treatment. Tendril formation was also confirmed on the day of endogenous P4 surge. Tendrils were not formed in catsharks implanted with estradiol-17β or testosterone. Histological analysis of the oviducal gland revealed that P4 implantation induced the secretion of tendril materials from the secretory tubules in the baffle zone, while the tendril materials were stored in the cytoplasm of the secretory cells under low P4 condition. Morphometrically, the area of secreted luminal materials in the secretory tubules was highly correlated to the diameter of tendrils. Our results suggest that the P4 surge during the egg-laying cycle serves as a trigger for egg capsule formation in the oviducal gland of cloudy catshark, but the hormonal signals were incomplete as the main capsule was not formed. Further studies are required to identify the hormones required for ovulation and formation of the main egg capsule.
Building capacity for citizen science in health promotion: a collaborative knowledge mobilisation approach
Authors: Rowbotham Samantha , Walker Pippy , Marks Leah , Irving Michelle , Smith Ben J. , Laird Yvonne
Published: May 2023

Policymakers and practitioners in health promotion (e.g. those working for local, state or federal government organisations or community and non-government organisations with a focus on health and wellbeing) are increasingly interested in citizen science as a means of involving the public in research and decision making. The potential benefits of citizen science approaches in health promotion include increased research capacity, incorporation of community perspectives on problems and solutions, and improved public awareness and acceptance of actions to improve health. However, health promotion practitioners and policymakers report having limited familiarity and experience with citizen science and a desire to build their capacity in these approaches. The Citizen Science in Prevention (CSP) project aims to build capacity for citizen science in health promotion by: 1) supporting the development and implementation of citizen science projects by policymakers and practitioners, 2) establishing a network of health promotion stakeholders with familiarity and interest in citizen science approaches, and 3) co-designing resources to support the use of citizen science in policy and practice contexts. A comprehensive mixed methods evaluation will establish the reach, satisfaction, and impacts that can be attributed to the capacity building intervention. This paper describes the first known initiative to build capacity in the application of citizen science approaches in health promotion and we hope that this work will assist others in the development and implementation of capacity building activities for citizen science in health promotion and beyond.
Effect of nutritional promotion intervention on dietary adherence among type II diabetes patients in North Shoa Zone Amhara Region: quasi-experimental study
Authors: Eshete Akine , Lambebo Abera , Mohammed Sadat , Shewasinad Sisay , Assefa Yibeltal
Published: May 2023

Background

Diabetes is a major global public health problem that requires self-management behavior. However, this is difficult to implement in practice and requires new approaches. The purpose of this study was to evaluate nutritional promotion interventions for dietary adherence and lessons learned to improve self-management.

Methods

A quasi-experimental study was conducted from January 2020 to February 2021 in North Shoa Zone public hospital. The study enrolled 216 type II diabetic patients from four public hospitals. Study participants were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups at an individual level. Data were measured twice (baseline and end line survey after six months using interviewer-administered questionnaires). Data were entered into Epi Data V.3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Data were presented as means of standard deviations for continuous variables and percentages for categorical variables. Intervention and control groups were compared before and after intervention using independent t tests. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant for all statistical tests.

Results

A total of 216 type II diabetics participated in this study. Nutritional promotion intervention programs increased adherence to the mean number of days adhering to a healthy diet (p < 0.0001). Specifically, the nutrition promotion program improved daily intake of fruits and vegetables, low glycemic index foods, high fiber foods, healthy fish oils, low sugar foods, and healthy eating plans (p ≤ 0.050). Mean fasting blood glucose levels were significantly decreased after the educational intervention (p ≤ 0.05).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that a nutrition-promoting intervention can significantly change patients' adherence to healthy eating behaviors and effectively improve their glycemic control. Health care providers should integrate programs that promote nutrition education into existing health systems service. Primary care platforms such as health posts and health centers can play a key role in integrating health promotion programs to improve self-management behaviors.
A case report on therapeutic anticoagulation in the management of a COVID-19 patient on antiplatelets post-CABG — how much is enough?
Authors: Chilkoti Geetanjali Tolia , Thakkar Kushal , Bhandari Pallav , Mohta Medha , Agarwal Deepti
Published: May 2023

Background

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) predisposes patients to both arterial and venous thrombosis due to excessive inflammation, platelet activation, endothelial dysfunction, and stasis. Therefore, therapeutic anticoagulant therapy has been an integral part for management in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 disease. We shall here discuss the concerns of starting anticoagulants in patients with COVID-19 disease who are already on antiplatelets, an unexplored area.

