bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gaussian variational approximate inference for joint models of longitudinal biomarkers and a survival outcome
Authors: Tu Jieqi , Sun Jiehuan
Published: November 2022

The shared random effects joint model is one of the most widely used approaches to study the associations between longitudinal biomarkers and a survival outcome and make dynamic risk predictions using the longitudinally measured biomarkers. Various types of joint models have been developed under different settings in the past decades. One major limitation of joint models is that they could be computationally expensive for complex models where the number of the shared random effects is large. Moreover, the inferential accuracy of joint models could also be diminished for complex models due to approximation errors. However, complex models are frequently needed in practice, for example, when the longitudinal biomarkers have nonlinear trajectories over time or the number of longitudinal biomarkers of interest is large. In this article, we propose a novel Gaussian variational approximate inference approach for fitting joint models, which significantly improves computational efficiency while maintaining inferential accuracy. We conduct extensive simulation studies to evaluate the performance of our proposed method and compare it to existing methods. The performance of our proposed method is further demonstrated on a dataset of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.
Femur development in fetal growth restriction as observed on prenatal magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Nemec S. F. , Schwarz‐Nemec U. , Prayer D. , Weber M. , Bettelheim D. , Kasprian G.
Published: November 2022

Objective

To investigate human femur development in fetal growth restriction (FGR) by analyzing femur morphometrics and distal epimetaphyseal features on prenatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods

This was a retrospective study of 111 fetuses (mean gestational age (GA), 27 + 2 weeks (range, 19–35 weeks)) with FGR associated with placental insufficiency without other major abnormalities and 111 GA‐matched normal controls. On 1.5‐Tesla echoplanar MRI, femur morphometrics, including diaphyseal length, epiphyseal length and epiphyseal width, were assessed. Using a previously reported grading system, epimetaphyseal features, including cartilaginous epiphyseal shape, metaphyseal shape and epiphyseal ossification, were analyzed qualitatively. To compare FGR cases and controls, the paired t‐test was used to assess morphometrics, generalized estimating equations were used for epimetaphyseal features and time‐to‐event analysis was used to assess the visibility of epiphyseal ossification.

Results

There were significant differences in femur morphometrics between FGR cases and controls (all parameters, P < 0.001), with bone shortening observed in FGR. No significant differences were found in the distribution of epimetaphyseal features between FGR cases and controls (epiphyseal shape, P = 0.341; metaphyseal shape, P = 0.782; epiphyseal ossification, P = 0.85). Epiphyseal ossification was visible at a median of 33.6 weeks in FGR cases and at 32.1 weeks in controls (P = 0.008).

Conclusions

On prenatal MRI, cases with FGR associated with placental insufficiency exhibit diaphyseal and epiphyseal shortening of the femur. However, FGR cases and normal controls share similarly graded distal epimetaphyseal features. Consequently, these features may not be appropriate MRI characteristics for the identification of FGR. © 2022 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Nontoxic ammunition: Challenges and perspectives for GSR identification
Authors: Carneiro Caroline R. , Lucena Marcella A. M. , Santos‐Silva Carolina , Weber Ingrid T.
Published: November 2022

Gunshot residues (GSR) are one of the most important forensic traces in crimes involving firearm discharge, being the conventional GSR characterized by containing spheroidal particles composed of Pb, Ba, and Sb. Over the years, a wide range of techniques has been applied and improved to characterize the conventional GSR, with deserved emphasis on scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy‐dispersive x‐ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). However, the introduction of nontoxic ammunition (NTA), or heavy metal‐free (HMF), on the market has triggered a search for new methodologies for GSR identification since methods based on the chemical and/or morphological profiles of conventional GSR are no longer appropriate for the analysis of this type of residues. This review highlights current methods and proposals for characterization of GSR from NTA, which involve either the search for characteristic chemical profiles or the insertion of selective markers in this new type of ammunition.

This article is categorized under:

Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence > Emerging Technologies and Methods

Forensic Medicine > Imaging Modalities
Organoids of the male reproductive system: Challenges, opportunities, and their potential use in fertility research
Authors: Patrício Daniela , Santiago Joana , Mano João F. , Fardilha Margarida
Published: November 2022

Organoids are units of function of a given organ able to reproduce, in culture, a biological structure similar in architecture and function to its counterpart in vivo. Today, it is possible to develop an organoid from a fragment of tissue, a stem cell located in an adult organ, an embryonic stem cell, or an induced pluripotent stem cell. In the past decade, many organoids have been developed which mimic stomach, pancreas, liver and brain tissues, optic cups, among many others. Additionally, different male reproductive system organs have already been developed as organoids, including the prostate and testis. These 3D cultures may be of great importance for urological cancer research and have the potential to be used in fertility research for the study of spermatozoa production and maturation, germ cells–somatic cells interactions, and mechanisms of disease. They also provide an accurate preclinical pipeline for drug testing and discovery, as well as for the study of drug resistance. In this work, we revise the current knowledge on organoid technology and its use in healthcare and research, describe the male reproductive system organoids and other biomaterials already developed, and discuss their current application. Finally, we highlight the research gaps, challenges, and opportunities in the field and propose strategies to improve the use of organoids for the study of male infertility situations.

