bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determinants and Outcomes Associated With Skilled Nursing Facility Use After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Statewide Experience
Authors: Thompson Michael P. , Stewart James W. , Hou Hechuan , Nathan Hari , Pagani Francis D. , DeLucia Alphonse , Theurer Patricia F. , Prager Richard L. , Hawkins Robert B. , Likosky Donald S.
Published: September 2023

BACKGROUND:

Skilled nursing facility (SNF) care is frequently used after cardiac surgery, but the patterns and determinants of use have not been well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate determinants and outcomes associated with SNF use after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting.

METHODS:

A retrospective analysis of Medicare Fee-For-Service claims linked to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons clinical data was conducted on isolated coronary artery bypass grafting patients without prior SNF use in Michigan between 2011 and 2019. Descriptive analysis evaluated the frequency, trends, and variation in SNF use across 33 Michigan hospitals. Multivariable mixed-effects regression was used to evaluate patient-level demographic and clinical determinants of SNF use and its effect on short- and long-term outcomes.

RESULTS:

In our sample of 8614 patients, the average age was 73.3 years, 70.5% were male, and 7.7% were listed as non-White race. An SNF was utilized by 1920 (22.3%) patients within 90 days of discharge and varied from 3.2% to 58.3% across the 33 hospitals. Patients using SNFs were more likely to be female, older, non-White, with more comorbidities, worse cardiovascular function, a perioperative morbidity, and longer hospital lengths of stay. Outcomes were significantly worse for SNF users, including more frequent 90-day readmissions and emergency department visits and less use of home health and rehabilitation services. SNF users had higher risk-adjusted hazard of mortality (hazard ratio, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.26–1.57];
P
<0.001) compared with non-SNF users and had 2.7-percentage point higher 5-year mortality rate in a propensity-matched cohort of patients (18.1% versus 15.4%;
P
<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS:

The use of SNF care after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting was frequent and variable across Michigan hospitals and associated with worse risk-adjusted outcomes. Standardization of criteria for SNF use may reduce variability among hospitals and ensure appropriateness of use.
Long‐Term Exposure to Ambient PM
2.5
and Hospitalizations for Myocardial Infarction Among US Residents: A Difference‐in‐Differences Analysis
Authors: Wang Yichen , Qiu Xinye , Wei Yaguang , Schwartz Joel D.
Published: September 2023

Background

Air pollution has been recognized as an untraditional risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI). However, the MI risk attributable to long‐term exposure to fine particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM
2.5
) is unclear, especially in younger populations, and few studies have represented the general population or had power to examine comorbidities.

Methods and Results

We applied the difference‐in‐differences approach to estimate the relationship between annual PM
2.5
exposure and hospitalizations for MI among US residents and further identified potential susceptible subpopulations. All hospital admissions for MI in 10 US states over the period 2002 to 2016 were obtained from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database. In total, 1 914 684 MI hospital admissions from 8106 zip codes were included in this study. We observed a 1.35% (95% CI, 1.11–1.59) increase in MI hospitalization rate for 1‐μg/m
3
increase in annual PM
2.5
exposure. The estimate was robust to adjustment for surface pressure, relative humidity, and copollutants. In the population exposed to ≤12 μg/m
3
, there was a larger increment of 2.17% (95% CI, 1.79–2.56) in hospitalization rate associated with 1‐μg/m
3
increase in PM
2.5
. Young people (0–34 years of age) and elderly people (≥75 years of age) were the 2 most susceptible age groups. Residents living in more densely populated or poorer areas and individuals with comorbidities were observed to be at a greater risk.

Conclusions

This study indicates long‐term residential exposure to PM
2.5
could increase risk of MI among the general US population, people with comorbidities, and poorer individuals. The association persists below current standards.
Association of PCSK9 Inhibitor Initiation on Statin Adherence and Discontinuation
Authors: LaFratte Christopher , Peasah Samuel K. , Huang Yan , Hall Deanne , Patel Urvashi , Good Chester B.
Published: September 2023

Background

PCSK9is (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors) are well tolerated, potently lower cholesterol, and decrease cardiovascular events when added to statins. However, statin adherence may decrease after PCSK9i initiation and alter clinical outcomes. We evaluate the association of PCSK9i initiation on statin discontinuation and adherence.

Methods and Results

In this retrospective pre‐post difference‐in‐difference analysis, new PCSK9i claims were propensity matched with statin‐alone users (April 2017–September 2019). The primary outcomes were statin adherence (proportion of days covered) and statin discontinuation (absence of statin coverage for at least 60 days) 12 months following PCSK9i initiation. Secondary outcomes included low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels after 1 year. A total of 220 538 statin users and 700 PCSK9i users were identified, from which 178 on PCSK9i were included and matched to 712 on statins alone. At 12 months, mean statin proportion of days covered decreased from 67% to 48% in the PCSK9i group but increased from 68% to 86% in the statin‐alone groups (
P
<0.0001). Statin discontinuation rates increased from 11% to 39% in the PCSK9i group and from 7% to 9% in the statin‐alone group (
P
=0.0041). Patients with low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol <70 mg/dL increased from 5% to 68% with PCSK9i but increased from 16% to 24% with statins alone (
P
<0.0001). Changes in hospitalization rates were similar between both groups during the follow‐up period.

