bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Response-shift effects in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: estimating response-shift-adjusted scores using equating
Authors: Schwartz Carolyn E. , Stark Roland B. , Stucky Brian D. , Li Yuelin , Rapkin Bruce D. 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background
In our companion paper, random intercept models (RIMs) investigated response-shift effects in a clinical trial comparing Eculizumab to Placebo for people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). RIMs predicted Global Health using the EQ-5D Visual Analogue Scale item (VAS) to encompass broad criteria that people might consider. The SF36™v2 mental and physical component scores (MCS and PCS) helped us detect response shift in VAS. Here, we sought to “back-translate” the VAS into the MCS/PCS scores that would have been observed if response shift had not been present.

Methods
This secondary analysis utilized NMOSD clinical trial data evaluating the impact of Eculizumab in preventing relapses (n = 143). Analyses began by equating raw scores from the VAS, MCS, and PCS, and computing scores that removed response-shift effects. Correlation analysis and descriptive displays provided a more comprehensive examination of response-shift effects.

Results
MCS and PCS crosswalks with VAS equated the scores that include and exclude response-shift effects. These two sets of scores had low shared variance for MCS for both groups, suggesting that corresponding mental health constructs were substantially different. The shared variance contrast for physical health was distinct only for the Placebo group. The larger MCS response-shift effects were found at end of study for Placebo only and were more prominent at extremes of the MCS score distribution.

Conclusions
Our results reveal notable treatment group differences in MCS but not PCS response shifts, which can explain null results detected in previous work. The method introduced herein provides a way to provide further information about response-shift effects in clinical trial data.
Comparison of safety and haemodynamic performance between the Avalus™ stented aortic valve bioprosthesis and Magna™ valve in Japanese patients
Authors: Tadokoro Naoki , Fukushima Satsuki , Shimahara Yusuke , Saito Tetsuya , Kawamoto Naonori , Kakuta Takashi , Minami Kimito , Fujita Tomoyuki 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Objectives
A new stented bovine pericardial valve (Avalus™) has been proven safe and effective with good hemodynamic performance in Western populations. However, its use in Japanese patients is poorly understood. We retrospectively compared the feasibility, safety, and valve haemodynamics between the Avalus™ and Magna™ valves in patients who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).

Methods
This study included 87 patients receiving an Avalus™ valve and 387 receiving a Magna™ valve. We evaluated adverse events, outcomes, and valve haemodynamics within 1 year postoperatively. There were no significant differences in any surgical risk scores.

Results
No in-hospital mortality occurred in the Avalus™ group, but two mortality events occurred in the Magna™ group. No pacemaker implantation for complete atrioventricular block was required in the Avalus™ group. There was no significant difference in in-hospital or clinical outcomes between the two groups until 1 year postoperatively. Left ventricular mass index reduction appeared to predominate in the Avalus™ over Magna™ group. There was no significant difference in the mean pressure gradient or effective orifice area of each valve size at 1 week or 1 year between the two groups, apart from the mean pressure gradient of the 23-mm valve at 1 week. Three patients (3.4%) in the Avalus™ group and 39 (10.8%) in the Magna™ group (p = 0.12) had severe patient–prosthesis mismatch at 1 week postoperatively.

Conclusions
The new Avalus™ stented aortic valve bioprosthesis was associated with good in-hospital outcomes and good valve functionality post-SAVR in Japanese patients.
Early and mid-term outcomes of minimally invasive mitral valve repair via right mini-thoracotomy: 5-year experience with 129 consecutive patients
Authors: Nakayama Taisuke , Nakamura Yoshitsugu , Yasumoto Yuto , Yoshiyama Daiki , Kuroda Miho , Nishijima Shuhei , Ito Yujiro , Tsuruta Ryo , Hori Takaki 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Objectives
This study analyzed the experience of a single institution with minimally invasive mitral valve repair (MIMVr) via a right mini-thoracotomy (RT), including short and mid-term morbidity and mortality as surgical outcomes, and rates of reoperation. Late follow-up findings regarding mitral regurgitation (MR) were also assessed.

