bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Between Stigmatization and Acceptance: Diabetic Patients as Civil Servants in West Germany, 1950–1970
Authors: Prüll Livia
Published: February 2022

Patient history has enriched medical history since about the 1980s. But there are still research gaps in certain periods and themes, especially in topics related to the medical history of West Germany. This paper deals with the efforts of patients, lay persons, and medical advisors (diabetologists) to enable diabetics to secure employment as civil servants (Verbeamtung). Attention will be payed to the fact that this success relied on the activities of mediators, who translated and conveyed the patients’ interests to society at large. This victory was concordant with similar initiatives in other fields of the diabetic life, including sexuality and lifestyle management. Therefore, efforts to achieve civil servant employment for diabetic patients were constitutive of a broader initiative that changed the image of the disease and promoted the integration of diabetic patients into West German society.
Bacterial diversity in different outdoor pilot plant photobioreactor types during production of the microalga Nannochloropsis sp. CCAP211/78
Authors: Lian Jie , Steinert Georg , de Vree Jeroen , Meijer Sven , Heryanto Christa , Bosma Rouke , Wijffels René H. , Barbosa Maria J. , Smidt Hauke , Sipkema Detmer
Published: February 2022

As large-scale outdoor production cannot be done in complete containment, cultures are (more) open for bacteria, which may affect the productivity and stability of the algae production process. We investigated the bacterial diversity in two indoor reactors and four pilot-scale outdoor reactors for the production of Nannochloropsis sp. CCAP211/78 spanning four months of operation from July to October. Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons demonstrated that a wide variety of bacteria were present in all reactor types, with predominance of Bacteroidetes and Alphaproteobacteria. Bacterial communities were significantly different between all reactor types (except between the horizontal tubular reactor and the vertical tubular reactor) and also between runs in each reactor. Bacteria common to the majority of samples included one member of the Saprospiraceae family and one of the NS11-12_marine group (both Bacteroidetes). Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed two phases during the cultivation period separated by a major shift in bacterial community composition in the horizontal tubular reactor, the vertical tubular reactor and the raceway pond with a strong decrease of the Saprospiraceae and NS11-12_marine group that initially dominated the bacterial communities. Furthermore, we observed a less consistent pattern of bacterial taxa appearing in different reactors and runs, most of which belonging to the classes Deltaproteobacteria and Flavobacteriia. In addition, canonical correspondence analysis showed that the bacterial community composition was significantly correlated with the nitrate concentration. This study contributes to our understanding of bacterial diversity and composition in different types of outdoor reactors exposed to a range of dynamic biotic and abiotic factors.

Key points• Reactor types had significantly different bacterial communities except HT and VT• The inoculum source and physiochemical factors together affect bacterial community• The bacterial family Saprospiraceae is positively correlated to microalgal growth
Ideal Male Umbilicus: An Observational Study of Surface Anatomy and Introduction to the SHAPE Classification
Authors: Graham Karissa A. , Livingston Ryan J.
Published: February 2022

Background

The umbilicus is crucial to the aesthetic appearance of the abdomen. With abdominoplasty and umbilicoplasty, placement of the umbilicus is essential and often left at the surgeon’s discretion. This study aims to investigate the ideal male umbilical shape and location by examining photographs of top male models in 2019.

Methods

In this observational study, we examined 81 photographs of top male models to assess different ratios based on anatomical landmarks and umbilical appearance.

Results

The ratio of the distance from the xiphoid to the center of umbilicus (XU) and corresponding distance from center of umbilicus to abdominal crease (UC) had the most reliability (ratio XU/UC, with average measurement: 1.68 ± 0.38), which placed the male navel at a similar position but marginally below the average female umbilicus. Our findings revealed that an oval horizontal is the ideal umbilical shape in males, which differs from what is most aesthetically pleasing in females (oval vertical). In addition, we introduced the SHAPE (Shape, Hood, Adiposity, Protrusion & Position, External piercing) classification for navel appearance to better define the umbilicus and its direct management.

Conclusions

This study establishes that the ideal male umbilicus differs from that of females; it should be placed at the XU/UC ratio of 1.68 ± 0.38 and aim for a horizontal shape with hooding (SHAPE: H II). The SHAPE classification facilitates a logical stepwise approach for the surgeon to refashion the umbilicus.

Level of Evidence IV

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.
Esophageal Achalasia: Evaluation and Treatment of Recurrent Symptoms
Authors: Patti Marco G. , Schlottmann Francisco , Herbella Fernando A. M.
Published: February 2022

Background

Esophageal achalasia is a primary esophageal motility disorder of unknown origin. Treatment is palliative and its goal is to decrease the resistance posed by a non‐relaxing and often hypertensive lower esophageal sphincter. This goal can be accomplished by different treatment modalities such as pneumatic dilatation, laparoscopic myotomy or peroral endoscopic myotomy. In some patients, however, symptoms tend to recur overtime.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed focused on the management of recurrent achalasia.

Results

The available treatment modalities can be used, alone or in combination. The goal of treatment is to resolve/improve symptoms, avoiding an esophagectomy, an operation linked to significant morbidity.

