bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Contributions of Social Factors to Disparities in Prostate Cancer Risk Profiles among Black Men and Non-Hispanic White Men with Prostate Cancer in California
Authors: Press David J. , Shariff-Marco Salma , Lichtensztajn Daphne Y. , Lauderdale Diane , Murphy Adam B. , Inamdar Pushkar P. , DeRouen Mindy C. , Hamilton Ann S. , Yang Juan , Lin Katherine , Hedeker Donald , Haiman Christopher A. , Cheng Iona , Gomez Scarlett Lin
Published: December 2021

Background:

Black men are more likely than Non-Hispanic White (NHW) men to be diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer. We examined the extent to which social factors were associated with differences in prostate cancer risk profiles between Black men and NHW men [using a modification to the original D'Amico risk groups based on prostate specific antigen (PSA), Gleason score (GS), and TNM stage (stage)], based on individual and combined clinicopathologic characteristics.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional population-based study of 23,555 Black men and 146,889 NHW men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the California Cancer Registry from 2004 to 2017. We conducted multivariable logistic regression to examine the association of year of diagnosis, block group-level neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES), marital status, and insurance type on differences in prostate cancer risk profiles between Black and NHW men.

Results:

High PSA (>20 ng/mL), GS, stage, individually and combined prostate cancer risk profiles were more common among Black men versus NHW men. In fully adjusted models, relative to NHW men, we observed a persistent 67% increased odds of high PSA among Black men. nSES was the factor most strongly associated with racial disparity in high PSA, accounting for 25% of the difference. Marital status was the factor that was second most associated with a racial disparity.

Conclusions:

nSES was the factor most strongly associated with racial disparities in high PSA prostate cancer.

Impact:

The influence of nSES on racial disparities in PSA, GS, stage, and prostate cancer risk profiles warrants further consideration.
KAT6A and ENL Form an Epigenetic Transcriptional Control Module to Drive Critical Leukemogenic Gene-Expression Programs
Authors: Yan Fangxue , Li Jinyang , Milosevic Jelena , Petroni Ricardo , Liu Suying , Shi Zhennan , Yuan Salina , Reynaga Janice M. , Qi Yuwei , Rico Joshua , Yu Sixiang , Liu Yiman , Rokudai Susumu , Palmisiano Neil , Meyer Sara E. , Sung Pamela J. , Wan Liling , Lan Fei , Garcia Benjamin A. , Stanger Ben Z. , Sykes David B. , Blanco M. Andrés
Published: December 2021

Epigenetic programs are dysregulated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and help enforce an oncogenic state of differentiation arrest. To identify key epigenetic regulators of AML cell fate, we performed a differentiation-focused CRISPR screen in AML cells. This screen identified the histone acetyltransferase KAT6A as a novel regulator of myeloid differentiation that drives critical leukemogenic gene-expression programs. We show that KAT6A is the initiator of a newly described transcriptional control module in which KAT6A-catalyzed promoter H3K9ac is bound by the acetyl-lysine reader ENL, which in turn cooperates with a network of chromatin factors to induce transcriptional elongation. Inhibition of KAT6A has strong anti-AML phenotypes in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that KAT6A small-molecule inhibitors could be of high therapeutic interest for mono-therapy or combinatorial differentiation-based treatment of AML.

Significance:

AML is a poor-prognosis disease characterized by differentiation blockade. Through a cell-fate CRISPR screen, we identified KAT6A as a novel regulator of AML cell differentiation. Mechanistically, KAT6A cooperates with ENL in a “writer–reader” epigenetic transcriptional control module. These results uncover a new epigenetic dependency and therapeutic opportunity in AML.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 587
Evaluation of Psoriasis Area and Severity Index Thresholds as Proxies for Systemic Inflammation on an Individual Patient Level
Authors: Hoffmann Jochen H.O. , Enk Alexander H.
Published: December 2021

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic and systemic inflammatory disease with a loss of up to 5 life years, which is thought to be reduced by biologic treatment. Disease severity and eligibility for systemic treatment are often based on the cutaneous psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) with a cut-off of 10 in several European countries. However, it is unclear how well this cut-off reflects systemic inflammation and, consequently, the risk for the development of comorbidity. Objectives: (1) To assess whether specific PASI thresholds, in particular PASI 10, predict elevated biomarkers of systemic inflammation and cardiovascular risk on an individual patient level. (2) To assess the association of PASI and psoriatic arthritis with biomarkers of systemic inflammation and cardiovascular risk. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study of 72 psoriasis patients without systemic treatment. Results: Overall, 68, 42, and 50% of patients had cardiovascular risk level neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein, and elevated platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) values, respectively. The respective positive predictive values of PASI 10 were 70, 45, and 70. The performance of the optimal PASI cut-offs according to the Youden index was similarly weak. Subgrouping of patients with a PASI below 10 did not result in a considerably improved reflection of systemic inflammation. PLR was significantly higher in patients with moderate-to-severe compared to mild psoriasis and significantly correlated with PASI in patients with a PASI above 2 (rs = 0.266, n = 64). NLR was significantly higher in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Conclusion: Specific PASI thresholds were not well suited to predict elevated biomarkers of systemic inflammation and cardiovascular risk on an individual patient level. Therefore, PASI, and possibly other purely cutaneous measures, may not be ideal as stand-alone parameters to define disease severity and eligibility for systemic treatment. Our results are relevant for the ongoing discussion on the definition of psoriasis severity and eligibility for systemic treatment. Further research addressing the added value of a set of biomarkers of systemic inflammation in the assessment of psoriasis severity would be desirable.
Gregariousness and intraspecific aggression in Iberian bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula iberiae) throughout the year
Authors: Hernández Ángel
Published: December 2021

