bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of Fatigue on Cognitive-Motor Function During Unanticipated Landings
Authors: Bertozzi Filippo , Fischer Patrick D. , Aflatounian Fatemeh , Hutchison Keith A. , Sforza Chiarella , Monfort Scott M.
Published: June 2023

Background:

Physical fatigue and cognitive performance have been suggested as risk factors for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and fatigue has also been demonstrated to reduce cognitive processing. The combined effects of fatigue and lower cognitive function during cognitive-challenging movements may increase knee mechanics associated with the ACL injury risk.

Hypotheses:

We hypothesized that (1) knee mechanics would be detrimentally affected by fatigue and associated with baseline cognitive function and (2) fatigue-induced deleterious changes in cognitive performance and knee mechanics would be correlated.

Study Design:

Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods:

A total of 22 athletes completed baseline cognitive testing. After performing maximal vertical jumps, they performed a jump-land-jump task based on unanticipated visual cues. Then, they completed a fatigue protocol including countermovement jumps, among other tasks, until the jump height decreased below 90% of their assessed maximum. Immediately after reaching the first fatigue point, they performed another set of jump-landing tasks, followed by repeating the fatigue protocol until the jump height decreased below 85% of their assessed maximum. After reaching the second fatigue point, they performed a final set of jump-landing tasks and repeated the initial cognitive assessment battery.

Results:

Mixed-effects models revealed that knee flexion decreased through the fatigue protocol (baseline: 61.8°; midpoint: 61.1°; final: 60.1°; P = .003). Stepwise regression showed that fatigue-worsened attentional control corresponded to smaller knee abduction angles ( R2adjusted = 51.68%; βstandardized = 1.16; P = .001), and worse reaction time after fatigue correlated with increased knee abduction angles (βstandardized = 0.85; P = .006) after accounting for the role of attentional control.

Conclusion:

Fatigue induced incremental modifications in sagittal-plane knee mechanics during an unanticipated sports movement. In addition, fatigue induced changes in cognitive function related to ACL injury–relevant knee mechanics.

Clinical Relevance:

The novel findings regarding fatigue-dependent changes in injury-relevant biomechanics during cognitively challenging movements represent an extension of recent developments in understanding the role of cognition in the ACL injury risk.
A comprehensive model for quantifying construction waste in high-rise buildings in India
Authors: Viswalekshmi BR , Bendi Deepthi
Published: June 2023

The construction industry plays a vital role in the economic development of any country. Concurrently, the sector also generates enormous quantities of construction and demolition waste (CDW) that damages the ecology causing environmental pollution and deteriorating human health. Recently, various governments and other organizations realized the importance of implementing construction waste management (CWM) practices to attain sustainability in construction. The current decade can be called a pathway for achieving the 2030 agenda for sustainable development goals in which CWM plays an inevitable role. However, accurately quantifying construction waste is necessary to successfully implement any CDW management plan. A detailed literature review for the current research revealed that limited information on the magnitude of construction waste is available in India. Therefore, the current paper proposes a practically viable model to estimate the waste generation index (construction waste generated per total floor area) of high-rise residential buildings in India. The waste quantification is being done based on the project documents and expert interviews. The methodology is later validated through a high-rise building with G + 18 stories located in Kerala, India. The study indicated that a high-rise concrete framed structure generates 122.3 kg m−2 of waste during construction. It was also noted that, concrete, aggregates and blocks constitute 92% of the total waste generated in the project. The developed model can also be used as a cornerstone for establishing a construction waste database at the regional level.
Efficacy, Tolerability, and Safety of Treatment With Perampanel in Pediatric Patients With Epilepsy Aged ≥4 Years: A Real-Life Observational Study
Authors: Zhao Ting , Li Hong-jian , Feng Ji-rong , Zhang Hui-lan , Yu Jing , Feng Jie , Wang Ting-ting , Sun Yan , Yu Lu-hai
Published: June 2023

Purpose: The safety and effectiveness of perampanel in clinical settings involving Chinese pediatric patients are limited, as perampanel has only recently been approved for use in China, in September 2019. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of perampanel as an adjunctive therapy for pediatric patients with epilepsy aged ≥ 4 years in Xinjiang, Northwest China. Methods: Efficacy was assessed by measuring changes in seizure frequency at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up compared with baseline. The baseline was 3 months before the addition of perampanel, and the seizure frequency was based on the patients’ seizure diary. The safety and tolerability depended on the type and frequency of any adverse event during epilepsy treatment across all pediatric patients. Results: Overall, 67 pediatric patients from 2 different hospitals were enrolled in the study. Among the pediatric patients with seizures during the baseline period, the effective rates for all seizure types at 3, 6, and 12 months were 59.1%, 58.7%, and 57.4%, respectively. During perampanel treatment, 34 patients (50.7%) experienced at least 1 adverse reaction. Conclusion: Overall, this real-world retrospective study of pediatric patients validated that perampanel is an effective treatment option as an adjunctive therapy among pediatric patients with epilepsy aged ≥4 years.
Violent Enactments and Erasures: A Western Capitalist Ontology of Labor in Organizational Rhetoric About Resettled Syrian Refugees
Authors: Iannacone Jeannette I.
Published: June 2023

