bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Inpatient Unit in a Cancer Center
Authors: Kharfan-Dabaja Mohamed A.
Published: October 2021

Despite emergence of effective novel cancer therapies that can be administered outside the hospital setting for various solid tumor and hematologic malignancies, a significant number of patients still require treatment in the inpatient setting, owing to the nature of the treatment, duration, and frequency, or to the level of supportive care required to administer such treatments, among others. Apart from specialized trained physicians and nurses, the number of inpatient team services has expanded significantly to meet the complex needs of patients and their families. We acknowledge that there is no universal model for how an inpatient unit should be built and developed; it depends on financial resources, population density, and societal factors, among others. Here, we describe the main components of an inpatient unit in a cancer center. The ultimate goal must be to provide a safe environment for cancer patients and to facilitate delivery of care in an efficient manner.
Outpatient Care
Authors: Wu Ian Qianhuang , Lim Francesca Lorraine Wei Inng , Koh Liang Piu
Published: October 2021

Management of haematology-oncology patients has historically been largely inpatient-based. With advances in the understanding of disease and improvements in supportive care, patients are increasingly being managed in the outpatient setting. This is especially evident in autologous stem cell transplantation, which is now routinely done as an outpatient procedure at various centres. As clinicians gain more experience in novel therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy and bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) therapy, these may potentially be administered in the outpatient setting in the near future with the adoption of a risk-stratified approach. Such a paradigm shift in the practice of haematology-oncology is inevitable and has been driven by several factors, including pressure from the institution/hospital to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and for optimal use of inpatient resources to be more cost-effective and efficient. With favourable local regulations and funding, outpatient cancer care can be economically beneficial. The success of an outpatient cancer center is heavily dependent on planning the facility to be equipped with the appropriate infrastructure, together with the trained medical and supportive personnel in place. This, coupled with the utilization of emerging technology such as telemedicine, has the potential to revolutionize cancer care delivery in the outpatient setting.
Oncology Nursing Care
Authors: Frith Jennifer , Chao Nelson J.
Published: October 2021

This chapter explores the recommendations in developing oncology nursing care for a comprehensive medical center. Nursing orientation, continuing education, and competencies are required for the oncology nurse to remain successful in care delivery. Nurse–patient ratios should be benchmarked with other competitive centers, acuity taken into consideration, and various workflows depending on the clinical settings. Nurses play an instrumental role in delivering oncology care, from preventative screening, throughout the continuum, and into end-of-life care.
Pharmacy Requirements for a Comprehensive Cancer Center
Authors: Chew Lita , Thum Miko Chui Mei
Published: October 2021

A pharmacy in a comprehensive cancer center needs to be cognizant of new and emerging models of care that are integrated and patient-centered, attentive to cutting edge research, cancer treatment and different approaches to managing the entire spectrum of oncological care. Hence, the focus of pharmacy services should be on care deliverance that is timely and convenient, affordable and financially sustainable to fulfill quality assured pharmaceutical needs.

The prerequisites to transformation from a brick-and-mortar pharmacy model to a progressive pharmacy is guided by the perspectives of investing in (1) human capital to retain and attract the best, (2) place to build a future-ready facility, (3) process to create greater value for patients by producing safe and quality products. The authors share their experience along these perspectives: a focus on staff development, training and well-being; a facility leveraging on automation, good manufacturing practice, and business continuity planning; processes to support medication use and new models of care.

Technological disrupters such as the internet, social media, and AI are also changing the fabric of society. While future events may not take same form, they will require a deliberate effort from organization to navigate effectively and with agility. This chapter will also address the key considerations for a sustainable pharmacy in terms of self, environment and financial sustainability.
Changes in native and introduced host–parasite networks
Authors: Llaberia-Robledillo Mar , Balbuena Juan Antonio , Sarabeev Volodimir , Llopis-Belenguer Cristina
Published: October 2021

Introduced species can alter the dynamics and structure of a native community. Network analysis provides a tool to study host–parasite interactions that can help to predict the possible impact of biological invasions or other disturbances. In this study, we used weighted bipartite networks to assess differences in the interaction patterns between hosts and helminth parasites of native (Sea of Japan) and invasive (Black Sea and Sea of Azov) populations of Planiliza haematocheilus (Teleostei: Mugilidae). We employed three quantitative network descriptors, connectance, weighted nestedness and modularity, to gain insight into the structure of the host–parasite networks in the native and invaded areas. The role of parasite species in the networks was assessed using the betweenness centrality index. We analyzed networks encompassing the whole helminth community and subsets of species classified by their transmission strategy. The analyses were downscaled to host individual-level to consider intraspecific variation in parasite communities. We found significant differences between networks in the native and invaded areas. The latter presented a higher value of nestedness, which may indicate a co-occurrence between parasite species with many connections in the network and species with fewer interactions within the same individual-host. In addition, modularity was higher in the native area’s networks than those of the invaded area, with subgroups of host individuals that interact more frequently with certain parasite species than with others. Only the networks composed of actively transmitted parasites and ectoparasites did not show significant differences in modularity between the Sea of Azov and the Sea of Japan, which could be due to the introduction of a part of the native community into the invaded environment, with a lower diversity and abundance of species. We show that network analysis provides a valuable tool to illuminate the changes that occur in host–parasite interactions when an invasive species and its parasite community are introduced into a new area.
Quick remedy commits and their impact on mining software repositories
Authors: Wen Fengcai , Nagy Csaba , Lanza Michele , Bavota Gabriele
Published: October 2021

