bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Los pactos de indemnidad en el derecho privado colombiano. Vicisitudes y reglas contemporáneas
Authors: Rojas Quiñones Sergio
Published: March 2022

El presente artículo estudia el régimen jurídico aplicable a los pactos de indemnidad en el ordenamiento colombiano. En consideración al amplio vacío normativo que existe y a la dicotomía connatural a este tipo de pactos, que se debaten entre la autonomía de la voluntad privada y el principio de reparación integral, se realiza un estudio de los principales aspectos controversiales asociados a las indemnidades, para determinar su noción, su estructura y el régimen jurídico que les es aplicable. Además, el estudio analiza algunos aspectos problemáticos poco explorados en la academia como, por ejemplo, los legitimados para reclamar la indemnidad, la conversión de las indemnidades en cláusulas penales y pactos de exoneración, la interacción de estos pactos con la denominada culpa de la víctima, la aplicabilidad de la teoría de la imprevisión, la vigencia de la indemnidad y los pactos asociados a la prescripción (que la amplían a más de treinta días) y las estipulaciones de ley y jurisdicción aplicable. Para efectos de claridad, se anticipa que el criterio con el cual se han seleccionado las problemáticas que se abordan es su relevancia en las discusiones judiciales y arbitrales que han ocurrido en la práctica en Colombia y otras jurisdicciones. Por tal razón, algunas discusiones que son puramente teóricas (como la interacción de la indemnidad con la teoría de la imprevisión), aunque se enuncian, no serán abordadas en el escrito. Al concluir, es evidente el vacío regulatorio que existe en Colombia y la apremiante necesidad de abordarlo regulatoria o jurisprudencialmente.
Responsabilidad penal de las personas jurídicas. Situación actual en España
Authors: Rodríguez Domínguez Luis
Published: March 2022

En un contexto internacional de mayor importancia con respecto a los delitos cometidos por las corporaciones, algunas jurisdicciones, como la española, han acometido una importante reforma de su ordenamiento para incluir la responsabilidad penal de las sociedades mercantiles y demás personas jurídicas. Esta inclusión se enfrenta a numerosas complejidades, como la necesidad de asegurar una buena defensa específica para la organización, el juicio preciso de autoría, la evidencia de que se han producido omisiones graves en los deberes de control y supervisión, entre otras. Este artículo analiza los primeros pronunciamientos judiciales españoles con relación a la responsabilidad penal de las personas jurídicas (2010-2020), indicando cuáles han sido los delitos más frecuentes que se han tratado, las apreciaciones de los tribunales a la hora de afrontarla y los principales motivos de improcedencia o de absolución. Este estudio muestra la enorme complejidad del proceso, que ha llevado a que, en la práctica, el número de sociedades que han tenido que afrontar la responsabilidad penal haya sido muy reducido.
Vinculatoriedad de las recomendaciones del comité de libertad sindical en la jurisprudencia de la Corte Constitucional
Authors: Moncada Prieto Víctor Manuel , López Cortés Óscar Andrés
Published: March 2022

El presente artículo de investigación indaga por la vinculatoriedad de las recomendaciones del Comité de Libertad Sindical (CLS) en el ordenamiento jurídico colombiano. Para ello inicia con un estudio de los principios de buena fe y pacta sunt servanda, con relación a los Convenios 87 y 98 de la OIT y la convención de Viena de 1969, postulados base en el cumplimiento de los compromisos internacionales, que son, a su vez, fundamentos del ordenamiento jurídico internacional aceptado por Colombia. Al señalado análisis se añade el desarrollo de una línea jurisprudencial, la cual toma en consideración lo que ha establecido la Corte Constitucional de Colombia, respecto a la vinculatoriedad de las recomendaciones del Comité de Libertad Sindical. Este artículo de investigación concluye que las recomendaciones del CLS, sí son aplicables en el ordenamiento jurídico colombiano: siempre que estas tengan el carácter de informes definitivos, hayan sido adoptadas por el Consejo de Administración de la OIT y no se opongan a los mandatos establecidos por la Constitución Política de Colombia.
Effects of Total Pressure Distribution on Performance of Small-Size Counter-Rotating Axial-Flow Fan Stage for Electrical Propulsion
Authors: Bandopadhyay Tuhin , Mistry Chetan S.
Published: March 2022

