bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Temporary or Permanent? A Clinical Challenge in the Evaluation of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients with Unconsciousness and Normal Initial Head CT
Authors: Li Cheng‐Yu , Chuang Chi‐Cheng , Chen Ching‐Chang , Tu Po‐Hsun , Hsu Ting‐An , Kuo Yu‐Chi , Liao Chien‐Hung , Hsieh Chi‐Hsun , Fu Chih‐Yuan
Published: September 2022

Background

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients with unconsciousness and normal initial head computed tomography (CT) present a clinical dilemma for physicians and neurosurgeons in the emergency department (ED). We recorded how long it took for patients to regain consciousness and evaluated the patients’ characteristics.

Methods

From 2018 to 2020, TBI patients with unconsciousness and normal initial head CT [Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score < 13, negative CT scan and normal laboratory test results] were evaluated. Patients who regained consciousness were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression (MLR) analyses were used to evaluate independent factors for regaining consciousness.

Results

A total of 77 patients were included in this study. Fifty‐eight (75.3%) patients regained consciousness, most within one day (43.1%). Nineteen (24.7%) patients never regained consciousness. MLR analysis showed that initial GCS score (odds 1.85, p = 0.017), early airway protection in ED (odds 25.02, p = 0.018) and 72‐h GCS score improvement by two points (odds 0.02, p = 0.001) were independent factors for regaining consciousness. Overall, 94.1% of patients who received early airway protection and improved 2 points in 72‐h GCS score regained consciousness. The association between days to M5 status and days to M6 status (consciousness) was highly significant. Fewer days to M5 status were highly associated with needing fewer days to regain consciousness.

Conclusions

For TBI patients with unconsciousness and normal initial head CT, a higher probability of regaining consciousness was observed in those who underwent early airway protection and who improved 2 points in 72‐h GCS score. Regaining consciousness within a short period could be expected in patients with M5 status.
Principles and Applicability of Integrated Remediation Strategies for Heavy Metal Removal/Recovery from Contaminated Environments
Authors: Alsafran Mohammed , Saleem Muhammad Hamzah , Al Jabri Hareb , Rizwan Muhammad , Usman Kamal
Published: September 2022

Contamination of agricultural soils with heavy metals present lethal consequences in terms of diverse ecological and environmental problems that entail entry of metal in food chain, soil deterioration, plant growth suppression, yield reduction and alteration in microbial community. Metal polluted soils have become a major concern for scientists around the globe. In more recent times, armed with new knowledge and understanding, removal of heavy metals using different applications has emerged as a solution for waste treatment and contaminant remediation in water and soil. However, the description of metal toxicity to the plants and its removal and degradation from the soil is limited. There are a number of reports in the literature where PGP bacterial inoculation and various chelating agents improves metal accumulation and it’s detoxification in different plant parts without influencing plant growth. Therefore, there is a need to select some useful chemicals which possess the potential to improve plant growth as well as expedite the phytoremediation of metals. In this review, we have discussed the mechanisms possessed by different chelating agents to promote plant growth and phytoremediation of metals. We anticipate that this analysis of interconnected systems will lead to the discovery of new research fields.
Role of streptococcal infection in the etiopathogenesis of pityriasis lichenoides chronica and the therapeutic efficacy of azithromycin: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Elbendary Amira , Youssef Randa , Abdel-Halim Mona R. E. , Abdel Halim Dalia , El Sharkawy Dina Ahmed , Alfishawy Mostafa , Gad Maha A. , Gad Abdallah , Elmasry Maha Fathy
Published: September 2022

The exact aetiology of pityriasis lichenoides chronica (PLC) remains unknown. While phototherapy is the most investigated therapeutic modality, azithromycin has been used scarcely. The aim of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of azithromycin in the treatment of PLC compared to NB-UVB and evaluating the presence of streptococcal infection as a possible etiological factor in PLC patients. The study was designed as a randomised controlled trial. Twenty-four patients with PLC were randomly allocated into either azithromycin (n = 13, standard dose every 10 days) or NB-UVB (n = 11, thrice weekly) groups. End of study (EOS) was either complete clearance of lesions or a maximum of 8 weeks. Therapeutic efficacy was defined as percent reduction in lesions and was calculated for the rash as a whole, erythematous papules alone, and hypopigmented lesions alone and graded into complete, very-good, good, poor or no response. Anti-streptolysin O titre (ASOT), anti-deoxyribonuclease B titre (anti-DNaseB) and throat culture were evaluated at day 0. No significant difference existed between both groups as regards therapeutic efficacy. At EOS, NB-UVB achieved significantly more percent reduction in the extent of hypopigmented lesions and consequently in the rash as a whole (p = 0.001, p = 0.034, respectively). The extent of the rash as a whole was significantly less in the NB-UVB at EOS (p = 0.029, respectively). The effect of NB-UVB on hypopigmented lesions appeared early at week 4 of treatment. Only two patients, one from each group, relapsed during the 3 month follow-up. Evidence of recent streptococcal infection was present in 79% of the cases, mainly in the form of elevated ASOT (94.7%). It was significantly more encountered in young children (< 13 years) (p = 0.03) and was associated with more extent of erythematous papules and consequently with more extent of the rash as a whole (p = 0.05 and p = 0.01, respectively). It did not affect outcome of therapy at EOS. Azithromycin did not show more favorable response in patients with recent streptococcal infection. Therapeutic efficacy of azithromycin is comparable to NB-UVB in treatment of PLC; however, NB-UVB is superior in management of hypopigmented lesions. It is highly suggested that PLC could be a post streptococcal immune mediated disorder.

Registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03831269.
Depression and anxiety in women with malignant ovarian germ cell (MOGCT) and sex cord stromal tumors (SCST): an analysis of the AGO-CORSETT database
Authors: Bossart M. , Plett H. , Krämer B. , Braicu E. , Czogalla B. , Klar M. , Singer S. , Mayr D. , Staebler A. , du Bois A. , Kommoss S. , Link T. , Burges A. , Heitz F. , Grube M. , Trillsch F. , Harter P. , Wimberger P. , Buderath P. , Hasenburg A.
Published: September 2022

Introduction

The intention of this study was to evaluate the level of anxiety and depression of malignant ovarian germ cell (MOGCT) and sex cord stromal tumors (SCST) survivors and to identify possible alterable cofactors.

Methods

CORSETT was an observational, multicenter, mixed retrospective/prospective cohort study of the AGO Studygroup. Women who had been diagnosed with MOGCTs and SCSTs between 2001 and 2011 were asked to complete the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to evaluate distress. Predictors of distress (type of surgery, chemotherapy, time since diagnosis, recurrence, second tumor, pain) were investigated using multivariate linear regression analysis.

Results

150 MOGCT and SCST patients with confirmed histological diagnosis completed the questionnaire median seven years after diagnosis. They had a HADS total score ≥ 13 indicating severe mental distress in 34% of cases. Patients after fertility-conserving surgery had lower probability of severe mental distress than those without fertility-conserving treatment (β = − 3.1, p = 0.04). Pain was associated with the level of distress in uni- and multivariate analysis (coef 0.1, p < 0.01, coef. Beta 0.5).

Discussion

Severe mental distress was frequent in patients with MOGCT and SCST and the level of pain was associated with the level of distress. Fertility conserving therapy, however, was associated with less mental distress. Screening and treatment of pain and depression is required to improve mental well-being in survivors of MOGCT and SCST.
Menstrual cycle affects iron homeostasis and hepcidin following interval running exercise in endurance-trained women
Authors: Alfaro-Magallanes Víctor M. , Barba-Moreno Laura , Romero-Parra Nuria , Rael Beatriz , Benito Pedro J. , Swinkels Dorine W. , Laarakkers Coby M. , Díaz Ángel E. , Peinado Ana B. ,   the IronFEMME Study Group
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Menstrual cycle phase affects resting hepcidin levels, but such effects on the hepcidin response to exercise are still unclear. Thus, we investigated the hepcidin response to running during three different menstrual cycle phases.

Methods

Twenty-one endurance-trained eumenorrheic women performed three identical interval running protocols during the early-follicular phase (EFP), late-follicular phase (LFP), and mid-luteal phase (MLP). The protocol consisted of 8 × 3 min bouts at 85% of the maximal aerobic speed, with 90-s recovery. Blood samples were collected pre-exercise and at 0 h, 3 h and 24 h post-exercise.

Results

Data presented as mean ± SD. Ferritin were lower in the EFP than the LFP (34.82 ± 16.44 vs 40.90 ± 23.91 ng/ml, p = 0.003), while iron and transferrin saturation were lower during the EFP (58.04 ± 19.70 µg/dl, 14.71 ± 5.47%) compared to the LFP (88.67 ± 36.38 µg/dl, 22.22 ± 9.54%; p < 0.001) and the MLP (80.20 ± 42.05 µg/dl, 19.87 ± 10.37%; p = 0.024 and p = 0.045, respectively). Hepcidin was not affected by menstrual cycle (p = 0.052) or menstrual cycle*time interaction (p = 0.075). However, when comparing hepcidin at 3 h post-exercise, a moderate and meaningful effect size showed that hepcidin was higher in the LFP compared to the EFP (3.01 ± 4.16 vs 1.26 ± 1.25 nMol/l; d = 0.57, CI = 0.07–1.08). No effect of time on hepcidin during the EFP was found either (p = 0.426).

Conclusion

The decrease in iron, ferritin and TSAT levels during the EFP may mislead the determination of iron status in eumenorrheic athletes. However, although the hepcidin response to exercise appears to be reduced in the EFP, it shows no clear differences between the phases of the menstrual cycle (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04458662).
Regularized online tensor factorization for sparse knowledge graph embeddings
Authors: Zulaika Unai , Almeida Aitor , López-de-Ipiña Diego
Published: September 2022

Knowledge Graphs represent real-world facts and are used in several applications; however, they are often incomplete and have many missing facts. Link prediction is the task of completing these missing facts from existing ones. Embedding models based on Tensor Factorization attain state-of-the-art results in link prediction. Nevertheless, the embeddings they produce can not be easily interpreted. Inspired by previous work on word embeddings, we propose inducing sparsity in the bilinear tensor factorization model, RESCAL, to build interpretable Knowledge Graph embeddings. To overcome the difficulties that stochastic gradient descent has when producing sparse solutions, we add $$l_1$$

l
1

regularization to the learning objective by using the generalized Regularized Dual Averaging online optimization algorithm. The proposed method substantially improves the interpretability of the learned embeddings while maintaining competitive performance in the standard metrics.
Fluorescence perfusion assessment of vascular ligation during ileal pouch-anal anastomosis
Authors: Slooter M. D. , van der Does de Willebois E. M. L. , Joosten J. J. , Reijntjes M. A. , Buskens C. J. , Tanis P. J. , Bemelman W. A. , Hompes R.
Published: September 2022

