bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incidence of postoperative symptomatic spinal epidural hematoma requiring surgical evacuation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Chen Qian , Zhong Xiaoxin , Liu Wenzhou , Wong Chipiu , He Qing , Chen Yantao
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the incidence of symptomatic spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH) following spine surgery.

Methods

We systematically searched for all relevant articles that mentioned the incidence of SSEH following the spine surgery published in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases through March 2022 and manually searched the reference lists of included studies. The Newcastle–Ottawa quality assessment scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of the included studies. A fixed-effects or random-effects model was performed to calculate the pooled incidence of the totality and subgroups based on the heterogeneity. The potential publication bias was assessed by Egger's linear regression and a funnel plot. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted.

Results

A total of 40 studies were included in our meta-analysis based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria. The overall pooled incidence of SSEH was 0.52% (95% CI 0.004–0.007). In the subgroup analysis, the pooled incidence of SSEH in males and females was 0.86% (95% CI 0.004–0.023) and 0.68% (95% CI 0.003–0.017). Among the different indications, a higher incidence (2.9%, 95% CI 0.006–0.084) was found in patients with deformity than degeneration (1.12%, 95% CI 0.006–0.020) and tumor (0.30%, 95% CI 0.006–0.084). For different surgical sites, the incidences of SSEH in cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine were 0.32% (95% CI 0.002–0.005), 0.84% (95% CI 0.004–0.017) and 0.63% (95% CI 0.004–0.010), respectively. The incidences of SSEH in anterior and posterior approach were 0.24% (95% CI 0.001–0.006) and 0.70% (95% CI 0.004–0.011), respectively. The pooled incidence of SSEH was five times higher with minimally invasive surgery (1.94%, 95% CI 0.009–0.043) than with open surgery (0.42%, 95% CI 0.003–0.006). Delayed onset of SSEH had a lower incidence of 0.16% (95% CI 0.001–0.002) than early onset. There were no significant variations in the incidence of SSEH between patients who received perioperative anticoagulation therapy and those who did not or did not report getting chemopreventive therapy (0.44%, 95% CI 0.006–0.084 versus 0.42%, 95% CI 0.003–0.006).

Conclusion

We evaluated the overall incidence proportion of SSEH after spine surgery and performed stratified analysis, including sex, surgical indication, site, approach, minimally invasive surgery, and delayed onset of SSEH. Our research would be helpful for patients to be accurately informed of their risk and for spinal surgeons to estimate the probability of SSEH after spine surgery.
Current state of high-fidelity multimodal monitoring in traumatic brain injury
Authors: Lindblad Caroline , Raj Rahul , Zeiler Frederick A. , Thelin Eric P.
Published: October 2022

Introduction

Multimodality monitoring of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is primarily performed in neuro-critical care units to prevent secondary harmful brain insults and facilitate patient recovery. Several metrics are commonly monitored using both invasive and non-invasive techniques. The latest Brain Trauma Foundation guidelines from 2016 provide recommendations and thresholds for some of these. Still, high-level evidence for several metrics and thresholds is lacking.

Methods

Regarding invasive brain monitoring, intracranial pressure (ICP) forms the cornerstone, and pressures above 22 mmHg should be avoided. From ICP, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) (mean arterial pressure (MAP)–ICP) and pressure reactivity index (PRx) (a correlation between slow waves MAP and ICP as a surrogate for cerebrovascular reactivity) may be derived. In terms of regional monitoring, partial brain tissue oxygen pressure (PbtO2) is commonly used, and phase 3 studies are currently ongoing to determine its added effect to outcome together with ICP monitoring. Cerebral microdialysis (CMD) is another regional invasive modality to measure substances in the brain extracellular fluid. International consortiums have suggested thresholds and management strategies, in spite of lacking high-level evidence. Although invasive monitoring is generally safe, iatrogenic hemorrhages are reported in about 10% of cases, but these probably do not significantly affect long-term outcome. Non-invasive monitoring is relatively recent in the field of TBI care, and research is usually from single-center retrospective experiences. Near-infrared spectrometry (NIRS) measuring regional tissue saturation has been shown to be associated with outcome. Transcranial doppler (TCD) has several tentative utilities in TBI like measuring ICP and detecting vasospasm. Furthermore, serial sampling of biomarkers of brain injury in the blood can be used to detect secondary brain injury development.

