bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A critical review of undergraduate education and teaching in forensic psychiatry
Authors: Sharda Leila , Wright Karen
Published: October 2023

Background

Although forensic psychiatry is recognised as a full medical speciality in the UK, training in it is not routinely offered to medical students. With growth both in forensic psychiatry and availability of medical school places, it is a good time to explore the nature and quality of experience already available.

Aims

1. To map the literature against the guideline for reporting evidence‐based practice educational interventions and teaching checklist. 2. To critically review research and scholarship. 3. To identify gaps in evidence‐based education for medical students in forensic psychiatry.

Method

A systematic search of three bibliographic databases from inception to December 2021 was undertaken using keywords related to medical students and forensic psychiatry between December 2021 and March 2022. The search was supplemented by citation and hand searching.

Results

Eight articles were identified. Collectively, they suggest that education and teaching were implemented at a local level and not linked to theories of learning. Exposure to forensic psychiatry stimulated positive attitudes, which amplified interest in psychiatry. There was insufficient evidence to determine optimal undergraduate education and teaching practice in forensic psychiatry.

Conclusions

Forensic psychiatry appears to have much to offer the medical undergraduate as part of core learning in psychiatry, including universal skills and knowledge such as ethical decision‐making and handling emotions. There appears to be considerable opportunity for education, teaching and research innovation in undergraduate education and teaching in forensic psychiatry. Interesting areas for development include simulated and coproduced education.
Funding adequacy and the community college
Authors: Romano Richard M. , Palmer James C.
Published: October 2023

It is generally accepted that the nation's community colleges are underfunded, especially given the job that society expects of them. Accordingly, practitioners and scholars have long argued for new revenue sources and funding models. This essay briefly explains one such alternative model, namely funding adequacy. This concept has a long history at the K‐12 level and holds potential for application in community colleges.
Strong Metal‐Support Interactions in ZrO2‐Supported IrOx Catalyst for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Dhawan Himanshi , Tan Xuehai , Shen Jing , Woodford James , Secanell Marc , Semagina Natalia
Published: October 2023

The use of ZrO2 as a support material for IrOx‐based catalysts in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysis was studied using ex‐situ characterization and rotating disk electrode electrochemical testing of supported IrxZr(1‐x)O2 on ZrO2 of varying sizes. The catalyst exhibited high OER mass (specific) activity (712 A
) and intrinsic activity (4.8 mA
) at 1.6 VRHE, attributed to IrxZr(1‐x)O2 alloy formation, an interconnected network of Irx Zr(1‐x)O2 nanoparticles and the presence of Ir(III)/Ir(IV) species throughout the bulk. It also appears to be resistant to Ir dissolution; however, accumulation of O2 bubbles in the catalyst microstructure and minor phase transformation of Ir(III)/Ir(IV) species during OER cause deactivation. Temperature‐programmed desorption indicated a possible link between the observed high activity and higher amounts of adsorbed H2O and desorbed O2 species.
Toward a Traceless Tag for the Thiol‐Mediated Uptake of Proteins
Authors: Maynard John R. J. , Saidjalolov Saidbakhrom , Velluz Marie‐Claire , Vossio Stefania , Aumeier Charlotte , Moreau Dimitri , Sakai Naomi , Matile Stefan
Published: October 2023

The emergence of thiol‐mediated uptake (TMU) as a powerful strategy to penetrate cells calls for the development of practical small‐molecule TMU tools for traceless delivery. Toward this goal, esters are explored here as bioreversible linkers between dynamic covalent cascade exchangers accounting for TMU and the protein of interest (POI). The method relies on α‐aryl‐α‐diazoamides that react with carboxylic acids of the POI to form esters that can be enzymatically hydrolyzed inside cells to release the native POI. A two‐step protocol is established for bioreversible conjugation of TMU tags to the POI. Despite the small number of tags attached to POIs to prevent isoelectric precipitation, POIs with traceless TMU tags are shown to efficiently enter cells not only in 2D culture but also in 3D spheroids mimicking deep tissue, confirming a key advantage of TMU. Uptake inhibition by various thiol‐reactive agents confirms the participation of cell‐surface thiols in cell penetration, i. e., the occurrence of TMU.
9‐Azahomocubane
Authors: Fahrenhorst‐Jones Tyler , Marshall David L. , Burns Jed M. , Pierens Gregory K. , Van Meurs Derek P. , Kong Dehui , Bernhardt Paul V. , Blanksby Stephen J. , Savage G. Paul , Eaton Philip E. , Williams Craig M.
Published: October 2023

Homocubane, a highly strained cage hydrocarbon, contains two very different positions for the introduction of a nitrogen atom into the skeleton, e. g., a position 1 exchange results in a tertiary amine whereas position 9 yields a secondary amine. Herein reported is the synthesis of 9‐azahomocubane along with associated structural characterization, physical property analysis and chemical reactivity. Not only is 9‐azahomocubane readily synthesized, and found to be stable as predicted, the basicity of the secondary amine was observed to be significantly lower than the structurally related azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane, although similar to 1‐azahomocubane.
Vapor‐Induced Assembly of a Platinum(II) Complex Loaded on Layered Double Hydroxide Nanoparticles
Authors: Morimoto Tamami , Yoshida Masaki , Sato‐Tomita Ayana , Nozawa Shunsuke , Takayama Junichi , Hiura Satoshi , Murayama Akihiro , Kobayashi Atsushi , Kato Masako
Published: October 2023

