bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The inclusion of children in divorce mediation: A continental ‘non‐directive’ approach
Authors: Brzobohatý Robin
Published: February 2024

This article undertakes an interdisciplinary examination of child‐inclusive mediation (CIM) in divorce and separation mediation, particularly its implementation in the Czech Republic through the Mediation and Education Centre in Brno (MEDUC). It aims to offer a comparative analysis of MEDUC's unique non‐directive mediation model, which involves children's active participation in mediation processes, in contrast to the original Australian model of Child‐Inclusive Mediation and Counseling (CIMC). This paper uses a structured theoretical methodology combining comparative and conceptual analysis. Specifically, the comparative approach contrasts Australian and Czech practices and reveals key differences and similarities in legal frameworks, philosophical theories, and the roles of mediators and child specialists. Meanwhile, the conceptual analysis draws on an extensive literature review to explore the theoretical underpinnings of Australian and Czech family mediation approaches. The study identifies considerable flexibility in adapting CIP models in different legal and cultural settings. Although Australian practices heavily influence MEDUC, it has adapted these principles to fit its legal and cultural context. The article highlights the potential of combining human rights and therapeutic approaches, augmented by developmental psychology and international child rights standards, to create a more nuanced and child‐sensitive mediation practice. The article highlights the value of a multidisciplinary, adaptive approach to practice involving children in family mediation. It suggests that integrating psychological and legal‐philosophical theories can lead to a robust model that can be adapted to different cultural and legal settings. It advocates for future research to empirically evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of these adapted models and explore how cultural perceptions of childhood and family roles may influence the success of CIP.
Genetic diversity analysis and heterotic grouping of Indian white maize inbred lines using combining ability and SNP markers
Authors: Arora Arushi , Das Abhijit Kumar , Dixit Shubhank , KR Yathish , Singh S. B. , Sekhar J. C. , Ravikesavan R. , Sahi J. P. , Kumar I. Sudhir , Mahadevu P. , Swain Digbijaya , Kachapur R. M. , Tuinstra Mitchell R. , Venadan Sreya , Rakshit Sujay
Published: February 2024

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a versatile crop with high genetic yield potential and various uses. While yellow maize is primarily used for animal feed, white maize is preferred as a food by rural and tribal populations in India. However, white maize landraces suffer immensely in terms of low yield. Heterotic grouping is an excellent method to develop hybrids with increased yield potential in maize. The heterotic grouping of 78 white maize inbred lines was performed using combining ability and molecular diversity analysis. The lines were crossed with two testers, and the resulting hybrids were evaluated for grain yield at three locations representing different agroecological zones in India. The combining ability analysis based on specific combining ability effects on mean grain yield was used to classify the inbred lines into heterotic groups (HG‐A: 18 inbreds; HG‐B: 33 inbreds). Additionally, marker‐based clustering using 62,470 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) generated through genotyping by sequencing was also employed to determine the genetic relationships among these lines. The combining ability information was superimposed on marker‐based clustering data to obtain the heterotic grouping information, and two distinct HGs with 7 (HG‐1) and 18 inbred lines (HG‐2) were developed. The results of this study will contribute to the development of high‐performing white maize hybrids through the efficient utilization of clear‐cut and well‐defined HGs. Hence, the use of SNP markers along with the combining ability of inbred lines is a useful method for heterotic grouping and understanding of genetic relationships of white maize.
Compact triple band notched UWB MIMO antenna with integrated GSM
Authors: Shaik Kareemulla , Kumar Vijay
Published: February 2024

This paper introduces an innovative four‐element Ultra‐wideband (UWB) MIMO structure featuring an integrated global system for mobile (GSM) antenna with the ability to achieve dual and triple band‐notch capabilities. The antenna's distinctiveness is achieved through the utilization of four directional meandered line shaping decoupling structures (MLSDS), an orthogonal arrangement, and multi‐slot techniques. The incorporation of orthogonal separation alongside four directional MLSDS significantly reduces the mutual interference between radiating elements. By placing MLSDS on both sides of the substrate, effective coverage of the GSM band is achieved. The development of the MIMO structure unfolds through four distinct phases. The initial stage lacks MLSDS, while the second stage incorporates MLSDS. The third and fourth stages respectively introduce MLSDS with dual and triple notch characteristics. The presence of MLSDS enhances the antenna's impedance bandwidth (IBW). The intended notches are tailored to address interference from bands like Band n41, WLAN, and X‐band. Furthermore, the proposed antenna has undergone simulation, measurement, and comparative analysis with existing models, focusing on diversity performance metrics. The results reveal its exceptional diversity performance, positioning it as a potential choice for creating a portable UWB‐MIMO system.
Fungal infection mimicking soft tissue lesion: Role of on‐site evaluation, special stain, and cellblock
Authors: Tummidi Santosh , Anthony Micheal Leonard , Kumar Jarang Rajesh , Shankaralinagappa Arundhathi , Pannerselvam Naresh Kumar , Reddy Prudhvinath A , Balakrishna Pavithra
Published: February 2024

Background

Fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is a basic diagnostic method used for the investigation of superficial and deep lesions. The implementation of rapid on‐site evaluation (ROSE) in cytological analysis can help in reducing the inadequacy rate and obtaining proper samples for further tests/analysis.

