bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Eyes of a Hurricane: The Effect of Hurricane Harvey on Ophthalmology Consultations at Houston’s County Hospital
Authors: Go Jonathan A. , Lee Maxwell , Alexander Nicole L. , Khan Mahmood , Al-Mohtaseb Zaina
Published: April 2021

Objective:

This study aimed to characterize ophthalmology consultations ordered after Hurricane Harvey compared to consultations ordered during the same time period of the prior year.

Methods:

A retrospective chart review was performed at an urban, level 1 trauma center of a county hospital. All patients were included who received an electronic health record, documented ophthalmology consultation order between September 2017 and October 2017 (the time period immediately following Hurricane Harvey) or September 2016 and October 2016. Patient demographic risk factors were collected. Patient ICD10 clinical diagnoses were categorized as extraocular, intraocular, infectious, physiological, or other, and then subcategorized as trauma or non-trauma-related. A geographical heat map was generated to compare the changes in diagnosis volume by zip code to the magnitude of rainfall in the county.

Results:

Following Hurricane Harvey, ophthalmology consultation volume decreased, number of infectious ophthalmology diagnoses increased (P < 0.001), percentage of patients on immunosuppression increased (P < 0.001), and the number of private insurance payers increased while the number of county-funded insurance payers decreased (P = 0.003).

Conclusions:

The risk of infectious eye diagnosis was double the risk of traumatic eye diagnosis from Hurricane Harvey flooding. During public disaster planning, different ophthalmological medical resources and responses should be considered for flooding versus high-wind events.
The impact of COVID-19 on a cohort of patients treated with clozapine
Authors: Fahy Y. , Dineen B. , McDonald C. , Hallahan B.
Published: April 2021

Objectives:

To examine the psychological and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions on a cohort of patients with severe and enduring mental illness treated with clozapine.

Methods:

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 63 individuals attending a clozapine clinic within the Galway–Roscommon Mental Health Services to determine the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on anxiety and depressive symptoms, social and occupational functioning and quality of life, by utilising Likert scale data. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) were additionally utilised to measure anxiety symptoms cross-sectionally.

Results:

Anxiety symptoms were low with a median BAI score of 4.0 and HAM-A score of 4.0. Likert scale measurements recorded only a modest adverse impact of COVID-19 restrictions on anxiety and depressive symptoms, quality of life and occupational and social functioning. Free-text comments from patients (n = 55), were grouped into five themes: neutral impact (n = 22), negative psychological impact (n = 13), negative social impact (n = 11), positive psychological impact (n = 5) and media coverage inducing anxiety (n = 4).

Conclusions:

Three months into the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions, the impact on individuals with treatment-resistant psychotic disorders attending a clozapine clinic has been modest, with preliminary evidence demonstrating minimal increases in subjective symptoms of anxiety and reduced social functioning. Reduced social engagements and supports attainable both within the community and from mental health services were noted by some participants.
Glacier–plume or glacier–fjord circulation models? A 2-D comparison for Hansbreen–Hansbukta system, Svalbard
Authors: De Andrés Eva , Otero Jaime , Navarro Francisco J. , Walczowski Waldemar
Published: April 2021

Up to 30% of the current tidewater mass loss in Svalbard corresponds to frontal ablation through submarine melting and calving. We developed two-dimensional (2-D) glacier–line–plume and glacier–fjord circulation coupled models, both including subglacial discharge, submarine melting and iceberg calving, to simulate Hansbreen–Hansbukta system, SW Svalbard. We ran both models for 20 weeks, throughout April–August 2010, using different scenarios of subglacial discharge and crevasse water depth. Both models showed large seasonal variations of submarine melting in response to transient fjord temperatures and subglacial discharges. Subglacial discharge intensity and crevasse water depth influenced calving rates. Using the best-fit configuration for both parameters our two coupled models predicted observed front positions reasonably well (±10 m). Although the two models showed different melt-undercutting front shapes, which affected the net-stress fields near the glacier front, no significant effects on the simulated glacier front positions were found. Cumulative calving (91 and 94 m) and submarine melting (108 and 118 m) along the simulated period showed in both models (glacier–plume and glacier–fjord) a 1:1.2 ratio of linear frontal ablation between the two mechanisms. Overall, both models performed well on predicting observed front positions when best-fit subglacial discharges were imposed, the glacier–plume model being 50 times computationally faster.
Numerales y cómputo del tiempo en la iconografía de Teotihuacan, México
Authors: López Corral Aurelio
Published: April 2021

Este trabajo identifica íconos de numerales asociados a dos tipos de cómputo del tiempo plasmados en el arte de Teotihuacan durante el periodo Clásico (150-650 dC). Primero, se analiza la pintura mural del altar de Atetelco, distinguiendo seis íconos de números y un símbolo matemático empleados para computar cuentas de 104 años trópicos, y 72 y 7.300 ciclos sinódicos de Venus. Un segundo análisis muestra que ambas cuentas fueron usadas en obras de estilo teotihuacano mediante una iconografía distinta al sistema numérico de puntos y barras. Las fechas teotihuacanas pueden ser correlacionadas con los registros de la cuenta larga del área Maya, lo que nos permite datar los monumentos y artefactos arqueológicos mediante la iconografía. La evidencia muestra que los teotihuacanos midieron el tiempo a largo plazo plasmando las cuentas en complejas obras como parte de la institucionalización del registro del tiempo.
Interactions between the nitrergic and the endocannabinoid system in rats exposed to the elevated T-maze
Authors: Batista Luara Augusta , de Araújo Moreira Fabricio , Aguiar Daniele Cristina de
Published: April 2021

Objective:

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) and activation of CB1 receptors have opposite effects in a behavioural animal model of panic and anxiety.

