bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of leaf removal as a source of stresses on grapevine yields, chemical characteristics, and anthocyanin content in the grapevine variety Babica
Authors: Drenjančević Mato , Kujundžić Toni , Jukić Vladimir , Karnaš Maja , Braun Ulrike , Schwander Florian , Teklić Tihana , Rastija Vesna
Published: March 2023

Leaf removal (LR) treatments improve the photosynthetic capacity of the remaining leaves and induce flavonoid synthesis as a stress response in the common grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). However, excessive exposure of grape berries to UV‐B radiation as a result of cultural practices in the Mediterranean climate may have negative effects on berry composition. This 2‐year study determined the effects of defoliation on the autochthonous red grape variety ‘Babica’ in a Mediterranean climate (wine‐growing region Dalmatia, Croatia). Six leaves were removed before flowering (FLR) and at the end of véraison (the onset of grape ripening; VerLR) and were compared to the untreated control. Yield parameters, sugar content, grape must pH, total polyphenols (TP), total anthocyanin (TA) content, and individual anthocyanin compounds were measured in grape skin extracts and wines. However, the greater mean daily temperature during the vegetation period and lesser rainfall before harvest in 2018 increased yield per vine, average cluster weights, density, and total acidity, compared to 2017. Both defoliation treatments significantly reduced TP in grape extracts, but these differences were not observed in wine. Compared to the control (NLR), VerLR treatment significantly reduced TA in grape skin extracts and wine. Significantly lesser TP concentrations, in grape skin extracts and wine, as well as TA were noticed during the 2017 season. VerLR treatment reduced the concentration of nine individual anthocyanins compared to the control in grape skin extracts, while this effect was not observed in wine. Season year was a statistically significant source of variability of the individual anthocyanin contents in wine. Under specific environmental conditions LR can decrease polyphenols, especially anthocyanins, and negatively impact grape and wine quality.
Effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness of behavioural support for prolonged abstinence for smokers wishing to reduce but not quit: Randomised controlled trial of physical activity assisted reduction of smoking (TARS)
Authors: Taylor Adrian H. , Thompson Tom P. , Streeter Adam , Chynoweth Jade , Snowsill Tristan , Ingram Wendy , Ussher Michael , Aveyard Paul , Murray Rachael L. , Harris Tess , Callaghan Lynne , Green Colin , Greaves Colin J. , Price Lisa , Creanor Siobhan
Published: March 2023

Aims

For smokers unmotivated to quit, we assessed the effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness of behavioural support to reduce smoking and increase physical activity on prolonged abstinence and related outcomes.

Design

A multi‐centred pragmatic two‐arm parallel randomised controlled trial.

Setting

Primary care and the community across four United Kingdom sites.

Participants

Nine hundred and fifteen adult smokers (55% female, 85% White), recruited via primary and secondary care and the community, who wished to reduce their smoking but not quit.

Interventions

Participants were randomised to support as usual (SAU) (n = 458) versus multi‐component community‐based behavioural support (n = 457), involving up to eight weekly person‐centred face‐to‐face or phone sessions with additional 6‐week support for those wishing to quit.

Measurements

Ideally, cessation follows smoking reduction so the primary pre‐defined outcome was biochemically verified 6‐month prolonged abstinence (from 3–9 months, with a secondary endpoint also considering abstinence between 9 and 15 months). Secondary outcomes included biochemically verified 12‐month prolonged abstinence and point prevalent biochemically verified and self‐reported abstinence, quit attempts, number of cigarettes smoked, pharmacological aids used, SF12, EQ‐5D and moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) at 3 and 9 months. Intervention costs were assessed for a cost‐effectiveness analysis.

Findings

Assuming missing data at follow‐up implied continued smoking, nine (2.0%) intervention participants and four (0.9%) SAU participants achieved the primary outcome (adjusted odds ratio, 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.70–7.56, P = 0.169). At 3 and 9 months, the proportions self‐reporting reducing cigarettes smoked from baseline by ≥50%, for intervention versus SAU, were 18.9% versus 10.5% (P = 0.009) and 14.4% versus 10% (P = 0.044), respectively. Mean difference in weekly MVPA at 3 months was 81.6 minutes in favour of the intervention group (95% CI = 28.75, 134.47: P = 0.003), but there was no significant difference at 9 months (23.70, 95% CI = −33.07, 80.47: P = 0.143). Changes in MVPA did not mediate changes in smoking outcomes. The intervention cost was £239.18 per person, with no evidence of cost‐effectiveness.