Case presentation

We herein report a case of 61-year-old patient with hypertension and diabetes mellitus type 2 with COVID-19 disease. Patient also had coronary artery disease and underwent CABG 4 years ago and was on aspirin 75-mg HS, clopidogrel 75-mg OD, and tab atorvastatin 40-mg HS. Patient was hemodynamically stable and was maintaining a saturation of 66% on room air and a saturation of 96% on 02 by high FiO2 partial rebreathing face mask. On auscultation, crepitations were present in bilateral lower lung fields. The patient was admitted under moderate category of COVID-19 SARS in the intensive care unit (ICU). Despite of standard care and treatment, in next 2 days, the oxygenation deteriorated Pa02/Fi02 < 200, and intermittent noninvasive ventilation had to be started, and patient’s clinical condition fell into the severe disease category, wherein there was a need to start IV methylprednisolone and to start the therapeutic dose of anticoagulant, i.e., enoxaparin. The D-dimer was greater than 1000 ng/mL therapeutic dose of enoxaparin, i.e., 2 U/kg in two divided doses was started. Patient’s condition improved. In the present case, we fraught with the increased risk of bleeding or mortality subsequent to increasing the dose of anticoagulant as the patient was already on antiplatelets.

Conclusions

We emphasize that one must evaluate the risk and benefit of bleeding vs improved oxygenation prior to considering the therapeutic dose of LMW heparin in patients who are already on antiplatelets. A track on d-dimer and fibrinogen levels for dose titration may be useful step in this set of patients. We reiterate upon the formulation of dogmatic guidelines in this context is warranted.
Assessment of artificial intelligence-aided chest computed tomography in diagnosis of chronic obstructive airway disease: an observational study
Authors: Saad Maha M. , Bayoumy Ahmed A. , EL-Nisr Magdy M. , Zaki Noha M. , Khalil Tarek H. , ELSerafi Ahmed F.
Published: May 2023

Background

The Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) staging approach is frequently used to classify the severity of COPD by using spirometry. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence applications enable the automatic identification of COPD severity by chest computer tomography (CT). The goal of this study is to define the role of artificial intelligence in determining the severity of COPD.

Methods

 We used a non-contrast CT chest and a computer-aided detection system (Coreline Soft's AVIEW), which was conducted as a descriptive cross sectional study and involved 80 cases. For the diagnosis of parenchymal disease using density mask methods such as inspiratory low attenuation area-950% (%LAA-950 HUINS) and D-value (cluster-size analysis), the spirometry-based Tiffeneau index (TI; calculated as the ratio of forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) to forced vital capacity was used to assess the severity of COPD.

Results

 Based on the results of the spirometry, the patients were divided into four groups: mild (n = 23), moderate (n = 39), severe (n = 17), and very severe (n = 1). Insp. LAA-950 (%) in GOLD group 3 was substantially greater than in GOLD groups 2 and 1. Additionally, when compared to groups 2 and 1, the D-value in the GOLD 3 group was significantly higher.

Conclusions

Inspiratory LAA-950% and D-value were found to be significantly related to COPD severity as measured by dyspnea scale and spirometry. Inspiratory LAA-950% was effectively capable of distinguishing between patients with severe and moderate COPD.
Bibliometric analysis of “sarcopenia” in Web of Science
Authors: Koca Tuba Tülay
Published: May 2023

Background

Sarcopenia is defined as age-related muscle wasting defined by the combination of appendicular muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance measures. Here, we made a bibliometric analysis of the publications published in the Web of Science (WoS) between 2018 and 2023 in terms of “sarcopenia.” In total, 12,461 articles were analyzed. The authors, publication year, title, publishing country/journal/institution, keywords, Web of Science categories, publishers, indexes, citation topics, and reports were reviewed for each article. All digital researches were done on January 03, 2023.

