bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Serum Pro‐N‐Cadherin Is a Marker of Subclinical Heart Failure in the General Population
Authors: Ferrell Paul Durham , Oristian Kristianne Michelle , Puranam Ishaan , Pizzo Salvatore Vincent
Published: March 2023

Background

We recently reported aberrant processing and localization of the precursor PNC (pro‐N‐cadherin) protein in failing heart tissues and detected elevated PNC products in the plasma of patients with heart failure. We hypothesize that PNC mislocalization and subsequent circulation is an early event in the pathogenesis of heart failure, and therefore circulating PNC is an early biomarker of heart failure.

Methods and Results

In collaboration with the Duke University Clinical and Translational Science Institute's MURDOCK (Measurement to Understand Reclassification of Disease of Cabarrus and Kannapolis) study, we queried enrolled individuals and sampled 2 matched cohorts: a cohort of individuals with no known heart failure at the time of serum collection and no heart failure development in the following 13 years (n=289, cohort A) and a matching cohort of enrolled individuals who had no known heart failure at the time of serum collection but subsequently developed heart failure within the following 13 years (n=307, cohort B). Serum PNC and NT‐proBNP (N‐terminal pro B‐type natriuretic peptide) concentrations in each population were quantified by ELISA. We detected no significant difference in NT‐proBNP rule‐in or rule‐out statistics between the 2 cohorts at baseline. In participants who developed heart failure, serum PNC is significantly elevated relative to those who did not report development of heart failure (
P
<0.0001). Receiver operating characteristic analyses of PNC demonstrate diagnostic value for subclinical heart failure. Additionally, PNC has diagnostic potential when comparing participants with no reported heart failure risk factors from cohort A to at‐risk participants from cohort B over the 13‐year follow‐up. Participants whose PNC levels measure >6 ng/mL have a 41% increased risk of all‐cause mortality independent of age, body mass index, sex, NT‐proBNP, blood pressure, previous heart attack, and coronary artery disease (
P
=0.044, n=596).

Conclusions

These data suggest that PNC is an early marker of heart failure and has the potential to identify patients who would benefit from early therapeutic intervention.
Using Decomposed Error for Reproducing Implicit Understanding of Algorithms
Authors: Owen Caitlin A. , Dick Grant , Whigham Peter A.
Published: March 2023

Reproducibility is important for having confidence in evolutionary machine learning algorithms. Although the focus of reproducibility is usually to recreate an aggregate prediction error score using fixed random seeds, this is not sufficient. Firstly, multiple runs of an algorithm, without a fixed random seed, should ideally return statistically equivalent results. Secondly, it should be confirmed whether the expected behaviour of an algorithm matches its actual behaviour, in terms of how an algorithm targets a reduction in prediction error. Confirming the behaviour of an algorithm is not possible when using a total error aggregate score. Using an error decomposition framework as a methodology for improving the reproducibility of results in evolutionary computation addresses both of these factors. By estimating decomposed error using multiple runs of an algorithm and multiple training sets, the framework provides a greater degree of certainty about the prediction error. Also, decomposing error into bias, variance due to the algorithm (internal variance), and variance due to the training data (external variance) more fully characterises evolutionary algorithms. This allows the behaviour of an algorithm to be confirmed. Applying the framework to a number of evolutionary algorithms shows that their expected behaviour can be different to their actual behaviour. Identifying a behaviour mismatch is important in terms of understanding how to further refine an algorithm as well as how to effectively apply an algorithm to a problem.
Organizational Aesthetics: On Certain Practices and Genealogies
Authors: Lütticken Sven
Published: March 2023

“Organizational Aesthetics” traces the genealogies of artistic practices engaging socially, politically, and aesthetically with form to enter into fundamental debates about hierarchy, horizontality, and centralization. Against the background of historical conflicts over relational aesthetics and tactical media, the essay problematizes the exclusive focus on physical gatherings as the exclusive site of relationality. Instead, it offers an analysis that revolves around the dialectic of such gatherings and the organizational and technological structures that subtend and transcend them. Spanning the mid-1990s to the present, this account of organizational aesthetics includes critical discussions of artists, activists, theorists, and collectives including BüroBert, Alice Creischer, Andrea Fraser, Jeanne van Heeswijk, Geert Lovink, ruangrupa, and Jonas Staal.
New York Times Interventions
Authors: Schor Mira
Published: March 2023

Six works from the artist Mira Schor's open-ended series of handwritten defacements of the New York Times— most often of its front page—which she irregularly posts on Instagram. Varying in intensity, all have the same target: the way the language of the paper, aping “objectivity,” often tends toward obfuscation, which the artist regards as a dereliction of duty, a variety of Orwellian doublespeak that is much more subtle than what one might find on Fox News, making the debunking of its rhetoric all the more urgent.
Steinernema bakwenae n. sp. (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae), a new entomopathogenic nematode from South Africa
Authors: Malan Antoinette P. , Knoetze Rinus , Kapp Caro , Tiedt Louwrens R.
Published: March 2023

