bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Genetic Testing on Hearing Interventions
Authors: Brodie Kara D. , Liao Elizabeth N. , Florentine Michelle M. , Chan Dylan K.
Published: September 2022

Objective

Clinical guidelines recommend genetic testing when evaluating congenital and late‐onset sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Genetic diagnoses can provide parents additional information regarding anticipated hearing loss progression, comorbid conditions, and family planning. Additionally, obtaining a genetic diagnosis may increase parental acceptance of hearing loss and subsequent pursuit of intervention. This study evaluates the association between genetic diagnoses and hearing loss intervention.

Methods

We included children ages 0–18 years with SNHL who were hearing aid or cochlear implant candidates but non‐users and underwent hearing‐loss gene panel testing prior to initiating intervention. Univariate analyses were performed to identify predictors of hearing aid fitting or cochlear implantation. Multivariate logistic regression evaluated the impact of demographic and clinical factors on subsequent intervention.

Results

Of the 385 children with SNHL who underwent hearing loss gene panel testing, 111 were included. Median age was 7.5 years. 56% were underrepresented minorities, 71% were non‐White, and 71% were publicly insured. Those found to have a genetic diagnosis were 4.6 times as likely to subsequently undergo intervention (p = 0.035). Additionally, bilateral hearing loss and earlier age of genetic testing were associated with increased likelihood of intervention.

Conclusion

Up to half of children with SNHL are suspected to have an underlying genetic etiology. Children diagnosed with a genetic diagnosis are significantly more likely to subsequently utilize hearing aids or cochlear implantation. This provides additional support for clinical guidelines recommending genetic testing not only due to the impact of prognostication but also on treatment decision‐making.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 133:1982–1986, 2023
Post quantum Ostrowski‐type inequalities for coordinated convex functions
Authors: Wannalookkhee Fongchan , Nonlaopon Kamsing , Ntouyas Sortiris K. , Budak Hüseyin
Published: September 2022

In this article, we give a new notion of
derivatives for continuous functions on coordinates. We also derive post quantum Ostrowski‐type inequalities for coordinated convex functions. Our significant results are considered as the generalizations of other results that appeared in the literature.
Systemic whitefly‐induced metabolic responses in newly developed distal leaves of husk tomato plants (Physalis philadelphica) impairs whiteflies development
Authors: Meza‐Canales Iván David , Trujillo‐Pahua Verónica , Vargas‐Ponce Ofelia , Ramírez‐Romero Ricardo , Montero‐Vargas Josaphat Miguel , Ordaz‐Ortiz José J. , Winkler Robert , Délano‐Frier John Paul , Sánchez‐Hernández Carla Vanessa
Published: September 2022

BACKGROUND

Metabolic reconfiguration in plants is a hallmark response to insect herbivory that occurs in the attack site and systemically in undamaged tissues. Metabolomic systemic responses can occur rapidly while the herbivore is still present and may persist in newly developed tissue to counterattack future herbivore attacks. This study analyzed the metabolic profile of local and newly developed distal (systemic) leaves of husk tomato (Physalis philadelphica) plants after whiteflyTrialeurodes vaporarioruminfestation. In addition, the effect of these metabolomic adjustments on whitefly oviposition and development was evaluated.

RESULTS

Our results indicate thatT. vaporarioruminfestation induced significant changes in husk tomato metabolic profiles, not only locally in infested leaves, but also systemically in distal leaves that developed after infestation. The distinctive metabolic profile produced in newly developed leaves affected whitefly nymphal development but did not affect female oviposition, suggesting that changes driven by whitefly herbivory persist in the young leaves that developed after the infestation event to avoid future herbivore attacks.

CONCLUSIONS

This report contributes to further understanding the plant responses to sucking insects by describing the metabolic reconfiguration in newly developed, undamaged systemic leaf tissues of husk tomato plants after whitefly infestation. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Pulmonary hypertension in patients with interstitial lung disease: a tool for early detection
Authors: Parikh Raj , Konstantinidis Ippokratis , O'Sullivan David M. , Farber Harrison W.
Published: September 2022

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) complicates the treatment of interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients resulting in poor functional status and worse outcomes. Early recognition of PH in ILD is important for initiating therapy and considering lung transplantation. However, no standard exists regarding which patients to screen for PH‐ILD or the optimal method to do so. The aim of this study was to create a risk assessment tool that could reliably predict PH in ILD patients. We developed a PH‐ILD Detection tool that incorporated history, exam, 6‐min walk distance, diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide, chest imaging, and cardiac biomarkers to create an eight‐component score. This tool was analyzed retrospectively in 154 ILD patients where each patient was given a score ranging from 0 to 12. The sensitivity (SN) and specificity (SP) of the PH‐ILD Detection tool and an area‐under‐the‐curve (AUC) were calculated. In this cohort, 74 patients (48.1%) had PH‐ILD. A score of ≥6 on the PH‐ILD Detection tool was associated with a diagnosis of PH‐ILD (SN: 86.5%; SP: 86.3%; area‐under‐the‐curve: 0.920, p < 0.001). The PH‐ILD Detection tool provides high SN and SP for detecting PH in ILD patients. With confirmation in larger cohorts, this tool could improve the diagnosis of PH in ILD and may suggest further testing with right heart catheterization and earlier intervention with inhaled treprostinil and/or lung transplant evaluation.
IgG4 related lung disease mimicking multiple pleural disseminated lung cancer
Authors: Ito Koya , Maeda Yukiko , Mita Akane , Aizawa Saori , Mizushima Arei , Taniguchi Natsuko , Nagai Katsura , Shomura Hiroki , Hattori Atsuo , Harada Toshiyuki
Published: September 2022

