bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Warrior candidates: Do voters value combat experience in postwar elections?
Authors: Glaurdić Josip , Lesschaeve Christophe
Published: September 2021

Electoral competition in postwar societies is often dominated by war veterans. The question whether voters actually reward candidates’ records of war service, however, remains open. We answer it using a unique dataset with detailed information on the records of combat service of nearly four thousand candidates in two cycles of parliamentary elections held under proportional representation rules with preferential voting in Croatia. Our analysis shows war veterans’ electoral performance to be conditional on the voters’ communities’ exposure to war violence: combat veterans receive a sizeable electoral bonus in areas whose populations were more exposed to war violence, but are penalized in areas whose populations avoided destruction. This divergence is particularly pronounced for candidates of nationalist rightwing parties, demonstrating the importance of the interaction between lived war experiences and political ideology in postwar societies.
Perceived Causal Problem Networks: Reliability, Central Problems, and Clinical Utility for Depression
Authors: Klintwall Lars , Bellander Martin , Cervin Matti
Published: September 2021

Personalized case conceptualization is often regarded as a prerequisite for treatment success in psychotherapy for patients with comorbidity. This article presents Perceived Causal Networks, a novel method in which patients rate perceived causal relations among behavioral and emotional problems. First, 231 respondents screening positive for depression completed an online Perceived Causal Networks questionnaire. Median completion time (including repeat items to assess immediate test–retest reliability) was 22.7 minutes, and centrality measures showed excellent immediate test–retest reliability. Networks were highly idiosyncratic, but worrying and ruminating were the most central items for a third of respondents. Second, 50 psychotherapists rated the clinical utility of Perceived Causal Networks visualizations. Ninety-six percent rated the networks as clinically useful, and the information in the individual visualizations was judged to contain 47% of the information typically collected during a psychotherapy assessment phase. Future studies should individualize networks further and evaluate the validity of perceived causal relations.
An enhanced hybrid piezoelectric–electromagnetic energy harvester using dual-mass system for vortex-induced vibrations
Authors: Muthalif Asan GA , Hafizh Muhammad , Renno Jamil , Paurobally Mohammad R
Published: September 2021

This article proposes a novel hybrid piezoelectric–electromagnetic vortex-induced vibration energy harvester from flow of water inside of a pipe. The piezoelectric energy harvester was modeled with a macro-fiber composite P2-type while the electromechanical transduction was modeled by an elastic magnet coupled to the bluff body movement. A dual-mass configuration was proposed to increase the energy harvesting efficiency. Theoretical models and the submerged natural frequencies of the hybrid energy harvesters were outlined. Computational fluid dynamics and finite element analysis with ANSYS were used to visualize the response in synchronization and output the voltage extracted from the harvesting mechanisms. The addition of a secondary system improves the amount of harvestable energy and outputs more energy than just a single system. This demonstrates the superiority of a dual-mass hybrid system. A tuned secondary beam was used for L-body configurations to make use of inline oscillations, and the secondary piezoelectric output improved for all configurations. Secondary beam tuning also improved the performance of the harvester by any amount between 21% and 52% when compared against a single-mass hybrid energy harvester. A comparative study showed that the L-vertical and vertical bluff-body-tuned was the best performing hybrid-PE energy harvester based on total voltage output.
Neurotransmitter Precursor Amino Acid Ratios Show Differential, Inverse Correlations with Depression Severity in the Low and High Depression Score Range
Authors: Hüfner Katharina , Giesinger Johannes M , Gostner Johanna M , Egeter Jonas , Koudouovoh-Tripp Pia , Vill Theresa , Fuchs Dietmar , Sperner-Unterweger Barbara
Published: September 2021

The immunomodulatory capacity of mental stress is one of the basic concepts of psychoneuroimmunology. The current prospective longitudinal study was designed to evaluate the effect of acute mental stress on neurotransmitter precursor amino acid levels in individuals with depression at 2 time points. Ten physically healthy patients with a diagnosis of major depressive episode and Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale scores (MADRAS) ⩾20 points at inclusion were assessed on 2 study days (once with higher MADRAS scores, once with lower MADRAS scores; median 34.5 days apart) and subjected to a standardized acute mental stress test on each study day. Blood was collected at 4 time points: once prior to and at 3 time points (0, 30 minutes, 60 minutes) following mental stress. Neurotransmitter precursor amino acid levels, that is kynurenine/tryptophan (KYN/TRP) and phenylalanine/tyrosine (PHE/TYR), as well as neopterin and nitrite were analyzed in a total of 80 individual blood samples. Regression and correlation analyses were performed. Regression analyses of PHE/TYR ( R2 = .547) and KYN/TRP ( R2 = .440) in relation to MADRAS depression severity showed a quadratic curve fit. This was reflected by a negative linear correlation between MADRAS scores and PHE/TYR as well as KYN/TRP in the lower score range ( r = −.805, P < .001 and r = −.586, P < .001 respectively) and a positive correlation in the higher MADRAS score range ( r = .713, P < .001 and r = .379, P = .016 respectively). No effect of acute mental stress was found. This analysis exemplifies the implications of sampling as well as data distributions on results. The crosstalk of biological mechanisms that orchestrate metabolic and immunological signaling may vary depending on depression severity resulting in non-linear associations that may explain the heterogeneity of results found in the literature.
Direct public funding of political parties: Between proxy measures and hard data
Authors: Lipcean Sergiu
Published: September 2021

