bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile elements in extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from hospitalized patients in Guangdong, China
Authors: Shafiq Muhammad , Bilal Hazrat , Permana Budi , Xu Danhong , Cai Gengzhong , Li Xin , Zeng Mi , Yuan Yumeng , Jiao Xiaoyang , Yao Fen
Published: June 2023

Aim

This study aimed to investigate the high-resolution phenotypic and genotypic characterization of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from hospitalized patients to explore the resistance genes and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) involved in horizontal dissemination.

Methods

Between May and September 2021, a total of 216 ESBL-producing E. coli isolates were recovered from multiple departments. The identification of strains was performed using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and PCR, while antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out using the Vitek 2 COMPACT system to determine resistance patterns, while PCR was used to detect different resistance genes and MGEs. In addition, a conjugation assay was performed to investigate the horizontal gene transfer of resistance genes. Selected isolates underwent whole-genome sequencing (WGS) using the Illumina MiSeq platform.

Results

A total of 216 out of 409 E. coli isolates recovered from a tertiary hospital were observed to be ESBL-producing, giving a carriage rate of 52.8%, as determined by phenotypic screening. The most frequent sources of ESBL-producing E. coli isolates were urine (129/216, 59.72%) and blood (50/216, 23.14%). The most prevalent ESBL genes identified were blaCTX-M (60.18%), blaTEM (40.27%), and blaSHV (18.05%). Three E. coli isolates were found to carry the genes blaNDM, mcr-1, and fosA3 genes. The most prevalent MGEs were IS26 (95.37%), Int (87.03%), and IncFIB (76.85%). WGS analysis of eight MDR E. coli strains revealed that these isolates belonged to eight different sequence types (STs) and serotypes and were found to harbor multiple plasmid replicons and virulence factors.

Conclusion

This study highlights a high incidence of antibiotic resistance genes and MGEs associated with the dissemination of ESBLs and other resistance genes.
Wild Design in China’s Lifestyle Magazines (1978–1992)
Authors: Liu Yaxi
Published: June 2023

“Wild design” refers to do-it-yourself (DIY) and makeshift solutions between 1978 and 1992 during the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) early reform period. For self-design and making activities, the lifestyle magazine was a channel to access and circulate self-help manuals and DIY prescriptions. Investigating two lifestyle magazines – Culture and Life (wenhua yu shenghuo) and Beyond Eight Hours (baxiaoshi yiwai), this study examines advice and self-help manuals, and analyses the scope and value of wild design in creating a new perception of modern life. Unveiling the conditions within which people were making, and the processes and ideals of making that were prevalent in the PRC’s early reform period, wild design broke down the binary tensions between the real and ideal, native and foreign, old and new, and the vernacular and the modern. The vernacular modernism demonstrated a desire to extract the maximum value out of objects, a love of the “new,” and suggested a set of pragmatic approaches to obtain that “new.”
Two-dimensional fused targeted ridge regression for health indicator prediction from accelerometer data
Authors: Lettink Annelinde , Chinapaw Mai , van Wieringen Wessel N
Published: June 2023

We present the two-dimensional targeted fused ridge estimator of the linear and logistic regression models. The estimator (i) handles both unpenalised and penalised covariates, (ii) accommodates possible relations among the covariates’ coefficients through a fusion penalty, and (iii) incorporates prior information on the regression parameter through a non-zero shrinkage target. In this work, the aforementioned relations are similarities among the covariates’ coefficients due to spatial proximity in a two-dimensional grid. In an extensive re-analysis of an epidemiological and an image analysis study, we illustrate the use of the estimator’s aforementioned features that result in a tangibly interpretable predictor.
Novel treatment of gastric outlet obstruction secondary to incarcerated inguinal hernia: percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube
Authors: Blair Sawyer M , Cournoyer Roger M , Newcomb Melissa R , Owen Joseph W
Published: June 2023

A 93-year-old man presented with gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) secondary to a massive left inguinal hernia with incarcerated antrum. He reported a desire to avoid operative intervention, and given his comorbidities, such an operation carried high risk for perioperative complications. As such, we offered percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement, as this would allow intermittent decompression of the stomach to reduce the risk of obstruction and strangulation. He tolerated the procedure well and was discharged after several days of observation. He continues to do well at regular outpatient appointments. Although rare, GOO secondary to an incarcerated inguinal hernia is most likely to occur in a patient such as ours: elderly, comorbid and at high risk for perioperative complications. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case to be treated with a PEG tube, which can be a desirable and effective option in this subset of patients.
Palatable Bugs for the Victorians: Entomophagy, Class and Colonialism in Vincent M. Holt’s Why Not Eat Insects?
Authors: Duché Elodie
Published: June 2023