Background

Intraoperative fluorescence angiography (FA) is of potential added value during ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA), especially after vascular ligation as part of lengthening measures. In this study, time to fluorescent enhancement during FA was evaluated in patients with or without vascular ligation during IPAA.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study of all consecutive patients that underwent FA-guided IPAA between August 2018 and December 2019 in our tertiary referral centre. Vascular ligation was defined as disruption of the ileocolic arcade or ligation of interconnecting terminal ileal branches. FA was performed before and after ileoanal anastomotic reconstruction. During FA, time to fluorescent enhancement was recorded at different sites of the pouch.

Results

Thirty-eight patients [55.3% male, median age 45 years (IQR 24–51 years)] were included, of whom the majority (89.5%) underwent a modified-2-stage restorative proctocolectomy. Vascular ligation was performed in 15 patients (39.5%), and concerned central ligation of the ileocolic arcade in 3 cases, interconnecting branches in 10, and a combination in 2. For the entire cohort, time between indocyanine green (ICG) injection and first fluorescent signal in the pouch was 20 s (IQR 15–31 s) before and 25 s (IQR 20–36 s) after anal anastomotic reconstruction. Time from ICG injection to the first fluorescent signal at the inlet, anvil and blind loop of the pouch were non-significantly prolonged in patients that received vascular ligation.

Conclusions

Results from this study indicate that time to fluorescence enhancement during FA might be prolonged due to arterial rerouting through the arcade or venous outflow obstruction in case of vascular ligation.
Margins matter: the importance of field margins as avian brood-rearing habitat in an intensive agricultural landscape
Authors: Krüger Heidi , Jaatinen Kim , Holopainen Sari , Niemi Milla , Vehkaoja Mia , Virtanen Juha , Väänänen Veli-Matti , Nummi Petri
Published: September 2022

Agricultural intensification has significantly impacted habitat structures in agricultural landscapes and is one of the main drivers of biodiversity decline, especially in farmland birds. Birds are considered to reflect well the trends in other biodiversity elements and are therefore often used as indicator species. We studied common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) brood habitat use in a small-grain-dominated farmland in southern Finland. The broods significantly preferred field margins compared to their availability. The importance of field margins was underlined, as 68% of pheasant brood observations in grain fields were within a 25-m-wide zone from the field edge, despite the availability being only 40% of the field area. Our results support the idea that field margins and their proximity act as possible biodiversity reservoirs even in intensive farming systems. Increasing the amount of field margins can be an effective management method when aiming to improve success of common pheasant broods while simultaneously benefitting farmland biodiversity. Identifying key habitats and landscape features that allow the co-existence of biodiversity and effective food production is crucial when aiming to halt the ongoing biodiversity collapse.
Short mindfulness meditation training: does it really reduce perceived stress?
Authors: Horrillo Álvarez Barbara , Marín Martín Carolina , Rodríguez Abuín Manuel , Orio Ortiz Laura
Published: September 2022

To study whether an 8-week mindfulness meditation training program truly reduces perceived stress without designing a stress reduction program. An experimental study was performed in which we studied the effects of 8 weeks of MM training on attention and awareness, as measured by the MAAS (mindfulness attention awareness scale) and perceived stress, as measured by the PSQ (perceived stress questionnaire), in 80 volunteers from the general public recruited by email from university centers. An increase in the individual’s dispositional capacity to be attentive and aware of the experience of the present moment in everyday life was observed in the experimental group versus the control group; F (2, 156) = 14.30, p = .000, η2 partial = .155. Perceived stress showed no significant differences between groups in: social acceptance; F (2, 156) = 2.30, p = .103, overload; F (2, 156) = 2.32, p = .101, irritability, tension and fatigue; F (2, 156) = 2.27, p = .106, energy and joy; F (2, 156) = 2.79, p = .065. MM practice for 8 weeks of training increases the individual’s dispositional capacity to be attentive and aware of the experience of the present moment in everyday life but may not reduce perceived stress.
Age and gender relations on LinkedIn pages of global staffing agencies
Authors: Xu Wenqian , Previtali Federica
Published: September 2022

This study investigates the ways in which age and gender play out on the LinkedIn pages of global staffing agencies through an intersectionality lens. A discourse analysis of 437 LinkedIn posts (including visual images, captions, and comments) was conducted. This study found that the corporate discourse of diversity shaped the ways that age and gender were represented. The portrayals of age and gender were found to create gendered specializations of labor and reproduce gender stereotypes; additionally, some workers were represented as disembodied clusters of attributes. The results of this study show the complex ways in which age and gender systems unfold, including two systems mutually reinforcing, gender/age system surfacing, and two systems dissolving. The findings suggest that diversity has lost its performativity as a concept, as its portrayals may not support disadvantaged groups gaining access to better employment opportunities. This study proposes that staffing agencies actively address intersectional disadvantages and foster a gender- and age-transformative change.
Adaptation of Fibril-Reinforced Poroviscoelastic Properties in Rabbit Collateral Ligaments 8 Weeks After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Transection
Authors: Orozco Gustavo A. , Ristaniemi Aapo , Haghighatnejad Mehrnoush , Mohammadi Ali , Finnilä Mikko A. J. , Saarakkala Simo , Herzog Walter , Isaksson Hanna , Korhonen Rami K.
Published: September 2022

