bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Back to Basics: Blood Culture Contamination Reduction Across a Multicenter Academic Health System
Authors: McDougal April , DeMaet Mary Ann , Larson Kassandra , Houk Jean
Published: September 2024

Background: Blood culture contamination is common in healthcare and contributes to diagnostic uncertainty, unnecessary treatments and follow-up testing, increased length of stay, higher rates of reportable healthcare-associated infections and events, over utilization of resources and staff including consultative care, and undue emotional stress to patients. The national benchmark for institutional blood culture contamination rates as recommended by The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) is < 3 %. Our institution’s overall rate was 8.9% with the highest burden being from our Emergency Department (ED) locations. We formed a multidisciplinary team aimed to reduce these rates through efforts centered around education and simplification of the collection process. Method: Working closely with and gathering feedback from nursing staff, nurse educators, and supply chain, we developed a blood culture collection kit that included all items necessary for blood culture collection thus eliminating the need for nurses to gather these items individually prior to collection. Additionally, simple step-by-step educational materials (Fig. 1) detailing the collection technique were provided. Education was presented at nursing huddles and skills fairs prior to kit roll-out. Blood culture kits were then stocked in place of individual blood culture collection bottles in all ED stock rooms in August 2022. Result: The 12-week pre-intervention period found 249 contamination events from 4265 total collections deriving a contamination rate of 5.8% across our health system’s four ED locations. During a 12-week post-intervention period following kit roll-out, 116 contamination events occurred from 3629 total collections deriving a contamination rate of 3.2% across our four ED locations. Given our results, we ultimately rolled this out to all units in all locations of our health system. When including all time from kit rollout to present (August 2022 to November 2023, 16 months), there were 1077 contamination events from 43379 total collections deriving an overall contamination rate of 2.5%. When compared to the 16 months prior to the kit rollout (April 2021 to July 2022) there were 1803 contamination events in 49335 total collections (3.7% contamination rate) deriving an overall percent reduction of 32.1%. Conclusion: We were able to decrease our health system’s blood culture contamination rate through simple interventions aimed at reducing the mental burden on nursing staff by developing a blood culture collection kit and educational materials. Since implementation of the kits, we have continued to maintain lower contamination rates as evident by our 16 month follow up period.
Microbiologic Evaluation of Colorectal Surgical Site Infections to Guide Surgical Prophylaxis Recommendations
Authors: Plauche Ardath , Gentry Clare , Yancey Linda
Published: September 2024

Background: Use of a combination of parenteral and oral antimicrobial prophylaxis prior to colorectal surgery is recommended to reduce risk of surgical site infection (SSI). Parenteral antibiotic selection is complicated by the need to target organisms likely to cause infection at the surgery site, while mitigating risk of antimicrobial resistance caused by overuse of broad spectrum agents. This study aimed to evaluate microbiologic data from colorectal surgical site infections across an 11-hospital health system. Microbiologic data from SSI events were used to assess continued appropriateness of health system standard recommendations for parenteral antibiotic prophylaxis in colorectal surgery, consisting of either cefazolin with metronidazole or cefoxitin monotherapy. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective, observational study was conducted from January 1, 2019 to March 31, 2023, using data extracted from the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Microbiologic data from colorectal SSIs from 2019 to 2022 were evaluated for a descriptive review of pathogen and phenotype trends. SSI data excluded patients age < 18 years, those identified as infection present at time of surgery (PATOS), or outpatient procedures. Results: A total of 8059 colorectal procedures were evaluated. Most SSIs were polymicrobial, with at least one pathogen detected in 65% of cases. The most commonly identified organisms were E. coli (22.5%), Enterococcus spp. (19.7%), P. aeruginosa (6.5%), Streptococcus spp. (4.9%), and C. albicans (4.7%). Change over time in antimicrobial-resistant phenotypes from 2019 to 2022 was not statistically significant for extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant E. coli (p=0.335), extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant K. oxytoca/pneumoniae (p=0.189), multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa (0.058), methicillin-resistant S. aureus (p=0.906), or among isolates with no identified antimicrobial-resistance phenotype (p=0.096). Among E. coli, change from 2019 to 2022 in cefazolin non-susceptible, ceftriaxone susceptible isolates was not statistically significant (p=0.177). No carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales isolates were identified among non-PATOS cases. Conclusions: Data does not support a change to broader spectrum agents for colorectal surgery parenteral antimicrobial prophylaxis. Continued use of cefazolin with metronidazole or cefoxitin as IV antibiotic prophylaxis in colorectal surgery is recommended, with ongoing tracking of microbiologic trends and antimicrobial susceptibility.
Ensuring Accuracy: Making the Case for Inter-rater Reliability in Hospital Acquired Infection Surveillance
Authors: Holmes Kelly , Moinuddin Mishga , Steinfeld Sandi
Published: September 2024

