bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intrauterine adhesion after hysteroscopic myomectomy of submucous myomas
Authors: Takasaki Kazuki , Henmi Hirofumi , Ikeda Utako , Endo Toshiaki , Azumaguchi Atsushi , Nagasaka Kazunori
Published: November 2022

Purpose

To evaluate the frequency of intrauterine adhesion (IUA) after hysteroscopic myomectomy, and to analyze the association of IUA and the location of submucous myomas and the use of postoperative barrier (POB).

Methods

Hysteroscopic myomectomy was performed in 217 patients with submucous myomas. The retrospective investigation was performed, and the cases were divided into three groups: cases with solitary submucous myoma (SSM; group 1), cases with apposing submucous myomas (ASMs; group 2) and cases with submucous myomas that were far from each other or not in apposition to one another (not apposing submucous myomas: NASMs; group 3). As POB, intrauterine device with oxidized regenerated cellulose and silicon sheet was inserted immediately after surgery.

Results

IUA formation after hysteroscopic myomectomy was more frequent in group 2 than groups 1 and 3 (p = 0.03 and 0.01, respectively), despite the higher rates of POB use (p = 0.02). There was no significant difference in IUA formation in cases with POB between each group (p = 0.06 and 0.21, respectively). But in cases without POB, group 2 showed higher rates of IUA formation than group 1 (p = 0.04) and group 3 (p = 0.03). Multivariable analysis for IUA formation demonstrated that ASMs were a risk factor of IUA (hazard ratio [HR] = 27.9, p < 0.01), and the use of POB was a prognostic factor for reduction of IUA formation (HR = 0.08, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

ASMs appear to be a risk factor for IUA formation. The use of POB may be associated with preventing IUA formation after hysteroscopic myomectomy.
A Spatial Examination of COVID‐19 Policies among Missouri School Districts
Authors: Shacham Enbal , Scroggins Stephen , Little Germysha , Fredman Avery , Ritter Gary
Published: November 2022

BACKGROUND

As the COVID‐19 pandemic spread, school district administrators in the United States were faced with difficult decisions regarding the implementation of virtual or in‐person learning to reduce risk of infection throughout student and staff populations. While a coordinated effort with surrounding districts would be most beneficial when encountering a highly infectious respiratory‐based infectious disease, the determinants of type of education delivery is unclear.

METHODS

Data from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education assessing education delivery method at each school district across the state of Missouri (n = 514) from August 2020 were used. This cross‐sectional study, using results from a school district‐level survey, local COVID‐19 rates, and community‐level sociodemographic characteristics, conducted a spatially adjusted analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine associations between education delivery type and geographic‐level sociogeographic characteristics.

RESULTS

Among Missouri school districts, 172 (33.4%) reported starting the 2020‐2021 academic year with an in‐person policy, 52 (10.1%) with a distant/virtual policy, 242 (47.1%) in‐person with a distance option, and 48 (9.3%) with a blended policy. This study found districts with lower household income levels were less likely to offer students any virtual learning options. Additionally, community COVID‐19 infection rates were not associated with the selection of virtual or in‐person education delivery.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest the presence of a specific school policy was spatially random in regard to neighboring community policies, even when accounting for community characteristics. The efficacy of policy is likely to benefit upon application of a spatial framework when addressing a crisis fundamentally tied to location. Future planning that highlights and focuses on regional coordination for community resilience in the face of a pandemic should incorporate data sources that inform decisions made for families, students, and communities.
Comparison of percentile tables and algorithm‐based calculators for classification of blood pressures in children and adolescents with obesity: A secondary analysis of a clinical trial
Authors: Pitts William J , Cave Tami L , Cavadino Alana , Shypailo Roman J , Maessen Sarah E , Hofman Paul L , Wong William , Anderson Yvonne C
Published: November 2022

Aim

Obesity as a major risk factor for childhood hypertension necessitates careful blood pressure (BP) monitoring of those affected. This study aimed to compare BP classification in a cohort of children affected by obesity using tables versus digital calculations in two sets of guidelines.

Methods

This study was a secondary analysis of data collected from a randomised clinical trial of a multidisciplinary life‐style assessment and intervention program. Baseline data from 237 children with a body mass index >99th percentile or >91st percentile with weight‐related comorbidities and available BP measurements were analysed. We assessed agreement between tables and algorithms in classification of elevated BP/pre‐hypertension and hypertension based on the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) clinical practice guidelines (CPG) and the older Fourth Report using Cohen's weighted kappa. The prevalence of hypertensive diagnoses was also compared between the two guidelines.

Results

Agreement between BP tables and algorithmic calculation of percentiles was discordant, though improved in the AAP CPG compared to the Fourth Report (Cohen's kappa = 0.70 vs. 0.57, respectively). None (0%) were missed diagnoses, and 59 (24.9%) were false positives for the Fourth Report, and 0 (0%) were missed diagnoses, and 49 (20.9%) were false positives for the AAP CPG. Under the recent guidelines, there was an increase in prevalence of 6.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5–9.4%; P = 0.0001) for BP ≥90th percentile, and of 3.0% (95% CI 0.4–5.6%; p = 0.016) for hypertension (BP ≥ 95th percentile) in the cohort (18.0% and 6.8%, respectively, increased from 12.0% and 3.8%).

