bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The relationship between early musical training and executive functions: Validation of effects of the sensitive period
Authors: Chen Jiejia , Scheller Meike , Wu Chuanyu , Hu Biyu , Peng Rong , Liu Cuihong , Liu Siyong , Zhu Liwen , Chen Jie
Published: January 2021

Interest in the influence of musical training on executive functions (EFs) has been growing in recent years. However, the relationship between musical training and EFs remains unclear. By dividing EFs into inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, this study systematically examined its association with musical training in children, and further verified whether there was a sensitive period for the influence of music training on EFs. In Experiment 1, musically trained and untrained children were asked to complete the Go/No-go, Stroop, Continuous Performance, and Switching tasks. Results showed that musically trained children had an advantage in attention inhibition, response inhibition, and working memory, but not in cognitive flexibility. Moreover, the level of musical training was positively correlated with response inhibition and working memory abilities. In Experiment 2, results showed that early-trained musicians performed better on measures of attention inhibition, response inhibition, and working memory than did the age-matched control group, but late-trained musicians only performed better in attention inhibition. Thus, our findings suggest that music training is associated with enhanced EF abilities and provide the first evidence that early childhood is a sensitive period when musical training has a more powerful effect on the development of EFs.
Music performance anxiety and perfectionism in Croatian musicians
Authors: Butković Ana , Vukojević Nikolina , Carević Sara
Published: January 2021

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is part of every musician’s life. Individual differences in MPA have been associated with individual differences in perfectionism, especially maladaptive perfectionism. The aim of this study was to examine MPA and its association with perfectionism in a combined sample of music students studying at the Academy of Music and members of the professional orchestras in Zagreb. Based on the previous studies, we hypothesized that gender, age, and maladaptive perfectionism would predict higher MPA. Data were collected for 239 musicians (152 music students, 87 orchestral musicians, 50.2% female), who filled in Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory–Revised (K-MPAI-R) and Almost Perfect Scale–Revised (APS-R). In our sample, 28% ( n = 67) of musicians had a clinically significant MPA level. In the regression analysis with gender, age, and dimensions of adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism as predictors, 46% of the MPA variance was explained with gender (β = .14, p = .007), age (β = −.22, p < .001), and discrepancy (β = .62, p < .001) as significant predictors. Higher MPA was predicted by being female, a younger musician, and having a higher maladaptive perfectionism. This indicates it would be important to deal with maladaptive perfectionism to effectively manage MPA.
Flow in music performance and music-listening: Differences in intensity, predictors, and the relationship between flow and subjective well-being
Authors: Loepthien Tim , Leipold Bernhard
Published: January 2021

Flow describes a state of total absorption in an activity. This optimal experience has received much attention in research on music-playing and performing, but not on interindividual differences in music-listening. We expect differences in the intensity of flow between performing music and listening to music and in the relationships with subjective well-being. In Study 1 ( N = 207; questionnaire study), we investigated differences in flow between performing and listening to music in three dimensions of flow. We analyzed correlations between flow, previous musical training, music experience, and subjective well-being. Participants reported a more intense flow experience while listening to music than while performing music. Flow was significantly associated with subjective well-being and music experience. For performing music, flow was positively correlated with previous musical practice. Study 2 ( N = 383; questionnaire study) focused on flow while listening to music and subjective well-being, and on the role a flexible self-concept plays in this phenomenon. Stronger relationships between flow and subjective well-being were obtained for individuals with a highly flexible self-concept. Flow was positively correlated with music experience. The results provided evidence for relationships between flow, previous musical practice, and music experience. Correlations with subjective well-being depend on processes of self-regulation.
Politics of Nature: The board game
Authors: Raffn Jakob , Lassen Frederik
Published: January 2021

Here we introduce the board game Politics of Nature, or PoN as it is now known. Inspired by the work of Bruno Latour, PoN offers an alternative take on co-existence by implementing a flat political ontology in a gamified meeting protocol. PoN does not suggest that humans have no special abilities, only that humans at the outset, are bestowed with no more rights than other kinds of beings. Designed to enable people of all walks of life to playfully unpack and resolve controversies, PoN provides a space where beings can have their existence renegotiated. The aim of PoN is to play as a team to explore and decide on potential good common worlds in which more indispensable beings can exist than if the status quo is continued. By playing PoN iteratively through rounds, each having four stages, the players gradually construct PoN - a planet mirroring ‘real worlds’. The four stages provide a novel combination of identification, representation, meditation, prioritization, mapping, individual and group ideation, proposal formulation, and decision-making; only to ask the players to challenge and change PoN to fit their requirements after each round. What follows is taken directly from the manual.
Introduction to the Special Series: The Evidence for Universal Social Emotional Intervention Effectiveness From Randomized Control Trials for Students With or at Risk for Disabilities
Authors: Stormont Melissa , Reinke Wendy M.
Published: January 2021