Entomologists and proponents of insect food have often seen in Vincent M. Holt’s Why Not Eat Insects? (London: Field & Tuer, 1885) the work of a precursor. Holt’s plea to consume insects in Victorian Britain, as an aid to address food poverty and diversify Western diets, certainly resonates with the environmental and social predicaments of the twenty-first century. However, the text and the context of this publication have not been fully examined. The book has attracted comparatively little attention from historians who are yet to unravel why and how Holt could raise the very question ‘why not?’ This article aims to bridge this gap, with a close reading of the sources and the language deployed by Holt, who heavily relies on European travel writings to make his case. Relocating Why Not Eat Insects? in this context throws into relief how issues of class and colonialism were constitutive of a wider discussion about eating insects in English-speaking prints in the nineteenth century. To explore this, the article also investigates responses from readers in the 1880s and 1890s, through reviews published in the British Isles, Australia, and the United States. Ultimately, examining these aspects alerts us to the dangers of celebrating Holt as a pioneer of insect food and an inspiration for the twenty-first century, for Holt partook in what Lisa Heldke terms ‘cultural food colonialism’, which we are at risk of reproducing when using his text uncritically and without regard to its social and colonial context.
Effective inseparability and some applications in meta-mathematics
Authors: Cheng Yong
Published: June 2023

Effectively inseparable pairs and their properties play an important role in the meta-mathematics of arithmetic and incompleteness. Different notions are introduced and shown in the literature to be equivalent to effective inseparability. We give a much simpler proof of these equivalences using the strong double recursion theorem. Then we prove some results about the application of effective inseparability in meta-mathematics.
Broad-band X-ray spectral study of nuclear structure in local obscured radio galaxies
Authors: Nakatani Yuya , Ueda Yoshihiro , Ricci Claudio , Inaba Koki , Ogawa Shoji , Setoguchi Kenta , Uematsu Ryosuke , Yamada Satoshi , Yoshitake Tomohiro
Published: June 2023

Radio galaxies are a key population to understand the importance of relativistic jets in active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. We present the results of a systematic, broad-band X-ray spectral analysis of hard X-ray selected radio galaxies to investigate their nuclear structures. In this study, we focus on the seven most radio-loud, X-ray obscured narrow-line radio galaxies in the Swift/BAT 70 month AGN catalogue. The spectra from 0.5 keV up to 66 keV obtained with Suzaku and NuSTAR of six objects are newly analysed here by utilizing the X-ray clumpy torus model (xclumpy), whereas we refer to the literature for the results of Centaurus A. We find that these radio galaxies have similar torus covering fractions compared with radio-quiet AGNs at the same Eddington ratios (−3 < log λEdd < −1). This result implies that (1) the torus structure is not an important factor that determines the presence of jets and (2) AGN jets have physically little effect on the torus.
Dynamics of dust and meteoroids due to electromagnetic transport in the heliosphere
Authors: Reiter Stefanie , Lhotka Christoph
Published: June 2023

Observations of dust in the Solar system have indicated the existence of structures at higher ecliptic latitudes, the origin of which is still an ongoing debate. In a previous study, we studied how the interplanetary magnetic field affects the orbital motion of charged dust particles that are moving in co-orbital motion with Jupiter. Our findings revealed that the Lorentz force causes oscillations in orbital inclinations that lead to electromagnetic transport of the dust particles to higher ecliptic latitudes. In this work, using numerical simulations, we investigate how this transportation depends on orbital lifetime, strength of the background magnetic field, planetary mass, and distance from the Sun. In addition, we study the dynamics also outside resonance. We present our findings using the saturation curve, which gives a relation between the maximum amplitude in inclination with respect to the particle size ranging from 1 to 501 $\mu$m. We further study the influence of the solar radiation pressure, the Poynting–Robertson, and the solar wind effects on the shape of the saturation curve and find that a stronger gravitational influence of the planet leads to a steeper curve, decreasing the strength of the electromagnetic transport. The radiative forces lead to a gradual dampening of the latitudinal oscillations of particles inside resonance, while they are unchanged for objects outside of resonance. We argue that the dynamics of dust and meteoroids in the Solar system can only be understood by including space weathering effects.
Exploratory multi-methods evaluation of an online intervention for carers of people with high-grade glioma
Authors: Haydon Helen M , Blackler Alethea , Nowak Anna K , Langbecker Danette , Collier Justin , Halkett Georgia
Published: June 2023

Background

Inadequate knowledge and skills and a lack of confidence to provide care have been identified as major unmet needs for carers of people with brain cancer. An online intervention was developed to address the unmet needs of carers of people with high-grade glioma.

Methods

Ten carers evaluated the intervention through multiple methods. Acceptability and usability were measured through online data analytics (unique page views, time on page), surveys, and interviews. Questionnaires measured potential impacts on distress (Distress Thermometer), depression, anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), carer competence (Carer Competence Scale), carer preparedness (Caregiving Preparedness Scale), unmet needs (Supportive Care Needs Scale – Brain Tumor Specific for carers), usability and acceptability (USE).

Results

Results suggested the intervention had high levels of usability (usability scales’ means range = 5.1 to 6.7 out of 7) and acceptability (M = 76.3/100). Correlations indicated the potential to impact depression. Qualitative findings highlighted benefits of the intervention as a comprehensive reliable resource that could validate and normalize carer experiences. Interview findings guided further improvements (eg, additional carer videos, content organization).

