bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
InSAR time series and LSTM model to support early warning detection tools of ground instabilities: mining site case studies
Authors: Mirmazloumi S. Mohammad , Wassie Yismaw , Nava Lorenzo , Cuevas-González María , Crosetto Michele , Monserrat Oriol
Published: September 2023

Early alarm systems can activate vital precautions for saving lives and the economy threatened by natural hazards and human activities. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) products generate valuable ground motion data with high spatial and temporal resolutions. Integrating the InSAR products and forecasting models make possible to set up early alarm systems to monitor vulnerable areas. This study proposes a technical support to early warning detection tools of ground instabilities using machine learning and InSAR time series that is capable of forecasting regions affected by potential collapses. A long short-term memory (LSTM) model is tailored to predict ground movements in three forecast ranges (i.e., SAR observations): 3, 4, and 5 multistep. A contribution of the proposed strategy is utilizing adjacent time series to decrease the possibility of falsely detecting safe regions as significant movements. The proposed tool offers ground motion-based outcomes that can be interpreted and utilized by experts to activate early alarms to reduce the consequences of possible failures in vulnerable infrastructures, such as mining areas. Three case studies in Spain, Brazil, and Australia, where fatal incidents happened, are analyzed by the proposed early alert detector to illustrate the impact of chosen temporal and spatial ranges. Since most early alarm systems are site dependent, we propose a general tool to be interpreted by experts for activating reliable alarms. The results show that the proposed tool can identify potential regions before collapse in all case studies. In addition, the tool can suggest an optimum selection of InSAR temporal (i.e., number of images) and spatial (i.e., adjacent measurement points) combinations based on the available SAR images and the characteristics of the study area.
Admissibility of Localizations of Crossed Modules
Authors: Monjon Olivia , Scherer Jérôme , Sterck Florence
Published: September 2023

The correspondence between the concept of conditional flatness and admissibility in the sense of Galois appears in the context of localization functors in any semi-abelian category admitting a fiberwise localization. It is then natural to wonder what happens in the category of crossed modules where fiberwise localization is not always available. In this article, we establish an equivalence between conditional flatness and admissibility in the sense of Galois (for the class of regular epimorphisms) for regular-epi localization functors. We use this equivalence to prove that nullification functors are admissible for the class of regular epimorphisms, even if the kernels of their localization morphisms are not acyclic.
The Value of Using Tests in Education as Tools for Learning—Not Just for Assessment
Authors: Murphy Dillon H. , Little Jeri L. , Bjork Elizabeth L.
Published: September 2023

Although students tend to dislike exams, tests—broadly defined in the present commentary as opportunities to practice retrieving to-be-learned information—can function as one of the most powerful learning tools. However, tests have a variety of attributes that affect their efficacy as a learning tool. For example, tests can have high and low stakes (i.e., the proportion of a student’s grade the exam is worth), vary in frequency, cover different ranges of course content (e.g., cumulative versus non-cumulative exams), appear in many forms (e.g., multiple-choice versus short answer), and occur before or after the presentation of what is to be learned. In this commentary, we discuss how these different approaches to test design can impact the ability of tests to enhance learning and how their use as instruments of learning—not just means of assessment—can benefit long-term learning. We suggest that instructors use frequent, low-stakes, cumulative exams and a variety of test formats (e.g., cued recall, multiple-choice, and true/false) and give students exams both prior to learning and following the presentation of the to-be-learned material.
Is FDI inflow bad for environmental sustainability?
Authors: Tsoy Lyubov , Heshmati Almas
Published: September 2023

In the last few years, discussions and debates around environmental sustainability have become a key goal of the global agenda. This is because the latest studies and our direct experiences of the consequences of environmental degradation and climate change are showing that economic models need some urgent changes. The goal of this paper was to investigate the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) flow on environmental sustainability globally. The balanced panel data of 100 countries from 2000 to 2020 were used for empirical analysis to understand the relationship between FDI inflow and environmental performance index (EPI) for countries with different income levels. The estimation is made using the two-step system GMM model as it gives more robust and efficient results in this study. The results of the dynamic panel model do not support the pollution haven hypothesis, i.e., FDI inflow was not found to have any statistically significant effect on EPI. The findings of the paper suggest that to improve environmental quality globally, it is important for governments to invest more in renewable energy projects as clean energy consumption can be one of the most efficient solutions for reducing the impact of climate change. Moreover, countries need to reduce the unemployment rate as it significantly improves the environmental quality according to our estimation results.
The Corona Truth Wars: Epistemic Disputes and Societal Conflicts around a Pandemic—An Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Harambam Jaron , Voss Ehler
Published: September 2023