Conclusions

In multimodal monitoring, the most important aspect is data interpretation, which requires knowledge of each metric’s strengths and limitations. Combinations of several modalities might make it possible to discern specific pathologic states suitable for treatment. However, the cost–benefit should be considered as the incremental benefit of adding several metrics has a low level of evidence, thus warranting additional research.
Model Reduction Using Sparse Polynomial Interpolation for the Incompressible Navier–Stokes Equations
Authors: Hess Martin , Rozza Gianluigi
Published: October 2022

This work investigates the use of sparse polynomial interpolation as a model order reduction method for the parametrized incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. Numerical results are presented underscoring the validity of sparse polynomial approximations and comparing with established reduced basis techniques. Two numerical models serve to assess the accuracy of the reduced order models (ROMs), in particular parametric nonlinearities arising from curved geometries are investigated in detail. Besides the accuracy of the ROMs, other important features of the method are covered, such as offline-online splitting, run time and ease of implementation. The findings provide a clear indication that sparse polynomial interpolation is a valid instrument in the toolbox of ROM methods.
Effects of landscape composition on hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in mass-flowering crop fields within forest-dominated landscapes
Authors: Toikkanen Jenni , Halme Panu , Kahanpää Jere , Toivonen Marjaana
Published: October 2022

Agricultural intensification has led to structurally simplified landscapes with reduced and fragmented resources for farmland insects. However, studies on the effects of landscape composition on farmland insects have mainly been performed in areas dominated by open arable land and semi-natural grasslands, while studies from forest-dominated landscapes are scarce. This research examined the effects of landscape composition on hoverfly species richness and abundance in arable land in boreal forest-dominated landscapes. Hoverflies were sampled in 22 mass-flowering caraway (Carum carvi) fields in Central Finland using pan traps. The effects of landscape composition on species richness and abundance were examined for all hoverflies, and for species groups with different adult habitat preferences. Landscape composition was measured as proportions of land cover classes within two different radii. Species richness and abundances of all hoverflies, forest species and open-habitat species increased with decreasing arable land cover and/or increasing forest cover within a 500 m radius (the two land cover classes strongly negatively correlated). Wetland species were most abundant in landscapes with an intermediate cover of arable land and forest, and most species-rich in landscapes with intermediate (10%) water cover. The species richness and abundance of mixed-habitat species increased with increasing cover of transitional woodland.

Implications for insect conservation

Our results show that most hoverfies in arable land benefit from increasing surrounding forest cover even in relatively heterogeneous, forest-dominated landscapes. Preserving or increasing the area of forests and other non-arable habitats is needed to safeguard a diversity of resources for hoverflies, and associated ecosystem services in farmland.
Estimating flexibility preferences to resolve temporal scheduling conflicts in activity-based modelling
Authors: Manser Patrick , Haering Tom , Hillel Tim , Pougala Janody , Krueger Rico , Bierlaire Michel
Published: October 2022

This paper presents a novel activity-based demand model that combines an optimisation framework for continuous temporal scheduling decisions (i.e. activity timings and durations) with traditional discrete choice models for non-temporal choice dimensions (i.e. activity participation, number and type of tours, and destinations). The central idea of our approach is that individuals resolve temporal scheduling conflicts that arise from overlapping activities, e.g. needing to work and desiring to shop at the same time, in order to maximise their daily utility. Flexibility parameters capture behavioural preferences that penalise deviations from desired timings. This framework has three advantages over existing activity-based modelling approaches: (i) the time conflicts between different temporal scheduling decisions including the activity sequence are treated jointly; (ii) flexibility parameters follow a utility maximisation approach; and (iii) the framework can be used to estimate and simulate a city-scale case study in reasonable time. We introduce an estimation routine that allows flexibility parameters to be estimated using real-world observations as well as a simulation routine to efficiently resolve temporal conflicts using an optimisation model. The framework is applied to the full-time workers of a synthetic population for the city of Lausanne, Switzerland. We validate the model results against reported schedules. The results demonstrate the capabilities of our approach to reproduce empirical observations in a real-world case study.
Causal bias in measures of inequality of opportunity
Authors: Ackermans Lennart B.
Published: October 2022

In recent decades, economists have developed methods for measuring the country-wide level of inequality of opportunity. The most popular method, called the ex-ante method, uses data on the distribution of outcomes stratified by groups of individuals with the same circumstances, in order to estimate the part of outcome inequality that is due to these circumstances. I argue that these methods are potentially biased, both upwards and downwards, and that the unknown size of this bias could be large. To argue that the methods are biased, I show that they ought to measure causal or counterfactual quantities, while the methods are only capable of identifying correlational information. To argue that the bias is potentially large, I illustrate how the causal complexity of the real world leads to numerous non-causal correlations between circumstances and outcomes and respond to objections claiming that such correlations are nonetheless indicators of unfair disadvantage, that is, inequality of opportunity.
Guiding Principles for Managing Co-occurring Alcohol/Other Drug and Mental Health Conditions: a Scoping Review
Authors: Fisher Alana , Rochesson Sylvia Eugene Dit , Mills Katherine , Marel Christina
Published: October 2022