Key message

IgG4‐related lung disease (IgG4‐RLD) can present with various types of radiological findings such as nodule, ground‐glass opacity, alveolar interstitial, and bronchovascular involvement. IgG4‐RLD generally manifests as mild clinical symptoms, despite evidence from the image findings. Herein we report an asymptomatic patient with IgG4‐RLD mimicking multiple pleural disseminated lung cancer.
A simulated maximum likelihood procedure for analyzing imprecise trade‐off thresholds between the benefits and harms of medicines
Authors: Postmus Douwe , Pignatti Francesco , Hillege Hans L. , Tervonen Tommi
Published: September 2022

Stated preference studies in which information on the willingness to trade‐off between the benefits and harms of medicines is elicited from patients or other stakeholders are becoming increasingly mainstream. Such trade‐offs can mathematically be represented by a weighted additive function, with the weights, whose ratios determine how much an individual is willing to trade‐off between the treatment attributes, being the response vector for the statistical analysis. One way of eliciting trade‐off information is through multi‐dimensional thresholding (MDT), which is a bisection‐based approach that results in increasingly tight bounds on the values of the weights ratios. While MDT is cognitively less demanding than other, more direct elicitation methods, its use complicates the statistical analysis as it results in weights data that are region censored. In this article, we present a simulated maximum likelihood (SML) procedure for fitting a Dirichlet population model directly to the region‐censored weights data and perform a series of computational experiments to compare the proposed SML procedure to a naive approach in which a Dirichlet distribution is fitted to the centroids of the weights boundaries obtained with MDT. The results indicate that the SML procedure consistently outperformed the centroid‐based approach, with the centroid‐based approach requiring three bisection steps per trade‐off to achieve a similar precision as the SML procedure with one bisection step per trade‐off. Using the newly proposed SML procedure, MDT can be applied with smaller sample sizes or with fewer questions compared to the more naïve centroid‐based approach that was applied in previous applications of MDT.
Construct validation and normative data for different versions of the Shirom‐Melamed burnout questionnaire/measure in a Swedish population sample
Authors: Sundström Anna , Söderholm Anna , Nordin Maria , Nordin Steven
Published: September 2022

The overall aim of the present study was to examine the construct validity of different versions of the Shirom‐Melamed Burnout Questionnaire/Measure (SMBQ/M) suggested in previous work, as well as to provide normative data for a large population‐based sample in Sweden with a broad range in age. Cross‐sectional data from the Västerbotten Environmental Health Study in Sweden were used. The 3406 participants (56% women) in this study, aged 18–79 years, constituted a random sample stratified for age and sex. Participants responded to a questionnaire including the 4‐factor 22‐item version of the SMBM as well as background questions and a number of validated questionnaire instruments assessing for example, sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and somatic symptoms. The dimensionality of different versions of the SMBM were examined with confirmatory factor analysis. A modified 4‐factor 19‐item model of the SMBM provided good model‐fit, and two 2‐factor models (11‐item and 6‐item) provided excellent model fit. The relationships to relevant psychological constructs provided support for convergent validity for the suggested versions of the SMBM. Finally, normative data were obtained for a broad age group for the different versions. In conclusion, we suggest that for assessing the core of the burnout construct in terms of emotional and physical exhaustion and cognitive weariness, the SMBM‐11 or SMBM‐6 for repeated measures, are to be used. For a broader assessment of burnout incorporating both symptoms and information about the process of exhaustion via the subscales of listlessness and tension, we recommend the use of the modified 4‐factor SMBM‐19.
Stressor reflections, sleep, and psychological well‐being: A pre‐registered experimental test of self‐distanced versus self‐immersed reflections
Authors: Riddell Hugh , Crane Monique , Lang Jonas W. B. , Chapman Michael T. , Murdoch Elizabeth M. , Gucciardi Daniel F.
Published: September 2022

Evidence supports the effectiveness of cuing people to analyse negative autobiographical experiences from self‐distanced rather than self‐immersed perspectives. However, the evidence on which this expectation resides is limited largely to static snapshots of mean levels of cognitive and emotional factors. Via a pre‐registered, randomised controlled trial (N = 257), we examined the differential effectiveness of self‐distanced relative to self‐immersed reflections on mean levels and within‐person variability of sleep duration and quality as well as psychological well‐being over a 5‐day working week. Except for sleep quality, we found that reflecting from a psychologically distanced perspective, overall, was no more effective for mean levels and within‐person variability of sleep duration, well‐being, and stress‐related factors than when the current self is fully immersed in the experiential reality of the event. We consider several substantive and methodological considerations (e.g., dosage, salience of stressor event) that require interrogation in future research via experimental and longitudinal observational methods.
Seroprevalence and predisposing factors of rabies antibodies in unvaccinated dogs in Sierra Leone
Authors: Roland Suluku , Benjamin Emikpe , Patrick Bagla Victor , Juana Moiwo , Derrick Asare
Published: September 2022

Objective

This study determines the seroprevalence and associated factors of rabies in unvaccinated dogs in Sierra Leone.