With more than half of Syria’s population forced to flee their homes over nearly a decade, the narrative of Syrian refugees has evolved to reflect the realities of their displacement. The purpose of this article is to critique how the rhetoric of organizations meant to serve resettled Syrian refugees can also perpetuate dominant neoliberal and capitalist ideologies that result in harmful discursive practices. More specifically, this essay uses a thematic narrative analysis to examine the manifestation of a Western capitalist ontology of labor in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) “Stories” of Syrian refugees. The narratives perpetuated the entrepreneurial ideal, individualized systemic labor challenges, and privileged the organization’s intervention and voice. The analysis subsequently juxtaposes how an organization meant to protect and advocate for refugees can be discursively violent through the enactment of Western, colonizing representations and erasures.
Revisiting Marcuse’s Technological Rationality: Nuclear Fusion Advancement in the Age of Climate Change
Authors: Stuart Diana , Gunderson Ryan , Petersen Brian
Published: June 2023

In December 2022, a scientific breakthrough in fusion energy resulted in widespread media attention with a focus on fusion as a key strategy to mitigate climate change. In this article, we draw from Herbert Marcuse’s work on technological rationality to examine fusion technology in this context. We explore if fusion is seen as a way to master nature, if it protects current power relations, and if a focus on fusion might detract attention and resources from alternatives. Illustrating technological rationality, much attention is being given to the potential achievement of fusion energy, it is being championed by already powerful economic actors, and despite that it is unlikely to be ready in time to support necessary climate mitigation, it may be detracting support for more effective and just strategies that already exist. In this context, framing fusion as a solution to climate change represents what Marcuse calls ‘one-dimensional thinking’.
A novel method of wind turbine bearing fault diagnosis based on gradient projection sparse reconstruction and fractional Fourier transform and improved convolutional long short-term memory
Authors: Gu Heng , Zhang Yan , Xiang Tian
Published: June 2023

The bearing is one of the most critical components of a wind turbine, and its condition determines whether the wind turbine can work normally or not. And in recent years, the increasing number of wind turbines leads to more and more data collected for bearing condition monitoring, which brings a great challenge to data transmission and preservation. In addition, the vibration signal is one-dimensional, and directly using one-dimensional signals can avoid the complex calculations caused by increasing the dimensionality of the data. In this article, a new fault diagnosis method for wind turbine bearings is proposed using one-dimensional data as input. The method is based on sparsely reconstructed gradient projection and fractional Fourier transform (GPSR-FRFT) for feature extraction of the signal, and a modified convolutional long short-term memory (CNN-LSTM) is used for fault classification of the data. Firstly, the signal is sparsely expressed by the GPSR algorithm, and the original signal is compressed and observed using compressed sensing so that the observed signal can be transmitted instead of the original signal, this process can reduce data samples to save storage space. The original signal is recovered by the inverse solution of compressed sensing at the terminal, and this step can reduce noise interference. Secondly, the time-frequency characteristics of the signal are obtained using the FRFT transform. In addition, in order to solve the problem of insufficient learning ability and low accuracy of convolutional long short-term memory (CNN-LSTM), an improvement was made by adding a jump connection layer to the convolutional layer to improve the training speed and learning ability. The resulting signal is input to an improved CNN-LSTM network, and experimental analysis proves the superiority of the proposed method.
Foot and Mouth: Policy and Practice
Authors: Pardoe Simon
Published: June 2023

In place of our usual editorial, we are printing an edited version of this open letter from Dr. Simon Pardoe, a resident of the English Lake District. The letter presents a snapshot of the UK at the height of the foot and mouth epidemic. It also says more about ‘policy implementation’ than many a lengthy journal article.
Citizens, Denizens and theRes Publica: Environmental Ethics, Structures of Feeling and Political Expression
Authors: Smith Mick
Published: June 2023

Environmental ethics should be understood as a radical project that challenges the limits of contemporary ethical and political expression, a limit historically defined by the concept of the citizen. This dominant model of public being, frequently justified in terms of a formal or procedural rationality, facilitates an exclusionary ethos that fails to properly represent our concerns for the non-human world. It tends to regard emotionally mediated concerns for others as a source of irrational and subjective distortions in an otherwise rationally ordered ethicopolitical community. In doing so it underestimates the important role played by ‘structures of feeling’, those culturally variable patterns of emotionally mediated responses, that provide the (shifting) grounds for all ethical experience, motivation, communication and interpretation. An alternative model of political expression more suitable to an environmental ethic, the denizen, is suggested.
Contingent Valuation: Comparing Participant Performance in Group-Based Approaches and Personal Interviews
Authors: Lienhoop Nele , Macmillan Douglas C.
Published: June 2023

