bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular property prediction by contrastive learning with attention-guided positive sample selection
Authors: Wang Jinxian , Guan Jihong , Zhou Shuigeng
Published: April 2023

Motivation

Predicting molecular properties is one of the fundamental problems in drug design and discovery. In recent years, self-supervised learning (SSL) has shown its promising performance in image recognition, natural language processing, and single-cell data analysis. Contrastive learning (CL) is a typical SSL method used to learn the features of data so that the trained model can more effectively distinguish the data. One important issue of CL is how to select positive samples for each training example, which will significantly impact the performance of CL.

Results

In this article, we propose a new method for molecular property prediction (MPP) by Contrastive Learning with Attention-guided Positive-sample Selection (CLAPS). First, we generate positive samples for each training example based on an attention-guided selection scheme. Second, we employ a Transformer encoder to extract latent feature vectors and compute the contrastive loss aiming to distinguish positive and negative sample pairs. Finally, we use the trained encoder for predicting molecular properties. Experiments on various benchmark datasets show that our approach outperforms the state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods in most cases.

Availability and implementation

The code is publicly available at https://github.com/wangjx22/CLAPS.
Oscillatory dynamics serving visual selective attention during a Simon task
Authors: Son Jake J , Arif Yasra , Schantell Mikki , Willett Madelyn P , Johnson Hallie J , Okelberry Hannah J , Embury Christine M , Wilson Tony W
Published: April 2023

Selective attention is an important component of cognitive control and is essential for day-to-day functioning. The Simon task is a common test of visual selective attention that has been widely used to probe response selection, inhibition and cognitive control. However, to date, there is a dearth of literature that has focused on the oscillatory dynamics serving task performance in the selective attention component of this task. In this study, 32 healthy adults (mean age: 33.09 years, SD: 7.27 years) successfully completed a modified version of the Simon task during magnetoencephalography. All magnetoencephalographic data were pre-processed and transformed into the time–frequency domain. Significant oscillatory brain responses were imaged using a beamforming approach, and peak task-related neural activity was extracted to examine the temporal dynamics. Across both congruent and Simon conditions, our results indicated robust decreases in alpha (8–12 Hz) activity in the bilateral occipital regions and cuneus during task performance, while increases in theta (3–6 Hz) oscillatory activity were detected in regions of the dorsal frontoparietal attention network, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, frontal eye fields and insula. Lastly, whole-brain condition-wise analyses showed Simon interference effects in the theta range in the superior parietal region and the alpha range in the posterior cingulate and inferior frontal cortices. These findings provide network-specific insights into the oscillatory dynamics serving visual selective attention.
How to do digital Advice and Guidance well
Authors: Charman Carolyn , Wainman Hannah , Rabindranathnambi Aswatha , Whybrew Chin , Williams Hywel C
Published: April 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a rapid expansion of digital Advice and Guidance (A&G) across UK medical and surgical specialties. Dermatology A&G requests have increased by over 400% since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, with rapid expansion of teledermatology A&G services across England. Dermatology A&G is usually carried out asynchronously through dedicated digital platforms such as the National Health Service e-referral service, with streamlined conversion to referral if clinically indicated. A&G with images is advocated as the main referral pathway to dermatology specialist services in England (excluding the 2-week wait suspected skin cancer pathway). Providing dermatological care through A&G requires specific clinical skill sets to ensure rapid, safe and collaborative delivery, and optimization of educational benefit. Little published guidance is available to signpost clinicians to what constitutes a high-quality A&G request and response. This educational article discusses good clinical practice based on extensive local and national experience from primary and secondary care doctors. We cover digital communication skills, shared decision making, clinical competency and building collaborative links between patients, referrers and specialists. High-quality A&G, with agreed turn-around times and optimization of technology, can significantly streamline patient care and strengthen links between clinicians, providing it is appropriately resourced within the wider planning of elective care and outpatient activity.
Breastfeeding Among People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus in North America: A Multisite Study
Authors: Levison Judy , McKinney Jennifer , Duque Alejandra , Hawkins Joanna , Bowden Emily Ver Hoeve , Dorland Julie , Bitnun Ari , Kazmi Kescha , Campbell Douglas M , MacGillivray Jay , Yudin Mark H , Powell Anna , Datta Shreetoma , Abuogi Lisa , Weinberg Adriana , Rakhmanina Natella , Mareuil Joanna Walsh , Hitti Jane , Boucoiran Isabelle , Kakkar Fatima , Rahangdale Lisa , Seidman Dominika , Widener Rebecca
Published: April 2023

Background

In North American countries, national guidelines have strongly recommended formula over breastmilk for people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) because of concern for HIV transmission. However, data from resource-limited settings suggest the risk is <1% among virally suppressed people. Information regarding breastfeeding experience in high-resource settings is lacking.

Methods

A retrospective multisite study was performed for individuals with HIV who breastfed during 2014–2022 in the United States (8 sites) and Canada (3 sites). Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.

