bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of libraries in the fake news era: a survey of information scientists and library science students in Greece
Authors: Skarpa Paraskevi El. , Garoufallou Emmanouel
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Currently, knowing where to seek for reliable information may be one of the most important human skills. Data reliability is a matter of debate. The online dissemination of information has been a field for the reproduction of fake news. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) states that libraries are part of the answer to this ever-increasing problem. The purpose of the study is to investigate libraries' role in combating the fake news phenomenon.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was designed to record attitudes of professionals and students of library science on the libraries' role in the battle against misinformation. The study was conducted through an online survey using a questionnaire consisted of closed-ended, seven-point Likert scale questions. The data collected were subjected to a descriptive statistical analysis. The median was used to present the results. In order to perform analysis between genders, as well as age groups, the non-parametric criteria Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis were applied to determine the existence of differences in participants' beliefs. Spearman's rank correlation test was used in order to examine whether participants' replies were interrelated.

Findings

Responses by 434 individuals were obtained. Participants highlighted primarily the educational role of libraries and agreed that the fake news phenomenon is an opportunity to promote the libraries' role in society. No clear direction was recorded in the participants' beliefs about the plethora of information and fake news as a potential threat to libraries. The respondents partly agreed that the plethora of information caused work-related emotional disorders and feeling that the respondents were not able to keep track of developments in the field. Finally, the study depicted the participants' need for training on combating fake news, information sources evaluation and recognizing predatory journals.

Originality/value

The study's significance lies in the following: the study contributes to the recording of professionals' as well as students of library science views about (1) libraries' role, (2) working environment and (3) training needs, concerning fake news and the overabundance of information in the digital era.
The time-varying correlation between cryptocurrency policy uncertainty and cryptocurrency returns
Authors: Karaömer Yunus
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the time-varying correlation between the cryptocurrency policy uncertainty (UCRY Policy) and cryptocurrency returns. More specifically, it analyzes whether these correlations vary according to the uncertainty attributable to salient events such as China banning ICOs, cryptocurrency exchanges attacks, Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic crisis and the United States (U.S.) Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) announcement about Ripple.

Design/methodology/approach

To measure the dynamic relationship, it uses the dynamic conditional correlation (DCC) model of Engle (2002) to consider time variation in UCRY Policy and cryptocurrency returns. The data set encompasses the weekly frequency data of the UCRY Policy and Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Ripple (XRP), Stellar (XLM), Dash (DASH), Monero (XMR) from 4 September 2016, to 21 February 2021.

Findings

Empirical findings indicate that the correlations between the UCRY Policy and the BTC, ETH, LTC, XRP, XLM, DASH and XMR returns are consistently negative. Thus, an increase in the volatility of the UCRY Policy can lead to a decrease in volatility for BTC, ETH, LTC, XRP, XLM, DASH and XMR returns. Besides, these findings indicate that the estimated DCC is not only time-varying but also substantially responsive to salient events, such as China banning ICOs, cryptocurrency exchanges attacks, the Covid-19 pandemic crisis and SEC’s announcement about Ripple. Besides, empirical findings show that cryptocurrency returns are adversely impacted by UCRY Policy during the salient events (China bans ICOs, the hack of cryptocurrency exchanges, Covid-19 crisis), suggesting their failure to act as a hedge or safe-haven asset.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study investigates the time-varying correlation between UCRY Policy and cryptocurrency returns. Besides, this study may be useful for new studies and fill a gap in the finance literature, due to the limited number of studies on the UCRY Policy in the finance literature.
Energy and exergy analysis of hybridization of solar, intercooled reheated gas turbine trigeneration cycle
Authors: Kumar Manish , Arora Arun , Banchhor Raghwendra , Chandra Harishankar
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze energy and exergy analysis of solar-based intercooled and reheated gas turbine (GT) trigeneration cycle using parabolic trough solar collectors (PTC) with the use of MATLAB 2018.

Design/methodology/approach

In the first section of this paper, the solar-based GT is validated with the reference paper. According to the reference paper, the solar field is comprising 30 modules in series and 35 modules in parallel series, where a total of 1,050 modules of PTC are taken into consideration. In the second part of this paper, the hybridization of the solar, GT trigeneration cycle is analyzed and optimized. In the last section of this paper, the hybridization of solar, intercooled and reheated GT trigeneration systems is examined and compared.

Findings

The results examined the first section, the power produced by the cycle will be 37.34 MW at 0.5270 kg/s mass flow rate of the natural gas consumption and the efficiencies of energy and exergy will be 38.34% and 39.76%, respectively. The results examined in the second section, the power produced by the cycle will be 38.4 MW at 0.5270 kg/s mass flow rate of the natural gas consumption and accordingly the efficiency of energy and exergy is found to be 40.011% and 41.763%. Where in the last section, the power produced by the cycle will be 41.43 MW at 0.5270 kg/s mass flow rate of the natural gas consumption and the energy and exergy efficiencies will be 39.76% and 40.924%, respectively.