Counter-rotating fan provides significant benefits over the conventional fan in terms of overall performance and size. For electric propulsion application, a counter-rotating fan provides compactness and reduction in weight to achieve higher pressure rise with less power consumption as compared to the unducted propeller. Past literature suggests counter-rotating fans, designed with higher loading in the front rotor, have a flat performance map and a wider range of stable operation. The recommendation of higher aerodynamic loading is not clear what needs to be the aerodynamic load split amongst the rotors. This, in particular, benefits the electrical vehicle to have higher maneuver capability during operation. The paper discusses the design methodology of counter-rotating fans for application in roadable electric aircraft and the effect of different aerodynamic load distributions for both rotors on its overall performance. Fans are designed for different total-pressure rise and loading distributions as (1) 50–50%, (2) 55–45%, (3) 60–40%, and (4) 65–35% in front and rear rotor. It is observed that, as the loading increases for the front rotor, blade camber increases and hence to more prone toward flow separation near the trailing edge under an adverse pressure gradient. Wake coming from the front rotor grows thicker with higher loading, leading to flow acceleration (thus total-pressure loss) in the axial gap between these rotors. As a consequence, flow incidents on the rear rotor other than the design incidence, and thus the rear rotor operates under off-design. With 55–45% loading, both the rotors achieve desired total-pressure rise and stable operating range. The detailed flow field study is discussed to bring important outcomes for achieving the desired performance.
Early Experiences Designing a Scalable COVID-19 Reusable Elastomeric Respirator
Authors: Slatnick Brianna L. , Yu Lumeng J. , Yang Alexander , Wu Kyle C. , Crum Robert W. , Betit Peter , Brown Mark , Pires Chad , Priest John R. , Staffa Steven J. , Weldon Christopher , Fishman Steven J. , Kim Heung Bae , Demehri Farokh R.
Published: March 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers—especially respirators. In response to a lack of commercial respirator equipment, a multidisciplinary prototyping hackathon was held and the key components required to develop an inexpensive, scalable “COVID-19 reusable elastomeric respirator” (RER-19) were identified. Available hospital supplies were assessed based on their published technical specifications to meet each of the key component requirements. The fully assembled prototype was then validated through user testing, and volunteers underwent standard fit testing with cardiopulmonary monitoring while wearing the RER-19 in a small pilot study. Multiple social media platforms were then used to disseminate educational information on respirator assembly, use, and maintenance. Here, we present our institution's initial experience with prototyping to meet a specific healthcare challenge, in combination with prompt dissemination of information to educate and empower healthcare workers in the face of a critical PPE shortage during an unprecedented and evolving pandemic.
Effects of hand postures on voice directivity
Authors: Pörschmann Christoph , Arend Johannes M.
Published: March 2022

While speaking, hand postures, such as holding a hand in front of the mouth or cupping the hands around the mouth, influence human voice directivity. This study presents and analyzes spherical voice directivity datasets of an articulated [a] with and without hand postures. The datasets were determined from measurements with 13 subjects in a surrounding spherical microphone array with 32 microphones and then upsampled to a higher spatial resolution. The results show that hand postures strongly impact voice directivity and affect the directivity index by up to 6 dB, which is more than variances caused by phoneme-dependent differences.
Optimized Simulation of Upper Body Timing on the Production of Bat-Head Speed in Baseball Batting
Authors: Ae Kazumichi , Burke Dave , Kawamura Takashi , Koike Sekiya
Published: March 2022

The objectives of this study were to (1) investigate the effect of the timing of the upper body joint motions in baseball batting on the bat-head speed and (2) develop and evaluate a simulation model inputting the individual hand forces on the bat. Twenty-three male collegiate baseball players performed tee batting set at waist height. A 10-segment angle-driven simulation model consisting of a bat and upper body was driven using the coordinate data of the standard motion. Performance optimization was conducted by changing the timing of the joint angle time histories of the upper body to increase the maximum bat-head speed. The optimization simultaneously estimated the individual hand forces by polynomial approximation dependent on the total bat forces to assess joint torques of the upper body. The bat-head speed increased to 39.2 m/s from 35.6 m/s, and the optimized timings were characterized by the earlier timing of the barrel-side elbow supination, wrist radial flexion, torso right lateral flexion, and the later timing of the barrel-side shoulder abduction. It is concluded that the skillful coordination of the individual joint movements for the upper body can produce a higher bat-head speed through effective sequencing of proximal to distal movements.
Physical Activity Type and Intensity Are Associated With Abdominal Muscle Area and Density: The Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Authors: Vella Chantal A. , Miljkovic Iva , Price Candice A. , Allison Matthew
Published: March 2022

Background: Using data from a multiethnic cohort, the authors tested associations of multiple types and intensities of physical activity (PA) with abdominal muscle area and density. Methods: 1895 Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis participants (mean age 64.6 [9.6] y) completed health history and PA questionnaires and computed tomography to quantify body composition and measurements of cardiovascular and inflammatory biomarkers. Analyses included multivariable regression. Results: Compared with those not meeting PA guidelines for Americans, those meeting the guidelines had higher total abdominal muscle area (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval 1.60, 1.20 to 2.15), stability muscle area (1.68, 1.28 to 2.20), and stability muscle density (1.35, 1.03 to 1.76). After adjustment for relevant covariates, each SD increase in total moderate to vigorous PA was associated with a higher total abdominal (β, 95% confidence interval = 0.068, 0.036 to 0.173), stability (0.063, 0.027 to 0.099), and locomotor (0.069, 0.039 to 0.099) muscle area and higher locomotor muscle density (0.065, 0.022 to 0.108, P < .01). Only intentional and conditioning exercise were associated with total abdominal and stability muscle density (P < .05). Light PA and walking were not associated with muscle area or density. Conclusions: Most types of PA are positively associated with abdominal muscle area and density across functional categories, independent of relevant covariates. These results provide additional evidence for promoting PA for healthy muscle aging.
A Rhesus channel in the coral symbiosome membrane suggests a novel mechanism to regulate NH
3
and CO
2
delivery to algal symbionts
Authors: Thies Angus B. , Quijada-Rodriguez Alex R. , Zhouyao Haonan , Weihrauch Dirk , Tresguerres Martin
Published: March 2022