Results

Among 12,461 articles, according to documents types, 8855 were research articles, 1793 were reviews, 1028 were meeting abstracts, 3963 were early accesses, 364 were letters, and others (proceeding paper, correction, book chapter, etc.). A total of 7446 was open accesses.

According to the number of papers and according to publication year, 3537 were in 2021 (highest), 3349 were in 2022, 3024 were in 2020, 2532 were in 2019, and 19 were in 2023. According to the top 5 Web of Science categories list, 2792 were in Geriatrics Gerontology, 1857 were in Nutrition Dietetics, 1575 were in Medicine General Internal, 983 were in Oncology, and 914 were in Endocrinology and Metabolism. Additionally, 243 papers were in Sport Sciences, 201 were in Rehabilitation, 196 were in Rheumatology, and 187 were in Clinical Neurology.

Top citation topics were Nutrition and Dietetics (6225), Musculoskeletal Disorders (803), Bone Disease (251), Urology & Nephrology-General (236), and Hepatitis (163) (respectively). The number of citing articles, between 2019 and 2023 years, was 39,534 (with self-citations) and 39,088 (without self-citations); times cited was 94,584 (with self-citations) and 69,585 (without self-citations).

Conclusion

Our study highlights the characteristics of researches in sarcopenia and provides an objective insight into the importance of sarcopenia in elderly and patients with chronic rheumatic diseases.
State of the Art: Multidisciplinary Management of Oligometastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Dason Shawn , Lacuna Kristine , Hannan Raquibul , Singer Eric A. , Runcie Karie
Published: May 2023

Oligometastatic renal cell carcinoma (OM-RCC) refers to patients who have limited (typically up to 5) metastatic lesions. Although management principles may overlap, OM-RCC is distinguishable from oligoprogressive RCC, which describes progression of disease to a limited number of sites while receiving systemic therapy. Cytoreductive nephrectomy and metastasectomy are common surgical considerations in OM-RCC, and indications are discussed in this review. It is evident that stereotactic ablative radiotherapy is effective in RCC and is being applied increasingly in the oligometastatic setting. Finally, we will review advances in systemic therapy and the role of active surveillance before the initiation of systemic therapy.
Fear of Saying No (FOSNO): Setting Boundaries With Our Patients and Ourselves
Authors: Chatwal Monica S. , Kamal Arif H. , Marron Jonathan M.
Published: May 2023

Cancer is an inherently complex and intense medical condition that often requires prolonged treatment and surveillance over years. Treatments can lead to frequent side effects and anxiety, requiring constant communication and follow-up with patients. Oncologists have the unique privilege of developing close relationships with their patients that evolve through the course of their disease. The advent of newer technology and the changing landscape of medicine have drastically altered how oncologists now manage patient needs. These changes have allowed for much quicker and closer communication but are not without personal and professional challenges. Some may wonder how accessible they can and should be to their patients—essentially, the boundaries they may place to protect their own identities and well-being. An oncologist might wonder how much of their personal contact information they should provide to patients and how often they should be available for questions and discussions when away from the clinic without impairing their relationship. Here, we define and explore the role of boundaries in medicine, and review common ethical dilemmas that oncologists face daily when trying to balance patient care and lives outside of medicine. Although we recognize there is no clear single solution, we will propose possible approaches to setting boundaries and potential pitfalls.
Improving robustness of spatial networks via reinforced nodes
Authors: Vaturi Nir , Gross Bnaya , Havlin Shlomo
Published: May 2023