Originality/value

The author confirms that this study is original and has neither been published elsewhere nor it is currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Understanding the relationship between social determinants of health and maternal mortality
Authors: Jones Georgina L. , Mitchell Caroline A. , Hirst Jane E. , Anumba Dilly O.C. ,   the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Published: February 2022

Within this document we use the terms pregnant woman and women's health. However, it is important to acknowledge that it is not only people who identify as women for whom it is necessary to access care. Obstetric and gynaecology services and delivery of care must therefore be appropriate, inclusive and sensitive to the needs of those individuals whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Phage‐based technologies for highly sensitive luminescent detection of foodborne pathogens and microbial toxins: A review
Authors: Ye Jianming , Guo Jiaqing , Li Tairan , Tian Jiaxin , Yu Mengxi , Wang Xiaochen , Majeed Usman , Song Wei , Xiao Jianbo , Luo Yane , Yue Tianli
Published: February 2022

Foodborne pathogens and microbial toxins are the main causes of foodborne illness. However, trace pathogens and toxins in foods are difficult to detect. Thus, techniques for their rapid and sensitive identification and quantification are urgently needed. Phages can specifically recognize and adhere to certain species of microbes or toxins due to molecular complementation between capsid proteins of phages and receptors on the host cell wall or toxins, and thus they have been successfully developed into a detection platform for pathogens and toxins. This review presents an update on phage‐based luminescent detection technologies as well as their working principles and characteristics. Based on phage display techniques of temperate phages, reporter gene detection assays have been designed to sensitively detect trace pathogens by luminous intensity. By the host‐specific lytic effects of virulent phages, enzyme‐catalyzed chemiluminescent detection technologies for pathogens have been exploited. Notably, these phage‐based luminescent detection technologies can discriminate viable versus dead microbes. Further, highly selective and sensitive immune‐based assays have been developed to detect trace toxins qualitatively and quantitatively via antibody analogs displayed by phages, such as phage‐ELISA (enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay) and phage‐IPCR (immuno‐polymerase chain reaction). This literature research may lead to novel and innocuous phage‐based rapid detection technologies to ensure food safety.
Hybrid machine learning classification scheme for speaker identification
Authors: V Karthikeyan , S Suja Priyadharsini
Published: February 2022

Motivated by the requirement to prepare for the next generation of “Automatic Spokesperson Recognition” (ASR) system, this paper applied the fused spectral features with hybrid machine learning (ML) strategy to the speech communication field. This strategy involved the combined spectral features such as mel‐frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs), spectral kurtosis, spectral skewness, normalized pitch frequency (NPF), and formants. The characterization of suggested classification method could possibly serve in advanced speaker identification scenarios. Special attention was given to hybrid ML scheme capable of finding unknown speakers equipped with speaker id‐detecting classifier technique, known as “Random Forest‐Support Vector Machine” (RF‐SVM). The extracted speaker precise spectral attributes are applied to the hybrid RF‐SVM classifier to identify/verify the particular speaker. This work aims to construct an ensemble decision tree on a bounded area with minimal misclassification error using a hybrid ensemble RF‐SVM strategy. A series of standard, real‐time speaker databases, and noise conditions are functionally tested to validate its performance with other state‐of‐the‐art mechanisms. The proposed fusion method succeeds in the speaker identification task with a high identification rate (97% avg) and lower equal error rate (EER) (<2%), compared with the individual schemes for the recorded experimental dataset. The robustness of the classifier is validated using the standard ELSDSR, TIMIT, and NIST audio datasets. Experiments on ELSDSR, TIMIT, and NIST datasets show that the hybrid classifier produces 98%, 99%, and 94% accuracy, and EERs were 2%, 1%, and 2% respectively. The findings are then compared with well‐known other speaker recognition schemes and found to be superior.
Metabolic cost of flight and aerobic efficiency in the rose chafer, Protaetia cuprea (Cetoniinae)
Authors: Urca Tomer , Levin Eran , Ribak Gal
Published: February 2022

