bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The construction of high-magnification homemade lenses for a simple microscope: an easy “DIY” tool for biological and interdisciplinary education
Authors: Flores Daniela P. , Marzullo Timothy C.
Published: March 2021

The rise of microscopy in the seventeenth century allowed scientists to discover a new world of microorganisms and achieve great physiological advances. One of the first microscopes of the epoch was Antonie van Leeuwenhoek’s microscope, a deceptively simple device that contains a single ball lens housed in a metal plate allowing the observation of samples at up to ×250 magnification. Such magnification was much greater than that achieved by rudimentary compound microscopes of the era, allowing for the discovery of microscopic, single-celled life, an achievement that marked the study of biology up to the nineteenth century. Since Leeuwenhoek’s design uses a single ball lens, it is possible to fabricate variations for educational activities in physics and biology university and high school classrooms. A fundamental problem, however, with home-built microscopes is that it is difficult to work with glass. We developed a simple protocol to make ball lenses of glass and gelatin with high magnification that can be done in a university/high school classroom, and we designed an optimized support for focusing and taking photographs with a smartphone. The protocol details a simple, easily accessible, low-cost, and effective tool for the observation of microscopic samples, possible to perform anywhere without the need for a laboratory or complex tools. Our protocol has been implemented in classrooms in Chile to a favorable reception.
Exogenous ketone salts inhibit superoxide production in the rat caudal solitary complex during exposure to normobaric and hyperbaric hyperoxia
Authors: Hinojo Christopher M. , Ciarlone Geoffrey E. , D’Agostino Dominic P. , Dean Jay B.
Published: March 2021

Exposure of rat medullary tissue slices to levels of O2that mimic those that cause seizures in rats stimulates cellular superoxide ([Formula: see text]) production to varying degrees. Cellular [Formula: see text] generation in the caudal solitary complex is variable during exposure to control O2and hyperoxia and significantly decreases during ketone supplementation. Our findings support the theory that ketone supplementation delays onset of central nervous system oxygen toxicity in mammals, in part, by decreasing [Formula: see text] production in O2-sensitive neurons.
Assessment of Visual and Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials in Patients with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
Authors: Waliszewska-Prosół Marta , Ejma Maria
Published: March 2021

Background. The present study was aimed to evaluate parameters of visual and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (VEP, BAEP) in euthyreotic Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) patients without central nervous system involvement. Methods. 100 HT patients (92 women, 8 men), mean age 46.9 years, and 50 healthy controls. They underwent a neurological examination, thyroid hormone levels, thyroid autoantibody titers, and brain imaging. Latencies and amplitudes of the N75, P100, and N145 component of VEP and the I-V components of BAEP were analyzed. Results. The neurological examination revealed in 31 patients signs of increased neurovegetative excitability. Brain resonance imaging showed no abnormalities in HT patients. The mean P100, relative P100, and N145 VEP latencies were significantly longer, and P100 amplitude significantly higher in HT patients than the controls. HT patients also had a longer mean wave BAEP V latency and mean wave III-V and I-V interpeak latencies, and significantly lower mean wave I and V amplitudes. Abnormal VEP and BAEP were recorded in 34% of the patients. There were no statistically significant correlations between the mean VEP parameters and thyroid profile and the applied dose of L-thyroxine. There was a relationship between the level of TSH and the wave BAEP III-V interpeak latency. Conclusions. There were changes in the brain’s bioelectrical activity in one-third of the patients with HT without nervous system involvement. The increased amplitude of the VEP may indicate increased cerebral cortex activity. Disorders of the brain’s bioelectrical activity in the course of HT may be associated with an autoimmune process.
Optimization of PBFT Algorithm Based on Improved C4.5
Authors: Zheng Xiandong , Feng Wenlong , Huang Mengxing , Feng Siling
Published: March 2021

Aiming at the problems of PBFT algorithm of consortium blockchain, such as high communication overhead, low consensus efficiency, and random selection of leader nodes, an optimized algorithm of PBFT is proposed. Firstly, the algorithm improves C4.5 and introduces weighted average information gain to overcome the mutual influence between conditional attributes and improve the classification accuracy. Then classify the nodes with improved C4.5, and select the ones with a high trust level to form the main consensus group. Finally, the integral voting mechanism is introduced to determine the leader node. Experimental results show that compared with traditional PBFT algorithm, the communication times of the improved PBFT algorithm are reduced greatly, which effectively alleviates the problem that the number of nodes in traditional PBFT  algorithm increases and the traffic volume is too large, and significantly reduces the probability of the leader node doing evil and improves the consensus efficiency.
Research on the Impact of Ecological Civilization Construction on Environmental Pollution Control in China—Based on Differential Game Theory
Authors: Zhao Liuwei , Jin Shuai
Published: March 2021