This article presents an original dataset of direct public funding (DPF) of political parties across 27 post-communist regimes from the outset of transition until 2020. It represents the first systematic, and detailed account of the actual level of DPF provided to parties outside established democracies in terms of geographical and temporal coverage. The dataset has a panel format and includes information on DPF per registered voter and cast ballot separately and in aggregate for more than 800 country-year observations and more than 200 election campaigns. The analysis unveils substantial cross-national and within-country variation in the level of DPF, as well as between statutory and election financing. Despite an increasing reliance of political parties on the state, no pattern exists regarding the dynamics of access and distribution rules. It also highlights the limitations and risks entailed by the extensive use of various proxies such as dichotomous indicators, composite regulatory indexes, or perception-based measures that do not capture cross-national and within-country variation either in DPF or other dimensions of political financing regime.
Media addictions as Apparatgeist: What discourse on TV and smartphone addiction reveals about society
Authors: Vanden Abeele Mariek MP , Mohr Victoria
Published: September 2021

Disconnection presents itself as a modern answer to problems of media addiction and overuse. But, is it really novel? Through a thematic analysis of Dutch and American newspaper articles spanning several decades, this study examines public news discourses on TV and smartphone addiction and their imagined solutions. The analysis reveals Apparatgeist: While there are parallels stemming from similar affordances, the discourse surrounding each affliction and its treatment is also unique to its time. While TV addiction discourse alludes to the loss of traditional values, smartphone addiction discourse emphasizes self-governance. Disconnection is framed as a solution but is imbued with moral imperatives regarding the necessity of self-discipline and productive time. Overall, smartphone addiction discourse points toward being “present” and “in touch with one’s authentic Self” as states that are morally valuable and time-worthy, but under stress in contemporary society.
Parlez-vous francais? Effects of structure-based versus dynamic-usage-based approaches on oral proficiency
Authors: Rousse-Malpat Audrey , Koote Lise , Steinkrauss Rasmus , Verspoor Marjolijn
Published: September 2021

We investigated the effectiveness of two different teaching methods based on two different theoretical views of how languages are learned in oral proficiency after three years of L2 French instruction. The first method is commonly used in the Netherlands and is in line with structure-based (SB) principles, viewing language as a set of grammar rules that need to be explained to achieve accuracy, usually in the L1. The second method aligns with dynamic-usage-based (DUB) principles in that language is viewed as a set of conventionalized routines that are learned through frequent exposure and the L2 is spoken exclusively in class. In a large study (Rousse-Malpat et al., 2019), the DUB method proved more effective, but the effects of method and L2 exposure could not be separated as the amount of L2 exposure is a crucial difference between the methods. However, one SB teacher spoke French almost exclusively, comparable to what happens in a DUB classroom. In this study, we compared this SB group with a DUB group matching in scholastic aptitude. The free oral L2 French production of 41 Dutch participants was measured in terms of holistic and analytical scores. The DUB method was more effective in terms of general proficiency, fluency, grammatical complexity, accuracy of the present tense, and overall L2 use. Our findings suggest that a teaching method in line with DUB principles is more beneficial in achieving overall oral proficiency and explicit grammar is not needed to achieve accuracy.
Measuring coordinated versus spontaneous activity in online social movements
Authors: Francois Camille , Barash Vladimir , Kelly John
Published: September 2021

Social media platforms provide people all over the world with an unprecedented ability to organize around social and political causes. However, these same platforms enable organized actors to engineer fabricated social movements to advance their agenda. Such movements leverage a variety of tools and techniques, ranging from simple spam operations to sophisticated efforts involving numerous orchestrated accounts coordinated across linguistic and cultural clusters. While the former category is straightforward to analyze via data mining methods, campaigns in the latter category are engineered to mask their true nature from the public. We build on existing work to formalize a framework to detect coordination phenomena in the second category, based on anomalies in three key dimensions of participant behavior: network, temporal, and semantic. We test this framework on three case studies and find that, in all three cases, the framework enables us to detect coordination as behavioral anomaly.
Random effect models for multivariate mixed data: A Parafac-based finite mixture approach
Authors: Alfò Marco , Giordani Paolo
Published: September 2021

