bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of intensive multimodal treatment on the outcomes of patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer.
Authors: Baidoun Firas , Abdel-Rahman Omar
Published: June 2022

6082

Background: Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a rare and aggressive type of thyroid malignancy with very poor prognosis and outcome despite therapy. The rarity of this disease and the poor functional status of ATC patients limit the ability to conduct clinical trials, thus there is a lack of large, controlled trials to guide treatment and evaluate the benefit of combined modality therapy. Methods: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for patients diagnosed with ATC at age 18 or older between 2004 and 2018. After excluding patients with unknown number of treatment modalities, Charlson-Deyo score of 3 or more and patients lost follow-up, we split the cohort into three groups according to the number of treatment modalities they received. Treatment modalities include surgery, radiation, and systemic therapy. Then, we evaluated the overall survival (OS) between the three groups. We studied the OS using Kaplan-Meier estimates and multivariate cox regression analyses to evaluate factors associated with OS. Additionally, propensity score matching (accounting for age, gender, race, Charlson-Deyo score, and clinical M stage) was used for more robust results. Results: A total of 3,460 patients with ATC were included in the analysis, of which 1,472 (42.5%) either received one type of therapy or did not receive any therapy (group1), 1,092 (31.6%) received bimodal therapy (group 2), and 896 (25.9%) received trimodal therapy (group 3). We found that group 3 had better OS compared to group 1 and group 2 (median OS 9.1 months vs 1.7 months and 4.9 months, respectively with P < 0.001 for all). Propensity score matching yielded 896 patients in each group. We found that group 3 had better OS compared to group 1 and group 2 (median OS 9.1 months vs 1.9 months and 5.2 months, respectively with P < 0.001 for all). Same trend was found in subgroup analysis when we split the cohort according to the metastatic status; in M0 group (median OS was 10.4 months vs 1.9 months and 6.1 months, respectively with P < 0.001 for all), in M1 group (median OS was 5.9 months vs 1.4 months and 3.7 months, respectively with P < 0.001 for all). On multivariate analysis, group 1 and group 2 were associated with worse OS compared to trimodal treatment (HR 2.721; 95% CI: 2.466 - 3.002 and HR 1.434; 95% CI: 1.299 - 1.582, P < 0.001 for all). Conclusions: Patients with ATC who were treated with intensive trimodal therapy had statistically significant improvement in OS compared to patients who received less intense therapy. This survival benefit was observed in both metastatic and non-metastatic groups. While we acknowledge the limitations of this retrospective analysis, our results showed the critical role of intensive therapy approach in this aggressive malignancy.
Efficacy and safety of selpercatinib in RET-altered tumors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Authors: Choudhry Mina , Khan Iman Waheed , Ali Mukarram Jamat Jamat , Dad Ullah Mati Ullah , Anwar Muhammad Yasir , Ali Muhammad Ashar , Aiman Wajeeha
Published: June 2022

6091

Background: RET proto-oncogene encodes receptor tyrosine kinase. Selpercatinib was the first RET-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved by FDA in RET-altered tumors (pralsetinib was approved afterward). This systematic review and meta-analysis will assess the efficacy and safety of selpercatinib in RET-altered tumors. Methods: A search was performed on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, WOS, and clinicaltrials.gov. We used the following mesh and Emtree terms, “selpercatinib” AND “proto oncogene proteins c ret,” from the inception of literature till 10/15/2021. We screened 187 articles and included 2 phase I/II clinical trials (N = 309) in this meta-analysis. We excluded preclinical trials, case reports, case series, review articles, observational studies, meta-analysis, and clinical trials not providing any information about the efficacy of selpercatinib in RET-altered tumors. The quantitative analysis was performed using the R programming language. Results: In 2 clinical studies (N = 309), 144 patients had RET-altered advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 162 had thyroid cancer. RET mutations were reported in 143 patients and RET-fusion in 163 tumors. 179 patients were previously treated with systemic therapy while 127 patients were treatment naïve. Pooled overall response (OR), complete response (CR), partial response (PR), progressive disease (PD), and stable disease (SD) were 72% (95% CI = 0.64-0.78, I2= 40%), 6% (95% CI = 0.03-0.13, I2= 49%), 66% (95% CI = 0.57-0.74, I2= 50%), 3% (95% CI = 0.01-0.06, I2= 0), and 24% (95% CI = 0.18-0.30, I2= 22%), respectively, in RET-altered thyroid/NSCLC patients. Pooled OR was 67% (95% CI = 0.60-0.73, I2= 0), 78% (95% CI = 0.64-0.87, I2= 51%), 75% (95% CI = 0.58-0.87, I2= 68%), and 71% (95% CI = 0.63-0.78, I2= 0%) in previously treated, treatment naïve, RET-fusion tumor, and RET-mutation tumor patients, respectively. Pooled incidence of ≥grade 3 any adverse event, rise in ALT, rise in AST, diarrhea, hypertension, and QT abnormalities were reported in 58% (95% CI = 0.43-0.72, I2= 85%), 10% (95% CI = 0.08-0.14, I2= 0), 11% (95% CI = 0.07-0.15, I2= 17), 5% (95% CI = 0.03-0.08, I2= 0), 17% (95% CI = 0.11-0.26, I2= 62%), and 4% (95% CI = 0.02-0.07, I2= 18%) of the participants, respectively. Conclusions: Selpercatinib was safe and effective in patients with RET-altered NSCLC and thyroid cancer regardless of prior treatment status and type of RET alteration. On indirect comparison, the safety profile with selpercatinib was better than previously used non-specific RET-inhibitors. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) NCT04211337 and NCT04194944 are in progress to compare selpercatinib with non-specific RET inhibitors and chemotherapy/PD-1 inhibitor. More RCTs are needed to assess the combinations of selpercatinib with other drugs.
Prognostic factors in sinonasal cancers: A multicenter pooled analysis.
Authors: Hernando-Calvo Alberto , Stefanovic Milica , Huang Shao Hui , Brenes Castro Jesús , Su Jie , O'Sullivan Brian , Ringash Jolie , Lozano Alicia , Cirauqui Beatriz , Hahn Ezra , Teruel Iris , de Almeida John R , Marruecos Jordi , Witterick Ian , Rubió-Casadevall Jordi , Goldstein David Paul , Siu Lillian L. , Waldron John , Spreafico Anna , Oliva Marc
Published: June 2022

