bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lower Education and Reading and Writing Habits Are Associated With Poorer Oral Discourse Production in Typical Adults and Older Adults
Authors: Malcorra Bárbara Luzia Covatti , Wilson Maximiliano A. , Schilling Lucas Porcello , Hübner Lilian Cristine
Published: March 2022

During normal aging there is a decline in cognitive functions that includes deficits in oral discourse production. A higher level of education and more frequent reading and writing habits (RWH) might delay the onset of the cognitive decline during aging. This study aimed at investigating the effect of education and RWH on oral discourse production in older adults. Picture-based narratives were collected from 117 healthy adults, aged between 51 and 82 years (68.6 ± 6.38) with 0–20 years of formal education (10.1 ± 5.69). Measures of macro, microlinguistic and modalizations were computed and entered as dependent variables in hierarchical regression analyses that included age, education and RWH as regressors. Results revealed that higher education explained a better performance at the macrostructure and microstructure dimensions. Higher frequency of RWH explained the production of fewer modalizations. These results demonstrate the positive effect of education and RWH in oral discourse production in older adults. Therefore, higher attention should be given to these social factors.
Acceptance and Commitment Coaching for Music Performance Anxiety: Piloting a 6-Week Group Course With Undergraduate Dance and Musical Theatre Students
Authors: Mahony Sarah E. , Juncos David G. , Winter Debbie
Published: March 2022

Treatments for students with problematic levels of music performance anxiety (MPA) commonly rely on approaches in which students are referred to psychotherapists or other clinical professionals for individual care that falls outside of their music training experience. However, a more transdisciplinary approach in which MPA treatment is effectively integrated into students’ training in music/performing arts colleges by teachers who work in consultation with clinical psychologists may prove more beneficial, given the resistance students often experience toward psychotherapy. Training singing teachers, and perhaps music teachers at large, to use an evidence-based coaching strategy like Acceptance and Commitment Coaching (ACC) to directly manage students’ MPA is one such approach. Building on the work of a previous study in which ACC was administered by a singing teacher to a musical theatre student with problematic MPA, we piloted the effectiveness of a six-session, group ACC course for a sample of performing arts students (N = 6) with MPA related to vocal performances, using a mixed-methods design. The coach here was also a singing teacher without a clinical background, and her training in ACC by a clinical psychologist was of a similar duration (8 h) as the previous teacher’s (7 h). Similar to the musical theatre student, the students reported being significantly less fused with their MPA-related cognitions, more accepting of their MPA-related physiological symptoms, and more psychologically flexible while performing in general, and these improvements were maintained after 3 months. Furthermore, they appeared to lower their shame over having MPA and change how they thought in relation to one another. Of note, these improvements were similar to those shown by seven vocal students with MPA after they received Acceptance and Commitment Therapy from a clinical psychologist, but with larger reductions in shame and better acceptance of MPA, which suggests a non-clinical, group ACC intervention that includes supportive discussions to normalize MPA and challenges attempts to control it may be more helpful than individual psychotherapy. These results are promising and indicate a brief training in ACC (<10 h) may be sufficient for singing teachers to provide significant benefit for students with problematic MPA.
The Interplay of English as a Foreign Language Learners’ Interest, Self-Efficacy, and Involvement
Authors: Liu Zhengyuan
Published: March 2022

Founded on the advent of Positive Psychology in recent decades, the learners’ involvement has been a critical issue since the origin of teaching and learning despite it being quickly developed in previous decades. The enhancement of motivational aspects like self-efficacy and interest appears to have a high impact on learners’ success and achievement. Although both constructs are extensively investigated in various subjects, their association between and the learners’ involvement in the process of language learning have not been taken into account so far. This review intended to scrutinize the association among students’ self-efficacy, their academic interest, and their involvement. It is significant to pinpoint that the current review can help educational administrations, professional improvement centers, and policymakers to consider the above-mentioned issues in the progression of language education to develop their involvement.
Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence, Self-Acceptance, and Positive Coping Styles Among Chinese Psychiatric Nurses in Shandong
Authors: Lu Qinghua , Wang Bin , Zhang Rui , Wang Juan , Sun Feifei , Zou Guiyuan
Published: March 2022

Background

Nurses are facing increasing pressure due to the progressing of society, broadening of nursing service connotation, and increasing of the masses’ demand for medical treatment. Psychiatric nurses face suicides, violence, and lost along with other accidents involving patients with mental disorders under higher psychological pressure. A coping style, which is affected by individual emotions and cognition, is an essential psychological resource that allows individuals to regulate stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between self-acceptance and the positive coping style of psychiatric nurses, and investigate the mediating role of emotional intelligence.

Methods

A total of 813 psychiatric nurses from six natural regions in Shandong Province were investigated using the Self-Acceptance Questionnaire (SAQ), Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS), Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), and self-compiled general information questionnaire.

