bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vascular access care in patients with multimorbidity
Authors: Armenteros-Yeguas Victoria , Tomás-López Maria Aranzazu , Miranda-Serrano Erika , Moraza-Dulanto Inmaculada , Meléndez-Fernández Lara , Merino-Romero Eva , Cristóbal-Domínguez Estíbaliz , Gárate-Echenique Lucía
Published: April 2021

Background:

More than half of patients with multimorbidity require intravenous therapy during their hospital stay. The aims of this study are to describe difficult intravenous access (DIVA) and vascular access care provided to this patient population and to explore the differences between easy and DIVA groups.

Methods:

A cohort study was conducted in patients with multimorbidity admitted to 2 hospitals between March and November 2013. The variables used to describe vascular care included choice and placement of devices, catheter swell time, and occurrence of adverse events. The incidence of adverse events was expressed as number cases per 1000 catheter days and χ2, Student's t, or Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare the care provided between both groups. Odds rates were calculated to determine the risk of complications associated with DIVA.

Results:

We recruited 135 patients, of whom 34.8% were women. Overall, 59.3% had DIVA. A total of 224 catheters were inserted, patients with difficult access requiring a mean of 1.71 catheters and those with easy access 1.58 catheters. Two or more attempts were required to place catheters in 23% of cases in the difficult access group versus 2.50% in the easy access group. Mean catheter dwell time was 3.84 days and 3.99 days, and the adverse event rate was 111/1000 and 83.6/1000 catheter days, respectively. The odds ratio for complications was 1.596.

Conclusions:

Multimorbid patients with DIVA have a higher rate of complications as well as requiring more catheters and more placement attempts.
Safeguarding children and families during the pandemic
Authors: Powell Jane , Taylor Julie
Published: April 2021

Jane Powell and Julie Taylor at Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust explain how a collaborative approach to safeguarding, maximising capacity within the service, will help to ensure better outcomes for children
The diagnosis and management of testicular cancer
Authors: Noakes Amy
Published: April 2021

Health visitors can offer advice to men on the signs and symptoms of testicular cancer, in addition to encouraging them to seek help as required
Collaboration in a changed world
Authors: Hanley Jane
Published: April 2021

Now probably more than at any other time, health visitors and healthcare practitioners will be asked to collaborate with other clinicians and researchers to establish how Covid-19 has affected their practice and their clients
Subpicosecond magneto-optical response probed by the Kerr rotation technique in PbI2 film
Authors: Ma Hong , Miao Xiaona , Xiang Guangbiao , Li Liangjun , Leng Jiancai , Wu Bo , Cheng Chuanfu
Published: April 2021

The ultrafast optical dynamics in solution-processed

P
b
I

2

film on quartz substrate around the band edge have been systematically studied by transient reflectance spectroscopy and femtosecond resolved Kerr rotation spectroscopy at room temperature. The Kerr rotation angle shows a maximum at the excitonic photobleaching peak and increases with the pump fluence until reaching a saturation value of

∼

0.8

d
e
g

(

∼

4

d
e
g

/

µ

m

), which is on the same order as that for

C
H

3

N
H

3

P
b
I

3

perovskite film. The spin lifetime gradually decreases from 2.24 to 0.48 ps when increasing the pump fluence from 13 to

234

µ

J

/

c
m

2

, which is attributed to the strong spin-orbital coupling and the dominance of the Elliot–Yafet process in spin relaxation. Our findings suggest that

P
b
I

2

film is a promising candidate for ultrafast spin switching with a subpicosecond time scale and optical isolator in optical communications owing to the giant rotation angle.
Enhanced on-chip terahertz vibrational absorption spectroscopy using evanescent fields in silicon waveguide structures
Authors: Amarloo Hadi , Safavi-Naeini Safieddin
Published: April 2021

In this study, we demonstrate on-chip terahertz absorption spectroscopy using dielectric waveguide structures. The structures’ evanescent fields interact with the sample material surrounding the waveguide, enabling the absorption signature of the material to be captured. The ability of fabricated terahertz dielectric waveguide structures, based on the newly developed silicon-BCB-quartz platform, to capture the fingerprint of α-lactose powder (as an example material) at 532 GHz is examined. Enhancement of the spectroscopy sensitivity through techniques such as tapering the waveguide, confining the field in a slot dielectric waveguide, and increasing the interaction length using a spiral-shaped waveguide are investigated experimentally. The proposed on-chip spectroscopy structures outperform conventional and state-of-the-art approaches in terms of sensitivity and compactness.
Signal and noise analysis for chiral structured illumination microscopy
Authors: Huang Shiang-Yu , Singh Ankit Kumar , Huang Jer-Shing
Published: April 2021

Recently, chiral structured illumination microscopy has been proposed to image
fluorescent chiral domains at sub-wavelength resolution. Chiral structured
illumination microscopy is based on the combination of structured illumination
microscopy, fluorescence-detected circular dichroism, and optical chirality
engineering. Since circular dichroism of natural chiral molecules is typically
weak, the differential fluorescence is also weak and can be easily buried by the
noise, hampering the fidelity of the reconstructed images. In this work, we
systematically study the impact of the noise on the quality and resolution of
chiral domain images obtained by chiral SIM. We analytically describe the
signal-to-noise ratio of the reconstructed chiral SIM image in the Fourier
domain and verify our theoretical calculations with numerical demonstrations.
Accordingly, we discuss the feasibility of chiral SIM in different experimental
scenarios and propose possible strategies to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio
for samples with weak circular dichroism.
Sub-five-optical-cycle pulse generation from a Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:CaYAlO4 laser
Authors: Ma Jie , Yang Fan , Gao Wenlan , Xiaodong Xu , Jun Xu , Shen Deyuan , Tang Dingyuan
Published: April 2021

