bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Umma and the nation-state: dilemmas in refuge ethics
Authors: Mohammed Hossameldeen , Jureidini Ray
Published: August 2022

This article addresses the question of the Muslim umma (the universal community of Muslims) which arises within the context of the ongoing debates about the status of refugees and their rights around the world, especially in the Muslim world, where a significant majority of migrants and refugees originate and are hosted. We question the existence of the Muslim umma under contemporary circumstances and discuss the extent to which the modern nation-state has undermined the principles of Muslim unity and solidarity beyond national borders. We also examine how Islamic ethics and law (fiqh) identify the imperatives of providing comfort and protection for refugees (whether they are Muslim or non-Muslim) individuals, groups, and communities when required or requested. We see this in principle, but not always in practice. Are refugee policies applied by Muslim-majority countries today in accordance with the fundamental Islamic teachings and experiences of the original hijra? Or have such principles been made redundant by the political-geographic imperatives of ethnicized nation-states? To what extent can applied policies in Muslim-majority countries be developed and enhanced in the light of umma principles that might alleviate the longstanding refugee crises in this troubled area of the world?

The article consists of three main sections. The first provides a theoretical and religious analysis of the idea of the umma as an inclusive entity that encompasses all Muslims, contrasted with the modern nation-state as an exclusive geographically defined political institution. The second looks at three Muslim-majority countries that played a significant hosting role in refugee crises over the past decade, namely Jordan, Bangladesh, and Turkey. We offer some insight in understanding to what extent their policies or behavior were based upon ummatic principles, or secularist notions of national interest and humanitarian aid? The last section summarizes the recent innovation providing for Muslim refugees through a UNHCR arrangement and adaptation with the Islamic charitable obligation of Zakat. It is suggested that the UNHCR Zakat Fund is an ummatic manifestation that has already proved honorable and viable. The conclusion calls for a better understanding of the umma as it is in the Islamic consciousness towards an effective reforming of refugee policies and practices, suggesting a further enhancement of ummatic institutional collaboration between the OIC and UNHCR for refugee integration.
Long-Term Outcomes After Transplantation for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
Authors: Socie Gerard
Published: August 2022

The Oncology Grand Rounds series is designed to place original reports published in the Journal into clinical context. A case presentation is followed by a description of diagnostic and management challenges, a review of the relevant literature, and a summary of the authors’ suggested management approaches. The goal of this series is to help readers better understand how to apply the results of key studies, including those published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, to patients seen in their own clinical practice.

Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) has been used for more than four decades as consolidation therapy in acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Allogeneic HSCT is almost universally used today, and autologous HSCT nearly disappeared from daily practice. Improvement in transplantation strategies, supportive care, and increased donor source availability led to increased numbers of long-term survivors after HSCT. In the accompanying paper of this grand rounds, Armenian and coworkers analyzed the burden of late complications after HSCT for AML in a large cohort of patients and compared severe/life-threatening conditions with those of siblings. This study reinforces the need for prolonged clinical follow-up of transplanted patients otherwise nearly cured of their original disease for late malignant and nonmalignant complications.
From Prison to Researcher
Authors: Gillespie Zach , Pagan Mychal , Thomas Aiyuba , McCarthy Derick , Thompson Vincent
Published: August 2022

In the course of a group discussion, five student members of New York University’s Prison Education Program (PEP) reflect on their transition from prison inmates and students to their training as peer researchers in the PEP Research Lab. They trade their experiences of life on the inside, debunking a variety of public myths about the welfare and treatment of those caught within the prison system. Discussing their postcarceral roles as students and researchers, they analyze the differences between the two, drawing particular attention to the social status accorded to researchers. Building on the independence and resources offered by PEP’s Research Lab, they describe the initiatives they have taken to launch new paths of inquiry into carceral life and the financial and social burdens that continue to afflict the formerly incarcerated upon reentry.
Introduction to Bernard Stiegler, “The National Front and Ultraliberalism” (Extract from Pharmacologie du Front National, 2013)
Authors: Ross Daniel
Published: August 2022

The French philosopher Bernard Stiegler published Pharmacologie du Front national in 2013. It is above all a response to the 2012 French presidential election, which, despite the election of François Hollande, gave evidence of the rising influence of the far-right National Front, and thus of a growing regressive tendency in the politics of the Western representative democracies. But Stiegler's concern in this regard can be traced back to his first book and is present throughout his work, which has always been concerned with the positive technical (default of) origin of the conjunction of desire and knowledge, and the irreducibility of the tendency for these to be undermined by what he will call the negative pharmacological side of technics. In Pharmacologie du Front national, he draws attention to a third dimension of the pharmakon: its tendency to lead to the designation of the pharmakos, or the scapegoat, as that negative side takes hold. For Stiegler, the industrial populism characteristic of today's consumerist economico-technological model inevitably and dangerously leads to political populism. He thus calls for a new critique of ideology, one that returns to its starting point in Marx and Engels, overcomes the limitations of Marxist and Althusserian materialisms that ultimately remain grounded in an oppositional metaphysics, and provides new practical and conceptual weapons in the struggle against contemporary ideology, whose essential motto is that “there is no alternative.”
Objective Breathing
Authors: Dutton James
Published: August 2022