Conclusions

PCSK9i initiation was associated with decreased low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, higher statin discontinuation, and reduced statin adherence.
Zymosan A Improved Doxorubicin‐Induced Ventricular Remodeling by Evoking Heightened Cardiac Inflammatory Responses and Healing in Mice
Authors: Xu Guiwen , Hao Zhujing , Xiao Wei , Tan Ruopeng , Yuan Mengyang , Xia Yunlong , Liu Yang
Published: September 2023

Background

Doxorubicin‐induced myocardial injury is reflected by the presence of vacuolization in both clinical and animal models. The lack of scar tissue to replace the vacuolizated cardiomyocytes indicates that insufficient cardiac inflammation and healing occurred following doxorubicin injection. Whether improved macrophage activity by zymosan A (zymosan) ameliorates doxorubicin‐induced ventricular remodeling in mice is unknown.

Methods and Results

Mice were intravenously injected with vehicle or doxorubicin (5 mg/kg per week, 4 weeks), and cardiac structure and function were assessed by echocardiography. Two distinct macrophage subsets in hearts following doxorubicin injection were measured at different time points by flow cytometry. Moreover, cardiomyocyte vacuolization, capillary density, collagen content, and ventricular tensile strength were assessed. The therapeutic effect of zymosan (3 mg/kg, single injection) on doxorubicin‐induced changes in the aforementioned parameters was determined. At the cellular level, the polarization of monocytes to proinflammatory or reparative macrophages were measured, with or without doxorubicin (0.25 and 0.5 μmol/L). Doxorubicin led to less proinflammatory and reparative macrophage infiltration in the heart in the early phase, with decreased cardiac capillary density and collagen III in the chronic phase. In cell culture, doxorubicin (0.5 μmol/L) repressed macrophage transition toward both proinflammatory and reparative subset. Zymosan enhanced both proinflammatory and reparative macrophage infiltration in doxorubicin‐injected hearts, evoking a heightened acute inflammatory response. Zymosan alleviated doxorubicin‐induced cardiomyocyte vacuolization in the chronic phase, in parallel with enhanced collagen content, capillary density, and ventricular tensile strength.

Conclusions

Zymosan improved cardiac healing and ameliorated doxorubicin‐induced ventricular remodeling and dysfunction by activating macrophages at an optimal time.
Multivariate Emulation of Kilometer-Scale Numerical Weather Predictions with Generative Adversarial Networks: A Proof of Concept
Authors: Brochet Clément , Raynaud Laure , Thome Nicolas , Plu Matthieu , Rambour Clément
Published: September 2023

Emulating numerical weather prediction (NWP) model outputs is important to compute large datasets of weather fields in an efficient way. The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the ability of generative adversarial networks (GANs) to emulate distributions of multivariate outputs (10-m wind and 2-m temperature) of a kilometer-scale NWP model. For that purpose, a residual GAN architecture, regularized with spectral normalization, is trained against a kilometer-scale dataset from the AROME Ensemble Prediction System (AROME-EPS). A wide range of metrics is used for quality assessment, including pixelwise and multiscale Earth-mover distances, spectral analysis, and correlation length scales. The use of wavelet-based scattering coefficients as meaningful metrics is also presented. The GAN generates samples with good distribution recovery and good skill in average spectrum reconstruction. Important local weather patterns are reproduced with a high level of detail, while the joint generation of multivariate samples matches the underlying AROME-EPS distribution. The different metrics introduced describe the GAN’s behavior in a complementary manner, highlighting the need to go beyond spectral analysis in generation quality assessment. An ablation study then shows that removing variables from the generation process is globally beneficial, pointing at the GAN limitations to leverage cross-variable correlations. The role of absolute positional bias in the training process is also characterized, explaining both accelerated learning and quality-diversity trade-off in the multivariate emulation. These results open perspectives about the use of GAN to enrich NWP ensemble approaches, provided that the aforementioned positional bias is properly controlled.
Is the Climate of the Congo basin Becoming Less Able to Support a Tropical Forest Ecosystem?
Authors: Vizy Edward K. , Manoj Harisankar , Cook Kerry H.
Published: September 2023