Direct generation of ultrashort few-optical-cycle pulses in various wavelength regions has attracted great attention in recent decades. In this paper, generation of less than five-optical-cycle pulses from a Kerr-lens mode-locked

Y
b

:

C
a
Y
A
l
O

4

laser is demonstrated. Pumped by a 976 nm fiber laser, stable near-Fourier-transform-limited ultrashort soliton pulses centered around 1080 nm with a repetition rate of

∼

113.7

M
H
z

were obtained. The obtained pulses have a pulse duration as short as 17 fs if a

S
e
c
h

2

-shaped pulse profile is assumed, corresponding to about 4.68 optical cycles. To the best of our knowledge, this is the shortest pulse directly generated from mode-locked rare-earth-doped solid-state oscillators.
Das Service Design Framework zur strukturierten Entwicklung datenbasierter Services
Authors: Häckel Björn , Huber Rocco , Rieg Marius , Rösch Carla , Rövekamp Patrick
Published: April 2021

Die Digitalisierung prägt das Umfeld von Unternehmen vor allem durch neue technologische Entwicklungen in der Erfassung und Speicherung großer Datenmengen – auch bekannt als Big Data. Dies ermöglicht Unternehmen, datenbasierte Services zu entwickeln und somit ihr bestehendes Geschäftsmodell zu erweitern oder sogar neu zu gestalten. Allerdings unterscheiden sich die Anforderungen für die Entwicklung datenbasierter Services maßgeblich von denen für die Entwicklung klassischer Produkte und Services, weshalb viele Unternehmen vor einem Paradigmenwechsel stehen. Da Daten selbst kein inhärentes Wertversprechen haben, müssen für die erfolgreiche Entwicklung eines datenbasierten Service neben (daten-)technischen Anforderungen auch prozessuale Anforderungen sowie eine kundenzentrische Perspektive integriert betrachtet werden. Dies ist entscheidend, da Services kundenorientiert gestaltet werden müssen, um ein entsprechendes Wertversprechen zu vermitteln. Obwohl die Relevanz dieser Herausforderung sowohl in der Wissenschaft als auch in der Praxis bereits bekannt ist, existieren bis heute kaum anwendungsorientierte und keine umfassenden Konzepte für dieses Spannungsfeld. Um diese Lücke zu schließen, wird im vorliegenden Beitrag das Service Design Framework vorgestellt, welches Unternehmen bei der systematischen Entwicklung datenbasierter Services unterstützt. Dabei strukturiert das Framework zentrale Anforderungen (z. B. Kundenbedürfnisse, Prozesse, Daten, Chancen und Risiken) zum Design eines datenbasierten Service. Das Framework wurde mithilfe aktueller Literatur und in Zusammenarbeit mit Experten aus Industrieunternehmen entwickelt und validiert. Das Service Design Framework baut dabei auf den Konzepten der Customer Journey Map und des Service Blueprints auf, kombiniert diese und entwickelt sie für ein umfassendes Design von datenbasierten Services weiter. Damit leistet das Framework einen wichtigen Beitrag bei der strukturierten Erfassung, Entwicklung und Analyse datenbasierter Services.
Relationship between childhood physical abuse and clinical severity of treatment-resistant depression in a geriatric population
Authors: Yrondi Antoine , Arbus Christophe , Bennabi Djamila , D’Amato Thierry , Bellivier Frank , Bougerol Thierry , Camus Vincent , Courtet Philippe , Doumy Olivier , Genty Jean-Baptiste , Holtzmann Jérôme , Horn Mathilde , Lancon Christophe , Leboyer Marion , Llorca Pierre-Michel , Maruani Julia , Moirand Rémi , Molière Fanny , Petrucci Jean , Richieri Raphaelle , Samalin Ludovic , Stephan Florian , Vaiva Guillaume , Walter Michel ,   FondaMental Advanced Centres of Expertise in Resistant Depression (FACE-DR) Collaborators, Haffen Emmanuel , Aouizerate Bruno , El-Hage Wissam
Published: April 2021

Introduction

We assessed the correlation between childhood maltreatment (CM) and severity of depression in an elderly unipolar Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) sample.

Methods

Patients were enrolled from a longitudinal cohort (FACE-DR) of the French Network of Expert TRD Centres.