This article is an introduction to the special issue on universal social emotional interventions and students with or at risk for disabilities. A series of studies across development demonstrate that students with or at risk for disabilities benefit from universal intervention while they are in general education classrooms. A conceptual framework in which universal interventions are considered vital and that other more intensive interventions are construed as being enveloped within universal supports is presented. Articles in this issue contribute significantly to a greater understanding of the importance of universal social emotional interventions for all students, including those with or at risk for disabilities.
Combined Upper Blepharoplasty With Upper Eyelid Filler Injection
Authors: Ray Taban Mehryar
Published: January 2021

To describe our experience with treating upper eyelid aging with combined upper blepharoplasty and upper eyelid hyaluronic acid gel filler injection. Retrospective analysis of patients with upper eyelid aging (including skin laxity/excess and fat deflation) undergoing combined upper blepharoplasty and upper eyelid hyaluronic acid gel filler injection by one surgeon. Minimum follow-up time was 3 months. Preoperative and postoperative photographs at longest follow-up visit were evaluated by blind observers. Patient satisfaction was recorded using questionnaire and phone call. A total of 40 patients (34 females, 6 males) underwent combined upper blepharoplasty with upper eyelid hyaluronic acid gel filler injection. Mean age was 43 years old (range: 26-75). All patients reported satisfaction with the surgical outcome, with no complications. 6 patients received additional touch-up filler injection postoperatively. One patient underwent additional skin removal. Upper blepharoplasty and upper eyelid hyaluronic acid gel filler injection can be safely and effectively combined together to treat upper eyelid aging for more youthful results.
Enabling and empowering women in leadership in South African universities – Assessing needs and designing a response
Authors: Seale Oliver , Fish Patrick , Schreiber Birgit
Published: January 2021

Gender equity and women’s access to senior leadership and management positions in universities are a major challenge not only in South Africa but on the African continent, too. For women to take up senior leadership roles more potently, it is essential that they not only cope with and compete in patriarchal systems but more so, are equipped to change patriarchal hegemony and shift the management discourse and culture to a pluralistic leadership culture where transformational leadership becomes the norm and praxis. This paper examines a needs analysis for leadership and professional development competencies of women in senior leadership positions in South African higher education and presents the discussion on these findings, based on the data collected from 74 participants. The conclusion reveals the participants’ enthusiasm for personal leadership development as well as their readiness for impacting their leadership contexts. These findings, in turn, shape the content development of the Women in Leadership programme, designed by Higher Education Leadership and Management under the auspices of Universities South Africa.
Violence, coercion, and settler colonialism
Authors: Pardini Chelsea A. , Espinola-Arredondo Ana
Published: January 2021

Previous game-theoretic analyses of the settlement of the United States assume that Indigenous peoples and settler colonizers either engaged in free exchange or total war for land. We reframe the model to consider that violence, including coercion, was present in most of their interactions; that is, we allow for the settler colonizer to engage in coercion to strategically lower their appropriation costs for Indigenous peoples’ lands. We find that the settler strategically uses violence to pay less in exchanges for Indigenous peoples’ lands. In addition, we examine how uncertainty, about whether an agreement can ensure the avoidance of all-out conflict, affects initial violence and resistance. We find that the likelihood of all-out conflict affects settler violence and it critically depends on whether the Indigenous people can seek compensation.
Acting like a start-up: National Library of Estonia during Covid-19 pandemic
Authors: Andresoo Janne
Published: January 2021

Emergency situation was declared in Estonia in the middle of March; the country was placed under partial lockdown. Libraries had to close. One of the first steps taken by the National Library of Estonia in these exceptional circumstances was to establish a crisis management committee to monitor the overall situation and decide how the library should proceed. The library was able to react quickly and continue with basic services, providing them online or contact-free. New services were introduced, making home lending and reference enquiry more efficient and convenient. The library reopened on 18 May. Looking back, we are happy to have not just survived but managed the crisis as an opportunity. This was reflected in increased numbers of new registered readers and usage. The emergency situation clearly indicated one of the most important requirements for libraries – the need to be ready to react fast and adapt to new situations.
Intravenous lipid emulsion as an adjuvant therapy of acute clozapine poisoning
Authors: Elgazzar Fatma M , Elgohary Mona S , Basiouny Sara M , Lashin Heba I
Published: January 2021

Introduction:

Clozapine is a frequently prescribed atypical antipsychotic drug. Various case reports documented the successful recovery of acute antipsychotics toxicity in association with the administration of intralipid emulsion (ILE).

Aim:

This study aimed to assess the adjuvant therapeutic role of SMOF Lipid administration on the outcomes of acute clozapine poisoning.