This paper reports a Contingent Valuation application to estimate the non-market costs and benefits of hydro scheme developments in an Icelandic wilderness area. A deliberative group-based approach, called Market Stall, is compared to a control group consisting of conventional in-person interviews, in order to investigate flaws of Contingent Valuation, such as poor validity and protest responses. Perceived property rights suggested the use of willingness-to-accept in compensation for wilderness loss and willingness-to-pay for hydro scheme benefits. The study is novel as it applies participant behaviour observation to gain insights into the shortcomings of conventional data collection modes. Main drawbacks with in-person interviews were found to be low motivation, standardised information and time pressure which hindered individuals from carefully considering their preferences. Market Stall performed better in the study: welfare estimates were more easily explained by socio-economic variables, the non-response rate was lower, and respondents were more engaged. Our research findings also suggest that participant behaviour can be used to supplement conventional validity tests.
Re-assembling Materialism, Sustainability and Subjective Well-Being: Empirical Evidence from E-Waste Disposal in an Emerging Market
Authors: Issock Paul Blaise Issock
Published: June 2023

Globally, electronic waste continues to grow as technology becomes central to consumers’ lives and relationships. This growth has led to a myriad of challenges such as electronic waste disposal that considerably affect the natural environment. The current article attempts to provide a fresh outlook on the link between materialism, e-waste disposal and consumer well-being often described as antagonistic concepts. Underpinned by the value-attitude-behaviour theory, the study investigates whether the role of materialism in influencing eco-friendly disposal and ultimately consumer wellbeing. The study also examines the mediating role of e-waste disposal in the relationship between materialism and well-being. Following a quantitative methodology and a cross-sectional research design, the study relied on a survey to collect data from 420 South African users of electronic and electrical equipment. Structural equation modelling analyses revealed that the adoption of eco-friendly disposal of electronic waste leads to consumer well-being even when consumers have materialistic tendencies. The present study adds empirical evidence to the co-existence and complementarity of materialism, sustainability and subjective well-being. The findings of this study inform eco-friendly policy development and proenvironmental initiatives that champion responsible e-waste management in households.
Synthesis and Characterization of Citrus limonum Copper Nanoparticles and its in vitro Evaluation of Cytotoxicity against JURKAT Cells
Authors: Makki Huda Jameel , Chandrasekharaiah KS
Published: June 2023

Background

Biosynthesized copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) are eco-friendly, cost-effective, and biocompatible agents reported for extensive biomedical and bioengineering applications. Different chemical synthesis approaches have been established recently, with challenges of higher toxicity and high cost involved in the synthesis process. Green synthesized nanoparticles emerged and was extensively reported to address the challenges faced by traditional chemical synthesis processes. However, the high toxicity remains a significant challenge for translating the green synthesized nanoparticles into clinically valuable products.

Purpose

To synthesize, characterize, and evaluate the citrus extract-based CuNps cytotoxicity against JURKAT cell lines.

Materials and Methods

An aqueous extract of the citrus fruit was used as a reducing agent, and the CuNps were synthesized. Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometry, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to confirm the synthesis of CuNp and its structure. Furthermore, the effect of CuNPs on cell viability and toxicity was evaluated by mitochondrial toxicity tests (MTT) and LDH assays against the JURKAT cell lines.

Results and Conclusion

The synthesized nanoparticle’s size ranged from 40 to 70 nm, as confirmed through nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and SEM. The synthesized nanoparticles were confirmed to be anti-proliferative with a high percent of cytotoxicity as found from MTT and LDH leakage assays. The size and shape of the synthesized CuNPs as studied by SEM were found to be 30–70 nm and more or less spherical. MTT reported 64.87% inhibition at 320 µg/mL with an IC50 value of 80.78 µg/mL ( p < 0.05). Cytotoxicity as measured by the LDH assay was found to be 53.12 ± 0.89% at 320 µg/mL with an IC50 of 23.12 ± 0.39 when compared to the positive control (11.21 ± 0.15 µg/mL). Green-synthesized CuNPs exhibited potential anti-cancerous activity in JURKAT cell lines, as evidenced by the LDH and MTT assays.
Book review: Aasha Kapur Mehta, Shashanka Bhide, Anand Kumar and Amita Shah, (Eds.), Poverty, Chronic Poverty and Poverty Dynamics: Policy Imperatives
Authors: Kumar A. K. Shiva
Published: June 2023

