bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of Social and Personal Factors on Psychological Distress in the Spanish Population in the COVID-19 Crisis
Authors: Dorado Barbé Ana Isabel , Pérez Viejo Jesús Manuel , Brea Iglesias Juan , López Pérez Jorge 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis has had an unprecedented impact on Spanish society regarding health and social issues. The purpose of this study is to analyse the potential relationship that may exist between social and personal factors and the levels of psychological distress experienced by the Spanish population during lockdown. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted using an ad hoc online questionnaire consisting of forty-three questions. The survey was administered to a sample of 3,436 people that were living in Spain during the second extension of the State of Alarm. A linear mixed model with random intersection has been used. Our findings demonstrate the intersectional vulnerability of young women and the impact different factors such as a COVID-19 diagnosis, experiencing symptoms compatible with COVID, an existing disability, a previous illness or solitary confinement may have on psychological distress levels. Conversely, higher resilience levels have shown a correlation with lower psychological distress levels.
The use of plasma biomarker-derived clusters for clinicopathologic phenotyping: results from the Boston Kidney Biopsy Cohort
Authors: Schmidt Insa M , Myrick Steele , Liu Jing , Verma Ashish , Srivastava Anand , Palsson Ragnar , Onul Ingrid F , Stillman Isaac E , Avillach Claire , Patil Prasad , Waikar Sushrut S 
Published: September 2022

ABSTRACT

Background
Protein biomarkers may provide insight into kidney disease pathology but their use for the identification of phenotypically distinct kidney diseases has not been evaluated.

Methods
We used unsupervised hierarchical clustering on 225 plasma biomarkers in 541 individuals enrolled into the Boston Kidney Biopsy Cohort, a prospective cohort study of individuals undergoing kidney biopsy with adjudicated histopathology. Using principal component analysis, we studied biomarker levels by cluster and examined differences in clinicopathologic diagnoses and histopathologic lesions across clusters. Cox proportional hazards models tested associations of clusters with kidney failure and death.

Results
We identified three biomarker-derived clusters. The mean estimated glomerular filtration rate was 72.9 ± 28.7, 72.9 ± 33.4 and 39.9 ± 30.4 mL/min/1.73 m2 in Clusters 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The top-contributing biomarker in Cluster 1 was AXIN, a negative regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway. The top-contributing biomarker in Clusters 2 and 3 was Placental Growth Factor, a member of the vascular endothelial growth factor family. Compared with Cluster 1, individuals in Cluster 3 were more likely to have tubulointerstitial disease (P &lt; .001) and diabetic kidney disease (P &lt; .001) and had more severe mesangial expansion [odds ratio (OR) 2.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29, 4.64] and inflammation in the fibrosed interstitium (OR 2.49 95% CI 1.02, 6.10). After multivariable adjustment, Cluster 3 was associated with higher risks of kidney failure (hazard ratio 3.29, 95% CI 1.37, 7.90) compared with Cluster 1.

Conclusion
Plasma biomarkers may identify clusters of individuals with kidney disease that associate with different clinicopathologic diagnoses, histopathologic lesions and adverse outcomes, and may uncover biomarker candidates and relevant pathways for further study.
A Novel Construction Of Certificateless Aggregate Signature Scheme For Healthcare Wireless Medical Sensor Networks
Authors: Qiao Zirui , Yang Qiliang , Zhou Yanwei , Yang Bo , Zhang Mingwu 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
To ensure privacy and security of healthcare wireless medical sensor networks (HWMSNs), several concrete constructions of efficient certificateless aggregate signature (CLAS) scheme without bilinear pairing were proposed in the last few years. However, many previous constructions of CLAS scheme were found to be impractical, which either fail to meet the claimed security or contain design flaws. For example, in some of the previous proposals, any adversary can forge a valid signature on any new message. In this paper, we first demonstrate some security issues and design flaws in the previous proposals of CLAS scheme. As follows, to further address the above deficiencies, a new construction of CLAS scheme with improved security is presented, and the formal security proof is given using Forking Lemma in the random oracle model, assuming that the discrete logarithm problem is hard. Compared with the previous CLAS schemes, our construction has similar computational costs, and it provides better security guarantees. Therefore, compared with the existing solutions, our proposal with strong security and high computational efficiency is more suitable for use in HWMSNs.
Robust Image Hashing Combining 3D Space Contour and Vector Angle Features
Authors: Liu Shuai , Zhao Yan 
Published: September 2022

