bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Possible predictors of phenoconversion in isolated REM sleep behaviour disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Wang Chunyi , Chen Fangzheng , Li Yuanyuan , Liu Jun 
Published: December 2021

BackgroundA number of promising biomarkers for predicting imminent α-synucleinopathies have been suggested in isolated rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD). However, existing evidence is conflicting without quantitative evaluation.MethodsPubMed, Web of Science and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched through June 2021 to identify possible predictors of phenoconversion from iRBD to Parkinson’s disease (PD). The pooled HRs and standardised mean differences (SMDs) with 95% CIs were calculated using fixed-effects or random-effects model.ResultsA total of 123 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Significant motor dysfunction (HR 1.83, 95% CI 1.33 to 2.51, I2=86.8%, p<0.001), constipation (HR 1.52, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.84, I2=8.3%, p=0.365), orthostatic hypotension (HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.05 to 3.53, I2=54.9%, p=0.084), hyposmia (HR 2.78, 95% CI 1.83 to 4.23, I2=23.9%, p=0.255), mild cognitive impairment (HR 2.27, 95% CI 1.58 to 3.27, I2=0%, p=0.681) and abnormal colour vision (SMD −0.34, 95% CI −0.63 to −0.05, I2=45.6%, p=0.087) correlated with susceptibility to PD. The process can also be traced by putaminal dopamine transporter imaging (HR 2.60, 95% CI 1.94 to 3.48, I2=0%, p=0.781) and tonic electromyographic activity (HR 1.50, 95% CI 1.04 to 2.15, I2=70%, p=0.018).ConclusionsThe predictive value of each biomarker was initially highlighted with comprehensive evaluation. Combining specific predictors with high sensitivity is promising for detecting phenoconversion in the prodromal stage. Large-scale and multicentre studies are pivotal to extend our findings.
Taxonomy, allometry, sexual dimorphism, and conservation of the trans-Andean watersnakeHelicops danieliAmaral, 1937 (Serpentes: Dipsadidae: Hydropsini)
Authors: Citeli Nathalie , Klaczko Julia , De-Lima Anderson Kennedy Soares , de-Carvalho Mariana , Nunes Pedro M. Sales , Passos Paulo , Brandão Reuber Albuquerque 
Published: December 2021

The extensive lack of knowledge on the morphological aspects of South American watersnakes includes a poor understanding of phenotypic parameters, intraspecific variation, and conservation of the trans-Andean Helicops species, Daniel’s Keelback (Helicops danieli Amaral, 1937). For the first time, we provide a multidisciplinary view using key features (e.g., morphology and niche modeling) to improve the taxonomic recognition of this species, as well as describing ontogenetic color changes, allometry, sexual dimorphism, and the conservation status of this poorly studied snake. First, we emended the morphological diagnosis of H. danieli with 23 characters and detected that juvenile tail length is positively related to allometric growth, and that juveniles differ from adults through the presence of the white nuchal collar. Females are larger than males for snout–vent length, whereas males showed proportionally longer tails and smaller head length growth. Suitable areas for H. danieli are restricted to the trans-Andean regions from the Magdalena drainage to the Caribbean coast, which also showed high values of anthropic impacts. Our multidisciplinary approach provided new insights into this South American watersnake’s morphology, intraspecific variation, and distribution.
Associations between Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Risk of Multiple Myeloma: A Nationwide Cohort Study in South Korea
Authors: Jeon Keun Hye , Jeong Su-Min , Shin Dong Wook , Han Kyungdo , Kim Dahye , Yoo Jung Eun , Choi Taewoong 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Background:
Among the potential modifiable risk factors, the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of multiple myeloma remains controversial. We investigated the effects of weekly average alcohol consumption and drinking pattern on the risk of multiple myeloma using a nationwide representative database.

Methods:
We identified 11,737,467 subjects who participated in the Korean National Health Screening Program in 2009 and 2010. Cox regression analyses were performed to calculate the risk of multiple myeloma according to weekly alcohol consumption, drinking frequency, and amount per session.

