bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Artificial Intelligence in Hospitality and Tourism: Insights From Industry Practices, Research Literature, and Expert Opinions
Authors: Kim Hyunsu , So Kevin Kam Fung , Shin Seunghun , Li Jing
Published: February 2024

Given that artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly transforming businesses, it is crucial to examine how AI will change the future of the hospitality and tourism industry. By integrating multiple data sources (i.e., practitioner literature, research literature, and expert opinions), we suggest three trends constituting opportunities and challenges (AI applications in different business sectors, primary AI functions, emerging AI topics), three possible themes of change (adoption and acceptance, operations management, AI in marketing), as well as four directions for future research (AI interaction, AI and organizational decision making, organizational implications, and managerial issues). Our findings present a detailed picture of AI development and applications along with predictions regarding its place in the industry. Finally, we outline a research agenda that addresses key issues for stakeholders in hospitality and tourism: individuals, including customers and employees; organizations and businesses; and public policymakers and governments.
Interorganisational collaboration to improve accessibility of diagnostic evaluations for children with a developmental disability
Authors: Eva Cloet , Anna Jansen , Mark Leys
Published: February 2024

Introduction:

A timely integrated diagnostic and care trajectory for children with a developmental disability may prevent severe problems in later life. In Flanders, Belgium, different types of governmental regulated and subsidised settings offer diagnostic evaluations, as (part of) their mission. However, they operate in a non-coordinated way inducing severe accessibility problems for the public. This article studies the factors impacting on interorganisational collaboration and proposes an interorganisational conceptual model improving accessibility.

Methods:

Focus groups were performed per type of organisation. Qualitative data were categorised thematically in an iterative process of data- and researcher triangulation. A member check validation was organised.

Results:

Fifty-nine individuals participated in 6 focus groups. Structural and agency-related barriers for interorganisational collaboration were identified at micro, meso and macro level. Participants provided suggestions for better interorganisational collaboration.

Discussion:

To improve accessibility adapted to patients’ needs, a patient-centred, integrated and interorganisational network model grounded in a stepped care logic is proposed to adapt the current organisation-centred model.

Conclusion:

A timely, integrated, diagnostic and care trajectory for children with a developmental disability preventing severe problems in later life requires an integration of services during the overall care trajectory of children by means of interorganisational collaboration.
‘They all of a sudden became new people’: Using reproductive justice to explore narratives of hormonal contraceptive experience in Sweden
Authors: Zettermark Sofia
Published: February 2024

This study explores how Swedish women narrate experiences of hormonal contraceptives through utilizing the frameworks of biomedicalization and reproductive justice, adding a social justice perspective previously lacking. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with women who had experience of using hormonal contraception. Political narrative analysis illuminated how these women moved narratively both chronologically, from the teenage years to adulthood, and through social positioning, in their contraceptive stories. Two different, often conflicting, discourses of hormonal contraceptives emerged, which the women constantly negotiated. These can be described as (1) a biomedical interpretative prerogative, promoting hormonal methods as an easy fit for everyone, and negating the diverse lived experiences of women, and (2) a simplified critical media and online discourse, painting hormonal methods as an enemy to female health. From a reproductive justice standpoint, these stories illuminate that age is a relevant intersectional location, and even privileged women in a country known for its ‘gender equality agenda’ can experience subtle yet very real, reproductive coercion, when agency becomes constrained to choosing hormonal contraceptives within a dominant biomedical script. Even though critique of the mechanistic prescription of hormonal contraception is rather ubiquitous, the opposition in these narratives does not take the form of rejection of biomedical knowledge, rather the biomedical paradigm is internalized and incorporated into the embodied knowledge. This study shows that upstream factors such as gendered social injustices, reproductive norms, and a biomedical expansion are intricately interwoven with embodied experience of hormonal contraceptive use. It is important to acknowledge that distinct lived experiences of mood or personality change in women using hormonal contraceptives are contextual and dependent on intersectional location. I propose no simple panacea, but when a state-sanctioned biomedical prerogative puts all emphasis on individual reproductive planning behaviour, it obscures structural inequalities and narrows imaginable life trajectories.
Feminist solidarity and hopeful imaginings in the MeToo movement in Iceland
Authors: Rúdólfsdóttir Annadís Greta , Pétursdóttir Gyða Margrét
Published: February 2024

In this article, we build on feminist scholarship to narrate how the MeToo movement in Iceland was formed through collective reflexivity and resistance, ultimately connecting different groups of women in affective solidarity. In our exploration of how the movement unfolded, we draw on anonymous MeToo testimonies and media discussions. We argue that the feminist lexicon, particularly the notion of ‘returning the shame’, was instrumental in hailing different groups to the movement. We trace how the concepts used restructured the women’s affective relations to their experiences and thus enabled the ‘feminist snap’ that reverberated across and connected different groups. Speaking positions on different social locations revealed the intersectional nature of sexual violations and were necessary for seeing connections between and among different groups and going beyond politics centred on middle-class pain. We conclude that painting a bigger feminist picture of sexual violence is always an incomplete and ongoing process but is necessary for allowing us to hope for a better future for everyone.
‘Building back better’? Adaptive social protection and futures of protracted crisis
Authors: Berten John
Published: February 2024