Results

The total EIS score of psychiatric nurses was 3.848 ± 0.459. The highest score was for others’ emotional management (4.071 ± 0.548) and the lowest was for emotion perception (3.684 ± 0.483). EIS and positive coping style were statistically significant based on age, work experience, professional title, education level, and gender (p < 0.05,p < 0.01). Self-acceptance was statistically significant only for professional titles (F = 3.258,p = 0.021). Self-acceptance and emotional intelligence were positively correlated with positive coping style (r = 0.361,p < 0.01;r = 0.492,p < 0.01, respectively). The factors were also positively correlated with each other (r = 0.316,p < 0.01). Self-emotion management, others’ emotional management, emotion perception, self-acceptance, and education level jointly predicted positive coping styles (R2 = 0.305,F = 60.476,p = 0.000). Emotional intelligence partially mediated the relationship between self-acceptance and positive coping styles, with a mediating effect of 16.3%.

Conclusion

Emotional intelligence and self-acceptance can promote positive coping styles and improve psychiatric nurses’ mental health.
OGDHL Variant rs2293239: A Potential Genetic Driver of Chinese Familial Depressive Disorder
Authors: Pan Zhi , Tian Hongjun , Fang Tao , Liu Zhidong , Liu Xiangdong , Dou Guangqian , Huang Guoyong , Zhang Zhenqing , Chen Guangdong , Wang Wenqiang , Zhuo Chuanjun
Published: March 2022

Depressive disorders are a severe psychiatric and social problem that affect more than 4% of the global population. Depressive disorders have explicit hereditary characteristics; however, the precise driving genetic force behind these disorders has not yet been clearly illustrated. In the present study, we recruited a three-generation Chinese pedigree in which 5 of 17 members had long-term depression. We conducted whole-exome sequencing to identify the genetic mutation profiles of the family, and a list of susceptible genetic variations that were highly associated with depression onset was revealed via multiple omics analysis. In particular, a non-synonymous single nucleotide variation in the oxoglutarate dehydrogenase-like (OGDHL) gene, rs2293239 (p.Asn725Ser), was identified as one of the major driving genetic forces for depression onset in the family. This variant causes an important conformational change in the transketolase domain of OGDHL, thus reducing its binding affinity with the cofactor thiamine pyrophosphate and eventually resulting in the abnormal accumulation of glutamate in the brain. Brain imaging analysis further linked the rs2293239 variant with an enlarged amygdala and cerebellum in depressive family members. In summary, the present study enhances the current genetic understanding of depressive disorders. It also provides new options for prioritizing better clinical therapeutic regimens, as well as identifying a new protein target for the design of highly specific drugs to treat depressive disorders.
The Lack of Dopamine Transporter Is Associated With Conditional Associative Learning Impairments and Striatal Proteomic Changes
Authors: Savchenko Artem , Müller Carina , Lubec Jana , Leo Damiana , Korz Volker , Afjehi-Sadat Leila , Malikovic Jovana , Sialana Fernando J. , Lubec Gert , Sukhanov Ilya
Published: March 2022

Dopamine (DA) is critically involved in different functions of the central nervous system (CNS) including control of voluntary movement, affect, reward, sleep, and cognition. One of the key components of DA neurotransmission is DA reuptake by the DA transporter (DAT), ensuring rapid clearance of DA from the synaptic cleft. Thus, lack of DAT leads to persistent high extracellular DA levels. While there is strong evidence for a role of striatal dopaminergic activity in learning and memory processes, little is known about the contribution of DAT deficiency to conditional learning impairments and underlying molecular processes. DAT-knockout (DAT-KO) rats were tested in a set of behavioral experiments evaluating conditional associative learning, which requires unaltered striatal function. In parallel, a large-scale proteomic analysis of the striatum was performed to identify molecular factors probably underlying behavioral patterns. DAT-KO rats were incapable to acquire a new operant skill in Pavlovian/instrumental autoshaping, although the conditional stimulus–unconditional stimulus (CS-US) association seems to be unaffected. These findings suggest that DAT directly or indirectly contributes to the reduction of transference of incentive salience from the reward to the CS. We propose that specific impairment of conditional learning might be caused by molecular adaptations to the hyperdopaminergic state, presumably by dopamine receptor 1 (DRD1) hypofunction, as proposed by proteomic analysis. Whether DRD1 downregulation can cause cognitive deficits in the hyperdopaminergic state is the subject of discussion, and further studies are needed to answer this question. This study may be useful for the interpretation of previous and the design of future studies in the dopamine field.
Home Visiting as an Equitable Intervention for Perinatal Depression: A Scoping Review
Authors: Tabb Karen M. , Bentley Brandie , Pineros Leano Maria , Simonovich Shannon D. , Nidey Nichole , Ross Kate , Huang Wen-hao David , Huang Hsiang
Published: March 2022

Objective

Maternal mental health disorders are a leading complication of childbirth. While few systems are adequately able to identify and treat depression, people experiencing perinatal depression may benefit from the intervention of home visiting. The intent of home visiting interventions is to alleviate stressors of parenthood for people facing additional risk factors. The aim of this scoping review is to investigate the effect of home visiting on perinatal depression grounded in published studies.

