bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Strategies to mitigate inequity within mandatory health insurance systems: A systematic review
Authors: Vaidya Shalvaree , Boes Stefan
Published: June 2021

Mandatory health insurance (MHI) systems carry potential inequities due to their infrastructures. However, they are difficult to categorize and compare due to a high level of global variation. Thus, we conducted a review to define MHI systems typology and set forth recommendations regarding health systems classifications. Subsequently, we also aimed to understand the strategies used within MHI systems to decrease inequity. Using a systematic literature review, we found that health system typologies tend to classify MHI systems within the overarching social health insurance category, thus using the MHI term more as a descriptor rather than an official grouping of systems. Additionally, mandatory payments toward insurance lead to vertical and horizonta\ inequities that impact health outcomes. Social benefit schemes within countries aim to mitigate these inequities, although success rates vary greatly. MHI has the potential to be highly effective in providing universal coverage, thus contributing directly to the health system goals.
Promising Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis and Prognosis Prediction
Authors: Sloan Philip , Robinson Max
Published: June 2021

Single molecule biomarkers are used extensively in head and neck pathology for diagnosis and increasingly for prognosis. Companion markers for therapy such as PDL-1 and NTRK are now finding applications in head and neck cancer care. Immunohistochemistry is an attractive option because of its rapid turnaround time and convenience but molecular testing is often necessary for validation. This chapter will focus on some selected biomarkers being developed for translational purposes. Adoptive T cell therapies are being trialled for head and neck cancer and have limited efficacy currently. Identification of biomarkers as targets is an attractive option for development, and the use of molecular sequencing to identify individual neo-antigens is a promising way forward for precision medicine approaches including adoptive T cell therapies.
Is there a Role for Neoadjuvant Targeted Therapy and Immunotherapy?
Authors: Beyaert Simon , Machiels Jean-Pascal
Published: June 2021

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in head and neck cancer is the subject of much debate. Multiple trials have shown that the concomitant addition of targeted therapies, such as cetuximab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (docetaxel, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil), results in increased toxicity. Furthermore, no apparent significant benefit has been demonstrated in small randomized studies. Additional trials are currently being conducted to investigate the role of neoadjuvant immunotherapy, such as anti-PD-(L)1 inhibitors.

On the other hand, window of opportunity studies are trials in which patients receive one investigational compound in the period between their cancer diagnosis and the start of standard therapy. The evaluation of new compounds using this approach enables translational research and provides information on molecular and clinical activity as well as predictive biomarkers.
Is there a Role for Adjuvant Targeted and Immunotherapies in Patients with Locoregionally-Advanced Head and Neck Cancer?
Authors: Harrington Kevin J.
Published: June 2021

Despite significant technical improvements in the management of patients with locoregionally-advanced head and neck cancers, too many patients fail to achieve durable remissions that ultimately translate into cures. Loco-regional recurrence and/or metastatic relapse after intensive local therapies remain the scourge of those who suffer from this disease, and the surgeons and physicians who treat them. Regrettably, until now, we have failed to develop effective adjuvant therapies that can be delivered after the completion of definitive loco-regional treatment in order to reduce the risk of disease relapse. In this chapter, approaches based on cytotoxic chemotherapy, targeted therapies directed against c-erbB/HER receptors and immune checkpoint inhibition will be discussed. Neither cytotoxic chemotherapy nor anti-HER-family targeted therapies have proven to be successful as adjuvant therapies for locoregionally-advanced head and neck cancers, but there is significant hope that anti-PD1/anti-PD-L1-targeted antibody therapies may deliver progress in this area for the first time.
Epidemiological Aspects in Nasopharyngeal Cancer
Authors: Gatta Gemma
Published: June 2021

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is an uncommon cancer. According to the Global Cancer Observatory, of the 129,000 new diagnoses in 2018, 85% has been made in the Asiatic population. In males the annual age adjusted rate of incidence (per 100,000) dramatically varied between 8 in South-Eastern Asia and <1 in Europe. In Europe (period of diagnosis 1999–2007), the annual incidence rate varied between 0.7 (South of Europe) and 0.2 (North of Europe). Incidence is three time higher in men than women. Elderly are more affected than young people. Five-year survival, from European population based cancer registries was 49% (period 1999–2007), survival was better in younger than in older patients (73% vs. 31%), prognosis was more favorable in women than men (54% vs. 47%). Geographical variation of survival was reported, with poor 5-year in the Eastern European countries (36%).

Incidence and population based survival are crucial for public health and planning clinical study. Lifestyle and environmental factors are responsible of the decreasing trend of incidence in quite all the world countries.