Results

Among the 72 cases reported, most had been diagnosed with HIV and were on antiretroviral therapy prior to the index pregnancy and had undetectable viral loads at delivery. Most commonly reported reasons for choosing to breastfeed were health benefits, community expectations, and parent–child bonding. Median duration of breastfeeding was 24 weeks (range, 1 day to 72 weeks). Regimens for infant prophylaxis and protocols for testing of infants and birthing parents varied widely among institutions. No neonatal transmissions occurred among the 94% of infants for whom results were available ≥6 weeks after weaning.

Conclusions

This study describes the largest cohort to date of people with HIV who breastfed in North America. Findings demonstrate high variability among institutions in policies, infant prophylaxis, and infant and parental testing practices. The study describes challenges in weighing the potential risks of transmission with personal and community factors. Finally, this study highlights the relatively small numbers of patients with HIV who chose to breastfeed at any 1 location, and the need for further multisite studies to identify best care practices.
Chronic Aichi Virus Infection As a Cause of Long-Lasting Multiorgan Involvement in Patients With Primary Immune Deficiencies
Authors: Fourgeaud Jacques , Lecuit Mathilde M , Pérot Philippe , Bruneau Julie , Regnault Beatrice , Da Rocha Nicolas , Bessaud Mael , Picard Capucine , Jeziorski Éric , Fournier Benjamin , Levy Romain , Marçais Ambroise , Blanche Stéphane , Frange Pierre , Fischer Alain , Cavazzana Marina , Ferroni Agnès , Jamet Anne , Leruez-Ville Marianne , Eloit Marc , Neven Bénédicte
Published: April 2023

Background

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) was used to assess patients with primary or secondary immune deficiencies (PIDs and SIDs) who presented with immunopathological conditions related to immunodysregulation.

Methods

Thirty patients with PIDs or SIDs who presented with symptoms related to immunodysregulation and 59 asymptomatic patients with similar PIDs or SIDs were enrolled. mNGS was performed on organ biopsy. Specific Aichi virus (AiV) reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to confirm AiV infection and screen the other patients. In situ hybridization (ISH) assay was done on AiV-infected organs to identify infected cells. Virus genotype was determined by phylogenetic analysis.

Results

AiV sequences were detected using mNGS in tissue samples of 5 patients and by RT-PCR in peripheral samples of another patient, all of whom presented with PID and long-lasting multiorgan involvement, including hepatitis, splenomegaly, and nephritis in 4 patients. CD8+ T-cell infiltration was a hallmark of the disease. RT-PCR detected intermittent low viral loads in urine and plasma from infected patients but not from uninfected patients. Viral detection stopped after immune reconstitution obtained by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. ISH demonstrated the presence of AiV RNA in hepatocytes (n = 1) and spleen tissue (n = 2). AiV belonged to genotype A (n = 2) or B (n = 3).

Conclusions

The similarity of the clinical presentation, the detection of AiV in a subgroup of patients suffering from immunodysregulation, the absence of AiV in asymptomatic patients, the detection of viral genome in infected organs by ISH, and the reversibility of symptoms after treatment argue for AiV causality.
Link between myocardial deformation phenotyping using longitudinal and circumferential strain and risk of incident heart failure and cardiovascular death
Authors: Skaarup Kristoffer Grundtvig , Lassen Mats Christian Højbjerg , Johansen Niklas Dyrby , Sengeløv Morten , Olsen Flemming Javier , Jensen Gorm Boje , Schnohr Peter , Shah Amil , Claggett Brian Lee , Solomon Scott D , Møgelvang Rasmus , Biering-Sørensen Tor
Published: April 2023

Aims

Left ventricular (LV) systolic deformation is altered early in the ventricular disease process despite normal LV ejection fraction (LVEF). These alterations seem to be characterized by decreased global longitudinal strain (GLS) and augmented global circumferential strain (GCS). This study aimed to investigate the link between myocardial deformation phenotyping using longitudinal and circumferential strain and risk of incident heart failure (HF) and cardiovascular death (CD).

Methods and results

The study sample was based on the prospective cohort study the 5th Copenhagen City Heart Study (2011–15). All participants were examined with echocardiography following a pre-defined protocol. A total of 2874 participants were included. Mean age was 53±18 years and 60% were female. During a median follow-up of 3.5 years, a total of 73 developed HF/CD. A U-shaped relationship between GCS and HF/CD was observed. LVEF significantly modified the association between GCS and HF/CD (P for interaction <0.001). The optimal transition point for the effect modification was LVEF < 50%. In multivariable Cox regressions, increasing GCS was significantly associated with HF/CD in participants with LVEF ≥ 50% (hazard ratio [HR]=1.12 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02; 1.23] per 1% increase), while decreasing GCS was associated with a higher risk of HF/CD in individuals with LVEF < 50% [HR=1.18 (95% CI: 1.05; 1.31) per 1% decrease].