Steinernema bakwenae n. sp. isolate SF857 has been isolated from a soil sample from the North West province of South Africa. The infective juveniles were isolated using Cobb’s decanting and sieving method, hand-picked from the nematode population and inoculated directly onto wax moth larvae. Morphological and molecular characterisation provides evidence for placing the new species in the Khoisanae-clade, adding a fifth member to this all-African clade. The new species is characterised by the following morphological features: third-stage infective juveniles with a body length of 1106 (1013-1233) μm, a distance from the anterior end to the excretory pore of 90 (81-103) μm, and a tail length of 87 (76-103) μm. The first-generation males can be recognised by a spicule length of 80 (66-89) μm and by a gubernaculum length of 51 (44-56) μm. The new species was confirmed by means of crossbreeding and characterised by means of sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the partial 28S regions (D2-D3) of the ribosomal DNA and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit (COI). Phylogenetic analyses show that S. innovationi and S. tophus are the closest relatives to S. bakwenae n. sp. in the Khoisanae-clade.
Ditylenchus rafiqi n. sp. from pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) from India with a tabular key for the species known from India
Authors: Vyshali Gandhi , Singh Somvanshi Vishal , Islam Md Niraul , Kundu Artha , Rahaman Khan Matiyar
Published: March 2023

Ditylenchus rafiqi n. sp. was recovered from the rhizosphere of pomegranate in New Delhi (India), and it is characterised by morphological, morphometrical and molecular methods. The new species is characterised by having a body length of 553-901 μm, delicate stylet (7-10 μm long), longer conus length (5.0-5.5 μm in females and 4.5-5.5 μm in males) with small round knobs sloping backward, seven lateral lines at the mid-body, median bulb well developed with thickening of lumen walls, a post-uterine sac well developed (27-47 μm), tail long, elongate conoid with an almost round terminus (45-74 μm) and male spicule of 15-17.5 μm, gubernaculum simple, leptoderan type of bursa enveloping the tail almost >50% of its tail length. A detailed study based on morphological and morphometrical methods clearly demarcates that D. rafiqi n. sp. differs from other known species of Ditylenchus. The molecular characterisation was done using D2-D3 of 28S rRNA and ITS rRNA markers. Molecular characterisation shows that the new species is closely related to D. acutus, D. gilanicus (D2-D3 marker), and D. medicaginis (ITS rRNA markers). Based on phylogenetic analyses using D2-D3 of LSU and ITS rRNA markers, D. rafiqi n. sp. forms an intermediate clade between the D. triformis and D. dipsaci groups.
Muscles of the sex organs of Panagrolaimus detritophagus (Chromodorea: Rhabditida: Panagrolaimidae)
Authors: Ryss Alexander Y. , Petrov Anatoly A.
Published: March 2023

The sex organs are important for nematode systematics, but the associated muscles are rarely used as phylogenetic characters. This research aimed to study the musculature of Panagrolaimus detritophagus, using confocal microscopy. The ring-shaped anal sphincter is pierced by a biconical X-structure and connected by two pairs of processes to the subventral stomato-intestinal muscles and dorsal body wall. The female has two pairs of vaginal dilators that are connected to the proximally invaginated vaginal sphincter and subventral body wall. The anal depressor is a pair of dorsoventral muscles. The male has 7-8 pairs of caudal diagonal muscles located beneath the ventral body wall muscles, followed by five pairs of postcloacal oblique muscles. The paired posterior longitudinal muscles are connected to the cloacal opening and tail tip. The paired anterior retractors of the spicule connect the spicule capitula to the lateral body wall; a pair of spicule-gubernacular protractors runs from spicule capitula to the anterior part of gubernaculum, and paired ventral protractors run from spicule capitula to anterior cloacal lip. Two pairs of gubernaculum erectors are attached to the mid-gubernaculum, and the unpaired gubernaculum protractor extends ventrally to attach to the body wall at the posterior cloacal lip. The sex muscle pattern is of the Rhabditidae-Cephalobidae type with a 15-character code for phylogenetic reconstructions: 63313-22234-42243.
Skepticism, Mental Disorder and Rationality
Authors: Kyriacou Christos
Published: March 2023

I stipulate and motivate the overlooked problem of demarcating radical skeptics (perceptual and moral) from mentally disordered persons, given that both deny that they know ordinary Moorean propositions (e.g., that they have hands or that killing for fun is morally wrong). Call this ‘the demarcation problem’. In response to the demarcation problem, I develop a novel way to demarcate between mentally disordered persons and radical skeptics in an extensionally adequate way that saves the appearance that radical skeptics are not mentally disordered persons (at least not typically). Finally, I examine how a Moorean, non-skeptical epistemologist would compare radical skeptics with the mentally disordered in terms of what Plantinga calls internal and external rationality. Perhaps surprisingly, by Moorean lights, the mentally disordered fare better than the radical skeptic in terms of (internal) rationality. The upshot is that for Mooreans skeptical philosophy is more of an epistemic evil than mental disorder.
A new genus of Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera) from Chile with challenging taxonomic position
Authors: GUMOVSKY ALEX
Published: March 2023