Ongoing degradation of the Congolese rain forest is documented, but the individual roles of climate change and deforestation are unknown. A modified version of the Centro de Previsao de Tempo e Estudios Climaticos (CPTEC) potential vegetation model (PVM) forced by ERA5 reanalysis data translates decadal climate states (1980–2020) into natural vegetation distributions to identify regions where climate change could have played a role in changing vegetation. These areas are then examined to understand how and why these climate changes could affect the tropical rain forest coverage. Between the 1980s and the 2010s, the climate over the northern and southern Congo basin rain forest margins becomes less able to support the forest. In the north, strong, negative meridional moisture gradients in boreal winter separate warm, dry conditions to the north from the cooler, moist rain forest. By the 2010s greenhouse gas warming deepens the low-level trough in the north, enhancing the inflow of drier subtropical air. A similar drying response occurs over the southern margin during austral winter when the low-level westerly transport of Atlantic moisture decreases in association with warming and reduced low-level heights over the equatorial Congo basin. In the interior, climate conditions also become less favorable along major transportation routes by the 2010s due to human intervention/deforestation. Along coastal Angola, the climate becomes more favorable for tropical forest vegetation when coastal upwelling weakens and SSTs warm in response to changes in the South Atlantic subtropical anticyclone. These results have implications for the future as global warming continues.
Atmospheric Flash Drought in the Caribbean
Authors: Ramseyer Craig A. , Miller Paul W.
Published: September 2023

Despite the intensifying interest in flash drought both within the United States and globally, moist tropical landscapes have largely escaped the attention of the flash drought community. Because these ecozones are acclimatized to receiving regular, near-daily precipitation, they are especially vulnerable to rapid-drying events. This is particularly true within the Caribbean Sea basin where numerous small islands lack the surface and groundwater resources to cope with swiftly developing drought conditions. This study fills the tropical flash drought gap by examining the pervasiveness of flash drought across the pan-Caribbean region using a recently proposed criterion based on the evaporative demand drought index (EDDI). The EDDI identifies 46 instances of widespread flash drought “outbreaks” in which significant fractions of the pan-Caribbean encounter rapid drying over 15 days and then maintain this condition for another 15 days. Moreover, a self-organizing maps (SOM) classification reveals a tendency for flash drought to assume recurring typologies concentrated in one of the Central American, South American, or Greater Antilles coastlines, although a simultaneous, Caribbean-wide drought is never observed within the 40-yr (1981–2020) period examined. Furthermore, three of the six flash drought typologies identified by the SOM initiate most often during Phase 2 of the Madden–Julian oscillation. Collectively, these findings motivate the need to more critically examine the transferability of flash drought definitions into the global tropics, particularly for small water-vulnerable islands where even island-wide flash droughts may only occupy a few pixels in most reanalysis datasets.

Significance Statement

The purpose of this study is to understand if flash drought occurs in tropical environments, specifically the Caribbean. Flash droughts represent a quickly evolving drought, which have particularly acute impacts on agriculture and often catch stakeholders by surprise as conditions evolve rapidly from wet to dry conditions. Our results indicate that flash droughts occur with regular periodicity in the Caribbean. Expansive flash droughts tend to occur in coherent subregional clusters. Future studies will further investigate the drivers of these flash droughts to create early warning systems for flash drought.
Outcomes of Injured Patients Before and After the Institution of a Third-Tier Activation at a Level 1 Trauma Center
Authors: Young Andrew M. , Young Brian R. , Young Steven D. , Brundage Alexander , Koyada Prajeeth , Cramer Christopher , Young Jeffrey S.
Published: September 2023

Background

We hypothesized that the addition of a third-level trauma activation would improve outcomes by formalizing an evaluation process for patients in need of urgent evaluation who did not meet the criteria for full or partial trauma alert activation.

Methods

Admission records for all trauma patients admitted between 2000 and 2021 were obtained. The gamma alert trauma activation was implemented in 2011. A washout period of 6 months was used to account for adjustment to the new protocol. Propensity score matching was performed based on ISS scores, age, injury mechanism, and best-validated comorbidities to create a balanced patient distribution. Patients with missing data were excluded from this study. The association between era and outcomes was determined using logistic and linear regression analyses.

Results

The matched cohort was well balanced (SMD <.1, all balanced covariates) and included 18,572 patients. Patients in the gamma alert era had decreased ED dwell time, hospital length of stay, and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay. Readmission rates and rates of upgrade to ICU status were reduced in the gamma alert era. This era was also associated with lower rates of renal failure, UTI, and pneumonia. There was no significant difference in mortality following implementation of the gamma alert.

Discussion

Implementation of the gamma alert was associated with an improvement in ED dwell times, fewer unplanned admissions to the ICU, decreased readmissions, and a reduction in other in-hospital events. We believe that this reflects improved triage of patients to the ICU and more effective care of trauma patients.
The Urban Origins of Rebellion
Authors: Uzonyi Gary , Koren Ore
Published: September 2023