Conclusions

The treatment of these patients is often very challenging, and the best results are obtained in centers where a multidisciplinary team—radiologists, gastroenterologists, and surgeons—is present.
Low‐Cost Vacuum Assisted Core Needle Biopsy Technique for Breast Lumps
Authors: Yadav Sanjay Kumar , Carpenter Ashutosh , Rai Roshni , Jha Chandan Kumar , Sharma Dhananjaya
Published: February 2022

Background

Core biopsy has replaced fine needle aspiration cytology in the assessment of breast lumps to diagnose malignancy and is now standard of care in developed countries. Unfortunately, cost of core biopsy system is a major limitation in low‐and middle‐income countries (LMICs). This prompted us to devise and appraise a low‐cost technique of core biopsy using negative pressure.

Methods

We devised and prospectively evaluated a simple model of core biopsy (vacuum assisted core needle biopsy‐VACNB) using a 50 ml syringe, a 10 ml syringe and a 14G needle.

Results

57 consecutive women (median age 42.66 years) with breast lumps (median diameter 5.2 cm) underwent VACNB. The sensitivity for diagnosing malignancy was 92%, specificity was 100%, and diagnostic accuracy was 92.98%. The positive predictive value of this technique was 100%, and negative predictive value was 63.64%. The cost (~ 5.5 USD) of the system was significantly less than the cost of core biopsy needle (~ 41.00 USD) and vacuum assisted breast biopsy needle (~ 341.00 USD) in India.

Conclusion

Frugal innovations are needed to overcome cost constraints in LMICs. Our low‐cost VACNB technique is easy to use and accurate.
Detecting short-term stress and recovery events in a vineyard using tower-based remote sensing of photochemical reflectance index (PRI)
Authors: Wong Christopher Y. S. , Bambach Nicolas E. , Alsina Maria Mar , McElrone Andrew J. , Jones Taylor , Buckley Thomas N. , Kustas William P. , Magney Troy S.
Published: February 2022

Frequent drought and high temperature conditions in California vineyards necessitate plant stress detection to support irrigation management strategies and decision making. Remote sensing provides a powerful tool to continuously monitor vegetation function across spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we utilized a tower-based optical-remote sensing system to continuously monitor four vineyard subplots in California’s Central Valley. We compared the performance of the greenness-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the physiology-based photochemical reflectance index (PRI) to track variations of eddy covariance estimated gross primary productivity (GPP) during four stress events between July and September 2020. Our results demonstrate that NDVI was invariant during stress events. In contrast, PRI was effective at tracking the short-term stress-induced declines and recovery of GPP associated with soil water depletion and increased air temperature, as well as reductions in GPP from decreased PAR caused by smokey conditions from nearby fires. Canopy-scale remote sensing can provide continuous real-time data, and physiology-based vegetation indices such as PRI can be used to monitor variation of photosynthetic activity during stress events to aid in management decisions.
Bright and dark diffractive focusing
Authors: Rodrigues Gonçalves Manuel , Rozenman Georgi Gary , Zimmermann Matthias , Efremov Maxim A. , Case William B. , Arie Ady , Shemer Lev , Schleich Wolfgang P.
Published: February 2022

We investigate bright and dark diffractive focusing emerging in the free propagation of specific wave profiles. These general wave phenomena manifest themselves in matter, water, and classical waves. In this article, we lay the foundations for these effects and illustrate their origin in Wigner phase space. Our theoretical studies are supported by experimental demonstrations of dark focusing in water waves. Moreover, by using different phase slits we analyze several aspects of bright and dark focusing for classical and matter waves.
Direct health care cost of treatment and medication of biliary atresia patients using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups
Authors: Hoshino Eri , Konomura Keiko , Obatake Masayuki , Moriwaki Kensuke , Sakai Michi , Urayama Kevin Y. , Shimozuma Kojiro
Published: February 2022

Background

Treatment of biliary atresia (BA), which typically requires an initial surgical intervention called the Kasai procedure (KP) and possible liver transplant (LT) afterwards, is quite resource-intensive and would affect patients and families for a lifetime; yet a comprehensive view of the economic burden has not been reported. We estimated direct health care costs from the public payer perspective using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan.

Methods

Children newly diagnosed at ages 0 days to 4 years between April 2010 and September 2019 were identified. Costs of treatment were estimated for six phases of care: prediagnosis, KP and inpatient hospitalization, follow-up after KP, pre-transplant checkup, LT and inpatient hospitalization, and follow-up after LT.

Results

Mean total prediagnosis medical cost was $6847 (USD) and KP and inpatient hospitalization was $42,157 per year. Follow-up after KP was $15,499, and pre-transplant checkup after KP was $36,015 per year. Mean cost for LT and inpatient hospitalization was $105,334, and follow-up after liver transplant was $25,459 per year.

Conclusions

Treatment of BA requires extensive medical resource consumption. The use of the comprehensive national database allowed us to estimate the costs which will be useful for health service planning and cost-effectiveness analysis.
Cognitive disorders in childhood epilepsy: a comparative longitudinal study using administrative healthcare data
Authors: Sorg Anna-Lisa , von Kries Rüdiger , Borggraefe Ingo
Published: February 2022

Objective

The study aimed to assess the risk of cognitive impairment in patients with epilepsy, the impact of age of epilepsy onset on cognition and the temporal relationship of epilepsy onset and intellectual impairment.

