bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The powerlessness of a psychiatrist against the administrative system on the example of a patient with organic hallucinosis – a case report
Authors: Szczygieł Krzysztof , Podwalski Piotr , Samochowiec Jerzy
Published: April 2021

Psychiatry is a unique area of medicine where the doctor, holistically caring for the patient, often comes across many administrative, juridical or social difficulties. They seem to be less common among other specializations of medicine, but still knowledge in the field of law is an indispensable part of the specialization training of young psychiatry entrants. The ability to apply it properly is particularly important and often necessary while dealing with a psychiatric patient.
The purpose of this work is to illustrate such a juridical casus of the patient, previously hospitalized in various hospital wards as a result of being a victim of criminal battery, as well as to present the authentic juridical and social barriers, which a psychiatrist caring for chronically ill patients is obliged to break through. This case description also shows a review and depiction of legal acts and laws that have been applied. It calls attention to doctors’ helplessness in relation to the current administrative system, as well as raises the problem and powerlessness of hospital medical staff caring for chronically mentally ill patients, who must be provided care regardless of inefficiency of social care system. Moreover, this work also points to the importance of the appropriate
Admission to the psychiatric ward of a patient with paranoid syndrome and recommended COVID-19 quarantine: a case report
Authors: Wroński Michał , Dukaczewska Zuzanna
Published: April 2021

In this paper we discuss admission procedure to the COVID-19 quarantine department of a psychiatric hospital on the example of a patient diagnosed with paranoid syndrome. We also present hospital admission criteria set out by the Ministry of Health, recommended procedures during inpatient treatment and discharge a patient from the hospital. Special attention is given to the fact that referral of a patient who does not meet the above criteria may cause unneeded stress related to transport and refusal of admission. Careful planning of referrals may help avoid unnecessary costs associated with the use of protective gear by all persons who come into contact with such a patient at every stage of his stay in the hospital. We believe that in a context where any timeframe of the current epidemic in Poland remains unknown, familiarity and observance of the recommendations set out by the Ministry of Health is of particular importance.
Are you ok? I’am not: A call from Africa
Authors: Dash Dr. Prasant , Rath Prof. Aswini , Rath Jaya
Published: April 2021

The big surge in mental health issues such as depression, psychosis, psychotic disorders and other allied ailments in Africa call for immediate and serious attention of the global community. A deep insight into these reviews exposes a highly important point that limited studies have been done on psychotic disorders in the African subcontinent. It is evident from these reviews that psychological problems are varied in nature and occurred due to a number of causes. The letter is an effort to bring attention of the research community that Africa required the maximum number of psychotic studies due to its socio-economic, psychological, medical and educational situation.
Editorial
Authors: Lew-Starowicz Michal , Cyranka Katarzyna
Published: April 2021

In the time this issue of Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (APP) is released, the whole world is striving against the third wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. COVID-19 with its largely unpredictable outcomes became a hard challenge for professionals representing nearly all medical specialities, including psychiatry. The psychological burden of a new disease that took so many lives and left so many people in mourning is not to be underestimated. Scientific literature focused on the recent pandemic is successively growing (e.g., 23,634 unique published articles have been indexed on Web of Science and Scopus between 1 January and 30 June 2020! [1]) and few related manuscripts were already presented in APP last year [2,3].
The Value of Personalized Pricing
Authors: Elmachtoub Adam N. , Gupta Vishal , Hamilton Michael L.
Published: April 2021

Increased availability of high-quality customer information has fueled interest in personalized pricing strategies, that is, strategies that predict an individual customer’s valuation for a product and then offer a price tailored to that customer. Although the appeal of personalized pricing is clear, it may also incur large costs in the forms of market research, investment in information technology and analytics expertise, and branding risks. In light of these trade-offs, our work studies the value of personalized pricing strategies over a simple single-price strategy. We first provide closed-form lower and upper bounds on the ratio between the profits of an idealized personalized pricing strategy (first-degree price discrimination) and a single-price strategy. Our bounds depend on simple statistics of the valuation distribution and shed light on the types of markets for which personalized pricing has little or significant potential value. Second, we consider a feature-based pricing model where customer valuations can be estimated from observed features. We show how to transform our aforementioned bounds into lower and upper bounds on the value of feature-based pricing over single pricing depending on the degree to which the features are informative for the valuation. Finally, we demonstrate how to obtain sharper bounds by incorporating additional information about the valuation distribution (moments or shape constraints) by solving tractable linear optimization problems.

