bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Frailty in Midlife as a Predictor of Changes in Body Composition from Midlife into Old Age: A Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study
Authors: Haapanen Markus J. , Kananen Laura , Mikkola Tuija M. , Jylhävä Juulia , Wasenius Niko S. , Eriksson Johan G. , von Bonsdorff Mikaela B.
Published: May 2024

Introduction: Few studies have investigated the association between frailty and subsequent body composition. Methods: We performed separate linear mixed model analyses to study the associations between changes in the participant frailty status assessed by a frailty index (FI) and subsequent body mass index (BMI), lean mass index (LMI), fat mass index (FMI), and FMI to LMI ratio values assessed on three occasions over 17 years. The analyses were carried out among 996 participants spanning from age 57 to 84 years. Results: With advancing age, LMI and BMI decreased, whereas FMI and FMI to LMI ratio increased. Participants with “stable frailty,” followed by those with “increasing frailty” experienced faster decreases in LMI and faster increases in FMI and FMI to LMI ratio values from midlife into old age relative to those in the group “stable not frail.” Contrastingly, those in the highest third of absolute annual increase in FMI and FMI to LMI ratio became more frail faster from midlife into old age relative to those in the lowest third. Conclusions: We found evidence of an adverse health outcome of frailty where lean indices declined faster and fat indices and fat-to-lean ratios increased faster from midlife into old age. The changes resembled those that occurred with aging, but at a faster pace. The relationship between body composition and frailty is likely bidirectional, where high or increasing levels of fat are associated with the risk of becoming more frail earlier, but where a longer duration of frailty may increase the risk of faster age-related changes to body composition.
Antonio Candido reavaliando Vargas
Authors: Aguiar Flávio
Published: May 2024

A chronicle in which Professor Flávio Aguiar recalls his long friendship with Professor Antonio Candido and the themes of their conversations throughout his life, with an emphasis on re-evaluating the role of Getúlio Vargas’ leadership in Brazilian political history.
Head Injury and Risk of Incident Ischemic Stroke in Community-Dwelling Adults
Authors: Elser Holly , Pappalardo Laura W. , Gottesman Rebecca F. , Coresh Josef , Diaz-Arrastia Ramon , Mosley Thomas H. , Kasner Scott E. , Koton Silvia , Schneider Andrea L.C.
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND:

While stroke is a recognized short-term sequela of traumatic brain injury, evidence about long-term ischemic stroke risk after traumatic brain injury remains limited.

METHODS:

The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study is an ongoing prospective cohort comprised of US community-dwelling adults enrolled in 1987 to 1989 followed through 2019. Head injury was defined using self-report and hospital-based diagnostic codes and was analyzed as a time-varying exposure. Incident ischemic stroke events were physician-adjudicated. We used Cox regression adjusted for sociodemographic and cardiovascular risk factors to estimate the hazard of ischemic stroke as a function of head injury. Secondary analyses explored the number and severity of head injuries; the mechanism and severity of incident ischemic stroke; and heterogeneity within subgroups defined by race, sex, and age.

RESULTS:

Our analysis included 12 813 participants with no prior head injury or stroke. The median follow-up time was 27.1 years (25th–75th percentile=21.1–30.5). Participants were of median age 54 years (25th–75th percentile=49–59) at baseline; 57.7% were female and 27.8% were Black. There were 2158 (16.8%) participants with at least 1 head injury and 1141 (8.9%) participants with an incident ischemic stroke during follow-up. For those with head injuries, the median time to ischemic stroke was 7.5 years (25th–75th percentile=2.2–14.0). In adjusted models, head injury was associated with an increased hazard of incident ischemic stroke (hazard ratio [HR], 1.34 [95% CI, 1.12–1.60]). We observed evidence of dose-response for the number of head injuries (1: HR, 1.16 [95% CI, 0.97–1.40]; ≥2: HR, 1.94 [95% CI, 1.39–2.71]) but not for injury severity. We observed evidence of stronger associations between head injury and more severe stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≤5: HR, 1.31 [95% CI, 1.04–1.64]; National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score 6–10: HR, 1.64 [95% CI, 1.06–2.52]; National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥11: HR, 1.80 [95% CI, 1.18–2.76]). Results were similar across stroke mechanism and within strata of race, sex, and age.

CONCLUSIONS:

In this community-based cohort, head injury was associated with subsequent ischemic stroke. These results suggest the importance of public health interventions aimed at preventing head injuries and primary stroke prevention among individuals with prior traumatic brain injuries.
A Study on the Plant Sketching Practice for the Enhancement of People’s Intention for Pro-Environmental Behavior
Authors: Kim Joonhyun
Published: May 2024