Conclusions

For United Kingdom smokers wanting to reduce but not quit smoking, behavioural support to reduce smoking and increase physical activity improved some short‐term smoking cessation and reduction outcomes and moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity, but had no long‐term effects on smoking cessation or physical activity.
“Piling on the stress”: Low‐income students' experiences in a neoliberal majoritarian university
Authors: Wolfgram Matthew , Kendall Nancy
Published: March 2023

The United States is experiencing state disinvestment from higher education and significant wealth inequality. This article documents how low‐income college students both experience and attempt to manage these contexts in their daily lives at a public flagship university in the American Midwest. We theorize these experiences as forms of precarity entailed by a culture and institutional form that we describe as the neoliberal majoritarian university (NMU). We argue that the concepts of precarity and of NMU provide a more robust framework for conceptualizing the consequences of college‐going for low‐income students than do conventional discourses of social mobility, college affordability, or student stress.
Cultures of aged care delivery: Qualitative content analysis of Australia's Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety
Authors: Churruca Kate , Long Janet C. , Ellis Louise A. , Saba Maree , Braithwaite Jeffrey
Published: March 2023

Objectives

Organisational culture is increasingly recognised as influencing the quality of care provided to patients and residents of aged care, both in research and in policy. For example, investigations into quality and safety issues in health care frequently highlight cultural problems, but often without adequate theorisation of culture. This study aimed at identifying how cultures of care delivery are considered in the final report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, and its subsequent implications.

Methods

A documentary analysis was performed on the five volumes of the final report using qualitative content analysis.

Results

Of 211 references to culture, the majority focussed on organisational culture (n = 155), followed by the sector's culture (n = 26), the culture of the agencies involved in managing aged care (n = 21) and the national culture relating to the treatment of older people (n = 8). These cultures were discussed in five ways: (1) highlighting poor culture as a problem (n = 56); (2) showcasing the style of culture that should be aspired to (n = 45); (3) reinforcing the importance of culture (n = 38); (4) making attributions about factors contributing to culture (n = 33); and (5) discussing the need for culture change (n = 30).

Conclusions

The Royal Commission's findings emphasise the importance of care culture and the need for change but provided limited guidance on how this should be achieved, or culture conceptualised.
Therapeutic effect of human ApoA‐I‐Milano variant in aged transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Solé Montse , Marazuela Paula , Castellote Laura , Bonaterra‐Pastra Anna , Giménez‐Llort Lydia , Hernández‐Guillamon Mar
Published: March 2023

Background and Purpose

Therapies based on apolipoprotein A‐I (ApoA‐I), classically tested for cardiovascular diseases, were recently proposed for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Based on a drug reprofiling approach, our objective was to explore the use of a natural variant of ApoA‐I form, ApoA‐I‐Milano (M), as a treatment for AD. ApoA‐I‐M contains the R173C mutation, and confers protection against atherosclerosis development, although ApoA‐I‐M carriers exhibit low HDL levels.

Experimental Approach

Middle‐aged (12‐month‐old) and aged (21‐month‐old) APP23 mice were intraperitoneally treated for 10 weeks with human recombinant ApoA‐I‐M (hrApoA‐I‐M) protein or saline. Pathology progression through behavioural parameters and biochemical determinations was evaluated.

Key Results

In middle‐aged group, hrApoA‐I‐M treatment reduced the anxiety behaviour associated with this AD model. In aged mice, hrApoA‐I‐M reversed T‐Maze performance alterations, a cognitive improvement accompanied by neuronal loss recovery in the dentate gyrus. Aged mice treated with hrApoA‐I‐M showed lower brain Aβ40 soluble levels and elevated Aβ40 levels in cerebrospinal fluid, without modifying insoluble brain Aβ burden. Interestingly, hrApoA‐I‐M sub‐chronic treatment induced a molecular effect on the cerebrovasculature, increasing occludin expression and ICAM‐1 presence, as well as promoting an elevation of plasma soluble RAGE in all hrApoA‐I‐M‐treated mice, drastically decreasing the AGEs/sRAGE ratio, a marker of endothelial damage.

Conclusion and Implications

Peripheral hrApoA‐I‐M treatment shows a beneficial impact on working memory, involving mechanisms related with brain Aβ mobilization and modulation of the levels of cerebrovascular markers. Our study shows the potential therapeutic applicability of a safe and non‐invasive treatment based on peripheral administration of hrApoA‐I‐M in AD.
“Totemic species” can be an effective lens for engaging students with Indigenous knowledge and biodiversity conservation
Authors: Ward Natasha M. , Garrard Georgia , Gregg Emily A. , May Benjamin , Wandin Dave , Harrison Micheal , Pascoe Marnie , McConachie Fiona , Moggridge Bradley , Kusmanoff Alex , Bekessy Sarah A.
Published: March 2023