This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, revenue management and market analytics.
Low-Wage Workers and the Enforceability of Noncompete Agreements
Authors: Lipsitz Michael , Starr Evan
Published: April 2021

We exploit the 2008 Oregon ban on noncompete agreements (NCAs) for hourly-paid workers to provide the first evidence on the impact of NCAs on low-wage workers. We find that banning NCAs for hourly workers increased hourly wages by 2%–3% on average. Since only a subset of workers sign NCAs, scaling this estimate by the prevalence of NCA use in the hourly-paid population suggests that the effect on employees actually bound by NCAs may be as great as 14%–21%, though the true effect is likely lower due to labor market spillovers onto those not bound by NCAs. Whereas the positive wage effects are found across the age, education, and wage distributions, they are stronger for female workers and in occupations where NCAs are more common. The Oregon low-wage NCA ban also improved average occupational status in Oregon, raised job-to-job mobility, and increased the proportion of salaried workers without affecting hours worked.

This paper was accepted by Lamar Pierce, organizations.
Stability and Instability of the MaxWeight Policy
Authors: Bramson Maury , D’Auria Bernardo , Walton Neil
Published: April 2021

Consider a switched queueing network with general routing among its queues. The MaxWeight policy assigns available service by maximizing the objective function [Formula: see text] among the different feasible service options, where [Formula: see text] denotes queue size and [Formula: see text] denotes the amount of service to be executed at queue [Formula: see text]. MaxWeight is a greedy policy that does not depend on knowledge of arrival rates and is straightforward to implement. These properties and its simple formulation suggest MaxWeight as a serious candidate for implementation in the setting of switched queueing networks; MaxWeight has been extensively studied in the context of communication networks. However, a fluid model variant of MaxWeight was previously shown not to be maximally stable. Here, we prove that MaxWeight itself is not in general maximally stable. We also prove MaxWeight is maximally stable in a much more restrictive setting, and that a weighted version of MaxWeight, where the weighting depends on the traffic intensity, is always stable.
The challenge of infection control in patients' homes
Authors: Payne Drew , Peache Martin
Published: April 2021

Infection control is the responsibility of all nurses, but, traditionally, it has been seen as a priority only in hospitals. Infection control does not stop when a patient is discharged home, but should be practiced wherever clinical care takes place. Community nurses face a unique challenge as they work in patients' homes, and they must manage infection control in that unique environment. This article looks at practical ways to maintain infection control in patients' homes. It covers hand hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE), including the five moments of hand hygiene, appropriate hand hygiene, the use of all PPE and when gloves are required and when they are not. It also discusses managing clinical equipment, both that taken into the home and that left with a patient, including decontamination, safe storage of sharps and waste management. It touches upon what can be done in a patient's home to reduce the risk of contamination, as well as infectious disease management, including specimens and wound infection management. Lastly, it talks about cross-infection and why staff health is also important.
From theory to practice
Authors: Meen Aimi
Published: April 2021

Aimi Meen, Senior Midwifery Lecturer at the University of the West of England, analyses current midwifery skills and how they simulate in the 21st century
At the click of a button
Authors: Wright Mike
Published: April 2021

The new Mum and Baby app offers mums key information on pregnancy and parenthood
Making the UK the safest place in the world to give birth
Authors: Frodsham Lindsey
Published: April 2021

From a campaign that began in a hospital spare cupboard, Tommy's is now the largest UK charity working to reduce the country's unacceptable rates of baby loss, premature birth and other pregnancy complications
Sir Roger Bannister: pioneer of the cardiovascular autonomic nervous system
Authors: Cowan Helen
Published: April 2021

In this new four-part 2021 Neurocardiology series, Helen Cowan looks at Sir Roger Bannister's life and some of his important findings with regards to cardiovascular disorders of the autonomic nervous system.
Obstetrics and birth: effects of experiences and gender bias on student test scores
Authors: Keating Glen , Marsh Amy , Nhouyvanisvong Adisack , Mountfort Steven , Lawler Ron
Published: April 2021

Objectives:

Paramedic education requires all students have the experience of attending childbirth. Obstetric (OB) experiences are limited for students in hospitals and even more so in the field. Gender bias may exist in hospital OB rotations for paramedic students but research on this is limited. This study is intended to examine whether a sex bias exists in field or hospital placements and if that bias correlates to OB test scores.

Methods:

Using data from Fisdap, numbers of OB experiences were analysed and compared to individual student sex and experience type (hospital clinical, field or skills laboratory). The number of experiences were compared to that student's score on the OB section of the Fisdap paramedic readiness examinations version 3 (PRE3) or version 4 (PRE4).

Results:

Of 12 090 paramedic students, male (n=5625) and female (n=2682) students who took the PRE3 had equal average scores of 0.76 and male (n=2498) and female (n=1285) students who took the PRE4 had average scores of 0.77 and 0.79 respectively. Students who took the PRE3 saw a mean of 4.32 births, a majority of which were in hospital (3.68); there was minimal difference in experiences between male and female students in field or skills laboratory settings, but women saw more births in hospital settings (3.92) than men (3.43). Students who took the PRE4 saw a mean of 4.54 births, a majority of which were in hospital (3.8) and there was minimal difference in experiences between male and female students in field or laboratory settings but women students saw more births in hospital (4.06) than men (3.54).