Conclusions

The study indicated high acceptability and usability of an online intervention for carers of people with high-grade glioma. This exploratory study also provided preliminary indications of a potential to decrease depression. However, a more robust, potentially longitudinal, investigation is needed with a larger and broader sample. Informed by this study, the intervention has been amended and a randomized controlled trial will further evaluate the enhanced intervention.
IQOS Marketing Strategies and Expenditures in the United States From Market Entrance in 2019 to Withdrawal in 2021
Authors: Duan Zongshuan , Levine Hagai , Romm Katelyn F , Bar-Zeev Yael , Abroms Lorien C , Griffith Lynniah , Wang Yan , Khayat Amal , Cui Yuxian , Berg Carla J
Published: June 2023

Introduction

IQOS entered the U.S. market in October 2019, then received the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s modified risk tobacco product authorization (MRTPA) allowing use of “reduced exposure” claims in marketing in July 2020. A May 2021 court decision regarding patent infringement required IQOS’ removal from the U.S. market in November 2021.

Aims and Methods

Using 2019–2021 Numerator marketing data, this study characterized ad occurrences and expenditures—including allocation per ad content (headline theme, imagery) and media type and channel—pre- and post-MRTPA; exploratory analyses characterized the post-court to withdrawal period separately.

Results

The study period entailed 685 occurrences and $15 451 870 in expenditures. The proportions of occurrences across the three periods (pre-MRTPA, post-MRTPA, and post-court) were 39.3%, 48.8%, and 12.0%, respectively (p < .001); the proportions of expenditures were 8.6%, 30.0%, and 61.5%. Overall, 73.1% of ad occurrences were via online display; 99.6% of expenditures occurred in print. Per occurrences, prominent pre-MRTPA headline themes included “future” (40.2%), “real tobacco” (38.7%), “get IQOS” (35.3%), and “innovation or technology” (20.1%); post-MRTPA, prominent themes included “not burned or heat control” (32.7%), “reduced exposure” (26.4%), and “distinct from e-cigarettes” (20.7%). Visuals mainly depicted the product alone (pre-MRTPA: 86.6%; post-MRTPA: 76.1%), but increasingly featured women (pre-MRTPA: 8.6%; post-MRTPA: 21.5%). The most prominent media channel theme pre-MRTPA was “technology” (19.7%), but post-MRTPA included “women's fashion” (20.4%) and “entertainment or pop culture/gaming” (19.0%).

Conclusions

IQOS leveraged MRTPA in ads, continued marketing post-court decision, and targeted key consumer groups (ie, women). Marketing surveillance of products granted MRTPA is needed, domestically and in other countries, to assess its use and impact.

Implications

Philip Morris (PM) leveraged IQOS’ MRTPA from the U.S. FDA, and continued marketing IQOS after its withdrawal from the U.S. market due to a patent-infringement-related court decision. Notably, IQOS marketing increasingly targeted key consumer groups (eg, women). Given IQOS’ potential return to the United States, PM’s use of FDA’s MRTPA to promote IQOS as a risk reduction product in other countries, and FDA’s MRTPA for other products, it is crucial to monitor products receiving MRTPA, their marketing, and their population impact, domestically and in other countries.
Associations Between the Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives and Regional Brain Volumes in Adult Smokers
Authors: Brown Alexander A , Cofresí Roberto , Froeliger Brett
Published: June 2023

Introduction

The Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives (WISDM-68) is a 68-item questionnaire to assess nicotine dependence as a multifactorial construct based on 13 theoretically derived smoking motives. Chronic smoking is associated with structural changes in brain regions implicated in the maintenance of smoking behavior; however, associations between brain morphometry and the various reinforcing components of smoking behavior remain unexamined. The present study investigated the potential association between smoking dependence motives and regional brain volumes in a cohort of 254 adult smokers.

Aims and Methods

The WISDM-68 was administered to participants at the baseline session. Structural magnetic resonance brain imaging (MRI) data from 254 adult smokers (Mage = 42.7 ± 11.4) with moderate to severe nicotine dependence (MFTND = 5.4 ± 2.0) smoking for at least 2 years (Myears = 24.3 ± 11.8) were collected and analyzed with Freesurfer.

Results

Vertex-wise cluster analysis revealed that high scores on the WISDM-68 composite, secondary dependence motives (SDM) composite, and multiple SDM subscales were associated with lower cortical volume in the right lateral prefrontal cortex (cluster-wise p’s < .035). Analysis of subcortical volumes (ie, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, caudate, and pallidum) revealed several significant associations with WISDM-68 subscales, dependence severity (Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence), and overall exposure (pack-years). No significant associations between cortical volume and other nicotine dependence measures or pack-years were observed.

Conclusions

Results suggest that smoking motives may play a larger role in cortical abnormalities than addiction severity and smoking exposure per se, whereas subcortical volumes are associated with smoking motives, addiction severity, and smoking exposure.

