bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Increased perceived stress is negatively associated with activities of daily living and subjective quality of life in younger, middle, and older autistic adults
Authors: McQuaid Goldie A. , Weiss Colin H. , Said Alex Job , Pelphrey Kevin A. , Lee Nancy Raitano , Wallace Gregory L.
Published: July 2022

Few studies have examined self‐reported perceived stress in autistic adults. Existing studies have included relatively small, predominantly male samples and have not included older autistic adults. Using a large autistic sample (N = 713), enriched for individuals designated female at birth (59.3%), and spanning younger, middle, and older adulthood, we examined perceived stress and its associations with independence in activities of daily living and subjective quality of life (QoL). Perceived stress for autistic adults designated male or female at birth was compared to their same birth‐sex counterparts in a general population sample. In addition, within the autistic sample, effects of sex designated at birth, age, and their interaction were examined. Regression modeling examined associations between perceived stress and independence in activities of daily living and domains of subjective QoL in autistic adults, after controlling for age, sex designated at birth, and household income. Autistic adults reported significantly greater perceived stress than a general population comparison sample. Relative to autistic adults designated male at birth, those designated female at birth demonstrated significantly elevated perceived stress. Perceived stress contributed significantly to all regression models, with greater perceived stress associated with less independence in activities of daily living, and poorer subjective QoL across all domains—Physical, Psychological, Social, Environment, and Autism‐related QoL. Findings are contextualized within the literature documenting that autistic individuals experience elevated underemployment and unemployment, heightened rates of adverse life events, and increased exposure to minority stress.

Lay Summary

This study looked at self‐reported perceived stress in a large sample of autistic adults. Autistic adults reported more perceived stress than non‐autistic adults. Autistic individuals designated female at birth reported higher stress than autistic individuals designated male at birth. In autistic adults, greater perceived stress is related to less independence in activities of daily living and poorer subjective quality of life.
New strategies and therapies for the prevention of heart failure in high‐risk patients
Authors: Hammond Michael M. , Everitt Ian K. , Khan Sadiya S.
Published: July 2022

Despite declines in total cardiovascular mortality rates in the United States, heart failure (HF) mortality rates as well as hospitalizations and readmissions have increased in the past decade. Increases have been relatively higher among young and middle‐aged adults (<65 years). Therefore, identification of individuals HF at‐risk (Stage A) or with pre‐HF (Stage B) before the onset of overt clinical signs and symptoms (Stage C) is urgently needed. Multivariate risk models (e.g., Pooled Cohort Equations to Prevent Heart Failure [PCP‐HF]) have been externally validated in diverse populations and endorsed by the 2022 HF Guidelines to apply a risk‐based framework for the prevention of HF. However, traditional risk factors included in the PCP‐HF model only account for half of an individual's lifetime risk of HF; novel risk factors (e.g., adverse pregnancy outcomes, impaired lung health, COVID‐19) are emerging as important risk‐enhancing factors that need to be accounted for in personalized approaches to prevention. In addition to determining the role of novel risk‐enhancing factors, integration of social determinants of health (SDoH) in identifying and addressing HF risk is needed to transform the current clinical paradigm for the prevention of HF. Comprehensive strategies to prevent the progression of HF must incorporate pharmacotherapies (e.g., sodium glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors that have also been termed the “statins” of HF prevention), intensive blood pressure lowering, and heart‐healthy behaviors. Future directions include investigation of novel prediction models leveraging machine learning, integration of risk‐enhancing factors and SDoH, and equitable approaches to interventions for risk‐based prevention of HF.
Improving implementation of evidence‐based therapies for heart failure
Authors: DeVore Adam D. , Bosworth Hayden B. , Granger Bradi B.
Published: July 2022

Treatment options for patients with heart failure have improved rapidly over the last few decades. Data from large scale clinical trials demonstrate that medical and device therapies can improve quality of life, reduce hospitalizations for acute heart failure, and reduce mortality. However, the use of many of these therapies in routine practice is remarkably low. There are many reasons for suboptimal implementation of evidence‐based therapies for heart failure, and we believe addressing the large gap between what can be accomplished in clinical trials versus routine practice is a critical and urgent public health issue. In this review, we outline reasons for this implementation gap and review recent studies attempting to address this issue. We also provide recommendations for future interventions and areas of clinical investigation to improve implementation for patients with heart failure.
Breakthroughs in the treatment of heart failure with mildly reduced and preserved ejection fraction
Authors: Talha Khawaja M. , Butler Javed
Published: July 2022

Historically, only patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of less than or equal to 40% were considered to have heart failure (HF). However, it was later found that patients could have elevated cardiac filling pressures and the stigmata of HF signs and symptoms with normal LVEF. This subset of patients has undergone multiple taxonomical variations and is now termed heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) with the lower limit of LVEF assigned as roughly ≥40%–50% in clinical trials and ≥50% in HF guidelines. Patients with LVEF 41%–49% did not clearly fit these designations but bear resemblance to both heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and HFpEF. This cohort was initially assigned the term HFpEF (borderline), which has also undergone several modifications and is currently termed heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF). Earlier landmark HF trials were heavily focused on patients with HFrEF. Only in the last 2 decades has there been an increasing focus on HFpEF with emergence of key drug therapies including sodium‐glucose cotransport‐2 inhibitors that have shown to improve outcomes across the whole LVEF spectrum. There is yet to be a focused clinical trial to determine therapeutic modalities for HFmrEF; most of the evidence has been extrapolated from subgroup analysis mostly from HFpEF trials. In this review, we provide an overview of the historical basis of HFpEF and HFmrEF and discuss key therapeutic advances in their management.
Risk assessment in COVID‐19: Prognostic importance of cardiovascular parameters
Authors: Zdanyte Monika , Martus Peter , Nestele Jeremy , Bild Alexander , Mizera Lars , Glatthaar Andreas , Petersen Uribe Álvaro , Emschermann Frederic , Henes Jessica‐Kristin , Geisler Tobias , Müller Karin , Gawaz Meinrad , Rath Dominik
Published: July 2022