During the Covid crisis, while countries set up an unprecedented social protection response, international organisations quickly turned towards envisioning how to ‘build back better’ using social protection. Building on a qualitative document analysis, the article finds that international organisations frequently imagine the future through anticipations of protracted and multidimensional crises – often in quantified form. Arguing that futures are an ideational influence on policymaking, the article reconstructs two ways in which these crisis anticipations inform international organisations’ social protection policy proposals: first, as legitimising narratives for expanding social protection; second, in the form of policy proposals that embed crisis anticipation in their design, as in the case of ‘adaptive social protection’. The article shows that adaptive social protection departs from traditional social protection policy: it promotes strengthening individual, household and systemic resilience, and implementing preparedness as a governing rationale, thus moving from a focus on compensation and provision towards prevention.
Max Weber, demagogy and charismatic representation
Authors: Márquez Xavier
Published: February 2024

Political thought has long identified demagogic leadership as one of the key pathologies of democracy. Unusually among political thinkers, Max Weber not only accepts the inevitability of demagogy in democratic politics but also appropriates the figure of the demagogue for democratic thought, praising certain kinds of ‘responsible’ demagogic leadership. This paper examines the role of demagogues in democracy through the lens of Weber's political thought. It critically reconstructs Weber's view of demagogy in terms of the kind of representation charismatic leaders can offer. Demagogues articulate images of ‘the people’ that express a group's deep values and identities. However, Weber worried that demagogues often act irresponsibly, exacerbating dangerous divisions, given their ability to overcome legal and normative constraints. For Weber, democracy requires institutions that encourage an ‘ethic of responsibility’ in leaders while also holding them accountable. Weber's partial defence of demagogy provides useful perspectives on representation and on the institutional prerequisites for responsible leadership that neither deliberative nor minimalist models of democracy sufficiently appreciate.
Re-articulating the form of the political: Contemporary education governance in the European Union. Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Sorensen Tore Bernt , Eeva Katri
Published: February 2024

This article serves as an introduction to a Special Issue focusing on the nature, trajectories, and boundaries of contemporary European Union (EU) education governance. The Special Issue comprises four papers, which draw on original empirical research and employ different theoretical outlooks and methodologies. This introductory article situates these papers in the current scholarship on EU governance and Europeanisation. Arguing that the papers together demonstrate the significant advance of Europeanisation in the governing of European education systems since the late 1990s, we discuss the epistemic gains, complementarities and emphases of the four papers. Finally, we identify pertinent issues for further research.
Carbon emissions statistical analysis for container shipping in the Black Sea
Authors: Georgiev Petar , Garbatov Yordan
Published: February 2024

This work analyses the operational characteristics, including the fuel consumption and carbon emissions of self-reported data of container vessels performing regular short sea voyages in the Black Sea. The data are extracted from the EMSA THETIS-MRV database covering the period of 2018–2021. The main particulars of container ships that visited six Black Sea ports were collected from the Marine Traffic platform and Equasis database. Several conclusions about the status of carbon emissions from container shipping in the Black Sea are presented, which may support the short shipping companies in developing measures to incentivise decarbonisation in the region. It has been identified that the correlation between ship deadweight and total fuel consumption and CO2 emissions is weaker than the correlation between distance travelled and transport work. The decrease in CO2 emissions in 2021 can be attributed to reduced ship activity and emission-reduction measures. The ratios of CO2-related indicators to ship deadweight are more diminutive, showing a lack of correlation. An approach based on the confidence ellipses is employed in performing an innovative analysis of the CO2 emissions over the years for container ships operating in the Black Sea. This is important due to the new requests for using EEXI and CII.
Latinx parent engagement and school readiness
Authors: Barajas-Gonzalez Rita Gabriela , Ursache Alexandra , Kamboukos Dimitra , Huang Keng-Yen , Linares Torres Heliana , Cheng Sabrina , Olson Devon , Brotman Laurie Miller , Dawson-McClure Spring
Published: February 2024

Efforts to bolster the school readiness of Latinx children from low-income homes in the United States have focused on fostering parent engagement in children’s education. Measurement of parent engagement in early childhood however, has been critiqued for having too narrow a focus on school-based involvement and missing other aspects of Latinx parent engagement. Using a recently developed culturally sensitive assessment of Latinx parent engagement, we test for associations between dimensions of Latinx parent engagement in learning and indicators of school readiness in a diverse sample of Latinx families ( n = 114). We find significant associations between multiple dimensions of Latinx parent engagement and indicators of child school readiness. In addition to promoting parent-teacher connections, efforts to support Latinx school readiness equitably are encouraged to attend to various culturally relevant aspects of Latinx parent engagement in early childhood. In particular, investing in programing that supports parents’ well-being and capacity for home-based engagement in learning may be a promising way to support the school readiness of Latinx children living in historically disinvested neighborhoods.
‘This wretched state’: Robert Burns’s illness and the daybook of Charles Fleeming
Authors: Hansen Moira
Published: February 2024

