bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Antiarrhythmic Treatment in Heart Failure
Authors: Könemann Hilke , Güler-Eren Sati , Ellermann Christian , Frommeyer Gerrit , Eckardt Lars 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Purpose of Review
Arrhythmias are common in patients with heart failure (HF) and are associated with a significant risk of mortality and morbidity. Optimal antiarrhythmic treatment is therefore essential. Here, we review current approaches to antiarrhythmic treatment in patients with HF.

Recent Findings
In atrial fibrillation, rhythm control and ventricular rate control are accepted therapeutic strategies. In recent years, clinical trials have demonstrated a prognostic benefit of early rhythm control strategies and AF catheter ablation, especially in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction. Prevention of sudden cardiac death with ICD therapy is essential, but optimal risk stratification is challenging. For ventricular tachycardias, recent data support early consideration of catheter ablation. Antiarrhythmic drug therapy is an adjunctive therapy in symptomatic patients but has no prognostic benefit and well-recognized (proarrhythmic) adverse effects.

Summary
Antiarrhythmic therapy in HF requires a systematic, multimodal approach, starting with guideline-directed medical therapy for HF and integrating pharmacological, device, and interventional therapy.
Herbal medicine and gut microbiota: exploring untapped therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative disease management
Authors: Guan Yueyue , Tang Guohua , Li Lei , Shu Jianzhong , Zhao Yuhua , Huang Li , Tang Jun 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe gut microbiota that exists in the human gastrointestinal tract is incredibly important for the maintenance of general health as it contributes to multiple aspects of host physiology. Recent research has revealed a dynamic connection between the gut microbiota and the central nervous system, that can influence neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). Indeed, imbalances in the gut microbiota, or dysbiosis, play a vital role in the pathogenesis and progression of human diseases, particularly NDs. Herbal medicine has been used for centuries to treat human diseases, including NDs. These compounds help to relieve symptoms and delay the progression of NDs by improving intestinal barrier function, reducing neuroinflammation, and modulating neurotransmitter production. Notably, herbal medicine can mitigate the progression of NDs by regulating the gut microbiota. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the potential mechanisms by which herbal medicine regulates the gut microbiota in the treatment of NDs can help explain the pathogenesis of NDs from a novel perspective and propose novel therapeutic strategies for NDs. In this review, we investigate the potential neuroprotective effects of herbal medicine, focusing on its ability to regulate the gut microbiota and restore homeostasis. We also highlight the challenges and future research priorities of the integration of herbal medicine and modern medicine. As the global population ages, access to this information is becoming increasingly important for developing effective treatments for these diseases.
Embedding routine health care data in clinical trials: with great power comes great responsibility
Authors: Handoko M. Louis , de Man Frances S. , Brugts Jasper J. , van der Meer Peter , Rhodius-Meester Hanneke F. M. , Schaap Jeroen , van de Kamp H. J. Rik , Houterman Saskia , van Veghel Dennis , Uijl Alicia , Asselbergs Folkert W. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractRandomised clinical trials (RCTs) are vital for medical progress. Unfortunately, ‘traditional’ RCTs are expensive and inherently slow. Moreover, their generalisability has been questioned. There is considerable overlap in routine health care data (RHCD) and trial-specific data. Therefore, integration of RHCD in an RCT has great potential, as it would reduce the effort and costs required to collect data, thereby overcoming some of the major downsides of a traditional RCT. However, use of RHCD comes with other challenges, such as privacy issues, as well as technical and practical barriers. Here, we give a current overview of related initiatives on national cardiovascular registries (Netherlands Heart Registration, Heart4Data), showcasing the interrelationships between and the relevance of the different registries for the practicing physician. We then discuss the benefits and limitations of RHCD use in the setting of a pragmatic RCT from a cardiovascular perspective, illustrated by a case study in heart failure.
Implementing Youth Worker Networks to Achieve Social Impact in the Eradication of LGBTQIA-Phobia
Authors: De Witte Kristof , Garcia-Yeste Carme , Gallardo-Nieto Elena , Canal-Barbany Josep Maria 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Introduction
The problem of LGBQIA-phobia has been extendedly reported as a problem that threatens the quality of life and well-being, particularly for trans and intersex individuals. Scientific evidence points at the high presence of this form of violence and discrimination during adolescence and youth, negatively affecting the prospects of the victims. At the same time, there is a lack of evidence on the role and potential impact of Youth Worker Networks involved in analysing gender-based violence and finding strategies to improve the situation of LGBTQIA+ youth.