This article is categorized under:

Reproductive System Diseases > Stem Cells and Development

Reproductive System Diseases > Biomedical Engineering
Confinement on the moose lattice
Authors: Lillard Benjamin
Published: November 2022

Abstract

In this work we present a new class of $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 1 supersymmetric confining gauge theories, with strikingly simple infrared theories that descend from intricate interconnected networks of product gauge groups. A diagram of the gauge groups and the charged matter content of the ultraviolet theory has the structure of a triangular lattice, with SU(N) or SU(3N) gauge groups at each of the vertices, connected by bifundamental chiral superfields. This structure admits a U(1)R conserving superpotential with marginal (trilinear) operators. With the introduction of this superpotential, the SU(3N) and SU(N) gauge groups confine: in the far infrared limit of the supersymmetric theory, the relevant degrees of freedom are gauge invariant “mesons” and “baryons.” In this paper we show how the properties of the infrared degrees of freedom depend on the topology and shape of the moose/quiver “lattice” of the original gauge theory. Between the local structure of the moose lattice at higher energies, and the boundary dependence that emerges in the infrared, the 4d moose lattice theory reproduces features of a 6d spacetime with two compact dimensions. We investigate various deformations of the theory, and propose some phenomenological applications for BSM models.
Shape of the hot topological charge density spectral function
Authors: Laine M. , Niemi L. , Procacci S. , Rummukainen K.
Published: November 2022

Abstract

After motivating an interest in the shape of the topological charge density spectral function in hot Yang-Mills theories, we estimate it with the help of thermally averaged classical real-time simulations, for Nc = 2, 3. After subtracting a perturbative contribution at large frequencies, we observe a non-trivial shape at small frequencies (a dip rather than a peak), interpolating smoothly towards the sphaleron rate at zero frequency. Possible frequency scales making an appearance in this shape are discussed. Implications for warm axion inflation and reheating, and for imaginary-time lattice measurements of the strong sphaleron rate, are recapitulated.
The massless three-loop Wilson coefficients for the deep-inelastic structure functions F2, FL, xF3 and g1
Authors: Blümlein J. , Marquard P. , Schneider C. , Schönwald K.
Published: November 2022

Abstract

We calculate the massless unpolarized Wilson coefficients for deeply inelastic scattering for the structure functions F2(x, Q2), FL(x, Q2), xF3(x, Q2) in the $$ \overline{\textrm{MS}} $$

MS
¯

scheme and the polarized Wilson coefficients of the structure function g1(x, Q2) in the Larin scheme up to three-loop order in QCD in a fully automated way based on the method of arbitrary high Mellin moments. We work in the Larin scheme in the case of contributing axial-vector couplings or polarized nucleons. For the unpolarized structure functions we compare to results given in the literature. The polarized three-loop Wilson coefficients are calculated for the first time. As a by-product we also obtain the quarkonic three-loop anomalous dimensions from the O(1/ε) terms of the unrenormalized forward Compton amplitude. Expansions for small and large values of the Bjorken variable x are provided.
Dyadic approximation in the middle-third Cantor set
Authors: Allen Demi , Chow Sam , Yu Han
Published: November 2022

In this paper, we study the metric theory of dyadic approximation in the middle-third Cantor set. This theory complements earlier work of Levesley et al. (Math Ann 338(1):97–118, 2007), who investigated the problem of approximation in the Cantor set by triadic rationals. We find that the behaviour when we consider dyadic approximation in the Cantor set is substantially different to considering triadic approximation in the Cantor set. In some sense, this difference in behaviour is a manifestation of Furstenberg’s times 2 times 3 phenomenon from dynamical systems, which asserts that the base 2 and base 3 expansions of a number are not both structured.
Feasibility of MRI targeted single fraction HDR brachytherapy for localized prostate carcinoma: ProFocAL-study
Authors: Hass Peter , Fischbach Frank , Pech Maciej , Gawish Ahmed
Published: November 2022

Purpose

A potential method for focal therapy in locally advanced prostate cancer is focal brachytherapy (F-BT). The purpose of this research was to evaluate midterm F-BT oncologic, functional, and toxicological results in men who had therapy for prostate cancer.

Materials and methods

Between 2016 and 2020, F-BT was used to treat 37 patients with low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer. The recommended dosage was 20 Gy. Failure was defined as the existence of any prostate cancer that has persisted in-field after treatment. The F-BT oncologic and functional outcomes served as the main and secondary objectives, respectively.

Results

A median 20-month follow-up (range 14–48 months). 37 patients received F-BT and enrolled in the study; no patient experienced a biochemical recurrence in the first 24 months, according to Phoenix criteria. In the control biopsies, only 6 patients showed in-field failure. The median initial IPSS was 6.5, at 6 months was 6.0, and at 24 months was 5.0. When the median ICIQ-SF score was 0 at the baseline, it remained 0 at 6-, 12-, and 24 months. Overall survival and biochemical disease-free survival after 3 years were all at 100% and 86.4%, respectively. There was no notable acute gastro-intestinal (GI) or genitourinary (GU) adverse effects. No intraoperative or perioperative complications occurred.

