bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Taxonomy of water beetles in the genus Hydrochus Leach, 1817, from Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay (Coleoptera: Hydrochidae)
Authors: PERKINS PHILIP D.
Published: June 2021

The taxonomy of Bolivian, Brazilian and Paraguayan water beetles in the genus Hydrochus Leach, 1817 is presented. The known fauna now consists of 77 species, 37 of which are described as new species. The new species are diagnosed, and high-resolution images of the habitus and male genitalia of each species are given, as are distribution maps. The following new species of Hydrochus are described: H. accinctus n. sp., H. amazonicus n. sp., H. ampliarmus n. sp., H. argutulus n. sp., H. artus n. sp., H. austrinus n. sp., H. canalis n. sp., H. casuarius n. sp., H. clandestinus n. sp., H. colossus n. sp., H. compactus n. sp., H. constrictus n. sp., H. curvus n. sp., H. diffusus n. sp., H. distinctulus n. sp., H. distinctus n. sp., H. diversus n. sp., H. forcipuloides n. sp., H. forcipulus n. sp., H. fritillus n. sp., H. irregularis n. sp., H. liquidus n. sp., H. longissimus n. sp., H. membraneus n. sp., H. personatus n. sp., H. potenspiculatus n. sp., H. pronotulus n. sp., H. quinarius n. sp., H. rectus n. sp., H. reticulatus n. sp., H. robustus n. sp., H. sculptissimus n. sp., H. triangularis n. sp., H. trituberculatus n. sp., H. usualis n. sp., H. velatus n. sp., H. xingu n. sp.

                New locality data are provided for the following species: H. alternatus Perkins, H. argutus Knisch, H. astrictus Perkins, H. baloghi Makhan, H. basilaris Perkins, H. bicarinatus Perkins, H. bisinuatus Perkins, H. bituberculatus Perkins, H. choennii Makhan, H. coeneni Makhan, H. collaris Perkins, H. cracentis Perkins, H. denarius Perkins, H. drakei Knisch, H. drechseli Makhan, H. ducalis Knisch, H. elsjeae Makhan, H. formosus Perkins, H. hellmani Perkins, H. iduae Makhan, H. jenniferiduae Makhan, H. kellymilleri Perkins, H. leei Perkins, H. lobatus Perkins, H. lobissimus Perkins, H. merkli Makhan, H. obscurus Sharp, H. pietersenae Makhan, H. piroei Makhan, H. pumilio Knisch, H. pupillus Orchymont, H. purpureus Knisch, H. radhakishunae Makhan, H. richteri Bruch, H. secretus Knisch, H. shorti Perkins, H. soekhnandanae Makhan, H. spanglerorum Perkins, H. tarsalis Chevrolet, H. variabilis Knisch, H. zicsii Makhan.
Global evaluation of gridded satellite precipitation products from the NOAA Climate Data Record program
Authors: Prat Olivier P. , Nelson Brian R. , Nickl Elsa , Leeper Ronald D.
Published: June 2021

Three satellite gridded daily precipitation datasets: PERSIANN-CDR, GPCP, and CMORPH, that are part of the NOAA/Climate Data Record (CDR) program are evaluated in this work. The three satellite precipitation products (SPPs) are analyzed over their entire period of record, ranging from over 20-year to over 35-year. The products inter-comparisons are performed at various temporal (daily to annual) and for different spatial domains in order to provide a detailed assessment of each SPP strengths and weaknesses. This evaluation includes comparison with in-situ data sets from the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN-Daily) and the US Climate Reference Network (USCRN). While the three SPPs exhibited comparable annual average precipitation, significant differences were found with respect to the occurrence and the distribution of daily rainfall events, particularly in the low and high rainfall rate ranges. Using USCRN stations over CONUS, results indicated that CMORPH performed consistently better than GPCP and PERSIANN-CDR for the usual metrics used for SPP evaluation (bias, correlation, accuracy, probability of detection, and false alarm ratio among others). All SPPs were found to underestimate extreme rainfall (i.e. above the 90th percentile) from about -20% for CMORPH to -50% for PERSIANN-CDR. Those differences in performance indicate that the use of each SPP has to be considered with respect to the application envisioned; from the long-term qualitative analysis of hydro-climatological properties to the quantification of daily extreme events for example. In that regard, the three satellite precipitation CDRs constitute a unique portfolio that can be used for various long-term climatological and hydrological applications.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Serum Endocan Levels in Patients With COVID-19
Authors: Görgün Selim , Cindoruk Şener , Özgen Emre , Yadigaroğlu Metin , Demir Mehmet Tevfik , Yücel Murat , Akpınar Çetin Kürşad , Güzel Murat
Published: June 2021