Methods:

Forty patients with acute clozapine poisoning were randomly allocated into two equal groups. The control group received the standard supportive treatment only, whereas the intervention group received the standard supportive treatment plus SMOF Lipid 20% infusion. All patients were subjected to history taking, full clinical examination, and laboratory investigations. The study outcomes were evaluated.

Results:

The mean Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at 6 hours (13.1 ± 2.3 vs 9.2 ± 2, p < 0.001) and 12 hours (14.3 ± 1.5 vs 9.6 ± 2, p < 0.001) after admission was significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group. The intervention group showed a significantly lower frequency of prolonged QTc interval 12 hours after admission (p = 0.003), as well as a significantly shorter hospital stay (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

SMOF Lipid infusion seemed to have improved GCS, the prolonged QTc interval, and shortened the length of hospital stay. Furthermore, there were no adverse effects related to its administration.
“It’s not lupus”. A placental site trophoblastic tumor presenting as a lupus-like paraneoplastic syndrome. A grand round case
Authors: van der Lely Sarah J , Boorsma Jeffrey , Hilhorst Marc , Kers Jesper , Roelofs Joris , Jakulj Lily , van Onna Marieke
Published: January 2021

Introduction: Placental site trophoblastic tumor (PSTT) is a rare subtype of gestational trophoblastic disease. Association of PSTT and nephrotic syndrome is exceedingly rare and has been described in 8 cases thus far. In all cases hysterectomy was performed within months after onset of symptoms, leading to immediate remission of nephrotic syndrome, except for one patient who died of complications of PSTT. Case: We describe the history of a woman in which PSTT was discovered years after onset of nephrotic syndrome. Kidney biopsy revealed lupus-like mesangiocapillary nephritis and over time the patient developed additional symptoms mimicking systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Discussion: We provide an overview of the literature on this clinical entity and elaborate on its pathophysiology. In addition, we reflect on the phenomenon of anchoring bias, that led physicians to assume the patient had SLE without questioning this diagnosis in the light of the unexplained finding of increased tumor markers.
Illness identity on social media: a qualitative content analysis of #bpd
Authors: Chan Alyssa
Published: January 2021

Objective:

To explore the themes related to self and illness representations in a public online community.

Method:

This project utilised an inductive process of data analysis with a phenomenological approach. Two hundred images from the social media image-sharing platform Instagram were described, coded and organised into themes.

Results:

Five themes were identified: the fragmented and obscured self; trepidation and disappointment about the threatening and persecutory world; an existence built of illness and symptoms; finding comfort in the natural and built environment; and sharing hope and positive experiences of growth.

Conclusions:

#bpd encompassed a variety of content types, with a wide spectrum of emotional tones expressed through photographs, written communication and artwork.
Chillin’ Effects of Fake News: Changes in Practices Related to Accountability and Transparency in American Newsrooms Under the Influence of Misinformation and Accusations Against the News Media
Authors: Vu Hong Tien , Saldaña Magdalena
Published: January 2021

This study examines how newsroom work in the United States has changed in response to some of the latest developments in the news media environment. Using nationally representative survey data, we explore what professional routines American journalists have adopted to avoid spreading or being accused of publishing misinformation. Findings suggest that journalists have added new or intensified practices to increase accountability and transparency. In addition, role conceptions, perception of fake news, and responsibility for social media audiences impact the adoption of such practices. Journalists are more likely to embrace transparency than accountability, suggesting the emergence of new journalistic norms in today’s newsrooms.
Traumatic joint luxations in cats: Reduce, repair, replace, remove
Authors: Meeson Richard L , Strickland Rhiannon
Published: January 2021

Practical relevance:

Traumatic joint luxations are usually associated with significant trauma and there may be concomitant systemic injury. Joints are unstable as a result of injury to one or more supporting structures and the clinician should aim to determine which structures are damaged with physical examination, diagnostic imaging and careful assessment under sedation/anaesthesia. The aim is to reduce the joint back to its anatomical position, and then to maintain this through repair of damaged structures. However, where this is not possible, replacement or removal (arthrodesis/excision arthroplasty) of the joint remain viable options.

Clinical challenges:

Owing to the small size of feline joints and the severity of damage often seen, surgical management of these cases can be challenging. The first priority is to ensure the patient is systemically well before embarking on any specific surgical treatment of a luxated joint. Cats also present challenges in the postoperative period and a lack of patient and owner compliance can be detrimental to postoperative outcomes.

Aims:

This article aims to help the reader diagnose joint luxations and to assist decision-making with an overview of the management and treatment options available.