This article takes up German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk's attention to air and atmospheres to argue for the influential part “objective” thinking plays in disseminating viral pandemics. It follows Sloterdijk's broad approach to “air-conditioning” to interpret the way modern cultures increasingly work to explicate and construct objective figures of (and in) air. A fundamental, yet invisible, “anthropopoietic” element, air resists the forms and figures we use to describe it. This is acutely demonstrated by airborne viruses like COVID-19 and the pandemics they create, where the medial willingness to perceive or “figure” the air becomes a critical, everyday necessity. When Sloterdijk attributes the spread of “affective epidemics” to mass-media technologies, he draws attention to how airborne transmission is a symptom of breathing the same air, which, by affecting and altering air-conditions to reproduce identical figures all across the globe, increases its spread. This article argues that the willingness to make air objective—in both senses of identifying its material properties, and believing in a uniform or consensus figure—eradicates the possibility of vital difference. In doing so, inhabiting what Sloterdijk calls the “World Interior” of reproducible sameness that props up international exchange, modern, globalized culture becomes far more susceptible to the rapid spread of epidemics. Virality is increased by the sameness of objective air-conditioning, and by reintroducing difference into the atmosphere we can bring back its life-giving potential.
Treatment of a Pontine Cavernoma With Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy: Case Report
Authors: Lawrence Jesse D. , Rehman Azeem A. , Lee Mark
Published: August 2022

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE:

Brainstem cavernomas represent a complex challenge for management. Lesions amenable to surgical resection meet criteria of either (1) are visible on the surface of the brainstem or (2) must be accessible through a brainstem safe entry zone. This case report illustrates a novel access to the brainstem for ablation of a pontine cavernoma.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION:

The patient is a 20-year-old woman. Initial presentation after a trauma revealed incidental finding of a hemorrhagic pontine cavernoma. The patient subsequently developed rehemorrhage of the cavernoma with associated symptoms of left-sided paresthesia, weakness, and gait imbalance. The patient underwent laser interstitial thermal therapy for ablation of the lesion. The laser cannula accessed the cavernoma using a suboccipital burr hole passing through the middle cerebellar peduncle. Postoperatively, the patient was noted to have diplopia secondary to R abducens palsy. Magnetic resonance imaging at the 19-month follow-up revealed a lesion measuring 1.3 × 1.2 cm down from preoperative measurement of 2.4 × 2.6 cm and continued improvement in diplopia.

CONCLUSION:

Although laser interstitial thermal therapy has previously been shown to be a treatment option for cavernomas, there is only 1 prior case report describing its use in the brainstem. Access of pontine cavernomas using the middle cerebellar peduncle is a safe approach. Further use of this technique is needed to better define the risks and benefits of this treatment option.
Comparison of clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes among COVID-19 patients in a tertiary care center during second wave pandemic in Nepal: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Simkhada Nabin , Pathak Bishnu Deep , Bhusal Laxman , Tandon Om Prakash , Shrestha Anjala , Devkota Sameeksha , Shrestha Sanjaya , Raut Sujan , Basukala Sunil , Shrestha Dhan
Published: August 2022

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a challenging pandemic globally. The clinical manifestations range from asymptomatic infection to severe respiratory failure. In-hospital mortality varies from 18.9% to 20.3%. Old age, male gender, co-morbidities, lower oxygen saturation, lymphopenia, raised C-reactive protein, and d-dimer levels increase the risk of critical illness and death. The objective of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients and associated outcomes in a tertiary level hospital in Nepal.

Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted in a tertiary center of Nepal during the peak of the second wave of the pandemic. A non-probabilistic consecutive sampling technique was adopted. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM-SPSS), version-23. Mortality (yes/no) was the primary outcome of interest, and accordingly, the cases were divided into two groups, survivors and non-survivors. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed.

Results: The overall in-hospital mortality was 84 (19.58%), and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) mortality was 36 (58.06%). The death rate was higher in cases presenting with shortness of breath and anorexia. Hypoxemic respiratory failure (16.08%) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (8.62%) were the most common complications associated with higher mortality. Patients with older age had higher odds of mortality (adjusted OR, 1.077; p<0.001). The risk of mortality was higher in severe to critically ill patients (adjusted OR, 5.861; p=0.001), and those who were under mechanical ventilation (adjusted OR, 39.059; p<0.001). Likewise, the duration of hospital stay was significantly associated with mortality (adjusted OR, 0.795; p<0.001).

Conclusions: The non-survivors of COVID-19 tended to be of older age, severe to critically ill at presentation, require mechanical ventilation, and have a shorter duration of hospital stay, compared to survivors. So, these groups of patients need special care and support during hospital admission.
A general theory of multistable systems in pathophysiology
Authors: Burlando Bruno
Published: August 2022