An enigmatic chalcid wasp (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from Chile is described as a new genus and species, Lautaroderus malalcahuello gen. et sp. n. The taxon is classified in the family Eulophidae based on possession of a short, straight calcar and 4-segmented tarsi of female. However, a densely setose basal cell of fore wing, X-shaped pattern of facial grooves, and an incurved anterior margin of the clypeus are similar to representatives of the subfamily Tetracampinae of Tetracampidae. Although L. malalcahuello does not fit readily in the current concept of Eulophidae, it is assigned to this family though not further placed to subfamily or tribe. The proposed classification and possible relationships of the new taxon are discussed.
Two new species of the genus Lathrobium (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae) from Gotô Islands, Japan
Authors: SATO YUYA
Published: March 2023

Lathrobium gotoianum Y. Sato sp. nov. and Lathrobium fukuense Y. Sato sp. nov. are described from Gotô Islands, north of Kyushu, Japan. The previous record of Lathrobium pollens Sharp, 1889 in Gotô Island (Imasaka et al. 1994) may be the result of misidentification of Lathrobium gotoianum Y. Sato sp. nov.
The Last Years of Polish Jewry
Authors: Leshchinsky Yankev
Published: March 2023

Ukrainian-born Yankev Leshchinsky (1876–1966) was the leading scholarly and journalistic analyst of Eastern European Jewish socioeconomic and political life from the 1920s to the 1950s. Known as “the dean of Jewish sociologists” and “the father of Jewish demography,” Leshchinsky published a series of insightful and moving essays in Yiddish on Polish Jewry between 1927 and 1937. Despite heightened interest in interwar Jewish communities in Poland in recent years, these essays (like most of Leshchinsky’s works) have never been translated into English.

The Last Years of Polish Jewry helps to rectify this situation by translating some of Leshchinsky’s key essays. A thoughtful Introduction by Robert Brym provides the context of the author’s life and work.

The essays in this volume, based on years of research and first-hand observation, focus on the period 1927–33. The rise of militant Polish nationalism and the ensuing anti-Jewish boycotts and pogroms; the increasing exclusion of Jews from government employment and the universities; the destitution, hunger, suicide, and efforts to emigrate that characterized Jewish life; the psychological toll taken by mass uncertainty and hopelessness—all this falls within the author’s ambit. Few works in English have the range and depth of Leshchinsky’s essays on the last years of the three million Polish Jews who were to perish at the hand of the Nazi regime.

This book will be of interest to researchers and students of Eastern European history and society, especially those with an interest in Eastern Europe’s Jewish communities on the brink of the Holocaust.
3. The heritage of the Jewish factory owner
Authors: Leshchinsky Yankev
Published: March 2023

In Western Europe, upstart artisans and rich traders became the first factory owners. In Poland, most early Christian entrepreneurs were landowners, senior state officials, and scions of other rich families. In contrast, few early Polish-Jewish entrepreneurs came from rich families. They came mainly from middle-class, downwardly mobile families. There were few cultural and psychological differences in the backgrounds of early Jewish entrepreneurs and workers. Entrepreneurs were distinguished from workers mainly by their intelligence, energy, and agility. Yet most Jewish owners were reluctant to hire Jewish workers, seeing them as competitive threats.
6. Jews are collapsing in the streets from hunger
Authors: Leshchinsky Yankev
Published: March 2023

Hunger is becoming increasingly widespread among Polish Jews, with some collapsing in the street. Weakness is not just physical but spiritual: Polish Jewry is feeling abandoned, disorganized, without movements to galvanize them and give them hope in the future. Suicides are now everyday occurrences, and they are reported in the press. They take place even among devout Jews with families. State discrimination against Jews, the failure of the state to take action against pogromists, and the indifference of the Polish masses, including the Polish working class, are the main factors explaining the hopelessness growing in the Jewish community. Hopelessness, despondency, and exhaustion have even reached a point where Jews have done little to create Jewish self-defence organizations.
9. The destruction of Jewish economic life in Lodz
Authors: Leshchinsky Yankev
Published: March 2023

Polish Jews are being pushed out of their old professions and prevented from entering new modern ones. In Lodz, the rope around the neck of the Jewish worker is being tightened not just by the government but also by large-scale Jewish manufacturers, some of them devout. Consequently, the city’s Jewish working class quarter has a much higher population density and mortality rate than its non-Jewish working class quarter. Often, entire Jewish working class families live in a single room where they work on one or two handlooms during the day. Others work in handloom mills or small factories with power looms—the first to close in an economic downturn. And while non-Jewish working class women can find jobs in state employment, the state has closed this avenue of employment for Jewish women.