Methods
Between January 2014 and January 2020, a total of 141 consecutive patients underwent MIMVr for mitral regurgitation at our institution via an RT, with late follow-up results (median 35 ± 15 months) available for 129 (91.4%). Findings regarding surgical approach, complications, reoperations, and late survival were examined. Late echocardiographic results showing recurrence of MR after mitral repair were also noted. Survival, freedom from reoperation, and recurrent MR (grade > 2) were evaluated by Kaplan–Meier analysis.

Results
Mean age was 63.9 ± 14.3 years, mean ejection fraction was 66.9 ± 10.4%, and 2 patients (1.6%) underwent a reoperation. Concomitant procedures included atrial fibrillation ablation (18%), tricuspid valve surgery (16%). None (0%) experienced intraoperative conversion to sternotomy. A learning curve was observed as the number of cases increased. Overall in-hospital mortality and stroke incidence were both 0%. Freedom from recurrent MR (grade > 2) at 1, 3, and 5 years was 99.2, 94.9, and 94.9%, respectively, while freedom from reoperation at 1, 3, and 5 years after mitral valve repair was 98.4, 98.4, and 98.4%, respectively.

Conclusions
Early and mid-term results of MIMVr were satisfactory, with low rates of perioperative morbidity and recurrent MR, as well as reoperation and death. Furthermore, the protocols for patient selection and surgical approach were considered to be appropriate.
The Struggle for Legitimacy in Business and Human Rights Regulation—a Consideration of the Processes Leading to the UN Guiding Principles and an International Treaty
Authors: Hamm Brigitte 
Published: January 2021

AbstractAfter the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) were adopted in 2011, an international treaty has been being negotiated since 2014. The two instruments reveal similarities and also conflicts regarding the adequate organization of the global economy based on human rights. The focus in this article will be on the processes leading to these instruments, because they themselves mirror different understandings of governance in the field of business and human rights as well as the struggle over the power of definition and legitimacy. The UNGPs were developed on the basis of global multi-stakeholder consultations, underlining legitimacy through broad inclusion. There are varying judgements as to the success of this approach. The process towards the treaty follows the traditional path of negotiations at UN level. These negotiations reveal a struggle for recognition of the legitimacy of the process itself. Both procedures have shortcomings with regard to legitimacy and show the need for a revision concerning the inclusion of stakeholders. The complementarity of a soft and hard law instrument may enhance the creation of a level playing field in the global economy, thereby strengthening human rights.
LncRNA MAFG-AS1 regulates miR-125b-5p/SphK1 axis to promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of bladder cancer cells
Authors: Tang Chenye , Wu Yuntao , Wang Xiao , Chen Kean , Tang Zhiling , Guo Xiao 
Published: January 2021