Aasha Kapur Mehta, Shashanka Bhide, Anand Kumar and Amita Shah, (Eds.), Poverty, Chronic Poverty and Poverty Dynamics: Policy Imperatives. Singapore: Springer, 2018, 254 pp.
A Career Education and Development Framework and measure for senior secondary school students
Authors: McCowan Colin , McIlveen Peter , McLennan Brad , Perera Harsha N , Ciccarone Lucia
Published: June 2023

Career development learning is increasingly emphasized as a curricular strategy to prepare students for their post-compulsory school transitions to further study or employment. Educators require career development frameworks and resources to support students’ reflective learning. The present research tested a hypothesized Career Education and Development Framework (CEDF) comprising eight factors: The understanding of self; opportunities; influences; goal setting; decision-making; taking action; reflecting/reviewing; and confidence. The hypothesized framework was tested by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using data from two independent studies with samples ( n = 567, n = 272) of senior secondary school students from different schools and jurisdictions. In addition to acceptable overall fit, invariance testing revealed consistency across gender on most factors.
A test of the career self-management model with Turkish undergraduate students
Authors: Şen Baz Dünya , Ulaş Kılıç Özlem
Published: June 2023

The purpose of this study was to test the career self-management model among Turkish undergraduate students. For this purpose, data were collected from a group of 428 Turkish undergraduate students attending a state university located in İstanbul province. A structural equation model was used to determine the variables that associated with career decidedness of university students. As a result, the conscientiousness personality trait was removed from the model. Additionally, career decision-making self-efficacy, vocational outcome expectations, and goal feedback exerted a significant and direct effect on university students’ career decidedness. Finally, the career self-management model was found to be partially confirmed.
Career commitment and subjective career success: Considering the role of career resilience and self-efficacy
Authors: Schultheiss Anja Jo , Koekemoer Eileen , Masenge Andries
Published: June 2023

Understanding the qualities that are most important for employees’ career success has been fundamental in advancing career literature. Researchers, employers, and employees have shown an increased interest in the dynamics and factors involved in the relationship between career commitment and subjective career success. This study examined career commitment and subjective career success among South African veterinary professionals ( N  =  331), whilst exploring the possible moderating role of career resilience and self-efficacy. Empirical results showed significant positive relationships between career commitment, career resilience, self-efficacy, and subjective career success. Furthermore, results indicated that self-efficacy moderated the relationship between career commitment and subjective career success, although no evidence for the moderating role of career resilience in this regard, was found. These findings carry implications for organisations and training institutions on the qualities most important for the career success of veterinary professionals. Implementing career commitment initiatives and considering self-efficacy in the training of veterinary professionals are recommended.
Pilot study of a group clinical supervision model for medical students
Authors: Moran Abby , Shanahan Amelia , Tomlin Alison , Ivers Rowena , Thomas Susan J
Published: June 2023

Objective

To trial a clinical supervision model with medical students, co-designed by students and clinicians, and evaluate its feasibility, acceptability, and perceived benefits.

Method

Two clinical supervision groups, one online and one face-to-face, were conducted for six one-hour sessions, over 12 weeks. Clinical supervision was evaluated through mixed methods including attendance levels, focus groups, and quantitative surveys.

Results

Thirteen students participated, including one rural and one regional group, each with a clinical supervisor. Attendance was 100%. Students viewed clinical supervision as a safe time for reflection on clinical experiences, validation from senior clinicians and peers, and connection to the medical community. Themes that emerged included strategies to prevent moral injury, self-care, and the need for a trusted clinical supervisor.

Conclusion

The clinical supervision model received positive medical student evaluations and 100% attendance. This shows promise as an avenue to professionally support medical students as they navigate complex clinical training.
Newsroom Ideological Diversity and the Ideological Sorting of Journalists
Authors: Hassell Hans J. G. , Miles Matthew R. , Morecraft Brenna
Published: June 2023

In efforts to curb ideological bias in the news, citizens, academics, and journalists have highlighted the importance of newsroom ideological diversity. Using a large-scale survey of newspaper political journalists in the United States, we examine the diversity of ideological perspectives of political journalists across newspapers and communities and how ideological misalignments with the newsroom and the local community relate to those journalists’ employment decisions. We find political newspaper reporters regularly work for newspapers and in communities that do not mirror their own ideological perspectives. However, by following newspaper political journalists’ employment decisions over a three-year period, we also find that the ideological differences between those journalists and the newsroom where they work (but not ideological difference with the local community) are related to an increase in journalists’ desire to change jobs and in the likelihood they will actually seek other employment, either within journalism or outside of the profession.
Measurement Invariance in Longitudinal Bifactor Models: Review and Application Based on the p Factor
Authors: Neufeld Sharon A. S. , St Clair Michelle , Brodbeck Jeannette , Wilkinson Paul O. , Goodyer Ian M. , Jones Peter B.
Published: June 2023