Reef-building corals maintain an intracellular photosymbiotic association with dinoflagellate algae. As the algae are hosted inside the symbiosome, all metabolic exchanges must take place across the symbiosome membrane. Using functional studies in
Xenopus
oocytes, immunolocalization, and confocal Airyscan microscopy, we established that
Acropora yongei
Rh (ayRhp1) facilitates transmembrane NH
3
and CO
2
diffusion and that it is present in the symbiosome membrane. Furthermore, ayRhp1 abundance in the symbiosome membrane was highest around midday and lowest around midnight. We conclude that ayRhp1 mediates a symbiosomal NH
4
+
-trapping mechanism that promotes nitrogen delivery to algae during the day—necessary to sustain photosynthesis—and restricts nitrogen delivery at night—to keep algae under nitrogen limitation. The role of ayRhp1-facilitated CO
2
diffusion is less clear, but it may have implications for metabolic dysregulation between symbiotic partners and bleaching. This previously unknown mechanism expands our understanding of symbioses at the immediate animal-microbe interface, the symbiosome.
Magmatic water content controls the pre-eruptive depth of arc magmas
Authors: Rasmussen Daniel J. , Plank Terry A. , Roman Diana C. , Zimmer Mindy M.
Published: March 2022

Vanguard efforts in forecasting volcanic eruptions are turning to physics-based models, which require quantitative estimates of magma conditions during pre-eruptive storage. Below active arc volcanoes, observed magma storage depths vary widely (~0 to 20 kilometers) and are commonly assumed to represent levels of neutral buoyancy. Here we show that geophysically observed magma depths (6 ± 3 kilometers) are greater than depths of neutral buoyancy, ruling out this commonly assumed control. Observed depths are instead consistent with predicted depths of water degassing. Intrinsically wetter magmas degas water and crystallize deeper than dry magmas, resulting in viscosity increases that lead to deeper stalling of ascending magma. The water–depth relationship provides a critical constraint for forecasting models by connecting depth of eruption initiation to its volatile fuel.
Protecting the herd with vaccination
Authors: Dean Natalie E. , Halloran M. Elizabeth
Published: March 2022

How much do COVID-19 vaccines reduce transmission? The answer is a moving target
Tim-3 adapter protein Bat3 acts as an endogenous regulator of tolerogenic dendritic cell function
Authors: Tang Ruihan , Acharya Nandini , Subramanian Ayshwarya , Purohit Vinee , Tabaka Marcin , Hou Yu , He Danyang , Dixon Karen O. , Lambden Connor , Xia Junrong , Rozenblatt-Rosen Orit , Sobel Raymond A. , Wang Chao , Regev Aviv , Anderson Ana C. , Kuchroo Vijay K.
Published: March 2022

Dendritic cells (DCs) sense environmental cues and adopt either an immune-stimulatory or regulatory phenotype, thereby fine-tuning immune responses. Identifying endogenous regulators that determine DC function can thus inform the development of therapeutic strategies for modulating the immune response in different disease contexts. Tim-3 plays an important role in regulating immune responses by inhibiting the activation status and the T cell priming ability of DC in the setting of cancer. Bat3 is an adaptor protein that binds to the tail of Tim-3; therefore, we studied its role in regulating the functional status of DCs. In murine models of autoimmunity (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis) and cancer (MC38-OVA–implanted tumor), lack of Bat3 expression in DCs alters the T cell compartment—it decreases T
H
1, T
H
17 and cytotoxic effector cells, increases regulatory T cells, and exhausted CD8
+
tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, resulting in the attenuation of autoimmunity and acceleration of tumor growth. We found that Bat3 expression levels were differentially regulated by activating versus inhibitory stimuli in DCs, indicating a role for Bat3 in the functional calibration of DC phenotypes. Mechanistically, loss of Bat3 in DCs led to hyperactive unfolded protein response and redirected acetyl–coenzyme A to increase cell intrinsic steroidogenesis. The enhanced steroidogenesis in Bat3-deficient DC suppressed T cell response in a paracrine manner. Our findings identified Bat3 as an endogenous regulator of DC function, which has implications for DC-based immunotherapies.
Central and bullous Descemet membrane detachment during cataract wound hydration: an insightful complication in a post-DALK eye
Authors: Das Amit Kumar , Panigrahi Arnav , Gupta Noopur
Published: March 2022

