bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ethics or Quality of Life?
Authors: Österle Hubert
Published: November 2021

Governmental and non-governmental organizations around the world are trying to shape socio-technical development, especially the use of information technology, for the benefit of people. They are developing ethical guidelines for the creation and evaluation of digital services. The discipline of Life Engineering must combine the knowledge of several disciplines, such as psychology, machine learning, economics, and ethics, so that technology serves people, i.e., contributes to well-being. Therefore, a solid understanding of quality of life should be the starting point, explaining the patterns of human behavior and their impact on well-being. Digital services of all kinds provide increasingly detailed digital twins and give us the opportunity to operationalize ethical principles.
Navigating Through Changes of a Digital World
Authors: Hauk Nathalie , Hauswirth Manfred
Published: November 2021

In this chapter, we address the question of how trust in technological development can be increased. The use of information technologies can potentially enable humanity, social justice, and the democratic process. At the same time, there are concerns that the deployment of certain technologies, e.g., AI technologies, can have unintended consequences or can even be used for malicious purposes. In this chapter, we discuss these conflicting positions.
Efficiency vs. Resilience: Lessons from COVID-19
Authors: Vardi Moshe Y.
Published: November 2021

Why was the world not ready for COVID-19, in spite of many warnings over the past 20 years of the high likelihood of a global pandemic? This chapter argues that the economic goal of efficiency, focused on short-term optimization, has distracted us from resilience, which is focused on long-term optimization. Computing also seems to have generally emphasized efficiency at the expense of resilience. But computing has discovered that resilience is enabled by redundancy and distributivity. These principles should be adopted by society in the “after-COVID” era.
The Challenge of Human Dignity in the Era of Autonomous Systems
Authors: Inverardi Paola
Published: November 2021

Autonomous systems make decisions independently or on behalf of the user. This will happen more and more in the future, with the widespread use of AI technologies in the fabric of the society that impacts on the social, economic, and political sphere. Automating services and processes inevitably impacts on the users’ prerogatives and puts at danger their autonomy and privacy. From a societal point of view, it is crucial to understand which is the space of autonomy that a system can exercise without compromising laws and human rights. Following the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies 2018 recommendation, the chapter addresses the problem of preserving the value of human dignity in the context of the digital society, understood as the recognition that a person is worthy of respect in her interaction with autonomous technologies. A person must be able to exercise control on information about herself and on the decisions that autonomous systems make on her behalf.
It Is Simple, It Is Complicated
Authors: Neidhardt Julia , Werthner Hannes , Woltran Stefan
Published: November 2021

History is not a strictly linear process; our progress as society is one full of contradictions. This we have to bear in mind when trying to find answers to pressing challenges related to and even caused by the digital transformation. In this chapter, we reflect on contradictory aspects of Digital Humanism, which is an approach to foster the control and the design of digital infrastructure in accordance with human values and needs. Seemingly simple solutions turn out to be highly complex when looking at them more closely. Focusing on some key aspects as (non-exhaustive) examples of the simple/complicated dilemma, we argue that, in the end, political answers are required.
Transport and Urban Fabrics: Moving from TODs to TACs with Greyfield Regeneration
Authors: Newton Peter W. , Newman Peter W. G. , Glackin Stephen , Thomson Giles
Published: November 2021

This chapter will focus on how new transit technology and corridor-regeneration policies can help transition greyfields. It builds on Chap. 3, which outlined the new distributed green technologies and their potential to help with urban regeneration in the greyfields at precinct scale. Transport systems are the sole focus of this chapter, as they have a very specific ability to help with urban regeneration via transit-activated GPR, given that accessibility is probably the largest city-shaping mechanism.
A new approach to semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering with QED and QCD factorization
Authors: Liu Tianbo , Melnitchouk W. , Qiu Jian-Wei , Sato N.
Published: November 2021

Abstract

We present the details of a new factorized approach to semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering which treats QED and QCD radiation on equal footing, and provides a systematically improvable approximation to the extraction of transverse momentum dependent parton distributions. We demonstrate how the QED contributions can be well approximated by collinear factorization, and illustrate the application of the factorized approach to QED radiation in inclusive scattering. For semi-inclusive processes, we show how radiation effects prevent a well-defined “photon-nucleon” frame, forcing one to use a two-step process to account for the radiation. We illustrate the utility of the new method by explicit application to the spin-dependent Sivers and Collins asymmetries.
Neutrino interactions in the late universe
Authors: Green Daniel , Kaplan David E. , Rajendran Surjeet
Published: November 2021

Abstract

The cosmic neutrino background is both a dramatic prediction of the hot Big Bang and a compelling target for current and future observations. The impact of relativistic neutrinos in the early universe has been observed at high significance in a number of cosmological probes. In addition, the non-zero mass of neutrinos alters the growth of structure at late times, and this signature is a target for a number of upcoming surveys. These measurements are sensitive to the physics of the neutrino and could be used to probe physics beyond the standard model in the neutrino sector. We explore an intriguing possibility where light right-handed neutrinos are coupled to all, or a fraction of, the dark matter through a mediator. In a wide range of parameter space, this interaction only becomes important at late times and is uniquely probed by late-time cosmological observables. Due to this coupling, the dark matter and neutrinos behave as a single fluid with a non-trivial sound speed, leading to a suppression of power on small scales. In current and near-term cosmological surveys, this signature is equivalent to an increase in the sum of the neutrino masses. Given current limits, we show that at most 0.5% of the dark matter could be coupled to neutrinos in this way.
AdS bulk locality from sharp CFT bounds
Authors: Caron-Huot Simon , Mazáč Dalimil , Rastelli Leonardo , Simmons-Duffin David
Published: November 2021

