bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of cover crops for reducing Heterodera glycines populations in microplot experiments
Authors: Neupane Kamal , Yan Guiping , Plaisance Addison
Published: September 2022

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines) is a major yield-reducing pathogen of soybean worldwide. Microplot experiments were conducted to evaluate ten cover crops for their effects on two SCN populations (SCN103 and SCN2W) collected from North Dakota, USA, soybean fields in 2019 and 2020. Experiments were conducted in a randomised complete block design using naturally infested field soil. A susceptible soybean ‘Barnes’ and non-planted natural soil (fallow) were used as controls. Plants were grown in outdoor conditions for 75 days before soil samples were collected. SCN eggs and juveniles were extracted from the soil samples to determine final population, population reduction and suppression. Soybean had significantly greater final population densities than all the cover crops and fallow. All cover crops and fallow reduced the initial densities of both SCN populations. All the cover crops, except chickling vetch ‘Pulse’, had lower final population densities than fallow and suppressed the SCN populations throughout the experiments. Sunnhemp (cultivar not stated; CNS), oilseed radish ‘Concorde’ and ‘Control’, and daikon radish ‘Eco-Till’ significantly reduced the SCN103 population compared to fallow. Sunnhemp, alfalfa ‘Bullseye’, and daikon radish had significant population reductions of SCN2W than fallow. Sunnhemp was found to have the greatest reductions in SCN populations ranging from 55 to 86% compared to the initial densities. This study demonstrated cover crop species/cultivars with the ability to reduce SCN populations in outdoor conditions, and the findings indicate that they could be utilised in infested fields to manage SCN.
Deep Data Example: Zbiva, Early Medieval Data Set for the Eastern Alps
Authors: Štular Benjamin , Belak Mateja
Published: September 2022

Zbiva is an open access online research data base for the archaeology of the Eastern Alps in the Early Middle Ages. The data base is the product of four decades of thoughtful digital curation and is continually evolving at the data record level. As such, it is best described by the concept of Deep Data. The authors deposited a subset of the Zbiva data base in a persistent open access repository, Zenodo. This was necessary to ensure stable reference, facilitate the reproducibility of the results, and promote data reuse in their ongoing publication efforts. The deposited data cover the period from 500 to 1000 ce and are spatially restricted to present-day Slovenia, southern Austria, and a small part of north-eastern Italy. The data set is particularly suitable for archaeological gis analyses.
Islam and Christianity in 19/20th Century South Asian Debates
Authors: Kamil Maqsood P.
Published: September 2022

Islam and Christianity share much in common but also much that is different. The evidence of interactions between them go right back to the origins of Islam in the seventh century. In early Muslim traditions, Jesus was largely presented as an ascetic, whereas their prophet Muhammad was presented as a political and military ruler; Christianity as a quietist faith and Islam as conquering faith-polity. These early traditions possibly informed the rather oppositional South Asian debates of the nineteenth century. We know that the Muslim conceptions of Jesus have been changing over time. To what extent has the image of Muhammad among Christians changed over time is also a relevant question. Muhammad and Christ were unquestionably often the focal points of the Christian Muslim debates in the nineteenth and the early twentieth century South Asia. Preliminary enquiry of sources suggest that Christians largely looked at Christ and Muhammad as fundamentally opposing characters belonging to different domains; their Muslim counterparts attempted to argue that Muhammad and Christ had much in common and, that Muhammad was in fact the very fulfilment of Christ’s own prophecy. This paper digs both into Muslim (religious doctors) and Christian (missionaries/converts) sources: i. to bring to light a new context of debates (South Asia) on Christ and Muhammad; ii. To examine how Jesus and Muhammad were portrayed in these debates and; iii. To what extent, this South Asian evidence on how Jesus and Muhammad are seen aligns with what we know from writings about them from the Middle Eastern context?
Petalidium mannheimerae (Acanthaceae), a new species from Namibia and South Africa, with notes on the taxonomic identity of P. parvifolium
Authors: SWANEPOEL WESSEL , NANYENI LEEVI , VAN WYK ABRAHAM E.
Published: September 2022

Petalidium mannheimerae, here described as a new species, is only known from the Gariep Centre of Plant Endemism in southern Namibia and northwestern South Africa. Apparently first collected in 1961, it grows on arid hillsides and in drainage lines. Diagnostic morphological characters for P. mannheimerae include the rigid, cylindrical distal stems, grey-brown or yellow-brown bark, puberulent vegetative parts with sparsely scattered but robust glandular and eglandular trichomes, and the solitary white flowers with the unexpanded part of the corolla tube shorter than the expanded part. A comparison of some of the more prominent features to differentiate Petalidium mannheimerae from its morphologically most similar relatives is provided. Based on IUCN Red List categories and criteria, a conservation assessment of Vulnerable VU D1 is recommended for the new species. Herbarium specimens of P. mannheimerae have long been misidentified as P. parvifolium, a rarely collected species from east-central Namibia and west-central Botswana. Lectotypes are designated for three taxa, namely P. parvifolium, P. parvifolium var. angustifolium (a synonym of P. linifolium), and P. wilmaniae (a synonym of P. parvifolium).
Cymbella biseriata sp. nov.—a unique living species of Cymbella Agardh (Bacillariophyceae) with biseriate striae
Authors: VIDESKA ANASTASIJA , ZAOVA DUŠICA , NAUMOVSKA HRISTINA , KOCHOSKA HRISTINA , MITIC-KOPANJA DANIJELA , LEVKOV ZLATKO
Published: September 2022