Conclusions

There is no correlation between the number of OB emergency encounters by paramedic students and their OB test scores. However, a potential gender bias exists as female students tend to have more labour and birth experiences in hospital settings than their male counterparts, while number of experiences in lab and field settings were similar.
Spread the word: vitamin D is key for post-menopausal women
Authors: Reid Bernie B , Guthrie Lauren
Published: April 2021

Vitamin D is a key nutrient for post-menopausal health in particular. Bernie Reid and Lauren Guthrie highlight the role nurses have in creating greater awareness of vitamin D deficiency among women
Medical Image of the Month: Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Embolic Strokes from Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) Embolization
Authors: Kumar Sooraj , Srinivasan Sharanyah , El-Aini Tammer
Published: April 2021

No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. A 35-year-old lady with a history of depression and anxiety presented to the emergency room with worsening shortness of breath after receiving polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) injections in her buttock for cosmetic purposes in Mexico. Immediately after the injection in the outpatient office, she became acutely short of breath, tachypneic, and tachycardic. She was brought to the emergency room where she was hypoxic with oxygen saturations in the low 80s on a non-rebreather, tachypneic with a respiratory rate in the 40s, and tachycardic with heart rates in 140s. She was emergently intubated. A CTA of the chest demonstrated bilateral ground glass opacities throughout, most pronounced in the upper lobes which progressed to significant bilateral airspace disease consistent with acute respiratory distress syndrome (Figure 1). Her neurological examination declined over the course of her hospitalization. An MRI of the brain with contrast demonstrated bilateral foci of susceptibility artifact throughout the entirety of the …
Multiple Lesions Insertion: boosting diabetic retinopathy screening through Poisson editing
Authors: Yu Zekuan , Yan Rongyao , Yu Yuanyuan , Ma Xiao , Liu Xiao , Liu Jie , Ren Qiushi , Lu Yanye
Published: April 2021

Deep neural networks have made incredible progress in many computer vision tasks, owing to access to a great amount of data. However, collecting ground truth for large medical image datasets is extremely inconvenient and difficult to implement in practical applications, due to high professional requirements. Synthesizing can generate meaningful supplement samples to enlarge the insufficient medical image dataset. In this study, we propose a new data augmentation method, Multiple Lesions Insertion (MLI), to simulate new diabetic retinopathy (DR) fundus images based on the healthy fundus images that insert real lesions, such as exudates, hemorrhages, microaneurysms templates, into new healthy fundus images with Poisson editing. The synthetic fundus images can be generated according to the clinical rules, i.e., in different DR grading fundus images, the number of exudates, hemorrhages, microaneurysms are different. The generated DR fundus images by our MLI method are realistic with the real texture features and rich details, without black spots, artifacts, and discontinuities. We first demonstrate the feasibility of this method in a DR computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system, which judges whether the patient has transferred treatment or not. Our results indicate that the MLI method outperforms most of the traditional augmentation methods, i.e, oversampling, under-sampling, cropping, rotation, and adding other real sample methods in the DR screening task.
Analytical phase optical transfer function for Gaussian illumination and the optimized illumination profiles
Authors: Huang Jianhui , Bao Yijun , Gaylord Thomas K.
Published: April 2021

The imaging performance of tomographic deconvolution phase microscopy
can be described in terms of the phase optical transfer function
(POTF) which, in turn, depends on the illumination profile. To
facilitate the optimization of the illumination profile, an analytical
calculation method based on polynomial fitting is developed to
describe the POTF for general nonuniform axially symmetric
illumination. This is then applied to Gaussian and related profiles.
Compared to numerical integration methods that integrate over a series
of annuli, the present analytical method is much faster and is equally
accurate. Further, a “balanced distribution” criterion for the POTF
and a least-squares minimization are presented to optimize the
uniformity of the POTF. An optimum general profile is found
analytically by relaxed optimal search, and an optimum Gaussian
profile is found through a tree search. Numerical simulations confirm
the performance of these optimum profiles and support the balanced
distribution criterion introduced.
Focus shaping of high numerical aperture lens using physics-assisted artificial neural networks
Authors: Chen Ze-Yang , Wei Zhun , Chen Rui , Dong Jian-Wen
Published: April 2021

We present a physics-assisted artificial neural network (PhyANN) scheme to efficiently achieve focus shaping of high numerical aperture lens using a diffractive optical element (DOE) divided into a series of annular regions with fixed widths. Unlike the conventional ANN, the PhyANN does not require the training using labeled data, and instead output the transmission coefficients of each annular region of the DOE by fitting weights of networks to minimize the delicately designed loss function in term of focus profiles. Several focus shapes including sub-diffraction spot, flattop spot, optical needle, and multi-focus region are successfully obtained. For instance, we achieve an optical needle with 10λ depth of focus, 0.41λ lateral resolution beyond diffraction limit and high flatness of almost the same intensity distribution. Compared to typical particle swarm optimization algorithm, the PhyANN has an advantage in DOE design that generates three-dimensional focus profile. Further, the hyperparameters of the proposed PhyANN scheme are also discussed. It is expected that the obtained results benefit various applications including super-resolution imaging, optical trapping, optical lithography and so on.
Collision between soliton and polarization domain walls in fiber lasers
Authors: Hu X. , Ma J. , Zhao L. M. , Guo J. , Tang D. Y.
Published: April 2021

