bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Signs and Symbols
Authors: Piquette Kathryn E. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe human ability to represent concepts through image-making seems pivotal for enabling the formation of complex cultures. This chapter is concerned with the important but permeable boundaries between and around the categories of ‘art’ and ‘writing’. The writing:art/sign:symbol distinction has been fundamental to the location of the survey points forming the boundaries between archaeology and its siblings, e.g. philology, classics and ancient history, and to some extent anthropology. Contemporary notions of art and writing are contrasted with those of past societies and how image-bearing objects differ from other kinds of material culture. The question of when a drawing of something becomes part of a writing system and the types of literacy required to understand linguistic signs are also considered. Sociological and anthropological approaches to art and contemporary theories of visual culture are evaluated for the ways in which these can contribute to archaeological discourse on sign and symbol as a branch of material culture studies.
Twenty Years after: Statute of Limitations and the Asymmetric Burdens of Justice in Northern Ireland and Post-war Germany
Authors: Chung C K Martin 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
In 2018, that is 20 years after the conclusion of the Belfast Agreement ending the 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland known as the ‘Troubles’, the UK Government started a consultation on dealing with its legacy. The House of Commons Defence Committee proposes the enactment of a statute of limitations to shield veterans from further investigations into Troubles-related crimes. It would represent a ‘balanced’ approach to justice, as some paramilitary combatants had also received de facto amnesty through various schemes. This article argues that given the involvement of the British state in the historical conflict, a ‘balanced’ approach to dealing with the past is inadequate. Drawing on parallel parliamentary debates in Germany that began around 1965, that is also 20 years after the end of conflict, the article makes the case that an asymmetric approach is both promising and necessary for the reconciliation process to move forward.
Relationship of George Floyd protests to increases in COVID-19 cases using event study methodology
Authors: Valentine Randall , Valentine Dawn , Valentine Jimmie L 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Background
Protests ignited by the George Floyd incident were examined for any significant impact on COVID-19 infection rates in select US cities.

Methods
Eight US cities were studied in which protestors in the tens of thousands were reported. Only cities that reside in states whose stay-at-home orders had been rescinded or expired for a minimum of 30 days were included in the sample to account for impact of growth rates solely due to economies reopening. Event study methodology was used with a 30-day estimation period to examine whether growth in COVID-19 infection rates was significant.

Results
In the eight cities analyzed, all had positive abnormal growth in infection rate. In six of the eight cities, infection rate growth was positive and significant.

Conclusions
In this study, it was apparent that violations of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recommended social distancing guidelines caused a significant increase in infection rates. The data suggest that to slow the spread of COVID-19, CDC guidelines must be followed in protest situations.
Metastatic Mimics of Primary Cutaneous Lesions: Averting Diagnostic Pitfalls With Significant Repercussions
Authors: Olson Luke C. , LeBlanc Robert E. , Momtahen Shabnam , Sriharan Aravindhan , Yan Shaofeng , Linos Konstantinos 
Published: July 2020

Abstract:
Cutaneous metastases by solid malignancies often signify advanced disease and portend severely limited survival. Appropriate diagnosis of these lesions is particularly hampered when they closely resemble primary cutaneous tumors. In this article, we present two diagnostically challenging cases of metastatic lesions to the scalp bearing striking histologic resemblance to primary cutaneous neoplasms. One case of a metastatic urothelial carcinoma showed epidermotropism as well as histologic and immunohistochemical features virtually indistinguishable from those of a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. Next generation sequencing was performed on both the primary urothelial carcinoma and scalp malignancy revealing an identical BRAF p. S467L somatic mutation, confirming the diagnosis. Another case of metastatic renal cell carcinoma showed clinical and histomorphologic features highly reminiscent of a pyogenic granuloma. These cases demonstrate the potential of metastatic lesions to assume a myriad array of innocuous disguises and underscore the vigilance required to avoid misdiagnosis. In addition, we highlight the emerging role of molecular strategies in resolving these problematic cases.
The Effect of Unilateral Vestibular Loss on Standing Balance During Postural Threat
Authors: Cleworth Taylor W. , Allum John H. J. , Luu M. John , Lea Jane , Westerberg Brian W. , Carpenter Mark G. 
Published: July 2020

Objective:
Vestibular deficit patients have an increased fall risk and fear of falling. Postural threat, known to increase balance-related fear and anxiety, influences vestibular gains during quiet standing in young healthy adults. The current study examined whether there is a similar relationship for peripheral unilateral vestibular loss (UVL) patients in comparison to age-matched healthy controls (HC).

