bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Edad y aprendizaje de la pronunciación de ELE en adultos: una revisión bibliográfica sistematizada
Authors: Caballero García Presentación Ángeles , Milla Juan Aitana
Published: May 2021

L'objectiu del present estudi bibliogràfic va ser realitzar una revisió sistemàtica sobre la influència del factor etario en l'aprenentatge de la pronunciació d'espanyol com a llengua estrangera (ELE)en aprendientes adults i identificar els avanços metodològics en els últims anys. Es va realitzar una cerca de documents basada en l'evidència empírica a través de diverses bases de dades especialitzades en recerca.Un total de 59 articles van ser seleccioneu-vos després d'aplicar els criteris d'inclusió i amb ells es va crear una base de dades amb la qual es va treballar durant el desenvolupament d'aquest treball.Els resultats van mostrar la influència del període crític (Lennerberg,1967) en l'aprenentatge de la pronunciació d'ELE en adults, així com les diferències existents en el procés d'aprenentatge d'una segona llengua (L2) en aprenents nens i adults. En la part final es plantegen algunes propostes metodològiques que afavoreixen el desenvolupament de l'aprenentatge de la pronunciació d'espanyol com a llengua estrangera en adults aprenents.
Caracterizació acústica de las vocals de l'espanyol parlat per xinesos
Authors: Cao Yongfa , Rius-Escudé Agnès
Published: May 2021

En aquest article presentem els resultats obtinguts en una investigació basada en la caracterització acústica de les vocals de la interllengua espanyol parlat per xinesos, amb l'objectiu de realitzar una descripció acústica de cada vocal i comprovar si hi ha diferències entre homes i dones, entre àtones i tòniques i comparar els resultats obtinguts amb els de l'espanyol i la interllengua. El corpus és de parla semiespontània i consta de 725 sons vocàlics produïts per 21 estudiants xinesos. S'ha comprovat que hi ha diferències significatives entre les vocals produïdes per homes i dones; i que no n’hi ha entre les vocals tòniques i les àtones, ni a l’F1 ni a l’F2, a excepció de l’F2 de la vocal anterior alta, [i]. En comparació amb els resultats d'altres autors, s'ha constatat que els valors mitjans de l’F1 de les cinc vocals analitzades són, en general, més alts, s’articulen amb més obertural bucal i més constricció de la laringe. Quant a l’F2, les diferències amb la parla controlada, la tendència és que els valors mitjans en les vocals posteriors produïdes per xinesos són més alts, és a dir, hi ha menys labialització i menys constricció linguovelar. Mentre que si els comparem amb la parla espontània, els valors mitjans de les anteriors són més elevats, hi ha menys labialització i menys constricció linguovelar.
Contextos educativos como área de participación: de la legalidad a la innovación
Authors: Guerra Santana Mónica , Rodríguez Pulido Josefa , Artiles Rodríguez Josué
Published: May 2021

El centro educativo debe de estar al servicio de las familias, de ahí que, en contextos de desventaja social, las escuelas públicas deben coordinarse con otras organizaciones de la comunidad para ofertar sus espacios para el bien común. En la actualidad en España contamos con un marco institucional que apoya y reafirma la participación de las familias en los centros educativos de manera formal, pero en cambio, al parecer, la realidad es bien distinta. La existencia de una escasa implicación de los padres y las madres en los órganos de participación en los centros educativos es evidenciada por numerosos estudios realizados. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo abordar la importancia de la participación familiar en la institución educativa y cómo la coordinación y el apoyo entre ambos permitirá el pleno desarrollo social, psicológico y educativo del alumnado. Para lo cual la ley educativa establece sus protocolos pertinentes, de ahí que pretendemos presentar un estudio de caso concreto basado en las experiencias de participación familia-escuela donde, además, la figura del educador social juega un rol de gran importancia al incorporar a estos profesionales en la escuela. Con esta medida, pretenden conseguir el pleno desarrollo personal de cada estudiante, destacando principalmente la formación en valores, la resolución de conflictos, el control del absentismo escolar, la prevención del acoso escolar o el desarrollo de una convivencia cívica y democrática.
Opening up ROADMs: streaming telemetry [Invited]
Authors: Kundrát Jan , Vaško Michal , Krejčí Radek , Kubernát Václav , Pecka Tomáš , Havliš Ondřej , Šlapák Martin , Jedlinský Jaroslav , Vojtěch Josef
Published: May 2021

We present an implementation of streaming telemetry of optical metrics within open hardware reconfigurable add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs). Our key achievements are sub-second updates of high-resolution spectrum scans, and we demonstrate a sustained telemetry stream of the full C-band with a sub-GHz resolution. The telemetry streaming is implemented over a standard, Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)-defined protocol (YANG Push) in collaboration with an open-source YANG software stack and device-specific code. As the telemetry collector, we used a common time series database (TSDB) along with a visualization dashboard. We also extended the Open Network Operating System (ONOS) software-defined network (SDN) controller to act as a telemetry receiver.
Invariant descriptors for intrinsic reflectance optimization
Authors: Baslamisli Anil S. , Gevers Theo
Published: May 2021

