bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electronic Health Record–Based Prediction of 1-Year Risk of Incident Cardiac Dysrhythmia: Prospective Case-Finding Algorithm Development and Validation Study
Authors: Zhang Yaqi , Han Yongxia , Gao Peng , Mo Yifu , Hao Shiying , Huang Jia , Ye Fangfan , Li Zhen , Zheng Le , Yao Xiaoming , Li Zhen , Li Xiaodong , Wang Xiaofang , Huang Chao-Jung , Jin Bo , Zhang Yani , Yang Gabriel , Alfreds Shaun T , Kanov Laura , Sylvester Karl G , Widen Eric , Li Licheng , Ling Xuefeng
Published: January 2021

Background

Cardiac dysrhythmia is currently an extremely common disease. Severe arrhythmias often cause a series of complications, including congestive heart failure, fainting or syncope, stroke, and sudden death.

Objective

The aim of this study was to predict incident arrhythmia prospectively within a 1-year period to provide early warning of impending arrhythmia.

Methods

Retrospective (1,033,856 individuals enrolled between October 1, 2016, and October 1, 2017) and prospective (1,040,767 individuals enrolled between October 1, 2017, and October 1, 2018) cohorts were constructed from integrated electronic health records in Maine, United States. An ensemble learning workflow was built through multiple machine learning algorithms. Differentiating features, including acute and chronic diseases, procedures, health status, laboratory tests, prescriptions, clinical utilization indicators, and socioeconomic determinants, were compiled for incident arrhythmia assessment. The predictive model was retrospectively trained and calibrated using an isotonic regression method and was prospectively validated. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC).

Results

The cardiac dysrhythmia case-finding algorithm (retrospective: AUROC 0.854; prospective: AUROC 0.827) stratified the population into 5 risk groups: 53.35% (555,233/1,040,767), 44.83% (466,594/1,040,767), 1.76% (18,290/1,040,767), 0.06% (623/1,040,767), and 0.003% (27/1,040,767) were in the very low-risk, low-risk, medium-risk, high-risk, and very high-risk groups, respectively; 51.85% (14/27) patients in the very high-risk subgroup were confirmed to have incident cardiac dysrhythmia within the subsequent 1 year.

Conclusions

Our case-finding algorithm is promising for prospectively predicting 1-year incident cardiac dysrhythmias in a general population, and we believe that our case-finding algorithm can serve as an early warning system to allow statewide population-level screening and surveillance to improve cardiac dysrhythmia care.
Using Information Technology to Assess Patient Risk Factors in Primary Care Clinics: Pragmatic Evaluation
Authors: Kosowan Leanne , Katz Alan , Halas Gayle , LaBine Lisa , Singer Alexander
Published: January 2021

Background

Tobacco use, physical inactivity, and poor diet are associated with morbidity and premature death. Health promotion and primary prevention counseling, advice, and support by a primary care provider lead to behavior change attempts among patients. However, although physicians consider preventative health important, there is often a larger focus on symptom presentation, acute care, and medication review.

Objective

This study evaluated the feasibility, adoption, and integration of the tablet-based Risk Factor Identification Tool (RFIT) that uses algorithmic information technology to support obtainment of patient risk factor information in primary care clinics.

Methods

This is a pragmatic developmental evaluation. Each clinic developed a site-specific implementation plan adapted to their workflow. The RFIT was implemented in 2 primary care clinics located in Manitoba. Perceptions of 10 clinic staff and 8 primary care clinicians informed this evaluation.

Results

Clinicians reported a smooth and fast transfer of RFIT responses to an electronic medical record encounter note. The RFIT was used by 207 patients, with a completion rate of 86%. Clinic staff reported that approximately 3%-5% of patients declined the use of the RFIT or required assistance to use the tablet. Among the 207 patients that used the RFIT, 22 (12.1%) smoked, 39 (21.2%) felt their diet could be improved, 20 (12.0%) reported high alcohol consumption, 103 (56.9%) reported less than 150 minutes of physical activity a week, and 6 (8.2%) patients lived in poverty. Clinicians suggested that although a wide variety of patients were able to use the tablet-based RFIT, implemented surveys should be tailored to patient subgroups.

Conclusions

Clinicians and clinic staff positively reviewed the use of information technology in primary care. Algorithmic information technology can collect, organize, and synthesize individual health information to inform and tailor primary care counseling to the patients’ context and readiness to change. The RFIT is a user-friendly tool that provides an effective method for obtaining risk factor information from patients. It is particularly useful for subsets of patients lacking continuity in the care they receive. When implemented within a context that can support practical interventions to address identified risk factors, the RFIT can inform brief interventions within primary care.
Nationalism Over Globalization amidst COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on Indonesia’s Food Security
Authors: Handayani Prawita Meidi
Published: January 2021

