bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Increasing mortality of Endangered Antillean manatees Trichechus manatus manatus due to watercraft collisions in Belize
Authors: Galves CG , Gomez NA , Galves J , Zilliacus KM , Croll DA , Kilpatrick AM
Published: April 2023

Belize maintains the largest proportion of the Endangered Antillean manatee Trichechus manatus manatus population in its range, but tourism and boat traffic have increased substantially over the past 3 decades. We utilized 25 yr of Belize Antillean manatee stranding data (1995-2019), 6 aerial surveys (1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2014), and 2 decades of boat registration data to examine: (1) spatial patterns in stranding incidence and risk of watercraft collision; (2) temporal patterns in strandings and registered watercraft; and (3) the relationship between manatee strandings attributed to watercraft collision and watercraft numbers. The number of watercraft collision strandings increased significantly over time, from 1-4 yr-1 in the late 1990s and early 2000s to 10-17 yr-1 in the late 2010s. The per manatee risk of watercraft collision stranding increased across space and time with the number of registered boats. Strandings were greater in areas of high boat traffic, high human population density, and mangrove habitats, particularly in Belize City and Placencia. These results highlight the need to reduce the threat of watercraft collisions to conserve this Endangered subspecies in Belize. Conservation efforts should focus on reducing the number of boats and their speed within zones of high manatee use to reduce mortality due to boat collisions, including establishing additional non-motorized vessel areas, restricted access, and reduced speed zones.
Experiences of Infection Prevention and Control Nurses (IPCNs) in performing their roles and duties in the Indonesia Army Central Hospital: A qualitative descriptive study
Authors: Dewi Laurentia , Hamid Achir Yani S. , Sekarsari Rita
Published: April 2023

Background: The Infection Prevention and Control Nurse (IPCN) is a professional nurse with a crucial role in promoting patient safety and service quality by preventing and controlling infections. However, little is known about their experiences regarding their roles and duties, particularly in Indonesia.
Objective: This study aimed to explore IPCNs’ experiences in performing their roles and responsibilities, including motivations and obstacles encountered, as well as organizational support while carrying out their jobs.
Methods: This research used a qualitative descriptive study design, collecting data through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with six purposively sampled participants in April 2021 at the Gatot Soebroto Army Central Hospital (RSPAD), Jakarta, Indonesia. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.
Results: Five themes were identified: 1) roles and duties of IPCNs, 2) conducive work environment, 3) constraints in carrying out tasks, 4) management support, and 5) hopes.
Conclusion: This study provides new insights into IPCN roles and duties that require collaboration and coordination with multiple professions, as well as management support to overcome obstacles that hinder fulfilling tasks and hopes of improving IPCN performance according to competency-based career paths to achieve patient safety, service quality, and job satisfaction.
İşletme Kümelerinin Belirlenmesinde Yararlanılan Yöntemlere İlişkin Bir Literatür İncelemesi
Authors: ÖNDER Gökhan
Published: April 2023

Bu çalışmanın amacı, işletme kümelerini belirlemek için kullanılan yöntemlere ilişkin bir literatür incelemesi sunmak ve yöntemlerin ürettiği enformasyonu ve kısıtlarını kümelerin kavramsal nitelikleri kapsamında değerlendirmektir. Literatürde yer alan tüm yöntemlerin kendilerine özgü sınırlılıklara sahip olduğu görülmektedir. Bununla birlikte karma yaklaşımların, nicel yöntemlerden yararlanan yukarıdan aşağı yaklaşımlar ve nitel yöntemlerden yararlanan aşağıdan yukarı yaklaşımların tek başına benimsenmesinin neden olduğu sınırlılıkları ortadan kaldırabildiği görülmektedir. Kümelerin en temel niteliği olan etkileşim/bağlantısallık düzeyinin tespit edilmesinde ise sosyal ağ analizinden yararlanılabilir. İşletme kümelerinin ekonomik sistemler içinde belirlenebilmesi kümelere özgü politika önerilerinin geliştirilebilmesi için önem taşımaktadır.
THE STUDY OF THE ARMENIAN DIASPORA IN THE TYUMEN REGION IN MODERN LITERATURE
Authors:   Ural Federal University the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation, KAMYNIN VLADIMIR , ARAKELAN ARAKSYA ,   Institution of General Education «Secondary school with advanced study of English No. 4», Novy Urengoy, Russian Federation
Published: April 2023