A 54-year-old man, with history of undergoing deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) 20 months ago, presented with mature senile cataract in the same eye. While undergoing phacoemulsification, a large, central Descemet membrane detachment (DMD) was noted, separating the donor cornea from the host predescemetic layer. No DM tears were noted. Stromal puncture was done at the graft host junction to reduce the extent of DMD. This was followed by a large intracameral air bubble insertion, which resulted in complete resolution of DMD on the first postoperative day. DMD during hydration of wound is a unique complication to be anticipated while doing cataract surgery in an operated DALK eye.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among migrants in shelters in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Authors: Bojorquez-Chapela Ietza , Strathdee Steffanie A , Garfein Richard S , Benson Constance A , Chaillon Antoine , Ignacio Caroline , Sepulveda Jaime
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Migrants, especially those in temporary accommodations like camps and shelters, might be a vulnerable population during the COVID-19 pandemic, but little is known about the impact of the pandemic in these settings in low-income and middle-income countries. We assessed SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and RNA prevalence, the correlates of seropositivity (emphasising socially determined conditions), and the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic among migrants living in shelters in Tijuana, a city on the Mexico-US border.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional, non-probability survey of migrants living in shelters in Tijuana in November–December 2020 and February–April 2021. Participants completed a questionnaire and provided anterior nasal swab and blood samples for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibodies (IgG and IgM), respectively. We explored whether SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with sociodemographic and migration-related variables, access to sanitation, protective behaviours and health-related factors.

Results

Overall, 481 participants were enrolled, 67.7% from Northern Central America, 55.3% women, mean age 33.2 years. Seven (1.5%) participants had nasal swabs positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and 53.0% were SARS-CoV-2 seropositive. Avoiding public transportation (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.90) and months living in Tijuana (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.10) were associated with seropositivity. Sleeping on the streets or other risky places and having diabetes were marginally associated with seropositivity. Most participants (90.2%) had experienced some socioeconomic impact of the pandemic (eg, diminished income, job loss).

Conclusion

Compared with results from other studies conducted in the general population in Mexico at a similar time, migrants living in shelters were at increased risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2, and they suffered considerable adverse socioeconomic impacts as a consequence of the pandemic. Expanded public health and other social support systems are needed to protect migrants from COVID-19 and reduce health inequities.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for upper limb motor function and activities of daily living in patients with stroke: a protocol of a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis
Authors: Lu Yue , Xia Yuan , Wu Yue , Pan Xinyong , Wang Zhenyu , Li Yongjie
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Patients with stroke usually suffer from varying degrees of movement dysfunction, which seriously affects their quality of life, especially for the upper limb dysfunction. Therefore, this study aims to compare the effects of different repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) modalities on upper limb motor function and daily activities in patients with stroke.

Methods and analysis

Relevant research will be collected systematically from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, Wanfang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Chinese Scientific and Journal Database (VIP) about randomised controlled trials of rTMS in the stroke treatment range from the establishment to November 2020. Primary outcomes will be obtained from scales measuring the upper limb motor function like Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale, Wolf Motor Function Test, Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test, Action Research Arm Test and Box and Block Test. The secondary outcomes include modified Barthel Index and adverse events (such as vertigo, headache and epilepsy), with the goal of assessing patients’ activities of daily living and the safety of treatment. In order to avoid personal bias in the included studies, two reviewers will conduct the data extraction and quality evaluation independently, and all data analyses will be performed by Generate Mixed Treatment comparison software V.0.14.3 and Stata V.16.0.

Ethics and dissemination

The network meta-analysis (NMA) in this study does not require ethical approval because the data analysis will be used only to evaluate the rTMS treatment efficacy without patients’ private information. In addition, the results will be disseminated in international conference reports and peer-reviewed manuscripts.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020212253.
Risk and incidence of cognitive impairment in patients with chronic kidney disease and diabetes: the results from a longitudinal study in a community cohort of patients and an age and gender-matched control cohort in North Wales, UK
Authors: Hobson Peter , Kumwenda Mick , Shrikanth Siva , Nair Hari , Wong Stephen
Published: March 2022

Objectives

The aim of the current investigation is to estimate the incidence and risk for neurocognitive disorders (NCD) in a chronic kidney disease (CKD) cohort with diabetes, compared with an age and sex-matched control cohort.

Design

Longitudinal follow-up.

Setting

District general hospital North Wales, UK.

Participants

Ninety-two patients with CKD and an age and gender-matched sample of 143 controls at baseline and at approximately 36 months.

Interventions

Cognitive function was assessed in the patients with CKD (mean age 75.8±9.1; 49 men: 43 women) and the control cohort (mean age 74.4±6.2; 71 men: 72) at baseline and at approximately 36 months. An NCD diagnosis was based on patient, informant, case note review, neuropsychological assessment and application of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders V.5 (DSM-5) for an NCD and Petersen’s criteria for mild cognitive impairment.