The emphasis in recent decades on weak state capacity as an explanation of civil war detracts from an important fact: some of the deadliest and most protracted rebellions since WWII arose not where the state was weak, but rather in areas of significant state power. This study challenges the predominance-of-peripheral-conflict paradigm by disentangling rebel formation from civil war onset and emphasizing the urban origins of numerous rebel groups. Quantitative analyses show that three group types—military-, social interest-, and political party-based groups—are far more likely to form in large cities, especially the capital, and far less likely to form in the rural countryside. Case studies then illustrate the constraints and opportunities nascent rebel groups of each type face. This study advances the field’s understanding of a surprisingly large number of violent rebellions that current mainstream approaches and the emphasis on weak states and conflict opportunities cannot effectively explain.
Making Sense? The Sensory-Specific Nature of Virtual Influencer Effectiveness
Authors: Zhou Xinyue , Yan Xiao , Jiang Yuwei
Published: September 2023

The current research examines consumers’ responses to sensory endorsements from virtual influencers. The authors reveal that consumers perceive virtual and human influencers to have similar distal sensory (i.e., visual and auditory) capacities. Consumers, however, perceive virtual influencers as having lower proximal sensory (i.e., haptic, olfactory, and gustatory) capacities. Consequently, when endorsements focus on proximal sensory experiences, consumers have lower purchase intention toward products and services endorsed by a virtual (vs. human) influencer. The findings further reveal that imagery difficulty and perceived sensory capacity serially mediate this effect. Importantly, this effect is mitigated when endorsements focus on distal sensory experiences, when sensory information is not explicitly mentioned, and when consumers are informed of new technology that enables virtual influencers to have proximal sensory experiences. These findings offer actionable insights for marketers to effectively utilize virtual influencers in sensory-driven campaigns, providing practical strategies to improve consumer responses to sensory endorsements and enhance marketing effectiveness.
Physician Resilience and the Little Way
Authors: Jones Jeremy
Published: September 2023

Many triggers for shame that lead to physician burnout occur during patient care or the medical learning environment. Many resilience programs are available to medical students and physicians, yet incorporate non-faith principles. The Little Way as developed by St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus would be a most effective way to incorporate spirituality into our daily duties. This article will explain the need for physician resilience and virtue ethics within our profession. Then, the article will describe the Little Way and apply its principles to healthcare to implement a faith-based approach to physician resilience.
Cycles of Debt and Punishment: A Symposium on Prisons of Debt: The Afterlives of Incarcerated Fathers
Authors: Williams Jason M. , Haney Lynne , McDonald Maretta , Mitchell Michael B.
Published: September 2023

In the contemporary United States, millions of fathers cycle through the criminal justice and child support systems—cycles that create new forms of debt and disadvantage. This symposium discusses those cycles and their effects on fathers and their families. Through comments on Lynne Haney's book, Prisons of Debt: The Afterlives of Incarcerated Fathers, the authors analyze the criminalization of child support and the ways it complicates reentry after prison. They engage Haney's arguments about the causes and consequences of prisons of debt and her empirical material on men's struggles as indebted fathers—or, as Michael Mitchell put it, the book's insistence on “getting proximate to human suffering.”
Incorporating convolutions into transformers for textile fiber identification from fabric images
Authors: Xu Luoli , Li Fenying , Chang Shan
Published: September 2023

Simple, fast and effective fiber identification can help consumers purchase their desired apparel and help the industry conduct large-scale textile testing. This paper presents a transformer architecture incorporating convolutions to recognize fibers in textile surface images, which meets the above requirements. Firstly, a convolution operation is performed on textile images to pick up overlapping patches as tokens and the linear projections in transformer encoders are replaced by depth-wise separable convolutions to extract the fiber representations. Secondly, the multi-head cross-attention module enables each label embedding to be compared with features at each spatial location to locate and pool the corresponding fiber characteristics. Finally, a simplified asymmetric loss is introduced to further purify the extracted fiber features. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed approach provides a significant improvement in fiber identification accuracy over both state-of-the-art multi-label classification frameworks and fiber identification architectures.
Investigation on the thermal insulation and evaporative resistance of outdoor backpacks based on a sweating thermal manikin
Authors: Wang Min , Xue Xiaoyu , Huang Doudou , Wang Zhaoli , Li Jun
Published: September 2023

The thermal insulation and evaporative resistance of backpacks are vital for users’ physical performance and safety. In hot humid weather, users carrying a backpack with high thermal insulation and evaporative resistance may face the risk of heat stress, such as heat stroke. However, few studies have investigated the thermal insulation and evaporative resistance of backpacks. In this study, a sweating thermal manikin was employed to evaluate the thermal insulation and evaporative resistance of backpacks. Four backpack samples with different back panel designs were tested under two load conditions (0 and 5 kg), two wind speeds (0.3 and 1.5 m/s), and two body movement levels (inactive 0 km/h and walking at a 2.5 km/h speed). Test results showed that the back panel designs fundamentally determined the thermal insulation and evaporative resistance. Both the air-permeable design of the back panel’s filling material and the ventilation design of the back panel structure could improve the heat dissipation performance of the backpack. However, the ventilation designs that formed tunnels with openings between the backpacks and the human body showed more efficient heat dissipation. In practical application, the resultant thermal insulation and evaporative resistance were affected by the load condition, wind speed, and body movement. However, backpacks with better ventilation were less affected by external conditions. The findings of this study provide fundamental knowledge to improve the heat dissipation property of outdoor backpacks.
Hot climates in urban South Asia: Negotiating the right to and the politics of shade at the everyday scale in Karachi
Authors: Macktoom Soha , Anwar Nausheen H , Cross Jamie
Published: September 2023