Implications

The present study reports novel associations between the various reinforcing components of smoking behavior assessed by the WISDM-68 and regional brain volumes. Results suggest that the underlying emotional, cognitive, and sensory processes that drive non-compulsive smoking behaviors may play a larger role in gray matter abnormalities of smokers than smoking exposure or addiction severity.
Syrian Refugee Faith Leaders in Lebanon
Authors: Carpi Estella
Published: June 2023

With the “localization of aid” principle being re-asserted during the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, humanitarian work has been emerging as a complex set of hybrid moral assemblages and genealogies, rather than a “Western afflatus.” While hegemonic humanitarian actors are primarily involving local faith leaders in countries receiving refugees, the involvement of refugee faith leaders in relief assistance has remained overshadowed. This chapter is based on the author’s fieldwork with Syrian refugee faith leaders in Lebanon between 2018 and 2019, some of whom subsequently relocated to Turkey and Sweden. Such faith leaders locate themselves at the intersection between donors and implementers of aid, often providing services themselves. The chapter shows how they view transregional forms of aid not only as an effective way of restoring their own socio-spiritual role outside of Syria and of gatekeeping moral and religious knowledge in displaced communities, but also as an instrument of peacebuilding and social justice among the Syrian displaced worldwide. The author specifically interprets their aid work through the sociology of aiding inspired by Gloria Anzaldúa’s “spiritual activism” (2015), which combines practices of spirituality with political activism.
Voltage-Dependent Anion Channel (VDAC) in Health and Disease
Authors: Rajendran Megha , Bezrukov Sergey M. , Rostovtseva Tatiana K.
Published: June 2023

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) is recognized as the key metabolite pathway of water-soluble metabolites, small ions, and polypeptides across the outer mitochondrial membrane. The significance of this relatively simple β-barrel channel arises from its crucial position at the interface between the mitochondria and the cytosol. Simultaneous access to strictly compartmentalized mitochondrial and cytosolic proteins endows VDAC with a unique regulatory role over the vital communications between mitochondria and the cytosol making VDAC an important cellular communication hub. VDAC has been implicated in a wide range of mitochondria-associated pathologies such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, various cancers, and neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanism of VDAC functioning and identification of its natural regulators and synthetic inhibitors are vital for improving outcomes of mitochondria-associated diseases by using VDAC as a pharmacological target. This chapter provides an overview of VDAC channel biophysical properties and its role in mitochondrial metabolism, calcium homeostasis, and apoptosis with a focus on VDAC regulation by cytosolic proteins and lipids. VDAC’s role in different diseases and the current state of VDAC pharmacology are also discussed.
The Mining Industry
Authors: Perchard Andrew , Ingulstad Mats , Storli Espen
Published: June 2023

The mining industry is essential to our modern way of life, yet it is often perceived as outmoded and old-fashioned. However, over the last 250 years, the mining industry has greatly increased its geographical operational range, its technological capabilities, and its role as a supplier of essential inputs to economic growth. The chapter provides an introduction to the basics of mining, with an emphasis on the interplay among technology, business, and society that gives shape and direction to the industry’s dynamics. It offers a framework to examine the long-term development of the global mining industry across three dimensions: the geographical expanding, physical deepening, and, finally, the widening ability to supply the rising demand for different types of mineral resources in ever-larger quantities and with more specific properties.
The Circle is All
Authors: Hatcher Jeffrey H.
Published: June 2023

This chapter is an evaluation of music therapy sessions with clients living with HIV/AIDS, at the Dr. Peter Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (2000–2005). Identities were diverse and gender expansive including gay, bisexual, trans, intravenous drug users, and a small but growing number of Indigenous participants. Clients experienced the long-term pervasive effects of complex and developmental trauma because of their HIV/AIDS diagnosis. Through evaluation of a structured music therapy group, and a single case study with Baran, an HIV+ gay man, this chapter describes how the structures of music and their inherent dynamic potential can create safe spaces for clients to explore their emotional lives and unique creative identities.
Goryū Shintō Goma
Authors: Payne Richard K.
Published: June 2023

The study of Tantra necessarily involves the study of its rituals, and correlatively, the study of the history of Tantra necessarily involves the study of ritual change. Ritual changes take place over three dimensions: borrowing into a different religious praxis, change over time within a religious culture, and change as rituals are transported across cultural boundaries. The Goryū Shintō goma (fire ritual, Skt. homa) and the tantric Buddhist goma of the Shingon tradition provide an instance of the first kind of ritual change, the borrowing of a ritual from one tradition into another. As a method for studying this kind of change, this chapter adapts theory developed within the field of contact linguistics. Two aspects of ritual can be analyzed as distinct from one another. One is ritual semantics, that is, the meaningful units or elements of ritual activity; the other is ritual syntax, that is, the structuring of ritual activity. The thesis motivating this study is that when a ritual is adapted into a different praxis, ritual semantics changes more readily than does ritual syntax, which remains relatively stable. While this chapter focuses on one kind of ritual borrowed from one tradition into another, the thesis that ritual semantics changes more freely than does ritual syntax is relevant to all three contexts of change.
Indigenous Wildlife Hunting and Trapping Practices of the Mishmi (Kaman), Arunachal Pradesh
Authors: Aiyadurai Ambika
Published: June 2023