With environmental pollution problems becoming more and more serious, administrators need to change their original system of performance achievement evaluation and build a new performance achievement view of ecological civilization. Based on the view of achievement evaluation of ecological civilization, this research develops a continuous-time differential game of environmental pollution control between local government and enterprises by taking into consideration dynamic change in pollutants in the environment into account. By analyzing the equilibrium solution of the game, the role of the assessment mechanism of ecological civilization is explored, and countermeasures are proposed to provide a scientific basis for improving the assessment mechanism of ecological civilization in China’s environmental pollution control. The results have shown that enterprises’ equilibrium pollutants output is negatively correlated to Ecological Civilization Index. Instead, the government’s efforts to curb pollutions are positively correlated to the environmental review. With th`at, lowering enterprises’ cost of production and pollution reduction alongside imposing more severe punishment would help improve pollution management. Setting up reasonable reward-punishment system would improve local governments’ pollution management. Elsewhere, the research employs the method of numerical simulation to testify the relationship among the importance of environmental review, enterprises’ pollutant output, and government’s efforts to manage pollutions. Finally, the research also suggests necessary measures to solve environmental pollutions and introduces a numerical simulation analysis.
Use of Innovative SPECT Techniques in the Presurgical Evaluation of Patients with Nonlesional Extratemporal Drug-Resistant Epilepsy
Authors: Yassin Ahmed , El-Salem Khalid , Al-Mistarehi Abdel-Hameed , Momani Aiman , Zein Alaabdin Anas M. , Shah Palak , Mountz James Michael , Bagić Anto I.
Published: March 2021

Up to 30% of patients with epilepsy may not respond to antiepileptic drugs. Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) should undergo evaluation for seizure onset zone (SOZ) localization to consider surgical treatment. Cases of drug-resistant nonlesional extratemporal lobe epilepsy (ETLE) pose the biggest challenge in localizing the SOZ and require multiple noninvasive diagnostic investigations before planning the intracranial monitoring (ICM) or direct resection. Ictal Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (i-SPECT) is a unique functional diagnostic tool that assesses the SOZ using the localized hyperperfusion that occurs early in the seizure. Subtraction ictal SPECT coregistered to MRI (SISCOM), statistical ictal SPECT coregistered to MRI (STATISCOM), and PET interictal subtracted ictal SPECT coregistered with MRI (PISCOM) are innovative SPECT methods for the determination of the SOZ. This article comprehensively reviews SPECT and sheds light on its vital role in the presurgical evaluation of the nonlesional extratemporal DRE.
[Retracted] Human Interferon Inducible Transmembrane Protein 3 (IFITM3) Inhibits Influenza Virus A Replication and Inflammation by Interacting with ABHD16A
Authors: Chen Liang , Zhu Limei , Chen Jun
Published: March 2021

Studies have shown that human interferon inducible transmembrane protein (hIFITMs) family proteins have broad‐spectrum antiviral capabilities. Preliminary studies in our laboratory have tentatively proved that hIFITMs have the effect of inhibiting influenza viruses. In order to further study its mechanism and role in the occurrence and development of influenza A, relevant studies have been carried out. Fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection technology was used to observe the effect of hIFITM3 on the replication of influenza A virus (IVA) and the interaction with hABHD16A. In HEK293 cells, overexpression of hIFITM3 protein significantly inhibited the replication of IVA at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h; yeast two‐hybrid experiment proved that hIFITM3 interacts with hABHD16A; laser confocal microscopy observations showed that hIFITM3 and hABHD16A colocalized in the cell membrane area; the expression level of inflammation‐related factors in cells overexpressing hIFITM3 or hABHD16A was detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR, and the results showed that the mRNA levels of interleukin‐ (IL‐) 1β, IL‐6, IL‐10, tumor necrosis factor‐ (TNF‐) α, and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) were significantly increased. But when hIFITM3/hABHD16A was coexpressed, the mRNA expression levels of these cytokines were significantly reduced except COX2. When influenza virus infected cells coexpressing hIFITM3/hABHD16A, the expression level of inflammatory factors decreased compared with the control group, indicating that hIFITM3 can play an important role in regulating inflammation balance. This study confirmed that hIFITM3 has an effect of inhibiting IVA replication. Furthermore, it was found that hIFITM3 interacts with hABHD16A, following which it can better inhibit the replication of influenza virus and the inflammatory response caused by the disease process.
Theoretical Derivation and Parameters Analysis of a Human-Structure Interaction System with the Bipedal Walking Model
Authors: Liang Huiqi , Zhang Zhiqiang , Wei Peizi
Published: March 2021

