bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Discordance Between Patient and Caregiver on Ratings of Purpose in Life Following a Dementia Diagnostic Appointment
Authors: Wynn Matthew , Ju Catherine , Hill Patrick
Published: December 2020

Purpose in life has been linked with better well-being and reduced risk for major illness. As such, work has focused on understanding what leads to changes in sense of purpose during adulthood, with a focus on major life events. Receiving a dementia diagnosis is a major life event that could affect purpose in life both for older adults with dementia and their potential caregivers. To examine this issue participants answered questions at two timepoints, before their diagnostic appointment at a specialized memory clinic, and between two days and two weeks after the appointment. Participants provided self-report ratings of sense of purpose and as well as open-ended answers regarding their purpose in life. Data is available from both caregivers and patients and qualitative coding was performed on participants’ open-ended responses. Our analysis revealed discordance between patients and caregivers, such that caregivers’ ratings of patients were lower in terms of purpose in life (t = -5.63, p < .001) and being in worse health (t = -3.41, p < .001) than patients’ ratings of themselves on the same measures. Discordance between caregiver and patient in the context of a dementia diagnostic appointment and outcomes associated with this discordance are discussed.
Aging and Old Age in Colombian Trans Women: A Grounded Theory Approach
Authors: Reyes Maria , Daniela Maldonado , Carlos Méndez , Ariza Maria , Arias Vannesa , Pachon Isabella
Published: December 2020

Trans people around the world represent one of the most marginalized and stigmatized groups in society who are at high risk of discrimination, violence and abuse (White Hughto, Reisner, & Pachankis, 2015). In Colombia, older adults face a situation of vulnerability and poverty, and this situation is even more dramatic for older people with diverse gender identities. The research focused on understanding the challenges that a group of Colombian trans women experience in the process of aging and old age. An exploratory qualitative research project was carried out using constructionist Grounded Theory. Twenty five trans-women from 50 to 67 years old who live in Bogotá, Colombia participated. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews. The results address three main research questions: (a) How the participants overcome the life expectancy and achieve middle and older adulthood? (b) What are the barriers the participants faced in the aging process? (c) How do the group of Colombian trans women imagine and considered a successful aging? The results evidenced that the process of aging of the participants was influenced by six psycho-socio-cultural categories. A central category that was identified as opportunity, which was influenced by five categories: a) Violence, discrimination and transphobia, b) Transit process, c) Personal strengths d) Mobilization and activism and e) experience and perception the old age. Discussion. The challenges that the participants experienced were those associated with the process of aging and to their gender identity. Trans women achieve middle and old adulthood for their personal strengths, activism and mobilization.
Tide gauge data archaeology provides natural subsidence rates along the coasts of the Po Plain and of the Veneto-Friuli Plain, Italy
Authors: Zerbini S , Bruni S , Raicich F
Published: December 2020

In Northern Italy, natural subsidence affects the Po and Veneto-Friuli Plains. Anthropogenic activities which started during the 1930s enhanced the natural rates considerably. Information on land lowering can be obtained not only by geodetic or geological data, but also analyzing and comparing sea-level time series of neighboring tide gauges. In the Northern Adriatic, several tide gauge stations were operational before the onset of the anthropogenic activities. We analyzed data spanning the period 1873–1922 from Marina di Ravenna, Venice and Trieste, in Italy. The 1897–1922 data of Pula, Croatia, were also considered for the analysis, but this time series was finally discarded because too short. Trieste, located in a relatively stable area, is characterized by a sea-level rate of 1.21 ± 0.35 mm/yr (1875–1922) that can be assumed to be a reliable estimate of the local sea-level rise during the period of interest. We compared the rate observed at Trieste with those obtained at Marina di Ravenna, 3.09 ± 0.31 mm/yr (1873–1922), and Venice, 2.05 ± 0.22 mm/yr (1873–1922). This comparison shows that the natural subsidence rate decreases from Marina di Ravenna to Venice and Trieste, turning out to be 1.88 ± 0.47 mm/yr and 0.84 ± 0.41 mm/yr at Marina di Ravenna and Venice, respectively.
An a priori error analysis of adjoint-based super-convergent Galerkin approximations of linear functionals
Authors: Cockburn Bernardo , Xia Shiqiang
Published: December 2020

We present the first a priori error analysis of a new method proposed in Cockburn & Wang (2017, Adjoint-based, superconvergent Galerkin approximations of linear functionals. J. Comput. Sci., 73, 644–666), for computing adjoint-based, super-convergent Galerkin approximations of linear functionals. If $J(u)$ is a smooth linear functional, where $u$ is the solution of a steady-state diffusion problem, the standard approximation $J(u_h)$ converges with order $h^{2k+1}$, where $u_h$ is the Hybridizable Discontinuous Galerkin approximation to $u$ with polynomials of degree $k>0$. In contrast, numerical experiments show that the new method provides an approximation that converges with order $h^{4k}$, and can be computed by only using twice the computational effort needed to compute $J(u_h)$. Here, we put these experimental results in firm mathematical ground. We also display numerical experiments devised to explore the convergence properties of the method in cases not covered by the theory, in particular, when the solution $u$ or the functional $J(\cdot )$ are not very smooth. We end by indicating how to extend these results to the case of general Galerkin methods.
The International Criminal Court during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Abtahi Hirad
Published: December 2020

Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a series of measures to ensure the continuation of its activities. To this effect, the Court has adjusted its proper administration both in Headquarters and Country Offices by moving to (partial) virtual offices mode. In so doing, the ICC has striven to ensure that staff well-being and business continuity go hand in hand. On this basis, the Court has worked towards the execution of its mandate, i.e. the prosecution and trial of individuals alleged to have committed one or more of the ICC Statute crimes. Against this background, the Court has had recourse to a combination of technological and sanitary measures in order to conduct pre-trial, trial and appeals proceedings in a fair and expeditious manner. These proceedings have ranged from the execution of arrest warrants and transfer of suspects to the Court’s custody through to the holding of hearings in the courtroom. By adapting itself to the evolving nature of COVID-19 — and reactions to the virus — the ICC will ensure that it remains resilient in the face of this unprecedented global sanitary crisis.
What is dry? Exploring metabolism and molecular mobility at extremely low water contents
Authors: Farrant Jill M , Hilhorst Henk W M
Published: December 2020

This article comments on:

Candotto Carniel FC, Fernandez-Marín B, Arc E, Craighero T, Laza MJ, Incerti G, Tretiach M, Kranner I. 2021. How dry is dry? Molecular mobility in relation to thallus water content in a lichen. Journal of Experimental Botany 72, 1576–1588
A comparison of presentations and outcomes of histoplasmosis across patients with varying immune status
Authors: Franklin Alexander D , Larson Lindsey , Rauseo Adriana M , Rutjanawech Sasinuch , Hendrix Michael Joshua , Powderly William G , Spec Andrej
Published: December 2020

Few large cohorts have examined histoplasmosis in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. We describe the differences in presentations and outcomes of histoplasmosis by immune and dissemination status. We assembled a retrospective cohort of adult patients diagnosed with histoplasmosis from 2002 to 2017. Patients were grouped by immune status: people living with HIV (PLWH), patients who were HIV negative but had other-immunocompromise (OIC), and immunocompetent patients. Patients were further classified into asymptomatic lung nodule (ALN), localized and disseminated disease groups, and outcomes were compared across patients by these immune status categories We identified 261 patients with histoplasmosis: 54 (21%) PLWH, 98 (38%) OIC, and 109 (42%) immunocompetent. Disseminated disease was more common among PLWH than among other groups (P < .001). In localized disease, median time from symptom onset to diagnosis was longer in immunocompetent patients than in other groups (P = .012), and was not significant in disseminated disease. The 90-day mortality was higher in PLWH (25%) and OIC (26%) with localized disease compared to the immunocompetent group (4%) (P = .009), but this difference was not seen in disseminated disease. Patients with localized disease had lower 90-day mortality (14%) compared to those with disseminated disease (21%) (P = .034). We conclude that immunocompetent individuals present with fewer typical symptoms, laboratory findings, and radiographic features of Histoplasma infection, leading to potential delays in diagnosis in this group. Despite this, immunocompetent patients have lower 90-day mortality in localized disease, and do not experience increased 90-day mortality in disseminated disease.
Mapping the spectral index of Cassiopeia A: evidence for flattening from radio to infrared
Authors: Domček V , Vink J , Hernández Santisteban J V , DeLaney T , Zhou P
Published: December 2020

Synchrotron radiation from supernova remnants is caused by electrons accelerated through diffusive shock acceleration (DSA). The standard DSA theory predicts an electron spectral index of p = 2, corresponding to a radio spectral index of α = −0.5. An extension of DSA theory predicts that the accelerated particles change the shock structure, resulting in a spectrum that is steeper than p > 2 (α < −0.5) at low energies and flattens with energy. For Cassiopeia A, a synchrotron spectral flattening was previously reported for a small part of the remnant in the mid-infrared regime. Here, we present new measurements for spectral flattening using archival radio (4.72 GHz) and mid-infrared (3.6 μm) data, and we produce a complete spectral index map to investigate the spatial variations within the remnant. We compare this to measurements of the radio spectral index from L-band (1.285 GHz) and C-band (4.64 GHz) maps. Our result shows overall spectral flattening across the remnant (αR-IR ∼ −0.5 to −0.7), to be compared with the radio spectral index of αR = −0.77. The flattest values coincide with the locations of most recent particle acceleration. In addition to overall flattening, we detect a relatively steeper region in the south-east of the remnant (αR-IR ∼ −0.67). We explore whether these locally steeper spectra could be the result of synchrotron cooling, which provides constraints on the local magnetic field strengths and the age of the plasma, suggesting B ≲ 2 mG for an age of 100 yr, and even B ≲ 1 mG using the age of Cas A, in agreement with other estimates.
Implementing primordial binaries in simulations of star cluster formation with a hybrid MHD and direct N-body method
Authors: Cournoyer-Cloutier Claude , Tran Aaron , Lewis Sean , Wall Joshua E , Harris William E , Mac Low Mordecai-Mark , McMillan Stephen L W , Portegies Zwart Simon , Sills Alison
Published: December 2020

