bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Patterns of Atherectomy Use
Authors: Brown Craig S. , Eton Ryan E. , Yaser Jessica M. , Syrjamaki John D. , Corriere Matthew A. , Henke Peter K. , Englesbe Michael J. , Osborne Nicholas H.
Published: October 2022

Background

Atherectomy has become the fastest growing catheter‐based peripheral vascular intervention performed in the United States, and overuse has been linked to increased reimbursement, but the patterns of use have not been well characterized.

Methods and Results

We used Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Preferred Provider Organization and Medicare fee‐for‐service professional claims data from the Michigan Value Collaborative for patients undergoing office‐based laboratory atherectomy in 2019 to calculate provider‐specific rates of atherectomy use, reimbursement, number of vessels treated, and number of atherectomies per patient. We also calculated the rate that each provider converted a new patient visit to an endovascular procedure within 90 days. Correlations between parameters were assessed with simple linear regression. Providers completing ≥20 office‐based laboratory atherectomies and ≥20 new patient evaluations during the study period were included. A total of 59 providers performing 4060 office‐based laboratory atherectomies were included. Median professional reimbursement per procedure was $4671.56 (interquartile range [IQR], $2403.09–$7723.19) from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and $14 854.49 (IQR, $9414.80–$18 816.33) from Medicare, whereas total professional reimbursement from both payers ranged from $2452 to $6 880 402 per year. Median 90‐day conversion rate was 5.0% (IQR, 2.5%–10.0%), whereas the median provider‐level average number of vessels treated per patient was 1.20 (IQR, 1.13–1.31) and the median provider‐level average number of treatments per patient was 1.38 (IQR, 1.26–1.63). Total annual reimbursement for each provider was directly correlated with new patient‐procedure conversion rate (
R
2
=0.47;
P
<0.001), mean number of vessels treated per patient (
R
2
=0.31;
P
<0.001), and mean number of treatments per patient (
R
2
=0.33;
P
<0.001).

Conclusions

A minority of providers perform most procedures and are reimbursed substantially more per procedure compared with most providers. Procedural conversion rate, number of vessels, and number of treatments per patient represent potential policy levers to curb overuse.
On the Natural History of Coronary Artery Disease: A Longitudinal Nationwide Serial Angiography Study
Authors: Mohammad Moman A. , Stone Gregg W. , Koul Sasha , Olivecrona Göran K. , Bergman Sofia , Persson Jonas , Engstrøm Thomas , Fröbert Ole , Jernberg Tomas , Omerovic Elmir , James Stefan , Bergström Göran , Erlinge David
Published: October 2022

Background

The long‐term course of coronary atherosclerosis has not been studied in large nationwide cohorts. Understanding the natural history of coronary atherosclerosis could help identify patients at risk for future coronary events.

Methods and Results

All coronary artery segments with <50% luminal stenosis in patients with a first‐time coronary angiogram between 1989 and 2017 were identified (n=2 661 245 coronary artery segments in 248 736 patients) and followed until a clinically indicated angiography within 15 years was performed or until death or end of follow‐up (April 2018) using SCAAR (Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry). The stenosis progression and incidence rates were 2.6% and 1.45 (95% CI, 1.43–1.46) per 1000 segment‐years, respectively. The greatest progression rate occurred in the proximal and middle segments of the left anterior descending artery. Male sex and diabetes were associated with a 2‐fold increase in risk, and nearly 70% of new stenoses occurred in patients with baseline single‐vessel disease (hazard ratio, 3.86 [95% CI, 3.69–4.04]). Coronary artery segments in patients with no baseline risk factors had a progression rate of 0.6% and incidence rate of 0.36 (95% CI, 0.34–0.39), increasing to 8.1% and 4.01 (95% CI, 3.89–4.14) per 1000 segment‐years, respectively, in patients with ≥4 risk factors. The prognostic impact of risk factors on stenosis progression was greatest in younger patients and women.

Conclusions

Coronary atherosclerosis progressed slowly but more frequently in the left coronary artery in men and in the presence of traditional risk factors. Coronary artery segments in patients without risk factors had little or no risk of stenosis progression, and the relative impact of risk factors appears to be of greater importance in younger patients and women. These findings help in the understanding the long‐term course of coronary atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis as a Potential Cause of Deep Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source: A 3T High‐Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study
Authors: Luo Na , Shang Zi‐Yang , Tao Lin , Yang Ben‐Qiang , Chen Hui‐Sheng
Published: October 2022

Background

The potential causes or sources of embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) vary. This study aimed to investigate the main cause of deep ESUS by evaluating nonstenotic intracranial atherosclerotic plaque.

