bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patient and multidisciplinary health professional perceptions of an Australian geriatric evaluation and management and rehabilitation hospital in the home service
Authors: Cox Ruth , Kyle Greg , Suzuki Anya , Wishart Laurelie , McCusker Melissa , McConnell Alexander , Ward Elizabeth C , Ross Leo , Webb Clare
Published: October 2023

Objectives

Hospital in the Home models are rapidly expanding in response to increasing bed pressures. This study examined patient and multidisciplinary health professional perceptions of a new geriatric evaluation and management and rehabilitation hospital in the home service in Australia. The service was unique, as adults of all ages with a variety of rehabilitation or geriatric evaluation and management needs were within scope.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive approach was used with a consumer co-researcher and a consumer advisor being integral to decision-making. Patient feedback was collected via a paper-based patient satisfaction survey between August 2020 and February 2022. Additionally, interviews with current and past staff were conducted from July to November 2021. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted for qualitative data and descriptive statistics used for quantitative data.

Results

Patient surveys were analysed ( n = 199, 42.2% response rate) with 60.8% of participants aged 75 years or over and 26.6% speaking a language other than English. High satisfaction was expressed. Feelings of comfort, familiarity, convenience, and reassurance were voiced. A person-centred approach enhanced involvement in care. Challenges included carer burden and clear communication. Sixteen staff (33% response rate) were interviewed. In general, staff said the service was inclusive and responsive, and the home environment beneficial, particularly for patients from culturally diverse backgrounds. A strong hospital partnership and comprehensive multidisciplinary approach were vital. Challenges included fragmentation due to part-time roles and combining with a pre-existing acute hospital in the home service.

Conclusions

This qualitative exploration of staff and patients’ perceptions of a geriatrician-led, multidisciplinary geriatric evaluation and management and rehabilitation hospital in the home service demonstrated that it was person-centred and optimised patients’ control and ownership of care. The inclusive service parameters ensured responsiveness to diverse needs whilst allowing earlier return home from hospital, both of which are vital for quality patient care.
Investigation of gender bias in the mental imagery of faces
Authors: Kunst Jonas R. , Juettemeier Marilena , Bailey April H. , Anjum Gulnaz , English Alexander S. , Obaidi Milan , Sam David L. , Yaşın-Tekizoğlu Fatma , Agyemang Collins B.
Published: October 2023

People tend to think of the prototypical person as a man more than as a woman, but this bias has primarily been observed in language-based tasks. Here, we investigated whether this bias is also present in the mental imagery of faces. A preregistered cross-cultural reverse-correlation study including participants from six WEIRD and non-WEIRD countries varying in gender equality (i.e., China, Ghana, Norway, Pakistan, Turkey, and the US; N = 645) unexpectedly suggested that people imagine the face of a generic “person” more as a woman than as a man. Replicating this unexpected result, a second preregistered study ( N = 115) showed that U.S. participants imagine the face of a typical person as being more similar to their imagined face of a woman than of a man. We discuss explanations for these unexpected findings, including the possibility that the prototypical person is male-biased—consistent with previous work—but the default face may be female-biased.
Aeroelastic investigation on an all-movable horizontal tail with free-play nonlinearity
Authors: Ai Xinyu , Bai Yuguang , Qian Wei , Li Yuhai , Chen Xiangyan
Published: October 2023

Free-play-induced nonlinear dynamic behavior has been one of the most important topics of aeroelastic research in recent decades. In this paper, the describing function (DF) method is developed to investigate the complex dynamic response of a popular all-movable horizontal tail with free-play. Piecewise expressions for the time history and phase portrait of limit cycle oscillation (LCO) are derived by the developed DF method, which is conducive to understand the mechanism of free-play-induced LCO. Another advantage of the developed DF method is the ability to predict the high-order harmonics, which cannot be realized by the classic DF method. A three-dimensional (3D) all-movable horizontal tail model with torsional free-play was designed and manufactured to implement wind tunnel tests via various initial parameters. A good agreement was found between the numerical and experimental results, which can demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The influence of the initial parameters of the all-movable horizontal tail on the LCO characteristics is analyzed by both numerical calculations and wind tunnel tests. The method and results in this paper can provide a significant reference for the design of all-movable horizontal tail versus the free-play-induced LCO.
Connecting, learning, supporting: Caregivers’ experiences of a stress and distress biopsychosocial group intervention
Authors: Wilson Craig F , Turnbull Sue , Gadon Lisa
Published: October 2023

Background

Family caregivers are fundamental in supporting people living with dementia to remain at home, however, psychological distress can occur as a result of their caring role. Research into interventions for caregivers of people living with young-onset dementia, including their experience of and the mediating processes of such interventions, remains limited.

Methods

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis explored caregiver experiences and influence on caregiving of participating in a “Responding to Distress in Dementia” group. Five family caregivers were interviewed with discussions covering the period from first noticing symptoms to the interview session.

