bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interaction of xanthan gums with galacto- and glucomannans. Part II: Heat induced synergistic gelation mechanism and their interaction with salt
Authors: Ghebremedhin Marta , Schreiber Christine , Zielbauer Birgitta , Dietz Natalie , Vilgis Thomas A
Published: June 2020

In this study the heat induced synergistic gelation of different hydrocolloid solutions, xanthan gum types (XG) in mixture with galactomannans like guar gum (GG), locust bean gum (LBG) and konjac glucomannan (KGM) is investigated. The physical mechanism of the synergy in thickening and gelling of blends depends on the monomer structure, the molecular weight, the charge, the polarity, and the chain stiffness of the hydrocolloids. Particularly the properties of the electrically neutral galacto- and glucomannans mixed in combination with xanthan gum strongly affect the synergistic effects. These are influenced by the number and distribution of mannan side chains and thus their flexibility. While the pure components do not show gelation on their own, they form viscoelastic solutions or even gels when mixed together and heated. In this study, rheological properties of the resulting composite gels of 0.5% (w/w) were examined under different physicochemical and thermal conditions. Focus was laid on thermally induced gels, as these gels showed higher synergistic effects compared to the non-heated ones. The gelation mechanisms were investigated by strain and temperature dependent oscillatory rheological measurements. Blends with XG-GG (20:80) showed the weakest synergism, followed by XG-LBG blends (20:80), whereas XG-KGM (60:40) blends showed the highest increase of the storage modulus. This can be explained by different local interactions in combinations with the flexibility of the various components. Furthermore, the impact of monovalent salt on the interactions was investigated. Addition of sodium chloride at 0.05% and 0.5% (w/w) concentrations influenced the gelling due to Coulomb screening of the negative charges of XG. Consequently, the synergism, in particular the storage modulus, is strongly affected by variation in salt concentration. We propose specific models based on the gel formation in case of XG-LBG and XG-KGM blends, whereas XG-GG shows an entropic phase separation due to flexibility of GG.
MXene for energy storage: present status and future perspectives
Authors: Das Pratteek , Wu Zhong-Shuai
Published: June 2020

MXene is rising as a versatile two-dimensional material (2DM) for electrochemical energy storage devices. MXene has boosted the performance of supercapacitors thanks to its pseudocapacitive charge storage mechanism with electric double layer behavior. Further, MXene has helped batteries achieve high capacity while endowing fast charge-discharge by virtue of its suitable interlayer spacing and unique chemistry. Such achievements are a result of MXene’s intrinsic properties like high electrical conductivity, defined layered structure and ability to sustain customizations, tailoring the electrodes towards a specific target. Not only that, MXene has showcased its merits by enabling supercapacitors and batteries to surpass the convention and venture into the territory of micro-supercapacitors (MSCs), hybrid capacitors and batteries beyond Li-ion. Herein, we present a topical review discussing the present status of MXene-based energy storage devices and corresponding challenges. By rational analysis, we also provide some key avenues for further research that may help overcome these shortcomings and enable this family of MXene materials attain its full potential.
Effects of Acute Alcohol Consumption on Food Intake and Pictorial Stroop Response to High-Calorie Food Cues
Authors: Adams Sally , Wijk Elise
Published: June 2020

Aims

We examined (a) the effect of an acute dose of alcohol on the consumption of energy-dense food and (b) on cognitive bias towards high-energy-dense food cues and (3) whether the effect of an acute dose of alcohol on the consumption of energy-dense food would be mediated by cognitive bias towards high-energy-dense food cues.

Methods

Heavy social drinkers (n = 40) abstained from drinking for 12 hours before testing. On the test day, participants completed pre-challenge measures of alcohol and food craving, and cognitive bias towards alcohol in a placebo-controlled, double-blind design. Participants performed post-challenge measures of alcohol and food craving, ad lib energy-dense food consumption and cognitive bias.

Results

We did not observe any of the hypothesized interactions between challenge condition, consumption of energy-dense food and cognitive bias towards high-energy-dense food cues.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that acute alcohol consumption does not influence the consumption of energy-dense food or cognitive bias towards high-energy-dense food cues. These findings may reflect that alcohol does not increase the appetitive value of food and food-related cues or that the measures used in this study were not sensitive to detect an effect. Further research is required to determine whether alcohol at higher doses and/or food cues that are frequently paired with alcohol intake stimulates changes in food intake and the reward value of food cues.
Integrative pharmacological mechanism of vitamin C combined with glycyrrhizic acid against COVID-19: findings of bioinformatics analyses
Authors: Li Rong , Wu Ka , Li Yu , Liang Xiao , Lai Keng Po , Chen Jian
Published: June 2020

Objective

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a fatal and fast-spreading viral infection. To date, the number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has crossed over six million with over three hundred and seventy thousand deaths (according to the data from World Health Organization; updated on 2 June 2020). Although COVID-19 can be rapidly diagnosed, efficient clinical treatment of COVID-19 remains unavailable, resulting in high fatality. Some clinical trials have identified vitamin C (VC) as a potent compound pneumonia management. In addition, glycyrrhizic acid (GA) is clinically as an anti-inflammatory medicine against pneumonia-induced inflammatory stress. We hypothesized that the combination of VC and GA is a potential option for treating COVID-19.