Methods and Results

We retrospectively screened consecutive patients with unilateral anterior circulation ESUS. After excluding the patients with possible embolism from an extracranial artery such as aortic arch plaque, carotid plaque, and so on, the enrolled patients with ESUS were categorized into 2 groups: deep ESUS and cortical with/without deep ESUS. All patients underwent intracranial high‐resolution magnetic resonance imaging to assess the characteristics of nonstenotic intracranial atherosclerotic plaque. Biomarkers of atrial cardiopathy (ie, P‐wave terminal force in lead V1 on ECG, NT‐proBNP [N‐terminal pro–brain natriuretic peptide] and left atrial diameter) were collected. A total of 155 patients with ipsilateral nonstenotic intracranial atherosclerotic plaque were found, with 76 (49.0%) in deep ESUS and 79 (51.0%) in cortical with/without deep ESUS. We found more prevalent plaque in the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery and the ostia of the perforator, with a smaller remodeling index plaque burden, and less frequent occurrence of complicated plaque in deep ESUS versus cortical with/without deep ESUS. Higher BNP (brain natriuretic peptide) levels and a higher prevalence of atrial cardiopathy in cortical with/without deep ESUS versus deep ESUS. Moreover, the discrimination of vulnerable plaque for predicting ESUS was significantly enhanced after adjusting for or further excluding patients with deep ESUS.

Conclusions

The current study provides the first high‐resolution magnetic resonance imaging evidence that cortical with/without deep ESUS and deep ESUS should be 2 distinct entities and that atherosclerosis, not embolism, might be the main cause of deep ESUS.
Investigation on Gender Differences in Leadership of Stroke-Related Clinical Trials
Authors: Rawlley Bharat , Marchina Sarah , Cappucci Stefanie P. , Gogia Bhanu , Wang Jia-Yi , Stillman Alexandra , Kumar Sandeep
Published: October 2022

Background:

Gender disparities among principal investigators of clinical trials (CT) can have implications regarding the areas of investigation, methods, conduct, trial enrollment, and interpretation of results. An estimation of the gender gap in the leadership of stroke-related CTs from North America has to date not been undertaken.

Methods:

We extracted information about stroke-related CTs between 2011 and 2020 from
www.Clinicaltrials.gov
and PubMed. We examined the gender distribution according to the academic credentials and the trial type. The gender of PIs and authors was determined using gender package in R, which identifies gender using historical data from the United States. Additionally, we obtained information from Association of American Medical Colleges and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education data resource books on the gender composition of full-time neurology faculty, neurology residents and vascular neurology fellows.

Results:

In these analyses of 821 CTs registered on
Clinicaltrials.gov
and 110 trials published on PubMed, we found that gender disparity among the PIs, first and last authors have persisted over the last decade without any significant trend toward parity (
P
>0.05). On examining the gender distribution according to academic credentials and trial type, we found that men were over-represented in the sub-group of PIs with an MD degree (78.11% versus 21.87%;
P
<0.01) and those leading acute stroke trials (86.04% versus 13.89%;
P
<0.01). We also found that a lower proportion of women neurology residents pursued a vascular neurology fellowship during this period (33.5% versus 42.5%;
P
<0.05).

Conclusions:

Our results show that the favorable trend toward gender parity seen in Neurology faculty over the last decade has not translated to the same in the leadership of CTs. Our findings merit further investigation and a re-examination of efforts toward inclusion of women as leaders of stroke-related CTs.
Association of Sex With the Use and Outcomes of Carotid Revascularization: A Cohort Study
Authors: Ramkumar Niveditta , Suckow Bjoern D. , Arya Shipra S. , Mackenzie Todd A. , Sedrakyan Art , Goodney Philip P. , Brown Jeremiah R.
Published: October 2022

Background

Stroke is a leading cause of death that disproportionately affects women. Treating carotid stenosis with carotid artery stenting (CAS) or carotid endarterectomy (CEA) can prevent ischemic stroke. Yet, the sex‐specific use and long‐term outcomes of these interventions remain unclear. Thus, we sought to investigate sex‐based differences in the treatment and outcomes of carotid stenosis.

Methods

We analyzed carotid revascularizations in the Vascular Quality Initiative, a national clinical registry. Patients were linked to Medicare claims to identify long‐term outcomes. Our study cohort included patients undergoing index CAS or CEA between 2005 and 2015 who were fee‐for‐service Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+. The primary exposure was sex, and the primary outcome was stroke. Using log‐binomial regression, we estimated the relative risk for CAS treatment accounting for clustering by center. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the hazard ratio for stroke. We used inverse probability‐weighted risk adjustment based on patient demographics, comorbidities, and disease severity for all analyses.

Results

In our cohort of 22 341 eligible patients, 39% were women, 13% underwent CAS, and the median survival time was 2.6 years (interquartile range: 1.0–3.4 years). After risk adjustment, women were less likely to undergo CAS than men (adjusted relative risk, 0.89; [95% CI, 0.83–0.96];
P
=0.003). Women undergoing carotid revascularization had a 24% increased risk of stroke (adjusted HR, 1.24; [95% CI, 1.10–1.39];
P
=0.001) within 5 years of surgery. The higher stroke rate in women was noted following both carotid endarterectomy (adjusted HR, 1.22; [95% CI, 1.07–1.38];
P
=0.003) and CAS (adjusted HR, 1.40; [95% CI, 1.06–1.83];
P
=0.014). This effect was most pronounced for symptomatic treatment, where women undergoing CEA had a 3% higher risk‐adjusted 5‐year cumulative incidence of stroke (13% versus 10%, Gray's
P
=0.002).

