bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New or little-known Neotropical Dolichopodidae (Diptera) (II): genus Hercostomus Loew excluded from the Neotropics
Authors: SOARES MATHEUS M. M. , CAPELLARI RENATO S. , ALE-ROCHA ROSALY
Published: March 2023

The Neotropical species of Hercostomus Loew are revised and the following new combinations are proposed: Paraclius panamensis (Van Duzee, 1931) comb. nov. (Panama), P. plumitarsis (Parent, 1931) comb. nov. (Bolivia), P. problematicus (Parent, 1930) comb. nov. (Brazil and Guyana) and Tachytrechus flavimanus (Van Duzee, 1934) comb. nov. (Brazil, Ecuador and Guyana). The type of Hercostomus petulans Parent, 1939 is lost, the species cannot be confidently identified and is here treated as a nomen dubium. As a result, the genus Hercostomus is formally excluded from the Neotropical Region. Paraclius problematicus comb. nov., P. latipes (Aldrich) and Tachytrechus flavimanus comb. nov. are redescribed based on additional material and photographs of type specimens. In addition, Paraclius maculipennis (Van Duzee, 1934) is regarded as a junior synonym of P. problematicus comb. nov. A new species of Paraclius from Costa Rica, P. norrbomi sp. nov. is described in the newly proposed latipes-group, along with P. aberrans Robinson, P. latipes and P. panamensis comb. nov.
Direct Radiative Effects of Aerosols on Numerical Weather Forecasts—A Comparison of Two Aerosol Datasets in the NCEP GFS
Authors: Cheng Anning , Yang Fanglin
Published: March 2023

This study compares aerosol direct radiative effects on numerical weather forecasts made by the NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS) with two different aerosol datasets, the Optical Properties of Aerosols and Clouds (OPAC) and MERRA-2 aerosol climatologies. The underestimation of aerosol optical depth (AOD) by OPAC over northwest Africa, central to East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Southeast Asia, and the Indo-Gangetic Plain, and overestimation in the storm-track regions in both hemispheres are reduced by MERRA-2. Surface downward shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) fluxes and the top-of-the-atmosphere SW and outgoing LW fluxes from model forecasts are compared with CERES satellite observations. Forecasts made with OPAC aerosols have large radiative flux biases, especially in northwest Africa and the storm-track regions. These biases are also reduced in the forecasts made with MERRA-2 aerosols. The improvements from MERRA-2 are most noticeable in the surface downward SW fluxes. GFS medium-range weather forecasts made with the MERRA-2 aerosols demonstrated slightly improved forecast accuracy of sea level pressure and precipitation over the Indian and East Asian summer monsoon region. A stronger Africa easterly jet is produced, associated with a low pressure over the east Atlantic Ocean and west of northwest Africa. Impacts on large-scale skill scores such as 500-hPa geopotential height anomaly correlation are generally positive in the Northern Hemisphere and the Pacific and North American regions in both the winter and summer seasons.
Clustering Technique Suitable for Eulerian Framework to Generate Multiple Scenarios from Ensemble Forecasts
Authors: Ono Kosuke
Published: March 2023

In operational weather forecasting, it is effective to aggregate information on all members of an ensemble forecast through cluster analysis. The temporal coherence of ensemble members in each cluster is an important piece of information about the robustness of the forecast scenario given by clusters. This information is especially important for forecasts for which the target area is a city or prefecture, that is, an Eulerian framework, because the members that compose each cluster can change over time because of the small size of the target area. This study provided the temporal coherence of members in clusters by performing principal component analysis and cluster analysis on 3-hourly 500-hPa geopotential height forecasts and linking the clustering results in the time direction. The new method provided a consistently well-divided forecast scenario throughout the forecast period for Eulerian frame forecasts, as well as information on the temporal coherency of the members in the clusters, which was demonstrated to be effective through the experiment to preselect a cluster with small errors. The application of the new technique to improve precipitation forecasts was also discussed.

Significance Statement

Numerical weather forecasts always contain errors. Although the uncertainty of such forecasts cannot be obtained from the forecast itself, ensemble forecasts, which are aggregates of many forecasts, can be used to estimate the uncertainty of the forecast. In this study, a new method was developed to transfer the information contained in many ensemble forecasts into four forecasts by cluster analysis and to provide forecast information suitable for a small forecasting area such as a prefecture. The use of this method for improving precipitation forecasts was also examined.
Aortic Injury From High-Speed Deceleration Against a Lap Belt in a 10-year-Old
Authors: Vines Katie , Ward Mark , Butts Charles , Capasso Thomas , Bright Andrew , Lee Yann-Leei , Polite Nathan , Kinnard Christopher , Simmons Jon , Maltese Carl , Williams Ashley , Mbaka Maryann
Published: March 2023

