bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Implications of School Assignment Mechanisms for Efficiency and Equity
Authors: Abdulkadiroğlu Atila
Published: April 2022

Parental choice over public schools has become a major policy tool to combat inequality in access to schools. Traditional neighborhood-based assignment is being replaced by school choice programs, broadening families’ access to schools beyond their residential location. Demand and supply in school choice programs are cleared via centralized admissions algorithms. Heterogeneous parental preferences and admissions policies create trade-offs among efficiency and equity. The data from centralized admissions algorithms can be used effectively for credible research design toward better understanding of school effectiveness, which in turn can be used for school portfolio planning and student assignment based on match quality between students and schools.
Conquest and Colonization of Panama, ca. 1509–1530
Authors: Mena-García Carmen
Published: April 2022

Darién was the first Hispanic frontier in continental America. A military frontier of warriors, horses, dogs, and arquebuses, clearly reminiscent of the medieval period, Darién was created in 1509 in the most distant periphery of the empire, in a marginal and hostile space. The conquest of these jungle lands, soon transformed into a “cemetery of conquistadores,” and the following expansion through the isthmus was one of the hardest experiences that the Spanish faced in their advance through the New World. For the Indigenous Cueva population, the invasion of the West was even more dramatic. In just a few decades, the Cuevas were extinguished as a result of wars, epidemics, and the slave trade, practiced on a large scale by Spanish captains and Crown officials. Darién was a type of experimental laboratory. There in the art of war a race of frontier captains was forged, which later expanded throughout the continent. With the foundation of Panamá (1519), the frontier moved to the Pacific, and Spanish expansion was projected, like a spearpoint, toward Central America and Perú, seeking new opportunities and leaving the territory practically empty of men and resources.
The Pan American Highway
Authors: Rutkow Eric
Published: April 2022

The Pan American Highway, a successor project to the unfinished Pan American Railway, originated as an interwar initiative among member nations in the Pan American Union and is generally considered to comprise the longest road in the world. The highway network’s longitudinal through-route—complete save for the sixty-mile “Darien Gap” between Panama and Colombia—crosses eleven countries and, with the inclusion of its unofficial northernmost leg, covers more than 12,500 miles in total, from Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay to South America’s Tierra del Fuego. Additional spur roads in the pan-American network radiate to the capitals of other South American nations, adding an additional four thousand miles to the system. While the nearly finished Pan American Highway never achieved the hoped-for goal of linking the Americas (and still faces constant maintenance challenges), it stands as a concrete symbol of pan-Americanism and a “trunk line” for the Western Hemisphere, an overland corridor for trade, tourism, cultural exchange, and migration throughout the region.
The Evolution of Transitional Justice in Uruguay
Authors: Sharnak Debbie
Published: April 2022

Uruguay passed the Ley de Caducidad de la Pretensión Punitiva del Estado (Law on the Expiration of the Punitive Claims of the States or Law of Expiry) in December 1986, which provided amnesty for all members of the military and security personnel involved in crimes during the nation’s military rule (1973–1985). A referendum in 1989 democratically affirmed the law, producing a silencing about accountability efforts in Uruguay in subsequent years. As such, much of the literature that emerged in the 1990s about the field of transitional justice excluded Uruguay, considering it a failure to engage with justice initiatives. Since 2000, however, Uruguay has followed a winding path toward employing accountability measures. This has included a difficult process of overturning its amnesty law, some selected domestic court cases, as well as some truth-telling initiatives, reparations, and memorialization. Overall, Uruguay’s experience and evolution toward engaging transitional justice initiatives represent a nonlinear progress of accountability that depended on a combination of domestic political will, friendly courts or judges, international legal and norm shifts, and sustained civil society activism.1 Both Uruguay’s eventual engagement with justice initiatives and expanding ideas about what constitutes transitional justice have driven the country’s re-emergence in scholarship within the field of transitional justice. Uruguay’s thirty-five-year battle Offers an example of a non-teleological path of transitional justice. Additionally, the case of Uruguay urges consideration of understanding the longer timeframes that justice might take to achieve, even in stable democracies.
Tense and Aspect in Mandarin Chinese
Authors: Wu Jiun-Shiung
Published: April 2022

