bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prediagnostic evaluation of multicancer detection tests: design and analysis considerations
Authors: Baker Stuart G , Etzioni Ruth 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
There is growing interest in multicancer detection tests, which identify molecular signals in the blood that indicate a potential preclinical cancer. A key stage in evaluating these tests is a prediagnostic performance study, in which investigators store specimens from asymptomatic individuals and later test stored specimens from patients with cancer and a random sample of controls to determine predictive performance. Performance metrics include rates of cancer-specific true-positive and false-positive findings and a cancer-specific positive predictive value, with the latter compared with a decision-analytic threshold. The sample size trade-off method, which trades imprecise targeting of the true-positive rate for precise targeting of a zero-false-positive rate can substantially reduce sample size while increasing the lower bound of the positive predictive value. For a 1-year follow-up, with ovarian cancer as the rarest cancer considered, the sample size trade-off method yields a sample size of 163 000 compared with a sample size of 720 000, based on standard calculations. These design and analysis recommendations should be considered in planning a specimen repository and in the prediagnostic evaluation of multicancer detection tests.
Breast adenomyoepithelioma diagnosed on core needle biopsy: a diagnostic challenge
Authors: Samia Sassi , Mouna Khmou , Rihane El M , Leila Benbella , Zebbakh Hajar , Essaber Hatim , Omor Youssef , Latib Rachida , Youssef Mehdi , Bassma El K 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Adenomyoepithelioma represents a rare tumor of the breast characterized by biphasic proliferation of epithelial and myoepithelial cells. Owing to its nonspecific clinical presentation, the rarity, and the morphological pitfalls in differential diagnosis, the diagnosis may be extremely difficult especially on limited samples such as core needle biopsy; thus, the diagnosis is histological, which is confirmed by the specificities of the immunohistochemical analyses. Here we report a case of a 64-year-old female who presented a benign adenomyoepithelioma diagnosed on core needle biopsy, review the clinicopathological features of breast adenomyoepithelioma diagnosed on core needle biopsy, and discuss the useful clues to prompt accurate diagnosis.
Hydrocele stone: a rare case report
Authors: Youssef Bencherki , Abdelkrim Nedjim , Anas Tmiri , Amine Moataz , Mohamed Dakir , Adil Debbagh , Rachid Aboutaieb 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Hydrocele, characterized by fluid accumulation in the tunica vaginalis, is a common benign scrotal condition. While unusual, hydrocele can lead to rare complications such as infection or lithiasis. A 60-year-old man presented with a 2-month history of left-sided scrotal swelling and discomfort. Physical examination and ultrasound revealed a large, nontransilluminant swelling with hyperechoic images. A provisional diagnosis of scrotal hydrocele with secondary lithiasis was made, and surgical exploration was performed. Intraoperatively, a fluid collection with small, hard stones was found. Cholesterol crystals were identified in the stone. Scrotal lithiasis in hydrocele is rare and is believed to result from stagnant fluid creating an ideal environment for cholesterol crystal formation. Ultrasound is crucial for diagnosis, revealing hyperechoic stones within the fluid collection. Surgical exploration, aspiration of fluid, and stone removal are standard treatments, usually conducted through a small scrotal incision, with a high success rate.
HBO1 determines SMAD action in pluripotency and mesendoderm specification
Authors: Zhang Cong , Shan Yongli , Lin Huaisong , Zhang Yanqi , Xing Qi , Zhu Jinmin , Zhou Tiancheng , Lin Aiping , Chen Qianyu , Wang Junwei , Pan Guangjin 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
TGF-β signaling family plays an essential role to regulate fate decisions in pluripotency and lineage specification. How the action of TGF-β family signaling is intrinsically executed remains not fully elucidated. Here, we show that HBO1, a MYST histone acetyltransferase (HAT) is an essential cell intrinsic determinant for TGF-β signaling in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). HBO1−/− hESCs fail to response to TGF-β signaling to maintain pluripotency and spontaneously differentiate into neuroectoderm. Moreover, HBO1 deficient hESCs show complete defect in mesendoderm specification in BMP4-triggered gastruloids or teratomas. Molecularly, HBO1 interacts with SMAD4 and co-binds the open chromatin labeled by H3K14ac and H3K4me3 in undifferentiated hESCs. Upon differentiation, HBO1/SMAD4 co-bind and maintain the mesoderm genes in BMP4-triggered mesoderm cells while lose chromatin occupancy in neural cells induced by dual-SMAD inhibition. Our data reveal an essential role of HBO1, a chromatin factor to determine the action of SMAD in both human pluripotency and mesendoderm specification.
Cold atmospheric plasma for chronic kidney disease–related skin disorders
Authors: Zhai Siyue , Liu Dingxin , Liu Hua , Li Wanchun , Wang Zifeng , Wang Meng , Chen Lei , Jiang Hongli 
Published: February 2024

ABSTRACT

Background
An estimated 80% of individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) experience concomitant skin disorders, yet experimental research that elucidates the pathological changes in CKD-affected skin is limited. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has shown promise in regulating keratinocyte proliferation, skin barrier function and anti-inflammatory activity. We hypothesize that CAP will emerge as a promising therapeutic avenue for CKD-related skin diseases.