Alpine ponds are known biodiversity hot-spots and refugia for many rare and endangered species. They are also considered to be vulnerable habitats in terms of acidification, eutrophication, modification and climatic changes. Recently, a detailed study of diatoms in these habitats in North Macedonia has been started to evaluate their status and threats. During these studies, specimens of a species of Cymbella that lacked apical pore fields and had a small valve size were recorded. Scanning electron microscope observations revealed biseriate striae composed of small, slit-like to tilde-like areolae, a character so far not observed in any living representatives of the genus Cymbella. Herein, these specimens are assigned to the new species Cymbella biseriata sp. nov. based on detailed observations with light and scanning electron microscope. Comparison with similar taxa from the C. helvetica species complex and fossil species with biseriate striae is provided.
Madagascaromyces cannae sp. nov. (Mycosphaerellaceae) on Canna indica (Cannaceae) from Guangdong, China
Authors: CHEN JINGWEN , MANAWASINGHE ISHARA S. , LIN JIEYING , LIN YANHONG , WANASINGHE DHANUSHKA N. , ZHANG YUNXIA
Published: September 2022

Microfungi associated with Cannaceae are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Even though many fungal taxa have been reported from Cannaceae hosts, Mycospharellaceae on Canna indica are less studied. In this study, a saprobic Mycosphaerellaceae species was isolated on C. indica, from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China. To identify the species, morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of LSU, ITS and rpb2 were employed. Based on multi-gene phylogenetic analyses and morphological comparisons, we introduce our collection as a new species, Madagascaromyces cannae. The novel species is characterized by the septate, pale brown conidiophores, pale brown, terminal and lateral conidiogenous cells and pale brown, clavate, guttulate conidia with 0–6 septa. In addition, a detailed comparison of morphological characters of Madagascaromyces species is provided. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a Madagascaromyces species associated with C. indica in China. Our collection will be an addition to the knowledge of fungi associated with Cannaceae.
Kalanchoe ×robertsonii [K. longiflora × K. rotundifolia] (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae), a new, small-growing nothospecies from South Africa
Authors: SMITH GIDEON F.
Published: September 2022

A new nothospecies, Kalanchoe ×robertsonii (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) is described from South Africa. The parents of the nothospecies are K. longiflora and K. rotundifolia, both of which are included in K. subg. Kalanchoe. At maturity, K. ×robertsonii has narrowly oblong to obovate leaves that are in outline closer to those of K. rotundifolia, and small but dense-flowered inflorescences that also more closely resemble those of K. rotundifolia. Overall, plants of K. ×robertsonii, including its leaves, are glaucous to very light green, a colour scheme shared with both its parents. However, especially under conditions of environmental stress, for example high solar irradiation loads, a limited water supply, and low temperatures, the leaves of K. ×robertsonii take on an orange hue, mainly towards the margin, as found in K. longiflora. The flowers of K. ×robertsonii have a more robust corolla tube than in the case of K. rotundifolia, but less so when compared to K. longiflora. The ovate to very slightly elliptic corolla lobes of K. ×robertsonii are bicoloured—bright light orange distally, strongly yellow-infused proximally—and larger than those of K. rotundifolia. Kalanchoe ×robertsonii has considerable architectural appeal, for example as a groundcover, and is hardy in mild-climate regions with limited and unpredictable rainfall.
A Path Toward Short-Term Probabilistic Flash Flood Prediction
Authors: Martinaitis Steven M. , Wilson Katie A. , Yussouf Nusrat , Gourley Jonathan J. , Vergara Humberto , Meyer Tiffany C. , Heinselman Pamela L. , Gerard Alan , Berry Kodi L. , Vergara Andres , Monroe Justin
Published: September 2022

