bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Using community influencer groups to address COVID-19 misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in Uganda: a protocol for a prospective quasi-experimental study
Authors: Ssanyu Jacquellyn Nambi , Kiguba Ronald , Olum Ronald , Kiguli Juliet , Kitutu Freddy Eric 
Published: August 2022

IntroductionCoronovirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) misinformation has been reported globally and locally. This has the potential to influence public risk perception and reduce the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. This study aims to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in Buikwe district. The study will also pilot a social mobilisation intervention using community influencers and determine its effect on COVID-19 misinformation and vaccine hesitancy.Methods and analysisThe study will be conducted using a quasi-experimental study design, in which two villages will be assigned to the intervention arm and two villages assigned controls. A mixed-methods technique employing both quantitative and qualitative methods will be employed. Data will be collected from healthy men and women aged 18 years and older who reside in the selected villages. The study will be implemented in three phases. First, a baseline study of 12 in-depth interviews with key informants and 6 focus group discussions and a household survey among 632 participants will be done. Second, an intervention employing dialogue-based social mobilisation approach using 10-man community groups per village will be developed and implemented. These will be trained and facilitated to educate and sensitise their communities about COVID-19. Third, an end-line household survey done after 6-months of intervention implementation in the four villages to assess the effect of the intervention on COVID-19 misinformation and vaccine hesitancy. Post-intervention qualitative evaluation will be done after the endline quantitative assessment. Preliminary analysis of the endline quantitative analysis will inform any revisions of the discussion guides. Qualitative data collected will be analysed using thematic content analysis while quantitative data will be analysed using χ2 tests or logistic regression, by intention-to-treat analysis.Ethics and disseminationThe study was reviewed for ethics and approved by the Makerere University School of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, reference number MakSHSREC-2020-45 and the Uganda National Council of Science and Technology, reference number HS1140ES. Study finding shall be presented to the district and national COVID-19 task force and at scientific gatherings and published in a peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration numberPACTR202102846261362.
Prevalence and characteristics of thoracic ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament in 3299 Black patients: a cross-sectional study of a prospectively registered database
Authors: Yoshihara Hiroyuki , Horowitz Evan , Nadarajah Vidushan 
Published: August 2022

ObjectivesTo the best of our knowledge, the prevalence of thoracic ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (T-OPLL) in the Black population has never been studied and is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and characteristics of T-OPLL in the Black patients.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study. All patients who underwent chest CT for the trauma screening and whose race was classified as ‘Black’ on the questionnaire were recruited in the study from March 2019 to March 2020. Demographic data, including age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and presence of diabetes mellitus (DM), were recorded. T-OPLL was defined as ectopic OPLL of more than 2 mm thickness in the axial plane image of the CT scan. The prevalence and characteristics of T-OPLL, and the association of T-OPLL with BMI and DM were evaluated.ResultsA total of 3299 Black patients (1507 women and 1792 men) were included for the analysis. The prevalence of T-OPLL was 1.5% (50 patients), with 2.4% for females and 0.8% for males. The highest prevalence was observed in patients at the age of 70 years (3.8%). Thickness of T-OPLL was between 2 and 3 mm in 46% (23/50) of the patients, and the largest thickness was 6.1 mm. T-OPLL was significantly associated with female sex and the presence of DM.ConclusionsThe prevalence of T-OPLL was 1.5% in the 3299 Black patients who underwent chest CT for the trauma screening, with 2.4% for females and 0.8% for males.
General practitioner visits after SARS-CoV-2 omicron compared with the delta variant in children in Norway: a prospective nationwide registry study
Authors: Arntzen Sigurd Storehaug , Gjefsen Hege Marie , Telle Kjetil Elias , Magnusson Karin , Størdal Ketil , Håberg Siri Eldevik , Kinge Jonas Minet 
Published: August 2022

BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 infection in children is followed by an immediate increase in primary care utilisation. The difference in utilisation following infection with the delta and omicron virus variants is unknown.ObjectivesTo study whether general practitioner (GP) contacts were different in children infected with the omicron versus delta variant for up to 4 weeks after the week testing positive.SettingPrimary care.ParticipantsAll residents in Norway aged 0–10. After excluding 47 683 children with a positive test where the virus variant was not identified as delta or omicron and 474 children who were vaccinated, the primary study population consisted of 613 448 children.Main outcome measuresGP visits.MethodsWe estimated the difference in the weekly share visiting the GP after being infected with the delta or omicron variant to those in the study population who were either not tested or who tested negative using an event study design, controlling for calendar week of consultation, municipality fixed effects and sociodemographic factors in multivariate logistic regressions.ResultsCompared with preinfection, increased GP utilisation was found for children 1 and 2 weeks after testing positive for the omicron variant, with an OR of 6.7 (SE: 0.69) in the first week and 5.5 (0.72) in the second week. This increase was more pronounced for children with the delta variant, with an OR of 8.2 (0.52) in the first week and 7.1 (0.93) in the second week. After 2 weeks, the GP utilisation returned to preinfection levels.ConclusionThe omicron variant appears to have resulted in less primary healthcare interactions per infected child compared with the delta variant.
Head and neck cancer fungating wounds: a novel odour transferrer
Authors: Ota Hisayuki , Ueki Yushi , Yamazaki Keisuke , Shodo Ryusuke , Takahashi Takeshi , Yokoyama Yusuke , Horii Arata 
Published: August 2022

ObjectiveThe management for malodour of malignant fungating wounds (MFWs) in head and neck cancer (HNC) is unestablished. We evaluated the effects of a novel odour transferrer on malodour generated by MFWs in patients with HNC.MethodsA spray-type odour transferrer approved by the Japanese government for safe use in humans produces a good scent by binding to bad odour. The odour of MFWs in 13 patients with HNC was scored by 37 medical staff and the patients’ families using an odour scale ranging from 0 to 4 before and 1 week after application of the odour transferrer.ResultsThe odour score marked by all investigators (n=37), nurses (n=21) and doctors (n=11) decreased significantly (p<0.01). The odour score decreased by more than 2 points for 73% of all investigators after odour transferrer application.ConclusionThis novel odour transferrer functions as an effective deodorant for MFWs in patients with HNC. It can be used by non-medical staff and may benefit patients with bad odours arising from MFWs as well as their families and medical staff.
Inverse Hall–Petch effect in nanocrystalline ice predicted by machine-learned coarse-grained molecular simulations
Authors: Chen Guang , Tao Lei , Kröger Martin , Li Ying 
Published: August 2022

We study the grain-size effect on mechanical behaviors of polycrystalline ice at nanoscale through large-scale molecular dynamics simulations, enabled by an accurate and efficient machine-learned coarse-grained water model [H. Chan, M. J. Cherukara, B. Narayanan, T. D. Loeffler, C. Benmore, S. K. Gray and S. K. Sankaranarayanan. Machine learning coarse grained models for water. Nature Communications 10(1), p. 379, 2019]. Polycrystalline ice systems with different grain sizes in the range of [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm are systematically investigated through uniaxial tensile tests. Simulation results reveal that Young’s modulus and yield strength increase as the grain size increases, leading to an inverse Hall–Petch effect in nanocrystalline ice. Such an observation is significantly different from the conventional Hall–Petch effect in polycrystalline ice observed by experiments at millimeter scale. The deformation behavior suggests that grain boundaries (GBs), rather than grain interiors, play the active role in accommodating external loading in nanocrystalline ice. Further void analysis of nanocrystalline ice during deformation reveals that nanocrack initiates and propagates along GBs and eventually leads to failure of systems with larger grain sizes ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm), yielding a sudden drop in the stress–strain curve. While for systems with smaller grain sizes ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm), only extensive plastic deformation is presented without significant void growth. Our simulation results demonstrate that the GB sliding is the governing mechanism for the inverse Hall–Petch effect observed in nanocrystalline ice.
Effect of Adding L-carnitine to High-Fat/Low-Protein Diets of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) and the Mechanism of Regulation of Fat and Protein Metabolism
Authors: Luo Wei , Chen Pengyu , Zhang Xiaoyang , Zhang Yibo , Zhang Shoudong , Sun Kunpu , He Feifei , Li Luojia , Zhang Ning , Xiong Yinlin , Guo Zhonggang , Du Zongjun , Wen Anxiang 
Published: August 2022