Conclusions

The prognostic utility of GCS is modified by LVEF. In participants with normal LVEF, higher GCS was associated with increased risk of HF/CD, while the opposite was observed in participants with abnormal LVEF. This observation adds important information to our understanding of the pathophysiological evolution of myocardial deformation in cardiac disease progression.
What determines who gets cardiac resynchronization therapy in Europe? A comparison between ESC-HF-LT registry, SwedeHF registry, and ESC-CRT Survey II
Authors: Gatti Paolo , Linde Cecilia , Benson Lina , Thorvaldsen Tonje , Normand Camilla , Savarese Gianluigi , Dahlström Ulf , Maggioni Aldo P , Dickstein Kenneth , Lund Lars H
Published: April 2023

Aims

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is effective in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and dyssynchrony but is underutilized. In a cohort study, we identified clinical, organizational, and level of care factors linked to CRT implantation.

Methods and results

We included HFrEF patients fulfilling study criteria in the ESC-HF-Long Term Registry (ESC-HF-LT, n = 1031), the Swedish Heart Failure Registry (SwedeHF) (n = 5008), and the ESC-CRT Survey II (n = 11 088). In ESC-HF-LT, 36% had a CRT indication of which 47% had CRT, 53% had indication but no CRT, and the remaining 54% had no indication and no CRT. In SwedeHF, these percentages were 30, 25, 75, and 70%. Median age of patients with CRT indication and CRT present vs. absent was 68 vs. 65 years with 24% vs. 22% women in ESC-HF-LT, 76 vs. 74 years with 26% vs. 26% women in SwedeHF, and 70 years with 24% women in CRT Survey II (all had CRT). For ESC-HF-LT, independent predictors of having CRT were guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT), atrial fibrillation (AF), prior HF hospitalization, and NYHA class. For SwedeHF, they were GDMT, age, AF, previous myocardial infarction, lower NYHA class, enrolment at university hospital, and follow-up at HF centre/Hospital. In SwedeHF, above median income and higher education level were also independently associated with having CRT. In the ESC-CRT Survey II (n = 11 088), all patients received CRT but with differences in the clinical characteristics between countries.

Conclusion

CRT was used in a minority of eligible patients and more used in ESC-HF-LT than in SwedeHF.
Extubation by supraglottic airway after lobectomy prevents cough-associated air leaks and prolonged coughing or sore throat
Authors: Ishibashi Hironori , Wakejima Ryo , Kurihara Yasuyuki , Seto Katsutoshi , Baba Shunichi , Asakawa Ayaka , Toyama Satoshi , Uchida Tokujiro , Okubo Kenichi
Published: April 2023

OBJECTIVES

Double-lumen endobronchial tubes (DLTs) are essential for differential lung ventilation during pulmonary lobectomy, but they are more rigid, longer, larger in diameter and irritable. Coughing at extubation sometimes causes airway and lung injury, which causes severe air leaks, prolonged cough and sore throat. We examined the prevalence of cough-associated air leaks at extubation and postoperative cough or sore throat after lobectomy and evaluated the efficacy of supraglottic airway (SGA) in preventing these complications.

METHODS

Patient characteristics and operative and postoperative factors data were collected from patients who underwent pulmonary lobectomy between January 2013 and March 2022. After propensity score matching, these data were compared between the SGA and DLT groups.

RESULTS

A total of 1069 patients with lung cancer (SGA, 641; DLTs, 428) were enrolled and coughing at extubation occurred in 100 (23.4%) patients in the DLT group, 65 (65.0%) showed increased cough-associated air leaks at extubation and 20 (30.8%) showed prolonged air leaks. Coughing at extubation occurred in 6 (0.9%) in the SGA group. In 193 patients from each group after propensity score matching, coughing at extubation and the associated air leak increase were significantly lower in the SGA group. Visual analogue scale of postoperative cough and sore throat on postoperative days 2, 7 and 30 were significantly lower in the SGA group.

CONCLUSIONS

SGA is effective and safe for preventing cough-associated air leaks and prolonged postoperative cough or sore throat at extubation following pulmonary lobectomy.
Towards the geological parametrization of seismic tomography
Authors: Tsai Victor C , Huber Christian , Dalton Colleen A
Published: April 2023

Seismic tomography is a cornerstone of geophysics and has led to a number of important discoveries about the interior of the Earth. However, seismic tomography remains plagued by the large number of unknown parameters in most tomographic applications. This leads to the inverse problem being underdetermined and requiring significant non-geologically motivated smoothing in order to achieve unique answers. Although this solution is acceptable when using tomography as an explorative tool in discovery mode, it presents a significant problem to use of tomography in distinguishing between acceptable geological models or in estimating geologically relevant parameters since typically none of the geological models considered are fit by the tomographic results, even when uncertainties are accounted for. To address this challenge, when seismic tomography is to be used for geological model selection or parameter estimation purposes, we advocate that the tomography can be explicitly parametrized in terms of the geological models being tested instead of using more mathematically convenient formulations like voxels, splines or spherical harmonics. Our proposition has a number of technical difficulties associated with it, with some of the most important ones being the move from a linear to a non-linear inverse problem, the need to choose a geological parametrization that fits each specific problem and is commensurate with the expected data quality and structure, and the need to use a supporting framework to identify which model is preferred by the tomographic data. In this contribution, we introduce geological parametrization of tomography with a few simple synthetic examples applied to imaging sedimentary basins and subduction zones, and one real-world example of inferring basin and crustal properties across the continental United States. We explain the challenges in moving towards more realistic examples, and discuss the main technical difficulties and how they may be overcome. Although it may take a number of years for the scientific program suggested here to reach maturity, it is necessary to take steps in this direction if seismic tomography is to develop from a tool for discovering plausible structures to one in which distinct scientific inferences can be made regarding the presence or absence of structures and their physical characteristics.
Clinical application of resection process map as a novel surgical guide in thoracic surgery
Authors: Kadomatsu Yuka , Nakao Megumi , Ueno Harushi , Nakamura Shota , Fukumoto Koichi , Chen-Yoshikawa Toyofumi Fengshi
Published: April 2023