Methods

This longitudinal study analyzed birth cohorts and followed-up children born 2005–2007 up to the age of ten using administrative healthcare data of about 8.9 million members insured by the statutory health insurance “BARMER” in Germany. We compared prevalence of cognitive impairment (ICD-code F7*) in children with epilepsy (ICD-code G40) to controls, and calculated relative risks by age groups at onset of epilepsy and assessed differences in relation to the temporal sequence of the diagnoses.

Results

Of the 142,563 pre-pubertal children included in the analysis, 2728 (1.9%) had an epilepsy diagnosis within the first 10 years of life. 17.4% (475/2728) of children with epilepsy had a diagnosis of cognitive impairment compared to 1.7% (2309/139835) in controls. The relative risk for cognitive impairment compared to age-matched controls was 10.5 (95% CI 9.6, 11.6) and was highest in epilepsy cases with seizure manifestation within the first 2 years of life compared to older children. The prevalence of cognitive impairment before epilepsy diagnosis was slightly increased compared to controls, while it was increased by a factor of nine in children diagnosed with cognitive impairment in the year of onset of epilepsy or afterwards.

Conclusions

Pre-pubertal children with epilepsy have a ten-fold higher risk for intellectual impairment compared to age-matched controls. This risk inversely correlates with the age of epilepsy manifestation. Cognitive impairment was diagnosed after epilepsy manifestation in the majority of patients.
The first Austrian nanosatellite BRITE-Austria/TUGSAT‑1—a success story
Authors: Wenger Manuela , Kuschnig Rainer
Published: February 2022

In February 2013, the first Austrian nanosatellite BRITE-Austria/TUGSAT‑1 was launched into orbit to observe the brightness variations of massive luminous stars. Although the mission was originally planned to last only two years, BRITE-Austria has been providing scientific data at a high quality standard for more than eight years. The natural degradation of the systems on board over time as well as the impact of radiation, especially on the light-sensitive detectors, led to a decrease in efficiency and data quality. To ensure the continuous operation and a high level of data quality, several countermeasures were successfully introduced over the years, some of which are highlighted in this paper.

The BRITE mission has shown impressively that, with the help of small and inexpensive satellites, even highly demanding scientific objectives can be achieved. The BRITE satellites have delivered new insights into the physical nature of stars, their pulsations, and “heartbeats”, as described in numerous publications, and even observed the complete development of a nova in the Carina field.
Korrelation transienter Spannungen in einem 380-kV- und 220-kV-Übertragungsnetz mit Schaltmeldeprotokollen und Blitzortungsdaten
Authors: Schwalt Lukas , Maurer Mathias , Pack Stephan
Published: February 2022

Im Rahmen von Forschungsprojekten der TU Graz in Zusammenarbeit mit der Austrian Power Grid AG (APG) aus den Jahren 2017 bis 2019 wurden in verschiedenen Umspannwerken zusätzlich zur vorhandenen Infrastruktur kapazitive Messwandler installiert. Diese ermöglichten eine hochgenaue und präzise Messung der Spannungen im Netzknotenpunkt. Die Kenntnis der transienten Spannungssituation und ihre Wirkung auf das Netz gewinnen zukünftig für einen sicheren und zuverlässigen Betrieb der Hochspannungssysteme immer mehr an Bedeutung. Gesamt wurde so ein Datensatz von ca. 13.800 Messungen aufgezeichnet. Dieser Gesamtdatensatz wurde nun erstmals in vollem Umfang analysiert, und für die vorhandenen Spannungsmessungen wurden notwendige Datenbehandlungs‑, Korrelations- sowie Auswertemethoden entwickelt. Die Korrelation der transienten Spannungen mit Schaltmeldeprotokollen der APG sowie Blitzortungsdaten des Österreichischen Blitzortungsnetzbetreiber ALDIS (Austrian Lightning Detection and Information System) lieferte wertvolle Erkenntnisse in Bezug auf die transiente Spannungssituation im Hochspannungsnetz. Ausgehend von den erstellten Korrelationen lassen sich Analysen hinsichtlich der Entstehungsursachen transienter Spannungen und deren Auswirkungen innerhalb des Hochspannungsnetzes durchführen. Die vorliegende Untersuchung zeigt spezifische Ergebnisse bezogen auf die Wirkung von Schalthandlungen und Blitzentladungen und die Reichweite der hervorgerufenen transienten Spannungen innerhalb des Hochspannungsnetzes.
Development and application of an embedded computer system for CubeSats exemplified by the OPS-SAT space mission
Authors: Zeif Reinhard , Kubicka Manuel , Hörmer Andreas Johann
Published: February 2022

The space industry is one of today’s major growth markets and a very interesting business sector for innovation, science, and technology. In the last century, the space industry has dramatically changed and undergone strong commercialization referred to as “New Space”. In addition to the commercialization, the concept of CubeSats has become well established in the market during the last decade. The European Space Agency (ESA) has acknowledged this trend and uses CubeSat nanosatellites for projects like the OPS-SAT mission. OPS-SAT uses state-of-the-art embedded systems for various tasks. These embedded systems are the key for the great mission success of OPS-SAT and provide outstanding computational power for various experiments conducted with the OPS-SAT flying laboratory. This paper describes the fundamental design of these embedded systems and discusses some of the related achievements during the OPS-SAT mission.
Blood amyloid and tau biomarkers as predictors of cerebrospinal fluid profiles
Authors: Delaby Constance , Alcolea Daniel , Hirtz Christophe , Vialaret Jérôme , Kindermans Jana , Morichon Lisa , Fortea Juan , Belbin Olivia , Gabelle Audrey , Blennow Kaj , Zetterberg Henrik , Lleó Alberto , Lehmann Sylvain
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Blood biomarkers represent a major advance for improving the management, diagnosis, and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, their context of use in relation to routine cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis for the quantification of amyloid peptides and tau proteins remains to be determined.