Most changes during software maintenance and evolution are not atomic changes, but rather the result of several related changes affecting different parts of the code. It may happen that developers omit needed changes, thus leaving a task partially unfinished, introducing technical debt or injecting bugs. We present a study investigating “quick remedy commits” performed by developers to implement changes omitted in previous commits. With quick remedy commits we refer to commits that (i) quickly follow a commit performed by the same developer, and (ii) aim at remedying issues introduced as the result of code changes omitted in the previous commit (e.g., fix references to code components that have been broken as a consequence of a rename refactoring) or simply improve the previously committed change (e.g., improve the name of a newly introduced variable). Through a manual analysis of 500 quick remedy commits, we define a taxonomy categorizing the types of changes that developers tend to omit. The taxonomy can (i) guide the development of tools aimed at detecting omitted changes and (ii) help researchers in identifying corner cases that must be properly handled. For example, one of the categories in our taxonomy groups the reverted commits, meaning changes that are undone in a subsequent commit. We show that not accounting for such commits when mining software repositories can undermine one’s findings. In particular, our results show that considering completely reverted commits when mining software repositories accounts, on average, for 0.07 and 0.27 noisy data points when dealing with two typical MSR data collection tasks (i.e., bug-fixing commits identification and refactoring operations mining, respectively).
Feeling as Consciousness of Value
Authors: Vendrell Ferran Ingrid
Published: October 2021

A vast range of our everyday experiences seem to involve an immediate consciousness of value. We hear the rudeness of someone making offensive comments. In seeing someone risking her life to save another, we recognize her bravery. When we witness a person shouting at an innocent child, we feel the unfairness of this action. If, in learning of a close friend’s success, envy arises in us, we experience our own emotional response as wrong. How are these values apprehended? The three most common answers provided by contemporary philosophy explain the consciousness of value in terms of judgment, emotion, or perception. An alternative view endorsed mainly by authors inspired by the phenomenological tradition argues that values are apprehended by an intentional feeling. In this model, it is by virtue of a feeling that objects are presented as being in different degrees and nuances fair or unfair, boring or funny, good or bad. This paper offers an account of this model of feeling and its basic features, and defends it over alternative models. To this end, the paper discusses different versions of the model circulating in current research which until now have developed in parallel rather than in mutual exchange. The paper also applies the proposed account to the moral domain and examines how a feeling of values is presupposed by several moral experiences.
One-step fabrication of high refractive index inorganic nanostructures
Authors: Zanchetta E. , Della Giustina G. , Gandin A. , Auzelyte V. , Brusatin G.
Published: October 2021

Direct printing of spin-on functional films is probably the most efficient method to develop low-cost novel photonic nanodevices, such as diffraction gratings, planar waveguides, nano- lasers, and antireflective coatings. For these applications high refractive index transparent materials are demanded; however, this class of materials generally requires inorganic oxides, well known for their hardness, typical of ceramic materials, and so incompatible with a soft character of printable resins. Herein, inorganic high refractive index TiO2 micro- and nano- structures, with unusual depth up to 600 nm and aspect ratio larger than 5, are obtained by combining thermal nanoimprint lithography (NIL) with UV curing. To achieve printed patterns, a hybrid organic-inorganic spin-on film is deposited at low-temperature by sol–gel processing. Two distinct bottom-up synthetic approaches are used, called in situ and ex situ, using titanium isopropoxide (90%) or TiO2 anatase nanoparticles (70%), respectively, and adding a silica sol modified by organic moieties. The two syntheses were optimized to obtain, after patterning by thermal imprint, amorphous or crystalline titania crack-free micro- and nano- patterns for in situ and ex situ, respectively. The further UV irradiation converts imprinted films to totally inorganic patterns, through the titania photocatalytic effect, allowing refractive indexes up to 1.82 at 632 nm to be achieved. This novel strategy of combining thermal imprint with UV exposure allows inorganic deep patterns to be fabricated without a calcination step, which is generally needed for inorganic resists processing. Eventually, a thermal treatment only at 300 °C can be applied to achieve a final refractive index of 2 at 632 nm.
Relationship Between Rainfall Duration and Sewer System Performance Measures Within the Context of Uncertainty
Authors: Szeląg Bartosz , Kiczko Adam , Łagód Grzegorz , De Paola Francesco
Published: October 2021