Resection Process Map (RPM) is a surgical simulation system that uses preoperative three-dimensional computed tomography. Unlike the usual static simulation, this system provides surgeons an individualized dynamic deformation of the lung parenchyma and vessels. RPM was first introduced in 2020. Although the intraoperative usefulness of this system has been evaluated experimentally, there have been no reports on its clinical use. Herein, we presented in detail the first experience on RPM during robot-assisted anatomical lung resection in the real clinical setting.
Nowhere Vanishing Holomorphic One-Forms on Varieties of Kodaira Codimension One
Authors: Hao Feng
Published: April 2023

Based on the celebrated result on zeros of holomorphic 1-forms on complex varieties of general type by Popa and Schnell, we study holomorphic 1-forms on $n$-dimensional varieties of Kodaira dimension $n-1$. We show that a complex minimal smooth projective variety $X$ of Kodaira dimension $\kappa (X)=\dim X-1$ admits a holomorphic 1-form without zero if and only if there is a smooth morphism from $X$ to an elliptic curve. Furthermore, for a general smooth projective variety (not necessarily minimal) $X$ of Kodaira codimension one, we give a structure theorem for $X$ given that $X$ admits a holomorphic 1-form without zero.
Reduced Respiratory Syncytial Virus Load, Symptoms, and Infections: A Human Challenge Trial of MVA-BN-RSV Vaccine
Authors: Jordan Elke , Kabir Golam , Schultz Stephanie , Silbernagl Günter , Schmidt Darja , Jenkins Victoria A , Weidenthaler Heinz , Stroukova Daria , Martin Barbara K , De Moerlooze Laurence
Published: April 2023

Background

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes significant disease burden in older adults. MVA-BN-RSV is a novel poxvirus-vectored vaccine encoding internal and external RSV proteins.

Methods

In a phase 2a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, healthy participants aged 18 to 50 years received MVA-BN-RSV or placebo, then were challenged 4 weeks later with RSV-A Memphis 37b. Viral load was assessed from nasal washes. RSV symptoms were collected. Antibody titers and cellular markers were assessed before and after vaccination and challenge.

Results

After receiving MVA-BN-RSV or placebo, 31 and 32 participants, respectively, were challenged. Viral load areas under the curve from nasal washes were lower (P = .017) for MVA-BN-RSV (median = 0.00) than placebo (median = 49.05). Total symptom scores also were lower (median = 2.50 and 27.00, respectively; P = .004). Vaccine efficacy against symptomatic, laboratory-confirmed or culture-confirmed infection was 79.3% to 88.5% (P = .022 and .013). Serum immunoglobulin A and G titers increased approximately 4-fold after MVA-BN-RSV vaccination. Interferon-γ–producing cells increased 4- to 6-fold after MVA-BN-RSV in response to stimulation with the encoded RSV internal antigens. Injection site pain occurred more frequently with MVA-BN-RSV. No serious adverse events were attributed to vaccination.

Conclusions

MVA-BN-RSV vaccination resulted in lower viral load and symptom scores, fewer confirmed infections, and induced humoral and cellular responses.

Clinical Trials Registration

NCT04752644.
Miscarriage, Abortion, and Disease
Authors: Waters Tom
Published: April 2023

The frequency of death from miscarriage is very high, greater than the number of deaths from induced abortion or major diseases. Berg (2017 , Philosophical Studies 174:1217–26) argues that, given this, those who contend that personhood begins at conception (PAC) are obliged to reorient their resources accordingly—towards stopping miscarriage, in preference to stopping abortion or diseases. This argument depends on there being a basic moral similarity between these deaths. I argue that, for those that hold to PAC, there are good reasons to think that there is no such similarity. There is a morally relevant difference between preventing killing and letting die, giving PAC supporters reasons to prioritize reducing abortion over reducing miscarriage. And the time-relative interest account provides a morally relevant difference in the badness of death of miscarriages and deaths of born adults, justifying attempts to combat major diseases over attempts to combat miscarriage. I consider recent developments in the literature and contend that these new arguments are unsuccessful in establishing moral similarities between deaths from miscarriage and abortion, and deaths from miscarriage and disease.
Ordering factorial experiments
Authors: Yang Liuqing , Zhou Yongdao , Liu Min-Qian
Published: April 2023