We present the outcomes of a program designed to engage primary school students with both Indigenous knowledge and biodiversity conservation, through the lens of “Totemic” species. The program provided resources for genuine engagement with Traditional Owners, and for the coordinating teachers to dedicate time to curriculum development and delivery. The material was embedded within a cross‐school core curriculum topic (biology), presenting both Indigenous and Western knowledge in parallel. Students' understanding of ecology and conservation increased significantly post‐program, as did their cultural awareness and appreciation of traditional knowledge. Care for the totemic species was also shown to increase and enthusiasm for this approach to teaching science was expressed by students. The co‐benefits of this program include creating habitat for threatened species, improvements in the health and wellbeing of students through engagement with biodiversity and the potential for ecosystem services such as cooling of the school grounds. Effective ways of embedding cultural awareness and Indigenous knowledge into the Australian curriculum are urgently needed and it is our hope that this program provides evidence of effective ways of embedding these knowledges moving forward.
How do patients and staff in an opioid agonist treatment service view smoking cessation medications and e‐cigarettes?
Authors: Lobbe Catherine , Bahnisch Jade , Lin Chenxi , Demirkol Apo , Murnion Bridin
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Tobacco use and related mortality is common in people receiving opioid agonist treatment (OAT). Smoking cessation medications are available and e‐cigarettes are increasingly recommended for high risk populations. This study explores experience, knowledge and attitudes around smoking cessation medications (nicotine replacement therapy [NRT], bupropion and varenicline) and e‐cigarettes in patients and clinicians in two public Australian OAT clinics.

Methods

Cross‐sectional surveys of patients and clinicians and a randomly sampled retrospective medical record review. Patients were recruited through an advertisement in the clinic, and clinicians through advertisement at an educational session.

Results

Ninety‐one patients and 10 clinicians completed the surveys. Most patients had at least one quit attempt and 43% were currently trying to quit. There were high levels of exposure to NRT, lower levels with varenicline and very limited exposure to bupropion. Patients considered e‐cigarettes most helpful, but were more likely to consider using NRT. Few patients reported smoking cessation interventions from their clinicians. Most clinicians identified high tobacco use prevalence, considered this problematic, but reported low rates of smoking cessation intervention. NRT was the preferred medication. E‐cigarettes were not considered helpful. Sixty‐six percent of the 140 records reviewed documented patients as smokers. Tobacco cessation medication was rarely discussed or provided.

Discussion and Conclusions

Patients report high rates of tobacco cessation planning, but low rates of intervention. Experience of varenicline and bupropion is limited. E‐cigarettes were preferred over varenicline and bupropion. Improving patient's and clinician's knowledge of tobacco cessation medications could improve smoking cessation interventions and uptake of approved medications.
Epidemiological aspects of dental trauma associated with maxillofacial injures: Ten years of clinical experience in Trieste, Italy
Authors: Costantinides Fulvia , Tonizzo Matteo , Dotto Federica , Lenhardt Massimiliano , Borella Alberto , Sclabas Mattia , Rizzo Roberto , Maglione Michele
Published: March 2023

Background/Aims

The prevalence of dental injuries in patients with facial fractures is relevant. Epidemiologically, dental trauma in association with facial fractures generally affects the age group between 20 and 40 years old, with a higher prevalence in males. The aim of this retrospective study was to identify the incidence and etiology of dental trauma associated with facial fractures over a 10‐year period.

Methods

From January 2009 to April 2019, among 381 patients with facial fractures, 353 were included in this study. Age, gender, trauma etiology, injured teeth and dental treatment were investigated.

Results

From 353 patients, with a mean age of 49.7 ± 19.9 years, 247 (70%) were males and 106 (30%) were females. Accidental falls were the most common type of injury (n = 118, 33.4%), followed by road accidents (n = 90, 25.5%), assaults (n = 60, 17%) and sports trauma (n = 37, 10.5%). Fifty‐five subjects (15.60%) had dental injuries associated with facial fractures. Of the 145 teeth involved, 48 (33.1%) were diagnosed with luxation, 22 teeth (15.2%) were avulsed, 11 teeth (7.5%) suffered a concussion and there were 10 (6.8%) alveolar wall fractures.Uncomplicated enamel‐dentin fracture was the more frequent hard tissue injury (n = 21, 14.5%), followed by complicated crown‐root fracture (n = 10, 6.9%), infraction (n = 8, 5.5%), enamel fracture (n = 3, 2%) and complicated enamel‐dentin fracture (n = 3, 2%). There was a peak in incidence between 21 and 40 years (42%). Males had a significantly higher risk of facial fractures with dental injury (75%). Maxillary incisors and canines (62.8%) were the most affected teeth.

Conclusions

There was a high prevalence of dental injuries associated with facial fractures. Maxillary incisors were the most injured teeth, with a higher prevalence in males.
Frontal theta reveals further information about neural valence‐dependent processing of augmented feedback in extensive motor practice—A secondary analysis
Authors: Margraf Linda , Krause Daniel , Weigelt Matthias
Published: March 2023