We discuss a flexible regression model for multivariate mixed responses. Dependence between outcomes is introduced via the joint distribution of discrete outcome- and individual-specific random effects that represent potential unobserved heterogeneity in each outcome profile. A different number of locations can be used for each margin, and the association structure is described by a tensor that can be further simplified by using the Parafac model. A case study illustrates the proposal.
Colombian people's positions regarding physician-assisted suicide
Authors: Pineda Marín Claudia , Franco Sierra Lina , Clay Sorum Paul , Mullet Etienne
Published: September 2021

The views on the acceptability of physician-assisted suicide of lay people in a Latin American country, Colombia, have been examined. In July 2019–January 2020, 134 lay people in Bogota judged the acceptability of physician-assisted suicide in 48 realistic scenarios composed of all combinations of four factors: (a) the patient's age, (b) the level of incurability of the illness, (c) the type of suffering, and (d) the patient's request for physician-assisted suicide. In all scenarios, the patients were women receiving the best possible care. The ratings were subjected to cluster analysis and analyses of variance. Three qualitatively different positions were found: Never Acceptable (13% of the sample), Depends on the Patient's Request (77%), and Always Acceptable (10%). The only important factor in increasing acceptability among people not systematically opposed was the patient's request to have her life ended. The young age of some patients did not affect participants’ positions. These empirical findings suggest that most Colombian lay people are not categorically for or against physician-assisted suicide, but judge its degree of acceptability as a function of patients’ requests and other circumstances.
Challenges and opportunities for culturally responsive leadership in schools: Evidence from Four European countries
Authors: Brown Martin , Altrichter Herbert , Shiyan Igor , Rodríguez Conde María José , McNamara Gerry , Herzog-Punzenberger Barbara , Vorobyeva Irina , Vangrando Valentina , Gardezi Sarah , O’Hara Joe , Postlbauer Alexandra , Milyaeva Daria , Sergeevna Natalia , Fulterer Sieglinde , García Adriana Gamazo , Sánchez Lourdes
Published: September 2021

Whether voluntary or enforced, increasing patterns of migration have significantly impacted schools by making them linguistically, culturally, religiously and ethnically more diverse than ever before. This increasing diversity requires school leaders to put in place mechanisms to ensure equity of participation for migration background students. Dimmock and Walker (2005) believe that school leaders need to play a vital role in promoting and sustaining an environment that embraces diversity and, by association, contributes to solving the macro problems of society. To accomplish this emerging role, there is a need for ‘new approaches to educational leadership in which leaders exhibit culturally responsive organisational practices, behaviours and competencies’ (Madhlangobe and Gordon, 2012: p. 177). This is all well and good in theory, but the current and historical context in which school leaders operate, together with the training and supports that are provided, influences, to a significant extent, how culturally responsive leadership can operate in practice. This study, which is part of a European Commission Erasmus+ funded project entitled Supporting Culturally Responsive Leadership and Evaluation in Schools (CReLES), examines these assumptions by mapping out the factors and actors that can hinder and facilitate the flourishing of such practices in four European countries, Austria, Ireland, Russia and Spain.
Barriers to nutritional pregnancy preparation and support needs in women and men: Qualitative study based on the Theoretical Domains Framework
Authors: Quayyum Fareeha , Dombrowski Stephan U
Published: September 2021

Purpose:

Eating behaviours prior to conception may impact the health of the offspring at birth and throughout life. Women and men of childbearing age often follow a nutritionally poor preconception diet. Nutritional support before pregnancy has the potential to improve the health of future offspring. This study examined barriers to nutritional preparation for pregnancy and perceived support needs of women and men of childbearing age.

Design:

Qualitative interviews based on the Theoretical Domains Framework.

Setting:

Online.

Participants:

Eligible individuals were (1) New Brunswick residents (all genders), (2) over 19 years old, and (3) intended to have offspring in the future.

Methods:

Interviews were conducted via online instant messenger and analysed thematically.

Results:

Interviews of participants (n = 19, age = 19–23 years, 14 women, 5 men) gave rise to five key theoretical domains: lack of knowledge; lack of beliefs about capabilities; suboptimal environmental context and resources; unfavourable social influences; and restrictive social roles. Suggestions to address pregnancy preparation support needs included healthcare professional consultations; accessible and credible references; increasing access to healthy food; proactive engagement; and gender-specific support.

