bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cohort profile: ‘Biomarkers of Personalised Medicine’ (BioPersMed): a single-centre prospective observational cohort study in Graz/Austria to evaluate novel biomarkers in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases
Authors: Haudum Christoph Walter , Kolesnik Ewald , Colantonio Caterina , Mursic Ines , Url-Michitsch Marion , Tomaschitz Andreas , Glantschnig Theresa , Hutz Barbara , Lind Alice , Schweighofer Natascha , Reiter Clemens , Ablasser Klemens , Wallner Markus , Tripolt Norbert Joachim , Pieske-Kraigher Elisabeth , Madl Tobias , Springer Alexander , Seidel Gerald , Wedrich Andreas , Zirlik Andreas , Krahn Thomas , Stauber Rudolf , Pieske Burkert , Pieber Thomas R , Verheyen Nicolas , Obermayer-Pietsch Barbara , Schmidt Albrecht
Published: April 2022

Purpose

Accumulating evidence points towards a close relationship between cardiovascular, endocrine and metabolic diseases. The BioPersMed Study (Biomarkers of Personalised Medicine) is a single-centre prospective observational cohort study with repetitive examination of participants in 2-year intervals. The aim is to evaluate the predictive impact of various traditional and novel biomarkers of cardiovascular, endocrine and metabolic pathways in asymptomatic individuals at risk for cardiovascular and/or metabolic disease.

Participants

Between 2010 and 2016, we recruited 1022 regional individuals into the study. Subjects aged 45 years or older presenting with at least one traditional cardiovascular risk factor or manifest type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were enrolled. The mean age of the participants was 57±8 years, 55% were female, 18% had T2DM, 33% suffered from arterial hypertension, 15% were smokers, 42% had hyperlipidaemia, and only 26% were at low cardiovascular risk according to the Framingham ‘Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation’.

Findings to date

Study procedures during screening and follow-up visits included a physical examination and comprehensive cardiovascular, endocrine, metabolic, ocular and laboratory workup with biobanking of blood and urine samples. The variety of assessed biomarkers allows a full phenotyping of individuals at cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Preliminary data from the cohort and relevant biomarker analyses were already used as control population for genomic studies in local and international research cooperation.

Future plans

Participants will undergo comprehensive cardiovascular, endocrine and metabolic examinations for the next decades and clinical outcomes will be adjudicated prospectively.
Effect of the surgical safety checklist on provider and patient outcomes: a systematic review
Authors: Armstrong Bonnie A. , Dutescu Ilinca A. , Nemoy Lori , Bhavsar Ekta , Carter Diana N. , Ng Kimberley-Dale , Boet Sylvain , Trbovich Patricia , Palter Vanessa
Published: April 2022

Background

Despite being implemented for over a decade, literature describing how the surgical safety checklist (SSC) is completed by operating room (OR) teams and how this relates to its effectiveness is scarce. This systematic review aimed to: (1) quantify how many studies reported SSC completion versus described how the SSC was completed; (2) evaluate the impact of the SSC on provider outcomes (Communication, case Understanding, Safety Culture, CUSC), patient outcomes (complications, mortality rates) and moderators of these relationships.

Methods

A systematic literature search was conducted using Medline, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science on 10 January 2020. We included providers who treat human patients and completed any type of SSC in any OR or simulation centre. Statistical directional findings were extracted for provider and patient outcomes and key factors (eg, attentiveness) were used to determine moderating effects.

Results

300 studies were included in the analysis comprising over 7 302 674 operations and 2 480 748 providers and patients. Thirty-eight per cent of studies provided at least some description of how the SSC was completed. Of the studies that described SSC completion, a clearer positive relationship was observed concerning the SSC’s influence on provider outcomes (CUSC) compared with patient outcomes (complications and mortality), as well as related moderators.

Conclusion

There is a scarcity of research that examines how the SSC is completed and how this influences safety outcomes. Examining how a checklist is completed is critical for understanding why the checklist is successful in some instances and not others.
Effect of inclined positioning on first-pass success during endotracheal intubation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Turner Joseph S , Hunter Benton R , Haseltine Ian D , Motzkus Christine A , DeLuna Hannah M , Cooper Dylan D , Ellender Timothy J , Sarmiento Elisa J , Menard Laura M , Kirschner Jonathan M
Published: April 2022

Background

Endotracheal intubation is a high-risk procedure. Optimisation of all aspects of the procedure, including patient positioning, is important to facilitate success and minimise complications. The objective of this systematic review was to determine the association between inclined patient positioning and first-pass success and other clinically important outcomes among patients undergoing endotracheal intubation.

Methods

A search of PubMed, CINAHL, SCOPUS, EMBASE and Cochrane, from inception through October 2020 was conducted. Studies were assessed independently by two authors to determine eligibility for inclusion. Included studies were any randomised or observational study that compared supine to inclined patient positioning for endotracheal intubation and assessed one of our predefined outcomes. Simulation studies were excluded. Study results were meta-analysed using a random effects model. The quality of the evidence for outcomes of interest was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations approach.