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Masaki Yoshida and Masako Kato at Hokkaido University/Kwansei Gakuin University. The image depicts the changes in the assembly of PtII complexes with humidity on layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles, resulting in a drastic emission color change from green to orange. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202301993.
Joint alignment network preserving structural information for multimode process fault diagnosis
Authors: Tan Shuai , Xu Xiayi , Shi Hongbo , Song Bing
Published: October 2023

Production conditions are complex and varied for a number of reasons. Models for defect diagnosis may perform worse as a result of the distributional mismatch between test data and training data. In order to diagnose process faults, it is crucial to take into account the fact that data exhibits varied distribution characteristics under various conditions. In the case of multiple operating conditions, the cross‐domain problem caused by different data distributions can degrade the performance of deep learning‐based fault diagnosis models. To overcome this challenge, a joint alignment network preserving structural information (JANSI) method is proposed. To extract richer and fine‐grained domain‐invariant features, the structural information preservation is proposed, which combines domain labels, category labels, and data distribution structures. To increase intra‐class compactness and inter‐class separability, class centre alignment is proposed. The effectiveness of the method on the cross‐domain unsupervised fault diagnosis problem is verified through three case studies.
EasyScienceGateway: A new framework for providing reproducible user environments on science gateways
Authors: Michels Alexander , Padmanabhan Anand , Li Zhiyu , Wang Shaowen
Published: October 2023

Science gateways have become a core part of the cyberinfrastructure ecosystem by increasing access to computational resources and providing community platforms for sharing and publishing education and research materials. While science gateways represent a promising solution for computational reproducibility, common methods for providing users with their user environments on gateways present challenges which are difficult to overcome. This article presents EasyScienceGateway: a new framework for providing user environments on science gateways to resolve these challenges, provides the technical details on implementing the framework on a science gateway based on Jupyter Notebook, and discusses our experience applying the framework to the CyberGIS‐Jupyter and CyberGIS‐Jupyter for Water gateways.
Measurement of Trogocytosis: Quantitative Analyses Validated with Rigorous Controls
Authors: Taylor Ronald P. , Lindorfer Margaret A.
Published: October 2023

Trogocytosis is a process in which receptors on acceptor cells remove and internalize cognate ligands from donor cells. Trogocytosis has a profound and negative impact on mAb‐based cancer immunotherapy, as seen in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with CD20 mAbs, such as rituximab (RTX) and ofatumumab (OFA). Our clinical observations of RTX/OFA‐mediated loss of the CD20 target from circulating CLL cells have been replicated in our in vitro studies. Here we describe flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy experiments, which demonstrate that acceptor cells, such as monocytes/macrophages that express FcγR, remove and internalize both antigen and donor cell‐bound cognate IgG mAbs for several different mAb‐donor cell pairs. Fluorescent mAbs and portions of the plasma cell membrane are transferred from donor cells to acceptor cells, which include the THP‐1 monocytic cell line as well as freshly isolated monocytes. We describe rigorous controls to validate the reactions and eliminate dissociation or internalization as alternative mechanisms. Trogocytosis is likely to contribute to neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and liver damage associated with use of antibody‐drug conjugates. The methods we have described should allow for examination of strategies focused on blocking trogocytosis and its adverse effects. © 2023 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Basic Protocol 1: Trogocytosis of mAb‐opsonized donor cells mediated by adherent THP‐1 cells

Alternate Protocol: Application of fluorescence microscopy to examine THP‐1 cell‐mediated trogocytosis

Support Protocol 1: Alexa labeling of mAbs and determination of F/P ratios

Support Protocol 2: Standard washing procedure

Support Protocol 3: Labeling and opsonization of cells

Basic Protocol 2: Trogocytosis mediated by human monocytes as acceptor cells

Support Protocol 4: Isolation of human monocytes

Basic Protocol 3: Trogocytosis mediated by THP‐1 cells in solution

Support Protocol 5: Retinoic acid treatment of THP‐1 cells

Support Protocol 6: Culturing of SCC‐25, BT‐474, MOLT‐4 and THP‐1 cell lines
In Vitro Dental Plaque Culture Model for Biofilm Structural Analyses
Authors: Lemus Alex A. , Valm Alex M.
Published: October 2023