Already in pre-revolutionary historiography, the foundations were laid for studying the history of Armenians in the Tyumen region (S.K. Patkanov). In Soviet times, the creativity of Armenian researchers working in the Tobolsk province was studied. The formation of the Armenian Diaspora in the Tyumen region dates back to the early 90s of the twentieth century. The modern literature on the problem we are studying is numerous and diverse in nature. The history of the formation and activity of the Armenian Diaspora in the Tyumen region at the present stage is studied in an interdisciplinary way. The complex of scientific research on this topic consists of several blocks: sociological research, the works of political scientists, economists, cultural scientists and historians. A great contribution to the study of the topic is made by journalists covering the daily life and socio-political activities of the diaspora. It is possible to identify a number of problems that are raised in modern literature. The researchers note that the Tyumen region is an active participant in migration processes, being a large center receiving foreign citizens and a point of their transit movements. The works of modern researchers contain information on the history of the creation and functioning of the Armenian Diaspora in the Tyumen region.
THE BATTLE OF NATIONS IN THE OFFICIAL GERMAN DISCOURSE OF THE 20TH CENTURY: THE GERMANS AND THEIR ALLIES
Authors:   Ural State Pedagogical University, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation, GOLOTINA ALENA
Published: April 2023

The article deals with the problem of transforming the images of the Sixth Anti-French Coalition participants, who took part in the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig. This main problem is based on the official German periodical press of the 20th century. The changes in the images’ interpretation of former allies, who became enemies, occurred in the numerous transformations, that took place in the sphere of ideology and in the German state structure in the short 20th century. German external relations in different historical periods, as well as the ideology supported in the country, played an equally important role in the process explored in the article. The author reveals the goals pursued by German officials when referring to the historical images of the former allies. The following characteristic features of the images of the participants of the anti-French coalition are highlighted: British, Austrians, Russians. The following conclusions are drawn about the influence of the country's foreign and domestic policy on changes in the official discourse around the contribution of the allies in the Sixth Coalition to the victory near Leipzig.
BERLINGUER: THE ITALIAN COMMUNIST AND HIS AGE. ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTHDAY
Authors:   Ural Federal University the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation, MIKHAYLENKO VALERY , SHILONOSOVA IRINA
Published: April 2023

The article examines the personality of the leader of the Italian Communist Party Enrico Berlinguer through the prism of his formation as a communist leader, theorist and practitioner of the communist movement. The authors analyze the four most important stages in the activities of the head of the PCI. The first of these is connected with the development of a special position of the PCI in relation to the CPSU and Soviet actions in Eastern Europe; the second is due to the development of the strategy of «Eurocommunism»; the third is related to the development and implementation of the concept of «historical compromise»; the fourth is characterized by the raising of a «moral question». The authors argue that Berlinguer continued the strategic line of the founders of the ICP A. Gramsci, P. Togliatti to develop the concept of a special «Italian path to socialism». The authors consider the discussions in Italy in connection with the assessment of Berlinguer's heritage. In their opinion, the theoretical legacy and practical actions of Berlinguer played an important role in the democratic transformation of the Communist Party and in the strengthening of democratic institutions in Italy.
PROBLEMS OF ORGANIZING BOOK EXCHANGE WITH IRAN BY THE ALL-UNION SOCIETY FOR CULTURAL LINKS WITH ABROAD IN THE 1930S
Authors:   Ural Federal University the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation, SURKOV MAXIM
Published: April 2023

The purpose of the research. The article analyzes the activities of the All-Union Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries (VOKS) to strengthen ties with Iran through the policy of book exchange. Book exchange was an important part of the work of VOKS, since it made it possible to statistically track the nature of ties, and also made it possible not only to inform the interested layers of Iranian society about the USSR, but also to receive informative publications from them within the framework of book exchange. Based on the materials of domestic archives - the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF) and the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History (RGASPI), it is demonstrated that the exchange of printed publications with Iranian institutions and individuals was an important component of the VOKS policy to expand cultural relations with Iran. The paper presents statistical data on book exchange and the addressees to whom the literature was sent. Results. Correspondence between authorized VOKS in Iran and the central office made it possible to identify the main problems associated with book exchange: firstly, the unequal ratio of sent and received publications in exchange - VOKS always sent more and received less. Secondly, the poor-quality selection of literature, both in terms of language, for example, books were sent in Uzbek and Ukrainian, and in thematic - overtly political brochures were sent that could not be used in Iran due to censorship. On the basis of archival materials from the National Library and Archives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, it is demonstrated how Iranian officials were afraid to accept donated Soviet literature. Thirdly, the low quality of the literature. However, in addition to problems, there were also positive aspects. Directly in Iran, representative of VOKS sent out literature, taking into account its thematic scope and target audience. Important Soviet-Iranian cultural and scientific events in the 1930s - the millennium of Ferdowsi, the Third International Congress on Iranian Art and Archeology, the centenary of the death of A. S. Pushkin - were used as occasions for the transfer of relevant literature.
REVIEW ON THE BOOK BY A. K. SALMIN, «THE STUDY OF THE MIDDLE VOLGA REGION AT THE ST. PETERSBURG ACADEMY OF SCIENCES IN THE 18TH CENTURY». ST. PETERSBURG: NESTOR-HISTORY, 2020. 176 P
Authors:   National Research Mordovian State University named after N. P. Ogarev, Saransk, Russian Federation, MOKSHINA ELENA
Published: April 2023