The fraction of stars in binary systems within star clusters is important for their evolution, but what proportion of binaries form by dynamical processes after initial stellar accretion remains unknown. In previous work, we showed that dynamical interactions alone produced too few low-mass binaries compared to observations. We therefore implement an initial population of binaries in the coupled magnetohydrodynamics and direct N-body star cluster formation code torch. We compare simulations with, and without, initial binary populations and follow the dynamical evolution of the binary population in both sets of simulations, finding that both dynamical formation and destruction of binaries take place. Even in the first few million years of star formation, we find that an initial population of binaries is needed at all masses to reproduce observed binary fractions for binaries with mass ratios above the q ≥ 0.1 detection limit. Our simulations also indicate that dynamical interactions in the presence of gas during cluster formation modify the initial distributions towards binaries with smaller primary masses, larger mass ratios, smaller semimajor axes and larger eccentricities. Systems formed dynamically do not have the same properties as the initial systems, and systems formed dynamically in the presence of an initial population of binaries differ from those formed in simulations with single stars only. Dynamical interactions during the earliest stages of star cluster formation are important for determining the properties of binary star systems.
On the flaring of thick discs of galaxies: insights from simulations
Authors: García de la Cruz Joaquín , Martig Marie , Minchev Ivan , James Philip
Published: December 2020

Using simulated galaxies in their cosmological context, we analyse how the flaring of mono-age populations (MAPs) influences the flaring and the age structure of geometrically defined thick discs. We also explore under which circumstances the geometric thin and thick discs are meaningfully distinct components, or are part of a single continuous structure as in the Milky Way. We find that flat thick discs are created when MAPs barely flare or have low surface density at the radius where they start flaring. When looking at the vertical distribution of MAPs, these galaxies show a continuous thin/thick structure. They also have radial age gradients and tend to have quiescent merger histories. Those characteristics are consistent with what is observed in the Milky Way. Flared thick discs, on the other hand, are created when the MAPs that flare have a high surface density at the radius where they start flaring. The thick discs’ scale heights can either be dominated by multiple MAPs or just a few, depending on the mass and scale height distribution of the MAPs. In a large fraction of these galaxies, thin and thick discs are clearly distinct structures. Finally, flared thick discs have diverse radial age gradients and merger histories, with galaxies that are more massive or that have undergone massive mergers showing flatter age radial gradients in their thick disc.
Clustering in the simulated H α galaxy redshift survey from Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
Authors: Zhai Zhongxu , Chuang Chia-Hsun , Wang Yun , Benson Andrew , Yepes Gustavo
Published: December 2020

We present a realistic 2000 deg2 H α galaxy mock catalogue with 1 < z < 2 for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) galaxy redshift survey, the High Latitude Spectroscopic Survey (HLSS), created using Galacticus, a semi-analytical galaxy formation model, and high-resolution cosmological N-body simulations. Galaxy clustering can probe dark energy and test gravity via baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) and redshift space distortion (RSD) measurements. Using our realistic mock as the simulated Roman HLSS data, and a covariance matrix computed using a large set of approximate mocks created using ezmock, we investigate the expected precision and accuracy of the BAO and RSD measurements using the same analysis techniques used in analysing real data. We find that the Roman H α galaxy survey alone can measure the angular diameter distance with 2 per cent uncertainty, the Hubble parameter with 3–6 per cent uncertainty, and the linear growth parameter with 7 per cent uncertainty, in each of four redshift bins. Our realistic forecast illustrates the power of the Roman galaxy survey in probing the nature of dark energy and testing gravity.
Globular clusters as tracers of the dark matter content of dwarfs in galaxy clusters
Authors: Doppel Jessica E , Sales Laura V , Navarro Julio F , Abadi Mario G , Peng Eric W , Toloba Elisa , Ramos-Almendares Felipe
Published: December 2020

