bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ionic liquids-assisted integration of biobased materials for sustainable elaboration of nanocomposites using hydroxyethyl cellulose and interlayered clay for efficient separation of Co(II) from multi-component mixtures
Authors: Achalhi Nafea , El Ouardi Youssef , Virolainen Sami , El yousfi Ridouan , Lamsayah Morad , Butylina Svetlana , El Barkany Soufian , Repo Eveliina , El Idrissi Abderrahmane
Published: October 2024

This study focuses on the development of eco-friendly biobased adsorbents through a sustainable hydrothermal and freeze-drying synthesis process, utilizing cost-effective bio-sourced materials to minimize energy consumption and waste. The biobased adsorbents were elaborated using hydroxyethyl cellulose-ionic liquids and bentonite clay. The elaborated biocomposites were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy/attenuated total reflection (FTIR/ATR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM–EDX), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and zeta potential (ZP). Structural analysis confirms the intercalation and incorporation of HEC-ILs polymeric chains into Be-Na matrix and the formation of biocomposites. The [HEC-ILs/Be-Na] composite was subsequently employed for solid-phase extraction of Co(II) by investigating the effect of pH, initial Co(II) concentrations, time, temperature, and the presence of co-existing ions (Na(I), Li(I), Mn(II), Ni(II), and Al(III)). The adsorption kinetics of Co(II) metal ions were suitably characterized using the pseudo-second-order model (with R2 > 0.99). Furthermore, the adsorption isotherms conformed to the Langmuir model (with R2 > 0.97), suggesting a chemisorption process with an adsorption capacity of 69.8 mg/g. The thermodynamic study reveals that the adsorption process exhibits characteristics of spontaneity and endothermicity (ΔH° = 74.197 kJ mol−1, ΔG° < 0 kJ mol−1). The proposed mechanism for Co(II) adsorption on the developed biocomposite involves electrostatic interactions, ion exchange, and anion-π interactions. The biobased composite exhibited remarkable selectivity for Co(II) and demonstrated great potential as an adsorbent for industrial applications.

Graphical abstract
An Emotional-based Methodology to Detect Preferences in a Decision-making Process Applied to a Virtual Service Robot
Authors: Alvarado-González Montserrat , López Jaimes Antonio
Published: October 2024

In a multi-objective problem, no single solution optimally satisfies all objectives. Thus, the challenge is to find a balance between conflicting objectives. The decision-making necessarily requires human intervention. The person responsible for selecting the most appropriate solution among all the trade-off solutions is the decision maker (DM). The DM seeks to approach only the solutions that best suit her/his preferences. Since there is plenty of specialized literature showing that emotions play a critical role in decision-making, we aim to incorporate them into the decision-making process. To elicit emotions that can be quantifiable, we propose the Emotional Assessment Method. The method presents a simulation of the objectives to be optimized that represents the consequences of each decision. Using this methodology, the decision maker assesses the emotions evoked by each presented simulation to guide his/her search for solutions that satisfy his/her preferences. As a case study, we aim to identify subjects’ preferences towards robot behaviors. Seventy-two subjects with varying levels of familiarity with robots (divided into two datasets) participated in the experiments. We concluded that the method elicits subjects’ emotions while observing the consequences of the robot’s performance. Also, we found out that it is possible to identify subjects’ preferences based on both the context and the emotions to select the robot’s behavior.
Effective results for polynomial values of (alternating) power sums of arithmetic progressions
Authors: Bazsó András
Published: October 2024

We prove effective finiteness results concerning polynomial values of the sums

$$\begin{aligned} b^k +\left( a+b\right) ^k + \cdots + \left( a\left( x-1\right) + b\right) ^k \end{aligned}$$

b
k

+

a
+
b

k

+
⋯
+

a

x
-
1

+
b

k

and

$$\begin{aligned} b^k - \left( a+b\right) ^k + \left( 2a+b\right) ^k - \ldots + (-1)^{x-1} \left( a\left( x-1\right) + b\right) ^k, \end{aligned}$$

b
k

-

a
+
b

k

+

2
a
+
b

k

-
…
+

(
-
1
)

x
-
1

a

x
-
1

+
b

k

,

where

$$a \ne 0,b, k$$

a
≠
0
,
b
,
k

are given integers with

$$\gcd (a,b)=1$$

gcd
(
a
,
b
)
=
1

and

$$k \ge 2$$

k
≥
2

.
Dissecting Out-of-Distribution Detection and Open-Set Recognition: A Critical Analysis of Methods and Benchmarks
Authors: Wang Hongjun , Vaze Sagar , Han Kai
Published: October 2024