Conclusions

Digital calculators over tables in clinical practice are recommended where possible to improve the accuracy of paediatric BP classification. Substantial rates of elevated BP/Hypertension were found in this cohort of children and adolescents with overweight and obesity.
Systemic postnatal corticosteroids and magnetic resonance imaging measurements of corpus callosum and cerebellum of extremely preterm infants
Authors: Han‐Menz Charmaine , Whiteley Gillian , Evans Rachel , Razak Abdul , Malhotra Atul
Published: November 2022

Aim

To compare the size of the corpus callosum (CC) and cerebellum on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans conducted at term equivalent age (TEA) in extremely preterm infants who received systemic postnatal corticosteroids (PCS) to extremely preterm infants who did not receive systemic PCS and determine the dose‐dependent effects on these outcomes.

Methods

Single‐centre retrospective cohort study including extremely preterm infants (born < 26 weeks' gestation) who had MRI brain scans at TEA. CC and cerebellar measurements were evaluated by two radiologists who were blinded to steroid use and their independent measurements were averaged. Comparative analyses were conducted between exposed (to systemic PCS) and non‐exposed groups.

Results

Eighty‐three extremely preterm infants with mean (SD) 24.9 (0.91) weeks' gestational age, 721.8 (156) g birthweight were included; 38 with systemic PCS exposure and 45 without exposure. After adjustment for birthweight and other significant neonatal morbidities, there was no significant difference noted in corpus callosum length (CCL) between unexposed and exposed groups (adjusted mean (SE) 39.5 (0.57) mm vs. 38.5 (0.62) mm; P = 0.29). Similarly, the ratios of CCL/fronto‐occipital diameter (FOD) and CCL/biparietal diameter (BPD) were not significantly different between the groups (CCL/FOD (0.40 (0.01) vs. 0.41 (0.01); P = 0.70) and CCL/BPD (0.51 (0.01) vs. 0.52 (0.01); P = 0.62)). Finally, no significant differences in cerebellar measurements, such as vermian height (adjusted mean (SE) 24.0 (0.46) mm vs. 23.5 (0.51 mm); P = 0.47) and transcerebellar diameter (adjusted mean (SE) 49.3 (0.74) mm vs. 4.78 (0.82) mm; P = 0.22) were found. No dose‐dependent effects of systemic PCS on CC and cerebellar measurements were identified.

Conclusions

Systemic PCS use in extremely preterm infants was not associated with a change in the CC and cerebellar measurements on MRI brain scan at TEA.
Daytime light exposure is a strong predictor of seasonal variation in sleep and circadian timing of university students
Authors: Dunster Gideon P. , Hua Isabelle , Grahe Alex , Fleischer Jason G. , Panda Satchidananda , Wright Kenneth P. , Vetter Céline , Doherty Jennifer H. , de la Iglesia Horacio O.
Published: November 2022

In the absence of electric light, sleep for humans typically starts soon after dusk and at higher latitudes daily sleep timing changes seasonally as photoperiod changes. However, access to electric light shields humans from natural photoperiod changes, and whether seasonal changes in sleep occur despite this isolation from the natural light‐dark cycle remains a matter of controversy. We measured sleep timing in over 500 university students living in the city of Seattle, WA (47.6°N) throughout the four seasons; we show that even when students are following a school schedule, sleep timing is delayed during the fall and winter. For instance, during the winter school days, students fell asleep 35 min later and woke up 27 min later (under daylight‐savings time) than students during the summer school days, a change that is an hour larger relative to solar midnight. Furthermore, chronotype defined by mid‐sleep on free days corrected for oversleep (MSFc), an indirect estimate of circadian phase, was more than 30 min later in the winter compared with the summer. Analysis of the effect of light exposure showed that the number of hours of light exposure to at least 50 lux during the daytime was a stronger predictor of MSFc than the exposure time to this illuminance after dusk. Specifically, MSFc was advanced by 30 min for each additional hour of light exposure during daytime and delayed by only 15 min for each additional hour of postdusk exposure to light. Additionally, the time of the day of exposure to high light intensities was more predictive of MSFc when daytime exposure was considered than when exposure for the full 24‐h day was considered. Our results show that although sleep time is highly synchronized to social time, a delayed timing of sleep is evident during the winter months. They also suggest that daily exposure to daylight is key to prevent this delayed phase of the circadian clock and thus circadian disruption that is typically exacerbated in high‐latitude winters.
A systematic review of new empirical data on lucid dream induction techniques
Authors: Tan Shuyue , Fan Jialin
Published: November 2022

