bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hope that provides strength in illness–patients’ perspectives: Nursing students’ narratives after conversation with patients
Authors: Kuven Britt Moene , Giske Tove
Published: January 2022

Background

The aim of this article is to explore sources of hope for patients by using patients’ narratives and perspectives on how they find hope when facing illness. Hope enables people to endure suffering and can be critical to how people cope with illness. Hope is not a singular phenomenon, so nurses need to understand how to support the patients’ sources of hope.

Methods

We used a qualitatively descriptive design with qualitative content analysis. We examined reflective notes from 385 first‐year nursing students after they had had a conversation with patients with disease experiences following Graneheim and Lundman's description of analysis. The conversation with the patients/persons was related to sources of hope and strength, who they turned to when they needed help, and if they were available. After the conversation, the students had to write a reflective log with a summary of the conversation.

Results

We found four categories that explained how patients found hope: (1) relational hope, (2) spiritual hope, (3) hope in nature and (4) hope in oneself. Most of the patients found hope in more than one of these categories.

Conclusion

It is important for nursing to have knowledge about patients’ narratives about how they build and sustain hope during times of illness. Nursing can contribute to promoting hope and thus alleviating patients’ suffering. The four categories in this study can serve as a guide for nurses to assess and support patients’ hope and encourage them to find their strength through different sources.
Measurement of primary care providers’ suicide prevention skills following didactic education
Authors: Cross Wendi F. , West Jennifer C. , Crean Hugh F. , Rosenberg Elyse , LaVigne Timothy , Caine Eric D.
Published: January 2022

Objective

Almost half of individuals who die by suicide have had contact with primary care (PC) services within 1 month of their death. PC providers must be able to assess and manage patients’ suicidal ideation, intent, and behaviors. When didactic training is provided to providers, it is assumed that their requisite skills are well developed. The current study assessed observed skills following high‐quality online didactics.

Method

Medical residents and nurse practitioner (NP) trainees (n = 127) participated in online didactic training as part of their education program, followed by a standardized patient interaction conducted to assess demonstrated suicide prevention skills (i.e., assessment of risk factors, protective factors, suicidal ideation and behavior, safety planning).

Results

Participants demonstrated only about 50% of the possible total skills in most domains and were least competent in assessing potential risk for suicide. Regression analyses showed that residents were rated significantly higher than NPs on observed skills. Personal experience with suicide was not associated with any observed skills. Baseline knowledge scores were positively associated with some skills while elapsed days since completion of didactics were negatively associated with skills.

Conclusions

Didactics were insufficient for building suicide‐specific assessment skills among physicians and nurses in advanced training.
The Effects of Demand and Interest Rates on Investments, Evidence of Overinvestment from Two Behavioral Experiments
Authors: Conrad Christian A.
Published: January 2022

This article analyzes the causes of overinvestment and thus investment cycles with two behavioral experiments. In the experimental simulations increases in demand and cuts in interest rates increased unit profits, which led to uncoordinated and thus collectively too high investments (collective error). This made it possible to demonstrate collective errors that led to overinvestment and investment cycles (boom and bust cycles). Central banks and companies should take this into account when making their decisions. The experiments show the fundamental problem of uncoordinated supply adjustment and a tendency on the part of market participants to neglect the behavior of other actors and to underestimate the influence of the market on their own investment decisions.
Are Sovereign Ratings Biased Against Africa?
Authors: Ellis Colin
Published: January 2022

Credit rating agencies play a crucial role in financial markets, but are often criticized for particular judgements they make. With debt sustainability in Africa coming under pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic, some market commentators renewed concerns about anti-African bias in sovereign credit ratings. Using ratings data from one of the largest agencies, and economic and fiscal data independently sourced from the IMF, this article formally tests for anti-African bias in sovereign ratings. In doing so, it focuses purely on quantitative explanatory factors, given the potential for any bias in ratings to be reflected in implicit bias within qualitative judgements made by rating analysts. However, there is no statistical evidence of bias against African sovereign over the data sample, which runs from 2016. As such, any future improvements in African sovereign ratings are likely to reflect sustained improvements in economic and fiscal strength and other factors influencing creditworthiness, rather than the removal of any prejudice against this group.
RECOMBINANT NOROVIRUS GIIP16 POLYMERASE GENOTYPES WERE PREDOMINANT ETIOLOGIC AGENTS OF ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS IN BELARUS IN 2016 -2021
Authors: Paklonskaya N.V. , Amvrosieva T.V. , Belskaya I.V. , Kaltunova Yu.B. , Kaltunova Yu.B. , Shilova Yu.A.
Published: January 2022