We report on the experimental observation of coexistence of solitons and polarization domains, as well as features of soliton collision with polarization domain walls (or kink solitons) in a single mode fiber laser. Depending on the sign of cavity dispersion, either bright or dark solitons have been formed in our fiber laser. Under suitable laser operation conditions, they could even coexist with polarization domains and collide with the domain walls. We show experimental evidence of both the elastic and inelastic soliton collisions with the domain wall solitons. Some interesting features of soliton interaction with polarization domains in a fiber laser are also firstly revealed.
Intensity-correlated spiking of infrared and ultraviolet emission from sodium vapors
Authors: Akulshin Alexander , Pedreros Bustos Felipe , Budker Dmitry
Published: April 2021

Temporal spiking of directional infrared and ultraviolet cooperative emission from sodium vapors excited to the

4

D

5

/

2

level with a continuous-wave resonant laser pump is analyzed. Mirrorless lasing at 2207 and 2338 nm on cascade population-inverted transitions and radiation at 330 nm generated due to four-wave mixing demonstrate a high degree of intensity correlation.
Fractional discrete vortex solitons
Authors: Mejía-Cortés Cristian , Molina Mario I.
Published: April 2021

We examine the existence and stability of nonlinear discrete vortex solitons in a square lattice when the standard discrete Laplacian is replaced by a fractional version. This creates a new, to the best of our knowledge, effective site-energy term, and a coupling among sites, whose range depends on the value of the fractional exponent

α

, becoming effectively long range at small

α

values. At long distance, it can be shown that this coupling decreases faster than exponentially:

∼
exp
⁡
(
−

|

n

|

)

/

|

n

|

. In general, we observe that the stability domain of the discrete vortex solitons is extended to lower power levels, as the

α

coefficient diminishes, independently of their topological charge and/or pattern distribution.
Measurement of the transverse spatial quantum state of light at the single-photon level: publisher’s note
Authors: Smith Brian J. , Killett Emmy , Raymer M. G. , Walmsley I. A. , Banaszek K.
Published: April 2021

This publisher’s note amends the author listing of
Opt. Lett.
30, 3365 (2005)OPLEDP0146-959210.1364/OL.30.003365.
Improvement of Opal Multiplex Immunofluorescence Workflow for Human Tissue Sections
Authors: Willemsen Marcella , Krebbers Gabrielle , Bekkenk Marcel W. , Teunissen Marcel B.M. , Luiten Rosalie M.
Published: April 2021

The Opal multiplex technique is an established methodology for the detection of multiple biomarkers in one section. The protocol encompasses iterative single stainings and heating-mediated removal of the primary and secondary antibodies after each staining round, leaving untouched the Opal fluorophores which are deposited onto the antigen of interest. According to our experience, repetitive heating of skin sections often results in tissue damage, indicating an urgent need for milder alternatives to strip immunoglobulins. In this study, we demonstrate that considerable heating-related damage was found not only in skin but also in tissues of different origin, mostly characterized by low cell density. Importantly, the morphology remained fully intact when sections were repetitively exposed to β-mercaptoethanol-containing stripping buffer instead of multiple heating cycles. However, target epitopes appeared sensitive at a differential degree to multiple treatments with stripping buffer, as shown by loss in staining intensity, but in all cases, the staining intensity could be restored by increment of the primary antibody concentrations. Application of β-mercaptoethanol-containing stripping buffer instead of heating for antibody removal markedly improved the quality of the Opal multiplex technique, as a substantial higher number of differently colored cells could be visualized within a well-conserved morphological context:
The evolving role of preprints in the dissemination of COVID-19 research and their impact on the science communication landscape
Authors: Fraser Nicholas , Brierley Liam , Dey Gautam , Polka Jessica K. , Pálfy Máté , Nanni Federico , Coates Jonathon Alexis
Published: April 2021