The excessive vertical vibration of structures induced by walking pedestrians has attracted considerable attention in the past decades. The bipedal walking models proposed previously, however, merely focus on the effects generated by legs and ignore the effects of the dynamics of body parts on pedestrian-structure interactions. The contribution of this paper is proposing a novel pedestrian-structure interaction system by introducing the concept of the continuum and a different variable stiffness strategy. The dynamic model of pedestrian-structure coupling system is established using the Lagrange method. The classical mode superposition method is utilized to calculate the response of the structure. The state-space method is employed to determine natural frequencies and damping ratio of the coupled system. Based on the proposed model, numerical simulations and parametric analysis are conducted. Numerical simulations have shown that the continuum enables the pedestrian-structure system to achieve the stable state more efficiently than the classic model does, which idealizes the body as a concentrated or lumped mass. The parametric study reveals that the presence of pedestrians is proved to significantly decrease the frequency of human-structure interaction system and improve its damping ratio. Moreover, the parameters of the bipedal model have a noticeable influence on the dynamic properties and response of the pedestrian-structure system. The bipedal walking model proposed in this paper depicts a pattern of pedestrian-structure interactions with different parameter settings and has a great potential for a wide range of practical applications.
Renewable Energy Consumption, Trade Openness, and Environmental Degradation: A Panel Data Analysis of Developing and Developed Countries
Authors: Khan Hayat , Weili Liu , Khan Itbar , Khamphengxay Sikeo
Published: March 2021

Studies regarding environmental degradation and its association with different factors have got considerable attention recently in the prevalent literature but with assorted outcomes which have been a guide to the ongoing debate on environmental studies. Energy from renewable sources has been considered beneficial for environmental quality while it is still below the anticipated level especially in developing economies. Openness to trade is important to enhance economic growth while it has been overawed to worsen the quality of environment due to deprived policies especially in developing countries. Subsequently, the present research investigates trade openness, renewable energy consumption, and foreign direct investment in carbon emission in the world developing and developed countries by employing static, dynamic and long run estimators. Trade openness has been found to have a decreasing effect on carbon emission in developed countries while degrading the quality of environment in developing countries while renewable energy consumption enhances environmental quality in both samples. The impact of tourism on carbon emission varies in different samples where FDI increases emission in developed countries while having a negative effect of carbon emission in developing countries. The long run estimators also evidence the existence of long run association among variables. The outcomes of this study have considerable policy implication regarding trade openness policy formulation to upsurge environmental quality especially in developing countries. The study has further suggestions regarding tourism and promoting the use of renewable energy sources by avoiding the use of former’s energy to enhance environmental quality.
Study on Seroprevalence and Associated Factors of Bovine Brucellosis in Selected Districts of Afar National Regional State, Afar, Ethiopia
Authors: Negash Wossene , Dubie Teshager
Published: March 2021

Bovine brucellosis is among the top five diseases primarily threatening both public health and livestock economy. Available data are limited to central and highland areas of the country leaving documented literature on the disease in cattle to be found hardly in pastoral and agropastoral regions of the country. As a result, the magnitude and extent of the disease remained to be investigated. A cross-sectional study design was conducted on local Afar cattle aged six months and above from February 2017 to January 2019 in selected districts of Afar region. Technically, study districts and kebeles were selected purposively whereas simple random sampling technique was applied to select cattle owners and individual animals for sample collection. An average of 8 ml whole blood was drawn of jugular vein into plain vacutainer tube using sterile needle. Using Thrusfield formula, a total of 420 blood samples were collected. The sera were tested by RBPT and CFT tests for detection of Brucella antibodies. Data were analyzed using Stata v14.0. Of the 420 sera tested by RBPT, 50 were positive for Brucella antibodies providing an overall animal level prevalence of 11.9% and those RBPT positive sera were further retested by specific and sensitive confirmatory CFT test and 24 of the retested samples had come positive for the disease providing an overall individual animal seroprevalence of 5.7% over the three districts. Of the 3 associated factors (sex, age, and district) considered, only sex had significantly associated (

P
<
0.05
:
0.036

) with the disease. To estimate the strength of sex impact, odds ratio was generated using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses with 95% CI and

P
<
0.05

providing OR of 2.484 (1.061–5.815) and 2.514 (1.041–6.07), respectively. Hence, the computations revealed that male cattle were 2.484 and 2.514 times more likely at higher risk for the disease as compared to their female counterparts.
A Survey of Android Malware Static Detection Technology Based on Machine Learning
Authors: Wu Qing , Zhu Xueling , Liu Bo
Published: March 2021

With the rapid growth of Android devices and applications, the Android environment faces more security threats. Malicious applications stealing usersʼ privacy information, sending text messages to trigger deductions, exploiting privilege escalation to control the system, etc., cause significant harm to end users. To detect Android malware, researchers have proposed various techniques, among which the machine learning-based methods with static features of apps as input vectors have apparent advantages in code coverage, operational efficiency, and massive sample detection. In this paper, we investigated Android applicationsʼ structure, analysed various sources of static features, reviewed the machine learning methods for detecting Android malware, studied the advantages and limitations of these methods, and discussed the future directions in this field. Our work will help researchers better understand the current research state, the benefits and weaknesses of each approach, and future technology directions.
Hydrodynamic characteristics of marine composite propeller blade using a numerical approach
Authors: Kishore M L P , Singh Vijay K , Behra R K , Saran Chandra S , Paswan Manikant , Kumar Kapil
Published: March 2021