Background

Rabies control is poorly coordinated in Sierra Leone which was ranked as the third hungriest country in the world. Due to limited access to rabies vaccines, the need for comprehensive serological data on dogs for control of the disease is expedient.

Methods

A random multistage technique considering high, medium and low incident areas of rabies cases in dog‐populated communities was adopted. Samples were collected from dogs with owners which were at least 1‐year old. Samples were analysed using a commercial ELISA in accordance to manufacturer's instructions.

Results

25.2% of the total 270 samples tested positive for the presence of rabies antibodies. Kenema district had the highest number of positive samples, followed by the Bombali district and Moyamba district the least. Predisposing factors, including sex, the status of castration, the type of settlement, district and the availability of fences at locations where dogs are kept, had significant effects (p<0.05) on the exposure of dogs to rabies. The 25.2% antibody seroprevalence obtained is very low.

Conclusions

Concerted effort should be made to enhance rabies vaccination through an awareness campaign and provision of vaccine to dog owners. Good waste disposal and management practices to reduce open garbage disposal in communities will go a long way to limit the stray‐dog population and minimize rabies outbreaks especially in third‐world countries where rabies vaccines are not accessible.
Suspected eosinophilic bronchopneumopathy in a six‐banded armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus)
Authors: Sailler Anaïs , Potier Romain , Risi Emmanuel , Hue Cyril
Published: September 2022

This report documents the clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of a suspected eosinophilic bronchopneumopathy (EBP) in a captive 6‐year‐old female six‐banded armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus). Clinical findings included weight loss, relapsing chronic rhinitis despite antibiotic and antifungal treatments, and abnormal respiratory sounds. EBP was highly suspected using complete blood count, computed tomography and histopathology performed on nasal biopsies. Severe hypereosinophilia (6630 cells/μl), a marked necrotic ulcerative chronic rhinitis with encrusted microscopic vegetable fragments and a diffuse bilateral interstitial pulmonary pattern evidenced on medical imaging were the main findings on further procedures. Corticosteroid therapy along with targeted antibiotics and animal isolation in an environment with reduced allergens resulted in decreased hypereosinophilia and clinical recovery. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that EBP is suspected in another species than dogs.
Photon emission from an excited string
Authors: Firrotta Maurizio , Rosenhaus Vladimir
Published: September 2022

Abstract

We compute the amplitude for an excited string in any precisely specified state to decay into another excited string in any precisely specified state, via emission of a tachyon or photon. For generic and highly excited string states, the amplitude is a complicated function of the outgoing kinematic angle, sensitive to the precise state. We compute the square of this amplitude, averaged over polarizations of the ingoing string and summed over polarizations of the outgoing string. The seeming intractability of these calculations is made possible by extracting amplitudes involving excited strings from amplitudes involving tachyons and a large number of photons; the number of photons grows with the complexity of the excited string state. Our work is in the spirit of the broad range of recent studies of statistical mechanics and chaos for quantum many-body systems. The number of different excited string states at a given mass is exponentially large, and our calculation gives the emission amplitude of a single photon from each of the microstates — which, through the Horowitz-Polchinski correspondence principle, are in correspondence with black hole microstates.
On the Hölder regularity for obstacle problems to porous medium type equations
Authors: Moring Kristian , Schätzler Leah
Published: September 2022

We show that signed weak solutions to parabolic obstacle problems with porous medium-type structure are locally Hölder continuous, provided that the obstacle is Hölder continuous.
Biomechanical comparison of screw vs. cerclage refixation in orthogeriatric lesser trochanteric fractures: a cadaveric study
Authors: Linhart Christoph , Kistler Manuel , Woiczinski Matthias , Neudeck Rouven , Kassube Matthias , Böcker Wolfgang , Ehrnthaller Christian
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Osteoporosis-related proximal femur fractures continue to increase significantly due to demographic change. This study was designed to evaluate the biomechanical stability of two different fixation methods (cerclage vs. screw) for refixation of a trochanter minor fragment in the pertrochanteric fractures in cadaveric bones.

Methods

Artificial bones (n = 14) and human bones (n = 16) were treated with a DHS and the trochanter minor fragment was reduced by cerclage wiring or direct screw fixation. After preloading the simulated iliopsoas with 10 N, a tensile test was performed, ending with either a 70% loss of strength or avulsion of the fragment. The mean values of the avulsion force and the surface strain were recorded.

Results

All tensile tests showed no significant differences between refixation using a direct screw or wire cerclage, for both artificial bones and human specimens. Absolute values showed higher avulsion forces after direct screw fixation than refixation with a wire cerclage. The surface tension of specimens treated with direct screw fixation was lower than that of specimens treated with wire cerclage. An opposite effect was seen in artificial bones. Both effects were not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Based on the equal stability after lag screw placement compared to cerclage wiring, we promote the placement of a lag screw into the lesser trochanter fragment in pertrochanteric femur fractures when using a dynamic hip screw.