Rose chafer beetles (Protetia cuprea) are pollinators as well as agricultural pests, flying between flowers and trees while foraging for pollen and fruits. Calculating the energy they expend on flying during foraging activity faces the challenge of measuring the metabolic rate (MR) of free‐flying insects in an open space. We overcame this challenge by using the bolus injection of 13C Na‐bicarbonate technique to measure their metabolic energy expenditure while flying in a large flight arena. Concurrently, we tracked the insects with high‐speed cameras to extract their flight trajectory, from which we calculated the mechanical power invested in flying for each flight bout. We found that the chemical (metabolic) energy input converted to mechanical flight energy output at a mean efficiency of 10.4% ± 5.2%, with a trend of increased efficiency in larger conspecifics (efficiency scaled with body mass to the power of 1.4). The transition in the summer from a diet of pollen to that of fruits may affect the energy budget available for foraging. Starved P. cuprea, feeding on apples ad libitum, increased their body mass by an average of 6% in 2 h. According to our calculations, such a meal can power a 630‐m flight (assuming a carbohydrate assimilation efficiency of 90%). Pollen, with a low water and carbohydrate content but rich in proteins and lipids, has a higher caloric content and should assimilate differently when converting food to flight fuel. The high cost of aerial locomotion is inherent to the foraging behavior of rose chafers, explaining their short flight bouts followed by prolonged feeding activity.
Copy number variants calling from WES data through eXome hidden Markov model (XHMM) identifies additional 2.5% pathogenic genomic imbalances smaller than 30 kb undetected by array‐CGH
Authors: Tisserant Emilie , Vitobello Antonio , Callegarin Davide , Verdez Simon , Bruel Ange‐line , Aho Glele Ludwig Serge , Sorlin Arthur , Viora‐Dupont Eleonore , Konyukh Marina , Marle Nathalie , Nambot Sophie , Moutton Sébastien , Racine Caroline , Garde Aurore , Delanne Julian , Tran‐Mau‐Them Frédéric , Philippe Christophe , Kuentz Paul , Poulleau Marlène , Payet Muriel , Poe Charlotte , Thauvin‐Robinet Christel , Faivre Laurence , Mosca‐Boidron Anne‐Laure , Thevenon Julien , Duffourd Yannis , Callier Patrick
Published: February 2022

It has been estimated that Copy Number Variants (CNVs) account for 10%–20% of patients affected by Developmental Disorder (DD)/Intellectual Disability (ID). Although array comparative genomic hybridization (array‐CGH) represents the gold‐standard for the detection of genomic imbalances, common Agilent array‐CGH 4 × 180 kb arrays fail to detect CNVs smaller than 30 kb. Whole Exome sequencing (WES) is becoming the reference application for the detection of gene variants and makes it possible also to infer genomic imbalances at single exon resolution. However, the contribution of small CNVs in DD/ID is still underinvestigated. We made use of the eXome Hidden Markov Model (XHMM) software, a tool utilized by the ExAC consortium, to detect CNVs from whole exome sequencing data, in a cohort of 200 unsolved DD/DI patients after array‐CGH and WES‐based single nucleotide/indel variant analyses. In five out of 200 patients (2.5%), we identified pathogenic CNV(s) smaller than 30 kb, ranging from one to six exons. They included two heterozygous deletions in TCF4 and STXBP1 and three homozygous deletions in PPT1, CLCN2, and PIGN. After reverse phenotyping, all variants were reported as causative. This study shows the interest in applying sequencing‐based CNV detection, from available WES data, to reduce the diagnostic odyssey of additional patients unsolved DD/DI patients and compare the CNV‐detection yield of Agilent array‐CGH 4 × 180kb versus whole exome sequencing.
Ventral hernia repair with a hybrid laparoscopic technique
Authors: Bell‐Allen Nicholas , Swift Kate , Sontag Nis‐Julius , O'Rourke Nicholas
Published: February 2022

Background

Ventral hernias are increasingly managed with minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. Invasive open surgery is typically used for the repair of large‐sized hernias (>10 cm diameter). The two methods are often considered mutually exclusive. We report a hybrid technique for repair of medium to large‐sized hernias.

Methods

Data was collected prospectively from 44 hernias repaired using the hybrid technique from 2012 to 2020. Operative data was examined and follow‐up conducted by both clinical and phone review. As for surgical technique, laparoscopic access was established via a 5 mm optical port and two (or more) 5 mm ports were added under vision. Hernia contents were reduced and extraperitoneal fat excised around the defect. Hernias with diameters ranging from 5 to 10 cm were fixed using the hybrid technique. A small incision was made directly over the hernia and polyester mesh was placed intraabdominally before defect closure with a transfascial suture. Pneumoperitoneum was re‐established and mesh fixation achieved using absorbable tacks and/or fixation sutures.

Results

Of the 44 ventral hernias repaired with the hybrid technique, 43 were secondary hernias from incisional defects. Average hernia diameter was 6.6 cm. 86% of patients were discharged within the first 48 h. Four patients (9%) had recurrences during the study period. Minor complications occurred in 8 patients (18%): 3 (7%) had post‐operative wound infection, 3 patients (7%) developed post‐operative seroma. Two patients (5%) had clinically significant wound haematoma.

Conclusion

Laparoscopic hybrid ventral hernia repair can be safely performed by a combination of laparoscopic and open techniques, offering an alternative method in the management of medium‐sized ventral hernias.
Shared social identity and perceived social support among stroke groups during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Relationship with psychosocial health
Authors: Lamont Ruth A. , Calitri Raff , Mounce Luke T. A. , Hollands Laura , Dean Sarah G. , Code Chris , Sanders Amy , Tarrant Mark
Published: February 2022