Background

Cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities are highly prevalent among COVID‐19 patients and are associated with worse outcomes.

Hypothesis

We therefore investigated if established cardiovascular risk assessment models could efficiently predict adverse outcomes in COVID‐19. Furthermore, we aimed to generate novel risk scores including various cardiovascular parameters for prediction of short‐ and midterm outcomes in COVID‐19.

Methods

We included 441 consecutive patients diagnosed with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Patients were followed‐up for 30 days after the hospital admission for all‐cause mortality (ACM), venous/arterial thromboembolism, and mechanical ventilation. We further followed up the patients for post‐COVID‐19 syndrome for 6 months and occurrence of myocarditis, heart failure, acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and rhythm events in a 12‐month follow‐up. Discrimination performance of DAPT, GRACE 2.0, PARIS‐CTE, PREDICT‐STABLE, CHA2‐DS2‐VASc, HAS‐BLED, PARIS‐MB, PRECISE‐DAPT scores for selected endpoints was evaluated by ROC‐analysis.

Results

Out of established risk assessment models, GRACE 2.0 score performed best in predicting combined endpoint and ACM. Risk assessment models including age, cardiovascular risk factors, echocardiographic parameters, and biomarkers, were generated and could successfully predict the combined endpoint, ACM, venous/arterial thromboembolism, need for mechanical ventilation, myocarditis, ACS, heart failure, and rhythm events. Prediction of post‐COVID‐19 syndrome was poor.

Conclusion

Risk assessment models including age, laboratory parameters, cardiovascular risk factors, and echocardiographic parameters showed good discrimination performance for adverse short‐ and midterm outcomes in COVID‐19 and outweighed discrimination performance of established cardiovascular risk assessment models.
A pilot study: Comparison of TRPS1 and GATA3 immunoperoxidase staining using cytologic smears in entities reportedly positive for GATA3
Authors: Rohra Prih , Ding Cady , Yoon Esther C. , Gan Qiong
Published: July 2022

Background

Metastatic breast carcinoma (mBC) is frequently encountered and may be challenging to diagnose as the tumor cells can morphologically resemble carcinomas of other primary origins. An additional challenge is that direct smears are often the only sample type available for immunostaining studies in cytology. Trichorhinophalangeal syndrome GATA‐binding type 1 1 (TRPS1) is a highly sensitive marker for BC compared to the commonly used marker GATA3, especially in triple‐negative BC (TNBC), in histologic samples. However, its sensitivity and specificity in mBC and other GATA3‐positive tumors have not been studied.

Methods

The authors identified the following cytology cases: 37 GATA3‐positive mBC cases and 19 available cases that were deemed mBC but were GATA3‐negative during the original case workup and five cases of each of eight epithelioid entities known to have high rates of GATA3 positivity and commonly seen in cytology practice. Immunostainings of TRPS1 and GATA3 were performed on the chosen smears following standard protocols.

Results

TRPS1 was positive in all 37 GATA3‐positive mBC cases and in 18 of the 19 GATA3‐negative mBC cases. TRPS1 was negative in all five of the seven frequently GATA3‐positive epithelioid entities, with the exception of salivary duct carcinomas where GATA3 was positive in a rate ranging 60%–100% among them.

Conclusions

TRPS1 is as sensitive as GATA3 in GATA3‐positive mBC and is more sensitive than GATA3 in TNBC. TRPS1 is negative in most GATA3‐positive nonbreast tumors. Thus, the combination of TRPS1 and GATA3 could be used to differentiate breast primary from others in most situations.
Improving SPAD spectral estimation accuracy of rice leaves by considering the effect of leaf water content
Authors: Yu Ziyang , Zhang Xinle , Liu Huanjun , Zhang Zhongchen , Meng Linghua , Han Yu , Lu Lvping
Published: July 2022