Lucid dreams are defined as dreams in which the dreamers are aware of the fact that they are dreaming as dreams continue. It has been ~12 years since the last review of the efficiency of lucid dream induction techniques was conducted. Hence, the present study aimed to review the lucid dream induction techniques published in the past decade. The second aim was to propose a modified classification for the existing lucid dream induction techniques, including cognitive techniques, external stimulation, substance intervention, and cortical stimulation. The third aim was to assess the methodological quality of the studies included in the review. It was hypothesised that, comparing with the studies included in the last review, the studies included in the present review had better overall methodological quality. A total of 19 peer‐reviewed studies were included and analysed in the present review, from which 14 lucid dream induction techniques were identified. The results indicated that the mnemonic induction of lucid dream technique was the most effective for inducing lucid dreams. Moreover, two new techniques, the senses‐initiated lucid dream technique and galantamine intervention, might also be competitive candidates for lucid dream induction but further replications are needed. As hypothesised, the overall methodological quality of the studies included in the present review was higher than that of the studies included the previous review. In all, 17 studies had moderate methodological quality, whereas only three studies had poor methodological quality.
A critical look at ideas, concerns and expectations in clinical communication
Authors: Murtagh Ged M.
Published: November 2022

Background

For medical students and doctors, capturing the patient's perspective is critical if the consultation is to be meaningful for both parties. Medical students are taught the import of this in their communication skills training aided by inquiring into the patient's ideas, concerns and expectations (ICE) during the consultation. Ensuring the effectiveness of those inquiries can be a challenge for different reasons. Yet apart from a handful of papers on the subject, there is little guidance on the efficacy of ICE as a communication technique and specifically how to successfully blend questions about ICE within the interaction between doctor and patient.

Proposal

This paper takes a closer look at this communication technique and explores some of the interactional features of inquiries into ICE. First, the background to ICE and its emergence within the field of medical education is considered. Next the argument considers some of the contextual and pedagogical issues that inquiries into ICE gives rise to. The discussion then goes on to explore some conceptual underpinnings drawing on findings from Conversation Analysis, which provide some direction in approaching questions about what the patient thinks. Finally, the implications of the argument presented are considered in relation to the teaching and assessment of medical students with a short proposal for next steps.

Conclusion

Capturing the patient's perspective through an exploration of their ideas, concerns and expectations remains a valuable approach in communication skills training in medical education. It is important, however, that ICE type inquiries are used carefully and responsively if they are to be used to improve communication with patients.
Backtracking through interventions: An exogenous intervention model for counterfactual semantics
Authors: Vandenburgh Jonathan
Published: November 2022

Causal models show promise as a foundation for the semantics of counterfactual sentences. However, current approaches face limitations compared to the alternative similarity theory: they only apply to a limited subset of counterfactuals and the connection to counterfactual logic is not straightforward. This article addresses these difficulties using exogenous interventions, where causal interventions change the values of exogenous variables rather than structural equations. This model accommodates judgments about backtracking counterfactuals, extends to logically complex counterfactuals, and validates familiar principles of counterfactual logic. This combines the interventionist intuitions of the causal approach with the logical advantages of the similarity approach.
How language shapes our minds: On the relationship between generics, stereotypes and social norms
Authors: Berio Leda , Musholt Kristina
Published: November 2022

In this article, we discuss the role of labels and generics referring to social kinds in mindshaping practices, arguing that they promote generalizations that foster essentialist thinking and carry a normative force. We propose that their cognitive function consists in both contributing to the formation and reinforcement of schemata and scripts for social interaction and in activating these schemata in specific social situations. Moreover, we suggest that failure to meet the expectations engendered by these schemata and scripts leads to the activation of “reactive attitudes” embedded in feedback loops of reactive exchange that are constitutive of our mindshaping practices.
“Don't cry, it doesn't belong to us”; critical thoughts on commemoration as a means of inclusion: Mizrahi Jews and Holocaust memory in Israel
Authors: Kook Rebecca , Solomon Sophia
Published: November 2022

Efforts to incorporate the collective memories of minority communities into national memory narratives are viewed as an integral part of efforts to revive democracy, while contributing to social integration and equality. In this context, the inclusion of minority histories is increasingly being mandated by law and policy in many countries. Recently, Israel passed memory laws that set out to include the previously excluded history of its North African minority communities into the larger Israeli national memory narrative of the Holocaust. In this essay, we ask whether, and in what ways, this change in the national memory narrative has quelled feelings of alienation experienced by members of these minorities and increased feelings of national belonging. Based on group interviews conducted with members of Jewish North African communities in Israel, we demonstrate that feelings of exclusion from the national remembrance narrative linger, despite the efforts of the State.
Association between preoperative on‐site CCU visits and postoperative delirium in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Chen Beibei , Wu Lina , Fang Zhenhong , Zheng Jing , Dong Weihua , Hong Xia , Jin Peifeng
Published: November 2022

Background

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common complication after cardiac surgery (CS), with symptoms like attention disorders and even delays patients' recovery.

