bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Return to work after surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy: a nationwide registry-based observational study
Authors: Lønne Vetle Vangen , Hara Sozaburo , Gulati Sasha , Aasdahl Lene , Salvesen Øyvind , Nygaard Øystein Petter , Solberg Tore , Hara Karen Walseth 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBackgroundFew studies of high quality exist on return to work (RTW) rate after surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). This study aims to examine the RTW rate in patients undergoing surgery for DCM.MethodsNationwide prospectively collected data were obtained from the Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery and the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration. The primary outcome was return to work, defined as being at work at a given time postoperatively without any medical income-compensation benefits. Secondary endpoints included the neck disability index (NDI) and quality of life measured by EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D).ResultsAmong 439 patients operated for DCM between 2012 and 2018, 20% of the patients received a medical income-compensation benefit one year before surgery. This number increased steadily towards the operation at which timepoint 100% received benefits. By 12 months after surgery, 65% had returned to work. By 36 months, 75% had returned to work. Patients that returned to work were more likely to be non-smokers and to have a college education. They had less comorbidity, more were without benefit 1-year pre-surgery, and significantly more patients were employed at operation date. Average days of sick leave in the year before surgery were significantly less in the RTW group, and they had a significantly lower baseline NDI and EQ-5D All PROMs reached statistical significance at 12 months, in favor of the group that achieved RTW.ConclusionAt 12 months following surgery, 65% had returned to work. At the end of the 36-month follow-up period, 75% had returned to work, 5% less than the working percentage in the beginning of the follow-up period. This study demonstrates that a large percentage of patients return to work after surgical treatment for DCM.
Knock-out of the critical nitric oxide synthase regulator DDAH1 in mice impacts amphetamine sensitivity and dopamine metabolism
Authors: Kozlova Alena A. , Rubets Elena , Vareltzoglou Magdalini R. , Jarzebska Natalia , Ragavan Vinitha N. , Chen Yingjie , Martens-Lobenhoffer Jens , Bode-Böger Stefanie M. , Gainetdinov Raul R. , Rodionov Roman N. , Bernhardt Nadine 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe enzyme dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1 (DDAH1) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of nitric oxide levels by degrading the main endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA). Growing evidence highlight the potential implication of DDAH/ADMA axis in the etiopathogenesis of several neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, we sought to investigate the role of DDAH1 in behavioral endophenotypes with neuropsychiatric relevance. To achieve this, a global DDAH1 knock-out (DDAH1-ko) mouse strain was employed. Behavioral testing and brain region-specific neurotransmitter profiling have been conducted to assess the effect of both genotype and sex. DDAH1-ko mice exhibited increased exploratory behavior toward novel objects, altered amphetamine response kinetics and decreased dopamine metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) level in the piriform cortex and striatum. Females of both genotypes showed the most robust amphetamine response. These results support the potential implication of the DDAH/ADMA pathway in central nervous system processes shaping the behavioral outcome. Yet, further experiments are required to complement the picture and define the specific brain-regions and mechanisms involved.
Direct evidence of fiber-protein-directed hemagglutination by canine adenoviruses
Authors: Matsugo Hiromichi , Kamiki Haruhiko , Ishida Hiroho , Kobayashi-Kitamura Tomoya , Takenaka-Uema Akiko , Murakami Shin , Horimoto Taisuke 
Published: February 2023

AbstractCanine adenoviruses (CAdVs) are divided into two serotypes, CAdV1 and CAdV2, whose members mainly cause infectious hepatitis and laryngotracheitis, respectively, in canids. To gain insight into the molecular basis of viral hemagglutination, we constructed chimeric viruses whose fiber proteins or their knob domains, which play a role in viral attachment to cells, were swapped among CAdV1, CAdV2, and bat adenovirus via reverse genetics. The results revealed that, in each case, viral hemagglutination was specifically mediated by the fiber protein or knob domain, providing direct evidence for fiber-protein-directed receptor-binding characteristics of CAdVs.
Emergency-related inpatient admissions in child and adolescent psychiatry: comparison of clinical characteristics of involuntary and voluntary admissions from a survey in Bavaria, Germany
Authors: Kandsperger Stephanie , Ecker Angelika , Schleicher Daniel , Wirth Michael , Brunner Romuald , Jarvers Irina 
Published: February 2023