Ever since the start of the Corona pandemic, different and often conflicting views have emerged about the virus and how to appropriately deal with it. Such epistemic, societal, and economic criticisms, including those about government imposed measures, have often been dismissed as dangerous forms of conspiratorial disinformation that should be (and have been) excluded from the realm of reasonable political discussion. However, since these critiques of emerging hegemonic knowledge and policies often involve significant and complex questioning of epistemic and political claims, and since corresponding plausibilities change over time, such clear distinctions between correct knowledge and foolish, fraudulent, and/or dangerous, disinformation are not easy to draw. In fact, they can be considered political acts in these epistemic disputes over the pandemic. These conflicts, which we refer to as the “Corona Truth Wars,” are not just about knowledge, but have turned into societal conflicts and even outright identity wars that run through families, circles of friends, organizations, and entire societies. In this special issue, we illuminate these dynamics by bringing together a range of scholars who have been struck by the complexity of these controversies and their far-reaching social consequences. Far from understanding these controversies as simple dichotomies between truth and disinformation, or between disinterested science and manipulative politics, these scholars are interested in the various ways in which these dimensions are intertwined. Building on a long tradition of exploring (scientific) knowledge controversies, the six contributions to this special issue show how epistemic struggles over truth are not only fought in the realm of science, but increasingly manifest and interact in everyday politics, social media platforms, daily talk shows, and family dinners. The scholars brought together in this issue, with diverse disciplinary backgrounds and from different geographical regions (Denmark, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Israel), present their studies on the various epistemic and social conflicts that have emerged during the Corona pandemic of the last three years.
Bluetongue virus seroprevalence and risk factor analysis in cattle and water buffalo in southern Italy (Campania region)
Authors: Ferrara Gianmarco , Improda Elvira , Piscopo Federica , Esposito Riccardo , Iovane Giuseppe , Pagnini Ugo , Montagnaro Serena
Published: September 2023

Bluetongue is an arthropod-borne viral infection that is notifiable in several countries and causes significant economic losses and major concerns for ruminant trade. In this study, we investigated bluetongue 1seroprevalence in the Campania region, southern Italy, in cattle and buffalo populations, and assessed which factors were correlated with a high risk of exposure. The infection was widespread, as evidenced by the high individual (43.6%) and herd prevalence (85.4%). The highest prevalence was found in adult animals. Among the climatic factors analyzed, average temperature played a prominent role, being capable of affecting the probability of being positive for this infection. Surprisingly, exposure to Schmallenberg virus did not predispose animals to be positive for bluetongue virus, even though these infections share the same vector (Culicoides). Our data, consistent with those in the literature, suggest the transversal spread of bluetongue virus in the Mediterranean area, and indicate a limited co-exposure rate between Bluetongue and Schmallenberg viruses.
Invasive Coronary Assessment in Myocardial Ischemia with No Obstructive Coronary Arteries
Authors: Takahashi Tatsunori , Gupta Aakriti , Samuels Bruce A. , Wei Janet
Published: September 2023

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review is threefold: (i) to give an overview of well-established invasive methods for assessing patients with ischemia with no obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA) in the cardiac catheterization laboratory; (ii) to describe the prognostic and treatment implications based on these findings, and (iii) to discuss current knowledge gaps and future perspectives.

Recent Findings

Recent studies have demonstrated that invasive coronary function testing not only allows for risk stratification of patients with INOCA but also guides medical therapy with improvement in symptoms and quality of life. Based on these findings, invasive coronary function assessment is now a class 2a recommendation in the 2021 ACC/AHA chest pain guideline to improve the diagnosis of coronary microvascular dysfunction and to enhance risk stratification.

Invasive functional testing for patients with INOCA is well established and easily performed in the catheterization laboratory. Comprehensive invasive assessment is a key to differentiating INOCA endotypes and optimizing both medical therapy and preventive strategies including lifestyle modification.
Socioeconomic and psychosocial determinants of substance misuse – a national perspective
Authors: Stephenson Lilli , Van Den Heuvel Corinna , Byard Roger W.
Published: September 2023

Accurate estimates of population drug use and an understanding of the factors that influence substance choice are essential for the development of appropriate and targeted prevention strategies and campaigns. This review aims to provide an overview of the socioeconomic and psychosocial factors that influence substance use patterns within the Australian population through exploration of current and historical examples of substance misuse. Australia’s comparatively large online drug market is reflective of the country’s relative geographic isolation and high local drug prices. Legislation, particularly relating to cannabis cultivation and personal use, has evolved significantly in response to increased scientific and commercial applications and changing attitudes towards medical and personal use. Methylamphetamine use is disproportionately high, attributed to Australia’s geographic location, high rates of local manufacture, steady cost, and increased purity. Despite the increased cost of cocaine over time, the profile of users appears to dictate rates of use. The prevalence of injecting drug use is driven by a lack of education, perceived risk, stigma, and other social factors. Additionally, psychosocial factors also contribute to substance misuse among specific population subgroups such as petrol sniffing among Indigenous Australians. Understanding the reasons for geographical variability in illicit drug use assists in the interpretation of substance-associated behavior in specific groups/populations and in guiding future intervention efforts and predictions of emerging trends. In addition, an understanding of factors influencing local drug usage may assist forensic practitioners in evaluating the occurrence and effects of particular substances that may emerge as significant factors in drug-related deaths.
Sleep-related attentional bias does not associate with symptoms of ADHD in a sample of younger adults
Authors: Bondopadhyay Upasana , Coogan Andrew N.
Published: September 2023

