bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ankylosis of the cervical spine increases the incidence of blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) in CTA screening after blunt trauma
Authors: Vierunen Riku M. , Haapamäki Ville V. , Koivikko Mika P. , Bensch Frank V.
Published: March 2022

Purpose

To examine the incidence, location, and grade of blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI), as well as associated strokes in patients with ankylosis of the cervical spine, imaged with CT angiography (CTA) after blunt trauma. The related etiologies of ankylosis had an additional focus.

Materials and methods

Altogether of 5867 CTAs of the craniocervical arteries imaged after blunt trauma between October 2011 and March 2020 were manually reviewed for a threshold value of ankylosis of at least three consecutive cervical vertebrae. BCVI was the primary outcome and associated stroke as the secondary outcome. Variables were craniofacial and cervical spine fractures, etiology and levels of ankylosis, traumatic brain injury, spinal hematoma, spinal cord injury, and spinal cord impingement, for which correlations with BCVI were examined.

Results

Of the 153 patients with ankylosis and blunt trauma of the cervical spine, 29 had a total of 36 BCVIs, of whom two had anterior and 4 posterior circulation strokes. Most of the BCVIs (n = 32) were in the vertebral arteries. Injuries were graded according to the Biffl scale: 17 grade II, 4 grade III, 14 grade IV, and 1 grade V. A ground-level fall was the most common trauma mechanism. Cervical spine fracture was the only statistically significant predictor for BCVI (OR 7.44). Degenerative spondylosis was the most prevalent etiology for ankylosis.

Conclusion

Ankylosis of the cervical spine increases the incidence of BCVI up to sevenfold compared to general blunt trauma populations, affecting especially the vertebral arteries.
Integrating Biological and Radiological Data in a Structured Repository: a Data Model Applied to the COSMOS Case Study
Authors: Garau Noemi , Orro Alessandro , Summers Paul , De Maria Lorenza , Bertolotti Raffaella , Bassis Danny , Minotti Marta , De Fiori Elvio , Baroni Guido , Paganelli Chiara , Rampinelli Cristiano
Published: March 2022

Integrating the information coming from biological samples with digital data, such as medical images, has gained prominence with the advent of precision medicine. Research in this field faces an ever-increasing amount of data to manage and, as a consequence, the need to structure these data in a functional and standardized fashion to promote and facilitate cooperation among institutions. Inspired by the Minimum Information About BIobank data Sharing (MIABIS), we propose an extended data model which aims to standardize data collections where both biological and digital samples are involved. In the proposed model, strong emphasis is given to the cause-effect relationships among factors as these are frequently encountered in clinical workflows. To test the data model in a realistic context, we consider the Continuous Observation of SMOking Subjects (COSMOS) dataset as case study, consisting of 10 consecutive years of lung cancer screening and follow-up on more than 5000 subjects. The structure of the COSMOS database, implemented to facilitate the process of data retrieval, is therefore presented along with a description of data that we hope to share in a public repository for lung cancer screening research.
Bromoform, mycosporine-like amino acids and phycobiliprotein content and stability in Asparagopsis armata during long-term indoor cultivation
Authors: Zanolla Marianela , Romanazzi Donato , Svenson Johan , Sherwood Alison , Stengel Dagmar B.
Published: March 2022

As the commercial use of seaweed for natural product extraction calls for abundant, uniform biomass, this study focused on the production and the variability of the harvested biomass of valuable compounds produced by a commercially relevant red algal species, Asparagopsis armata. Its tetrasporophyte stage was retrieved from two Irish localities and grown for over 2 years in indoor cultures at 13 °C and 17 °C, and bromoform, mycosporine-like amino acids and phycobiliprotein contents were monitored over time. Growth rates at different temperatures were specific to isolates, and one isolate failed to grow at 17 °C. All compounds of interest were detected by the end of the 2-year cultivation period, and most of them were produced at an exponential rate at 13 °C but not at the higher temperature. At 13 °C, bromoform reached concentrations of 10.00 ± 0.55 mg g−1, total mycosporine-like amino acids of 2.65 ± 0.10 mg g−1, phycoerythrin of 11.46 ± 0.35 mg g−1 and phycocyanin of 72.13 ± 1.74 mg g−1 in Irish isolates. The observed variability in compound content was statistically significant but not large enough to impede commercial utilization. Bromoform content in cultivated samples was almost 6-fold higher than in field-collected samples though natural bromoform variability remains to be elucidated. Our findings suggest that the tetrasporophytic phase of A. armata is a suitable candidate for indoor cultivation; abundant and homogeneous biomass composition can be obtained which can be further optimized by growth temperature.
The context of earnings management and its ability to predict future stock returns
Authors: Nguyen Nguyet T. M. , Iqbal Abdullah , Shiwakoti Radha K.
Published: March 2022