6092

Background: Sinonasal cancers (SC) are heterogeneous diseases. Despite multimodality treatment, overall survival (OS) remains unsatisfactory. We aimed to identify prognostic factors (PFs) associated with patterns of failure and OS in non-metastatic SC (nmSC). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a pooled dataset of nmSC from Princess Margaret (Canada) and Catalan Institute of Oncology (Spain) treated with definitive surgery ± postop radiotherapy (RT) or RT ± chemo according to institutional protocols between 2010-2019. In squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), HPV status was tested by p16 staining, and HPV DNA (ISH or PCR) if equivocal. The primary goal was to assess the association of tumor histology, stage (by 7th edition TNM), and other clinicopathological variables on locoregional control (LRC), distant control (DC) and OS. Actuarial rates were calculated with Kaplan–Meier (KM) method. Multivariable analysis (MVA) calculated hazard ratios (aHR) adjusted for histology type, T-/N-categories, and primary treatment. Results: Out of 342 pts, median age was 62 years (y) (range 21-96), Male:Female = 212:130, 95% had ECOG 0-1. Tumor histology types were: 192 (56%) SCC (p16+: 35; p16-/untested: 157), 40 (12%) adenocarcinoma (AD), 33 (10%) sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma or sinonasal neuroendocrine tumors (SNUC/SNEC), 28 (8%) malignant melanoma (MM), 27 (8%) esthesioneuroblastoma (ES) and 22 (6%) adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). Median follow up was 3.6 y (range 0.1-11.3). Three-year actuarial rates for each endpoint are included in table. The PFs for LRC by MVA were: SNUC/SNEC (vs SCC) histology, T3-4 (vs T1-2: aHR 2.4, p = < 0.01) and N+ (vs N-: aHR 1.7, p = 0.02) diseases. The PFs for DC were: MM (vs SCC) and SNUC/SNEC (vs SCC) histology, and T3-4 (vs T1-2: aHR 6.0, p = 0.01) disease. The PFs for OS were: MM (vs SCC) histology, older age (aHR 1.0, p < 0.01), T3-4 (vs T1-2: aHR 5.6, p < 0.01), and N+ (vs N-: aHR 2.5, p < 0.01) disease. There was no difference in primary surgery vs RT in any outcome endpoint (all p > 0.05). p16+ SCC had a marginally higher LRC but similar DC and OS vs p16-/untested SCC (table). Conclusions: This large multicentre cohort of nmSC shows different patterns of relapse and survival with different tumor histologies. Our results suggest that individualization of treatment and follow-up strategies by histologic type is recommended to optimize outcomes in these orphan diseases. [Table: see text]
Self-care for head and neck cancer survivors with lymphedema and fibrosis: A pilot randomized clinical trial.
Authors: Deng Jie , Lin Alexander , Aryal Subhash , Lukens John Nicholas , McMenamin Erin , Quinn Ryan , Cohn Joy , Spinelli Bryan , Murphy Barbara A.
Published: June 2022

6094

Background: Lymphedema and fibrosis (LEF) are debilitating late effects in head and neck cancer survivors (HNCS). Initial therapy is usually directed by therapists following which patients undertake a LEF self-care program (SCP). No evidence based LEF-SCP are available. We report on the feasibility and preliminary efficacy data of a multifaceted LEF-SCP. Methods: 59 HNCS with LEF were randomized to: Usual care (n = 20), usual care + LEF-SCP (n = 20), and usual care + LEF-SCP + routine follow-up with a lymphedema therapist (n = 19). Assessments were conducted at baseline, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months. Outcome measures include feasibility and preliminary efficacy (LEF progression, symptom burden, and jaw range of motion [ROM]). Multivariate covariance pattern model analysis was used to test for difference between arms. Results: 1) Feasibility: LEF-SCP training sessions - 80% completion rate; 90% satisfaction with the LEF-SCP; self-care adherence was similar between arms; no adverse event. 2) Preliminary Efficacy: Compared to usual care, participants randomized to LEF-SCP (+/- follow-up) showed a decrease in LEF severity (p < 0.05), reduction in symptom burden (p < 0.05), without significant improvement in jaw ROM. No significant differences were noted between the patients +/- follow-up with a lymphedema therapist. There was a trend to improved self-efficacy in patients participating in the LEF-SCP. Conclusions: The LEF-SCP is feasible and potentially efficacious for HNCS. Further testing is warranted. Clinical trial information: NCT03030859.
Testing for Differences in Survival When Treatment Effects Are Persistent, Decaying, or Delayed
Authors: O'Quigley John
Published: June 2022