L-carnitine is a low molecular weight amino acid that plays an essential role in the oxidation of long-chain fatty acids. The regulatory effects and molecular mechanisms of L-carnitine on fat and protein metabolism in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were investigated in this study. Common carp (

n
=
270

) were randomly divided into three groups and fed either (1) common carp diet, (2) high-fat/low-protein diet, or (3) L-carnitine-high-fat/low-protein diet. Growth performance, plasma biochemistry, muscle composition, and ammonia excretion rate were all examined after 8 weeks. Additionally, each group’s hepatopancreas was subjected to transcriptome analysis. The results showed that decreasing the feed protein/fat ratio resulted in a considerable increase in feed conversion ratio and a significant decrease in common carp-specific growth rate to

1.19
±
0.02

P
<
0.05

. Similarly, total plasma cholesterol sharply increased to

10.15
±
2.07

, while plasma urea nitrogen, muscle protein, and ammonia excretion levels dropped (

P
<
0.05

). After adding L-carnitine to the high-fat/low-protein diet, it was found that the specific growth rate and protein content of the dorsal muscle increased significantly (

P
<
0.05

). In contrast, the plasma total cholesterol and ammonia excretion rate decreased considerably at most time points after feeding (

P
<
0.05

). The expression of genes in the hepatopancreas differed substantially between the different groups. Through GO analysis, it was demonstrated that L-carnitine increased the ability of fat decomposition by up-regulating the expression of cpt1 in the hepatopancreas and decreased the expression of fasn and elovl6 to reduce the production and extension of lipids. Simultaneously, mtor was more abundant in the hepatopancreas, implying that L-carnitine can increase protein synthesis. According to the findings, adding L-carnitine to high-fat/low-protein diets can stimulate growth by enhancing lipolysis and protein synthesis.
Retinol and Retinol Binding Protein 4 Levels and Cardiometabolic Disease Risk
Authors: Schiborn Catarina , Weber Daniela , Grune Tilman , Biemann Ronald , Jäger Susanne , Neu Natascha , Müller von Blumencron Marie , Fritsche Andreas , Weikert Cornelia , Schulze Matthias B. , Wittenbecher Clemens 
Published: August 2022

Background:
Despite mechanistic studies linking retinol and RBP4 (retinol binding protein 4) to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), epidemiological evidence is still conflicting. We investigated whether conflicting results of previous studies may be explained by differences in the association of retinol and RBP4 with cardiometabolic risk across subgroups with distinct sex, hypertension state, liver, or kidney function.

Methods:
We used case-cohorts nested in the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition)-Potsdam cohort (N=27 548) comprising a random sample of participants (n=2500) and all physician-verified cases of incident CVD (n=508, median follow-up time 8.2 years) and T2D (n=820, median follow-up time 6.3 years). We estimated nonlinear and linear multivariable-adjusted associations between the biomarkers and cardiometabolic diseases by restricted cubic splines and Cox regression, respectively, testing potential interactions with hypertension, liver, and kidney function. Additionally, we performed 2-sample Mendelian Randomization analyses in publicly available data.

Results:

The association of retinol with cardiometabolic risk was modified by hypertension state (
P
interaction CVD<0.001;
P
interaction T2D<0.001). Retinol was associated with lower cardiometabolic risk in participants with treated hypertension (hazard ratio
per SD
[95% CI]: CVD, 0.71 [0.56–0.90]; T2D, 0.81 [0.70–0.94]) but with higher cardiometabolic risk in normotensive participants (CVD, 1.32 [1.06–1.64]; T2D, 1.15 [0.98–1.36]). Our analyses also indicated a significant interaction between RBP4 and hypertension on CVD risk (
P
interaction=0.04). Regarding T2D risk, we observed a u-shaped association with RBP4 in women (
P
nonlinearity=0.01,
P
effect=0.02) and no statistically significant association in men. The biomarkers’ interactions with liver or kidney function were not statistically significant. Hypertension state-specific associations for retinol concentrations with cardiovascular mortality risk were replicated in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III.

