bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel and ramucirumab versus paclitaxel and ramucirumab as second-line chemotherapy for unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric cancer: a multicenter, propensity score-matched analysis (CROSS SELL study)
Authors: Nakasya Akio , Hagiwara Yuya , Ikoma Tatsuki , Kurioka Yusuke , Matsumoto Toshihiko , Yamamoto Yoshiyuki , Tsuduki Takao , Kajiwara Takeshi , Moriwaki Toshikazu , Nishina Tomohiro , Yamashita Natsumi , Hyodo Ichinosuke
Published: January 2022

Background

Paclitaxel plus ramucirumab (PTX + RAM) is the standard second-line chemotherapy for unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric cancer (AGC). Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) is an improved, more convenient form of PTX and is non-inferior to PTX. Although some retrospective and single-arm phase II studies regarding nab-PTX + RAM have been reported, comparative studies are lacking. Here, we compared the efficacy and toxicity of nab-PTX + RAM and PTX + RAM using propensity score matching.

Methods

Clinical data of 265 patients treated for AGC with nab-PTX + RAM or PTX + RAM were retrospectively collected. Nab-PTX was administered at dosages of 100 mg/m2, replacing PTX in the standard PTX + RAM regimen. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity were compared using 1:1 propensity score matching.

Results

In total, 190 (72%) patients were matched. The median PFS was 5.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.4–6.3] and 4.7 (95% CI 3.2–5.3) months in the nab-PTX + RAM and PTX + RAM groups, respectively [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.76, 95% CI 0.56–1.03, p = 0.07]. The median OS was 11.5 (95% CI 9.2–15.0) and 9.9 (95% CI 8.0–12.7) months, respectively (HR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.56–1.07, p = 0.12). Grade 3 and 4 neutropenia was observed more frequently in the nab-PTX + RAM group (72% vs. 56%, p = 0.03). No treatment-related deaths occurred.

Conclusions

Nab-PTX + RAM exhibited more favorable trends in terms of PFS and OS but was more myelosuppressive than PTX + RAM. As neutropenia is commonly manageable toxicity, nab-PTX + RAM presents a treatment alternative for AGC. Further studies including randomized, controlled studies are warranted.
Evaluation of a 2D UNet-Based Attenuation Correction Methodology for PET/MR Brain Studies
Authors: Presotto Luca , Bettinardi Valentino , Bagnalasta Matteo , Scifo Paola , Savi Annarita , Vanoli Emilia Giovanna , Fallanca Federico , Picchio Maria , Perani Daniela , Gianolli Luigi , De Bernardi Elisabetta
Published: January 2022

Deep learning (DL) strategies applied to magnetic resonance (MR) images in positron emission tomography (PET)/MR can provide synthetic attenuation correction (AC) maps, and consequently PET images, more accurate than segmentation or atlas-registration strategies. As first objective, we aim to investigate the best MR image to be used and the best point of the AC pipeline to insert the synthetic map in. Sixteen patients underwent a 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/computed tomography (CT) and a PET/MR brain study in the same day. PET/CT images were reconstructed with attenuation maps obtained: (1) from CT (reference), (2) from MR with an atlas-based and a segmentation-based method and (3) with a 2D UNet trained on MR image/attenuation map pairs. As for MR, T1-weighted and Zero Time Echo (ZTE) images were considered; as for attenuation maps, CTs and 511 keV low-resolution attenuation maps were assessed. As second objective, we assessed the ability of DL strategies to provide proper AC maps in presence of cranial anatomy alterations due to surgery. Three 11C-methionine (METH) PET/MR studies were considered. PET images were reconstructed with attenuation maps obtained: (1) from diagnostic coregistered CT (reference), (2) from MR with an atlas-based and a segmentation-based method and (3) with 2D UNets trained on the sixteen FDG anatomically normal patients. Only UNets taking ZTE images in input were considered. FDG and METH PET images were quantitatively evaluated. As for anatomically normal FDG patients, UNet AC models generally provide an uptake estimate with lower bias than atlas-based or segmentation-based methods. The intersubject average bias on images corrected with UNet AC maps is always smaller than 1.5%, except for AC maps generated on too coarse grids. The intersubject bias variability is the lowest (always lower than 2%) for UNet AC maps coming from ZTE images, larger for other methods. UNet models working on MR ZTE images and generating synthetic CT or 511 keV low-resolution attenuation maps therefore provide the best results in terms of both accuracy and variability. As for METH anatomically altered patients, DL properly reconstructs anatomical alterations. Quantitative results on PET images confirm those found on anatomically normal FDG patients.
Blockade of Myd88 signaling by a novel MyD88 inhibitor prevents colitis-associated colorectal cancer development by impairing myeloid-derived suppressor cells
Authors: Wang Lu , Hu Dan , Xie Bin , Xie Lin
Published: January 2022