While now known globally as Scotland’s national poet, in November 1781 the daybook of surgeon Charles Fleeming simply records him as ‘Robert Burns, Lint Dresser’. Discovered in the 1950s, the daybook documents Fleeming’s treatment of Burns during a period of illness which would have a profound impact on the poet’s life and creative output. The book’s discovery added to the theories about the nature of Burns’s illness, often at odds with Burns’s own later descriptions. This paper presents a fresh examination of Burns’s treatment, challenging those theories by considering Fleeming’s prescriptions in the context of key medical authorities of the time. In considering Burns’s entry in the daybook in its entirety, the wider value of Fleeming’s daybook as a private record of medical practice at the time is highlighted, pointing to the potential value of this and other such volumes as underappreciated archival research material.
Pushing Back On “Black Don’t Crack”
Authors: Smith-Tran Alicia
Published: February 2024

On a culture that lauds a youthful appearance, the author reveals how racism, sexism, and ageism combine in ways that uniquely harm Black women as they seek professional respect in White spaces.
How LGBTQ+ People are Creating Change in Their Faith Communities
Authors: Avishai Orit , Coley Jonathan S. , Golriz Golshan , Moon Dawne
Published: February 2024

For LGBTQ+ people, religion can be a source of oppression as well as a source of healing and inspiration. Within three socially conservative religious traditions, the authors uncover LGBTQ+ adherents’ efforts to make their faiths more inclusive.
Navigating Psychedelic Policy
Authors: Viña Sean M.
Published: February 2024

Sean M. Viña on the potential of therapeutic psychedelics.
Abrasion performance and failure mechanism of fiber yarns based on molecular segmental differences
Authors: Li Hongxia , He Guifang , Zhao Zhengjie , Liu Qingyang , Wang Junben , Yin Yanzheng , Cui Yuli , Ning Xin , Ning Fanggang
Published: February 2024

With the development of lightweight engineering, load-bearing structures such as synthetic fiber ropes are being increasingly used in engineering projects. During the process of repeated stretching or bending, abrasion occurs between the yarns of fiber assemblies like ropes. Fatigue failure caused by abrasion between yarns is one of the main reasons for the failure of such fiber assemblies. Different chain segments of fiber assemblies exhibit different properties. This study takes the four fibers of flexible chain fibers Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), Polyethylene glycol terephthalate (PET) and rigid chain fibers Poly-p-phenylene terephthamide (PPTA) and Polyarylate (PAR), which are widely used in ropes and cables, as the research materials, and explores the influence of abrasion frequency and yarn tension on different chain segment fibers. To explore the failure and influencing factors of rigid chain and flexible chain fibers abrasion leads to fiber assemblies like those ropes. Based on the observation and analysis of the abrasion zone temperature, yarn state, and wear debris morphology of failed yarns, an abrasion failure mechanism is proposed, providing guidance for the design and application of fatigue-resistant products for ropes.
Theoretical analysis of vibration characteristics of high-speed cylindrical roller bearing with groove elastic supports
Authors: Sun Xue , Jiang Yanhong , Liu Shiliang , Xu Jun , Zhang Wenhu
Published: February 2024

As a necessary support system of high-speed rotor system, the roller bearing with elastic support’s vibration characteristics directly affect the stability and safety of rotor system. At this point, the theoretical analysis of bearing performance under the assumption of rigid ring is obviously no longer applicable. In this paper, considering the elastic deformation of both cylindrical roller bearing outer ring and the groove elastic support, the dynamic differential equations of cylindrical roller bearing with the elastic support are established on the basis of rolling bearing dynamics, and the bearing’s vibration under different working conditions is analyzed. The theoretical analysis results show that the groove elastic support can effectively reduce the radial vibration of cylindrical roller bearing under high speed and large radial load. And the experimental results show that the test’s vibration is consistent with the simulation’s vibration, which proves the reliability of the dynamic model of cylindrical roller bearing with the groove elastic support proposed in this paper. This research gives a new method for improving the dynamic characteristics of high-speed cylindrical roller bearings, and the model presented in this paper provides a theoretical basis for the design and manufacture of cylindrical roller bearing with elastic support.
Dabigatran etexilate versus warfarin in cerebral venous thrombosis in Chinese patients (CHOICE-CVT): An open-label, randomized controlled trial
Authors: Ma Hongrui , Gu Yaqin , Bian Tingting , Song Haiqing , Liu Zhi , Ji Xunming , Duan Jiangang
Published: February 2024

Background:

The efficacy and safety of dabigatran etexilate for Chinese patients with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) has not been well established.

