bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chasing the conversation: Autistic experiences of speech perception
Authors: Sturrock Alexandra , Guest Hannah , Hanks Graham , Bendo George , Plack Christopher J , Gowen Emma
Published: February 2022

Background and aims

Humans communicate primarily through spoken language and speech perception is a core function of the human auditory system. Among the autistic community, atypical sensory reactivity and social communication difficulties are pervasive, yet the research literature lacks in-depth self-report data on speech perception in this population. The present study aimed to elicit detailed first-person accounts of autistic individuals’ abilities and difficulties perceiving the spoken word.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine autistic adults. The interview schedule addressed interviewees’ experiences of speech perception, factors influencing those experiences, and responses to those experiences. Resulting interview transcripts underwent thematic analysis. The six-person study team included two autistic researchers, to reduce risk of neurotypical ‘overshadowing’ of autistic voices.

Results

Most interviewees reported pronounced difficulties perceiving speech in the presence of competing sounds. They emphasised that such listening difficulties are distinct from social difficulties, though the two can add and interact. Difficulties were of several varieties, ranging from powerful auditory distraction to drowning out of voices by continuous sounds. Contributing factors encompassed not only features of the soundscape but also non-acoustic factors such as multisensory processing and social cognition. Participants also identified compounding factors, such as lack of understanding of listening difficulties. Impacts were diverse and sometimes disabling, affecting socialising, emotions, fatigue, career, and self-image. A wide array of coping mechanisms was described.

Conclusions

The first in-depth qualitative investigation of autistic speech-perception experiences has revealed diverse and widespread listening difficulties. These can combine with other internal, interpersonal, and societal factors to induce profound impacts. Lack of understanding of such listening difficulties – by the self, by communication partners, by institutions, and especially by clinicians – appears to be a crucial exacerbating factor. Many autistic adults have developed coping strategies to lessen speech-perception difficulties or mitigate their effects, and these are generally self-taught due to lack of clinical support.

Implications

There is a need for carefully designed, adequately powered confirmatory research to verify, quantify, and disentangle the various forms of listening difficulty, preferably using large samples to explore heterogeneity. More immediate benefit might be obtained through development of self-help and clinical guidance materials, and by raising awareness of autistic listening experiences and needs, among the autistic community, communication partners, institutions, and clinicians.
A comparison of the application potential of waterborne platooning for the Danube and the Rhine corridors
Authors: Colling A. , Hekkenberg R. , van Hassel E. , Vidić M. , Bačkalov I.
Published: February 2022

Objective

This study investigates the implementation of the waterborne platooning transport concept in two of the largest European inland navigation corridors, the Rhine and the Danube region. Each region has different geo-economic and environmental features. These features are compared, and their effects on implementing a waterborne platooning transport concept are studied. The waterborne platooning concept, referred to as the Vessel Train, aims to reduce crew cost by automating the navigation tasks and moving the navigational responsibility to the leading vessel of the platoon, which is fully manned.

Methods

The implementation of the Vessel Train is assessed by making use of a developed model, which allows the assessment of the concept's viability by comparing the annual cost per transported ton of a reference vessel that sails individually to a vessel that sails as a part of a VT on the same route.

Results

The results conclude that the application of waterborne platooning on the Rhine is more promising than on the Danube. The low wages hamper the implementation of the concept on the Danube in the region, the low traffic density on the waterway, and the common use of large push tows instead of self-propelled vessels.

Implications for research

As determined in the analysis for the Rhine case, a reduction in transport cost would make waterborne transport more attractive. However, other factors, such as the further integration of the VT in the overall supply chain, play a role in the successful implementation of this IWT transport concept. Applying the VT concept in the Danube case requires more potential cargo flows, which can be obtained by adding push convoys into the vessel train. This way of transport is more numerous on the Danube than self-propelled vessels. Both of these aspects should be studied further.
The salt secretion of leaves promotes the competitiveness of Reaumuria soongarica in a desert grassland
Authors: Wang Chang-shun , Wang Hui-qing , Wang Wei , Liang Cun-zhu , Liu Hua-min , Wang Li-xin
Published: February 2022

Background

For better understanding the mechanism of Reaumuria soongarica community formation in a salt stressed grassland ecosystem, we designed a field experiment to test how leaves salt secretion changes the competitive relationship between species in this plant communities.

Results

Among the three species (R. soongarica, Stipa glareosa and Allium polyrhizum) of the salt stressed grassland ecosystem, the conductivity of R. soongarica rhizosphere soil was the highest in five soil layers (0–55 cm depth). The high soil conductivity can increase the daily salt secretion rate of plant leaves of R. soongarica. In addition, we found the canopy size of R. soongarica was positively related to the distance from S. glareosa or A. polyrhizum. The salt-tolerance of R. soongarica was significantly higher than the other two herbs (S. glareosa and A. polyrhizum). Moreover, there was a threshold (600 µS/cm) for interspecific competition of plants mediated by soil conductivity. When the soil conductivity was lower than 600 µS/cm, the relative biomass of R. soongarica increased with the soil conductivity increase.