Evidence base:

There are a number of original articles and textbook chapters in the literature covering aspects of different joint luxations, particularly for the more common luxations. This article draws on information from key feline research and, where necessary, extrapolates from relevant canine research. The authors also offer practical guidance based on their own clinical experience.
Accelerated Epigenetic Age in Normal Cognitive Aging of Korean Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Authors: Park Jongmin , Won Chang Won , Saligan Leorey N. , Kim Youn-Jung , Kim Yoonju , Lukkahatai Nada
Published: January 2021

Background:

Epigenetic age acceleration has been studied as a promising biomarker of age-related conditions, including cognitive aging. This pilot study aims to explore potential cognitive aging-related biomarkers by investigating the relationship of epigenetic age acceleration and cognitive function and by examining the epigenetic age acceleration differences between successful cognitive aging (SCA) and normal cognitive aging (NCA) among Korean community-dwelling older adults (CDOAs).

Methods:

We used data and blood samples of Korean CDOAs from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. The participants were classified into two groups, SCA (above the 50th percentile in all domains of cognitive function) and NCA. The genome-wide DNA methylation profiling array using Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip was used to calculate the following: the DNA methylation age, universal epigenetic age acceleration, intrinsic epigenetic age acceleration (IEAA), and extrinsic epigenetic age acceleration (EEAA). We also used Pearson correlation analysis and independent t-tests to analyze the data.

Results:

Universal age acceleration correlated with the Frontal Assessment Battery test results ( r = −0.42, p = 0.025); the EEAA correlated with the Word List Recognition test results ( r = −0.41, p = 0.027). There was a significant difference between SCA and NCA groups in IEAA ( p = 0.041, Cohen’s d = 0.82) and EEAA ( p = 0.042, Cohen’s d = 0.78).

Conclusions:

Epigenetic age acceleration can be used as a biomarker for early detection of cognitive decline in Korean community-dwelling older adults. Large longitudinal studies are warranted.
Displacement-based determination of BRBs in retrofitting an RC frame building
Authors: Wang Yumei
Published: January 2021

An RC frame school building was designed with lower fortification requirements than required. It collapsed in the 2008 Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake. This study evaluated the building’s deficiency and practiced a retrofit design based on traditional demand-capacity method but with a displacement-based (DB) procedure, in which target capacities were obtained from the equivalent single-degree-of-freedom (ESDOF) systems defined by target mode shapes of the MDOF system, and shear demands were assessed using an R- μ- T relationship to match different capacity levels. To make the DB procedure code-conforming, the retrofitting elements (BRBs) were simplified as bi-linear elements, with the two-phase parameters corresponding to the code’s two-stage requirements. Shear distribution to the MDOF building was also determined by displacement shapes. BRBs’ stiffness demands and sizes were from the difference of the required and available shear resistances. The effectiveness of the method was validated by time history analyses. Different earthquake level simulations showed that, the method realized the design goals but did not lead to over-retrofitting; the BRBs took most of the shear demand but would not induce other unexpected failures. So the method was suitable for retrofitting similar structures.
Aerodynamic characteristics of trains on a viaduct with non-uniform cross-section under crosswinds by wind tunnel tests
Authors: Yu Kehui , He Xuhui , Cai Chenzhi , Yan Lei , Zou Yunfeng
Published: January 2021

This paper focuses on the aerodynamic characteristics of trains on a non-uniform double-track railway bridge under crosswinds through a scaled 1:40 sectional model wind tunnel test. Pressure measurements of five cross-sections of two types of trains, one with round roof and one with blunt roof, at the upstream and downstream tracks of the bridge were conducted under crosswinds with wind attack angles between −12° and 12°. The mean wind speed and turbulence intensity profiles around the windward surface of the train in the downwind and upward directions were also measured using cobra probe to obtain the boundary layer above the bridge surface. The results show that the shapes of train and bridge, as well as the wind attack angle, affect the aerodynamic characteristic of the train on the non-uniform bridge girder. The mean and fluctuating pressure coefficients are similar for all five cross-sections of the trains while the train is at the upstream track. However, when the train is at the downstream track, the extreme mean and fluctuating pressure coefficients around the windward and top surfaces of each cross-section on the train are different. At the downstream track, the mean wind speed profile and the turbulence intensity profile around the top of the train vary dramatically due to the separation flow caused by the leading edge of the bridge girder.
A phenomenological study of the learning experience of children in rural tourism destinations
Authors: Sojasi Qeidari Hamdollah , Shayan Hamid , Solimani Zahra , Ghorooneh Davood
Published: January 2021