Case Presentation

We report a case of 44‐year‐old male, who presented to our outpatient department with complaints of swelling in his right arm for the last 34 years. FNA with ROSE using 1% aq. toluidine blue helped identify the pathology (fungal lesion) in the patient with further confirmation by cellblock, periodic acid Schiff & Gomori methenamine silver stains.

Conclusion

The role of FNA was significant in the above case, special stains prove their efficacy when sufficient sample is available. The differential diagnosis of fungal etiology should be considered in subcutaneous soft tissue lesions. There has been a major leap in diagnostic cytopathology with the advent of molecular testing. However, FNA still holds its charm.
The estimation of additive genetic variance of body size in a wild passerine is sensitive to the method used to estimate relatedness among the individuals
Authors: Jablonszky Mónika , Canal David , Hegyi Gergely , Herényi Márton , Laczi Miklós , Markó Gábor , Nagy Gergely , Rosivall Balázs , Szöllősi Eszter , Török János , Garamszegi László Zsolt
Published: February 2024

Assessing additive genetic variance is a crucial step in predicting the evolutionary response of a target trait. However, the estimated genetic variance may be sensitive to the methodology used, e.g., the way relatedness is assessed among the individuals, especially in wild populations where social pedigrees can be inaccurate. To investigate this possibility, we investigated the additive genetic variance in tarsus length, a major proxy of skeletal body size in birds. The model species was the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis), a socially monogamous but genetically polygamous migratory passerine. We used two relatedness matrices to estimate the genetic variance: (1) based solely on social links and (2) a genetic similarity matrix based on a large array of single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Depending on the relatedness matrix considered, we found moderate to high additive genetic variance and heritability estimates for tarsus length. In particular, the heritability estimates were higher when obtained with the genetic similarity matrix instead of the social pedigree. Our results confirm the potential for this crucial trait to respond to selection and highlight methodological concerns when calculating additive genetic variance and heritability in phenotypic traits. We conclude that using a social pedigree instead of a genetic similarity matrix to estimate relatedness among individuals in a genetically polygamous wild population may significantly deflate the estimates of additive genetic variation.
Drones as a tool to study and monitor endangered Grey Crowned Cranes (Balearica regulorum): Behavioural responses and recommended guidelines
Authors: Demmer Carmen R. , Demmer Stuart , McIntyre Trevor
Published: February 2024

Crane populations are declining worldwide, with anthropogenically exacerbated habitat loss emerging as the primary causal threat. The endangered Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) is the least studied of the three crane species that reside in southern Africa. This data paucity hinders essential conservation planning and is primarily due to ineffective monitoring methods and this species' use of inaccessible habitats. In this study, we compared the behavioural responses of different Grey Crowned Crane social groupings to traditional on‐foot monitoring methods and the pioneering use of drones. Grey Crowned Cranes demonstrated a lower tolerance for on‐foot monitoring approaches, allowing closer monitoring proximity with drones (22.72 (95% confidence intervals ‐ 13.75, 37.52) m) than on‐foot methods (97.59 (86.13, 110.59) m) before displaying evasive behaviours. The behavioural response of flocks was minimal at flight heights above 50 m, whilst larger flocks were more likely to display evasive behaviours in response to monitoring by either method. Families displayed the least evasive behaviours to lower flights, whereas nesting birds were sensitive to the angles of drone approaches. Altogether, our findings confirm the usefulness of drones for monitoring wetland‐nesting species and provide valuable species‐specific guidelines for monitoring Grey Crowned Cranes. However, we caution future studies on wetland breeding birds to develop species‐specific protocols before implementing drone methodologies.
Effects of contextual interference and differential learning on performance and mental representations in a golf putting task
Authors: Mousavi S. Hourieh , Saberi Kakhki Alireza , Fazeli Davoud , Vogel Ludwig , Horst Fabian , Schöllhorn Wolfgang I.
Published: February 2024

It is widely accepted that mental representations can have an important influence on motor performance. Although differences in mental representations of motor tasks have been reported between novices and experts, little is known about their development as a function of motor learning approaches. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of contextual interference (CI) and differential learning (DL) on the performance and mental representations in a golf putting task. A total of 40 participants were randomly assigned into four groups: blocked contextual interference (BCI), random contextual interference (RCI), DL, and control. First, the participant's initial mental representation level was tested by means of the structural dimensional analysis of mental representation. Then, the participant's initial performance level was tested by 12 golf‐putting trials from 2.44 m. During the acquisition phase, participants practiced golf putting according to their grouping for three consecutive days with 10 blocks of 12 trials per day. No intervention was applied for the control group. The retention‐tests were performed 72 h after the last acquisition day. In addition, a transfer test to a novel distance outside the acquired range (4 m) was performed immediately after the retention‐test. The results of the putting performance in the retention test showed that RCI and DL performed better compared to BCI and the control group (all p < 0.05). In the transfer test, BCI and RCI outperformed the control group (all p < 0.05), but both were further outperformed by the DL group (all p < 0.05). Moreover, the DL group showed a more structured mental representation than the other groups during the retention test. These results indicated that DL used a different underlying mechanism that resulted in different levels of performance during transfer and a more structured mental representation compared with CI.
Novel Passivation and Gettering Strategy for Silicon Wafer by Al2O3/n‐poly‐Si/SiOx Stack for High‐Efficiency p‐Type Passivating Tunnel Oxide Contact Solar Cells
Authors: Khokhar Muhammad Quddamah , Yousuf Hasnain , Chu Mengmeng , Kim Youngkuk , Jeon Minsung , Dhungel Suresh Kumar , Yi Junsin
Published: February 2024