This scoping review aimed to synthesise the published literature on guiding principles for managing co-occurring alcohol/other drug (AOD) and mental health conditions in AOD treatment settings. Systematic search of key electronic databases (January 1, 2010, to February 17, 2021) produced 4583 articles, and independent title/abstract and full text screening left 43 articles for inclusion. Fifteen guiding principles were identified, most commonly: build a strong therapeutic relationship (n = 24 articles), provide holistic care (n = 12), involve peer support (n = 7), ensure continuity of care (n = 6), support the professional development and competence of workers (n = 6), and provide trauma-informed care (n = 5). Remaining principles were identified in < 5 articles. Limited empirical literature examined the impact of guiding principles on patient- and treatment-related outcomes. This review provides the first comprehensive synthesis of the international literature to derive guiding principles for managing co-occurring AOD and mental health conditions in AOD treatment. Further empirical research is needed to determine the effectiveness of principles at improving outcomes.
From “New Botany” to “New Systematics”: an historical perspective on the Jodrell Laboratory
Authors: Rudall Paula J.
Published: October 2022

Kew’s Jodrell Laboratory was established in 1876 as a centre for botanical research in disciplines including plant physiology, anatomy and embryology, palaeobotany and mycology. Despite relatively little available funding, its location in one of the world’s largest botanic gardens and close to several well-curated plant collections has ensured its continued existence for almost a century and a half. Under the far-sighted leadership of Kew’s second Director, Joseph Dalton Hooker, the Jodrell Laboratory was established to coincide with Thomas Henry Huxley’s pioneering course at the Normal School of Science in London. Funded by a generous private donation, the Laboratory complemented and augmented the programme in taxonomy and systematics already established in Kew’s Herbarium, and provided a broader educational and research base to explore contemporary laboratory-based discoveries in fields such as physiology and lifecycles (sometimes termed the “New Botany”). The Jodrell Laboratory represents one of the world’s first non-university affiliated laboratories and has spawned several “spin-off” facilities such as the Laboratory of Plant Pathology and the Millennium Seed Bank. This paper traces its early influence as an important centre for research in palaeobotany and plant systematics, its subsequent decline during the inter-war years, and a relatively dynamic period of innovative research following the construction of a new building on the same site.
Three families of q-supercongruences modulo the square and cube of a cyclotomic polynomial
Authors: Guo Victor J. W. , Schlosser Michael J.
Published: October 2022

In this paper, three parametricq-supercongruences for truncated very-well-poised basic hypergeometric series are proved, one of them modulo the square, the other two modulo the cube of a cyclotomic polynomial. The main ingredients of proof include a basic hypergeometric summation by George Gasper, the method of creative microscoping (a method recently introduced by the first author in collaboration with Wadim Zudilin), and the Chinese remainder theorem for coprime polynomials.
Low-dose anti-VEGFR2 therapy promotes anti-tumor immunity in lung adenocarcinoma by down-regulating the expression of layilin on tumor-infiltrating CD8+T cells
Authors: Yang Biaolong , Deng Biaolong , Jiao Xiao-Dong , Qin Bao-Dong , Lu Yi , Zhang Weiqi , Guo Yixian , Chen Shiqi , Li Dan , Li Bin , Zang Yuan-Sheng
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Our study intended to explore how low-dose anti-angiogenic drugs affected anti-tumor immunity of tumor-infiltrating exhausted CD8+T cells and achieved better clinical response when combined with immunotherapy. We set out to find potential targets or predictive biomarker on CD8+T cells for immunotherapy.

Methods

We tested different doses of anti-VEGFR2 antibody combined with anti-PD1 antibody to treat LUAD in vivo and analyzed tumor-infiltrating CD8+T cells by flow cytometry. CD8+T cells overexpressing LAYN were co-cultured with LA795 cell lines to identify the function of LAYN in CD8+T cells. We also analyzed clinical samples from advanced LUAD patients treated with anti-angiogenesis therapy combined with immunotherapy.

Results

Low-dose anti-VEGFR2 antibody combined with anti-PD1 antibody treatment delayed tumor growth and prolonged the survival time of tumor-bearing mice. The number of tumor-infiltrating CD8+T cells was reduced and the expression of LAYN was down-regulated in tumor-infiltrating CD8+T cells in the low-dose anti-VEGFR2 combination group. It was found that LAYN inhibited the killing function of CD8+T cells. In patients with advanced LUAD who received anti-angiogenesis therapy combined with immunotherapy, the LAYN+CD8+T cell subpopulation in good responders was significantly higher than that in poor responders. Furthermore, we demonstrated the expression of LAYN was regulated by upstream transcription factor NR4A1.

Conclusion

Low-dose anti-VEGFR2 antibody combined with anti-PD1 antibody therapy promoted anti-tumor immunity and the downregulation of LAYN in tumor-infiltrating CD8+T cells played an important role in this process. These findings had implications for improving the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade therapy and further optimized clinical treatment guidelines in advanced LUAD.
Towards Clinical Translation of In Situ Cartilage Engineering Strategies: Optimizing the Critical Facets of a Cell-Laden Hydrogel Therapy
Authors: Duchi Serena , Francis Sam L. , Onofrillo Carmine , O’Connell Cathal D. , Choong Peter , Di Bella Claudia
Published: October 2022

Background:

Articular cartilage repair using implantable photocrosslinkable hydrogels laden with chondrogenic cells, represents a promising in situ cartilage engineering approach for surgical treatment. The development of a surgical procedure requires a minimal viable product optimized for the clinical scenario. In our previous work we demonstrated how gelatin based photocrosslinkable hydrogels in combination with infrapatellar derived stem cells allow the production of neocartilage in vitro. In this study, we aim to optimize the critical facets of the in situ cartilage engineering therapy: the cell source, the cell isolation methodology, the cell expansion protocol, the cell number, and the delivery approach.