Results

Our sample included 96 patients (33% of the overall cohort) aged 60 years or above, with a mean age of 67.2 (SD = 5.7). The majority of the patients were female (62.5%). The Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Quick Inventory Depression Scale-Self Report (QIDS-SR) mean scores were high, 28.2 (SD = 7.49) [MADRS score range: 0–60; moderate severity≥20, high severity≥35] and 16.5 (SD = 4.94) [IDS-SR score range: 0–27; moderate severity≥11, high severity≥16], respectively. Mean self-esteem scores were 22.47 (SD = 6.26) [range 0–30]. In an age- and sex-adjusted model, we found a positive correlation between childhood trauma (CTQ scores) and depressive symptom severity [MADRS (β = 0.274; p = 0.07) and QIDS-SR (β = 0.302; p = 0.005) scores]. We detected a statistically significant correlation between physical abuse and depressive symptom severity [MADRS (β = 0.304; p = 0.03) and QIDS-SR (β = 0.362; p = 0.005) scores]. We did not observe any significant correlation between other types of trauma and depressive symptom severity. We showed that self-esteem (Rosenberg scale) mediated the effect of physical abuse (PA) on the intensity of depressive symptoms [MADRS: b = 0.318, 95% BCa C.I. [0.07, 0.62]; QIDS-SR: b = 0.177, 95% BCa C.I. [0.04, 0.37]]. Preacher & Kelly’s Kappa Squared values of 19.1% (k2 = 0.191) and 16% (k2 = 0.16), respectively for the two scales, indicate a moderate effect.

Conclusion

To our knowledge, this is the first study conducted in a geriatric TRD population documenting an association between childhood trauma (mainly relating to PA) and the intensity of depressive symptoms.
The effects of flavonoids, green tea polyphenols and coffee on DMBA induced LINE-1 DNA hypomethylation
Authors: Szabo Laszlo , Molnar Richard , Tomesz Andras , Deutsch Arpad , Darago Richard , Nowrasteh Ghodratollah , Varjas Timea , Nemeth Balazs , Budan Ferenc , Kiss Istvan
Published: April 2021

The intake of carcinogenic and chemopreventive compounds are important nutritional factors related to the development of malignant tumorous diseases. Repetitive long interspersed element-1 (LINE-1) DNA methylation pattern plays a key role in both carcinogenesis and chemoprevention. In our present in vivo animal model, we examined LINE-1 DNA methylation pattern as potential biomarker in the liver, spleen and kidney of mice consuming green tea (Camellia sinensis) extract (catechins 80%), a chinese bayberry (Morella rubra) extract (myricetin 80%), a flavonoid extract (with added resveratrol) and coffee (Coffee arabica) extract. In the organs examined, carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced hypomethylation was prevented by all test materials except chinese bayberry extract in the kidneys. Moreover, the flavonoid extract caused significant hypermethylation in the liver compared to untreated controls and to other test materials. The tested chemopreventive substances have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties and regulate molecular biological signaling pathways. They increase glutathione levels, induce antioxidant enzymes, which decrease free radical damage caused by DMBA, and ultimately, they are able to increase the activity of DNA methyltransferase enzymes. Furthermore, flavonoids in the liver may inhibit the procarcinogen to carcinogen activation of DMBA through the inhibition of CYP1A1 enzyme. At the same time, paradoxically, myricetin can act as a prooxidant as a result of free radical damage, which can explain that it did not prevent hypomethylation in the kidneys. Our results demonstrated that LINE-1 DNA methylation pattern is a useful potential biomarker for detecting and monitoring carcinogenic and chemopreventive effects of dietary compounds.
Poisson noisy image restoration via overlapping group sparse and nonconvex second-order total variation priors
Authors: Jon Kyongson , Liu Jun , Lv Xiaoguang , Zhu Wensheng
Published: April 2021

The restoration of the Poisson noisy images is an essential task in many imaging applications due to the uncertainty of the number of discrete particles incident on the image sensor. In this paper, we consider utilizing a hybrid regularizer for Poisson noisy image restoration. The proposed regularizer, which combines the overlapping group sparse (OGS) total variation with the high-order nonconvex total variation, can alleviate the staircase artifacts while preserving the original sharp edges. We use the framework of the alternating direction method of multipliers to design an efficient minimization algorithm for the proposed model. Since the objective function is the sum of the non-quadratic log-likelihood and nonconvex nondifferentiable regularizer, we propose to solve the intractable subproblems by the majorization-minimization (MM) method and the iteratively reweighted least squares (IRLS) algorithm, respectively. Numerical experiments show the efficiency of the proposed method for Poissonian image restoration including denoising and deblurring.
Leaf powder supplementation of Senna alexandrina ameliorates oxidative stress, inflammation, and hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet-fed obese rats
Authors: Nayan Shariful Islam , Chowdhury Faizul Islam , Akter Noushin , Rahman Md Mizanur , Selim Saima , Saffoon Nadia , Khan Ferdous , Subhan Nusrat , Hossain Maqsud , Ahmed K. Shahin , Hossain Hemayet , Haque Md Areeful , Alam Md Ashraful
Published: April 2021