Background and objective: Many scholars agree that the key to mitigating the environmental crisis lies in altering human behavior. To better understand this linkage, it is crucial to identify the psychological determinants of one's pro-environmental behavioral intention (PEB) and examine the process through which such behavior is generated. This study focuses on one such process, drawing of plants. We test whether visually representing plants by engaging in freehand drawing would influence actual behavioral intentions to improve the quality of our environment and whether this association is mediated by the key environment-psychological factors (attitude toward plants and affection to the natural environment).Methods: To answer this question, we conducted a quasi-experiment with 235 students from selected colleges in Seoul by dividing them into control and treatment groups. The control group participated in regular outdoor activities during a field trip while the treatment group engaged in drawing of plants during the trip. Survey answers and drawings were analyzed to examine the effect of plant drawing practice on PEB and the mediative role of the psychological constructs.Results: Our T-test and the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) test revealed the following findings: (1) Engaging in plant drawing practice is more effective in developing positive attitudes toward plants and affection to the natural environment than engaging only in normative outdoor experience. (2) Analytical-observational drawings are influential to PEB by mediating through plant attitude, and expressive-subjective drawings are influential to PEB by mediating through environmental affect. (3) Gender was a critical factor in determining plant attitude, environmental attitude, and PEB.Conclusion: In sum, the findings suggest that plant drawing experience has a significant impact on developing PEB, and thus, it can be an effective means to foster a biospheric mindset as well as nature-protective behavior.
Effects of Forest Activities on Sleep and Problematic Behaviors in Young Children
Authors: Kim Ga-Yeon , Yeon Poung-Sik
Published: May 2024

Background and objective: This study aims to determine the effects of forest activities, such as forest meditation and forest experience, on young children's sleep and problematic behaviors and to compare the changes that occur according to the type of forest activity.Methods: Fifty-nine five-year-old children from early childhood education institutions in Cheongju City, Korea, participated. The experiment took place over five weeks between May 3 and 31, 2022. Activities were conducted twice a week for a total of eight sessions. The forest meditation and forest experience groups carried out activities in the forest. The control group carried out thematic activities according to the Nuri curriculum followed by early childhood education institutions. The Korean version of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire was used to assess the participants' sleep duration and sleep habits, and the Korean Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1.5-5 was used to assess problematic behaviors.Results: We found a statistically significant increase in the average sleep duration of the children in the meditation group, as well as a statistically significant decrease in their total sleep habits score and the scores of the bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, and sleep anxiety subdomains of sleep habits. A statistically significant decrease was observed in the forest experience group's scores for total problematic behaviors and internalizing problems. We also found a statistically significant positive correlation between sleep habits and problematic behaviors.Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that static activities, such as forest meditation activities, increase sleep duration and improve sleep habits, while dynamic activities, such as forest experience activities, improve problematic behaviors and internalizing problems. Providing specific programs that appropriately utilize static and dynamic forest activities can help improve sleep and problematic behaviors in young children.
Evaluating the Particulate Matter and Carbon Dioxide Reduction of Four Broad-leaved Evergreen Plants
Authors: Bui Huong-Thi , Jeong Moonsun , Kim Sang-Yong , Park Bong-Ju
Published: May 2024

Background and objective: Since people spend 70-80% of their time indoors, the quality of indoor air has become a crucial factor in overall health. Therefore, poor indoor air quality can have significant adverse effects on our well-being. Common indoor air pollutants are particulate matter (PM) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Plants can remove PM and CO2 through the photosynthesis process and leaf surfaces, and regulate the temperature and humidity of the air. By analyzing the PM and CO2 reduction of four broad-leaved evergreen plants, this study aims to provide data for air purification in indoor spaces.Methods: The four different plant species (Neolitsea sericea (Blume) Koidz., Coffea arabica L., Photinia glabra(Thunb.) Franch. and Sav., and Farfugium japonicum (L.) Kitam.) were selected for this study. Mosquito coils and a CO2 cylinder were the primary sources of PM and CO2. These pollutants were injected into a closed acrylic chamber with plants, and the air quality within the chamber was monitored for a duration of five hours. The plants' effectiveness in reducing carbon dioxide was evaluated through the clean air delivery rate (CADR), while their ability to reduce PM was assessed by analyzing the PM reduction rate. Photosynthetic rates and leaf area were also measured to determine the correlation between air pollution removal and these factors.Results: The ability to remove PM and CO2 varied among plants. Plants with higher rates of photosynthesis were more effective in reducing PM and CO2 than those with lower rates. Among the four plant species, C. arabica and P. glabra were more effective in removing PM and CO2 than the other species. The chamber containing plants exhibited higher humidity and lower temperatures compared to the chamber without plants.Conclusion: These findings suggest that plants can play a significant role in improving indoor air quality. Not only do they effectively reduce levels of PM and CO2, but they also contribute to the regulation of indoor temperature and humidity. The implications of these results highlight the potential of integrating plants into indoor spaces as a natural and multifaceted solution for creating healthier and more comfortable environments.
A new genus and two new species of gelechiid moths (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae, Gelechiinae) from the East Malaysia with unusual male secondary characters
Authors: PONOMARENKO MARGARITA G. , OMELKO МICHAIL M.
Published: May 2024

