bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cost-effectiveness of fixed-dose combination pill (Polypill) in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: A systematic literature review
Authors: Jahangiri Reza , Rezapour Aziz , Malekzadeh Reza , Olyaeemanesh Alireza , Roshandel Gholamreza , Motevalian Seyed Abbas
Published: July 2022

Background

A significant proportion of cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality could be prevented via the population-based and cost-effective interventions. A fixed-dose combination treatment is known as the polypill for the primary and secondary prevention of CVD has come up in recent years.

Purpose

In order to provide recommendations for future economic evaluations, this systematic review aimed to review and assess the quality of published evidence on the cost-effectiveness of polypill in primary and secondary prevention of CVD, to identify the key drivers that impact the cost-effectiveness

Methods

A systematic review of literature, following the PRISMA guidelines, was undertaken in the electronic databases. Two researchers identified the relevant studies according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist was used to quality assessment of included studies. ICERs value adjusted to 2020 United States Dollar using consumer price index (CPI) and purchasing power parity (PPP). Finally, data were summarized via a narrative synthesis.

Results

In total, 24 articles were identified based on the determined inclusion criteria. All studies met more than 50% of the CHEERS criteria. Adjusted incremental cost-effectiveness ratios varied from 24$ to 31000$(2020 US dollar) among the studies. The polypill resulted in the improved adherence and quality of life, at a price equal to or lower than multiple monotherapies. This price is typically below the commonly accepted thresholds or cost saving in both, primary and secondary prevention of CVD. The main identified cost-effectiveness drivers were the polypill price, adherence, age, CVD risk, and drug combination.

Conclusions

This systematic review found that the polypill seemed to be a cost-effective intervention in primary and secondary prevention of CVD. However, it is necessary to conduct more economic evaluation studies based on the long-term clinical trials with large populations. Also, studies should consider how the polypill interacts with other primary and secondary preventive strategies as a complementary health strategy.
Development of an advance directive ’communication tool’ relevant for patients with advanced cancer in six European countries: Experiences from the ACTION trial
Authors: Arnfeldt Caroline Moeller , Groenvold Mogens , Johnsen Anna Thit , Červ Branka , Deliens Luc , Dunleavy Lesley , van der Heide Agnes , Kars Marijke C. , Lunder Urška , Miccinesi Guido , Pollock Kristian , Rietjens Judith A. C. , Seymour Jane ,   On behalf of the ACTION consortium
Published: July 2022

Background

The ACTION trial evaluated the effect of a modified version of the Respecting Choices´ advance care planning programme in patients with advanced cancer in six European countries. For this purpose, an advance directive acceptable for all six ACTION countries to be used for documenting the wishes and preferences of patients and as a communication tool between patients, their caregivers and healthcare staff, was needed.

Aim

To describe the development of a multinational cancer specific advance directive, the ´My Preferences form´, which was first based on the 2005 Wisconsin ‘Physician Orders of Life Sustaining Treatment´ Form, to be used within the ACTION trial.

Methods

Framework analysis of all textual data produced by members of the international project team during the development of the ACTION advance directives (e.g. drafts, emails, meeting minutes…).

Setting/participants

ACTION consortium members (N = 28) with input from clinicians from participating hospitals (N = 13) and ´facilitators´ (N = 8) who were going to deliver the intervention.

Results

Ten versions of the ACTION advance directive, the ´My Preferences form´, were developed and circulated within the ACTION consortium. Extensive modifications took place; removal, addition, modification of themes and modification of clinical to lay terminology. The result was a thematically comprehensive advance directive to be used as a communication tool across the six European countries within the ACTION trial.

Conclusion

This article shows the complex task of developing an advance directive suitable for cancer patients from six European countries; a process which required the resolution of several cross cultural differences in law, ethics, philosophy and practice. Our hope is that this paper can contribute to a deeper conceptual understanding of advance directives, their role in supporting decision making among patients approaching the end of life and be an inspiration to others wishing to develop a disease-specific advance directive or a standardised multinational advance directive.
Sampling re-design increases power to detect change in the Great Barrier Reef’s inshore water quality
Authors: Lloyd-Jones Luke R. , Kuhnert Petra M. , Lawrence Emma , Lewis Stephen E. , Waterhouse Jane , Gruber Renee K. , Kroon Frederieke J.
Published: July 2022

Monitoring programs are fundamental to understanding the state and trend of aquatic ecosystems. Sampling designs are a crucial component of monitoring programs and ensure that measurements evaluate progress toward clearly stated management objectives, which provides a mechanism for adaptive management. Here, we use a well-established marine monitoring program for inshore water quality in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia to investigate whether a sampling re-design has increased the program’s capacity to meet its primary objectives. Specifically, we use bootstrap resampling to assess the change in statistical power to detect temporal water quality trends in a 15-year inshore marine water quality data set that includes data from both before and after the sampling re-design. We perform a comprehensive power analysis for six water quality analytes at four separate study areas in the GBR Marine Park and find that the sampling re-design (i) increased power to detect trends in 23 of the 24 analyte-study area combinations, and (ii) resulted in an average increase in power of 34% to detect increasing or decreasing trends in water quality analytes. This increase in power is attributed more to the addition of sampling locations than increasing the sampling rate. Therefore, the sampling re-design has substantially increased the capacity of the program to detect temporal trends in inshore marine water quality. Further improvements in sampling design need to focus on the program’s capability to reliably detect trends within realistic timeframes where inshore improvements to water quality can be expected to occur.
Time to recovery of neonatal sepsis and determinant factors among neonates admitted in Public Hospitals of Central Gondar Zone, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021
Authors: Oumer Mohammed , Abebaw Dessie , Tazebew Ashenafi
Published: July 2022

Background

Neonatal sepsis is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality, particularly in developing countries. Time to recovery is an indicator of the severity of sepsis, and risk factors varied significantly according to study population and settings. Moreover, published literature regarding the time to recovery of neonatal sepsis is scarce.