The review contains the analysis of the monographic study of famous Chuvash ethnographer and historian A. K. Salmin devoted to the most important events, which took place in St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in the 18th century in connection with the study of the peoples of the Middle Volga region. At that time a number of expeditions were sent to this region, which collected considerable ethnographic material on various issues of their life activity.
REORGANIZATION OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNING BODIES BY THE SOVIET ARMED FORCES AFTER THE END OF WORLD WAR II (1945-1953)
Authors:   Ural Federal University named after the First President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation, SHUNYAKOV DMITRY , ZAPARIY VLADIMIR
Published: April 2023

The experience of the evolution of the Soviet Armed Forces after the end of World War II and before the formation of unified ministries in 1953 is analyzed. It is stated that in the period of 1945-1946, after the abolition of the State Defense Committee, there was a return to the pre-military system of functioning of the Armed Forces, distributed between three people's commissariats (defense, navy and internal affairs). The cardinal change in the military-political situation in the world required the reorggation of the Armed Forces, which passed two stages of military construction. During the first stage, which took place in 1946-1950. all types (kinds) of troops were united in the Ministry of the Armed Forces of the USSR, and the internal and border troops were transferred from the Ministry of the Interior to state security. In connection with the implementation of a large shipbuilding program in the period 1950-1953. The second stage begins, when the naval forces were isolated into an independent Naval ministry. It was shown that in 1953 there was a process of unification of ministries, the military security of the USSR was carried out by two departments - defense (overland troops, aviation and navy), as well as internal affairs (border and internal troops).
«HOMOGENEITY OF BENEFIT AND RIGHTEOUSNESS» IN MOHISM AND ITS MODERN VALUE
Authors:   School of Marxism of Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai, China, XIN HUILI , XIAO CHENGYONG
Published: April 2023

The debate between righteousness and benefit, which originated in the pre-Qin period, is one of the theoretical sources of traditional moral culture. «Righteousness is the benefit brought to the people» [Mozi1, 2006: 317], which is the cornerstone of Mozi’s theory, and is a major proposition of his ethical system of «Universal Love, mutual benefit» [Mozi, 2006: 203]. From Confucianism’s «Value righteousness and belittle profit» to Mohism’s «Homogeneity of benefit and righteousness», a significant change has taken place. Mozi’s view of human interests is neither «Selflessness» nor «Profit at another’s expense» [Mozi, Mozi, 2006: 143], but rather aims at «Benefit to the state and the people» [Mozi, 2006: 273]. At a time when a socialist market economy and a society based on the rule of law are being built, the reinterpretation of «Righteousness is the benefit brought to the people» [Mozi, 2006: 317] is of both theoretical and practical significance to the critical inheritance of traditional moral culture. It has both theoretical and practical implications.
VISUAL PRESENTATION OF RECREATION IN THE SOVIET PRESS OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE 1940S -1950S
Authors:   Institute of History and Archeology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation, KLINOVA MARINA , TROFIMOV ANDREY ,   Ural State University of Economics, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation,   Syktyvkar State University named after Pitirim Sorokina, Syktyvkar, Russian Federation
Published: April 2023

The purpose of the study. The article analyzes the visual content of the Soviet periodical press of the second half of the 1940s-1950s, in order to identify norms and anomalies in leisure practices inherent in Soviet everyday life. Conclusions. The coverage of the topic of leisure in the press was secondary to the labor theme. In the visual plots of newspapers and magazines of the second half of the 1940s - 1950s, priority was given to the practices of cultural recreation in parks, cultural centers, concerts, resorts, hiking trips, classes in creative circles, reading, etc. were popularized. Collectivism was an important feature of leisure activities. Mainly models of «cultural» leisure were put on the pages of newspapers and magazines - reading, visiting clubs, parks, rest homes, deviations were not visualized. The visual images created on the pages of periodicals in the second half of the 1940s - 1950s, to a large extent, reflected real-life objects (stadiums, libraries, cultural and recreational wigs, etc.) and leisure practices. At the same time, the real picture of people's lives differed from the picture created on the pages of periodicals: in the formulation of the problems of the content of the problem of leisure, in the proposed «cultural» forms of its implementation, the presence of significant categories of citizens who prefer «uncultured recreation».
THE URAL PART OF THE BIOGRAPHY OF IGOR VASILYEVICH KURCHATOV, AN OUTSTANDING NUCLEAR SCIENTIST
Authors:   Institute of History and Archeology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation, KUZNETSOV VIKTOR
Published: April 2023

