bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coculture of abalone (Haliotis midae) and sea cucumber (Neostichopus grammatus) to reduce tank cleaning frequency in abalone farming
Authors: Onomu Abigail John , Slater Matthew James , Vine Niall Gordon
Published: May 2024

Abalone farming produces nutrient-rich sludge, and the frequent cleaning and removal of sludge from abalone tanks is labour and capital-intensive. This study aimed to assess the effect of culture methods and tank cleaning frequency on abalone growth, water quality, and sludge characteristics. The study was conducted for 16 weeks. Four treatments were used, namely, abalone cocultured with sea cucumber cleaned once (AS1) and twice weekly (AS2); abalone monoculture cleaned once (A1) and cleaned twice weekly (A2). Abalone (initial avg weight = 40.9 g) were maintained under commercial stocking conditions in flow through systems at a salinity of 35 ppt and fed a commercial formulated diet (Abfeed™) and fresh seaweed (Ulva lacinulata and Gracillaria gracilis). The stocking densities were 200 abalone m−2 and 50 sea cucumbers m−2. The sea cucumbers (initial average weight = 12.5 g) fed on the abalone faeces and leftover feed, which settled at the abalone tank's bottom (sludge). There was a significant interaction between the type of culture and the frequency of cleaning on abalone weight (F (1,476) = 12.41, p < 0.001). Abalone in the A2 treatment group showed higher growth (p = 0.006) than those of the A1 treatment group, while abalone in AS1 had significantly higher growth (p < 0.001) than those in the AS2 treatment group. Also, abalone in AS1 showed higher growth (p = 0.026) than abalone in the A1 treatment. However, abalone in AS1 had growth similar (p = 0.53) to those in A2. The survival rate of the sea cucumbers was high, however, the sea cucumbers experienced a reduction in weight regardless of the treatment. This study showed that growth optimisation in abalone farming can be achieved by cleaning tanks twice instead of once weekly. However, when abalone are cocultured with sea cucumber, tanks need only be cleaned once a week without compromising abalone growth or water quality. The coculture of abalone and sea cucumber results in an additional aquacultured product, a significant reduction in labour and other associated costs of cleaning, without an additional cost of production.
Functional traits differ across an invasive tree species’ native, introduced, and invasive populations
Authors: Gundale Michael J. , Lindberg Lisa , Fajardo Alex , Nuñez Martin A. , Nilsson Marie-Charlotte , Kardol Paul , Moyano Jaime , Nuske Susan J.
Published: May 2024

It is often speculated that non-native invasive species undergo rapid changes in their phenotypic properties (i.e., traits) that provide adaptive advantage in their new environment. However, few studies have directly compared traits of invasive non-native species with their native counterparts to reveal whether such phenotypic changes occur, and which stages of initial introduction and subsequent invasion contribute to these shifts. We studied trait variation of an invasive tree, Pinus contorta, which is native to northwestern North America and invasive in the Patagonia region of South America (i.e., Argentina and Chile). Commercial plantations of P. contorta were introduced extensively in Patagonia from the 1970s onward, from an unknown seed origin within the Pacific Northwest, USA, where three sub-species are found, including subsp. contorta, latifolia, and murrayana. We employed a home-versus-away study approach, where we compared mean growth, defense, and reproduction trait values, and mean within-stand trait variation (Coefficient of Variation, CV) of Patagonia plantations, with the three native sub-species. We further compared mean traits, and trait CVs between invasive P. contorta and the Patagonia plantations from which they escaped. Patagonia plantations shared the most similar mean trait values with subsp. latifolia and murrayana, suggesting possible source populations. However, both mean trait values and trait CVs of Patagonia plantations differed from all three native sub-species, indicating potential founder effects, population bottlenecks, and/or plastic responses to their new environment that occurred during or after introduction. We also found evidence for selective change during invasion; however, these differences did not suggest growth traits were prioritized over defense traits, which was inconsistent with hypotheses that invaders exhibit an evolutionary trade-off between defense traits and growth traits. Our study highlights that processes occurring both at first introduction and establishment, as well as the subsequent invasion phase can influence the phenotype of successful invaders.
Hybridity in Nonprofit Organizations: Organizational Perspectives on Combining Multiple Logics
Authors: Malhotra Aastha , Wright April L. , Jarvis Lee C.
Published: May 2024

Seeking to better understand how nonprofit organizations (NPOs) manage hybridity, we investigated what distinguishes NPOs that combine multiple logics in productive and unproductive ways. We collected and analyzed data from six case studies of NPOs delivering social services in Australia. Our findings reveal that organizational members of NPOs take a perspective on their hybrid nature which comprises four elements: motivational framing, actor engagement, resourcing attitude, and governance orientation. NPOs that combine multiple logics in productive and unproductive ways, respectively, are distinguished by (1) a compelling or confused motivational framing for combining logics; (2) actors having active and shared, or passive and isolated, engagement with multiple logics; (3) attitudes toward resourcing multiple logics that are either coherent or competitive; and (4) a governance orientation toward multiple logics as opportunities to leverage or problems to resist. Our findings contribute to the literature by deepening understanding of the interplay between complex constellations of multiple logics in NPOs, including religious and professional logics. We also develop a model of organizational perspectives on hybridity and their implications for distinguishing NPOs that productively harness tensions between logics.
Classification of reflective writing: A comparative analysis with shallow machine learning and pre-trained language models
Authors: Zhang Chengming , Hofmann Florian , Plößl Lea , Gläser-Zikuda Michaela
Published: May 2024

