bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Broader Perspectives
Authors: Rouse William B.
Published: October 2023

Broader Perspectives explores the limitations of typical approaches to problem-solving. The underlying positivistic philosophy is elaborated. This philosophy is overwhelmingly solution rather than problem-driven. The idea is to quickly “fix” deficiencies rather than first deeply explore the reasons for the deficiencies. Behavioral and social phenomena underlie the challenges, both as sources of dysfunctional designs and impediments to creative, sustainable change. Historical and contemporary findings in economics, psychology, social psychology, sociology, and politics are explored. Understanding these phenomena is necessary to inform how we address remediating the challenges. A design-oriented approach is elaborated in terms of wicked problems, complex adaptive systems, and human-centered design, a process of considering and balancing the value, concerns, and perceptions of key stakeholders in any endeavor.
Insights for Addressing Challenges
Authors: Rouse William B.
Published: October 2023

Insights for Addressing Challenges addresses the phenomena underlying the four societal challenges. A fundamental question concerns where change interventions should be targeted. Several questions should guide these choices: 1) Will the benefits envisioned be embraced by stakeholders? 2) Is any stakeholder organization currently providing these benefits?; 3) Are they successfully providing these benefits? 4) Is the scope of those benefited limited by resources or mandates? 5) What might hinder the broad provision of these benefits? Initiatives in health, education, energy, and information management are elaborated and discussed. This discussion includes consideration of how these initiatives influence each other, both negatively and positively.
Integrating Plans into Solutions
Authors: Rouse William B.
Published: October 2023

Integrating Plans into Solutions addresses how integrated solutions will create beneficial outcomes for all stakeholders and not undermine others. This chapter is primarily concerned with how all the pieces fit together. There are not four disparate challenges—they all fit and play together. Beyond common objectives and functional needs, they can be enhanced by intelligent systems concepts. Human-centered support is both imaginable and feasible. Stakeholders’ attributes and preferences are addressed at multiple levels. The design of the needed support infrastructure can be enabled by the appropriate use of intelligent systems technology. The functional needs this technology can provide are elaborated. A use-case scenario is introduced involving driverless cars for people with disabilities.
Corruption Hurts: No, It Kills
Authors: Mohan Rajat
Published: October 2023

Corruption is perhaps best defined as ‘use of public office for private gain through violation of a rule’. Various studies have confirmed that corruption retards economic growth, reduces incomes, exacerbates inequality, and hampers delivery of public services. Countries with high levels of corruption are seen to also suffer from poor social-development indicators, such as higher infant mortality and lower literacy rates. Corruption is sometimes presented in terms of ‘cultural relativism’, that is, some cultures are more prone to corruption than others. We reject such a hypothesis. Corruption is a curse for all places and all times. However, this is not to minimize the scourge corruption represents for most poor countries: an insidious cancer of their national body politic, invasive and unforgiving as it thwarts their efforts to achieve economic and social progress. Surprisingly, though, the general attitude towards this cancer on society was more accepting, even in academic circles and as recently as the late 1980s. Corruption was often seen as a pricing mechanism (grease money) to correct some of the market failures facing a country because of its inefficient and rigid bureaucracy. Fortunately, attitudes against corruption began to harden, and tolerance of it started diminishing, at least in theory. All the effects we have talked about are what would essentially be instrumental effects. But as a society, the absence of corruption should also be intrinsically valued as being desirable in its own right.
We Think—Therefore, We Are
Authors: Mohan Rajat
Published: October 2023

Humans think not only as individuals but also as members of a society. Their actions are influenced as much by their individual thinking as by their circumstances, social networks, and norms. Their collective behaviours for the better (such as creating widespread trust) or worse (such as the existence of widespread corruption) develop and evolve as a function of interaction between individual and social thinking. To survive in society, people need to coordinate their actions to generate social changes for the improved welfare of society, particularly when people are unable to communicate with each other directly. Insightful applications of ‘Schelling’s focal point’ serve as a possible useful social coordinating mechanism to bring society to a state of equilibrium where nobody can profit by deviating unilaterally (Nash equilibrium). Multiple equilibria are possible, some good, some not. Societies would obviously wish to reach a good equilibrium but often face challenges of collective actions (tragedy of the commons, climate change) where social dilemmas arise. The well-known game of Prisoner’s Dilemma illustrates this: what appears to be in the best interest of an individual is not necessarily so for society as a whole and ultimately neither for the individual. However, thankfully, humans are not always ‘rational’. While not angels, they are not always selfish either. They are often altruistic, cooperate, and trust each other. Thus, policies and institutional practices assuming that people are fully rational can be misplaced if cognitive, psychological, and social influences on human behaviour are ignored.
The World of Beliefs, Norms, and Mental Models Around Us
Authors: Mohan Rajat
Published: October 2023