Chinese has been known to be a language without grammaticalized tense. However, this statement does not mean that native speakers of Chinese cannot tell the temporal location of a Chinese sentence. In addition to temporal phrases, which often are considered to identify the temporal location of a Chinese sentence, the aspectual value of a sentence, either situation aspect or viewpoint aspect, plays a significant role in this issue. Basically, a telic event receives a past interpretation unless explicitly specified otherwise whereas an atelic event gets a present reading until overridden. In addition, there is a possibility, based on examples where the past has an effect on the whole discourse in Chinese instead of single sentences, that tense is a discourse-level feature in Chinese. On the other hand, Chinese has a rich aspectual system, including four aspect markers: perfective le, experiential guò, durative zhe, and progressive zài. The former two are perfective markers and the latter are imperfective markers. Perfective le interacts with eventualities of different situation types to yield different readings. Going with an accomplishment, perfective le receives a completive reading or terminative reading. Presenting an achievement, perfective le gets a completive reading. Perfective le plus an activity forms an incomplete sentence. Together with a state, perfective le induces an inchoative reading. Most of the theories that explain the diverse readings of perfective le resort to the obvious, differentiating point in the temporal schema of a situation: either the (natural) final endpoint or the initial point. Experiential guò has several semantic properties, including at least one occurrence, a class meaning, discontinuity, compatibility only with recurrable situations, and temporal independence. There are two major accounts for the semantics of experiential guò: the temporal quantification account and the terminability as the sole inherent feature account. For the former, experiential guò is considered a temporal quantifier and all the properties follow from the semantic properties of a quantifier. For the latter, terminability is argued to be the sole inherent semantic property for experiential guò and all the properties are derived from discontinuity. The semantics of the two imperfective makers are less complicated. It is generally accepted that progressive zài presents an unbounded, ongoing event but that durative zhe introduces a resultative state. One possible further semantic distinction between progressive zài and durative zhe is that the former has an instant reading whereas the latter has an interval reading. Moreover, the rhetorical function of durative zhe needs to be considered so that a satisfactory explanation for the V1
zhe V2 construction can be achieved.
Catastrophic Droughts and Their Economic Consequences
Authors: Pourzand Farnaz , Noy Ilan
Published: April 2022

The effect of climate change on hydrology and water resources is possibly one of the most important current environmental challenges, and it will be important for the rest of the 21st century. Climate change is anticipated to intensify the hydrological cycle and to change the temporal and spatial distribution patterns of water resources. It is predicted to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme hydrological events, such as heavy rainfall and floods, but in some locations also droughts. Water-related hazards occur due to complex interactions between atmospheric and hydrological systems. These events can then cause economic disasters, societal disturbances, and environmental impacts, which can pose a major threat to lives and livelihoods if they happen in places that are exposed and vulnerable to them. The economic impacts of extreme hydrological events can be separated into direct damage and indirect losses. Direct damage includes the damages to fixed assets and capital; losses of raw materials, crops, and extractable natural resources; and, most importantly, mortality, morbidity, and population displacement. All can be a direct consequence of the extreme hydrological event. Indirect losses are reductions in economic activity, particularly the production of goods and services—which will be greatly decreased after the disaster and because of it. Possibly the most damaging hydro-meteorological hazard, drought, is also the one that is least understood and the most difficult to quantify—even its onset is often difficult to identify. Drought is recognized as being associated with some of the most high-profile humanitarian disasters of past years, threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of people, particularly those living in semi-arid and arid regions. Drought impacts depend on a set of weather parameters—high temperatures, low humidity, the timing of rain, and the intensity and duration of precipitation, as well as its onset and termination—and they depend on the population and assets and their vulnerabilities. While drought has wide-ranging effects on many economic sectors, the agricultural sector bears much of the impact, as it is very dependent on precipitation and evapotranspiration. Approximately 1.3 billion people rely on agriculture as their main source of income. In developing countries, the agriculture sector absorbs up to 80% of all direct damages from droughts. Droughts may be the biggest threat to food security and rural livelihoods globally, and they can increase local poverty, displace large numbers of people, and hinder the already fragile progress that has been made toward the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As such, understanding droughts’ impacts, identifying ways to prevent or ameliorate them, and preventing further deterioration in the climatic conditions and social vulnerabilities that are their root causes are all of utmost importance.
Banerjee, Gauri Rani
Authors: Nadkarni Vimla
Published: April 2022

Gauri Banerjee instituted the first department of medical and psychiatric social work in the field of medical and psychiatric social work in India. She laid the groundwork for indigenizing social work education by modifying and linking concepts from Indian traditional literature, religious texts, and Indian social reformers into her teachings and practices.
Tarugi, Paolina
Authors: Dellavalle Marilena , Mozzone Carlotta
Published: April 2022

Paolina Tarugi (1889–1969) is considered the founder of Italian social work. Her experience started with the struggles for women’s emancipation at the beginning of the 20th century and continued with social welfare work as a feminist political philanthropist. In the early 1920s, she was instrumental in introducing social workers in factories. Thenceforth, she worked unceasingly in many political settings to legitimize the social work profession and promote quality training programs until the end of her life.
Wood, Gertie
Authors: Frank Dionne V.
Published: April 2022

