bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal examination of alcohol use motives, item‐level protective behavioral strategies, and alcohol‐related consequences
Authors: Schultz Nicole R. , Smith‐LeCavalier Kirstyn N. , Walukevich‐Dienst Katherine , Prince Mark A. , Larimer Mary E. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractBackgroundAlcohol misuse among college students is a public health concern. Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) can be used before, during, after, or instead of drinking to reduce alcohol use and negative consequences, but findings on their utility at the aggregate level are mixed. Although recent work has provided important information on the performance of individual PBS items, it is limited by research designs that are cross‐sectional, do not examine consequences, or do not examine other important correlates, such as drinking motives. This study examines both the association between item‐level PBS and alcohol‐related negative consequences and the moderating effect of drinking motives longitudinally.MethodsCollege students from two universities (n = 200, 62.5% female, Mage = 20.16) completed the Drinking Motives Questionnaire‐Revised, Protective Behavioral Strategies Survey, the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index, and a measure of the quantity of alcohol use at baseline and 3‐month follow‐up. Generalized linear models were conducted to assess direct effects of item‐level PBS on alcohol‐related consequences and the moderating effects of drinking motives.ResultsTwo PBS items were associated with fewer alcohol‐related consequences at follow‐up, and two items were associated with greater alcohol‐related consequences at follow‐up. Drinking motives differentially moderated associations between item‐level PBS and alcohol‐related consequences for a proportion in the sample. Enhancement motives moderated the greatest number of associations, followed by coping, conformity, and social motives. Certain PBS (e.g., drink slowly, rather than gulp or chug) were moderated by several drinking motives, whereas other PBS items were not moderated by any motives.ConclusionConsistent with previous research, some item‐level PBS were associated longitudinally with increased negative consequences, and some were associated with decreased negative consequences. Drinking motives, particularly enhancement, moderated several item‐level PBS and consequence associations, suggesting that reasons for drinking may be important for understanding the associations between PBS strategies and alcohol‐related consequences.
Effectiveness and diagnostic accuracy of teledermatology for the assessment of skin conditions
Authors: Patel Nikesh , Aboukhatwah Nada , Esdaile Ben 
Published: February 2024

AbstractBackgroundTeledermatology provides a platform for swift specialist advice without the potential need for face‐to‐face review. Our objectives were to investigate the effectiveness, accuracy and diagnostic concordance of the platform with regard to the remote management of skin conditions.MethodsWe undertook a single‐centre, retrospective chart review over a 1‐year period, comprising a total of 1703 teledermatology referrals. Two physicians independently assessed the diagnostic concordance between telederm diagnosis (TD), in‐person diagnosis (ID) and histopathological diagnosis (HD).ResultsThere were a total of 1703 TD referrals, of which 341 were rejected, leaving 1362 referrals for evaluation. Sixty‐five per cent of these referrals were managed remotely and discharged with advice, although 4.6% of these were later re‐referred for an in‐person review. A total of 20% of referrals were rejected, of which the majority was due to a lack of appropriate imaging. The total concordance of TD compared to ID was 76.4%. When comparing the TD and ID/HD, we obtained a Kappa value of 0.636 indicating substantial agreement. In terms of accuracy, there were 49 biopsy‐proven skin cancers picked up by the service in this cohort of data. Of these, 61.2% were given an accurate diagnosis on first impression via teledermatology, 14.3% were given a different diagnosis but correctly categorised as skin cancer and 24.5% could not be assessed; however, they were triaged and escalated based upon clinical suspicion.ConclusionOur study demonstrates that teledermatology is an effective platform in terms of diagnosis and remote management, with adequate diagnostic accuracy and concordance to in‐person diagnosis.
