bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association Between Uremic Pruritus and Serum Level of Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 in Hemodialysis Patients in North of Iran: An Observational Study
Authors: Azimi Seyyede Zeinab , Ramezanzade Elham , Alizadeh Narges , Monfared Ali
Published: November 2022

Background: Chronic itch (CI) in hemodialysis (HD), also called uremic pruritus (UP), is a common, distressing, and unpleasant symptom. Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a bone-secreted phosphaturic factor. Several bone diseases can accompany kidney diseases. It is unclear whether the common disturbance of calcium/phosphate homeostasis can cause CI in chronic kidney disease. Objectives: This study investigated the association between FGF23 and UP among HD patients in northern Iran. Methods: Patients undergoing maintenance HD at four referral medical centers were recruited in this cross-sectional survey. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to evaluate serum FGF23 levels. An interview questionnaire was used to analyze the various aspects of pruritus. Results: Of 237 subjects, 54.01% had UP. There was no difference in serum FGF23 levels between patients with and without UP (413.17 ± 416.97 vs. 410.81 ± 444.49, P = 0.85). Those with UP required dialysis for a longer period (P = 0.02). FGF23 was shown to be associated with parathyroid hormone in UP (P = 0.02, r = 0.41). Conclusions: There was no linear correlation between FGF23 and UP in this study.
Who Favours Men in Flexible-List PR Systems? An Analysis of Preferential Voting in the Czech Republic
Authors: Haase Formánková Zuzana , Líbal Miroslav , Oreský Jan
Published: November 2022

The share of women in the Czech Republic’s lower chamber of Parliament remains persistently low in comparison to other European countries, and below the world average. However, in the last general election, we observed a significant rise in voters’ support for women, alongside slightly better women’s positions on candidate lists. A flexible-list proportional representation (PR) system allows both the nominating political party and the voters to influence the composition of the legislature. However, it is not yet clear whether the low descriptive representation of women is due to the voters, the parties or both. Our primary goal is to test the actual effect of the parties and the voters on the representation of women in the Czech Republic. We analyse the Czech Statistical Office’s open data on more than 16,000 cases of candidates who competed in eight Czech Chamber of Deputies elections between 1996 and 2021, and who were nominated by relevant political parties. As a dependent variable, we employ the share of voters casting preferential votes for a candidate, rather than the candidate’s success in winning a mandate, which allowed us to include smaller parties. In contradiction to the common expectation of the existence of voter bias, being a woman helped candidates get more preferential votes compared to men, not only in the last but also in four out of seven previous elections. We thus argue that it is not voters, but rather systemic factors related to parties that favour men in the Czech elections.
Release of GMOs
Authors:   Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
Published: November 2022

This POSTnote describes GMOs, their applications, potential risks and control
Proliferation control
Authors:   Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
Published: November 2022

This POSTnote reviews technical aspects relevant to improving international control over the spread of sophisticated weaponry
دور المشروعات الصغيرة في تمكين المرأة اليمنية المتضررة اقتصادياً من الحرب
Authors: هناء عبدالكريم فضل عبدالله
Published: November 2022

تعدُّ المرأة اليمنية أكثر شرائح المجتمع تضرراً منذ بداية الصراع والحرب، إذ أدَّت هذه الظروف إلى فرض واقع صعب للغاية عليها، فأصبحت تواجه تحديات كبيرة، فإلى جانب أدوارها التقليدية التي تؤديها أصبحت تتحمل مشاقاً تفوق قدرتها في سبيل الحفاظ على تماسك المجتمع اقتصادياً واجتماعياً، وتمثِّل النساء والأطفال الفئة الأكثر ضعفاً في السكان.

ولا شكَّ أن للنساء دوراً أساسياً في إعالة أسرهنَّ، لا سيَّما في ظل هذه الظروف الصعبة، وتبين الورقة الأثر الإيجابي الذي يترتب على تمكين النساء اقتصادياً سواء في تحسين الوضع الاقتصادي والإنساني أم في دعم عملية بناء السلام وتماسك المجتمعات.

وقد لعب برنامج التمويل الأصغر ودعمه للمشاريع الصغيرة دوراً مهماً في الحد من البطالة، وتوفير سبل العيش لشريحة واسعة من الفئات الأشد حرماناً في المجتمع اليمني، وتحسين مستوى معيشة المرأة اليمنية فضلاً عن التمكين الاقتصادي لها.
PEMBERIAN TEPUNG BIJI KARET DALAM RANSUM TERHADAP BOBOT KARKAS, PERSENTASE GIBLET, PERSENTASE LEMAK ABDOMEN BURUNG PUYUH (Coturnix coturnix japonica).
Authors: Herlina Betty , Novita Ririn
Published: November 2022