Background. In cancer, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are known to escape the host immune system by developing a highly suppressive environment. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism behind MDSC-mediated tumor cell evasion of the immune system. Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling elicited in the tumor microenvironment has the potential to induce MDSC differentiations in different organs. Therefore, MDSC elimination by blocking the action of myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), which is a key adaptor-signaling molecule that affects TLR activity, seems to be an ideal tumor immunotherapy. Previous studies have proven that blocking MyD88 signaling with a novel MyD88 inhibitor (TJ-M2010-5, synthesized by Zhou’s group) completely prevented colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) development in mice. Methods. In the present study, we investigated the impact of the novel MyD88 inhibitor on the number, phenotype, and function of MDSC in the mice model of CAC. Results. We showed that CAC growth inhibition was involved in diminished MDSC generation, expansion, and suppressive function and that MDSC-mediated immune escape was dependent on MyD88 signaling pathway activation. MyD88 inhibitor treatment decreased the accumulation of CD11b+Gr1+ MDSCs in mice with CAC, thereby reducing cytokine (GM-CSF, G-CSF, IL-1β, IL-6 and TGF-β) secretion associated with MDSC accumulation, and reducing the expression of molecules (iNOS, Arg-1 and IDO) associated with the suppressive capacity of MDSCs. In addition, MyD88 inhibitor treatment reduced the differentiation of MDSCs from myeloid cells and the suppressive capacity of MDSCs on the proliferation of activated CD4+ T cells in vitro. Conclusion. MDSCs are primary cellular targets of a novel MyD88 inhibitor during CAC development. Our findings prove that MyD88 signaling is involved in the regulation of the immunosuppressive functions of MDSCs. The novel MyD88 inhibitor TJ-M2010-5 is a new and effective agent that modulates MyD88 signaling to overcome MDSC suppressive functions, enabling the development of successful antitumor immunotherapy.
Learning design to support student-AI collaboration: perspectives of leading teachers for AI in education
Authors: Kim Jinhee , Lee Hyunkyung , Cho Young Hoan
Published: January 2022

Preparing students to collaborate with AI remains a challenging goal. As AI technologies are new to K-12 schools, there is a lack of studies that inform how to design learning when AI is introduced as a collaborative learning agent to classrooms. The present study, therefore, aimed to explore teachers’ perspectives on what (1) curriculum design, (2) student-AI interaction, and (3) learning environments are required to design student-AI collaboration (SAC) in learning and (4) how SAC would evolve. Through in-depth interviews with 10 Korean leading teachers in AI in Education (AIED), the study found that teachers perceived capacity and subject-matter knowledge building as the optimal learning goals for SAC. SAC can be facilitated through interdisciplinary learning, authentic problem solving, and creative tasks in tandem with process-oriented assessment and collaboration performance assessment. While teachers expressed instruction on AI principles, data literacy, error analysis, AI ethics, and AI experiences in daily life were crucial support, AI needs to offer an instructional scaffolding and possess attributes as a learning mate to enhance student-AI interaction. In addition, teachers highlighted systematic AIED policy, flexible school system, the culture of collaborative learning, and a safe to fail environment are significant. Teachers further anticipated students would develop collaboration with AI through three stages: (1) learn about AI, (2) learn from AI, and (3) learn together. These findings can provide a more holistic understanding of the AIED and implications for the educational policies, educational AI design as well as instructional design that are aimed at enhancing SAC in learning.
Compressions of kth-order slant Toeplitz operators to model spaces
Authors: Łanucha Bartosz , Michalska Małgorzata
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we consider compressions of kth-order slant Toeplitz operators to the backward shift-invariant subspaces of the classical Hardy space H2. In particular, we characterize these operators using compressed shifts and finite-rank operators of special kind.
Quantum illumination with three-mode Gaussian state
Authors: Jung Eylee , Park DaeKil
Published: January 2022

The quantum illumination is examined by making use of the three-mode maximally entangled Gaussian state, which involves one signal and two idler beams. It is shown that the quantum Bhattacharyya bound between $$\rho $$
ρ
(state for target absence) and $$\sigma $$
σ
(state for target presence) is less than the previous result derived by two-mode Gaussian state when $$N_S$$

N
S

, average photon number per signal, is less than 0.295. This indicates that the quantum illumination with three-mode Gaussian state gives less error probability compared to that with two-mode Gaussian state when $$N_S < 0.295$$

N
S

<
0.295

.
Potato Production in Northwestern Europe (Germany, France, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium): Characteristics, Issues, Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Goffart Jean-Pierre , Haverkort Anton , Storey Michael , Haase Norbert , Martin Michel , Lebrun Pierre , Ryckmans Daniel , Florins Dominique , Demeulemeester Kürt
Published: January 2022

In Northwestern Europe, Germany, France, the Netherlands, the UK and Belgium constitute the biggest five potato producers, with total potato crop production around 60% of EU-28 production before Brexit. Soil and climate conditions are highly favourable for potato growth in this region. Production is under driving forces of (i) the potato processing industry, particularly in Belgium; (ii) the innovation for fresh potato in the UK, France and Germany; (iii) the leadership of Germany and the Netherlands for starch potato; and (iv) the dominance of the Netherlands for seed production. Based on an industrial agri-food production system, the region has the highest potato yield levels worldwide and developed relevant trade networks for export of seed, fresh and processed potato products in and outside Europe. Conventional and intensive potato production is widespread over the region, whilst organic production started to develop in Germany and France. Whether the coming decades will be as successful as the last ones for sustainable potato production will depend on how the sector and stakeholders of the whole potato value-chain will overcome new issues and challenges. These are mainly soil quality and health conservation, consequences of climate change, increasing bans on the use of plant protection products, tightening environmental standards, food waste reduction and increasing trade tensions hampering the flow of potatoes around the world. After a detailed description of the potato production in the region, this paper contains a SWOT analysis aiming to identify potential solutions to overcome environmental, technical, economic, political and societal issues in the region for sustainable potato production in the coming years and decades.
Availability and use of web-based interventions for patients with head and neck cancer: a scoping review
Authors: Kelly Rosemary , Gordon Peter , Thompson Ruth , Semple Cherith
Published: January 2022

Purpose

To identify and review the nature, scope and use of web-based interventions for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC).