Conclusion

Compared with men, women had a higher incidence of postoperative stroke after carotid revascularization, regardless of treatment type. Sex disparities in postrevascularization stroke rates may give rise to concern given the widespread use of revascularization for managing carotid stenosis.
Lexicality-Modulated Influence of Auditory Cortex on Subthalamic Nucleus During Motor Planning for Speech
Authors: Weiss Alexander R. , Korzeniewska Anna , Chrabaszcz Anna , Bush Alan , Fiez Julie A. , Crone Nathan E. , Richardson Robert M.
Published: October 2022

Speech requires successful information transfer within cortical-basal ganglia loop circuits to produce the desired acoustic output. For this reason, up to 90% of Parkinson’s disease patients experience impairments of speech articulation. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is highly effective in controlling the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, sometimes alongside speech improvement, but subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS can also lead to decreases in semantic and phonological fluency. This paradox demands better understanding of the interactions between the cortical speech network and the STN, which can be investigated with intracranial EEG recordings collected during DBS implantation surgery. We analyzed the propagation of high-gamma activity between STN, superior temporal gyrus (STG), and ventral sensorimotor cortices during reading aloud via event-related causality, a method that estimates strengths and directionalities of neural activity propagation. We employed a newly developed bivariate smoothing model based on a two-dimensional moving average, which is optimal for reducing random noise while retaining a sharp step response, to ensure precise embedding of statistical significance in the time–frequency space. Sustained and reciprocal neural interactions between STN and ventral sensorimotor cortex were observed. Moreover, high-gamma activity propagated from the STG to the STN prior to speech onset. The strength of this influence was affected by the lexical status of the utterance, with increased activity propagation during word versus pseudoword reading. These unique data suggest a potential role for the STN in the feedforward control of speech.
Lepilemur petteri latrine placement in Tsimanampetsotse National Park, Madagascar
Authors: Nevermann Stella , Rasolofoson Manuelle Famenosoa , Ratovonamana Yedidya Rakotomalala , Apel Celina , Ganzhorn Jörg U.
Published: October 2022

Latrine behaviour in lemurs has been interpreted as a means of olfactory communication linked to energy efficient resource defence against neighbouring individuals and/or social bonding within social groups. For social bonding, latrines might best be placed at the core of home ranges, while resource defence could be based on defending the most important part of the home range, i.e., the core area or by establishing olfactory landmarks at the periphery of the home range. Most studies on lemurs describe deposition of urine and faeces in latrines in the core of the home range. In a study at the limit of the distributional range of Lepilemur petteri, at a site with unpredictable weather conditions, we radio-tracked 12 individuals and located latrines within their home ranges. In our study, latrines were located at the periphery of the home ranges. This is interpreted as a means to defend a larger area rather than specific resource rich sites that may or may not provide food in a given year. Regardless of the flexible spatial pattern, and in common with other mammals, lemur latrines are characterized by conspicuous trees, even though urine and faeces are deposited at the base of trees. This indicates some kind of optimal structure of latrines to convey information most effectively, possibly by combining visual and olfactory cues.
Optional Plural Agreement in Heritage Turkish Speakers’ Verb Form Choices
Authors: Felser Claudia , Uygun Serkan
Published: October 2022

Turkish 3rd person plural subjects are frequently used with verbs that are unmarked for number, with plural suffix omission influenced by semantic and word-order related constraints. Previous findings from judgment tasks indicate that monolingual and heritage Turkish speakers differ in the way they are affected by these constraints. This study builds and expands upon previous research by investigating the role of word order in more detail, and by examining whether the constraint weightings obtained from Uygun and Felser’s (2021) acceptability judgment data are able to predict speakers’ verb form choices in a timed sentence completion task. Besides confirming that word-order related constraints are information-structural in nature, our results show that heritage speakers over-produce plural-marked verbs in comparison to monolingual speakers, indicating between-group differences in constraint ranking. We interpret this as reflecting a tendency among Turkish heritage speakers to regularize the agreement system, which is not necessarily observed in metalinguistic judgment tasks.
New Data on Language Change: Compositional Definiteness in American Norwegian
Authors: van Baal Yvonne
Published: October 2022