The aim of the present research work is to investigate the hydrodynamic characteristics (pressure distribution, rotational speed, thrust and torque) of the conventional B-series composite propeller blade. The open water efficiency for the scaled model of composite propeller blade is computed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) fluent simulation tool. The obtained numerical results show that the propeller will operate at optimum efficiency for the given speed condition and perform with reduced efficiency at other operational speeds. The computed responses are also validated with the standard B-series data which verifies the accuracy and robustness of the present numerical approach in analyzing the performance characteristics of propellers. The deviation in solution ranges from 5 to 15% in the case of thrust, 10-20% in case of torque. Pressure estimation is usually quite accurate with a 5-8% variation. The tabular data of pressure distribution over the propeller blade may be used for further structural analysis
Plasma Protein Profile of Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis and Atherosclerotic Outcomes
Authors: Lind Lars , Gigante Bruna , Borné Yan , Feldreich Tobias , Leppert Jerzy , Hedberg Pär , Östgren Carl Johan , Nyström Fredrik H. , Sundström Johan , Ärnlöv Johan , Baldassarre Damiano , Tremoli Elena , Veglia Fabrizio , Hamsten Anders , O’Donnell Christopher J. , Franceschini Nora , Orho-Melander Marju , Nilsson Jan , Melander Olle , Engström Gunnar , Mälarstig Anders
Published: March 2021

Objective:

To identify causal pathophysiological mechanisms for atherosclerosis and incident cardiovascular events using protein measurements.

Approach and Results:

Carotid artery atherosclerosis was assessed by ultrasound, and 86 cardiovascular-related proteins were measured using the Olink CVD-I panel in 7 Swedish prospective studies (11 754 individuals). The proteins were analyzed in relation to intima-media thickness in the common carotid artery (IMT-CCA), plaque occurrence, and incident cardiovascular events (composite end point of myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke) using a discovery/replication approach in different studies. After adjustments for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, 11 proteins remained significantly associated with IMT-CCA in the replication stage, whereas 9 proteins were replicated for plaque occurrence and 17 proteins for incident cardiovascular events. NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) and MMP (matrix metalloproteinase)-12 were associated with both IMT-CCA and incident events, but the overlap was considerably larger between plaque occurrence and incident events, including MMP-12, TIM-1 (T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 1), GDF (growth/differentiation factor)-15, IL (interleukin)-6, U-PAR (urokinase plasminogen activator surface receptor), LOX-1 (lectin-like oxidized LDL [low-density lipoprotein] receptor 1), and TRAIL-R2 (TNF [tumor necrosis factor]-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 2). Only MMP-12 was associated with IMT-CCA, plaque, and incident events with a positive and concordant direction of effect. However, a 2-sample Mendelian randomization analysis suggested that increased MMP-12 may be protective against ischemic stroke (
P
=5.5×10
−7
), which is in the opposite direction of the observational analyses.

Conclusions:

The present meta-analysis discovered several proteins related to carotid atherosclerosis that partly differed in their association with IMT-CCA, plaque, and incident atherosclerotic disease. Mendelian randomization analysis for the top finding, MMP-12, suggests that the increased levels of MMP-12 could be a consequence of atherosclerotic burden rather than the opposite chain of events.
Prediction of Death After Noncardiac Surgery: Potential Advantage of Using High‐Sensitivity Troponin T as a Continuous Variable
Authors: Machado Mauricio N. , Rodrigues Fernando B. , Nakazone Marcelo A. , Martin Danilo F. , Sabbag Amália T. R. , Grigolo Ingrid H. , Silva‐Júnior Osvaldo L. , Maia Lilia N. , Jaffe Allan S.
Published: March 2021

Background

Increased high‐sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs‐cTnT) above the upper reference limit (URL) after noncardiac surgery identifies patients at risk for mortality. Prior studies have not analyzed hs‐cTnT as a continuous variable or probed age‐ and sex‐specific URLs. This study compared the prediction of 30‐day mortality using continuous postoperative hs‐cTnT levels to the use of the overall URL and age‐ and sex‐specific URLs.

Methods and Results

Patients (876) >40 years of age who underwent noncardiac surgery were included. Hs‐cTnT was measured on postoperative day 1. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare associations between 30‐day mortality and using hs‐cTnT as a continuous variable, or above the overall or age‐ and sex‐specific URLs. Comparisons were performed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Mortality was 4.2%. For each 1 ng/L increase in postoperative hs‐cTnT, there was a 0.3% increase in mortality (
P
<0.001). Patients with postoperative hs‐cTnT >14 ng/L were 37% of the cohort, while those above age‐ and sex‐specific URLs were 25.3%. Both manifested higher mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 3.19; 95% CI, 1.20–8.49;
P
=0.020) and (HR, 2.76;
P
=0.009) than those with normal levels. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.89 using hs‐cTnT as a continuous variable, 0.87 for age‐ and sex‐specific URLs, and 0.86 for the overall URL.