AbstractIn this paper, an image hashing scheme combining 3D space contour (TDSC) features with vector angle (VA) features is proposed. The proposed algorithm extracts the 3D contours of the local component variation features of the image and the expression changes of the local component of the image in the form of a 3D VA to improve the performance. First, the gray component of the color image is used to construct a 3D space and the contour change features of the local component of the gray image are extracted using multi-perspectives. Then, the opposite color component and the brightness component Y of the YCbCr color space are extracted from the input image. The angular features of several image components are, respectively, extracted in the 3D space. Finally, the TDSC features are combined with the VA features to obtain image hashing. The simulations demonstrate and validate that the proposed image hashing scheme not only has better classification performance compared with the other image hashing techniques but is also equipped with the performance of tamper localization.
Signed and unsigned partial information decompositions of continuous network interactions
Authors: Milzman Jesse , Lyzinski Vince 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
We investigate the partial information decomposition (PID) framework as a tool for edge nomination. We consider both the $I_{\cap}^{\text{min}}$ and $I_{\cap}^{\text{PM}}$ PIDs, from Williams & Beer (2010, Nonnegative decomposition of multivariate information, CoRR, arXiv:2106.12393) and Finn & Lizier (2018, Entropy, 20, 297), respectively, and we both numerically and analytically investigate the utility of these frameworks for discovering significant edge interactions. In the course of our work, we extend both the $I_{\cap}^{\text{min}}$ and $I_{\cap}^{\text{PM}}$ PIDs to a general class of continuous trivariate systems. Moreover, we examine how each PID apportions information into redundant, synergistic and unique information atoms within the source-bivariate PID framework. Both our simulation experiments and analytic inquiry indicate that the atoms of the $I_{\cap}^{\text{PM}}$ PID have a non-specific sensitivity to high predictor-target mutual information, regardless of whether or not the predictors are truly interacting. By contrast, the $I_{\cap}^{\text{min}}$ PID is quite specific, although simulations suggest that it lacks sensitivity.
The illogic of plausible deniability: why proxy conflict in cyberspace may no longer pay
Authors: Canfil Justin Key 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Cyber proxies—whether mercenaries, patriotic zealots, pranksters, or simply allies of convenience—are thought to be widespread. By outsourcing to proxies, this logic goes, a host government can plausibly deny its involvement in operations that advance its military and foreign policy aims. This presents central challenge to empirical researchers. If the value of proxies derives from their deniability, this same quality should mean that implausibly deniable types—the types sponsors supposedly wish to avoid—receive disproportionate attention in data and discourse. Accordingly, proxy activity appears to have flagged across several widely used datasets, depending on how the data are parsed. Do proxies still pay? A formal model is used to hypothesize about how new norms of attribution (specifically, the willingness of victims to make accusations on the basis of circumstantial evidence) can encourage capable states to insource more than they outsource. In the model, victims have the power to decide whether denials are plausible. “Usual suspects” who learn that they will take the heat regardless have fewer incentives to rely on proxies. Empirical evidence on insourcing patterns offers backdoor support for this proposition. The findings should decrease our confidence in plausible deniability as a logic for why states outsource to proxies. The paper joins an emerging body of research that has questioned the role of plausible deniability in covert action, including cyber conflict.
Longitudinal Models of Reading and Mathematics Achievement in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
Authors: Cawthon Stephanie W , Barker Elizabeth , Daniel Johny , Cooc North , Vielma Ana G 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students often experience systemic barriers to academic success, especially low expectations of what they know and can do. Longitudinal data analysis is critical to understanding how academic achievement for DHH students progresses over time and where they may need additional support on their academic journey to achieve at the level of their hearing peers. This study provides an analysis of NWEA MAP® Growth™ data from grades 2 to 8 across seven reading and mathematics domains over a period of 5 years. Results indicate that both DHH and hearing students continue to build skills through this period, and that DHH students, contrary to many previously held assumptions, do not necessarily plateau in the elementary grades.