Reflective practice holds critical importance, for example, in higher education and teacher education, yet promoting students’ reflective skills has been a persistent challenge. The emergence of revolutionary artificial intelligence technologies, notably in machine learning and large language models, heralds potential breakthroughs in this domain. The current research on analyzing reflective writing hinges on sentence-level classification. Such an approach, however, may fall short of providing a holistic grasp of written reflection. Therefore, this study employs shallow machine learning algorithms and pre-trained language models, namely BERT, RoBERTa, BigBird, and Longformer, with the intention of enhancing the document-level classification accuracy of reflective writings. A dataset of 1,043 reflective writings was collected in a teacher education program at a German university (M = 251.38 words, SD = 143.08 words). Our findings indicated that BigBird and Longformer models significantly outperformed BERT and RoBERTa, achieving classification accuracies of 76.26% and 77.22%, respectively, with less than 60% accuracy observed in shallow machine learning models. The outcomes of this study contribute to refining document-level classification of reflective writings and have implications for augmenting automated feedback mechanisms in teacher education.
Investigation of natural and artificial radioactivity levels in travertines of the Cappadocia region in Turkey
Authors: Kamislioglu M. , Kocak I. , Buyuk B. , Eke C. , Ozaydin Ozkara R. , Temiz U.
Published: May 2024

This study determined natural and artificial radionuclide concentrations to evaluate natural radioactivity and health risk levels of nine travertines in the Yaprakhisar and Balkayası regions in Turkey. The samples coded B1-M, B2, B5, B7, B8, and B10 represent waste derived from the Yaprakhisar travertines, as well as samples T5-M, T12, and Z1 travertines derived from Balkayası. The levels of natural and artificial radionuclide concentrations (232Th, 40K, and 137Cs) were measured using a high-purity germanium (HpGe) detector system. The travertine activity ranged from 2.09 to 12.07 Bq kg−1 for 232Th, 4.21 to 13.41 Bq kg−1 for 40K, and 0.42–3.26 Bq kg−1 for 137Cs. The results showed that the activity concentration values for 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs were coherent with the travertine analysis results in the UNSCEAR, 2000; 2008 publications. The values obtained were lower than the average values in the UNSEAR reports. The radiological hazard parameters calculated in this study were absorbed gamma dose rate (D), radium equivalent activity (Raeq), annual gonadal dose equivalent (AGDE), exposure dose (ER), total annual effective dose (AEDEtotal), excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCRtotal), gamma representative level (GRL), internal hazard index (Hin) and external hazard index (Hex).
Environmental policy stringency and carbon leakages: a case for carbon border adjustment mechanism in the European Union
Authors: Olasehinde-Williams Godwin , Akadiri Seyi Saint
Published: May 2024

This study examines the link between the strictness of environmental policies and carbon leakage in the European Union (EU). It utilizes an econometric model to analyse how carbon leakage is influenced by environmental policies and other factors. A comprehensive dataset spanning from 1995 to 2020 for 20 EU member nations is employed. This study is ground-breaking, as it is the first to comprehensively assess the effect of aggregated environmental policies on carbon leakages in the EU. This study employs a range of econometric techniques to ensure the reliability of its findings, including the continuously updated fully modified approach, bias-adjusted ordinary least squares method, and bootstrap panel causality testing. The findings confirm that stringent environmental policies cause greater carbon leakage by increasing the quantity of foreign carbon emissions embodied in EU’s domestic final demand. Specifically, carbon leakage increases within the range 0.051–0.111% as environmental policy stringency rises by 1%. This outcome confirms that direct carbon leakage occurs through the international trade channel as domestic carbon emissions reduction is continuously being offset by greater emissions abroad. Country-specific reactions captured through causality tests further reveal that the predictive powers between environmental policy stringency and carbon leakage is widespread among the sampled EU countries. Thus, our conclusion is that stringent environmental policies put the region at a disadvantage in the international markets. The main recommendation therefore is that ample justification exists for the introduction of carbon border adjustment mechanism, as the positives associated with its imposition are likely to outweigh the negatives.
Integrating national accounting and macroeconomic approaches to estimate the underground, informal, and illegal economy in European countries
Authors: Dell’Anno Roberto
Published: May 2024

This article proposes a hybrid national accounts (NA)-macroeconometric approach to fill the gap between the demand for reliable and internationally comparable estimates and the sparse availability of official statistics based on the NA approach. The proposed method combines data from Eurostat’s Tabular approach for the exhaustiveness of NA with estimates based on theoretical hypotheses on the drivers of non-observed production. We estimate underground, informal, and illegal economies for 22 European countries over the period 2000–2020.
BBD: a new hybrid method for geospatial building boundary detection from huge size satellite imagery
Authors: Tasyurek Murat
Published: May 2024

