bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Three-Dimensional Volume Rendering of Pelvic Floor Anatomy with Focus on Fibroids in Relation to the Lower Urogenital Tract Based on Cross-Sectional MRI Images
Authors: Fan Ka Siu , Durnea Constantin , Nygaard Christiana Campani , Khalil Miriam , Doumouchtsis Stergios K. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractWe aimed to assess the feasibility of developing three-dimensional (3D) models of pelvic organs using cross-sectional MRI images of patients with uterine fibroids and urinary symptoms and of obtaining anatomical information unavailable in 2D imaging modalities. We also aimed to compare two image processing applications. We performed a feasibility study analysing MRI scans from three women, aged 30 to 58 years old, with fibroids and urinary symptoms. Cross-sectional images were used to render 3D models of pelvic anatomy, including bladder, uterus and fibroids, using 3D Slicer and OsiriX. Dimensions, volumes and anatomical relationships of the pelvic organs were evaluated. Comparisons between anatomical landmarks and measurements obtained from the two image processing applications were undertaken. Rendered 3D pelvic models yielded detailed anatomical information and data on spatial relationships that were unobtainable from cross-sectional images. Models were rendered in sufficient resolution to aid understanding of spatial relationships between urinary bladder, uterus and fibroid(s). Measurements of fibroid volumes ranged from 5,336 to 418,012 mm3 and distances between the fibroid and urinary bladder ranged from 0.10 to 83.60 mm. Statistical analysis of measurements showed no significant differences in measurements between the two image processing applications. To date, limited data exist on the use of 3D volume reconstructions of routine MRI scans, to investigate pelvic pathologies such as fibroids in women with urinary symptoms. This study suggests that post-MRI image processing can provide additional information over standard MRI. Further studies are required to assess the role of these data in clinical practice, surgical planning and training. Three-dimensional reconstruction of routine two-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging provides additional anatomical information and may improve our understanding of anatomical relationships, their role in clinical presentations and possibly guide clinical and surgical management.
Objectively Assessing the Effect of a Messenger-based Intervention to Reduce Sedentary Behavior in University Students: A Pilot Study
Authors: Kellner Mona , Dold C. , Lohkamp M. 
Published: May 2023

Aim
Sedentary behavior poses a serious health risk. Students in particular are highly affected by prolonged, uninterrupted periods of sitting due to routines in everyday university life, such as attending lectures, self-study periods in the library, etc. Whereas university students are mostly young and therefore appear to be healthy, evidence-based consequences of prolonged sitting may come to pass in prospective times. Therefore, primary prevention must be initiated to shield university students from the occurrence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Consequently, the study aims to evaluate a messenger-based intervention designed to reduce sedentary time among university students.

Subjects and Methods
The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed in a randomized controlled trial with a convenience sample of thirty-four German university students. ActivPal devices (Pal Technologies Ltd., Glasgow) were applied to measure sedentary behavior objectively before and after a 3-week intervention of messages to interrupt sedentary time. An additional evaluation of the messages was carried out.

Results
Sedentary behavior decreased by about one hour in the intervention group. Explorative analysis shows a statistically significant, negative correlation between sedentary time at baseline and the change of sedentary behavior over time in the intervention group (r = − .81) indicating effectiveness of the intervention for the participants with the highest sedentary times at baseline. Additionally, the messages were considered appropriate by the participants.

