bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postprocedural Anticoagulation After Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Segment–Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind Trial
Authors: Yan Yan , Guo Jincheng , Wang Xiao , Wang Guozhong , Fan Zeyuan , Yin Delu , Wang Zhifang , Zhang Fuchun , Tian Changming , Gong Wei , Liu Jiamin , Lu Jiapeng , Li Yongjun , Ma Changsheng , Vicaut Eric , Montalescot Gilles , Nie Shaoping ,   on behalf of the RIGHT Investigators
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND:

Postprocedural anticoagulation (PPA) is frequently administered after primary percutaneous coronary intervention in ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction, although no conclusive data support this practice.

METHODS:

The RIGHT trial (Comparison of Anticoagulation Prolongation vs no Anticoagulation in STEMI Patients After Primary PCI) was an investigator-initiated, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, superiority trial conducted at 53 centers in China. Patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention were randomly assigned by center to receive low-dose PPA or matching placebo for at least 48 hours. Before trial initiation, each center selected 1 of 3 PPA regimens (40 mg of enoxaparin once daily subcutaneously; 10 U·kg·h of unfractionated heparin intravenously, adjusted to maintain activated clotting time between 150 and 220 seconds; or 0.2 mg·kg·h of bivalirudin intravenously). The primary efficacy objective was to demonstrate superiority of PPA to reduce the primary efficacy end point of all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, stent thrombosis (definite), or urgent revascularization (any vessel) within 30 days. The key secondary objective was to evaluate the effect of each specific anticoagulation regimen (enoxaparin, unfractionated heparin, or bivalirudin) on the primary efficacy end point. The primary safety end point was Bleeding Academic Research Consortium 3 to 5 bleeding at 30 days.

RESULTS:

Between January 10, 2019, and September 18, 2021, a total of 2989 patients were randomized. The primary efficacy end point occurred in 37 patients (2.5%) in both the PPA and placebo groups (hazard ratio, 1.00 [95% CI, 0.63 to 1.57]). The incidence of Bleeding Academic Research Consortium 3 to 5 bleeding did not differ between the PPA and placebo groups (8 [0.5%] vs 11 [0.7%] patients; hazard ratio, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.30 to 1.83]).

CONCLUSIONS:

Routine PPA after primary percutaneous coronary intervention was safe but did not reduce 30-day ischemic events.

REGISTRATION:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT03664180.
Dl-3-n-Butylphthalide Alleviates Secondary Brain Damage and Improves Working Memory After Stroke in Cynomolgus Monkeys
Authors: Jiang Zimu , Wei Jiating , Liang Jiahui , Huang Weixian , Ouyang Fubing , Chen Chunyong , Li Pingping , Cao Suhan , Cai Yuangui , Li Jianle , Huang Baozi , Zeng Jinsheng , Chen Yicong
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND:

Remote secondary neurodegeneration is associated with poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI). Dl-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) improves PSCI clinically. However, whether it ameliorates PSCI by alleviating secondary neurodegeneration remains uncertain. Nonhuman primates provide more relevant models than rodents for human stroke and PSCI. This study investigated the effects of NBP on PSCI and secondary neurodegeneration in cynomolgus monkeys after permanent left middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).

METHODS:

Thirteen adult male cynomolgus monkeys were randomly assigned to sham (n=4), MCAO+placebo (n=5), and MCAO+NBP groups (n=4). The MCAO+placebo and MCAO+NBP groups received saline and NBP injections intravenously, respectively, starting at 6-hour postsurgery for 2 weeks, followed by soybean oil and NBP orally, respectively, for 10 weeks after MCAO. Infarct size was assessed at week 4 by magnetic resonance imaging. Working memory and executive function were evaluated dynamically using the delayed response task and object retrieval detour task, respectively. Neuron loss, glia proliferation, and neuroinflammation in the ipsilateral dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, thalamus, and hippocampus were analyzed by immunostaining 12 weeks after MCAO.

RESULTS:

Infarcts were located in the left middle cerebral artery region, apart from the ipsilateral dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, thalamus, or hippocampus, with no significant difference between the MCAO+placebo and MCAO+NBP group. Higher success in delayed response task was achieved at weeks 4, 8, and 12 after NBP compared with placebo treatments (
P
<0.05), but not in the object retrieval detour task (all
P
>0.05). More neurons and less microglia, astrocytes, CD68-positive microglia, tumor necrosis factor-α, and inducible NO synthase were observed in the ipsilateral dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex and thalamus after 12 weeks of NBP treatment (
P
<0.05), but not in the hippocampus (
P
>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our findings indicate that NBP improves working memory by alleviating remote secondary neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in the ipsilateral dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex and thalamus after MCAO in cynomolgus monkeys.
Impact of Sex on Thrombectomy Outcomes in Ischemic Stroke: A Propensity Score‐Matched Study, Systematic Review, and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Romoli Michele , Banerjee Soma , Cordici Francesco , Lobotesis Kyriakos , Longoni Marco , Lafe Elvis , Casetta Ilaria , Katsanos Aristeidis H. , Palaiodimou Lina , Zini Andrea , Ruggiero Maria , Nguyen Thanh N. , Tsivgoulis Georgios , D'Anna Lucio
Published: February 2024

Background

Women are underrepresented in stroke thrombectomy trials, and the impact of sex differences in outcomes after stroke thrombectomy is unclear. We performed a multicenter propensity matching study to define sex‐related differences in outcome after endovascular thrombectomy and integrated results in a meta‐analysis.