Methods:

We evaluated the impact of the critical facets of the cell-laden hydrogel therapy in vitro to define an optimized protocol that was then used in a rabbit model of cartilage repair. We performed cells counting and immunophenotype analyses, chondrogenic potential evaluation via immunostaining and gene expression, extrusion test analysis of the photocrosslinkable hydrogel, and clinical assessment of cartilage repair using macroscopic and microscopic scores.

Results:

We identified the adipose derived stem cells as the most chondrogenic cells source within the knee joint. We then devised a minimally manipulated stem cell isolation procedure that allows a chondrogenic population to be obtained in only 85 minutes. We found that cell expansion prior to chondrogenesis can be reduced to 5 days after the isolation procedure. We characterized that at least 5 million of cells/ml is needed in the photocrosslinkable hydrogel to successfully trigger the production of neocartilage. The maximum repairable defect was calculated based on the correlation between the number of cells retrievable with the rapid isolation followed by 5-day non-passaged expansion phase, and the minimum chondrogenic concentration in photocrosslinkable hydrogel. We next optimized the delivery parameters of the cell-laden hydrogel therapy. Finally, using the optimized procedure for in situ tissue engineering, we scored superior cartilage repair when compared to the gold standard microfracture approach.

CONCLUSION:

This study demonstrates the possibility to repair a critical size articular cartilage defect by means of a surgical streamlined procedure with optimized conditions.
Estimating and validating the structure of feeding behavior networks
Authors: Zhang Hao , Li Xinrui , Lu Zhou , Zhang Haiyue , Yang Zhe , Wang Yue , Zhang Yuhai , Jiang Xun , Shang Lei
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Network analysis has been widely used in psychometrics over the past decade, yet it is unknown that whether this methodology could be applied in the field of child health assessment such as caregivers’ feeding behavior and child eating behavior. Our study leveraged network psychometrics method to estimating and examining the network structure of Chinese Preschoolers’ Caregivers’ Feeding Behavior Scale (CPCFBS), and compared the applicability of network methods in the feeding behavior scale.

Methods

The CPCFBS was previously applied in a sample of 768 preschoolers’ caregivers, used to estimate the structure of feeding behavior networks. Network structure was estimated with Gaussian Graphical Model. Dimensionality was detected using Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA). The network structural consistency was tested using EGA bootstrap. The network structure was compared with the original structure using model fit indices and reliability.

Results

A seven-dimensional EGA network was explored after rearranging four items and deleting one item with unstable structural consistency. The absolute fit and relative fit of EGA structure were better than the original structure. The EGA structure had nearly same values of the reliability with the original structure.

Conclusion

Our study presented a novel perspective for feeding behavior analytical strategies, and demonstrated that network analysis was applicable and superior in exploring the structure of feeding behavior scales.

Level of evidence

Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.
Health literacy of informal caregivers of older adults with dementia: results from a cross-sectional study conducted in Florence (Italy)
Authors: Lorini Chiara , Buscemi Primo , Mossello Enrico , Schirripa Annamaria , Giammarco Barbara , Rigon Lisa , Albora Giuseppe , Giorgetti Duccio , Biamonte Massimiliano Alberto , Fattorini Letizia , Bruno Rita Manuela , Giusti Gemma , Longobucco Yari , Ungar Andrea , Bonaccorsi Guglielmo
Published: October 2022

Aim

The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of inadequate health literacy (HL) in a sample of family caregivers of older adults with dementia, and to assess the relationship of HL with characteristics of caregiver and persons with dementia.

Methods

The study followed a cross-sectional design. Persons with dementia and their family caregivers were enrolled in an outpatients’ geriatric memory clinic. For the caregivers, the following information was collected: socio-demographic data, level of HL, cognitive impairment (using the Mini-Cog). For persons with dementia, the following data were collected: socio-demographic data, functional status (using the Basic and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living), cognitive impairment (using the Mini Mental State Evaluation, and the Global Deterioration Scale) behavioral and psychological symptoms associated with dementia (assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory).