Extensive research has focused on the compositional changes in dental plaque microbiome communities during the transition from health to disease, known as dysbiosis. However, alterations in the spatial composition of these communities throughout the progression from health to disease remain under‐explored. We describe an in vitro dental plaque model for culturing oral biofilms seeded with dental plaque from human volunteers. Our model recapitulates important features of the in vivo environment including shear force induced by salivary flow over teeth and the nutritional milieu experienced by microbes that inhabit the transitional zone between supragingival and subgingival aspects of the teeth. Importantly, our model is amenable to multiplex fluorescent labeling and multispectral imaging for testing specific hypotheses regarding systems‐level community structure and function. The model allows for precise manipulation of various environmental conditions, such as flow rate and nutrient availability to investigate their effects on biofilm development and spatial structure. Furthermore, this model can be used to test the effects of various therapeutic interventions, e.g., antimicrobial agents, on the biofilm composition and structure at the micron to millimeter scale, making it a valuable tool for studying the molecular and cellular basis of dental plaque‐mediated diseases and for benchmarking new therapeutic interventions. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Basic Protocol 1: Dental plaque‐on‐a‐chip in vitro model culture system

Support Protocol: Gingival margin (GM) medium preparation

Basic Protocol 2: Microcosm labeling and multispectral image acquisition
Mediatorship: Exploring transformational conflict narratives that elicit generative processes through interconnected continuums that cultivate conflict wisdom
Authors: Riva Susan Mossman
Published: October 2023

Narrative inquiry, narrative conflict resolution, and auto/duoethnography can be seen as sources of agency, fostering emancipatory processes. Autoethnography is a method that can elicit constructive social change by cultivating narrative coherency. These generative methods and practices have the ability to enkindle a cultural shift. We need new stories to initiate transformational processes, resetting individual life trajectories and humanities' course. Writing Homing In: An Adopted Child's Story Mandala of Connecting, Reunion, and Belonging, provided an autoethnographic exploration that encompassed notions of the good life in an autoethnographic process akin to spiritual journey. This adoption and reunion story gave rise to concepts and transformational learning pedagogies that can be used to engender resolution processes that can be understood as “lines of flight” or flyways. The homing in mechanism that was found in cases of adopted children that were able to find their birth parents, is shown to work as a compass, guiding individual life trajectories. Auto/duoethnography are methods that elicit relational transformation while contributing to the development of conflict wisdom. Transformagram Portfolios incorporating these approaches were designed to teach courses within the Cultural and Social Department at Creighton University. Writing conflict and illness narratives elevated personal questing to art form by using future forming research methods to beautify story mandalas. Auto/duoethnography can be developed as an effective conflict resolution tool in response to current “glocal” challenges. Transformational pedagogies have facetted a holistic lens by creating reflexive space. In this context, mediatorship is a vessel of exploration that transports conflict resolution practices, while orienting experiential learning that interconnects the inner and outer journey. Transformagram Portfolios use auto/duoethnography to nurture narrative coherency, living wisdom, and generativity by scaffolding learning processes that provide an innovative pedagogical instrument for conflict resolution.
Sub‐soil plastic film mulch promotes the growth and yield improvement of winter wheat in coastal saline–alkali soil
Authors: Wang Changyuan , Qiao Yunzhou , Zong Rui , Sun Chitao , Li Quanqi , Zhang Mingming
Published: October 2023

Crop yields are seriously threatened in saline–alkali areas with shallow groundwater levels and high evaporation. Mulching can effectively alleviate salt stress on crops in drylands, but there is limited research on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) mulching in coastal saline–alkali areas. To investigate the effect of plastic film mulching on the growth and yield of wheat in coastal saline–alkali soil, three field management measures were designed: bare ground (CK), plastic film mulch (PM), and sub‐soil plastic film mulch (PMF). Compared with CK, PM and PMF significantly increased wheat grain yield by 128.2%–313.2% and 187.8%–537.0%, respectively, over the two study stages. The movement of salt to the surface is inhibited after mulching; as a result, PMF and PM significantly decreased the electric conductivity in shallow soil (0–20 cm) by 31.1% and 23.8%, on average, compared to CK, resulting in a significant increase in dry matter accumulation (DM) for winter wheat throughout the growing season. Moreover, PMF increased the overall DM by increasing the dry matter accumulation per plant (DMP), while PM achieved a similar effect to PMF by increasing the number of tillers. Compared with PM, PMF had a better inhibitory effect on shallow soil salinity, significantly increasing the effective number of spikes, effective tillering rate, DMP, and spike weight at harvest; promoting vegetative and reproductive growth of wheat fields; and ultimately increasing yield. PMF can be used to improve winter wheat production in coastal saline–alkali soils.
A growth‐based assay using fluorescent protein emission to screen for S‐adenosylmethionine synthetase inhibitors
Authors: Viola Ronald E. , Parungao Gwenn G. , Blumenthal Robert M.
Published: October 2023