A new genus Esexalata gen. n. and two new species (E. beljaevi sp. n., type species, and E. natalyae sp. n.) are described and illustrated from East Malaysia. Males of the new taxa possess unique metathoracic and abdominal androconial structures and wing-like structures on the metascutum. The taxonomic position of the new genus within the family Gelechiidae is discussed.
Pseudomyllocerus thracicus sp. nov. from northern Greece (Coleoptera; Curculionidae; Entiminae)
Authors: GERMANN CHRISTOPH , KAKIOPOULOS GEORGE , BOROVEC ROMAN
Published: May 2024

During an excursion to northern Greece, a new species of Pseudomyllocerus Desbrochers des Loges, 1872 was discovered. It is described here as Pseudomyllocerus thracicus Germann, Kakiopoulos and Borovec sp. nov. and compared to all hitherto known species of that genus. Based on the examination of specimens, the new synonymies Pseudomyllocerus canescens (Germar, 1823) = P. invreae (F. Solari, 1948) syn. nov., and P. canescens = P. ophthalmicus (Stierlin, 1888) syn. nov. are established.
6. Founding the Museum
Authors: Desmond Adrian
Published: May 2024

In 1831 Saull moved his business to larger premises at 15 Aldersgate Street. That April he bought James Sowerby’s fossils, added them to his own, and in June declared his wine-depot museum open. In these months, Reform Bill fever was running high. Henry Hetherington started his class-conscious Poor Man’s Guardian, and the museum fossils, arranged stratigraphically, were to show Hetherington’s dispossessed “scum” how life’s perfecting principle promised a brighter future. Accordingly, where Sowerby’s museum had had a hefty entrance fee, Saull’s was free; nor were letters of introduction needed. He invited radical artisans (men and women), Rotunda dissidents and Trades’ Union activists. Thus the museum, in its clientele and accessibility, broke all precedents, while in its rationalist explanation of life, to ready the “productive classes” for power, it was unique. Meanwhile Saull’s political lobbying, at the Guildhall and in the National Political Union, continued in support of the Reform Bill. To coincide with the museum opening, Saull, still on bail and under threat of prosecution for blasphemy, stopped publicly attacking Christianity, but continued it under the rubric of his newly-started geology lectures. He now moved completely into Robert Owen’s camp. Saull helped establish Owen’s Labour Exchange, and sat on the council of Owen’s “Institution of the Industrious Classes”, where he delivered geology courses.
7. Monkey-Man
Authors: Desmond Adrian
Published: May 2024

Saull’s two-hour geology lecture, delivered to reformers in riot-torn Bristol in August 1833, was the only one to be reported verbatim in the Owenite and atheist press. This was undoubtedly his stock talk, and designed to be mentally liberating for the marginal men. It fully justified Anglican claims that his socialist geology was outraging Revelation. He started by debunking Scriptural myths supporting the tithe-rich clergy’s authority, as inimical to rational morality and “political elevation”. Replacing them were to be the “immutable truths” of deep-time geology, and a naturalistic account of life’s advancement. This ascent was powered by progressive ecological conditions caused by planetary oscillations, as Sir Richard Phillips had argued. While atheists and socialists routinely claimed, following Holbach, that mankind was “generated by nature”, Saull’s account of how this came about was to cause shock waves. He replaced the old-fashioned steady-state views of nature with a picture of fossil life as an ascending gradation of species. Out went Phillips’ all-at-once production of the entire fauna, as Saull turned the fossil sequence into an evolving lineage. The last, and “most singular of animals, ‘man’,” finally emerged out of the monkey tribe. Mankind had been produced by changed ecological conditions. Robert Owen’s mantra that bettering cultural conditions would generate a more perfect society was being stamped onto nature. Saull’s sources for his ideas are discussed, as are the ultra-radical True Sun’s political squibs on the French transformist Lamarck. Saull’s subsequent discussion of mankind’s rise from savagery is traced to Humphry Davy’s dream sequence in Consolations in Travel.
9. Damned Monkeys
Authors: Desmond Adrian
Published: May 2024

Urban monkeys came with unsavoury baggage, making a simian ancestry for mankind problematic. The poor perception stemmed from the slum-dwelling organ grinders infesting London’s streets, gin-drinking satyrs in Cross’s Menagerie, and from the ferocious baboons in the dog-fighting dens. Apes were little known, largely considered unintelligent, and the few zoo youngsters exposed to journalists were dressed in working-class clothes, emphasising their disreputable status. Worse still for pious folk, the biblical exegetics of Dr Adam Clarke had pointed to Eve’s tempter, not as a snake, but as an ape. This gave Saull’s suggestions of our ape origin an unacceptably Satanic ring.
15. Martyrs, Churches and Vestries
Authors: Desmond Adrian
Published: May 2024

Saull’s more positive public persona was achieved by his committee work for the repatriation of the transported Dorchester farm labourers, the ‘Tolpuddle Martyrs’. In this he acted as radical M.P. Thomas Wakley’s deputy, and he was, as with so many causes, the committee’s treasurer—his City merchant status being the guarantor of his trustworthiness. We look at the differing perceptions of the committee according to the political slant of the reportage. The radicalism of the City of London allowed the merchant Saull great latitude. Other examples of his treasurer’s roles and his City campaigning for Parliamentary reform, his vestry resistance to tithes and church rates, and his radical and republican activities in Aldersgate ward, are examined.
16. Lease-holder of the New Moral World
Authors: Desmond Adrian
Published: May 2024