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the time to recovery of neonatal sepsis and determinant factors among neonates admitted in the Public Hospitals of Central Gondar Zone, Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods

An institution-based prospective follow-up study design was conducted among 631 neonates with sepsis. A structured, pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. The median time to recovery, life-table, the Kaplan Meier curve, and the log-rank test were computed. Both bi-variable and multivariable Cox regression models were applied to analyze the data.

Results

Of all septic neonates, 511 successfully recovered. They were followed for a total of 4,740-neonate day’s observation and the median time to recovery was 7 days (IQR = 5–10 days). After adjusting for covariates, intrapartum fever (AHR = 0.69, 95%CI: 0.49, 0.99), induced onset of labor (AHR = 0.68, 95%CI: 0.49, 0.94), chest indrawing (AHR = 0.67, 95%CI: 0.46, 0.99), late onset sepsis (AHR = 0.55, 95%CI: 0.40, 0.75), non-oral enteral feeding (AHR = 0.38, 95%CI: 0.29, 0.50), assisted with bag and mask (AHR = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.56, 0.93), normal birth weight (AHR = 1.42, 95%CI: 1.03, 1.94), gestational age of 37–42 weeks (AHR = 1.93, 95%CI: 1.32, 2.84), septic shock (AHR = 0.08, 95%CI: 0.02, 0.39), infectious complications (AHR = 0.42, 95%CI: 0.29, 0.61), being in critical conditions (AHR = 0.68, 95%CI: 0.52, 0.89), and early recognition of illness (AHR = 1.83, 95%CI: 1.27, 2.63) were independently associated with the time to recovery of neonatal sepsis.

Conclusions and recommendations

The time to recovery of this study was moderately acceptable as compared to the previous studies. The above-mentioned factors could be used for the early identification of neonates with sepsis at risk for protracted illness and it could guide prompt referral to higher centers in primary health sectors. This also will provide prognostic information to clinicians and families as longer recovery time has economic and social implications in our country.
Characterization and calibration of multiple 2D laser scanners
Authors: Jafri Syed Riaz un Nabi , Shamim Sheraz , Faraz Sadia Muniza , Ahmed Asif , Yasir Syed Muhammad , Iqbal Jamshed
Published: July 2022

This paper presents the comparative evaluation of multiple compact and lightweight 2D laser scanners for their possible backpack based scanning and mapping applications. These scanners include Hokuyo URG-04LX, Slamtec RPLidar A1-M8 and Hokuyo UTM-30LX-EW scanners. Since the technical datasheets provide general information and limited working details, this research presents a thorough study on the performance of each scanner related explicitly to indoor mapping operations. A series of scanning experiments have been performed for the characterization of each scanner using statistical analysis. During the testing, all the scanning data has been recorded using Robot Operating System (ROS) and then computed in offline processing. In initial tests, each scanner’s drift effect on range measurements has been tested and presented in the relevant section of the paper. In continuation, the effect of various scanning distances on measurement accuracy has been evaluated and discussed. Later the impact of various materials typically found in indoor vicinities and their respective properties of color and smoothness have been tested and provided in the paper. Finally, a Kalman Filtering based mathematical formulation has been utilized to calibrate each scanner and to reduce the measuring uncertainties as observed in various tests for each scanner.
Health inequities as measured by the EQ-5D-5L during COVID-19: Results from New York in healthy and diseased persons
Authors: Lubetkin Erica I. , Long Di , Haagsma Juanita A. , Janssen Mathieu F. , Bonsel Gouke J.
Published: July 2022

Introduction

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic caused considerable psychological and physical effects in healthy and diseased New Yorkers aside from the effects in those who were infected. We investigated the relationship between known risk-enhancing and health-promoting factors (social and medical), comorbidity indicators, and, as the primary outcome, health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods

Between April 22 and May 5, 2020, a market research agency (Dynata) administered a digital survey including the EQ-5D-5L and items related to individual characteristics, social position, occupational and insurance status, living situation, exposures (smoking and COVID-19), detailed chronic conditions, and experienced access to care to an existing internet panel representative of New Yorkers.

Results

2684 persons completed the questionnaire. The median age was 48 years old, and most respondents were non-Hispanic white (74%) and reported at least higher vocational training or a university education (83%). During COVID-19, mean HRQoL scores were 0.82 for the EQ-5D-5L index and 79.3 for the EQ VAS. Scores varied for healthy and diseased respondents differently by the above determinants. Lower age, impaired occupational status, loss of health insurance, and limited access to care exerted more influence on EQ-5D-5L scores of diseased persons compared to healthy persons. Among diseased persons, the number of chronic conditions and limited access to health care had the strongest association with EQ-5D-5L scores. While EQ-5D-5L scores improved with increasing age, gender had no noticeable effect. Deprivation factors showed moderate effects, which largely disappeared in (stratified) multivariable analysis, suggesting mediation through excess chronic morbidity and poor healthcare access. Generally, modifying effects were larger in the EQ-5D-5L as compared to the EQ VAS.