Methods

We studied in two independent cohorts, the performance of blood biomarkers in detecting “nonpathological” (A−/T−/N−), amyloid (A+) or neurodegenerative (T+ /N+) CSF profiles.

Results

Plasma Aβ1–42/Aβ1–40 ratio and phosphorylated tau (p-tau(181)) were independent and complementary predictors of the different CSF profile and in particular of the nonpathological (A−/T−/N−) profile with a sensitivity and specificity close to 85%. These performances and the corresponding biomarker thresholds were significantly different from those related to AD detection.

Conclusion

The use of blood biomarkers to identify patients who may benefit from secondary CSF testing represents an attractive stratification strategy in the clinical management of patients visiting memory clinics. This could reduce the need for lumbar puncture and foreshadow the use of blood testing on larger populations.
Empirical research on requirements quality: a systematic mapping study
Authors: Montgomery Lloyd , Fucci Davide , Bouraffa Abir , Scholz Lisa , Maalej Walid
Published: February 2022

Research has repeatedly shown that high-quality requirements are essential for the success of development projects. While the term “quality” is pervasive in the field of requirements engineering and while the body of research on requirements quality is large, there is no meta-study of the field that overviews and compares the concrete quality attributes addressed by the community. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic mapping study of the scientific literature. We retrieved 6905 articles from six academic databases, which we filtered down to 105 relevant primary studies. The primary studies use empirical research to explicitly define, improve, or evaluate requirements quality. We found that empirical research on requirements quality focuses on improvement techniques, with very few primary studies addressing evidence-based definitions and evaluations of quality attributes. Among the 12 quality attributes identified, the most prominent in the field are ambiguity, completeness, consistency, and correctness. We identified 111 sub-types of quality attributes such as “template conformance” for consistency or “passive voice” for ambiguity. Ambiguity has the largest share of these sub-types. The artefacts being studied are mostly referred to in the broadest sense as “requirements”, while little research targets quality attributes in specific types of requirements such as use cases or user stories. Our findings highlight the need to conduct more empirically grounded research defining requirements quality, using more varied research methods, and addressing a more diverse set of requirements types.
Seasonal variations and long-term trends of groundwater over the Canadian landmass
Authors: Li Junhua , Wang Shusen
Published: February 2022

Detailed knowledge of groundwater storage improves the understanding and management of water resources. Observations from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites have provided data on global terrestrial-water-storage (TWS) changes since 2002. Combining GRACE-TWS and land-surface model (LSM) estimates of soil water, snow-water equivalent and surface-water storage provides a method to quantify groundwater storage (Wground). This study examines the Wground seasonal variations and trends for Canada’s landmass during the period 2003–2016 using GRACE-TWS and the Canadian LSM EALCO (Ecological Assimilation of Land and Climate Observations) model. The results show the study region has a maximum seasonal variation (ΔWground) of 118 mm (volume equivalent 700 km3), with the maximum/minimum Wground appearing in July/April. Eastern Canada has relatively large ΔWground values, up to 400 mm in Newfoundland. The Prairie region has the smallest value (<50 mm). The western and central regions show the maximum/minimum Wground mostly in spring/fall. In contrast, eastern Canada has the maximum/minimum Wground mostly in fall/spring. South Ontario and the Prairie area show the maximum/minimum Wground in summer/winter. Additionally, the Wground trends over the 14-year study period present large spatial variability, with increasing trends of up to 10 mm/year in eastern Canada and decreasing trends (similar magnitudes) in the west. The increasing trend largely offsets the decreasing trend in the study area, and the overall Wground for the region does not show a significant trend during 2003–2016. Comparison of Wground with groundwater well measurements present similar long-term trends but with a phase difference in seasonal variations.
Inhibitory KIR2DL2 receptor and HHV-8 in classic or endemic Kaposi sarcoma
Authors: Bortolotti Daria , Corazza Monica , Rotola Antonella , Bencivelli Dario , Schiuma Giovanna , Danese Elisabetta , Rizzo Sabrina , Beltrami Silvia , Rizzo Roberta , Borghi Alessandro
Published: February 2022