Level of evidence

Level III.
Potenzieller Einfluss der Reizschwellenhöhe des nozizeptiven Flexorenreflex (NFRT) auf die Mortalitäts- und Delirinzidenz beim kritisch kranken Patienten: eine retrospektive Kohortenanalyse
Authors: Schick B. , Schmid S. , Mayer B. , Wagner D. , Walter S. , Gruss S. , Jungwirth B. , Barth E.
Published: September 2022

Hintergrund

Mortalität und Delirinzidenz werden beim kritisch kranken Patienten durch das Analgosedierungsregime beeinflusst. Je tiefer die Sedierung, je höher die Dosis applizierter Analgetika, desto schwieriger ist die Einschätzung von Schmerz und Sedierungsgrad. Daher gewinnen apparative Messverfahren, wie die Messung der Reizschwelle des nozizeptiven Flexorenreflexes (NFRT), zunehmend an Bedeutung.

Ziel der Arbeit

Ziel der vorliegenden Studie ist es, eine mögliche Assoziation zwischen der Höhe des nozizeptiven Flexorenreflexes, der Mortalität und dem Auftreten eines Delirs zu untersuchen.

Material und Methodik

Durch die retrospektive Analyse eines 57 Intensivpatienten umfassenden Pilotdatensatzes der interdisziplinären operativen Intensivstation des Universitätsklinikums Ulm, erhoben zwischen November 2018 und März 2020, wurde in einem adjustierten logistischen Regressionsmodell eine mögliche Assoziation zwischen NFRT, Mortalität und Delirinzidenz berechnet. Je nach Cut-off-Wert ergeben sich Reizschwellenkorridore mit folgenden Vergleichspaaren: < 20 mA vs. 20–40 mA/20–50 mA/20–60 mA, > 40 mA vs. 20–40 mA, > 50 mA vs. 20–50 mA, > 60 mA vs. 20–60 mA. Die Ergebnisdarstellung erfolgt als Odds Ratios, bereinigt um Alter, Geschlecht, Größe, TISS-28, SAPS II, RASS, BPS und die verwendeten Analgetika. Die Schmerzerfassung erfolgte in der untersuchten Gruppe standardisiert mittels der Behavioral Pain Scale sowie ergänzend durch die NFRT-Messung.

Ergebnisse

Es konnte eine statistisch nicht signifikante Tendenz zu einer Mortalitätszunahme bei einer NFRT > 50 mA gegenüber dem Reizschwellenkorridor von 20–50 mA ermittelt werden (OR 3.3, KI: 0,89–12.43, p = 0,07). Eine Tendenz zu einer Reduktion der Delirhäufigkeit trat bei einer NFRT < 20 mA gegenüber einem Reizschwellenkorridor von 20–40 mA auf (OR 0.40, KI: 0,18–0,92, p = 0,03).

Diskussion

Anhand der Höhe der NFRT kann zum aktuellen Zeitpunkt keine Empfehlung zur Anpassung des verwendeten Analgosedierungsregimes beim kritisch kranken, nichtmitteilungsfähigen Intensivpatienten gegeben werden. Die Beobachtung einer Tendenz hin zu einer Zunahme der Mortalität bei hohen Reizschwellen bzw. einer Reduktion des Auftretens eines Delirs bei niedrigen Reizschwellen muss in standardisierten Studien überprüft werden.
Beyond direct killing—novel cellular immunotherapeutic strategies to reshape the tumor microenvironment
Authors: Huynh Duc , Winter Pia , Märkl Florian , Endres Stefan , Kobold Sebastian
Published: September 2022

The clinical use of cellular immunotherapies is gaining momentum and the number of approved indications is steadily increasing. One class of cellular therapies—chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells—has achieved impressive results in distinct blood cancer indications. These existing cellular therapies treating blood cancers face significant relapse rates, and their application beyond hematology has been underwhelming, especially in solid oncology. Major reasons for resistance source largely in the tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME in fact functionally suppresses, restricts, and excludes adoptive immune cells, which limits the efficacy of cellular immunotherapies from the onset. Many promising efforts are ongoing to adapt cellular immunotherapies to address these obstacles, with the aim of reshaping the tumor microenvironment to ameliorate function and to achieve superior efficacy against both hematological and solid malignancies.
A standardizable approach for Tooth Flank Fracture
Authors: Böhme Stephan André , Keski-Rahkonen Joni , Komssi Tami
Published: September 2022

Ultrasonic scanning of large spiral bevel gears and the subsequent fracture analyses of early-stage tooth flank fractures imply a mode II crack initiation under surface-parallel, orthogonal shear stresses. An iteration of the Dang Van criterion is presented that focuses exclusively on surface-parallel material planes, yielding a standardizable approach for the study of tooth flank fracture in spiral bevel gears. It is shown that Dang Van’s shear stress amplitude and maximum hydrostatic stress along a surface-perpendicular path can adequately be described by the Hertzian orthogonal shear stress amplitude and Lang’s compressive residual stress. The fatigue properties along the same path are estimated from Thomas’ hardness model and augmented by ISO-inspired lifetime, size and conversion factors. The article closes with a comparison between the commonly used Witzig-Boiadjiev, Hertter-Wirth, DNV subsurface fatigue and the herein proposed, rationalized Dang Van criterion.
A method for evaluating the learning concentration in head-mounted virtual reality interaction
Authors: Lin Yi , Lan Yangfan , Wang Shunbo
Published: September 2022