We aimed to evaluate whether there was a relationship between endocan (human endothelial cell-specific molecule-1) levels and disease prognosis in patients who presented to the emergency department with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A total of 60 patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized from the emergency department to clinical wards and a control group consisting of healthy adult individuals (n = 28), were included in the study. The majority (93.3%) of the patients were discharged after recovery; 6.7% died. The median endocan value was 243.5 ng/mL in the patient group versus 201.5 ng/mL in the control group ( P = .002). The median endocan level was 240.5 ng/mL in those discharged with recovery and 558 ng/mL in those who died ( P = .001). There was no significant relationship in hospitalization duration, sex, tomography findings, and clinical outcomes. A 202 ng/mL serum endocan level had 86.7% sensitivity and 50% specificity for COVID-19. Serum endocan levels may be a useful biomarker both for the diagnosis of COVID-19 and to predict mortality.
Did It Work? Reflections and Five Humble Questions to Guide Assessment
Authors: Porter Tenelle
Published: June 2021

Assessments often fail to clearly answer whether a program “worked” or not. Here, I reflect on the broader purpose of assessment, and offer five questions to consider before undertaking an evaluation: Who are you trying to help? What is the intervention? How will you measure effects? Compared to What? and When will you measure effects? This reflection demonstrates that assessments can reveal more than whether a program worked and provides recommendations for making the most of assessment opportunities.
“Made Known in the Breaking of the Bread: Accompaniment and the Practice of Medicine”
Authors: Nicholson C. Phifer
Published: June 2021

Accompaniment is a term drawn from Catholic social teaching that is used by secular organizations, such as Partners in Health and Health for Palestine, to frame their work for health justice in solidarity with the world’s poor. Through an exploration of the Emmaus story from Luke’s Gospel, this article seeks to frame medicine itself as a practice of accompaniment of the sick and, in particular, the sick poor. Medicine as accompaniment requires healers to draw near to, walk alongside, and break bread with the sick. This way of practicing medicine has implications for which communities clinicians preferentially accompany, where clinicians live, how they spend their time and money, and what rewards they seek from the practice of medicine. Medicine as accompaniment is a contemplative practice, a journey on which one comes to experience authentic communion with both God and neighbor.
Unmet Needs of Healthcare Services and Associated Factors among a Cohort of Ghanaian Adults: A Nationally Stratified Cross-Sectional Study Design
Authors: Yamson Phaedra , Tetteh John , DeGraft-Amoah Daniel , Quansah Henry , Mensah George , Biritwum Richard , Yawson Alfred Edwin
Published: June 2021

We estimated the prevalence of unmet needs of healthcare services (UNHS) and its associated factors among a cohort of older Ghanaian adults. World Health Organization (WHO) Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health for Ghana was used with a total of 4735 participants. Logistics regression analysis was performed using Stata 16 to assess associated factors. The overall UNHS was 3.7% (95% CI = 2.7-4.8) and the prevalence was significantly high amongst older adults aged 60 to 69 years (5.9%). Could not afford the healthcare (56.4%) was the main contender for UNHS. UNHS was influenced by; those aged 60 to 69 years [OR (95% CI) = 1.86 (1.19-2.91)]; no formal educational [aOR (95% CI) = 4.71 (1.27-17.38)], and no NHIS [OR (95% CI) = 1.78 (1.03-3.09)]. Participants needed care for joint pain (25.4%), and communicable diseases (19.1%). The inability to access healthcare was relatively higher for older adults more advanced in age, with low education, and for those without health insurance. Health system strengthening including financial protection by expanding the National Health Insurance Scheme to all Ghanaians in line with Ghana’s Universal Health Coverage Roadmap would reduce the unmet healthcare needs of older adults.
The Performative Power of Frictions and New Possibilities: Studying power, performativity and process with Follett’s pragmatism
Authors: Morlacchi Piera
Published: June 2021

This article seeks to open up new possibilities for process organization studies to reimagine power and performativity by exploring the potential of Mary Parker Follett’s pragmatism as process philosophy. I revisit her body of work to show how she translated her process ontology into theoretical resources and practical insights that allow for new ways of understanding power and performativity together and explore them as mutually constituting processes of organizing. In particular, I mobilize Follett’s view of conflicts as emerging differences in the world and frictions as constructive conflicts with the potential to generate something new in order to introduce and conceptualize ‘performative power’, that is, the power emerging from relating and integrating differences in organizational situations that are experienced as frictions by people involved. Drawing on my ethnographic study of an entrepreneurship accelerator – a training programme for innovators and start-up projects – I discuss and illustrate empirically how performative power is generated from frictions that arise in ordinary lived experiences. This conceptualization of performative power is an attempt to develop a processual and performative understanding of power, and a useful lens to conduct process research. Making a connection between performative power and the experience of frictions provides a new way to see, talk and study power processually in contemporary organizations.
Student-to-Student Interactions in Marketing Education: A Critical Incident Technique-Based Inquiry Into Drivers of Students’ (Dis)Satisfaction
Authors: Gnusowski Marek , Schoefer Klaus
Published: June 2021