Methods

We included patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion consecutively treated with thrombectomy at 2 Comprehensive Stroke Centres (2016–2023). Selection criteria reflected international guidelines. Through systematic review we selected all studies reporting endovascular thrombectomy outcomes in anterior circulation large vessel occlusion stroke, applying propensity score matching. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched up to August 15, 2023 according to predefined protocol (OSF.io/je3da). Data were extracted by 2 independent raters, pooled estimates calculated according to random‐effect modeling meta‐analysis and reported as odds ratio (OR) and standard 95% CI. Outcomes were good functional outcome, defined as modified Rankin Scale score 0–2 at 90 days after stroke, and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, adjudicated according to European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study II criteria.

Results

After matching, 698 patients (349 women versus 349 men) had similar cardiovascular risk factors, baseline features, and treatment approach. No significant differences were found for good functional outcome (OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.66–1.2) and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.44–2.26) in the cohort study by sex. Systematic review identified 3 studies (n = 3706), all of high quality. No differences emerged in rates of good functional outcome (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.79–1.21) or symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.60–1.19) depending on sex.

Conclusion

Women receiving endovascular thrombectomy for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion related stroke have similar rates of good functional outcome and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage compared to men.
Blood Pressure Management Following Endovascular Stroke Treatment: A Feasibility Trial and Meta‐Analysis of Outcomes
Authors: Katsanos Aristeidis H. , Catanese Luciana , Sahlas Demetrios J. , Srivastava Abhilek , Veroniki Areti‐Angeliki , Perera Kanjana , Ng Kelvin K. H. , Joundi Raed , Van Adel Brian , Larrazabal Ramiro , Hawkes Christine , Deshmukh Aviraj , Ratnayake Kanchana , Palaiodimou Lina , Tsivgoulis Georgios , Benavente Oscar , Hart Robert , Sharma Mukul , Shoamanesh Ashkan
Published: February 2024

Background

Although postprocedure blood pressure (BP) correlates with outcome in patients undergoing endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), the optimal target is unknown.

Methods

We performed a pilot randomized‐controlled clinical trial enrolling participants with persistently elevated BP after successful EVT. Participants were randomized within 1 hour from the end of EVT to either intensive (systolic BP target <140 mmHg) or standard BP target (systolic BP <180 mmHg) for 48 hours. The main end point was feasibility, which was assessed with the enrollment rate and adherence to allocated BP target. Exploratory end points included neurologic deterioration, functional improvement, intracranial hemorrhage, and flow dynamics detected by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. We included the outcomes of our trial in an aggregate data meta‐analysis of randomized‐controlled clinical trials evaluating the utility of BP control after successful EVT. The primary outcome of the meta‐analysis was 3‐month good functional outcome, defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of ≤2.

Results

Between October 23, 2020, and February 4, 2023, 221 patients were screened and 30 were randomized (14%; average recruitment of 1.2 participants/month). Participants in the intensive BP arm had a mean±SD systolic BP of 131±18 mm Hg over 48 hours (75% of the readings were <140 mm Hg), whereas participants in the standard BP arm had a mean±SD 48‐hour systolic BP of 139±18 mm Hg (48% of the readings were between 140 and 180 mm Hg). No differences between the 2 groups were documented in any of the predefined exploratory end points. In a meta‐analysis of 5 randomized‐controlled clinical trials involving 1558 participants, intensive BP control was associated with lower probability for 3‐month good functional outcome (odds ratio, 0.66 [95% CI, 0.53–0.82]; I
2
 = 8%) when compared with standard BP control.

Conclusions

The natural course of BP normalization following successful recanalization poses challenges to the conduct and success of randomized‐controlled clinical trials evaluating different BP thresholds after EVT. Meta‐analysis of existing trials suggests harm associated with active BP lowering.
Notes on the genus Homogryllacris Liu, 2007 (Orthoptera: Gryllacrididae) with description of one new species from China
Authors: DUAN YANHAO , ZHANG TAO , SHI FUMING
Published: February 2024

This paper deals with five species of the genus Homogryllacris Liu, 2007 from China, including one new species, i.e. Homogryllacris nigromacula sp. nov. Morphological illustrations of most species and habitus of the new species are provided. Moreover, one geographical population of Homogryllacris yunnana Shi, Guo & Bian, 2012 and intraspecific variation of Homogryllacris platycis Liu & Bian, 2021 are discussed and illustrated. All specimens examined are deposited in the Museum of Hebei University.
The Genesis of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Authors: Gabler Hans Walter
Published: February 2024