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui bobot  karkas, lemak abdomen, giblet burung puyuh (Coturnix-coturnix Japonica) yang diberi tambahan Tepung Biji karet dalam ransum. . Penelitian ini dilakukan di Kelurahan Simpang Periuk, Kecamatan Lubuklinggau Selatan II dengan menggunakan metode eksperimental dengan rancangan acak lengkap (RAL) yang disusun secara non factorial terdiri dari enam perlakuan dengan empat ulangan. Masing-masing unit percobaan 4 ekor burung puyuh sehingga jumlah total DOQ yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini sebanyak 96 ekor.  Adapun factor perlakuan yang dicobakan adalah sebagai berikut : PO : 100% Ransum Komersial (control), P1: 94% Ransum Komersil +6% Tepung Biji Karet, P2:91% Ransum Komersil+9% Tepung Biji Karet, P3 : 88%  Ransum Komersil +12 Tepung Biji Karet, P4: 85% Ransum Komersil+15% Tepung Biji Karet, P5: 82% ransum Komersil+18% Tepug Biji Karet.  Parameter yang diamati adalah. Bobot akhir, Bobot Karkas, Persentase Giblet  dan Persentase  Lemak Abdomen .  Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa pemberian tepung biji karet (Hevea brasiliensis) dengan level 6%  dalam ransum burung puyuh memberikan pengaruh sangat nyata terhadap  bobot akhir, bobot karkas dan tidak memberikan pengaruh nyata terhadap persentase giblet, persentase lemak abdomen burung puyuh.
IDENTIFIKASI SIFAT KARAKTERISTIK TERNAK KERBAU (Bubalus bubalis) YANG DIPELIHARA DI KECAMATAN TALANG EMPAT
Authors: Bagus Dimas Setiawan
Published: November 2022

Kerbau (Bubalus bubalis) adalah ternak asli daerah panas dan lembab, Khususnya di daerah belahan Utara Tropika. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis karakteristik ternak kerbau yang dipelihara warga setempat. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada bulan Juli 2021 di Kecamatan Talang Empat, Kabupaten Bengkulu Tengah. Analisis data yang diperoleh ditabulasi dan ditampilkan dalam bentuk tabel serta gambar kemudian dianalisis secara deskriptif. Variable yang diamanati adalah sifat karakteristik ternak kerbau. kerbau dimiliki warga setempat adalah jenis kerbau rawa yang karakteristiknya meliputi warna kulit dominan abu-abu kehitaman, ukuran bobot badan kerbau jantan dewasa rata-rata 435 kg dan kerbau betina dewasa rata-rata 367 kg, panjang badan kerbau jantan dewasa rata-rata 129 cm dan kerbau betina dewasa rata-rata 123 cm, lingkar dada kerbau jantan dewasa rata-rat 192 cm dan kerbau betina dewasa rata-rata 179 cm, serta bentuk tanduk yang dominan dimiliki kerbau jantan dan betina dewasa kebanyakan melengkung ke atas.

Kata Kunci :  Kerbau, Karakteristik, Talang Empat
Development of Novel Structural Approaches for Cost-Effective OLED Emitters
Authors: Rudušs Armands
Published: November 2022

The Doctoral Thesis is a collection of thematically related scientific publications including four scientific publications and two publications in conference proceedings. The modification of the phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes in order to obtain solution-processable materials are explored in the first part of the Thesis. In the second part, Cu(I) carbene-metal-amide type TADF emitters are explored. The characterization of the photophysical properties and OLED performance parameters for the obtained compounds has been carried out.
There Are No Facts
Authors: Shepard Mark
Published: November 2022

The entanglements of people and data, code and space, knowledge and power: how data and algorithms shape the world—and shape us within that world.

With the emergence of a post-truth world, we have witnessed the dissolution of the common ground on which truth claims were negotiated, individual agency enacted, and public spheres shaped. What happens when, as Nietzsche claimed, there are no facts, but only interpretations? In this book, Mark Shepard examines the entanglements of people and data, code and space, knowledge and power that have produced an uncommon ground—a disaggregated public sphere where the extraction of behavioral data and their subsequent processing and sale have led to the emergence of micropublics of ever-finer granularity.

Shepard explores how these new post-truth territories are propagated through machine learning systems and social networks, which shape the public and private spaces of everyday life. He traces the balkanization and proliferation of online news and the targeted distribution of carefully crafted information through social media. He examines post-truth practices, showing how truth claims are embedded in techniques by which the world is observed, recorded, documented, and measured. Finally, he shows how these practices play out, at scales from the translocality of the home to the planetary reach of the COVID-19 pandemic—with stops along the way at an urban minimarket, an upscale neighborhood for the one percent, a Toronto waterfront district, and a national election.
Ecological by Design
Authors: Fallan Kjetil
Published: November 2022

How ecological design emerged in Scandinavia during the 1960s and 1970s, building on both Scandinavia's design culture and its environmental movement.

Scandinavia is famous for its design culture, and for its pioneering efforts toward a sustainable future. In Ecological by Design, Kjetil Fallan shows how these two forces came together in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Scandinavian designers began to question the endless cycle in which designed objects are produced, consumed, discarded, and replaced in quick succession. The emergence of ecological design in Scandinavia at the height of the popular environmental movement, Fallan suggests, illuminates a little-known reciprocity between environmentalism and design: not only did design play a role in the rise of modern environmentalism, but ecological thinking influenced the transformation in design culture in Scandinavia and beyond that began as the modernist faith in progress and prosperity waned.

Fallan describes the efforts of Scandinavian designers to forge an environmental ethics in a commercial design culture sustained by consumption; shows, by recounting a quest for sustainability through Norwegian wood(s), that one of the main characteristics of ecological design is attention to both the local and the global; and explores the emergence of a respectful and sustainable paradigm for international development. Case studies trace key connections to continental Europe, Britain, the US, Central America, and East Africa.