Methods

We conducted a scoping review of the existing literature of studies relevant to perinatal depression and home visiting. We entered keywords in five search databases: MEDLINE, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Social Work Abstracts, and Google Scholar. All relevant literature published between January 1999–December 2019 was reviewed. Duplicates, books, and errata were excluded from the study. As a scoping review, we included all studies published in English describing the inclusion of maternal depression in home visits. We hypothesize birthing people with perinatal depression will benefit from home visiting interventions.

Results

The results from the scoping review and describe the use of home visiting to improve perinatal mental health. An initial 12,652 records were identified in the search. After duplicates were removed, the titles of 2,140 articles were assessed for applicability, however 29 identified for full-text eligibility and were included in this analysis. The majority of the studies included in this review were quantitative (n = 23), followed by qualitative (n = 3), and mixed methods (n = 3). Nearly all studies (n = 28) using validated instruments such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to determine depressive symptoms.

Discussion

This review offers preliminary qualitative insights on the efficacy of home visiting for administrating perinatal depression care. Studies show that home visiting programs can provide treatment for perinatal depression and reduce the effects of depression for birthing people. Our review suggests that the efficacy of home visiting programs beginning in the postpartum period are less predictable than prenatal home visiting intervention among various populations, including people experiencing both high-risk and low-risk situations.
Determinants of Poor Sleep Quality During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Women Attending Antenatal Care Services at the Health Facilities of Debre Berhan Town, Ethiopia: An Institutional-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Amare Nakachew Sewnet , Chekol Basazinew , Aemro Agazhe
Published: March 2022

Background

Women’s ability to get sleep can be affected by pregnancy-related hormonal changes or other external stressful situations like the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess the proportion of poor sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic and its determinants among pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) services.

Methods

An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 women attending ANC services at the health facilities in Debre Berhan Town, Ethiopia, from May to June 2020. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the required samples. The tool consisted of questions that assessed (1) socio-demographic characteristics, obstetric and health care service-related characteristics; and media exposure to get information regarding COVID-19 infection; (2) To assess sleep quality; the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was applied. And a global score of >5 indicates poor sleep quality, and a global score of ≤5 indicates good sleep quality.

Result

The overall prevalence of poor sleep quality was 62.8%, and was associated with pregnant women aged ≥46 years (AOR = 4.27), being in the third trimester (AOR = 2.51), being multigravida (AOR = 2.72), and having co-morbidity (AOR = 3.57).

Conclusion

The prevalence of poor sleep quality among pregnant women during the pandemic was found to be high. Advanced maternal age, third trimester pregnancy, being multigravida, and having comorbidity were determinants of poor sleep quality among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Neurodevelopmental Trajectories in Children With Internalizing, Externalizing and Emotion Dysregulation Symptoms
Authors: Blok Elisabet , Geenjaar Eloy P. T. , Geenjaar Eloïse A. W. , Calhoun Vince D. , White Tonya
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Childhood and adolescence are crucial periods for brain and behavioral development. However, it is not yet clear how and when deviations from typical brain development are related to broad domains of psychopathology.

Methods

Using three waves of neuroimaging data within the population-based Generation R Study sample, spanning a total age range of 6–16 years, we applied normative modeling to establish typical development curves for (sub-)cortical volume in 37 brain regions, and cortical thickness in 32 brain regions. Z-scores representing deviations from typical development were extracted and related to internalizing, externalizing and dysregulation profile (DP) symptoms.

Results

Normative modeling showed regional differences in developmental trajectories. Psychopathology symptoms were related to negative deviations from typical development for cortical volume in widespread regions of the cortex and subcortex, and to positive deviations from typical development for cortical thickness in the orbitofrontal, frontal pole, pericalcarine and posterior cingulate regions of the cortex.

Discussion

Taken together, this study charts developmental curves across the cerebrum for (sub-)cortical volume and cortical thickness. Our findings show that psychopathology symptoms, are associated with widespread differences in brain development, in which those with DP symptoms are most heavily affected.
Bio-Ethics and One Health: A Case Study Approach to Building Reflexive Governance
Authors: Boudreau LeBlanc Antoine , Williams-Jones Bryn , Aenishaenslin Cécile
Published: March 2022