Abstract

It is a long-standing conjecture that any CFT with a large central charge and a large gap ∆gap in the spectrum of higher-spin single-trace operators must be dual to a local effective field theory in AdS. We prove a sharp form of this conjecture by deriving numerical bounds on bulk Wilson coefficients in terms of ∆gap using the conformal bootstrap. Our bounds exhibit the scaling in ∆gap expected from dimensional analysis in the bulk. Our main tools are dispersive sum rules that provide a dictionary between CFT dispersion relations and S-matrix dispersion relations in appropriate limits. This dictionary allows us to apply recently-developed flat-space methods to construct positive CFT functionals. We show how AdS4 naturally resolves the infrared divergences present in 4D flat-space bounds. Our results imply the validity of twice-subtracted dispersion relations for any S-matrix arising from the flat-space limit of AdS/CFT.
Effective gravitational action for 2D massive fermions
Authors: Bilal Adel , de Lacroix Corinne , Erbin Harold
Published: November 2021

Abstract

We work out the effective gravitational action for 2D massive Euclidean fermions in a small mass expansion. Besides the leading Liouville action, the order m2 gravitational action contains a piece characteristic of the Mabuchi action, much as for 2D massive scalars, but also several non-local terms involving the Green’s functions and Green’s functions at coinciding points on the manifold.
Ausbildung in COVID-19-Pandemie-Zeiten: Wie bewerten Medizinstudierende einen interaktiven, videobasierten Distanzunterricht am Patienten im Fach Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde?
Authors: Seiwerth Ingmar , Bartel S. , Herzog M. , Schumann G. , Pein M. K. , Gey A. , Plontke S. K.
Published: November 2021

Hintergrund

Der Beginn der ersten SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie-Welle im März 2020 erforderte erhebliche Umstellungsmaßnahmen in der medizinischen Lehre mit vollständigem Verzicht auf direkten Kontakt von Studierenden und Patienten. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurde das Lehrformat „Unterricht am Patienten“ (UaP) als interaktiver, videobasierter Distanzunterricht am Patienten etabliert und durchgeführt.

Fragestellung

Ziel der Studie war die Erfassung der studentischen Beurteilung dieses Lehrkonzeptes im Fach Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde.

Material und Methoden

Die Live-Übertragung erfolgte aus einem HNO-Untersuchungsraum zu den im Hörsaal befindlichen Studierenden, welche mit den Patienten interagieren konnten. Makro-, mikro- und endoskopische Untersuchungsbefunde wurden in Echtzeit in den Hörsaal übertragen. Die Evaluation erfolgte anhand eines Online-Fragebogens, welcher 13 geschlossene Fragen (Likert-Skala) beinhaltete, sowie als offenes Feedback in freier Textform.

Ergebnisse

Die Rücklaufquote lag bei 16,8 % (42 von 250 Studierenden). Davon hatten 85,7 % einen positiven Gesamteindruck, und Tenor war, dass das Konzept angesichts der Umstände gut umgesetzt wurde. Dennoch könne auf einen direkten Patientenkontakt eher nicht verzichtet werden, auch wenn eine teilweise Kompensation durch Videoschaltung möglich sei. Insgesamt wurde das Lehrkonzept als lehrreich empfunden, und die Studierenden konnten sich vorstellen, zukünftig häufiger auch ein solches UaP-Lehrkonzept zu nutzen.

Schlussfolgerung

Dieses Lehrkonzept kann den direkten Patientenkontakt nicht ersetzen, stellt jedoch speziell im HNO-Gebiet eine gute Alternative dar, wenn durch pandemiebedingte Umstände ein „klassischer“ UaP nicht möglich ist. Aspekte des interaktiven, videobasierten Distanzunterrichts am Patienten könnten auch zukünftig in andere Lehrformate integriert werden.
Finger-jointing of green Eucalyptus globulus L. wood with one-component polyurethane adhesives
Authors: González-Prieto Oscar , Casas Mirás José Manuel , Torres Luis Ortiz
Published: November 2021

The use of glued finger joint in green wood, directly from the sawing process, would open the possibility to obtain glued timber from small-sized wood, achieving an efficient use of the original raw material. The gluing of finger-jointed green wood, with moisture content above the fibre saturation point, may improve the efficiency and the manufacturing process of glulam or joinery. This may be especially beneficial for a hardwood such asEucalyptus globulusL., which is a globally important forest resource, but is a challenging wood to dry. This article presents a study on the possibility to develop finger joints with wood in green state. To compare them, conventional finger joints on dry wood and solid boards without end joints were also manufactured. Cold-setting and fast-curing commercial one-component polyurethane adhesive systems were used. Finger-jointed samples were tested to determine mean and characteristic values (5th percentile) of density, bending strength and modulus of elasticity, and the results were analysed and discussed. Green-glued joints showed no statistically significant differences compared to the solid boards and improved strength properties with respect to dry-glued joints.
An adaptive human sensor framework for human–robot collaboration
Authors: Buerkle Achim , Matharu Harveen , Al-Yacoub Ali , Lohse Niels , Bamber Thomas , Ferreira Pedro
Published: November 2021