Urbanization and climate change have resulted in an increase in catchment runoff, often exceeding the designed capacity of sewer systems. The decision to modernize a sewer system should be based on appropriate criteria. In engineering practice, the above is commonly achieved using a hydrodynamic model of the catchment and the simulation of various rainfall events. The article presents a methodology to analyze the effect of rainfall characteristics parametrized with intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves in regard to performance measures of sewerage networks (flood volume per unit impervious surface and share of overfilled manholes in the sewerage network) accounting for the model uncertainty determined via the generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) method. An urban catchment was modeled with the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). Analyses showed that the model uncertainty exerts a large impact on certain measures of sewage network operation. Therefore, these measures should be analyzed in similar studies. This is very important at the stage of decision making in regard to the modernization and sustainable development of catchments. It was found that among the model parameters, the Manning roughness coefficient of sewer channels yields a key impact on the specific flood volume, while the area of impervious surfaces yields the greatest impact on the share of overflowed manholes.
Feature-based Groundwater Hydrograph Clustering Using Unsupervised Self-Organizing Map-Ensembles
Authors: Wunsch Andreas , Liesch Tanja , Broda Stefan
Published: October 2021

Hydrograph clustering helps to identify dynamic patterns within aquifers systems, an important foundation of characterizing groundwater systems and their influences, which is necessary to effectively manage groundwater resources. We develope an unsupervised modeling approach to characterize and cluster hydrographs on regional scale according to their dynamics. We apply feature-based clustering to improve the exploitation of heterogeneous datasets, explore the usefulness of existing features and propose new features specifically useful to describe groundwater hydrographs. The clustering itself is based on a powerful combination of Self-Organizing Maps with a modified DS2L-Algorithm, which automatically derives the cluster number but also allows to influence the level of detail of the clustering. We further develop a framework that combines these methods with ensemble modeling, internal cluster validation indices, resampling and consensus voting to finally obtain a robust clustering result and remove arbitrariness from the feature selection process. Further we propose a measure to sort hydrographs within clusters, useful for both interpretability and visualization. We test the framework with weekly data from the Upper Rhine Graben System, using more than 1800 hydrographs from a period of 30 years (1986-2016). The results show that our approach is adaptively capable of identifying homogeneous groups of hydrograph dynamics. The resulting clusters show both spatially known and unknown patterns, some of which correspond clearly to external controlling factors, such as intensive groundwater management in the northern part of the test area. This framework is easily transferable to other regions and, by adapting the describing features, also to other time series-clustering applications.
Subjective Well-Being of Young People in Therapeutic Residential Care from a Gender Perspective
Authors: González-García Carla , Águila-Otero Alba , Montserrat Carme , Lázaro Susana , Martín Eduardo , del Valle Jorge Fernandez , Bravo Amaia
Published: October 2021

A growing body of research focus on subjective well-being (SWB) in adolescence; however there are few studies focus specifically on the residential care population and even fewer on differences by type of residential facility separately for males and females. This study aims to analyze SWB in therapeutic residential care (a residential program created to address youths with severe emotional and behavioral problems) in relation to young people in other kinds of residential child care (RCC). 567 adolescents aged 14-18 from Therapeutic Residential Care (TRC) (n=256) and RCC (n=311) participated in the study. Results showed few significant differences concerning the residential program factor. Satisfaction with their own family was greater for young people in TRC and satisfaction, both with the groups they belong to and with their own residential facility, rated higher among the RCC group. Regarding differences by sex, females reported less SWB in all the domains including overall life satisfaction. The effect of the interaction between sex and type of residential program showed that females in TRC reported SWB, particularly low. The main implications for research and intervention will be discussed.
Stress field analysis and its effect on selection of optimal well trajectory in directional drilling (case study: southwest of Iran)
Authors: Abdideh Mohammad , Dastyaft Fawzi
Published: October 2021

Given the complexities of reservoir exploration and development, it is vital to understand the geomechanical properties of the reservoir and well in the drilling operation. In constructing a mechanical model of the earth, a combination of environmental geomechanical parameters, as well as the magnitude and direction of stresses, is used. In this study, stress analysis and its effect on azimuth well in deviated drilling in an oil field located in southwestern Iran are investigated. Necessary geomechanical parameters are estimated using density and slowness logs of sonic waves (shear and compression). The Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion is followed to determine a safe mud weight window. A mechanical model of the earth is designed using laboratory data and well logging, and it is validated by the results obtained from laboratory rock mechanics using the calibrated core samples. The results show that drilling in the azimuth at about 135° with an angle of about 15° is the most stable path for the well in the carbonate reservoir formation in the studied oil field.
Modular Frobenius pseudo-varieties
Authors: Robles-Pérez Aureliano M. , Rosales José Carlos
Published: October 2021