Business schools are increasingly concerned about retaining and recruiting new students. We examine interactions among marketing students to consider their consequences on student satisfaction. This article’s objective is to determine the drivers of satisfactory and dissatisfactory student-to-student interactions by employing a critical incident technique. In doing so, this study identifies three groups (group assignments, peer relations, and outcomes) and 11 categories of satisfiers and dissatisfiers. The study’s findings advance the understanding of the impact of students-to-student interactions on student satisfaction and illustrate the importance of the management of these interactions in the context of marketing education.
Municipal Statecraft For The Smart City: Retooling The Smart Entrepreneurial City?
Authors: McGuirk Pauline , Dowling Robyn , Chatterjee Pratichi
Published: June 2021

Urban scholarship has begun to trouble the neat alignment of smart city governance with urban entrepreneurialism. Starting from the proposition that states remain central in smart city governance and that unfolding the smart city involves crafting new performances of the state, this paper revisits evolving theorisations of urban governance through the lens of urban entrepreneurialism to examine how municipal state roles and practices are being refashioned and reoriented. Utilising empirical research on smart city governance across Australia's two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, we identify and tease out the active roles and the constitutive and experimental practices of entrepreneurial municipal statecraft involved in smart city governance. We frame these as ‘extrospective’ or ‘beyond-the-state’ in which new forms of partnerships are forged, and ‘introspective’ in which the dispositions, capabilities and competences of the municipal state itself are reformed. The paper enriches entrepreneurial accounts of smart cities and the situated and contextually-articulated agenda pursued in the name of governing ‘the smart city’. It highlights plural municipal state agenda and the reworking of practices and performances of the municipal state that these entail. It remains imperative, the paper concludes, to attend critically to the ways that smart co-constitutes the state in unpredictable ways.
Women’s Czech Folk Costume: Negotiating Ambivalence and White Ethnicity in the Midwest
Authors: French Erin , Reddy-Best Kelly L.
Published: June 2021

Folk costume is traditionally worn to represent and preserve ethnic heritage. Large numbers of Czechs emigrated to America from the 1870s to 1920s, but eventually, a generation was born that had little contact with their immigrant ancestors. The purpose of our research was to examine what role folk costume plays in the negotiation of Czech ethnic identity and how meaning is constructed and communicated through Czech folk costumes for modern-day wearers. We conducted 11 indepth, semi-structured interviews with descendants of Czech immigrants in a previously unexplored Czech population of the Midwest. We identified four major themes: feelings of connectedness; sense of pride and joy; importance of perceived authenticity; and variation, nuance, and meaning of costume construction and style. Through our work, we contribute to the preservation and documentation of modern-day Czech traditions, ongoing discussions surrounding defining cultural traditions, and business practices of retailers.
Kinematics of a planar slider-crank linkage in screw form
Authors: Zhao Jing-Shan , Wei Songtao , Ji Junjie
Published: June 2021

This paper investigates the forward and inverse kinematics in screw coordinates for a planar slider-crank linkage. According to the definition of a screw, both the angular velocity of a rigid body and the linear velocity of a point on it are expressed in screw components. Through numerical integration on the velocity solution, we get the displacement. Through numerical differential interpolation of velocity, we gain the acceleration of any joint. Traditionally, position and angular parameters are usually the only variables for establishing the displacement equations of a mechanism. For a series mechanism, the forward kinematics can be expressed explicitly in the variable of position parameters while the inverse kinematics will have to resort to numerical algorithms because of the multiplicity of solution. For a parallel mechanism, the inverse kinematics can be expressed explicitly in the variable of position parameters of the end effector while the forward kinematics will have to resort to numerical algorithms because of the nonlinearity of system. Therefore this will surely lead to second order numerical differential interpolation for the calculation of accelerations. The most prominent merit of this kinematic algorithm is that we only need the first order numerical differential interpolation for computing the acceleration. To calculate the displacement, we also only need the first order numerical integral of the velocity. This benefit stems from the screw the coordinates of which are velocity components. The example of planar four-bar and five-bar slider-crank linkages validate this algorithm. It is especially suited to developing numerical algorithms for forward and inverse velocity, displacement and acceleration of a linkage.
Investigation of suction flow characteristic in the inertance hydraulic converters for efficiency improvement
Authors: Chen Xiaoming , Zhu Yuchuan , Wiens Travis , Bitner Doug , Tai Minghao , Jiang Yulei
Published: June 2021