Surveillance programs supporting the management of One Health issues such as antibiotic resistance are complex systems in themselves. Designing ethical surveillance systems is thus a complex task (retroactive and iterative), yet one that is also complicated to implement and evaluate (e.g., sharing, collaboration, and governance). The governance of health surveillance requires attention to ethical concerns about data and knowledge (e.g., performance, trust, accountability, and transparency) and empowerment ethics, also referred to as a form of responsible self-governance. Ethics in reflexive governance operates as a systematic critical-thinking procedure that aims to define its value: What are the “right” criteria to justify how to govern “good” actions for a “better” future? The objective is to lay the foundations for a methodological framework in empirical bioethics, the rudiments of which have been applied to a case study to building reflexive governance in One Health. This ongoing critical thinking process involves “mapping, framing, and shaping” the dynamics of interests and perspectives that could jeopardize a “better” future. This paper proposes to hybridize methods to combine insights from collective deliberation and expert evaluation through a reflexive governance functioning as a community-based action-ethics methodology. The intention is to empower individuals and associations in a dialogue with society, which operation is carried out using a case study approach on data sharing systems. We based our reasoning on a feasibility study conducted in Québec, Canada (2018–2021), envisioning an antibiotic use surveillance program in animal health for 2023. Using the adaptive cycle and governance techniques and perspectives, we synthesize an alternative governance model rooted in the value of empowerment. The framework, depicted as a new “research and design (R&D)” practice, is linking operation and innovation by bridging the gap between Reflexive, Evaluative, and Deliberative reasonings and by intellectualizing the management of democratizing critical thinking locally (collective ethics) by recognizing its context (social ethics). Drawing on the literature in One Health and sustainable development studies, this article describes how a communitarian and pragmatic approach can broaden the vision of feasibility studies to ease collaboration through public-private-academic partnerships. The result is a process that “reassembles” the One Health paradigm under the perspective of global bioethics to create bridges between the person and the ecosystem through pragmatic ethics.
C. acnes qPCR-Based Antibiotics Resistance Assay (ACQUIRE) Reveals Widespread Macrolide Resistance in Acne Patients and Can Eliminate Macrolide Misuse in Acne Treatment
Authors: Zhang Jingheng , Yu Fang , Fu Keyun , Ma Xinyu , Han Yi , Ali Chi Ching , Zhou Haonan , Xu Yantao , Zhang Tingyue , Kang Shuntong , Xu Yiming , Li Zhuolin , Shi Jiaqi , Gao Shuai , Chen Yongyi , Chen Liyu , Zhang Jianglin , Zhu Feizhou
Published: March 2022

Background

Macrolides have been widely used to treat moderate-to-severe acne for more than 50 years. However, the prevalent antibiotic resistance of Propionibacterium acnes, along with the absence of clinically available resistance tests, has made macrolide misuse a frequent occurrence around the globe, with serious consequences.

Objective

We developed Cutibacterium acnes quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based antibiotics resistance assay (ACQUIRE) to enable fast and accurate detection of C. acnes macrolide resistance in clinical settings, representing an opportunity to administer antibiotics more wisely and improve the quality of care.

Methods

A cross-sectional observational study (n = 915) was conducted to probe into the macrolide resistance of C. acnes in patients with acne.

Results

The high sensitivity of ACQUIRE enabled us to reveal a much higher C. acnes 23S recombinant DNA (rDNA) point mutation rate (52%) and thus a higher macrolide resistance (75.5%) compared to previous reports. Carriage of ermX gene was discovered on 472 (53%) subjects, which concurs with previous studies.

Conclusion

The macrolide resistance of C. acnes is much higher than previously reported. Integrating ACQUIRE into acne treatment modalities may eliminate macrolide misuse and achieve better clinical improvements.
Predicting Student Engagement: The Role of Academic Belonging, Social Integration, and Resilience During COVID-19 Emergency Remote Teaching
Authors: Versteeg Melissa , Kappe Rutger F. , Knuiman Carlijn
Published: March 2022

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced higher education (HE) to shift to emergency remote teaching (ERT), subsequently influencing academic belonging and social integration, as well as challenging students' engagement with their studies.

Aims

This study investigated influences on student engagement during ERT, based on student resilience. Serial mediation analyses were used to test the predictive effects between resilience, academic belonging, social integration, and engagement.

Methods

The Student Well-being Monitor (SWM 2021) was completed by 1332 HE students studying at Inholland University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. Predictive models were compared among students with low, normal, or high resilience using SPSS extension Macro PROCESS.

Results

A significant serial mediation model was found among all HE students, including positive mediating effects of academic belonging and social integration. More so, independent partial predictive effects of academic belonging and social integration on engagement were also present. Assessment of student resilience profiles revealed substantial differences between predictive models. For low resilience students, serial mediation was present and included the largest partial predictive effect from social integration compared to other groups. For highly resilient students, mediation via academic belonging was found, including the strongest partial and indirect effects compared to other groups.

