bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supplemental video 2 from NCI Imaging Data Commons
Authors: Fedorov Andrey , Longabaugh William J.R. , Pot David , Clunie David A. , Pieper Steve , Aerts Hugo J.W.L. , Homeyer André , Lewis Rob , Akbarzadeh Afshin , Bontempi Dennis , Clifford William , Herrmann Markus D. , Höfener Henning , Octaviano Igor , Osborne Chad , Paquette Suzanne , Petts James , Punzo Davide , Reyes Madelyn , Schacherer Daniela P. , Tian Mi , White George , Ziegler Erik , Shmulevich Ilya , Pihl Todd , Wagner Ulrike , Farahani Keyvan , Kikinis Ron
Published: March 2023

Supplemental video 2 from NCI Imaging Data Commons
Predictive Factors for Gleason Score Upgrading in Patients with Prostate Cancer after Radical Prostatectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Wang Yang , Chen Xiaoke , Liu Kun , Liu Ruijuan , Li Liangliang , Yin Chaoshan , Song Peixing
Published: March 2023

Introduction: Previous studies have revealed that Gleason score upgrading (GSU) was closely related to an increased biochemical recurrence rate and adverse oncologic outcomes in patients with prostate cancer (PC). Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to determine the predictive factors for GSU following radical prostatectomy (RP). Methods: We performed an extensive literature search using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane in September 2022. In order to calculate the pooled odds ratio (OR), standardized mean difference (SMD), and 95% confidence intervals, a fixed effect or a DerSimonian and Laird random effect was applied. Results: Twenty-six studies included 18,745 PC patients that were available for further analysis. Our results revealed that GSU was significantly correlated with age (summary SMD = 0.13; p = 0.004), prostate volume (PV) (summary SMD = −0.19;p < 0.001), preoperative PSA (p-PSA) (summary SMD = 0.18; p < 0.001), PSA density (PSAD) (summary SMD = 0.40; p < 0.001), number of positive cores (summary SMD = 0.28; p = 0.001), percentage of positive cores (summary SMD = 0.36; p < 0.001), Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) scores (>3/≤3) (summary OR = 2.27; p = 0.001), clinical T stage (>T2/≤T2) (summary OR = 1.73; p < 0.001), positive surgical margins (PSM) (summary OR = 2.12; p < 0.001), extraprostatic extension (EPE) (summary OR = 2.73; p < 0.001), pathological T stage (>T2/≤T2) (summary OR = 3.45; p < 0.001), perineural invasion (PNI) (summary OR = 2.40; p = 0.008), and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (summary SMD = 0.50; p < 0.001). However, we found that GSU was not significantly correlated with body mass index (BMI) (summary SMD = −0.02; p = 0.602). Moreover, our sensitivity and subgroup analyses showed that the findings were reliable. Conclusions: Age, PV, p-PSA, PSAD, number of positive cores, percentage of positive cores, PI-RADS score, clinical T stage, PSM, EPE, pathological T stage, PNI, and NLR are independent factors predicting GSU following RP. The findings may be helpful in risk stratification and personalized treatment in PC patients.
Evaluation of the Effect of the PMMA Dialysis Membrane on the Level of Inflammation in Patients on Hemodialysis
Authors: Shutov Evgeny , Mishin Oleg
Published: March 2023

Introduction: The inflammation syndrome is typical for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and increases with the progression of CKD. It is extremely important to monitor the markers of inflammation in patients with CKD, as there is a clear relationship between the level of inflammation and mortality in these patients. Currently, there is no single approach to the treatment of chronic inflammation in patients with CKD. Methods: This was a prospective open cohort study. We studied 31 patients on hemodialysis from March 1, 2020, to August 1, 2021, in 2 Moscow clinics (No. 7 and S.P. Botkin). Inclusion criteria for patients in the study were an adequate dialysis according to the KT/V index ≥1.4, absence of an active inflammatory process or infections, age over 18 years, standard hemodialysis regimen of 3 times per week, at least 4 h, levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, and C-reactive protein (CRP) above the reference values. Patients were transferred from hemodialysis performed using a standard polysulfone (PS) membrane to a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) membrane (Filtryzer BK-2.1F). For dialysis treatment in patients, blood flow rates of 250–350 mL/min were used, and the flow rate of the dialysis solution was set at 500 mL/min. The control group consisted of 19 patients, with similar inclusion parameters, who continued their treatment with hemodialysis using a PS membrane. The aim of the research was to study the effect of the dialysis membrane (Filtryzer BK-2.1F) on the level of inflammation in routine practice compared to a PS membrane. Adverse events were monitored. Results: By the end of the study, after 12 months, the levels of cytokines significantly decreased only in patients who had treatment with PMMA membrane, starting from the 3rd month of treatment, and became close to normal levels: IL-6 from 16.9 ± 8.0 to 8.5 ± 4.8 pg/mL (p ≤ 0.0001); IL-8 from 78.5 ± 11.4 to 43.6 ± 11.6 pg/mL (p ≤ 0.0001); and CRP from 10.33 ± 2.83 to 6.15 ± 1.57 mg/L (p ≤ 0.0001). Values of inflammation markers did not change in control group. Conclusion: In our study, we demonstrated for the first time a significant reduction in the level of inflammation in patients on standard hemodialysis in routine practice due to the use of PMMA membranes.
Improved Persistence to Medication, Decreased Cardiovascular Events and Reduced All-Cause Mortality in Hypertensive Patients With Use of Single-Pill Combinations: Results From the START-Study
Authors: Schmieder Roland E. , Wassmann Sven , Predel Hans-Georg , Weisser Burkhard , Blettenberg Jörg , Gillessen Anton , Randerath Olaf , Mevius Antje , Wilke Thomas , Böhm Michael
Published: March 2023