Community‐based peer support groups for stroke survivors are common in the United Kingdom and aim to support rehabilitation. This study of 260 stroke survivors across 118 groups nationally used an online survey format, completed on average 3 months into the pandemic. Analysis of both quantitative and open‐ended responses provided insights into how stroke group members maintained contact during the COVID‐19 pandemic and how the group processes of shared social identity and perceived social support related to psychosocial outcomes (self‐esteem, well‐being and loneliness). Group members adapted to the pandemic early through telephone calls (61.6% of participants) and internet‐based contact (>70% of participants), although also showed a desire for greater contact with their groups. A stronger sense of shared social identity and perceptions of social support from the stroke groups were weakly associated with reductions in loneliness among members, and greater perceived social support was associated with higher self‐esteem. However, having poor health and living alone were more strongly associated with more negative psychosocial outcomes. The discussion considers how barriers to contact during pandemics can be managed, including access and use of online communication, limitations imposed by stroke‐related disability, and how the experience of feeling supported and social identification can be better nurtured within remote contexts.
Letter: predictive role of magnetic resonance elastography in chronic liver disease – still a long way to go
Authors: Giri Suprabhat , Angadi Sumaswi
Published: February 2022

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Higuchi et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16745 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16791
Letter: systematic review with meta‐analysis on the impact of functional cure on clinical outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis B—authors' reply
Authors: Vittal Anusha , Sharma Disha , Hu Alvin , Majeed Nehna A. , Auh Sungyoung , Ghany Marc G.
Published: February 2022

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Vittal et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16659 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16758
Commentary on the EMA reflection paper on the pharmaceutical development of medicines for use in the older population
Authors: van Riet‐Nales Diana A. , van den Bemt Bart , van Bodegom David , Cerreta Francesca , Dooley Brian , Eggenschwyler Doris , Hirschlérova Blanka , Jansen Paul A. F. , Karapinar‐Çarkit Fatma , Moran Abigail , Span Jan , Stegemann Sven , Sundberg Katarina
Published: February 2022

Older people are often affected by impaired organ and bodily functions resulting in multimorbidity and polypharmacy, turning them into the main user group of many medicines. Very often, medicines have not specifically been developed for older people, causing practical medication problems for them like limited availability of easy to swallow formulations, easy to open packaging and dosing instructions for enteral administration. In 2020, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) published a reflection paper ‘Pharmaceutical development of medicines for use in the older population’, which discusses how the emerging needs of an ageing European population can be addressed by medicines regulation. The paper intends to help industry to better consider the needs of older people during pharmaceutical/clinical medicines development by summarising data on the most relevant topics, providing early suggestions on how to move forward and prompting expert discussions and studies into knowledge gaps. Topics include patient acceptability, (dis)advantages of an administration route, formulation, dosage form, packaging, dosing device and user instruction. While the paper is directed at older people and the pharmaceutical industry, the reflections are also relevant to younger patients with similar disease‐related needs and of value to other stakeholders parties, e.g., healthcare professionals, academics, patients and caregivers, as the paper makes clear what can be expected from industry and where collaborative work is needed. This commentary provides an overview of the different steps in the development of the reflection paper, discusses points considered most controversial and/or subject to (multidisciplinary) expert discussions and indicates their value for real world clinical practice.
Pathologic method for extracting good prognosis group in triple‐negative breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy
Authors: Eguchi Yuki , Nakai Tokiko , Kojima Motohiro , Wakabayashi Masashi , Sakamoto Naoya , Sakashita Shingo , Miyazaki Saori , Taki Tetsuro , Watanabe Reiko , Watanuki Rurina , Yamauchi Chisako , Iwatani Tsuguo , Mukohara Toru , Onishi Tatsuya , Ishii Genichiro
Published: February 2022

The area of residual tumor (ART) is a prognostic factor in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for lung, pancreatic, and rectal cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of ART as a method for predicting the prognosis of triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients after NAC. We included 143 patients with TNBC treated with NAC. The ART at the maximum cut surface of the residual tumor was measured. We divided the patients into three groups: ART‐0 (ART = 0 mm2), ART‐low (0 mm2 < ART ≤ 136mm2), and ART‐high (ART > 136 mm2), and compared their clinicopathologic factors and prognosis. There were no significant differences in either recurrence‐free survival (RFS) or overall survival (OS) between ART‐0 and ART‐low; however, the ART‐high group had significantly shorter RFS and OS than the ART‐0 and ART‐low groups. Multivariate analysis showed that ART‐0 and ‐low and ypN(−) were independent favorable prognostic factors for RFS. Groups with both ART‐low and ypN(−) as well as those with ART‐0 and ypN(−) showed significantly longer OS and RFS than the other groups (P < .05). Moreover, there was no significant difference in the RFS and OS between the ART‐0 and ypN(−) groups and the ART‐low and ypN(−) groups (P = .249 and P = .554, respectively). We concluded that ART is a candidate histopathological evaluation method for predicting the prognosis of TNBC patients treated with NAC. Furthermore, postoperative chemotherapy could be omitted in patients with ART‐0 and ypN(−) (pathological complete response) and those with ART‐low and ypN(−).
Comparing interview methods with camera trap data to inform occupancy models of hunted mammals in forest habitats
Authors: Brittain Stephanie , Rowcliffe Marcus J. , Kentatchime Fabrice , Tudge Sophie Jane , Kamogne‐Tagne Cedric Thibaut , Milner‐Gulland E.J.
Published: February 2022

