bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global “Cultural Spheres” and the Introduction of Compulsory Schooling Around the World
Authors: Besche-Truthe Fabian , Seitzer Helen , Windzio Michael
Published: February 2022

This study investigates the diffusion of compulsory education in a global perspective. Compulsory education closely relates to the reproduction and change of culture and moderates the process of modernisation. We analyse the diffusion of compulsory education by focusing on the effect of a country’s membership in different "cultural spheres". Global cultural clusters of countries do not have rigid, clear-cut "fault lines". We capture the fuzzy-set nature of "cultural spheres" by using a relational approach. In the resulting network countries increasingly connect with a higher amount of cultural characteristics they share. We test the impact of cultural spheres on diffusion controlling for indicators of economic development. Exposure in terms of close cultural ties to other countries with compulsory education, significantly and substantially increases the rate of adoption.
The ILO Beyond Philadelphia
Authors: Hahs Jenny
Published: February 2022

The expansion of the International Labour Organization (ILO’s) body of norms between 1945 and 1970 remains unique. However, little quantitative research has been done to date on how universalising ideas of the Declaration of Philadelphia of 1944 are reflected in the adoptions of the following period and are challenged by conflicting normative developments, such as the simultaneous evolution of segmenting instruments oriented towards a “Standard Employment Relationship” (SER) of a Global North origin. The article traces the adoption developments of ILO conventions and situates them along central historical developments (colonialism, changes in membership structure). It argues that the ILO helped to foster an ideal concept of employment, namely the SER, whose regulatory ideas stemmed historically from the Global North and became spread through worldwide ratifications of ILO conventions.
The Role of the United Nations in Promoting the Policy Debate on Child Allowance Issues in 1960s Japan
Authors: Sugita Naho
Published: February 2022

In the 1950s, the UN began to use the concept of social development, in contrast to economic development. Social development as adapted to Japan brought a dramatic change in Japanese policy debates on human resources and social security. In this chapter, I discuss the role of the idea of social development in promoting the policy debate towards introducing child allowance in Japan. Social development as a Japanese concept was combined with an interest to improve “the quality of population”, in particular through the state’s role in family planning, while the UN’s concept encompassed a more general humanism or psychosocial well-being.
World Bank Intervention and Introduction of Social Health Insurance in Albania
Authors: Druga Ertila
Published: February 2022

This chapter investigates the influence of the World Bank in the formulation of Social Health Insurance law in Albania. Findings suggest that in the case of Albania, although the external influence was not able to determine the policy choice, it did, however, to some extent, shape policy formulation. The World Bank offered its expertise and assistance in formulating details of related law and defining the parameters of the future contributory system. Another important finding relates to the position of the World Bank in preserving the model of financing health through general tax revenues. That is contrary to the expectation that any idea uttered by the World Bank is neoliberal.
Black Swans and the Emergence of Unemployment Insurance in the First Half of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Obinger Herbert , Schmitt Carina
Published: February 2022

Compared to other branches of the welfare state unemployment compensation was enacted later and in much lesser countries. This chapter examines the introduction and spread of unemployment compensation schemes across the globe until 1950. We argue that unemployment insurance was (and still is) the most controversial social protection scheme, which, in addition, is intimately tied to the existence of complementary institutions such as capitalist labour markets and employment exchanges. Programme adoption therefore only occurred in economically developed countries crucially facilitated by interstate war and deep economic crises. Both world wars and the Great Depression set-off shock waves across the globe, which not only created tremendous social needs but also opened a (short) window of opportunity for the introduction and reform of unemployment insurance.
International Transfers and National Path Dependencies: Pension Systems in Britain and Germany after the Second World War
Authors: Torp Cornelius
Published: February 2022

External influences have always played an important role in British and German pension politics. Until the 1970s, bilateral interdependencies in the form of knowledge transfers were paramount. Later, transnational developments transcending Britain and Germany such as the evolving discourse about demographic aging have shaped pension reform debates in both countries. Neither the short-lived British experiment with earnings-related pensions in the 1970s nor the German move towards the privatisation of old-age provision in recent years can be explained without referring to external influences. The effect of international impulses, however, should not be overstated. Even the profound pension reforms in both countries shortly after the year 2000 did not abandon the different institutional paths by which the two pension systems had been characterised in the past.
Social Long-Term Care Insurance: An Idea Travelling Between Countries?
Authors: Fischer Johanna , Kim Hongsoo , Frisina Doetter Lorraine , Rothgang Heinz
Published: February 2022

Few countries have, to date, introduced distinct social insurance systems that explicitly address the risk of long-term care (LTC) dependency. Germany, Japan, and South Korea all established such long-term care insurance schemes in the 1990s/2000s. While domestic factors and discourses were important for these adoptions, transnational expert exchange accompanied the introduction, too. This chapter aims to investigate the role of LTC policy transfer and learning in Japan and South Korea: What indications exist for transnational—“positive” as well as “negative”—transfer? We compare the (dis)similarities in the design of the LTC systems and consider the evidence on foreign influences provided in the literature. While we find potential instances of transfer, our analysis shows that evidence on transnational learning remains thin for both cases.
The Emergence of the Socialist Healthcare Model After the First World War
Authors: Heinrich Andreas
Published: February 2022