Many real-world networks are embedded in space, and their resilience in the presence of reinforced nodes has not been studied. In this paper, we use a spatial network model with an exponential distribution of link length r and a characteristic length ζ to model such networks. We find that reinforced nodes can significantly increase the resilience of the networks, which varies with the strength of spatial embedding. We also study different reinforced node distribution strategies for improving the network's resilience. Interestingly, we find that the best strategy is highly dependent on the expected magnitude of failures which we analyze using percolation theory. Finally, we show that the reinforced nodes are analogous to an external field in the percolation phase transition and that their critical exponents satisfy Widom's relation.
The path integral formula for the stochastic evolutionary game dynamics
Authors: Li Minlan , An Kun , Liu Chang , Tao Yi , Wang Chao , Wang Rui-Wu
Published: May 2023

Although the long-term behavior of stochastic evolutionary game dynamics in finite populations has been fully investigated, its evolutionary characteristics in a limited period of time is still unclear. In order to answer this question, we introduce the formulation of the path integral approach for evolutionary game theory. In this framework, the transition probability is the sum of all the evolutionary paths. The path integral formula of the transition probability is expected to be a new mathematical tool to explore the stochastic game evolutionary dynamics. As an example, we derive the transition probability for stochastic evolutionary game dynamics by the path integral in a limited period of time with the updating rule of the Wright-Fisher process.
How Is Perception Tractable?
Authors: Brooke-Wilson Tyler
Published: May 2023

Perception solves computationally demanding problems at lightning fast speed. It recovers sophisticated representations of the world from degraded inputs, often in a matter of milliseconds. Any theory of perception must be able to explain how this is possible; in other words, it must be able to explain perception’s computational tractability. One of the few attempts to move toward such an explanation is the information encapsulation hypothesis, which posits that perception can be fast because it keeps computational costs low by forgoing access to information stored in cognition. I argue that we have no compelling reason to believe that encapsulation explains (or even contributes to an explanation of) perceptual tractability, and much reason to doubt it. This is because there exist much deeper computational challenges for perception than information access, and these threaten to make the costs of access irrelevant. If this is right, it undermines a core computational motivation for encapsulation and sends us back to the drawing board for explanations of perceptual tractability.
Sheltering in Place
Authors: Burrus Virginia
Published: May 2023

This essay explores the relationship of solitude to place in Jerome’s fourth-century Life of Saint Hilarion. It does so through the medium of Burrus’s own experience of solitude and place. In 2020, having planned to visit Hilarion’s mountaintop hermitage in Cyprus, she found herself instead weathering the pandemic at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Thus she came to know Hilarion’s Cyprus by developing a relationship with the northern Berkshires; she came to know Hilarion’s solitude by experiencing her own. The essay reperforms this interspatial dynamic, reading Jerome through the mediation of four objects of art that Burrus encountered on the Clark campus in 2020–21. Three are contemporary sculptures—Kelly Akashi’s A Device to See the World Twice (2020), Thomas Schütte’s Crystal (2015), and Giuseppe Penone’s Le foglie delle radici (The Leaves of Roots) (2011)—and one is a seventeenth-century map. Burrus suggests that solitude allows us to know place (and ourselves as part of it) more deeply and intimately, offers a vantage point for seeing further and more clearly, undoes our sense of distinctiveness as humans, and transforms the intervals and flows of our movements in space.
Synguler
Authors: Staples James C.
Published: May 2023

Margery Kempe establishes the authority of her body and pleasures on the grounds of her “singularity,” leading her to defend a stance on universal salvation from an expansive conception of Heaven that is surprising in its acceptance of sexual gratifications. Drawn in part from Richard Rolle’s self-authorizing singularity that unites the term’s meanings of both solitude and exceptionality, Kempe’s term is fitted to the circumstances of her own social, worldly life. She presents her achieved solitude not as a turning away from the world, but instead as the world’s rejecting her, and specifically her eccentricities. Her life story proposes that the more singular she is, the more people will resist her; and the more that people resist her, the more surely her singular life is confirmed as God-inspired. Her singularity thus brings about the will of God, and her singular life affirms her material body as a glorified body in a realization of Heaven on earth. From her embrace of singularity, Kempe discovers a revaluation of bodily pleasure and a reimagining of community that results in her insistence on a Kingdom of Heaven open to everyone, a community based on the celebration of singularities—however queer—rather than on conformity.
Popular Politics and Epidemics in Eastern Arabia
Authors: Goffman Laura Frances
Published: May 2023