Results

A total of 174 person with dementia/caregiver dyads were enrolled. About 45% of the caregivers presented a possibility or a high likelihood of inadequate HL. The percentage of caregivers with inadequate HL was higher among spousal caregivers than in offspring. Female gender, higher age and lower education were independent predictors of low HL. On multiple logistic regression analysis, persons with dementia assisted by caregivers with a high likelihood of limited HL presented higher risk of a more severe disease.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that the HL of dementia caregivers has to be included in the comprehensive geriatric assessment, to develop an appropriate individualized care plan. Moreover, public health interventions are needed to increase the HL of dementia caregivers.
Characteristics and stability of consumer food-buying groups: the case of food circles
Authors: Korhonen Kirsi , Muilu Toivo
Published: October 2022

Demand for local and organic food has increased rapidly in Finland in the past two decades, as also have the wide variety of alternative food networks and food cooperatives (e.g. food-buying groups or food circles). However, the operating environment of traditional food-buying groups, aka food circles (ruokapiiri), has been experiencing changes as well. The supply of local and organic food in grocery stores has improved and new types of social media-based buying groups (REKO rings) have formed. This paper examines and evaluates the characteristics and stability of food circles in the Northern Ostrobothnia region in Finland by studying their structure and changes in their status over a 5-year period and reviewing their similarities and differences to REKO rings. An electronic survey and seven semi-structured interviews were implemented during the years 2013 and 2014. In addition, the status of the food circles was investigated in 2019 via email or phone, and REKO rings were studied through the literature. Food circles were usually seen as a functional way to purchase local and organic foodstuffs. Some members valued the high degree of traceability of shipments and face-to-face encounters with producers; for others, the primary motivation was overcoming issues of access and affordability. However, only two of the seven food circles interviewed were still operating in 2019. In addition, their level of activity had slowed down or transformed. Although most of the food circles were established by active consumers with more than just the intention to make local and organic food more available, it seemed that later on in operation most of the side activities faded and the groups failed to engage suitable people in the activity. Probably the most important difference between traditional food circles and modern REKO rings is the need to volunteer. In addition, social media-based REKO rings are better known on a mainstream level. On the other hand, our findings may indicate that while food-buying groups, as a form of alternative food networks, are a relatively new phenomenon in Finland, they might just be still applying their format.
Effect of visualising and re-expressing evidence of policy effectiveness on perceived effectiveness: a population-based survey experiment
Authors: Reynolds James P. , Hobson Alice , Ventsel Minna , Pilling Mark A. , Marteau Theresa M. , Hollands Gareth J.
Published: October 2022

Communicating evidence that a policy is effective can increase public support although the effects are small. In the context of policies to increase healthier eating in out-of-home restaurants, we investigate two ways of presenting evidence for a policy's effectiveness: (i) visualising and (ii) re-expressing evidence into a more interpretable form. We conducted an online experiment in which participants were randomly allocated to one of five groups. We used a 2 (text only vs visualisation) × 2 (no re-expression vs re-expression) design with one control group. Participants (n = 4500) representative of the English population were recruited. The primary outcome was perceived effectiveness and the secondary outcome was public support. Evidence of effectiveness increased perceptions of effectiveness (d = 0.14, p < 0.001). There was no evidence that visualising, or re-expressing, changed perceptions of effectiveness (respectively, d = 0.02, p = 0.605; d = −0.02, p = 0.507). Policy support increased with evidence but this was not statistically significant after Bonferroni adjustment (d = 0.08, p = 0.034, α = 0.006). In conclusion, communicating evidence of policy effectiveness increased perceptions that the policy was effective. Neither visualising nor re-expressing evidence increased perceived effectiveness of policies more than merely stating in text that the policy was effective.
The critical layer in quadratic flow boundary layers over acoustic linings
Authors: King Matthew J. , Brambley Edward J. , Liupekevicius Renan , Radia Miren , Lafourcade Paul , Shah Tauqeer H.
Published: October 2022

A straight cylindrical duct is considered containing an axial mean flow that is uniform everywhere except within a boundary layer near the wall, which need not be thin. Within this boundary layer the mean flow varies parabolically. The linearized Euler equations are Fourier transformed to give the Pridmore-Brown equation, for which the Green's function is constructed using Frobenius series. The critical layer gives a non-modal contribution from the continuous spectrum branch cut, and dominates the downstream pressure perturbation in certain cases, particularly for thicker boundary layers. The continuous spectrum branch cut is also found to stabilize what are otherwise convectively unstable modes by hiding them behind the branch cut. Overall, the contribution from the critical layer is found to give a neutrally stable non-modal wave when the source is located within the sheared flow region, and to decay algebraically along the duct as

$O(x^{-{5}/{2}})$

for a source located with the uniform flow region. The Frobenius expansion, in addition to being numerically accurate close to the critical layer where other numerical methods lose accuracy, is also able to locate modal poles hidden behind the branch cut, which other methods are unable to find; this includes the stabilized hydrodynamic instability. Matlab code is provided to compute the Green's function.
CRISPR Cas9 mediated knockout of sex determination pathway genes in Aedes aegypti
Authors: Zulhussnain Muhammad , Zahoor Muhammad Kashif , Ranian Kanwal , Ahmad Aftab , Jabeen Farhat
Published: October 2022