The world continues to face a life-threatening viral pandemic. The virus underlying the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused over 98 million confirmed cases and 2.2 million deaths since January 2020. Although the most recent respiratory viral pandemic swept the globe only a decade ago, the way science operates and responds to current events has experienced a cultural shift in the interim. The scientific community has responded rapidly to the COVID-19 pandemic, releasing over 125,000 COVID-19–related scientific articles within 10 months of the first confirmed case, of which more than 30,000 were hosted by preprint servers. We focused our analysis on bioRxiv and medRxiv, 2 growing preprint servers for biomedical research, investigating the attributes of COVID-19 preprints, their access and usage rates, as well as characteristics of their propagation on online platforms. Our data provide evidence for increased scientific and public engagement with preprints related to COVID-19 (COVID-19 preprints are accessed more, cited more, and shared more on various online platforms than non-COVID-19 preprints), as well as changes in the use of preprints by journalists and policymakers. We also find evidence for changes in preprinting and publishing behaviour: COVID-19 preprints are shorter and reviewed faster. Our results highlight the unprecedented role of preprints and preprint servers in the dissemination of COVID-19 science and the impact of the pandemic on the scientific communication landscape.
Meta-analysis of the prevalence of Echinococcus in dogs in China from 2010 to 2019
Authors: Gong Qing-Long , Ge Gui-Yang , Wang Qi , Tian Tian , Liu Fei , Diao Nai-Chao , Nie Lan-Bi , Zong Ying , Li Jian-Ming , Shi Kun , Leng Xue , Du Rui
Published: April 2021

Background

Echinococcosis (canine Echinococcus disease) is a neglected tropical disease that causes serious public harm. Dogs, as a terminal host of Echinococcus spp., are a key part of the Echinococcus epidemic. Echinococcosis spreads easily in humans and animals in some areas of China and it is therefore necessary to fully understand the prevalence of Echinococcus spp. in dogs.

Methodology/Principal findings

PubMed, ScienceDirect, Chongqing VIP, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and WanFang databases were searched for relevant articles published in the past 10 years. A final total of 108 studies were included. The overall prevalence of Echinococcus spp. in dogs in China was 7.3%, with the highest point estimate found in sampling year 2015 (8.2%) and publication year 2015 (16.5%). Northwestern China (7.9%) had the highest infection rate in China. Qinghai Province (13.5%) showed the highest prevalence among the 11 provinces we included. We also found that geographical and climatic factors are related to the incidence of canine echinococcosis. We further investigated the source of heterogeneity by analysis of subgroups (sampling district, detection method, dog type, season, parasite species, medication, and study quality level).

Conclusions/Significance

Our research indicated that Echinococcus spp. were still prevalent in some areas in China. More localized prevention and control policies should be formulated, including improving drinking water hygiene and strengthening hygiene promotion. We recommend the rational use of anti-Echinococcus drugs. In addition, treatment of livestock offal and feces and improving the welfare of stray dogs may play an important role in reducing canine Echinococcus infections.
Strengthening individual and family resilience against leprosy-related discrimination: A pilot intervention study
Authors: van’t Noordende Anna T. , Bakirtzief da Silva Pereira Zoica , Biswas Pritha , Ilyas Mohammed , Krishnan Vijay , Parasa Jayaram , Kuipers Pim
Published: April 2021

Background

Leprosy and leprosy-related stigma can have a major impact on psychosocial wellbeing of persons affected and their family members. Resilience is a process that incorporates many of the core skills and abilities which may enable people to address stigma and discrimination. The current study aimed to develop and pilot an intervention to strengthen individual and family resilience against leprosy-related discrimination.

Methodology

We used a quasi-experimental, before-after study design with a mixed methods approach. The 10-week family-based intervention was designed to strengthen the resilience of individuals and families by enhancing their protective abilities and capacity to overcome adversity. The study was conducted in two sites, urban areas in Telangana state, and in rural areas in Odisha state, India. Persons affected and their family members were included using purposive sampling. Two questionnaires were used pre-and post-intervention: the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC, maximum score 100, with high scores reflecting greater resilience) and the WHOQOL-BREF (maximum score of 130, with higher scores reflecting higher quality of life). In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted post-intervention. Data were collected at baseline, a few weeks after completion of the intervention, and in the Odisha cohort again at six months after completion. Paired t-tests measured differences pre- and post- intervention. Qualitative data were thematically analysed.

Findings

Eighty participants across 20 families were included in the study (23 persons affected and 57 family members). We found a significant increase in CD-RISC scores for persons affected and family members from Odisha state (baseline 46.5, first follow-up 77.0, second follow-up 70.0), this improvement was maintained at six-month follow-up. There was no increase in CD-RISC scores post-intervention among participants from Telangana state. WHOQOL-BREF scores were significantly higher at follow-up for persons affected in both states, and for family members in Odisha state. No families dropped out of the study. In the qualitative feedback, all participants described drawing benefit from the programme. Participants especially appreciated the social dimensions of the intervention.