Increasing the level of awareness and knowledge of children is one of the families’ main goals and concerns. Informal learning through communication, experience, and objective observation during tourism can be one of the appropriate methods in this field. Particularly tourism in rural environments is a new, tangible, empirical, and observational experience. In this study, using a phenomenological approach, the learning experiences of 22 children in rural tourism destinations in the vicinity of the metropolis of Mashhad, Iran were interpreted through interviews and paintings. The descriptive phenomenological approach is a good qualitative method for studying children’s tourism experiences. Also, analysis of paintings and interviews conducted with children studied in rural tourism destinations showed that the experience of tourism outside the city, viewing life and activity in villages, observing other tourists, and playing in nature, led to the formation and increase of children’s learning. It is about taking responsibility, self-confidence, socialization, respect nature, tolerance, and patience, fostering creativity, and self-protection. The findings show that travel and tourism have a significant impact on increasing children’s environmental and social learning and can be an appropriate guide for parents of children and schools related to raising children in the use of tourism in rural areas as a way of environmental, experimental and observational learning. Thus, informal learning through tourism is a good way to develop children’s awareness and various skills such as familiarity with rural lifestyles, occupations and animals and plants, touching objects, the true size of phenomena, understanding environmental realities, communicating with others.
Tourists’ private social dining experiences
Authors: Lin Pearl MC , Michael Ok Chihyung , Ching Au Wai
Published: January 2021

While private social dining has emerged as a new activity in the sharing economy, associated research is limited. This study aims to conceptualize tourists’ private social dining experiences by incorporating the concept of the experience economy with the sharing economy. Thematic analysis of 29 interviews unveiled a hierarchical framework, beginning with a personalized experience and leading to sensory experience before ending with emotional experience in private social dining settings. Seven identified emotional experiential domains were then situated within a four-quadrant framework to address how private social dining can enrich the four original experiential domains of the experience economy (i.e. entertainment, education, esthetic, and escapism) to trigger tourists’ emotional pleasure. These results lay a theoretical foundation for future studies and provide practical implications for the development of food tourism.
Revisit to progressively Type-II censored competing risks data from Lomax distributions
Authors: Hua Rui , Gui Wenhao
Published: January 2021

In survival analysis, more than one factor typically contributes to individual failure. In addition, censoring is inevitable in lifespan tests or reliability studies due to external causes or experimental purposes. In this article, the competing risks model is considered and investigated under progressively Type-II censoring where data is from Lomax distributions. Assumptions are further made that these competitive factors are independently distributed, and the latent lifetimes of these factors follow Lomax distributions where both scale parameters and shape parameters are different. For all unknown parameters, maximum likelihood estimates have been attained by Newton-Raphson (NR) method as well as expectation maximization (EM) method, and then the approximate confidence intervals are acquired, in addition to bootstrap confidence intervals. Furthermore, under square error and LINEX loss functions, Bayes estimates and corresponding highest posterior density credible intervals are successively constructed. Finally, simulation experiments are implemented to access performance of several proposed methods in this article, and laboratory dataset is presented and analyzed for illustrative purposes.
Survival With Respect to Morphology in Pulmonary Atresia and Intact Ventricular Septum in Sweden
Authors: Manhem Stina , Hanséus Katarina , Berggren Håkan , Ekman-Joelsson Britt-Marie
Published: January 2021

Background:

Patients born with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum represent a challenge to pediatric cardiologists. Our objective was to study changes in survival with respect to morphology in all children born with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum in Sweden during 36 years.

Methods:

A retrospective, descriptive study based on medical reports and echocardiographic examinations consisting of those born between 1980 and 1998 (early group) and those born between 1999 and 2016 (late group).

Results:

The cohort consists of 171 patients (early group, n = 86 and late group, n = 85) yielding an incidence of 4.35 and 4.46 per 100,000 live births, respectively. One-year survival in the early group was 76% compared to 92% in the late group ( P = .0004). For patients with membranous atresia, one-year survival increased from 78% to 98%, and for muscular pulmonary atresia, from 68% to 85%. In patients with muscular pulmonary atresia and ventriculocoronary arterial communications, there was no significant increase in survival. Risk factors for death were being born in the early time period hazard ratio (HR), 6; 95% CI (2.33-14.28) P = .0002, low birth weight HR, 1.26; 95% CI (1.14-1.4) P < .0001 and having muscular pulmonary atresia HR, 3.74; 95% CI (1.71-8.19) P = .0010.

Conclusion:

The incidence of pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum remained unchanged during the study period. Survival has improved, especially for patients with membranous pulmonary atresia, while being born with muscular pulmonary atresia is still a risk factor for death. To further improve survival, greater focus on patients with muscular pulmonary atresia and ventriculocoronary arterial communications is required.
Mid-Term Outcomes After Unifocalization Guided by Intraoperative Pulmonary Flow Study
Authors: Goodman Ariana , Ma Michael , Zhang Yulin , Ryan Kathleen R. , Jahadi Ozzie , Wise-Faberowski Lisa , Hanley Frank L. , McElhinney Doff B.
Published: January 2021

Background:

Repair of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) with major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs) requires unifocalization of pulmonary circulation, intracardiac repair with the closure of the ventricular septal defect, and placement of a right ventricle (RV) to pulmonary artery (PA) conduit. The decision to perform complete repair is sometimes aided by an intraoperative flow study to estimate the total resistance of the reconstructed pulmonary circulation.