Conclusions

Overall, academic belonging and social integration positively mediate the effect of resilience on engagement in addition to demonstrating independent positive predictive effects. Inspection of resilience profiles reveals substantial model fit differences, suggesting use of different engagement strategies between student groups. Findings contribute to understanding of HE student engagement during ERT in the Netherlands and provide novel insight on the mechanisms between resilience and engagement. While ERT continues to be required, engagement may be enhanced by stimulating academic belonging for all students generally, but low resilience students could be best served by additionally targeting social integration and resilience.
The World Health Organization's Frontline Support to Countries During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020
Authors: Coates Amy , Warren Kathleen Taylor , Henderson Corey , McPherson Michelle , Obubah Offeibea , Graaff Peter , Acharya Shambhu
Published: March 2022

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on January 30, 2020. WHO rapidly scaled up its response including through its 149 country offices to support Member States prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article describes the frontline role of the WHO Country Offices (WCOs) and demonstrates that WHO utilized its existing country presence to deliver its global program of work during this unprecedented emergency. Using data collected from the 2020 WHO COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan monitoring and evaluation framework assessments, plus data collected in a quantitative survey completed by 149 WCOs during 2020, this article describes how WHO supported national authorities and partners through leadership, policy dialogue, strategic support, technical assistance, and service delivery, in line with WHO's current 5-year strategic plan, the WHO 13th General Programme of Work 2019–2023. Country level case studies were used to further illustrate actions taken by WCOs. WHO's achievements notwithstanding, the Organization faced several key challenges in the first year of the response. Recommendations to enhance WHO presence in countries for future emergency prevention, preparedness and response, from several independent reviews, were presented to the World Health Assembly in May 2021 and relevant recommendations are presented in this article.
Classification of Non-Functional Requirements From IoT Oriented Healthcare Requirement Document
Authors: Khurshid Iqra , Imtiaz Salma , Boulila Wadii , Khan Zahid , Abbasi Almas , Javed Abdul Rehman , Jalil Zunera
Published: March 2022

Internet of Things (IoT) involves a set of devices that aids in achieving a smart environment. Healthcare systems, which are IoT-oriented, provide monitoring services of patients' data and help take immediate steps in an emergency. Currently, machine learning-based techniques are adopted to ensure security and other non-functional requirements in smart health care systems. However, no attention is given to classifying the non-functional requirements from requirement documents. The manual process of classifying the non-functional requirements from documents is erroneous and laborious. Missing non-functional requirements in the Requirement Engineering (RE) phase results in IoT oriented healthcare system with compromised security and performance. In this research, an experiment is performed where non-functional requirements are classified from the IoT-oriented healthcare system's requirement document. The machine learning algorithms considered for classification are Logistic Regression (LR), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Multinomial Naive Bayes (MNB), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), ensemble, Random Forest (RF), and hybrid KNN rule-based machine learning (ML) algorithms. The results show that our novel hybrid KNN rule-based machine learning algorithm outperforms others by showing an average classification accuracy of 75.9% in classifying non-functional requirements from IoT-oriented healthcare requirement documents. This research is not only novel in its concept of using a machine learning approach for classification of non-functional requirements from IoT-oriented healthcare system requirement documents, but it also proposes a novel hybrid KNN-rule based machine learning algorithm for classification with better accuracy. A new dataset is also created for classification purposes, comprising requirements related to IoT-oriented healthcare systems. However, since this dataset is small and consists of only 104 requirements, this might affect the generalizability of the results of this research.
Do Higher Education and Financial Institutions Improve Health in China? A New Perspective
Authors: Zhan Zhan , Tao Ran , Niaz Muhammad Umer , Kirikkaleli Dervis
Published: March 2022

The importance of human wellbeing is documented in the literature of development economics because of its intensifying impacts on economic growth and productivity of labor in the long-run. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no empirical study has examined the symmetric association between China's financial institutional development, education, and health outcomes. Thus, our study aims to fill this vacuum by employing an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to explore the impact of financial institutional development and education on life expectancy and infant mortality rate from 1990 to 2020. The empirical analysis reveals that financial institutional development and education report a significant increase in life expectancy and meaningful reduction in mortality rate in the long-run. Based on these findings, the study may deliver intuitive policy implications regarding improvement in health conditions that are imperative for promoting economic growth in the long-run.
Multifidelity Surrogate Models for Efficient Uncertainty Propagation Analysis in Salars Systems
Authors: Christelis Vasileios , Hughes Andrew G.
Published: March 2022

