bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Discourse of Conflict in Social Media Networks
Authors: Rutechura Frolence
Published: March 2021

Conflict in online discussions has the potential to polarise individuals’ perceptions of any online political related post, yet political communication scholarship has paid little attention to systematic study of how verbal attacks play out in online discussions of political related posts. This paper takes a critical look at some samples of online readers’ comments to the news post issued by the European Union condemning the rise of political-related violence in Tanzania on the Tanzania based online platform−JamiiForums−in order to see how language is used by individuals to express their view points and opinions on the news event. This study applies van Dijk’s (2006) socio-cognitive approach of positive-self and negative-other polarisation in the readers’ comments on the news event.
The Nature and Direction of Meaning of -Kali in Kiswahili
Authors: Goodness Devet
Published: March 2021

This paper examines the collocations of an adjective stem -kali to create several meanings, showing how -kali can be used to express a wide range of distinct concepts in different occasions of its utterance. It is noted that the few existing studies of Kiswahili adjectives (Ashton 1947, Myachina 1981, Kahigi 2008) which have focused mainly on semantics in determining their meanings, are therefore incomplete because they have overlooked many further meanings of these adjectives in use. Here it is argued that meanings of Kiswahili adjectives can best be exhausted if one takes pragmatics into consideration. This study demonstrates that –kali generates an infinite number of meanings; some of these connotations extend in the direction of negative pole of undesirable attributes and others towards a positive pole. The paper further demonstrates that although the meaning of the adjective stem -kali connoting ‘harsh’ or ‘rude’ can be adjusted pragmatically in context, the different meanings created when this qualifier co-occurs with different nouns derive interestingly from the same stem meaning: ‘harsh’ or’ rude’.
Learning Kiswahili as a Second Language for Iraqw-Speaking People: Explaining the Reasons for Error
Authors: Vincent Sarah
Published: March 2021

Learning Kiswahili as a second language among the Iraqw community has been influenced by various errors committed by the learners. This situation causes various learners of Kiswahili in this community not to achieve native-like competence in the target language. However, the sources of these errors are not explicitly identified. Many studies draw on different perspectives to describe the sources of errors for L2 learners. For instance, Lado (1957) explains that many errors for L2 learners are due to the interference of L1 while Corder (1967) explains that many errors for L2 learners are caused by the learners themselves since they wrongly use rules of their L2. The findings revealed that the Kiswahili learners among the Iraqw community commit different errors in various contexts, namely concordial agreement marking, insertion and deletion of affixes. It has also been revealed that the causes of those errors include the environments that the learners encounter, the structural difference between L1 and L2, the effects of L1 on L2, lack of enough learning and teaching facilities for Kiswahili as L2, and teachers are not well equipped with Kiswahili content and methodologies for teaching and learning Kiswahili as L2.
Nationhood and Statehood: The Impact of a Conflated Discourse on African Polities and their Non-Dominant Ethnic Groups
Authors: Oduor Reginald M.J.
Published: March 2021

It is now conventional to refer to post-colonial African polities as ‘nations’ or ‘nation-states’. However, in this article I argue that the conflation of nationhood and statehood has led to the violation of the rights of non-dominant ethnic groups to meaningful political participation, equitable economic opportunities, ethnic identity, and secession. Thus this conflation leads to an on-going lack of legitimacy in postcolonial African states, thereby exposing them to perpetual neocolonial domination.
Nomenclatural notes on type materials of eight names in Embelia (Primulaceae) from Peninsular India

Authors: RAVICHANDRAN ARUN PRASANTH , SARDESAI MILIND M.
Published: March 2021

Typification of eight names in Embelia from Peninsular India are presented here. Among, eight lectotypifications, together with two epitypes is selected and the type for the name E. drupacea is revisited.
Buestanmyia chiriboga gen. nov. et sp. nov. (Diptera: Tabanidae: Diachlorini) from the Ecuadorian Andes
Authors: GONZÁLEZ CHRISTIAN R.
Published: March 2021

Buestanmyia gen. nov., is described from Pichincha Province, Ecuador with one included species, with B. chiriboga sp. nov. It is characterized by very short and scarce ommatrichia, frons wide and slightly divergent below, basal callus subquadrate with median dorsal projection reaching half the height of the frons, ocellar triangle and ocelli absent, scape 3.5x the length of the pedicel, scape and pedicel with strong and erect hairs, proboscis less than the length of the head, basicosta bare, wings slightly smoky, with clouds on the cells costal and subcostal, vein R4 with a short appendix; cell cup with short appendix.
Phylogenetic and phylogeographic analysis of Myrmeleotettix maculatus (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Gomphocerinae) species group in Anatolia
Authors: ŞIRIN DENIZ , TAYLAN MEHMET SAIT , BIRCAN RIFAT , AKYILDIZ GÜRKAN , CAN LEVENT
Published: March 2021