Ligaments of the knee provide stability and prevent excessive motions of the joint. Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), a common sports injury, results in an altered loading environment for other tissues in the joint, likely leading to their mechanical adaptation. In the collateral ligaments, the patterns and mechanisms of biomechanical adaptation following ACL transection (ACLT) remain unknown. We aimed to characterize the adaptation of elastic and viscoelastic properties of the lateral and medial collateral ligaments eight weeks after ACLT. Unilateral ACLT was performed in six rabbits, and collateral ligaments were harvested from transected and contralateral knee joints after eight weeks, and from an intact control group (eight knees from four animals). The cross-sectional areas were measured with micro-computed tomography. Stepwise tensile stress-relaxation testing was conducted up to 6% final strain, and the elastic and viscoelastic properties were characterized with a fibril-reinforced poroviscoelastic material model. We found that the cross-sectional area of the collateral ligaments in the ACL transected knees increased, the nonlinear elastic collagen network modulus of the LCL decreased, and the amount of fast relaxation in the MCL decreased. Our results indicate that rupture of the ACL leads to an early adaptation of the elastic and viscoelastic properties of the collagen fibrillar network in the collateral ligaments. These adaptations may be important to consider when evaluating whole knee joint mechanics after ACL rupture, and the results aid in understanding the consequences of ACL rupture on other tissues.
Does NIH select the right healthcare ventures through the SBIR grant program?
Authors: Dutta Supradeep , Rodrigues Jenna , Folta Timothy B.
Published: September 2022

One way governments aim to spur entrepreneurship is through providing startup capital to qualified ventures. In the United States, the government does so through federal grant programs like the SBIR/STTR program. Despite the government’s efforts to spur entrepreneurship through capital distribution, we don’t know much about the selection capabilities that government agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have in place to choose qualified ventures for funding. Through exploiting a quasi-natural experiment enabled by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009, we seek to determine whether the NIH selects ventures with the most innovation and commercialization potential. Overall, our findings suggest that the NIH effectively identifies and prioritizes ventures with superior observable innovation capabilities. Yet, they could do more to discern the underlying tacit value of the innovation to prioritize selecting high-risk ventures that have the potential to create impactful innovation in the future. Our analyses should help policymakers orient their thinking around selection capabilities when assessing the impact of government programs with the broader objective of supporting novel healthcare innovation.
The moving target tracking and segmentation method based on space-time fusion
Authors: Wang Jie , Xuan Shibin , Zhang Hao , Qin Xuyang
Published: September 2022

At present, the target tracking method based on the correlation operation mainly uses deep learning to extract spatial information from video frames and then performs correlations on this basis. However, it does not extract the motion features of tracking targets on the time axis, and thus tracked targets can be easily lost when occlusion occurs. To this end, a spatiotemporal motion target tracking model incorporating Kalman filtering is proposed with the aim of alleviating the problem of occlusion in the tracking process. In combination with the segmentation model, a suitable model is selected by scores to predict or detect the current state of the target. We use an elliptic fitting strategy to evaluate the bounding boxes online. Experiments demonstrate that our approach performs well and is stable in the face of multiple challenges (such as occlusion) on the VOT2016 and VOT2018 datasets with guaranteed real-time algorithm performance.
Phase plane analysis applied to non-explicit multibody vehicle models
Authors: Mantaras Daniel A. , Luque Pablo , Alonso Marta
Published: September 2022

A new methodology for constructing stability maps (phase-plane analysis) is presented and validated for application to complex multibody vehicle models implemented in Multibody Dynamics simulation software (Adams®). Traditional methodologies are developed to be applied to explicit mathematical models. Given the complexity of some special multibody systems, particularly in vehicle dynamics, simplifications are needed to apply this stability analysis technique. The main limitation when using simplified models is the need to neglect components which could have a significant influence on the dynamic behavior of the system and therefore on its stability. In the proposed methodology it is not necessary to have access to explicit mathematical models of multibody systems. Thus, the stability map of a vehicle model can be constructed by considering highly nonlinear dynamic elements, such as tires and silent-blocks components, modeled using the nonlinear finite element technique.
Dual disorder-driven magnetic dynamics in GdCu2 superantiferromagnetic nanoparticles
Authors: Jefremovas Elizabeth M , Svedlindh Peter , Barquín Luis Fernández
Published: September 2022

The spin dynamics in magnetically disordered GdCu2 nanoparticles, varying the nanoparticle size in the range 53 to 7 nm, has been scrutinized. Dynamic χAC susceptibility measurements have revealed the existence of dissipation at Tg = 18 K, which is associated to the spin freezing transition, for all the ensembles. Besides, the superantiferromagnetic ensembles (〈D〉≥ 24 nm) also showcase a dissipation contribution close to the vicinity of the Néel transition, TN = 40.2 K. This dissipation, which takes the form of two humps located at Td1 = 33.5(5) K and Td2 = 40.0(5) K, is associated to uncompensated antiferromagnetic moments. Time-dependent phenomena (ageing and memory effects) are only evidenced below the spin freezing transition, evidencing that solely this low-temperature disordered phase is driven by the frustration of RKKY exchange interactions. Consequently, GdCu2 nanoparticles display a dual disorder-driven magnetic dynamics, which are the one ascribed to the magnetically frustrated moments located at the nanoparticle surface; and that of uncompensated antiferromagnetic moments located within the nanoparticle core.
Climate-risk materiality and firm risk
Authors: Matsumura Ella Mae , Prakash Rachna , Vera-Muñoz Sandra C.
Published: September 2022