Conclusions

For selected patients with low- or intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer, F-BT is a safe and effective therapy.
Trust your guts: fostering embodied knowledge and sustainable practices through voice interaction
Authors: Esau Margarita , Lawo Dennis , Neifer Thomas , Stevens Gunnar , Boden Alexander
Published: November 2022

Despite various attempts to prevent food waste and motivate conscious food handling, household members find it difficult to correctly assess the edibility of food. With the rise of ambient voice assistants, we did a design case study to support households’ in situ decision-making process in collaboration with our voice agent prototype, Fischer Fritz. Therefore, we conducted 15 contextual inquiries to understand food practices at home. Furthermore, we interviewed six fish experts to inform the design of our voice agent on how to guide consumers and teach food literacy. Finally, we created a prototype and discussed with 15 consumers its impact and capability to convey embodied knowledge to the human that is engaged as sensor. Our design research goes beyond current Human-Food Interaction automation approaches by emphasizing the human-food relationship in technology design and demonstrating future complementary human-agent collaboration with the aim to increase humans’ competence to sense, think, and act.
Herausforderungen der Regulierung von und der Aufsicht über den Einsatz Künstlicher Intelligenz in der Versicherungswirtschaft
Authors: Oletzky Torsten , Reinhardt Armin
Published: November 2022

Der Einsatz von KI-Algorithmen wirft in der Versicherungswirtschaft eine große Anzahl interessanter aufsichtsrechtlicher Fragen auf, für die es heute noch keinen umfassenden aufsichtsrechtlichen Rahmen gibt. Wer trägt die Verantwortung für eine Entscheidung, wenn diese auf einen Algorithmus zurückgeht? Wie kann die Aufsicht einen Entscheidungsprozess überwachen, wenn dessen Grundlage ein neuronales Netz ist, das als eine Art Blackbox funktioniert? Versicherungsunternehmen setzten bereits heute erste KI-Algorithmen ein und die Aufsichtsbehörden haben erkannt, dass sie schnell Antworten auf die Frage finden müssen, unter welchen Voraussetzungen sie einen solchen Einsatz zulassen sollen. Dieser Beitrag stellt die Entwicklung von KI-Algorithmen für den Einsatz in der Versicherungswirtschaft dar, beleuchtet die Rechtlichen Herausforderungen ihres Einsatzes, setzt sich mit der Positionierung der Aufsichtsbehörden zu diesen rechtlichen Herausforderungen auseinander und gibt einen Ausblick auf potenzielle weitere Entwicklungen.
Management of Sarcoidosis: When to Treat, How to Treat and for How Long?
Authors: Fraser Emily , Weeratunga Praveen , Ho Ling-Pei
Published: November 2022

Purpose of Review

This review draws together recent publications, consensus statements on sarcoidosis and our 25-year collective experience in managing this disease. We focus on pulmonary sarcoidosis, highlighting recent and established concepts in disease mechanisms, the diversity of the clinical course, including possible ‘subtypes’ of sarcoidosis, and how to measure disease activity. We discuss the principles guiding therapeutic intervention and summarise the more recent clinical trials in sarcoidosis.

Recent Findings

These include recent progress in understanding the mechanisms of disease using new scientific tools, measurements of disease activity using CT and MRI scans, and the potential role of anti-fibrotic treatment for patients with progressive fibrotic sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis is a heterogeneous disease with variable organ involvement, disease course, and response to treatment. We offer an angle on when and how to treat, and provide an overall roadmap for managing sarcoidosis.
Does vertical integration increase product quality?
Authors: Li Sanxi , Li Xinyu , Qu Zhan
Published: November 2022

Numerous product quality scandals are caused by low-quality inputs. When input quality is not perfectly observed by downstream firms, upstream firms often have moral hazard problems. If vertical integration does not directly eliminate the moral hazard problems, does vertical integration still improve product quality? If so, under which conditions? We find that given the precision of monitoring technology used by downstream firms, when the level of public monitoring is very high or very low, downstream firms have no incentive to integrate upstream firms; when the level is intermediate, downstream firms have incentives to integrate and vertical integration increases product quality.
Yager aggregation operators based on complex interval-valued q-rung orthopair fuzzy information and their application in decision making
Authors: Dong Xin , Ali Zeeshan , Mahmood Tahir , Liu Peide
Published: November 2022

As a more massive feasible and prominent tool than the complex interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy (CIVPF) set and complex interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy (CIVIF) set, the complex interval-valued q-rung orthopair fuzzy (CIVQROF) set has been usually used to represent ambiguity and vagueness for real-life decision-making problems. In this paper, we firstly proposed some distance measures, Yager operational laws, and their comparison method. Further, we developed CIVQROF Yager weighted averaging (CIVQROFYWA), CIVQROF Yager ordered weighted averaging (CIVQROFYOWA), CIVQROF Yager weighted geometric (CIVQROFYWG), CIVQROF Yager ordered weighted geometric (CIVQROFYOWG) operators with CIVQROF information, and some certain well-known and feasible properties and outstanding results are explored in detail. Moreover, we proposed a new and valuable technique for handling multi-attribute decision-making problems with CIVQROF information. Lastly, a practical evaluation regarding the high blood pressure diseases of the patient is evaluated to illustrate the feasibility and worth of the proposed approaches.
Evolutionary convolutional neural network for image classification based on multi-objective genetic programming with leader–follower mechanism
Authors: Liu Qingqing , Wang Xianpeng , Wang Yao , Song Xiangman
Published: November 2022