Results

Follow-up neuropsychological assessment and application of DSM-5 criteria of the cognitively normal patients and controls revealed, 25/92 (27%) of the CDK and 20/143 (13.9%) in the control cohort developed an NCD. The CKD cohort had a twofold increased risk for the development of an NCD compared with the controls, adjusted for age and sex. The incidence rate for an NCD in the CKD cohort was 10.5 and 5.1 in the controls, respectively. No association was observed with the stage of CKD and cognitive function.

Conclusions

This longitudinal investigation found that patients with CKD have a twofold increased risk for the development of an NCD. The current investigation highlighted the need to recognise that NCD in patients with CKD is a common comorbidity and that they are at a much higher risk for the development of a significant neurodegenerative disorders. In view of these risks, neuropsychological screening and assessment should be incorporated into normal CKD clinical practice and management.
Study protocol for the evaluation of pharmacist-participated medication reconciliation at county hospitals in China: a multicentre, open-label, assessor-blinded, non-randomised, controlled study
Authors: Yu Aichen , Wei Guilin , Chen Fanghui , Wang Zining , Fu Mengyuan , Wang Guoying , Wushouer Haishaerjiang , Li Xixi , Guan Xiaodong , Shi Luwen
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Pharmacist-participated medication reconciliation proved an effective strategy to decrease the risk of medication discrepancy-related errors. However, it is still under pilot in China and its effectiveness in the Chinese healthcare system remains unclear. This study aims to conduct a pharmacist-participated medication reconciliation intervention for elderly patients in county hospitals in China and to evaluate its effect.

Methods and analysis

This is a multicentre, prospective, open-label, assessor-blinded, cluster, non-randomised, controlled study for elderly patients. The study will be conducted in seven county hospitals, and the clusters will be hospital wards. In each hospital, two internal medicine wards will be randomly allocated into either intervention group or control group. Patients in the intervention group will receive pharmacist-participated medication reconciliation, and those in the control group will receive standard care. The primary outcome is the incidence of medication discrepancy, and the secondary outcomes are patients’ medication adherence, healthcare utilisation and medical costs within 30 days after discharge.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics committee approval of this study was obtained from Peking University Institution Review Board (IRB00001052-21016). We have also obtained ethical approvals from all the participating centres. The findings will be published in scientific and conference presentations.

Trail registration number

ChiCTR2100045668.
Using Mobile Integrated Health and telehealth to support transitions of care among patients with heart failure (MIGHTy-Heart): protocol for a pragmatic randomised controlled trial
Authors: Masterson Creber Ruth M. , Daniels Brock , Munjal Kevin , Reading Turchioe Meghan , Shafran Topaz Leah , Goytia Crispin , Díaz Iván , Goyal Parag , Weiner Mark , Yu Jiani , Khullar Dhruv , Slotwiner David , Ramasubbu Kumudha , Kaushal Rainu
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Nearly one-quarter of patients discharged from the hospital with heart failure (HF) are readmitted within 30 days, placing a significant burden on patients, families and health systems. The objective of the ‘UsingMobileIntegratedHealth andTelehealth to support transitions of care among patients withHeartfailure’ (MIGHTy-Heart) study is to compare the effectiveness of two postdischarge interventions on healthcare utilisation, patient-reported outcomes and healthcare quality among patients with HF.

Methods and analysis

The MIGHTy-Heart study is a pragmatic comparative effectiveness trial comparing two interventions demonstrated to improve the hospital to home transition for patients with HF: mobile integrated health (MIH) and transitions of care coordinators (TOCC). The MIH intervention bundles home visits from a community paramedic (CP) with telehealth video visits by emergency medicine physicians to support the management of acute symptoms and postdischarge care coordination. The TOCC intervention consists of follow-up phone calls from a registered nurse within 48–72 hours of discharge to assess a patient’s clinical status, identify unmet clinical and social needs and reinforce patient education (eg, medication adherence and lifestyle changes). MIGHTy-Heart is enrolling and randomising (1:1) 2100 patients with HF who are discharged to home following a hospitalisation in two New York City (NY, USA) academic health systems. The coprimary study outcomes are all-cause 30-day hospital readmissions and quality of life measured with the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire 30 days after hospital discharge. The secondary endpoints are days at home, preventable emergency department visits, unplanned hospital admissions and patient-reported symptoms. Data sources for the study outcomes include patient surveys, electronic health records and claims submitted to Medicare and Medicaid.

Ethics and dissemination

All participants provide written or verbal informed consent prior to randomisation in English, Spanish, French, Mandarin or Russian. Study findings are being disseminated to scientific audiences through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international conferences. This study has been approved by: Biomedical Research Alliance of New York (BRANY #20-08-329-380), Weill Cornell Medicine Institutional Review Board (20-08022605) and Mt. Sinai Institutional Review Board (20-01901).