A detection model of testis‐derived circular RNAs in serum for predicting testicular sperm retrieval rate in non‐obstructive azoospermia patients
Authors: Lv Mo‐qi , Yang Yan‐qi , Li Yi‐Xin , Zhou Liang , Ge Pan , Sun Rui‐fang , Zhang Jian , Gao Jun‐cheng , Qu Liu‐qing , Jing Qi‐ya , Li Pin‐cheng , Yan Yu‐jia , Wang Hai‐xu , Li He‐cheng , Zhou Dang‐xia 
Published: February 2024

AbstractBackgroundMicrodissection testicular sperm extraction is an effective method to retrieve sperm from non‐obstructive azoospermia patients. However, its successful rate is less than 50%.ObjectivesTo identify the predictive value of circular RNAs in serum for sperm retrieval rate in non‐obstructive azoospermia patients.Materials and methods180 non‐obstructive azoospermia patients were recruited in this study, including 84 individuals with successful sperm retrieval and 96 individuals with failed sperm retrieval. Our study contained two phases. First, 20 patients, selected from the 180 patients, were included in screening cohort. In this cohort, the top 20 circular RNAs from our previous testicular circRNA profiles were verified between successful and failed sperm retrieval groups using real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Six circular RNAs with the most significantly different expressions were selected for further verification. Second, the 180 patients were included as discovery cohort to verify the six circular RNAs. Circular RNAs were extracted from serum in each participant. Logistic regression analysis was further performed to identify the predictive value and the area under the curve analysis was used to evaluate diagnostic efficiency, sensitivity, and specificity.ResultsSix circular RNAs including hsa_circ_0058058, hsa_circ_0008045, hsa_circ_0084789, hsa_circ_0000550, hsa_circ_0007422, and hsa_circ_0004099 showed aberrant expressions between the successful and failed sperm retrieval group. In addition, both single‐circular RNA panels and multi‐circular RNA panels were finally verified to be significant in predicting sperm retrieval rate. Notably, multi‐circular RNAs panels demonstrated better predictive abilities compared with single‐circRNA panels, and the combined panel of six‐circular RNAs (risk score = 1.094×hsa_circ_0058058+0.697×hsa_circ_0008045+0.718×hsa_circ_0084789‐0.591×hsa_circ_0000550‐0.435×hsa_circ_0007422‐1.017×hsa_circ_0004099‐1.561) exhibited the best predictive ability in the present study with an AUC of 0.977, a sensitivity of 91.7% and a specificity of 86.5%. A higher risk score indicated a higher risk of failure in sperm retrieval.Discussion and conclusionOur study was the first to report that testis‐derived circular RNAs in serum have the ability to predict sperm retrieval rate in non‐obstructive azoospermia patients, whether it is a single‐circular RNA or a combination of multi‐circular RNAs.
Teaching simple heuristics can reduce the exponential growth bias in judging historic CO2 emission growth
Authors: Lammers Joris , Crusius Jan 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAcross the last 150 years, global CO2 emissions have grown at an increasing, exponential pace. Based on the well‐documented tendency to underestimate such exponential growth, we hypothesize and test in three studies (total N = 1796, including one nationally representative US sample) that people would fail to understand the historical, exponential growth of global CO2 emissions. However, we also show that providing a simple rule of thumb can serve as an effective educational boost that helps overcome this biased perception. Participants who were provided with the heuristic that historically, global CO2 emissions have doubled every thirty years provided highly accurate estimates of past emission levels. Compared to participants who relied on intuition, those who applied this doubling heuristic avoided common errors in understanding the current state of the climate change threat and made more realistic expectations of the future consequences of uninterrupted growth. Together, these studies show that overcoming the exponential growth bias helps people form more accurate perceptions of historic CO2 emissions growth and understand the difficulty of curbing future emissions.
Mitigating the impact of blood shortages in England
Authors: Chowdhury Fateha , Estcourt Lise , Murphy Michael F. 