Six Anatolian and one European populations of the Myrmeleotettix maculatus species group, which contains M. maculatus and M. ethicus species, have been studied by using molecular genetics methods with mitochondrial COI gene. Myrmeleotettix ethicus is an Anatolian endemic species with local distribution whereas M. maculatus is distributed in western Palearctic. The phylogenetic analysis (ML and BI analyses) of the M. maculatus species group in Anatolia reveals that it consistently recovered two well-supported main clades and four different lineages. Molecular time estimates suggest that the diversification of the M. maculatus species group took place between the Late Tortonian (around 8-9 My) and the Middle of Pliocene-Pleistocene (around 4.3 My—present) periods and the current distribution of the genetic diversity has been affected by the uplifting of the Central Anatolian plateau, the termination of the Messinian salinity crisis, and the Quaternary climatic changes.
A new method for assessing the performance of general circulation models based on their ability to simulate the response to observed forcing
Authors: Altamirano del Carmen M.A. , Estrada F. , Gay-García C.
Published: March 2021

The reliability of General Circulation Models (GCMs) is commonly associated with their ability to reproduce relevant aspects of observed climate and thus, the evaluation of GCMs performance has become a standard practice for climate change studies. As such, there is an ever-growing literature that focuses on developing and evaluating metrics to assess GCMs performance. In this paper it is shown that some commonly applied metrics provide little information for discriminating GCMs based on their performance, once uncertainty is included. A new methodology is proposed that differs from common approaches in that it focuses on evaluating GCMs ability to reproduce the observed response of surface temperature to changes in external radiative forcing (RF), while controlling for observed and simulated variability. It uses formal statistical tests to evaluate two aspects of the warming trend that are central for climate change studies: 1) if the response to RF produced by a particular GCM is compatible with observations and 2) if the magnitudes of the observed and simulated rates of warming are statistically similar. We illustrate the proposed methodology by evaluating the ability of 21 GCMs to reproduce the observed warming trend at the global scale and eight sub-continental land domains. Results show that most of the GCMs provide an adequate representation of the observed warming trend for the global scale and for domains located in the southern hemisphere. However, GCMs tend to overestimate the warming rate for domains in the northern hemisphere, particularly since the mid-1990s.
On the Estimation of Deep Atlantic Ventilation from Fossil Radiocarbon Records. I. Modern Reference Estimates
Authors: Marchal Olivier , Zhao Ning
Published: March 2021

Radiocarbon dates of fossil carbonates sampled from sediment cores and the seafloor have been used to infer that deep ocean ventilation during the last ice age was different from today. In this first of paired papers, the time-averaged abyssal circulation in the modern Atlantic is estimated by combining a hydrographic climatology, observational estimates of volume transports, Argo float velocities at 1000 m, radiocarbon data, and geostrophic dynamics. Different estimates of modern circulation, obtained from different prior assumptions about the abyssal flow and different errors in the geostrophic balance, are produced for use in a robust interpretation of fossil records in terms of deviations from the present-day flow, which is undertaken in the second paper.

For all estimates, the meridional transport integrated zonally and averaged over a hemisphere, 〈Vk〉, is southward between 1000-4000 m in both hemispheres, northward between 4000-5000 m in the South Atlantic, and insignificant between 4000-5000 m in the North Atlantic. Estimates of 〈Vk〉 obtained from two distinct prior circulations - one based on a level of no motion at 4000 m and one based on Argo oat velocities at 1000 m - become statistically indistinguishable when Δ14C data are considered. The transport time scale, defined as τk = /〈Vk〉, where is the volume of the kth layer, is estimated to about a century between 1000-3000 m in both the South and North Atlantic, 124±9 yr (203±23 yr) between 3000-4000 m in the South (North) Atlantic, and 269±115 yr between 4000-5000 m in the South Atlantic.
The Effects of Round Window Membrane Injury and the Use of a Model Electrode Application on Hearing in Rats
Authors: Koc Murat , Dalgic Abdullah , Ozuer Mehmet Ziya
Published: March 2021

Objective:

To investigate the effects of the mechanical trauma to the round window, a model electrode inserted into the scala tympani on the cochlear reserve, and the efficacy of topical steroids in preventing hearing loss.

Materials and Methods:

21 male Wistar Albino rats were equally categorized into three groups. In all groups an initial mechanical injury to round window was created. Only subsequent dexamethasone injection was administrated into the cochlea in the subjects of group 2 while a multichannel cochlear implant guide inserted into the cochlea prior to dexamethasone administration for group 3. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were obtained prior to and immediately after the surgical injury, eventually on postoperative seventh day (d 7). Mean signal/noise ratios (S/Ns) obtained at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz were calculated. Data sets were compared with non-parametric statistical tests.

Results:

The early intraoperative mean S/Ns were significantly less than preoperative measurements for group 1 and 2; however, preoperative and postoperative d 7 average S/Ns did not differ. There was statistically significant difference between preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative d 7 average S/Ns for group 3.