Initial excursions of 1975/1976 into a genetically critical analysis of the material document transmission of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man are developed in this chapter. At the core stands a recognition of the novel’s structured complexity; that Joyce carefully mid-centred its five chapters on the hell sermons in chapter three to mirror around them chapters one and two leading towards and chapters four and five leading away from that axis. He also shifted accordingly one text segment as earlier drafted from the second to the first chapter, so as to mirror-relate the novel’s frames, chapters one and five.
James Joyce’s Dubliners Critical Edition 1993
Authors: Gabler Hans Walter
Published: February 2024

This is an introduction to Dubliners that asserts both practically and theoretically that, given the state of transmission of texts to be edited, the Anglo-American mode of scholarly editing remains thoroughly valid. This clear positioning aids in sharpening further the contrasting editorial and genetically critical solutions found for editing Joyce’s Ulysses.
James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Critical Edition 1993
Authors: Gabler Hans Walter
Published: February 2024

This is an introduction to A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man that asserts both practically and theoretically that, given the state of transmission of texts to be edited, the Anglo-American mode of scholarly editing remains thoroughly valid. This clear positioning aids in sharpening further the contrasting editorial and genetically critical solutions found for editing Joyce’s Ulysses.
James Joyce’s Text in Progress
Authors: Gabler Hans Walter
Published: February 2024

This chapter takes a genetic approach to critically exploring the shifting focus, awareness, and perception of Joyce’s creativity and conceptual progress from his epiphanies (1902-1903) to mid-Ulysses (1918), and prospectively beyond to the novel’s end with Penelope and its arrangement in golden mean proportions of the text for publication (1921).
The Rocky Road to Ulysses
Authors: Gabler Hans Walter
Published: February 2024

This chapter continues the genetic exploration of Joyce’s creativity and achievement through more dynamic pursuit of feeling for and understanding of Ulysses, which is gained and communicated in progress.
James Joyce’s Hamlet Chapter
Authors: Gabler Hans Walter
Published: February 2024

This chapter deepens the argument that Stephen Dedalus’ Hamlet performance originated during the gestation of Chapter V of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. This opens a suggestion that not integrating a Hamlet movement in A Portrait meant also sacrificing the one single morning-to-evening duration for the novel’s fifth chapter this would have integrally sustained.
Emergence of James Joyce’s Dialogue Poetics
Authors: Gabler Hans Walter
Published: February 2024

This chapter re-illuminates as it re-encompasses most widely the progression of Joyce’s writing under the dominant aspect of the poetics shaping his art, arguing that the progress from the epiphanies via Stephen Hero and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man to the Scylla & Charybdis midpoint of Ulysses demonstrates how he emulated and achieved a mode of writing akin to Shakespeare’s that he in 1900 singled out and defined as ‘literature in dialogue’.
Composing Penelope Towards the Condition of Music
Authors: Gabler Hans Walter
Published: February 2024

This chapter argues that the terminal episode of Ulysses was designed to model an ever-presence in language. Close genetic analysis of the process of composing the draft manuscript shows how its text flow, ever enriched, integrates to create an illusion of subjectively timeless presence akin to the experience of playing or hearing music. Hence, Ulysses is concluded by another episode which is not about something, but rather manifests the thing itself: the experience of a condition of music.
Ulysses 1984
Authors: Gabler Hans Walter
Published: February 2024

In this envoy, Gabler single out the synopsis of the process of writing Ulysses in one extended example, taken from Sirens: the narration of the climactic stretch of Simon Dedalus’s singing the finale of Flotow’s aria M’Appari, ‘When first I saw that form endearing’. It closes with an invitation to whom it may concern to rise above the shoulders of Gabler and his team, and take over.
Anthropogenic Influences on Extremely Persistent Seasonal Precipitation in Southern China during May–June 2022
Authors: Sheng Bosi , Dong Buwen , Wang Haolin , Zhang Mingming , Lin Shuheng , Si Peng , Lott Fraser C. , Li Qingxiang
Published: February 2024

Precipitation in southern China during April–June 2022 was the highest since 1961. Anthropogenic forcing has reduced the probability of 2022-like Rx30day precipitation by about 45% based on CMIP6 simulations.
A Parameterization Scheme Accounting for Nonhydrostatic Effects on the Momentum Flux of Vertically Propagating Orographic Gravity Waves: Formulas and Preliminary Tests in the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS)
Authors: Xu Xin , Zhang Rongrong , Teixeira Miguel A. C. , van Niekerk Annelize , Xue Ming , Lu Yixiong , Xue Haile , Li Runqiu , Wang Yuan
Published: February 2024