Trading Favours through the Revolving Door: Evidence from China’s Primary Land Market*
Authors: Chen Ting , Han Li , Kung James , Xie Jiaxin 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
By matching data on land transactions in China’s primary land market with detailed curricula vitae of board directors in publicly listed firms, we identify a pattern of ‘revolving-door’ exchanges between local officials and firms. The officials discounted the price of land that they sold to the said firms, and were subsequently rewarded with board appointments upon retirement. Specifically, these ‘client officials’ are three times as likely to be recruited by the ‘patron firms’ as board directors and enjoy a salary that is 23% higher, and 81% more company shares by comparison with directors who did not help firms to secure cheap land deals. All of these, however, are conditional on patron firms being able to receive a price discount, which averaged 19.4% when they purchased them in normal times. However, when client officials were constrained from providing a price discount during a surprise audit, the likelihood of client officials recruited as board directors was halved, with the price discount and extra compensation received by the patrons and clients, respectively, vanishing altogether. By providing evidence of the reciprocal benefits received by both parties, we demonstrate that the revolving door is used as a ‘payment’ rather than a ‘connection’ device in the Chinese context.
The Emperor’s Geography—City Locations, Nature and Institutional Optimisation
Authors: Düben Christian , Krause Melanie 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
The emergence of cities in specific locations depends on both geographical features (such as elevation and proximity to rivers) and institutional factors (such as centrality within an administrative region). In this paper, we analyse the importance of these factors at different levels of the urban hierarchy. To do so, we exploit a unique data set on the locations of cities of different status in imperial China from 221 BCE to 1911 CE, a geographically diverse empire with a long history of centralised rule. Developing a stylised theoretical model, we combine econometrics with machine learning techniques. Our results suggest that the higher a city is in the urban hierarchy, the less important are local geographical features compared to institutional factors. At the lower end of the scale, market towns without government responsibilities are most strongly shaped by geographical characteristics. We also find evidence that many cities of political importance in imperial times still enjoy a special status nowadays, underlining the modern relevance of these historical factors.
Must Agreements Be Kept? Residential Leases During Covid-19*
Authors: Ater Itai , Elster Yael , Genesove David , Hoffmann Eran B 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
We study residential lease payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey of Israeli renters shows that nearly one in eight did not pay full rent during the first lockdown in March–April 2020. These households held back two-thirds of their contractually due rent on average. Financially fragile households with large income cuts withheld a greater share. Both formal and relational aspects of the landlord-tenant relationship affected payments: tenants paid more of their rent if their leases included formal provisions against non-payment, and less if they had strong relationships with their landlords. We use bargaining and relational contract theories to explain our findings.
In Defence of the ‘Halt and Repel’ Formula? A Reply to Yishai Beer
Authors: Ruys Tom 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
In ‘When Should a Lawful War of Self-Defence End?’, Yishai Beer zooms in on the scenario where a state engaged in an act of aggression subsequently retreats from the victim state’s territory. In particular, Beer challenges the idea that such behaviour terminates the victim state’s right of self-defence since the key to ending a war should not be left to the aggressor. While the article is a welcome and thought-provoking addition to the debate, this reply questions the wisdom of abandoning the default ‘halt-and-repel’ approach to the termination of self-defence.
The impact of face-mask mandates on all-cause mortality in Switzerland: a quasi-experimental study
Authors: De Giorgi Giacomo , Geldsetzer Pascal , Michalik Felix , Speziali M Maddalena 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Background
Whereas there is strong evidence that wearing a face mask is effective in reducing the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), evidence on the impact of mandating the wearing of face masks on deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and all-cause mortality is more sparse and likely to vary by context. Focusing on a quasi-experimental setting in Switzerland, we aimed to determine (i) the effect of face-mask mandates for indoor public spaces on all-cause mortality; and (ii) how the effect has varied over time, and by age and sex.