Methods:

To test the hypothesis, male Wistar rats were exposed to the elevated T-maze (ETM) model under the following treatments: L-Arginine (L-Arg) was administered before treatment with WIN55,212-2, a CB1 receptor agonist; AM251, a CB1 antagonist, was administered before treatment with L-Arg. All treatments were by intraperitoneal route.

Results:

The CB1 receptor agonist, WIN55,212-2 (1 mg/kg), induced an anxiolytic-like effect, which was prevented by pretreatment with an ineffective dose of L-Arg (1 mg/kg). Administration of AM251 (1 mg/kg), a CB1 antagonist before treatment with L-Arg (1 mg/kg) did not produce anxiogenic-like responses.

Conclusion:

Altogether, this study suggests that the anxiolytic-like effect of cannabinoids may occur through modulation of NO signalling.
Protocol for a systematic review on the role of the gut microbiome in paediatric neurological disorders
Authors: Hill Lee , Popov Jelena , Figueiredo Melanie , Caputi Valentina , Hartung Emily , Moshkovich Michal , Pai Nikhil
Published: April 2021

Introduction:

The gut–brain axis refers to the bidirectional communication that occurs between the intestinal tract and central nervous system (CNS). Through a series of neural, immune, endocrine, and metabolic signalling pathways, commensal microbiota are able to influence CNS development and neurological function. Alterations in gut microbiota have been implicated in various neuropathologies. The purpose of this review is to evaluate and summarise existing literature assessing the role of specific bacterial taxa on the development of neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative pathologies of childhood. We will also discuss microbiota-based therapies dietary interventions and their efficacy.

Methods and analysis:

We will search PubMed, Cochrane Library, and OVID electronic databases for articles published between January 1980 and February 2021. A search method involving two rounds of reviewing the literature using a three-step method in each round will be performed. Two researchers will be selected, and screen titles and abstracts independently. The full text of selected articles will be assessed against inclusion criteria. Data will be extracted and evaluated using the appropriate Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist.

Ethics and dissemination:

Findings from this study will be shared across relevant paediatric neurology and gastroenterology societies and submitted for peer review. This study did not require institutional ethics approval.
A measurement of source noise at low frequency: Implications for modern interferometers
Authors: Morgan J. S. , Ekers R.
Published: April 2021

We report on the detection of source noise in the time domain at 162 MHz with the Murchison Widefield Array. During the observation, the flux of our target source Virgo A (M87) contributes only$\sim$1% to the total power detected by any single antenna; thus, this source noise detection is made in an intermediate regime, where the source flux detected by the entire array is comparable with the noise from a single antenna. The magnitude of source noise detected is precisely in line with predictions. We consider the implications of source noise in this moderately strong regime on observations with current and future instruments.
Food insecurity (hunger) and fast-food consumption among 180 164 adolescents aged 12–15 years from sixty-eight countries
Authors: Smith Lee , Barnett Yvonne , López-Sánchez Guillermo F. , Shin Jae Il , Jacob Louis , Butler Laurie , Cao Chao , Yang Lin , Schuch Felipe , Tully Mark , Koyanagi Ai
Published: April 2021

Food insecurity has been shown to be associated with fast-food consumption. However, to date, studies on this specific topic are scarce. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the association between food insecurity and fast-food consumption in adolescents aged 12–15 years from sixty-eight countries (seven low-income, twenty-seven lower middle-income, twenty upper middle-income, fourteen high-income countries). Cross-sectional, school-based data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey were analysed. Data on past 30-d food insecurity (hunger) and fast-food consumption in the past 7 d were collected. Multivariable logistic regression and meta-analysis were conducted to assess associations. Models were adjusted for age, sex and BMI. There were 180 164 adolescents aged 12–15 years (mean age 13·8 (sd 1·0) years; 50·8 % boys) included in the analysis. Overall, severe food insecurity (i.e. hungry because there was not enough food in home most of the time or always) was associated with 1·17 (95 % CI 1·08, 1·26) times higher odds for fast-food consumption. The estimates pooled by country-income levels were significant in low-income countries (adjusted OR (aOR) = 1·30; 95 % CI 1·05, 1·60), lower middle-income countries (aOR = 1·15; 95 % CI 1·02, 1·29) and upper middle-income countries (aOR = 1·26; 95 % CI 1·07, 1·49), but not in high-income countries (aOR = 1·04; 95 % CI 0·88, 1·23). The mere co-occurrence of food insecurity and fast-food consumption is of public health importance. To tackle this issue, a strong governmental and societal approach is required to utilise effective methods as demonstrated in some high-income countries such as the implementation of food banks and the adoption of free school meals.
Fair Share? Equality and Equity in American Attitudes Toward Trade
Authors: Brutger Ryan , Rathbun Brian
Published: April 2021

