bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Zheng’s anchor suturing technique for safe and cosmetic umbilical incision in transumbilical laparoendoscopic single-site surgeries
Authors: Chen Yu , Zheng Ying , Xu Liu-Feng , Chen Lin
Published: October 2022

Transumbilical laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (TU-LESS) is a new and evolving surgical method suitable for gynecological diseases, because of its minimal invasion and good cosmetic results. However, since the incision required for this procedure is longer than that for traditional laparoscopy, it may be associated with a higher incidence of postoperative incision complications, such as umbilical hernia, infection, hematoma, and poor wound healing. Moreover, the patient may be left with a misshapen umbilicus because intensive surgery is performed through a single umbilical incision. To minimize the incisional complications and meet patients’ cosmetic expectations, we designed a novel suturing technique, named “Zheng’s anchor suture technique”. This video demonstrates the specific steps and shows photographs of patients’ umbilici that were sutured by this technique, taken after recovery from various operations.
My life with primates
Authors: Reynolds Vernon
Published: October 2022

In this paper I recall some of the significant moments of my career as a primatologist, including some of the intellectual conflicts I encountered between anthropology, sociology and zoology. From an initial interest in ethics and evolution, I undertook research on rhesus monkeys in captivity and then on chimpanzees in the wild. Influenced by Japanese primatology as well as Western approaches, this led to my work on the problems of describing primate behaviour, but this more theoretical approach was superseded by empirical work embodied in the founding of the Budongo Conservation Field Station. I describe the initial creation of the field station in 1990 and some of the research directions we have followed since that time. The paper ends with a focus on conservation, this being of increasing importance as the Budongo Forest faces ever increasing threats from industry.
Magnetic resonance imaging of the pulsing brain: a systematic review
Authors: Almudayni Alanoud , Alharbi Meshal , Chowdhury Alimul , Ince Jonathan , Alablani Fatmah , Minhas Jatinder Singh , Lecchini-Visintini Andrea , Chung Emma Ming Lin
Published: October 2022

Objective

To perform a systematic review of the literature exploring magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods for measuring natural brain tissue pulsations (BTPs) in humans.

Methods

A prospective systematic search of MEDLINE, SCOPUS and OpenGrey databases was conducted by two independent reviewers using a pre-determined strategy. The search focused on identifying reported measurements of naturally occurring BTP motion in humans. Studies involving non-human participants, MRI in combination with other modalities, MRI during invasive procedures and MRI studies involving externally applied tests were excluded. Data from the retrieved records were combined to create Forest plots comparing brain tissue displacement between Chiari-malformation type 1 (CM-I) patients and healthy controls using an independent samples t-test.

Results

The search retrieved 22 eligible articles. Articles described 5 main MRI techniques for visualisation or quantification of intrinsic brain motion. MRI techniques generally agreed that the amplitude of BTPs varies regionally from 0.04 mm to ~ 0.80 mm, with larger tissue displacements occurring closer to the centre and base of the brain compared to peripheral regions. Studies of brain pathology using MRI BTP measurements are currently limited to tumour characterisation, idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), and CM-I. A pooled analysis confirmed that displacement of tissue in the cerebellar tonsillar region of CM-I patients was + 0.31 mm [95% CI 0.23, 0.38, p < 0.0001] higher than in healthy controls.

Discussion

MRI techniques used for measurements of brain motion are at an early stage of development with high heterogeneity across the methods used. Further work is required to provide normative data to support systematic BTPs characterisation in health and disease.
A haplodiploid mite adjusts fecundity and sex ratio in response to density changes during the reproductive period
Authors: Weerawansha Nuwan , Wang Qiao , He Xiong Zhao
Published: October 2022

Population density is one of the main socio-environmental factors that have critical impacts on reproduction of animals. Consequently, they need to adjust their reproductive strategies in response to changes of local population density. In this study we used a haplodiploid spider mite, Tetranychus ludeni Zacher (Acari: Tetranychidae), to test how population density dynamics during the reproductive period altered female reproductive performance. We demonstrate that females produced fewer eggs with a significantly higher female-biased sex ratio in dense populations. Reducing fecundity and increasing daughter production in a dense environment could be an advantageous strategy to minimise the intensity of local food competition. However, females also reduced their fecundity after arrival in a new site of larger area from a dense population, which may be associated with higher web production costs because females need to produce more webs to cover the larger area. There was no trade-off between egg number and size, and egg size had little impact on reproductive fitness. Therefore, T. ludeni females could adapt to the shift of population density during their reproductive period by manipulating the fecundity and offspring sex ratio but not the egg size.
Genetics reveals shifts in reproductive behaviour of the invasive bird parasite Philornis downsi collected from Darwin’s finch nests
Authors: Common Lauren K. , Kleindorfer Sonia , Colombelli-Négrel Diane , Dudaniec Rachael Y.
Published: October 2022

