bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Speech language pathologists’ practice with children of parents with an acquired communication disability: A preliminary study
Authors: Shrubsole Kirstine , Pitt Rachelle , Till Kirsty , Finch Emma , Ryan Brooke
Published: August 2020

Background:

Parental acquired communication disability has long-lasting impacts on children, including increased child stress and behavioural problems. However, speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs) current practice in providing information, education and counselling support to these children is unknown. Therefore, we explored SLPs’ perceived needs, current practices and barriers and facilitators to working with children of people with acquired communication disability (PwCD).

Methods:

An online survey sought information on Australian SLPs’ current practices in providing education and counselling to children of PwCD. Perceived barriers and facilitators were mapped to the COM-B, a model that considers Capability, Opportunity and Motivation as domains that influence behaviour.

Results:

75% of participants (n = 76) perceived a need to provide both information and counselling, but ‘never’ or ‘rarely’ provided either aspect of care. Barriers relating to ‘Opportunity’ were most frequently identified, such as not having access to children in therapy and lack of parental support/engagement. Capability (e.g., knowledge and skills) and Motivation (e.g., confidence) barriers were also identified.

Conclusions:

There is potential for SLPs to provide services to children of PwCD either directly through information and/or counselling-type interactions or indirectly through referral to other services. This study highlights the need for more research into these areas of practice.
Effect of prospective audit and feedback on inpatient fluoroquinolone use and appropriateness of prescribing
Authors: Marek Caitlyn M. , Zurek Karen J. , Degenhardt Owen , Remtulla Shahileen , Teale Alastair S. , Cervera Carlos , Hoang Holly L.
Published: August 2020

We report the effect of prospective audit and feedback (PAF) on inpatient fluoroquinolone (FQN) prescriptions. During the PAF period, FQN use decreased from 39.19 to 29.58 days of therapy per 1,000 patient days (P < .001) and appropriateness improved from 68% to 88% (P < .001). High-yield indications to target included noninfectious urinary tract and respiratory presentations.
Genetic correlation, pleiotropy, and causal associations between substance use and psychiatric disorder
Authors: Jang Seon-Kyeong , Saunders Gretchen , Liu MengZhen ,   23andMe Research Team, Jiang Yu , Liu Dajiang J. , Vrieze Scott
Published: August 2020

Background

Substance use occurs at a high rate in persons with a psychiatric disorder. Genetically informative studies have the potential to elucidate the etiology of these phenomena. Recent developments in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) allow new avenues of investigation.

Method

Using results of GWAS meta-analyses, we performed a factor analysis of the genetic correlation structure, a genome-wide search of shared loci, and causally informative tests for six substance use phenotypes (four smoking, one alcohol, and one cannabis use) and five psychiatric disorders (ADHD, anorexia, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia).

Results

Two correlated externalizing and internalizing/psychosis factor were found, although model fit was beneath conventional standards. Of 458 loci reported in previous univariate GWAS of substance use and psychiatric disorders, about 50% (230 loci) were pleiotropic with additional 111 pleiotropic loci not reported from past GWAS. Of the 341 pleiotropic loci, 152 were associated with both substance use and psychiatric disorders, implicating neurodevelopment, cell morphogenesis, biological adhesion pathways, and enrichment in 13 different brain tissues. Seventy-five and 114 pleiotropic loci were specific to either psychiatric disorders or substance use phenotypes, implicating neuronal signaling pathway and clathrin-binding functions/structures, respectively. No consistent evidence for phenotypic causation was found across different Mendelian randomization methods.

Conclusions

Genetic etiology of substance use and psychiatric disorders is highly pleiotropic and involves shared neurodevelopmental path, neurotransmission, and intracellular trafficking. In aggregate, the patterns are not consistent with vertical pleiotropy, more likely reflecting horizontal pleiotropy or more complex forms of phenotypic causation.
A quantitative Lovász criterion for Property B
Authors: Ferber Asaf , Shapira Asaf
Published: August 2020

A well-known observation of Lovász is that if a hypergraph is not 2-colourable, then at least one pair of its edges intersect at a single vertex. In this short paper we consider the quantitative version of Lovász’s criterion. That is, we ask how many pairs of edges intersecting at a single vertex should belong to a non-2-colourable n-uniform hypergraph. Our main result is an exact answer to this question, which further characterizes all the extremal hypergraphs. The proof combines Bollobás’s two families theorem with Pluhar’s randomized colouring algorithm.
Episodic Memory and Verbal Fluency Tasks: Normative Data from Nine Nationally Representative Samples
Authors: Lara Elvira , Miret Marta , Sanchez-Niubo Albert , Haro Josep Maria , Koskinen Seppo , Leonardi Matilde , Tobiasz-Adamczyk Beata , Chatterji Somnath , Ayuso-Mateos José Luis
Published: August 2020

Objective:

This study aims to generate country-specific norms for two episodic memory tasks and a verbal fluency test among middle-aged and older adults using nationally representative data from nine low-, middle-, and high-income countries.

Method:

Data from nine countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America were analyzed (n = 42,116; aged 50 years or older). Episodic memory was assessed with the word list memory (three trials of immediate recall) and word list recall (delayed recall). Verbal fluency was measured through the animal naming task. Multiple linear regression models with country-specific adjustments for gender, age, education, and residential area were carried out.

Results:

Both age and education showed high influence on test performance (i.e. lower cognitive performance with increasing age and decreasing years of education, respectively), while the effect of sex and residential area on cognitive function was neither homogeneous across countries nor across cognitive tasks.