Background:

Single-pill combination improves adherence and persistence to medication in hypertension. It remains unclear whether this also reduces cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality. We analyzed whether single-pill combinations are superior to identical multiple pills on persistence to medication, cardiovascular outcomes, and all-cause mortality.

Methods:

This was a retrospective claims data (German AOK PLUS) analysis. Data from hypertensive patients ≥18 years treated with renin-angiotensin system combinations given as single pill or identical multipills covering the years 2012 to 2018 were analyzed and followed up to at least 1 year. After 1:1 propensity score matching, persistence to medication, cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality were compared using non-parametric tests. Results were reported as incidence rate ratios and hazard ratios.

Results:

After propensity score matching data from 57 998 patients were analyzed: 10 801 patients received valsartan/amlodipine, 1026 candesartan/amlodipine, 15 349 ramipril/amlodipine, and 1823 amlodipine/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide as single pill or identical multipill. No relevant differences in patient characteristics were observed within the 4 groups. In all groups, a significant lower all-cause mortality, a significant a higher persistence to medication, a significant lower event rate in 15 out of 20 comparisons, and a tendency in the remaining 5 comparisons was observed under single pills compared with multipill combinations.

Conclusions:

Antihypertensive combination therapy reduces all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events when provided as single pill compared to identical drugs as multipills. This strongly supports the European Society of Cardiology/European Society of Hypertension and International Society of Hypertension guidelines recommending the use of a single-pill combination and thus should be more rigorously implemented into daily clinical practice.
Incremental Value of Stroke-Induced Structural Disconnection in Predicting Global Cognitive Impairment After Stroke
Authors: Pan Chensheng , Chen Guohua , Jing Ping , Li Guo , Li Yuanhao , Miao Jinfeng , Sun Wenzhe , Wang Yanyan , Lan Yan , Qiu Xiuli , Zhao Xin , Mei Junhua , Huang Shanshan , Lian Lifei , Zhu Zhou , Zhu Suiqiang
Published: March 2023

Background:

Poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is highly prevalent in stroke survivors and correlated with unfavorable clinical outcomes. This study aimed to identify the neural substrate of PSCI using atlas-based disconnectome analysis and assess the value of disconnection score, a baseline measure for stroke-induced structural disconnection, in PSCI prediction.

Methods:

A multicenter prospective cohort of 676 first-ever patients with acute ischemic stroke was enrolled from 3 independent hospitals in China. Sociodemographic, clinical, and neuroimaging data were collected at acute stage of stroke. Cognitive assessment was performed at 3 months after stroke. Voxel-wise and tract-wise disconnectome analysis were performed to uncover the strategic structural disconnection pattern for global PSCI. Disconnection score was calculated for each participant in leave-one-dataset-out cross-validation. Multivariable logistic regression was performed for the association between disconnection score and PSCI. Prediction models with and without disconnection score were developed, cross-validated, and compared in terms of discrimination and goodness-of-fit.

Results:

Compared with lesions of non-PSCI, those of PSCI were more likely to have fiber connections with left prefrontal cortex and left deep structures (thalamus and basal ganglia). Disconnection score could predict the risk and severity of PSCI during cross-validation, and was independently associated with PSCI after controlling for all baseline covariates (odds ratio, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.17–1.64];
P
<0.001). Incorporating disconnection score into a reference model with 6 known predictors resulted in significant improvement in both discrimination and goodness-of-fit throughout cross-validation.

Conclusions:

A strategic structural disconnection pattern centered on left prefrontal cortex, thalamus, and basal ganglia is identified for global PSCI using indirect disconnectome analysis. The baseline disconnection score is independently predictive of PSCI and has significant incremental value to preexisting sociodemographic, clinical, and neuroimaging predictors.