Setting:
University laboratory.

Study Design:
Prospective laboratory study.

Patients and Controls:
Eleven UVL patients, nine with vestibular neurectomy. Eleven aged-matched HCs.

Main Outcome Measures:
Subjects stood on a hydraulic lift placed at two heights: low (0.8 m, away from the edge) and high (3.2 m, at the edge). Amplitude (root mean square), mean power frequency (MPF), and mean position were analyzed for center of foot pressure (COP) and 90% ranges for angle amplitude and velocity for trunk sway.

Results:
Group interactions were strongest for anterior-posterior (AP) COP and trunk pitch angle. AP lean away from the edge was greater in HCs than UVLs. HCs, but not UVLs had a decrease in root mean square AP COP with height. Trunk pitch sway was changed similarly. Both groups had increased trunk pitch velocity at height. Changes with height were less for roll: MPF of lateral COP increased with height for UVLs with no changes for HCs, and trunk roll amplitude decreased for both groups.

Conclusions:
This report provides evidence for a differential effect of height induced postural threat on balance control between UVLs and HCs presumably due to the reduced vestibular-spinal gain in UVL subjects.
Treatment of the tibial pilon fractures using the antero-medial fibula approach
Authors: Ren Dong , Wang Tianci , Liu Yueju , Liu Pengbo , Wang Pengcheng 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Pilon fractures are always results of the high-energy trauma. They are often accompanied with serious soft tissue injury, and tension blisters happened in most cases. For comminuted fractures and poor soft tissue, how to select the incision is challenging. This study aimed to explore the outcomes of the treatment of ten 43-B/C pilon fractures using an anteromedial fibula approach.
Ten closed pilon fractures combined with fibula fractures were treated in our hospital from January 2015 to July 2016. Six cases were AO/OTA type 43-B and 4 cases were 43-C, including 9 males and 1 female with a mean age of 36.3 years (range: 20–60 years). When the skin wrinkled, all patients were treated by the senior authors with open reduction and internal fixation using an anteromedial fibula approach. Postoperatively, patients were followed up at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months, respectively. The incision healing, the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society scores and fracture healing were recorded to get a comprehensive evaluation of the effect for the incision.
All patients were followed from 9 to 18 months (average: 14.1 months). Anatomic reduction was achieved in 7 cases and satisfactory in 3 cases by the Burwell–Charnley radiological criteria evaluation. All patients had complete retention of the dorsal extensor tendon sheath. The most incisions had a good healing without necrosis at 2 weeks after surgery except 1 case. The factures were healed at a range of 12 to 18 weeks (average: 13.7 ± 1.2 weeks). The American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society scores were excellent in 7 cases and good in 3 cases at 1 year after surgery (average: 85.6 ± 4.2 points). The satisfactory outcomes were achieved in most patients.
The anteromedial fibula approach used for pilon fractures can lead to an effective exposure and allow fixation of tibia and fibula fractures with minimal soft tissue injury. It is a safe, simple, and effective approach that allows for satisfactory functional rehabilitation of the ankle joint.