The inertance hydraulic converter relies on fluid inertance to modulate flow or pressure and is considered to be a competitive alternative to the conventional proportional hydraulic system due to its potential advantage in efficiency. As the quantification of fluid inertance, the suction flow characteristic is the crucial performance indicator for efficiency improvement. To explore the discrepancy between the passive inertance hydraulic converter featured by the check valve and the active inertance hydraulic converter driven by an equivalent 2/3 way fast switching valve in regard to suction flow characteristics, analytical models of the inertance hydraulic converters were established in MATLAB/Simulink. The validated models of the respective suction components were incorporated in the overall analytical models and their suction flow characteristics were theoretically and experimentally discussed. The analytical predictions and experimental measurements for the current configurations indicated that the active inertance hydraulic converter yields a larger transient suction flow rate than that of the passive inertance hydraulic converter due to the difference of the respective suction components. The suction flow characteristic can be modulated using the supply pressure and duty cycle, which was confirmed by experimental measurements. In addition, the suction flow characteristics are heavily affected by the resistance of the suction flow passage and switching frequency. There is a compromise between the resistance and switching frequency for inertance hydraulic converters to achieve large suction flow rate.
Mid- to late-Holocene sea-level evolution of the northeastern Aegean sea
Authors: Seeliger Martin , Pint Anna , Frenzel Peter , Marriner Nick , Spada Giorgio , Vacchi Matteo , Başaran Sait , Dan Anca , Seeger Friederike , Seeger Katharina , Schmidts Thomas , Brückner Helmut
Published: June 2021

We combined biostratigraphical analyses, archaeological surveys, and Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) models to provide new insights into the relative sea-level evolution in the northeastern Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean). In this area, characterized by a very complex tectonic pattern, we produced a new typology of sea-level index point, based on the foraminiferal associations found in transgressive marine facies. Our results agree with the sea-level history previously produced in this region, therefore confirming the validity of this new type of index point. The expanded dataset presented in this paper further demonstrates a continuous Holocene RSL rise in this portion of the Aegean Sea. Comparing the new RSL record with the available geophysical predictions of sea-level evolution indicates that the crustal subsidence of the Samothraki Plateau and the North Aegean Trough played a major role in controlling millennial-scale sea-level evolution in the area. This major subsidence rate needs to be taken into account in the preparation of local future scenarios of sea-level rise in the coming decades.
Corporate Governance Practices and Firm Performance in Emerging Markets: Empirical Insights from India and Gulf Countries
Authors: Al-ahdal Waleed M. , Almaqtari Faozi A. , Tabash Mosab I. , Hashed Abdulwahid Abdullah , Yahya Ali T.
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this article is to analyse the impact of corporate governance practices on the performance of listed firms from countries like India and the Gulf countries. This research study relies on secondary data collected from annual reports of 100 companies covering 8 years, from 2010 to 2017, using manual content analysis. Fifty non-financial listed companies from each emerging market were selected; the selection is based on the market capitalization. Findings from countries’ dummy indicate that Indian companies perform better in corporate governance practices than Gulf countries. Moreover, corporate governance practices negatively impact Indian and Gulf countries’ firms’ performance measured by return on assets (ROA), except for governance effectiveness (GE) that has a positive impact. In contrast, corporate governance measured by board structure (BS) is negatively affected by the performance of Indian and Gulf countries’ listed companies measured by Tobin’s Q (TQ), whereas transparency and disclosure (TD), leverage (LEV) and GE have a positive impact. The results have implications for managers and policyholders to understand the corporate governance practices and their relationships with performance. Based on the best knowledge of the authors, this is one of the first studies that addresses the comparison between India and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Risk Assessment in Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Uterine Corpus: Report of a Case and Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Ardighieri Laura , Palicelli Andrea , Ferrari Federico , Ragnoli Monica , Ghini Iacopo , Bugatti Mattia , Bercich Luisa , Sartori Enrico , Odicino Franco E.
Published: June 2021

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is an uncommon fibroblastic tumor occurring preferentially in the pleura, with a variable clinical course. SFT can arise also in numerous extrathoracic sites and very rarely in the female genital tract, with only scarce reports of uterine SFT. We reported a new uterine SFT arising in a 45-year-old woman, and we performed a systematic review of SFT cases of the uterine corpus interrogating the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. We identified only 13 patients diagnosed with SFT of the uterine corpus, including our one. Complete clinical workout at disease presentation showed no evidence of extrauterine spread in all cases, except for 1 patient who presented with metastatic disease. Tumor recurrences/metastases occurred in a minority of the patients and were poorly related to clinicopathological risk factors and patients stratification based on different scoring systems. Since the long-term clinical behavior of uterine SFT is limited and poorly predictable, extended follow-up is recommended also for all cases arising in the uterine corpus.
Granulomatous Lymphocytic Interstitial Lung Disease in a Spectrum of Pediatric Primary Immunodeficiencies
Authors: Szczawinska-Poplonyk Aleksandra , Jonczyk-Potoczna Katarzyna , Mikos Marcin , Ossowska Lidia , Langfort Renata
Published: June 2021

Background

Granulomatous lymphocytic interstitial lung disease (GLILD) has been increasingly recognized in children affected with primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs). In this study, we aimed to better characterize the spectrum of pediatric PIDs coexisting with GLILD including clinical and immunological predictors, thoracic imaging findings, and histopathologic features.

Methods

We respectively reviewed records of six representative cases of children, three of them affected with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) and three with syndromic immunodeficiencies, in whom a diagnosis of GLILD was established based on clinical, radiological, and histopathologic findings. Clinical and immunological predictors for GLILD were also analyzed in the patients studied.