Conclusions:

Our study provided sex-, age-, education-, and residential area-specific regression-based norms that were obtained from one of the largest normative study worldwide on verbal recall and fluency tests to date. Findings derived from this study will be especially useful for clinicians and researchers based at countries where cognitive norms are limited.
The Rise of African American Intellectual History
Authors: Byrd Brandon R.
Published: August 2020

This essay makes a decisive turn to the history and historiography of African American intellectual history, a field of study long relegated to the margins of the general field of US intellectual history. Its principal intention is to reflect on the origins, growth, and recent institutionalization of African American intellectual history while showing the relationship between those developments and broader trends within the US and, at times, European historical profession. This framework is meant as a corrective. African American intellectual history is a distinctive field with its own origins, objectives, and methods. Yet it also demands centering within US and global intellectual history. Marginalized for too long, African American intellectual history has long proposed and advanced innovative ways of doing and conceptualizing intellectual history. I suggest that this burgeoning field has important, generalizable lessons about the practice and possibilities of intellectual history writ large.
Inventing the Woman Voter: Suffrage, Ability, and Patents
Authors: Swanson Kara W.
Published: August 2020

In 1870, the New York State Suffrage Association published a pamphlet titled “Woman as Inventor.” White suffragists distributed this history of female invention to prove women's inventiveness, countering arguments that biological disabilities justified women's legal disabilities. In the United States, inventiveness was linked to the capacity for original thought considered crucial for voters, making female inventiveness relevant to the franchise. As women could and did receive patents, activists used them as government certification of female ability. By publicizing female inventors, counting patents granted to women, and displaying women's inventions, they sought to overturn the common wisdom that women could not invent and prove that they had the ability to vote. Although partially successful, these efforts left undisturbed the equally common assertion that African Americans could not invent. White suffragists kept the contemporary Black woman inventor invisible, relegating the technological creations of women of color to a primitive past. White suffragists created a feminist history of invention, in words and objects, that reinforced white supremacy—another erasure of Black women, whose activism white suffragists were eager to harness, yet whose public presence they sought to minimize in order to keep the woman voter, like the woman inventor, presumptively white.
Assessment of the growth in social groups for sustainable agriculture and land management
Authors: Pretty Jules , Attwood Simon , Bawden Richard , van den Berg Henk , Bharucha Zareen P. , Dixon John , Flora Cornelia Butler , Gallagher Kevin , Genskow Ken , Hartley Sue E. , Ketelaar Jan Willem , Kiara Japhet K. , Kumar Vijay , Lu Yuelai , MacMillan Tom , Maréchal Anne , Morales-Abubakar Alma Linda , Noble Andrew , Prasad P. V. Vara , Rametsteiner Ewald , Reganold John , Ricks Jacob I. , Rockström Johan , Saito Osamu , Thorne Peter , Wang Songliang , Wittman Hannah , Winter Michael , Yang Puyun
Published: August 2020

Non-technical summary

Until the past half-century, all agriculture and land management was framed by local institutions strong in social capital. But neoliberal forms of development came to undermine existing structures, thus reducing sustainability and equity. The past 20 years, though, have seen the deliberate establishment of more than 8 million new social groups across the world. This restructuring and growth of rural social capital within specific territories is leading to increased productivity of agricultural and land management systems, with particular benefits for those previously excluded. Further growth would occur with more national and regional policy support.
Fragrances in an Ice Core Tell a Story of Human Activity
Authors: Wilke Carolyn
Published: August 2020

An ice core from Europe’s highest peak contains scent-imparting molecules whose trends mirror the Soviet Union’s economic ups and downs.
Spatial Patterns and Trends of Summertime Low Cloudiness for the Pacific Northwest, 1996–2017
Authors: Dye Alex W. , Rastogi Bharat , Clemesha Rachel E. S. , Kim John B. , Samelson Roger M. , Still Christopher J. , Williams A. Park
Published: August 2020

Summertime low clouds are common in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), but spatiotemporal patterns have not been characterized. We show the first maps of low cloudiness for the western PNW and North Pacific Ocean using a 22‐year satellite‐derived record of monthly mean low cloudiness frequency for May through September and supplemented by airport cloud base height observations. Domain‐wide cloudiness peaks in midsummer and is strongest over the Pacific. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis identified four distinct PNW spatiotemporal modes: oceanic, terrestrial highlands, coastal, and northern coastal. There is a statistically significant trend over the 22‐year record toward reduced low cloudiness in the terrestrial highlands mode, with strongest declines in May and June; however, this decline is not matched in the corresponding airport records. The coastal mode is partly constrained from moving inland by topographic relief and migrates southward in late summer, retaining higher late‐season low cloud frequency than the other areas.
Whistler Mode Waves Excited by Anisotropic Hot Electrons With a Drift Velocity in Earth's Magnetosphere: Linear Theory
Authors: Fan Kai , Sun Jicheng , Guo Jun
Published: August 2020