Results

A total of 5113 studies were identified, of which 10 studies representing 18 371 intubations were included for meta-analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in the primary outcome of first-pass success rate (relative risk 1.02, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.05) or secondary outcomes of oesophageal intubation, glottic view, hypotension, hypoxaemia, mortality or peri-intubation arrest. Likewise, there were no statistically significant differences in any of the outcomes in predefined subgroup analyses of randomised controlled trials, intubations in acute settings or intubations performed with >45 degrees of incline. Overall quality of evidence was rated as low or very low for most outcomes.

Conclusions

This systematic review and meta-analysis found no evidence of benefit or harm with inclined versus supine patient positioning during endotracheal intubation in any setting.
Practice guidelines for BRCA1/2 tumour testing in ovarian cancer
Authors: Grafodatskaya Daria , O’Rielly Darren D , Bedard Karine , Butcher Darci T , Howlett Christopher J , Lytwyn Alice , McCready Elizabeth , Parboosingh Jillian , Spriggs Elizabeth L , Vaags Andrea K , Stockley Tracy L
Published: April 2022

The purpose of this document is to provide pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical considerations and recommendations to Canadian clinical laboratories developing, validating and offering next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) tumour testing in ovarian cancers. This document was drafted by the members of the Canadian College of Medical Geneticists (CCMG) somatic BRCA Ad Hoc Working Group, and representatives from the Canadian Association of Pathologists. The document was circulated to the CCMG members for comment. Following incorporation of feedback, this document has been approved by the CCMG board of directors. The CCMG is a Canadian organisation responsible for certifying medical geneticists and clinical laboratory geneticists, and for establishing professional and ethical standards for clinical genetics services in Canada. The current CCMG Practice Guidelines were developed as a resource for clinical laboratories in Canada; however, they are not inclusive of all information laboratories should consider in the validation and use of NGS for BRCA1/2 tumour testing in ovarian cancers.
FXR1-related congenital myopathy: expansion of the clinical and genetic spectrum
Authors: Mroczek Magdalena , Longman Cheryl , Farrugia Maria Elena , Kapetanovic Garcia Solange , Ardicli Didem , Topaloglu Haluk , Hernández-Laín Aurelio , Orhan Diclehan , Alikasifoglu Mehmet , Duff Jennifer , Specht Sabine , Nowak Kristen , Ravenscroft Gianina , Chao Katherine , Valivullah Zaheer , Donkervoort Sandra , Saade Dimah , Bönnemann Carsten , Straub Volker , Yoon Grace
Published: April 2022

Background

Biallelic pathogenic variants inFXR1have recently been associated with two congenital myopathy phenotypes: a severe form associated with hypotonia, long bone fractures, respiratory insufficiency and infantile death, and a milder form characterised by proximal muscle weakness with survival into adulthood.

Objective

We report eight patients from four unrelated families with biallelic pathogenic variants in exon 15 ofFXR1.

Methods

Whole exome sequencing was used to detect variants inFXR1.

Results

Common clinical features were noted for all patients, which included proximal myopathy, normal serum creatine kinase levels and diffuse muscle atrophy with relative preservation of the quadriceps femoris muscle on muscle imaging. Additionally, some patients withFXR1-related myopathy had respiratory involvement and required bilevel positive airway pressure support. Muscle biopsy showed multi-minicores and type I fibre predominance with internalised nuclei.

Conclusion

FXR1-related congenital myopathy is an emerging entity that is clinically recognisable. Phenotypic variability associated with variants inFXR1can result from differences in variant location and type and is also observed between patients homozygous for the same variant, rendering specific genotype–phenotype correlations difficult. Our work broadens the phenotypic spectrum ofFXR1-related congenital myopathy.
Safety and efficacy of the eCLIPs bifurcation remodelling system for the treatment of wide necked bifurcation aneurysms: 1 year results from the European eCLIPs Safety, Feasibility, and Efficacy Study (EESIS)
Authors: de Vries Joost , Aquarius René , Sørensen Leif , Boogaarts Hieronymus D , Turowski Bernd , van Zwam Wim H , Marotta Thomas R , Bartels Ronald H M A
Published: April 2022

Background

The eCLIPs bifurcation remodelling system is a non-circumferential implant that bridges the neck from outside of a bifurcation aneurysm. The goal of the multicenter, post-marketing European eCLIPs Safety, FeasIbility, and Efficacy Study (EESIS), was to present the efficacy and safety results of the eCLIPs device after 365 days of follow-up.

Methods

All patients were to receive an eCLIPs in conjunction with coils. The study was conducted according to good clinical practices and included independent adjudication of safety and efficacy outcomes.