Supplementing an earlier analysis of event‐related potentials in extensive motor learning (Margraf et al., 2022a, 2022b), frontal theta‐band activity (4–8 Hz) was scrutinized. Thirty‐seven participants learned a sequential arm movement with 192 trials in each of five practice sessions. Feedback, based on a performance adaptive bandwidth, was given after every trial. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded in the first and last practice sessions. The degree of motor automatization was tested under dual‐task conditions in a pre‐test–post‐test design. Quantitative error information was transported in both feedback conditions (positive and negative). Frontal theta activity was discussed as a general signal that cognitive control is needed and, therefore, was expected to be higher after negative feedback. Extensive motor practice promotes automatization, and therefore, decreased frontal theta activity was expected in the later practice. Further, it was expected that frontal theta was predictive for subsequent behavioural adaptations and the amount of motor automatization. As the results show, induced frontal theta power was higher after negative feedback and decreased after five sessions of practice. Moreover, induced theta activity was predictive for error correction and, therefore, an indicator of whether the recruited cognitive resources successfully induced behavioural adaptations. It remains to be solved why these effects, which fit well with the theoretical assumptions, were only revealed by the induced part of frontal theta activity. Further, the amount of theta activity during practice was not predictive for the degree of motor automatization. It seems that there might be a dissociation between attentional resources associated with feedback processing and attentional resources associated with motor control.
Schweizer‐Sklar operations based hybrid aggregation operator to dual hesitant q‐rung orthopair fuzzy set and its application on MCGDM
Authors: Gayen Souvik , Sarkar Arun , Biswas Animesh
Published: March 2023

Dual hesitant q‐rung orthopair fuzzy (DHq‐ROF) set appears as a powerful tool in compare to other variants of fuzzy sets to deal with uncertainties associated with available information in various real‐life decision‐making cases. In order to make DHq‐ROF aggregation information process flexible, at first some operations viz., addition, multiplication, scalar multiplication, exponential laws based on Schweizer‐Sklar class of t‐conorms and t‐norms are defined. Subsequently, using these operations, weighted average and geometric operators and ordered weighted average and geometric operators are introduced. But weighted average or geometric operators and ordered weighted average or geometric operators consider only the weight of the opinions and the weight of the ordered position of each given opinion respectively. To resolve weights of the arguments, hybrid aggregation operators viz., DHq‐ROF Schweizer‐Sklar hybrid averaging, DHq‐ROF Schweizer‐Sklar hybrid geometric operators are developed and their properties are discussed. Afterwards, a new method to deal with multicriteria group decision making problems under DHq‐ROF environment is framed. To illustrate the proposed method a decision making problem related to investment company selection is considered and solved. To show the advantages of the proposed study, a comparative analysis among the developed and existing studies is discussed.
RETRACTED: Supply chain risk management of badminton supplies company using decision tree model assisted by fuzzy comprehensive evaluation
Authors: Zhang Daolin , Tang Yong , Yan Xianliang
Published: March 2023

Supply chain risk management is crucial for the management of sports goods companies, which can help enterprises better complete the transparent and efficient management of the whole process from production to sales. However, there are inevitably some potential risks. Thereby, to study the supply chain risk management of badminton supplies companies in the general environment, the supply chain risk evaluation index system of badminton supplies companies is established in this study by studying the connotation of supply chain risk management and combining the steps of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) method. Then, according to these evaluation indexes, the modelling process of the classification and regression tree (CART) algorithm in the corporate overall supply chain risk decision tree is proposed. Moreover, the corporate overall supply chain risk decision tree is established. Moreover, the financial data of 10 A‐share listed companies of badminton and other sports goods listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2020 are selected as the sample dataset for model training and testing. The potential risks of badminton enterprises are predicted. The results show that the scale of badminton enterprises has been increasing gradually since 2018, but the return on total assets has steadily decreased with the increase of years. It shows that the badminton supplies enterprise's input and output assets are unbalanced, and the overall asset operation effect is relatively poor. However, the growth rate of total assets shows a significant upward trend from 2018 to 2020, rising from 4% to 12.69%. It indicates that the corporate investment and domestic and foreign investment expansion in recent years are high‐speed. The FCE method is employed to obtain the maximum eigenvalue of the enterprise, which is 5.4698. Then, the C.I value is 0.1205, the R.I value is 1.12, and the consistency ratio value is 0.0958 < 0.1, indicating that the judgement matrix is acceptable. It suggests that under the influence of the macro environment and economic situation, the sales situation of the badminton supplies company is subtly affected by the macro environment, and there is a great business risk.
Making protected areas effective for biodiversity, climate and food
Authors: Arneth Almut , Leadley Paul , Claudet Joachim , Coll Marta , Rondinini Carlo , Rounsevell Mark D. A. , Shin Yunne‐Jai , Alexander Peter , Fuchs Richard
Published: March 2023

The spatial extent of marine and terrestrial protected areas (PAs) was among the most intensely debated issues prior to the decision about the post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Positive impacts of PAs on habitats, species diversity and abundance are well documented. Yet, biodiversity loss continues unabated despite efforts to protect 17% of land and 10% of the oceans by 2020. This casts doubt on whether extending PAs to 30%, the agreed target in the Kunming‐Montreal GBF, will indeed achieve meaningful biodiversity benefits. Critically, the focus on area coverage obscures the importance of PA effectiveness and overlooks concerns about the impact of PAs on other sustainability objectives. We propose a simple means of assessing and visualising the complex relationships between PA area coverage and effectiveness and their effects on biodiversity conservation, nature‐based climate mitigation and food production. Our analysis illustrates how achieving a 30% PA global target could be beneficial for biodiversity and climate. It also highlights important caveats: (i) achieving lofty area coverage objectives alone will be of little benefit without concomitant improvements in effectiveness, (ii) trade‐offs with food production particularly for high levels of coverage and effectiveness are likely and (iii) important differences in terrestrial and marine systems need to be recognized when setting and implementing PA targets. The CBD's call for a significant increase in PA will need to be accompanied by clear PA effectiveness goals to reduce and revert dangerous anthropogenic impacts on socio‐ecological systems and biodiversity.
The context of outdoor walking: A classification of user‐generated routes
Authors: Ballatore Andrea , Cavazzi Stefano , Morley Jeremy
Published: March 2023