Being one of the rare diseases, NPC need to be centralized for diagnosis and treatment. In Europe, the European Joint Action of Rare Cancers and the European Reference Network for rare disease will play an important role to make progress and reduce geographical disparities.
NK Cells in Immunotherapy: How Important Are They?
Authors: Nerina Denaro , Merlano Marco Carlo
Published: June 2021

NK cells are able to perform multiple functions, ranging from immunosurveillance to elimination of mutated or damaged cells, through many different cytotoxic mechanisms. Their functions can be very useful for cancer immunotherapy. But to achieve the maximum support from these extraordinary cells it is necessary to know their effector mechanisms and the mechanisms that lead to their suppression. We have briefly summarized some interesting aspect of their role in immunosurveillance of cancer and metastases, the major mechanisms of cell cytotoxicity, in particular their role in antigen dependent cell cytotoxicity, and many promising strategies currently under study to improve the anticancer function of these cells.

Finally, we have taken a closer look at cell therapy in this context, comparing CAR-NK cells and CAR-T cells showing the potential advantages of the former over the latter.
Contemporary Opportunities in Nonsurgical Management of Locoregionally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Huang Shao Hui , Pilar Avinash , Li Jishi , Xu Zhiyuan , O’Sullivan Brian
Published: June 2021

The majority of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is now classified into two major types: HPV-mediated [HPV(+)] and HPV-negative [HPV(−)]. Within this paradigm, the 8th edition TNM staging system effected modification about what is considered “locally-advanced” HNSCC. Two phase-III trials (RTOG 1016 and De-ESCALATE HPV) disappointingly showed thatcetuximabis not as effective in HPV(+) oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) compared tocisplatinwith radiotherapy. The recent NRG HN002 de-escalation trial demonstrated the presence of outcome heterogeneity within “low-risk” HPV(+) OPC, some of which continue to benefit fromcisplatincombined with reduced-dose radiotherapy. Moreover, distant metastasis (DM) has consolidated its position as the leading cause of death in HPV(+) OPC and strategies to mitigate it are necessary. Unanswered questions and ongoing-emerging concepts exist in both HPV(+) and HPV– diseases. These include understanding the importance of risk under the rubric of extranodal extension (ENE), including degrees of pathological ENE (pENE), and emerging knowledge about radiologic ENE (rENE). Strategies addressing modification of biological phenomena have become paramount and includes hypoxia modification (such as smoking cessation). In addition, contemporary evidence suggests that immunotherapy improves survival in recurrent/metastatic settings, and it is now also being explored in primary disease presentations in combination with (chemo-)radiotherapy. Induction chemotherapy achieves DM reduction in nasopharyngeal cancer but has only been explored minimally in HPV(+) OPC. Evidence that loco-regional management can be de-intensified following a favorable response to induction treatment would provide an attractive option for HPV(+) OPSCC patients while also addressing risk of developing distant disease.
Current Strategies in the Treatment of Intracranial Large and Giant Aneurysms
Authors: Gmeiner Matthias , Gruber Andreas
Published: June 2021

Introduction: Very large and giant aneurysms are among the most challenging cerebrovascular pathologies in neurosurgery.

Methods: The aim of this paper is to review the current literature on the management of very large and giant aneurysms and to describe representative cases illustrating possible treatment strategies.

Results: In view of the poor natural history, active management using multiprofessional individualized approaches is required to achieve aneurysm occlusion, relief of mass effect, and obliteration of the embolic source. Both reconstructive (clipping, coiling, stent-assisted coiling, flow diversion [FD]) and deconstructive techniques (parent artery occlusion [PAO], PAO in conjunction with bypass surgery, and strategies of flow modification) are available to achieve definitive treatment with acceptable morbidity.

Conclusions: Patients harboring such lesions should be managed at high-volume cerebrovascular centers by multidisciplinary teams trained in all techniques of open and endovascular neurosurgery.
Simplified Analytical/Mechanical Procedure for Post-earthquake Safety Evaluation and Loss Assessment of Buildings
Authors: Pampanin S.
Published: June 2021

The crucial need to develop and implement simple and cost-effective repair and retrofit strategies and solutions for existing structures has been once again emphasized, if at all needed, by the recent catastrophic earthquake events. The significant socio-economic impacts of the Canterbury earthquakes sequence in 2010–2011 as well as of the “series” of independent events within few years in Italy (L’Aquila 2009; Emilia 2012; Central Italy 2016) have triggered a stepchange in the high-level approach towards the implementation of seismic risk reduction, introducing either a mandatory enforcement or significant financial incentives for a national-wide program to assess (and reduce by remedial intervention) the seismic vulnerability/capacity of the whole (non-dwelling) building stock, including safety and expected repairing costs (direct economic losses). This chapter provides an overview of the motivations, challenges and (possible) solutions for such a complex and delicate task with the intent to stimulate awareness, discussion and synergetic actions within the wider international community. Particular focus will be given to the development and on-going continuos refinement of a simplified analytical-mechanical methodology—referred to as SLaMA (Simple Lateral Mechanism Analysis) method—as part of a proposed integrated methodology for either pre- and post-earthquake safety evaluation and loss assessment of buildings, in order to support the engineering community and stakeholders through the various steps of the decision making process of risk (assessment and) reduction.
Earthquake Catastrophe Risk Modeling, Application to the Insurance Industry: Unknowns and Possible Sources of Bias in Pricing
Authors: Kohrangi M. , Papadopoulos A. N. , Kotha S. R. , Vamvatsikos D. , Bazzurro P.
Published: June 2021