If $$m \in {\mathbb {N}} \setminus \{0,1\}$$

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Upgrading the fuel properties of hydrochar by co-hydrothermal carbonisation of dairy manure and Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi): product characterisation, thermal behaviour, kinetics and thermodynamic properties
Authors: Aliyu Mohammed , Iwabuchi Kazunori , Itoh Takanori
Published: October 2021

This study investigated co-hydrothermal carbonisation (co-HTC) of dairy manure (DM) and wood shavings from Larix kaempferi, commonly known as the Japanese larch (JL) to enhance the fuel properties of the resulting hydrochar. The JL was mixed with the DM at 25, 50 and 75 wt.% ratios. Co-HTC was conducted at 260 °C for 20 min. The resulting hydrochars were characterised based on the physicochemical properties and the thermal behaviour. Results showed that the hydrochar solid biofuel properties improved as the ratio of JL was increased. The produced hydrochars were in the region of lignite and closed to the region of the coal with increased fixed carbon, carbon contents and lowered H/C and O/C ratios. Hydrochar with ash content of 7.2 ± 0.5% was obtained at 75 wt.% JL. In addition, the HHV of hydrochar increased remarkably to 26.4 ± 0.02 MJ/kg as the mass ratio of the JL was increased. The surface morphology of the hydrochars were altered and became distinct while the specific surface area (SSA) and the total pore volume (TPV) of the hydrochars increased at increasing the mass ratio of the JL. The surface functional groups were also altered by the co-HTC process. A decline in the combustion performance was observed after the HTC process but improved at 75 wt.% JL after the co-HTC process. The kinetic analysis also revealed that the activation energy decreased after the HTC process but increased to a higher value at 50 wt.% JL after the co-HTC process. Therefore, hydrochar production by co-HTC of DM and JL has proved to be an effective and promising solid biofuel source.

Graphical abstract
Abstracts najaarsvergadering NVU, 5 november 2021
Authors:   Bohn Stafleu van Loghum
Published: October 2021

Samenvatting

Patiënten met prostaatkanker (PCa) kunnen geselecteerd worden voor zenuwsparende robotgeassisteerde radicale prostatectomie (RARP) middels voorspellingsmodellen voor extraprostatische extensie (EPE). In 2019 hebben Soeterik et al. een easy-to-use voorspellingsmodel met MRI-tumorstadium ontwikkeld en extern gevalideerd voor zijdespecifieke EPE. In deze studie werd dit model getest in een cohort van patiënten die systematische biopten, MRI-gerichte biopten of beide ondergingen.
Adverse drug reactions and drug interactions in the treatment of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Authors: Marins Tatiana A. , Marra Alexandre R. , Edmond Michael B. , Colombo Ligia Regina Prystaj , Vieira Sthephanie Favalli , de Oliveira Xavier Fernanda , Chauvin Alessandra Gomes , Pinho João Renato Rebello , de Almeida Silvana M. , Junior Marcelino Souza Durão
Published: October 2021

Objectives:

To identify drugs that were administered off label to hospitalized patients with suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to identify adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and drug–drug interactions associated with these therapies.

Methods:

This case–control study was conducted in a Brazilian hospital from March to April 2020 among patients with suspected COVID-19, comparing those with positive severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results and those with negative results.

Results:

The most commonly used medications in both groups were azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine. There was a significantly higher prevalence of reactions among patients with positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 (48.5% vs 28.8%; P = .008) in the propensity score–matched cohort, and the most commonly reported ADRs among these patients were diarrhea (43.8%), elevated liver enzymes (31.3%), and nausea and vomiting (29.7%).

Conclusions:

Our data demonstrate that ADRs and drug–drug interactions are common with off-label treatments for COVID-19.
Evaluating the trade-off between privacy, public health safety, and digital security in a pandemic
Authors: Akinsanmi Titi , Salami Aishat
Published: October 2021