Methods
Male and female C57BL/6 mice were administered a 0.2% adenine diet to generate a CKD mouse model. Skin samples from dialysis patients were also collected. These models were used to investigate the pathological alterations in the renal glomeruli, tubules and epidermis. Subsequently, the potential impact of CAP on the stratum corneum, keratinocytes, skin hydration and inflammation in mice with CKD was examined.

Results
Renal biopsies revealed glomerular and tubular atrophy, epithelial degeneration and necrosis in uriniferous tubules and significant renal interstitial fibrosis. Skin biopsies from patients with CKD and mice showed stratum corneum thickening, epidermis atrophy, skin hydration dysfunction and excessive inflammation. CAP attenuated skin atrophy, hydration dysfunction and inflammation in mice with CKD, as evidenced by the activated level of YAP1/β-catenin and Nrf-2/OH-1; enhanced expression of K5 and Ki67; increased levels of AQP3, collagen I and GLUT1; reduced infiltration of CD3+ T cells and diminished levels of IL-6 and TNF-α.

Conclusions
This study provides valuable insights into the pathological changes in skin associated with CKD in both patients and animal models. It also establishes that CAP has the potential to effectively mitigate skin atrophy, hydration dysfunction and inflammation, suggesting a novel therapeutic avenue for the treatment of CKD-related skin disorders.
Tradition, Transformation, and Democratic Education
Authors: Susan McWilliams Barndt 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
As Tocqueville saw almost 200 years ago, rituals sit uncomfortably with democratic people, who tend to see them as inegalitarian or unjust impositions of authority. Molly Farneth's new book, The Politics of Ritual, encourages American progressives to see ritual differently. Rituals, she says, can be enacted in novel ways to serve democratic ends in the service of political and cultural transformation. But in emphasizing the transformative potential of rituals, Farneth may undersell the traditional value of rituals—a value that I think should be just as important to contemporary progressives. Against the serious antidemocratic forces arrayed in the United States today, most of which speak in terms of “transformation” and “disruption,” progressives would do well to think of themselves as the conservators and protectors of democracy—not just as radical innovators. In making this argument, I give special attention to the state of U.S. higher education.
Christianity, Enlightenment, and the American Experiment: A Review Essay
Authors: Thomas George 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
In the Classical and Christian Origins of American Politics: Political Theology, Natural Law, and the American Founding, Kody Cooper and Justin Dyer argue that the classical Christian Natural Law tradition is the central tradition shaping the American political order. Rejecting the scholarly consensus that the American founding was shaped by multiple traditions, Cooper and Dyer see continuity from Aristotle to Aquinas to the founding generation. This argument far exceeds the evidence: It is unpersuasive at the level of ideas, but it is even less compelling considering the epic political conflicts that surrounded these ideas—conflicts that were responsible for the genesis of Enlightenment ideas about religious liberty. Both liberalism and civic republicanism, to take the two leading schools of thought, emerged in response to conflicts over theology among the different sects of Christianity. Yet Cooper and Dyer's analysis obscures the political conflicts that were an essential feature of creating the American political order. To argue that Christianity and political theology had an important influence on thinking during the founding era, we must wrestle with what type of Christianity and political theology? How did understandings of Christianity and political theology change in their encounter with Enlightenment thinking? Cooper and Dyer do not attend to these questions. Yet such questions are all the more important given the rise of Christian nationalism and Catholic integralism, which would return us to pre-Enlightenment understandings of religious liberty that are profoundly at odds with the American experiment and the religious pluralism that stems from it.
“It is controlling, but you don’t really care.” Researchers’ perceptions of legitimation of research policy
Authors: Carlsson Vanja , Johansson Wilén Evelina 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Starting from the tension between scientific autonomy and state governing in research policy, the aim of this article is to examine how researchers who apply for funding in Sweden perceive the legitimate grounds for a new research policy in which sex and gender perspectives are integrated as criteria in assessing scientific quality. Our results show that researcher’s perception of themselves, and of the purpose of research, is compatible with dominant ideals in contemporary academic landscape, where knowledge is treated as a deliverable to external stakeholders or to meet politically formulated goals. However, according to researchers, the legitimate sources of policy influence originate from their own profession or the common interest of the people, explicitly expressed by citizens. Researchers are questioning, and find strategies to avoid, top-down state governing.
A Time-Saving Alternative to “Peak-Picking” Algorithms: A Gaussian Mixture Model Feature Extraction Technique for the Neurodiagnostic Auditory Brainstem Response
Authors: Kamerer Aryn M. 
Published: February 2024