Mathematical risk assessment models based on empirical data and supported by the principles of physics and engineering have been used in the insurance industry for more than three decades to support informed decisions for a wide variety of purposes, including insurance and reinsurance pricing. To supplement scarce data from historical events, these models provide loss estimates caused to portfolios of structures by simulated but realistic scenarios of future events with estimated annual rates of occurrence. The reliability of these estimates has evolved steadily from those based on the rather simplistic and, in many aspects, semi-deterministic approaches adopted in the very early days to those of the more recent models underpinned by a larger wealth of data and fully probabilistic methodologies. Despite the unquestionable progress, several modeling decisions and techniques still routinely adopted in commercial models warrant more careful scrutiny because of their potential to cause biased results. In this chapter we will address two such cases that pertain to the risk assessment for earthquakes. With the help of some illustrative but simple applications we will first motivate our concerns with the current state of practice in modeling earthquake occurrence and building vulnerability for portfolio risk assessment. We will then provide recommendations for moving towards a more comprehensive, and arguably superior, approach to earthquake risk modeling that capitalizes on the progress recently made in risk assessment of single buildings. In addition to these two upgrades, which in our opinion are ready for implementation in commercial models, we will also describe an enhancement in ground motion prediction that will certainly be considered in the models of tomorrow but is not yet ready for primetime. These changes are implemented in example applications that highlight their importance for portfolio risk assessment. Special consideration will be given to the potential bias in the Average Annual Loss estimates, which constitutes the foundation of insurance and reinsurance policies’ pricing, that may result from the application of the traditional approaches.
Damage Assessment in Italy, and Experiences After Recent Earthquakes on Reparability and Repair Costs
Authors: Di Ludovico M. , De Martino G. , Prota A. , Manfredi G. , Dolce M.
Published: June 2021

Recent devastating earthquakes outlined the importance of quantifying losses and the amount of resources needed for the reconstruction process. The restoration of public or residential buildings in the aftermath of the seismic event may significantly affect national economy. This remarks the primary role and crucial need of having accurate predictions of direct and indirect costs for reconstruction in order to plan effective risk mitigation strategies and perform reliable loss scenarios. The recent Italian seismic events have been a unique occasion to collect observational data on existing buildings. The present work, based on the Italian experience of recent earthquakes, aims at discussing the main aspects related to the damage assessment of residential buildings and reconstruction models together with the huge amount of data collected in the reconstruction processes. In particular, an in-depth analysis of the data provided by the reconstruction process of 2009 L’Aquila earthquake is reported focussing on repair and strengthening intervention costs as a function of the empirical damage,repairability issues, and assistance to population costs. The data are discussed separately for reinforced concrete and masonry residential buildings and refers about 10,100 buildings located Outside Historical Centres (OHC) and Inside Historical Centres (IHC). Finally, the criteria adopted for the definition of the building seismic risk classes at the base of the Italian guidelines for seismic risk classification of constructions are presented together with recent policies adopted in Italy in terms of fiscal deduction for strengthening interventions on private residential buildings.
The Modified Post-earthquake Damage Assessment Methodology for TCIP (TCIP-DAM-2020)
Authors: Ilki A. , Halici O. F. , Comert M. , Demir C.
Published: June 2021

Post-Earthquake damage assessment has always been one of the major challenges that both engineers and authorities face after disastrous earthquakes all around the world. Considering the number of buildings in need of inspection and the insufficient number of qualified inspectors, the availability of a thorough, quantitative and rapidly applicable damage assessment methodology is vitally important after such events. At the beginning of the new millennia, an assessment system satisfying these needs was developed for the Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool (TCIP, known as DASK in Turkey) to evaluate the damages in reinforced concrete (RC) and masonry structures. Since its enforcement, this assessment method has been successfully used after several earthquakes that took place in Turkey, such as 2011 Van Earthquake, 2011 Kutahya Earthquake, 2019 Istanbul Earthquake and 2020 Elazig Earthquake to decide the future of damaged structures to be either ‘repaired’ or ‘demolished’. Throughout the years, the number of research activities focusing on the reparability of earthquake-damaged structures has increased, which is a purposeful parameter in the determination of buildings’ future after earthquakes. Accordingly, TCIP initiated a research project with a sole aim to regulate and reevaluate the damage assessment algorithm based on the results of state-of-the-art scientific research. This chapter presents the new version of the damage assessment methodology for reinforced concrete structures which was developed for TCIP (TCIP-DAM-2020). In addition, an application of the developed damage assessment algorithm on an earthquake-damaged reinforced concrete building which was struck by Kocaeli (1999) earthquake is presented.
From Convergence to Divergence: The Compatibility of Turkish and EU Foreign Policy
Authors: Torun Zerrin
Published: June 2021

