bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Environmental and Radar Characteristics of Gargantuan Hail-Producing Storms
Authors: Gutierrez Rachel E. , Kumjian Matthew R.
Published: May 2021

Storms that produce gargantuan hail (defined here as ≥ 6 inches or 15 cm in maximum dimension), although seemingly rare, can cause extensive damage to property and infrastructure, and cause injury or even death to humans and animals. Currently, we are limited in our ability to accurately predict gargantuan hail and detect gargantuan hail on radar. In this study, we analyze the environments and radar characteristics of gargantuan hail-producing storms to define the parameter space of environments in which gargantuan hail occurs, and compare environmental parameters and radar signatures in these storms to storms producing other sizes of hail. We find that traditionally used environmental parameters used for severe storms prediction, such as most unstable convective available potential energy (MUCAPE) and 0–6 km vertical wind shear, display considerable overlap between gargantuan hail-producing storm environments and those that produce smaller hail. There is a slight tendency for larger MUCAPE values for gargantuan hail cases, however. Additionally, gargantuan hail-producing storms seem to have larger low-level storm-relative winds and larger updraft widths than those storms producing smaller hail, implying updrafts less diluted by entrainment and perhaps maximizing the liquid water content available for hail growth. Moreover, radar reflectivity or products derived from it are not different from cases of smaller hail sizes. However, inferred mesocyclonic rotational velocities within the hail growth region of storms that produce gargantuan hail are significantly stronger than the rotational velocities found for smaller hail categories.
Preoperative Psychological Burdens in Patients with Vestibular Schwannoma
Authors: Li Yufeng , Ran Guo , Chen Kaizheng , Shen Xia
Published: May 2021

Objective:

To assess preoperative psychological burden in patients with vestibular schwannoma (VS).

Methods:

A total of 100 patients undergoing VS resection between September 2019 and June 2020 completed preoperative psychological screening. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was applied the day before surgery, and a score >14 was considered clinically important. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyzes were used to identify risk factors associated with increased preoperative psychological stress.

Results:

Of the 100 patients who underwent VS resection, 44% were male, with a mean age of 45.9 years. Twenty-two (22%) had HADS scores >14. For the univariate analysis, risk factors associated with elevated psychological burden included time since diagnosis, number of symptoms, headache, vertigo, and nausea and/or vomiting. In the regression analysis, the number of symptoms and greater time from diagnosis to treatment correlated with higher preoperative psychological stress.

Conclusion:

Nearly 1 in 4 patients with VS experienced clinically significant emotional burden preoperatively. Number of symptoms and greater time from diagnosis to treatment contributed to this psychological burden.
Book review: Pralok Gupta (Ed), E-Commerce in India: Economic and Legal Perspectives
Authors: Chakraborty Debashis
Published: May 2021

Pralok Gupta (Ed), E-Commerce in India: Economic and Legal Perspectives. New Delhi: SAGE Publications, 2020, INR 1,250, 328 pp. ISBN 978-93-538-8356-0.
The Rhetoric and Farmers’ Lived Realities of the Green Revolution in Africa: Case Study of the Brong Ahafo Region in Ghana
Authors: Boafo James , Lyons Kristen
Published: May 2021

This paper presents a political ecological analysis of the drivers and impacts of Green Revolution technologies – including improved seeds, chemical fertiliser and other agrochemicals – in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. We identify national government, foreign investment and philanthro-capital as key drivers in shaping both narratives and uptake of Green Revolution technologies at the local level. Drawing from interviews and focus groups, our findings demonstrate that Green Revolution technologies deliver a range of negative local-level socio-ecological impacts, including increasing the overall costs of production, as well as exacerbating poverty and inequality amongst farmers. Our findings demonstrate the disconnection between claims that Green Revolution technologies increase food security and income, and lived experiences of farmers.
A Big Plan for Small Homes: The Effort to Set Housing Standards in Turkey
Authors: Altürk Emre
Published: May 2021

This article is about the short-lived space standards for urban housing in Turkey. Introduced in the 1960s, the standards were a crucial part of a policy that aimed to balance the housing demand and the development agenda by steering the market toward affordable housing. The Turkish state was not a significant actor in housing production. Nor had it ever before substantially intervened to regulate the housing market. The standards, however, exemplified a bold move stemming from a welfare and planning perspective. Although standards’ influence was curbed, the policy is important to address as it aimed to remedy a problem that continues today, namely, the disjunction between the housing provision and the means of the middle- and low-income groups. While a sixty-year-old policy does not provide immediate answers for today, it does offer insight into the history and context of some of the current housing issues.
Explicit model predictive control of permanent magnet synchronous motors based on multi-point linearization
Authors: Guo Qian , Pan Tianhong , Liu Jinfeng , Chen Shan
Published: May 2021

Permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) have been broadly applied in servo-drive applications. It is necessary to improve the performance of PMSM. An explicit controller designed for PMSM based on multi-point linearization is proposed to reduce the linearized model error caused by different running status of PMSM. The mathematical model of PMSM system in the synchronous rotating frame and the problem formulation are introduced at first. Then, the preliminaries about explicit model predictive control (MPC) algorithm are presented in this article. Based on this, the multi-point linearization model is created for explicit MPC controller design. Moreover, the block diagram of the proposed method for PMSM system is presented. Finally, the simulation results are provided to demonstrate that the proposed explicit MPC controller based on multi-point linearization achieves better performance than that based on traditional single-point linearization, but requires the same online computation time because of the offline optimization of explicit MPC.
Crayon in the Orbit and Sinuses in a Pediatric Patient
Authors: Borrelli Michela , Echanique Kristen A. , Koempel Jeffrey , Ference Elisabeth H.
Published: May 2021

Penetrating transorbital injury with skull base involvement is a rare occurrence from a crayon. We report a case of a 2-year-old male who sustained a penetrating crayon injury through the right orbit and lamina papyracea into the posterior ethmoid sinus complicated by cerebrospinal fluid leak. There have been no other reported cases of this type of injury by a crayon.
Delayed Tracheal Perforation After Partial Thyroidectomy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Azar Shaghauyegh S. , Patel Evan , Evans Lauran K. , Blood Timothy C. , Su-Velez Brooke M. , Chhetri Dinesh K.
Published: May 2021

Tracheal perforation is an extremely rare and potentially dangerous complication of a partial thyroidectomy. The current case represents a unique presentation of delayed tracheal perforation following an uncomplicated thyroid isthmusectomy for tissue diagnosis of an aggressive appearing thyroid mass in the setting of high-dose steroid administration and recent intubation and self-extubation. While conservative management of tracheal perforation can sometimes be appropriate, our patient was successfully managed via primary closure and infrahyoid muscle transposition flap to cover a 5 mm right lateral tracheal wall defect. We recommend caution be exercised following thyroid surgery in the setting of intubation and high-dose steroids.
How perceptions and information about women’s descriptive representation affect support for positive action measures
Authors: Coffé Hilde , Reiser Marion
Published: May 2021

Based on the German Longitudinal Election Study (2016), we explain citizens’ support for measures to increase women’s descriptive representation in parliament. Despite women’s underrepresentation, we find little support for positive action measures, and in particular for legal gender quotas. Binary logit analyses show that support for the introduction of positive action measures is not affected by citizens’ perceptions about the share of female members of parliament. However, experimental data reveal that receiving information about women’s actual proportion in parliament has an impact on citizens’ support for gender quotas, in particular among those who overestimate women’s representation. Once they learn that the actual share is lower than they thought, they are more likely to support the introduction of quotas. This indicates that support for positive action measures can be changed through providing the correct information.
Racial Family Configurations and Inequalities in Private School Enrollment Among Adopted Children
Authors: Thomas Kevin J. A. , Larsen Gibby Ashley
Published: May 2021

This study uses data from the American Community Survey to examine the relationship between race, family configurations, and inequalities in private school enrollment among adoptees. We find that private school enrollment is higher in transracial than in same-race families. This disparity is driven by the outcomes of adoptees in transracial families with zero rather than one same-race parent. Among adoptees themselves, there are diverging patterns of racial stratification in same-race and transracial families. White adoptees in same-race families are more likely to be enrolled in private school than Black, Asian, or Hispanic adoptees in such families. However, among adoptees in transracial families, the highest odds of private school enrollment are found among Asians. Finally, we argue that our findings have important implications for understanding how kinship cues, compensation, and social disadvantage shape parental investment in adopted children.
Socioeconomic Influences on Short‐term Postoperative Outcomes in Patients With Oral Cavity Cancer Undergoing Free Flap Reconstruction
Authors: Lee Jaclyn , Fernando Shanik J. , Malenke Jordan A. , Totten Douglas J. , Kloosterman Nicole , Langerman Alexander , Kim Young J. , Mannion Kyle , Sinard Robert , Netterville James , Rohde Sarah L.
Published: May 2021

Objective

To evaluate the associations between median household income (MHI) and area deprivation index (ADI) on postoperative outcomes in oral cavity cancer.

Study Design

Retrospective review (2000‐2019).

Setting

Single‐institution tertiary medical center.

Methods

MHI and ADI were matched from home zip codes. Main postoperative outcomes of interest were length of tracheostomy use, length of hospital stay, return to oral intake, discharge disposition, and 60‐day readmissions. Linear and logistic regression controlled for age, sex, race, body mass index, tobacco and alcohol use history, primary tumor location, disease staging at presentation, and length of surgery. A secondary outcome was clinical disease staging (I‐IV) at time of presentation.

Results

The cohort (N = 681) was 91.3% White and 38.0% female, and 51.7% presented with stage IV disease. The median age at the time of surgery was 62 years (interquartile range [IQR], 53‐71). The median MHI was $47,659 (IQR, $39,324‐$58,917), and the median ADI was 67 (IQR, 48‐79). ADI and MHI were independently associated with time to return of oral intake (β = 0.130, P =. 022; β = −0.092, P =. 045, respectively). Neither was associated with length of tracheostomy, hospital stay, discharge disposition, or readmissions. MHI quartiles were associated with a lower risk of presenting with more advanced disease (Q3 vs Q1: adjusted odds ratio, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.32‐0.97]).