Background: Infection preventionists (Ips) have self-reported surveillance as the most time-consuming job task (1,2). APIC’s MegaSurvey 2020 reported that 60% of Ips consider themselves proficient or expert within this competency domain (2). Accurate coding of health care acquired infections is critical to identifying epidemiologically significant events, using data to improve practice, and compliance with state and federal mandated CMS reporting (3,4). Validated case study scenarios were distributed to infection preventionists to better understand how experience level and time spent performing surveillance affects interrater reliability (IRR) in applying the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) surveillance definitions (5,6). Methods: Case study scenarios determined to have high item discrimination were added to an online test bank and distributed annually to Ips of varying experience levels and care settings as part of a mandatory training program (5). The test bank currently consists of forty-two validated questions. Each year, the participants receive approximately thirty questions, including twenty randomly selected from the test bank and ten beta scenarios under development. Only validated test bank scenarios are used to calculate the passing score of 85%. Participants are blinded to which questions are test bank scenarios versus beta scenarios. Additional information was gathered at the beginning of the test to determine CIC status, years of experience, and weekly hours spent doing surveillance. Data was analyzed for passing score on the first attempt for testing years 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Results: Thirty-six Ips passed the IRR test on the first attempt (33%). Of those who passed on the first attempt, twenty-nine (81%) were certified and twenty-two (61%) reported at least nine hours a week performing surveillance. Of the seventy-three Ips (67%) who did not pass on the first attempt, thirty were certified (41%) and sixty (82%) reported performing surveillance for 8 hours or less per week. Conclusion: The first-time pass rate for certified and non-certified Ips was 33%, markedly lower than the self-reported proficiency rate of 60%. The majority of Ips who passed on the first attempt were certified and spent at least nine hours per week performing surveillance. certified and non-certified Ips who did not regularly perform surveillance as part of their weekly job tasks were less likely to pass the test on the first attempt. Given the first-time pass rate among all participants is below optimal, establishing inter-rater reliability systems and ongoing surveillance education for Ips is crucial to ensure accuracy of publicly reported data.
Efficacy of Empiric Contact Precautions for Patients from High Risk Facilities
Authors: Prabaker Kavitha , Uslan Dan , De St. Maurice Annabelle , Walton Shaunte , Lewis Vanessa , Bisht Anjali , Turay Sebora , Parti Urvashi , Ison Ricardo , Wellbaum Donna , Mugford Yvonne
Published: September 2024

Background: Infection prevention surveillance revealed that patients admitted from two specific long term care facilities comprised the majority of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDRO) and scabies cases at our institution. Current practices include performing active surveillance for Candida auris and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) for specific high-risk patients, as surveillance for all MDROs and scabies is impractical. We therefore sought to create an admission screening process to efficiently identify patients from high-risk facilities (HRFs) and place them in pre-emptive contact precautions upon admission. Methods: Patients admitted from HRFs were identified on admission as part of the initial nursing assessment. For any positive responses, nursing received a Best Practice Advisory to place the patient in contact precautions and patient placement received an alert that the patient would require a private room. Infection Preventionists reviewed a report of all patients who screened positive and added a “High Risk Facility” banner to the chart. This banner remained for the duration of hospitalization and for every subsequent readmission and outpatient visit. We reviewed the electronic medical records of all patients with a HRF banner placed from March 8, 2023 to September 15, 2023 and abstracted data regarding the presence of scabies or any of the following MDROs before and after placement of the banner: C. auris, carbapenem-resistant enterobacterales (CRE), MRSA, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, and MDR Pseudomonas. Results: Of the 93 patients who had a HRF banner added during the study period, 31 (33.33%) were already known to have MDRO colonization at the time of admission to our facility. Thirty-three of the remaining 62 patients (53.22%) without known MDRO colonization were subsequently found to have MDRO colonization/infection or scabies infestation that may have required contact precautions during their index admission or a subsequent admission. This included 14 patients with C. auris, 2 with CRE, 3 with MDR Pseudomonas, 12 with MRSA, 12 with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, and 2 with VRE. Patients were admitted for a median of 9 days before their diagnosis, and 36 of the 93 patients (38.71%) were re-admitted to our hospital during the study period. Conclusion: We found that empiric contact precautions based solely on exposure to specific HRFs facilitated earlier isolation by a median of 9 days. This approach should be considered in acute care hospitals with a high proportion of admissions from HRFs, especially when active and passive surveillance for MDROs is limited.
Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae detected in a Large Canadian Tertiary Care Hospital: Five-year retrospective study
Authors: James Ashley , Avaness Melisa , Williams Victoria , Maze dit Mieusement Lorraine , Candon Heather , Leis Jerome
Published: September 2024