Level of evidence:
therapeutic Level IV.
Characteristics and prognosis of primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus
Authors: Chen Hengchi , Fu Qiang , Sun Kelin 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Primary malignant melanoma of esophagus (PMME) is a rare malignant tumor of esophagus. This study aimed to investigate the clinic pathologic characteristics and analyze the factors that might affect the prognosis of PMME patients.
A total of 20 PMME patients who underwent surgical treatment in our hospital from 1975 to 2017 were analyzed. The clinical data, surgical and pathologic features of all patients were collected.
For 20 PMME patients, the average age was 57.3 ± 10.7 years, and the male patients account for 75%. Most of the tumors (95%) were located in the middle and lower of the esophagus. There were 7 patients with primary tumor invasion beyond the muscular layer (T3 + T4) and 10 patients with lymph node metastasis (LNM). The median survival time of 20 patients was 12 months, and the 1-year and 5-year survival rates were 50% and 16.9%, respectively. The probability of LNM in tumors confined to submucosa (T1) and myometrium (T2) was lower than that in tumors with deeper invasion (T3, T4) (P = .035). Multivariate analysis showed that tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging was the independent prognostic factor for survival of PMME patients (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], 4.15 [1.36–12.67]; P = .012).
For PMME patients, tumors with deeper invasion were more likely to have LNM, and TNM staging was an independent predictor of prognosis for survival. Early detection of the disease and radical resection of the tumor are critical for better survival of the PMME patients.
Clinical Presentation, Treatment, and Outcome of Parathyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Lenschow Christina , Schrägle Sina , Kircher Stefan , Lorenz Kerstin , Machens Andreas , Dralle Henning , Riss Philipp , Scheuba Christian , Pfestroff Andreas , Spitzweg Christine , Zielke Andreas , Nießen Anna , Dotzenrath Cornelia , Riemann Burkhard , Quinkler Marcus , Vorländer Christian , Zahn Alexandra , Raue Friedhelm , Chiapponi Costanza , Iwen Karl Alexander , Steinmüller Thomas , Kroiss Matthias , Schlegel Nicolas 
Published: July 2020

Objective:
In this retrospective cohort study, we describe the clinical presentation and workup of parathyroid carcinoma (PC) and determine its clinical prognostic parameters. Primary outcome was recurrence free survival.

Summary Background Data:
PC is an orphan malignancy for which diagnostic workup and treatment is not established.

Methods:
Eighty-three patients were diagnosed with PC between 1986 and 2018. Disease-specific and recurrence-free survivals were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method. Risk factors for recurrence were identified by binary logistic regression with adjustment for age and sex. Thirty-nine tumors underwent central histopathological review.

Results:
Renal (39.8%), gastrointestinal (24.1%), bone (22.9%), and psychiatric (19.3%) symptoms were the most common symptoms. Surgical treatment was heterogeneous [parathyroidectomy [PTx)] alone: 22.9%; PTx and hemithyroidectomy: 24.1%; en bloc resection 15.7%; others 37.3%] and complications of surgery were frequent (recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy 25.3%; hypoparathyroidism 6%). Recurrence of PC was observed in 32 of 83 cases. In univariate analysis, rate of recurrence was reduced when extended initial surgery had been performed (P = 0.04). In multivariate analysis low T status [odds ratio (OR) = 2.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–6.88, P = 0.045], N0 stage at initial diagnosis (OR = 6.32, 95% CI 1.33–30.01, P = 0.02), Ki-67 <10% (OR = 14.07, 95% CI 2.09–94.9, P = 0.007), and postoperative biochemical remission (OR = 0.023, 95% CI 0.001–0.52, P = 0.018) were beneficial prognostic parameters for recurrence-free survival.

Conclusion:
Despite a favorable overall prognosis, PC shows high rates of recurrence leading to repeated surgery and postoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and hypoparathyroidism. In view of the reduced recurrence rate in cases of extended surgery, ipsilateral completion surgery may be considered when PC is confirmed.
Machine learning for classification and prediction of brain diseases: recent advances and upcoming challenges
Authors: Burgos Ninon , Colliot Olivier 
Published: July 2020

Purpose of review
Machine learning is an artificial intelligence technique that allows computers to perform a task without being explicitly programmed. Machine learning can be used to assist diagnosis and prognosis of brain disorders. Although the earliest articles date from more than ten years ago, research increases at a very fast pace.