Objectives:
The accurate and efficient analysis of neurodiagnostic auditory brainstem responses (ABR) plays a critical role in assessing auditory pathway function in human and animal research and in clinical diagnosis. Traditional analysis of the neurodiagnostic ABR analysis involves visual inspection of the waveform and manually marking peaks and troughs. Visual inspection is a tedious and time-consuming task, especially in research where there may be hundreds or thousands of waveforms to analyze. “Peak-picking” algorithms have made this task faster; however, they are prone to the same errors as visual inspection. A Gaussian mixture model-based feature extraction technique (GMM-FET) is a descriptive model of ABR morphology and an alternative to peak-picking algorithms. The GMM-FET is capable of modeling multiple waves and accounting for wave interactions, compared with other template-matching approaches that fit single waves.

Design:
The present study is a secondary analysis applying the GMM-FET to 321 ABRs from adult humans from 2 datasets using different stimuli and recording parameters. Goodness-of-fit of the GMM-FET to waves I and V and surrounding waves, that is, the summating potential and waves IV and VI, was assessed, and latency and amplitude estimations by the GMM-FET were compared with estimations from visual inspection.

Results:
The GMM-FET had a similar success rate to visual inspection in extracting peak latency and amplitude, and there was low RMS error and high intraclass correlation between the model and response waveform. Mean peak latency differences between the GMM-FET and visual inspection were small, suggesting the two methods chose the same peak in the majority of waveforms. The GMM-FET estimated wave I amplitudes within 0.12 µV of visual inspection, but estimated larger wave V amplitudes than visual inspection.

Conclusions:
The results suggest the GMM-FET is an appropriate method for extracting peak latencies and amplitudes for neurodiagnostic analysis of ABR waves I and V.
Taste of success: a strategic framework for product innovation in the food and beverage industry
Authors: Malekpour Mehrgan , Caboni Federica , Nikzadask Mohsen , Basile Vincenzo 
Published: February 2024

PurposeThis paper aims to identify the combination of innovation determinants driving the creation of innovative products amongst market leaders and market followers in food and beverage (F&B) firms.Design/methodology/approachThis research is based on the case study methodology by using two types of data sources: (1) semi-structured interviews with industry experts and (2) in-depth interviews with managers. In addition, a questionnaire adapted from prior research was used to consider market and firm types.FindingsSuggesting an integrated theoretical framework based on firm-based factors and market-based factors, this study identified a combination of determinants significantly impacting innovative products in the market. Specifically, these determinants are competition intensity and innovation capability (a combination of research and development (R&D) investment and marketing capabilities). The study also examined how these determinants vary depending on whether the firms are market leaders or market followers.Practical implicationsThis research provides practical insights for managers working in the F&B industry by using case studies and exploring the determinants of developing innovative products. In doing so, suitable strategies can be selected according to the market and firm situations.Originality/valueThe originality of the study is shown by focussing on how different combinations of market and firm factors could be applied in creating successful innovative products in the food sector.
Cash flow management, performance and risk: evidence from Greece
Authors: Rompotis Gerasimos 
Published: February 2024

PurposeI seek to identify whether cash flow management can affect the performance and risk of the Greek listed companies.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines the relationship of cash flow management with performance and risk, using a sample of 80 non-financial companies listed in the Athens Exchange. The study covers the period 2018–2022, and panel data analysis is applied. Both financial performance and stock return are taken into consideration, while risk concerns the volatility of the companies’ share prices. The various explanatory variables used include the net cash flow, free cash flow, cash conversion cycle days, cash flow from operating activities, cash flow from investing activities, cash flow from financing activities, inventory days, customer days and supplier days.FindingsThe empirical results provide evidence of a positive relationship between financial performance and net cash flow and free cash flow. In addition, operating cash flow is positively related to financial performance. The opposite is the case for investing and financing cash flow. Finally, some evidence of a negative relationship between financial performance and inventory and customer days is provided too. On the other hand, stock return and risk are not related to the cash flow management variables at all.Originality/valueTo the best of my knowledge, this is one of the few studies to examine the relationship of cash flow management with performance and risk, using data from the Greek stock market. The results can form an effective selection tool for investors seeking Greek companies with the highest financial performance potential, which may reward them with higher dividends.
Investigating engagement and burnout of gig-workers in the age of algorithms: an empirical study in digital labor platforms
Authors: Hajiheydari Nastaran , Delgosha Mohammad Soltani 
Published: February 2024