This paper constructs a signal-based composite index, namely ESCORE, which captures the context of earnings management. Specifically, ESCORE aggregates 15 individual signals related to both accrual and real earnings management based on prior relevant literature. After establishing that ESCORE is capable of capturing the context in which earnings management is more likely to occur, the study finds that low ESCORE firms outperform those with high ESCORE by an average of 1.37% per month after controlling for risk loadings on the market, size, book-to-market and momentum factors up to one year after portfolio formation in the UK. This finding implies that investors tend to ignore the observable context of earnings management. In addition, with ESCORE model, investors do not need to estimate the magnitude of earnings management, rather it is sufficient to look at the surrounding context to differentiate between low and high earnings management firms. Finally, when tested using the US data, most of the main results of the study appear to hold.
Displacement-Invariant Cost Computation for Stereo Matching
Authors: Zhong Yiran , Loop Charles , Byeon Wonmin , Birchfield Stan , Dai Yuchao , Zhang Kaihao , Kamenev Alexey , Breuel Thomas , Li Hongdong , Kautz Jan
Published: March 2022

Although deep learning-based methods have dominated stereo matching leaderboards by yielding unprecedented disparity accuracy, their inference time is typically slow, i.e., less than 4 FPS for a pair of 540p images. The main reason is that the leading methods employ time-consuming 3D convolutions applied to a 4D feature volume. A common way to speed up the computation is to downsample the feature volume, but this loses high-frequency details. To overcome these challenges, we propose a displacement-invariant cost computation module to compute the matching costs without needing a 4D feature volume. Rather, costs are computed by applying the same 2D convolution network on each disparity-shifted feature map pair independently. Unlike previous 2D convolution-based methods that simply perform context mapping between inputs and disparity maps, our proposed approach learns to match features between the two images. We also propose an entropy-based refinement strategy to refine the computed disparity map, which further improves the speed by avoiding the need to compute a second disparity map on the right image. Extensive experiments on standard datasets (SceneFlow, KITTI, ETH3D, and Middlebury) demonstrate that our method achieves competitive accuracy with much less inference time. On typical image sizes (e.g., $$540\times 960$$

540
×
960

), our method processes over 100 FPS on a desktop GPU, making our method suitable for time-critical applications such as autonomous driving. We also show that our approach generalizes well to unseen datasets, outperforming 4D-volumetric methods. We will release the source code to ensure the reproducibility.
Motives of Peer Support Volunteers with Experiences of Mental and Addictive Disorders: An Innovative Approach in the Context of Employment Promotion in Germany
Authors: Lammers Klara , Dobslaw Gudrun , Stricker Michael , Wegner Johannes
Published: March 2022

Peer support approaches are gaining increasing importance within the mental health sector as an effective way to assist people with mental and addictive disorders. This article explores peer support volunteers’ motives for voluntary engagement in a model project in Germany. It aims to gain a deeper understanding of peer support approaches and their underlying motivations in an innovative context. Twenty-three qualitative interviews with peer support volunteers were analyzed according to Mayring’s qualitative content analysis. Results showed that voluntary engagement fulfills a heterogeneous range of functions for peer support volunteers. Alongside “typical” volunteers’ motives, there were peer-specific functions such as motivation due to own personal experiences and the objective of changing societal attitudes toward mental health. Furthermore, the context of employment promotion played a motivational role: Many interview partners aimed to transform counseling structures within the institutions they had experienced as clients themselves.
Image-matching digital macro-slide—a novel pathological examination method for microvascular invasion detection in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Yu Hong-Ming , Wang Kang , Feng Jin-Kai , Lu Lei , Qin Yu-Chen , Cheng Yu-Qiang , Guo Wei-Xing , Shi Jie , Cong Wen-Ming , Lau Wan Yee , Dong Hui , Cheng Shu-Qun
Published: March 2022

Background

Microvascular invasion (MVI) is a prominent risk factor of postoperative recurrence for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The MVI detection rate of conventional pathological examination approaches is relatively low and unsatisfactory.

Methods

By integrating pathological macro-slide with whole-mount slide imaging, we first created a novel pathological examination method called image-matching digital macro-slide (IDS). Surgical samples from eligible patients were collected to make IDS. The MVI detection rates, tumor recurrence rates and recurrence-free survival were compared among conventional 3-Point and 7-Point baseline sampling protocols and IDS. Additionally, biomarkers to recognize MVI false negative patients were probed via combining conventional pathological sampling protocols and IDS. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was used to obtain the optimal cutoff of biomarkers to distinguish MVI false negative patients.

Results

The MVI detection rates were 21.98%, 32.97% and 63.74%, respectively, in 3-Point, 7-Point baseline sampling protocols and IDS (p < 0.001). Tumor recurrence rate of patients with MVI negative status in IDS (6.06%) was relatively lower than that of patients with MVI negative status in 3-Point (16.90%) and 7-Point (16.39%) sampling protocols. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) were selected as potential biomarkers to distinguish MVI false negative patients.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated that IDS can help enhance the detection rate of MVI in HCC and refine the prediction of HCC prognosis. Alpha-fetoprotein is identified as a suitable and robust biomarker to recognize MVI false-negative patients in conventional pathological protocols.
Nachhaltigkeitsrisiken in Versicherungsunternehmen. Regulatorische Entwicklungen, Szenarioanalysen und Stress-Tests
Authors: Kraft Mirko
Published: March 2022