The use of cell growth‐based assays to identify inhibitory compounds is straightforward and inexpensive, but is also inherently insensitive and somewhat nonspecific. To overcome these limitations and develop a sensitive, specific cell‐based assay, two different approaches were combined. To address the sensitivity limitation, different fluorescent proteins have been introduced into a bacterial expression system to serve as growth reporters. To overcome the lack of specificity, these protein reporters have been incorporated into a plasmid in which they are paired with different orthologs of an essential target enzyme, in this case l‐methionine S‐adenosyltransferase (MAT, AdoMet synthetase). Screening compounds that serve as specific inhibitors will reduce the growth of only a subset of strains, because these strains are identical, except for which target ortholog they carry. Screening several such strains in parallel not only reveals potential inhibitors but the strains also serve as specificity controls for one another. The present study makes use of an existing Escherichia coli strain that carries a deletion of metK, the gene for MAT. Transformation with these plasmids leads to a complemented strain that no longer requires externally supplied S‐adenosylmethionine for growth, but its growth is now dependent on the activity of the introduced MAT ortholog. The resulting fluorescent strains provide a platform to screen chemical compound libraries and identify species‐selective inhibitors of AdoMet synthetases. A pilot study of several chemical libraries using this platform identified new lead compounds that are ortholog‐selective inhibitors of this enzyme family, some of which target the protozoal human pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum.
The effect of face orientation on audiovisual speech integration in infancy: An electrophysiological study
Authors: Szmytke Magdalena , Ilyka Dianna , Duda‐Goławska Joanna , Laudańska Zuzanna , Malinowska‐Korczak Anna , Tomalski Przemysław
Published: October 2023

Humans pay special attention to faces and speech from birth, but the interplay of developmental processes leading to specialization is poorly understood. We investigated the effects of face orientation on audiovisual (AV) speech perception in two age groups of infants (younger: 5‐ to 6.5‐month‐olds; older: 9‐ to 10.5‐month‐olds) and adults. We recorded event‐related potentials (ERP) in response to videos of upright and inverted faces producing /ba/ articulation dubbed with auditory syllables that were either matching /ba/ or mismatching /ga/ the mouth movement. We observed an increase in the amplitude of audiovisual mismatch response (AVMMR) to incongruent visual /ba/‐auditory /ga/ syllable in comparison to other stimuli in younger infants, while the older group of infants did not show a similar response. AV mismatch response to inverted visual /ba/‐auditory /ga/ stimulus relative to congruent stimuli was also detected in the right frontal areas in the younger group and the left and right frontal areas in adults. We show that face configuration affects the neural response to AV mismatch differently across all age groups. The novel finding of the AVMMR in response to inverted incongruent AV speech may potentially imply the featural face processing in younger infants and adults when processing inverted faces articulating incongruent speech. The lack of visible differential responses to upright and inverted incongruent stimuli obtained in the older group of infants suggests a likely functional cortical reorganization in the processing of AV speech.
Electronic Structure Variations of Cu‐Based Water Oxidation Catalysts Bearing Redox‐Active Ligands
Authors: den Boer Daan , Stegman Hugo , Peeters Cornelis J. C. , Siegler Maxime A. , Hetterscheid Dennis G. H.
Published: October 2023

The physical and electrochemical properties of a series of Cu complexes bearing redox‐active ligands were investigated. The effect of the geometry and electronic structure on the redox potentials of the CuI/II and ligand‐based oxidation was investigated, in both MeCN and aqueous solutions. Here we found that the formation of a delocalized ligand radical is essential to obtain catalytic activity for water oxidation. Furthermore, we found that ligand‐based oxidation can be controlled by electronic effects of substituent methoxy groups on various positions on the ligand. This allows us to propose design principles for ligands employed in water oxidation catalysts that operate via a SET‐HA mechanism: 1) The redox‐active ligand should contain a negative charge of at least −1 or have the ability to oxidize the ligand via PCET whereby a proton is removed from the ligand. 2) The oxidation potential of the redox‐active ligands can be controlled by introduction of substituents. To decrease this potential, the electron density should be directed at the position of the ligand where oxidation occurs. 3) Stabilization of the oxidized ligand by electronic or delocalization effects decreases the oxidation potential.
Endospore production of Bacillus spp. for industrial use
Authors: Biermann Riekje , Beutel Sascha
Published: October 2023

The increased occurrence of antibiotic resistance and the harmful use of pesticides are a major problem of modern times. A ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in animal breeding has put a focus on the probiotics market. Probiotic food supplements are versatile and show promising results in animal and human nutrition. Chemical pesticides can be substituted by biopesticides, which are very effective against various pests in plants due to increased research. What these fields have in common is the use of spore‐forming bacteria. The endospore‐forming Bacillus spp. belonging to this group offer an effective solution to the aforementioned problems. Therefore, the biotechnological production of sufficient qualities of such endospores has become an innovative and financially viable field of research. In this review, the production of different Bacillus spp. endospores will be reviewed. For this purpose, the media compositions, cultivation conditions and bioprocess optimization methods of the last 20 years are presented and reflected.
Sonochemical synthesis of cobalt (II) metal–organic framework (TMU‐10)/polypyrrole nanocomposites with high adsorption capacity for dye removal from water
Authors: Maleki Fateme , Fathi Sohrab , Safari Meysam
Published: October 2023