Obesity is an enduring medical issue that has raised concerns around the world. Natural plant extracts have shown therapeutic potential in preventing oxidative stress and inflammation related to obesity complications. In this study,Senna alexandrinaMill. leaves were utilized to treat high-fat diet-related metabolic disorders and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases. Plasma biochemical assays were conducted to determine the lipid profiles and oxidative stress parameters, and the gene expression of antioxidant enzymes and inflammatory mediators was measured. Histological stained livers of high-fat diet-fed rats were observed.S.alexandrinaleaf powder supplementation prevented the increase in cholesterol and triglyceride levels in high-fat diet-fed rats. Moreover,S.alexandrinaleaves also reduced lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide production in these rats. Prevention of oxidative stress byS.alexandrinaleaf supplementation in high-fat diet-fed rats is regulated by enhancing the antioxidant enzyme activity, followed by the restoration of corresponding gene expressions, such asNRF-2,HO-1,SOD, andCAT. Histological staining provides further evidence thatS.alexandrinaleaf supplementation prevents inflammatory cell infiltration, lipid droplet deposition, and fibrosis in the liver of high-fat diet-fed rats. Furthermore, this investigation revealed thatS.alexandrinaleaf supplementation controlled non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by modulating the expression of fat metabolizing enzymes in high-fat diet-fed rats. Therefore,S.alexandrinaleaf supplementation inhibits fatty liver inflammation and fibrosis, suggesting its usefulness in treating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Thus, this natural leaf extract has potential in treatment of obesity related liver dysfunction.
Intermittent preventive treatment comparing two versus three doses of sulphadoxine pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) in the prevention of anaemia in pregnancy in Ghana: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Agyeman Yaa Nyarko , Newton Sam , Annor Raymond Boadu , Owusu-Dabo Ellis
Published: April 2021

In 2012 the World Health Organisation (WHO) revised the policy on Intermittent Preventive Treatment with Sulphadoxine Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) to at least three doses for improved protection against malaria parasitaemia and its associated effects such as anaemia during pregnancy. We assessed the different SP dosage regimen available under the new policy to determine the dose at which women obtained optimal protection against anaemia during pregnancy. A cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women who attended antenatal clinic at four different health facilities in Ghana. The register at the facilities served as a sampling frame and simple random sampling was used to select all the study respondents; they were enrolled consecutively as they kept reporting to the facility to receive antenatal care to obtain the required sample size. The haemoglobin level was checked using the Cyanmethemoglobin method. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to generate odds ratios, confidence intervals and p-values. The overall prevalence of anaemia among the pregnant women was 62.6%. Pregnant women who had taken 3 or more doses of IPTp-SP had anaemia prevalence of 54.1% compared to 66.6% of those who had taken one or two doses IPTp-SP. In the multivariable logistic model, primary (aOR 0.61; p = 0.03) and tertiary education (aOR 0.40; p = <0.001) decreased the odds of anaemia in pregnancy. Further, pregnant women who were anaemic at the time of enrollment (aOR 3.32; p = <0.001) to the Antenatal Care clinic and had malaria infection at late gestation (aOR 2.36; p = <0.001) had higher odds of anaemia in pregnancy. Anaemia in pregnancy remains high in the Northern region of Ghana. More than half of the pregnant women were anaemic despite the use of IPTp-SP. Maternal formal education reduced the burden of anaemia in pregnancy. The high prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy amid IPTp-SP use in Northern Ghana needs urgent attention to avert negative maternal and neonatal health outcomes.
Podcasts no jornalismo português – o caso P24
Authors: Martins Ruben Lopes , Vieira Jorge
Published: April 2021

A existência de um podcast diário trouxe à redação do jornal Público um espaço complementar onde os jornalistas podem aprofundar as suas histórias através do áudio. Entre 9 de Abril de 2019 e 17 de Julho de 2020, o jornal produziu 300 episódios do podcast P24, destacando-se os temas ligados às secções de internacional (conhecida no jornal como “mundo”), política e sociedade. Neste artigo analisamos os conteúdos produzidos neste universo temporal e a evolução da sua audiência, temáticas e protagonistas.
Este podcast, lançado inicialmente com financiamento do fundo Digital News Innovation Fund da Google, abriu também espaço para a criação de uma estratégia de podcasting no jornal. Ainda assim, o áudio continua a ser um parente pobre dentro do espaço dos jornais online (Reis, 2018).
Jornalismo especializado em economia
Authors: Pereira Mafalda Alexandra Lobo
Published: April 2021

Em Portugal, o jornalismo económico surge após o 25 de Abril de 1974 e começou a ganhar relevância após a entrada de Portugal na Comunidade Económica Europeia (CEE) em 1986. O crescente interesse do público pela economia conduziu à criação de secções/editorias especializadas em temas económicos. Mas a grande afirmação do jornalismo económico deu-se durante a intervenção da troika (2011-2014), em que a economia dominou a vida política, social e económica, e passou-se a adotar “novos” formatos no jornalismo económico, de modo a satisfazer as necessidades de cidadãos, através de um tipo de informação útil – news to use – um formato que complementa/aprofunda a notícia. Através da técnica qualitativa da entrevista, foram realizadas oito entrevistas a jornalistas – Jornal de Negócios de Diário Económico – de forma a percebemos como se consolidou a utilização desses formatos, ao mesmo tempo percebemos a práxis do jornalismo económico em contexto de crise económica e financeira.
Cultura e Sociedade na Europa pós 1945
Authors: Ribeiro Maria Manuela Tavares , Rollo Maria Fernanda , Valente Isabel Maria Freitas , Cunha Alice
Published: April 2021