This chapter assesses the compatibility of Turkish and EU foreign policies between 1959 and 2020. Based on the analysis of key international developments and Turkey’s alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), the chapter identifies four periods that were characterized by different degrees of convergence and divergence. In the period between 1959 and 1998 compatibility was relatively high as Turkish foreign policy was guided by the goal of remaining part of the Western community of states throughout the Cold War and its immediate aftermath. Between 1999 and 2002, Turkish foreign policy became regionally more active, in a similar way to that of the EU, but produced few results. The period between 2003 and 2010, up to the Arab Spring, is identified as the ‘golden age’ of compatibility between Turkish and EU foreign policies. Turkey’s prevailing ethos of this period, i.e., relying on soft power and cooperation with neighbors, was generally in line with the EU’s foreign policy approach. Since 2011, divergences between the EU and Turkey have increased, in particular with regard to Syria, Cyprus, and the Eastern Mediterranean. As Turkey defined its norms and interests differently from the EU, its rate of alignment with the EU’s CFSP decreased remarkably. The chapter concludes by looking to the future, arguing that cooperation between the EU and Turkey is likely to focus on issues where there is strong compatibility in selected areas only, such as pandemics, counterterrorism, migration, and energy, and will be primarily based on ad hoc mechanisms.
Neoliberalism, Liberal Intergovernmentalism and EU–Turkey Relations
Authors: Tsarouhas Dimitris
Published: June 2021

This chapter investigates and explains EU–Turkey relations from the perspective of Liberal Intergovernmentalism (LI). After setting out the main premises of neoliberalism in International Relations (IR) and the three-step approach to integration espoused by LI, the chapter focuses on EU–Turkey relations over time, and by the use of concrete forms of cooperation, ranging from the Customs Union to Turkey’s membership application and the EU–Turkey Statement on migration. Based on this analysis, I argue that the transactional, issue-specific character EU–Turkey relations have assumed are unlikely to go away any time soon. Neither Turkey’s full EU accession nor a complete breakdown of relations is likely to happen, given the set of powerful economic interests binding the two sides, as well as the diversity of member states’ preferences regarding Turkey’s EU vocation.
Discourse analysis of academic debate of ethics for AGI
Authors: Graham Ross
Published: June 2021

Artificial general intelligence is a greatly anticipated technology with non-trivial existential risks, defined as machine intelligence with competence as great/greater than humans. To date, social scientists have dedicated little effort to the ethics of AGI or AGI researchers. This paper employs inductive discourse analysis of the academic literature of two intellectual groups writing on the ethics of AGI—applied and/or ‘basic’ scientific disciplines henceforth referred to as technicians (e.g., computer science, electrical engineering, physics), and philosophy-adjacent disciplines henceforth referred to as PADs (e.g., philosophy, theology, anthropology). These groups agree that AGI ethics is fundamentally about mitigating existential risk. They highlight our moral obligation to future generations, demonstrate the ethical importance of better understanding consciousness, and endorse a hybrid of deontological/utilitarian normative ethics. Technicians favor technocratic AGI governance, embrace the project of ‘solving’ moral realism, and are more deontologically inclined than PADs. PADs support a democratic approach to AGI governance, are more skeptical of deontology, consider current AGI predictions as fundamentally imprecise, and are wary of using AGI for moral fact-finding.
Fairness and fuzzy coalitions
Authors: Donnini Chiara , Pesce Marialaura
Published: June 2021

In this paper, we study the problem of a fair redistribution of resources among agents in an exchange economy á la Shitovitz (Econometrica 41:467–501, 1973), with agents’ measure space having both atoms and an atomless sector. We proceed by following the idea of Aubin (Mathematical methods of game economic theory. North-Holland, Amsterdam, New York, Oxford, 1979) to allow for partial participation of individuals in coalitions, that induces an enlargement of the set of ordinary coalitions to the so-called fuzzy or generalized coalitions. We propose a notion of fairness which, besides efficiency, imposes absence of envy towards fuzzy coalitions, and which fully characterizes competitive equilibria and Aubin-core allocations.
Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty in patients with type B2, B3, and type C glenoids: comparable clinical outcome to patients without compromised glenoid bone stock—a matched pair analysis
Authors: Loucas Rafael , Kriechling Philipp , Loucas Marios , El Nashar Rany , Gerber Christian , Wieser Karl
Published: June 2021

Background

Primarily posterior bone deficient (dysplastic) (Walch type C) or secondarily eroded (Walch type B2 or B3) glenoids represent a surgical challenge for shoulder arthroplasty. Due to the posteriorly static decentered head, reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) is often considered as the treatment of choice. The purpose of this study is to report the clinical and radiographic outcomes, complications and reoperations of RTSA for posteriorly deficient glenoids.

Materials and methods

All patients who underwent RTSA for osteoarthritis secondary to underlying glenoid deficiency (Walch type B2, B3 and C) between 2005 and 2018 (study group), were identified from our institutional shoulder arthroplasty database and gender- and age-matched to a cohort of patients with normal glenoid bone stock (control group). Longitudinal pre- and postoperative clinical [Constant–Murley (CS) score, Subjective Shoulder Value (SSV)] and radiographic outcomes were assessed.