Wildlife hunting and trapping have been practiced and are part of the traditional livelihoods and agricultural systems among the Mishmi (Kaman), Arunachal Pradesh. There is a high dependence on forests and swidden farming in providing alternate livelihood and contributing to the local economy. Relations with animals and forests in the Mishmi (Kaman) society are linked to the eco-cosmological realms where the animals are believed to be the property of spirits or supernatural entities who share the world with human beings. Therefore, hunting and trapping are seen not just as an act of removal or extraction of animals for consumption but as a form of exchange between humans and the spirits as part of a large, complex socio-ecological network. With the arrival of conservation laws (Wildlife Protection Act, 1972), several of the indigenous practice of trapping and hunting became unlawful acts. Labelled as stigmatized activities, people who engage in these activities are criminalized. This chapter documents indigenous hunting methods and traps of the Mishmi (Kaman) in Lohit and Anjaw districts of Arunachal Pradesh, along with the socio-cultural knowledge related to animals. By doing this, the chapter will be a tribute to indigenous knowledge that is fast eroding, and formal documentation is an important step toward acknowledging the Mishmi’s (Kaman) eco-cultural wisdom.
Opioid Overdose
Authors: Jones Jermaine D. , Luba Rachel R. , Mumtaz Mudassir , Castillo Felipe
Published: June 2023

Opioid overdose (OD) has become a major public health issue in the United States and throughout the world. Opioid OD is typically defined by exposure to an opioid that results in decreased mental status and/or unconsciousness, shallow breathing, constricted pupils, and respiratory depression which, if left untreated, may lead to cardiorespiratory arrest and death. The opioid antagonist naloxone (Narcan) is a first-line treatment for opioid overdose and is very effective at reversing opioid-related respiratory depression. The current chapter will review the etiology of opioid OD, including risk and protective factors, the pharmacological factors relevant to opioid OD as well as naloxone-based reversal of OD, additional medications under investigation for overdose reversal, and the clinical presentation of opioid over-intoxication and a lay-person reversal using naloxone.
Challenges of Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Settings
Authors: Sigmon Stacey C. , Havens Jennifer R.
Published: June 2023

It is generally accepted that the prescription opioid (PO) epidemic had its beginnings in rural communities of the United States. This chapter reviews the origins, scope, and impacts of the opioid epidemic in rural geographic areas, with a particular focus on the ways in which these may be unique from urban or nonrural areas. We first review the scope of the problem, including the complex factors contributing to opioid use in rural settings, as well as opioid overdose trends and infectious disease transmission. We also discuss the clinical impact on treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) and harm reduction strategies, as well as testing and treatment for infectious disease. Next, we discuss clinical considerations when treating persons with OUD in rural environments, including logistical barriers and concurrent stimulant use, as well as innovations in treatment delivery for rural settings (e.g., including novel treatment models, telehealth, sustained release formulations of medications). Overall, the data are clear that rural regions have been disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis, yet geographic isolation, economic strain, and other factors have presented challenges for efforts to expand evidence-based OUD treatment and harm reduction services. Efforts to identify new and creative methods for eliminating barriers to treatment access, including novel pharmacological-, technological- and systems-based approaches, are essential to reducing opioid-related deaths, infectious disease, economic costs, and other consequences in our rural communities.
The Current Status of Medical Student Education on Opioids
Authors: Jegede Oluwole , Na Peter J. , Petrakis Ismene , Muvvala Srinivas B.
Published: June 2023

The opioid epidemic and related surge in mortality has renewed the interest in the need for a structured, consistent, and innovative medical education geared toward training physicians to provide treatment to those with opioid use disorder. To meet this challenge, medical curricula must adapt at every level of training: undergraduate, graduate, residency, post-residency, and across medical specialties. A comprehensive medical curriculum recognizes the intersectionality of pain and addiction as a core requirement in medical education; includes the recognition, diagnoses, and treatment options for chronic pain and opioid use disorder; and addresses the ethical questions of opioid prescribing and deprescribing within an interdisciplinary framework.
Networks in International Political Economy
Authors: Winecoff William Kindred , Young Kevin L.
Published: June 2023

Network analysis has been used extensively by social scientists for decades, but in the field of International Political Economy (IPE) its use has been relatively rare until recently. This chapter describes the general usefulness of modern complex network science to the study of IPE, before turning to a variety of topics where network analysis has been used as a descriptive and inferential tool. It focuses in particular on the use of network analysis within the study of international trade, the international financial system, networks of corporate ownership and control, and the study of global elites. It argues that many of the key concepts that IPE scholars use—such as structural power, complex/weaponized interdependence, embeddedness, regime complexes and institutional proliferation, as well as prominence and status—can be analyzed using modern network analytical tools, allowing researchers to employ a methodological and theoretical toolkit that more closely aligns with the core assumptions and arguments in IPE than traditional statistical methods that assume observational independence. It concludes by speculating that the usage of theoretical and methodological techniques based in network science are likely to continue growing in coming years as the size and scale of network-relational datasets increases, and as IPE becomes even more attuned to the potential value of network science for the field.
A Rich But Contested History
Authors: Mälksoo Lauri
Published: June 2023