Method

A scoping review guided by the methodological framework described by the Joanna Briggs Institute was performed to review empirical studies and websites. Seven electronic databases (CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane, PubMed and PsycInfo) were searched from 2010 to 2020, data extracted and synthesised using thematic analysis. The Google search engine was employed, identifying the first 100 websites, using the search term head and neck cancer. Websites meeting eligibility criteria were assessed using the QUEST analysis tool, and descriptively summarised.

Results

Thirteen empirical studies and 32 websites were included. As identified by empirical studies, web-based interventions were developed to provide (1) patient information on HNC and related treatments, (2) advice and support during treatment and (3) management strategies promoting adjustment to life with and beyond HNC. The reviewed websites provided minimal information to aid shared decision-making and facilitate preparedness for treatment, with few utilising patient narratives. Web-based interventions for HNC patients were mainly text based and focused on survivorship.

Conclusions

There is a paucity of theory-based, co-designed web-based interventions using patient narratives.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

As patients increasingly look to the internet for advice and support, healthcare professionals are in a position to provide high-quality web-based interventions. There is an opportunity to rigorously develop a web-based intervention, containing narratives of peoples’ lives before and after HNC treatment, aiding decision-making, preparedness for treatment and self-management.
Mathematical creativity and mathematical giftedness in the primary school age range: an interview study on creating figural patterns
Authors: Assmus Daniela , Fritzlar Torsten
Published: January 2022

Relationships between mathematical giftedness and mathematical creativity have been widely studied, but few studies are available for primary school age. For an investigation in this age group, it seems appropriate to use a content area that not only has high relevance for mathematics and special potentials for creativity, but also requires only a little knowledge and is easily accessible. We therefore investigated whether mathematically gifted primary school students differ from non-gifted ones in high creativity in dealing with mathematical patterns and structures. This question was explored in an interview study in which 24 third graders were asked to invent as many different figural patterns as possible, which enabled creative mathematical activity also by combining arithmetic and geometric aspects. A detailed qualitative analysis of the data revealed among other results several types of flexibility concerning the invention of patterns. The selection of students ensured that all participants performed well to very well in regular mathematics classes and that 14 of them could additionally be assumed to be mathematically gifted based on a specific test. This allowed a comparison of both subgroups. Results indicate a high correspondence between mathematical giftedness and mathematical creativity concerning the invention of figural patterns.
Incorporating Sociolinguistic Perspectives in Australian Refugee Credibility Assessments: the Case of CRL18
Authors: Smith-Khan Laura
Published: January 2022

Credibility assessments in asylum visa applications have attracted criticism across diverse research fields. This article builds on existing critical examinations by presenting a case study of a successful appeal in the Federal Court of Australia (FCA) which overturned a decision involving one such problematic credibility assessment. The article establishes that credibility assessments often rely on flawed language ideologies and reasoning that transform the asylum seeker into the sole participant responsible for the texts produced in institutional processes. As a contrast, it then explores the FCA decision, analysing the judge’s treatment of three different premises on which the lower-level rejection relied. It demonstrates how, when dealing with each of these premises, the judge’s approach aligns with sociolinguistic scholarship. The case study demonstrates the potential of sociolinguistic awareness to denaturalize the problematic ideologies underlying credibility assessments. However, the article equally acknowledges and discusses the systemic limitations on challenging credibility assessments, due to the narrow scope for judicial review, and the need for professional legal assistance to argue one’s case successfully. The article concludes that while credibility assessments serve to act as a powerful gatekeeping tool to support increasingly restrictive asylum policy, judicial receptiveness of sociolinguistic understandings of communication can sometimes provide an avenue for successful appeals. It thus provides a powerful example of the potential benefits of communicating sociolinguistic research to law students, legal practitioners and decision-makers.
Analysing user daylight preferences in heritage buildings using virtual reality
Authors: Marzouk Mohamed , ElSharkawy Maryam , Mahmoud Ayman
Published: January 2022