Sleep-related attentional bias, wherein exaggerated attention is directed to sleep-related stimuli, has been proposed to be part of the cognitive processes that underpin the development and perpetuation of insomnia. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is commonly associated with clinically significant sleep disturbances, although the nature of the relationship between ADHD and sleep is not well understood. We hypothesised that ADHD symptoms would associate with greater attentional bias to sleep-related stimuli. We used an emotional Stroop task with sleep-related words to assess the presence of sleep attentional bias in a sample of 155 younger adults. ADHD symptoms and consistency with the presence of ADHD was assessed with the Adult ADHD Self Report Screener and insomnia symptoms and probability for the presence of insomnia disorder was assessed with the Sleep Condition Indicator. ADHD symptoms and consistency, and insomnia symptoms and probability for the presence of insomnia disorder, were not found to associate with sleep attentional bias scores. Sleep attentional bias also did not associate with chronotype or social jetlag, but habitual use of an alarm clock on work-free days associated with greater sleep attentional bias. As such, we did not find evidence to support the hypothesis that ADHD symptoms are associated with sleep attentional bias in a sample of healthy younger adults.
New relevant chorological data on sedges (Cyperaceae) of Peru
Authors: Jiménez-Mejías P. , García-Moro P. , Tiburcio R. M. Gonzales , Cano A. , Martín-Bravo S.
Published: September 2023

We present relevant records of nine species of sedges (Cyperaceae) for Peru. For the genus Carex, we present two new national records (C. haematopus, C. lepida), plus relevant data for another six hitherto poorly known species. We also present the first record of Trichophorum rigidum subsp. ecuadoriense for Peru.
Synthetic mixture of sand and shale: how conductor (shale) and saturation influence electrical characteristics
Authors: Gomaa Mohamed M. , Elshenawy Ahmed M. , Basheer Alhussein Adham , Moawad Mostafa , Kotb Adel
Published: September 2023

In the petroleum sector, spectral-induced polarization (SIP) can detect low-frequency electrical characteristics in rocks without causing any damage. Measurements from 1 mHz to 100 kHz were conducted at ambient temperature for synthetic shale sand combinations from Gabel El-Galala, Cairo, Egypt. Because of an increase in the relative conductor (shale) concentration despite a reduction in the relative insulator (sand) concentration, and the effect of increasing saturation, this is the first study to explain the electrical impact of shale sand combination. We will also look into its saturation and frequency to further model and analyze shale with electrical characteristics. Both conductivity and impedance decrease regarding sand's presence. The dielectric constant increases with increasing shale level and saturation below the percolation threshold but drops beyond it. Material rich in shale has lower impedance than material rich in sand. Concentrating and saturating the shale in the synthetic sand enhanced its electrical conductivity. Ionized liquid and the conductive minerals present in shale also contribute to this improvement. The mixture's electrical characteristics improved significantly as the frequency rose. Low-frequency analysis shows that the samples have high conductive and dielectric constants. These investigations could improve oil and gas recovery by illuminating the electrical characteristics of the reservoir rock.
Fabrication of Pea pods biochar-NH2 (PBN) for the adsorption of toxic Cr6+ ion from aqueous solution
Authors: El-Nemr Mohamed A. , Yılmaz Murat , Ragab Safaa , Al-Mur Bandar A. , Hassaan Mohamed A. , El Nemr Ahmed
Published: September 2023

Chromium (Cr) ion is regarded as a particularly hazardous contaminant due to its high toxicity and potential carcinogens. The Cr6+ ions were removed in the current work using a new fabricated low-cost adsorbent called Pea pods biochar-NH2 (PBN). PBN was characterized using BET, BJH, SEM, FTIR, TGA, DSC, XRD, XPS and EDX. The surface area and the pore size of PBN were decreased due to the amination process on the pea pods’ biochar-H2O2 (PBO). Optimized condition of different parameters of Cr6+ ions adsorption by PBN was observed at the pH 1.5, contact time (180 min), starting concentration (100 mg/L), and 0.1 g of PBN. The maximal adsorption capacity (Qm) of PBN is 384.62 mg/g. Different error models were used to test the isotherm models’ results. The mechanism of the adsorption was proposed based on the XPS analysis. The adsorption process had an R2 value of 0.999 as the best fit with the Freundlich isotherm (FIM) and pseudo-second-order kinetic (PSOM) models. These obtained data explored that the generated PBN can be a novel, cost-effective material for the adsorption of Cr6+ ions from an aqueous solution.
Influence of the pyrolysis temperature on fresh and pelletised chicken litter with focus on sustainable production and utilisation of biochar
Authors: Simbolon Luga Martin , Pandey Daya Shankar , Horvat Alen , Leahy James J. , Tassou Savvas A. , Kwapinska Marzena
Published: September 2023