Managers are required to disclose material climate risk in Form 10-K, but their decision whether or not to disclose is confounded by the lack of consensus on whether climate risk is material to the firms, as well as uncertainty about enforcement of disclosure regulations. Using the SASB Materiality Map™ to proxy for market expectations of climate risk materiality, we test whether the association between disclosing climate risk in 10-Ks and firm risk (proxied by cost of equity (COE)) varies with market expectations of climate risk materiality. Using S&P 500 firms’ decisions whether to disclose climate risk in Form 10-K for 2008 to 2016, we find that disclosing firms’ COE is 27 bps lower than nondisclosing firms’ COE. In industries where the market expects climate risk to be material, disclosing firms’ COE is 50 bps lower than nondisclosing firms’, while in industries where the market does not expect climate risk to be material, disclosing firms’ COE is 23 bps lower than nondisclosing firms’. Our results indicate that markets use expectations of climate risk materiality to infer the credibility of managers’ climate risk disclosure decisions. Our research contributes to policy-making on climate risk disclosures in regulatory filings and informs the debate around the costs and benefits of the SEC’s current proposal to enhance climate risk disclosures.
Children’s Physical Gender Schemas: Acquisition and Features
Authors: Hill Darryl B. , Tenenbaum Harriet R.
Published: September 2022

Studies on how physical gender schemas develop in children have traditionally utilized forced-choice and close-ended tasks, finding that the ability to make gender-related distinctions develops in the first years of a child’s life. To reduce demand characteristics that reinforce gender binaries in children’s models of gender, we relied on open-ended discourse analysis to study children’s physical gender schemas. We focused on whether children’s ability to ask questions that distinguish gender groups was greater in older than younger children. Participants were 44 3–4-year-olds, 35 5–6-year-olds, and 23 7–8-year-old children in the U.K. who were led through a guessing game to elicit gender-related beliefs and compare their beliefs about gender to their beliefs about other entities such as living things. When asking questions to distinguish gender binary groups, older children judging gendered individuals were more likely to ask questions that stereotypically distinguished the gender groups than younger children. Older children were also more likely to focus on individuals’ biological properties, clothing, and hair length than were younger children. Thus, the development of a child’s understanding of physical gender schemas gender is discrete, developing gradually at least until the age of 8.
Modeling leachate generation: practical scenarios for municipal solid waste landfills in Poland
Authors: Podlasek Anna
Published: September 2022

The idea of water balance calculations within the landfill is to determine the distribution of water input and output, and finally the volume of leachate generated. The scope of this data is essential for rational planning of water and wastewater management, and designing leachate drainage network and leachate treatment systems. The aim of this study was to assess the possible amounts of leachate generation regarding ten different scenarios of landfill sealing systems. The calculations were performed using the Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) model. It was revealed that the greatest share among the components of water balance in the landfill has precipitation (on average 509 mm in the 5-year period of simulation), together with evapotranspiration (on average 391 mm in the 5-year period of simulation). The study shows that the minimum amount of leachate (797–803 m3/year) occurs when the best placement quality (=5) is regarded for the geomembrane installed in the bottom of the landfill. The maximum leachate generation (830 m3/year) was found for those scenarios in which only three layers of bottom sealing systems were adopted, with the worst placement quality (=1) assigned to geomembranes. The results of this study confirm that the application of multilayer sealing systems has visible impact on the reduction of leachate generation of around 33 m3/year.
The association of measures of body shape and adiposity with incidence of cardiometabolic disease from an ageing perspective
Authors: Meulmeester Fleur L. , Willems van Dijk Ko , Mooijaart Simon P. , van Heemst Diana , Noordam Raymond
Published: September 2022

While obesity increases the risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs), these associations seem to attenuate with increasing age, albeit studied poorly. The present study aimed to investigate the associations between adiposity and CMDs in sex-specific groups of chronological age and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) as a measure of biological age. We investigated the associations between BMI, a body shape index, waist-to-hip ratio (adjusted for BMI) and total body fat, and incident coronary artery disease (CAD), type 2 diabetes (T2D) and ischemic stroke (IS) in 413,017 European-ancestry participants of the UK Biobank without CMD at baseline. We assessed the change in the associations between adiposity and CMD over strata of increasing chronological age or decreasing LTL. Participants (56% women) had a median (IQR) age of 57.0 (50.0–63.0) years. The median follow-up time was 12 years. People with higher BMI had a higher risk of incident CAD (HR 1.14 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13, 1.16)), T2D (HR 1.70 (95% CI 1.68, 1.72)) and IS (HR 1.09 (95% CI 1.06, 1.12)). In groups based on chronological age and LTL, adiposity measures were associated with higher risk of CAD and T2D in both men and women, but these associations attenuated with increasing chronological age (Pinteractions < 0.001), but not with decreasing LTL (Pinteraction men = 0.85; Pinteraction women = 0.27). Increased (abdominal) adiposity was associated with higher risk of incident CMDs, which attenuated with increasing chronological age but not with decreasing LTL. Future research may validate these findings using different measures of biological age.
Der stigmatisierte Körper. Bewertungspraktiken und -konstellationen im Fall „Konnersreuth“
Authors: Meier Frank , Peetz Thorsten
Published: September 2022