Technology has always been creating effective ways to support human decisions. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) has emerged to engage users in a simulated world, and this has gained the interest of a wide variety of users in the heritage industry. A historical case study built in the early 19th century is considered for an adaptive reuse exhibition. The palace is located in Cairo, Egypt, and named after Prince Omar Tosson. The current palace state incorporates a smashed top-lit zone, which is being studied and analyzed for daylighting adequacy. Three simulated distinct optimum skylight configurations are suggested for the redesign where the selection should not be based solely on simulation data, but should consider real-user preferences. Most daylight design criteria are previously based on simulation data that do not necessarily indicate the users’ preferences. But utilizing user interactive tools such as IVR to test daylight redesign options, a whole new dimension is provided. In this study, the VR users’ survey data is statistically analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), where results revealed that the assessment attributes succeeded in reflecting the users’ preferences; which, motivated designers to consider potential users’ daylight preferences in reused spaces. The paper highlights the most significant emotional attributes that provide cost-effective and reliable information concerned with the performance of daylight in IVR before design implementation. This study compares and analyzes the effect of three skylight designs (Cases A, B & C) on the users’ perception before design implementation using (IVR) post-survey. Forty-eight participants have contributed to the study, providing their feedback on six attributes namely: Pleasant, Contrasting, Brightness, Uniform Distribution, Visual Comfort, and Satisfaction. Those attributes are evaluated for the three cases in space using five scale rating values to reveal that the “Pleasant” attribute is most reliable in the study to reflect the users’ preferences for design Case B.
Effects of an Advance Care Planning Training Program for Certified Palliative Care Nurses in Japan
Authors: Yahiro Yoko , Miyashita Mika , Nasu Katsumi
Published: January 2022

Education programs for certified palliative care nurses who promote advance care planning (ACP) for cancer patients are important, but not currently available in Japan. This study aimed to develop an educational program of ACP for certified palliative care nurses in Japan and evaluate its effectiveness. A program consisting of four modules was implemented for 60 certified palliative care nurses in the Kyushu, Chugoku, and Shikoku regions. Participants attended one training session, and 39 responded to a survey on changes in ACP practice and difficulties with cancer nursing 3 months after the intervention. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to compare data before and after the intervention. The results obtained showed an increase in dialogue on ACP among patients/families and healthcare professionals (mean before the intervention = 24.49, mean after the intervention = 27.59, p = 0.045), and a significant decrease in the sense of difficulty with knowledge of and skills for ACP (mean before the intervention = 4.85, mean after the intervention = 4.30, p = 0.001). More than 90% of the participants gave positive comments on the evaluation items such as understanding and satisfaction with the educational program and appropriateness of the contents. After attending the training program, participants’ sense of difficulty with their knowledge of and skills for ACP decreased, and their practice of ACP increased. This program may promote the practice of ACP for cancer patients in the future.
Five new 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone derivatives and three new sesquiterpenoids from the heartwood of Aquilaria sinensis, an aromatic medicine in China
Authors: Zhang Lu , Yi Ping , Yan Hui , Li Xiao-Nian , Xia Meng-Yuan , Yang Jun , Luo Ji-Feng , He Yue-Qiu , Wang Yue-Hu
Published: January 2022

Five new 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone derivatives, (5S,6R,7R,8S,7ʹR)-7ʹ-hydroxyagarotetrol (1), (5S,6R,7R,8S,7ʹS)-7ʹ-hydroxyagarotetrol (2), (6S,7S,8R)-2‑[2‑(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]‑6,7,8‑trihydroxy‑5,6,7,8‑tetrahydrochromone (3), (6S,7S,8R)-2‑(2-phenylethyl)‑6,7,8‑trihydroxy‑5,6,7,8‑tetrahydrochromone (4), (5S,6R,7S,8R)-2-(2-phenylethyl)-5,6,7-trihydroxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-8-[2-(2-phenylethyl)-7-methoxychromonyl-6-oxy]chromone (5), three new sesquiterpenoids, (4S,5S,7S,8S,10S,13R)-7,8,13-trihydroxyrotunda-1,11-dien-3-one (6), (4S,5S,7S,8S,10S,13S)-7,8,13-trihydroxyrotunda-1,11-dien-3-one (7), and (4R,5S,7S,8S,10S,13S)-7,8,13-trihydroxyrotunda-1,11-dien-3-one (8), along with 14 known compounds were isolated from the resinous heartwood of Aquilaria sinensis (Thymelaeaceae). The chemical structures of these new compounds were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR and MS data, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. The neuroprotective activities of these isolates were evaluated using an in vitro model of rat adrenal pheochromocytoma (PC12) cell injury induced by corticosterone. At concentrations from 5 to 40 µM, compounds 4 and 6, agarotetrol (9), and 6-hydroxy-2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone (17) showed significant protective activities against corticosterone-induced PC12 cell injury (P < 0.001).

Graphical Abstract
A dimensional assessment of small features and lattice structures manufactured by laser powder bed fusion
Authors: López-García Carlos , García-López Erika , Siller Hector R. , Sandoval-Robles Jesús A. , Rodriguez Ciro A.
Published: January 2022