Background: The prevalence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is increasing worldwide. In Canada, where rates of healthcare-associated (HA) transmission of CPE remains relatively low, there is a need to share early experience of universal screening programs and risk factors for HA acquisition. Method: In 2018, universal screening was introduced throughout our large Canadian tertiary care hospital across, all critical care and oncology units. Additionally, risk-factor based screening was applied in all other inpatient units, with further targeted screening of roommate exposures or all inpatients on unit following identification of a single HA case. A retrospective cohort study was carried out on CPE cases detected between January 2018 and December 2023. We assessed the proportion of HA CPE cases, defined as CPE identified in patients with prior admission to our facility or after >72 hours after admission. HA cases were examined for relevant risk factors, including known roommate with CPE, the presence of other CPE on the unit, exposure to outbreak units, prior travel history, travel by a family member, and antibiotic exposure within the past 90 days. Result: A total of 150 CPE cases were identified, with 66 (44%) classified as HA. Among these HA cases, 14 (21%) were associated with presence of known case on the unit. The remaining 52 (79%) represented sporadic nosocomial cases without a known exposure or further transmission on the unit. Upon further retrospective review, 6 (9.2%) HA cases had documented travel history or exposure to a family member with recent travel to China, India, Sri Lanka, or the United States within the past year. Nearly all HA cases (62, 95.4%) had antibiotic exposure within 90 days of CPE detection; specifically, 47 (72.3%) received beta-lactams, 42 (64.6%) cephalosporin, 25 (38.5%) glycopeptide, 20 (30.8%) carbapenem, and 8 (12.3%) macrolide. Conclusion: HA CPE acquisition identified during the first 5-years of universal screening were mostly sporadic and not associated with known exposures or other risk factors. Receipt of prior antibiotics was present in nearly all cases.
Diagnostic utility of nasal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus polymerase chain reaction testing in head and neck infection
Authors: Smith Jake , Cummings Bailee , Dare Ryan K.
Published: September 2024

In this retrospective study of adult inpatients who underwent an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgery with operative cultures and collection of nasal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we found that MRSA nasal PCR demonstrated 100% sensitivity and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 100% when compared to operative cultures.
Neutralisation techniques used by defendants charged with animal welfare offences in Finland
Authors: Valtonen Elli , Hänninen Laura , Valros Anna , Koskela Tarja
Published: September 2024

Animal welfare offences encompass a heterogeneous range of crimes, including violence and various forms of negligence toward animals’ needs. However, there is limited understanding of the offenders’ rationalisations concerning their criminal behaviour against animals, despite this information being essential for enhancing the prevention of these crimes. Our data comprised 1,443 judgements in animal welfare offences in Finland between January 2011 and May 2021. We categorised the rationalisations used by defendants and identified differences between offender profiles according to the offence type. Nearly all defendants responded to the charges. Overall, defendants appealed most often to their challenging circumstances, e.g. a lack of resources. Defendants charged with offences against production animals offered more explanations than the other defendants and often denied their responsibility for the animals, or having caused them any harm, and appealed to financial problems, weather conditions, and having too many animals. Moreover, they frequently challenged the norms, appealing in particular to the immorality of the authorities, who were mostly official veterinarians. Defendants charged with animal hoarding offences rationalised their actions similarly to animal farmers, whereas those charged with violent crimes against animals more often cited provocative or otherwise problematic behaviour of the animal victim. Our results support the observation that farmers may perceive official animal welfare supervision negatively. Violent animal welfare crimes and animal hoarding stand out as distinctive types of crime at the level of rationalisations. The differences between offence types and offenders’ underlying motivations should be considered when developing animal welfare control, agricultural support systems, and crime prevention.
Factors associated with clinician willingness to adopt HPV self-sampling and self-testing for cervical cancer screening
Authors: Brennan Luke , Adekunle Tiwaladeoluwa , Kasting Monica , Forman Michele R. , Champion Victoria , Rodriguez Natalia M.
Published: September 2024

Background:

Cervical cancer screening rates in the USA fall behind national targets, requiring innovation to circumvent screening barriers. Cervical cancer screening where human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is performed on vaginal samples collected by the patients themselves (self-sampling) are effective and acceptable, and patient-operated rapid HPV tests (self-testing) are currently under development. It is unclear why there is ambivalence toward HPV self-sampling and self-testing among clinicians, an important stakeholder group. We conducted a mixed convergent quantitative and qualitative study to identify the factors influencing clinicians’ attitudes toward self-sampling and self-testing.

Methods:

A survey of Midwest clinicians distributed by professional group media and a market research firm between May and November 2021 was analyzed (n = 248) alongside in-depth interviews with Midwest clinicians from professional groups (n = 23). Logistic regression models examined willingness to support self-sampling and self-testing across respondent characteristics.

Results:

We report that family practice physicians and those in rural areas were more willing to adopt HPV self-sampling (adjusted OR (aOR) = 3.16 [1.43–6.99]; aOR = 2.17 [1.01–4.68]). Clinician willingness to support self-testing was positively associated with current use of self-testing for other conditions and negatively associated with performing 10 or more monthly cervical cancer screenings (aOR = 2.02 [1.03–3.95], aOR = 0.42 [0.23–0.78]). Qualitative data contextualize how clinical specialty and experience with self-sampling and self-testing for other conditions inform clinician perspectives.