Conclusion:

We observed that hearing was restored approximately to the preoperative levels following early postoperative repair. However, an electrode insertion into the cochlea via round window subsequent to mechanical trauma seems to cause a progressive hearing loss. Therefore, a special care must be taken to avoid the injury to the round window membrane in the course of the placement of a cochlear implant electrode and surgery for the chronic otitis media.
Disease Profile and Oncologic Outcomes After Delayed Diagnosis of Human Papillomavirus–Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer
Authors: Yin Linda X. , Karp Emily E. , Elias Anna , O’Byrne Thomas J. , Routman David M. , Price Daniel L. , Kasperbauer Jan L. , Neben‐Wittich Michelle , Chintakuntlawar Ashish V. , Price Katharine A. , Ma Daniel J. , Foote Robert L. , Moore Eric J. , Van Abel Kathryn M.
Published: March 2021

Objective

Diagnostic delay in human papillomavirus–associated oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma (HPV(+)OPSCC) is common due to nonspecific symptoms. We aim to describe the disease burden and oncologic outcomes of patients with HPV(+)OPSCC diagnosed >12 months after symptom onset.

Study Design

This is a retrospective cohort study of HPV(+)OPSCC patients receiving intent‐to‐cure treatment (including surgery ± adjuvant therapy or primary chemoradiation).

Setting

2006‐2016, tertiary care center.

Methods

Tumor stage was compared between patients with and without delayed diagnosis using χ2 tests. Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis with univariate and multivariable Cox regressions were used to determine the effect of diagnostic delay on oncologic outcomes.

Results

In total, 664 patients were included. Compared to patients diagnosed <12 months from symptom onset (n = 601), those diagnosed at >12 months (n = 63) were more likely to have T4 disease and higher overall American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) clinical stage at presentation (P <. 01 for both). At 5 years, rates of overall survival, cancer‐specific survival, progression‐free survival, and distant metastases–free survival in the delayed diagnosis cohort were 80%, 90%, 80%, and 89%, respectively. A >12‐month delay in diagnosis did not significantly impact overall survival (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.16; 95% CI, 0.58‐2.31), cancer‐specific survival (aHR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.29‐2.39), progression‐free survival (aHR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.56‐2.37), or distant metastases–free survival (aHR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.42‐2.40) after adjusting for age, sex, and clinical AJCC stage (P >. 05 for all).

Conclusions

Delayed diagnosis of HPV(+)OPSCC is associated with greater burden of disease at presentation, but oncologic outcomes remain favorable across treatment modalities. When appropriate, intent‐to‐cure therapy should be pursued despite diagnostic delay.

Level of Evidence

Level III.
The emergence and conceptualisation of community stadia in the UK
Authors: McTier Alexander John
Published: March 2021

New professional sports stadia have been widely advanced as flagship developments that can generate jobs and wealth, support place branding and culture-led strategies, and host mega-events. Public funding for new stadia has been secured on these bases but also challenged as stadia costs are under-estimated and the benefits, particularly for lower income communities, exaggerated. Emerging in this context, community stadia are an intriguing phenomenon as they offer the potential for professional sports stadia to deliver on community aims alongside their sporting, commercial and economic development aims. Public funding has followed with a number of community stadia built or planned in the UK, yet with limited critical analysis of the stadium type and its impact. This paper helps to fill the literature gap by learning from two community stadia case studies: The Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster and The Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk. It finds that community stadia have the potential to deliver across the four aims, with stadia’s association with the world of professional sport facilitating engagement with multiple, diverse and ‘hard to reach’ communities. However, they are also complex phenomena leading the paper to construct a 12-feature conceptualisation of community stadia that can advance practitioner and academic understanding of the phenomenon.
Understanding the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence Type and Timing on Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Knowledge, Acceptability, Sexual Behavior, and Gender Roles Among Women of Color
Authors: Villalba Karina , Jean-Gilles Michele , Rosenberg Rhonda , Cook Robert L. , Ichite Amanda , Martin Pilar , Dévieux Jessy G.
Published: March 2021

Knowledge and acceptability are key factors for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among women with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV) and research suggests that different types of IPV affect PrEP uptake differently. Few studies have examined whether the type (i.e., physical, sexual, and psychological) and timing (i.e., lifetime, past year) of IPV experiences are related to PrEP knowledge and acceptability, or whether gender roles and sexual risk behaviors affect PrEP use. We aimed to examine the associations between lifetime and past-year physical, sexual, and psychological IPV experiences on PrEP-related outcomes (i.e., knowledge, acceptability, sexual behavior if on PrEP) and the association between gender roles and PrEP-related outcomes. A total of 186 women of color at risk for HIV participated in this study, of whom 54% had ever experienced partner violence. Results showed that lifetime psychological (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.1–9.4) and lifetime physical IPV (OR 5.5, 95% CI 1.2–18.9) were significantly associated with increased PrEP knowledge. lifetime psychological (OR 6.3, 95% CI 1.0–13.6) and lifetime physical IPV (OR 4.3, 95% CI 4.3–11.5) were significantly associated with increased sexual behavior if on PrEP. Past year physical IPV was significantly associated with interest in using PrEP (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.7–4.3) and with sexual behavior if on PrEP (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.1–13.1). Being subordinate to others was also significantly associated with interest in using PrEP (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.2–2.4) Self-silencing was significantly associated with increased sexual behavior if on PrEP (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0–1.5). Gender norms and IPV type and timing can influence whether a person is interested in PrEP use. Both lifetime and past-year IPV experiences need to be examined in the context of gender norms when prescribing PrEP to encourage uptake and continuation among vulnerable women at risk for HIV.
Multilevel grounded semantics across cognitive modalities: Music, vision, poetry
Authors: Antović Mihailo
Published: March 2021