Intrinsic image decomposition aims to factorize an image into albedo (reflectance) and shading (illumination) sub-components. Being ill posed and under-constrained, it is a very challenging computer vision problem. There are infinite pairs of reflectance and shading images that can reconstruct the same input. To address the problem, Intrinsic Images in the Wild by Bellet al. provides an optimization framework based on a dense conditional random field (CRF) formulation that considers long-range material relations. We improve upon their model by introducing illumination invariant image descriptors: color ratios. The color ratios and the intrinsic reflectance are both invariant to illumination and thus are highly correlated. Through detailed experiments, we provide ways to inject the color ratios into the dense CRF optimization. Our approach is physics based and learning free and leads to more accurate and robust reflectance decompositions.
Multistep pulse compressor for 10s to 100s PW lasers
Authors: Liu Jun , Shen Xiong , Du Shuman , Li Ruxin
Published: May 2021

High-energy tens (10s) to hundreds (100s) petawatt (PW) lasers are key tools for exploring frontier fundamental researches such as strong-field quantum electrodynamics (QED), and the generation of positron-electron pair from vacuum. Recently, pulse compressor became the main obstacle on achieving higher peak power due to the limitation of damage threshold and size of diffraction gratings. Here, we propose a feasible multistep pulse compressor (MPC) to increase the maximum bearable input and output pulse energies through modifying their spatiotemporal properties. Typically, the new MPC including a prism pair for pre-compression, a four-grating compressor (FGC) for main compression, and a spatiotemporal focusing based self-compressor for post-compression. The prism pair can induce spatial dispersion to smooth and enlarge the laser beam, which increase the maximum input and output pulse energies. As a result, as high as 100 PW laser with single beam or more than 150 PW through combining two beams can be obtained by using MPC and current available optics. This new optical design will simplify the compressor, improve the stability, and save expensive gratings/optics simultaneously. Theoretically, the output pulse energy can be increased by about 4 times using the MPC method in comparison to a typical FGC. Together with the multi-beam tiled-aperture combining method, the proposed tiled-grating based tiled-aperture method, larger gratings, or negative chirp pulse based self-compression method, several 100s PW laser beam is expected to be obtained by using this MPC method in the future, which will further extend the ultra-intense laser physics research fields.
Impact of hematite on dust absorption at wavelengths ranging from 0.2 to 1.0 µm: an evaluation of literature data using the T-matrix method
Authors: Zong Ruirui , Weng Fuzhong , Bi Lei , Lin Xiubin , Rao Can , Li Weijun
Published: May 2021

Hematite is the absorbing mineral component of dust aerosols in the shortwave spectral region. However, dust shortwave absorption related to hematite suffers from significant uncertainties. In this study, we evaluated available hematite complex refractive index data in the literature on determining the dust effective refractive index at wavelengths ranging from 0.2 to 1.0 µm using rigorous T-matrix methods. Both spherical and super-spheroidal dust with hematite inclusions were examined to compute the dust optical properties and associated effective refractive indices. We found that the imaginary part of the effective refractive index retrieved from all available hematite complex refractive index data is larger than the measured effective values from Di Biagio et al. [Atmos. Chem. Phys. 19, 15503, (2019)10.5194/acp-19-15503-2019]. The result obtained using the hematite refractive index from Hsu and Matijevic [Appl. Opt. 24 1623 (1985)10.1364/AO.24.001623] is closest to but approximately two times larger than Di Biagio et al. [Atmos. Chem. Phys. 19, 15503, (2019)10.5194/acp-19-15503-2019]. Our results emphasize the importance of accurate measurements of mineral refractive indices to clarify the dust absorption enigma.
Broadband, silicon photonic, optical add–drop filters with 3  dB bandwidths up to 11  THz
Authors: Hammood Mustafa , Mistry Ajay , Yun Han , Ma Minglei , Lin Stephen , Chrostowski Lukas , Jaeger Nicolas A. F.
Published: May 2021

We present the designs, theory, and experimental demonstrations of ultra-broadband, optical add–drop filters on the silicon-on-insulator platform, realized using period-chirped contra-directional couplers. Our fabricated devices have ultra-broad 3 dB bandwidths of up to 11 THz (88.1 nm), with flat-top responses at their drop ports. All of our devices were fabricated using a commercial, CMOS-compatible, 193 nm deep-ultraviolet lithography process. By using lithography-prediction models, the measured bandwidths, insertion losses, central wavelengths, and extinction ratios of our devices are all in good agreement with our predicted, simulated results. Such filters are necessary for photonic integrated circuits to operate over multiple optical bands.
Efficient point-by-point Bragg grating inscription in sapphire fiber using femtosecond laser filaments
Authors: Xu Xizhen , He Jun , He Jia , Xu Baijie , Chen Runxiao , Wang Ying , Yang Yatao , Wang Yiping
Published: May 2021