A few signs of change are evident in Lodz and Warsaw. Some Jewish manufacturers are beginning to hire Jewish workers for several reasons: unlike non-Jewish workers, Jewish workers are not antisemites; their revolutionary ardour has weakened given their high level of unemployment; they are willing to work especially hard and long since their wives are not employed; they are willing to work for lower wages; and they are flocking to ORT courses to upgrade their skills. Jewish unions have also played a role in convincing some non-Jewish unions to soften their position on the hiring of Jews. Still, Jews are much more likely than non-Jews to be employed in commerce, Jewish workers are much more likely than their non-Jewish counterparts to be employed in artisanal workshops and small-scale industry, and while the state employs a large number of workers and officials, hardly any of them are Jews.
10. Fallen Jewish Vilna
Authors: Leshchinsky Yankev , Brym Robert , Jany Eli
Published: March 2023

Vilna is now a dead city. On its main streets, nearly 40% of the stores are closed or bolted. Many Jewish store and workshop owners cannot renew their licenses because they are tormented by tax collectors who extract arbitrary sums from them. Competition from new businesses owned by non-Jews is stiff because the state is firmly on their side. The Railway Directorate told its officials to buy from non-Jewish storekeepers. The state bank is much more inclined to give credit to non-Jews than Jews. The state refuses to hire Jewish painters and carpenters to do construction work. It is taking over much of the forestry industry and will not hire Jews. Not surprisingly, therefore, Jews are increasingly turning to charitable organisations for help and are trying their utmost to emigrate. Vilna is suffering more than other cities because its main market used to be in Russia, which is now inaccessible, while new markets that opened up after the unification of Poland in 1919 are far from Vilna. Vilna’s Jews hold out no hope for better times.
Joint Collaboration on Comparing NOAA’s Ground-Based Weather Radar and NASA–JAXA’s Spaceborne Radar
Authors: Li Zhi , Wen Yixin , Liao Liang , Wolff David , Meneghini Robert , Schuur Terry
Published: March 2023

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have a long and successful history of weather radar research. The NOAA ground-based radars—WSR-88D network—provide nationwide precipitation observations and estimates with advanced polarimetric capability. As a counterpart, the NASA–JAXA spaceborne radar—the Global Precipitation Measurement Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (GPM DPR)—has global coverage and higher vertical resolution than ground-based radars. While significant advances from both NOAA’s WSR-88D network and NASA–JAXA’s spaceborne radar DPR have been made, no systematic comparisons between the WSR-88D network and the DPR have been done. This study for the first time generates nationwide comprehensive comparisons at 136 WSR-88D radar sites from 2014 to 2020. Systematic differences in reflectivity are found, with ground radar reflectivity on average 2.4 dB smaller than that of the DPR (DPR version 6). This research found the discrepancies between WSR-88D and DPR arise from different calibration standards, signal attenuation correction, and differences in the ground and spaceborne scattering volumes. The recently updated DPR version 7 product improves rain detection and attenuation corrections, effectively reducing the overall average WSR-88D and DPR reflectivity differences to 1.0 dB. The goal of this study is to examine the systematic differences of radar reflectivity between the NOAA WSR-88D network and the NASA–JAXA DPR and to draw attention to radar-application users in recognizing their differences. Further investigation into understanding and alleviating the systematic bias between the two platforms is needed.
Sports mega-events and changing world order
Authors: Black David R.
Published: March 2023

Processes of making, sustaining, reforming, and un-making world orders are constants in global politics and development. Understood in the neo-Gramscian tradition pioneered by Robert Cox, ideas, institutions, and material capabilities combine to shape the range of possibilities for more and less stable orders. Sports mega-events (SMEs)—most prominently, the Olympic Games—have played an underappreciated role in this process. This paper examines the ways in which the Olympics manifested and supported the rise of globalized neoliberal hegemony in the early 1980s, the reconfiguration and erosion of this order through the 1990s and 2000s, and efforts to fundamentally revise this order in the new millennium. Particular emphasis is placed on the dual role of SMEs and the Olympics as manifestations of conspicuous consumption and the pursuit of prestige on the one hand, and as focal points for sanctions campaigns and boycotts on the other.
Differences in Existential Perspectives as a Function of Having a Mystical-Type Experience
Authors: Sielaff Alex , Horner Dylan E. , Greenberg Jeff
Published: March 2023

Prior research suggests that unique phenomenological experiences called “mystical-type experiences” (MTEs) have the potential to induce significant and persisting worldview changes. In this article, two studies add to this literature by using cross-sectional data from 837 and 1,086 participants, respectively, to investigate whether people who have had one of these experiences differ in predictable ways from those who have not on relevant existential variables. Specifically, we tested two novel hypotheses rooted in terror management theory, along with two predictions based on past research. In specific, the yes-MTE group was hypothesized to have (a) less fear of death and greater belief in death as a passage, (b) a more intrinsic and growth-oriented worldview, (c) fewer mental health symptoms, and (d) higher trait absorption. The data largely supported hypotheses 1, 2, and 4 while the results for hypothesis 3 were opposite of expectations, suggesting that clinical research with psychedelic-induced MTEs may not be generalizable to MTEs experienced outside the supportive therapeutic context.
Integrating Patient and Expert Perspectives to Conceptualize High-Quality Palliative Cancer Care for Symptoms in the US Veterans Health Administration: A Qualitative Study
Authors: O’Hanlon Claire E. , Giannitrapani Karleen F. , Gamboa Raziel C. , Walling Anne M. , Lindvall Charlotta , Garrido Melissa , Asch Steven M. , Lorenz Karl A.
Published: March 2023

