bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prognostic value of glycaemic variability for mortality in critically ill atrial fibrillation patients and mortality prediction model using machine learning
Authors: Chen Yang , Yang Zhengkun , Liu Yang , Gue Ying , Zhong Ziyi , Chen Tao , Wang Feifan , McDowell Garry , Huang Bi , Lip Gregory Y. H.
Published: November 2024

Background

The burden of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the intensive care unit (ICU) remains heavy. Glycaemic control is important in the AF management. Glycaemic variability (GV), an emerging marker of glycaemic control, is associated with unfavourable prognosis, and abnormal GV is prevalent in ICUs. However, the impact of GV on the prognosis of AF patients in the ICU remains uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between GV and all-cause mortality after ICU admission at short-, medium-, and long-term intervals in AF patients.

Methods

Data was obtained from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV 3.0 database, with admissions (2008–2019) as primary analysis cohort and admissions (2020–2022) as external validation cohort. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models, and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the associations between GV and mortality outcomes. Subsequently, GV and other clinical features were used to construct machine learning (ML) prediction models for 30-day all-cause mortality after ICU admission.

Results

The primary analysis cohort included 8989 AF patients (age 76.5 [67.7–84.3] years; 57.8% male), while the external validation cohort included 837 AF patients (age 72.9 [65.3–80.2] years; 67.4% male). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models revealed that higher GV quartiles were associated with higher risk of 30-day (Q3: HR 1.19, 95%CI 1.04–1.37; Q4: HR 1.33, 95%CI 1.16–1.52), 90-day (Q3: HR 1.25, 95%CI 1.11–1.40; Q4: HR 1.34, 95%CI 1.29–1.50), and 360-day (Q3: HR 1.21, 95%CI 1.09–1.33; Q4: HR 1.33, 95%CI 1.20–1.47) all-cause mortality, compared with lowest GV quartile. Moreover, our data suggests that GV needs to be contained within 20.0%. Among all ML models, light gradient boosting machine had the best performance (internal validation: AUC [0.780], G-mean [0.551], F1-score [0.533]; external validation: AUC [0.788], G-mean [0.578], F1-score [0.568]).

Conclusion

GV is a significant predictor of ICU short-term, mid-term, and long-term all-cause mortality in patients with AF (the potential risk stratification threshold is 20.0%). ML models incorporating GV demonstrated high efficiency in predicting short-term mortality and GV was ranked anterior in importance. These findings underscore the potential of GV as a valuable biomarker in guiding clinical decisions and improving patient outcomes in this high-risk population.
Advancing implementation science in community settings: the implementation strategies applied in communities (ISAC) compilation
Authors: Balis Laura E. , Houghtaling Bailey , Clausen Whitney , Lane Hannah , Wende Marilyn E. , Pereira Emiliane , McLoughlin Gabriella M. , Harden Samantha M.
Published: November 2024

Background

Implementation strategies have predominantly been operationalized and studied in clinical settings. Implementation strategies are also needed to improve evidence-based intervention (EBI) integration in community settings, but there is a lack of systematic characterization of their use, which limits generalizability of findings. The goals of this study were to determine which implementation strategies are most used to deliver primary prevention EBIs in community settings, develop a compilation and pragmatic strategy selection process with accompanying guidance tools, and understand practitioners’ preferences for dissemination.

Methods

Purposive and snowball sampling was used to recruit community setting researchers and practitioners delivering primary prevention EBIs (nutrition, physical activity, tobacco prevention) in community settings: education, social services, city planning and transportation, workplaces, recreation/sport, faith-based, and other public health organizations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a guide based on the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Participants were asked to describe barriers experienced and strategies used to overcome them within each RE-AIM dimension. Practitioners were also asked about preferred dissemination strategies, prompted by Diffusion of Innovations theory concepts of sources (who provides information) and channels (how information is provided). A rapid deductive approach was used to analyze findings with a coding matrix aligned with the interview guide.

Results

Researchers (n = 10) and practitioners (n = 8) across all targeted settings and intervention outcomes completed interviews. Interviewees shared unique implementation strategies (N = 40) which were used to overcome barriers related to multiple RE-AIM dimensions, most commonly implementation (n = 29) and adoption (n = 27). Most frequently mentioned implementation strategies were conduct pragmatic evaluation (n = 31), provide training (n = 26), change adaptable program components (n = 26), and leverage funding sources (n = 21). Webinars (n = 6) and listservs/newsletters (n = 5) were the most mentioned dissemination channels; national public health organizations (n = 13) were the most mentioned sources.