As a popular research in the field of artificial intelligence in the last 2 years, evolutionary neural architecture search (ENAS) compensates the disadvantage that the construction of convolutional neural network (CNN) relies heavily on the prior knowledge of designers. Since its inception, a great deal of researches have been devoted to improving its associated theories, giving rise to many related algorithms with pretty good results. Considering that there are still some limitations in the existing algorithms, such as the fixed depth or width of the network, the pursuit of accuracy at the expense of computational resources, and the tendency to fall into local optimization. In this article, a multi-objective genetic programming algorithm with a leader–follower evolution mechanism (LF-MOGP) is proposed, where a flexible encoding strategy with variable length and width based on Cartesian genetic programming is designed to represent the topology of CNNs. Furthermore, the leader–follower evolution mechanism is proposed to guide the evolution of the algorithm, with the external archive set composed of non-dominated solutions acting as the leader and an elite population updated followed by the external archive acting as the follower. Which increases the speed of population convergence, guarantees the diversity of individuals, and greatly reduces the computational resources. The proposed LF-MOGP algorithm is evaluated on eight widely used image classification tasks and a real industrial task. Experimental results show that the proposed LF-MOGP is comparative with or even superior to 35 existing algorithms (including some state-of-the-art algorithms) in terms of classification error and number of parameters.
Effect of Therapeutic Ultrasound on the Mechanical and Biological Properties of Fibroblasts
Authors: Cárdenas-Sandoval Rosy P. , Pastrana-Rendón Homero F. , Avila Alba , Ramírez-Martínez Angélica M. , Navarrete-Jimenez Myriam L. , Ondo-Mendez Alejandro O. , Garzón-Alvarado Diego A.
Published: November 2022

Purpose

This paper explores the effect of therapeutic ultrasound on the mechanical and biological properties of ligament fibroblasts.

Methods and Results

We assessed pulsed ultrasound doses of 1.0 and 2.0 W/cm2at 1 MHz frequency for five days on ligament fibroblasts using a multidisciplinary approach. Atomic force microscopy showed a decrease in cell elastic modulus for both doses, but the treated cells were still viable based on flow cytometry. Finite element method analysis exhibited visible cytoskeleton displacements and decreased harmonics in treated cells. Colorimetric assay revealed increased cell proliferation, while scratch assay showed increased migration at a low dose. Enzyme-linked immunoassay detected increased collagen and fibronectin at a high dose, and immunofluorescence imaging technique visualized β-actin expression for both treatments.

Conclusion

Both doses of ultrasound altered the fibroblast mechanical properties due to cytoskeletal reorganization and enhanced the regenerative and remodeling stages of cell repair.

Lay Summary

Knee ligament injuries are a lesion of the musculoskeletal system frequently diagnosed in active and sedentary lifestyles in young and older populations. Therapeutic ultrasound is a rehabilitation strategy that may lead to the regenerative and remodeling of ligament wound healing. This research demonstrated that pulsed therapeutic ultrasound applied for 5 days reorganized the ligament fibroblasts structure to increase the cell proliferation and migration at a low dose and to increase the releasing proteins that give the stiffness of the healed ligament at a high dose.

Future Works

Future research should further develop and confirm that therapeutic ultrasound may improve the regenerative and remodeling stages of the ligament healing process applied in clinical trials in active and sedentary lifestyles in young and older populations.

Graphical abstract
Cerebral Activity in Female Baboons (Papio anubis) During the Perception of Conspecific and Heterospecific Agonistic Vocalizations: a Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Study
Authors: Debracque Coralie , Gruber Thibaud , Lacoste Romain , Meguerditchian Adrien , Grandjean Didier
Published: November 2022

The “voice areas” in the superior temporal cortex have been identified in both humans and non-human primates as selective to conspecific vocalizations only (i.e., expressed by members of our own species), suggesting its old evolutionary roots across the primate lineage. With respect to non-human primate species, it remains unclear whether the listening of vocal emotions from conspecifics leads to similar or different cerebral activations when compared to heterospecific calls (i.e., expressed by another primate species) triggered by the same emotion. Using a neuroimaging technique rarely employed in monkeys so far, functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy, the present study investigated in three lightly anesthetized female baboons (Papio anubis), temporal cortex activities during exposure to agonistic vocalizations from conspecifics and from other primates (chimpanzees—Pan troglodytes), and energy matched white noises in order to control for this low-level acoustic feature. Permutation test analyses on the extracted OxyHemoglobin signal revealed great inter-individual differences on how conspecific and heterospecific vocal stimuli were processed in baboon brains with a cortical response recorded either in the right or the left temporal cortex. No difference was found between emotional vocalizations and their energy-matched white noises. Despite the phylogenetic gap between Homo sapiens and African monkeys, modern humans and baboons both showed a highly heterogeneous brain process for the perception of vocal and emotional stimuli. The results of this study do not exclude that old evolutionary mechanisms for vocal emotional processing may be shared and inherited from our common ancestor.
Grenzgängerin zwischen den Disziplinen
Authors: Lau Dayana
Published: November 2022