This study provides novel information about gregariousness and intraspecific aggression in Iberian bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula iberiae) in northwestern Spain. Small monospecific parties never exceeding 10 individuals were seen throughout the year, larger in winter on average. Males considerably outnumbered females within the groups. Adult flocks were frequent only in winter. In spring, many of the adult groups were mixed-sex assemblages composed of pairs plus supernumerary males. Sightings of juvenile groups, up to seven individuals, were common in summer–autumn. The vigilance role in mixed-sex assemblages, including pairs, appeared to be the responsibility of males based on sex-specific vigilance rates. The highest frequency of aggressive encounters, mainly male against male, occurred during the breeding season, associated with mate defence. Females attacked males, not the contrary, which supports reversed sexual dominance in bullfinches. Gregariousness probably acted as an anti-predatory and foraging strategy.
Onomasiological Profiles of Old English Texts
Authors: Porck Thijs
Published: December 2021

This article discusses proof-of-concept research into the structure of the vocabularies of three Old English texts, Beowulf, Andreas and the Old English Martyrology. With the help of the Web application Evoke, which makes A Thesaurus of Old English (TOE) available in Linguistic Linked Data form, the words that occur in these three texts have been tagged within the existing onomasiological structure of TOE. This tagging process has resulted in prototypes of ‘textual thesauri’ for each of the three texts; such thesauri allow researchers to analyse the ‘onomasiological profile’ of a text, using the statistical tools that are built into Evoke. Since the same overarching structure has been used for all three texts, these texts can now be compared on an onomasiological level. As the article demonstrates, this comparative approach gives rise to novel research questions, as new and distinctive patterns of vocabulary use come to the surface. The semantic fields discussed include “War” and “Animals”.
Mapping Conceptual Variation through A Thesaurus of Old English and Evoke
Authors: Khan Fahad , Díaz-Vera Javier E. , Minaya Gómez Francisco Javier , Cruz González Rafael , Monachini Monica
Published: December 2021

The topic of figurative language in Old English (OE) has recently become the focus of substantial research. In this article, the authors will describe work on the semantic description of the lexicon of shame words in OE and in particular the taxonomical organisation of this lexicon on the basis of different kinds of semantic mappings (metonymic, metaphorical). Next, they will explore the use of the Evoke platform as a means of visualising and navigating this lexicon and show how it can be used to enrich A Thesaurus of Old English (TOE). The authors also describe ongoing work on the modelling and publication of this data as a linked data resource consisting of a lexicon and a taxonomy in SKOS of different kinds of metaphoric/metonymic sense shifts.
Statistical gender indexicality in the grammar of vernacular Arabic varieties
Authors: Vicente Ángeles
Published: December 2021

This paper studies how gender indexicality occurs in some vernacular Arabic varieties, as a phenomenon linked to linguistic variation. Its objective is to test the types of gender indexicality found in this context, and to describe the areas of grammar where they are applied, particularly concerning phonology and morphology. To do this, several different contexts within the Arabic-speaking communities have been analysed since the indexed form strictly depends on the background and may not be understood without an in-depth analysis of the social and cultural circumstances surrounding the speech-act. The analysed data, coming from specialized literature and fieldwork, show that some variants tend to index the gender of the speaker more than that of the addressee. Furthermore, gender indexicality in contexts of variation shows more often sex-preferential tendencies rather than sex-exclusive tendencies.
Consolidated Advantage: New Organizational Dynamics of Wage Inequality
Authors: Wilmers Nathan , Aeppli Clem
Published: December 2021