Registration:

URL:
http://www.chictr.org.cn/enIndex.aspx
; Unique identifier: ChiCTR-ROC-17013993.
What Is the Active Prevalence of COVID-19?
Authors: Yang Mu-Jeung , Bertanha Marinho , Seegert Nathan , Gaulin Maclean , Looney Adam , Orleans Brian , Pavia Andrew T. , Stratford Kristina , Samore Matthew , Alder Steven
Published: March 2023

We provide a method to track the active prevalence of COVID-19 in real time, correcting for time-varying sample selection in symptom-based testing data and incomplete tracking of recovered cases and fatalities. Our method only requires publicly available data on positive testing rates in combination with one parameter, which we estimate based on a representative randomized sample of nearly 10,000 individuals tested in Utah in May and June 2020. We validate our method using external studies in Indiana in April 2020 and two counties in Utah in March 2021. In all three locations and times, our estimates of latent prevalence are within the 95 percent confidence intervals of prevalence estimates from randomized testing. Applying our method to all 50 states, we show that true prevalence is 2–3 times higher than publicly reported.
Factorial Designs, Model Selection, and (Incorrect) Inference in Randomized Experiments
Authors: Muralidharan Karthik , Romero Mauricio , Wüthrich Kaspar
Published: March 2023

Factorial designs are widely used to study multiple treatments in one experiment. While t-tests using a fully-saturated “long” model provide valid inferences, “short” model t-tests (that ignore interactions) yield higher power if interactions are zero, but incorrect inferences otherwise. Of 27 factorial experiments published in top-5 journals (2007–2017), 19 use the short model. After including interactions, over half of their results lose significance. Based on recent econometric advances, we show that power improvements over the long model are possible. We provide practical guidance for the design of new experiments and the analysis of completed experiments.
Disastrous Discretion: Political Bias in Relief Allocation Varies Substantially with Disaster Severity
Authors: Schneider Stephan A. , Kunze Sven
Published: March 2023

Allocation decisions are vulnerable to political influence, but it is unclear in which situations politicians use their discretionary power in a partisan manner. We analyze the allocation of presidential disaster declarations in the United States, exploiting the spatiotemporal randomness of all hurricane strikes from 1965-2018 along with changes in political alignment. We show that decisions are unbiased when disasters are either very strong or weak. Only after medium-intensity hurricanes do areas governed by presidents' co-partisans receive up to twice as many declarations. This hump-shaped political bias explains 8.3 percent of overall relief spending, totaling about USD 400 million per year.
Voice and Political Engagement: Evidence from a Field Experiment
Authors: Hager Anselm , Hensel Lukas , Roth Christopher , Stegmann Andreas
Published: March 2023

We conduct a natural field experiment with a major European party to test whether giving party supporters more voice increases their engagement in the party's electoral campaign. In the experiment, the party asked a random subset of supporters for their opinions on the importance of different policy areas. Giving supporters opportunities to voice their opinions increases their engagement in the campaign as measured using behavioral data from the party's smartphone application. Survey data reveals that giving voice also increases other margins of campaign effort as well as perceived voice. Our evidence highlights the importance of voice for increasing political engagement.
Whence the Womb?
Authors: Abhau Jackson
Published: March 2023

In John 7:38, Jesus makes the proclamation ποταµοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος. Among a variety of other issues—textual problems, ambiguous syntax, and an unclear scriptural referent—an enduring problem for translators has been the word κοιλία. Here, the author argues that the most natural meaning for κοιλία in this context is “womb.” Although governed by the masculine possessive pronoun αὐτοῦ, κοιλία’s most common NT meaning is “womb,” and a survey of Greek literature corroborates “womb” as a viable translation, and preferable to the alternatives in standard Bible translations (such as “heart,” “belly,” or “side”). Reading John 7:38’s κοιλία as “womb” is supported by the immediate context and literary background and sheds further light on the Gospel’s themes of rebirth.
Reading Late-Imperial Chinese Merchant Handbooks in Global and Micro-History
Authors: Gerritsen Anne
Published: March 2023

In late imperial China, handbooks were key tools for merchants who negotiated the challenges of the land and water routes along which they traveled with their goods. Such handbooks provided invaluable information. The knowledge contained within such itineraries pertained to the minutiae of individual places, but it helped create and maintain the global connectedness of the late imperial empire. Porcelain and tea, produced in the inland provinces of southeast China, could be delivered safely to the port of Canton, and from there to consumers all over the world because these merchants had created, preserved, and transmitted this knowledge. The micro-global lens, thus, is a key tool for understanding such merchant handbooks: it makes it possible to see how micro-level knowledge sustained the agency of the merchants who shaped the global trading world surrounding Canton. Reading late-imperial merchant handbooks from Huizhou makes visible the connections between Huizhou and the wider world.
What Differences Make a Difference? Global History and Microanalysis Revisited
Authors: Trivellato Francesca
Published: March 2023

This article discusses a number of scholarly trends that fall under the rubric of global history, with particular regard for those that address the early modern period (c.1400–1800). It stresses the rubric’s lack of coherence from both a methodological and ideological perspective. Most importantly, it revisits longstanding debates about the intersection of microanalysis and global history by assessing landmark works by Italian microhistorians, scholars of the so-called great divergence, and historians of climate and the environment. In so doing, it also asks how recent contributions build on insights that classic studies had already yielded – at least on the margins of the profession – beginning in the 1970s.
Localizing Globality in Early Capitalist Basel
Authors: Burghartz Susanna
Published: March 2023