Aims

To evaluate the impact of preoperative on‐site visits in the cardiac care unit (CCU) on POD after CS.

Study Design

Patients admitted to the CCU with extracorporeal CS were included in the visiting or non‐visiting group according to whether they were on visiting week. The visiting group received a preoperative visit from a nurse‐led multidisciplinary visiting team (including CCU nurses and physicians) 1 week before surgery in addition to standard care. The non‐visiting group received standard care like unstructured information from the CS team and anesthesiologists and so on. The Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM‐ICU) and the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC) were used to evaluate the POD severity. The incidence, occurrence and duration of POD, as well as the CCU length of stay, postoperative mechanical ventilation duration and length of hospital stay were compared between the two groups.

Results

A total of 735 participants (369 in the visited group and 366 in the unvisited group) were included in this study. Preoperative on‐site visits were associated with a decreased POD incidence (odds ratio [OR]: 0.524, 95% CI: 0.336–0.817), an improved POD severity (OR: 0.578, 95% CI: 0.359–0.932) and a shortening POD duration (OR: 0.972, 95% CI: 0.951–0.994). There was a significant difference between the visiting and non‐visiting groups in the mechanical ventilation duration (OR: 0.987, 95% CI: 0.978–0.996).

Conclusions

Preoperative on‐site visits are associated with a reduction in the incidence, duration, and severity of POD, as well as the mechanical ventilation duration of patients.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

This study found that preoperative on‐site visits were associated with the onset, duration, severity and duration of mechanical ventilation of POD. Although many factors influence the occurrence of POD, a multidisciplinary visiting team led by a nurse (including CCU nurses and physicians) can provide early nursing interventions through preoperative visits, better obtain postoperative cooperation from patients, establish a good nurse–patient relationship and provide better health services to patients. In a realistic CCU setting, nurses and physicians can act as educators, assessing patients before surgery, enhancing preoperative education, improving patient familiarity with the CCU environment and teaching sign language communication skills when patients are mechanically ventilated. These findings can therefore provide the basis for effective clinical care to prevent postoperative POD.
Regulation of the central amygdala on intestinal motility and behavior via the lateral hypothalamus in irritable bowel syndrome model mice
Authors: He Xiaoman , Ji Pengfei , Guo Ruixiao , Ming Xing , Zhang Hongfei , Yu Lizheng , Chen Ziyi , Gao Shengli , Guo Feifei
Published: November 2022

Background

Impaired bidirectional communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system (CNS) is closely related to the development of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Studies in patients with IBS have also shown significant activation of the hypothalamus and amygdala. However, how neural circuits of the CNS participate in and process the emotional and intestinal disorders of IBS remains unclear.

Methods

The GABAergic neural pathway projecting from the central amygdala (CeA) to the lateral hypothalamus (LHA) in mice was investigated by retrograde tracking combined with fluorescence immunohistochemistry. Anxiety, depression‐like behavior, and intestinal motility were observed in the water‐immersion restraint stress group and the control group. Furthermore, the effects of the chemogenetic activation of the GABAergic neural pathway of CeA‐LHA on behavior and intestinal motility, as well as the co‐expression of orexin‐A and c‐Fos in the LHA, were explored.

Key Results

In our study, Fluoro‐Gold retrograde tracking combined with fluorescence immunohistochemistry showed that GABAergic neurons in the CeA were projected to the LHA. The microinjection of the gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor antagonist into the LHA relieved anxiety, depression‐like behavior, and intestinal motility disorder in the IBS mice. The chemogenetic activation of GABAergic neurons in the CeA‐LHA pathway led to anxiety, depression‐like behavior, and intestinal motility disorder. In addition, GABAergic neurons in the CeA‐LHA pathway inhibited the expression of orexin‐A in the LHA, and orexin‐A was co‐expressed with GABAA receptors.

Conclusions & Inferences

The CeA‐LHA GABAergic pathway might participate in the occurrence and development of IBS by regulating orexin‐A neurons.
Hormonal control of medial–lateral growth and vein formation in the maize leaf
Authors: Robil Janlo M. , McSteen Paula
Published: November 2022

Parallel veins are characteristic of monocots, including grasses (Poaceae). Therefore, how parallel veins develop as the leaf grows in the medial–lateral (ML) dimension is a key question in grass leaf development.

Using fluorescent protein reporters, we mapped auxin, cytokinin (CK), and gibberellic acid (GA) response patterns in maize (Zea mays) leaf primordia. We further defined the roles of these hormones in ML growth and vein formation through combinatorial genetic analyses and measurement of hormone concentrations.

We discovered a novel pattern of auxin response in the adaxial protoderm that we hypothesize has important implications for the orderly formation of 3° veins early in leaf development. In addition, we found an auxin transport and response pattern in the margins that correlate with the transition from ML to proximal–distal growth. We present evidence that auxin efflux precedes CK response in procambial strand development. We also determined that GA plays an early role in the shoot apical meristem as well as a later role in the primordium to restrict ML growth.

