bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An updated systematic review of interventions to increase awareness of mental health and well-being in athletes, coaches, officials and parents
Authors: Breslin Gavin , Shannon Stephen , Cummings Michael , Leavey Gerard
Published: May 2022

Background

Interventions designed to increase mental health awareness in sport have grown substantially in the last 5 years, meaning that those involved in policy, research and intervention implementation are not fully informed by the latest systematic evaluation of research, risking a disservice to healthcare consumers. Hence, our aim was to update a 2017 systematic review that determined the effect of sport-specific mental health awareness programmes to improve mental health knowledge and help-seeking among sports coaches, athletes and officials. We extended the review to incorporate parents as a source of help-seeking and report the validity of outcome measures and quality of research design that occurred since the original review.

Methods

Sport-specific mental health awareness programmes adopting an experimental or quasi-experimental design were included for synthesis. Five electronic databases were searched: Psychinfo, Medline (OVID interface), Scopus, Cochrane and Cinahl. Each database was searched from its year of inception to June 2020. As all of the outcomes measured were derived from psychometric scales, we observed statistically significant quantitative effects on the basis ofp< .05, and a small, medium or large effect size asd= .2, .5 or .8, respectively. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane and QATSQ tools.

Results

Twenty-eight articles were included from the 2048 retrieved, eighteen additional articles since the original review. Eighteen studies targeted athletes, five with coaches, one sport officials (i.e. referees), one ‘at-risk children’ and three with parents. One of the studies was a combination of athletes, coaches and parents. In terms of study outcomes, health referral efficacy was improved in seven studies; twelve studies reported an increase in knowledge about mental health disorders. Proportionally, higher quality research designs were evident, as three of ten studies within the previous review did not demonstrate a high risk of bias, whereas thirteen of the eighteen additional studies did not display a high risk of bias. However, only one study included a behaviour change model in both the programme design and evaluation.

Conclusions

Our updated systematic review provides evidence of the benefits of mental health awareness interventions in sport; these benefits are mainly for athletes and show improvements in the methodological design of recent studies compared to the first review. There was also evidence of the extension of programme delivery to parents. In conclusion, researchers, practitioners and policy makers should consider methodological guidance and the application of theory when developing and evaluating complex interventions.

Systematic review registration

PROSPEROCRD42016040178
Blood culture utilization and epidemiology of antimicrobial-resistant bloodstream infections before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Indonesian national referral hospital
Authors: Sinto Robert , Lie Khie Chen , Setiati Siti , Suwarto Suhendro , Nelwan Erni J. , Djumaryo Dean Handimulya , Karyanti Mulya Rahma , Prayitno Ari , Sumariyono Sumariyono , Moore Catrin E. , Hamers Raph L. , Day Nicholas P. J. , Limmathurotsakul Direk
Published: May 2022

Background

There is a paucity of data regarding blood culture utilization and antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). In addition, there has been a concern for increasing AMR infections among COVID-19 cases in LMICs. Here, we investigated epidemiology of AMR bloodstream infections (BSI) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Indonesian national referral hospital.

Methods

We evaluated blood culture utilization rate, and proportion and incidence rate of AMR-BSI caused by WHO-defined priority bacteria using routine hospital databases from 2019 to 2020. A patient was classified as a COVID-19 case if their SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR result was positive. The proportion of resistance was defined as the ratio of the number of patients having a positive blood culture for a WHO global priority resistant pathogen per the total number of patients having a positive blood culture for the given pathogen. Poisson regression models were used to assess changes in rate over time.

Results

Of 60,228 in-hospital patients, 8,175 had at least one blood culture taken (total 17,819 blood cultures), giving a blood culture utilization rate of 30.6 per 1,000 patient-days. A total of 1,311 patients were COVID-19 cases. Blood culture utilization rate had been increasing before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (both p < 0.001), and was higher among COVID-19 cases than non-COVID-19 cases (43.5 vs. 30.2 per 1,000 patient-days, p < 0.001). The most common pathogens identified were K. pneumoniae (23.3%), Acinetobacter spp. (13.9%) and E. coli (13.1%). The proportion of resistance for each bacterial pathogen was similar between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 cases (all p > 0.10). Incidence rate of hospital-origin AMR-BSI increased from 130.1 cases per 100,000 patient-days in 2019 to 165.5 in 2020 (incidence rate ratio 1.016 per month, 95%CI:1.016–1.017, p < 0.001), and was not associated with COVID-19 (p = 0.96).

Conclusions

In our setting, AMR-BSI incidence and etiology were similar between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 cases. Incidence rates of hospital-origin AMR-BSI increased in 2020, which was likely due to increased blood culture utilization. We recommend increasing blood culture utilization and generating AMR surveillance reports in LMICs to inform local health care providers and policy makers.
Inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense and/or Pseudomonas geniculata reinforces flax (Linum usitatissimum) growth by improving physiological activities under saline soil conditions
Authors: Omer Amal M. , Osman Mahmoud S. , Badawy Ali A.
Published: May 2022

Background

Salinized soils negatively affect plant growth, so it has become necessary to use safe and eco-friendly methods to mitigate this stress. In a completely randomized design, a pot experiment was carried out to estimate the influence of the inoculation with endophytic bacterial isolatesAzospirillum brasilense,Pseudomonas geniculataand their co-inoculation on growth and metabolic aspects of flax (Linum usitatissimum) plants that already grown in salinized soil.