One of the most influential models in healthcare organisation and finance is the so-called Semashko model. This chapter scrutinises its origins in the Soviet Union and its expansion to Central and Eastern Europe. Its creation and later its spatial expansion were both by-products of war. While the Russian Revolution of October 1917 (brought about by the First World War) was the starting point for the development and introduction of the Semashko model, its spatial expansion was precipitated by the end of the Second World War when the Soviet healthcare model was (forcibly) exported to large parts of Central and Eastern Europe. Even though the initial success of the healthcare model ended in crisis, its legacies still influence healthcare policies in this region today.
Dependencies of Long-Term Care Policy on East–West Migration: The Case of Germany
Authors: Gottschall Karin , Noack Kristin , Rothgang Heinz
Published: February 2022

This contribution reconstructs the policy shift from a Bismarckian “low road” to a “higher road” of long-term care (LTC) policy in Germany. We argue that this policy change is deeply intertwined with migration to uphold and transform LTC policy. Cash benefits did not just stabilise family care, but are increasingly used to establish a “migrant-in-the-family” model. Moreover, while the marketisation of care services led to an expansion of commercial services, this process increasingly depended on migrant carers. Policy measures to improve working conditions in formal care were only initiated when ever-growing demands could not be met by migrant workers. At the same time live-in arrangements are only cautiously regulated. Reflecting the familialistic legacy, provision of care by women (paid/unpaid, formal/informal, professional/semi-professional) has become more stratified.
Feminist Scholarship in Europe on the Politics of International Migration
Authors: Cleton Laura , Bonjour Saskia
Published: February 2022

This chapter presents an overview of feminist scholarship on the politics of international migration by Europe-based scholars, explaining that feminist IR scholarship makes up a small and recent part of a wider, rich tradition of feminist migration studies. It shows how feminist IR scholarship on migration focuses on familiar IR themes (security and conflict); shifts traditional IR frames from the global to the local; and foregrounds the discursive constructions of people on the move and their embodied experiences. In drawing parallels between these studies and the wider field, the chapter highlights pathways for future interdisciplinary and global collaboration.
Feminist International Political Economy in Europe
Authors: Altan-Olcay Özlem
Published: February 2022

This chapter reviews the contributions feminist scholars situated in Europe have made to international political economy. It discusses three main areas of influence in the form of critique of capitalism and neoliberalism; debates on international development discourses, governance, and programming; and the conceptual connections established between macroeconomic decision-making and gendered everyday experiences. It also highlights the limits of the scholarship in the form of the hegemony of English language production, the limits brought by the unique positionality of being situated in the European continent, and the restrictions in the dialogue with the broader IPE field.
Decentering Political Authority and Power: Feminist Global Governance Studies in Europe
Authors: Çağlar Gülay
Published: February 2022

This chapter identifies distinctive contributions of feminist IR scholarship in Europe on global governance and international organizations. On the one hand, this scholarship is closely connected to feminist IR worldwide in seeking to analyze transnational feminist networks’ mobilization and framing, role in the diffusion of gender equality norms internationally and locally, and strategies for implementing gender equality in international organizations. On the other hand, feminist scholarship in Europe has made an original and essential contribution to feminist IR scholarship in general by applying state theory to the global level and by theorizing knowledge and gender expertise as technologies of power.
Konsumkritische Medienpraktiken als Schlüssel(-kategorie) für eine nachhaltige Gesellschaft und das „gute Leben“
Authors: Kannengießer Sigrid
Published: February 2022

In diesem Kapitel werden die empirischen Ergebnisse der Studie anhand von sechs theoretischer Dimensionen diskutiert: Zunächst wird anhand der theoretischen Konzepte der Medienpraktiken und der Materialität gezeigt, dass die in den Fallstudien untersuchten Individuen, Nichtregierungsorganisationen und Unternehmen in Relation zu Medien handeln, wenn sie sich diese aneignen, um zu einer nachhaltigen Gesellschaft und dem „guten Leben“ beizutragen und bei diesem Handeln die Akteur*innen die Materialität digitaler Medientechnologien reflektieren, sich mit dieser bewusst auseinandersetzen und diese verändern (wollen). Neben den Zielen der untersuchten Medienpraktiken, welche diese als konsumkritisch charakterisieren, werden auch die Werte, die sich in den Medienpraktiken manifestieren, aus einer medienethischen Perspektive in den Blick genommen. Die Fallstudien zeigen, dass verschiedene Akteur*innen nicht alleine handeln, sondern auch in Kollektiven, sodass Aspekte von Vergemeinschaftung in den Fallstudien herausgearbeitet werden. Aufgrund der identifizierten Ziele und Werte der Akteur*innen, wird ihr Handeln zu einer Form politischer Partizipation. Der Ergebnisteil diskutiert abschließend, ob und inwiefern in den Fallstudien und die Fallstudien übergreifend soziale Bewegungen wahrgenommen werden können, die einige der Akteur*innen der Fallstudien bewusst herstellen (wollen).
Diskussion der Ergebnisse
Authors: Kepura Jürgen
Published: February 2022

