bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Family socioeconomic status and Chinese high school students’ test anxiety: Serial mediating role of parental psychological control, learning resources, and student academic self‐efficacy
Authors: Xu Xiaobo , Xia Mengya , Pang Weiguo
Published: June 2021

It is widely documented that students with lower family socioeconomic status (SES) tend to have higher test anxiety than their peers from higher SES families. However, few studies have empirically examined the underlying mechanism whereby family SES shapes students’ test anxiety. To bridge this gap, the present study proposed and tested a serial mediation model in which family SES is associated with students’ test anxiety through the indirect effect of parental psychological control, access to learning resources, and academic self‐efficacy. The sample comprised 354 Chinese high school students (134 boys; mean age = 16.15 years old). The results were as follows: (1) higher family SES was associated with increased access to learning resources, higher academic self‐efficacy, lower parental psychological control, and lower test anxiety. In contrast, test anxiety was associated with decreased access to learning resources, lower academic self‐efficacy, and higher parental psychological control; and (2) the mediation model indicated parental psychological control, learning resources, and academic self‐efficacy functioned as serial mediators in the relationship between family SES and students’ test anxiety (i.e., family SES → psychological control and learning resources → academic self‐efficacy → test anxiety). The findings are discussed in the framework of the family stress/investment models and social cognitive theory. Concrete suggestions for how low SES parents can help decrease their children’s test anxiety are provided.
COVID‐19 lockdown distress, but not the infection concerns, shape psychological functioning during the pandemic: The mediating role of basic psychological needs
Authors: Avsec Andreja , Zager Kocjan Gaja , Kavčič Tina
Published: June 2021

This study examined the effect of COVID‐19 lockdown and infection concerns on positive and negative aspects of psychological functioning during the first weeks of the new coronavirus pandemic, and the mediating role of basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration. Slovene adults (N = 425; 79% female) filled in questionnaires measuring COVID‐19‐related stressors, satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs, well‐being, and ill‐being. Results of the path analysis with Bootstrap estimation procedure revealed that the perceived severity of the COVID‐19 lockdown circumstances predicted diminished psychological functioning of participants both directly and via decreased needs satisfaction and increased needs frustration. Conversely, the infection concerns had a much weaker and direct only effect on the increased ill‐being, but no effect on well‐being. These findings indicate that lockdown circumstances, but not the possibility of COVID‐19 infection, predominantly shape individuals’ ability to satisfy their basic needs and subsequently their psychological functioning during the pandemic. The study suggests that public health responses should address not only risk of infection but also people’s psychological needs.
Multistate analysis of multitype recurrent event and failure time data with event feedbacks in biomarkers
Authors: Ma Chuoxin , Pan Jianxin
Published: June 2021

In this paper we propose a class of multistate models for the analysis of multitype recurrent event and failure time data when there are past event feedbacks in longitudinal biomarkers. It can well incorporate various effects, including time‐dependent and time‐independent effects, of different event paths or the number of occurrences of events of different types. Asymptotic unbiased estimating equations based on polynomial splines approximation are developed. The consistency and asymptotic normality of the proposed estimators are provided. Simulation studies show that the naive estimators which either ignore the past event feedback or the measurement errors are biased. Our method has a better coverage probability of the time‐varying/constant coefficients, compared to the naive methods. An application to the dataset from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, which is also the motivating example to develop the method, is presented.
Early post‐liver transplantation infections and their effect on long‐term survival
Authors: Leibovici‐Weissman Yaara , Anchel Noa , Nesher Eviatar , Leshno Moshe , Shlomai Amir
Published: June 2021

Background

Infections post‐liver transplantation are major drivers for morbidity and mortality. However, the impact of infections within 180 days post‐liver transplantation on long‐term survival is not clear.

Methods

We present a retrospective cohort of 317 liver transplant patients for whom all infectious episodes were prospectively collected during a mean follow‐up of 4.4 years.

Results

A total of 143/317 (45%) of patients suffered from any infectious episode during the first 6 months following liver transplantation. Patients with surgical site infections have a reduced survival compared to those with no infection (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.172‐0.636, P = .001), whereas infections from other sources, including pneumonia, UTI, and line‐related infections, were not associated with increased mortality. Furthermore, even though the presence of any infection within 30 days or 6 months post‐transplantation did not affect survival, more than a single infectious episode per patient was significantly associated with increased mortality (HR 1.70, CI 1.12‐2.60, P = .013). In a multivariate analysis, the number of infectious episodes remained statistically significant (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.03‐2.43, P = .035) upon adjustment for other major variables associated with comorbidities and infection risk.

Conclusions

Surgical site infections and the number of infectious episodes within 180 days post‐liver transplantation are major determinants of long‐term survival among these patients.
Early packed red blood cell transfusion in major trauma patients: Evaluation and comparison of different prediction scores for massive transfusion
Authors: Cassignol Arnaud , Bertein Pauline , Botti Paul , Renard Aurélien , Cotte Jean , Bordes Julien
Published: June 2021

Background and Objectives

Our study sought to evaluate and compare different prediction scores for massive transfusion in‐hospital packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions.

Materials and Methods

Between January 2013 and December 2018, 1843 trauma patients were enrolled in the registry of a level‐1 trauma centre. All prehospital and in‐hospital variables needed to calculate the Shock Index and RED FLAG, Assessment of Blood Consumption (ABC) and Trauma Associated Severe Hemorrhage (TASH) scores were prospectively collected in the registry. The primary endpoint was the initiation of transfusion within the first hour of the patient's arrival at the hospital.