Manufacturing challenges are increasing the demands for more agile and dexterous means of production. At the same time, these systems aim to maintain or even increase productivity. The challenges risen from these developments can be tackled through human–robot collaboration (HRC). HRC requires effective task distribution according to each party’s distinctive strengths, which is envisioned to generate synergetic effects. To enable a seamless collaboration, the human and robot require a mutual awareness, which is challenging, due to the human and robot “speaking” different languages as in analogue and digital. This challenge can be addressed by equipping the robot with a model of the human. Despite a range of models being available, data-driven models of the human are still at an early stage. For this purpose, this paper proposes an adaptive human sensor framework, which incorporates objective, subjective, and physiological metrics, as well as associated machine learning. Thus, it is envisioned to adapt to the uniqueness and dynamic nature of human behavior. To test the framework, a validation experiment was performed, including 18 participants, which aims to predict perceived workload during two scenarios, namely a manual and an HRC assembly task. Perceived workloads are described to have a substantial impact on a human operator’s task performance. Throughout the experiment, physiological data from an electroencephalogram (EEG), an electrocardiogram (ECG), and respiration sensor was collected and interpreted. For subjective metrics, the standardized NASA Task Load Index was used. Objective metrics included task completion time and number of errors/assistance requests. Overall, the framework revealed a promising potential towards an adaptive behavior, which is ultimately envisioned to enable a more effective HRC.
Ictal semiology of epileptic seizures with insulo-opercular genesis
Authors: Martinez-Lizana Eva , Brandt Armin , Foit Niels A. , Urbach Horst , Schulze-Bonhage Andreas
Published: November 2021

Objective

Epileptic seizures with insular genesis are often difficult to distinguish from those originating in the temporal lobe due to their complex and variable semiology. Here, we analyzed differentiating characteristics in the clinical spectrum of insulo-opercular seizures.

Methods

Ictal semiology in patients with a diagnosis of insulo-opercular epilepsy (IOE) based on imaging of epileptogenic lesions or electrophysiological evidence of an insulo-opercular seizure origin was retrospectively analyzed and compared to age-matched controls with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTE).

Results

Forty-six IOE and 46 matched MTE patients were included. The most prominent ictal features in IOE were focal motor phenomena in 80.4% of these patients. Somatosensory sensations, version, tonic and clonic features, when present, were more frequent contralateral to the SOZ in MTE patients, while they occurred about equally often ipsilateral and contralateral to the SOZ in IOE patients. Ipsilateral manual automatisms were significantly more frequent in MTE patients than in IOE (p = 0.010). Multivariate analysis correctly identified IOE in 78.3% and MTE in 84.8% using five semiologic features (Chi-square = 53.79 with 5 degrees of freedom, p < 0.0001). A subanalysis comparing patients with purely insular lesions with MTE patients using only the earliest ictal signs showed that somatosensory sensations are significantly more frequent in insular epilepsy (p = 0.010), while automatisms were significantly more frequent in MTE patients (p = 0.06).

Significance

Our study represents the first in-depth analysis of ictal semiology in IOE compared to MTE. Use of these differentiating characteristics can serve for a correct syndrome classification and to steer appropriate diagnostic and local therapeutic procedures.
Risk factors associated with onset of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients treated with denosumab
Authors: Wick Alexander , Bankosegger Philipp , Otto Sven , Hohlweg-Majert Bettina , Steiner Timm , Probst Florian , Ristow Oliver , Pautke Christoph
Published: November 2021

Objectives

While risk factors of bisphosphonate (BP) associated osteonecrosis of the jaw have been properly analyzed, studies focusing on risk factors associated with denosumab (DNO) are sparse. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors influencing the onset of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) in patients receiving antiresorptive treatment (ART) with DNO by comparing patients suffering from MRONJ and patients without MRONJ. Multiple variables were evaluated including the impact of a previous BP intake.

Materials and methods

A retrospective single-center cohort study with patients receiving DNO was conducted. One-hundred twenty-eight patients were included and divided into three groups: I (control, n = 40) receiving DNO with absence of MRONJ; group II (Test 1, n = 46), receiving DNO with presence of MRONJ; and group III (Test 2, n = 42) sequentially receiving BP and DNO with presence of MRONJ. Patients’ medical history, focusing on the identification of MRONJ risk factors, was collected and evaluated. Parameters were sex, age, smoking habit, alcohol consumption, underlying disease (cancer type, osteoporosis), internal diseases, additional chemo/hormonal therapy, oral inflammation, and trauma.

Results

The following risk factors were identified to increase MRONJ onset significantly in patients treated with DNO: chemo/hormonal therapy (p = 0.02), DNO dosage (p < 0.01), breast cancer (p = 0.03), intake of corticosteroids (p = 0.04), hypertension (p = 0.02), diabetes mellitus (p = 0.04), periodontal disease (p = 0.03), apical ostitis (p = 0.02), and denture use (p = 0.02). A medication switch did not affect MRONJ development (p = 0.86).