COVID-19 has posed new challenges to globalization. It further perpetuates the rising trend of nationalism that has been ongoing for quite some time. At the start of the pandemic, one will automatically point the finger to cross-border travelers and people who can perform a high transnational movement. This phenomenon further increases the rapid spread of the virus on a global scale and disrupts the global supply chain that comes with it. When the outbreak first emerged, most policymakers wrongly assumed that the COVID-19 pandemic would only have a brief, limited, China-specific impact. As a matter of fact, the pandemic is generating a global shock and economic slowdown, risking to turn for the worse into recession. This pandemic has strongly highlighted the many downsides of extensive international integration and thus provoked fears of foreigners. It later gave legitimacy to national restrictions on global trade and movement of people. As it turned out, COVID-19 is the catalyst needed to further enhance the rise of nationalism. This phenomenon will, eventually, have negative repercussions on Indonesia’s food security.AbstrakCOVID-19 telah membawa tantangan baru bagi globalisasi. Tren nasionalisme yang memang telah berkembang di seluruh dunia kemudian diperburuk oleh pandemi COVID-19. Saat dimulainya pandemi, secara otomatis seseorang akan menyalahkan para pelancong lintas batas dan orang-orang yang memiliki kemampuan untuk melakukan pergerakan transnasional yang tinggi. Fenomena ini yang kemudian semakin meningkatkan penyebaran virus yang cepat dalam skala global dan gangguan pada rantai pasokan global. Pada awal merebaknya wabah COVID-19, sebagian besar penyusun kebijakan salah berasumsi bahwa pandemi ini hanya akan memiliki dampak singkat dan terbatas hanya terhadap Cina. Pada kenyataannya, pandemi ini telah mengakibatkan guncangan global dan perlambatan ekonomi yang berpotensi menjadi resesi global. Pandemi ini sangat menyoroti banyak kerugian dari integrasi internasional yang luas dan memicu ketakutan terhadap orang asing. Hal ini kemudian memberikan legitimasi pada pembatasan nasional terhadap perdagangan global dan pergerakan manusia. COVID-19 telah menjadi katalis yang dibutuhkan untuk lebih meningkatkan kebangkitan nasionalisme. Fenomena ini pada akhirnya akan berdampak negatif terhadap ketahanan pangan Indonesia.
Interactivity in the language online classroom: from the index of system intelligence to the systemic changes in education
Authors: Galchuk Larisa M.
Published: January 2021

Problem and goal. The article examines the changing nature and intensity of the teaching-learning interaction with the digital technologies becoming commonplace in higher education, whether in support of its traditional, blended, or fully online formats. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to identify the nature of interactivity, its types, didactic functions, methods and means of implementation in these new digitally enhanced learning spaces as one of their effectiveness parameters and indicators. Methodology. The study contextualizes its findings within the larger body of theoretical and applied research in the field of psychology, pedagogy and methodology, the formation and development of information educational media, vocational and electronic foreign language pedagogy in Russia and abroad. To verify the preliminary conclusions, the experience of designing a Moodle-based electronic training course was used. The quality of its interactive content was assessed on the basis of data from a questionnaire survey of students as a tool for their retrospective reflection upon completion of work on the thematic modules of the online course. Results. The principles, stages and technologies for designing interactive electronic educational resources have been developed and described, based on the pedagogical scenario, which forms the basis of a vocationally oriented foreign language course for master's students of a non-linguistic university. Instructional design is recognized as effective if it provides for complex types of learning and teaching interactions, the nature and intensity of which change as educational tasks become more complex, aimed at improving students' thinking skills of a higher order within the collaborative work and growing engagement into the online course. The functions of ICT as an element of an interactive educational ecosystem also vary, allowing the teacher and/or student at each stage of training to orchestrate the set of resources according to the teaching-learning goals. Conclusion. The results obtained revealed the diversity of forms and didactic functions of interactivity, stimulating the cognitive activity of students that results in the construction of new knowledge in the form of an intellectual artifact with its subsequent verification in a social context. The methodological value of the approach used in the study lies in shifting its research focus away from the comparative assessments of in-class and e-learning formats when discussing the quality teaching and learning issue towards an approach that delves more closely into choosing the appropriate methods and mechanisms for enhancing learning spaces with digital technologies and maximizing their effect.
Posttraumatic Growth in Cambodia: A Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Badaracco Julie , Sirikantraporn Skultip (Dzhill) , Rich Grant J. , Green Julii , Porter Matthew C.
Published: January 2021

The majority of psychological research has focused heavily on the negative outcomes of trauma and tends to ignore the positive outcomes of experiencing traumatic events. Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is a concept that stems from positive psychology and was originally developed by R.G. Tedeschi and L.G. Calhoun (2004). PTG is the process of growth after trauma and has been divided into five domains: greater appreciation for life, more intimate relationships, personal strength, recognition of new possibilities, and spiritual development. This mixed methods study utilizes archival data collected in 2015-2016 at the American University of Phnom Penh to examine the experience of growth after trauma that 70 Cambodian participants faced from a quantitative and qualitative perspective. Quantitative analysis determined that the Adult Resilience Measure (ARM) and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) were considered internally reliable and valid measures when used with Cambodians. It was determined that the number of traumatic events one experiences does not influence ones ability to experience PTG or resiliency and the concepts of PTG and resiliency are correlated. The qualitative analysis utilized grounded theory to develop a theory of PTG within Cambodia. These results indicated that Cambodians experience PTG in four core categories including: personal strength, relational strength, avenues of growth and religion/spirituality. The quantitative and qualitative results illustrate that Cambodians experience PTG in a similar manner when compared to the original PTG theory. However, there are cultural nuances that must be taken into account when exploring PTG within the Cambodian population.
Cognitive Factors of Life Satisfaction among the Russian Elderly
Authors: Belovol Elena V. , Boyko Zlata V. , Shurupova Elena Yu.
Published: January 2021