Buildings that are constructed without the necessary permits and building inspections affect many areas, including safety, health, the environment, social order, and the economy. For this reason, it is essential to determine the number of buildings and their boundaries. Determining the boundaries of a building based solely on its location in the world is a challenging task. In the context of this research, a new approach, BBD, is proposed to detect architectural objects from large-scale satellite imagery, which is an application of remote sensing, together with the geolocations of buildings and their boundaries on the Earth. In the proposed BBD method, open-source GeoServer and TileCache software process huge volumes of satellite imagery that cannot be analyzed with classical data processing techniques using deep learning models. In the proposed BBD method, YOLOv5, DETR, and YOLO-NAS models were used for building detection. SAM was used for the segmentation process in the BBD technique. In addition, the performance of the RefineNet model was investigated, as it performs direct building segmentation, unlike the aforementioned methods. The YOLOV5, DETR and YOLO-NAS models in BBD for building detection obtained an f1 score of 0.744, 0.615, and 0.869 respectively on the images generated by the classic TileCache. However, the RefineNet model, which uses the data generated by the classic TileCache, achieved an f1 score of 0.826 in the building segmentation process. Since the images produced by the classic TileCache are divided into too many parts, the buildings cannot be found as a whole in the images. To overcome these problems, a fine-tuning based optimization was performed. Thanks to the proposed fine-tuning, the modified YOLOv5, DETR, YOLO-NAS, and RefineNet models achieved F1 scores of 0.883, 0.772, 0.975 and 0.932, respectively. In the proposed BBD approach, the modified YOLO-NAS approach was the approach that detected the highest number of objects with an F1 score of 0.975. The YOLO-NAS-SAM approach detected the boundaries of the buildings with high performance by obtaining an IoU value of 0.912.
Note on the Margolus–Levitin quantum speed limit for arbitrary fidelity
Authors: Andrzejewski Krzysztof , Bolonek-Lasoń Katarzyna , Kosiński Piotr
Published: May 2024

For vanishing fidelity between initial and final states, two important quantum speed limits, the Mandelstam–Tamm limit (involving energy dispersion) and Margolus–Levitin one (involving excitation energy expectation value), have been derived. While the generalization of the former limit to the case of arbitrary fidelity is straightforward, the relevant generalization of the latter given in the seminal paper by Giovanetti et al. (Phys Rev A67:052109, 2003) was based on the conjectured equality of lower and upper bounds on the right-hand side of generalized Margolus–Levitin inequality, verified numerically up to seven digits. Only recently there appear two proofs of the conjecture. We provide below a very elementary new proof, based on the simplest tools from differential calculus. Thus, the generalized Margolus–Levitin speed limit can be derived much in the spirit of the original one valid for vanishing fidelity.
Curved Polymeric Sandwich Composites Subjected to Air Shock: An Experimental Investigation
Authors: Pandey A. , Wanchoo P. , Matos H. , Shukla A.
Published: May 2024

Background

The vulnerability of polymeric composite sandwich structures in marine applications to air explosions highlights a significant gap in our understanding of the dynamic behavior of the curved sandwich structures, which is essential for design improvements.

Objective

This study aims to explore the dynamic response and failure mechanisms of curved sandwich composite panels subjected to air-blast loading, providing insights into their structural integrity under such conditions.

Methods

Experiments were performed using laboratory-simulated air shocks generated by a shock tube, employing high-speed photography and digital image correlation to measure deflections on the back surface of the panels. The panels, made with PVC closed-cell foam cores of two densities (H45 and H130), were tested across three curved geometries (radii of 112 mm, 305 mm, and infinity) under various boundary conditions.

Results

Findings indicate an increase in deformation with a decreased radius of curvature under simple support conditions, a trend that reverses under arrested displacement conditions. Moreover, a reduced radius significantly enhances panel strength and resistance to interfacial damage, with the primary failure mode transitioning from core shear cracking to interfacial debonding as core density increases.

Conclusions

The study reveals that the radius of curvature, boundary conditions, and core density significantly affect curved sandwich panels’ dynamic response and performance. Panels with smaller radii and higher core densities exhibit increased strength, though boundary conditions introduce variable effects on deformation behavior.
Strategy for the analysis of lignocellulosic biomass to select a viable transformation route in the Colombian context
Authors: Piedrahita-Rodríguez Sara , Alzate-Ramírez Andrés-Felipe , Baumberger Stéphanie , Cézard Laurent , Ortiz-Sánchez Mariana , Escobar García Diego Alexander , Zetty Arenas Ana María , Moustakas Konstantinos , Cardona Alzate Carlos Ariel
Published: May 2024