The momentum transport by orographic gravity waves (OGWs) plays an important role in driving the large-scale circulation throughout the atmosphere and is subject to parameterization in numerical models. Current parameterization schemes, which were originally developed for coarse-resolution models, commonly assume that unresolved OGWs are hydrostatic. With the increase in the horizontal resolution of state-of-the-art numerical models, unresolved OGWs are of smaller horizontal scale and more influenced by nonhydrostatic effects (NHE), thus challenging use of the hydrostatic assumption. Based on the analytical formulas for nonhydrostatic OGWs derived in our recent study, the orographic gravity wave drag (OGWD) parameterization scheme in the Model for Prediction Across Scales is revised by accounting for NHE. Global simulations with 30-km horizontal resolution are conducted to investigate NHE on the momentum transport of OGWs and their impacts on the large-scale circulation in boreal winter. NHE are evident in regions of complex terrain such as the Tibetan Plateau, Rocky Mountains, southern Andes, and eastern Antarctica. The parameterized surface wave momentum flux can be either reduced or enhanced depending on the relative importance of NHE and model physics–dynamics interactions. The NHE corrections to the OGWD scheme significantly reduce the easterly biases in the polar stratosphere of the Northern Hemisphere, due to both weakened OGWD in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere and suppressed upward propagation of resolved waves into the stratosphere. However, the revised OGWD scheme only has a weak influence on the large-scale circulation in the Southern Hemisphere during boreal winter.
2022 CEOS International Thermal Infrared Radiometer Comparison. Part I: Laboratory Comparison of Radiometers and Blackbodies
Authors: Yamada Yoshiro , Harris Subrena , Hayes Michael , Simpson Rob , Wimmer Werenfrid , Holmes Raymond , Nightingale Tim , Lee Arrow , Jepsen Nis , Morgan Nicole , Göttsche Frank-M. , Niclòs Raquel , Perelló Martín , Donlon Craig , Fox Nigel
Published: February 2024

An international comparison of field deployed radiometers for sea surface skin temperature (SSTskin) retrieval was conducted in June 2022. The campaign comprised a laboratory comparison and a field comparison. In the laboratory part, the radiometers were compared with reference standard blackbodies, while the same was done with the blackbodies used for the calibration of the radiometers against a transfer standard radiometer. Reference values were provided by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), traceable to the primary standard on the International Temperature Scale of 1990. This was followed by the field comparison at a seaside pier on the south coast of England, where the radiometers were compared against each other while viewing the closely adjacent surface of the sea. This paper reports the results of the laboratory comparison of radiometers and blackbodies. For the blackbody comparison, the brightness temperature of the blackbody reported by the participants agreed with the reference value measured by the NPL transfer standard radiometer within the uncertainties for all temperatures and for all blackbodies. For the radiometer comparison, the temperature range of most interest from the SSTskin retrieval point of view is 10°–30°C, and in this temperature range, and up to the maximum comparison temperature of 50°C, all participants’ reported results were in agreement with the reference. On the other hand, below 0°C the reported values showed divergence from the reference and the differences exceeded the uncertainties. The divergence shows there is room for improvement in uncertainty estimation at lower temperatures, although it will have limited implication in the SSTskin retrieval.
On the Sensitivity of Large-Eddy Simulations of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Coupled with Realistic Large-Scale Dynamics
Authors: Giani Paolo , Crippa Paola
Published: February 2024

We present a new ensemble of 36 numerical experiments aimed at comprehensively gauging the sensitivity of nested large-eddy simulations (LES) driven by large-scale dynamics. Specifically, we explore 36 multiscale configurations of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model to simulate the boundary layer flow over the complex topography at the Perdigão field site, with five nested domains discretized at horizontal resolutions ranging from 11.25 km to 30 m. Each ensemble member has a unique combination of the following input factors: (i) large-scale initial and boundary conditions, (ii) subgrid turbulence modeling in the gray zone of turbulence, (iii) subgrid-scale (SGS) models in LES, and (iv) topography and land-cover datasets. We probe their relative importance for LES calculations of velocity, temperature, and moisture fields. Variance decomposition analysis unravels large sensitivities to topography and land-use datasets and very weak sensitivity to the LES SGS model. Discrepancies within ensemble members can be as large as 2.5 m s−1 for the time-averaged near-surface wind speed on the ridge and as large as 10 m s−1 without time averaging. At specific time points, a large fraction of this sensitivity can be explained by the different turbulence models in the gray zone domains. We implement a horizontal momentum and moisture budget routine in WRF to further elucidate the mechanisms behind the observed sensitivity, paving the way for an increased understanding of the tangible effects of the gray zone of turbulence problem.

Significance Statement

Several science and engineering applications, including wind turbine siting and operations, weather prediction, and downscaling of climate projections, call for high-resolution numerical simulations of the lowest part of the atmosphere. Recent studies have highlighted that such high-resolution simulations, coupled with large-scale models, are challenging and require several important assumptions. With a new set of numerical experiments, we evaluate and compare the significance of different assumptions and outstanding challenges in multiscale modeling (i.e., coupling large-scale models and high-resolution atmospheric simulations). The ultimate goal of this analysis is to put each individual assumption into the wider perspective of a realistic problem and quantify its relative importance compared to other important modeling choices.
Who Is Affected by Saharan Dust in the Caribbean? A Spatial Analysis and Citizen’s Perspective from Puerto Rico during the Godzilla Dust Event in June 2020
Authors: Morales-Medina Maité , Ortíz-Martínez Ana P. , Pérez-Cardona Cynthia M. , Rueda-Roa Digna , Otis Daniel , Pérez-Matías Edgar , Muller-Karger Frank , Mayol-Bracero Olga , Méndez-Lázaro Pablo
Published: February 2024