This study investigates language change in American Norwegian (AmNo), a heritage language with a long migration and research history. Specifically, the paper examines the co-occurrence of a prenominal determiner and a suffixed article in modified definite phrases, known as compositional (or double) definiteness (CD). Recordings from three different points in time, recently made available in the Corpus of American Nordic Speech (Johannessen, 2015), are used to track historical developments. The data show that previous generations of speakers use CD in a homeland-like manner. Present-day speakers, on the other hand, frequently omit the determiner, which reflects a language change in this generation. I suggest that this innovation is preceded by a shift in the distributional frequency of exceptions to CD, which is intertwined with changes in language maintenance in the communities. Together, these factors contribute to the timing of the language change.
Essentiality and Responsibility in Times of Crises Anthropodicy beyond the Limits of Reason Alone
Authors: Theojaya Simeon
Published: October 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed global dependency on essential workers and the susceptibility of social dynamics. Essentiality is a haunting primordial issue because it is still defined by socio-economic functions rather than people’s worth as human beings. For Marx, Feuerbach’s concept of homo deus is an inversion of Christian anthropology which ends as a mere ‘theological nicety’. In response to Marx, I hold that religion is an efficient ideology that transcends abstraction. The current crisis shows that religion’s problem lies elsewhere: it can be counterproductive to social causes and hardly fit inside the limits of reason. Elaborating Lévinas’s concern over theodicy, I appeal to anthropodicy as an impetus for religious ideology to embrace vulnerability and nurture solidarity. After Lévinas, I reinterpret essentiality as a responsibility that surpasses our rationality. With the alignment of essentiality and responsibility, anthropodicy can support religious ideology to welcome the vulnerable others and encourage social responsibility.
Comparing the Decriminalisation of Assisted Dying in Europe
Authors: Krüger Jessica Maureen
Published: October 2022

Assisted dying is subject to markedly different laws in different European countries, and the legislation is rapidly changing in many of them. This article seeks to enhance our understanding of how public and health-care professionals’ opinions shape assisted dying legislation in Europe. To that end, data on the attitudes of the general public as well as health-care professionals was systematically collected, analysed and compared to the legal situation in seven European countries, covering the period from 1990 until 2021.
Contemporary Jewish Artists Encounter Samaritan Culture, 2020–2022: Artists’ Perspectives
Authors: McBee Richard
Published: October 2022

This article describes the process by which eight contemporary Jewish artists – Andi Arnovitz, Judith Joseph, Richard McBee, Mark Podwal, Archie Rand, Joel Silverstein, Hillel Smith, and Yona Verwer – encountered Samaritan culture and created artworks that bridge their new learning about the Samaritans and their own Jewish identities. Their works were integrated into The Samaritans: A Biblical People, an exhibition at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, that debuted in the fall of 2022. This essay integrates interviews with the artists into a larger discussion of their art.
Negotiating Black Identity
Authors: Yerima-Avazi Dina , Ekwueme-Ugwu Chinonye
Published: October 2022

This paper interrogates location as a fulcrum for hybrid identity creation for African characters in Africa, African Americans and African characters in the Diaspora. Over time, identity has been negotiated on the basis of race, ethnicity and religion. These are often linked to a specific place and find expression in definitions of culture, suggesting location as a necessary component of culture and, by extension, a major influence on identity. Conceptual notions of diaspora and hybridity, as explored within the postcolonial theory, serve as the framework which research uses to comparatively query the negotiation of hybrid identity as given in Roots by Alex Haley and Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. These two texts represent African American and African characters’ experiences, respectively. The study aims to reveal that regardless of regional difference and other nuances in the experiences of African American and African characters, hybrid identity creation for both African American and African characters, is tied to location—which, in this case, is Africa.
Visibilizing Everyday Intergenerational Engagements: Philippines in 2020 Lockdown
Authors: Oropilla Czarecah Tuppil , Ødegaard Elin Eriksen , White E. Jayne
Published: October 2022

Contemporary depictions of learning in early years research and practice are mostly located within formal educational institutions. Educational experiences that take place for young children in the family home, and across generations, are much less visible, despite persistent claims concerning the importance of the wider family in early experience. During covid-19 pandemic lockdown, however, learning at home with family members became much more visible as private and public settings coalesced. In the present study 2-4-year-old Filipino children’s intergenerational experiences at home during lockdown were shared through visual data, as a source of valued learning—highlighting the pedagogical role of family. The authors’ interest in this article is to explore what kinds of learning were made visible—by whom, for whom. Special emphasis is given to intergenerational engagements between young children and older adults, as represented by the families themselves. Heywood and Sandywell’s concept of ‘visibilization’ is operationalized as a visual route to these sites of production—the images themselves, their intended audience, and their circulation. Videos produced by families portray intergenerational arenas for learning. The mediating role of the sandwich generations in these intergenerational encounters are made visible in the private and public sphere of social media.
Floristic Inventory of the Iguaçu and Iguazú National Parks (Brazil and Argentina): Bignoniaceae
Authors: HENTZ JÚNIOR ELMAR J. , G. LOHMANN LÚCIA , G. CAXAMBU MARCELO , G. TEMPONI LÍVIA , PIRES LIMA LAURA C.
Published: October 2022