There are ongoing efforts to move beyond the current paradigm of using deterministic products driven by observation-only data to make binary warning decisions. Recent works have focused on severe thunderstorm hazards, such as hail, lightning, and tornadoes. This study discusses one of the first steps toward having probabilistic information combined with convective-scale short-term precipitation forecasts available for the prediction and warning of flash flooding. Participants in the Hydrometeorology Testbed–MRMS Hydrology (HMT-Hydro) experiment evaluated several probabilistic-based hydrologic model output from the probabilistic Flooded Locations and Simulated Hydrographs (PRO-FLASH) system during experimental real-time warning operations. Evaluation of flash flood warning performance combined with product surveys highlighted how forecasters perceived biases within the probabilistic information and how the different probabilistic approaches influenced warnings that were verified versus those that were unverified. The incorporation of the Warn-on-Forecast System (WoFS) ensemble precipitation forecasts into the PRO-FLASH product generation provided an opportunity to evaluate the first coupling of subhourly convective-scale ensemble precipitation forecasts with probabilistic hydrologic modeling at the flash flood warning time scale through archived case simulations. The addition of WoFS precipitation forecasts resulted in an increase in warning lead time, including four events with ≥29 min of additional lead time but with increased probabilities of false alarms. Additional feedback from participants provided insights into the application of WoFS forecasts into warning decisions, including how flash flood expectations and confidence evolved for verified flash flood events and how forecast probabilistic products can positively influence the communications of the potential for flash flooding.
Using a Synoptic-Scale Mixing Diagnostic to Explain Global Precipitation Variability from Weekly to Interannual Time Scales
Authors: Perez Gabriel M. P. , Vidale Pier Luigi , Dacre Helen , García-Franco Jorge L.
Published: September 2022

Precipitation often happens along organized filaments or bands of moisture such as convergence zones. Recent regional studies have shown that these moisture filaments arise from synoptic-scale mixing features known as attracting Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs). In this study, we present a climatology of synoptic-scale mixing and investigate its covariability with precipitation on temporal scales ranging from weekly to interannual. We characterize mixing with the finite-time Lyapunov exponent (FTLE), a measure of parcel deformation, in ERA5 data between 1980 and 2009. Attracting LCSs are identified as ridges of the FTLE. At the interannual time scale, we compare El Niño and La Niña events and find that composites of precipitation and mixing anomalies share similar spatial patterns. We also compare summer and winter seasons and find that composites of seasonal-mean precipitation and mixing anomalies present similar characteristics, with precipitation being particularly intense (weak) where mixing is strong (weak). In particular, these patterns closely match the typical signatures of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and monsoon systems and the migrations of extratropical cyclone tracks. At the subseasonal scale, we employ daily composites to investigate the influence of the Madden–Julian oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation on the mixing regimes of the Atlantic and east Pacific; our results indicate that these oscillations control the synoptic-scale horizontal mixing and the occurrence of LCSs as to suppress or enhance precipitating systems like the ITCZ and the South Atlantic convergence zone. The results presented in this first climatology of synoptic-scale mixing and LCSs indicate that these are powerful diagnostics to identify circulation mechanisms underlying precipitation variability.
Changing the Microstructural and Chemical Properties of Graphene Oxide Through a Chemical Route
Authors: Protopapa Maria Lucia , Burresi Emiliano , Plamisano Martino , Pesce Emanuela , Latterini Loredana , Taurisano Nicola , Quaglia Giulia , Mazzaro Raffaello , Morandi Vittorio
Published: September 2022

The aim of this work is to investigate the possibility of engineering desired molecular sp2 structures in graphene oxide, via controlled oxidation of graphite powder, in order to achieve tunable chemical and microstructural properties useful for optoelectronics or sensing applications. Specifically, GO powder is obtained by a modified Hummers method, by using different concentrations of potassium permanganate (KMnO4) in order to change the number of oxygen functionalities in the graphitic structure. Then, a successive alkaline treatment is performed by increasing the KOH concentration. The alkaline treatment induces a noticeable variation of the GO microstructural and chemical properties, which is accompanied by a strong enhancement of photoluminecence. PL and PLE measurements reveal that the configuration of electronic energy states changes as a function of the KMnO4 and KOH concentration, by introducing further electronic n levels available for n→π* transitions. In particular, the number of sp2 small domains embedded among oxygen–sp3 domains, increases under the KOH treatment, due to the addition of OH groups. Most of these sp2 domains are lifted-off from GO and thrown away in the surnatant giving it high blue photoluminescence excited at λexc ∼ 319 nm. The employ of combined spectroscopy techniques allows a deep investigation of the microstructural and chemical changes induced by chemical treatments, opening the way to the fine tuning of GO functional properties.
Remembering against sentimentality: Partition’s literary shadows in the work of Najm Hosain Syed
Authors: Murphy Anne
Published: September 2022