Methods
This study has focussed on the reality of a network of youth workers through a mixed method approach belonging to a transnational project funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Program (REC) of the European Commission. The implementation of 160 questionnaires and 5 semi-structured interviews in 2022 with the training participants provides evidence on the social impact that networking and evidence-based training may have in tackling LGBTQIA-phobia in youth environments.

Results
The findings of the current study show how the implementation of Youth Worker Networks can provide relevant results to achieve more respectful youth spaces toward diversity. The presence of traditional dominant masculinities together with the lack of quality training seem to be an important barrier for youth workers to fight against gender and sexual discrimination. In contrast, the professionals’ motivation and the group potential and support of the network appear to be a significant strength in overcoming forms of violence and discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression in youth contexts.

Conclusions
The results indicate that the role of youth workers, the quality of the training and environments are crucial in the work to identifying, preventing, and acting against any form of violence on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Policy Implications
Our findings point to the significant power of networks to overcome violence and discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community. Our recommendation for achieving social impact is to provide evidence-based data and empower participants to become active upstanders against any form of violence or discrimination.
Reconstructing Disease Histories in Huge Discrete State Spaces
Authors: Schill Rudolf , Klever Maren , Rupp Kevin , Hu Y. Linda , Lösch Andreas , Georg Peter , Pfahler Simon , Vocht Stefan , Hansch Stefan , Wettig Tilo , Grasedyck Lars , Spang Rainer 
Published: January 2024

AbstractMany progressive diseases develop unnoticed and insidiously at the beginning. This leads to an observational gap, since the first data on the disease can only be obtained after diagnosis. Mutual Hazard Networks address this gap by reconstructing latent disease dynamics. They model the disease as a Markov chain on the space of all possible combinations of progression events. This space can be huge: Given a set of $$n\ge 266$$

n
≥
266

events, its size exceeds the number of atoms in the universe. Mutual Hazard Networks combine time-to-event modeling with generalized probabilistic graphical models, regularization, and modern numerical tensor formats to enable efficient calculations in large state spaces using compressed data formats. Here we review Mutual Hazard Networks and put them in the context of machine learning theory. We describe how the Mutual Hazard assumption leads to a compact parameterization of the models and show how modern tensor formats allow for efficient computations in large state spaces. Finally, we show how Mutual Hazard Networks reconstruct the most likely history of glioblastomas.
Comparison of skin dose in IMRT and VMAT with TrueBeam and Halcyon linear accelerator for whole breast irradiation
Authors: Seok Jae Hyun , Ahn So Hyun , Ahn Woo Sang , Choi Dong Hyeok , Shin Seong Soo , Choi Wonsik , Jung In-hye , Lee Rena , Kim Jin Sung 
Published: January 2024