KIR2DL2, an inhibitory Killer cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor (KIR), has been shown to predispose to the development of several herpesvirus-associated diseases by inhibiting the efficiency of Natural Killer (NK) cells against virus-infected cells. The aim of this observational study was to assess the prevalence of KIR2DL2 and Human Herpes Virus 8 (HHV8) in patients affected with classical and endemic Kaposi sarcoma (KS), as well as in controls. Blood samples collected from 17 Caucasian, HIV-negative, immunocompetent patients affected with classical KS (c-KS), 12 African, HIV-negative patients with endemic KS (e-KS), 83 healthy subjects and 26 psoriatic patients were processed for genotypization by PCR for two KIR alleles, such as KIR2DL2 and KIR2DL3 and analyzed for HHV-8 presence. The totality of both c-KS and e-KS patients presented HHV-8 infection, whereas HHV8 was found in 26.9% of psoriatic subjects and 19.3% of healthy subjects. KIR2DL2 was found in the 76.5% of c-KS subjects, while the receptor was found in 41.7% of the e-KS group, 34.6% of psoriatic patients and 43.4% of healthy controls (p < 0.0001). A significantly higher prevalence of KIR2DL2 in c-KS patients than in all the other subjects was also confirmed comparing age-matched groups. Based on these results, the inhibitory KIR2DL2 genotype appears to be a possible cofactor which increases the risk of developing c-KS in HHV8-positive, immunocompetent subjects, while it seems less relevant in e-KS pathogenesis.
Perikonzeptioneller Einfluss von Ernährung und Mikronährstoffen auf die Reproduktionsfunktion
Authors: Keck C. , Riedl M. , Segerer S.
Published: February 2022

Die Bedeutung von Mikronährstoffen und einer insgesamt „gesunden Ernährung“ in der Schwangerschaft ist unstrittig. Im Gegensatz dazu ist die Datenlage zum Einfluss der perikonzeptionellen Ernährung auf die Konzeption, Implantation und den weiteren Schwangerschaftsverlauf weit weniger klar. Gesichert scheint, dass ein hoher Anteil von Vollkornprodukten, Früchten, Gemüse, Fisch und Olivenöl bei moderatem Anteil von Kohlenhydraten günstige Effekte entfaltet. Bei Kinderwunsch ist heute die Folsäuresubstitution obligat, diese kann nach aktuellen Leitlinien der Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften durch Vitamin D ergänzt werden.
Perzipierte Ungleichheit und politische Nachfrage
Authors: Dallinger Ursula
Published: February 2022

Nach einer neueren sozialwissenschaftlichen Debatte nehmen die Bürger die Einkommensungleichheit eher ungenau wahr, was auch ihre Akzeptanz verteilungspolitischer Programme beeinflusst. Die Studie, über die der Artikel berichtet, prüft, ob sich das am Beispiel der Vermögensteuer bestätigen lässt. Die Vermögensteuer wurde in Deutschland 1996 ausgesetzt, jedoch ringt die Politik seit Jahren um ihre Wiedereinführung. Vor dem Hintergrund der Debatte um verzerrte Perzeptionen bei der Formation verteilungspolitischer Präferenzen fragt der Beitrag erstens, wie genau die existierende Steuerlast wohlhabender Haushalte durch den Spitzensteuersatz für Einkommen eingeschätzt wird und ob ein Bias Folgen für die Unterstützung einer Vermögensteuer hat. Ausgehend von Ansätzen, die Massenmedien eine wichtige Rolle bei der Formation verteilungspolitischer Präferenzen zuschreiben, wird zweitens der Einfluss medialer Rahmen zur Vermögensteuer auf die Akzeptanz dieses Instruments überprüft. Nach den Daten eines Onlinesurveys wird die Belastung durch die Spitzensteuer eher zu hoch eingeschätzt. Je stärker diese Steuer überschätzt wird, desto geringer ist die politische Unterstützung einer Vermögensteuer. Framingexperimente mit randomisierten Kontroll- und Treatmentgruppen im Rahmen des Surveys bilden aktuelle Diskurse um die Vermögensteuer ab und rekonstruieren positive Frames – Vermögensteuern als investitionsfördernde Steuerreform, als Beitrag zum Abbau von Staatsschulden durch Corona, wie auch ablehnende Frames – Einschränkung von Investitionen und Verlust von Arbeit bei Belastung der Unternehmen. Das Verfügbarmachen möglicher Arbeitsplatzverluste senkt die Unterstützung einer Vermögensteuer höchst signifikant. Die mehrheitlich starke Zustimmung fällt auf die mittlere Kategorie „teils/teils“ ab, ein Signal der Unentschiedenheit. Das Ringen um Benennungsmacht ist also offen. Die Unterstützung einer Vermögensteuer wird unsicher, je mehr politische Kommunikation den Rahmen bedrohter Arbeitsplätze aktiviert.
Expert Opinion on Pegloticase with Concomitant Immunomodulatory Therapy in the Treatment of Uncontrolled Gout to Improve Efficacy, Safety, and Durability of Response
Authors: Botson John K. , Baraf Herbert S. B. , Keenan Robert T. , Albert John , Masri Karim R. , Peterson Jeff , Yung Christianne , Freyne Brigid , Amin Mona , Abdellatif Abdul , Soloman Nehad , Edwards N. Lawrence , Strand Vibeke
Published: February 2022

Purpose of Review

Gout is a systemic disease from which some patients develop numerous painful tophi that adversely affect quality of life and functionality. Some patients treated with oral urate-lowering therapy are unable to maintain serum urate levels below 6 mg/dL, and these patients, thus classified as having refractory or uncontrolled gout, often require therapy with pegloticase to reduce symptoms and tophaceous burden. The objective of this expert opinion review is to summarize the available evidence supporting the use of concomitant immunomodulators with pegloticase to prevent development of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) when treating patients with uncontrolled gout.

Recent Findings

Emerging evidence suggests that adding an immunomodulator to pegloticase therapy can substantially increase response rates to double those observed in phase 3 randomized controlled trials.