Few studies explicitly assess the robustness and practicality of occupancy analysis informed by local inhabitants, compared to estimates from conventional monitoring methods within different contexts. This study evaluates the efficacy and robustness of occupancy models based on camera trap data, and two locally informed methods: seasonal interviews and hunter diaries, for monitoring 13 hunted mammal species in south‐eastern Cameroon. We triangulate estimates of detectability and occupancy to assess the precision and comparability of their estimates for different species, and their cost. Camera trap estimates are comparable with estimates from locally informed methods in 7 of 11 available cases, but produced the lowest detection probabilities for all species in both villages. While camera traps provide robust estimates for abundant species with a high detection probability, locally informed methods can provide estimates of occupancy comparable to camera trap estimates, but at significantly less cost. They are particularly useful where camera trap detection rates (p) are too low to produce robust occupancy model estimates, notably for rare or cryptic species. The methods, survey effort and animals that can be monitored robustly vary between villages. As such, consideration should be given before monitoring commences to ensure that the most effective and informative approach is used.
Surgical complications after living and deceased donor liver transplant: The NSQIP transplant experience
Authors: Amara Dominic , Parekh Justin , Sudan Debra , Elias Nahel , Foley David P. , Conzen Kendra , Grieco Arielle , Braun Hillary J. , Greenstein Stuart , Byrd Claudia , Ko Clifford , Hirose Ryutaro
Published: February 2022

This study used the prospective National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) Transplant pilot database to analyze surgical complications after liver transplantation (LT) in LT recipients from 2017to 2019. The primary outcome was surgical complication requiring intervention (Clavien‐Dindo grade II or greater) within 90 days of transplant. Of the 1684 deceased donor and 109 living donor LT cases included from 29 centers, 38% of deceased donor liver recipients and 47% of living donor liver recipients experienced a complication. The most common complications included biliary complications (19% DDLT; 31% LDLT), hemorrhage requiring reoperation (14% DDLT; 9% LDLT), and vascular complications (6% DDLT; 9% LDLT). Management of biliary leaks (35.3% ERCP, 38.0% percutaneous drainage, 26.3% reoperation) and vascular complications (36.2% angioplasty/stenting, 31.2% medication, 29.8% reoperation) was variable. Biliary (aHR 5.14, 95% CI 2.69–9.8, P < .001), hemorrhage (aHR 2.54, 95% CI 1.13–5.7, P = .024) and vascular (aHR 2.88, 95% CI .85–9.7, P = .089) complication status at 30‐days post‐transplant were associated with lower 1‐year patient survival. We conclude that biliary, hemorrhagic and vascular complications continue to be significant sources of morbidity and mortality for LT recipients. Understanding the different risk factors for complications between deceased and living donor liver recipients and standardizing complication management represent avenues for continued improvement.
Phenotypic responses to climate change are significantly dampened in big‐brained birds
Authors: Baldwin Justin W. , Garcia‐Porta Joan , Botero Carlos A.
Published: February 2022

Anthropogenic climate change is rapidly altering local environments and threatening biodiversity throughout the world. Although many wildlife responses to this phenomenon appear largely idiosyncratic, a wealth of basic research on this topic is enabling the identification of general patterns across taxa. Here, we expand those efforts by investigating how avian responses to climate change are affected by the ability to cope with ecological variation through behavioural flexibility (as measured by relative brain size). After accounting for the effects of phylogenetic uncertainty and interspecific variation in adaptive potential, we confirm that although climate warming is generally correlated with major body size reductions in North American migrants, these responses are significantly weaker in species with larger relative brain sizes. Our findings suggest that cognition can play an important role in organismal responses to global change by actively buffering individuals from the environmental effects of warming temperatures.
Orthostatic tremor secondary to primary malignant melanoma of the spinal cord: A case report
Authors: Lv Hongbo , Song Chengyuan , Li Wei , Liu Yiming
Published: February 2022

Background and purpose

Orthostatic tremor and spinal cord melanoma are rare entities and seem unlikely to be associated. Herein, we report a patient diagnosed with orthostatic tremor secondary to primary malignant melanoma of the spinal cord.

Case Presentation

We report the case of a 67‐year‐old man who experienced tremor when he was standing, which disappeared when he was sitting or walking. He also reported gait disturbance and cognitive dysfunction. Electromyography revealed a regular and symmetric high‐frequency tremor in the lower extremities. The patient was admitted to a hospital several times and was diagnosed with primary orthostatic tremor and later hydrocephalus; thus, he received a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Finally, he showed symptoms of the presence of melanoma in the spinal cord, which was supported by spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging findings. Primary malignant melanoma of the spinal cord was confirmed postoperatively.