Results

All the children with GLILD had a history of autoimmune phenomena, organ-specific immunopathology, and immune dysregulation. Defective B-cell maturation and deficiency of memory B cells were found in all the children with GLILD. The radiological and histopathological features consistent with the diagnosis of GLILD, granulomatous disease, and lymphoid hyperplasia, were accompanied by chronic airway disease with bronchiectasis in children with CVID and syndromic PIDs.

Conclusions

Our study shows that both CVID and syndromic PIDs may be complicated with GLILD. Further studies are required to understand the predictive value of coexisting autoimmunity and immune dysregulation in the recognition of GLILD in children with PIDs.
Capturing the Impacts of Archaeology for Development: Opportunities and Challenges in Evaluating the Sustainable Preservation Initiative in Peru
Authors: Dupeyron Agathe
Published: June 2021

Archaeology and heritage projects can have profound social, economic, environmental and cultural impacts on the development of communities. Yet, their impacts are rarely articulated or measured in development terms, to the detriment of their accountability, sustainability and replicability.

This article explores the potential for a more systematic evaluation of these impacts through the case study of the Sustainable Preservation Initiative (SPI) and their evaluation strategies in Peru. Informed by an evaluability assessment framework, this study highlights the practical challenges in evaluating small-scale projects in the Global South and the scope for overcoming them, appraising how SPI’s contribution to local development can be measured in practice. Development evaluation methods are measured against the practical concerns expressed by project staff and participants.

The article reflects on the importance of evaluating the wide-ranging development impacts of archaeology and heritage projects and concludes with practical suggestions for documenting these multifaceted impacts and for further comparative research.
How emissions from cruise ships in the port of Naples changed in the COVID-19 lock down period
Authors: Mocerino Luigia , Quaranta Franco
Published: June 2021

The scope of this work is to try to quantify the reduction of emissions due to COVID-19; an analysis covering the entire port of Naples will be presented. The explosion of the global pandemic from SARS-CoV-2 led to the adoption of local and global countermeasures aimed at containing contagions. The transportation sector, and in particular the passenger moving sector, was deeply affected; this almost total block of movements between regions and countries if, on the one hand, seriously slowed the economy, on the other, it drastically reduced the emissions on a global and local scale. In this work, the case study of the cruise ships berthed at the Maritime Station (Stazione Marittima) in the port of Naples is examined. The traffic of cruise ships during the lockdown and in the immediately following months was analysed and compared first with respect to the calendars scheduled for the same period and then with respect to the same months of 2019. The reduction in number of cruise ships and passengers were analysed and compared to the previous trends. The vessels collected, for 2019 and 2020 (both those that arrived and those that suffered the effects of the movement block) were subsequently characterized in terms of power and speed. Finally, an estimate of the emissions of NOX, SOX, CO2 produced and saved was carried out. The 2020 results will be compared with the hypothetical emissions that would have occurred in the absence of the lockdown and with those of the same period of the previous year.
An identity transformation leads to an inner construction
Authors: Lachance Josée , Desbiens Jean-François
Published: June 2021

This article presents research conducted with six French physicians who have been trained in complementary and alternative medicines. The perceived effects of this body-mind training, (i.e. ‘Awakening the Sensible Being’), are addressed in the thesis being posited. These ‘Awakening the Sensible Being’ practices help develop a quality of presence to self and to others, which are desirable qualities for health care professionals. An investigation was conducted using two types of interviews: comprehensive and explicitation. The two paths of analysis are introduced, as well as the results achieved, which are linked to the personal sphere of the participants. The participants reported having experienced some identity transformations which led them to place more emphasis on their inner rather than their external reference points. They also reported feeling more centred and healthier.
Development of a Bioartificial Vascular Pancreas
Authors: Han Edward X , Wang Juan , Kural Mehmet , Jiang Bo , Leiby Katherine L , Chowdhury Nazar , Tellides George , Kibbey Richard G , Lawson Jeffrey H , Niklason Laura E
Published: June 2021

Transplantation of pancreatic islets has been shown to be effective, in some patients, for the long-term treatment of type 1 diabetes. However, transplantation of islets into either the portal vein or the subcutaneous space can be limited by insufficient oxygen transfer, leading to islet loss. Furthermore, oxygen diffusion limitations can be magnified when islet numbers are increased dramatically, as in translating from rodent studies to human-scale treatments. To address these limitations, an islet transplantation approach using an acellular vascular graft as a vascular scaffold has been developed, termed the BioVascular Pancreas (BVP). To create the BVP, islets are seeded as an outer coating on the surface of an acellular vascular graft, using fibrin as a hydrogel carrier. The BVP can then be anastomosed as an arterial (or arteriovenous) graft, which allows fully oxygenated arterial blood with a pO2 of roughly 100 mmHg to flow through the graft lumen and thereby supply oxygen to the islets. In silico simulations and in vitro bioreactor experiments show that the BVP design provides adequate survivability for islets and helps avoid islet hypoxia. When implanted as end-to-end abdominal aorta grafts in nude rats, BVPs were able to restore near-normoglycemia durably for 90 days and developed robust microvascular infiltration from the host. Furthermore, pilot implantations in pigs were performed, which demonstrated the scalability of the technology. Given the potential benefits provided by the BVP, this tissue design may eventually serve as a solution for transplantation of pancreatic islets to treat or cure type 1 diabetes.
“Someone wants to connect with you”: Predicting Uruguayan kids’ replies to online friendship requests
Authors: Dodel Matías , Menese Pablo , Trajtenberg Nicolás
Published: June 2021