Saull’s largesse is shown to extend into the heart of Owenism. He owned the lease on Robert Owen’s house in Burton Crescent. Owen in 1835 set up his “Association of all Classes of all Nations” nearby, in rooms in Burton Street, where the next house organ, the New Moral World, was established. Saull lectured here on palaeontology’s human promise, and we continue to examine his treatment of respectable sources, including the Rev. William Buckland’s Geology and Mineralogy. Seen, too, are the way youngsters, notably the future Darwinian Alfred Russel Wallace, were entertained in Owenite halls, and how soirées featured electrical wizardry and huge fossil reptiles to astonish the adults. Yet the uncompromising materialism of many Owenites was troubling to the ‘sacred socialists’, and the fractures (involving Saull) causing the wider rift are exposed. Saull’s anti-clerical radicalism remained resolute, and is illustrated here by the public debates he chaired, his support for blaspheming socialists sacked from public office, and his identifying with his friend William Lovett’s “Knowledge Chartists”. Never a Chartist himself, he was nonetheless asked to stand as a Radical M.P. by Chartists.
17. Halls of Science
Authors: Desmond Adrian
Published: May 2024

Saull’s integration into the top echelons of metropolitan Owenism is exemplified, including his trusteeship of the London Co-Operative Building Society. This was a bank providing loans to the branches, enabling them to build their Halls of Science. These countrywide halls, rarely discussed by historians, are examined: their success compared to mechanics’ institutions, their female friendliness, and the opposition they faced. Saull now sank his money into a central hall in London’s John Street, which was to be Owen’s new headquarters, and he made a tour of the Midlands Halls of Science in 1840, lecturing, for the last time, on evolving life’s ‘law of progression’, with its earthly promise of a New Jerusalem. Saull felt the civic opposition personally when he visited his home town of Northampton. Here his pub-owning nephew was blacklisted for leasing his backroom to socialists (including Holyoake), and eventually went bankrupt.
20. Peace and Harmony
Authors: Desmond Adrian
Published: May 2024

Far from the police raids in London, Owenites now put their faith in a new communitarian idyll, “Harmony”, a thousand-acre estate in Hampshire. It proved anything but harmonious, with failure built in from the first. Money was lavished on its mansion, built in 1841-1842, and a farm and “delightful villa” was purchased, Rose Hill, which was to be Owen’s new home. Bad management, over-spend, crop uncertainties, all contributed to the flop. Once again Saull stepped in; he paid £2,900 to buy up Rose Hill’s deeds. But the whole venture was draining funds from the Halls of Science. To make up, social missionaries were fired, which caused branches to lose local support and eventually collapse. Tawdry infighting, Owen’s departure for America, and the last socialist congress being held ignominiously in a tent in1846, marked the end of Owenism. Saull was left with Rose Hill, which he kept for life.
21. Secularism and Salvage
Authors: Desmond Adrian
Published: May 2024

Saull, always a stabilizing force, helped the rump Owenites salvage what they could. And every year he would faithfully chair Robert Owen’s birthday celebrations in John Street. But in practical terms he gravitated to George Jacob Holyoake’s new “Utilitarian Society”, which met in the Mechanics’ Hall of Science. It touted a new “secularism”, and effectively took over the old Owenite branches and widened participation to embrace the liberal intelligentsia. Saull was now moving among this new constituency: men and women fascinated by the new dissolvent literature and anonymous pot-boiler Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation. Here he met the young firebrand Robert Cooper, the Birmingham pen manufacturer Josiah Mason, that literary young blade G. H. Lewes, and “outside-of-out” preacher George Dawson.
26. Provisions for the Afterlife
Authors: Desmond Adrian
Published: May 2024

Intimations of mortality—Saull turned 70 in 1853 and had already been dangerously ill—should have made the search for a posthumous home for the museum paramount. Holyoake was reminding him of the late John Barber Beaumont and Charles Jenkins, whose bequests had not resulted in institutions, as they had intended. Saull still spent his days at the Mechanics’ Hall of Science, and we have first-hand accounts of life here, and its hosting of Chartists from Bonner’s Fields after their skirmishes with the police. Nor had co-operation lost its attraction: Saull could be found at the Co-Operative League; or involved in Aldersgate ward politics, or City politics, in the National Reform Society, and at the Archaeological Association’s congresses. The distractions were endless. Meanwhile the museum continued expanding, with models now being used in his account of life’s rise and socialist promise. (He even tried one last time, in an Essay on the Connexion Between Astronomical and Geological Phenomena in 1853, to convince the Geological Society grandees of his orbital explanations of stratal periodicity.) The museum was still being extolled for its worker-free access, and contrasted with the Great Exhibition’s capitalist appropriation of dinosaurs. Foreigners were turning up: Edward Hitchcock from America, Boucher de Perthes from France. Yet the 20,000 exhibits stood in peril of being lost. After his death they would need a permanent home in a proper working-man’s institution, and a sympathetic custodian. At Thomas Cooper’s suggestion, the John Street activists started drawing up plans for such a home, the Metropolitan Institution.
27. Death and Dissolution
Authors: Desmond Adrian
Published: May 2024