Published: February 2024

SummaryThe supply of blood components and products in sufficient quantities is key to any effective health care system. This report describes the challenges faced by the English blood service, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), towards the end of the COVID‐19 pandemic, which in October 2022 led to an Amber Alert being declared to hospitals indicating an impending blood shortage. The impact on the hospital transfusion services and clinical users is explained. The actions taken by NHSBT to mitigate the blood supply challenges and ensure equity of transfusion support for hospitals in England including revisions to the national blood shortage plans are described. This report focuses on the collaboration and communication between NHSBT, NHS England (NHSE), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), National Blood Transfusion Committee (NBTC), National Transfusion Laboratory Managers Advisory Group for NBTC (NTLM), National Transfusion Practitioners Network, the medical Royal Colleges and clinical colleagues across the NHS.
Urinary incontinence indicates mortality, disability, and infections in hospitalised stroke patients
Authors: Fry Christopher H. , Fluck Adam , Affley Brendan , Kakar Puneet , Sharma Pankaj , Fluck David , Han Thang S. 
Published: February 2024

ObjectivesTo assess the impact of urinary incontinence (UI) on health outcomes over the entire spectrum of acute stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] scores: 0–42), due to a paucity of data on patients with milder strokes.Patients and MethodsData were prospectively collected (2014–2016) from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (1593 men, 1591 women; mean [SD] age 76.8 [13.3] years) admitted to four UK hyperacute stroke units (HASUs). Relationships between variables were assessed by multivariable logistic regression. Data were adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities, pre‐stroke disability and intra‐cranial haemorrhage, and presented as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals.ResultsAmongst patients with no symptoms or a minor stroke (NIHSS scores of 0–4), compared to patients without UI, patients with UI had significantly greater risks of poor outcomes including: in‐hospital mortality; disability at discharge; in‐hospital pneumonia; urinary tract infection within 7 days of admission; prolonged length of stay on the HASU; palliative care by discharge; activity of daily living (ADL) support, and new discharge to care home. In patients with more moderate stroke (NIHSS score of 5–15) the same outcomes were identified; being at greater risk for patients with UI, except for palliative care by discharge and ADL support. With the highest stroke severity group (NIHSS score of 16–48) all outcomes were identified except in‐patient mortality, pneumonia, and ADL support. However, odds ratios diminished as NIHSS scores increased.ConclusionsUrinary incontinence is a useful indicator of poor short‐term outcomes in older patients with an acute stroke, but irrespective of stroke severity. This provides valuable information to healthcare professionals to identify at‐risk individuals.
“Catastrophic” set size limits on infants’ capacity to represent objects: A systematic review and Bayesian meta‐analysis
Authors: Wang Jinjing (Jenny) , Kibbe Melissa M. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractDecades of research has revealed that humans can concurrently represent small quantities of three‐dimensional objects as those objects move through space or into occlusion. For infants (but not older children or adults), this ability apparently comes with a significant limitation: when the number of occluded objects exceeds three, infants experience what has been characterized as a “catastrophic” set size limit, failing to represent even the approximate quantity of the hidden array. Infants’ apparent catastrophic representational failures suggest a significant information processing limitation in the first years of life, and the evidence has been used as support for prominent theories of the development of object and numerical cognition. However, the evidence for catastrophic failure consists of individual small‐n experiments that use null hypothesis significance testing to obtain null results (i.e., p > 0.05). Whether catastrophic representational failures are robust or reliable across studies, methods, and labs is not known. Here we report a systematic review and Bayesian meta‐analysis to examine the strength of the evidence in favor of catastrophic representational failures in infancy. Our analysis of 22 experiments across 12 reports, with a combined total of n = 367 infants aged 10–20 months, revealed strong support for the evidence for catastrophic set size limits. A complementary analysis found moderate support for infants’ success when representing fewer than four objects. We discuss the implications of our findings for theories of object and numerical cognitive development.Research Highlights
Previous work has suggested that infants are unable to concurrently represent four or more objects—a “catastrophic” set size limit.
We reviewed this work and conducted a Bayesian meta‐analysis to examine the robustness of this limit across individual small‐n experiments.