Lignocellulosic biomass is widely available in the world. However, a consensus has yet to be established to evaluate the biomass valorization alternatives. The chemical composition is the primary technical limitation in selecting a transformation route to obtain value-added products. In this paper, the bagasse from non-centrifuged sugar (NCS) production and Pinus patula (PP) wood chips were analyzed in terms of complete chemical composition to establish their potential for selecting the transformation routes. A strategy to select the best route based on the chemical composition was applied and a feedstock criteria model was proposed. Schemes were obtained and compared using a bioprocess selection strategy proposed in previous works. As a result, the preliminary biorefinery schemes were finally defined. The assessment of schemes derived from the outlined strategy included technical, economic, environmental, and social analyses. The environmental evaluation was complemented with a geolocation assessment, revealing a 0.75-ton CO2-eq/yr contribution to the carbon footprint for local distribution. The sustainability index for the PP biorefinery and the bagasse from NCS production was analyzed, resulting in indices of 44.8 and 60.9, respectively. These values were primarily derived from the economic and environmental analyses of both processes.
Experimental study for inorganic and organic profiling of toy makeup products: Estimating the potential threat to child health
Authors: Mercan Selda , Kilic Mihriban Dilan , Zengin Simge , Yayla Murat
Published: May 2024

Inorganic elements are added to toys as impurities to give desired stability, brightness, flexibility, and color; however, these elements may cause numerous health issues after acute or chronic exposure. In this study, the inorganic profile of 14 elements (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Se, Sb, Pb, and Zn) in 63 toy makeup products was identified by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry after microwave acid digestion method. Additionally, organic allergen fragrance was investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The systemic exposure dosage (SED), margin of safety (MoS), lifetime cancer risk (LCR), hazard quotient (HQ), and hazard indices were used to assess the safety evaluation. Then, 57 out of 63 samples (90.48%) exceeded the limits at least for one toxic element with descending order Ni > Cr > Co > Pb > Sb > Cd > As > Hg. The SED values were compared with tolerable daily intake values and remarkably differences were found for Al and Pb. The MoS values for 57.15% of samples exceeded the limit value for Al, As, Cd, Co, Hg, Mn, Sb, and Zn elements. The LCR values were observed at 100% (n = 63), 79.37% (n = 50), 85.71% (n = 54), 77.78% (n = 49), and 18.87% (n = 10) for Cr, Ni, As, Pb, and Cd, respectively. Also, the skin sensitization risks were obtained for Cr and Ni at 26.980% (n = 17) and 9.52% (n = 6), respectively. The HQ values for 80% of samples were found to be ≥ 1 at least for one parameter. The investigation of fragrance allergens in samples did not show any significant ingredients. As a result, toy makeup products marketed in local stores were found to be predominantly unsafe. Children should be protected from harmful chemicals by regular monitoring and strict measures.
Environmental impacts on intraspecific variation in Ambrosia artemisiifolia genome size in Slovakia, Central Europe
Authors: Hrabovský Michal , Kubalová Silvia , Mičieta Karol , Ščevková Jana
Published: May 2024

The quantity of DNA in angiosperms exhibits variation attributed to many external influences, such as environmental factors, geographical features, or stress factors, which exert constant selection pressure on organisms. Since invasive species possess adaptive capabilities to acclimate to novel environmental conditions, ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) was chosen as a subject for investigating their influence on genome size variation. Slovakia has diverse climatic conditions, suitable for testing the hypothesis that air temperature and precipitation, the main limiting factors of ragweed occurrence, would also have an impact on its genome size. Our results using flow cytometry confirmed this hypothesis and also found a significant association with geographical features such as latitude, altitude, and longitude. We can conclude that plants growing in colder environments farther from oceanic influences exhibit smaller DNA amounts, while optimal growth conditions result in a greater variability in genome size, reflecting the diminished effect of selection pressure.
The Efficacy of Telemental Health Interventions for Mood Disorders Pre-COVID-19: A Narrative Review
Authors: Edwards Alyssa M. , Petitt Jordan C. , Sajatovic Martha , Kumar Sanjana , Levin Jennifer B.
Published: May 2024

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw a significant surge in the utilization of telemental health (TMH) services. This narrative review aimed to investigate the efficacy of TMH for serious mood disorders prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. A search across databases was conducted for randomized controlled trials focusing on TMH interventions for mood disorders, encompassing major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). Study and patient characteristics, interventions, and outcomes were extracted. From a pool of 2611 papers initially identified, 17 met the inclusion criteria: 14 focused on MDD, while 4 addressed BD. Among these, 6 papers directly compared TMH interventions to in-person of same treatment, revealing improved access to care and higher rates of appointment follow-up with TMH. Additionally, 6 papers comparing TMH to treatment as usual demonstrated improvements in mood outcomes. Conversely, 3 papers comparing different TMH interventions found no discernible differences in outcomes. Notably, 3 studies evaluated TMH as an adjunct to usual care, all reporting enhancements in depression outcomes. Overall, preliminary evidence suggests that prior to COVID-19, TMH interventions for serious mood disorders facilitated improved access to care and follow-up, with comparable clinical outcomes to traditional in-person interventions. The discussion addresses limitations and provides recommendations for future research in this domain.
Designing Trauma-Informed Online Support and Mentorship for African Applied Science PhD Scholars
Authors: Grossman Hannah M. , Wanjiku Wangari , Nguku Everlyn
Published: May 2024