Results

Within the group experience, four superordinate themes were identified: ‘connecting to other caregivers’, ‘l earning about caregiving’, ‘ group factors’ and ‘ reduced caregiver distress’. During the post-group period, three superordinate themes were recognised: ‘maintaining support’, ‘applying learning’, and ‘normalising caregiving’.

Conclusions

The study highlighted several interrelated themes involving creating connections amongst caregivers with similar experiences, social learning, and supportive learning through group structure and facilitation. Many of the processes reflected those found in existing dementia caregiver intervention research. Recommendations included facilitating peer support groups and exploring whole-family approaches.
Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Latin America: A Systematic Review
Authors: Villagrán Aída M. , Santirso Faraj A. , Lila Marisol , Gracia Enrique
Published: October 2023

Attitudes toward intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) are being increasingly recognized as a central issue for comprehensively understanding this complex phenomenon. While IPVAW remains widespread in Latin America, knowledge about it and research on attitudes toward IPVAW are limited. This systematic review synthesized quantitative peer-reviewed studies that address attitudes toward IPVAW in Latin America. The review was conducted between April 2020 and July 2022 in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses recommendations using the Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases. In total, 52 of the 149 eligible articles were selected based on the inclusion criteria. Four sets of attitudes toward IPVAW were identified: legitimacy, acceptability, attitudes toward the intervention, and perceived severity. Attitude correlates were the most common research topic in more than half of the studies but were generally focused on a single country. Among the few multi-country studies, the sample of Latin American countries was small. The remaining studies were divided into three research themes: attitude as a predictor, interventions for attitude change, and scale validation. Our study aims to motivate future research on the identified knowledge gaps and may be useful for the implementation of appropriate prevention policies and intervention programs to counter IPVAW on a regional scale.
Primary cilium–mediated mechanotransduction in cartilage chondrocytes
Authors: Zhang Yang , Tawiah Godfred K , Wu Xiaoan , Zhang Yanjun , Wang Xiaohu , Wei Xiaochun , Qiao Xiaohong , Zhang Quanyou
Published: October 2023

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent joint disorders associated with the degradation of articular cartilage and an abnormal mechanical microenvironment. Mechanical stimuli, including compression, shear stress, stretching strain, osmotic challenge, and the physical properties of the matrix microenvironment, play pivotal roles in the tissue homeostasis of articular cartilage. The primary cilium, as a mechanosensory and chemosensory organelle, is important for detecting and transmitting both mechanical and biochemical signals in chondrocytes within the matrix microenvironment. Growing evidence indicates that primary cilia are critical for chondrocytes signaling transduction and the matrix homeostasis of articular cartilage. Furthermore, the ability of primary cilium to regulate cellular signaling is dynamic and dependent on the cellular matrix microenvironment. In the current review, we aim to elucidate the key mechanisms by which primary cilia mediate chondrocytes sensing and responding to the matrix mechanical microenvironment. This might have potential therapeutic applications in injuries and OA-associated degeneration of articular cartilage.
Does Participation in Virtual or In-Person Preoperative Education Relate to Reduced Length of Stay After Total Joint Arthroplasty?
Authors: Camillieri Susan
Published: October 2023

Background:

Advancements in surgical procedures for total joint arthroplasty (TJA) have resulted in more effective procedures with more rapid recovery. To prepare patients for surgery, many organizations offer a preoperative “joint class,” which has been associated with reduced length of stay (LOS). Virtual modes of education are increasingly favored for those having TJA.

Purpose:

To determine whether participation in an individually administered preoperative educational session (“Prehab”) relates to reduced LOS or increased likelihood of same-day discharge (SDD) for those undergoing TJA. Additionally, to establish whether and the virtual mode of education provision is superior or inferior to the in-person mode with regards to LOS benefits.

Methods:

The author conducted a case-control study of 2532 patients who had a primary or revision TJA between January 2022 and August 2022 at a single institution. Data were obtained from the electronic medical record. A total of 1118 patients attended Prehab; 1414 patients did not. Patients were included if they were over the age of 18 and had a total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) during the study period. T-tests, chi-square χ2 tests, and binomial logistic regression were used to evaluate the LOS and SDD outcomes for those who participated in Prehab compared with those who did not.

Results:

Those receiving Prehab in any form had shorter LOS than those who had not. Those receiving virtual Prehab had the shortest LOS. There was no difference in the rate of SDD for outpatient-class patients.