Conclusions

Orthostatic tremor is a rare entity that can be characterized by specific high‐frequency tremors when the subject is standing. Considering that it remains unknown why this condition appears, some possible associations, such as primary spinal cord melanoma, should be considered. Thus, a comprehensive assessment of these types of patients is required. Our case report may facilitate the understanding of the pathophysiology and clinical symptoms of this disease.
Psycho‐social perspectives of nonsurgical versus surgical endodontic interventions in persistent endodontic disease
Authors: Khoo Shi Tien , Lopez Violeta , Ode Wataru , Yu Victoria Soo Hoon , Lui Jeen‐Nee
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Patients’ experiences related to dental treatment could influence care‐seeking behaviour and engender personal bias. Although endodontic retreatment and apical surgery are procedures often performed to manage previously treated teeth with persistent disease, there is lack of information regarding psycho‐social perspectives of patients who undergo these treatments. Our aim was to compare experiences of patients who received these two treatment modalities using a qualitative approach.

Methods

A purposive sample of patients was taken from our previous study utilizing the Oral Health Impact Profile to compare oral health‐related quality of life of 150 patients who received retreatment and apical surgery. Patients who reported impact and no impact were invited to participate in focus group discussions (FGDs). Eighteen patients from the retreatment group and 15 patients from the surgical group participated in six FGDs. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify key themes.

Results

Four themes emerged: (1) psycho‐social disability associated with dental procedures, (2) physical disability associated with dental problems, (3) reliance on dentist's advice for treatment and (4) self‐management to preserve treated teeth. Patients undergoing endodontic retreatment reported significant time loss from work and were less informed of alternative treatment options. However, they were pleased with the aesthetics of their teeth, especially if new crowns were made. Patients undergoing surgery experienced anxiety related to loss of control during surgery and apprehension on visualizing the wound post‐surgery. They reported more impact on their diet, social interaction and sleep quality and some felt self‐conscious due to post‐treatment gingival recession. Patients in both groups placed great trust in professional advice and expressed a clear desire to maintain their natural dentition. There was low awareness regarding long‐term care and future sequelae of their treated tooth.

Conclusions

Patients reported different psycho‐social and physical impacts following endodontic retreatment and apical surgery. Patients undergoing endodontic retreatment were more satisfied with aesthetic outcomes but experienced greater impact related to complexities and length of time taken for treatment. Patients undergoing surgery were better informed of treatment options but experienced greater physical and psycho‐social disability during the recovery phase. Clinicians could consider incorporating findings from this study into the patient–dentist discussion.
Stress hormone signalling inhibits Th1 polarization in a CD4 T‐cell‐intrinsic manner via mTORC1 and the circadian gene PER1
Authors: Capelle Christophe M. , Chen Anna , Zeng Ni , Baron Alexandre , Grzyb Kamil , Arns Thais , Skupin Alexander , Ollert Markus , Hefeng Feng Q.
Published: February 2022

Stress hormones are believed to skew the CD4 T‐cell differentiation towards a Th2 response via a T‐cell‐extrinsic mechanism. Using isolated primary human naïve and memory CD4 T cells, here we show that both adrenergic‐ and glucocorticoid‐mediated stress signalling pathways play a CD4 naïve T‐cell‐intrinsic role in regulating the Th1/Th2 differentiation balance. Both stress hormones reduced the Th1 programme and cytokine production by inhibiting mTORC1 signalling via two parallel mechanisms. Stress hormone signalling inhibited mTORC1 in naïve CD4 T cells (1) by affecting the PI3K/AKT pathway and (2) by regulating the expression of the circadian rhythm gene, period circadian regulator 1 (PER1). Both stress hormones induced the expression of PER1, which inhibited mTORC1 signalling, thus reducing Th1 differentiation. This previously unrecognized cell‐autonomous mechanism connects stress hormone signalling with CD4 T‐cell differentiation via mTORC1 and a specific circadian clock gene, namely PER1.
The performance of gelling fibre wound dressings under clinically relevant robotic laboratory tests
Authors: Lustig Adi , Gefen Amit
Published: February 2022

The effectiveness of wound dressing performance in exudate management is commonly gauged in simple, non‐realistic laboratory setups, typically, where dressing specimens are submersed in vessels containing aqueous solutions, rather than by means of clinically relevant test configurations. Specifically, two key fluid–structure interaction concepts: sorptivity—the ability of wound dressings to transfer exudate, including viscous fluids, away from the wound bed by capillary action and durability—the capacity of dressings to maintain their structural integrity over time and particularly, at removal events, have not been properly addressed in existing test protocols. The present article reviews our recent published research concerning the development of clinically relevant testing methods for wound dressings, focussing on the clinical relevance of the tests as well as on the standardisation and automation of laboratory measurements of dressing performance. A second objective of this work was to compile the experimental results characterising the performance of gelling fibre dressings, which were acquired using advanced testing methods, to demonstrate differences across products that apparently belong to the same “gelling fibre” family but differ remarkably in materials, structure and composition and, thereby, in performance.
Accuracy and repeatability of different intraoral instruments on shade determination compared to visual shade selection
Authors: Ebeid Kamal , Sabet Ahmed , El Sergany Omar , Della Bona Alvaro
Published: February 2022

Objective

To evaluate the accuracy and repeatability of intraoral instruments used for shade determination compared to visual shade selection (VSS).