Methods:

We reviewed patients who underwent unifocalization and PA reconstruction for TOF/MAPCAs to evaluate acute and mid-term outcomes after repair with and without flow studies and to characterize the relationship between PA pressure during the flow study and postrepair RV pressure.

Results:

Among 579 patients who underwent unifocalization and PA reconstruction for TOF/MAPCAs, 99 (17%) had an intraoperative flow study during one (n = 91) or more (n = 8) operations to determine the suitability for a complete repair. There was a reasonably good correlation between mean PA pressure at 3 L/min/m2 during the flow study and postrepair RV pressure and RV:aortic pressure ratio. Acute and mid-term outcomes (median: 3.8 years) after complete repair in the flow study patients (n = 78) did not differ significantly from those in whom the flow study was not performed (n = 444). Furthermore, prior failed flow study was not associated with differences in outcome after subsequent intracardiac repair.

Conclusions:

The intraoperative flow study remains a useful adjunct for determining the suitability for complete repair in a subset of patients undergoing surgery for TOF/MAPCAs, as it is reasonably accurate for estimating postoperative PA pressure and serves as a reliable guide for the feasibility of single-stage complete repair.
Respiratory Compromise After Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery: Incidence, Subsequent Complications, and Independent Predictors
Authors: Boddapati Venkat , Lee Nathan J. , Mathew Justin , Held Michael B. , Peterson Joel R. , Vulapalli Meghana M. , Lombardi Joseph M. , Dyrszka Marc D. , Sardar Zeeshan M. , Lehman Ronald A. , Riew K. Daniel
Published: January 2021

Study design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Objective:

Respiratory compromise (RC) is a rare but catastrophic complication of anterior cervical spine surgery (ACSS) commonly due to compressive fluid collections or generalized soft tissue swelling in the cervical spine. Established risk factors include operative duration, size of surgical exposure, myelopathy, among others. The purpose of this current study is to identify the incidence and clinical course of patients who develop RC, and identify independent predictors of RC in patients undergoing ACSS for cervical spondylosis.

Methods:

A large, prospectively-collected registry was used to identify patients undergoing ACSS for spondylosis. Patients with posterior cervical procedures were excluded. Baseline patient characteristics were compared using bivariate analysis, and multivariate analysis was employed to compare postoperative complications and identify independent predictors of RC.

Results:

298 of 52,270 patients developed RC (incidence 0.57%). Patients who developed RC had high rates of 30-day mortality (11.7%) and morbidity (75.8%), with unplanned reoperation and pneumonia the most common. The most common reason for reoperations were hematoma evacuation and tracheostomy. Independent patient-specific factors predictive of RC included increasing patient age, male gender, comorbidities such as chronic cardiac and respiratory disease, preoperative myelopathy, prolonged operative duration, and 2-level ACCFs.

Conclusion:

This is among the largest cohorts of patients to develop RC after ACSS identified to-date and validates a range of independent predictors, many previously only described in case reports. These results are useful for taking preventive measures, identifying high risk patients for preoperative risk stratification, and for surgical co-management discussions with the anesthesiology team.
The SNAP Trial: 2-Year Results of a Double-Blind Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial of a Silicon Nitride Versus a PEEK Cage in Patients After Lumbar Fusion Surgery
Authors: Kersten R. F. M. R. , Öner F. C. , Arts M. P. , Mitroiu M. , Roes K. C. B. , de Gast A. , van Gaalen S. M.
Published: January 2021

Study Design:

Randomized controlled trial.

Objectives:

Lumbar interbody fusion with cages is performed to provide vertebral stability, restore alignment, and maintain disc and foraminal height. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is commonly used. Silicon nitride (Si3N4) is an alternative material with good osteointegrative properties. This study was designed to assess if Si3N4 cages perform similar to PEEK.

Methods:

A non-inferiority double-blind multicenter RCT was designed. Patients presenting with chronic low-back pain with or without leg pain were included. Single- or double-level instrumented transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) using an oblique PEEK or Si3N4 cage was performed. The primary outcome was the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ). The non-inferiority margin for the RMDQ was 2.6 points on a scale of 24. Secondary outcomes included the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (ODI), Visual Analogue Scales (VAS), SF-36 Physical Function, patient and surgeon Likert scores, radiographic evaluations for subsidence, segmental motion, and fusion. Follow-up was planned at 3, 6, 12, and 24-months.

Results:

Ninety-two patients were randomized ( i.e. 48 to PEEK and 44 to Si3N4). Both groups showed good clinical improvements on the RMDQ scores of up to 5-8 points during follow-up. No statistically significant differences were observed in clinical and radiographic outcomes. Mean operative time and blood loss were statistically significantly higher for the Si3N4 cohort. Although not statistically significant, there was a higher incidence of complications and revisions associated with the Si3N4 cage.