Conclusion:

Women and men called for various types of preconception support to address identified barriers, ranging from healthcare professional advice and credible informational resources to broader interventions such as making healthy food more affordable and normalizing discussion of preconception health throughout the life course.
Service-learning effects on student civic engagement and community - A case study from India
Authors: Zahedi Siamack , Jaffer Rhea , Bryant Camille L , Bada Kala
Published: September 2021

The development of student civic engagement has featured in Indian educational policies for decades as a critical goal of schooling. However, the narrowness of the prescribed K-12 curricula, and the intense focus on competitive exams, do not support such an outcome. To overcome this problem, ABC School in India decided to pilot service-learning in its middle-school classroom. The idea was to assess the effects of such a program on students and the community’s welfare. Analysis of data from surveys, focus groups, and interviews showed that the service-learning project might have supported increased civic engagement in some students while also enhancing the welfare of the community served. No prior peer-reviewed empirical studies have been published on the nature and effects of service-learning at schools in India.
Biomarker evaluation in radically resectable locally advanced gastric cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy: an evidence reappraisal
Authors: Gervaso Lorenzo , Pellicori Stefania , Cella Chiara A. , Bagnardi Vincenzo , Lordick Florian , Fazio Nicola
Published: September 2021

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) significantly improved the prognosis of patients with locally advanced resectable gastric cancer but, despite important progresses, relapse-related death remains a major challenge. Therefore, it appears crucial to understand which patients will benefit from peri-operative treatment. Biomarkers such as human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2), microsatellite instability (MSI), and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) have been widely studied; however, they do not yet guide the choice of perioperative treatment in clinical practice. We performed a narrative review, including 23 studies, addressing the value of tissue- or blood-based biomarkers in the neoadjuvant setting. Ten studies (43.5%) were prospective, and more than half were conducted in East-Asia. Biomarkers were evaluated only post-NAC (on surgical samples or blood) in seven studies (30.4%), only pre-NAC (on endoscopic specimens or blood) in 10 studies (43.5%), and both pre- and post-NAC (26.1%) in six studies. Among the high variety of investigated biomarkers, some of these including MSI-H or enzymatic profile (as TS, UGT1A1, MTHFR, ERCC or XRCC) showed promising results and deserve to be assessed in methodologically sound clinical trials. The identification of molecular biomarkers in patients treated with NAC for locally advanced resectable gastric or EGJ cancer remains crucial.
A Review of Digital Innovations for Diet Monitoring and Precision Nutrition
Authors: Mortazavi Bobak J. , Gutierrez-Osuna Ricardo
Published: September 2021

This article provides an up-to-date review of technological advances in 3 key areas related to diet monitoring and precision nutrition. First, we review developments in mobile applications, with a focus on food photography and artificial intelligence to facilitate the process of diet monitoring. Second, we review advances in 2 types of wearable and handheld sensors that can potentially be used to fully automate certain aspects of diet logging: physical sensors to detect moments of dietary intake, and chemical sensors to estimate the composition of diets and meals. Finally, we review new programs that can generate personalized/precision nutrition recommendations based on measurements of gut microbiota and continuous glucose monitors with artificial intelligence. The article concludes with a discussion of potential pitfalls of some of these technologies.
You Can’t Measure That…Can You? How a Catholic Seminary Approaches the Question of Measuring Growth in Human and Spiritual Formation
Authors: Hoesing Paul , Hogan Ed
Published: September 2021

The question of measuring growth in human and spiritual formation in Catholic seminaries has a history. In this article, we walk through three recent stages of that history to illuminate the potential of current approaches and clarify what still remains to be done.
Ecumenical and Traditioned Measurement: Measuring Christian Maturation Across Distinct Traditions of Christian Spirituality
Authors: Porter Steven L. , Wang David C. , Abernethy Alexis , Strout Shawn , Dillard William , Yong Amos , van Vlastuin Willem
Published: September 2021

The aim of this article is to explore some of the challenges of measuring Christian spiritual development across distinct traditions of Christian spirituality. This presses into questions of what might be universal and what might be particular when it comes to Christian spirituality in how it is understood and practiced. We address the feasibility of a general, ecumenical measure by hearing from representative voices of five traditions of Christian spirituality: African American spirituality, Anglican spirituality, Benedictine spirituality, Pentecostal spirituality, and Reformed spirituality. After noting some of the distinctives of these traditions, we conclude with four strategies for navigating the unity and diversity of Christian spirituality in conceptualizing and measuring Christian formation.
Reprogrammed Synovial Fluid-Derived Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells Acquire Enhanced Therapeutic Potential for Articular Cartilage Repair
Authors: Walczak Brian E. , Jiao Hongli , Lee Ming-Song , Li Wan-Ju
Published: September 2021

Objectives

Functions of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are affected by patient-dependent factors such as age and health condition. To tackle this problem, we used the cellular reprogramming technique to epigenetically alter human MSCs derived from the synovial fluid of joints with osteoarthritis (OA) to explore the potential of reprogrammed MSCs for repairing articular cartilage.