Despite intensive investigations numerous diseases remain etiologically puzzling and recalcitrant to treatments. A theory is proposed here assuming that these difficulties are due to an unsuitable approach to the mechanisms of life, which is subjugated by an apparent complexity and fails to grasp the uniformity that lays behind. The stability of metabolism, despite the enormous complex of chemical reactions, suggests that reciprocal control is a prerequisite of life. Negative feedback loops have been known for a long time to maintain homeostasis, while more recently, different life processes involved in transitions or changes have been modeled by positive loops giving rise to bistable switches, also including various diseases. The present theory makes a generalization, by assuming that any functional element of a biological system is involved in a positive or a negative feedback loop. Consequently, the theory holds that the starting mechanism of any disease that affects a healthy human can be conceptually reduced to a bistable or multistationary loop system, thus providing a unifying model leading to the discovery of critical therapeutic targets.
Evaluation of the usefulness of the E-POP application as a therapeutic program for reducing alcohol consumption in the time of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
Authors: Olszewska-Turek Katarzyna , Modrzyński Robert , Kotowska Justyna , Bętkowska-Korpała Barbara
Published: August 2022

Cel pracy

Celem badania była ocena aplikacji E-POP dokonana przez użytkowników terapeutycznego programu wpierającego ograniczanie picia alkoholu w dobie pandemii SARS-CoV-2.

Metoda

Badaniem objętych zostało 1854 użytkowników aplikacji E-POP. Wśród użytkowników było 1058 mężczyzn oraz 796 kobiet. Średnia wieku uczestników wyniosła 39,78 roku. Użytkownicy zainteresowani udziałem w programie logowali się anonimowo do aplikacji oraz akceptowali regulamin i wymagane zgody związane z przetwarzaniem danych. Do pracy terapeutycznej zarejestrowały się 503 osoby. Końcowej ewaluacji całego programu E-POP trwającego kilka miesięcy dokonało 37 osób.
Na podstawie danych z aplikacji sporządzono charakterystykę demograficzną grupy użytkowników (płeć, wiek, liczebność na różnych etapach aplikacji) oraz przedstawiono ocenę aplikacji dokonanej przez użytkowników, którzy ukończyli 11-tygodniowy program terapeutyczny E-POP w okresie od marca 2020 do marca 2021w pięciu kategoriach.

Wyniki

Z całościowej liczby uczestników, którzy skorzystali z etapu „diagnostyczno-informacyjnego” w E-POP, do pracy terapeutycznej na etapie „czas na zmianę” zarejestrowało się ponad 27% osób. Uczestnicy, którzy w dniu zebrania danych z systemu ukończyli kilkumiesięczny program terapeutyczny E-POP (n = 38), oceniali go w pięciu wymiarach. Wyniki oceny aplikacji w całej grupie wskazują na najwyższą ocenę w zakresie poszerzania wiedzy i umiejętności w ograniczaniu picia (4,3/5), a także gotowości do polecenia innym tej aplikacji (4,27/5). Pozostałe oceny oscylują w granicach 4/5. Kobiety i mężczyźni nie różnili się istotnie w ocenie przydatności aplikacji w ograniczaniu picia.

Wnioski

Blisko 30 % użytkowników, z grupy osób korzystających z etapu „diagnostyczno-informacyjnego”, loguje się, korzystając z etapu terapeutycznego „czas na zmianę”. Aplikacja jest dobrze oceniana przez użytkowników, wskazują oni na duże zadowolenie i korzyść z używania programu. Aplikacja E-POP stanowi użyteczne narzędzie wspierające pracę nad ograniczeniem spożywania alkoholu, zwłaszcza w warunkach ograniczonej dostępności pomocy terapeutycznej w czasie pandemii SARS-CoV-2.
„The Taming of the Shrew” — patriarchy and power in a relationship, family, culture
Authors: Józefik Barbara
Published: August 2022

O czym traktuje sztuka Szekspira Poskromienie złośnicy? Czy jest tylko prostą do odczytania komedią? Co mówi współczesnym czytelnikom, widzom? Artykuł przedstawia refleksje formułowane z perspektywy psychoterapeutki wrażliwej na kwestie wnoszone przez nurt feministyczny i studia genderowe. Autorka dzieli się swoim odczytaniem tekstu, zwracając uwagę na definiowanie pozycji kobiety i mężczyzny w kulturze patriarchalnej, wynikające z niej relacje władzy w relacjach intymnych, w rodzinie, w społeczeństwie, na trudności w osiąganiu autonomii przez kobiety. Zatrzymuje się nad znaczeniem języka, narracji w definiowaniu tożsamości, w definiowaniu relacji, także tych przemocowych. Komentuje uwięzienie w stereotypowych opisach płci, które wydaje się znajdować odzwierciedlenie także w sposobie klasyfikowania i przeżywania emocjonalności kobiet i mężczyzn przez psychoterapeutów, psychiatrów i psychologów. Wreszcie rozważa możliwe hipotezy dotyczące dynamiki relacji w rodzinie głównych bohaterów sztuki Szekspira. Podjęte wątki dotykają kwestii kluczowych na każdym poziomie: indywidualnym, relacyjnym i społecznym, co czyni ją wciąż aktualną.
Contemporary, somatically oriented psychodynamic techniques in working with patients experiencing mentalizing difficulties
Authors: Kalita Lech , Janasiewicz-Nowak Katarzyna , Pułjan-Laudańska Anna , Wołodko Katarzyna , Zapał Katarzyna
Published: August 2022