The vector role of Aedes aegypti for viral diseases including dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever makes it imperative for its proper control. Despite various adopted control strategies, genetic control measures have been recently focused against this vector. CRISPR Cas9 system is a recent and most efficient gene editing tool to target the sex determination pathway genes in Ae. aegypti. In the present study, CRISPR Cas9 system was used to knockout Ae. aegypti doublesex (Aaedsx) and Ae. aegypti sexlethal (AaeSxl) genes in Ae. aegypti embryos. The injection mixes with Cas9 protein (333 ng ul−1) and gRNAs (each at 100 ng ul−1) were injected into eggs. Injected eggs were allowed to hatch at 26 ± 1°C, 60 ± 10% RH. The survival and mortality rate was recorded in knockout Aaedsx and AaeSxl. The results revealed that knockout produced low survival and high mortality. A significant percentage of eggs (38.33%) did not hatch as compared to control groups (P value 0.00). Highest larval mortality (11.66%) was found in the knockout of Aaedsx female isoform, whereas, the emergence of only male adults also showed that the knockout of Aaedsx (female isoform) does not produce male lethality. The survival (3.33%) of knockout for AaeSxl eggs to the normal adults suggested further study to investigate AaeSxl as an efficient upstream of Aaedsx to target for sex transformation in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes.
When the Cannons Roar, Tort Laws Are Silent? A Re-examination of Section 5B of the Civil Wrongs (Liability of the State) Law
Authors: Mordecai Ya'ara
Published: October 2022

This article tackles the question of the legality of section 5B of the Civil Wrongs (Liability of the State) Law, which precludes the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip, members of terrorist organisations and their agents from obtaining compensation for injuries suffered as a result of the negligent conduct of Israeli security forces. The question is examined through the lens of Israel's tort law, comparative law, the law of occupation, and international human rights law.

A special focus is given to the amendments made in the said section and its interpretation by Israeli courts, while addressing the state's tort liability towards nationals of enemy states and members of terrorist organisations. In order to emphasise the legal difficulties arising from the Law and the need for its re-examination, the 2018 protests near the Israel-Gaza border are used as a case study. The article concludes by offering to revoke the legal identification as enemy state nationals of Gaza's residents for the purposes of applying state liability in tort. In addition, it recommends the adoption of an individual examination mechanism in relation to members of terrorist organisations. These suggestions are expected to better fulfil the purposes underlying the state's tort liability exemptions, while increasing Israel's compliance with its legal obligations.
A novel source of calcium: effects of calcium pidolate concentration on egg quality in aged laying quails (Coturnix coturnix Japonica)
Authors: Sarmiento-García A. , Gökmen S. A. , Sevim B. , Olgun O.
Published: October 2022

Calcium content in the diet can affect egg quality and production in aged birds. Calcium pidolate is a new form of calcium supplementation in poultry diets, which favours the absorption of this mineral. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary calcium pidolate concentration in the diets of aged laying Japanese quails. A total of 120 female quails (27 weeks old) were assigned to four treatment groups, each with six replicates of five quails per pen. In the 10-week trial, quail diets were supplemented with calcium pidolate at four concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.50 and 1.00 g/kg), providing 25.1, 25.4, 25.8 and 26.5 g/kg calcium, respectively. As a result of this study, body weight, feed intake and feed conversion ratio did not change with the concentration of calcium pidolate (P > 0.05). In contrast, albumen and yolk index decreased as calcium pidolate level increased (P < 0.05). Moreover, calcium pidolate at a concentration of 0.50 g/kg resulted in the greatest egg production, eggshell breaking strength and eggshell thickness (P < 0.05), while above these levels the factors studied were negatively affected. According to these results, the optimal concentration of calcium pidolate in the diets of aged laying quails was 0.50 g/kg.
Trypanosoma rangeli infection impairs reproductive success of Rhodnius prolixus
Authors: Duarte da Silva Bruna , Guarneri Alessandra Aparecida
Published: October 2022

Trypanosoma rangeli is a protozoan that infects triatomines and mammals in Central and South America. Although it does not cause disease to humans, this parasite produces different levels of pathogenicity to its invertebrate host, mainly in species of the genus Rhodnius. In this study, we followed T. rangeli-infected and uninfected pairs throughout their adult lives and measured the amount of blood ingested, number of eggs laid, number of eggs hatched and proportion of infertile eggs, as well as female life expectancy. We found that all reproductive parameters were drastically decreased during infection, mainly due to the reduced amount of blood the infected insects ingested throughout their lives. Reproductive parameters were also affected by the reduction of the life expectancy of infected females, as survival was positively correlated with the number of eggs laid. The strategies used by the parasite to be transmitted are discussed in view of the pathological effects it causes in the insect.
Utility of PHQ-2, PHQ-8 and PHQ-9 for detecting major depression in primary health care: a validation study in Spain
Authors: Gómez-Gómez Irene , Benítez Isabel , Bellón Juan , Moreno-Peral Patricia , Oliván-Blázquez Bárbara , Clavería Ana , Zabaleta-del-Olmo Edurne , Llobera Joan , Serrano-Ripoll Maria J. , Tamayo-Morales Olaya , Motrico Emma
Published: October 2022