Due to novel or dynamic fluctuations in environmental conditions and resources, host and parasite relationships can be subject to diverse selection pressures that may lead to significant changes during and after invasion of a parasite. Genomic analyses are useful for elucidating evolutionary processes in invasive parasites following their arrival to a new area and host. Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae), the avian vampire fly, was introduced to the Galápagos Islands circa 1964 and has since spread across the archipelago, feeding on the blood of developing nestlings of endemic land birds. Since its discovery, there have been significant changes to the dynamics of P. downsi and its novel hosts, such as shifting mortality rates and changing oviposition behaviour, however no temporal genetic studies have been conducted. We collected P. downsi from nests and traps from a single island population over a 14-year period, and genotyped flies at 469 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADSeq). Despite significant genetic differentiation (FST) between years, there was no evidence for genetic clustering within or across four sampling years between 2006 and 2020, suggesting a lack of population isolation. Sibship reconstructions from P. downsi collected from 10 Darwin’s finch nests sampled in 2020 showed evidence for shifts in reproductive behaviour compared to a similar genetic analysis conducted in 2004–2006. Compared with this previous study, females mated with fewer males, individual females oviposited fewer offspring per nest, but more unique females oviposited per nest. These findings are important to consider within reproductive control techniques, and have fitness implications for both parasite evolution and host fitness.
Negotiating Priorities on the Shopfloor: A Design Case Study of Maintainers’ Practices
Authors: Kotthaus Christoph , Vitt Nico , Krüger Max , Pipek Volkmar , Wulf Volker
Published: October 2022

The coordination of maintenance work in manufacturing poses a crucial productivity factor in small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) but often seems to be rather neglected in practice as well as in much of the literature on maintenance. We shed light upon maintenance coordination work by presenting a design case study conducted in an SME over approximately two years. We took a participatory design-oriented approach, involving all roles on the shopfloor affected by maintenance work. In three major iterations during the pre-study, a release-ready prototype was developed and implemented by the users over the course of one year. The evaluation of the tool showed how a new and mostly unintended practice of information flow, error reporting, and prioritization emerged such that, for instance, foremen becoming a central node of communication, formal prioritization shifting away from higher management, and actual prioritization being done by maintainers. This paper contributes to the body of CSCW work on maintenance practice in SMEs by presenting detailed empirical findings on the coordination work of maintainers, as well as the evaluation of socio-technical interventions into maintenance practices.
Detecting Collusive Shill Bidding in Commercial Online Auctions
Authors: Gerritse L. A. , van Wesenbeeck C. F. A.
Published: October 2022

Online auctions are increasingly used as a smart and efficient way to optimise the consumers’ and sellers’ utility. A recently active field of research is the detection of fraud in online auctions. One of the most difficult types of fraud to detect is collusive shill bidding, where multiple user accounts jointly drive up the bids in an auction. This paper revises the Collusive Shill Bidding Algorithm(CSBD) proposed by Majadi et al. (2019) to develop an algorithm that is applied to a data set from an online auction platform (TBAuctions). We find that our algorithm converges, that computation time can be significantly reduced by appropriate choice of parameters, and we identify Shill Bidding for this data set, although the accuracy of the algorithm cannot be tested because of lack of ground truth values for the data. The paper further discusses steps needed for application of the algorithm to (very) large data sets, using a multiple core server, which despite substantial reduction in computation time would still require too much time to foresee a rapid implementation in real-time.
Ophthalmic surgeries before and during the covid-19 outbreak in a tertiary hospital
Authors: Cetinkaya Yasemin Fatma
Published: October 2022

Objective

As with any healthcare practice, elective surgeries had to be postponed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine the characteristics of ophthalmology outpatients and eye surgery admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic and also to compare the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods.

Methods

This retrospective study included patients admitted to the ophthalmology clinic of a tertiary hospital from April through June 2020. A control sample was formed using the registries from the same interval in the previous year. The primary endpoint was the difference between the number and distribution of types of surgical procedures in the pre-pandemic and pandemic period. Surgical procedures were classified as Group A; major special, Group B; special, Group C; major, Group D; medium, and Group E; minor surgeries. Also surgeries were also divided into 4 groups. Cataract and related surgeries were grouped as “Phaco”, emergency surgeries for trauma patients as “Trauma”, retina and related surgeries were grouped as “Retina”, and eyelid and adnexal surgeries were grouped as “Eyelid”. The secondary endpoint was the comparison between the pre-pandemic and pandemic period.

Results

A total of 116 operations were performed in 2020 (mean age: 42.3 ± 25.6 years, male: 63.8%). In 2019, 873 surgeries were performed in the same period of the year (mean age: 56.6 ± 20.2 years, male: 48.8%), indicating an 86.7% decrease during the pandemic period, and each surgery type reduced significantly. On the other hand, the proportion of Group A (10.3% in 2019 vs. 25.9% in 2020, p < 0.001), group B (5.4% in 2019–17.24% in 2020, p < 0.001), and group E (3.8% in 2019–8.6% in 2020, p < 0.001) surgeries among the total increased in the pandemic period. The proportion of trauma (3.1% in 2019–16.4% in 2020, p < 0.001) and retina (11.9% in 2019–37.1% in 2020, p < 0.001) surgeries also increased, whereas phaco and eyelid surgeries were recorded at a lesser rate in the pandemic period.