Conclusions

Malignant diseases, additional chemotherapy, DNO dosage, and oral inflammations as well as diabetes mellitus and hypertension influence MRONJ onset in patients treated with DNO significantly.

Clinical relevance

Patients receiving ART with DNO featuring aforementioned risk factors have a higher risk of MRONJ onset. These patients need a sound and regular prophylaxis in order to prevent the onset of MRONJ under DNO treatment.
Aufbau eines Vorgehensmodells zur Analyse von Haft-Gleit-Übergängen trockenlaufender Friktionspaarungen
Authors: Fehrenbacher Rüdiger , Bause Katharina , Ott Sascha , Albers Albert
Published: November 2021

Die Auslegung des Kraftschlusses und der entsprechenden Haftreibung ist für die Funktionserfüllung trockenlaufender Kupplungen und Bremsen von grundlegender Bedeutung. Bei Systemen, in denen das Drehmoment möglichst ohne Relativbewegung der Reibpartner übertragen wird, ist das statische Reibmoment die maßgebende Auslegungsgröße. Grundlage bildet das Verständnis des Haft-Gleit-Übergangs, wobei dieser im System von vielen, situationsvariablen Größen wie Temperatur, Axialkraft und Drehmomentgradient sowie Eigenschaften wie der Belagart und Reibfläche beeinflusst wird.

Den Schwerpunkt der Untersuchungen stellt die Sensitivitätsanalyse oben beschriebener Größen auf Basis von Messungen dar. Um die Einflüsse zu untersuchen, werden statische und quasistatische Versuchsverfahren unter Variation von Beanspruchungskollektiven anhand verschiedener Reibpaarungen unterschiedlicher Zustände analysiert. Hieraus ergeben sich Erkenntnisse hinsichtlich der verfahrensinduzierten sowie der tribosystemischen Einflüsse auf die Haft-Gleit-Übergänge der untersuchten Paarungen, welche für das Losbrechverhalten ausschlaggebend sind. Auf Basis der Untersuchungen werden Sensitivitäten in Bezug auf die Ermittlung des Losbrechens identifiziert und Methoden zur Messung und Auswertung des statischen Reibmoments abgeleitet, die unter den beschriebenen Voraussetzungen in Vorgehensmodelle integriert werden können.
Molecular subtyping of ependymoma and prognostic impact of Ki-67
Authors: Lim Ka Young , Lee Kwanghoon , Shim Yumi , Park Jin Woo , Kim Hyunhee , Kang Jeongwan , Won Jae Kyung , Kim Seung-Ki , Phi Ji Hoon , Park Chul-Kee , Chung Chun-Kee , Yun Hongseok , Park Sung-Hye
Published: November 2021

Although ependymomas (EPNs) have similar histopathology, they are heterogeneous tumors with diverse immunophenotypes, genetics, epigenetics, and different clinical behavior according to anatomical locations. We reclassified 141 primary EPNs from a single institute with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Supratentorial (ST), posterior fossa (PF), and spinal (SP) EPNs comprised 12%, 41%, and 47% of our cohort, respectively. Fusion genes were found only in ST-EPNs except for one SP-EPN withZFTA-YAP1fusion, NF2 gene alterations were found in SP-EPNs, but no driver gene was present in PF-EPNs. Surrogate IHC markers revealed high concordance rates between L1CAM andZFTA-fusion and H3K27me3 loss or EZHIP overexpression was used for PFA-EPNs. The 7% cut-off of Ki-67 was sufficient to classify EPNs into two-tiered grades at all anatomical locations. Multivariate analysis also delineated that a Ki-67 index was the only independent prognostic factor in both overall and progression-free survivals. The gain of chromosome 1q and CDKN2A/2B deletion were associated with poor outcomes, such as multiple recurrences or extracranial metastases. In this study, we propose a cost-effective schematic diagnostic flow of EPNs by the anatomical location, three biomarkers (L1CAM, H3K27me3, and EZHIP), and a cut-off of a 7% Ki-67 labeling index.
Does quantity matter to a stingless bee?
Authors: Eckert Johanna , Bohn Manuel , Spaethe Johannes
Published: November 2021

Quantitative information is omnipresent in the world and a wide range of species has been shown to use quantities to optimize their decisions. While most studies have focused on vertebrates, a growing body of research demonstrates that also insects such as honeybees possess basic quantitative abilities that might aid them in finding profitable flower patches. However, it remains unclear if for insects, quantity is a salient feature relative to other stimulus dimensions, or if it is only used as a “last resort” strategy in case other stimulus dimensions are inconclusive. Here, we tested the stingless bee Trigona fuscipennis, a species representative of a vastly understudied group of tropical pollinators, in a quantity discrimination task. In four experiments, we trained wild, free-flying bees on stimuli that depicted either one or four elements. Subsequently, bees were confronted with a choice between stimuli that matched the training stimulus either in terms of quantity or another stimulus dimension. We found that bees were able to discriminate between the two quantities, but performance differed depending on which quantity was rewarded. Furthermore, quantity was more salient than was shape. However, quantity did not measurably influence the bees' decisions when contrasted with color or surface area. Our results demonstrate that just as honeybees, small-brained stingless bees also possess basic quantitative abilities. Moreover, invertebrate pollinators seem to utilize quantity not only as "last resort" but as a salient stimulus dimension. Our study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on quantitative cognition in invertebrate species and adds to our understanding of the evolution of numerical cognition.
Mesh-related complications and recurrence after ventral mesh rectopexy with synthetic versus biologic mesh: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: van der Schans E. M. , Boom M. A. , El Moumni M. , Verheijen P. M. , Broeders I. A. M. J. , Consten E. C. J.
Published: November 2021