Traumatic aortic injuries in children and adolescents are rare, and even more rare are blunt traumatic injury to the abdominal aorta in this population. Therefore, there are few reports discussing the presentation and repair of such injuries, especially within the pediatric population. We report the successful repair of traumatic abdominal aortic transection in a 10-year-old female after a high speed MVC. She arrived in extremis with a seatbelt sign and was taken emergently for damage control laparotomy with subsequent postoperative CT findings of aortic transection/dissection at L3 with active extravasation. She immediately underwent open thrombectomy of the bilateral iliac arteries, and repair of her aortic injury with a 12 × 7 mm Hemashield interposition graft extending just distal to the IMA and 1 cm proximal to the aortic bifurcation. There are little data regarding long-term outcomes of pediatric patients undergoing different aortic repair techniques, and further research is needed.
Quantification of Elevated Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) Concentration Typical in a Residential Fire Environment Using Mid-IR Tunable Diode Laser
Authors: Ghanekar Shruti , Horn Gavin P. , Kesler Richard M. , Rajasegar Rajavasanth , Yoo Jihyung , Lee Tonghun
Published: March 2023

A versatile portable tunable diode laser based measurement system for measuring elevated concentrations of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in a time-resolved manner is developed for application in the fire environment. The direct absorption tunable diode laser spectroscopy (DA-TDLAS) technique is employed using the R11 absorption line centered at 3345.3 cm−1 (2989.27 nm) in the fundamental C–H stretching band (ν1) of the HCN absorption spectrum. The measurement system is validated using calibration gas of known HCN concentration and the relative uncertainty in measurement of HCN concentration is 4.1% at 1500 ppm. HCN concentration is measured with a sampling frequency of 1 Hz, in gas sampled from 1.5 m, 0.9 m, and 0.3 m heights in the Fireground Exposure Simulator (FES) prop at the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute, Champaign, Illinois. The immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH) concentration of 50 parts per million (ppm) is exceeded at all the three sampling heights. A maximum concentration of 295 ppm is measured at the 1.5 m height. The HCN measurement system, expanded to measure HCN simultaneously from two sampling locations, is then deployed in two full-scale experiments designed to simulate a realistic residential fire environment at the Delaware County Emergency Services Training Center, Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania.
Blocked or Unlocked: Recognizing the Benefits and Challenges of Digital Literacy Storytelling Projects
Authors: Vice Tasha A. , Pittman Ramona T. , Warnick Erika M.
Published: March 2023

Increasingly, national standards require K-12 students to develop digital literacy practices. In literacy, teachers’ use of digital media platforms has unrecognized potential to impact students’ literacy engagement. Moreover, students gain English Language Arts skills and knowledge of the writing process when completing digital literacy storytelling projects. This study records the preparedness and willingness of participants in a graduate-level teaching English Language Arts to implement digital literacy storytelling projects in K-12 settings. Results indicate that some participants unlocked the possibilities of using the Digital Literacy. Storytelling Project as a learning tool for English Language Arts, while others remained blocked to the potential for the Digital Literacy Storytelling Project due to their challenges with technology. The study highlights the implications of supporting the digital development of K-12 teachers.
Toward an Expanded Taxonomy of Happiness: A Conceptual Analysis of 16 Distinct Forms of Mental Wellbeing
Authors: Lomas Tim , VanderWeele Tyler J.
Published: March 2023

Recent decades have seen a surge of scientific interest in happiness. However, its theoretical conceptualization is a work in progress. Much of the literature focuses on two main forms: hedonic (encompassing life satisfaction and positive affect) and eudaimonic (encompassing phenomena such as character development and meaning in life). However, this binary has been critiqued as being incomplete, in part because it reflects a Western-centric perspective that overlooks forms emphasized in non-Western cultures. As a result, scholars have begun to highlight other forms besides hedonia and eudaimonia. This article surveys the literature to identify 16 potential forms in total, classified according to whether they primarily pertain to feelings (hedonic, contented, mature, chaironic, and vital), thought (evaluative, meaningful, intellective, aesthetic, and absorbed) or action (eudaimonic, masterful, accomplished, harmonic, nirvanic, and relational). This article thus offers a more expansive, albeit still just provisional, taxonomy of this vital and still-evolving topic.
The Relationship Between Intolerance of Uncertainty and Spiritual Well-Being Levels of COVID-19 Among Elderly: A Cross Sectional and Correlational Study
Authors: Akgün Şahin Zümrüt , Deniz Muhammed , Akça Duygu , Uymaz Aras Gülistan , Doğan Sedat
Published: March 2023

The aim of this research is to relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and spiritual well-being levels during Covid-19 among elderly. This study was conducted with cross-sectional and corrational design. The research was conducted between January and June 2021 in Turkey’s Eastern Anatolia Region. Introductory Information Form, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Short Form (IUS), and Spirituality Index of Well-Being (SIWB) were used to collect data. The research was completed with 302 volunteers who met the following inclusion criteria. All participants belong to the Muslims. A negative significant correlation was found between IUS and SIWB; that is as the spirituality of the elderly individuals increased, the levels of intolerance of uncertainty decreased. It is recommended to identify the fears and intolerances of elderly individuals. For uncertainty, it is necessary to refine their spirituality. For this, it is recommended to organize spiritual education programs.
Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Local Public Health Workers in New York State
Authors: Lasher Emily G. , Seale Elizabeth , Fulkerson Gregory M. , Ravenhall Sarah , Thomas Alexander R. , Gadomski Anne M.
Published: March 2023

Objective:

Understanding the challenges public health workers have faced is critical to reinforcing, revitalizing, and strengthening the public health workforce. We measured and identified the level and causes of psychological distress among public health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York State.