American politicians repeatedly and strenuously invoke concerns about fairness when pitching their trade policies to their constituents, unsurprisingly since fairness is one of the most fundamental and universal moral concepts. Yet studies to date on public opinion about trade have not been designed in such a way that they test whether fairness is important, nor whether the mass public applies fairness standards impartially. Drawing on findings in social psychology and behavioral economics, we develop and find evidence for an “asymmetric fairness” argument. In a national survey of Americans, we find strong evidence that fairness, conceived in terms of equality, is crucial for understanding support for potential trade deals and support for renegotiating existing ones. Americans view as most fair and most preferable outcomes in which concessions and benefits are equal across countries, especially when those equal benefits match productivity. However, we find that Americans have an egoistically biased sense of fairness, responding particularly negatively to any outcome that leaves the United States relatively worse off—a sense of injustice that does not extend to the same degree to relative gains for Americans.
Judicial Intervention in Arbitration: Unresolved Jurisdictional Issues Concerning Arbitrator Appointments in Nigeria
Authors: Wingate Emmanuel Onyedi , Okoli Pontian N
Published: April 2021

Parties find it difficult to determine which Nigerian High Court should intervene in the appointment of arbitrators due to conflicting judicial precedents. This perennial challenge has defied any legal solution. Considering relevant case law, this article examines the Arbitration and Conciliation Act (ACA) vis-à-vis the Nigerian Constitution. The main argument is that the Nigerian Constitution read alongside the ACA confers the Federal High Court with additional jurisdiction to appoint arbitrators regardless of which court has jurisdiction concerning the underlying dispute. There are also uncertainties regarding the intervention jurisdiction of Nigeria's National Industrial Court to appoint arbitrators. Currently, no other court can exercise intervention jurisdiction in employment disputes. This article analyses recent decisions of the National Industrial Court and argues that this Court can only intervene to appoint arbitrators where both parties request the appointment in a pending action before the Court. It is also argued that decisions concerning the appointment of arbitrators through judicial intervention can be appealed.
Towards A Directors’ Competition Disqualification Regime in Nigeria: Lessons from the UK
Authors: Subai Pereowei , Caliskan Samet
Published: April 2021

This article argues that Nigeria should introduce a competition disqualification regime for company directors as a deliberate strategy to foster corporate compliance with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018. It contends that the custodial and financial sanctions provided for under the act may not sufficiently deter directors from engaging in anti-competitive behaviour. It seeks to demonstrate that the “threat” of incarceration, which would ordinarily have a strong deterrent effect, is rarely imposed, as courts tend to prefer imposing fines on directors and individuals who breach competition law. For that reason, the article proposes that Nigeria should adopt a strategy of disqualifying directors who oversee companies that breach competition law, or who are complicit in that regard, as a means of complementing existing sanctions. In order to achieve its objective, the article examines the competition disqualification regime in the UK in order to extract valuable lessons that Nigeria can emulate.
Evaluating irrigated rice yields in Japan within the Climate Zonation Scheme of the Global Yield Gap Atlas
Authors: Ishikawa S. , Nakashima T. , Iizumi T. , Hare M. C.
Published: April 2021

The Global Yield Gap Atlas (GYGA) is an international project that addresses global food production capacity in the form of yield gaps (Yg). The GYGA project is unique in employing its original Climate Zonation Scheme (CZS) composed of three indexed factors, i.e. Growing Degree Days (GDD) related to temperature, Aridity Index (AI) related to available water and Temperature Seasonality (TS) related to annual temperature range, creating 300 Climate Zones (CZs) theoretically across the globe. In the present study, the GYGA CZs were identified for Japan on a municipality basis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on irrigated rice yield data sets, equating to actual yields (Ya) in the GYGA context, from long-term government statistics. The ANOVA was conducted for the data sets over two decades between 1994 and 2016 by assigning the GDD score of 6 levels and the TS score of 2 levels as fixed factors. Significant interactions with respect to Ya were observed between GDD score and TS score for 13 years out of 21 years implying the existence of favourable combinations of the GDD score and the TS score for rice cultivation. The implication was also supported by the observation with Yg. The lower values of coefficient of variance obtained from the CZs characterized by medium GDD scores indicated the stability over time of rice yields in these areas. These findings suggest a possibility that the GYGA-CZS can be recognized as a tool suitable to identify favourable CZs for growing crops.
Post-operative outcomes of different surgical approaches to oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer: a case-matched study
Authors: Tirelli G , Bertolin A , Guida F , Zucchini S , Tofanelli M , Rizzotto G , Boscolo-Rizzo P , Danesi G , Gardenal N
Published: April 2021

Objective

To compare the post-operative outcomes of transoral laser microsurgery, lateral pharyngotomy and transmandibular surgery in oropharyngeal cancer management.

Methods

Records of 162 patients treated with transmandibular surgery, transoral laser microsurgery or lateral pharyngotomy were reviewed. The transoral laser microsurgery cohort was matched with the lateral pharyngotomy and transmandibular surgery cohorts for tumour stage, tumour subsite and human papilloma virus status, and the intra- and post-operative outcomes were compared.