In diesem Beitrag werden regulatorische Entwicklungen zu Nachhaltigkeitsrisiken in Versicherungsunternehmen betrachtet. Nachhaltigkeitsrisiken werden anhand der ESG-Kriterien differenziert (environmental, social, governance). Als weitere Differenzierung wird die in physische und transitorische Risiken gewählt. Nachgezeichnet werden die regulatorischen Entwicklungen auf globaler, europäischer und nationaler Ebene. Schwerpunkt liegt auf den Arbeiten zu EU-Vorgaben durch die Europäische Kommission und die EU-Versicherungsaufsichtsbehörde EIOPA, insbesondere zum EU-Aufsichtssystem Solvency II und zu Versicherungs-Stress-Tests. Der Fokus richtet sich auf die Entwicklung von Szenarioanalysen und Stress-Tests zu Nachhaltigkeitsrisiken. Letztere sind für mikro- und makroprudenzieller Zwecke möglich. Ihre Ausgestaltung wird u. a. hinsichtlich Szenarien, Zeithorizonten und Granularität diskutiert. Der Beitrag gibt somit einen Überblick und Ausblick auf die regulatorische Behandlung von Nachhaltigkeitsrisiken im Versicherungssektor, wobei die EU-Vorgaben Leitbild für internationale Fortschritte in diesem Feld sein könnten.
Targeted genome-wide SNP genotyping in feral horses using non-invasive fecal swabs
Authors: Gavriliuc Stefan , Reza Salman , Jeong Chanwoori , Getachew Fitsum , McLoughlin Philip D. , Poissant Jocelyn
Published: March 2022

The development of high-throughput sequencing has prompted a transition in wildlife genetics from using microsatellites toward sets of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, genotyping large numbers of targeted SNPs using non-invasive samples remains challenging due to relatively large DNA input requirements. Recently, target enrichment has emerged as a promising approach requiring little template DNA. We assessed the efficacy of Tecan Genomics’ Allegro Targeted Genotyping (ATG) for generating genome-wide SNP data in feral horses using DNA isolated from fecal swabs. Total and host-specific DNA were quantified for 989 samples collected as part of a long-term individual-based study of feral horses on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, using dsDNA fluorescence and a host-specific qPCR assay, respectively. Forty-eight samples representing 44 individuals containing at least 10 ng of host DNA (ATG’s recommended minimum input) were genotyped using a custom multiplex panel targeting 279 SNPs. Genotyping accuracy and consistency were assessed by contrasting ATG genotypes with those obtained from the same individuals with SNP microarrays, and from multiple samples from the same horse, respectively. 62% of swabs yielded the minimum recommended amount of host DNA for ATG. Ignoring samples that failed to amplify, ATG recovered an average of 88.8% targeted sites per sample, while genotype concordance between ATG and SNP microarrays was 98.5%. The repeatability of genotypes from the same individual approached unity with an average of 99.9%. This study demonstrates the suitability of ATG for genome-wide, non-invasive targeted SNP genotyping, and will facilitate further ecological and conservation genetics research in equids and related species.
Trade Specialisation and Changing Patterns of Comparative Advantages in Manufactured Goods
Authors: Algieri Bernardina , Aquino Antonio , Succurro Marianna
Published: March 2022

Starting from the late 1950s, mainly as a reaction to Leontief’s paradoxical results, a large amount of research has underlined the great importance of technology and human capital in explaining international trade in manufactures. This study examines the patterns of comparative advantages for 42 countries and 91 manufactured classes of final and intermediate products and their changes between 2001 and 2019. The dynamics and the effects of the international fragmentation of production processes are also considered. Comparative advantages in each class of products are related to three different measures of a country’s human capital or technology endowment: the cost of labour, the level of formal education and the number of patents per capita. An indicator of home market size enters the model as a control variable. The econometric analysis reveals that in 2019, human capital or technology endowments explain comparative advantages in 70 out of 91 products. In particular, 31 products are positively and significantly associated with at least 1 of the 3 human capital or technology indicators, 34 products are negatively and significantly linked to at least 1 indicator, 5 products show contrasting results, 21 products are not related to any human capital or technology indicator. Between 2001 and 2019, comparative advantages for 15 classes of products shifted towards lower-technology countries and for 18 productions towards higher-technology countries. There were no shifts for 51 products. From a policy perspective, the distinction between high and low-technology productions could have some interesting implications. Since high-technology productions are characterised by a higher learning-by-doing rate, governments should foster domestic firms to upgrade the human capital or technology intensity of their productions.
Evaluation of Conservation Tillage Methods for Soil Moisture Conservation and Maize Grain Yield in Low Moisture Areas of SNNPR, Ethiopia
Authors: Bekele Bagegnehu , Habtemariam Temesgen , Gemi Yenealem
Published: March 2022

Conservation tillage is a promising tillage practice for enhancing soil moisture conservation. The objective of the study is to evaluate conservation tillage methods on soil moisture and maize grain yield in Silte and Gurage zone of Ethiopia. No tillage, one-time tillage, two times tillage, and conventional tillage methods were evaluated. The treatments were laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications for three consecutive years (2018–2020). Besides soil moisture data, selected physical and chemical soil properties were collected. Economic analysis was also computed for each tillage method to select cost effective conservation tillage methods. The result reveals, conservation tillage methods had better soil infiltration and soil moisture content relative to conventional tillage. There was no significant difference between treatments in soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and phosphorus in the top 10 cm in the Mareko site. However, except for phosphorus, significant differences (p < 0.05) between treatments in soil organic carbon and nitrogen were detected in the 10–20 cm depth. The maize yield and yield components are significantly affected by treatments at the Mareko site and not significant at Mito. The results support that conservation tillage tested in this study could contribute to the improvement of soil properties and maize yield in study sites.
Anxiety-Related Coping Styles and Individual Differences in Primary Emotional Systems Against the Background of Affective Neuroscience Theory: a Study Using Samples from Germany and China
Authors: Jung Sonja , Sindermann Cornelia , Yang Haibo , Elhai Jon D. , Montag Christian
Published: March 2022