Results

Twenty patients were enrolled at four European centers. Mean age was 60 years (range 41–74) and aneurysms were located at the basilar tip (n=19) and carotid tip (n=1). Average aneurysm dome height was 6.0 mm (range 2.0–15.0). Mean neck length was 5.1 mm (range 2.6–8.5). The technical success rate was 90% (18 of 20). No major territorial strokes or deaths occurred between the index procedure and after 365 days of follow-up. Complete occlusion was achieved in 60% of patients (12 of 20 patients) and 67% of patients with an eCLIPs device (12 of 18) after 365 days of follow-up. Adequate occlusion (complete occlusion and neck remnant) was achieved in 80% of patients (16 of 20 patients) and 89% of patients with an eCLIPs device (16 of 18 patients) after 365 days of follow-up.

Conclusion

In this small series, treatment with eCLIPs was feasible, safe, and efficacious, considering the challenging nature of the aneurysms.

Trial registration number

ClinicalTrials.govNCT02607501.
Impact of occupational pesticide exposure assessment method on risk estimates for prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Parkinson’s disease: results of three meta-analyses
Authors: Ohlander Johan , Fuhrimann Samuel , Basinas Ioannis , Cherrie John W , Galea Karen S , Povey Andrew C , van Tongeren Martie , Harding Anne-Helen , Jones Kate , Vermeulen Roel , Huss Anke , Kromhout Hans
Published: April 2022

Assessment of occupational pesticide exposure in epidemiological studies of chronic diseases is challenging. Biomonitoring of current pesticide levels might not correlate with past exposure relevant to disease aetiology, and indirect methods often rely on workers’ imperfect recall of exposures, or job titles. We investigated how the applied exposure assessment method influenced risk estimates for some chronic diseases. In three meta-analyses the influence of exposure assessment method type on the summary risk ratio (sRR) of prostate cancer (PC) (25 articles), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) (29 articles) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) (32 articles) was investigated. Exposure assessment method types analysed were: group-level assessments (eg, job titles), self-reported exposures, expert-level assessments (eg, job-exposure matrices) and biomonitoring (eg, blood, urine). Additionally, sRRs were estimated by study design, publication year period and geographic location where the study was conducted. Exposure assessment method types were not associated with statistically significant different sRRs across any of the health outcomes. Heterogeneity in results varied from high in cancer studies to moderate and low in PD studies. Overall, case–control designs showed significantly higher sRR estimates than prospective cohort designs. Later NHL publications showed significantly higher sRR estimates than earlier. For PC, studies from North America showed significantly higher sRR estimates than studies from Europe. We conclude that exposure assessment method applied in studies of occupational exposure to pesticides appears not to have a significant effect on risk estimates for PC, NHL and PD. In systematic reviews of chronic health effects of occupational exposure to pesticides, epidemiological study design, publication year and geographic location, should primarily be considered.
Head and neck cancer and asbestos exposure
Authors: Clin Bénédicte , Gramond Celine , Thaon Isabelle , Brochard Patrick , Delva Fleur , Chammings Soizick , Gislard Antoine , Laurent François , Paris Christophe , Lacourt Aude , Pairon Jean-Claude
Published: April 2022

Objectives

The aim of this study was to analyse, within a French cohort of workers previously occupationally exposed to asbestos, incidence and mortality from various sites of head and neck cancers (larynx excluded) and to examine the potential link of these cancers with pleural plaques.

Methods

A 10-year follow-up study was conducted in the 13 481 male subjects included in the cohort between October 2003 and December 2005. Asbestos exposure was assessed by industrial hygienist analysis of a standardised questionnaire. The final cumulative exposure index (CEI; in equivalent fibres.years/mL) for each subject was calculated as the sum of each employment period’s four-level CEI. The number of head and neck cancers recorded by the National Health Insurance fund was collected in order to conduct an incidence study. Complementary analysis was restricted to men who had performed at least one chest CT scan (N=4804). A mortality study was also conducted. We used a Cox model with age as the time axis variable adjusted for smoking, time since first exposure, CEI of exposure to asbestos and pleural plaques on CT scans.

Results

We reported a significant dose–response relationship between CEI of exposure to asbestos and head and neck cancers after exclusion of laryngeal cancers, in the mortality study (HR 1.03, 95% CI (1.01 to 1.06) for an increase of 10 f.years/mL) and a close to significant dose–response relationship in the incidence study (HR 1.02, 95% CI (1.00 to 1.04) for an increase of 10 f.years/mL). No statistically significant association between pleural plaques and head and neck cancer incidence was observed.

Conclusions

This large-scale study suggests a relationship between asbestos exposure and head and neck cancers, after exclusion of laryngeal cancers, regardless of whether associated pleural plaques were present.
Repeat measures of DNA methylation in an inception cohort of firefighters
Authors: Goodrich Jaclyn M , Jung Alesia M , Furlong Melissa A , Beitel Shawn , Littau Sally , Gulotta John , Wallentine Darin , Burgess Jefferey L
Published: April 2022

Objectives

Firefighters face exposures associated with adverse health outcomes including risk for multiple cancers. DNA methylation, one type of epigenetic regulation, provides a potential mechanism linking occupational hazards to adverse health outcomes. We hypothesised that DNA methylation profiles would change in firefighters after starting their service and that these patterns would be associated with occupational exposures (cumulative fire-hours and fire-runs).