With a linear theoretical model, we have investigated the properties of whistler waves excited by anisotropic hot electrons with a drift velocity parallel to the background magnetic field, which is usually neglected in previous studies. It is found that a finite drift velocity can significantly change the properties of excited whistler waves, resulting in distinct properties for parallel and antiparallel propagating waves. In the high‐beta regime, as the drift velocity increases, the frequency of parallel propagating whistler waves increases, while that of antiparallel propagating waves is found to decline. So parallel and antiparallel propagating whistler waves appear in different frequency bands. However, the growth rate of parallel wave is always smaller than that of antiparallel wave and falls below 10−2Ωe for large drift velocities (vd/vth > 1.5), in which case the parallel wave may be too weak to be observed. Generally, the growth rate of whistler waves in both directions is enhanced with the increasing anisotropy or proportion of hot electrons. In the low‐beta regime, the trends of the frequency and linear growth rate of excited whistler waves are quite similar to those in the high‐beta regime. But with the increase of the drift velocity, the wave normal angle of parallel propagating whistler waves gradually declines until reaching 0, while that of antiparallel propagating waves continues to increase. Our study may be helpful to understand various whistler mode spectra observed in the Earth's magnetosphere.
The AKT-independent MET–V-ATPase–MTOR axis suppresses liver cancer vaccination
Authors: Huang Xing , Xu Xingyuan , Wang Xun , Tang Tianyu , Li Enliang , Zhang Xiaozhen , Xu Jian , Shen Hang , Guo Chengxiang , Xu Tao , Ren Jianhong , Bai Xueli , Liang Tingbo
Published: August 2020

Despite recent progress in hepatitis treatment, there have been no significant advances in the development of liver cancer vaccines in recent years. In this study, we investigated the regulatory effect and potential mechanism of hepatocyte growth factor receptor (MET, also known as HGFR) on tumor vaccinations for liver cancer in mice. Herein, we demonstrate that MET expression is significantly associated with the immunogenicity of liver cancer in mice and humans, and that MET depletion dramatically enhances the protective efficacy of chemotherapy-based anti-liver cancer vaccination. Mechanistically, MET repressed liver cancer immunogenicity independent of the traditional PI3K–AKT cascade, and MET interacted with vacuolar ATP synthase (V-ATPase) and mediated the activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (MTOR), thus suppressing liver cancer immunogenicity. The efficacy of chemotherapy-based liver cancer vaccination was markedly enhanced by targeting the MET–V-ATPase–MTOR axis, highlighting a translational strategy for identifying MET-associated drug candidates for cancer prevention.
Author Correction: Spatial data of Ixodes ricinus instar abundance and nymph pathogen prevalence, Scandinavia, 2016–2017
Authors: Kjær Lene Jung , Klitgaard Kirstine , Soleng Arnulf , Edgar Kristin Skarsfjord , Lindstedt Heidi Elisabeth H. , Paulsen Katrine M. , Andreassen Åshild Kristine , Korslund Lars , Kjelland Vivian , Slettan Audun , Stuen Snorre , Kjellander Petter , Christensson Madeleine , Teräväinen Malin , Baum Andreas , Jensen Laura Mark , Bødker René
Published: August 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Contrast-modulated stimuli produce more superimposition and predominate perception when competing with comparable luminance-modulated stimuli during interocular grouping
Authors: Skerswetat Jan , Formankiewicz Monika A . , Waugh Sarah J.
Published: August 2020

Interocular grouping (IOG) is a binocular visual function that can arise during multi-stable perception. IOG perception was initiated using split-grating stimuli constructed from luminance (L), luminance-modulated noise (LM) and contrast-modulated noise (CM). In Experiment 1, three different visibility levels were used for L and LM (or first-order) stimuli, and compared to fixed-visibility CM (or second-order) stimuli. Eight binocularly normal participants indicated whether they perceived full horizontal or vertical gratings, superimposition, or other (piecemeal and eye-of-origin) percepts. CM stimuli rarely generated full IOG, but predominantly generated superimposition. In Experiment 2, Levelt’s modified laws were tested for IOG in nine participants. Split-gratings presented to each eye contained different visibility LM gratings, or LM and CM gratings. The results for the LM-vs-LM conditions mostly followed the predictions of Levelt’s modified laws, whereas the results for the LM-vs-CM conditions did not. Counterintuitively, when high-visibility LM and low-visibility CM split-gratings were used, high-visibility LM components did not predominate IOG perception. Our findings suggest that higher proportions of superimposition during CM-vs-CM viewing are due to binocular combination, rather than mutual inhibition. It implies that IOG percepts are more likely to be mediated at an earlier monocular, rather than a binocular stage. Our previously proposed conceptual framework for conventional binocular rivalry, which includes asymmetric feedback, visual saliency, or a combination of both (Skerswetat et al. Sci Rep 8:14432, 2018), might also account for IOG. We speculate that opponency neurons might mediate coherent percepts when dissimilar information separately enters the eyes.
Falls and visual impairment among elderly residents in ‘homes for the aged’ in India
Authors: Marmamula Srinivas , Barrenkala Navya Rekha , Challa Rajesh , Kumbham Thirupathi Reddy , Modepalli Satya Brahmanandam , Yellapragada Ratnakar , Bhakki Madhuri , Friedman David S. , Khanna Rohit C.
Published: August 2020