Salars are complex hydrogeological systems where the high-density contrasts require advanced numerical models to simulate groundwater flow and brine transport. Applying those models over large spatial and temporal scales is important to understand the various subsurface processes in salars, but the associated computational cost hinders an analysis based on repetitive numerical simulations. Single fidelity surrogate modeling is a common approach to alleviate computational burden with computationally expensive physics-based models of high-fidelity. However, due to the complexity in salars modeling it might not be affordable to run high-fidelity simulations many times until we build a surrogate model of acceptable accuracy. Here, we investigate if multifidelity surrogate methods, that exploit information from inexpensive lower fidelity models, can show promise for computationally demanding tasks for salars systems. Additive, multiplicative and co-Kriging multifidelity surrogates are developed based on the combination of training data from low fidelity sharp interface models and a higher fidelity variable-density flow and solute transport model. Their performance is compared against a single fidelity Kriging surrogate model, and they are all employed to conduct a Monte-Carlo-based uncertainty propagation analysis where recharge, hydraulic conductivity and density differences between freshwater and brine are considered uncertain model inputs. Results showed that multifidelity methods are a promising alternative for time-intensive numerical models of salars under limited high-fidelity samples. In addition, sharp interface models, despite commonly used in coastal aquifer problems, can also be applied in salars modeling as cheap lower fidelity models for interface calculations via a multifidelity framework. The Monte-Carlo outputs based on the surrogate models, resulted in estimated probability density functions characterized by long tails, thus, highlighting the need to reduce parametric uncertainty in real world models of salars.
Microbial Mats: Primitive Structures That Could Help us Find Life on Other Worlds
Authors: Cadena Santiago , Maza-Márquez Paula , Ramírez Jiménez Sandra I. , Grim Sharon L. , García-Maldonado José Q. , Prufert-Bebout Leslie , Bebout Brad M.
Published: March 2022

Some microscopic organisms grow together to build structures known as microbial mats. These mats are formed from several layers with different colors, and their structure depends on environmental conditions such as sunlight, humidity, and available food. Microbial mats are found in oceans, lakes, and coastal lagoons, as well as in extreme environments like deserts, polar regions, and hot springs. The study of fossils indicates that microbial mats were a common form of life on early Earth, and they have persisted on our planet ever since! Therefore, the study of modern mats helps us to understand microbial life in the past, and how they might help to regulate the Earth’s climate. Scientists believe that microbial mats can prosper on rocky planets like Earth, so they are studying mats in different terrestrial environments to help them to recognize evidence indicating the presence of mats on other worlds.
Opportunities for Microbiome Suppression of Weeds Using Regenerative Agricultural Technologies
Authors: Cheng Liang , DiTommaso Antonio , Kao-Kniffin Jenny
Published: March 2022

The goal of regenerative agriculture is to utilize technologies that build healthy soils and improve the environment. Microbial technologies could play a significant role in reducing reliance on synthetic herbicides for weed control. In the United States, the expenditure on herbicides exceeds $5 billion annually and accounts for 58% of the total pesticide use nationally. This overreliance on chemical weed control has exacerbated herbicide resistance in a multitude of weed species, leading to aggressive cultivation practices that contribute to soil erosion and depletion. The proliferation of microbiome research in agriculture has increased our understanding of the complex interactions between plant species and their microbiota. Microbial technologies offer novel weed management strategies that could reduce the need for herbicides. Some of these strategies could also help rebuild soil and improve environmental quality. Specifically, we propose three emerging areas in microbiome science that can enhance weed management: (1) identifying soil microorganisms that inhibit weed growth; (2) discovering microbial natural products that suppress weeds; and (3) developing field management approaches that promote weed suppression by enhancing soil microbiome function.
Predictors and Recurrence Patterns After Radical Surgery in Ampulla of Vater Cancer: Comparative Analysis Between Early and Late Recurrence
Authors: Zhang Zheng-Yun , Liu Da-Wei , Hao Di-Si , Zhou Zun-Qiang
Published: March 2022

Objective

Tumor recurrence remains the main dilemma after surgical treatment of ampulla of Vater carcinoma. This study was designed to identify the prognostic factors and evaluate the recurrence patterns of ampulla of Vater cancer.

Methods

A total of 286 patients who underwent surgical resection of ampulla of Vater cancer in two medical centers from January 2000 to October 2016 were collected. Data on clinicopathologic factors, survival rate, and recurrence patterns were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

A total of 158 patients (55.2%) survived without evidence of recurrence (non-recurrence), whereas 65 (22.7%) and 63 patients (22.1%) suffered from recurrence of the disease within 12 months (early recurrence) and after 12 months (late recurrence), respectively. Early-recurrence patients exhibited a more advanced disease (advanced tumor stage, lymph node involvement, pancreas invasion, and late TNM stage) than late-recurrence patients. The first or primary location of cancer recurrence in 33 patients (25.8%) was locoregional. Metastasis developed in the liver in 30 patients (23.4%), peritoneum in 13 patients (10.2%), lungs in 10 patients (7.8%), and para-aortic or superior mesenteric artery lymph node in 10 patients (7.8%). Multiple metastases were observed in 26 patients (20.3%).

Conclusion

The most common patterns of postoperative recurrence are locoregional and recurrent liver metastasis. The recurrence patterns with the worst prognosis are peritoneal and multiple metastases.
Complete Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery and Traditional Open Surgery for Elderly Patients With NSCLC
Authors: Mao Yi , Gao Zhaojia , Yin Yajun
Published: March 2022

Objective:

To observe the efficacy of complete video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (CVATS) and traditional open surgery (TOS) in the treatment of elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and their influence on cardiopulmonary function.