Noroviruses are widespread causative agents of acute gastroenteritis (AGE). In recent years, recombinant genotypes of noroviruses, which include RNA-polymerase GII[16], have become globally widespread. The aim of the research was to analyze the genetic diversity of noroviruses circulating in 2016–2021 in the Republic of Belarus in order to establish the contribution of the identified genotypes to the formation of morbidity and to study the features of the circulation of their recombinant variants containing RNA polymerase GII [P16]. Sequencing and genetic analysis of a fragment of the ORF1 / ORF2 genome of 242 noroviruses from patients with AGE collected in 2016-2021 was carried out. It was found that 199 norovirus isolates (82.2% of all identified) were recombinant. During this period, genotypes containing GII.P16 polymerase and the VP1 gene of genotypes GII.2, GII.3, GII.4, GII.12, GII.13 prevailed (143 isolates, 71.9% of all recombinant genotypes). The proportion of individual recombinant genotypes was distributed as follows: GII.4 [P16] - 42.0%, GII.2 [P16] - 32.2%, GII.3 [P16] - 16.8%, GII.12 [P16] - 8.4%, GII.13 [P16] - 0.7%. The genotypes GII.4 [P16] and GII.2 [P16] circulated for the longest time - from 2016-2017 to 2021. Their circulation was accompanied by the emergence of outbreaks of AGE: genotype GII.2 [P16] caused outbreaks in 2016, 2018 and 2021, GII.4 [P16] - in 2017 and 2021. All investigated isolates of different recombinant genotypes contained the same variant of the GII.P16 RNA polymerase gene, which became globally distributed in the world in 2015-2017. Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of isolates within genotypes showed that, despite the long circulation period, there were no accumulation of mutations and no selection of genovariants within the genotype.
GENOMIC ANALYSIS OF LAM FAMILY OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS CLINICAL STRAINS
Authors: Tarlykov P. , Atavliyeva S.
Published: January 2022

Drug-resistant tuberculosis is a global problem for humanity, especially in the countries of Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and the CIS. In Kazakhstan, the rate of drug-resistant tuberculosis among newly diagnosed patients is more than 20%. Moreover, the Republic of Kazakhstan ranks second among the thirty countries with a high disease burden according to the World Health Organization. In this regard, it becomes obvious that it is necessary to study the nature of resistance of locally circulating strains of mycobacteria. The use of genetic typing methods will allow tracking the spread of tuberculosis pathogens of any family, which, in turn, will provide a personalized approach to treatment. The strains of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex capable of infecting humans include seven phylogenetic lineages, initially associated with their geographical distribution. In this study, the genomes of three drug-resistant clinical isolates of the Latin American Mediterranean family (LAM) circulating in Kazakhstan were studied. We used whole genome sequencing to study the distribution and drug resistance of isolates. Phylogenetic analysis grouped the genomes described in this study with sequences from Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, also belonging to the LAM family. One isolate was identified as having extensive drug resistance to seven anti-TB drugs. Our results suggest that at least two drug-resistant genotypes of the LAM family are circulating in Kazakhstan. Thus, the use of genetic methods is becoming more and more popular and effective in combating the spread of tuberculosis infection.
Numerical Studies on Turbulent Flow Field in a 90 deg Pipe Bend
Authors: Dutta Prasun , Chattopadhyay Himadri , Nandi Nityananda
Published: January 2022

This paper deals with the modeling of turbulent flow through a 90 deg pipe bend using an unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (U-RANS) approach where k–ε model is used for turbulence closure. While limitations in solving complex flows of the k–ε model have been reported in the literature, this study demonstrates that for pipe flows with curvature, the k–ε model performs reasonably well. Investigations have been carried out to find out the influence of Reynolds number (Re) and bend curvature ratio (Rc/D) on turbulent flow parameters, namely, instantaneous axial velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, turbulent intensity, and wall shear stress. Bend curvature is found to strongly influence the turbulent flow characteristics, while no such high Reynolds number dependency is observed in this study range. In general, this paper presents a computationally cost-effective numerical study on the time averaged turbulent flow field in a 90 deg pipe bend, which may be used for the design and development of 90 deg pipe bends at a high Reynolds number regime.
Simulation of a Centrifugal Pump Based on a Lagrangian Particle Solver
Authors: Wang Feng , Sun Zhongguo , Sun Yijie , Zhang Kai , Xi Guang
Published: January 2022

A three-dimensional full-scale centrifugal pump is simulated using the moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method. The generic smoothed wall (GSW) boundary is used and extended to three dimensions to address complicated wall shapes and thin-walled structures such as blades in turbomachines. The nonsurface detection technique (NSD) based on conceptual particles is introduced to avoid the loss of the particle-number-density near wall boundaries. A generic approach that can transfer arbitrary CAD models to wall-particle models is established by utilizing the nodal information of the shell mesh. An adaptative resolution technique is proposed by using fine and coarse particles to model the wall boundary with complex geometry. Fine and coarse particles are applied to curved and flat surfaces, respectively, to reduce the computational cost while maintaining high discretizing precision. A criterion based on the normal smooth angle (NSA) is defined to evaluate the local or global precision of established models and provide instructions for refinement. A fully-developed velocity inflow boundary based on 3D inlet rings and pressure outflow boundary based on the moving virtual wall is implemented. Three typical cases including hydrostatic cases with a typical geometry, flow over a two-dimensional backward-facing step, and flow over a three-dimensional tube are tested to verify the proposed models. A particle-based framework to simulate incompressible fluid machines, in which flow fields can be integrally discretized and solved within a single coordinate system, is established. The results are compared with those of the fine volume method and satisfactory agreements are observed.
Simplified Lumped Parameter Model for Oscillatory Flow in an Elastic Tube: A Hierarchical Approach
Authors: Soni Bharat , Suri Anshul , Nayak Ameeya Kumar , Miguel Antonio F.
Published: January 2022