Conclusion

MHI is associated with oral cavity cancer staging at the time of presentation. MHI and ADI are independently associated with postoperative return to oral intake following intraoral tumor resection and free flap reconstruction.
Tumor‐Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Patients With Advanced Laryngeal Cancer Undergoing Bioselection
Authors: Heft Neal Molly E. , Smith Joshua D. , Birkeland Andrew C. , Haring Catherine T. , Chinn Steven B. , Shuman Andrew G. , Casper Keith A. , Malloy Kelly M. , Stucken Chaz L. , Mclean Scott A. , Rosko Andrew J. , Mierzwa Michelle L. , Shah Jennifer , Schonewolf Caitlin , Swiecicki Paul L. , Worden Francis P. , Wolf Gregory T. , Bradford Carol R. , Prince Mark E.P. , Brenner J. Chad , Spector Matthew E.
Published: May 2021

Objective

Bioselection to assess tumor response after induction chemotherapy has been introduced as an alternative treatment strategy to total laryngectomy for patients with advanced larynx squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have proven to serve as prognostic biomarkers in head and neck cancer but have not been evaluated as a way to select patients for treatment paradigms. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of pretreatment TILs in patients with advanced LSCC undergoing the bioselection paradigm.

Study Design

Retrospective study.

Setting

Tertiary care hospital.

Methods

Patients with advanced LSCC treated with bioselection and available tissue were included (N = 76). Patients were stratified into CD8‐low and CD8‐high cohorts by using the median TIL count. Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis and multivariate cox regression were performed with SPSS version 26 (IBM).

Results

After controlling for tobacco use, tumor site, and stage, a high CD8 TIL count was an independent predictor of improved 5‐year disease‐specific survival (hazard ratio, 0.17 [95% CI, 0.03‐0.84]; P =. 03). CD8 TIL counts did not predict response to induction chemotherapy; however, subgroup analysis of patients treated with chemoradiation therapy revealed that CD8 TIL count was significantly associated with degree of response (P =. 012).

Conclusion

These findings support prior data published by our group showing that TILs are predictive of disease‐specific survival in patients with head and neck cancer. CD8 TIL counts were significantly associated with degree of clinical response after induction chemotherapy. These results suggest that pretreatment assessment of tumor‐infiltrating CD8 cells could be useful in selecting patients.
Association Between Olfactory Dysfunction and Critical Illness and Mortality in COVID‐19: A Meta‐analysis
Authors: Goshtasbi Khodayar , Pang Jonathan , Lehrich Brandon M. , Vasudev Milind , Birkenbeuel Jack L. , Abiri Arash , Kuan Edward C.
Published: May 2021

The emerging literature regarding the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) suggests that patients with olfactory dysfunction (OD) have a milder disease course with improved clinical symptomatology and outcomes. This study utilized the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed/MEDLINE database to query for articles describing major outcomes in patients with COVID‐19 with or without OD. Of the 1284 examined studies, 26 were included for a total of 11,408 patients (35.9% with OD). When compared with patients with OD, patients without OD were 5.3 times more likely to experience hospitalization (odds ratio, 5.28 [95% CI, 4.64‐6.01]; P <. 001), 7.0 times more likely to undergo intubation or ventilation (7.01 [5.52‐8.90], P <. 001), and 7.0 times more likely to die (6.97 [3.54‐13.74], P <. 001). This association between OD and COVID‐19 outcomes may play an important role in patient risk stratification and counseling and early identification of potentially severe cases, and it may encourage future investigations regarding the infectivity and immune response to SARS‐CoV‐2.

Level of evidence

4.
A Short History of the Origins of the European Society of Veterinary Pathology in the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Veterinärpathologen
Authors: Pospischil Andreas , Hermanns Walter
Published: May 2021

The first continental European association for veterinary pathologists was founded in 1951 as the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Veterinärpathologen (AG-Vetpath), bringing together veterinary pathologists from Germany, several European countries, and the United States. Yearly meetings were held in conjunction with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Pathologie (DGP). Although the majority of DGP members were human pathologists, veterinary pathologists had been using the DGP as a forum for scientific exchange since the early 20th century. Renamed in 1969 as the Europäische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Veterinärpathologen, and in 1974 as the Europäische Gesellschaft für Veterinärpathologie, the AG-Vetpath finally received its present name, the European Society for Veterinary Pathology (ESVP) in 1994. In parallel, national organizations for veterinary pathologists in European countries have also evolved over the years, the earliest being in Germany with the Fachgruppe Allgemeine Pathologie und pathologische Anatomie of the Deutsche Veterinärmedizinische Gesellschaft (DVG). AG-Vetpath represents the parent organization for further specialty organizations like the Gesellschaft für Toxikologische Pathologie (GTP) or the Arbeitskreis Diagnostische Veterinärpathologie (AKDV). Even the European College of Veterinary Pathologists (ECVP) was founded by members of ESVP.
Strengths-Based Leadership and Employee Psychological Well-Being: A Moderated Mediation Model
Authors: Ding He , Yu Enhai
Published: May 2021