Background

Primary health care (PHC) professionals may play a crucial role in improving early diagnosis of depressive disorders. However, only 50% of cases are detected in PHC. The most widely used screening instrument for major depression is the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), including the two-, eight- and nine-item versions. Surprisingly, there is neither enough evidence about the validity of PHQ in PHC patients in Spain nor indications about how to interpret the total scores. This study aimed to gather validity evidence to support the use of the three PHQ versions to screen for major depression in PHC in Spain. Additionally, the present study provided information for helping professionals to choose the best PHQ version according to the context.

Methods

The sample was composed of 2579 participants from 22 Spanish PHC centers participating in the EIRA-3 study. The reliability and validity of the three PHQ versions for Spanish PHC patients were assessed based on responses to the questionnaire.

Results

The PHQ-8 and PHQ-9 showed high internal consistency. The results obtained confirm the theoretically expected relationship between PHQ results and anxiety, social support and health-related QoL. A single-factor solution was confirmed. Regarding to the level of agreement with the CIDI interview (used as the criterion), our results indicate that the PHQ has a good discrimination power. The optimal cut-off values were: ⩾2 for PHQ-2, ⩾7 for PHQ-8 and ⩾8 for PHQ-9.

Conclusions

PHQ is a good and valuable tool for detecting major depression in PHC patients in Spain.
Echoes of the past: St Dunstan and the heavenly choirs of St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury, in Goscelin’s Historia translationis S. Augustini
Authors: Sawicka-Sykes Sophie
Published: October 2022

The Historia translationis S. Augustini (1098 × 1100), composed by Goscelin of Saint-Bertin as part of a hagiographical cycle for St Augustine’s Abbey, contains several previously overlooked allusions to St Dunstan’s vision of heavenly virgins. I argue that Goscelin drew upon the Dunstan legend to justify Abbot Scotland’s renovation work on St Augustine’s between 1072 and 1087. The article first of all considers how the oratory of the Anglo-Saxon abbey was presented as a locus of divine praise in the first known hagiography of Dunstan. I then show how Dunstan’s eleventh-century hagiographers at Christ Church cathedral responded to the original vision by crafting competing narratives of heavenly choirs. Finally, an analysis of the Historia translationis reveals how Goscelin reappropriated the legend, depicting the oratory, and the crypt that came to replace it, as the abode of celestial spirits whose praise echoed the community’s liturgical devotions.
The artistry of Bald’s colophon: Latin verse in an Old English medical codex
Authors: Kesling Emily
Published: October 2022

Bald’s Leechbook, the most famous of the Old English medical collections, derives its name from a colophon in Latin hexameter verse that occurs on the final folio of the collection. Previous scholarly attention to the colophon has been nearly entirely directed at discerning the relationship of two named figures (Bald and Cild) and their role (if any) in the creation of Bald’s Leechbook. Yet given the rarity of verse colophons in Anglo-Saxon manuscripts and the unusual placement of this text at the end of a technical work in Old English, these verses also deserve study for their place within the larger genre of poetic colophons and framing texts from Anglo-Saxon England. This article examines for the first time the form of the colophon and its character as a work of Anglo-Latin verse as well as its relationship with the vernacular prefatory tradition associated with King Alfred.
Seeking within the self in The Metres of Boethius
Authors: Faulkner Amy
Published: October 2022

The metrical sections of the Old English Boethius have traditionally been regarded as little more than mechanical versifications of the relevant portions of the entirely prose version. This article, however, argues that The Metres of Boethius present an ambitious psychological discourse. The adaptations made during the versification process allow the poet to expand upon the prose source and place greater emphasis on the care of the inner mind. The model of the mind in the Metres owes much to the tradition of vernacular poetry, in which the mind is a separate, wilful part of the self, in need of restraint. Yet the Metres are also indebted to the tradition of their ultimate Latin source, in which the mind has the ability and, indeed, the responsibility, to monitor its own inner depths. This article demonstrates that the Metres-poet engages with both traditions, crafting a strikingly original model of the mind.
Subsidiarity does not win cases: A mixed methods study of the relationship between margin of appreciation language and deference at the European Court of Human Rights
Authors: Molbæk-Steensig Helga
Published: October 2022