In this article, the significant characteristics of wave transmission and boundary layer influence are studied for an incompressible fluid flowing through a long elastic tube using lumped parameter model. An ameliorated version of the lumped parameter model is derived, where the flow impedance is linked with Womersley number to understand the phenomena of fluid wall interaction, especially in human airways. To analyze the flow phenomena through tubes, the flow governing equations are transformed through the Bessel series. We have observed that for the low value of Womersley number, there is a phase difference between pressure and flowrate, which produces a frequency-dependent flow impedance. The physiological relevance of this result is especially shown in the nasal-pharynx during breathing. The results are validated by ansys-based numerical simulation as well as by experimental results.
Gender Representation at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games From an Australian Broadcast Perspective
Authors: Scott Olan K.M. , Li Bo (Norman) , Mighton Stephen
Published: January 2022

This study examined differences in the Seven Network’s primetime coverage of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games on all of its channels. Over 102 hr of total coverage was analyzed for clock time, name mentions, and the descriptions of athletes by announcers divided by gender. Results found that male athletes received the bulk of the clock time; 13 of the top 20 most-mentioned athletes were men. There were also gender differences in the word for word descriptors of success, failure, physicality, and personality. From a theoretical perspective, results found the framing of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games to favor male Olympians. The top three sports that were broadcast featuring women were ice hockey, freestyle skiing, and snowboarding, which differs from other studies in this line of scholarship, so differences in the sports covered in the Australian context provides a unique context to study the Winter Olympics. Theoretical and practical implications are provided.
Infantile onset ascending hereditary spastic paralysis
Authors: Eltoum Ali , O'Rourke Declan , Sharif Farhana
Published: January 2022

A 3½-year-old girl, presented with delayed motor development and increased tone in lower limbs along with tight tendoachilles, toe walking and bilateral clonus. There were normal antenatal and perinatal period, however, after birth there was twitching of her lower limbs. Examination showed lower limb spasticity.

Brain and spinal MRI along with EEG were normal. Serum amino acids revealed hyperprolinemia type 1. Hereditary spastic paraplegia gene panel confirmed a homozygous pathogenic variant inALS2gene, confirming a diagnosis of infantile onset ascending hereditary spastic paraparesis. She was fitted with ankle-foot orthotics, uses a Kaye walker and is on baclofen and diazepam as she can experience spasticity and painful muscle cramps. She is being managed by a multidisciplinary team involving paediatrician, paediatric neurologist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech and language therapist, dietitian and social worker. Infantile onset ascending hereditary spastic paraplegia represents a rare cause of early onset spasticity with a progressive prognosis.
Advanced technology for type 1 diabetes care in a deaf-mute patient
Authors: Pintaudi Basilio , Nani Alessandro , Gironi Ilaria , Bertuzzi Federico
Published: January 2022

A 48-year-old deaf-mute man attending our outpatient clinic for long-term severely decompensated type 1 diabetes (mean glycated haemoglobin over 100 mmol/mol) has proved to be the best candidate for the beneficial implant of a next-generation closed loop insulin pump featuring a new refined auto-correction algorithm. The patient had already worn a stand-alone real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rt-CGM) device for 2 years, but his haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) remained out of target with ample glucose variability. Then, we decided to use a novel advanced hybrid closed-loop insulin pump (the MiniMed 780G) coupled with his CGM device. After only 4 months this system led to a significant improvement in mean daily glucose levels (201±100 mg/dL vs 141±57 mg/dL), time in glucose range (43% vs 78%), percentage of time spent in hyperglycaemia (52% vs 20%), glucose variability (Coefficient of Variation 46% vs 38%), and HbA1c levels (121 mmol/mol vs 56 mmol/mol). The patient was highly satisfied.
Parotid gland metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma identified on surveillance18F-FDG PET/CT
Authors: Soputro Nicolas Adrianto , Asairinachan Ashwinna , Prasad Jessica
Published: January 2022

A 79-year-old man with a previous history of primary bilateral pulmonary adenocarcinomas was found to have a new parotid lesion on oncological surveillance imaging, raising the possibility of metastatic disease. Biopsy of the lesion confirmed metastatic deposit from primary lung adenocarcinoma. Following multidisciplinary discussions, the patient underwent a left parotidectomy where clear resection margins and preservation of facial nerve function were achieved.
Gelatinous bone marrow transformation due to extensive weight loss in median arcuate ligament syndrome
Authors: Miguelañez Matute Lorena , van Noord Desiree , Rayman Nazik , Guillen Samara S
Published: January 2022