Quality measurement is typically the domain of clinical experts and health system leaders; patient/caregiver perspectives are rarely solicited. We aimed to describe and integrate clinician and patient/caregiver conceptualizations of high-quality palliative symptom care for patients receiving care for advanced cancer within the US Veterans Health Administration in the context of existing quality measures. We conducted a secondary qualitative analysis of transcripts from prioritization discussions of process quality measures relevant to cancer palliative care. These discussions occurred during 2 modified RAND-UCLA appropriateness panels: a panel of 10 palliative care clinical expert stakeholders (7 physicians, 2 nurses, 1 social worker) and a panel of 9 patients/caregivers with cancer experience. Discussions were recorded, transcribed, and independently double-coded using an a priori logical framework. Content analysis was used to identify subthemes within codes and axial coding was used to identify crosscutting themes. Patients/caregivers and clinical experts contributed important perspectives to 3 crosscutting themes. First, proactive elicitation of symptoms is critical. Patients/caregivers especially emphasized importance of comprehensive and proactive screening and assessment, especially for pain and mental health. Second, screening and assessment alone is not enough; information elicited from patients must inform care. Measuring screening/assessment and management care processes separately has important limitations. Lastly, high-quality symptom management can be broadly defined if it is patient-centered; high-quality care takes an individualized approach and might include non-medical or non-pharmacological symptom management. Integrating the perspectives of clinical experts and patients/caregivers is critical for health systems to consider as they design and implement quality measures for palliative cancer care.
Utility of ultrasound Angio-PLUS imaging for detecting blood flow in breast masses and comparison with color Doppler for differentiating benign from malignant masses
Authors: Mohindra Namita , Jain Neeraj , Yadav Shubham , Agrawal Vinita , Mishra Prabhakar , Mishra Anjali , Agarwal Gaurav
Published: March 2023

Background

Tumor neo-angiogenesis plays an important role in the development and growth of breast cancers, but its detection by imaging is challenging. A novel microvascular imaging (MVI) technique, Angio-PLUS, promises to overcome the limitations of color Doppler (CD) in detecting low-velocity flow and small diameter vessels.

Purpose

To determine the utility of the Angio-PLUS technique for detecting blood flow in breast masses and compare it with CD for differentiating benign from malignant masses.

Material and Methods

A total of 79 consecutive women with breast masses were prospectively evaluated using CD and Angio-PLUS techniques, and biopsied as per BI-RADS recommendations. Vascular imaging scores were assigned using three factors (number, morphology, and distribution) and vascular patterns were divided into five groups: internal-dot-spot, external-dot-spot, marginal, radial, and mesh patterns. The independent samples t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, or Fisher’s exact test were used to compare the two groups as appropriate. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) methods were used to assess diagnostic accuracy.

Results

Vascular scores were significantly higher on Angio-PLUS than CD (median=11, [IQR=9–13] vs. 5 [IQR=3–9], P < 0.001). Malignant masses had higher vascular scores than benign masses on Angio-PLUS ( P < 0.001). AUC was 80% (95% CI=70.3–89.7; P < 0.001) for Angio-PLUS and 51.9% for CD. Using Angio-PLUS at a cutoff value of ≥9.5, sensitivity was 80% and specificity was 66.7%. Vascular pattern descriptors on AP showed good correlation with histopathological results (PPV mesh 95.5%, radial 96.9%, and NPV of marginal orientation 90.5%).

Conclusion

Angio-PLUS was more sensitive in detecting vascularity and superior in differentiating benign from malignant masses compared to CD. Vascular pattern descriptors on Angio-PLUS were useful.
Plastic Crisis: Responsible Recycling Within Military Railroad Infrastructure
Authors: Stewart Jason , Cisko Abby , Beasley Jeremy , Howard Isaac L.
Published: March 2023

Plastic usage has reached unprecedented levels worldwide, and plastic waste disposal has likewise risen from a matter of concern among industrialized nations to a crisis level across the globe. One potential solution is to repurpose or recycle plastic into civil infrastructure. The objective of this paper is to perform a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) style assessment of recycled plastic railroad ties for military use and the associated effects on military transportation. Recycled plastic has some potential advantages over traditional treated wood for the manufacture of railroad ties, but it also has variable material behavior characteristics. Data provided in this paper show changes both in dimension and in material properties with temperature for recycled plastic and composite railroad ties. Surface temperatures on crossties exceeding 50°F higher than outside air temperatures further explain the gage issues observed throughout U.S. Department of Defense railroad tracks. General trends in tie performance were noted which included seasonal variation in gage, temperature-dependent ductility, and lower load-carrying capacity than wooden ties. These data indicate a need for clear performance specifications to prevent post-installation track usage problems which can affect military readiness and response times and therefore national security.
Comparison between two computational fluid dynamics methods for gust response predictions
Authors: Wu Zhenlong , Gao Yuan , He Xiaoming , Fu Weizhe , Shi Jianqiang , Zhang Zhibo , Zhou Ruitao
Published: March 2023