Conclusion:

Preoperative education is associated with LOS benefits to patients undergoing TJA. The virtual mode of education provision is at minimum non-inferior, and may be superior, to the in-person mode. The lack of statistically significant between-group differences for SDD outcomes may be explained by a lack of SDD-specific educational content provided during Prehab.
Poor maternal mental health is associated with a low degree of proactive control in refugee children
Authors: Gredebäck Gustaf , Lindskog Marcus , Hall Jonathan
Published: October 2023

This study assesses the development of proactive control strategies in 100 Syrian refugee families (394 individuals) with 6- to 18-year-old children currently living in Turkish communities. The results demonstrate that children’s age and their mothers’ post-traumatic stress symptoms were associated with the degree of proactive control in their children, with worse mental health being associated with a larger reliance on reactive control and lesser reliance on proactive, future-oriented, control (measured via d′ in the AX-CPT task). None of the following factors contributed to children’s performance: fathers’ experience with post-traumatic stress, parents’ exposure to potentially traumatic war-related events, perceived discrimination, a decline in socio-economic status, religious beliefs, parents’ proactive control strategies, or the education or gender of the children themselves. The association between mothers’ mental health and proactive control strategies in children was large (in terms of effect size), suggesting that supporting mothers’ mental health might have clear effects on the development of their children.
Failure time prediction for vehicle dynamics under performance degradation of dampers and track evolution
Authors: Dai Xinliang , Wu Pingbo , Shi Huailong , Sui Hao
Published: October 2023

During long-term service, railway vehicles will experience damper performance degradation and track evolution, both have significant effects on the vehicle dynamics performance. This study aims to develop a mathematical model for assessing the failure time of the vehicle system dynamics when considering two random factors. As for the methodology, Wiener processes are used to propose a damper degradation model. Moreover, a continuous-time Markov chain is adopted to describe the state transaction of the track irregularities. In addition, the Monte Carlo method is employed to sample the dynamic responses of the vehicle using stochastic parameters. Finally, the Bayesian theory is utilized to establish the reliability model of the Weibull mixtures under the Dirichlet process prior. The results are obtained through a numerical example: the dampers’ individual differences directly affect effect on the rate of degradation of the vehicle dynamics performance. Furthermore, different indexes positively correlate with each other, mixture models are composed of a small number of components, and Weibull mixtures closely approximate the distribution of the failure time. Compared to other dampers, the anti-yaw dampers have a more significant impact on the vehicle system dynamics. Other results show that each type of damper can adopt a uniform replacement period whereas anti-yaw dampers should be more effectively monitored.
One for all: A sustainable story of European democracy
Authors: Shepura Nathan
Published: October 2023

The way citizens are represented at the level of the EU—in short, EU democracy—can be improved; and it must be improved, if the EU is to flourish or even survive as a meaningful project. Sustaining EU democracy means telling a better—more coherent, more cogent, more compelling—story to Europeans: via a single, clear recognisable voice of leadership bearing a direct mandate; by imagining into being a European demos; and by using simpler, more scalable language. The story of Europe, as with any polity, is of course dynamic and incomplete; ultimately, the emerging story of what the EU is and will be is a story for voters to tell.
A Reaction to Lubin and Reio
Authors: Stein David
Published: October 2023

Lubin and Reio suggest that due to institutional cultural and power dynamics, the role of the instructional designer seems to be silenced and marginalized concerning their roles in the instructional process. While these processes operate in the context of the respondent’s experiences, the analysis conducted by Lubin and Reio does not account for inequities and challenges arising from the move from the traditional classroom to an alternative classroom—the domain of distance education. To fully understand the challenge of partnering in a complex and evolving technologically dependent and remote learning environment one must focus on the idea of separation. The idea of separation is a defining attribute of distance learning.
Contextualising Conflict: The Futures Triangle
Authors: Milojević Ivana
Published: October 2023

This article offers an overview and theoretical analysis of the practical applications of the Futures Triangle framework, drawing insights from multiple case studies. It commences with the case study of “The Equal Crossing Initiative,” which resulted in the installation of a female pedestrian light symbol at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets in Melbourne on March 9, 2017. The analysis of public opinions on this initiative reveals a diversity of views, with many expressing strong opinions. Major Australian newspapers, non-scientific surveys, and social media platforms reflected a spectrum of reactions, ranging from enthusiastic endorsement (“how cool is this?”) to critical perspectives that deemed it overly politically correct, questioned the allocation of funds, the necessity of gendered symbols, and even the attire of the female figure. Building upon this case study of community conflict, the article then explores the application of the Futures Triangle framework to better comprehend resistance to progressive social initiatives and to address the challenges inherent in social change efforts. It posits that the Futures Triangle offers a valuable tool for conflict resolution, fostering a deeper understanding of backlash dynamics, and enhancing the likelihood of successful implementation of innovative initiatives. Finally, it emphasizes the significant connections between change agents and change progression scenarios method, as elucidated in previously published texts.
Who Can Predict Their Future Feelings? Individual Differences in Affective Forecasting Accuracy
Authors: Petagna Kristen D. , Wormwood Jolie B.
Published: October 2023