This study focused on determining the influence of temperature (500–700 °C) during pyrolysis of pelletised chicken litter (PCL) and fresh chicken litter (FCL). The composition of all pyrolysis products was analysed, and their potential applications were discussed. An analysis of phosphorus speciation in FCL and PCL along with their derived biochars revealed that the share of water-soluble phosphorus was greatly reduced in the biochar, implying lower risk of eutrophication in agricultural applications of biochar when used as a soil improver. Indeed, water-soluble phosphorus decreased from 60% for PCL to as low as 3% for the biochars. In addition, the concentration of other nutrients and heavy metals in biochar, and its potential for agriculture application was discussed. Heavy metals content was below the upper limits set out in the European Fertilising Products Regulation only for biochars produced at 500 °C, but biochars produced at higher temperatures did not meet the limits for Zn and Ni content. The energy balance analysis showed that pelletisation of chicken litter is not necessary, as the properties of both PCL and FCL allow for energetically sustainable pyrolysis when hot pyrolysis gas is combusted, and biochar recovered for nutrient recycling.
Flexible labour policies as competitive advantage
Authors: Antunes Francisco , Pereira Leandro F. , Dias Álvaro L. , da Silva Rui Vinhas
Published: September 2023

The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the constant changes in the expectations and needs of employees have accelerated the implementation of labour flexibility policies by companies. Currently, there is some uncertainty in the literature about the real benefits of adopting these policies, hence the relevance of this research, which aims to assess whether they represent a source of sustainable competitive advantage. This research used a qualitative approach involving in-depth interviews with human resource managers to analyse the impact of labour flexibility policies on a firm's competitive advantage using the VRIO framework. The study found that while employees view labour flexibility as beneficial to their work-life balance and job satisfaction, from the perspective of firms, these policies may be valuable but do not provide a distinct competitive advantage. Consequently, companies need to consider these policies when developing strategies to maintain their competitiveness and market position.
The Use of Illicit Drugs in Therapy: an Introduction
Authors: Ross Anna , Hawthorn Jake
Published: September 2023

Purpose of Review

The use of certain illicit substances as a form of therapy, and particularly as an adjunct to psychotherapy, has gained increasing media and academic attention over the last decade, culminating in what has been coined “the psychedelic renaissance.” This section in Current Addiction Reports has been developed in order to highlight the new and emerging research around these and related substances, and how they may be effective in treating not just “problematic” substance use itself but also some of the underlying causes such as trauma-related disorders, depression, and anxiety. It will also consider the therapeutic use of other still largely illicit sub-stances such as cannabis, heroin-assisted treatment, and the prescribing of stimulants for stimulant addiction. The purpose of this review is to introduce the section “illicit drugs in therapy” and to highlight the links between the different disciplines involved in addiction research.

Recent Findings

Generally speaking, research on substance use focuses on single substances and excludes underlying comorbid mental health conditions or other underlying factors. In the social sciences this link has been developing for some time (cf. Journal of Addiction and Mental Health). However, it is increasingly being recognized in clinical addiction science that addiction often occurs alongside other factors such as mental health conditions, trauma, and poverty, and that many people will use more than one substance, known as polysubstance use. The recent resurgence in the use of illicit substances in the treatment of addiction has sparked an interest in the addiction research field: landmark studies included two proof-of-concept studies—psilocybin-assisted therapy for smoking cessation at Johns Hopkins University and psilocybin-assisted therapy for alcohol addiction trial at the University of New Mexico.

This review therefore introduces core concepts, terms, and historical development in order to highlight the emerging research in this area, and to encourage further reviews on research specific to illicit substances in therapy.
A Generalized (3+1)-Dimensional Nonlinear Wave Equation in Liquid with Gas Bubbles: Symmetry Reductions; Exact Solutions; Conservation Laws
Authors: Adem A. R. , Podile T. J. , Muatjetjeja B.
Published: September 2023

The analysis of a generalised (3+1)-dimensional nonlinear wave equation that simulates a variety of nonlinear processes that occur in liquids including gas bubbles will be performed. After some cosmetic adjustments to the underlying equation, this generalised (3+1)-dimensional nonlinear wave equation naturally degenerates into the (3+1)-dimensional Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation, the (3+1)-dimensional nonlinear wave equation, and the Korteweg-de Vries equation. To completely investigate this fundamental equation, a clear and rigorous technique is used. In order to obtain innovative symmetry reductions, group invariant solutions, conservation laws, and eventually kink wave solutions, the Lie symmetry, multiplier, and simplest equation methods are used. Complex waves and their dealing dynamics in fluids can be well imitated by the verdicts.
Application of Mixed Reality to Ultrasound-guided Femoral Arterial Cannulation During Real-time Practice in Cardiac Interventions
Authors: Alonso-Felipe Miguel , Aguiar-Pérez Javier Manuel , Pérez-Juárez María Ángeles , Baladrón Carlos , Peral-Oliveira Julio , Amat-Santos Ignacio J.
Published: September 2023