Based on the open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) platform, OpenFOAM, two numerical simulation methods for gusty inflow characterization and gust response prediction are implemented by solving the fundamental incompressible unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) equations. One is the Field Velocity Method (FVM) and the other is the Oscillating Vane Method (OVM). The gust velocity field is characterized and the aerodynamic responses of some airfoils under the Sears-type sinusoidal gusts are predicted by both gust simulation methods. The results indicate that both methods are capable of obtaining satisfactory gusty inflow conditions as expected as well as the airfoil aerodynamic responses. Comparatively, from the perspective of computing cost, the FVM is more advantageous in reducing the computational resources than the OVM while simultaneously ensuring the computational accuracy.
Novel Bioactive Magnesium-Hopeite composite by friction stir processing for orthopedic implant applications
Authors: Kumar Kundan , Das Ashish , Prasad Shashi Bhushan
Published: March 2023

Magnesium (Mg) shows excellent potential for orthopedic implant applications owing to its equivalent mechanical properties compared to cortical bone and its biocompatibility. However, the rapid degradation rate of magnesium and its alloys in the physiological environment results in losing their mechanical integrity before complete bone healing. In light of this, friction stir processing (FSP), a solid-state process, is used to fabricate Hopeite (Zn(PO4)2.4H2O) reinforced novel magnesium composite. As a result of the novel composite fabricated by FSP, grain refinement of the matrix phase occurs significantly. The samples were immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for in-vitro bioactivity and biodegradability tests. The corrosion behavior of pure Mg, FSP Mg, and FSP Mg-Hopeite composite samples was compared using electrochemical and immersion tests in SBF. It found that Mg-Hopeite composite has better corrosion resistance than FSP Mg and pure Mg. Because of grain refinement and the presence of secondary phase Hopeite in the composite, the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance improved. The bioactivity test was performed in the SBF environment, and a rapid apatite layer was formed on the surface of Mg-Hopeite composite samples during the test. Osteoblast-like MG63 cells were exposed to samples, and the MTT assay confirmed the non-toxicity of the FSP Mg-Hopeite composite. The wettability of the Mg-Hopeite composite was improved than pure Mg. The present research findings showed that the novel Mg-Hopeite composite fabricated by FSP is a promising candidate for orthopedic implant applications, unreported in the literature.
Prenatal cyanuric acid exposure induced spatial learning impairments associated with alteration of acetylcholine-mediated neural information flow at the hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses of male rats
Authors: Sun Wei , Zhao Xuanyin , Wan Yiwen , Yang Yang , Li Xiaoliang , Chen Xiao , Mei Yazi , An Lei
Published: March 2023

Cyanuric acid (CA) is reported to induce nephrotoxicity but its toxic effect is not fully known. Prenatal CA exposure causes neurodevelopmental deficits and abnormal behavior in spatial learning ability. Dysfunction of the acetyl-cholinergic system in neural information processing is correlated with spatial learning impairment and was found in the previous reports of CA structural analogue melamine. To further investigate the neurotoxic effects and the potential mechanism, the acetylcholine (ACh) level was detected in the rats which were exposed to CA during the whole of gestation. Local field potentials (LFPs) were recorded when rats infused with ACh or cholinergic receptor agonist into hippocampal CA3 or CA1 region were trained in the Y-maze task. We found the expression of ACh in the hippocampus was significantly reduced in dose-dependent manners. Intra-hippocampal infusion of ACh into the CA1 but not the CA3 region could effectively mitigate learning deficits induced by CA exposure. However, activation of cholinergic receptors did not rescue the learning impairments. In the LFP recording, we found that the hippocampal ACh infusions could enhance the values of phase synchronization between CA3 and CA1 regions in theta and alpha oscillations. Meanwhile, the reduction in the coupling directional index and the strength of CA3 driving CA1 in the CA-treated groups was also reversed by the ACh infusions. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis and provide the first evidence that prenatal CA exposure induced spatial learning defect is attributed to the weakened ACh-mediated neuronal coupling and NIF in the CA3-CA1 pathway.
1915(c) Medicaid Waivers for Children With Severe Emotional Disturbance: Participant Characteristics, Enrollment, and Out-of-Home Service Use
Authors: Graaf Genevieve , Whitfield Emily , Snowden Lonnie
Published: March 2023

Several states have invested in 1915(c) Home and Community Based Service (HCBS) Medicaid policies to improve outcomes and reduce costs for children and youth with significant behavioral health needs, or Severe Emotional Disturbance (SED). However, little is known about these programs and the children they serve. Through a retrospective cross-sectional analysis, this study aimed to understand if the program was successfully reaching its target population: children and youth with the highest clinical need, at the greatest risk for out-of-home care, and who may not otherwise be eligible for Medicaid through other avenues. Results describe the demographic, clinical, and service use characteristics of children and youth enrolled in one SED Waiver program, comparing them with those of similar, non-waiver enrolled children with behavioral health needs. Findings report that the waiver program examined rarely served children and families not otherwise eligible for Medicaid, but that waiver-enrolled children and youth had substantially more severe clinical need, were at higher risk for out-of-home placement and incurred greater public expenditures for service use. Findings suggest the program studied is serving children with more significant psychiatric needs, as the program intends, but points to the need for further research to understand the impacts of such programs on system and clinical outcomes.
Does Notching Along the Nasal Velar Surface During Nasopharyngoscopy Predict Discontinuity of the Underlying Levator Veli Palatini Muscle?
Authors: Perry Jamie L , Kinter Sara , Williams Jessica L. , Snodgrass Taylor D. , Sitzman Thomas J.
Published: March 2023

To determine the sensitivity and specificity of velar notching seen on nasopharyngoscopy for levator veli palatini (LVP) muscle discontinuity and anterior positioning.