The understanding of dimensional variations produced by laser powder bed fusion is critical in components with small features and with dimensions close to the inherent limits of the process. In this context, two reference geometries were used: (a) straight walls to quantify dimensional relative error for small features and (b) a latticed neck region of a fatigued specimen (cubic and hexagonal cell design, with design strut sizes of 250 µm, 500 µm, and 1000 µm in cell size). Samples were fabricated out of AISI 316L stainless steel powder with different building orientations. The metrology techniques used were the following: focus variation microscopy, optical microscopy and micro-computed tomography. The straight wall characterization shows that built orientation does not influence dimensional relative error for walls with less than 750 µm. Acceptable dimensional relative errors (~ 2% to ~ 15%) are achieved only in walls with 750 µm in width of more. For lattice structures, the fine struts (250 µm) show a significant level of dimensional relative error (~ 5% to ~ 25%). This additive manufacturing process delivers more consistent dimensions for coarse struts (500 µm), with relative errors between ~ 2% and ~ 4%. All metrology techniques showed the same trends in terms of capturing the dimensional variations for fine and coarse struts.
Football Fans in the “Südkurve”: An Escape from the Pressure to Singularize?
Authors: Reichertz Jo
Published: January 2022

With remarkable regularity, escalation processes in soccer stadiums lead to violence between police, private security guards, and soccer fans. This article examines the question of how this happens and what it means. In a consideration of Reckwitz’s thesis of the society of singularities, data from participant observation, interviews, and video analysis is examined in order to address the question of whether going to soccer games can be understood as a temporary break from the compulsion to individualize or singularize. In addition, the article develops the thesis that the escalation of processes of violence does not constitute the collapse of social order, but rather a predictable process in which all participants consistently cooperate (Collins). Through ordered togetherness and opposition, a common ritual (Durkheim and Turner) takes place, an always precarious walk up to the limits of what is socially acceptable, which also leads to the renewal of the social. Going to soccer stadiums, so my thesis, can be understood as testing the boundaries of the socially acceptable.
Effect of plasma nitriding process on the fatigue and high temperature corrosion resistance of Inconel 740H nickel alloy
Authors: Kopec Mateusz , Gorniewicz Dominika , Kukla Dominik , Barwinska Izabela , Jóźwiak Stanisław , Sitek Ryszard , Kowalewski Zbigniew L.
Published: January 2022

The paper presents a comparison of microhardness, fatigue and high temperature corrosion of Inconel 740H nickel alloy in its as-received state and the same material with nitrided surface layers. The nitrided layers were produced using traditional glow discharge nitriding (specimens nitriding on the cathode potential) and an active screen (specimens nitriding at the plasma potential). A microstructure of the layers was characterized through the scanning electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Mechanical properties of the nitrided Inconel 740H alloy were examined using microhardness measurements and standard fatigue tests. It was found that Inconel 740H with a nitrided surface exhibited an improved fatigue response of 50 MPa in the whole range of stress amplitudes from 350 to 650 MPa and almost 325% increase of hardness for plasma modified surface and 250% for cathode modified surface. Additionally, the application of cathode nitriding enhanced the corrosion resistance of the alloy in question and effectively protected it against a high temperature oxidation.
On Initial Data Problem for a Periodic Two-Component b-Family System
Authors: Wang Xiaohuan
Published: January 2022

This paper is concerned with the initial date problem for a periodic two-component b-family system. We prove that the solution map of the Cauchy problem of the b-family system is not uniformly continuous in $$H^s({\mathbb {S}})$$

H
s

(
S
)

, $$s>5/2$$

s
>
5
/
2

.
A Defense Of Explanation-First Truthmaking: Some Thoughts On Jamin Asay’s A Theory Of Truthmaking
Authors: Rodriguez-Pereyra Gonzalo
Published: January 2022

Jamin Asay’s A Theory of Truthmaking is one of the most important books on truthmaking, full of important ideas from beginning to end. One of the most interesting parts of the book is Asay's attack on the explanation-first truthmaking. Explanation-first truthmaking is the explanatory project of explaining why truths are true. This is in contrast with ontology-first truthmaking, the project defended by Asay, and which is the project of answering the fundamental ontological question “What is there?”. Asay thinks explanation-first truthmaking should be abandoned because (a) it is problematic and (b) it offers no benefits over those of ontology-first truthmaking. In this brief paper, I argue that he has not established the problematicity of explanation-first truthmaking, and that explanation-first truthmaking offers benefits over ontology-first truthmaking.
Spectral alignment of correlated Gaussian matrices
Authors: Ganassali Luca , Lelarge Marc , Massoulié Laurent
Published: January 2022

In this paper we analyze a simple spectral method (EIG1) for the problem of matrix alignment, consisting in aligning their leading eigenvectors: given two matrices A and B, we compute two corresponding leading eigenvectors

$v_1$

and

$v'_{\!\!1}$

. The algorithm returns the permutation

$\hat{\pi}$

such that the rank of coordinate

$\hat{\pi}(i)$

in

$v_1$

and that of coordinate i in

$v'_{\!\!1}$

(up to the sign of

$v'_{\!\!1}$

) are the same.

We consider a model of weighted graphs where the adjacency matrix A belongs to the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble of size

$N \times N$

, and B is a noisy version of A where all nodes have been relabeled according to some planted permutation

$\pi$

; that is,

$B= \Pi^T (A+\sigma H) \Pi $

, where

$\Pi$

is the permutation matrix associated with

$\pi$

and H is an independent copy of A. We show the following zero–one law: with high probability, under the condition

$\sigma N^{7/6+\epsilon} \to 0$

for some

$\epsilon>0$

, EIG1 recovers all but a vanishing part of the underlying permutation

$\pi$

, whereas if

$\sigma N^{7/6-\epsilon} \to \infty$

, this method cannot recover more than o(N) correct matches.