Although Punjabi is written in two different scripts in India and Pakistan, there are striking parallels between the literary work in Punjabi produced on both sides of the India and Pakistan border that divides Punjab. Modern Punjabi literary works on both sides of the border express a generally progressive ( pragatīvādī, taraqqi pasand) set of political and social commitments; this is in keeping with the broader history of modern vernacular literary production in South Asia (Gopal, 2005). This essay explores further dimensions of the parallel literary commitments on both sides of the border, read against the legacy of the Partition, though a close reading of the works of Najm Hosain Syed (b. 1936), a leading writer in the Punjabi language advocacy movement in Pakistan. This exploration seeks to analyze the ways the Partition is configured in Syed’s work, and how he works to bring the past into the present — and the present into the past — against a kind of sentimental nostalgia that disengages from the political present.
Evaluations of Funerals and Health Trajectories in the Second Year After Bereavement—The Ongoing Japan National Survey
Authors: Becker Carl B. , Taniyama Yozo , Sasaki Noriko , Kondo-Arita Megumi , Yamada Shinya , Yamamoto Kayoko
Published: September 2022

Our nationwide postal survey analyzing 190 responses from Japanese bereaved who had responded a year earlier found that funeral dissatisfaction rose during the second year after the funeral. Controverting previous research advocating participation in funeral planning, elderly bereaved spouses forced to decide about and/or pay for the funeral showed elevated grief as much as 2 years later. While not reaching levels diagnosed as prolonged, traumatic, or complicated grief, nevertheless one out of three of our bereaved sample showed continuing daily symptoms of grief from 14 to 24 months after their bereavement, with continued or increasing use of tranquillizers or antidepressants. The medical and pharmaceutical costs incurred by mourners more than a year after bereavement warrant further research into what factors improve or exacerbate the health of grieving bereaved, not limited to a single year after the bereavement.
The Correctional Services Canada Institutional Mother Child Program: A Look at the Numbers
Authors: Paynter Martha , Martin-Misener Ruth , Iftene Adelina , Murphy Gail Tomblin
Published: September 2022

Women are the fastest growing population in federal prison in Canada. Women's incarceration has significant implications for families, as approximately two-thirds have children who face intergenerational trauma, risk of criminalization, and health concerns. The Correctional Services Canada Mother Child Program allows children up to age six to live with their incarcerated mothers. Publicly available information about outcomes associated with the program is scarce, including the number of participants. Using data from 2000–2020 acquired through an Access to Information and Privacy request, this article presents descriptive statistics about the program. Findings indicate the program is underused, and associated outcomes are under-researched.
Effects of ventilation design on thermal comfort performance and breast displacement for sports bras
Authors: Liu Xiaofang , Ji Xiaofen , Ocran Francisca Margarita , Zhou Qi
Published: September 2022

Most of the research on the thermal comfort of sports bras has focused on fabric differences, whereas the effect of ventilation has yet to be investigated. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ventilation design on the thermal comfort performance and breast displacement. Based on the physiological nature of breast movement and airflow in exercising women, four sports bras with different necklines and ventilation holes were designed. The thermal comfort performance and the reduction of breast displacement of these four bras were compared. Nine healthy women exercised in random order with four sports bras, and then performed a 20-min short duration high-intensity exercise and rest to recover under thermoneutral conditions. Skin temperature and humidity, body core temperature, the reduction of breast displacement and thermal psychological subjective sensations were investigated during the whole experiment. The results indicated that deepening and widening the neckline could effectively increase the airflow pumped in from the neckline, while the ventilation holes could effectively direct the airflow from the neckline to the middle and bottom area of the breasts, significantly reducing the skin temperature, skin humidity and body core temperature ( P < 0.05). In addition, widening the neckline would significantly reduce the reduction of breast displacement, whereas deepening would not. A slightly but not significant increase of the psychological subjective sensation during exercise was observed. These results provide novel information that appropriate application of ventilation design in sports bras could effectively improve the thermal comfort performance without reducing the function of support to benefit exercising women.
Camel whey protein with enhanced antioxidative and antimicrobial properties upon simulated gastro-intestinal digestion
Authors: Kamal Hina , Jafar Sabika , Mudgil Priti , Hamdi Marwa , Ayoub Mohammed Akli , Maqsood Sajid
Published: September 2022

Background: Whey proteins and their peptide derivatives have attracted a great attention of researchers in the pharmaceutical and nutritional fields, due to their numerous bio-functionalities. Aim: In the present research study, enzymatic protein hydrolysates (CWPHs) from camel whey proteins (CWPs) were produced and investigated for their antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials. Methods: Herein, Pepsin (gastric), and Trypsin and Chymotrypsin (pancreatic) enzymes were used to produce CWPHs. The obtained hydrolysates were characterize to ascertain the level of protein degradation and studies on their antimicrobial and antioxidant potential were conducted. Results: Among all CWPHs, a complete degradation of all different protein bands was perceived with Chymotrypsin-derived CWPHs, whereas, light bands of serum albumin and α-lactalbumin were observed with Trypsin and Pepsin-derived CWPHs. After enzymatic degradation, both CWPHs antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were improved. Chymotrypsin-derived CWPHs demonstrated higher DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities, anent the increase in proteolysis time. Compared to unhydrolyzed CWPs, higher metal chelating activities were displayed by Trypsin-derived CWPHs. No significant increase in the FRAP activities was noticed after CWPs hydrolysis using Trypsin and Chymotrypsin, while Pepsin-derived CWPHs showed higher reducing power. In terms of antimicrobial activity, significantly higher bacterial growth inhibition rates were exhibited by CWPHs compared to the unhydrolyzed CWP. Conclusion: Overall, CWPHs displayed enhanced antioxidative and antimicrobial properties.
Association of food habit with the COVID-19 severity and hospitalization: A cross-sectional study among the recovered individuals in Bangladesh
Authors: Ganguli Sumon , Howlader Sabbir , Dey Kamol , Barua Suman , Islam Md. Nazrul , Begum Afroza , Sobahan Md. Abdus , Chakraborty Rivu Raj , Hawlader Mohammad Delwer Hossain , Biswas Paritosh Kumar
Published: September 2022