Results

Duration of surgery and hospital stay were significantly longer for transmandibular surgery. Tracheostomy and nasogastric feeding tube rates were similar, but time to decannulation and to oral feeding were longer in the transmandibular surgery group. Transmandibular surgery more frequently required flap reconstruction and had a greater complication rate. Negative margins were fewer in the lateral pharyngotomy group than in the transoral laser microsurgery and transmandibular surgery groups.

Conclusion

In comparison with transmandibular surgery, transoral laser microsurgery and lateral pharyngotomy were associated with fewer complications and faster functional recovery. Lateral pharyngotomy had a higher rate of positive margins than transoral laser microsurgery, with a consequently greater need for adjuvant therapy. Many patients are nonetheless unsuitable for transoral surgery. All these factors should be considered when deciding on oropharyngeal cancer surgical treatment.
Gender role attitudes and the division of housework in young married couples in northern Vietnam
Authors: Vu Thanh Thi
Published: April 2021

This article investigates the gender role attitudes and domestic division of labour of young couples in northern Vietnam. Based on separate interviews with 30 couples living in rural and urban areas, it explores young people's thoughts about the roles of a wife and a husband and how these translate into their allocation of housework. Analysis of the interviews indicates that the perceptions and expectations of young people remain influenced by traditional gender ideology, in that wives are still considered mainly responsible for housework. However, in practice, gender roles are highly flexible and demonstrate significant mutual support. In addition, the similarities or differences between spouses in terms of gender role attitudes contribute to levels of relative satisfaction regarding the current division of labour in households.
The Logic ofKleinkrieg: The “Book of Halil Beg” in Habsburg-Ottoman Diplomacy, 1550–76
Authors: Tracy James D.
Published: April 2021

The Ottoman conquest of Szigetvar and Gyula (1566) exposed the weakness of the Habsburg monarchy. Unable to mount a military response, Maximilian II depended on his diplomats to ward off the imposition of a conqueror's peace along the Hungarian border. But an official register, the Book of Halil Beg, put forward the sultan's claims to a wide swath of towns and villages, including many still held by Habsburg loyalists. Moreover, the Ottomans said, His Majesty had best accept a settlement on these terms; victorious Turkish captains wanted more and were restrained only by Selim II's orders. This essay describes the efforts of Maximilian's ambassadors to forestall additional losses in peacetime. After years of tough negotiation, they managed to obtain minor revision of the relevant treaty text. Although the Book of Halil Beg would indeed be the basis for any border settlement, as the Porte insisted, the Ottomans acknowledged that Vienna disputed certain of its provisions. This mere protest may have been enough to assure loyalist magnates in Hungary that the dynasty had not abandoned them, or their hereditary lands. Hence the paradox of Habsburg-Ottoman diplomacy. The 1576 treaty of peace, formally ending hostilities, was at the same time a charter forKleinkrieg.
Encounters with Music in Rudolf II's Prague
Authors: Honisch Erika Supria
Published: April 2021

This article uses three well-known members of Rudolf II's imperial court—the astronomer Johannes Kepler, the composer Philippe de Monte, and the adventurer Kryštof Harant—to delineate some ways music helped Europeans understand identity and difference in the early modern period. For Kepler, the unfamiliar intervals of a Muslim prayer he heard during the visit of an Ottoman delegation offered empirical support for his larger arguments about the harmonious properties of Christian song and its resonances in a divinely ordered universe. For Harant, listening and singing were a means of sounding out commonalities and differences with the Christians and Muslims he encountered on his travels through the Holy Land. Monte sent his music across Europe to the English recusant William Byrd, initiating a compositional exchange that imagined beleaguered Bohemian and English Catholics as Israelites in exile, yearning for Jerusalem. Collectively, these three case studies suggest that musical thinking in Rudolfine Prague did not revolve around or descend from the court or sovereign; rather, Rudolf II's most erudite subjects listened, sang, and composed to understand themselves in relation to others.
THE NEAREST UNVISITED VERTEX WALK ON RANDOM GRAPHS
Authors: Aldous David J.
Published: April 2021

We revisit an old topic in algorithms, the deterministic walk on a finite graph which always moves toward the nearest unvisited vertex until every vertex is visited. There is an elementary connection between this cover time and ball-covering (metric entropy) measures. For some familiar models of random graphs, this connection allows the order of magnitude of the cover time to be deduced from first passage percolation estimates. Establishing sharper results seems a challenging problem.
Braid groups, mapping class groups and their homology with twisted coefficients
Authors: BIANCHI ANDREA
Published: April 2021

We consider the Birman–Hilden inclusion
$\phi\colon\Br_{2g+1}\to\Gamma_{g,1}$
of the braid group into the mapping class group of an orientable surface with boundary, and prove that
$\phi$
is stably trivial in homology with twisted coefficients in the symplectic representation
$H_1(\Sigma_{g,1})$
of the mapping class group; this generalises a result of Song and Tillmann regarding homology with constant coefficients. Furthermore we show that the stable homology of the braid group with coefficients in
$\phi^*(H_1(\Sigma_{g,1}))$
has only 4-torsion.
Live birth and clinical outcome of vitrification-warming donor oocyte programme: an experience of a single IVF unit
Authors: Sciorio Romualdo , Antonini Elena , Engl Bruno
Published: April 2021