In education, learning concentration is closely related to the quality of learning, and teachers can adjust their teaching methods accordingly to improve the learning outcomes of students. Particularly in head-mounted virtual reality interactions, current methods for assessing learning concentration cannot be fully applied to new interactive environments because immersion shaping and cognitive formation differ from the conventional education. Therefore, in this study, a learning concentration assessment method is proposed to measure the learning concentration of students in head-mounted virtual interaction, using the expression score, visual focus rate, and task mastery as evaluation indicators. In addition, the weights of the evaluation indicators can be configured to be included in the calculation of learning concentration depending on the characteristics of different types of courses. The results of a usability evaluation indicate that the learning concentration of students can be effectively evaluated using the proposed method. By developing and implementing strategies for optimizing learning effects, the learning concentration and assessment scores of students increased by 18% and 15.39%, respectively.
Efficient Computation of the Zeros of the Bargmann Transform Under Additive White Noise
Authors: Escudero Luis Alberto , Feldheim Naomi , Koliander Günther , Romero José Luis
Published: September 2022

We study the computation of the zero set of the Bargmann transform of a signal contaminated with complex white noise, or, equivalently, the computation of the zeros of its short-time Fourier transform with Gaussian window. We introduce the adaptive minimal grid neighbors algorithm (AMN), a variant of a method that has recently appeared in the signal processing literature, and prove that with high probability it computes the desired zero set. More precisely, given samples of the Bargmann transform of a signal on a finite grid with spacing $$\delta $$
δ
, AMN is shown to compute the desired zero set up to a factor of $$\delta $$
δ
in the Wasserstein error metric, with failure probability $$O(\delta ^4 \log ^2(1/\delta ))$$

O
(

δ
4

log
2

(
1
/
δ
)

)

. We also provide numerical tests and comparison with other algorithms.
Reliability of velocity pulsatility in small vessels on 3Tesla MRI in the basal ganglia: a test–retest study
Authors: van Tuijl Rick J. , Pham Stanley D. T. , Ruigrok Ynte M. , Biessels Geert Jan , Velthuis Birgitta K. , Zwanenburg Jaco J. M.
Published: September 2022

Objective

Recent work showed the feasibility of measuring velocity pulsatility in the perforating arteries at the level of the BG using 3T MRI. However, test–retest measurements have not been performed, yet. This study assessed the test–retest reliability of 3T MRI blood flow velocity measurements in perforating arteries in the BG.

Materials and methods

Two-dimensional phase-contrast cardiac gated (2D-PC) images were acquired for 35 healthy controls and repeated with and without repositioning. 2D-PC images were processed and analyzed, to assess the number of detected perforating arteries (Ndetected), mean blood flow velocity (Vmean), and velocity pulsatility index (vPI). Paired t-tests and Bland–Altman plots were used to compare variance in outcome parameters with and without repositioning, and limits of agreement (LoA) were calculated.

Results

The LoA was smallest for Vmean (35%) and highest for vPI (79%). Test–retest reliability was similar with and without repositioning of the subject.

Discussion

We found similar LoA with and without repositioning indicating that the measurement uncertainty is dominated by scanner and physiological noise, rather than by planning. This enables to study hemodynamic parameters in perforating arteries at clinically available scanners, provided sufficiently large sample sizes are used to mitigate the contribution of scanner- and physiological noise.
Beyond Black and White: The Italian Reception of the Debate on Native Indian Commentaries in Nineteenth-century Vedic Studies
Authors: Crafa Alberico
Published: September 2022

This article discusses the nineteenth-century debate between German and British Indologists on ancient Indian commentators, shedding light on how Italian Indologists received and responded to this discussion. It reveals why Italian scholars, although trained under the most eminent German philologists, often disagreed on the status of native commentaries, sometimes viewing them as an unreliable guide to interpreting the Vedas and other texts. Moreover, Italian criticisms of the German approach to ancient Indian texts reflected differences in the ideological concerns underpinning the hegemonic discourses between Europe and India. Because of both transnational reception and nation-building concerns, the history of Italian Indological studies represents a unique perspective in the context of European approaches to the subcontinent.
Non-invasive diagnostics of blockage growth in the descending aorta-computational approach
Authors: AL-Rawi Mohammad , AL-Jumaily Ahmed M. , Belkacemi Djelloul
Published: September 2022

Atherosclerosis causes blockages to the main arteries such as the aorta preventing blood flow from delivering oxygen to the organs. Non-invasive diagnosis of these blockages is difficult, particularly in primary healthcare. In this paper, the effect of arterial blockage development and growth is investigated at the descending aorta on some possible non-invasive assessment parameters including the blood pressure waveform, wall shear stress (WSS), time-average WSS (TAWSS) and the oscillation shear index (OSI). Blockage severity growth is introduced in a simulation model as 25%, 35%, 50% and 65% stenosis at the descending aorta based on specific healthy control aorta data clinically obtained. A 3D aorta model with invasive pulsatile waveforms (blood flow and pressure) is used in the CFD simulation. Blockage severity is assessed by using blood pressure measurements at the left subclavian artery. An arterial blockage growth more than 35% of the lumen diameter significantly affects the pressure. A strong correlation is also observed between the ascending aorta pressure values, pressure at the left subclavian artery and the relative residence time (RRT). An increase of RRT downstream from the stenosis indicates a 35% stenosis at the descending aorta which results in high systolic and diastolic pressure readings. The findings of this study could be further extended by transferring the waveform reading from the left subclavian artery to the brachial artery.