Scientific literature suggests that Neuroticism is an important predictor in understanding individual differences in anxiety-related coping styles such as vigilance (positive association) and cognitive avoidance (negative association). Considering Pankseppian Affective Neuroscience (AN) theory could contribute to understand these relationships more in-depth, because the evolutionary old subcortical brain systems of FEAR, SADNESS, and ANGER might represent brain-anatomical bottom-up drivers of Neuroticism. N = 594 German participants (n = 170 males; mostly student background) and N = 332 Chinese participants (n = 72 males; mostly student background) completed the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) and the Mainz Coping Inventory (Angstbewältigungsinventar; ABI) to assess individual differences in primary emotional traits and anxiety-related coping styles, respectively. As hypothesized, associations between the three emotional systems and the two coping styles cognitive avoidance and vigilance were observed. There were some differences in correlations between the Chinese and German samples, mainly regarding associations between ANGER and cognitive avoidance. Moreover, linear regression analyses revealed FEAR as a main predictor of vigilance (positive) and cognitive avoidance (negative) in the German sample. In the Chinese sample, FEAR was the main predictor of cognitive avoidance (negative), only; for vigilance SADNESS (positive) was the main predictor. Theoretical assumptions behind primary emotional traits indicate that the brain systems underlying FEAR and SADNESS indeed influence anxiety-related coping styles in a bottom-up fashion.
The Anthropology of Childhood
Authors: Lancy David F.
Published: March 2022

How are children raised in different cultures? What is the role of children in society? How are families and communities structured around them? Now in its third edition, this deeply engaging book delves into these questions by reviewing and cataloging the findings of over 100 years of anthropological scholarship dealing with childhood and adolescence. It is organized developmentally, moving from infancy through to adolescence and early adulthood, and enriched with anecdotes from ethnography and the daily media, to paint a nuanced and credible picture of childhood in different cultures, past and present. This new edition has been expanded and updated with over 350 new sources, and introduces a number of new topics, including how children learn from the environment, middle childhood, and how culture is 'transmitted' between generations. It remains the essential book to read to understand what it means to be a child in our complex, ever-changing world.
Predictor corrector algorithms considering multiple constraints for entry vehicles
Authors: Zhang W. J. , Wang B. M.
Published: March 2022

This paper proposes an online entry trajectory planning based on predictor corrector algorithm that satisfies terminal constraints, path constraints and geographic constraints for lifting-body entry vehicles. The vehicle is considered as a 3DOF point mass. A piecewise linear bank profile in the altitude-versus-velocity (H-V) plane is used to project the longitudinal trajectory and a heading angle corridor-based bank angle reversal logic is designed to satisfy the geographic constraints simultaneously. The algorithm in longitudinal plane solves the problem of the mismatch between terminal range and height and the algorithm in lateral plane satisfies the no-fly zone constraint. Simulation results with the CAV-H model show that the proposed algorithm can generate entry trajectories satisfying multiple constraints and has certain robustness.
Climate change and productivity of northeastern dairy farms
Authors: Lopez Rigoberto A. , Laughton Christopher , Kim Donghoon , Suh Hyun Soo
Published: March 2022

This article examines the impact of extreme weather on dairy farm productivity in the northeastern U.S., accounting for the effects of extreme temperatures on dairy cow productivity and on feed production—the predominant feeding system in the region. Using a stochastic frontier production model and 2010–20 dairy farm-level data, we find that although heat stress impacts cow productivity negatively, it increases feed production. No discernable impacts of extreme cold temperatures were found. Additional results indicate the presence of significant labor-augmenting productivity and that larger farms experience larger productivity growth thanks to increasing returns to scale and allocative efficiency.
Population density, cosmopolitanism, and undocumented immigrants in the United States
Authors: Adut Ari , Hyun-Soo Kim Harris
Published: March 2022

Most research on attitudes towards immigrants and immigration problematically conflates the documented and the undocumented. Previous studies also largely ignore the autonomous role of population density. Based on data drawn from two nationally representative surveys, this paper focuses on contemporary American attitudes towards undocumented immigration and immigrants. Contra the dominant view, we find that education and income have no effect. More important, population density, measured at the county level, significantly predicts favorable attitudes, controlling for factors often erroneously conflated with density: race, income, education, political affiliation, age, gender, and interaction with immigrants. In fact, interaction tends to decrease favorable attitudes. We explain these findings by proposing a novel account of cosmopolitanism, using favorable attitudes towards undocumented immigrants and immigration as an empirical indicator. Those who live in places with higher density are more used to see and be seen in everyday life by countless people with whom they share the same spaces without necessarily interacting with them. As a result, they are more likely to consider all them, including undocumented immigrants, in a superficial yet egalitarian way as generalized others to be ignored. It is this tolerance based on general indifference that is the basis of cosmopolitanism.
Risk factors and predictors of mortality in acute invasive fungal sinusitis – a single-institution experience
Authors: Varghese L , Malleshappa V , Yadav B K , Kurien R , Rupa V
Published: March 2022

Objective

To determine risk factors affecting mortality in acute invasive fungal sinusitis.