This article extends the author’s theory of multilevel grounding in meaning generation from its original application to music to the domains of visual cognition and poetry. Based on the notions of ground from the philosophy of language and conceptual blending from cognitive linguistics, the approach views semiosis in works of art as a series of successive mappings couched in a set of six hierarchical, recursive levels of constraint or grounding boxes: (1) perceptual, parsing the stimulus into formal gestalten; (2) cross-modal, motivating schematic correspondences between the stimulus so structured and the listener’s embodied experience; (3) affective, ascribing to this embodied appreciation dynamic sensations, as in the distinction between tense and lax parts of the perceptual flow; (4) conceptual, drawing analogies between such schematic and affective appreciation and elementary experiential imagery, resulting in outlines of narratives; (5) culturally rich, checking such a narrative outline against the recipient’s cultural knowledge; and (6) individual, adding to the levels above idiosyncratic recollections from the participant’s personal experience. The goal of the analysis is to show that the interpretation of constructs from different semiotic modes (music, vision and language) may rely on the same grounding levels as it ultimately depends on the same perceptual, embodied and contextual circumstances. Specifically, the article uses the system to analyse the possible reception of a section from the romance for violin and orchestra ‘The Lark Ascending’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams, the painting ‘The Last Supper’ by Leonardo da Vinci and the poem ‘No Man Is an Island’ by John Donne.
COVID-19 Pandemic Prevalence and Risk Factors for Depression Among Health Care Workers in South Asia
Authors: Saeed Rabeeya , Amin Faridah , Talha Muhammad , Randenikumara Sankha , Shariff Idris , Durrani Noureen , Salman Shaheena
Published: March 2021

Health care workers (HCW) are especially vulnerable to developing mental health problems in pandemic situations. The impact may be much devastating in developing countries due to fragmented health care system. Our study aims to explore the underlying burden of depression and its related factors among health care workers in South Asian countries. Data was collected through an online survey. A total of 476 health care workers including doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff participated from Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka. A validated WHO Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) was used to screen for Depression. A 25.7% prevalence of depression was reported among health care workers. Almost 70% of them were either not satisfied or partially satisfied with the provided personal protective equipment. On multivariable analysis, females gender (aOR=1.80, 95% CI: 1.11 – 2.90), fear of unprotection (aOR=1.80, 95% CI: 1.11 – 2.90), confirmed COVID-19 case in workplace (aOR=1.98, 95% CI= 1.18 - 3.33) and family (aOR=2.98, 95% CI: 1.02 – 8.70) were found to be independent predictors of depression among healthcare workers. Depression among HCW in South-Asian countries is quite alarming. This may jeopardize attention to other non-COVID health problems which are still on a priority in developing countries.
Older adults with colon cancer are not different from younger ones, but treated differently: Retrospective analysis from single centre
Authors: Oytun Merve Güner , Bulut Gülcan , Gökmen Erhan , Doğu Burcu B , Karabulut Bülent
Published: March 2021

Aim

Decision- making of the treatment of colon cancer for the older patients becomes more complicated in consequence of comorbidities and geriatric syndromes, most importantly frailty. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether there is a difference between tumour characteristics, treatment choices, and outcomes between the younger and older adults.

Method

The patients who were diagnosed with colorectal carcinoma in our centre between 2010 and 2015 included. Clinicopathological features of tumour, treatment choices and survivals of the patients were recorded. Patients were separated into two groups according to their chronological age.

Results

The present study included 465 patients, there were 173 patients aged 65 years and older. Clinicopathological features were similar in both groups. Adjuvant chemotherapy was given in similar rates. Whereas combination chemotherapies were preferred in younger patients as first-line therapy, single agents were given to the older group(p-value < 0.001). No significant differences were observed between combination therapy and monotherapy as progression-free and overall survival in older adults(p value > 0.05). It was observed that 53.2% of the older patients was not treated with any biological treatment (p-value < 0.001).