Results:
During a mean follow-up period of 6.8 years after a one-year time lag, 6,981 subjects (3,921 men and 3,060 women) were diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Compared with nondrinkers, all drinkers were at a significantly lower risk for multiple myeloma. The risk of multiple myeloma was reduced in a dose-dependent manner: mild drinkers [adjusted HR (aHR), 0.89; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.84–0.95], moderate drinkers (aHR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.76–0.91), and heavy drinkers (aHR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.69–0.85). Furthermore, both drinking frequency and amount per drinking session showed inverse association with the risk of multiple myeloma.

Conclusions:
Our large population-based study suggested an inverse dose-dependent association between total average alcohol consumption and the risk of multiple myeloma, and drinking frequency and amount per drinking session seemed to not differ in their relative contribution to the risk of multiple myeloma.

Impact:
On the basis of the unprecedentedly large number of study population analyzed in this study, our study provides solid epidemiologic evidence of alcohol consumption on multiple myeloma risk.
Urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin Levels and Prostate Cancer Risk among Men in the Multiethnic Cohort
Authors: Vaselkiv Jane B. , Cheng Iona , Chowdhury-Paulino Ilkania M. , Gonzalez-Feliciano Amparo G. , Wilkens Lynne R. , Hauksdóttir Alda M. , Eiriksdottir Gudny , Le Marchand Loïc , Haiman Christopher A. , Valdimarsdóttir Unnur , Mucci Lorelei A. , Markt Sarah C. 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Background:
The circadian hormone melatonin has anticancer properties, and prior studies suggest a positive association between low melatonin and prostate cancer risk. The purpose of this study was to examine urinary melatonin levels and prostate cancer in a racially/ethnically diverse cohort.

Methods:
We conducted a nested case–control study, including 1,263 prostate cancer cases and 2,346 controls, sampled from participants in the Multiethnic Cohort Study with prediagnostic urine samples assayed for 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, the primary melatonin metabolite. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine the association between melatonin levels and the development of prostate cancer outcomes (all incident cases, advanced, lethal, high-grade, and aggressive), overall and by race/ethnicity.

Results:
Among 1,263 cases, 135 were advanced stage, 101 were lethal cases, and 282 were high-grade disease. Median melatonin levels were similar in controls [17.12 ng/mL; interquartile range (IQR), 19.78] and cases (17.93 ng/mL; IQR, 19.76), and we found no significant association between urinary melatonin levels and prostate cancer risk overall or in any clinical or racial subgroup.

Conclusions:
In this diverse cohort, there was no significant association between melatonin and any prostate cancer outcome, nor were there any differences by racial/ethnic group.

Impact:
These results do not support a strong association between melatonin levels and risk of prostate cancer.
Genotype and Cardiac Outcomes in Pediatric Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Khan Rabia S. , Pahl Elfriede , Dellefave‐Castillo Lisa , Rychlik Karen , Ing Alexander , Yap Kai Lee , Brew Casey , Johnston Jamie R. , McNally Elizabeth M. , Webster Gregory 
Published: December 2021

Background
Pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a well‐known clinical entity; however, phenotype–genotype correlations are inadequately described. Our objective was to provide genotype associations with life‐threatening cardiac outcomes in pediatric DCM probands.

Methods and Results

We performed a retrospective review of children with DCM at a large pediatric referral center (2007–2016), excluding syndromic, chemotherapy‐induced, and congenital heart disease causes. Genetic variants were adjudicated by an expert panel and an independent clinical laboratory. In a cohort of 109 pediatric DCM cases with a mean age at diagnosis of 4.2 years (SD 5.9), life‐threatening cardiac outcomes occurred in 47% (42% heart transplant, 5% death). One or more pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants were present in 40/109 (37%), and 36/44 (82%) of pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants occurred in sarcomeric genes. The frequency of pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants was not different in patients with familial cardiomyopathy (15/33 with family history versus 25/76 with no family history,
P
=0.21).
TTN
truncating variants occurred in a higher percentage of children diagnosed as teenagers (26% teenagers versus 6% younger children,
P
=0.01), but life‐threatening cardiac outcomes occurred in both infants and teenagers with these
TTN
variants. DCM with left ventricular noncompaction features occurred in 6/6 patients with
MYH7
variants between amino acids 1 and 600.