A statistical test for the presence of treatment effects on survival will be based on a null hypothesis (absence of effects) and an alternative (presence of effects). The null is very simply expressed. The most common alternative, also simply expressed, is that of proportional hazards. For this situation, not only do we have a very powerful test in the log-rank test but also the outcome is readily interpreted. However, many modern treatments fall outside this relatively straightforward paradigm and, as such, have attracted attention from statisticians eager to do their best to avoid losing power as well as to maintain interpretability when the alternative hypothesis is less simple. Examples include trials where the treatment effect decays with time, immunotherapy trials where treatment effects may be slow to manifest themselves as well as the so-called crossing hazards problem. We review some of the solutions that have been proposed to deal with these issues. We pay particular attention to the integrated log-rank test and how it can be combined with the log-rank test itself to obtain powerful tests for these more complex situations.
Continuum theories of structured dielectrics
Authors: Blossey Ralf , Podgornik Rudolf
Published: June 2022

Aqueous dielectrics are ubiquitous in soft- and bio-nano matter systems. The theoretical description of such systems in terms of continuum (“macroscopic”) theory remains a serious challenge. In this perspective we first review the existing continuum phenomenological approaches that have been developed in the past decades. In order to describe a path to advance continuum theory beyond these approaches we then take recourse to the Onsager-Dupuis theory of the dielectric behaviour of ice, which, for the case of a solid dielectric, exemplified important conceptual issues we deem relevant for the development of a more fundamental continuum theory of liquid dielectrics. Subsequently, we discuss our recently proposed continuum field theory of structured dielectrics, which provides a generalized approach to the dielectric behavior of such systems.
Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D is Associated With Bone Microarchitecture and Strength in a Multiracial Cohort of Young Adults
Authors: Garrahan Margaret , Gehman Sarah , Rudolph Sara E , Tenforde Adam S , Ackerman Kathryn E , Popp Kristin L , Bouxsein Mary L , Sahni Shivani
Published: June 2022

Purpose

To determine whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH D) levels are associated with bone outcomes in a multiracial cohort of young adults.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 165 participants (83 men, 82 women, 18-30 years of age) who self-identified as Asian, Black, or White. We measured bone microarchitecture and strength of the distal radius and tibia using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography. We used linear regression to estimate the association between 25-OH D (ng/mL) and bone measurements, adjusting for race, sex, age, weight, height, calcium intake, physical activity, and season.

Results

A total of 43.6% of participants were 25-OH D deficient (<20 ng/mL) with greater prevalence in Asian (38.9%) and Black (43.1%) compared with White (18.0%) participants (P < 0.001). At the distal radius, 25-OH D was positively associated with cortical area, trabecular density, cortical thickness, cortical porosity, and failure load (P < 0.05 for all). At the distal tibia, higher 25-OH D was associated with higher cortical area, trabecular density, trabecular number, failure load, and lower trabecular separation and cortical density (P < 0.05 for all). After multivariable adjustment, those with 25-OH D deficiency had generally worse bone microarchitecture than those with 25-OH D sufficiency. Black individuals had largely more favorable bone outcomes than Asian and White individuals, despite higher prevalence of 25-OH D deficiency.

Conclusions

We found a high prevalence of 25-OH D deficiency in a multiracial cohort of young adults. Lower 25-OH D was associated with worse bone outcomes at the distal radius and tibia at the time of peak bone mass, warranting further attention to vitamin D status in young adults.
Learning from Our Survival
Authors: Berne Patty , Lamm Nomy
Published: June 2022

Patty Berne (executive director/artistic director) and Nomy Lamm (creative director) discuss the work of their performance collective and disability justice advocacy group, Sins Invalid. They address their company’s attempts to implement the principles of disability justice within their own collaborative processes and how theaters might cultivate a culture grounded in care work. Reflecting on the lack of support for queer, POC, and disabled artists in US commercial theater, they discuss the ways that Sins Invalid’s work challenges those institutional paradigms. Finally, they consider what the company—and theater in general—has learned from the COVID-19 pandemic: namely, the challenges and possibilities of producing work online and that addressing accessibility presents rich opportunities for artistic discovery.
Sending Care from Afar
Authors: Watkin Jessica A.
Published: June 2022

Jessica Watkin works out her definition of Disability Dramaturgy and explains her artistic practice, which is rooted in personal care rather than professional extraction. As a Blind/Disabled artist, Watkin describes her relationship to Blind artist Alex Bulmer. Watkin reflects on the role of care in Bulmer’s Pandemic Postcards project, a series of twenty-one video “postcards” by Disabled artists around the world, hosted by the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Watkin discusses the originating gesture of the project, a series of posts on Bulmer’s Facebook page titled Postcards from my Balcony, begun in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Toronto. As emanations of a care-based writing practice, these entirely textual “postcards” include image descriptions, written messages, and voice memos.
Alternative Modes Of Thought
Authors: Burke Peter
Published: June 2022

This essay—a contribution to the Common Knowledge symposium on contextualism—is concerned with the gradual rise (in Europe and then more generally in the West) of awareness of the existence of modes of thought or systems of belief that are different from those that are dominant in one's own culture. The awareness can be found in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (for example, in John Locke, Bernard de Fontenelle, and Giambattista Vico) but was developed further in the early to mid-twentieth century. Its main consequence has been to encourage individuals to distance themselves from their own system—to criticize and change it.
Genome sequence and pathogenicity ofVibrio vulnificusstrain MCCC 1A08743 isolated from contaminated prawns
Authors: Li Jie , Zhu Yiqing , Ma Zhenxia , Yang Fu
Published: June 2022