The overall aim of this article was to examine factors related to life satisfaction in old age. There are several approaches to understanding life satisfaction in psychology. Some theories that emphasize objective circumstances as most influential for life satisfaction are commonly labelled bottom-up theories, whereas theories that focus on stable individual characteristics are commonly labelled top-down theories. It is argued that certain personality traits, in particular extraversion and neuroticism, partly determine a persons satisfaction with life. At the same time, cognitive factors related to life satisfaction are rarely the subject of empirical research. In this study, age, social status (works, does not work, in retirement), type of family (nuclear or extended), and a number of indices of cognitive functioning (cognitive flexibility, memory - short-term and long-term, creativity and thinking) were used as predictor variables of life satisfaction. Ninety-seven respondents aged 50-84 participated in the research, which finds that, along with non-cognitive factors of life satisfaction, cognitive factors play great roles as well. Based on the data obtained, an empirical model of cognitive factors of life satisfaction was constructed. This research demonstrates that all cognitive variables examined (flexibility of thinking, long-term memory, short-term memory, thinking and creativity) make positive contributions to increasing satisfaction; notably the roles of long-term memory and creativity are especially salient. This study also found satisfaction is significantly higher among working older respondents when compared with their non-working colleagues, with the oldest employees the most satisfied. Family status is a factor related to life satisfaction in old age as well, since old people who live with a spouse are more satisfied than those who live in extended families with children and grandchildren. A regression model combined variables from top-down and bottom-up theories. The model includes memory and age as personal characteristics, and family type as a circumstantial predictor for life satisfaction in old age.
Relationship between Perfectionism and Forms of Social Activity of Russian Young People: The Case of the Saratov Region
Authors: Bocharova Elena E.
Published: January 2021

The phenomenology of positive psychology is associated, first of all, with the assessment of the positive significance of mental phenomena, processes, states and properties of an individual, a qualitative analysis of which makes it possible to determine the degree of realisation of personal capabilities in various spheres of life, contributing to the maintenance and improvement of significant resources of ones own self. In this regard, of particular interest is the development of the topic of the relationship between perfectionism and forms of social activity of an individual, since the case in hand is the role of individuals and their subjective properties as a resource of not only personal, but also social, capital. The purpose of the study presented in the article is to conduct an empirical study regarding the relationship between perfectionism and various forms of personal social activity. The study involved representatives of student youth aged between 16 and 19 years ( N = 236): high school students ( n = 118) and university students ( n = 118) in Saratov and the Saratov region (Russia). The methodological tools included: a questionnaire aimed at registering various forms of social activity and their manifestations (R.M. Shamionov, I.V. Arendachuk, E.E. Bocharova and others) and The Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (P.L. Hewitt, G.L. Flett, adapted by I.I. Gracheva) to study the relationships between the manifestations of the parameters of perfectionism. The hypothesis of the study was the assumption of the presence of multidirectional relationships between the manifestations of the parameters of perfectionism and self-assessments of various forms of social activity. As a result of the study, the authors established the dominant manifestation of the internal locus of perfectionism and identified the presence of multidirectional relationships between perfectionism and forms of social activity of the students, which made it possible to clarify the specifics of its functional manifestation in the deployment (or limitation) of social activities. It was shown that when the internal locus of perfectionism was fixed, the social and economic activities of the students were deployed, while the educational, spiritual, protest and subcultural activities were limited. However, when the external locus of perfectionism was fixed, the young people initiated subcultural activities against the background of limited educational and developmental activities. In sum, findings from this research can be implemented in the practice of advisory services in educational institutions, and in the organization of socially useful activities for young people, by taking into account their perfectionist orientation.
Enhanced Recovery in Surgery for Gastric Cancer
Authors: Ilyina O. V. , Ruchkin D. V. , Kozyrin I. A. , Stepanova Yu. A.
Published: January 2021

Aim. A summarising review of national and international practices in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) for gastric cancer.Key points. Although ERAS is a routine protocol in colorectal surgery, little agreement exists on its eﬀectiveness and safety in upper gastrointestinal surgery, particularly, for gastric cancer (GC). General recommendations are being widely followed in clinical practice, whilst the adherence to GC-speciﬁc measures is still limited. The review highlights the speciﬁc measures of perioperative nutrition, surgical approach, early postoperative diet, phase-out of routine nasogastric or nasojejunal tubes, audit of results. The GC-speciﬁc protocols include the early detection of postoperative complications, especially the oesophagojejunal anastomosis leakage, to facilitate the ERAS safety and early oral nutrition.Conclusion. Current evidence suggests a strong association of ERAS with improved outcomes and quality of life in the early postoperative period. The long-term impact of ERAS remains understudied but is expected to reduce complications and their severity in oncological surgery.
Clinical Traits of SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Authors: Zolnikova O. Yu. , Dzhakhaya N. L. , Potskherashvili N. D. , Puzakov K. B. , Кiseleva O. Yu. , Kokina N. I. , Buklis E. R. , Roshchina T. V. , Коmkova I. I.
Published: January 2021