Although Argentina and Brazil are among the countries with the highest vascular plant diversity, the flora of both countries remains understudied. The Iguazú region, where the Iguaçu National Park (Brazil) and the Iguazú National Park (Argentina) are located, is an example of a region that remains poorly known botanically. Even though the Bignoniaceae is an important component of the flora of this region, few floristic treatments are available for this plant family for the Southern Cone, a region encompassing Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Southern Brazil. Here, we provide a floristic account of Bignoniaceae from the Iguazú and Iguaçu National Parks, including identification keys, photographs, illustrations, comments on the geographic distribution, habitat, and phenology. A total of 29 species in 13 genera of Bignoniaceae were documented. Of these, Dolichandra and Fridericia are the richest genera in the region, with five species each, followed by Adenocalymma, Handroanthus, and Jacaranda with three species each, and Amphilophium and Bignonia with two species each. Six genera, i.e., Mansoa, Podranea, Pyrostegia, Tabebuia, Tanaecium, and Tynanthus, are represented by a single species. As scientific novelties herein we document Fridericia triplinervia for the first time in the PARNA Iguaçu, a new collection of Dolichandra cynanchoides in the PARNA Iguaçu after 54 years, Tynanthus micranthus distribution expansion to Argentina, the correction of the endemism status of Jacaranda micrantha and Jacaranda puberula, as well as the preliminar assessment of most of the species conservation status. This way, our findings expand the knowledge about the flora of the Southern Cone, contributing with important information for the establishment of biodiversity management plans and conservation priorities.
Notes on morphology and ecology of an elusive water flea Rhynchotalona latens (Sarmaja-Korjonen, Hakojärvi & Korhola, 2000) (Crustacea: Cladocera)
Authors: SINEV ARTEM Y. , DADYKIN IVAN A.
Published: October 2022

Very rare North European water flea Rhynchotalona latens (Sarmaja-Korjonen, Hakojärvi & Korhola, 2000) (Crustacea: Cladocera), found mostly as remains during subfossil studies, was found in North Karelia, Russia. The species inhabits waterlogged Sphagnum mosses at lake margins, but is not present in littoral zones of the lakes. Morphology of thoracic limbs of R. latens was studied for the first time; SEM studies of the species were conducted for the first time. Our data suggests that R. latens is a specialized interstitial moss-dwelling species, only accidentally found in open water, which explains its rarity in samples taken by standard sampling methods. Presence of R. latens subfossil remains in sediments specifically indicate presence of Sphagnum at the lake coast, typical for acid oligotrophic or dystrophiс lakes.
Comparison of Robotic, Laparoscopic, and Open Unilateral Repair of Non-recurrent Inguinal Hernia
Authors: Hsu Justin L. , Kelley Jesse K. , Zambito Giuseppe M. , Korakavi Nisha , Phillips Alexander , Phillips Maxwell , Scheeres David E. , Banks-Venegoni Amy L.
Published: October 2022

Background

There is a paucity of data comparing open, robotic, and laparoscopic approaches on unilateral, non-recurrent inguinal hernias. Our study presents a large, retrospective triple-arm outcome analysis between robotic, laparoscopic, and open unilateral, non-recurrent inguinal hernia repairs at a single institution.

Methods

706 patients who underwent elective, non-recurrent inguinal hernia repair performed by 8 general surgeons at a single institution from 2016 to 2019 were reviewed retrospectively. Patient baseline characteristics, operative times, resident involvement, and postoperative outcomes were analyzed for all repair types. A cost analysis of the different procedures was performed.

Results

There were 305 laparoscopic repairs, 207 robotic repairs, and 194 open repairs. Open and laparoscopic repairs were performed on patients who were older (p =< .001) and with a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (p =< .001). Patient BMI was higher in minimally invasive repair than open repair (P = .021). There were no significant differences in complication rates on pairwise analysis. Robotic and open repairs had significantly longer operative times than laparoscopic repairs (P < .001). There was less resident involvement in robotic repair than with the other approaches (P < .001). Resident involvement was associated with shorter OR times (P = .001) and no significant difference in postoperative complications. There was a trend over the study period toward faster operative times and more robotic repair. Robotic repair is the most expensive repair, followed by laparoscopic and open repairs.

Conclusion

All 3 repair techniques can be performed without significant differences in outcomes. The technique utilized should be based on surgeon preference and patient characteristics.
As Clear as Black and White: Racially Disparate Concerns Over Career Progression for Remote Workers Across Racial Faultlines
Authors: Bachrach Daniel G. , Patel Pankaj C. , Pratto Felicia
Published: October 2022

With increasing complexity in the evolving structure of work in organizations, employees’ preferences for working from home (WFH) relative to working on-site can lead to systematic differences in perceived career implications. An emerging tension associated with WFH versus work-at-work is whether this locational divide is associated with concerns over career progression, especially among racial minorities. Here, we seek to determine whether Black employees, relative to their White counterparts, have more concerns over career progression relating to WFH compared with their on-site colleagues. From a sample of employees in the May 2021 cross-section of the Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes (SWAA), we find that relative to higher (lower) income White employees, higher (lower) income Black WFH employees have significantly higher (lower) concerns over career progression than their on-site counterparts. These findings speak both to the nontrivial choices employees may be forced to make as the structure of work continues to evolve and consequences for racial inequality.
Mobilizing landscapes of practice to address grand challenges
Authors: Ackermann Fran , Pyrko Igor , Hill Georgina
Published: October 2022