Conclusions

Hs‐cTnT as a continuous variable was independently associated with 30‐day mortality and had the highest accuracy. Hs‐cTnT elevations using overall and/or age‐ and sex‐specific URLs were also associated with higher mortality.
Taxonomic notes on Erechtites (Asteraceae: Senecioneae)
Authors: FUNEZ LUÍS A. , HASSEMER GUSTAVO , PERONI NIVALDO , DRECHSLER-SANTOS ELISANDRO R.
Published: March 2021

In this work we present taxonomic notes for the genus Erechtites. More specifically, we present evidence for the re-establishment of E. petiolatus, a species that was hitherto being considered as a synonym of either E. valerianifolius or E. valerianifolius f. prenanthoides. Thus, we raise to six the number of accepted species of Erechtites. We present field photographs of E. petiolatus and E. valerianifolius and assess the conservation status of these species. Furthermore, we present taxonomic notes for E. valerianifolius and Senecio prenanthoides.
A new species of Epithemia Kützing (Bacillariophyceae, Rhopalodiales) from the Mula river, Western Ghats, India, with comments on the phylogenetic position of Rhopalodia and Epithemia
Authors: VIGNESHWARAN ANBUKKARASU , LIU YAN , KOCIOLEK JOHN PATRICK , KARTHICK BALASUBRAMANIAN
Published: March 2021

A new species, Epithemia agharkarii sp. nov., is described from the Mula River, Western Ghats, India. The new species is described based on light and scanning electron microscopy; it is characterized by having lanceolate to slightly elliptical valves with rounded apices and being 16–38 μm long and 12.5–17.5 μm wide. Based on morphology, especially the atypical position of the raphe, it is similar to E. reicheltii. The new species is differentiated from the latter by the valve outline, shape of the apices, specific position of the raphe and breadth. We discuss the possible phylogenetic position of these two taxa and recent proposals related to the classification of Rhopalodia and Epithemia.
Political Institutions and Coups in Dictatorships
Authors: Kim Nam Kyu , Sudduth Jun Koga
Published: March 2021

Does the creation of nominally democratic institutions help dictators stay in power by diminishing the risk of coups? We posit that the effectiveness of political institutions in deterring coups crucially depends on the types of plotters and their political goals. By providing a means to address the ruling coalition’s primary concerns about a dictator’s opportunism or incompetence, institutions reduce the necessity of reshuffling coups, in which the ruling coalition replaces an incumbent leader but keeps the regime intact. However, such institutions do not diminish the risk of regime-changing coups, because the plotters’ goals of overthrowing the entire regime and changing the group of ruling coalition are not achievable via activities within the institutions. Our empirical analysis provides strong empirical support for our expectations. Our findings highlight that the role of “democratic” institutions in deterring coups is rather limited as it only applies to less than 38% of coup attempts.
Strain and Deviant Reactions in Compulsory Military Service: An Investigation of Mediating Mechanisms
Authors: Orak Ugur , Solakoglu Ozgur
Published: March 2021

Strain is an indivisible part of the military experience. Despite the well-documented association between strain and deviance in civilian settings, however, whether common forms of strain in the military produce deviant reactions among soldiers has yet to be established. In this study, we investigate the associations among various forms of strain and deviant behaviors among military service-members. Additionally, we examine the effects of mediating mechanisms linking strain to deviance through the lens of General Strain Theory (GST). We found that strain factors were all positively associated with each deviant behavior. Among the mediating factors, anger partially mediated the relationships between strain and all three deviant behaviors, while depression partially mediated only the relationship between strain and heavy alcohol use.
Crossing Academic Boundaries for Diagnostic Safety: 10 Complex Challenges and Potential Solutions From Clinical Perspectives and High-Reliability Organizing Principles
Authors: Yousef Elham A. , Sutcliffe Kathleen M. , McDonald Kathryn M. , Newman-Toker David E.
Published: March 2021

Objective

We apply the high-reliability organization (HRO) paradigm to the diagnostic process, outlining challenges to enacting HRO principles in diagnosis and offering solutions for how diagnostic process stakeholders can overcome these barriers.

Background

Evidence shows that healthcare is starting to organize for higher reliability by employing various principles and practices of HRO. These hold promise for enhancing safer care, but there has been little consideration of the challenges that clinicians and healthcare systems face while enacting HRO principles in the diagnostic process. To effectively deploy the HRO perspective, these barriers must be seriously considered.

Method

We review key principles of the HRO paradigm, the diagnostic errors and harms that potentially can be prevented by its enactment, the challenges that clinicians and healthcare systems face in executing various principles and practices, and possible solutions that clinicians and organizational leaders can take to overcome these challenges and barriers.

Results

Our analyses reveal multiple challenges including the inherent diagnostic uncertainty; the lack of diagnosis-focused performance feedback; the fact that diagnosis is often a solo, rather than team, activity; the tendency to simplify the diagnostic process; and professional and institutional status hierarchies. But these challenges are not insurmountable—there are strategies and solutions available to overcome them.