In many practical experiments, both the level combinations of factors and the addition orders will affect the responses. However, virtually no construction methods have been provided for such experimental designs. This paper focuses on such experiments, introduces a new type of design called the ordering factorial design, and proposes the nominal main effect component-position model and interaction-main effect component-position model. To obtain efficient fractional designs, we provide some deterministic construction methods. The resulting designs are D-optimal, and the run sizes are much smaller than that of the full designs. Moreover, in some cases, some constructed designs are still D-optimal after reducing the number of components and factors.
Predicting light curves of RR Lyrae variables using artificial neural network based interpolation of a grid of pulsation models
Authors: Kumar Nitesh , Bhardwaj Anupam , Singh Harinder P , Das Susmita , Marconi Marcella , Kanbur Shashi M , Prugniel Philippe
Published: April 2023

We present a new technique to generate the light curves of RRab stars in different photometric bands (I and V bands) using artificial neural networks (ANN). A pre-computed grid of models was used to train the ANN, and the architecture was tuned using the I-band light curves. The best-performing network was adopted to make the final interpolators in the I and V bands. The trained interpolators were used to predict the light curve of RRab stars in the Magellanic Clouds, and the distances to the Large Magellanic Cloud and Small Magellanic Cloud were determined based on the reddening independent Wesenheit index. The estimated distances are in good agreement with the literature. The comparison of the predicted and observed amplitudes, and Fourier amplitude ratios showed good agreement, but the Fourier phase parameters displayed a few discrepancies. To showcase the utility of the interpolators, the light curve of the RRab star EZ Cnc was generated and compared with the observed light curve from the Kepler mission. The reported distance to EZ Cnc was found to be in excellent agreement with the updated parallax measurement from Gaia EDR3. Our ANN interpolator provides a fast and efficient technique to generate a smooth grid of model light curves for a wide range of physical parameters, which is computationally expensive and time-consuming using stellar pulsation codes.
SAG-RAD: A Method for Single-Cell Population Genomics of Unicellular Eukaryotes
Authors: Gollnisch Raphael , Wallenius Joel , Gribble Kristin E , Ahrén Dag , Rengefors Karin
Published: April 2023

Sequencing of reduced representation libraries enables genotyping of many individuals for population genomic studies. However, high amounts of DNA are required, and the method cannot be applied directly on single cells, preventing its use on most microbes. We developed and implemented the analysis of single amplified genomes followed by restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing to bypass labor-intensive culturing and to avoid culturing bias in population genomic studies of unicellular eukaryotes. This method thus opens the way for addressing important questions about the genetic diversity, gene flow, adaptation, dispersal, and biogeography of hitherto unexplored species.
Changes in metabolic landscapes shape divergent but distinct mutational signatures and cytotoxic consequences of redox stress
Authors: Degtyareva Natalya P , Placentra Victoria C , Gabel Scott A , Klimczak Leszek J , Gordenin Dmitry A , Wagner Brett A , Buettner Garry R , Mueller Geoffrey A , Smirnova Tatyana I , Doetsch Paul W
Published: April 2023

Mutational signatures discerned in cancer genomes, in aging tissues and in cells exposed to toxic agents, reflect complex processes underlying transformation of cells from normal to dysfunctional. Due to its ubiquitous and chronic nature, redox stress contributions to cellular makeover remain equivocal. The deciphering of a new mutational signature of an environmentally-relevant oxidizing agent, potassium bromate, in yeast single strand DNA uncovered a surprising heterogeneity in the mutational signatures of oxidizing agents. NMR-based analysis of molecular outcomes of redox stress revealed profound dissimilarities in metabolic landscapes following exposure to hydrogen peroxide versus potassium bromate. The predominance of G to T substitutions in the mutational spectra distinguished potassium bromate from hydrogen peroxide and paraquat and mirrored the observed metabolic changes. We attributed these changes to the generation of uncommon oxidizing species in a reaction with thiol-containing antioxidants; a nearly total depletion of intracellular glutathione and a paradoxical augmentation of potassium bromate mutagenicity and toxicity by antioxidants. Our study provides the framework for understanding multidimensional processes triggered by agents collectively known as oxidants. Detection of increased mutational loads associated with potassium bromate-related mutational motifs in human tumors may be clinically relevant as a biomarker of this distinct type of redox stress.
Challenging the fixed-criterion model of perceptual decision-making
Authors: Lee Jennifer Laura , Denison Rachel , Ma Wei Ji
Published: April 2023