Methods:

We used a knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors survey to ask public health workers at local health departments about their experiences working in public health during the pandemic, including questions relating to harassment from the public, workload, and work/life balance. We used the Kessler-6 scale to measure participants’ psychological distress using a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater psychological distress. We calculated descriptive statistics and conducted a regression analysis to determine the factors associated with public health worker psychological distress, and we coded open-ended comments for qualitative analysis.

Results:

During September 7-20, 2021, 231 public health workers from 38 local health departments completed the survey. Respondents were predominantly non-Hispanic White (89.6%), female (82.1%), full-time employees (95.1%), and located in Upstate New York. On a bivariate level, the strongest predictor of distress was job satisfaction (–0.388), followed closely by COVID-19 fatigue (0.386) and feeling bullied or harassed by the public (0.331). In the regression analysis, 2 additional factors were associated with distress: considering leaving their job due to the pandemic and concerns about exposure. Themes from the qualitative analysis strongly supported these findings.

Conclusions:

Understanding the challenges public health workers have faced during the pandemic is critical to inform the actions needed—stronger state laws protecting against harassment, workforce incentives, and commensurate funding—to reinforce and revitalize our frontline public health workforce.
Perceived Benefits and Barriers of a COVID-19 Test to Stay Program in a School District Serving Black or African American People With Low Income, December 2021
Authors: Kamitani Emiko , Holman Emily J. , Philpott David , Parasram Vidisha D. , Ruth Laird J. , Onyeuku Chisom , Carter Brittani , Gwynn Eugenia , Beck Timothy W. , Regan Kelly , Hagler LaVerne R. , Clark Angela , Shelley Gene , Thomas Ebony S.
Published: March 2023

Objectives:

Quarantine after exposure to COVID-19 has resulted in substantial loss of in-person learning in schools from prekindergarten through grade 12. Test to Stay (TTS), a strategy that limits the spread of SARS-CoV-2 while prioritizing in-person learning, requires substantial investment in resources. The objective of this study was to assess the perceived benefits, barriers, and facilitators of implementing TTS in an urban school district in the Midwest serving primarily Black or African American people with low income.

Methods:

In December 2021, we used a concurrent mixed-methods approach to understand perceived benefits, barriers, and facilitators of implementing TTS by combining quantitative analysis of telephone surveys conducted with parents (n = 124) and a qualitative inquiry involving key informants from the school district and local health department (n = 22). We analyzed quantitative data using descriptive statistics. We used thematic analysis to analyze qualitative data.

Results:

Quantitative findings showed that parents supported TTS because it was convenient (n = 83, 97%) and effective (n = 82, 95%) in keeping students learning in person (n = 82, 95%) and preventing the spread of COVID-19 (n = 80, 93%). Qualitative interviews with informants found that having a clear protocol and assigning staff to specified tasks allowed for successful TTS implementation. However, insufficient staffing and testing resources, parent mistrust of testing, and lack of communication from schools were perceived barriers.

Conclusion:

The school community strongly supported TTS despite the many implementation challenges faced. This study emphasized the importance of ensuring resources for equitable implementation of COVID-19 prevention strategies and the critical role of communication.
STEM sense of belonging for 12-13 year-old talent search participants: Does gender matter?
Authors: Meadows Monica C. , Robinson Ann
Published: March 2023

Gaps in STEM performance have narrowed over the last 50 years (Leaper et al., 2012; National Science Foundation, 2013). Nonetheless, disparities remain in many STEM fields – with the largest occurring in the physical sciences, computer science, and engineering (UNESCO., 2012). Although gender gaps in science and math performance have been closing, gaps in STEM self-concept and aspirations continue. We investigated academically advanced 12–13 year-old students’ sense of belonging to STEM disciplines and examined the relationship among STEM sense of belonging, STEM classroom/peer climate, amount of STEM exposure, and the strength of self-identification with STEM. Although previous research established that features of the STEM classroom/peer climate can promote as well as detract from underrepresented students’ interest and retention in STEM (Riegle-Crumb et al., 2006; Roberts et al., 2018; Stake & Nickens, 2005), less is known about constructs that underlie STEM sense of belonging. Our results indicated no significant difference in STEM sense of belonging between academically advanced females and males. However, there is a statistically significant interaction between gender and self-identification with STEM. Key predictors of STEM sense of belonging identified by our regression model include classroom/peer climate and STEM self-identification.
Temporal profile of intranasal oxytocin in the human autonomic nervous system at rest: An electrocardiography and pupillometry study
Authors: Cosme Gonçalo , Arriaga Patrícia , Rosa Pedro J. , Mehta Mitul A. , Prata Diana
Published: March 2023

Background:

Human social behavior is modulated by oxytocin (OT). Intranasal administration of OT (IN-OT) is a noninvasive route shown to elicit changes in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity; however, IN-OT’s effect on the temporal profile of ANS activity at rest is yet to be described.

Aims:

We aimed to describe the temporal profile of IN-OT at six 10-min time windows from 15- to 100-min post-administration in 20 male participants at rest while continuously recording their pupillary in an eyes-open condition and cardiac activity in eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions.