Detecting test-time distribution shift has emerged as a key capability for safely deployed machine learning models, with the question being tackled under various guises in recent years. In this paper, we aim to provide a consolidated view of the two largest sub-fields within the community: out-of-distribution (OOD) detection and open-set recognition (OSR). In particular, we aim to provide rigorous empirical analysis of different methods across settings and provide actionable takeaways for practitioners and researchers. Concretely, we make the following contributions: (i) We perform rigorous cross-evaluation between state-of-the-art methods in the OOD detection and OSR settings and identify a strong correlation between the performances of methods for them; (ii) We propose a new, large-scale benchmark setting which we suggest better disentangles the problem tackled by OOD detection and OSR, re-evaluating state-of-the-art OOD detection and OSR methods in this setting; (iii) We surprisingly find that the best performing method on standard benchmarks (Outlier Exposure) struggles when tested at scale, while scoring rules which are sensitive to the deep feature magnitude consistently show promise; and (iv) We conduct empirical analysis to explain these phenomena and highlight directions for future research. Code: https://github.com/Visual-AI/Dissect-OOD-OSR
Craving for a Robust Methodology: A Systematic Review of Machine Learning Algorithms on Substance-Use Disorders Treatment Outcomes
Authors: de Mattos Bernardo Paim , Mattjie Christian , Ravazio Rafaela , Barros Rodrigo C. , Grassi-Oliveira Rodrigo
Published: October 2024

Substance use disorders (SUDs) pose significant mental health challenges due to their chronic nature, health implications, impact on quality of life, and variability of treatment response. This systematic review critically examines the application of machine learning (ML) algorithms in predicting and analyzing treatment outcomes in SUDs. Conducting a thorough search across PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science, we identified 28 studies that met our inclusion criteria from an initial pool of 362 articles. The MI-CLAIM and CHARMS instruments were utilized for methodological quality and bias assessment. Reviewed studies encompass an array of SUDs, mainly opioids, cocaine, and alcohol use, predicting outcomes such as treatment adherence, relapse, and severity assessment. Our analysis reveals a significant potential of ML models in enhancing predictive accuracy and clinical decision-making in SUD treatment. However, we also identify critical gaps in methodological consistency, transparency, and external validation among the studies reviewed. Our review underscores the necessity for standardized protocols and best practices in applying ML within SUD while providing recommendations and guidelines for future research.
History, Hype, and Responsible Psychedelic Medicine: A Qualitative Study of Psychedelic Researchers
Authors: Barber Michaela , Gardner John , Carter Adrian
Published: October 2024

Background Psychedelic medicine is a rapidly growing area of research and policy change. Australia recently became the first country to legalize the prescription of psychedelics and serves as a case study of issues that may emerge in other jurisdictions. Despite their influence as a stakeholder group, there has been little empirical exploration of psychedelic researchers’ views on the development of psychedelic research and the ethical concerns. Methods We thematically analysed fourteen interviews with Australian psychedelic researchers. Results Three themes were constructed from the data: 1) coming out of the shadow of the 1960s, 2) challenges and affordances in engaging stakeholders, and 3) growing pains in innovation and translation. Conclusion The results illustrated tensions arising from the rapid growth of psychedelic research from a small group of dedicated individuals with a similar worldview, to a multi-interest, regulated industry. Participants’ experiences and viewpoints were influenced by the history of psychedelic research, and this was met with an overarching concern for protecting the field from premature discontinuation, as well as maximizing potential positive impacts. Targets for stakeholder collaboration and initiatives to support responsible innovation in psychedelics include equitable access, sustainable industry involvement, productive research agendas, responsible reporting of evidence, and risk-taking within the relative safety of clinical trials.
NMR assignment of the conserved bacterial DNA replication protein DnaA domain IV
Authors: Abrams Alexander Nguyen , Kelly Geoff , Hubbard Julia
Published: October 2024

Chromosomal replication is a ubiquitous and essential cellular process. In bacteria, the master replication initiator DnaA plays a key role in promoting an open complex at the origin (oriC) and recruiting helicase in a tightly regulated process. The C-terminal domain IV specifically recognises consensus sequences of double-stranded DNA in oriC, termed DnaA-boxes, thereby facilitating the initial engagement of DnaA to oriC. Here, we report the 13Cβ and backbone 1H, 15N, and 13C chemical shift assignments of soluble DnaA domain IV from Bacillus subtilis at pH 7.6 and 298 K.
4D-Flow MRI and Vector Ultrasound in the In-Vitro Evaluation of Surgical Aortic Heart Valves – a Pilot Study
Authors: Stephan Henrik , Grefen Linda , Clevert Dirk , Onkes Meike , Ning Jin , Thierfelder Nikolaus , Mela Petra , Hagl Christian , Curta Adrian , Grab Maximilian
Published: October 2024

Introduction: The aim of this study was the initial investigation of 4D-Flow MRI and Vector Ultrasound as novel imaging techniques in the in-vitro analysis of hemodynamics in anatomical models. Specifically, by looking at the hemodynamic performance of state-of-the-art surgical heart valves in a 3D-printed aortic arch.

Methods: The mock circulatory loop simulated physiological, pulsatile flow. Two mechanical and three biological aortic valves prostheses were compared in a 3D-printed aortic arch. 4D magnetic resonance imaging and vector flow Doppler ultrasound served as imaging methods. Hemodynamic parameters such as wall shear stress, flow velocities and pressure gradients were analyzed.