We provide a design case using applied trauma-informed frameworks to guide the design and usage adoption of an online support and mentorship platform for African applied science PhD scholars. In the Rsif context, scholars traverse countries, systems, and cultures to obtain their PhDs. The project objective was to create an online system to support their doctoral journeys. We will describe the program, introduce our team, summarize the literature guiding our selection of support objectives and overview the features we integrated into our platform design. After this, we will discuss our platform adoption approach and summarize the results of this project. Finally, concluding with a reflection on bringing trauma-informed frameworks into other learning ecologies.
Surgical outcomes of robotic versus conventional autologous breast reconstruction: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Elameen Ali Mohamed , Dahy Asmaa Ali
Published: May 2024

Breast reconstruction is an integral part of breast cancer management. Conventional techniques of flap harvesting for autologous breast reconstruction are associated with considerable complications. Robotic surgery has enabled a new spectrum of minimally invasive breast surgeries. The current systematic review and meta-analysis study was designed to retrieve the surgical and clinical outcomes of robotic versus conventional techniques for autologous breast reconstruction. An extensive systematic literature review was performed from inception to 25 April 2023. All clinical studies comparing the outcomes of robotic and conventional autologous breast reconstruction were included for meta-analysis. The present meta-analysis included seven articles consisting of 783 patients. Of them, 263 patients received robotic breast reconstruction, while 520 patients received conventional technique. Of note, 477 patients received latissimus dorsi flap (LDF) and 306 were subjected to deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap. There was a significantly prolonged duration of surgery (MD 58.36;95% CI 32.05,84.67;P < 0.001) and duration of anaesthesia (MD 47;95% CI 16.23,77.77;P = 0.003) among patients who underwent robotic surgery. There was a similar risk of complications between robotic and conventional surgeries. The mean level of pain intensity was significantly lower among patients who received robotic breast surgery (MD− 0.28;95% CI − 0.73,0.17; P = 0.22). There was prolonged length of hospitalization among patients with conventional DIEP flap surgery (MD− 0.59;95% CI − 1.13,− 0.05;P = 0.03). The present meta-analysis highlighted the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of robotic autologous breast reconstruction. This included the successful harvesting of LDF and DIEP flap with acceptable surgical and functional outcomes.
Optimization of Enzymatic Transesterification of Acid Oil for Biodiesel Production Using a Low-Cost Lipase: The Effect of Transesterification Conditions and the Synergy of Lipases with Different Regioselectivity
Authors: Moschona Alexandra , Spanou Androniki , Pavlidis Ioannis V. , Karabelas Anastasios J. , Patsios Sotiris I.
Published: May 2024

This study describes the enzymatic production of second-generation biodiesel using low-quality acid oil as a substrate. Biolipasa-R, a commercially available and low-cost lipase, was employed for enzymatic transesterification. Response surface methodology was applied to optimize the enzymatic transesterification process. The optimal conditions for biodiesel production, which comprised 42% lipase concentration (per weight of oil), 32% water content (per weight of oil), a methanol to oil molar ratio of 3:1, pH 7.0 and reaction temperature 30°C, resulted in the highest fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content (71.3%). Subsequently, the synergistic effect of two lipases with different regioselectivities under the optimum transesterification conditions was studied, aiming at the enhancement of process efficiency. The transesterification efficiency of immobilized Biolipasa-R was determined and compared to that of Biolipasa-R in its free form. The results revealed a good performance on FAME content (66.5%), while the recycling of immobilized lipase resulted in a decrease in transesterification efficiency after three consecutive uses.
Penicillin Allergy Testing and Delabeling for Patients Who Are Prescribed Penicillin: A Systematic Review for a World Health Organization Guideline
Authors: Providencia Rui , Aali Ghazaleh , Zhu Fang , Leas Brian F. , Orrell Rachel , Ahmad Mahmood , Bray Jonathan J. H. , Pelone Ferruccio , Nass Petra , Marijon Eloi , Cassandra Miryan , Celermajer David S. , Shokraneh Farhad
Published: May 2024