We evaluated the prevalence of falls and their association with visual impairment (VI) in elderly residents in ‘homes for the aged’ in Hyderabad, India. Participants aged ≥ 60 years were recruited from 41 homes, and a comprehensive eye examination was conducted. Interviews were conducted to collect personal and demographic information, systemic health status, fear of falling, depression, and history of falls in the last year. VI categories included low vision (presenting visual acuity worse than 6/18 to 3/60) and blindness (presenting visual acuity worse than 3/60). The data of 1,074 participants were analysed. The mean age was 74.4 years (standard deviation:8.7 years); 63.9% were women, 19.4% had no formal education, 28.1% were diabetic and 56.9% were hypertensive. The annual prevalence of falls was 29.1% (95% CI: 26.4–32.0). Multivariable analysis showed those with VI had significantly higher odds of falls (Odds Ratio:1.47; p = 0.043). The prevalence of falls was higher among those with VI due to uncorrected refractive errors. We found a very high prevalence of falls in elderly individuals living in ‘homes for the aged’ in Hyderabad, India. Addressing VI can result in fewer falls and contribute to healthy aging in India.
Ultrasound-assisted intralesional corticosteroid infiltrations for patients with hidradenitis suppurativa
Authors: Salvador-Rodríguez Luis , Arias-Santiago Salvador , Molina-Leyva Alejandro
Published: August 2020

Corticosteroid infiltrations of lesions in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) appear to be beneficial to acute flares. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ultrasound-assisted intralesional corticosteroid infiltrations to HS lesions. Prospective cohort study between February 2017 and February 2019 on patients with mild to severe HS and one or more inflammatory lesions. The study intervention was ultrasound-assisted intralesional infiltration of triamcinolone acetonide 40 mg/ml. The main outcome was the complete response rate of infiltrated lesions versus non-infiltrated lesions. Two hundred and forty-seven infiltrated inflammatory lesions and 172 non-infiltrated lesions were included. At week 12, 81.1% (30/37) of nodules, 72.0% (108/150) of abscesses and 53.33% (32/60) of draining fistulas presented complete response versus 69.1% (47/68), 54.3% (38/70) and 35.3% (12/34) respectively for the non-infiltrated lesions. The Hurley stage negatively correlated with complete response for abscesses and draining fistulas at − 0.17 (SD 0.06) p < 0.01 and − 0.30 (SD 0.13) p < 0.02 respectively. Ultrasound-assisted corticosteroid infiltration is a useful technique for the treatment of inflammatory HS lesions, with high and sustained response rates, especially for abscesses and small to medium-size simple draining fistulas. The likelihood of response correlates negatively with the Hurley stage.
Cumulative impact of cover crops on soil carbon sequestration and profitability in a temperate humid climate
Authors: Chahal Inderjot , Vyn Richard J. , Mayers Danielle , Van Eerd Laura L.
Published: August 2020

Although soil C sequestration with cover crops (CCs) has been linked with the potential of CCs in climate change mitigation, the long-term usage of CCs on soil C storage and farm-based economics have been widely overlooked. Therefore, in a CC experiment established in 2007 in a temperate humid climate, four CCs and a no-CC control were compared to evaluate their potential to sequester C and provide economic returns. Total amount of plant C added to soil with CCs translated into greater soil organic carbon (SOC) content by 10–20 Mg C ha−1 than the no-CC control across both sites. Greater crop yield and reduced yield variability with CCs suggest the long-term potential of CCs in increasing agroecosystem resiliency. Moreover, greater profit margins with CCs in processing vegetable crops but not grain and oilseed crops indicate CC effects on crop profitability are dependent on the production system. Our study results indicated that the loss in profit margins with CC usage in grain and oilseed crops might be overcome with C pricing (at $50 Mg−1) on quantity of C sequestered after 9 years of CCing; thus, providing financial compensation to growers may be a mechanism to encourage CC adoption.
Retinal and brain damage during multiple sclerosis course: inflammatory activity is a key factor in the first 5 years
Authors: Pulido-Valdeolivas Irene , Andorrà Magí , Gómez-Andrés David , Nakamura Kunio , Alba-Arbalat Salut , Lampert Erika J. , Zubizarreta Irati , Llufriu Sara , Martinez-Heras Eloy , Solana Elisabeth , Sola-Valls Nuria , Sepulveda María , Tercero-Uribe Ana , Blanco Yolanda , Camos-Carreras Anna , Sanchez-Dalmau Bernardo , Villoslada Pablo , Saiz Albert , Martinez-Lapiscina Elena H.
Published: August 2020

Understanding of the role of focal inflammation, a treatable feature, on neuro-axonal injury, is paramount to optimize neuroprotective strategy in MS. To quantify the impact of focal inflammatory activity on the rate of neuro-axonal injury over the MS course. We quantified the annualized rates of change in peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, ganglion cell plus inner plexiform layer (GCIPL), whole-brain, gray matter and thalamic volumes in patients with and without focal inflammatory activity in 161 patients followed over 5 years. We used mixed models including focal inflammatory activity (the presence of at least one relapse or a new/enlarging T2-FLAIR or gadolinium- enhancing lesion), and its interaction with time adjusted by age, sex, use of disease-modifying therapies and steroids, and prior optic neuritis. The increased rate of neuro-axonal injury during the first five years after onset was more prominent among active patients, as reflected by the changes in GCIPL thickness (p = 0.02), whole brain (p = 0.002) and thalamic volumes (p < 0.001). Thereafter, rates of retinal and brain changes stabilized and were similar in active and stable patients. Focal inflammatory activity is associated with neurodegeneration early in MS which reinforces the use of an early intensive anti-inflammatory therapy to prevent neurodegeneration in MS.
Ciprofloxacin-loaded bioadhesive hydrogels for ocular applications
Authors: Khalil Islam A. , Saleh Bahram , Ibrahim Dina M. , Jumelle Clotilde , Yung Ann , Dana Reza , Annabi Nasim
Published: August 2020