This study focuses on the enhanced passivation and gettering of boron‐doped p‐type solar grade silicon wafers by incorporating carrier‐selective and passivating tunnel oxide contact (TOPCon). A symmetrical stack of aluminum oxide (Al2O3)/p‐doped n‐type polysilicon (n‐poly‐Si)/ ultrathin silicon oxide (SiOx) in conjunction with long cycles of forming gas annealing is used for enhancing the silicon wafer quality with a novel approach. Multilayer of n‐poly‐Si/SiOx on p‐type crystalline silicon wafer exhibits an implied open‐circuit voltage (iVoc) of 726 mV, effective carrier lifetime (τeff) of 857 μs, and a low recombination current density (Jo) of 1.9 fA cm−2 when subjected to a postdeposition annealing (PDA) of phosphorus‐doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon (n‐a‐Si:H) at 820 °C. To boost passivation and gettering quality, 10 nm‐thick Al2O3 layers on both sides of n‐poly‐Si/SiOx samples are added. This leads to improved τeff (962 μs), reduced Jo (1.1 fA cm−2), and higher iVoc (728 mV). Herein, a thinner 50 nm n‐poly‐Si layer for improved properties is applied. The experiments show improved passivation and gettering. A Quokka‐3 simulation examines the potential of high‐efficiency p‐type TOPCon cells. A novel solar‐grade p‐type wafer quality enhancement approach is introduced, amalgamated with Quokka‐3 results, which could be a milestone in high‐efficiency p‐type TOPCon solar cell production.
Alhagi honey polysaccharide ameliorates ulcerative colitis by modulating gut microbiota–tryptophan metabolism via AhR activation
Authors: Yu Hang , Fan Jingmin , Xue Rui , Guan Jiawei , Tian Fangyuan , Xu Yu , He Linyun , Liu Ji , Du Zhenzhu , Chen Daqun , Yu Wei , Chen Wen , Han Bo
Published: February 2024

Alhagi honey (AH) is produced in arid and hot areas of Central Asia, and its polysaccharides (AP) are widely known for their activity in the treatment of intestinal diseases such as diarrhea. However, the therapeutic potential and mechanism of AP in ulcerative colitis (UC) remain unclear. Here, AH polysaccharide‐2 (AP2), a polysaccharide with the highest content in AP, was isolated and evaluated for its effects on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)‐induced UC in mice. AP2 was found to alleviate UC symptoms and regulate gut microbiota dysbiosis by decreasing Helicobacter levels and increasing Lactobacillus levels. Analysis of PICRUSt2 predicted that AP2 may regulate carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, and metabolomic analysis confirmed that AP2 promotes the metabolism of tryptophan to produce kynurenic acid (kyna). Moreover, kyna acted as an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand, which activated AhR to increase the expression of the tight junction proteins claudin‐1 and occludin. Interestingly, AP2 showed similar effects in protecting the intestinal barrier and alleviating colitis as the AhR agonist 6‐formylindolo[3,2‐b]carbazole, and the AhR antagonist CH223191 partially blocked the therapeutic effect of AP2 in UC mice, indicating that the anti‐UC effect of AP2 was AhR dependent. These findings demonstrate that AP2 alleviates UC by regulating the gut microbiota and promoting tryptophan metabolism to generate kyna‐activated AhR. The insights gained from this study could help in the future development of AP2 as a drug candidate or functional food for the treatment of UC.
Aloe vera jelly dessert supplemented with Lactobacillus curvatus encapsulated in Plantago major mucilage and sodium alginate: Characterization of physicochemical, sensory properties and survivability against low pH, salt, heat, and cold storage
Authors: Sekhavatizadeh Seyed Saeed , Derakhshan Maryam , Ganje Mohammad , Hosseinzadeh Saeid
Published: February 2024