Discussion

Geriatric people are underrepresented in clinical trials,because of the presence of the limitations in the older patients. The results of our study revealed older patients with colon cancer patients underwent surgery less than the younger ones, they recieved monotherapy more frequently as first-line chemotherapy, and less frequently targeted therapy. Their mortality was higher. It was shown that decision-making of colon cancer therapy is influenced by age according to our results.
Failing to Perform Citizenship: Daily Narratives About Stockholm’s ‘vulnerable EU citizens’
Authors: Mostowska Magdalena
Published: March 2021

The question of mobile Roma beggars in Europe has been analysed in terms of securitization, racialization, and deportability. These people have been hailed as ‘abject’ or ‘failed’ citizens, the problem of race being made largely invisible. In the Swedish context, the category of race does not emerge in overt form, and Swedes generally imagine themselves to be an egalitarian and just society. However, in Stockholm, in 2015, the unprecedented visibility of rough sleeping EU-migrants turned daily chance meetings tasks into ‘ethical encounters’. Using the concept of enacting citizenship and the Narrative Policy Framework, this article analyses day-to-day narratives about ‘vulnerable EU citizens’ constructed by the media and experts in the winter of 2015 in Stockholm. Most press narratives would silence the voices of migrants, framing them as passive victims, their problem being defined in terms of extreme temperature, thus making cold weather the principle villain. With regard to acts of citizenship, the paper analyses expert opinions on the migrants’ performance. Their stories and discourse reveal the image of a ‘vulnerable EU citizen’: one of a passive, begging, distressingly visible individual who is failing to perform citizenship. This shortcoming is regarded here as contributing to the justification of a wider policy framework in which the migrants’ claims are seen as unfounded and undeserved, while their attitude is viewed as unappreciative, although they would allegedly not be racialized as a group.
Working in a pandemic and post-pandemic period – Cultural intelligence is the key
Authors: Mangla Namita
Published: March 2021

Working environment has been transformed by this pandemic into flexible work arrangements with a swift acclimatization of technology. The post-pandemic working arrangements are expected to be increasingly driven by technology as business models will also evolve to adopt these changes. Virtual working arrangements bring several challenges like reduced trust, disrupted communication, limited collaboration, lack of role clarity and lowered team performance. The research suggests that the future of work is going to be more dynamic and virtual. The normal physical work arrangements that were in place before the pandemic will evolve to include multiple models. Therefore, the challenges and problems associated with virtual working needs to be addressed along with the increasing adoption. Cultural intelligence helps in fostering ‘trust and understanding’ even among virtual teams. The study surveyed people working virtually during this pandemic and analysed, if cultural intelligence and its dimensions i.e. cognitive, metacognitive, motivational and behavioural have effect on the challenges faced by the virtual teams. It is observed that the behavioural cultural intelligence predicts virtual team effectiveness and address the challenges faced by virtual teams.
Modifiable Risk Factors of Dementia in Older Adults With Epilepsy: An Opportunity to Flatten the Curve?
Authors: Punia Vineet
Published: March 2021

[Box: see text]
Towards a contemporary player learning in development framework for sports practitioners
Authors: Sullivan Mark O , Woods Carl T , Vaughan James , Davids Keith
Published: March 2021

As it is appreciated that learning is a non-linear process – implying that coaching methodologies in sport should be accommodative – it is reasonable to suggest that player development pathways should also account for this non-linearity. A constraints-led approach (CLA), predicated on the theory of ecological dynamics, has been suggested as a viable framework for capturing the non-linearity of learning, development and performance in sport. The CLA articulates how skills emerge through the interaction of different constraints (task-environment-performer). However, despite its well-established theoretical roots, there are challenges to implementing it in practice. Accordingly, to help practitioners navigate such challenges, this paper proposes a user-friendly framework that demonstrates the benefits of a CLA. Specifically, to conceptualize the non-linear and individualized nature of learning, and how it can inform player development, we apply Adolph’s notion of learning IN development to explain the fundamental ideas of a CLA. We then exemplify a learning IN development framework, based on a CLA, brought to life in a high-level youth football organization. We contend that this framework can provide a novel approach for presenting the key ideas of a CLA and its powerful pedagogic concepts to practitioners at all levels, informing coach education programs, player development frameworks and learning environment designs in sport.
Leishmania mexicana in a central Texas cat: clinical presentation, molecular identification, sandfly vector collection and novel management
Authors: Hopke Kaitlin , Meyers Alyssa , Auckland Lisa , Hamer Sarah , Florin David , Diesel Alison , Patterson Adam
Published: March 2021

Case summary

This case report documents the clinical appearance, diagnosis and novel treatment of a central Texas cat with cutaneous leishmaniosis. The cat presented with a linear erosion on the right pinnal margin, an ulcerated exophytic nodule on the right hock and a swelling in the right nostril. Cytological and histopathological findings were consistent with leishmaniosis. PCR confirmed the presence of Leishmania mexicana, a species endemic to Texas. An epidemiological investigation was conducted by trapping sandflies from the cat’s environment. Sandflies collected were identified as Lutzomyia species, known vectors of Leishmania species. Given the lack of validated medical therapies for L mexicana in cats, treatments typically prescribed for canine leishmaniosis were administered. Allopurinol achieved clinical success but was discontinued due to suspected drug-related neutropenia. Topical imiquimod also improved lesional skin but was not sustainable due to application difficulty. Oral administration of artemisinin resulted in significant clinical improvement of cutaneous lesions without reported adverse events. Nearly 8 months after the initiation of artemisinin therapy, the cat remained systemically healthy with stable lesions.