This paper seeks to locate globality in Basel’s urban society during the emergence of capitalism (1670–1780). It seeks to globalize patrimonial historiography and local history by “inverting the telescope” as micro-historians have suggested. It analyzes how the leading actors in a Swiss city situated on the borders of France and the Holy Roman Empire participated in the new capitalism and positioned their society within a new global geography increasingly shaped by an Atlantic beyond the empires. To do so, it asks how the city’s cosmopolitan elite bonded locally and acted globally in times of accelerated economic and social transformation. Exploring people who capitalized social, economic, and political borders deepens our understanding of the multi-layered process of early globalization and contributes to the new history of capitalism. The micro-global focus on Basel’s specific locality illuminates the conceptual potential for global history in the nexus between war capitalism and global capitalism.
Fetha Negest and the Existing Federal Laws of Ethiopia
Authors: Damtew Adane Mandie
Published: March 2023

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the contribution of Fetha Negest to the development of Ethiopia’s legal system and to evaluate the present judges’ appointment law of Ethiopia in line with indigenous sources. It focuses particularly on Fetha Negest, which had a significant impact on Ethiopia’s judicial system until the early 1940s. To this effect, the research for this paper discovered chapter 43 of the Fetha Negest and the federal judicial administration proclamation No. 1233/2021 through critical review. The paper thus finds that the current laws do not confirm Fetha Negest as their source and instead opt to transplant legal ideas from other countries. Due to this, the laws have been repeatedly amended and lack acceptance. Moreover, these transplanted laws face the issue of compatibility with the local culture. Legislators and concerned bodies should thus turn to indigenous sources before adopting external ideas.
The Territorial Principle as a Basis for State Criminal Jurisdiction: Particularly with Regard to Cross-Border Offences and Attempts, and to Multiple Parties to an Offence Acting in Different Countries
Authors: Payer Andrés
Published: March 2023

The purpose of this article is to explore the scope of the territorial principle under (customary) international law, with a particular focus on cases of cross-border offences and attempts, and multiple parties to an offence acting in different countries. Our analysis will begin with an examination of the foundations and limits of state criminal jurisdiction and the territorial principle in general. In this context, we will also discuss the justification of this principle vis-à-vis other states and its relationship to other jurisdictional principles. In order to determine the pertinent contours of customary international law, we will use an approach that is both inductive and deductive, and, as such, involves the reporting on and analysis of relevant state practice.
Rights of Nature in Europe: The Spanish Lagoon Mar Menor Becomes a Legal Person
Authors: Krämer Ludwig
Published: March 2023

Following a popular initiative, the Spanish Parliament granted legal personality tot he lagoonof Mar Menor and gave the right to everybody to defend the lagoon’s rights in administrative or judicisal action. The contribution prsents the new Spanish legislation, places it in the context of global trends to give rights to parts of the natural envronment and points to some aspects, which the new legislation raises.
Exclusion at the Heart of Empire: Punjabi Migrants in Buenos Aires and London Before the First World War
Authors: Bryce Benjamin
Published: March 2023

This article charts the history of hundreds of Punjabi labourers who migrated to Argentina in 1912 and then onward to the United Kingdom. It argues that both worker agency and imperial concerns about mobility shaped this episode of migration and exclusion. Drawing from sources produced in Britain and Argentina, in English and Spanish, it shows how both workers and bureaucrats pursued competing goals, and how the ideas and activities of both groups mattered. It examines these migrant labourers’ voices and goals in Argentina and the United Kingdom. These Punjabi men repeatedly weighed their options and pursued opportunities for advancement, often taking advantage of their imperial subjecthood to do so. This research also shows how those strategies coexisted with the efforts of bureaucrats in Buenos Aires and London who sought to repatriate these migrants.
Radical Defence: The American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born and the Movement for Deportation Resistance and Immigrants’ Rights
Authors: Chen Michelle
Published: March 2023

The American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born was a Communist-affiliated legal advocacy organisation that operated from the 1930s through to the 1970s, that witnessed several periods of ideological and social change in immigration policy and politics. As a radical campaign group, it developed as an outgrowth of the twentieth-century American left, and created a distinct platform devoted explicitly to defending the rights of immigrants. Using the courts, popular protest, policy advocacy and other innovative campaign strategies, the group and its regional affiliates, along with allied leftist organisations, pioneered a framework of constitutional rights and legal protections for the immigrants who were persecuted and threatened with deportation due to their links to the labour left. During the early Cold War, their work defending foreign-born radicals against deportation gradually expanded to include other immigrant communities, and to broach broader issues of civil and human rights.
GemThe Correspondence Between the German Socialist Joseph Bloch and the American Socialist Morris Hillquit on the Issue of International Labour Migration
Authors: Musters Daan
Published: March 2023