Conclusion

This study showed a striking reduction in eye surgery during the early period of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the rates of group A, B, and E surgeries increased significantly compared to the previous year.
Less Negative Implicit Attitudes Toward Autism Spectrum Disorder in University Students: A Comparison with Physical Disabilities
Authors: Yokota Susumu , Tanaka Mari
Published: October 2022

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience stigmatization rooted in negative attitudes or prejudice toward them due to social awkwardness. However, little is known about implicit attitudes toward ASD, especially differences in attitudes compared to those of more visible conditions; physical disabilities. In this study, we implemented implicit association tests (IATs) to assess implicit attitudes. Sixty-three university students participated in IATs and answered questionnaires that measured explicit attitudes, social desirability, knowledge about—and familiarity with—disorders. The results demonstrated that implicit attitude toward ASD was significantly less negative than toward physical disabilities. Regarding the discrepancy, not socially awkward behavior but appearance of people with ASD can be evaluated as ‘in-group’ members and lead to less negative attitude compared with physical disabilities.
Comparison of osteogenesis of bovine bone xenografts between true bone ceramics and decalcified bone matrix
Authors: Xu Gang , Guo Ruizhou , Han Liwei , Bie Xiaomei , Hu Xiantong , Li Li , Li Zhonghai , Zhao Yantao
Published: October 2022

Xenograft bone scaffolds have certain advantages such as mechanical strength, osteoinductive properties, sufficient source and safety. This study aimed to compare osteogenesis of the two main bovine bone xenografts namely true bone ceramics (TBC) and decalcified bone matrix (DBM), and TBC or DBM combined with bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 (TBC&BMP-2 and DBM&BMP-2). The characteristics of TBC and DBM were investigated by observing the appearance and scanning electron microscopic images, examining mechanical strength, evaluating cytotoxicity and detecting BMP-2 release after being combined with BMP-2 in vitro. The femoral condyle defect and radial defect models were successively established to evaluate the performance of the proposed scaffolds in repairing cortical and cancellous bone defects. General observation, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, mirco-CT scanning, calcein double labeling, X-ray film observation, three-point bending test in vivo were then performed. It indicated that the repair with xenograft bone scaffolds of 8 weeks were needed and the repair results were better than those of 4 weeks whatever the type of defects. To femoral condyle defect, TBC and TBC&BMP-2 were better than DBM and DBM&BMP-2, and TBC&BMP-2 was better than TBC alone; to radial defect, DBM and DBM&BMP-2 were better than TBC and TBC&BMP-2, and DBM&BMP-2 was better than DBM alone. This study has shown that TBC and DBM xenograft scaffolds can be more suitable for the repair of cancellous bone and cortical bone defects for 8 weeks in rats, respectively. We also have exhibited the use of BMP-2 in combination with DBM or TBC provides the possibility to treat bone defects more effectively. We thus believe that we probably need to select the more suitable scaffold according to bone defect types, and both TBC and DBM are promising xenograft materials for bone tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Thirteenth Annual ENBDC Workshop: Methods in Mammary Gland Biology and Breast Cancer
Authors: Twigger Alecia-Jane , Sumbal Jakub , Bentires-Alj Mohamed , Howard Beatrice A
Published: October 2022

The thirteenth annual workshop of the European Network for Breast Development and Cancer (ENBDC) Laboratories Annual Workshop took place on the 28–30 April 2022 in Weggis, Switzerland and focused on methods in mammary gland biology and breast cancer. Sixty scientists participated in the ENBDC annual workshop which had not been held in person since 2019 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Topics spanned the mammary gland biology field, ranging from lactation biology and embryonic development, single cell sequencing of the human breast, and stunning cutting-edge imaging of the mouse mammary gland and human breast as well as breast cancer research topics including invasive progression of the pre-invasive DCIS stage, metabolic determinants of endocrine therapy resistance, models for lobular breast cancer, and how mutational landscapes of normal breast during age and pregnancy determine cancer risk. The latest findings from participating researchers were presented through oral presentations and poster sessions and included plenty of unpublished work.
Realities of bridge resilience in Small Island Developing States
Authors: Trigg Mark A. , Dehghani Mohammad Saied , Kesete Yohannes Y. , Carr Andrew B. , Trigg Stephanie G. , Zekkos Dimitrios , Lopez David , Pertierra Marta , van Westen Cees J. , Jetten Victor , Ogden Fred L.
Published: October 2022