Bifactor models are increasingly being utilized to study latent constructs such as psychopathology and cognition, which change over the lifespan. Although longitudinal measurement invariance (MI) testing helps ensure valid interpretation of change in a construct over time, this is rarely and inconsistently performed in bifactor models. Our review of MI simulation literature revealed that only one study assessed MI in bifactor models under limited conditions. Recommendations for how to assess MI in bifactor models are suggested based on existing simulation studies of related models. Estimator choice and influence of missing data on MI are also discussed. An empirical example based on a model of the general psychopathology factor ( p) elucidates our recommendations, with the present model of p being the first to exhibit residual MI across gender and time. Thus, changes in the ordered-categorical indicators can be attributed to changes in the latent factors. However, further work is needed to clarify MI guidelines for bifactor models, including considering the impact of model complexity and number of indicators. Nonetheless, using the guidelines justified herein to establish MI allows findings from bifactor models to be more confidently interpreted, increasing their comparability and utility.
Implementation of Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting in haematology and oncology inpatients
Authors: Tong Erica Y , Edwards Gail E , Hua Phuong Uyen , Mitra Biswadev , Dyk Eleanor Van , Yip Gary , Coutsouvelis John , Siderov Jim , Tran Yen , Dooley Michael J
Published: June 2023

Aim

Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting (PPMC) in patients admitted under general medical units has been shown to reduce medication errors. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the PPMC model on medication errors in patients admitted under cancer units in Victorian hospitals.

Methods

A prospective cohort study comparing cohorts before and after the introduction of PPMC was conducted. This included a 2-month pre-intervention phase and 3-month intervention phase. PPMC was implemented during the intervention phase as new model of care that enabled credentialed pharmacists to chart all admission medications, including pre-admission or new medications and cancer therapies, in collaboration with the admitting medical officer. The proportion of medication charts with at least one error was the primary outcome measure.

Results

Seven health services across Victoria were included in the study. The majority of health services were using paper-based prescribing systems for oncology. Of the 547 patients who received standard medical medication charting, 331 (60.5%) had at least one medication error identified compared to 18 out of 416 patients (4.3%) using the PPMC model (p < 0.001). The median (interquartile range) inpatient length of stay was 5 (2.9–10.6) days in pre-intervention and 4.9 (2.9–11) days in intervention (p  =  0.88). In the intervention arm, 42 patients had cancer therapy charted by a pharmacist with no errors.

Conclusions

PPMC was successfully scaled into cancer units as a collaborative medication safety strategy. The model was associated with significantly lower rates of medication errors, including cancer therapies. PPMC should be adopted more widely in cancer units in Australia.
The New Orleans Adopt-A-Catch Basin Program and Citizen Involvement
Authors: Stich Bethany , Mallum Faisal Bukar
Published: June 2023

The New Orleans Adopt-A-Catch Basin Program is the city’s first experiment that puts democratic concepts into practice concerning water management. The program as codified in city ordinance Section 66–287 requires adoptive citizens to be responsible for maintaining the catch basin and the area extending 18 inches off the curb line. This paper examines the adoption of co-production of services between the city and its citizens and analyzes how efficient the program has been in solving the city’s perennial challenges of street flooding. The researchers collated data through surveys issued to stakeholders. Data obtained was analyzed using specific themes to create narratives that answer the questions of the study. The study identified that the primary issues affecting the New Orleans Adopt-A-Catch Basin Program includes ineffective communication, recruitment, risks, liability, and distrust of government. A well-planned program would create better synergy between government and the people, while achieving the program’s objectives.
Left-Sided Double-Lumen Tube vs EZ-Blocker for One-Lung Ventilation in Thoracic Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Kumar Nicolas , Mitchell Justin , Siemens Andrew , Deiparine Selina , Saddawi-Konefka Daniel , Hussain Nasir , Iyer Manoj H. , Essandoh Michael , Sawyer Tamara R. , Hao David
Published: June 2023

Background. The EZ-Blocker is the newest generation of bronchial blocker and offers a potential alternative to left-sided double lumen tubes for lung isolation and one-lung ventilation during thoracic surgery. Methods. Databases were searched for randomized controlled trials comparing left-sided double lumen tube to the EZ-Blocker for one-lung ventilation during thoracic surgery. The time for placement, incidence of intraoperative displacement, and surgeons’ rating of lung collapse quality were designated as coprimary outcomes. The safety profiles of the two devices, including the incidence of airway trauma and post-extubation discomfort were also examined. Results. Six randomized controlled trials (495 patients) were analyzed. Compared to the EZ-Blocker, the left-sided double lumen tube was faster to place by a weighted mean difference of [95% CI] of −61.24 seconds [−102.48, −20.00] (P = .004) and was much less likely to become displaced during lung isolation with an odds ratio [95% CI] of .56 [.34, .91] (P = .02). The left-sided double lumen tube and the EZ-Blocker provided similar surgeon-rated quality of lung isolation. Although the left-sided double lumen tube caused a greater degree of post-extubation sore throat, there was a similar incidence of carinal trauma and post-extubation hoarseness compared to the EZ-Blocker. Conclusion. Our analysis suggests that the left-sided double lumen tube can be placed more quickly and is less prone to intraoperative displacement compared to the EZ-Blocker; the quality of lung collapse is similar. Thus, evidence appears to support the continued utilization of the left-sided double lumen tube for routine thoracic surgery requiring one-lung ventilation.
Retrospective evaluation of surgical treatment of linear and discrete gastrointestinal foreign bodies in cats: 2009–2021
Authors: Gollnick Hailey R , Schmiedt Chad W , Wallace Mandy L , Sutherland Brian J , Grimes Janet A
Published: June 2023