Although the climate has admittedly always been hot and humid in cities like Karachi, increasingly hotter temperatures are exacerbating the impact of heat on informal, precariously employed outdoor workers such as street vendors, guards and rickshaw drivers, who must negotiate their right and access to shade at the everyday scale. Recalling Mike Davis’ radical, political claim that shade is an inalienable human right, this paper proposes that few people working in the outdoor spaces of the South Asian city today understand or experience shade in these terms. Rather shade is something that must be claimed, alongside other rights and entitlements. Moreover, shade alone is insufficient as it cannot reduce the exposure of bodies to harmful ambient radiations and overall thermal discomfort. This paper makes three broad propositions for outlining a theory for the social study of shade in the South Asian city. By paying closer attention to the ways that outdoor workers negotiate shade in Karachi, this paper opens up for analysis a wider spectrum of claims-making activity in changing South Asian urban climates. It places workers’ search for shade in the broader context of shade policing and urban management aimed at creating spatial as well as social order. Finally, this article emphasises key directions and questions for future research.
Devaluing Incarcerated Populations: Deprioritizing Incarcerated Populations for COVID-19 Vaccination
Authors: Merss Kristin , Bowers Barbara J.
Published: September 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for increased attention to measures in place to protect the health of incarcerated populations. Correctional facilities saw massive COVID-19 outbreaks and correctional nurses have been at the forefront of efforts to control COVID-19 in correctional facilities. Before vaccines were widely available, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine developed a framework to guide equitable COVID-19 vaccine allocation. This study assessed the use of the framework by reviewing 15 state COVID-19 vaccination plans to identify how incarcerated populations were prioritized. Thirteen initial plans could be located. Ten of these plans placed incarcerated persons in Phases 1 and 2, while 1 state placed them in Phase 3. However, subsequent versions of the plans revealed that 8 states had deprioritized incarcerated populations by no longer considering them as a unique population. The framework was developed to promote equity, however, incarcerated persons were often dis-included as a high-risk population for vaccine prioritization, prolonging their risk of COVID-19. Engaging in the opportunity to influence both policy and practice, and promote the ethical consideration of incarcerated populations may help to address both the structural (prison) challenges and larger political structures that impacted vaccine availability and ability to provide the best care possible to this high-risk population.
Comparison Between Continuous and Separate Grafts for ALL Reconstruction When Combined With ACL Reconstruction: A Retrospective Cohort Study From the SANTI Study Group
Authors: Ripoll Thomas , Moreira da Silva Andre Giardino , Saoudi Samy , Noguero Antoine , Nicolle Romain , Maris Victor , Helito Camillo , Cavaignac Etienne
Published: September 2023

Background:

While various techniques have been described to augment the anterolateral side of the knee, such as lateral extra-articular tenodesis and anterolateral ligament (ALL) reconstruction (ALLR), it is unclear how they affect clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to compare the results of 2 ALLR techniques for combined anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)/ALL reconstruction.

Hypothesis:

The graft rupture rate, complications, and patient-reported outcomes are similar between a reconstruction technique using a continuous gracilis graft (CG) and single femoral tunnel for ACL/ALL reconstruction, and one using a separate gracilis graft (SG) and independent femoral tunnels.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A retrospective analysis of data collected prospectively at 2 hospitals was conducted: one in which a CG is preferred when performing combined ACL/ALL reconstruction and the other in which an SG is preferred. The medical records at these 2 hospitals were searched to identify ACL-deficient patients who had undergone ACL/ALL reconstruction between 2015 and 2020. Eligible patients were between 18 and 60 years of age, had the reconstruction surgery done within 24 months of the injury, and had ≥2 years of follow-up. The eligible patients were contacted to gather outcomes, or their outcomes were collected in person during their last follow-up visit. Outcomes evaluated included graft rupture rate, complication rate, and Lysholm and International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form (IKDC-SKF) scores. Preoperative and intraoperative data were also evaluated.

Results:

A total of 237 patients were available for analysis in the GC group and 178 in the SG group with a mean follow-up of 3 years (CG: SD, 9.6 months; SG: SD, 8.1 months). The authors found a low rate of graft rupture (CG: 3.4%; SG: 2.8%; P = .785) and no difference between techniques. The complication rate was 6% in the CG group, while it was 10% in the SG group ( P = .112). The mean value of the IKDC-SKF was similar between techniques (CG: 88.1; SG: 87.9; P = .267), and the mean Lysholm score was excellent in both sets of patients (CG: 90.0; SG: 92.4; P < .001).