A 34-year-old man was referred to the outpatient clinic because of progressive abdominal pain, weight loss and pancytopenia. His body mass index (BMI) had fallen to 14.2 kg/m2. A CT angiography (CTA) showed narrowing of the truncus coeliacus with poststenotic dilation, and duodenal biopsy revealed ischaemia establishing a rare diagnosis: median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS). This explained the postprandial pain and minimal intake. Further pancytopenia workup was performed. The bone marrow displayed gelatinous marrow transformation (GMT), a rare disorder of unknown pathogenesis, which has been associated with severe malnutrition. The final diagnosis was pancytopenia secondary to GMT due to severe malnutrition caused by MALS. The abnormalities in the bone marrow may be reversible by restoring nutritional status. This case emphasises the awareness of GMT in patients with weight loss, malnutrition and cytopenias. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating an association between pancytopenia and MALS.
Longitudinal functional status trajectories and its predictors among postpartum women with and without maternal morbidities in Northwest Ethiopia: a group based multi-trajectory modelling
Authors: Malaju Marelign Tilahun , Alene Getu Degu , Azale Telake
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Unlike physiological recovery, return to full functional status following childbirth takes longer than 6 weeks (42 days) of the traditionally defined postnatal period, and women with maternal morbidity usually require a longer period to recover. However, the extent to which this morbidity collectively impacts on women’s functional status is not well investigated in Ethiopia. We aim to determine the distinct trajectories and predictors of functional status among postpartum women in Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods

Health facility linked community-based follow-up study was conducted in Northwest Ethiopia from October 2020–March 2021. A sample of 779 delivering women was recruited after childbirth and before discharge using the criteria published by the WHO Maternal Morbidity Working Group. Functional status was measured by the Amharic version of the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) instrument. The Stata Traj package was used to determine trajectories of functional status using group-based multi-trajectory modelling. The multinomial logistic regression model was used to identify predictors of trajectory group membership.

Results

A total of 775 women participated at the first, second and third follow-up of the study (6thweek, 12thweek and 18thweek of postpartum period). Three distinct functional status trajectory groups with different longitudinal patterns were identified across the six domains of WHODAS 2.0. Direct and indirect maternal morbidities, lower educational status, poor social support, vaginal delivery, stress, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder and fear of childbirth were found to be predictors of poor functioning trajectories.

Conclusion

Early diagnosis and treatment of maternal morbidities and mental health problems, developing encouraging strategies for social support and providing health education or counselling for women with less or no education are essential to improve functioning trajectories of postpartum women.
Survey on the perceptions of UK gastroenterologists and endoscopists to artificial intelligence
Authors: Kader Rawen , Baggaley Rebecca F , Hussein Mohamed , Ahmad Omer F , Patel Nisha , Corbett Gareth , Dolwani Sunil , Stoyanov Danail , Lovat Laurence B
Published: January 2022

Background and aims

With the potential integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into clinical practice, it is essential to understand end users’ perception of this novel technology. The aim of this study, which was endorsed by the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG), was to evaluate the UK gastroenterology and endoscopy communities’ views on AI.

Methods

An online survey was developed and disseminated to gastroenterologists and endoscopists across the UK.

Results

One hundred four participants completed the survey. Quality improvement in endoscopy (97%) and better endoscopic diagnosis (92%) were perceived as the most beneficial applications of AI to clinical practice. The most significant challenges were accountability for incorrect diagnoses (85%) and potential bias of algorithms (82%). A lack of guidelines (92%) was identified as the greatest barrier to adopting AI in routine clinical practice. Participants identified real-time endoscopic image diagnosis (95%) as a research priority for AI, while the most perceived significant barriers to AI research were funding (82%) and the availability of annotated data (76%). Participants consider the priorities for the BSG AI Task Force to be identifying research priorities (96%), guidelines for adopting AI devices in clinical practice (93%) and supporting the delivery of multicentre clinical trials (91%).

Conclusion

This survey has identified views from the UK gastroenterology and endoscopy community regarding AI in clinical practice and research, and identified priorities for the newly formed BSG AI Task Force.
Faster than light (microscopy): superiority of digital pathology over microscopy for assessment of immunohistochemistry
Authors: Clarke Emily , Doherty Daniel , Randell Rebecca , Grek Jonathan , Thomas Rhys , Ruddle Roy A , Treanor Darren
Published: January 2022

Aims

Digital pathology offers the potential for significant benefits in diagnostic pathology, but currently the efficiency of slide viewing is a barrier to adoption. We hypothesised that presenting digital slides for simultaneous viewing of multiple sections of tissue for comparison, as in those with immunohistochemical panels, would allow pathologists to review cases more quickly.