Conclusions:

There was insufficient evidence to conclude that Si3N4 was non-inferior to PEEK.
Preparing Care Leavers With Short- and Long-Term Interventions to Face Challenges of the Pandemic of COVID-19 in Asia
Authors: Jindal Purnima K. , Suryawanshi Manoj Kumar , Kumar Rajeev
Published: January 2021

COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented human and health crisis and has been affecting lives in many forms. What seemed to be a health crisis eventually became a major ongoing global economic crisis. Sector-wide disruptions are threatening both short- and long-term livelihoods and well-being of millions of youth around the globe, especially youth from vulnerable communities. Business closures threatened the operations and soundness of the enterprises resulting in layoffs and wage losses, affecting a major chunk of youth including the young care leavers of alternative care programmes in Asia. This called for customised interventions and support for such young care leavers. Immediate actions were needed for managing their mental health, for maintaining education continuity and for reskilling of such young care leavers to prepare them to cope with the pandemic. This article is based on the learning and experiences of SOS Children’s Villages responses to supporting nearly 1,500 care leavers in various Asian countries. SOS Children’s Villages is committed to ensuring quality care and protection of children and youth through its various alternative care programmes in 15 countries in Asia region. SOS Children’s villages responded to COVID-19 pandemic by supporting youth and care leavers in SOS family-like care. Primarily, these countries reported that the school closures mandated to combat the spread of the virus affected the education and learning of all the children and youth in their care. All projects in Asia started reaching out to the care leavers and started extending a wide range of support to them with both short- and long-term interventions. This article covers SOS Children’s Villages youth programmes, especially from 11 countries of Asia region—Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
Experimental Investigation and Optimization Design of Multi-Support Pipeline System
Authors: Zhang Xiantao , Liu Wei , Zhang Yamei , Zhao Yujie
Published: January 2021

The design of aircraft hydraulic pipeline system is limited by many factors, such as the integrity of aviation structure or narrow installation space, so the limited clamp support position should be considered. This paper studied the frequency adjustment and dynamic responses reduction of the multi-support pipeline system through experiment and numerical simulation. To avoid the resonance of pipeline system, we proposed two different optimization programs, one was to avoid aero-engine working range, and another was to avoid aircraft hydraulic pump pulsation range. An optimization method was introduced in this paper to obtain the optimal clamp position. The experiments were introduced to validate the optimization results, and the theoretical optimization results can agree well with the test. With regard to avoiding the aero-engine vibration frequency, the test results revealed that the first natural frequency was far from the aero-engine vibration frequency. And the dynamic frequency sweep results showed that no resonance occurred on the pipeline in the engine vibration frequency range after optimization. Additionally, with regard to avoiding the pump vibration frequency, the test results revealed that natural frequencies have been adjusted and far from the pump vibration frequency. And the dynamic frequency sweep results showed that pipeline under optimal clamp position cannot lead to resonance. The sensitivity analysis results revealed the changing relationships between different clamp position and natural frequency. This study can provide helpful guidance on the analysis and design of practical aircraft pipeline.
Utilization of Chinese fast-growing trees and the effect of alternating lamination using mixed-species eucalyptus and poplar veneers
Authors: Murata Koji , Nakano Mao , Miyazaki Kaoru , Yamada Norihiko , Yokoo Yoshihiro , Yokoo Kuniharu , Umemura Kenji , Nakamura Masashi
Published: January 2021

Over the past few decades, the sustainable forest area in China has increased remarkably, with 2400 million cubic meters of eucalyptus produced in 2018 in Guangxi which is the largest plantation area in China. In this study, the effect of alternating lamination using soft poplar veneers and hard eucalyptus veneers, on the mechanical properties of laminated veneer lumber (LVL), was examined. Eucalyptus and poplar veneers were imported from China to Japan to manufacture the LVL. For both eucalyptus and poplar veneers, the pith side (innerwood) sheets were lighter in density than the bark side (outerwood) sheets. The specific Young’s modulus of alternating LVL with hard eucalyptus veneers and soft poplar veneers was smaller than that of the mono-species LVL of eucalyptus and poplar. Strain distributions were obtained with the compression test by using the digital image correlation method. Normal strains showed that the hard eucalyptus layer behaved as a thin plate, whereas the soft poplar layer mitigated the movement of the hard eucalyptus layer. Alternating lamination decreased the variation in the elastic modulus of LVL made from fast-growing species. Therefore, the soft layers mitigated the movement of the hard layers, which had large variations in mechanical properties.
Improvements in pain, medication use and quality of life in onabotulinumtoxinA-resistant chronic migraine patients following erenumab treatment – real world outcomes
Authors: Talbot J. , Stuckey R. , Crawford L. , Weatherby S. , Mullin S.
Published: January 2021

Background

The CGRP antagonists offer a novel therapeutic approach in migraine. Their utility in patients with severe forms of chronic migraine is a subject of particular interest. We present outcomes of 9 months of erenumab treatment in a cohort of patients with difficult-to-control chronic migraine, all of whom had prior unsatisfactory response to onabotulinumtoxinA.