Conclusions

Sarcomeric variants were common in pediatric DCM. We demonstrated genotype‐specific associations with age of diagnosis and cardiac outcomes. In particular,
MYH7
had domain‐specific association with DCM with left ventricular noncompaction features. Family history did not predict pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants, reinforcing that genetic testing should be considered in all children with idiopathic DCM.
Transient Hypogonadism Is Associated With Heart Rate–Corrected QT Prolongation and Torsades de Pointes Risk During Active Systemic Inflammation in Men
Authors: Lazzerini Pietro Enea , Cantara Silvia , Bertolozzi Iacopo , Accioli Riccardo , Salvini Viola , Cartocci Alessandra , D’Errico Antonio , Sestini Fausta , Bisogno Stefania , Cevenini Gabriele , Capecchi Matteo , Laghi‐Pasini Franco , Castagna Maria Grazia , Acampa Maurizio , Boutjdir Mohamed , Capecchi Pier Leopoldo 
Published: December 2021

Background
Systemic inflammation and male hypogonadism are 2 increasingly recognized “nonconventional” risk factors for long‐QT syndrome and torsades de pointes (TdP). Specifically, inflammatory cytokines prolong, while testosterone shortens the heart rate–corrected QT interval (QTc) via direct electrophysiological effects on cardiomyocytes. Moreover, several studies demonstrated important interplays between inflammation and reduced gonad function in men. We hypothesized that, during inflammatory activation in men, testosterone levels decrease and that this enhances TdP risk by contributing to the overall prolonging effect of inflammation on QTc.

Methods and Results
We investigated (1) the levels of sex hormones and their relationship with inflammatory markers and QTc in male patients with different types of inflammatory diseases, during active phase and recovery; and (2) the association between inflammatory markers and sex hormones in a cohort of male patients who developed extreme QTc prolongation and TdP, consecutively collected over 10 years. In men with active inflammatory diseases, testosterone levels were significantly reduced, but promptly normalized in association with the decrease in C‐reactive protein and interleukin‐6 levels. Reduction of testosterone levels, which also inversely correlated with 17‐β estradiol over time, significantly contributed to inflammation‐induced QTc prolongation. In men with TdP, both active systemic inflammation and hypogonadism were frequently present, with significant correlations between C‐reactive protein, testosterone, and 17‐β estradiol levels; in these patients, increased C‐reactive protein and reduced testosterone were associated with a worse short‐term outcome of the arrhythmia.

Conclusions
During systemic inflammatory activation, interleukin‐6 elevation is associated with reduced testosterone levels in males, possibly deriving from an enhanced androgen‐to‐estrogen conversion. While transient, inflammatory hypotestosteronemia is significantly associated with an increased long‐QT syndrome/TdP risk in men.
SATIN ALMA GÜCÜ PARİTESİNİN GEÇERLİLİĞİNİN SINANMASI: OECD ÜLKELERİ ÖRNEĞİ
Authors: COŞKUN Nuran , BALLI Esra 
Published: December 2021