Conclusion:

These data suggest clinician populations most accepting of initiatives to implement self-sampling and self-testing for cervical cancer screening and highlight that experience with other forms of self-testing could facilitate more widespread adoption for cervical cancer.
The association between the timing of initial hepatitis B vaccination and seropositivity in healthcare personnel
Authors: Lees Elizabeth H. , Murad M. Hassan , Breeher Laura E. , Swift Melanie D.
Published: September 2024

This study reports on the relationship between timing of initial hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine series and HBV antibody immunity in healthcare personnel (HCP) screened prior to employment. HCPs vaccinated as neonates were significantly more likely to have negative or indeterminate antibodies. An alternative screening approach is considered.
Development and implementation of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention Scoring Tool at a single pediatric institution
Authors: Wirtz Ann L. , Burns Alaina N. , Monsees Elizabeth , Lee Brian R. , Herigon Joshua C.
Published: September 2024

Objective:

The primary objective was to grade the potential impact of antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) interventions on patient safety at a single center using a newly developed scoring tool, the Antimicrobial Stewardship Impact Scoring Tool (ASIST).

Design:

Retrospective descriptive study.

Setting:

A 367-bed free-standing, pediatric academic medical center.

Methods:

The ASP team developed the ASIST which scored each intervention on an impact level (low, moderate, high) based on patient harm avoidance and degree of antibiotic optimization. Intervention frequency and characteristics were collected between May 1, 2022 and October 31, 2023. Intervention rates per impact level were calculated monthly.

Results:

The ASP team made 1024 interventions further classified as low (45.1%), moderate (47%), and high impact (7.9%). The interventions for general pediatrics (53.9%) and those to modify formulation (62.2%), dose/frequency (58.1%), and duration (57.5%) were frequently low impact. Hematology/oncology (12.5%), sub-specialty (11.7%), and surgical services (11.3%) had the greatest rate of high-impact interventions. Interventions to broaden antibiotics (40.8%) and those associated with antibiotics used to treat bacteremia (20.6%) were frequently classified as high-impact.

Conclusion:

The ASIST is an effective tool to link ASP interventions to prevention of antimicrobial-associated patient harm. For our ASP team, it provided meaningful data to present to hospital leadership and identified opportunities to prevent future harm and reduce ASP team workload.
Mechanical properties of pressure-frozen ice under triaxial compressive stress
Authors: Sun Peixin , Yang Weihao , Tuhkuri Jukka
Published: September 2024

Artificial ground freezing is an effective method for underground constructions in deep alluvium. To study the compressive strength of frozen soil under high ground pressure and high hydraulic pressure, it is necessary to understand the mechanical behaviour of ice that is formed under triaxial compressive stress. A low-temperature triaxial test system was developed and used to study both formation and deformation of columnar ice under hydrostatic pressure. Cylindrical ice specimens 125 mm in height and 61.8 mm in diameter were prepared and tested under constant strain rates. At a strain rate of 5 × 10−5 s−1, the peak axial stress showed a linear increase as the confining pressure increased from 2 to 30 MPa, while the peak deviatoric stress exhibited a slight decrease. At a confining pressure of 30 MPa, the peak deviatoric stress showed a logarithmic increase with the strain rate increasing from 5 × 10−6 to 5 × 10−4 s−1, and the failure strain nearly doubled. A power law relationship between the time to failure and the strain rate was also observed. In this study, each test consistently demonstrated a ductile failure mode, with a noticeable reduction in cracking as the confining pressure increased. Due to the effect of the high confining pressure, crack propagation was suppressed, and an apparent recrystallization after peak stress was observed.
An algorithm to construct coherent systems using signatures
Authors: Rao T. V. , Naqvi Sameen
Published: September 2024

The system signature is a useful tool for studying coherent systems. For a given coherent system, various methods have been proposed in the literature to compute its signature. However, when any system signature is given, the literature does not address how to construct the corresponding coherent system(s). In this article we propose an algorithm to address this research gap. This algorithm enables the validation of whether a provided probability vector qualifies as a signature. If it does, the algorithm proceeds to generate the corresponding coherent system(s). To illustrate the applicability of this algorithm, we consider all three and four-dimensional probability vectors, verify if they are signatures, and finally obtain 5 and 20 coherent systems, respectively, which coincides with the literature (Shaked and Suarez-Llorens 2003).
Teachers’ Perceptions of Formative Assessment for Students With Disability: A Case Study From India
Authors: Chakraborty Anannya , Kaushik Amit , Ramachandran Vimala
Published: September 2024