Methods:

We used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects design study where we extracted two proxies of parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity: high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) and pupillary unrest index (PUI); and a proxy of sympathetic nervous system activity: sample entropy of the pupillary unrest.

Results:

In the eyes-open condition, we found an effect of IN-OT on the proxies of PNS activity: decreased PUI in the three-time windows post-administration spanning 65–100 min, and as an exploratory finding, an increased HF-HRV in the 80–85 min time window.

Conclusions:

We suggest there is a role of OT in PNS regulation that may be consistent with OT’s currently theorized role in the facilitation of alertness and approach behavior.
Bilateral cervical cancer in a complete septate uterus with a double cervix and vagina: a case report
Authors: Wang Li , Liu Zi
Published: March 2023

Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignant tumours of female reproductive system. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer and brachytherapy is an irreplaceable part of cervical cancer radiotherapy. However, bilateral cervical cancer in a complete septate is extremely rare. There is no standard consensus on the therapeutic management or follow-up owing to the rarity of this condition. This current case report presents an unusual case of a 25-year-old female patient with a double vagina and double uterus combined with a stage IIIC1r moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma in both cervices. This report introduces a treatment plan involving concurrent chemoradiotherapy for this rare and interesting case, focusing on a novel brachytherapy method, in which an intrauterine applicator, an applicator and an implantation needle were used. The tumours shrank significantly after chemotherapy and the novel brachytherapy.
A GDF2 missense mutation potentially involved in the pathogenesis of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia: a case report
Authors: Ma Le , Peng Xi , Gong Qiang
Published: March 2023

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is an autosomal dominant vascular disease. ENG and ACVRL1 gene variants account for up to 96% of all cases, while the remaining cases are caused by SMAD4 or GDF2 variants, or by currently undiscovered mutations in coding or non-coding regions. Here, we report a 47-year-old man who presented with duodenal bulb bleeding and chronic anemia. Physical examination also revealed bleeding from the skin and gingiva. His parents were cousins and one brother and one sister died in infancy from anemia and bleeding. Head computed tomography angiography (CTA) revealed a complete fetal posterior cerebral artery located in the left side, and pulmonary CTA showed pulmonary arterial hypertension. The patient was diagnosed with HHT. Peripheral blood was collected for whole-exome sequencing. Sequencing revealed a mutation in the GDF2 gene, which encodes bone morphogenetic protein-9 (BMP-9). The detected variant, c.352A > T(p.Ile118Phe), was predicted to be a neutral polymorphism; however, the patient’s plasma BMP-9 levels were greatly reduced; we predicted that this might be caused by the GDF2 variant and might be involved in the HHT pathogenesis. Further research in cell lines and animal models is needed to verify the correlation between this GDF2 variant and the pathogenesis of HHT.
Prompting Reflection: Using Corpus Linguistic Methods in the Local Assessment of Reflective Writing
Authors: Messina Cara Marta , Jones Cherice Escobar , Poe Mya
Published: March 2023

We report on a college-level study of student reflection and instructor prompts using scoring and corpus analysis methods. We collected 340 student reflections and 24 faculty prompts. Reflections were scored using trait and holistic scoring and then reflections and faculty prompts were analyzed using Natural Language Processing to identify linguistic features of high, middle, and low scoring reflections. The data sets were then connected to determine if there was a relationship between faculty prompts and scores. Additional analysis was completed to determine if there was a relationship between scores and students’ GPAs. The corpus linguistics analysis showed that higher-scoring reflections used words that referred to the self, the writing process, and specific rhetorical terms. Additional analysis showed student GPAs did not correlate with holistic scores but that higher scoring reflections were from faculty who included learning goals on reflective writing prompts. Results suggest that teachers can de-mystify reflective writing by linking learning outcomes to textual tasks and that corpus linguistics methods can provide an understanding of how local learning goals are transmitted to students.
Perspectives From a Career in Breastfeeding Research, Mentorship, and Advocacy: An Interview With Karen Wambach
Authors: Wambach Karen , Chetwynd Ellen
Published: March 2023

Karen Wambach recently retired from a distinguished career in nursing education and breastfeeding research in the United States, practicing her craft during the formative years of the field of lactation consulting. Her research focused on the description of biopsychosocial influences on breastfeeding initiation and duration, as well as interventions for promoting and supporting breastfeeding among vulnerable childbearing populations, for example, adolescent mothers. Her research career trajectory mirrors the development of breastfeeding research more broadly. She began with descriptive studies and theory testing, which included the development of the Breastfeeding Experience Scale quantifying early breastfeeding problems. She then moved on to randomized clinical trials of breastfeeding education/support for adolescent mothers, and finished her funded research using a multi-behavioral, technology-based education and support intervention to promote breastfeeding, healthy lifestyle, and depression prevention in adolescent mothers. As researcher and educator in a clinical science area, she has supported evidence-based practice and translational science through her work as lead editor of many editions of the textbook Breastfeeding and Human Lactation. She is a consummate teacher, having mentored many upcoming researchers during her teaching career, and directed the undergraduate nursing honors program and PhD program at the University of Kansas School of Nursing in the United States. She also believes in serving her profession and has been an active member of American Academy of Nursing, the Midwest Nursing Research Society, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and the Neonatal Nursing and the International Lactation Consultant Association, including serving on JHL’s Editorial Review Board for many years. (This conversation was recorded on October 14, 2022 then transcribed and edited for readability. EC = Ellen Chetwynd; KW = Karen Wambach)
Optimization of dry sliding wear parameters through RSM approach of fine-grained 7075 Al alloy developed by MAC
Authors: Yadav Aditya Prakash , Padap Aditya Kumar
Published: March 2023