Methods

A total of 120 elderly patients with primary NSCLC who were treated surgically in our hospital from January 2018 to January 2021 were selected and divided into the study group and the control group according to the different surgical procedures, 60 patients in each group. CVATS was used in the observation group and TOS in the control group. The surgical indexes and cardiopulmonary function indexes were observed and compared between the two groups. The serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level and visual analog scale's (VAS) score of the patients at different time points were detected. The incidence of postoperative complications was compared between the two groups.

Results

The perioperative indexes such as operation time were significantly different between the two groups (p < 0.05), but the number of lymph node dissection was not significantly different (p > 0.05). The serum CRP level and VAS score of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group on the 1st, 3rd, and 7th postoperative days (p < 0.05). There were significant differences in cardiopulmonary function between the two groups on the 7th postoperative day (p < 0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

CVATS is effective in the treatment of NSCLC. Compared with TOS therapy, CVATS has less damage to cardiopulmonary function and fewer complications, which is conducive to the rehabilitation of elderly patients. It is a safe and reliable scheme for the treatment of elderly patients with NSCLC.
Robot-Assisted Percutaneous Balloon Compression for Trigeminal Neuralgia: Technique Description and Short-Term Clinical Results
Authors: Liu Qiangqiang , Wang Junjie , Wang Changquan , Chen Wenze , Chen Wenzhen , Ye Xiaolai , Mao Ziyu , Zhang Chencheng , Xu Jiwen
Published: March 2022

Objective

Percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) is a minimally invasive treatment for trigeminal neuralgia (TG) with a favorable cost-effectiveness ratio, but this technique has a steep learning curve. This study presents our initial clinical experience of robot-assisted PBC using a neurosurgical robot on six consecutive patients with TG.

Methods

We fixed the patient's head with a skull clamp and connected it with the linkage arms of a Sinovation® neurosurgical robot, which was then registered using four bone fiducials by the robotic pointer. The puncture needle was positioned at the entry point on the skin using a robotic arm and advanced to the target point after the skin had been incised with a pointed surgical blade. This procedure was repeated for a second trajectory. A balloon was then advanced and inflated using 0.3 ml of a contrast agent. Upon injection of 0.6 ml contrast agent, the ganglion was kept compressed for 120 s. After removal of the balloon and puncture needle, compression of the face was performed to achieve hemostasis.

Results

All patients achieved immediate pain relief following PBC. No permanent or severe complications were registered, and there was no pain recurrence in any of the patients during the follow-up period.

Conclusions

Despite requiring a longer time for preoperative preparation, robot-assisted PBC provided a high degree of accuracy and safety, and it can also shorten the learning curve for surgeons unfamiliar with PBC. Robot-assisted surgical approaches should be further developed and adopted for PBC.
Models of Dendritic Cells to Assess Skin Sensitization
Authors: Hardonnière Kévin , Szely Natacha , El Ali Zeina , Pallardy Marc , Kerdine-Römer Saadia
Published: March 2022

Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is a complex skin pathology occurring in reaction against environmental substances found in the workplace (cement, hair dyes, textile dyes), in the private environment (e.g., household products, cosmetic ingredients), or following skin exposure to drugs. Many cells are involved in the initiation of ACD during the sensitization phase. The four key events (KE) of skin sensitization AOP are covalent binding to skin proteins (KE1), keratinocyte activation (KE2), activation of DCs (KE3), and T-cell activation and proliferation (KE4), leading to the adverse outcome of ACD. Dendritic cells (DCs) are thus playing a key role in ACD pathophysiology. Indeed, in the presence of chemical sensitizers, DCs migrate from the skin to the draining lymph nodes and present peptide-chemical conjugates to T cells, leading to their activation and proliferation. In vitro methods have been actively developed to assess the activation of DCs by chemicals to establish a reliable in vitro sensitization test. Therefore, this review will detail the most used methods and protocols to develop DC models in vitro. Three different models of DCs will be addressed: 1) DCs derived from Cord Blood (CD34-DCs), 2) DCs derived from Monocytes (Mo-DCs), and 3) DCs derived from mice Bone-Marrow (BM-DCs). In addition, a model of exposition to contact sensitizers to assess KE3 of skin sensitization will be detailed for each of the models presented.
Validation of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire-8: Gender Expression and Mental Distress in the German Population in 2006 and 2018
Authors: Tibubos Ana Nanette , Otten Daniëlle , Beutel Manfred E. , Brähler Elmar
Published: March 2022

Objectives: Mental health differences between men and women can be attributed to sex or gender. Due to absence of brief assessments, contributions of gender expressions to the mental health gap between men and women have been understudied. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a short screening measure of gender expression and test its associations with mental distress.

Methods: German representative survey data from 2006 (N = 2,507) and 2018 (N = 2,516) were analysed. A short form of the Personality Attributes Questionnaire with 8 items (PAQ-8) was assessed to measure femininity and masculinity. Validity of the PAQ-8 was tested and associations between femininity, masculinity and mental health were examined.