Results: The flow analysis revealed characteristic flow-patterns in the 3D-printed aortic arch. The blood-flow in the arch presented complex patterns, including the formation of helixes and vortices. Higher proximal peak velocities and lower flow volumes were found for biological valves.

Conclusion: The mock circulatory loop in combination with modern radiological imaging provides a sufficient basis for the hemodynamic comparison of aortic valves.

Graphical Abstract
Perspectives of an NCI T32 Training Program Designed to Train a Diverse Workforce in Cancer Health Equity Research
Authors: Ferguson Mackenzie A. , Tussing Humphreys Lisa , Chukwudozie Ifeanyi Beverly , Wright Margaret E. , Peterson Caryn E. , Fitzgibbon Marian L. , McLeod Andrew
Published: October 2024

With cancer health disparities on the rise in the United States (USA), there is an increased need for novel approaches to address these challenges. One such approach that may help address these disparities is increasing diversity in the biomedical research workforce. The Cancer Health Equity and Career Development Program (CHECDP) embodies this approach by recruiting and training underrepresented minorities in cancer research to develop the skills and training needed to be competitive for independent research careers, thus diversifying the biomedical research workforce. The training model that CHECDP employs is unique with its funding through the NCI training mechanism, its strong institutional support, and its participant-driven curriculum. The curriculum includes educational, career, and leadership opportunities that are continuously evaluated for sustained impact. The program has been comprised of mostly under-represented minorities that have been propelled to independent careers with a high rate of funded career development awards. Our T32 program serves as a model of success for other programs seeking to diversify the biomedical research workforce and reduce cancer health disparities.
Biotic stress and yield stability in English organic silvoarable agroforestry
Authors: Tosh Colin R. , Staton Tom , Costanzo Ambrogio , Simonson Will
Published: October 2024

In-field trees are thought to buffer arable crops from climate extremes through the creation of microclimates that may reduce the impacts of heat, wind, and cold. Much less is known about how trees and their biotic interactions (e.g. with natural enemies of pests and wild understory plants) impact crop yield stability to biotic stresses such as crop pests and disease. Modelling these interactions using conventional approaches is complex and time consuming, and we take a simplified approach, representing the agroecosystem as a Boolean regulatory network and parameterising Boolean functions using expert opinion. This allies our approach with decision analysis, which is increasingly finding applications in agriculture. Despite the naivety of our model, we demonstrate that it outputs complex and realistic agroecosystem dynamics. It predicts that, in English silvoarable, the biotic interactions of in-field trees boost arable crop yield overall, but they do not increase yield stability to biotic stress. Sensitivity analysis shows that arable crop yield is very sensitive to disease and weeds. We suggest that the focus of studies and debate on ecosystem service provision by English agroforestry needs to shift from natural enemies and pests to these ecosystem components. We discuss how our model can be improved through validation and parameterisation using real field data. Finally, we discuss how our approach can be used to rapidly model systems (agricultural or otherwise) than can be represented as dynamic interaction networks.
Economic optimization of sustainable soil management: a Dutch case study
Authors: Kik M. C. , Claassen G. D. H. , Meuwissen M. P. M. , Ros G. H. , Smit A. B. , Saatkamp H. W.
Published: October 2024

Soil quality is pivotal for crop productivity and the environmental quality of agricultural ecosystems. Achieving sufficient yearly income and long-term farm continuity are key goals for farmers, making sustainable soil management an economic challenge. Existing bio-economic models often inadequately address soil quality. In this study, we apply the novel FARManalytics model, which integrates chemical, physical, and biological indicators of soil quality indicator, quantitative rules on how these indicators respond to farmers’ production management over time, and an economic calculation framework that accurately calculates the contribution of production management decisions towards farm income. This is the first study applying this model on existing arable farms. FARManalytics optimizes crop rotation design, cover crops, manure and fertilizer application and crop residue management. Nine Dutch arable farms were analyzed with a high variation in farm size, soil type, and cultivated crops. First, we assessed farm differences in soil quality and farm economics. Second, we optimized production management to maximize farm income while meeting soil quality targets using farm-specific scenarios. Third, we explored the impact of recent policy measures to preserve water quality and to increase the contribution of local protein production. The results show that the case farms already perform well regarding soil quality, with 75% of the soil quality indicators above critical levels. The main soil quality bottlenecks are subsoil compaction and soil organic matter input. We show that even in front-runner farms, bio-economic modeling with FARManalytics substantially improves economic performance while increasing soil quality. We found that farm income could be increased by up to €704 ha−1 year−1 while meeting soil quality targets. Additionally, we show that to anticipate on stricter water quality regulation and market shift for protein crops, FARManalytics is able to provide alternative production management strategies that ensure the highest farm income while preserving soil quality for a set of heterogenous farms.
Rescheduling master surgical schedules via answer set programming
Authors: Galatà Giuseppe , Maratea Marco , Marte Cinzia , Mochi Marco
Published: October 2024