India has made significant progress in improving the enrolment of students with disability but still has a long way to go before schools can be called inclusive. Despite the widely acknowledged relevance of assessments in shaping teaching and learning practices, little research has been done in disability-inclusive assessment in the Indian setting. In this paper, we explore teachers’ perceptions of disability inclusion in formative assessments, including the use of various kinds of accommodations and adaptations, factors that affect the implementation of disability-inclusive formative assessments, and challenges. It is argued that teacher professional development and teacher–parent partnerships are essential for ensuring the inclusion of students with disability in formative assessments. Unless assessment is given its due importance in disability-inclusive education, achievement gaps between children with and without disability may widen due to the unavailability of learning data and its use.
Playful images: Visual Holocaust memory, digital media, and the visual walkthrough method
Authors: Henig Lital , Ventura Shir , Ebbrecht-Hartmann Tobias
Published: September 2024

This article presents a conceptual and methodological framework that focuses on the interactivity, creativity, and variability of Holocaust images in digital media. Our argument unfolds in three stages. First, we introduce the concept of playful images: historical images that undergo recontextualisation, serving memetic, personal, and interactive engagements in and by digital media. Secondly, drawing on pivotal scholarship in digital methods, anthropology, sociology, and visual analysis, we identify a lacuna in contemporary methodologies and provide a rationale for an innovative approach to visual memory analysis in digital media that considers both digital media affordances and the appropriation of visual and historical materials in digital media. For that purpose, we thirdly outline a visual walkthrough method (VWM), a pragmatic performance of our approach tailored for analysing interactive digital experiences featuring playful images. By examining the playful appropriation of historical images in the video game Call of Duty: WWII (2017), we demonstrate how the interactive experience of playful images can be analysed with the help of the VWM. We conclude by discussing the position of our proposed conceptual and methodological framework within media and memory studies in the digital age.
The policy basis of group sentiments
Authors: Clifford Scott , Simas Elizabeth , Suh JeongKyu
Published: September 2024

Although influential models of public opinion hold that group sentiments play an important role in shaping political beliefs, they often assume that group attitudes stem from socialization and are thus exogenous to politics. We challenge this assumption, arguing that group attitudes may themselves be the consequence of political views. Across three survey experiments that each uses a unique social group–issue pair, we consistently demonstrate that attitudes toward groups are influenced by information about the groups' policy views. These findings persist even when accounting for potential partisan signaling. Altogether, these results show that group sentiments should not be regarded as wholly exogenous to policy concerns and suggest that the use of group-based heuristics can be consistent with instrumental models of public opinion.
Congressional support for democratic norms on January 6th
Authors: Craig Alison , Albertson Bethany
Published: September 2024

Increasing partisan polarization has characterized American politics for decades. On January 6, 2021, both Republicans and Democrats in Congress expressed their horror at the violent invasion of the US Capitol, leading to the popular perception—emphasized by media accounts—that the attack generated a rare moment of bipartisan unity. We argue that while members of both parties condemned the attack, a marked partisan divide characterized their messaging even as events unfolded. We analyze all 1861 tweets by members of Congress on January 6th and find that Republicans were significantly more likely to characterize the invasion as a protest grown out of hand, while Democrats described it as an attack on democracy. The results strongly indicate that partisan polarization was alive and well on January 6th and may help to account for Republicans’ shift toward normatively positive portrayals of the day in subsequent months.
Consistent effect of eating rate on food and energy intake across twenty-four ad libitum meals
Authors: Heuven Lise A. J. , van Bruinessen Marieke , Tang Claudia S. , Stieger Markus , Lasschuijt Marlou P. , Forde Ciarán G.
Published: September 2024

Foods consumed at lower eating rates (ER) lead to reductions in energy intake. Previous research has shown that texture-based differences in eating rateER can reduce meal size. The effect size and consistency of these effects across a wide range of composite and complex meals differing considerably in texture and varying in meal occasion have not been reported. We determined how consistently texture-based differences in ER can influence food and energy intake across a wide variety of meals. In a crossover design, healthy participants consumed twelve breakfast and twelve lunch meals that differed in texture to produce a fast or slow ER. A breakfast group (n = 15) and lunch group (n = 15) completed twelve ad libitum meal sessions each (six ‘fast’ and six ‘slow’ meals), where intake was measured and behavioural video annotation was used to characterise eating behaviour. Liking did not differ significantly between fast and slow breakfasts (P = 0·44) or lunches (P = 0·76). The slow meals were consumed on average 39 % ± 9 % (breakfast) and 45 % ± 7 % (lunch) slower than the fast meals (both P < 0·001). Participants consumed on average 22 % ± 5 % less food (84 g) and 13 % ± 6 % less energy (71 kcal) from slow compared with fast meals (mean ± SE; P < 0·001). Consuming meals with a slower ER led to a reduction in food intake, where an average decrease of 20 % in ER produced an 11 % ± 1 % decrease in food intake (mean ± SE). These findings add to the growing body of evidence showing that ER can be manipulated using food texture and that this has aits consistent effect on food and energy intake across a wide variety of Hedonically equivalent meals.
Comparative efficacies of vitamin D supplementation regimens in infants: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Abiramalatha Thangaraj , Ramaswamy Viraraghavan Vadakkencherry , Thanigainathan Sivam , Yadav Bharti , Bandyopadhyay Tapas , Shaik Nasreen Banu , Devi Usha , Pullattayil Abdul Kareem , Sasidharan Rohit , Gupta Neeraj
Published: September 2024