Artykuł zawiera opis psychoterapeutycznej pracy pięciorga psychodynamicznie/ psychoanalitycznie wyszkolonych terapeutów z pięciorgiem pacjentów w różnym wieku. Opisani pacjenci doświadczali trudności w komunikowaniu słowami swoich przeżyć emocjonalnych, trudno było im także o nich myśleć. Zgodnie z koncepcją mentalizacji spójną ze współczesnymi trendami w neuropsychologii, takie problemy komunikacyjne zwracają uwagę na rolę ciała i emocji w funkcjonowaniu werbalnego umysłu. Terapeuci podjęli wobec pacjentów wiele interwencji, których wspólnym elementem była próba klinicznego zastosowania współczesnych koncepcji psychoanalitycznych dotyczących technik pracy wykraczających poza poziom werbalnych interpretacji treści. Autorzy odwołują się między innymi do prac akcentujących rolę relacji ciało-umysł, komunikacji niewerbalnej, specyficznych werbalizacji pacjentów schizofrenicznych, koncepcji procesu referencyjnego i tzw. „interpretacji powłok”, konturów afektu i muzycznego aspektu dialogu, intersubiektywnego współtworzenia przeżyć, roli doznań zmysłowych oraz zagadnień związanych z osobistym zaangażowaniem terapeuty/ki i jego/jej zachowań. Autorzy uważają, iż umocowanie technik pracy z materiałem niewerbalnym w określonych koncepcjach czyni interwencje skuteczniejszymi i bezpieczniejszymi dla obydwu stron relacji terapeutycznej.
Test Score Algorithms for Budgeted Stochastic Utility Maximization
Authors: Lee Dabeen , Vojnovic Milan , Yun Se-Young
Published: August 2022

Motivated by recent developments in designing algorithms based on individual item scores for solving utility maximization problems, we study the framework of using test scores, defined as a statistic of observed individual item performance data, for solving the budgeted stochastic utility maximization problem. We extend an existing scoring mechanism, namely, the replication test scores, to incorporate heterogeneous item costs as well as item values. We show that a natural greedy algorithm that selects items solely based on their replication test scores outputs solutions within a constant factor of the optimum for the class of functions satisfying an extended diminishing returns property. Our algorithms and approximation guarantees assume that test scores are noisy estimates of certain expected values with respect to marginal distributions of individual item values, thus making our algorithms practical and extending previous work that assumes noiseless estimates. Moreover, we show how our algorithm can be adapted to the setting in which items arrive in a streaming fashion while maintaining the same approximation guarantee. We present numerical results, using synthetic data and data sets from the Academia.StackExchange Q&A forum, which show that our test score algorithm can achieve competitiveness and in some cases better performance than a benchmark algorithm that requires access to a value oracle to evaluate function values.

Funding: This research was supported, in part, by the Institute for Basic Science [Grants IBS-R029-C1, IBS-R029-Y2].
Dev Sakrokoksigeal Teratomlu Prematür Yenidoğanda Anestezi Yönetimi
Authors: DOĞAN Öznur , KOÇ Yeliz , ÖZMERT Sengül
Published: August 2022

Sakrokoksigeal teratomlar embriyojenik germ hücre katmanlarından köken alan, yenidoğanın en sık görülen tümörüdür. Genellikle iyi huylu olan tümör solid ve kistik yapıya ek olarak vaskülarizasyondaki artış nedeniyle kanamaya eğilimli olabilir. Bu olguların kanama riski, hemodinamik instabilite, elektrolit imbalansı, hipotermi, asidoz riski nedeniyle anestezi yönetimi özelliklidir. Gelişen komplikasyonlar perioperatif ciddi morbidite ve mortaliteye sebep olabilir. Bu olgu sunumunda postnatal 3. gününde opere edilen, 29 hafta 6 günlük, 2190 gr ağırlığında sakrokoksigeal teratomla uyumlu kitlesi olan kız hastanın anestezi yönetimindeki önemli adımlar vurgulanmıştır. Preoperatif hazırlık, invaziv arter monitorizasyonu, kan, sıvı ve elektrolit replasmanının yakın takibinin önemi literatür eşliğinde sunulmuştur.
Exploring the relationship between burnout, resilience and safety culture for mental health nurses in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Hasan Abd Alhadi , Asmi Nofaa , Alsharawneh Anas
Published: August 2022

Background/Aims

The focus of this research is on burnout, resilience and its effect on safety culture. The study maintains that healthcare organisations lag behind in the race to address burnout because they focus on dealing with the already-existing condition rather than on the source. The purpose of the study was to assess burnout, resilience and the association with safety culture in mental health nurses working in mental health institutions in Jazan, Saudi Arabia.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was undertaken using convenience sampling, with 219 mental health nurses from the mental health hospital in Jazan, between June and August 2018.

Results

The results of the study showed that 45.6% of the participants experienced a high level of emotional exhaustion, 36.5% reported a high level of depersonalisation and 15.9% high personal achievement. The high level of burnout and its dimensions has a negative effect on service users' safety and resilience.