When Saull died in April 1855, the Metropolitan Institution, destined to house his museum, was still in the planning stage. Saull’s exhibits were stored away in wine-hampers. Unfortunately his will was ambiguous, as to whether his money and museum were to go to the Metropolitan or John Street Institution. In 1859 the courts decided the former. But Saull’s brother dying in 1855, and Saull’s wife in 1860, left no one familiar with the museum’s rationale. And when the Metropolitan Institution was built in 1861, the managers showed no interest in the hampered fossils. This despite the fact that Darwin’s Origin of Species (1859) had kindled public interest in evolution, and T. H. Huxley’s spat with Richard Owen in 1861 over mankind’s ape ancestry was the talk of the town. The atheist John Watts was actually lecturing on the “Origin of Man” in the new hall in 1861, unaware that Saull’s fossils, tailor-made for such an event, were stored in another room. In 1863 the managers ditched the lot, selling off the best for knock-down prices, and watching the rest being carted off in van-loads. With the museum lost to posterity, Saull’s reputation followed. Obituarists, smarting at the criminal enormity of his atheism and socialism, ignored his venue-funding and political campaigning, side-stepped his objectionable evolutionism, and dismissed him as a “crochety” dilettante. The coup de grâce was given by the agnostic-hating Rev. T. G. Bonney, in the Dictionary of National Biography, which sealed Saull’s posthumous fate.
Study of Octupole Transitions in Xe, Ba, Ce and Nd Nuclei within Interacting Boson Model
Authors: Hashim Tuqa , Abood Saad
Published: May 2024

For nuclei with 54≤Z≤60 and 86≤N≤94, the results regarding the excitation spectra at low energies, both in positive and negative parity, as well as the transition probabilities for electric dipole (B(E1)), quadrupole (B(E2)), and octupole transitions (B(E(3)), indicate the emergence of significant octupole behavior. These observations have been made using the Interacting Boson Model-1 (IBM-1). The study examines the onset of octupole deformation and its impact on the spectroscopic characteristics in even-even neutron-rich lanthanide isotopes, specifically in the Ba and Nd nuclei. The investigation compares the results obtained from the Interacting Boson Model-1 (IBM-1) with the existing experimental data. The focus is on understanding how the addition of neutrons influences the development of octupole deformation and its manifestation in the observed spectroscopic features. The onset of strong octupolarity for Z≈ 56 and N ≈ 88 nuclei is indicated by the results obtained for the electric dipole, quadrupole, and octupole transition probabilities, as well as the low-energy positive and negative-parity excitation spectra. Conversely, discrepancies between the spectroscopic data and the IBM results suggest that the mapping quality needs to be evaluated in order to determine if the mapped boson Hamiltonian or the fermionic calculations are the source of the issues.
Metaverse Management as Urban Planning: Lessons from Paradise (Nevada)
Authors: Clough David R. , Wu Andy
Published: May 2024

Metaverse architects face challenges akin to urban planners developing a new city: multiple stakeholders must coordinate on technical standards for interoperability and establish social consensus around specific choices. The article presents an analogy between the metaverse and the Las Vegas Strip in the unincorporated town of Paradise, NV, which arose in the mid-twentieth century as a focal destination for immersive entertainment delivered by eclectic interconnected resorts. It integrates this case study of the Las Vegas Strip with theories of technology management to derive practical insights for building the metaverse: focusing social momentum around a new destination and governing cooperation among de facto competitors.
The Political Origins of Colonial Land Policy: Evidence From British India and French Algeria
Authors: Lawrence Adria K. , Sajid Fahad M.
Published: May 2024

Whereas the literature on colonial legacies has flourished in recent years, relatively less attention has been paid to the origins of colonial institutions. What explains variation in the design of colonial institutions? Some scholars have stressed the importance of precolonial factors, arguing that institutions were designed to reflect the environmental and socio-political conditions that the colonizers encountered in the colonies. Others hold that policymaking reflected the colonial powers’ metropolitan identity and aims. We believe these literature have been insufficiently attentive to the colonial state and the political ideals of colonial bureaucrats. Drawing on evidence from British India and French Algeria, we show that land policy was shaped by intense competition between ideologically motivated officials, who disagreed over the uses and aims of state power. Theorizing the role of ideas allows us to explain variation in colonial policies across both space and time while highlighting the indispensability of qualitative methods of analysis.
Neovascularization by DPSC-ECs in a Tube Model for Pulp Regeneration Study
Authors: Zhang Y. , Liu J. , de Souza Araujo I.J. , Bahammam L. , Munn L.L. , Huang G.T.J.
Published: May 2024