Conclusions

The efficient salt secretion ability of leaves increases soil conductivity under the canopy. This leads the formation of a “saline island” of R. soongarica. Meanwhile R. soongarica have stronger salt tolerance than S. glareosa and A. polyrhizum. These promote the competitiveness of R. soongarica and inhibit interspecies competition advantage of the other two herbs (S. glareosa and A. polyrhizum) in the plant community. It is beneficial for R. soongarica to establish dominant communities in saline regions of desert grassland.
A new screening tool for SARS-CoV-2 infection based on self-reported patient clinical characteristics: the COV19-ID score
Authors: Diaz Badial Pablo , Bothorel Hugo , Kherad Omar , Dussoix Philippe , Tallonneau Bory Faustine , Ramlawi Majd
Published: February 2022

Background

While several studies aimed to identify risk factors for severe COVID-19 cases to better anticipate intensive care unit admissions, very few have been conducted on self-reported patient symptoms and characteristics, predictive of RT-PCR test positivity. We therefore aimed to identify those predictive factors and construct a predictive score for the screening of patients at admission.

Methods

This was a monocentric retrospective analysis of clinical data from 9081 patients tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection from August 1 to November 30 2020. A multivariable logistic regression using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was performed on a training dataset (60% of the data) to determine associations between self-reported patient characteristics and COVID-19 diagnosis. Regression coefficients were used to construct the Coronavirus 2019 Identification score (COV19-ID) and the optimal threshold calculated on the validation dataset (20%). Its predictive performance was finally evaluated on a test dataset (20%).

Results

A total of 2084 (22.9%) patients were tested positive to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Using the LASSO model, COVID-19 was independently associated with loss of smell (Odds Ratio, 6.4), fever (OR, 2.7), history of contact with an infected person (OR, 1.7), loss of taste (OR, 1.5), muscle stiffness (OR, 1.5), cough (OR, 1.5), back pain (OR, 1.4), loss of appetite (OR, 1.3), as well as male sex (OR, 1.05). Conversely, COVID-19 was less likely associated with smoking (OR, 0.5), sore throat (OR, 0.9) and ear pain (OR, 0.9). All aforementioned variables were included in the COV19-ID score, which demonstrated on the test dataset an area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of 82.9% (95% CI 80.6%–84.9%), and an accuracy of 74.2% (95% CI 74.1%–74.3%) with a high sensitivity (80.4%, 95% CI [80.3%–80.6%]) and specificity (72.2%, 95% CI [72.2%–72.4%]).

Conclusions

The COV19-ID score could be useful in early triage of patients needing RT-PCR testing thus alleviating the burden on laboratories, emergency rooms, and wards.
Primary versus postoperative gamma knife radiosurgery for intracranial benign meningiomas: a matched cohort retrospective study
Authors: Fu Junyi , Zeng Jiamin , Huang Minyi , Liang Shunyao , He Yong , Xie Longchang , Deng Yinhui , Yu Jinxiu
Published: February 2022

Objective

The aims of this study were to investigate the long-term outcomes of primary versus postoperative Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for benign meningiomas.

Methods

Three hundred and forty meningioma patients underwent GKRS were retrospectively reviewed. Patients in the postoperative GKRS group were matched to those in the primary GKRS group, in a 1:1 ratio.

Results

The study consisted of 122 patients, including primary (n = 61) and postoperative (n = 61) GKRS group. Thirty-four patients (27.9%) occurred radiological progression after a median follow-up of 72.5 (range, 24.2–254.5) months. The median time to radiological progression was 85.1 (range, 20.7–205.1) months. The radiological progression-free survival (PFS) was 100%, 93%, 87%, and 49%, at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years respectively. Thirty-one patients (25.4%) occurred clinical progression. The clinical PFS was 92%, 89%, 84%, and 60%, at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years. In combined group, only max diameter ≥ 50 mm was associated with radiological (p = 0.020) and clinical PFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.896, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.280–6.553, p = 0.011). Twenty-five patients (20.5%) developed GKRS related adverse effects, including radiation-induced edema (n = 21). Non-skull base tumors (HR = 3.611, 95% CI = 1.489–8.760, p = 0.005) and preexisting peritumoral edema (HR = 3.571, 95% CI = 1.167–10.929, p = 0.026) were significantly related to radiation-induced edema in combined group. There was no significant difference in radiological PFS (p = 0.403), clinical PFS (p = 0.336), and GKRS related adverse effects (p = 0.138) between primary and postoperative GKRS groups.

Conclusions

Primary GKRS could provide similar radiological and clinical outcomes, as well as similar complication rate compared with postoperative GKRS. For selective benign meningioma patients (asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic tumors; unfavorable locations for surgical resection; comorbidities or an advanced age), GKRS could be an alternative primary treatment.
Blood transfusion risk prediction in spinal tuberculosis surgery: development and assessment of a novel predictive nomogram
Authors: Chen Liyi , Gan Zhaoping , Huang Shengsheng , Liang Tuo , Sun Xuhua , Yi Ming , Wu Shaofeng , Fan Binguang , Chen Jiarui , Chen Tianyou , Ye Zhen , Chen Wuhua , Li Hao , Jiang Jie , Guo Hao , Yao Yuanlin , Liao Shian , Yu Chaojie , Liu Chong , Zhan Xinli
Published: February 2022

Objective

The present study attempted to predict blood transfusion risk in spinal tuberculosis surgery by using a novel predictive nomogram.