This study examines the influence of multi-axial Compression (MAC) on the wear attributes of 7075 Al alloy and optimize the dry sliding wear parameters using the response surface methodology (RSM). Optical microscopy images were used to detect microstructural changes in the 7075 Al alloy after MAC processing. The Face Centered Central Composite Design (FCCD) method was made up of three factors, each with three levels. To investigate the impact of various factors and how they interact with one another on wear, surface plots, contour plots, and mean effects plots were developed. The coefficient of regression R2 was 0.9621, demonstrating the constructed model’s acceptable accuracy. After six passes, average grain size was observed to reduce by up to 2.3 µm. The alloy processed by MAC is harder and stronger than the zero MAC pass alloy. The mechanical properties of Al alloy enhance with increased MAC pass. In this study, the Vickers micro-hardness, X-ray diffraction analysis, optical microstructural, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis (EDS), tensile test, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed on broken tensile specimens and worn surface of the wear pin.
Legal Struggles: A Social Theory Perspective on Strategic Litigation and Legal Mobilisation
Authors: Buckel Sonja , Pichl Maximilian , Vestena Carolina A.
Published: March 2023

Social movements, NGOs and other political actors often mobilise the law for social change. Strategic litigation and collective legal mobilisation can be key instruments to face current political challenges like the climate crisis, human rights violations against refugees or the exploitation of workers along global supply chains. Although these struggles are framed by a societal context and have impacts on the political and juridical fields, the literature about legal mobilisation still does not decidedly engage with a social-theory-based perspective on such struggles. By developing the concept of legal struggles, the article proposes a conceptual framework to analyse both the ambivalence and the emancipatory potential of progressive struggles in the juridical field. Critical Theory, Materialist Theory and the Theory of Social Fields by Pierre Bourdieu are combined to investigate the specific form of collective legal struggles carried out in this arena. We examine repertoires and strategies of collective actors as well as the emancipatory potential of these mobilisation strategies. Our conclusions point to the structural distinctions and selectivities which define the juridical field in capitalist societies and also the conditions of possibility of political struggles using the law.
A retrospective matched case–control comparison of non-fatal hanging to non-fatal self-poisoning in a sample of Australian men and women
Authors: Ghani Ayaz , Talbot Daniel , Ma Cassandra , Harris Anthony
Published: March 2023

Objective

Our study examined the characteristics of individuals who survived attempted hanging and compared this group to a randomly selected comparison group of patients with non-fatal self-poisoning.

Method

Non-fatal hanging cases were identified from case files from an Australian public hospital. They were matched by age, sex, and month of presentation with double the number of non-fatal self-poisoning cases. Patients were compared on demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as length of stay in hospital and discharge plan.

Results

Most non-fatal hanging patients were males with medium suicidal intent, and a significant proportion misused alcohol. In this group, women were more likely than men to have past psychiatric care, and men were more likely to misuse alcohol and stimulants. In comparison to the self-poisoning group, the non-fatal hanging group had higher suicidal intent but proportionally lower history of self-harm and psychiatric care, or benzodiazepine misuse.

Conclusion

People who self-harm by hanging have higher suicidal intent, misuse alcohol more often, and are less likely to be in psychiatric care. They may benefit from a general community intervention, rather than one based upon interventions with people already in psychiatric care.
Effect of different fibre addition on cookie dough and texture
Authors: Gruppi Alice , Giuberti Gianluca , Duserm Garrido Guillermo , Spigno Giorgia
Published: March 2023

Different commercial fibres from bamboo (BAM), cocoa (COC), psyllium (PSY), chokeberry (ARO) and citrus (CIT) were characterized for technological (oil- and water-holding capacity, solubility and bulk density) and physical (moisture, colour and particle size) features and added to a cookie recipe. The doughs were prepared using sunflower oil and white wheat flour was substituted with 5% (w/w) of the selected fibre ingredient. The attributes of the resulting doughs (colour, pH, water activity and rheological tests) and cookies (colour, water activity, moisture content, texture analysis and spread ratio) were compared to control doughs and to cookies made with refined flour and whole flour formulation. The selected fibres consistently impacted dough rheology and, consequently on, the spread ratio and the texture of the cookies. While the viscoelastic behaviour of the control dough made with refined flour was maintained in all sample doughs, adding fibre decreased loss factor (tan δ), except for ARO-added dough. Substitution of wheat flour with fibre decreased the spread ratio except for the PSY addition. The lowest spread ratio values were observed for CIT-added cookie, which were similar to whole flour cookies. The addition of phenolic-rich fibres positively affected the in vitro antioxidant activity of the final products.
Less groin pain with dual-mobility bearings versus fixed bearings in total hip arthroplasty
Authors: Dubin Jeremy A , Westrich Geoffrey H
Published: March 2023

Introduction:

The relationship between implant type, dual mobility (DM) or fixed bearing (FB), and postoperative groin pain remains unexplored. We examined the incidence of groin pain in DM implants and compare this to a cohort of FB THA patients.