Perceptual decision-making is often conceptualized as the process of comparing an internal decision variable to a categorical boundary or criterion. How the mind sets such a criterion has been studied from at least two perspectives. One idea is that the criterion is a fixed quantity. In work on subjective phenomenology, the notion of a fixed criterion has been proposed to explain a phenomenon called “subjective inflation”—a form of metacognitive mismatch in which observers overestimate the quality of their sensory representation in the periphery or at unattended locations. A contrasting view emerging from studies of perceptual decision-making is that the criterion adjusts to the level sensory uncertainty and is thus sensitive to variations in attention. Here, we mathematically demonstrate that previous empirical findings supporting subjective inflation are consistent with either a fixed or a flexible decision criterion. We further lay out specific task properties that are necessary to make inferences about the flexibility of the criterion: (i) a clear mapping from decision variable space to stimulus feature space and (ii) an incentive for observers to adjust their decision criterion as uncertainty changes. Recent work satisfying these requirements has demonstrated that decision criteria flexibly adjust according to uncertainty. We conclude that the fixed-criterion model of subjective inflation is poorly tenable.
Depression and anxiety in glioma patients
Authors: van der Meer Pim B , Dirven Linda , Hertler Caroline , Boele Florien W , Batalla Albert , Walbert Tobias , Rooney Alasdair G , Koekkoek Johan A F
Published: April 2023

Glioma patients carry the burden of having both a progressive neurological disease and cancer, and may face a variety of symptoms, including depression and anxiety. These symptoms are highly prevalent in glioma patients (median point prevalence ranging from 16–41% for depression and 24–48% for anxiety when assessed by self-report questionnaires) and have a major impact on health-related quality of life and even overall survival time. A worse overall survival time for glioma patients with depressive symptoms might be due to tumor progression and/or its supportive treatment causing depressive symptoms, an increased risk of suicide or other (unknown) factors. Much is still unclear about the etiology of depressive and anxiety symptoms in glioma. These psychiatric symptoms often find their cause in a combination of neurophysiological and psychological factors, such as the tumor and/or its treatment. Although these patients have a particular idiosyncrasy, standard treatment guidelines for depressive and anxiety disorders apply, generally recommending psychological and pharmacological treatment. Only a few nonpharmacological trials have been conducted evaluating the efficacy of psychological treatments (eg, a reminiscence therapy-based care program) in this population, which significantly reduced depressive and anxiety symptoms. No pharmacological trials have been conducted in glioma patients specifically. More well-designed trials evaluating the efficacy of nonpharmacological treatments for depressive and anxiety disorders in glioma are urgently needed to successfully treat psychiatric symptoms in brain tumor patients and to improve (health-related) quality of life.
Limited Clinical Impact of Ultralow-Dose Computed Tomography in Suspected Community-Acquired Pneumonia
Authors: van Engelen Tjitske S R , Kanglie Maadrika M N P , van den Berk Inge A H , Altenburg Josje , Dijkgraaf Marcel G W , Bossuyt Patrick M M , Stoker Jaap , Prins Jan M ,   OPTIMACT Study Group, Annema Jouke , bBeenen Ludo F M , Bekebrede-Kaufman Dominique , van den Berg Joost W , Moens Sophie J Bernelot , Bipat Shandra , Boerrigter Bart G , Bomers Marije M K , van den Boogert Marjolein A W , Bouwman Merel L J , Bresser Paul , van den Broek Annemieke K , Elzer Brenda , Donkers Jos , Eryigit Elvin , Frankemölle Betty , Groeneveld Nina-Suzanne , Groenink Maarten , Halsema Emo E van , Begemann Naomi M Haverkamp , Höchheimer Suzanne M R , Hoff David ten , Holleman Frits , Hoolwerf Erwin , Hulzebosch Dorine , Keijzers Mitran , Kolkman Saskia , Kooter Jos A J , Korevaar Daniel A , van der Lee Ivo , Lobe Nick H J , Leenhouts Peter A , Loon Ramon B van , Luijendijk Paul , Monraats Melanie A , Mol Bregje , Luitse Jan , Meijboom Lilian J , Melaan Carmen M , Middeldorp Saskia , Swijndregt Alexander Montauban van , de Monyé Wouter , Otker Jacqueline , Pijning Anna , van der Poll Tom , Randen Adrienne van , Reijnders Tom D Y , Ridderikhof Milan L , Romijn Johannes A , Rooijen Jorien M van , Scheerder Maeke J , Schoonderwoerd Antoinet J N , Schijf Laura J , Smithuis Frank F , Sprengers Ralf W , Soetekouw Robin , Streekstra Geert J , Taal Elizabeth M , Wai Milou M Tjong Joe , Tulek Merve S , Vries Glenn de , van der Velden Daphne D L , Veldkamp Saskia , Verdegaal Loek , Vogel Maaike J A , Vught Lonneke A van , Vuurboom Mart , Westerhof Guus A , Wijsman Pieta C , Winter Michiel M , Wouda Rosa D , Yahya Ibtisam
Published: April 2023

Patients clinically suspected of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) were randomized between ultralow-dose chest computed tomography ([ULDCT] 261 patients) and chest radiograph ([CXR] 231 patients). We did not find evidence that performing ULDCT instead of CXR affects antibiotic treatment policy or patient outcomes. However, in a subgroup of afebrile patients, there were more patients diagnosed with CAP in the ULDCT group (ULDCT, 106 of 608 patients; CXR, 71 of 654 patients; P = .001).
Patient Understanding of Oncology Clinical Trial Endpoints in Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertising
Authors: Sullivan Helen W , O’Donoghue Amie C , Boudewyns Vanessa , Paquin Ryan S , Ferriola-Bruckenstein Kate
Published: April 2023

Background

This study examined how people interpret overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), and progression-free survival (PFS) endpoints in the context of direct-to-consumer television ads. Although there is little research on this topic, initial evidence suggests that people can misinterpret these endpoints. We hypothesized that understanding of ORR and PFS would be improved by adding a disclosure (“We currently do not know if [Drug] helps patients live longer”) to ORR and PFS claims.