The goal of this research was to assess the free Lactobacillus curvatus (FLC) and microencapsulated L. curvatus (MLC) survivability using sodium alginate and Plantago major mucilage (PMM), as a second layer to produce probiotic aloe vera jelly dessert (AVJD). To determine bead characteristics, the aspect ratio of the bead, survival in 72°C, and cold storage were assessed as well as for AVJD, survivability of probiotics in simulated gastrointestinal condition (SGIC), and storage time. The results showed that all the beads are spherical (aspect ratio = 1.12), and under heat stress conditions, MLC showed a higher survival rate (50.15%) compared to FLC (not detected after 5 min). The number of survived probiotics in the MLC sample (8.65 log CFU/mL) was higher than FLC (7.52 log CFU/g) on the 28th day. In AVJD, the MLC survived at a minimum scientific adequate number of probiotics (6.88 log CFU/mL) on the 28th day. In SGIC, the final survival rates of FLC and MLC samples were 14.24% and 71.04%, respectively. These results suggest that using alginate and PMM is a promising method to protect L. curvatus (LC) from harsh environmental conditions and in AVJD.
Effect of photobiomodulation on alleviating primary dysmenorrhea caused by PGF2α
Authors: Fu Qiqi , Yang Jiali , Jiang Hui , Lin Shangfei , Qin Haokuan , Zhao Jie , Wang Yanqing , Liu Muqing
Published: February 2024

Photobiomodulation (PBM) has attracted widespread attention in suppressing various pain and inflammation. Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) primarily occurs in adolescents and adult females, and the limited effectiveness and side effects of conventional treatments have highlighted the urgent need to develop and identify new adjunct therapeutic strategies. In this work, the results of pain and PGs demonstrated that 850 nm, 630 nm, and 460 nm all exhibited pain inhibition, decreased PGF2α and upregulated PGE2, while 630 nm PBM has better effectiveness. Then to explore the underlying biological mechanisms of red light PBM on PD, we irradiated prostaglandin‐F2α induced HUSM cells and found that low‐level irradiance can restore intracellular calcium ion, ROS, ATP, and MMP levels to normal levels. And, red light enhanced cell viability and promoted cell proliferation for normal HUSM cells. Therefore, this study proposes that red light PBM may be a promising approach for the future clinical treatment of PD.
In vivo behavior in rabbit radius bone defect of scaffolds based on nanocarbonate hydroxyapatite
Authors: García‐Lamas Lorena , Peña Juan , Roman Jesús , Cabañas Victoria , Bravo‐Giménez Beatriz , Jiménez‐Díaz Verónica , Sánchez‐Salcedo Sandra , Jiménez‐Holguín Javier , Abella Monica , Desco Manuel , Lozano Daniel , Cecilia‐López David , Salinas Antonio
Published: February 2024

Bone defects treatment may require the use of biomaterials that behave as a support and promote bone regeneration. Limitations associated with the use of autografts and allografts make it necessary to design new synthetic bone substitutes. Some of the most promising biomaterials currently under investigation are based on nanocarbonate hydroxyapatite (nCHA). In this study, we studied the bone‐inducing capacity of nCHA‐based scaffolds alone (SAG) and enriched with osteostatin (SAGO) or with bone marrow aspirate(SAGB) after implantation for 12 weeks in a 15‐mm long critical defect performed in the radius of New Zealand rabbits. Bone formation obtained was compared with a group with the unfilled defect (CE), as control group, and other with the defect filed with iliac crest autograft (GS), as gold standard. X‐ray follow‐up was performed at 2, 4, 6 and 12 weeks and μCT and histological studies at 12 weeks. The radiological results showed a greater increment in bone formation in the GS group (75%–100%), followed by the SAG and SAGB groups (50%–75%). μCT results showed an increase of bone volume/tissue volume values in GS group followed by SAG and SAGB groups (0.53, 0.40, and 0.31 respectively) compared with CE group (0.26). Histological results showed limited resorption of the nCHA scaffolds and partial osseointegration in the SAG and SAGB groups. However, in the SAGO group, the presence of connective tissue encapsulating the scaffold was detected. In SAG, SAGB, and increase of bone formation were observed compared with CE group, but less than the GS group. Thus, the investigated materials represent a significant advance in the design of synthetic materials for bone grafting, but further studies are needed to bring their in vivo behavior closer to autograft, the gold standard.
Effect of pore size distribution of biomass activated carbon adsorbents on the adsorption capacity
Authors: Wang Qiren , Li Tingyu , Tian Haodong , Zou Die , Zeng Jia , Chen Shuang , Xie Hongmei , Zhou Guilin
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND

In order to investigate the correlation between the pore size distribution of biomass activated carbon adsorbents (BACAs) and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) adsorption/desorption performance. Four BACAs with same specific surface area but different pore size distribution were prepared under different experimental conditions and processes.

RESULTS

The impact of the pore size distribution of BACAs on the adsorption/desorption performance of benzene, toluene and xylene was investigated. The results indicated that the adsorption ability of the prepared BACAs for benzene, toluene and xylene was mostly affected by the pore sizes distributed in the 2.60 ~ 3.25, 2.68 ~ 3.35and 4.20 ~ 4.90 nm ranges, respectively, when the studied BACAs had similar specific surface area (SBET ≈ 1080 m2 g−1). However, the desorption amount of adsorbed benzene molecules mainly relied on the pore structures of BACAs having pore sizes in the 3.95 ~ 4.60 nm range.