Leisure walking has known benefits to public health, from both physical and psychological viewpoints. Complementing traditional print information sources, dedicated online platforms and apps provide tools to search, discover, plan and share routes. While walking routes are highly heterogeneous in terms of their properties and geographical context, current platforms adopt simple representations of basic attributes. In this article, we report on a research project at the Ordnance Survey on the representation and recommendation of walking routes, which comprises the following contributions. Firstly, we outline a theoretical framework of leisure walking, intersecting its individual, social and environmental dimensions. Secondly, analysing about 4 million user‐generated walking routes produced in Great Britain, we characterise routes combining primary attributes and contextual information, including land cover and points of interest. Thirdly, by applying unsupervised learning to this data model, we produce the Walking Route Classification. This classification is methodologically similar to geo‐demographic classifications and identifies groups and supergroups of similar routes in a large multidimensional attribute space. This body of work is evaluated through a survey and a focus group with experts, showing encouraging results.
The effect of self‐leadership training on detached concern and the proactivity of human service professionals
Authors: Botke Jolanda A. , van Woerkom Marianne
Published: March 2023

This paper describes a field experiment with a self‐leadership training aimed at helping human service professionals to improve their detached concern and proactivity. Whereas detached concern refers to a state in which human service professionals blend compassion with emotional distance in their interaction with clients, proactivity refers to self‐starting and change‐oriented behaviour to enhance personal or organizational effectiveness. Based on self‐leadership theory, we hypothesized that self‐leadership training can enhance detached concern and proactivity. Moreover, based on behavioural plasticity theory, we hypothesized that training participants who are low in occupational self‐efficacy are more susceptible to the external influence of self‐leadership training, than individuals with higher levels of occupational self‐efficacy. We conducted a field experiment with a sample of 223 human service professionals who were either assigned to a training group (n = 94), or a wait‐list control group (n = 129). In a 3‐month follow‐up study, we found that self‐leadership training had a positive effect on detached concern and that the intervention was especially effective for participants with low to medium initial levels of pretraining occupational self‐efficacy. However, the intervention did not affect participants' level of proactivity. This study adds to the literature on workplace learning by demonstrating the potential of a self‐leadership training for the transfer maintenance of newly developed soft skills (i.e., detached concern and proactive behaviour) to the workplace and by pinpointing occupational self‐efficacy as an individual predisposition that influences training success.
Spectrum and classification of megameatus anomalies
Authors: Baky Fahmy Mohamed A. , Shebl Salah E. , Gad Dalia , Othman Doa , Elsadek Menan
Published: March 2023

Objective

To define and classify megameatus anomalies, the parameters of a considerable number of cases were investigated and compared with those of normal children.

Methods

A total of 1150 normal babies were examined during routine nonmedical circumcision, and another 750 boys referred with hypospadias were examined during the previous 3 years. All patients were evaluated and assessed for the size, location, and configuration of the urinary meatus, and penile length and girth were measured. Children with normal size and location of the meatus were considered control group A, and 42 cases of different forms of megameatus were considered group B. Other penoscrotal, urinary, and general anomalies were examined and investigated accordingly. All data were analyzed by the SPSS 9.0.1 statistical package and compared by paired t tests.

Results

Forty‐two uncircumcised patients aged from 1 month to 4 years (mean 18 months) were diagnosed with a urinary meatus that engrossed the whole ventral or dorsal aspects of the glans, exceeding half the width of the glans or penile girth with the complete vanishing of the glans closure in most cases. Megameatus is usually associated with the abnormal meatal position as hypospadiac, orthotopic, or epispadic. Additionally, megameatus may be associated with a normally intact or deficient prepuce. Consequently, we had four categories of megameatus, and the intact prepuce orthotopic megameatus subcategory has not been described before. Megameatus was also detected with deficient prepuce, and this was considered a hypospadiac variant.