Methods

The study was conducted on the clinical data of 495 patients (167 patients in the transfusion group and 328 patients in the non-transfusion group) who underwent spinal tuberculosis surgery in our hospital from June 2012 to June 2021. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to screen out statistically significant parameters, which were included to establish a novel predictive nomogram model. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curves, C-index, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the model. Finally, the nomogram was further assessed through internal validation.

Results

The C-index of the nomogram was 0.787 (95% confidence interval: 74.6%–.82.8%). The C-value calculated by internal validation was 0.763. The area under the curve (AUC) of the predictive nomogram was 0.785, and the DCA was 0.01–0.79.

Conclusion

A nomogram with high accuracy, clinical validity, and reliability was established to predict blood transfusion risk in spinal tuberculosis surgery. Surgeons must prepare preoperative surgical strategies and ensure adequate availability of blood before surgery.
Towards translational research participation for nurses and midwives: a mixed method study
Authors: Lieschke Gena , Giles Michelle , Ball Jean , Ohr Se Ok , Parker Vicki
Published: February 2022

Background

Nurses’ and midwives’ participation in research has to date been highly variable and dependent on context and culture. A changing landscape that values and endorses research translation requires examination of who is participating in research and how, with an evaluation of current individual and organizational research capacity. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the existing research capacity amongst nurses and midwives in a large Local Health District in New South Wales, Australia to inform the development of a nuanced capacity building programme directed toward building a sustainable embedded research culture.

Methods

A sequential mixed methods study design. Phase one, the exploratory phase, involved an online survey of all nurses and midwives (n = 8156) working in metropolitan, rural, and remote health services across the District. The survey measured research activity, skills, intention, value and relevance, organisational support, capability and culture, and research translation. Phase two, the explanatory phase, involved six focus groups with senior nursing and midwifery clinicians, educators, and unit managers, with discussion centred on the results of Phase one.

Results

A total of 721 (88%) nurses and 95 (12%) midwives completed the online survey, 33 senior nurses and midwives attended focus groups. The nature and extent of research participation is variable across sites, individuals and clinical specialties. In many cases, interest and involvement in research is not sustained. Participants identified the need for greater incentives and structural support. Most important was the need for research to have tangible meaning for patients and clinical practice.

Conclusion / implications for practice

Our findings suggest that translational research offers nurses and midwives the opportunity to engage in research in a way that is meaningful to their practice and their aspirations. Greater emphasis is needed on the development and enactment of context specific nursing and midwifery research agendas and implementation research skills.
Predictive role of ferroptosis-related long non-coding RNAs in bladder cancer and their association with immune microenvironment and immunotherapy response
Authors: Liu Jingchao , Zhang Zhipeng , Liu Xiaodong , Zhang Wei , Meng Lingfeng , Wang Jiawen , Lv Zhengtong , Xia Haoran , Zhang Yaoguang , Wang Jianye
Published: February 2022

Background

We have previously reported that ferroptosis has an important role in bladder cancer development. In this study, we aimed to further explore the possible predictive ability of ferroptosis-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in bladder cancer and their relation with immune microenvironment and immunotherapy response.

Materials and methods

The ferroptosis-related lncRNAs were identified by Pearson’s correlation analysis. The predictive lncRNA signature was developed by univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Only the main effects of independent variables in multivariate analysis were included in this signature. The TCGA dataset was defined as the training cohort and GEO was the validation cohort in this study. All samples were grouped into a high- or low-risk group depending on risk signature. The prognostic role of lncRNA signature was explored through survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis in both TCGA and GEO cohorts. Additionally, the independent prognostic ability of the lncRNA signature was confirmed by multivariate independent analysis. Furthermore, the relationship between lncRNAs and immune microenvironment as well as immunotherapy response in bladder cancers was studied.

Results

The Kaplan–Meier curves identified significantly poorer overall survival outcomes for high-risk groups in both TCGA (p < 0.001) and GEO (p < 0.001) cohorts. The area under the curve (AUC) during ROC analysis of 1, 3, and 5 years was 0.781 ± 0.046, 0.784 ± 0.027, and 0.817 ± 0.025, respectively, in the TCGA cohort and 0.665 ± 0.177, 0.719 ± 0.068, and 0.791 ± 0.055, respectively, in the GEO cohort. The multivariate independent analysis in TCGA cohort identified age (p = 0.003), stage (p < 0.001), and signature risk score (p < 0.001) as independent risk factors for overall survival. Furthermore, this study demonstrated a significant difference in infiltration levels of various immune cells between high- and low-risk groups. The high risk group tended to have a lower expression of proteins including PD1 (p < 0.01), PD-L1 (p < 0.01), CTLA-4 (p < 0.05), etc. corresponding to various immune checkpoints. Additionally, the immunotherapy trial confirmed that the high-risk group tended to have a poorer treatment response than the low-risk group (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The ferroptosis-related lncRNAs exhibited a good predictive capacity for overall survival in bladder cancer. Additionally, they could be utilized to reveal tumour-immune microenvironment and immunotherapy responses.
Imaging of parotid anomalies in infants and children
Authors: Chalard François , Hermann Anne-Laure , Elmaleh-Bergès Monique , Ducou le Pointe Hubert
Published: February 2022