We found strong support for the evidence for catastrophic set size limits, and moderate support for infants’ success when representing fewer than four objects.
Ecological crisis from a Lutheran perspective: Engaging with Pope Francis’ Laudato Si'
Authors: Chen Jiji 
Published: February 2024

AbstractPope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ encompasses concerns about oppressed groups, the relationship between human beings and nature, and the welfare of the poor, and more importantly, how these issues are viewed in the context of the ecological crisis. This paper offers a Lutheran perspective on the encyclical, examining the intricate interplay between humanity and the natural world, the impoverished, anthropocentrism, and the crucial role of advancing intercultural dialogue. Pope Francis has emphasized the use of science and technology to establish an “integral ecology.” However, this paper argues that authentic faith generates personal awareness of the sinful aspects of the environmental crisis and inspires virtuous behavior. God created nature, therefore we need to care for it. This analysis makes an important contribution to the scholarly exploration of the connections between Christian theology and ecological issues. In addition, it provides a critical assessment of anthropocentrism, which should be more concerned with the value of other created beings.
Discrimination announcements, employee opinion, and capital structure: Evidence from the EEOC
Authors: Barnes Spencer 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis paper investigates the impact of discrimination publicity on employee opinion. The findings suggest that employees reduce their sentiments toward the firm and its leaders when discrimination becomes public via Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announcements. Following the stakeholder theory of capital structure, the effect clusters in firms with above‐average leverage. Additionally, discrimination announcements increase accruals and the E index, reinforcing a culture of negative management at the firm. These results suggest that human capital risk plays a vital role in employee reactions to discrimination announcements.
Higher‐level competence: Results from the Integrated Longitudinal Studies on Aging in Japan (ILSA‐J) on the shape of associations with impaired physical and cognitive functions
Authors: Abe Takumi , Fujiwara Yoshinori , Kitamura Akihiko , Nofuji Yu , Nishita Yukiko , Makizako Hyuma , Jeong Seungwon , Iwasaki Masanori , Yamada Minoru , Kojima Narumi , Iijima Katsuya , Obuchi Shuichi , Shinmura Ken , Otsuka Rei , Suzuki Takao 
Published: February 2024

AimThis study aimed to examine the relationships between levels of competence and impaired physical and cognitive functions in older adults.MethodsWe used a data set of the Integrated Longitudinal Studies on Aging in Japan for 2017 including 5475 community‐dwelling older adults. Levels of competence were assessed using the Japan Science and Technology Agency Index of Competence (JST‐IC). Grip strength (low grip strength: <28 kg for men and <18 kg for women) and gait speed (slow gait speed: <1.0 m/s for both sexes) were evaluated as physical function measurements, and the Mini‐Mental State Examination (cognitive decline: <24 on the Mini‐Mental State Examination) was used to assess cognitive function.ResultsThe JST‐IC had areas under the curve estimated from receiver operating characteristic analysis ranging from 0.65 to 0.73 for detecting low function as assessed by these tests. Restricted cubic spline curves showed that the shape of the association between the JST‐IC and impaired function depended on sex and the test used. The comparison between perfect and imperfect JST‐IC scores showed significant differences in the prevalence of low grip strength in both sexes, slow gait speed in women, and cognitive decline in men.ConclusionsIt may be insufficient to identify those with impaired physical or cognitive function using the JST‐IC. The shape of the association with the JST‐IC varies across their measurements. Our findings can help interpret JST‐IC scores in the context of low physical and cognitive functions. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 352–358.