Vibrio vulnificus is an opportunistic pathogen that naturally inhabits sea water globally and is responsible for most vibriosis-related deaths. The consumption of V. vulnificus contaminated seafood and exposure of wounds to Vibrio can result in systemic infection, with increased risks of amputation and extremely high rates of mortality. However, the pathogenicity and virulence factors of V. vulnificus are not fully understood. The genomic characterization of V. vulnificus will be helpful to extend our understanding on V. vulnificus at a genomic level. In this manuscript, the genome of V. vulnificus strain MCCC 1A08743 isolated from contaminated prawns from Zhanjiang, China, was sequenced using Illumina HiSeq X Ten system and annotated through multiple databases. The strain MCCC 1A08743 genome included 4371 protein-coding genes and 117 RNA genes. Average nucleotide identity analysis and core genome phylogenetic analysis revealed that MCCC 1A08743 was most closely related to strains from clinical samples from the United States. Pathogenicity annotation of the MCCC 1A08743 genome, using Virulence Factor Database and Pathogen-Host Interactions database, predicted the pathogenicity of the strain, and this was confirmed using mice infection experiments, which indicated that V. vulnificus strain MCCC 1A08743 could infect C57BL/6J mice and cause liver lesions.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Coping with captivity: takeoff speed and load-lifting capacity are unaffected by substantial changes in body condition for a passerine bird
Authors: Kou Guanqun , Wang Yang , Dudley Robert , Wu Yuefeng , Li Dongming
Published: June 2022

Captivity presumably challenges the physiological equilibrium of birds and thus influences flight ability. However, the extent to which captive birds exhibit altered features underpinning maximum flight performance remains largely unknown. Here, we studied changes in physiological condition and load-lifting performance in the Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) over 15, 30 and 45 days of captivity. Sparrows showed body mass constancy over time but also an increased hematocrit at 15 days of captivity; both relative pectoralis mass and pectoralis fat content increased at 30 days. However, maximum takeoff speed and maximum lifted load remained largely unchanged until 45 days of captivity. Wingbeat frequency was independent of captivity duration and loading condition, whereas body angle and stroke plane angle varied only with maximum loading and not with duration of captivity. Overall, these results suggest that captive birds can maintain maximum flight performance when experiencing dramatic changes in both internal milieu and external environment.
Productivity Shocks, Long-Term Contracts, and Earnings Dynamics
Authors: Balke Neele , Lamadon Thibaut
Published: June 2022

This paper examines how employer- and worker-specific productivity shocks transmit to earnings and employment. We develop an equilibrium search model and characterize the optimal contract offered by firms. Risk-neutral firms provide partial insurance against shocks to risk-averse workers and offer contingent contracts, where payments are backloaded in good times and frontloaded in bad times. The model is estimated on matched employer-employee data from Sweden. Firms absorb persistent worker and firm shocks, with respective passthrough values of 26 and 10 percent. We evaluate the effects of redistributive policies and find that 30 percent of government insurance is undone by crowding out firm insurance. (JEL D86, H23, J24, J31, J41, J62)
Using the Retail Distribution of Sellers to Impute Expenditure Shares
Authors: Antoniades Alexis , Feenstra Robert C. , Xu Mingzhi (Jimmy)
Published: June 2022

Many price indices must be constructed without quantity data at the elementary level. The paper shows that for some consumer goods in the United States and other countries, one can approximate expenditure shares using weights derived from the retail distribution of sellers. These weights are based on the share of outlets selling an item, or the share of outlets adjusted by the total number of items sold in each. Relative to using no weights, the paper finds that using such imputed weights substantially reduces bias in the frequency of price changes, in annual inflation, and in price comparisons across countries. (JEL E31, L11, L81, O11, O14)
Belief Distortions and Macroeconomic Fluctuations
Authors: Bianchi Francesco , Ludvigson Sydney C. , Ma Sai
Published: June 2022

This paper combines a data-rich environment with a machine learning algorithm to provide new estimates of time-varying systematic expectational errors (“belief distortions”) embedded in survey responses. We find sizable distortions even for professional forecasters, with all respondent-types overweighting the implicit judgmental component of their forecasts relative to what can be learned from publicly available information. Forecasts of inflation and GDP growth oscillate between optimism and pessimism by large margins, with belief distortions evolving dynamically in response to cyclical shocks. The results suggest that artificial intelligence algorithms can be productively deployed to correct errors in human judgment and improve predictive accuracy. (JEL C45, D83, E23, E27, E31, E32, E37)
Susceptibility-weighted imaging in intracranial hemorrhage: not all bleeds are black
Authors: Weerink Linda BM , Appelman Auke PA , Kloet Reina W , Van der Hoorn Anouk
Published: June 2022

To correctly recognize intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and differentiate it from other lesions, knowledge of the imaging characteristics of an ICH on susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) is essential. It is a common misconception that blood is always black on SWI, and it is important to realize that hemorrhage has a variable appearance in different stages on SWI. Furthermore, the presence of a low signal on SWI does not equal the presence of blood products.