Results

A total of 1767 patients were included for analysis with a mean age of 43 years (±19) and a mean Injury Severity Score of 15 (±14). The in‐hospital TASH score had the highest predictive performance overall (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.925, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.904–0.946]), while the RED FLAG score (AUC = 0.881, 95% CI [0.854–0.908]) had the greatest prehospital predictive performance compared to the ABC score (AUC = 0.798, 95% CI [0.759–0.837]) and Shock Index (AUC = 0.795, 95% CI [0.752–0.837]). Using their standard thresholds, the RED FLAG score was the most efficient in predicting early transfusion (sensitivity: 87%, specificity: 76%, positive predictive value: 25%, negative predictive value: 99%, Youden index: 0.63).

Conclusion

The RED FLAG score appears to outperform both the ABC score and the Shock Index in predicting early in‐hospital transfusion in trauma patients managed by pre‐hospital teams. If adopted, this score could be used to give advance warning to trauma centres or even to initiate early transfusion during pre‐hospital care.
ASPHALT CONCRETE MIXTURE PRODUCED USING RECLAIMED ASPHALT PAVEMENT AND FLY ASH AS ARTIFICIAL AGGREGATE AND FILLER
Authors: Widayanti Ari , Aryani Soemitro Ria Asih , Ekaputri Januarti Jaya , Suprayitno Hitapriya
Published: June 2021

This study presents the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), and fly ash as artificial aggregate and filler in asphalt concrete. Because of the limited availability of natural materials, infrastructure development has become a concern. Therefore, it is necessary to reuse and recycle waste materials. One such innovation is artificial aggregates. The disadvantage of RAP is that its gradation exceeds the standard; its asphalt penetration and ductility exceed the requirements. The weaknesses of artificial aggregate are high water absorption, spherical shape, and low aggregate interlocking. In this study, the artificial aggregate was produced using the fly ash and alkali activator. Alkali activator consisted of Na2SiO3 and 8M NaOH at a ratio of 2.5. The mixtures containing different percentages of artificial aggregate (45, 55, 65, and 75%) were produced, and the fly ash filler content was 5%. Different tests including XRF, SEM, and Marshall tests were conducted. The artificial aggregate is hydrophilic owing to the high silica content; thus, it has high water absorption. This results in a low adhesion between the asphalt and aggregate. The best composition of asphalt concrete is 55% artificial aggregate, RAP, fly ash filler, and asphalt. The asphalt concrete containing artificial aggregate has high stability and is stiff and light. However, it requires a high asphalt content because of high water absorption. It is unsuitable for application in high traffic roads but suitable for medium traffic ones.
Manual de malformaciones congénitas de miembro superior en el feto o recién nacido basado en estudio cadavérico
Authors: Gutierrez Maria Lucia , Sarmiento Osorio Diana Carolina , Guillén Olaya Javier Fabricio , Franco Zuluaga Jorge Andrés
Published: June 2021

Introducción: Las malformaciones congénitas de miembro superior en el feto o recién nacido comprenden un amplio espectro de presentaciones clínicas según la penetrancia y asociación entre distintas malformaciones. Su entendimiento y clasificación representan un verdadero reto para los profesionales de la salud. La importancia del entendimiento de los eventos en el desarrollo embrionario y la formación de estructuras anatómicas permite evaluar de forma integral la clasificación de las malformaciones congénitas que representan una potencial pérdida funcional y al ser reconocidas oportunamente pueden ser sometidas a tratamiento quirúrgico, obteniendo resultados satisfactorios tanto estéticos como funcionales. Métodos: La realización de necropsias fetales con su respectiva documentación fotográfica, incluyendo datos de necropsias realizadas en distintos centros de salud en Bogotá desde 2012 hasta mayo de 2019 motivó la realización de una revisión de la literatura al respecto, esclareciendo los criterios diagnósticos vigentes para las malformaciones de miembro superior. Se incluyeron solamente artículos de revisión y reportes de caso que facilitaran el entendimiento de las mismas, así como su definición y clasificación. Resultados: Se presentan siete casos, con el reconocimiento oportuno de malformaciones congénitas del miembro superior en el feto o recién nacido para lo cual se construyó un manual que pretende orientar a profesionales de la salud respecto a su respectivo diagnóstico. Lo anterior, con el ánimo de fortalecer la familiarización con dichas malformaciones que permita derivar a una evaluación interdisciplinaria oportuna. Discusión: Las malformaciones congénitas de miembro superior comprenden un reto para los profesionales de la salud, su entendimiento debe ser abordado desde los fenómenos del desarrollo embrionario de las extremidades para comprender, identificar las estructuras y diagnosticarlas oportunamente.
Tuberculosis extrapulmonar, un reto clínico vigente.
Authors: Amado Garzon Sandra , Moreno Mercado Sebastián , Martínez Vernaza Samuel , Lasso Javier Iván , Laserna Andres
Published: June 2021

Los dos tipos de manifestación clínica de la tuberculosis (TB) son la pulmonar y la extrapulmonar siendo la primera la más frecuente. No obstante, si bien se ha logrado disminuir la prevalencia en general, las cifras de la tuberculosis extrapulmonar (TBEP) se mantienen estables; se notificaron 896.000 casos nuevos en el mundo en 2017. Por lo general, se presenta por diseminación hematógena o linfática del bacilo del complejo Mycobacterium tuberculosis a otros órganos. Los sitios de compromiso más frecuentes son pleural, ganglionar, tracto gastrointestinal y osteoarticular. Otros menos habituales son el sistema nervioso central, piel, tracto genitourinario y vías aéreas superiores.