We examine whether the accuracy of people’s predictions about their future emotions is related to the ways they experience their emotions throughout daily life, including individual differences in emotional granularity, emotional complexity, emotional intelligence, and emodiversity. Participants predicted how they would feel while viewing a series of evocative pictures based on descriptions; 1 week later they rated their felt emotion while viewing the pictures. Participants also completed a 7-day experience sampling protocol in which they rated their current emotions throughout the day, and these data were used to derive individual difference measures. Results revealed less prediction error for those higher in emotional intelligence and negative emotional granularity (for negative emotions only), but greater error for those higher in emodiversity. Findings shed light on individual differences in affective forecasting accuracy, a skill that has important implications for people’s daily choices and well-being.
Rapid progression of finger gangrene in a hemodialysis patient: A case report
Authors: Gusev Maksim V , Mannoia Kristyn A , Patel Sheela T
Published: October 2023

Severe hemodialysis access-induced distal ischemia is an uncommon complication after arteriovenous fistula creation. Finger amputation is rare and generally does not involve the entirety of the digit. The distal revascularization interval ligation procedure has become less commonly used for hemodialysis access-induced distal ischemia over the past decade. The procedure typically requires general anesthesia, greater saphenous vein harvest, and brachial artery ligation. We describe a 64-year-old female with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis via a well-functioning brachiocephalic arteriovenous fistula who developed rapid progression of finger gangrene. She underwent the distal revascularization interval ligation procedure, followed by finger amputations. The finger amputations healed within 6 months of the distal revascularization interval ligation procedure and the fistula was preserved at 2-year follow-up.
The Power of Social Media: Stigmatizing Content Affects Perceptions of Mental Health Care
Authors: Competiello Sarah K. , Bizer George Y. , Walker D. Catherine
Published: October 2023

A great discrepancy exists between the number of people who experience mental health concerns and the number of people who seek help for those problems. Negative attitudes toward mental health treatment contribute to this discrepancy. In the current study, we tested the extent to which exposure to social media posts that derogate mental health treatment increases such negative attitudes. Participants were exposed to 10 ostensibly real Twitter posts. Whereas some participants viewed 10 posts that did not relate to mental health, others viewed five such innocuous posts interspersed with five posts that derogated mental health treatment. Participants then reported their levels of mental health self-stigma and attitudes toward help-seeking. These dependent variables were combined into a single measure of stigma toward mental health treatment. Results indicated that among men and among women high in feminine gender role espousal, there was no effect of the manipulation on stigma against mental health treatment. However, women low in feminine gender role espousal were impacted by the manipulation: Among these women, the stigmatizing tweets increased the extent to which they stigmatized mental health services. Our research thus shows that even brief exposure to messages derogating mental health treatment may have a profound impact on associated attitudes but that such effects are moderated by gender identification and the extent to which people espouse traditional gender roles.
The Preservice Teachers’ Approaches Toward Incorrect Probability Problems
Authors: Korkmaz Ebru , Alkan Selçuk
Published: October 2023

Identifying the mistakes in student responses and being able to manage the solution process are among the fundamental skills that should be acquired by the pre-service teachers. This skill is important in probability, about which students have a great number of misconceptions. The aim of this study was to determine the misconceptions in the student answers given by the researcher about probability and to examine the solution explanations of the preservice teachers. In this context, the student answers containing five wrong solutions were examined. Case study, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. Forty-two third grade preservice mathematics teachers participated in the study. A task-based interview was used in the study. The findings revealed that the participants were able to recognize simple and discrete probability problems more easily and provided correct solutions; however, they had difficulty in determining the universal space independent events and failed to detect the mistakes in the student answers successfully. As a result of the research, it was concluded that the importance attached to procedural knowledge should also be given to conceptual knowledge, what a concept means as well as what it does not mean should be explained, open-ended questions that will increase the power of reasoning should be used instead of typical problems, and more effective learning should be carried out by using different teaching methods and techniques.
Spatiotemporal gender differences in urban vibrancy
Authors: Collins Thomas , Di Clemente Riccardo , Gutiérrez-Roig Mario , Botta Federico
Published: October 2023

Urban vibrancy is the dynamic activity of humans in urban locations. It can vary with urban features and the opportunities for human interactions, but it might also differ according to the underlying social conditions of city inhabitants across and within social surroundings. Such heterogeneity in how different demographic groups may experience cities has the potential to cause gender segregation because of differences in the preferences of inhabitants, their accessibility and opportunities, and large-scale mobility behaviours. However, traditional studies have failed to capture fully a high-frequency understanding of how urban vibrancy is linked to urban features, how this might differ for different genders, and how this might affect segregation in cities. Our results show that (1) there are differences between males and females in terms of urban vibrancy, (2) the differences relate to ‘Points of Interest’ as well as transportation networks, and (3) there are both positive and negative ‘spatial spillovers’ existing across each city. To do this, we use a quantitative approach using Call Detail Record data – taking advantage of the near-ubiquitous use of mobile phones – to gain high-frequency observations of spatial behaviours across Italy’s seven most prominent cities. We use a spatial model comparison approach of the direct and ‘spillover’ effects from urban features on male-female differences. Our results increase our understanding of inequality in cities and how we can make future cities fairer.
Visualizing the spatial characteristics of women’s long-distance commuting in Suzhou, China
Authors: Lin Xiaohua , Wang Yao , Zhu Meilin , Xiao Yang
Published: October 2023