Micelles loaded in a photocrosslinkable gelatin based hydrogel as a non-invasive suture-free approach for corneal tissue regeneration after injury with infection.
Selective encapsulation and extraction of hydrogenphosphate by a hydrogen bond donor tripodal receptor
Authors: Dey Sandeep Kumar , Archana  , Pereira Sybil , Harmalkar Sarvesh S. , Mhaldar Shashank N. , Gobre Vivekanand V. , Janiak Christoph
Published: August 2020

Intramolecular N–H⋯OC hydrogen bonding between the inner amide groups dictates the receptor–anion complementarity in a tripodal receptor towards selective encapsulation of hydrogenphosphate in the outer urea cavity by multiple hydrogen bonds.
Homogeneous gelation leads to nanowire forests in the transition between electrospray and electrospinning
Authors: Lei Lin , Chen Shensheng , Nachtigal Catherine J. , Moy Tyler F. , Yong Xin , Singer Jonathan P.
Published: August 2020

We demonstrate that homogeneous gelation of droplets in electrospray leads to the generation of nanowire forests and foams.
Highly efficient recovery of high-purity Cu, PVC, and phthalate plasticizer from waste wire harnesses through PVC swelling and rod milling
Authors: Kumar Harendra , Kumagai Shogo , Kameda Tomohito , Saito Yuko , Yoshioka Toshiaki
Published: August 2020

Schematic pathways of dry and wet rod milling processes.
Postnatal Development of the Mouse Larynx: Negative Allometry, Age-Dependent Shape Changes, Morphological Integration, and a Size-Dependent Spectral Feature
Authors: Riede Tobias , Coyne Megan , Tafoya Blake , Baab Karen L.
Published: August 2020

Purpose

The larynx plays a role in swallowing, respiration, and voice production. All three functions change during ontogeny. We investigated ontogenetic shape changes using a mouse model to inform our understanding of how laryngeal form and function are integrated. We understand the characterization of developmental changes to larynx anatomy as a critical step toward using rodent models to study human vocal communication disorders.

Method

Contrast-enhanced micro-computed tomography image stacks were used to generate three-dimensional reconstructions of the CD-1 mouse (
Mus musculus
) laryngeal cartilaginous framework. Then, we quantified size and shape in four age groups: pups, weanlings, young, and old adults using a combination of landmark and linear morphometrics. We analyzed postnatal patterns of growth and shape in the laryngeal skeleton, as well as morphological integration among four laryngeal cartilages using geometric morphometric methods. Acoustic analysis of vocal patterns was employed to investigate morphological and functional integration.

Results

Four cartilages scaled with negative allometry on body mass. Additionally, thyroid, arytenoid, and epiglottic cartilages, but not the cricoid cartilage, showed shape change associated with developmental age. A test for modularity between the four cartilages suggests greater independence of thyroid cartilage shape, hinting at the importance of embryological origin during postnatal development. Finally, mean fundamental frequency, but not fundamental frequency range, varied predictably with size.

Conclusion

In a mouse model, the four main laryngeal cartilages do not develop uniformly throughout the first 12 months of life. High-dimensional shape analysis effectively quantified variation in shape across development and in relation to size, as well as clarifying patterns of covariation in shape among cartilages and possibly the ventral pouch.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12735917
Influence of Sonographic Fetal Weight Estimation Inaccuracies in Macrosomia on Perinatal Outcome
Authors: Pretscher Jutta , Kehl Sven , Stelzl Patrick , Stumpfe Florian Matthias , Mayr Andreas , Schmid Matthias , Staerk Christian , Schild Ralf , Beckmann Matthias W. , Faschingbauer Florian
Published: August 2020

Objective To evaluate the influence of inaccurate sonographic fetal weight estimation in macrosomia on the mode of delivery and neonatal outcome (NO).

Methods In 14 633 pregnancies between 2002 and 2016, this retrospective study evaluated the association between sonographic fetal weight estimation, true birth weight (BW), mode of delivery (primary cesarean section [pCS], secondary cesarean section, vaginal delivery, and operative vaginal delivery rates) and NO parameters (5-min Apgar < 7, pH < 7.1, neonatal intensive care unit [NICU] admission, shoulder dystocia). Singleton pregnancies > 37 + 0 weeks with ultrasound-estimated fetal weight (EFW) within 7 days before delivery were included. The study population was divided into four groups: Group 1 (false-negative): EFW < 4000 g/BW ≥ 4000 g; Group 2 (true-positive): EFW ≥ 4000 g/BW ≥ 4000 g; Group 3 (false-positive): EFW ≥ 4000 g/BW < 4000 g; and Group 4 (true-negative): EFW < 4000 g/BW < 4000 g.

Results As expected, the highest secondary cesarean section (sCS) rate was found in Group 2 (true-positive) (30.62 %), compared with only 17.68 % in Group 4 (true-negative). The sCS rate in the false-positive Group 3 was significantly higher (28.48 %) in comparison with the false-negative Group 1 (21.22 %; OR 1.48; 95 % CI, 1.16 to 1.89; P = 0.002). In comparison with the true-negative Group 4, univariate analyses showed significantly higher rates for sCS in all other groups: odds ratio (OR) 2.06 for Group 2 (95 % CI, 1.74 to 2.42; P < 0.001), 1.85 for Group 3 (95 % CI, 1.54 to 2.22, P < 0.001), and 1.25 for Group 1 (95 % CI, 1.05 to 1.49; P < 0.01). No significant differences were found for NO between Groups 1 and 3 for the parameters 5-min Apgar < 7 (P = 0.75), pH < 7.1 (P = 0.28), or NICU admission (P = 0.54). However, there was a significantly higher chance for shoulder dystocia in Group 1 compared with Group 3 (OR 4.58; 95 % CI, 1.34 to 24.30; P = 0.008).