Zwischen Ethnologie und Sozialer Arbeit finden sich in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts viele Gemeinsamkeiten. In beiden Disziplinen wird von grundlegenden Differenzen zwischen Forscher*innen und Beforschten ausgegangen, die häufig unter dem Begriff der Kultur gefasst werden. Mit den Schriften der ursprünglich als Sozialarbeiterin ausgebildeten Ethnologin Hilde Thurnwald (1890–1979) lassen sich Gemeinsamkeiten wie diese etwas besser verstehen. Ihre Texte machen greifbar, dass vielfältige Übergänge zwischen beiden Disziplinen bestanden haben, an denen die Autorin aktiv mitgewirkt hat. Insbesondere das Konzept des „Kulturwandels“ fungiert bei Hilde Thurnwald als ein Grenzobjekt, mit dem sie solche Übergänge – nicht nur zwischen diesen beiden Fächern, sondern auch zwischen politischen und sozialen Handlungssphären – gestaltet hat. Der Beitrag untersucht die Konstruktion und Verwendung des Begriffs „Kulturwandel“ in den Schriften Thurnwalds im größeren Zusammenhang kolonialer Wissensproduktion und fragt, wie dieser Begriff im Kontext von Ethnologie und Sozialer Arbeit konstruiert und verwendet wird, wie er für beide Welten und darüber hinaus anschlussfähig gemacht wird und welche Effekte dies für die gegenseitige Durchdringung zum Beispiel für den Blick auf die beforschten und behandelten Menschen hat.
Asymptotically holomorphic methods for infinitely renormalizable unimodal maps
Authors: CLARK TREVOR , DE FARIA EDSON , VAN STRIEN SEBASTIAN
Published: November 2022

The purpose of this paper is to initiate a theory concerning the dynamics of asymptotically holomorphic polynomial-like maps. Our maps arise naturally as deep renormalizations of asymptotically holomorphic extensions of
$C^r$
(
$r>3$
) unimodal maps that are infinitely renormalizable of bounded type. Here we prove a version of the Fatou–Julia–Sullivan theorem and a topological straightening theorem in this setting. In particular, these maps do not have wandering domains and their Julia sets are locally connected.
The lift force on deformable and freely moving bubbles in linear shear flows
Authors: Hidman Niklas , Ström Henrik , Sasic Srdjan , Sardina Gaetano
Published: November 2022

This paper provides a comprehensive explanation for the lift force acting on a freely deformable bubble rising in a linear shear flow and examines how the lift force scales with the undisturbed shear rate in cases governed by different lift force mechanisms. Four distinct flow mechanisms are identified from previous studies, and the associated bubble-induced vorticity dynamics are outlined. We provide a theoretical framework to qualitatively explain the lift force acting on a bubble in terms of moments of the bubble-induced vorticity. We support our theoretical framework with three-dimensional multiphase direct numerical simulations to illustrate how the vorticity dynamics associated with the four mechanisms generate the lift force. These findings provide a comprehensive explanation for the behaviour of the lift force in a wide range of relevant governing parameters. Additionally, our simulation results show how differently the lift force scales with the shear rate, depending on the dominating lift force mechanism. These results indicate that the shear rate should, in general, be accounted for in highly viscous flows (low Galilei numbers) or at significant bubble deformations (moderate-to-high Eötvös numbers) when modelling the lift force coefficient.
Gill's problem in a sandwiched porous slab
Authors: Barletta Antonio , Celli Michele , Lazzari Stefano , Brandão Pedro V.
Published: November 2022

The classical Gill's stability problem for stationary and parallel buoyant flow in a vertical porous slab with impermeable and isothermal boundaries kept at different temperatures is reconsidered from a different perspective. A three-layer slab is studied instead of a homogeneous slab as in Gill's problem. The three layers have a symmetric configuration where the two external layers have a high thermal conductivity, while the core layer has a much lower conductivity. A simplified model is set up where the thermal conductivity ratio between the external layers and the internal core is assumed as infinite. It is shown that a flow instability in the sandwiched porous slab may arise with a sufficiently large Rayleigh number. It is also demonstrated that this instability coincides with that predicted in a previous analysis for a homogeneous porous layer with permeable boundaries, by considering the limiting case where the permeability of the external layers is much larger than that of the core layer.
The role of large cavity sinus surgery in the management of chronic rhinosinusitis in non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug exacerbated respiratory disease: a single-centre experience and long-term outcomes
Authors: Pendolino A L , Bandino F , Navaratnam A , Ross T , Qureishi A , Randhawa P , Andrews P
Published: November 2022

Objective

This study aimed to discuss the role of large cavity functional endoscopic sinus surgery in the management of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps in patients with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug exacerbated respiratory disease.

Methods

This was a retrospective review of patients undergoing large cavity functional endoscopic sinus surgery for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug exacerbated respiratory disease from January 2016 to March 2022. Population characteristics, pre- and post-operative number of functional endoscopic sinus surgical procedures, endoscopic polyp grade, Lund–Mackay score and nasal symptoms were recorded.