Today, ideas of sustainability permeate design discourse, but the historical emergence of ecological design remains largely undiscussed. With this trailblazing book, Fallan fills that gap.
Reported Awareness and Adoption of 2021 Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Equations Among US Clinical Laboratories, March 2022
Authors: Genzen Jonathan R. , Souers Rhona J. , Pearson Lauren N. , Manthei David M. , Chambliss Allison B. , Shajani-Yi Zahra , Miller W. Greg
Published: November 2022

This study includes clinical laboratories that participated in the first general chemistry proficiency testing survey in 2022 to assess awareness and adoption of new equations from the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) that eliminated race-adjustment factors, including one based on creatinine and one based on creatinine and cystatin C.
Customizable landmark‐based field aperture design for automated whole‐brain radiotherapy treatment planning
Authors: Xiao Yao , Cardenas Carlos , Rhee Dong Joo , Netherton Tucker , Zhang Lifei , Nguyen Callistus , Douglas Raphael , Mumme Raymond , Skett Stephen , Patel Tina , Trauernicht Chris , Chung Caroline , Simonds Hannah , Aggarwal Ajay , Court Laurence
Published: November 2022

Purpose

To develop and evaluate an automated whole‐brain radiotherapy (WBRT) treatment planning pipeline with a deep learning–based auto‐contouring and customizable landmark‐based field aperture design.

Methods

The pipeline consisted of the following steps: (1) Auto‐contour normal structures on computed tomography scans and digitally reconstructed radiographs using deep learning techniques, (2) locate the landmark structures using the beam's‐eye‐view, (3) generate field apertures based on eight different landmark rules addressing different clinical purposes and physician preferences. Two parallel approaches for generating field apertures were developed for quality control. The performance of the generated field shapes and dose distributions were compared with the original clinical plans. The clinical acceptability of the plans was assessed by five radiation oncologists from four hospitals.

Results

The performance of the generated field apertures was evaluated by the Hausdorff distance (HD) and mean surface distance (MSD) from 182 patients’ field apertures used in the clinic. The average HD and MSD for the generated field apertures were 16 ± 7 and 7 ± 3 mm for the first approach, respectively, and 17 ± 7 and 7 ± 3 mm, respectively, for the second approach. The differences regarding HD and MSD between the first and the second approaches were 1 ± 2 and 1 ± 3 mm, respectively. A clinical review of the field aperture design, conducted using 30 patients, achieved a 100% acceptance rate for both the first and second approaches, and the plan review achieved a 100% acceptance rate for the first approach and a 93% acceptance rate for the second approach. The average acceptance rate for meeting lens dosimetric recommendations was 80% (left lens) and 77% (right lens) for the first approach, and 70% (both left and right lenses) for the second approach, compared with 50% (left lens) and 53% (right lens) for the clinical plans.

Conclusion

This study provided an automated pipeline with two field aperture generation approaches to automatically generate WBRT treatment plans. Both quantitative and qualitative evaluations demonstrated that our novel pipeline was comparable with the original clinical plans.
Predictive significance of Charcot‐Leyden crystal structures for nasal polyp recurrence
Authors: Chen Wenyi , Bai Yurong , Kong Weifeng , Luo Xin , Zeng Yinhui , Chen Jingyuan , Wang Xinyue , Wu Qingwu , Chaudhuri Shuvam , Chen Jianning , Yang Qintai , Zhang Yana
Published: November 2022

Background

Charcot‐Leyden crystals (CLCs) are recognized to be classic hallmarks of eosinophilic inflammation. Both protein and mRNA levels of CLC in nasal secretions and nasal brushing samples have been associated with nasal polyp recurrence. However, whether the crystalline CLC structures in nasal tissue could serve as an effective biomarker to predict polyp recurrence remains unclear.

Methods

A total of 110 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) completing the postoperative follow‐up over a period of 24 months were recruited. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was employed for CLCs identification. The predictive factors for polyp recurrence were determined by binary logistic regression analysis.

Results

Thirty three (30.00%) patients developed recurrence during a 24‐month postoperative follow‐up, in which 84.85% (28/33) patients had crystalline CLC structures. Logistic regression analysis showed that crystalline CLC structure in nasal tissues is predictive of polyp recurrence. Youden index demonstrated crystalline CLC structure higher than 1 per high power field can predict postoperative polyp recurrence with 84.80% sensitivity and 98.70% specificity.

Conclusions

The crystalline CLC structures in nasal tissues may serve as an easy‐counting and promising biomarker to predict CRSwNP recurrence.
Factors that affect the development of acute hemorrhagic rectal ulcer syndrome and rebleeding
Authors: Uehara Natsumi , Inoue Kazuaki , Kuroki Yuichiro , Miyao Naoki , Iwahashi Kenta , Suzuki Reika , Endo Toshiyuki , Asonuma Kunio , Yoshida Erika , Koshibu Naoko , Tabuchi Akihiro , Tohata Misako , Hanamura Shotaro , Gomi Kuniyo , Yamamoto Yorimasa , Nagahama Masatsugu
Published: November 2022

Objectives

Acute hemorrhagic rectal ulcer syndrome (AHRUS) causes massive bleeding and often recurrent rebleeding from rectal ulcers that form immediately above the dentate line. This study aimed to determine the clinical background and risk factors contributing to rebleeding in patients with AHRUS and the most appropriate method of hemostasis treatment.