Conclusion
A reduction of sedentary time of one hour per day in the intervention group is practically significant. The current investigation had similar findings with prior studies where promising results for the reduction of sedentary behavior were observed through mobile-based interventions. The detected effects of the intervention in this pilot study demonstrate an opportunity for further research in this field.
Experimental investigation on the effect of pulsating flow on heat transfer and pressure drop in conical tubes
Authors: Abdelghany Mohamed T. , Elshamy Samir M. , Sharafeldin M. A. , Abdellatif O. E. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractIn order to boost the heat transfer rate in a conical coiled tube (CCT) using an active technique, a solenoid valve was placed ahead of the CCT and employed as a pulse generator in this research. Experimentally, the effect of pulsation on heat transfer and pressure drop in the CCT was investigated. Experiments were conducted for pulsating flow throughout a Womersley number (Wo) range of 30–48, which corresponds to a pulsating frequency of 4–10 Hz, a Dean number (De) of 1148–2983, and a coil torsion (λ) of 0.02–0.052. Results revealed that pulsating flow yields larger Nu values than steady flow. A rise in heat transfer characteristics is achieved by decreasing both the pulse frequency and the coil torsion. A pulsating flow at 4 Hz (Wo = 30) was shown to promote heat transfer by the most of all the examined frequencies. The average Nu increases as De increases, although the friction factor often decreases as De increases. When the coil torsion is reduced from 0.052 to 0.02 while maintaining the same De and Wo, the average Nu and ƒ increase by 23% and 30%, respectively. A correlation for the average Nusselt number and friction factor was presented, taking frequency and coil torsion into account.
Performance improvement of solar-assisted air-conditioning systems by using an innovative configuration of a desiccant dehumidifier and thermal recovery unit
Authors: Abdelgaied Mohamed , Saber Mohamed A. , Bassuoni M. M. , Khaira Ahmad M. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe present study aims to construct an innovative configuration of a desiccant air conditioner that achieves thermal comfort conditions with the lowest electrical power consumption rates. To achieve this, an innovative configuration of a desiccant dehumidifier channel with multi-stages of silica-gel pads and heat exchangers for inter-cooling (DDC-MSSGP&HEI) was incorporated with the suggested air conditioner. The DDC-MSSGP&HEI is characterized by increasing the dehumidification capacity as well as cooling the process air with cooling rates higher than the heat generated by the adsorption heat effect. The thermal recovery unit was also incorporated with the suggested air conditioner to achieve the lowest electrical power consumption rates; it was utilized as a preheating unit to heat the regeneration air before entering into the solar collectors. The results showed that the system could supply air with a temperature of 12.2 °C and a humidity ratio of 7 gw kg
da
−1
, this is because of the positive effect of DDC-MSSGP&HEI. Also, the energy performance of the innovative configuration of a desiccant air conditioner is more efficient where TCOP and ECOP reached 1.96 and 3.14, respectively at a regeneration temperature of 90 °C. Moreover, the energy saving due to the utilization of the thermal recovery unit reached 28.7%. The economic feasibility indicates that the proposed configuration has the potential to save the life cycle cost by a rate of up to 33% compared to the conventional system with a payback period of 5.8 years.
Kierkegaardian Ethics and the Rule of Law
Authors: Neoh Joshua 
Published: May 2023

AbstractWe approach law with deep ambivalence. On the one hand, we take immense pride in living under the rule of law. On the other hand, we often catch ourselves lamenting the existence of law. When we lament the existence of law, we are not just saying that there is too much of it. We are not just complaining about the amount of law. Rather, our complaint goes to the very nature of law itself. We complain that its rules are constraining, that its generality ignores the particularity of each situation, that its coercive force rides roughshod over our autonomy, and the list goes on. However, notwithstanding the frustration with law, it is not that we want to get rid of it. This paper seeks to express and explain our conflicting sentiments about law – why we sometimes view law as a monumental moral achievement and why we are sometimes so frustrated with it. The answer, as this paper will argue, lies in the nature of norms. The value and limit of law is traceable to the value and limit of norms. Kierkegaard helps us see that. This paper will argue that our ambivalence about law mirrors Kierkegaard’s ambivalence about ethics.
Causal inference with recurrent and competing events
Authors: Janvin Matias , Young Jessica G. , Ryalen Pål C. , Stensrud Mats J. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractMany research questions concern treatment effects on outcomes that can recur several times in the same individual. For example, medical researchers are interested in treatment effects on hospitalizations in heart failure patients and sports injuries in athletes. Competing events, such as death, complicate causal inference in studies of recurrent events because once a competing event occurs, an individual cannot have more recurrent events. Several statistical estimands have been studied in recurrent event settings, with and without competing events. However, the causal interpretations of these estimands, and the conditions that are required to identify these estimands from observed data, have yet to be formalized. Here we use a formal framework for causal inference to formulate several causal estimands in recurrent event settings, with and without competing events. When competing events exist, we clarify when commonly used classical statistical estimands can be interpreted as causal quantities from the causal mediation literature, such as (controlled) direct effects and total effects. Furthermore, we show that recent results on interventionist mediation estimands allow us to define new causal estimands with recurrent and competing events that may be of particular clinical relevance in many subject matter settings. We use causal directed acyclic graphs and single world intervention graphs to illustrate how to reason about identification conditions for the various causal estimands based on subject matter knowledge. Furthermore, using results on counting processes, we show that our causal estimands and their identification conditions, which are articulated in discrete time, converge to classical continuous time counterparts in the limit of fine discretizations of time. We propose estimators and establish their consistency for the various identifying functionals. Finally, we use the proposed estimators to compute the effect of blood pressure lowering treatment on the recurrence of acute kidney injury using data from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.
What makes a health system good? From cost-effectiveness analysis to ethical improvement in health systems
Authors: Wilson James 
Published: May 2023