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are acknowledged as particularly vulnerable to extreme climate events; however, the realities for transport infrastructure and bridges are still poorly studied. Assessing bridges in this context can be challenging due to data scarcity, a lack of local standards, and uncertainty due to climate change. While bridges are designed to connect transport networks, they also carry energy, water, and communication networks, making them critical cascading failure points worthy of special attention in terms of risk assessment and resilience measures. We explore what resilience actually means for the design and management of SIDS bridge infrastructure by applying a post disaster forensics and systems approach that is not reliant on complex methods or large amounts of data. To demonstrate the practicality of our approach, we apply it to the island of Dominica, which is regularly impacted by both tropical storms and hurricanes. Our results document the extreme conditions for infrastructure and nearby settlements and the complex interrelated physical processes that occur during these events. We reflect on the implications for design approaches for bridges under these conditions and detail specific recommendations on how the resilience of existing and new bridges can be enhanced through practical measures that are achievable, even within the constraints experienced by those managing bridge infrastructure in SIDS contexts. This work adds to the growing number of studies exploring forensic disaster investigation and systems thinking, but is the first to explore bridge resilience in SIDS.
Exiles: Medieval Experiences of Isolation
Authors: Sebo Erin
Published: October 2022

For most people alive today, the COVID-19 pandemic was our first experience of widespread isolation. However, among medieval cultures, with low population density and limited urbanisation, isolation, especially through exile, was common as a political expedient or even, as now, as a method of controlling the spread of illness. This is reflected across myriad aspects of medieval culture, from pilgrim badges to legal codes. Stories and tropes of isolation are common in medieval literature. From the immrama which often include depictions of the isolation of voyages, to images of homesickness in romances or Crusade narratives to descriptions of isolation in exile in Old English elegies and Old Norse sagas. In many instances, the literature reveals a greater fear of loneliness than death, so much so that isolation was used both as a form of punishment considered as severe as mutilation in some parts of medieval Europe, and as an important religious practice, since many people willingly distanced themselves from society in pursuit of salvation through hardship. This introductory essay introduces a dossier on medieval experiences of isolation.
Thinking at the edge in the context of embodied critical thinking: Finding words for the felt dimension of thinking within research
Authors: Schoeller Donata
Published: October 2022

This paper introduces the Thinking at the Edge (TAE) method, developed by Eugene Gendlin with Mary Hendricks and Kye Nelson. In the context of the international research project and training initiative Embodied Critical Thinking (ECT), TAE is understood as a political and critical practice. Our objective is to move beyond a criticism of reductionism, into a practice of thinking that can complement empirical, conceptual and logical implications with what is implied by the vibrant complexity of one’s lived experience in one’s place and time. The second person helps the first to explore, elaborate and clarify very carefully felt dimensions of thinking, which hold intricate structures, contexts, perplexities and intuitions that prove relevant for one’s research. The second person also supports the first to become sensitive to the effects of the language and concepts she uses. A non-imposing, tentative use of language that touches the intricate texture of lived experience is at the core of this method, allowing to widen one’s conceptual structure. In this paper, the cluster of TAE moves are characterized with examples of accounts of TAE processes. The description of the TAE phases includes concepts of Gendlin’s embodied theory of meaning that explain the efficacy of the moves (“direct reference,” “explication,” “crossing”).
Endocrine responses of the stress system to different types of exercise
Authors: Athanasiou Nikolaos , Bogdanis Gregory C. , Mastorakos George
Published: October 2022

Physical activity is an important part of human lifestyle although a large percentage of the population remains sedentary. Exercise represents a stress paradigm in which many regulatory endocrine systems are involved to achieve homeostasis. These endocrine adaptive responses may be either beneficial or harmful in case they exceed a certain threshold. The aim of this review is to examine the adaptive endocrine responses of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), catecholamines, cytokines, growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) to a single bout or regular exercise of three distinct types of exercise, namely endurance, high-intensity interval (HIIE) and resistance exercise. In summary, a single bout of endurance exercise induces cortisol increase, while regular endurance exercise-induced activation of the HPA axis results to relatively increased basal cortisolemia; single bout or regular exercise induce similar GH peak responses; regular HIIE training lowers basal cortisol concentrations, while catecholamine response is reduced in regular HIIE compared with a single bout of HIIE. HPA axis response to resistance exercise depends on the intensity and volume of the exercise. A single bout of resistance exercise is characterized by mild HPA axis stimulation while regular resistance training in elderly results in attenuated inflammatory response and decreased resting cytokine concentrations. In conclusion, it is important to consider which type of exercise and what threshold is suitable for different target groups of exercising people. This approach intends to suggest types of exercise appropriate for different target groups in health and disease and subsequently to introduce them as medical prescription models.
Risk and rationality: The relative importance of probability weighting and choice set dependence
Authors: Bruhin Adrian , Manai Maha , Santos-Pinto Luís
Published: October 2022

The literature suggests that probability weighting and choice set dependence influence risky choices. However, their relative importance remains an open question. We present a joint test that uses binary choices between lotteries provoking Common Consequence and Common Ratio Allais Paradoxes and manipulates their joint payoff distribution. We show non-parametrically that probability weighting and choice set dependence both play a role at describing aggregate choices. To parsimoniously account for heterogeneity, we also estimate a structural model using a finite mixture approach. The model uncovers substantial heterogeneity and classifies subjects into three types: 38% Prospect Theory types whose choices are predominantly driven by probability weighting, 34% Salience Theory types whose choices are predominantly driven by choice set dependence, and 28% Expected Utility Theory types. The model predicts type-specific differences in the frequency of preference reversals out-of-sample, i.e., in choices with a different context than the ones used for estimating the model. Moreover, the out-of-sample predictions indicate that the choice context shapes the influence of choice set dependence.
Dynamics between perceived social support and study engagement among primary school students: A three-year longitudinal survey
Authors: Rautanen Pihla , Soini Tiina , Pietarinen Janne , Pyhältö Kirsi
Published: October 2022

