bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Anal endosonographic assessment of the accuracy of clinical diagnosis of obstetric anal sphincter injury
Authors: Jones Angharad , Ferrari Linda , Martinez Paula Igualada , Oteng-Ntim Eugene , Hainsworth Alison , Schizas Alexis 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Introduction and hypothesis
Obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) are a common cause of maternal morbidity with an overall incidence in the UK of 2.9% (range 0–8%). They can cause a range of physical symptoms and psychological distress. This study aims to assess the accuracy of clinical diagnosis of OASIS using endoanal ultrasound (EAUS) and the correlation between confirmed injury and change to anorectal physiology squeeze pressure and the incidence of bowel symptoms.

Methods and materials
Retrospective study of prospectively collected data from 1135 women who attended the Third- and Fourth-Degree Tears Clinic at our institution, 12 weeks post-delivery, between June 2008 and October 2019.

Results
OASIS was confirmed in 876 (78.8%) women and 236 (21.3%) had no injury. Of the women who underwent anorectal physiology, 45.6% had a mean maximal resting pressure below the normal range and 68.8% had a mean incremental squeeze pressure below normal. Women with confirmed OASIS had significantly lower pressures (p < 0.001) than those without a confirmed sphincter injury. Three hundred ninety-three (34.8%) women reported bowel symptoms, with those with endosonographic evidence of injury more likely to develop flatus incontinence.

Conclusion
Of the women in this study with a suspected OASIS, 21.2% could be reassured that they did not have an injury. This information is useful for women considering future mode of delivery. Those with confirmed injury are more likely to complain of flatus incontinence and have reduced anal sphincter pressures.
Generalized flatness constants, spanning lattice polytopes, and the Gromov width
Authors: Averkov Gennadiy , Hofscheier Johannes , Nill Benjamin 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIn this paper we motivate some new directions of research regarding the lattice width of convex bodies. We show that convex bodies of sufficiently large width contain a unimodular copy of a standard simplex. Following an argument of Eisenbrand and Shmonin, we prove that every lattice polytope contains a minimal generating set of the affine lattice spanned by its lattice points such that the number of generators (and the lattice width of their convex hull) is bounded by a constant which only depends on the dimension. We also discuss relations to recent results on spanning lattice polytopes and how our results could be viewed as the beginning of the study of generalized flatness constants. Regarding symplectic geometry, we point out how the lattice width of a Delzant polytope is related to upper and lower bounds on the Gromov width of its associated symplectic toric manifold. Throughout, we include several open questions.
Local radiotherapy and E7 RNA-LPX vaccination show enhanced therapeutic efficacy in preclinical models of HPV16+ cancer
Authors: Salomon Nadja , Selmi Abderaouf , Grunwitz Christian , Kong Anthony , Stanganello Eliana , Neumaier Jennifer , Petschenka Jutta , Diken Mustafa , Kreiter Sebastian , Türeci Özlem , Sahin Ugur , Vascotto Fulvia 
Published: December 2021

AbstractHuman papilloma virus (HPV) infection is a causative agent for several cancers types (genital, anal and head and neck region). The HPV E6 and E7 proteins are oncogenic drivers and thus are ideal candidates for therapeutic vaccination. We recently reported that a novel ribonucleic acid lipoplex (RNA-LPX)-based HPV16 vaccine, E7 RNA-LPX, mediates regression of mouse HPV16+ tumors and establishes protective T cell memory. An HPV16 E6/E7 RNA-LPX vaccine is currently being investigated in two phase I and II clinical trials in various HPV-driven cancer types; however, it remains a high unmet medical need for treatments for patients with radiosensitive HPV16+ tumors. Therefore, we set out to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of E7 RNA-LPX vaccine combined with standard-of-care local radiotherapy (LRT). We demonstrate that E7 RNA-LPX synergizes with LRT in HPV16+ mouse tumors, with potent therapeutic effects exceeding those of either monotherapy. Mode of action studies revealed that the E7 RNA-LPX vaccine induced high numbers of intratumoral-E7-specific CD8+T cells, rendering cold tumors immunologically hot, whereas LRT primarily acted as a cytotoxic therapy, reducing tumor mass and intratumor hypoxia by predisposing tumor cells to antigen-specific T cell-mediated killing. Overall, LRT enhanced the effector function of E7 RNA-LPX-primed T cell responses. The therapeutic synergy was dependent on total radiation dose, rather than radiation dose-fractionation. Together, these results show that LRT synergizes with E7 RNA-LPX and enhances its anti-tumor activity against HPV16+ cancer models. This work paves into a new translational therapy for HPV16+ cancer patients.
How groundwater time series and aquifer property data explain heterogeneity in the Permo-Triassic sandstone aquifers of the Eden Valley, Cumbria, UK
Authors: Colyer Alex , Butler Adrian , Peach Denis , Hughes Andrew 
Published: December 2021