This result gives an understanding of the simplest and fastest spectral method for matrix alignment (or complete weighted graph alignment), and involves proof methods and techniques which could be of independent interest.
Reptamsassia n. gen. (Amsassiaceae n. fam.; calcareous algae) from the Lower Ordovician (Floian) of western Newfoundland, and the earliest symbiotic intergrowth of modular species
Authors: Lee Dong-Jin , Elias Robert J. , Pratt Brian R.
Published: January 2022

Modular coral-like fossils occur in thrombolitic reefal beds at two stratigraphic levels within the Lower Ordovician (Floian) Barbace Cove Member of the Boat Harbour Formation, in the St. George Group of western Newfoundland. They are here assigned to Reptamsassia n. gen.; R. divergens n. gen. n. sp. is present at both levels, whereas a comparatively small-module species, R. minuta n. gen. n. sp., is confined to the upper level. Reptamsassia n. gen. resembles the Ordovician genus Amsassia in its phacelocerioid structure, back-to-back walls of adjoining modules, module increase by longitudinal fission involving infoldings of the wall, tabula-like structures that are continuous with the vertical module wall, and calices with concave-up bottoms. The new genus is differentiated by its encrusting habit, modules with highly variable growth directions and shapes throughout skeletal growth, and modules that may separate slightly or diverge from one another following fission. Together, Amsassia and Reptamsassia n. gen. are considered to represent a distinct group of calcareous algae, the Amsassiaceae n. fam., which possibly belongs to the green algae. The Early Ordovician origination of Amsassia followed by Reptamsassia n. gen. contributed to the beginning of the rise in diversity on a global scale and in reefal settings during the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event. Reptamsassia minuta n. gen. n. sp. was an obligate symbiont that colonized living areas on its host, R. divergens n. gen. n. sp., with isolated modules of R. divergens n. gen. n. sp. able to persist in the resulting intergrowth with R. minuta n. gen. n. sp. This is the earliest known symbiotic intergrowth of macroscopic modular species, exemplifying the development of ecologic specialization and ecosystem complexity in Early Ordovician reefs.
The Phanerozoic aftermath of the Cambrian information revolution: sensory and cognitive complexity in marine faunas
Authors: Hsieh Shannon , Plotnick Roy E. , Bush Andrew M.
Published: January 2022

The Cambrian information revolution describes how biotically driven increases in signals, sensory abilities, behavioral interactions, and landscape spatial complexity drove a rapid increase in animal cognition concurrent with the Cambrian radiation. Here, we compare cognitive complexity in Cambrian and post-Cambrian marine ecosystems, documenting changes in animal cognition after the initial Cambrian increase. In a comparison of Cambrian and post-Cambrian Lagerstätten, we find no strong trend in the proportion of genera possessing two types of macroscopic sense organs (eyes and chemoreceptive organs such as antennae, feelers, or nostrils). There is also no trend in general nervous system complexity. These results suggest that sophisticated information processing was already common in early Phanerozoic ecosystems, comparable with behavioral evidence from the trace fossil record. Most taxa capable of complex information processing in Cambrian ecosystems were panarthropods, whereas mollusks and chordates made up larger proportions afterward. In both the Cambrian and the present day, ecological occupation of diverse habitat tiers and feeding modes is possible with even simple nervous systems, but ecological lifestyles requiring rapid, regular movement are almost exclusively associated within brain-bearing taxa, suggesting a connection with fast information-processing abilities and bodily responses. The overall rise in cognitive sophistication in the Cambrian was likely a unique event in the history of life, although some lineages subsequently developed more elaborate sensory systems and/or larger brains.
Association between lifestyle patterns and overweight and obesity in adolescents: a systematic review
Authors: Pereira Luciana Jeremias , Hinnig Patrícia de Fragas , Matsuo Luísa Harumi , Di Pietro Patrícia Faria , de Assis Maria Alice Altenburg , Vieira Francilene Gracieli Kunradi
Published: January 2022

The purpose of this systematic review was to summarise the evidence from observational studies regarding the association between lifestyle patterns and overweight and obesity in adolescents. To our knowledge, no review study has analysed this association in this age group. A systematic search was conducted in Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Scopus, PubMed Central and Web of Science databases, with no language or time restrictions. Studies that included adolescents (10–19 years old) were selected using data-driven methods that combined the diet domain with at least one of the following behavioural domains: physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep. Twenty-one articles met all eligibility criteria. Of these, twelve studies were used for synthesising the results. Studies differed in many aspects, such as sample size, behavioural assessment tools, and lifestyle pattern and weight status indicators. Overall, cross-sectional studies found no association between lifestyle patterns and overweight and obesity, even when the data were stratified by sex. However, when analysing the results stratified by risk of bias, a positive association between predominantly unhealthy and mixed lifestyle patterns with overweight/obesity was identified in cross-sectional studies with moderate risk of bias. A prospective study revealed an increase in BMI over time associated with mixed and predominantly unhealthy lifestyle patterns. Current findings regarding the association between lifestyle patterns and overweight and obesity in adolescents are inconsistent. More studies are needed to clarify possible associations.
Factors associated with normal-weight obesity in adolescents
Authors: Cota Bruna Clemente , Costa Felício Roberto , Juvanhol Leidjaira Lopes , Ribeiro Sarah Aparecida Vieira , Priore Silvia Eloiza , de Faria Eliane Rodrigues , de Faria Franciane Rocha , Pereira Patrícia Feliciano
Published: January 2022