It should be recognized that women in long-distance commuting in China may suffer from unequal treatment. This study visualized gender differences and uneven reactions of women in long-distance commuting in Suzhou, China. We speculate on the potential spatial impact of employment equity among female long-distance commuters in Suzhou. The cartogram revealed that women’s average long-distance commuting is longer, and their work destinations are mainly concentrated in Kunshan and the central city, where international companies gather.
Assessment of Changes in Hindfoot Alignment of Total Ankle Arthroplasty for Ankle Osteoarthritis on Weightbearing Subtalar X-ray View
Authors: Fujimaki Taro , Kurokawa Hiroaki , Ueno Yuki , Sasaki Takahide , Pradana Ananto Satya , Zainudin Tunku Naziha Binti Tunku , Milo Anne Marie , Miyamoto Takuma , Taniguchi Akira , Haro Hirotaka , Tanaka Yasuhito
Published: October 2023

Background:

Recovering normal hindfoot alignment and correcting deformity of the ankle joint following total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) in osteoarthritis (OA) is essential for improving clinical outcomes and increasing long-term survival. We aim to evaluate hindfoot alignment following standard TAA compared to TAA with a total talar prosthesis (“combined TAA”) in varus-type OA patients.

Methods:

This retrospective study was conducted between 2010 and 2022. We included 27 patients (30 feet) who underwent standard TAA and 19 patients (22 feet) who underwent combined TAA. Hindfoot alignment at the subtalar joint was measured by weightbearing subtalar radiographic view before and after surgery.

Results:

In the standard TAA, the angle between the tibial shaft axis and the articular surface of the talar dome joint (TTS) changed from 75 to 87 degrees ( P < .01), the angle between the tibial axis and the surface on the middle facet (TMC) from 89 to 94 degrees ( P < .01), and the angle between the tibial axis and the surface on the posterior facet (TPC) from 80 to 84 degrees ( P < .01). The angle between the articular surface of the talar dome and the posterior facet of the calcaneus (SIA) decreased from 4.7 to −2.5 degrees ( P < .01). In the combined TAA, TTS angle changed from 77 to 88 degrees ( P < .01), TMC angle from 93 to 101 degrees ( P < .01), TPC angle from 84 to 90 degrees ( P < .05), and SIA from 6.6 to 2.1 degrees ( P < .01). Varus deviation to the subtalar joint (TMC, TPC) significantly improved postoperatively in both groups. However, TPC was smaller than TTS and SIA was negative in standard TAA, and TPC was larger than TTS and SIA was positive in combined TAA.

Conclusion:

The amount of correction of the subtalar joint differed depending on the ligament dissection of the subtalar joint and shape of the talar component

Level of Evidence:

Level III, retrospective cohort study.
“A Hippo Out of Water”: A Qualitative Inquiry of How Cancer Survivors Experienced In-Person and Remote-Delivered Mind-Body Therapies
Authors: McLennan Andrew Ian Gordon , Baydoun Mohamad , Oberoi Devesh , Carlson Linda E.
Published: October 2023

Background

Mind-body therapies (MBTs) are an effective treatment option for people living with and surviving from cancer to help manage unwanted physical and psychological symptoms and side-effects related to treatment and the illness itself. Many of these structured MBTs, such as Mindfulness Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) and tai chi/qigong (TCQ) programs are common; however, COVID-19 caused most research intervention trials and clinical programs to halt completely, or rapidly adapt an online modality. The Mindfulness and Tai Chi for Cancer Health (MATCH) study, a large-scale study that compared MBCR to a structured TCQ program for treating psychological and physical health outcomes for cancer survivors, adapted to an online, Zoom delivered, program at the outset of COVID-19.

Objectives

Study objectives were to explore the experiences of MATCH study participants who took the MBCR or TCQ program completely in-person, those who took the program completely online (over zoom), and participants who had to shift from in-person to online delivery midway through their series of TCQ classes.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 participants following participation in either the MBCR or TCQ program of the MATCH study.

Results

We derived four themes from the data: 1) attending to personal needs, 2) functional, interpersonal, and COVID19-related challenges, 3) unique engagement styles based on mode of delivery, and 4) ease of transitioning to remote delivery. We found that thematic outcomes were variable and largely based on individual preference, such as valuing more autonomy online, or appreciating the interpersonal connection of being in-person. Our results further indicated that the process of shifting from in-person to online within a short time-period was a relatively seamless transition that had minimal impact on participant experience.