The spectral range <1,000 nm is commonly used for estimating the chlorophyll content of plants. However, the influence of the response band of leaf water content in the Short‐Wave InfraRed on the chlorophyll estimate model is uncertain. We measured the Visible‐Near InfraRed‐Short Wave InfraRed spectral reflectance and SPAD values of rice (Oryza sativa L.) leaves at different growth stages. The vegetation indices (VIs), red edge positions (REPs), and spectral characteristic parameters (SCPs) were calculated. The correlation between the above parameters and SPAD was analyzed. The effects of chlorophyll and water content on the spectral reflectance absorption characteristics of rice leaves were analyzed by the PROSPECT model. SPAD spectral estimation models were established with different inputs using the Random Forest (RF) regression algorithm. Our results are described as follows: (a) The spectral reflectance after continuum removal of rice leaves was highly correlated with SPAD in 600–690, 720–760, 1,400–1,490, and 1,900–1,980 nm. (b) Compared with VIs and REPs, the SCPs after continuum removal including the Depth (D1) and Area (A1, A2) parameters had the highest correlation with SPAD. (c) By taking into account the influence of leaf water content (LWC), the accuracy of SPAD estimation may be enhanced. The RF SPAD estimate model with SCPs of all absorption valley as inputs performed the best. The findings reveal on the mechanism of the influence of LWC on the accuracy of chlorophyll spectra estimation. It provides technical support for estimating SPAD in rice leaves with high accuracy and for developing chlorophyll tachistoscopes.
The Nickel Age in Synthetic Dual Photocatalysis: A Bright Trip Toward Materials Science
Authors: Marchi Miriam , Gentile Giuseppe , Rosso Cristian , Melchionna Michele , Fornasiero Paolo , Filippini Giacomo , Prato Maurizio
Published: July 2022

Recently, the field of dual photocatalysis has grown rapidly, to become one of the most powerful tools for the functionalization of organic molecules under mild conditions. In particular, the merging of Earth‐abundant nickel‐based catalytic systems with visible‐light‐activated photoredox catalysts has allowed the development of a number of unique green synthetic approaches. This goes in the direction of ensuring an effective and sustainable chemical production, while safeguarding human health and environment. Importantly, this relatively new branch of catalysis has inspired an interdisciplinary stream of research that spans from inorganic and organic chemistry to materials science, thus establishing itself as one dominant trend in modern organic synthesis. This Review aims at illustrating the milestones on the timeline evolution of the photocatalytic systems used, with a critical analysis toward novel applications based on the use of photoactive two‐dimensional carbon‐based nanostructures. Lastly, forward‐looking opportunities within this intriguing research field are discussed.
Living on fire: Deactivating fire coral polyps for larval settlement and symbiosis in the fire coral‐associated barnacle Wanella milleporae (Thoracicalcarea: Wanellinae)
Authors: Yap Fook‐Choy , Høeg Jens T. , Chan Benny K. K.
Published: July 2022

Symbiosis is increasingly recognized as being an important component in marine systems, and many such relationships are initiated when free‐swimming larvae of one partner settle and become sedentary on a host partner. Therefore, several crucial questions emerge such as the larva’s mechanism of locating a host, selection of substratum and finally settlement on the surface of its future partner. Here, we investigated these mechanisms by studying how larvae of the fire coral‐associated barnacle Wanella milleporae move, settle and establish symbiosis with their host, Millepora tenera. Cyprids of W. milleporae possess a pair of specialized antennules with bell‐shaped attachment discs that enable them to explore and settle superficially on the hostile surface of the fire coral. Intriguingly, the stinging polyps of the fire coral remain in their respective pores when the cyprids explore the fire coral surface. Even when cyprids come into contact with the nematocysts on the extended stinging polyps during the exploratory phase, no immobilization effects against the cyprids were observed. The exploratory phase of Wanella cyprids can be divided into a sequence of wide searching (large step length and high walking speed), close searching (small step length and low speed) and inspection behavior, eventually resulting in permanent settlement and metamorphosis. After settlement, xenogeneic interactions occur between the fire coral and the newly metamorphosed juvenile barnacle. This involved tissue necrosis and regeneration in the fire coral host, leading to a callus ring structure around the juvenile barnacle, enhancing survival rate after settlement. The complex exploratory and settlement patterns and interactions documented here represent a breakthrough in coral reef symbiosis studies to show how invertebrates start symbiosis with fire corals.
Diet of breeding Eleonora's falconFalco eleonoraein Algeria: Insights for the autumn trans‐Mediterranean avian migration
Authors: Samraoui Boudjéma , Kayser Yves , Touati Laïd , Samraoui Farrah , Boucheker Abdennour , El‐Serehy Hamed A. , Samraoui Kenz Raouf
Published: July 2022

How environmental changes are affecting bird population dynamics is one of the most challenging conservation issues. Dietary studies of top avian predators could offer scope to monitor anthropogenic drivers of ecosystem changes. We investigated the diet of breeding Eleonora's falcon in an area of Northeastern Algeria in the years 2010–2012. Feathers and insect remains originating from prey plucking behavior were analyzed, providing insights into the seasonally changing diet of this raptor, as well as the trans‐Mediterranean avian migration. A total of 77 species of birds (16 Sylviidae, 11 Turdidae, and 4 Emberizidae), 3 species of insects, and 1 lizard were identified among prey remains, reflecting a diverse diet. Diet composition and prey abundance varied seasonally, faithfully correlating with the passage of migrant birds as recorded from bird ring recoveries. Our findings suggest that dietary studies of predators might be deployed to investigate changes in bird migration. We discuss our results in the context of trans‐Mediterranean migration, with early‐season prey mainly comprising trans‐Saharan migrants (Apus apusandMerops apiaster) and late‐season prey being dominated by Mediterranean winter migrants (Erithacus rubecula,Turdus philomelos,Sylvia atricapilla, andSturnus vulgaris). Notably, we observed a significant reduction in species richness of passerine remains in 2012, potentially highlighting a decline in the diversity of avian migrants.
Revisiting the Biden Administration's Approach to Climate Change
Authors: Vangala Shreyas , Hung Kaylene , South David
Published: July 2022