AbstractMAFG-AS1 is an oncogenic lncRNA in multiple types of cancer. However, its role in bladder cancer (BC) remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the function of MAFG-AS1 in BC. BC and paired non-tumor tissues were collected. Two BC cell lines HT01197 and HT-1376 were used. Dual luciferase activity assay, RT-qPCR, western blot, CCK-8, transwell invasion assay, and wound healing assay were performed. We found that MAFG-AS1 was significantly up-regulated in BC tissues and predicted a poor survival rate. MAFG-AS1 interacted with miR-125b-5p. However, the expression levels of MAFG‑AS1 and miR-125b-5p were not obviously correlated in BC tissues, and MAFG‑AS1 and miR-125b-5p did not regulate the expression of each other. Interestingly, we found that SphK1, a downstream target of miR-125b-5p, was negatively correlated with miR-125b-5p, while it was positively correlated with MAFG-AS1 across BC tissues. In addition, overexpression of MAFG‑AS1 upregulated the expression of SphK1 in BC cells, and attenuated the inhibitory effects of miR-125b-5p on the expression of SphK1. Functional assays showed that overexpression of MAFG‑AS1 promoted BC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while its effects were attenuated by overexpression of miR-125b-5p. Moreover, overexpression of miR-125b-5p inhibited BC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while its effects were alleviated by overexpression of SphK1. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that MAFG-AS1 has an oncogenic role in BC by regulating the miR-125b-5p/SphK1 axis. MAFG-AS1 might serve as a good diagnostic marker and a potential therapeutic target of BC.
Image-based mains signal disaggregation and load recognition
Authors: Matindife Liston , Sun Yanxia , Wang Zenghui 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe mains signal is a complex fusion of various electrical equipment load signals in a building. In the non-intrusive load monitoring recognition, our main aim is to be able to extract as much load features as possible from the complex aggregate mains signal in a simpler way through a computer vision-based approach as opposed to the powers series signal approach. Power series methods, which are one dimensional in nature, suffer from poor aggregate and load signal feature localization necessitating a larger training dataset spanning very long time periods and normally require signal formatting and pre-processing. We use Gramian angular summation fields to transform the power series into a reduced image dataset that contains a rich set of localized signal features. A computer vision approach allows us to capture as much information as possible, and then propose an image-based mains load recognition system with high performance. In this paper for the entire recognition system, we use convolutional neural networks that very well adapted to vision recognition. The load signal image disaggregation is achieved through the powerful stacked denoising autoencoder noise extraction network. To test the proposed system, some simulations and comparisons are carried out and the results show that our easier to handle method can achieve acceptable performance.
Industrial Internet of Learning (IIoL): IIoT based pervasive knowledge network for LPWAN—concept, framework and case studies
Authors: Qin Jian , Li Zhuoqun , Wang Rui , Li Li , Yu Zhe , He Xun , Liu Ying 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIndustrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is performed based on the multiple sourced data collection, communication, management and analysis from the industrial environment. The data can be generated at every point in the manufacturing production process by real-time monitoring, connection and interaction in the industrial field through various data sensing devices, which creates a big data environment for the industry. To collect, transfer, store and analyse such a big data efficiently and economically, several challenges have imposed to the conventional big data solution, such as high unreliable latency, massive energy consumption, and inadequate security. In order to address these issues, edge computing, as an emerging technique, has been researched and developed in different industries. This paper aims to propose a novel framework for the intelligent IIoT, named Industrial Internet of Learning (IIoL). It is built using an industrial wireless communication network called Low-power wide-area network (LPWAN). By applying edge computing technologies in the LPWAN, the high-intensity computing load is distributed to edge sides, which integrates the computing resource of edge devices to lighten the computational complexity in the central. It cannot only reduce the energy consumption of processing and storing big data but also low the risk of cyber-attacks. Additionally, in the proposed framework, the information and knowledge are discovered and generated from different parts of the system, including smart sensors, smart gateways and cloud. Under this framework, a pervasive knowledge network can be established to improve all the devices in the system. Finally, the proposed concept and framework were validated by two real industrial cases, which were the health prognosis and management of a water plant and asset monitoring and management of an automobile factory.
Decolonizing Diplomacy: Senghor, Kennedy, and the Practice of Ideological Resistance
Authors: Ripert Yohann C. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractAt the turn of the 1960s, Léopold Sédar Senghor and John F. Kennedy vowed to radically transform African foreign policy. Through a close reading of a recently declassified correspondence and a historical analysis of two behind-the-scenes negotiations, Senghor’s first state visit to the U.S. and Kennedy’s support for the First World Festival of Negro Arts, Ripert examines the private and public concatenations that lead both statesmen to transform policymaking not by implementing new policies but by challenging inherited ideologies. Though their efforts did not always bring successful change in policymaking, the diplomatic correspondence between the two newly elected leaders reveals a more subtle and sustainable transformation: a decolonization of diplomacy.
COMPUTABILITY IN PARTIAL COMBINATORY ALGEBRAS
Authors: TERWIJN SEBASTIAAN A. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractWe prove a number of elementary facts about computability in partial combinatory algebras (pca’s). We disprove a suggestion made by Kreisel about using Friedberg numberings to construct extensional pca’s. We then discuss separability and elements without total extensions. We relate this to Ershov’s notion of precompleteness, and we show that precomplete numberings are not 1–1 in general.
Value distribution of derivatives in polynomial dynamics
Authors: OKUYAMA YÛSUKE , VIGNY GABRIEL 
Published: January 2021