Globular clusters (GCs) are often used to estimate the dark matter content of galaxies, especially dwarf galaxies, where other kinematic tracers are lacking. These estimates typically assume spherical symmetry and dynamical equilibrium, assumptions that may not hold for the sparse GC population of dwarfs in galaxy clusters. We use a catalogue of GCs tagged on to the Illustris simulation to study the accuracy of GC-based mass estimates. We focus on galaxies in the stellar mass range 108–1011.8 M⊙ identified in nine simulated Virgo-like clusters. Our results indicate that mass estimates are, on average, accurate in systems with GC numbers NGC ≥ 10 and where the uncertainty of individual GC line-of-sight velocities is smaller than the inferred velocity dispersion, σGC. In cases where NGC ≤ 10, however, biases may result, depending on how σGC is computed. We provide calibrations that may help alleviate these biases in methods widely used in the literature. As an application, we find a number of dwarfs with $M_{*} \sim 10^{8.5}\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$ – comparable with the ultra-diffuse galaxy NGC 1052-DF2 (DF2), notable for the low σGC of its 10 GCs – that have $\sigma _{\rm GC} \sim 7\!-\!15\, {\rm km \,s}^{-1}$. These DF2 analogues correspond to relatively massive systems at their infall time (M200 ∼ 1–3 × 1011 M⊙), which have retained only 3–17 GCs and have been stripped of more than 95 per cent of their dark matter. Our results suggest that extreme tidal mass loss in otherwise normal dwarf galaxies may be a possible formation channel for ultra-diffuse objects such as DF2.
“The Truth of the Origination of the World and Mankind”
Authors: Parfitt Tudor
Published: December 2020

The Judeo-Christian tradition maintains that humankind derives from the first couple in the Garden of Eden. St. Augustine even included the so-called monstrous races in the overall category of humanity. This consensus started to fragment in the sixteenth century with the work of Paracelsus and later Giordano Bruno, when alternative theories were put forward to account for human diversity. Their work was followed by others, including Julius Caesar Vanini, Isaac La Peyrère, John Atkins, Voltaire, François Bernier, Carl Linnaeus, Georges Cuvier, Edward Long, and Lord Kames. For most of them, the black and the Jew were the great obstacles to the unity of mankind.
Introduction
Authors: Barnett Jonathan M.
Published: December 2020

This introduction describes how the book examines the relationships between IP rights, organizational form, and market structure, using a combination of theoretical analysis and empirical evidence drawn from almost 120 years of U.S. patent policy and associated technology markets. This analysis deploys a “dynamic” approach to IP analysis, which anticipates that the effects of changes in IP protections differ depending on firms’ ability to adopt non-IP alternative mechanisms for capturing returns on innovation. In general, larger and more integrated firms will be able to do so at a significantly lower cost than smaller and less integrated firms. The entity-specific effects of IP rights imply that stronger and weaker IP regimes will impact the range of viable organizational forms for structuring the innovation and commercialization process, which in turn impacts the structure of innovation markets and the allocation of resources across different types of innovation projects.
Slanting the News
Authors: DiMaggio Anthony
Published: December 2020

This chapter investigates whether the consumption of Fox, MSNBC, and CNN is associated with the formation of conservative or liberal political attitudes. Through analyzing public opinion data collected by the Pew Research Center between 2004 and 2016, the chapter presents a regression analysis that finds little evidence of a liberal polarizing effect for CNN and MSNBC consumption on political attitudes, while finding both selective exposure and polarization to be at work in regard to Fox News consumption. These findings corroborate those of network analysts who have identified a structural asymmetry in political polarization within online media—with right-wing news audiences more insular and their preferred media more ideologically self-reinforcing than their counterparts on the liberal left. The chapter argues that asymmetrical polarization in general, and in conservative news in particular, has measurable effects on political attitude formation among cable television consumers.
Only Sharks in the Tank
Authors: Friedline Terri
Published: December 2020

This chapter explores the coordinated relationship between banks and payday lenders by examining the recent attempts of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to regulate the payday lenders in Kansas City. While payday lenders and other higher-cost alternative financial services are criticized for their predatory practices, banks often escape a similar level of scrutiny despite their punishing fee structures and risk-based calculations. Both banks and payday lenders have largely escaped federal oversight. The disproportionate harms inflicted by payday lenders on Black and Brown communities are often treated as tolerable, perhaps considered causualties of doing business to dismiss these lenders from the oversight they deserve.
Financial Education for Liberation
Authors: Friedline Terri
Published: December 2020

Financial education interventions are delivered in public schools, nonprofit organizations and workplaces in a variety of formats, such as workshops, lesson plans, and coaching sessions. Financial education, however, portends to help a person budget and learn their way out of poverty while ignoring rampant systemic oppression and discrimination. This chapter reviews the research on financial education and offers an alternative approach to this popular-yet-rarely-effective intervention. A popular education approach based on Paulo Freire’s book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed has the potential to raise critical consciousness, teach about financialized racial neoliberal capitalism, engage in political activism, and prepare us for a financial system revolution.
Narrative and Cultural Humility
Authors: Josselson Ruthellen
Published: December 2020