In this contribution to the JMH’s series on ‘Gems’, the correspondence from 1908 between the German socialist Joseph Bloch and the American socialist Morris Hillquit on the issue of international labour migration is central. As both men were part of the international socialist community – at the time organised in the Second International (1889-1914) – the source provides an insight into how international migration was discussed within the Left in this period. Though officially, the Second International took in an ‘internationalist’ position on migration, the correspondence between Bloch and Hillquit demonstrates that there were also nativist currents present within the organisation. Furthermore, the source in exemplary for the broader international exchange of migration-related ideas taking place at the time, which contributed to the worldwide standardization of border practices.
Clusius, Ellebodius and Purkircher: A Cross-Section of Humanist-Naturalist Cultural Exchange Between Vienna and Pozsony
Authors: Orbán Áron
Published: March 2023

Carolus Clusius (1526–1609) is primarily known as Europe’s most famous botanist in his time, but he pursued a wide range of activitites as an eminent member of the res publica litteraria. He had manyfold relations to Hungary; Clusius-scholarship has so far focused on his friendship with the aristocrat Boldizsár Batthyány, but in Vienna he also exchanged a number of letters with the two most important Pozsony humanists in the period: Nicasius Ellebodius, the excellent Grecist, also of Low Countries origin, and Georg Purkircher, city physician of Pozsony and author of a number of humanist works. Based on archival, literary and artistic sources, Clusius’ friendship to them, their encounters, and their common fields of interest can be well demonstrated. Beyond contributing to the biographies of these three men of letters, the mapping of these relations also provide a good cross-section of knowledge transfer within Central Europe at the end of the sixteenth century.
Rejoining Broken Slips in the Shanghai Museum *Shi Liu wen yu Fuzi 史蒥問於夫子 Manuscript, with a Preliminary Study of the People Featured in the Text
Authors: Liang (梁靜) Jing
Published: March 2023

By rejoining several fragmentary slips in the Shanghai Museum *Shi Liu wen yu Fuzi manuscript, this article seeks to adjust the order of the existing bamboo slips as well as to clarify the meaning of the text. On this basis, and through a comparison with transmitted texts, the identities of the main characters “Shi Liu” and “Master” in the bamboo manuscript are discussed. We find that the words, deeds, and thoughts of “Shi Liu” and “Master” bear certain similarities to “Shi Qiu” and “Confucius” as recorded in literature.
Rearranging the Slip Sequence in the Wang Ji Manuscript in the Peking University Han Bamboo-Slip Collection
Authors: Yang (楊茜) Qian
Published: March 2023

This paper attempts to rearrange the slip sequence in the Wang Ji 妄稽 manuscript, and makes the following suggestions: slips 75–76 should be placed immediately after slips 47, 48, and 49; slips 77–81 should be placed between slips 75–76 and slips 43–46; since the meaning of the text on slip 46 and that on slip 62 are coherent, slips 46 and 62 can be placed back-to-back.
Changes in Daily Occupations Patterns, Optimism, and Positive Affect During COVID-19 Lockdown
Authors: Segev-Jacubovski Orit
Published: March 2023

Background. The COVID-19 outbreak caused an initial 2-week lockdown throughout Israel. Purpose. To identify (1) changes in time-usage patterns of daily occupations during the first COVID-19 lockdown, by gender and employment status, and (2) correlations among optimism, positive affect, and daily occupations during the lockdown. Method. In a voluntary, anonymous, retrospective, online cross-sectional survey, 481 participants completed the Life Orientation Test, Positive Affect Questionnaire, and Occupational Questionnaire. Findings. During lockdown, participants spent more time in recreation, rest, and sleep regardless of their employment status, and more women than men lost their employment. Both before and during lockdown, women spent significantly higher percentage of time performing everyday tasks but reported less rest and sleep than men. Recreation was associated with positive affect. Conclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic created a temporary occupational disruption. Although people devoted their time differently, the lockdown forced people to find ways to continue engaging in their occupations.
A strain rate dependent and anisotropic failure material model for short fiber reinforced plastics based on energy density accounting for local fiber orientation
Authors: Schweiger Timo , Lienhard Jörg , Hiermaier Stefan
Published: March 2023

A failure model for SFRP for FEM simulations is developed to describe the strain rate dependency, the influence of the local fiber orientation and of the stress state on the failure behavior. The material is considered as a continuum while internally calculating the micro-mechanics analytically. The described micro-mechanics are based on experimental observations and on analyzation with numerical studies. In particular the strain rate dependent delamination of fibers and matrix is incorporated in the model. The distortion energy density is defined as the driving value for failure and estimated by the model. This is achieved with the analytic solution by Eshelby for the stress field in the matrix and by introducing an additional phase for the plasticly deformed volume. The validation on characterization specimens as well as component test demonstrates that the influence of strain rate, fiber orientation, and stress state on the failure behavior can be described with only one material parameter, the critical distortion energy density.
Extreme medical misconduct: 49 UK-registered doctors involved in child pornography, dealt with by the General Medical Council 2012–2020
Authors: Khalid Hania , David Timothy J , Ellson Sarah
Published: March 2023

Summary

Background

Between 1 June 2012 and 31 December 2020, there were 49 cases considered by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service where a doctor’s misconduct involved child pornography. The determinations concerning these cases provided the data for analysis.

