bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ethics Review Challenges
Authors: Carracedo Sarah , Palmero Ana , Saenz Carla 
Published: April 2024

AbstractIn the context of a public health emergency it is imperative to conduct research studies that will produce evidence rapidly while upholding ethical standards. The Ebola and Zika outbreaks highlighted the importance of devising agile processes for ethics review in emergencies, and international research ethics guidelines stress the duty to depart from standard processes for ethics review in emergency circumstances. However, before the COVID-19 pandemic it was not entirely clear what emergency procedures should look like. An additional challenge is that while the same substantive ethical standards apply in emergency and non-emergency settings, deciding what these standards entail in the specific circumstances of a pandemic may be difficult. During the COVID-19 pandemic, challenges included identifying thresholds of social and scientific value, along with duties towards research participants, given the absence of therapeutic options; assessing continually changing risk–benefit profiles of studies, given rapidly emerging new evidence; developing appropriate informed consent processes, given lockdown scenarios; and even addressing the ethics of offering unproven interventions outside research settings. Additional issues raised during epidemics include devising feasible and meaningful community engagement strategies, mechanisms to ensure fairness in the distribution of the benefits that may result from research, and equitable and effective data-sharing plans that will inform pandemic response. Learning from these procedural and substantive challenges encountered in the ethics review of COVID-19 research is important for enhancing ethics preparedness for future emergencies. It can also potentially contribute to improving the ethics review of research in non-emergency circumstances. The seven cases in this chapter highlight ethical issues associated with ethics approval of multi-centre studies in pandemics, the need for careful consideration of the social and scientific value of research and challenges encountered when interventions are being transitioned from research to rollout, and issues that can arise when existing regulations and policies may limit capacities to appropriately adapt research to pandemic contexts.
Participant Recruitment, Consent and Post-trial Access to Interventions
Authors: Mormina Maru , Suwalowska Halina , Schneiders Mira L. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractHumanitarian emergencies, including public health crises such as epidemics, can overwhelm local resources and severely disrupt the functioning of communities and societies. Conducting research during or in the immediate aftermath of an emergency poses increased practical and ethical challenges, not least because the need to rapidly generate valuable knowledge must be constantly balanced with the principles of humanitarian assistance. This chapter provides an overview of key ethical considerations relevant to recruitment, consent and post-trial access to interventions in pandemic contexts, and proposes an “ethics in practice” approach. Research conducted during emergencies is unavoidably context – and time – sensitive, making generalized guidance difficult. The aim of this chapter is thus not to prescribe a checklist for decision-making, but to assist researchers and practitioners to reflect on and discern what constitutes ethical practice during exceptional times. In particular, public health emergencies highlight tensions that can arise between balancing the rights and interests of research participants with the health needs of the population. Careful consideration is also needed of the necessity of minimising risks and maximising benefits, including ensuring that recruitment processes are sensitive to potentially altered risk perceptions and impacts of increased vulnerability on power imbalances. The importance of establishing and maintaining trust is reviewed, particularly when asymmetries in knowledge and access to resources are heightened in complex and challenging pandemic contexts. The five case studies presented in this chapter invite readers to reflect on ethical challenges that research during public health emergencies presents, particularly in connection with processes for communicating with and recruiting participants which have been adapted in pandemic contexts; potential risks to research participants and study staff; and with the rights participants in control groups may have to access experimental products.
Hospital admissions following emergency medical services in Germany: analysis of 2 million hospital cases in 2022
Authors: Roessler Martin , Schulte Claudia , Bobeth Christoph , Wende Danny , Karagiannidis Christian 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Background
The use of emergency medical services (EMS) in Germany has increased substantially over the last few decades. While current reform efforts aim to increase effectiveness and efficiency of the German hospital and EMS systems, there is lack of data on characteristics of hospital cases using EMS.

Objectives
To analyze and compare the characteristics of cases hospitalized with and without the use of EMS.

Materials and methods
The BARMER health insurance data on more than 2 million hospital cases admitted in 2022 were analyzed. The distributions of age, clinical complexity (measured by patient clinical complexity levels, PCCL), main diagnoses, costs for EMS and hospital treatment, and multiple severity indicators were described. The overall severity of hospital cases was classified as “low or moderate” or “high” based on a combined severity indicator. All analyses were stratified by use of EMS and EMS type.

Results
A total of 28% of all included hospital cases used EMS. Relative to hospital cases without use of EMS, hospital cases with use of EMS were older (physician-staffed ambulance: 75 years, interquartile range [IQR] 59–84, double-crewed ambulance: 78 years, IQR 64–85) and had a higher clinical complexity. The severity of more than 30% of the cases using EMS (except for patient transport service ambulance) was classified as “low or moderate”. The distributions of main diagnoses differed by severity and use of EMS.