Methods:

CHOICE-CVT was an exploratory, single-center, randomized, open-label study in the National Center for Neurological Disorders involving Chinese patients with CVT aged 18 to 80 years who were randomly assigned (1:1) to either dabigatran etexilate or warfarin. Oral anticoagulants were initiated after 10–15 days of LMWH. The primary efficacy and safety endpoints included the number of patients with recurrent CVT and/or deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and major clinical bleeding within 180 days. Secondary efficacy endpoints included venous recanalization and change in papilledema at day 180. Secondary safety outcomes comprised death, clinical nonmajor bleeding, and any bleeding. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under NCT03930940.

Results:

Between October 2017 and February 2023, a total of 89 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive either dabigatran etexilate (n = 44) or warfarin (n = 45). At day 180, the dabigatran etexilate group showed a statistically nonsignificant but likely clinically significant number of patients with recurrent CVT and/or DVT (8 (18.2%; 95% CI, 6.3–30.0) vs 3 (6.7%; 95% CI, 0.0–14.2), p = 0.099, with a power (1-β) of 38.401%) compared with the warfarin group. The dabigatran etexilate group showed a comparable number of patients with clinical major bleeding (0 (0) vs 0 (0) p = 1.000), and clinical nonmajor bleeding (1 (2.3%; 95% CI, 0.0–6.9) vs 1 (2.2%; 95% CI, 0.0–6.7)) but demonstrated a lower risk of any bleeding (1 (2.3%; 95% CI, 0.0–6.9) vs 9 (20.0%; 95% CI, 7.8–32.2)) compared with the warfarin group. Most patients in both groups achieved venous recanalization according to the Modified Qureshi scale (27 (75%; 95% CI, 60.1–89.9) in the dabigatran etexilate group vs 34 (82.9%; 95% CI, 70.9–95.0) in the warfarin group) and exhibited improvement in papilledema as per the Frisén classification (35 (97.2%; 95% CI, 91.6–100.0) in the dabigatran etexilate group vs 37 (88.1%, 95% CI, 77.9–98.3) in the warfarin group).

Conclusions:

These findings regarding efficacy and safety support the consideration of dabigatran etexilate therapy as a viable treatment option for Chinese patients with CVT.
Coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war on Brazilian TV news: The case of Jornal Nacional
Authors: Guazina Liziane S , Paulino Fernando O , Vasques Fernanda , Araújo Bruno
Published: February 2024

This article presents the main findings of a content analysis of the coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war in the Brazilian TV news program, Jornal Nacional, undertaken as part of an international study of coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war on television news in nine countries. Jornal Nacional was selected as the first news program to be broadcast nationwide in Brazil, which is still the country's market leader for private TV. The content analysis included a 10-day sample of 66 news items from the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on 24 February 2022 and the following seven weeks, classified according to thematic categories. The results showed a coverage characterized by a panoramic view of the conflict and the presence of a diversity of angles and points of view. Most of the news focused on the civilian situation, sanctions applied to Russia by the United States and the European Union, and daily news about the battlefield.
Primetime narratives on Russia–Ukraine conflict on India's Republic TV
Authors: Kumar Anilesh , Thussu Daya K
Published: February 2024

This study analysed the media narratives in the coverage of the Russia–Ukraine conflict through the primetime monologues on India's most watched English-language news channel – Republic TV. A computer-assisted textual analysis and a thematic discourse analysis were conducted on the media narratives. Major themes emerging from the narratives revealed that the conflict was represented as an opportunity to serve the strategic interests of the United States and China, while the role of countries such as India in resolving the international crisis was highlighted in terms of a challenge to the US-led world order. Results demonstrate that during ‘third party’ conflicts, media narratives are influenced both by domestic political interests and established foreign policy traditions.
The South African broadcasting corporation's coverage of the Russia–Ukraine war
Authors: Ndlovu Musawenkosi
Published: February 2024

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 caused ideological confusion in South Africa, which holds Russia in high esteem as a Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) partner and a major player in Africa's political economy since 2000s. Against this background, this article examines the coverage of the Russia–Ukraine war on selected days from the start of the war to April 2022 on the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). Through content analysis, the study concludes that war-related topics that received the most coverage were security, peace, United Nations, and civilians. War-related topics that received least coverage on SABC News were sanctions, battlefield, EU policies, nuclear, U.S. policies, justification, and disinformation. The article argues that SABC News coverage was largely objective.
When is directed deceased donation justified? Practical, ethical, and legal issues
Authors: Shaw David , Gardiner Dale , Ploeg Rutger , Floden Anne , Cooper Jessie , Pérez-Blanco Alicia , Wind Tineke , Dijkhuizen Lydia , Jansen Nichon , Haase-Kromwijk Bernadette
Published: February 2024