Results

We included 188 patients (94 in each group). The median follow-up was 43 ± 26 (24–144) months in the study group and 59 ± 32 (24–124) months in the control group. The glenoid deficiency was addressed by using glenoid bone reconstruction. The surgical site complication and revision rate of RTSA in patients with bony deficient glenoids were 17% and 7%. Although glenoid loosening was slightly higher in the study group (5 vs. 2), overall no significant differences were found between the study and control groups in satisfaction scores, preoperative and postoperative absolute and relative Constant scores, complication and revision rates, respectively.

Conclusion

Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) seems to be a valuable treatment option for patients with primary (dysplasia) or secondary (wear) posterior glenoid deficiency. Although severe glenoid bone loss seems to be a risk factor for glenoid component failure, the overall complication and revision rates as well as clinical and radiographic outcome are comparable to RTSA in patients without compromised glenoid bone stock.

Level of evidence

Level III: case–control study
A single-surgeon experience in reconstruction of femoro-acetabular offset and implant positioning in direct anterior approach and anterolateral MIS approach with a curved short stem
Authors: Luger Matthias , Hochgatterer Rainer , Klotz Matthias C. , Allerstorfer Jakob , Gotterbarm Tobias , Schauer Bernhard
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Minimally invasive surgery using short stems in total hip arthroplasty gained more popularity. The differences in change of hip offset and implant positioning in minimally invasive approaches are not fully known. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the difference in reconstruction of hip offset and implant positioning in direct anterior approach (DAA) and minimally invasive anterolateral approach (AL MIS).

Methods

A single surgeon series of 117 hips (117 patients; mean age 65.54 years ± 11.47; index surgery 2014–2018) were included and allocated into two groups: group A (DAA) with 70 hips and Group B (AL MIS) with 47 patients operated. In both groups the same type of cementless curved short hip stem and press fit cup was used.

Results

Both groups showed an equal statistically significant increase of femoral (p < 0.001) and decrease of acetabular offset (p < 0.001). Between both groups no statistically significant difference in offset reconstruction, leg length difference or implant positioning could be found. Leg length increased in both groups significantly and leg length discrepancy showed no difference (group A: − 0.06 mm; group B: 1.11 mm; p < 0.001). A comparable number of cups were positioned outside the target zone regarding cup anteversion.

Conclusion

The usage of a curved short stem shows an equal reconstruction of femoro-acetabular offset, leg length and implant positioning in both MIS approaches. The results of this study show comparable results to the existing literature regarding change of offset and restoration of leg length. Malposition of the acetabular component regarding anteversion poses a risk.
Reinterventions following laparoscopic cholecystectomy and bile duct exploration. A review of prospective data from 5740 patients
Authors: Ng Hwei Jene , Nassar Ahmad H. M.
Published: June 2021

Background

Complications following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and common bile duct exploration (CBDE) for the management of gallstones or choledocholithiasis impact negatively on patients’ quality of life and may lead to reinterventions. This study aims to evaluate the causes and types of reintervention following index admission LC with or without CBDE.

Methods

A prospectively maintained database of LC and CBDE performed by a single surgeon was analysed. Preoperative factors, difficulty grading and perioperative complications requiring reintervention and readmissions were examined.

Results

Reinterventions were required in 112 of 5740 patients (2.0%), 89 (1.6%) being subsequent to complications. The reintervention cohort had a median age of 64 years, were more likely to be females (p < 0.0023) and to be emergency admissions (67.9%,p < 0.00001) with obstructive jaundice (35.7%,p < 0.00001). 46.4% of the reintervention cohort had a LC operative difficulty grade IV or V and 65.2% underwent a CBDE. Open conversion was predictive of the potential for reintervention (p < 0.00001). The most common single cause of reintervention was retained stones (0.5%) requiring ERCP followed by bile leakage (0.3%) requiring percutaneous drainage, ERCP and relaparoscopy. Relaparoscopy was necessary in 17 patients and open surgery in 13, 6 of whom not resulting from complications. There were 5 deaths.

Conclusion

This large series had a low incidence of reinterventions resulting from complications in spite of a high workload of index admission surgery for biliary emergencies and bile duct stones. Surgical or endoscopic reinterventions following LC alone occurred in only 0.8%. The most common form of reintervention was ERCP for retained CBD stones. This important outcome parameter of laparoscopic biliary surgery can be optimised through early diagnosis and timely reintervention for complications.
Cumulant–Cumulant Relations in Free Probability Theory from Magnus’ Expansion
Authors: Celestino Adrian , Ebrahimi-Fard Kurusch , Patras Frédéric , Perales Daniel
Published: June 2021