In diesem Kapitel werden zentrale empirische Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchung zur polizeilichen Präventionsarbeit professionstheoretisch diskutiert.  Es wird der aporetische Charakter polizeilicher Präventionsarbeit herausgearbeitet. Auf dieser Grundlage werden Konturen einer Professionalitätstheorie polizeilicher Präventionsarbeit mit Kindern und Jugendlichen formuliert.
Interactions Between Materials and Socio-Culture in Sanitation
Authors: Harada Hidenori
Published: February 2022

The function of sanitation is to control the fate of human waste. A toilet is only the entrance to sanitation, and human waste as materials need to be appropriately handled throughout a sanitation service chain to control the impact of human waste on the environment. While the toilet has a private aspect, post-toilet sanitation has a public aspect. It is unclear how individuals and society should share the impact of post-toilet sanitation. Sanitation enabling the use of human waste may have greater material, socio-cultural, and health impacts in society than sanitation that does not enable the use of human waste. If the impacts caused by sanitation are unreasonable, sanitation will not be sustainable. Designing a sanitation service chain is traditionally an engineering-based business that optimizes these impacts, especially from the material and health aspects. However, in the real world, the system with the maximum benefit and minimum burden as a total for society is not necessarily preferred by all individual stakeholders. Rather than simply adjusting stakeholders’ interests, sanitation may actively establish appropriate relationships with each stakeholder, even on an individual level, to be more sustainable. Such a design approach would go beyond the traditional design approaches of sanitation optimization that use conventional engineering tools.
Socio-Cultural Aspects of Sanitation
Authors: Nakao Seiji
Published: February 2022

Although sanitation is embedded in the socio-culture, the socio-cultural aspects of sanitation are not fully discussed. In this context, we focus on the socio-cultural aspects of sanitation, especially the connection between socio-culture with health (C), and with materials (B), as in the Sanitation Triangle model, from the perspective of humanities and social sciences in this part. To introduce this part, we first briefly review previous studies on sanitation by humanities and social sciences, and show the socio-cultural aspects of sanitation. Then, after providing an overview of this part, we discuss the theoretical points of each chapter such as “hard work” or “dirty work,” a social configuration of technology, and Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in the local context, and indicate the relevant chapters in this book.
Social Allocation of the Health Risks in Sanitation
Authors: Harada Hidenori
Published: February 2022

Sanitation can change the fate of excreta and control the emission to the living and ambient environment, leading to the reduction of fecal exposure and the mitigation of fecal–oral infectious risk. The fate of excreta and its associated health risks in sanitation, however, may not be limited within the living boundary of a single person or even within a community. Based on examples in Vietnam, this chapter demonstrates the transfer of health risks in sanitation and its allocation in society. Along a river, fecal pollutants and the associated health risks were transferred from the urban upstream areas to rural downstream areas, resulting in the change of livelihood downstream. Resource-oriented sanitation was enabled at the expense of female farmers’ health risks through their handling of fecal matter, indicating a gender-related risk allocation. This chapter also discusses the health risk allocation of modern sewerages between those who flush excreta and those who work in the sewerages, and that of on-site sanitation along the sanitation service chain. Since sanitation possibly causes the transfer of health risks in society, sound social allocation and mitigation of health risks are essential to address social challenges in sanitation.
Defective repair of topoisomerase I induced chromosomal damage in Huntington’s disease
Authors: Palminha Nelma M. , Dos Santos Souza Cleide , Griffin Jon , Liao Chunyan , Ferraiuolo Laura , El-Khamisy Sherif F.
Published: February 2022

Topoisomerase1 (TOP1)-mediated chromosomal breaks are endogenous sources of DNA damage that affect neuronal genome stability. Whether TOP1 DNA breaks are sources of genomic instability in Huntington’s disease (HD) is unknown. Here, we report defective 53BP1 recruitment in multiple HD cell models, including striatal neurons derived from HD patients. Defective 53BP1 recruitment is due to reduced H2A ubiquitination caused by the limited RNF168 activity. The reduced availability of RNF168 is caused by an increased interaction with p62, a protein involved in selective autophagy. Depletion of p62 or disruption of the interaction between RNAF168 and p62 was sufficient to restore 53BP1 enrichment and subsequent DNA repair in HD models, providing new opportunities for therapeutic interventions. These findings are reminiscent to what was described for p62 accumulation caused by C9orf72 expansion in ALS/FTD and suggest a common mechanism by which protein aggregation perturb DNA repair signaling.
Air trapping in COVID-19 patients following hospital discharge: retrospective evaluation with paired inspiratory/expiratory thin-section CT
Authors: Franquet Tomás , Giménez Ana , Ketai Loren , Mazzini Sandra , Rial Andrea , Pomar Virginia , Domingo Pere
Published: February 2022

Objectives

The study reports our experience with paired inspiration/expiration thin-section computed tomographic (CT) scans in the follow-up of COVID-19 patients with persistent respiratory symptoms.