Relevance and novel information

This case report demonstrates endemic feline leishmaniosis in central Texas and provides the clinician with alternative therapeutic options for medical management.
Healthy and Respectful Workplaces: The Experiences of Dental Hygienists in Canada
Authors: Ghoneim A. , Parbhakar K.K. , Farmer J. , Quiñonez C.
Published: March 2021

Introduction:

Like any health care practitioner, dental hygienists can experience mistreatment in the workplace. They can be subjected to harassment, bullying, abuse, and violence. These negative experiences can have adverse consequences on psychological and physical well-being and can lead to job dissatisfaction, depression, and burnout. The aim of this study was to describe dental hygienists’ experiences related to healthy and respectful workplaces.

Methods:

This was an online self-administered survey sent to all members of the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association. Respondents were asked to report the occurrence, frequency, and impact of different types of mistreatment as experienced over their career.

Results:

In total, 3,780 dental hygienists responded to the survey (response rate = 22%). More than 70% of respondents experienced some form of mistreatment over their career from dentists, office managers, coworkers, and/or patients. Of those who experienced mistreatment, 67% reported losing the respect they felt for the offending person, 55% reported experiencing symptoms of depression, and 30% quit their job.

Conclusions:

Mistreatment toward dental hygienists can be prevalent in Canadian dental care settings, resulting in negative consequences to dental hygienists’ well-being.

Knowledge Transfer Statement:

The findings of this article suggest that measures are needed to support healthy and respectful workplaces in Canadian dental care settings. This includes but is not limited to 1) training and education for all members of the dental care team concerning mistreatment, 2) enacting policies in dental care settings to discourage these types of behaviors, and 3) providing help and support to individuals who experience these incidents.
Homeland as a multi-scalar community: (Dis)continuities in the US security/safety discourse and practice
Authors: Tulumello Simone , Falanga Roberto
Published: March 2021

This article takes steps from the birth and consolidation of “homeland” as the central discursive engine of the US national security enterprise; and takes issue with the dominant scholarly interpretation of the geographical and spatial implications of its emergence in terms of the dissolution of space and spatialization in security policy ( Bialasiewicz et al., 2007 : 416). We adopt a multi-scalar approach to exploring security discourse/practice, comparing the performativity of national and global security with the local practice/discourse of public safety—with empirical focus on the case of Memphis (TN). Our main arguments are that the homeland builds on the same performative elements of the emergence and consolidation of a certain conception of “community”, as it has become dominant in public safety policymaking at the local scale; and that the homeland/community performativity is the expression of a never-ending movement of production of multi-scalar geographies of the “good” and “evil”, made of the coexistence of centrifugal (pushing problems away) and centripetal (incorporating any given outside) dimensions.
A prognostic score including mutation profile and clinical features for patients with CMML undergoing stem cell transplantation
Authors: Gagelmann Nico , Badbaran Anita , Beelen Dietrich W. , Salit Rachel B. , Stölzel Friedrich , Rautenberg Christina , Becker Heiko , Radujkovic Aleksandar , Panagiota Victoria , Bogdanov Rashit , Christopeit Maximilian , Park Yong , Nibourel Olivier , Luft Thomas , Koldehoff Michael , Corsten Maarten , Heuser Michael , Finke Jürgen , Kobbe Guido , Platzbecker Uwe , Robin Marie , Scott Bart L. , Kröger Nicolaus
Published: March 2021

The inclusion of mutation status improved risk stratification for newly diagnosed patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). Stem cell transplantation is a potentially curative treatment option, and patient selection is critical because of relevant transplant-related morbidity and mortality. We aimed to evaluate the impact of mutation status together with clinical presentations on posttransplant outcome. Our study included 240 patients with a median follow-up of 5.5 years. A significant association with worse survival was identified for the presence of mutations in ASXL1 and/or NRAS. In multivariable analysis, ASXL1- and/or NRAS-mutated genotype (hazard ratio [HR], 1.63), marrow blasts >2% (HR, 1.70), and increasing comorbidity index (continuous HR, 1.16) were independently associated with worse survival. A prognostic score (CMML transplant score) was developed, and the following points were assigned: 4 points for an ASXL1- and/or NRAS-mutated genotype or blasts >2% and 1 point each for an increase of 1 in the comorbidity index. The CMML transplant score (range, 0-20) was predictive of survival and nonrelapse mortality (P < .001 for both). Up to 5 risk groups were identified, showing 5-year survival of 81% for a score of 0 to 1, 49% for a score of 2 to 4, 43% for a score of 5 to 7, 31% for a score of 8 to 10, and 19% for a score >10. The score retained performance after validation (concordance index, 0.68) and good accuracy after calibration. Predictions were superior compared with existing scores designed for the nontransplant setting, which resulted in significant risk reclassification. This CMML transplant score, which incorporated mutation and clinical information, was prognostic in patients specifically undergoing transplantation and may facilitate personalized counseling.
Immunotherapy perspectives in the new era of B-cell editing
Authors: Ueda Natsuko , Cahen Marine , Danger Yannic , Moreaux Jérôme , Sirac Christophe , Cogné Michel
Published: March 2021