COVID-19 has impacted all aspects of everyday normalcy globally. During the height of the pandemic, people shared their (PI) with one goal—to protect themselves from contracting an “unknown and rapidly mutating” virus. The technologies (from applications based on mobile devices to online platforms) collect (with or without informed consent) large amounts of PI including location, travel, and personal health information. These were deployed to monitor, track, and control the spread of the virus. However, many of these measures encouraged the trade-off on privacy for safety. In this paper, we reexamine the nature of privacy through the lens of safety focused on the health sector, digital security, and what constitutes an infraction or otherwise of the privacy rights of individuals in a pandemic as experienced in the past 18 months. This paper makes a case for maintaining a balance between the benefit, which the contact tracing apps offer in the containment of COVID-19 with the need to ensure end-user privacy and data security. Specifically, it strengthens the case for designing with transparency and accountability measures and safeguards in place as critical to protecting the privacy and digital security of users—in the use, collection, and retention of user data. We recommend oversight measures to ensure compliance with the principles of lawful processing, knowing that these, among others, would ensure the integration of privacy by design principles even in unforeseen crises like an ongoing pandemic; entrench public trust and acceptance, and protect the digital security of people.
Multifunctional and domain independent? A meta-analysis of case studies of biologically inspired design
Authors: Goel Ashok K. , Hancock William
Published: October 2021

Much of the literature on biologically inspired design makes two, often unstated and largely unexamined, assumptions: (i) The process of biologically inspired design is independent of the biological domain, and (ii) the design process leads to multifunctional designs. In this paper, we perform a meta-analysis of 74 case studies of biologically inspired design in the Design Study Library. We begin by noting that biologically inspired design has two core processes: problem-driven design and solution-based design. We find that the first assumption about the domain independence of these design processes is questionable. Our analysis indicates that the problem-driven process of biologically inspired design is more prevalent in some domains, whereas the solution-based design process is more common in other domains. Our analysis also indicates that the solution-based process leads to multifunctional designs more often than the problem-driven process. These findings may have useful implications not only for building information-processing theories of biologically inspired design, but also for developing pedagogical techniques for teaching about the paradigm and computational tools for supporting its practice.
Linear stability of the steady flow past rectangular cylinders
Authors: Chiarini A. , Quadrio M. , Auteri F.
Published: October 2021

The primary instability of the flow past rectangular cylinders is studied to comprehensively describe the influence of the aspect ratio$AR$and of rounding the leading- and/or trailing-edge corners. Aspect ratios ranging between$0.25$and$30$are considered. We show that the critical Reynolds number ($\textit {Re}_c$) corresponding to the primary instability increases with the aspect ratio, starting from$\textit {Re}_c \approx 34.8$for$AR=0.25$to a value of$\textit {Re}_c \approx 140$for$AR = 30$. The unstable mode and its dependence on the aspect ratio are described. We find that positioning a small circular cylinder in the flow modifies the instability in a way strongly depending on the aspect ratio. The rounded corners affect the primary instability in a way that depends on both the aspect ratio and the curvature radius. For small$AR$, rounding the leading-edge corners has always a stabilising effect, whereas rounding the trailing-edge corners is destabilising, although for large curvature radii only. For intermediate$AR$, instead, rounding the leading-edge corners has a stabilising effect limited to small curvature radii only, while for$AR \geqslant 5$it has always a destabilising effect. In contrast, for$AR \geqslant 2$rounding the trailing-edge corners consistently increases$\textit {Re}_c$. Interestingly, when all the corners are rounded, the flow becomes more stable, at all aspect ratios. An explanation for the stabilising and destabilising effect of the rounded corners is provided.
Unequal values: equality and race in state of the union addresses, 1960–2018
Authors: Hero Rodney E. , Levy Morris
Published: October 2021

We analyze the prevalence and framing of references to equality and inequality in presidential state of the union addresses (SOTUs) delivered between 1960 and 2018. Despite rising income inequality and increased attention among political elites to structural inequalities of race and gender in recent years, we find very few direct or indirect references to inequality as a social problem and surprisingly few references even to the ostensibly consensual and primary values of equal opportunity and political equality. References to racial inequality have been few and far between since the height of the civil rights era. By contrast, another primary value in the American political tradition—economic individualism are a major focus in these SOTUs. We trace the scant presence of equality talk in these speeches to the ambiguous scope of egalitarian goals and principles and their close tie-in with race in America. We rely on automated text analysis and systematic hand-coding of these speeches to identify broad thematic emphases as well as on close reading to interpret the patterns that these techniques reveal.
Variations in cardiac implantable electronic device surveillance and ancillary testing in the paediatric and congenital heart disease population: an international multi-centre survey from the Paediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society
Authors: Olen Melissa M. , Dechert Brynn E. , Foster Anne , Kanter Ronald J. , Silka Michael J. , Shah Maully J.
Published: October 2021

Background:

Expert guidance from scientific societies and regulatory agencies recommend a framework of principles for frequency of in-person evaluations and remote monitoring for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices. However, there are limited data regarding adherence to recommendations among paediatric electrophysiologists, and there are no data regarding cardiac implantable electronic device-related ancillary testing.