The combination of immunomodulation with pegloticase should be considered in routine clinical practice to improve durability of response, efficacy, and safety among patients with uncontrolled gout who otherwise have limited therapeutic options.
Identification of nafamostat mesylate as a selective stimulator of NK cell IFN-γ production via metabolism-related compound library screening
Authors: Yang Qinglan , Zhang Shuju , Wu Shuting , Yao Baige , Wang Lili , Li Yana , Peng Hongyan , Huang Minghui , Bi Qinghua , Xiong Peiwen , Li Liping , Deng Yafei , Deng Youcai
Published: February 2022

Natural killer (NK) cells play important roles in controlling virus-infected and malignant cells. The identification of new molecules that can activate NK cells may effectively improve the antiviral and antitumour activities of these cells. In this study, by using a commercially available metabolism-related compound library, we initially screened the capacity of compounds to activate NK cells by determining the ratio of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)+ NK cells by flow cytometry after the incubation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with IL-12 or IL-15 for 18 h. Our data showed that eight compounds (nafamostat mesylate (NM), loganin, fluvastatin sodium, atorvastatin calcium, lovastatin, simvastatin, rosuvastatin calcium, and pitavastatin calcium) and three compounds (NM, elesclomol, and simvastatin) increased the proportions of NK cells and CD3+ T cells that expressed IFN-γ among PBMCs cultured with IL-12 and IL-15, respectively. When incubated with enriched NK cells (purity ≥ 80.0%), only NM enhanced NK cell IFN-γ production in the presence of IL-12 or IL-15. When incubated with purified NK cells (purity ≥ 99.0%), NM promoted NK cell IFN-γ secretion in the presence or absence of IL-18. However, NM showed no effect on NK cell cytotoxicity. Collectively, our study identifies NM as a selective stimulator of IFN-γ production by NK cells, providing a new strategy for the prevention and treatment of infection or cancer in select populations.
Progressive lymphocytosis in familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis with lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia: a case report
Authors: Wang Rujia , Shi Shenyun , Chen Ling , Zhang Yingwei , Qiu Xiaohua , Meng Fanqing , Xiao Yonglong
Published: February 2022

Familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FHL) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder which is less typical in adults than pediatric patients. In this study, we reported a rare case of adult-onset FHL3 with progressive lymphocytosis and lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia (LIP). A 20-year old female was admitted to our institution for persistent cough with fever. A chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan showed diffuse bilateral ground glass opacities (GGO). A lung biopsy revealed infiltration of lymphocyte in the pulmonary interstitium. The patient was treated with corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, followed by significant clinical improvement although lymphocytosis still persisted. The definitive diagnosis of FHL was based on whole genome sequencing by which heterozygous mutations in UNC13D gene were identified. Lymphocytosis may be a remarkable feature of some patients with FHL. Performing gene sequencing is important to improve the recognition of FHL to avoid misdiagnosis.
Modelling the transient effect in naturally fractured reservoirs
Authors: Aljuboori Faisal Awad , Lee Jang Hyun , Elraies Khaled A. , Stephen Karl D. , Memon Muhammed Khan
Published: February 2022

Modelling of Naturally Fractured Reservoirs (NFR’s) is a very challenging task. NFR’s are often simulated using the dual-porosity (DP) model, which requires significantly lower computational time and less simulation cost compared with the fine-grid modelling. However, the DP model is unable to capture the transient effect, the saturation front, and its tendency to overestimate the predicted oil recovery, as the invaded fluid is immediately reaching the gridblock centre once its saturation exceeds the critical saturation. The matrix block discretisation and modifying the transfer function are among the widely investigated areas to represent the transient effect and to improve the simulation accuracy. Adjusting the transfer function often results in complicated and unstable solutions, which make this approach limited in use. However, the matrix discretisation technique, such as Multiple Interacting Continua (MINC), is one of the utilised approaches to improve the simulation of NFR’s. The model’s layers provide the required mean to capture the transient effect and to include the matrix heterogeneities. In this work, we present an improvement to the original MINC model to enhance its accuracy and stability using a particular case of two subdomains model. We suggested using an equal volume of the matrix sub-blocks, besides performing an adjustment to the calculation of fluid saturation. The new adjustments have provided a stable solution and improved simulation results compared with the original MINC model. Besides the advantage of the matrix layers to handle various heterogeneities with excellent simulation accuracy and marginal errors, and hence a reliable performance and prediction.
Effects of Risk Perception on Disaster Preparedness Toward Typhoons: An Application of the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior
Authors: Ng Sai Leung
Published: February 2022

This study adopted an extended theory of planned behavior to understand how risk perception affected disaster preparedness behavior. An intercept survey (N = 286) was conducted at a typhoon-prone district of Hong Kong, China in 2019, then the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that risk perception and intention of preparedness were predictors of disaster preparedness behavior. Risk perception significantly affected intention of preparedness and the effect was partially mediated by subjective norm. Risk perception also significantly affected attitude and perceived behavioral control, but attitude and perceived behavioral control were not significantly correlated with intention of preparedness. Not only may this study supplement the existing literature of disaster preparedness toward typhoons, but also it provides insights for the planning and management of natural hazards and disaster risk reduction in Hong Kong.
Experimental and computational analysis of the coolant distribution considering the viscosity of the cutting fluid during machining with helical deep hole drills
Authors: Oezkaya Ekrem , Michel Sebastian , Biermann Dirk
Published: February 2022