Background: It was assumed that dietary habits might influence the status of COVID-19 patients. Aim: We aimed at the identification of association of dietary habits with the COVID-19 severity and hospitalization. Methods: It was a retrospective cross-sectional study (n = 1025). We used bivariate and multivariate analyses to correlate the association between self-reported dietary patterns and COVID-19 severity and hospitalization. Results: Dietary habits (black tea, milked tea, pickles, black caraway seeds, honey, fish, fruits, vegetables, garlic, onion and turmeric) were identified with lower risk of COVID-19 severity and hospitalization. Interestingly, the consumption frequency (one-, two- or three-times/day) of rice - the staple food in Bangladesh - was not associated with COVID-19 severity and hospitalization for comorbid patients. In contrast, a moderate rice-eating habit (two times/day) was strongly associated with the lower risk of severity and hospitalization for non-comorbid patients. However, for both comorbid and non-comorbid patients, consumption of black tea, milked tea, pickles and honey were associated with a lower likelihood of severity and hospitalization. Overall, a high consumption (three-times/day) of fish, fruits and vegetables, a moderate consumption of garlic, onion and turmeric spices and a daily intake of black/milked tea, and honey were associated with reduced risk of COVID-19 severity and hospitalization. Conclusions: To reduce the severity of COVID-19, a habitual practice of intaking black tea, milked tea, black caraway seeds and honey along with dietary habit (rice, fish and vegetables) and with a moderate consumption of ginger, garlic, onion, mixed aromatic spices (cinnamon + cardamom + cloves) and turmeric might be suggested.
Book review: M.K. Raghavendra, Philosophical Issues in Indian Cinema: Approximate Terms and Concepts
Authors: Sanyal Devapriya
Published: September 2022

M.K. Raghavendra, Philosophical Issues in Indian Cinema: Approximate Terms and Concepts (New Delhi: Routledge, 2020), 182 pp.
Social Media Filters and Resonances: Democracy and the Contemporary Public Sphere
Authors: Rosa Hartmut
Published: September 2022

Democratic conceptions of politics are tacitly or explicitly predicated upon a functioning arena for the formation of public opinion in an associated media-space. Policy-making thus requires a reliable connection to processes of ‘public’ will formation. These processes formed the focus for Habermas’s influential study on the public sphere. This contribution presents a look at more recent ‘structural transformation’, the causes of which are by no means limited to social media communication, and examines its consequences. It proceeds in three steps: 1) in some proximity to Habermas, but also by means of the theory of resonance, it seeks to determine the kind of public sphere that a democratic polity requires; 2) an analysis of problems within the contemporary public sphere will feed into 3) a discussion of the conditions for the restoration of a ‘functioning political public sphere’. These include changes in the realms of participation, representation and spaces of encounter.
Reflections and Hypotheses on a Further Structural Transformation of the Political Public Sphere
Authors: Habermas Jürgen
Published: September 2022

This article contains reflections on the further structural transformation of the public sphere, building on the author’s widely-discussed social-historical study, The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, which originally appeared in German in 1962 (English translation 1989). The first three sections contain preliminary theoretical reflections on the relationship between normative and empirical theory, the deliberative understanding of democracy, and the demanding preconditions of the stability of democratic societies under conditions of capitalism. The fourth section turns to the implications of digitalisation for the account of the role of the media in the public sphere developed in the original work, specifically to how it is leading to the expansion and fragmentation of the public sphere and is turning all participants into potential authors. The following section presents empirical data from German studies which shows that the rapid expansion of digital media is leading to a marked diminution of the role of the classical print media. The article concludes with observations on the threats that these developments pose for the traditional role of the public sphere in discursive opinion and will formation in democracies.
Perspectives: Revisited – 2022-3
Authors: Kirkwood Hal
Published: September 2022

A summary of selected articles from Sage publications covering smart cities development and business information literacy research.
Increased Endotoxin Activity in COVID-19 Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Dela Cruz Philip T.H. , Davison Danielle , Yamane David P. , Chu Everett , Seneff Michael
Published: September 2022

Objective

Endotoxin is a component of Gram-negative bacteria and can be measured in blood using the endotoxin activity assay (EAA). Endotoxin exposure initiates an inflammatory cascade that may contribute to organ dysfunction. Endotoxemia has been reported in previous viral pandemics and we investigated the extent of endotoxemia and its relationship to outcomes in critically ill patients with COVID-19.