The problem of finding a Master Surgical Schedule (MSS) consists of scheduling different specialties to the operating rooms of a hospital clinic. To produce a proper MSS, each specialty must be assigned to some operating room. The number of assignments is different for each specialty and can vary during the considered planning horizon. Realizing a satisfying schedule is of upmost importance for a hospital clinic: recently, a compact solution based on the logic-based methodology of Answer Set Programming (ASP) to the MSS problem has been introduced and tested on synthetic data, with satisfying results. However, even more important is to be able to (i) reschedule efficiently in case a computed schedule cannot be fully implemented due to unavailability, and (ii) test the obtained solution on real data. In this paper, we design and implement a rescheduling solution based on ASP, and test both our scheduling and rescheduling solutions on real data from ASL1 Liguria in Italy. The experiments show that our ASP solutions provide satisfying results, also when tested on real data.
Feasibility and Safety of Targeting Mitochondria Function and Metabolism in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Firmanty Patryk , Chomczyk Monika , Dash Shubhankar , Konopleva Marina , Baran Natalia
Published: October 2024

Purpose of Review

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a clonal blood neoplasm with dismal prognosis. Despite the introduction of many novel targeted agents, cytotoxic chemotherapy has remained the standard of care for AML. Differences in mitochondrial metabolism between normal and leukemic cells can be targeted by novel AML therapies, but these agents require a comprehensive efficacy and cytotoxicity evaluation.

Recent Findings

Metabolic alterations in AML blasts increase their sensitivity to therapies targeting mitochondrial metabolism. Targeting altered mitochondrial metabolism, that is crucial for leukemia cell growth and survival, could be a breakthrough in AML treatment. Therefore, BH3 family proteins, mitochondrial complexes, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and amino acid (AA) and fatty acid metabolism are common treatment targets in AML. Although many drugs targeting these vulnerabilities showed acceptable safety profiles and promising efficacy in preclinical studies, clinical trials often do not confirm these results limited by narrow therapeutic window. The most effective regimens are based on drug combinations with synergistic or additive activity.

In this review, we present an overview of the most recent studies targeting mitochondrial metabolism in AML. We highlight that targeting of the specific energy metabolism dependencies of AML blasts provides an opportunity to achieve long-term responses with a reasonable safety profile. We emphasize that currently used drugs and their combinations display dose-limiting toxicities or are not efficient enough to completely eradicate leukemic stem cells. Thus, further studies of complex metabolic rewiring of leukemia cells before and after combinatorial therapies are warranted.
Optimization Strategies of Na3V2(PO4)3 Cathode Materials for Sodium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Hu Jiawen , Li Xinwei , Liang Qianqian , Xu Li , Ding Changsheng , Liu Yu , Gao Yanfeng
Published: October 2024

Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) has garnered great attentions as a prospective cathode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) by virtue of its decent theoretical capacity, superior ion conductivity and high structural stability. However, the inherently poor electronic conductivity and sluggish sodium-ion diffusion kinetics of NVP material give rise to inferior rate performance and unsatisfactory energy density, which strictly confine its further application in SIBs. Thus, it is of significance to boost the sodium storage performance of NVP cathode material. Up to now, many methods have been developed to optimize the electrochemical performance of NVP cathode material. In this review, the latest advances in optimization strategies for improving the electrochemical performance of NVP cathode material are well summarized and discussed, including carbon coating or modification, foreign-ion doping or substitution and nanostructure and morphology design. The foreign-ion doping or substitution is highlighted, involving Na, V, and PO43− sites, which include single-site doping, multiple-site doping, single-ion doping, multiple-ion doping and so on. Furthermore, the challenges and prospects of high-performance NVP cathode material are also put forward. It is believed that this review can provide a useful reference for designing and developing high-performance NVP cathode material toward the large-scale application in SIBs.
Teacher Professional Learning and Development Research in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Scoping Review of Literature, 2010–2023
Authors: McChesney Katrina , Gurney Laura , Chivers Melanie
Published: October 2024

Teacher professional learning and development are critical to educational improvement efforts and teacher professional growth. Such learning and development can be facilitated in a range of ways, including more traditional ‘workshop style’ training programmes as well as coaching, mentoring, advisory support, teacher inquiry, and other activities that can contribute to teacher learning and change. Despite the extensive time, financial, and human resources invested in teacher professional learning and development in Aotearoa New Zealand every year, it is over 15 years since research on teacher development in this country was brought together in a published review. This paper presents a scoping review of n = 178 primary studies published in English in 2010–2023 that focus on teacher professional development in the Aotearoa New Zealand schooling sector. Looking across this body of literature, we provide a quantitative overview of characteristics of the literature base and identify shifts, trends, strengths, gaps, imbalances, and directions for future research. This paper offers a timely summary and synthesis of recent research on teacher professional development in Aotearoa New Zealand and also offers challenges and recommendations for researchers working in this area.
Lexical interference and prediction in sentence processing among Russian heritage speakers: an individual differences approach
Authors: Prystauka Yanina , Hao Jiuzhou , Cabrera Perez Reinaldo , Rothman Jason
Published: October 2024