Der Beitrag untersucht das Bewertungsgeschehen um den Körper der katholischen Stigmatisierten Therese Neumann aus Konnersreuth (1898–1962). Dazu nutzt er zwei komplementäre bewertungssoziologische Perspektiven: Die der „Situation“ und die der „Konstellation“. Aus der Situationsperspektive identifiziert er auf der Grundlage historischer Dokumente drei kontrastierende Typen von Bewertungssituationen („Normalsituation“, „Situation der Leidensekstase“, „medizinische Situation“). Der Artikel rekonstruiert, wie der Körper Neumanns geprägt durch die jeweiligen Situationsbedingungen Gegenstand der Bewertung wird. Im Fall der außeralltäglichen Situation der „Leidensekstase“ avanciert der Körper der Bewertenden darüber hinaus selbst zum Bewertungsinstrument. Aus der Konstellationsperspektive lassen sich Formen der Verknüpfung von Situationen identifizieren. Wir rekonstruieren die Form der Verkennung, in der sich Bewertungskonstellationen überlagern, in denen Bewertende sich wechselseitig den Bezug auf identische Bewertungsobjekte unterstellen, aber unterschiedliche Bewertungsobjekte konstruieren.
Total esophagogastric dissociation (TEGD) in neurologically impaired children: the floor to parents
Authors: Parente Giovanni , Cravano Sara Maria , Di Mitri Marco , Thomas Eduje , Girella Chiara , D’Antonio Simone , Gargano Tommaso , Lima Mario
Published: September 2022

Total esophagogastric dissociation (TEGD) was proposed to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) both as a rescue in case of fundoplication failure and as first-line surgery in neurologically impaired children (NIC). Aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of TEGD on the quality of life (QoL) of both NIC and their caregivers focusing on the parents’ point of view. A retrospective observational study was conducted on all NIC who underwent TEGD in our center between 2012 and 2022. A questionnaire centered on the parents’ point of view and investigating QoL of NIC and their caregivers was administered to all patients’ parents. Data were compared using Fisher exact test and Mann–Whitney test; a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. 12 patients were enrolled in the study. Parents reported improvements in weight gain (p = 0.03), sleep disorders, apnea, regurgitation and vomiting (p < 0.01). Caregivers also declared a decrease in number of hospitalizations, particularly related to severe respiratory infections and ab ingestis pneumonia (p = 0.01). We also documented a reduction of caregivers’ worries during food administration (p < 0.01). 50% of parents whose children were subjected to both fundoplication and TEGD would suggest TEGD as first line surgical treatment instead of fundoplication. According to parents’ point of view, TEGD improves significantly NIC QoL and 50% of them would enthusiastically suggest TEGD as first-line surgical approach to GERD in NIC.
How to Manage Taste Disorders
Authors: Hsieh Julien Wen , Daskalou Dimitrios , Macario Sonia , Voruz Francois , Landis Basile Nicolas
Published: September 2022

Purpose of the Review

This study aims to summarize the current state of the art of how taste disorders are clinically best managed.

Recent Findings

Taste disorders are distressing for the concerned patients since eating and drinking become bothersome or impossible. Apart from nutritional problems, quality of life is impaired. Still, diagnosis and treatment of taste disorders are elusive, and general knowledge about taste and its affection is little within the population and the medical community. This review stresses the importance of accurate workup and diagnosis of taste disorders in order to offer an effective treatment. Yet unclear aspects of taste disorders are discussed, and interesting findings regarding the treatment of taste disorders are reviewed. A special focus is given to current pharmacological options on how to treat taste disorders.

Despite impressive insights into the gustatory function and molecular logic of taste receptor cells, there is currently poor clinical knowledge on the pathophysiology of taste disorders in humans. Diagnosing, measuring, and treating gustatory disorders remain restricted to a handful of specialized smell and taste centers worldwide. Despite interesting work on potential drugs treating taste disorders, many of the reported medications lack controlled and randomized trials confirming their efficacy in taste dysfunction. Future efforts need to be focused on the treatment of taste disorders.
Humoral immunity induced by mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in Nursing Home Residents previously infected with SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Fedele Giorgio , Palmieri Annapina , Damiano Cecilia , Di Lonardo Anna , Leone Pasqualina , Schiavoni Ilaria , Trevisan Caterina , Abbatecola Angela Marie , Cafariello Carmine , Malara Alba , Minchella Pasquale , Panduri Giuseppina , Antonelli Incalzi Raffaele , Palamara Anna Teresa , Stefanelli Paola , Onder Graziano ,   The GeroCovid Vax Study Group
Published: September 2022

Background

Nursing home (NH) residents suffered the greatest impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Limited data are available on vaccine-induced immunity and on the protection ensured by a prior infection in this population.