Conclusions

This research supports the adoption of healthcare mechanisms to address the source of mental health nurses' burnout, rather than addressing the issue when it emerges.
Treatment of adjustment disorders in mental health crisis care: a reflective case study
Authors: Loader Katie
Published: August 2022

Clinical decision-making is an integral part of the nursing process, as well as a study requirement at Master's level for the advanced professional practice pathway. This article uses Gibbs' reflective cycle as a framework to explore a clinical decision made in practice. Through presentation of a case study of a patient with an adjustment disorder, the authors explore the process of prescribing appropriate treatment in the context of an uncertain evidence base. The authors will examine decision-making and communication theories and consider any biases, as well as ethical, organisational and professional factors that may influence the decision-making process. The individual and organisational steps needed to embed robust decision-making into practice will be discussed.
Down syndrome training
Authors: Cooper Lucienne , Enoch Nicola
Published: August 2022

Nicola Enoch and Lucienne Cooper from the charity Positive About Down Syndrome discuss the importance of the parent's perspective in Down syndrome training
How to work up an adult patient with metabolic acidosis
Authors: Bajwa Gurkirpal S , Hussain Asif , Javaid Muhammad M
Published: August 2022

Metabolic acidosis is a common complication among acutely unwell hospitalised patients. Untreated, it can result in undesirable cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological consequences. Metabolic acidosis can occur as an isolated entity or coexist with other acid–base disorders, making diagnosing the aetiology difficult. Accurate identification of the underlying cause is imperative for proper and timely management. A systematic approach can help simplify the assessment of patients and can aid in establishing the correct diagnosis, even in more complex cases. This article provides a practical, step-by-step guide for the assessment of adult patients with metabolic acidosis.
A toxic mix: the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on the post-separation experiences of domestic abuse survivors
Authors: Brooks-Hay Oona , Saunders Kristina , Burman Michele
Published: August 2022

Reports of an intensification of domestic abuse under COVID-19 restrictions has been described by the UN as a ‘shadow pandemic’. Drawing upon interviews with domestic abuse survivors (n=11), plus interviews (n=18) and surveys (n=22) with support service providers in Scotland, this article develops a nuanced understanding of how the conditions created by the pandemic interacted with existing experiences of domestic abuse, highlighting the relatively overlooked experiences of survivors who have separated from their abusers. The findings reveal how pandemic conditions triggered, mirrored and amplified experiences and impacts of domestic abuse through the complex interplay between isolation, anxiety, lone-parenting, financial concerns and protective requirements such as mask wearing. Participants described an increase in economic abuse, abuse online and the manipulation of child contact arrangements as the restrictions imposed by the pandemic facilitated perpetrator behaviours. However, survivors’ resilience, coping mechanisms, and in some cases enhanced feelings of safety, were also notable. These findings generate insights into the evolving but persistent nature and dynamics of domestic abuse though the pandemic, including how domestic abuse interacts with, creates, and is compounded by gendered inequalities irrespective of whether survivors have separated from their abuser.
Femtosecond laser dentistry for precise and efficient cavity preparation in teeth
Authors: Rapp Ludovic , Madden Steve , Brand Julia , Walsh Laurence J. , Spallek Heiko , Zuaiter Omar , Habeb Alaa , Hirst Timothy R. , Rode Andrei V.
Published: August 2022

High fluence focused femtosecond laser pulses were used to perform fast, high precision and minimally damaging cavity cutting of teeth at room temperature without using any irrigation or cooling system. The optimal ablation rates were established for both enamel and dentin, and the surfaces were assessed with optical and scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and optical profilometry. No chemical change in the composition of enamel and dentin was observed. We explored temperature variations inside the dental pulp during the laser procedure and showed the maximum increase was 5.5°C, within the acceptable limit of temperature increase during conventional dental treatments.
Immunological evaluation of patients with 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia: CD4+ and CD16+ cells may predict severity and prognosis
Authors: Alahyari Sam , Rajaeinejad Mohsen , Jalaeikhoo Hasan , Chegini Leila , Almasi Aghdam Maryam , Asgari Ali , Nasiri Malihe , Khoshdel Alireza , Faridfar Ali
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Available but insufficient evidence shows that changes may occur in the immune system following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present study aimed at evaluating immunological changes in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia compared with the control group.

Method

The present study was performed on 95 patients with COVID-19 (32 severe and 63 moderate cases) and 22 healthy controls. Relationship between immune cells, disease severity and lung involvement was assessed. Binary logistic regression and ROC curve tests were used for statistical analysis.

Results

A significant decrease was observed in CD20+cell counts of the patients. To differentiate patients from healthy individuals, the cutoff point for the CD4+cell count was 688 /μL, sensitivity 0.96, and specificity 0.84. An increase in CD4+cells reduces the odds of severe disease (odds ratio = 0.82, P = 0.047) and death (odds ratio = 0.74, P = 0.029). CD4+cells play a pivotal role in the severity of lung involvement (P = 0.03). In addition to CD4+cells, Fc gamma receptor III (FcγRIII) (CD16) also played a significant prognosis (odds ratio = 0.55, P = 0.047). In severe cases, C-reactive protein, Blood urea nitrogen, and Creatine phosphokinase levels, as well as neutrophil counts, were significantly higher than those of moderate ones whereas lymphocyte count in severe cases was lower than that of moderate ones.