Aim. Analysis of clinical manifestations, laboratory and instrumental examination data in SARS-CoV-2 patients with taking into account the disease severity and outcome.Materials and methods. The study included 92 patients with conﬁrmed coronavirus infection, including 15 lethal cases, hospitalised at the Vasilenko Clinic of Internal Disease Propaedeutics, Gastroenterology and Hepatology of the Sechenov University in April 2020. The analysis included demographic data, the presence of concomitant diseases, chest computed tomography (CT) results, laboratory tests (including SARS-CoV-2-diagnostic PCR, general and metabolic blood panels, coagulogram) and the duration of disease.Results. Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 usually exhibit lymphopenia (p ≤ 0.001), leucocytosis, the elevated neutrophils (p ≤ 0.05), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (p ≤0,05), C-reactive protein (p ≤ 0.05), ferritin (p ≤ 0.05), D-dimer (p ≤ 0.05) and ﬁbrinogen (p ≤ 0.05), altered prothrombin time (p ≤ 0.05) and INR (p ≤ 0.05). In a critical coronavirus infection, the pulmonary lesion exceeds 50% (corresponds to CT3 — CT4). The risk of critical SARS-CoV-2 infection increases with elder age (p ≤ 0.001), associates with the male gender and presence of concomitant diseases, such as obesity (p < 0.01), diabetes mellitus (p < 0.001), hypertension (p ≤ 0.001), CHD (p ≤ 0.001) and atrial ﬁbrillation (p <0.05).Conclusion. The risk of severe and adverse coronavirus infection is signiﬁcantly higher in elder comorbid patients.
Clinical Recommendations of the Russian Gastroenterological Association and Association of Coloproctologists of Russia on Diagnosis and Treatment of Constipation in Adults
Authors: Ivashkin V. T. , Shelygin Yu. A. , Maev I. V. , Sheptulin A. A. , Aleshin D. V. , Achkasov S. I. , Baranskaya E. K. , Kulikova N. D. , Lapina T. L. , Moskalev A. I. , Osipenko M. F. , Poluektova E. A. , Simanenkov V. I. , Trukhmanov A. S. , Fomenko O. Yu. , Shifrin O. S.
Published: January 2021

Aim. Current clinical recommendations are intended to supply gastroenterologists, physicians and general practitioners with modern methods for the diagnosis and treatment of constipation.Key points. Constipation is deﬁned as primary (functional) and secondary form, the latter comprising a manifestation of another illness. The causes of constipation are diagnosed with colonoscopy, especially in patients aged over 50 having “anxiety symptoms” and hereditary colorectal oncological predisposition. Indications may also include the bowel transit time estimation with radiopaque markers, balloon expulsion test, anorectal manometry, defecography and electromyography. Therapy for constipation should be comprehensive and concern lifestyle, diet recommendations and use of medications (psyllium, macrogol, lactulose, lactitol, contact laxatives, prucalopride). Patients with a less eﬀective conservative therapy and largely reduced quality of life should be considered for surgical intervention.Conclusion. An eﬀective therapy for constipation requires a correct diagnosis of its causes.
AS ORIENTAÇÕES CURRICULARES NACIONAIS PARA O ENSINO MÉDIO
Authors: Soares Júnior Néri Emílio , Romeiro Ana Cristina Viera Lopes
Published: January 2021

O presente estudo tem o objetivo analisar as Orientações Curriculares Nacionais para o ensino médio (OCNem). Foram realizadas a análise documental dessas orientações e a de outros documentos relacionados ao processo de reforma do ensino médio, tais como os Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais para o ensino médio (PCNem) e as Orientações Curriculares Educacionais Complementares aos Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais (PCN+). As OCNem constituem-se como parte da reforma do ensino médio no Brasil, que foi iniciada com a publicação dos PCNem e das Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais para o ensino médio. Sendo assim, apresentam continuidades e rupturas com esta política curricular. Percebeu-se, deste modo, que as OCNem apresentam um forte conteúdo híbrido em relação às concepções teóricas que fundamentaram sua elaboração.
PROTAGONISMO INDÍGENA NA PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO
Authors: Nascimento Adir Casaro , Naglis Vieira Carlos Magno , Urquiza Antônio Hilário Aguilera
Published: January 2021