Las manifestaciones clínicas de la TBEP son variables por su naturaleza paucibacilar y constituye un verdadero reto para los clínicos. La aproximación diagnóstica depende del sitio de compromiso, la facilidad de toma de la muestra, la sensibilidad de las pruebas y la distribución de la micobacteria en el tejido. La enfermedad usualmente responde al tratamiento estándar para TB y el tiempo ideal del régimen varía según el sitio afectado. El propósito de esta revisión es describir la presentación clínica y el proceso diagnóstico de la TBEP.

 

Palabras clave:
Factors Associated with the Prevalence of Pressure Ulcers in a University Hospital in Bogotá, Colombia
Authors: Andrade Fonseca David , Hernández Ordoñez Sandra , Gomez Neva Maria Elizabeth , Rojas Villamil Julie Johana , Ayala Nydia Esmeralda , Alfonso Yurani Andrea , Cespedes Eliana Katherine , Flórez Amaya Francy Helena , Daza Gina Alexandra , Sabogal Francisco Javier , Rubio Claudia Patricia , López Victor Alfonso , Rodríguez Johan Andrés , Cuspoca Liliana Marcela , Lancheros Rodríguez Deisy Mayerly
Published: June 2021

Introduction. Pressure ulcers are skin lesions that occur as a result of an ischemia process, this type of lesion are considerated very important in the health context.

Objective. To identify associated factors with the appearance of pressure ulcers in hospitalized patients over 16 years old, in a teaching hospital in Bogotá Colombia during 2013.

Materials and methods. A case-control study was carried out, based on a secondary information source. Some variables and their relationship with the presentation of pressure ulcers in each case were analyzed.

Results 228 patients were included, 114 cases, 114 controls, the bivariate analysis to identify the factors associated with the risk of presenting pressure ulcers: age equal to or greater than 45 years, pathologies of respiratory etiology, with levels of hemoglobin and albumin below the range expected for sex and age, multivariate analysis that patients older than 45 years, hemoglobin below the expected level by sex and age, have a high risk of presenting UPP for each day of hospital stay. Conclusions The early identification of factors associated with UPP constitutes a fundamental pillar in care.
Génesis y evolución de la artroplastia de cadera
Authors: Sarmiento-Osorio Diana Carolina , Gaitan Lee Hernando
Published: June 2021

Los reemplazos articulares de cadera configuran una serie de técnicas quirúrgica ampliamente estudiadas que proveen resultados altamente satisfactorios en términos de mejoría del dolor, funcionalidad, independencia para actividades básicas y calidad de vida en los pacientes adultos jóvenes y mayores con patología articular de la cadera.  A lo largo de la historia los cirujanos ortopedistas han realizado intervenciones desde osteotomías intertrocantéreas, interposición de diferentes materiales en la articulación, hasta el desarrollo de prótesis de alta tecnología con descripciones de diferentes abordajes y técnicas quirúrgicas. Este manuscrito realiza un recorrido por la historia de los reemplazos articulares; es una síntesis de la evolución de los pilares de la cirugía de reemplazos articulares que permite al lector a entender los principios que fundamentan la tecnología y técnicas vigentes en la artroplastia de cadera.
Una visión holística de la depresión en adultos mayores colombianos
Authors: Morales Restrepo Sergio Alejandro , Chavarro Carvajal Diego Andrés
Published: June 2021

La población mundial está cambiando a nivel sociodemográfico, con un incremento progresivo de la población anciana a nivel global y de forma particular en Colombia. Cobran importancia las enfermedades que aquejan a esta población, no solo las enfermedades crónicas que han sido una de las principales causas de muerte, sino hacer un énfasis en las alteraciones en salud mental y el aumento progresivo de su prevalencia e incidencia en los ancianos. Los trastornos del afecto son la patología mental más prevalente en los ancianos, se deben entonces estudiar sus factores de riesgo, métodos diagnósticos y alternativas de tratamiento. Se han publicado estudios sobre violencia y adversidades en la infancia asociado al riesgo de presentar depresión en los ancianos. El objetivo es mediante una revisión narrativa, describir la importancia del contexto social colombiano como posible factor de riesgo para desarrollar depresión en las personas mayores y las consecuencias que ésta genera.
Perspectivas de pacientes y profesionales en torno al uso de medicinas alternativas y complementarias para el cuidado del cáncer: un estudio exploratorio
Authors: Garcìa Padilla Pilar , Ordóñez Reyes Camila , Medina Paola , Fernández Deaza Ginna , Morales Olga Lucía , Murillo Raúl
Published: June 2021