Methods

Novel software was developed to view synchronised parallel tissue sections on a digital pathology workstation. Sixteen histopathologists reviewed three liver biopsy cases including an immunohistochemical panel using the digital microscope, and three different liver biopsy cases including an immunohistochemical panel using the light microscope. The order of cases and interface was fully counterbalanced. Time to diagnosis was recorded and mean times are presented as data approximated to a normalised distribution.

Results

Mean time to diagnosis was 4 min 3 s using the digital microscope and 5 min 24 s using the light microscope, saving 1 min 21 s (95% CI 16 s to 2 min 26 s; p=0.02), using the digital microscope. Overall normalised mean time to diagnosis was 85% on the digital pathology workstation compared with 115% on the microscope, a relative reduction of 26%.

Conclusions

With appropriate interface design, it is quicker to review immunohistochemical slides using a digital microscope than the conventional light microscope, without incurring any major diagnostic errors. As digital pathology becomes more integrated with routine clinical workflow and pathologists increase their experience of the technology, it is anticipated that other tasks will also become more time-efficient.
Coronial postmortem reports and indirect COVID-19 pandemic-related mortality
Authors: Pell Robert , Suvarna S Kim , Cooper Nigel , Rutty Guy , Green Anna , Osborn Michael , Johnson Peter , Hayward Alison , Durno Justine , Estrin-Serlui Theodore , Mafham Marion , Roberts Ian S D
Published: January 2022

Aims

Widespread disruption of healthcare services and excess mortality not directly attributed to COVID-19 occurred between March and May 2020. We undertook the first UK multicentre study of coroners’ autopsies before and during this period using postmortem reports.

Methods

We reviewed reports of non-forensic coroners’ autopsies performed during the first COVID-19 lockdown (23 March to 8 May 2020), and the same period in 2018. Deaths were categorised as natural non-COVID-19, COVID-19-related, non-natural (suicide, drug and alcohol-related, traumatic, other). We provided opinion regarding whether delayed access to medical care or changes in behaviour due to lockdown were a potential factor in deaths.

Results

Seven centres covering nine coronial jurisdictions submitted a total of 1100 coroners’ autopsies (498 in 2018, 602 in 2020). In only 54 autopsies was death attributed to COVID-19 (9%). We identified a significant increase in cases where delays in accessing medical care potentially contributed to death (10 in 2018, 44 in 2020). Lockdown was a contributing factor in a proportion of suicides (24%) and drug and alcohol-related deaths (12%).

Conclusions

Postmortem reports have considerable utility in evaluating excess mortality due to healthcare and wider societal disruption during a pandemic. They provide information at an individual case level that is not available from assessment of death certification data. Detailed evaluation of coroners’ autopsy reports, supported by appropriate regulatory oversight, is recommended to mitigate disruption and indirect causes of mortality in future pandemics. Maintaining access to healthcare, including substance misuse and mental health services, is an important consideration.
Diagnosis and clinical relevance of co-inheritance of haemoglobin D-Punjab/β+-thalassemia traits in an immigrant Afghan family
Authors: Huits Ralph , Feyens Anne-Marie , Lonneville Niels , Peyrassol Xavier , Adam Anne-Sophie , Gulbis Beatrice , Van Esbroeck Marjan
Published: January 2022

We report on a Pashtun family affected by haemoglobin D-Punjab/β+-thalassemia to increase the awareness of the increasing prevalence of haemoglobinopathies among primary care physicians. We highlight the diagnostic approach of these conditions and the benefits of genetic counselling.
GATA3 positivity is associated with poor prognosis in patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Chi Zhikai , Balani Jyoti , Gopal Purva , Hammer Suntrea , Xu Jing , Peng Lan
Published: January 2022

Aims

GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA3) is a zinc finger transcription factor with diverse biological functions and is an excellent diagnostic marker for breast and urothelial carcinoma. We aimed to study GATA3 expression in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and its significance with respect to histological features, clinical parameters and overall survival.

Methods

We characterised GATA3 immunohistochemistry in 40 patients with oesophageal SCC. Electronic medical records were reviewed for clinical and follow-up information, as well as patient survival.

Results

Eleven (28%) oesophageal SCC were positive for GATA3. The predominant stain patterns were patchy, with either mild or moderate intensities. Patients with GATA3-positive tumours showed significantly shorter overall survival than those with GATA3-negative tumours (p=0.023, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with log-rank test). In the multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model, GATA3 positivity was an independent adverse prognostic factor for overall survival (p=0.019, HR 5.671). Surgery, definitive chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, and initial clinical stage were confirmed as independent prognostic factors.