We are all ‘citizens of the republic of beliefs’. Poor governance in most countries is not due to having insufficient laws and regulations but to their ineffective implementation. So, why are laws followed in some societies and not in others? People follow the law if they believe others will follow it too. Otherwise, they just remain as ‘ink on paper’. While beliefs are individualistic, norms are a social construct, society’s collective values and social desires. Norms make social interactions more predictable but can also lead to good or bad outcomes. Social norms influence collective behaviour, for better or for worse. Evidence shows that while humans can be altruistic and kind, they are conditional cooperators. This is a valuable insight which can be used to enhance the relevance of existing social norms and nudge them to lead to better social outcomes. Laws can change not only incentives but also the social meaning of actions. Laws can therefore be an effective tool to change social norms through their sanctioning and expressive powers. Over the course of evolution, humans have learned to use mental models to simultaneously process available information and respond to the situations at hand, often instantaneously. The effects of mental models can be insidious, and even more so than negative social norms. They are internalized values and have long-term staying powers. Beliefs, norms, and mental models all play a critical role in how informal rules of behaviour, and hence how institutions evolve in that society.
Some Other Journeys
Authors: Mohan Rajat
Published: October 2023

From being one of the world’s poorest countries at its independence from Britain in 1966, Botswana was an upper middle-income and a High Human Development country barely four decades later. Its traditional tribal institutions, particularly the kgotla were always remarkably inclusive and it had also been spared the ravages of extractive colonization. Enlightened leadership, particularly that of its first president, Seretse Khama, also played a critical role in Botswana’s journey, including in equitable sharing of its large diamond finds avoiding the feared resource curse. Greater equity and centralization of power led in turn to the evolution of successful inclusive institutions in post-independence Botswana, including an autonomous and competent Weberian bureaucracy. Even though Uruguay had been a democracy for almost two centuries, it also suffered from a long history of political particularism (clientelism). From its independence in 1825 till the mid-1960s, two political parties, Partido Colorado, ‘Red’, (PC) and the Partido Nacional, ‘Blanco’, (PN) had monopolized the country’s political system. Things began to change only when a third political party, a left-oriented Broad Front, the Frente Amplio (FA) emerged by the mid-1960s. Pressures for some fundamental institutional reforms in the country resulted in significant economic reforms, including in the bureaucracy and public-service delivery, and political institutions.
The STATE, the Markets, and the Community
Authors: Mohan Rajat
Published: October 2023

Freedom from fear of being dominated by others is a fundamental premise for a fulfilling life in a society. Hobbes argued that this can only be ensured if there is a visible central authority, the Leviathan. This central authority is the State, which would legally monopolize the use of violence, ensure law and order, and assure justice for all. But this Leviathan itself needs to be shackled and the power of the state appropriately tamed to operate within the bounds of the rule of law, lest it itself becomes the feared despot. The State must ensure security and justice for everyone, especially the weak, the disadvantaged, the marginalized, and those with special needs. Thus, perhaps the most important public good is an efficient and fair State, working in the interest of all and not just a select few. Laws must be written and adopted, but equally importantly, enforced and applied equally to all without fear or favour. Much is expected of the State, but what it can do effectively is a function of its capability. The two must be matched. Trying to do too much results in mediocrity, damages State credibility, and erodes trust. The State must therefore prioritize what it can do well and let the markets and society step up and address the remaining needs. The role of the State should be to enable the ecosystem for the markets to operate and societies to thrive in peace and security and assurance of justice.
Oxford and the arts and humanities
Authors: Aston Nigel
Published: October 2023

The University’s engagement with the arts increasingly made an impact on the world. This emphasis on accessibility was embodied in Oxford’s growing reputation as one of the nation’s foremost music-making hubs; and also in the production of vernacular literature that both encapsulated national pride and recognised the breadth of the English literary inheritance. Thomas Warton and his generation corrected a misleading reputation, acquired during the Phalaris controversy, that Oxford learning was exclusive, essentially inward-looking, and privileged style over substance. Its scholars were in the vanguard of Anglo-Saxon studies, but the University failed to produce a historian of more recent times, and it only gradually came to acknowledge Locke’s philosophical merits. The increasing demands of empire ensured that the University’s seventeenth-century reputation for Oriental languages developed apace and manifested itself in Arabic studies, as well as in Persian and Sanskrit during the generation of Sir William Jones in the 1770s/80s.
Oxford and contemporary science
Authors: Aston Nigel
Published: October 2023

Chapter 5 moves to the evolving disciplinary area of science. Eighteenth-century Oxford was emphatically not a scientific backwater. Newtonianism was strong within the University in the 1700s and 1710s, though it later encountered challenges because of its perceived threat to revealed religion. Meanwhile, Oxford offered gradually improving facilities for experimentation and teaching in the natural sciences. The appetite beyond the University for lectures often given by talented outsiders was acknowledged and they were widely advertised. Astronomers, such as Edmond Halley, James Bradley, and Thomas Hornsby, held University professorships, while the opening of the Radcliffe Hospital in 1772 testified to Oxonian engagement with the ‘Medical Enlightenment’; there were also advances in chemistry. Chemical forces, though, were suggestive of political incandescence, and Thomas Beddoes appeared to embody them. His reputation for Jacobinism underlined Anglican anxieties about science in the 1790s and his expulsion from the University indicated that intellectual advance was never politically unconditional.
Insider trading
Authors: Aston Nigel
Published: October 2023