Relations between moments and cumulants play a central role in both classical and non-commutative probability theory. The latter allows for several distinct families of cumulants corresponding to different types of independences: free, Boolean and monotone. Relations among those cumulants have been studied recently. In this work, we focus on the problem of expressing with a closed formula multivariate monotone cumulants in terms of free and Boolean cumulants. In the process, we introduce various constructions and statistics on non-crossing partitions. Our approach is based on a pre-Lie algebra structure on cumulant functionals. Relations among cumulants are described in terms of the pre-Lie Magnus expansion combined with results on the continuous Baker–Campbell–Hausdorff formula due to A. Murua.
Effect of Suboptimal Neuromuscular Control on the Risk of Massive Wear in Total Knee Replacement
Authors: Viceconti Marco , Curreli Cristina , Bottin Francesca , Davico Giorgio
Published: June 2021

The optimal neuromuscular control (muscle activation strategy that minimises the consumption of metabolic energy) during level walking is very close to that which minimises the force transmitted through the joints of the lower limbs. Thus, any suboptimal control involves an overloading of the joints. Some total knee replacement patients adopt suboptimal control strategies during level walking; this is particularly true for patients with co-morbidities that cause neuromotor control degeneration, such as Parkinson’s Disease (PD). The increase of joint loading increases the risk of implant failure, as reported in one study in PD patients (5.44% of failures at 9 years follow-up). One failure mode that is directly affected by joint loading is massive wear of the prosthetic articular surface. In this study we used a validated patient-specific biomechanical model to estimate how a severely suboptimal control could increase the wear rate of total knee replacements. Whereas autopsy-retrieved implants from non-PD patients typically show average polyethylene wear of 17 mm3 per year, our simulations suggested that a severely suboptimal control could cause a wear rate as high as of 69 mm3 per year. Assuming the risk of implant failure due to massive wear increase linearly with the wear rate, a severely suboptimal control could increase the risk associated to that failure mode from 0.1% to 0.5%. Based on these results, such increase would not be not sufficient to justify alone the higher incidence rate of revision in patients affected by Parkinson’s Disease, suggesting that other failure modes may be involved.
Analysis on the economic effect of Sino-US trade friction from the perspective of added value
Authors: Zhu Zhu , Zheng Hang , Zhu Zhu
Published: June 2021

Based on the theory of trade added value, this paper discusses the potential actual trade scale and benefit damage degree of the two countries under the background of big country game by measuring the real trade scale of China and the USA, simulating the economic impact of tariffs imposed by China and the USA and utilizing Wang–Wei–Zhu (WWZ) method to decompose the potential changes in Sino-US trade. The results show that: firstly, the size of China-US trade in terms of total value is significantly overestimated and China's overall trade with the USA in 2001–2014 was overestimated by an average of 3.06 percent, of which goods trade was overestimated by 8.06 percent. Secondly, although tariff increases can reduce the degree of trade imbalance between China and the USA to some extent, the adverse effects are mutual and global, and the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japan and Canada become the main transfer countries of Sino-US trade. Thirdly, the pattern of China's final exports and the US' intermediate exports determines that China's trade interests are more damaged than those of the USA. It is proved that there is a big gap between China and the USA in the depth and breadth of China's participation in the value chain division of labor and the trade scale measured by Gross Domestic Product is more instructive than the total value.
The duration of word-final s in English: A comparison of regular-plural and pluralia-tantum nouns
Authors: Schlechtweg Marcel , Corbett Greville G.
Published: June 2021

The alveolar fricative occurs in word-final position in English in different grammatical functions. Nominal suffixes may indicate plurality (e.g.cars), genitive case (e.g.car’s) or plurality and genitive case in cumulation (e.g.cars’). Further, there are the third person singular verbal suffix (e.g.she fears) and the cliticized forms of the third person singular forms ofhaveandbe(e.g.she’s been lucky;she’s friendly). There is also non-affixals(e.g.freeze(noun)). Against the standard view that all these types are homophonous, several empirical studies have shown that at least some of the fricatives listed can actually be differentiated in their duration. The present article expands this line of research and considers a further case, which has not been included in previous analyses: pluralia-tantum nouns (e.g.goggles). We report on a carefully controlled reading study in which native speakers of British English produced pluralia-tantum and comparable regular-plural nouns (e.g.toggles). The duration of the word-final fricative was measured, and it was found that the two do not systematically differ in this acoustic parameter. The new data are interpreted in comparison to relevant previous studies, and against the background of the similarities of pluralia-tantum and regular-plural nouns.
Collective preference learning in the best-of-n problem
Authors: Crosscombe Michael , Lawry Jonathan
Published: June 2021