AbstractFor every$m\in \mathbb {N}$, we establish the equidistribution of the sequence of the averaged pullbacks of a Dirac measure at any given value in$\mathbb {C}\setminus \{0\}$under the$m$th order derivatives of the iterates of a polynomials$f\in \mathbb {C}[z]$of degree$d>1$towards the harmonic measure of the filled-in Julia set offwith pole at$\infty $. We also establish non-archimedean and arithmetic counterparts using the potential theory on the Berkovich projective line and the adelic equidistribution theory over a number fieldkfor a sequence of effective divisors on$\mathbb {P}^1(\overline {k})$having small diagonals and small heights. We show a similar result on the equidistribution of the analytic sets where the derivative of each iterate of a Hénon-type polynomial automorphism of$\mathbb {C}^2$has a given eigenvalue.
Consumer Wine Closure Preferences: The Role of Gender, Price, and Regional Preferences
Authors: Agnoli Lara , Outreville Jean-François 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThis paper analyzes buying decisions when consumers consider the risk that a bottle of wine may be cork-tainted. Drawing on a sample of 804 subjects, we examine the role of gender, price level, and subjects’ country of origin and their personal cork-taint risk assessments. We find that women assess the cork-taint risk higher than men but are still more likely to buy bottles with cork closures. Young consumers from Asia are more risk-averse than people from Western countries. Gender and regional differences vanish for wines in higher price brackets. (JEL Classifications: C90, D12, L66)
Government and Opposition in Legislative Speechmaking: Using Text-As-Data to Estimate Brazilian Political Parties’ Policy Positions
Authors: Izumi Mauricio Y. , Medeiros Danilo B. 
Published: January 2021

ABSTRACTThis research note explores whether the government-opposition dimension that emerges from voting records of Brazilian legislatures also arises in legislative speechmaking. Since the earlier stages of the legislative process are innocuous to policy outcomes, party leaders would have fewer incentives to coerce their copartisans’ behavior in speeches than in roll calls. To test this expectation, this study estimates Brazilian political parties’ policy positions, relying on a sentiment analysis approach to classify 64,000 senators’ speeches. The results suggest that the president and the party leadership exert signiﬁcant inﬂuence not only over how legislators vote but also over how they speak. We speculate that these unforeseen ﬁndings are backed by the decisiveness of speeches in passing legislation, the importance leadership gives to party brand, and legislators’ need to signal their positions to leaders and the government.
‘We’re Not Doing It To Be Nasty’: Caregivers’ Ethical Dilemmas in Negotiating Driving Safety with Older Adults
Authors: Lafrance Michelle N. , Dreise Elizabeth , Gouliquer Lynne , Poulin Carmen 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe purpose of this research was to investigate how informal caregivers of older adults cope with and negotiate driving safety when their loved one is no longer safe to drive. Fifteen informal caregivers of an older adult living at home took part in the present study. Participants cared for individuals with a range of health conditions that significantly impaired driving safety, including dementia, Parkinson’s disease, macular degeneration, and stroke. A thematic analysis of participants’ accounts identified the complex interpersonal, social, and organisational context they encountered when their loved one did not recognise or acknowledge limitations in their ability to drive. This analysis highlights the ethical dilemma at the heart of caregivers’ experiences and identifies stake and blame as key considerations in the development of sensitive and effective policies and practices.
Serum lactate level predicts 6-months mortality in patients with hepatitis B virus-related decompensated cirrhosis: a retrospective study
Authors: Nie Yuan , Liu Lin-Xiang , Chen Tao , Zhang Yue , Zhu Xuan 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
The prediction of prognosis is an important part of management in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related decompensated cirrhosis patients with high long-term mortality. Lactate is a known predictor of outcome in critically ill patients. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of lactate in HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients. We performed a single-centre, observational, retrospective study of 405 HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients. Individuals were evaluated within 24 h after admission and the primary outcome was evaluated at 6-months. Multivariable analyses were used to determine whether lactate was independently associated with the prognosis of HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients. The area under the ROC (AUROC) was calculated to assess the predictive accuracy compared with existing scores. Serum lactate level was significantly higher in non-surviving patients than in surviving patients. Multivariable analyses demonstrated that lactate was an independent risk factor of 6-months mortality (odds ratio: 2.076, P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to evaluate the discriminative ability of lactate for 6-months mortality (AUROC: 0.716, P < 0.001). Based on our patient cohort, the new scores (Model For End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) + lactate score, Child–Pugh + lactate score) had good accuracy for predicting 6-months mortality (AUROC = 0.769, P < 0.001; AUROC = 0.766, P < 0.001). Additionally, the performance of the new scores was superior to those of existing scores (all P < 0.001). Serum lactate at admission may be useful for predicting 6-months mortality in HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients, and the predictive value of the MELD score and Child–Pugh score was improved by adjusting lactate. Serum lactate should be part of the rapid diagnosis and initiation of therapy to improve clinical outcome.
Parties Settle in HIV Claim under ADA
Authors: K.C.L.  
Published: January 2021