AbstractA novel investigation of the impact of meteorological and geological heterogeneity within the Permo-Triassic Sandstone aquifers of the River Eden catchment, Cumbria (UK), is described. Quantifying the impact of heterogeneity on the water cycle is increasingly important to sustainably manage water resources and minimise flood risk. Traditional investigations on heterogeneity at the catchment scale require a considerable amount of data, and this has led to the analysis of available time series to interpret the impact of heterogeneity. The current research integrated groundwater-level and meteorological time series in conjunction with aquifer property data at 11 borehole locations to quantify the impact of heterogeneity and inform the hydrogeological conceptual understanding. The study visually categorised and used seasonal trend decomposition by LOESS (STL) on 11 groundwater and meteorological time series. Decomposition components of the different time series were compared using variance ratios. Though the Eden catchment exhibits highly heterogeneous rainfall distribution, comparative analysis at borehole locations showed that (1) meteorological drivers at borehole locations are broadly homogeneous and (2) the meteorological drivers are not sufficient to generate the variation observed in the groundwater-level time series. Three distinct hydrogeological regimes were identified and shown to coincide with heterogeneous features in the southern Brockram facies, which is the northern silicified region of the Penrith Sandstone and the St Bees Sandstone. The use of STL analysis in combination with detailed aquifer property data is a low-impact insightful investigative tool that helps guide the development of hydrogeological conceptual models.
Cross-cultural perspective on sustainable consumption: implications for consumer motivations and promotion
Authors: Ur Rahman Saleem , Chwialkowska Agnieszka , Hussain Nazim , Bhatti Waheed Akbar , Luomala Harri 
Published: December 2021

AbstractFirms in the past have based their marketing and promotion strategies on the assumption of infinite resources and zero environmental impact. With the growing importance of environmental costs associated with finite resources, firms need to revisit their marketing and promotion strategies. This study defines and conceptualizes horizontal/vertical individualism–collectivism (H/V I-C) cultural value orientations as antecedents of sustainable consumption. Drawing onH/V I-Cvalue orientations, this study attempts to build asustainable consumption modelto better understand how horizontal/vertical individualism–collectivism cultural values are reflected in consumers’ sustainable consumption motives and how they can be translated into persuasive advertising appeals tailored to specific cultural segments. This study contributes to provide new theoretical and managerial insights into understanding culturally relevant sustainable consumption motives and to establish appropriate strategies of sustainable consumption promotion in cross-cultural contexts. Most importantly, this study provides implications to companies for balancing more carefully their growth goals with the need to pursue sustainability across different cultures.
A Finite Difference Method for the Variational p-Laplacian
Authors: del Teso Félix , Lindgren Erik 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWe propose a new monotone finite difference discretization for the variational p-Laplace operator, $$\Delta _pu=\text{ div }(|\nabla u|^{p-2}\nabla u),$$

Δ
p

u
=

div

(
|
∇
u
|

p
-
2

∇
u
)
,

and present a convergent numerical scheme for related Dirichlet problems. The resulting nonlinear system is solved using two different methods: one based on Newton-Raphson and one explicit method. Finally, we exhibit some numerical simulations supporting our theoretical results. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first monotone finite difference discretization of the variational p-Laplacian and also the first time that nonhomogeneous problems for this operator can be treated numerically with a finite difference scheme.
Impact of a School-Based Multicomponent Positive Psychology Intervention on Adolescents’ Time Attitudes: A Latent Transition Analysis
Authors: Tejada-Gallardo Claudia , Blasco-Belled Ana , Alsinet Carles 
Published: December 2021

AbstractTime attitudes, which refer to positive and negative feelings towards the past, present, and future, are a salient phenomenon in the developmental stage of adolescence and have been related to better well-being. Positive feelings towards time can be promoted in the school setting through empirically validated positive psychology interventions. However, the extent to which these interventions impact the time attitudes of adolescents remains unknown. The current study investigated the influence of a multicomponent positive psychology intervention on adolescents’ transitions between time attitude profiles and how these transitions are related to their emotional, social, and psychological well-being. Participants consisted of 220 (M = 14.98; 47.3% female) adolescents from two Spanish high schools who participated in the six-week Get to Know Me+ program. Adolescents’ time attitudes and well-being were measured via the Adolescents and Adult Time Inventory–Time Attitudes and the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form, respectively, at pre- and postintervention. Participants were clustered in different profiles through a latent profile analysis, and the transitions were analyzed using a latent transition analysis. Five profiles were identified (negative, present/future negative, past negative, optimistic, and positive), and results indicated that adolescents who participated in the intervention were more likely to transition to positive profiles (optimistic and positive) and generally reported higher well-being, especially those in the negative, present/future negative, and optimistic profiles. Preliminary evidence showed that school-based multicomponent positive psychology interventions can have a positive impact on adolescents’ feelings towards time and well-being.
Deep learning for historical books: classification of printing technology for digitized images
Authors: Im Chanjong , Kim Yongho , Mandl Thomas 
Published: December 2021