Results

The results observed that inoculation of salinity-stressed flax plants with the endophytesA. brasilenseandP. geniculata(individually or in co-inoculation) increases almost growth characteristics (shoot and root lengths, fresh and dry weights as well as number of leaves). Moreover, contents of chlorophylls and carotenoids pigments, soluble sugars, proteins, free proline, total phenols, ascorbic acid, and potassium (K+) in flax plants grown in salinized soil were augmented because of the inoculation withA. brasilenseandP. geniculata. Oppositely, there are significant decreases in free proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and sodium (Na+) contents. Regarding antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), the inoculation with the tested endophytes led to significant enhancements in the activities of antioxidant enzymes in stressed flax plants.

Conclusions

The results of this work showed that the use of the endophytic bacterial isolatesAzospirillum brasilense,Pseudomonas geniculata(individually or in co-inoculation) could be regarded as an uncommon new model to alleviate salinity stress, especially in salinized soils.
A rare case of synchronous multiple primary malignancies of breast cancer and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that responded to multidisciplinary treatment: a case report
Authors: Ueda Yuichi , Makino Yuko , Tochigi Taro , Ota Yoshikazu , Hidaka Hideki , Nakamura Takeshi , Beppu Kiichiro , Ohuchida Jiro , Odate Seiichi , Terasaka Soshi , Nishida Takahiro , Yoshida Masaki , Kimura Ryuichiro , Marutsuka Kousuke , Otomo Naoki
Published: May 2022

Background

Multiple primary malignancies of breast cancer and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are rare. Here, we report a case of advanced breast cancer and DLBCL managed with multidisciplinary therapy preceded by surgery with a successful outcome.

Case presentation

During a medical examination, a 71-year-old woman was diagnosed with a right breast mass, enlarged lymph nodes throughout the body, and a splenic tumor. The results of the clinical examination and imaging were suggestive of widely spread breast cancer with lymph node metastasis and malignant lymphoma with systemic metastasis. The histological evaluation of the biopsied breast tissue revealed human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer, whereas the histological evaluation of the excised inguinal lymph node revealed DLBCL. 18F-FDG PET/computed tomography was performed, and it was determined that both breast cancer and DLBCL were in an advanced stage. Thus, mastectomy was performed, and the axillary lymph nodes showed mixed metastasis of breast cancer and DLBCL. Soon after, the R-CHOP therapy was initiated (375-mg/m2 rituximab, 2-mg/m2 vincristine, 50-mg/m2 doxorubicin, 750-mg/m2 cyclophosphamide, and 125-mg methylprednisolone). After irradiation of the spleen, trastuzumab was administered for 1 year.

Conclusions

We experienced a case of combined breast cancer and DLBCL, which was difficult to treat because both were in advanced stages. Thorough staging of the malignancy and discussion by a multidisciplinary team are necessary to determine the optimal treatment strategy.
Effects of different short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) on gene expression of proteins involved in barrier function in IPEC-J2
Authors: Saleri Roberta , Borghetti Paolo , Ravanetti Francesca , Cavalli Valeria , Ferrari Luca , De Angelis Elena , Andrani Melania , Martelli Paolo
Published: May 2022

Background

Gut microbial anaerobic fermentation produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which are important substrates for energy metabolism and anabolic processes in mammals. SCFA can regulate the inflammatory response and increase the intestinal barrier integrity by enhancing the tight junction protein (TJp) functions, which prevent the passage of antigens through the paracellular space. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of in vitro supplementation with SCFA (acetate, propionate, butyrate, and lactate) at different concentrations on viability, nitric oxide (NO) release (oxidative stress parameter) in cell culture supernatants, and gene expression of TJp (occludin, zonula occludens-1, and claudin-4) and pro-inflammatory pathway-related mediators (β-defensin 1, TNF-α, and NF-κB) in intestinal porcine epithelial cell line J2 (IPEC-J2).