The two main axes of inequality in the U.S. labor market—occupation and workplace—have increasingly consolidated. In 1999, the largest share of employment at high-paying workplaces was blue-collar production workers, but by 2017 it was managers and professionals. As such, workers benefiting from a high-paying workplace are increasingly those who already benefit from membership in a high-paying occupation. Drawing on occupation-by-workplace data, we show that up to two-thirds of the rise in wage inequality since 1999 can be accounted for not by occupation or workplace inequality alone, but by this increased consolidation. Consolidation is not primarily due to outsourcing or to occupations shifting across a fixed set of workplaces. Instead, consolidation has resulted from new bases of workplace pay premiums. Workplace premiums associated with teams of professionals have increased, while premiums for previously high-paid blue-collar workers have been cut. Yet the largest source of consolidation is bifurcation in the social sector, whereby some previously low-paying but high-professional share workplaces, like hospitals and schools, have deskilled their jobs, while others have raised pay. Broadly, the results demonstrate an understudied way that organizations affect wage inequality: not by directly increasing variability in workplace or occupation premiums, but by consolidating these two sources of inequality.
CXCL12/CXCR4 Mediates Orthodontic Root Resorption via Regulating the M1/M2 Ratio
Authors: Fang X.Y. , Zhan Y.X. , Zhou X.M. , Wu L.N. , Lin J. , Yi Y.T. , Jiang C.M. , Wang J. , Liu J.
Published: December 2021

Mechanical force–induced external root resorption is a major clinical side effect of orthodontic treatment. Recent work has revealed that M1 macrophages play a vital role in promoting orthodontic root resorption (ORR), but the mechanism of how mechanical force stimulation increases the M1/M2 macrophage ratio in periodontal tissue is poorly understood. In the current study, we showed that C-X-C motif chemokine 12 (CXCL12)+ periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) and C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4)+ monocytes in the periodontal ligament (PDL) were significantly increased after force application with ongoing root resorption, and these effects were partially rescued after force removal in mice. The expression of CXCL12 in PDLCs was increased by force stimulation in a time- and intensity-dependent manner in vitro. Blockage of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis using CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 was sufficient to alleviate ORR and reverse the force-enhanced M1/M2 macrophage ratio. Further mechanism exploration showed that Ly6Chi inflammatory monocytes homed in a CXCL12/CXCR4 axis-dependent manner. The number and proportion of CD11b+ Ly6Chi inflammatory monocytes in cervical lymph nodes were significantly increased by force loading, accompanied by decreased CD11b+ Ly6Chi monocytes in the blood. These changes were blunted by intraperitoneal injection of AMD3100. In addition, blockage of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis effectively reversed M2 suppression and promoted M1 polarization. Collectively, results indicate that force-induced CXCL12/CXCR4 axis mediates ORR by increasing the M1/M2 ratio in periodontal tissues through attracting Ly6Chi inflammatory monocytes and modulating macrophage polarization. The results also imply that AMD3100 is potentially inhibitory to root resorption.
Practice Characteristics of Pediatric Otolaryngology Same-Day Appointments
Authors: Berg Jenna , Tu Alexander , Jones Dwight , Geelan-Hansen Katie
Published: December 2021

Objectives

This study aims to assess characteristics of same-day clinic appointments in a pediatric population at an academic otolaryngology practice.

Methods

Retrospective chart review of patients aged 18 or younger who had same-day clinic appointments between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018, at a single academic institution. Demographic data, diagnosis(es), procedures, and operations completed were included in the analysis.

Results

There were 363 same-day visits by 322 patients in the 3-year study period. Two hundred sixty-nine (269) of these visits were from new patients. Otitis media and rhinosinusitis were the most frequently coded diagnoses. One hundred forty-four (144) procedures were completed the day of the visit and 169 operations were performed as a result of the same-day visit. If the patient had a procedure or operation performed, they were more likely to have been referred by another provider.

Conclusions

Providing same-day appointments can help provide timely and appropriate otolaryngology specialty care to pediatric patients. Further evaluation is needed to determine the effects on patient satisfaction as well as no-show rates.
Bone metastases with post-treatment intralesional fatty content of the spine: imaging features from T1-weighted imaging with CT finding correlations
Authors: Park Sekyoung , Huh Jin Do
Published: December 2021

Background

Despite post-treatment intralesional fatty content (PIFAT) in bone metastases indicating a healing processes after treatment, the imaging features of PIFAT have not been studied in detail.

Purpose

To analyze imaging features from T1-weighted (T1W) imaging with computed tomography (CT) finding correlations in bone metastases with PIFAT of the spine.

Material and Methods

A total of 29 bone metastases with PIFAT were analyzed with T1W and CT images before and after treatment. On T1W imaging after treatment, the lesions were categorized into three types according to fat distribution patterns. CT attenuation changes after treatment were also evaluated. According to the MD Anderson (MDA) criteria, response types for all lesions were obtained on magnetic resonance (MR) and CT images.

Results

The types from T1W imaging in bone metastases with PIFAT were as follows: 14 with a return to totally normal marrow signal intensity within the lesion; 13 with an inhomogeneous patchy pattern in the lesion; and two with a peripheral halo of fatty marrow or peripheral fat signal intensity foci in the lesion. Among bone metastases with PIFAT, 93.1% showed osteosclerotic changes in this study. According to the MDA criteria, the concordance between the response types of the MR and CT images was 57.2%.