Conclusion Sonographic EFW inaccuracies in fetal macrosomia appear to have a greater impact on the mode of delivery than birth weight itself. Underestimation of fetal weight may be associated with a higher probability of shoulder dystocia.
Ich bin auch noch da – Schulung für Geschwister von
chronisch kranken oder behinderten Kindern
Authors: Ernst Gundula , Klein Luisa , Kowalewski Kerstin , Szczepanski Rüdiger
Published: August 2020

Hintergrund Geschwister von chronisch kranken oder behinderten Kindern
sind durch ihre besondere Lebenssituation erhöhten Belastungen
ausgesetzt. Dies kann zu psychischen Auffälligkeiten führen.
Internationale Studien zeigen, dass gezielte Programme dieses Risiko
reduzieren können. In Deutschland fehlen bisher edukative
Kompaktangebote für Geschwister. Mit dem vorliegenden Workshop wurde
ein solches Angebot erprobt. In der eintägigen Gruppenschulung
werden mit den Kindern Strategien zur Belastungsreduktion erarbeitet sowie
Krankheitswissen vermittelt, um Ängste abzubauen. Die Eltern
erhalten eine parallele Schulung.

Methoden Insgesamt fanden 19 Workshops statt. Direkt vor und 6 Wochen
nach der Schulung wurden mit standardisierten Fragebögen
geschwisterliche Belastung, psychische Auffälligkeiten und
gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität der Geschwister sowie
familiäre Krankheitsbelastung erfasst. Veränderungen wurden
mit t-Tests für abhängige Stichproben
überprüft.

Ergebnisse 92 Kinder (durchschnittlich 9,6 Jahre; 54%
weiblich) und ihre Eltern nahmen an der Schulung teil. Aus Elternsicht
wiesen eingangs 32,5% der Kinder ein erhöhtes Risiko
für psychische Belastungen durch die Geschwistersituation auf. Nach
der Schulung waren es 25,3%. Ebenso reduzierten sich die psychischen
Auffälligkeiten der Kinder und die familiäre Belastung
signifikant. Die Lebensqualität der Kinder verbesserte sich in der
Selbsteinschätzung.

Diskussion Die Kompaktschulung scheint geeignet, die Belastungen der
gesamten Familie zu reduzieren. Der Workshop war bei unterschiedlichen
Krankheiten und Settings einsetzbar.
No Independent Association of Circulating Fetuin-A with Insulin
Sensitivity in Young Women
Authors: Reif Sabrina , Moschko Sarah , Gar Christina , Ferrari Uta , Hesse Nina , Sommer Nora N. , Seißler Jochen , Lechner Andreas
Published: August 2020

Animal data link high circulating fetuin-A to low insulin sensitivity and
observational studies identify the hepatokine as a marker of future incident
type 2 diabetes mellitus in humans. However, a recent, well-powered Mendelian
randomization study finds no causal role. We therefore tested in a
deeply-phenotyped human cohort if circulating fetuin-A correlates independently
with insulin sensitivity and how it relates to the metabolic syndrome and
ectopic fat deposition. We analyzed data from 290 young women with and without
recent gestational diabetes mellitus. We found that circulating fetuin-A
correlates inversely with insulin sensitivity in univariate analyses, but that
this correlation is lost after adjustment for markers of the metabolic syndrome
and of fatty liver. Additionally, we investigated which fat compartment
associates most strongly with circulating fetuin-A. In whole body MRI data from
a subcohort of 152 women, this was liver fat content. We conclude that high
circulating fetuin-A occurs as part of the metabolic syndrome in young women and
associates most strongly with liver fat content. Its close link to the metabolic
syndrome may also cause the inverse correlation of circulating fetuin-A with
insulin sensitivity as we found no independent association.
Lack of Smoking Effects on Pharmacokinetics of Oral Paliperidone-analysis of a Naturalistic Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Sample
Authors: Schoretsanitis Georgios , Haen Ekkehard , Conca Andreas , Piacentino Daria , Ridders Florian , Hiemke Christoph , Gründer Gerhard , Paulzen Michael
Published: August 2020

Introduction Major smoking effects have been reported for a series of psychotropic agents, mainly including substrates of CYP450 1A2, although smoking may also affect alternative metabolic pathways. To our knowledge, smoking effects on paliperidone pharmacokinetics have not been assessed yet.

Methods We compared plasma concentrations of paliperidone as well as dose-corrected-plasma concentrations (C/D) from a naturalistic database between smokers and nonsmokers using nonparametrical tests, such as the Mann-Whitney U-test (MWU). Additionally, we compared light and heavy smokers with nonsmokers separately.

Results Comparing 55 smokers with 37 nonsmokers treated with oral paliperidone, no differences in the percentage of females, age, body weight, body mass index, and daily paliperidone dose were reported (p=0.709 for χ2, p=0.26, p=0.38, p=0.67, and p=0.8 for MWU). No differences were detected in plasma concentrations or C/D values (p=0.50 and p=0.96 for MWU). Likewise, differences in daily dose, plasma concentrations, or C/D values were not significant between light smokers (n=17) and nonsmokers (p=0.61, p=0.81, and p=0.33 for MWU) or heavy smokers (n=22) and nonsmokers (p=0.874, p=0.38, and p=0.59; MWU in all cases).