Methods

We offered erenumab to 98 patients with a prior unsatisfactory response to onabotulinumtoxinA. Eighty of 98 had trialled greater occipital nerve injections (82%), 32/98 peripheral neurostimulation (33%) and 18/98 intravenous dihydroergotamine (18%). Thirty eight of 98 (39%) met the definition of triptan overuse and 43/98 (44%) analgesic overuse. All patients met the EHF criteria for ‘resistant migraine’. Outcome measures (recorded monthly) included days with headache limiting activities of daily living (“red”), not limiting (“amber”), headache free (“green”), and requiring triptans or other analgesics. Quality of life scores - headache impact test 6 (HIT-6), patient health questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and pain disability index (PDI) - were also measured.

Results

Mean number of red days improved by − 6.4 days (SE 0.67, 95%CI − 7.7 to − 5.1, p=0.001) at 3 months; − 6.8 days (SE 0.96, 95%CI − 8.80 to − 4.9, p=0.001) at 6 months and − 6.5 days (SE 0.86, 95%CI − 8.3 to − 4.8, p=0.001) at 9 months. Repeated measures ANOVA confirmed improvements in the number of red (p=0.001), green (p=0.001), triptan (p=0.001) and painkiller days (p=0.001) as well as scores of the HIT-6 (p=0.001), PHQ-9 (p=0.001), and PDI (p=0.001) across the duration of study.

Conclusion

We observed improvements in pain, medication use and quality of life in onabotulinumtoxinA-resistant chronic migraine patients following erenumab treatment.
OsNBL1, a Multi-Organelle Localized Protein, Plays Essential Roles in Rice Senescence, Disease Resistance, and Salt Tolerance
Authors: Zhao Xiaosheng , Zhang Tianbo , Feng Huijing , Qiu Tiancheng , Li Zichao , Yang Jun , Peng You-Liang , Zhao Wensheng
Published: January 2021

Background

Plant senescence is a complicated process involving multiple regulations, such as temperature, light, reactive oxygen species (ROS), endogenous hormone levels, and diseases. Although many such genes have been characterized to understand the process of leaf senescence, there still remain many unknowns, and many more genes need to be characterized.

Results

We identified a rice mutant nbl1 with a premature leaf senescence phenotype. The causative gene, OsNBL1, encodes a small protein with 94 amino acids, which is conserved in monocot, as well as dicot plants. Disruption of OsNBL1 resulted in accelerated dark-induced leaf senescence, accompanied by a reduction in chlorophyll content and up-regulation of several senescence-associated genes. Notably, the nbl1 mutant was more susceptible to rice blast and bacterial blight but more tolerant to sodium chloride. Several salt-induced genes, including HAK1, HAK5, and three SNAC genes, were also up-regulated in the nbl1 mutant. Additionally, the nbl1 mutant was more sensitive to salicylic acid. Plants overexpressing OsNBL1 showed delayed dark-induced senescence, consistent with a higher chlorophyll content compared to wild-type plants. However, the overexpression plants were indistinguishable from the wild-types for resistance to the rice blast disease. OsNBL1 is a multi-organelle localized protein and interacts with OsClpP6, which is associated with senescence.

Conclusions

We described a novel leaf senescence mutant nbl1 in rice. It is showed that OsNBL1, a multi-organelle localized protein which interacts with a plastidic caseinolytic protease OsClpP6, is essential for controlling leaf senescence, disease resistance, and salt tolerance.
Conservative management of chylous leak after open radical nephrectomy in an adult patient: a case report and literature review
Authors: Alrabadi Adel , Ihmeidan Mohammad , Al Demour Saddam
Published: January 2021

Background

Chylous ascites is rare but still a recognized complication of retroperitoneal surgeries caused mostly by inadvertent trauma to lymphatic channels. In this article, we present a case report and literature review of adult patient, with malignant tumor of upper urinary tract, who developed chylous leak after open nephrectomy.

Case presentation

We present a case of chylous leak for a 67-year-old female patient, presented to urology clinic with complaining of left loin pain and gross hematuria, found to have upper urinary tract tumor, she underwent open radical nephrectomy with lymph nodes dissection, and postoperatively she had chylous leak that is treated conservatively using octreotide and spironolactone without the need for total parenteral nutrition.

Conclusion

Conservative management should always be the first choice of management of chylous leak and chylous ascites. Careful anatomical identification and securing of the periaortic lymphatics are needed to decrease the risk of postoperative chylous leak and ascites.