This paper explores whether directed deceased organ donation should be permitted, and if so under which conditions. While organ donation and allocation systems must be fair and transparent, might it be “one thought too many” to prevent directed donation within families? We proceed by providing a description of the medical and legal context, followed by identification of the main ethical issues involved in directed donation, and then explore these through a series of hypothetical cases similar to those encountered in practice. Ultimately, we set certain conditions under which directed deceased donation may be ethically acceptable. We restrict our discussion to the allocation of organs to recipients already on the waiting list.
The utility of markerless motion capture for performance analysis in racket sports
Authors: Tan Julian Quah Jian , Chow Jia Yi , Komar John
Published: February 2024

Recent technological advancements have allowed movements to be tracked ecologically via markerless motion capture (mocap). However, occlusions remain a major concern pertaining to markerless mocap. Within racket sports where the number of players involved are low and occlusions are minimal, there exists a unique opportunity to delve into and provide an overview on the utilisation of markerless mocap technology. Twenty studies were included after a systematic search. Several methods were applied to obtain 2D positional data. Most studies adopted some form of background subtraction or thresholding method ( n = 12), the remaining relied on pose estimation algorithms (PEA; n = 3), Hawk-Eye ( n = 2) and object recognition ( n = 1). Conversely, only the visual hull method was found to obtain 3D joint kinematics ( n = 2). Markerless mocap are conventionally used to extract joint kinematics, however, study results revealed that the predominant use of markerless mocap was to capture the movement of a player’s location on court, this finding was unexpected. Low sampling frequencies of input videos and unsuitability of model detection used in the included studies could have limited the ability for markerless mocap to accurately track movements in racket sports. While current evidence suggests that the use of PEA in racket sports to extract 3D kinematics is limited, perhaps a slightly different approach gearing towards performance analysis, specifically stroke classification with the amalgamation of player location data and joint kinematics may be worth exploring further.
Economic impact of inflammatory bowel disease in Catalonia: a population-based analysis
Authors: Brunet-Mas Eduard , Garcia-Sagué Belen , Vela Emli , Melcarne Luigi , Llovet Laura Patricia , Pontes Caridad , García-Iglesias Pilar , Puy Anna , Lario Sergio , Ramirez-Lazaro Maria Jose , Villoria Albert , Burisch Johan , Kaplan Gilaad G. , Calvet Xavier
Published: February 2024

Background:

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has a major economic impact on healthcare costs.

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the current healthcare expenditure associated with IBD in a population-wide study in Catalonia.

Design:

Retrospective observational study.

Methods:

All patients with IBD included in the Catalan Health Surveillance System (CHSS) were considered eligible. The CHSS compiles data on more than 7 million individuals in 2020 (34,823 with IBD). Data on the use of healthcare resources and its economic impact were extracted applying the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, Clinical Modification codes (ICD-10-CM codes). Health expenditure, comorbidities, and hospitalization were calculated according to the standard costs of each service provided by the Department of Health of the Catalan government. The data on the IBD population were compared with non-IBD population adjusted for age, sex, and income level. IBD costs were recorded separately for Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).

Results:

Prevalence of comorbidities was higher in patients with IBD than in those without. The risk of hospitalization was twice as high in the IBD population. The overall healthcare expenditure on IBD patients amounted to 164M€. The pharmacy cost represents the 60%. The average annual per capita expenditure on IBD patients was more than 3.4-fold higher (IBD 4200€, non-IBD 1200€). Average costs of UC were 3400€ and 5700€ for CD.

Conclusion:

The risk of comorbidities was twice as high in patients with IBD and their use of healthcare resources was also higher than that of their non-IBD counterparts. Per capita healthcare expenditure was approximately 3.4 times higher in the population with IBD.

Trial registration:

The study was not previously registered.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors or anti-claudin 18.2 antibodies? A network meta-analysis for the optimized first-line therapy of HER2-negative gastric cancer
Authors: Zhang Zhening , Xie Tong , Wang Yingxuan , Shen Lin , Zhang Xiaotian , Peng Zhi
Published: February 2024

Background:

Multiple anti-programmed cell death-1/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors and zolbetuximab, an anti-claudin 18.2 antibody, have shown efficacy in the first-line treatment of HER2-negative gastric cancers. How to choose the best regimen remains an unsolved question.

Objectives:

We aimed to conduct a comparative analysis of the therapeutic advantages between immunotherapy and anti-claudin-18.2-targeted therapies in the first-line treatment of HER2-negative, unresectable, or metastatic gastric cancers.

Design:

Network meta-analysis was employed to systematically compare efficacy and safety data derived from various clinical trials.

Data sources and methods:

We included phase III randomized controlled trials in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and major conference abstracts. Network meta-analysis was used to compare the efficacy of each first-line therapeutic agent and to indirectly compare immunotherapy with anti-claudin-18.2-targeted therapy.