The name of the outstanding Soviet physicist, Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov, is known not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders. Knowledge about him is mainly related to his scientific leadership of the domestic nuclear project. He is one of the nine thrice Heroes of Socialist Labor of the Soviet Union. However, few people know that his main practical results of scientific developments were translated into real industrial production on the Ural land. In addition, his childhood years are connected with the Southern Urals, as well as the years of scientific leadership of the firstborn of the nuclear industry in the Urals - plant No. 817, now the Mayak Production Association. The presented scientific article is prepared for the 120th anniversary of the birth of an outstanding Soviet nuclear scientist, who was the head of the implementation of the uranium problem in the Soviet Union. He was one of the first in the world to identify the possibility of releasing energy of colossal power as a result of fission of the atomic nucleus and implemented them in the creation of the first domestic nuclear weapons, and then participated in the development of technologies for the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. I.V.Kurchatov scientific work in the Urals is reflected fragmentally in the published literature. This statement requires more detailed research, systematization and coverage in a scientific publication.
CREATION AND ACTIVITY IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE XIX CENTURY OF MILITARY SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL BODIES
Authors:   A.S. Pushkin Leningrad State University, Saint Petersburg, Pushkin, Russian Federation, BENDA VLADIMIR
Published: April 2023

One of the objectives of this study is to study the measures for the reorganization of the central military administration of the army carried out on the initiative of the highest state and military authorities in the first half of the XIX century. In the course of these transformations, a number of scientific and technical bodies were created in the main bodies of military administration, the main task of which was to develop recommendations and solutions for the qualitative improvement of the tactical and technical characteristics of domestic artillery. The article deals with some of such bodies as, for example, the «Temporary Artillery Committee», later transformed into the «Scientific Committee on Artillery», the functioning of which contributed to the transformation of the material part of the domestic smoothbore artillery and a significant increase in its tactical and technical data. The reduction of calibers, the use of the same types of shells to different types of guns of the same caliber made it possible to use the same ammunition in naval and land artillery guns. Simplification of the material part made it possible to reduce the number of heterogeneous carriages. Attention is focused on the fact that many useful reforms in the scientific and technical field of the development of domestic artillery were carried out during the management of the artillery department by A.A.Arakcheev. conducted in the first half of the XIX century. Previously unpublished archival and other little-studied sources are introduced into scientific circulation.
Automatic inference of hypoglycemia causes in type 1 diabetes: a feasibility study
Authors: Zaitcev Aleksandr , Eissa Mohammad R. , Hui Zheng , Good Tim , Elliott Jackie , Benaissa Mohammed
Published: April 2023

Background

Hypoglycemia is the most common adverse consequence of treating diabetes, and is often due to suboptimal patient self-care. Behavioral interventions by health professionals and self-care education helps avoid recurrent hypoglycemic episodes by targeting problematic patient behaviors. This relies on time-consuming investigation of reasons behind the observed episodes, which involves manual interpretation of personal diabetes diaries and communication with patients. Therefore, there is a clear motivation to automate this process using a supervised machine learning paradigm. This manuscript presents a feasibility study of automatic identification of hypoglycemia causes.

Methods

Reasons for 1885 hypoglycemia events were labeled by 54 participants with type 1 diabetes over a 21 months period. A broad range of possible predictors were extracted describing a hypoglycemic episode and the subject’s general self-care from participants’ routinely collected data on the Glucollector, their diabetes management platform. Thereafter, the possible hypoglycemia reasons were categorized for two major analysis sections - statistical analysis of relationships between the data features of self-care and hypoglycemia reasons, and classification analysis investigating the design of an automated system to determine the reason for hypoglycemia.

Results

Physical activity contributed to 45% of hypoglycemia reasons on the real world collected data. The statistical analysis provided a number of interpretable predictors of different hypoglycemia reasons based on self-care behaviors. The classification analysis showed the performance of a reasoning system in practical settings with different objectives under F1-score, recall and precision metrics.

Conclusion

The data acquisition characterized the incidence distribution of the various hypoglycemia reasons. The analyses highlighted many interpretable predictors of the various hypoglycemia types. Also, the feasibility study presented a number of concerns valuable in the design of the decision support system for automatic hypoglycemia reason classification. Therefore, automating the identification of the causes of hypoglycemia may help objectively to target behavioral and therapeutic changes in patients' care.
Multifaceted promotion of apoptosis by acetylcholinesterase
Authors: Knorr Debbra Y. , Demirbas Defne , Heinrich Ralf
Published: April 2023