AbstractEmergency inpatient admissions of children and adolescents are more difficult if the patient is admitted involuntarily and/or the caregivers or custodians of institutional care are absent. The present study aimed to clinically characterize involuntary versus voluntary admissions by examining the reasons for presentation and associated factors. We retrospectively analyzed patients who presented to the emergency department of a hospital for child and adolescent psychiatry in Bavaria, Germany, and were admitted as inpatients for crisis intervention in the 4th quarter of 2014–2018. Reasons for presentation, clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, and type of admission (voluntary versus involuntary) were analyzed for 431 emergency inpatient admissions. A total of 106 (24.6%) patients were involuntarily admitted. In a binominal logistic regression, presentation due to alcohol consumption, deviant social behavior, and psychosocial burden was positively associated, whereas difficulties at school and depression were negatively associated, with the likelihood of involuntary admission. 58.5% of the 123 unaccompanied patients were admitted involuntarily. Reasons for the presentation of unaccompanied and voluntary inpatient admissions were suicidal thoughts, psychosocial burden, and externalized aggression. A substantial number of child and adolescent psychiatric admissions represent emergency admissions. Involuntarily admitted patients and unaccompanied children/adolescents represent a non-negligible proportion of clinical routine and the clinical and legal background factors need to be further clarified in future studies. This study is registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (24 September 2019, DRKS00017689).
The efficacy and safety of olokizumab for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review, pairwise, and network meta-analysis
Authors: Abuelazm Mohamed , Ghanem Ahmed , Mahmoud Abdelrahman , Brakat Aml M. , Elzeftawy Mohamad A. , Mamdouh Fayoud Aya , Awad Ahmed K. , Abdelazeem Basel 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Olokizumab (OKZ) is a novel IL-6 inhibitor that directly targets IL-6 rather than its receptor. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of OKZ for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to investigate the optimal treatment regimen. A systematic review, pairwise, and network meta-analysis synthesizing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from WOS, CENTRAL, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and PubMed until August 31, 2022. We used the risk ratio (RR) and mean difference (MD) for dichotomous and continuous outcomes, respectively, presented with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). We registered our protocol in PROSPERO with ID: CRD42022358082. Five RCTs with 2277 patients were included. OKZ significantly improved the American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR) 20 (RR: 1.97 with 95% CI [1.49, 2.58], P = 0.00001), ACR50 (RR: 3.83 with 95% CI [2.13, 6.87], P = 0.00001), ACR70 (RR: 3.83 with 95% CI [2.13, 6.87], P = 0.00001), disease activity score 28 based on C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) (RR: 3.91 with 95% CI [2.65, 5.79], P = 0.00001), clinical disease activity index (CDAI) (RR: 2.80 with 95% CI [1.43, 5.48], P = 0.003), and health assessment questionnaire disability index (HAQ-DI) (MD: − 0.28 with 95% CI [− 0.38, − 0.18], P = 0.00001) after 12 weeks, compared to placebo. However, OKZ was also associated with a higher incidence of any adverse events (AEs) (RR: 1.15 with 95% CI [1.06, 1.25], P = 0.0005) and AEs leading to drug discontinuation (RR: 1.86 with 95% CI [1.05, 3.29], P = 0.03). OKZ is effective and with acceptable safety profile when administrated with methotrexate in patients with RA not adequately controlled by tumor necrosis factor inhibitors; however, more large-scale RCTs are still required to investigate the optimal dosing, long-term effects, and comparative efficacy versus established biological DMARDs.