Medically assisted reproductive (MAR) treatments using donated oocytes are commonly applied in several countries to treat women who cannot conceive with their own gametes. Historically, in Italy, gamete donation has been prohibited but, in 2014, the law changed and gamete donation became allowed for couples undergoing MAR treatments. Consequently, in the last decade, there has been an increase in application of the oocyte donation programme. This study reports an egg-donation programme’s clinical efficacy, based on importing donated vitrified oocytes from cryo-banks located in a foreign country. For this, we conducted a retrospective analysis of data from a single reproductive unit located in Italy (Donna Salus Women’s Health and Fertility, Bozen). The study group consisted of 681 vitrified oocytes, which were warmed and culture to be replaced in 100 recipients. The survival rate after warming was 79.1% (n = 539/681), whereas the fertilization and blastulation rates were 90.2% (n = 486/539) and 47.9% (n = 233/486), respectively. Positive pregnancy test, clinical pregnancy rates, and live-birth rates per embryo transfer were 37.8%, 31.1% and 28.4%, respectively. The multiple pregnancy rate was 0.7%. This study is one of the first to report on the efficacy of a donor oocyte programme in Italy using imported vitrified oocytes. The above data may reassure women who are undertaking donation programmes using vitrified oocytes imported from commercial egg banks.
Utilisation of RAM cannula for non-invasive respiratory support for infants in the cardiac ICU
Authors: Saini Ashish , Maher Kevin O. , Deshpande Shriprasad R.
Published: April 2021

Background:

Children with CHD carry an additional burden of pulmonary insufficiency, often necessitating prolonged ventilatory support, especially in the peri-operative phase. There has been an increase in the utilisation of non-invasive ventilatory support for these children. The objective of this study was to evaluate the utilisation, safety, and outcomes of RAM cannula as a tool for escalation and de-escalation of respiratory support in paediatric cardiac patients less than one year of age.

Methods:

A single-centre retrospective cohort study of patients supported with RAM cannula.

Results:

A total of 275 instances of RAM use were included in the study, 81.1% being post-operative. Patients were stratified into escalation and de-escalation cohorts based on the indication of non-invasive ventilation. The success rate of using RAM cannula was 69.5% overall, 66.1% in the escalation group, and 72.8% in the de-escalation group. At baseline, age at cardiac ICU admission >30 days, FiO2 ≤ 40%, PaCO2 ≤ 50 mmHg; and after 12 hours of non-invasive ventilation support respiratory rate ≤ 60/min, PaO2 ≥ 50 mmHg, PaCO2 ≤ 50 mmHg; and absence of worsening on follow-up chest X-ray predicted the success with a sensitivity of 95% in the logistic regression model. Successful support was associated with a significantly shorter unit stay.

Conclusions:

RAM cannula can be safely used to provide non-invasive support to infants in the cardiac ICU for escalation and de-escalation of respiratory support. Factors associated with success can be used to make decisions about candidacy and appropriate timing of non-invasive ventilation use to maximise effectiveness.
Vocal cord palsy as a sequela of paediatric cardiac surgery – a review
Authors: Sinha Aditi , Geragotellis Alexander , Singh Guntaj Kaur , Verma Devika , Ansari Daniyal Matin , Tarmahomed Abdullah , Whitehall Emma , Lowe Natalie , Ashry Amer , Harky Amer
Published: April 2021

Background:

Vocal cord palsy is one of the recognised complications of complex cardiac surgery in the paediatric population. While there is an abundance of literature highlighting the presence of this complication, there is a scarcity of research focusing on the pathophysiology, presentation, diagnosis, and treatment options available for children affected by vocal cord palsy.

Materials and methods:

Electronic searches were conducted using the search terms: “Vocal Cord Palsy,” “VCP,” “Vocal Cord Injury,” “Paediatric Heart Surgery,” “Congenital Heart Surgery,” “Pediatric Heart Surgery,” “Vocal Fold Movement Impairment,” “VFMI,” “Vocal Fold Palsy,” “PDA Ligation.” The inclusion criteria were any articles discussing the outcomes of vocal cord palsy following paediatric cardiac surgery.

Results:

The two main populations affected by vocal cord palsy are children undergoing aortic arch surgery or those undergoing PDA ligation. There is paucity of prospective follow-up studies; it is therefore difficult to reliably assess the current approaches and the long-term implications of management options.

Conclusion:

Vocal cord palsy can be a devastating complication following cardiac surgery, which if left untreated, could potentially result in debilitation of quality of life and in severe circumstances could even lead to death. Currently, there is not enough high-quality evidence in the literature to aid recognition, diagnosis, and management leaving clinicians to extrapolate evidence from adult studies to make clinical judgements. Future research with a focus on the paediatric perspective is necessary in providing evidence for good standards of care.
Comparison of Ultrasound-Guided Central Venous Catheter Placement Techniques Using an Easily Made Simulator Model
Authors: Idil Hasan , Kilic Turgay Yilmaz
Published: April 2021

Objectives:

Central venous catheter (CVC) placement is an important procedure which is frequently performed in the emergency department (ED) and can cause serious complications. The aim of this study is to introduce a simulation-based tissue model for ultrasound (US)-guided central venous access practices and to compare the effectiveness of static and dynamic US techniques through this model.