Conclusion:

This study found little to no difference in the graft rupture rate, complication rate, and functional knee scores when using a CG or SG for ALLR during combined ACL/ALL reconstruction. Both techniques are equivalent and can be used for an anterolateral augmentation procedure in combination with ACL reconstruction.
Food Insecurity and Perceived Effects of COVID-19 on Livelihoods in Rural Sri Lanka
Authors: Singh Nishmeet , Scott Samuel , Kumar Neha , Ramani Gayathri , Marshall Quinn , Sinclair Kate , Kalupahana Saman , Fernando Malika , Silva Renuka , Perera Amila , Jayatissa Renuka , Olney Deanna
Published: September 2023

Background:

Little is known about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected food security and livelihoods in Sri Lanka.

Objective:

This article aims to assess food insecurity, perceived effects of COVID-19, and coping mechanisms among agriculture-based households in rural Sri Lanka.

Methods:

We used 2 rounds of panel data from phone surveys (n = 1057 households) conducted in 5 districts. Food insecurity (30-day recall), perceived impacts of COVID-19 (6-month recall), and coping mechanisms (6-month recall) were assessed using a household questionnaire. To assess food insecurity, we used the 8-item Food Insecurity Experience Scale. We tested for differences between T1 (baseline: December 2020-February 2021) and T2 (follow-up: July 2021-September 2021) and explored the association between food insecurity and the perceived effect of COVID-19 on income using a logistic regression model.

Results:

Food insecurity was highly prevalent (T1: 75%, T2: 80%) but varied across districts. Most respondents were affected by COVID-19 and/or COVID-19-associated mitigation measures (T1: 84%, T2: 89%). Among affected households, commonly reported impacts included those on income (T1: 77%, T2: 76%), food costs (T1: 84%, T2: 83%), and travel (∼90% in both rounds). Agricultural activities were also adversely affected (T1: 64%, T2: 69%). About half of COVID-19-affected households reported selling livestock or assets to meet basic needs. Households whose income was impacted by COVID-19 were more likely to be food insecure (adjusted odds ratio: 2.56, P < .001).

Conclusions:

Households in rural Sri Lanka experienced food insecurity and livelihood disturbances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional surveys are needed to assess recovery post-COVID-19 and to understand if programs that support livelihoods have been protective.
The Provenances and Postscripts of 1989
Authors: Salyga Jokubas
Published: September 2023

The books under review exemplify some of the finest recent work on the historically informed political economy of Central and Eastern Europe. While different in their conceptual frameworks and geographical foci, the titles converge in the advancement of nuanced and convincing arguments, displaying both theoretical acuity and empirical depth to great effect. Bartel, Fabry, and Pula all share a resolute dedication to illuminating the under-explored provenances of neoliberalism and/or globalization in the region, that predate the annus mirabilis of 1989. Their contributions situate the ‘Eastern bloc’ states within the contours of evolving global political economy and the existential crises engulfing capitalism and ‘actually existing socialism’ during the 1970s and beyond. The authors expound on the intricate web of global capital accumulation, geopolitical competition, and skilful diplomatic strategy, which served to dismantle the ‘Iron Curtain’. Two contributions further assess the postscripts of the 1989 revolutions.
Improving Gerontological Survey Participation With Mixed-Mode Response Options, Multiple Contacts, and Noncontingent Incentives
Authors: Laine Abigail J. , Steffen Ann M.
Published: September 2023

Background: Surveys are a prominent tool in gerontological research but are hindered by low response rates. This study examined methods to improve response rate among social workers, an understudied cohort in survey methodology literature. Methods: In this brief report, we analyzed factors that influence response rate using mixed-mode survey design (mail vs. online response) and randomized monetary ($10 gift card) and in-kind (continuing education coupon) noncontingent incentives with three reminder postcards among social workers ( N = 307). Results: Response rate was 34.1% with more surveys returned via mail than online. Participants who received a gift card responded at a higher rate (46.33%) than those who received continuing education coupons (28.0%). The results add to the literature of survey methodology to improve response rates among social workers and support noncontingent gift cards and mixed-mode survey return procedures as best practices for reducing bias and improving the quality of gerontological research.
Coping with Community Violence: Perspectives of African American Young Adult Men and Hispanic/Latino Young Adult Men
Authors: Byrd Kourtney A. D. , Lohrmann David K. , Obeng Cecilia , Agley Jon , Cate Beth , Wong Y. Joel , Nolting Tyler M. , Wright Brittanni
Published: September 2023