More than a year after taking office following a campaign known for their aggressive climate agenda, the Biden Administration (“Administration”) has made some progress on its campaign promises but has faced notable challenges. To date, the Administration has made strides by re‐engaging the international community through re‐joining the Paris Climate Accord, signing into law the landmark Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA), and providing widespread emphasis on environmental justice and equity issues. However, several key developments—including international conflict driving upticks in domestic oil and gas production to meet supply demand, lack of support for key legislation within the Administration's own party compounding existing partisan opposition, and key court challenges—have reinforced some of the difficulties noted upon the Administration's announcement of its key climate objectives, and continue to complicate how the Administration will advance its agenda and secure a second term to continue building upon accomplishments to date.
Harmonisierung in der Geotechnik – eine statistische Methode zur Ermittlung der repräsentativen Werte geotechnischer Kenngrößen unter Berücksichtigung von Vorinformationen
Authors: Tafur Elias , Ziegler Martin
Published: July 2022

In der überarbeiteten Fassung des Eurocodes 7 (prEN 1997‐1:2021‐11) wird der für die Bemessung anzusetzende Wert für die geotechnische Kenngröße zukünftig als repräsentativer Wert bezeichnet, der sich aus dem charakteristischen Wert oder dem Nominalwert ableiten lässt. Während der Nominalwert mit den bisherigen konventionellen Schätzmethoden festgelegt wird und damit der bisherigen Definition des charakteristischen Werts entspricht, wird der charakteristische Wert in prEN 1997‐1:2021‐11 mit statistischen Verfahren ermittelt. Dazu wird in prEN 1997‐1:2021‐11 ein statistisches Verfahren empfohlen.

Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird eine neue statistische Methode erläutert, die alle Anforderungen nach prEN 1997‐1:2021‐11 erfüllt und zudem die Möglichkeit der Berücksichtigung von Vorinformationen zulässt. Die neue Methode ist im Vergleich zum statistischen Verfahren in prEN 1997‐1:2021‐11 als robuster anzusehen, wie anhand von Anwendungsbeispielen gezeigt wird.
Isolated intraocular relapses of primary cerebral lymphomas: An LOC network study
Authors: Younan Nadia , Soussain Carole , Choquet Sylvain , Cassoux Nathalie , Touitou Valérie , Schmitt Anna , Chinot Olivier , Oberic Lucie , Damaj Gandhi , Houot Roch , Ghesquières Hervé , Laribi Kamel , Ahle Guido , Taillandier Luc , Paillassa Jérôme , Gyan Emmanuel , Jardin Fabrice , Delwail Vincent , Marolleau Jean‐Pierre , Tempescul Adrian , Agapé Philippe , Bourniquel Marie , Vacheret Fabienne , Jdid Ibrahim , Le Garff‐Tavernier Magali , Malaise Denis , Alentorn Agusti , Xuan Khê Hoang , Houillier Caroline
Published: July 2022

Most relapses of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) occur in the brain and are associated with a poor prognosis. Isolated intraocular relapses (IIORs) are rare and poorly described. We retrospectively selected from the French Lymphome Oculo‐Cérébral database PCNSL patients who initially presented with cerebral localization and who experienced IIOR during the course of the disease. Of the 1472 patients included in the database, 55 patients presented an IIOR. Their median age was 68 years, and median Karnofsky Performance Status 80. IL‐10 levels in the aqueous humor and/or in the vitreous were increased in 42/46 patients. 45/55 patients received systemic chemotherapy, and 11/55 received high‐dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (HCT‐ASCT) as consolidation treatment. After a median follow‐up of 69 months, 42/55 patients had relapsed, including 90% of the patients who did not receive HCT‐ASCT at IIOR and 40% of the patients who received HCT‐ASCT at IIOR (p < 0.001). The first relapse after the initial IIOR was exclusively in the eye in 23/42 patients, and 29/42 patients had a subsequent brain relapse during the course of the disease. The median progression‐free survival, brain‐free survival and overall survival from IIOR were 12.2, 48.6 and 57.1 months, respectively. Isolated intraocular relapse is not exceptional in the course of PCNSL and deserves systematic ophthalmological follow‐up. Its prognosis is much better than the prognosis of brain relapse, with an evolution close to that of primary vitreoretinal lymphoma. With the exception of patients who received HCT‐ASCT at IIOR, almost all patients subsequently relapsed, often with other IIORs.
Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C‐SCRM) a System Security Engineering Role in the Future of Systems Engineering
Authors: Dunlap Holly , Ortiz Catherine J.
Published: July 2022