Methods:

From 2006 to 2018, a single surgeon performed 875 DM THA and 856 FB THA procedures with 2.8-year and 3.1-year follow-up, respectively. Each patient received a questionnaire postoperatively and was asked if they had any groin pain (yes/no). Secondary measurements were implant characteristics such as head size, head offset, cup size, and cup-to-head ratio. Additional PROMs that were collected included: Veterans RAND 12 (VR-12), University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) activity score, Pain visual analogue scale (Pain VAS), and range of motion (ROM).

Results:

The incidence of groin pain was 2.3% in the DM THA cohort and 6.3% in the FB THA group ( p  < 0.001). Also, low head offset (⩽0 mm) had a significant odds ratio (1.61) for groin pain in both cohorts. There was no significant difference in terms of revision rate between the cohorts (2.5% vs. 3.3%, p = 0.39) at the latest follow up.

Conclusions:

This study demonstrated a lower incidence of groin pain (2.3%) in patients with a DM bearing compared to a FB (6.3%) and a greater risk of groin pain with low head offset (<0 mm). As such, surgeons should try to recreate offset of the hip compared to the contralateral side to avoid groin pain.
Longitudinal Transition Patterns of Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults Never Tobacco Product Users: Findings From the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, 2014-2019
Authors: Bluestein Meagan A. , Kuk Arnold E. , Harrell Melissa B. , Chen Baojiang , Hébert Emily T. , Pérez Adriana
Published: March 2023

Aims

To identify, visualize, and describe the prevalence of within-product patterns of tobacco use behaviors for e-cigarettes, cigarettes, and hookah (TP) by 3 age groups (ie, 12-14-year-old, 15-17-year-old, and 18-20-year-old) with U.S. nationally representative data.

Methods

In 2014-2015, never users of each (TP) and age group were followed-up longitudinally between 2015-2019 using five transition states: non-susceptible to (TP) use, susceptible to (TP) use, ever (TP) use, past 30-day (TP) use, and discontinued past 30-day (TP) use. Sankey diagrams were used to graphically visualize patterns in tobacco use behaviors across time.

Results

Among 12-14-year-old who were never users and susceptible to each TP from 2014-2017, 7% initiated ever e-cigarette use and 9.4% first reported past 30-day use by 2018-2019; 5.8% initiated ever cigarette use and 3% first reported past 30-day cigarette use by 2018-2019; and, 4.5% initiated ever hookah use and 1.0% first reported past 30-day hookah use by 2018-2019. Among 15-17-year-old who were never users and susceptible to each TP from 2014-2017, 4.2% initiated ever e-cigarette use and 9.0% first reported past 30-day use by 2018-2019; 4.5% initiated ever cigarette use and 3% first reported past 30-day cigarette use by 2018-2019; and, 4.5% initiated ever hookah use and 2.4% first reported past 30-day hookah use by 2018-2019. Among 18-20-year-old who were never users and susceptible to each TP from 2014-2017, 3.2% initiated ever e-cigarette use and 3.6% first reported past 30-day e-cigarette use by 2018-2019; 3.0% initiated ever cigarette use and 2.3% first reported past 30-day cigarette use; and, 2.8% initiated ever hookah use and 1.0% first reported past 30-day hookah use by 2018-2019.

Conclusions

From 2014 to 2019, onset and progression of e-cigarette, cigarette, and hookah use occurred more frequently in 12-14 and 15-17-year-old than in young adults 18-20-year-old.
The Song of Food
Authors: Rana Navreet Kaur
Published: March 2023

“The Song of Food” brings to light a relationship that exists between the soundscape and the foodscape of a geographical location. The research studies the rhymes or songs that are sung by food-selling hawkers in North Indian markets. The article establishes that the relevance of these songs is definitely beyond the transaction of buying, selling, and consuming food, and discovers the socio-economic and socio-cultural dimension that reflects from these songs. The findings reveal that how nativity, geography, and economic status are inherently adopted while composing these songs. Oblivious to the fact that how they have added another sense to food, beyond taste, vision and smell, the sense of sound, these hawkers have introduced social intimacy to a simple buying and selling process. The article talks about few such food products and their selling calls from Hindi- and Punjabi-speaking regions of North India.
Working up the six-pack: Bargaining success in the European Council's task force on strengthening economic governance
Authors: Moloney David , Whitaker Richard
Published: March 2023