AbstractPrinting technology has evolved through the past centuries due to technological progress. Within Digital Humanities, images are playing a more prominent role in research. For mass analysis of digitized historical images, bias can be introduced in various ways. One of them is the printing technology originally used. The classification of images to their printing technology e.g. woodcut, copper engraving, or lithography requires highly skilled experts. We have developed a deep learning classification system that achieves very good results. This paper explains the challenges of digitized collections for this task. To overcome them and to achieve good performance, shallow networks and appropriate sampling strategies needed to be combined. We also show how class activation maps (CAM) can be used to analyze the results.
Can a paid model for peer review be sustainable when the author can decide whether to pay or not?
Authors: García J. A. , Rodriguez-Sánchez Rosa , Fdez-Valdivia J. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractGiven how hard it is to recruit good reviewers who are aligned with authors in their functions, journal editors could consider the use of better incentives, such as paying reviewers for their time. In order to facilitate a speedy turn-around when a rapid decision is required, the peer-reviewed journal can also offer a review model in which selected peer reviewers are compensated to deliver high-quality and timely peer-review reports. In this paper, we consider a peer-reviewed journal in which the manuscript’s evaluation consists of a necessary peer review component and an optional speedy peer review component. We model and study that journal under two different scenarios to be compared: a paid peer-reviewing scenario that is considered as the benchmark; and a hybrid peer-review scenario where the manuscript’s author can decide whether to pay or not. In the benchmark scenario of paid peer-reviewing, the scholarly journal expects all authors to pay for the peer review and charges separately for the necessary and the optional speedy peer-review components. Alternatively, in a hybrid peer-review scenario, the peer-reviewed journal gives the option to the authors to not pay for the necessary peer review if they are not able to pay. This will determine an altruistic amplification of pay utility. However, the no-pay authors cannot avail of the optional speedy peer review, which determines a restriction-induced no-pay utility reduction. In this paper, we find that under the hybrid setting of compensated peer review where the author can decide whether to pay or not, the optimal price and review quality of the optional speedy peer review are always higher than under the benchmark scenario of paid peer-reviewing, due to the altruistic amplification of pay utility. Our results show that when the advantage of adopting the hybrid mode of compensated peer review is higher due to the higher difference between the altruistic author utility amplification and the restriction-induced no-pay utility reduction, the journal can increase its profitability by increasing the price for the necessary peer review above that in the benchmark scenario of paid peer review. A key insight from our results is the journal’s capability to increase the number of paying authors by giving the option to the authors to not pay for the necessary peer review if they are not able to pay.
Habitat-, age-, and sex-related alterations in oxidative stress biomarkers in the blood of mute swans (Cygnus olor) inhabiting pomeranian coastal areas (Northern Poland)
Authors: Kurhaluk Natalia , Tkachenko Halyna 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe mute swan (Cygnus olor) can be considered a representative species of birds associated with the aquatic environment and responding very clearly to changes in the environment. Assuming that the condition of the mute swan population well reflects the state of the environment, this species was used in our research as a bioindicative species. Thus, the aim of our study was to elucidate the association between metal contents in soil samples collected from a habitat of mute swans and element contents in their feathers as well as the levels of biomarkers of lipid peroxidation, oxidatively modified proteins, and total antioxidant capacity in the blood of mute swans living in three agglomerations in coastal areas in the southern part of the Baltic Sea (Pomeranian region, northern Poland). We compared the effects of inhabitation, age, and sex on the ecophysiological accumulation of metals in three wintering populations of the mute swan from coastal areas of northern Poland, i.e., Słupsk, Gdynia, and Sopot. In Słupsk, the anthropogenic pressure was related predominantly to the level of Al and, to a lesser extent, to the content of Rh and Ru. We found maximum levels of lipid peroxidation biomarkers in the blood of the mute swans from Gdynia (38.20 ± 6.35 nmol MDA·mL−1). At the same time, maximum levels of aldehydic and ketonic derivatives of oxidatively modified proteins were noted in the blood of swans from Sopot compared to the values obtained in mute swans from Słupsk and Gdynia. This trend suggesting high levels of oxidative stress biomarkers was also confirmed by a decrease in the total antioxidant capacity in these groups.
Exogenous artificial DNA forms chromatin structure with active transcription in yeast
Authors: Zhou Jianting , Zhang Chao , Wei Ran , Han Mingzhe , Wang Songduo , Yang Kaiguang , Zhang Lihua , Chen Weigang , Wen Mingzhang , Li Cheng , Tao Wei , Yuan Ying-Jin 
Published: December 2021

AbstractYeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) are important tools for sequencing, gene cloning, and transferring large quantities of genetic information. However, the structure and activity of YAC chromatin, as well as the unintended impacts of introducing foreign DNA sequences on DNA-associated biochemical events, have not been widely explored. Here, we showed that abundant genetic elements like TATA box and transcription factor-binding motifs occurred unintentionally in a previously reported data-carrying chromosome (dChr). In addition, we used state-of-the-art sequencing technologies to comprehensively profile the genetic, epigenetic, transcriptional, and proteomic characteristics of the exogenous dChr. We found that the data-carrying DNA formed active chromatin with high chromatin accessibility and H3K4 tri-methylation levels. The dChr also displayed highly pervasive transcriptional ability and transcribed hundreds of noncoding RNAs. The results demonstrated that exogenous artificial chromosomes formed chromatin structures and did not remain as naked or loose plasmids. A better understanding of the YAC chromatin nature will improve our ability to design better data-storage chromosomes.
Surgical Outcomes After Treatment of Urethral Complications Following Metoidioplasty in Transgender Men
Authors: de Rooij Freek P.W. , Falcone Marco , Waterschoot Mieke , Pizzuto Giuseppe , Bouman Mark-Bram , Gontero Paolo , Lumen Nicolaas , Pigot Garry L.S. 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACTBackgroundSeveral treatment options for urethral complications following metoidioplasty in transmen are described in the literature, yet little is known with regard to the surgical outcomes.AimThe aim of this study was to analyze the surgical outcomes after treatment of urethral strictures and urethral fistulas following metoidioplasty.MethodsA multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted with transmen treated for strictures and fistulas after metoidioplasty in 3 tertiary referral centers.OutcomesThe primary outcome was the recurrence-free rate after surgical treatment of urethral strictures and urethral fistulas over a time period of 3 years postoperatively.ResultsOf 96 transmen included in this study with a urethral complication, 44 (46%) experienced a urethral fistula, 31 (32%) a urethral stricture, and 21 (22%) both complications simultaneously. The recurrence-free rate for urethral strictures following endoscopic management (ie, urethral dilation or direct visual internal urethrotomy) was 61% after 1, 50% after 2, and 43% after 3 years, compared to 82% following open treatment options after 1, 2, and 3 years (P = .002). Open treatment options were Heineke-Mikulicz procedure (7/9, 78% success), excision and primary anastomosis (3/3, 100%), 2-stage without graft (9/9, 100%), pedicled flap urethroplasty (1/1, 100%), and buccal mucosa graft urethroplasty (2/4 [50%] single-stage, 1/1 [100%] 2-stage). The recurrence-free rate for small urethral fistulas located at the pendulous urethra was 79% after 1, and 72% after 2 and 3 years, compared to 45% after 1, and 41% after 2 and 3 years for large fistulas, generally located at the urethral anastomoses of the fixed urethra. Treatment options for urethral fistulas were fistulectomy (26/48, 54%), fistulectomy & (redo) colpectomy (7/11, 64%), buccal mucosa graft urethroplasty (1/1, 100%), and retubularization of the urethral plate (3/4, 75%). A colpectomy before or during reoperation of a urethral fistula at the proximal urethral anastomosis showed higher success rates compared to without a colpectomy (7/11 [64%] vs 2/13 [15%] respectively, P = .03).Clinical ImplicationsThis study provides insight in the treatment possibilities and corresponding outcomes of urethral complications following metoidioplasty in transmen.Strengths & LimitationsStrengths were the relatively large sample size and the overview of multiple treatment options available. Limitations were the heterogeneity of the cohort, underexposure of some surgical modalities, and absence of patient-reported outcomes.ConclusionOpen surgical techniques show better long-term outcomes in the management of urethral strictures compared to endoscopic options, and a colpectomy is beneficial before or during urethral fistula repair at the proximal urethral anastomosis.
Defending the “Peace of Sunday”: The Debate over Sunday Labor in the West German Steel Industry after the Second World War
Authors: Patch William L. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWorking hours were largely unregulated in nineteenth-century Germany, but a powerful alliance emerged in the 1890s between the Christian churches and the socialist labor movement to prohibit most industrial labor on Sunday, including most production of steel. In the 1950s steel management persuaded organized labor that it would be advantageous to produce steel continuously throughout the week, the prevalent system in other countries. The Evangelical Church retreated in this debate, but the Catholic Church waged a fierce and partly successful campaign from 1952 to 1961 to defend the old prohibition. Until the 1980s organized labor continued to cooperate with both major churches to keep Sunday industrial labor quite rare. Their influence declined suddenly after national reunification in 1990, however, and many Germans have come to prize individual freedom above the old principle, honored by Christians and the unchurched alike, that most people should have the same day of rest.