In this review, the appearance of ICH on SWI during all its stages and common other causes of a low signal on SWI are further discussed and illustrated.
Η συνθήκη για την απαγόρευση των πυρηνικών όπλων (2017)
Authors: Ζαλίδης Βασίλειος
Published: June 2022

Αντικείμενο της διατριβής αποτελεί η Συνθήκη Απαγόρευσης των Πυρηνικών Όπλων, η οποία υιοθετήθηκε στο πλαίσιο Συνδιάσκεψης του ΟΗΕ τον Ιούλιο του 2017 και τέθηκε σε ισχύ τον Ιανουάριο του 2021. Η νέα Συνθήκη, ανταποκρινόμενη στις απαιτήσεις της διεθνούς κοινωνίας αποτέλεσε ένα σημαντικό βήμα στη μακρόχρονη πορεία του πυρηνικού αφοπλισμού και της εξάλειψης των πυρηνικών όπλων, καθώς με την υιοθέτησή της έρχεται να συμπληρώσει και να ενισχύσει δυναμικά το ευρύτερο ρυθμιστικό πλαίσιο που αποσκοπεί στην κατάργηση των πυρηνικών όπλων. Στο πρώτο μέρος της διατριβής γίνεται μια σύντομη αναφορά στη διαχρονική εξέλιξη του Δικαίου των Όπλων, αναλύεται το διεθνές νομικό καθεστώς για τα πυρηνικά όπλα και παρουσιάζονται οι πρωτοβουλίες που οδήγησαν σταδιακά στην υιοθέτηση της νέας Συνθήκης. Εν συνεχεία λαμβάνει χώρα η παρουσίαση των βασικών διατάξεων της Συνθήκης μέσω της κατ’ άρθρο ερμηνείας της. Οι εκτεταμένες απαγορεύσεις που θέτει το άρθρο 1 συνιστούν τον πυρήνα της και είναι δηλωτικές του σκοπού των συντακτών της για μια καθολική και άνευ εξαιρέσεων απαγόρευση οποιασδήποτε σχετιζόμενης με τα πυρηνικά όπλα δραστηριότητας. Στο δεύτερο μέρος εξετάζεται η σχέση της νέας Συνθήκης με άλλες συνθήκες συναφούς περιεχομένου. Στο πλαίσιο αυτό αναλύεται το καθεστώς μη διάδοσης των πυρηνικών όπλων, όπως αυτό αποτυπώνεται στην ομώνυμη Συνθήκη του 1968 (ΝΡΤ) και προσδιορίζεται η θέση της νέας Συνθήκης σε αυτό, υπό το πρίσμα του άρθρου VI της Συνθήκης Μη Διάδοσης, το οποίο σαφώς οραματίζεται τη δημιουργία μιας συνθήκης με αντικείμενο τον γενικό και πλήρη πυρηνικό αφοπλισμό. Ακολούθως προσδιορίζεται η σχέση της νέας Συνθήκης με το καθεστώς απαγόρευσης των πυρηνικών δοκιμών, ενώ έμφαση δίδεται και στο ζήτημα της συμβατότητάς της με το δόγμα της πυρηνικής αποτροπής, όπως αυτό εκφράζεται και υλοποιείται μέσω συνθηκών πολιτικοστρατιωτικής συνεργασίας μεταξύ πυρηνικών δυνάμεων και άλλων κρατών, με χαρακτηριστικό παράδειγμα τη Βορειοατλαντική Συμμαχία. Το κρίσιμο ερώτημα, στο οποίο εστιάζει η διατριβή, αφορά στη δυναμική της νέας Συνθήκης ως προς τη δημιουργία ενός εθιμικού κανόνα απαγόρευσης της κατοχής και χρήσης των πυρηνικών όπλων. Ειδικότερα, στο τρίτο μέρος αναλύονται τα συστατικά στοιχεία του εθίμου, καθώς και οι προϋποθέσεις, ώστε οι απαγορεύσεις που εισάγει η νέα Συνθήκη να αποκτήσουν εθιμική υπόσταση και κατά συνέπεια να δεσμεύσουν και μη συμβαλλόμενα σε αυτή μέρη κατά παρέκκλιση του κανόνα της μη τριτενέργειας των συνθηκών. Τέλος, η υιοθέτηση και θέση σε ισχύ της Συνθήκης Απαγόρευσης των Πυρηνικών Όπλων αποτελεί ένα νέο σημαντικό δεδομένο υπό το πρίσμα της Γνωμοδότησης του 1997, η απουσία του οποίου κατά τη χρονική περίοδο που εκδόθηκε η Γνωμοδότηση, αποτέλεσε κομβικό στοιχείο για την κρίση του Δικαστηρίου και συνάμα βασικό επιχείρημα των χωρών που υποστήριξαν τη νομιμότητα απειλής ή χρήσης των πυρηνικών όπλων υπό συγκεκριμένες προϋποθέσεις.
Features of the resource subjectivity of students in connection with self-identification on a national basis
Authors: Vasil'eva Inna , Bulatova Ol'ga
Published: June 2022