Mixed reality opens interesting possibilities as it allows physicians to interact with both, the real physical and the virtual computer-generated environment and objects, in a powerful way. A mixed reality system, based in the HoloLens 2 glasses, has been developed to assist cardiologists in a quite complex interventional procedure: the ultrasound-guided femoral arterial cannulations, during real-time practice in interventional cardiology. The system is divided into two modules, the transmitter module, responsible for sending medical images to HoloLens 2 glasses, and the receiver module, hosted in the HoloLens 2, which renders those medical images, allowing the practitioner to watch and manage them in a 3D environment. The system has been successfully used, between November 2021 and August 2022, in up to 9 interventions by 2 different practitioners, in a large public hospital in central Spain. The practitioners using the system confirmed it as easy to use, reliable, real-time, reachable, and cost-effective, allowing a reduction of operating times, a better control of typical errors associated to the interventional procedure, and opening the possibility to use the medical imagery produced in ubiquitous e-learning. These strengths and opportunities were only nuanced by the risk of potential medical complications emerging from system malfunction or operator errors when using the system (e.g., unexpected momentary lag). In summary, the proposed system can be taken as a realistic proof of concept of how mixed reality technologies can support practitioners when performing interventional and surgical procedures during real-time daily practice.
Non-associated and Non-quadratic Characteristics in Plastic Anisotropy of Automotive Lightweight Sheet Metals
Authors: Hou Yong , Min Junying , Lee Myoung-Gyu
Published: September 2023

Lightweight sheet metals are highly desirable for automotive applications due to their exceptional strength-to-density ratio. An accurate description of the pronounced plastic anisotropy exhibited by these materials in finite element analysis requires advanced plasticity models. In recent years, significant efforts have been devoted to developing plasticity models and numerical analysis methods based on the non-associated flow rule (non-AFR). In this work, a newly proposed coupled quadratic and non-quadratic model under non-AFR is utilized to comprehensively investigate the non-associated and non-quadratic characteristics during the yielding of three lightweight sheet metals, i.e., dual-phase steel DP980, TRIP-assisted steel QP980, and aluminum alloy AA5754-O. These materials are subjected to various proportional loading paths, including uniaxial tensile tests with a 15° increment, uniaxial compressive tests with a 45° increment, in-plane torsion tests, and biaxial tensile tests using laser-deposited arm-strengthened cruciform specimens. Results show that the non-AFR approach provides an effective means for accurately modeling the yield behavior, including yield stresses and the direction of plastic strain rates, simultaneously, utilizing two separate functions and a simple calibration procedure. The introduction of the non-quadratic plastic potential reduces the average errors in angle when predicting plastic strain directions by the quadratic plastic potential function. Specifically, for DP980, the average error is reduced from 3.1° to 0.9°, for QP980 it is reduced from 6.1° to 3.9°, and for AA5754-O it is reduced from 7.0° to 0.2°. This highlights the importance of considering the non-quadratic characteristic in plasticity modeling, especially for aluminum alloys such as AA5754-O.
Agreement Between Self- and Proxy-Reports of Nurses’ Post-Traumatic Growth in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak: Is Perceived Growth a Reality or an Illusion?
Authors: Vitorino Catarina , Canavarro Maria Cristina , Caçador Maria Inês , Carona Carlos
Published: September 2023

The extent to which a traumatic event becomes central to one’s identity and life story may influence both negative and positive outcomes. In the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, nurses have been showing positive transformations. However, research is not consistent about whether self-reported personal growth is real or just an illusion. The present study aimed to ascertain the level of agreement between nurses’ self- and proxy-reported post-traumatic growth (PTG). Furthermore, it intended to analyze the association between nurses’ perceived centrality and impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, and their self-/proxy-reported PTG. The global sample included 51 dyads. Nurses completed self-reported instruments to evaluate perceived centrality and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, as well as PTG. A proxy version of the PTG Inventory was used to assess significant others’ appraisals of nurses’ PTG. Overall, there were no differences between self- and proxy-reports of PTG, except for spiritual change. Nurses’ perceived centrality of the pandemic outbreak and impact of event were associated with self-reported PTG. Centrality and impact of the COVID-19 were not significantly correlated with proxy-reports of PTG, except for personal strength. Despite the considerable variability in the observed findings depending on the statistical analysis conducted (i.e., group versus individual level), the corroboration of nurses’ reports of PTG by significant others lends strong support to the notion that positive transformations after traumatic events are real. These findings highlight the relevance of integrating both positive and negative dimensions of adaptation when constructing psychological interventions for nurses, in the aftermath of COVID-19 outbreak.
Analysis of a beta-lactam allergy assessment protocol challenging diverse reported allergies managed by an antimicrobial stewardship program
Authors: Jacobs Max W. , Bremmer Derek N. , Shively Nathan R. , Moffa Matthew A. , Trienski Tamara L. , Carr Dustin R. , Buchanan Carley A. , Walsh Thomas L.
Published: September 2023

Objective:

To assess the safety and efficacy of a novel beta-lactam allergy assessment algorithm managed by an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) team.

Design:

Retrospective analysis.

Setting:

One quaternary referral teaching hospital and one tertiary care teaching hospital in a large western Pennsylvania health network.

Patients or participants:

Patients who received a beta-lactam challenge dose under the beta-lactam allergy assessment algorithm.

Interventions:

A beta-lactam allergy assessment protocol was designed and implemented by an ASP team. The protocol risk stratified patients’ reported allergies to identify patients appropriate for a challenge with a beta-lactam antibiotic. This retrospective analysis assessed the safety and efficacy of this protocol among patients receiving a challenge dose from November 2017 to July 2021.