Conclusions

Almost all factors relating to a disadvantaged position showed a negative association with HRQoL. In diseased respondents, pre-existing chronic comorbidity and experienced access to health care are key factors.
Using deep learning to predict outcomes of legal appeals better than human experts: A study with data from Brazilian federal courts
Authors: Jacob de Menezes-Neto Elias , Clementino Marco Bruno Miranda
Published: July 2022

Legal scholars have been trying to predict the outcomes of trials for a long time. In recent years, researchers have been harnessing advancements in machine learning to predict the behavior of natural and social processes. At the same time, the Brazilian judiciary faces a challenging number of new cases every year, which generates the need to improve the throughput of the justice system. Based on those premises, we trained three deep learning architectures, ULMFiT, BERT, and Big Bird, on 612,961 Federal Small Claims Courts appeals within the Brazilian 5th Regional Federal Court to predict their outcomes. We compare the predictive performance of the models to the predictions of 22 highly skilled experts. All models outperform human experts, with the best one achieving a Matthews Correlation Coefficient of 0.3688 compared to 0.1253 from the human experts. Our results demonstrate that natural language processing and machine learning techniques provide a promising approach for predicting legal outcomes. We also release the Brazilian Courts Appeal Dataset for the 5th Regional Federal Court (BrCAD-5), containing data from 765,602 appeals to promote further developments in this area.
Removal of clinically relevant SARS-CoV-2 variants by an affinity resin containing Galanthus nivalis agglutinin
Authors: Gooldy Melanie , Roux Christelle M. , LaRosa Steven P. , Spaulding Nicole , Fisher Charles J.
Published: July 2022

The Coronavirus -19 (COVID-19) pandemic due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus has now exceeded two years in duration. The pandemic has been characterized by the development of a succession of variants containing mutations in the spike protein affecting infectiousness, virulence and efficacy of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. Resistance to vaccination and limitations in the current treatments available require the ongoing development of therapies especially for those with severe disease. The plant lectin Galanthus nivalis binds to mannose structures in the viral envelope. We hypothesized that viral binding should be unaffected by spike protein mutations. Known concentrations of seven clinically relevant SARS-CoV-2 variants were spiked in medium and passed three times over columns containing 1 gm of GNA affinity resin. Percent decrease in viral titer was compared with a control sample. Viral capture efficiency was found to range from 53 to 89% for all variants. Extrapolation indicated that an adult Aethlon Hemopurifier® would have more than sufficient binding capacity for viral loads observed in adult patients with severe COVID-19 infection.
@Margo_Glantz en la nueva normalidad
Authors: Ballester Pardo Ignacio
Published: July 2022

La escritora y viajera Margo Glantz (Ciudad de México, 1930) vive la pandemia de manera activa en su cuenta de Twitter (@Margo_Glantz). Con sus publicaciones, la narradora y académica demuestra cómo evoluciona el semáforo decretado por el gobierno de Morena al tiempo que, desde finales de 2019 a los últimos meses de 2021, establece un implícito manifiesto en contra del cambio climático y demás acciones que violentan México y el planeta. Durante estos dos años se reconoce el οἰκο (en el sentido de Irmintraut Richarz) y se denuncia una problemática a la que hacer frente desde la nueva normalidad, a través del dispositivo móvil. Lo lleva a cabo mediante constantes aglomeraciones fragmentadas en la línea del ethos barroco (según Bolívar Echeverría) que recuperan el mundo precolombino y colonial que tanto ha trabajado como ensayista. Así pues, en esta investigación, partiendo del οἰκο (como acto de habitar un espacio perdido, de manera virtual y física) y del ethos (reconocimiento y denuncia de una problemática ambiental), se aborda la definición de la nueva normalidad que Glantz comparte en la red desde una perspectiva ecocrítica. Tras una aproximación de la tuiteratura en torno a estudios sobre la pandemia como los de Slavoj Žižek, Jorge Carrión o Adela Cortina, se analizarán los tuits y retuits de @Margo_Glantz, atendiendo especialmente a los primeros. Así se definen tres tipos de escenas durante la pandemia: la cura de la ciudad a partir de sus experiencias intra y extradomésticas en la capital de México; la defensa de animales y espacios naturales; así como una nueva definición de la mujer y las relaciones humanas ante el miedo. Lo anterior nos permitirá augurar, desde el país con más hispanohablantes, un relato de la pandemia.
En un lugar de La Mancha, cantó la primavera
Authors: Diaz Macía Laura
Published: July 2022

A causa de la pandemia mundial Covid-19, el confinamiento domiciliario fue obligatorio en numerosos países. La gente se encerró en sus casas sin poder salir a la calle. Como una ventana indiscreta al mundo, el único entretenimiento residió en mirar hacia fuera desde los balcones. La sociedad contempló ese lado olvidado de la vida cuyo flujo de tiempo aún transcurría ajeno a la inactividad humana: la naturaleza. Durante los meses de aislamiento, el paisaje se cambió de vestido. Muchos animales se atrevieron a entrar sin miedo en las ciudades apenas concurridas de tráfico o peatones, algunas especies a priori amenazadas por el cambio climático se multiplicaron en número, la flora inundó parajes hasta entonces yermos, el porcentaje de dióxido de carbono se redujo a cifras inimaginables… Por este motivo, muchas personas sensibles a esta transformación comenzaron a escribir textos donde se reflexionaba sobre el escenario campestre. El ámbito de la ecocrítica se vio súbitamente desbordada por una marea de nuevos escritos que narraban cómo el entorno autóctono había evolucionado a raíz de la inactividad de la huella humana. En este artículo se exhibe una serie de reflexiones literarias originarias de tres pueblos de la zona de Albacete (Castilla-La Mancha). En esas narraciones se habla sobre el paisaje rural, a veces olvidado por nuestros políticos. Sin embargo, la belleza de sus aldeanos, sus parajes y sus tradiciones, nos hacen rememorar las costumbres de nuestros antepasados. En este artículo, las localidades de Liétor, Tobarra, Casas de Lázaro nos demuestran cómo la España vaciada no está tan deshabitada como se cree. Porque en algunos lugares de La Mancha, la primavera todavía canta.
Mitologías pandémicas: ¿qué calla Zizek? Zizek, Han, Montero: abordajes críticos
Authors: Minardi Adriana
Published: July 2022