Conclusion

The HRO lens offers some important ideas for how the safety of the diagnostic process can be improved.

Application

The ideas proposed here can be enacted by both individual clinicians and healthcare leaders; both are necessary for making systematic progress in enhancing diagnostic performance.
Behavioral Spatial Segmentation and Its Application to Sports Dynamics
Authors: Castillo-Alfonso Jonathan
Published: March 2021

In this literature review and theoretical paper, I present a psychological interpretation of sports situations in which space becomes a fundamental element. For this, I employ Kupalov’s studies regarding the conditioned place reflex and Gibson's field analysis about driving as locomotion and his later assumptions from his theory of affordances. I present Behavioral Spatial Segmentation as an analytical concept, and I apply it to a sports situation in soccer with some parameters offered for subsequent evaluation. I describe the utility of some modern analysis, measurement, and representation tools for investigating this type of situation. Finally, I present some conclusions and potential implications of this work for sports training.
Identification of key genes associated with lung adenocarcinoma by bioinformatics analysis
Authors: Wang Xinyu , Yang Jiaojiao , Gao Xueren
Published: March 2021

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common histological type of lung cancer, comprising around 40% of all lung cancer. Until now, the pathogenesis of LUAD has not been fully elucidated. In the current study, we comprehensively analyzed the dysregulated genes in lung adenocarcinoma by mining public datasets. Two sets of gene expression datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The dysregulated genes were identified by using the GEO2R online tool, and analyzed by R packages, Cytoscape software, STRING, and GPEIA online tools. A total of 275 common dysregulated genes were identified in two independent datasets, including 54 common up-regulated and 221 common down-regulated genes in LUAD. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis showed that these dysregulated genes were significantly enriched in 258 biological processes (BPs), 27 cellular components (CCs), and 21 molecular functions (MFs). Furthermore, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis showed that PECAM1, ENG, KLF4, CDH5, and VWF were key genes. Survival analysis indicated that the low expression of ENG was associated with poor overall survival (OS) of LUAD patients. The low expression of PECAM1 was associated with poor OS and recurrence-free survival of LUAD patients. The cox regression model developed based on age, tumor stage, ENG, PECAM1 could effectively predict 5-year survival of LUAD patients. This study revealed some key genes, BPs, CCs, and MFs involved in LUAD, which would provide new insights into understanding the pathogenesis of LUAD. In addition, ENG and PECAM1 might serve as promising prognostic markers in LUAD.
Prevention of fogging inside safety goggles for healthcare professionals during COVID-19 pandemic: A low-cost solution in resource-limited settings
Authors: Singh Apoorv , Kainth Deepika , Anand Sachit , Mitra Aparajita
Published: March 2021

Fogging inside the safety goggles is a common problem experienced by more healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic than ever. Various anti-fogging remedies are available on the market. We have adopted a low-cost alternative that can be extremely useful in resource-limited settings.
Micro-gallbladder: A rare surgical problem
Authors: Thakur Uttam Kumar , Raypattanaik Niladri Mohan , Kumar Manish , Tandup Cherring , Kaman Lileswar
Published: March 2021

Micro-gallbladder is a rare clinical entity and mostly linked with cystic fibrosis (CF), which is an autosomal recessive disease involving a protein Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) which regulates secretion and absorption in the pulmonary, reproductive and gastrointestinal systems including the liver. Biliary secretion becomes hyperviscous, leading to cholestasis and partial obstruction of the cystic duct. This causes recurrent cholecystitis and gallstone formation. Ultimately, atrophy of the gallbladder results, thus a ‘micro-gallbladder’ defined as being <2–3 cm in length and 0.5–1.5 cm in width. A shrunken gallbladder from recurrent attacks of gallstone-induced cholecystitis is not typically termed as a micro-gallbladder. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is definitive treatment for symptomatic micro-gallbladder, even though most cases are managed conservatively without surgery. We report a case of symptomatic micro-gallbladder in a non-CF patient, managed successfully by laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
A Doxological Necessity: The Use of Biblical, Philosophical, and Empirical Knowledge to Construct a Comprehensive Christian Psychological and Therapeutic Science
Authors: Johnson Eric L.
Published: March 2021

According to Stark, the motive of God’s glory provided the ideological basis for the Scientific Revolution. Smith argues that by the time that revolution began to spread to the human sciences in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, another revolution was emerging, with which the human sciences have become thoroughly confounded, the Secular Revolution. Following MacIntyre, Johnson suggests that this confounding has created a crisis for the Christian intellectual and soul-care traditions, but one that was largely self-inflicted. One of the consequences of this crisis has been a serious wound/division in the Christian body regarding the relation between the Bible, and its theocentric worldview and way of life, and the current form of psychology and the therapeutic sciences (psychiatry, psychotherapy, and counseling). In this article, reasons are given for imagining one way the glory of God could again become a supreme motive among Christians in Western science, specifically psychology and the therapeutic sciences, that would help to overcome the current biblical knowledge/empirical knowledge dichotomy that afflicts the Christian community in these fields and could unify and empower it to develop Christian alternatives to their mainstream versions.
Factor Structure of the PANAS With Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling in a Chinese Sample
Authors: Kim Minsun , Wang Ze
Published: March 2021