A wide spectrum of disorders involves the parotid glands, in infancy and childhood. Acute or chronic inflammatory/infectious diseases are predominant. The first branchial cleft anomalies are congenital lesions that typically manifest during childhood. Tumor lesions are more likely to be benign, with infantile hemangioma the most common in infancy and pleomorphic adenoma the most frequent in childhood. Malignant tumors are uncommon, with mucoepidermoid carcinoma the least rare. Infiltrative parotid diseases are rare and have some pediatric clinical specificities. These common and uncommon disorders of parotid glands during childhood and their imaging characteristics are reviewed.
A missing piece of the puzzle in pulmonary fibrosis: anoikis resistance promotes fibroblast activation
Authors: Yin Juan , Wang Jing , Zhang Xinxin , Liao Yan , Luo Wei , Wang Sha , Ding Jiawei , Huang Jie , Chen Mengling , Wang Wei , Fang Shencun , Chao Jie
Published: February 2022

Background

Pulmonary fibrosis initiates a pneumonic cascade that leads to fibroblast dysfunction characterized by excess proliferation. Anoikis is a physiological process that ensures tissue development and homeostasis. Researchers have not clearly determined whether disruption of anoikis is involved in pulmonary fibrosis.

Results

Here, we investigated the mechanism by which silica induces fibroblast activation via anoikis resistance and subsequent fibrosis. Anoikis of lung fibroblasts, alveolar epithelial cells and endothelial cells during the process of fibrosis was detected using CCK-8, western blot, cell count and flow cytometry (FCM) assays. Although the three cell types showed similar increases in proliferation, the expression of NTRK2, a marker of anoikis resistance, was upregulated specifically in fibroblasts, indicating the unique proliferation mechanism of fibroblasts in pulmonary fibrosis, which may be related to anoikis resistance. Furthermore, the CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to investigate the molecular mechanism of anoikis resistance; the SiO2-induced inflammatory response activated the MAPK/PI3K signaling pathway in lung fibroblasts and then induced the expression of the ZC3H4 protein, which specifically mediated anoikis resistance, followed by pulmonary fibrosis.

Conclusions

The current study revealed a specific pattern of fibroblast proliferation, and strategies targeting anoikis resistance may inhibit the pathological process of pulmonary fibrosis. This result provides a new approach for treating pulmonary fibrosis and new insights into the potential application of ZC3H4 in the development of novel therapeutic strategies for mitigating pulmonary fibrosis.
Risk factors of dropout from institutional delivery among HIV positive antenatal care booked mothers within one year postpartum in Ethiopia: a case–control study
Authors: Mihret Muhabaw Shumye , Azene Zelalem Nigussie , Kebede Azmeraw Ambachew , Mengistu Banchigizie Adane , Eriku Getachew Azeze , Asaye Mengstu Melkamu , Chanie Wagaye Fentahun , Taye Birhan Tsegaw
Published: February 2022

Background

The uptake of maternal healthcare services remains suboptimal in Ethiopia. Significant proportions of antenatal care attendees give birth at home in the context of HIV. However, in Ethiopia, evidence is scarce on the predictors of dropout from maternity continuum of care among HIV-positive mothers. Therefore, this study aimed to supply valuable information on risk factors regarding dropout of HIV-positive mothers for institutional delivery services in northwest Ethiopia.

Methods

A multicenter case–control study was conducted at governmental health facilities in Gondar City from May one to June 30/2018. A total of 222 HIV-positive women were included in the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and checklists through face-to-face interview and chart review; entered into EPI INFO version seven, and then exported to SPSS version 25. Both descriptive and analytical procedures were performed. Binary logistic regression analysis was undertaken. A significant association was declared based on the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with its 95% CI and p-value of ≤ 0.05.

Results

This study illustrates that maternal age of ≥ 35 years (AOR = 2.37; 95%CI: 1.13,5.13), unmarried marital relation (AOR = 3.28; 95%CI: 1.51, 7.13), unemployed spousal occupation (AOR = 3.91; 95%CI: 1.54, 9.91), family monthly income of ≤ 36 US dollar (AOR = 4.87; 95%CI: 2.08, 11.42) and no obstetric complication in the index pregnancy (AOR = 13.89; 95%CI: 2.73, 27.71) were positively associated with dropout from institutional delivery among HIV positive antenatal care booked mothers.

Conclusion

In this study, the risk factors of dropout from institutional delivery in the context of HIV-positive women were connected to social determinants of health such as advanced maternal age, unmarried marital status, unemployed husband occupation, and low family income. Therefore, interacting with the health system by focusing on these women in lower socio-economic strata and unmarried HIV-positive ANC attendees, and increasing access to information on obstetric complications during the antenatal care visit would retain clients in the continuum of maternity services.
A multicenter phase II study of bendamustine, rituximab, and cytarabine (BRAC) for relapsed or refractory patients with follicular lymphoma or mantle cell lymphoma
Authors: Nakamura Nobuhiko , Kasahara Senji , Kitagawa Junichi , Nakamura Hiroshi , Sawada Michio , Fukuno Kenji , Shibata Yuhei , Kaneda Yuto , Hara Takeshi , Kanemura Nobuhiro , Tsurumi Hisashi , Shimizu Masahito
Published: February 2022

This phase II clinical trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination therapy of bendamustine, cytarabine, and rituximab (BRAC) in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) or mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Thirteen patients were enrolled and received a median of 4 cycles (range 2–6) of BRAC. The complete response rate was 61.5%, and the overall response rate was 84.6%; the 2-year overall survival was 76.9%, and the 2-year progression-free survival was 69.2%. Although all patients received G-CSF prophylaxis, grade 3 or higher neutropenia was observed in all cycles, and the incidence of febrile neutropenia was 20%. Grade 4 thrombocytopenia was observed in 92.5% of all cycles, and platelet transfusion was performed in 94%. Although hematological toxicity was relatively high, BRAC therapy was effective for relapsed and refractory FL or MCL. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal dose of BRAC therapy.