Methods
Our analysis exploited the fact that between July and October 2020, nine cantons in Switzerland extended a face-mask mandate at different time points from being restricted to public transportation only to applying to all public indoor places. We used both a Difference-in-Differences approach with fixed-effects for canton and week and an event-study approach.

Results
In our main Difference-in-Differences model, the face-mask mandate was associated with a 0.3% reduction in all-cause mortality [95% confidence interval (CI): −3.4% to 2.7%; P = 0.818]. This null effect was confirmed in the event-study approach and a variety of robustness checks. Combining the face-mask mandate with social distancing rules led to an estimated 5.1% (95% CI: −7.9% to −2.4%; P = 0.001) reduction in all-cause mortality.

Conclusions
Mandating face-mask use in public indoor spaces in Switzerland in mid-to-late 2020 does not appear to have resulted in large reductions in all-cause mortality in the short term. There is some suggestion that combining face-mask mandates with social distancing rules reduced all-cause mortality.
Being the Alice of academia: lessons from the Red Queen hypothesis
Authors: Negatu S G , Arreguin M C , Jurado K A , Vazquez C 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Viruses and hosts must navigate environments in which each tries to outcompete the other for survival or to coexist within the same spaces. In Lewis Carrol’s Through the Looking Glass, the Red Queen tells Alice, “Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!” Borrowing from this idea, the Red Queen hypothesis asserts that organisms, such as viruses, must continuously adapt to environmental pressures to survive. In this commentary, we draw parallels between the Red Queen hypothesis and the experiences scientists of color navigate to thrive in academic spaces. In both phenomena, adapting to environmental pressures is necessary for survival. We identify the various pressures and bottlenecks faced by historically underrepresented groups in academia, as well as the adaptation strategies they must implement to persist in academia.
Adaptation of the yeast gene knockout collection is near-perfectly predicted by fitness and diminishing return epistasis
Authors: Persson Karl , Stenberg Simon , Tamás Markus J , Warringer Jonas 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Adaptive evolution of clonally dividing cells and microbes is the ultimate cause of cancer and infectious diseases. The possibility of constraining the adaptation of cell populations, by inhibiting proteins enhancing the evolvability, has therefore attracted interest. However, our current understanding of how genes influence adaptation kinetics is limited, partly because accurately measuring adaptation for many cell populations is challenging. We used a high-throughput adaptive laboratory evolution platform to track the adaptation of &gt;18,000 cell populations corresponding to single-gene deletion strains in the haploid yeast deletion collection. We report that the preadaptation fitness of gene knockouts near-perfectly (R2= 0.91) predicts their adaptation to arsenic, leaving at the most a marginal role for dedicated evolvability gene functions. We tracked the adaptation of another &gt;23,000 gene knockout populations to a diverse range of selection pressures and generalized the almost perfect (R2=0.72–0.98) capacity of preadaptation fitness to predict adaptation. We also reconstructed mutations in FPS1, ASK10, and ARR3, which together account for almost all arsenic adaptation in wild-type cells, in gene deletions covering a broad fitness range and show that the predictability of arsenic adaptation can be understood as a by global epistasis, where excluding arsenic is more beneficial to arsenic unfit cells. The paucity of genes with a meaningful evolvability effect on adaptation diminishes the prospects of developing adjuvant drugs aiming to slow antimicrobial and chemotherapy resistance.
Comparative genomics reveals putative evidence for high-elevation adaptation in the American pika (Ochotona princeps)
Authors: Sjodin Bryson M F , Russello Michael A 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
High-elevation environments have lower atmospheric oxygen content, reduced temperatures, and higher levels of UV radiation than found at lower elevations. As such, species living at high elevations must overcome these challenges to survive, grow, and reproduce. American pikas (Ochotona princeps) are alpine lagomorphs that are habitat specialists typically found at elevations &gt;2,000 m. Previous research has shown putative evidence for high-elevation adaptation; however, investigations to date have been limited to a fraction of the genome. Here, we took a comparative genomics approach to identify putative regions under selection using a chromosomal reference genome assembly for the American pika relative to 8 other mammalian species targeted based on phylogenetic relatedness and (dis)similarity in ecology. We first identified orthologous gene groups across species and then extracted groups containing only American pika genes as well as unclustered pika genes to inform functional enrichment analyses; among these, we found 141 enriched terms with many related to hypoxia, metabolism, mitochondrial function/development, and DNA repair. We identified 15 significantly expanded gene families within the American pika across all orthologous gene groups that displayed functionally enriched terms associated with hypoxia adaptation. We further detected 196 positively selected genes, 41 of which have been associated with putative adaptation to hypoxia, cold tolerance, and response to UV following a literature review. In particular, OXNAD1, NRDC, and those genes critical in DNA repair represent important targets for future research to examine their functional implications in the American pika, especially as they may relate to adaptation to rapidly changing environments.
Continuity of Care Among Postmenopausal Women With Cardiometabolic Diseases in the United States Early During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings From the Women’s Health Initiative
Authors: Wong Eugenia , Franceschini Nora , Tinker Lesley F , Wise Thomas Sherrie , Manson JoAnn E , Saquib Nazmus , Liu Simin , Vitolins Mara , Mouton Charles P , Pettinger Mary , Gillette Chris 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Background
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health measures, including stay-at-home orders, were widely instituted in the United States by March 2020. However, few studies have evaluated the impact of these measures on continuity of care among older adults living with chronic diseases.

Methods
Beginning in June 2020, participants of the national Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) (N = 64 061) were surveyed on the impact of the pandemic on various aspects of their health and well-being since March 2020, including access to care appointments, medications, and caregivers. Responses received by November 2020 (response rate = 77.6%) were tabulated and stratified by prevalent chronic diseases, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Results
Among 49 695 respondents (mean age = 83.6 years), 70.2% had a history of hypertension, 21.8% had diabetes, and 18.9% had CVD. Half of the respondents reported being very concerned about the pandemic, and 24.5% decided against seeking medical care to avoid COVID-19 exposure. A quarter reported difficulties with getting routine care, and 45.5% had in-person appointments converted to telemedicine formats; many reported canceled (27.8%) or rescheduled (37.7%) appointments. Among those taking prescribed medication (88.0%), 9.7% reported changing their method of obtaining medications. Those living with and without chronic diseases generally reported similar changes in care and medication access.

Conclusions
Early in the pandemic, many older women avoided medical care or adapted to new ways of receiving care and medications. Therefore, optimizing alternative services, like telemedicine, should be prioritized to ensure that older women continue to receive quality care during public health emergencies.