Graphical abstract
Quantifying the Carbon Footprint of the Alouette Primary Aluminum Smelter
Authors: Edwards Les , Hunt Maia , Weyell Peter , Nord Julia , Côté Jules , Coulombe Patrick , Morais Nadia
Published: September 2022

The Alouette primary aluminum smelter is the largest in the Americas, with an annual production of ~ 630,000 t of aluminum. In this collaborative study, a detailed product carbon footprint analysis was undertaken by Rain Carbon using a large body of primary emissions data to provide a complete cradle-to-gate analysis of the smelter’s emissions. The total carbon footprint of the smelter in 2019 was 3914 kg CO2e/t of aluminum for scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, and 1835 kg CO2e for scope 1 and 2 emissions. The modeling results were compared to those for global average and Canadian average smelters, using reference datasets developed by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) and GaBi Professional Database. Alouette’s carbon footprint is ~ 76% lower than a world average smelter and ~ 25% lower than a Canadian average smelter. For the scope 3 emissions, the primary contributors to the lower carbon footprint are lower emissions from the alumina supply and the calcined petroleum coke supply. Today, Alouette produces among the lowest carbon aluminum in the world, and this is set to decrease further following a switch from fuel oil to natural gas in the anode baking furnaces, and a switch to LNG at the alumina supplier refinery.
Spectrum of Large and Medium Vessel Vasculitis in Adults: Primary Vasculitides, Arthritides, Connective Tissue, and Fibroinflammatory Diseases
Authors: Seitz Luca , Seitz Pascal , Pop Roxana , Lötscher Fabian
Published: September 2022

Purpose of Review

To provide a comprehensive overview of the spectrum of large and medium vessel vasculitis in adults with primary vasculitides, arthritides, connective tissue, and fibroinflammatory diseases as well as vasculitis mimics, for an efficient differential diagnosis and initial diagnostic approach.

Recent Findings

Imaging has had a tremendous impact on the diagnosis of medium to large vessel vasculitis, now often replacing histopathologic confirmation and identifying new disease manifestations (e.g., intracranial disease in giant cell arteritis; vascular manifestations of IgG4-related disease). Novel diseases or syndromes involving blood vessels have been described (e.g., VEXAS-Syndrome with polychondritis). The use of the terms “medium” or “large” vessel varies considerably between medical specialties.

The differential diagnosis of large and medium vessel vasculitis is becoming increasingly complex as new entities or disease manifestations of known inflammatory rheumatic diseases are regularly identified. A more precise and widely recognized definition of the vessel sizes would make future research more comparable.
On the status of quantum tunnelling time
Authors: Field Grace E.
Published: September 2022

How long does a quantum particle take to traverse a classically forbidden energy barrier? In other words, what is the correct expression for quantum tunnelling time? This seemingly simple question has inspired widespread debate in the physics literature. I argue that we should not expect the orthodox interpretation of quantum mechanics to provide a unique correct expression for quantum tunnelling time, because to do so it would have to provide a unique correct answer to a question whose assumptions are in tension with its core interpretational commitments. I explain how this conclusion connects to time’s special status in quantum mechanics, the meaningfulness of classically inspired concepts in different interpretations of quantum mechanics, the prospect of constructing experimental tests to distinguish between different interpretations, and the status of weak measurement in resolving questions about the histories of subensembles.
Negative Predictive Value of the Rapid Test Ag 2019-nCoV During the Predominance of Omicron over the Delta Variant and Implications in the Emergency Department
Authors: Fyntanidou Barbara , Meletis Georgios , Gkarmiri Sofia , Gkeka Ioanna , Tychala Areti , Skoura Lemonia
Published: September 2022

The high prevalence of asymptomatic patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic peaks and the common occurrence of in-hospital transmission urges the need for SARS-CoV-2 testing before admission of all patients with non-COVID-related symptoms. RT-PCR testing however is costly, time-consuming, and increases the length of stay in the emergency department. For the aforementioned reasons, we propose that the admission of non-suspected COVID-19 patients to the appropriate department should be based on the sole use of the rapid test result. In order to assess the safety of this suggestion, we assessed the negative predictive value of our rapid antigen tests that was calculated at 96.38%. This value was considered acceptable and the proposed strategy was applied in our hospital improving the overall turnaround times. However, since various rapid tests may perform differently, we propose that hospitals assess their own methodologies before implementing our proposal.
Political Actions of Youth Workers
Authors: Kessler Stefanie
Published: September 2022