The final, twelfth chapter is focused on the varied interaction of Oxford graduates with each other and with outsiders through kinship, friendship, and intermarriage, which underlay the enduring centrality and leverage of the University in national life. Patronage and brokerage were crucial but there were also important, non-contractual dimensions operative within this range of networks. Fond memories of past associations were likely to be stimulated through social gatherings, and these developed more formally over the century. Old college connections could bring clergy, otherwise frequently intellectually isolated in rural settings, into mutual contact. The ultimate sign of alumni institutional loyalty was to leave a bequest, and here the largest donors tended to be laymen. Benefactions were, above all, a token of goodwill, a remittance intended to foster the same sentiments in succeeding generations.
Spanish in the U.S. and in Chicago
Authors: Potowski Kim , Torres Lourdes
Published: October 2023

This chapter introduces the study of Spanish in Chicago, a site where Spanish is a minority language in contact with dominant English. The chapter establishes the book’s project—to describe the oral Spanish of Chicago-based Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and MexiRicans across three generations, and identify patterns of change, and propose explanations for them. The chapter describes the book’s grounding theoretical framework; it discusses possible language or dialect contact outcomes such as linguistic convergence, dialect leveling, accommodation, koine formation, and language loss. The chapter reviews the history of the Puerto Rican and Mexican communities in Chicago, including histories of settlement, shifting demographics, contact and engagement, and mutual social and linguistic attitudes. It introduces the category of mixed MexiRicans, who can shed light on intrafamilial dialect contact. The chapter closes with a discussion of previous studies on Spanish in Chicago and the book’s central research questions.
The Chicago Spanish (CHISPA) Corpus
Authors: Potowski Kim , Torres Lourdes
Published: October 2023

This chapter describes the Chicago Spanish corpus, or CHISPA (CHI-cago SPA-nish), and how it was collected and analyzed. It explains that interviews were conducted with a total of 124 Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and MexiRicans from three generations. The chapter describes how the proficiency level of each speaker was determined on a scale ranging from 1 (low) to 5 (high) and presents the average Spanish proficiency of each group by generation and regional group. Words per minute (WPM) were measured to assess whether region, proficiency, or generation are correlated with WPM. The chapter then discusses the variables of age, gender, and socioeconomic status of study participants. The chapter ends with a description of interview procedures. Three appendices provide demographic details on all participants, examples of oral speech at each proficiency level, and interview questions.
Lexical Familiarity
Authors: Potowski Kim , Torres Lourdes
Published: October 2023

This chapter examines the extent to which Mexicans and Puerto Ricans of different generations are familiar with each other’s distinctive lexical items and whether this familiarity is connected to regional origin, generational group, and Spanish proficiency. It begins with a review of studies of dialect contact and then describes the study’s methodology and participants. It details how a baseline of “homeland” speakers (Mexican and Puerto Ricans who never left their respective homelands) was determined to compare to the Chicago Latino speakers. The chapter presents both outgroup and ingroup lexical familiarity scores. The chapter moves on to address the lexical familiarity of MexiRicans who by virtue of their mixed status experience varying degrees of intrafamilial dialect contact and do not have an outgroup. The chapter then presents data on individual lexical items and finally compares speakers’ proficiency rating with their overall lexical scores.
Phonology
Authors: Potowski Kim , Torres Lourdes
Published: October 2023

This chapter examines several phonological realizations in the Spanish of Latinos in Chicago. The goal of the chapter is to look for evidence of accommodation in /s/ and /r̄/ realizations by first-, second-, and third-generation Mexican and Puerto Rican Spanish speakers in Chicago, as well as patterns of use of these two variables among MexiRicans who experienced intrafamilial dialect contact. First, the chapter reviews studies of phonological accommodation in situations of Spanish dialect contact. The chapter then presents research questions and methodology. Rates of /s/ weakening and /r̄/ velarization are analyzed according to regional origin, generation, and generation and regional origin together, as well as according to interlocutor and according to interlocutor and generational group. Also considered is the extent to which /s/ weakening and /r̄/ velarization occur together. The chapter provides a qualitative review of narratives to understand the factors that condition phonological realizations.
Water
Authors: Bamforth Charles W.
Published: October 2023

Water is the major component of all beers, except for those containing peculiarly high levels of alcohol. Its composition impacts the brewing process and beer quality, with the two extreme examples of famed brewing “liquor” being the very soft water (low levels of calcium and magnesium) of Pilsen in the Czech Republic and the extremely hard water of Burton-on-Trent, England. Brewers can adjust the mineral composition of the water to suite the beer style. Much more water is used in a brewery than that used to extract the malt. Water is used for cleaning, for converting into steam to heat vessels, and to cool process streams. A yardstick for water usage that many brewers aspire to is three barrels of water for every barrel of beer. Even more water is used in the provision of materials such as malted barley and hops than is used in the brewery itself.
A real-world 2-year prospective study of medication tapering in patients with well-controlled rheumatoid arthritis within the rheumatoid arthritis medication tapering (RHEUMTAP) cohort
Authors: Tageldin Mohamed , Wilson Nicole , Yin Yue , Sharma Tarun S
Published: October 2023

Objectives

This study had two aims: (i) to investigate outcomes of medication tapering in stable RA patients on biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs/tsDMARDs) and conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) in a real-world prospective cohort; and (ii) to evaluate possible predictors of flare with medication taper.