We propose an integrative model whereby auxin regulates ML growth and vein formation in the maize leaf through control of GA and CK.
Transcriptional profiling reveals a critical role of GmFT2a in soybean staygreen syndrome caused by the pest Riptortus pedestris
Authors: Wei Zhongyan , Guo Wenbin , Jiang Shanshan , Yan Dankan , Shi Yan , Wu Bin , Xin Xiangqi , Chen Li , Cai Yupeng , Zhang Hehong , Li Yanjun , Huang Haijian , Li Junmin , Yan Fei , Zhang Chuanxi , Hou Wensheng , Chen Jianping , Sun Zongtao
Published: November 2022

Soybean staygreen syndrome, characterized by delayed leaf and stem senescence, abnormal pods, and aborted seeds, has recently become a serious and prominent problem in soybean production. Although the pest Riptortus pedestris has received increasing attention as the possible cause of staygreen syndrome, the mechanism remains unknown.

Here, we clarify that direct feeding by R. pedestris, not transmission of a pathogen by this pest, is the primary cause of typical soybean staygreen syndrome and that critical feeding damage occurs at the early pod stage.

Transcriptome profiling of soybean indicated that many signal transduction pathways, including photoperiod, hormone, defense response, and photosynthesis, respond to R. pedestris infestation. Importantly, we discovered that members of the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) gene family were suppressed by R. pedestris infestation, and overexpression of floral inducer GmFT2a attenuates staygreen symptoms by mediating soybean defense response and photosynthesis.

Together, our findings systematically illustrate the association between pest infestation and soybean staygreen syndrome and provide the basis for establishing a targeted soybean pest prevention and control system.
A deep learning approach for facial emotions recognition using principal component analysis and neural network techniques
Authors: Khan Mudassir , Hariharasitaraman S. , Joshi Shubham , Jain Vishal , Ramanan M. , SampathKumar A. , Elngar Ahmed A.
Published: November 2022

In this work, advanced facial emotions are recognized using Neural network‐based (NN) PCA methodology. The earlier models are cannot detect facial emotions with moving conditions but the CCTV and other advanced applications are mostly depending on moving object‐based emotion recognition. The blurring, mask, and moving object‐based facial image are applied to the training process, and at the testing condition, real‐time facial images are applied. The PCA is extracting features and pre‐processing the images with NN deep learning process. The proposed facial emotion recognition model is most useful for advanced applications. The design is finally verified through confusion matrix computations and gets measures like accuracy 98.34%, sensitivity 98.34% Recall 97.34%, and F score 98.45%. These output results compete with present models and outperformance the methodology.
Producing dispossessed and humanitarian subjects: Land acquisition and compensation policies in Lahore, Pakistan
Authors: Tassadiq Fatima
Published: November 2022

This article examines land acquisition for the construction of a metro train line in Lahore, Pakistan, to argue that the role and temporality of bureaucratic documentary practices are key to enabling urban informality and associated regimes of substantive citizenship. I examine the changing role of bureaucratic documents along the axes of (a) state and citizens, as documents are transferred between various actors who attribute different meanings to them; and (b) time, as documents assume varying meanings across their life cycles. First, I argue that documents constitute the disaggregated state and facilitate inconsistent practices that produce urban informality by exempting such settlements from some regulations while subjecting them to others. Second, a study of the time effects of these contingent practices and associated documentation shows that while original settlers may manipulate the disparate institutions of the state to secure resources, tolerance of such settlements across generations prompts a reformulation of local conceptions of landownership. Contemporary residents, then, position themselves as propertied citizens in possession of ownership documents. In this case of land acquisition, such efforts secured limited recognition from the state: residents were cast as illegal encroachers but were eventually offered some compensation as humanitarian aid, thereby reproducing socioeconomic inequalities. [bureaucratic documents, urban informality, state, temporality, citizenship]
Relationship between sarcopenia and sleep status in female patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Liu Shanwen , Zhuang Sheng , Li Meng , Zhu Jiangtao , Zhang Yingchun , Hu Hua
Published: November 2022

Background

Sleep disorders and sarcopenia could contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which are risk factors that rapidly deteriorate cognitive functions. However, few studies have evaluated the relationship between sarcopenia and sleep disorders in female AD patients, who have a higher prevalence than male patients. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sarcopenia and sleep status in female patients with mild to moderate AD.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study recruited 112 female outpatients aged between 60 and 85 years. Demographic characteristics, appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI), grip strength, and gait speed were assessed. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) assessed sleep variables. Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) assessed cognitive function. Binary logistic regression models explored the relationship between sleep variables and cognitive function and sarcopenia, adjusting for potential cofounders.