An extreme Saharan dust storm (named Godzilla) arrived at the Caribbean region in June 2020, deteriorating the air quality to hazardous levels and unhealthy conditions for sensitive groups of people. Our main objective was to characterize populations at risk for Saharan dust by analyzing distribution and levels of dust events in Puerto Rico, and by conducting an online survey to assess community perceptions on Saharan dust health effects. Three daily satellite aerosols products from 2013 to 2020 were retrieved from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite over Puerto Rico to better understand the patterns, frequency, and seasonality of aerosols. The atmospheric results indicated that extreme values (>99th) of big size aerosols (e.g., Sahara dust) were observed over Puerto Rico on 22 June 2020. A total of 1504 qualified people participated in the survey during the summer of 2020, and it was analyzed with descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, and chi-square tests. 51% of the survey participants were on the age group of 25–44 years old, and 65% of the participants had at least one preexisting health condition (respiratory diseases 27%; cardiovascular diseases 28%). Nearly 90% of the participants indicated that Saharan dust affected the health status of both the respondents and their family members. Irritation of eyes (22%), nose (24%), and throat (23%), as well as breathing difficulties (10%), were the most common symptoms reported. Understanding patients’ health profiles associated with Saharan dust is essential before developing public health strategies to minimize exacerbation of health conditions in Puerto Rico.
Trusting Talent: Cross-Country Differences in Hiring
Authors: Zhang Letian , Wang Shinan
Published: February 2024

This article argues that a society’s level of social trust influences employers’ hiring strategies. Employers can focus either on applicants’ potential and select on foundational skills (e.g., social skills, math skills) or on their readiness and select on more-advanced skills (e.g., pricing a derivative). The higher (lower) the social trust—people’s trust in their fellow members of society—the more (less) employers are willing to invest in employees and grant them role flexibility. Employers in higher-trust societies are therefore more attentive to applicants’ potential, focusing more on foundational skills than on advanced skills. We empirically test this theory by using a novel dataset of more than 50 million job postings from the 28 European Union countries. We find that the higher a country’s social trust, the more its employers require foundational skills instead of advanced skills. Our identification strategy takes advantage of multinational firms in our sample and uses measures of bilateral (country-to-country) trust to predict job requirements, while including an instrumental variable and fixed effects on country, year, employer, and occupation. These findings suggest a novel pathway by which social trust shapes employment practices and organizational strategies.
An oil and gas pipeline inspection UAV based on improved YOLOv7
Authors: Zhao Yongxiang , Luo Wei , Wang Zhiguo , Zhang Guoqing , Liu Jiandong , Li Xiaoliang , Wang Qi
Published: February 2024

This study proposes a method of autonomous navigation UAV for oil and gas pipeline (OGP) dial detection based on the improved YOLOv7 model. The canny edge detection algorithm is applied in identifying the edges of the pipeline, and the Hough transform algorithm is used to detect the pipeline in a straight line. The intelligent UAV P600 is guided to patrol the oil and gas dials (OGD) along the pipeline, and the trained improved YOLOv7-based model is adopted to identify the OGD data. Dial recognition is divided into two stages, that is, dial contour detection and dial reading recognition. For the dial recognition rate (RR), the Levenstein distance, a commonly used method, is introduced, thereby calculating the distance between two character sequences. Meanwhile, an integrated global attention mechanism (GAM) is proposed based on the YOLOv7 model, aiming at extracting more informative features. With this mechanism, the channel and spatial aspects of the features are effectively captured, and the importance of cross-dimensional interactions is increased. By introducing GAM attention mechanism in the backbone and head of YOLOv7, the network’s ability in efficiently extracting depth and primary features is enhanced. ACmix (a hybrid model combining the advantages of self-attentiveness and convolution) is also included, with ACmix module improved. The improved ACmix module has the objectives of enhancing feature extraction capability of backbone network and accelerating network convergence. By substituting 3 × 3 convolutional block with 3 × 3 ACmixBlock and adding a jump connection and a 1 × 1 convolutional structure between the ACmixBlock modules, E-ELAN module in YOLOv7 network is also improved, thus optimizing E-ELAN network, enriching features extracted by E-ELAN network, and reducing inference time of YOLOv7 model. As indicated by comparing the experimental results of the six model algorithms (improved YOLOv7, YOLOv7, YOLOX, YOLOv5, YOLOv6 and Faster R-CNN), the improved YOLOv7 model has higher mAP, faster RR, faster network convergence, and higher IOU. In addition, a generic real dataset, called custom dial reading dataset, is presented. With well-defined evaluation protocol, this dataset allows for a fair comparison of various methods in future work.
Partners in Pain, Two Sides of a Zipper – Midwives’ Experiences With Stillbirth: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Bayrı Bingöl Fadime , Karaçam Yılmaz Zeynep Dilşah , Topaloğlu Seçil
Published: February 2024