This is a story of the decade-long collision of cultures as the American author teaches group therapy in China. The basic assumptions of the two cultures become visible when clashes in understanding human experience and human relationships become the focus of attention. The author learned about the need for cultural humility in trying to narrate both her own experience and the experiences of her students. The author examines deep psychological encounters between people with radically different worldviews. In China, many people thought of her as “a Good Witch” and a magical being because her approach to therapy was profoundly healing for many. Her efforts to teach her theories and techniques, not at all magical to her, revealed cultural differences both subtle and pervasive. The author discusses what it means to deeply encounter people of a different culture, what it taught her about herself and her Western mind—and also what is universally human. In closely observed, sometimes momentary, interpersonal exchanges, culture emerges from the shadows. Because psychotherapy is such an intricately relational process, it reveals taken-for-granted ways of being in the world. Only in narrative can these processes be illuminated, and this book details the micro-level of encounters with the “Other.” The author invites readers to learn from the challenges she experienced as people from different cultures try to make sense of one another. The author compares her experience with existing scholarship on East/West differences in cognition and social organization and argues that the hegemonic individualistic/collectivistic distinction is not useful.
Western Psychotherapy in an Eastern Context
Authors: Josselson Ruthellen
Published: December 2020

This chapter reviews the history of psychotherapy in China and the gradual opening to Western ideas about psychotherapy. It details the difficulty of getting a Western mind around what Chinese therapists thought was psychotherapy and the ways in which their understandings only became accessible through working together. Translating the concepts into action, not just language, revealed the points of cultural collision. A workshop and a process group illuminated our shared humanity. A decision about how the recording of the process group was to be used, however, unearthed differing fundamental assumptions about privacy and piracy.
There Is No Sex in China—and Other Misunderstandings
Authors: Josselson Ruthellen
Published: December 2020

This chapter details some of the interactions with Chinese students during the training sessions. It looks closely at the kinds of misunderstandings that occurred and the difficulties as well as possibilities of resolving them. There were differences in how sexuality and sensuality are experienced and talked about and the freedom to openly discuss these matters seemed highly unusual to them. Groups struggled with the meaning of masculinity and its relationship to vulnerability. There was also much striving for perfection and psychological work on whether one had to have had perfect parents in order to grow up. Throughout was the students effort to learn to do therapy through application of principles rather than imitation.
Translating International Law into Domestic Law, Policy, and Practice
Authors: MacNaughton Gillian , Duger Angela
Published: December 2020

This chapter provides an overview of the means through which international human rights law is translated into domestic law, policy, and practice. To have an influence on public health, international human rights law must be translated into domestic action. As international human rights law is largely state centered, it relies upon national and subnational governments to implement it—to promote and protect human rights and to provide remedies to victims of human rights violations. Based upon international rules on domestic implementation, there are four general approaches to translate international law into domestic action: human rights education, policymaking, judicial actions, and engagement with international human rights mechanisms. National and subnational governments use these four approaches to translate international human rights law into domestic law, policy, and practice for health, while nongovernmental organizations and international human rights mechanisms play important roles in monitoring these processes.
The Emergence of “New” Health-Related Human Rights
Authors: Meier Benjamin Mason , Winkler Inga T.
Published: December 2020

This chapter discusses the evolving understanding of human rights to encompass determinants of health through the human rights to water and sanitation, which are vital to the prevention of both communicable and non-communicable disease. In 2002, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights argued that the right to water is a distinct human right derived from the right to an adequate standard of living and the right to health. Solidified by the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, states have provided a normative framework for efforts to realize the human rights to water and sanitation. This recognition of the human rights to water and sanitation has provided a foundation to implement these rights through national policy and international organizations. With advocates now seeking accountability for these rights, human rights advocacy, litigation, and monitoring will be crucial for meeting water, sanitation, and hygiene needs.
Chronic Illness
Authors: Lewis Oliver , Pathare Soumitra
Published: December 2020

This chapter sets out the connection between disability and human rights, examining how persons with disabilities (including those with physical disabilities, sensory disabilities, psychosocial or mental health disabilities, and intellectual disabilities) are particularly vulnerable to exclusion and discrimination, leading to human rights violations across the world. It has been a long global struggle to recognize the rights of people with disabilities and realize the highest attainable standard of physical, mental, and social well-being, a struggle evolving across countries and culminating in the 2006 adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The provisions of the CRPD relate to three specific rights that are of particular importance to people with disabilities: legal capacity, the right to health, and the right to independent living. Yet, national implementation challenges remain, including finding space for mental health and disability in policymaking and developing models of service delivery that advance human rights.
Evolution of a Taboo
Authors: Price Max D.
Published: December 2020

From their domestication to their taboo, pigs and their shifting roles in the ancient Near East are among the most complicated topics in archaeology. Rejecting monocausal explanations, this book adopts an evolutionary approach and draws upon zooarchaeology and ancient texts to unravel the cultural significance of swine from the Paleolithic to today. Five major themes emerge: the domestication of the pig from wild boar in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, the unique functions of pigs in agricultural economies before and after the development of complex societies, the raising of swine in cities, the changing ritual roles of pigs, and the formation and evolution of the pork taboo in Judaism and, later, Islam. The development of this taboo has inspired much academic debate. I argue that the well-known taboo described in Leviticus reflects the intention of the biblical writers to craft an image of a glorious pastoral ancestry for a heroic Israelite past, something they achieved in part by tying together existing food traditions. These included a taboo on pigs, which arose early in the Iron Age during conflicts between Israelites and Philistines and was revitalized by the biblical writers. The taboo persisted and mutated, gaining strength over the next two and a half millennia. In particular, the pig taboo became a point of contention in the ethnopolitical struggles between Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures in the Levant. Ultimately, it was this continued evolution within the context of ethnic and religious politics that gave the pig taboo the strength it has today.
At What Point Does Even Sweden Get a Xenophobic Party?
Authors: Inglehart Ronald F.
Published: December 2020