Materials and Methods

A total of 20 subjects and 10 observers, balanced by gender, participated in the study. Observers performed VSS of the upper right central incisor from each subject. Instrumental shade determination of the same teeth was performed using a spectrophotometer (Easyshade V) and intraoral scanners (CEREC Omnicam, Primescan, Trios 3 and Trios 4). Vita Classical shade nomenclature was used to record the shade designation for all instruments and VSS. The accuracy of the instruments was determined by comparing the instrument readings with the most frequent visual shade selected. The percentage of accuracy was obtained by comparing the number of agreements with the number of comparisons. The percentage of repeatability was obtained by comparing the number of repeated shades with the number of shade measurements in each group. Accuracy was compared using Cochran Q test followed by pairwise comparisons using multiple McNemar's tests with Bonferroni correction. Repeatability of the instruments was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha.

Results

Omnicam showed a significant lower accuracy than the other instruments (p < 0.05). No statistical difference on repeatability was found among the different instruments (p > 0.05). It was not found any statistical differences for VSS accuracy among the observers (p = 0.437) and between genders (p = 0.867).

Conclusion

Instrumental repeatability (≥75%) and similar accuracy between the best performed instruments (69%–77.5%) and the observers performance (65%–90%) supports the use of high‐performance instruments for dental shade determination.

Clinical Significance

Most instruments (Easyshade V, Primescan, Trios 3, and Trios 4) showed similar accuracy performance to observers in the VSS.
Castoff from the West, pearls in Kantamanto? A critique of second‐hand clothes trade
Authors: Manieson Lydia Ayorkor , Ferrero‐Regis Tiziana
Published: February 2022

African countries are today the major importers of the lowest grade of second‐hand clothing (SHC). With the opening of global markets and the intense circulation of fast fashion in the Global North from the 1990s, the trade of SHC has exploded in the twenty‐first century. The fast fashion business model, which fuels the SHC trade, has led to reduced quality of clothes, limited clothing lifetime, and accelerated discard of clothing, which end up as donations or become waste. The complexity of the international geographies of the SHC trade creates opacity and secrecy, maintaining inequalities and imbalances between Global North (GN) and South (GS), which continue a relationship of colonial dependence. This paper presents a critical look at SHC exchange in Kantamanto, the biggest SHC market in West Africa, situated within the central business district of Accra, Ghana. The paper scrutinizes the export of unwanted donated clothing, popularly known as “Obroni w'awu” (white man is dead), to Kantamanto. We use direct observation along with an interpretive research design through the analysis of photos taken from Kantamanto, and scholarly and gray literature. The paper documents local practices of reuse, exposing a duality: on the one hand, clothing's symbolic value that is lost in the GN is reconstituted in the GS through exchange and labor‐creating local economies. On the other, the global trade of SHC has become synonymous with dumping, continuing a colonialist relationship between the GN and GS whereby the GN exports unwanted clothing to predominantly African countries’ landfills.
Social security and risk sharing: A survey of four decades of economic analysis
Authors: Cottle Hunt Erin , Caliendo Frank N.
Published: February 2022

With looming fiscal pressure from an aging population, policy makers must grapple with the question of how to restore solvency to the Social Security budget. At this crossroads, it seems wise to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in making people better off. Specifically, we survey four decades of economic theory to examine Social Security as a potential solution to underutilized, missing, or incomplete markets. We synthesize and highlight the ways in which the program improves wellbeing through mandatory saving and collective risk‐sharing, as well as the ways in which behavioral responses of individuals may unwind or even over‐turn the welfare gains of the program.
Dynamics of Polarizing Rhetoric in Congressional Tweets
Authors: Ballard Andrew O. , DeTamble Ryan , Dorsey Spencer , Heseltine Michael , Johnson Marcus
Published: February 2022

Affective polarization is pervasive in modern US politics, and can be intensified by strategic messaging from members of Congress. But there are gaps in our knowledge of the dynamics of polarizing appeals from elected representatives on social media. We explore the usage of polarizing rhetoric by members of Congress on Twitter using the 4.9 million tweets sent by members of Congress from 2009 to 2020, coded for the presence of polarizing rhetoric via a novel and highly accurate application of supervised machine learning methods. Fitting with our expectations, we find that more ideologically extreme members, those from safer districts, and those who arenotin the president’s party are more likely to send polarizing tweets, and that polarizing tweets garner more engagement, increasing campaign funding for more polarizing members.
Management of bloating
Authors: Serra Jordi
Published: February 2022