Results

Thirteen consecutive patients with a median age of 47 years were included. They all failed maximal medical treatment and/or conservative functional endoscopic sinus surgery and underwent large cavity sinus surgery followed by post-operative maximal medical therapy. All patients showed an improvement in nasal symptoms with improved Lund–Mackay scores post-operatively. The median length of follow up was 1.5 years.

Conclusion

Large cavity functional endoscopic sinus surgery seems to halt the progression of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps in non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug exacerbated respiratory disease. In this case series, large cavity functional endoscopic sinus surgery combined with optimal post-operative medical treatment appeared to switch off chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps in patients with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug exacerbated respiratory disease.
Canoparmelia texana (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota) consists of two independent lineages
Authors: Kirika Paul M. , Lumbsch H. Thorsten , Huéscar Elisa Garrido , Quedensley Taylor S. , Divakar Pradeep K.
Published: November 2022

Recent studies have demonstrated that species boundaries among the lichen-forming fungi are in need of revision with the discovery of cryptic species in numerous clades, especially in parmelioid lichens. Here we focus on addressing the species boundaries in Canoparmelia texana, a sorediate species with a pantropical distribution that extends into temperate regions. We extracted DNA sequences of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), large subunit (nuLSU) and mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) from samples mostly collected in Kenya, and analyzed them in a phylogenetic framework. We illustrate that our samples of the species as currently circumscribed do not form a monophyletic group but fall into two distinct clades, with the apotheciate C. nairobiensis nested within. Both of the discovered lineages have a wide distributional range and are common in Kenya, and Parmelia albaniensis C. W. Dodge is resurrected to accommodate one of the clades; consequently a new combination, Canoparmelia albaniensis (C. W. Dodge) Divakar & Kirika comb. nov., is proposed.
Distribution of Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm. in Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru forests: altitudinal range and specificity to substratum tree species
Authors: Kitara Nuru N. , Munishi Panteleo K. T. , Scheidegger Christoph
Published: November 2022

In this study, we sampled L. pulmonaria thalli from Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru, Tanzania. Across all sampled tree species, a range of 1–35 thalli of L. pulmonaria were counted per trunk (up to 5 m above ground level), with sampling distributed across 13 (c. 1 ha) plots located in the sub-alpine to montane forest altitudinal gradients of Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru. Descriptive analyses were performed to determine the association of L. pulmonaria with particular host trees among the study sites and regions, and linear mixed effects models (LMM) were used to explore relationships with tree-level variables. The analyses showed that most thalli of L. pulmonaria were unevenly distributed among the tree species in the montane and sub-alpine forests of Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru. Host tree characteristics such as trunk circumference, height on trunk, bark texture and trunk shape appeared to have an effect on the local population size of L. pulmonaria and the frequency of occurrence. Also, the results indicated an effect of trunk circumference and tree bark on the development of L. pulmonaria thallus size among the study sites. Furthermore, host tree species, for example, Hypericum revolutum and Rapenea melanophloeos were important habitats for L. pulmonaria on both mountains, whereas Ilex mitis, Bersama abyssinica and Hagenia abyssinica were important only on one mountain. The wider literature on L. pulmonaria ecology is also reviewed and it is therefore recommended that for successful conservation of the threatened L. pulmonaria in tropical montane forests, strategies should consider the type of the forests, together with the host tree species and their size.
Diversification processes between monogenoids (Dactylogyridae) and their marine catfish (Siluriformes: Ariidae) from the Atlantic coast of South America
Authors: Soares Geusivam B. , Adriano Edson A. , Domingues Marcus V. , Balbuena Juan Antonio
Published: November 2022

Due to their high specificity, monogenoids from fish provide an interesting model to study historical associations of hosts and parasites. High agreement between host and parasite phylogeny is often interpreted as evidence of cospeciation. However, cophylogenetic signal may also arise from other, either adaptive or non-adaptive, processes. We applied the recently developed Cophylospace Framework to better understand the evolutionary relationship between monogenoids and marine catfish from the Atlantic coast of South America. The associations between 12 marine catfish and 10 monogenoid species were assessed. Molecular data of host and parasite species were used for phylogenetic reconstruction. We used anchor morphology based on Procrustes coordinates to evaluate whether closely related hosts are associated with morphologically similar parasites. To assess the association between parasite phylogeny and host morphology, we produced a distance matrix based on morphological characters of catfishes. Agreement between phylogenies and between phylogeny and morphology was measured using Procrustes R2 computed with PACo. The parasite phylogeny obtained in this study represents the first complete phylogenetic hypothesis of monogenoids parasitizing ariids from South America. The Cophylospace analysis suggested that phylogenetic and morphological distance of monogenoids contributes similarly to explain the pattern of host–parasite associations, whereas parasite phylogeny is more strongly associated with the morphological traits of the hosts than with host phylogeny. This evidence suggests that cospeciation is not a major force accounting for diversification in the monogenoids studied. Rather host morphological traits seem to be a more important driver, which conforms with evidence from other host‒monogenoid systems.
Survey on helminths of bats in the Yucatan Peninsula: infection levels, molecular information and host–parasite networks
Authors: Moguel-Chin Wilson I. , Hernández-Mena David I. , Torres-Castro Marco , Barrientos-Medina Roberto C. , Hernández-Betancourt Silvia F. , MacSwiney G. M. Cristina , García-Prieto Luis , Vidal-Martínez Víctor M. , Selem-Salas Celia Isela , Panti-May Jesús Alonso
Published: November 2022