Conclusions

Results reflect commonly used implementation strategies in community settings (e.g., training, technical assistance) and add novel strategies not reflected in current taxonomies. Dissemination preferences suggest the need to involve broad-reaching public health organizations. The resultant compilation (Implementation Strategies Applied in Communities) and strategy selection process provide resources to assist researchers and practitioners in applying strategies and improving EBI delivery in community settings.
Genomic surveillance and evolutionary dynamics of influenza a virus in Sri Lanka
Authors: Jayadas Tibutius Thanesh Pramanayagam , Jeewandara Chandima , Senadheera Bhagya , Kuruppu Heshan , Wickramanayake Rivindu , Chathurangika Padukkage Harshani , Senatilleke Nushara , Warnakulasuriya Navanjana , Bary Farha , Wijewickrama Ananda , Manilgama Suranga , Gamage Manouri , Perera Nilanka , Ogg Graham S. , Malavige Gathsaurie Neelika
Published: November 2024

Background

Influenza A has been named as a priority pathogen by the WHO due to the potential to cause pandemics. Genomic sequencing of influenza strains is important to understand the evolution of the influenza strains and also to select the appropriate influenza vaccines to be used in the different influenza seasons in Sri Lanka. Therefore, we sought to understand the molecular epidemiology of the influenza viruses in the Western Province of Sri Lanka, including mutational analysis to investigate the evolutionary dynamics.

Methodology

A total of 349 individuals presenting with fever and respiratory symptoms were enrolled in this study from November 2022 to May 2024. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal specimens were collected and screened using quantitative PCR to detect Influenza A, Influenza B, and SARS-CoV-2. Subtyping and genomic sequencing was carried out on influenza A strains using Oxford Nanopore Technology.

Results

Influenza A was detected in 49 (14%) patients, influenza B in 20 (5.7%) and SARS-CoV-2 in 41 (11.7%). Co-infections were observed in five participants. The phylogenetic analysis assigned the H1N1 HA gene sequences within the 6B.1 A.5a.2a clade. The HA gene of the H1N1 sequences in 2023 were assigned as belonging to the subclades C.1, C.1.2, and C.1.8, while the 2024 sequences were assigned to subclades C.1.8 and C.1.9. The H3N2 sequences from 2023 were assigned to the 3 C.2a1b.2a.2a.1b clade and subclade G.1.1.2, while the 2024 sequences were assigned to the 3 C.2a1b.2a.2a.3a.1 clade and subclade J.2. The K54Q, A186T, Q189E, E224A, R259K, K308R, I418V, and X215A amino acid substitutions were seen in the H1N1 in the 2023 and 2024 sequences. The 2024 H1N1 sequences additionally exhibited further substitutions, such as V47I, I96T, T120A, A139D, G339X, K156X, and T278S.

Conclusion

In this first study using genomic sequencing to characterize the influenza A strains in Sri Lanka, which showed different influenza A viruses circulating in an 18-month period. As the Sri Lankan strains also had certain mutations of unknown significance, it would be important to continue detailed surveillance of the influenza strains in Sri Lanka to choose the most suitable vaccines for the population and the timing of vaccine administration.
The renin–angiotensin–aldosterone-system in sepsis and its clinical modulation with exogenous angiotensin II
Authors: Legrand Matthieu , Khanna Ashish K. , Ostermann Marlies , Kotani Yuki , Ferrer Ricard , Girardis Massimo , Leone Marc , DePascale Gennaro , Pickkers Peter , Tissieres Pierre , Annoni Filippo , Kotfis Katarzyna , Landoni Giovanni , Zarbock Alexander , Wieruszewski Patrick M. , De Backer Daniel , Vincent Jean-Louis , Bellomo Rinaldo
Published: November 2024

Dysregulation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone-system (RAAS) in sepsis is a complex and early phenomenon with a likely significant contribution to organ failure and patient outcomes. A better understanding of the pathophysiology and intricacies of the RAAS in septic shock has led to the use of exogenous angiotensin II as a new therapeutic agent. In this review, we report a multinational and multi-disciplinary expert panel discussion on the role and implications of RAAS modulation in sepsis and the use of exogenous angiotensin II. The panel proposed guidance regarding patient selection and treatment options with exogenous angiotensin II which should trigger further research.
High-concentrated platelet-rich plasma (PRP) versus placebo in osteoarthritis in the thumb base: study protocol for an assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial
Authors: von Kieseritzky Johanna , Wilcke Maria
Published: November 2024

Background

Osteoarthritis in the thumb base (trapeziometacarpal joint, CMC-1 joint) is prevalent, particularly among middle-aged and elderly women, causing significant disability. Conservative treatments, including steroid injections, have been questioned for their efficacy, prompting exploration into alternative therapies such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. This randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of high-concentration PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection compared to saline (placebo) in reducing pain and disability in patients with thumb base osteoarthritis.

Methods

Patients meeting inclusion criteria will be randomized and blinded, with injections administered under sterile conditions and radiological guidance.

With a planned sample size of 90 patients recruited from the Department of Hand Surgery at Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, the study will assess pain relief and functional improvement at 3, 6, and 12 months post-injection. The primary outcome measure is pain on load (numerical rating scale) at 6 months, with secondary outcomes including patient-reported outcomes, key pinch, grip strength, abduction of the thumb, and time to intervention within 1 year.

Statistical analyses will employ non-parametric tests, chi-square tests, and generalized estimating equations to compare outcomes between the PRP and placebo groups.

Discussion

The study aims to provide evidence regarding the efficacy of high-concentration PRP injections for thumb base osteoarthritis. If PRP proves superior to saline in reducing pain and improving function, it could offer a promising alternative treatment. Conversely, if PRP does not demonstrate significant benefits over placebo, its use for this condition is not justified. This study seeks to address the current gap in evidence regarding the efficacy of PRP injections for thumb base osteoarthritis.