Conclusions
The high proportion of cases with low or moderate severity using EMS may indicate a substantial potential to avoid the use of EMS in the context of hospital admissions in Germany. Further investigation is required to explore whether the proportion of cases using EMS could be reduced by optimizing preclinical service.
Blind measurements did not confirm effects of forest fragmentation on fluctuating asymmetry of a tropical butterfly Morpho helenor
Authors: Kozlov Mikhail V. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractRe-evaluation of photographs of the tropical butterfly Morpho helenor from a previous study (Pignataro et al. 2023) revealed that its conclusion regarding increased wing fluctuating asymmetry in forest edge habitats compared to forest interior habitats could not be replicated. This discrepancy likely arises from (i) original measurements not being conducted blindly, (ii) insufficient photograph quality hindering accurate landmark selection, and (iii) a lack of detailed description of the measurement protocol. The likelihood of false positive discoveries within the published data concerning the impacts of environmental stress on the fluctuating asymmetry of plants and animals is probably higher than previously assumed.
Imagining and governing artificial intelligence: the ordoliberal way—an analysis of the national strategy ‘AI made in Germany’
Authors: Hälterlein Jens 
Published: April 2024

AbstractNational Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategies articulate imaginaries of the integration of AI into society and envision the governing of AI research, development and applications accordingly. To integrate these central aspects of national AI strategies under one coherent perspective, this paper presented an analysis of Germany’s strategy ‘AI made in Germany’ through the conceptual lens of ordoliberal political rationality. The first part of the paper analyses how the guiding vision of a human-centric AI not only adheres to ethical and legal principles consistent with Germany’s liberal democratic constitutional system but also addresses the risks and promises inherent to the ordoliberal problematization of freedom. Second, it is scrutinized how the strategy cultivates the fear of not achieving technological sovereignty in the AI sector. Thereby, it frames the global AI race as a race of competing (national) approaches to governing AI and articulates an ordoliberal approach to governing AI (the ‘third way’), according to which government has to operate between the twin dangers of governing too much and not governing enough. Third, the paper analyses how this ordoliberal proportionality of governing structures Germany’s Science Technology & Innovation Policy. It is shown that the corresponding risk-based approach of regulating AI constitutes a security apparatus as it produces an assessment of fears: weighting the fear of the failure to innovate with the fear of the ramifications of innovation. Finally, two lines of critical engagement based on this analysis are conducted.
Chatter detection in simulated machining data: a simple refined approach to vibration data
Authors: Alberts Matthew , St. John Sam , Jared Bradley , Karandikar Jaydeep , Khojandi Anahita , Schmitz Tony , Coble Jamie 
Published: April 2024

AbstractVibration monitoring is a critical aspect of assessing the health and performance of machinery and industrial processes. This study explores the application of machine learning techniques, specifically the Random Forest (RF) classification model, to predict and classify chatter—a detrimental self-excited vibration phenomenon—during machining operations. While sophisticated methods have been employed to address chatter, this research investigates the efficacy of a novel approach to an RF model. The study leverages simulated vibration data, bypassing resource-intensive real-world data collection, to develop a versatile chatter detection model applicable across diverse machining configurations. The feature extraction process combines time-series features and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) data features, streamlining the model while addressing challenges posed by feature selection. By focusing on the RF model’s simplicity and efficiency, this research advances chatter detection techniques, offering a practical tool with improved generalizability, computational efficiency, and ease of interpretation. The study demonstrates that innovation can reside in simplicity, opening avenues for wider applicability and accelerated progress in the machining industry.
Advancing human–robot collaboration in handcrafted manufacturing: cobot-assisted polishing design boosted by virtual reality and human-in-the-loop
Authors: Ciccarelli Marianna , Forlini Matteo , Papetti Alessandra , Palmieri Giacomo , Germani Michele 
Published: April 2024