Trial registration The UMIN Clinical Trials Registry, UMIN000009797. Registered 17 January 2013, https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000011103
Tensor extrapolation: an adaptation to data sets with missing entries
Authors: Schosser Josef
Published: February 2022

Background

Contemporary data sets are frequently relational in nature. In retail, for example, data sets are more granular than traditional data, often indexing individual products, outlets, or even users, rather than aggregating them at the group level. Tensor extrapolation is used to forecast relational time series data; it combines tensor decompositions and time series extrapolation. However, previous approaches to tensor extrapolation are restricted to complete data sets. This paper adapts tensor extrapolation to situations with missing entries and examines the method’s performance in terms of forecast accuracy.

Findings

To base the evaluation on time series with both diverse and controllable characteristics, the paper develops a synthetic data set closely related to the context of retailing. Calculations performed on these data demonstrate that tensor extrapolation outperforms the univariate baseline. Furthermore, a preparatory completion of the data set is not necessary. The higher the fraction of missing data, the greater the superiority of tensor extrapolation in terms of prediction error.

Conclusions

Forecasting plays a key role in the optimization of business processes and enables data-driven decision making. As such, tensor extrapolation should be part of the forecaster’s toolkit: Even if large parts of the data are missing, the proposed method is able to extract meaningful, latent structure, and to use this information in prediction.
Predicting clinical outcomes of radiotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients using machine learning algorithms
Authors: Gangil Tarun , Shahabuddin Amina Beevi , Dinesh Rao B. , Palanisamy Krishnamoorthy , Chakrabarti Biswaroop , Sharan Krishna
Published: February 2022

Background

Radiotherapy is frequently used to treat head and neck Squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). Treatment outcomes being highly uncertain, there is a significant need for robust predictive tools to improvise treatment decision-making and better understand HNSCC by recognizing hidden patterns in data. We conducted this study to identify if Machine Learning (ML) could accurately predict outcomes and identify new prognostic variables in HNSCC.

Method

Retrospective data of 311 HNSCC patients treated with radiotherapy between 2013 and 2018 at our center and having a follow-up of at least three months' duration were collected. Binary-classification prediction models were developed for: Choice of Initial Treatment, Residual disease, Locoregional Recurrence, Distant Recurrence, and Development of New Primary. Clinical data were pre-processed using Imputation, Feature selection, Minority Oversampling, and Feature scaling algorithms. A method to retain original characteristics of dataset in testing samples while performing minority oversampling is illustrated. The classification comparison was performed using Random Forest (RF), Kernel Support Vector Machine (KSVM), and XGBoost classification algorithms for each model.

Results

For the choice of the initial treatment model, the testing accuracy was 84.58% using RF. The distant recurrence, locoregional recurrence, new-primary, and residual models had a testing accuracy (using KSVM) of 95.12%, 77.55%, 98.61%, and 92.25%, respectively. The important clinical determinants were identified using Shapely Values for each classification model, and the mean area under the curve (AUC) for the receiver operating curve was plotted.

Conclusion

ML was able to predict several clinically relevant outcomes, and with additional clinical validation, could facilitate recognition of novel prognostic factors in HNSCC.
Randomised controlled trials of mood stabilisers for people with autism spectrum disorder: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Limbu Bharati , Deb Shoumitro , Roy Meera , Lee Rachel , Roy Ashok , Taiwo Oluwafemi
Published: February 2022

Background

Despite the widespread use of psychotropic medications in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is limited evidence to suggest that psychotropic medications including mood stabilisers are effective in individuals with ASD.

Aims

To carry out a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed the effectiveness of mood stabilisers in people with ASD.

Method

We searched the following databases: Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, DARE, and ClinicalTrials.gov. In addition, we hand-searched 12 relevant journals. We used the Cochrane Risk of Bias and Jadad scores to assess the quality of included RCTs. We carried out a meta-analysis using a random-effects model.

Results

We included eight RCTs (four on valproate, two on levetiracetam, and one each on lamotrigine and topiramate) that included a total of 310 people with ASD, primarily children. Outcomes were based on core and associated ASD symptoms including irritability and aggression but not bipolar disorder. Only two small studies (25%) from the same group showed definite superiority over placebo and one over psychoeducation alone. Meta-analysis of pooled data on the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist-irritability, Clinical Global Impression Scale-improvement, and Overt Aggression Scale (OAS)/OAS-modified did not show any significant inter-group difference. The rates of adverse effects did not show any significant inter-group difference.

Conclusions

Given the methodological flaws in the included studies and the contradictory findings, it is difficult to draw any definitive conclusion about the effectiveness of mood stabilisers to treat either ASD core symptoms or associated behaviours. Robust large-scale RCTs are needed in the future to address this issue.