Conclusion

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the incidence of GATA3 positivity in oesophageal SCC and showed GATA3 positivity is associated with poor prognosis in oesophageal SCC.
Biocolonial pregnancies: Louise Erdrich’sFuture Home of the Living God(2017)
Authors: Kemball Anna
Published: January 2022

This article argues that the health humanities must examine biocolonialism (and representations thereof) if it is to attend to Native American experiences of reproductive healthcare in the USA. Reproductive healthcare abuses are brought into dialogue with Native American resistance to Western biomedical sciences inFuture Home of the Living God(2017) by Louise Erdrich (Ojibwe). Written over the course of two reinstatements of the Mexico City Policy, Erdrich’s novel invites a consideration of biocolonialism in relation to the exploitation and policing of female bodies.

After a discussion of bioprospecting and female bodies, I frame unethical practices of reproductive healthcare and sterilisation as biocolonial acts. The experience of the novel’s protagonist, Cedar Hawk Songmaker, will be situated alongside the broader ways in which Native Americans are subjected to surveillance. Second, this article proposes that speculative fiction allows for a temporal reframing of the colonial histories of Indigenous healthcare. As she narrates a world in which evolution ‘is running backward’, Cedar employs narrative reversals to resist the linear narrative of progress and ‘discovery’ associated with biomedical sciences.

The radically changing structures of a dystopian state, as well as the revelation of her biological inheritance, complicate the cultural and medical frameworks within which Cedar narrates her pregnancy. A challenge faced by the health humanities is how the discipline might theorise ongoing, interrelated forms of domination such as those which position female Indigenous bodies as ‘new colonies’. But, as I will argue, the mobilisation of Indigenous narrative forms and cultural frameworks offer productive directions for future work within the global health humanities.
The botulinum neurotoxin for pain control after breast reconstruction: neural distribution of the pectoralis major muscle
Authors: Yi Kyu-Ho , Lee Ji-Hyun , Kim Hyoung-Moon , Kim Hee-Jin
Published: January 2022

Introduction

The use of the botulinum neurotoxin injection is a growing area of research and clinical activity, with a focus on its role in facilitating postoperative pain management after reconstructive breast surgery. The study aimed to find out the standard injection points for botulinum neurotoxin injection by revealing the intramuscular nerve arborization of the pectoralis major.

Methods

Sihler’s technique was conducted on the pectoralis major muscles (16 cadaveric specimens). The intramuscular nerve arborization was documented relative to the inferior border of the clavicle bone and lateral border of the sternum.

Results

After the staining, the pectoralis major was divided into fifths transversely from the inferior border of the clavicle and vertically into fifths from the lateral border of the sternum. Intramuscular nerve arborization of the pectoralis major muscle was the largest in the middle sections of the muscle belly.

Discussion

The results indicate that botulinum neurotoxin should be applied to the pectoralis major in certain regions. The regions of major arborization are optimal as the most effective and most reliable points for injecting botulinum neurotoxin.
Estimation of periodic annual increment of tree ring widths by airborne laser scanning
Authors: Maltamo Matti , Vartiainen Petteri , Packalen Petteri , Korhonen Lauri
Published: January 2022

Most forest growth studies using airborne laser scanning (ALS) consider how the changes in forest attributes are observed in repeated ALS data acquisitions, but the prediction of future forest growth from ALS data is still a rarely discussed topic. This study examined the prediction of the periodic annual increment (PAI) of the width of tree rings over a period of 10 years. The requirement for this approach is that ALS data are acquired at the beginning of the growth period. This is followed by field measurements of growth by drilling after a given growth period. The PAI was modelled in terms of ALS metrics by using the principle of the area-based approach. The metrics related to intensity were particularly significant as predictors, whereas the effective leaf area index was not. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the predictions was slightly over 21%. Additional field information (soil type, management operations) improved the RMSE by 2.7 percentage units.
Cultivation of Saffron (Crocus sativusL.) in cold climates
Authors: Amine Ayari Mohamed , Denis Marie-Pier , Landry Guy-Anne , Lapointe Line
Published: January 2022

Saffron, an autumn crocus that produces a highly valuable spice, is grown mainly in Mediterranean climates. Nevertheless, saffron farms have been established recently in the province of Quebec. This led us to test cultivation practices that could influence plant phenology, saffron yield, and corm growth, including planting depth, planting period, and the application of fertilizers, mycorrhizal fungi, and biostimulants at planting. Soil temperature was monitored at the different planting depths throughout the year. Floral initiation was also monitored during spring and summer. Shoot emergence was delayed and final emergence reduced as planting depth increased; however, more shoots were produced by shallow-planted corms, which could lead to the production of corms too small to flower. The best time for planting saffron corm is between the end of July and the third week of August. Mineral fertilization hastened leaf emergence and improved corm production and their nutrient content. Neither the addition of mycorrhizal fungi or of biostimulants had any significant impact on saffron growth or flowering. Floral induction likely took place in July as flower bud appeared in early August. In most years, flower and saffron production was low in this location. It appears that soil temperature did not remain high for long enough during the summer to promote floral induction and autumn temperatures decreased too fast, limiting shoot and flower emergence most years. However, these climatic conditions did not affect corm production; corms could thus be sold to secure revenues for producers.
An ISM-based Analysis Method on the Influencing Factors of Network Security Situation (NSS)
Authors: Xiao Bing , Lan Yanyong , Zhao Huiming , Wu Xiaolin , Liu Weibin
Published: January 2022