The future of Systems Engineering will include a holistic and integrated approach to managing system security to deliver cyber resilient and secure systems. This article presents Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C‐SCRM), a System Security Engineering Role, as an overlay to the 11 Security Concepts outlined in the IS21 paper entitled Security in the Future of Systems Engineering (FuSE), a Roadmap of Foundation Concepts. C‐SCRM is the process, tools, technology, and techniques by which global supply chain cyber threats and vulnerabilities undergo evaluation, how stakeholders assess likely system mission impacts, and select mitigations to reduce the risks. C‐SCRM performs a program System Security Engineering role in relation to procurements and subcontracts throughout the entire supply chain. This important new role requires proficiencies in system security engineering, supply chain risk management, software & firmware assurance, microelectronics ecosystem, and systems engineering. This new role's unique and differentiating responsibilities address the risk spectrum from counterfeit to maliciously modified components. C‐SCRM includes use cases as well as, more distinctively, the misuse cases not covered by other existing roles. C‐SCRM is responsible for not only ensuring the components integrated into subassemblies function as intended, but also for considering attack surfaces which may present opportunities for adversaries to gain access, affect system performance, deny service, or allow data exfiltration.
Skeletal Effects of Inducible ERα Deletion in Osteocytes in Adult Mice
Authors: Doolittle Madison L. , Saul Dominik , Kaur Japneet , Rowsey Jennifer L. , Eckhardt Brittany , Vos Stephanie , Grain Sarah , Kroupova Kveta , Ruan Ming , Weivoda Megan , Oursler Merry Jo , Farr Joshua N. , Monroe David G. , Khosla Sundeep
Published: July 2022

Estrogen is known to regulate bone metabolism in both women and men, but substantial gaps remain in our knowledge of estrogen and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) regulation of adult bone metabolism. Studies using global ERα-knockout mice were confounded by high circulating sex-steroid levels, and osteocyte/osteoblast-specific ERα deletion may be confounded by ERα effects on growth versus the adult skeleton. Thus, we developed mice expressing the tamoxifen-inducible CreERT2 in osteocytes using the 8-kilobase (kb) Dmp1 promoter (Dmp1CreERT2). These mice were crossed with ERαfl//fl mice to create ERαΔOcy mice, permitting inducible osteocyte-specific ERα deletion in adulthood. After intermittent tamoxifen treatment of adult 4-month-old mice for 1 month, female, but not male, ERαΔOcy mice exhibited reduced spine bone volume fraction (BV/TV (−20.1%, p = 0.004) accompanied by decreased trabecular bone formation rate (−18.9%, p = 0.0496) and serum P1NP levels (−38.9%, p = 0.014). Periosteal (+65.6%, p = 0.004) and endocortical (+64.1%, p = 0.003) expansion were higher in ERαΔOcy mice compared to control (Dmp1CreERT2) mice at the tibial diaphysis, reflecting the known effects of estrogen to inhibit periosteal apposition and promote endocortical formation. Increases in Sost (2.1-fold, p = 0.001) messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were observed in trabecular bone at the spine in ERαΔOcy mice, consistent with previous reports that estrogen deficiency is associated with increased circulating sclerostin as well as bone SOST mRNA levels in humans. Further, the biological consequences of increased Sost expression were reflected in significant overall downregulation in panels of osteoblast and Wnt target genes in osteocyte-enriched bones from ERαΔOcy mice. These findings thus establish that osteocytic ERα is critical for estrogen action in female, but not male, adult bone metabolism. Moreover, the reduction in bone formation accompanied by increased Sost, decreased osteoblast, and decreased Wnt target gene expression in ERαΔOcy mice provides a direct link in vivo between ERα and Wnt signaling. © 2022 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Human capital management accounting issues for SOX compliance with Basel III final framework operational risk standards
Authors: Koeplin John P. , Lélé Pascal
Published: July 2022

Although the Human Resources (HR) function is an eminently transversal function of corporate accounting, neither the HR Managers nor the other corporate functions have been trained to perform the interaction tasks of their workstation to act in real time as an organizational team based on the operational risk appetite threshold. The compartmentalization of teaching in universities and MBA programs in specialized disciplines have not solved the problem of real‐time integration of HR‐Finance processes. Few graduates today have the cross‐cutting or vertical skills required to act from their workstation as an organization team based on the risk appetite threshold to create value. This issue is now coupled with the obligation to comply with laws which now require CEOs and Boards to provide shareholders with the Human Capital Management data that was previously lacking in Governance reports and financial reporting. With the 100% Liquidity Coverage Ratio requirements in force since January 2019 for Working Capital Requirements, and investment financing, the challenge for the HR function is now “Thinking Human Resources from the point of view of financial management”:

1. 90% of employers want to make cross‐cutting management effective (PWC and Thornton).

2. For 91% of Human Resource Managers, cost control remains an imperative (Wiles).
Simulation of light interaction with seedless grapes
Authors: Jenne Sophie , Zappe Hans
Published: July 2022

BACKGROUND

Spectroscopic techniques are widely used for the non‐destructive maturation and quality monitoring of different fruits. To develop new sensor devices for this purpose, knowing the optical properties of the agricultural sample is crucial for enabling the prediction of the interaction of the incident light with the fruit.