Vitamin D deficiency in infants is widely prevalent. Most paediatric professional associations recommend routine vitamin D prophylaxis for infants. However, the optimal dose and duration of supplementation are still debated. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of different vitamin D supplementation regimens in term and late preterm neonates. For this systematic review and network meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Embase. Randomised and quasi-randomised clinical trials that evaluated any enteral vitamin D supplementation regimen initiated within 6 weeks of life were included. Two researchers independently extracted data on study characteristics and outcomes and assessed quality of included studies. A network meta-analysis with a Bayesian random-effects model was used for data synthesis. Certainty of evidence (CoE) was assessed using GRADE. Primary outcomes were mean serum vitamin D concentrations and the proportion of infants with vitamin D insufficiency (VDI). We included twenty-nine trials that evaluated fourteen different regimens of vitamin D supplementation. While all dosage regimens of ≥400 IU/d increased the mean 25(OH)D levels compared with no treatment, supplementation of ≤250 IU/d and 1400 IU/week did not. The CoE varied from very low to high. Low CoE indicated that 1600 IU/d, compared with lower dosages, reduced the proportion of infants with VDI. However, our results indicated that any dosage of ≥800 IU/d increased the risk of hypervitaminosis D and hypercalcaemia. Data on major clinical outcomes were sparse. Vitamin D supplementation of 400–600 IU/d may be the most effective and safest in infants.
Georeferencing Sunda pangolin Manis javanica records in Singapore
Authors: Aziz Muhammad Khairuldin , O'Dempsey Anthony , Ng Bee Choo , Balakrishnan Kalai Vanan , Luz Sonja , Yeong Charlene , Chan Sharon , Chua Marcus A.H.
Published: September 2024

In Singapore, the Critically Endangered Sunda pangolin Manis javanica is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and road traffic collisions. To mitigate these threats, an understanding of its spatiotemporal distribution is needed, as identified in the National Conservation Strategy and Action Plan for the species. However, Sunda pangolin occurrence data are held in multiple separate databases, are typically collected using non-standardized methods, and often lack accurate location details. To compile a complete georeferenced database of Sunda pangolin records in Singapore, we consolidated occurrence data from heterogeneous databases and mainstream and social media, and converted locality descriptions into geographical coordinates. We demonstrate the use of this database to analyse data on rescued pangolins and those killed on roads, to aid conservation efforts in Singapore, and describe other potential applications. We georeferenced 482 records of pangolin sightings, rescues and roadkill for 1996–2021, finding an increase in all three over the study period. Roadkill and rescues occurred mostly in central and western Singapore, close to forested areas, and were predominantly of subadults and adult males. The data can be used to inform threat mitigation strategies, post-rescue release plans and further research. The database has already been used in practice, contributing to environmental impact assessments and conservation recommendations. Overall, this georeferenced database demonstrates the value of citizen science and collating wildlife data from multiple sources, and the methods used can be applied to other taxa to aid conservation strategies.
Fluid revivals: retouring popular songs to restore a hydrological imaginary in the trans-Danube
Authors: MacMillen Ian
Published: September 2024

This article examines emerging practices of popular music revivals that rely on affective commitments other than nostalgia. It uses two Serbian-based singers’ post-war Croatian tours as case studies, analysing musical fluidities in the material and symbolic navigation of post-Yugoslav performance networks and focusing on borderwaters such as the Danube that bridge the region's peoples, centring their interconnected industrial and cultural attachments, yet also physically and politically separating former Yugoslav republics. Reviewing hydrological conceptions of territorial belonging in the late-Yugoslav period and in the 1990s as expressed in their ballads and reception history, it argues that the singers (Đorđe Balašević and Zvonko Bogdan), in attempting to re-establish their interrepublic touring practices with the backing of Serbian tambura bands, engage in an economy of love that, as with revival tours elsewhere in Europe, has proved more efficacious than nostalgia for responding to recent political and socioeconomic changes in the European Union.
A comparison of teachers’ musical abilities between public and private kindergartens in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China
Authors: Yan Kunyu , Wang Lei
Published: September 2024