The process of neovascularization during cell-based pulp regeneration is difficult to study. Here we developed a tube model that simulates root canal space and allows direct visualization of the vascularization process in vitro. Endothelial-like cells (ECs) derived from guiding human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) into expressing endothelial cell markers CD144, vWF, VEGFR1, and VEGFR2 were used. Human microvascular endothelial cells (hMVECs) were used as a positive control. DPSC-ECs formed tubules on Matrigel similar to hMVECs. Cells were mixed in fibrinogen/thrombin or mouse blood and seeded into wells of 96-well plates or injected into a tapered plastic tube (14 mm in length and 1 or 2 mm diameter of the apex opening) with the larger end sealed with MTA to simulate root canal space. Cells/gels in wells or tubes were incubated for various times in vitro and observed under the microscope for morphological changes. Samples were then fixed and processed for histological analysis to determine vessel formation. Vessel-like networks were observed in culture from 1 to 3 d after cell seeding. Cells/gels in 96-well plates were maintained up to 25 d. Histologically, both hMVECs and DPSC-ECs in 96-well plates or tubes showed intracellular vacuole formation. Some cells showed merged large vacuoles indicating the lumenization. Tubular structures were also observed resembling blood vessels. Cells appeared healthy throughout the tube except some samples (1 mm apical diameter) in the coronal third. Histological analysis also showed pulp-like soft tissue throughout the tube samples with vascular-like structures. hMVECs formed larger vascular lumen size than DPSC-ECs while the latter tended to have more lumen and tubular structure counts. We conclude that DPSC-ECs can form vascular structures and sustained in the 3-dimensional fibrin gel system in vitro. The tube model appears to be a proper and simple system simulating the root canal space for vascular formation and pulp regeneration studies.
The Politics of Blame-Seeking: Strategic Antagonism, Effective Alignment and Benefitting From Backlash
Authors: Flinders Matthew , Hinterleitner Markus
Published: May 2024

Why would a politician ever want to be blamed? Under what contextual conditions might blame-seeking behaviour emerge as a rational strategy? What tactics, tools and strategies might they deploy? Where is the empirical evidence of blame-seeking in action and why does it matter? These are the questions this article engages with as it challenges the long-standing ‘self-evident truth’ within political science that blame-is-bad. We argue that a new ‘blame game’ has emerged in which blame generation is deployed not solely to taint opponents but also to demonstrate the blame-seeker’s willingness to challenge convention, break the rules, or side with the marginalized. In a broader context characterized by democratic dissatisfaction, anti-political sentiment and affective polarization, we suggest that blame-seeking assumes a powerful symbolic and performative dimension. Antagonizing certain sections of society and then harnessing the backlash provides a powerful political strategy which challenges traditional scholarly assumptions about credit and blame existing in a zero-sum relationship. We illustrate these arguments using the case of Boris Johnson’s rise to the British premiership. A focus on blame-seeking, we suggest, expands our understanding of what politicians say and do to achieve their goals in polarized political contexts.
Precariousness and vulnerability: Seafarers in the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Shan Desai , Ochs Cory , Rajagopal Sriram , Rojas Aldieri Hugo Andres , Zhang Pengfei
Published: May 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the world and work in particular, but its effects on the labor market were not evenly distributed. Seafarers, who are essential workers engaging in international maritime transport, encountered exacerbated challenges to labor conditions at sea during the pandemic. Notably, the inability to conduct crew changes violated their right to rest, increasing the risk of fatigue-related safety accidents at sea. Additionally, the precarious nature of maritime employment relationships delayed seafarers waiting to enlist on the vessels, creating extended financial hardship ashore. Socio-legal analysis revealed how the pandemic, related public health measures and precarious employment heightened the vulnerability of seafarers during the pandemic. Applying the Pressure, Disorganization and Regulatory Failure model and supported by qualitative data collected through a policy review, media coverage analysis and semi-structured interviews, we identified how seafarers’ health and safety rights were significantly compromised during the pandemic. Even though various initiatives were raised by international governmental and non-governmental organizations to address the “humanitarian crisis” at sea, maritime labor regulatory failures were not effectively addressed throughout the multiple waves of the pandemic.
Empirical Analysis of Fleet Commonality Strategy’s Impact on the Operating Performance of the Indian Aviation Sector
Authors: Agrawal Anshu
Published: May 2024

Fleet commonality and standardization strategies are recognized in the global airline industry for their operational advantages and potential to ensure sustainability in a highly competitive environment. This study focuses on the Indian airline sector, aiming to verify the pivotal role of cost efficiency, revenue management, fleet size, and characteristics in determining airline profitability, as well as the influence of fleet size and standardization on operating costs. To achieve this, we developed an empirical model to evaluate both operating profitability and cost efficiency provided by fleet commonality. To measure fleet commonality, we employed a fleet standardization index, providing a quantitative assessment of the level of fleet commonality across different airlines. Utilizing real-time data collected extensively from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India, we conducted a detailed analysis involving eight prominent airlines for 10 years spanning from 2012 to 2022. Our regression models indicate a strong positive association between fleet commonality and operating performance, underscoring the significance of fleet standardization strategies in enhancing airline profitability. This study not only contributes empirical evidence to the existing literature but also provides valuable insights for airline managers seeking to understand the benefits of fleet commonality in the context of the Indian aviation industry. This research is anticipated to aid airline executives in making informed decisions about fleet management strategies to improve their operational and financial performance in an increasingly competitive market.
What Got Us Here Won’t Get Us There: Critical History in Radical Black Re-imaginations of Canadian Nursing Histories
Authors: Philbert J. Kyra , De Sousa Ismalia , Wytenbroek Lydia , Boschma Geertje
Published: May 2024