Perceived high study engagement relates to higher school achievement and has been found to promote social and emotional well-being as well. Social support for studying has typically been examined as a resource for study engagement. However, the interrelation between social support and study engagement is likely to be bidirectional: engaged students might be more willing to find and share social support in their studies. The students' emotions and attitudes toward studying (i.e., study engagement) may also influence the teachers’ and guardians’ tendency to provide support for that individual student’s studies. This study explores the bidirectional interrelations between perceived social support for studying and perceived study engagement using three-wave longitudinal survey data in which students are followed from the fourth to sixth grade collected in 2017, 2018, and 2019 (N = 2401). The data are analyzed using the random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM). The results indicate that perceived study engagement is a stronger and more consistent predictor of later perceived social support from teachers and among peers than vice versa. Moreover, teacher support has a bidirectional interrelation with study engagement. Girls perceive more study engagement, teacher support, and peer support in the fourth and fifth grades when compared with boys.
Mixing in Porous Media: Concepts and Approaches Across Scales
Authors: Dentz Marco , Hidalgo Juan J. , Lester Daniel
Published: October 2022

This review provides an overview of concepts and approaches for the quantification of passive, non-reactive solute mixing in steady uniform porous media flows across scales. Mixing in porous media is the result of the interaction of spatial velocity fluctuations and diffusion or local-scale dispersion, which may lead to the homogenization of an initially segregated system. Velocity fluctuations are induced by spatial medium heterogeneities at the pore, Darcy or regional scales. Thus, mixing in porous media is a multiscale process, which depends on the medium structure and flow conditions. In the first part of the review, we discuss the interrelated processes of stirring, dispersion and mixing, and review approaches to quantify them that apply across scales. This implies concepts of hydrodynamic dispersion, approaches to quantify mixing state and mixing dynamics in terms of concentration statistics, and approaches to quantify the mechanisms of mixing. We review the characterization of stirring in terms of fluid deformation and folding and its relation with hydrodynamic dispersion. The integration of these dynamics to quantify the mechanisms of mixing is discussed in terms of lamellar mixing models. In the second part of this review, we discuss these concepts and approaches for the characterization of mixing in Poiseuille flow, and in porous media flows at the pore, Darcy and regional scales. Due to the fundamental nature of the mechanisms and processes of mixing, the concepts and approaches discussed in this review underpin the quantitative analysis of mixing phenomena in porous media flow systems in general.
Piloting Activities for the Design of a Large-scale Biobarrier Involving In Situ Sequential Anaerobic–aerobic Bioremediation of Organochlorides and Hydrocarbons
Authors: Casiraghi Giulia , Pedretti Daniele , Beretta Giovanni P. , Bertolini Martina , Bozzetto Gerardo , Cavalca Lucia , Ferrari Laura , Masetti Marco , Terrenghi Jacopo
Published: October 2022

In situ bioremediation (ISB) is a widely accepted method for eradicating petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) and chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) from contaminated aquifers. To achieve full removal of all toxic compounds that originated from microbial degradation, sequential anaerobic/aerobic bioremediation systems are recommended. While several works based on laboratory analyses targeting sequential bioremediation have been documented, examples of sequential ISB are limited. The purpose of this study is to report and analyze the results obtained from the multiscale characterization activities propaedeutic to the construction of Italy’s largest (> 400 m long) sequential ISB system. The rich wealth of information produced during this study provides a useful example that can be followed for the construction of new sequential ISBs. The system was set up to remediate a solute plume containing PHCs and CAHs in an alluvial aquifer in Italy. Microcosm experiments were carried out to determine the biodegradation potential under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. In situ tests were performed by installing two 40-m-long pilot biobarriers for sequential anaerobic and aerobic degradation intercepting part of the contamination plume. These experiments pointed out the need of adding biostimulating compounds to accelerate the biodegradation process, under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. In situ tests showed removal efficiencies of up to 95 and 99% for total CAHs and PHCs, respectively, proving the feasibility of the full-scale ISB system. Apparent discrepancies between laboratory and in situ tests can be ascribed to scale effects and aquifer heterogeneities.
Improving binary diffing speed and accuracy using community detection and locality-sensitive hashing: an empirical study
Authors: Karamitas Chariton , Kehagias Athanasios
Published: October 2022