PROSPERO registration: CRD42021255467 on 18 May 2021.
Model Girls and Model Dolls in Nineteenth-Century France
Authors: Curtis Sarah A.
Published: February 2022

This article examines the boom in dolls, doll literature (storybooks and magazines), and doll play in nineteenth-century France, when dolls became important commodities as well as pedagogical tools for training girls in their future roles as mothers. However, the conservative messages about girls' behavior encoded in most of the doll literature were undermined, at least in part, by contrasting messages about consumerism, as well as the daring of dolls themselves as heroines of this literature. Doll storybooks opened up entire imaginative worlds that allowed girls to live vicariously through the escapades of their dolls and act out the scenes represented in the books. Doll magazines straddled the line between moralizing and selling, providing advice for both how to behave and where to shop. Evidence from memoirs suggests that girls both followed and departed from the scripts written for them by the dolls themselves and the literature around them.

Cet article examine les poupées, les livres et les journaux des poupées en France au XIXe siècle, lorsque les poupées sont devenues des commodités importantes ainsi que des outils pédagogiques pour éduquer les jeunes filles dans leur futur rôle maternel. Pourtant, les messages conservateurs sur le comportement des filles codés dans la plupart des histoires de poupées étaient subvertis, au moins en partie, par d'autres messages sur l'importance de la consommation et par les aventures des poupées elles-mêmes, en tant qu'héroïnes de ces textes. Les histoires des poupées ouvraient des mondes imaginatifs qui permettaient aux filles de vivre par procuration les aventures de leurs poupées et de jouer les scènes représentées dans ces histoires. Les journaux des poupées occupaient une position ambiguë entre la promotion de la morale et celle du commerce. L’évidence des mémoires suggère que les filles aient suivi et aussi dévié des scénarios écrits par les poupées elles-mêmes et les textes autour d'elles.
Femmes, querelles galantes du dix-septième siècle et histoire littéraire
Authors: Dufour-Maître Myriam
Published: February 2022

L’article propose une réflexion sur la construction des querelles galantes, en leur temps puis dans l’histoire littéraire, du point de vue de la place qu’y occupent les femmes et les autrices. Dans la plupart des cas, leur accès à l’autorité ne passe pas par la querelle, ce qui les rend invisibles dans une historiographie littéraire étroitement focalisée sur l’affrontement des corps constitués (XVIIIe siècle), ou animée par le paradigme épique (XIXe siècle et début du XXe siècle). La valorisation exclusive du rôle de protagoniste empêche de mesurer l’efficacité de postures féminines plus discrètes d’instigation, d’observation, d’arbitrage, d’esquive, de surélévation « au-dessus de la mêlée », voire d’ironie dissolvante. La vitalité sur trois siècles des violents repoussoirs que sont la harangère, la pédante et la précieuse éclaire ces stratégies « obliques », et permet d’apprécier le prix très élevé qu’ont dû payer celles qui osèrent entrer dans la lice.
The CAFO in the Bioreactor
Authors: Guthman Julie
Published: February 2022

A 2020 report published by the think tank RethinkX predicts the “second domestication of plants and animals, the disruption of the cow, and the collapse of industrial livestock farming” by 2035. Although typical of promissory discourses about the future of food, the report gives unusual emphasis to the gains of efficiency and near limitless growth that will come by eradicating confined livestock and aquaculture operations and replacing them with protein engineered at a molecular level and fermented in bioreactors. While there are many reasons to disrupt industrialized livestock production, lack of efficiency is not one of them. This article examines to what extent this so-called second domestication departs from the radical transformations of animal biologies and living conditions to which it responds. Drawing on canonical texts in agrarian political economy, it parses animal bio-industrialization into sets of practices that accelerate productivity, standardize animal life and infrastructures, and reduce risk to maximize efficiency. It shows these practices at work through recent ethnographic accounts of salmon aquaculture and pork production to illustrate how efforts to override temporalities and contain species in unfamiliar habitats, in the name of efficiency, may be the source of vulnerability in such production systems rather than their strength.
Microwave-assisted Green Synthesis of Mesoporous Zeolite Adsorbents for Direct Air Capture of CO2
Authors: Nagase Takako , Miyakawa Masato , Nishioka Masateru , Ikeda Takuji
Published: February 2022

Mesoporous LTA-zeolites with a Si/Al molar ratios of 1.1–1.8 were synthesized using a template-free flow microwave heating system. Because the obtained mesoporous zeolites showed relatively lower hydrophilicity at RH < 50% and high CO2/N2 separation performance, it could be expected to provide a direct air capture of carbon dioxide for onsite usage in consumer sections.
Η επίδραση της προπόνησης με συσκευή αδράνειας σε παραμέτρους της φυσικής απόδοσης
Authors: Αρσένης Σωτήριος-Ηλίας
Published: February 2022