Methods

We profiled DNA methylation with the Infinium MethylationEPIC in blood leucocytes at two time points in non-smoking new recruits: prior to live fire training and 20–37 months later. Linear mixed effects models adjusted for potential confounders were used to identify differentially methylated CpG sites over time using data from 50 individuals passing all quality control.

Results

We report 680 CpG sites with altered methylation (q value <0.05) including 60 with at least a 5% methylation difference at follow-up. Genes with differentially methylated CpG sites were enriched in biological pathways related to cancers, neurological function, cell signalling and transcription regulation. Next, linear mixed effects models were used to determine associations between occupational exposures with methylation at the 680 loci. Of these, more CpG sites were associated with fire-runs (108 for all and 78 for structure-fires only, q<0.05) than with fire-hours (27 for all fires and 1 for structure fires). These associations were independent of time since most recent fire, suggesting an impact of cumulative exposures.

Conclusions

Overall, this study provides evidence that DNA methylation may be altered by fireground exposures, and the impact of this change on disease development should be evaluated.
Rice protein suppresses 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-induced inflammation owing to methionine availability
Authors: Wang Zhengxuan , Liang Mingcai , Li Hui , Liu Bingxiao , Yang Lin
Published: April 2022

4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) is one of the most important products of lipid peroxidation, which induces inflammation. To investigate the effects of rice protein (RP) on suppressing HNE-induced inflammation and the role of methionine in regulating the anti-inflammatory function of RP, Wistar rats (male, weighing 180–200 g) were either ad libitum fed a pellet diet with oral administration of methionine or ad libitum fed RP for 2 weeks. RP and methionine significantly reduced HNE levels and effectively suppressed the expressions of cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1β ( IL-1β) and IL-6, and inducible nitric oxide synthase. The anti-inflammatory action of RP was evident from the upregulation of IL-10 and glutathione S-transferase ( GST), which played a role in the detoxification of HNE. The results show that the molecular mechanism responsible for the anti-inflammatory function of RP is the inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation by the downregulation of protein kinase B/phosphoinositide 3 kinase. Further, this study demonstrates that Met availability contributes to the suppression of HNE-induced inflammation through upregulating IL-10 and GST in rats fed RP.

Novelty:

RP suppresses HNE-induced inflammation. Methionine plays a role in upregulating IL-10 and GST. Methionine availability regulates the inhibition of NF-κB by RP.
Conserving wetlands in agroecosystems can sustain aerial insectivore productivity and survival
Authors: Berzins Lisha L. , Morrissey Christy A. , Howerter David W. , Clark Robert G.
Published: April 2022

Agricultural intensification simplifies natural landscapes and frequently results in the loss of biodiversity. Wetlands are highly

productive and may offset these losses, but the amount of wetland area needed to support declining avian species on farmland is unknown. Using an avian aerial insectivore, the Tree Swallow ( Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot, 1808)), we tested whether a gradient of pond area (visible surface water in wetland basins within 500 m of nest boxes; range 0.2%–30% pond area) at cropland and grassland sites was related to aquatic insect biomass, reproductive success, and adult female or nestling body condition. Aquatic insect biomass was ∼2–8 times higher at the cropland sites with intermediate (5.2%) pond areas than at sites with the highest (15.6%) and lowest (0.2%) pond areas. Swallow clutch initiation date was ∼3–4 days earlier, and nestling body condition and model-predicted first-year survival were ∼10% higher among cropland sites with more pond area and were comparable to birds hatched at grassland sites. Loss of ponds due to agricultural drainage can reduce aquatic insect prey during the breeding season with apparent individual and demographic consequences for insectivorous birds. Overall, the results suggest that where wetlands are conserved, intensive croplands can sustain Tree Swallow populations.
Covariant formulation of f(Q) theory
Authors: Zhao Dehao
Published: April 2022

In Symmetric Teleparallel General Relativity, gravity is attributed to the non-metricity. The so-called “coincident gauge” is usually taken in this theory so that the affine connection vanishes and the metric is the only fundamental variable. This gauge choice was kept in many studies on the extensions of Symmetric Teleparallel General Relativity, such as the so-called f(Q) theory. In this paper, we point out that sometimes this gauge choice conflicts with the coordinate system we selected based on symmetry. To circumvent this problem, we formulate the f(Q) theory in a covariant way with which we can find suitable non-vanishing affine connection for a given metric. We also apply this method to two important cases: the static spherically symmetric spacetime and the homogeneous and isotropic expanding universe.
Apply the VDPC algorithm to the constraint Hatree–Fock theory: In the BCS case
Authors: Hu J. Y.
Published: April 2022