Sapphire fiber Bragg gratings (SFBGs) inscribed by using femtosecond laser point-by-point (PbP) technology typically have an extremely low reflectivity due to the limited cross-sectional area of refractive index modulations (RIMs) created in sapphire fiber. Hence, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a filamentation process for fabricating PbP SFBGs. This approach provides an efficient method for producing SFBGs at various Bragg wavelengths with a higher reflectivity, since the filament tracks could enlarge the cross-sectional area of RIMs. The influences of the pulse energy and the focal depth on the generation and morphology of the filament tracks were studied, and after optimizing these parameters, high-quality filament tracks with a length of 90 µm and a width of 1.4 µm were produced into sapphire fiber with a diameter of 100 µm. These filament tracks were precisely assembled in sapphire fiber, generating an SFBG with a reflectivity of 2.3%. The total fabrication time for this SFBG only requires

∼

1.1

s

. Subsequently, a wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) SFBG array consisting of five SFBGs was efficiently constructed. Moreover, the high-temperature response of the SFBG array was investigated and the experimental results showed that the SFBG array can withstand a high temperature of 1600°C. Such a WDM SFBG array could serve as quasi-distributed high-temperature sensor which will be promising in many areas, i.e., metallurgical, chemical, and aviation industries.
Hollow-core fiber photothermal methane sensor with temperature compensation
Authors: Zhao Pengcheng , Ho Hoi Lut , Jin Wei , Fan Shangchun , Gao Shoufei , Wang Yingying
Published: May 2021

We demonstrate a high sensitivity all-fiber spectroscopic methane sensor based on photothermal interferometry. With a 2.4-m-long anti-resonant hollow-core fiber, a 1654 nm distributed feedback laser, and a Raman fiber amplifier, a noise-equivalent concentration of

∼

4.3

p
p
b

methane is achieved at the room temperature and pressure of

∼

1

b
a
r

. The effects of temperature on the photothermal phase modulation as well as the stability of the interferometer are studied. By introducing a temperature-dependent compensation factor and stabilizing the interferometer at quadrature, signal instability of

∼

2.1

%

is demonstrated for temperature variation from 296 to 373 K.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder have altered visual encoding capacity
Authors: Noel Jean-Paul , Zhang Ling-Qi , Stocker Alan A. , Angelaki Dora E.
Published: May 2021

Perceptual anomalies in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been attributed to an imbalance in weighting incoming sensory evidence with prior knowledge when interpreting sensory information. Here, we show that sensory encoding and how it adapts to changing stimulus statistics during feedback also characteristically differs between neurotypical and ASD groups. In a visual orientation estimation task, we extracted the accuracy of sensory encoding from psychophysical data by using an information theoretic measure. Initially, sensory representations in both groups reflected the statistics of visual orientations in natural scenes, but encoding capacity was overall lower in the ASD group. Exposure to an artificial (i.e., uniform) distribution of visual orientations coupled with performance feedback altered the sensory representations of the neurotypical group toward the novel experimental statistics, while also increasing their total encoding capacity. In contrast, neither total encoding capacity nor its allocation significantly changed in the ASD group. Across both groups, the degree of adaptation was correlated with participants’ initial encoding capacity. These findings highlight substantial deficits in sensory encoding—independent from and potentially in addition to deficits in decoding—in individuals with ASD.
Balanced networks under spike-time dependent plasticity
Authors: Akil Alan Eric , Rosenbaum Robert , Josić Krešimir
Published: May 2021

The dynamics of local cortical networks are irregular, but correlated. Dynamic excitatory–inhibitory balance is a plausible mechanism that generates such irregular activity, but it remains unclear how balance is achieved and maintained in plastic neural networks. In particular, it is not fully understood how plasticity induced changes in the network affect balance, and in turn, how correlated, balanced activity impacts learning. How do the dynamics of balanced networks change under different plasticity rules? How does correlated spiking activity in recurrent networks change the evolution of weights, their eventual magnitude, and structure across the network? To address these questions, we develop a theory of spike–timing dependent plasticity in balanced networks. We show that balance can be attained and maintained under plasticity–induced weight changes. We find that correlations in the input mildly affect the evolution of synaptic weights. Under certain plasticity rules, we find an emergence of correlations between firing rates and synaptic weights. Under these rules, synaptic weights converge to a stable manifold in weight space with their final configuration dependent on the initial state of the network. Lastly, we show that our framework can also describe the dynamics of plastic balanced networks when subsets of neurons receive targeted optogenetic input.
Endocystectomy as a conservative surgical treatment for hepatic cystic echinococcosis: A systematic review with single-arm meta-analysis
Authors: Al-Saeedi Mohammad , Ramouz Ali , Khajeh Elias , El Rafidi Ahmad , Ghamarnejad Omid , Shafiei Saeed , Ali-Hasan-Al-Saegh Sadeq , Probst Pascal , Stojkovic Marija , Weber Tim Frederik , Hoffmann Katrin , Mehrabi Arianeb
Published: May 2021

Background

In patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis (CE), treatment effectiveness, outcomes, complications, and recurrence rate are controversial. Endocystectomy is a conservative surgical approach that adequately removes cyst contents without loss of parenchyma. This conservative procedure has been modified in several ways to prevent complications and to improve surgical outcomes. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the intraoperative and postoperative complications of endocysectomy for hepatic CE as well as the hepatic CE recurrence rate following endocystectomy.