Methods

This retrospective study included 93 patients diagnosed with AHRUS at Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Japan, between April 2009 and November 2018. Information on clinical background factors, endoscopic findings, and hemostasis was obtained from medical records. The relationship with episodes of rebleeding was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results

The median age was 79 years, and 84 patients (90%) had a performance status of grade 2 or higher. The patients had multiple background factors, with a median number of 5 per patient. The background factors could be classified into two major factors: those related to arteriosclerosis and those related to delayed wound healing.

In the multivariate analysis, significantly more rebleeding occurred in patients with active bleeding during the initial endoscopy (odds ratio 4.88, 95% confidence interval 1.80–14.46, p = 0.003); significantly less rebleeding occurred in patients for whom hemostasis was first performed by clipping (odds ratio 0.30, 95% confidence interval 0.09–0.88, p = 0.035).

Conclusions

In bedridden older individuals with poor general health, multiple combinations of arteriosclerosis‐related factors and protracted wound healing factors can induce AHRUS. We strongly recommend performing hemostasis via the clipping method on suspected bleeding points, including active bleeding sites, in AHRUS.
Smart Solar‐Panel Umbrella toward High‐Efficient Hybrid Solar and Rain Energy Harvesting
Authors: Liu Dingyu , Yang Xiya , Gao Jiaan , Ran Qing , Zhu Gelin , Yuan Jingbo , Zheng Duo , Guo Jiangtao , Zhao Leilei , Tang Qunwei
Published: November 2022

Solar photovoltaic power generation technology is the top priority of the global energy development strategy. Although the photoelectric conversion efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells is as high as 33.7%, the power generation efficiency is relatively low or even unable to generate power normally under low‐light environments such as rainy weather and a cloudy day. Herein, a smart solar panel umbrella system with an auto open and close function is realized by integrating a polysilicon solar cell module and an interdigitated electrode structure triboelectric nanogenerator (IDE–TENG) toward hybrid solar and rain energy harvesting. The output performances of the IDE–TENG are systematically investigated and optimized by regulating the dielectric thickness, inclination angle of IDE–TENG, and various drip types. On this basis, combined with the solar module, the function of auto open and close for the smart solar panel system is realized by a 32‐bit microcontroller and a raindrop sensor, which can be automatically switched as the weather changes and maintain high power conversion efficiency of 19.61% of the solar cell. This smart solar panel umbrella system can be used as a self‐powered supply for all‐weather landscape lighting to save the utilization of fossil energy and contribute in the realization of carbon neutrality.
Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and peripheral blood biomarkers correlate with survival outcomes but not response among head and neck and salivary cancer treated with pembrolizumab and vorinostat
Authors: Pan Cassie , Wu Qian “Vicky” , Voutsinas Jenna , Houlton Jeffrey J. , Barber Brittany , Futran Neal , Laramore George E. , Liao Jay J. , Parvathaneni Upendra , Martins Renato G. , Fromm Jonathan R. , Rodriguez Cristina P.
Published: November 2022

Background

Associations between peripheral blood biomarkers and oncologic outcomes were explored in recurrent/metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HN) and salivary gland cancer (SGC) treated with pembrolizumab and vorinostat on a phase II trial (NCT02538510).

Experimental Design

Twenty‐five HN and 25 SGCs were treated with pembrolizumab and vorinostat. Baseline peripheral blood was available in 21 HN and 20 SGCs and evaluated for associations with grade ≥3 adverse events (G ≥ 3AE) by CTCAEv4, objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and progression‐free survival (PFS).

Results

Higher pretreatment neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and neutrophils, as well as lower pretreatment lymphocytes and T helper cells correlated with worse OS and PFS. Higher NLR further predicted increased rates of G ≥ 3AEs. No correlations with ORR were observed.

Conclusions

In a prospectively evaluated cohort of HN and SGCs treated with pembrolizumab and vorinostat, we observed novel associations between peripheral blood biomarkers and oncologic outcomes and toxicities.
A critical look to community wisdom: Applying the World Café method to health promotion and prevention
Authors: Recchia Virginia , Dodaro Antonio , De Marco Elisabetta , Zizza Antonella
Published: November 2022

Patient experiences and ideas are key components for improving health promotion and prevention. Engaging patients and other stakeholders in sharing their practices and ideas is nowadays crucial to increase the legitimacy, credibility, and acceptability of the decisions in these fields, by fostering community wisdom. The World Café is a participatory method suitable to involve a large number of actors to propose creative solutions based on their different knowledge and experiences. However, the diffusion of this approach is not uniform in the various countries and health topics. This review summarises the specific topic, the study design, the number and the characteristics of participants, as well as the main findings and the purpose of the studies regarding the application of this method to health promotion and prevention. Among other results, it was found that the World Café is an appreciated, inspiring, and flexible participatory process often used in association with one or more other methods, to explore emergent themes or topics, to collect best practices or suggestions, to generate improvements or recommendations, and to define priorities for the implementation of projects or research agendas. The results highlight the potentiality of the World Café whenever an issue is not well defined and needs to be explored through deep and several insights. The method allows the exploitation of creativity and collective wisdom when qualitative and in‐dept results—more than quantitative and statistically rigorous ones—are appropriate.
COVID‐digital health literacy and subjective well‐being of students in Ghana: Mediation‐moderation analyses
Authors: Quansah Frank , Ankomah Francis , Agormedah Edmond K. , Abieraba Richard S. K. , Srem‐Sai Medina , Hagan John E. , Okan Orkan , Dadaczynski Kevin , Schack Thomas
Published: November 2022

Background

Previous research has established a strong association between COVID‐19 digital health literacy (DHL) and subjective well‐being among several populations, including students. With the growing misinformation and heightened fear of COVID‐19 among persons with an underlying medical condition, several scholars have questioned the direct relationship between DHL and well‐being. This study assessed the moderating roles of information accuracy concerns and the existence of an underlying medical condition among students.