Methods

The aim of this study was to determine pharmacological targets and molecular mechanisms of VC + GA treatment for COVID-19, using bioinformational network pharmacology.

Results

We uncovered optimal targets, biological processes and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways of VC + GA against COVID-19. Our findings suggested that combinatorial VC and GA treatment for COVID-19 was associated with elevation of immunity and suppression of inflammatory stress, including activation of the T cell receptor signaling pathway, regulation of Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytosis, ErbB signaling pathway and vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway. We also identified 17 core targets of VC + GA, which suggest as antimicrobial function.

Conclusions

For the first time, our study uncovered the pharmacological mechanism underlying combined VC and GA treatment for COVID-19. These results should benefit efforts to address the most pressing problem currently facing the world.
Intragenic and structural variation in the SMN locus and clinical variability in spinal muscular atrophy
Authors: Wadman Renske I , Jansen Marc D , Stam Marloes , Wijngaarde Camiel A , Curial Chantall A D , Medic Jelena , Sodaar Peter , Schouten Jan , Vijzelaar Raymon , Lemmink Henny H , van den Berg Leonard H , Groen Ewout J N , van der Pol W Ludo
Published: June 2020

Clinical severity and treatment response vary significantly between patients with spinal muscular atrophy. The approval of therapies and the emergence of neonatal screening programmes urgently require a more detailed understanding of the genetic variants that underlie this clinical heterogeneity. We systematically investigated genetic variation other than SMN2 copy number in the SMN locus. Data were collected through our single-centre, population-based study on spinal muscular atrophy in the Netherlands, including 286 children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy Types 1–4, including 56 patients from 25 families with multiple siblings with spinal muscular atrophy. We combined multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, Sanger sequencing, multiplexed targeted resequencing and digital droplet polymerase chain reaction to determine sequence and expression variation in the SMN locus. SMN1, SMN2 and NAIP gene copy number were determined by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. SMN2 gene variant analysis was performed using Sanger sequencing and RNA expression analysis of SMN by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction. We identified SMN1–SMN2 hybrid genes in 10% of spinal muscular atrophy patients, including partial gene deletions, duplications or conversions within SMN1 and SMN2 genes. This indicates that SMN2 copies can vary structurally between patients, implicating an important novel level of genetic variability in spinal muscular atrophy. Sequence analysis revealed six exonic and four intronic SMN2 variants, which were associated with disease severity in individual cases. There are no indications that NAIP1 gene copy number or sequence variants add value in addition to SMN2 copies in predicting the clinical phenotype in individual patients with spinal muscular atrophy. Importantly, 95% of spinal muscular atrophy siblings in our study had equal SMN2 copy numbers and structural changes (e.g. hybrid genes), but 60% presented with a different spinal muscular atrophy type, indicating the likely presence of further inter- and intragenic variabilities inside as well as outside the SMN locus. SMN2 gene copies can be structurally different, resulting in inter- and intra-individual differences in the composition of SMN1 and SMN2 gene copies. This adds another layer of complexity to the genetics that underlie spinal muscular atrophy and should be considered in current genetic diagnosis and counselling practices.
An unusual case of severe myocarditis in a genetic cardiomyopathy: a case report
Authors: Popa Miruna-Andreea , Klingel Karin , Hadamitzky Martin , Deisenhofer Isabel , Hessling Gabriele
Published: June 2020

Background

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium caused by infectious pathogens, immune-mediated conditions, or toxic agents. This report explores a rare case of severe myocarditis occurring in an inherited cardiomyopathy.

Case summary

A 24-year-old female patient presented with progressing dyspnoea and chest discomfort. Echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging revealed dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with severe biventricular dysfunction [left ventricle ejection fraction (LV-EF) 10%]. Myocardial inflammation was suspected due to extensive subendocardial to transmural late gadolinium enhancement. Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) showed severe chronic lymphocytic myocarditis. As inflammatory DCM was assumed, immunosuppressive therapy with prednisolone was initiated in addition to standard heart failure therapy. Endomyocardial biopsy after 3 months showed resolving inflammation. However, a marked architectural disarray observed in all biopsies raised the suspicion of an inherited cardiomyopathy. Genetic testing revealed a de novo mutation with effect on splicing of lysosome-associated membrane protein 2, as found in Danon disease. Periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) staining confirmed a glycogen storage disorder. Immunosuppressive therapy was intensified due to reactivation of myocardial inflammation and led to improvement of LV-EF and to significant symptom relief over a 16-month follow-up period.