Conclusion

Knowledge of imaging features from T1W imaging with CT correlation in bone metastases with PIFAT is important for the accurate interpretation of post-treatment MR and CT studies. Both MR and CT images have a complementary value regarding the post-treatment evaluation of bone metastases with PIFAT.
How to Lay Bricks: Local-Global Alignment Predicts Preference for Shifted Tile Patterns
Authors: Friedenberg Jay , Martin Preston , Khurram Aimen , Kvapil Mackenzie
Published: December 2021

We examine the aesthetic characteristics of row tile patterns defined by repeating strips of polygons. In experiment 1 participants rated the perceived beauty of equilateral triangle, square and rectangular tilings presented at vertical and horizontal orientations. The tiles were shifted by one-fourth increments of a complete row cycle. Shifts that preserved global symmetry were liked the most. Local symmetry by itself did not predict ratings but tilings with a greater number of emergent features did. In a second experiment we presented row tiles using all types of three- and four-sided geometric figures: acute, obtuse, isosceles and right triangles, kites, parallelograms, a rhombus, trapezoid, and trapezium. Once again, local polygon symmetry did not predict responding but measures of correspondence between local and global levels did. In particular, number of aligned polygon symmetry axes and number of aligned polygon sides were significantly and positively correlated with beauty ratings. Preference was greater for more integrated tilings, possibly because they encourage the formation of gestalts and exploration within and across levels of spatial scale.
Scaling trends for balance-of-system costs at land-based wind power plants: Opportunities for innovations in foundation and erection
Authors: Key Alicia , Roberts Owen , Eberle Annika
Published: December 2021

Wind power plant sizes, hub heights, and turbine ratings have increased since 2008 to optimize the cost and performance of wind power; however, the limits of these economies of scale remain unclear. Here, we explore how the costs incurred to install turbines at a wind power plant—the balance-of-system (BOS) costs—scale with turbine rating, hub height, and plant size. We also investigate how these changes in BOS costs influence the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). We show that increasing the plant size from 150 to 400 MW could reduce the BOS costs by 21%. We also show that if the foundation costs decreased by 50%, building a wind power plant with 5-MW turbines (having rotor diameters of 166 m and hub heights of 120 m) could decrease the LCOE by 5%. These results could help inform future BOS cost-reduction opportunities and thereby reduce future capital costs for land-based wind power.
Sexual Violence Victimization of U.S. Males: Negative Health Conditions Associated with Rape and Being Made to Penetrate
Authors: Smith Sharon G. , Chen Jieru , Lowe Ashley N. , Basile Kathleen C.
Published: December 2021

Sexual violence is a significant public health problem with long-term health implications. Previous investigations of male victimization have often relied on nongeneralizable samples to examine the health consequences of rape. Furthermore, made to penetrate (MTP) victimization has received very little attention as a specific form of sexual violence. Using data from the 2010 to 2012 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, we examined negative impacts (e.g., injury) and health conditions associated with experiences of rape and MTP among male victims in the United States. Results indicate that approximately 1 in 4 victims of rape-only and 1 in 12 victims of MTP-only reported physical injuries. An estimated 62.7% of rape-only victims and 59.8% of MTP-only victims reported at least one impact due to the perpetrator’s violence. Rape victims were significantly more likely than non-rape victims to report 2 of 11 health conditions measured, while MTP victims had greater odds of reporting 6 of 11 health conditions measured compared to non-MTP victims. This article fills gaps in understanding the impacts of rape and MTP on male victims, and it is the only study to do so using a large, nationally representative sample. Sexual violence is linked to serious health effects but is also preventable. Screening for violence victimization and preventing male sexual violence before it happens are both important to reduce the risk for immediate and chronic health impacts.
Influence of movement tracks on the forming quality of profiles fabricated by flexible stretch bending of multi-point roller dies technology
Authors: Chen Chuandong , Liang Jicai , Li Yi , Liang Ce
Published: December 2021

In the flexible stretch bending of multi-point roller dies process, the deformation of workpiece is mainly driven by clamps. Therefore, the movement track of clamp has a great influence on the forming effect of workpiece. Y-profile, T-profile, and L-profile are taken as the research objects. Simulation and experiments are carried out with two different movement tracks. The influence of the movement tracks on shape error, springback error, and thickness variation of different profiles is discussed. The experimental results of the three profiles processed by the double-sided forming method are consistent with the simulation results, which proves the accuracy of the numerical simulation. The results show that the movement track has a great influence on shape error. Compared with double-sided forming, one-sided forming can effectively reduce springback error. The two different movement tracks have no obvious influence on thickness change.
Melting heat analysis in squeezed flow of nanofluids (SWCNTs + Water, SWCNTs + Gasoline oil, MWCNTs  + Water, MWCNTs + Gasoline oil) with Cattaneo–Cristov heat flux
Authors: Muhammad K. , Hayat T. , Alsaedi A.
Published: December 2021