Objectives

Gastrointestinal foreign bodies (FBs) are an important cause of emergency surgical intervention in cats, but little information exists in the literature evaluating the risks and outcomes in this species. The study purpose was to describe cases of feline FBs and compare perioperative factors and outcomes between linear foreign body (LFB) and discrete foreign body (DFB) surgery in cats.

Methods

The medical records from the University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital were searched for cats that had undergone surgery for FB removal between August 2009 and August 2021. Perioperative data were collected and described. Data were compared between cats with an LFB and cats with a DFB. A binomial probability series was used to estimate the likelihood of postoperative septic peritonitis or mortality in an additional cat in the series.

Results

A total of 56 cats were included in this study; 38 cats had a DFB and 18 had an LFB. No cats developed postoperative septic peritonitis, and all cats survived. The likelihood of postoperative septic peritonitis or mortality in an additional cat was estimated to be <5.2%. Cats with an LFB were found to have a significantly higher body condition score ( P = 0.047), albumin ( P = 0.025), American Society of Anesthesiologists status ( P = 0.027), surgery length ( P <0.001) and total cost of visit ( P = 0.006) when compared with cats with a DFB. Cats with LFBs were more likely to develop a surgical site infection (SSI; P = 0.007) and be administered postoperative antibiotics ( P = 0.017).

Conclusions and relevance

Cats undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal FBs had a low incidence of postoperative complications. Cats with LFBs had longer surgeries and were more likely to develop postoperative SSIs.
Neurogenic dry eye associated with intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agents
Authors: Lin Shu-Hua , Fang Yu-Hui , Jia Fa-li , Li Ying-Jun
Published: June 2023

Purpose

To report a case of neurogenic dry eye (NDE) that developed after intravitreal ranibizumab injection (IVR).

Case report

A 71-year-old woman had a history of cataract phacoemulsification and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy and femtosecond laser-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK). Aneurysmal dilatation of the inferior temporal retina was found in the left fundus, which was diagnosed as retinal aneurysm, and intravitreal ranibizumab injection was administered. Dry eye was found in the left eye after the first injection. After the second injection, the patient developed severe dry eye with left eye dryness, photophobia, irritation, and blurred vision. The tear film breakup time (TBUT) value was 3 s, the Schirmer test value was 2 mm/5 min, corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) showed diffuse patellar staining of the corneal epithelium with a staining area of >50% and irregular staining at the edge of the corneal flap, and the corneal touch threshold value in the filament length was 1.5 cm in the left eye.

Conclusions

Patients with a history of intraocular lens implantation, Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy, and femtosecond laser-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis surgery may have increased drug permeability due to an increased concentration of anti-VEGF drugs in the aqueous layer and thinning of the stromal layer of the cornea. The corneal subepithelial nerve repair mechanism was destroyed, causing neurogenic dry eye.
Ischaemic monomelic neuropathy of the lower limb
Authors: Moughal Saad , Elmetwally Ahmed , Bashir Mohamad , Al-Khaffaf Haytham
Published: June 2023

Background: Ischaemic mononeuropathy (IMN) is a rarely reported type of peripheral neuropathy secondary to an ischaemic injury, due to a complication of haemodialysis access. Although underreported, this phenomenon typically occurs in diabetic patients and may reflect the predisposition to neuropathic injury on a background of chronic deleterious changes in the microvasculature in diabetes. It is characterised by mononeuropathic features such as paraesthesia, pain and motor weakness and usually is reported as a rare complication of brachiocephalic fistula. We report a case of IMN which occurred in a patient with end-stage diabetic nephropathy following polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft placement in the groin as vascular access for haemodialysis.
Targeted Gene Panel Sequencing Unveiled New Pathogenic Mutations in Patients With Breast Cancer
Authors: Kartti Souad , Bouricha El Mehdi , Zarrik Oumaima , Aghlallou Youssef , Mounjid Chaimaa , ELJaoudi Rachid , Belyamani Lahcen , Ibrahimi Azeddine , EL khannoussi Basma
Published: June 2023