Since the early days of vaccination, targeted immunotherapy has gone through multiple conceptual changes and challenges. It now provides the most efficient and up-to-date strategies for either preventing or treating infections and cancer. Its most recent and successful weapons are autologous T cells carrying chimeric antigen receptors, engineered purposely for binding cancer-specific antigens and therefore used for so-called adoptive immunotherapy. We now face the merger of such achievements in cell therapy: using lymphocytes redirected on purpose to bind specific antigens and the  clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) revolution, which conferred genome-editing methodologies with both safety and efficacy. This unique affiliation will soon and considerably expand the scope of diseases susceptible to adoptive immunotherapy and of immune cells available for being reshaped as therapeutic tools, including B cells. Following the monumental success story of passive immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), we are thus entering into a new era, where a combination of gene therapy/cell therapy will enable reprogramming of the patient’s immune system and notably endow his B cells with the ability to produce therapeutic mAbs on their own.
Early radical cystectomy with negative margins in a 57-year-old female with myxoid/round cell liposarcoma of the bladder suggests prolonged overall survival
Authors: Delport Johannes Eduard , Makamba Khanyisa
Published: March 2021

Background

Bladder cancer is the 17th most common cancer in the female population. Most bladder cancers are of urothelial origin. Sarcomas of the bladder are very uncommon.

Case presentation

This case concerns a 57-year-old female from a rural town in the Eastern Cape who was diagnosed with myxoid/round cell liposarcoma of the bladder. After the initial transurethral resection of the bladder tumour, she underwent an anterior exenteration with Bricker’s diversion (ileal conduit) and negative margins were achieved.

Conclusions

Sarcomas of the bladder are known to have a poor prognosis. Our patient is alive with good stoma function more than 24 months since her radical surgery. We are of the opinion that her favourable overall survival is attributable to early radical surgical intervention with negative margins.
Transcriptomic analysis of the trade-off between endurance and burst-performance in the frog Xenopus allofraseri
Authors: Ducret Valérie , Richards Adam J. , Videlier Mathieu , Scalvenzi Thibault , Moore Karen A. , Paszkiewicz Konrad , Bonneaud Camille , Pollet Nicolas , Herrel Anthony
Published: March 2021

Background

Variation in locomotor capacity among animals often reflects adaptations to different environments. Despite evidence that physical performance is heritable, the molecular basis of locomotor performance and performance trade-offs remains poorly understood. In this study we identify the genes, signaling pathways, and regulatory processes possibly responsible for the trade-off between burst performance and endurance observed in Xenopus allofraseri, using a transcriptomic approach.

Results

We obtained a total of about 121 million paired-end reads from Illumina RNA sequencing and analyzed 218,541 transcripts obtained from a de novo assembly. We identified 109 transcripts with a significant differential expression between endurant and burst performant individuals (FDR ≤ 0.05 and logFC ≥2), and blast searches resulted in 103 protein-coding genes. We found major differences between endurant and burst-performant individuals in the expression of genes involved in the polymerization and ATPase activity of actin filaments, cellular trafficking, proteoglycans and extracellular proteins secreted, lipid metabolism, mitochondrial activity and regulators of signaling cascades. Remarkably, we revealed transcript isoforms of key genes with functions in metabolism, apoptosis, nuclear export and as a transcriptional corepressor, expressed in either burst-performant or endurant individuals. Lastly, we find two up-regulated transcripts in burst-performant individuals that correspond to the expression of myosin-binding protein C fast-type (mybpc2). This suggests the presence of mybpc2 homoeologs and may have been favored by selection to permit fast and powerful locomotion.

Conclusion

These results suggest that the differential expression of genes belonging to the pathways of calcium signaling, endoplasmic reticulum stress responses and striated muscle contraction, in addition to the use of alternative splicing and effectors of cellular activity underlie locomotor performance trade-offs. Ultimately, our transcriptomic analysis offers new perspectives for future analyses of the role of single nucleotide variants, homoeology and alternative splicing in the evolution of locomotor performance trade-offs.
Hybrid genome de novo assembly with methylome analysis of the anaerobic thermophilic subsurface bacterium Thermanaerosceptrum fracticalcis strain DRI-13T
Authors: Murphy Trevor R. , Xiao Rui , Hamilton-Brehm Scott D.
Published: March 2021

Background

There is a dearth of sequenced and closed microbial genomes from environments that exceed > 500 m below level terrestrial surface. Coupled with even fewer cultured isolates, study and understanding of how life endures in the extreme oligotrophic subsurface environments is greatly hindered. Using a de novo hybrid assembly of Illumina and Oxford Nanopore sequences we produced a circular genome with corresponding methylome profile of the recently characterized thermophilic, anaerobic, and fumarate-respiring subsurface bacterium, Thermanaerosceptrum fracticalcis, strain DRI-13T to understand how this microorganism survives the deep subsurface.