Abstract

This analysis emphasizes impacts of CNTs (Carbon nanotubes) during Darcy–Forchheimer squeezed flow. Melting heat transfer process is addressed. Water and gasoline are treated as baseliquid. By transformation method non-linear system of ODEs are obtained from the flow field equations (PDEs). Further the emerged flow problem is solved via OHAM. Influences of physical involved parameters on velocity, surface friction coefficient, temperature as well as Nusselt number are expressed graphically and interpreted physically.
Severity assessment of aircraft engine fan blades under airborne collision of unmanned aerial vehicles comparable to bird strike certification standards
Authors: Che Man Mohd Hasrizam , Liu Hu , Low Kin Huat
Published: December 2021

Airborne drone collision on commercial manned aircraft has received extensive awareness due to the increasing drone operations in the restricted airspace. In addition, the bird strike certification for aircraft engines is likely to be inadequate for a drone collision with identical kinetic energy due to the difference in damage levels. Thus, it is important to understand and compare the risk between drones and bird strikes. This study aims to understand the damage severity from bird and drone strikes on the manned commercial aircraft engine. The finite element method (FEM) simulation is adopted to obtain the damage of engine fan blades under the drone collision and bird strikes at different collision positions. The Lagrangian and smoothed-particle hydrodynamics approaches are employed for the drone and bird simulations, respectively. In addition, three different drone and bird weight categories were considered in this study, namely, small, medium, and large, to investigate the effect of kinetic energy on the damage of fan blades. Results from the FEM simulation demonstrated that the damage of the engine fan blades due to drone collisions were more severe when comparing bird strikes of the same weight category. The damage severity level was proposed based on the damage of engine fan blades. In the event of a drone ingestion, the damage severity level assists in the identification of potential damage to engine fan blades and its performance.
Factors Affecting NPAs in Indian Banking Sector
Authors: Garg Nitya
Published: December 2021

Banking sector is the backbone of any economy, so it is necessary to focus on its performance which is largely affected by its non-performing assets (NPAs). In the year 2018–2019, NPA of scheduled banks was Rs 355,076 Crore which is 3.7% of net advances. The purpose of this study is to identify the determinants based on analysis from previous literatures, and majorly macroeconomic and bank specific factors which are affecting NPAs using the relative weight analysis and to frame a model to predict future NPAs using multiple regression model using SPSS. The study also attempts to focus on actions and remedies that banks should make to control future NPAs. Findings of the study will act as a scaffolding for financial analysts and policymakers to prevent the conversion of its performing assets into NPAs and also help in proper management of banks and also in the recovery of economy.
Public Input Provision, Tax Base Mobility, and External Ownership
Authors: Matsumoto Mutsumi
Published: December 2021

This article investigates the distortionary impacts of tax base mobility and external ownership on public input provision. Regional governments compete for mobile tax bases (e.g., business capital). The impact of regional public policy partially accrues to non-residents because immobile factors (e.g., business land) are subject to external ownership. This article derives an optimal rule for regional public input provision that illustrates how these two distortionary impacts depend on the nature of production functions. The impact of external ownership is particularly complex. To explore this impact in detail, the case of production functions with constant elasticity of substitution is examined. Public inputs with different productivity impacts yield fairly different implications of external ownership for inefficient public input provision.
Indigenous people’s self-determination in the context of COVID-19 in northern Mexico
Authors: Loera Gonzaléz Juan Jaime
Published: December 2021

This article presents various transformations registered in the political sphere and community participation due to the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous territories in northern Mexico. It explores the challenges of the Rarámuri and Ódami Indigenous people’s experience in guaranteeing their political rights and self-determination in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically when organising festivities and ceremonies that were unable to celebrate to comply with official health care guidelines. The article gives firsthand accounts of the political relations between Indigenous groups’ community responses and the Mexican government’s actions to mitigate the effects of the new coronavirus. The article draws on the argument that the current health emergency context is inserted into a complex network of pre-existing and structured power relations that largely define the scope of the actions taken because of the pandemic. Critically, the community responses emanating from Indigenous groups show crucial cultural differences in ways to deal with the disease.
Charting a global research strategy for progressive MS—An international progressive MS Alliance proposal
Authors: Thompson Alan J , Carroll William , Ciccarelli Olga , Comi Giancarlo , Cross Anne , Donnelly Alexis , Feinstein Anthony , Fox Robert J , Helme Anne , Hohlfeld Reinhard , Hyde Robert , Kanellis Pamela , Landsman Douglas , Lubetzki Catherine , Marrie Ruth Ann , Morahan Julia , Montalban Xavier , Musch Bruno , Rawlings Sarah , Salvetti Marco , Sellebjerg Finn , Sincock Caroline , Smith Kathryn E , Strum Jon , Zaratin Paola , Coetzee Timothy
Published: December 2021

Background:

Progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) affect more than 1 million individuals globally. Recent approvals of ocrelizumab for primary progressive MS and siponimod for active secondary progressive MS have opened the therapeutic door, though results from early trials of neuroprotective agents have been mixed. The recent introduction of the term ‘active’ secondary progressive MS into the therapeutic lexicon has introduced potential confusion to disease description and thereby clinical management.