Drawing upon ability-motivation-opportunity model, the present study attempts to inspect the association of strengths-based leadership with employee psychological well-being and the mediational role of employee strengths use and the moderating role of job autonomy in the linkage. Data were gathered using a three-wave survey from a sample of 308 employees working in a wide variety of organizations in China. Results of multiple regression analyses with bootstrapping procedure revealed that strengths-based leadership positively relates to employee psychological well-being even after controlling for employee core self-evaluation. In addition, employee strengths use was found to partially mediate the relationship of strengths-based leadership with employee psychological well-being, and this study demonstrated job autonomy to positively moderate the direct relationship of strengths-based leadership with strengths use of employee and the indirect association of strengths-based leadership with employee psychological well-being through employee strengths use. The present study advances strengths-based leadership and psychological well-being theories and research.
Risk of peritonitis after gastroscopy in peritoneal dialysis patients
Authors: Chan Gordon Chun-Kau , Wong Sunny Hei , Ng Jack Kit-Chung , Li Philip Kam-Tao , Szeto Cheuk-Chun , Chow Kai-Ming
Published: May 2021

Background:

Peritonitis is a common and serious complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Translocation of gut bacteria to peritoneum is an important mechanism, which may be enhanced by gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Methods:

In this retrospective observational cohort study, we identified 450 gastroscopies performed in PD patients within a single centre between 2014 and 2019. Gastroscopy-related peritonitis was defined by peritonitis within 1 week after endoscopy.

Results:

A total of 408 endoscopic episodes in 216 patients were analysed after excluding 42 cases with either pre-existing peritonitis before endoscopy, or concomitant biliary, small bowel or large bowel endoscopy. There were 16 episodes of peritonitis within 1 week of endoscopy (3.9%). One-quarter of cases were polymicrobial (four episodes, 25.0%). Logistic regression model showed that patient’s age, number of endoscopic biopsies, and histamine-2 receptor blocker use were independently associated with peritonitis, while prior antibiotics exposure was associated with lower risk of peritonitis, odds ratio 0.23 (95% confidence interval 0.06–0.95; p = 0.04).

Conclusion:

Peritonitis can complicate gastroscopy in PD patients and occurs more often in elderly or after repeated biopsy procedures.
Eye Movements Predict Large-Scale Voting Decisions
Authors: Coronel Jason C. , Bullock Olivia M. , Shulman Hillary C. , Sweitzer Matthew D. , Bond Robert M. , Poulsen Shannon
Published: May 2021

More than 100 countries allow people to vote directly on policies in direct democracy elections (e.g., 2016 Brexit referendum). Politicians are often responsible for writing ballot language, and voters frequently encounter ballot measures that are difficult to understand. We examined whether eye movements from a small group of individuals can predict the consequences of ballot language on large-scale voting decisions. Across two preregistered studies (Study 1: N = 120 registered voters, Study 2: N = 120 registered voters), we monitored laboratory participants’ eye movements as they read real ballot measures. We found that eye-movement responses associated with difficulties in language comprehension predicted aggregate voting decisions to abstain from voting and vote against ballot measures in U.S. elections (total number of votes cast = 137,661,232). Eye movements predicted voting decisions beyond what was accounted for by widely used measures of language difficulty. This finding demonstrates a new way of linking eye movements to out-of-sample aggregate-level behaviors.
Patterns of Health Care Services During Pediatric Concurrent Hospice Care: A National Study
Authors: Lindley Lisa C. , Svynarenko Radion , Mooney-Doyle Kim , Mendola Annette , Naumann Wendy C. , Keim-Malpass Jessica
Published: May 2021

Background:

Children at end of life have unique and complex care needs. Although there is increasing evidence about pediatric concurrent hospice care, the health care services received while in hospice have not received sufficient attention.

Objectives:

To examine the health care services, unique clusters of health care services, and characteristics of the children in the clusters.

Methods:

Multiple data sources were used including national Medicaid claims data. Children under 21years in pediatric concurrent hospice care were included. Using Medicaid categories assigned to claims, health care services were distributed across 20 categories. Latent class analysis was used to identify clusters of health care services. Demographic profiles of the clusters were created.

Results:

The 6,243 children in the study generated approximately 500,0000 non-hospice, health care service claims while enrolled in hospice care. We identified 3 unique classes of health care services use: low (61.1%), moderate (18.1%), and high (20.8%) intensity. The children in the 3 classes exhibited unique demographic profiles.