Results:

Over a 45-month period, 119 total patients with either penicillin or cephalosporin allergies entered the protocol. Following a challenge dose, 106 (89.1%) patients were treated with a beta-lactam. Eleven patients had adverse reactions to a challenge dose, one of which required escalation of care to the intensive care unit. Of the patients with an unknown or low-risk reported allergy, 7/66 (10.6%) had an observed adverse reaction compared to 3/42 (7.1%) who had an observed reaction with a reported high-risk or anaphylactic allergy.

Conclusions:

Our implemented protocol was safe and effective, with over 90% of patients tolerating the challenge without incident and many going on to receive indicated beta-lactam therapy. This protocol may serve as a framework for other inpatient ASP teams to implement a low-barrier allergy assessment led by ASP teams.
Enforcing economic sanctions by tarnishing corporate reputations
Authors: Preble Keith A. , Early Bryan R.
Published: September 2023

What strategies work best for enforcing sanctions? Sanctions enforcement agencies like the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) face resource limitations and political constraints in punishing domestic firms for violating sanctions. Beyond monetary fines, sanctions enforcement actions also serve a “naming and shaming” function that tarnishes violators’ reputations. Larger, higher-profile companies tend have much more at stake in terms of their reputations than smaller or less well-known firms. At the same time, punishing higher-profile companies for sanctions violations is likely to generate more publicity about the risks and potential consequences of not complying with sanctions. We theorize that OFAC should impose larger fines on high-profile companies to draw attention to those cases, make the enforcement actions more memorable, and enhance the reputational costs that they inflict. We conduct a statistical analysis of OFAC enforcement actions from 2010 to 2021 and find support for our theory.
Deconsecration: Symbolic Sanctions, “Courts of Honour,” and the Cleansing of Denmark’s Who’s Who After the German Occupation, 1940–1945
Authors: Lund Joachim , Sevelsted Anders
Published: September 2023

How may elites experience a symbolic fall from grace? Elite scholarship has typically described how symbolic structures contribute to consecrate and reinforce existing power relations. Processes of deconsecration are, however, less well described. Deconsecration as a social process is distinct from déclassement, as well as from cultural or juridical processes of exclusion. It is the loss of the very status as “elite.” We address the question of deconsecration through a historical case study of the exclusion of elite groups from the Danish Who’s Who and professional bodies in the wake of the liberation after the German occupation of Denmark 1940–1945.
Perinatal depression and implementation of the “Thinking Healthy program” support intervention in an impoverished setting of Lima, Peru: Assessment before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Aguilar Margot , Contreras Carmen , Raviola Giuseppe , Sepúlveda Alejandra , Espinoza Maricielo , Moran Leydi , Ramos Lourdes , Peinado Jesús , Lecca Leonid , Pedersen Gloria A. , Kohrt Brandon A. , Galea Jerome T.
Published: September 2023

Socios En Salud (SES) implemented the Thinking Healthy program (THP) to support women with perinatal depression before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lima Norte. We carried out an analysis of the in-person (5 modules) and remote (1 module) THP intervention. Depression was detected using PHQ-9, and THP sessions were delivered in women with a score (PHQ-9 ≥ 5). Depression was reassessed and pre- and post-scores were compared. In the pre-pandemic cohort, perinatal depression was 25.4% (47/185), 47 women received THP and 27 were reassessed (57.4%), and the PHQ-9 score median decreased from 8 to 2, p < 0.001. In the pandemic cohort, perinatal depression was 47.5% (117/247), 117 women received THP and 89 were reassessed (76.1%), and the PHQ-9 score median decreased from 7 to 2, p < 0.001. THP’s modalities helped to reduce perinatal depression. Pregnant women who received a module remotely also reduced depression.
From classical to ultimate heat fluxes for convection at a vertical wall
Authors: Wells Andrew J.
Published: September 2023

Convection from a buoyancy source distributed over a vertical wall has diverse applications, from the natural ventilation of buildings to the melting of marine-terminating glaciers which impacts on future sea level. A key challenge involves determining how the rate and mechanisms of turbulent heat transfer should be extrapolated across a range of scales. Ke et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 964, 2023, A24) explore transitions in the turbulent flow dynamics using direct numerical simulation of a convective boundary layer at a heated vertical wall. A classical regime of heat transfer, consistent with previous laboratory experiments, gives way with increasing accumulation of buoyancy to an ultimate regime with enhanced heat transfer. The key to this transition lies in a near-wall sublayer, with a switch from laminar buoyancy-driven dynamics to a sublayer dominated by turbulence and shear instability from the mean flow.
Health and Disease: Between Naturalism and Normativism
Authors: Thorell Amanda
Published: September 2023