Results

The hybrid assembly produced a single circular genome of 3.8 Mb in length with an overall GC content of 45%. Out of the total 4022 annotated genes, 3884 are protein coding, 87 are RNA encoding genes, and the remaining 51 genes were associated with regulatory features of the genome including riboswitches and T-box leader sequences. Approximately 24% of the protein coding genes were hypothetical. Analysis of strain DRI-13T genome revealed: 1) energy conservation by bifurcation hydrogenase when growing on fumarate, 2) four novel bacterial prophages, 3) methylation profile including 76.4% N6-methyladenine and 3.81% 5-methylcytosine corresponding to novel DNA methyltransferase motifs. As well a cluster of 45 genes of unknown protein families that have enriched DNA mCpG proximal to the transcription start sites, and 4) discovery of a putative core of bacteriophage exclusion (BREX) genes surrounded by hypothetical proteins, with predicted functions as helicases, nucleases, and exonucleases.

Conclusions

The de novo hybrid assembly of strain DRI-13T genome has provided a more contiguous and accurate view of the subsurface bacterium T. fracticalcis, strain DRI-13T. This genome analysis reveals a physiological focus supporting syntrophy, non-homologous double stranded DNA repair, mobility/adherence/chemotaxis, unique methylome profile/recognized motifs, and a BREX defense system. The key to microbial subsurface survival may not rest on genetic diversity, but rather through specific syntrophy niches and novel methylation strategies.
The role of EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL scores and inflammatory biomarkers in predicting survival in terminally ill patients with cancer
Authors: Koyama Nanako , Matsumura Chikako , Shitashimizu Yoshihiro , Sako Morito , Kurosawa Hideo , Nomura Takehisa , Eguchi Yuki , Ohba Kazuki , Yano Yoshitaka
Published: March 2021

Background

The clinical use of patient-reported outcomes as compared to inflammatory biomarkers for predicting cancer survival remains a challenge in palliative care settings. We evaluated the role of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 15 Palliative scores (EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL) and the inflammatory biomarkers C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin (Alb), and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for survival prediction in patients with advanced cancer.

Methods

This was an observational study in terminally ill patients with cancer hospitalized in a palliative care unit between June 2018 and December 2019. Patients’ data collected at the time of hospitalization were analyzed. Cox regression was performed to examine significant factors influencing survival. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to estimate cut-off values for predicting survival within 3 weeks, and a log-rank test was performed to compare survival curves between groups divided by the cut-off values.

Results

Totally, 130 patients participated in the study. Cox regression suggested that the QLQ-C15-PAL dyspnea and fatigue scores and levels of CRP, Alb, and NLR were significantly associated with survival time, and cut-off values were 66.67, 66.67, 3.0 mg/dL, 2.5 g/dL, and 8.2, respectively. The areas under ROC curves of these variables were 0.6–0.7. There were statistically significant differences in the survival curves between groups categorized using each of these cut-off values (p < .05 for all cases).

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the assessment of not only objective indicators for the systemic inflammatory response but also patient-reported outcomes using EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL is beneficial for the prediction of short-term survival in terminally ill patients with cancer.
Role of SES on the association between childhood parental death and adulthood suicidal ideation: a mediation analysis using longitudinal dataset in South Korea
Authors: Yoon Jaehong , Kim Ja Young , Kim Ji-Hwan , Kim Seung-Sup
Published: March 2021

Background

We sought to examine the association between childhood experience of parental death (CEPD) and adulthood suicidal ideation, and the mediating role of adulthood SES in the association.

Methods

We analyzed a nationally representative dataset of 8609 adults from the Korea Welfare Panel Study, which is a longitudinal cohort dataset in South Korea. CEPD was measured using a question: “During your childhood (0-17 years old), have you experienced the death of parents?” We classified responses of CEPD during 2006–2011 into ‘yes,’ and the others into ‘no.’ Suicidal ideation over the past year was assessed annually during 2012–2019. As a potential mediator, adulthood educational attainment and household income in 2011 were included in the analysis. Logistic regression was applied to examine the association of CEPD with adulthood suicidal ideation across age groups (early adulthood, 19–39 years old; middle adulthood, 40–59 years old; late adulthood, ≥60 years old), after excluding people who reported lifetime suicidal ideation in 2011. Causal mediation analysis using a parametric regression model was applied to examine the mediating role of adulthood SES in the association between CEPD and adulthood suicidal ideation.

Results

After adjusting for potential confounders including childhood SES, CEPD was significantly associated with adulthood suicidal ideation among the late adulthood group (OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.13–1.81), while the association was not statistically significant among the early; and middle adulthood groups. In mediation analysis of adulthood household income, both indirect association (ORNIE: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02–1.09) and direct association (ORNDE: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.09–1.73) were statistically significant among the late adulthood group. In the mediation analysis of adulthood education attainment among the late adulthood, only a direct association was statistically significant (ORNDE: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.14–1.80).

Conclusions

These results suggest that CEPD could be a risk factor for adulthood suicidal ideation. Furthermore, the findings imply that income security policy might be necessary to reduce suicide among the late adulthood group.