Materials and Methods

MSCs isolated from the synovial fluid of three patients’ OA knees (Pa-MSCs) were reprogrammed through overexpression of pluripotency factors and then induced for differentiation to establish reprogrammed MSC (Re-MSC) lines. We compared the in vitro growth characteristics, chondrogenesis for articular cartilage chondrocytes, and immunomodulatory capacity. We also evaluated the capability of Re-MSCs to repair articular cartilage damage in an animal model with spontaneous OA.

Results

Our results showed that Re-MSCs increased the in vitro proliferative capacity and improved chondrogenic differentiation toward articular cartilage-like chondrocyte phenotypes with increased THBS4 and SIX1 and decreased ALPL and COL10A1, compared to Pa-MSCs. In addition, Re-MSC-derived chondrocytes expressing elevated COL2A and COL2B were more mature than parental cell-derived ones. The enhancement in chondrogenesis of Re-MSC involves the upregulation of sonic hedgehog signaling. Moreover, Re-MSCs improved the repair of articular cartilage in an animal model of spontaneous OA.

Conclusions

Epigenetic reprogramming promotes MSCs harvested from OA patients to increase phenotypic characteristics and gain robust functions. In addition, Re-MSCs acquire an enhanced potential for articular cartilage repair. Our study here demonstrates that the reprogramming strategy provides a potential solution to the challenge of variation in MSC quality.
Lay Beliefs About Who Can Bridge the Black–White Racial Gap During Interracial Exchanges
Authors: Wilton Leigh S. , Rattan Aneeta , Abrams Samantha , Genao-Perez Yedili
Published: September 2021

For group discussions about fraught racial topics between Black and White Americans to be beneficial, conversation participants must view the person who facilitates as effective at communicating both the perspectives of Black and White Americans. We identify a biracial advantage in this domain. In three studies (total N = 710), we tested how a facilitator’s race affects their perceived effectiveness in communicating with both Black and White Americans. Both Black and White participants expected Black and White monoracial facilitators to more effectively engage with racial in-group than racial out-group members. However, they expected biracial facilitators to be equally effective in communicating with both Black and White groups. Both Black and White participants also expected biracial facilitators to use productive learning strategies (perspective taking, showing empathy) more than White facilitators, and either more than or equally to Black facilitators, suggesting one reason why people expect biracial facilitators to perform well in these moments.
Eating habits and mental health among rugby players of the Peruvian pre-selection during the second quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Davila-Torres Diego M , Vilcas-Solís Gabriela E , Rodríguez-Vásquez Mery , Calizaya-Milla Yaquelin E , Saintila Jacksaint
Published: September 2021

Objectives:

Social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the mental health and diet of populations.

Aim:

The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the eating habits and mental health status of the rugby players of the Peruvian pre-selection were affected by the second quarantine of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was carried out through a pre-structured online survey in 74 players, 42 men (56.8%) and 32 women (43.2%). The mean age was 20.5 ± 4.4 years. Participants completed a validated food frequency questionnaire and depression, anxiety, and stress scale-21 (DASS-21).

Results:

58.1% of the respondents reported that their dietary intake remained the same or increased. 58.3% of the players experienced anxiety, among which 26.4% reported moderate and severe symptoms. A greater proportion of participants <20 years old reported depression compared to those ⩾20 years (68.6% vs 31.4%, p = 0.010). Those who reported inadequate food intake were more likely to report depressive symptoms ( p = 0.006).

Conclusion:

These findings reaffirm the need to implement programs of psychological support and nutritional counseling among athletes to reduce negative symptoms and better face mental health and dietary challenges in these times of crisis.
The 13-year bleed: Exuberant amyloid angiopathies, angiodysplasias, and acquired coagulopathies of the gut
Authors: Simms Larnelle N , Suarez Laura Suzanne K , Deeb Khaled , Proenza Jose
Published: September 2021

Amyloidosis is a disorder characterized by extracellular deposits of proteins that are prone to aggregate and form insoluble fibrils. Amyloid deposits limited to a single organ or tissue without the involvement of any other site in the body is uncommon. We report a 75-year-old man with previously treated non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma who presented with recurrent gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Histopathology showed amyloid deposition within vascular malformations. His bleeding continued with the cause rooted in the fundamental building blocks—clotting factors. We discuss the interplay of the pathophysiology of lymphoma, amyloidosis, and factor X deficiency in a patient with preexisting angiodysplasias leading to refractory gastrointestinal bleeding. To our knowledge, there are only 3 reported cases of concomitant amyloidosis and angiodysplasia in the colon, and none involving the small bowel.
Spongiform leukoencephalopathy: A unique case of biopsy confirmed leukoencephalopathy secondary to toxic, non-inflammatory exposure
Authors: Zemina Kristen , Piña Yolanda , Malafronte Patrick , Suresh Niraja , Hurst Rebeca
Published: September 2021