Methods

A prospective cohort of patients with RA in sustained remission or low disease activity while on stable bDMARD/tsDMARDs +/– csDMARDs for at least 6 months underwent medication tapering/stopping and was tracked for 2 years. Patients were evaluated for flares in four groups: no taper, only bDMARD/tsDMARD taper, only csDMARD taper and both csDMARD and bDMARD/tsDMARD taper.

Results

The RHEUMTAP cohort included 131 patients that met eligibility criteria, of which 52 patients underwent a medication taper. Flare was experienced by 15 patients in the taper and two in the no-taper groups. Patients undergoing any taper/stop overall were 10 times more likely to experience a flare compared with those not tapered (HR 10.43, 95% CI 2.98–36.53, P = 0.0002). The group tapering bDMARD/tsDMARD had 31 times higher risk of flare (HR 31.43, 95% CI 6.35–155.55, P <0.0001) than the no-taper group. Patients tapering both csDMARDs and bDMARD/tsDMARDs had 18 times higher risk of flare than the no-taper group (HR 18.45, 95% CI 2.55–133.37, P = 0.0039). The only csDMARD taper group had a 91% lower risk of flare than the bDMARD/tsDMARD taper group (HR 0.09, 95% CI 0.01–0.69, P = 0.0213).

Conclusion

In our real-world prospective RHEUMTAP cohort study on the outcomes of different medication tapering groups in well-controlled RA, patients who tapered or stopped bDMARDs/tsDMARDs with or without background therapy were more likely to experience a flare than patients that did not taper any medications and those that tapered only csDMARDs.
Policing the California Outercity: Drivers of Police Spending in a Changing Metropolis
Authors: Ross Ángel Mendiola
Published: October 2023

This paper explores the intersection of two major trends in the United States over the last forty years: a substantial investment in local law enforcement and the diversification of suburbia. While previous research on police spending has focused almost exclusively on large central cities, this study broadens this perspective to assess how these dynamics play out in outer-ring suburbs. I construct a unique panel dataset of over 200 California municipalities and find that the drivers of police spending vary across the metropolis in significant ways. Fixed-effects models that control for unobserved heterogeneity across place suggest that suburbs with growing shares of renters spend more on police. Elaborating on the concept of renter threat, I show how increases in renter households are associated with increases in police expenditures across a range of model specifications in suburbia. I point to suburban homeowner concerns about crime and property values as well as the history of racial exclusion in suburbia that is often couched in economic terms as potential explanations for these findings. Results point to the enduring role of police as a contemporary mechanism of both social control and inequality in California suburbs.
A Critical Feminist Perspective on Climate Change Adaptation Plans: Mapping Municipal Recognition, Dialog, and Budgeting
Authors: Benjamin Orly , Krigel Karni
Published: October 2023

Feminists’ scholarship and critique of gender climate injustice have exposed just how scarce the practical efforts to correct it are. The challenge of generating incentives designed to encourage urban planning that accounts for expected intersectional vulnerabilities during climate disasters reflects a gap in knowledge: how does professionals’ awareness of intensified vulnerabilities inform climate adaptation plans (CAPs)? We propose an intersectional critical feminist perspective evaluating recognition, dialog, and budgeting that decodes the social process by which professionals’ knowledge of intersectional vulnerabilities is lost before informing CAPs. Based on an empirical investigation of the increasing gender awareness among administrators who accumulate knowledge about women’s vulnerabilities, our analysis contributes an explanation of the marginalization of gender mainstreaming toolkits in urban CAPs. We show that even in municipalities characterized by increasing levels of recognition, relevant knowledge rarely informs the dialog, and planning appropriate responses for intersectional vulnerabilities is left unbudgeted.
Phytophthora sojae Effector PsCRN108 Targets CAMTA2 to Suppress HSP40 Expression and ROS Burst
Authors: Yang Zitong , Ai Gan , Lu Xinyu , Li Yuke , Miao Jinlu , Song Wen , Xu Heng , Liu Jinding , Shen Danyu , Dou Daolong
Published: October 2023

Oomycete pathogens secrete numerous crinkling and necrosis proteins (CRNs) to manipulate plant immunity and promote infection. However, the functional mechanism of CRN effectors is still poorly understood. Previous research has shown that the Phytophthora sojae effector PsCRN108 binds to the promoter of HSP90s and inhibits their expression, resulting in impaired plant immunity. In this study, we found that in addition to HSP90, PsCRN108 also suppressed other Heat Shock Protein ( HSP) family genes, including HSP40. Interestingly, PsCRN108 inhibited the expression of NbHSP40 through its promoter, but did not directly bind to its promoter. Instead, PsCRN108 interacted with NbCAMTA2, a negative regulator of plant immunity. NbCAMTA2 was a negative regulator of NbHSP40 expression, and PsCRN108 could promote such inhibition activity of NbCAMTA2. Our results elucidated the multiple roles of PsCRN108 in the suppression of plant immunity and revealed a new mechanism by which the CRN effector hijacked transcription factors to affect immunity.