Trial registration

The study has been approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (2023–06860-01 and 2024–01238-02) and is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06193499) 2024–01-04.
Methylation changes and INS-IGF2 expression predict progression in early-stage Wilms tumor
Authors: Jalal Deena , Ali Mohamed Y. , Elkinaai Naglaa , Abdelaziz Abdelaziz S. , Zekri Wael , Sayed Ahmed A.
Published: November 2024

Wilms tumor, the most common pediatric kidney cancer, accounts for 5% of childhood cancers and is classified by stage and histological subtype. Despite high survival rates (80–85%), approximately 15% of patients experience relapse, reducing survival to around 50%. Epigenetic changes, particularly DNA methylation, play a critical role in Wilms tumor pathogenesis. This study investigates the prognostic potential of DNA methylation in stage I and II patients with favorable histology, aiming to identify early relapse biomarkers. Genome-wide methylation was assessed using methylation microarrays in tumor tissues from relapsed patients (n = 9) and those with complete responses (n = 9), alongside normal tissues (n = 3 each). Differentially methylated probes and regions were analyzed, with additional ROC and survival analyses. Real-time PCR was used to measure IGF2 and INS-IGF2 gene expression. The analysis revealed hypomethylation in intergenic regions in remission patients, identifying 14 differentially methylated positions as potential biomarkers. Increased INS-IGF2 expression was associated with relapse, suggesting its role in disease progression. While the study concentrated on stages I and II patients, where relapse rates are lower, this focus inherently led to a smaller sample size. Despite this, the findings provide valuable insights into the potential role of DNA methylation markers for monitoring disease progression and guiding personalized treatment in Wilms tumor patients.

Graphical abstract

Genome methylation analysis of WT tumor and normal tissues from complete remission and relapse patients revealed 14 differentially methylated probes (DMPs) and three differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in tumor samples between both groups. Most DMPs demonstrated strong predictive performance for overall and event-free survival. RNA expression analysis showed elevated INS-IGF2 levels in relapse tumor tissue, highlighting its role in WT progression.
Adequacy of histopathology request forms and specimens sent to two histopathology centers in Khartoum, Sudan
Authors: Elhassan Eman Abdel Azim Elsadek , Khalifa Mohanad Saeed Ahmed , Ibrahim Faisal , Mohammed Sawsan Abdil Rahim
Published: November 2024

Background

Every branch of surgery relies in some way on histology to obtain a conclusive diagnosis. Since precise and comprehensive information on the request form is crucial to the correct analysis and interpretation of test results, it is anticipated that all patient data and information for any requested test be provided. One of the most significant duties of the peri-operative team is the care and handling of intraoperative surgical specimens. Poor labeling and handling of surgical specimens can lead to unfavorable consequences such as misdiagnosis, incorrect or delayed therapy, and even the need for repeat surgery. The study’s. objective is to highlight the primary mistakes that occur in the pre analytical stage of histopathology request forms and specimens at two Khartoum-based histopathological institutions.

Methods

A prospective descriptive laboratory based cross-sectional study was carried out on 528 request forms and specimens sent to two histopathology centers between the period of May to August 2019 having gotten Ethical clearance from SMSB.

Results

A total of 528 laboratory request forms and specimens, Age was written in 75.6% (n 399), while the gender only was written only in 46.2% (n 244). No clinical history in 48.3% (n 255). The differential diagnosis found only in 29.5% (n156) of request forms. Regarding specimen 15.7% (83) were inadequate relative to the size of the container and only 5.3% (28) were not labeled with any information. 17.4% (92) were not sent in formalin but in normal saline. Marking of the specimen was not needed in 60% (317) and among the rest cases; 34.2% was not marked.

Conclusion

The study shows that laboratory request forms were not properly and thoroughly completed. Most of the specimens sent for histology had inadequate fixative and unsuitable containers, or they were mislabeled and not properly tagged. This for sure will have a detrimental effect on the quality of care.
Handoff Mnemonics Used in Perioperative Handoff Intervention Studies: A Systematic Review
Authors: Patel Sabina M. , Fuller Sarah , Michael Meghan M. , O’Hagan Emma C. , Lazzara Elizabeth H. , Riesenberg Lee Ann
Published: November 2024

BACKGROUND:

Perioperative handoffs are known to present unique challenges to safe and effective patient care. Numerous national accrediting bodies have called for standardized, structured handoff processes. Handoff mnemonics provide a memory aid and standardized structure, as well as promote a shared mental model. We set out to identify perioperative handoff intervention studies that included a handoff mnemonic; critically assess process and patient outcome improvements that support specific mnemonics; and propose future recommendations.

METHODS:

We conducted a systematic review of the English language perioperative handoff intervention literature designed to identify handoff mnemonic interventions. A comprehensive protocol was developed and registered (CRD42022363615). Searches were conducted using PubMed, Scopus, ERIC (EBSCO), Education Full Text (EBSCO), EMBASE (Elsevier), and Cochrane (January 1, 2010 to May 31, 2022). Pairs of trained reviewers were involved in all phases of the search and extraction process.