Conclusions

Insights from this study highlight the benefits of digital mind-body therapies for cancer survivors that extend beyond the acute effects of COVID19.
Cold-formed steel framed shear wall test database
Authors: Zhang Zhidong , Eladly Mohammed M , Rogers Colin A , Schafer Benjamin W
Published: October 2023

Many monotonic and cyclic tests have been conducted on cold-formed steel framed shear walls in the last 20 years. Cold-formed steel framed shear wall provisions in AISI S240, AISI S400, and ASCE 41 are supported by the data obtained through these tests. The main objective of this article is to introduce a recently compiled cold-formed steel framed shear wall test database, to reveal the database structure, and to explain how to access and present the data. Most recently, the database has been standardized and expanded to include additional tests, complete cyclic information from tests, limit states, and code prediction information. The database structure incorporates a central Excel spreadsheet that includes descriptive information; ordered plain text files for each individual test; and custom MATLAB codes, which can read, process, and plot designated database subsets. The provided database can advance the understanding and modeling of cold-formed steel framed shear walls.
Evaluation of case-based reasoning to estimate liquefaction manifestation
Authors: Carlton Brian , Geyin Mertcan , Engin Harun Kursat
Published: October 2023

This article develops a framework for and explores the use of case-based reasoning (CBR) to predict seismically induced liquefaction manifestation. CBR is an artificial intelligence process that solves new problems using the known answers to similar past problems. CBR sorts a database of case histories based on their similarity to a design case and predicts the outcome of the design case as the observed outcome of the most similar case history or majority outcome of the most similar case histories. Two databases of liquefaction case histories are used to develop and validate numerous CBR models. Different input parameters and aspects of the CBR method and their influence on the predictive capability of the models are evaluated. Some of the developed CBR models were shown to have a better predictive power than currently existing models. However, more research is needed to refine these models before they can be used in practice. Nevertheless, this study shows the potential of CBR as a method to estimate liquefaction manifestation and suggests several avenues of future research.
Co-localization of clusters of TCR-regulated genes with TAD rearrangements
Authors: Gao Galen F. , Li Peng , Leonard Warren J.
Published: October 2023

Background

Gene expression has long been known to be influenced by the relative proximity of DNA regulatory elements. Topologically associating domains (TADs) are self-interacting genomic regions involved in regulating gene expression by controlling the proximity of these elements. Prior studies of TADs and their biological roles have revealed correlations between TAD changes and cellular differentiation. Here, we used Hi-C and RNA-seq data to correlate TCR-induced changes in TAD structure and gene expression in human CD4+ T cells.

Results

We developed a pipeline, Differentially Expressed Gene Enrichment Finder (DEGEF), that identifies regions of differentially expressed gene enrichment. Using DEGEF, we found that TCR-regulated genes cluster non-uniformly across the genome and that these clusters preferentially localized in regions of TAD rearrangement. Interestingly, clusters of upregulated genes preferentially formed new Hi-C contacts compared to downregulated clusters, suggesting that TCR-activated CD4+ T cells may regulate genes by changing stimulatory contacts rather than inhibitory contacts.

Conclusions

Our observations support a significant relationship between TAD rearrangements and changes in local gene expression. These findings indicate potentially important roles for TAD rearrangements in shaping their local regulatory environments and thus driving differential expression of nearby genes during CD4+ T cell activation. Moreover, they provide new insights into global mechanisms that regulate gene expression.
Occurrence of virulence determinants in vibrio cholerae, vibrio mimicus, vibrio alginolyticus, and vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates from important water resources of Eastern Cape, South Africa
Authors: Abioye Oluwatayo E. , Osunla Charles A. , Nontongana Nolonwabo , Okoh Anthony I.
Published: October 2023

Background

Virulence determinants are crucial to the risk assessment of pathogens in an environment. This study investigated the presence of eleven key virulence-associated genes in Vibrio cholerae (n = 111) and Vibrio mimicus (n = 22) and eight virulence determinants in Vibrio alginolyticus (n = 65) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (n = 17) isolated from six important water resources in Eastern Cape, South Africa, using PCR techniques. The multiple virulence gene indexes (MVGI) for sampling sites and isolates as well as hotspots for potential vibriosis outbreaks among sampling sites were determined statistically based on the comparison of MVGI.

Result

The PCR assay showed that all the V. cholerae isolates belong to non-O1/non-O139 serogroups. Of the isolates, Vibrio Cholera (84%), V. mimicus (73%), V. alginolyticus (91%) and V. parahaemolyticus (100%) isolates harboured at least one of the virulence-associated genes investigated. The virulence gene combinations detected in isolates varied at sampling site and across sites. Typical virulence-associated determinants of V. cholerae were detected in V. mimicus while that of V. parahaemolyticus were detected in V. alginolyticus. The isolates with the highest MVGI were recovered from three estuaries (Sunday river, Swartkopps river, buffalo river) and a freshwater resource (Lashinton river). The cumulative MVGI for V. cholerae, V. mimicus, V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus isolates were 0.34, 0.20, 0.45, and 0.40 respectively. The targeted Vibrio spp. in increasing order of the public health risk posed in our study areas based on the MVGI is V. alginolyticus > V. parahaemolyticus > V. cholerae > V. mimicus. Five (sites SR, PA5, PA6, EL4 and EL6) out of the seventeen sampling sites were detected as the hotspots for potential cholera-like infection and vibriosis outbreaks.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that humans having contact with water resources in our study areas are exposed to potential public health risks owing to the detection of virulent determinants in human pathogenic Vibrio spp. recovered from the water resources. The study affirms the relevancy of environmental Vibrio species to the epidemiology of vibriosis, cholera and cholera-like infections. Hence we suggest a monitoring program for human pathogenic Vibrio spp. in the environment most especially surface water that humans have contact with regularly.
Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) genes may not be a reliable marker for community-acquired MRSA in the Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt
Authors: Shohayeb Mohamed , El-Banna Tarek , Elsawy Lamis E. , El-Bouseary Maisra M.
Published: October 2023