Methods

We conducted 2 online studies with US adults examining television ads for fictional prescription drugs indicated to treat lung cancer (N = 385) or multiple myeloma (N = 406). The ads included claims about OS, ORR with and without a disclosure, or PFS with and without a disclosure. In each experiment, we randomized participants to view 1 of 5 versions of a television ad. After viewing the ad twice, participants completed a questionnaire that measured understanding, perceptions, and other outcomes.

Results

In both studies, participants correctly differentiated between OS, ORR, and PFS via open-ended responses; however, participants in the PFS conditions (versus ORR conditions) were more likely to make incorrect inferences about OS. Supporting the hypothesis, adding a disclosure made expectations around living longer and quality-of-life improvements more accurate.

Conclusion

Disclosures could help reduce the extent to which people misinterpret endpoints like ORR and PFS. More research is needed to establish best-practice recommendations for using disclosures to improve patient understanding of drug efficacy without changing their perception of the drug in unintended ways.
Introduction
Authors: Sprengler Christine
Published: April 2023

The introduction establishes the parameters of this study and, specifically, accounts for the social, political, and cultural contexts that shape its corpus: films released since 2010 (with a few earlier exceptions as well as some examples from television). This context involves two forces that are imbricated with one another but also which, independently, hold a degree of explanatory power for the examples pursued: (1) the continuing shifts away from postmodern precepts as the determining logic for cultural production and toward metamodern tendencies and (2) the political context entrenched—though by no means originated—by the 2016 US presidential election. The first has inflected the affective character of cinematic representations of the 1950s while the second is responsible for, among other things, its latest surge. This introduction offers a cursory sketch of each here.
The Fifties Reframed
Authors: Sprengler Christine
Published: April 2023

Chapter 8, “The Fifties Reframed,” is less a distinctive type than suggestive of an approach, an investment in expansion that builds on retromediation in certain regards. It is one that seeks to admit into the purview of postwar engagements both hitherto neglected subjects and modes of representing them. This chapter explores how the Fifties have been reframed in two ways: by moving the camera’s lens to focus on subjects often excluded and by recalibrating the lens itself to see its subjects differently. That is, it focuses on films that account for experiences that fall outside the mythical purview of white, middle-class, patriarchal consumer capitalism in different respects. In some cases, this shift in focus is realized in geographical, gendered, or class terms as in the harrowing Bastard out of Carolina (1996), set in the poverty-stricken rural south or The Reflecting Skin (1990), set in the prairies. While Fences (2016) contends with the intersection of class and racialized identities, another boundary rendered porous by this film is one between art forms: cinema and theater. International borders are at stake in Brooklyn (2015). The concern here, though, is not with the vast number of Irish and British films set in the 1950s in the British Isles, but rather instances where a British heritage or Irish period film texture has been transplanted into narratives defined by an American experience. That is, it considers how Brooklyn imports select heritage conventions into a film about a young Irish woman’s postwar migration to America.
Beer
Authors: Ungermann Scott K. , Bamforth Charles W.
Published: April 2023

Irrespective of the scale on which brewing is performed, the same basic processes are used. The challenges arise during scale up. Making beer on a “stove-top” as opposed to on a smaller production scale and through to larger commercial operations is very different in terms of issues such as mixing, temperature exchange, and hydrostatic pressure. Translating a homebrew recipe through to a global brand is not achieved easily. Small-scale commercial operations are usually relatively manual, serving a local clientele, and characterized by ongoing emergence of many new products and a rotating roster of ales and lagers. On the larger scales there is more automation, strong laboratory-based quality support, and a focus on large volumes of tried and trusted brands, with new product development being more strategic. The best brewers on all scales are artisans and dedicated to producing consistent beers to delight the customer.
Artisanal Chocolate
Authors: Tunick Michael H. , Toth Jerry
Published: April 2023

All chocolate is made from sugar and cocoa, but artisanal chocolate is produced on a small scale and has a high cocoa content, resulting in an enhanced sensory profile. Starting when the cacao beans are harvested, all the people involved in the artisanal manufacturing process exert their own influences over the flavors and aromas of the consumer. The beans are carefully allowed to ferment and dry before being painstakingly sorted. The beans are then roasted at a particular time and temperature to bring out optimal flavor and aroma. Commercially produced cocoa may be treated with alkali to counteract high acid and bitterness levels, but artisanal chocolate is made from superior beans and does not require this step. Finally, the product is meticulously tempered to obtain the proper melting and textural characteristics. The care used in producing artisanal chocolate results in an exceptional product.
Artisanal Cheese
Authors: Tunick Michael H. , Doughty Seana , Chombo Morales María Patricia
Published: April 2023