Gertie Wood (September 18, 1892–August 26, 1976) was a Guyanese social worker, music teacher, women’s rights activist, and the first female political candidate in the British West Indies. She is most often described by Caribbean historians, gender and development scholars, and supporters of the women’s movements as a pioneer women’s rights activist. However, Wood also made an invaluable impact on social work in then British Guiana during the 1930s and 1940s, articulating the plight of women and children in the former British colony. She found fame with the Circle of Sunshine Workers, the Second Inter-Colonial Conference of Women Social Workers, and her amplification of the need for social welfare workers and programs to the Royal West Indian Commission in 1939. Wood’s activism chartered the path for establishing the British Guiana League of Social Services, a trajectory that created a model for national and transnational collaborative work. Wood was honored for her self-sacrificing service as a recipient of the King’s Silver Jubilee Medal—an Order of the British Empire.
Evaluation of β-lactam therapeutic drug monitoring among US health systems with postgraduate year 2 infectious diseases pharmacy residency programs
Authors: Chen Chieh , Seabury Robert W , Steele Jeffrey M , Parsels Katie A , Darko William , Miller Christopher D , Kufel Wesley D
Published: April 2022

Purpose

While some guidelines recognize the need for β-lactam therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), there is still a paucity of data regarding the prevalence of and barriers to performing β-lactam TDM in the United States. We sought to estimate the prevalence of β-lactam TDM, describe monitoring practices, and identify actual and perceived barriers to implementation among health systems in the US.

Methods

A multicenter, cross-sectional, 40-item electronic survey was distributed to all postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) infectious diseases (ID) pharmacy residency program directors (RPDs) listed in the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists pharmacy residency directory. The primary outcome was the percentage of institutions with established β-lactam TDM. Secondary outcomes included assessing β-lactam TDM methods and identifying potential barriers to implementation.

Results

The survey was distributed to 126 PGY2 ID RPDs, with a response rate of 31.7% (40 of 126). Only 8% of respondents (3 of 39) performed β-lactam TDM. Patient populations, therapeutic targets, and frequency and timing of obtaining repeat β-lactam concentration measurements varied among institutions. The greatest barrier to implementation was lack of access to testing with a rapid turnaround time. Institutions were unlikely to implement β-lactam TDM within the next year but were significantly more inclined to do so within 5 years (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

β-lactam TDM was infrequently performed at the surveyed US health systems. Lack of access to serum concentration testing with rapid turnaround and lack of US-specific guidelines appear to be considerable barriers to implementing β-lactam TDM. Among institutions that have implemented β-lactam TDM, there is considerable variation in monitoring approaches.
A Data-driven Learning Focus on Form Approach to Academic English Lecture Comprehension
Authors: Zare Javad , Aqajani Delavar Khadijeh
Published: April 2022

Using concordancers in English classes is demanding, time-consuming, and challenging to both teachers and learners. On the other hand, research points to the effectiveness of data-driven learning (DDL) in improving second/foreign language learning. The present study proposed a new task type, that is, DDL focus on form (FonF) tasks, as a combination of DDL and FonF approaches, and investigated if using such tasks improves students’ comprehension of English academic lectures. Drawing on a quasi-experimental validating quantitative data triangulation model, 124 intermediate English learners were pretested, randomly assigned to treatment and control groups, exposed to the treatment and control treatment, and post-tested on immediate and delayed academic English lecture comprehension tests. The treatment required working with 12 DDL FonF tasks, specifically proposed for the present study, during 12 45-min sessions. On the other hand, the control treatment involved working with 12 FonF tasks during 12 45-min sessions. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the study was done remotely and the tasks were sent through WhatsApp in Word and PDF formats. As part of the validating quantitative data triangulation model, semi-structured interviews were held with the learners in the experimental group to shed light on the treatment. The results of the study suggested that using DDL FonF tasks results in both temporary and durable improvement in the learners’ comprehension of English academic lectures. The study concludes that integrating DDL and FonF approaches to second/foreign language learning in the form of tasks improves academic English lecture comprehension through increase in the learner’s noticing, metalinguistic awareness, discovery learning, and agency.
The Racial Representation of Cosmetic Surgery Patients and Physicians on Social Media
Authors: Ullrich Peter J , Garg Stuti , Reddy Narainsai , Hassan Abbas , Joshi Chitang , Perez Laura , Tassinari Stefano , Galiano Robert D
Published: April 2022

Background

Aggregated data show that Black patients undergo disproportionately lower rates of cosmetic surgery than their Caucasian counterparts. Similarly, laboratory findings indicate that social media representation is lower among Black patients for breast reconstruction surgery, and it is expected that this could be the case in cosmetic surgery as well.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to explore the social media representation of Black patients and physicians in the 5 most common cosmetic surgery procedures: rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, abdominoplasty, breast augmentation, and liposuction.

Methods

Data were collected from RealSelf (Seattle, WA), the most popular social media site for sharing cosmetic surgery outcomes. The skin tone of 1000 images of patients in each of the top 5 cosmetic surgeries was assessed according to the Fitzpatrick scale, a commonly utilized skin tone range. Additionally, the Fitzpatrick scores of 72 providers who posted photographs within each surgical category were collected.

Results

Black patients and providers are underrepresented in rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, breast augmentation, and liposuction compared with the general population (defined by the US Census Bureau), but were proportionately represented in abdominoplasty. Additionally, it was found that patients most often matched Fitzpatrick scores when both had scores of 2, whereas patients with a score of 5 and 6 rarely matched their provider’s score.