Discussion

This is the first report of Danon disease initially presenting as a severe myocarditis. It illustrates the clinical value of EMB for diagnosis and immunosuppressive therapy monitoring in chronic myocarditis. Increasing evidence suggests that myocardial inflammation may modify disease progression and prognosis in inherited cardiomyopathies. The causal role of cardiac protein mutations in the pathophysiology of myocarditis remains to be determined.
The pathological autopsy of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) in China: a review
Authors: Zhou Baoyong , Zhao Wei , Feng Ruixi , Zhang Xiaohui , Li Xuemei , Zhou Yang , Peng Li , Li Yixin , Zhang Jinyan , Luo Jing , Li Lingyu , Wu Jingxian , Yang Changhong , Wang Meijiao , Zhao Yong , Wang Kejian , Yu Huarong , Peng Qiling , Jiang Ning
Published: June 2020

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) that emerged in Wuhan, China, has rapidly spread to many countries across all six WHO regions. However, its pathobiology remains incompletely understood and many efforts are underway to study it worldwide. To clarify its pathogenesis to some extent, it will inevitably require lots of COVID-2019-associated pathological autopsies. Pathologists from all over the world have raised concerns with pathological autopsy relating to COVID-2019. The issue of whether a person died from COVID-2019 infection or not is always an ambiguous problem in some cases, and ongoing epidemiology from China may shed light on it. This review retrospectively summarizes the research status of pathological autopsy for COVID-2019 deaths in China, which will be important for the cause of death, prevention, control and clinical strategies of COVID-2019. Moreover, it points out several challenges at autopsy. We believe pathological studies from China enable to correlate clinical symptoms and pathological features of COVID-2019 for doctors and provide an insight into COVID-2019 disease.
Testing an individual tree wind damage risk model in a naturally regenerated balsam fir stand: potential impact of thinning on the level of risk
Authors: Duperat Marine , Gardiner Barry , Ruel Jean-Claude
Published: June 2020

Widely distributed in Quebec, balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) is highly vulnerable to wind damage. Recently, there has been a trend in forest management to increase the use of partial cuttings in naturally regenerating stands, leaving the remnant trees at increased risk of wind damage. In order to limit wind damage after partial cuttings, it is therefore important to find silvicultural practices that minimize the risk of wind damage in these fir stands. Our main objective was to find balsam fir-specific values of parameters to integrate into the wind risk model ForestGALES, in order to simulate the impact of different types of commercial thinning on wind damage risk, and to determine which practice potentially minimizes the risk in a naturally regenerated stand. An anemometer placed at canopy height and strain gauges attached to the trunks of balsam firs allowed us to measure the wind-induced bending moments experienced by a sample of balsam fir trees. This enabled the calculation of the turning moment coefficients specific to each of the trees in order to compare them with the ForestGALES model predictions and to adapt the model for balsam fir stands. The model was tested first with only tree diameter and height as input variables to calculate the turning moment coefficient, then with the addition of a competition index, and finally with the addition of crown dimensions. Wind climate parameters for prediction of the probability of damage were calculated using the Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program airflow model. The model with the highest accuracy was then used to simulate two types of thinning and determine the impact on wind damage risk for each tree in the stand. According to the model’s predictions, thinning from below has a reduced risk of wind damage compared with thinning from above.
Adhesion and Running Speed of a Tropical Arboreal Ant (Cephalotes atratus) on Rough, Narrow, and Inclined Substrates
Authors: Stark Alyssa Y , Yanoviak Stephen P
Published: June 2020

Synopsis

Arboreal ants must navigate variably sized and inclined linear structures across a range of substrate roughness when foraging tens of meters above the ground. To achieve this, arboreal ants use specialized adhesive pads and claws to maintain effective attachment to canopy substrates. Here, we explored the effect of substrate structure, including small and large-scale substrate roughness, substrate diameter, and substrate orientation (inclination), on adhesion and running speed of workers of one common, intermediately-sized, arboreal ant species. Normal (orthogonal) and shear (parallel) adhesive performance varied on sandpaper and natural leaf substrates, particularly at small size scales, but running speed on these substrates remained relatively constant. Running speed also varied minimally when running up and down inclined substrates, except when the substrate was positioned completely vertical. On vertical surfaces, ants ran significantly faster down than up. Ant running speed was slower on relatively narrow substrates. The results of this study show that variation in the physical properties of tree surfaces differentially affects arboreal ant adhesive and locomotor performance. Specifically, locomotor performance was much more robust to surface roughness than was adhesive performance. The results provide a basis for understanding how performance correlates of functional morphology contribute to determining local ant distributions and foraging decisions in the tropical rainforest canopy.
Integrable Evolutions of Twisted Polygons in Centro-Affine ℝm
Authors: Beffa Gloria Marí , Calini Annalisa
Published: June 2020

We show that discrete $W_m$ lattices are bi-Hamiltonian, using geometric realizations of discretizations of the Adler–Gel’fand–Dikii flows as local evolutions of arc length-parametrized polygons in centro-affine space. We prove the compatibility of two known Hamiltonian structures defined on the space of geometric invariants by lifting them to a pair of pre-symplectic forms on the space of arc length parametrized polygons. The simplicity of the expressions of the pre-symplectic forms makes the proof of compatibility straightforward. We also study their kernels and possible integrable systems associated to the pair.
Association of altitude and urbanization with hypertension and obesity: analysis of the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016
Authors: Mehata Suresh , Shrestha Nipun , Ghimire Saruna , Atkins Emily , Karki Deepak Kumar , Mishra Shiva Raj
Published: June 2020

Background

Nepal's Himalayan range attracts mountaineers, climbers and tourists from all across the globe. Limited recent evidence suggests that exposure to hypoxia at a higher altitude may be a risk factor for hypertension and a protective factor for obesity. The existing urban–rural disparities in Nepal in health and economic resources may be anticipated in the burden of hypertension and obesity, two rapidly growing public health issues, but they remain largely unstudied. Therefore this study aims to assess the association of altitude and urbanization with hypertension and overweight/obesity in Nepal.