Introducción: El uso de medicinas alternativas y complementarias (MAC) por pacientes oncológicos es práctica extendida, generalmente por fuera del tratamiento principal. La falta de entendimiento entre percepciones de pacientes y profesionales puede derivar en problemas de comunicación con repercusión negativa en el cuidado Objetivo: indagar coincidencias y divergencias en la percepción de pacientes y profesionales frente al uso de MAC en el paciente oncológico. Métodos: se realizó un estudio exploratorio con análisis interpretativo fenomenológico mediante grupos focales, usando dominios prestablecidos. Se realizó codificación manual independiente y posteriormente se agruparon los códigos para su interpretación. El agrupamiento fue triangulado con el equipo de investigación para la generación de categorías definitivas. Resultados: Surgieron dos categorías: conceptualización y vivencia frente a las MAC. Cada categoría incluye subcategorías similares (ej. denominaciones, uso de MAC) y diferenciales (ej. valoración, fundamentación), entre los dos grupos. La conceptualización reconoce como los participantes caracterizan las MAC y la vivencia identifica la forma y vías como se relacionan con las MAC. Conclusiones: Pacientes y profesionales comparten inquietudes frente al uso de MAC, pero existen diferencias en lenguaje y expectativas frente a su uso. Para los pacientes el consejo médico es relevante pero no definitivo y la evidencia científica solo es relevante para los profesionales.
Neumonía adquirida en la comunidad como causa de singulto en paciente con infección por VIH: reporte de caso y revisión de literatura
Authors: Martínez Vernaza Samuel , Salej Vanessa , Jaimes Reyes Maria Alejandra , Bustamante Alvaro Andrés
Published: June 2021

El singulto es una manifestación clínica común, de etiología multifactorial que funciona como un arco reflejo frente a noxas irritativas y es mediado por estimulación simpática. Dentro de las causas se han descrito procesos infecciosos como la neumonía, sin embargo, con una baja representatividad. Presentamos el caso de un hombre de 34 años con diagnóstico de infección por virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH) en estadio 3 con única manifestación clínica inicial de singulto documentando neumonía adquirida en comunidad como etiología. Este caso destaca la importancia del estudio del singulto especialmente en pacientes en contexto de inmunosupresión ya que en ellos la clínica que subyace un proceso infeccioso no suele ser evidente.
Transferencia del nervio mediano como tratamiento para la lesión traumática del nervio radial: Revisión de la literatura
Authors: Linares Aguirre Inés María , García Marmolejo Juan Pablo , López López Lizeth Carolina , Osorio Roa Diana Marcela , Montoya Cobo Estefanía , Kafury Goeta Álvaro Antonio
Published: June 2021

El nervio radial es un nervio comúnmente lesionado; el tratamiento de elección actual es la transferencia de tendón, sin embargo, el objetivo de este estudio es proponer la transferencia de nervio mediano como tratamiento quirúrgico de preferencia para la recuperación de extensión de la muñeca y movilidad individual de los dedos posterior a la lesión del nervio radial. Se realizó una revisión de la literatura usando terminología MESH como: nervio radial, transferencia de nervio y lesión de nervio periférico para la búsqueda de reportes de caso, artículos de revisión, estudios descriptivos y cohortes publicados desde el año 1990 hasta el 2020. Se excluyeron artículos escritos en idiomas diferentes a inglés o español y estudios realizados en animales. Se encontraron 22 artículos de técnica quirúrgica de transferencia nerviosa, 11 de lesiones nerviosas, 4 de anatomía del nervio radial y mediano, 4 reportes de caso, 6 revisiones sistemáticas en donde se describe el recorrido anatómico de los nervios comúnmente utilizados, la técnica quirúrgica, las ventajas y complicaciones de la intervención. La transferencia de nervio mediano a radial tiene potencial para ser el tratamiento quirúrgico de elección en lesiones distales de nervio radial con pérdida de función generando buenos resultados funcionales.
Numerical Predictions of Turbine Cascade Secondary Flows and Heat Transfer With Inflow Turbulence
Authors: Kanani Yousef , Acharya Sumanta , Ames Forrest
Published: June 2021

Turbine passage secondary flows are studied for a large rounded leading edge airfoil geometry considered in the experimental investigation of Varty et al. (“Vane Suction Surface Heat Transfer in Regions of Secondary Flows: The Influence of Turbulence Level, Reynolds Number, and the Endwall Boundary Condition,” ASME J. Turbomach., 140(2), p. 021010) using high resolution large eddy simulation. The complex nature of secondary flow formation and evolution are affected by the approach boundary layer characteristics, components of pressure gradients tangent and normal to the passage flow, surface curvature, and inflow turbulence. This paper presents a detailed description of the secondary flows and heat transfer in a linear vane cascade at exit chord Reynolds number of 5 × 105 at low and high inflow turbulence. Initial flow turning at the leading edge of the inlet boundary layer leads to a pair of counter-rotating flow circulation in each half of the cross plane that drives the evolution of the pressure side and suction side of the near-wall vortices such as the horseshoe and leading edge corner vortex. The passage vortex for the current large leading edge vane is formed by the amplification of the initially formed circulation closer to the pressure side (PPC) which strengthens and merges with other vortex systems while moving towards the suction side. The predicted suction surface heat transfer shows good agreement with the measurements and properly captures the augmented heat transfer due to the formation and lateral spreading of the secondary flows towards the vane midspan downstream of the vane passage. Effects of various components of the secondary flows on the endwall and vane heat transfer are discussed in detail.
Combinatorial phosphorylation modulates the structure and function of the G protein γ subunit in yeast
Authors: Nassiri Toosi Zahra , Su Xinya , Austin Ruth , Choudhury Shilpa , Li Wei , Pang Yui Tik , Gumbart James C. , Torres Matthew P.
Published: June 2021