PurposeDigital labor platforms (DLPs) are transforming the nature of the work for an increasing number of workers, especially through extensively employing automated algorithms for performing managerial functions. In this novel working setting – characterized by algorithmic governance, and automatic matching, rewarding and punishing mechanisms – gig-workers play an essential role in providing on-demand services for final customers. Since gig-workers’ continued participation is crucial for sustainable service delivery in platform contexts, this study aims to identify and examine the antecedents of their working outcomes, including burnout and engagement.Design/methodology/approachWe suggested a theoretical framework, grounded in the job demands-resources heuristic model to investigate how the interplay of job demands and resources, resulting from working in DLPs, explains gig-workers’ engagement and burnout. We further empirically tested the proposed model to understand how DLPs' working conditions, in particular their algorithmic management, impact gig-working outcomes.FindingsOur findings indicate that job resources – algorithmic compensation, work autonomy and information sharing– have significant positive effects on gig-workers’ engagement. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that job insecurity, unsupportive algorithmic interaction (UAI) and algorithmic injustice significantly contribute to gig-workers’ burnout. Notably, we found that job resources substantially, but differently, moderate the relationship between job demands and gig-workers’ burnout.Originality/valueThis study contributes a theoretically accurate and empirically grounded understanding of two clusters of conditions – job demands and resources– as a result of algorithmic management practice in DLPs. We developed nuanced insights into how such conditions are evaluated by gig-workers and shape their engagement or burnout in DLP emerging work settings. We further uncovered that in gig-working context, resources do not similarly buffer against the negative effects of job demands.
Using ambulance surveillance data to characterise blood‐borne viral infection histories among patients presenting with acute alcohol and other drug‐related harms
Authors: Beard Naomi , McGrath Michael , Scott Debbie , Nehme Ziad , Lubman Dan I. , Ogeil Rowan P. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractObjectivePreventable transmission of blood‐borne viruses (BBV), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV), continue in at‐risk populations, including people who use alcohol and drugs (AODs). To our knowledge, no studies have explored the use of ambulance data for surveillance of AOD harms in patients with BBV infections.MethodsWe used electronic patient care records from the National Ambulance Surveillance System for people who were attended by an ambulance in Victoria, Australia between July 2015 and July 2016 for AOD‐related harms, and with identified history of a BBV infection. Descriptive and geospatial analyses explored the epidemiological and psychosocial characteristics of patients for these attendances.ResultsThe present study included 1832 patients with a history of a BBV infection who required an ambulance for AOD‐related harms. Amphetamines were reported in 24.7% of attendances where the patient identified HIV history, and heroin was reported more often for patients with viral hepatitis history (HCV: 19.2%; HBV: 12.7%). Higher proportions of attendances with a viral hepatitis history were observed in patients from the most socially disadvantaged areas. Geospatial analyses revealed higher concentrations of AOD attendances with a BBV history occurring in metropolitan Melbourne.ConclusionsOur study describes the utility of ambulance data to identify a sub‐population of patients with a BBV history and complex medical and social characteristics. Repeat attendances of BBV history patients to paramedics could present an opportunity for ongoing surveillance using ambulance data and possible paramedic intervention, with potential linkage to appropriate BBV services.
Making the UNFCCC fit for purpose: A research agenda on vested interests and green spiralling
Authors: Nasiritousi Naghmeh , Buylova Alexandra , Fridahl Mathias , Reischl Gunilla 
Published: February 2024

AbstractHow can the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) be made more effective? This paper argues that in order to make the UNFCCC fit for purpose, there is a need to identify the specific institutional reforms that can create ripple effects to accelerate climate action across governance levels and relevant organisations. Longstanding calls to reform the UNFCCC have targeted inefficient procedures with the intent to promote effective outcomes and – after entry into force of the Paris Agreement – to transform the UNFCCC towards holding more implementation‐focused deliberations. Despite such calls, UNFCCC reform has been modest, at best. Central to the failure of reform proposals are vested interests with conflicts of interest that seek to obstruct climate action. Without addressing these elephants in the room, reform proposals will make modest contributions to overcoming key challenges. It is due time to start retargeting institutional reform from addressing procedural inefficiencies at the UNFCCC towards addressing vested interests. We propose a new research agenda to understand ways to undermine incumbent actors seeking to preserve business as usual and support new entrants that facilitate climate action through green spiralling. A reform process addressing vested interests could improve both procedural efficiency and implementation.