L. Y. Jia recently proposed an algorithm that applies the variational method directly to coherent-pair condensates (VDPC) [L. Jia, Phys. Rev. C (2019).] Now I’ll make changes to the VDPC algorithm that applies it to the Constraint Hatree–Fock theory. I derived expressions of the mean energy extremum with linear constraints and the analytic form of the Lagrangian multiplier. In addition, I acquire an angle through the inverse tangent of the energy minimum to the electric quadrupole moment in Fig. 3, which describes the unconstrained energy under an equivalent rotating system. I demonstrate the new algorithm in a semirealistic example using the realistic [Formula: see text] interaction in the large model spaces (up to 15 harmonic-oscillator major shells). In this work, I am interested in a wave function [Formula: see text], which minimizes the total energy under the constraint that has a fixed expectation [Formula: see text]. I graphed the results as just an energy extreme versus electric quadrupole moment graph. The result shows that Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 7.2 in [P. Ring and P. Schuck, The Nuclear Many-body Problem (Springer Science & Business Media, 2004)].
FINANCIAL SELF-EFFICACY OF ENTREPRENEURS AND PERFORMANCE
Authors: VESELINOVIC DRASKO , ANTONCIC JASNA AUER , ANTONCIC BOSTJAN , GRBEC DALMA LORENA
Published: April 2022

In most developing countries, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are an essential segment of the economic composition and crucial players for fostering innovation, growth and prosperity. Despite wide agreement among researchers in entrepreneurship and SME management that entrepreneurial and general self-efficacy can positively impact business formation and growth, one aspect of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, i.e., financial self-efficacy, has not been linked to SME performance in terms of SME profitability and growth, or satisfaction of the entrepreneur with their company. This study fills this research gap by uncovering new knowledge about the relationship between the financial self-efficacy of the entrepreneur and elements of SME performance. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire in one European country. Hypotheses were conceptually developed and checked using regression analysis. The results of this research reveal new knowledge about the relationship between financial self-efficacy and performance. The entrepreneur’s financial self-efficacy can matter for the profitability of SMEs, as well as for the growth and satisfaction of micro-SMEs and certain differently defined groups of entrepreneurs or companies.
Bifurcation and optimal control analysis of delayed models for huanglongbing
Authors: Guo Jing , Gao Shujing , Yan Shuixian , Liao Zhenzhen
Published: April 2022

In this paper, a delayed differential model of citrus Huanglongbing infection is analyzed, in which the latencies of the citrus tree and Asian citrus psyllid are considered as two time delay factors. We compute the equilibrium points and the basic reproductive numbers with and without time delays, i.e. [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], and then show that [Formula: see text] completely determines the local stability of the disease-free equilibrium. Moreover, the conditions for the existence of transcritical bifurcation are derived from Sotomayor’s Theorem. The stability of the endemic equilibrium and the existence of Hopf bifurcation are investigated in four cases: (1) [Formula: see text], (2) [Formula: see text], (3) [Formula: see text] and (4) [Formula: see text]. Optimal control theory is then applied to the model to study two time-dependent treatment efforts and minimize the infection in citrus and psyllids, while keeping the implementation cost at a minimum. Numerical simulations of the overall systems are implemented in MatLab for demonstration of the theoretical results.
Coarse-grained atomistic modeling of dislocations and generalized crystal plasticity
Authors: Selimov Alex , Chu Kevin , McDowell David L.
Published: April 2022

Recent developments in generalized continuum modeling methods ranging from coarse-grained atomistics to micromorphic theory offer potential to make more intimate physical contact with dislocation field problems framed at length scales on the order of microns. We explore a range of discrete dynamical and continuum mechanics approaches to crystal plasticity that are relevant to modeling behavior of populations of dislocations. Predictive atomistic and coarse-grained atomistic models are limited in terms of length and time scales that can be accessed; examples of the latter are discussed in terms of interactions of multiple dislocations in heterogeneous systems. Generalized continuum models alleviate restrictions to a significant extent in modeling larger scales of dislocation configurations and reactions, and are useful to consider effects of dislocation configuration on strength at characteristic length scales of sub-micron and above; these models require a combination of bottomup models and top-down experimental information to inform parameters and model form. The concurrent atomistic-continuum (CAC) method is extended to model complex multicomponent alloy systems using an average atom approach. Examples of CAC are presented, along with potential to assist in informing parameters of a recently developed micropolar crystal plasticity model based on a set of sub-micron dislocation field problems. Prospects for further developments are discussed.
Decentralised Terrorism, Religion, and Social Identity
Authors: Eswaran Mukesh , Neary Hugh M.
Published: April 2022

This paper offers a theory of decentralised, non-state-sponsored terrorism that is characteristic of contemporary reality, and that explains the rise of homegrown terrorism. We argue that the sense of social identity based on religion or shared history is a prime motivator of non-strategic terrorist activities, and we investigate its consequences and implications for defence against terrorism. Terrorist responses to perceived affronts to identity increase with altruism towards in-groups and with endogenous intensity of hate towards out-groups. We show that, while out-group spite is the more essential feature of identity pertinent to decentralised terrorism, the intensity of terrorist actions is magnified by in-group altruism because it plays an important role in overcoming the potential free-riding of terrorists. This makes individual terrorist activities possible without coordination. We use our formulation to provide an alternative explanation for why counterterrorism measures intended to deter and manage terrorism often fail, and frequently can have a backlash effect of actually increasing it. Our results point to the need for Western democracies to reformulate their foreign policies to take account of the role these policies play in instigating and managing contemporary terrorism.
Improving Early Prognosis of Dementia Using Machine Learning Methods
Authors: Katsimpras Georgios , Aisopos Fotis , Garrard Peter , Vidal Maria-Esther , Paliouras Georgios
Published: April 2022