As communities tried to make sense of COVID-19, media outlets around the world reached for illustrative examples of past pandemics. In Qatif, a city on Saudi Arabia's Persian Gulf coast, memories of a 1970 quarantine surfaced in local media as the pandemic unfolded. This article investigates why COVID-19 prompted public remembering of a state-imposed cholera quarantine in Qatif in 1970 by reconstructing three formative assemblages of disease and popular politics. First, a 1953 speech by leftist activist Nasir al-Saʿid in the wake of massive strikes demonstrates how activists rhetorically connected the labor movement in Eastern Province with popular demands for health care. Second, the shift from neglect of localized epidemics to the state's expanding reach into quotidian life from the 1940s through the 1960s shows how even as public health developed as a tool of governance, local people interpreted medical services as manifestations of privilege and inequality. The final section explores how expanding state authority over Eastern Province and the state's embrace of coercive epidemic management converged on the regime's 1970 cholera quarantine in Qatif. In the twenty-first-century COVID-19 response, public memory of the 1970 quarantine has provided a space for people to articulate competing narratives. Linking together these constellations of health and politics renders visible patterns of repression and protest in a public sphere that typically silences histories of dissent.
PEG10 viral aspartic protease domain is essential for the maintenance of fetal capillary structure in the mouse placenta
Authors: Shiura Hirosuke , Ono Ryuichi , Tachibana Saori , Kohda Takashi , Kaneko-Ishino Tomoko , Ishino Fumitoshi
Published: May 2023

The therian-specific gene paternally expressed 10 (Peg10) plays an essential role in placenta formation: Peg10 knockout mice exhibit early embryonic lethality as a result of severe placental defects. The PEG10 protein exhibits homology with long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposon GAG and POL proteins; therefore, we generated mice harboring a mutation in the highly conserved viral aspartic protease motif in the POL-like region of PEG10 because this motif is essential for the life cycle of LTR retrotransposons/retroviruses. Intriguingly, frequent perinatal lethality, not early embryonic lethality, was observed with fetal and placental growth retardation starting mid-gestation. In the mutant placentas, severe defects were observed in the fetal vasculature, where PEG10 is expressed in the three trophoblast cell layers that surround fetal capillary endothelial cells. Thus, Peg10 has essential roles, not only in early placenta formation, but also in placental vasculature maintenance from mid- to late-gestation. This implies that along the feto-maternal placenta interface an interaction occurs between two retrovirus-derived genes, Peg10 and retrotransposon Gag like 1 (Rtl1, also called Peg11), that is essential for the maintenance of fetal capillary endothelial cells.
TFEB – at the crossroads of host–pathogen interactions
Authors: Keerti  , Pant Aarti , Manjithaya Ravi
Published: May 2023

The existence of constantly evolving dynamic interactions between the host and the pathogen determines their fate in this continuous arms race. Hence, identifying the molecular basis of processes that reinforce host defensive strategies to eliminate intracellular pathogens is of utmost significance. Pathogenic intrusion activates autophagy and phagocytic pathways that culminate in the lysosome, a vital organelle responsible for pathogen clearance. The transcription factor TFEB plays a pivotal role in autophagy-lysosomal function. Although TFEB is an emerging transcription factor in the field of immune signaling pathways, its role in infectious diseases remains contentious. Recent evidence suggests that infection with certain bacterial and viral pathogens causes TFEB, which is normally located in the cytoplasm, to translocate to the nucleus. There, it activates the transcription of genes that trigger the autophagy-lysosomal and inflammatory pathways to target intracellular pathogens. It is known that some pathogens modulate TFEB to establish themselves inside the host; in some cases, pathogens restrict TFEB to the cytoplasm, whereas in others, functional TFEB fuels pathogen survival and replication. However, the key regulators and molecular mechanisms that decide the outcome of TFEB function during intracellular infection are not clear. In this Review, we attempt to dissect the complex functions of TFEB in host–pathogen interactions and explore the suitability of TFEB as a therapeutic target of clinical relevance.
Effects of colchicine on the golgi complex and gerl of cultured rat peritoneal macrophages and epiphyseal chondrocytes
Authors: Thyberg Johan , Piasek Andrzej , Moskalewski Stanislaw
Published: May 2023