Findings

In 47/49 (96%) the regulatory outcome was erasure from the GMC’s Medical Register, ending the doctor’s career. 12 doctors had been imprisoned for 1 to 20 years, and 19 given suspended prison sentences. In 33/49 (67%) cases the indecent images of children included one or more video recordings. Some of these were of children (including very young infants) being raped, sometimes for prolonged periods, the video recordings sometimes indicating that the child could be seen to be in extreme pain.

Interpretation

The high proportion of erasures reflected the gravity of these cases, coupled with the fundamental incompatibility of sexual misconduct involving children with a career in medicine.
Private Insurance, Public Welfare, and Financial Markets: Alpine and Maritime Countries in Comparative-Historical Perspective
Authors: van der Heide Arjen , Kohl Sebastian
Published: March 2023

Contemporary capitalist societies use different institutions to manage economic risks. While different public welfare state and financial institutions (banks, capital markets) have been studied across coordinated and liberal market economies, the different worlds of private insurance institutions have been understudied. Building on new insurance data sets (1880–2017), we find that countries with a Maritime (USA, GBR, CAN) in contrast to the more backward Alpine (AUT, DEU, CHE) insurance tradition developed bigger life and nonlife insurance earlier, with less state-associated and reinsurance enterprises, but riskier investments steered toward financial markets. We argue that the larger and more “Maritime” the insurance sector, the more it made welfare states liberal and securities markets large. Insurance is thus a hidden factor for countries’ varieties of capitalism and worlds of welfare. The recent convergence on the Maritime model, however, implies that the riskier and risk-individualizing type of private insurance has added to privatization and securitization trends everywhere.
Cultural Considerations for Building Equitable and Trusting Relationships (BETR) With All Families
Authors: Lindo Endia J. , Kyzar Kathleen B. , Gershwin Tracy
Published: March 2023

Research has shown the importance of family-school collaboration in promoting positive student outcomes, but also the lack of satisfaction and trust on the part of both teachers and family members, especially with cross-cultural interactions. A key barrier is the lack of teacher professional development regarding research-based practices and systemic support (e.g., resources, time). This paper presents a research-based conference strategy designed to cultivate a trusting relationship between families and educators, referred to as Building Equitable Trusting Relationships (BETR). Critical to this trust-building process is understanding how one's own (and the organization’s) culture and norms shape the expectations and actions in support or detriment of establishing trust. The three-step process for engaging in the ongoing and iterative work of becoming more culturally competent: 1) Cultural Self-Study, 2) Acquiring Cultural Knowledge, and 3) Putting Knowledge to Practice (CAP) is demonstrated in the context of the BETR meeting model. Evidence, illustrations, and possible adaptations for implementing this strategy with diverse families across contexts are addressed.
Adolescents’ Multi-Layered Media Processing: A Panel Study on Positive and Negative Perceptions Toward Ideals and Adolescents’ Appearance Anxiety
Authors: Trekels Jolien , Eggermont Steven
Published: March 2023

Selective exposure literature indicates that not all users take away the same messages from their media exposure; it is suggested that viewers are not merely exposed but rather reactive to multiple—and possibly opposing—messages. The current study aims to introduce an active media-processing perspective, focusing specifically on the media-body image association among an early adolescent sample. Results of a three-wave longitudinal survey among 971 early adolescents ( Mage = 11.14; SD = 1.13) show that media-focused peer interactions (W1), but not media exposure (W1), were associated with contradictory perceptions of attractiveness (i.e., perceived benefits and perceived costs for investing in appearance) (W2). Polynomial regression analyses pointed out that the association between these contradictory perceptions (i.e., interaction between benefits and costs; W2) was curvilinearily related to body image investment (W3). The findings emphasize the variable vulnerability of adolescents to the media effect and the importance of acknowledging multi-layered media messages.
Steady State and Dynamic Oscillatory Shear Properties of Carbon Black Filled Elastomers
Authors: Norton Ed , Isayev Avraam I
Published: March 2023