AbstractIndustry 5.0 envisions a future where seamless collaboration between humans and robots enhances efficiency, innovation, and coevolution. While collaborative robots have found widespread applications in manufacturing, particularly in tasks like pick-and-place and assembly, their integration into handcrafted manufacturing processes presents unique challenges. This article focuses on advancing technology in the less-explored field of cobot-assisted handcrafted manufacturing, specifically in the fashion industry, with a priority on reducing work-related risks. In handcrafted processes, which often involve intricate and artistic work, cobots face challenges related to nuanced decision-making, adaptability to customizations, and the need for precise manual dexterity. The study delves into the cobot-assisted polishing of leather shoes, addressing issues associated with product delicacy, process and knowledge formalization, versatility, and integration into existing manufacturing processes. To overcome these challenges, the research proposes the application of cobots in the initial polishing phase, which is the most physically demanding, allowing artisans to focus on finalization, quality control, and process supervision. The study also applies the concept of human-in-the-loop (HITL) and virtual reality simulation to optimize collaboration, ensuring safety, ergonomics, and efficiency. The article contributes to the scientific and industrial communities by pioneering the study of collaborative robotics in craftsmanship, successfully implementing human–robot collaboration (HRC) in an industrial setting, demonstrating the effectiveness of virtual simulation and HITL, and prioritizing human factors throughout the design and development of HRC. The insights gained from this research are crucial for achieving practical solutions in industrial environments while aligning with the performance objectives of companies and workers’ well-being.
Long-term recurrence of Dupuytren’s disease treated with clostridium histolitycum collagenase. Surgical treatment and anatomopathological study
Authors: Simón-Pérez C. , Rodríguez-Mateos J. I. , Maestro I. Aguado , Alvarez-Quiñones M. , Simon-Perez E. , Martín-Ferrero M. A. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Objective
To present the functional results obtained and the possible surgical difficulties after the surgical treatment of Dupuytren’s disease (DD) recurrence in patients previously treated with Clostridium histolyticum (CCH) collagenase.

Materials and methods
In this prospective study, 178 patients with DD were treated with CCH from 2011 to 2018; During long-term postoperative follow-up, 34 patients (19.1%) had recurrence of DD. In all patients injected in the IFP the disease recurred; In patients injected in the MCP, recurrence was highest in grade III and IV of the Tubiana classification, with involvement of the 5th finger and the two-finger Y-chord. Fourteen patients (7,8%) required surgery by partial selective fasciectomy due to recurrence of cord DD infiltration. The clinical and functional results of the patients, the difficulty of the surgical technique and the anatomopathological analysis of the infiltrated cords were evaluated in comparison with those of cords and patients who had had no previous CCH treatment.

Results
In all patients, cord rupture was achieved after injection, reducing joint contracture. In 14 patients, we observed during the follow-up the existence of DD recurrence that required surgical treatment by selective partial fasciectomy. There were no major difficulties in surgery and good clinical and functional results at 6 months of follow-up. The anatomopathological study of the resected tissue did not present histological alterations with respect to the samples obtained from patients initially treated by selective partial fasciectomy.

Conclusions
Selective fasciectomy after CCH injection does not lead to important operative difficulties, as long as the CCH injection is performed according to the recommendations. There were no histological changes in the tissue after CCH injection.

Level of evidence
III.
From morbidity reduction to cost-effectiveness: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) society recommendations in minimal invasive liver surgery
Authors: Moosburner Simon , Dahlke Paul M. , Neudecker Jens , Hillebrandt Karl H. , Koch Pia F. , Knitter Sebastian , Ludwig Kristina , Kamali Can , Gül-Klein Safak , Raschzok Nathanael , Schöning Wenzel , Sauer Igor M. , Pratschke Johann , Krenzien Felix 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Minimal-invasive liver surgery (MILS) reduces surgical trauma and is associated with fewer postoperative complications. To amplify these benefits, perioperative multimodal concepts like Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS), can play a crucial role. We aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness for MILS in an ERAS program, considering the necessary additional workforce and associated expenses.

Methods
A prospective observational study comparing surgical approach in patients within an ERAS program compared to standard care from 2018—2022 at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Cost data were provided by the medical controlling office. ERAS items were applied according to the ERAS society recommendations.

Results
537 patients underwent liver surgery (46% laparoscopic, 26% robotic assisted, 28% open surgery) and 487 were managed by the ERAS protocol. Implementation of ERAS reduced overall postoperative complications in the MILS group (18% vs. 32%, p = 0.048). Complications greater than Clavien-Dindo grade II incurred the highest costs (€ 31,093) compared to minor (€ 17,510) and no complications (€13,893; p < 0.001). In the event of major complications, profit margins were reduced by a median of € 6,640.

Conclusions
Embracing the ERAS society recommendations in liver surgery leads to a significant reduction of complications. This outcome justifies the higher cost associated with a well-structured ERAS protocol, as it effectively offsets the expenses of complications.
Music in the eye of the beholder: a pupillometric study on preferred background music, attentional state, and arousal
Authors: Kiss Luca , Szikora Bence , Linnell Karina J 
Published: April 2024