Distinct phosphorylation patterns in the intrinsically disordered N terminus of Gγ have functional consequences in yeast.
Production of Protocatechuic Acid from
p
-Hydroxyphenyl (H) Units and Related Aromatic Compounds Using an Aspergillus niger Cell Factory
Authors: Lubbers Ronnie J. M. , de Vries Ronald P.
Published: June 2021

Aromatic compounds have broad applications and are used in many industries, such as the cosmetic, food, fragrance, paint, plastic, pharmaceutical, and polymer industries. The majority of aromatic compounds are synthesized from fossil sources, which are becoming limited.
Inhibition of Fibrinolysis by Streptococcal Phage Lysin
SM1
Authors: Ji Hyun Jung , Zhi Yong , Lee Ji Hee , Ahn Ki Bum , Seo Ho Seong , Sullam Paul M.
Published: June 2021

The interaction of streptococci with human fibrinogen and platelets on damaged endocardium is a central event in the pathogenesis of infective endocarditis.
Streptococcus oralis
can bind platelets via the interaction of bacteriophage lysin
SM1
with fibrinogen on the platelet surface, and this process has been associated with increased virulence in an animal model of endocarditis. We now report that lysin
SM1
binds to the αC region of the human fibrinogen Aα chain.
A Novel Freshwater to Marine Evolutionary Transition Revealed within
Methylophilaceae
Bacteria from the Arctic Ocean
Authors: Ramachandran Arthi , McLatchie Susan , Walsh David A.
Published: June 2021

Global warming is profoundly influencing the Arctic Ocean. Rapid ice melt and increased freshwater input is increasing ocean stratification, driving shifts in nutrient availability and the primary production that supports marine food webs.
TheToxoplasmaPolymorphic Effector GRA15 Mediates Seizure Induction by Modulating Interleukin-1 Signaling in the Brain
Authors: Glausen Taylor G. , Carrillo Gabriela L. , Jin Richard M. , Boyle Jon P. , Saeij Jeroen P. J. , Wohlfert Elizabeth A. , Fox Michael A. , Blader Ira J.
Published: June 2021

Inflammation in the brain caused by infections lead to seizures and other neurological symptoms. But the microbial products that induce seizures as well as the host pathways downstream of these factors are largely unknown.
The Salivary Microbiota, Cytokines, and Metabolome in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis Are Altered and More Proinflammatory than Those in Healthy Controls
Authors: Lv Longxian , Jiang Huiyong , Yan Ren , Xu Danyi , Wang Kaicen , Wang Qiangqiang , Chen Xiaoxiao , Li Lanjuan
Published: June 2021

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) affects as much as 0.32% of the population in some districts and causes work disability in one-third of these patients. Microbes are considered to play important roles in AS pathogenesis, and the mouth links the environment to the lungs and the gut.
Cultivating the Bacterial Microbiota of
Populus
Roots
Authors: Carper Dana L. , Weston David J. , Barde Aditya , Timm Collin M. , Lu Tse-Yuan , Burdick Leah H. , Jawdy Sara S. , Klingeman Dawn M. , Robeson Michael S. , Veach Allison M. , Cregger Melissa A. , Kalluri Udaya C. , Schadt Christopher W. , Podar Mircea , Doktycz Mitchel J. , Pelletier Dale A.
Published: June 2021

Microbial communities play an integral role in the health and survival of their plant hosts. Many studies have identified key members in these communities and led to the use of synthetic communities for elucidating their function; however, these studies are limited by the available cultured bacterial representatives.
Spatially variable syn- and post-Alleghanian exhumation of the central Appalachian Mountains from zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronology
Authors: Basler Luke C. , Baughman Jaclyn S. , Fame Michelle L. , Haproff Peter J.
Published: June 2021

To assess spatial and temporal patterns of Phanerozoic orogenic burial and subsequent exhumation in the central Appalachian Mountains, we present mid-temperature zircon (U-Th)/He (ZHe; closure temperature [TC] = 140–200 °C) dates for 10 samples along a 225 km, strike-perpendicular transect spanning the Appalachian Plateau, Valley and Ridge, Blue Ridge, and Piedmont physiographic provinces in West Virginia and western Virginia. Ranges of single-grain ZHe dates exhibit an eastward younging trend from 455–358 Ma in the Pennsylvanian Appalachian Plateau to 336–209 Ma in the Valley and Ridge, 298–217 Ma in the Blue Ridge, and 186–121 Ma in the Piedmont. Within the Pennsylvanian Appalachian Plateau, detrital ZHe dates are older than corresponding depositional ages, thus limiting postdepositional burial temperatures to less than 160 °C. These ZHe dates capture predepositional mid-Paleozoic cooling signatures, indicating provenance from either recycled Taconic or Acadian basin strata or mid-Paleozoic Appalachian terranes. Across the Valley and Ridge and western Blue Ridge provinces, reset Permian detrital ZHe dates feature flat date-effective uranium correlations that suggest rapid Alleghanian cooling initiating prior to 270 Ma. ZHe dates within the Valley and Ridge are more than 100 m.y. older than previously reported regional apatite fission-track dates, reflecting a protracted period of stable post-Alleghanian thermal conditions within the foreland. By contrast, post-Triassic single-grain ZHe dates in the interior Piedmont document rapid postrift cooling, likely resulting from both the relaxation of an elevated geothermal gradient and exhumation from rift-flank uplift. The spatial discontinuity between stable synrift thermal conditions in the Valley and Ridge and rapid cooling in the Piedmont suggests that rift-flank uplift and cooling were concentrated outboard of the foreland within the Piedmont province.
Freshwater Trematodes Sanguinicola (Digenea: Aporocotylidae) in Europe: Distribution, Host Range, and Characteristics of Fish and Snail Infestation (Review)
Authors: Zhokhov A. E. , Pugacheva M. N. , Poddubnaya L. G.
Published: June 2021