Results

The SCFA tested showed significant effects on IPEC-J2, which proved to be dependent on the type and specific concentration of the fatty acid. Acetate stimulated cell viability and NO production in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05), and specifically, 5 mM acetate activated the barrier response through claudin-4, and immunity through β-defensin 1 (P < 0.05). The same effect on these parameters was shown by propionate supplementation, especially at 1 mM (P < 0.05). Contrarily, lactate and butyrate showed different effects compared to acetate and propionate, as they did not stimulate an increase of cell viability and regulated barrier integrity through zonula occludens-1 and occludin, especially at 30 mM and 0.5 mM, respectively (P < 0.05). Upon supplementation with SCFA, the increase of NO release at low levels proved not to have detrimental effects on IPEC-J2 proliferation/survival, and in the case of acetate and propionate, such levels were associated with beneficial effects. Furthermore, the results showed that SCFA supplementation induced β-defensin 1 (P < 0.05) that, in turn, may have been involved in the inhibition of TNF-α and NF-κB gene expression (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The present study demonstrates that the supplementation with specific SCFA in IPEC-J2 can significantly modulate the process of barrier protection, and that particularly acetate and propionate sustain cell viability, low oxidative stress activity and intestinal barrier function.
Detecting the lead–lag effect in stock markets: definition, patterns, and investment strategies
Authors: Li Yongli , Wang Tianchen , Sun Baiqing , Liu Chao
Published: May 2022

Human activities widely exhibit a power-law distribution. Considering stock trading as a typical human activity in the financial domain, the first aim of this paper is to validate whether the well-known power-law distribution can be observed in this activity. Interestingly, this paper determines that the number of accumulated lead–lag days between stock pairs meets the power-law distribution in both the U.S. and Chinese stock markets based on 10 years of trading data. Based on this finding this paper adopts the power-law distribution to formally define the lead–lag effect, detect stock pairs with the lead–lag effect, and then design a pure lead–lag investment strategy as well as enhancement investment strategies by integrating the lead–lag strategy into classic alpha-factor strategies. Tests conducted on 20 different alpha-factor strategies demonstrate that both perform better than the selected benchmark strategy and that the lead–lag strategy provides useful signals that significantly improve the performance of basic alpha-factor strategies. Our results therefore indicate that the lead–lag effect may provide effective information for designing more profitable investment strategies.
New biomarker: the gene HLA-DRA associated with low-grade glioma prognosis
Authors: Chen Desheng , Yao Jiawei , Hu Bowen , Kuang Liangwen , Xu Binshun , Liu Haiyu , Dou Chao , Wang Guangzhi , Guo Mian
Published: May 2022

Background

Low-grade gliomas (LGG) are WHO grade II tumors presenting as the most common primary malignant brain tumors in adults. Currently, LGG treatment involves either or a combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Despite the knowledge of constitutive genetic risk factors contributing to gliomas, the role of single genes as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers is limited. The aim of the current study is to discover the predictive and prognostic genetic markers for LGG.

Methods

Transcriptome data and clinical data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We first performed the tumor microenvironment (TME) survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method. An analysis was undertaken to screen for differentially expressed genes. The function of these genes was studied by Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Following which a protein-protein interaction network (PPI) was constructed and visualized. Univariate and multivariate COX analyses were performed to obtain the probable prognostic genes. The key genes were selected by an intersection of core and prognostic genes. A clinical correlation analysis of single-gene expression was undertaken. GSEA enrichment analysis was performed to identify the function of key genes. Finally, a single gene-related correlation analysis was performed to identify the core immune cells involved in the development of LGG.

Results

A total of 529 transcriptome data and 515 clinical samples were obtained from the TCGA. Immune cells and stromal cells were found to be significantly increased in the LGG microenvironment. The top five core genes intersected with the top 38 prognostically relevant genes and two key genes were identified. Our analysis revealed that a high expression of HLA-DRA was associated with a poor prognosis of LGG. Correlation analysis of immune cells showed that HLA-DRA expression level was related to immune infiltration, positively related to macrophage M1 phenotype, and negatively related to activation of NK cells.

Conclusions

HLA-DRA may be an independent prognostic indicator and an important biomarker for diagnosing and predicting survival in LGG patients. It may also be associated with the immune infiltration phenotype in LGG.
Microbiomes of the Sydney Rock Oyster are acquired through both vertical and horizontal transmission
Authors: Unzueta-Martínez Andrea , Scanes Elliot , Parker Laura M. , Ross Pauline M. , O’Connor Wayne , Bowen Jennifer L.
Published: May 2022

Background

The term holobiont is widely accepted to describe animal hosts and their associated microorganisms. The genomes of all that the holobiont encompasses, are termed the hologenome and it has been proposed as a unit of selection in evolution. To demonstrate that natural selection acts on the hologenome, a significant portion of the associated microbial genomes should be transferred between generations. Using the Sydney Rock Oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) as a model, we tested if the microbes of this broadcast spawning species could be passed down to the next generation by conducting single parent crosses and tracking the microbiome from parent to offspring and throughout early larval stages using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. From each cross, we sampled adult tissues (mantle, gill, stomach, gonad, eggs or sperm), larvae (D-veliger, umbo, eyed pediveliger, and spat), and the surrounding environment (water and algae feed) for microbial community analysis.

Results

We found that each larval stage has a distinct microbiome that is partially influenced by their parental microbiome, particularly the maternal egg microbiome. We also demonstrate the presence of core microbes that are consistent across all families, persist throughout early life stages (from eggs to spat), and are not detected in the microbiomes of the surrounding environment. In addition to the core microbiomes that span all life cycle stages, there is also evidence of environmentally acquired microbial communities, with earlier larval stages (D-veliger and umbo), more influenced by seawater microbiomes, and later larval stages (eyed pediveliger and spat) dominated by microbial members that are specific to oysters and not detected in the surrounding environment.