CONCLUSION

The pore structures of BACAs distributed in different pore size ranges have various effects on the phenyl VOCs adsorption capacity. Benzene adsorption on the BACAs was mainly affected by the microporous structures. The pore structure with larger pore size was more favorable for the desorption of the adsorbed toluene and xylene molecules compared to the adsorbed benzene molecules. Benzene, toluene and xylene had low residual rates in the studied activated carbon adsorbents attesting to their superior regenerative properties. This work could provide an important reference for the design, preparation, and selection of activated carbon adsorbents for the adsorption capacity of benzene, toluene and xylene. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
What engineering employers want: An analysis of technical and professional skills in engineering job advertisements
Authors: Fleming Gabriella Coloyan , Klopfer Michelle , Katz Andrew , Knight David
Published: February 2024

Background

Engineering curricula are built around faculty and accreditors' perceptions of what knowledge, skills, and abilities graduates will need in engineering careers. However, the people making these decisions may not be fully aware of what industry employers require for engineering graduates.

Purpose/Hypothesis

The purpose of this study is to determine how industry employer‐sought professional and technical skills vary among engineering disciplines and levels of education.

Design/Method

Using a large sample (n = 26,103) of mined job advertisements, we use the O*NET skills database to determine the frequencies of different professional and technical skills for biomedical, civil, chemical, electrical, environmental, and mechanical engineers with bachelor's, master's, and PhD degrees.

Results

The most frequently sought professional skill is problem‐solving; the most frequently sought technical skills across disciplines are Microsoft Office software and computer‐aided design software. Although not the most frequently requested skills, job advertisements including the Python and MATLAB programming languages paid significantly higher salaries than those without.

Conclusions

The findings of this study have important implications for engineering program leaders and curriculum designers choosing which skills to teach students so that they are best prepared to get and excel in engineering jobs. The results also show which skills students can prioritize investing their time in so that they receive the largest financial return on their investment.
Fatigue properties of riveted joints under different hole perpendicularity errors and squeeze forces
Authors: Li Ming , Tian Wei , Liao WenHe
Published: February 2024

Riveting is the most important method of joining sheet metal and is widely used in the assembly of aircraft components. The perpendicularity error of the holes is unavoidable during automatic drilling and riveting, which has a significant impact on the quality of the assembly. In this paper, the effects of hole perpendicularity error and squeeze force on the interference fit size, interface contact state, microstructure morphology, fatigue life, and fracture form of riveted joints were investigated experimentally. The results show that the interference fit size increases with a greater tilt angle. When the tilt angle is 0°, the rivet shank is in close contact with the inner and outer sheets, and there is no obvious gap at the interface between the rivet and the sheets. As the tilt angle increases to 2° and 4°, a gap appears at the interface of regions 1, 2, and 3, while the rivet shank at region 4 is in close contact with the outer sheet. The fatigue life decreases when the tilt angle increases from 0° to 4°. For the same tilt angle, the fatigue life of riveted joints with a 0° tilt direction is higher than that of riveted joints with a 180° tilt direction. Increasing the squeeze force can to some extent reduce the adverse effect of the tilt angle on the fatigue life. The hole perpendicularity error does not affect the failure form, while the squeeze force has a significant effect on the failure form of the specimens.

Research Highlights

The fatigue life of riveted joints decreases as the tilt angle increases.

The size of the interfacial gap increases with increasing tilt angle.

Higher fatigue life at 0° tilt direction than at 180° tilt direction.

Increasing the squeeze force can somewhat reduce the negative effect of tilt angle on fatigue life.
Ageing well with human immunodeficiency virus
Authors: Yeganeh Sara , Sparkes Arron
Published: February 2024

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is now considered a manageable chronic condition. With the tolerable and highly active antiretroviral therapies that are available today, people diagnosed with HIV can experience longevity and good health‐related quality of life. As a result, the number of older people living with HIV, including in aged care, is increasing. There are, however, challenges and barriers to successful ageing for people living with HIV. These include persistent chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction, earlier occurrence of complex comorbidities, and additional exacerbators such as polypharmacy. To mitigate these factors, clinicians should implement evidenced‐based interventions and adopt a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to management so that people living with HIV have the best chance of ageing well.
Effectiveness of pharmaceutical care for improving medication‐related quality of life and adherence to treatment among people living with schizophrenia: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Sriboonruang Tatta , Phonphairin Wasanan , Phattanarudee Siripan , Chusiri Sirichai
Published: February 2024

Background

People living with schizophrenia frequently exhibit poor medication adherence because of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) or lack of disease awareness. This prospective randomised controlled trial investigated the benefits of pharmaceutical care delivered by hospital pharmacists for improving pharmacotherapy‐related quality of life and medication adherence among this patient group.

Aim

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of pharmaceutical care interventions in enhancing medication adherence and improving the quality of life of people living with schizophrenia.