Childhood and adolescence are critical periods for human development, involving an inherent tension between children’s development and autonomy and their safety and well-being. The digital mediation of children’s increasingly autonomous participation in the social world has been one of the most heated issues for parents and policy maker, generally guided more by intuitions and moral panics than actual evidence on children’s online behavior. Based on a representative sample of all Uruguayan kids between 9 and 17 years old (Kids Online Uruguay, N = 948), this article contributes to the understanding of contact-related online behavior by studying how children react to online friendship requests. Ordinal logistic models were fitted to study the factors predicting different responses to friendship requests based on the strength of the ties between the child and the friendship requester. Our model integrates predictors deriving from three sets of literatures. We found that differences in responses to friendship requests are significantly impacted by predictors deriving from computer mediated communications, self-efficacy and digital inequalities studies. Contrary to popular beliefs, most Uruguayan children report only accepting requests if they previously know the requester. Nonetheless, older and more digitally skilled children have particularly higher chances to accept requests from individuals with weaker or non-preexistent ties; but also, boys, children having preexistent episodes of offline risky behaviors and problems related to an excessive use of the Internet. Policy implications are discussed based on simulations of the chances of different types of responses, focusing on the need to contemplate both the risk and benefits involved in different types of digital social interactions according to children’s diverse developmental stages.
Mercury poisoning of a 4-year-old child by indirect contact to a mercury-containing facial cream: A case report
Authors: Rakete Stefan , Asenbauer Elisabeth , Böhm Susann , Leiz Steffen , Peters Jochen , Nowak Dennis , Bose-O’Reilly Stephan
Published: June 2021

We report the severe mercury poisoning of a 4-year-old child by a so far unknown route of exposure, namely, by skin-to-skin contact. The child was admitted to the hospital with episodic pain in his extremities, tachycardia, hypertension, increased sweating, behavioral changes and weight loss. Extensive examinations eventually revealed an acute mercury poisoning. The initial mercury levels were 19 µg/L in urine (reference level 0.4 µg/L) and 37 µg/L in blood (reference level 0.8 µg/L). A facial cream bought online, containing approximately 18% mercury, was identified as the primary source of intoxication. The symptoms improved after disposal of the cream and chelation therapy. Further analyses, home visits and interviews suggested that the child was accidently intoxicated by skin-to-skin contact with the mother, although other routes of exposure such as dust ingestion and surface-to-skin contact cannot be excluded. The mercury levels in urine and blood samples of the child and other family members as well as in domestic dust samples decreased considerably over time.
Type and dose of gonadotropins in poor ovarian responders: does it matter?
Authors: Boudry Liese , Racca Annalisa , Tournaye Herman , Blockeel Christophe
Published: June 2021

Infertile patients with a diminished ovarian reserve, also referred to as poor ovarian responders, constitute a substantial and increasing population of patients undergoing in vitro fertilization. The management of patients with poor ovarian response is still a controversial issue. Almost a century has passed since the introduction of the first gonadotropin. A broad collection of urinary and recombinant gonadotropins, including biosimilars, is commercially available now. Despite great advances in assisted reproductive technology, there remains uncertainty about the optimal treatment regimen for ovarian stimulation in poor ovarian responders. Although oocyte donation is the most successful and ultimate remedy for poor ovarian responders, most patients persist on using their own oocytes in several attempts, to achieve the desired pregnancy. The aim of this review is twofold: first, to provide an overview of the commercially available gonadotropins and summarize the available evidence supporting the use of one or another for ovarian stimulation in poor ovarian responders, and second, to address the controversies on the dosage of gonadotropins for this specific in vitro fertilization population.
Quality of life measurement in community-based aged care – understanding variation between clients and between care service providers
Authors: Siette Joyce , Jorgensen Mikaela L. , Georgiou Andrew , Dodds Laura , McClean Tom , Westbrook Johanna I.
Published: June 2021

Background

Measuring person-centred outcomes and using this information to improve service delivery is a challenge for many care providers. We aimed to identify predictors of QoL among older adults receiving community-based aged care services and examine variation across different community care service outlets.

Methods

A retrospective sample of 1141 Australians aged ≥60 years receiving community-based care services from a large service provider within 19 service outlets. Clients’ QoL was captured using the ICEpop CAPability Index. QoL scores and predictors of QoL (i.e. sociodemographic, social participation and service use) were extracted from clients’ electronic records and examined using multivariable regression. Funnel plots were used to examine variation in risk-adjusted QoL scores across service outlets.