Early and precise prognosis of dementia is a critical medical challenge. The design of an optimal computational model that addresses this issue, and at the same time explains the underlying mechanisms that lead to output decisions, is an ongoing challenge. In this study, we focus on assessing the risk of an individual converting to Dementia in the short (next year) and long (one to five years) term, given only a few early-stage observations. Our goal is to develop a machine learning model that could assist the prediction of dementia from regular clinical data. The results show that combining various machine learning techniques together can successfully define ways to identify the risks of developing dementia over the following five years with accuracies considerably above average rates. These findings suggest that accurately developed models can be considered as a promising tool to improve early dementia prognosis.
Abstractions for Visualizing Preferences in Group Decisions
Authors: Hindalong Emily , Johnson Jordon , Carenini Giuseppe , Munzner Tamara
Published: April 2022

Group decision making occurs when individuals collectively choose from a set of alternatives based on individual preferences. In these ubiquitous situations, it can be helpful for decision makers to visually model and compare stakeholder preferences in order to better understand others' points of view and reach consensus. Although a number of collaboration support tools allow preference inspection in some form, they are rarely based on a comprehensive understanding of the needs of group decision makers. The goal of our work is to study these demands, develop abstractions to model them, and create a framework to inform the design and assessment of existing and future tools. First, guided by decision analysis theory, we examine a diverse set of group decision making scenarios, characterizing variations in problem formulation, analysis goals, and situational features. Second, we amalgamate these findings into data and task abstractions that can be used to relate specific scenarios to the language of visualization. Finally, we use this framework to assess existing preference visualization tools in order to shed light on areas for future work in supporting group decision making.
Characterizing Reddit Participation of Users Who Engage in the QAnon Conspiracy Theories
Authors: Engel Kristen , Hua Yiqing , Zeng Taixiang , Naaman Mor
Published: April 2022

Widespread conspiracy theories may significantly impact our society. This paper focuses on the QAnon conspiracy theory, a consequential conspiracy theory that started on and disseminated successfully through social media. Our work characterizes how Reddit users who have participated in QAnon-focused subreddits engage in activities on the platform, especially outside their own communities. Using a large-scale Reddit moderation action against QAnon-related activities in 2018 as the source, we identified 13,000 users active in the early QAnon communities. We collected the 2.1 million submissions and 10.8 million comments posted by these users across all of Reddit from October 2016 to January 2021. The majority of these users were only active after the emergence of the QAnon conspiracy theory and decreased in activity after Reddit's 2018 QAnon ban. A qualitative analysis of a sample of 915 subreddits where the "QAnon-enthusiastic" users were especially active shows that they participated in a diverse range of subreddits, often of unrelated topics to QAnon. However, most of the users' submissions were concentrated in subreddits that have sympathetic attitudes towards the conspiracy theory, characterized by discussions that were pro-Trump, or emphasized unconstricted behavior (often anti-establishment and anti-interventionist). Further study of a sample of 1,571 of these submissions indicates that most consist of links from low-quality sources, bringing potential harm to the broader Reddit community. These results point to the likelihood that the activities of early QAnon users on Reddit were dedicated and committed to the conspiracy, providing implications on both platform moderation design and future research.
Identifying User Needs for Advertising Controls on Facebook
Authors: Habib Hana , Pearman Sarah , Young Ellie , Saxena Ishika , Zhang Robert , Cranor Lorrie FaIth
Published: April 2022

We conducted an online survey and remote usability study to explore user needs related to advertising controls on Facebook and determine how well existing controls align with these needs. Our survey results highlight a range of user objectives related to controlling Facebook ads, including being able to select what ad topics are shown or what personal information is used in ad targeting. Some objectives are achievable with Facebook's existing controls, but participants seemed to be unaware of them, suggesting issues of discoverability. In our remote usability study, participants noted areas in which the usability of Facebook's advertising controls could be improved, including the location, layout, and explanation of controls. Additionally, we found that users could be categorized into four groups based on their privacy concerns related to Facebook's data collection practices, objectives for controlling their ad experience, and willingness to engage with advertising controls. Our findings provide a set of user requirements for advertising controls, applicable to Facebook as well as other platforms, that would better align such controls with users' needs and expectations.
RemoteCoDe: Robotic Embodiment for Enhancing Peripheral Awareness in Remote Collaboration Tasks
Authors: Sakashita Mose , Ricci E. Andy , Arora Jatin , Guimbretière François
Published: April 2022