This chapter offers a critical overview of the European States and lawyers in the history of international law. Can we still be proud of the contributions of Europeans in the history of international law when European empires were also responsible for colonialism and the 20th century witnessed several murderous totalitarian States in Europe? The chapter examines the extent to which we can say that international law was born in Europe and more generally the impact of European ideas for the evolution of international law globally, especially in curbing States’ right to wage wars. The chapter also argues that when we talk about Eurocentrism in the history of international law we do not take sufficient account of the quite divergent experiences of international law within Europe. Western and Eastern Europe, empires, and small States have often had different experiences in the context of international law within Europe.
Human Rights Ideas, Law, and Institutions in Europe
Authors: Çalı Başak
Published: June 2023

This chapter introduces the contribution of Europe to the development of human rights ideas, law, and institutions. In a spirit of ‘provincialising Europe’, it argues that Europe’s contributions to human rights are ambivalent and dynamic. The chapter first examines natural rights and rights of citizens as twin, but also potentially conflicting, developments in demarcating Europe’s contributions to human rights. Europe is historically a home of human rights ideas as well as strong critiques and double standards in the use of these ideas. The chapter then examines European contributions to the legalization of human rights with a focus on two institutional Europes: that of the Council of Europe and the European Union. Finally, the chapter reviews contemporary human rights debates, against the backdrop of authoritarianization in Europe on the one hand and demands for new human rights to tackle the climate crisis, and digitalization of modern societies on the other.
SNF1-RELATED KINASE 1 and TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN control light-responsive splicing events and developmental characteristics in etiolated Arabidopsis seedlings
Authors: Saile Jennifer , Wießner-Kroh Theresa , Erbstein Katarina , Obermüller Dominik M , Pfeiffer Anne , Janocha Denis , Lohmann Jan , Wachter Andreas
Published: June 2023

The kinases SNF1-RELATED KINASE 1 (SnRK1) and TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN (TOR) are central sensors of the energy status, linking this information via diverse regulatory mechanisms to plant development and stress responses. Despite the well-studied functions of SnRK1 and TOR under conditions of limited or ample energy availability, respectively, little is known about the extent to which the 2 sensor systems function and how they are integrated in the same molecular process or physiological context. Here, we demonstrate that both SnRK1 and TOR are required for proper skotomorphogenesis in etiolated Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedlings, light-induced cotyledon opening, and regular development in light. Furthermore, we identify SnRK1 and TOR as signaling components acting upstream of light- and sugar-regulated alternative splicing events, expanding the known action spectra for these 2 key players in energy signaling. Our findings imply that concurring SnRK1 and TOR activities are required throughout various phases of plant development. Based on the current knowledge and our findings, we hypothesize that turning points in the activities of these sensor kinases, as expected to occur upon illumination of etiolated seedlings, instead of signaling thresholds reflecting the nutritional status may modulate developmental programs in response to altered energy availability.
Effects of a Novel Web-Based Sensorimotor Exercise Program for Patients With Subacute Whiplash-Associated Disorders: Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Ragnarsdóttir Harpa , Briem Kristín , Oddsdóttir Guðný Lilja
Published: June 2023

Introduction

Whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) often becomes a persistent problem and is one of the leading causes of disability in the world. It is a costly condition for individuals, for insurance companies, and for society. Guidelines for the management of WAD have not been updated since 2014, and the use of computer-based sensorimotor exercise programs in treatment for this patient group has not been well documented. The purpose of this randomized clinical trial is to explore the degree of association between self-reported and clinical outcome measures in WAD.

Methods

Individuals (n = 180) with subacute WAD grades I and II will be randomized into 3 groups using block randomization. The 2 primary intervention groups (A and B) will receive physical therapy involving manual therapy and either a remote, novel, computer-based cervical kinesthetic exercise (CKE) program starting at visit 2 (Group A) or neck exercises provided by the corresponding physical therapist (Group B). These groups will be compared to a “treatment as usual” Group C. Movement control, proprioception, and cervical range of motion will be measured. Neck disability and pain intensity, general health, self-perceived handicap, and physical, emotional, and functional difficulties due to dizziness will be measured using questionnaires. The short-term effects will be measured 10 to 12 weeks after the baseline measurements, and the long-term effects will be measured 6 to 12 months after the baseline measurements.