A correlation between the steady shear viscosity and complex dynamic viscosity of carbon black (CB) filled rubbers was found by evaluating the Cox-Merz rule and an alternative approach originally proposed by Philippoff for dilute polymer solutions, but since applied to amorphous polymers and concentrated suspensions. This was done by measuring the rheological properties of 16 industrially important rubber mixes containing CB N660 at concentrations of 20 and 35% by volume. A capillary rheometer at various shear rates and a dynamic oscillatory shear rheometer at small and large amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS and LAOS) were used. The apparent viscosity, storage and loss moduli, complex dynamic viscosity and Fourier transform harmonics were measured. Generally, the shear stress, storage and loss moduli increased with increasing CB loading. Also, the ratio of third and fifth stress harmonics to first harmonics increased with increasing strain amplitude and filler loading. Viscous Lissajous figures (shear stress versus shear rate) at a strain amplitude of 14% showed a nearly linear response for compounds containing CB at 20% by volume. All other shear stress responses demonstrated a strong nonlinearity. The stress waveforms at a strain amplitude of 140% for compounds containing 35% CB by volume displayed a backwards tilted shape expected for highly filled compounds. The stress waveforms at a strain amplitude of 1,000% tended toward a rectangular shape expected for pure polymer. Generally, the nonlinear response of the compounds appeared to be dominated by the filler at strain amplitudes of 14% and 140% and by the rubber matrix at a strain amplitude of 1,000%. The Cox-Merz rule was not applicable for any of the compounds with their complex dynamic viscosity being greater than the apparent viscosity. However, a modification of the approach proposed by Philippoff provided reasonable agreement between the apparent viscosity and complex dynamic viscosity.
The Regulation of Religion by Secular Work Practice: Exploring Muslim Employees’ Performance of Religious Practice
Authors: Van Laer Koen , Essers Caroline
Published: March 2023

Adopting a practice lens, this study contributes to debates on the reproduction of religious inequalities in the workplace by going beyond the literature's dominant focus on the role of discourse in the regulation of employees’ religion. Drawing on interviews with Muslim employees in Belgium, this study offers a practice-based theorization of religious inequality at work, focusing on the role of the rhythms, objects, spaces, and bodies of work practice in the regulation of religion and on religious employees’ different performances directly negotiating these aspects of work practice. Based on this practice-based understanding, we identify contributions to several debates on religion at work. First, we show the role of work practice in imposing a secular order that selectively embraces cultural and religious practices that have historically dominated the Global North. Second, we add to studies on Muslim employees by showing how solely focusing on Islamophobic discourses and discursive practices overlooks the interplay between these discourses and work practice in the regulation of religion and Muslim employees’ negotiation of the rhythms, objects, spaces, and bodies of work practice. Third, contributing to debates on (in)visibility, we expose that the (in)visibility of religion is shaped by its relation to work practice and that religious employees can negotiate work practice through invisibly performing religious practice. Fourth, adding to our understanding of the inclusion of religious employees, we emphasize the importance of the flexibility of work practice and the role of other employees in enabling religious employees to better align work and religious practice.
Assessment of Mouse Liver Histopathology Following Exposure to HFPO-DA With Emphasis on Understanding Mechanisms of Hepatocellular Death
Authors: Thompson Chad M. , Heintz Melissa M. , Wolf Jeffrey C. , Cheru Roza , Haws Laurie C. , Cullen John M.
Published: March 2023

Ammonium 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)-propanoate (HFPO-DA) is a short chain member of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). To better understand the relevance of histopathological effects seen in livers of mice exposed to HFPO-DA for human health risk assessment, histopathological effects were summarized from hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained sections in several repeat-dose toxicity studies in mice. Findings across studies revealed histopathological changes consistent with peroxisomal proliferation, whereas two reports of steatosis could not be confirmed in the published figures. In addition, mechanisms of hepatocellular death were assessed in H&E sections as well as with the apoptotic marker cleaved caspase-3 (CCasp3) in newly cut sections from archived liver blocks from select studies. A comparison of serially CCasp3 immunolabeled and H&E-stained sections revealed that mechanisms of hepatocellular death cannot be clearly discerned in H&E-stained liver sections alone as several examples of putatively necrotic cells were positive for CCasp3. Published whole genome transcriptomic data were also reevaluated for enrichment of various forms of hepatocellular death in response to HFPO-DA, which revealed enrichment of apoptosis and autophagy, but not ferroptosis, pyroptosis, or necroptosis. These morphological and molecular findings are consistent with transcriptomic evidence for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) signaling in HFPO-DA exposed mice.
Becoming the music teacher: Stories of generalist teaching and teacher education in music
Authors: Sirek Danielle , Sefton Terry G.
Published: March 2023

Teacher preparation for generalist (non-specialist) elementary teachers in Ontario typically comprises one compulsory music class. In entry surveys, many generalists describe themselves as highly apprehensive about and unconfident in their ability to teach music, confirming previous research. Using narrative inquiry, we explore the stories of both preservice and in-service generalist teachers. Data from focus groups with preservice teachers revealed that most participants felt markedly more comfortable with the prospect of teaching music in primary grades after taking our music courses; while fewer expressed confidence in teaching music to junior/intermediate grades. However, preservice teachers are rarely given the chance to observe or teach music while on practicum. Interviews with in-service generalist teachers revealed that a lack of confidence compelled them to take part in intentional, incremental, self-directed learning experiences to further develop their knowledge and skills for the elementary music classroom. The pandemic largely halted music activities, creating new barriers for generalist in-service teachers who teach music. The enduring gaps identified by this research are how to build more opportunities for generalist preservice teachers to practice their newly acquired skills while on practicum; and how to better support generalist in-service teachers to acquire additional skills for teaching music once in the classroom.
A survey research study of music education faculty: Demographics as related to indicators of job satisfaction and stress
Authors: Cha Dong-Ju , Amrein-Beardsley Audrey
Published: March 2023