Method

This observational cohort study was conducted over a five-year period.

Results

Of 109 recruited patients, 90 (82.6 per cent) had diabetes mellitus. Predominant fungi were zygomycetes (72.6 per cent) with Rhizopus arrhizus being most common. Of the patients, 12.8 per cent showed a positive biopsy report from radiologically normal sinuses. Factors affecting mortality on multivariate analysis were: female sex (p = 0.022), less than two weeks between symptoms and first intervention (p = 0.01), and intracranial involvement (p = 0.034). Other factors significant on univariate analysis were: peri-orbital swelling (p = 0.016), restricted ocular movements (p = 0.053), intracranial symptoms (p = 0.008), posterior disease (p = 0.058), imaging showing ocular involvement (p = 0.041), fungus being zygomycetes (p = 0.050) and post-operative cavity infection (p = 0.032). Bilateral, palatal and retromaxillary involvement were not associated with poor prognosis.

Conclusion

Diagnosis of acute invasive fungal sinusitis requires a high index of clinical suspicion. Recognition of factors associated with poor prognosis can help when counselling patients, and can help initiate urgent intervention by debridement and antifungal therapy. Post-operative nasal and sinus cavity care is important to reduce mortality.
A Laplace transform approach to direct and inverse problems for multi-compartment models
Authors: RODRIGO M.
Published: March 2022

Multi-compartment models described by systems of linear ordinary differential equations are considered. Catenary models are a particular class where the compartments are arranged in a chain. A unified methodology based on the Laplace transform is utilised to solve direct and inverse problems for multi-compartment models. Explicit formulas for the parameters in a catenary model are obtained in terms of the roots of elementary symmetric polynomials. A method to estimate parameters for a general multi-compartment model is also provided. Results of numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the approach.
Two decades of automatic amortized resource analysis
Authors: Hoffmann Jan , Jost Steffen
Published: March 2022

This article gives an overview of automatic amortized resource analysis (AARA), a technique for inferring symbolic resource bounds for programs at compile time. AARA has been introduced by Hofmann and Jost in 2003 as a type system for deriving linear worst-case bounds on the heap-space consumption of first-order functional programs with eager evaluation strategy. Since then AARA has been the subject of dozens of research articles, which extended the analysis to different resource metrics, other evaluation strategies, non-linear bounds, and additional language features. All these works preserved the defining characteristics of the original paper: local inference rules, which reduce bound inference to numeric (usually linear) optimization; a soundness proof with respect to an operational cost semantics; and the support of amortized analysis with the potential method.
Impact of obesity on medically assisted reproductive treatments
Authors: Sciorio Romualdo , Bellaminutti Serena , Tramontano Luca , Esteves Sandro C.
Published: March 2022

Increasing evidence has demonstrated that obesity impairs female fertility and negatively affects human reproductive outcome following medically assisted reproduction (MAR) treatment. In the United States, 36.5% of women of reproductive age are obese. Obesity results not only in metabolic disorders including type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but might also be responsible for chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Several studies have demonstrated that inflammation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the ovary modify steroidogenesis and might induce anovulation, as well as affecting oocyte meiotic maturation, leading to impaired oocyte quality and embryo developmental competence. Although the adverse effect of female obesity on human reproduction has been an object of debate in the past, there is growing evidence showing a link between female obesity and increased risk of infertility. However, further studies need to clarify some gaps in knowledge. We reviewed the recent evidence on the association between female obesity and infertility. In particular, we highlight the association between fat distribution and reproductive outcome, and how the inflammation and oxidative stress mechanisms might reduce ovarian function and oocyte quality. Finally, we evaluate the connection between female obesity and endometrial receptivity.
The Great Sphinx and Other “Thinged” Statues in Colonial Portrayals of Africa
Authors: Martin Elizabeth
Published: March 2022

This article uses thing theory to interrogate literary portrayals of ancient statues in Africa. It argues that Victorian colonists adopted a “rhetoric of thinghood” to portray these statues’ history and purpose as forever lost to time. By treating them as “things”—singular, incomprehensible, sublime—the statues could be decoupled from the indigenous cultures that made them. Victorians could thus avoid acknowledging the evidence that the objects’ appearance and manufacture provided of the existence of Black civilization, which Victorian race theory denied to Black Africans. Starting with an overview of the nineteenth-century European concept of fetishism, this article traces the development of that rhetorical sleight-of-hand through the real-world integration of the bust of Younger Memnon (now Ramses II) and other Egyptian antiquities into Eurocentric notions of world history: an integration that spurred a variety of interpretive methods intended to negate their racialized appearance. Nonetheless, many African artifacts, particularly those with human likenesses, remained sites of hegemonic destabilization, which authors like Haggard and Wells interrogated in their imperial romances. Under the assumed scrutiny of ancient statues—portrayed as pseudo-animate sentinels bearing silent witness to the unfolding of history—the justifications for colonial expansion corrode, triggering a more hostile and xenophobic mind-set in the Victorian protagonist.
Rape in Public: Overlooking Child Sexual Assault in Charlotte Mary Yonge'sThe Daisy Chain
Authors: Cleere Eileen
Published: March 2022