AbstractWith the increasing use of flattening filter free (FFF) beams, it is important to evaluate the impact on the skin dose and target coverage of breast cancer treatments. This study aimed to compare skin doses of treatments using FFF and flattening filter (FF) beams for breast cancer. The study established treatment plans for left breast of an anthropomorphic phantom using Halcyon’s 6-MV FFF beam and TrueBeam’s 6-MV FF beam. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) with varying numbers of arcs and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) were employed, and skin doses were measured at five points using Gafchromic EBT3 film. Each measurement was repeated three times, and averaged to reduce uncertainty. All plans were compared in terms of plan quality to ensure homogeneous target coverage. The study found that when using VMAT with two, four, and six arcs, in-field doses were 19%, 15%, and 6% higher, respectively, when using Halcyon compared to TrueBeam. Additionally, when using two arcs for VMAT, in-field doses were 10% and 15% higher compared to four and six arcs when using Halcyon. Finally, in-field dose from Halcyon using IMRT was about 1% higher than when using TrueBeam. Our research confirmed that when treating breast cancer with FFF beams, skin dose is higher than with traditional FF beams. Moreover, number of arcs used in VMAT treatment with FFF beams affects skin dose to the patient. To maintain a skin dose similar to that of FF beams when using Halcyon, it may be worth considering increasing the number of arcs.
Die Grenzen der Pflicht und die Grenzen der Supererogation
Authors: Reinhardt Karoline 
Published: January 2024

ZusammenfassungWozu sind wir verpflichtet – und was geht gegebenenfalls darüber hinaus? Das ist eine der Grundfragen der Supererogationsdebatte. Welchen Grenzen unterliegt unsere Pflichterfüllung? Welche Handlungen müssen wir als (moralisch) außergewöhnlich betrachten? Seit der Veröffentlichung von James O. Urmsons Aufsatz „Saints and Heroes“ im Jahr 1958 gibt es eine rege Debatte um Fragen der Definition, der Rechtfertigung und der möglichen Anwendung der Kategorie der Supererogation auf konkrete moralische Probleme. Eine der Kerneinsichten feministischer Philosophie aber, dass hinsichtlich der Frage, welche Handlungen wir als Pflicht oder als darüberhinausgehend betrachten, keine ‚Genderneutralität‘ herrscht, hat innerhalb der Supererogationsdebatte wenig Aufmerksamkeit erfahren: Es fehlt bislang eine systematische Untersuchung, welche Implikationen dieser Befund für die Kategorie der Supererogation hat. Insbesondere bei den Zuschreibungen von Heldenhaftigkeit und Heiligkeit, die Urmson zu den paradigmatischen Fällen von Supererogation zählt, ist der Einfluss von Genderrollen besonders auffällig und bedarf einer genaueren Analyse. Diese Beobachtung nimmt der Beitrag zum Ausgangspunkt, um zu zeigen, dass in der Supererogationsdebatte verwendete Beispiele oft mit (impliziten) Annahmen darüber verwoben sind, wer die Akteur:innen sind, die diese Handlungen vollführen – und dass diese Annahmen in hohem Maße an konventionelle und stereotype Geschlechterrollen gebunden sind. Darüber hinaus werden in dieser Debatte die Leistungen von Frauen* im Besonderen oft naturalisiert und marginalisiert. Schließlich ist die Kategorie der Supererogation bis heute häufig mit normierenden Vorstellungen darüber verbunden, was von jemandem erwartet werden kann und was nicht. Ich werde ausgehend von Urmsons einschlägigem Aufsatz eine feministische Analyse der verwendeten Beispiele vornehmen und deren Implikationen für die Kategorie der Supererogation herausarbeiten.
Electrospun polymeric nanohybrids with outstanding pollutants adsorption and electroactivity for water treatment and sensing devices
Authors: Scaffaro Roberto , Maio Andrea , Gammino Michele 
Published: January 2024