In August 2021, Protocol 15 inserted the doctrine of the margin of appreciation into the preamble of the European Convention of Human Rights, presumably cementing what President Spano has referred to as the ‘Age of Subsidiarity’, in which the European Court of Human Rights applies the margin of appreciation more often and increases deference to state parties. This insertion was done on the behest of the High Contracting Parties as part of the Interlaken reform process, and there is already a strong narrative in certain member states and parts of the scholarly literature that this focus has prompted the Court to increase the usage of the margin of appreciation and therefore the deference to states, judging more frequently in their favour. This article hypothesizes, however, that the increased usage of the margin of appreciation language which has been taken as proof for this narrative, might not, in fact, indicate higher levels of deference. Rather, the language of the margin of appreciation could be the result of usage by other actors or a marker of complexity for so-called ‘hard cases’. To investigate this relationship, the article applies a mixed legal-doctrinal and quantitative methodology to analyse who in the case law invokes the doctrine, what their purpose is for doing so, and what adjudicative consequences follow. It finds that usage of the margin-language topped well before the Interlaken process began, that governments are not the most frequent invokers and that, statistically speaking, states are no more likely to win margin-cases than other cases.
Systems training for emotional predictability and problem solving in older adults with personality disorders: a pilot study
Authors: Ekiz Erol , Videler Arjan C. , Ouwens Machteld A. , van Alphen Sebastiaan P.J.
Published: October 2022

Background:

Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving (STEPPS) is a cognitive behavioural therapy-based group treatment programme for patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). STEPPS has demonstrated its effectiveness for (younger) adults. However, there are no studies into the effects of STEPPS for older adults.

Aim:

The aim was to explore the outcome of STEPPS in older adults with personality disorders.

Method:

In this naturalistic pre- vs post-treatment study, older patients with a personality disorder, reporting emotion regulation difficulties, were included. The primary outcome was BPD symptoms. Secondary outcomes included psychological distress and maladaptive personality functioning.

Results:

Twenty-four patients, with a mean age of 63.9 years (SD=4.6), completed the 19-week programme. Nine patients (23.1%) did not complete the treatment. There were no significant differences in age, gender or global severity between completers and patients dropping out. There was a significant pre- vs post-treatment decrease of BPD symptoms, with a large effect size (Cohen’s d=1.577). Self-control improved significantly and demonstrated a large effect size (r=.576). Furthermore, identity integration improved significantly, with a medium effect size (Cohen’s d=.509). No significant differences were reported for most domains of psychological distress and maladaptive interpersonal personality functioning.

Conclusions:

The findings in this pilot study suggest STEPPS is a feasible treatment programme for older adults with personality disorders and emotion regulation difficulties. Adaptations to the program, for a better fit for older adults, however, might be needed.
A COMPARISON OF EXPLICIT RUNGE–KUTTA METHODS
Authors: WALTERS STEPHEN J. , TURNER ROSS J. , FORBES LAWRENCE K.
Published: October 2022

Recent higher-order explicit Runge–Kutta methods are compared with the classic fourth-order (RK4) method in long-term integration of both energy-conserving and lossy systems. By comparing quantity of function evaluations against accuracy for systems with and without known solutions, optimal methods are proposed. For a conservative system, we consider positional accuracy for Newtonian systems of two or three bodies and total angular momentum for a simplified Solar System model, over moderate astronomical timescales (tens of millions of years). For a nonconservative system, we investigate a relativistic two-body problem with gravitational wave emission. We find that methods of tenth and twelfth order consistently outperform lower-order methods for the systems considered here.
Characterization of the Thermospheric Mean Winds and Circulation During Solstice Using ICON/MIGHTI Observations
Authors: Yiğit Erdal , Dhadly Manbharat , Medvedev Alexander S. , Harding Brian J. , Englert Christoph R. , Wu Qian , Immel Thomas J.
Published: October 2022

Using the horizontal neutral wind observations from the Michelson Interferometer for Global High‐resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI) instrument onboard NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) spacecraft with continuous coverage, we determine the climatology of the mean zonal and meridional winds and the associated mean circulation at low‐to middle latitudes (10°S–40°N) for Northern Hemisphere summer solstice conditions between 90 and 200 km altitudes, specifically on 20 June 2020 solstice as well as for a one‐month period from 8 June–7 July 2020 and for Northern winter season from 16 December 2019–31 January 2020, which spans a 47‐day period, providing full local time coverage. The data are averaged within appropriate altitude, longitude, latitude, solar zenith angle, and local time bins to produce mean wind distributions. The geographical distributions and local time variations of the mean horizontal circulation are evaluated. The instantaneous horizontal winds exhibit a significant degree of spatiotemporal variability often exceeding ±150 m s−1. The daily averaged zonal mean winds demonstrate day‐to‐day variability. Eastward zonal winds and northward (winter‐to‐summer) meridional winds are prevalent in the lower thermosphere, which provides indirect observational evidence of the eastward momentum deposition by small‐scale gravity waves. The mean neutral winds and circulation exhibit smaller scale structures in the lower thermosphere (90–120 km), while they are more homogeneous in the upper thermosphere, indicating the increasingly dissipative nature of the thermosphere. The mean wind and circulation patterns inferred from ICON/MIGHTI measurements can be used to constrain and validate general circulation models, as well as input for numerical wave models.