This study was conducted to explore and understand the experiences of midwives who care for women experiencing stillbirth and the challenges they face in this process. A qualitative study was conducted with 11 midwives using the phenomenological method. Descriptive analysis of the data revealed four main themes: 1) Silent screams in the face of despair (women’s reactions to stillbirth), 2) Being a partner in pain, “two sides of a zipper” (midwives’ experience of stillbirth), 3) Efforts to cope with the pain, and 4) Just two words: “if only.” The impact of stillbirths on midwives should not be disregarded. Emotions such as shock, horror, fear, guilt, and anger experienced by midwives following a stillbirth can adversely affect their mental health. The guilt experienced by midwives can also negatively impact their health and quality of life, as well as cause burnout and distancing from the profession.
We Fear So We Judge: A Mediation Analysis on the Relations Among Ageing Anxiety, Ageism, and Ageist Microaggressions
Authors: Poon Tsz-Hin , Li Kin-Kit
Published: February 2024

Ageism remains an obstacle to building an age-friendly environment. Although the rise of ageist microaggressions (i.e., subtle discrimination) threatens older adults from maintaining well-being, the mechanism of ageist microaggressions remains understudied. The present study examined ageist microaggressions using a transactional model. Specifically, we examined whether ageing and death anxieties contribute to self-ageism and influence benevolent and hostile ageism. These ageist beliefs might lead to benevolent and hostile ageist microaggressions, respectively. Cross-sectional data from 214 Hong Kong middle-aged adults ( Mage  = 50.97) were obtained. The results from a structural equation model revealed that ageing anxiety, but not death anxiety, was a significant predictor of self-ageism, hostile ageism, and hostile ageist microaggressions. A revised model further suggested that benevolent and hostile ageism were predictive of hostile ageist microaggressions. The results highlight the importance of defying the conventional perception of ageing to reduce ageing anxiety, ageism and ageist microaggressions for an age-friendly society.
Application of Biologic Graft in Nasal Septal Perforation Repair
Authors: Jing Jianjun , Li Liang , Wu Yongxiang , Zheng Liang , Zhang Longfang , Li Haihong , Wang Hui
Published: February 2024

Objective: To explore the clinical outcome when biomaterials are used to repair nasal septal perforations. Methods: A total of 12 patients were treated. The nasal septum was dissected via endoscopic approach. A 4 cm × 7 cm biologic graft (Biodesign® Tissue Graft) was folded to form a double layer, was placed over the perforation, and was affixed into place using suture. Results: Follow-up ranged from 2 to 8 months after the operation. One patient was not completely healed and presented with a remaining defect of about 2 mm × 8 mm in the upper part of the nasal septum. The remaining 11 patients healed completely. Conclusion: Using a biologic graft to repair nasal septal perforations is an easy operation as it prevents the need to take autologous tissue from the patient, allows for a repair to be performed without creating septal flaps, and has good histocompatibility. It is a safe and effective method that can be used clinically.
Hegemony, capitalism and peace: A critique of the ‘armed peace’ in Urabá, Colombia
Authors: López Pérez Daniel
Published: February 2024

This article delves into the concept of ‘armed peace’ in the context of the social and armed conflict in Urabá, Colombia. The term ‘armed peace’ refers to the relative stability that was established in Urabá since the 1990s, when paramilitary groups took control of the region from subversive guerrillas with the aid of the state, local capitalists, Banana transnational corporations, and trade unions. This stability was achieved through a paramilitary rule that was based on capitalist interests and enabled by the suppression of subversion. The study explores the relationship between peace and consent, and how consent has affected social and production relations in Urabá. By examining the Colombian conflict as a hegemonic vehicle that has shaped the peace in Urabá, this article aims to shed light on how apparent social phenomena can be essential to capitalism in specific contexts. Hegemonic vehicles are historical institutions that restructure social relations and, through concessions, hinder class struggle. In Colombia, the conflict can be understood as such as it has been institutionalized to gain workers’ consent to the social order over time. In Urabá, this process allowed for the reorganization of interests and the establishment of the status quo’s armed peace, which overtook the old consent to the project of subversive peace. Our analysis could extend beyond Colombia’s specific case and seeks to critique social institutions that enjoy relative ‘consensus’ but serve to transport and enforce capitalism’s core values. These historically specific structures play a key role in achieving consent to capitalism in conflictive social relations, both in and beyond the workplace, and exist within specific social contexts that echo the hegemonic global political economy.
Measuring Effectiveness of Metro-Based Underground Logistics System in Sustaining City Logistics Performance During Public Health Emergencies: A Case Study of Shanghai
Authors: Hou Longlong , Hu Wanjie , Chen Yicun , Dong Jianjun , Ren Rui , Chen Zhilong
Published: February 2024