In this study, Tarbiat Modares University‐10/poly pyrrole (TMU‐10/PPy), a water‐stable metal–organic framework/polymer composite, was successfully fabricated and applied as adsorbent for removal of methyl red from contaminated water. The pyrrole obtained novel‐structured TMU‐10@PPy composite showed high efficiency in removing the methyl red. Several variables affecting the adsorption efficiency of methyl red, that is, pH, amount of adsorbent, contact times, and the salt additive, were investigated and optimized. The best working conditions were as follows: sample pH, 5; amount of sorbent, 4 mg; contact time, 9 min; salt additive, 2% (wt/vol). The maximum adsorption capacity of TMU‐10@PPy toward methyl red was 101.01 mg/g. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms of TMU‐10@PPy were consistent with a pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model. It was found that TMU‐10@PPy exhibited excellent reusability and had the potential for treating dye‐polluted wastewaters.
A method for battery fault diagnosis and early warning combining isolated forest algorithm and sliding window
Authors: Cheng Xianfu , Li Xiaojing , Ma Xiaodong
Published: October 2023

The vehicle's power battery is composed of a large number of battery cells series or in parallel. Due to the manufacturing process error and the different use environments, there are differences between the battery cells, and the battery pack will have inconsistency problems, which will increase the safety hazard. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to identify and warn about the inconsistency of power batteries. Based on the data of the internet of vehicles platform, this paper proposes an improved isolated forest power battery abnormal monomer identification and early warning method, which uses the sliding window (SW) to segment the dataset and update the data of the diagnosis model in real‐time. The scores of normal battery cells and abnormal battery cells were analyzed, and then the fault threshold was determined to be 0.75. The results show that the recall ratio and precision ratio of the algorithm are 0.91 and 0.95, respectively, which is more suitable for inconsistent battery cell identification than other methods. If the SW size is 15, the warning effect is the best. Before the vehicle alarm occurs, the algorithm can realize early fault warnings, thus effectively avoiding the safety problems caused by inconsistency faults.
Leveraging prices from credit and equity option markets for portfolio risk management
Authors: Bégin Jean‐François , Boudreault Mathieu , Thériault Mathieu
Published: October 2023

This study presents a firm‐specific methodology for extracting implied default intensities and recovery rates jointly from unit recovery claim prices—backed by out‐of‐the‐money put options—and credit default swap premiums, therefore providing time‐varying and market‐consistent views of credit risk at the individual level. We apply the procedure to about 400 firms spanning different sectors of the US economy between 2003 and 2019. The main determinants of default intensities and recovery rates are analyzed with statistical and machine learning methods linking default risk and credit losses to market, sector, and individual variables. Consistent with the literature, we find that individual volatility, leverage, and corporate bond market determinants are key factors explaining the implied default intensities and recovery rates. Then, we apply the framework in the context of credit risk management in applications, like, market‐consistent credit value‐at‐risk calculation and stress testing.
Holocene landscape reconstruction in the surroundings of the Temple of Pepi I at ancient Bubastis, southeastern Nile Delta (Egypt)
Authors: Garbe Philipp , El‐Raouf Amr Abd , Es‐Senussi Ashraf , Lange‐Athinodorou Eva , Meister Julia
Published: October 2023

In ancient Egypt, lakes, canals, and other water bodies were an essential part of the sacred landscape in which temples were embedded. In recent years, geoarchaeological research at the site of the Temple of Bastet at Bubastis in the southeastern Nile Delta has proven the existence of two water canals surrounding the temple. It has now been investigated whether these canals were connected to the Temple of Pepi I (2300–2250 B.C.E.), located approximately 100 m to the west of the Temple of Bastet. To explore the Holocene landscape genesis of the Temple of Pepi I, 15 drillings and six geoelectrical profile lines were performed in the surroundings of the temple in spring 2022. The results show loamy to clayey sediments in deeper sections of all drillings with a maximum thickness of 1.70 m, indicating a marshy or swampy depositional environment. Based on the recovered sediment sequences and archaeological remains in the vicinity of the Temple of Pepi I, the marshy or swampy area existed before the Fourth Dynasty. During the Old Kingdom (ca. 2850–2180 B.C.E.), the former marshland either dried up through natural processes or was intentionally drained and filled with sediments for subsequent use for occupation. Regarding the original research question, there is as yet no evidence for a direct connection to the canals of the Temple of Bastet.
Distinct roles of delta‐ and theta‐band neural tracking for sharpening and predictive coding of multi‐level speech features during spoken language processing
Authors: Mai Guangting , Wang William S.‐Y.
Published: October 2023