The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) is the most widely used self-report instrument for assessing affect. However, there are inconsistent findings regarding the factor structure of the PANAS. In this study, we applied Bayesian structural equation modeling (BSEM) to investigate the structure of the PANAS using data from a sample of 893 Chinese middle and high school students. Four models, the orthogonal two-, the oblique two-, the three-, and the bi-factor models were tested with prior specifications including approximately zero cross-loadings and residual covariances. The results indicated that the orthogonal two-factor model specified with informative priors for both cross-loadings and residual correlations has the best model fit. Confirmatory factor analysis with the maximum likelihood estimator (ML-CFA) based on modifications from BSEM analysis showed improved model fit compared to ML-CFA based on frequentist analysis, which is the evidence for the merit of BSEM for addressing misspecifications.
Transnational Couples Parenting in the United States: A story of Integration, Navigation, and Resilience
Authors: Hawkins Blendine P. , Solheim Catherine , Zuiker Virginia S.
Published: March 2021

Over a million people migrate and resettle in the United States every year. Subsequent to the diversification of the U.S. population is a rising rate in transnational marriage. Juxtaposed with the increasing prevalence of intermarriage are historical restrictions and continued antipathy of such marriages and the families that they build. Using a phenomenological design, this study explored how transnational couples experience their parent and partner roles. Six couples were interviewed, each partner separately and then together with in-depth questions about how their family and social and familial context informed their roles and how they navigated their relationship as parents and partners. Three themes emerged from the couples’ experience: integration of past and present selves, intersections between partners, and navigation as parents.
Like My Own Children: A Quantitative Study of Stepparents Claiming Adult Stepchildren
Authors: van Houdt Kirsten
Published: March 2021

The different dimensions of parenthood—for example, biological relatedness, child-rearing, co-residence—are disconnected in increasingly many families as the result of upward trends in separation and repartnering. By studying stepparents’ claiming (i.e., stepparents perceiving their adult stepchildren as their own), this study provides insight into how people define kinship and adds a new dimension to knowledge about stepfamilies. Using the Ouders en Kinderen in Nederland (OKiN) survey data, this study (a) provides nationally representative estimates of how Dutch stepmothers and -fathers ( N = 3,327) perceive their adult stepchildren and (b) shows how the context (i.e., co-residence, duration, timing, marriage) and relations to biological children relate to stepparents’ claiming. The more similar the context is to “traditional” parent–child relations, the more stepparents claim their stepchildren. As opposed to the expectation that relations to one’s own biological children would serve as an important reference, having biological children from either a previous or current relationship has little explanatory power.
Learning by doing: The impact of experiencing democracy in education on political trust and participation
Authors: Kiess Johannes
Published: March 2021

This article investigates whether engagement in school or university, such as being the speaker of class, a member of a student council, and so on, has an impact on political participation and political trust. Following interactionist socialisation theory, engagement during adolescence should develop ideas of citizenship, democracy, and political participation. Schools and universities are arguably key institutions as they can promote democratic decision making in the classroom. This strengthens democracy by increasing experienced political efficacy and through internalizing democratic principles (‘learning democracy’): by acting democratic, one becomes a democratic citizen. My findings show that respondents who experienced democracy in school or university indeed tend to vote and engage even in contentious forms of political participation more often. Also, the experience of democratic practices in school and university increases trust in political institutions. Moreover, trust in political institutions, in turn, increases the likelihood of voting, but not of engaging in other forms of participation. Thus, early democratic experiences seem to foster vivid and participatory democracy without streamlining people into passive participation. The article provides empirical evidence from nine European countries and an additional glance at young cohorts based on online panels.
Red blood cell transfusion requirements for patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
Authors: Choi Min H , Alvarez Nkosi H , Till Brian M , Tsypin Yevgeniy , Sparks Bailey , Hirose Hitoshi
Published: March 2021

Background:

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a rescue procedure used for cardiac and pulmonary dysfunction. Patients on ECMO often require blood transfusions to maintain oxygen delivery and recover from bleeding complications. Goals of the current study were to determine transfusion requirements while on ECMO, and incidence and transfusion requirements for bleeding complications.

Methods:

Packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions and bleeding complications were identified by retrospective chart review of patients on ECMO from 2010 to 2018 at our institution. Patients were categorized into those who did not bleed (group A) and those who bled (group B). Incidence, sites of bleed, and transfusion requirement for each bleeding were analyzed.