Collaborative design activities are often centered around physical artifacts. Depending on the design activity, this can be the model of a building, paper crafts, carving artwork, or a new circuit to be debugged and evaluated. In a typical setting, collaborators are seated around a table and divide their attention between the design artifact under review, at least one laptop supporting measurements and information foraging, and of course their collaborators. Although these activities involve complex sets of tools and configurations, people can easily work together when they are present in the same space. This is because the physical presence of a partner affords peripheral awareness to inform where the partner's attention is and what they are doing. This peripheral awareness allows collaborators to coordinate actions and manage coupling to achieve a shared task. For example, it is quite easy to know when your partner switches their focus from a breadboard to you as a request to start a face to face discussion.
'It's Problematic but I'm not Concerned': University Perspectives on Account Sharing
Authors: Wang Serena , Faklaris Cori , Lin Junchao , Dabbish Laura , Hong Jason I.
Published: April 2022

Account sharing is a common, if officially unsanctioned, practice among workgroups, but so far understudied in higher education. We interview 23 workgroup members about their account sharing practices at a U.S. university. Our study is the first to explicitly compare IT and non-IT observations of account sharing as a "normal and easy" workgroup practice, as well as to compare student practices with those of full-time employees. We contrast our results with those in prior works and offer recommendations for security design and for IT messaging. Our findings that account sharing is perceived as low risk by our participants and that security is seen as secondary to other priorities offer insights into the gap between technical affordances and social needs in an academic workplace such as this.?
ColabAR: A Toolkit for Remote Collaboration in Tangible Augmented Reality Laboratories
Authors: Villanueva Ana , Zhu Zhengzhe , Liu Ziyi , Wang Feiyang , Chidambaram Subramanian , Ramani Karthik
Published: April 2022

Current times are accelerating new technologies to provide high-quality education for remote collaboration, as well as hands-on learning. This is particularly important in the case of laboratory-based classes, which play an essential role in STEM education. In this paper, we introduce ColabAR, a toolkit that uses physical proxies to manipulate virtual objects in Tangible Augmented Reality (TAR) laboratories. ColabAR introduces haptic-based customizable interaction techniques to promote remote collaboration between students. Our toolkit provides hardware and software that enable haptic feedback to improve user experience and promote collaboration during learning. Also, we present the architecture of our cloud platform for haptic interaction that supports information sharing between students in a TAR laboratory. We performed two user studies (N=40) to test the effect of our toolkit in enriching local and remote collaborative experiences. Finally, we demonstrated that our TAR laboratory enables students' performance (i.e., lab completion rate, lab scores) to be similar to their performance in an in-person laboratory.
Eliciting Best Practices for Collaboration with Computational Notebooks
Authors: Quaranta Luigi , Calefato Fabio , Lanubile Filippo
Published: April 2022

Despite the widespread adoption of computational notebooks, little is known about best practices for their usage in collaborative contexts. In this paper, we fill this gap by eliciting a catalog of best practices for collaborative data science with computational notebooks. With this aim, we first look for best practices through a multivocal literature review. Then, we conduct interviews with professional data scientists to assess their awareness of these best practices. Finally, we assess the adoption of best practices through the analysis of 1,380 Jupyter notebooks retrieved from the Kaggle platform. Findings reveal that experts are mostly aware of the best practices and tend to adopt them in their daily work. Nonetheless, they do not consistently follow all the recommendations as, depending on specific contexts, some are deemed unfeasible or counterproductive due to the lack of proper tool support. As such, we envision the design of notebook solutions that allow data scientists not to have to prioritize exploration and rapid prototyping over writing code of quality.
GeniAuti: Toward Data-Driven Interventions to Challenging Behaviors of Autistic Children through Caregivers' Tracking
Authors: Jo Eunkyung , Park Seora , Bang Hyeonseok , Hong Youngeun , Kim Yeni , Choi Jungwon , Kim Bung Nyun , Epstein Daniel A. , Hong Hwajung
Published: April 2022

Challenging behaviors significantly impact learning and socialization of autistic children and can stress and burden their caregivers. Documentation of challenging behaviors is fundamental for identifying what environmental factors influence them, such as how others respond to a child's such behaviors. Caregiver-tracked data on their child's challenging behaviors can help clinical experts make informed recommendations about how to manage such behaviors. To support caregivers in recording their children's challenging behaviors, we developed GeniAuti, a mobile-based data-collection tool built upon a clinical data collection form to document challenging behaviors and other clinically relevant contextual information such as place, duration, intensity, and what triggers such behaviors. Through an open-ended deployment with 19 parent-child pairs and three expert collaborators, caregivers found GeniAuti valuable for (1) becoming more attentive and reflective to behavioral contexts, including their own response strategies, (2) discovering positive aspects of their children's behaviors, and (3) promoting collaboration with clinical experts around the caregiver-tracked data to develop tailored intervention strategies for their children. However, participant experiences surface challenges of logging behaviors in social circumstances, conflicting views between caregivers and clinical experts around the structured recording process, and emotional struggles resulting from recording and reflecting on intensely negative experiences. Considering the complex nature of caregiver-based health tracking and caregiver--clinician collaboration, we suggest design opportunities for facilitating negotiations between caregivers and clinicians and accounting for caregivers' emotional needs.
Sharenting and Children's Privacy in the United States: Parenting Style, Practices, and Perspectives on Sharing Young Children's Photos on Social Media
Authors: Amon Mary Jean , Kartvelishvili Nika , Bertenthal Bennett I. , Hugenberg Kurt , Kapadia Apu
Published: April 2022