On October 31, 1994, it was announced that a confidential settlement had been reached in Doe v. Kohn, Nast & Graf, P.C., et al. (No. 93-4510 (E.D. Pa. filed Aug. 19, 1993), 862F. Supp. 1310 (E.D. Pa. 1994)). The settlement in ths widely publicized AIDS discrimination case came three weeks after the trial began in the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (“Philadelphia Lawyer Settles AIDS Discrimination Claims Against Firm,” Daily Lab. Rep. (BNA), Nov. 2, 1994, at 10).Plaintiff Doe, an associate employed at Kohn, Nast & Graf, a prominent law firm in Philadelphia, filed an AIDS discrimination case under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) against his employer claiming that the firm fired him in March 1993 because he was HIV-positive. Doe's complaint also cited claims under ERISA and other Pennsylvania employment laws.
Seventh Circuit Holds that HMOs Not Separate Market Under Antitrust Law
Authors: R.L.M.  
Published: January 2021

On September 18, 1995, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit handed down a decision in Blue Cross & Blue Shield United of Wisconsin v. Marshfield Clinic (65 F.3d 1406 (7th Cir. 1995)) that sets two important precedents regarding the status of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) under antitrust law. Chief Judge Posner, writing for the court, concluded that HMOs do not constitute a market separate from the general market for medical services and that agreements, between HMOs in a region, to operate in separate areas constitute a prohibited form of market splitting.This case primarily involves two HMOs in north central Wisconsin: one a subsidiary of Blue Cross, the other a subsidiary of the Marshfield Clinic. The Blue Cross HMO claimed that the Marshfield HMO had an illegal monopoly in the region's HMO market and therefore violated the Sherman Act (15 U.S.C. § 2 (1990)).
Contracts: Third Circuit Upholds Limited Immunity of Peer Review Actions Under HCQIA
Authors: Rosenfeld Mary-Rachel 
Published: January 2021

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held, in Brader v. Allegheny General Hospital, 167 E3d 832 (3rd Cir. 1990), that the Health Care Quality Improvement Act (HCQIA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 11101-11152 (1986), shields a Pennsylvania hospital from a surgeon's claims of contract violations.The plaintiff, Alan Brader, M.D., joined Allegheny General Hospital's (AGH) provisional medical staff in July 1988. During the next two years, he performed several abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repairs and various other operations. Several of Brader's patients sustained serious injuries or died during surgery from complications. In 1989, Brader's supervisors, Drs. Daniel Diamond and George Magovern, met to discuss their dissatisfaction with Brader's behavior, his departures from hospital protocol, as well as his disruptive presence in the hospital. From 1989 to 1990, Brader continued to perform surgical procedures on incoming patients, and he continued to violate hospital notification protocol and lost a patient during surgery. In spring 1990, the Quality Assurance Department (QAD) compiled data on AAA procedures for the hospital's physicians.