Methods:

This was a prospective study on US-guided CVC placement techniques simulated with a chicken tissue model. This model is based on the principle of placing two cylindrical balloons filled with colored water (red for arterial and blue for venous) between a raw chicken breast and wrapping the formed structure with plastic wrap. The study was conducted in an academic tertiary care hospital with Emergency Medicine (EM) residents who have received basic US training, including vascular access procedures. All participants performed simulated CVC placement procedures with both static and dynamic US techniques. At the end of the study, the practitioners were asked to rate usefulness of these techniques between one and ten (one was the lowest and ten was the highest score).

Results:

A total of 32 EM residents were included in the study. Their median age was 29 (IQR = 27 - 31) years and 72% of them were male. Their median duration in ED was 19 (IQR = 12 - 34) months. According to the results of simulated CVC placement procedures, there was no significant difference between the static and dynamic US techniques in terms of puncture numbers, procedure durations, and success rates. However, according to the usefulness scores given by the practitioners, the dynamic US technique was found to be more useful (P < .001).

Conclusions:

The chicken tissue model is a convenient tool for simulating US-guided CVC placement procedures. The dynamic US technique is considered to be more useful in this field than the static technique, but the results of practitioner-dependent practices may not always support this generalization.
Do temperature shocks affect non-agriculture wages in Brazil? Evidence from individual-level panel data
Authors: Oliveira Jaqueline , Palialol Bruno , Pereda Paula
Published: April 2021

The relationship between temperature and agriculture outcomes in Brazil has been widely explored, overlooking the fact that most of the country's labor force is employed in non-agriculture sectors. We use monthly individual-level panel data spanning the period from January 2015 to December 2016 to ask whether temperature shocks impact non-agriculture wages in formal labor markets. Our results show that additional days in a month that fall within high-temperature ranges have significant adverse effects on real wages. Assuming a uniform climate change scenario where the daily temperature distribution shifts by 2$^{\circ }$C, we calculate income losses for formal workers in non-agriculture markets equivalent to 0.12 per cent of 2015 GDP.
Managing Anxiety from Cancer (MAC): A pilot randomized controlled trial of an anxiety intervention for older adults with cancer and their caregivers
Authors: Trevino Kelly M. , Stern Amy , Hershkowitz Robin , Kim Soo Young , Li Yuelin , Lachs Mark , Prigerson Holly G.
Published: April 2021

Objective

Anxiety is common in older adults with cancer (OACs) and their caregivers and is associated with poor outcomes including worse physical symptoms, poor treatment adherence and response, and longer hospitalizations. This study examined the feasibility, acceptability, adherence, and preliminary efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention for OACs and their caregivers.

Method

Patients with active cancer age 65 years and older and their caregivers were randomized to Managing Anxiety from Cancer (MAC), a seven-session CBT-based psychotherapy intervention delivered over the telephone or usual care. Patients and caregivers completed the intervention separately with licensed social workers. Self-report measures of anxiety, depression, and quality of life were administered after randomization and following intervention completion. Analyses were conducted separately for patients and caregivers and at the dyad level. Hierarchical Linear Modeling accounted for the within-dyad intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) by random intercepts associated with the dyads.

Results

Twenty-nine dyads were randomized; 28 (96.6%) patients and 26 (89.7%) caregivers completed all study procedures. Of dyads randomized to MAC, 85.7% (n = 12) of patients and caregivers completed all seven sessions. Most patients (≥50%) and over 80% of caregivers rated the overall intervention and intervention components as “moderately” to “very” helpful. MAC was associated with a greater reduction in anxiety among dyads than usual care, the effect of MAC was greater in caregivers than in patients, and improvement in patient anxiety was associated with the reduction in caregiver anxiety. However, these results did not reach statistical significance.

Significance of results

This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of MAC and suggests strategies for improving acceptability, with a focus on adherence. Furthermore, these results indicate that MAC is promising for the reduction of anxiety in OAC–caregiver dyads and may be particularly beneficial for OAC caregivers. Larger randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy of MAC.
A multi-octave microwave 6-bit true time delay with low amplitude and delay variation in 65 nm CMOS
Authors: Gutkin Yakov , Madjar Asher , Cohen Emanuel
Published: April 2021

In this paper, we describe the design, layout, and performance of a 6-bit TTD (true time delay) chip operating over the entire band of 2–18 GHz. The 1.15 mm2 chip is implemented using TSMC foundry 65 nm technology. The least significant bit is 1 ps. The design is based on the concept of all-pass network with some modifications intended to reduce the number of unit cells. Thus, the first three bits are implemented in a single delay cell. A peaking buffer amplifier between bit 4 and bit 5 is used for impedance matching and partial compensation of the insertion loss slope. The rms delay error of the TTD is <1 ps over most of the frequency band and insertion loss is between 2.5 and 6.3 dB for all 64 states.
PATCH: Particle Arrival Time Correlation for Heliophysics
Authors: Verniero J. L. , Howes G. G. , Stewart D. E. , Klein K. G.
Published: April 2021