En este artículo nos proponemos reflexionar sobre el concepto de pandemia, íntimamente ligado al de virus, en estrecha relación con los planteamientos que Slavoj Zizek esboza en su libro Pandemia. La covid-19 estremece al mundo (2020). Para ello discutiremos las implicancias no solo económicas sino subjetivantes de los procesos que han abierto el aislamiento, las intervenciones políticas y farmacológicas en las comunidades. Desde un punto de vista ecocrítico, discutiremos las hipótesis de Zizek a partir de las columnas de Rosa Montero en El país durante los años 2020/2022 y las reflexiones de Byung-Chul Han. La hipótesis central es que el dilema económico político que enmarca la pandemia no puede dejar de lado las nuevas formas en que se construyen las subjetividades. Las formas en las que lo monstruoso se nombra bajo la metáfora del Covid-19 nos lleva a reflexionar sobre el fenómeno de lo que se silencia, se metaforiza o se utiliza para invisibilizar sujetos políticos como las mujeres y las infancias.
Spain’s Francoist Broadway: American musicals in Madrid, 1955-1975
Authors: Espejo Ramón
Published: July 2022

This article traces the itinerary followed by the earliest Broadway musicals to be imported to Madrid in the 1950s and 1960s. Such innovative format dazzled critics and audiences, carving out a niche of enthusiastic followers that would grow larger over time. The handful of works borrowed in this period will receive attention, especially insofar as their reception is concerned. The final phase of the Francoist dictatorship brought an increased visibility to the form, as heated controversy surrounded the eventual importation and prohibition of titles such as Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. In the case of the former, shows purporting to bring to Spaniards what the authorities had banned will be briefly discussed. The latter will receive closer attention. Both these plays will serve as privileged viewing platforms whence the tensions inherent to a moribund regime and its outdated cultural policies will become obvious.
“Imitation (In)Security” and the Polysemy of Russian Disinformation: A Case Study in How IRA Trolls Targeted U.S. Military Veterans
Authors: Bean Hamilton , Hartnett Stephen J. , Banaei-Kashani Farnoush , Jafarian Haadi , Koutsoukos Alex
Published: July 2022

Russian disinformation activities imitate divisive U.S. political discourse within a polarized social media ecosystem. As part of a multipronged response, U.S. citizens have been urged to increase their personal vigilance and to identify inauthentic messages, hence flagging foreign-made disinformation by studying its content. However, by applying Taylor's concept of “imitation (in)security” to a set of Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency (IRA) Facebook and Instagram advertisements, this article explains why content-centered approaches to combatting disinformation need to be reimagined. Building upon imitation (in)security, we propose that the strength of the IRA disinformation campaign was not its ability to foist falsehoods upon unsuspecting Americans, but, rather, its uncanny imitation of prevalent themes, images, and arguments within American civic life. Our analysis of IRA-generated advertisements targeting U.S. military veterans demonstrates how IRA “trolls” were imitating American communication patterns to amplify existing positions within a deluge of messages marked by polysemy. Our analysis suggests readers should be less concerned by such Russian-made imitations than was suggested in much of the breathless 2016 post-election coverage, for the traction of such disinformation hinges on domestic crises and injustices that long predate Russian interference. Pointing to foreign-made social media content stokes a sense of threat and crisis—the essence of national insecurity and a main objective of the IRA's efforts—yet our actual security weaknesses are homemade.
Comparative Bacterial Metagenomics of Soursop (Annona muricata L.) and Apple (Malus domestica B.)
Authors: Moore Ovieonisofien , Ataga Anthony , Ogbuji Nkechi
Published: July 2022

Illumina Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) platform targeting the conserved regions of bacteria ribosomal DNA (16s rRNA) was used to identify the bacterial community associated with soursop (Annona muricata L.). The aim of this work is to compare the diversities of the bacterial communities of Annona muricata and Malus domestica (obtained from National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database). The functional genes in these communities were also predicted. A total of 167,693 high quality reads was obtained from Annona muricata and Malus domestica. Clustering on GREENGENES database revealed 570 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). Alpha-diversity indices indicated high diversity and abundance of microbial community. Taxonomic analysis revealed that bacterial community was grouped into 24 phyla and 455 genera. The microbiome of the samples was dominated by distinct populations of four phyla viz Proteobacteria (58.41%), Bacteroidetes (18.59%), Actinobacteria (11.13%) and Firmicutes (7.29%). The functional genes were predicted for 16S rRNA gene sequences based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) which indicated amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, xenobiotics biodegradation and lipid metabolism, metabolism of terpenoids and polypeptides and biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites as predominant metabolic categories. Thus, the study revealed the structure of microbial community and functional genes composition in A. muricata and M. domestica fruits and this will help to expand the knowledge concerning the structure of plant-associated bacterial communities, revealing valuable information of their impact and indicating their crucial roles in evolutionary and ecological processes.
Free volumes in mixed-tacticity poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) determined by viscosimetry and their correlations with structural features and mechanical properties
Authors: Van Opdenbosch Daniel , Kretschmer Martin , Lieleg Oliver , Zollfrank Cordt
Published: July 2022