Thioglycollate-elicited rat peritoneal macrophages and epiphyseal chondrocytes were cultured in vitro, treated with colchicine, and then studied by electron-microscopic and cytochemical techniques. Colchicine, but not lumicolchicine, caused disappearance of cytoplasmic microtubules and breakup of the Golgi complex with spreading of its dictyosomes from a well defined juxtanuclear area throughout the cytoplasm. There was also an altered distribution of lysosomes, which oriented themselves close to the dictyosomes both in control and colchicine-treated cells. Further, the structure of the individual dictyosomes was changed, especially in the chondrocytes. GERL equivalents were observed in control cells but were difficult to detect after exposure to colchicine. Reaction product for thiamine pyrophosphatase was found in narrow cisternae on the inner side of the dictyosomes in control cells but in vacuole-like structures in colchicine-treated cells. Reaction product for acid phosphatase was present in GERL equivalents and lysosomes in control cells but mainly in lysosomes in colchicine-treated cells. Nevertheless, the total specific activities of these enzymes as well as of 5′-nucleotidase, a plasma membrane marker, remained unaffected by the drug treatment.

These observations show that cytoplasmic microtubules play an important and, in many respects similar, cytoskeletal role in two so functionally diverse cell types as macrophages and chondrocytes. They are particularly important for the structural integrity of the Golgi complex, which in both cells is normally organized in the area around the centrioles, from which numerous microtubules radiate into the cytoplasm. The observations further suggest that GERL is an integrated part of the Golgi complex in these cells.
Switchable Stiffness of Composite Hydrogels Triggered by Thermoresponsive Phase-Change Particles
Authors: Roopsung Nontarin , An Thuy Le Huynh , Sugawara Akihide , Asoh Taka-Aki , Hsu Yu-I , Uyama Hiroshi
Published: May 2023

Thermoresponsive hydrogel with switchable mechanical properties was developed by incorporating poly(stearyl methacrylate) (PSMA) as a responsive domain into bacterial cellulose (BC) as a supporting hydrogel. The PSMA particles in BC exhibited a reinforcing effect below their melting temperature (Tm) and a reduced effect above Tm, leading to significant responsive behavior.
Technical Change and Superstar Effects: Evidence from the Rollout of Television
Authors: Koenig Felix
Published: May 2023

Technical change that extends market scale can generate winner-take-all dynamics, with large income growth among top earners. I test this “superstar model” in the entertainer labor market, where the historic rollout of television creates a natural experiment in scale-related technological change. The resulting inequality changes are consistent with superstar theory: the launch of a local TV station skews the entertainer wage distribution sharply to the right, with the biggest impact at the very top of the distribution, while negatively impacting workers below the star level. The findings provide evidence of superstar effects and distinguish such effects from popular alternative models. (JEL D31, J31, J44, L82, L88, O33)
The Agglomeration of Urban Amenities: Evidence from Milan Restaurants
Authors: Leonardi Marco , Moretti Enrico
Published: May 2023

We estimate agglomeration externalities in Milan’s restaurant sector using the abolition of a unique regulation that restricted where restaurants could locate. In 2005, Milan abolished a minimum distance requirement that had kept the number of establishments artificially constant across neighborhoods. We find that after 2005, the geographical concentration of restaurants increased sharply and at an accelerating rate. Consistent with the existence of strong and self-sustaining agglomeration externalities, restaurants agglomerated in some neighborhoods and deserted others, leading to a growing divergence in local amenities across neighborhoods. Restaurants located in neighborhoods that experienced large increases in agglomeration reacted by increasing product differentiation. (JEL D62, L83, L88, R32, R52)
Status Quo Property Protection in Politico-Legal Systems
Authors: Lagunoff Roger
Published: May 2023