The increasing commercialization of new gene panels based on next-generation sequencing for clinical research has significantly improved our understanding of breast cancer genetics and has led to the discovery of new mutation variants. The study included 16 unselected Moroccan breast cancer patients tested with multi-gene panel (HEVA screen panel) using Illumina Miseq, followed by Sanger sequencing to validate the most relevant mutation. Mutational analysis revealed the presence of 13 mutations (11 single-nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] and 2 indels), and 6 of 11 identified SNPs were predicted as pathogenic. One of the 6 pathogenic mutations was c.7874G>C, a heterozygous SNP in HD-OB domain of BRCA2 gene, which led to the arginine to threonine change at codon 2625 of the protein. This work describes the first case of a patient with breast cancer harboring this pathogenic variant and analyzes its functional impact using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation. Further experimental investigations are needed to validate its pathogenicity and to verify its association with breast cancer.
Heavy Metal Migration in Soil-Plant System in Conditions of Urban Environmental Pollution
Authors: Petukhov Alexander , Kremleva Tatyana , Khritokin Nikolay , Petukhova Galina
Published: June 2023

This study is devoted to heavy metal soil migration to coltsfoot in urban pollution of Tyumen city. Soil and plant samples were collected in the summer of 2017 to 2020 at the control site, highway, engine-building, oil refinery, battery manufacturing, and metallurgical plants. Heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Pb, Cd, Ni, Co, and Cr) mobile and acid-soluble forms in soils, and metals concentration in plants were analyzed by atomic absorption and atomic emission spectroscopy. Metals concentration in soils of urban area exceeded the control by 1.1 to 20 times. Relative accumulation of metals decreased in the order: Pb > Cu > Zn > Ni > Cr > Fe > Co > Mn > Cd. Heavy metals mobility in soils decreased in the order: Cd > Mn > Pb > Zn > Ni = Cu > Co > Cr > Fe. Coltsfoot metal accumulation changed in the order: Fe > Zn = Mn > Pb > Cu > Cr > Co > Ni > Cd. The highest contamination for most of the metals was at the metallurgical plant, while Ni and Co concentrations were maximum at the oil refinery. Content of Cu, Zn, Fe, Cd, Ni, and Co in coltsfoot correlated with a concentration in soils. Bioconcentration factor showed the following metal bioavailability: Cu > Zn > Cd > Pb > Ni > Mn > Cr > Co > Fe. Heavy metal accumulation in coltsfoot should be taken into account during sanitary control of herb drugs based on this plant.
Identifying Unique Subgroups of High-Cost Patients With Schizophrenia: A Population-Based Study Using Latent Class Analysis
Authors: Stewart Andrew J , Patten Scott B , Fiest Kirsten M , Williamson Tyler S , Wick James P , Ronksley Paul E
Published: June 2023

Schizophrenia does not present uniformly among patients and as a result this patient population is characterized by a diversity in the type and amount of healthcare supports needed for daily functioning. Despite this, little work has been completed to understand the heterogeneity that exists among these patients. In this work we used a data-driven approach to identify subgroups of high-cost patients with schizophrenia to identify potentially actionable interventions for the improvement of outcomes and to inform conversations on how to most efficiently allocate resources in an already strained system. Administrative health data was used to conduct a retrospective analysis of “high-cost” adult patients with schizophrenia residing in Alberta, Canada in 2017. Costs were derived from inpatient encounters, outpatient primary care and specialist encounters, emergency department encounters, and drug costs. Latent class analysis was used to group patients based on their unique clinical profiles. Latent class analysis of 1659 patients revealed the following patient groups: (1) young, high-needs males early in their disease course; (2) actively managed middle-aged patients; (3) elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions and polypharmacy; (4) unstably housed males with low treatment rates; (5) unstably housed females with high acute care use and low treatment rates. This taxonomy may be used to inform policy, including the identification of interventions most likely to improve care and reduce health spending for each subgroup.
Development and Validation of Nomograms to Predict the Prognosis of Patients With Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Receiving Transarterial Chemoembolization
Authors: Zhao Dongxu , Xu Wei , Zhan Yi , Xu Lin , Ding Wenbin , Xu Aibing , Hou Zhongheng , Ni Caifang
Published: June 2023

Background:

Recent studies have shown that inflammatory indicators are closely related to the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and they can serve as powerful indices for predicting recurrence and survival time after treatment. However, the predictive ability of inflammatory indicators has not been systematically studied in patients receiving transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine the predictive value of preoperative inflammatory indicators for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma treated with TACE.