The article considers the features of the resource subjectivity of students in connection with self-identification on a national basis. The system of Russian education is in a state of approbation of new models of the educational process that meet the requirements of current socio-cultural conditions. At the same time, the transition to new learning formats causes adaptation difficulties and stress for students. When confronted with stress, resource subjectivity is of particular importance, which makes it possible to mitigate the negative consequences of stress in an academic context and contribute to its overcoming. Usually, to adapt students to innovations, their academic level, socio-psychological parameters are taken into account, and we believe that it is necessary to take into account self-identification on a national basis. Strengthening the processes of assimilation and acculturation leads to the blurring of hard signs of nationality, so we propose to talk about self-identification on a national basis and take this factor into account among others for the development and formation of the parameters of the resource subjectivity of students in the period of academic innovation. The purpose of this work is to assess the features of resource subjectivity associated with self-identification on a national basis among university students in the Tyumen region. The survey was conducted anonymously using google forms. A total of 1632 students were surveyed. The results of the study allowed us to formulate the following conclusions: 1) the resource subjectivity of students is associated with self-identification on a national basis; it determines the conscious mobilization of certain resources to solve significant current problems and achieve the strategic goals of the activity. 2) it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the resource subjectivity of students in connection with their self-identification on a national basis when carrying out adaptation measures in universities, when introducing innovative practices into the educational process. Acknowledgment: the study was supported by RFBR grant, project no. 20-412-720004.
Influence of features of communicative qualities of heads and employees of law-enforcement bodies on professional activity
Authors: Maltseva Tatyana , Teregulova Oxana , Ul'yanova Anzhelika
Published: June 2022

Despite the wide range of studies devoted to the chosen topic, at present, police officers are faced with the problems of building dialogues both among themselves and with the special contingent. To solve them, it is necessary to study in detail the features of the communicative qualities of employees and their impact on professional activities.

The subject of the study is the features of the communicative qualities of the leaders and employees of the internal affairs department. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the communicative qualities of police officers and their impact on professional activities.

The collection of empirical material was carried out using: 1) a test for assessing self-control in communication (M. Snyder); 2) a test for assessing communication skills (A.A. Karelina). The study involved 145 respondents.

The participation of the heads and employees of the internal affairs department in communicative situations of a professional nature helps them to enrich the subjective experience of self-organization, self-control, self-reflection, self-presentation, self-regulation and self-expression in official activities. This strategy contributes to the development of social intelligence of police officers, activity and creativity, self-knowledge.

When performing their professional tasks and functions, building communication links and relationships with their colleagues and citizens, police officers form their own image as a professional, as well as public opinion about the entire system of internal affairs bodies as a whole.
Bioclimatic features of Toruń according to the tourism climate index
Authors: Derkowska Izabela , Araźny Andrzej
Published: June 2022

The paper characterises the annual pattern and the long-term variability of the Tourism Climate Index (TCI) in Toruń in the years 1966–2020. In the annual variation, conditions for tourism and recreation were best from May to August. For the summer period (from June to August), the climatic conditions according to TCI were excellent, while for May they were assessed as very good. Meanwhile, the least favourable conditions for recreational and tourist activity occur in the winter months of January and December. In Toruń, there was a statistically significant increase of 0.9 pt/10yr in the annual average TCI value. An improvement in climatic conditions for humans was demonstrated for all seasons but was greatest in spring and autumn (respectively 1.6 and 1.0 TCI pt/10yr). Atmospheric circulation was also found to affect TCI. This was determined using a calendar of circulation types over central Poland, based on which indices of zonal, meridional and cyclonic circulation were used. The study has shown that anticyclonic circulation has the greatest impact on improving conditions for tourism.
Sprawozdanie z VII Światowego Kongresu Polonistów
Authors: Dąbrowska Anna , Taranek-Wolańska Olga , Ucherek Dorota
Published: June 2022

Sprawozdanie z VII Światowego Kongresu Polonistów.
Z praktyki epistolarnej autorki „Teorii listu”. Casus Stefania Skwarczyńska–Jerzy Zawieyski
Authors: Tyszkiewicz Barbara
Published: June 2022

Opublikowana w 1937 roku Teoria listu Stefanii Skwarczyńskiej (1902–1988) wciąż pozostaje istotną płaszczyzną odniesienia dla współczesnych literaturoznawców i edytorów. Do przybliżenia mniej znanej, epistolarnej praktyki autorki tej monografii posłużył zespół 25 prywatnych listów z lat 1948–1968, których adresatem był Jerzy Zawieyski (1902–1969). Te pisemne kontakty  badaczki z dramaturgiem, prozaikiem i katolickim działaczem społeczno-politycznym zostały omówione w kilku aspektach. Poczynając od okoliczności nawiązania korespondencyjnego dialogu, przedstawiono zdynamizowane, biograficzne relacje łączące nadawczynię z odbiorcą listów, a rzutujące na poruszaną przez nich problematykę: tematy literackie (skoncentrowane wokół twórczości pisarza), religijną wrażliwość i społeczno-polityczne uwikłania katolików w komunistycznym państwie, pracę naukową oraz sprawy prywatne Skwarczyńskiej. Opisowi została poddana materialna i wizualna postać ineditów oraz specyfika ich kompozycji formalnej. Chronologiczne luki w materiałach źródłowych pokazano na tle różnic światopoglądowych, które dzieliły katolickich intelektualistów pozostających (jak Skwarczyńska) w zasięgu oddziaływania Stowarzyszenia PAX i  związanych (jak Zawieyski) ze środowiskiem „Tygodnika Powszechnego” i Kołem Posłów Znak. W zakończeniu wskazano zagadnienia współczesnej recepcji Teorii listu oraz związane z nimi – badawcze i edytorskie dylematy.
Związki Jana Hulewicza ze Stanisławem Kotem
Authors: Draus Jan
Published: June 2022