Materials and Methods

We conducted a Prospective Cohort Study of 96 critically-ill COVID-19 patients admitted to the George Washington University Hospital ICU from 25 Mar-6 Jun 2020. EAA and inflammatory markers (ferritin, d dimer, IL-6, CRP) were measured on ICU admission and at the discretion of the clinical team. Clinical outcomes (mortality, LOS, need for renal replacement therapy (RRT), intubation) were measured. Statistical analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and effect estimates with 95% confidence intervals. Comparisons were made using chi-square tests for categorical variables, and T-tests for continuous variables.

Results

A majority of patients (68.8%) had high EAA [≥ 0.60], levels seen in septic shock. Only 3 patients had positive bacterial cultures. EAA levels did not correlate with mortality, higher levels were associated with greater organ failure (cardiovascular, renal) and longer ICU LOS. Among 14 patients receiving RRT for severe AKI, one had EAA < 0.6 (p = 0.043). EAA levels did not directly correlate with other inflammatory markers.

Conclusions

High levels of endotoxin activity were found in a majority of critically-ill COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU and were associated with greater risk for cardiovascular and renal failure. Further investigation is needed to determine if endotoxin reducing strategies are useful in treating severe COVID-19 infection.
Comparing Factors Associated With Intimate Partner Violence Among Rural and Urban Women in Northern Uganda
Authors: Richmond Robyn Lesley , Lee Wei Hao , Lin Sophia , Obol James Henry , Akera Peter , Menezes Gail , Hyslop Fran , Awor Agnes , Sevenska Mike Shabiti , Ojara Phillip , Melik Amanzuru Geofrey , Oceng Daniel , Acaye Lucy , Ayero Phiona , Ayeerwot Ruth , Dandgaval Rutuja , Bence Emma , Black Eleanor , Clarke Susan , Fry Helen , Worth Heather
Published: September 2022

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important public health issue with negative effects at individual and societal levels. In northern Uganda, IPV prevalence is high but literature on it is limited. Northern Uganda has a long history of socio-economic and political upheavals, which are recognized risk factors for IPV. We compare IPV prevalence among rural and urban women in northern Uganda. This was a cross-sectional survey of 856 northern Ugandan women, 409 women living in rural areas, and 447 women working in an urban marketplace. Data were analyzed using logistic regression. High rates of emotional, physical, and sexual IPV were found. Almost four of five participants had experienced at least one type of IPV during their lifetime, and approximately half of the participants had experienced IPV in the 12 months prior to the survey. Many women stated that IPV was justified in certain situations. Younger age was a significant determinant of IPV in both cohorts (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.93–0.97]). Determinants of IPV among the rural cohort included male partner’s alcohol abuse (aOR 2.22, CI [1.34–3.73]); having been in a physical fight with another man (aOR 1.90, 95% CI [1.12–3.23]); and controlling behaviors (aOR 1.21, CI [1.08–1.36]). Possible protective factors in the urban cohort included markers of economic empowerment such as being the decision maker on large household items (59.2% vs. 44.6%, p = .002) and having a mobile phone (20.4% vs. 12.4%, p = .024). Our study shows that IPV is a significant issue in northern Uganda. Economic empowerment is associated with lower rates of IPV in urban women, and interventions to reduce gender wealth inequality may reduce IPV prevalence. Further studies on enablers of IPV and the effect of conflict on IPV prevalence are needed to inform future interventions.
Health Inequalities: Law & the Pain of Others
Authors: Thomson Michael
Published: September 2022

Health inequalities are a social injustice experienced globally. State action to address this has generally been insufficient, with inequities persisting, or - as in the case of the UK - worsening. This article contends that social epigenetics has a role in generating more robust state responses and makes two related arguments. First, it is argued that an epigenetic explanation of avoidable health inequalities has the potential to provoke change because it works within the gene paradigm. Second, epigenetics provides an opportunity to challenge a different paradigm, that of the liberal legal subject. This fictive figure has long impoverished understandings of harm and responsibility; including in the context of health inequalities. Martha Fineman’s model of the vulnerable subject is engaged as an alternative to this figure. The original and expansive articulation of the epigenetic landscape - an idea now significantly narrowed – is articulated as a space for an interdisciplinary exploration of the role of epigenetics in securing a state more responsive to inequalities.
Pasteurization of Salmonella spp. in black fungus (Auricularia auricula) powder by radio frequency heating
Authors: Geng Zheng , Ye Pengfei , Zhou Liangfu , Fu Hongfei , Chen Xiangwei , Wang Yequn , Wang Yunyang
Published: September 2022