Trial registration number

Clinicaltrials.gov,NCT04662541.
Improving primary prevention of acute rheumatic fever in Australia: consensus primary care priorities identified through an eDelphi process
Authors: Wyber Rosemary , Lizama Catalina , Wade Vicki , Pearson Glenn , Carapetis Jonathan , Ralph Anna P , Bowen Asha C , Peiris David
Published: March 2022

Objectives

To establish the priorities of primary care providers to improve assessment and treatment of skin sores and sore throats among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at risk of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD).

Design

Modified eDelphi survey, informed by an expert focus group and literature review.

Setting

Primary care services in any one of the five Australian states or territories with a high burden of ARF.

Participants

People working in any primary care role within the last 5 years in jurisdiction with a high burden of ARF.

Results

Nine people participated in the scoping expert focus group which informed identification of an access framework for subsequent literature review. Fifteen broad concepts, comprising 29 strategies and 63 different actions, were identified on this review. These concepts were presented to participants in a two-round eDelphi survey. Twenty-six participants from five jurisdictions participated, 16/26 (62%) completed both survey rounds. Seven strategies were endorsed as high priorities. Most were demand-side strategies with a focus on engaging communities and individuals in accessible, comprehensive, culturally appropriate primary healthcare. Eight strategies were not endorsed as high priority, all of which were supply-side approaches. Qualitative responses highlighted the importance of a comprehensive primary healthcare approach as standard of care rather than disease-specific strategies related to management of skin sores and sore throat.

Conclusion

Primary care staff priorities should inform Australia’s commitments to reduce the burden of RHD. In particular, strategies to support comprehensive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary care services rather than an exclusive focus on discrete, disease-specific initiatives are needed.
Use of selective gut decontamination in critically ill children: protocol for the Paediatric Intensive Care and Infection Control (PICnIC) pilot study
Authors: Brown Alanna , Ferrando Paloma , Popa Mariana , de la Fuente Gema Milla , Pappachan John , Cuthbertson Brian , Drikite Laura , Feltbower Richard , Gouliouris Theodore , Sale Isobel , Shulman Robert , Tume Lyvonne N , Myburgh John , Woolfall Kerry , Harrison David A , Mouncey Paul R , Rowan Kathryn M , Pathan Nazima
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill children. In critically ill adults, there are data that suggest the use of Selective Decontamination of the Digestive tract (SDD), alongside standard infection control measures reduce mortality and the incidence of HCAIs. SDD-enhanced infection control has not been compared directly with standard infection prevention strategies in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) population. The aim of this pilot study is to determine the feasibility of conducting a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT) in critically ill children comparing SDD with standard infection control.

Methods and analysis

Paediatric Intensive Care and Infection Control is a parallel group pilot cRCT, with integrated mixed-methods study, comparing incorporation of SDD into infection control procedures to standard care. After a 1-week pretrial ecology surveillance period, recruitment to the cRCT will run for a period of 18 weeks, comprising: (1) baseline control period (2) pre, mid and post-trial ecology surveillance periods and (3) intervention period. Six PICUs (in England, UK) will begin with usual care in period 1, then will be randomised 1:1 by the trial statistician using computer-based randomisation, to either continue to deliver usual care or commence delivery of the intervention (SDD) in period 2. Outcomes measures include parent and healthcare professionals’ views on trial feasibility, adherence to the SDD intervention, estimation of recruitment rate and understanding of potential patient-centred primary and secondary outcome measures for the definitive trial. The planned recruitment for the cRCT is 324 participants.

Ethics and dissemination

The trial received favourable ethical opinion from West Midlands—Black Country Research Ethics Committee (reference: 20/WM/0061) and approval from the Health Research Authority (IRAS number: 239324). Informed consent is not required for SDD intervention or anonymised data collection but is sought for investigations as part of the study, any identifiable data collected and monitoring of medical records. Results will be disseminated via publications in peer-reviewed medical journals.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN40310490.
Sex differences in sudden cardiac death in a nationwide study of 54 028 deaths
Authors: Skjelbred Tobias , Rajan Deepthi , Svane Jesper , Lynge Thomas Hadberg , Tfelt-Hansen Jacob
Published: March 2022

Objective

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a leading cause of death and is more common among males than females. Epidemiological studies of sex differences in SCD cases of all ages are sparse. The aim of this study was to examine differences in incidence rates, clinical characteristics, comorbidities and autopsy findings between male and female SCD cases.

Methods

All deaths in Denmark in 2010 (54 028) were reviewed. Autopsy reports, death certificates, discharge summaries and nationwide health registries were reviewed to identify cases of SCD. Based on the available information, all deaths were subcategorised into definite, probable and possible SCD.

Results

A total of 6867 SCD cases were identified, of which 3859 (56%) were males and 3008 (44%) were females. Incidence rates increased with age and were higher for male population across all age groups in the adult population. Average age at time of SCD was 71 years among males compared with 79 among females (p<0.01). The greatest difference in SCD incidence between males and females was found among the 35–50 years group with an incidence rate ratio of 3.7 (95% CI: 2.8 to 4.8). Compared with female SCD victims, male SCD victims more often had cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus (p<0.01).