Economic and physical insecurity encourage xenophobia, authoritarian politics, and rigid adherence to traditional norms. Throughout history human survival was usually insecure, and one successful strategy was to close ranks behind a strong leader. Recovery from the Nazi era took time, but by the 1970s a pro-democratic political culture had taken root in Germany, and by the 21st century Germany was ranked as more democratic than the U.S. In 2015, as desperate Syrian refugees poured into Europe, the German government opened the country’s borders to all asylum seekers, admitting almost a million new immigrants. But Germany’s immunity to xenophobic right-wing parties suddenly ended in the 2017 national elections, when the xenophobic Alternative for Germany became Germany’s third largest party. It seems that no country can absorb an unlimited influx of immigrants without triggering a xenophobic reaction, whose strength is shaped by the socioeconomic environment. In already diverse settings, significant inflows of newcomers may not seem threatening because people have grown up with diversity, making it seem normal.
Initiation of febuxostat for acute gout flare does not prolong the current episode: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Jia Ertao , Zhang Yanying , Ma Wukai , Li Bo , Geng Hongling , Zhong Li , Yao Xueming , Xie Jingjing , Xiao Yuya , Jiang Yubao , Qiu Xia , Xiao Min , Cui Xiang , Wei Jiaxin , Zhang Jianyong
Published: December 2020

Objective

Our objective was to determine whether initiation of febuxostat during an acute gout flare prolongs the current episode.

Methods

In this randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blinded, multicentre trial, patients with acute gout flares within 72 h were randomized (1:1) to the placebo and febuxostat (40 mg/day) groups. All patients were administered diclofenac (150 mg/day) for 7 days and then open-labelled on the eighth day. Febuxostat 40 mg daily and diclofenac 75 mg daily were administered from day 8 through 28 for the remission period. The dose of diclofenac was 150 mg/day before remission in both arms, and the original protocol was maintained until remission. The primary outcome was ‘days to resolution’.

Results

We randomized 140 patients, 70 into each arm. The mean days to resolution was 5.98 days [median 7.00, interquartile range (IQR) 2.45 days] for the placebo and 6.50 days (median 7.00, IQR 3.67 days) for the febuxostat group (P = 0.578). The rate of resolution within 7 days was 84.38% for the placebo group and 76.92% for the febuxostat group (P = 0.284). There were no statistically significant differences in joint pain, swelling, tenderness and erythema scores at days 1, 3, 5 and 7. The mean serum uric acid levels were 507.54 and 362.62 μmol/l for the placebo and febuxostat group, respectively, on day 7 (P = 0.000). The rate of recurrent gout flares was 10.00% for the placebo group and 6.56% for the febuxostat group from day 8 through 28 (P = 0.492).

Conclusion

Initiation of febuxostat administration during an acute gout flare did not prolong the duration of acute flares.

Trial registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, http://www.chictr.org.cn/, ChiCTR1800015962
An integrated metabolic and transcriptomic analysis reveals the mechanism through which fruit bagging alleviates exocarp semi-russeting in pear fruit
Authors: Zhang Jing , Zhang Yi-Fan , Zhang Peng-Fei , Bian Yue-Hong , Liu Zi-Yu , Zhang Chen , Liu Xiao , Wang Chun-Lei
Published: December 2020

Fruit semi-russeting is an undesirable quality trait that occurs in fruit production. It is reported that preharvest fruit bagging could effectively alleviate fruit exocarp semi-russeting, but the physiological and molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we performed an in-depth investigation into pear fruit semi-russeting from morphologic, metabolic and transcriptomic perspectives by comparing control (semi-russeted) and bagged (non-russeted) ‘Cuiguan’ pear fruits. The results showed that significant changes in cutin and suberin resulted in pear fruit semi-russeting. Compared with the skin of bagged fruits, the skin of the control fruits presented reduced cutin contents accompanied by an accumulation of suberin, which resulted in fruit semi-russeting; α, ω-dicarboxylic acids accounted for the largest proportion of typical suberin monomers. Moreover, combined transcriptomic and metabolic analysis revealed a series of genes involved in cutin and suberin biosynthesis, transport and polymerization differentially expressed between the two groups. Furthermore, the expression levels of genes involved in the stress response and in hormone biosynthesis and signaling were significantly altered in fruits with contrasting phenotypes. Finally, a number of transcription factors, including those of the MYB, NAC, bHLH and bZIP families, were differentially expressed. Taken together, the results suggest that the multilayered mechanism through which bagging alleviates pear fruit semi-russeting is complex, and the large number of candidate genes identified provides a good foundation for future functional studies.
Natural history of extraparenchymal neurocysticercosis
Authors: Murrieta Ilse , Flores Ximena , Osorio Rocío , Kuschick Feher Jan , Carrillo-Mezo Roger , Fleury Agnès
Published: December 2020

Background

In patients affected by neurocysticercosis (NCC), the extraparenchymal location of the parasites generates the most severe form of the disease. Due to the difficulty in its diagnosis and management, there are still many questions; in particular, the natural history of parasites at this location is not well known.