Methods

A systematic search was made for all studies reporting endocystectomy to manage hepatic CE in PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases. Study quality was assessed using the methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS) criteria and the Cochrane revised tool to assess risk of bias in randomized trials (RoB2). The random-effects model was used for meta-analysis and the arscine-transformed proportions were used to determine complication-, mortality-, and recurrence rates. This study is registered with PROSPERO (number CRD42020181732).

Results

Of 3,930 retrieved articles, 54 studies reporting on 4,058 patients were included. Among studies reporting preoperative anthelmintic treatment (31 studies), albendazole was administered in all of them. Complications were reported in 19.4% (95% CI: 15.9–23.2; I2 = 84%; p-value <0.001) of the patients; biliary leakage (10.1%; 95% CI: 7.5–13.1; I2 = 81%; p-value <0.001) and wound infection (6.6%; 95% CI: 4.6–9; I2 = 27%; p-value = 0.17) were the most common complications. The post-endocystectomy mortality rate was 1.2% (95% CI: 0.8–1.8; I2 = 21%; p-value = 0.15) and the recurrence rate was 4.8% (95% CI: 3.1–6.8; I2 = 87%; p-value <0.001). Thirty-nine studies (88.7%) had a mean follow-up of more than one year after endocystectomy, and only 14 studies (31.8%) had a follow-up of more than five years.

Conclusion

Endocystectomy is a conservative and feasible surgical approach. Despite previous disencouraging experiences, our results suggest that endocystectomy is associated with low mortality and recurrence.
Long-term impact of a ten-year intervention program on human and canine Trypanosoma cruzi infection in the Argentine Chaco
Authors: Cardinal Marta Victoria , Enriquez Gustavo Fabián , Macchiaverna Natalia Paula , Argibay Hernán Darío , Fernández María del Pilar , Alvedro Alejandra , Gaspe María Sol , Gürtler Ricardo Esteban
Published: May 2021

Background

Interruption of domestic vector-borne transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi is still an unmet goal in several American countries. In 2007 we launched a long-term intervention program aimed to suppress house infestation with the main domestic vector in southern South America (Triatoma infestans) and domestic transmission in Pampa del Indio, a resource-constrained, hyperendemic municipality with 1446 rural houses inhabited by Creole and indigenous people, in the Argentine Chaco ecoregion. Here, we assessed whether the 10-year insecticide-based program combined with community mobilization blocked vector-borne domestic transmission of T. cruzi to humans and dogs.

Methods

We carried out two municipality-wide, cross-sectional serosurveys of humans and dogs (considered sentinel animals) during 2016–2017 to compare with baseline data. We used a risk-stratified random sampling design to select 273 study houses; 410 people from 180 households and 492 dogs from 151 houses were examined for antibodies to T. cruzi using at least two serological methods.

Results

The seroprevalence of T. cruzi in children aged <16 years was 2.5% in 2017 (i.e., 4- to 11-fold lower than before interventions). The mean annual force of child infection (λ) sharply decreased from 2.18 to 0.34 per 100 person-years in 2017. One of 102 children born after interventions was seropositive for T. cruzi; he had lifetime residence in an apparently uninfested house, no outside travel history, and his mother was T. cruzi-seropositive. No incident case was detected among 114 seronegative people of all ages re-examined serologically. Dog seroprevalence was 3.05%. Among native dogs, λ in 2016 (1.21 per 100 dog-years) was 5 times lower than at program onset. Six native adult dogs born after interventions and with stable lifetime residence were T. cruzi-seropositive: three had exposure to T. infestans at their houses and one was an incident case.

Conclusions

These results support the interruption of vector-borne transmission of T. cruzi to humans in rural Pampa del Indio. Congenital transmission was the most likely source of the only seropositive child born after interventions. Residual transmission to dogs was likely related to transient infestations and other transmission routes. Sustained vector control supplemented with human chemotherapy can lead to a substantial reduction of Chagas disease transmission in the Argentine Chaco.
The duration of antibiotic treatment is associated with carriage of toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains of Clostridioides difficile in dogs
Authors: Albuquerque Carolina , Pagnossin Davide , Landsgaard Kirsten , Simpson Jessica , Brown Derek , Irvine June , Candlish Denise , Ridyard Alison E. , Douce Gillian , Millins Caroline
Published: May 2021