Conclusion

This is the first nationwide study of sex differences in SCD across all ages. Differences in incidence rates between males and females were greatest among young adults and the middle-aged. Incidence rates of SCD among older female population approached that of the male population, despite having significantly more cardiovascular disease and diabetes in male SCD cases.
Pathogenesis-related gene (PvPR1 and PvPR2) expression involved in Meloidogyne incognita parasitism and resistance reactions of common bean genotypes in host–nematode interactions
Authors: Bozbuga Refik , Çiftçi Vahdettin , Yeken Mehmet Zahit , Imren Mustafa
Published: March 2022

Pathogenesis-related (PR) genes are useful molecular markers, and gene expressions are activated in the reaction of plant-parasitic nematodes. Determining the PR gene expression and the resistance reaction of Phaseolus vulgaris L. genotypes against root-knot nematode are valuable for understanding plant–nematode interactions. However, resistance reactions of P. vulgaris genotypes and the gene expression of host–nematode interactions are not fully understood. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the expression of PR genes during the infection of Meloidogyne incognita on resistant and susceptible bean varieties at 1, 3, 5, and 7 days postinfection (dpi). The results revealed that one genotype gave a reaction as “immune”, and numerous genotypes were susceptible. The expression of PvPR1 and PvPR2 genes reached the highest peak at 1 dpi in nematode-infected immune plants, and the expression of PvPR1 reached 5 dpi in susceptible plants. In conclusion, PR genes involved in nematode resistance and parasitism and the immune common bean genotype have great potential in breeding programs and understanding the exact location of resistance on the gene map would be advantageous as future work.
Generic instability of the dynamics underlying the Belinski–Khalatnikov–Lifshitz scenario
Authors: Goldstein Piotr , Piechocki Włodzimierz
Published: March 2022

A class of exact solutions to the Belinski–Khalatnikov–Lifshitz (BKL) scenario is derived and tested for their stability against small perturbations. These are the only regular solutions in the Painlevé sense. We prove that they are unstable in the vicinity of the cosmological singularity. The regularity of the dynamics is also examined with the dynamical systems method. Our results confirm the BKL conjecture that the dynamics near the singularity becomes generically chaotic.
Multiview Feature Fusion Representation for Interictal Epileptiform Spikes Detection
Authors: Cheng Chenchen , Zhou Yuanfeng , You Bo , Liu Yan , Fei Gao , Yang Liling , Dai Yakang
Published: March 2022

Interictal epileptiform spikes (IES) of scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) signals have a strong relation with the epileptogenic region. Since IES are highly unlikely to be detected in scalp EEG signals, the primary diagnosis depends heavily on the visual evaluation of IES. However, visual inspection of EEG signals, the standard IES detection procedure is time-consuming, highly subjective, and error-prone. Furthermore, the highly complex, nonlinear, and nonstationary characteristics of EEG signals lead to the incomplete representation of EEG signals in existing computer-aided methods and consequently unsatisfactory detection performance. Therefore, a novel multiview feature fusion representation (MVFFR) method was developed and combined with a robustness classifier to detect EEG signals with/without IES. MVFFR comprises two steps: First, temporal, frequency, temporal-frequency, spatial, and nonlinear domain features are transformed by the IES to express the latent information effectively. Second, the unsupervised infinite feature-selection method determines the most distinct feature fusion representations. Experimental results using a balanced dataset of six patients showed that MVFFR achieved the optimal detection performance (accuracy: 89.27%, sensitivity: 89.01%, specificity: 89.54%, and precision: 89.82%) compared with other feature ranking methods, and the MVFFR-related method were complementary and indispensable. Additionally, in an independent test, MVFFR maintained excellent generalization capacity with a false detection rate per minute of 0.15 on the unbalanced dataset of one patient.
Exploring the sensitivity of hadron colliders to nonuniversality in heavy neutral currents
Authors: Conventi F. A. , D’Ambrosio G. , Iyer A. M. , Rossi E.
Published: March 2022

We present sensitivity projections for discovering a heavy resonance decaying to electron and muon pairs and for probing the charged lepton nonuniversality in such decays at the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) and hadron-hadron Future Circular Collider (FCC-hh). The analysis takes into account the expected differences in the reconstruction efficiencies and the di-lepton mass resolutions for di-electron and di-muon final states. We demonstrate how the analyses at HL-LHC naturally pave the way for a FCC-hh machine thereby underlining its importance.
Dynamic Modeling and Stability Analysis of a Heavy-Duty Flywheel Rotor-Bearing System with Two Cracks
Authors: Zhou Chuandi , Liu Yibing , Teng Wei , Zhang Haosui , He Haiting , Zhou Chao
Published: March 2022