Results:

Eight trials comprising a total of 6455 patients were included. For the overall survival (OS) analysis, no statistically significant differences were observed between pembrolizumab [hazard ratios (HR) = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.94–1.07], sintilimab (HR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.89–1.09), sugemalimab (HR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.87–1.10), tislelizumab (HR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.87–1.09), zolbetuximab (HR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.91–1.07), and nivolumab (HR = 1.00). For the progression-free survival (PFS) analysis, no statistically significant differences were observed between pembrolizumab (HR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.93–1.06), sintilimab (HR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.83–1.00), sugemalimab (HR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.84–1.02), tislelizumab (HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.84–1.03), zolbetuximab (HR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.88–1.05), and nivolumab (HR = 1.00). For the overall response rate analysis, all regimens presented similar effects on ORR. In addition, anti-claudin-18.2-targeted therapies presented similar OS (HR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.95–1.04) and PFS (HR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.91–1.12) compared to immunotherapy, although their toxicity profiles were distinct.

Conclusions:

Our network meta-analysis showed no significant difference in PFS, OS, or ORR between different checkpoint inhibitors or between immunotherapy and anti-claudin-18.2-targeted therapies in the first-line treatment of HER2-negative, unresectable, or metastatic gastric cancers.
The development and external validation of a web-based nomogram for predicting overall survival with Ewing sarcoma in children
Authors: Chen Yi , Liu Zirui , Wang Yaobin , Zhan Hongwei , Liu Jinmin , Niu Yongkang , Yang Ao , Teng Fei , Li Jinfeng , Geng Bin , Xia Yayi
Published: February 2024

Background:

Ewing sarcoma remains the second most prevalent primary aggressive bone tumor in teens and young adults. The aim of our study was to develop and validate a web-based nomogram to predict the overall survival for Ewing sarcoma in children.

Methods:

A total of 698 patients, with 640 cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (the training set) and 58 cases (the external validation set), were included in this study. Cox analyses were carried out to determine the independent prognostic indicators, which were further included to establish a web-based nomogram. The predictive abilities were tested through the concordance index, calibration curve, decision curve analysis, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.

Results:

As suggested by univariate and multivariate Cox analyses, age, primary site, tumor size, metastasis stage (M stage), and chemotherapy were included as the independent predictive variables. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values, calibration curves, concordance index, and decision curve analysis from training and validation groups suggested the model has great clinical applications.

Conclusion:

We developed a convenient and precise web-based nomogram to evaluate overall survival for Ewing sarcoma in children. The application of this nomogram would assist physicians and patients in making decisions.
When idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease meets COVID-19: a multicenter retrospective study from China
Authors: Liu Yi , Yin Xuejiao , Xu Dan , Lv Yunfei , Zhu Li , Yang Min , Yao Qiumei , Jin Jie , Huang Li , Meng Haitao , You Liangshun
Published: February 2024

Idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) is a rare and cytokine storm-driven inflammatory disorder. The exact cause of iMCD is still unknown, although several hypotheses have been proposed. However, regardless of the underlying cause, the ultimate result is the activation of the inflammatory pathway, which can lead to damage in multiple organs. Currently, there have been several reports highlighting the intricate link between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and iMCD. To better understand the impact of COVID-19-induced immune storm on iMCD, we conducted a multicenter retrospective study in three hospitals in China. A total of 28 patients with iMCD were included, among whom 25 had confirmed COVID-19 infection, and we presented 4 cases that showed different disease progression after the infection of COVID-19, including 2 who did not receive any treatment for Castleman disease before. Our findings underscore the necessity of carefully monitoring iMCD patients with COVID-19 and promptly intervening to address any changes in their condition. Besides, this study also summarized the shared cytokines between COVID-19 and iMCD. Recent studies have shown promising results in treating severe COVID-19 and iMCD using tocilizumab, an interleukin-6 receptor antagonist. Therefore, it suggests that other potential cytokine storm therapy targets that have been effective in COVID-19 may also be explored for the treatment of iMCD.
Explosive field trial for repetitive testing of VBIEDs to probabilistically measure blast and fragmentation hazards
Authors: Stewart Mark G , Netherton Michael D , Qin Hao , Li Jun
Published: February 2024

This paper describes results from an explosive field trial of the detonation of Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs). The purpose of the trials is to replicate tests with identical car type and explosive mass to help probabilistically characterise the uncertainty and variability of blast pressures and fragment hazards. These variabilities may be considerable, and it is important to recognise that the world is not deterministic. The paper describes the spatial variability (directionality) of incident pressure, impulse and time of positive phase duration, and compares these to results from a bare charge, and the hemispherical surface burst Kingery and Bulmash polynomials often used for predicting blast loads from IEDs, such as ConWep. This also allows directional airblast factors to be quantified. The spatial distribution of over 26,000 fragments on the ground is also presented over the 250 m × 300 m test arena. The fragment densities and velocities obtained from the witness panels are also described, and preliminary fatality risks were estimated. These data may help develop or validate airblast and fragment hazard numerical or other models. Ultimately, probabilistic approaches will provide decision support for the determination of safety distance and risk reduction measures to prevent fatality and injury from blast pressure and fragmentation hazards.
Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived planar neural organoids assembled on synthetic hydrogels
Authors: Majumder Joydeb , Torr Elizabeth E , Aisenbrey Elizabeth A , Lebakken Connie S , Favreau Peter F , Richards William D , Yin Yanhong , Chang Qiang , Murphy William L
Published: February 2024