The ability to understand the fundamental nature of the physics that governs the heliosphere requires spacecraft instrumentation to measure energy transfer at kinetic scales. This translates to a time cadence resolving the proton kinetic timescales, typically of the order of the proton gyrofrequency. The downlinked survey‐mode data from modern spacecraft are often much lower resolution than this criterion, meaning that the higher resolution, burst‐mode data must be captured to study an event at kinetic time scales. Telemetry restrictions, however, prohibit a sizable fraction of this burst‐mode data from being downlinked to the ground. The field‐particle correlation (FPC) technique can quantify kinetic‐scale energy transfer between electromagnetic fields and charged particles and identify the mechanisms responsible for mediating the transfer. In this study, we adapt the FPC technique for calculating wave‐particle energy transfer onboard modern spacecraft using time‐tagged particle counts simultaneous with electromagnetic field measurements. The newly developed procedure, called Particle Arrival Time Correlation for Heliophysics (PATCH), is tested using synthetic spacecraft data, where output from a gyrokinetic plasma turbulence simulation was downsampled to Parker Solar Probe (PSP) energy‐angle resolution. We assess the ability of the PATCH algorithm to recover the qualitative and quantitative features of the resulting velocity‐space signatures, such as ion‐Landau damping, that can be used to distinguish different kinetic mechanisms of particle energization. Ultimately, we demonstrate a proof‐of‐concept that the PATCH method could enable calculations of onboard wave‐particle correlations, with the intent of enhancing spacecraft data return by several orders of magnitude.
Laboratory Study of Antenna Signals Generated by Dust Impacts on Spacecraft
Authors: Shen Mitchell M. , Sternovsky Zoltan , Horányi Mihály , Hsu Hsiang‐Wen , Malaspina David M.
Published: April 2021

Space missions often carry antenna instruments that are sensitive to dust impacts, however, the understanding of signal generation mechanisms remained incomplete. A signal generation model in an analytical form is presented that provides a good agreement with laboratory measurements. The model is based on the direct and induced charging of the spacecraft from the collected and escaping fraction of free charges from the impact generated plasma cloud. A set of laboratory experiments is performed using a 20:1 scaled down model of the Cassini spacecraft in a dust accelerator facility. The results show that impact plasmas can be modeled as a plume of ions streaming away from the impact location and a cloud of isotropically expanding electrons. The fitting of the model to the collected antenna waveforms provide some of the key parameters of the impact plasma. The model also shows that the amplitudes of the impact signals can be significantly reduced in typical space environments due the discharging effects in the ambient plasma.
Amphidromic Lines in the Atmosphere: An Example of Global Pressure Field Annual Harmonic
Authors: Zhao Enjin , Mu Lin , Jiang Haoyu
Published: April 2021

Amphidrome refers to an oceanic point where the amplitude of one harmonic constituent of the tidal system is zero, and the phase of the harmonic constituent is undetermined. The concept of amphidrome can also be used in climatological studies because of the existence of annual amphidromes, points of zero amplitude, and ill‐defined phase of annual cycle. This study investigated the global atmospheric geopotential height from the ERA‐interim to identify annual amphidromes at different isobaric altitudes. Many well‐defined annual amphidromes were identified. These amphidromic points appear always as twins with different rotating directions with respect to phases. This phenomenon can be explained mathematically with the basic theory of spherical algebraic topology, suggesting amphidrome twins as a common feature for periodic variables in the atmosphere. Due to the spatial continuity of atmospheric parameters, amphidromes at different isobaric altitudes can be concatenated into amphidromic lines. Amphidromic lines have a three‐dimensional structure with both clockwise and anticlockwise vertical branches connected by one or two horizontal components. Particularly, some amphidromic lines in the atmosphere can be closed loops when they are connected by two horizontal components. The rotary phases around the amphidromic loops are similar to the magnetic induction lines around a closed electromagnetic coil.
Electron Trapping in Magnetic Mirror Structures at the Edge of Magnetopause Flux Ropes
Authors: Robertson S. L. , Eastwood J. P. , Stawarz J. E. , Hietala H. , Phan T. D. , Lavraud B. , Burch J. L. , Giles B. , Gershman D. J. , Torbert R. , Lindqvist P.‐A. , Ergun R. E. , Russell C. T. , Strangeway R. J.
Published: April 2021

Flux ropes are a proposed site for particle energization during magnetic reconnection, with several mechanisms proposed. Here, Magnetospheric Multiscale mission observations of magnetic mirror structures on the edge of two ion‐scale magnetopause flux ropes are presented. Donut‐shaped features in the electron pitch angle distributions provide evidence for electron trapping in the structures. Furthermore, both events show trapping with extended 3D structure along the body of the flux rope. Potential formation mechanisms, such as the magnetic mirror instability, are examined and the evolutionary states of the structures are compared. Pressure and force analysis suggest that such structures could provide an important electron acceleration mechanism for magnetopause flux ropes, and for magnetic reconnection more generally.
Siland a R package for estimating the spatial influence of landscape
Authors: Carpentier Florence , Martin Olivier
Published: April 2021