Cracks have a significant impact on the stability of rotating machinery. However, most studies focus on rotating machinery with only one crack. This paper discusses the influence of two cracks on the stability of a flywheel rotor-bearing system. In this study, the dynamic models of vertically placed flywheel rotor-bearing system with two open cracks and two breath cracks are established using the finite element method (FEM). Floquet theory is used to calculate the stability of the system and the influence of depth and positions of cracks are analyzed. The results show that breathing cracks cause more unstable regions than open cracks, and the range of rotating speeds over which the rotor is unstable increases with increasing crack depth. In addition, it is observed that when the crack locations are adjacent, the unstable region will become very large, covering most of the crack depth range and speed range, making the rotor extremely unstable. Besides, the bearing stiffness causes an offset in the unstable regions, whereas the damping influences the instability value of the rotor.
G-Fuzzy Operator Norm
Authors: Chatterjee S. , Bag T.
Published: March 2022

In our previous paper, it is shown that topology of G-fuzzy normed linear space is generated by two types of open balls: one is elliptic and the other is circular. In the theoretical aspect of functional analysis, will this type of exception happen or not? To address this problem in this paper, firstly, G-fuzzy bounded linear operators as well as G-fuzzy bounded linear functionals are defined which are the key elements of functional analysis. Then, operator G-fuzzy norms are introduced for both the cases using the idea of quasi-G-norm family. The definition of operator G-fuzzy norm is quite different from the existing operator fuzzy norm. Completeness of operator G-fuzzy norm is investigated. Lastly, Hahn-Banach theorem in G-fuzzy setting is studied using all the above concepts.
Estimating Systematic and Partial Exchange Rate Exposures: The Case of Japanese Firms
Authors: Kim Jae H. , Kitamura Yoshihiro
Published: March 2022

We decompose exchange rate exposure into systematic and partial parts. The former is the product of the exposure of the market portfolio and a firm’s market beta, reflecting the risk of the exchange rate to a macroeconomy. The latter is the residual one that most previous studies have examined. Using Japanese data, we find that Japanese firms are systematically exposed to the exchange rate from the beginning of 2000. We also highlight the timely yen-selling intervention by the Bank of Japan when the firms are systematically exposed. However, we find that, even when most Japanese firms are significantly exposed to the exchange rate, the partial exposure can seriously underestimate the full extent of the exchange rate exposure.
An introduction to the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event: insights from the Tafilalt Biota, Morocco
Authors: Hunter Aaron W. , Álvaro J. Javier , Lefebvre Bertrand , Van Roy Peter , Zamora Samuel
Published: March 2022

The exquisitely preserved, diverse and abundant fossil assemblages yielded by the ‘echinoderm meadows’ of the Tafilalt region of the eastern Anti-Atlas represent a new Konservat-Lagerstätte, one of the few exceptionally preserved Late Ordovician open-marine faunas found globally, giving us an insight into the radiation of life during the later phases of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE) in high-latitude peri-Gondwana. The GOBE resulted in an unprecedented increase in the diversity of families, classes and orders, at the fastest rate of the entire Phanerozoic and represents one of the most significant events in the evolution of the marine biosphere, preceding the end-Ordovician mass extinction. Nine different phyla and several soft-bodied problematica are represented in the Tafilalt, including several notable echinoderm Lagerstätten. This volume is the culmination of over 20 years of research by several international teams and integrates a series of contributions that look at diverse aspects of the biota, including the stratigraphic distribution of the faunas, depositional environments, systematic palaeontology, preservation, palaeobiogeography and the nature and impact of the international fossil trade on these exceptionally preserved fossil faunas.
Exploiting Higher Order Multi-dimensional Relationships with Self-attention for Author Name Disambiguation
Authors: Pooja Km , Mondal Samrat , Chandra Joydeep
Published: March 2022

Name ambiguity is a prevalent problem in scholarly publications due to the unprecedented growth of digital libraries and number of researchers. An author is identified by their name in the absence of a unique identifier. The documents of an author are mistakenly assigned due to underlying ambiguity, which may lead to an improper assessment of the author. Various efforts have been made in the literature to solve the name disambiguation problem with supervised and unsupervised approaches. The unsupervised approaches for author name disambiguation are preferred due to the availability of a large amount of unlabeled data. Bibliographic data contain heterogeneous features, thus recently, representation learning-based techniques have been used in literature to embed heterogeneous features in common space. Documents of a scholar are connected by multiple relations. Recently, research has shifted from a single homogeneous relation to multi-dimensional (heterogeneous) relations for the latent representation of document. Connections in graphs are sparse, and higher order links between documents give an additional clue. Therefore, we have used multiple neighborhoods in different relation types in heterogeneous graph for representation of documents. However, different order neighborhood in each relation type has different importance which we have empirically validated also. Therefore, to properly utilize the different neighborhoods in relation type and importance of each relation type in the heterogeneous graph, we propose attention-based multi-dimensional multi-hop neighborhood-based graph convolution network for embedding that uses the two levels of an attention, namely, (i) relation level and (ii) neighborhood level, in each relation. A significant improvement over existing state-of-the-art methods in terms of various evaluation matrices has been obtained by the proposed approach.