Discussion Paliperidone is not affected by smoking, and paliperidone dose-adjustments in smokers may not be necessary. This may be seen as an essential difference to risperidone, whose cytochrome-mediated metabolism might be affected by smoking.
Long-term placement of lumen-apposing metal stent after endoscopic ultrasound-guided duodeno- and jejunojejunal anastomosis for direct access to excluded jejunal limb
Authors: Donatelli Gianfranco , Cereatti Fabrizio , Spota Andrea , Danan David , Tuszynski Thierry , Dumont Jean-Loup , Derhy Serge
Published: August 2020

Background Management of biliary disorders in patients with altered anatomy may be challenging. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided gastrointestinal anastomosis using a lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS) was introduced to allow endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) in such cases. However, the appropriate stent indwelling time remains uncertain. We report long-term LAMS deployment after duodenojejunal or jejunojejunal anastomosis (EUS-DJA) to allow endoscopic reinterventions in cases of recurrences.

Methods 11 consecutive patients underwent EUS-DJA with long-standing LAMS between January 2017 and December 2018. Over a 12-month period, ERC treatment was carried out with multiple endoscopic sessions across the DJA.

Results Technical success was 91 % (10/11) for EUS-DJA and 100 % for ERC. Four patients presented stricture recurrence at a mean of 489 days (standard deviation [SD] 31.7) after the end of ERC treatment. A novel ERC across the LAMS anastomosis was feasible in all cases. At a mean of 781 days (SD 253.1), all LAMS remained in place with no evidence of complications.

Conclusion Long-term LAMS placement after EUS-DJA may be feasible and safe for direct access to the excluded limb.
Combined measurement method for deep sea large pressure and its small fluctuation pressure
Authors: Wang Huaiyang , Hu Shanshan , Liu Zhengshi , Wang Yong
Published: August 2020

A combined measurement method on the basis of liquid compressibility and the characteristics of deep sea pressure compensators and pistons is proposed to solve the difficulty in measuring the large pressure of several kilometers of water depth and the small fluctuation pressure of several centimeters of water depth in ocean pressure detection. First, the working principle of the proposed method is introduced. Second, the force of piston is evaluated under static and dynamic pressure measurement conditions, and the corresponding mathematical models are established. Third, the measurement accuracy of static and dynamic pressures is analyzed. Finally, a test platform is built. The results show that the maximum dynamic pressure of 0.025 bar is realized at a pressure changing speed of 0.2 bar/s, and the small fluctuation pressure of 2.8 × 10−3 bars is realized at a pressure of 20 bars. The measurement system can track the changing ambient pressure in real time, and the measurement accuracy of the small fluctuation pressure is only related to the characteristics of the measurement system itself but not to the external large pressure. The accuracy and feasibility of the proposed method are verified. This study provides a new approach for measuring deep sea large pressure and its small fluctuation pressure.
Investigation of Pd/MoOx/n-Si diodes for bipolar transistor and light-emitting device applications
Authors: Gupta Gaurav , D. Thammaiah Shivakumar , Nanver Lis K. , Hueting Raymond J. E.
Published: August 2020

Sub-stoichiometric molybdenum oxide (MoOx) has recently been investigated for application in high efficiency Si solar cells as a “hole selective” contact. In this paper, we investigate the electrical and light-emitting properties of MoOx-based contacts on Si from the viewpoint of realizing functional bipolar devices such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and transistors without any impurity doping of the Si surface. We realized diodes on n-type Si substrates using e-beam physical vapor deposition of Pd/MoOx contacts and compared their behavior to implanted p+n-Si diodes as a reference. In contrast to majority-carrier dominated conduction that occurs in conventional Schottky diodes, Pd/MoOx/n-Si diodes show minority-carrier dominated charge transport with I–V, C–V, and light-emitting characteristics comparable to implanted counterparts. Utilizing such MoOx-based contacts, we also demonstrate a lateral bipolar transistor concept without employing any doped junctions. A detailed C–V analysis confirmed the excessive band-bending in Si corresponding to a high potential barrier (>0.90 V) at the MoOx/n-Si interface which, along with the observed amorphous SiOx(Mo) interlayer, plays a role in suppressing the majority-carrier current. An inversion layer at the n-Si surface was also identified comprising a sheet carrier density greater than 8.6×1011 cm−2, and the MoOx layer was found to be conductive though with a very high resistivity in the 104 Ω-cm range. We refer to these diodes as metal/non-insulator/semiconductor diodes and show with our device simulations that they can be mimicked as high-barrier Schottky diodes with an induced inversion layer at the interface.
Intrinsic piezoelectricity in (K,Na)NbO3-based lead-free single crystal: Piezoelectric anisotropy and its evolution with temperature
Authors: Wang Lihai , Zhai Yuzhi , Zheng Limei , Liu Fengying , Lu Xiaoyan , Kuai Weijie , Tian Gang , Huo Da , Du Juan , Wang Chunming , Zhao Minglei
Published: August 2020