This article assesses the factors associated with member states’ bargaining success during the negotiations in the European Council's 2010 task force on strengthening economic governance, the pre-decision stage for the Six-Pack. We test theories of decision-making based on the expertise of institutions, and EU member states’ preferences and power resources using new data. With methods derived from the decision-making in the EU projects, we find that proximity to the European Central Bank was associated with greater bargaining success for member states and that the opposite was the case for closeness to the Commission's preferences. We find mixed evidence that member states’ level of indebtedness is associated with bargaining success, defined as the minimum distance between the position of a member state and the final outcome. The findings indicate the importance of the ECB's role given its technical expertise, in defining the outcomes of the task force.
Places of belonging: Rethinking coexistence from oriental barbershops in a Finnish city
Authors: Lefort Bruno
Published: March 2023

This article discusses how migrant businesses actively contribute to the negotiation of everyday coexistence in a Finnish provincial city. It focuses on oriental barbershops to unpack the interplay between place, power, and social imagination. Against the trope of the ethnic business that reproduces assumptions framing migrant activities in terms of community formation, looking at these salons from the perspective of people’s existential need for emplacement reveals how the dynamics of belonging and marginalization are experienced, navigated, and contested by the barbers of Tampere. While the identity-centredness in the definition of diversity and the social hierarchies implied by the discourses of integration force them to negotiate their presence from the margins, the barbers also compose counter-narratives of coexistence. Grounded in an aspiration for recognition, their stories cast a social imaginary that, without ignoring difference, shifts its emphasis towards an ethics of mutuality, thus unlocking a pathway to challenge essentialization and inequalities.
A Difficult Balance: Challenges and Possibilities for Local Protocols to Reduce Unnecessary Criminalisation of Children in Care and Care Leavers
Authors: Hunter Katie , Fitzpatrick Claire , Staines Jo , Shaw Julie
Published: March 2023

In 2018, the National Protocol on Reducing Unnecessary Criminalisation of Looked-after Children and Care Leavers was published in England. The protocol represented national recognition of the issue and called for local authorities to implement their own agreements. However, the protocol was given no statutory status, which immediately raised questions about its potential impact. Drawing on analysis of 36 local protocols from across England and Wales, this article explores the challenges and possibilities of using local agreements to divert children in care and care leavers away from formal justice systems contact.
Brunner Gland Hamartomas—Uncommon Presentations and Endoscopic Management
Authors: Khalifa Ali , Wu Yi-Chia , Velpari Sugirdhana , Korman Andrew
Published: March 2023

Brunner gland hamartoma (BGH) is a rare condition that requires a high clinical suspicion to diagnose. Large hamartomas may initially present with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) or symptoms suggesting intestinal obstruction. Barium swallow may demonstrate the lesion, but endoscopic evaluation is the acceptable first line management unless a concern for underlying malignancy. The present case report and literature review highlight the uncommon presentations and endoscopic role in large BGHs management. Internists should consider BGH in their differential, especially in patient with occult bleeding, IDA, or obstruction, which can be treated with endoscopic resection of large sized tumors by trained experts.
How Long Should We Keep Children’s Surgical Sites Dry? The Incidence of Infection and Dehiscence After Pediatric Office Procedures
Authors: Palacios Jose F. , Hazkour Nissim , Robinson Emma , Walsh Landis R. , Bastidas Nicholas
Published: March 2023

Objective:

Studies evaluating the relationship between bathing and adverse surgical site events are sparse. In this study, we examine the incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) and dehiscence in a cohort of pediatric patients who were allowed to bathe 24 hours after their office procedures.

Methods:

Pediatric patients who underwent office procedures by a single plastic surgeon from 2017 to 2021 were included. All patients were allowed to bathe 24 hours after their office-based skin procedure. Age, sex, procedure type, pre procedure diagnosis, relevant past medical history, instances of dehiscence, and SSI were recorded.

Results:

738 pediatric patients were included. Median age was 3.3 years(range 2 months-7 years), 46% were male and 54% were female. The most common pre procedure diagnoses were branchial vestige (24%), melanocytic nevi (21%), polydactyly (15%), congenital non-neoplastic nevus (11%), cyst (9%), hypertrophic scar (8%), and hemangioma(5%). No patients received systemic antibiotics post-procedurally. Six instances of dehiscence were recorded, and no SSIs were seen in any of the 738 patients.

Conclusions:

The low dehiscence rate and lack of SSIs in our cohort supports the hypothesis that children can bathe normally 24 hours after office procedures without adverse consequences. This recommendation can reduce the burden of post procedure wound care by reducing the length of time patients have to modify their bathing routines.
Corporate Efforts to Adopt and Distort the Social Determinants of Health Framework
Authors: Himmelstein David U. , Woolhandler Steffie
Published: March 2023

Over the past two centuries, progressive scholars have highlighted the health-harming effects of oppressive living and working conditions. Early studies delineated the roots of inequities in these social determinants of health in capitalist exploitation. Analyses in the 1970s and 1980s that adopted the social determinants of health framework emphasized the deleterious effects of poverty but rarely explored its origins in capitalist exploitation. Recently, major U.S. corporations have adopted and distorted the social determinants of health framework, implementing trivial interventions that serve as rhetorical cover for their myriad health-harming behaviors, and the Trump administration cited social determinants to justify imposing work requirements for persons seeking health insurance through Medicaid. Progressives should raise the alarm against the use of social determinants of health rhetoric to bolster corporate power and undermine health.
Molecular basis of polycomb group protein-mediated fetal hemoglobin repression
Authors: Qin Kunhua , Lan Xianjiang , Huang Peng , Saari Megan S. , Khandros Eugene , Keller Cheryl A , Giardine Belinda M. , Abdulmalik Osheiza , Shi Junwei , Hardison Ross C. , Blobel Gerd A.
Published: March 2023