RESULTS

In the present study, the optical properties of three different seedless grape varieties (ARRA15,TawnyandMelody/Blagratwo) were determined from 400 to 1000 nm using a UV‐visible/near‐infrared spectrometer with an integrating sphere and subsequent calculation of the absorption and scattering coefficients and the anisotropy factor using the inverse adding doubling method. The results indicate that the optical properties of different grape varieties have significant differences, especially in the visible wavelength region, whereas these are less distinct in the near‐infrared range. Independent of grape variety, the grape berry skin has a higher scattering coefficient and scattering occurs predominantly in the forward direction. Based on the optical properties of the grape berries, a three‐dimensional grape berry model is generated within OpticStudio (Zemax, LLC) for the different varieties that can be used in optical illumination simulations. The bulk scattering inside the fruit is modeled by the Henyey–Greenstein distribution. A comparison of the simulated values for the total transmission and the specular reflection determined experimentally shows that realistic optical grape models can be created within OpticStudio.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the procedure for creating optical grape models presented here will be helpful for the development of optical applications used in pre‐ and post‐harvest food quality monitoring. © 2022 The Authors.Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculturepublished by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Mitigating Valence Intersubband Absorption in Interband Cascade Lasers
Authors: Knötig Hedwig , Nauschütz Josephine , Opačak Nikola , Höfling Sven , Koeth Johannes , Weih Robert , Schwarz Benedikt
Published: July 2022

Interband cascade lasers (ICLs), especially valued for their low power consumption, are particularly appealing for portable, compact, and battery‐driven trace gas sensors. However, their performance notably degrades outside the 3–4 µm region. Here, a solution to overcome current performance limitations is presented. Simulation results based on the eight‐band k· p method employing a generalized momentum matrix element model identify resonant intersubband absorption in the valence band as the causative underlying mechanism. Experimentally, a direct dependence of this resonant absorption on the thickness of the GaInxSb hole‐quantum well (h‐QW) is confirmed. This is reflected in the improvement of the laser's characteristic temperature T0, threshold current density Jth, slope efficiency η, and output power. Extracted waveguide losses from length‐dependent measurements substantiate the key role of the valence intersubband absorption. While the performance improvement is experimentally verified at 4.35 µm, the simulation results additionally show how to mitigate undesired absorption at longer wavelengths, paving the way towards high‐performance continuous‐wave (cw) operation above 6 µm.
A novel approach to the protection of internal passageways of gas turbine blades by aluminide coating: Evaluation of oxidation behavior
Authors: Jokar Ali , Ghadami Farzin , Azimzadeh Najmeh , Salehi Doolabi Davood
Published: July 2022

Aluminum powder, cellulose acetate, and acetone were used to have the desired coating microstructure, suitable viscosity, and good wettability. The as‐cast IN‐738 was used as the substrate. Different holes with a diameter of 1 mm were drilled. The results of scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction analyses show that a uniform aluminide coating with a thickness of about 100–120 μm covers the entire inner surface of the hole and the desired β‐NiAl phase is formed. An artificial neural network was used in MATLAB software, and according to surface drawn obtained from mathematical modeling, it was concluded that with slurry viscosity in the range of 200–250 cp and the amount of applied slurry with a value of 20–30 mg cm−2 a suitable coating can be obtained. The oxidation test at 1000°C was performed by the thermogravimetric method for 150 h and the Kp constant for aluminide coatings and uncoated superalloy are successfully calculated to be 0.0034 and 0.0086 mg2 cm−4 h, respectively.
How does the economic policy uncertainty affect the relationship between financial slack and firm performance in emerging countries?
Authors: Sener Tournus Pinar , Didin‐Sonmez Fatma , Akben‐Selcuk Elif
Published: July 2022

This study investigates the moderating effect of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on the relationship between slack resources and firm performance in emerging countries. By using 47,523 firm‐year observations from seven emerging market economies through the period of 2010–2018, the results show an inverse U‐shaped relationship between slack resources and firm performance. The findings also demonstrate that EPU acts as a negative moderator for the slack–performance relationship. In high EPU environments, the marginal benefit from one additional unit of slack is smaller relative to low EPU environments. This study contributes to the slack resources‐firm performance literature by emphasizing the role of the broader external environment as a moderator.
Race, ethnicity, and utilization of outpatient rehabilitation for treatment of post COVID‐19 condition
Authors: Hentschel Claudia B. , Abramoff Benjamin A. , Dillingham Timothy R. , Pezzin Liliana E.
Published: July 2022

Introduction

Outpatient rehabilitation is recommended in the treatment of post coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) condition. Although racial and ethnic disparities in the incidence and severity of COVID‐19 have been well documented, little is known about the use of outpatient rehabilitation among patients with post COVID‐19 condition.

Objective

To examine factors associated with outpatient rehabilitation use following COVID‐19 and to ascertain whether differential incidence of sequelae explain variation in post COVID‐19 rehabilitation utilization by race and ethnicity.

Design

Case–control study.

Setting

Community.

Participants

U.S. adults with COVID‐19 during 2020 in the TriNetX database.

Intervention

N/A.

Main Outcome Measures

Receipt of outpatient rehabilitation services within 6 months of COVID‐19 diagnosis and incidence of post COVID‐19 condition symptoms (weakness, fatigue, pain, cognitive impairment, mobility difficulties, and dyspnea).

Results

From 406,630 laboratory‐confirmed COVID‐19 cases, we identified 8724 individuals who received outpatient rehabilitation and matched 28,719 controls. Of rehabilitation users, 43.3% were 40 years old or younger, 54.8% were female, 58.2% were White, 17.9% were African American/Black, 2.1% were Asian, 13.0% were Hispanic, 39.2% had no comorbidities, and 40.3% had been hospitalized for COVID‐19. Dyspnea (20.4%), fatigue (12.4%), and weakness (8.2%) were the most frequently identified symptoms. Although there were no racial differences in the incidence of the six post COVID‐19 condition symptoms considered, African American/Black individuals were significantly less likely than their White counterparts to receive outpatient rehabilitation (odds ratio [OR] = 0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.84–0.96; p = .003). Hispanic individuals had higher outpatient rehabilitation utilization (OR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.11–1.33; p < .001) and a significantly higher incidence of post COVID‐19 fatigue.