An experimental analysis regarding the distribution of the cutting fluid is very difficult due to the inaccessibility of the contact zone within the bore hole. Therefore, suitable simulation models are necessary to evaluate new tool designs and optimize drilling processes. In this paper the coolant distribution during helical deep hole drilling is analyzed with high-speed microscopy. Micro particles are added to the cutting fluid circuit by a developed high-pressure mixing vessel. After the evaluation of suitable particle size, particle concentration and coolant pressure, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is validated with the experimental results. The comparison shows a very good model quality with a marginal difference for the flow velocity of 1.57% between simulation and experiment. The simulation considers the kinematic viscosity of the fluid. The results show that the fluid velocity in the chip flutes is low compared to the fluid velocity at the exit of the coolant channels of the tool and drops even further between the guide chamfers. The flow velocity and the flow pressure directly at the cutting edge decrease to such an extent that the fluid cannot generate a sufficient cooling or lubrication. With the CFD simulation a deeper understanding of the behavior and interactions of the cutting fluid is achieved. Based on these results further research activities to improve the coolant supply can be carried out with great potential to evaluate new tool geometries and optimize the machining process.
Robust Quantification of Regional Patterns of Migration in Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Models
Authors: Vong Chun Kiet , Wang Alan , Dragunow Mike , Park Thomas I.-H. , Shim Vickie
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Wound healing assays is a common two-dimensional migration model, with the spheroid assay three-dimensional migration model recently emerging as being more representative of in vivo migration behaviours. These models provide insight into the overall migration of cells in response to various factors such as biological, chemotactic and molecular agents. However, currently available analysis techniques for these assays fall short on providing quantifiable means to measure regional migration patterns, which is essential to allow a more robust assessment of drug treatments on cell migration in a chemotactic fashion. Therefore, this study aims to develop a finite element (FE) based pipeline that can objectively quantify regional migration patterns of cells.

Methods

We have developed a novel FE based approach that is able to accurately measure changes in overall migration areas of 3D Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) spheroids that we generated using the primary cell lines from patients undergoing tumour resection surgery. We live-imaged the migration patterns of GBM spheroids and analysed them, first with the standard ImageJ method. We then performed the same analysis with the proposed FE method.

Results

When compared to the standard ImageJ method, our proposed method was able to measure the changes in a more quantitative and accurate manner. Furthermore, our regional migration analysis provided means to analyse the migration pattern seen in the phantom data and our experimental results.

Conclusion

Our FE based method will be a a robust tool for analysing cell migration patterns of GBM and other migrating cells in various diseases and degenerations.
Reducing the channel diameter of polydimethylsiloxane fluidic chips made by a 3D-printed sacrificial template and their application for flow-injection analysis
Authors: Yamashita Tomohisa , Muramoto Tatsuya
Published: February 2022

Fluidic chips have attracted considerable interest in recent years for their potential applications in analytical devices. Previously, we developed a method to fabricate polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fluidic chips via templates made using a low-priced commercial Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) type 3D printer and polymer coatings. However, in general, methods using a template cannot form a flow channel thinner than the template thickness and the width. In this study, the inner wall of a PDMS fluidic chip was coated with PDMS to create a chip with a channel inner diameter smaller than a template. Then, by measuring the flow signal of methyl orange with a single line, the basic properties of the non-coated and coated chip were investigated. As a result, almost the same flow profile was obtained in non-coated and coated chips at the same linear velocity and the same sample injection length. By coating and narrowing the channel width, it is possible to save the amount of sample and carrier solution. Measuring hydrazine in water using a coated chip was also tried. The calibration curve indicated good linearity in the range of 1–6 ppm. However, a concentration point of 7 ppm deviated. The reason for this deviation was presumably due to inadequate mixing of the sample and reagent. By decreasing the flow rate, the calibration curve indicated good linearity in the range of 1–7 ppm.

Graphical abstract
Calibration for a count rate-dependent time correlation function and a random noise reduction in pulsed dynamic light scattering
Authors: Hiroi Takashi , Samitsu Sadaki , Kano Hideaki , Ishioka Kunie
Published: February 2022

A pulsed dynamic light scattering (DLS) system, which would be potentially applied to nonlinear DLS with molecular selectivity, was developed by combining a sub-nanosecond pulsed laser with a software-based detection system. The distortion of the time correlation function due to the clipping effect in the photon counting module, and the resulting underestimation of the particle size, were successfully calibrated based on a theoretical simulation. The effective removal of random noises was also demonstrated via time gating synchronized to the laser pulses.