Secondary prevention with penicillin aims to prevent further episodes of acute rheumatic fever and subsequent development of rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Penicillin allergy, self-reported by 10% of the population, can affect secondary prevention programs. We aimed to assess the role for (i) routine penicillin allergy testing and the (ii) safety of penicillin allergy delabeling approaches in this context. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO ICTRP, ISRCTN, and CPCI-S to identify the relevant reports. We found 2419 records, but no studies addressed our initial question. Following advice from the WHO-Guideline committee and experts, we identified 6 manuscripts on allergy testing focusing on other populations showing that the prevalence of allergy confirmed by testing was low and the incidence of life-threatening reactions to BPG was very low (< 1–3/1000 individuals treated). A subsequent search addressed penicillin allergy delabeling. This found 516 records, and 5 studies addressing the safety of direct oral drug challenge vs. skin testing followed by drug administration in patients with suspected penicillin allergy. Immediate allergic reactions of minor severity were observed for a minority of patients and occurred less frequently in the direct drug challenge group: 2.3% vs. 11.5%; RR = 0.25, 95%CI 0.15–0.45, P < 0.00001, I2 = 0%. No anaphylaxis or deaths were observed. Severe allergic reactions to penicillin are extremely rare and can be recognized and dealt by trained healthcare workers. Confirmation of penicillin allergy diagnosis or delabeling using direct oral drug challenge or penicillin skin testing seems to be safe and is associated with a low rate of adverse reactions.
Predicting factors and clinical outcome of biochemical incomplete response in middle eastern differentiated thyroid carcinoma
Authors: Parvathareddy Sandeep Kumar , Siraj Abdul K. , Ahmed Saeeda O. , Annaiyappanaidu Padmanaban , Al-Rasheed Maha , Al-Haqawi Wael , Qadri Zeeshan , Al-Sobhi Saif S. , Al-Dayel Fouad , Al-Kuraya Khawla S.
Published: May 2024

Purpose

The aim of this study was evaluate biochemical incomplete response (BIR) in Middle Eastern differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), identify factors that could predict BIR before radioactive iodine (RAI) ablation and to investigate the long-term clinical outcome of DTC patient exhibiting BIR to initial therapy.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated 1286 DTCs from Middle Eastern ethnicity who underwent total thyroidectomy and RAI therapy. Demograpic and clinico-pathological factors predicting BIR were evaluated. The outcome of these patients was analyzed using primary outcome of structural disease and disease-free survival (DFS).

Results

With a median follow-up of 10 years, 266 (20.7%) patients had BIR. High pre-ablation stimulated thyroglobulin (presTg), presence of lymph node metastasis, male gender and delayed initial RAI therapy (≥3 months) after thyroidectomy were significant independent predictors of BIR. Upon evaluating long-term clinical outcomes in 266 patients with BIR, we found 36.8% of patients developed structural disease. Male sex (OR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.05–2.30; p = 0.0272) and increasing Tg after initial therapy (OR = 4.25; 95% CI = 1.93–10.82; p = 0.0001) were independent risk factors for structural disease in patients with BIR. DFS was significantly worse if both these risk factors existed concomitantly (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

To achieve the fair efficacy of RAI therapy, early prediction of BIR before RAI ablation is desirable. Our finding of the clinico-pathological factors (high presTg level, LNM, delayed RAI therapy and male gender) could serve as easy and robust early predictors of BIR. In addition, DTC patients exhibiting BIR had a high risk of structural disease and hence personalized management approach would be preferable for BIR patients to ensure best clinical outcome.
Discovering the hierarchical structure of variables describing adult attachment: insight from a joint analysis of seven questionnaires
Authors: Pietrzak Magdalena , Cieciuch Jan
Published: May 2024

Our work aimed to discover the structure of variables developed to conceptualize attachment dimensions in seven main approaches and measurement instruments. A group of 435 participants (49.7% female, 46.2% male, 4.1% non-binary/other identities) between the ages of 16 and 65 (M = 24.8, SD = 8.1) completed a series of seven questionnaires commonly used to measure attachment. A series of exploratory factor analyses was performed on the scales and items. In the analysis on the scales, the two-factor structure of Anxiety and Avoidance was reproduced. In the analysis on the items, a meaningful hierarchical six-level structure was discovered. Dimensions of Anxiety and Avoidance are quite similar across models, but Avoidance is much more complex than Anxiety. Anxiety remains in principle the same across all levels of the hierarchy, while Avoidance divides into several lower-order traits. The lower-order traits of Avoidance need reconceptualization, and the current study takes a step in this direction.
A glimpse into the diversity of Colombian Acanthaceae
Authors: Wood John R. I. , Hoyos-Gómez Saúl E. , Zarate David E. Granados
Published: May 2024

A short visit to four Colombian herbaria in 2022 is highlighted as an example of modern-day herbarium plant hunting which resulted in the discovery of 14 new species: Aphelandra guacharorum J.R.I.Wood, A. montis-tusae J.R.I.Wood & Hoyos-Gómez, Justicia betancurii J.R.I.Wood, J. chloroleuca J.R.I.Wood, J. cristalina J.R.I.Wood & Hoyos-Gómez, J. daironcardenasii J.R.I.Wood & Hoyos-Gómez, J. ipanorensis J.R.I.Wood, J. lutescens J.R.I.Wood & Hoyos-Gómez, J. macuirensis J.R.I.Wood, J. perijaensis J.R.I.Wood, J. reniformis J.R.I.Wood, J. rheophytica J.R.I.Wood & Hoyos-Gómez J. santanderana J.R.I.Wood & Hoyos-Gómez and Ruellia rheophytica J.R.I.Wood & Hoyos-Gómez. These are described and illustrated with line drawings. Additionally, a full description and line drawings of two poorly known species, Justicia hochreutineri J.F.Macbr. and J. trianae (Leonard) J.R.I.Wood are provided. Notes are provided on 21 other species drawing attention to new records for Colombia, rediscoveries and taxonomic issues. Justicia hochreutineri J.F.Macbr., J. pilosa (Ruiz ex Nees) Lindau, J. zamorensis Wassh. and Stenostephanus lasiostachyus Nees are recorded for the first time for Colombia. Justicia pampolystachys Leonard is treated as a synonym of J. hyperdasya Leonard. Poikilacanthus moritzianus (Nees) Lindau is shown to be restricted to Venezuela. Adhatoda pilosa Ruiz ex Nees is lectotypified. Attention is drawn to the number of rheophytes in Colombian Acanthaceae and to the importance of the Río Claro and Río Samaná Norte area of Antioquia as a centre of plant diversity.
Partnering with Schools to Adapt a Team Science Intervention: Processes and Challenges
Authors: Kuriyan Aparajita Biswas , Albright Jordan , Rushworth Samantha , Duresso Biiftu , Testa Shannon , Eiraldi Ricardo B. , Marshaleck Edward W. , Wolk Courtney Benjamin
Published: May 2024