Objective:

This paper reviews recent progress, highlights continued knowledge and proposes, on behalf of the International Progressive MS Alliance, a global research strategy for progressive MS.

Methods:

Literature searches of PubMed between 2015 and May, 2021 were conducted using the search terms “progressive multiple sclerosis”, “primary progressive multiple sclerosis”, “secondary progressive MS”. Proposed strategies were developed through a series of in-person and virtual meetings of the International Progressive MS Alliance Scientific Steering Committee.

Results:

Sustaining and accelerating progress will require greater understanding of underlying mechanisms, identification of potential therapeutic targets, biomarker discovery and validation, and conduct of clinical trials with improved trial design. Encouraging developments in symptomatic and rehabilitative interventions are starting to address ongoing challenges experienced by people with progressive MS.

Conclusion:

We need to manage these challenges and realise the opportunities in the context of a global research strategy, which will improve quality of life for people with progressive MS.
The ethics of facing the Other in suicide
Authors: Jaworski Katrina
Published: December 2021

Despite a plethora of existing literature on the topic of suicide, very little attention has been given to research ethics in practice in research on suicide. When suicide research does pay attention to the ethical issues researchers are likely to face, the focus is on the roles institutional human ethics review committees fulfil to ensure ethical conduct in all stages of research. In response to this problem, this article focuses on the philosophical relationship between qualitative methodology and research ethics in the context of researching queer youth suicide. In so doing, I draw on my experiences of interviewing gender-and sexually diverse young people about their familiarity with suicide. These experiences are based on a qualitative pilot study I conducted on queer youth suicide, which used the unstructured interview technique to collect data. Drawing on the works of Emmanuel Levinas and Judith Butler, I examine what it means to face the alterity of the suicidal ‘Other’, and what this facing entails in terms of research ethics as relational. I argue that facing reveals not only myself as more vulnerable than I anticipated, but also the suicidal ‘Other’ as agentic instead of only vulnerable and at-risk of suicide.
Perceptions and explanations of status in the United Arab Emirates: The role of ascribed and achieved characteristics
Authors: Maitner Angela T.
Published: December 2021

Ascribed and achieved characteristics influence individuals’ positions in a social hierarchy. I explore how status characteristics and status ideologies influence expectations about economic opportunities in the United Arab Emirates, a wealthy, highly diverse, and internationally stratified society where beliefs in meritocracy are nationally supported. In Studies 1 and 2, participants reported the extent to which they perceived various characteristics to influence an individual’s salary. Participants whose nationality placed them higher in the economic hierarchy expected achieved markers of status to play a larger role than ascribed markers in determining pay. Across groups, the more participants believed in meritocracy, the more they expected achieved markers to play a role. In Study 3, participants predicted the economic success of individuals who varied in ascribed and achieved characteristics. Across participant groups, both ascribed and achieved characteristics were expected to influence an individual’s economic success. Taken together, results suggested that both ascribed and achieved characteristics are expected to influence an individual’s position in the socioeconomic hierarchy, but only differences rooted in achieved characteristics are legitimized. Group differences and implications for system stability are discussed.
Book Review: van Beemen, Olivier. 2019: Heineken in Africa: A Multinational Unleashed
Authors: Kamski Benedikt
Published: December 2021

van Beemen, Olivier. 2019: Heineken in Africa: A Multinational Unleashed. London: Hurst. 328 pp. £20.00. ISBN: 9781849049023
Carpal tunnel syndrome and finger deformities in children with mucopolysaccharidoses and mucolipidoses: a retrospective review of 52 patients
Authors: Thirache Clément , Gaume Mathilde , Gitiaux Cyril , Salon Arielle , Dana Caroline , Pannier Stéphanie
Published: December 2021

This single-centre retrospective study reports our management of carpal tunnel syndrome in 52 children (103 hands) with mucopolysaccharidoses and mucolipidoses. All except one were bilateral. The median age at surgery was 4 years (range 1.5 to 12). The diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome was confirmed by an electromyogram (EMG) in all patients; 38% of these presented without any clinical signs. Surgical neurolysis was performed in all hands, combined with epineurotomy in 52 hands (50%) and flexor tenosynovectomy in 75 hands (73%). Surgery was bilateral in 98% of children (102 hands). The mean follow-up was 12 years (range 1 to 19) and the EMG was normalized in 78% of hands. Ten patients suffered recurrence, eight of whom required further surgery. Screening for carpal tunnel syndrome is essential for the management of children mucopolysaccharidoses and mucolipidoses. Surgical treatment should be carried out early with follow-up by EMG to detect recurrence.