Clostridioides difficile is a leading cause of human antibiotic-associated diarrhoeal disease globally. Zoonotic reservoirs of infection are increasingly suspected to play a role in the emergence of this disease in the community and dogs are considered as one potential source. Here we use a canine case-control study at a referral veterinary hospital in Scotland to assess: i) the risk factors associated with carriage of C. difficile by dogs, ii) whether carriage of C. difficile is associated with clinical disease in dogs and iii) the similarity of strains isolated from dogs with local human clinical surveillance. The overall prevalence of C. difficile carriage in dogs was 18.7% (95% CI 14.8–23.2%, n = 61/327) of which 34% (n = 21/61) were toxigenic strains. We found risk factors related to prior antibiotic treatment were significantly associated with C. difficile carriage by dogs. However, the presence of toxigenic strains of C. difficile in a canine faecal sample was not associated with diarrhoeal disease in dogs. Active toxin was infrequently detected in canine faecal samples carrying toxigenic strains (2/11 samples). Both dogs in which active toxin was detected had no clinical evidence of gastrointestinal disease. Among the ten toxigenic ribotypes of C. difficile detected in dogs in this study, six of these (012, 014, 020, 026, 078, 106) were ribotypes commonly associated with human clinical disease in Scotland, while nontoxigenic isolates largely belonged to 010 and 039 ribotypes. Whilst C. difficile does not appear commonly associated with diarrhoeal disease in dogs, antibiotic treatment increases carriage of this bacteria including toxigenic strains commonly found in human clinical disease.
Affirmative action, critical mass, and a predictive model of undergraduate student body demographics
Authors: Maes Daniel P. , Tucher Julia , Topaz Chad M.
Published: May 2021

Black and Latinx students are underrepresented on most public university campuses. At the same time, affirmative action policies are controversial and legally fraught. The Supreme Court has ruled that affirmative action should help a minoritized group achieve a critical mass of representation. While the idea of critical mass is frequently invoked in law and in policy, the term remains ill-defined and hence difficult to operationalize. Motivated by these challenges, we build a mathematical model to forecast undergraduate student body racial/ethnic demographics on public university campuses. Our model takes the form of a Markov chain that tracks students through application, admission, matriculation, retention, and graduation. Using publicly available data, we calibrate our model for two different campuses within the University of California system, test it for accuracy, and make a 10-year prediction. We also propose a coarse definition of critical mass and use our model to assess progress towards it at the University of California-Berkeley. If no policy changes are made over the next decade, we predict that the Latinx population on campus will move towards critical mass but not achieve it, and that the Black student population will decrease, moving further below critical mass. Because affirmative action is banned in California and in nine other states, it is worthwhile to consider alternative policies for diversifying a campus, including targeted recruitment and retention efforts. Our modeling framework provides a setting in which to test the efficacy of affirmative action and of these alternative policies.
Partisan self-interest is an important driver for people’s support for the regulation of targeted political advertising
Authors: Baum Katharina , Meissner Stefan , Krasnova Hanna
Published: May 2021

The rapid emergence of online targeted political advertising has raised concerns over data privacy and what the government’s response should be. This paper tested and confirmed the hypothesis that public attitudes toward stricter regulation of online targeted political advertising are partially motivated by partisan self-interest. We conducted an experiment using an online survey of 1549 Americans who identify as either Democrats or Republicans. Our findings show that Democrats and Republicans believe that online targeted political advertising benefits the opposing party. This belief is based on their conviction that their political opponents are more likely to be mobilized by online targeted political advertising than are supporters of their own party. We exogenously manipulated partisan self-interest considerations of a random subset of participants by truthfully informing them that, in the past, online targeted political advertising has benefited Republicans. Our findings show that Republicans informed about this had less favorable attitudes toward regulation than did their uninformed co-partisans. This suggests that Republicans’ attitudes regarding stricter regulation are based not solely on concerns about privacy violations, but also, in part, are caused by beliefs about partisan advantage. The results imply that people are willing to accept violations of their privacy if their preferred party benefits from the use of online targeted political advertising.
Determinants of pregnancy-induced hypertension on maternal and foetal outcomes in Hossana town administration, Hadiya zone, Southern Ethiopia: Unmatched case-control study
Authors: Babore Getachew Ossabo , Aregago Tsegaye Gebre , Ermolo Tadesse Lelago , Nunemo Mangistu Handiso , Habebo Teshome Tesfaye
Published: May 2021

Background

Globally, 292,982 women die due to the complications of pregnancy and childbirth per year, out of those deaths 85% occurs in Sub Saharan Africa. In Ethiopia, pre-eclampsia accounts for 11% of direct maternal deaths.

Objective

To determine maternal and foetal outcomes of pregnancy-induced hypertension among women who gave birth at health facilities in Hossana town administration.

Methods

Institutional based unmatched case-control study was conducted among women, who gave birth at health facilities from May 20 to October 30, 2018. By using Epi-Info version 7; 207 sample size was estimated, for each case two controls were selected. Two health facilities were selected using a simple random sampling method. Sample sizes for each facility were allocated proportionally. All cleaned & coded data were entered into Epi-info version 3.5.1 and analysis was carried out using SPSS version 20. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine predictors of pregnancy-induced hypertension at a p-value of <0.05.