The fetal (HbF)-to-adult (HbA) hemoglobin switch is a paradigm for developmental gene expression control with relevance to sickle cell disease and b-thalassemia. Polycomb repressive complex (PRC) proteins regulate this switch, and an inhibitor of PRC2 has entered a clinical trial for fetal hemoglobin activation. Yet, how PRC complexes function in this process, their target genes, and relevant subunit composition are unknown. Here, we identified the PRC1 subunit BMI1 as a novel HbF repressor. We uncovered the RNA binding proteins LIN28B, IGF2BP1, and IGF2BP3 as direct BMI1 targets and demonstrate that they account for the entirety of BMI1's effects on HbF regulation. BMI1 functions as part of the canonical PRC1 (cPRC1) subcomplex as revealed by the physical and functional dissection of BMI1 protein partners. Lastly, we demonstrate that BMI1/cPRC1 acts in concert with PRC2 to repress HbF through the same target genes. Our study illuminates how PRC silences HbF, highlighting an epigenetic mechanism involved in hemoglobin switching.
Development and validation of a coagulation-related genes prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Yang Wan-Xia , Gao Hong-Wei , Cui Jia-Bo , Zhang An-An , Wang Fang-Fang , Xie Jian-Qin , Lu Ming-Hua , You Chong-Ge
Published: March 2023

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high incidence and mortality worldwide, which seriously threatens people's physical and mental health. Coagulation is closely related to the occurrence and development of HCC. Whether coagulation-related genes (CRGs) can be used as prognostic markers for HCC remains to be investigated.

Methods

Firstly, we identified differentially expressed coagulation-related genes of HCC and control samples in the datasets GSE54236, GSE102079, TCGA-LIHC, and Genecards database. Then, univariate Cox regression analysis, LASSO regression analysis, and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to determine the key CRGs and establish the coagulation-related risk score (CRRS) prognostic model in the TCGA-LIHC dataset. The predictive capability of the CRRS model was evaluated by Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and ROC analysis. External validation was performed in the ICGC-LIRI-JP dataset. Besides, combining risk score and age, gender, grade, and stage, a nomogram was constructed to quantify the survival probability. We further analyzed the correlation between risk score and functional enrichment, pathway, and tumor immune microenvironment.

Results

We identified 5 key CRGs (FLVCR1, CENPE, LCAT, CYP2C9, and NQO1) and constructed the CRRS prognostic model. The overall survival (OS) of the high-risk group was shorter than that of the low-risk group. The AUC values for 1 -, 3 -, and 5-year OS in the TCGA dataset were 0.769, 0.691, and 0.674, respectively. The Cox analysis showed that CRRS was an independent prognostic factor for HCC. A nomogram established with risk score, age, gender, grade, and stage, has a better prognostic value for HCC patients. In the high-risk group, CD4+T cells memory resting, NK cells activated, and B cells naive were significantly lower. The expression levels of immune checkpoint genes in the high-risk group were generally higher than that in the low-risk group.

Conclusions

The CRRS model has reliable predictive value for the prognosis of HCC patients.
Potential utility of a multi-component coagulation factor panel to calculate MELD scores and assess the risk of portal vein thrombosis in chronic liver disease
Authors: Lewis Clayton S. , Bari Khurram , Xie Changchun , Sherman Kenneth E. , Vasse Marc , Van Dreden Patrick , Bogdanov Vladimir Y.
Published: March 2023

Background

Current quantitative approaches to assess chronic liver disease (CLD) severity have limitations. Further, portal vein thrombosis (PVT) pre-liver transplant (LT) is a major contributor to morbidity in CLD; the means of detecting and/or predicting PVT are limited. We sought to explore whether plasma coagulation factor activity levels can serve as a substitute for prothrombin time/international normalized ratio (PT/INR) in the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD), and/or help assess the risk of PVT.

Methods

Plasma activity levels of Factor V (FV), Factor VIII (FVIII), Protein C (PC), and Protein S (PS) and the concentrations of D-dimer, sP-selectin, and asTF were assessed in two cohorts of CLD patients (ambulatory, n = 42; LT, n = 43).

Results

FV and PC activity levels strongly correlated with MELD scores, which enabled the development of a novel scoring system based on multiple linear regressions of the correlations of FV and PC activity with MELD-Na that substitutes PT/INR. Six-month and 1-year follow-up revealed that our novel approach was non-inferior to MELD-Na at predicting mortality. A significant inverse correlation between FVIII activity levels and PVT was found in the LT cohort (p = 0.010); FV and PS activity levels were in-trend (p = 0.069, p = 0.064). We developed a logistic regression-based compensation score to identify patients at risk of PVT.

Conclusions

We demonstrate that FV and PC activity levels may be used to replace PT/INR in MELD scoring. We also show the potential of using the combination of FV, FVIII, and PS activity levels to assess the risk of PVT in CLD.