The viscosities of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) with mixed tacticities were determined as functions of temperature and shearing rate via plate–plate viscosimetry, and fitted by a combined Herschel–Bulkley–Cross–Doolittle model while applying Carvalho et al.’s single-point correction. They were compared to values of slit viscosimetry, obtained during processing at a temperature of 428 K. In both cases, measured values and fitted model parameters as a function of tacticity exhibited a discontinuous behaviour at a fraction of meso diads of 0.7. To further investigate, we calculated values of vibrational and excess free volume. We found that these correlate with structural and external properties, some of which were reported in earlier works, namely the paracrystalline contents and specific volumes of the materials at room temperature, as well as their energies of fracture during tensile testing. These, in turn, correlate with the statistical averages of relative lengths of chain segments of similar a- or iso-tacticity. Hence, we found that expressing changing tacticities simply by a continuous progression of the fraction of meso diads is insufficient to trace associated discontinuities of the flow behaviour in mixed-tacticity PHB. We conclude that free volume is generated by polymer chain conformational disorder, which should be treated on the oligomeric chain segment level.
Evolutionary trend of SARS-CoV-2 inferred by the homopolymeric nucleotide repeats
Authors: Yin Changchuan
Published: July 2022

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the current global COVID-19 pandemic, in which millions of lives have been lost. Understanding the zoonotic evolution of the coronavirus may provide insights for developing effective vaccines, monitoring the transmission trends, and preventing new zoonotic infections. Homopolymeric nucleotide repeats (HP), the most simple tandem repeats, are a ubiquitous feature of eukaryotic genomes. Yet the HP distributions and roles in coronavirus genome evolution are poorly investigated. In this study, we characterize the HP distributions and trends in the genomes of bat and human coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 variants. The results show that the SARS-CoV-2 genome is abundant in HPs, and has augmented HP contents during evolution. Especially, the disparity of HP poly-(A/T) and ploy-(C/G) of coronaviruses increases during the evolution in human hosts. The disparity of HP poly-(A/T) and ploy-(C/G) is correlated to host adaptation and the virulence level of the coronaviruses. Therefore, we propose that the HP disparity can be a quantitative measure for the zoonotic evolution levels of coronaviruses. Peculiarly, the HP disparity measure infers that SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants have a high disparity of HP poly-(A/T) and ploy-(C/G), suggesting a high adaption to the human hosts.
On the continuity of Weil-Petersson volumes of the moduli space weighted points on the projective line
Authors: Tambasco Salvatore
Published: July 2022

In this work we show that the Weil-Petersson volume (which coincides with the CM degree) in the case of weighted points in the projective line is continuous when approaching the Calabi-Yau geometry from the Fano geometry. More specifically, the CM volume computed via localization converges to the geometric volume, computed by McMullen with different techniques, when the sum of the weights approaches the Calabi-Yau geometry.
Common reducing subspaces and decompositions of contractions
Authors: Pal Sourav
Published: July 2022

A commuting triple of Hilbert space operators

(
A
,
B
,
P
)

{(A,B,P)}

, for which the closed tetrablock

𝔼
¯

{\overline{\mathbb{E}}}

is a spectral set, is called a tetrablock-contraction or simply an

𝔼

{\mathbb{E}}

-contraction, where

𝔼
=

{

(

x
1

,

x
2

,

x
3

)

∈

ℂ
3

:

1
-

x
1

⁢
z

-

x
2

⁢
w

+

x
3

⁢
z
⁢
w

≠

0
⁢
 whenever 
⁢

|
z
|

≤

1
⁢
 and 
⁢

|
w
|

≤
1

}

⊂

ℂ
3

,

\mathbb{E}=\bigl{\{}(x_{1},x_{2},x_{3})\in\mathbb{C}^{3}:1-x_{1}z-x_{2}w+x_{3}%
zw\neq 0\text{ whenever }\lvert z\rvert\leq 1\text{ and }\lvert w\rvert\leq 1%
\bigr{\}}\subset\mathbb{C}^{3},

is a polynomially convex domain which is naturally associated with the μ-synthesis problem. By applications of the theory of

𝔼

{\mathbb{E}}

-contractions, we obtain the following main results in this article:

(i)

It is well known that any number of doubly commuting isometries admit a Wold-type decomposition. Also, examples from the literature show that such decomposition does not hold in general for commuting isometries. We generalize this result to any number of doubly commuting contractions. Indeed, we present a canonical decomposition to any family of doubly commuting contractions

𝒰
=

{

T
λ

:

λ
∈
Λ

}

{\mathcal{U}=\{T_{\lambda}:\lambda\in\Lambda\}}

acting on a Hilbert space

ℋ

{\mathcal{H}}

and show that

ℋ

{\mathcal{H}}

continues to decompose orthogonally into joint reducing subspaces of

𝒰

{\mathcal{U}}

until all members of

𝒰

{\mathcal{U}}

split together into unitaries and completely non-unitary (c.n.u.) contractions. Naturally, as a special case we achieve an analogous Wold decomposition for any number of doubly commuting isometries.

(ii)

Further, we show that a similar canonical decomposition is possible for any family of doubly commuting c.n.u. contractions, where all members jointly orthogonally decompose into pure isometries (i.e. unilateral shifts) and completely non-isometry (c.n.i.) contractions.