Tendo como referência as experiências vividas com indígenas em cursos de pós-graduação (mestrado e doutorado) no Mato Grosso do Sul e alguns anos de pesquisa com a temática, o artigo busca refletir a presença dos indígenas na Pós-graduação e suas contribuições para a decolonização do currículo e do espaço universitário. Amparado em estudos que estão marcados pelo pensamento de intelectuais que se orientam pela cosmovisão de populações tradicionais e que transitam pelos diferentes espaços escolares/acadêmicos, o texto apresenta que a convivência presencial com a diferença tem sido enriquecedora, pois tem oportunizado os currículos dos Programas serem transversalizados por conhecimentos que não os hegemônicos e homogêneos, tem dado aos povos indígenas e as suas resistências uma visibilidade outra, que não a colonial (de inferiorização, subalternização, negação e satanização) e tem proporcionado a desconstrução de preconceitos históricos, bem como, para todos o entendimento de que os saberes da diferença têm estado presente e devem, cada vez, mais serem confirmados como partes importantes na construção dos chamados conhecimentos universais.
Whistleblowing systems: A systematic literature review on the design specifications and the consideration of the risk for organizational insiders to blow the whistle
Authors: Scherbarth Sandra , Behringer Stefan
Published: January 2021

Whistleblowing systems as internal company instruments for prevention and detection of compliance violations are increasingly recommended both in academic and practical literature. In the European Union, the discussion is currently activated by the EU legislation for better protection of whistleblowers, which needs to be transferred in national law by the member states end of 2021. This literature review examines the literature for the design specifications developed for whistleblowing systems under consideration of the risk for organizational insiders to blow the whistle. The purpose is to review the design specifications developed in scientific studies, the data basis on which they are built whether and, if so, how the risk for organizational insiders to blow the whistle is taken into account. A comprehensive database of literature has been examined. The result is systematic categorization of the specifications for the design of whistleblowing systems. Moreover, we conclude, that there is a lack of data basis for clear specifications. The research shows that in the design of whistleblowing-systems there is a lack of discussion of the risks for whistleblowers to suffer social and professional disadvantages
The link between debt finance and profitability in the emerging market: A case study of a furniture retail company
Authors: Nyamwanza Lilian , Haufiku Hilja Iyalo , Ellen Mashaya , Mhaka Charity
Published: January 2021

The objective of this research was to establish the impact of debt finance on the profitability of a firm using A furniture retail company (pseudo name “A”) as a case study. The mixed methods approach was employed quantitative data from financial statements and qualitative data from interviews. The target population was 25, hence the researchers used a population census, 24 participants assisted in the research. The statistical method used for analysing secondary data was STATA 11. The regression model and variables incorporated were debt ratio, which was the independent variable, and the return on asset ratio, which was the dependent variable, and the measure of profitability in this particular research. Main findings from the research indicated that debt financing was significantly and statistically negatively affecting the return on assets of the company. The regression yielded a p-value of 0.018 and a coefficient of 0.9992 thus confirming a 99.92% that the variability in profitability is well explained by the independent variable used in this research which is debt finance. The study recommends companies to carry out an in-depth cost-benefit analysis of debt financing to ensure optimum profitability especially for small and private limited companies in a volatile economy (Zimbabwe).
A single-center experience of steroid therapy for COVID-19 management
Authors: Shaukat Aamir , Sabri Ahmad Ayaz , Ahmed Umair , Ahmad Nazir , Muhammad Dilshad , Ali Majid , Mahmood Arfan
Published: January 2021

Aim: There is an emerging role of steroids in the management of
COVID-19. We aimed to compare the outcome of COVID-19 patients (recovery
versus mortality) who were treated with steroids with those who were not
treated with steroids during their course of hospital stay. Methods: A
retrospective analysis of all moderately to severely ill COVID-19
patients, meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria, admitted to our
center during the study period of four months, was performed. The
patients were categorized into two groups: Group I included 25 patients
who were given steroids, and Group II also included 25 patients who were
not given any steroids during their hospital stay. The primary outcome
(recovery versus mortality), length of hospital stay as well as other
features were compared between the two groups. Results: The mean length
of hospital stay was 9.3 days in the steroids group and 10.9 days in the
non-steroids group with a p value of 0.249. None of the patients was
shifted to a ventilator in either group. One patient in the steroids
group (4%) and two patients in the non-steroids group (8%) needed to
be put on high flow nasal cannula. One patient died in the steroids
group with a recovery rate of 96%, while two patients died in the
non-steroids group with a recovery rate of 92% (p value 0.552).
Conclusion: Treatment with steroids in moderately to severely ill
COVID-19 patients did not decrease the length of hospital stay or
mortality in our study.
History of canids in Chile and impacts on prey adaptations
Authors: Silva Benjamín , Root-Bernstein Meredith
Published: January 2021