Recent findings
Recent works using machine learning for diagnosis have moved from classification of a given disease versus controls to differential diagnosis. Intense research has been devoted to the prediction of the future patient state. Although a lot of earlier works focused on neuroimaging as data source, the current trend is on the integration of multimodal data. In terms of targeted diseases, dementia remains dominant but approaches have been developed for a wide variety of neurological and psychiatric diseases.

Summary
Machine learning is extremely promising for assisting diagnosis and prognosis in brain disorders. Nevertheless, we argue that key challenges remain to be addressed by the community for bringing these tools in clinical routine: good practices regarding validation and reproducible research need to be more widely adopted; extensive generalization studies are required; interpretable models are needed to overcome the limitations of black-box approaches.
The Efficacy and Safety of Piribedil Relative to Pramipexole for the Treatment of Early Parkinson Disease: A Systematic Literature Review and Network Meta-Analysis
Authors: Chen Xianwen , Ren Cuiping , Li Juan , Wang Shangpei , Dron Louis , Harari Ofir , Whittington Craig 
Published: July 2020

Objectives
Patients with early Parkinson disease (PD) frequently defer initiation of levodopa treatment to minimize long-term complications. Nonergoline dopamine agonists, such as pramipexole and piribedil, are frequent first-line therapies for early PD patients, yet limited head-to-head randomized controlled trial (RCT) evidence exists for dopamine agonists in this population. We therefore conducted a systematic literature review and network meta-analysis.

Methods
MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched (until January 7, 2020), identifying RCTs assessing the efficacy of piribedil or pramipexole in early PD. Eligible trial data were incorporated into fixed- and random-effects Bayesian network meta-analyses.

Results
No RCTs were identified directly comparing piribedil with pramipexole, but 6 trials provided data for pramipexole versus placebo and 2 compared piribedil versus placebo, facilitating indirect comparisons. Across all time points assessed, no significant differences were found between pramipexole and piribedil for change in the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score from baseline. Piribedil and pramipexole demonstrated superiority relative to placebo for UPDRS II/III change at weeks 22 to 30. No significant differences were noted between the treatments at weeks 20 to 35 for anxiety, constipation, hypotension, nausea, and somnolence. Sensitivity analyses on adjustment for dose titration periods and baseline risk yielded the same pattern of results.

Conclusions
No significant differences were found for pramipexole versus piribedil in the UPDRS II/III scores from baseline in early PD, with similar safety profiles.
The functional relevance of task-state functional connectivity
Authors: Cole Michael W. , Ito Takuya , Cocuzza Carrisa , Sanchez-Romero Ruben 
Published: July 2020

AbstractResting-state functional connectivity has provided substantial insight into intrinsic brain network organization, yet the functional importance of task-related change from that intrinsic network organization remains unclear. Indeed, such task-related changes are known to be small, suggesting they may have only minimal functional relevance. Alternatively, despite their small amplitude, these task-related changes may be essential for the human brain’s ability to adaptively alter its functionality via rapid changes in inter-regional relationships. We utilized activity flow mapping – an approach for building empirically-derived network models – to quantify the functional importance of task-state functional connectivity (above and beyond resting-state functional connectivity) in shaping cognitive task activations in the (female and male) human brain. We found that task-state functional connectivity could be used to better predict independent fMRI activations across all 24 task conditions and all 360 cortical regions tested. Further, we found that prediction accuracy was strongly driven by individual-specific functional connectivity patterns, while functional connectivity patterns from other tasks (task-general functional connectivity) still improved predictions beyond resting-state functional connectivity. Additionally, since activity flow models simulate how task-evoked activations (which underlie behavior) are generated, these results may provide mechanistic insight into why prior studies found correlations between task-state functional connectivity and individual differences in behavior. These findings suggest that task-related changes to functional connections play an important role in dynamically reshaping brain network organization, shifting the flow of neural activity during task performance.Significance StatementHuman cognition is highly dynamic, yet the human brain’s functional network organization is highly similar across rest and task states. We hypothesized that, despite this overall network stability, task-related changes from the brain’s intrinsic (resting-state) network organization strongly contribute to brain activations during cognitive task performance. Given that cognitive task activations emerge through network interactions, we leveraged connectivity-based models to predict independent cognitive task activations using resting-state versus task-state functional connectivity. This revealed that task-related changes in functional network organization increased prediction accuracy of cognitive task activations substantially, demonstrating their likely functional relevance for dynamic cognitive processes despite the small size of these task-related network changes.
Quantifying the effects of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) on deep organic C stocks using natural abundance14C in three marginal soils
Authors: Slessarev Eric W. , Nuccio Erin E. , McFarlane Karis J. , Ramon Christina , Saha Malay , Firestone Mary K. , Pett-Ridge Jennifer 
Published: July 2020