Conclusion

This pilot study showed that the 10-week family-based intervention to strengthen resilience among persons affected by leprosy and their family members was feasible, and has the potential to improve resilience and quality of life. A large-scale efficacy trial is necessary to determine the effectiveness and long-term sustainability of the intervention.
Genetic composition of queen conch (Lobatus gigas) population on Pedro Bank, Jamaica and its use in fisheries management
Authors: Blythe-Mallett Azra , Aiken Karl A. , Segura-Garcia Iris , Truelove Nathan K. , Webber Mona K. , Roye Marcia E. , Box Stephen J.
Published: April 2021

The queen conch fishery in Jamaica is sustained by Pedro Bank, which is the main harvesting site located approximately 80 km south-west from Kingston. Due to its relative size, Pedro Bank has been subdivided into zones for management purposes by the Fisheries Division and the Veterinary Services Division. Understanding whether these sub-divisions reflect different sub-populations is critical for managing exploitation levels because fisheries management must demonstrate that harvesting does not endanger the future viability of the population as queen conch are on Appendix II of the Convention in Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This determination is essential for the continued export to international markets such as the European Union. Two hundred and eight samples were collected across the entire Pedro Bank and were genetically characterized using nine polymorphic microsatellite loci. Population structure analysis forLobatus gigasfrom Pedro Bank yielded low but significant values (FST= 0.009: p = 0.006) and suggested a high magnitude of gene flow indicative of a fit and viable population throughout the bank. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated a 100% variation within individual samples with little variation (0.9%) between populations. In contrast pairwise genetic comparisons identified significant differences between populations located to the south eastern and eastern region of the bank to those in the central and western locations. Bayesian clustering analysis also indicated the likelihood of two population sub-divisions (K = 2) on Pedro Bank. The results provided evidence of a weak but significant population structure which has crucial implications for the fishing industry as it suggests the use of ecosystem based management (EBM) in setting quotas to promote sustainable harvesting ofL.gigaswithin each monitoring zone on Pedro Bank.
Characterization of pubertal development of girls in rural Bangladesh
Authors: Hur Jinhee , Schulze Kerry J. , Thorne-Lyman Andrew L. , Wu Lee S.-F. , Shaikh Saijuddin , Ali Hasmot , Labrique Alain B. , West Keith P.
Published: April 2021

This study aimed to describe the timing and patterns of pubertal maturation of girls living in rural Bangladesh. Starting in September 2015, a total of 15,320 girls from a birth cohort, aged 9 to 15 years at initial encounter, were visited twice at about a one year interval, typically in their birth month. Participants were asked to self-report extent of pubertal maturation, including breast development, pubic hair growth and age at menarche, if applicable. Pubertal stage (abbreviated as B2 and B3-4 for breast development and PH2 and PH3-4 for pubic hair growth) was assigned. Data from both visits were pooled, yielding a total of 29,377 age-related observations per pubertal characteristic. Probit regression models were used to estimate distributions of age at which each stage of pubertal development was attained. Before age 8, <3% of the study population initiated pubertal maturation as indicated by onset of breast development (B2). The median (95% confidence interval) age of B2 and B3-4 was 11.02 (11.00–11.04) and 12.82 (12.80–12.83) years, respectively; and 12.93 (12.91–12.94) and 14.29 (14.27–14.31) years for the onset (PH2) and advanced stage (PH3-4) of pubic hair growth, respectively. Median age at menarche was 13.17 (13.15–13.19) years, with 2.15 years of timespan from B2 to menarche. Girls in rural Bangladesh progressed through puberty following a well-documented sequence of sexual maturation stages. The age at which each pubertal milestone took place was somewhat later, but the tempo from breast development to menarche was comparable to that observed elsewhere. Our findings present a current norm of pubertal maturation in a typical, rural adolescent population in South Asia, which could help inform future studies and interventions to preserve or improve early adolescent health and development.
Different selection practices affect the environmental sensitivity of beef cattle
Authors: de Paula Freitas Anielly , Santana Júnior Mário Luiz , Schenkel Flavio Schramm , Mercadante Maria Eugênia Zerlotti , Cyrillo Joslaine Noely dos Santos Goncalves , Paz Claudia Cristina Paro de
Published: April 2021

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of different selection practices on the environmental sensitivity of reproductive and growth traits in males and females of three Nellore selection lines [control (NeC), selection (NeS), and traditional (NeT) lines]. Moreover, genetic trends for the intercept and slope were estimated for each line, and the possible reranking of sires was examined. A total of 8,757 records of selection weight (SW), 3,331 records of scrotal circumference (SC), and 2,311 records of days to first calving (DFC) from Nellore cattle born between 1981 and 2017 were analyzed. (Co)variance components and genetic parameters of all traits were estimated using a reaction norm model with Gibbs sampler. In all cattle lines, the mean heritability of the studied traits ranged from 0.39 to 0.75 for SW in both males and females, from 0.46 to 0.68 for SC, and from 0.06 to 0.57 for DFC along with the environmental descriptor. In all cattle lines, the genetic correlation coefficients between the intercept and slope ranged from 0.03 to 0.81 for SW, from -0.14 to 0.39 for SC, and from -0.87 to -0.42 for DFC. Genetic trends for the slope and proportion of plastic genotypes indicated that the NeS line was more responsive to environmental changes, whereas the NeC and NeT lines tended to respond more modestly. Reranking of sires was observed for all traits, specifically in the NeC and NeT lines, because of the weak correlation between the opposite extreme environments. In the NeS line, reranking of sires was observed for DFC alone. Our results indicate that the effects of genotype-environment interaction are important and should be considered in genetic evaluations of Nellore cattle. Moreover, different selection practices affected the environmental sensitivity of the Nellore selection lines tested in this study.
Investigating colonization patterns of the infant gut microbiome during the introduction of solid food and weaning from breastmilk: A cohort study protocol
Authors: Dizzell Sara , Stearns Jennifer C. , Li Jenifer , van Best Niels , Bervoets Liene , Mommers Monique , Penders John , Morrison Katherine M. , Hutton Eileen K. ,   on behalf of the GI-MDH Consortium Partners
Published: April 2021