Further study is needed regarding the intersection of community violence exposure, coping strategies, and health behaviors among young adult African American men and Hispanic/Latino men. This study did so in Lake County, Indiana, which contains multiple areas with disproportionate prevalence of violence relative to population size. Approximately 22 miles from Chicago, Lake County includes noteworthy mid-sized cities such as Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago. This study explored the perceptions of African American men and Hispanic/Latino men ages 18 to 25 regarding coping strategies and both healthy and health risk behaviors after directly witnessing or indirectly experiencing a violent act or event. We used aspects of social cognitive theory to design this community-based participatory research study. Thirteen males who self-identified as African American, Hispanic/Latino, or both, completed 34- to 80-minute, audio-recorded phone interviews. Audio recordings were transcribed, and NVivo 12 Windows was used by the research team (primary researchers and two coders) to complete transcript analysis. Findings from this study provided insight around African American men and Hispanic/Latino men regarding (a) witnessing violence directly or indirectly experiencing violence; (b) changes in everyday life experiences; (c) coping strategies that involved socio-emotional health, spiritual health, social health, and risky health behaviors; (d) rationales for not asking for help; (e) observations of significant others’ coping; (f) what to do differently in the future; (g) beliefs about mentors; and (h) beliefs about mental health providers. Delving into participants’ experiences revealed that African American men and Hispanic/Latino men in Lake County, Indiana chose to adopt a range of health risk and health positive strategies after directly witnessing or indirectly experiencing violence. Becoming knowledgeable about African American men’s and Hispanic/Latino men’s diverse coping strategies and health behaviors may help inform the community about how best to cocreate spaces that aim to alleviate the traumatic experience of having directly or indirectly experienced community violence.
Viral sites: The oligoptical power of emergency operations centres (EOCs)
Authors: Elbe Stefan
Published: September 2023

Countries all around the world are increasingly coordinating their strategic responses to global health emergencies inside specialized new command centres called emergency operations centres (EOCs). Those bunker-like EOCs are meticulously designed to function as the global health equivalent of war rooms and are rapidly emerging as the internationally preferred sites for ‘making’ global health security in the 21st century. This article advances an in-depth site-ontological investigation into those burgeoning EOC sites. It develops a three-step methodological analytics to reveal the specific economy of prefigurative power that EOCs exude in international relations and names this oligoptical power. The article further shows how this oligoptical power is fundamentally different from the more familiar Foucauldian notion of panoptical power and has very different ramifications as it circulates throughout contemporary international relations. Yet, precisely because the EOC exemplifies this global operation of oligoptical power, the article concludes, it can be considered as one of its international signal institutions – similarly to how the prison was once a critical institutional site for revealing the circulation of disciplinary power, the laboratory for performing the sociological examination of science, and the concentration camp for deepening the analysis of biopower.
The Stresses of Surrogate Decision-Making: Contributing Factors and Clinicians’ Role in Mitigation
Authors: Mishkin Adrienne D. , Allen Nicole C. , Cheung Stephanie G. , Faccini Maria Carla , Flicker Lauren S. , Shalev Daniel
Published: September 2023

Background

Surrogate Decision-Makers (surrogates) are frequently employed in decision-making for critically ill adults. There are insufficient data considering the surrogate experience, stress, and potential for mitigation.

Methods

An anonymous online survey queried (1) medical situation (2) total stress (3) demographics (4) potential factors, including sources of information about patient wishes, external sources of support or competing stressors, and their interactions with the medical team through the experience.

Results

108 respondents were included; 91 completed all items. Most respondents ranked their experience as a surrogate as one of the most stressful experiences of their lives; this was associated with whether it was an end-of-life decision ( P = .003), Respondent Religion ( P = .015), or religious or spiritual beliefs ( P = .024), and having their own health problems (P = .008). On individual Likert responses, surrogates reported significant stress mitigation when they felt they had been helpful ( P < .001), knew the patient’s wishes ( P = .0011), specifically discussed patient wishes ( P < .001), or patient’s wishes were documented ( P < .001). Items about surrogate-team interaction also met significance, including the physician being communicative and available (P < .001), respectful ( P = .007), honest ( P < .001), and validating ( P = .001).

Conclusions

Surrogate stress is an evolving area for research. Significant factors included relationship with the medical team, making this an important area for HPM to play a key role in mitigating surrogate stress.
The Role of Strain by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Predicting the Prognosis of Patients with Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Zhang Xuefei , Guo Xiaojuan , Zhang Bowen , Yang Qi , Gong Juanni , Yang Suqiao , Li Jifeng , Kuang Tuguang , Miao Ran , Yang Yuanhua
Published: September 2023

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is characterized by thrombotic obstruction of the pulmonary arteries, and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is a major cause of death. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the gold standard for assessing heart wall deformation; therefore, we aimed to determine the prognostic value of CMR strain in patients with CTEPH. Strain derived by CMR was measured at the time of diagnosis in 45 patients with CTEPH, and the relationship between RV strain and prognosis was determined through follow-up. The value of RV strain in the prognostic model was compared with that of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) risk stratification. The RV global peak longitudinal strain (GLS) and global peak circumferential strain (GCS) in CTEPH patients were lower than the normal references of RV strain in the control group. GLS and longitudinal strain in the basal segment were independent risk factors for adverse events ( P < .050). Adding CMR parameters to PAH risk stratification improved its predictive power in patients with CTEPH. GLS and GCS scores were impaired in patients with chronic RV overload. RV strain derived by CMR imaging is a promising noninvasive tool for the follow-up of patients with CTEPH.
Analysis of thermal-vibration coupling modeling of combined conical-cylindrical shell under complex boundary conditions
Authors: Zhu Ziyuan , Zhang Yongfeng , Xu Ruikang , Zhao Lei , Wang Gang , Liu Qingsheng
Published: September 2023