The brain tracks and encodes multi‐level speech features during spoken language processing. It is evident that this speech tracking is dominant at low frequencies (<8 Hz) including delta and theta bands. Recent research has demonstrated distinctions between delta‐ and theta‐band tracking but has not elucidated how they differentially encode speech across linguistic levels. Here, we hypothesised that delta‐band tracking encodes prediction errors (enhanced processing of unexpected features) while theta‐band tracking encodes neural sharpening (enhanced processing of expected features) when people perceive speech with different linguistic contents. EEG responses were recorded when normal‐hearing participants attended to continuous auditory stimuli that contained different phonological/morphological and semantic contents: (1) real‐words, (2) pseudo‐words and (3) time‐reversed speech. We employed multivariate temporal response functions to measure EEG reconstruction accuracies in response to acoustic (spectrogram), phonetic and phonemic features with the partialling procedure that singles out unique contributions of individual features. We found higher delta‐band accuracies for pseudo‐words than real‐words and time‐reversed speech, especially during encoding of phonetic features. Notably, individual time‐lag analyses showed that significantly higher accuracies for pseudo‐words than real‐words started at early processing stages for phonetic encoding (<100 ms post‐feature) and later stages for acoustic and phonemic encoding (>200 and 400 ms post‐feature, respectively). Theta‐band accuracies, on the other hand, were higher when stimuli had richer linguistic content (real‐words > pseudo‐words > time‐reversed speech). Such effects also started at early stages (<100 ms post‐feature) during encoding of all individual features or when all features were combined. We argue these results indicate that delta‐band tracking may play a role in predictive coding leading to greater tracking of pseudo‐words due to the presence of unexpected/unpredicted semantic information, while theta‐band tracking encodes sharpened signals caused by more expected phonological/morphological and semantic contents. Early presence of these effects reflects rapid computations of sharpening and prediction errors. Moreover, by measuring changes in EEG alpha power, we did not find evidence that the observed effects can be solitarily explained by attentional demands or listening efforts. Finally, we used directed information analyses to illustrate feedforward and feedback information transfers between prediction errors and sharpening across linguistic levels, showcasing how our results fit with the hierarchical Predictive Coding framework. Together, we suggest the distinct roles of delta and theta neural tracking for sharpening and predictive coding of multi‐level speech features during spoken language processing.
RANK‐L inhibitor as a promising agent for refractory extensive craniofacial fibrous dysplasia: A case report
Authors: Abouammo Moataz D. , Alsavaf Mohammad Bilal , Prevedello Daniel M. , Ghalib Luma , Boyce Alison M. , Carrau Ricardo L.
Published: October 2023

Background

McCune‐Albright syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by polyostotic fibrous dysplasia (FD), café‐au‐lait skin pigmentation, and endocrine dysfunction. Extensive FD in the craniofacial region can present significant challenges in terms of disease control and carries a high risk of permanent visual impairment.

Methods

We present a case of medically and surgically resistant FD that required nine optic nerve decompressions.

Results

The condition was ultimately controlled with the use of the denosumab agent.

Conclusion

The case highlights the importance and potential efficacy of denosumab in resistant FD management, particularly in cases involving sensitive organs.
Co‐development of implementation strategies to assist staff of a mental health community managed organisation provide preventive care for health behaviours
Authors: Regan Casey , Dray Julia , Fehily Caitlin , Campbell Elizabeth , Bartlem Kate , Orr Mark , Govindasamy Sumathi , Bowman Jenny
Published: October 2023

Issue Addressed

People with a mental health condition are at risk of developing chronic physical disease due to smoking tobacco, inadequate nutrition, high alcohol consumption, low physical activity and poor sleep (SNAPS). Community managed organisations (CMOs) represent an opportune setting to support mental health consumers to improve their health behaviours through providing preventive care. Reporting of methods used to co‐develop implementation strategies to assist CMO staff to deliver preventive care for SNAPS are scarce yet warranted.

Objectives

This study aims to: (1) describe a co‐development workshop involving CMO staff and researchers to identify preferred implementation support strategies to help staff routinely provide preventive care; (2) describe the strategies that emerged from the workshop; and (3) report staff ratings of the workshop on four co‐development principles.

Methods

A three‐hour co‐development workshop was conducted on two occasions with staff of one CMO in New South Wales, Australia. Twenty staff participated in the workshops.

Results

Participants generated and ranked a total of seven discrete implementation strategies within five categories (training, point of care prompts, guidelines, continuous quality improvement and consumer activation). Training for staff to have difficult conversations about behaviour change was ranked highest in both workshops. Participants rated the workshops positively across four co‐development principles.

Conclusions

The co‐development workshop enabled implementation strategies to be developed within the context in which they were to be delivered and tested, potentially increasing their feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness and impact.

So What?

Implementation strategies selected from the workshops will inform a pilot implementation support trial to assist CMO staff to provide preventive care to people with mental health conditions.
Healthcare costs for patients with rare diseases: Evidence from China
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyan , Dai Liyi , Long Yulin , Chen Xin , Alhafi Mohammed A. K.
Published: October 2023

Objective

Rare diseases cause a huge financial burden to countless patients and families. It is an important public health issue that requires widespread attention. This study analyzes medical expenses composition and the change in trends of out‐of‐pocket (OOP) expenses for patients with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and explores the factors influencing these changes.

Methods

Data were obtained from the Chinese Medical Insurance Department database from 2018 to 2020, including 857 patients with ALS in 60 cities across 30 provinces. We used descriptive methods to analyse the baseline characteristics and medical expenses of outpatients and inpatients with ALS. And we used quantile regression to analyse the differences in patient OOP ratio and the factors influencing them.

Results

In China, 80.3% of ALS patients chose tertiary hospitals, with an annual direct medical cost of 11,339.7 RMB per patient and an OOP ratio of 41.6%. The annual medical cost for outpatients was 345.1 RMB per patient, with an OOP ratio of 36.7%. The annual medical cost for inpatients was 28,139.8 RMB per patient, with an OOP ratio of 41.7%. Compared to outpatients, inpatients had higher medical costs but lower actual reimbursement rates. The OOP ratio of ALS patients decreased, then increased over time. And the OOP ratio was influenced by medical institution, medical insurance, and age (p < 0.05). Patients who chose tertiary hospitals, those who were covered by the urban resident basic medical insurance and younger patients had relatively higher OOP ratio.