Helminth species of Neotropical bats are poorly known. In Mexico, few studies have been conducted on helminths of bats, especially in regions such as the Yucatan Peninsula where Chiroptera is the mammalian order with the greatest number of species. In this study, we characterized morphologically and molecularly the helminth species of bats and explored their infection levels and parasite–host interactions in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. One hundred and sixty-three bats (representing 21 species) were captured between 2017 and 2022 in 15 sites throughout the Yucatan Peninsula. Conventional morphological techniques and molecular tools were used with the 28S gene to identify the collected helminths. Host–parasite network analyses were carried out to explore interactions by focusing on the level of host species. Helminths were found in 44 (26.9%) bats of 12 species. Twenty helminth taxa were recorded (7 trematodes, 3 cestodes and 10 nematodes), including 4 new host records for the Americas. Prevalence and mean intensity of infection values ranged from 7.1 to 100% and from 1 to 56, respectively. Molecular analyses confirmed the identity of some helminths at species and genus levels; however, some sequences did not correspond to any of the species available on GenBank. The parasite–host network suggests that most of the helminths recorded in bats were host-specific. The highest helminth richness was found in insectivorous bats. This study increases our knowledge of helminths parasitizing Neotropical bats, adding new records and nucleotide sequences.
Validation of hierarchical taxonomy in a clinical sample
Authors: Levin-Aspenson Holly Frances , Zimmerman Mark
Published: November 2022

Background

Quantitatively derived dimensional models of psychopathology enjoy overwhelming empirical support, and a large and active community of psychopathology researchers has been establishing an empirically based dimensional hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology (or HiTOP) as a strong candidate replacement for the current categorical classification system. The hierarchical nature of this taxonomy implies that different levels of resolution are likely to be optimal for different purposes. Our aim was to identify which level of detail is likely to provide optimal validity and explanatory power with regard to relevant clinical variables.

Methods

In the present report from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services project, we used data from a sample of 2900 psychiatric outpatients to compare different levels from a bass-ackwards model of psychopathology in relation to psychosocial impairment across different domains (global functioning, inability to work, social functioning, suicidal ideation, history of suicide attempts, history of psychiatric hospitalization).

Results

All functioning indices were significantly associated with general psychopathology, but more complex levels provided significant incremental validity. The optimal level of complexity varied across functioning indices, suggesting that there is no single ‘best’ level for understanding relations between psychopathology and functioning.

Conclusions

Results support the hierarchical organization of psychopathology dimensions with regard to validity considerations and downstream implications for applied assessment. It would be fruitful to develop and implement measurement of these dimensions at the appropriate level for the purpose at hand. These findings can be used to guide HiTOP-consistent assessment in other research and clinical settings.
Tsallis value-at-risk: generalized entropic value-at-risk
Authors: Zou Zhenfeng , Xia Zichao , Hu Taizhong
Published: November 2022

Motivated by Ahmadi-Javid (Journal of Optimization Theory Applications, 155(3), 2012, 1105–1123) and Ahmadi-Javid and Pichler (Mathematics and Financial Economics, 11, 2017, 527–550), the concept of Tsallis Value-at-Risk (TsVaR) based on Tsallis entropy is introduced in this paper. TsVaR corresponds to the tightest possible upper bound obtained from the Chernoff inequality for the Value-at-Risk. The main properties and analogous dual representation of TsVaR are investigated. These results partially generalize the Entropic Value-at-Risk by involving Tsallis entropies. Three spaces, called the primal, dual, and bidual Tsallis spaces, corresponding to TsVaR are fully studied. It is shown that these spaces equipped with the norm induced by TsVaR are Banach spaces. The Tsallis spaces are related to the $L^p$ spaces, as well as specific Orlicz hearts and Orlicz spaces. Finally, we derive explicit formula for the dual TsVaR norm.
Self-determination in territorial disputes before the International Court of Justice: From rhetoric to reality?
Authors: Suedi Yusra
Published: November 2022

In its jurisprudence, the ICJ has developed a hierarchy of sources it will rely on to resolve territorial disputes: it prioritizes a boundary treaty between the state litigants, followed by agreements between the states’ colonial predecessors, and finally state litigants’ actions displaying their authority over the disputed territory. The Court’s practice therefore leaves no room for local populations to contribute to boundary-making decisions. Given the status self-determination holds in international law today, and the repercussions possibly faced by such populations in certain territorial disputes, there is cause to consider that the desires of local populations should be considered in the Court’s legal reasoning. This article first unpacks the reasons that self-determination is not brought up by state litigants on one hand, nor by the Court on the other hand. It notes that self-determination is only rhetorically addressed by states if buttressing their interests. It therefore attempts to reconcile self-determination with territorial disputes, suggesting how peoples’ desires may be factored into the Court’s approach.
(Epi)genetic control of secondary seed dormancy depth and germination in Capsella bursa-pastoris
Authors: Gomez-Cabellos Sara , Toorop Peter E. , Fernández-Pascual Eduardo , Iannetta Pietro P. M. , Pritchard Hugh W. , Visscher Anne M.
Published: November 2022