The first exposures to microbes occur during infancy and it is suggested that this initial colonization influences the adult microbiota composition. Despite the important role that the gut microbiome may have in health outcomes later in life, the factors that influence its development during infancy and early childhood have not been characterized fully. Guidelines about the introduction of solid foods and cessation of breastfeeding, which is thought to have a significant role in the transition to a more adult-like microbiota, are not based on microbiome research. There is even less understanding of approaches used to transition to solid food in the preterm population. The purpose of this study is to identify the impact of early life dietary events on gut microbiome community structures and function among infants born at term and pre-term. We plan to prospectively monitor the gut microbiome of infants during two critical timepoints in microbial development: the introduction of solid foods and cessation from breastmilk. A total of 35 participants from three primary observational birth cohorts (two full-term cohorts and one pre-term cohort) will be enrolled in this sub-study. Participants will be asked to collect stool samples and fill out a study diary before, during and after the introduction of solids and again during weaning from breastmilk. We will use frequent fecal sampling analyzed using 16S rRNA gene profiling, metagenomics, metabolomics, and targeted bacterial culturing to identify and characterize the microbial communities, as well as provide insight into the phenotypic characteristics and functional capabilities of the microbes present during these transitional periods of infancy. This study will provide a comprehensive approach to detailing the effects of dietary transition from breastmilk to a more adult-like solid food diet on the microbiome and in doing so will contribute to evidence-based infant nutrition guidance.
Effects of time to chemoradiation on high-grade gliomas from the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area
Authors: Prost Diego M. , Merenzon Martín A. , Gómez-Escalante José I. , Primavera Andrés , Vargas Benítez Mara , Gil Andrés S. , Marenco Pablo M. , Califano María M. , Moughty Cueto Carolina , Zaloff Dakoff Juan M. , Colonna Mario , Mazzón Alejandro , Zaninovich Roberto S. , De Cristófaro Oscar R.
Published: April 2021

High-Grade Gliomas (HGG) are the most frequent brain tumor in adults. The gold standard of clinical care recommends beginning chemoradiation within 6 weeks of surgery. Disparities in access to healthcare in Argentina are notorious, often leading to treatment delays. We conducted this retrospective study to evaluate if time to chemoradiation after surgery is correlated with progression-free survival (PFS). Our study included clinical cases with a histological diagnosis of Glioblastoma (GBM), Anaplastic Astrocytoma (AA) or High-Grade Glioma (HGG) in patients over 18 years of age from 2014 to 2020. We collected data on clinical presentation, type of resection, time to surgery, time to chemoradiation, location within the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (BAMA) and type of health insurance. We found 63 patients that fit our inclusion criteria, including 26 (41.3%) females and 37 (58.7%) males. Their median age was 54 years old (19–86). Maximal safe resection was achieved in 49.2% (n = 31) of the patients, incomplete resection in 34.9% (n = 22) and the other 15.9% (n = 10) received a biopsy, but no resection. The type of health care insurance was almost evenly divided, with 55.6% (n = 35) of the patients having public vs. 44.4% (n = 28) having private health insurance. Median time to chemoradiation after surgery was 8 (CI 6.68–9.9) weeks for the global population. When we ordered the patients PFS by time to chemoradiation we found that there was a statistically significant effect of time to chemoradiation on patient PFS. Patients had a PFS of 10 months (p = 0.014) (CI 6.89–13.10) when they received chemoradiation <5 weeks vs a PFS of 7 months (CI 4.93–9.06) when they received chemoradiation between 5 to 8 weeks and a PFS of 4 months (CI 3.76–4.26 HR 2.18 p = 0.006) when they received chemoradiation >8 weeks after surgery. Also, our univariate and multivariate analysis found that temporal lobe location (p = 0.03), GMB histology (p = 0.02) and biopsy as surgical intervention (p = 0.02) all had a statistically significant effect on patient PFS. Thus, time to chemoradiation is an important factor in patient PFS. Our data show that although an increase in HGG severity contributes to a decrease in patient PFS, there is also a large effect of time to chemoradiation. Our results suggest that we can improve patient PFS by making access to healthcare in Buenos Aires more equitable by reducing the average time to chemoradiation following tumor resection.
Hybrid genetic algorithm-based optimisation of the batch order picking in a dense mobile rack warehouse
Authors: Yang Jianglong , Zhou Li , Liu Huwei
Published: April 2021