Conclusion

The number of total T-cells and B-cells in patients with COVID-19 was lower than that of controls; however, their NK cells increased. FcγRIII and CD4+cells are of great importance due to their association with COVID-19 prognosis.
The portfolio effect in a small-scale fishery reduces catch and fishing income variability in a highly dynamic ecosystem
Authors: Vargas Andrés , Restrepo Sebastián , Diaz David
Published: August 2022

It is an increasingly accepted idea that biological diversity stabilizes ecosystem processes and the services they provide to society. By reducing biomass fluctuation, biodiversity could mitigate the impact of changing environmental conditions on rural incomes as long as people exploits a diverse set of natural assets. This effect is analogous to the risk-spreading function of financial portfolios. This paper presents evidence of the portfolio effect for an open-access artisanal fishery in an estuarine ecosystem, located in a Colombian Biosphere Reserve. Using catch statistics from 2002 to 2018, we evaluate the contribution of catch diversity to the stabilization of fishing income. We find that changes in catch composition are related to seasonal and interannual variations in salinity conditions. The portfolio effect arises from asynchronous fluctuations of fish species due to fluctuating environmental conditions. Catch diversification, instead of specialization, help achieve resilient fisheries.
Complete chloroplast genomes and comparative analyses of Hippeastrum ‘milady’, Hippeastrum albertii and Hippeastrum reticulatum (Amaryllidaceae)
Authors: Liu Xiao-fei , Sun Ying-bo , Zhu Gen-fa , Huang Li-li , Yu Bo
Published: August 2022

Hippeastrum is a genus of ornamental plants with large, brightly colored flowers. Due to the very high seed-setting rate of the hybridization of Hippeastrum, the large population of hybrid progeny and the existence of superparent inheritance, it is difficult to trace the origin of the varieties collected from the market during breeding. In this study, we analyzed the chloroplast genomes of Hippeastrum ‘Milady’, H. alberti, and H. reticulatum using the Illumina NovaSeq sequencing platform and generated full-length sequences of 158,067, 158,067, and 158,522 bp, respectively. All three genomes had the typical tetrad structure. The large single copy, small single copy, and inverted repeat regions of H. reticulatum were observed to be respectively 277, 138, and 20 bp longer than the corresponding regions of H. ‘Milady’ and H. alberti. The results of comparative analysis of simple sequence repeats (SSRs), Ka/Ks ratios, codon preferences, and complete sequences of chloroplasts of these three taxa and 14 other plant species were as follows. First, the chloroplast genomes of H. ‘Milady’, H. alberti, and H. reticulatum contain 209, 209, and 211 SSR sites, respectively, most of which (123, 123, and 122, respectively) are single nucleotide repeats. Second, leucine, arginine, and serine are the most frequently used amino acids in the three chloroplast genomes. Third, H. ‘Milady’, H. alberti, and H. reticulatum are more closely related to Lycoris and Narcissus than to Allium and Agapanthus. Our results will provide information on the study of origins or relatedness of native species, and the identification of cultivars.
Chlorhexidine cord care after a national scale-up as a newborn survival strategy: A survey in four regions of Ethiopia
Authors: Astatkie Ayalew , Mamo Girma , Bekele Tilahun , Adish Abdulaziz , Wuehler Sara , Busch-Hallen Jennifer , Gebremedhin Samson
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Chlorhexidine cord care is an effective intervention to reduce neonatal infection and death in resource constrained settings. The Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia adopted chlorhexidine cord care in 2015, with national scale-up in 2017. However, there is lack of evidence on the provision of this important intervention in Ethiopia. In this paper, we report on the coverage and determinants of chlorhexidine cord care for newborns in Ethiopia.

Methods

A standardized Nutrition International Monitoring System (NIMS) survey was conducted from January 01 to Feb 13, 2020 in four regions of Ethiopia (Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region [SNNPR]) on sample of 1020 women 0–11 months postpartum selected through a multistage cluster sampling approach. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires in the local languages through home-to-home visit. Accounting for the sampling design of the study, we analyzed the data using complex data analysis approach. Complex sample multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the determinants of chlorhexidine cord care practice.

Results

Overall, chlorhexidine was reportedly applied to the umbilical cord at some point postpartum among 46.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 41.1%– 51.2%) of all newborns. Chlorhexidine cord care started within 24 hours after birth for 34.4% (95% CI: 29.5%– 39.6%) of newborns, though this varied widely across regions: from Oromia (24.4%) to Tigray (60.0%). Among the newborns who received chlorhexidine cord care, 48.3% received it for the recommended seven days or more. Further, neonates whose birth was assisted by skilled birth attendants had more than ten times higher odds of receiving chlorhexidine cord care, relative to those born without a skilled attendant (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 10.36, 95% CI: 3.73–28.75). Besides, neonates born to mothers with knowledge of the benefit of chlorhexidine cord care had significantly higher odds of receiving chlorhexidine cord care relative to newborns born to mothers who did not have knowledge of the benefit of chlorhexidine cord care (AOR: 39.03, 95% CI: 21.45–71.04).