Aims

The present study aims to monitor antibody levels and their persistence over a 6-month period in NH residents according to the history of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods

We measured anti-trimeric Spike IgG antibody levels in a sample of 395 residents from 25 NHs in 6 Italian Regions at study enrolment (prior to the first dose of vaccine, T0) and then after 2 (T1) and 6 months (T2) following the first vaccine dose. All participants received mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273). Analyses were performed using log-transformed values of antibody concentrations and geometric means (GM) were calculated.

Results

Superior humoral immunity was induced in NH residents with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. (T0: GM 186.6 vs. 6.1 BAU/ml, p < 0.001; T1: GM 5264.1 vs. 944.4 BAU/ml, p < 0.001; T2: GM 1473.6 vs. 128.7 BAU/ml, p < 0.001). Residents with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection receiving two vaccine doses presented significantly higher antibody concentration at T1 and T2. A longer interval between previous infection and vaccination was associated with a better antibody response over time.

Discussion

In a frail sample of NH residents, prior SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with a higher humoral response to vaccination. Number of vaccine doses and the interval between infection and vaccination are relevant parameters in determining humoral immunity.

Conclusions

These findings provide important information to plan future immunization policies and disease prevention strategies in a highly vulnerable population.
MicroRNA circolanti come biomarcatori per il diabete mellito di tipo 2: avanzamenti e prospettive future
Authors: Grieco Giuseppina Emanuela , Fignani Daniela , Dotta Francesco , Sebastiani Guido
Published: September 2022

Sommario

Il diabete mellito di tipo 2 (DMT2) è una malattia metabolica cronica eterogenea in costante aumento. In questa rassegna, al fine di identificare un gruppo di microRNA (miRNA) con potenziale applicazione in clinica come biomarcatori per la diagnosi, prognosi e selezione di terapie personalizzate per i pazienti con DMT2, abbiamo effettuato una ricerca sistematica di letteratura, identificando e selezionando 10 miRNA (miR-126-3p, miR-223-3p, miR-21-5p, miR-15a-5p, miR-24-3p, miR-34a-5p, miR-146a-5p, miR-148a-3p, miR-30d-5p e miR-30c-5p).
Genetica delle forme di iperplasia bilaterale del surrene secernenti cortisolo
Authors: Occhi Gianluca , Puggina Daniele , Zivanovic Aleksandra , Ceccato Filippo
Published: September 2022

Sommario

Le iperplasie surrenaliche bilaterali sono una delle cause di ipercortisolemia endogena cronica associate alla sindrome di Cushing e, in base alla dimensione della lesione, vengono suddivise in forme micro- (PPNAD e iMAD) e macronodulari (PBMAH). Negli ultimi anni sono stati compiuti numerosi passi in avanti nella comprensione delle cause genetiche e molecolari di queste diverse forme di iperplasia. Fra queste, di primaria importanza sono quelle che coinvolgono le mutazioni e la disregolazione di effettori/modulatori della via cAMP/protein chinasi A (PKA). Il signalling della PKA, infatti, rappresenta il pathway molecolare principale che controlla la secrezione di cortisolo nelle cellule corticosurrenali, mediato dall’ACTH. Sebbene le mutazioni della subunità regolatoria R1$\alpha $
α
della PKA rappresentino la causa principale di PPNAD familiare e sporadica, l’inattivazione di due fosfodiesterasi, PDE11A e PDE8B, è stata associata a iMAD, ma anche ad alcuni casi di PPNAD e PBMAH. È interessante notare che la PBMAH osservata in sindromi familiari, quali FAP, MEN1 e HLRCC, è stata inizialmente associata all’espressione aberrante dei recettori accoppiati a proteine G con conseguente attivazione della via cAMP/PKA. La recente scoperta dell’associazione fra mutazioni germinali nel gene KDM1A e ARMC5 ha dato un definitivo slancio all’importanza della componente ereditaria nella PBMAH.
The expertise effect: the impact of legal specialists’ intervention on the timely delivery of laymen's judgments
Authors: Nizza Umberto
Published: September 2022

France relies exclusively on lay assessors to solve conflicts between entrepreneurs and employees for the longest time compared to any other civil jurisdiction. Given the lack of legal training of labor judges, the paper tests whether an intensification in the offer for legal services, whether coming from professional judges or specialized labor lawyers, induces delays in the procedure. Using a two-stage least squared estimating method and an innovative dataset on French labor courts between 2013 and 2017, the manuscript estimates the effect of an increase in the intervention of legal experts in labor litigation. The analysis showed that referrals to a professional judge delay labor cases’ solutions but refuted the long-standing economic theory that lawyers induce delay to acquire higher fees. This study indicates that the current structure of employment courts, entirely left in the hand of laymen with little knowledge of the ever-changing labor legislation, should be reconsidered to foster collaborative solutions accounting for industrial experience and, at the same time, legal competency.
The Management Practice of Servant Leadership: A Levinasian Enrichment
Authors: McGhee Peter
Published: September 2022

This paper applies Emmanuel Levinas’ philosophy to the management practice of leadership. Specifically, it focuses on servant leadership, which is considered the most dyadic other-oriented style. While often viewed altruistically, servant leadership can still be egological if it totalizes followers to a leader’s interests and to organizational ends. This paper conceptualises an enriched version of servant leadership using key ideas taken from Levinas’ understanding of the infinite Other and then describes this style using relevant examples. This novel approach, Servant-Leadership-for-the-Other, offers a theoretical lens by which to enrich existing leadership practices as well as providing a style of leadership better suited for the twenty-first century.
Die Mannigfaltigkeit möglicher Maximen als Problem für Kants Theorie des obersten Prinzips der Moral
Authors: Lohmar Jasper
Published: September 2022