(iii)

We give an alternative proof to the canonical decomposition of an

𝔼

{\mathbb{E}}

-contraction and apply that to establish independently the following result due to Eschmeier: for any finitely many commuting contractions

T
1

,
…
,

T
n

{T_{1},\dots,T_{n}}

acting on a Hilbert space

ℋ

{\mathcal{H}}

, the space

ℋ

{\mathcal{H}}

admits an orthogonal decomposition

ℋ
=

ℋ
1

⊕

ℋ
2

{\mathcal{H}=\mathcal{H}_{1}\oplus\mathcal{H}_{2}}

, where

ℋ
1

{\mathcal{H}_{1}}

is the maximal common reducing subspace for

T
1

,
…
,

T
n

{T_{1},\dots,T_{n}}

such that

T
1

|

ℋ
1

,
…
,

T
n

|

ℋ
1

{T_{1}\lvert_{\mathcal{H}_{1}},\dots,T_{n}\lvert_{\mathcal{H}_{1}}}

are unitaries.
Spiritualität am Arbeitsplatz aus Sicht von Führungskräften – Ergebnisse einer Fokusgruppendiskussion
Authors: Linseisen Elisabeth , Flick Wolfram , Frick Eckhard , Mächler Ruth
Published: July 2022

Hintergrund:Spiritualität am Arbeitsplatz wird international im Managementbereich zunehmend diskutiert. Die Sichtweise von Führungskräften im Gesundheitswesen ist aber noch kaum erforscht, obwohl Spiritualität und Spiritual Care (SC) in diesem Setting aufgrund der Versorgung von verletzlicher Klientel noch relevanter als in anderen Branchen sind.

Ziele:Durch zwei Fokusgruppendiskussionen mit Führungskräften aus dem Gesundheitswesen sollte eruiert werden, welche Bedeutung Spiritualität und SC für die Einrichtung aus der Perspektive der Führungskräfte haben und inwiefern ggf. Implementierungsansätze für SC in der eigenen Einrichtung gesehen werden.

Ergebnisse:Führungskräfte aus Einrichtungen, in denen Spiritualität in einem weit gefassten Verständnis bereits in der Unternehmenskultur verankert ist, erleben Spiritualität und SC als relevant und wertvoll, aber auch als herausfordernd für ihre Führungstätigkeit. Sie sehen Zusammenhänge in den Kontexten Organisation, Mitarbeitende, Klientel der Einrichtung und mit ihrer Führungsrolle. Seelsorge wird als Querschnittsthema betrachtet.

Diskussion:Die Auseinandersetzung mit Spiritualität und SC kann für Führungskräfte wertvolle Hinweise für ihr Handeln in Gesundheitseinrichtungen geben. Zentrales Element ist der Umgang mit Werten.
Staged Revascularization for Chronic Total Occlusion in the Non-IRA in Patients with ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Geng Yu , Wang Yintang , Liu Lianfeng , Miao Guobin , Zhang Ou , Xue Yajun , Zhang Ping
Published: July 2022

Objectives: Meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of staged revascularization with concomitant chronic total occlusion (CTO) in the non-infarct-associated artery (non-IRA) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI).

Methods: Various electronic databases were searched for studies published from inception to June, 2021. The primary endpoint was all-cause death, and the secondary endpoint was a composite of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). Odds ratios (ORs) were pooled with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dichotomous data.

Results: Seven studies involving 1540 participants were included in the final analysis. Pooled analyses revealed that patients with successful staged revascularization for CTO in non-IRA with STEMI treated with p-PCI had overall lower all-cause death compared with the occluded CTO group (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.23–0.95), cardiac death (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.20–0.91), MACEs (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.32–0.69) and heart failure (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.37–0.89) compared with the occluded CTO group. No significant differences were observed between groups regarding myocardial infarction and repeated revascularization.

Conclusions: Successful revascularization of CTO in the non-IRA was associated with better outcomes in patients with STEMI treated with p-PCI.
Neurofilament Transport Is BidirectionalIn Vivo
Authors: Boyer Nicholas P. , Julien Jean-Pierre , Jung Peter , Brown Anthony
Published: July 2022

Neurofilaments are abundant space-filling cytoskeletal polymers that are transported into and along axons. During postnatal development, these polymers accumulate in myelinated axons causing an expansion of axon caliber, which is necessary for rapid electrical transmission. Studies on cultured nerve cells have shown that axonal neurofilaments move rapidly and intermittently along microtubule tracks in both anterograde and retrograde directions. However, it is unclear whether neurofilament transport is also bidirectionalin vivo. Here, we describe a pulse-spread fluorescence photoactivation method to address this in peripheral nerves dissected fromhThy1-paGFP-NFMtransgenic mice, which express a photoactivatable fluorescent neurofilament protein. Neurofilaments were photoactivated in short segments of myelinated axons in tibial nerves at 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks of age. The proximal and distal spread of the fluorescence due to the movement of the fluorescent neurofilaments was measured over time. We show that the directional bias and velocity of neurofilament transport can be calculated from these measurements. The directional bias was ∼60% anterograde and 40% retrograde and did not change significantly with age or distance along the nerve. The net velocity decreased with age and distance along the nerve, which is consistent with previous studies using radioisotopic pulse labeling. This decrease in velocity was caused by a decrease in both anterograde and retrograde movement. Thus, neurofilament transport is bidirectionalin vivo, with a significant fraction of the filaments moving retrogradely in both juvenile and adult mice.
Hedging Bets in Linguistic Prediction: Younger and Older Adults Vary in the Breadth of Predictive Processing
Authors: Haeuser Katja I. , Kray Jutta , Borovsky Arielle
Published: July 2022

Language processing is predictive in nature, but it is unknown whether language users generate multiple predictions about upcoming content simultaneously or whether spreading activation from one pre-activated word facilitates other words downstream. Simultaneously, developmental accounts of predictive processing simultaneously highlight potential tension among spreading activation vs. multiple activation accounts.

We used self-paced reading to investigate if younger and older readers of German generate (multiple) graded predictions about the grammatical gender of nouns. Gradedness in predictions was operationalized as the difference in cloze probability between the most likely and second-most likely continuation that could complete a sentence. Sentences with a greater probabilistic difference were considered as imbalanced and more biased towards one gender. Sentences with lower probabilistic differences were considered to be more balanced towards multiple genders.