Public schools are a major provider of mental health services for children in the US. Mental and behavioral health services range from universal programming to individualized clinical supports to address student needs. These services in schools are delivered by various professionals including non-teaching and teaching school personnel, school-employed clinicians, and/or contracted community mental health partners. Provision of mental health services requires complex coordination of providers across disciplines, although few professionals have training in multidisciplinary collaboration strategies. Attention to team processes, such as delineating team members' roles, improving communication, and identifying collaboration strategies, may impact the effectiveness of evidence-based mental health service provision in real world settings. One intervention, Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), has been used in healthcare with positive outcomes and has been adapted to educational settings. The current paper describes the community-partnered subsequent adaptation of TeamSTEPPS for schools. Needs assessment interviews identified challenges, successes, and goals for student mental health. Overarching themes extracted from interviews include limited resources at multiple levels (e.g., financial support, time, and personnel), communication challenges, and poor role clarity. A community advisory board provided guidance during the adaptation and implementation planning process. Adaptations to the intervention included tailoring the intervention to the school context and the development of flexible training plans. In addition, individualized implementation plans were developed with each school partner to mitigate foreseeable barriers to rolling-out TeamSTEPPS. Our team is currently piloting the adapted TeamSTEPPS intervention and implementation strategies in partnership with three school districts.
Hadron therapy in radiation oncology and why BNCT is a paradigm shift
Authors: Sauerwein Wolfgang A. G. , Igawa Kazuyo , Herault Joël , Fossati Piero , Altieri Saverio , Moss Raymond L. , Wittig Andrea
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Hadrons, i.e. particles that are heavier than electrons, are playing an increasingly important role in radiation oncology. Due to the high investment costs for the necessary infrastructure, this option is only available in specialized centers.

Methods

This article describes some of the physical properties that make hadrons attractive for external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), but also some of the challenges that need to be considered.

Results

The importance of linear energy transfer for biological effects is discussed.

Conclusions

In addition to the use of charged particles, the importance of neutrons for radiotherapy is also highlighted, in particular the properties of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), which open up completely new possibilities for the further development of EBRT.
A Pilot Study of Aerosolization of Infectious Murine Norovirus in an Experimental Setup
Authors: Purhonen Roderik , Atanasova Nina S. , Salokas Julija , Duplissy Jonathan , Loikkanen Emil , Maunula Leena
Published: May 2024

Human norovirus is transmitted mainly via the faecal-oral route, but norovirus disease outbreaks have been reported in which airborne transmission has been suggested as the only explanation. We used murine norovirus (MNV) as a surrogate for human norovirus to determine the aerosolization of infectious norovirus in an experimental setup. A 3-l air chamber system was used for aerosolization of MNV. Virus in solution (6 log10 TCID50/ml) was introduced into the nebulizer for generating aerosols and a RAW 264.7 cell dish without a lid was placed in the air chamber. Cell culture medium samples were taken from the dishes after the aerosol exposure time of 30 or 90 min, and the dishes were placed in a 37 °C, 5% CO2 incubator and inspected with a light microscope for viral cytopathic effects (CPEs). We determined both the infectious MNV TCID50 titre and used an RT-qPCR assay. During the experiments, virus infectivity remained stable for 30 and 90 min in the MNV solution in the nebulizer. Infectious MNV TCID50 values/ml of 2.89 ± 0.29 and 3.20 ± 0.49 log10 were measured in the chamber in RAW 264.7 cell dish media after the 30-min and 90-min exposure, respectively. The MNV RNA loads were 6.20 ± 0.24 and 6.93 ± 1.02 log10 genome copies/ml, respectively. Later, a typical MNV CPE appeared in the aerosol-exposed RAW cell dishes. We demonstrated that MNV was aerosolized and that it remained infectious in the experimental setup used. Further studies required for understanding the behaviour of MNV in aerosols can thus be performed.
Food security and livelihoods in protracted crisis: the experience of rural residents in Syria’s war zones
Authors: Ibrahim Kindah , Bavorova Miroslava , Zhllima Edvin
Published: May 2024