Grand challenges require coordinated and integrated responses that draw on different occupational communities’ competencies that might otherwise remain in isolation. We theorize how grand challenges can be tackled by mobilizing landscapes of practice – a totality of local communities that constitute a ‘living knowledge area’ within a given domain. The landscapes of practices concept helps to understand the deployment of participatory architectures, which in the current literature is considered essential for addressing grand challenges. To this end, landscapes of practice emphasize the mutual accountability between networks and communities across informal and institutional settings and the need to learn about the landscapes of practice rather than focusing only on developing local competencies. Thus, landscapes of practice mobilization is complex and requires collective practical judgment while facing the arising socio-political tensions. Drawing on a study focused on Australian mental health care, we propose four pillars enabling the mobilization of landscapes of practice, and constituting general guiding principles – determining and legitimizing the landscapes of practice’s purpose, deploying landscapes of practice-based governance structures, motivating and connecting membership across the landscapes of practice, and demonstrating the value of the mobilized landscapes of practice. Thereby, we propose a framework of mobilizing landscapes of practice that serves as a reference for network leaders and managerial practice while advancing the academic debates on grand challenges and situated learning.
Experiences of care perceived by users of supported accommodations for people with serious mental disorders: Can they impact quality of life?
Authors: Pedrosa Bárbara , Cardoso Graça , Azeredo-Lopes Sofia , Aluh Deborah , Grigaitė Ugnė , Dias Margarida , Silva Manuela , Caldas de Almeida José
Published: October 2022

Background:

To understand if supported accommodations (SA) are promoting the recovery of people with serious mental disorders, quality of life (QoL) is an important outcome. This study aimed to analyse the association between QoL and experiences of care in general and to identify specific experiences of care that are associated with QoL in users of SA.

Methods:

A random sample of users of 42 SA was interviewed to obtain standardized measures of QoL and personal experiences of care. The sample was also characterized according to sociodemographic and clinical aspects. Linear regressions models analysed the association between QoL and experiences of care, adjusting for potential confounders. Results include estimated regression coefficients, corresponding 95% confidence intervals and p-values.

Results:

The number of users interviewed was 272. The median QoL was 4.9 (2.3–6.8) out of 7. Although 84.9% of users were satisfied with the care received, only 16.2% felt involved in their treatment. Feeling safe (β = .73; 95% CI [0.22–1.24], p  = .006) and having privacy (β = .42; 95% CI [0.09–0.75], p  = .014) influenced QoL. Involvement in care (β = .44; 95% CI [0.13–0.74], p  = .006), safety and privacy (β = .72; 95% CI [0.44–0.99], p  = 8.38e-07) and user-professional relationship (β = .42; 95% CI [0.14–0.69], p  = .003) were also associated with QoL.

Conclusions:

Feeling safe, having privacy, feeling involved in care and having good user-professional relationships influence the QoL of users. These findings have implications from the political and economic level to the organizational and individual levels.
Protest Before and During a Pandemic
Authors: Gordon Jeffrey
Published: October 2022

Liberal democracies have struggled recently with protecting freedom of speech and assembly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an old, general problem in new, specific guise. In Australia, the Supreme Court of New South Wales has been exercising a statutory jurisdiction to ‘authorise’ or ‘prohibit’ proposed public assemblies for 40 years. This article offers the first sustained analysis of the Court’s jurisprudence. After describing the operation of the statutory permit scheme and systematising the case law, this article critiques the Court’s jurisprudence from the perspective of free speech and freedom of assembly. It then argues that there is a puzzle at the heart of the legislative scheme: the conferral of a wide discretion the exercise of which produces a narrow legal order. This puzzle suggests that the legal effect of an authorising or prohibiting order does not exhaust its broader social significance.
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Employee Perceived Organizational Performance, Job Satisfaction, and Diversity Management Among the U.S. Federal Public Health Agencies
Authors: Kang In-Gu , Kim Nayoung , Bichelmeyer Barbara A.
Published: October 2022

This study identified personal and organizational environmental factors associated with perceived organizational performance (POP) and moderation of race/ethnicity in these relationships with POP in the U.S. federal government employees among 10 health agencies. Cross-sectional, nationally representative data were obtained from the 2017, 2018, and 2019 Federal Employee Viewpoint Surveys, completed by 117,353 (weighed 190,736) employees among 10 health agencies. We employed multivariable linear models of POP to examine associations between job satisfaction and organizational environmental factors and POP and to assess the effects of racial/ethnic minority as a modifier on these relationships after controlling for sampling weights. Job satisfaction, trust in leadership, organizational procedural justice, and diversity management were positively associated with POP. Significant moderating effects of race/ethnicity were observed in the relationships of POP with job satisfaction and diversity management. In the conclusion, we discuss how federal public health agencies strategically develop management practices, particularly for employees of color.
Challenging the exclusion of immigrant peers
Authors: Palmer Sally B. , Gönültaş Seçil , Yüksel Ayşe Şule , Argyri Eirini K. , McGuire Luke , Killen Melanie , Rutland Adam
Published: October 2022