The utilization of a storage space can be considerably improved by using dense mobile racks. However, it is necessary to perform an optimisation study on the order picking to reduce the time cost as much as possible. According to the channel location information that needs to be sorted, the multiple orders are divided into different batches by using hierarchical clustering. On this basis, a mathematical model for the virtual order clusters formed in the batches is established to optimize the order cluster picking and rack position movement, with the minimum picking time as the objective. For this model, a hybrid genetic algorithm is designed, and the characteristics of the different examples and solution algorithms are further analysed to provide a reference for the solution of the order picking optimisation problem in a dense mobile rack warehouse.
Risk factor analysis of allergic rhinitis in 6–8 year-old children in Taipei
Authors: Ho Ciao-Lin , Wu Wei-Fong
Published: April 2021

The incidence of allergic rhinitis (AR) has increased rapidly in Taiwan during the past 30 years; however, potential risk factors of AR have yet to be examined. The purpose of this study is to explore the prevalence, personal and environmental risk factors of rhinitis. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 26418 first graders (6–8 years old) in Taipei with a response rate of 94.6% (24999/26418). Modified International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaires were completed by their parents or main caregivers. Logistic regression was used to examine possible personal and environmental (in early life and current) factors related to rhinitis. The prevalence of rhinitis in the past 12 months was 42.8% in 6–8 years old children. Multivariate logistic regression analysis for both males and females revealed that male gender, antibiotic use in first year of life, bronchiolitis before the age of two years, diagnosed asthma, and diagnosed eczema, having a cat the first year of life were associated with an increased risk of rhinitis. Having older siblings, on the other hand, may reduce the risk of rhinitis. Based on the present study, we may recommend less use of antibiotics the first year of life and not having a cat in the home in the child’s first year of life as preventive measures to reduce the risk of rhinitis. From the subgroup analysis, we can take preventive measures for the different risk factors of rhinitis and the severity of rhinitis in each subgroup.
Progress toward closing gaps in the hepatitis C virus cascade of care for people who inject drugs in San Francisco
Authors: Mirzazadeh Ali , Chen Yea-Hung , Lin Jess , Burk Katie , Wilson Erin C. , Miller Desmond , Veloso Danielle , McFarland Willi , Morris Meghan D.
Published: April 2021

Background

People who inject drugs (PWID) are disproportionately affected by hepatitis C virus (HCV). Data tracking the engagement of PWID in the continuum of HCV care are needed to assess the reach, target the response, and gauge impact of HCV elimination efforts.

Methods

We analyzed data from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) surveys of PWID recruited via respondent driven sampling (RDS) in San Francisco in 2018. We calculated the number and proportion who self-reported ever: (1) tested for HCV, (2) tested positive for HCV antibody, (3) diagnosed with HCV, (4) received HCV treatment, (5) and attained sustained viral response (SVR). To assess temporal changes, we compared 2018 estimates to those from the 2015 NHBS sample.

Results

Of 456 PWID interviewed in 2018, 88% had previously been tested for HCV, 63% tested antibody positive, and 50% were diagnosed with HCV infection. Of those diagnosed, 42% received treatment. Eighty-one percent of those who received treatment attained SVR. In 2015 a similar proportion of PWID were tested and received an HCV diagnosis, compared to 2018. However, HCV treatment was more prevalent in the 2018 sample (19% vs. 42%, P-value 0.01). Adjusted analysis of 2018 survey data showed having no health insurance (APR 1.6, P-value 0.01) and having no usual source of health care (APR 1.5, P-value 0.01) were significantly associated with untreated HCV prevalence.

Conclusion

While findings indicate an improvement in HCV treatment uptake among PWID in San Francisco, more than half of PWID diagnosed with HCV infection had not received HCV treatment in 2018. Policies and interventions to increase coverage are necessary, particularly among PWID who are uninsured and outside of regular care.
Ethical and psychosocial considerations for hospital personnel in the Covid-19 crisis: Moral injury and resilience
Authors: Kreh Alexander , Brancaleoni Rachele , Magalini Sabina Chiara , Chieffo Daniela Pia Rosaria , Flad Barbara , Ellebrecht Nils , Juen Barbara
Published: April 2021

This study aims at investigating the nature of resilience and stress experience of health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirteen healthcare workers from Italian and Austrian hospitals specifically dealing with COVID-19 patients during the first phase of the pandemic were interviewed. Data was analysed using grounded theory methodology. Psychosocial effects on stress experience, stressors and resilience factors were identified. We generated three hypotheses. Hypothesis one is that moral distress and moral injury are main stressors experienced by healthcare workers. Hypothesis two states that organisational resilience plays an important part in how healthcare workers experience the crisis. Organisational justice and decentralized decision making are essential elements of staff wellbeing. Hypothesis three refers to effective psychosocial support: Basic on scene psychosocial support based on the Hobfoll principles given by trusted and well-known mental health professionals and peers in an integrated approach works best during the pandemic.