This study investigates teachers’ musical abilities in Shandong kindergartens in China, making a comparison between public and private kindergartens. For this research, five public and five private kindergartens were selected within the same city. The methods of non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The findings show that the overall musical abilities of public kindergarten teachers were greater than those of private kindergarten teachers. This study reveals that leadership and government policy are important factors for influencing the results, and puts forward recommendations for making changes in policy to improve teachers’ musical abilities in private kindergartens.
WELFARE ANALYSIS VIA MARGINAL TREATMENT EFFECTS
Authors: Sasaki Yuya , Ura Takuya
Published: September 2024

We consider a causal structure with endogeneity, i.e., unobserved confoundedness, where an instrumental variable is available. In this setting, we show that the mean social welfare function can be identified and represented via the marginal treatment effect as the operator kernel. This representation result can be applied to a variety of statistical decision rules for treatment choice, including plug-in rules, Bayes rules, and empirical welfare maximization rules. Focusing on the application of the empirical welfare maximization framework, we provide convergence rates of the worst-case average welfare loss (regret).
Domain-specific research methods in instructed second language acquisition: A next step for research integrity and impact
Authors: Gurzynski-Weiss Laura
Published: September 2024

Instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) is one of the fastest growing areas of applied linguistics. With this tremendous potential comes great responsibility for robust, ethical, and transparent research methods that are responsive to and tailored for the ISLA domain. This article highlights unique characteristics of ISLA research, provides a current landscape of methodological trends within ISLA, and makes specific recommendations for research methods in future ISLA studies. I begin by briefly operationalizing ISLA and articulating some of the main research questions and overarching goals within ISLA, as well as the nature and ultimate aims of ISLA research. Next, the most unique methodological challenges for ISLA research are reviewed, including the use of intact classes and heterogeneous small participant pools, cross-sectional studies, using one’s own students for research, and individual differences. This is followed by a discussion of several current trends in ISLA research methods, including examining the process of learning/development, conducting practice-based research, expanding our conceptualization of instructional contexts, replication studies, especially with bi/multilingual learners in diverse contexts, refining our methods with an eye for ethics and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and conducting open, transparent research that has potential for real-world impact and which dialogues with multiple stakeholders at all stages. I conclude by highlighting that, as ISLA continues as an independent research domain, the development and implementation of strong research methods tailored for ISLA is critical for research integrity and to make the greatest strides in understanding language acquisition processes and effective pedagogical interventions in diverse instructional contexts.
The Death of a Christian—II: Our Personal Approach
Authors: Schillebeeckx E. H.
Published: September 2024

The salutary worth of Christ's
death, as we have said, does not lie in the mere biological disintegration
of a man who was at the same time God, but rather in the obedient love
through which Christ sacrificed himself in absolute attachment to God. Death
objectively and factually implies the abandoning of all; a thorough rooting
out and dispossessing of self, a passive being-shut-off from without, a loss
of proprietary right to self. Death takes everything from us. This precisely
is the nature of death as a punishment for sin.

Death is
something that happens to us; in itself dying is not an Action done by man,
let alone the greatest action he does: it is something which overcomes us.
Death can therefore only have a positive, Christian and salutary
significance when we freely accept this alienation from self, which is a
fact, as a positively desired detachment from self for the love of God in
union with the dying Christ.
The Vocation of the Catholic Woman Teacher
Authors: Alexander Alex
Published: September 2024

The teaching profession has for a long time been recognized as a normal
sphere of influence for women. But even among Catholics, teaching is too
often considered as no more than a profession; in other words, simply a
means of livelihood requiring a high degree of training or specialized
knowledge. It is, in fact, very much more. At this time, when observations
and educational theories are current subjects of interest and discussion, it
is perhaps worth trying to make some assessment of the teaching vocation to
which both lay women and teaching religious are called by God.

It is at last being recognized by both clergy and laity that in these
days the term ‘vocation', for so long restricted to the meaning of a call to
life in the cloister, has in fact a very much wider sense. Now it is
understood, rather, as the call of God to the individual to follow a
particular path that he reveals to them.
Padre Pio and the Stigmata
Authors: Smith C. Newlyn
Published: September 2024

Several articles have appeared recently in English publications about
Padre Pio, the Italian Franciscan friar who for the last thirty-four years
has borne ‘stigmata’ in hands and feet and side, resembling the traditional
wounds of our Lord on the Cross.

Stigmata—in these days the word itself is apt to cause some raising of
scientific eyebrows; it conjures up pictures of hysterical and neurotic
girls inflicting wounds on themselves so as to be thought holy. Pious folk
are too often over-credulous; and another instance, also in a person living
today, has been under much discussion. It is necessary, therefore, to get at
the facts.

Others have written of Padre Pio's life in its setting, of his
extraordinary influence over the crowds who flock to S. Giovanni Rotondo to
see him, of his apostolate of the confessional, of the village, almost, that
has sprung up round his monastery, and the big modern hospital, now almost
completed, that has been built through his inspiration and
encouragement.
The Word Manifest
Authors: Albert S. M.
Published: September 2024

He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father; and I will
love him and will manifest myself to him.—John 14,
21.