The present study examined age-related differences in bystander reactions within the context of peer exclusion of national ingroup (British) and immigrant outgroup (Australian or Turkish) peers. The immigrant peers were from nations that varied in terms of their perceived intergroup status in Britain. Participants were British children ( n = 110, 8–11 years) and adolescents ( n = 193, 13–16 years) who were presented with one of three scenarios in which a British national, Australian immigrant, or Turkish immigrant peer was excluded by a British peer group. Participants indicated their bystander responses. Perceived similarity and bystander self-efficacy were examined as possible correlates of bystander reactions. Findings revealed that children were more likely to directly challenge the social exclusion when the excluded peer was British or Australian compared with when they were Turkish. In contrast, adolescents did not differentiate in their response—they were equally likely to directly challenge the exclusion regardless of the excluded peer’s nationality. Importantly, when the excluded peer was Turkish, moderated mediation analysis showed that, with age, there was higher bystander self-efficacy for challenging the exclusions. In turn, higher bystander self-efficacy was related to higher direct challenging. These novel findings demonstrate the importance of intergroup relations, perceived similarity, and bystander self-efficacy in the emergence of age-related differences in bystander reactions to the exclusion of immigrant peers.
A two-circuit strategy for intraoperative extracorporeal support during single lung transplantation in a patient bridged with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
Authors: Hang Dustin , Chandrashekarappa Kiran , Schilling Kyle , Ubert Adam , de Oliveira Nilto , Pagel Paul S
Published: October 2022

Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is increasingly used as a bridging strategy in decompensating patients awaiting lung transplantation. Various approaches for continuing support intraoperatively have been previously described. A two-circuit strategy that uses the in situ venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuit supplemented with peripheral cardiopulmonary bypass allows for diversion of native cardiac output away from the transplanted lung as well as seamless continuation of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation postoperatively.
Clinical report of delayed recovery after general anaesthesia in elderly patients with cervical spine surgery: A case report
Authors: Liu Yang , Huang Huilian
Published: October 2022

This report describes a case of a 70-year-old male that underwent decompression laminectomy and internal fixation under general anaesthesia. After extubation, the patient gradually developed no response to instructions and the disturbance of consciousness persisted with unequal pupils in size, but clinical neurological findings and a brain computed tomography scan showed no organic abnormalities. A careful medical history undertaken by anaesthesiologists revealed that the patient had a history of trauma to his left eye, resulting in blindness in this eye, but the surgeons, anaesthesiologists and nurses did not find these problems before the operation. The diagnosis in this case was prolonged unconsciousness due to delayed recovery from anaesthesia. Careful titration of the dose based on individual response in order to reduce adverse effects of general anaesthetics is especially important in elderly patients. Multiple checks of the patient information, surgical safety checklist and medical history by anaesthesiologists, surgeons and nurses can minimize the chance of an adverse outcome.
Olaparib as a single agent treatment in pre-treated metastatic pancreatic cancer patient harboring BRCA2 mutation: What could we expect?
Authors: Garajová Ingrid , Balsano Rita , Gelsomino Fabio , Leonardi Francesco
Published: October 2022

Background:

Despite ongoing developments, pancreatic cancer remains one of the most difficult tumors to treat. Even the most effective chemotherapy regimens, only marginally improve the outcome of Pancreatic cancer patients, which rarely exceeds one year. A small subset of Pancreatic cancer patients, carriers of germline variants of BRCA1/2, are clinically relevant as therapeutic targets in pancreatic cancer, both for the first-line and maintenance therapy, as they are more responsive to platinum-based chemotherapy agents and PARP inhibitors. Though, a little is known about the efficacy of olaparib monotherapy in later lines, or in poor responders to platinum-based regimens.

Methods:

We describe a case of a patient with pancreatic cancer harboring BRCA2 mutation, treated with radical surgery, adjuvant treatment and three different palliative chemotherapy regimens at disease recurrence (FOLFOX in first line with progression-free survival of five months, gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in the second line with progression-free survival of six months and FOLFIRI in the third line with progression-free survival of three months) before olaparib off-label treatment.