Practitioners' ability to retool the economy: The role of agency in local economic resilience to plant closures in Ontario
Authors: Sutton Jesse , Arku Godwin , Sadler Richard , Hutchenreuther John , Buzzelli Michael 
Published: February 2024

AbstractEconomic resilience focuses on how localities react and respond to shocks. A recent conceptual advancement, known as the agency perspective and rooted in evolutionary thinking, highlights that economic actors (e.g., practitioners, firms, and institutions) play an essential role in localities' resilience. However, empirical investigations into the role of economic actors have been scarce. To address this shortcoming, in this study we conducted in‐depth interviews with 22 practitioners (economic development officials) from various cities in Ontario, Canada. Through an evolutionary lens, we examine practitioners' perceptions of and responses to endogenous shocks—notably, major industrial plant closures over the past 20 years. We find that practitioners influence localities' resilience through each dimension of the resilience process. Most notably, they support their localities' adaption through various short‐ and long‐term adaptive strategies. Also, we find that economic actors have different capacities and resources at their disposal to respond to shocks depending on the size of their city and its geographical location. Regarding the latter, we reiterate a commonly noted north‐south divide in the province. In addition, we find that economic actors are constrained by multi‐scalar policies, and thus operate in the confines of existing power and political structures.
Shedding light on dermographism: a narrative review
Authors: Zhang Li , Peng Cong , Li Jie 
Published: February 2024

AbstractDermographism is a common subtype of chronic urticaria. It generally manifests as a linear wheal after scratching or friction, with or without angioedema. The pathophysiology is not clear, but currently, we believe that the stimulation of the skin by mechanical stress leads to the activation of mast cells, which provoke the release of histamine and pro‐inflammatory mediators, ultimately forming wheal along the stressed area. The gold standard for diagnosis is a medical history and provocation test or dermatographic test. As one of the subtypes of chronic urticaria, the Urticaria Control Test (UCT), Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life questionnaire (CU‐Q2oL), and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) are also effective tools for evaluating disease control in dermographism patients. In addition to avoiding triggers, nonsedating H1 antihistamines are the first‐line medications recommended by EAACI and other guidelines; for those who do not respond to standard doses, the recommended dosage can be increased up to 4 times. When necessary, the off‐label use of omalizumab can be considered, and some drugs with potential therapeutic effects are still being explored. However, there is still a lack of biomarkers for predicting disease severity, efficacy, and prognosis. Here, we review what we know about dermographism and some points that need exploration in the future.
Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and systemic immune‐inflammatory index as markers of response to autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in persons with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Ocaña‐Ramm Guillermo , Gallardo‐Pérez Moisés Manuel , Garcés‐Eisele Solón Javier , Sánchez‐Bonilla Daniela , Robles‐Nasta Max , Hernández‐Flores Edgar Jared , Hamilton‐Avilés Luis Enrique , Negrete‐Rodríguez Paola , Melgar‐de‐la‐Paz Miranda , Lira‐Lara Olivia , Olivares‐Gazca Juan Carlos , Ruiz‐Delgado Guillermo J. , Ruiz‐Argüelles Guillermo J. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIntroductionBiomarkers that help to evaluate the immune system and could be useful in multiple sclerosis (MS) are the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune‐inflammatory index (SII). The objective of this work is to evaluate the significance of the SII index, PLR, and NLR before and after transplantation in individuals with MS who underwent autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) at a single institution.MethodsPatients with MS who received an aHSCT between 2017 and 2022 were included in the study. NLR, PLR, and SII index were calculated prior to the transplant and 100 days after, and evaluation of the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) was done before the transplant and 12 months after. The cohort was divided into two groups: aHSCT responders (R) and nonresponders (NR).ResultsFifty‐eight individuals were examined: 37 patients in the responders group R group and 21 in NR group. There was no statistically significant difference in the SII, NLR, and PLR prior to the transplant, however at 100 days post‐HSCT, NLR in the R group was 1.8 versus 3.1 in the NR group (p = 0.003), PLR was 194 versus 295, respectively (p = 0.024), meanwhile SII index was 489.5 versus 729.3 (p < 0.001).ConclusionHigh NLR and SII index values after the aHSCT were associated with a worsening in the EDSS score. However, since this is the first ever study that compared NLR and SII index with the aHSCT response in persons with MS, further studies must be performed to corroborate this information.