Toxin-induced leukoencephalopathy is a rare neurological condition that has been previously associated with intracranial radiation, chemotherapy, drugs of abuse, and environmental exposures. Herein, we present a patient with brain-biopsy proven toxin-induced leukoencephalopathy, likely secondary to multiple environmental offenders including insecticides and non-Food and Drug Administration approved anabolic steroids, opioids, and benzodiazepines. A 60-year-old man presented to our service as a direct transfer from an outside facility for evaluation of a rapidly progressive neuropsychiatric decline. Extensive workup with blood work, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, paraneoplastic panel, serial magnetic resonance imaging brain with and without contrast, and electroencephalograms were unrevealing. Magnetic resonance imaging brain showed diffuse confluent white matter disease, which was non-specific. The patient was treated with high-dose methylprednisolone and trials of intravenous immunoglobulin without any significant improvement. Finally, a brain biopsy was performed, and pathology confirmed a spongiform leukoencephalopathy, favoring a toxin-related etiology. The diagnosis of toxin-induced leukoencephalopathy should be considered in patients with steep neuropsychiatric decline and associated diffuse white matter disease. Diagnosis relies heavily on history of exposure, clinical presentation, imaging findings, and ultimately, histopathology from brain biopsy. The recognition of the clinical presentation is important to pursue the appropriate diagnostic workup and treatment.
Obturator internus and externus muscle abscess caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a 6-year-old boy: A case report
Authors: De Silva Mawanane Hewa Aruna Devapriya , Liyanage Janath , Kulatunge Chanika Roshini , Dhanawardana Bangirallage
Published: September 2021

Obturator abscess is a rare condition in children which usually occurs commonly in tropical countries. Because of its rarity, vague symptomatology and a lack of focus about this condition, the diagnosis of obturator abscess is commonly delayed or missed. Hence, physicians should be familiar with this condition and have a high index of suspicion when a patient presents with fever, pain in the thigh, hip or abdomen and a limp on the affected side which are considered as the classic clinical triad of obturator abscess. Herein, we present a 6-year-old previously healthy Russian boy who was on holiday in Sri Lanka. He presented on the third day of the fever associated with pain in the right thigh and abdomen. This is the first reported case of an obturator externus muscle abscess due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a European boy visiting a tropical country.
Implications of Facebook Engagement Types and Feed’s Social Content for Self-Esteem via Social Comparison Processes
Authors: Triệu Penny , Ellison Nicole B. , Schoenebeck Sarita Y. , Brewer Robin N.
Published: September 2021

Self-esteem, generally understood as subjective appraisal of one’s social worth and qualities, is related to how people use social media and the gratifications derived from their use—processes driven in part by social comparison. Two major components of the social media experience drive social comparison processes: (1) what content people engage with (feeds content) and (2) how they engage with such content (engagement type). We conducted an eye-tracking study ( N = 38), to measure viewing time spent on individual Facebook posts and paired this measurement with clicking behaviors. We found that spending more time looking at posts and clicking on more of them was associated with lower self-esteem for people with more social content on their feeds. We discuss the importance of examining browsing behaviors as a combination of viewing time, clicking, and feed’s content—especially given its potential impact on well-being outcomes such as self-esteem via social comparison processes.
Ultrasound as a problem solver to diagnose pneumomediastinum in an infant
Authors: Klavžar Polona , Plut Domen
Published: September 2021

Pneumomediastinum is a relatively rare and usually a self-limiting condition in infants. However, it can lead to tension pneumomediastinum or pneumothorax, which may rapidly become life-threatening. Therefore, its timely and accurate detection is important and close follow-up to resolution is needed. Ultrasound can be used as a real-time problem solver to accurately diagnose pneumomediastinum in an infant and should be encouraged as a radiation-free adjunct imaging modality when radiography cannot provide a definite diagnosis. We present a case of a 13-month-old preterm girl with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and acute respiratory infection who presented with sudden respiratory failure due to spontaneous pneumomediastinum. Pneumomediastinum was eventually diagnosed with ultrasound, after chest radiography performed during the on-call hours was misinterpreted because not all typical radiographic signs of pneumomediastinum were present.
A Phenomenological Study of COVID-19’s Impact on U.S. Nursing Personnel
Authors: Patton Cheryl M.
Published: September 2021

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed the New York City area upon its arrival in the United States. Hospitals were unprepared to handle the influx of patients.

Methods

This study explored nurse/nurse practitioner experiences when caring for COVID-19 patients in New York metropolitan hospitals, concentrating on physical well-being. Data collection involved in-depth interviews with eight participants.

Findings

(A) physical safety of self, family members, colleagues, and patients greatly concerned participants; (B) caring for COVID-19 patients led to participants’ physical exhaustion; and (C) most participants’ sleep was impacted when caring for COVID-19 patients.