Results:

Interestingly, the patient remained 10 months on olaparib treatment, without disease progression, and without any side effects from the treatment.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this case highlights the clinically relevant progression-free survival with olaparib treatment in later line and the potential of better health-related quality of life in this small subset of Pancreatic cancer patients.
What is the Right Size for a Residential Building Parcel Locker?
Authors: Ranjbari Andisheh , Diehl Caleb , Dalla Chiara Giacomo , Goodchild Anne
Published: October 2022

Common-carrier parcel lockers present a solution for decreasing delivery times, traffic congestion, and emissions in dense urban areas through consolidation of deliveries. Multi-story residential buildings with large number of residents, and thus a high volume of online package orders, are one of the best venues for installing parcel lockers. But what is the right size for a residential building locker that would suit the residents’ and building managers’ needs? Because of the novelty of parcel lockers, there is no clear guideline for determining the right locker size and configuration for a residential building given the resident population. A small locker would result in packages exceeding capacity and being left in the lobby, increasing the building manager’s workload and confusing and inconveniencing users. On the other hand, a large locker is more expensive, more difficult to install, and unappealing to residents. To answer this question, we installed a common-carrier parcel locker in a residential building in downtown Seattle, WA, U.S.A. Through collecting detailed data on locker usage from the locker provider company, we studied and quantified carriers’ delivery patterns and residents’ online shopping and package pickup behaviors. We then used this information to model the locker delivery and pickup process, and simulated several locker configurations to find the one that best suits the delivery needs of the building. These findings could aid urban planners and building managers in choosing the right size for residential building lockers that meet delivery demand while minimizing costs and contributing to environmental benefits.
Geographic Information System-Based Model of Outdoor Thermal Comfort: Case Study for Zurich
Authors: Hess Jonas , Meister Adrian , Melnikov Valentin R. , Axhausen Kay W.
Published: October 2022

The importance of walking, the most basic form of transportation, is growing. Climate change and the associated warmer temperatures could reduce comfortable walking distances drastically. There is a clear need to better understand how outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) and walking interact. In this work, thermoregulation of the human body is modeled with the two-node model to determine the influence of the microclimate on pedestrians’ OTC. First, the impact of the current microclimate in Zurich on the route choice of pedestrians is analyzed. No significant correlation is found between simulated OTC of walking a particular route and route choices for all trips, but results for longer trips indicate a possible influence of OTC. It is pointed out that the same assessment could be done for other regions, and the results could contribute to more accurate pedestrian modeling. Second, a tool is developed that can estimate OTC-corrected walking distances from any location. The tool is applied to the current climate and future climate scenarios. The results show that, in the future, OTC of pedestrians in Zurich will be severely decreased. Further, the tool can detect where there is potential for and, through its accessibility approach, quantify improvements to the built environment citywide. Future work should focus on enhancing physiological input parameters to the model. This work provides a novel use of the two-node model for walking subjects in a citywide assessment.
Improved Framework for Classification of Flight Phases of General Aviation Aircraft
Authors: Zhang Qilei , Mott John H.
Published: October 2022

Flight data mining enables airport owners, operators, and governmental entities to explore more intelligent management strategies; in particular, cost-effectively obtaining accurate operational data is beneficial for general aviation (GA) airports and their associated communities. The current data collection modus operandi, however, does not meet future needs, as aircraft operations are counted manually or estimated by sampling methods. The increasing traffic flow and limited available personnel at most GA airports make it unrealistic to continue using traditional methods to analyze aircraft operational statistics; therefore, a customized approach is needed to address this problem. Since different flight phases have different levels and types of impact on the environment, acquiring information related to the duration of each flight phase at the airport and within its surrounding airspace is critical to the assessment of emissions and noise pollution from aircraft. The primary goal of the research is to provide quantified inputs for the environmental evaluation model, such as the Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT). This paper demonstrates a programmed framework that successfully achieves satisfactory performance in solving flight phase identification problems by testing the synthetic flight data as well as validating the empirical Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data. The experimental results suggest that the proposed methods achieve promising classification accuracy, leading to feasible deployment in airport operations.
The Global Moment of Asian Studies in Turkey and the Case of Bogazici University
Authors: Esenbel Selçuk
Published: October 2022

This paper outlines the development of Asian studies in Turkey from their early years to 2022. A particular focus is put on the development of academic programs at Bogazici University and on the international academic partnerships it entailed. The author argues that the end of the Cold War, the “rise of Asia” in public opinion, the new Asia initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the global attraction due to international employment opportunities, represent multiple factors that have accelerated interest in Asian Studies in Turkey.
Recurrent Neural Network-FitNets: Improving Early Prediction of Student Performanceby Time-Series Knowledge Distillation
Authors: Murata Ryusuke , Okubo Fumiya , Minematsu Tsubasa , Taniguchi Yuta , Shimada Atsushi
Published: October 2022

This study helps improve the early prediction of student performance by RNN-FitNets, which applies knowledge distillation (KD) to the time series direction of the recurrent neural network (RNN) model. The RNN-FitNets replaces the teacher model in KD with “an RNN model with a long-term time-series in which the features during the entire course are inputted” and the student model in KD with “an RNN model with a short-term time-series in which only the features during the early stages are inputted.” As a result, the RNN model in the early stage was trained to output the same results as the more accurate RNN model in the later stages. The experiment compared RNN-FitNets with a normal RNN model on a dataset of 296 university students in total. The results showed that RNN-FitNets can improve early prediction. Moreover, the SHAP value was employed to explain the contribution of the input features to the prediction results by RNN-FitNets. It was shown that RNN-FitNets can consider the future effects of the input features from the early stages of the course.