Results:

Among 217 patients including veno-arterial (VA) ( n = 148) and veno-venous (VV) ( n = 69) ECMO, we identified 62 patients without bleeding complications (group A) and 155 patients with bleeding complications (group B). In group A, transfusion requirement was 0.6 PRBC/day for VA-ECMO ( n = 42) and 0.2 PRBC/day for VV-ECMO ( n = 20) (p = 0.0015). In group B, number of PRBC given per event per day for bleeding complications during ECMO was mediastinal/thoracic bleed (83 events, 4.7 PRBC/event/day), gastrointestinal bleed (59 events, 4.8 PRBC/event/day), cannulation site bleed (88 events, 3.6 PRBC/event/day), and nasopharyngeal bleed (103 events, 2.8 PRBC/event/day). Thirty-day hospital mortality rate was co-related to transfusion requirement (area under ROC curve: 0.70).

Conclusion:

Patients without clinical bleeding still required transfusion, with higher rates observed with VA- than VV-ECMO. Transfusion requirements dramatically increased when patients developed various bleeding complications and had a significant impact on 30-day mortality rate.
Is perceived social support more important than visual acuity for clinical depression and anxiety in patients with age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy?
Authors: Hernández-Moreno Laura , Senra Hugo , Moreno Natacha , Macedo António Filipe
Published: March 2021

Objective:

To investigate whether visual acuity has the same importance as a factor of depression and anxiety comparing with other psychological variables, particularly perceived social support, in patients diagnosed with age-related eye diseases, with and without low vision.

Design:

Observational cross-sectional study.

Setting:

Patients attending outpatient appointments at the department of ophthalmology of a general hospital in Portugal.

Subjects:

Patients with age-related macular degeneration and patients with diabetic retinopathy attending routine hospital appointments were recruited for this study.

Measures:

Anxiety and depression were measured using the hospital anxiety and depression scale and perceived social support using the multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Visual acuity was measured with ETDRS charts.

Results:

Of the 71 patients, 53 (75%) were diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, 37 (52%) were female and age (mean ± SD) was 69 ± 12 years. Acuity in the better seeing eye was 0.41 ± 0.33 logMAR. The mean anxiety score was 4.38 ± 3.82 and depression 4.41 ± 3.39. Clinically significant levels of anxiety were found in 21% ( n = 15) of the participants and depression in 18%( n = 13). The total social support score was 5.29 ± 0.61. Significant multivariate regression models were found for anxiety ( R2 = 0.21, P = 0.016) and for depression ( R2 = 0.32, P < 0.0001). Social support was independently associated with levels of anxiety and with levels of depression. Gender was independently associated with levels of anxiety.

Conclusion:

This study suggests that patients’ perceived social support might be more important than visual acuity as a factor of clinical depression and anxiety in a sample of age-related eye disease patients.
Understanding the Barriers of HIV Testing Services for Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Women in Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Khan Mohammad Niaz Morshed , Sarwar Golam , Irfan Samira Dishti , Gourab Gorkey , Rana A. K. M. Masud , Khan Sharful Islam
Published: March 2021

Coverage of HIV testing services (HTS) is generally low among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women ( hijra) in Bangladesh, thus impeding the national goal of attaining the 90-90-90 target. In this context, this article delineates HTS uptake barriers among these populations. This qualitative study entailed 30 in-depth interviews, six focus groups and seven key-informant interviews with purposively selected MSM and hijra, alongside service providers. Participants cited individual and interpersonal barriers such as low risk perception and misconceptions about HIV testing, programmatic barriers such as knowledge gaps among peer service providers, as well as community and structural barriers such as the criminalization and stigmatization of male-to-male sex. Considering these contexts, it is essential for stakeholders to improve the HTS modality using multipronged approaches to address the multifaceted barriers of HTS uptake.
Who Gets the Last Bed? A Discrete-Choice Experiment Examining General Population Preferences for Intensive Care Bed Prioritization in a Pandemic
Authors: Street Amelia E. , Street Deborah J. , Flynn Gordon M.
Published: March 2021

Objective

To explore the key patient attributes important to members of the Australian general population when prioritizing patients for the final intensive care unit (ICU) bed in a pandemic over-capacity scenario.

Methods

A discrete-choice experiment administered online asked respondents ( N = 306) to imagine the COVID-19 caseload had surged and that they were lay members of a panel tasked to allocate the final ICU bed. They had to decide which patient was more deserving for each of 14 patient pairs. Patients were characterized by 5 attributes: age, occupation, caregiver status, health prior to being infected, and prognosis. Respondents were randomly allocated to one of 7 sets of 14 pairs. Multinomial, mixed logit, and latent class models were used to model the observed choice behavior.

Results

A latent class model with 3 classes was found to be the most informative. Two classes valued active decision making and were slightly more likely to choose patients with caregiving responsibilities over those without. One of these classes valued prognosis most strongly, with a decreasing probability of bed allocation for those 65 y and older. The other valued both prognosis and age highly, with decreasing probability of bed allocation for those 45 y and older and a slight preference in favor of frontline health care workers. The third class preferred more random decision-making strategies.

Conclusions

For two-thirds of those sampled, prognosis, age, and caregiving responsibilities were the important features when making allocation decisions, although the emphasis varies. The remainder appeared to choose randomly.