Key Points• OKZ is effective especially with methotrexate in RA patients.
4D electrical resistivity to monitor unstable slopes in mountainous tropical regions: an example from Munnar, India
Authors: Watlet Arnaud , Thirugnanam Hemalatha , Singh Balmukund , Kumar M. Nitin , Brahmanandan Deepak , Inauen Cornelia , Swift Russell , Meldrum Phil , Uhlemann Sebastian , Wilkinson Paul , Chambers Jonathan , Ramesh Maneesha Vinodini 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
The number of large landslides in India has risen in the recent years, due to an increased occurrence of extreme monsoon rainfall events. There is an urgent need to improve our understanding of moisture-induced landslide dynamics, which vary both spatially and temporally. Geophysical methods provide integrated tools to monitor subsurface hydrological processes in unstable slopes at high spatial resolution. They are complementary to more conventional approaches using networks of point sensors, which can provide high temporal resolution information but are severely limited in terms of spatial resolution. Here, we present and discuss data from an electrical resistivity tomography monitoring system—called PRIME—deployed at the Amrita Landslide Early Warning System (Amrita-LEWS) site located in Munnar in the Western Ghats (Kerala, India). The system monitors changes in electrical resistivity in the subsurface of a landslide-prone slope that directly threatens a local community. The monitoring system provides a 4D resistivity model informing on the moisture dynamics in the subsurface of the slope. Results from a 10-month period spanning from pre-monsoon to the end of the monsoon season 2019 are presented and discussed with regard to the spatial variation of soil moisture. The temporal changes in resistivity within the slope are further investigated through the use of time-series clustering and compared to weather and subsurface pore water pressure data. This study sheds new light on the hydrological processes occurring in the shallow subsurface during the monsoon and potentially leading to slope failure. This geophysical approach aims at better understanding and forecasting slope failure to reduce the risk for the local community, thereby providing a powerful tool to be included in local landslide early warning systems.
Parental Interference in Offspring’s Mate Choice: Sets of Actions and Counteractions Based on Both Perspectives
Authors: Fišerová Anna , Havlíček Jan , Urban Marek , Urban Kamila , Štěrbová Zuzana 
Published: February 2023