Impact

The successful completion of this trial will help guide clinicians in the selection of outcome measures for patients with subacute WAD in the assessment of the short- and long-term effectiveness of treatment combining manual therapy with computer-based CKE compared with manual therapy and non–computer-based exercises. This trial will also demonstrate the potential of using a computer-based intervention to increase the exercise dose for this patient group and how this influences outcomes such as levels of pain and disability in the short and long term.
How platform businesses mobilize their users and allies: Corporate grassroots lobbying and the Airbnb ‘movement’ for deregulation
Authors: Yates Luke
Published: June 2023

This article analyzes and theorizes the political strategies of businesses in the new digital ‘platform’ economy. Airbnb, Uber and meal delivery companies have transformed travel, urban space and repertoires of everyday exchange; they are also transforming norms around governance. Central to platforms corporate political strategies is the use of corporate grassroots lobbying (CGL), the selection, mobilization, resourcing and coordination of ordinary users and grassroots allies to influence the public and policy-making process. The article argues that platforms build on, and make five innovations to, the most common existing repertoires of CGL. Four main approaches of CGL among these businesses are also identified: temporary mobilization; curated storytelling; front groups; and grassroots alliances. The article demonstrates how these approaches to CGL are deployed and combined, using Airbnb as the main case study. Finally, I reflect on the implications of the findings for the platform economy, corporate political activity and socioeconomic change.
How does obstructive sleep apnea alter cerebral hemodynamics?
Authors: Gregori-Pla Clara , Zirak Peyman , Cotta Gianluca , Bramon Pau , Blanco Igor , Serra Isabel , Mola Anna , Fortuna Ana , Solà-Soler Jordi , Giraldo Giraldo Beatriz F , Durduran Turgut , Mayos Mercedes
Published: June 2023

Study Objectives

We aimed to characterize the cerebral hemodynamic response to obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea events, and evaluate their association to polysomnographic parameters. The characterization of the cerebral hemodynamics in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may add complementary information to further the understanding of the severity of the syndrome beyond the conventional polysomnography.

Methods

Severe OSA patients were studied during night sleep while monitored by polysomnography. Transcranial, bed-side diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) and frequency-domain near-infrared diffuse correlation spectroscopy (NIRS-DOS) were used to follow microvascular cerebral hemodynamics in the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex. Changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF), total hemoglobin concentration (THC), and cerebral blood oxygen saturation (StO2) were analyzed.

Results

We considered 3283 obstructive apnea/hypopnea events from sixteen OSA patients (Age (median, interquartile range) 57 (52-64.5); females 25%; AHI (apnea-hypopnea index) 84.4 (76.1-93.7)). A biphasic response (maximum/minimum followed by a minimum/maximum) was observed for each cerebral hemodynamic variable (CBF, THC, StO2), heart rate and peripheral arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2). Changes of the StO2 followed the dynamics of the SpO2, and were out of phase from the THC and CBF. Longer events were associated with larger CBF changes, faster responses and slower recoveries. Moreover, the extrema of the response to obstructive hypopneas were lower compared to apneas (p < .001).

Conclusions

Obstructive apneas/hypopneas cause profound, periodic changes in cerebral hemodynamics, including periods of hyper- and hypo-perfusion and intermittent cerebral hypoxia. The duration of the events is a strong determinant of the cerebral hemodynamic response, which is more pronounced in apnea than hypopnea events.
Effect of Mulching on Soil Temperatures and Its Impact on Plasmodiophora brassicae and Clubroot
Authors: Hong Yingzhe , Wang Siqi , Feng Jie , Liang Yue
Published: June 2023

Clubroot caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae is a serious soilborne disease on cruciferous crops worldwide. Agricultural practice is a preferable clubroot management strategy because of its low investment requirement and environmental safety. Among the agricultural practices, solarization has been widely applied in the integrated management of other soilborne diseases. However, only few reports exist on the effect of solarization on clubroot management. In this study, we measured the effect of plastic mulching on soil temperature at different depths and on clubroot incidence and severity under greenhouse and field conditions. The pathogen density in the soil after solarization was measured by quantitative PCR analysis. Results indicated that the mulching treatment increased soil temperature especially in the soil layer ranges of 0 to 20 cm. Solarization with mulching also effectively reduced the incidence and severity of clubroot in the greenhouse assay and the field trial by decreasing the P. brassicae population in the soil. This study suggested that solarization with mulching can impair clubroot development and thus contribute to the sustainable management of clubroot.
Bacillus velezensis K-9 as a Potential Biocontrol Agent for Managing Potato Scab
Authors: Ma Shuang , Wang Yanjie , Teng Wang
Published: June 2023