Charlotte Mary Yonge's Victorian novelThe Daisy Chain(1856) is not a text that has been discussed in terms of sexual violence. A “family story” that apparently inspired Alcott'sLittle Women(1869),The Daisy Chainhas been most often considered a novel about the conflict between female vocation and religious duty. However, in this essay I argue thatThe Daisy Chainis also a novel that grapples openly with the problem of child sexual assault and features violence against women and girls as an accepted custom of what Berlant and Warner call the “heterosexual life narrative” (“Sex in Public”). Our postmodern abstraction of rape and the terminology surrounding rape have made sexual assault harder to “see” in both reality and representation, but in the context of the #MeToo movement, this essay pushes for an understanding of rape inThe Daisy Chainas an event that happens in plain sight. Toggling between the two meanings of the word “overlook,” I argue that rape is a normalized custom of heterosexual belonging that can only be seen in the novel by girls with bad vision. Ethel May's myopia allows her to see what the rest of her family overlooks: rape in public.
Localized Phonon Densities of States at Grain Boundaries in Silicon
Authors: Rez Peter , Boland Tara , Elsässer Christian , Singh Arunima
Published: March 2022

Since it is now possible to record vibrational spectra at nanometer scales in the electron microscope, it is of interest to explore whether extended defects in crystals such as dislocations or grain boundaries will result in measurable changes of the phonon densities of states (dos) that are reflected in the spectra. Phonon densities of states were calculated for a set of high angle grain boundaries in silicon. The boundaries are modeled by supercells with up to 160 atoms, and the vibrational densities of states were calculated by taking the Fourier transform of the velocity–velocity autocorrelation function from molecular dynamics simulations with larger supercells doubled in all three directions. In selected cases, the results were checked on the original supercells by comparison with the densities of states obtained by diagonalizing the dynamical matrix calculated using density functional theory. Near the core of the grain boundary, the height of the optic phonon peak in the dos at 60 meV was suppressed relative to features due to acoustic phonons that are largely unchanged relative to their bulk values. This can be attributed to the variation in the strength of bonds in grain boundary core regions where there is a range of bond lengths.
Leslie Uggams, Sing Along with Mitch (1961–64), and the Reverberations of Minstrelsy
Authors: Morgan-Ellis Esther M.
Published: March 2022

In his television program Sing Along with Mitch (1961–1964), Mitch Miller employed the talents of African American singer Leslie Uggams in ways that explicitly countered the legacy of minstrelsy. Although the program can be criticized as reactionary on other grounds, the fact that Sing Along with Mitch presented older, white viewers with a nostalgic vision of American identity realized through collective song amplified the impact of Uggams's performances. The program was well-received by Black viewers, and suited the dominant integrationist philosophy of the early 1960s. However, surviving correspondence indicates that some viewers persisted in perceiving Uggams through a lens clouded by minstrel stereotypes. This article documents and analyzes the ways in which these viewers continued to see and hear Uggams as a minstrel performer despite her presentation as a consummate professional and fully integrated member of the Sing Along “family.”
Patients’ and therapists’ experiences of CBT videoconferencing in anxiety disorders
Authors: Song Li-Ling , Foster Chloe
Published: March 2022

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) videoconferencing has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for anxiety disorders and an equal alternative to face-to-face CBT. However, qualitative patient and therapist experiences of CBT videoconferencing have been less researched. Due to COVID-19, mental health services have shifted to remote therapy methods; thus, understanding patient and therapist experiences are crucial to better inform service policies and best practices. The current study focused on patient and therapist experiences of CBT videoconferencing at the Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma (CADAT). Researchers used qualitative content analysis to explore patients’ (n = 54) and therapists’ (n = 15) responses to an online survey. Results yielded four themes: behavioural experiments work well if the problem lends itself to videoconferencing, overall practicalities but some home environment implications, privacy and technical issues, high telepresence and the negative impact on the therapeutic alliance, and COVID-19 influences attitude positively. The findings have clinical implications for CBT videoconferencing, including a need for specific training in assessment and intervention for therapists using videoconferencing.

Key learning aims

Readers of this paper will be able to:

(1)

Describe patient and therapist qualitative experiences of CBT videoconferencing.

(2)

Identify areas to consider when delivering CBT videoconferencing in anxiety disorders.

(3)

Understand therapist training needs for CBT videoconferencing in anxiety disorders.