AbstractMate choice in humans is specific by the involvement of kin both in partner choice and in the functioning of the relationship. The influence of relatives ranges from providing advice all the way to arranged marriages. Existing research so far tended to map neither the actual parental interventions and further reactions (counteractions) nor the independently pursued behavior (actions) by which the offspring or their partners assert their interests. This study identified such sets of behaviors through semi-structured individual interviews with members of 20 dyads of adult offspring and their biological parents (five son–mother, five son–father, five daughter–mother, and five daughter–father dyads). Thematic analysis revealed sets of parental actions aimed at the offspring, their partners, and the couple as a whole, as well as further counteractions (reactions to parental interference) and independently pursued behavior (actions) of the offspring and their partners aimed at the parents in the context of the offspring’s previous or current relationship. Our findings showed that parental interference differed depending on the recipient: toward the couple were applied mainly indirect and supportive parental actions, whereas when facing their offspring or offspring’s partner, parents’ actions were more direct and disruptive. Our results thus indicate the importance of reporting about actual interactions which differ from the hypothetical settings used in prior studies by lower intensity. Moreover, by interviewing both members of dyads, we expanded the sets of actions and counteractions identified by prior studies and managed to limit self-reporting bias.
Use of a novel technique to assess impact of age-related denervation on mouse soleus muscle function
Authors: Lal Navneet N. , Cornwall Jon , Sheard Philip W. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractDenervation contributes to loss of force-generating capacity in aged skeletal muscles, but problems with quantification of denervated fibers mean the precise impact of denervation on muscle function remains unclear. This study therefore looked to develop a reliable assay for identifying denervated muscle fibers, and used this to explore the impact of denervation on age-related force-generation in mouse skeletal muscle. Thirteen young (6-month-old) and 10 old (24-months-old) C57Bl/6 J female mice were utilized. Anaesthetized mice were infused with the fluorescent deoxyglucose analog 2[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,2-diaxol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxyglucose (2-NBDG) and the tibial nerve was repeatedly stimulated to label active skeletal muscle fibers by activity-dependent uptake of 2-NBDG. Data on muscle force generation were acquired as part of the stimulation routine. Labeled muscles were removed, snap frozen, sectioned, and slide mounted. Sections were imaged to show accumulation of 2-NBDG in activated fibers and lack of 2-NBDG accumulation in quiescent (denervated) fibers, then processed using immunohistochemistry to allow collection of data on fiber number and morphology. Soleus muscles from older mice had nine times as many denervated fibers as those from young mice (average n = 36 vs 4, old vs young). Older muscles developed significantly more passive force and less specific force, but denervation only partly accounted for age-related deficits in specific force. Further investigations are required to definitively identify contributors to the decrease in force generation that remain unaccounted for.
A critical inventory of the mediterranean endemics in the egyptian flora
Authors: Bedair Heba , Shaltout Kamal , Halmy Marwa Waseem. A. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIn terms of plant diversity, the Mediterranean Basin is the world’s second richest hotspot, and one of the most important locations on the planet for endemic species. Despite the widespread acknowledgment of the region’s global importance for plant diversity, an up-to-date list of Mediterranean endemics is still unavailable. The available data are frequently insufficient or out of date at both the whole and the national levels. Therefore, the present study aimed at delimiting the Mediterranean floristic region, screening the Mediterranean endemics, and determining the habitats and phyto-geographical distribution of these taxa in Egypt. Hence, a preliminary list of 402 Mediterranean endemic taxa in Egypt was compiled from the available literature. Indeed, the present study has reduced this number to sixty-five (16.2%) Mediterranean endemics belonging to 49 genera and 22 families. Fifteen major habitats are supporting the Mediterranean endemics in Egypt. The most represented habitat was the non-saline depressions (20 taxa = 30.8%), followed by the coastal dunes (19 taxa = 29.2%). Moreover, the Mareotis (west) subsector was the richest with 57 taxa = 87.7%. In conclusion, it’s crucial to clearly define Mediterranean endemic plants and provide an updated documented database of these taxa for a given territory to help guide future management plans that support the conservation and sustainable use of these important species under the current thought-provoking devastating impacts of rapid anthropogenic and climate changes in the region.
Coping with Moral Dilemmas in German Criminal Law Theory and Justice: Classical Cases and Modern Variants
Authors: Schuster Frank Peter 
Published: February 2023

AbstractDilemma scenarios have always been among the most common problems of moral philosophy and criminal law theory. One only has to contemplate the Plank of Carneades, the classic thought experiment whereby two shipwrecked people’s only hope of rescue is a floating board that can only be occupied by one person. Other scenarios are Welzel’s switchman case and the well-known Trolley Problem. In most of the debated cases the death of one or more people is absolutely unavoidable. The protagonists do not cause the situation but are fated to come into conflict. The focus of this article is on one recent and one future variant. First, the prioritization of medical aid (also known as “triage”) is the subject of intense debate, because the COVID-19 pandemic posed a permanent risk of a temporary collapse in the health system in several countries. Situations had arisen whereby some patients can no longer be treated owing to lack of capacity. It can be asked whether a decision to treat may be based on which patients have a better chance of survival, whether reckless previous behaviour may play a role, and whether a treatment, once started, may be discontinued in favour of another. Second, dilemma scenarios are also one of the last remaining (largely unresolved) legal difficulties of autonomous vehicles. Never before has a machine been given the power to determine the life or death of human beings. Even though the automotive industry promises that such situations will hardly ever occur, the problem could prove to be a tangible obstacle to acceptance and innovation. The article offers solutions for those distinct scenarios, but it is also intended to demonstrate the underlying legal concepts of German law: namely, the tripartite analysis of criminal law and the idea of human dignity as a fundamental principle of the German constitution.
Bias characterization, assessment, and mitigation in location-based recommender systems
Authors: Sánchez Pablo , Bellogín Alejandro , Boratto Ludovico 
Published: February 2023