The tailorable properties of synthetic polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogels make them an attractive substrate for human organoid assembly. Here, we formed human neural organoids from iPSC-derived progenitor cells in two distinct formats: (i) cells seeded on a Matrigel surface; and (ii) cells seeded on a synthetic PEG hydrogel surface. Tissue assembly on synthetic PEG hydrogels resulted in three dimensional (3D) planar neural organoids with greater neuronal diversity, greater expression of neurovascular and neuroinflammatory genes, and reduced variability when compared with tissues assembled upon Matrigel. Further, our 3D human tissue assembly approach occurred in an open cell culture format and created a tissue that was sufficiently translucent to allow for continuous imaging. Planar neural organoids formed on PEG hydrogels also showed higher expression of neural, vascular, and neuroinflammatory genes when compared to traditional brain organoids grown in Matrigel suspensions. Further, planar neural organoids contained functional microglia that responded to pro-inflammatory stimuli, and were responsive to anti-inflammatory drugs. These results demonstrate that the PEG hydrogel neural organoids can be used as a physiologically relevant in vitro model of neuro-inflammation.
Regulation of the immune microenvironment by pioglitazone-loaded polylactic glycolic acid nanosphere composite scaffolds to promote vascularization and bone regeneration
Authors: Fan Shijie , Tan Yadong , Yuan Xiuchen , Liu Chun , Wu Xiaoyu , Dai Ting , Ni Su , Wang Jiafeng , Weng Yiping , Zhao Hongbin
Published: February 2024

Osteogenesis is caused by multiple factors, and the inflammatory response, osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), regeneration of blood vessels, and other factors must be considered in bone tissue engineering. To effectively repair bone defect, it is important to decrease excessive inflammation, enhance the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts, and stimulate angiogenesis. Herein, nano-attapulgite (ATP), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and gelatin (GEL) scaffolds were produced using 3D printing technology and pioglitazone (PIO)-containing polylactic acid–glycolic acid (PLGA) nanospheres were added. In both in vitro and in vivo studies, material scaffolds with PIO-loaded polylactic acid–glycolic acid nanospheres could reduce the inflammatory response by encouraging macrophage polarization from M1 to M2 and promoting the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs by activating the BMP2/Smad/RUNX2 signal pathway to repair bone defects. The vascularization of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) through the PI3K/AKT/HIF1-/VEGF pathway was also encouraged. In vivo research using PIO-containing PLGA nanospheres revealed massive collagen deposition in skin models. These findings indicate a potentially effective scaffold for bone healing, when PLGA nanospheres—which contain the drug PIO—are combined with ATP/PVA/GEL scaffolds.
Transitioning Lab Courses to Online Platforms by Higher Education Institutions during COVID-19: Strategies, Learning Outcomes, Perceptions, and Challenges
Authors: Anoop Gayatri , Kolangarakath Arvind , Madathil Kapil Chalil , Shakour Katie , Short Rebecca , Ransom Tim
Published: February 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to shift their in-person lab courses to remote delivery, which presented several challenges for instructors and students. This article analyzed 33 peer-reviewed research articles to identify the various approaches taken by universities to migrate lab courses to remote platforms, as well as the difficulties encountered during the transition. The review revealed that technology and internet issues, workload constraints, academic integrity, and the overall educational experience were among the challenges faced. The authenticity and completeness of online labs were inferior to in-person labs, resulting in mixed opinions on the effectiveness of online labs. Students found labs that incorporated video recordings and simulations on a synchronous platform to be the most engaging. However, home labs provided limited hands-on experience, depending on the circumstances. Further research is required to investigate the cognitive, physical, and temporal demands posed by these technologies to develop a more compelling online lab experience.
Equipoise of Emotions: The Case of Emperor Nasiruddin Muhammad Humayun
Authors: Kamal Yusuf Rana
Published: February 2024

Since time immemorial, healers like Charak, Hippocrates, Nagarjuna, Kasyapa Matanga and Avicenna and so on have emphasised the importance of mental wellbeing. It is not coincidental that just as the choices of men impact their mind and body, so does the state of the mind and body influence their choices. This article attempts to analyse the style chosen by Mughal Emperor Humayun. It studies the balance of the mystic and the materialistic in those choices. Facts have been employed to detect a ‘shift’ in the balance and to analyse the eventual equilibrium that kept the core values of humanism intact in this emperor.
Dearer Caste and Cheaper Lives: The SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Double Violence of Law in India
Authors: Wani Javed Iqbal , Lal L. David
Published: February 2024