Traditionally, the debate about health and disease is characterized as an opposition between naturalism and normativism. However, recent contributions show that theories of health and disease need not be purely naturalistic or normative but may be located somewhere in between. The first purpose of this article is to further advance this line of nuancing. The second purpose is to argue in favor of a specific position, which the added nuances reveal. I call this position subjectively salient naturalism. If one is interested in scientific concepts of health and disease, subjectively salient naturalism is a more plausible position than naturalism.
Long-term effects of electroconvulsive therapy on brain structure in major depression
Authors: Borgers Tiana , Enneking Verena , Klug Melissa , Garbe Jasper , Meinert Hannah , Wulle Marius , König Philine , Zwiky Esther , Herrmann Rebekka , Selle Janine , Dohm Katharina , Kraus Anna , Grotegerd Dominik , Repple Jonathan , Opel Nils , Leehr Elisabeth J. , Gruber Marius , Goltermann Janik , Meinert Susanne , Bauer Jochen , Heindel Walter , Kavakbasi Erhan , Baune Bernhard T. , Dannlowski Udo , Redlich Ronny
Published: September 2023

Background

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies on major depressive disorder (MDD) have predominantly found short-term electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)-related gray matter volume (GMV) increases, but research on the long-term stability of such changes is missing. Our aim was to investigate long-term GMV changes over a 2-year period after ECT administration and their associations with clinical outcome.

Methods

In this nonrandomized longitudinal study, patients with MDD undergoing ECT (n = 17) are assessed three times by structural MRI: Before ECT (t0), after ECT (t1) and 2 years later (t2). A healthy (n = 21) and MDD non-ECT (n = 33) control group are also measured three times within an equivalent time interval. A 3(group) × 3(time) ANOVA on whole-brain level and correlation analyses with clinical outcome variables is performed.

Results

Analyses yield a significant group × time interaction (pFWE < 0.001) resulting from significant volume increases from t0 to t1 and decreases from t1 to t2 in the ECT group, e.g., in limbic areas. There are no effects of time in both control groups. Volume increases from t0 to t1 correlate with immediate and delayed symptom increase, while volume decreases from t1 to t2 correlate with long-term depressive outcome (all p ⩽ 0.049).

Conclusions

Volume increases induced by ECT appear to be a transient phenomenon as volume strongly decreased 2 years after ECT. Short-term volume increases are associated with less symptom improvement suggesting that the antidepressant effect of ECT is not due to volume changes. Larger volume decreases are associated with poorer long-term outcome highlighting the interplay between disease progression and structural changes.
Consider the hubris syndrome for inclusion in our classification systems
Authors: Selten Jean-Paul
Published: September 2023

Successful leaders are at risk of developing exaggerated pride, contempt for others, and a diminished sense of reality. The ancient Greeks feared this syndrome and called it hubris. Although certain contemporaneous leaders show signs of hubris and pose a great danger, the hubris syndrome does not yet figure in our classification systems. The purpose of this paper is to examine several aspects of its validity, including clinical description, laboratory study, and exclusion of other disorders. Firstly, a substantial body of evidence indicates that the hubris syndrome may develop after a person has held substantial power for a considerable amount of time. Thus, the syndrome differs from a personality disorder with its characteristic onset in late adolescence or early adulthood. It is proposed, therefore, that the syndrome is a non-organic personality change after gaining substantial power or achieving overwhelming success, characterized by the emergence or marked increase of pathological personality traits within the domains of dissociality and disinhibition. Within the domain of dissociality, grandiosity is an obligatory trait. Secondly, with reference to laboratory study, recent evidence suggests that machine learning algorithms have the ability to differentiate hubristic from non-hubristic speech patterns. Thirdly, the exclusion of other disorders is difficult, because individuals with the hubris syndrome do not collaborate in any investigation. Some suggestions are made to overcome this problem. In conclusion, there is sufficient reason to further examine the validity of the hubris syndrome and to consider it for inclusion in our classification systems.
On the size of maximal intersecting families
Authors: Zakharov Dmitrii
Published: September 2023

We show that an
$n$
-uniform maximal intersecting family has size at most
$e^{-n^{0.5+o(1)}}n^n$
. This improves a recent bound by Frankl ((2019) Comb. Probab. Comput.28(5) 733–739.). The Spread Lemma of Alweiss et al. ((2020) Proceedings of the 52nd Annual ACM SIGACT Symposium on Theory of Computing.) plays an important role in the proof.
The Creative Destruction Approach to Growth Economics
Authors: Aghion Philippe , Howitt Peter
Published: September 2023

In this article we introduce the Schumpeterian growth paradigm, where growth results from innovations that render previous innovations obsolete. We show how this paradigm can be used to elucidate enigmas in recent growth history, such as the growth take-off, secular stagnation, and the middle-income trap. We then illustrate how the Schumpeterian paradigm can be tested using rich micro data, focusing on the relationship between product market competition and innovation-led growth. Finally, we use the paradigm to question some common wisdoms on growth policymaking.
Free Will: Helen Steward Interviewed by Stephen Law
Authors: Steward Helen , Law Stephen
Published: September 2023

Do we have free will? In this interview, Helen Steward explains part of her very distinctive approach to the philosophical puzzle concerning free will vs determinism. Steward rejects determinism, but not because she denies that we are not material beings (because, for example, we have Cartesian, immaterial souls that have physical effects). Her reasons for rejecting determinism are very different.
Should You Upload Your Mind?
Authors: Gäb Sebastian
Published: September 2023