Binary diffing is a commonly used technique for detecting syntactic and semantic similarities and/or differences between two programs’ binary executables (not source code). Here we present REveal, a binary diffing application. REveal is based on the detection of Function Call Graph (FCG) approximate isomorphism and improves both speed and accuracy, mainly by the use of two techniques. First, we propose the use of hierarchical Community Detection (CD) in executables’ FCGs, for the purpose of detecting groups of densely connected functions, thus partitioning them in smaller groups. Moreover, we use Locality-Sensitive Hashing (LSH) for further grouping of similar functions in hash buckets. Both techniques are used in a divide-and-conquer fashion to simplify the diffing process of the programs being compared, practically reducing it to diffing of their FCG communities and LSH buckets.
Imprisonment
Authors: Noorda Hadassa
Published: October 2022

Criminal law theorists have for the most part neglected the question of why imprisonment requires special legal safeguards for those targeted. The few scholars who have addressed this question have focused on how prison facilities restrict freedom of movement, control over one’s daily life, and access to particular human functioning, but they have ignored state measures that do not include confining individuals behind bars. I defend an alternative account: I argue that the use of prison facilities is part of a raft of state measures, which includes measures that have a relatively minor impact on individuals and others that are more severe. What matters, in deciding what legal safeguards individuals should have against what kinds of state imposition, is how severely a measure impacts on the normal life of those subjected to it. This impact-based approach enables us to decouple the concept of imprisonment from walls, locks, and political and social barriers, thereby highlighting atypical forms of imprisonment, such as open prisons, as well as potential forms of imprisonment to be employed outside of prison, including house arrest. For instance, a person confined to a prison facility can, to a certain extent, be free to take part in society, or a person subject to other state measures can reside at home but be constrained from carrying out a major part of her activities. The account I defend enables us to identify imprisoned individuals as well as those subjected to measures similar to imprisonment, which has potential consequences for their legal rights.
CYP24A1 Involvement in Inflammatory Factor Regulation Occurs via the Wnt Signaling Pathway
Authors: Chen Xue-qi , Mao Jia-yu , Wang Chun-saier , Li Wen-bin , Han Tao-tao , Lv Ke , Li Jing-nan
Published: October 2022

Objective

While the upregulation of cytochrome P450 family 24 subfamily A member 1 (CYP24A1) gene expression has been reported in colon cancer, its role in tumorigenesis remains largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the involvement of CYP24A1 in Wnt pathway regulation via the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway.

Methods

The human colon cancer cell lines HCT-116 and Caco-2 were subjected to stimulation with interleukin-6 (IL-6) as well as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), with subsequent treatment using the NF-κB pathway-specific inhibitor ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC). Furthermore, CYP24A1 expression was subjected to knockdown via the use of small interfering RNA (siRNA). Subsequently, NF-κB pathway activation was determined by an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, and the transcriptional activity of β-catenin was determined by a dual-luciferase reporter assay. A mouse ulcerative colitis (UC)-associated carcinogenesis model was established, wherein TNF-α and the NF-κB pathway were blocked by anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody and NF-κB antisense oligonucleotides, respectively. Then the tumor size and protein level of CYP24A1 were determined.

Results

IL-6 and TNF-α upregulated CYP24A1 expression and activated the NF-κB pathway in colon cancer cells. PDTC significantly inhibited this increase in CYP24A1 expression. Additionally, knockdown of CYP24A1 expression by siRNA could partially antagonize Wnt pathway activation. Upregulated CYP24A1 expression was observed in the colonic epithelial cells of UC-associated carcinoma mouse models. Anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody and NF-κB antisense oligonucleotides decreased the tumor size and suppressed CYP24A1 expression.

Conclusion

Taken together, this study suggests that inflammatory factors may increase CYP24A1 expression via NF-κB pathway activation, which in turn stimulates Wnt signaling.
An introduction to photon-counting detector CT (PCD CT) for radiologists
Authors: Nakamura Yuko , Higaki Toru , Kondo Shota , Kawashita Ikuo , Takahashi Isao , Awai Kazuo
Published: October 2022

The basic performance of photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD CT) is superior to conventional CT (energy-integrating detector CT: EID CT) because its spatial- and contrast resolution of soft tissues is higher, and artifacts are reduced. Because the X-ray photon energy separation is better with PCD CT than conventional EID-based dual-energy CT, it has the potential to improve virtual monochromatic- and virtual non-contrast images, material decomposition including quantification of the iodine distribution, and K-edge imaging. Therefore, its clinical applicability may be increased. Although the image quality of PCD CT scans is superior to that of EID CT currently, further improvement may be possible. The introduction of iterative image reconstruction and reconstruction with deep convolutional neural networks will be useful.
Semiparametric finite mixture of regression models with Bayesian P-splines
Authors: Berrettini Marco , Galimberti Giuliano , Ranciati Saverio
Published: October 2022