In line with emerging trends examining sentence processing in heritage language (HL) bilingualism and adopting an individual differences approach, the present study investigated the role of prediction and lexical interference in 68 Russian HL bilinguals in North America. The former was investigated by examining how Russian HL bilinguals processed sentences with semantically constraining verbs, whereas the latter was assessed examining how contextually globally irrelevant but locally coherent color word information is processed. The findings revealed that, as a group, participants demonstrated predictive processing and were subject to lexical interference. To understand inter-participant variation, we examined the roles prediction and/or interference play as a function of individual differences in cognitive control (as measured by a Flanker task), performance on vocabulary and gender knowledge tasks as well as participants’ individual language history and use (LHQ3, Li et al., Biling Lang Cogn 23:938–944, 2020). Indeed, these analyses revealed that individual language knowledge and domain-general cognitive control play crucial roles in how prediction and/or interference play out in HL processing.
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience: Racial Differences and Coping Style as a Mediator
Authors: Hillebrant-Openshaw Madisen , Wong Maria
Published: October 2024

Individuals with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are at risk for many negative outcomes such as poor mental and physical health. Previous research suggests that coping styles may explain the relationship between ACEs and these outcomes. Further, Black and White individuals have been shown to cope with stressful events differently. However, we do not fully understand if ACEs differentially predict the use of certain coping styles in these two racial groups, or if certain coping styles can explain why individuals of each racial group are less resilient. The current study aimed to expand the field’s knowledge of the mediating role of coping styles on the relationship between ACEs and resilience. Additionally, we examined whether there are racial differences in the relationships within these mediation models. 548 Black and White participants were recruited for an online short-term longitudinal study via Mechanical Turk. Participants filled out questionnaires measuring ACEs, coping styles, and resilience at two time points, 3 months apart. Avoidant and vigilant coping mediated the relationship between ACEs and resilience such that greater ACEs increased the likelihood of avoidant and vigilant coping, which reduced resilience. Further, White individuals had greater increases in avoidant and vigilant coping with each additional ACE compared to Black individuals, and White participants had a greater reduction in resilience with increases in vigilant coping compared to Black participants. The implications of these findings on prevention and intervention programs for individuals with ACEs are discussed.
Trust and Inclusion in Digital Health: The Need to Transform Consent
Authors: Brightwell Celia , Brückner Stefanie , Halpern Orit , Gilbert Stephen
Published: October 2024

As health systems increasingly adopt digital solutions, such as remote monitoring and telemedicine, the use of health apps is becoming increasingly widespread. Meanwhile, data protection regulations and digital transformation initiatives are making the individual responsible for protecting their health data. In this brief communication, we focus on how the consent interface in a health app can impact trust and inclusion in digital health for privacy-sensitive people. As the consent interface determines how an individual’s health data can be used in medical research, it represents a critical point between the citizen’s right to informational self-determination and the potential public benefit of advances in medical science. We find that app developers’ interests in controlling access to health data may influence the design of the consent interface and undermine an individual’s ability to understand what they are consenting to. We describe how a standardized consent interface applied to health apps could foster a trusting relationship between individuals and the digital transformation of healthcare.
Legislative Oversight and Control of Independent Portfolios: Government and Opposition Dynamics
Authors: Block Sebastian
Published: October 2024

Research on legislative control dynamics has extensively examined how political parties use legislative tools to control portfolios and their respective heads in coalition governments. However, research has focused on partisan-run portfolios and has overlooked how control dynamics are affected when portfolio heads are independent, thus not affiliated with any party. This article addresses this gap by analysing parliamentary questions from 28 German city councils to determine how independent portfolios are controlled relative to partisan portfolios. The results show that all parties control independent portfolios more intensely than partisan portfolios. This is the case for both governing parties and opposition parties. However, while government parties control independent portfolios more than partisan portfolios, they still do so to a lesser extent than opposition parties.
The burden of healthcare-associated infections in New Zealand public hospitals 2021
Authors: Morris Arthur J. , Hensen Mike , Graves Nicholas , Cai Yiying , Wolkewitz Martin , Roberts Sally A. , Grae Nikki
Published: October 2024

Background:

There are no contemporary data on the burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in New Zealand.

Objectives:

To estimate the economic burden of HAIs in adults in New Zealand public hospitals by number and monetary value of bed days lost; number of deaths, number of life years lost, and the monetary value (in NZ dollars); Accident Compensation Commission (ACC) HAI treatment injury payments; and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).

Methods:

The annual incidence rate was calculated from the observed prevalence of HAIs in New Zealand, and length of patient stays. Total HAIs for 2021 were estimated by multiplying adult admissions by incidence rates. The excess length of stay and mortality risk attributed to those with HAI was calculated using a multistate model. Payments for treatment injuries were obtained from the ACC. DALYs for HAIs were estimated from the literature.