Decentralised autonomous systems rely on distributed learning to make decisions and to collaborate in pursuit of a shared objective. For example, in swarm robotics the best-of-n problem is a well-known collective decision-making problem in which agents attempt to learn the best option out of n possible alternatives based on local feedback from the environment. This typically involves gathering information about all n alternatives while then systematically discarding information about all but the best option. However, for applications such as search and rescue in which learning the ranking of options is useful or crucial, best-of-n decision-making can be wasteful and costly. Instead, we investigate a more general distributed learning process in which agents learn a preference ordering over all of the n options. More specifically, we introduce a distributed rank learning algorithm based on three-valued logic. We then use agent-based simulation experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of this model. In this context, we show that a population of agents are able to learn a total ordering over the n options and furthermore the learning process is robust to evidential noise. To demonstrate the practicality of our model, we restrict the communication bandwidth between the agents and show that this model is also robust to limited communications whilst outperforming a comparable probabilistic model under the same communication conditions.
Positive Solutions for Singular Anisotropic (p, q)-Equations
Authors: Papageorgiou Nikolaos S. , Winkert Patrick
Published: June 2021

In this paper, we consider a Dirichlet problem driven by an anisotropic (p, q)-differential operator and a parametric reaction having the competing effects of a singular term and of a superlinear perturbation. We prove a bifurcation-type theorem describing the changes in the set of positive solutions as the parameter moves. Moreover, we prove the existence of a minimal positive solution and determine the monotonicity and continuity properties of the minimal solution map.
The Supreme Court as an electoral issue: evidence from three studies
Authors: Badas Alex , Simas Elizabeth
Published: June 2021

Judicial nominations, particularly those to the Supreme Court, have been a salient topic in recent presidential and senate elections. However, there has been little research to determine whether judicial nominations motivate political behavior. Across three studies we demonstrate the important role judicial nominations play in influencing political behavior. In Study 1, we analyze the extent to which voters perceive judicial nominations as an important electoral issue. We find that Republicans—and especially strong Republicans—are more likely to perceive judicial nominations as important. In Study 2, we analyze how congruence with an incumbent Senator's judicial confirmation votes influences voters’ decision to vote for the incumbent. We find that congruence with a Senator's judicial confirmation votes is a strong predictor of vote choice. Finally, in Study 3, we analyze data from an original conjoint experiment aimed at simulating a Senate primary election where voters must select among co-partisans. We find that Republican subjects are more likely to select a primary candidate who prioritizes confirming conservative Supreme Court nominees. Among Democratic subjects, however, we find that Democratic candidates who prioritize the Court might actually suffer negative electoral consequences. Overall, our results demonstrate the importance of judicial nominations as an electoral issue.
Making Do: How a Somali Refugee Woman Experiences Social Mobility Amidst Precarity in Transit in Indonesia
Authors: Missbach Antje , Cameron Trish
Published: June 2021

This article presents an account of Faduma, a Somali woman currently living in Jakarta, Indonesia, in order to illustrate the creativity, resilience and adaptability required to make do as a refugee with little to no formal support in a rather hostile environment. For Faduma, Indonesia presents such an environment. As it offers no formal protection for asylum seekers and refugees and only tolerates their temporary presence without guaranteeing them any fundamental rights, such as the right to work, it can be characterised as a ‘deviant destination’ for refugees in search of durable and effective solutions. This article analyses Faduma's strategies, embedded in the macro-political context of forced migration, the Global North's externalised border policies, the absence of safe pathways, and the lack of proper refugee protection in Southeast Asia, for finding informal employment, attaining new skills and education, and forming strategic friendships with Indonesians and expatriates as a means of dealing with racism, exploitation and multifaceted precarity. We selected Faduma's case from amongst a number of encounters that we had with Somali refugees in Indonesia because of her extraordinary involvement with the Somali community. While the current toleration of refugee activities by Indonesian authorities enables refugees to survive in transit, we argue that such unintentional and informal protection is not a durable approach for larger groups of refugees enduring prolonged periods of waiting.
The Application of Electromagnetic Induction Methods to Reveal the Hydrogeological Structure of a Riparian Wetland
Authors: McLachlan Paul , Blanchy Guillaume , Chambers Jonathan , Sorensen James , Uhlemann Sebastian , Wilkinson Paul , Binley Andrew
Published: June 2021

Understanding ecologically sensitive wetlands often requires non‐invasive methods to characterize their complex structure (e.g., deposit heterogeneity) and hydrogeological parameters (e.g., porosity and hydraulic conductivity). Here, electrical conductivities of a riparian wetland were obtained using frequency domain electromagnetic induction (EMI) methods. The wetland was previously characterized by extensive intrusive measurements and 3D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys and hence offers an ideal opportunity to objectively assess EMI methods. Firstly, approaches to obtain structural information (e.g., elevation and thickness of alluvium) from EMI data and inverted models were assessed. Regularized and sharp inversion algorithms were investigated for ERT calibrated EMI data. Moreover, the importance of EMI errors in inversion was investigated. The hydrological information content was assessed using correlations with piezometric data and petrophysical models. It was found that EMI data were dominated by the thickness of peaty alluvial soils and relatively insensitive to topography and total alluvial thickness. Furthermore, although error weighting in the inversion improved the accuracy of alluvial soil thickness predictions, the multi‐linear regression method performed the best. For instance, an iso‐conductivity method to estimate the alluvial soil thickness in the regularized models had a normalized mean absolute difference (NMAD) of 21.4%, and although this performed better than the sharp inversion algorithm (NMAD = 65.3%), the multi‐linear regression approach (using 100 intrusive observations) achieved a NMAD = 18.0%. In terms of hydrological information content, correlations between EMI results and piezometric data were poor, however robust relationships between petrophysically derived porosity and hydraulic conductivity were observed for the alluvial soils and gravels.
The GEOHealth Hub for Eastern Africa: Contributions and Lessons Learned
Authors: Wipfli Heather , Kumie Abera , Atuyambe Lynn , Oguge Otienoh , Rugigana Etienne , Zacharias Kristin , Simane Belay , Samet Jonathan , Berhane Kiros
Published: June 2021