The feast of the Nativity is the feast of the birth of the Word; his
eternal generation in the bosom of the Father, his temporal birth; and his
mystical birth in the souls of men, in which is involved their birth to
divine life.

The Christmas liturgy is at different times concerned with each of these
aspects of the Mystery.

Dominus dixit ad me. Filius meus es tu, ego hodie genui
te, is the triumphal Introit to Midnight Mass.
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Authors: Ross Anthony
Published: September 2024

A child in trouble or in disgrace goes first to its mother for comfort
and forgiveness. When in fear of its father's anger it hopes for its
mother's help in turning anger aside. It is not surprising that after a long
period of self-sufficient rationalism, in a time of widespread misery and
persecution, men should begin to show a new appreciation of their own
sinfulness and weakness and their dependence on God by turning first of all
to our Lady, God's Mother and ours. Unlike ours, her heart has never
faltered for one moment in its love of God and its love of mankind. All its
desire has been for God and the showing of his glory among men. Her heart
has never lacked courage or patience; it has been always what our hearts
should be and are not. Thinking of it we see our own shortcoming; we see,
too, a source of sympathy and help. Our Lady is the first, most perfect,
fruit of Christ's redeeming work and cooperates with him in the rescue of
sinners and the perfecting of his Church.
Early emotion regulation developmental trajectories and ADHD, internalizing, and conduct problems symptoms in childhood
Authors: Murray Aja Louise , Russell Amanda , Calderón Alfaro Francisco Antonio
Published: September 2024

Emotion dysregulation is considered a transdiagnostic factor with importance for a range of neurodevelopmental and mental health issues, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, internalizing problems, and conduct problems. Emotion regulation skills are acquired from early in life and are thought to strengthen gradually over childhood. Children, however, acquire these skills at different rates and slower acquisition may serve as a marker for neurodevelopmental and mental health issues. The current study uses the UK Millennium Cohort Study, a large longitudinal study to evaluate whether developmental trajectories of emotion regulation across ages 3, 5, and 7 predict levels of ADHD symptoms, internalizing problems, and conduct problems at age 7. Both higher initial levels of and slower reductions in emotion dysregulation across ages 3, 5, and 7 predicted higher ADHD symptoms, conduct problems, and internalizing problems at age 7 in both male and female children. Our findings suggest that monitoring trajectories of emotion regulation over development could help flag at-risk children. Additionally, supporting the acquisition of emotion regulation skills in this critical period could be a promising transdiagnostic preventive intervention.
CAPILLARY LEVELLING OF THIN LIQUID FILMS OF POWER-LAW RHEOLOGY
Authors: DALLASTON MICHAEL C.
Published: September 2024

We find solutions that describe the levelling of a thin fluid film, comprising a non-Newtonian power-law fluid, that coats a substrate and evolves under the influence of surface tension. We consider the evolution from periodic and localized initial conditions as separate cases. The particular (similarity) solutions in each of these two cases exhibit the generic property that the profiles are weakly singular (that is, higher-order derivatives do not exist) at points where the pressure gradient vanishes. Numerical simulations of the thin film equation, with either periodic or localized initial condition, are shown to approach the appropriate particular solution.
Bereavement guilt among young adults impacted by caregivers’ cancer: Associations with attachment style, experiential avoidance, and psychological flexibility
Authors: Stone Madeleine , McDonald Fiona E. J. , Kangas Maria , Sherman Kerry , Allison Kimberley R.
Published: September 2024

Objectives

This paper focuses on the experiences of bereavement guilt among young adults bereaved by a caregiver’s cancer, examining associations with attachment style, experiential avoidance, and psychological flexibility with the aim of informing psychosocial interventions for this population.

Methods

Ninety-seven young adults (18–25 years) bereaved by a parent/guardian’s cancer completed an online survey, including measures of bereavement guilt, attachment style, experiential avoidance, and psychological flexibility. Mediation analyses explored the associations between attachment style (anxious, avoidant) and bereavement guilt, and if these associations were mediated by experiential avoidance or psychological flexibility.

Results

Bereavement guilt was significantly positively associated with anxious, but not avoidant, attachment to the deceased; the relationship between anxious attachment and bereavement guilt was partially mediated by experiential avoidance. Bereavement guilt was also negatively associated with psychological flexibility and engagement with bereavement counseling.

Significance of results

Given the limited literature on cancer-related bereavement in young adulthood, this study offers important theoretical and clinical insights into factors associated with more complex aspects of grief in this population. Specifically, this work identified that anxious attachment is associated with ongoing bereavement complications in the years following the death of a caregiver to cancer, with experiential avoidance partially mediating this relationship. While further research is needed to better understand the interaction between these factors and other related constructs, such as psychological flexibility, these findings may be helpful in selecting therapeutic approaches to use with this population.