AbstractGraphene oxide (GO) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were loaded at different mutual ratios into poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-co-HFP) matrix and electrospun to construct mats that were assessed as smart sorbents for decontaminating water from methylene blue (MB) pollutant, while ensuring the additional possibility of detecting the dye amounts. The results revealed that sorption capacity enhances upon increasing GO content, which is beneficial to wettability and active area. Equilibrium adsorption of these materials is precisely predicted by the Langmuir isotherm model and the maximum capacities herein achieved, ranging from 120 to 555 mg/g depending on the formulation, are higher than those reported for similar systems. The evolution of the structure and properties of such materials as a function of dye adsorption was studied. The results reveal that MB molecules prompted the increase of electrical conductivity of the samples in a dose-dependent manner. Mats containing solely CNTs, while displaying the worst sorption performance, showed the highest electrical performances, displaying interesting changes in their electrical response as a function of the dye amount adsorbed, with a linear response and high sensitivity (309.4 µS cm−1 mg−1) in the range 0–235 µg of dye adsorbed. Beyond the possibility to monitor the presence of small amounts of MB in contaminated water and the saturation state of sorbents, this feature could even be exploited to transform waste sorbents into high-added value products, including flexible sensors for detecting low values of pressure, human motion, and so on.
Graphical Abstract
Multifunctional materials for dye absorption and detection, pressure sensing, fabricated by integrating GO and CNTs into PVDF-HFP matrix via electrospinning.
Steady Radiating Gravity waves: An Exponential Asymptotics Approach
Authors: Kataoka Takeshi , Akylas T. R. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe radiation of steady surface gravity waves by a uniform stream $$U_{0}$$

U
0

over locally confined (width $$L$$
L
) smooth topography is analyzed based on potential flow theory. The linear solution to this classical problem is readily found by Fourier transforms, and the nonlinear response has been studied extensively by numerical methods. Here, an asymptotic analysis is made for subcritical flow $$D/\lambda > 1$$

D
/
λ
>
1

in the low-Froude-number ($$F^{2} \equiv \lambda /L \ll 1$$

F
2

≡
λ
/
L
≪
1

) limit, where $$\lambda = U_{0}^{2} /g$$

λ
=

U

0

2

/
g

is the lengthscale of radiating gravity waves and $$D$$
D
is the uniform water depth. In this regime, the downstream wave amplitude, although formally exponentially small with respect to $$F$$
F
, is determined by a fully nonlinear mechanism even for small topography amplitude. It is argued that this mechanism controls the wave response for a broad range of flow conditions, in contrast to linear theory which has very limited validity.
Evaluation of C/N0 raw observation positioning by smartphone based on indoor asynchronous pseudolite
Authors: Lu Xiangchen , Chen Liang , Shen Nan , Jiang Jiahui , Dai Yue , Chen Ruizhi 
Published: January 2024

AbstractWith the rapid development of the economy and information services, there is an increasing demand for indoor positioning. However, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals face difficulties in penetrating buildings, making indoor positioning challenging. As a complementary solution to outdoor GNSS signals, pseudolites have shown promising results in various scenarios, and have become one of the research hotspots in the field of indoor positioning. Previous studies on indoor positioning with pseudolites have focused on issues such as initial position determination and carrier phase ambiguity resolution. However, most of these studies have remained in the research stage due to data post-processing and complex calculations. To overcome the limitations associated with the aforementioned factors, this paper proposes a real-time indoor positioning method that utilizes only a smartphone equipped with a built-in GNSS chip. By effectively obtaining pseudolite signal information, the smartphone establishes a simple model based on the distance and received power between the pseudolite and the smartphone. Kalman filtering is employed to mitigate the effects of multipath and occlusion. This simple and low-complexity model enables fast estimation of the user's distance from the pseudolite, thereby facilitating indoor positioning services. In this paper, the effectiveness and low complexity of the method are verified through data collection and experiments in the actual scene of the underground garage. The valuation results show that the root mean square error (RMSE) of its navigation and positioning is better than 3 m, which can meet the needs of daily life applications.
Glacier thickness and volume estimation in the Upper Indus Basin using modeling and ground penetrating radar measurements
Authors: Romshoo Shakil Ahmad , Abdullah Tariq , Ameen Ummer , Bhat Mustafa Hameed 
Published: January 2024