Both young and older adults engaged in predictive processing. However, only younger adults activated multiple predictions, with slower reading times (RTs) when gender representations were balanced, but facilitation when one gender was more likely than others. In contrast, older adults’ RTs did not pattern with imbalance but merely with predictability, showing that, while able to generate predictions based on context, older adults did not predict multiple gender continuations. Hence, our findings suggest that (younger) language users generate graded predictions about upcoming content, by weighing possible sentence continuations according to their difference in cloze probability. Compared to younger adults, older adults’ predictions are reduced in scope. The results provide novel theoretical insights into the developmental mechanisms involved in predictive processing.
GSDMD drives canonical inflammasome‐induced neutrophil pyroptosis and is dispensable for NETosis
Authors: Chauhan Dhruv , Demon Dieter , Vande Walle Lieselotte , Paerewijck Oonagh , Zecchin Annalisa , Bosseler Leslie , Santoni Karin , Planès Rémi , Ribo Silvia , Fossoul Amelie , Gonçalves Amanda , Van Gorp Hanne , Van Opdenbosch Nina , Van Hauwermeiren Filip , Meunier Etienne , Wullaert Andy , Lamkanfi Mohamed
Published: July 2022

Neutrophils are the most prevalent immune cells in circulation, but the repertoire of canonical inflammasomes in neutrophils and their respective involvement in neutrophil IL‐1β secretion and neutrophil cell death remain unclear. Here, we show that neutrophil‐targeted expression of the disease‐associated gain‐of‐function Nlrp3A350V mutant suffices for systemic autoinflammatory disease and tissue pathology in vivo. We confirm the activity of the canonical NLRP3 and NLRC4 inflammasomes in neutrophils, and further show that the NLRP1b, Pyrin and AIM2 inflammasomes also promote maturation and secretion of interleukin (IL)‐1β in cultured bone marrow neutrophils. Notably, all tested canonical inflammasomes promote GSDMD cleavage in neutrophils, and canonical inflammasome‐induced pyroptosis and secretion of mature IL‐1β are blunted in GSDMD‐knockout neutrophils. In contrast, GSDMD is dispensable for PMA‐induced NETosis. We also show that Salmonella Typhimurium‐induced pyroptosis is markedly increased in Nox2/Gp91Phox‐deficient neutrophils that lack NADPH oxidase activity and are defective in PMA‐induced NETosis. In conclusion, we establish the canonical inflammasome repertoire in neutrophils and identify differential roles for GSDMD and the NADPH complex in canonical inflammasome‐induced neutrophil pyroptosis and mitogen‐induced NETosis, respectively.
MANAJEMEN ORGANISASI DAN PEMBINAAN TIM SEPAKBOLA PON JATENG PADA MASA PANDEMI TAHUN 2021
Authors: Rahmayanto Rifqi Firdaus , Kriswantoro Kriswantoro , Soedjatmiko Soedjatmiko , Wahadi Wahadi
Published: July 2022

Pada masa pandemi ini, Olahraga di Indonesia sedang menghadapi permasalahan terkait kejuaraan Pekan Olahraga Nasional XX 2020 mengalami penundaan akibat pandemi, tim sepakbola Jawa Tengah yang lolos PON memiliki manajemen organisasi  untuk mengatur semua hal terkait tim dalam persiapan mengikuti PON nantinya. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui manajemen tim sepakbola Jateng, meliputi perencanaan, pengorganisasian, penggerakan, dan pengawasan. Metode penelitian ini, menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pengambilan sampel menggunakan teknik purposive sampling. Subjek penelitian meliputi manajer, pelatih, dan pemain. Untuk instrument pengumpulan data adalah observasi, wawancara, dan dokumentasi. Hasil penelitian : 1) Manajemen sudah melaksanakan fungsi perencanaan dengan menyusun program rencana jangka panjang dan jangka pendek, 2) Pengorganisasian sudah sesuai dengan keahlian dan bidangnya, 3) Fungsi penggerakan dilaksanakan dengan program latihan yang dibuat pelatih di tim untuk mencapai target, 4) Pengewasan tim dilaksanakan secara menyeluruh oleh manajemen terhadap sebua bagian. Simpulan penelitian : Fungsi perencanaan, pengorganisasian, penggerakan, dan pengawasan sudah dilaksanakan dengan baik sesuai teori yang ada. Saran untuk manajemen supaya menjalin kerjasama dengan pihak luar untuk meningkatkan mutu kualitas tim dan memberdayakan anggota sesuai dengan keahliannya sehingga berjalan dengan maksimal.
IDENTIFIKASI BAKAT BERDASARKAN ASUPAN GIZI PADA DATARAN TINGGI DAN DATARAN RENDAH ANAK USIA 11-15 TAHUN
Authors: Nuryanti Lutfi , Hadi Hadi
Published: July 2022