Conclusion

A low proportion of newborns receive chlorhexidine cord care in Ethiopia. The practice of chlorhexidine cord care varies widely across regions and is limited mostly to births attended by skilled birth attendants. Efforts must continue to ensure women can reach skilled care at delivery, and to ensure adequate care for newborns who do not yet access skilled delivery.
Spatial distributions of salt-based ions, a case study from the Hunshandake Sandy Land, China
Authors: Li Zhanhong , Xie Yunhu , Ning Xiaoli , Zhang Xuefeng , Hai Quansheng
Published: August 2022

Soil water soluble base ion salt-based ion concentrations are critical parameters for estimating soil buffer capacity and vegetation productivity. Ionic content clearly covaries with the distribution of plant communities. Previous studies on salt-based ions in soils focused primarily on ion migration and its relationships with vegetation growth. Few studies have sought to characterize larger scale spatial distribution of salt-based ions or correlation with climatic and plant community characteristics. This study used ion chromatography to analyze the salt-based ion content (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+) of surface soils from the Hunshandake sandy lands. Statistical methods were used interpret spatial variation. Results showed that the average content of salt-based ions in Hunshandake sandy land was 86.57 mg/kg. Average values ranked as Ca2+ > Na+ > K+ > Mg2+ but concentrations also exhibited uneven spatial distributions. Horizontal spatial variation in Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+ ions showed these ions gradually decrease from northwest to southeast. Potassium ions (K+) showed no obvious spatial variation trends. Ions varied significantly across different soil layers but their average concentrations ranked as K+>Na+>Ca2+>Mg2+ (from shallow to deep). The 20–30 cm soil layer contained the highest salt ion concentrations. Of the four base ions, only K+ ions appeared in surface samples. In terms of water soluble base ion available salt-based ions, Ca2+ occurred in the highest concentrations along the north and west side of the study area. K+ ions occurred in the highest concentrations along the south and east sides of the study area. Na+ concentrations did not show a consistent spatial pattern. Statistical analysis detected significant correlations of normalized ion concentration parameters (Ca2+/CECT, K+/CEC, effective water soluble base ion salt-based ions) and the total species number, average species number and total biomass of the plant communities (P <0.05). This study can help inform understanding of soil water transport in sandy areas and provide a reference for interpreting ecosystems in arid regions.
Online searches of children’s oseltamivir in public primary and specialized care: Detecting influenza outbreaks in Finland using dedicated databases for health care professionals
Authors: Mukka Milla , Pesälä Samuli , Juutinen Aapo , Virtanen Mikko J. , Mustonen Pekka , Kaila Minna , Helve Otto
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Health care professionals working in primary and specialized care typically search for medical information from Internet sources. In Finland, Physician’s Databases are online portals aimed at professionals seeking medical information. As dosage errors may occur when prescribing medication to children, professionals’ need for reliable medical information has increased in public health care centers and hospitals. Influenza continues to be a public health threat, with young children at risk of developing severe illness and easily transmitting the virus. Oseltamivir is used to treat children with influenza. The objective of this study was to compare searches for children’s oseltamivir and influenza diagnoses in primary and specialized care, and to determine if the searches could aid detection of influenza outbreaks.

Methods

We compared searches in Physician’s Databases for children’s oral suspension of oseltamivir (6 mg/mL) for influenza diagnoses of children under 7 years and laboratory findings of influenza A and B from the National Infectious Disease Register. Searches and diagnoses were assessed in primary and specialized care across Finland by season from 2012–2016. The Moving Epidemic Method (MEM) calculated seasonal starts and ends, and paired differences in the mean compared two indicators. Correlation was tested to compare seasons.

Results

We found that searches and diagnoses in primary and specialized care showed visually similar patterns annually. The MEM-calculated starting weeks in searches appeared mainly in the same week. Oseltamivir searches in primary care preceded diagnoses by −1.0 weeks (95% CI: −3.0, −0.3; p = 0.132) with very high correlation (τ = 0.913). Specialized care oseltamivir searches and diagnoses correlated moderately (τ = 0.667).

Conclusion

Health care professionals’ searches for children’s oseltamivir in online databases linked with the registers of children’s influenza diagnoses in primary and specialized care. Therefore, database searches should be considered as supplementary information in disease surveillance when detecting influenza epidemics.
London parochial burial records from 1563 to 1665 indicate higher plague death rates for males than females: Some possible demographic and social explanations
Authors: Didelot Xavier , Evans Charles Morris
Published: August 2022

The burial rates of males and females in early modern central London were compared to investigate a possible bias towards male mortality in the plague years of 1563, 1593, 1603, 1625 and 1665. The burial records of sixteen parishes were examined and compared with the five-year periods immediately preceding each plague year when recorded burials were substantially less. A markedly higher burial rate for males was detected in each plague year but this can be partly attributed to a general preponderance of males in the central London population since there was a similar but lesser bias in non-plague years. In the plague years the difference between the frequency of male and female adult burials appears to have been enhanced by the preferential migration of women of childbearing age out of the city since fewer births were recorded in months when plague was rife. Furthermore, when a sample of households was investigated, husbands were significantly more likely to have been buried than their wives. These findings were largely applicable to the plague years of 1603, 1625 and 1665 but were far less apparent in 1563 and 1593. In general, there were more burials of boys than girls in non-plague years which is the expected consequence of their greater vulnerability to childhood diseases. This difference diminished in plague years so that the burials of girls and boys approached parity at a time when burials of children of both sexes were significantly increased. Possibly, plague did not discriminate between the sexes and this characteristic tended to mask the usual vulnerability of boys.
New deep learning method for efficient extraction of small water from remote sensing images
Authors: Luo Yuanjiang , Feng Ao , Li Hongxiang , Li Danyang , Wu Xuan , Liao Jie , Zhang Chengwu , Zheng Xingqiang , Pu Haibo
Published: August 2022