Background

Ventral mesh rectopexy (VMR) is a widely accepted surgical treatment for rectal prolapse. Both synthetic and biologic mesh are used. No consensus exists on the preferred type of mesh material. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to establish an overview of the current literature on mesh-related complications and recurrence after VMR with synthetic or biologic mesh to aid evidence-based decision making in preferred mesh material.

Methods

A systematic search of the electronic databases of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane was performed (from inception until September 2020). Studies evaluating patients who underwent VMR with synthetic or biologic mesh were eligible. The MINORS score was used for quality assessment.

Results

Thirty-two studies were eligible after qualitative assessment. Eleven studies reported on mesh-related complications including 4001 patients treated with synthetic mesh and 762 treated with biologic mesh. The incidence of mesh-related complications ranged between 0 and 2.4% after synthetic versus 0–0.7% after biologic VMR. Synthetic mesh studies showed a pooled incidence of mesh-related complications of 1.0% (95% CI 0.5–1.7). Data of biologic mesh studies could not be pooled. Twenty-nine studies reported on the risk of recurrence in 2371 synthetic mesh patients and 602 biologic mesh patients. The risk of recurrence varied between 1.1 and 18.8% for synthetic VMR versus 0–15.4% for biologic VMR. Cumulative incidence of recurrence was found to be 6.1% (95% CI 4.3–8.1) and 5.8% (95% CI 2.9–9.6), respectively. The clinical and statistical heterogeneity was high.

Conclusions

No definitive conclusions on preferred mesh type can be made due to the quality of the included studies with high heterogeneity amongst them.
Effectiveness of health-oriented leadership interventions for improving health and wellbeing of employees: a systematic review
Authors: Dannheim Indra , Ludwig-Walz Helena , Buyken Anette E. , Grimm Valerie , Kroke Anja
Published: November 2021

Aim

To identify and summarize the evidence for the effect of health-oriented leadership interventions on health and well-being outcomes at the employee level following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement (Moher et al. 2009).

Subject and Methods

A systematic search of relevant studies was conducted in multiple databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cluster-randomized controlled trials (cRCTs) and controlled before–after studies (CBAs) were included based on the following criteria: interventions that addressed supervisors, to raise awareness for the importance of health issues, teach mindfulness practices for conscious awareness, reduce stress and promote resources at the level of individual behavior, and evaluated the effect on at least one outcome of psychomental stress, absenteeism and well-being on the employee level.

Results

Of 6126 publications retrieved, ten studies were identified for analysis. Significant effects of leadership training were reported on exhaustion tendency, self-reported sickness absence, work-related sickness absence and job satisfaction in studies comparing health-oriented training programs to no intervention. Studies comparing health-oriented leadership training to other training did not report significant effects. Risk of bias was judged to be high in seven studies and unclear in three studies.

Conclusion

Evidence for the effectiveness of health-oriented leadership interventions on employees’ stress, absenteeism or well-being is judged to be low, clearly indicating the need for more and higher-quality research.
Can Wigner distribution functions with collisions satisfy complete positivity and energy conservation?
Authors: Villani Matteo , Oriols Xavier
Published: November 2021

To avoid the computational burden of many-body quantum simulation, the interaction of an electron with a photon (phonon) is typically accounted for by disregarding the explicit simulation of the photon (phonon) degree of freedom and just modeling its effect on the electron dynamics. For quantum models developed from the (reduced) density matrix or its Wigner–Weyl transformation, the modeling of collisions may violate complete positivity (precluding the typical probabilistic interpretation). In this paper, we show that such quantum transport models can also strongly violate the energy conservation in the electron–photon (electron–phonon) interactions. After comparing collisions models to exact results for an electron interacting with a photon, we conclude that there is no fundamental restriction that prevents a collision model developed within the (reduced) density matrix or Wigner formalisms to satisfy simultaneously complete positivity and energy conservation. However, at the practical level, the development of such satisfactory collision model seems very complicated. Collision models with an explicit knowledge of the microscopic state ascribed to each electron seems recommendable (Bohmian conditional wavefunction), since they allow to model collisions of each electron individually in a controlled way satisfying both complete positivity and energy conservation.
The regenerating protein 3A: a crucial molecular with dual roles in cancer
Authors: Wang Liying , Quan Yanchun , Zhu Yanxi , Xie Xiaoli , Wang Zhiqiang , Wang Long , Wei Xiuhong , Che Fengyuan
Published: November 2021

Introduction

REG3A, a member of the third subclass of the Reg family, has been found in a variety of tissues but is not detected in immune cells. In the past decade, it has been determined that REG3A expression is regulated by injury, infection, inflammatory stimuli, and pro-cytokines via different signaling pathways, and it acts as a tissue-repair, bactericidal, and anti-inflammatory molecule in human diseases. Recently, the role of REG3A in cancer has received increasing attention. The present article aims to investigate the structure, expression, regulation, function of REG3A, and to highlight the potential role of REG3A in tumors.