Methods

From August 13, 2020, to May 31, 2021, 48 long-COVID patients with respiratory symptoms (27 men and 21 women; median age, 62.0 years; interquartile range: 54.0–69.0 years) underwent follow-up paired inspiration-expiration thin-section CT scans. Patient demographics, length of hospital stay, intensive care unit admission rate, and clinical and laboratory features of acute infection were also included. The scans were obtained on a median of 72.5 days after onset of symptoms (interquartile range: 58.5–86.5) and at least 30 days after hospital discharge. Thin-section CT findings included ground-glass opacity, mosaic attenuation pattern, consolidation, traction bronchiectasis, reticulation, parenchymal bands, bronchial wall thickening, and air trapping. We used a quantitative score to determine the degree of air trapping in the expiratory scans.

Results

Parenchymal abnormality was found in 50% (24/48) of patients and included air trapping (37/48, 77%), ground-glass opacities (19/48, 40%), reticulation (18/48, 38%), parenchymal bands (15/48, 31%), traction bronchiectasis (9/48, 19%), mosaic attenuation pattern (9/48, 19%), bronchial wall thickening (6/48, 13%), and consolidation (2/48, 4%). The absence of air trapping was observed in 11/48 (23%), mild air trapping in 20/48 (42%), moderate in 13/48 (27%), and severe in 4/48 (8%). Independent predictors of air trapping were, in decreasing order of importance, gender (p = 0.0085), and age (p = 0.0182).

Conclusions

Our results, in a limited number of patients, suggest that follow-up with paired inspiratory/expiratory CT in long-COVID patients with persistent respiratory symptoms commonly displays air trapping.

Key Points

• Our experience indicates that paired inspiratory/expiratory CT in long-COVID patients with persistent respiratory symptoms commonly displays air trapping.

• Iterative reconstruction and dose-reduction options are recommended for demonstrating air trapping in long-COVID patients.
Validity of tissue homogeneity in confocal laser endomicroscopy on the diagnosis of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Sievert Matti , Aubreville Marc , Gostian Antoniu-Oreste , Mantsopoulos Konstantinos , Koch Michael , Mueller Sarina Katrin , Eckstein Markus , Rupp Robin , Stelzle Florian , Oetter Nicolai , Maier Andreas , Iro Heinrich , Goncalves Miguel
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) allows imaging of the laryngeal mucosa in a thousand-fold magnification. This study analyzes differences in tissue homogeneity between healthy mucosa and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) via CLE.

Materials and methods

We included five SCC patients with planned total laryngectomy in this study between October 2020 and February 2021. We captured CLE scans of the tumor and healthy mucosa. Analysis of image homogeneity to diagnose SCC was performed by measuring the signal intensity in four regions of interest (ROI) in each frame in a total of 60 sequences. Each sequence was assigned to the corresponding histological pattern, derived from hematoxylin and eosin staining. In addition, we recorded the subjective evaluation of seven investigators regarding tissue homogeneity.

Results

Out of 3600 images, 1620 (45%) correlated with benign mucosa and 1980 (55%) with SCC. ROIs of benign mucosa and SCC had a mean and standard deviation (SD) of signal intensity of, respectively, 232.1 ± 3.34 and 467.3 ± 9.72 (P < 0.001). The mean SD between the four different ROIs was 39.1 ± 1.03 for benign and 101.5 ± 2.6 for SCC frames (P < 0.001). In addition, homogeneity yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 81.8% and 86.2%, respectively, regarding the investigator-dependent analysis.

Conclusions

SCC shows a significant tissue inhomogeneity in comparison to the healthy epithelium. The results support this feature’s importance in identifying malignant mucosa areas during CLE examination. However, the examiner-dependent evaluation emphasizes that homogeneity is a sub-criterion that must be considered in a broad context.
Sleep of recruits throughout basic military training and its relationships with stress, recovery, and fatigue
Authors: Bulmer Sean , Aisbett Brad , Drain Jace R. , Roberts Spencer , Gastin Paul B. , Tait Jamie , Main Luana C.
Published: February 2022

Objective

Studies in basic military training (BMT) examining sleep are largely cross-sectional, and do not investigate relationships between sleep, stress, recovery and fatigue. The aims of this study were to (1a) quantify changes in recruits’ sleep quantity and quality over 12 weeks of BMT; (1b) quantify changes in recruits’ perceptions of stress, fatigue and recovery over BMT; and (2) explore relationships between sleep, and perceptions of stress, fatigue and recovery.

Methods

45 recruits (37 male; 8 female, age: 25.2 ± 7.2 years, height: 176.2 ± 10.0 cm, mass: 76.8 ± 15.0 kg) wore ActiGraph GT9X’s for 12 weeks of BMT, collecting sleep duration, efficiency and awakenings. Subjective sleep quality, fatigue were measured daily, with stress and recovery measured weekly. Multi-level models assessed relationships between sleep, and stress, recovery, and fatigue.

Results

Objective daily means for sleep duration were 6.3 h (± 1.2 h) and 85.6% (± 5.5%) for sleep efficiency. Main effects were detected for all mean weekly values (p < 0.05). Sleep quality showed the strongest relationships with stress, recovery and fatigue. The best model to explain relationships between, stress, recovery and fatigue, included sleep quality, sleep duration, sleep efficiency and awakenings.