Nasopharyngoscopy and MRI of the velopharynx were performed on patients with VPI as part of their routine clinical care. Two speech-language pathologists independently evaluated nasopharyngoscopy studies for the presence or absence of velar notching. MRI was used to evaluate LVP muscle cohesiveness and position relative to the posterior hard palate. To determine the accuracy of velar notching for detecting LVP muscle discontinuity, sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value (PPV) were calculated.

A craniofacial clinic at a large metropolitan hospital.

Participants

Thirty-seven patients who presented with hypernasality and/or audible nasal emission on speech evaluation and completed nasopharyngoscopy and velopharyngeal MRI study as part of their preoperative clinical evaluation.

Among patients with partial or total LVP dehiscence on MRI, presence of a notch accurately identified discontinuity in the LVP 43% (95% CI 22-66%) of the time. In contrast, the absence of a notch accurately indicated LVP continuity 81% (95% CI 54-96%) of the time. The PPV for the presence of notching to identify a discontinuous LVP was 78% (95% CI 49-91%). The distance from the posterior edge of the hard palate to the LVP, known as effective velar length, was similar in patients with and without notching (median 9.8 mm vs 10.5 mm, P = 1.00).

The observation of a velar notch on nasopharyngoscopy is not an accurate predictor of LVP muscle dehiscence or anterior positioning.
Upregulation of Coagulation Factor VIII and Fibrinogen After Pulmonary Endarterectomy in Patients with Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Myllylahti Lasse , Ropponen Jussi , Lax Mikko , Lassila Riitta , Nykänen Antti I.
Published: March 2023

Objectives

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is associated with thrombotic states including elevated coagulation factor VIII (FVIII). Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is the main treatment for CTEPH, and efficient anticoagulation is essential to prevent thromboembolism recurrence after surgery. We aimed to characterize longitudinal changes in FVIII and other coagulation biomarkers after PEA.

Methods

Coagulation biomarker levels were measured at baseline and up to 12 months after operation in 17 consecutive patients with PEA. Temporal patterns of coagulation biomarkers, and correlation of FVIII with other coagulation biomarkers, were analyzed.

Results

Baseline FVIII levels were elevated in 71% of the patients (mean 216 ± 67 IU/dl). FVIII doubled 7 days after PEA, peaking at 471 ± 87 IU/dl, and gradually returned to respective baseline levels within 3 months. Postoperative fibrinogen levels were also elevated. Antithrombin decreased at 1 to 3 days, D-dimer increased at 1 to 4 weeks, and thrombocytosis was observed at 2 weeks.

Conclusions

FVIII is elevated in most patients with CTEPH. After PEA, early but transient elevation of FVIII and fibrinogen, and delayed reactive thrombocytosis, occurs, and warrants careful postoperative anticoagulation to prevent thromboembolism recurrence.
Rethinking Restriction in Residential Aged Care: Dis/Abling Movement and Relations in the Time of COVID-19
Authors: Zhang Angela R. Y. , Zivkovic Tanya
Published: March 2023

Restricting movement is a major focus in policy directives to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in aged care homes. In this article, we rethink dominant framing of restriction through a critical examination of the politics of good care and ethnographic attention to spatial extensions and interdependencies between residents, care workers, and assistive technologies. Drawing on ethnographic observations in two South Australian care facilities, analysis of aged care policies and national inquiries into aged care, and relevant media reporting, we examine how restriction to movement, misconceptualized as a good form of care, has suppressed residents’ physical and social needs and ruptured abling assemblages of resident mobility. We propose that walking alongside aged and frail residents offers new ways for thinking about care and re-abling relational approaches to care in times of crisis.
Danger, no exit: Relationships to ‘remains’ and ‘petromelancholia’ on the landscape of the oil sands
Authors: Green Megan
Published: March 2023

The article relates taxidermy to oil in the subculture associated with the oil sands in the Canadian West. Kitsch as it relates to postmodernism, and postmodernism to oil, share a sense of melancholy; an affect which is explored through the author's own practice as a visual artist and in the work of Claire Morgan, an artist from the UK. The affect of oil, and its implications as to mortality on the landscape are examined through an engagement with objects considered as ‘remains’ sourced from the local area, generally in or near the town of Fort McMurray. The author, expanding on past work, proposes a mode by which the subculture of oil workers might be engaged in environmental narratives, necessitating attentiveness to issues of class. The author's artwork describes her own personal experiences in the region and the experiences of members of her community. This article is an attempt to contextualize and elaborate on specific experiences of oil culture; the 2016 Horse River (Fort McMurray) wildfire is a focal point.
Utility of Amyloid Positron Emission Tomography Imaging in Older Adults With Epilepsy and Cognitive Decline
Authors: Sarkis Rani A. , Gale Seth A. , Yang Hyun-Sik , Lam Alice D. , Singhal Tarun , Cicero Steven , Willment Kim , McGinnis Scott M.
Published: March 2023