Crop pathogen infections can lead to substantial economic losses, but biocontrol, an environmentally friendly approach, can be used to control infections. For the biological management of potato scab disease, we assessed the potential use of Bacillus velezensis as a biocontrol agent. B. velezensis K-9 inhibited up to 44.90% of the infection caused by Streptomyces scabies, the causative agent of potato scab. Treatment of the S. scabies-infected potato plants with B. velezensis K-9 resulted in a significant reduction in the depth of the disease lesions compared with the untreated infected potato plants. In a radish seedling test, the B. velezensis K-9 culture and cell-free filtrate significantly reduced (P < 0.05) potato scab disease symptoms, suggesting that the strain K-9 was able to reduce S. scabies pathogenesis on potatoes. In a field test, the disease and scab indexes for B. velezensis K-9 against potato scab were significantly different from the control. In 2021, the potato yield for the B. velezensis K-9-treated plants was 12.44% higher than that for the control plants. In 2022, the potato yield following B. velezensis K-9 treatment increased by 12.65% compared with the control. In conclusion, B. velezensis K-9 prevented potato scab and increased potato yield. Thus, B. velezensis K-9 substantially reduced the occurrence of potato scab and could be used as a potential biocontrol agent for the management of potato scab.
What Is the Role of Allergic Contact Dermatitis in Patients with Lower Leg Ulcers?
Authors: Parsons Laurie M.
Published: June 2023

Lower leg ulcers are a common clinical presentation to wound care clinics. They are often associated with the presence of dermatitis on the periwound skin, which can be a factor in delayed wound healing. Correctly diagnosing the underlying etiology is critical to reversing the breakdown in the skin barrier function. The author discusses allergic contact dermatitis as an etiology and describes the most common allergens, fragrances, and preservatives identified from a limited literature review. Patch testing is the criterion standard for the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis and is the most appropriate means of identifying causative allergens. An algorithm for the identification and treatment of lower leg dermatitis is provided to simplify the process.

GENERAL PURPOSE

To analyze the relationship between contact dermatitis and delayed wound healing, discuss the diagnosis and treatment of lower leg contact dermatitis, and provide an algorithm for the patient with a red leg and delayed wound healing.

TARGET AUDIENCE

This continuing education activity is intended for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses with an interest in skin and wound care.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES

After participating in this educational activity, the participant will:

1. Describe the nature of contact dermatitis.

2. Distinguish between allergic and irritant contact dermatitis and the other major differential diagnoses of delayed wound healing in this clinical scenario.

3. Outline the steps in the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis and irritant contact dermatitis and identify common haptens responsible for allergic contact dermatitis in patients with venous leg ulcers.

4. Apply the algorithm for delayed wound healing on a background of lower leg dermatitis.
Using interns to support nurses during COVID-19
Authors: Long Cameron , Ornelas Nancy , Boswell Carol
Published: June 2023

Understanding the scope of practice for each level of nursing is paramount to ensure that each role is fully utilized.
Severe hypoglycemia
Authors: Butzlaff Alice , Moore Dorothy James
Published: June 2023

Severe hypoglycemia is an emergency in patients with diabetes. Read this article to learn about interventions.
Enhancing the maternity nurse's self-efficacy through the skill of hand expression
Authors: Sorensen Sharelle Jade , Breda Karen Lucas
Published: June 2023

Breast milk is known as “liquid gold” for infants. This article guides nurses through the steps of breast massage and hand expression to improve education and communication with their patients.
The Effects of Cervical Orthoses on Head and Intervertebral Range of Motion
Authors: Oyekan Anthony A. , LeVasseur Clarissa M. , Chen Stephen R. , Padmanabhan Aditya , Makowicz Noah , Donaldson William F. , Lee Joon Y. , Shaw Jeremy D. , Anderst William J.
Published: June 2023

Study Design.

Prospective Cohort.

Objective.

Quantify and compare the effectiveness of cervical orthoses in restricting intervertebral kinematics during multiplanar motions.

Summary of Background Data.

Previous studies evaluating the efficacy of cervical orthoses measured global head motion and did not evaluate individual cervical motion segment mobility. Prior studies focused only on the flexion/extension motion.

Methods.

Twenty adults without neck pain participated. Vertebral motion from the occiput through T1 was imaged using dynamic biplane radiography. Intervertebral motion was measured using an automated registration process with validated accuracy better than 1 degree. Participants performed independent trials of maximal flexion/extension, axial rotation, and lateral bending in a randomized order of unbraced, soft collar (foam), hard collar (Aspen), and cervical thoracic orthosis (CTO) (Aspen) conditions. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to identify differences in the range of motion (ROM) among brace conditions for each motion.

Results.

Compared with no collar, the soft collar reduced flexion/extension ROM from occiput/C1 through C4/C5, and reduced axial rotation ROM at C1/C2 and from C3/C4 through C5/C6. The soft collar did not reduce motion at any motion segment during lateral bending. Compared with the soft collar, the hard collar reduced intervertebral motion at every motion segment during all motions, except for occiput/C1 during axial rotation and C1/C2 during lateral bending. The CTO reduced motion compared with the hard collar only at C6/C7 during flexion/extension and lateral bending.

Conclusions.

The soft collar was ineffective as a restraint to intervertebral motion during lateral bending, but it did reduce intervertebral motion during flexion/extension and axial rotation. The hard collar reduced intervertebral motion compared with the soft collar across all motion directions. The CTO provided a minimal reduction in intervertebral motion compared with the hard collar. The utility in using a CTO rather than a hard collar is questionable, given the cost and little or no additional motion restriction.