Conclusion

Megameatus is diagnosed precisely with penile biometry and is classified into 4 groups: hypospadiac, epispadic, and orthotopic or central, either with or without intact prepuce. This classification is applicable for expansion to other centers.
Inflammatory biomarkers in sebum for identifying skin damage in patients with a Stage I pressure ulcer in the pelvic region: A single centre observational, longitudinal cohort study with elderly patients
Authors: Jayabal Hemalatha , Abiakam Nkemjika S. , Filingeri Davide , Bader Dan L. , Worsley Peter R.
Published: March 2023

Pressure Ulcers (PU) are a major burden for affected patients and healthcare providers. Current detection methods involve visual assessments of the skin by healthcare professionals. This has been shown to be subjective and unreliable, with challenges associated with identifying erythema in darker colour skin. Although there exists a number of promising non‐invasive biophysical techniques such as ultrasound, capacitance measurements, and thermography, the present study focuses on directly measuring the changes in the inflammatory status of the skin and underlying tissues. Therefore, in this study, we aim to analyse inflammatory cytokines collected through non‐invasive sampling techniques to detect early signs of skin damage. Thirty hospitalised patients presenting with Stage I PU were recruited to evaluate the inflammatory response of skin at the site of damage and an adjacent healthy control site. Sebutapes were collected over three sessions to investigate the temporal changes in the inflammatory response. The panel of cytokines investigated included high‐abundance cytokines, namely, IL‐1α and IL‐1RA, and low abundance cytokines; IL‐6, IL‐8, TNF‐α, INF‐γ, IL‐33, IL‐1β and G‐CSF. Spatial and temporal differences between sites were assessed and thresholds were used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of each biomarker. The results suggest significant (P < .05) spatial changes in the inflammatory response, with upregulation of IL‐1α, IL‐8, and G‐CSF as well as down‐regulation of IL‐1RA over the Stage I PU compared with the adjacent control site. There were no significant temporal differences between the three sessions. Selected cytokines, namely, IL‐1α, IL‐1RA, IL‐8, G‐CSF, and the ratio IL‐1α/IL‐1RA offered clear delineation in the classification of healthy and Stage‐I PU skin sites, with receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrating high sensitivity and specificity. There were limited influences of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the biomarker response. Inflammatory markers provided a high level of discrimination between the sites presenting with Stage I PU and an adjacent healthy skin site, in a cohort of elderly inpatients. Indeed, the ratio of IL‐1α to IL‐1RA provided the highest sensitivity and specificity, indicative that inflammatory homeostasis is affected at the PU site. There was a marginal influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, demonstrating the localised effects of the inflammation. Further studies are required to investigate the potential of inflammatory cytokines incorporated within Point of Care technologies, to support routine clinical use.
Splint‐free line drawing model: An innovative method for excisional wound models
Authors: Yang Yi , Xie Wenjun , Li Shiyi , Sun Xuer , Yu Boya , Fu Huijuan , Chen Minliang
Published: March 2023

The physiological phenomenon of wound contraction in mice cannot completely imitate the process of human skin regeneration, which is primarily attributed to reepithelialisation. As such, excisional wound models in mice are considered to be imperfect comparisons. This study aimed to enhance the correlation of mouse excisional wound models with that of humans, and to offer more practical and accurate ways to record and measure wound areas. We present evidence that simple excisional wounds produce a robust and stable wound model by comparing splint‐free and splint groups. We monitored reepithelialisation and contraction in the C57BL/6J mouse excision wound model at different time points and prove that excisional wounds heal by both contraction and reepithelialisation. Some parameters were measured and a formula was used to calculate the area of wound reepithelialisation and contraction. In our results, reepithelialisation accounted for 46% of the wound closure of full‐thickness excisional wounds. In conclusion, excisional wound models can be used as wound‐healing models and a straightforward formula may be used to determine the process of reepithelialisation over a wound bed created by a simple excisional rodent wound model.
The mirror viewing experience of women undergoing a mastectomy: An integrative review
Authors: Tyner Tracy E. , Freysteinson Wyona M.
Published: March 2023

Aims

To appraise the current literature on the mirror viewing experience of women undergoing a mastectomy.

Design

Whittemore and Knafl's approach to integrative reviews, Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis, and PRISMA guidelines were utilized for this review.

Data Sources

A systematic search of primary peer‐reviewed articles from April 2012 to 2022 was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete and Google Scholar databases.

Review Methods

Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria (15 qualitative and 3 quantitative) and were appraised using the Johns Hopkins evidence‐based practice appraisal instrument.

Results

Five themes describing the mirror viewing experience were revealed: Mirror viewing motives, mirror viewing preparedness, mirror viewing experience, mirror comfort/avoidance and women's mirror viewing recommendations.

Conclusion

The review findings were found to align with Freysteinson's Neurocognitive Mirror Viewing Model highlighting the occurrence of short‐term memory disruptions and an autonomic nervous system response that can lead women to experience a flight/fright or faint response, mirror trauma and mirror avoidance when looking at themselves in the mirror after a mastectomy.

Impact

Women reported feeling unprepared to look at themselves in the mirror, with some experiencing shock and emotional distress, which led to mirror avoidance behaviours as a way to cope with their new body image. Nursing interventions aimed at improving women's mirror viewing experiences may help mitigate this autonomic nervous system response and minimize mirror trauma and mirror avoidance. Preparing women to view themselves in the mirror for the first time may help reduce psychological distress and body image disturbances in women undergoing a mastectomy.