Graphical abstract
Text Analysis in Python for Social Scientists
Authors: Hovy Dirk
Published: February 2022

Text contains a wealth of information about about a wide variety of sociocultural constructs. Automated prediction methods can infer these quantities (sentiment analysis is probably the most well-known application). However, there is virtually no limit to the kinds of things we can predict from text: power, trust, misogyny, are all signaled in language. These algorithms easily scale to corpus sizes infeasible for manual analysis. Prediction algorithms have become steadily more powerful, especially with the advent of neural network methods. However, applying these techniques usually requires profound programming knowledge and machine learning expertise. As a result, many social scientists do not apply them. This Element provides the working social scientist with an overview of the most common methods for text classification, an intuition of their applicability, and Python code to execute them. It covers both the ethical foundations of such work as well as the emerging potential of neural network methods.
Beef and the Bottom Line: The Effect of Value-Added Certification on Feeder Cattle Profitability
Authors: Garber Ben , Alwang Jeffrey , Norton George W. , Bovay John
Published: February 2022

Data from 1,422 feeder cattle teleauction lots were used to assess the impacts on profitability of the Virginia quality assured (VQA) feeder cattle program. The analysis finds higher profits for VQA cattle due to their faster turnover and lower feed costs; however, certification does not have a significant effect on price received by producers. The analysis further suggests that the cost associated with production under VQA should be considered in addition to price effects studied in previous literature.
The Interpretation of Court Opinions
Authors: Kemmerich Clovis
Published: February 2022

What kind of argument is acceptable for this or that interpretation when the text is a court’s opinion? There is plenty of discussion about literary, constitutional, and statutory interpretation. Is it acceptable to import their tenets or theories to the interpretation of court opinions? This paper goes over the leading views on literary, constitutional, and statutory interpretation to compare them with the needs of the court opinions’ interpretation. The author argues that one must interpret court opinions according to the pragmatic model and endeavor to understand the meaning the judge intended for the text.
Dynamics of Newton maps
Authors: WANG XIAOGUANG , YIN YONGCHENG , ZENG JINSONG
Published: February 2022

In this paper, we study the dynamics of the Newton maps for arbitrary polynomials. Let p be an arbitrary polynomial with at least three distinct roots, and f be its Newton map. It is shown that the boundary
$\partial B$
of any immediate root basin B of f is locally connected. Moreover,
$\partial B$
is a Jordan curve if and only if
$\mathrm {deg}(f|_B)=2$
. This implies that the boundaries of all components of root basins, for the Newton maps for all polynomials, from the viewpoint of topology, are tame.
On the nonvanishing of generalised Kato classes for elliptic curves of rank 2
Authors: Castella Francesc , Hsieh Ming-Lun
Published: February 2022

Let$E/\mathbf {Q}$be an elliptic curve and$p>3$be a good ordinary prime forEand assume that$L(E,1)=0$with root number$+1$(so$\text {ord}_{s=1}L(E,s)\geqslant 2$). A construction of Darmon–Rotger attaches toEand an auxiliary weight 1 cuspidal eigenformgsuch that$L(E,\text {ad}^{0}(g),1)\neq 0$, a Selmer class$\kappa _{p}\in \text {Sel}(\mathbf {Q},V_{p}E)$, and they conjectured the equivalence$$ \begin{align*} \kappa_{p}\neq 0\quad\Longleftrightarrow\quad{\textrm{dim}}_{{\mathbf{Q}}_{p}}\textrm{Sel}(\mathbf{Q},V_{p}E)=2. \end{align*} $$

In this article, we prove the first cases on Darmon–Rotger’s conjecture when the auxiliary eigenformghas complex multiplication. In particular, this provides a new construction of nontrivial Selmer classes for elliptic curves of rank 2.
A new scaling for the flow instability past symmetric bluff bodies
Authors: Chiarini A. , Quadrio M. , Auteri F.
Published: February 2022

A scaling law to predict the onset of the primary Hopf instability in the steady flow past two-dimensional symmetric bluff bodies is proposed. It uses a measure of the spatial extent of the separation bubble as the length scale and the largest reverse-flow speed within it as the velocity scale. The ensuing Reynolds number, evaluated at the onset of the primary Hopf bifurcation, collapses quite nicely for bodies of different shape and aspect ratio even when a small angle of attack perturbs the symmetry; its relative variation is one order of magnitude smaller than that of the usual Reynolds number defined with the free-stream velocity and the cross-stream body size. With the new scaling, it can be roughly assessed whether the steady flow past a two-dimensional bluff body is absolutely and globally unstable to two-dimensional perturbations without a computationally expensive stability analysis: only the inspection of the base flow is required. More importantly, the scaling provides an insight into the flow mechanism that produces the instability.
Reliability and validity of a clinical competence test for dietitians caring patients with early chronic kidney disease
Authors: Márquez-Herrera Roxana M. , Cortés-Sanabria Laura , Cueto-Manzano Alfonso M. , Martínez-Ramírez Héctor R. , Rojas-Campos Enrique , Orozco-González Claudia N. , González-Palacios Aaron
Published: February 2022

The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a test to evaluate dietitian's clinical competence (CC) about nutritional care in patients with early chronic kidney disease (CKD). The study was conducted through five steps: (1) CC and its dimensions were defined; (2) test items were elaborated, and choice of response format and scoring system was selected; (3) content and face validity were established; (4) test was subjected to a pilot test and those items with inadequate performance were removed; (5) criterion validity and internal consistency for final validation were established. A 120-items test was developed and applied to 207 dietitians for validation. Dietitians with previous CKD training obtained higher scores than those with no training, confirming the test validity criterion. According to item analysis, Cronbach's α was 0⋅85, difficulty index 0⋅61 ± 0⋅22, discrimination index 0⋅26 ± 0⋅15 and inter-item correlation 0⋅19 ± 0⋅11, displaying adequate internal consistency.