RESULTS:

Thirty-seven articles with 23 unique mnemonics met the inclusion criteria. Most articles were published after 2015 (29/37; 78%). Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation (SBAR), and SBAR variants were used in over half of all studies (22/37; 59%), with 45% (10/22) reporting at least 1 statistically significant process improvement. Seventy percent of handoff mnemonics (26/37) were expanded into lists or checklists. Fifty-seven percent of studies (21/37) reported using an interdisciplinary/interprofessional team to develop the intervention. In 49% of all studies (18/37) at least 1 measurement tool was either previously published or the authors conducting some form of measurement tool validation. Forty-one percent of process measurement tools (11/27) had some form of validation. Although most studies used training/education as an implementation strategy (36/37; 97%), descriptions tended to be brief with few details and no study used interprofessional education. Twenty-seven percent of the identified studies (10/37) measured perception alone and 11% (4/37) measured patient outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS:

While the evidence supporting one handoff mnemonic over others is weak, SBAR/SBAR variants have been studied more often in the perioperative environment demonstrating some process improvements. A key finding is that 70% of included studies converted their handoff mnemonic to a list or checklist. Finally, given the essential nature of effective handoffs to perioperative patient safety, it is crucial that handoff interventions are well developed, implemented, and evaluated. We propose 8 recommendations for future perioperative handoff mnemonic clinical interventions and research.
The Nature of Critique: Revisiting Adorno’s “Natural History” amid the Postcritique Debates
Authors: Wankhammer Johannes
Published: November 2024

This article revisits Adorno’s concept of “natural history” to propose an alternative to the exhausted paradigm of denaturalizing critique. As Jonathan Crary’s work on the ruination of sleep illustrates, the reflex to denounce natural limits as ideological constructs falls short when it comes to confronting social pathologies wrought by late capitalism’s demand for infinite flexibility. Since its Enlightenment origins, however, critical thought has tended to attack natural limits as illegitimate barriers to human self-determination, even before this strategy became, with Nietzsche, the sole rationale behind denaturalizing critique. By contrast, Adorno’s concept of natural history offers a profound (if long-overlooked) self-critique of critique’s one-sided reliance on denaturalization: it suggests how it is possible to harness natural limits as levers for emancipatory transformation rather than blindly calling for the transformation of given limits. Pace Adorno, such natural-historical critique may clarify emerging forms of political praxis, especially those fighting for environmental justice.
Medea’s Violence: Apathy as a Politics of Withdrawal
Authors: Heller Jonas
Published: November 2024

This article explores the political implications of the figure of Medea by analyzing the affinity between violence and nonviolence in her actions. A new reading of two versions of the mythical material—the apparently violent Medea in Euripides’s tragedy, and the apparently nonviolent Medea in Christa Wolf’s novel, Medea: Stimmen—shows that her actions, which have no means at their disposal, are effective in that they exercise a form of active apathy: Medea acts by withdrawing from the effects of the patriarchal order, especially in her refusal of the affects that are expected from her. This interpretation shows that, far from being a madwoman, Medea is a stoic, capable, and effective in action.
The Resurgence of a Tibetan Medical Hauntology
Authors: van der Valk Jan M. A.
Published: November 2024

During the first wave of COVID-19 and the ensuing “anthropause” enforced by lockdown policies, Tibetan medicine (Sowa Rigpa) rapidly emerged as a key interface through which Tibetan, Himalayan, and online communities responded to the spread of the virus. Apart from a host of preventative, protective, and curative measures—ranging from pills to amulets and mantras—the root causes for the pandemic’s appearance and spread were framed through the interrelated lenses of Tibetan medical etiology and morally infused cosmologies. This digital anthropological study is based on an unprecedented flurry of English-language media interviews, webinars, blog posts, and articles by Sowa Rigpa physician-scholars in 2020–21. It builds on a thematic overview of the integrative ways in which they approached COVID-19, further analyzing the highly distinctive more-than-human ecological perspective through a hauntological lens of spectral justice. The essay unpacks how practitioners drew on textual idioms of contagion, spirit provocation, karmic retribution, and Buddhist prophecies of a degenerate age (Sanskrit, kaliyuga) to invoke a particular kind of revenge of nature: mediated by angered earth protectors and mother beings, yet influenced by contemporary environmentalism. Recognizing the emancipatory potential of revenge, I interpret this resurgent kaliyuga as a Tibetan medico-religious critique and refiguration of the Anthropocene.
Seeing the Anthropocene through Montage
Authors: Arends Bergit
Published: November 2024

Environmental changes and the age of the Anthropocene demand new ways of seeing. This article contends that montage serves both as form and as argument in representing the modern Western experience of human-nature relations in the supposed Anthropocene. It suggests that montage resists a single narrative of the Anthropocene and allows for modified readings to address race and capital through alternative notions such as the Capitalocene and Black Anthropocenes. Montage in relation to the Anthropocene is exemplified through two works by contemporary British artists that visualize agencies and legacies of human interventions into fluvial geographies, the sea, and whales: the touring film installation Vertigo Sea (2015) by John Akomfrah, and the site-specific intervention BERLINWAL (Berlin Whale) (2018) by Elizabeth Price at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, Germany. Both works, though differing in medium, use montage as a structure to hold different materialities and multiple spatial and temporal scales, affording integration as well as confrontation. Their multifocal perceptions and multiple perspectives challenge ontologies and afford a decentering of the viewer toward de-exceptionalizing the human.
Tuberous Heroes, Partial Examples, and the Making of Ethical Companions in Agricultural Collectives
Authors: Angé Olivia
Published: November 2024