Conclusions

The underrepresentation of Black patients and providers in social media for cosmetic surgery may well discourage Black patients from pursuing cosmetic surgeries. Therefore, it is essential to properly represent patients to encourage patients interested in considering cosmetic surgery.
Proteomic characterization of post-mortem human brain tissue following ultracentrifugation-based subcellular fractionation
Authors: Kandigian Savannah E. , Ethier Elizabeth C. , Kitchen Robert R. , Lam Tukiet T. , Arnold Steven E. , Carlyle Becky C.
Published: April 2022

Proteomic characterization of human brain tissue is increasingly utilized to identify potential novel biomarkers and drug targets for a variety of neurological diseases. In whole-tissue studies, results may be driven by changes in the proportion of the largest and most abundant organelles or tissue cell-type composition. Spatial proteomics approaches enhance our knowledge of disease mechanisms and changing signalling pathways at the subcellular level by taking into account the importance of cellular localization, which critically influences protein function. Density gradient-based ultracentrifugation methods allow for subcellular fractionation and have been utilized in cell lines, mouse and human brain tissue to quantify thousands of proteins in specific enriched organelles such as the pre- and post-synapse. Serial ultracentrifugation methods allow for the analysis of multiple cellular organelles from the same biological sample, and to our knowledge have not been previously applied to frozen post-mortem human brain tissue. The use of frozen human tissue for tissue fractionation faces two major challenges, the post-mortem interval, during which proteins may leach from their usual location into the cytosol, and freezing, which results in membrane breakdown. Despite these challenges, in this proof-of-concept study, we show that the majority of proteins segregate reproducibly into crude density-based centrifugation fractions, that the fractions are enriched for the appropriate organellar markers and that significant differences in protein localization can be observed between tissue from individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and control individuals.
Comparison of Hospitalized Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Influenza Patients Requiring Supplemental Oxygen in a Cohort Study: Clinical Impact and Resource Consumption
Authors: López Montesinos Inmaculada , Arrieta-Aldea Itziar , Dicastillo Aitor , Zuccarino Flavio , Sorli Luisa , Guerri-Fernández Roberto , Arnau-Barrés Isabel , Montero Maria Milagro , Siverio-Parès Ana , Durán Xavier , del Mar Arenas Maria , Arnau Ariadna Brasé , Cañas-Ruano Esperanza , Castañeda Silvia , Kamber Ignacio Domingo , Gómez-Junyent Joan , Pelegrín Iván , Martínez Francisca Sánchez , Sendra Elena , Leiro Lucía Suaya , Villar-García Judit , Nogués Xavier , Grau Santiago , Knobel Hernando , Gomez-Zorrilla Silvia , Horcajada Juan Pablo ,   COVID-MAR Group, Cos Esquius M L , García Vives E , Gimenez Argente C , González Farias I , Modino Pérez S , Petit Salas I , Rial Villavecchia A S , Rodríguez Morera J , Soldado Folgado J
Published: April 2022

Background

To compare clinical characteristics, outcomes, and resource consumption of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and seasonal influenza requiring supplemental oxygen.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study conducted at a tertiary-care hospital. Patients admitted because of seasonal influenza between 2017 and 2019, or with COVID-19 between March and May 2020 requiring supplemental oxygen were compared. Primary outcome: 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes: 90-day mortality and hospitalization costs. Attempted sample size to detect an 11% difference in mortality was 187 patients per group.

Results

COVID-19 cases were younger (median years of age, 67; interquartile range [IQR] 54–78 vs 76 [IQR 64–83]; P < .001) and more frequently overweight, whereas influenza cases had more hypertension, immunosuppression, and chronic heart, respiratory, and renal disease. Compared with influenza, COVID-19 cases had more pneumonia (98% vs 60%, <.001), higher Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) and CURB-65 (confusion, blood urea nitrogen, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, and age >65 years) scores and were more likely to show worse progression on the World Health Organization ordinal scale (33% vs 4%; P < .001). The 30-day mortality rate was higher for COVID-19 than for influenza: 15% vs 5% (P = .001). The median age of nonsurviving cases was 81 (IQR 74–88) and 77.5 (IQR 65–84) (P = .385), respectively. COVID-19 was independently associated with 30-day (hazard ratio [HR], 4.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2–10.4) and 90-day (HR, 5.2; 95% CI, 2.4–11.4) mortality. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses, including a subgroup considering only patients with pneumonia, did not show different trends. Regarding resource consumption, COVID-19 patients had longer hospital stays and higher critical care, pharmacy, and complementary test costs.

Conclusions

Although influenza patients were older and had more comorbidities, COVID-19 cases requiring supplemental oxygen on admission had worse clinical and economic outcomes.
Preoperative oral magnesium loading to prevent postoperative atrial fibrillation following coronary surgery: a prospective randomized controlled trial
Authors: Tohme Joanna , Sleilaty Ghassan , Jabbour Khalil , Gergess Afrida , Hayek Gemma , Jebara Victor , Madi-Jebara Samia
Published: April 2022

OBJECTIVES

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is common following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Hypomagnesemia is frequent after CABG surgery. No previous trials have assessed the effect of preoperative magnesium (Mg) loading on POAF incidence.