Background

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is linked to both nosocomial and community infections. One of the key virulence factors of S. aureus is Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL). The PVL genes are mostly associated with community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA). This study evaluates the prevalence of PVL genes as a marker for CA-MRSA at tertiary hospitals in Mansoura, Dakahlia, Egypt. S. aureus was isolated from clinical specimens obtained from different departments of tertiary hospitals, outpatient clinics, and hospital healthcare workers (HCWs). PCR was used to detect the mecA, PVL, and SCCmec genes among the recovered isolates. Standard broth microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of nine antibiotics against S. aureus.

Results

Two hundred S. aureus isolates were recovered and identified out of the total isolates (n = 320). The mecA gene was detected in 103 S. aureus isolates (51.5%). Among the MRSA isolates, 46.60% were PVL-positive. The incidence of the PVL genes of MRSA in nosocomial (HA), outpatient clinics (CA), and HCWs was 46.66%, 56.52%, and 42%, respectively. All MRSA isolates showed resistance to cefoxitin. The percentage of resistance to most tested antibiotics was high, except for ciprofloxacin (6.85%). Both antibiotic resistance and multidrug resistance among MRSA isolates were generally higher in PVL-positive isolates than in PVL-negative isolates in HA- and CA-MRSA isolates. While SCCmec type V was the most prevalent in PVL-positive MRSA stains, type I was the most prevalent in PVL-negative isolates.

Conclusion

This study revealed that PVL genes are generally highly prevalent among mecA-positive MRSA isolates, whether they are CA-MRSA, HA-MRSA, or HCW isolates. Therefore, PVL is not a valid marker for CA-MRSA in Mansoura, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt, as has been reported in other countries. Further epidemiologic studies are required to track the incidence of PVL in HA-MRSA, CA-MRSA, and HCW isolates in other Egyptian governorates.
The regulatory subunits of CK2 complex mediate DNA damage response and virulence in Candida Glabrata
Authors: Ni Qi , Wu Xianwei , Su Tongxuan , Jiang Cen , Dong Danfeng , Wang Daosheng , Chen Wei , Cui Yingchao , Peng Yibing
Published: October 2023

Background

Candida glabrata which belongs to normal microbiota, has caused significant concern worldwide due to its high prevalence and drug resistance in recent years. C. glabrata has developed many strategies to evade the clearance of the host immune system, thereby causing persistent infection. Although coping with the induced DNA damage is widely acknowledged to be important, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Results

The present study provides hitherto undocumented evidence of the importance of the regulatory subunits of CgCK2 (CgCkb1 and CgCkb2) in response to DNA damage. Deletion of CgCKB1 or CgCKB2 enhanced cellular apoptosis and DNA breaks and led to cell cycle delay. In addition, deficiencies in survival upon phagocytosis were observed in Δckb1 and Δckb2 strains. Consistently, disruption of CgCKB1 and CgCKB2 attenuated the virulence of C. glabrata in mouse models of invasive candidiasis. Furthermore, global transcriptional profiling analysis revealed that CgCkb1 and CgCkb2 participate in cell cycle resumption and genomic stability.

Conclusions

Overall, our findings suggest that the response to DNA damage stress is crucial for C. glabrata to survive in macrophages, leading to full virulence in vivo. The significance of this work lies in providing a better understanding of pathogenicity in C. glabrata-related candidiasis and expanding ideas for clinical therapies.
Evaluation of basil (Ocimum basilicum) accessions under different drought conditions based on yield and physio-biochemical traits
Authors: Rahimi Mehdi , Mortazavi Mojtaba , Mianabadi Ameneh , Debnath Sandip
Published: October 2023

Background

Basil is one of the most famous herbs, which has broad usage as a fresh vegetable and therapeutic and pharmaceutical services. The main abiotic stress limiting basil production globally is drought. As a result, appropriate drought screening-which effectively separates high-yielding but drought-sensitive genotypes from drought-tolerant genotypes-is necessary for the optimal selection of high-yielding basil cultivars under drought stress conditions. So, a split plot experiment with three replications based on a completely randomized design were carried out in a pot under field conditions for this investigation. Water levels (full irrigation or control, moderate stress, and severe stress) were assigned as main plots, while 22 basil accessions were given as sub-plots. In this study, leaf yield as well as physio-biochemical traits had measured on accessions.