The history of capitalism features a number of glorified characters, such as Frederick the Great and Antoine Parmentier, lauded for contributing to national prosperity by purportedly introducing the prolific potato to the masses. This article redirects our attention toward vaunted varieties in the tuber population itself, which here are called tuberous heroes. While popularly dismissed as a humble crop, the potato has also been acknowledged as having changed world history for both the better and the worse. An analysis of these antagonistic evaluations reveals how struggles for the advent of tuberous heroism were also political campaigns for worlds to come. The concept of a partial example is introduced to account for the fragmented and situated tuber appreciation found at the center of potato domestication in Peru and is held in contrast to the agro-industrial search for supercrops. This exploration of shifting vegetal virtuosity highlights the ecological attunement of partial exemplarity when compared with the expected ubiquity of heroic and villainous crops. The contrast between heroic and partial exemplarity highlights how a plant becomes an ethical companion offering propositions for entangled flourishing.
Ghostly Entanglements and Ruptures
Authors: Drew John
Published: November 2024

This analysis considers how education positioned at the intersections of literature and nature can help expose and confront the violence of animal agriculture. To do so, it extends from field research in London, Canada, with children who discursively and materially engaged with the story Charlotte’s Web through guided walks in an altered landscape. Once farmland and now a rapidly declining forest behind their school, this sociohistorical space is home to lingering remnants of an animal agricultural past that evoke the pastoral imagery of the novel. In combination with a place-based lens that recognizes settler-colonial agrarian legacies, the animals and interspecies relations of Charlotte’s Web offer an invitation into seeing and empathizing with farmed animals, both past and present. This analysis traces theoretical and pedagogical pathways that challenge embedded anthropocentrism and promote diverse subjective engagements with the multispecies world. Together, Indigenous ways of knowing, relational ontologies, and Derrida’s notion of hauntology can help illuminate an ethically and environmentally engaged literacy education within the Anthropocene.
Spot the Difference
Authors: Laird Tessa , Goodman Andrew
Published: November 2024

How and why is pattern undervalued in Western thought? Pattern’s narrative is checkered: historically banned from respectable clothing for its transgressive power; in the sciences relegated to survivalist function; in the arts tamed as decoration. This article advocates for pattern’s radical provocation to think outside cultural conventions and neo-Darwinist constraints. Pattern connects with vitality rather than utility; its radical excess overruns proprietorial boundaries. Pattern blurs delineations of figure and field, operating as a decolonial force, queering the separability of phyla, and unsettling the false binary between nature and culture. Drawing on process philosophy, art, literature, histories of fabrics, Black studies, queered biology, ecofeminism, and the continuum of naturecultures, this article experiments with the playful patterning of writing and voices and follows wild and impersonal tendencies, creating space for collective individuation, more-than-human joy, and beauty.
Beyond Heroes and Villains
Authors: Rudge Alice
Published: November 2024

Oil palm plantations often produce figurations of heroism and villainy attributed to human and nonhuman actors. Yet these categories may mask the subtleties of local experiences. Indigenous Batek people in Malaysia highly value the autonomy of both plants and people, but with forests disappearing, many who turn to labor on plantations find themselves struggling for autonomy. At the same time, they do not extend autonomous personhood to the oil palms with which they labor. This article explores the degrees of personhood attributed to botanical persons and the entangled human and botanical autonomies thus produced. It demonstrates the ambivalences of multispecies relationships in plantation frontier contexts and argues that by attending more closely to Batek theories and enactments of autonomy, categories of heroism and villainy are destabilized. This might offer alternative modalities for grasping the ambivalent nature of life on the edges of a plantation.
Power and the River Lords
Authors: Johnson Andrew Alan
Published: November 2024

The Mekong River is experiencing a crisis, with water flows and flood cycles rendered unstable owing to large-scale hydropower development in China and Laos. As communities face the radical decline of fisheries and unexpected floods and ebbs, residents and regional NGOs alike turn toward voices of moral authority and power to seek to mitigate these losses. But the kinds of authority sought out by fishers on the river are not the same as those identified by environmental groups; “spirit lords” and other divine figures enter into the conversation just as much as activists and lobbyists. In addition, these religious figures present multiple perspectives on how to live in a changed world and a model of resistance that challenges how we might see political power and its heroes.
PIKFYVE inhibition induces endosome- and lysosome-derived vacuole enlargement via ammonium accumulation
Authors: Uwada Junsuke , Nakazawa Hitomi , Kiyoi Takeshi , Yazawa Takashi , Muramatsu Ikunobu , Masuoka Takayoshi
Published: November 2024