Methods:

Our retrospective research involved 381 treatment-naïve patients in 3 institutions, including the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Nantong First People’s Hospital, and Nantong Tumor Hospital, from January 2007 to December 2020 that received TACE as initial treatment. Relevant data of patients were collected from the electronic medical record database, and the recurrence and survival time of patients after treatment were followed up. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm was used to compress and screen the variables. We utilized Cox regression to determine the independent factors associated with patient outcomes and constructed a nomogram based on multivariate results. Finally, the nomogram was verified from discriminability, calibration ability, and practical applicability.

Results:

Multivariate analysis revealed that the levels of aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and lymphocyte count were independent influential indicators for overall survival (OS), whereas the levels of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) was an independent influential index for progression. Nomograms exhibited an excellent concordance index (C-index), in the nomogram of OS, the C-index was 0.753 and 0.755 in training and validation cohort, respectively; and in the nomogram of progression, the C-index was 0.781 and 0.700, respectively. The time-dependent C-index, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and time-dependent area under the curve (AUC) of the nomogram all exhibited ideal discrimination ability. Calibration curves significantly coincided with the standard lines, which indicated that the nomogram had high stability and low degree of over-fitting. Decision curve analysis revealed a wider range of threshold probabilities and could augment net benefits. The Kaplan-Meier curves for risk stratification indicated that the prognosis of patients varied significantly between risk categories ( P < .0001).

Conclusions:

The developed prognostic nomograms based on preoperative inflammatory indicators revealed high predictive accuracy for survival and recurrence. It can be a valuable clinical instrument for guiding individualized treatment and predicting prognosis.
Uncovering employment outcomes for autistic university graduates in the United Kingdom: An analysis of population data
Authors: Vincent Jonathan , Ralston Kevin
Published: June 2023

International research suggests that increasing numbers of autistic people are entering higher education. Currently, very little is known about this population. For example, the rates of autistic people enrolling at UK-based higher education institutions, the demographics of this population, the subjects they study and particularly their graduate outcomes are unknown. This study is an exploratory analysis of autistic graduate outcomes. We compare outcomes between autistic students, other disabled students and non-disabled students, by sex. The article draws upon population data collected by the Higher Education Statistical Agency in the United Kingdom ( N = 1,326,416) across the years 2012–2018. Our findings indicate that the academic programmes studied at university by autistic students are more diverse than typically assumed. We also found that graduates make the transition into a range of employment sectors following graduation, but experience persistent and disparities in economic activity and income. We argue that higher education institutions must focus greater attention on developing more robust and effective employment transition support for autistic students and graduates.

Lay abstract

International research suggests that more autistic people are entering higher education. Currently, very little is known about this group in the United Kingdom, for example, we have little information about how many autistic people enrol at UK-based higher education institutions, their backgrounds, the academic programmes they study and what they do once they have graduated. Our study tries to explore these issues by comparing outcomes between autistic students, other disabled students and non-disabled students. We use population data collected by the Higher Education Statistical Agency in the United Kingdom, which included 1,326,416 graduates across the years 2012–2018. Our findings indicate that the degree subjects studied at university by autistic students are more diverse than often people think. We also found that graduates go on to work in a range of employment sectors following graduation but often experience worse outcomes in terms of access to full-time work and worse pay. We argue that universities and colleges must focus greater attention on developing better employment transition support for autistic students and graduates.
Rebel diplomacy and negotiated settlement in civil wars
Authors: Joshi Madhav
Published: June 2023

Rebel diplomacy in civil wars is an emerging research area, and we do not know the extent to which it contributes to the type of civil war termination. This article posits rebel diplomacy as the practices of communication and persuasion intended to generate external and internal pressures which make the government and rebel more amenable to each others’ demands. The implication of this theoretical argument is that the government and rebel groups would be able to find compromises and settle civil wars in a negotiated peace agreement. Findings from the analysis of 136 civil wars since 1950 support the theoretical argument. This finding is robust in alternative model specification and after modelling the endogenous effect of factors that explain the rebel use of diplomacy.
The representation of Jews in the Finnish press before the second world war
Authors: Ryynänen Sanna
Published: June 2023

This article focuses on the representation of Jews in the Finnish general press before the Second World War. The data comprise of 313 texts gathered from newspapers and magazines that were targeted at general audiences and that appeared between the years 1821–1936. The texts were examined on three levels: First, the upfront topics pertaining to Jews were identified and grouped under 12 themes. Second, the tone of the mentions was evaluated as positive, neutral, or negative. Third, underlying assumptions, opinions and attitudes expressed aside the upfront topics were identified from the texts. Until recent decades, the idea in Finland has been that there was hardly any antisemitism in the country before or during the Second World War. As new research has emerged, this view has repeatedly been challenged. However, research on the general media’s representation of Jews has remained scarce. This article aims at filling this gap. In doing so, it offers a view on how Jews were seen and discussed in the Finnish society at large. So far, the studies on pre-WWII media have concluded that antisemitism was limited to far-right or ultranationalist papers. This article ends up with the opposite conclusion.