Results

Our results revealed large variation in yield, essential oil (%), protein, proline, chlorophyll, total phenol and flavonoids traits across the 22 accessions. The percentage of leaf yield reduction in moderate drought stress than normal conditions showed that G1 (−6.5%), G17 (−7.05%), G20 (−9.01%), and G12 (−10.9%) accessions had the least changes, respectively. Although in severe drought stress than normal conditions, the G1 (−32.01%), G12 (−33.12%), G4 (−33.24%), G7 (−34.11%), and G17 (−34.93%) accessions had the least amount of change in plant leaf yield, respectively. Furthermore, the highest yield reduction occurred in moderate and severe stress conditions in G18 (−25.36%) and G8 (−42.98%) accessions, respectively. Cluster analysis based on the ward method in both conditions (moderate and severe drought conditions) placed the accessions in three groups, and accessions were identified as tolerant, whose average traits in that group were higher than the total average. The principal component analysis also showed that in moderate drought conditions, the first two components explained about 95.28% of the total variation, while in severe drought conditions, these two components explained about 96.37% of the total variation.

Conclusions

The different multivariate analyses (cluster analysis, PCA, mean comparison) were used to identify tolerant and sensitive accessions based on all traits. The accessions G3, G4, G6, and G7 were found to be tolerant to stress, while G10, G15, G16, and G20 were found to be sensitive to drought. These accessions are a useful step in producing drought-tolerant, high-yielding accessions and can be utilized in breeding programs for basil.
Functional principal component analysis and sparse-group LASSO to identify associations between biomarker trajectories and mortality among hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals
Authors: Cao Tingyi , Reeder Harrison T. , Foulkes Andrea S.
Published: October 2023

Background

A substantial body of clinical research involving individuals infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evaluated the association between in-hospital biomarkers and severe SARS-CoV-2 outcomes, including intubation and death. However, most existing studies considered each of multiple biomarkers independently and focused analysis on baseline or peak values.

Methods

We propose a two-stage analytic strategy combining functional principal component analysis (FPCA) and sparse-group LASSO (SGL) to characterize associations between biomarkers and 30-day mortality rates. Unlike prior reports, our proposed approach leverages: 1) time-varying biomarker trajectories, 2) multiple biomarkers simultaneously, and 3) the pathophysiological grouping of these biomarkers. We apply this method to a retrospective cohort of 12, 941 patients hospitalized at Massachusetts General Hospital or Brigham and Women’s Hospital and conduct simulation studies to assess performance.

Results

Renal, inflammatory, and cardio-thrombotic biomarkers were associated with 30-day mortality rates among hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patients. Sex-stratified analysis revealed that hematogolical biomarkers were associated with higher mortality in men while this association was not identified in women. In simulation studies, our proposed method maintained high true positive rates and outperformed alternative approaches using baseline or peak values only with respect to false positive rates.

Conclusions

The proposed two-stage approach is a robust strategy for identifying biomarkers that associate with disease severity among SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals. By leveraging information on multiple, grouped biomarkers’ longitudinal trajectories, our method offers an important first step in unraveling disease etiology and defining meaningful risk strata.
Changes in work tasks and organization of general practice in Norway during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from a comparative international study
Authors: Eide Torunn Bjerve , van Poel Esther , Willems Sara , Jacobsen Frode F.
Published: October 2023

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic led to huge and rapid changes in general practice in Norway as in the rest of Europe. This paper aims to explore to what extent the COVID-19 pandemic changed the work tasks and organization of Norwegian general practice.

Material and method

We analysed data from the Norwegian part of the international, cross-sectional PRICOV-19 study, collecting data from general practice via an online self-reported questionnaire. We included 130 Norwegian general practices, representing an estimated 520 Norwegian general practitioners (GPs). All Norwegian GPs were invited to participate. In the analyses, we focused on items related to the use of alternatives to face-to-face consultations, changes in the workload, tasks and delegated responsibilities of both the GPs and other personnel in the GP offices, adaptations in routines related to hygiene measures, triage of patients, and how the official rules and recommendations affected the practices.

Results

There was a large and significant increase in the use of all forms of alternative consultation forms (digital text-based, video- and telephone consultations). The use of several different infection prevention measures were significantly increased, and the provision of hand sanitizer to patients increased from 29.6% pre-pandemic to 95.1% since the pandemic. More than half of the GPs (59.5%) reported that their responsibilities in the practice had increased, and 41% were happy with the task shift. 27% felt that they received adequate support from the government; however, 20% reported that guidelines from the government posed a threat to the well-being of the practice staff. We found no associations with the rurality of the practice location or size of the municipalities.

Conclusion

Norwegian GPs adapted well to the need for increased use of alternatives to face-to-face consultations, and reported a high acceptance of their increased responsibilities. However, only one in four received adequate support from the government, which is an important learning point for similar situations in the future.