[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .
Rapid Restructuring of Rhizosphere and Endospheric Fungal Communities with Drought in Multiple Lines of Domesticated Sunflower
Authors: Brown Shawn P. , Mandel Jennifer R.
Published: October 2023

Plant-associated mycobiomes can influence important host plant traits including those related to disease, nutrient acquisition, flowering phenology, stress tolerance, and productivity. Disentangling the complex multifaceted relationships between host plants and their associated mycobiomes is a critical first step toward generating improvements in environmental sustainability and/or plant productivity. Despite decades of work on these plant–fungal interactions, consequences of and mechanisms controlling these interactions are not well resolved, especially in the face of environmental stress such as drought. Moreover, plant differential genotypic responses under stress and associated mycobiome assembly dynamics are likely important in structuring communities but have been less well studied. We conducted a controlled drought stress experiment by manipulating water treatment in a diverse set of cultivated sunflower lines with different inherent drought resistance levels to evaluate how sunflower host genotypes and drought interacts to affect belowground fungal mycobiomes at the rhizospheric and endospheric levels. Our results demonstrated that fungal community structure was driven by watering treatment, plant genotype, treatment by genotype interactions, genotype by plant compartment interactions, and treatment by genotype by compartment interactions. Additionally, our analyses demonstrated the relative abundance of plant pathogens and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increased with host genetic variation, or heterozygosity, levels. Our study provides evidence for drought and genotypic drivers of belowground sunflower–fungi interactions and offers a framework for leveraging these interactions to further understand how mycobiome community structure can improve plant productivity under stress.
Impact of Inoculation Practices on Microbiota Assembly and Community Stability in a Fabricated Ecosystem
Authors: Lin Hsiao-Han , Torres Marta , Adams Catharine A. , Andeer Peter F. , Owens Trenton K. , Zhalnina Kateryna , Jabusch Lauren K. , Carlson Hans K. , Kuehl Jennifer V. , Deutschbauer Adam M. , Northen Trent R. , Glass N. Louise , Mortimer Jenny C.
Published: October 2023

Studying plant–microbe–soil interactions is challenging due to their high complexity and variability in natural ecosystems. While fabricated ecosystems provide opportunities to recapitulate aspects of these systems in reduced complexity and controlled environments, inoculation can be a significant source of variation. To tackle this, we evaluated how different bacterial inoculation practices and plant harvesting time points affect the reproducibility of a synthetic microbial community (SynCom) in association with the model grass Brachypodium distachyon. We tested three microbial inoculation practices, seed inoculation, transplant inoculation, and seedling inoculation, and two harvesting points, early (14-day-old plants) and late (21 days postinoculation). We grew our plants and bacterial strains in sterile devices (EcoFABs) and characterized the microbial community from root, rhizosphere, and sand using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. The results showed that inoculation practices significantly affected the rhizosphere microbial community when harvesting at an early time point but not at the late time point. As the SynCom showed a persistent association with B. distachyon at 21 days postinoculation regardless of inoculation practices, we assessed the reproducibility of each inoculation method and found that transplant inoculation showed the highest reproducibility. Moreover, plant biomass was not adversely affected by transplant inoculation treatment. We concluded that bacterial inoculation while transplanting coupled with a later harvesting time point gives the most reproducible microbial community in the EcoFAB− B. distachyon−SynCom fabricated ecosystem. We recommend this method as a standardized protocol for use with fabricated ecosystem experimental systems.

[Formula: see text] This manuscript has been authored by an author at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory under Contract number DE-AC02-05CH11231 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The U.S. Government retains, and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges, that the U.S. Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes. This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .
Measuring the Distance and Effects of Weather Conditions on the Dispersal of Nothopassalora personata
Authors: Renfroe-Becton Hope , Kirk Kendall R. , Anco Daniel J.
Published: October 2023

Nothopassalora personata is one of the most economically severe pathogens of peanut in the United States. The fungus primarily relies on wind and rain for dispersal, which has been documented up to 10 m from an inoculum source. Spore traps have been used in a wide variety of pathosystems to study epidemiology, document detection, develop alert systems, and guide management programs. The objective of this study was to use spore traps and N. personata-specific qPCR primers to quantitatively evaluate dispersal of N. personata conidia at distances up to 70 m from an infected peanut field and to examine relationships between quantities captured and weather variables. Impaction spore samplers were placed at 4, 10, 30, 50, and 70 m from peanut fields at the Edisto Research and Education Center (six fields) and commercial peanut fields in Barnwell and Bamberg counties (one field each) from 2020 to 2022. Following initial detection, samples were collected at a 48-, 48-, 72-h interval until harvest. N. personata conidia were detected at all locations and distances, documenting dispersal up to 70 m from an inoculum source. This result is a reminder that volunteer management is crucial when rotating peanut in nearby fields. A model for predicting log spore quantities was developed using temperature and humidity variables. Temperature variables associated with observed sampling periods had a negative correlation with N. personata quantities, whereas parameters of relative humidity and mean windspeed were positively correlated.
The hidden crisis of nurse suicide
Authors: Lange Marte
Published: October 2023