A cultura e o debate intelectual refletem desenvolvimentos políticos e sociais; são uma chave para as perceções de mudança do tempo histórico, para a experiência de continuidades e descontinuidades. Assim se compreende que uma história cultural da sociedade europeia a partir de 1945 deva ter uma abordagem ampla e interdisciplinar. Uma análise dos desenvolvimentos culturais na Europa pós 1945 permite compreender os conflitos de ordem social, de carácter económico e as atitudes de ordem política. No âmbito temático, “Cultura e Sociedade na Europa pós 1945”, reúnem-se nesta obra textos de carácter teórico, empírico, comparativo, que permitem uma reflexão e análise entre outros, sobre os seguintes temas: Discursos políticos democráticos e antidemocráticos; cultura europeia e diversidade cultural; o impacto da Segunda Guerra no Brasil – repercussões sociais, económicas e culturais; a análise historiográfica sobre a estratégia, segurança, diplomacia cultural nos países da “Europa do Sul” e a posição dos Estados Unidos; a centralidade politica e cultural da Arte num contexto múltiplo e controverso; o papel fundamental da cultura na construção institucional da Europa.
Maternal visual perception of children’s nutritional status and feeding style
Authors: Dalimunthe Ikromi , Sembiring Tiangsa , Evalina Rita
Published: April 2021

Background Mothers’ visual perception is an important determinant for their children’s nutritional status. Visual perception of their children’s nutritional status is believed to drive mothers to modify or apply certain feeding styles, which influence the probability of either optimal growth or malnutrition.

Objective To determine if maternal visual perception of children’s nutritional status influences maternal feeding style.

Methods The study was conducted in 3 kindergartens in Medan, North Sumatera, involving children aged 4-5 years and their mothers. Mothers filled three-part questionnaires, consisting of basic information, a series of body image sketches by a graphic artist to assess maternal visual perception, and the Parental Feeding Style Questionnaire (PFSQ) to assess maternal feeding style. Children’s body heights and weights were measured to assess their nutritional status.

Results A total of 102 subjects were eligible for this study. Surprisingly, more than half of the mothers involved in our study misinterpreted their children nutritional status. Thus, there was no significant relationship between maternal visual perception, nor maternal misperception, and maternal feeding style. In fact, mothers tended to encourage their children to eat when they considered their children to have normal nutritional status.

Conclusion Mothers’ visual perception does not influence feeding practice.
Case report of a COVID-19 family cluster originating from a boarding school
Authors: Cesilia Citra , Sudarmaji Silvia , Setiabudi Djatnika , Nataprawira Heda Melinda
Published: April 2021

Since it was first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has spread to 195 countries and infected more than 8 million people globally. Indonesia, an archipelago consisting of thousands of islands and 34 provinces, has the largest number of confirmed cases and mortality in Southeast Asia. A total of 464 districts/cities in Indonesia have been affected by COVID-19, of which 189 districts/cities are considered to be local transmission areas. Riau Province, located in Sumatra Island, consists of 12 districts/cities with a population of more than 6.8 million. This province has the 1st largest number of COVID-19 cases on Sumatra Island. Currently, more than 3000 childrens have been infected with case fatality rate <0.3% and recovery rate >90%. In May 2020, the public health office of Riau reported that just 34 children were confirmed to have COVID-19, with symptoms varying from asymptomatic to moderate with only a few family clusters identified. During the pandemic, contact tracing is the main approach to detect and isolate sources of infection in order to reduce viral transmission. This method has also been used to control transmission of other respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), MERS, and SARS. We report here on a familial cluster of COVID-19 in the Meranti Island Regency, which is located 145 km from the city of Pekanbaru (Riau Province). The island can only be reached in four hours by speed boat.
Virologic and immunologic status of children with HIV-TB co-infections
Authors: Setiabudi Djatnika , Cesilia Citra , Aliyannissa Almira , Nataprawira Heda Melinda
Published: April 2021

Background Studies about virologic and immunologic status of HIV children are lacking. Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common opportunistic infection in HIV patients and co-infection is associated with much worse prognosis.

Objective To describe the virologic and immunologic status of patients  with HIV and TB co-infection, before and after HIV and TB treatment.

Methods A prospective study was conducted in HIV  co-infected with TB patients in an Indonesian tertiary hospital between November 2016—December 2018. Viral load and CD4 levels were performed at diagnosis and after 6 months of HIV and TB treatment.

Results Of 44 children hospitalized due to HIV, 15 newly diagnosed HIV cases had TB co-infection. Thirteen were included as subjects. Most patients (10/13) were under 5 years of age, with similar female and male proportions (7/13 vs. 6/13, respectively). All were diagnosed with stage 4 HIV. Six patients had respiratory problems at admission. First examinations revealed severe immunodeficiency (CD4+ <20%) in all patients, and high viral loads (>105 copies/mL) in most (9/13) patients. Despite good compliance to medications, 8/13 patients died before the sixth month follow-up. Deterioration of virologic and immunologic status was seen in 3/4 of the followed-up patients.