Data on trematode life cycles, fish host distribution, transmission, and fish and snail infection are reported in this review. European freshwater trematodes of the genus Sanguinicola (Aporocotylidae) remain an insufficiently studied group of trematodes. Five species of Aporocotylidae (Sanguinicola armata, S. inermis, S. intermedia, S. volgensis, and S. rutili) in freshwater fish of Europe are described. In addition, they have been found in the water bodies of Central Asia and West Siberia (Ob-Irtysh River basin). The life cycle allowing us to assign the cercariae and adults to a certain species is known only for S. armata, S. inermis, and S. rutili. Trematodes of the genus Sanguinicola are found in 26 fish species assigned to 7 families and 4 orders and 24 gastropod species assigned to 7 families. With few exceptions, the sanguinicolid infection of fish and snails is rather low in the natural water bodies.
Teaching residents how to break bad news: piloting a resident-led curriculum and feedback task force as a proof-of-concept study
Authors: Sleiman Joseph , Savage David J , Switzer Benjamin , Colbert Colleen Y , Chevalier Cory , Neuendorf Kathleen , Harris David
Published: June 2021

Background

Breaking bad news (BBN) is a critically important skill set for residents. Limited formal supervision and unpredictable timing of bad news delivery serve as barriers to the exchange of meaningful feedback.

Purpose of study

The goal of this educational innovation was to improve internal medicine residents’ communication skills during challenging BBN encounters. A formal BBN training programme and innovative on-demand task force were part of this two-phase project.

Study design

Internal medicine residents at a large academic medical centre participated in an interactive workshop focused on BBN. Workshop survey results served as a needs assessment for the development of a novel resident-led BBN task force. The task force was created to provide observations at the bedside and feedback after BBN encounters. Training of task force members incorporated video triggers and a feedback checklist. Inter-rater reliability was analysed prior to field testing, which provided data on real-world implementation challenges.

Results

148 residents were trained during the 2-hour communications skills workshop. Based on survey results, 73% (108 of 148) of the residents indicated enhanced confidence in BBN after participation. Field testing of the task force on a hospital ward revealed potential workflow barriers for residents requesting observations and prompted troubleshooting. Solutions were implemented based on field testing results.

Conclusions

A trainee-led BBN task force and communication skills workshop is offered as an innovative model for improving residents’ interpersonal and communication skills in BBN. We believe the model is both sustainable and reproducible. Lessons learnt are offered to aid in implementation in other settings.
Sociodemographic determinants of intraurban variations in COVID-19 incidence: the case of Barcelona
Authors: López-Gay Antonio , Spijker Jeroen , Cole Helen V S , Marques Antonio G , Triguero-Mas Margarita , Anguelovski Isabelle , Marí-Dell'Olmo Marc , Módenes Juan A , Álamo-Junquera Dolores , López-Gallego Fernando , Borrell Carme
Published: June 2021

Background

Intraurban sociodemographic risk factors for COVID-19 have yet to be fully understood. We investigated the relationship between COVID-19 incidence and sociodemographic factors in Barcelona at a fine-grained geography.

Methods

This cross-sectional ecological study is based on 10 550 confirmed cases of COVID-19 registered during the first wave in the municipality of Barcelona (population 1.64 million). We considered 16 variables on the demographic structure, urban density, household conditions, socioeconomic status, mobility and health characteristics for 76 geographical units of analysis (neighbourhoods), using a lasso analysis to identify the most relevant variables. We then fitted a multivariate Quasi-Poisson model that explained the COVID-19 incidence by neighbourhood in relation to these variables.

Results

Neighbourhoods with: (1) greater population density, (2) an aged population structure, (3) a high presence of nursing homes, (4) high proportions of individuals who left their residential area during lockdown and/or (5) working in health-related occupations were more likely to register a higher number of cases of COVID-19. Conversely, COVID-19 incidence was negatively associated with (6) percentage of residents with post-secondary education and (7) population born in countries with a high Human Development Index.

Conclusion

Like other historical pandemics, the incidence of COVID-19 is associated with neighbourhood sociodemographic factors with a greater burden faced by already deprived areas. Because urban social and health injustices already existed in those geographical units with higher COVID-19 incidence in Barcelona, the current pandemic is likely to reinforce both health and social inequalities, and urban environmental injustice all together.
Use of a screening questionnaire for systemic lupus erythematosus among pregnant women in a Mexican population
Authors: Lucero-Morales Luis , Romero-Diaz Juanita , Copado-Mendoza Diana Yazmin , Zamora-Medina María del Carmen , Acevedo-Gallegos Sandra , Gallardo-Gaona Juan Manuel , Velazquez-Torres Berenice , Ramirez-Calvo Jose Antonio , Camarena-Cabrera Dulce Maria , Rodriguez-Sibaja Maria Jose
Published: June 2021

Objective

To conduct a diagnostic assessment of pregnant women using a screening questionnaire for SLE.

Materials and methods

This was an analytical cross-sectional study carried out at the National Institute of Perinatology between 1 November 2019 and 28 February 2020, using a screening questionnaire for SLE. Antinuclear antibody and anti-double stranded DNA antibody tests and a clinical assessment by a rheumatologist were conducted for participants who obtained ≥4 positive responses on the questionnaire. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the screening questionnaire for SLE were calculated.