Artiodactyl prey species of Chile, especially guanacos (Lama guanicoe)
are reported to be very susceptible to predation by pack hunting feral
dogs. It has been previously suggested that guanacos and endemic South
American deer may have evolved in the absence of pack-hunting cursorial
predators. However, the paleoecology of canid presence in southern South
America and Chile is unclear. Here, we review the literature on South
American and Chilean canids, their distributions, ecologies and hunting
behaviour. We consider both wild and domestic canids, including Canis
familiaris breeds. We establish two known antipredator defense
behaviours of guanacos: predator inspection of ambush predators, e.g.
Puma concolor, and rushing at and kicking smaller cursorial predators,
e.g. Lycalopex culpaeus. We propose that since the late Pleistocene
extinction of hypercarnivorous group-hunting canids east of the Andes,
there were no native species creating group-hunting predation pressures
on guanacos. Endemic deer of Chile may have never experienced group
hunting selection pressure from native predators. Even hunting dogs (or
other canids) used by indigenous groups in the far north and extreme
south of Chile (and presumably the center as well) appear to have been
used primarily within ambush hunting strategies. This may account for
the susceptibility of guanacos and other prey species to feral dog
attacks. We detail seven separate hypotheses that require further
investigation in order to assess how best to respond to the threat posed
by feral dogs to the conservation of native deer and camelids in Chile
and other parts of South America.
A NEW METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE ACCURATE J-R CURVES OF STEELS
Authors: Gao Hui , Li Chun-Qing , Wang Weigang , Wang Yanlin , Zhang Bohua
Published: January 2021

Unloading compliance (UC) method and normalization method (NM) are two
of the most commonly used methods for determining the fracture toughness
of materials. However, considerable differences often exist in the
fracture toughness determined by these two methods, which solicits a new
method to determine the fracture toughness accurately. In this paper,
the compliance of crack length differences as measured by the crack
length difference ratio Si is discovered, analysed and verified by
experiments. Based on this compliance, a new accurate method, known as
AJR, is developed and verified by test results. Factors that exhibit the
advantages of the developed new AJR method are also investigated. It is
found that the J-R curves determined by the new AJR method are more
accurate than those determined by UC and NM. The new AJR method should
be the first choice for steels with a small strain hardening ratio and
low effective yield strength, and thicker CT specimens with shallower
initial crack length. This is because the disagreement between UC and NM
is unacceptably large. The developed new AJR method and the results
presented in this paper can assist engineers and researchers to
determine J-R curves and fracture toughness of steels more accurately
and can contribute to the body of knowledge of fracture mechanics.
The FDA and PLATO investigators death lists: Call for a match
Authors: Serebruany Victor , Tanguay Jean-Francois , Marciniak Thomas
Published: January 2021

Purpose: The FDA-issued PLATO trial dataset revealed that some primary
deaths causes (PDC) were inaccurately reported favoring ticagrelor.
However, the PLATO Investigators operated the shorter death list of
uncertain quality. We compared if PDC match when trial fatalities were
reported to the FDA and by the PLATO investigators. Method: The FDA list
contains precisely detailed 938 PLATO deaths, while shorter
investigators dataset consists of 905 deaths. We matched 4 vascular
(sudden, post-MI, heart failure and stroke), and 3 non-vascular (cancer,
sepsis and suicide) PDC between death lists. Results: There were more
sudden deaths in the shorter list than in the FDA dataset (161 vs.138;
p<0.03), post-AMI (373 vs.178; p<0.001) but fewer
heart failure deaths (73 vs.109; p=0.02). Stroke numbers match well (39
vs. 37; p=NS) with only 2 ticagrelor cases removed. Cancer matched well
(32 vs.31; p=NS), and sepsis cases were identical (30 vs. 30; P=NS).
However, 2 extra clopidogrel suicides in the shorter list are impossible
to comprehend. Conclusions: The PLATO trial PDC were mismatched between
FDA and Investigators sets. We are kindly asking the ticagrelor sponsor
or/and concerned PLATO Investigators to clarify the PDC dataset match.
From nine to two: Ultra-barcoding develops a rigorous species delimitation framework in Paris section Axiparis (Melanthiaceae)
Authors: Ji Yunheng , Yang Jin , Landis Jacob , Wang Shuying , Yang Zhenyan , Jin Lei , Li Li , Yang Jun-Bo , Yi Ting Shuang
Published: January 2021

Species delimitation is a difficult task in traditional morphology-based
taxonomy. The ultra-barcoding approach, which uses whole plastid genomes
(plastomes) and nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) regions as extended DNA
barcodes for species identification and delimitation, has been
recommended as one of the candidate techniques for plant barcoding 2.0.
Yet, the efficacy of this approach in delineating species boundaries
remains poorly understood. Here, we attempt to decipher species
delimitation in the taxonomically challenging clade, Paris L. section
Axiparis H. Li, using phylogenetic inference and multiple sequence-based
species delimitation methods (ABGD, SDP, and mPTP) utilizing complete
plastomes and nrDNA clusters from multiple accessions per described
species. The results suggest that only two species-level taxonomic units
that possess not only morphological uniqueness but also genetic
distinctiveness and evolutionary independence can be recognized in P.
sect. Axiparis. Therefore, previous taxonomic work overemphasized minor
intraspecific morphological differences to establish species, and thus
resulted in proliferation of as many as seven synonyms in this clade.
Inferred from ultra-barcoding analyses, we propose a taxonomic revision
of P. sect. Axiparis which will help inform future decisions regarding
species conservation in the commercially valuable and severely
threatened genus Paris. This case study indicates that the
ultra-barcoding approach has great promise for developing a rigorous
species delimitation framework that will facilitate credible taxonomic
revision especially in taxonomically difficult plant taxa.
A case report of COVID-19 associated pulmonary mucormycosis
Authors: Khan Nariman , Gutierrez Christina G. , Martinez David Villafuerte , Proud Kevin C
Published: January 2021

Hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) are at risk for
developing secondary fungal infections due to greater incidence of preexisting comorbidities and exposure to
iatrogenic factors such as corticosteroid use. We present the case of a 44-year-old Hispanic female discovered unresponsive in her home that was found to have severe hyperglycemia with comorbid COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) associated pneumonia. The patient was intubated and treated with several broad-spectrum
antibiotics, remdesivir, and corticosteroids but had little improvement in her clinical status. Bronchoscopy was performed and revealed multiple necrotic lesions in the lungs. Endobronchial biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage samples revealed pauciseptated hyphae consistent with zygomycetes. The patient was treated with multiple antifungals including voriconazole, micafungin, and amphotericin B. However, despite maximal medical therapy, the patient perished. This case highlights that clinicians must carry a high degree of suspicion and a low threshold
to begin treatment for Mucor in diabetics and other immunosuppressed patients.
Crystal structure, optical and magnetic properties of PrFeO3 nanoparticles prepared by modified co-precipitation method
Authors: Nguyen Anh , Nguyen Ngoc , Mittova Irina , Perov Nikolai , Mittova Valentina , Hoang Thi , Nguyen Van , Nguyen Van , Pham Vinh , Bui Xuan
Published: January 2021

In this work, PrFeO3 nanoparticles were synthesized by modified
co-precipitation method and annealed at different temperatures up to 850?C.
The annealed PrFeO3 nanoparticles have single phase orthorhombic structure
and the average particle size of 25-30 nm. Due to the very small particle
size the prepared PrFeO3 nanoparticles are capable of being used as
photocatalyst materials thanks to their strong adsorption bands at 230-400
nm and 400-800 nm observed from the UV-Vis spectra. Additionally, the PrFeO3
nanoparticles are paramagnetic materials with Hc ~ 10Oe and Mr ~ 0. These
findings demonstrate their potential use not only as photocatalysts, but
also as magnetic materials.
FASB's Not-for-Profit Financial Reporting Project: Analysis of Letters to ASU 2016-14 Exposure Draft
Authors: Deis Donald R. , Shroff Arpita
Published: January 2021

In 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued an Exposure Draft (ED) as part of its first significant project in over 20 years on financial reporting by Not-for-Profit organizations (NFP). In this study, we categorize the 264 letters received on the ED by the type of respondent and analyze the responses using ANOVA, multiple comparisons tests, and multidimensional scaling. Ultimately, as Phase 1 of its NFP project, FASB issued accounting standards update (ASU) 2016-14 containing proposed changes supported by a majority of the respondents to the ED. The Board deferred recommended changes with less support from respondents to Phase 2 of the project. Although constituents often accuse accounting standard setters of standards-overload and for being unresponsive to their comments (Herz 2003), our findings indicate otherwise.

Data Availability: Data are available from the public sources cited in the text.

JEL Classifications: G00; L31; M40.
On Being a Physician
Authors: Nabel Elizabeth G
Published: January 2021

The role of a physician as healer has grown more complex, and emphasis will increasingly be on patient and family-centric care. Physicians must provide compassionate, appropriate, and effective patient care by demonstrating competence in the attributes that are essential to successful medical practice. Beyond simply gaining medical knowledge, modern physicians embrace lifelong learning and need effective interpersonal and communication skills. Medical professionalism encompasses multiple attributes, and physicians are increasingly becoming part of a larger health care team. To ensure that physicians are trained in an environment that fosters innovation and alleviates administrative burdens, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has recently revamped the standards of accreditation for today’s more than 130 specialties and subspecialties.
This review contains six references.
Advanced Liver Fibrosis Is Common in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Followed in the Outpatient Setting: The Need for Systematic Screening
Authors: Lomonaco Romina , Leiva Eddison Godinez , Bril Fernando , Shrestha Sulav , Mansour Lydia , Budd Jeff , Romero Jessica Portillo , Schmidt Siegfried , Chang Ku-Lang , Samraj George , Malaty John , Huber Katherine , Bedossa Pierre , Kalavalapalli Srilaxmi , Marte Jonathan , Barb Diana , Poulton Danielle , Fanous Nada , Cusi Kenneth
Published: January 2021

Objective: Assess the prevalence of NAFLD and of
liver fibrosis associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in
unselected patients with T2DM.

Research Design and
Methods: 561 patients with T2DM (age: 60±11;
BMI: 33.4±6.2 kg/m2; HbA1c: 7.5±1.8%) attending primary care
or endocrinology outpatient clinics and unaware of having NAFLD. At the visit, volunteers were invited to be
screened by elastography for steatosis and fibrosis by CAP (≥274 dB/m) and LSM (≥7.0 kPa), respectively. Secondary causes of liver disease were ruled
out. Diagnostic panels for prediction of advanced fibrosis, such as APRI and
FIB-4, were also measured. A liver
biopsy was performed if results were suggestive of fibrosis.