Conclusion

Our study characterized the succession of oyster larvae microbiomes from gametes to spat and tracked selected members that persisted across multiple life stages. Overall our findings suggest that both horizontal and vertical transmission routes are possible for the complex microbial communities associated with a broadcast spawning marine invertebrate. We demonstrate that not all members of oyster-associated microbiomes are governed by the same ecological dynamics, which is critical for determining what constitutes a hologenome.
Some psychiatric comorbidity among patients with substance abuse disorder related to pregabalin
Authors: Ibrahim Abdallah Saad , Bayomy Reem Hassan , Hussein Ramadan Abdelbr , Yousef Usama Mahmoud , Elazab Waleed Eleraky
Published: May 2022

Background

Pregabalin abuse is increasing worldwide and frequently comorbid with another psychiatric disorders including generalized anxiety, major depression, personality disorders, and suicide. Eighty-three patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for substance abuse disorders related to pregabalin were identified from the addiction clinic of El Khanka Psychiatric Hospital in Egypt for this observational cross-sectional study. We aimed to assess clinical characteristics of substance abuse disorder related to pregabalin, suicidal ideation, and psychiatric comorbidities associated with them. All participants were subjected to semi-structured interview designed to collect and identify the sociodemographic data and patterns of substances use, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV axis I disorders to diagnose comorbid major depression and generalized anxiety, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV axis II disorders for diagnosis of borderline and antisocial personality disorders, Addiction Severity Index, Beck Depressive Inventory, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation and urine screening test for pregabalin and other substances.

Results

Forty-seven percent of the studied group had generalized anxiety disorder, 74.7% had major depression disorder, some patients had both major depression and generalized anxiety disorders, 78.3% had borderline personality disorder, 37.3% had antisocial personality disorder, and some patients had both borderline and antisocial personality disorders. There was a statistically significant increase in suicidal ideation among subjects with major depression, generalized anxiety, previous suicidal attempts, and borderline personality disorder.

Conclusions

There is a high comorbidity between pregabalin abuse and major depression disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, borderline personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. These psychiatric comorbidities were associated with high risk of suicidal ideations.
Consensus evidence-based clinical practice recommendations for the management of fibromyalgia
Authors: El Miedany Yasser , Gadallah Naglaa , Mohasseb Diaa , Gaballah Nahla M. , El Zohiery Abeer K. , Hassan Mohammed , El Gaafary Maha , Hassan Waleed , Mortada Mohamed , Eissa Mervat , Tabra Samar Abdelhamed , Foad Nermeen , El Nouby Fatma H. , Saber Sally , Galal Salwa
Published: May 2022

Background

Because of the subjective character of symptoms, absence of a diagnostic test, modest response to treatments, and, at times, patient reports of important functional disability, fibromyalgia remains a challenge for the treating health care professionals in the standard clinical practice. The aim of this study was to develop an up-to-date consensus and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for a treat-to-target management of fibromyalgia. Fifteen key clinical questions were identified by a scientific committee according to the Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes (PICO) approach. A literature review team performed a systematic review to summarize the evidence advocating the benefits and harms of available pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies for fibromyalgia. Subsequently, recommendations were formulated. The level of evidence was determined for each section using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine (CEBM) system. A 3-round Delphi process was conducted with 16 experts. All rounds were conducted online. A consensus was achieved on the direction and the strength of the recommendations.

Results

An online questionnaire was sent to an expert panel who participated in the three rounds (response rate 100%). At the end of round 3, a total of fifteen recommendation items, categorized into 10 sections to address the main fibromyalgia categories, were obtained. Agreement with the recommendations (ranks 7–9) ranged from 85 to 100%. Consensus was reached (i.e., ≥ 80% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed) on the wording of all the 15 clinical standards identified by the scientific committee. An algorithm for the management of fibromyalgia has been suggested.

Conclusions

These recommendations provide an updated consensus on both the non-pharmacological and the pharmacological treatments of fibromyalgia. The provided strategies to reach optimal treat-to-target outcomes in common clinical scenarios are based on a combination of evidence and expert opinions. Best treatment decisions should be tailored to each individual patient situation.
The eradication of pea weevil Bruchus pisorum (L.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from New Zealand
Authors: Voice David G. , MacLellan Rory , Russell Adrian , Goulden Dave , Lawrie Ivan , Baker Greg , Teulon David A. J. , Kean John M.
Published: May 2022