Methods

We included 21 patients with vesicular extraparenchymal NCC who had not received treatment for at least 18 months. We collected their demographic and clinical data, compared their imaging studies at the beginning and the end of the period without treatment and classified the patients, taking into account the evolution of their parasitic burden.

Results

A total of 10 men and 11 women were included. Patients had undergone a period of 63±48 months without treatment. During this period, 8 patients (38.1%) showed an increase, 7 (33.3%) a decrease and 6 (28.6%) showed no change in parasite burden.

Conclusion

The natural history of extraparenchymal cysticerci is heterogeneous. The results show the ability of parasites to survive for a long time in the extraparenchymal location and explain the chronicity of the disease in some patients. The links between these findings and the difficulties in the therapeutic management of extraparenchymal NCC patients should be studied.
Intraoperative Blood Pressure Monitoring in Obese Patients
Authors: Schumann Roman , Meidert Agnes S. , Bonney Iwona , Koutentis Christos , Wesselink Wilbert , Kouz Karim , Saugel Bernd
Published: December 2020

Background

The optimal method for blood pressure monitoring in obese surgical patients remains unknown. Arterial catheters can cause potential complications, and noninvasive oscillometry provides only intermittent values. Finger cuff methods allow continuous noninvasive monitoring. The authors tested the hypothesis that the agreement between finger cuff and intraarterial measurements is better than the agreement between oscillometric and intraarterial measurements.

Methods

This prospective study compared intraarterial (reference method), finger cuff, and oscillometric (upper arm, forearm, and lower leg) blood pressure measurements in 90 obese patients having bariatric surgery using Bland–Altman analysis, four-quadrant plot and concordance analysis (to assess the ability of monitoring methods to follow blood pressure changes), and error grid analysis (to describe the clinical relevance of measurement differences).

Results

The difference (mean ± SD) between finger cuff and intraarterial measurements was −1 mmHg (± 11 mmHg) for mean arterial pressure, −7 mmHg (± 14 mmHg) for systolic blood pressure, and 0 mmHg (± 11 mmHg) for diastolic blood pressure. Concordance between changes in finger cuff and intraarterial measurements was 88% (mean arterial pressure), 85% (systolic blood pressure), and 81% (diastolic blood pressure). In error grid analysis comparing finger cuff and intraarterial measurements, the proportions of measurements in risk zones A to E were 77.1%, 21.6%, 0.9%, 0.4%, and 0.0% for mean arterial pressure, respectively, and 89.5%, 9.8%, 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.2%, respectively, for systolic blood pressure. For mean arterial pressure and diastolic blood pressure, absolute agreement and trending agreement between finger cuff and intraarterial measurements were better than between oscillometric (at each of the three measurement sites) and intraarterial measurements. Forearm performed better than upper arm and lower leg monitoring with regard to absolute agreement and trending agreement with intraarterial monitoring.

Conclusions

The agreement between finger cuff and intraarterial measurements was better than the agreement between oscillometric and intraarterial measurements for mean arterial pressure and diastolic blood pressure in obese patients during surgery. Forearm oscillometry exhibits better measurement performance than upper arm or lower leg oscillometry.

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Recent developments in the use of optical coherence tomography for glaucoma
Authors: Vazquez Luis E. , Bye Amanda , Aref Ahmad A.
Published: December 2020

Purpose of review

The aim of this article is to summarize findings of recent reports highlighting the utility of novel optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters in the diagnosis and monitoring of glaucomatous optic neuropathy.

Recent findings

Optic nerve head (ONH), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), and macular parameters show high levels of diagnostic capability. The Bruch's membrane opening-minimum rim width (BMO-MRW) measurement is a novel ONH parameter obtained using the Spectralis SD-OCT device (Heidelberg Engineering, Inc., Heidelberg, Germany). The inferotemporal BMO-MRW sector shows the highest diagnostic performance for this parameter. Minimum ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer thickness shows the highest diagnostic performance among macular parameters obtained with the Cirrus HD-OCT (Carl Zeiss, Inc., Dublin, CA, USA). Optic nerve head, macular, and retinal nerve fiber layer parameters are not interchangeable across protocols generated by varying OCT manufacturers. Novel machine-learning algorithms show promise with regards to achieving higher levels of diagnostic accuracy using OCT imaging platforms.