Results

The outpatients were divided into 36 AD patients with sarcopenia (ADSa) and 76 AD patients without sarcopenia (ADNSa), with a prevalence of 32.1%. ADSa had lower ASMI, weaker grip strength, slower gait speed, a higher incidence of poor sleep quality and poorer cognitive function. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that high total scores of PSQI (odds ratio (OR) = 1.13), poor sleep quality (OR = 2.73), poor subjective sleep quality (OR = 1.83), low MMSE (OR = 0.77) and MoCA (OR = 0.76) scores were associated with high odds of sarcopenia. Compared to sleep time ≤ 15 min, >60 min (OR = 5.01) were associated with sarcopenia. Sleep duration <6 h (OR = 3.99), 8–9 h (OR = 4.48) and ≥9 h (OR = 6.33) were associated with sarcopenia compared to 7–8 h.

Conclusions

More sleep symptoms and cognitive impairment exist in female patients with sarcopenia. The higher total scores of PSQI, poorer subjective sleep quality, longer sleep latency, excessive and insufficient sleep duration and poorer cognitive function are associated with higher odds of sarcopenia in female patients with mild to moderate AD.
Rule‐consequentialism, procreative freedom, and future generations
Authors: Mosquera Julia
Published: November 2022

In this paper I analyse how procreative freedom poses a challenge for rule‐consequentialism. First, I reconstruct the rule‐consequentialist case for procreative freedom. Second, I argue that population scenarios resulting from very low fertility pose a problem for rule‐consequentialism since such scenarios cannot secure population growth or even avoid human extinction in the long run. Third, I argue that population scenarios resulting from excessive procreation also pose a problem for rule‐consequentialism since they are incompatible with the promotion of optimific consequences in various ways. Were the rule‐consequentialist to avoid these types of scenarios, the challenge would consist in doing so while retaining the liberal approach to individual rights and freedoms that made rule‐consequentialism an advantageous competitor against moral theories like act‐consequentialism. These population scenarios raise more general questions about how rule‐consequentialism ought to conceptualise the application of universal rules in the long‐term, intergenerational context. This is an important place for inquiry given that rule‐consequentialism is originally conceived as a forward‐looking theory.
Risks of massive tree planting in Europe should be considered by the EU Forestry Strategy 2030
Authors: Abeli Thomas , Di Giulio Andrea
Published: November 2022

The EU Forestry Strategy 2030 includes an ambitious reforestation/afforestation plan aimed at planting 3 billion trees that should lead the European Union toward carbon neutrality by 2050. We argue that important ecological aspects were not sufficiently considered in the Strategy. The consequences of large‐scale afforestation plans on biodiversity‐rich open areas were poorly considered. “Where to plant” is a key aspect, as one of the targets for planting trees may be biodiversity‐rich open areas, that are already declining due to natural shrub and tree encroachment. We suggested that urban areas and areas near linear infrastructures should be the main targets of afforestation. Concerning “What to plant” non‐native species should be avoided in all cases. Among native species, certain geno‐ecotypes may not equally perform under the effects of climate change. We therefore suggest a throughout revision of the EU Forestry Strategy 2030 with the inclusion of ecologically driven principles.
Clinical, immunological and genetic characterization of patients with X‐linked agammaglobulinemia in Costa Rica
Authors: Ivankovich‐Escoto Gabriela , Danielian Sylvia , Morera Estela , Barboza Elexandra , Atmella Ivannia , Silva Sandra , Santamaría Carlos , Porras Oscar
Published: November 2022

X‐linked agammaglobulinemia is caused by mutations in the gene encoding Bruton tyrosine kinase. It produces an arrest in the maturation and differentiation of B cells with very low levels of all immunoglobulins isotypes. The aim of the study was to characterize the clinical, immunological and genetic defects in patients with XLA in Costa Rica. Sixteen cases were identified over a period of 30 years, a case every 2 years, approximately. Three patients were asymptomatic and diagnosis was made on family history. The average age of onset of symptoms was 1.46 years‐old (0.08–6.1). Six patients (44%) had onset of symptoms before 1 year of age and 12 (81%) patients before 5 years of age. The average age of diagnosis was 3.63 years‐old (0.17–13, SD 3.51 years‐old the average time between the onset of symptoms and the diagnosis was 2.5 years (2.5 months to 12 years, SD 3 years). The initial reason to study the patients was a recurrent infection, family history of XLA, arthritis and neutropenia. Four patients had pneumonia and two had suppurative lung disease. Nine patients had recurrent infections: acute otitis media, sinusitis, mastoiditis and recurrent diarrhoea. Three patients presented with arthritis. Neutropenia as an isolated event was not identified in any case. All patients receive monthly IVIG and no deaths were reported. Three new likely pathogenic/pathogenic variants in BTK gene have been described in our population. This is the first report of XLA Costa Rican patients and their BTK mutations.
Determination of energy expenditure in professional cyclists using power data: Validation against doubly labeled water
Authors: Van Hooren Bas , Cox Maartje , Rietjens Gerard , Plasqui Guy
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Accurate determination of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) in athletes is important for optimal performance and injury prevention, but current approaches are insufficiently accurate. We therefore developed an approach to determine TDEE in professional cyclists based on power data, basal metabolic rate (BMR), and a non‐exercise physical activity level (PAL) value, and compared energy expenditure (EE) between multi‐day and single‐day races.