Results

Mean age was 81.5 years (SD = 8) and 75.5% were women. Clients had a mean QoL score of 0.81 (range 0–1, SD = 0.15). After accounting for other factors, being older (p < 0.01), having lower-level care needs (p < 0.01), receiving services which met needs for assistance with activities of daily living (p < 0.01), and having higher levels of social participation (p < 0.001) were associated with higher QoL scores. Of the 19 service outlets, 21% (n = 4) had lower mean risk-adjusted QoL scores than expected (< 95% control limits) and 16% (n = 3) had higher mean scores than expected.

Conclusion

Using QoL as an indicator to compare care quality may be feasible, with appropriate risk adjustment. Implementing QoL tools allows providers to measure and monitor their performance and service outcomes, as well as identify clients with poor quality of life who may need extra support.

Trial registration

Australian and New Zealand clinical trial registry number: ACTRN12617001212347. Registered 18/08/2017.
Why don’t illiterate women in rural, Northern Tanzania, access maternal healthcare?
Authors: Matovelo Dismas , Ndaki Pendo , Yohani Victoria , Laisser Rose , Bakalemwa Respicious , Ndaboine Edgar , Masatu Zabron , Mwaikambo Magdalena , Brenner Jennifer L. , Wilson Warren M.
Published: June 2021

Background

In 2017, roughly 540 women in Sub-Saharan Africa died every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. To stem this public-health crisis, the WHO recommends a standard continuity of maternal healthcare, yet most women do not receive this care. Surveys suggest that illiteracy limits the uptake of the recommended care, yet little is understood about why this is so. This gap in understanding why healthcare is not sought by illiterate women compromises the ability of public health experts and healthcare providers to provide culturally relevant policy and practice. This study consequently explores the lived experiences related to care-seeking by illiterate women of reproductive age in rural Tanzania to determine why they may not access maternal healthcare services.

Methods

An exploratory, qualitative study was conducted in four communities encompassing eight focus group discussions with 81 illiterate women, 13 in-depth interviews with illiterate women and seven key-informant interviews with members of these communities who have first-hand experience with the decisions made by women concerning maternal care. Interviews were conducted in the informant’s native language. The interviews were coded, then triangulated.

Results

Two themes emerged from the analysis: 1) a communication gap arising from a) the women’s inability to read public-health documents provided by health facilities, and b) healthcare providers speaking a language, Swahili, that these women do not understand, and 2) a dependency by these women on family and neighbors to negotiate these barriers. Notably, these women understood of the potential benefits of maternal healthcare.

Conclusions

These women knew they should receive maternal healthcare but could neither read the public-health messaging provided by the clinics nor understand the language of the healthcare providers. More health needs of this group could be met by developing a protocol for healthcare providers to determine who is illiterate, providing translation services for those unable to speak Swahili, and graphic public health messaging that does not require literacy. A failure to address the needs of this at-risk group will likely mean that they will continue to experience barriers to obtaining maternal care with detrimental health outcomes for both mothers and newborns.
Effect of cachexia on bone turnover in cancer patients: a case-control study
Authors: Zwickl Hannes , Zwickl-Traxler Elisabeth , Haushofer Alexander , Seier Josef , Podar Klaus , Weber Michael , Hackner Klaus , Jacobi Nico , Pecherstorfer Martin , Vallet Sonia
Published: June 2021

Background

Increased bone turnover is frequently observed in advanced cancer and predominantly related to bone metastases or therapy. Cachexia represents an important cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Key features are weight loss, muscle wasting and chronic inflammation, which induce profound metabolic changes in several organs, including the bone. However, whether cachexia contributes to abnormal bone metabolism in cancer patients is unknown. Aim of the present study was to determine the potential correlation of bone turnover markers with body composition and laboratory parameters in treatment-naïve cancer patients.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study we measured the levels of carboxy terminal telopeptide of collagen (CTX), an indicator of bone resorption, as well as osteocalcin (Ocn) and procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (PINP), indicators of bone formation, in 52 cancer patients and correlated with body composition and laboratory parameters. Univariate and multivariate logistic analysis were performed to identify determinants of negative bone remodeling balance, estimated by CTX/Ocn and CTX/PINP ratio.

Results

Based on weight loss, body mass index and muscle mass, patients were divided into a cachectic (59.6%) and a control (40.4%) group. After correcting for the presence of bone metastases, our results showed a significant upregulation of CTX in cachectic patients compared to non-cachectic cancer patients (median 0.38 vs 0.27 ng/mL, p < 0.05), with no difference in Ocn and PINP levels (mean 14 vs. 16 ng/ml, p = 0.2 and median 32 vs. 26 μg/L, p = 0.5, respectively). In addition, the CTX/Ocn and the CTX/PINP ratio were indicative of bone resorption in 68% and 60% of cachexia patients, respectively (vs. 20% and 31% in the control group, p = 0.002 and p = 0.06). The main determinants of the unbalanced bone turnover were hypoalbuminemia for the CTX/Ocn ratio (OR 19.8, p < 0.01) and high CRP for the CTX/PINP ratio (OR 5.3, p < 0.01) in the multivariate regression analysis.