The Constitution of India prescribes provisions to safeguard the lives of the Scheduled Castes. Special Acts are designed to address the existing challenges related to discriminatory practices and brutal violence against them by the dominant communities. However, the protective legislations have seldom acted to restrain the increasing display of cruelty against the historically marginalised. Mundane normalised violence compels us to question the authority of caste and the functioning of the legal system in India. The persistence of caste-based violence highlights the inability of state and bureaucracy to create order in society. It is, therefore, necessary to understand the nature of the social dynamic, causes of violence against Dalits, and the working of administrative and judicial machinery. This article presents a detailed analysis of a caste violence that occurred in 2006 in the Bura Bartara village in Uttar Pradesh. It examines the usage of violence by the dominant Lodhi caste to maintain and reproduce the caste-based social order. Simultaneously, it attempts to theorise caste atrocity as a form of violence.
Case fatality and functional outcome after spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage: A systematic review and meta-analysis of time trends and regional variations in population-based studies
Authors: Ziebart Andreas , Dremel Judith , Hetjens Svetlana , Nieuwkamp Dennis J , Linn Francisca HH , Etminan Nima , Rinkel Gabriel JE
Published: February 2024

Introduction:

A previous systematic review of population-based studies from 1973 to 2002 found a decrease in case fatality for spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage, but could not find a sufficient number of studies to assess changes in functional outcome. Since then, treatment has advanced distinctly. We assessed whether case fatality has decreased further and whether functional outcome has improved.

Patients and methods:

We searched PubMed and Web of Science for new population-based studies using the same criteria as in our previous systematic review. We assessed changes in case fatality and functional outcome over time using linear regression.

Results:

We included 24 new studies with 827 patients and analysed 9542 patients described in 62 study periods between 1973 and 2017. Case fatality decreased by 0.3% (95% CI: −0.7 to 0.1) per year. In a sensitivity analysis excluding studies that did not provide 1-month outcome and outliers, the age and sex-adjusted decrease was 0.1% per year (95% CI: −0.9 to 0.6). The mean case fatality rate decreased from 47% (95% CI: 31–63) in the 1970s to 35% (95% CI: 30–39) in the 1990s, and remained stable in the 2000s (34%; 95% CI: 27–41) and 2010s (38%; 95% CI: 15–60). In 15 studies, the mean proportion of patients living independently increased by 0.2% per year (95%CI: −0.7 to 1.1) and the mean was 45% (95% CI: 39–50) in six studies that reported outcome after 12 months.

Discussion and conclusion:

From 1973 to 2017, the case-fatality rate of spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage declined overall by 13.5%, but remained stable over the last two decades. The data on time trends in functional outcome were inconclusive.
Eye Pain During Hemodialysis in Severe Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy With Neovascular Glaucoma
Authors: Ahmad Tessnim R. , Padmanabhan Sriranjani , Jung Jesse J.
Published: February 2024

Purpose: To report a case of severe eye pain developing during dialysis. Methods: A case report was performed. Results: A 41-year-old man with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and end-stage nephropathy developed severe pain in the left eye during hemodialysis. A decline in vision in both eyes was reported over the preceding year, with blindness in the left eye for 6 months. The best-corrected visual acuity was 20/150 OD and light perception OS. The intraocular pressure was 14 mm Hg and 59 mm Hg, respectively. An examination found disc neovascularization with a “volcanic eruption” of vitreous hemorrhage from the optic nerve in the right eye and significant corneal edema and iris neovascularization with no posterior view in the left eye. The patient required urgent cyclophotocoagulation for neovascular glaucoma (NVG) in the left eye, bilateral antivascular endothelial growth factor injections, and panretinal photocoagulation in the right eye for proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Conclusions: Worsening eye pain during hemodialysis in a patient with NVG indicates severely limited outflow capacity and requires immediate intervention.
CDK4/6 inhibitors in lung cancer: current practice and future directions
Authors: Lv Shuoshuo , Yang Jie , Lin Jiayuh , Huang Xiaoying , Zhao Haiyang , Zhao Chengguang , Yang Lehe
Published: February 2024

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and ∼85% of lung cancers are classified as nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These malignancies can proliferate indefinitely, in part due to dysregulation of the cell cycle and the resulting abnormal cell growth. The specific activation of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) is closely linked to tumour proliferation. Approximately 80% of human tumours exhibit abnormalities in the cyclin D-CDK4/6-INK4-RB pathway. Specifically, CDK4/6 inhibitors either as monotherapy or combination therapy have been investigated in pre-clinical and clinical studies for the treatment of NSCLC, and promising results have been achieved. This review article focuses on research regarding the use of CDK4/6 inhibitors in NSCLC, including the characteristics and mechanisms of action of approved drugs and progress of pre-clinical and clinical research.