Methods

Using a cross‐sectional design, a multi‐stage sampling approach was used to select 1392 students from senior high schools in Northern Ghana who completed a questionnaire containing information on DHL, information accuracy, subjective well‐being, and underlying health condition, with reported internal consistency coefficients above 0.70. The data which was processed with SPSS version 25, was analyzed using correlation (Pearson and biserial), and Hayes' PROCESS for the moderation and mediation analyses.

Results

A significant positive relationship was found between (a) DHL and subjective well‐being, (b) DHL and information accuracy concerns, and (c) information accuracy concerns and subjective well‐being. However, the prevalence of underlying health condition was negatively associated with information accuracy, DHL, and subjective well‐being. Information accuracy concerns and the existence of an underlying medical condition significantly regulated the relationship between DHL and subjective well‐being.

Conclusions

Demonstrating satisfactory levels of DHL does not necessarily result in improved subjective well‐being. However, emphasis should be placed on whether individuals attach much importance to the accuracy of information retrieved as well as having or not an underlying health condition.
BNT162b2 COVID‐19 vaccine and gynecologic emergency department visit diagnoses—A study from a large tertiary center
Authors: Meyer Raanan , Mohr‐Sasson Aya , Mashiach Roy , Levin Gabriel
Published: November 2022

Synopsis

COVID‐19 vaccine is associated with higher rates of pregnancy of unknown location and a trend of increased vaginal bleeding.
Evaluation of CRISPR/Cas9 exon‐skipping vector for choroideremia using human induced pluripotent stem cell‐derived RPE
Authors: Iwagawa Toshiro , Masumoto Hiroki , Tabuchi Hitoshi , Tani Kenzaburo , Conklin Bruce R. , Watanabe Sumiko
Published: November 2022

Background

Exon‐skipping is a powerful genetic tool, especially when delivering genes using an AAV‐mediated full‐length gene supplementation strategy is difficult owing to large length of genes. Here, we used engineered human induced pluripotent stem cells and artificial intelligence to evaluate clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated protein 9‐based exon‐skipping vectors targeting genes of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The model system was choroideremia; this is an X‐linked inherited retinal disease caused by mutation of the CHM gene.

Methods

We explored whether artificial intelligence detected differentiation of human OTX2, PAX6 and MITF (hOPM) cells, in which OTX2, PAX6 and MITF expression was induced by doxycycline treatment, into RPE. Plasmid encoding CHM exon‐skipping modules targeting the splice donor sites of exons 6 were constructed. A clonal hOPM cell line with a frameshift mutation in exon 6 was generated and differentiated into RPE. CHM exon 6‐skipping was induced, and the effects of skipping on phagocytic activity, cell death and prenylation of Rab small GTPase (RAB) were evaluated using flow cytometry, an in vitro prenylation assay and western blotting.

Results

Artificial intelligence‐based evaluation of RPE differentiation was successful. Retinal pigment epithelium cells with a frameshift mutation in exon 6 showed increased cell death, reduced phagocytic activity and increased cytosolic unprenylated RABs only when oxidative stress was in play. The latter two phenotypes were partially rescued by exon 6‐skipping of CHM.

Conclusions

CHM exon 6‐skipping contributed to RPE phagocytosis probably by increasing RAB38 prenylation under oxidative stress.
Numerical methods for scattering problems from multi‐layers with different periodicities
Authors: Zhang Ruming
Published: November 2022

In this paper, we consider a numerical method to solve scattering problems with multi‐periodic layers with different periodicities. The main tool applied in this paper is the Bloch transform. With this method, the problem is written into an equivalent coupled family of quasi‐periodic problems. As the Bloch transform is only defined for one fixed period, the inhomogeneous layer with another period is simply treated as a non‐periodic one. First, we approximate the refractive index by a periodic one where its period is an integer multiple of the fixed period, and it is decomposed by finite number of quasi‐periodic functions. Then the coupled system is reduced into a simplified formulation. A convergent finite element method is proposed for the numerical solution, and the numerical method has been applied to several numerical experiments. At the end of this paper, relative errors of the numerical solutions will be shown to illustrate the convergence of the numerical algorithm.
A systematic review and network meta‐analysis of antimanic drugs for the treatment of acute mania used in Japan
Authors: Ishizuka Kanako , Inada Toshiya
Published: November 2022