Conclusion

In recent years, although China has begun to pay attention to the rights and interests of patients with rare diseases, the government has provided some healthcare security to patients with rare diseases. However, the level of medical insurance coverage was still low, the equity of protection was still insufficient and the financial burden on patients was high. Therefore, the government should further improve the healthcare system to provide full life‐cycle and affordable healthcare services to patients with rare diseases.
Chronic kidney disease and polypharmacy as risk factors for recurrent falls in a nursing home population
Authors: Sarad Nakia , Jannath Syeda Y. , Ogami Takuya , Khedr Shahenda , Omar Hala , Thorson Teagan , Kopp Miroslav
Published: October 2023

Background

It is known that nursing home patients who have sustained a previous fall are at a higher average risk for recurrent falls. Therefore, these patients require closer attention and monitoring for fall prevention.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective review in our Level 1 Trauma Center, who sustained a ground‐level fall in a nursing home from January 2017 to December 2018. Inclusion criteria involved patients aged 65 or older, admitted from nursing homes. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with recurrent fall.

Results

A total of 445 patients were identified. Among them, 47 (10.6%) patients sustained recurrent falls, The median age was 83.3 years old and. The recurrent fall group was more likely to have chronic kidney disease (CKD) (27.1% vs. 13.1%, p = 0.02) and diabetes (47.9% vs. 31%, p = 0.02). The median number of medications taken by a patient was 8.78. Overall, 176 (39.5%) patients sustained any injury, and 25 (5.6%) patients died within the study period. The presence of CKD (odds ratio [OR], 2.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15–4.76, p = 0.02) and polypharmacy (number of medications of 9 or above) (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.12–3.82, p = 0.02) were independent risk factors for recurrent falls.

Conclusions

CKD and polypharmacy were associated with a risk of recurrent falls among nursing home patients. The incidence of falls has a multifactorial etiology, and it is important to identify such risk factors to better prevent the morbidities and mortalities associated with fall‐related injuries.
Situation analysis model of hospital emergency department promotion in Iran: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Asadi Farkhondeh , Anvari Mahrokh , Ramezanghorbani Nahid , Sabahi Azam
Published: October 2023

Background and Aim

The present study was conducted to develop a situation analysis model for Iran's hospitals' emergency departments (EDs).

Methods

The current research was a descriptive cross‐sectional applied study in three stages. The studies were reviewed in various library resources and valid sites in the first stage. In the second stage, the analysis model of the ED in Iran was presented. In the third stage, the model was validated based on the Delphi technique, and the final model was presented.

Results

The final situation analysis model of ED in Iran was approved in four main aspects, including goals, internal factors, external factors, and organizations and institutions participating in the situation analysis, and its implementation schedule was approved by 90% of experts.

Conclusion

Considering the importance of situation analysis in developing a strategic plan and improving the quality of health services in the ED of hospitals, implementing a coherent situation analysis model that includes all aspects leading to improving the ED quality and analyzing the internal and external factors is vital.
Correlation between professional quality of life and alarm fatigue symptoms among intensive care unit nurses
Authors: Dehghan Mahlagha , Mokhtarabadi Sima , Rashidi Elham , Rahiminejad Elham , Asadi Neda
Published: October 2023

Introduction

Medical devices and equipment are necessary for accurate and continuous monitoring of the patients admitted to intensive care units, one of which is alarm systems. Frequent sounds of alarms can affect nurses' concentration and accuracy when providing care. Complications such as headache, fatigue, and stress occur after repeated alarms, leading to poor quality of professional life among nurses. This study aimed to determine the relationship between quality of professional life and alarm fatigue syndrome among intensive care unit nurses.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study used convenience sampling to select nurses working in intensive care units from three hospitals in southern Iran in 2021 (n = 201). Data were collected using three questionnaires, including sociodemographic form, the professional quality of life questionnaire (ProQOL), and the alarm fatigue symptom (AFS) scale.

Results

The mean scores of compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout, secondary traumatic stress (STS) (subscales of the ProQOL), and AFS were 34.66 ± 7.54, 28.98 ± 7.59, 27.69 ± 5.87, and 13.48 ± 7.32, respectively. The majority of them had no or mild AFS, moderate CS, burnout, and STS. Among the study variables, only AFS were a significant predictor of CS and STS among ICU nurses. In addition, work experience in ICU, AFS, and a second job were significant predictors of burnout among ICU nurses.