FYVE-type zinc finger-containing phosphoinositide kinase (PIKFYVE), which is essential for phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(3,5)P2] production, is an important regulator of lysosomal homeostasis. PIKFYVE dysfunction leads to cytoplasmic vacuolization; however, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we explored the cause of vacuole enlargement upon PIKFYVE inhibition in DU145 prostate cancer cells. Enlargement of vacuoles upon PIKFYVE inhibition required glutamine and its metabolism by glutaminases. Addition of ammonia, a metabolite of glutamine, was sufficient to enlarge vacuoles via PIKFYVE inhibition. Moreover, PIKFYVE inhibition led to intracellular ammonium accumulation. Endosome–lysosome permeabilization resulted in ammonium leakage from the cells, indicating ammonium accumulation in the endosomes and lysosomes. Ammonium accumulation and vacuole expansion were suppressed by the lysosomal lumen neutralization. It is therefore assumed that PIKFYVE inhibition interferes with the efflux of NH4+, which formed through protonation of NH3 in the lysosomal lumen, leading to osmotic swelling of vacuoles. Notably, glutamine or ammonium is required for PIKFYVE inhibition-induced suppression of lysosomal function and autophagic flux. In conclusion, this study shows that PIKFYVE inhibition disrupts lysosomal homeostasis via ammonium accumulation.
The effects of teaching strategies on learning to think critically in primary and secondary schools: an overview of systematic reviews
Authors: Oxman Andrew D. , Nsangi Allen , Martínez García Laura , Kaseje Margaret , Samsó Jofra Laura , Semakula Daniel , Munthe-Kaas Heather , Rosenbaum Sarah E.
Published: November 2024

Background We conducted an overview of systematic reviews about the effects of teaching strategies that can be used to teach primary and secondary school students to think critically. Our objective was to inform decisions about what teaching strategies to use in resources that we developed to teach critical thinking about health in secondary schools. Methods We mapped characteristics of systematic reviews of teaching strategies and summarised findings from the most relevant reviews to teaching students to think critically about health. We included reviews that assessed the effects of teaching strategies that could potentially be used in primary or secondary schools to teach students to think critically, had a Methods section with explicit selection criteria, reported at least one outcome measure of the ability to undertake one of four basic types of cognitive tasks (memory, procedural, comprehension, or opinion), and were published after 1999. Results We included 326 systematic reviews. The reviews evaluated a wide range of teaching strategies for a variety of purposes. Important limitations of the reviews included not considering adverse effects (99% of the reviews), not assessing the risk of bias for included studies (93% of the reviews), and not assessing the credibility of subgroup effects (100% of the reviews). We summarised the findings for 37 teaching strategies that we considered most relevant. The certainty of the evidence of the effects varied from very low to moderate. We used 12 of the strategies in resources that we developed to teach secondary students to think critically about health. Conclusions A tremendous amount of work has gone into evaluating the effects of a wide range of teaching strategies. The results of this research can inform decisions about how to teach critical thinking and future research. However, well-designed, up-to-date systematic reviews are still needed for many teaching strategies.
Exploring how health inequalities are conceptualised and measured in patient experience surveys in acute care: a protocol for a scoping review
Authors: Healy David , Gilmore John , King Jenny , McSharry Jenny , Meade Oonagh , Ní Shé Éidín , Sweeney Lorna , Foley Conor , Noone Chris
Published: November 2024

Objective The objective of this scoping review is to map measured and overlooked health inequalities in patient experience surveys in acute care and to explore the potential consequences of different conceptualisations of these health inequalities. Introduction Measuring patient experience has become standard practice in many countries. However, despite the widespread awareness of the impact of health inequalities on various aspects of health, including patient experience, a comprehensive examination of whether and how health inequalities are measured in patient experience surveys has yet to be completed. The various ways in which these surveys conceptualise health inequalities may have important implications for how information about inequalities in patient experience is reported and used to allocate resources and plan quality improvement in health services. We will analyse the papers included in this scoping review to identify ways in which health inequalities have been conceptualised and measured in patient experience surveys in acute care and the potential consequences of framing health inequalities in different ways. Inclusion criteria Papers that contain materials relating to patient experience measurement in any acute care context will be included. No limits will be placed on patient characteristics. Methods A search strategy was developed with an information specialist. The database search will be limited to after September 2021. No limit will be placed on data sources. Grey literature searches will be completed and relevant experts will also be contacted to identify any patient experience surveys not captured through database or grey literature searches. Non-English papers will be included only if resources allow. Two independent reviewers will complete title and abstract, and full-text screening. Additional reviewers will resolve any conflicts. A data extraction form was developed. The extracted data will be analysed using Critical Discourse Analysis, a qualitative method used to examine how power, dominance and inequality are enacted in text.
Comprehensive assessment of Linum usitatissimum L. genotypes by phenotypic characteristics and stability in the conditions of the subtaiga agroecological zone of the Tyumen region
Authors: Korolev Konstantin
Published: November 2024