(4)

Inform own service protocols and best practices for the delivery of CBT videoconferencing.
The Problems of Perestroika: The KGB and Mikhail Gorbachev's Reforms
Authors: Miles Simon
Published: March 2022

The KGB and the rest of the Soviet intelligence and policing apparatus are commonly portrayed as having been among the staunchest of conservative opponents to the reform process in the Soviet Union during the latter half of the 1980s. But while key leaders of the August 1991 effort to oust General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, for example, did come from the security services, this characterization obscures how the KGB rank-and-file responded to and participated in the reforms. This article uses their own words and experiences, recorded in the KGB΄s top-secret in-house journal,Sbornik KGB SSSR, to examine how everyday KGB officers navigated liberalizing reforms in which they in fact played an active and evolving role implementing and shaping. In these firsthand accounts, which cover topics from nationalism to environmentalism, a sense of loss of control is clear, both over events unfolding in the Soviet Union and over their own leading role and privileged position within it.
An Unstable Bridge: A REEES Graduate Student Perspective on Contemporary Academia
Authors: Giustiniano Caitlin , Hicks Zachary
Published: March 2022

Our aim in this article is to foreground the specific role that graduate students play in academia today and some structural issues that are connected with it. As both workers and students, graduate students occupy a unique position within the larger academic system. They work at what for the majority is the beginning of a continuum of casualization, precarity, and adjunctification. Meanwhile, graduate students are educated following an older, apprenticeship-based model proper to a time when a PhD was a more likely bridge to secure employment. To articulate a REEES graduate student perspective, we interviewed eighteen REEES graduate students and recent grads from across the US focusing on these structural problems. At a moment when almost 75% of contemporary academic labor is carried out by graduate students and non-tenure track faculty, we hope to open up a conversation about contingent labor in REEES and to spotlight potential for practical changes.
Utility of isoxaflutole-based herbicide programs in HPPD-tolerant cotton production systems
Authors: Farr Rodger , Norsworthy Jason K. , Barber L. Tom , Butts Thomas R. , Roberts Trent
Published: March 2022

Palmer amaranth has developed resistance to at least seven herbicide sites of action in the Cotton Belt of the United States, leaving producers with fewer options to manage this weed. Previous research with corn and newly commercially released soybean systems have found the use of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibiting herbicides such as isoxaflutole (IFT) to be effective at managing Palmer amaranth. Consequently, a new transgenic cultivar of cotton is being developed with tolerance to IFT, allowing for in-crop applications of the herbicide. Two separate studies were conducted near Marianna, AR, in 2019 and replicated in 2020, to investigate the crop safety and utility of IFT when added to cotton herbicide programs. Herbicide programs featured IFT as a preemergence or early-postemergence option, residual herbicides in subsequent postemergence applications, and the presence or absence of a layby application. The use of IFT did not significantly impact cotton injury or yield, whereas the use of layered residual herbicides, including IFT, increased Palmer amaranth control compared to those without. Regardless of earlier use of IFT, layby applications were needed for season-long control of Palmer amaranth, entireleaf morningglory, broadleaf signalgrass, and johnsongrass, as evidenced by greater than a 20 percentage point improvement in control of all weeds when a layby application was made. Overall, findings from these studies indicate IFT to be a suitable tool for managing Palmer amaranth and will provide an additional site of action for cotton herbicide programs. Sequential herbicide applications and overlaying residuals were found to be paramount for managing Palmer amaranth throughout the season.
Integrated use of the stale seedbed technique with preemergence herbicides to control weedy rice in wet seeded rice
Authors: Dilipkumar Masilamany , Mohamad-Ghazali Mohd Shahril Shah , Shari Erwan Shah , Lee Chuen Ng , Chauhan Bhagirath Singh , Chuah Tse Seng
Published: March 2022

This study was undertaken to investigate the integration effects of pretilachlor, oxadiazon, and dimethenamid with or without glyphosate in a stale seedbed method to control weedy rice in wet-seeded rice. The study, conducted in 2018 and 2019, comprised two seedbed treatments in main plots, with and without glyphosate (850 g ae ha−1), and four subplot treatments: pretilachlor, oxadiazon, dimethenamid, and unsprayed check. Fifteen days after glyphosate spray, each subplot was treated with preemergence herbicides at 500 g ai ha−1 under standing water conditions (2 to 3 in.), and the water level was maintained for 7 d. Pregerminated rice seeds (var. MR297) were hand-broadcasted in the moist soil at 120 kg ha−1 seeding rate. In 2019, the density and dry weight of weedy rice were 30% and 118% higher Gthan those observed in 2018, respectively. A stale seedbed with glyphosate reduced weedy rice dry weight by 12% as compared to what was observed in a stale seedbed without glyphosate. Addition of oxadiazon and pretilachlor to the stale seedbed drastically reduced weedy rice dry weight by 70% to 88% and 53% to 60% in both years. Dimethenamid contributed to a significant reduction of weedy rice dry weight of 19% in 2019 only but failed to provide a positive economic return. Integration of pretilachlor and oxadiazon in a stale seedbed with glyphosate gave profitable returns of $84.00 to 311.4 ha−1 and $175.70 to 483.8 ha−1, respectively. Without the presence of glyphosate, pretilachlor and oxadiazon contributed a positive return of $318.90 and $469.40, respectively, in 2018, but the economic returns were negative in 2019. These results suggest that integration of pretilachlor or oxadiazon in a stale seedbed with glyphosate is more crucial when weedy rice infestation is high, but glyphosate can be excluded from the management regime when the weedy rice populations are low.
Wie werden myelodysplastische Syndrome diagnostiziert?
Authors: Silzle Tobias
Published: March 2022