For the accuracy of network security management, an ISM-based analysis method on the influencing factors of network security situation (NSS) is proposed. The 17 factors of NSS were constructed first, the ISM of NSS influencing factors was established, and Matlab2019 was used for simulation. The results showed that the offensive and defensive game factors, such as attack method, attack tool, attack path, and defense strategy, are the direct influencing factors of NSS; the internal environmental factors such as operating system, application service, network bandwidth, network security device, user security awareness, and network topology are the necessary influencing factors; the external environmental factors such as legal environment, institutional environment, technical environment and business importance (economic environment) are the indirect influencing factors; the vulnerability factors such as asset value, vulnerability and open port are the fundamental influencing factors. The corresponding advice for management was put forward at the end of the paper.
Smoothed quantile regression with nonignorable dropouts
Authors: Ma Wei , Wang Lei
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we adopt a three-stage estimation procedure and statistical inference methods for quantile regression (QR) based on empirical likelihood (EL) approach with nonignorable dropouts. In the first stage, we consider a parametric model on the dropout propensity of response and handle the parameter identifiability issue by using nonresponse instrument. With the estimated dropout propensity, in the second stage the inverse probability weighting and kernel smoothing methods are applied to construct the bias-corrected and smoothed generalized estimating equations for nonignorable dropouts. In the third stage, borrowing the matrix expansion idea of quadratic inference function, we obtain the proposed estimators that can accommodate the within-subject correlations and improve the estimation efficiency simultaneously. A class of improved estimators and their confidence regions for QR coefficient are derived. Further, the penalized EL method and algorithm for variable selection are investigated. Simulation studies and a real example on HIV-CD4 data set are also provided to show the performance of the proposed estimators.
Risk Factors and Reasons for Emergency Department Visits Within 30 Days of Elective Hand Surgery: An Analysis of 3,261 Patients
Authors: BENAGE Timothy C. , DEL CORE Michael A. , BASS Alexander J. , AHN Junho , PIENTKA William F. , GOLDEN Ann S.
Published: January 2022

Background: The frequency of hand and elbow surgeries occurring in outpatient and elective settings is on the rise. Emergency department (ED) visits in the postoperative period are increasingly used as quality measures for surgical care. The aim of this study is to determine the number of postoperative ED visits, the primary reason for these visits, and to identify risk factors associated with these visits.

Methods: We examined all elective hand and elbow procedures performed at two hospitals within a single healthcare network between 2008 and 2017. A total of 3,261 patients met the study criteria. Descriptive statistics were calculated for our population, followed by univariate and multivariate analyses, to identify risk and protective factors associated with ED visits in the first 30 days after surgery.

Results: Eighty-seven of 3,261 patients presented to the ED within 30 days of their operation (2.7%). The most common reasons for ED visits were related to pain (28.7%), swelling (26.4%), and concerns for infection (20.7%). Univariate analysis indicated history of drug use, number of procedures, smoking history, and serum albumin <3.5 mg/dL as risk factors for returns to the ED. Multivariate analysis identified history of drug use, number of procedures, and serum albumin <3.5 mg/dL as independent risk factors. Smoking history failed to achieve statistical significance as an independent risk factor. Both univariate and multivariate analyses identified age >60 years as protective for postoperative ED visits.

Conclusions: ED visits within the first 30 days after elective hand surgery are relatively common, despite remarkably low complication rates among these procedures. This information may help to improve risk stratification in these patients, and to aid in the development of enhanced postoperative follow-up strategies to reduce unnecessary utilization of emergency medical services.

Level of Evidence: Level III (Therapeutic)
A Detailed Comparison of Preoperative Complaints in Severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome versus Recurrent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Using the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire
Authors: LATTRÉ Tom , CLAEYS Kurt , PARMENTIER Steven , VAN HOLDER Carlo
Published: January 2022

Background: The Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) has a symptom severity scale (SSS) with 11 questions and a functional status scale (FSS) with 8 questions. The final score for each scale is the sum divided by the number of questions and ranges between 1 and 5. A score of 1 indicates they have no complaints and 5 indicates high severity and functional loss. Unfortunately, this single digit score does not permit a detailed analysis of the symptoms and functional status. The aim of this study is to conduct an in-depth comparison of preoperative complaints using the BCTQ between patients with severe carpal tunnel syndrome (SCTS) and recurrent carpal tunnel syndrome (RCTS).

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study on the preoperative status of 37 patients with SCTS and 18 patients with RCTS using the BCTQ. The questions in the SSS and FSS were classified into four groups based on the responses of patients, namely a low complaint (LC) (1–1.99), moderate complaint (MC) (2–2.99), high complaint (HC) (3–3.99), and severe complaint (SC) (4–5) groups. The patients in the SCTS and RCTS groups were compared to find differences in age, gender, hand dominance, and responses to questions in the SSS and FSS.