Methods

Data on 10 473 participants from a nationally representative survey, the 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), was used. The NDHS assessed/measured blood pressure, height, weight, urbanization and the altitude of participants’ households by following standard procedures. Logistic and linear regression models were used to study the association of altitude (per 100 m increases) and urbanization with hypertension and obesity, or their continuous measurements (i.e. systolic and diastolic blood pressure [SBP and DBP, respectively] and body mass index [BMI]).

Results

The prevalence of hypertension, overweight and obesity was 25.6%, 19.6% and 4.8%, respectively. After controlling for covariates, residents of metropolitan cities had a 30% higher prevalence of overweight/obesity (adjusted prevalence ratio 1.30 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.11 to 1.52]) than their rural counterparts. For altitude, there was a marginally increased odds of hypertension and overweight/obesity with elevation. Consistently, DBP (β = 0.18 [95% CI 0.09 to 0.27]) and BMI increased with altitude (β = 0.11 [95% CI 0.08 to 0.13]).

Conclusion

Urbanization was positively associated with BMI, while altitude showed a marginally positive association with hypertension and overweight/obesity. Given the role of obesity and hypertension in the aetiology of other chronic diseases and subsequently associated mortality and health care costs, residents in urban areas and at higher altitudes may benefit from weight control interventions and BP monitoring, respectively.
The Struggle for Minds and Influence: The Chinese Communist Party's Global Outreach
Authors: Hackenesch Christine , Bader Julia
Published: June 2020

This paper addresses a largely overlooked actor in China's foreign relations, the International Department of the Communist Party of China (ID-CPC). Using publicly available documentation, we systematically analyze the patterns of the CPC's external relations since the early 2000s. Building on an intense travel diplomacy, the ID-CPC maintains a widely stretched network to political elites across the globe. The ID-CPC's engagement is not new; but since Xi Jinping took office, the CPC has bolstered its efforts to reach out to other parties. We find that party relations not only serve as an additional channel to advance China's foreign policy interests. Since President Xi has come to power, party relations also emerged as a key instrument to promote China's vision for reforming the global order. Moreover, China increasingly uses the party channel as a vehicle of authoritarian learning by sharing experiences of its economic modernization and authoritarian one-party regime. The cross-regional analysis of the CPC's engagement with other parties helps us to better understand the role of the CPC in Chinese foreign policy-making, pointing to a new research agenda at the intersection of China's foreign relations, authoritarian diffusion, and transnational relations.
Results From an Evidenced-Based Curriculum Design With Innovative Simulators to Prepare Providers in Caring for Those With Burn Injuries
Authors: Craig Christopher K , Johnson James E , Holmes James H , Kahn Steven A , Carter Jeffery E
Published: June 2020

Burn care and medical education have undergone dramatic changes. Trauma has over seven courses covering fundamentals, whereas burns has one. Our goal was to develop a course to meet the needs of healthcare professionals requiring more advanced burn management training. A survey was distributed to burn physicians, nurses, therapists, administrators, and survivors, to assess the perceived proficiency of those managing adult and pediatric patients. Procedure simulators were developed, and a course was designed and delivered. An after-course survey of participants captured how this course filled identified knowledge gaps. A total of 188 initial surveys were sent to individuals involved in burn care. A diverse pool of 109 individuals participated (58% response rate). Survey results by providers demonstrated the lowest self-rated proficiency scores at managing large pediatric burns and frostbite. Nonphysicians reported low proficiency in developing wound treatment algorithms, performing escharotomies, and aftercare/reintegration. Following rigorous curriculum development, the course was conducted, and after-course surveys noted students’ improved understanding of managing burn injuries, ability to troubleshoot, confidence to manage patients, and their recommending the course to a peer. Providing quality care beyond the initial assessment and stabilization of a burn-injured patient requires additional skills and knowledge. Providers that are uncomfortable or challenged in providing this care may benefit from additional training. Initial data show that a course, such as this one, provides the education necessary to fill the most commonly reported gaps in knowledge and skills. Further work is being invested to develop disaster management skills, assessment components, and further determine course validity
Ambiguity, Monetary Policy and Trend Inflation
Authors: Masolo Riccardo M , Monti Francesca
Published: June 2020