The article presents the results of testing 12 hybrid combinations of fiber flax F3-F5 obtained based on interparietal crossings of four initial parental forms (Yarok, Grant, Alizee, Betertelsdorf 6884/60) for a set of morpho-biological parameters considering their ecological stability. Field research was carried out at the Biological Station of Tyumen State University "Lake Kuchak" (Nizhnetavdinsky District, Tyumen Region, 57°21' N, 66°04' E). Reliable differences (p<0.05; p<0.01) between them for all the studied traits were revealed. In the total phenotypic variability of the studied traits, the maximum influence of genotype-environment interactions (48.5%) was determined. A group of stable (bi=1.0, S2di=0, G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G8, G9), highly (bi<1.0, S2di=0) and weakly responsive (bi>1.0, S2di=0) hybrids was determined. Using the index (SI), the most stable of them in two groups were determined (SI=61.0-80.0% and 81.0-100.0%). According to the stability index (I), valuable flax genotypes were identified by plant height (G1, G2), number of capsules (G1, G2, G10), number of seeds in 1 capsule (G1, G8), and vegetation period (G1, G2, G8). Using the Kang rank criterion (RS), two groups by stability were identified, of which the first has the highest value for plant height (G1, G3, G5), inflorescence length (G1), number of capsules (G1, G6, G10, G11), number of seeds in 1 capsule (G8), fiber content (G1, G3, G5, G12), and vegetation period (G4). Hybrid combinations (G1, G2, G3, G5, G6, G7, G11) were selected, which are of the greatest practical interest for the selection process.
La nación federal
Authors: Gutiérrez Ardila Daniel
Published: November 2024

El primer propósito de este capítulo es delinear la naturaleza del federalismo decimonónico de nuestro país durante sus dos fases características. El segundo, cuestionar la consistencia de los experimentos unitarios a lo largo del siglo. El tercero, enunciar la idea de una nación federal que se concebía, más allá del régimen imperante, no solo como un conjunto de individuos, sino también como una unión de pueblos hermanos, tan celosos de su individualidad como conscientes de su pertenencia a una entidad común.
A Reduced Modeling Approach for Making Predictions with Incomplete Data Having Blockwise Missing Patterns
Authors: Srinivasan Karthik , Currim Faiz , Ram Sudha
Published: November 2024

Incomplete data with blockwise missing patterns are commonly encountered in analytics, and solutions typically entail listwise deletion or imputation. However, as the proportion of missing values in input features increases, listwise or columnwise deletion leads to information loss, whereas imputation diminishes the integrity of the training data set. We present the blockwise reduced modeling (BRM) method for analyzing blockwise missing patterns, which adapts and improves on the notion of reduced modeling proposed by Friedman, Kohavi, and Yun in 1996 as lazy decision trees. In contrast to the original idea of reduced modeling of delaying model induction until a prediction is required, our method is significantly faster because it exploits the blockwise missing patterns to pretrain ensemble models that require minimum imputation of data. Models are pretrained over the overlapping subsets of an incomplete data set that contain only populated values. During prediction, each test instance is mapped to one of these models based on its feature-missing pattern. BRM can be applied to any supervised learning model for tabular data. We benchmark the predictive performance of BRM using simulations of blockwise missing patterns on three complete data sets from public repositories. Thereafter, we evaluate its utility on three data sets with actual blockwise missing patterns. We demonstrate that BRM is superior to most existing benchmarks in terms of predictive performance for linear and nonlinear models. It also scales well and is more reliable than existing benchmarks for making predictions with blockwise missing pattern data.

History: Maytal Saar-Tsechansky served as the senior editor for this article.

Data Ethics & Reproducibility Note: The code capsule is available on Code Ocean at https://codeocean.com/capsule/0274716/tree and in the e-Companion to this article (available at https://doi.org/10.1287/ijds.2022.9016 ).
Optimal Prototyping with Noisy Measurements
Authors: Bhaskaran Sreekumar , Erat Sanjiv
Published: November 2024

Problem definition: Prototyping and testing are an integral part of almost any new product development process, helping firms navigate the inherent uncertainties of creating new products. Recent developments in rapid prototyping, including technologies that enable cheaper low-fidelity tests, have opened up the possibilities for firms in reconfiguring their product development processes. Firms can, by choosing the level of evaluation fidelity, alter the traditional cost-quality trade-offs inherent in sequential prototyping. Methodology/results: The current article formulates a general model of sequential search where firms can proceed by obtaining noisy low-fidelity evaluations of their prototypes. Our results demonstrate that the imperfect fidelity of evaluations alters the firm’s optimal experimentation, with the starkest difference being that it may make it optimal for the firm to select and launch a prototype that did not yield the best evaluation. In addition, our analysis of optimal measurement technology reveals that the focal firm should demand the most precise measurements when their ex-ante uncertainty is moderate (not too high or low). We also consider extensions analyzing how the optimal choice of evaluation fidelity is affected by the number of available prototypes, by operational flexibility (to dynamically change measurement technology), and by the ability to outsource evaluations to an experimentation platform. Managerial implications: We develop managerial insights for how the optimal choice of fidelity and the optimal length of the evaluation cycle should be planned depending on the evaluation costs and the firm’s ex-ante uncertainty. The resulting framework offers guidance to product and software development firms to successfully leverage imperfect fidelity experiments.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2024.1133 .
Experts turn attention to solving challenges in children's services
Authors: Hayes Derren
Published: November 2024