This study examined demographic information for current music education faculty ( N = 136), the factors that seem to influence music education faculty members’ levels of job satisfaction and primary stressors, also by institution type. Simultaneous multiple regression revealed that academic autonomy, collegial support, sleep, parental responsibilities, and certainties of the tenure process affect music education faculty members’ reported levels of job satisfaction and stress. Mean job satisfaction and stress scores for each group by Carnegie institution types were compared using a one-way ANOVA. Significant differences in stress scores between groups suggested that the larger institution group (R1) did not report feeling more stressed about professional responsibilities than the smaller institution group (M1). Analyses of open-ended questions also reinforced the notion that the COVID-19 pandemic increased flexibilities in work and parental responsibilities leading to lower stress levels.
Effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid on working memory and attention: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover trial
Authors: tınok Ahmet Al , Karabay Aytaç , Jong Joost de , Balta Gülşen , Akyürek Elkan G
Published: March 2023

Background:

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a primary inhibitory neurotransmitter that plays a significant role in the central nervous system. Studies on both animals and humans show that GABA has the pharmacological potential for reducing the impact of cognitive disorders, as well as enhancing cognitive functions and mood. However, its specific effects on human attention and working memory have not yet been extensively studied.

Aims:

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and crossover trial, we aimed to test whether the administration of 800 mg GABA, dissolved in a drink, acutely affected visual working memory (VWM) maintenance, as well as temporal and spatial attention in healthy adults.

Methods:

The participants were 32 young adults (16 females and 16 males). Working memory recall precision, spatial attention and temporal attention were measured by a delayed match-to-sample task, a visual search (VS) task and a speeded rapid serial visual presentation task, respectively. Participants completed two experimental sessions (GABA and Placebo) in randomized and counterbalanced order. In each session, 45 min after administration of the drink, they completed all three aforementioned cognitive tasks.

Results:

Linear mixed model analysis results showed that GABA increased VS time, compared to the placebo, but did not affect VS accuracy, temporal attention, nor VWM precision.

Conclusions:

The results suggest that GABA increases VS time but does not affect temporal attention and memory, and that previously reported effects on cognition might rely on other functions.
The NK1 antagonist L-733,060 facilitates sequence learning
Authors: Favila Natalia , Gurney Kevin , Overton Paul G.
Published: March 2023

Background:

Although several brain regions and electrophysiological patterns have been related to sequence learning, less attention has been paid to the role that different neuromodulators play.

Aims:

Here we sought to investigate the role of substance P (SP) in sequence learning in an operant conditioning preparation, supported by a reinforcement learning model.

Methods:

Two experiments were performed to test the effects of an NK1 receptor (at which SP primarily acts) antagonist on learning and performing action sequences. In experiment 1, rats were trained to perform an action sequence until stable performance was achieved, and then, in phase 2, they were switched to perform the reverse sequence. In experiment 2, rats were trained to perform an action sequence, and in phase 2, they continued to do the same sequence. In both experiments in the first 3 days of phase 2, rats were injected with an NK1 receptor antagonist (L-733,060, i.p.) or with vehicle. Additionally, we developed a reinforcement learning model which allowed the in silico replication of our experimental tasks.

Results:

We found that administering an NK1 receptor antagonist weakened the stable retention of a well-learned sequence, allowing the faster acquisition of a new sequence, without impairing the continued performance of a crystallized sequence. Using our reinforcement learning model, we suggest that SP could be acting through the state value learning rate, modulating the effects of the reward prediction error.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that SP could be involved in the consolidation of a sequence representation through a modulatory effect on the reward prediction error.
MECP2 duplication syndrome initially misdiagnosed as cerebral palsy: a case report
Authors: Kim Tae-Yong , Lee Su-Ji , Kim Kyung-Min , Cho Sung-Rae
Published: March 2023

Mutations in the X-linked methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 ( MECP2) gene were first described as a cause of Rett syndrome. MECP2 duplication can cause intellectual disability, developmental delay, severe feeding difficulties, and recurrent infections. Here, we report a Korean family with MECP2 duplication syndrome, which was previously misdiagnosed as cerebral palsy. A man in his early 30 s visited our clinic with intellectual disability, speech impairment, epilepsy, and progressive spasticity. He had been previously misdiagnosed with cerebral palsy, and had received orthopedic surgeries such as musculotendinous lengthening and derotational osteotomy. After the surgeries, he received comprehensive rehabilitation. Upon carefully checking his family history, we noted that his younger brother had similar symptoms. Next-generation sequencing revealed whole exon duplication in MECP2 in both the patient and his brother; their mother also had this genetic mutation but was asymptomatic. Early diagnosis is essential for improving the success of MECP2 duplication syndrome treatment. Individuals with MECP2 duplication syndrome should be referred to specialists to manage multidisciplinary symptoms and to regularly check for complications that are common in this syndrome.