This review aimed to clarify whether antimanic agents used in Japan are superior to placebo for the treatment of acute mania, based on reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in Japan and other East Asian countries. A literature search was conducted using the MEDLINE, PubMed, and Ichushi databases from their dates of inception to July 31, 2021, for studies written in English or Japanese with a primary diagnosis of bipolar I disorder, comparing any of the following active drugs to treat acute mania in adults: aripiprazole, carbamazepine, chlorpromazine, haloperidol, lithium, olanzapine, sultopride, timiperone, and zotepine. A random‐effects network meta‐analysis was performed within a frequentist framework. The quality of each included study was evaluated using the revised Cochrane risk‐of‐bias tool for randomized trials. The outcomes adopted were the response rate for efficacy and dropout rate for tolerability during 3 weeks from baseline. Eleven RCTs, totaling 1148 participants, were reviewed. The pooled odds ratio (OR) (±95% confidence interval [CI]) was calculated. Timiperone (OR = 4.53, CI 1.09–18.80), sultopride (OR = 3.76, CI 1.08–13.05), and aripiprazole (OR = 1.99, CI 1.22–3.24) were significantly more effective than placebo. Olanzapine (OR = 0.51, CI 0.29–0.90) was significantly superior in acceptability to placebo. The results showed no significant differences from placebo for carbamazepine, chlorpromazine, haloperidol, lithium, and olanzapine. These results suggest that noninferiority trials alone cannot always confirm the antimanic drug efficacy and that direct placebo‐controlled trials are necessary to verify the antimanic efficacy of the drugs.
Team's average acute:chronic workload ratio correlates with injury risk in NCAA men's soccer team
Authors: Bakal David R. , Friedrich Tyler R. , Keane Gerald , White Brian , Roh Eugene Y.
Published: November 2022

Background

Research in multiple sports has shown that an individual's acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) correlates with injury. However, tailoring team trainings to each individual's ACWR is technically challenging and has not been found to decrease injury risk.

Objective

To establish a more feasible method of utilizing the ACWR for injury prevention in soccer. In a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's soccer team, we assessed whether the team's average ACWR, as opposed to that of each individual, correlated with injuries sustained throughout the season.

Design

Injury and workload data were retrospectively evaluated for all players (n = 23) of an NCAA men's soccer team during one 18‐week season. Workload data for five global positioning system (GPS)‐derived workload variables (total distance, high‐speed distance, accelerations, player load, and average velocity) were used to calculate the team's average daily acute and chronic workloads (accumulated load for each variable during the past 3 and 28 days, respectively), and uncoupled ACWRs (acute workload divided by chronic workload for each variable). A retrospective cohort design was used to compare the team's workloads and ACWRs on days where ≥1 injury occurred versus days where zero injuries occurred using binary logistic regression models.

Results

Trainings/games with injuries had higher acute workloads, lower chronic workloads, and higher ACWRs for all five workload variables. In multivariable analysis, risk factors for injury included a low chronic workload for total distance (odds ratio [OR] 7.23, p = .024) and an ACWR >1.4 for accelerations (OR 4.34, p = .029).

Conclusions

The team's injury risk was greater with low distance accumulation during the chronic period and with an elevated ACWR for accelerations. Future intervention‐based studies aimed at using ACWR load‐management principles as a method of decreasing injury risk in soccer can consider tracking the team's average values with the goal of maintaining a consistent chronic workload for total distance and avoiding elevations in the ACWR for accelerations.
Dual Responsive Optical Sensor for The Detection of Zn2+and Al3+: Supportive Single‐Crystal X‐ray Structure of its Ni(II) Complex and DFT Studies
Authors: Mukherjee Pallabi , Chatterjee Sudeshna , Mukherjee Sukriti , Das Debasis
Published: November 2022

A tripodal pentadentate mono‐imine derivative, 2‐({2‐[bis‐(2‐amino‐ethyl)‐amino]‐ethylimino}‐methyl)‐phenol (L2) is employed for ‘turn on’ fluorescence recognition of Zn2+and Al3+at two different wavelengths. Chelation‐enhanced fluorescence (CHEF) assisted inhibition of excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) is proposed as the sensing mechanism. The1HNMR, mass, IR spectral data, Jobs experiment and single crystal X‐ray structure of the [Ni(II)‐L2] complex (N1) strongly support the structure of L2 and its interaction with Zn2+and Al3+. Density functional theoretical (DFT) studies indicate higher stability of the Zn2+and Al3+adducts over free L2. The recognition of Zn2+and Al3+at two different emission wavelengths allows to construct a binary logic gate. Moreover, L2 is useful for determination unknown concentration of Al3+in real water samples. The complex N1 catalyses the catechol oxidation reaction.
Current Status of Natural Products/siRNA Co‐Delivery for Cancer Therapy
Authors: Jacob Megha Mariya , Santhosh Amritha , Rajeev Anjaly , Joy Reshma , John Pooja Mary , John Franklin , George Jinu
Published: November 2022

siRNA interference is a conserved cellular gene silencing mechanism and a viable technique for human disease intervention, including cancer. This method has significant potential benefits over currently available treatments. The limitations of using siRNA‐based systems are the lack of specificity, high chance of degradation, toxicity, and ineffective cellular uptake. Combination therapy using natural compounds possesses higher therapeutical value with siRNA. Various natural compounds are used in cancer treatments such as paclitaxel, ursolic acid, hypericin, etoposide, etc due to their diverse bioactivities. In this review, the codelivery of natural compounds/siRNA using nanovehicles is highlighted.
High‐Performance Photocatalytic Reduction of Nitrogen to Ammonia Driven by Oxygen Vacancy and Ferroelectric Polarization Field of SrBi4Ti4O15 Nanosheets
Authors: Gao Shuai , Ji Haodong , Yang Peng , Guo Ming , Tressel John , Chen Shaowei , Wang Qiang
Published: November 2022