Methods

Twenty‐one male professional cyclists participated. We measured: (1) BMR, (2) the relationship between power output and EE during an incremental cycling test, which was used to determine EE during exercise (EEE), and (3) TDEE using doubly labeled water (DLW). A non‐exercise PAL‐value was obtained by subtracting EEE from TDEE and dividing this by BMR.

Results

Measured BMR was 7.9 ± 0.8 MJ/day, which was significantly higher than predicted by the Oxford equations. A new BMR equation for elite endurance athletes was therefore developed. Mean TDEE was 31.7 ± 2.8 and 27.3 ± 2.8 MJ/day during the Vuelta a España and Ardennes classics, while EEE was 17.4 ± 1.8 and 10.1 ± 1.4 MJ/day, respectively. Non‐exercise PAL‐values were 1.8 and 2.0 for the Vuelta and Ardennes classics, respectively, which is substantially higher than currently used generic PAL‐values.

Conclusion

We show that the proposed approach leads to a more accurate estimation of non‐exercise EE than the use of a generic PAL‐value in combination with BMR predictive equations developed for non‐elite athletes, with the latter underestimating non‐exercise EE by ~28%. The proposed approach may therefore improve nutritional strategies in professional cyclists.
Kinematical effects of rifle carriage on roller skiing in well‐trained female and male biathletes
Authors: Jonsson Kårström Malin , Stöggl Thomas , Ohlsson Marie Lund , McGawley Kerry , Laaksonen Marko S.
Published: November 2022

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate how rifle carriage and skiing speed during biathlon roller skiing affect range of motion (ROM) in joint angles and equipment (skis and poles), the vertical distance between shoulders and treadmill (vertdist), as well as possible sex differences associated with rifle carriage.

Methods

Fourteen biathletes (6 women, 8 men) roller‐skied on a treadmill at submaximal and simulated race speeds, with (WR) and without (NR) a rifle, using gears 3 and 2. Kinematical data for the whole body, poles, roller‐skis, rifle, and treadmill were monitored using a 3D motion capture system. Movements determined as flexion/extension (x), abduction/adduction (y), and/or internal/external rotation (z) were analyzed for the hip, shoulder, thorax, knee, ankle, elbow, poles, and roller skis. ROM (the difference between maximal and minimal angles) in joints and equipment, and vertdist were analyzed over six skiing cycles during each condition (WR and NR) and speed.

Results

The maximal vertdist was lower for WR compared with NR (gear 3: 1.53 ± 0.06 vs 1.54 ± 0.06 m; gear 2: 1.49 ± 0.06 vs 1.51 ± 0.06 m; both p < 0.001). ROM in the upper body was altered when roller skiing WR (movements decreased in thorax and shoulder (x) and increased in elbow (only gear 3) (x), thorax (only gear 2), and shoulder (y) and (z); all p < 0.05) and increased with speed, without differences between sexes (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

Since rifle carriage and speed appear to affect the kinematics of roller skiing, coaches, and biathletes are advised to perform skiing technique training under competition‐like conditions (i.e., at race speeds while carrying the rifle).
Role of trust in government and collaboration in building disaster resilience
Authors: Oh Jeongmin , Lee Daewoong
Published: November 2022

Objective

This research investigates the impact of collaboration and trust on disaster resilience, conducting a comparative analysis among groups of the public, experts, and public officials.

Methods

This research employs the 2017 National Survey on Emergency Management, conducted by the Korean Institute of Public Administration. Using a random quota‐sampling method, data were collected from a total of 1800 citizens, 200 public officials, and 56 experts through an online system. The study compares the impact of public trust in government on organizational resilience perceived by experts, citizens, and public officials, employing hierarchical regression analysis.

Results

The analysis results are as follows: First, in the case of citizens, it was suggested that government trust and collaboration have a positive effect on disaster resilience. Second, in the case of experts, it was suggested that government trust and collaboration have a positive effect on disaster resilience. Third, in the case of public officials, it was suggested that government trust and collaboration have a positive effect on disaster resilience.
A Data-Driven Design Approach for Carbon Emission Prediction of Machining
Authors: Chen Yuxuan , Yan Wei , Zhang Hua , Liu Ying , Jiang Zhigang , Zhang Xumei
Published: November 2022