Elevated expression of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is a common characteristic of apoptotic cells in both invertebrate and vertebrate species. While increased levels of acetylcholinesterase sensitize cells to apoptogenic stimuli, its absence or pharmacological inactivation interferes with apoptotic cell death. acetylcholinesterase may exert its pro-apoptotic function directly as an integral component of the apoptotic molecular machinery or indirectly by limiting the availability of receptor ligands and structural binding partners that promote cell survival under non-apoptogenic conditions. acetylcholinesterase promotes formation of the apoptosome and degrades DNA after nuclear accumulation. Its esterase activity limits the availability of acetylcholine as ligand for cell membrane-located nicotinic and muscarinic ACh-receptors and mitochondrial nicotinic ACh-receptors that normally support vital physiological states. Studies on insects suggest, that cytokine-activated cell-protective pathways may suppress acetylcholinesterase overexpression under apoptogenic conditions to prevent apoptotic cell death. We provide an overview of studies on various organisms and cell types that summarizes the contribution of acetylcholinesterase to the progress of apoptosis via multiple mechanisms.
Comparison of mNGS and conventional culture in non-organ transplant critically ill patients supported by ECMO: a single-center study
Authors: Zhao Xi , Bai Lin-Peng , Li Bo-Yan , Yue Zhen-Zhen , Zhao Yang-Chao , Zhao Xiao-Yan
Published: April 2023

Objectives

Infection is one of the important causes of death in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. At present, there are few articles focused on the detailed analysis of pathogenic microorganisms detected in different therapy periods of critically ill patients supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Methods

From October 2020 to October 2022, ECMO-assisted patients who underwent multiple times of both metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) test and conventional culture were enrolled continuously in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. The baseline data, laboratory test results, and pathogenic microorganisms detected by mNGS and traditional culture in different time periods were recorded and analyzed.

Results

In the present study, 62 patients were included finally. According to whether the patients survived at discharge, they were divided into the survivor group (n = 24) and the non-survivor group (n = 38). Then, according to the different types of ECMO support, they were divided into the veno-venous ECMO (VV ECMO) group (n = 43) and the veno-arterial ECMO (VA ECMO) group (n = 19). The summit period of specimens of traditional culture and mNGS detection of ECMO patients was 7 days after admission, and the largest number of specimens of surviving patients appeared after ECMO withdrawal. The total number of traditional culture specimens was 1,249, the positive rate was 30.4% (380/1,249), and the positive rate of mNGS was 79.6% (82/103). A total of 28 kinds of pathogenic microorganisms were cultured from conventional culture, and 58 kinds of pathogenic microorganisms were detected by mNGS, including Mycobacterium, Rickettsia, and Chlamydia psittaci. In conventional culture, the most frequent Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria, and fungi were Klebsiella pneumoniae, Corynebacterium striatum, and Candida glabrata, and those with the highest frequency of occurrence in mNGS detection were Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterococcus faecium, and Aspergillus flavus.

Conclusions

Throughout the whole treatment process, different kinds of suspicious biological specimens of high-infection-risk ICU patients supported by ECMO should undergo both mNGS detection and traditional culture early and repeatedly.
From least cost to least risk: Producing climate change mitigation plans that are resilient to multiple risks
Authors: Gambhir Ajay , Lempert Robert
Published: April 2023

Our plans to tackle climate change could be thrown off-track by shocks such as the coronavirus pandemic, the energy supply crisis driven by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, financial crises and other such disruptions. We should therefore identify plans which are as resilient as possible to future risks, by systematically understanding the range of risks to which mitigation plans are vulnerable and how best to reduce such vulnerabilities. Here, we use electricity system decarbonization as a focus area, to highlight the different types of technological solutions, the different risks that may be associated with them, and the approaches, situated in a decision-making under deep uncertainty (DMDU) paradigm, that would allow the identification and enhanced resilience of mitigation pathways.
Temporal attention
Authors: Seibold Verena C. , Balke Janina , Rolke Bettina
Published: April 2023

Attention, that is, the ability to focus processing resources on a specific part of sensory input, is often thought of as being mainly allocated in space, toward specific objects or modalities. However, attention can also be allocated within time. Temporal attention can be induced implicitly, that is, through learning of temporal regularities between at least two events, or explicitly, by the active instruction to attend to a specific time point. Moreover, temporal attention can be induced via external rhythmic stimulation. Many studies throughout the last 120 years have shown that, irrespective of the way temporal attention is induced, it facilitates processing of upcoming events. Based on early findings measuring reaction time, researchers initially assumed that temporal attention primarily accelerates motor processing. Within the last 20 years, however, more and more evidence has emerged supporting the view that temporal attention facilitates perceptual processing. Moreover, temporal attention may even interact with other attentional domains such as spatial attention or feature-based attention. In the present article, we summarize classical as well as current findings and theoretical accounts on how temporal attention affects perceptual processing. Furthermore, we sketch current challenges and open questions in research on temporal attention.
The role of prosody for the expression of illocutionary types. The prosodic system of questions in spoken Italian and French according to Language into Act Theory
Authors: Cresti Emanuela , Moneglia Massimo
Published: April 2023