This article discusses the epidemiology of suicide, the suicide rates among the general population and nurses, suicide risk factors and barriers to reporting mental health issues among healthcare professionals, strategies to recognize nurses at risk for suicide, and interventions to prevent nurse suicide.
Holistic nursing can improve family engagement
Authors: Jaramillo Monica
Published: October 2023

Family engagement is relevant to patient outcomes and ensures patient efficacy, support, and quality of life. Such engagement is facilitated by holistic nursing methods. This article discusses the importance of and barriers to family engagement and practical strategies for its implementation.
Temporal Relations Between Pain Catastrophizing and Adverse Health and Mental Health Outcomes Following Whiplash Injury
Authors: Paré Catherine , Yamada Keiko , Sullivan Michael J. L.
Published: October 2023

Objectives:

Pain catastrophizing has been shown to be a prognostic indicator for pain severity and the co-occurrence of mental health conditions such as depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following whiplash injury. However, the pattern of available findings is limited in its implications for the possible ‘antecedent’ or ‘causal’ role of pain catastrophizing. The purpose of the present study was to examine the temporal relations between pain catastrophizing, pain severity, depressive symptoms, and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in individuals receiving treatment for whiplash injury.

Methods:

The sample consisted of 388 individuals enrolled in a multidisciplinary program for whiplash injury. Participants completed self-report measures of pain catastrophizing, pain severity, depressive symptoms, and PTSS at the time of admission, mid-treatment (4 wk), and treatment completion (7 wk). A cross-lagged panel analysis was used to examine the temporal relations between pain catastrophizing, pain severity, depressive symptoms, and PTSS across all three timepoints.

Results:

Model fit was acceptable following the inclusion of modification indices. Pain catastrophizing at the time of admission predicted all other variables at 4 weeks. Pain catastrophizing at 4 weeks also predicted all other variables at 7 weeks. In addition, some bidirectional relations were present, particularly for variables assessed at week 4 and week 7.

Discussion:

Findings support the view that pain catastrophizing might play a transdiagnostic role in the onset and maintenance of health and mental health conditions. The findings call for greater emphasis on the development of treatment techniques which target pain catastrophizing in intervention programs for whiplash injury.
A National Modified Delphi Consensus Process to Prioritize Experiences and Interventions for Antipsychotic Medication Deprescribing Among Adult Patients With Critical Illness
Authors: Jaworska Natalia , Makuk Kira , Krewulak Karla D. , Niven Daniel J. , Ismail Zahinoor , Burry Lisa D. , Mehta Sangeeta , Fiest Kirsten M.
Published: October 2023

OBJECTIVES:

Antipsychotic medications are frequently prescribed to critically ill patients leading to their continuation at transitions of care thereafter. The aim of this study was to generate evidence-informed consensus statements with key stakeholders on antipsychotic minimization and deprescribing for ICU patients.

DESIGN:

We completed three rounds of surveys in a National modified Delphi consensus process. During rounds 1 and 2, participants used a 9-point Likert scale (1—strongly disagree, 9—strongly agree) to rate perceptions related to antipsychotic prescribing (i.e., experiences regarding delivery of patient care), knowledge and frequency of antipsychotic use, knowledge surrounding antipsychotic guideline recommendations, and strategies (i.e., interventions addressing current antipsychotic prescribing practices) for antipsychotic minimization and deprescribing. Consensus was defined as a median score of 1–3 or 7–9. During round 3, participants ranked statements on antipsychotic minimization and deprescribing strategies that achieved consensus (median score 7–9) using a weighted ranking scale (0–100 points) to determine priority.

SETTING:

Online surveys distributed across Canada.

SUBJECTS:

Fifty-seven stakeholders (physicians, nurses, pharmacists) who work with ICU patients.

INTERVENTIONS:

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:

Participants prioritized six consensus statements on strategies for consideration when developing and implementing interventions to guide antipsychotic minimization and deprescribing. Statements focused on limiting antipsychotic prescribing to patients: 1) with hyperactive delirium, 2) at risk to themselves, their family, and/or staff due to agitation, and 3) whose care and treatment are being impacted due to agitation or delirium, and prioritizing 4) communication among staff about antipsychotic effectiveness, 5) direct and efficient communication tools on antipsychotic deprescribing at transitions of care, and 6) medication reconciliation at transitions of care.