In this paper, a unified method is proposed to predict the free and forced vibration behavior of the combined conical-cylindrical shell (CCS) structure in the steady-state thermal environment. The first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and the thermal strain are utilized to establish the energy equation of the combined structure, and the artificial virtual spring technique is introduced to realize the coupling between the substructures and the arbitrary boundary conditions of the CCS. The displacement function of the structure is constructed by the spectral-geometry method, and the vibration equation is solved by using the Rayleigh–Ritz method. The accuracy of the present model is verified by comparing the numerical results with the finite element method. The factors that may affect the vibration behavior of the CCS under thermal environment are analyzed specifically, and the results demonstrate that point constraints on the shell surface can effectively suppress shell vibration. This paper provides a compelling reference for vibration control of CCS in practical applications.
Perceptions of Anticipated Peer Support for Survivors of Sexual Violence Among Students with Minoritized Identities
Authors: O’Connor Julia , Hoxmeier Jill , Cusano Julia , McMahon Sarah
Published: September 2023

Peers’ attitudes toward survivors of sexual violence can impact their willingness to disclose. Students with minoritized identities may perceive and experience their campus environments as less supportive than peers with privileged identities. The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of anticipated peer support for sexual violence survivors, using a cross-sectional study of 2,727 students. Linear regression modeling showed significant associations between students with minoritized identities and lower scores on perceptions of anticipated peer support for survivors. There were also several important interactions between specific overlapping student identities. The findings suggest that students with minoritized identities perceive anticipated peer support less favorably than those with privileged identities.
Determining the Mental Status, Sleep Quality, and Eating Behaviors of University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Şahin Hilal , Çebi Kadir , Yıldırım Arzu , Hacıhasanoğlu Aşılar Rabia
Published: September 2023

BACKGROUND:

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in adverse effects on individuals’ physical and mental health worldwide, with university students also being adversely affected by this process.

OBJECTIVES:

This research aimed to determine the mental condition, sleep quality, and eating behaviors of university students during the COVID-19 process.

METHOD:

This cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,065 university students. Study data were collected with an online questionnaire including a personal information form, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Dutch Eating Behavior Scale.

RESULTS:

Students’ poor sleep quality was determined to be 69.5%. It was also determined that students’ depression and stress levels were moderate that their anxiety levels were low, their eating behaviors were generally problematic, and more than half had poor sleep quality. In addition, eating disorders and poor sleep quality increased as depression, anxiety, and stress levels increased, and eating disorders increased as poor sleep quality increased ( p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS:

The results emphasize the importance of the strengthening of students’ mental health, particularly by improving their sleep quality and eating habits. Evidence-based interventions regarding the effects of the pandemic should be made for students under the leadership of a psychiatric nurse, and effective strategies must be developed accordingly.
Multilingual Implications for Reading Prosody Assessment
Authors: McCarthy Mark D. , Domke Lisa M. , Bian Yue
Published: September 2023

We believe that reading prosody assessment is culturally situated. In this conceptual article, we problematize some of the phrasing used for prosody indicators and explore how three of the most spoken languages in the United States (other than English) enact aspects of prosody when reading. We probe potential linguistic and sociocultural implications and contribute to the discussion of equitable assessment practices in reading education. Using a multilingual and sociocultural lens, we identify elements of prosody in other languages that could impact how prosody in English is produced. We discuss extratextual features that impact prosody and implications for the rubrics used by assessors. We end by providing recommendations for the field related to increasing our understanding of multilingual fluency and promoting multilingual mindsets in fluency classroom assessment.
Analysis of Serum VEGF, IGF-1, and HIF-1α Levels in ADHD
Authors: Ertürk Emre , Işık Ümit , Şirin Fevziye Burcu
Published: September 2023

Objective:

In recent years, it has been emphasized that various growth factors that affect neurogenesis may lead to ADHD. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of VEGF, IGF-1, and HIF-1α growth factors in the etiopathogenesis of ADHD.

Method:

Levels of VEGF, IGF-1, and HIF-1α were compared between 40 ADHD children and 40 healthy children, aged 7 to 13 years.

Result:

VEGF, IGF-1, and HIF-1α levels did not significantly differ between the groups. There was a negative correlation between serum VEGF levels and the parent-rated T-DSM-IV-S (AD) subscale. There was a positive correlation between serum IGF-1 levels and the parent-rated T-DSM-IV-S (AD) subscale, and SDQ (ES) subscale.

Conclusion:

Given our limitations and the fact that some of our findings differ from those of other studies, it is evident that this area requires additional research with larger samples.