Externalities, such as air pollution and increased occupational hazards, resulting from global trends in climate change, rapid industrialization, and rapidly increasing populations are raising global concerns about the associated health risks. The Global Environmental and Occupational Health Hub for Eastern Africa was established to address some of these problems at national and regional levels through focused training and applied research that would yield evidence supporting policies and investments to mitigate risks of increasing environmental threats throughout the Eastern African region. Emphasis has been placed on air pollution, a leading risk factor for global mortality, accounting for over 7 million premature deaths or 8.7% of the 2017 global mortality burden. Despite the enormous disease burden that air pollution causes, global investment in air pollution monitoring and research capacity building in low‐middle and middle‐income countries have been inadequate. This study outlines the activities the Hub has undertaken in planning for and carrying out its initial capacity building and building its primary research programs and identifies central lessons that can inform other large global research partnerships.
Key considerations for assessing soil ingestion exposures among agricultural workers
Authors: Lupolt Sara N. , Agnew Jacqueline , Burke Thomas A. , Kennedy Ryan David , Nachman Keeve E.
Published: June 2021

Background

Soil ingestion is a critical, yet poorly characterized route of exposure to contaminants, particularly for agricultural workers who have frequent, direct contact with soil.

Objective

This qualitative investigation aims to identify and characterize key considerations for translating agricultural workers’ soil ingestion experiences into recommendations to improve traditional exposure science tools for estimating soil ingestion.

Methods

We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with 16 fruit and vegetable growers in Maryland to characterize their behaviors and concerns regarding soil contact in order to characterize the nature of soil ingestion in the agricultural context.

Results

We identified and discussed four emergent themes: (1) variability in growers’ descriptions of soil and dust, (2) variability in growers’ soil contact, (3) growers’ concerns regarding soil contact, (4) growers’ practices to modify soil contact. We also identified environmental and behavioral factors and six specific agricultural tasks that may impact soil ingestion rates.

Significance

Our investigation fills an important gap in occupational exposure science methodology by providing four key considerations that should be integrated into indirect measurement tools for estimating soil ingestion rates in the agricultural context. Specifically, a task-based framework may provide a structure for future investigations of soil contact that may be useful in other populations.
Altered levels of interleukins and neurotrophic growth factors in mood disorders and suicidality: an analysis from periphery to central nervous system
Authors: Gadad Bharathi S. , Vargas-Medrano Javier , Ramos Enrique Ivan , Najera Katherine , Fagan Matthew , Forero Angelica , Thompson Peter M.
Published: June 2021

Interleukins and neurotrophins levels are altered in the periphery of patients with major depression and suicidal behavior, however it is not clear if similar abnormalities occur in the central nervous system. Our objective was to examine the association of IL-6, IL-1β, BDNF, and GDNF levels between postmortem plasma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and brain tissue in a heterogeneous diagnostic subject groups including normal controls, mood disorders only, mood disorders with AUD/SUD (alcohol abuse disorder, substance abuse disorder), and AUD/SUD without mood disorders. To address these questions we collected postmortem plasma (n = 29), CSF (n = 28), and brain (BA10) (n = 57) samples from individuals with mood disorder, mood disorder with AUD/SUD, AUD/SUD and normal controls. These samples were analyzed using a multiplex based luminex assay with a customized 4-plex cytokine/interleukins- IL-6, IL-1β, BDNF, and GDNF human acute phase based on xMAP technology platform. Protein levels were determined using a Luminex 200 instrument equipped with Xponent-analyzing software. We observed IL-6 (p = 2.1e-07), and GDNF (p = 0.046) were significantly correlated between brain and CSF. In addition, IL-6 (p = 0.031), were significantly correlated between brain and plasma. Overall diagnostic group analysis showed a significant difference with brain GDNF, p = 0.0106. Pairwise comparisons showed that GDNF level is—39.9 ± 12 pg/ml, p = 0.0106, was significantly higher than in the brains derived from mood disorders compared to normal controls, —23.8 ± 5.5 pg/ml, p = 0.034. Brain BDNF was higher in suicide (p = 0.0023), males compared to females (p = 0.017), and psychiatric medication treated vs. non-treated (p = 0.005) individuals. Overall, we demonstrate that blood IL-6, GDNF and BDNF could be informative peripheral biomarkers of brain biology associated with mood disorders, substance disorders, and suicide.