Conclusion  Children with HIV-TB coinfections have severe immunodeficiency and high viral loads. Most such patients die before 6 months, while survivors experience virologic and immunologic status deterioration. Future study must take into account for HIV drug resistance investigation.
‘No, no, the Cold War was not that dramatic’: A case study on the use of a drama task to promote Dutch secondary school students’ historical imagination
Authors: de Leur Tessa , van Boxtel Carla , Huijgen Tim
Published: April 2021

Imagining what it was like to live in the past may help secondary school students to understand historical developments and situations. In this case study, the opportunities of a drama task are explored by using a mixed-method approach. In small groups, Dutch 14–15-year-old students examined historical sources and produced a short film clip on daily life in the Netherlands during the Cold War. Results indicated that both the students and their teacher perceived the drama task as motivating. The group discussions were rich in on-task utterances, and the students reported that they thought the task was valuable for gaining insight into thoughts and feelings of people in the past. However, the clips were relatively poor in information, and the assessment proved to be a challenge for the teacher.
Moving in liminal space: A case study of intercultural historical learning in Swedish secondary school
Authors: Johansson Maria
Published: April 2021

The aim of this article is to explore the processes of learning when students are engaged in intercultural historical learning (IHL), specifically how spaces of learning were, or were not, opened by students’ struggle to construct meaning. Since IHL is complex, involving both intrinsic disciplinary and extrinsic curricular goals, it is vital to understand this process in detail. The research questions address which aspects seem to activate intercultural learning, and which ones hinder or complicate it. The methodological approach employed was an instrumental, multisite case study where three teaching–learning sequences from two secondary classrooms were investigated. Here, the concepts of ‘decentring’ and ‘perspective recognition’, as aspects of IHL, were seen as threshold concepts. The threshold concepts framework – and specifically the idea of ‘liminal space’, a ‘place of potential learning’, the in-between moments in the learning process where students find themselves before ‘getting it’ – was applied as an analytical tool to uncover and describe specific moments in the selected teaching–learning sequences. Several liminal spaces were unpacked, and it transpired that ‘troublesomeness’ is an integral, potentially productive component when students navigate liminal space as a place for intercultural learning. ‘Barriers’ that obstructed learning, as well as possible ‘entry points’ where a student steps into a productive liminal space, were identified, as well as some major enabling breakthrough moments – ‘junctures’ – for IHL.
100 Tage Lockdown
Authors: Jonker Gerdien
Published: April 2021

18. März 2020 - der Tag, an dem Angela Merkel eine »Vollbremsung« der Gesellschaft forderte, um die Ausbreitung des Coronavirus zu stoppen. An diesem Tag begann Gerdien Jonker ihre Erkundungen durch Berlin: Ihre Beobachtungen erfassen eine Stadt, in der das öffentliche Leben nahezu völlig zum Erliegen gekommen ist. Hundert Tage lang war sie zu Fuß unterwegs, notierte Begegnungen mit Kindern, Joggerinnen und S-Bahnfahrern, besuchte Russen, Muslime und Chinesen, machte Skizzen vom Leben im Lockdown und von Berliner Erfindungsreichtum und Widerborstigkeit. Zwischen Forschung und Literatur entsteht so die Ethnographie einer Stadt im Ausnahmezustand.
Sales and operations planning: learnings from 15 Brazilian companies
Authors: Seeling Marcelo Xavier , Panitz Carlos Eduardo , Cassel Ricardo Augusto
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACT

Goal: The goal of this paper is to investigate 15 Brazilian companies, which execute S&OP cycles periodically, in order to  characterize the processes implemented and discuss challenges and improvement opportunities.

Methodology:  Initially, a multiple-case study approach is applied embracing 15 Brazilian companies. Then, a survey is conducted in the same organizations to deepen the investigation.  Two recognized S&OP frameworks from the literature are used to structure the research.

Results: Some of the main research findings include: some companies consider “Data Gathering” a normal task and no longer a S&OP cycle step; some organizations include a new step one named “Portfolio Management”, preceding “Demand Planning” to leverage step two’s outcomes; there are improvement opportunities identified in “Pre-meeting” and “Executive Meeting” steps regarding capacity to simulate different scenarios from a financial perspective; and most of the studied companies do not adopt a S&OP software facing limitations to manage information and perform what-if analysis.

Research Limitations: Only companies located in Brazil are investigated.

Practical implications: The study provides useful information for practitioners on the characterization of the S&OP process, implementation challenges, and improvement opportunities.

Originality / Value: The paper applies different research methods (multiple-case study and survey) and two recognized frameworks from the literature in the study of the S&OP process performed by 15 companies, providing a broad characterization of the processes implemented and valuable findings about challenges and improvement opportunities. Although all the researched companies are Brazilian, evidences indicate the results are generalizable.
Five years outcomes of hysteroscopy experience in a tertiary center
Authors: SEZGİN Burak
Published: April 2021

Objective: We aimed to document our hysteroscopy (HS) experience for a period of 5 years in an academic hospital. Material and Methods: Data from patients who underwent HS for any indication were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical and histopathological outcomes of patients with diagnostic or operative HS were documented. Results: The mean age of 202 patients included in the study was 42.83±9.58 years, their mean gravidy was 2.67±1.29, and their mean parity was 2.04±0.95. One hun- dred and sixty-two (80.2%) of the patients were at premenopausal period and 40 (19.8%) of them were at postmenopausal period. The most common comorbidities detected in patients were hypertension (9.4%), diabetes mellitus (4.5%), thyroid disease (4%), and breast cancer (3.5%), respectively. The mean pre-operative endometrial thickness was 12.80±6.10 mm. One hundred and thirty-five patients underwent saline infusion sonohysterography (SIS) procedure before HS, and a mass like lesion in the uterine cavity was detected in 97.8% of them. The average largest diameter of these intracavitary masses detected was 13.72±6.21 mm. Seven (3.5%) of all patients needed HS again. The most common indications for HS were menometrorrhagia (54.5%), polymenorrhea (14.4%), postmenopausal bleeding (10.9%), and infertility (9.4%). As a complication, uterine perforation was detected in 1 (0.5%) of cases and excessive bleeding in 2 (1%) of them. The most common localization of the masses in the uterine cavity was fundus (43.4%). As a result of histopathological examination, endometrial polyps were reported in 59 cases (70.3%) and myoma uteri in 21 (9.4%) cases. Conclusion: The most common reason for HS in our clinic was endometrial polyp. The most common symptom and surgical intervention were determined as menomet- rorrhagia and resection of polyp, respectively. In the detection of intracavitary lesions, the use of SIS before HS was a common procedure. Our complication rate was found to be low in line with the literature.
Patterns for gridshells with negligible geometrical torsion at nodes
Authors: Tellier Xavier , Boutillier Romane , Douthe Cyril , Baverel Olivier
Published: April 2021