The issue of carbon emission reduction for manufacturing industry attracts increasing attention. As a major contributor in the manufacturing industry, machining has generated large amounts of carbon emissions through the resource consumption, energy consumption, and waste disposal. The carbon emission prediction of machining is a priori technology for its reduction, and has been established as one of the most crucial research targets. The purpose of this study is to design a carbon emission prediction model of machining through a data-driven approach. First of all, the multiple sources and impact factors of carbon emissions in machining are studied, and the relationship between these factors is also studied to describe the carbon emissions. Then, a data-driven approach is designed to predict the carbon emission of machining, which consists of data collection and preprocessing, feature extraction, prediction model establishment and model validation. The ridge regression, BP neural network based on Genetic Algorithm (GA-BP), root means square error (RMSE) and mean relative percentage error (MPAE) are respectively employed to fulfill the above tasks in the design approach. Finally, an experimental study of a real turning machining is proposed to verify the feasibility and merits of the designed approach.
Fluid-Structure Optimization of Small-Scale Hydraulic Conduits
Authors: Bies Jeffrey J. , Durfee William
Published: November 2022

Fluid-structure optimization is well-suited for reducing system weight and improving flow efficiency for small-scale hydraulic systems such as for wearable exoskeletons. While single-objective optimization algorithms exist, little work has been done to optimize flow channels under internal and external loads. This study constructed a computational pipeline that connects Open-Source Field Operation and Manipulation (OpenFOAM) to additional software applications to enable fluid-structure topology optimization using the continuous adjoint method. The pipeline was used to optimize the flow path and surrounding structure of small-scale hydraulic conduits with varying bends and external load conditions.

We found that the optimized flow path balances path length with curvature to minimize pressure drop. For a non-optimized conduit with a sharp 45-deg bend, the pressure drop was 750 Pa, while the optimized conduit has a pressure drop reduction of 22.5%. Sharp bends create stress concentration points where structural supports are formed, while optimized flow paths reduce stress up to 42.5%, and further distribute support structures. Bending loads can be a restorative force for sharp bends and, therefore, reduce the maximum stress.
Solar-thermal cold-wall chemical vapor deposition reactor design and characterization for graphene synthesis
Authors: Alghfeli Abdalla , Abuseada Mostafa , Fisher Timothy S.
Published: November 2022

Manufacturing processes are often highly energy-intensive, even when the energy is primarily used for direct heating processes. The required energy tends to derive from local utilities, which currently employ a blend of sources ranging from fossil fuels to renewable wind and solar photovoltaics, among others, when the end manufacturing need is thermal energy. Direct solar-thermal capture provides a compelling alternative that utilizes renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrial processes, but one that has rarely been employed to date. In this study, a 10 kWe custom-built high flux solar simulator (HFSS) that closely approximates the solar spectrum produces a heat flux distribution with an adjustable peak between 1.5 and 4.5 MW/m2. The HFSS system is coupled to a cold-wall chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system that is equipped to automate graphene synthesis while providing safe operation, precise control, and real-time monitoring of process parameters. A numerical heat transfer model of a thin copper substrate is derived and validated to compute the substrate’s temperature profile prior to the synthesis process. The peak substrate temperature is correlated to the HFSS supply current and vacuum pressure, as it serves as a critical design parameter during graphene synthesis. We report the synthesis of high-quality graphene films on copper substrates with an average Raman peak intensity ratio ID/IG of 0.17. Backscattered electron microscopy reveals a characteristic grain size of 120 μm, with an area ratio of 16 when compared to that of low-quality graphene on copper. The reported solar-thermal CVD system demonstrates the ability to produce a high-value product, namely, graphene on copper, directly from a renewable energy resource with process control and automation that enables synthesis under a variety of conditions.
A Delayed Evening Meal Enhances Sleep Quality in Young Rugby Players
Authors: Lehmann Lisa , Saidi Oussama , Giacomoni Magali , Del Sordo Giovanna , Maso Freddy , Margaritis Irène , Duché Pascale
Published: November 2022

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of delayed evening mealtime on sleep quality in young athletes. Twelve rugby players (age 15.8 ± 0.7 years) participated in a crossover within-participant design. Adolescents spent five consecutive days in each of two conditions, separated by a 2-week washout period: routine dinner (3.5 hr before bedtime) and late dinner (LD, 1.5 hr before bedtime). Other mealtimes as well as bedtime and wake-up time were usual and remained the same in both conditions. Their schedules, dietary intakes, and physical activity were controlled and kept constant throughout the study. Sleep was assessed using polysomnography on the first and the last nights in the individual rooms of the boarding school. An increase in total sleep time by 24 min (p = .001, d = 1.24) and sleep efficiency by 4.8% was obtained during LD (p = .001, d = 1.24). Improvement in sleep efficiency was mainly due to a lower wake after sleep onset (−25 min, p = .014, d = −3.20), a decrease of microarousals (−25%, p = .049, d = −0.64), and awakenings ≥90 s (−30%, p < .01, d = −0.97) in LD compared to routine dinner. There were no significant differences in sleep architecture except for a shorter slow-wave sleep (N3) latency (−6.9 min, p = .03, d = −0.778) obtained during LD. In this study, evening dinner 1.5 hr before bedtime leads to better quality and less fragmented sleep compared to evening dinner 3.5 hr before bedtime in young athletes.