Radio frequency (RF) heating has been studied to inactivate bacteria in some powder foods. In this study, a 6 kW, 27.12 MHz RF system was used to pasteurize Salmonella in black fungus (Auricularia auricula) powder. The effects of different conditions (initial aw, electrodes gaps, particle sizes) on RF heating rate and uniformity were investigated. The results showed that RF heating rate was significantly ( p < 0.05) improved with decreasing electrodes gap and increasing initial aw, and the heating rate was the slowest when the particle size was 120–160 mesh. However, these factors had no significant ( p > 0.05) influence on heating uniformity. RF pasteurization of Salmonella in black fungus powder was also studied. The results showed that, to inactivate Salmonella for 5 log reductions in the cold spot (the center of surface layer), the time needed and bacteria heat resistance at designated temperature (65, 75, 85 °C) decreased with increasing aw, and the first order kinetics and Weibull model could be used to fit inactivation curves of Salmonella with well goodness. Quality analysis results showed that although RF pasteurization had no significant ( p > 0.05) effect on Auricularia auricula polysaccharide (AAP) and total polyphenols, obvious changes were found on color. Results suggested that RF pasteurization can be considered as an effective pasteurization method for black fungus powder.
Co-producing a social workable matter: Topics and collaborating in social work encounters
Authors: Canty Justin
Published: September 2022

A common task in encounters with professionals is to identify a matter warranting professional assistance. Co-producing a ‘social workable’ matter in social work encounters as an interactional achievement is yet to be explored. Specifying this as an institutional and interactional project creates the opportunity to analyse how topics are collaboratively used in social work encounters to achieve a joint understanding of the work for the session. Such projects offer insights into the social actions involved in identifying matters that are relevant to the service, setting and professional encounter. Conversation analysis (CA) of real-world social work sessions offers a way to understand how social workers and clients produce, elaborate and pursue topics as a collaborative achievement. This detailed analytic approach illuminates how social workable matters are co-produced in interaction and creates an opportunity to examine and improve collaboration in interpersonal practice contexts.
A weak case for solitary confinement: Categorisation, collegiality and accountability arrangements in a special residential home
Authors: Osvaldsson Cromdal Karin , Cromdal Jakob
Published: September 2022

This article is a single case analysis of trouble talk taking place between teachers and care workers at a Swedish special residential home for boys and young men (aged 12–20). The topic of the talk is a potentially unwarranted solitary detention of a student. Using sequential- and Membership Categorisation analyses, we examine the participants’ methods for talking about the event as institutionally problematic while avoiding to blame the teacher responsible for the disciplinary action. Specifically, we demonstrate how the grounds for the confinement were initially disputed by the care workers and how an extended negotiation with the teachers eventually lead to a jointly acceptable account of the event. This involved recasting the event as a real-life experience that should afford the student important opportunities for socialisation into the social and institutional orders which inform daily life at the residential home. More generally, the analysis demonstrates how presumed knowledge of social and institutional structures and practices is mobilised and negotiated – through ‘categorial ordering work’ (Hester & Eglin, 1997) – in the service of coming to terms with the complex accountability arrangements of the special residential home.
Workforce Trends of Underrepresented Minority Nurses in the United States Over the Last Decade: Progress Towards Equal Representation?
Authors: Hynson Edward , Bloomer Jason , Samson Zoe , Price Kiersten , Tran Daniel , Muench Ulrike
Published: September 2022

A healthcare workforce representative of the race/ethnicity composition of the population it serves is central to addressing systemic health inequities. The aim of this study was to assess workforce trends of underrepresented minority (URM) nurses using the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses years 2008 and 2018 and the American Community Survey years 2010 and 2019. We examined changes over time in URM composition (Black/African American (B/AA), Latine, American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI)) for registered nurses (RN), nurse practitioners (NPs), educational attainment (diploma/associate, BSN, MS(N)/PhD), job type (patient care, research, administration/supervision, teaching, other), and rural/urban location using descriptive statistics and bivariate regressions. While the proportion of the URM RN workforce grew significantly, the only URM group demonstrating proportional gains in the APRN workforce were Latine nurses. URM representation in educational attainment grew across all degree types. By 2018/2019, Latine nurses have their largest representation in the Dipl./ASN degree group and saw a proportional decline for PhD educated nurses. B/AA nurses have their largest representation at the MS(N)/PhD level. However, smaller proportions of B/AA nurses were working as APRNs compared to their non-URM colleagues. At the PhD level, few B/AA nurses were represented in research and teaching positions. A subgroup analysis of unemployed nurses seeking work revealed that B/AA and AI/AN nurses were overrepresented among unemployed nurses. While today's nursing workforce is more representative of the nation than ever before, results show unequal representation of URM and non-URM nurses across the ranks of the nursing professions that suggest unequal career and labor market opportunities.
Systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the autogenous vein bypass versus a prosthetic graft for above-the-knee femoropopliteal bypass surgery in patients with intermittent claudication
Authors: Vossen RJ , Fokkema TM , Vahl AC , Balm R
Published: September 2022