Diese Untersuchung widmet sich einem Problem, das sich für Kants Konzeption des kategorischen Imperativs aus der Möglichkeit einer unterschiedlich feinkörnigen Individuation von Handlungstypen bei der Bildung von Maximen ergibt. Das hier präsentierte Argument aus der Mannigfaltigkeit möglicher Maximen entwickelt das bekannte „Problem of Relevant Descriptions“ weiter und verschärft es. Ich argumentiere, dass es Fälle gibt, in denen dieselbe Handlung sowohl unter einer universalisierbaren als auch unter einer nicht universalisierbaren Maxime vollzogen werden kann, sodass Kants Moraltheorie, unter der Annahme der Notwendigkeit moralischer Tatsachen, impliziert, dass es Handlungen gibt, die zugleich erlaubt und nicht erlaubt sind. Die Diskussion ergibt, dass eine hinreichende Begrenzung des Maximenbegriffs für das Ausschließen eines heterogenen Auswertungsergebnisses zweier Maximen, die derselben Handlung zugrunde liegen können, ohne ad hoc-Bestimmungen unmöglich ist. Folglich ist eine Modifikation von Kants Moraltheorie erforderlich, um zumindest ihre Konsistenz sicherzustellen. Die Untersuchung endet mit der Diskussion zweier solcher Modifikationen: Zunächst untersuche ich den Lösungsvorschlag, den moralischen Status von Handlungen nur Maximen-relativ zu bestimmen und die Annahme aufzugeben, dass Handlungen tout court erlaubt oder verboten sind. Ein solcher Schritt stellt jedoch einen tiefen Eingriff in Kants Moralphilosophie dar und geht, wie ich zeigen werde, seinerseits mit gravierenden Problemen einher. Anschließend diskutiere ich die Möglichkeit, die Universalisierungsformel des kategorischen Imperativs dahingehend zu modifizieren, dass sie nicht bloß über aktuale, sondern über alle möglichen Maximen quantifiziert. Obgleich auch dieser Lösungsvorschlag problembehaftet ist, erweist er sich im Rahmen dieser Untersuchung als der aussichtsreichste Ansatz.
Traveling Salesperson Problem with Simple Obstacles: The Role of Multidimensional Scaling and the Role of Clustering
Authors: VanDrunen Jacob , Nam Kevin , Beers Mark , Pizlo Zygmunt
Published: September 2022

The objective of the traveling salesperson problem (TSP) is to find a shortest tour through all nodes in a graph. Euclidean TSPs are traditionally represented with “cities” placed on a 2D plane. When straight line obstacles are added to the plane, a tour has to visit all cities while going around obstacles. The resulting problem with obstacles remains metric, but is not Euclidean because the shortest paths are no longer straight lines. We first revise a previous version of multiresolution graph pyramid by modifying the hierarchical clustering stage. Next, we describe two new experiments with human subjects. In the first experiment, the effect of the length of obstacles on the quality of tours produced by subjects was tested with three problem sizes. Long obstacles affect the tours to a greater degree than short obstacles, but long obstacles create obvious clusters and limit the ways in which the tours can be produced. In the second experiment we evaluated the degree to which Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) can compensate for the presence of obstacles. The results show that although MDS approximation can compensate to a large degree for the presence of obstacles, it cannot fully account for human performance. This fact suggests that mental representation of a TSP with obstacles is not Euclidean. Instead, it is likely to be based on hierarchical clustering in which pairwise distances represent the shortest paths around obstacles.
Identification of additional fire blight resistance candidate genes following MinION Oxford Nanopore sequencing and assembly of BAC clone spanning the Malus fusca resistance locus
Authors: Emeriewen Ofere Francis , Piazza Stefano , Cestaro Alessandro , Flachowsky Henryk , Malnoy Mickael , Peil Andreas
Published: September 2022

Pyramiding different fire blight resistance genes and QTLs in future apple cultivars is the most eco-friendly way to combat this disease. Identification of strong fire blight resistance donors, and introgression of their resistance into apple breeding material are a continuing effort of breeding programs. Thus, enormous effort is been put into breeding research to understand host – pathogen interactions and mechanisms of resistance found in Malus. The crabapple Malus fusca (accession MAL0045) is highly resistant to fire blight, and although resistance is strain-dependent, resistance of MAL0045 is not overcome by any known strain of Erwinia amylovora to date. A strong fire blight resistance locus (FB_Mfu10) was fine mapped to an interval of 0.33 Centimorgan (cM) on linkage group (LG) 10 of MAL0045 using 1888 progenies. Subsequently, a single bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone (46H22), which harbours FB_Mfu10-resistance alleles, was identified in a MAL0045 BAC library and sequenced using MiSeq illumina leading to the assembly of 45 contigs. Analyses of the sequence of 46H22 led to the identification of a receptor-like kinase candidate gene. Here, we report about resequencing 46H22 using MinION Oxford Nanopore and successfully assembled the sequences into a single contig, which allowed for identifying additional candidate genes.