Results

The questionnaire survey was conducted with 540 pregnant patients, 22 of whom (4.1%) had ≥4 positive responses. An antinuclear antibody test was conducted in all aforementioned 22 patients; 17 (77.3%) showed titres of ≥1:80. Of the 22 patients, 19 (86.4%) underwent clinical assessment by a rheumatologist. The patients were classified according to the SLE classification criteria: 7/19 (36.9%) met the revised 1997 American College Rheumatology (ACR) criteria, 8/19 (42.1%) met the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics criteria and 7/19 (36.9%) met the 2019 ACR/EULAR criteria (sensitivity=0.86, specificity=0.97, PPV=0.77 and NPV=1 for antinuclear antibody titre of ≥1:80; sensitivity=0.88, specificity=0.98, PPV=0.37 and NPV=1 for SLE according to the 2019 ACR/EULAR criteria).

Conclusions

The questionnaire showed high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of SLE. Given its usability and cost:benefit ratio, this strategy should be used for all patients coming in for their first visit to determine who requires antinuclear antibody testing and who needs to be referred to a rheumatologist.
Stroke thrombectomy complication management
Authors: Pilgram-Pastor Sara M , Piechowiak Eike I , Dobrocky Tomas , Kaesmacher Johannes , Den Hollander Juergen , Gralla Jan , Mordasini Pasquale
Published: June 2021

Endovascular mechanical thrombectomy (EVT) is widely accepted as the first-line treatment for acute ischemic stroke in patients with large vessel occlusion. Being an invasive treatment, this method is associated with various preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative complications. These complications may influence peri-interventional morbidity and mortality and therefore treatment efficacy and clinical outcome. The aim of this review is to discuss the most common types of complications associated with EVT, the probable mechanisms of injury, and effective methods to manage and prevent complications.
On the conditional plurisubharmonic envelopes of bounded functions
Authors: Do Hoang-Son , Le Giang
Published: June 2021

In this paper, we extend some recent results of Guedj et al. [V. Guedj, C. H. Lu and A. Zeriahi, Plurisubharmonic envelopes and supersolutions. J. Differ. Geom. 113(2) (2019) 273–313] about psh envelopes of bounded functions on bounded domains in [Formula: see text]. We also present a result on the regularity of psh envelopes.
Study on Agent Incentives for Resource Sharing on P2P Networks
Authors: Cheng Yukun , Deng Xiaotie , Li Yuhao
Published: June 2021

There have recently been extensive studies on proportional response protocol, which is motivated by the successful BitTorrent system for file sharing over a P2P network. The proportional response protocol has been proved to be strategy-proof against weight cheating attacks and edge cheating attacks, in order to allocate a single type of resource on P2P networks. This strategy-proof property holds due to an elegant combinatorial structure: the bottleneck decomposition of the underlying network structure, and the utility function, defined as the total resources that one agent receives from its neighbors. However, Sybil attacks, under which an agent may form several fictitious players and split its resource among them, have been shown as a more difficult attack to defend against, and thus a strategic agent playing Sybil attacks may result in personal gain.

Previous efforts have been made to show that an agent may generate a gain, but with limited gains by Sybil attacks on several special networks, including trees, cliques, and rings. This paper is the first to study the agent’s incentives by adopting a Sybil attack on general networks. The main contribution is to prove that any agent cannot obtain more than three times as much as the revenue when it plays honestly.
High-pressure new phase of AgN3
Authors: Niu Shifeng , Liu Ran , Shi Xuhan , Yao Zhen , Liu Bingbing , Lu Shuangchen
Published: June 2021

The structural evolutionary behaviors of AgN3 have been studied by using the particle swarm optimization structure search method combined with the density functional theory. One stable high-pressure metal polymeric phase with the [Formula: see text] space group is suggested. The enthalpy difference analysis indicates that the Ibam-AgN3 phase will transfer to the I4/mcm-AgN3 phase at 4.7 GPa and then to the [Formula: see text]-AgN3 phase at 24 GPa. The [Formula: see text]-AgN3 structure is composed of armchair–antiarmchair N-chain, in which all the N atoms are sp2 hybridization. The inherent stability of the armchair–antiarmchair chain and the anion–cation interaction between the N-chain and Ag atom induce a high stability of the [Formula: see text]-AgN3 phase, which can be captured at ambient conditions and hold its stable structure up to 1400 K. The exhibited high energy density (1.88 KJ/g) and prominent detonation properties ([Formula: see text] Km/s; [Formula: see text] GPa) of the [Formula: see text]-AgN3 phase make it a potentially high energy density material.
Inverse monoids and immersions of Δ-complexes
Authors: Meakin John , Szakács Nóra
Published: June 2021

An immersion [Formula: see text] between [Formula: see text]-complexes is a [Formula: see text]-map that induces injections from star sets of [Formula: see text] to star sets of [Formula: see text]. We study immersions between finite-dimensional connected [Formula: see text]-complexes by replacing the fundamental group of the base space by an appropriate inverse monoid. We show how conjugacy classes of the closed inverse submonoids of this inverse monoid may be used to classify connected immersions into the complex. This extends earlier results of Margolis and Meakin for immersions between graphs and of Meakin and Szakács on immersions into [Formula: see text]-dimensional [Formula: see text]-complexes.
Early Detection of Product Reliability Based on the Parameters of the Production Line and Warranty Data
Authors: Sabri-Laghaie Kamyar , Sharifpour Amir , Eshkevary Milad , Aghbolaghi Meysam
Published: June 2021