Parents posting photos and other information about children on social media is increasingly common and a recent source of controversy. We investigated characteristics that predict parental sharing behavior by collecting information from 493 parents of young children in the United States on self-reported demographics, social media activity, parenting styles, children's social media engagement, and parental sharing attitudes and behaviors. Our findings indicate that most social media active parents share photos of their children online and feel comfortable doing so without their child's permission. The strongest predictor of parental sharing frequency was general social media posting frequency, suggesting that participants do not strongly differentiate between "regular" photo-sharing activities and parental sharing. Predictors of parental sharing frequency include greater social media engagement, larger social networks with norms encouraging parental sharing, more permissive and confident parenting styles, and greater social media engagement by their children. Contrasting previous research that often highlights benefits of parental sharing, our findings point to a number of risky online behaviors associated with parental sharing not previously uncovered. Implications for children's privacy and early social media exposure are discussed, including future directions for influencing parental sharing attitudes and behaviors.
Smart mobility
Authors: Choudhry Arnav
Published: April 2022

Transportation is an essential component of living in smart cities, but what would mobility in smart cities look like? This article is an overview of the opportunities and challenges presented by smart mobility.
Late N1 and postimperative negative variation analysis depending on the previous trial history in paradigms of increasing auditory complexity
Authors: Ruiz-Martínez Francisco J. , Morales-Ortiz Manuel , Gómez Carlos M.
Published: April 2022

The present study showed a higher amplitude for the late N1 and the PINV with reference to both the prediction performed in auditory paradigms of higher abstraction and the unexpected breaking of the extracted rules. Additionally, both components were modulated depending on the local probability, which would suggest that they are continuously being updated by the previous stimulus history.
Predicting Spare Parts Inventory of Hydropower Stations and Substations Based on Combined Model
Authors: Ma Zhenguo , Tang Bing , Zhang Keqi , Huang Yuming , Cao Danyi , Luo Jiaohong , Zhang Jianyong
Published: April 2022

In this paper, a combined model is proposed to predict spare parts inventory in accordance with equipment characteristics and defect elimination records. Fourier series is employed to process the periodicity of the data, autoregressive moving average (ARMA) is used to deal with the linear autocorrelation of the data, and backpropagation (BP) neural network is used to settle the nonlinearity of the data. The prediction results, comparisons, and error analyses show that the combined model is accurate and meets the practical requirements. The combined model not only fully utilizes the information contained in the data but also provides a reasonable decision basis for the procurement of spare parts, making the inventory in a safe state and saving holding costs.
Certain Concepts in Vague Graph with an Application
Authors: Shi Xiaolong , Akhoundi Maryam , Monemrad Mohammadsadegh , Agarwal Swati
Published: April 2022

Vague graphs (VGs), belonging to the FGs family, have good capabilities when faced with problems that cannot be expressed by FGs. When an element’s membership is not clear, neutrality is a good option that can be well‐supported by a VG. The previous definition limitations in irregular‐FG have led us to offer new definitions in VGs. So, in this paper, we introduce the concepts of strongly edged irregular vague graphs (SEIVGs), strongly edged totally irregular vague graphs (SETIVGs), and perfectly regular vague graphs (PRVGs) with several examples. A comparative study between SEIVGs and SETIVGs is presented. Finally, an application of vague influence digraph has been presented.
Generalized Multiphase Dynamic Modeling and Precision Interaction Force Control of a Walking Lower Limb Hydraulic Exoskeleton
Authors: Chen Shan , Lu Muye , Dong Fangfang , Liu Haijun , Tian Xiaoqing , Han Jiang
Published: April 2022

Wearable lower limb hydraulic exoskeletons can be used to augment the human performance in heavy load transportation. Nonlinear and walking phase-dependent dynamics make the lower limb hydraulic exoskeleton become difficult to be modeled. This paper presents a generalized multiphase dynamic modeling method in which the dynamic model of each walking phase can all be solved based on a general higher dimensional dynamic model and different holonomic constraints. Compared to traditional lower limb exoskeleton modeling methods where the modeling of each walking phase is done independently, the proposed method is simple and applicable to arbitrary walking phases, especially for double leg support phase (closed-chain dynamics). Based on the established dynamic models, MIMO adaptive robust cascade force controllers (ARCFC) are designed both for double leg support phase and single leg support phase to effectively address high-order nonlinearities and various modeling uncertainties in hydraulic exoskeletons. An additional torque allocation method is proposed to deal with the overactuated characteristic in double leg support. Comparative simulations are conducted to verify the excellent human-machine interaction force control performance of the proposed scheme.