This article presents a corpus-based study of the correlations between prosodic contours and question speech acts in Italian and French from the perspective of the Language into Act Theory (L-AcT). A rich taxonomy of question illocutionary types is derived from two comparable corpora of informal speech taken from the C-ORAL-ROM collection and illustrated through prototypic examples. The number of questions in speech is evaluated as <10% of utterances. Despite their syntactic and accentual differences, the two languages share comparable pragmatic values conveyed by defined prosodic variations. Total questions, which can be answered withyesorno, are expected with canonicalrisingcontours. Still, a good percentage shows the so-called declarative prosody (26% in FR and 36% in IT). They have been supposed to bebiasedby presupposingthe proposition's truthand consideredRequests for confirmationsinstead of genuinelySeeking for information acts. But presupposition, depending on intentional states, is hard to be detected, and no clear linguistic correlation was found. The corpus-based study of the prosody/pragmatics relation allows a better understanding of the system. Total questions should be framed within the larger category ofDirectives aimed at the addressee's linguistic behavior, which does not foreseeseeking informationas the only goal. When the speaker makes ahypothesison what he asks—that is not an actual presupposition—he performs aRequest for confirmation. This is true in most Total questions, and prosody complies with the canonical contour. In contrast, declarative contours correlate with corpus contexts in which the speaker does not make anyhypothesisbut putspressureon the addressee (Challenging Questions).Partial questionsgenuinelyseek informationand compriseOpen questions, which are verbless utterances where the addressee is requested to freely provide information on a given topic.Tag questions, Double questions, andAlternative questionscorrespond toIllocutionary patternsthat, according to L-AcT, are composed of two pragmatic units framed within one prosodic strategy.
Genetic variants, pathophysiological pathways, and oral anticoagulation in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and atrial fibrillation
Authors: Wang Shengnan , Chen He , Liu Chunju , Wu Mengxian , Sun Wanlei , Liu Shenjian , Zheng Yan , He Wenfeng
Published: April 2023

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is commonly prevalent in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, whether the prevalence and incidence of AF are different between genotype-positive vs. genotype-negative patients with HCM remains controversial. Recent evidence has indicated that AF is often the first presentation of genetic HCM patients in the absence of a cardiomyopathy phenotype, implying the importance of genetic testing in this population with early-onset AF. However, the association of the identified sarcomere gene variants with HCM occurrence in the future remains unclear. How the identification of these cardiomyopathy gene variants should influence the use of anticoagulation therapy for a patient with early-onset AF is still undefined. In this review, we sought to assess the genetic variants, pathophysiological pathways, and oral anticoagulation in patients with HCM and AF.
The occurrence of early atrial fibrillation after cardiac valve operation and the establishment of a nomogram model
Authors: Li Sailan , Zhang Haoruo , Liao Xiaoqin , Yan Xin , Chen Liangwan , Lin Yanjuan , Peng Yanchun
Published: April 2023

Background

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common complication after cardiac surgery, which is associated with age and massive bleeding. However, whether thyroid hormone (TH) level can affect POAF remains controversial.

Aim

To investigate the occurrence and risk factors of POAF, in particular, the preoperative TH level of patients was introduced into this study as a variable for analysis, and a column graph prediction model of POAF was constructed.

Methods

Patients who underwent valve surgery in Fujian Cardiac Medical Center from January 2019 to May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed and divided into POAF group and NO-POAF group. Baseline characteristics and relevant clinical data were collected from the two groups of patients. Independent risk factors for POAF were screened using univariate analysis and binary logistic regression analysis, and a column line graph prediction model was established based on the regression analysis results, and the diagnostic efficacy and calibration of the model were evaluated using the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC) and calibration curve.

Results

A total of 2,340 patients underwent valve surgery, excluding 1,751 patients, a total of 589 patients were included, including 89 patients in POAF group and 500 patients in NO-POAF group. The total incidence of POAF was 15.1%. The results of the Logistics regression analysis showed that gender, age, leukocytes and TSH were risk factors of POAF. The area under the ROC curve of the nomogram prediction model for POAF was 0.747 (95% CI: 0.688–0.806, P < 0.001), with a sensitivity of 74.2% and specificity of 68%. Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed χ2 = 11.141, P = 0.194 > 0.05, the calibration curve was well fitted.

Conclusion

The results of this study show that gender, age, leukocyte and TSH are risk factors of POAF, and the nomogram prediction model has a good prediction effect. Due to the limited sample size and included population, more studies are needed to validate this result.
Incidence and prognostic significance of malignant arrhythmias during (repetitive) Holter electrocardiograms in patients with pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Bandorski Dirk , Heibel Sebastian , Höltgen Reinhard , Bogossian Harilaos , Ghofrani Hossein Ardeschir , Zarse Markus , Gall Henning
Published: April 2023

Background

In patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) may lead to increased right ventricular afterload and cardiac remodelling, potentially providing the substrate for ventricular arrhythmias. Studies dealing with long term monitoring of patients with PH are rare. The present study evaluated the incidence and the types of arrhythmias retrospectively recorded by Holter ECG in patients with newly detected PH during a long-term Holter ECG follow-up. Moreover, their impact on patient survival was evaluated.