The spatial distributions of populations are both influenced by local variables and by characteristics of surrounding landscapes. Understanding how landscape features spatially structure the frequency of a trait in a population, the abundance of a species or the species’ richness remains difficult specially because the spatial scale effects of the landscape variables are unknown. Various methods have been proposed but their results are not easily comparable. Here, we introduce “siland”, a general method for analyzing the effect of landscape features. Based on a sequential procedure of maximum likelihood estimation, it simultaneously estimates the spatial scales and intensities of landscape variable effects. It does not require any information about the scale of effect. It integrates two landscape effects models: one is based on focal sample site (Bsiland, b for buffer) and one is distance weighted using Spatial Influence Function (Fsiland, f for function). We implemented “siland” in the adaptable and user-friendly R eponym package. It performs landscape analysis on georeferenced point observations (described in a Geographic Information System shapefile format) and allows for effects tests, effects maps and models comparison. We illustrated its use on a real dataset by the study of a crop pest (codling moth densities).
A novel prognostic model to predict outcome of artificial liver support system treatment
Authors: Shang Jin , Wang Mengqiao , Wen Qin , Ma Yuanji , Chen Fang , Xu Yan , Liu Chang-Hai , Bai Lang , Tang Hong
Published: April 2021

The prognosis of Artificial liver support system (ALSS) for hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is hard to be expected, which results in multiple operations of ALSS and excessive consumption of plasma, increase in clinical cost. A total of 375 HBV-ACLF patients receiving ALSS treatment were randomly divided a train set and an independent test set. Logistic regression analysis was conducted and a decision tree was built based on 3-month survival as outcome. The ratio of total bilirubin before and after the first time of ALSS treatment was the most significant prognostic factor, we named it RPTB. Further, a decision tree based on the multivariate logistic regression model using CTP score and the RPTB was built, dividing patients into 3 main groups such as favorable prognosis group, moderate prognosis group and poor prognosis group. A clearly-presented and easily-understood decision tree was built with a good predictive value of prognosis in HBV-related ACLF patients after first-time ALSS treatment. It will help maximal the therapeutic value of ALSS treatment and may play an important role in organ allocation for liver transplantation in the future.
Electrodeposition immobilized molybdenum disulfide quantum dots and their electrochemiluminescence application in the detection of melamine residues in milk powder
Authors: Ye Yousheng , Li Shasha , Ping An , Wan Xinjun , Li Jianguo
Published: April 2021

In this paper, one-step hydrothermal and electrodeposition methods were used to prepare a MoS2 quantum dot (QD) solid-phase electrochemiluminescent (ECL) electrode for the detection of melamine residues in milk powder.
Supramolecular nanomedicine derived from cucurbit[7]uril-conjugated nano-graphene oxide for multi-modality cancer therapy
Authors: Ding Yuan-Fu , Kwong Cheryl H. T. , Li Shengke , Pan Ya-Ting , Wei Jianwen , Wang Lian-Hui , Mok Greta S. P. , Wang Ruibing
Published: April 2021

Cucurbit[7]uril functionalized nano-graphene oxide was developed for the first time, onto which drugs and adamantane-tagged hyaluronic acid were loaded for targeted combined chemo-phototherapy of cancer.
A novel approach to characterization of a relatively unstable intercalation compound under ambient conditions: revisiting a kaolinite-acetone intercalation compound
Authors: Machida Shingo , Guégan Régis , Sugahara Yoshiyuki
Published: April 2021

Characteristics of a kaolinite-acetone intercalation compound (Kaol-Acetone), a relatively unstable intercalation compound, was obtained via careful characterization by suppressing evaporation and deintercalation of acetone under ambient conditions.
In silico nanosafety assessment tools and their ecosystem-level integration prospect
Authors: Yu Hengjie , Luo Dan , Dai Limin , Cheng Fang
Published: April 2021

Three categories of in silico nanosafety assessment tools are summarized in this review, and their integration potential for establishing a site-specific interactive system at the ecosystem level is discussed.
Understanding the effects of nucleophiles in fast living cationic polymerisation of isobutyl vinyl ether in a microflow system from stability and activity of propagating chains
Authors: Xie Dan , Lu Yangcheng
Published: April 2021

Achieving precise determination and DFT calculation on carbocation activity and stability towards fast living polymerisation.
Bidirectional triplet exciton transfer between silicon nanocrystals and perylene
Authors: Huang Tingting , Koh Timothy T. , Schwan Joseph , Tran Tiffany T.-T. , Xia Pan , Wang Kefu , Mangolini Lorenzo , Tang Ming L. , Roberts Sean T.
Published: April 2021

We demonstrate that silicon quantum dots can exchange spin triplet excitons with molecules covalently attached to their surface. Such hybrid materials can enable systems that upconvert incoherent far-red light into the visible spectral range.
Efficient and organic host–guest room-temperature phosphorescence: tunable triplet–singlet crossing and theoretical calculations for molecular packing
Authors: Lei Yunxiang , Yang Junfang , Dai Wenbo , Lan Yisha , Yang Jianhui , Zheng Xiaoyan , Shi Jianbing , Tong Bin , Cai Zhengxu , Dong Yuping
Published: April 2021

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to simulate the molecular conformation and interaction between hosts and guests. This work provides a new concept for the study of molecular packing for the investigation of the luminescence mechanism.
Recent progress in biomass-derived carbon materials used for secondary batteries
Authors: Chen Yun , Guo Xiaolin , Liu Anmin , Zhu Haiding , Ma Tingli
Published: April 2021

In this paper, we summarize the morphology and pore structure of biomass-derived materials from different precursors and discuss the electrochemical performance of secondary batteries.