Abdominal bloating is a subjective sensation of trapped abdominal gas, producing abdominal pressure, fullness sensation, and, in some patients, associated objective abdominal distension. In this month's edition of the journal, a new validated questionnaire to assess the prevalence and impact of gas‐related symptoms is presented by Duracinsky et al., showing that gas‐related abdominal symptoms are prevalent in patients with irritable bowel syndrome and have a measurable impact on patients daily life. A parallel study by Gardiner et al. assessing the severity of bloating in functional gastrointestinal disorders shows that severe bloating is associated with the severity of abdominal pain, constipation, and somatization, advancing our understanding of the clinical characteristics and relevance of gas‐related symptoms in the broad spectrum of functional gastrointestinal disorders. Management of bloating includes non‐pharmacological and pharmacological strategies. Dietary interventions to reduce intestinal fermentation and ingestion of food supplements like prebiotics or probiotics can reduce bloating by reducing gas production. The main targets of pharmacological treatments are to improve transit and evacuation with prokinetics, to improve intestinal gas tolerance with antispasmodics and/or neuromodulators, and to modify intestinal microbiota with antibiotics. Secretagogues act by increasing intestinal secretion and decreasing visceral sensitivity and have been reported to be an effective treatment alternative for patients with bloating associated with constipation. Biofeedback therapy addressed to correct abdomino‐phrenic dysynergia may be useful for patients with objective abdominal distension, and patients with bloating associated with outlet obstructed defecation may benefit from anorectal biofeedback.
Comparison of antennal responses of Ovalisia festiva and Phloeosinus aubei to volatile compounds of their common host, Thuja occidentalis
Authors: Bozsik Gábor , Molnár Béla Péter , Szőcs Gábor
Published: February 2022

The cypress jewel beetle, Ovalisia festiva L. (Coleoptera: Buprestidae, Chrysochroinae), and the cypress bark beetle, Phloeosinus aubei Perris (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), are invasive wood‐boring pests of scale‐leafed conifers (Cupressaceae), threatening tree nurseries and urban green areas. In order to reveal which volatile compounds of their common host, the American arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis L. cultivar ‘Smaragd’, they can perceive, we collected headspace volatiles from live attached twigs and screened them for bioactivity by gas chromatography coupled to an electroantennographic detector (GC‐EAD). Compounds eliciting antennal responses were identified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectroscopy (GC‐MS). Synthetic samples of bioactive compounds were then screened by electroantennography. GC‐EAD analyses of volatile collections revealed that E–β–caryophyllene elicited antennal responses only from O. festiva (from both sexes), whereas borneol only from P. aubei. Electroantennography screening of synthetic compounds showed further differences between the two species. Even many of those compounds, which elicited responses from both species, differed in the relative intensities of responses they evoked. This indicates that O. festiva and P. aubei probably use different key compounds in the Thuja volatile blend for host recognition.
Video intervention to increase decedent tissue donation by next‐of‐kin
Authors: Kush Jonathan , Tayur Sridhar
Published: February 2022

Over 60% of decedents in the United States have not given first‐person consent for tissue donation; thus, receiving consent from next‐of‐kin (NOK) is a potentially powerful way to improve access to donor tissues. As a more informed NOK is more likely to consent to tissue donation, we introduced the delivery of two alternative videos that discuss the benefits of donation as part of the donation request. One was an animated, freely available video developed by the US Health Resources and Services Administration, and the other was a customized interview‐based video made in partnership with the Nevada Donor Network. We focused our analysis on studying the effect on White donation rates; many historical factors (in the United States) make the kind of simple, minimal intervention we implemented unlikely to be sufficient to encourage non‐White donation. We found in the field experiment that NOKs were more likely to donate if they viewed either video but that the two videos were not statistically different in their effect. As those who viewed a video may have been predisposed to donate, we additionally performed an online experiment that does not suffer from this endogeneity concern. We found results parallel to those in the field, and based on written comments by participants, we found suggestive evidence that the informational content in the videos was the mechanism that led to increased donation willingness and not emotional connectivity. We have identified a cheap and easy‐to‐implement intervention that could improve tissue availability across the nation.
Regional citrate and systemic heparin are adequate to maintain filter half‐life for COVID‐19 patients on continuous renal replacement therapy
Authors: Chiao Cassandra , Faust Hilary , Singh Tripti
Published: February 2022

Introduction

The aim of our study is to compare clotting of CRRT filters in patients with COVID‐19‐associated AKI versus septic shock‐associated AKI.

Methods

Retrospective study of adult ICU patients with COVID‐19 compared to those with septic shock admitted to a tertiary hospital April–October 2020. Independent t test and chi‐square test used to determine statistical significance of CRRT filter clotting between the two groups. Time‐to‐event data analyzed with Kaplan–Meier curves. Analyses performed on Microsoft Excel and MedCalc.

Results

Twenty‐seven ICU patients with AKI requiring CRRT were included, 13 with COVID‐19 and 14 non‐COVID‐19 patients with septic shock. The mean half‐life of CRRT hemofilter was similar in COVID‐19 patients compared to non‐COVID‐19 patients (27.4 vs. 27.5 h, p = 0.79). The number of CRRT hemofilter changes per day was similar in both groups (0.6 filter changes per day, p = 0.84). However, significantly more patients with COVID‐19 were on systemic heparin (69% vs. 13%, p = 0.02).

Conclusion

We found that COVID‐19 patients with AKI requiring CRRT had similar CRRT hemofilter half‐life compared with sepsis‐associated AKI patients with use of regional citrate and systemic heparin. Further studies are needed to find which methods of anticoagulation are optimal in patients with COVID‐19 infection with AKI requiring CRRT.