Conclusions:
Our findings suggest a hypertension-dependent relationship between plasma retinol and cardiometabolic risk and complex interactions of RBP4 with sex and hypertension on cardiometabolic risk.
Rosuvastatin Slows Progression of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness: The METEOR-China Randomized Controlled Study
Authors: Zheng Huaguang , Li Hongwei , Wang Yilong , Li Zhanquan , Hu Bo , Li Xiaogang , Fu Lu , Hu Hongtao , Nie Zhiyu , Zhao Bilian , Wei Di , Karlson Björn W. , Bots Michiel L. , Meng XiangWen , Chen Yundai , Wang Yongjun , Cao Shiping , Cai Yefeng , Peng Daoquan , Fu Yaogao , Yuan Zuyi , Dong Yugang , Ma Genshan , Hong Wenke , Xu En , Li Huimin , Yue WenHua , Wang Yanjiang , Zheng Zeqi , Zhang Ningru , Zhang Xu , Fu Weiguo 
Published: August 2022

Background:
Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease worldwide, including in China. Primary prevention, through lipid-lowering, could avert development of atherosclerosis. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a well-validated measure of atherosclerosis used in intervention studies as the primary outcome and alternative end point for cardiovascular disease events.

Methods:
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, parallel-group study assessed the effects of rosuvastatin 20 mg/d compared with placebo on progression of CIMT over 104 weeks in Chinese people with subclinical atherosclerosis. The primary end point was the annualized rate of change in mean of the maximum CIMT measurements taken 7× over the study period from each of 12 carotid artery sites (near and far walls of the right and left common carotid artery, carotid bulb, and internal carotid artery). Secondary end points included CIMT changes at different artery sites and lipid-parameter changes. Safety was also assessed.

Results:

Participants were randomized (1:1) to receive rosuvastatin (n=272) or placebo (n=271). Baseline characteristics were well balanced between groups. The change in mean of the maximum CIMT of the 12 carotid sites was 0.0038 mm/y (95% CI, −0.0023–0.0100) for the rosuvastatin group versus 0.0142 mm/y (95% CI, 0.0080–0.0204) for the placebo group, with a difference of −0.0103 mm/y (95% CI, −0.0191 to −0.0016;
P
=0.020). For the CIMT secondary end points, the results were generally consistent with the primary end point. There were clinically relevant improvements in lipid parameters with rosuvastatin. We observed an adverse-event profile consistent with the known safety profile of rosuvastatin.

Conclusions:
Rosuvastatin 20 mg/d significantly reduced the progression of CIMT over 2 years in Chinese adults with subclinical atherosclerosis and was well tolerated.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT02546323.
Branching Time Active Inference with Bayesian Filtering
Authors: Champion Théophile , Grześ Marek , Bowman Howard 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Branching time active inference is a framework proposing to look at planning as a form of Bayesian model expansion. Its root can be found in active inference, a neuroscientific framework widely used for brain modeling, as well as in Monte Carlo tree search, a method broadly applied in the reinforcement learning literature. Up to now, the inference of the latent variables was carried out by taking advantage of the flexibility offered by variational message passing, an iterative process that can be understood as sending messages along the edges of a factor graph. In this letter, we harness the efficiency of an alternative method for inference, Bayesian filtering, which does not require the iteration of the update equations until convergence of the variational free energy. Instead, this scheme alternates between two phases: integration of evidence and prediction of future states. Both phases can be performed efficiently, and this provides a forty times speedup over the state of the art.
A Simple Model of Nonspiking Neurons
Authors: Naudin Loïs , Laredo Juan Luis Jiménez , Corson Nathalie 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Due to the ubiquity of spiking neurons in neuronal processes, various simple spiking neuron models have been proposed as an alternative to conductance-based models (a.k.a. Hodgkin-Huxley–type models), known to be computationally expensive and difficult to treat mathematically. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no equivalent in the literature of a simple and lightweight model for describing the voltage behavior of nonspiking neurons, which also are ubiquitous in a large variety of nervous tissues in both vertebrate and invertebrate species and play a central role in information processing. This letter proposes a simple model that reproduces the experimental qualitative behavior of known types of nonspiking neurons. The proposed model, which differs fundamentally from classic simple spiking models unable to characterize nonspiking dynamics due to their intrinsic structure, is derived from the bifurcation study of conductance-based models of nonspiking neurons. Since such neurons display a high sensitivity to noise, the model aims at capturing the experimental distribution of single-neuron responses rather than perfectly replicating a single given experimental voltage trace. We show that such a model can be used as a building block for realistic simulations of large nonspiking neuronal networks and is endowed with generalization capabilities, granted by design.
Cities and Sustainable Ocean Governance: A Neglected Link
Authors: Stöfen-O’Brien Aleke , Doelle Alida J , Del Savio Linda 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
While the detrimental effects of cities have received increasing attention from decision-makers and scholars, their role in sustainable ocean governance and within public international law has often been neglected. This article aims to explore the ocean-city nexus at the interface of sustainability. This is done by reviewing the impacts of cities on the marine and coastal environment and by analysing potentially applicable rules and obligations in public international law. In the understanding that these questions are part of a broader discourse on the integration of non-State actors in public international law, it is demonstrated that cities may be important actors in sustainable ocean governance. With this, the article aims to contribute to the understanding of what sustainable cities may entail and to highlight the significance of the ocean-city nexus for sustainable development.
Dramaticules et autres catastrophes
Authors: Eigenmann Éric 
Published: August 2022