Methods

A detailed literature search and data organization were conducted to find information about the role of REG3A in variety of physiological functions and tumors.

Results

Contradictory roles of REG3A have been reported in different tumor models. Some studies have demonstrated that high expression of REG3A in cancers can be oncogenic. Other studies have shown decreased REG3A expression in cancer cells as well as suppressed tumor growth.

Conclusions

Taken together, better understanding of REG3A may lead to new insights that make it a potentially useful target for cancer therapy.
Greater mastery is associated with lower depression risk in a large international cohort of people with multiple sclerosis over 2.5 years
Authors: Neate Sandra , Humam Afaf , Nag Nupur , Jelinek George A. , Simpson-Yap Steve
Published: November 2021

Background

Mastery is the extent to which an individual perceives their life circumstances as being under their control and not predominantly influenced by external factors. The relationship of mastery with clinical outcomes in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) has not been well-researched. We assessed the relationships of mastery with fatigue, disability, relapse number, and depression risk among pwMS over 2.5 years’ follow-up.

Methods

Data from the Health Outcomes and Lifestyle in a Sample of people with Multiple sclerosis study, among 839 participants who completed the 2.5 and 5-year reviews, were analysed. Mastery was measured by the Pearlin Mastery Scale, fatigue by Fatigue Severity Scale, depression risk by Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and disability by Patient-Determined Disease Steps, and diagnosed relapse number in the previous 12 months was queried. Cross-sectional and prospective analyses were undertaken by log-binomial, log-multinomial, and Poisson regression, as appropriate, adjusted for relevant confounders.

Results

Cross-sectionally, pwMS with the highest quartile mastery (> 25/28) had 90% lower frequency of depression risk, 60% lower frequency of clinically significant fatigue, and 77% fewer had severe disability, all largely robust to adjustment. Prospectively, those in the top two quartiles of mastery (> 21–25, > 25/28) had 66% and 74% lower subsequent depression risk, robust to adjustment. No significant associations were seen prospectively for change in fatigue, disability, or relapse number, however, and no robust associations of mastery with relapse number were evident.

Conclusions

Prospectively, a protective relationship of mastery with subsequent risk of depression was observed, suggesting this may be a point of intervention to improve wellbeing in pwMS.
Indexical Relativism?
Authors: Pérez-Navarro Eduardo
Published: November 2021

The particular behavior exhibited by sentences featuring predicates of personal taste such as “tasty” may drive us to claim that their truth depends on thecontext of assessment, as MacFarlane does. MacFarlane considers two ways in which the truth of a sentence can depend on the context of assessment. On the one hand, we can say that the sentence expresses a proposition whose truth-value depends on the context of assessment. This is MacFarlane’s position, which he calls “truth relativism” and, following Weatherson, I rebrand as “nonindexical relativism”. On the other hand, we can say that what proposition a sentence expresses depends on the context of assessment. MacFarlane calls this position “content relativism” and rejects it on the grounds that it leads to implausible readings of certain sentences and is unable to account for the speaker’s authority over the content of her assertions. In this paper, I too argue against content relativism, which, again following Weatherson, I rebrand as “indexical relativism”. However, my arguments against the theory are different from MacFarlane’s, which I prove unsound. In particular, I show that any version of indexical relativism will be unable to account for at least one of the phenomena that have been standardly used to motivate nonindexical relativism—faultless disagreementandretraction—in most of the ways in which it has been proposed to understand them.
A Scale-up Study on Chemical Segregation and the Effects on Tensile Properties in Two Medium Mn Steel Castings
Authors: Kwok T. W. J. , Slater C. , Xu X. , Davis C. , Dye D.
Published: November 2021

Two ingots weighing 400 g and 5 kg with nominal compositions of Fe–8Mn–4Al–2Si–0.5C–0.07V–0.05Sn were produced to investigate the effect of processing variables on microstructure development. The larger casting has a cooling rate more representative of commercial production and provides an understanding of the potential challenges arising from casting-related segregation during efforts to scale up medium Mn steels, while the smaller casting has a high cooling rate and different segregation pattern. Sections from both ingots were homogenized at 1250

$$^{\circ} $$

∘

C for various times to study the degree of chemical homogeneity and

$$\delta $$

δ

-ferrite dissolution. Within 2 hours, the Mn segregation range (max–min) decreased from 8.0 to 1.7 wt pct in the 400 g ingot and from 6.2 to 1.5 wt pct in the 5 kg ingot. Some

$$\delta $$

δ

-ferrite also remained untransformed after 2 hours in both ingots but with the 5 kg ingot showing nearly three times more than the 400 g ingot. Micress modeling was carried out, and good agreement was seen between predicted and measured segregation levels and distribution. After thermomechanical processing, it was found that the coarse untransformed

$$\delta $$

δ

-ferrite in the 5 kg ingot turned into coarse

$$\delta $$

δ

-ferrite stringers in the finished product, resulting in a slight decrease in yield strength. Nevertheless, rolled strips from both ingots showed

$$>900$$

>
900

MPa yield strength,

$$>1100$$

>
1100

MPa tensile strength, and

$$>40$$

>
40

pct elongation with

$$<10$$

<
10

pct difference in strength and no change in ductility when compared to a fully homogenized sample.
Microstructure Evolution and Tensile Behaviour of a Cold Rolled 8 Wt Pct Mn Medium Manganese Steel
Authors: Kwok T. W. J. , Gong P. , Xu X. , Nutter J. , Rainforth W. M. , Dye D.
Published: November 2021