Gizi merupakan salah satu faktor penting yang menentukan tingkat kesehatan dan keserasian antaraperkembangan fisik dan mental. Dalam masa tumbuh kembang anak, kecukupan gizi merupakan halmutlak yang harus terpenuhi dan mencukupi. Sedangkan kelebihan zat gizi akan meningkatkan resikopenyakit degeneratif di masa yang akan datang. Oleh karena itu penelitian ini bertujuan untukmengidentifikasi bakat berdasarkan asupan gizi pada dataran tinggi dan dataran rendah anak usia 11-15 tahun. Penelitian ini metode yang digunakan adalah survey test untuk menilai perilaku suatuindividu atau kelompok dengan analisis deskriptif kuantitatif dengan memperoleh data dari alat ukurkemudian dipaparkan dalam bentuk angka-angka yang bertujuan agar memperoleh data mudahdipahami. Subjek penelitiannya 20 orang anak dataran tinggi di Kabupaten Wonosobo dan 20 oranganak dataran rendah di Kabupaten Tegal yang masing-masing berusia 11-15 tahun. Teknik analisis datamenggunakan aplikasi sport search dan aplikasi nutrisurvey. Hasil identifikasi bakat 20 orang anak didataran tinggi berdasarkan sport search 35% adalah atletik dan gizi yang dominan adalah Vitamin Asebanyak 220,5 mg. Sedangkan identifikasi bakat 20 orang anak di dataran rendah berdasarkan sportsearch 40% adalah sepak bola dan gizi yang dominan adalah Vitamin C sebanyak 28,4 mg dan proteinsebanyak 52,3 mg.
PENGEMBANGAN ALAT LATIHAN DRIBBLE MENGGUNAKAN MEDIA FOUR-WAY POLE PADA PERMAINAN BOLA BASKET
Authors: Jayanto Cahyo , Soedjatmiko Soedjatmiko , Karjadi Moch Senoadji , Permono Purwono Sidik
Published: July 2022

Minimnya alat bantu dalam menunjang latihan teknik dasar dribble bola basket. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk: (1) Mengembangkan alat four-way pole sebagai alat bantu dalam latihan dribble (2) Mengetahui kelayakan produk alat four-way pole berdasarkan penilaian para validator (3) Mengetahui penggunaan alat four-way pole dalam latihan dribble. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian pengembangan atau Research and Development (R&D) dengan 10 langkah. Pengembangan ini terlebih dahulu divalidasi oleh para ahli. Uji coba produk dilakukan dengan uji kelompok kecil 16 responden, dan uji kelompok besar 35 responden. Jenis pengumpulan data dengan instrumen berupa angket. Hasil dari penelitian pengembangan alat four-way pole sebagai alat bantu latihan teknik dribble pada permainan bola basket. Hasil dari para ahli 96,07% atau sangat baik, hasil dari uji coba skala kecil 95,5% atau sangat baik, hasil dari uji coba skala besar 95,42% atau sangat baik. Disimpulkan bahwa alat four-way pole dapat digunakan sebagai media latihan teknik dribble bola basket. Produk layak digunakan dan dilengkapi dengan panduan petunjuk penggunaan.
KORELASI MULTISTAGE FITNESS TEST DAN HARVARD TEST TERHADAP VO2MAX USIA 20-23 ATLET FUSAL VENUS FC TAHUN 2021
Authors: Pamungkas Yudha Budi , Hadi Hadi , Nasuka Nasuka , Wahadi Wahadi
Published: July 2022

Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh tidak diketahuinya kemampuan VO2 Max usia 20-23 atlet futsal Venus FC tahun 2021. Fokus permasalahan adalah korelasi Multistage Fitness Test dan Harvard Test terhadap VO2 Max usia 20-23 atlet futsal Venus FC. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahuikorelasi Multistage Fitness Test dan Harvard Test terhadap VO2 Max usia 20-23 atlet futsal Venus FCtahun 2021. Jenis penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian korelasi dengan pendekatan kuantitatif. Sampel menggunakan total sampling yaitu usia 20-23 tahun yang berjumlah 25 orang. Teknikpengumpulan data menggunakan tes dan pengukuran. Pengujian hipotesis menggunakan uji Korelasi.Hasil penelitian ini adalah adanya korelasi Multistage Fitness Test dan Harvard Test terhadap VO2 Max usia 20-23 atlet futsal Venus FC tahun 2021, dikarenakan Multistage Fitness Test dan HarvardTest merupakan tes yang dapat meningkatkan dan mengetahui niai VO2 Max. Maka disimpulkanbahwa ada korelasi Multistage Fitness Test (MFT) dengan Harvard Test, dan menunjukkan kekuatankorelasi sedang antara Multistage Fitness Test (MFT) dengan Harvard Test.
MCAD activation by empagliflozin promotes fatty acid oxidation and reduces lipid deposition in NASH
Authors: Wang Yi , Shen Qi-Ling , Xin Qi , Sun Bei , Zhang Shi , Fang Qian-Hua , Shi Ying-Xin , Niu Wen-Yan , Lin Jing-Na , Li Chun-Jun
Published: July 2022

Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) is one of the significant enzymes involved in the β-oxidation of mitochondrial fatty acids. MCAD deficiency affects the β-oxidation of fatty acid and leads to lipid deposition in multiple organs, but little is known about its importance in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Empagliflozin is revealed to effectively improve NASH by increasing research, whereas the specific mechanism still has to be explored. Human liver tissues of patients with or without NASH were obtained for proteomic analysis to screen proteins of interest. db/db mice were given empagliflozin by gavage for 8 weeks. The expression of MCAD and signaling molecules involved in hepatic lipid metabolism was evaluated in human liver, mice and HL7702 cells. We found that the MCAD levels in the liver were significantly reduced in NASH patients compared to patients without NASH. Protein–protein interaction network analysis showed that MCAD was highly correlated with forkhead box A2 (FOXA2) and protein kinase AMP-activated catalytic subunit alpha (PRKAA). AMPK/FOXA2/MCAD signaling pathway was detected to be inhibited in the liver of NASH patients. Decreased expression of MCAD was also observed in the livers of db/db mice and hepatocyte treated with palmitic acid and glucose. Of note, empagliflozin could upregulate MCAD expression by activating AMPK/FOXA2 signaling pathway, reduce lipid deposition and improve NASH in vivo and in vitro. This research demonstrated that MCAD is a key player of hepatic lipid deposition and its targeting partially corrects NASH. MCAD thus may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of NASH.