Conclusions

The reported mean sleep duration of 6.3 h per night may negatively impact training outcomes across BMT. Combining both subjective and objective measures of sleep best explained relationships between sleep metrics stress, fatigue and recovery. Perceived sleep quality was most strongly related to change in stress, recovery, or post-sleep fatigue.
The transverse-vertical incision (Alazzam hybrid incision)
Authors: Alazzam Moiad , Khalifa Mostafa Abdallah , Al-Ani Abdallah
Published: February 2022

Open abdominal surgery evolved around two incisions, vertical and transverse incisions. Transverse incisions are associated with less postoperative morbidities but offer limited access. Vertical incisions offer better access but are associated with more complications. We describe here a hybrid incision, transverse-vertical incision that offers adequate exposure for complex lower abdominopelvic surgery while overcoming the limitations and morbidities associated with midline and transverse incisions.
Usher syndrome type IV: clinically and molecularly confirmed by novel ARSG variants
Authors: Velde Hedwig M. , Reurink Janine , Held Sebastian , Li Catherina H. Z. , Yzer Suzanne , Oostrik Jaap , Weeda Jack , Haer-Wigman Lonneke , Yntema Helger G. , Roosing Susanne , Pauleikhoff Laurenz , Lange Clemens , Whelan Laura , Dockery Adrian , Zhu Julia , Keegan David J. , Farrar G. Jane , Kremer Hannie , Lanting Cornelis P. , Damme Markus , Pennings Ronald J. E.
Published: February 2022

Usher syndrome (USH) is an autosomal recessively inherited disease characterized by sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP) with or without vestibular dysfunction. It is highly heterogeneous both clinically and genetically. Recently, variants in the arylsulfatase G (ARSG) gene have been reported to underlie USH type IV. This distinct type of USH is characterized by late-onset RP with predominantly pericentral and macular changes, and late onset SNHL without vestibular dysfunction. In this study, we describe the USH type IV phenotype in three unrelated subjects. We identified three novel pathogenic variants, two novel likely pathogenic variants, and one previously described pathogenic variant inARSG. Functional experiments indicated a loss of sulfatase activity of the mutant proteins. Our findings confirm thatARSGvariants cause the newly defined USH type IV and support the proposed extension of the phenotypic USH classification.
Communicating distress: suicide threats/gestures among clinical and community youth
Authors: Robinson Kealagh , Scharinger Christian , Brown Rebecca C. , Plener Paul L.
Published: February 2022

Although self-injurious thoughts and behaviors are a global health concern, little is known about suicidal threat/gesture(s) where a person leads others to believe they want to end their lives when they have no intention to do so. This study assessed the lifetime prevalence of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors among both community adolescents (n = 1117) and in clinical youth (n = 191). Suicide threats/gestures were common among youth; 12.2% of community adolescents and 18.0% of clinical youth reporting having made a suicide threat/gesture, most commonly in the context of other self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. Across both samples, suicide threats/gestures were not uniquely associated with suicide attempts, and youth who reported suicide threats/gestures in the context of a history of self-harm or suicide plan(s) were no more likely to report a history of suicide attempt(s). Suicide threats/gestures were distinguished from suicide attempts in that they primarily fulfilled positive social functions, rather than autonomic functions. Findings suggest that suicidal threats/gestures are common in both community and clinical youth, and are not uniquely associated with suicide attempts, but rather function to communicate distress to others.
Development and validation of the Myasthenia Gravis TeleScore (MGTS)
Authors: Pasqualin F. , Guidoni S. V. , Albertini E. , Ermani M. , Frangiamore R. , Vanoli F. , Antozzi C. , Mantegazza R. , Bonifati D. M.
Published: February 2022

Objective

The aim of our study was to validate the Myasthenia Gravis TeleScore (MGTS), a scale for the evaluation of MG patients in telemedicine.

Introduction

COVID-19 pandemic has boosted telemedicine in clinical practice. It could be crucial in the care of neurological patients with chronic disease. However, there is a lack of validated disease-specific tools to evaluate MG patients in telemedicine.

Methods

The MGTS included ten items divided in four districts: ocular, generalized muscular strength, bulbar, and respiratory. Patients were assessed with two different scales: the MGTS and the INCB-MG chosen as a reference from which MGTS was partially derived. Visit in presence with INCB-MG and televisit with MGTS were performed consecutively. Televisit was conducted by another neurologist between two rooms. A blind method was adopted. The strength of correlation was determined by the correlation coefficient (r); analysis of covariance (ANOVA—Kruskal–Wallis test) was used to compare subgroups. Significance was set to p < 0.05.

Results

One hundred thirty-one patients were included in the study, 71 females and 60 males. The Spearman correlation coefficient between the INCB-MG scale and the MGTS was 0.825 (p < 0.001), indicating a very strong correlation between them. Different items showed different correlations from low to high (0.32 to 0.80). As expected, correlation was lower between items with different evaluation modality (anamnestic vs clinical).