A novel medium manganese steel with composition Fe–8.3Mn–3.8Al–1.8Si–0.5C–0.06V–0.05Sn was developed and thermomechanically processed through hot rolling and intercritical annealing. The steel possessed a yield strength of 1 GPa, tensile strength of 1.13 GPa and ductility of 41 pct. In order to study the effect of cold rolling after intercritical annealing on subsequent tensile properties, the steel was further cold rolled up to 20 pct reduction. After cold rolling, it was observed that the strain hardening rate increased continuously with increasing cold rolling reduction but without a significant drop in ductility during subsequent tensile tests. The microstructural evolution with cold rolling reduction was analysed to understand the mechanisms behind this phenomena. It was found that cold rolling activated additional twinning systems which provided a large number of potent nucleation sites for strain induced martensite to form during subsequent tensile tests in what can be described as an enhanced TRIP effect.
The Influence of Mesenteric Defects Closure on the Use of Computed Tomography for Abdominal Pain 5 Years After Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass—a Post Hoc Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Amanda Demir , Elin Påhlson , Eva Norrman , Stenberg Erik
Published: November 2021

Background

Abdominal pain after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) is a common and unwanted complication that typically leads to further exploration through radiology. Concerns have been raised regarding the consequences of this radiation exposure and its correlation with the lifetime risk of cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in computed tomography (CT) use between LRYGB patients with open and closed mesenteric defects and to assess the radiological findings and radiation doses.

Methods

This subgroup analysis included 300 patients randomized to either closure (n = 150) or nonclosure (n = 150) of mesenteric defects during LRYGB. The total number of CT scans performed due to abdominal pain in the first 5 postoperative years was recorded together with the radiological findings and radiation doses.

Results

A total of 132 patients (44%) underwent 281 abdominal CT scans, including 133 scans for 67 patients with open mesenteric defects (45%) and 148 scans for 65 patients with closed mesenteric defects (43%). Radiological findings consistent with small bowel obstruction or internal hernia were found in 31 (23%) of the scans for patients with open defects and in 18 (12%) of the scans for patients with closed defects (p = 0.014). The other pathological and radiological findings were infrequent and not significantly different between groups. At the 5-year follow-up, the total radiation dose was 82,400 mGy cm in the nonclosure group and 85,800 mGy cm in the closure group.

Conclusion

Closure of mesenteric defects did not influence the use of CT to assess abdominal pain.

Graphical abstract
Impact of Fatty Acids on Obesity-Associated Diseases and Radical Weight Reduction
Authors: Wrzosek Małgorzata , Zawadzka Zuzanna , Sawicka Ada , Bobrowska-Korczak Barbara , Białek Agnieszka
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Fatty acids (FA), particularly polyunsaturated (PUFA) ones, are involved in the regulation of glycemic control, lipid metabolism, and inflammation. The aim of the study was to assess patient FA profile in relation to obesity, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism disturbances, and weight loss.

Materials and Methods

The studied group consisted of 51 patients with extreme obesity, 23 of whom achieved radical weight reduction within 1 year after a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). FA levels were determined using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection.

Results

Patients with extreme obesity and higher serum PUFA content have lower serum levels of SFA and MUFA (especially myristic, palmitic, lignoceric acids and palmitoleic, oleic acids), as well as lower triglyceride and higher HDL-cholesterol concentrations and it was not influenced by CEPT Taq1B variant. At baseline, the fatty acid profile of patients with type II diabetes differ from patients with dyslipidemia. In patients who had lost weight, significantly lower levels of selected saturated FA and major trans-fatty acid, elaidic, were found. Moreover, the proportion of PUFA was increased.

Conclusion

In extreme obesity, higher PUFA exert their favorable effects on serum lipids. Significant weight reduction after the bariatric surgery is associated with beneficial changes in the fatty acid profile.

Graphical Abstract
How self-reflection and resilience can affect pre-competition anxiety? Evidence from national competitive table tennis in adolescent players
Authors: Wang Lin
Published: November 2021

Although previous studies have investigated pre-competition anxiety (PCA), the research examining how to promote the development of self-reflection and resilience in order to regulate PCA is limited. This study has three aims: to examine group differences age, gender, sport level, and exercise duration in (PCA), self-reflection and resilience; to test the relationships between PCA, self-reflection, and resilience; and to determine whether self-reflection and resilience can predict PCA. The included 82 male and 105 female adolescent Chinese table tennis player (ages 12–19). SPSS 25.0 software has used to drive ANOVA, Pearson correlations and regression analysis. The main result was that Pearson correlations demonstrated the strongest relationship between PCA, self-reflection, and resilience. The regression analysis model proved that self-insight predicted cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and self-confidence; interpersonal assistance and emotional control predicted self-confidence; and emotional control predicted cognitive anxiety and somatic anxiety. The result of this study were consistent with those of previous studies: there was a significant relationship between PCA, self-reflection and resilience when using the Chinese Adolescent Resilience Scale, and there were some differences in the test of group differences. However, this study uncovered new evidence that interpersonal assistance and emotional control can predict PCA. Further research should focus on cross-cultural differences in the process of cultivating athlete self-reflection and resilience.
The role of parenting, self-compassion and friendships in depressive symptoms among young people in the UK and China
Authors: Zhao Mengya , Ford Tamsin , Wang Peng , Karl Anke
Published: November 2021