Photo‐responsive semiconductors can facilitate nitrogen activation and ammonia production, but the high recombination rate of photogenerated carriers represents a significant barrier. Ferroelectric photocatalysts show great promise in overcoming this challenge. Herein, by adopting a low‐temperature hydrothermal procedure with varying concentrations of glyoxal as the reducing agent, oxygen vacancies (Vo) are effectively produced on the surface of ferroelectric SrBi4Ti4O15 (SBTO) nanosheets, which leads to a considerable increase in photocatalytic activity toward nitrogen fixation under simulated solar light with an ammonia production rate of 53.41 µmol g−1 h−1, without the need of sacrificial agents or photosensitizers. This is ascribed to oxygen vacancies that markedly enhance the self‐polarization and internal electric field of ferroelectric SBTO, and hence, facilitate the separation of photogenerated charge carriers and light trapping as well as N2 adsorption and activation, as compared to pristine SBTO. Consistent results are obtained in theoretical studies. Results from this study highlight the significance of surface oxygen vacancies in enhancing the performance of photocatalytic nitrogen fixation by ferroelectric catalysts.
Wrist Pulse Feature of Pneumoconiosis and its Application
Authors: Zhang Shiru , Zhang Xiaohuan , Wu Yixuan , Zhang Hong
Published: November 2022

Pneumoconiosis has been the most harmful occupational disease for coal miners for decades and is difficult to cure completely. If this disease can be diagnosed and cured in time, it can be effectively controlled. Currently, the most reliable clinical diagnosis method is using X‐ray or high‐resolution computerized tomography (CT). Here, we propose a method to diagnose pneumoconiosis using wrist pulse signals. First, a pulse sensor is used to collect wrist pulse signals, then, preprocessing is conducted, and a single period of a pulse signal is separated. Second, a 13‐dimensional feature is extracted in the time, frequency, and wavelet domains. Finally, a support vector machine, back propagation neural network, or random forest classifier are used to classify the pulse signals, two voting procedures are used and the diagnosis result can be achieved. The lowest recognition accuracy is 85.16%. The experimental results show that our 13‐dimensional feature can be used as the main feature of pneumoconiosis diagnosis. The proposed method provides a more reliable auxiliary means for the diagnosis of coal mine pneumoconiosis. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
The role ofAIfor developing digital twins in healthcare: The case of cancer care
Authors: Kaul Rohit , Ossai Chinedu , Forkan Abdur Rahim Mohammad , Jayaraman Prem Prakash , Zelcer John , Vaughan Stephen , Wickramasinghe Nilmini
Published: November 2022

Digital twins, succinctly described as the digital representation of a physical object, is a concept that has emerged relatively recently with increasing application in the manufacturing industry. This article proposes the application of this concept to the healthcare domain to provide enhanced clinical decision support and enable more patient‐centric, and simultaneously more precise and individualized care to ensue. Digital twins combined with advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have the potential to facilitate the integration and processing of vast amounts of heterogeneous data stemming from diversified sources. Hence, in healthcare this can provide enhanced diagnosis and treatment decision support. In applying digital twins in combination with AI to complex healthcare contexts to assist clinical decision making, it is also likely that a key current challenge in healthcare; namely, providing better quality care which is of high value and can lead to better clinical outcomes and a higher level of patient satisfaction, can ensue. In this focus article, we address this proposition by focusing on the case study of cancer care and present our conceptualization of a digital twin model combined with AI to address key, current limitations in endometrial cancer treatment. We highlight the role of AI techniques in developing digital twins for cancer care and simultaneously identify key barriers and facilitators of this process from both a healthcare and technology perspective.

This article is categorized under:

Application Areas > Health Care
Attention Biases for Eating Disorder-Related Stimuli Versus Social Stimuli in Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa – An Eye-Tracking Study
Authors: Sfärlea Anca , Radix Anne Kathrin , Schulte-Körne Gerd , Legenbauer Tanja , Platt Belinda
Published: November 2022

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by attention biases for eating disorder-related information as well as altered attentional processing of social information. However, little is known about the interplay between the altered attentional processing of these two types of information. The present study investigates attention biases for eating disorder-related information (pictures of bodies) versus social information (pictures of faces), in adolescents with AN. Attention biases were assessed via eye-tracking during a passive-viewing task in which female bodies and faces were presented simultaneously and thus competed directly for attention. Female adolescents (13–18 years) with AN (n = 28) were compared to a clinical comparison group (adolescents with major depression; n = 20) and a comparison group of adolescents with no mental illness (n = 24). All groups looked longer at bodies than at faces, i.e., showed attention biases for bodies in maintenance of attention. These biases were more pronounced in adolescents with AN than in both comparison groups, particularly for underweight bodies, at the expense of looking less at social stimuli. The results indicate “dual” attention biases in adolescents with AN (i.e., towards bodies and away from emotional faces) which could have a twofold negative impact on eating disorder psychopathology: increased attention to eating disorder-related information might directly influence eating disorder symptoms while less attention to social information might have an indirect influence through the amplification of interpersonal difficulties.
Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: Moderating a Random Intercept Cross-lagged Panel Model of Loneliness and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression
Authors: Kristensen Sara Madeleine , Urke Helga Bjørnøy , Larsen Torill Bogsnes , Danielsen Anne Grete
Published: November 2022