Patients and methods

Medical records were screened for demographic data, aetiology of PH, incidence of coronary heart disease, level of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), results from Holter ECG monitoring, 6-minute walk test distance, echocardiographic data and hemodynamic data derived from right heart catheterization. Two subgroups were analyzed: 1. patients (n = 65) with PH (group 1 + 4) and derivation of at least 1 Holter ECG within 12 months from initial detection of PH and 2. patients (all PH etiologies, n = 59) with 3 follow-up Holter ECGs. The frequency and complexity of premature ventricular contractions (PVC) was classified into “lower” and “higher” (=non sustained ventricular tachycardia, nsVT) burden.

Results

Holter ECG revealed sinus rhythm (SR) in most of the patients (n = 60). Incidence of atrial fibrillation (AFib) was low (n = 4). Patients with premature atrial contractions (PAC) tend to have a shorter period of survival (p = 0.098), PVC were not correlated with significant survival differences. During follow-up PAC and PVC were common in all PH groups. Holter ECG revealed non sustained ventricular tachycardia in 19/59 patients [(32.2%); n = 6 during first Holter-ECG, n = 13 during second/third Holter-ECG]. In all patients suffering from nsVT during follow-up previous Holter ECG revealed multiform/repetitive PVC. PVC burden was not linked to differences in systolic pulmonary arterial pressure, right atrial pressure, brain natriuretic peptide and results of six-minute walk test.

Conclusion

Patients with PAC tend to have a shortened survival. None of the evaluated parameters (BNP, TAPSE, sPAP) was correlated with the development of arrhythmias. Patients with multiform/repetitive PVC seem to be at risk for ventricular arrhythmias.
Impact of cavotricuspid isthmus ablation for typical atrial flutter and heart failure in the elderly—results of a retrospective multi-center study
Authors: Boxhammer Elke , Bellamine Meriem , Szendey Istvan , Foresti Mike , Bonsels Marc , Kletzer Joseph , Jirak Peter , Topf Albert , Kraus Johannes , Fiedler Lukas , Dieplinger Anna-Maria , Hoppe Uta C. , Strohmer Bernhard , Eckardt Lars , Pistulli Rudin , Motloch Lukas J. , Larbig Robert
Published: April 2023

Introduction

While in the CASTLE-AF trial, in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, interventional therapy using pulmonary vein isolation was associated with outcome improvement, data on cavotricuspid isthmus ablation (CTIA) in atrial flutter (AFL) in the elderly is rare.

Methods

We included 96 patients between 60 and 85 years with typical AFL and heart failure with reduced or mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF/HFmrEF) treated in two medical centers. 48 patients underwent an electrophysiological study with CTIA, whereas 48 patients received rate or rhythm control and guideline-compliant heart failure therapy. Patients were followed up for 2 years, with emphasis on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) over time. Primary endpoints were cardiovascular mortality and hospitalization for cardiac causes.

Results

Patients with CTIA showed a significant increase in LVEF after 1 (p < 0.001) and 2 years (p < 0.001) in contrast to baseline LVEF. Improvement of LVEF in the CTIA group was associated with significantly lower 2-year mortality (p = 0.003). In the multivariate regression analysis, CTIA remained the relevant factor associated with LVEF improvement (HR: 2.845 CI:95% 1.044–7.755; p = 0.041). Elderly patients (≥ 70 years) further benefited from CTIA, since they showed a significantly reduced rehospitalization (p = 0.042) and mortality rate after 2 years (p = 0.013).

Conclusions

CTIA in patients with typical AFL and HFrEF/HFmrEF was associated with significant improvement of LVEF and reduced mortality rates after 2 years. Patient age should not be a primary exclusion criterion for CTIA, since patients ≥70 years also seem to benefit from intervention in terms of mortality and hospitalization.
The circle of reentry: Characteristics of trigger-substrate interaction leading to sudden cardiac arrest
Authors: Cluitmans Matthijs J. M. , Bayer Jason , Bear Laura R. , ter Bekke Rachel M. A. , Heijman Jordi , Coronel Ruben , Volders Paul G. A.
Published: April 2023