METHODS

This was a single-centre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial, with balanced randomization [1:1]. The participants were recruited from November 2018 until May 2019. Patients received either 3.2 g of Mg daily (4 tablets of 0.4 g each twice daily) for 72 h preoperatively and 1.6 g of Mg (4 tablets) on the day of surgery or placebo tablets.

RESULTS

The primary outcome was the incidence of POAF. Secondary outcomes included time to extubation, transfusion rate, critical care unit and hospital length of stay. Of the 210 randomized participants, 200 (100 in each group) completed the study. A total of 10 (10%) and 22 (22%) subjects developed POAF in the Mg and placebo groups, respectively (RR = 0.45, 95% confidence interval: 0.23–0.91). Hospital and critical care unit length of stay were comparable between the 2 groups. No side effects related to Mg administration were documented.

CONCLUSIONS

In this randomized controlled trial, preoperative loading with oral administration of Mg for 3 days in patients admitted for CABG surgery decreases the incidence of POAF compared to placebo.

Clinical trial registration number

NCT03703349.
OR65. The Effect of Carvedilol on Subclinical Left Ventricular Dysfunction after Chemotherapy of FAC Regimen in Breast Cancer Patients : An Experimental Study
Authors: Sumantra I Gede , Astuti Astri , Martanto Erwan , Sihite Teddy A , Maman Abdurahman R , Iqbal Mohammad , Rizki Akbar M , Martha Januar W
Published: April 2022

Background

Breast cancer survivors potentially develop cardiotoxicity after FAC regiment administration. Carvedilol may provide antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and myocyte-calcium regulation effects in chemotherapy. This study aimed to evaluate cardioprotective effects of Carvedilol towards preventing subclinical left ventricular dysfunction (SLVD) in breast cancer patients following FAC chemotherapy.

Methods

The study was a prospective open-label and Quasi-Experimental. We divided the patients receiving the FAC chemotherapy from September 2018 until May 2019 into intervention (IG) and control groups (CG). The IG received Carvedilol 6.25 mg b.i.d. up titrated every three weeks until the tolerated dose. We evaluated the left ventricular GLS changes and the incidence of SLVD (GLS reduction ≥15% and GLS >-18%) at 24 weeks after the FAC regimen initiation.

Result

Eighty-one women were enrolled in the study; 31 of them were the IG. There were no significant GLS changes during and after FAC completion in the IG, while the CG showed contradictive. At the end of follow-up, the delta GLS reduction was lower in the IG 0.7 (95% CI – 0.60,3.60) than the CG 3.00 (95% CI – 2.16,4.19), p = 0.035. The GLS percentage reduction showed similar results with 3.6% and 14.29% in the IG and CG respectively with p = 0.05. The incidence rate of SLVD (GLS reduction ≥15% and GLS >-18%) in IG was lower; 41.9% and 25.8%, while in the CG was 58% and 48%.

Conclusion

Carvedilol may have a cardioprotective effect by preventing the GLS reduction and reducing the incidence of SLVD in women with breast cancer after a complete cycle of FAC regimen.
Individual-tree distance-dependent growth models for uneven-sized Norway spruce
Authors: Fagerberg Nils , Olsson Jan-Ola , Lohmander Peter , Andersson Martin , Bergh Johan
Published: April 2022

Individual tree selection (ITS) is one option to manage uneven-sized forest ecosystems. However, scientifically based field guidelines adapted to ITS and economic profitability are rare, often because there is a lack of suitable tree models to use in growth and treatment simulations. The objective of this study is to develop individual-tree distance-dependent growth models focusing on Norway spruce dominated uneven-sized stands. Three models of different complexity, but with the same structural basis, are presented, followed by some examples of growth patterns for the subject trees. The data include 1456 trees (307 sample trees) collected from five sites in southern Sweden. The basic model (S) depends on subject tree size as the predictor, the second model (SD) adds distance to competitors as a predictor, and the third model (SDC) adds crown ratio as a predictor to the structure. R2Adj increases with number of predictors from 0.48 to 0.58 to 0.62. The levels of RMSE improve accordingly from 5.02 cm2 year−1 (S) to 4.43 cm2 year−1 (SD) and 4.26 cm2 year−1 (SDC). The present calibration range and model structures primarily make the models suitable for management simulation of individual-tree selection of Norway spruce in southern Sweden. The format of the models allows for further extension with additional predictors and calibration data with greater coverage.
Long-term outcome of surgical revascularization in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction—a population-based cohort study
Authors: Brynjarsdottir Helga B , Johnsen Arni , Heimisdottir Alexandra A , Heidarsdottir Sunna Rún , Jeppsson Anders , Sigurdsson Martin I , Gudbjartsson Tomas
Published: April 2022

OBJECTIVES

Surgical revascularization is an established indication for patients with advanced coronary artery disease and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Long-term outcomes for these patients are not well-defined. We studied the long-term outcomes of patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy who underwent surgical revascularization in a well-defined nationwide cohort.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective study on 2005 patients that underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting in Iceland between 2000 and 2016. Patients were categorized into two groups based on their preoperative LVEF; LVEF ≤35% (n = 146, median LVEF 30%) and LVEF >35% (n = 1859, median LVEF 60%). Demographics and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events were compared between groups along with cardiac-specific and overall survival. The median follow-up was 7.6 years.