Reliability is one of the key dimensions of the quality of services and products that should be always evaluated. Growth and development of industries can be achieved by appropriate reliability engineering of products. Companies should evaluate and predict the reliability of products and accordingly find and fix the potential problems. In this regard, early detection of reliability problems based on the parameters of the production line or quality test results can prevent future warranty costs. Early detection of reliability problems based on production process and test data has not gained much attention in the literature. Therefore, an early detection model for predicting the reliability of products according to their quality test results is proposed in this research. For this purpose, hot test and warranty data of car engines manufactured by an automotive company are utilized. This data are prepared to predict engine reliability after preprocessing and removing inefficient data. Then, engines are divided into two homogeneous clusters using particle swarm optimization (PSO) clustering algorithm. Afterwards, the data in these clusters are used to feed the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to predict the reliability of the engines. The obtained results show that the proposed ANN-based method is able to predict the reliability of the engines based on engine kilometers operated and hot test results. Also, it is shown that the proposed method outperforms the Cox proportional hazards model which has previously been used for early detection of product reliability.
A Smoothed GFEM Based on Taylor Expansion and Constrained MLS for Analysis of Reissner–Mindlin Plate
Authors: Tang Jinsong , Qian Linfang , Chen Guangsong
Published: June 2021

Based on the Taylor Expansion and constrained moving least square function, a smoothed GFEM (SGFEM) is proposed in this paper for static, free vibration and buckling analysis of Reissner–Mindlin plate. The displacement function based on SGFEM is composed of classical linear finite element shape function and nodal displacement function, which are obtained by introducing the gradient smoothed meshfree approximation in Taylor expansion of nodal displacement function. A constrained moving least square function is proposed for constituting meshfree nodal displacement function. The merits of the proposed SGFEM, including high accuracy, rapid error convergence, insensitive to mesh distortion, free of shear-locking problem, no extra DOFs and temporal stability, etc., are demonstrated by several typical examples and comparisons with other numerical methods.
A classification of Roter type spacetimes
Authors: Decu Simona , Deszcz Ryszard , Haesen Stefan
Published: June 2021

In this paper, an algebraic classification of the Roter type spacetimes is given. It follows that the Roter type curvature condition is essentially equivalent with the pseudosymmetry condition on 4-dimensional Lorentzian manifolds.
High Efficient Seawater Desalination Based on Parallel Nanopore Systems
Authors: Si Wei , Chen Chang , Wu Gensheng , Sun Qianyi , Yu Meng , Qiao Yu , Sha Jingjie
Published: June 2021

Graphene is one of the most attractive two-dimensional materials that can be used for efficient desalination due to its ideal physical properties and high performance in ion selectivity and salt rejection. Here, in this paper, molecular dynamics simulations were applied to investigate the possibility of using a parallel nanopore system to pump ions so that the ions of both cation and anion species in the middle compartment could be evacuated at an extremely rapid rate. By building hexagonal parallel single-layer graphene films with spacing of 3.0 nm and changing the pore numbers and surface charge densities of the nanopores, the efficiency of desalination could be well controlled. It is found that the ion concentration decreases exponentially with time. The more the number of nanopore is, the stronger the surface charge density of nanopore is, the evacuation of ions in the middle compartment is more obvious, offering a new means for controlling the desalination efficiency. The simulations performed here provide theoretical insights for designing and fabricating high efficient and less energy consumption graphene desalination devices in the future.
The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein subunit S1 induces COVID-19-like acute lung injury in Κ18-hACE2 transgenic mice and barrier dysfunction in human endothelial cells
Authors: Colunga Biancatelli Ruben M. L. , Solopov Pavel A. , Sharlow Elizabeth R. , Lazo John S. , Marik Paul E. , Catravas John D.
Published: June 2021

Acute lung injury (ALI) leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome is the major cause of COVID-19 lethality. Cell entry of SARS-CoV-2 occurs via the interaction between its surface spike protein (SP) and angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2). It is unknown if the viral spike protein alone is capable of altering lung vascular permeability in the lungs or producing lung injury in vivo. To that end, we intratracheally instilled the S1 subunit of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S1SP) in K18-hACE2 transgenic mice that overexpress human ACE2 and examined signs of COVID-19-associated lung injury 72 h later. Controls included K18-hACE2 mice that received saline or the intact SP and wild-type (WT) mice that received S1SP. K18-hACE2 mice instilled with S1SP exhibited a decline in body weight, dramatically increased white blood cells and protein concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), upregulation of multiple inflammatory cytokines in BALF and serum, histological evidence of lung injury, and activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) pathways in the lung. K18-hACE2 mice that received either saline or SP exhibited little or no evidence of lung injury. WT mice that received S1SP exhibited a milder form of COVID-19 symptoms, compared with the K18-hACE2 mice. Furthermore, S1SP, but not SP, decreased cultured human pulmonary microvascular transendothelial resistance (TER) and barrier function. This is the first demonstration of a COVID-19-like response by an essential virus-encoded protein by SARS-CoV-2 in vivo. This model of COVID-19-induced ALI may assist in the investigation of new therapeutic approaches for the management of COVID-19 and other coronaviruses.