City logistics performance (CLP) is being increasingly challenged by public health emergencies and relevant mobility restriction policies. This paper introduces a novel urban contactless delivery measure incorporating the metro-based underground logistics system (M-ULS) and “Pandemic Thruport” (P-Thruport) concept to encounter logistics service failure during pandemic outbreaks. This solution is proposed to utilize the redundant public rail transit capacity to move goods efficiently and collectively from the outskirts to in-city customer destinations. To assess the effect of the proposed solution on CLP, two interacting system dynamics models are developed, where supply–demand relationships, logistics operation process, and CLP evaluation indicators (e.g., delivery time delay, costs, infection model, and underground logistics benefits) are comprised. The COVID-19 outbreaks in Shanghai City from March to May 2022, were taken as a case to evaluate the variation of CLP under four different scenarios associated with the dynamic implementation of M-ULS and the pandemic conditions. Results show that the new system is conducive to lowering the infection risks of logistics activities and improving urban freight transport efficiency. Compared with trucking mode, M-ULS’s advantages reflect in cost-saving and service capability. Moreover, the sustainable improvement of CLP can be achieved by balancing the operations of M-ULS and road-based logistics services through incentive policy adjustment.
The Effect of Acute Knee Injuries and Related Knee Surgery on Serum Levels of Pro- and Anti-inflammatory Lipid Mediators and Their Associations With Knee Symptoms
Authors: Turnbull James , Jha Rakesh R. , Barrett David A. , Valdes Ana M. , Alderson Jennifer , Williams Andrew , Vincent Tonia L. , Watt Fiona E. , Chapman Victoria
Published: February 2024

Background:

Despite an acute knee injury being a major risk factor for osteoarthritis, the factors that initiate and maintain this risk of longer-term knee symptoms are poorly understood. Bioactive lipids derived from omega-3 and -6 polyunsaturated fatty acids have key roles in the regulation of the inflammatory response and have been linked to joint damage and osteoarthritis pain in translational models.

Hypothesis:

There would be associations between systemic levels of bioactive lipids and knee symptoms longitudinally after an acute knee injury and related knee surgery.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

This study analyzed a subset of young, active adults who had sustained an acute knee injury (recruited via a surgical care pathway) and healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Surgery, if performed, was conducted after the baseline serum sample was taken and before the 3-month and 2-year visits. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry of 41 bioactive lipids was carried out in sera of (1) 47 injured participants (median age, 28 years) collected at baseline (median, 24 days after injury), 3 months, and 2 years, along with the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, and (2) age- and sex-matched controls.

Results:

Levels of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid ( P≤ .0001) and docosahexaenoic acid ( P≤ .0001) and the pro-resolving lipid mediators 17– and 14–hydroxydocosahexaenoic acid, and 18-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid were all significantly greater at baseline in injured participants compared with the later time points and also higher than in healthy controls ( P = .0019 and P≤ .0001, respectively). Levels of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins E2 and D2, leukotriene B4, and thromboxane B2 were significantly lower at baseline compared with the later time points. Higher levels of 8,9–, 11,12–, and 14,15–dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid (DHET) were cross-sectionally associated with more severe knee pain/symptoms according to the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score at 2 years ( P = .0004, R2 = 0.251; P = .0002, R2 = 0.278; and P = .0012, R2 = 0.214, respectively).

Conclusion:

The profile of pro-resolving versus pro-inflammatory lipids at baseline suggests an initial activation of pro-resolution pathways, followed by the later activation of pro-inflammatory pathways.

Clinical Relevance:

In this largely surgically managed cohort, the association of soluble epoxide hydrolase metabolites, the DHETs, with more severe knee symptoms at 2 years provides a rationale for further investigation into the role of this pathway in persisting knee symptoms in this population, including potential therapeutic strategies.
Bridging the Gap Between Self-Report and Behavioral Laboratory Measures: A Real-Time Driving Task With Inverse Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Lee Sang Ho , Song Myeong Seop , Oh Min-hwan , Ahn Woo-Young
Published: February 2024

A major challenge in assessing psychological constructs such as impulsivity is the weak correlation between self-report and behavioral task measures that are supposed to assess the same construct. To address this issue, we developed a real-time driving task called the “highway task,” in which participants often exhibit impulsive behaviors mirroring real-life impulsive traits captured by self-report questionnaires. Here, we show that a self-report measure of impulsivity is highly correlated with performance in the highway task but not with traditional behavioral task measures of impulsivity (47 adults aged 18–33 years). By integrating deep neural networks with an inverse reinforcement learning (IRL) algorithm, we inferred dynamic changes of subjective rewards during the highway task. The results indicated that impulsive participants attribute high subjective rewards to irrational or risky situations. Overall, our results suggest that using real-time tasks combined with IRL can help reconcile the discrepancy between self-report and behavioral task measures of psychological constructs.
Whose experts? How federalism shaped psychiatry in the late Habsburg monarchy
Authors: Ableidinger Clemens
Published: February 2024

The late Habsburg period (1867–1918) created a constitutional dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. This paper discusses the role of psychiatry in Cisleithania, both as a developing profession and as a distinct ‘policy field’. Tension between psychiatry’s academic professionalisation and the creation of public institutions as signature projects by individual crownlands created complex relationships between psychiatry and politics. In federalist Cisleithania, psychiatrists became very ‘political’: whether employed by the state or a crownland influenced their position on policy, despite claiming that their expert knowledge was ‘scientific’ and ‘objective’. The conflicts between asylum-based and academic psychiatrists mirrored those between the central state and the crownlands. This led to intractable delays in mental health law reform, eventually resolved by Imperial decree in 1916.
Genetically predicted circulating interleukin-18 levels are associated with risk of systemic lupus erythematosus and type 1 diabetes
Authors: Qin Wei-Zi , Wang Xu-Fan , Leng Rui , Xu Wen-Jing , Wang Fei-Fei , Zhao Wei , Leng Rui-Xue
Published: February 2024