Results: The age of patients in the SCTS group (76.06 years) was significantly higher compared to the RCTS group (51.11 years). There was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to gender or hand dominance. The top question with SC or HC response in the SCTS group was problems in grasping small objects (SSS) and fastening buttons (FSS) and in the RCTS group was tingling in the hand (SSS) and difficulty with opening a jar (FSS).

Conclusions: An in-depth analysis of the BCTQ allowed us to compare and understand differences in symptoms and function between patients with SCTS and RCTS.

Level of Evidence: Level III (Therapeutic)
Patient Satisfaction with Face-to-Face Follow-Up versus Telephone Follow-Up after Elective Day Case Hand Surgery
Authors: PARWAIZ Hammad , TREW Christopher , SHERIFF Mark , LANGDON Ilana
Published: January 2022

Background: There has been increasing amounts of work on the use of telephone follow-up (TFU) in trauma and orthopaedics, but little direct work on its use in the follow-up of elective day case hand surgery. The aim of this study is to compare patient satisfaction with face-to-face follow-up (FFU) and TFU after elective day case hand surgery.

Methods: Sixty-four patients from an FFU and 61 patients from a TFU cohort were contacted by telephone at least 6 months after their last follow-up. A customized questionnaire with answers recorded on a Likert scale (0–10) was used to evaluate their satisfaction with the follow-up they received.

Results: Data from 48 patients from the FFU and 52 patients from the TFU cohorts were available for the analysis. There were no statistically significant differences in patient demographics between the two cohorts. Patient satisfaction was significantly greater in all domains of the questionnaire in the TFU cohort. Most patients from both cohorts (71% face-to-face, 86% telephone) said they would prefer TFU if they were to have the same procedure again.

Conclusions: Patients were more satisfied with TFU compared to FFU following elective day case hand surgery.

Level of Evidence: Level III (Therapeutic)
A Survey of Binary Code Fingerprinting Approaches: Taxonomy, Methodologies, and Features
Authors: Alrabaee Saed , Debbabi Mourad , Wang Lingyu
Published: January 2022

Binary code fingerprinting is crucial in many security applications. Examples include malware detection, software infringement, vulnerability analysis, and digital forensics. It is also useful for security researchers and reverse engineers since it enables high fidelity reasoning about the binary code such as revealing the functionality, authorship, libraries used, and vulnerabilities. Numerous studies have investigated binary code with the goal of extracting fingerprints that can illuminate the semantics of a target application. However, extracting fingerprints is a challenging task since a substantial amount of significant information will be lost during compilation, notably, variable and function naming, the original data and control flow structures, comments, semantic information, and the code layout. This article provides the first systematic review of existing binary code fingerprinting approaches and the contexts in which they are used. In addition, it discusses the applications that rely on binary code fingerprints, the information that can be captured during the fingerprinting process, and the approaches used and their implementations. It also addresses limitations and open questions related to the fingerprinting process and proposes future directions.
Relevance Assessments for Web Search Evaluation: Should We Randomise or Prioritise the Pooled Documents?
Authors: Sakai Tetsuya , Tao Sijie , Zeng Zhaohao
Published: January 2022

In the context of depth-
k
pooling for constructing web search test collections, we compare two approaches to ordering pooled documents for relevance assessors: The prioritisation strategy (PRI) used widely at NTCIR, and the simple randomisation strategy (RND). In order to address research questions regarding PRI and RND, we have constructed and released the WWW3E8 dataset, which contains eight independent relevance labels for 32,375 topic-document pairs, i.e., a total of 259,000 labels. Four of the eight relevance labels were obtained from PRI-based pools; the other four were obtained from RND-based pools. Using WWW3E8, we compare PRI and RND in terms of inter-assessor agreement, system ranking agreement, and robustness to new systems that did not contribute to the pools. We also utilise an assessor activity log we obtained as a byproduct of WWW3E8 to compare the two strategies in terms of assessment efficiency. Our main findings are: (a) The presentation order has no substantial impact on assessment efficiency; (b) While the presentation order substantially affects which documents are judged (highly) relevant, the difference between the inter-assessor agreement under the PRI condition and that under the RND condition is of no practical significance; (c) Different system rankings under the PRI condition are substantially more similar to one another than those under the RND condition; and (d) PRI-based relevance assessment files (qrels) are substantially and statistically significantly more robust to new systems than RND-based ones. Finding (d) suggests that PRI helps the assessors identify relevant documents that affect the evaluation of many existing systems, including those that did not contribute to the pools. Hence, if researchers need to evaluate their current IR systems using legacy IR test collections, we recommend the use of those constructed using the PRI approach unless they have a good reason to believe that their systems retrieve relevant documents that are vastly different from the pooled documents. While this robustness of PRI may also mean that the PRI-based pools are biased against future systems that retrieve highly novel relevant documents, one should note that there is no evidence that RND is any better in this respect.