Results:

The incidence rate of HAI was 4.74%, predicting 24,191 HAIs for 2021, resulting in 76,861 lost bed days, 699 deaths, with 9,371 years of life lost (YoLL). The annual economic burden was estimated to be $955m comprised of $121m for lost bed days, $792m for cost of YoLL, and $43m ACC claims. There were 24,165 DALY which is greater than many other measured injuries in New Zealand, eg motor vehicle traffic crashes with 20,328 DALY.

Conclusions:

HAIs are a significant burden for patients, their families, and the public health system. Preventive guidelines for many HAIs exist and a strategic plan is needed to reduce HAIs in New Zealand.
Postoperative outcomes after receipt of ertapenem antimicrobial prophylaxis for colon surgery: a multicenter retrospective cohort study
Authors: Hostler Christopher J. , Krishnan Jay , Parish Alice , Baroco Allison , Cooper Penny , Donceras Onofre , Lautenbach Ebbing , Tolomeo Pam , Sansossio Tracy , Santos Carlos A.Q. , Schwartz David , Zhang Helen , Welbel Sharon , Lokhnygina Yuliya , Anderson Deverick J. ,   for the CDC Prevention Epicenters Program
Published: October 2024

Objective:

To evaluate postoperative outcomes among patients undergoing colon surgery who receive perioperative prophylaxis with ertapenem compared to other antibiotic regimens.

Design and setting:

Multicenter retrospective cohort study among adults undergoing colon surgery in seven hospitals across three health systems from 1/1/2010 to 9/1/2015.

Methods:

Generalized linear mixed logistic regression models were applied to assess differential odds of select outcomes among patients who received perioperative prophylaxis with ertapenem compared to other regimens. Postoperative outcomes of interest included surgical site infection (SSI), Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) and clinical culture positivity for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteraciae (CRE). Inverse probability weights were applied to account for differing covariate distributions across ertapenem and non-ertapenem groups.

Results:

A total of 2,109 patients were included for analysis. The odds of postoperative SSI was 1.56 times higher among individuals who received ertapenem than among those receiving other perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis regimens in our cohort (46 [3.5%] vs 20 [2.5%]; IPW-weighted OR 1.56, [95% CI, 1.08–2.26], P = .02). No statistically significant differences in odds of postoperative CDI (24 [1.8%] vs 16 [2.0%]; IPW-weighted OR 1.07 [95% CI, .68–1.68], P = .78) were observed between patients who received ertapenem prophylaxis compared to other regimens. Clinical CRE culture positivity was rare in both groups (.2%–.5%) and did not differ statistically.

Conclusions:

Ertapenem use for perioperative prophylaxis was associated with increased odds of SSI among patients undergoing colon surgery in our study population, though no differences in CDI or clinical CRE culture positivity were identified. Further study and replication of these findings are needed.
Study and derivation of closures in the volume-filtered framework for particle-laden flows
Authors: Hausmann Max , Chéron Victor , Evrard Fabien , van Wachem Berend
Published: October 2024

The volume filtering of the governing equations of a particle-laden flow allows for simulating the fluid phase as a continuum, and accounting for the momentum exchange between the fluid and the particles by adding a source term in the fluid momentum equations. The volume filtering of the Navier–Stokes equations allows consideration of the effect that particles have on the fluid without further assumptions, but closures arise of which the implications are not fully understood. It is common to either neglect these closures or model them using assumptions of which the implications are unclear. In the present paper, we carefully study every closure in the volume-filtered fluid momentum equation and investigate their impact on the momentum and energy transfer dependent on the filtering characteristics. We provide an analytical expression for the viscous closure that arises because the filter and spatial derivative in the viscous term do not commute. An analytical expression for the regularization of the particle momentum source of a single sphere in the Stokes regime is derived. Furthermore, we propose a model for the subfilter stress tensor, which originates from filtering the advective term. The model for the subfilter stress tensor is shown to agree well with the subfilter stress tensor for small filter widths relative to the size of the particle. We show that, in contrast to common practice, the subfilter stress tensor requires modelling and should not be neglected. For filter widths comparable to the particle size, we find that the commonly applied Gaussian regularization of the particle momentum source is a poor approximation of the spatial distribution of the particle momentum source, but for larger filter widths, the spatial distribution approaches a Gaussian. Furthermore, we propose a modified advective term in the volume-filtered momentum equation that consistently circumvents the common stability issues observed at locally small fluid volume fractions. Finally, we propose a generally applicable form of the volume-filtered momentum equation and its closures based on clear and well-founded assumptions. Based on the new findings, guidelines for point-particle simulations and the filter width with respect to the particle size and fluid mesh spacing are proposed.
Imperial mission: Jesuits, French diplomacy, and medical education at l’Aurore University in Shanghai, 1912–1952
Authors: Pieragastini Steven , Robert Martin
Published: October 2024