Conclusions:

Health care services cluster together in unique fashion with distinct patterns among children in concurrent hospice care. The findings suggest that concurrent hospice care is not a 1-size-fit all solution for children. Concurrent hospice care may be customized and require attention to care coordination to ensure high-quality care.
Treatment of Cleft Lip and Palate in the Amazon Region in Brazil: Speech Results and Sociodemographic Aspects
Authors: de Araújo Laryssa Lopes , Alonso Nivaldo , Fukushiro Ana Paula
Published: May 2021

Objective:

To investigate the speech outcomes in individuals with cleft lip and palate (CLP) from the Amazon region and determine their correlation with sociodemographic factors.

Design:

Cross-sectional, prospective, single-blind study.

Setting:

Tertiary care institute in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.

Patients:

Four hundred twenty individuals with CLP, aged 4 to 57 years.

Main Outcome Measures:

The samples were judged by 3 speech pathologists experienced in the speech assessment of individuals with CLP. Hypernasality was scored using a 4-point scale, being 1 = absent, 2 = mild, 3 = moderate, and 4 = severe, and the active speech symptoms were classified as absent or present. The final score for each speech symptom was reached by consensus among the 3 examiners Descriptive analysis of sociodemographic data included origin, socioeconomic status, type of cleft, surgical technique employed, the age they underwent primary and secondary palatoplasty, and palatal fistula.

Results:

Absence of hypernasality was observed in 41% of the individuals, 18% had mild, 28% moderate, and 13% severe hypernasality. Active speech symptoms were observed in 57% of the individuals. Significant correlations were found between speech outcomes and the variables such as origin, socioeconomic status, age at primary and secondary palatoplasty, and presence of fistula.

Conclusions:

Most individuals with repaired CLP from the Amazon region presented speech disorders, characterized by hypernasality and active errors. Patients living outside the state capital, of low socioeconomic level, underwent palatoplasty late and with presence of palatal fistula tended to have the worst speech outcomes.
Protest News and Facebook Engagement: How the Hierarchy of Social Struggle Is Rebuilt on Social Media
Authors: Harlow Summer , Brown Danielle K.
Published: May 2021

This content analysis expands protest paradigm research, examining the relationship between Facebook user engagement and newspaper protest coverage. Stories not posted to social media housed more negative frames that delegitimized protesters. For select protests, Facebook users engaged more with articles with legitimizing content, suggesting users, like journalists, follow a paradigm that legitimizes some protests and marginalizes others. We discuss these implications and consider how engagement plays a role in a protest’s ability to gain visibility and public support. Findings show the media and the public marginalize movements within a framework that rebuilds a hierarchy of social struggle on social media.
Decomposition of third-order constitutive tensors
Authors: Itin Yakov , Reches Shulamit
Published: May 2021

Third-order tensors are widely used as a mathematical tool for modeling the physical properties of media in solid-state physics. In most cases, they arise as constitutive tensors of proportionality between basic physical quantities. The constitutive tensor can be considered the complete set of physical parameters of a medium. The algebraic features of the constitutive tensor can be used as a tool for proper identification of natural materials, such as crystals, and for designing artificial nanomaterials with prescribed properties. In this paper, we study the algebraic properties of a general asymmetric third-order tensor relative to its invariant decomposition. In correspondence with different groups acting on the basic vector space, we present the hierarchy of different types of tensor decomposition into invariant subtensors. In particular, we discuss the problem of non-uniqueness and reducibility of high-order tensor decomposition. For a general asymmetric third-order tensor, these features are described explicitly. In the case of special tensors with a prescribed symmetry, the decomposition is demonstrated to be irreducible and unique. We present the explicit results for two physically interesting models: the piezoelectric tensor as an example of pair symmetry and the Hall tensor as an example of pair skew-symmetry.
Effect of Impairment on the Prevalence and Comorbidities of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in a National Survey: Nation-Wide Prevalence and Comorbidities of ADHD
Authors: Ercan Eyup Sabri , Unsel-Bolat Gul , Tufan Ali Evren , Karakoc Demirkaya Sevcan , Bilac Oznur , Celik Goncagul , Kılıç Birim Günay , Akyol Ardic Ulku , Yalin Sapmaz Sermin , Aksu Hatice , Yolga Tahiroglu Aysegul , Karacetin Gul , Tural Umit , Aktepe Evrim , Rodopman Arman Ayşe , Başgül Senem , Coşkun Murat , Dursun Onur Burak , Durukan İbrahim , Perdahli Fiş Neşe , Gençoğlan Salih , Gökçen Cem , Sarı Gokten Emel , Görker Işık , Görmez Vahdet , Yıldız Gündoğdu Özlem , Hesapçioğlu Selma Tural , Kandemir Hasan , Mutluer Tuba , Nasiroğlu Serhat , Özcan Özlem , Şahin Nilfer , Toros Fevziye , Perçinel Yazici İpek , Yazici Kemal Utku , Yulaf Yasemin , Yüksel Tuğba , Bilgic Ayhan , Altun Hatice , Akdemir Devrim , Mazlum Betül , Çakın Memik Nursu , Foto Özdemir Dilşad , Üneri Özden , Ünal Fatih
Published: May 2021

Objective:

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and comorbidities of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by evaluating a large-scale nation-wide sample of children.