Artisanal cheese is produced primarily by hand with little mechanization and in small batches using traditional methods. The milk comes from grazing animals and is often not pasteurized, giving the resulting cheese additional flavors from pasture plants and enzymatic action of naturally occurring bacteria. Many times, the fat and protein levels are not adjusted, resulting in seasonal variations in the cheese. Pressing of the curd is commonly performed overnight under relatively low pressure, resulting in a less dense texture and more whey, which increases the amount of ripening. Artisanal cheese differs from the mass-produced product because of the milk and the procedures used to treat it. Cotija, an artisanal cheese from Mexico, is a popular variety in that country and a special focus in this chapter.
Industrial and Artisanal Olive Oil
Authors: Madison Mike
Published: April 2023

Industrially produced olive oil sources olives from many different farms, but the artisanal producer, including the author, is an individual working on a small scale with olives from a single grove. Artisans are likely to make several oils that differ in flavor and intensity according to the cultivar of olives and their maturity at harvest. Most artisans hand-harvest the olives, permitting careful selection of the fruit. As opposed to industrial operations, artisans must either reserve time on a public mill or own a small mill to extract the oil. All but about 1% of olive oil consists of triglycerides, but this small fraction, which includes polyphenols, determines most of the flavor and many of the health benefits. The cultivar also affects the intensity of the flavor. Artisans control olive growing and production of the bottled oil from beginning to end, and it shows in the final product.
Chemical Neurotransmission and Neuropsychopharmacology
Authors: Uysal Suzan
Published: April 2023

This chapter presents an overview of chemical neurotransmission at the synapse, the major neurotransmitters, mechanisms of drug action, and neuropsychopharmacology. Abnormalities in the function of neurotransmitter systems contribute to a wide range of brain disorders, and many neuropharmacological agents work by altering neurotransmitter release, neurotransmitter receptor binding, and/or neurotransmitter removal from the synapse. A basic knowledge of the neurotransmission processes therefore serves as a foundation for understanding the mechanisms of many neurological and psychiatric disorders, as well as the mechanisms of pharmacological intervention. Common psychotropic drug classifications discussed in the chapter include the antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, antimanics, psychostimulants, and sedative-hypnotics.
Alexia, Agraphia, and Acalculia
Authors: Uysal Suzan
Published: April 2023

Reading, writing, and math are cultural inventions of comparatively recent development in the history of human behavior. They are also skills that are acquired through formal education. Brain injury and disease can disrupt these abilities. Alexia is an acquired disorder of reading, agraphia is an acquired disorder or writing, and acalculia is an acquired disorder of number-processing and/or calculation skills. Each disorder has several distinct subtypes, each associated with a distinct set of characteristics and a distinct lesion location, implicating that they each involve disruption of a distinct underlying neurocognitive process. Some of the disorder subtypes, however, do not represent a distinct syndrome, but rather are secondary to a more general syndrome that extends beyond the realm of reading, writing, or number processing/calculation. This chapter discusses the various forms of these disorders, their classification, and their neurological bases.
Brain Imaging
Authors: Uysal Suzan
Published: April 2023

Neuroimaging is a branch of medical imaging that involves the in vivo depiction of central nervous system anatomy and function. Structural imaging, such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), provides anatomic detail of the brain and structural abnormalities (e.g., tumors, herniation, hemorrhage, developmental abnormalities). Functional brain imaging, such as single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) and proton emission tomography (PET), measures and visualizes the physiological activities of the brain. This chapter provides a basic overview of the structural imaging modalities of plain film X-ray, angiography, CT, MRI, and cranial ultrasound, as well as the functional imaging modalities of SPECT, PET, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Franz Boas’ ‘purely analytical approach’ to language classification in the backdrop to American structuralism
Authors: Thomas Margaret
Published: April 2023

In this essay, Franz Boas (1858–1942) summarizes his position on how to classify Native American languages. For linguists, the issue gave them a chance to promote the integrity of Native American languages, by demonstrating that techniques of analysis developed in the study of Indo-European languages could be applied to Chinook or Algonquian. For ethnologists, classification was essential in sorting out historical relationships among multiple tribes. These data were of practical value to the US government as it struggled to assert its hegemony over the many indigenous groups that inhabited the land now claimed by European immigrants. The essay illustrates many facets of Boas’ linguistics: the high value he placed on inspection of connected texts; his facility with multiple Native American languages; his conservatism in establishing genetic relationships. The text also displays some of the limits of Boas’ philological training, and his reluctance to generalize in favor of treating every language as a unique case. Moreover, this essay illustrates how Boas, without fully realizing the features of a structuralist approach, prepared the way for American structuralism by rejecting classification of languages into a priori categories such as ‘isolating’ versus ‘agglutinative’. Instead, Boas promoted what he called a ‘purely analytical’ approach, which described languages as individual phenomena from the (synchronic) point of view of a native speaker with no knowledge of any other language. Importantly, Boas’ emphasis on the individuality of languages stopped short of understanding them as systems of elements balanced internally against each other wherein everything hangs together.