Discussion

The MGTS demonstrated a good correlation with INCB-MG, reliability and construct validity.
Die Körordnung im deutschen und Europäischen Recht
Authors: Krimpove Dieter , Schlief Till
Published: February 2022

Pferdezucht ist nicht nur ein Wirtschaftsfaktor, sie sollte auch die Natur des Pferdes bewahren und
seine natürlichen Eigenschaften artgerecht fördern. Insofern enthält das Pferdezuchtrecht
immer auch den Aspekt des Tierschutzrechtes. Da bereits heute das Europäische Recht sowohl das Equiden-Zuchtrecht
als auch das Tierschutzrecht dominiert, stellt der Beitrag die einschlägigen Rechtsnormen und dessen
Zusammenspiel vor. Interessant erscheint hier, dass das Ineinandergreifen des Europäischen und des
deutschen Rechts zu unterschiedlichen Anreizen hinsichtlich der nationalen Bestimmung von Zuchtmerkmalen
führt.
Technology-based comparative life cycle assessment for palm oil industry: the case of Nigeria
Authors: Anyaoha Kelechi E. , Zhang Lulu
Published: February 2022

Oil palm dominates global oil production, trade, and consumption. Nigeria is one of the leading palm oil producers and consumers. A significant challenge of the palm oil industry is to reduce the environmental impacts (e.g. pollution and carbon footprint) and integrate a circular economy in operation. This study aims to comparatively quantify the environmental impacts of technologies used by different mills. We applied a life cycle assessment in the case of Nigeria. The study covers the reception and processing of fresh fruit bunch (FFB) to end-product palm oil. The inputs include generated empty fruit bunch (EFB), mesocarp fibre, palm kernel shell, palm oil mill effluent, diesel, water and all outputs to the environment for a functional unit of 1-tonne FFB. The results showed that large-scale mills perform worse (468 kg CO2-eq per t FFB) than the semi-mechanised and smallholder mills in effects on climate change but better in the other impact categories, including human toxicity, ecotoxicity, and fine particulate matter formation. In large-scale mills, the climate change impacts decrease by 75% when the raw palm oil mill effluent (POME) is used in composting EFB. Similarly, climate change impacts reduce by 44% when biogas from POME substitutes diesel in the semi-mechanised and smallholder mills. We conclude that regulatory measures are needed to ensure improved management practices in the production processes. Particular attention should be paid to the generation and reuse of biomass and POME. This study provides a handy reference to assist the sustainable energy transition in Nigeria’s and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa’s oil palm industry to mitigate climate change and form a cleaner bioeconomy.
Positive risk balance: a comprehensive framework to ensure vehicle safety
Authors: Kauffmann Nina , Fahrenkrog Felix , Drees Ludwig , Raisch Florian
Published: February 2022

The introduction of automated vehicles promises an increase in traffic safety. Prior to its launch proof of the anticipated reduction in the sense of a positive risk balance compared with human driving performance is required from various stakeholders such as the European Union Commission, the German Ethic Commission, and the ISO TR 4804. To meet this requirement and to generate acceptance by the public and the regulatory authorities, a qualitative Risk- Benefit framework has been defined. This framework is based on literature research on approaches applied in other disciplines. This report depicts the framework, adapted from the pharmaceutical sector called PROACT-URL which serves as a structured procedure to demonstrate a positive risk balance in an understandable and transparent manner. The qualitative framework needs to be turned in quantitative methods once it should be applied. Therefore, two steps of the framework are discussed in more detail: First, the definition of adequate development thresholds that are required at an early stage of the development. Second the simulation-based assessment to prove the positive risk balance prior to the market introduction.
Feature-weighted categorized play across symmetric games
Authors: LiCalzi Marco , Mühlenbernd Roland
Published: February 2022

Experimental game theory studies the behavior of agents who face a stream of one-shot games as a form of learning. Most literature focuses on a single recurring identical game. This paper embeds single-game learning in a broader perspective, where learning can take place across similar games. We posit that agents categorize games into a few classes and tend to play the same action within a class. The agent’s categories are generated by combining game features (payoffs) and individual motives. An individual categorization is experience-based, and may change over time. We demonstrate our approach by testing a robust (parameter-free) model over a large body of independent experimental evidence over $$2 \times 2$$

2
×
2

symmetric games. The model provides a very good fit across games, performing remarkably better than standard learning models.
Differences in Barriers to Healthcare and Discrimination in Healthcare Settings Among Undocumented Immigrants by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Status
Authors: Woofter Rebecca , Sudhinaraset May
Published: February 2022

Undocumented immigrants face barriers to and discrimination in healthcare, but those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status may fare better. This analysis uses the cross-sectional BRAVE Study of young undocumented Latinx and Asian immigrants to examine differences in barriers to and discrimination in healthcare by DACA status. A majority of respondents experienced financial, language, and cultural barriers, and up to half experienced documentation status barriers, discrimination when seeking healthcare or by a health provider, and negative experiences related to documentation status. In multivariable analyses, DACA recipients have over 90% lower odds of language and cultural barriers, approximately 80% lower odds of discrimination when seeking healthcare and by a health provider, and approximately 70% lower odds of documentation status barriers and negative experience related to documentation status compared to nonrecipients. These findings indicate that DACA recipients experience fewer barriers to healthcare and discrimination in healthcare compared to nonrecipients.
Optimal Control Problems with Sparsity for Tumor Growth Models Involving Variational Inequalities
Authors: Colli Pierluigi , Signori Andrea , Sprekels Jürgen
Published: February 2022