No Patient or Public Contribution

This integrative review did not involve patient or public contributions. The authors reviewed currently published peer‐reviewed literature in writing this manuscript.
Effect of transverse thoracic muscle plane block on postoperative cognitive dysfunction after open cardiac surgery: A randomized clinical trial
Authors: Chen Shibiao , Zhang Hua , Zhang Yang
Published: March 2023

The transversus thoracis muscle plane (TTMP) block provides effective analgesia in cardiac surgery patients. The aim of this study was to assess whether bilateral TTMP blocks can reduce the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in patients undergoing cardiac valve replacement. A group of 103 patients were randomly divided into the TTM group (n = 52) and the PLA (placebo) group (n = 51). The primary endpoint was the incidence of POCD at 1 week after surgery. Secondary outcome measures included a reduction of intraoperative mean arterial pressure (MAP) >20% from baseline, intraoperative and postoperative sufentanil consumption, length of stay in the ICU, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), time to first faeces, postoperative pain at 24 h after surgery, time to extubation and the length of hospital stay. Interleukin (IL)‐6, TNF‐α, S‐100β, insulin, glucose and insulin resistance were measured at before induction of anaesthesia, 1, 3and 7 days after surgery. The MoCA scores were significantly lower and the incidence of POCD decreased significantly in TTM group compared with PLA group at 7 days after surgery. Perioperative sufentanil consumption, the incidence of PONV and intraoperative MAP reduction >20% from baseline, length of stay in the ICU, postoperative pain at 24 h after surgery, time to extubation and the length of hospital stay were significantly decreased in the TTM group. Postoperatively, IL‐6, TNF‐α, S‐100β, HOMA‐IR, insulin, glucose levels increased and the TTM group had a lower degree than the PLA group at 1, 3 and 7 days after surgery. In summary, bilateral TTMP blocks could improve postoperative cognitive function in patients undergoing cardiac valve replacement.
Does preschool executive control mediate the impact of early environmental unpredictability and deprivation on the general factor of psychopathology a decade later?
Authors: Phillips Eric M. , Brock Rebecca L. , James Tiffany D. , Nelson Jennifer Mize , Mason W. Alex , Espy Kimberly Andrews , Nelson Timothy D.
Published: March 2023

Background

Although deprivation has been consistently shown to increase risk for psychopathology through impaired executive control, the unique effects of other dimensions of early adversity, such as unpredictability, on executive control development are poorly understood. The current study evaluated whether deprivation and/or unpredictability early in life have unique effects on the general factor of psychopathology through impaired preschool executive control.

Methods

Participants included 312 children (51% female) oversampled for greater sociodemographic risk. Preschool executive control was measured using a battery of nine developmentally appropriate executive control tasks. Dimensions of adversity were measured with observational and caregiver assessments, and psychopathology was measured with caregiver and child reports.

Results

In separate models, both deprivation and unpredictability had significant indirect effects on the adolescent general factor of psychopathology through impaired preschool executive control. However, when both dimensions of adversity were included simultaneously, early life deprivation, but not unpredictability, was uniquely associated with the general factor of psychopathology in adolescence through impaired preschool executive control.

Conclusions

Preschool executive control appears to be a transdiagnostic mechanism through which deprivation, but not unpredictability, increases risk for the general factor of psychopathology in adolescence. Results elucidate potential transdiagnostic targets for intervention efforts aimed at reducing the development and maintenance of psychopathology across the life span.
Molecular mechanisms of the virulence and efficacy of a highly virulent Vibrio anguillarum strain and its formalin‐inactivated vaccine in rainbow trout
Authors: Lim Jongwon , Jang Yoonyoung , Han Hyun‐Ja , Hong Suhee
Published: March 2023

In this study, we have isolated four strains of Vibrio anguillarum, revealing that they share the same serotype of O1, biochemical characteristics and virulence factor genes. However, there were differences in haemolytic activity among the bacterial strains; a strain with lower pathogenicity showed γ‐haemolytic activity, whereas other virulent strains showed α‐haemolytic activity on blood agar and higher empA gene expression in RTG‐2 cell line. The most virulent strain was V. anguillarum RTBHR from diseased masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou), which resulted in mortality of 100% and 93.3% when injected intraperitoneally at concentrations of 9 × 105 and 6.3 × 105 colony‐forming units/fish in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), respectively. A formalin‐inactivated vaccine of V. anguillarum RTBHR induced a protective and specific immunity in rainbow trout as the vaccinated fish exhibited low cumulative mortality in a challenge test and a high specific antibody response in enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay at 8 weeks post‐vaccination. The produced antibody was bound to bacterial proteins of 30–37 kDa in size. This adaptive immune response was detected as early as day 1, with quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealing the upregulated expression of genes encoding for TCRα, T‐bet, mIgM and sIgM in rainbow trout. This suggested that the vaccine induced T (probably a more dominant Th1 response) and B cell responses. In conclusion, the vaccine successfully protected fish from V. anguillarum infection by eliciting cellular and humoral immune responses.
A multiplicative thinning‐based integer‐valued GARCH model
Authors: Aknouche Abdelhakim , Scotto Manuel G.
Published: March 2023