Pea weevil (Bruchus pisorum (L.), Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) is a major cosmopolitan pest of pea crops and is established in most pea growing areas of the world. Pea weevil has been detected several times in New Zealand, but these incidents never resulted in an established population. Establishment occurred in 2016, when pea weevil was detected in stored and field peas in the Wairarapa region of the North Island. After due consideration, including initial delimiting surveys and analysis of potential pathways, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), in consultation with industry and community interests, decided to attempt eradication. The eradication programme utilised a range of tactics including a regionalised pea growing ban, movement restrictions for pea plant material, pea trap crops managed with insecticides and herbicides, and physical pea plant destruction to prevent regrowth. Trap crops played a dual role for local surveillance and beetle destruction. A national survey for pea weevil was also undertaken. The eradication programme was implemented under national New Zealand legislation (including a Controlled Area Notice) and an awareness raising media campaign. The initial pea weevil infestation was found over an area of approximately 115,000 ha. National surveillance resulted in no pea weevil detections outside of the Wairarapa Controlled Area. In the first year of the eradication programme (spring 2016–2017), the pea weevil population was reduced by 99.1%. Zero detections of pea weevil were found in the spring of 2018 and 2019, confirming eradication, and the planting ban and movement restrictions were lifted in 2020. This paper details what appears to be the first documented eradication of pea weevil anywhere in the world and explores the technical challenges, options, and tactics which eventually led to this successful eradication.
Hormonal Crosstalk Between Thyroid and Breast Cancer
Authors: Halada Stephen , Casado-Medrano Victoria , Baran Julia A , Lee Joshua , Chinmay Poojita , Bauer Andrew J , Franco Aime T
Published: May 2022

Differentiated thyroid cancer and breast cancer account for a significant portion of endocrine-related malignancies and predominately affect women. As hormonally responsive tissues, the breast and thyroid share endocrine signaling. Breast cells are responsive to thyroid hormone signaling and are affected by altered thyroid hormone levels. Thyroid cells are responsive to sex hormones, particularly estrogen, and undergo protumorigenic processes upon estrogen stimulation. Thyroid and sex hormones also display significant transcriptional crosstalk that influences oncogenesis and treatment sensitivity. Obesity-related adipocyte alterations—adipocyte estrogen production, inflammation, feeding hormone dysregulation, and metabolic syndromes—promote hormonal alterations in breast and thyroid tissues. Environmental toxicants disrupt endocrine systems, including breast and thyroid homeostasis, and influence pathologic processes in both organs through hormone mimetic action. In this brief review, we discuss the hormonal connections between the breast and thyroid and perspectives on hormonal therapies for breast and thyroid cancer. Future research efforts should acknowledge and further explore the hormonal crosstalk of these tissues in an effort to further understand the prevalence of thyroid and breast cancer in women and to identify potential therapeutic options.
Five-dimensional gravitational brane-world models
Authors: Νάκας Θεόδωρος
Published: May 2022

Η συγκεκριμένη διατριβή είναι αφιερωμένη στη μελέτη λύσεων μαύρων χορδών και μαύρων οπών στο πλαίσιο πενταδιάστατων μοντέλων βαρύτητας με μεμβράνες. Αφετηρία για τη μελέτη τέτοιων θεωριών αποτέλεσε το μοντέλο Randall-Sundrum το οποίο διατυπώθηκε από τη Lisa Randall και τον Raman Sundrum το 1999. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, στο πλαίσιο της παρούσας διατριβής λαμβάνει χώρα μία λεπτομερής ανάλυση των φυσικών χαρακτηριστικών και ιδιοτήτων τόσο των μαύρων χορδών όσο και των εντοπισμένων μελανών οπών που εμφανίζονται στα εκάστοτε πενταδιάστατα μοντέλα βαρύτητας, ενώ, θεωρώντας κατάλληλες θεωρίες πεδίου, προσδιορίζεται πλήρως το ενεργειακό ή υλικό περιεχόμενο το οποίο είναι απαραίτητο ώστε να υποστηρίξει τη γεωμετρία κάθε μίας από τις προαναφερθείσες λύσεις.
Developing an African medical and health professions student regional elective exchange program: approaches and lessons learned
Authors: Nawagi Faith , Iacone Anna , Seeling Justin , Mukherjee Snigdha
Published: May 2022

Background:Given the significant gap in International Medical Elective (IME) opportunities for African health professions students, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (ECFMG|FAIMER) launched an African regional elective exchange program through the Global Educational Exchange in Medicine and the Health Professions (GEMx) in 2016. This paper provides an overview of the development of the GEMx program, the pillars of successful implementation, and lessons learned.

Methods:The authors conducted a longitudinal qualitative study utilizing in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document review. Common categories were identified and incorporated into a matrix to create themes. Data were analysed using the manifest content approach guided by a literature review.

Results:The key pillars for the successful implementation of the GEMx Africa regional elective exchange program included: the commitment from African training institutional networks and their member institutions, the GEMx Charter (multilateral agreement), GEMx web-based application system, GEMx Africa Regional Coordination Center in Kampala, Uganda, and ECFMG mini-grants.