Allowing for ambiguity about the behavior of the policymaker in a simple New-Keynesian model gives rise to wedges between long-run inflation expectations, trend inflation, and the inflation target. The degree of ambiguity we measure in Blue Chip survey data helps explain the dynamics of long-run inflation expectations and the inflation trend measured in the US data. Ambiguity also has implications for monetary policy. We show that it is optimal for policymakers to lean against the households’ pessimistic expectations, but also document the limits to the extent the adverse effects of ambiguity can be undone.
Cumulative cigarette tar exposure and lung cancer risk among Japanese smokers
Authors: Shimatani Keiichi , Ito Hidemi , Matsuo Keitaro , Tajima Kazuo , Takezaki Toshiro
Published: June 2020

Objective

Tar concentration in cigarette brands is chronologically decreasing in the USA and Japan. However, studies investigating lung cancer risk with cumulative tar exposure in Western and Asian countries are insufficient. To investigate the risk of lung cancer with cumulative cigarette tar exposure, we conducted a case-control study among Japanese current smokers.

Methods

This study used data from the US-Japan lung cancer joint study in 1993–1998. A total of 282 subjects with histologically confirmed lung cancer and 162 hospital and 227 community controls were included in the study, and two control groups were combined. The information regarding tar concentration was obtained from the published documents and additional estimation using the equation of regression. Cumulative tar concentration was calculated by multiplying the annual value of brand-specific tar concentration by years of smoking. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for lung cancer with cumulative tar exposure were estimated using a logistic model.

Results

The odds ratios for lung cancer with both lower (1–59.8 × 105 mg) and higher (>59.8 × 105 mg) total cumulative tar exposure were statistically significant (3.81, 2.23–6.50 and 11.64, 6.56–20.67, respectively) with increasing trend (P < 0.001). The stratification analysis showed higher odds ratios in subjects with higher cumulative tar exposure regardless of inhalation, duration of smoking filtered cigarettes and histological type.

Conclusions

This study showed that cumulative tar exposure is a dose-dependent indicator for lung cancer risk, and low-tar exposure was still associated with increased cancer risk.
Increasing access to care: telehealth during COVID-19
Authors: Hoffman David A
Published: June 2020

Abstract1

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency has amplified both the potential value and the challenges with healthcare providers deploying telehealth solutions. As people across the country find ways to stay at home, telehealth preserves an opportunity to obtain necessary healthcare services. Further, telehealth can help individuals avoid COVID-19 infection, free up hospital beds and other resources for those patients most in need, and prevent infected individuals from spreading that infection. Federal and state regulators have recognized this potential of telehealth and have quickly changed a variety of laws and regulations to enable healthcare providers to deploy solutions quickly. These changes can provide lasting benefits for the use of telehealth well after the current crisis. However, to best realize telehealth’s benefits, further legal and regulatory actions are necessary. Specifically, lawmakers and regulators should focus on six areas: reimbursement, privacy/cybersecurity, liability, licensure, technology access, and artificial intelligence.
Street-level bureaucrats under new managerialism: a comparative study of agency cultures and caseworker role identities in two welfare state bureaucracies
Authors: Jacobsson Kerstin , Wallinder Ylva , Seing Ida
Published: June 2020

Officials in welfare state bureaucracies face the challenge of negotiating their role identities in the context of changeable organizational priorities and managerial styles. Previous studies have found that the professional values may mediate top-down demands and enable the preservation of professional autonomy also under public management reforms. But how do street-level bureaucrats who lack a common professional or occupational training respond to shifting organizational demands? Based on comparative ethnography, the present article investigates how caseworkers’ role identities are conceived and practised in two of the largest state bureaucracies in Sweden, the Social Insurance Agency (SIA) and the Public Employment Service (PES). The article identifies two radically different agency cultures, resulting in rather opposite caseworker role identities. These role identities affect how front-line staff respond to organizational demands, either by focusing externally on client-related outcomes (PES) or internally on organizational output (SIA). The analysis suggests that agency culture may shape caseworker responses to governance in patterned ways, also in the absence of joint professional training or strong occupational communities.
Repeated Noise Exposure Does Not Reach Hazardous Levels During Total Joint Arthroplasty
Authors: Slaven Sean E , Wheatley Benjamin M , Christensen Daniel L , Saxena Sameer K , McGill Robert J
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Noise exposure is an occupational health concern for certain professions, especially military servicemembers and those using power tools on a regular basis. The purpose of this study was to quantify noise exposure during total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) cases compared to the recommended standard for occupational noise exposure.

Materials and Methods

A sound level meter was used to record cumulative and peak noise exposure levels in 10 primary THA and 10 primary TKA surgeries, as well as 10 arthroscopy cases as controls. Measurements at the distance of the surgeon were taken in all cases. In TKA cases, measurements were taken at 3 feet and 8 feet from the surgeon, to simulate the position of the anesthetist and circulating nurse, respectively.