In this article, we introduce a multiplicative integer‐valued time series model, which is defined as the product of a unit‐mean integer‐valued independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) sequence, and an integer‐valued dependent process. The latter is defined as a binomial thinning operation of its own past and of the past of the observed process. Furthermore, it combines some features of the integer‐valued GARCH (INGARCH), the autoregressive conditional duration (ACD), and the integer autoregression (INAR) processes. The proposed model has an unspecified distribution and is able to parsimoniously generate very high overdispersion, persistence, and heavy‐tailedness. The dynamic probabilistic structure of the model is first analyzed. In addition, parameter estimation is considered by using a two‐stage weighted least squares estimate (2SWLSE), consistency and asymptotic normality (CAN) of which are established under mild conditions. Applications of the proposed formulation to simulated and actual count time series data are provided.
Multi‐purpose open‐end monitoring procedures for multivariate observations based on the empirical distribution function
Authors: Holmes Mark , Kojadinovic Ivan , Verhoijsen Alex
Published: March 2023

We propose non‐parametric open‐end sequential testing procedures that can detect all types of changes in the contemporary distribution function of possibly multivariate observations. Their asymptotic properties are theoretically investigated under stationarity and under alternatives to stationarity. Monte Carlo experiments reveal their good finite‐sample behavior in the case of continuous univariate, bivariate and trivariate observations. A short data example concludes the work.
Wage differences according to workers' origin: The role of working more upstream in GVCs
Authors: Fays Valentine , Mahy Benoît , Rycx François
Published: March 2023

This article examines the impact of a firm's position in Global Value Chains (GVCs) on wages according to workers' origin. Based on a unique linked employer–employee dataset regarding the Belgian manufacturing industry covering the 2002–2010 timespan, our estimates show that firms that are more upstream in the value chain pay on average significantly higher wages. However, the wage premium associated with upstreamness is also found to be unequally shared among workers. Unconditional quantile regressions and decomposition methods suggest that high‐wage workers born in developed countries benefit the most from being employed higher up the value chain, while workers born in developing countries appear to be unfairly rewarded.
Conditional intentions and shared agency
Authors: Rachar Matthew
Published: March 2023

Shared agency is a distinctive kind of sociality that involves interdependent planning, practical reasoning, and action between participants. Philosophical reflection suggests that agents engage in this form of sociality when a special structure of interrelated psychological attitudes exists between them, a set of attitudes that constitutes a collective intention. I defend a new way to understand collective intention as a combination of individual conditional intentions. Revising an initial statement of the conditional intention account in response to several challenges leads to a specification of the properties these intentions need to have in order to be genuine commitments. I then show how a structure of conditional intentions with these properties settles a collection of agents on engaging in social interactions that display all the features typically associated with shared agency.
From the basics to emerging diagnostic technologies: What is on the horizon for tilapia disease diagnostics?
Authors: Dong Ha Thanh , Chaijarasphong Thawatchai , Barnes Andrew C. , Delamare‐Deboutteville Jérôme , Lee Peiyu Alison , Senapin Saengchan , Mohan Chadag Vishnumurthy , Tang Kathy F. J. , McGladdery Sharon E. , Bondad‐Reantaso Melba G.
Published: March 2023

Tilapia is an affordable protein source farmed in over 140 countries with the majority of production in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Intensification of tilapia farming has exacerbated losses caused by emerging and re‐emerging infectious diseases. Disease diagnostics play a crucial role in biosecurity and health management to mitigate disease loss and improve animal welfare in aquaculture. Three continuous levels of diagnostics (I, II and III) for aquatic species have been proposed by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia and the Pacific (NACA) to promote the integration of basic and advanced methods to achieve accurate and meaningful interpretation of diagnostic results. However, the recent proliferation of cutting‐edge molecular methods applied in the diagnosis of diseases of aquacultured animals has shifted the focus of researchers and users away from basic approaches and toward molecular diagnostics, despite the fact that many diseases can be rapidly diagnosed using inexpensive, simple microscopic examination and that most emerging diseases in aquaculture were discovered by histopathology. This review, therefore, revisits and highlights the importance of the three levels of diagnostics for diseases of tilapia, particularly the frequently overlooked basic procedures (e.g., case history records, gross pathology, presumptive diagnostic methods and histopathology). The review also covers current and emerging molecular diagnostic technologies for tilapia pathogens including polymerase chain reaction methods (conventional, quantitative, digital), isothermal amplification methods Loop‐mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP), recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)‐based detection, lateral flow immunoassays, as well as discussing what is on the horizon for tilapia disease diagnostics (next generation sequencing, artificial intelligence, environmental Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) and point‐of‐care testing) providing a future vision for transferring these technologies to farmers and stakeholders for a sustainable aquatic food system transformation.