Result

Women between 18 to 41 years old had participated in the study with the mean age of 26.00(SD ±4.42), and 25.87(SD ±5.02) for cases and controls respectively. Out of participants 21(30.4%) among cases and 21(15.2%) among controls had developed at least one complication following delivery. 12 (17.4%) and 8 (5.7%) foetal deaths were found in cases and controls groups respectively whereas 15.6% from cases and 3.6% from controls groups women gave birth to the foetus with intra-uterine growth retardation. Women gravidity AOR = 0.32 [95% CI (0.12 0.86)], Previous history of pregnancy-induced hypertension AOR = 22.50 [95% CI (14.95 16.52)] and educational status AOR = 0.32[95% CI (0.12, 0.85)] were identified as predictor of pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Conclusion

Women with a previous history of pregnancy-induced hypertension had increased risk of developing pregnancy-induced hypertension, whilst ≥ 3 previous pregnancies and informal educational status decrease odds of developing pregnancy-induced hypertension.
Micro- and macro-borderless surgery using a newly developed high-resolution (4K) three-dimensional video system
Authors: Yagi Shintaro , Ito Takashi , Shirai Hisaya , Yao Siyuan , Masano Yuki , Ogawa Eri , Gabata Ryosuke , Uemoto Shinji , Kobayashi Eiji
Published: May 2021

Objective

Microsurgery using conventional optical microscopes or surgical loupes features a limited field of view and imposes a serious strain on surgeons especially during long surgeries. Here we advocate the micro- and macro-borderless surgery (MMBS) using a novel high-resolution (4K) three-dimensional (3D) video system. This study aimed to confirm the applicability of this concept in several surgical procedures.

Methods

We evaluated the possible use and efficacy of MMBS in the following experiments in porcine subjects. Experiment 1 (non-inferiority test) consisted of dissection and anastomosis of carotid artery, portal vein, proper hepatic artery, and pancreatoduodenectomy with surgical loupe versus MMBS. Experiment 2 (feasibility test) consisted of intra-abdominal and intra-thoracic smaller arteries anastomosed by MMBS as a pre-clinical setting. Experiment 3 (challenge on new surgery) consisted of orthotopic liver transplantation of the graft from a donor after circulatory death maintained by machine perfusion. Circulation of the cardiac sheet with a vascular bed in experiment 2 and liver graft during preservation in experiment 3 was evaluated with indocyanine green fluorescence imaging equipped with this system.

Results

Every procedure was completed by MMBS. The operator and assistants could share the same field of view in heads-up status. The focal depth was deep enough not to be disturbed by pulsing blood vessels or respiratory movement. The tissue circulation could be evaluated using fluorescence imaging of this system.

Conclusions

MMBS using the novel system is applicable to various surgeries and valuable for both fine surgical procedures and high-level surgical education.
Population structure drives cultural diversity in finite populations: A hypothesis for localized community patterns on Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile)
Authors: Lipo Carl P. , DiNapoli Robert J. , Madsen Mark E. , Hunt Terry L.
Published: May 2021

Understanding how and why cultural diversity changes in human populations remains a central topic of debate in cultural evolutionary studies. Due to the effects of drift, small and isolated populations face evolutionary challenges in the retention of richness and diversity of cultural information. Such variation, however, can have significant fitness consequences, particularly when environmental conditions change unpredictably, such that knowledge about past environments may be key to long-term persistence. Factors that can shape the outcomes of drift within a population include the semantics of the traits as well as spatially structured social networks. Here, we use cultural transmission simulations to explore how social network structure and interaction affect the rate of trait retention and extinction. Using Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) as an example, we develop a model-based hypothesis for how the structural constraints of communities living in small, isolated populations had dramatic effects and likely led to preventing the loss of cultural information in both community patterning and technology.
Cerebrospinal fluid dynamics correlate with neurogenic claudication in lumbar spinal stenosis
Authors: Kim Hyun-Ji , Kim Hakseung , Kim Young-Tak , Sohn Chul-Ho , Kim Keewon , Kim Dong-Joo
Published: May 2021

Neurogenic claudication is a typical manifestation of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). However, its pathophysiology is still unclear. The severity of clinical symptoms has been shown not to correlate with the degree of structural stenosis. Altered cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow has been suggested as one of the causative factors of LSS. The objectives of this study were to compare CSF dynamics at the lumbosacral level between patients with LSS and healthy controls and to investigate whether CSF dynamics parameters explain symptom severity in LSS. Phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) was conducted to measure CSF dynamics in 18 healthy controls and 9 patients with LSS. Cephalic peak, caudal peak, and peak-to-peak CSF velocities were evaluated at the lumbosacral level in the patients and controls. The power of CSF dynamics parameters to predict symptom severity was determined using a linear regression analysis adjusted for demographic and structural variables. Significantly attenuated CSF flow velocity was observed in the patients compared with the controls. The cephalic peak, caudal peak, and peak-to-peak velocities at the lumbar level were greater in the controls than in the patients (p<0.001). The predictive power increased most when the peak-to-peak velocity was added (adjusted R2 = 0.410) to the model with age, body mass index, and the minimum anterior-posterior diameter (adjusted R2 = 0.306), and the peak-to-peak velocity was the only statistically significant variable. CSF dynamics variables showed an association with the severity of LSS symptoms, independent of structural stenosis. PC-MRI can help to further our understanding of the pathophysiology of neurogenic claudication and support the diagnosis of LSS.
Effects of gait retraining with focus on impact versus gait retraining with focus on cadence on pain, function and lower limb kinematics in runners with patellofemoral pain: Protocol of a randomized, blinded, parallel group trial with 6-month follow-up
Authors: de Souza Júnior José Roberto , Rabelo Pedro Henrique Reis , Lemos Thiago Vilela , Esculier Jean-Francois , Carto João Pedro da Silva , Matheus João Paulo Chieregato
Published: May 2021