Conclusions

CTX is substantially higher in cachectic patients compared to non-cachectic oncological patients and hypoalbuminemia as well as elevated CRP concentrations are independent predictors of a negative bone remodeling balance in cancer patients. These results strongly indicate that cachexia correlates with exacerbated bone turnover in cancer.
Identification of a novel heterozygous SPTB mutation by whole genome sequencing in a Chinese patient with hereditary spherocytosis and atrial septal defect: a case report
Authors: Du Zhanhui , Luo Gang , Wang Kuiliang , Bing Zhen , Pan Silin
Published: June 2021

Background

Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is a common inherited red blood cell membrane disorder characterized by an abnormal increase of spherocytes in peripheral blood. SPTB gene mutation is one of the most common causes of HS; however, few cases of HS resulting from SPTB mutation in the Chinese population have been reported so far.

Case presentation

A 3-year-old Chinese girl presented to Qingdao Women and Children’s Hospital, Qingdao University, with atrial septal defect (ASD). Meanwhile, she was clinically diagnosed with HS. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed for the proband and her parents for genetic molecular analysis. A novel SPTB mutation (c.1756delG) was detected by WGS and confirmed by Sanger sequencing in the proband. This mutation results in a frameshift with a premature termination codon in exon 12, leading to a nonsense mutation (p.Ala586Profs*7). Her parents had no similar symptoms, and blood routine and serum biochemical tests showed no significant abnormalities. The patient’s mother did not know of any relatives with HS-like symptoms. Percutaneous transcatheter closure was successfully performed for treating the ASD.

Conclusion

In this study, we identified a novel SPTB frameshift mutation in a Chinese girl with HS. This finding would expand the spectrum of SPTB mutations, provide a valuable insight into the genotyping of HS in the Chinese population, and contribute to the clinical management and genetic counseling in HS.
Assessing the perceived changes in neighborhood physical and social environments and how they are associated with Chinese internal migrants’ mental health
Authors: Yang Min , Hagenauer Julian , Dijst Martin , Helbich Marco
Published: June 2021

Background

Migrants experience substantial changes in their neighborhood physical and social environments along their migration journeys, but little is known about how perceived changes in their neighborhood environment pre- and post-migration correlate with their mental health. Our aim was to examine the associations between recalled changes in the perceived neighborhood physical and social environments and migrants’ mental health in the host city.

Methods

We used cross-sectional data on 591 migrants in Shenzhen, China. We assessed their risk of mental illness using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Neighborhood perceptions were collected retrospectively pre- and post-migration. We used random forests to analyze possibly non-linear associations between GHQ scores and changes in the neighborhood environment, variable importance, and for exploratory analysis of variable interactions.

Results

Perceived changes in neighborhood aesthetics, safety, and green space were non-linearly associated with migrants’ mental health: A decline in these characteristics was associated with poor mental health, while improvements in them were unrelated to mental health benefits. Variable importance showed that change in safety was the most influential neighborhood characteristic, although individual-level characteristics—such as self-reported physical health, personal income, and hukou (i.e., the Chinese household registration system)—appeared to be more important to explain GHQ scores and also strongly interacted with other variables. For physical health, we found different associations between changes in the neighborhood provoked by migration and mental health.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that perceived degradations in the physical environment are related to poorer post-migration mental health. In addition, it seems that perceived changes in the neighborhood environment play a minor role compared to individual-level characteristics, in particular migrants’ physical health condition. Replication of our findings in longitudinal settings is needed to exclude reverse causality.
Clinical research: low-level laser therapy in accelerating orthodontic tooth movement
Authors: Zheng Junyi , Yang Kai
Published: June 2021

Background

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on orthodontic tooth movement and its correlation with the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF).

Methods

This split-mouth design study included 12 patients scheduled for the extraction of both upper first premolars. Patients were randomly selected for experimental group that received left- or right-side radiation with a diode laser (810 nm wavelength, 100 mW power output, 6.29 J/cm2 energy density). Laser treatment was applied on days 0, 7, 14, and 21, after loading the canine retraction forces. GCF concentrations of IL-1β, RANKL, and OPG were analyzed. The upper arch of each patient was scanned with an intraoral scanner to assess tooth movement.

Results

The cumulative tooth movement over 28 days was significantly higher in the laser group than in the control group. We observed significant reductions in OPG levels and increases in IL-1β and RANKL levels in GCF samples on the experimental sides.

Conclusion

With the parameter settings used in this study, LLLT could, to some extent, lead to changes in bone metabolism, which could accelerate orthodontic tooth movement.

Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000039594. Registered 2 November 2020—Retrospectively registered, www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=62465&htm=4.