AbstractPerennial bioenergy crops have been shown to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, potentially offsetting anthropogenic C emissions. The effects of perennial bioenergy crops on SOC are typically assessed at shallow depths (< 30 cm), but the deep root systems of these crops may also have substantial effects on SOC stocks at greater depths. We hypothesized that deep (> 30 cm) soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks would be greater under bioenergy crops relative to stocks under shallow-rooted conventional crop cover. To test this, we sampled soils to between 1- and 3-meters depth at three sites in Oklahoma with 10-20 year old switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) stands, and collected paired samples from nearby fields cultivated with shallow rooted annual crops. We measured root biomass, total organic C,14C,13C, and other soil properties in three replicate soil cores in each field and used a mixing model to estimate the proportion of recently fixed C under switchgrass based on14C. The subsoil C stock under switchgrass (defined over 500-1500 kg m-2equivalent soil mass, approximately 30-100 cm depth) exceeded the subsoil stock in neighboring fields by 1.5 kg C m-2at a sandy loam site, 0.6 kg C m-2at a site with loam soils, and showed no significant difference at a third site with clay soils. Using the mixing model, we estimated that additional SOC introduced after switchgrass cultivation comprised 31% of the subsoil C stock at the sandy loam site, 22% at the loam site, and 0% at the clay site. These results suggest that switchgrass can contribute significantly to subsoil organic C—but also indicated that this effect varies across sites. Our analysis shows that agricultural strategies that emphasize deep-rooted grass cultivars can increase soil C relative to conventional crops while expanding energy biomass production on marginal lands.
Antagonistic Co-contraction Can Minimize Muscular Effort in Systems with Uncertainty
Authors: Koelewijn Anne D. , van den Bogert Antonie J. 
Published: July 2020

ABSTRACTMuscular co-contraction of antagonistic muscle pairs is often observed in human movement, but it is considered inefficient and it can currently not be predicted in simulations where muscular effort or metabolic energy is minimized. Here, we investigated the relationship between minimizing effort and muscular co-contraction in systems with random uncertainty to see if muscular co-contraction can minimize effort in such system. We also investigated the effect of time delay in the muscle, by varying the time delay in the neural control as well as the activation time constant. We solved optimal control problems for a one-degree-of-freedom pendulum actuated by two identical antagonistic muscles, using forward shooting, to find controller parameters that minimized muscular effort while the pendulum remained upright in the presence of noise added to the moment at the base of the pendulum. We compared a controller with and without feedforward control. Task precision was defined by bounding the root mean square deviation from the upright position, while different perturbation levels defined task difficulty. We found that effort was minimized when the feedforward control was nonzero, even when feedforward control was not necessary to perform the task, which indicates that co-contraction can minimize effort in systems with uncertainty. We also found that the optimal level of co-contraction increased with time delay, both when the activation time constant was increased and when neural time delay was added. Furthermore, we found that for controllers with a neural time delay, a different trajectory was optimal for a controller with feedforward control than for one without, which indicates that simulation trajectories are dependent on the controller architecture. Future movement predictions should therefore account for uncertainty in dynamics and control, and carefully choose the controller architecture. The ability of models to predict co-contraction from effort or energy minimization has important clinical and sports applications. If co-contraction is undesirable, one should aim to remove the cause of co-contraction rather than the co-contraction itself.