Food insecurity is an increasingly pressing and grave issue in contemporary Syria. The ongoing crisis has severely affected agriculture in a country which used to be food-producing and self-sufficient. This study addresses the factors that impact household-level food security in Syria. Our analysis is based on 1,381 household surveys using a structured questionnaire in 12 governorates of the country. We followed a two-stage least square regression (2SLS) approach to analyse the interconnected factors of food security. We use three different indicators to capture different dimensions of food security: the Food Consumption Score (FCS), the Dietary Diversity Score (DDS), and the Reduced Coping Strategy Index (rCSI). Our findings underscore the vital role of aid programs and post-crisis remedial assistance in bolstering farmers' resilience and enhancing their food security. Despite adverse constraints generated by the prolonged crisis, continued reliance on agricultural activities continued having a positive contribution to food security. Female-headed households experience higher food insecurity than their male-headed counterparts (MHHs). However, Female-headed households excel in nutritional diversity. Both results should be approached carefully due to data limitations. Addressing the repercussions of conflict-induced food insecurity requires mitigating the effects of the proximity of conflict zones and reducing disruptions in food value chains. Future research should consider how food security relates to gender and intra-household gender inequalities during protracted crises.
Assessment of meteorological, hydrological and groundwater drought in the Konya closed basin, Türkiye
Authors: Kartal Veysi , Nones Michael
Published: May 2024

Water scarcity, and drought in particular, is a major challenge worldwide, causing direct and indirect negative effects on ecological systems and water resources, as well as social and economic aspects of life. Climate change and increasing human pressure are contributing to increasing the likelihood of droughts, impacting regions which were not used to be dry. To address this challenge properly, studies should be performed at a multi-scale level, addressing hydrological and hydrogeological drought. Focusing on the Konya Closed Basin in Türkiye, data derived from nineteen stations were used to analyze drought conditions, looking at multiple meteorological—Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Z Score Index (ZSI), China Z Index (CZI), Modified China Z Index (MCZI)—hydrological—Streamflow Drought Index (SDI), Surface Water Supply Index (SWSI)—and hydrogeological—Standardized Groundwater Level Index (SGI)—assessment indices for different time scales (1, 3, 6,12, 24, 36 and 48 months). The results show that extreme drought (ED) conditions computed by SPI at 1 month (1.9–2.5%) were higher than that of all indices for all stations. Moderate drought occurred at least according to the ZSI-1. It was determined that the percentage of SPI and CZI had greater Extremely, Severely and Moderately Dry events (10.7–13.4% for CZI; 10.7–14.2% for SPI) than those of ZSI and MCZI. On the other part, MCZI has shown fewer total drought events (6.2–10%). Since 2008, extremely dry conditions in the Konya Closed Basin are generally caused by groundwater drought, which is higher than meteorological and hydrological droughts. The results reported in this work might help in better planning drought-resilient strategies in the basin, which will be paramount in light of climate change.
A cuproptosis-related signature predicts prognosis and indicates cross-talk with immunocyte in ovarian cancer
Authors: Yang Bikang , Yang Juan , Zhang Keqiang
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Cuproptosis, programmed cell death by intracellular copper-mediated lipoylated protein aggregation, is involved in various tumorigenesis and drug resistance abilities by mediating the tumor microenvironment. Previous studies have demonstrated that serum copper levels are higher in OC patients than in normal subjects. However, the exact relationship between cuproptosis and ovarian cancer progression remains to be further elucidated.

Methods

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and gene expression omnibus (GEO) datasets were utilized to establish a cuproptosis-related prognostic signature in ovarian cancer. Subsequently, the bulk RNA-seq analysis and single-cell RNA-seq analysis were used to identify the relationship between signature with immune cell infiltration, chemotherapy, and cuproptosis-related scoring (CuRS) system. Finally, the potential biological functional roles of target genes in cuproptosis were validated in vitro.

Results

By using LASSO-Cox regression analysis to establish the cuproptosis-related prognostic model, our works demonstrated the accuracy and efficiency of our model in the TCGA (583 OC patients) and GEO (260 OC patients) OC cohorts, and the high-scoring groups showed worse survival outcomes. Notably, there were substantial differences between the high and low-risk groups in extensive respects, such as the activating transcription factors, cell pseudotime features, cell intercommunication patterns, immunocytes infiltration, chemotherapy response, and potential drug resistance. KIF26B was selected to construct a prognostic model from the identified 33 prognosis-related genes, and high expression of KIF26B predicted poorer prognosis in ovarian cancer. Ultimately, further in vitro experiments demonstrated that KIF26B participated in the proliferation and cisplatin resistance of OC cells. Knockdown of KIF26B increased the sensitivity of OC cells to elesclomol, a cuproptosis agonists.

Conclusion

This study constructed a new cuproptosis-related gene signature that has a good prognostic capacity in assessing the outcome of OC patients. This study enhances our understanding of cuproptosis associated with ovarian cancer aggressiveness, cross-talk with immunocytes, and serves as a novel chemotherapy strategy.