AbstractFair allocation of scarce healthcare resources has been much studied within philosophy and bioethics, but analysis has focused on a narrow range of cases. The Covid-19 pandemic provided significant new challenges, making powerfully visible the extent to which health systems can be fragile, and how scarcities within crucial elements of interlinked care pathways can lead to cascading failures. Health system resilience, while previously a key topic in global health, can now be seen to be a vital concern in high-income countries too. Unfortunately, mainstream philosophical approaches to the ethics of rationing and prioritisation provide little guidance for these new problems of scarcity. Indeed, the cascading failures were arguably exacerbated by earlier attempts to make health systems leaner and more efficient. This paper argues that health systems should move from simple and atomistic approaches to measuring effectiveness to approaches that are holistic both in focusing on performance at the level of the health system as a whole, and also in incorporating a wider range of ethical concerns in thinking about what makes a health system good.
From biocolonialism to emancipation: considerations on ethical and culturally respectful omics research with indigenous Australians
Authors: Soares Gustavo H. , Hedges Joanne , Sethi Sneha , Poirier Brianna , Jamieson Lisa 
Published: May 2023

AbstractAs part of a (bio)colonial project, the biological information of Indigenous Peoples has historically been under scientific scrutiny, with very limited benefits for communities and donors. Negative past experiences have contributed to further exclude Indigenous communities from novel developments in the field of omics research. Over the past decade, new guidelines, reflections, and projects of genetic research with Indigenous Peoples have flourished in Australia, providing opportunities to move the field into a place of respect and ethical relationships. This review explores the ethical and cultural implications of the use of biological samples from Indigenous communities in biomedical research. A structured framework outlining emerging topics of interest for the development of respectful omics research partnerships with Indigenous Australians is presented. This paper highlights aspects related to Indigenous governance, community and individual consent, respectful handling of biological samples, data management, and communication in order to protect Indigenous interests and rights and to promote communities’ autonomy.
Engaging otherness: care ethics radical perspectives on empathy
Authors: van Dijke Jolanda , van Nistelrooij Inge , Bos Pien , Duyndam Joachim 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThroughout the years, care ethicists have raised concerns that prevalent definitions of empathy fail to adequately address the problem of otherness. They have proposed alternative conceptualizations of empathy that aim to acknowledge individual differences, help to extend care beyond one’s inner circle, and develop a critical awareness of biases and prejudices. We explore three such alternatives: Noddings’ concept of engrossment, Meyers’ account of broad empathy, and Baart’s concept of perspective-shifting. Based on these accounts, we explain that care ethics promotes a conceptualization of empathy that is radical in its commitment to engage otherness and that is characterized by being: (1) receptive and open, (2) broad and deep in scope, (3) relational and interactive, (4) mature and multifaceted, (5) critical and reflective, (6) disruptive and transformative. This type of empathy is both demanding and rewarding, as it may inspire health professionals to rethink empathy, its challenges, and its contribution to good care and as it may enrich empathy education and professional empathy practices in health care.
The many faces of the politics of shame in European policymaking
Authors: Sanchez Salgado Rosa M. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThis paper analyzes shaming attempts in the European Parliament (EP) over a long period. Drawing on existing literature on shaming and stigmatization in International Relations, as well as on studies on blame avoidance (Public administration), this paper explores the extent to which (and how) shaming attempts were used in day-to-day European policymaking. The paper first shows how the word ‘shame’ has been employed by key policymakers in different policy areas. Data analyzed include EP speech acts (mainly debates) from 1994 to 2014. The second part of the paper consists of an interpretative and contextualizing qualitative analysis, exploring in-depth social and economic policy areas. This paper shows that, in these policy areas, shaming attempts have often served as an ideological tool, or have become entangled in turf wars between supranational institutions and Member States. The in-depth study also illustrates the circumstances under which shaming attempts have led to compliance, non-compliance or shame backlashes.
Application of an Integrative Drug Safety Model for Detection of Adverse Drug Events Associated With Inhibition of Glutathione Peroxidase 1 in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Janetzki Jack L. , Pratt Nicole L. , Ward Michael B. , Sykes Matthew J. 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Background
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is characterised by declining lung function and a greater oxidative stress burden due to reduced activity of antioxidant enzymes such as Glutathione Peroxidase 1.