Results: PAQ-8 was a valid screening measure to assess gender expression. Compared to 2006, femininity increased in women and decreased in men in 2018. Higher levels of femininity and masculinity were associated with lower distress. Sex was no longer predictive for mental distress when femininity, masculinity, age and equivalised income were considered.

Conclusion: Our findings support the use of gender measures, which may be more predictive of mental health than sex.
What is the Modern Human Eating? Dietary Transition of the Age-Old to the Modern Man of India
Authors: John Daisy A. , Babu Giridhara R.
Published: March 2022

Objectives: The objective of this review is to examine the changes in food consumption pattern of Indians over the years and to recommend evidence-based policy making regarding all the factors affecting food consumption.

Methods: We have reviewed the articles from major databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar. The keywords used for the search included dietary pattern, dietary trend, dietary intake, food system, nutrition system, prehistoric food systems, drought, famine, whole grains, diets, prices, income, environment, urban food consumption, processed foods, food security, food preferences, demographic transition, fat intake, food production, public distribution system, food consumption pattern, Indian agriculture, and India.

Results: There is no facilitating environment for the production and cultivation of healthy and sustainable food.

Conclusion: Policymakers should make major amendments to food and agricultural policies, and demotivate the consumption of junk food.
Inequitable Access to Transplants: Adults With Impaired Decision-Making Capacity
Authors: Thom Rebecca L. , Dalle-Ave Anne , Bunnik Eline M. , Krones Tanja , Van Assche Kristof , Ruck Keene Alex , Cronin Antonia J.
Published: March 2022

Inequitable access to deceased donor organs for transplantation has received considerable scrutiny in recent years. Emerging evidence suggests patients with impaired decision-making capacity (IDC) face inequitable access to transplantation. The “Ethical and Legal Issues” working group of the European Society of Transplantation undertook an expert consensus process. Literature relating to transplantation in patients with IDC was examined and collated to investigate whether IDC is associated with inferior transplant outcomes and the legitimacy of this healthcare inequality was examined. Even though the available evidence of inferior transplant outcomes in these patients is limited, the working group concluded that access to transplantation in patients with IDC may be inequitable. Consequently, we argue that IDC should not in and of itself be considered as a barrier to either registration on the transplant waiting list or allocation of an organ. Strategies for non-discrimination should focus on ensuring eligibility is based upon sound evidence and outcomes without reference to non-medical criteria. Recommendations to support policy makers and healthcare providers to reduce unintended inequity and inadvertent discrimination are set out. We call upon transplant centres and national bodies to include data on decision-making capacity in routine reporting schedules in order to improve the evidence base upon which organ policy decisions are made going forward.
Polo Norte do comunismo?
Authors: Alexandre Andreto Lucas
Published: March 2022

Apesar da historiografia contar com razoável produção sobre o Partido  Comunista Brasileiro (PCB), o estudo sobre a atuação local dos comunistas ainda é um campo profícuo de pesquisas. Nesse sentido, a atuação do PCB na cidade de São Paulo na década de 1920 destaca-se por ter sido caracterizada pela historiografia como fraca, apesar de São Paulo ser, na época, a maior cidade industrial do Brasil e com rico histórico de organização dos trabalhadores. Neste artigo pretendemos demonstrar que os comunistas paulistanos tiveram uma ativa atuação na capital paulista durante a década de 1920, participando de importantes acontecimentos políticos e sociais da metrópole, ainda que não tenham conseguido acumular a mesma capacidade de organização e mobilização dos operários que no Rio de Janeiro.
Infância e puericultura em Fernandes Figueira (1920)
Authors: Loch Fernanda
Published: March 2022

Sob uma perspectiva histórica e com base nos pressupostos da história da saúde, da infância e dos estudos de gênero, o presente artigo tem por objetivo apresentar de que maneira o médico brasileiro Fernandes Figueira constrói e propõe para a sociedade, - em especial para as mães, - as práticas de cuidados para com os bebês, e também de que maneira as crianças foram vistas por ele. Fernandes Figueira (1863-1928), formado pela Faculdade de Medicina do Rio de Janeiro, especializado em pediatria, teve um grande papel na construção de políticas públicas de auxílio à maternidade e à infância na Primeira República do Brasil (1889-1930). A principal fonte utilizada foi a obra chamada Livro das Mães: Consultas Praticas de Hygiene Infantil, escrita pelo médico em 1910 e republicada em 1920. Este livro se tornou uma espécie de manual para o “bom exercício” da maternidade e dos cuidados para com as crianças. Entre as práticas amplamente divulgadas no contexto higienista brasileiro, está o incentivo à amamentação. Nesse sentido, um modelo específico de mãe e criança são criados. A higiene e a educação são valorizadas nesse novo modelo. Compreender, em parte, como é feita essa proposta médico-pedagógica para a infância, a partir de Fernandes Figueira, é o que almeja esse artigo.