Przedmiotem analizy podjętej w artykule jest zagadnienie relacji naukowych, politycznych i towarzyskich łączących Jana Hulewicza i Stanisława Kota, dwóch wybitnych uczonych, profesorów Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, badaczy historii wychowania i kultury umysłowej Rzeczpospolitej, a zarazem aktywnych uczestników życia polityczno-społecznego Polski w pierwszej połowie XX wieku. Na podstawie dotychczasowych opracowań biograficznych, a także materiałów źródłowych dostępnych w archiwach Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego oraz Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej tekst prezentuje w układzie chronologicznym etapy edukacji oraz meandry kariery zawodowej i akademickiej, działalność polityczną oraz późniejsze koleje życia obu uczonych. Cztery wyróżnione okresy to czas autonomii galicyjskiej, dwudziestolecie Polski międzywojennej, II wojna światowa oraz okres pojałtański. Omawiając biografie uczonych, artykuł zwraca uwagę na liczne podobieństwa w ich przebiegu – m.in. początki karier naukowych związane ze środowiskiem lwowskim i filologią polską, a twórczo kontynuowane w środowisku krakowskim w dziedzinie historii kultury i edukacji; wierność zasadom ideowym; wspólne środowisko polityczno-ideowe i zaangażowanie w służbę państwu polskiemu. Pomimo „żelaznej kurtyny” i komunistycznych represji, współpraca uczonych nie została zerwana. Hulewicz kontynuował i rozwijał w kraju ważne inicjatywy Kota, np. serię wydawniczą „Biblioteka Narodowa”, doprowadził do wydania księgi pamiątkowej ku czci Mistrza, zabiegał o wydanie pamiętników Wincentego Witosa w opracowaniu Profesora. Został również depozytariuszem spuścizny i wykonawcą jego ostatniej woli.
High-stability PGC demodulation technique with an additional sinusoidal modulation based on an auxiliary reference interferometer and EFA
Authors: Mu Shengquan , Yu Benli , Gui Lei , Shi Jinhui , Guang Dong , Zuo Cheng , Zhang Wujun , Zhao Xiaonan , Wu Xuqiang
Published: June 2022

In the reference interferometer demodulation scheme, it's difficult to guarantee in practice that both interferometers have the same optical path length difference (OPD), which makes the phase modulation depth different in different interferometers with the same laser modulation. The random shift of phase modulation depth also affects the demodulation results. An improved phase-generated carrier (PGC) technique is proposed based on an auxiliary reference interferometer and the ellipse fitting algorithm (EFA). The technique ensures the correct fitting of the EFA for small amplitude signals by introducing a sinusoidal signal as an additional phase modulation. The combination of the reference interferometer and EFA can eliminate the effect of different phase modulation depths of the two interferometers caused by different OPDs, the non-linear distortion caused by phase modulation depth shifts, and improve the accuracy of the demodulation results. The experiment results are consistent with the theoretical analysis, and the method extends the application of the EFA in the reference interferometer phase demodulation technique.
Fast and robust two-frame random phase-shifting interferometry without pre-filtering
Authors: Zhang Hangying , Yang Feng , Zhao Hong , Cao Liangcai
Published: June 2022

To obtain higher phase accuracy with less computation time in phase-shifting interferometry, a random phase-shifting algorithm based on principal component analysis and least squares iteration (PCA&LSI) is proposed. The algorithm does not require pre-filtering, and only requires two-frame phase-shifted interferograms and less computation time to obtain a relatively accurate phase distribution. This method can still extract the phase with high precision when there are few fringes in the interferogram. Moreover, it eliminates the limitation that the PCA algorithm needs more than three frames of interferograms with uniform phase shift distribution to accurately extract the phase. Numerical simulations and experiments confirm that the method is suitable for complex situations with different fluctuations in background intensity and modulation amplitude. And it can still achieve accurate phase extraction compared with other methods under different noise conditions.
Single-frame 3D lensless microscopic imaging via deep learning
Authors: Grant-Jacob James A. , Praeger Matthew , Eason Robert W. , Mills Ben
Published: June 2022

Since the pollen of different species varies in shape and size, visualizing the 3-dimensional structure of a pollen grain can aid in its characterization. Lensless sensing is useful for reducing both optics footprint and cost, while the capability to image pollen grains in 3-dimensions using such a technique could be truly disruptive in the palynology, bioaerosol sensing, and ecology sectors. Here, we show the ability to employ deep learning to generate 3-dimensional images of pollen grains using a series of 2-dimensional images created from 2-dimensional scattering patterns. Using a microscope to obtain 3D Z-stack images of a pollen grain and a 520 nm laser to obtain scattering patterns from the pollen, a single scattering pattern per 3D image was obtained for each position of the pollen grain within the laser beam. In order to create a neural network to transform a single scattering pattern into different 2D images from the Z-stack, additional Z-axis information is required to be added to the scattering pattern. Information was therefore encoded into the scattering pattern image channels, such that the scattering pattern occupied the red channel, and a value indicating the position in the Z-axis occupied the green and blue channels. Following neural network training, 3D images were formed from collated generated 2D images. The volumes of the pollen grains were generated with a mean accuracy of ∼84%. The development of airborne-pollen sensors based on this technique could enable the collection of rich data that would be invaluable to scientists for understanding mechanisms of pollen production climate change and effects on the wider public health.
Elliptical gold nanowires: controlled fabrication and plasmonic Fabry–Pérot resonances
Authors: Huang Kejing , Zhang Jiaming , Wang Wentao , Zhao Cong , Huang Ran , Zhen Liping , Luo Honggang , Liu Jie , Zhang Yongliang , Duan Jinglai
Published: June 2022