Results: The prevalence of steatosis was 70% and of fibrosis 21% (LSM≥7.0 kPa). Moderate fibrosis (F2: LSM≥8.2 kPa) was
present in 6% and severe fibrosis or cirrhosis (F3-4: LSM≥9.7 kPa) in 9%,
similar to that estimated by FIB-4 and APRI panels. Non-invasive testing was
consistent with liver biopsy results. Elevated
AST or ALT ≥40 U/L were present in a minority of patients with steatosis (8%
and 13%, respectively) or with liver fibrosis (18% and 28%, respectively). This
suggests that AST/ALT alone are insufficient as initial screening. However,
performance may be enhanced by imaging (e.g., transient elastography) and
plasma diagnostic panels (e.g., FIB-4, APRI).

Conclusions: Moderate-to-advanced fibrosis (F≥2), an established risk
factor for cirrhosis and overall mortality, affects at least one-out-of-six (15%)
patients with T2DM. These results support the ADA guidelines to screen for clinically
significant fibrosis in patients with T2DM with steatosis or elevated ALT.
Cultura no plural: reflexões e interpretações em (des)construção
Authors: Fonseca Camila Oliveira
Published: January 2021

Em consonância com as expansões interpretativas ou expansões de perspectivas propostas por Monte Mór (2018), o presente trabalho busca refletir sobre o(s) sentido(s) de cultura a fim de desafiar a lógica dominante que sustenta e regula os processos culturais que determinam as representações sobre nós mesmos e sobre a realidade. A partir de uma perspectiva decolonial, este artigo visa a possibilitar interpretações que acompanhem a pluralidade, a diversidade e a heterogeneidade de formas de pensar e de agir emergentes de localidades múltiplas e que impulsionam novos paradigmas e novos modos de (re)construir a realidade, para que nossas práticas (sociais, acadêmicas, educacionais) não se façam alheias à responsabilidade social, cultural, intelectual e política que ampara a práxis questionadora aqui pretendida. Para tanto, o presente artigo abre espaços de diálogo com teorias diversas, sem delimitar o escopo interpretativo do texto, numa tentativa de abandonar o casulo das certezas relativas e de possibilitar novas interpretações que transcendam as fronteiras disciplinares.
Considerações Sobre o Conceito de Ambiente e os Desafios Tecnológicos para Reflexões em Educação Ambiental
Authors: Lopes Pinheiro Samuel
Published: January 2021

O trabalho a seguir trata de uma reflexão a partir do encontro de horizontes, o da Educação Ambiental e o de se pensar os desafios das sociedades tecnológicas. Para isso, parte da pergunta sobre quais os diferentes entendimentos de ambiente, para o tratamento do conceito de “ambiente” em Sociologia Ambiental e se aventura na aproximação com a literatura de Henry Thoreau como forma de contextualizar o surgimento dos significados que ambiente pôde representar ao longo do século XX e após o seu consequente encontro com o ambiente tecnológico do início do século XXI. A partir disso, discute-se sobre discursos tecnológicos, como a questão de uma possível convergência entre tecnologia e ecologia e os seus desafios culturais e educativos. Embora valha-se da literatura e ilustrações do século XIX para refletir sobre o ambiente, não deixa de dissociar-se do tempo presente ao pontuar aspectos de crises civilizatórias da atualidade, ao destacar as injustiças ambientais que muitas vezes são exacerbadas com a aceleração tecnológica.  Os aspectos interdisciplinar e a inspiração da metodologia transdisciplinar, de buscar ir além das próprias disciplinas são fundamentais na constituição desse diálogo de saberes que não pretende se esgotar aqui, mas apenas ser um ponto de partida para outras reflexões.
Inmigraciones europeas en Latinoamérica: inmigrantes polacos en la región de Curitiba, PR (Brasil)
Authors: Pisarski Junior Marcos Roberto
Published: January 2021

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo presentar y discutir la inmigración polaca desde finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX hasta el contexto latinoamericano de Brasil, especialmente centrado en la región de la ciudad de Curitiba/PR. A través de una densa revisión bibliográfica, esta investigación presenta datos históricos y sociales que presentan las razones, etapas e impactos de la inmigración de este grupo étnico a Brasil. En un segundo paso, hay una presentación de hechos que demuestran la importancia de esta inmigración en la región, que se discuten y exponen más adelante como conclusión de la investigación.
Secondary School Teachers’ Accessibility to Internet Facilities for Advanced Instruction in Nigeria
Authors: Onojah Adenike Aderogba , Onojah Amos Ochayi , Olumorin Charles Olubode , O. Omosewo Esther
Published: January 2021

For internet facilities to be adopted and integrated in schools, the resources should not only be available, it must also be accessible. The objectives of this study were to: identify internet facilities available for second-ary school teachers; determine whether secondary school teachers are able to access the internet facilities; and investigate how teachers’ gender influence the accessibility of internet facilities in secondary schools in Ilorin. The population of the study was limited to secondary school teachers in Ilorin, Nigeria and 251 re-spondents were randomly selected. There was no significant difference between male and female secondary school teachers’ level of accessibility of internet facilities for instruction. The study concluded that teachers have access to the available internet facilities for advanced instruction. It was recommended that, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should be allowed to establish centres on campus in order to bring online services close to teachers.