Conclusions

In this large nationally representative study, African American/Black race was associated with lower utilization of outpatient rehabilitation services despite a similar incidence of post COVID‐19 condition symptoms. Further research is needed to better understand access barriers to rehabilitation services for post COVID‐19 condition recovery care and address racial inequalities in receipt of care.
Synergies between polyacrylamide polymerization and nanoparticle generation using an atmospheric pressure plasma jet
Authors: Gangal Urvashi , Exarhos Stephen , Contreras Tristan , Rich Christopher C. , Dolan Kay , Yang Vincent , Frontiera Renee R. , Bruggeman Peter
Published: July 2022

We performed a free radical polymerization of acrylamide in an aqueous solution by a radio frequency‐driven atmospheric pressure plasma jet. The polymerization was catalyzed by simultaneous generation of nanoparticles resulting in a percentage polymer yield increased by a factor of 2–30 times. Polyacrylamide acted as a capping agent for the silver nanoparticle formation yielding smaller nanoparticles while uncontrolled growth and massive particles were observed without acrylamide for the same conditions. Both Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy show the formation of bonds of (poly)acrylamide with the silver particles suggesting that polymerization at least in part occurs at the surface of silver particles. As plasma enables reduction without the addition of chemicals, this procedure might be a novel biocompatible approach to generate polyacrylamide/silver nanocomposite hydrogels.
Inference on adaptive progressively hybrid censoring schemes under partially accelerated life test for OLiHL distribution
Authors: Alam Intekhab , Ahmad Hanan Haj , Ahmed Aquil , Ali Irfan
Published: July 2022

This article estimates failure times in step‐stress partially accelerated life tests (ALTs) using a new censoring scheme named adaptive Type‐I progressive hybrid censoring scheme (APHCS), where the lifetimes follow odd Lindley Half‐Logistic (OLiHL) distribution. Classical estimation method is used to estimate the parameter of the proposed distribution and the acceleration factor (AF) under progressive hybrid censoring and adaptive progressive hybrid censoring (APHC) schemes. Also, a step‐stress partially ALT is assumed. Furthermore, the Monte Carlo simulation technique is implemented to check the performance of the estimates for biases and mean squared errors.
A strawberry harvest‐aiding system with crop‐transport collaborative robots: Design, development, and field evaluation
Authors: Peng Chen , Vougioukas Stavros , Slaughter David , Fei Zhenghao , Arikapudi Rajkishan
Published: July 2022

Mechanizing the manual harvesting of fresh market fruits constitutes one of the biggest challenges to the sustainability of the fruit industry. During manual harvesting of some fresh‐market crops like strawberries and table grapes, pickers spend significant amounts of time walking to carry full trays to a collection station at the edge of the field. A step toward increasing harvest automation for such crops is to deploy harvest‐aid collaborative robots (co‐bots) that transport empty and full trays, thus increasing harvest efficiency by reducing pickers' non‐productive walking times. This study presents the development of a co‐robotic harvest‐aid system and its evaluation during commercial strawberry harvesting. At the heart of the system lies a predictive stochastic scheduling algorithm that minimizes the expected non‐picking time, thus maximizing the harvest efficiency. During the evaluation experiments, the co‐robots improved the mean harvesting efficiency by around 10% and reduced the mean non‐productive time by 60%, when the robot‐to‐picker ratio was 1:3. The concepts developed in this study can be applied to robotic harvest‐aids for other manually harvested crops that involve walking for crop transportation.
Management of patients with giant basal cell carcinoma during SARS COV2 outbreak in Italy
Authors: Cantisani Carmen , Rossi Raimondo , Nisticò Steven Paul , Vitiello Martina , Farnetani Francesca , Bennaro Luigi , Pellacani Giovanni
Published: July 2022

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most frequently occurring type of all cancers, and represents 80% of all skin cancer. The estimated lifetime risk for BCC in the white population is between 33% and 39% for men and 23% and 28% for women. Its incidence doubles every 25 years and is increasing in the young population. Death is uncommon and seems to decrease in the last years, probably due to early and better diagnosis. BCC arises from abnormal and uncontrolled growth of basal cells. It is a slow‐growing tumor, therefore usually curable at an early stage with surgery or alternative treatment, such as cryotherapy, laser, photodynamic therapy, retinoids and topical agent like 5‐Fluorouracil cream, imiquimod cream, and so forth. Topical treatment of superficial basocellular carcinoma is a viable option, when surgery is not an advisable treatment, especially in the case of giant basocellular carcinoma. In this subtype, imiquimod 5% cream can be a safe and effective treatment, but there are few reports in available literature. We present our case series of eight patients with superficial giant basocellular carcinoma successfully treated with imiquimod 5% cream, which showed clinical improvement after 8 weeks of treatment.
LIAISON® Calprotectin for the prediction of relapse in quiescent ulcerative colitis: The EuReCa study
Authors: Fiorino Gionata , Danese Silvio , Peyrin‐Biroulet Laurent , Sans Miquel , Bonelli Fabrizio , Calleri Mariella , Zierold Claudia , Pollastro Roberta , Moretti Fabio , Malesci Alberto
Published: July 2022

Introduction

Fecal calprotectin (FC) is established as a diagnostic marker to differentiate between inflammatory bowel diseases and non‐inflammatory conditions. Furthermore, it may be effective in monitoring response to treatment, and to predict relapse during maintenance therapy.