Method

Data were collected during inpatient and subsequent outpatient treatment from 6 January–8 June 2021. Participants were divided into two groups via block randomisation: a control group receiving standard treatment; and an intervention group receiving pharmaceutical care combined with standard treatment. The pharmaceutical care comprised medication review, monitoring of drug‐related problems (including ADRs), adjustment of the dose of antipsychotic medicines in collaboration with psychiatrists, and counselling of participants and caregivers about disease management before discharge. Pharmacotherapy‐related quality of life was assessed using the short version of the Patient‐Reported Outcomes Measure of Pharmaceutical Therapy for Quality of Life (PROMPT‐QoL), whereas medication adherence was evaluated using the Medication Taking Behaviour in Thai Patients (MTB‐Thai). The primary outcomes were the average change in the PROMPT‐QoL score from inpatient to outpatient care and the average outpatient MTB‐Thai score. Ethical approval was granted by the Srithanya Hospital Office of the Ethics Commission for Human Research (Reference no: STY.COA008/2564) and the study conforms to the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from all patient and caregiver participants via a project information sheet and the completion of a written consent form.

Results

At the end of the study, compared with the control group, the intervention group exhibited a significantly lower ADR prevalence (57.90% vs 79.70%, p < 0.05) and a greater change in the mean PROMPT‐QoL scores pertaining to ‘obtaining information of medicines and diseases’, ‘impact of medicine side effects’, ‘ease of use of medicines’, and ‘therapeutic relationship’. In addition, the intervention group achieved a significantly higher mean of medicine adherence score than the control group (22.81 ± 1.61 vs 16.85 ± 3.00, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Pharmaceutical care may improve the outcomes of people living with schizophrenia by improving their quality of life, decreasing ADRs, and enhancing medication adherence.
Breast cancer learning health system: Patient information from a data and analytics platform characterizes care provided
Authors: Levine Mark N. , Kemppainen Joel , Rosenberg Morgan , Pettengell Christopher , Bogach Jessica , Whelan Tim , Saha Ashirbani , Ranisau Jonathan , Petch Jeremy
Published: February 2024

Purpose

In a learning health system (LHS), data gathered from clinical practice informs care and scientific investigation. To demonstrate how a novel data and analytics platform can enable an LHS at a regional cancer center by characterizing the care provided to breast cancer patients.

Methods

Socioeconomic information, tumor characteristics, treatments and outcomes were extracted from the platform and combined to characterize the patient population and their clinical course. Oncologists were asked to identify examples where clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) or policy changes had varying impacts on practice. These constructs were evaluated by extracting the corresponding data.

Results

Breast cancer patients (5768) seen at the Juravinski Cancer Centre between January 2014 and June 2022 were included. The average age was 62.5 years. The commonest histology was invasive ductal carcinoma (74.6%); 77% were estrogen receptor‐positive and 15.5% were HER2 Neu positive. Breast‐conserving surgery (BCS) occurred in 56%. For the 4294 patients who received systemic therapy, the initial indications were adjuvant (3096), neoadjuvant (828) and palliative (370). Metastases occurred in 531 patients and 495 patients died. Lowest‐income patients had a higher mortality rate. For the adoption of CPGs, the uptake for adjuvant bisphosphonate was very low, 8% as predicted, compared to 64% for pertuzumab, a HER2 targeted agent and 40.2% for CD4/6 inhibitors in metastases. During COVID‐19, the provincial cancer agency issued a policy to shorten the duration of radiation after BCS. There was a significant reduction in the average number of fractions to the breast by five fractions.

Conclusion

Our platform characterized care and the clinical course of breast cancer patients. Practice changes in response to regulatory developments and policy changes were measured. Establishing a data platform is important for an LHS. The next step is for the data to feedback and change practice, that is, close the loop.
Reticulon 3 regulates sphingosine‐1‐phosphate synthesis in endothelial cells to control blood pressure
Authors: Jin Jie‐Yuan , Chang Si‐Hua , Chen Ya‐Qin , Liu Meng‐Wei , Dong Yi , Liu Ji‐Shi , Wang Qin , Huang Hao , Fan Liang‐Liang , Xiang Rong
Published: February 2024

The discovery of the endothelium as a major regulator of vascular tone triggered intense research among basic and clinical investigators to unravel the physiologic and pathophysiologic significance of this phenomenon. Sphingosine‐l‐phosphate (S1P), derived from the vascular endothelium, is a significant regulator of blood pressure. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of S1P biosynthetic pathways in arteries remain to be further clarified. Here, we reported that Reticulon 3 (RTN3) regulated endothelial sphingolipid biosynthesis and blood pressure. We employed public datasets, patients, and mouse models to explore the pathophysiological roles of RTN3 in blood pressure control. The underlying mechanisms were studied in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We reported that increased RTN3 was found in patients and that RTN3‐null mice presented hypotension. In HUVECs, RTN3 can regulate migration and tube formation via the S1P signaling pathway. Mechanistically, RTN3 can interact with CERS2 to promote the selective autophagy of CERS2 and further influence S1P signals to control blood pressure. We also identified an RTN3 variant (c.116C>T, p.T39M) in a family with hypertension. Our data provided the first evidence of the association between RTN3 level changes and blood pressure anomalies and preliminarily elucidated the importance of RTN3 in S1P metabolism and blood pressure regulation.
To merge or not to merge? The impact of mergers and acquisitions on corporate success in the pharmaceutical industry
Authors: Büssgen Melanie , Stargardt Tom
Published: February 2024

Two of the chief goals of most companies are to secure their own existence and generate above‐average returns for their owners. One of the main ways that companies attempt to achieve these goals is to grow, and pharmaceutical companies are no exception in this regard. However, whereas internal growth tends to be organic and slow, external growth can usually be achieved more quickly, for example, through mergers, acquisitions or other external transactions.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of merger and acquisition (M&A) activities on pharmaceutical company success, measured in terms of financial and other performance indicators.