The ability to act politically is supposedly one of the core competencies of youth workers in Germany. Surprisingly, there is little knowledge about political activities of youth workers in Germany and elsewhere. In this article, I address this research gap by questioning how youth workers act politically. I present findings from the qualitative research project “civic education in youth work” and provide insights into the narrated practices of the interviewed youth workers in their contact with local politics and authorities. Based on a reconstructive interpretation using the documentary method (Bohnsack in Documentary Method. In U. Flick (Ed.), The sage handbook of qualitative analysis (pp. 217–233). Sage, 2014; Nohl in Narrative interview and documentary interpretation. In R. Bohnsack, N. Pfaff, & W. Weller (Eds.), Qualitative Analysis and Documentary Method in International Education Research (pp. 195–217). Barbara Budrich, 2010), I am able to identify three different types of political practices of youth workers and their underlying implicit orientations. There are youth workers who are reluctant to engage politically, who engage only in the face of an immediate threat, or who engage politically as part of their professional role as youth workers.
Impacts of land reclamation projects on hydrodynamics and morphodynamics in the highly altered North Branch of the Changjiang Estuary
Authors: Zhang Qi , Fan Daidu , Feng Tao , Tu Junbiao , Guo Xingjie
Published: September 2022

The estuary is highly dynamic and sensitive to external and internal forcing. We examine a chain reaction of hydrodynamic and morphodynamic responses to a series of land reclamation projects during the period 1997 to 2017 in the North Branch of the Changjiang Estuary through the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) comparison and the numerical simulation by the Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM). The results show that tidal amplification was further strengthened by the artificially reduced channel volume in the middle and upper segments of the North Branch due to the implementation of several large-scale land-reclamation projects in the first stage (1997–2007), and the channel siltation in the middle and upper segments was in turn further promoted by the increased tidal flows with flood dominance. In the second stage (2007–2017), tidal amplification was relaxed by the channel narrowing project at the lower segment and the waterway improvement project through channel dredging works at the middle and upper segments. Contemporary erosion volume was almost balanced by the accretion volume in the North Branch because of the weakening dominance of flood over ebb flows. Spatiotemporal variation in channel accretion and erosion patterns in response to estuarine engineering projects was vividly mirrored by the change of simulated bed shear stress in that the areas with increased (decreased) bed shear stress underwent severe erosion (accretion). These findings highlight again the dynamic feature of tide-dominated estuaries and the importance of simulation tools to the estuarine management.
‘Why is large scale change to health service delivery difficult?: the case of the 2019 NHS Plan’
Authors: Ferlie Ewan
Published: September 2022

This commentary paper reviews issues in the management of large scale or strategic change in health care systems. Such efforts often have limited or even perverse consequences. To make the analysis more concrete, it examines some issues which may arise in the implementation of the 2019 NHS Long Term Plan in the English health system.
The Secular Imaginary
Authors: Nath Sushmita
Published: September 2022

Given the popularity and success of the Hindu-Right in India's electoral politics today, how may one study ostensibly 'Western' concepts and ideas, such as the secular and its family of cognates, like secularism, secularisation and secularity in non-Western societies without assuming them simply as derivative, or colonial legacies or contrast cases of Western societies? While recognizing that the dominant language of political modernity of Western societies is not easily translatable in non-Western societies, The Secular Imaginary elaborates upon an intellectual history of secularity in modern India by focusing on the two most influential political leaders – M.K. Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. It is an intellectual history of both idea(s) and intellectuals, which sheds light on Indian narratives of secularity – the Gandhian sarva dharma samabhava, Nehruvian secularism, and unity in diversity. It revisits this dominant narrative of secularity of the twentieth century that influenced and shaped the imagination of the modern nation-state.
FINDING ITHACA, AND SENSE IN PARMENIDES B1.3: THE HOMERIC MEANING OF ΕΙΔΩΣ
Authors: Newell John F.
Published: September 2022

A close reading of the contexts of several Homeric passages reveals that Homer often uses εἰδώς with ironic force. This realization sheds light on several passages discussed herein, including: 1) Homer's description of the location of Ithaca, which is shown to be Odysseus’ strategic lie that directs the Phaeacians to the local stronghold (nearby Dulichium), and 2) the manuscript reading of Parmenides B1.3, which is shown to harbour no internal conflict even if its εἰδότα φῶτα (‘one who knows’) is in a state of confusion (ἄτῃ), because εἰδότα can signal incomplete or confused knowledge, or even a lack of it. Other literary clues in Parmenides B1 are shown to support this reading.
Dispatches from the Home Front: The Anaglypha Panels in Rome
Authors: Wolfram Thill Elizabeth
Published: September 2022

Discovered in theForum Romanum, the Anaglypha Panels have traditionally been viewed as a monument concerned exclusively with the capital city. A new interpretation presented here argues that instead the panels represent a direct Senatorial response to Hadrianic provincial policy. This response drew on a recent more traditional monument, the Column of Trajan. By employing specific visual references from that military monument, the Anaglypha Panels plastered over the ideological gap left by Hadrian's reliance on peaceful consolidation. Rather than an obsequious paean to the emperor, the Anaglypha Panels can be seen as a Senatorial reminder of their expectations of their emperor, and even a rebuke to the emperor who turned his eyes from Rome.
Palliative and hospice social workers’ moral distress during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Latimer Abigail , Fantus Sophia , Pachner Theresia M. , Benner Kalea , Leff Victoria
Published: September 2022

Objectives

Moral distress is associated with adverse outcomes contributing to health-care professionals’ worsened mental and physical well-being. Medical social workers have been frontline care providers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and those specializing in palliative and hospice care have been particularly affected by the overwhelming numbers of those seriously ill and dying. The main objectives of this study were (1) to assess palliative and hospice social workers’ experiences of moral distress during COVID-19 and (2) to identify and describe participants’ most morally distressing scenarios.