Objective

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a proinflammatory cytokine. This study aims to determine whether there is a causal relationship between circulating IL-18 concentrations and the risk of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Methods

We collected significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with circulating IL-18 levels ( p < 5 × 10−8) as instrumental variables (IVs) from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 21,758 individuals of European descent. We mainly employed the inverse-variance weighed (IVW) method of two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) analysis to estimate the causality of circulating IL-18 levels on inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Results

The IVW method results showed evidence of a causal relationship between IL-18 and the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (OR = 1.32; 95% CI 1.15, 1.50; p < .001) and type 1 diabetes (T1D) (OR = 1.22; 95% CI 1.06, 1.42; p = .007) in individuals of European ancestry. No significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy for SLE and T1D was detected. The sensitivity analysis, which involved removing confounding SNP, produced similar results for SLE and T1D. The results of sensitivity analysis using leave-one-out method indicated no single SNP significantly influenced the analysis results. However, we did not find any significant findings for multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, asthma, and osteoarthritis.

Conclusions

Our analyses suggest that circulating IL-18 is significantly related to SLE and T1D and may serve as a potential target for the treatment of these diseases.
Development of a bipedal piezoelectric actuator with flexible mechanism based on the frog-leg inspiration
Authors: Cheng Tinghai , Sun Yushan , Ning Peng , Lu Xiaohui , Wang Heran , Wang Liang
Published: February 2024

A new piezoelectric actuator with flexible mechanism using stick-slip principle based on the frog-leg inspiration is developed in this work. It utilizes bipedal design, and the slider can be driven by only one foot or two feet alternately, which depends on the exciting situation of the used two PZT stacks. The extension of the PZT stack can be transmitted into the vertical and horizontal deformations on two driving feet due to the frog-leg inspiration. They are used to press and actuate the slider. The configuration of this actuator is presented and its working principle is illustrated. Finite element simulation is carried out to investigate the statics performance. A prototype of the proposed actuator is fabricated and series of mechanical output characteristics are measured. The results demonstrated that the proposed actuator obtained the output velocity of 4.23 mm/s when the voltage and frequency were 100 V and 400 Hz. The maximum vertical loading capacity was 9 N under the voltage of 100 V. The corresponding results in this work validated the feasibility of the proposed bipedal piezoelectric actuator with flexible mechanism based on the frog-leg inspiration.
Listening to the Voices of Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study Providing In-Depth Insights Into Ethical and Individual Challenges
Authors: Buchberger Barbara , Weishaar Heide , Evans Megan , Böttcher Rike , Umlauf René , Muminow Swetlana , Montt Maray Eloisa , Muller Nadine , Chemali Souaad , Geurts Brogan , Fischer Hanna-Tina , El Bcheraoui Charbel
Published: February 2024

In their daily practice, health care workers (HCWs) experience the effects of tensions between professional ethos and work realities, which can lead to ethical dilemmas. We aim to explore the ethical dilemmas that affected HCWs in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic and to understand these in the context of the German health system. Between April and December 2022, we interviewed HCWs from various levels of care and key informants responsible for decisions related to HCWs in Germany. Three themes were identified in the data analyzed from 78 participants. The first highlighted the potency of pre-existing health system problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second captured the ethical dilemmas that were described as having arisen due to the tension between professional ethos and structural constraints. The third included factors related to increasing or diminishing the implications of ethical dilemmas. A lack of opportunities for HCWs to participate in political and managerial decisions was suggested to result in policies that do not meet the needs of HCWs and patients. Positive interpersonal interactions were described as helpful when coping with dilemmatic decision-making situations. In order to avoid negative consequences caused by unresolved ethical dilemmas, including moral distress, among HCWs, staff shortages and decision-making in the German health system urgently need to be addressed. HCWs’ working conditions regularly evoke ethical dilemmas, particularly during public health emergencies. Together with HCWs, decision-makers must develop new models for working in health care settings that are in line with HCWs’ professional ethos.
A rolling contact fatigue life prediction model for bearing steel considering its gradient structure due to cyclic hardening
Authors: Zhao Yue , Wang Xi , Guo Rubing , Sun Shouguang
Published: February 2024

This paper presents a rolling contact fatigue life prediction model for bearing steel. In the initial stage of rolling contact, the gradient structure appears in the subsurface region of bearing steel and the hardness shows a gradient distribution along the contact depth direction due to the roller compaction effect. This indicates that the fatigue resistance of bearing steel varies in the subsurface region. Besides, each subsurface material volume element is subject to different stress cycles. Based on Weibull theory, the survival possibility of subsurface volume elements is formulated. Then the rolling contact fatigue life is evaluated considering the stress state and anti-fatigue performance of each elementary volume of the subsurface material. According to the phenomenon and assumption, the model proposed for gradient material was applied in the rolling contact fatigue life prediction of the bearing steel GCr15 and validated with the fatigue experiment data in the open literature. Furthermore, the accuracy of the proposed model results was compared with the traditional empirical rolling contact fatigue life prediction models.