Objectives
The extent to which drugs may contribute to this compromised activity is largely unknown. An integrative drug safety model explores inhibition of Glutathione Peroxidase 1 by drugs and their association with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease adverse drug events.

Methods
In silico molecular modelling approaches were utilised to predict the interactions that drugs have within the active site of Glutathione Peroxidase 1 in both human and bovine models. Similarities of chemical features between approved drugs and the known inhibitor tiopronin were also investigated. Subsequently the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event System was searched to uncover adverse drug event signals associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Results
Statistical and molecular modelling analyses confirmed that the use of several registered drugs, including acetylsalicylic acid and atenolol may be associated with inhibition of Glutathione Peroxidase 1 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Conclusion
The integration of molecular modelling and pharmacoepidemological data has the potential to advance drug safety science. Ongoing review of medication use and further pharmacoepidemiological and biological analyses are warranted to ensure appropriate use is recommended.

Graphical Abstract
Status assessment and opportunities for improving fish welfare in animal experimental research according to the 3R-Guidelines
Authors: Grunow Bianka , Strauch Sebastian M. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractIn mammalian research, the implementation of the 3Rs is ubiquitous. However, the adaptation of procedures for experimental work on fish seems less extensive in comparison, even though fish model organisms are common in a broad range of research fields already. To strengthen animal welfare in experimental research, we provide an overview of current research results, including studies on the nociception of fishes. Furthermore, we describe the potential of implementing the 3Rs in fish experimental research. In the context of "Reduction", we show alternative research methods to lethal sampling. Considering "Refinement", we point out possibilities to improve fish handling and indicate that adaptations to the individual species ecology are necessary. Under the aspect of "Replacement", we describe the high potential of cell cultures that can be obtained from fish tissue and give an overview of the already extensive use in ecotoxicology and virology. In addition, we illustrate that cell cultures could also be increasingly used for basic research.
Graphical abstract
Compliance in small-scale fisheries is linked to fisher-trader relations: not fishers alone (Southeast Asian case study)
Authors: Elsler Laura G. , Neil Muhammad , Ferse Sebastian , Navarrete Forero Gabriela , Glaser Marion , Schlüter Maja 
Published: May 2023

AbstractFisher-trader relations are influential in many small-scale fisheries worldwide. The ability to influence emergent fishing practices has shifted traders into focus of fisheries policy-making. Formal policies could be more effective if they were complementary to and build on an understanding of the role of traders, their interaction with fishers, and how these contribute to the emergence of compliant or non-compliant fishing practices. Here, we first compared fishing practices with policies to assess the latter's effectiveness in Indonesia, Spermonde. Second, we identified the roles and interactions of fisher-trader relations in shaping emergent fishing practices using the social-ecological action situation framework. We found that 6 out of 7 fishing practices were at least partially non-compliant with formal policies. Second, fisher-trader relations mediated by social norms enabled more fishing practices to emerge than those focused solely on selling and buying fish. Third, traders' interactions with other fishery actors enabled non-compliant fishing practices. These findings comprehensively characterize fishers' and traders' roles and interactions in the emergence of fishing practices. Policy effectiveness could be enhanced by engaging in traders' interactions with other fishery actors.
The Language of Inclusion: Using Critical Corpus-Based Methods to Study the Presence and Representation of “Women, Children and Vulnerable Groups” in Liberia’s Truth Commission
Authors: Evrard Elke 
Published: May 2023

AbstractWhile inclusion, participation and victim-centredness have become catchwords in transitional justice discourse, this rhetoric has not necessarily enabled the articulation of more complex identities and experiences, or the pursuit of varied justice claims. To probe this disconnect, this article engages with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia, a mechanism established to reckon with the country’s history of internal armed conflict, and hailed for its involvement of vulnerable, disenfranchised and oft-overlooked groups. The article combines expressive theories of justice with an innovative corpus-based methodology to critically examine how the Commission made visible, defined and construed these actors through its language of inclusion. Results from word frequency, co-occurrence and sentiment analyses illustrate how the Commission foregrounded the plight and rights of women and children, and their participation as a vehicle for emancipation, but simultaneously reproduced universalist and static identities, fixation on sexual violence and child soldier recruitment, and subject positions lacking in positive or political capabilities. This duality points to inherent tensions in the expressive messaging of TJ institutions, and rather locates the transformative potential of their inclusionary language in the strategic openings it affords for victims’ groups, women and youth organizations in their broader trajectories towards justice and change.