Despite the importance of secondary dormancy for plant life cycle timing and survival, there is insufficient knowledge about the (epigenetic) regulation of this trait at the molecular level. Our aim was to determine the role of (epi)genetic processes in the regulation of secondary seed dormancy using natural genotypes of the widely distributed Capsella bursa-pastoris. Seeds of nine ecotypes were exposed to control conditions or histone deacetylase inhibitors [trichostatin A (TSA), valproic acid] during imbibition to study the effects of hyper-acetylation on secondary seed dormancy induction and germination. Valproic acid increased secondary dormancy and both compounds caused a delay of t50 for germination (radicle emergence) but not of t50 for testa rupture, demonstrating that they reduced speed of germination. Transcriptome analysis of one accession exposed to valproic acid versus water showed mixed regulation of ABA, negative regulation of GAs, BRs and auxins, as well as up-regulation of SNL genes, which might explain the observed delay in germination and increase in secondary dormancy. In addition, two accessions differing in secondary dormancy depth (deep vs non-deep) were studied using RNA-seq to reveal the potential regulatory processes underlying this trait. Phytohormone synthesis or signalling was generally up-regulated for ABA (e.g. NCED6, NCED2, ABCG40, ABI3) and down-regulated for GAs (GA20ox1, GA20ox2, bHLH93), ethylene (ACO1, ERF4-LIKE, ERF105, ERF109-LIKE), BRs (BIA1, CYP708A2-LIKE, probable WRKY46, BAK1, BEN1, BES1, BRI1) and auxin (GH3.3, GH3.6, ABCB19, TGG4, AUX1, PIN6, WAT1). Epigenetic candidates for variation in secondary dormancy depth include SNL genes, histone deacetylases and associated genes (HDA14, HDA6-LIKE, HDA-LIKE, ING2, JMJ30), as well as sequences linked to histone acetyltransferases (bZIP11, ARID1A-LIKE), or to gene silencing through histone methylation (SUVH7, SUVH9, CLF). Together, these results show that phytohormones and epigenetic regulation play an important role in controlling differences in secondary dormancy depth between accessions.
(Re)Claiming gender: A case for feminist decolonial social reproduction theory
Authors: Dibavar Aytak
Published: November 2022

This article argues that the tokenistic appropriation of categories such as gender and race have deprived them of their radical and transformative political and practical roots while facilitating their commodification as a luxury product that is consumed by the depoliticized and privileged. Such (ab)use of gender, as an analytical tool, similar to race and class, has been on the rise within progressive circles. However, with the rise of alt-right populism claiming to know and fight ‘feminism’, as well as the commodification of feminism by progressives, now more than ever a decolonial social reproductive theory is needed to help understand and delineate how women are oppressed in a plethora of intersectional ways based on race, class and ability among other traits, while engaging the specific material historical-constitutive structures, judicial-political and socio-economic dimensions of the world order, as well as the emergence of right-wing populism as white heteronormative backlash. This article argues for a feminist decolonial social reproductive theory that sees gender and racial hierarchy as part of capital’s dynamism (a product), which transforms the natural, social and material world, restructuring and evolving for the ordered extraction of surplus. Although this process may differ temporally and geographically, it nonetheless results in a constellation of class exploitation, governance and struggle that facilitates right-wing backlash and undermines the left’s response, thus obviating the need for decolonial social reproductive theory.
Wie gefährden Beschäftigte ihre Gesundheit?
Authors: Mustafić Maida , Dorsemagen Cosima , Baeriswyl Sophie , Knecht Michaela , Krause und Andreas
Published: November 2022

Zusammenfassung: Interessierte Selbstgefährdung sind Handlungsstrategien im Umgang mit Arbeitsbelastungen mit langfristig negativen Auswirkungen auf die Gesundheit. In drei Studien wurden die Faktorstruktur eines Fragebogens zur Messung interessierter Selbstgefährdung untersucht, die Gültigkeit der Struktur konfirmatorisch gezeigt sowie weitere Aspekte von Konstrukt- und Kriteriumsvalidität bestätigt. Zehn Strategien interessierter Selbstgefährdung ließen sich einer extensivierenden und einer vermeidenden Verhaltenskonstellation zuordnen. Erwartungsgemäß zeigten sich moderate, differentielle Assoziationen zwischen der extensivierenden und vermeidenden Konstellation mit den konvergenten Konstrukten Arbeitsbezogenheit und Counterproductive Work Behavior. Die Kriteriumsvalidität der beiden Verhaltenskonstellationen zeigte sich anhand erwartungskonformer, differentieller Zusammenhänge zu gesundheitsbezogenen (Selbstwert, psychosomatischen Beschwerden und Erschöpfung) sowie zu arbeitsbezogenen Variablen (Mehrarbeit und dem gewünschten Renteneintrittsalter). Mögliche Anwendungen und theoretische Bezüge des Konstruktes werden vorgestellt und diskutiert.