CONCLUSIONS:

We engaged diverse stakeholders to generate evidence-informed consensus statements regarding antipsychotic prescribing perceptions and practices that can be used to implement interventions to promote antipsychotic minimization and deprescribing strategies for ICU patients with and following critical illness.
Plasma Interleukin-6 Predicts Clinical Decline After Completion of Dexamethasone Therapy in Severe COVID-19
Authors: Mabrey F. Linzee , Bhatraju Pavan K. , Morrell Eric D. , Zelnick Leila R. , Sathe Neha A. , O’Connor Nicholas G. , Mikacenic Carmen , Martin Thomas R. , Liles W. Conrad , Wurfel Mark M.
Published: October 2023

OBJECTIVES:

To identify and characterize clinical decline after completion of dexamethasone in severe COVID-19 and determine whether interleukin (IL)-6 and other inflammatory biomarkers predict the occurrence of clinical decline.

DESIGN:

Prospective observational cohort.

SETTING:

ICUs in three University of Washington affiliated hospitals between July 2020 and April 2021.

PATIENTS:

Patients admitted to an ICU with COVID-19 who completed a course of dexamethasone.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:

We identified 65 adult patients with severe COVID-19 who completed a 10-day course of dexamethasone, of whom 60 had plasma samples collected within 3 days of dexamethasone completion. We measured IL-6 with a clinical-grade electrochemiluminescent assay and a larger panel of inflammatory biomarkers (IL-8, Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1, Monocyte Inflammatory Protein-1 alpha, interferon gamma, C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 10, WBC, bicarbonate) with a research immunoassay. We defined clinical decline by the occurrence of incident severe kidney injury, incident or escalating shock or fever, worsening hypoxemia, or death within 5 days of completion of dexamethasone. We estimated risk for clinical decline by standardized log2 transformed biomarker concentration using multivariable logistic regression. Clinical decline post-dexamethasone was common, occurring in 49% of patients (n = 32). Among all biomarkers, IL-6 levels were most strongly associated with clinical decline. After adjustment for age, sex, and study site, the odds of post-dexamethasone clinical decline were 7.33 times higher per one sd increase in log2 transformed IL-6 concentrations (adjusted odds ratio, 7.33; CI, 2.62–20.47; p < 0.001). The discriminatory power of IL-6 for clinical decline was high (cross-validated mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.79–0.95).

CONCLUSIONS:

Clinical decline after completion of dexamethasone for severe COVID-19 is common. IL-6 concentrations obtained prior to completion of dexamethasone may have utility in identifying those at highest risk for subsequent worsening. If validated, future work might test whether plasma IL-6 could be used as a tool for a personalized approach to duration of dexamethasone treatment in severe COVID-19.
Respiratory Complications Between Cuffed and Uncuffed Endotracheal Tubes in Pediatric Respiratory Management After Palatoplasty: Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Minoura Hironori , Ichino Takashi , Kitamura Masatomo
Published: October 2023

OBJECTIVES:

We aimed to examine the associations between use of cuffed or uncuffed endotracheal tubes (ETTs) and complications during and after short-term intubation of post-palatoplasty patients without intrinsic lung disease.

DESIGN:

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING:

Operating room and PICU.

PATIENTS:

Children without intrinsic lung disease who had undergone palatoplasty at a single institution. Inclusion criteria: intubation using ETTs with an internal diameter of 3.5 mm and postoperative management in the PICU. Exclusion criteria: 1) patients for whom ETTs with internal diameters other than 3.5 mm were used, 2) patients who had already been extubated in the operating room, and 3) patients who had a tracheostomy.

INTERVENTIONS:

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:

Eighty-seven patients were screened for eligibility; 71 met the inclusion criteria. Of the 71 patients, 41 (58%) with polyurethane-cuffed ETTs (PUC-ETTs) and 30 (42%) with uncuffed ETTs were enrolled. We failed to identify an association between type of PUC-ETT and the development of atelectasis (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% CI, 0.35–3.20; p = 1.00). Similarly, we failed to identify an association between type of PUC-ETT and development of stridor (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 0.43–5.81; p = 0.715) or hoarseness after extubation (OR, 7.03; 95% CI, 0.83–59.6; p = 0.10). At extubation, air leak pressure was higher in the PUC-ETT group than in the uncuffed ETT group (p < 0.001), a finding which was not evident at intubation. The number of patients who received IV dexamethasone and the cases of inhaled racemic epinephrine were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS:

In this select population of post-palatoplasty infants without intrinsic lung disease, we failed to identify any association between type of ETT (cuffed or uncuffed) and greater odds of developing respiratory complications. Taken together with the 95% CI of the effect size, our data indicate continued uncertainty about type of ETT that should be used for short-term intubation.
Expression Patterns of Airway Fluid Cytokines From Intubated Children With Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Authors: Ripple Michael J. , Mohammad Ahmad F. , Stephenson Susan T. , Fitzpatrick Anne M. , Grunwell Jocelyn R.
Published: October 2023

OBJECTIVES:

Pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) is a heterogeneous illness affecting 6% of mechanically ventilated children and with an overall mortality of 17%. Studies in PARDS have mainly focused on plasma biomarkers which may not reflect airway biomarkers. We lack adequate understanding of the inflammatory mediators and underlying immune responses in the airways of PARDS patients. Our objective was to compare the levels of cytokines in the airway fluid of intubated children with severe versus nonsevere acute respiratory distress syndrome.