As a “foursome” of nursing history students and scholars, upcoming, junior, and seasoned, we presented a panel on new work and possibilities related to histories of Blackness and Black nurses in Canadian nursing history. Our presentation was the 2023 keynote Hannah Panel Presentation for the joint Canadian Society for the History of Medicine (CSHM-SCHM) and the Canadian Association for the History of Nursing (CAHN-ACHN) conference. Reflecting and expanding our perspectives, we share the relevance and significance of engaging with histories of Canadian Blackness and (in)visibility of Blackness in nursing history. This paper considers the overarching question of how does engaging with histories of Canadian Blackness serve as an anti-racist strategy when examining, analyzing and understanding the history of nursing and health care? A core tenant of this work aims at acknowledging how institutional relationships of power are reproduced within scholarship unless there is space for radical re-imaginations. The disruption to power is achieved by exploring the connections between nursing and history from the perspective of Black nurses’ history or Black feminist thought. We also disrupt power by our form, in challenging expectations of scientific inquiry as the only format of valid knowledge production within the discipline. Possibilities of arts-based methodology as a site for democratization in nursing knowledge are evoked through the metaphoric language (water, fire, air and earth) interwoven within the text. We highlight how each of us engages with nursing history, further complicating previous narratives of our collective Canadian past. In publishing our thoughts on historical inquiry in a nursing journal, we hope to provoke more curiosity and interest in history within our discipline as a site for liberation!
Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Acute Abdominal Imaging
Authors: Yao Jason , Chu Linda C. , Patlas Michael
Published: May 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing field with significant implications for radiology. Acute abdominal pain is a common clinical presentation that can range from benign conditions to life-threatening emergencies. The critical nature of these situations renders emergent abdominal imaging an ideal candidate for AI applications. CT, radiographs, and ultrasound are the most common modalities for imaging evaluation of these patients. For each modality, numerous studies have assessed the performance of AI models for detecting common pathologies, such as appendicitis, bowel obstruction, and cholecystitis. The capabilities of these models range from simple classification to detailed severity assessment. This narrative review explores the evolution, trends, and challenges in AI applications for evaluating acute abdominal pathologies. We review implementations of AI for non-traumatic and traumatic abdominal pathologies, with discussion of potential clinical impact, challenges, and future directions for the technology.
Tracheostomy in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction and Respiratory Failure
Authors: Grammatico Megan , Banna Soumya , Shahu Andi , Gastanadui Maria Gabriela , Jimenez Jose Victor , Heck Cory , Arias-Olson Abner , Thomas Alexander , Ali Tariq , Miller P. Elliott
Published: May 2024

Objective

Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by respiratory failure require antiplatelet regimens which often cannot be stopped and may increase bleeding from tracheostomy. However, there is limited available data on both the proportion of patients undergoing tracheostomy and the impact on antiplatelet regimens on outcomes.

Methods

Utilizing the Vizient® Clinical Data Base, we identified patients ≥18 years admitted from 2015 to 2019 with a primary diagnosis of AMI and requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). We assessed for the incidence of patients undergoing tracheostomy, outcomes stratified by the timing of tracheostomy (≤10 vs >10 days), and the association between dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) use and in-hospital mortality.

Results

We identified 26 435 patients presenting with AMI requiring IMV. The mean (SD) age was 66.8 (12.3) years and 33.4% were women. The incidence of tracheostomy was 6.0% (n = 1573), and the median IMV time to tracheostomy was 12 days, 55.6% of which underwent percutaneous and 44.4% underwent open tracheostomy. Over 90% (n = 1424) underwent tracheostomy (>10 days) and had a similar mortality when compared to early (≤10 days) tracheostomy (22.5% vs 22.8%, P = 0.94). On the day of tracheostomy, only 24.7% were given DAPT, which was associated with a lower mortality than those not on DAPT (17.4% vs 23.7%, P = 0.01). After multivariable adjustment, DAPT use on the day of tracheostomy remained associated with lower in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 0.68; 95% confidence interval: 0.49-0.94, P = 0.02). Tracheostomy complications were not different between groups ( P > 0.05), but more patients in the DAPT group required post-tracheostomy blood transfusions (5.6% vs 2.7%, P = 0.01).