A new phenotype of obesity has been studied: normal-weight obesity (NWO), which describes individuals with normal-weight by BMI and excess body fat. Despite normal-weight, individuals with NWO have a higher cardiometabolic risk. There is still a gap in the literature on the subject, especially in adolescents, as studies with this population are scarce. This study aims to investigate the sociodemographic factors, family history of chronic non-communicable diseases, body perception, lifestyle and food consumption associated with NWO in adolescents. This is a cross-sectional study, with 506 normal-weight adolescents aged 10–19 years, of both sexes. Weight and height were obtained, and BMI/age was calculated. Body fat analysis was performed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Sociodemographic data, level of physical activity, food consumption, body self-perception and lifestyle habits were also obtained. Logistic regression with hierarchical approach was used to analyse the associations. The odds of NWO are greater with age (OR = 1·14; 95 % CI = 1·04, 1·26), lower in male adolescents (OR = 0·21; 95 % CI = 0·11, 0·41) and higher in those with a history of familial dyslipidemia (OR = 1·81; 95 % CI = 1·01, 3·28). Adolescents satisfied with their body (OR = 0·30; 95 % CI 0·16, 0·56) and physically active (OR = 0·44; 95 % CI = 0·24, 0·81) have a lower odds of NWO, compared with the others. In addition, it was observed that the odds of NWO is greater among adolescents who use sweeteners (sugar substitutes) (OR = 3·84; 95 % CI = 1·70, 8·65). The factors associated with NWO were female sex, older age, positive family history of dyslipidemia, lower body satisfaction, lower level of physical activity and greater use of sweeteners.
Effect of oat or rice flour on pulse-induced gastrointestinal symptoms and breath hydrogen in subjects sensitive to pulses and controls – a randomised cross-over trial with two parallel groups
Authors: Laito Salla , Valkonen Niina , Laaksonen Oskar , Kalliomäki Marko , Tuure Tuula , Linderborg Kaisa M.
Published: January 2022

Pulses are healthy and sustainable but induce gut symptoms in people with a sensitive gut. Oats, on the contrary, have no fermentable oligo- di-, monosaccharides and polyols compounds and are known for the health effects of their fibres. This 4-day cross-over trial investigated the effects of oat and rice flour ingested with pulses on gut symptoms and exhaled gases (4th day only) in subjects with a sensitive gut or IBS (n 21) and controls (n 21). The sensitive group perceived more symptoms after both meals than controls (P = 0·001, P = 0·001). Frequency, intensity or quality of the symptoms did not differ between meals during the first 3 d in either group. More breath hydrogen was produced after an oat than rice containing meal in both groups (AUC, P = 0·001, P = 0·001). No between-group difference was seen in breath gases. During day 4, both sensitive and control groups perceived more symptoms after the oat flour meal (P = 0·001, P = 0·0104, respectively) as mainly mild flatulence. No difference in moderate or severe symptoms was detected. Increased hydrogen production correlated to a higher amount of perceived flatulence after the oat flour meal in both the sensitive and the control groups (P = 0·042, P = 0·003, respectively). In summary, ingestion of oat flour with pulses increases breath hydrogen levels compared with rice flour, but gastrointestinal symptoms of subjects sensitive to pulses were not explained by breath hydrogen levels. Additionally, consumer mindsets towards pulse consumption and pulse-related gut symptoms were assessed by an online survey, which implied that perceived gut symptoms hinder the use of pulses in sensitive subjects.
INTERNATIONAL LAW AS THE BASIS FOR EXTENDING ARBITRATION AGREEMENTS CONCLUDED BY STATES OR STATE ENTITIES TO NON-SIGNATORIES
Authors: Risvas Michail
Published: January 2022

This article explores the role of international law in relation to the extension of arbitration agreements contained in contracts concluded by States (or State entities) with non-signatory State entities (or States). As contract-based arbitrations involving States or State entities are on the rise, identifying the legal framework governing which parties are covered by the relevant arbitration agreements is of practical importance. The analysis demonstrates that international law forms part of the relevant law, alongside other applicable laws including law of contract, law of the seat and transnational law, concerning the extension of arbitration agreements concluded by States or State entities to non-signatories. Previous analyses have neglected the role of international law by not distinguishing contract-based arbitrations involving private parties from contract-based arbitrations involving States or State entities. Public international law recognises that arbitration agreements can be extended to non-signatories on the basis of implied consent, or abuse of separate legal personality and estoppel. Therefore, foreign investors can rely on international law to extend arbitration agreements to non-signatories in arbitrations conducted under investment contracts concluded by States or State entities, even if the relevant domestic law is agnostic or hostile to this. This has significant legal, and practical, importance.
Overweight and obesity in preschool children in Turkey: A multilevel analysis
Authors: Görçin Karaketir Şeyma , Lüleci Nimet Emel , Eryurt Mehmet Ali , Emecen Ahmet Naci , Haklıdır Mehmet , Hıdıroğlu Seyhan
Published: January 2022