Mixture models provide a useful tool to account for unobserved heterogeneity and are at the basis of many model-based clustering methods. To gain additional flexibility, some model parameters can be expressed as functions of concomitant covariates. In this Paper, a semiparametric finite mixture of regression models is defined, with concomitant information assumed to influence both the component weights and the conditional means. In particular, linear predictors are replaced with smooth functions of the covariate considered by resorting to cubic splines. An estimation procedure within the Bayesian paradigm is suggested, where smoothness of the covariate effects is controlled by suitable choices for the prior distributions of the spline coefficients. A data augmentation scheme based on difference random utility models is exploited to describe the mixture weights as functions of the covariate. The performance of the proposed methodology is investigated via simulation experiments and two real-world datasets, one about baseball salaries and the other concerning nitrogen oxide in engine exhaust.
A randomised controlled trial evaluating two cognitive rehabilitation approaches for cancer survivors with perceived cognitive impairment
Authors: Vardy Janette L. , Pond Gregory R. , Bell Melanie L. , Renton Corrinne , Dixon Ann , Dhillon Haryana M.
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Up to 70% of survivors report cognitive symptoms after chemotherapy. We compared two cognitive rehabilitation programs to a control group in cancer survivors.

Methods

Study population were adult cancer survivors with cognitive symptoms 6–60 months after adjuvant chemotherapy. Participants randomised to: Attention Process Training (APT), Compensatory Strategy Training (CST), or control group. Active interventions comprised 6–week, 2–h/week small group sessions. Assessments: pre- and post-intervention, 6- and 12-months later. Primary outcome was change in cognitive symptoms (FACT-COG-PCI subscale) between baseline and post-intervention. Secondary endpoints included objective neuropsychological performance, Functional Impact Assessment (FIA), patient-reported outcome measures, and associations. Analyses were on an intention-to-treat basis. Analysis of covariance mixed models were used for continuous outcomes.

Results

Sixty-five participants were randomised (APT n = 21; CST n = 24; controls n = 20): 94% breast cancer, median age 54. Median time since chemotherapy 20.7 months. FACT-COG-PCI, clinical neuropsychological T-scores, and FIA improved in all groups over time, but no significant differences between arms. On mean neuropsychological T-scores 19/65 (29%) were impaired at baseline; post-intervention impairment controls 31.3%, CST 16.7%, APT 20.0%. On FIA at baseline, nine were impaired; this decreased to three post-intervention (one/group). FACT-COG-PCI was weakly associated with neuropsychological tests (rho = 0.24, p = 0.051) at baseline, and had no association with FIA. Neuropsychological total mean T-score was moderately positively associated with FIA (rho = 0.37, p = 0.003).

Conclusion

There were no significant differences between intervention groups and controls using linear mixed models adjusted for baseline scores.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

Cognitive symptoms and neuropsychological test scores improve over time.
World Trade Center Site Exposure Duration Is Associated with Hippocampal and Cerebral White Matter Neuroinflammation
Authors: Huang Chuan , Kritikos Minos , Sosa Mario Serrano , Hagan Thomas , Domkan Alan , Meliker Jaymie , Pellecchia Alison C. , Santiago-Michels Stephanie , Carr Melissa A. , Kotov Roman , Horton Megan , Gandy Sam , Sano Mary , Bromet Evelyn J. , Lucchini Roberto G. , Clouston Sean A. P. , Luft Benjamin J.
Published: October 2022

Responders to the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks on 9/11/2001 inhaled toxic dust and experienced severe trauma for a prolonged period. Studies report that WTC site exposure duration is associated with peripheral inflammation and risk for developing early-onset dementia (EOD). Free Water Fraction (FWF) can serve as a biomarker for neuroinflammation by measuring in vivo movement of free water across neurons. The present case-controlled study aimed to examine associations between WTC site exposure duration as well as EOD status with increased hippocampal and cerebral neuroinflammation. Ninety-nine WTC responders (mean age of 56) were recruited between 2017 and 2019 (N = 48 with EOD and 51 cognitively unimpaired). Participants were matched on age, sex, occupation, race, education, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) status. Participants underwent neuroimaging using diffusion tensor imaging protocols for FWF extraction. Region of interest (ROI) analysis and correlational tractography explored topographical distributions of FWF associations. Apolipoprotein-e4 allele (APOEε4) status was available for most responders (N = 91). Hippocampal FWF was significantly associated with WTC site exposure duration (r = 0.30,p = 0.003), as was cerebral white matter FWF (r = 0.20,p = 0.044). ROI analysis and correlational tractography identified regions within the limbic, frontal, and temporal lobes. Hippocampal FWF and its association with WTC exposure duration were highest when theAPOEε4 allele was present (r = 0.48,p = 0.039). Our findings demonstrate that prolonged WTC site exposure is associated with increased hippocampal and cerebral white matter neuroinflammation in WTC responders, possibly exacerbated by possession of theAPOEε4 allele.
Histone Deacetylase 3 Inhibition Decreases Cerebral Edema and Protects the Blood–Brain Barrier After Stroke
Authors: Lu Hui , Ashiqueali Ryan , Lin Chin I , Walchale Aashlesha , Clendaniel Victoria , Matheson Rudy , Fisher Marc , Lo Eng H. , Selim Magdy , Shehadah Amjad
Published: October 2022