Self-compassion, being kind to oneself in difficult times, is a way of relating to oneself that promotes better mental health, but little is known about how self-compassion affects interpersonal relationships. The current study examined the association between self-compassion and adolescent depressive symptoms from an interpersonal perspective in different cultural contexts. Adolescents (N = 422/570, Mean age = 14.44/13.41, UK/China) completed questionnaires about their perceptions of their parents' behaviour towards them, self-compassion, friendships and depressive symptoms. Structural equation modelling revealed that positive parenting was positively associated with higher self-compassion, positive friendship quality, and with fewer depressive symptoms in both samples. Additionally, we confirmed a negative association between self-compassion and depressive symptoms. The pathway from positive parenting to lower depressive symptoms via higher self-compassion was also corroborated in both cultures. Contrary to our hypothesis, positive quality of friendship was associated with higher depressive symptoms in both countries. Conflicts were associated with more depressive symptoms in the Chinese sample only. There was evidence of a negative association between self-compassion and conflicts in the Chinese sample only. Finally, the direct association between self-compassion and depressive symptoms was greater in the UK sample, whereas in the Chinese sample, interpersonal factors were more strongly associated with self-compassion and depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest that self-compassion may be a useful therapeutic target to improve social functioning and mental health among adolescents and that it may be necessary to account for cross-cultural differences in interpersonal factors when designing psychological interventions.
Pandemic personality: Emotional reactions, political and social preferences across personality traits in times of Corona
Authors: Freitag Markus , Hofstetter Nathalie
Published: November 2021

The Coronavirus pandemic undeniably represents a global health threat unprecedented in living memory leading to very distinct behavioral, cognitive, and psychological responses to the crisis. We argue that the different ways of responding to the pandemic are rooted in personal dispositions and provide evidence regarding the function and value of the Big Five framework in understanding the pandemic personality. Using 18 samples from the six European countries most affected at the onset of the pandemic (overall N = 18,307), we find that most of the Big Five effects vary across countries and pandemic phases. However, while neuroticism is clearly linked to pandemic threat perception and emotional responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, conscientiousness is mainly related to exposure to pandemic hazard, preferences regarding political measures, and tolerance of epidemiologically undesirable behavior. Our findings are rich in implications for public health politics, policy-makers and social cohesion.
Development and validation of a mandarin version of demoralization scale for adolescents and young adults
Authors: Huang Chuan-Yung , Hung Yi-Chun , Tan Chee-Seng , Cheng Siew-May , Hu Shun-Hao
Published: November 2021

The impact of demoralization among the general population has received little attention due to the lack of an appropriate measurement. Three studies involving 1,143 high school and undergraduate students in Taiwan were thus conducted to develop and validate a tool to assess demoralization. A pool of 50 items was first developed and administered to high school students. Exploratory factor analysis results supported a 5-factor solution with 15 items (Study 1). Study 2 compared the potential models using confirmatory factor analysis and found the 5-factor second-order model with 15 items the best fit model. The 15-item Mandarin version of Demoralization Scale (DS-M-15) was also found to have good internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and (concurrent and predictive) validity in a sample of undergraduate students (Study 3). Taken together, the converging findings show that the DS-M-15 is a promising tool for assessing demoralization among Chinese adolescents and emerging adults.
Using Protection Motivation Theory to Predict Intentions for Breast Cancer Risk Management: Intervention Mechanisms from a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Conley Claire C. , Wernli Karen J. , Knerr Sarah , Li Tengfei , Leppig Kathleen , Ehrlich Kelly , Farrell David , Gao Hongyuan , Bowles Erin J. A. , Graham Amanda L. , Luta George , Jayasekera Jinani , Mandelblatt Jeanne S. , Schwartz Marc D. , O’Neill Suzanne C.
Published: November 2021

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the direct and indirect effects of a web-based, Protection Motivation Theory (PMT)–informed breast cancer education and decision support tool on intentions for risk-reducing medication and breast MRI among high-risk women. Women with ≥ 1.67% 5-year breast cancer risk (N = 995) were randomized to (1) control or (2) the PMT-informed intervention. Six weeks post-intervention, 924 (93% retention) self-reported PMT constructs and behavioral intentions. Bootstrapped mediations evaluated the direct effect of the intervention on behavioral intentions and the mediating role of PMT constructs. There was no direct intervention effect on intentions for risk-reducing medication or MRI (p’s ≥ 0.12). There were significant indirect effects on risk-reducing medication intentions via perceived risk, self-efficacy, and response efficacy, and on MRI intentions via perceived risk and response efficacy (p’s ≤ 0.04). The PMT-informed intervention effected behavioral intentions via perceived breast cancer risk, self-efficacy, and response efficacy. Future research should extend these findings from intentions to behavior. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03029286 (date of registration: January 24, 2017).