Extracting water bodies from remote sensing images is important in many fields, such as in water resources information acquisition and analysis. Conventional methods of water body extraction enhance the differences between water bodies and other interfering water bodies to improve the accuracy of water body boundary extraction. Multiple methods must be used alternately to extract water body boundaries more accurately. Water body extraction methods combined with neural networks struggle to improve the extraction accuracy of fine water bodies while ensuring an overall extraction effect. In this study, false color processing and a generative adversarial network (GAN) were added to reconstruct remote sensing images and enhance the features of tiny water bodies. In addition, a multi-scale input strategy was designed to reduce the training cost. We input the processed data into a new water body extraction method based on strip pooling for remote sensing images, which is an improvement of DeepLabv3+. Strip pooling was introduced in the DeepLabv3+ network to better extract water bodies with a discrete distribution at long distances using different strip kernels. The experiments and tests show that the proposed method can improve the accuracy of water body extraction and is effective in fine water body extraction. Compared with seven other traditional remote sensing water body extraction methods and deep learning semantic segmentation methods, the prediction accuracy of the proposed method reaches 94.72%. In summary, the proposed method performs water body extraction better than existing methods.
The impact of crop specialization on nutritional intake: Evidence from farm households in China
Authors: Sun Fei , Qian Peng , Cao Shouhui , Chen Yuping , Feng Ziyue
Published: August 2022

Background

In the wake of the severe impact of COVID-19 on the food security of the vulnerable groups in rural areas, the issue of how to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 2 aims to “Zero Hunger” (SDG 2) and ensure the food safety of farmers has drawn unprecedented attention. Nutritional intake is generally used as an important indicator to reflect family food security. Under the background that Chinese farmers have gradually changed from the traditional diversified production mode to the specialized production of crops, the main purpose of this article is to explore what are the impact of crop specialization on farmers’ nutritional intake? Could the specialization of crop production be taken as an important measure to ensure the food safety of farmers and achieve the SDG 2?

Methods

Based on the micro-survey data from 866 farmer households in China, this paper using Seemingly Unrelated Regressions model, Group Regression model and Mediating Effect model to analyze the average and heterogeneous effects of crop specialization on the nutritional intake of farmers, as well as the mediating effect of income. In addition, robustness test and endogenous treatment were performed by using alternative explanatory variables and IV-2SLS method was used to estimate the results.

Results

After correcting for endogenous bias, crop specialization had a significant negative impact on energy intake and fat intake of farmers at the statistical level of 5% and 1% respectively, especially for farmers in mountainous areas. Household income played a mediating effect on the effect of crop specialization on farmers’ energy and fat intake, and the proportion of the masking effect was 8.43% and 8.96% respectively. In addition, household financial capital and social capital have a significant positive impact on farmers’ nutritional intake.

Conclusions

Crop specialization cannot guarantee the food safety of farmers in terms of nutritional intake. However, when the development trend of crop specialization is irreversible, more attention should be paid to improving the level of various livelihood capital of farmers, especially those in mountainous areas, and to continuously increasing their income to ease and ultimately eliminate the negative impact of crop specialization on farmers’ nutritional intake, which finally make everyone realize the SDG 2.
Identification of reference genes and their validation for gene expression analysis in phytopathogenic fungus Macrophomina phaseolina
Authors: Orrego Adriana , Gavilán María Cecilia , Arévalos Aníbal , Ortíz Belén , Gaete Humada Belén , Pineda-Fretez Amiliana , Romero-Rodríguez María Cristina , Flores Giubi María Eugenia , Kohli Man Mohan , Iehisa Julio C. M.
Published: August 2022

Macrophomina phaseolina is a soil-borne pathogenic fungus that infects a wide range of crop species and causes severe yield losses. Although the genome of the fungus has been sequenced, the molecular basis of its virulence has not been determined. Identification of up-regulated genes during fungal infection is important to understand the mechanism involved in its virulence. To ensure reliable quantification, expression of target genes needs to be normalized on the basis of certain reference genes. However, in the case of M. phaseolina, reference genes or their expression analysis have not been reported in the literature. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate 12 candidate reference genes for the expression analysis of M. phaseolina genes by applying three different fungal growth conditions: a) during root and stem infection of soybean, b) in culture media with and without soybean leaf infusion and c) by inoculating a cut-stem. Based on BestKeeper, geNorm and NormFinder algorithms, CYP1 was identified as the best recommended reference gene followed by EF1β for expression analysis of fungal gene during soybean root infection. Besides Mp08158, CYP1 gene was found suitable when M. phaseolina was grown in potato-dextrose broth with leaf infusion. In the case of cut-stem inoculation, Mp08158 and Mp11185 genes were found to be most stable. To validate the selected reference genes, expression analysis of two cutinase genes was performed. In general, the expression patterns were similar when the target genes were normalized against most or least stable gene. However, in some cases different expression pattern can be obtained when least stable gene is used for normalization. We believe that the reference genes identified and validated in this study will be useful for gene expression analysis during host infection with M. phaseolina.