Methods:

To assess current clinical practices for cardiac implantable electronic device in-person evaluation, remote monitoring, and cardiac implantable electronic device-related ancillary testing, the Paediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society members were surveyed. The main outcome measures were variations in frequency of in person evaluation, frequency of remote monitoring, and cardiac implantable electronic device-related ancillary testing.

Results:

All respondents performed in-person evaluation at least once a year, but <50% of respondents performed an in-person evaluation within 2 weeks of cardiac implantable electronic device implantation. Remote monitoring was performed every 3 months for pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators by 71 and 75% respondents, respectively. Follow-up echocardiography was performed every 2–3 years by 53% respondents for patients with >50% ventricular pacing. Majority of respondents (75%) did not perform either an exercise stress test or ambulatory Holter monitoring or chest X-ray (65%) after cardiac implantable electronic device implantation.

Conclusion:

This survey identified significant practice variations in cardiac implantable electronic device in- person evaluation, remote monitoring, and ancillary testing practices among paediatric electrophysiologists. Cardiac implantable electronic device management may be optimised by development of a paediatric-specific guidelines for follow-up and ancillary testing.
Benchmarking for accountability on obesity prevention: evaluation of the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) in Australia (2016–2020)
Authors: Kwon Janelle , Reeve Erica , Mann Davina , Swinburn Boyd , Sacks Gary
Published: October 2021

Objective:

Despite broad agreement on the need for comprehensive policy action to improve the healthiness of food environments, implementation of recommended policies has been slow and fragmented. Benchmarking is increasingly being used to strengthen accountability for action. However, there have been few evaluations of benchmarking and accountability initiatives to understand their contribution to policy change. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) Australia initiative (2016–2020) that assessed Australian governments on their progress in implementing recommended policies for improving food environments.

Design:

A convergent mixed methods approach was employed incorporating data from online surveys (conducted in 2017 and 2020) and in-depth semi-structured interviews (conducted in 2020). Data were analysed against a pre-defined logic model.

Setting:

Australia.

Participants:

Interviews: twenty stakeholders (sixteen government, four non-government). Online surveys: fifty-three non-government stakeholders (52 % response rate) in 2017; thirty-four non-government stakeholders (36 % response rate) in 2020.

Results:

The Food-EPI process involved extensive engagement with government officials and the broader public health community across Australia. Food-EPI Australia was found to support policy processes, including as a tool to increase knowledge of good practice, as a process for collaboration and as an authoritative reference to support policy decisions and advocacy strategies.

Conclusions:

Key stakeholders involved in the Food-EPI Australia process viewed it as a valuable initiative that should be repeated to maximise its value as an accountability mechanism. The highly collaborative nature of the initiative was seen as a key strength that could inform design of other benchmarking processes.
Arctic Amplification of Precipitation Changes—The Energy Hypothesis
Authors: Pithan Felix , Jung Thomas
Published: October 2021

Temperature and precipitation change more strongly in the Arctic than at lower latitudes, with central Arctic boreal winter precipitation projected to double in the 21st century in a high‐emission scenario. This enhanced hydrological sensitivity has been explained in terms of the Arctic moisture budget and attributed to either moisture advection or surface evaporation. Here, we show that boreal winter moisture availability is less sensitive to surface temperature change in the Arctic than at lower latitudes, questioning a central role of the moisture budget. Hydrological sensitivity, that is, precipitation change per unit temperature change, is similar in models with or without sea‐ice changes, suggesting a secondary role of surface flux changes. Instead, we propose that the Arctic's larger hydrological sensitivity is energetically driven. Increases in latent heat release from precipitation locally balance increased atmospheric radiative cooling in Arctic winter, consistent with process‐level understanding of radiatively driven cloud and precipitation formation.
Long‐Lasting Marine Heatwaves Instigated by Ocean Planetary Waves in the Tropical Indian Ocean During 2015–2016 and 2019–2020
Authors: Zhang Ying , Du Yan , Feng Ming , Hu Shijian
Published: October 2021