AbstractLocation-Based Social Networks stimulated the rise of services such as Location-based Recommender Systems. These systems suggest to users points of interest (or venues) to visit when they arrive in a specific city or region. These recommendations impact various stakeholders in society, like the users who receive the recommendations and venue owners. Hence, if a recommender generates biased or polarized results, this affects in tangible ways both the experience of the users and the providers’ activities. In this paper, we focus on four forms of polarization, namely venue popularity, category popularity, venue exposure, and geographical distance. We characterize them on different families of recommendation algorithms when using a realistic (temporal-aware) offline evaluation methodology while assessing their existence. Besides, we propose two automatic approaches to mitigate those biases. Experimental results on real-world data show that these approaches are able to jointly improve the recommendation effectiveness, while alleviating these multiple polarizations.
Vectorial Boolean functions with the maximum number of bent components beyond the Nyberg’s bound
Authors: Bapić Amar , Pasalic Enes , Polujan Alexandr , Pott Alexander 
Published: February 2023

AbstractRecently, several interesting constructions of vectorial Boolean functions with the maximum number of bent components (MNBC functions, for short) were proposed. However, many of them have component functions from the completed Maiorana-McFarland class $${\mathcal {M}}^{\#}$$

M

#

. Moreover, no examples of MNBC functions containing component functions provably outside $${\mathcal {M}}^{\#}$$

M

#

are known. In this paper, we classify all MNBC functions in six variables. Based on the analysis of the obtained equivalence classes, we propose several infinite families of MNBC functions with component functions outside the $${\mathcal {M}}^{\#}$$

M

#

class. In particular, two of our new constructions are solutions to the open problem [Bapić et al (eds) Proceedings of the twelfth international workshop on coding and cryptography, 2022, Item 1., p. 9].
Imagining a Way Out of Dream Skepticism
Authors: Gregory Daniel 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe problem of dream skepticism – i.e., the problem of what can justify one’s belief that they are not dreaming – is one of the most famous problems in philosophy. I propose a way of responding to the problem which is available if one subscribes to the theory that the sensory experiences that we have in dreams consist of images (as opposed to false percepts). The response exploits a particular feature of imagination, viz., that it is not possible to simultaneously have two separate imagistic experiences in the same modality.
Exact parallel waves in general relativity
Authors: Roche Cian , Aazami Amir Babak , Cederbaum Carla 
Published: February 2023

AbstractWe conduct a review of the basic definitions and the principal results in the study of wavelike spacetimes, that is spacetimes whose metric models massless radiation moving at the speed of light, focusing in particular on those geometries with parallel rays. In particular, we motivate and connect their various definitions, outline their coordinate descriptions and present some classical results in their study in a language more accessible to modern readers, including the existence of “null coordinates” and the construction of Penrose limits. We also present a thorough summary of recent work on causality in pp-waves, and describe progress in addressing an open question in the field—the Ehlers–Kundt conjecture.
Minimizing total completion time in large-sized pharmaceutical quality control scheduling
Authors: Martins Miguel S. E. , Viegas Joaquim L. , Coito Tiago , Firme Bernardo , Costigliola Andrea , Figueiredo João , Vieira Susana M. , Sousa João M. C. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThis paper proposes an algorithm for the effective scheduling of analytical chemistry tests in the context of quality control for pharmaceutical manufacturing. The problem is formulated as an extension of a dual resource constrained flexible job shop scheduling problem for the allocation of both machines and analysts resources for analytical laboratory work of real dimensions. The formulation is novel and custom made to fit real quality control laboratory. The novelty comes from allowing multiple analyst interventions for each machine allocation while minimising the total completion time, formulated as a mixed integer linear programming model. A three-level dynamic heuristic is proposed to solve the problem efficiently for instances representative of real world schedules. The CPLEX solver and a Tabu Search algorithm are used for comparison. Results show that the heuristic is competitive with the other strategies for medium-sized instances while outperforming them for large-sized instances. The dynamic heuristic runs in a very short amount of time, making it suitable for real world environments. This work is valuable for the development of laboratory management solutions for quality control as it presents a way to provide automatic scheduling of resources.