Résumé
Cet article analyse les motifs récurrents de l’écoute et du regard dans l’ensemble des dramaticules de Beckett rédigés en français. Il tient compte de la réalisation scénique, télévisuelle ou radiophonique des textes en question et fait la part de l’inaudible, de l’invisible, voire de l’inintelligible qu’ils mettent en scène. Etendant le questionnement à la réception des pièces du corpus, il inscrit les motifs mentionnés dans des dispositifs de perception qui contribuent à renverser les caractéristiques sémiotiques traditionnelles de la relation théâtrale et à dessiner un nouveau facteur d’unité esthétique au sein de ces « petits drames » beckettiens, par-delà les différences génériques.
Le « cirque Beckett »
Authors: Colin Marjorie 
Published: August 2022

Résumé
Le théâtre de Beckett est un théâtre hybride qui fait une large place à la clownerie. S’il s’agit tout d’abord de clowns tragiques marqués par le sceau du recommencement et de l’enfermement, voués au silence, à l’inaction, très vite, par l’entremise du jeu, s’opère une conversion du tragique en comique. La gestuelle et la rhétorique clownesque révèlent les délires jubilatoires qui attestent le refus d’un théâtre fermé sur lui-même. Peut-être est-ce là le « pari » de Beckett : par le clown, donner à « saisir » son théâtre, qui ne peut plus être celui d’un intellectuel pour les intellectuels. Le clown habite l’œuvre beckettienne pour en souligner la profonde universalité́ et faire de son théâtre, un théâtre pour tous.
Beckett et l’art minimal américain
Authors: Mougin Pascal 
Published: August 2022

Résumé
On ne peut comprendre l’importance majeure de l’œuvre de Beckett dans l’art contemporain sans revenir sur la réception de l’écrivain par les « néo-avant-gardes » américaines des années 1960 – l’art minimal en particulier –, qui marquent le moment inaugural, précisément, de l’art contemporain. Beckett fournit alors aux artistes ainsi qu’aux critiques qui les défendent une référence essentielle dans leur tentative de repenser la notion d’œuvre d’art et l’expérience esthétique contre les fondamentaux du modernisme tel que les conçoit Clement Greenberg. Pourtant, Beckett lui-même n’a semble-t-il jamais participé aux débats sur le minimalisme américain ni seulement évoqué les artistes new-yorkais. Et pour cause : les artistes de son temps qui l’intéressent sont tous des peintres de l’expressionnisme abstrait, autrement dit le courant moderniste contre lequel se positionne la nouvelle avant-garde new-yorkaise. Le hiatus est donc profond entre les références artistiques de l’écrivain et les artistes qu’il a lui-même inspirés. On s’intéressera ici à ce moment originel, qui reste largement ignoré par la critique française, ainsi qu’aux différentes lectures qui, rétrospectivement, en ont été proposées par la critique anglo-américaine des vingt dernières années.