We have previously shown that selective inhibition of histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) decreases infarct volume and improves long-term functional outcomes after stroke. In this study, we examined the effects of HDAC3 inhibition on cerebral edema and blood–brain barrier (BBB) leakage and explored its underlying mechanisms. Adult male Wistar rats were subjected to 2-h middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and randomly treated i.p. with either vehicle or a selective HDAC3 inhibitor (RGFP966) at 2 and 24 h after stroke. Modified neurological severity scores (mNSS) were calculated at 2 h, 1 day, and 3 days. H&E, Evans blue dye (EBD) assay, and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran were employed to assess cerebral edema and BBB leakage. Western blot for matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), MMP-9 zymography, and immunostaining for HDAC3, GFAP, Iba-1, albumin, aquaporin-4, claudin-5, ZO-1, and NF-kB were performed. Early RGFP966 administration decreased cerebral edema (p = 0.002) and BBB leakage, as measured by EBD assay, FITC-dextran, and albumin extravasation (p < 0.01). RGFP966 significantly increased tight junction proteins (claudin-5 and ZO-1) in the peri-infarct area. RGFP966 also significantly decreased HDAC3 in GFAP + astrocytes, which correlated with better mNSS (r = 0.67, p = 0.03) and decreased cerebral edema (r = 0.64, p = 0.04). RGFP966 decreased aquaporin-4 in GFAP + astrocytes (p = 0.002), as well as, the inflammatory markers Iba-1, NF-kB, and MMP9 in the ischemic brain (p < 0.05). Early HDAC3 inhibition decreases cerebral edema and BBB leakage. BBB protection by RGFP966 is mediated in part by the upregulation of tight junction proteins, downregulation of aquaporin-4 and HDAC3 in astrocytes, and decreased neuroinflammation.
Lusutrombopag for thrombocytopenia in Chinese patients with chronic liver disease undergoing invasive procedures
Authors: Ding Zhenbin , Wu Hong , Zeng Yongyi , Kuang Ming , Yang Wei , Meng Zhiqiang , Chen Yajin , Hao Chunyi , Zou Shubing , Sun Huichuan , Liu Chang , Lin Kecan , Shi Guoming , Wang Xiaoying , Fu Xiutao , Chen Rongxin , Chen Yi , Liang Ruifang , Kano Takeshi , Pan Huiyan , Yang Suna , Fan Jia , Zhou Jian
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Probing efficacy and safety of lusutrombopag in Chinese chronic liver disease (CLD) and severe thrombocytopenia (PLT < 50 × 109/L) patients undergoing elective invasive procedures.

Methods

In this double-blind, parallel-group phase 3 study, 66 patients with CLD and severe thrombocytopenia were randomized 2:1 to lusutrombopag or placebo arm treatment regimens for seven days at 9 centers in China. Responders (PLT ≥ 50 × 109/L that increased to ≥ 20 × 109/L from the baseline and not received rescue therapy for bleeding) on Day 8 (the day after seven-day treatment) were assessed. PLT ≥ 50 × 109/L on or after Day 8 and within 2 days before invasive procedure (alternative criteria for not requiring platelet transfusion) were also analyzed. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded.

Results

The proportion of responders on Day 8 was evidently higher (p = 0.0011) in the lusutrombopag group (43.2%, 19/44) versus placebo (4.5%, 1/22). And 72.7% (32/44) patients receiving lusutrombopag met the alternative criteria for not requiring platelet transfusion, while 18.2% (4/22) in the placebo group. The median maximum PLT in lusutrombopag group increased to 80.5 × 109/L, and median time to reach maximum was 14.5 days. Compared with placebo, the lusutrombopag group had a lower incidence of bleeding events (6.8% versus 13.6%), and only one patient had thrombotic-related AE. Overall, the incidence of treatment-emergent AEs was comparable between two groups.

Conclusions

Lusutrombopag was effective in raising PLT, diminishing platelet transfusion requirement, and documented a safety profile like the placebo in CLD and severe thrombocytopenia patients in a Chinese cohort undergoing elective invasive procedures. Chinese clinical trial registration number: CTR20192384.
Who We Are and What We Owe: Reading Marisela Treviño Orta’s Woman on Fire as a Latine/x Antigone-Story
Authors: Cruz Kathleen
Published: October 2022

Marisela Treviño Orta’s Woman on Fire (2016) tells the story of a Chicana U.S. citizen haunted by the ghost of a Mexican woman who demands burial after having died attempting to cross the U.S./Mexico border. In this paper, I demonstrate how Treviño Orta’s play presents a uniquely Latine Antigone-story through its investigation into the realities of living and dead Chicane and Latine bodies. Woman on Fire’s emphasis on bodily physicality and how such mechanisms affect Latine experience situates the drama both among and away from the numerous Latin American adaptations of Sophocles’ Antigone noted and studied by scholars. While the play’s focus on the crisis surrounding the Latin American dead and disappeared connects Woman on Fire to that greater tradition, both its exploration of an “Antigone” who refuses to participate in an available burial as well as its use of the body to interpret the complexities of Latine identity and experience breaks new ground in the reception of the Antigone-story.