H προπόνηση με συσκευή αδράνειας αποτελεί μία από τις πιο σύγχρονες μεθόδους προπόνησης μυϊκής ενδυνάμωσης των κάτω άκρων. Σκοπός της παρούσας έρευνας ήταν να ερευνήσει την επίδραση προπόνησης ισχύος με συσκευή αδράνειας σε παραμέτρους της αθλητικής απόδοσης. Στην έρευνα συμμετείχαν σαράντα οχτώ προπονημένοι άντρες αθλητές, οι οποίοι χωρίστηκαν τυχαία σε τρεις ομάδες (n = 16). Την ομάδα άσκησης ημικαθίσματος με συσκευή αδράνειας (ΣΑ), την ομάδα άσκησης με ελεύθερα βάρη (ΕΒ) και την ομάδα ελέγχου (ΕΛ). Το πρόγραμμα είχε συνολική διάρκεια οχτώ εβδομάδες και συχνότητα άσκησης δύο φορές την εβδομάδα. Η μηχανική ισχύς και η σχέση φορτίου – ισχύος αξιολογήθηκαν πριν και μετά το παρεμβατικό πρόγραμμα. Αξιολογήθηκε η μέγιστη δύναμη (1ΜΕ), η αλτική ικανότητα (ΑΗ, ΑΤ, ΑΒ και ΔΑΙ), ικανότητα ταχύτητας (Τ10 και Τ30), ευκαμψία και η συνολική σύσταση του σώματος. Ισοκινητική αξιολόγηση πραγματοποιήθηκε για την σύγκεντρη και έκκεντρη δύναμη των προσθοπίσθιων μηριαίων μυών σε διάφορες γωνιακές ταχύτητες (60, 180 και 240°/sec). Οι ομάδες ΕΒ και ΣΑ βελτίωσαν τις τιμές μέσης ισχύος στο ημικάθισμα (p <.05). Σημαντικές διαφορές προέκυψαν μεταξύ της ΕΛ και των ΕΒ και ΣΑ για ΑΗ, ΑΤ, ΑΒ, ΔΑΙ και Τ10 (p <.05). Μόνο η ΣΑ διέφερε σημαντικά με ΕΛ για 1ΜΕ και Τ30 (p <.01). Ομάδες προπόνησης βελτίωσαν όλους τους δείκτες ισοκινητικής ροπής που εξετάστηκαν (p <.01). Καμία σημαντική διαφορά δεν παρατηρήθηκε στην οστική σύνθεση μεταξύ των ομάδων. Μόνο ΣΑ μείωσε σημαντικά τα επίπεδα λιπώδους ιστού στο σώμα σε σχέση με ΕΛ (p <.05). Προπόνηση με συσκευές αδράνειας αποτελεί έναν αποτελεσματικό τρόπο άσκησης, προκαλώντας σημαντικές προσαρμογές στην μυϊκή λειτουργία των κάτω άκρων, αυξάνοντας την μέγιστη δύναμη, την αλτική ικανότητα και την ικανότητα ταχύτητας.
On the development of B-Raf inhibitors acting through innovative mechanisms
Authors: Pinzi Luca
Published: February 2022

B-Raf is a protein kinase participating to the regulation of many biological processes in cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that this protein is frequently overactivated in human cancers, especially when it bears activating mutations. In recent years, few ATP-competitive inhibitors of B-Raf have been marketed for the treatment of melanoma and are currently under clinical evaluation on a variety of other types of cancer. Although the introduction of drugs targeting B-Raf has provided significant advances in cancer treatment, responses to such ATP-competitive inhibitors remain limited, mainly due to selectivity issues, side effects, narrow therapeutic windows, and the insurgence of drug resistance.

Impressive research efforts have been made so far towards the identification of novel ATP-competitive modulators with improved efficacy against cancers driven by mutant Raf monomers and dimers, some of them showing good premises. However, several limitations could still be envisioned for these compounds, according to recent literature data. Besides, increased attentions have recently arisen around approaches based on the design of allosteric modulators, polypharmacology, PROTACs and drug repurposing for the targeting of B-Raf proteins. The design of compounds acting through such innovative mechanisms is rather challenging. However, novel valuable therapeutic opportunities can be envisioned on these drugs, as they act through innovative mechanisms in which limitations typically observed for approved ATP-competitive B-Raf inhibitors are less prone to emerge. In this article, the most recent approaches adopted for the design of non-ATP competitive inhibitors targeting B-Raf are described, discussing also on the possibilities, ligands acting through such innovative mechanisms could provide for the obtainment of more effective therapies.
The genome sequence of a stonefly, Nemurella pictetii Klapalek, 1900
Authors: Macadam Craig , Clifford Caleala , Price Benjamin W. ,   Natural History Museum Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: February 2022

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Nemurella pictetii (Arthropoda; Insecta; Plecoptera; Nemouridae). The genome sequence is 257 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly (99.79%) is scaffolded into 12 chromosomal pseudomolecules, with the X sex chromosome assembled. The X chromosome was found at half coverage, but no Y chromosome was found. The mitochondrial genome was assembled, and is 16.0 kb in length.
“My life is not going to be the same, my health is going to improve”: a cross-sectional qualitative study of patients’ experiences of living with chronic respiratory symptoms and their views on a proposed pulmonary rehabilitation program at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi
Authors: BICKTON FANUEL MECKSON , Mankhokwe Talumba , Mitengo Martha , Limbani Felix , Shannon Harriet , Rylance Jamie , Chisati Enock
Published: February 2022

Background: Malawi’s population has a substantial burden of chronic respiratory symptoms. Elsewhere, patients with these symptoms have benefited from pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), a program of exercise training, education, and behaviour management. Practically, PR in Malawi may not be delivered in the same format as elsewhere due to substantial contextual differences. These differences necessitate adaptation of the intervention to Malawi’s setting to be acceptable and effective. This study explored patients’ experiences of living with chronic respiratory symptoms and their views on a proposed PR program at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi, to inform the design of an individualized and culturally adapted PR program.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional qualitative study. Face-to-face, one-to-one semi-structured in-depth interviews were undertaken to data saturation. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and Chichewa transcripts were translated into English. The transcripts were anonymized and thematically analysed using an inductive approach.