Conclusions

This study identified issues involving U.S. health care workplace safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, namely availability of personal protective equipment, lack of centralized knowledge-sharing capabilities, sleep problems, anxiety regarding physical safety of self and others, and insufficient/undertrained staffing. It serves as a foundation for future research and calls for changes in U.S. hospital policies and procedures during crises.
Evidence on Resilient Initial Response to COVID-19 Pandemic Among Youth: Findings From the Prospective Study of Mental Health in Two European Countries
Authors: Truskauskaite-Kuneviciene Inga , Brailovskaia Julia , Margraf Jürgen , Kazlauskas Evaldas
Published: September 2021

The current two-wave longitudinal study aimed to investigate changes in stress, anxiety, depression, and positive mental health (PMH) during the first COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in the sample of emerging adults. Data were collected before the COVID-19 and within the first month of the outbreak. The study sample consisted of 775 university students from Lithuania ( n = 450, Mage( SDage) = 19.45 (0.93), 79.3% female) and Germany ( n = 325, Mage( SDage) = 23.08 (2.94), 78.2% female). The results of multivariate Latent Change Analysis revealed that Lithuanian and German emerging adults demonstrated a decrease in stress and anxiety at the COVID-19 outbreak. Lithuanians also showed a decrease in depressive symptoms and an increase in PMH. Three groups with different change patterns were identified: resilient (82%) demonstrating positive changes, high-symptom (8%) with stable high rates of stress and depression and stable low rates of PMH, and vulnerable (10%) with an increase in depressive symptoms as well as a decrease in PMH over time.
Comparison of a Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection and a Conventional Steroid Injection for Pain Relief and Functional Improvement of Partial Supraspinatus Tears
Authors: Thepsoparn Marvin , Thanphraisan Phark , Tanpowpong Thanathep , Itthipanichpong Thun
Published: September 2021

Background:

Partial supraspinatus tendon tears have frequently been treated using a subacromial corticosteroid injection or surgery. The clinical use of a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection is an alternative treatment method for the condition, despite the paucity of evidence of its efficacy.

Purpose:

To compare pain relief, functional improvement, and complications after an intratendinous PRP injection versus a subacromial corticosteroid injection for partial supraspinatus tears.

Study Design:

Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods:

A total of 32 patients with partial supraspinatus tears were randomly assigned to receive a leukocyte-poor PRP (LP-PRP) injection or a corticosteroid injection. One patient withdrew from the PRP group, leaving 15 patients in the PRP group and 16 patients in the corticosteroid group. The ultrasound-guided procedures were performed by a single experienced pain physician. Pain relief and functional improvement were evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS), respectively. Treatment efficacy and complications were documented, and the 2 groups were compared at 1- and 6-month follow-up.

Results:

There were no differences in VAS and OSS scores between the PRP and corticosteroid groups at 1-month follow-up. However, the PRP group had better scores than the corticosteroid group had on both the VAS and OSS at 6-month follow-up (VAS: 14.5 ± 15.4 vs 37.5 ± 24.9, respectively; OSS: 16.2 ± 3.9 vs 25.0 ± 10.2, respectively; P < .01 for both). Both groups showed significant improvement in VAS and OSS scores from before treatment to 1-month follow-up (mean difference, 35.67 and 11.47 points, respectively, for the PRP group; mean difference, 29.69 and 11.13 points, respectively, for the corticosteroid group; P < .01 for all). The VAS and OSS scores did not change significantly at 6-month follow-up in the corticosteroid group; however, the PRP group showed continued improvement in both VAS and OSS scores between 1- and 6-month follow-up (mean difference, 15.87 and 7.40 points, respectively; P < .01 for both). There were no complications in either group.

Conclusion:

An injection using either a corticosteroid or LP-PRP resulted in a similar reduction in pain and improvement in function at 1 month in patients with a partial supraspinatus tear. However, PRP showed superior benefits over the corticosteroid at 6-month follow-up.
Impact of the Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten Program on Children’s Literacy, Language, and Mathematics Skills: Results From a Regression-Discontinuity Design
Authors: Pion Georgine M. , Lipsey Mark W.
Published: September 2021

The Tennessee Voluntary Pre-K Program (TN-VPK) is statewide full-day program that gives priority to children from low-income families. A regression-discontinuity design with a statewide probability sample of 155 TN-VPK classrooms and 5,189 children participating across two pre-K cohorts found positive effects at kindergarten entry with the largest effects for literacy skills and the smallest for language skills. The results contribute to the growing body of regression-discontinuity studies of state and local pre-K programs and affirm the statewide generalizability of analogous prior findings from a more specialized subsample in the parent Tennessee Pre-K Study. Furthermore, the respective effect sizes compared favorably with those found in other regression-discontinuity studies of public pre-K on the same outcome measures, providing one index of the quality of the TN-VPK program.
Anterior Closing Wedge Proximal Tibial Osteotomy and Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Quadriceps Tendon Autograft
Authors: Geers Katie , Ormseth Benjamin , Garrone Andrew , Siston Robert , Duerr Robert A.
Published: September 2021