Childhood obesity/overweight is a worldwide concern and its prevalence is increasing in many countries. The first aim of this study is to analyse the trends in overweight and obesity among children under the age of five in Turkey based on the new World Health Organization (WHO) standards, using data from the ‘five-round of the Turkey Demographic and Health Surveys’ (TDHSs). The second aim is to examine whether or not the maternal/household and individual-level factors are associated with overweight/obesity using TDHS 2003, 2008, and 2013 datasets. A total sample of 14,231 children under the age of five were extracted from the TDHS in 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013 to determine the prevalence of the trend. Pooled data from 8,812 children were included in the analysis to examine factors associated with overweight/obesity. Taking into account the clustered data structure, multilevel logistic regression models were utilised. In 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013 the prevalence of overweight children was 5.3%, 4.9%, 10.0%, 11% and 11.6%, respectively. The factors that were independently associated with overweight/obesity were as follows: living in single-parent households (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.27, 95%CI = 1.21–4.26), compared to living in dual-parent households; having an obese mother (aOR = 4.25, 95%CI = 1.73–10.44), overweight mother (aOR = 3.15, 95%CI = 1.29–7.69), and a normal-weight mother (aOR = 2.70, 95%CI = 1.11–6.59) compared to having an underweight mother; being aged between 13–24 months (aOR = 1.72, 95%CI = 1.30 to 2.27), compared to being aged 0-12 months; male gender (aOR = 1.30, 95%CI = 1.11 to 1.53); being stunted (aOR = 2.18, 95%CI = 1.74 to 2.73); high birth weight (aOR = 1.55, 95%CI = 1.08 to 2.23) compared to low birth weight. In addition, overweight was higher in children of mothers who had completed primary school (aOR = 1.21, 95%CI = 1.01 to 1.59) than children of mothers who had not completed primary school. These findings reveal that, over the years, there has been a substantial increase in obesity/overweight among children which demonstrates the importance of evaluating the overweight indicators at the maternal/household level.
Paediatric day-case tonsillectomy – parent satisfaction questionnaire
Authors: Garry S , O'Riordan I , Wauchope J , Lehane H , Phelan E , Heffernan C
Published: January 2022

Objective

To assess parent or guardian satisfaction with a newly instituted day-case tonsillectomy programme at a tertiary paediatric institution.

Methods

After receiving ethical approval, an anonymous questionnaire was sent to the parent or guardian of every patient who underwent day-case tonsillectomy between July 2018 and December 2020.

Results

A total of 135 patients were included. The parent or guardian of each patient was sent a questionnaire to be filled in and returned. Ninety-two completed surveys were returned. There were high satisfaction levels, with 91.3 per cent of parents or guardians feeling comfortable bringing their child home, and 92.4 per cent of parents or guardians would recommend day-case tonsillectomy to another parent or guardian. Of the parents or guardians, 10.9 per cent needed to contact healthcare services in the 24 hours following surgery.

Conclusion

Day-case tonsillectomy has proven to be a safe, efficient service at our institution, with high satisfaction levels from patients and parents or guardians. Areas for improvement focused on communication at the time of discharge regarding follow up and analgesia.
Sociophonetics, semantics, and intention
Authors: ACTON ERIC K.
Published: January 2022

Kathryn Campbell-Kibler observes that the role of speaker intention seems to differ in the meanings of primary interest in variationist sociolinguistics on one hand and semantics and pragmatics on the other. Taking this observation as its point of departure, the central goal of the present work is to clarify the nature of intention-attribution in general and, at the same time, the nature of these two types of meaning. I submit general principles by which observers determine whether to attribute a particular intention to an agent – principles grounded in observers’ estimation of the agent’s beliefs, preferences, and assessment of alternative actions. These principles and the attendant discussion clarify the role of alternatives, common ground, and perceptions of naturalness in intention-attribution, illuminate public discourses about agents’ intentions, point to challenges for game-theoretic models of interpretation that assume cooperativity, and elucidate the nature of the types of meaning of interest. Examining the role of intention vis-à-vis findings and insights from variationist research and the formally explicit game-theoretic models just mentioned foregrounds important differences and similarities between the two types of meaning of interest and lays bare the contingent nature of all meaning in practice.
Measures of quasisymmetry for stellarators
Authors: Rodríguez E. , Paul E.J. , Bhattacharjee A.
Published: January 2022

Quasisymmetric stellarators are an attractive class of optimised magnetic confinement configurations. The property of quasisymmetry (QS) is in practice limited to be approximate, and thus the construction requires measures that quantify the deviation from the exact property. In this paper we study three measure candidates used in the literature, placing the focus on their origin and a comparison of their forms. The analysis shows clearly the lack of universality in these measures. As these metrics do not directly correspond to any physical property (except when exactly quasisymmetric), optimisation should employ additional physical metrics for guidance. It is suggested that close to QS minima, one should treat QS metrics through inequality constraints so that additional physics metrics dominate optimisation. The impact of different quasisymmetric measures on optimisation is presented through an example, for which the standard metric that weights the asymmetric Fourier modes of the field magnitude appears to perform best.