Level of evidence: IV
Study on cyclic variation rate of fuel flow in the nozzle during fuel injection
Authors: Hua Wen , Xin-yu Zhang , Yu-long Jiang , Ling-yao Zhao
Published: December 2021

The fuel flow pattern in the fuel injection nozzle of diesel engine is a complex and changeable phenomenon, which is easily affected by various factors, bringing the differences of flow patterns between multiple injection cycles. To solve the above problem, a visual experimental platform of fuel injection nozzle was built, in which the 100 injection cycles of diesel engine on the same working condition were photographed via shadowgraphy to study the difference in fuel flow pattern in the nozzle by ensemble average processing method. The cyclic variation rate K of fuel flow pattern is defined. Results demonstrate that the fuel flow pattern tends to be the same in multiple fuel injection cycles, but there is a strong randomness at the starting of injection and after ending of injection; the K can be reduced by decreasing the injection pressure and the inclination angle of orifice, so that the fuel flow pattern in the nozzle tends to be consistent.
Curcumin suppresses neuroinflammation to protect neurons by preventing NLRP3 inflammasome activation
Authors: Shi Qiang , Zheng Ying-ying , Wang Le , Xue Yi-dong , Yang Yan-ling
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain like receptors protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-mediated interleukin (IL)-1β secretion plays an important role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Curcumin has been shown to improve cognitive impairment and learning ability of AD mice by reducing IL-1β secretion. However, its exact mechanism of action remains unclear. In the present study, we explored the relationship between the neuroprotective effect of curcumin and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway.

Methods

BV2 cells were primed with 500 ng/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 4 h and subsequently treated with 50 μM Aβ25-35 for 24 h or pretreated with 2.5–10 μM curcumin for 4 h and exposed to 50 μM Aβ25-35 for 24 h. The effects of curcumin and Aβ25-35 were assessed by the CCK8 assay. ELISA was used for the detection of IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels in the supernatant of the cell culture medium. The viability of SH-SY5Y cells, which were incubated with conditioned medium (CM) was assessed using the CCK8 assay. The percentage of apoptotic SH-SY5Y cells incubated with CM was assessed using Annexin V-FITC/PI staining flow cytometry analysis. The expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1 and IL-1β were observed by western blot and immunofluorescence staining analyses; the mRNA levels of nlrp3, caspase-1 and IL-1β were analyzed using qRT-PCR.

Results

Low (2.5 μM), medium (5 μM), and high (10 μM) concentrations of curcumin and 50 μM Aβ25-35 were used to perform the experiments in the present study. Curcumin attenuated the IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α release and increased SH-SY5Y cell activity, while decreasing the apoptotic percentage of SH-SY5Y cells using Aβ25-35 for cell stimulation ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, curcumin inhibited the expression of NLRP3, caspase-1 and IL-1β and nlrp3 in BV-2 cells ( p < 0.05), However, curcumin did not affect the expression levels of caspase-1 and IL-1β ( p > 0.05)

Conclusion

Overall, the data indicated that curcumin is a promising neuroprotective agent for suppressing neuroinflammation by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway.
Examining the Effect of Short-Term Affect on Farmers’ Risk and Time Preferences in Financial Decision-Making
Authors: Begho Toritseju , Ambali Omotuyole I.
Published: December 2021

Farmers regularly make intertemporal decisions under risk or uncertainty. To improve how farmers behave when faced with decisions that have financial consequences, there is a need for a deeper understanding of farmers’ risk and time preferences. While the relationship between individual components of affect and risk preferences is well documented, the same cannot be said for holistic measures of affect on one hand, and for affect and time preferences on the other hand. The data analysed in this paper is the 2014–2015 Indonesian Family Life Survey Wave 5. The survey included experimental measures designed to elicit both risk and time preferences from the same subjects. We analysed the data using limited dependent variable regression models. Our findings strengthen what is known about the affect infusion model. With increased pleasant affect, farmers’ willingness to take risks increases significantly. The results also suggest that pleasant affect is associated with increased odds that farmers will choose future rewards in the long horizon but had no statistically significant effect on the short horizon. The practical implications are that an experience of pleasant affect before decision-making may cause the decision-maker (DM) to perceive a prospect as having high benefits and low risks. Pleasant affect may also induce lower sensitivity towards losses and play the role of a buffer which reduces the immediate negative impact of information that otherwise would prevent the DM from focusing on the long-term.

JEL Classifications: C93, D81, D91
Determining the Efficiency of Ergonomic Belt During Patient Handling and its Effect on Reducing Musculoskeletal Disorders in Nurses
Authors: Zakerian Seyed Abolfazl , Afzalinejhad Mansooreh , Mahmodi Mahmood , Sheibani Niloofar
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Nursing personnel are always at risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders, and patient transportation is one of the major risk factor for these disorders.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ergonomic belt to improve patient transferring conditions.

Methods

The subjects included 60 health care workers (HCW) of a hospital with patient transfer experience. The ergonomic belt was examined to help move the patient from one bed to another. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was assessed through the Nordic questionnaire, the degree of perceived exertion through the Borg criterion, and the patient's movement through the MAPO index before and after the intervention.