AbstractIn the Himalaya, ice thickness data are limited, and field measurements are even scarcer. In this study, we employed the GlabTop model to estimate ice reserves in the Jhelum (1.9 ± 0.6 km3) and Drass (2.9 ± 0.9 km3) sub-basins of the Upper Indus Basin. Glacier ice thickness in the Jhelum ranged up to 187 ± 56 m with a mean of ~24 ± 7 m, while the Drass showed ice thickness up to 202 ± 60 m, with a mean of ~17 ± 5 m. Model results were validated using Ground Penetrating Radar measurements across four profiles in the ablation zone of the Kolahoi glacier in the Jhelum and nine profiles across the Machoi glacier in the Drass sub-basin. Despite underestimating ice-thickness by ~10%, the GlabTop model effectively captured glacier ice-thickness and spatial patterns in most of the profile locations where GPR measurements were taken. The validation showed high correlation coefficient of 0.98 and 0.87, low relative bias of ~ −13% and ~ −3% and a high Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient of 0.94 and 0.93 for the Kolahoi and Machoi glaciers, respectively, demonstrating the model's effectiveness. These ice-thickness estimates improve our understanding of glacio-hydrological, and glacial hazard processes over the Upper Indus Basin.
Research through co-design
Authors: Busciantella-Ricci Daniele , Scataglini Sofia 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Research Through Design (RTD) needs to reconsider the meaning of “designing” in the research process of “through design.” We propose Research Through Co-design (RTC) as a new application of Control System Theory (CST) that includes a research problem assigned to a co-design process in RTD. It embeds the participatory paradigm through collaborative design practice and makes the research a collaborative process for learning from all the participants. To sustain the RTC theory, we present a cognitive model of RTC. It is a “model for” – rather than a “model of” – describing how the co-design, as a neural network process, works through its nodes’ collaboration to find co-designed solutions and the research answer. Diversity increases as non-experts and non-designers with different backgrounds participate. This is valuable for the RTC learning system. The discussions highlight the possibility of considering (i) the RTC model as useful for describing a robust RTD process through CST; (ii) RTC as a cognitive model for explaining the value of co-design in research processes; and (iii) RTC as a strategy for applying the participative paradigm in formal research. Finally, new insights and implications are highlighted, including using RTC as a predictive tool through artificial intelligence.
Are Metaphors Ethically Bad Epistemic Practice? Epistemic Injustice at the Intersections
Authors: Sibbald Kaitlin 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic brought the debate about the ethics of metaphors to the fore. In this article, I draw on blending theory—a theory of cognition—and theories of epistemic injustice to explore both the epistemic and ethical implications of metaphors. Beginning with a discussion of the conceptual alterations that may result from the use of metaphors, I argue that the effects these alterations have on available hermeneutical resources have the potential to result in a type of hermeneutical injustice distinct from the “lacuna” described by Miranda Fricker (Fricker 2007). Following, I examine how metaphors may therefore be considered “ethically bad epistemic practice,” as described by Rebecca Mason, because of how they may contribute to perpetuating an inequitable epistemic status quo (Mason 2011). Yet these same features may be used to promote epistemic justice in the context of intersectional power relationships. Situating the effects of metaphors within an inequitable yet dynamic epistemic system, I argue that foregrounding intersectional power dynamics enables us to interrogate the ethics of metaphors with consideration of both the epistemic and material consequences that may occur. I conclude by providing guidance for how, given that metaphors do epistemic work, we may use them to do ethical epistemic work.
Sex work and gendered tax imaginaries
Authors: Crowhurst Isabel 
Published: January 2024

AbstractBy exploring how the taxation of sex work is interpreted and explained, this article aims to expand theoretical and empirical understandings of tax imaginaries – the collectively formed meanings ascribed to taxes, taxpaying, and the purposes they serve – and how gender is mobilised in their construction. It argues that tax imaginaries created and circulated through online expert commentaries on the taxation of prostitution in Italy discredit sex workers through well-established stigmatising gendered tropes, trivialise the predicaments that they face as taxpayers, and ignore or dismiss systemic ambiguities and discriminations that disadvantage sex workers as citizens. Old prejudices against sex workers are thus reinforced and new ones constituted through these tax imaginaries, while the social inequality and marginalisation experienced by sex workers is obscured.