Could you survive your bodily death by uploading your mind?
Why A-Level Philosophy Could Do with Mary Midgley
Authors: Guha Amia
Published: September 2023

Mary Midgley challenges the dominant conceptions of human nature, ethics, community and ecology taught at A-Level. This article considers some of the key themes of her thinking.
Existential Investigations into Our Existential Crisis
Authors: Read Rupert , Eastoe Joseph
Published: September 2023

Now that the opportunity to build back from COVID in an intelligent and thoughtful way has largely passed us by, how do we cope with the existential threat of ecological collapse? We posit that economic concerns have been granted undeserved weight in conversations around climate policy, while the role of philosophy has thus far been an untapped resource of potentially liberating knowledge that can inspire action and a deliberative, collective reconsideration of what parts of society should be valued.
Predator–prey interactions based on drillholes: A case study of turritelline gastropods from the Pleistocene Szekou Formation of Taiwan
Authors: SENAN Ammu S. , HSU Chia-Hsin , LEE Shih-Wei , CHANG Lo-Yu , TSENG Li-Chun , KLOMPMAKER Adiël A. , LIN Jih-Pai
Published: September 2023

Drillholes on shells provide a useful way to investigate prey and predator relationships. The current study documents predator–prey interactions exemplified by a faunal assemblage of the fossil gastropod Turritella cingulifera from the Pleistocene Szekou Formation in Hengchun Peninsula, Taiwan. All recognisable skeletal and shell fragments that are larger than 3 mm in size were collected and recorded. Processed bulk sediments (5.24 kg) contained 1462 molluscan shells, including 824 specimens of T. cingulifera, and 27 non-molluscan invertebrates. In the current study, approximately 41.6% (609/1462) of molluscs are drilled with at least one hole. Drilling intensities (DIs) regardless of shell completeness in all gastropods, bivalves and the turritelline gastropod T. cingulifera are 0.546, 0.060 and 0.413, respectively. DI on turritellids is significantly lower than that on other gastropods (χ2= 21.039, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the percentage of drillholes that occur in multiply drilled specimens is 34.7% (95/275) for turritelline gastropods based on complete to nearly complete specimens (n = 588). Our study shows no significant preference of drillhole position either on the suture or on the whorl (χ2= 0.055, P = 0.814). Most drillholes are located in whorls two to four proximal to the aperture. Drillhole diameters of the shells with one drillhole and ones with multiple drillholes are 1.0 and 0.5 mm on average, and the results of Mann–Whitney tests indicate that they are significantly different (P < 0.001). The first turritelline gastropod shell with an incomplete drillhole from Taiwan is documented here. The dominant drilling predators were naticids based on the drillhole morphology and the presence of naticids in the same assemblage. No apparent prey size selectivity is observed, so a ‘size refugium’ does not exist for the turritellids in the current study.
Roads and Rules: What Does Infrastructure Reveal about International Law?
Authors: PALMER Emma
Published: September 2023

Infrastructure has been the focus of geopolitically significant regional strategies, including the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Highway. Mega-infrastructure projects are thought to offer crucial stimulus to support economic recovery and “infrastructure diplomacy” efforts. Transportation projects, like roads, are material objects that offer complex questions for international law, most obviously when projects or their impacts cross borders. They are long-term and long-distance, with varying impacts upon closer and further populations and environments across the construction and life of the asset. This article draws on insights from new materialism to analyse what infrastructure's entanglements might suggest about international law. The relationship between international law and transportation infrastructure is contingent. However, there is a pattern to this contingency that foregrounds funding “gaps”, investment protections, and risk assessments, which minimizes intersecting impacts and human/non-human relationships.
Sturm und Drang im Würgegriff der Medien – Die Leiden der jungen Generation am eigenen Geschlecht
Authors: Korte Alexander , Tschuschke Volker
Published: September 2023

Zusammenfassung: Das Gefühl der Nichtzugehörigkeit zum Geburtsgeschlecht ist nicht neu, als Phänomen kann es bis in die antike Mythologie zurückverfolgt werden. Aber es war stets selten, wohingegen aktuell ein sprunghafter Anstieg von Abweichungen im Geschlechtsidentitätserleben bei Jugendlichen zu verzeichnen ist. Der Text geht dieser Problematik anhand der Frage nach, inwieweit diese Entwicklung auch ein Resultat kultureller und vor allem aber medientechnologischer Umbrüche ist, die bedingen, dass Jugendliche sich im „falschen Geschlecht“ wähnen und im Extremfall eine Transition anstreben. Die wichtigsten Eckpunkte des geplanten deutschen „Selbstbestimmungsgesetzes“ werden vorgestellt, das allerdings der zugrundeliegenden Problematik kaum gerecht werden dürfte. Der Text schließt damit, dass er diesbezüglich eine Reihe offener Fragen benennt, erste Antworten versucht und die Vorteile eines explorativen, genderkritischen gegenüber einem transaffirmativen Therapieansatz zusammenfasst.