Conclusions:Through the development of successful partnerships across the continent, the GEMx regional elective exchange program contributed towards bridging a long-existing gap of inadequate opportunities for African health professions students to enhance their global exposure and strengthen their knowledge and skills.
Modelling and mathematical optimisation of wastewater treatment in food industries
Authors: Rodriguez-Perez Santiago , Cabeza Sanchez Alvaro , Lopez-Abelairas María
Published: May 2022

The current paper describes the work carried out in the Horizon 2020 AFTERLIFE project –  "Advanced Filtration TEchnologies for the Recovery and Later conversIon of relevant Fractions from wastEwater" – (Grant Agreement no. 745737) which focuses on bioprocess modelling and optimisation using computational tools.

The project addresses the development of a flexible, cost- and resource-efficient process framed in the zero-waste and circular economy approach for the recovery and valorisation of the relevant fractions from wastewater. The first step of such a process is an initial step consisting of a cascade of membrane filtration units to separate the total solids in sewage. Then, the concentrates recovered in each unit will be treated to obtain high-pure extracts and metabolites or to be converted into value-added biopolymers (polyhydroxyalkanoates). Moreover, the outflow of the process is an ultra-pure water stream that can be directly reused. Following a holistic approach, the design and optimisation of the AFTERLIFE process will improve performance and reduce the costs associated with wastewater treatment by maximising the value recovery.

The paper focuses on the work done developing and implementing computational tools to model and optimise the design of the process. A framework for modelling-based optimisation has been developed. The applied optimisation approach is not computationally demanding and can be systematically applied to different processes.

Finally, a use case establishing a scenario for testing the developed framework is described. The defined process model and optimisation methodology were applied to simulate the treatment of wastewater from the fish processing industry. The performance of the optimisation tool is analysed considering the simulation results.
CLIMAS CÁLIDOS: VIAJES DE ARQUITECTURA Y APRENDIZAJES ENTRE TIEMPOS Y CULTURAS
Authors: Ramos-Carranza Amadeo
Published: May 2022

Tomando como argumento los viajes alrededor del mundo que en los años sesenta del pasado siglo realizaron Fernando Távora y tres arquitectos de la recién inaugurada Escuela de Arquitectura de Sevilla se recuerda, en obras de otros tiempos y otras civilizaciones, la manera en la que la arquitectura fue sensible con el medioambiente, su capacidad de integración con las formas naturales del territorio o la búsqueda de soluciones pasivas para protegerse de las condiciones climáticas extremas en países de clima cálido, húmedo o seco. El texto tiene por objetivo incitar a la investigación sobre soluciones que estén basadas en invariables tipológicos-constructivos, en la armonía entre artificio y naturaleza y en la lectura de las realidades climáticas, sociales y culturales como algunas de las respuestas que desde la arquitectura se ofrecen para afrontar los problemas del cambio climático, ayudando al objetivo de una sociedad basada en criterios eficientes y sostenibles. Los artículos que dan continuidad a este texto pueden entenderse como primeras líneas de esta investigación colectiva.
A Catalog of Formulations for the Network Pricing Problem
Authors: Bui Quang Minh , Gendron Bernard , Carvalho Margarida
Published: May 2022

We study the network pricing problem where the leader maximizes revenue by determining the optimal amounts of tolls to charge on a set of arcs, under the assumption that the followers will react rationally and choose the shortest paths to travel. Many distinct single-level reformulations of this bilevel optimization program have been proposed; however, their relationship has not been established. In this paper, we aim to build a connection between those reformulations and explore the combination of the path representation with various modeling options, allowing us to generate 12 different reformulations of the problem. Moreover, we propose a new path enumeration scheme, path-based preprocessing, and hybrid framework to further improve performance and robustness when solving the final model. We provide numerical results, comparing all the derived reformulations and confirming the efficiency of the novel dimensionality reduction procedures.
Value Destruction in Information Technology Ecosystems: A Mixed-Method Investigation with Interpretive Case Study and Analytical Modeling
Authors: Sahaym Arvin , Vithayathil Joseph , Sarker Suprateek , Sarker Saonee , Bjørn-Andersen Niels
Published: May 2022

Value destruction is intertwined with value co-creation in the technology alliances and ecosystems; this is a key reason that most partnerships fail in the real world. Managers and policymakers will be enabled to identify destructive behavioral signals right from the onset drawing on our findings that opportunism, unjust appropriation of rents, shirking, exploitation of asymmetric power, and undue dependence can initiate the value destruction process. For the partners in an ecosystem, our findings underscore that opportunistic and exploitative behaviors do not pay off in the long run as these result in collateral and unintended losses for all. Dominant partner’s opportunism and exploitation of power asymmetry could give rise to a proverbial “pack of wolves,” a collective of resentful partners, for “challenging/killing the lion”—replacing the hub firm itself. In this vicious cycle, original intent of value co-creation gets lost with multidimensional losses on multiple fronts to the extent that opportunities open up even for the competitors with the help of hub’s former resentful complementors. Equipped with this knowledge, leaders can proactively manage ecosystem relationships keeping them on the path of originally intended value co-creation by remaining alert toward catching the signals of value destruction and reverting it deftly toward value co-creation.
Does Investor Gender Matter for the Success of Female Entrepreneurs? Gender Homophily and the Stigma of Incompetence in Entrepreneurial Finance
Authors: Snellman Kaisa , Solal Isabelle
Published: May 2022