Results

Time-weighted average was significantly higher in THA (64.7 ± 5.2 dB) and TKA (64.5 ± 6.8 dB) as compared to arthroscopic cases (51.1 ± 7.5 dB, P < 0.001) and higher at the distance of the surgeon (64.5 ± 6.8 dB) compared to the anesthetist (52.9 ± 3.8 dB) and the circulating nurse (54.8 ± 11.2 dB, P = 0.006). However, time-weighted average was below the recommended exposure level of 85 dB for all arthroplasty cases. Peak levels did not differ significantly between surgery type or staff role, and no values above the ceiling limit of 140 dB were recorded. Surgeon’s daily noise dose percentage per case was 1.78% for THA and 2.04% for TKA.

Conclusion

Noise exposure in THA and TKA was higher than arthroscopic cases but did not exceed occupational standards. A daily dose percentage of approximately 2% per case indicates that repeated noise exposure likely does not reach hazardous levels in modern arthroplasty practice.
Strategic Orthopedic Evacuations to the Spanish Role 4 During a Decade (2009–2018)
Authors: Cañas Rafael García , Suay Ricardo Navarro , Moro Carlos Rodríguez , Martín Daniel Aedo , Bariaín Rafael Tamburri , Jiménez Javier Areta
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Casualty evacuation is a key point in medical support to military operations, sometimes being necessary to transfer them to National Territory for a definitive diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this work is to analyze the patients evacuated from Areas of Operations to the Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Unit of the Spanish Role 4 Medical Treatment Facility in the last 10 years.

Material and Methods

A cross-sectional, descriptive, and retrospective study carried out in the period between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2018. The study population was all personnel evacuated from the Area of Operations to Spanish Role 4. For categorical variables, absolute and relative percent frequencies were used. Spanish military authorization was obtained to perform this study. This study has been approved by the Ethics and Clinical Research Committee of the Defense Central Hospital “Gómez Ulla” (code 12/17).

Results

A total of 520 medical evacuations have been performed on Role 4, of which 227 were on the Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Unit. Seven percent of the evacuees were categorized as “combat” casualties. The areas of operations from which more patients have been evacuated were Afghanistan and Lebanon, 30.39% and 19.38%, respectively. The most frequent lesion pattern was the fracture affecting the extremities. Accidents (n = 98, 43.17%) and sport (n = 57; 25.3%) were the main causes of injury. Sixty-seven (29.51%) patients were treated surgically in Role 4. No deaths were recorded among patients in this series.

Conclusion

Evacuations because of trauma cause more than half of the medical repatriations carried out on the National Territory, of which the majority are due to fractures affecting the limbs, especially the bones of the hand. Sport was the first preventable cause of injury among evacuated patients. Our results are similar to the experience obtained by other allied armed forces. It is a moral imperative and a fundamental necessity for the Spanish military medical services to promote and maintain the Spanish Role 4 Medical Treatment Facility as an indispensable element in medical support for international missions.
Study on the escape timescale of high-energy particles from supernova remnants through thermal X-ray properties
Authors: Suzuki Hiromasa , Bamba Aya , Yamazaki Ryo , Ohira Yutaka
Published: June 2020

In the current decade, GeV/TeV gamma-ray observations of several supernova remnants (SNRs) have implied that accelerated particles are escaping from their acceleration sites. However, when and how they escape from the SNR vicinities are yet to be understood. Recent studies have suggested that the particle escape might develop with thermal plasma ages of the SNRs. We present a systematic study on the time evolution of particle escape using thermal X-ray properties and gamma-ray spectra using 38 SNRs associated with GeV/TeV gamma-ray emissions. We conducted spectral fittings on the gamma-ray spectra using exponential cutoff power-law and broken power-law models to estimate the exponential cutoff or the break energies, both of which are indicators of particle escape. Plots of the gamma-ray cutoff/break energies over the plasma ages show similar tendencies to those predicted by analytical/numerical calculations of particle escape under conditions in which a shock is interacting with thin interstellar medium or clouds. The particle escape timescale is estimated as ∼100 kyr from the decreasing trends of the total energy of the confined protons with the plasma age. The large dispersions of the cutoff/break energies in the data may suggest an intrinsic variety of particle escape environments. This might be the cause of the complicated Galactic cosmic ray spectral shape measured on Earth.
The Consequences of Personality Biases in Online Panels for Measuring Public Opinion
Authors: Valentino Nicholas A. , Zhirkov Kirill , Hillygus D. Sunshine , Guay Brian
Published: June 2020

Online surveys, particularly those that draw samples from online panels of experienced respondents, now comprise a large segment of the academic and commercial opinion research markets due to their low cost and flexibility. A growing literature examines the implications of online surveys for data quality, most commonly by comparing demographic and political characteristics of different samples. In this paper, we explore the possibility that personality may differentially influence the likelihood of participation in online and face-to-face surveys. We argue that individuals high in extraversion and openness to experience may be underrepresented, and those low in these traits overrepresented, in professionalized online panels given the solitary nature of repeated survey-taking. Since openness to experience in particular is associated with liberal policy positions, differences in this trait may bias estimates of public opinion derived from professionalized online panels. Using data from the 2012 and 2016 dual-mode American National Election Studies, we compare political preferences and personality traits across parallel face-to-face and online samples. Respondents in the online samples were, on average, less open to experience and more politically conservative on a variety of issues compared to their face-to-face counterparts. This was true especially in 2012, when online respondents were drawn from a large panel of experienced respondents. We also find openness to be negatively related to the number of surveys completed by these respondents. These results suggest that reliance on professionalized survey respondents, who comprise the vast majority of online survey samples, can bias estimates of many quantities of interest.
Neurophysiological Correlate of Emotion Regulation by Cognitive Reappraisal and Its Association With Psychotic Symptoms in Early Psychosis
Authors: Kim Minah , Hwang Wu Jeong , Park Jihye , Kim Taekwan , Oh Sanghoon , Kwon Jun Soo
Published: June 2020