Between 1903 and 1952, there was a Jesuit and French university in Shanghai called l’Aurore. This article focuses on its medical faculty, which operated from 1912 to 1952. It shows that, in a precarious political and military context, l’Aurore simultaneously benefited from Jesuit missionary activity and the French quest for imperial influence, without fully identifying with either. The faculty was not an official missionary institution, and most of its hundreds of students were not Christians. However, the Jesuit administration kept a record of baptisms among the students and, based on Catholic principles, encouraged opposition to birth control through courses on ‘medical ethics’ and a special oath that medical graduates had to take. Nor was the medical faculty an overtly imperial institution. It was part of a concession and the result of an alliance between Jesuit missionaries and anti-clerical diplomats of the French Third Republic. Yet, the faculty was key to a French policy of imperial influence designed to compete with other imperial, religious, and private foreign powers active in medical education in China. During the years of war between China and Japan (1937–1945), the faculty consolidated its influence by increasing student numbers and building new infrastructure, whereas its Chinese staff assumed a more prominent role, reinforcing the importance of Chinese medicine in teaching and research. Doctors trained at l’Aurore who stayed in China remained active in public health until well into the second half of the twentieth century, even after the medical faculty was abolished by the Communist regime.
Evaluating the effects of dietary patterns on circulating C-reactive protein levels in the general adult population: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of interventional and observational studies
Authors: Tran Duc Quang , Nguyen Di Khanh , Quynh Chi Vu Thi , Nguyen Huyen Thi Hoa
Published: October 2024

Adopting a healthy dietary pattern may be an initial step in combating inflammation-related chronic diseases; however, a comprehensive synthesis evaluating current evidence is lacking. This umbrella review aimed to summarise the current evidence on the effects of dietary patterns on circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in adults. We conducted an exhaustive search of the Pubmed, Scopus and Epistemonikos databases, spanning from their inception to November 2023, to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses across all study designs. Subsequently, we employed a random-effects model to recompute the pooled mean difference. Methodological quality was assessed using the A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2) checklist, and evidence certainty was categorised as non-significant, weak, suggestive, highly suggestive or convincing (PROSPERO: CRD42023484917). We included twenty-seven articles with thirty meta-analyses of seven dietary patterns, fifteen of which (50 %) exhibited high methodological quality. The summary effects of randomised controlled trials (RCT) found that the Mediterranean diet was the most effective in reducing circulating CRP levels, followed by Vegetarian/Vegan and Energy-restricted diets, though the evidence was of weak quality. In contrast, Intermittent Fasting, Ketogenic, Nordic and Paleolithic diets did not show an inverse correlation with circulating CRP levels. Some results from combined interventional and observational studies, as well as solely observational studies, also agreed with these findings. These dietary patterns show the potential in reducing CRP levels in adults, yet the lack of high-quality evidence suggests future studies may alter the summary estimates. Therefore, further well-conducted studies are warranted.
Taurine/chenodeoxycholic acid ratio as a potential serum biomarker for low vitamin B12 levels in humans
Authors: Baghel Madhu , Shi Sting L. , Patel Himani , Velagapudi Vidya , Ali Abdullah Mahmood , Yadav Vijay K.
Published: October 2024

Deficiency of vitamin B12 (B12 or cobalamin), an essential water-soluble vitamin, leads to neurological damage, which can be irreversible and anaemia, and is sometimes associated with chronic disorders such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases. Clinical tests to detect B12 deficiency lack specificity and sensitivity. Delays in detecting B12 deficiency pose a major threat because the progressive decline in organ functions may go unnoticed until the damage is advanced or irreversible. Here, using targeted unbiased metabolomic profiling in the sera of subjects with low B12 levels v control individuals, we set out to identify biomarker(s) of B12 insufficiency. Metabolomic profiling identified seventy-seven metabolites, and partial least squares discriminant analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis showed a differential abundance of taurine, xanthine, hypoxanthine, chenodeoxycholic acid, neopterin and glycocholic acid in subjects with low B12 levels. Random forest multivariate analysis identified a taurine/chenodeoxycholic acid ratio, with an AUC score of 1, to be the best biomarker to predict low B12 levels. Mechanistic studies using a mouse model of B12 deficiency showed that B12 deficiency reshaped the transcriptomic and metabolomic landscape of the cell, identifying a downregulation of methionine, taurine, urea cycle and nucleotide metabolism and an upregulation of Krebs cycle. Thus, we propose taurine/chenodeoxycholic acid ratio in serum as a potential biomarker of low B12 levels in humans and elucidate using a mouse model of cellular metabolic pathways regulated by B12 deficiency.
Slavery, Mobility, and Identity on the Western Coast of India, Sixteenth–Eighteenth Centuries
Authors: Chakravarti Ananya
Published: October 2024