Curved envelope structural building envelopes have been quite popular in architecture in the past decades, and pose many challenges in their design, manufacturing and planning. In gridshells, a popular structural morphology for curved structure, designers will often strive to orient beams such that their top face is parallel to the envelope surface. However, this tends to induce geometrical torsion along the beam centerline, which complexifies significantly the manufacturing of the connection nodes or of the beams themselves. It is well known that such issue can be avoided by aligning beams with principal curvature directions of the envelope surface, thus yielding a quadrangular paneling. In this article, we study how other types of patterns (non-quadrangular) can be used to design torsion-free grid-shells. Based on asymptotic considerations, we derive a set of geometrical rules which, if fulfilled by a pattern, insure that a surface can be covered by this pattern with negligible torsion and limited deviation of beams from surface normals. A wide variety of patterns fulfill these rules, offering interesting possibilities for the design of curved architectural envelopes (Figure 1) is shown. As these rules are based on first order asymptotic analysis, we perform global validation on case studies. One main application is for structures in which face planarity is not necessary, for example ones cladded with ETFE cushions.
Asphaltene precipitation from heavy oil mixed with binary and ternary solvent blends
Authors: Rivero-Sanchez Javier A. , Ramos-Pallares Francisco , Schoeggl Florian F. , Yarranton Harvey W.
Published: April 2021

Models are required to predict the onset and precipitation of asphaltenes from mixtures of heavy oil and solvents for a variety of heavy oil applications. The regular solution approach is well suited for this objective but has not yet been tested on solvent mixtures. To do so, the onset and amount of asphaltene precipitation were measured and modeled for mixtures of heavy oil with solvent blends made up from n-alkanes, cyclohexane, and toluene at temperatures of 21 and 180 °C and pressures of 0.1 and 10 MPa. Temperature dependent binary interaction parameters (BIP) between the cyclohexane/asphaltene and toluene/asphaltene pseudo-component pairs were proposed to match the data. All other BIP were set to zero. The model with BIP determined from asphaltene precipitation in heavy oil and binary solvents predicted asphaltene precipitation from heavy oil and ternary solvent blends, generally to within the experimental error.
Are sniffer dogs a reliable approach for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection?
Authors: Lippi Giuseppe , Mattiuzzi Camilla , Henry Brandon M.
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Despite inter-individual variations in their diagnostic efficiency, dogs have been trained to investigate many human pathologies, especially cancer, diabetes, migraine, seizures and even infectious diseases. To this end, we performed a critical review and pooled analysis of current scientific literature on the performance of dogs trained for identifying severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-positive human specimens.

Methods

We carried out an electronic search in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science with the keywords “dog(s)” AND “sniffer” OR “scent” OR “smell” AND “SARS-CoV-2” OR “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2” OR “coronavirus disease 2019” OR “COVID-19” within all fields, without date or language restrictions, to identify studies describing dogs’ performance for identifying SARS-CoV-2 infected material.

Results

Three studies could be finally included in pooled analysis, totaling 17 dogs (47% females), aged between 0.5 and 12 years. The pooled diagnostic sensitivity was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.84–0.91; I2, 85.3%), the diagnostic specificity 0.99 (95% CI, 0.99–0.99; I2, 97.4%), whilst the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC) was 0.979 (standard error, 0.003).

Conclusions

The notable performance observed in this pooled analysis would persuade us to suggest that adequately trained dogs could represent an intriguing and sustainable resource for purposes of rapid SARS-CoV-2 mass screening.
Prediction of hot metal temperature based on data mining
Authors: Jun Zhao , Xin Li , Song Liu , Kun Wang , Qing Lyu , Erhao Liu
Published: April 2021

Accurately and continuously monitoring the hot metal temperature status of the blast furnace (BF) is a challenging job. To solve this problem, we propose a hot metal temperature prediction model based on the AdaBoost integrated algorithm using the real production data of the BF. We cleaned the raw data using the data analysis technology combined with metallurgical process theory, which mainly included data integration, outliers elimination, and missing value supplement. The redundant features were removed based on Pearson’s thermodynamic diagram analysis, and the input parameters of the model were preliminarily determined by using recursive feature elimination method. We built the hot metal temperature prediction model using the AdaBoost ensemble algorithm on a dataset with selected features as well as derived features by using K-mean clustering tags. The results show that the performance of the hot metal temperature prediction model with K-means clustering tags has been further improved, and the accurate monitoring and forecast of molten iron temperature has been achieved. The model can achieve an accuracy of more than 90% with an error of ±5°C.
Wide band fiber systems and long transmission applications based on optimum optical fiber amplifiers lengths
Authors: Eid Mahmoud M. A. , Sorathiya Vishal , Lavadiya Sunil , Said Abd El-Hamid Huda , Rashed Ahmed Nabih Zaki
Published: April 2021