The present study investigated the trait- and state-like associations between loneliness and symptoms of anxiety and depression during three years in middle to late adolescence. The moderating effect of gender and social self-efficacy was examined on the hypothesised model. The sample consisted of 1508 Norwegian upper secondary school students (61% female; mean age at T1 = 16.33; 52.9% high socioeconomic position; 70.6% Norwegian-born). We found 1) strong and positive trait- and state-like associations between loneliness and symptoms of anxiety and depression, 2) that anxiety and depressive symptoms consistently predicted later loneliness but not the other way around, 3) that gender moderated parts of the state-like associations between loneliness and symptoms of anxiety and depression, and 4) that social self-efficacy had no moderating effect on the longitudinal relationship between loneliness and anxiety and depressive symptoms. The present study might inform future research, theory development, and intervention strategies in middle to late adolescent samples.
La Nature et le corps du roi
Authors: Bührer-Thierry Geneviève
Published: November 2022

Dans son livre La Nature et le roi.Environnement, pouvoir et société à l’âge de Charlemagne (740-820), Jean-Pierre Devroey traite en profondeur, à travers plusieurs chapitres, de la personne du roi dans la bonne marche du monde, mettant ainsi en évidence la pluralité des héritages dans la construction idéologique du monde carolingien. Se poser la question de la place du roi au sein de la Nature permet d’appréhender cette médiation si particulière, qui repose en grande partie sur le corps du roi et puise à différentes traditions, largement reformulées dans le cadre d’une pensée chrétienne. Depuis les influences insulaires, notamment irlandaises, jusqu’à la culture de cour de la fin du ixe siècle, on possède des indices montrant que le corps du roi carolingien – mais sans doute aussi celui de la reine – constitue un élément de stabilité au sein du cosmos dont il garantit l’équilibre à condition de rester dans la « voie droite ». Ces conceptions s’estompent largement après le xie siècle dans la mesure où le roi n’est plus reconnu comme médiateur privilégié entre le Nature et la surnature.
Un discours de la méthode pour une histoire environnementale du haut Moyen Âge
Authors: Watteaux Magali
Published: November 2022

Le dernier livre de Jean-Pierre Devroey, La Nature et le roi. Environnement, pouvoir et société à l’âge de Charlemagne (740-820), paru en 2019, offre une véritable leçon de méthode historique en même temps qu’il incarne les premiers développements de l’histoire environnementale dans le champ de la médiévistique. Bien que l’auteur assume l’inscription de sa recherche dans le contexte actuel des débats et des inquiétudes sur le réchauffement climatique, sa force est de plaider pour une histoire environnementale dégagée de tout déterminisme naturel. La présente contribution propose de revenir sur ce qui caractérise la méthode de J.-P. Devroey, en particulier s’agissant de l’articulation entre événements climatiques ou biologiques et crises frumentaires. Enfin, des convergences peuvent être discernées avec de récents travaux en histoire du droit, en archéogéographie et en géoarchéologie, qui dessinent les contours des synthèses plus vastes restant à écrire.
Worse than Hitler and Nazi Germany: Swiss Diplomats and the Cultural Revolution
Authors: Knüsel Ariane
Published: November 2022

This article relies on reports written by Swiss diplomats during the Cultural Revolution in Beijing to discuss how they experienced the Cultural Revolution, and how the violence and chaos that they witnessed in 1966 and 1967 affected their mental health. Switzerland's importance as a hub for China in Western Europe meant that the Swiss diplomats were not harmed by the Red Guards. As a result, the Swiss diplomats gained a unique perspective among Beijing's foreign diplomats, observing and documenting the Cultural Revolution in fascinating detail in their reports to Bern. However, while they were protected from outright violence, they struggled with the helplessness they felt in the face of Red Guard brutality, being forced to witness the suffering of their colleagues and employees, traumatizing some of them to such an extent that they had to leave Beijing.
CLAUDIUS’ HUMILIATION AT SUETONIUS, DIVVS CLAVDIVS 8
Authors: O'Bryhim Shawn
Published: November 2022

Suetonius says that court jesters put slippers on Claudius’ hands while he napped during Caligula's dinner parties so that he would rub his face with them when he awoke. Since touching someone with the sole of a shoe was an insult, the joke is that Claudius insulted himself when he unwittingly rubbed his own face with the slippers.
PINDAR, NEMEAN 1.24
Authors: Lane Nicholas
Published: November 2022

This note considers a Pindaric crux. It argues that Aristarchus’ ‘solution’ should not have been so readily accepted because the evidence can be interpreted differently, giving more satisfactory sense if ἐϲλ᾽ ὡς rather than ἐϲλούϲ is read for the manuscripts’ ἐϲλόϲ.
‘Monarchical modern’: the making of Mysore city, 1880–1940
Authors: Nair Janaki
Published: November 2022

The unique status of the city of Mysore arose from the fact that it was divested of all administrative functions save that of the Palace establishment. Principles of city planning were innovatively pursued, through a combination of sovereign authority and diverse forces, techniques and devices more properly associated with ‘governmentality’. It was among the first cities in India to have a City Improvement Trust in 1903. An investigation of the work of the Mysore City Improvement Trust in its negotiations with the municipality on the one hand and the Palace establishment on the other foregrounds the ‘monarchical’ as a specific form of power. What were the specific forms of material and temporal ‘ordering’ that came to distinguish Mysore city from its counterparts? This article looks at four distinct moments of this journey, related respectively to sanitizing, botanizing, ornamentalizing and spectacularizing, together producing a ‘depth of historical distance’.