This paper treats a distributed optimal control problem for a tumor growth model of Cahn–Hilliard type. The evolution of the tumor fraction is governed by a variational inequality corresponding to a double obstacle nonlinearity occurring in the associated potential. In addition, the control and state variables are nonlinearly coupled and, furthermore, the cost functional contains a nondifferentiable term like the $$L^1$$

L
1

-norm in order to include sparsity effects which is of utmost relevance, especially time sparsity, in the context of cancer therapies as applying a control to the system reflects in exposing the patient to an intensive medical treatment. To cope with the difficulties originating from the variational inequality in the state system, we employ the so-called deep quench approximation in which the convex part of the double obstacle potential is approximated by logarithmic functions. For such functions, first-order necessary conditions of optimality can be established by invoking recent results. We use these results to derive corresponding optimality conditions also for the double obstacle case, by deducing a variational inequality in terms of the associated adjoint state variables. The resulting variational inequality can be exploited to also obtain sparsity results for the optimal controls.
Calcium Enabled Remote Loading of a Weak Acid Into pH-sensitive Liposomes and Augmented Cytosolic Delivery to Cancer Cells via the Proton Sponge Effect
Authors: Yang Mimi M. , Yarragudi Sasi Bhushan , Jamieson Stephen M. F. , Tang Mingtan , Wilson William R. , Wu Zimei
Published: February 2022

While delivery of chemotherapeutics to cancer cells by nanomedicines can improve therapeutic outcomes, many fail due to the low drug loading (DL), poor cellular uptake and endosomal entrapment. This study investigated the potential to overcome these limitations using pH-sensitive liposomes (PSL) empowered by the use of calcium acetate. An acidic dinitrobenzamide mustard prodrug SN25860 was used as a model drug, with non pH-sensitive liposomes (NPSL) as a reference. Calcium acetate as a remote loading agent allowed to engineer PSL- and NPSL-SN25860 with DL of > 31.1% (w/w). The IC50 of PSL-SN25860 was 21- and 141-fold lower than NPSL and free drug, respectively. At 48 h following injection of PSL-SN25860, NPSL-SN25860 and the free drug, drug concentrations in EMT6-nfsB murine breast tumors were 56.3 µg/g, 6.76 µg/g and undetectable (< 0.015 µg/g), respectively (n = 3). Meanwhile, the ex vivo tumor clonogenic assay showed 9.1%, 19.4% and 42.7% cell survival in the respective tumors. Live-cell imaging and co-localization analysis suggested endosomal escape was accomplished by destabilization of PSL followed by release of Ca2+ in endosomes allowing induction of a proton sponge effect. Subsequent endosomal rupture was observed approximately 30 min following endocytosis of PSL containing Ca2+. Additionally, calcium in liposomes promoted internalization of both PSL and NPSL. Taken together, this study demonstrated multifaceted functions of calcium acetate in promoting drug loading into liposomes, cellular uptake, and endosomal escape of PSL for efficient cytoplasmic drug delivery. The results shed light on designing nano-platforms for cytoplasmic delivery of various therapeutics.

Graphical abstract
Collaborative knowledge: Where the distributed and commitment models merge
Authors: Palermos Spyridon Orestis
Published: February 2022

Within analytic philosophy, the existence of collective knowledge has been motivated by means of two apparently distinct, and in direct competition with one another, theoretical approaches: (i) the commitment model and (ii) the distributed model. This paper agues, however, that to fully account for collaborative knowledge—i.e., a special kind of collective knowledge—both models are required. In other words, there is at least one kind of collective knowledge, the account of which requires treating the two models not as competitors but as complementary to each other. If that’s correct, not only can we gain a deeper understanding of the specifics surrounding collaborative knowledge but also a clearer picture of the broader debate surrounding collective knowledge.
Rapid HILIC-Z ion mobility mass spectrometry (RHIMMS) method for untargeted metabolomics of complex biological samples
Authors: Pičmanová Martina , Moses Tessa , Cortada-Garcia Joan , Barrett Georgina , Florance Hannah , Pandor Sufyan , Burgess Karl
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Recent advances in high-throughput methodologies in the ‘omics’ and synthetic biology fields call for rapid and sensitive workflows in the metabolic phenotyping of complex biological samples.

Objective

The objective of this research was to evaluate a straightforward to implement LC–MS metabolomics method using a commercially available chromatography column that provides increased throughput. Reducing run time can potentially impact chromatography and therefore the effects of ion mobility spectrometry to expand peak capacity were also evaluated. Additional confidence provided via collision cross section measurements for detected features was also explored.