Bu çalışmada satın alma gücü paritesinin geçerliliği
18 OECD ülkesi ve Avrupa Birliği ülkeleri için OECD veri tabanından elde edilen
nominal döviz kuru ve tüketici fiyat endeksi ile 2000-2017 aralığı esas
alınarak aylık verilerle test edilmiştir.
Analizde kullanılan reel döviz kuru serisindeki kırılmaların varlığı ve
serinin yatay kesit bağımlılığa sahip olması nedeniyle Carrion-I Silvestre,
Castro ve Lopez Bazo (2005) PANKPSS birim kök testi kullanılmıştır. Birim kök
test sonuçlarına göre, reel döviz kuru serisi durağan olup, OECD ülkelerinde
mutlak satın alma gücü paritesi geçerlidir. Diğer yandan, analizlere nominal
döviz kuru serisi ve satın alma gücü paritesi birinci farkta durağan olduğundan
Westerlund (2006) çok kırılmalı eşbütünleşme ile devam edilmiştir. Eşbütünleşme
test sonuçları da OECD ülkelerinde uzun dönemde Satın Alma Gücü Paritesinin
geçerliliğini desteklemektedir.
Novelty Detection: A Perspective from Natural Language Processing
Authors: Ghosal Tirthankar , Saikh Tanik , Biswas Tameesh , Ekbal Asif , Bhattacharyya Pushpak 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe quest for new information is an inborn human trait and has always been quintessential for human survival and progress. Novelty drives curiosity, which in turn drives innovation. In Natural Language Processing (NLP), Novelty Detection refers to finding text that has some new information to offer with respect to whatever is earlier seen or known. With the exponential growth of information all across the Web, there is an accompanying menace of redundancy. A considerable portion of the Web contents are duplicates, and we need efficient mechanisms to retain new information and filter out redundant information. However, detecting redundancy at the semantic level and identifying novel text is not straightforward because the text may have less lexical overlap yet convey the same information. On top of that, non-novel/redundant information in a document may have assimilated from multiple source documents, not just one. The problem surmounts when the subject of the discourse is documents, and numerous prior documents need to be processed to ascertain the novelty/non-novelty of the current one in concern. In this work, we build upon our earlier investigations for document-level novelty detection and present a comprehensive account of our efforts toward the problem. We explore the role of pre-trained Textual Entailment (TE) models to deal with multiple source contexts and present the outcome of our current investigations. We argue that a multipremise entailment task is one close approximation toward identifying semantic-level non-novelty. Our recent approach either performs comparably or achieves significant improvement over the latest reported results on several datasets and across several related tasks (paraphrasing, plagiarism, rewrite). We critically analyze our performance with respect to the existing state of the art and show the superiority and promise of our approach for future investigations. We also present our enhanced dataset TAP-DLND 2.0 and several baselines to the community for further research on document-level novelty detection.
Testing the Dimensionality of Policy Shocks
Authors: Li Jia , Todorov Viktor , Zhang Qiushi 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
This paper provides a nonparametric test for deciding the dimensionality of a policy shock as manifest in the abnormal change in asset returns’ stochastic covariance matrix, following the release of a macroeconomic announcement. We use high-frequency data in local windows before and after the event to estimate the covariance jump matrix and then test its rank. We find a one-factor structure in the covariance jump matrix of the yield curve resulting from the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy shocks before the 2007–2009 financial crisis. The dimensionality of policy shocks increased afterwards because of the use of unconventional monetary policy tools.
Violence and Financial Decisions: Evidence from Mobile Money in Afghanistan
Authors: Blumenstock Joshua E. , Callen Michael , Ghani Tarek , Gonzalez Robert 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWe provide evidence that violence reduces the adoption and use of mobile money in three separate empirical settings in Afghanistan. First, analyzing nationwide mobile money transaction logs, we find that users exposed to violence reduce use of mobile money. Second, using panel survey data from a field experiment, we show that subjects expecting violence are significantly less likely to respond to random inducements to use mobile money. Finally, analyzing nationwide financial survey data, we find that individuals expecting violence hold more cash. Collectively, this evidence suggests that violence can impede the growth of formal financial systems.