RESULTS

Demographics were similar in both groups regarding age, gender and most cardiovascular risk factors. However, patients with LVEF ≤35% more often had diabetes, renal insufficiency, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a previous history of myocardial infarction. Thirty-day mortality was 4 times higher (8% vs 2%, P < 0.001) in the LVEF ≤35%-group compared to controls. Overall survival was significantly lower in the LVEF ≤35%-group compared to controls, at 1 year (87% vs. 98%, P < 0.001) and 5 years (69% vs. 91%, P < 0.001). In multivariable analysis LVEF ≤35% was linked to inferior survival with an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.0 (95%-CI 1.5 - 2.6, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A good long-term outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting can be expected for patients with reduced LVEF, however, their survival is still significantly inferior to patients with normal ventricular function.
Failure to rescue: obesity increases the risk of mortality following early graft failure in heart transplantation in UNOS database patients
Authors: Herbst David Alan , Iyengar Amit , Weingarten , Noah , Helmers Mark R , Kim , Samuel T , Atluri Pavan
Published: April 2022

OBJECTIVES

Early graft failure (EGF) is a devastating postoperative complication following heart transplant. Institutional studies have modelled donor and recipient risk factors predictive of graft failure. To date, no studies have assessed specific recipient profiles associated with mortality after recipients suffer from EGF. The objective of this study was to identify this recipient profile.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of patients in the United Network for Organ Sharing database undergoing heart transplant from August 2000 to September 2019. EGF was defined as graft dysfunction at 24 hours post-heart transplant. The primary outcome was 90-day mortality. To isolate recipient characteristics associated with mortality, we performed the univariate analysis on 24 recipient characteristics adjusted for high-risk donor characteristics (ischaemic time, donor age, race mismatch, BUN/creatinine ratio) predictive of 1-year mortality (P < 0.2). We then performed backward stepwise multivariable regression adjusted for identified donor characteristics to determine recipient characteristics associated with mortality after EGF (P < 0.05).

RESULTS

We identified 302 patients diagnosed with post-transplant EGF. Among these patients, mortality was 82% within 90 days of transplantation. Adjusted univariate analysis identified 7 factors associated with mortality. Adjusted backward stepwise multivariable regression identified BMI > 30 as predictive of mortality at 90 days after EGF.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients who develop EGF after heart transplant are at high risk for mortality. Careful discussion regarding transplant candidacy and risk is warranted in obese patients. In addition, minimizing donor factors associated with graft dysfunction is critical during preoperative planning in these recipients.
Triaging Mixed Migration: Trump Card or Achilles Heel of the Common European Asylum System? Insights from Organized Hypocrisy
Authors: Walter-Franke Marie
Published: April 2022

With border screening at the core of the ‘New Pact on Migration and Asylum’, the European Commission presents the effective triage of mixed migration as a trump card to finally fix the dysfunctional Common European Asylum System (CEAS). This calls for a closer examination of how triage governmentality relates to dysfunctionality as a trope in the European Union’s (EU) asylum policy. The article shows how, in the last three decades of policymaking, EU actors have consistently represented the CEAS as dysfunctional. One of the core problems put forward is that the EU’s common standards of qualification, procedures, and reception have failed to harmonize how persons in need of protection are identified and treated across the EU. The resulting asylum lottery undermines the legitimacy and efficacy of the EU’s allocation and return systems. Can the effective triage of mixed migration render the CEAS functional? This article argues that, in the design of the CEAS, triage mechanisms are key to reconciling the competing objectives of asylum protection and migration control. As implementation falls short, a gap has emerged between promises and results within triage governmentality.
Crime-time: how ambient light affects crime
Authors: Domínguez Patricio , Asahi Kenzo
Published: April 2022

This paper studies the effect of sunlight on crime, taking advantage of a daylight saving time (DST) policy. We find a 30% decrease in robberies when the DST transition increases the amount of sunlight by 1 h during the 7–9 p.m. period. We document a symmetric reaction when DST decreases sunlight exposure. We complement these findings by showing that the response induced by DST is not associated with a plausible demand-side response such as the population’s commuting patterns and we find no substantial short-term displacement of crime. Our results show that ambient light is a key driver of criminal activity in urban spaces.
Detection of autophagy-related structures in fruiting bodies of edible mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus
Authors: Ozaki Yuma , Aimi Tadanori , Shimomura Norihiro
Published: April 2022