Objectives

According to guidelines, the autogenous saphenous vein (ASV) is the preferred conduit for femoropopliteal bypass surgery in all patients with peripheral artery disease. However, in contrast to patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI), patients with intermittent claudication (IC) only, tend to have milder disease, and thus a prosthetic graft may be as good as a vein conduit. The objective of this study was to compare patency rates of the ASV and a prosthetic graft in femoropopliteal bypass surgery in patients with IC.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases to identify randomized controlled trials comparing prosthetic graft versus ASV in patients with IC. Articles with a mixed IC and CLI study population were included if more than 50% of the study cohort was treated for IC. Primary analysis was performed on IC patients only. Secondary analysis was performed on the mixed group. The primary endpoint was short- and long-term patency and secondary endpoints were complications, limb salvage, and mortality.

Results

In total, six studies with 524 patients were included. Only two studies reported solely on patients with IC. All these patients underwent above-the-knee bypasses and average patency rates at one and 5 years were 88% and 76% vs 81% and 68% in the ASV and the PTFE groups, respectively. One and five-year patency was not statistically different between the groups (OR 5.21; 95% CI 0.60–45.36 and OR 2.10; 95% CI 0.88–5.01). In a mixed population of patients with IC and CLI (84% IC patients), 1 year patency was comparable (OR 1.40; 95% CI 0.87–2.25). However, after a follow-up of over 3 years, this mixed group had significantly higher patency rates in favour of the ASV (OR 2.06; 95 % CI 1.30–3.26). Complication and amputation rates were comparable in both groups.

Conclusions

Limited data are available for patients receiving above-the-knee femoropopliteal bypass for intermittent claudication. The ASV remains the conduit of choice for femoropopliteal bypass surgery. However, the prosthetic conduit seems a feasible alternative for patients with intermittent claudication in whom the ASV is not present or unsuitable.
Job crafting behavior and the success of senior academic women: An international study
Authors: Almeida Shamika , Randle Melanie , Norzailan Zumalia , Cropley Mark
Published: September 2022

This article examines the job crafting strategies senior academic women use to progress in their careers. The study was exploratory and inductive and used in-depth interviews to gather data from 43 senior academic women in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis in combination with reflective discussions. Cognitive crafting emerged as the most critical job crafting strategy impacting women’s career progression. While some women chose to be more strategic, others focused on doing meaningful work and considered career progression a natural outcome rather than an end in itself. This study extends the job crafting literature by highlighting how contextual and cognitive factors impact women’s academic career progression. Understanding similarities and differences across cultures and identifying how academic women can prosper can inform programs that effectively promote women’s careers at tertiary institutions.
Validity of serum and urinary hepcidin as biomarkers for late-onset sepsis in premature infants
Authors: Sherbiny Hanan Sakr , Mostafa Hanaa Abdel-el Fattah , Sherief Laila M. , Kamal Naglaa M. , El-Shal Amal Saeed , Abdel-el Halm Mahmoud Mohamed , Khan Hekmat Yaqoub , Ali Al Shaymaa Ahmed
Published: September 2022

Background:

Sepsis remains one of the leading causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality, particularly among premature infants. Blood culture is the ‘gold standard’ for the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis but is associated with several pitfalls.

Aim of the work:

We aim to evaluate the validity of measuring serum (S.Hep) and urinary hepcidin (U.Hep) concentrations as diagnostic biomarkers for late-onset sepsis (LOS) in preterm infants.

Patients and Methods:

The current case-control study included 73 cases of clinically and laboratory confirmed late-onset sepsis as the ‘case group’ and 50 nonseptic premature infants of comparable age and sex as the ‘control group’. S.Hep and U.Hep concentrations were evaluated at enrollment (acute sample) and after 1 week of treatment (convalescent sample).

Results:

Patients had a statistically significant higher concentration of both S.Hep and U.Hep as compared with nonseptic controls ( p = 0.0001). Similarly, a significant reduction of both S.Hep and U.Hep was detected after 1 week of treatment ( p = 0.001). A cut-off value of ⩾ 94.8 ng/ml of S.Hep and ⩾ 264 ng/mg of U.Hep/urinary creatinine showed high sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value in the diagnosis of neonatal LOS.

Conclusions:

Both S.Hep and U.Hep can function as promising accurate and rapid surrogate tests for the diagnosis of LOS. U.Hep measurement has the advantage of being noninvasive, with no hazards of phlebotomy, and is less variable throughout the day.