Method:

The inclusion criterion was being enrolled as a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th-grade student. A semi-structured diagnostic interview (K-SADS-PL), DSM-IV-Based Screening Scale for Disruptive Behavior Disorders, and assessment of impairment (by both parents and teachers) were applied to 5,842 participants.

Results:

The prevalence of ADHD was 19.5% without impairment and 12.4% with impairment. Both ADHD with and without impairment groups had similar psychiatric comorbidity rates except for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) diagnoses. Impairment in the ADHD group resulted in significantly higher ODD and CD diagnoses.

Conclusion:

Even when impairment is not described, other psychiatric disorders accompany the diagnosis of ADHD and may cause impairment in the future. Impairment in the diagnosis of ADHD significantly increases the likelihood of ODD and CD.
Masculinity Attitudes Across Rural, Suburban, and Urban Areas in the United States
Authors: Silva Tony
Published: May 2021

This article uses the 2011–2019 National Survey of Family Growth to explore how masculinity attitudes differ by rural, suburban, and urban contexts across three social axes: sexual identity, race/ethnicity, and education. It examines within-group differences based on spatial context among 17,944 men aged 15–44 who are straight, gay/bisexual, Black, white, and Latino, as well as among men with less than a bachelor’s, a bachelor’s, and more than a bachelor’s. This contributes to existing knowledge in several ways: it is the first project to build on important qualitative studies through the use of a nationally representative sample; it contributes to the scarce research on how rural gay/bisexual, Black, and Latino men understand masculinity; and it examines how education shapes the relationship between spatial context and attitudes about masculinity. Results indicate that spatial context has a stronger relationship to attitudes among white men, straight men, and men without a bachelor’s than among Black men, Latino men, gay/bisexual men, or men with a bachelor’s or above. Theoretically, what this shows is that spatial context is more strongly related to masculinity attitudes for men who are advantaged on the basis of sexuality or race than for men who are marginalized on these axes. When significant differences emerged, rural men were more conservative than urban and suburban men, and suburban men were more conservative than urban men. These results show that there is a relationship between spatial contexts and attitudes about masculinity, but that it depends on social identity and level of education.
Patient-reported outcomes in hemodialysis vascular access: A call to action
Authors: Woo Karen , Fuld Robert , Grandinetti Amanda , Lawson Jeffrey , Litchfield Terry , Ohan Mark , Peipert John Devin , Rivara Matthew B , Roberts Glenda , Roy-Chaudhury Prabir , Underwood Margo , Nordyke Robert J
Published: May 2021

While access-related dysfunction is a clear driver of clinical outcomes and costs, the full impact of vascular access dysfunction on patient experience and quality of life is not fully characterized in the literature. One way to more comprehensively characterize the patient experience from the patient perspective is through patient reported outcomes (PROs). However, the limited implementation of PROs in clinical trials, patient registries, quality measurement, and other research settings has significantly constrained the patient voice in evaluation of vascular access outcomes and vascular access decision-making. To address these issues, the Kidney Health Initiative, a public-private partnership between the American Society of Nephrology and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, assembled an interdisciplinary workgroup to enhance uptake of access-related PROs with the aims of: (1) reviewing the domains of HRQOL that are affected by vascular access, collect information on existing instruments that measure access-specific HRQOL in hemodialysis, and identify gaps in existing measures; (2) identifying and critically assessing barriers to widespread use of access-specific PRO measures; and (3) defining initiatives to overcome barriers and make recommendations for strategies to improve the use and utility of access-specific PRO measures. A consensus group process identified potential barriers to use of PRO measures in six categories: (1) PRO misperceptions, (2) patient factors, (3) regulators and payers, (4) instrument factors, (5) study design, and (6) physicians. The workgroup provided recommendations for actions to promote the widespread utilization of vascular access-related PRO measures in five categories: (1) development of vascular access-specific PRO measures, (2) ensuring comprehensive assessment when using vascular access PRO measures, (3) ensuring accessibility and applicability of vascular access PRO measures to all end stage kidney disease populations, (4) establishing universal guidelines and accepted vascular access PRO measures, and (5) engaging stakeholders across all facets.
CNVs in the 22q11.2 Chromosomal Region Should Be an Early Suspect in Infants with Congenital Cardiac Disease
Authors: Pineda Tatiana , Zarante Ignacio , Paredes Angela Camila , Rozo Juan Pablo , Reyes Martha C. , Moreno-Niño Olga María
Published: May 2021

Background:

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital malformation, it is frequently found as an isolated defect, and the etiology is not completely understood. Although most of the cases have multifactorial causes, they can also be secondary to chromosomal abnormalities, monogenic diseases, microduplications or microdeletions, among others. Copy number variations (CNVs) at 22q11.2 are associated with a variety of symptoms including CHD, thymic aplasia, and developmental and behavioral manifestations. We tested CNVs in the 22q11.2 chromosomal region by MLPA in a cohort of Colombian patients with isolated CHD to establish the frequency of these CNVs in the cohort.