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is one of the most prevalent injuries in runners. Unfortunately, a substantial part of injured athletes do not recover fully from PFP in the long-term. Although previous studies have shown positive effects of gait retraining in this condition, retraining protocols often lack clinical applicability because they are time-consuming, costly for patients and require a treadmill. The primary objective of this study will be to compare the effects of two different two-week partially supervised gait retraining programs, with a control intervention; on pain, function and lower limb kinematics of runners with PFP. It will be a single-blind randomized clinical trial with six-month follow-up. The study will be composed of three groups: a group focusing on impact (group A), a group focusing on cadence (group B), and a control group that will not perform any intervention (group C). The primary outcome measure will be pain assessed using the Visual Analog Pain scale during running. Secondary outcomes will include pain during daily activities (usual), symptoms assessed using the Patellofemoral Disorders Scale and lower limb running kinematics in the frontal (contralateral pelvic drop; hip adduction) and sagittal planes (foot inclination; tibia inclination; ankle dorsiflexion; knee flexion) assessed using the MyoResearch 3.14—MyoVideo (Noraxon U.S.A. Inc.). The study outcomes will be evaluated before (t0), immediately after (t2), and six months (t24) after starting the protocol. Our hypothesis is that both partially supervised gait retraining programs will be more effective in reducing pain, improving symptoms, and modifying lower limb kinematics during running compared with the control group, and that the positive effects from these programs will persist for six months. Also, we believe that one gait retraining group will not be superior to the other. Results from this study will help improve care in runners with PFP, while maximizing clinical applicability as well as time and cost-effectiveness.
Cognitive processing of sexual cues in asexual individuals and heterosexual women with desire/arousal difficulties
Authors: Brown Natalie B. , Peragine Diana , VanderLaan Doug P. , Kingstone Alan , Brotto Lori A.
Published: May 2021

Asexuality is defined as a unique sexual orientation characterized by a lack of sexual attraction to others. This has been challenged, with some experts positing that it is better explained as a sexual dysfunction. Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder (SIAD) is characterized by absent/reduced sexual interest/arousal paired with personal distress, with two subtypes: acquired and lifelong. Research suggests that while asexuality and acquired SIAD are distinct entities, there may be overlap between asexuality and lifelong SIAD. Findings from studies using eye-tracking and implicit association tasks suggest that these methodologies might differentiate these groups on the basis of their neural mechanisms. However, no study has compared their cognitive processing of sexual cues, and the literature on lifelong SIAD is minimal. The current study tested differences in the cognitive processing of sexual cues between asexual individuals and women with SIAD (lifelong and acquired). Forty-two asexual individuals and 25 heterosexual women with SIAD (16: acquired; 9: lifelong) completed three study components: a visual attention task, a Single Category-Implicit Association Task, and the sex semantic differential. ANOVAs examined group differences in: 1) visual attention to erotic cues, 2) implicit appraisals of sexual words, and 3) explicit appraisals of sex. Women with SIAD displayed a controlled attention preference for erotic images and areas of sexual contact, with longer dwell times to these areas relative to asexual individuals, who did not gaze preferentially at erotic cues. For implicit appraisals, all groups demonstrated negative—neutral implicit associations with sexual words. For explicit appraisals, women with acquired SIAD reported more positive evaluations of sex relative to asexual individuals and women with lifelong SIAD. This project sheds light on key differences between asexuality and low desire, and has implications for best clinical practice guidelines for the assessment of lifelong SIAD.
Examining the effect of information channel on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance
Authors: Piltch-Loeb Rachael , Savoia Elena , Goldberg Beth , Hughes Brian , Verhey Tanner , Kayyem Juliette , Miller-Idriss Cynthia , Testa Marcia
Published: May 2021

Hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccine remains high among the US population. Now that the vaccine is available to priority populations, it is critical to convince those that are hesitant to take the vaccine. Public health communication about the vaccine as well as misinformation on the vaccine occurs through a variety of different information channels. Some channels of information are more commonly found to spread misinformation. Given the expansive information environment, we sought to characterize the use of different media channels for COVID-19 vaccine information and determine the relationship between information channel and vaccine acceptance. We used quota sampling of vaccine priority groups [N = 2,650] between December 13 and 23, 2020 and conducted bivariate chi-squared tests and multivariable multinomial logistic regression analyses to determine the relative impact of channels of information on vaccine acceptance. We found traditional channels of information, especially National TV, National newspapers, and local newspapers increased the likelihood of vaccine acceptance. Individuals who received information from traditional media compared to social media or both traditional and social media were most likely to accept the vaccine. The implications of this study suggest social media channels have a role to play in educating the hesitant to accept the vaccine, while traditional media channels should continue to promote data-driven and informed vaccine content to their viewers.
Projecting COVID-19 isolation bed requirements for people experiencing homelessness
Authors: Ingle Tanvi A. , Morrison Maike , Wang Xutong , Mercer Timothy , Karman Vella , Fox Spencer , Meyers Lauren Ancel
Published: May 2021

As COVID-19 spreads across the United States, people experiencing homelessness (PEH) are among the most vulnerable to the virus. To mitigate transmission, municipal governments are procuring isolation facilities for PEH to utilize following possible exposure to the virus. Here we describe the framework for anticipating isolation bed demand in PEH communities that we developed to support public health planning in Austin, Texas during March 2020. Using a mathematical model of COVID-19 transmission, we projected that, under no social distancing orders, a maximum of 299 (95% Confidence Interval: 223, 321) PEH may require isolation rooms in the same week. Based on these analyses, Austin Public Health finalized a lease agreement for 205 isolation rooms on March 27th 2020. As of October 7th 2020, a maximum of 130 rooms have been used on a single day, and a total of 602 PEH have used the facility. As a general rule of thumb, we expect the peak proportion of the PEH population that will require isolation to be roughly triple the projected peak daily incidence in the city. This framework can guide the provisioning of COVID-19 isolation and post-acute care facilities for high risk communities throughout the United States.
Cloud model-based evaluation of landslide dam development feasibility
Authors: Luo Dengze , Li Hongtao , Wu Yu , Li Dong , Yang Xingguo , Yao Qiang
Published: May 2021

As natural backwater structures, landslide dams both threaten downstream human settlement or infrastructure and contain abundant hydro-energy and tourism resources, so research on their development feasibility is of great significance for permanently remedying them and effectively turning disasters into benefits. Through an analysis of the factors influencing landslide dam development and utilization, an index system (consisting of target, rule, and index layers) for evaluating development feasibility was constructed in this paper. Considering uncertainty and randomness in development feasibility evaluation, a cloud model-improved evaluation method was proposed to determine membership and score clouds based on the uncertainty reasoning of cloud model, and a cloud model-improved analytic hierarchy process (AHP-Cloud Model) was introduced to obtain weights. Final evaluation results were obtained using a hierarchical weighted summary. The improved method was applied to evaluate the Hongshiyan and Tangjiashan landslide dams and the results were compared with the maximum membership principle results. The results showed that the cloud model depicted the fuzziness and uncertainty in the evaluation process. The improved method proposed in this paper overcame the loss of fuzziness in the maximum membership principle evaluation results, and was capable of more directly presenting evaluation results. The development feasibility of the Hongshiyan landslide dam was relatively high, while that of the Tangjiashan landslide dam was relatively low. As suggested by these results, the evaluation model proposed in this paper has great significance for preparing a long-term management scheme for landslide dams.
Extracellular vesicle-enriched miRNA profiles across pregnancy in the MADRES cohort
Authors: Foley Helen Bermudez , Howe Caitlin G. , Eckel Sandrah P. , Chavez Thomas , Gevorkian Lili , Reyes Eileen Granada , Kapanke Bethany , Martinez Danilo , Xue Shanyan , Suglia Shakira F. , Bastain Theresa M. , Marsit Carmen , Breton Carrie V.
Published: May 2021

MicroRNA (miRNA) circulating in plasma have been proposed as biomarkers for a variety of conditions and diseases, including complications during pregnancy. During pregnancy, about 15–25% of maternal plasma exosomes, a small size-class of EVs, are hypothesized to originate in the placenta, and may play a role in communication between the fetus and mother. However, few studies have addressed changes in miRNA over the course of pregnancy with repeated measures, nor focused on diverse populations. We describe changes in miRNA in early and late pregnancy from the MADRES cohort of primarily low-income Hispanic women based in Los Angeles, CA. miRNA derived from extracellular-vesicles (EVs) were isolated from maternal blood plasma samples collected in early and late pregnancy. In this study, we identified 64 of 130 detectable miRNA which significantly increased with gestational age at the time of collection (GA), and 26 which decreased with GA. Possible fetal sex-specific associations were observed for 30 of these 90 significant miRNA. Predicted gene targets for miRNA significantly associated with GA were identified using MirDIP and were found to be enriched for Gene Ontology categories that included energetic and metabolic processes but were underrepresented in immune-related categories. Circulating EV-associated miRNA during pregnancy are likely important for maternal-fetal communication, and may play roles in supporting and maintaining a healthy pregnancy, given the changing needs of the fetus.