Background

Emotion dysregulation is crucial to both poor social functioning and psychotic symptom formation in patients with schizophrenia. The efficient use of emotion regulation strategies, such as cognitive reappraisal, has been less frequently observed in the early phases of psychotic disorder. It is unknown whether neurophysiological responses related to emotion regulation by cognitive reappraisal are altered in early psychosis.

Methods

Fifty-four patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP), 34 subjects at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis, and 30 healthy controls (HCs) participated in event-related potential recordings during a validated emotion regulation paradigm to measure the effect of cognitive reappraisal on emotion regulation. Late positive potentials (LPPs), which reflect emotional arousal, were compared across the groups and the 3 conditions (negative, cognitive reappraisal, and neutral). The relationship among LPP modulation by cognitive reappraisal and social/role functioning and severity of psychotic symptoms was investigated in the early psychosis group.

Results

The FEP and CHR participants showed comparably larger LPP amplitudes in the negative and cognitive reappraisal conditions than in the neutral condition, whereas the HCs presented larger LPPs in the negative condition than in the cognitive reappraisal and neutral conditions. LPP modulation by cognitive reappraisal was negatively correlated with positive symptom severity in the FEP patients and with disorganization severity in the CHR subjects.

Conclusions

Inefficient use of cognitive reappraisal may be related to the impaired emotion regulation and psychotic symptoms from the very beginning of psychotic disorder. This study provides the first neurophysiological evidence regarding current concepts of emotion regulation in early psychosis.
Deficits in Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase 67 Immunoreactivity, Parvalbumin Interneurons, and Perineuronal Nets in the Inferior Colliculus of Subjects With Schizophrenia
Authors: Kilonzo Victor W , Sweet Robert A , Glausier Jill R , Pitts Matthew W
Published: June 2020

Aberrant processing of auditory stimuli is a prominent feature of schizophrenia (SZ). Prior studies have chronicled histological abnormalities in the auditory cortex of SZ subjects, but whether deficits exist at upstream, subcortical levels has yet to be established. En route to the auditory cortex, ascending information is integrated in the inferior colliculus (IC), a highly gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) ergic midbrain structure that is critically involved in auditory processing. The IC contains a dense population of parvalbumin-immunoreactive interneurons (PVIs), a cell type characterized by increased metabolic demands and enhanced vulnerability to oxidative stress. During development, PVIs are preferentially surrounded by perineuronal nets (PNNs), specialized extracellular matrix structures that promote redox homeostasis and excitatory/inhibitory balance. Moreover, in SZ, deficits in PVIs, PNNs, and the GABA synthesizing enzyme, glutamic acid decarboxylase (Gad67), have been extensively documented in cortical regions. Yet, whether similar impairments exist in the IC is currently unknown. Thus, we compared IC samples of age- and sex-matched pairs of SZ and unaffected control subjects. SZ subjects exhibited lower levels of Gad67 immunoreactivity and a decreased density of PVIs and PNNs within the IC. These findings provide the first histological evidence of IC GABAergic abnormalities in SZ and suggest that SZ-related auditory dysfunction may stem, in part, from altered IC inhibitory tone.
Pocketbook policing: How race shapes municipal reliance on punitive fines and fees in the Chicago suburbs
Authors: Pacewicz Josh , Robinson John N
Published: June 2020

This article investigates a trend in the Chicago region that defies conventional accounts of municipal politics and revenue-motivated policing: since the Great Recession, higher-income black suburbs have sharply increased collection of legal fines and fees. To explain this, we draw on a study of municipal officials to develop a racialization of municipal opportunity perspective, which highlights how racial segregation in the suburbs intersects with policies that encourage competition over tax revenue to produce fiscal inequalities that fall along racial lines. Officials across the region shared views about ‘good’ revenues like sales taxes paid mostly by nonresidents, but those in black suburbs were unable to access them and instead turned to ‘bad’ revenues like legal fines to manage fiscal crises—even where residents were fairly affluent and despite the absence of discriminatory intent at the local level. These findings invite inquiry into the racially uneven consequences of seemingly colorblind municipal fiscal practices in the USA and the distributional consequences of municipal governance in other national contexts.
Colonization of the ancient southern oceans by small-sized Phocidae: new evidence from Australia
Authors: Rule James P , Adams Justin W , Fitzgerald Erich M G
Published: June 2020