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) in the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) showed remarkable increases in duration and frequency during the satellite observing era, responding to rising sea surface temperature. Long‐lasting MHWs were found in three upwelling regions of the TIO in 2015–2016 and 2019–2020, closely related to persistent downwelling oceanic planetary waves. In 2015, a prolonged MHW (149 days) in the western TIO was initiated by the downwelling Rossby waves associated with the co‐occurring super El Niño and positive Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) events. In the following year, the negative IOD sustained the longest MHW (372 days) in the southeastern TIO, prompted by the eastward‐propagating equatorial Kelvin waves. In 2019–2020, the two longest MHWs recorded in the southwestern TIO (275 days in 2019 and 149 days in 2020) were maintained by the downwelling Rossby waves associated with the 2019 extreme IOD. This study revealed the importance of ocean dynamics in long‐lasting MHWs in the TIO.
Risk evaluation at municipality level of a COVID-19 outbreak incorporating relevant geographic data: the study case of Galicia
Authors: Carballosa Alejandro , Balsa-Barreiro José , Garea Adrián , García-Selfa David , Miramontes Ángel , Muñuzuri Alberto P.
Published: October 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic was an inevitable outcome of a globalized world in which a highly infective disease is able to reach every country in a matter of weeks. While lockdowns and strong mobility restrictions have proven to be efficient to contain the exponential transmission of the virus, its pervasiveness has made it impossible for economies to maintain this kind of measures in time. Understanding precisely how the spread of the virus occurs from a territorial perspective is crucial not only to prevent further infections but also to help with policy design regarding human mobility. From the large spatial differences in the behavior of the virus spread we can unveil which areas have been more vulnerable to it and why, and with this information try to assess the risk that each community has to suffer a future outbreak of infection. In this work we have analyzed the geographical distribution of the cumulative incidence during the first wave of the pandemic in the region of Galicia (north western part of Spain), and developed a mathematical approach that assigns a risk factor for each of the different municipalities that compose the region. This risk factor is independent of the actual evolution of the pandemic and incorporates geographic and demographic information. The comparison with empirical information from the first pandemic wave demonstrates the validity of the method. Our results can potentially be used to design appropriate preventive policies that help to contain the virus.
Measuring the effect of distance on the network topology of the Global Container Shipping Network
Authors: Tsiotas Dimitrios , Ducruet César
Published: October 2021

This paper examines how spatial distance affects network topology on empirical data concerning the Global Container Shipping Network (GCSN). The GCSN decomposes into 32 multiplex layers, defined at several spatial levels, by successively removing connections of smaller distances. This multilayer decomposition approach allows studying the topological properties of each layer as a function of distance. The analysis provides insights into the hierarchical structure and (importing and exporting) trade functionality of the GCSN, hub connectivity, several topological aspects, and the distinct role of China in the network’s structure. It also shows that bidirectional links decrease with distance, highlighting the importance of asymmetric functionality in carriers’ operations. It further configures six novel clusters of ports concerning their spatial coverage. Finally, it reveals three levels of geographical scale in the structure of GCSN (where the network topology significantly changes): the neighborhood (local connectivity); the scale of international connectivity (mesoscale or middle connectivity); and the intercontinental market (large scale connectivity). The overall approach provides a methodological framework for analyzing network topology as a function of distance, highlights the spatial dimension in complex and multilayer networks, and provides insights into the spatial structure of the GCSN, which is the most important market of the global maritime economy.
Development and evaluation of pH-sensitive biodegradable ternary blended hydrogel films (chitosan/guar gum/PVP) for drug delivery application
Authors: Ghauri Zunaira Huma , Islam Atif , Qadir Muhammad Abdul , Gull Nafisa , Haider Bilal , Khan Rafi Ullah , Riaz Tabinda
Published: October 2021

pH responsive hydrogels have gained much attraction in biomedical fields. We have formulated ternary hydrogel films as a new carrier of drug. Polyelectrolyte complex of chitosan/guar gum/polyvinyl pyrrolidone cross-linked via sodium tripolyphosphate was developed by solution casting method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis were conducted to examine the interactions between the polymeric chains, surface morphology and thermal stability, respectively. The swelling tests resulted that the swelling was reduced with the increase in the concentration of crosslinker due to the more entangled arrangement and less availability of pores in hydrogels. Ciprofloxacin hydrochloride was used as a model drug and its release in simulated gastric fluid, simulated intestinal fluid and phosphate buffer saline solution was studied. pH responsive behaviour of the hydrogels have subjected these hydrogels for drug release applications.
Feature fusion network based on strip pooling
Authors: Wang Gaihua , Zhai Qianyu
Published: October 2021

Contextual information is a key factor affecting semantic segmentation. Recently, many methods have tried to use the self-attention mechanism to capture more contextual information. However, these methods with self-attention mechanism need a huge computation. In order to solve this problem, a novel self-attention network, called FFANet, is designed to efficiently capture contextual information, which reduces the amount of calculation through strip pooling and linear layers. It proposes the feature fusion (FF) module to calculate the affinity matrix. The affinity matrix can capture the relationship between pixels. Then we multiply the affinity matrix with the feature map, which can selectively increase the weight of the region of interest. Extensive experiments on the public datasets (PASCAL VOC2012, CityScapes) and remote sensing dataset (DLRSD) have been conducted and achieved Mean Iou score 74.5%, 70.3%, and 63.9% respectively. Compared with the current typical algorithms, the proposed method has achieved excellent performance.
Lactate dehydrogenase activity staining demonstrates time-dependent immune cell infiltration in human ex-vivo burn-injured skin
Authors: Cuddihy Joshua , Wu Gongjie , Ho Laptin , Kudo Hiromi , Dannhorn Andreas , Mandalia Sundhiya , Collins Declan , Weir Justin , Spencer Ashley , Vizcaychipi Marcela , Takats Zoltan , Nagy Istvan
Published: October 2021