With funding levels for children's services unable to keep pace with rising demand or meet children's needs, CYP Now convened a panel of experts to assess what policymakers’ priorities should be for the next five years
Met's strategy to rebuild trust
Authors: Simpson Fiona
Published: November 2024

Author of the Met Police's new Children's Strategy highlights need for training around youth issues
Time to reform the law on disabled children
Authors: Young Alison
Published: November 2024

Professor Alison Young, commissioner for public law and the law in Wales, Law Commission of England & Wales
Cases in point
Authors: Harvey Bill
Published: November 2024

Bill Harvey reminds readers to keep those cases coming and to remember that it is not just the purely clinical cases that are of interest
In Dublin's fair city
Authors: Harvey Bill , Porter Catherine
Published: November 2024

Bill Harvey and Dr Catherine Porter report from the joint ECOO and EAOO conference held recently in Ireland's capital
Finding the right pathway
Authors: Morris Paul
Published: November 2024

Paul Morris offers his perspective on glaucoma patient pathways
No place for a bully
Authors: Bernstein Adam
Published: November 2024

Adam Bernstein looks into the problem of bullying in the workplace
How to approach appraisals
Authors: Grant Adam
Published: November 2024

Adam Grant answers some common questions on the pitfalls and challenges of employee appraisals
Shielding his patients
Authors: White Emma
Published: November 2024

OutsideClinic optometrist Paul Ratcliffe won the ‘Covid Heroes Award’ at the Optician Awards 2021 for creating a breath shield that helped to protect 100,000 vulnerable people during the pandemic. Emma White reports
Covid team of the year
Authors: White Emma
Published: November 2024

Emma White finds out about Specsavers Northampton’s personal sacrifice, supporting customers round the clock and caring for team members throughout the pandemic and beyond
CPD: A lifetime of contact lens wear
Authors: Jones Lyndon , Walsh Karen , Sulley Anna
Published: November 2024

With a nod to their own many years of contact lens wearing experience, Lyndon Jones, Karen Walsh and Anna Sulley discuss the key lifestyle factors and clinical considerations most relevant to helping patients maintain successful CL wear over multiple decades (C???????, suitable as one distance learning CPD point for optometrists, dispensing opticians and contact lens opticians)
Heating up
Authors: Chander Tina
Published: November 2024

Tina Chander clarifies the rules and regulations around high temperatures in the workplace
CPD: What causes rechecks and how to avoid them
Authors: Beesley Jeremy , Elliott David B
Published: November 2024

Jeremy Beesley and Professor David B Elliott describe the results from their major study of the causes of rechecks in UK eye care practice and suggest ways to avoid them. (C102913, suitable for logging as one provider-led distance learning CPD point for optometrists and dispensing opticians).
Revolution through lenses
Authors: Hale Mike
Published: November 2024

Mike Hale delves into the rich history of ophthalmic lenses to pick out highlights that revolutionised the industry
Bringing a ray of exclusivity
Authors: Patchett Lucy
Published: November 2024

Lucy Patchett speaks to the 2021 Fashion Practice of the Year, Rae & Rae Opticians, about their fashion and shopping strategy of exclusivity and personalisation
Spreading healthy habits
Authors: Patchett Lucy
Published: November 2024

Lucy Patchett reports on activities and support for National Eye Health Week
Diary of a spectacle designer
Authors: Davies Tom
Published: November 2024

Tom Davies discovers there's always a bigger fish and, in the sunglass market, that fish is called Ray-Ban
CPD: Health inequality
Authors: Narayan Rohit
Published: November 2024

Dr Rohit Narayan, winner of the Optician Award for Optometrist of the Year 2021 for his holistic approach to eye care, discusses the Marmot review of health equity in England with a focus upon the implications for eye care practice throughout the UK
CPD: Autistic adults, vision and eye care
Authors: Parmar Ketan
Published: November 2024

In the second of a four-part series based around new research looking into the assessment of eye health in the autistic population, Dr Ketan Parmar outlines the many and varied challenges to accessing eye care experienced by autistic people (C103153, suitable for logging as one provider-led distance learning CPD point for optometrists and dispensing opticians)
Restricting myopia
Authors: Hale Mike
Published: November 2024

Mike Hale assesses responses to the GOC's call for evidence for the review of the Opticians Act that are relevant to myopia management and outlines new guidance on childhood-onset myopia management
Retaining patients and winning awards
Authors: White Emma
Published: November 2024

Emma White speaks to Roger Smyth about attracting and retaining contact lens customers and his practice, Andrew and Rogers Optometrists, winning Contact Lens Practice of the Year at the Optician Awards
BCLA CLEAR interactive 3
Authors: Harvey Bill , Retallic Neil
Published: November 2024

Bill Harvey and Neil Retallic offer an overview some of your discussions concerning the third interactive CPD exercise relating to the BCLA CLEAR publication, this time focusing on the effect of contact lens materials and designs (C103025)
Clearer vision
Authors: Harvey Bill
Published: November 2024

Bill Harvey highlights some of the key points learned from a recent webinar where patients were very much at the forefront when discussing eye surgery
Making top-down improvements
Authors: Patchett Lucy
Published: November 2024

Lucy Patchett reports on key findings and failings from the GOC's Stakeholder Perceptions report for 2022