Sudden cardiac death is often caused by ventricular arrhythmias driven by reentry. Comprehensive characterization of the potential triggers and substrate in survivors of sudden cardiac arrest has provided insights into the trigger-substrate interaction leading to reentry. Previously, a “Triangle of Arrhythmogenesis”, reflecting interactions between substrate, trigger and modulating factors, has been proposed to reason about arrhythmia initiation. Here, we expand upon this concept by separating the trigger and substrate characteristics in their spatial and temporal components. This yields four key elements that are required for the initiation of reentry: local dispersion of excitability (e.g., the presence of steep repolarization time gradients), a critical relative size of the region of excitability and the region of inexcitability (e.g., a sufficiently large region with early repolarization), a trigger that originates at a time when some tissue is excitable and other tissue is inexcitable (e.g., an early premature complex), and which occurs from an excitable region (e.g., from a region with early repolarization). We discuss how these findings yield a new mechanistic framework for reasoning about reentry initiation, the “Circle of Reentry.” In a patient case of unexplained ventricular fibrillation, we then illustrate how a comprehensive clinical investigation of these trigger-substrate characteristics may help to understand the associated arrhythmia mechanism. We will also discuss how this reentry initiation concept may help to identify patients at risk, and how similar reasoning may apply to other reentrant arrhythmias.
Removal of inferior vena cava filter by open surgery after failure of endovenous retrieval
Authors: Tian Xuan , Liu Jianlong , Li Jinyong , Jia Wei , Jiang Peng , Cheng Zhiyuan , Zhang Yunxin , Liu Xiao , Zhou M. I , Tian Chenyang
Published: April 2023

Background

The permanent placement of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters may lead to numerous complications and their removal is recommended once the risk of pulmonary embolism is reduced. Removal of IVC filters by endovenous means is preferred. But failure of endovenous removal happens when recycling hooks penetrate the vein wall and filters are left in place for too long time. In these scenarios, open surgery may be effective for removal of IVC filters. We aimed to describe the surgical approach, outcomes, and 6-month follow-up of the removal of IVC filter by open surgery, after the failure of removal via the endovenous method.

Methods

A total of 1,285 patients with retrievable IVC filters were admitted from July 2019 to June 2021, including 1,176 (91.5%) endovenous filter removals, and 24 (1.9%) open surgical IVC filter removals after the failure by endovenous method, of whom 21 (1.6%) were followed-up and eligible for analysis of the study. Patient characteristics, filter type, filter removal rate, IVC patency rate, and complications were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Twenty-one patients were left with IVC filters for 26 (10, 37) months, of which 17 (81.0%) patients had non-conical filters and 4 (19.0%) had conical filters; all 21 filters were successfully removed, with a 100% removal rate, no deaths, no serious complications, and no symptomatic pulmonary embolism. At the 3rd month follow-up after surgery and 3rd month follow-up after discontinuation of anticoagulation therapy, only 1 case (4.8%) had IVC occlusion, but without any occurrence of new lower limb deep venous thrombosis and silent pulmonary embolism.

Conclusion

Open surgery can be used for the removal of IVC filters after failure of removal by endovenous method or when accompanied by complications without symptoms of pulmonary embolism. Open surgical approach can be used as an adjunctive clinical intervention for the removal of such filters.
Effect of visit-to-visit blood pressure variability on mild cognitive impairment and probable dementia in hypertensive patients receiving standard and intensive blood pressure treatment
Authors: Guo Hang , Tan Yi , Yao Zhizheng , Zhang Zilu , Yan Jiafu , Meng Xiaofeng
Published: April 2023

Background

High visit-to-visit blood pressure variability (BPV) and hypertension are risk factors for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and probable dementia (PD). Few articles assessed the effect of BPV on the MCI and PD in intensive blood pressure treatment and the different functions of three types of visit-to-visit BPV: systolic blood pressure variability (SBPV), diastolic blood pressure variability (DBPV) and pulse pressure variability (PPV).

Methods

We performed a post hoc analysis of the SPRINT MIND trial. The primary outcomes were MCI and PD. BPV was measured by average real variability (ARV). The Kaplan-Meier curves were used to clarify the difference in tertiles of BPV. We fit Cox proportional hazards models to our outcome. We also did an interaction analysis between the intensive and standard groups.

Results

We enrolled 8,346 patients in the SPRINT MIND trial. The incidence of MCI and PD in the intensive group was lower than that in the standard group. 353 patients had MCI and 101 patients had PD in the standard group while 285 patients had MCI and 75 patients had PD in the intensive group. Tertiles with higher SBPV, DBPV and PPV in the standard group had a higher risk of MCI and PD (all p < 0.05). Meanwhile, higher SBPV and PPV in the intensive group were associated with an increased risk of PD (SBPV: HR(95%) = 2.1 (1.1–3.9), p = 0.026; PPV: HR(95%) = 2.0 (1.1–3.8), p = 0.025 in model 3) and higher SBPV in the intensive group was associated with an increased risk of MCI(HR(95%) = 1.4 (1.2–1.8), p < 0.001 in model 3). The difference between intensive and standard blood pressure treatment was not statistically significant when we considered the effect of the higher BPV on the risk of MCI and PD (all p for interaction >0.05).

Conclusion

In this post hoc analysis of the SPRINT MIND trial, we found that higher SBPV and PPV were associated with an increased risk of PD in the intensive group, and higher SBPV was associated with an increased risk of MCI in the intensive group. The effect of higher BPV on the risk of MCI and PD was not significantly different in intensive and standard blood pressure treatment. These findings emphasized the need for clinical work to monitor BPV in intensive blood pressure treatment.