This paper models status quo (SQ) protection of property rights. A politico-legal system determines eligibility of citizen groups for protection. A ruling authority can reallocate property if and only if reallocation is preferable to the status quo for one such group. Along the solution path, SQ protections distort allocations across different assets and different property owners. Asset distortions vanish in the limit as the path converges to a stationary assignment. Ownership distortions vanish in the limit if no individuals belong to every eligible group. If the authority is self-interested, systemic protection of vulnerable groups may be welfare improving. (JEL D72, H13, K11, P14)
National and Global Impacts of Genetically Modified Crops
Authors: Hansen Casper Worm , Wingender Asger Mose
Published: May 2023

We estimate the impact of genetically modified (GM) crops on countrywide yields, harvested area, and trade using a triple-differences rollout design that exploits variation in the availability of GM seeds across crops, countries, and time. We find positive impacts on yields, especially in poor countries. Our estimates imply that without GM crops, the world would have needed 3.4 percent additional cropland to keep global agricultural output at its 2019 level. We also find that bans on GM cultivation have limited the global gain from GM adoption to one-third of its potential. Poor countries would benefit most from lifting such bans. (JEL O13, Q15, Q16, Q17, Q18)
Personalized Services for Smart Grids in the framework of Society 5.0: A Smart University Campus Case Study
Authors: Mourtzis Dimitris , Angelopoulos John , Panopoulos Nikos
Published: May 2023

The evolution of the power grid towards a Smart Grid is a crucial aspect of the transformation of society towards the so-called Society 5.0, where human-centered technology is the key to address social challenges. This paper proposes a personalized service approach for Smart Grids within the Society 5.0 framework, which aims to provide a personalized energy management service to consumers through advanced sensing technologies, intelligent algorithms, and social and contextual data. Furthermore, the paper highlights the potential of personalized services in the Smart Grid context and their relevance in the Society 5.0 framework and proposes an Architecture for the design and deployment of personalized energy management services in other Smart Grid contexts. In this approach end-users play an active role in the design and deployment of personalized energy management services. The proposed methodology is tested and evaluated in a Smart University Campus case study. The results indicate energy management improvement and energy consumption reduction.
Automated detection of over- and under-dispersion in baseline tables in randomised controlled trials
Authors: Barnett Adrian
Published: May 2023

Background: Papers describing the results of a randomised trial should include a baseline table that compares the characteristics of randomised groups. Researchers who fraudulently generate trials often unwittingly create baseline tables that are implausibly similar (under-dispersed) or have large differences between groups (over-dispersed). I aimed to create an automated algorithm to screen for under- and over-dispersion in the baseline tables of randomised trials.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional study I examined 2,245 randomised controlled trials published in health and medical journals on PubMed Central. I estimated the probability that a trial's baseline summary statistics were under- or over-dispersed using a Bayesian model that examined the distribution of t-statistics for the between-group differences, and compared this with an expected distribution without dispersion. I used a simulation study to test the ability of the model to find under- or over-dispersion and compared its performance with an existing test of dispersion based on a uniform test of p-values. My model combined categorical and continuous summary statistics, whereas the uniform test used only continuous statistics.

Results: The algorithm had a relatively good accuracy for extracting the data from baseline tables, matching well on the size of the tables and sample size. Using t-statistics in the Bayesian model out-performed the uniform test of p-values, which had many false positives for skewed, categorical and rounded data that were not under- or over-dispersed. For trials published on PubMed Central, some tables appeared under- or over-dispersed because they had an atypical presentation or had reporting errors. Some trials flagged as under-dispersed had groups with strikingly similar summary statistics.

Conclusions: Automated screening for fraud of all submitted trials is challenging due to the widely varying presentation of baseline tables. The Bayesian model could be useful in targeted checks of suspected trials or authors.