Conclusions

The study results showed a significant relationship between alarm fatigue syndrome, burnout, STS, and CS. Given that more than half of the nurses in the intensive care unit in the present study experienced some degree of alarm fatigue syndrome, it is necessary to plan and implement interventions to better manage the alarms in the intensive care unit.
Differentiating benign and malignant thyroid nodules: A cross‐sectional study on the comparison of diagnostic value of ultrasound elastography and fine needle aspiration biopsy
Authors: Rajabzadeh Farnood , Hassannejad Ehsan , Akhlaghipour Iman , Imen Mohammad Javad , Babazadeh Baghan Atefeh , Goshayeshi Ladan , Taghavi Seyed Morteza , Vojouhi Shohreh , Payandeh Asma , Moodi Ghalibaf AmirAli
Published: October 2023

Background and Aim

This study examines the comparison of ultrasound elastography and fine needle aspiration (FNA) in diagnosing thyroid cancers and investigates the use of elastography as the initial diagnostic test of thyroid cancers to avoid the need for invasive diagnostic tests.

Methods

In this study, 28 patients with 48 thyroid nodules (TNs) who were candidates for FNA or surgery were examined within a period of 18 months. Cut‐off and subsequently sensitivity and specificity for elastography results, compared to pathology results as the gold standard, were calculated using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC).

Results

Based on ROC, the cut‐off point differentiating the tissue stiffness between benign and malignant TNs was 25.400 kilopascal (kPa) (sensitivity of 90.9% and specificity of 78.4%). It was observed that age affects the tissue stiffness; therefore, the cut‐off was defined as 65.625 kpa for age groups under 50 years old (sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 100%) and 25.400 kpa for the age group above 50 years old (sensitivity of 88.9% and specificity of 70.4%).

Conclusion

Based on the high sensitivity and specificity of shear wave elastography in the differentiation of benign and malignant TNs, it can be employed as a stand‐alone or in combination with other diagnostic techniques to reduce the need for inessential surgical operations. However, future studies or developments are needed on this promising diagnostic technique.
Reflections on the surge in malaria cases after unprecedented flooding in Pakistan—A commentary
Authors: Tabassum Shehroze , Kalsoom Tuaseen , Zaheer Zaofashan , Naeem Aroma , Afifi Ahmed , Ohadi Laya
Published: October 2023

Background

Malaria is a parasitic infection primarily caused by four main species of the genus Plasmodium, that is, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax, and Plasmodium malariae. It is transmitted through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. It holds the status of one of the leading causes of death in the developing world. Malaria is endemic to Pakistan, and the country experienced the worst floods in its history from April to October 2022. The stagnant flood water served as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, culminating in an alarming spike in malaria cases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of cases reported till August 2022 was more than in the whole year of 2021. There was more than a twofold rise in cumulative cases in 62 high‐burden Pakistani Districts in August 2022 as compared to August 2021.

Aims

This commentary aims to bring this emerging issue to notice and highlight the most effective probable measures to help eliminate and prevent the hazards the current outbreak poses.

Results

Rapid planning and execution are needed to ensure the most efficient and rapid elimination of malaria. To educate the general public, the national government must start public awareness efforts in electronic, print, and social media and deploy solar‐powered mobile healthcare units to far‐flung areas. Prophylactic and postexposure treatments should be planned because larvicidal preventive measures are less practical in flood‐affected vicinities.

Conclusion

The most effective preventive strategy is drug prophylaxis, followed by insecticide‐treated nets, indoor residual spraying, and untreated nets. Scientists should intensify their investigations for effective medications to alleviate the malaria burden in Pakistan.
Complications in patients with transfusion dependent thalassemia: A descriptive cross‐sectional study
Authors: Faranoush Mohammad , Faranoush Pooya , Heydari Iraj , Foroughi‐Gilvaee Mohammad Reza , Azarkeivan Azita , Parsai Kia Ali  , Sadighnia Negin , Elahinia Ali , Zandi Afsoon , Rezvany Mohammad Reza , Hashemi‐Madani Nahid , Ziaee Amir , Nekouian Reza , Rohani Farzaneh
Published: October 2023

Background and Aims

One of the most common hemoglobinopathies globally related to blood transfusion and iron overload in the body is thalassemia syndrome. Increasing ferritin levels can cause severe damage to the patient's body organs. This study aims to evaluate the complications of iron overload on vital body organs in patients with transfusion‐dependent beta‐thalassemia.

Methods

This descriptive cross‐sectional study was performed in Iran University of Medical Sciences Hospitals on patients with a beta‐thalassemia major with frequent blood transfusions. To evaluate the effect of iron overload on vital body organs, hematologic and blood analysis, echocardiography with measurement of pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and ejection fraction (EF) tests, bone densitometry, and audiometric tests were performed for all patients.

Results

Of the 1010 patients participating in this study, 497 (49%) were males, 513 were (51%) females aged 5–74 years, and the majority of participants (85%) were over 20 years old. This study demonstrated that increasing ferritin levels had no notable correlation with sex, cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein, parathyroid hormone, T4, and aspartate aminotransferase. However, elevating ferritin levels had significant correlations with increasing triglyceride, phosphorus, thyroid stimulating hormone, alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase, and PAP levels, age, hearing disorders, splenectomy, osteoporosis, and decreasing high‐density lipoprotein, body mass index, calcium, and EF levels.

Conclusion

Improvement in beta‐thalassemia patients' survival and quality of life can be due to multidisciplinary care in a comprehensive unit through regular follow‐up and early complication detection.