Searching for lead-free piezoelectric materials with a large piezoelectricity and excellent thermal stability has been a major concern in both scientific research and practical applications. To understand the mechanism of high piezoelectricity and its temperature-dependent behavior in lead-free materials, we focus here on the tetragonal (K,Na,Li)(Nb,Ta)O3 single crystal and investigate the intrinsic d33* along arbitrary directions as well as its evolution with temperature. The synergistic influence of several factors (narrow tetragonal temperature interval, sharp tetragonal-cubic phase transition, and large PS below TC) leads to a strong anisotropy in the d33* profile, while a high d33* is obtained around θ = 45° over a wide temperature range. This work comprehensively reveals the physical mechanism of piezoelectric anisotropy in lead-free materials, which provides vital information to design high-performance lead-free piezoelectric materials through orientation engineering and lattice manipulation, which is expected to benefit a wide range of piezoelectric materials.
Emergence of amyloidic fibrillation in 2D-ordered Langmuir–Blodgett protein multilayers upon heating
Authors: Pechkova Eugenia , Nicolini Claudio , Burghammer Manfred , Riekel Christian
Published: August 2020

Langmuir–Blodgett protein nanofilms can serve as templates for nucleation and growth of protein crystals. This functionality can be enhanced by thermal annealing. While surface ordering of the multilayered nanofilms and an improvement of the correlation between the layers during thermal annealing have been revealed by atomic force microscopy and grazing-incidence small-angle x-ray scattering, information on the structure developing in the bulk of nanofilms is lacking. In this paper, we report on scanning x-ray nanodiffraction experiments of penicillin-G-acylase multilayers deposited on Si3N4 membranes and annealed at 150 °C. While the annealed multilayer has remained mostly featureless, we observe locally globular aggregates and filamentous spherulites based on nanofibrillar subunits with cross-β amyloidic motifs.
Morphotropic phase boundary-like effect in hybrid electrically poled, mechanically depolarized ferroelectric ceramics
Authors: Wang Qiangzhong , Li Faxin
Published: August 2020

The morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) plays an important role in ferroelectric materials. Typically, two phases coexist in materials near the MPB. Such materials usually exhibit large piezoelectricities, dielectricities, and actuation strains. In this work, we produce an MPB-like effect in hybrid electrically poled, mechanically depolarized (HEPMD) BaTiO3 and lead zirconate titanate ceramics where depolarized region A and vertical electrically poled region C intersect each other with a period of 400 μm in both in-plane directions. The polarization and strain of both HEPMD samples are over 3 times those of conventionally poled samples under unipolar electric loading. The large polarization and strain decrease steadily as the frequency increases and stabilize at approximately twice the values from the conventionally poled samples. Furthermore, the large polarizations and actuation strains of the HEPMD samples are fairly stable and change little after 30 000 cycles of operation. Under bipolar electric loading, the tendencies are similar and the coercive fields of the HEPMD samples are considerably smaller, which is similar to the MPB effect in traditional ferroelectric ceramics. Enhanced polarization and strain occur in HEPMD samples due to reversible ferroelectric domain switching during loading and unloading under large electric fields. In comparison, the small-signal properties, i.e., the d33 and dielectric properties, are slightly larger in HEPMD samples than in conventionally poled ones. The HEPMD method may be applied to all types of multiaxial ferroelectric ceramics to enhance actuation strain and polarization.
Charge transfer via deep hole in the J51/N2200 blend
Authors: Xie Xiaoyu , Zhang Chunfeng , Ma Haibo
Published: August 2020

In recently developed non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) based organic solar cells (OSCs), both the donor and acceptor parts can be excited by absorbing light photons. Therefore, both the electron transfer and hole transfer channels could occur at the donor/acceptor interface for generating free charge carriers in NFA based OSCs. However, in many molecular and DNA systems, recent studies revealed that the high charge transfer (CT) efficiency cannot be reasonably explained by a CT model with only highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMOs) of donor and acceptor molecules. In this work, taking an example of a full-polymer blend consisting of benzodithiophene-alt-benzotriazole copolymers (J51) as donor and naphthalene diimide-bithiophene (N2200) as acceptor, in which the ultrafast hole transfer has been recently reported, we investigate its CT process and examine the different roles of various frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs). Through a joint study of quantum mechanics electronic structure calculation and nonadiabatic dynamics simulation, we find that the hole transfer between HOMOs of J51 and N2200 can hardly happen, but the hole transfer from HOMO of N2200 to HOMO − 1 of J51 is much more efficient. This points out the underlying importance of the deep hole channel in the CT process and indicates that including FMOs other than HOMOs and LUMOs is highly necessary to build a robust physical model for studying the CT process in molecular optoelectronic materials.
Photoacoustic detection of low duty cycle gratings through optically opaque layers
Authors: Verrina V. , Edward S. , Zhang H. , Witte S. , Planken P. C. M.
Published: August 2020

We report on the use of ultra-high frequency photoacoustics to detect gratings with linewidths as narrow as 75 nm, buried underneath optically opaque metal layers. Our results show that buried gratings can be detected by observing diffraction from the spatially periodic acoustic replica of the buried grating at the glass/metal interface and from replicas of the acoustic wave inside the glass substrate. The measured diffraction signals show a linear dependence on grating duty cycle rather than the expected quadratic one. We find that this is due to the presence of a coherent background optical field, which interferes with and coherently amplifies the weaker fields diffracted off the grating-shaped acoustic waves. Our measurements show that ultra-high frequency photoacoustics is a promising technique for detection of sub-wavelength periodic nanostructures.