Nanowires (NWs) are essential building blocks of photonic devices for guiding light waves. However, the controlled synthesis of non-circular NWs remains challenging. Herein, we develop a bottom-up approach for the fabrication of high-quality elliptical gold NWs with finely tuned geometry engineering by using an advanced ion-track template technology. Compared to ordinary NWs, the rotational symmetry breaking leads to highly polarization-dependent plasmonic responses. Modal analysis shows that the lowest dipolar HE1 mode splits into two branches where the attenuation of the long-range branch decreases by 40%, while the short-range branch has a stronger enhanced near-field. Novel, to the best of our knowledge, plasmonic Fabry–Pérot resonances on finite NWs are measured. Our method can be extended to fabricate non-circular NWs with other materials, holding potential for novel applications from quantum to collective scales.
Spoken digit recognition utilizing a reservoir computing system based on mutually coupled VCSELs under optical injection
Authors: Tan ShuLu , Wu ZhengMao , Yue DianZuo , Wu WeiLai , Xia GuangQiong
Published: June 2022

In this work, we propose a reservoir computing (RC) system based on mutually delay-coupled vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (MDC-VCSELs) under optical injection for processing a spoken digit recognition task, and the performances have been numerically investigated. In such a system, two MDC-VCSELs are taken as two nonlinear nodes of the reservoir to perform non-linearly mapping of the input information. Each spoken digit is preprocessed by two different masks to form two masked matrices, whose subsequent column vectors are connected to the preceding one to form two time-dependent series. Then, they are injected into the main polarization of two VCSELs, respectively. The transient states of two VCSELs distributed in the whole coupling loop are sampled for post processing. Through analyzing the influences of some key parameters on the system performance, the optimized parameter regions for processing a spoken digit recognition task with high speed and low word error rate are determined. The simulation results show that, for processing a spoken digit recognition task with a rate of 1.1×107 words per second, the word error rate (WER) can achieve 0.02% under adopting a dataset consisting of 5000 samples.
Associations between pre-stroke physical activity and physical quality of life three months after stroke in patients with mild disability
Authors: Zirnsak Melanie , Meisinger Christine , Linseisen Jakob , Ertl Michael , Zickler Philipp , Naumann Markus , Kirchberger Inge
Published: June 2022

Background

Much is known about the association between physical activity and the occurrence of stroke. However, the evidence about the correlation between pre-stroke physical activity and post-stroke quality of life remains inconsistent. Thus, there is a high public health relevance to the topic.

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between pre-stroke physical activity and physical quality of life after three months.

Methods

Data arises from 858 patients with stroke included a prospective single-centre observational cohort study in Augsburg, Germany, between September 2018 and November 2019. The participants were recruited at the Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Augsburg after their stroke event. The level of physical activity was determined following the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire at baseline. Physical quality of life was assessed three months after hospital discharge using the German version of the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS). A multiple linear regression model and a quantile regression were carried out.

Results

A total of 497 patients were included in the analysis (mean age 69.6, 58.8% male), 26.2% had a high, 18.9% a moderate and 54.9% a low level of pre-stroke physical activity. Patients with high pre-stroke physical activity had a significantly better physical quality of life three months after stroke in the SIS physical domain (beta = 4.1) and in the SIS subdomains hand function (beta = 5.6), mobility (beta = 4.1) and activities of daily living (beta = 3.7). In the physical domain and the subdomain mobility, the effect was especially strong for persons with low physical quality of life after three months.

Conclusion

Pre-stroke physical activity seems to have an important and positive association with physical quality of life after three months in patients with mild disability. Further studies are needed to confirm these results.
What will the cardiovascular disease slowdown cost? Modelling the impact of CVD trends on dementia, disability, and economic costs in England and Wales from 2020–2029
Authors: Collins Brendan , Bandosz Piotr , Guzman-Castillo Maria , Pearson-Stuttard Jonathan , Stoye George , McCauley Jeremy , Ahmadi-Abhari Sara , Araghi Marzieh , Shipley Martin J. , Capewell Simon , French Eric , Brunner Eric J. , O’Flaherty Martin
Published: June 2022

Background

There is uncertainty around the health impact and economic costs of the recent slowing of the historical decline in cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and the future impact on dementia and disability.

Methods

Previously validated IMPACT Better Ageing Markov model for England and Wales, integrating English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) data for 17,906 ELSA participants followed from 1998 to 2012, linked to NHS Hospital Episode Statistics. Counterfactual design comparing two scenarios: Scenario 1. CVD Plateau—age-specific CVD incidence remains at 2011 levels, thus continuing recent trends. Scenario 2. CVD Fall—age-specific CVD incidence goes on declining, following longer-term trends. The main outcome measures were age-related healthcare costs, social care costs, opportunity costs of informal care, and quality adjusted life years (valued at £60,000 per QALY).

Findings

The total 10 year cumulative incremental net monetary cost associated with a persistent plateauing of CVD would be approximately £54 billion (95% uncertainty interval £14.3-£96.2 billion), made up of some £13 billion (£8.8-£16.7 billion) healthcare costs, £1.5 billion (-£0.9-£4.0 billion) social care costs, £8 billion (£3.4-£12.8 billion) informal care and £32 billion (£0.3-£67.6 billion) value of lost QALYs.

Interpretation

After previous, dramatic falls, CVD incidence has recently plateaued. That slowdown could substantially increase health and social care costs over the next ten years. Healthcare costs are likely to increase more than social care costs in absolute terms, but social care costs will increase more in relative terms. Given the links between COVID-19 and cardiovascular health, effective cardiovascular prevention policies need to be revitalised urgently.