Conclusion

Approximately 1 in 20 intubated AMI patients requires tracheostomy. The lack of DAPT interruption on the day of tracheostomy but not the timing of tracheostomy was associated with a lower in-hospital mortality. Our results suggest that DAPT should not be a barrier to tracheostomy for patients with AMI.
Quantifying proportion of treatment effect by surrogate endpoint under heterogeneity
Authors: Guo Xinzhou , Bourgeois Florence T , Cai Tianxi
Published: May 2024

When the primary endpoints in randomized clinical trials require long term follow-up or are costly to measure, it is often desirable to assess treatment effects on surrogate instead of clinical endpoints. Prior to adopting a surrogate endpoint for such purposes, the extent of its surrogacy on the primary endpoint must be assessed. There is a rich statistical literature on assessing surrogacy in the overall population, much of which is based on quantifying the proportion of treatment effect on the primary endpoint that is explained by the treatment effect on the surrogate endpoint. However, the surrogacy of an endpoint may vary across different patient subgroups according to baseline demographic characteristics, and limited methods are currently available to assess overall surrogacy in the presence of potential surrogacy heterogeneity. In this paper, we propose methods that incorporate covariates for baseline information, such as age, to improve overall surrogacy assessment. We use flexible semi-non-parametric modeling strategies to adjust for covariate effects and derive a robust estimate for the proportion of treatment effect of the covariate-adjusted surrogate endpoint. Simulation results suggest that the adjusted surrogate endpoint has greater proportion of treatment effect compared to the unadjusted surrogate endpoint. We apply the proposed method to data from a clinical trial of infliximab and assess the adequacy of the surrogate endpoint in the presence of age heterogeneity.
Clinical empathy in a medium and high-risk Brazilian unit
Authors: Sobrinho Valete Cristina Ortiz , Albuquerque Aline , Ferreira Esther Angelica Luiz
Published: May 2024

Background

Clinical empathy is an essential part of healthcare, and patient-centered care models require clinical empathy to be established. Despite this, little is known about its measurement in the neonatal scenario.

Research Aim

To measure clinical empathy in health professionals who work with medium and high-risk neonates and build a construct of this empathy.

Research Design

Single-center survey study.

Participants and Research Context

The Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Health Professionals questionnaire was applied to health professionals who work in an intensive care unit and a medium-risk unit, in Brazil. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics and a factor analysis model, to build the construct of empathy. Overall empathy was calculated, and the domains’ punctuations were analyzed and compared to the maximum punctuation possible. The study followed the STROBE checklist.

Ethical Considerations

This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the institution. All participants signed the informed consent form. Participants’ confidentiality and anonymity were protected.

Findings

Median empathy was 117 (IQR 113–124). The domain of Walking in the Patient’s Shoes had lower scores and represented 77.6% of the maximum punctuation possible. The factor analysis included three factors named Understanding, Experiences, and Treatment, and Emotional Relationships, explaining 64.3% of the overall variance. The domain Walking in the Patient’s Shoes was not included in the model.

Conclusions

In this scenario, clinical empathy should improve. There is a need to improve the domain of Walking in the Patient’s Shoes, in this case, the neonate, and provide more empathic care to them.
Ustekinumab: In Psoriasis and Beyond —A Derm atological Perspective
Authors: Bubna Aditya Kumar , Viplav Vinayak
Published: May 2024

Background

Ustekinumab is an interleukin 12/23 inhibitor, approved by the US-FDA for the management of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthropathy.

Purpose

This review aims to describe the dermatological implications and applications of ustekinumab.

Methodology

PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for scholarly articles related to ustekinumab and its utility in dermatology using the search terms “Ustekinumab” AND “Psoriasis” AND “dermatological diseases”. Studies utilising Ustekinumab in psoriasis and other dermatological indications were analysed and formulated into a systematic review discussing the utility of the drug in psoriasis, as well as other dermatological conditions.

Results

Ustekinumab is a valuable biologic agent for the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthropathy, as well as other dermatological disorders like hidradenitis suppurativa, lichen planus, pityriasis rubra pilaris, Behcet’s disease, lupus erythematosus, alopecia areata and pyoderma gangrenosum.

Conclusion

Ustekinumab’s usage is not limited to psoriasis. Its benefit extends to many more dermatological conditions. It is considered to be the biologic of choice in childhood psoriasis and adult psoriatic patients with concurrent Crohn’s disease. Besides, it has an acceptable safety profile.
The future of work in an ageing world: Priorities for advancing age equality at work
Authors: Blackham Alysia
Published: May 2024

In an ageing world, age equality is critical for securing the future of work. Yet workplaces have not been designed with demographic ageing in mind, and age discrimination remains prevalent. This article offers a provocation to encourage the use of an age lens when considering the future of work and workplace change. It puts forward suggestions for future research and scholarship, to reframe equality law, and to build a research agenda that helps advance workplace equality for people of all ages.
The Relationship of Opioid Misuse and Suicidality Among Adolescents With Disabilities
Authors: Marsack-Topolewski Christina N. , Chan Keith T.
Published: May 2024

Adolescents experience higher risk for opioid misuse and suicide, and those with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable to suicide risk. Using secondary data, this study presents findings on nonmedical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) and suicidality among adolescents with and without disabilities ( N = 10,676). Results indicated NMPOU was associated with higher odds for serious thoughts of suicide. Having a disability was associated with higher odds for having a plan for suicide and having a suicide attempt. Adolescents with disabilities who engaged in NMPOU had over 3 times the likelihood for serious thoughts of suicide. Social work services can be tailored for adolescents with disabilities within the context of the family unit to address the impact of the opioid epidemic using a disability-oriented framework.