Methods:

CNVs analysis of 22q11.2 by MLPA were performed in 32 patients with apparently isolate CHD during the neonatal period. Participants were enrolled from different hospitals in Bogotá, and they underwent a clinical assessment by a cardiologist and a clinical geneticist.

Results:

CNVs in the 22q11.2 chromosomal region were found in 7 patients (21.9%). The typical deletion was found in 6 patients (18.75%) and atypical 1.5 Mb duplication was found in 1 patient (3.1%).

Conclusions:

CNVs in 22q11.2 is a common finding in patients presenting with isolated congenital cardiac disease, therefore these patients should be tested early despite the absence of other clinical manifestations. MLPA is a very useful molecular method and provides an accurate diagnosis.
COVID-19 and disconnected youth: Lessons and opportunities from OECD countries
Authors: Palmer Ashley N. , Small Eusebius
Published: May 2021

Aims:

This paper highlights how the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has amplified economic instability and health risks for disconnected youth and young adults (YYA). We offer a brief review of governmental policy responses in four OECD countries and how they may impact the disconnect YYA within those countries.

Methods:

Literature was reviewed utilizing Cochrane Library, ERIC, PsychINFO, PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Science to outline existing inequities among disconnected YYA and COVID-19 economic and health impacts. Government responses to COVID-19 from four OECD countries were reviewed. Using the social protection model, we highlighted significant policy changes and developments that influence the protection of vulnerable populations and evaluated the potential effect of long-term economic dislocations prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results:

Disconnected YYA suffered significant financial and health burdens with no social protection floor in place. Lessons learned prior to and during the pandemic indicate that initiatives aimed at improving health and well-being among vulnerable YYA and their communities must be adequately funded, flexible, and comprehensive. Attempts to connect or reconnect YYA who were disconnected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic will require a re-envisioning of policy.

Conclusions:

Globally, governments must invest in social safety net programs that focus on supporting those most at-risk. A concentrated focus on job creation, education and training, and paid work experience, investments in early childhood care and education, housing, health and mental health care is necessary to not only offset the pandemic’s effects but also support thriving in the future for YYA.
Teachers in Transition. A Biographical Perspective on Transnational Professionalisation of Internationally Educated Teachers in Germany
Authors: Terhart Henrike
Published: May 2021

Teachers trained in one country are often not allowed to serve as teachers in another country because their teacher’s license is not recognised as equivalent. The barriers these teachers have to overcome in order to work in their profession again are high and often require further (full) teacher training at the university. The paper provides insights into the conditions for teachers who participate in (re-)qualification programmes in Germany and Europe. By linking the theoretical concepts of a biographical approach to teacher professionalisation and transnationalisation in education, the results of an interview study with teachers who have participated in a programme for refugee teachers at a university in Germany are presented. The Grounded Theory analysis reconstructs the strategies of internationally educated teachers managing to keep up their hope to be able to work as teachers again and thus counter the formal de-professionalisation they are facing.
Digital self-administered assessments: The utility of touch screen tablets as a platform for engaging, early learner assessment
Authors: Adkins Deborah
Published: May 2021

Early learning assessment is a necessary mechanism for understanding skills children possess and to inform their instruction. Assessing early learners is different in many aspects than assessing older students. Considerations such as mode of assessment, supports necessary to obtain instructionally relevant data, and the impact of feedback for engaging students in assessment must be afforded. This study focused on the use of a tablet-based app as a digital means of assessment that lent itself well to the necessary considerations when assessing early learners. Based on the data collected in this study through the assessment app, observations and student and teacher interviews, students as young as 44 months demonstrated the ability to self-administer and remain engaged in the assessment activities incorporated within the app. Teachers described use of the reporting interface as instructionally informative and easy to use. The paper concludes with a discussion of supportive attributes of digital platforms in the assessment of early learners and areas for future research in the field.
Catalytic pyrolysis of recycled HDPE, LDPE, and PP
Authors: Shoaib Muhammad , Subeshan Balakrishnan , Khan Waseem S , Asmatulu Eylem
Published: May 2021

Plastic waste has been growing every year, and as a result, environmental concern has been a topic of much attention. Many properties of plastics, such as their lightweight, durability, and versatility, are significant factors in achieving sustainable development. The exponential increase of plastic production produces every year approximately 100 million tons of waste plastic, which could be converted into hydrocarbon fuels by employing a process appropriately called pyrolysis. Pyrolysis, which is thermal or catalytical, can be performed under different experimental conditions that affect the type and amount of product obtained. With the pyrolysis process, products can be obtained with high added value, such as fuel oils and feedstock for new products. In this study, magnesium silicate (MgO3Si) and Cloisite 30B were used as catalysts for the decomposition of different plastics, and the results were compared with the zeolite catalyst. In the case of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), the oil yield with a zeolite catalyst was found to be 71%, whereas with MgO3Si and Cloisite 30B, this was 68% and 67%, respectively. Zeolite produced better results in the decomposition of polypropylene (PP) compared to MgO3Si and Cloisite 30B. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and gas chromatography (GC) were conducted in this work. The spectra results for all samples were consistent and in the fuel range.
Differentiating Small-Cell Lung Cancer From Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Brain Metastases Based on MRI Using Efficientnet and Transfer Learning Approach
Authors: Grossman Rachel , Haim Oz , Abramov Shani , Shofty Ben , Artzi Moran
Published: May 2021