Female support of other women has been put forth as a remedy to the gender gap across many domains. Yet the potential costs associated with gender homophily are not well understood. We propose that homophily aggravates negative gender bias in evaluation. Focusing on the context of entrepreneurship, we theorize that future investors will discount a female entrepreneur’s competence as the key factor in an early-stage investment decision, when the investment comes from a female investor. Consequently, female-backed female entrepreneurs may struggle to raise additional funds from new investors. In a field study of venture-backed startups, we find that firms with female founders who received funding from female rather than male VCs are two times less likely to raise additional financing. We find no equivalent investor gender effect for male-founded firms. In an experimental study, we find that pitches by female-backed female entrepreneurs receive lower evaluations compared with all other pitches, and that this is driven by perceptions of entrepreneur competence. Our findings suggest that well-intentioned calls for women to invest in women not only place an undue burden on female investors, but may also undermine the long-term success of female entrepreneurs.

Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1594 .
Omeka S como alternativa para el desarrollo de colecciones digitales y proyectos de humanidades digitales
Authors: Alcaraz Martínez Rubén
Published: May 2022

Objetivos: se presenta una descripción pormenorizada de las principales características y funcionalidades de Omeka S, un sistema de gestión de contenidos de software libre para la creación de repositorios y bibliotecas digitales, así como ampliamente utilizado en proyectos de humanidades digitales de diversa índole.
 Metodología: el análisis de las características de Omeka S se ha realizado a partir de una revisión de la literatura publicada, la información disponible en el sitio web y la documentación oficial de la aplicación, así como mediante su instalación, uso y análisis. La descripción de la aplicación se complementa con una recopilación de diversos casos de uso de carácter internacional en el área de las humanidades digitales que muestran la versatilidad de la herramienta. Finalmente, se ofrece una comparativa con otras cinco aplicaciones de software libre disponibles en el mercado: Omeka Classic, CollectiveAccess, Mukurtu, ResearchSpace y Arches.
 Resultados: entre los principales puntos fuertes de Omeka S destaca su facilidad de instalación, mantenimiento y uso, su arquitectura multisitio, su facilidad para integrar vocabularios de la web semántica como ontologías, su flexibilidad para crear plantillas de descripción para los objetos digitales, su libertad para el diseño de las páginas que conforman la interfaz pública o su integración nativa con otros sistemas de gestión de repositorios, como DSpace o Fedora Commons, pudiéndose implementar de esta manera como plataforma para la gestión y publicación de recursos derivados del repositorio, o como capa de acceso público a sus objetos digitales, respectivamente. Por otro lado, la gestión de un proyecto con Omeka S requiere de un mayor esfuerzo inicial derivado de su gran flexibilidad. Finalmente, el sistema se muestra menos competente en el acceso a la base de datos, el cual no se puede realizar de manera nativa a través de consultas SPARQL.
La cerámica en verde y negro: Los orígenes de una tradición historiográfica.
Authors: SERRA VIVES Neus
Published: May 2022

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo presentar los orígenes del coleccionismo y de los estudios histórico-artísticos en torno a la cerámica medieval española decorada en verde y negro. Aunque estos pioneros esfuerzos se han visto en gran medida superados, puesto que respondían al espíritu de un momento ya caduco, su revisión reúne noticias dispersas, a veces ya olvidadas, y facilita una aproximación global sobre la que poder construir nuevos discursos sobre este tema centenario.

Palabras clave: coleccionismo, historiografía, cerámica medieval, verde y negro, Paterna, Manresa.
Combined multi-scale mesh and full-matrix inversion for enhancing time-domain breast diffuse optical tomography
Authors: Ma Yiwen , Zhang Limin , Jia Mengyu , Zhang Pengfei , Gao Feng
Published: May 2022

Time-domain diffuse optical tomography can efficiently reconstruct both absorption and reduced scattering coefficients but is heavily limited by the ill-posedness in its inverse problem and low spatial resolution. To deal with these adversities, the truncated singular value decomposition (TSVD)-based whole-weighting-matrix inversion scheme can be a particularly suitable implementation. Unfortunately, TSVD is subject to a storage challenge for three-dimensional imaging of a bulk region, such as breast. In this paper, a multi-scale mesh strategy based on computed tomography (CT) anatomical geometry is adopted to solve the storage challenge, where a fine mesh is used in forward calculation to ensure accuracy, and a coarse mesh in the inversion process to enable TSVD-based inversion of the whole-weighting matrix. We validate the proposed strategy using simulated data for a single lesion model from clinical positron emission tomography images of a breast cancer patient, and further, for a complex model that is constructed by setting dual lesions at different separations in the CT breast geometry.
Optical control of light polarization in heliconical cholesteric liquid crystals
Authors: Nava G. , Barboza R. , Simoni F. , Iadlovska O. , Lavrentovich O. D. , Lucchetti L.
Published: May 2022