We identified the top 30 pharmaceutical companies worldwide by revenue in 2020 and gathered data on M&A activities and a broad range of financial and other performance indicators from 2000 to 2020. We then used a generalised difference‐in‐difference design to evaluate the extent to which a company's success was affected by substantial M&A activities versus organic growth. To do so, we defined a premerger period of 2 years and a postmerger period of 3 years. We classified M&A activities as substantial when transaction costs were greater than 20% of a company's annual revenue.

Our results indicate that there is a clear trend for M&As to have a positive impact on corporate success compared with organic growth. For example, after an M&A, a company's annual revenue increased on average by 3.50 billion United States dollars (USD) (p = 0.000) in the first year and by 4.52 billion USD (p = 0.000) in the second year. For employee growth, we found significant increases across all time periods (p = 0.000). Postmerger increases were also seen in gross profit in the first (+1.65 billion USD, p = 0.053) and second (+2.61 billion USD, p = 0.005) years, as well as in net profit (+6.82 billion USD, p = 0.014) and return on assets in the first year (+12.04 percentage points, p = 0.016). However, indicators of innovation (e.g. research and development [R&D] spending) and of stakeholder value (e.g. market capitalisation) did not show a significant increase.

Compared with the impact of organic growth alone, M&A activities in the pharmaceutical industry led to significantly higher market dominance, size and profits but did not have a significant impact on innovation or shareholder value over the short time.
Observer‐based adaptive controller for a class of fractional‐order uncertain systems subject to unknown input and output quantizers and input nonlinearities
Authors: Rahmani Nooshabadi Ali , Shahrokhi Mohammad , Malek Sayyed Alireza
Published: February 2024

This work addresses design of an adaptive controller for nonlinear fractional‐order (FO) systems in the strict‐feedback form. The system is subject to unknown dynamics, unavailable state variables, quantized input and output, and input nonlinearity. The fuzzy logic system (FLS) is used to estimate the unknown dynamics, and instead of updating all the regressor weights, only the maximum of their norms is updated, which significantly reduces the computational load. Limitations imposed by data transmission bandwidth have been addressed by incorporating sector‐bounded quantizers, which include both logarithmic and hysteresis quantizers at the system input and output, and their errors have been considered in the controller design. It is assumed that system states are not measured. To estimate the system states, a linear observer has been used. Because of output quantization, the continuous output signal is not available, and therefore the observer has been designed based on the quantized output signal. In addition, the constraints of input nonlinearities, including symmetric and asymmetric saturation, backlash, hysteresis, and dead‐zone, have been considered in the controller design. Input nonlinearity and input quantization have been investigated simultaneously, which makes the analysis more challenging. Moreover, it is assumed that the type of input nonlinearity and its characteristics are not known, which makes the controller design more difficult. These problems have been resolved by using two novel adaptive laws. The adaptive backstepping method and the direct Lyapunov stability analysis have been used to construct the controller, and a nonlinear modified FO filter is used to avoid the explosion of complexity occurring in the traditional backstepping technique. Stability of the closed loop system has been established, and it has been shown that the tracking and state estimation errors converge to a small neighborhood of the origin. Finally, the proposed controller performance has been demonstrated via three simulation examples.
Comparative analysis of X‐band FSS fabricated by inkjet printing and conventional etching technique
Authors: Inbarani Jothinayagam , Manikandan Esakkimuthu
Published: February 2024

An investigation of a single‐layer band‐stop frequency selective surface (FSS) is designed and analyzed for X‐band application. The proposed FSS design primarily involves a cross‐shaped conductive patch with four square slots on each corner, and it is fabricated on the 3D‐printed polylactic acid (PLA) substrate. The design is resonating at 12 GHz with an insertion loss greater than 60 dB. The 10 dB bandwidth of the designed structure is 8.3% with respect to the resonant frequency. The results show that the design has polarization‐independent and angle‐insensitive transmission characteristics for incidence angles up to 60°. The simulation is carried out using CST Microwave Studio Suite, and the results are obtained. The physical mechanism of the designed structure is evaluated using the surface current distribution. The designed FSS is fabricated using two techniques, namely inkjet printing and conventional etching. Finally, the measurements of the fabricated structure are done using a vector network analyzer setup.
Structure preserving and energy dissipative contact approaches for implicit dynamics
Authors: Puso M. A. , Porter J. H. , Slavik T.
Published: February 2024