Autophagy is involved in various fungal morphogenetic processes. However, there are limited reports regarding the role of autophagy in mushroom fruiting body formation. The purpose of this study was to reveal the autophagy-related structures in mushroom-forming fungi. The edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus was used in this study. Transmission electron microscopy revealed double-membrane bounded structures containing cytoplasmic components in the fruiting bodies of this fungus. Some of these double-membrane structures were observed to interact with the vacuoles. Additionally, curved flat cisternae of various lengths were detected in the cytoplasm. The shape, size and thickness of the limiting membrane of the double-membrane structures and the flat cisternae corresponded well with those of the autophagosomes and the isolation membranes, respectively. Regarding autophagosome formation, a membrane-bound specific zone was detected near the isolation membrane, which appeared to expand along the novel membrane. This is the first detailed report showing autophagy-related structures in P. ostreatus and provides a possible model for autophagosome formation in these filamentous fungi.
MAPIYA contact map server for identification and visualization of molecular interactions in proteins and biological complexes
Authors: Badaczewska-Dawid Aleksandra E , Nithin Chandran , Wroblewski Karol , Kurcinski Mateusz , Kmiecik Sebastian
Published: April 2022

Correct identification and effective visualization of interactions in biomolecular structures facilitate understanding of their functions and molecular design. In response to the practical needs of structure-based analysis, we have created a Mapiya web server. The Mapiya integrates four main functionalities: (i) generation of contact maps – intramolecular and intermolecular—for proteins, nucleic acids, and their complexes; (ii) characterization of the interactions physicochemical nature, (iii) interactive visualization of biomolecular conformations with automatic zoom on selected contacts using Molstar and (iv) additional sequence- and structure-based analyses performed with third-party software and in-house algorithms combined into an easy-to-use interface. Thus, Mapiya offers a highly customized analysis of the molecular interactions' in various biological systems. The web server is available at: http://mapiya.lcbio.pl/
Microangiopathic Hemolytic Anemia Is a Late and Fatal Complication of Gastric Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Case-Control Study
Authors: Lam Robert , Tarangelo Nicholas , Wang Rong , Horibe Masayasu , Grimshaw Alyssa A , Jain Dhanpat , Haffar Samir , Bazerbachi Fateh , Kunz Pamela L , Li Darrick K
Published: April 2022

Background

Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome that has been reported in patients with gastric signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC). Clinical and prognostic features of MAHA in this setting have been poorly described.

Materials and Methods

We conducted a systematic review in 8 databases of gastric SRCC complicated by MAHA and performed a case-control study assessing factors associated with survival in patients with gastric SRCC and MAHA in our pooled cohort compared with age-, sex-, and stage-matched cases of gastric SRCC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Descriptive analyses were performed and multivariable Cox-proportional hazards regression modeling was used to determine factors associated with overall survival.

Results

All identified patients (n = 47) were symptomatic at index presentation, commonly with back/bone pain, and dyspnea. Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia was the first manifestation of gastric SRCC in 94% of patients. Laboratory studies were notable for anemia (median 7.7 g/dL), thrombocytopenia (median 45.5 × 103/μL), and hyperbilirubinemia (median 2.3 mg/dL). All patients with MAHA had metastatic disease at presentation, most often to the bone, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. Median survival in patients with gastric SRCC and MAHA was significantly shorter than a matched SEER-derived cohort with metastatic gastric SRCC (7 weeks vs 28 weeks, P < .01). In multivariate analysis, patients with MAHA were at significantly increased risk of mortality (HR 3.28, 95% CI 2.11-5.12).

Conclusion

Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia is a rare, late-stage complication of metastatic gastric SRCC and is associated with significantly decreased survival compared with metastatic gastric SRCC alone.
Globalization: Human Development in a New Cultural Context
Authors: Jensen Lene Arnett
Published: April 2022

Globalization—the flow across cultures of goods, people, and ideas at unprecedented speed, scope, and quantity—has profound implications for psychological development. In today’s world, children seldom reach adulthood knowing of only one culture. Increasingly, they have interactions with people from diverse cultures, either firsthand or indirectly through various media. Exposure and openness to globalization are particularly pronounced among adolescents and emerging adults, and globalization impacts their development in a wide variety of areas, including moral values, relationships with parents, gender roles, health and body image, language development, and identity. Future research needs to pay more attention to younger children, local circumstances, and diverse responses to globalization.
AI Governance Multi-stakeholder Convening
Authors: Greene K. Gretchen
Published: April 2022