Article clarified the optimum fiber amplifiers length for wide band fiber system applications. Optical suppressed carrier transceiver with various fiber amplifier lengths in long haul applications is simulated by using optisystem simulation program version 13. Max. Q coefficient and min. BER can be tested for various fiber amplifiers lengths from 5 to 30 m. The optimum performance efficiency is achieved with 5 m amplifier length which the max. Q coefficient is 62.5 and bits error rate is tended to zero. Peak power amplitude level, noise signal power level, noise signal amplitude level (NSAL) and peak signal amplitude level after channel with a 45 km length for optimum fiber optic amplifier length of 5 m are measured.
The expression of habituality in Biblical Hebrew
Authors: Boneh Nora , Sofer Hagit
Published: April 2021

The aim of the article is to expand the crosslinguistic scope of the study of the expression of habituality in language, and to provide further support for the claim that the expression of habituality is basically independent from that of tense and aspect, although it closely interacts with it. The argument for this independence is based on the following findings: First, habituality in Biblical Hebrew is not marked morphologically: any verbal form of the verb system can serve as a basis to express habituality irrespective of its aspectual and temporal qualities. In this respect, the periphrastic formhāyā qōṭēlreceives special attention, since although it does not appear in episodic occurrences, it nevertheless patterns with non-recurring positional predicates (e.g.,stand, liveas inShe used to live here), illustrating that it selects statives that can hold over prolonged periods of time, subsuming habituals, rather than being exclusively dedicated to the expression of habituality. Second, and most importantly, this pattern is diachronically stable. When observing Early and Late Biblical Hebrew, nothing alters in the way verbal forms pattern in clauses expressing habituality, even though the make-up of the verbal systems has changed over time. Additionally, the findings confirm the importance of paying attention to the availability of habitual interpretation with and without a modifying quantificational expression, by lending support to the correlation established between the bareness of habituals and their aspectual properties.
Elements of language creativity
Authors: Casini Simone
Published: April 2021

This paper proposes a concept of creativity that stems from a semiotic and linguistic theoretical perspective, in which the formal frame of reference for variation and linguistic change considers and evaluates both the process of general interaction and the contact of languages as a global phenomenon. This method proposes an analysis of creativity that ranges from reflections of ancient philosophy to a contemporary linguistic perspective, incorporates international ideologies, and identifies, within the dimensions of use and social sharing, the principle capable of guiding potentially unlimited forms of linguistic creativity that are self-expressive and communicative, far beyond the grammatical patterns of regularity and norm. Interpreting the paradigm of creativity according to this model means placing the semiotic property in a position ofprima inter pares, entrusted not only with the “role” of forming signs (words, sentences, texts), but the function ofarbitraire, as a phenomenon of language creation. The following reading references the semiotic contribution of Tullio De Mauro, an Italian linguist who has contributed to the systematization of creativity, overcoming and synthesizing both Saussurian structuralism and Chomskyan generativism.
Resveratrol against 6-OHDA-induced damage of PC12 cells via PI3K/Akt
Authors: Huang Nanqu , Huang Juan , Zhang Ying , Chen Mingji , Shi Jingshan , Jin Feng
Published: April 2021

Objective

Our previous in vivo study found that resveratrol (Res), which is a phytoalexin, attenuated 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced motor dysfunction by activating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway in rats. Therefore, we further explored the protective effect of Res on 6-OHDA-induced damage to PC12 cells in vitro with respect to the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Methods

We incubated PC12 cells with 75 μM 6-OHDA for 24 h, and Res was then added at a final concentration of 25 μM; the protective effect was examined via MTT and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. In addition, the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 was used to investigate the potential mechanism. JC-1 staining was used to detect the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and western blotting (WB) was used to detect the phosphorylation of Akt-Ser473.

Results

Compared with that in the control, the cell viability, total superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, MMP, and p-Akt-Ser473 level of 6-OHDA-treated PC12 cells were significantly decreased, while the leakage rate of LDH was increased. And after treatment with 25 μM Res, the cell viability, total SOD activity, MMP, and p-Akt-Ser473 level of 6-OHDA-treated PC12 cells were significantly increased compared with those of the control cells, while the leakage rate of LDH was decreased. These effects of Res were antagonized by LY294002.

Conclusions

Res ameliorates 6-OHDA-induced damage to PC12 cells via activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
A cyclic non-singular universe from Gauss–Bonnet and superstring corrections
Authors: El-Nabulsi Rami Ahmad
Published: April 2021

In this study, we have constructed a viable cosmological model characterized by the presence of the Gauss–Bonnet four-dimensional invariant, higher-order corrections to the low energy effective action motivated from heterotic superstring theory and a general exponential potential comparable to those obtained in higher dimensional supergravities. The field equations were studied by assuming a particular relation between the Hubble parameter and the time derivative of the scalar field. It was observed that, for specific relations between the free parameters in the theory, the universe is cyclic, expands and contracts alternately without singularity with an equation of state oscillating around −1. The model is found to fit the recent astrophysical data.