In this work, several structure preserving and energy dissipative contact approaches are proposed and evaluated. The time integration schemes considered are general with regard to the version of constraint type, but here the emphasis was on mortar contact. The proposed mortar contact approach conserves both linear and angular momentum for mortar contact in a novel way. The proposed time integration scheme can conserve energy or provide strict contact dissipation. In addition, the proposed scheme enforces both gap constraints and gap velocity constraints (i.e., persistency). Using a midstep time integrator often causes energy dissipation during initial impact, here this energy can be recovered in a novel way. Enforcing the gap velocity constraint mitigates the contact chatter of the contact pressure and nodes in many problems. Whereas some approaches enforce the persistency condition and gap constraints simultaneously during the solution of the equations of motion (EOM) requiring multipliers for both constraints included in the equation set, here the gap constraint is solved through the equations of motion and the persistency condition is satisfied in the time integration scheme by the velocity update after the equations of motion. It is shown that this approach is strictly dissipative in that a plastic contact condition can be achieved. Analogous to a coefficient of restitution for rigid bodies, any dissipated energy can then be returned upon release if energy conservation is desired. Structure preserving methods are good for long‐time dynamics simulations and energy conserving and strictly dissipative methods can overcome stability issues associated with standard time integration algorithms such as the Newmark method.
Evaluation of prescription medication changes following sleeve gastrectomy surgery
Authors: Arena Gina , Kitsos Alex , Hamdorf Jeffrey M. , D’Arcy‐Evans Mike , Kilpatrick Michelle , Venn Alison , Preen David B.
Published: February 2024

Objective

The increasing global prevalence of obesity, coupled with its association with chronic health conditions and rising healthcare costs, highlights the need for effective interventions; however, despite the availability of treatment options, the ongoing success of primary interventions in maintaining long‐term weight loss remains limited. This study examined the prescription medication dispensing changes following sleeve gastrectomy in Australians aged 45 years and over.

Methods

In a retrospective analysis of 847 bariatric surgery patients from the New South Wales 45 and Up Study, the assessment of medication patterns categorizing into three groups: gastrointestinal, metabolic, cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems was conducted. Each drug class was analyzed, focusing on patients with dispensing records within the 12 months before surgery. This study employed interrupted time‐series analysis to compare pre‐ and post‐surgery medication usage.

Results

With a predominantly female population (76.9%) and an average age of 57.2 (standard deviation 5.71), there were statistically significant reductions in both unique medications (12.5% decrease, p = 0.004) and total medications dispensed (15.9% decrease, p = 0.003) from 12 months before surgery to 13–24 months after bariatric surgery. All medication categories, except opioids, showed reductions. Notably, the most significant reductions were observed in diabetes (38.6%), agents acting on the renin‐angiotensin system (40.4%), lipid modifying agents (26.5%), anti‐inflammatory products (46.3%), and obstructive airway diseases (53.3%) medications during this time frame.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that sleeve gastrectomy provides an effective therapeutic intervention for patients with comorbidities requiring multiple medications, especially for obesity‐related diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular, respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders.
Electrocardiographic abnormalities in patients with sickle cell disease: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Taherifard Erfan , Movahed Hamed , Taherifard Ehsan , Sadeghi Alireza , Dehdari Ebrahimi Niloofar , Ahmadkhani Alireza , Kheshti Fatemeh , Movahed Hossein
Published: February 2024

Background

Previous studies have documented that electrocardiography (ECG) can reveal a range of abnormalities, offering valuable insights into the cardiac evaluation of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). The objective of this study is to assess the patterns of ECG abnormalities observed in these patients with SCD, and to determine their prevalence.

Method

We systematically reviewed the literature using online databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar to identify original studies that reported findings of standard ECG assessments in patients with SCD. Statistical analyses were performed using the random effects model. Additional analyses including sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were also conducted.

Results

Analysis of data from 59 studies involving 897,920 individuals with SCD revealed that 75% of these patients had abnormal ECG findings (67%–81%), which were predominantly nonspecific ST–T changes, left ventricular hypertrophy, T‐wave changes, prolonged corrected QT (QTc) interval, and ischemic changes. Besides, it was shown that these patients had significantly higher odds of having any ECG abnormalities (OR of 17.50, 4.68–65.49), right atrial enlargement (6.09, 1.48–25.09), left ventricular hypertrophy (3.45, 1.73–6.89), right ventricular hypertrophy (7.18, 2.28–22.57), biventricular hypertrophy (10.11, 1.99–51.38), prolonged QTc interval (5.54, 2.44–12.59), ST depression (3.34, 1.87–5.97), and T‐wave changes (5.41, 1.43–20.56). Moreover, the mean of QTc interval was significantly higher among those with SCD (23.51 milliseconds, 16.08–30.94).

Conclusion

Our meta‐analysis showed a higher prevalence of abnormal ECG findings among individuals with SCD. A significant proportion of these patients had various ECG abnormalities, suggesting a potential need for regular ECG assessments for patients with SCD.