Results: We recruited 10 patients (five males and five females) with functionally limiting chronic respiratory symptoms, with documented causes including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, post-tuberculosis lung disease, and bronchiectasis. Symptoms most frequently included dyspnoea, with associated functional limitations including the reduced performance of activities of daily living. Participants’ coping strategies most frequently included the use of inhalers. Participants were motivated to undertake the PR program owing to its anticipated benefits including improved health. They perceived transport costs and competing commitments as barriers to participation. The participant group gender mix and public nature of the program were considered socio-culturally sensitive by some participants.

Conclusions: The functionally limiting dyspnoea most frequently experienced by the study participants would be amenable to a PR program. To ensure participation by eligible patients, pre-program assessments should consider patient access to transport, suitability of the timing for the program’s sessions, and patient views on organizational aspects of the program considered social-culturally sensitive.
The Capital Market Consequences of Tenure-Based Voting Rights: Evidence from the Florange Act
Authors: Bourveau Thomas , Brochet François , Garel Alexandre
Published: February 2022

We examine the consequences of a regulatory intervention aimed at generalizing tenure voting in French public companies. The 2014 Florange Act departs from the ‘one share one vote’ principle by automatically granting double-voting rights (DVR) to shares held for at least two years. However, firms can opt out through an annual meeting vote. We document three main findings. First, firms that adopt DVR by default experience a decrease in long-term foreign institutional ownership offset by an increase in insider/family ownership. Second, those firms significantly underperform in terms of stock returns after Florange relative to those that reject DVR. Third, their environmental and social performance deteriorates. Collectively, our evidence casts doubt on the merit of regulation-induced tenure voting as a desirable corporate governance mechanism.

This paper was accepted by Brian Bushee, accounting.

Funding: This work was supported by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong [16513216]. We also acknowledge the General Research Fund of the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong [Project No. 16505017] for financial support.

Supplemental Material: The e-companion and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4320 .
Smoking and COVID 19: Analysing this controversy in a Brazilian COVID-19 Reference Centre
Authors: Bartholo Thiago P. , Pôrto Luís C. , Costa Claudia H. , Lopes Agnaldo José , Graça Nadja P. , Chibante Fernanda O. , Bessa Elizabeth J. C. , Nunes Alessandra S. , Rufino Rogério R.
Published: February 2022

Introduction: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is extremelyimportant to determine the risk factors that definepatients who are more susceptible to the severe form ofthe disease; however, the observation of supposedly protectivefactors is also of great relevance. Smoking has beenthe subject of controversy as to whether it is a protectivefactor or a risk factor for COVID-19. Objective: To assesshow smokers behave within the context of the COVID-19pandemic. Patients and methods: The participants in thisstudy were a spontaneously recruited sample from the Riode Janeiro State University COVID-19 Reference Centre,between March and May 2020. All patients underwentclinical, laboratory, and nasal swabs for the Sars-Cov-2 PCRinvestigation. Whenever it was the necessary case, patientswere referred to hospitalization. Results: A total of 4,636patients with suggestive symptoms of COVID were evaluated.There was 230 (4.9%) smokers in this group; there isa 10.3% smoking prevalence in the state of Rio de Janeiroas described in 2018. A number of 2,246 patients (48.6% ofthe total sample) were diagnosed with COVID-19, only 82of these (3.7% of the total positive COVID) were smokers.Only 1 (0.01%) of the smokers with COVID-19 neededhospitalization. As far as the assessed symptoms, smokersshowed fewer symptoms during the disease. Conclusion:The study suggests that smokers have fewer symptoms(mild or asymptomatic symptoms) and that there is a needto expand specific testing for that group.
Whole-body vibration exercises in patients with COPD: a randomized trial protocol – WBVE in patients with COPD: Randomized trial protocol
Authors: De Oliveira Maria Eduarda S. M. , Ferreira-Souza Luiz Felipe , Sá-Caputo Danúbia , Bernardo-Filho Mario
Published: February 2022

Introduction: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonarydisease (COPD) have several impairments, reducing the qualityof life (QoL). Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) that does notexacerbate the disease, such as whole-body vibration exercise(WBVE), is recommended to improve patient outcomes. Objective:This study will describe a protocol for patients withCOPD to assess respiratory parameters in two postures on avibrating platform (VP). Methods: It will be a randomizedcontrolled clinical trial with blind analysis. COPD patientswill be allocated into three groups: Control Group (CG), SittingGroup (WBVE-S), and Standing Group (WBVE-ST). Theintervention will be 6 weeks in alternating VP, with the samebiomechanical parameters. Maximum inspiratory pressures(MIP), and maximum expiratory pressures (MEP), dyspnea,and QoL will be assessed. Discussion: Assess which posturewill provide the best clinical results.