Zusammenfassung. Auch im Zeitalter der molekularen Medizin fusst die Diagnostik von myelodysplastischen Syndromen (MDS) auf den visuellen Methoden der Knochenmarksmorphologie und der konventionellen Metaphasen-Zytogenetik. Dies gilt auch für die korrekte Einordnung nach der derzeit gültigen WHO-Klassifikation von 2016 sowie für die Prognosestellung nach dem Internationalen Prognostischen-Scoring-System in seiner revidierten Fassung (IPSS-R). Vor einer Knochenmarkspunktion liefern Anamnese, klinische Befunde und eine Beurteilung des Blutausstriches neben laborchemischen Analysen entscheidende Hinweise zur differentialdiagnostischen Einordnung von Zytopenien. Wird ein MDS vermutet, umfassen die weiteren Untersuchungen eine Aspirationszytologie des Knochenmarks und die Histologie einer Stanzbiopsie, welche zusammen mit dem peripheren Blutausstrich als komplementäre Methoden zur Evaluation des myeloischen Kompartiments der Hämatopoese betrachtet werden sollten, sowie eine konventionelle Metaphasen-Zytogenetik. Diese Basisuntersuchungen können, je nach morphologischen Befunden und klinischer Situation ergänzt werden durch durchflusszytometrische Analysen, Spezialmethoden zum sensitiven Nachweis genomischer Veränderungen auf chromosomaler Ebene (Fluoreszenz-in-situ-Hybridisierung [FISH] und Single-Nucleotid-Polymorphismus-[SNP-]Arrays) sowie durch den Nachweis von Mutationen auf DNA-Ebene durch die Analyse myeloischer Genpanels mittels Next-Generation-Sequencing (NGS). Die Mutationsanalyse hat derzeit einen eng umschriebenen Stellenwert in der Diagnostik im Kontext von MDS-Formen mit Ringsideroblasten. Ihre Rolle weitet sich jedoch kontinuierlich aus und es ist zu erwarten, dass der Mutationsnachweis in Zukunft standardisiert zur Diagnosefindung, Risikostratifizierung und nicht zuletzt zur Planung und zum Monitoring der Therapie (Einsatz zielgerichteter Medikamente je nach Mutationsprofil, Monitoring einer minimalen Resterkrankung nach allogener Stammzelltransplantation) eingesetzt werden wird.
Was erwartet uns in naher Zukunft beim myelodysplastischen Syndrom?
Authors: Stehle Gregor
Published: March 2022

Zusammenfassung. Die Rolle der Molekulargenetik wird in Zukunft in allen Bereichen der Betreuung von Patienten mit MDS zunehmen (Diagnostik, Prognose, Therapie). Im Bereich der Therapie bleibt bei den Low-risk-MDS die transfusionsbedürftige Anämie trotz neuer Medikamente die grösste Herausforderung. Bei den High-risk-MDS zeigen nach einem Jahrzehnt des Stillstandes verschiedene Wirkstoffe in frühen Studienphasen vielversprechende Resultate. Ausserdem werden hier voraussichtlich Zweier- oder sogar Dreier-Kombinationen zum neuen Therapiestandard werden. Von grosser Bedeutung ist sicherlich auch der Einschluss von Patienten in nationale und internationale Register, um bei dieser insgesamt seltenen Krankheit grössere Fallzahlen für Projekte und Studien zu erhalten.
Cataloguing guanidinoacetic acid content in various foods
Authors: Ostojic Sergej M.
Published: March 2022

Abstract. Guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) is a natural amino acid derivative involved in several metabolic pathways across the human body, including creatine biosynthesis, arginine utilization, and neuromodulation. Apart from GAA synthesized internally from glycine and arginine, a total daily exposure to GAA also involves exogenous dietary sources. However, a majority of food databases provide no comprehensive data about the amount of GAA available from various foods. In this report, we summarize information for GAA levels in different food groups, as extracted from the available scientific literature. The content of GAA appears to vary across different foods, with meat-based products contain the highest relative amount of GAA (~50 mg per kg), followed by a dairy group (~0.3 mg per kg), and plant-based foods (~1 μg per kg), with the latter considered to be almost negligible. Although no data are currently available about its requirements in humans, cataloguing GAA amount in various foods could help in more accurate quantification of GAA provision via regular diet in the future.
The Importance of Physical Activityfor Mental Health
Authors: Imboden Christian , Claussen Malte Christian , Seifritz Erich , Gerber Markus
Published: March 2022

Abstract. Due to the worldwide high prevalence of psychiatric disorders and its association with sedentary behavior and comorbid physical diseases, increasing physical activity in psychiatric populations is of high importance. Regular physical activity is associated with increased mental wellbeing and has shown to have preventive effects on depression, anxiety disorders and probably sleep disorders. Additionally, positive effects on comorbid chronic physical diseases have been found. Exercise as treatment for several weeks has shown to have an antidepressant effect. Similar positive effects on symptoms have been found in anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. Therefore, assessing and promoting physical activity is advisable in clinical psychiatric practice. Patients should be coached to reach at least a weekly average of 150 minutes of moderate and/or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity. Establishing physical activity and exercise groups is of utmost importance for psychiatric outpatients.