Governance Challenges and Opportunities for the International Labour Organization in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Trebilcock Anne 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The International Labour Organization has confronted several governance challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article looks at the impact of the pandemic on both the internal operations of this unique tripartite UN Specialized Agency and on the ILO’s substantive work on labour market and social protection governance. It explores how international labour standards and their monitoring offer human rights pointers for addressing the crisis. The article highlights interaction (not always coherent) between the ILO and other organizations in connection with COVID-19 and economic recovery. It foreshadows initiatives on how to ‘build back better,’ with the ILO again seeking a strengthened multilateral role in support of its social justice mandate, as informed by resolutions adopted by the International Labour Conference. The article also touches on the pandemic’s impact on the functioning of the ILO Administrative Tribunal, which adjudicates employment disputes for many international organizations.
The Rule of Law and Good Governance at the United Nations during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Ahlborn Christiane 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
This contribution discusses how the United Nations (UN) adapted to the working conditions under the COVID-19 pandemic while respecting the rule of law and good governance at different levels. The article first examines what the rule of law means in the UN context. On this basis, the article then considers the different COVID-19-related emergency measures taken by the UN with a focus on four of the UN principal organs: the Secretariat, the Security Council, the General Assembly, and the International Court of Justice. Overall, the UN has succeeded in maintaining public trust, including the trust of its member states, in responding to and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic because it continued to respect standards of good governance and the rule of law during the pandemic. Moreover, the UN has learned important lessons that will allow it to adapt even better to future emergencies.
Re-Evaluating Triage in International Justice during COVID-19 – Complying with the Rule of Law?
Authors: Ippolito Francesca 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
This article addresses the challenges (and responses thereto) for those international institutions devoted to mandatory monitoring the individuals’ protection of fundamental rights during and after the COVID pandemic. It covers the practice of several of the main regional (European, Inter-American and African) judicial and quasi-judicial human rights bodies in a comparative overview with the UN human rights monitoring bodies and the International Criminal Court. The interesting medical metaphor of ‘triage’ (i.e., designing a system of priorities to maximize impact, during an emergency) is used to discuss the measures taken to preserve the rule of law, both in their internal functioning as well as in promoting the rule of law within national legal orders when monitoring the States’ compliance with international human rights obligations and guidelines about COVID-19. While overall, procedures in the different bodies were developed to ensure that the rule of law is maintained, which makes it easier to respond to similar crises in the future, the pandemic also sheds light on the need to revisit some substantive concepts in human rights law.
Synagogue as Infrastructure in Everyday Life of Batumi Jewish Community
Authors: Abakelia Nino 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The subject under scrutiny is Sephardic and Ashkenazi synagogues in Batumi (the Black Sea Region of Georgia) that reveal both universal and culturally specific forms. The paper is based on ethnographic data gathered during fieldwork in Batumi, in 2019, and on the theoretical postulates of anthropology of infrastructure. The article argues that the Batumi synagogues could be viewed and understood as ‘infrastructure’ in their own right, as they serve as objects through which other objects, people, and ideas operate and function as a system. The paper attempts to demonstrate how the sacred edifices change their trajectory according to modern conditions and how the sacred place is inserted and coexists inside a network of touristic infrastructure.
Baptizing into Kin
Authors: Gurchiani Ketevan 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Based on ethnographic fieldwork in a multi-ethnic village in Georgia, this paper shows how everyday peace is continuously reaffirmed in the tradition of inviting Muslim godparents to baptize Christian children. The Muslim godparents perform the roles of the chosen Christians while at the same time remaining Muslim. Hybrid local lay-religious practices around the ritual of christening are analyzed within a larger cultural semiotics that allows reciprocity of perspectives and, specifically in this context, enables the recruitment of non-Christians into the role of godparent. Religion serves as a ground for asserting peace.
Informal Networks in the Black Sea Region
Authors: Darchiashvili Mariam 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIn 2014, local community members nailed a pig’s head to the door of a Muslim boarding house in Kobuleti, a small town in Adjara, to argue that ‘this is a Christian place.’ They expressed fears about the building owner, who was thought to be of Turkish origin. Enlargement of the boarding house was perceived as a possible Islamization of the town and an increase of transborder flows in the region. In this article, I examine the agency of the boarding houses in Adjara through human and non-human actors. At the same time, I look at the legal responses of the state and official structures for controlling informalities embedded in the boarding houses’ networks.