Differentiation between small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) from non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) brain metastases is crucial due to the different clinical behaviors of the two tumor types. We propose the use of a deep learning and transfer learning approach based on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for non-invasive classification of SCLC vs. NSCLC brain metastases. Sixty-nine patients with brain metastasis of lung cancer origin were included. Of them, 44 patients had NSCLC and 25 patients had SCLC. Classification was performed with EfficientNet architecture on crop images of lesion areas and based on post-contrast T1-weighted, T2-weighted and FLAIR imaging input data. Evaluation of the model was carried out in a 5-fold cross-validation manner, and based on accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. The best classification results were obtained with multiparametric MRI input data (T1WI+c+FLAIR+T2WI), with a mean overall accuracy of 0.90 ± 0.04, and F1 score of 0.92 ± 0.05 for NSCLC and 0.87 ± 0.08 for SCLC for the validation data and an accuracy of 0.87 ± 0.05, with an F1 score of 0.88 ± 0.05 for NSCLC and 0.85 ± 0.05 for SCLC for the test dataset. The proposed method provides an automatic noninvasive method for the classification of brain metastasis with high sensitivity and specificity for differentiation between NSCLC vs. SCLC brain metastases. It may be used as a diagnostic tool for improving decision-making in the treatment of patients with these metastases. Further studies on larger patient samples are required to validate the current results.
LncRNA SNHG3 Promotes Proliferation and Metastasis of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells Through miR-515-5p/SUMO2 Axis
Authors: Li Yongqun , Gao Lipin , Zhang Caiyun , Meng Jiguang
Published: May 2021

Lung cancer is a global disease and a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Accumulated studies have confirmed the essential role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the occurrence and development of cancers. Meanwhile, there have been reports concerning the role of Small Nucleolar RNA Host Gene 3 (SNHG3) in various cancers. However, there are so far few studies on the function and mechanism of SNHG3 in lung cancer. In the present study, SNHG3 was found to be highly expressed in lung cancer tissues and cells. Downregulation of SNHG3 could inhibit cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. In addition, SNHG3 was found to have the ability to bind to miR-515-5p. Furthermore, Small Ubiquitin Like Modifier 2 (SUMO2) was identified to be the downstream target of miR-515-5p, which was negatively correlated with miR-515-5p expression. SNHG3 could positively regulate SUMO2 expression by sponging miR-515-5p. In addition, the rescue experiment showed that simultaneous transfection of miR-515-5p or SUMO2 siRNA could reverse the effect of SNHG3 expression on cell proliferation and metastasis. Collectively, our study demonstrates that SNHG3 can act on miR-515-5p in the form of competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to regulate SUMO2 positively and thus affect the proliferation and metastasis of NSCLC cells. Findings in our study support that SNHG3/miR-515-5p/SUMO2 regulatory axis may become a potential therapeutic target for lung cancer.
Impact of Primary Tumor Size on Prognosis in Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Receiving Cytoreductive Nephrectomy: A Population Study of a Chinese Center and the US SEER Database
Authors: Jiang Weixing , Shou Jianzhong , Shi Hongzhe , Wen Li , Zhang Huijuan , Zheng Shan , Li Changling , Ma Jianhui
Published: May 2021

Background:

The relationship between the size of the primary tumor and the prognosis of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the significance of the size of the primary tumor in mRCC.

Methods:

We retrospectively reviewed the data of patients with mRCC who underwent cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) from 2006 to 2013 in a Chinese center (n = 96) and those in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (from 2004 to 2015, n = 4403). Tumors less than 4 cm in size were defined as small. Prognostic factors were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses.

Results:

Patients with small tumors had a longer overall survival than other patients, both in the Chinese cohort (median, 30.0 vs 24.0 months, P = 0.026) and the SEER cohort (median, 43.0 vs 23.0 months, P < 0.001). After adjusting for other significant prognostic factors, small tumor size was still an independent protective factor in the Chinese cohort (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.793; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.587–0.998, P = 0.043). In the SEER cohort, multivariate analysis showed that small tumor size was also an independent protective factor (HR, 0.880; 95% CI: 0.654–0.987, P = 0.008). In addition, as a continuous variable, a 1 cm elevation in tumor size translated into a 3.8% higher risk of death (HR, 1.038; 95% CI, 1.029–1.046; P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Patients with small tumors may have a favorable prognosis after CN for mRCC. Although CN is not a standard protocol in mRCC, small tumor size may be a candidate when we are deciding to perform CN because of the potential benefit for OS.