We show here that light polarization of a beam propagating through a heliconical cholesteric cell can be controlled by tuning the Bragg resonance of the structure. We demonstrate that this control is achieved by varying either the low-frequency electric field or the intensity of a pump beam impinging on the sample. The study confirms the recently reported phenomenon of optical tuning of the heliconical cholesterics and opens the door for the development of simple and efficient polarization modulators controlled electrically or optically.
Noncritical phase-matching fourth- and fifth-harmonic generation of 1077 nm laser using KDP-family crystals
Authors: Cui Zijian , Han Lu , Wang Chao , Sun Mingying , Liu De’an , Zhu Jianqiang
Published: May 2022

We systematically demonstrated the angular and temperature acceptances of noncritical phase-matching (NCPM) fourth- and fifth-harmonic generation (FHG and FiHG) of a 1077 nm laser in NH4H2PO4 (ADP), KH2PO4 (KDP), and KD2PO4 (DKDP) crystals. In this work, a new, to the best of our knowledge, laser frequency with a wavelength of 1077 nm was generated by optical parametric amplification, in which the pump light (526.3 nm) was generated by the frequency doubling of a Nd:YLF laser (1052.7 nm), and the signal light was a Yb:YAG laser (1029.5 nm). Subsequently, the 1077 nm laser was used as the fundamental wave for FHG and FiHG to obtain a deep-ultraviolet laser source. For ADP and DKDP crystals, NCPM FHG of a 1077 nm laser was realized at

74.0
∘

C and

132.5
∘

C, respectively, and large angular acceptances of 59.8 and 61.6 mrad were measured. For the FiHG, NCPM was realized in a KDP crystal at

48.5
∘

C with an angular acceptance of 56.4 mrad. The results pave the way for high-energy and high-power deep-ultraviolet laser generation using KDP-family crystals under noncryogenic conditions.
Major environmental drivers determining life and death of cold-water corals through time
Authors: Portilho-Ramos Rodrigo da Costa , Titschack Jürgen , Wienberg Claudia , Siccha Rojas Michael Georg , Yokoyama Yusuke , Hebbeln Dierk
Published: May 2022

Cold-water corals (CWCs) are the engineers of complex ecosystems forming unique biodiversity hotspots in the deep sea. They are expected to suffer dramatically from future environmental changes in the oceans such as ocean warming, food depletion, deoxygenation, and acidification. However, over the last decades of intense deep-sea research, no extinction event of a CWC ecosystem is documented, leaving quite some uncertainty on their sensitivity to these environmental parameters. Paleoceanographic reconstructions offer the opportunity to align the on- and offsets of CWC proliferation to environmental parameters. Here, we present the synthesis of 6 case studies from the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, revealing that food supply controlled by export production and turbulent hydrodynamics at the seabed exerted the strongest impact on coral vitality during the past 20,000 years, whereas locally low oxygen concentrations in the bottom water can act as an additional relevant stressor. The fate of CWCs in a changing ocean will largely depend on how these oceanographic processes will be modulated. Future ocean deoxygenation may be compensated regionally where the food delivery and food quality are optimal.
LncRNAs of Saccharomyces cerevisiae bypass the cell cycle arrest imposed by ethanol stress
Authors: Lázari Lucas Cardoso , Wolf Ivan Rodrigo , Schnepper Amanda Piveta , Valente Guilherme Targino
Published: May 2022

Ethanol alters many subsystems of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, including the cell cycle. Two ethanol-responsive lncRNAs in yeast interact with cell cycle proteins, and here, we investigated the role of these RNAs in cell cycle. Our network dynamic modeling showed that higher and lower ethanol-tolerant strains undergo cell cycle arrest in mitosis and G1 phases, respectively, during ethanol stress. The higher population rebound of the lower ethanol-tolerant phenotype after stress relief responds to the late phase arrest. We found that the lncRNA lnc9136 of SEY6210 (a lower ethanol-tolerant strain) induces cells to skip mitosis arrest. Simulating an overexpression of lnc9136 and analyzing CRISPR–Cas9 mutants lacking this lncRNA suggest that lnc9136 induces a regular cell cycle even under ethanol stress, indirectly regulating Swe1p and Clb1/2 by binding to Gin4p and Hsl1p. Notably, lnc10883 of BY4742 (a higher ethanol-tolerant strain) does not prevent G1 arrest in this strain under ethanol stress. However, lnc19883 circumvents DNA and spindle damage checkpoints, maintaining a functional cell cycle by interacting with Mec1p or Bub1p even in the presence of DNA/spindle damage. Overall, we present the first evidence of direct roles for lncRNAs in regulating yeast cell cycle proteins, the dynamics of this system in different ethanol-tolerant phenotypes, and a new yeast cell cycle model.