Design

This was a prospective longitudinal study carried out in Italy, France and Spain. The primary objective was to correlate the LIAISON® Calprotectin assay measurements to quiescent ulcerative colitis (UC) or relapse as assessed by clinical data. Patients were assessed every 3 months for 12 months, and at 18 months.

Results

The last FC measured prior to relapse was the variable that predicted relapse in a statistically significant manner. With a 62.3 μg/g cut‐off the area under the curve was 0.619, and the sensitivity was 62.9% (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 44.9%–78.5%) and specificity 63.0% (95% CI 53.1%–72.1%). Using machine learning methods, the last FC measurement was shown to have the largest impact in predicting relapse. An algorithm was developed that included other variables available following a clinician's visit, which resulted in an area under the curve of 0.754 for predicting relapse.

Conclusion

In the present study FC measured by the LIAISON® Calprotectin assay on the visit before relapse is predictive of relapse in patients with quiescent UC. In a proof of concept, the accuracy of prediction can further be improved including other variables in an algorithm developed by machine learning.

Trial registration

The trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov with reference number NCT05168917.
Efficacy of high‐throughput transthoracic ultrasonographic screening for on‐farm detection of ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma
Authors: Cousens Chris , Ewing David A. , McKendrick Iain J. , Todd Helen , Dagleish Mark P. , Scott Philip R.
Published: July 2022

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of high‐throughput on‐farm transthoracic ultrasound (TUS) to screen for ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA), an infectious ovine disease of increasing concern. No other routine diagnosis of preclinical OPA is available, or any vaccine or treatment.

Methods

More than 80,000 rapid TUS scans were applied on farms with a history of OPA. The TUS results from a convenience sample of 171 TUS‐negative and 269 TUS‐positive sheep were compared with postmortem histology/immunohistochemistry results, the ‘gold standard’ reference test for OPA diagnosis. These results, together with new data on within‐flock prevalence, allowed estimation of the efficacy of rapid TUS screening to identify OPA (defined as tumours of larger than 1 cm) on‐farm.

Results

The TUS screening had an estimated specificity of 0.998 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.998–0.999) and an estimated sensitivity of between 0.76 (95% CI: 0.72–0.79) and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97–0.99) depending on the presumed false‐negative rate applied to the calculation.

Conclusion

High‐throughput TUS should be considered for screening to identify individual sheep with OPA and has potential application to indicate flocks at low risk of OPA. However, lower efficacy is likely if conducted by less experienced persons.
Inadvertent endotracheal tube cuff rupture during unilateral arytenoid lateralisation for laryngeal paralysis in a dog
Authors: Daly Erica , Pratschke Kathryn , Lord Samuel
Published: July 2022

A 12‐year 11‐month‐old, 8.3 kg Jack Russell terrier presented following three episodes of respiratory distress. On initial presentation, conservative management was successful; however, the dog re‐presented 10 weeks later with identical clinical signs. On the second presentation, investigations were unremarkable, so conservative management was continued. On discharge, the dog collapsed, following which, it was referred to the emergency and critical care department, within the same hospital. Examination under a light plane of general anaesthesia revealed left‐sided laryngeal paralysis; therefore surgical management was indicated. During cricoarytenoid laryngoplasty suture placement, a leak was noted in the circle breathing system based on alteration of the capnograph trace, collapse of the ventilator bellows, and noise on inspiration. The pilot balloon of the endotracheal tube had deflated, necessitating re‐intubation with a new endotracheal tube; a urinary catheter was used as a guidewire to facilitate this. The leak was abolished, and the procedure was completed successfully.
RE:LEAN – das Planspiel zu Lean Production
Authors: Flad Nadja , Bertagnolli Frank
Published: July 2022

Das Planspiel RE:LEAN vermittelt den Spielern grundlegende wie auch innovative Lean-Prinzipien und -Methoden im Bereich Lean Production, welche diese direkt im Spiel auch anzuwenden lernen (Abb. 6.1). In drei aktiven Runden können die Spieler im Team vorhandene Verschwendungen aufdecken und gemeinsam geeignete Verbesserungsmaßnahmen entwickeln und umsetzen. Dabei lernen sie auch den Zusammenhang von ökologischen und ökonomischen Einsparpotenzialen kennen. Im Rahmen von Impulsvorträgen zum Thema Lean Production werden die unterschiedlichen Wissensstände innerhalb der Gruppe ausgeglichen und erweitert. Durch die interaktive Gestaltung des Spiels werden zudem die Sozialkompetenzen gefördert. Im Zuge einer ausführlichen Transferrunde am Ende werden die Spieler darin unterstützt, ihr neu erlerntes Wissen auf konkrete Fragestellungen in ihrem Unternehmensalltag zu übertragen. Das Planspiel kann grundsätzlich in allen Branchen angewandt werden, eignet sich aber besonders gut für Unternehmen mit einer Fertigung und Montage wie beispielsweise einer Serienproduktion.