In older adults with cognitive decline and epilepsy, diagnosing the etiology of cognitive decline is challenging. We identified 6 subjects enrolled in the Imaging Dementia-Evidence of Amyloid Imaging Scanning (IDEAS) study and nonlesional epilepsy. Three cognitive neurologists reviewed each case to determine the likelihood of underlying Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. Their impressions were compared to amyloid PET findings. In 3 cases the impression was concordant with PET findings. In 2 cases “possibly suggestive,” the PET reduced diagnostic uncertainty, with 1 having a PET without elevated amyloid and the other PET with intermediate amyloid. In the remaining case with lack of reviewer concordance, the significance of PET with elevated amyloid remains uncertain. This case series highlights that in individuals with a history of epilepsy and cognitive decline, amyloid PET can be a useful tool in evaluating the etiology of cognitive decline when used in an appropriate context.
Burden of Illness Among Patients with Psychosis due to Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Other Dementias
Authors: Frazer Monica , Rashid Nazia , Bunner Scott , Skoog Ben , Abler Victor
Published: March 2023

Limited research is available on the real-world experiences of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). This study evaluated clinical events, healthcare utilization, and healthcare costs of patients with DLB vs other dementia types with psychosis (ODP). Study patients included commercial and Medicare Advantage with Part D enrollees aged ≥40 years with evidence of DLB and ODP from 6/01/2015‒5/31/2019. Compared with patients with ODP, more patients with DLB had clinical events including anticholinergic effects, neurologic effects, and cognitive decline. Patients with DLB used more healthcare resources with greater dementia-related office and outpatient visits and psychosis-related inpatient stays and office, outpatient, and emergency visits compared with their ODP patient counterparts. Patients with DLB also incurred higher healthcare costs for all-cause and dementia-related office visits and pharmacy fills, and psychosis-related total costs. Understanding the clinical and economic impact of DLB and ODP is important to improve care for patients with dementia.
The Reverse Fragility Index: Interpreting the Evidence for Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair Healing Associated With Early Versus Delayed Mobilization
Authors: Sudah Suleiman Y. , Bragg Jack T. , Mojica Edward S. , Moverman Michael A. , Puzzitiello Richard N. , Pagani Nicholas R. , Salzler Matthew J. , Denard Patrick J. , Menendez Mariano E.
Published: March 2023

Background: The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) note “strong” evidence that early and delayed mobilization protocols after small to medium arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs achieve similar rotator cuff healing rates. Purpose: We utilized the reverse fragility index (RFI) to assess the fragility of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting no statistically significant difference in tendon re-tear rates after rotator cuff repair in those undergoing early versus delayed rehabilitation. Methods: Randomized controlled trials used in the most recent AAOS CPGs on the timing of postoperative mobilization after arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs were analyzed. Only RCTs with a reported P value ≥ .05 were included. The RFI at a threshold of P < .05 was calculated for each study. The reverse fragility quotient (RFQ) was calculated by dividing the RFI by the study sample size. Results: In 6 clinical trials with a total of 542 patients, the number of tendon re-tear events was 48. The median RFI at the P < .05 threshold was 4 (range: 3.25–4.75), and the median RFQ was .05 (range: 0.03–0.08). The median loss to follow-up was 6 patients. Of the 6 studies investigated, 3 reported a loss to follow-up greater than their respective RFI. Conclusion: The equivalence in rotator cuff repair healing rates associated with early and delayed mobilization protocols rests on fragile studies, as their statistical non-significance can be reversed by changing the outcome status of only a handful of patients. Consideration should be given to the routine reporting of RFI in clinical practice guidelines including RCTs with statistically non-significant results.
Rural Latino Men’s Experiences and Attitudes Toward Health: A Pilot Photovoice Study
Authors: Daniel-Ulloa Jason , Reyes Jimmy A. , Morales-Campos Daisy Y. , Villareal Edna , López Cevallos Daniel F. , Hernandez Himar , Baquero Barbara
Published: March 2023

Much of the research regarding Latino men’s health tends to focus on specific health outcomes (e.g., HIV or diabetes). Few studies have examined how Latino men perceive factors that influence their health and/or health-related behaviors. This study explored rural Latino men’s experiences and attitudes toward health, using photovoice, in the context of a community-based participatory research partnership. We recruited nine Latino men living in a small town in Southeastern Iowa. Four to nine men attended four sessions and led a community forum. All the men were foreign-born, identified as Latino, aged between 34 and 67 years, and had lived in the United States for at least 7 years. Five themes were identified: (a) cultural conflict, (b) too much and discordant information, (c) lifestyles conflict, (d) sacrifice, and (e) family connectedness. An important implication of this study derives from familial and community connections and sacrifice. Feeling disconnected from family may impact physical and mental health and health-promoting behaviors. Future research should explore ways to inform community- and family-level interventions to connect rural Latino men more strongly to their family and local community and help them to take better control of their health.