Most of the diversity of extant southern true seals (Phocidae: Monachinae) is present in the Southern Ocean, but a poor fossil record means that the origin of this fauna remains unknown. Australia represents a large gap in the record bordering the Southern Ocean that could possibly inform on the origins of the extant Antarctic monachines, with most known fossils remaining undescribed. Here we describe the oldest Australian fossil pinniped assemblage, from the Late Miocene to the Early Pliocene of Beaumaris. Two fossils are referrable to Pinnipedia, five (possibly six) to Phocidae and a humerus is referrable to Monachinae. The humerus is not referrable to any extant tribe, potentially representing an archaic monachine. The description of this assemblage is consistent with the Neogene pinniped fauna of Australia being exclusively monachine before the arrival of otariids (fur seals and sea lions). The Beaumaris humerus, along with other Neogene phocids from the Southern Ocean margins, were smaller than their extant Antarctic relatives, possibly driven by longer food chains with less energy efficiency between trophic levels. This suggests that small archaic phocids potentially used the Southern Ocean as a means of dispersal before the arrival of extant Antarctic monachines.
Walking While Dialyzing: A Retrospective Observation of Early Mobility and Ambulation for Patients on Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy
Authors: Bento Haley A. , Dummer Danica , Lohse Bryan D. , Noren Christopher , Tonna Joseph E.
Published: June 2020

Objectives:

To describe the practice of physical therapy for patients requiring continuous renal replacement therapy and assess data related to the safety and feasibility of physical therapy interventions.

Design:

A retrospective observational cohort study.

Patients:

Surgical and cardiovascular patients receiving continuous renal replacement therapy during a 2-year period from December 2016 to November 2018.

Setting:

Two ICUs at a single academic medical center.

Intervention:

Physical mobility and ambulation while on continuous renal replacement therapy.

Measurements and Main Results:

Therapy data including ICU Mobility Scale score, number of physical therapy sessions with and without ambulation and gait distance, along with safety data including filter life, safety events, and mortality were analyzed. The cohort of patients receiving continuous renal replacement therapy during the 2-year period was 206. Of these, 172 (83.49%) received simultaneous physical therapy. The median ICU Mobility Scale was 5 (interquartile range, 4–7) over a total of 1,517 physical therapy sessions. Ambulation with concomitant continuous renal replacement therapy connected was achieved in 78 patients (37.86%). There were 377 ambulation sessions (24.85% of all sessions) with a mean of 4.83 (sds 4.94) ambulation sessions per ambulatory patient. Patients walked an average of 888.53 feet (sd 1,365.50) while on continuous renal replacement therapy and a daily average of 150.61 feet (sd 133.50). In-hospital mortality was lowest for patients who ambulated (17.95%) and highest for patients who received no therapy (73.53%). Continuous renal replacement therapy filter life was longest for patients who ambulated (2,047.20 min [sd 1,086.50 min]), and shortest in patients who received no therapy (1,682.20 min [sd 1,343.80 min]). One safety event was reported during this time (0.0007% of all physical therapy sessions).

Conclusions:

Ambulation while on continuous renal replacement therapy was not associated with an increased risk of safety events and was feasible with the use of nonfemoral catheters and dialysis equipment with internal batteries.
Vascular endothelial growth factor/semaphorin-3A ratio and SEMA3A expression in cutaneous malignant melanoma
Authors: Lucarini Guendalina , Simonetti Oriana , Lazzarini Raffaella , Giantomassi Federica , Goteri Gaia , Offidani Annamaria
Published: June 2020

Breslow thickness and Clark level are still important factors for cutaneous melanoma, but do not provide a precise prognosis in all cases. It is necessary to find new factors capable of a more accurate prediction of the tumor course. Angiogenesis is essential for tumor development and progression and is regulated by vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and semaphorins (SEMA), in particular, SEMA3A inhibits angiogenesis by affecting VEGF signaling. However, the prognostic role of angiogenetic factors remains unclear. To date, no information is available on SEMA3A in human melanoma. Microvessel density, immunohistochemical and mRNA VEGF and SEMA3A expression level in 60 thin (Breslow thickness ≤ 1.0 mm), 60 intermediate (1.1–4.0 mm) and 50 thick (>4.0 mm) primary human cutaneous melanomas were investigated and related to clinical/pathological parameters and disease-specific survival. No positive association between Breslow thickness, Clark level, metastasis presence and survival was identified; Clark level was poorly related to survival. VEGF and microvessel density were significantly higher in intermediate and thick melanomas and related to Breslow thickness and Clark level but not to metastasis status and survival. On the contrary, SEMA3A was significantly reduced in intermediate and thick melanomas and associated to metastasis and poor survival. VEGF/SEMA3A ratio was higher in the worst prognosis, resulting the most closely related factor with metastasis and survival. SEMA3A expression and VEGF/SEMA3A ratio turned out to be valuable prognostic biomarkers in patients affected by cutaneous melanoma, in particular with Breslow thickness >1 mm. SEMA3A might serve as a candidate tumor suppressor in cutaneous melanoma therapy.