Methods

Using a mixed-methods approach, participants completed an online survey consisting of the Moral Distress Thermometer (MDT) and open-ended text responses.

Results

A total of 120 social work participants responded to the study, and the majority of participants (81.4%) had experienced moral distress with an average MDT score of 6.16. COVID-19 restrictions emerged as the main source of moral distress, and an overlap between the clinical and system levels was observed. Primary sources of moral distress were grounded in strict visitation policies and system-level standards that impacted best practices and personal obligations in navigating both work responsibilities and safety.

Significance

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, palliative and hospice social work participants indicated high levels of moral distress. Qualitative findings from this study promote awareness of the kinds of distressing situations palliative and hospice social workers may experience. This knowledge can have education, practice, and policy implications and supports the need for research to explore this aspect of professional social work.
Long-term psychological profile of general population following COVID-19 outbreak: symptom trajectories and evolution of psychopathological network
Authors: Lu Zheng-An , Shi Le , Que Jian-Yu , Zheng Yong-Bo , Wang Qian-Wen , Liu Wei-Jian , Huang Yue-Tong , Shi Jie , Bao Yan-Ping , Lu Lin
Published: September 2022

Aims

COVID-19 has long-term impacts on public mental health, while few research studies incorporate multidimensional methods to thoroughly characterise the psychological profile of general population and little detailed guidance exists for mental health management during the pandemic. This research aims to capture long-term psychological profile of general population following COVID-19 by integrating trajectory modelling approaches, latent trajectory pattern identification and network analyses.

Methods

Longitudinal data were collected from a nationwide sample of 18 804 adults in 12 months after COVID-19 outbreak in China. Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 and Insomnia Severity Index were used to measure depression, anxiety and insomnia, respectively. The unconditional and conditional latent growth curve models were fitted to investigate trajectories and long-term predictors for psychological symptoms. We employed latent growth mixture model to identify the major psychological symptom trajectory patterns, and ran sparse Gaussian graphical models with graphical lasso to explore the evolution of psychopathological network.

Results

At 12 months after COVID-19 outbreak, psychological symptoms generally alleviated, and five psychological symptom trajectories with different demographics were identified: normal stable (63.4%), mild stable (15.3%), mild-increase to decrease (11.7%), mild-decrease to increase (4.0%) and moderate/severe stable (5.5%). The finding indicated that there were still about 5% individuals showing consistently severe distress and approximately 16% following fluctuating psychological trajectories, who should be continuously monitored. For individuals with persistently severe trajectories and those with fluctuating trajectories, central or bridge symptoms in the network were mainly ‘motor abnormality’ and ‘sad mood’, respectively. Compared with initial peak and late COVID-19 phase, aftermath of initial peak might be a psychologically vulnerable period with highest network connectivity. The central and bridge symptoms for aftermath of initial peak (‘appetite change’ and ‘trouble of relaxing’) were totally different from those at other pandemic phases (‘sad mood’).

Conclusions

This research identified the overall growing trend, long-term predictors, trajectory classes and evolutionary pattern of psychopathological network of psychological symptoms in 12 months after COVID-19 outbreak. It provides a multidimensional long-term psychological profile of the general population after COVID-19 outbreak, and accentuates the essentiality of continuous psychological monitoring, as well as population- and time-specific psychological management after COVID-19. We believe our findings can offer reference for long-term psychological management after pandemics.
Equilibrated Gas and Carbonate Standard‐Derived Dual (Δ47 and Δ48) Clumped Isotope Values
Authors: Lucarelli Jamie K. , Carroll Hannah M. , Ulrich Robert N. , Elliott Ben M. , Coplen Tyler B. , Eagle Robert A. , Tripati Aradhna
Published: September 2022

Carbonate clumped isotope geochemistry has primarily focused on mass spectrometric determination of m/z 47 CO2 for geothermometry, but theoretical calculations and recent experiments indicate paired analysis of the m/z 47 (13C18O16O) and m/z 48 (12C18O18O) isotopologues (referred to as Δ47 and Δ48) can be used to study non‐equilibrium isotope fractionations and refine temperature estimates. We utilize 5,448 Δ47 and 3,400 Δ48 replicate measurements of carbonate samples and standards, and 183 Δ47 and 195 Δ48 replicate measurements of gas standards from 2015 to 2021 from a multi‐year and multi‐instrument data set to constrain Δ47 and Δ48 values for 27 samples and standards, including Devils Hole cave calcite, and study equilibrium Δ47‐Δ48, Δ47‐temperature, and Δ48‐temperature relationships. We compare results to previously published findings and calculate equilibrium regressions based on data from multiple laboratories. We report acid digestion fractionation factors, Δ*63‐47 and Δ*64‐48, and account for their dependence on the initial clumped isotope values of the mineral.