Results

The results showed a significant decrease in Borg scale scores and MAPO index in two factors of education and auxiliary tools and overall scores of this index. We also saw a significant reduction in musculoskeletal disorders in the neck, shoulders and arms, waist, hands and wrists, thighs, knees and legs. There were no significant differences in the elbow and forearm before and after using the ergonomic belt.

Conclusion

In general, it can be concluded that the use of ergonomic belt had helped to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders, as well as reducing the perceived exertion of nurses and other relevant personnel.
Linguistic Movements and Political Heterogeneity: Rethinking Unification Movement across British and ‘Princely’ Karnataka
Authors: Boratti Vijayakumar M.
Published: December 2021

Subsequent to the Partition of Bengal in 1905, the consolidation of linguistic identities and movements emerged as an important assertion of core democratic values, positing that governance must be in a language intelligible to the majority. Like other linguistic movements in late-colonial India, the Karnataka Ekikarana (Karnataka unification) movement did not proceed with a spatially uniform logic nor followed a uniform temporality in realising its objectives of uniting Kannada speakers from disparate sub-regions. Attempting to reconcile elite literary ambitions, popular aspirations and political differences, the movement shifted gears through several phases as it worked across multiple territorial jurisdictions and political systems, including the demarcations of British India and princely India.

Focussing on the period between 1860 and 1938, the present article examines the heterogeneous nature of the unification movement across British-Karnataka and two Kannada-speaking princely states, namely, Mysore in the south and Jamakhandi in the north. It explores the ways in which the ruling family of ‘model’ Mysore sought legitimacy in embracing their Kannada heritage; in contrast, the Jamakhandi rulers resisted any concession to Kannada linguistic sentiments. The article shows how, in arriving at monolingually indexed territorial entities, the bridging of ‘internal’ frontiers across these divergent political and linguistic contours proved just as crucial as the claiming of dominance over other language groups within an intensely polyglot world.
Effect of hypoxic conditioning on functional fitness, balance and fear of falling in healthy older adults: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Timon Rafael , Camacho-Cardeñosa Marta , González-Custodio Adrián , Olcina Guillermo , Gusi Narcis , Camacho-Cardeñosa Alba
Published: December 2021

Background

Hypoxic conditioning has been proposed as a new tool to mitigate the sarcopenia and enhance health-related function, but decrements in standing balance have been observed during hypoxia exposure. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a hypoxic conditioning training on functional fitness, balance and fear of falling in healthy older adults.

Methods

A total of 54 healthy older adults (aged 65–75 years), who voluntarily participated in the study, were randomly divided into three groups: the control group (CON), the normoxia training group (NT) that performed strength training in normoxia, and the hypoxia training group (HT) that trained under moderate hypoxic conditions at a simulated altitude of 2500 m asl. The training programme that was performed during 24 weeks was similar in both experimental groups and consisted of a full-body workout with elastic bands and kettlebells (three sets × 12–15 reps). The Senior Fitness Test (SFT), the Single Leg Stance test (SLS) and the Short Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) were assessed before and after the intervention.

Results

Results showed that after training, either in normoxia or in hypoxia, the participants increased upper and lower body strength, and the aerobic endurance, and decreased the fear of falling.

Conclusions

The moderate hypoxic conditioning seems to be a useful tool to increase the functional capacity in healthy older adults without observing a decline in balance.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04281264. Registered February 9, 2019-Retrospectively registered.
Investigation of hub gene associated with the infection of Staphylococcus aureus via weighted gene co-expression network analysis
Authors: Li Jia-xin , Cao Xun-jie , Huang Yuan-yi , Li Ya-ping , Yu Zi-yuan , Lin Min , Li Qiu-ying , Chen Ji-chun , Guo Xu-guang
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive bacterium that causes serious infection. With the increasing resistance of bacteria to current antibiotics, it is necessary to learn more about the molecular mechanism and cellular pathways involved in the Staphylococcus aureus infection.

Methods

We downloaded the GSE33341 dataset from the GEO database and applied the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), from which we obtained some critical modules. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) were applied to illustrate the biological functions of genes in these modules. We constructed the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network by Cytoscape and selected five candidate hub genes. Five potential hub genes were validated in GSE30119 by GraphPad Prism 8.0. The diagnostic values of these genes were calculated and present in the ROC curve based on the GSE13670 dataset. Their gene functions were analyzed by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA).

Results

A co-expression network was built with 5000 genes divided into 11 modules. The genes in green and turquoise modules demonstrated a high correlation. According to the KEGG and GO analyses, genes in the green module were closely related to ubiquitination and autophagy. Subsequently, we picked out the top five hub genes in the green module. And UBB was determined as the hub gene in the GSE30119 dataset. The expression level of UBB, ASB, and MKRN1 could significantly differentiate between Staphylococcus aureus infection and healthy controls based on the ROC curve. The GSEA analysis indicated that lower expression levels of UBB were associated with the P53 signal pathway.

Conclusions

We identified some hub genes and significant signal enrichment pathways in Staphylococcus aureus infection via bioinformatics analysis, which may facilitate the development of potential clinical therapeutic strategies.