In the wake of the establishment of the Portuguese in the region, slavery was fundamentally constitutive of early modern society on the west coast of India. While indigenous hierarchies and existing systems of slavery shaped Portuguese slavery, over time, indigenous society too was transformed by the extensive reliance on enslaved labor facilitated by European trafficking networks. Centering slavery in the study of South Asian history underscores the importance of considering the difference between elite projects of enforcing boundaries, both spatial and social, and the ways in which enslaved people negotiated these projects. Thus, instead of taking for granted the classificatory labels of race, caste, and blackness imposed upon enslaved peoples by elite institutions, a social history of slavery elucidates instead the evolution of these mechanisms for policing identity, and the centrality of the expropriation of labor in identity formation.
Chinese soldiers in Laos: Covert revolutionary support during the Second Indochina War
Authors: Cui Feng
Published: October 2024

This article explores the large-scale deployment of Chinese soldiers during the Vietnam War as part of China's aid to Laos, especially its logistical and military support for the Pathet Lao, in the geopolitical context of competition with America in mainland Southeast Asia. This article spotlights the history of China's clandestine campaign in Laos in the late 1960s to 1970s, based on recent articles, books, unpublished or informally published memoirs by and interviews with ex-servicemen, mainly lower-ranking officers, soldiers and army engineers who found themselves in an unknown Southeast Asian country. While the Chinese troops were spurred on by their sense of patriotism and socialist internationalism, they also desired peace so that they could return home. Many of the then young soldiers struggled to adjust to a campaign fought in the unfamiliar environment of northern Laos, and were traumatised by the sight of fallen comrades. It is these very same Chinese soldiers who fought in Laos who have become the main advocates of the declassification of China's secret war through their publications and social media postings, although their accounts are not officially endorsed or published for the mass market and this knowledge remains largely within their circles.
Complex PTSD symptoms predict positive symptoms of psychosis in the flow of daily life
Authors: Panayi Peter , Peters Emmanuelle , Bentall Richard , Hardy Amy , Berry Katherine , Sellwood William , Dudley Robert , Longden Eleanor , Underwood Raphael , Steel Craig , Jafari Hassan , Emsley Richard , Mason Liam , Elliott Rebecca , Varese Filippo
Published: October 2024

Background

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been shown to predict psychotic symptomology. However, few studies have examined the relative contribution of PTSD compared to broader post-traumatic sequelae in maintaining psychosis. Complex PTSD (cPTSD), operationalized using ICD-11 criteria, includes core PTSD (intrusions, avoidance, hyperarousal) as well as additional “disturbances of self-organisation” (DSO; emotional dysregulation, interpersonal difficulties, negative self-concept) symptoms, more likely to be associated with complex trauma histories. It was hypothesized that DSOs would be associated with positive psychotic symptoms (paranoia, voices, and visions) in daily life, over and above core PTSD symptoms.

Methods

This study (N = 153) employed a baseline subsample of the Study of Trauma And Recovery (STAR), a clinical sample of participants with comorbid post-traumatic stress and psychosis symptoms. Core PTSD, DSO and psychosis symptoms were assessed up to 10 times per day at quasi-random intervals over six consecutive days using Experience Sampling Methodology.

Results

DSOs within the preceding 90 min predicted paranoia, voices, and visions at subsequent moments. These relationships persisted when controlling for core PTSD symptoms within this timeframe, which were themselves significant. The associations between DSOs and paranoia but not voices or visions, were significantly stronger than those between psychosis and core PTSD symptoms.

Conclusions

Consistent with an affective pathway to psychosis, the findings suggest that DSOs may be more important than core PTSD symptoms in maintaining psychotic experiences in daily life among people with comorbid psychosis and cPTSD, and indicate the potential importance of addressing broad post-traumatic sequelae in trauma-focused psychosis interventions.
Auguste Valensin
Authors: Blount M.M.
Published: October 2024

In a time as overshadowed as our own by the angst of the day and its despair, there has recently been published, among many inspiring Catholic works, one which in a sense is unique, antidote, it might be termed a counterblast, to anguish. A paris journal announces its sale up-to-date of sixty thousand copies.

By the late Auguste Valensin, S.J., famous abroad if scarcely known to the general public in this country, by no means the least of the facets of its unique quality is the fact that the book consists of the personal meditations, without ‘points’ or formalities of any kind, written day by day, by someone of obvious holiness and culture, published since his death in 1953.

To those of us nurtured in any degree on the too-usual style of much of earlier French spiritual writing, this may be far from an alluring introduction.
The extraordinary “ordinary magic” of resilience
Authors: Grigorenko Elena L.
Published: October 2024

In this essay, I will briefly sample different instances of the utilization of the concept of resilience, attempting to complement a comprehensive representation of the field in the special issue of Development and Psychopathology inspired by the 42nd Minnesota Symposium on Child Psychology, hosted by the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota and held in October of 2022. Having established the general context of the field, I will zoom in on some of its features, which I consider “low-hanging fruit” and which can be harvested in a systematic way to advance the study of resilience in the context of the future of developmental psychopathology.