Background:

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures are among the most common injuries in young athletes and active adults. Reconstruction of the ACL most often leads to good functional outcomes and return to full activities. However, a number of patients experience ACL graft failures requiring revision surgery. The reasons for ACL graft failure are often multifactorial, though recent attention has been given to elevated posterior tibial slope (PTS) as a risk factor for recurrent ACL injuries.

Indications:

In patients with 2 or more ACL reconstruction failures with a PTS ≥12 degrees, anterior closing wedge proximal tibia osteotomy (ACWPTO) may be indicated to reduce the risk of recurrent ACL graft failure and allow return to full activities.

Technique Description:

This surgical technique video demonstrates the ACWPTO using a case example in a young athlete. Preoperative templating on lateral radiograph is used to determine the amount of correction for the closing wedge. The osteotomy is completed using K-wires and a free hand biplanar cutting technique with the tibial tubercle left in place. This is performed with a concomitant revision ACL reconstruction using quadriceps tendon autograft.

Results:

There are 2 small cases series published with good clinical outcomes and return to sport activities. No ACL graft failures were reported in either study with short-term follow-up.

Discussion:

In this surgical technique video, we review the literature indicating elevated PTS as a risk factor in ACL injuries and recurrent ACL graft failures. We highlight important technique pearls and pitfalls to avoid complications during the surgical demonstration. Finally, we review postoperative rehabilitation guidelines and clinical outcomes within the existing literature. In patients with recurrent ACL graft failures, ACWPTO provides a safe and reliable technique to correct an elevated PTS and return patients back to full activities with reduced risk of ACL graft re-tear.
The power of the little ones: Computed and observed aftershock hazard in Central Italy
Authors: Gee Robin , Peruzza Laura , Pagani Marco
Published: September 2021

Seismic hazard in Central Italy due to the 2016–2017 seismic sequence is modeled using a standard probabilistic aftershock seismic hazard model. Two key features of the model are the consideration of time-dependent aftershock occurrence, modeled by stacking Omori decay curves associated with the three largest ( Mw > 5.5) events, and the incorporation of geologic information by modeling the locations of expected seismicity along realistic fault surfaces. The computed seismic hazard at Amatrice indicates higher hazard values compared to those computed using a conventional time-independent hazard analysis. We then compare the computed hazard curves against empirical hazard curves constructed for 12 individual recording stations in terms of peak ground acceleration, each with at least 35 (and up to 231) recordings. At eight sites, the observed exceedances fall within one standard deviation of the expected mean, while at the remaining sites, the observed exceedances fall outside this range indicating a poorer match. The soil sites are among the stations with the poorest match, suggesting that site effects may not be accurately modeled with the current approach.
Preclinical evaluation of immunotherapeutic regimens for fetal/neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia
Authors: Zhi Huiying , Ahlen Maria T. , Skogen Björn , Newman Debra K. , Newman Peter J.
Published: September 2021

Fetal/neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) is a life-threatening bleeding disorder caused by maternal antibodies directed against paternally inherited antigens present on the surface of fetal platelets. The human platelet alloantigen HPA-1a (formerly known as the PlA1 alloantigen), is the most frequently implicated HPA for causing FNAIT in Whites. A single Leu33Pro amino acid polymorphism residing within the ∼50-amino-acid plexin-semaphorin-integrin domain near the N-terminus of the integrin β3 subunit (platelet membrane glycoprotein IIIa [GPIIIa]) is responsible for generating the HPA-1a and HPA-1b epitopes in human GPIIIa and serves as the central target for alloantibody-mediated platelet destruction. To simulate the etiology of human FNAIT, wild-type female mice were pre-immunized with platelets derived from transgenic mice engineered to express the human HPA-1a epitope on a murine GPIIIa backbone. These mice developed a strong alloimmune response specific for HPA-1a, and when bred with HPA-1a+ males, gave birth to severely thrombocytopenic pups that exhibited an accompanying bleeding phenotype. Administering either polyclonal intravenous immunoglobulin G or a human monoclonal blocking antibody specific for the HPA-1a epitope into pregnant female mice resulted in significant elevation of the neonatal platelet count, normalized hemostasis, and prevented bleeding. The establishment of an alloantigen-specific murine model that recapitulates many of the clinically important features of FNAIT should pave the way for the preclinical development and testing of novel therapeutic and prophylactic modalities to treat or prevent FNAIT in humans.