AbstractAlthough background music listening during attention-demanding tasks is common, there is little research on how it affects fluctuations in attentional state and how these fluctuations are linked to physiological arousal. The present study built on Kiss and Linnell (2021) - showing a decrease in mind-wandering and increase in task-focus states with background music - to explore the link between attentional state and arousal with and without background music. 39 students between the ages of 19–32 completed a variation of the Psychomotor Vigilance Task in silence and with their self-selected background music (music they would normally listen to during attention-demanding tasks). Objective arousal measures (pretrial pupil diameter and task-evoked pupillary responses) and subjective attentional state measures (mind-wandering, task-focus, and external-distraction states) were collected throughout the task. Results showed a link between attentional state and arousal and indicated that background music increased arousal. Importantly, arousal mediated the effect of music to decrease mind-wandering and increase task-focus attentional states, suggesting that the arousal increase induced by music was behind the changes in attentional states. These findings show, for the first time in the context of background music listening, that there is a link between arousal and attentional state.
External quality assessments for SARS-CoV-2 genome detection in Austria
Authors: Buchta Christoph , Aberle Stephan W. , Görzer Irene , Griesmacher Andrea , Müller Mathias M. , Neuwirth Erich , Puchhammer-Stöckl Elisabeth , Weseslindtner Lukas , Camp Jeremy V. 
Published: April 2024

Summary
Background
External quality assessment (EQA) schemes provide objective feedback to participating laboratories about the performance of their analytical systems and information about overall regional analytical performance. The EQAs are particularly important during pandemics as they also assess the reliability of individual test results and show opportunities to improve test strategies. With the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the testing frequency significantly decreased in Austria. Here, we analyzed whether this decrease had an effect on participation and/or performance in SARS-CoV‑2 virus detection EQAs, as compared to the pandemic era.

Material and methods
Identical samples were sent to all participating laboratories, and the EQA provider evaluated the agreement of the reported results with defined targets. The EQA was operated under two schemes with identical samples and therefore we analyzed it as a single EQA round. The performance of testing was reported as true positive ratios, comparing the post-pandemic data to previous rounds. Furthermore, subgroups of participants were analyzed stratified by laboratory type (medical or nonmedical) and the test system format (fully automated or requiring manual steps).

Results
While the frequency of false negative results per sample did not change during the 3 years of the pandemic (5.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.1–8.4%), an average per sample false negative ratio of 4.3% was observed in the first post-pandemic EQA (0%, 1.8%, and 11% for the 3 positive samples included in the test panel, n = 109 test results per sample). In this first post-pandemic EQA medical laboratories (average 0.4% false negative across 3 samples, n = 90) and automated test systems (average 1.2% false negative, n = 261) had lower false negative ratios than nonmedical laboratories (22.8%, n = 19) and manual test systems (16.7%, n = 22). These lower average ratios were due to a low concentration sample, where nonmedical laboratories reported 36.8% and manual test systems 54.5% true positive results.

Conclusion
Overall ratios of true positive results were below the mean of all results during the pandemic but were similar to the first round of the pandemic. A lower post-pandemic true positive ratio was associated with specific laboratory types and assay formats, particularly for samples with low concentration. The EQAs will continue to monitor the laboratory performance to ensure the same quality of epidemiological data after the pandemic, even if vigilance has decreased.
Postoperative complications after surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis, assessment using two different data sources
Authors: Alhaug Ole Kristian , Dolatowski Filip C. , Kaur Simran , Lønne Greger 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Purpose
Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a prevalent disorder, and surgery for LSS is a common procedure. Postoperative complications occur after any surgery and impose costs for society and costs and additional morbidity for patients. Since complications are relatively rare, medical registries of large populations may provide valuable knowledge. However, recording of complications in registries can be incomplete.
To better estimate the true prevalence of complications after LSS surgery, we reviewed two different sources of data and recorded complications for a sample of Norwegian LSS patients.

Methods
474 patients treated surgically for LSS during 2015 and 2016 at four hospitals reported to a national spine registry (NORspine).
Postoperative complications were recorded by patients in NORspine, and we cross-referenced complications documented in NORspine with the patients´ electronic patient records (EPR) to re-test the complication rates. We performed descriptive statistics of complication rates using the two different data sources above, and analyzed the association between postoperative complications and clinical outcome with logistic regression.

Results
The mean (95%CI) patient age was 66.3 (65.3–67.2) years, and 254 (53.6%) were females. All patients were treated with decompression, and 51 (10.7%) received an additional fusion during the index surgery. Combining the two data sources, we found a total rate for postoperative complications of 22.4%, the NORspine registry reported a complication rate of 15.6%, and the EPR review resulted in a complication rate of 16.0%. However, the types of complications were inconsistent across the two data sources. According to NORspine, the frequency of reoperation within 90 days was 0.9% and according to EPR 3.4%. The rates of wound infection were for NORspine 3.1% and EPR review 2.1%.
There was no association between postoperative complication and patient reported outcome.

Conclusion
Postoperative complications occurred in 22% of LSS patients. The frequency of different postoperative complications differed between the two data sources.