Burn injuries constitute one of the most serious accidental injuries. Increased metabolic rate is a hallmark feature of burn injury. Visualising lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity has been previously used to identify metabolic activity differences, hence cell viability and burn depth in burn skin. LDH activity was visualised in injured and uninjured skin from 38 sub-acute burn patients. LDH activity aided the identification of spatially correlating immunocompetent cells in a sub-group of six patients. Desorption Electrospray Ionisation Mass Spectrometry Imaging (DESI MSI) was used to describe relative lactate and pyruvate abundance in burned and uninjured tissue. LDH activity was significantly increased in the middle and deep regions of burnt skin compared with superficial areas in burnt skin and uninjured tissue and positively correlated with post-burn time. Regions of increased LDH activity showed high pyruvate and low lactate abundance when examined with DESI-MSI. Areas of increased LDH activity exhibited cellular infiltration, including CD3 + and CD4 + T-lymphocytes and CD68 + macrophages. Our data demonstrate a steady increase in functional LDH activity in sub-acute burn wounds linked to cellular infiltration. The cell types associated are related to tissue restructuring and inflammation. This region in burn wounds is likely the focus of dysregulated inflammation and hypermetabolism.
A fan-attached jacket worn in an environment exceeding body temperature suppresses an increase in core temperature
Authors: Hashimoto Kahori , Horie Seichi , Nagano Chikage , Hibino Hiroyuki , Mori Kimiyo , Fukuzawa Kimie , Nakayama Masashi , Tanaka Hiroyuki , Inoue Jinro
Published: October 2021

We examined whether blowing hot air above body temperature under work clothing may suppress core temperature. Nine Japanese men engaged in two 30-min bicycle ergometer sessions at a workload of 40% VO2max at 40 °C and 50% relative humidity. The experiment was conducted without wearing any cooling apparatus (CON), wearing a cooling vest that circulated 10.0 °C water (VEST), and wearing a fan-attached jacket that transferred ambient air underneath the jacket at a rate of 30 L/s (FAN). The VEST and FAN conditions suppressed the increases of rectal temperature (CON, VEST, FAN; 38.01 ± 0.19 °C, 37.72 ± 0.12 °C (p = 0.0076), 37.54 ± 0.19 °C (p = 0.0023), respectively), esophageal temperature (38.22 ± 0.30 °C, 37.55 ± 0.18 °C (p = 0.0039), 37.54 ± 0.21 °C (p = 0.0039), respectively), and heart rate (157.3 ± 9.8 bpm, 136.9 ± 8.9 bpm, (p = 0.0042), 137.5 ± 6.5 bpm (p = 0.0023), respectively). Two conditions also reduced the estimated amount of sweating and improved various subjective evaluations. Even in the 40 °C and 50% relative humidity environment, we may recommend wearing a fan-attached jacket because the heat dissipation through evaporation exceeded the heat convection from the hot ambient air.
Protected areas are not effective for the conservation of freshwater insects in Brazil
Authors: Dias-Silva Karina , Vieira Thiago Bernardi , Moreira Felipe Ferraz Figueiredo , Juen Leandro , Hamada Neusa
Published: October 2021

Biodiversity conservation has faced many challenges, especially the conversion of natural areas that compete with use for agriculture, energy production and mineral extraction. This problem is further aggravated by lack of knowledge of the biodiversity that exists and the geographical distribution of different groups. The objectives of our study were to examine the distributional pattern of Gerromorpha diversity in Brazil, create a map of conservation priority areas, estimate the degree of protection that the current network of protected areas guarantees to this insect group, and identify the size thresholds in geographical distributions that would allow species to be protected. We used species occurrences from the Water Bugs Distributional Database, and we used 19 bioclimatic variables to build models of the potential distributions of species using the MaxEnt program. Using the potential model results, we calculated diversity metrics and overlapped them with the current state and federal “conservation units” (protected areas for biodiversity) in Brazil. Total beta diversity and turnover portions were separated into two faunistic groups, one in northern and the other in southern Brazil. The Amazon has higher beta diversity than what was predicted by the null models. We detected a positive relationship between species distribution area and occurrence in conservation units. Conservation units with less than 250 km2do not protect Gerromorpha species. Our results reinforce the necessity of formulating new conservation strategies for this group, contemplating species with both restricted and ample distributions, because rare and specialist species are the most harmed by habitat reduction, given that they are more sensitive to environmental disturbance.