DESIGN:

Prospective observational cohort study.

SETTING:

Single 36-bed quaternary care academic safety-net hospital PICU.

PATIENTS:

Children intubated for acute respiratory failure between January 2018 and November 2021 stratified by Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference-1 criteria for PARDS.

INTERVENTIONS:

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:

We measured levels of 23 cytokines, chemokines, and protein biomarkers in the tracheal aspirate from 82 intubated children, between 14 days and 17 years old, at risk for or with PARDS. Levels of interleukin-4, -5, -7, -8, -12(p-70), -17a, -21, and fractalkine were higher in patients with severe versus nonsevere PARDS. There were no associations between airway and plasma cytokines.

CONCLUSIONS:

Proinflammatory cytokines are elevated in the airway fluid from intubated children with severe PARDS and reflect diverse patterns of airway inflammation.
Variations in Administrative Approvals During the COVID-19 Pandemic at Participating Sites in the Society of Critical Care Medicine Discovery Network Viral Infection and Respiratory Illness Universal Study: COVID-19 Registry: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Bansal Vikas , Sharma Mayank , Deo Neha , Qamar Shahraz , Lyman Susan , Kumar Vishakha K. , Walkey Allan , Tekin Aysun , Singh Romil , Bogojevic Marija , Nawathe Pooja A. , Boman Karen , Retford Lynn , Gajic Ognjen , Kashyap Rahul ,   for the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Discovery Viral Infection and Respiratory Illness Universal Study (VIRUS): COVID-19 Registry Investigator Group
Published: October 2023

OBJECTIVES:

There is a paucity of literature regarding administrative approvals required for clinical studies during a pandemic. We aimed to evaluate variation in duration of administrative approvals within the Viral Infection and Respiratory illness Universal Study (VIRUS): A Global COVID-19 Registry.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND SUBJECTS:

Survey analysis of 188 investigators who participated in the VIRUS: COVID-19 registry, a prospective, observational global registry database of 287 sites.

INTERVENTIONS:

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:

For each study site approved through December 8, 2020, we assessed the duration in days: 1) from institutional review board (IRB) submission to IRB approval, 2) from IRB approval to Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) access, 3) from REDCap access to first patient data entry in REDCap, and 4) total duration from IRB submission to first patient data entry in REDCap. Analysis of variance and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used to compare time durations. Of 287 sites, 188 sites (United States = 155, non-United States = 33) provided complete administrative data. There was considerable variability in duration from IRB submission to first patient data entry with median (interquartile range) of 28 days (16–50 d), with differences not significantly different by country (United States: 30 [17–50] vs non-United States: 23 d [8–46 d]; p = 0.08) or previous “multisite trial experience” (experienced: 27 [15–51] vs not experienced: 29 d [13–47 d]; p = 0.67). The U.S. sites had a higher proportion of female principal investigators (n = 77; 50%), compared with non-U.S. sites (n = 7; 21%; p = 0.002). Non-U.S. sites had a significantly shorter time to first patient data entry after REDCap access: 7 (1–28) versus 3 days (1–6 d) (p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS:

In this Society of Critical Care Medicine global VIRUS: COVID-19 Registry, we identified considerable variability in time from IRB submission to first patient data entry with no significant differences by country or prior multicenter trial experience. However, there was a significant difference between US and non-U.S. sites in the time from REDCap access to first data entry.
Immune Adjuvant Therapy With Interleukin-7 in a Lymphopenic Patient With Aplastic Anemia and Mucormycosis
Authors: Crees Zachary D. , Patel Dilan A. , Dram Alexandra , Kim Miriam , Bern Michael D. , Eberly Allison R. , Augustin Kristan , Hotchkiss Richard S. , DiPersio John F.
Published: October 2023

BACKGROUND:

We report the case of a patient with aplastic anemia and pancytopenia on immune-suppressive therapy who developed invasive pulmonary infection with mucormycosis and was treated with immune adjuvant therapy.

CASE SUMMARY:

Given the patient’s profound lymphopenia and progressive invasive mucor despite dual antifungal drug therapy, interleukin (IL)-7, a cytokine that induces lymphocyte activation and proliferation, was instituted and resulted in normalization of absolute lymphocyte counts and was temporally associated with clearance of fungal pathogens and resolution of clinical symptoms.

CONCLUSION:

Patients with life-threatening fungal infections are frequently immune suppressed and immune adjuvant therapies should be considered in patients who are not responding to antifungal drugs and source control. Well-designed, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials are needed to advance the field. Although a number of immune adjuvants may be beneficial in fungal sepsis, IL-7 is a particularly attractive immune adjuvant because of its broad immunologic effects on key immunologic pathways that mediate enhanced antifungal immune system activity.