This chapter offers reflections and advice on AI ethics and governance from a year spent leading Partnership on AI’s multi-stakeholder Affective Computing and Ethics project, involving more than 200 engineers, scientists, lawyers, privacy and civil rights advocates, bioethicists, managers, executives, journalists, and government officials, mostly in the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union, in discussions about AI related to emotion and affect and its potential impacts on civil and human rights, with a goal of developing industry best practices and better technology policy. The author’s reflections from that year draw lessons on convening, multi-disciplinary collaboration, and affective computing and AI ethics and governance. The chapter offers a blueprint for creating the shared knowledge foundation non-technical participants need to apply their expertise. It presents question exploration as a tool for evaluating ethics risk and using “What is notice good for?” shows how a well-chosen question can serve as a catalyst for group or individual exploration of the issues, leading to insights and answers. It includes a curated list of 42 questions, catalysts for AI and ethics discussion for industry, university, news media, and policy teams; multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder AI ethics and governance convenings; and for individual writing and thinking, to take scholars and practitioners a step beyond or to the side of what they have been thinking about—about AI and ethics.
Influence of food quality on larval growth of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Malca Estrella , Shropshire Taylor , Landry Michael R , Quintanilla Jose M , Laiz-CarriÓn RaÚl , Shiroza Akihiro , Stukel Michael R , Lamkin John , Gerard Trika , Swalethorp Rasmus
Published: April 2022

Larval abundances of Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT) in the Gulf of Mexico are currently utilized to inform future recruitment by providing a proxy for the spawning potential of western ABT stock. Inclusion of interannual variations in larval growth is a key advance needed to translate larval abundance to recruitment success. However, little is known about the drivers of growth variations during the first weeks of life. We sampled patches of western ABT larvae in 3–4 day Lagrangian experiments in May 2017 and 2018, and assessed age and growth rates from sagittal otoliths relative to size categories of zooplankton biomass and larval feeding behaviors from stomach contents. Growth rates were similar, on average, between patches (0.37 versus 0.39 mm d−1) but differed significantly through ontogeny and were correlated with a food limitation index, highlighting the importance of prey availability. Otolith increment widths were larger for postflexion stages in 2018, coincident with high feeding on preferred prey (mainly cladocerans) and presumably higher biomass of more favorable prey type. Faster growth reflected in the otolith microstructures may improve survival during the highly vulnerable larval stages of ABT, with direct implications for recruitment processes.
Weak charges in SU(5)L × U(1)Y gauge models
Authors: Palcu Adrian
Published: April 2022

Within the framework of a renormalizable SU(5)L × U(1)Y electro-weak gauge model with no exotic electric charges, we obtain all the neutral weak charge operators and their quantization, once the diagonalization of the neutral boson mass matrix is properly performed. Our results open up the path to a rich and promising phenomenological outcome. All the Standard Model phenomenology is recovered by simply decoupling the latter’s scale (vSM = 246 GeV) from the higher scale (V ∼ 10 TeV) specific to our new electro-weak unification.
Import Penetration and Executive Compensation
Authors: Lie Erik , Yang Keyang (Daniel)
Published: April 2022

We first compare several measures of import penetration and find that total imports, tariffs, and exchange rates are endogenous, while imports from China are largely exogenous. Then we examine the effects of Chinese import penetration on executive compensation of U.S. firms. We document that Chinese import penetration reduces executives’ stock grants and wealth-performance sensitivity, suggesting that competition mitigates agency problems and the need for conventional alignment mechanisms.

Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
ACTIVITY CONCENTRATIONS OF RADIOCAESIUM, 90SR AND 129I IN AGRICULTURAL CROPS COLLECTED FROM FUKUSHIMA AND REFERENCE AREAS IN JAPAN, AND INTERNAL RADIATION DOSES
Authors: Tsukada H , Takahashi T , Fukutani S
Published: April 2022

Significant quantities of radionuclides were released into the environment due to the 2011 TEPCO’s FDNPS accident. Radiocaesium is the most important radionuclide for assessment of radiation dose, and small amounts of 90Sr and very long-lived radionuclide of 129I were also released into the environment. Spinach, potato and brown rice were collected from Fukushima, neighboring prefectures and reference areas of negligible deposition in 2018 and 2019. The activity concentration of 137Cs in crops in Hamadori (coastal side) was relatively higher than other areas. The activity concentration of 90Sr in the crops showed a similar range among four areas in Fukushima, and they were similar level of those collected throughout Japan. The activity concentration of 129I in the crops collected from Hamadori was higher than other Fukushima areas. However, the activity ratio of 129I/137Cs was lower by five to seven orders of magnitude. Internal radiation doses of radiocaesium for adult males from ingestion of local crops collected from Hamadori were 0.0046 mSv, and that of 129I were 0.00000045 mSv in 2019.
Does the substratum rule even matter?
Authors: Levers Christopher , Constable Jordan
Published: April 2022

Recent authorities in the Court of Appeal of Bermuda (Grand View v Wong (Civil Appeal No. 5A of 2019, Grand View, an appeal from Wong v Grand View [2019] Bda LR 41, Wong), the Royal Court of Jersey (Representation of Rysaffe Fiduciarles Sarl [2012] JRC 320, Rysaffe) and the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands (In the Matter of the Poulton Family Trust (unreported, FSD 0121 of 2016 (IKJ), 18 February 2022, Poulton) considered and have seemingly discredited the existence of the so-called 'substratum rule', which purported to be an overarching rule which operated to restrain the exercise of trustee powers where those powers could fundamentally alter the substratum or basic purpose of the settlement in question.