Digital imaging in glaucoma continues to evolve with novel parameters of the optic nerve head, retinal nerve fiber layer, and macula. Diagnostic abilities of these parameters are high and complementary to each other.
Outcomes of epiduroscopic laser ablation in patients with lumbar disc herniation
Authors: Son Seong , Lee Sang Gu , Ahn Yong , Kim Woo Kyung , Jeong Tae Seok
Published: December 2020

Recently, trans-sacral epiduroscopic laser decompression (SELD) using flexible epiduroscopy and laser system is 1 of the options for minimally invasive surgery in herniated lumbar disc. However, outcomes after SELD in patients with disc herniation of lumbar spine are not proven worldwide. The authors reported clinical, surgical, and radiological outcome after SELD in patients with mild to moderate disc herniation.

Between 2015 and 2018, eighty-two patients who underwent SELD for single level disc herniation with a minimum follow-up of 6.0 months were investigated retrospectively. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the visual analog scale for low back and leg pain and Odom's criteria for patient satisfaction. Also, surgical outcomes, including complications, recurrences, and revision surgeries, and radiological outcomes using regular simple radiograph were analyzed.

The mean visual analog scale score of low back pain and leg pain improved from 5.43 ± 1.73 and 6.10 ± 1.67 to 2.80 ± 1.43 and 3.58 ± 2.08 at the final follow-up (p < 0.001). On the other hand, according to Odom's criteria, the success rate (excellent or good results at 6 months after surgery) was 58.5%. Surgical complications occurred in 7 patients (8.5%), including dura puncture during the procedure, transient headache or nuchal pain, and transient mild paralysis. The rate of additional procedures after SELD was 17.1% (6 patients of revision surgery and 8 patients of an additional nerve block).

Our findings demonstrated that SELD for lumbar disc herniation achieved less favorable patient satisfaction compared with previous studies. Further study is needed to clarify the influencing factors on the clinical outcomes of SELD.
Efficacy of 11C-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-fluorophenyl) tropane positron emission tomography combined with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the diagnosis of early Parkinson disease
Authors: Jiang Lei , Wang Xixian , Li Pengtao , Feng Zhaohai , Shi Xin , Shao Hua
Published: December 2020

Background:

Parkinson's disease (PD) has a high incidence in the elderly, and the late stage seriously affects the daily life of the patients. Most of the initial symptoms of PD are not obvious or atypical, which brings difficulties to the early diagnosis. Replacement therapy and neuroprotection after early diagnosis can significantly improve the prognosis and quality of life of patients. More and more evidence shows that 11C-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-fluorophenyl) tropane positron emission tomography ( 11C-CFT PET) combined with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) can effectively improve the accuracy of early diagnosis. However, there is no consistent conclusion at present. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of 11C-CFT PET combined with 18F-FDG PET in the diagnosis of early PD.

Methods:

We will search 7 electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane library, PsycINFO, AMED, Scopus), ongoing trials and grey literature to collect related randomized controlled trials and will use Review Manager Software 5.2 and STATA Software 16.0 for analysis and synthesis.

Results:

We will integrate the existing randomized controlled trials to evaluate the value of 11C-CFT PET combined with 18F-FDG PET in the diagnosis of early PD.

Conclusion:

Our study may prove that 11C-CFT PET combined with 18F-FDG PET can effectively diagnose early PD.

Registration number:

International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO): CRD42020203442.
Clinical characteristics and viral shedding kinetics of 38 asymptomatic patients with coronavirus disease 2019
Authors: Li Yanyan , Li Kaishu , Xiong Wei , Wang Xinan , Liu Chaowu , Liu Chun , Tan Weiping , Luo Baowei , Zhu Yongfeng , Wu Yanbin , Yin Huiming , Li Xueqin , Li Zunchang
Published: December 2020

This study aims to investigate the clinical characteristics and viral shedding kinetics of asymptomatic patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The data of 38 asymptomatic patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid were collected from February to March 2020 in Tuanfeng County, Huanggang, Hubei, China. The epidemiology, laboratory examination, chest imaging, viral nucleic acid test results, clinical characteristics, and viral shedding time were summarized in this retrospective study.

The study included 20 family members of patients with COVID-19, 10 medical personnel participating in COVID-19 treatment or working in a fever clinic, 6 personnel from quarantine places, 1 individual with a close contact history with confirmed patients, and 1 local epidemic prevention personnel. All were positive for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid. The white blood cell (WBC) count, the absolute value of lymphocytes, C-reactive protein (CRP), and D-dimer were normal. Pneumonia manifestations were not found in the chest computed tomography (CT) scan of 36 patients; the remaining 2 cases included a 1-year-old child and a pregnant woman, and they did not undergo chest CT. The viral shedding time was 6 days.

All asymptomatic patients with COVID-19 had a history of close contact or exposure. Laboratory tests were normal. Chest imaging did not show any pneumonia manifestation. The viral shedding time was <10 days, which is shorter than that of patients with COVID-19. A timely discovery of such asymptomatic infections is crucial for blocking the spread of the virus and strengthening the prevention and control measures.