Methods

A rapid untargeted metabolomics workflow was developed with broad metabolome coverage, combining zwitterionic-phase hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC-Z) with drift tube ion mobility-quadrupole time-of-flight (DTIM-qTOF) mass spectrometry. The analytical performance of our method was explored using extracts from complex biological samples, including a reproducibility study on chicken serum and a simple comparative study on a bacterial metabolome.

Results

The method is acronymised RHIMMS for rapid HILIC-Z ion mobility mass spectrometry. We present the RHIMMS workflow starting with data acquisition, followed by data processing and analysis. RHIMMS demonstrates improved chromatographic separation for a selection of metabolites with wide physicochemical properties while maintaining reproducibility at better than 20% over 200 injections at 3.5 min per sample for the selected metabolites, and a mean of 13.9% for the top 50 metabolites by intensity. Additionally, the combination of rapid chromatographic separation with ion mobility allows improved annotation and the ability to distinguish isobaric compounds.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate RHIMMS to be a rapid, reproducible, sensitive and high-resolution analytical platform that is highly applicable to the untargeted metabolomics analysis of complex samples.
Potentials of post-mortem CT investigations during SARS-COV-2 pandemic: a narrative review
Authors: Filograna Laura , Manenti Guglielmo , Ampanozi Garyfalia , Calcagni Antonello , Ryan Colleen Patricia , Floris Roberto , Thali Michael John
Published: February 2022

In December 2019, a new coronavirus, SARS-COV-2, caused a cluster of cases of pneumonia in China, and rapidly spread across the globe. It was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11th, 2020. Virtual autopsy by post-mortem CT (PMCT) and its ancillary techniques are currently applied in post-mortem examinations as minimally or non-invasive techniques with promising results. In this narrative review, we speculate on the potentials of PMCT and its ancillary techniques, as a viable investigation technique for analysis of suspected or confirmed SARS-COV-2 deaths. An online literature search was performed by using three prefix search terms (postmortem, post-mortem, post mortem) individually combined with the suffix radiology, imaging, computed tomography, CT and with the search terms ‘SARS-CoV-2’ and ‘COVID-19’ to identify papers about PMCT and its ancillary techniques in SARS-COV-2 positive cadavers. PMCT findings suggestive for pulmonary COVID-19 in deceased positive SARS-COV-2 infection are reported in the literature. PMCT ancillary techniques were never applied in such cases. PMCT imaging of the lungs has been proposed as a pre-autopsy screening method for SARS-COV-2 infection. Further studies are needed to ascertain the value of PMCT in determining COVID-19 as the cause of death without autopsy histopathological confirmation. We advocate the application of PMCT techniques in the study of ascertained or suspected SARS-COV-2 infected deceased individuals as a screening technique and as a method of post-mortem investigation, to augment the numbers of case examined and significantly reducing infection risk for the operators.
Is robotic lobectomy cheaper? A micro-cost analysis
Authors: Shanahan Ben , Kreaden Usha S. , Sorensen Jan , Stamenkovic Steven , Redmond Karen C.
Published: February 2022

Higher capital costs and operating room costs associated with Lobectomy via Robot Assisted Thoracic Surgery (RATS) have previously been suggested as the principal contributors to the elevated overall cost. This study uses a micro-costing approach to a previous analysis of clinical outcomes of RATS, Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) and Open Lobectomy to evaluate the most significant cost drivers for the higher cost of robot-assisted lobectomy. A micro-costing model was developed to reflect the pathway of patients from day of surgery through the first 30 days following lobectomy. Costs were provided for RATS, VATS and Open approaches. Sensitivity analysis was performed specifically in the area of staff costs. A threshold sensitivity analysis of the overall cost components was also performed. Total cost per case for the RATS approach was €13,321 for the VATS approach €11,567, and for the Open approach €12,582. The overall cost differences were driven primarily by the elevated consumable costs associated with RATS Lobectomy. Capital costs account for a relatively small proportion of the per-case cost difference. This study presents a detailed analysis of the cost drivers for lobectomy, modelled for the three primary surgical approaches. We believe this is a useful tool for surgeons, hospital management, and service commissioning agencies to accurately and comprehensively determine where cost savings can be applied in their programme to improve the cost-effectiveness of RATS lobectomy.
Machine tool process monitoring by segmented timeseries anomaly detection using subprocess-specific thresholds
Authors: Netzer Markus , Palenga Yannic , Fleischer Jürgen
Published: February 2022

Time series data generated by manufacturing machines during processing is widely used in mass part production to assess if processes run without errors. Systems that make use of this data use machine learning approaches for flagging a time series as a deviation from normal behaviour. In single part production, the amount of data generated is not sufficient for learning-based classification. Here, methods often focus on global signal variance but have trouble finding anomalies that present as local signal deviations. The referencing of the process states of the machine is usually performed by state indexing which, however, is not sufficient in highly flexible production plants. In this paper, a system that learns granular patterns in time series based on mean shift clustering is used for detecting processing segments in varying machine conditions. An anomaly detection then finds deviating patterns based on the previously identified processing segments. The anomalies can then be labeled by a human-in-the-loop approach for enabling future anomaly classification using a combination of machine learning algorithms. The method of anomaly detection is validated using an industrial machine tool and multiple test series.